1 00:00:00,968 --> 00:00:03,936 ♪♪ 2 00:00:03,938 --> 00:00:07,673 FOX: The year is 1200 BC. 3 00:00:07,675 --> 00:00:11,176 On the coast of modern-day Turkey, 4 00:00:11,178 --> 00:00:15,848 1,000 Greek ships lay siege to the city of Troy. 5 00:00:15,850 --> 00:00:18,984 For 10 years, the battle rages, 6 00:00:18,986 --> 00:00:21,987 until the most cunning deception in history 7 00:00:21,989 --> 00:00:23,956 helps the Greeks win the war. 8 00:00:23,958 --> 00:00:26,892 ♪♪ 9 00:00:26,894 --> 00:00:28,894 We've been told that the Battle of Troy, 10 00:00:28,896 --> 00:00:30,829 as recorded in Homer's "Iliad," 11 00:00:30,831 --> 00:00:34,033 is the greatest piece of fiction ever written. 12 00:00:34,035 --> 00:00:36,168 But did it actually happen? 13 00:00:36,170 --> 00:00:38,971 New archaeological evidence has begun to blur the line 14 00:00:38,973 --> 00:00:42,775 between myth and reality like never before. 15 00:00:42,777 --> 00:00:44,009 I think the Trojan War happened, 16 00:00:44,011 --> 00:00:46,178 and I think all of this supports it. 17 00:00:46,180 --> 00:00:47,880 That's exciting. 18 00:00:47,882 --> 00:00:50,349 I'll hunt down the most legendary heroes... 19 00:00:50,351 --> 00:00:53,252 Mac SWEENEY: What you see in front of you is the tomb of Achilles. 20 00:00:53,254 --> 00:00:55,621 FOX:...and gain special access to one of the greatest 21 00:00:55,623 --> 00:00:58,357 archaeological finds of the modern age... 22 00:00:58,359 --> 00:01:00,025 It's 3,500 years old? 23 00:01:00,027 --> 00:01:02,861 I'll hold it like it was my newborn baby. 24 00:01:02,863 --> 00:01:06,131 ...to find out if the greatest Greek myth ever told... 25 00:01:06,133 --> 00:01:09,635 Troy would have been a lot like the D-Day of World War II. 26 00:01:12,840 --> 00:01:15,908 FOX:...was not really a myth at all. 27 00:01:15,910 --> 00:01:17,142 Mac SWEENEY: There should be something to find. 28 00:01:19,513 --> 00:01:21,947 FOX: All across the world, our ancient ancestors 29 00:01:21,949 --> 00:01:25,250 left behind towering mysteries and enchanting myths. 30 00:01:25,252 --> 00:01:27,586 That looks like a magic wand. 31 00:01:27,588 --> 00:01:29,788 As an actress, I've been lucky enough to peek 32 00:01:29,790 --> 00:01:32,524 behind the curtain at some of these ancient sites... 33 00:01:32,526 --> 00:01:34,660 I've never been in a crypt before. 34 00:01:34,662 --> 00:01:37,696 ...and it's ignited an insatiable curiosity in me 35 00:01:37,698 --> 00:01:39,998 to know more about these lost worlds... 36 00:01:40,000 --> 00:01:43,102 It's amazing that, under our feet, there's so much history. 37 00:01:43,104 --> 00:01:46,972 FOX:...some of which are still buried deep in our distant past. 38 00:01:46,974 --> 00:01:48,674 That is amazing! 39 00:01:48,676 --> 00:01:58,050 ♪♪ 40 00:01:58,052 --> 00:02:07,493 ♪♪ 41 00:02:07,495 --> 00:02:08,994 FOX: The only thing I ever loved in school 42 00:02:08,996 --> 00:02:12,998 was studying Greek mythology, so I have to experience it. 43 00:02:13,000 --> 00:02:16,235 ♪♪ 44 00:02:16,237 --> 00:02:19,338 I'm on the picturesque waters of the Aegean Sea, 45 00:02:19,340 --> 00:02:22,875 headed to an island off the northwest coast of Turkey. 46 00:02:24,378 --> 00:02:25,677 3,000 years ago, 47 00:02:25,679 --> 00:02:27,379 this area could have been the backdrop 48 00:02:27,381 --> 00:02:33,652 for the greatest Greek myth of all time -- the Trojan War, 49 00:02:33,654 --> 00:02:38,790 where powerful gods and men clashed like titans. 50 00:02:38,792 --> 00:02:42,294 Most people view the story of the Trojan War as fantasy. 51 00:02:42,296 --> 00:02:45,597 Maybe some of it was written in a more romantic way, 52 00:02:45,599 --> 00:02:47,900 but I think there were historical facts 53 00:02:47,902 --> 00:02:50,302 included in that. 54 00:02:50,304 --> 00:02:53,839 FOX: Set around 1200 BC, this mythical war took place 55 00:02:53,841 --> 00:02:57,442 between an attacking Greek force from southern Greece 56 00:02:57,444 --> 00:03:00,179 and the Trojans who ruled the northwest coast 57 00:03:00,181 --> 00:03:02,414 of modern-day Turkey. 58 00:03:02,416 --> 00:03:04,183 The first written account of this conflict 59 00:03:04,185 --> 00:03:10,122 comes 400 years later in Homer's epic poem "The Iliad," 60 00:03:10,124 --> 00:03:12,424 and recently, incredible new artifacts 61 00:03:12,426 --> 00:03:14,760 have been discovered in this area 62 00:03:14,762 --> 00:03:18,997 that suggest this epic war could have been real. 63 00:03:18,999 --> 00:03:21,967 Stories that are in the Bible are equally as fantastical, 64 00:03:21,969 --> 00:03:23,869 but they found the Walls of Jericho. 65 00:03:23,871 --> 00:03:25,070 That is a real location, 66 00:03:25,072 --> 00:03:27,239 and there was a real wall that fell. 67 00:03:27,241 --> 00:03:28,807 So a lot of these stories 68 00:03:28,809 --> 00:03:31,343 do contain legitimate historical information, 69 00:03:31,345 --> 00:03:35,047 and I don't know why people are so hesitant to embrace that. 70 00:03:35,049 --> 00:03:37,416 FOX: Could the pages of "The Iliad" be a treasure map 71 00:03:37,418 --> 00:03:40,118 leading us to the truth of the Trojan War, 72 00:03:40,120 --> 00:03:44,156 or is it just a fantastical work of fiction? 73 00:03:44,158 --> 00:03:47,326 To find out, I'm on the island of Bozcaada 74 00:03:47,328 --> 00:03:50,095 to meet a local legend. 75 00:03:50,097 --> 00:03:51,096 - Hi. - Hello! 76 00:03:51,098 --> 00:03:52,698 - Nice to have you. - How are you? 77 00:03:52,700 --> 00:03:53,966 - Good to see you. - Good. How are you? 78 00:03:53,968 --> 00:03:56,101 You look like a gentleman today. 79 00:03:56,103 --> 00:03:57,502 I like your white trousers. 80 00:03:57,504 --> 00:03:59,471 Thank you very much. 81 00:03:59,473 --> 00:04:02,441 FOX: Dr. Haluk Sahin is a well-known Turkish journalist 82 00:04:02,443 --> 00:04:03,875 and professor who has spent 83 00:04:03,877 --> 00:04:08,380 over 2 decades deciphering the secrets of "The Iliad." 84 00:04:08,382 --> 00:04:11,550 What was the catalyst for the Trojan War? 85 00:04:11,552 --> 00:04:16,388 Well, the face that launched 1,000 ships, 86 00:04:16,390 --> 00:04:20,158 the beautiful face of Helen, the queen. 87 00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:23,862 According to Homer, the Trojan War began after Paris, 88 00:04:23,864 --> 00:04:26,765 a Trojan prince, abducted the most beautiful woman 89 00:04:26,767 --> 00:04:28,734 in the ancient world -- 90 00:04:28,736 --> 00:04:32,070 the Greek queen, Helen, took her back to Troy, 91 00:04:32,072 --> 00:04:34,906 a heavily fortified city known throughout the ancient world 92 00:04:34,908 --> 00:04:37,676 as being impenetrable. 93 00:04:37,678 --> 00:04:41,313 In response, the Greeks sent a dream team of heroes 94 00:04:41,315 --> 00:04:45,717 including the mighty Achilles, Ajax, and the cunning Odysseus, 95 00:04:45,719 --> 00:04:49,221 plus thousands of elite soldiers to recover Helen 96 00:04:49,223 --> 00:04:52,557 and to destroy the city. 97 00:04:52,559 --> 00:04:56,495 FOX: Is this island written about in "The Iliad"? 98 00:04:56,497 --> 00:05:00,565 SAHIN: Yes, Bozcaada, known as Tenedos in ancient times, 99 00:05:00,567 --> 00:05:04,970 played a very important role in the Trojan War for the Greeks. 100 00:05:04,972 --> 00:05:09,107 After they left the Trojan horse in front of the city, 101 00:05:09,109 --> 00:05:11,677 they hid their ships behind the island, 102 00:05:11,679 --> 00:05:15,013 waiting for a signal. 103 00:05:15,015 --> 00:05:17,449 FOX: According to legend, after years of failing 104 00:05:17,451 --> 00:05:18,950 to take the city of Troy, 105 00:05:18,952 --> 00:05:21,720 the Greeks deployed one of the most cunning battle tactics 106 00:05:21,722 --> 00:05:23,088 of all time... 107 00:05:23,090 --> 00:05:24,523 the Trojan horse. 108 00:05:26,527 --> 00:05:27,959 While pretending to retreat 109 00:05:27,961 --> 00:05:30,529 and hiding their ships behind the island that I'm on, 110 00:05:30,531 --> 00:05:35,000 the infamous Trojan horse was gifted to the people of Troy. 111 00:05:35,002 --> 00:05:38,003 This massive wooden peace offering with Greek soldiers 112 00:05:38,005 --> 00:05:42,341 inside gained them access inside the city gates. 113 00:05:42,343 --> 00:05:45,777 The Greek soldiers then unleashed an ambush attack, 114 00:05:45,779 --> 00:05:47,446 and the city of Troy fell. 115 00:05:47,448 --> 00:05:55,287 ♪♪ 116 00:05:55,289 --> 00:05:57,522 Goztepe is right up there. 117 00:05:57,524 --> 00:06:01,460 It's the highest point on the island. 118 00:06:01,462 --> 00:06:02,928 FOX: Using the words of Homer, 119 00:06:02,930 --> 00:06:04,930 Haluk is going to try and pinpoint for me 120 00:06:04,932 --> 00:06:09,368 exactly where this war would have played out. 121 00:06:09,370 --> 00:06:11,069 SAHIN: Here we are. 122 00:06:11,071 --> 00:06:18,510 ♪♪ 123 00:06:18,512 --> 00:06:21,980 Okay, this is our island, the island of Bozcaada, 124 00:06:21,982 --> 00:06:24,416 known as Tenedos in ancient times, 125 00:06:24,418 --> 00:06:30,288 and Homer talks about Troy being across from Tenedos, 126 00:06:30,290 --> 00:06:32,491 and here we are. 127 00:06:32,493 --> 00:06:35,193 See some of the white buildings over there? 128 00:06:35,195 --> 00:06:39,931 That's Troy. - So cool, wow. 129 00:06:39,933 --> 00:06:43,001 And if we go this way, there is Mount Ida, 130 00:06:43,003 --> 00:06:50,742 and gods Zeus and Hera came to watch the war from Mount Ida. 131 00:06:50,744 --> 00:06:54,613 FOX: About 70 miles to the southeast of Troy is Mount Ida 132 00:06:54,615 --> 00:06:56,047 where, according to Homer, 133 00:06:56,049 --> 00:07:00,018 gods came to watch the epic war unfold. 134 00:07:00,020 --> 00:07:02,854 FOX: You can say, like, "Look, we're standing here." 135 00:07:02,856 --> 00:07:05,056 Homer described all of this. 136 00:07:05,058 --> 00:07:07,292 He was familiar with the geography. 137 00:07:07,294 --> 00:07:09,428 He could have traveled here and seen it, 138 00:07:09,430 --> 00:07:14,099 but there's still a lot more dots that have to be connected. 139 00:07:14,101 --> 00:07:17,135 FOX: Did Homer simply reference recognizable landmarks 140 00:07:17,137 --> 00:07:20,071 to make this mythical story sound more authentic, 141 00:07:20,073 --> 00:07:24,075 or was he reporting on real events? 142 00:07:24,077 --> 00:07:27,045 To find out, I'm headed to the Turkish mainland, 143 00:07:27,047 --> 00:07:30,348 where the ruins of the ancient city of Troy are believed to be. 144 00:07:30,350 --> 00:07:33,351 ♪♪ 145 00:07:33,353 --> 00:07:35,020 Three miles from the Aegean Sea 146 00:07:35,022 --> 00:07:40,692 are 4,000-year-old ruins, first discovered in 1870. 147 00:07:40,694 --> 00:07:43,462 Could these crumbling walls and massive foundations 148 00:07:43,464 --> 00:07:46,798 really be the mighty city at the center of Homer's legend? 149 00:07:46,800 --> 00:07:50,569 Let me just climb over this mountain here. 150 00:07:50,571 --> 00:07:51,770 How are you? - Brian Rose. 151 00:07:51,772 --> 00:07:53,405 - Megan. Nice to meet you. - Good to meet you. 152 00:07:54,441 --> 00:07:57,742 FOX: I'm joined by world-renowned archaeologist Brian Rose, 153 00:07:57,744 --> 00:08:00,879 who has dedicated 25 years to this site, 154 00:08:00,881 --> 00:08:04,015 and he literally wrote the book on it. 155 00:08:04,017 --> 00:08:06,852 The geographical references to the site of Troy 156 00:08:06,854 --> 00:08:09,421 in "The Iliad" only match this one, 157 00:08:09,423 --> 00:08:14,426 but there are a lot of mysteries that still surround the site. 158 00:08:14,428 --> 00:08:17,729 FOX: Although these ruins have been studied for nearly 200 years, 159 00:08:17,731 --> 00:08:20,799 no archaeologist has been able to definitively prove 160 00:08:20,801 --> 00:08:23,335 whether or not this is Homer's Troy 161 00:08:23,337 --> 00:08:25,303 because it's one of the most complicated 162 00:08:25,305 --> 00:08:28,573 archaeological sites in the world. 163 00:08:28,575 --> 00:08:30,876 ROSE: One of the reasons it's hard to understand the site 164 00:08:30,878 --> 00:08:35,514 is that occupation here lasted for 4,500 years. 165 00:08:35,516 --> 00:08:37,716 Do you just mean different people lived here? 166 00:08:37,718 --> 00:08:38,917 - Yeah. - Okay. 167 00:08:38,919 --> 00:08:41,152 Different people lived here, starting around 3000 BC, 168 00:08:41,154 --> 00:08:43,455 going to about 1500 AD, 169 00:08:43,457 --> 00:08:46,658 and so we have these layers of different settlements. 170 00:08:46,660 --> 00:08:50,128 So how many cultures or people have lived here, 171 00:08:50,130 --> 00:08:52,531 like, if you cut a cake open, you can count the layers? 172 00:08:52,533 --> 00:08:55,133 Right, so we would say that there are nine layers, 173 00:08:55,135 --> 00:08:57,836 one built on top of the other. 174 00:08:57,838 --> 00:09:00,171 FOX: For thousands of years, this city was built 175 00:09:00,173 --> 00:09:02,474 and rebuilt on top of itself, 176 00:09:02,476 --> 00:09:05,544 creating a quagmire of walls and roads. 177 00:09:05,546 --> 00:09:07,212 Through painstaking investigation 178 00:09:07,214 --> 00:09:09,714 and high-tech digital reconstruction, 179 00:09:09,716 --> 00:09:13,018 archaeologists have been able to reconstruct the layers. 180 00:09:13,020 --> 00:09:15,353 The first dates to 3000 BC. 181 00:09:15,355 --> 00:09:18,623 That's 500 years before Egypt's pyramids were built. 182 00:09:18,625 --> 00:09:22,594 The next layer, city 2, is from 2400 BC, 183 00:09:22,596 --> 00:09:24,129 right around the time when the pyramids 184 00:09:24,131 --> 00:09:26,064 were believed to be completed. 185 00:09:26,066 --> 00:09:29,134 All in all, evidence of nine completely different cities 186 00:09:29,136 --> 00:09:32,704 can be found on the site, one on top of the other. 187 00:09:32,706 --> 00:09:35,774 ♪♪ 188 00:09:35,776 --> 00:09:37,475 ROSE: Because of these layers, 189 00:09:37,477 --> 00:09:40,478 the city is incredibly difficult to understand, 190 00:09:40,480 --> 00:09:45,783 but Troy VI, which is roughly between 1800 and 1300 BC, 191 00:09:45,785 --> 00:09:48,486 that's about late Bronze Age, and that's the phase 192 00:09:48,488 --> 00:09:52,357 that a lot of people associate with the Troy of Homer. 193 00:09:52,359 --> 00:09:58,029 Can you explain why we believe that it's in the sixth strata? 194 00:09:58,031 --> 00:10:01,633 ROSE: Because the fortification walls were incredibly strong, 195 00:10:01,635 --> 00:10:04,603 5 meters thick, over 10 meters high, 196 00:10:04,605 --> 00:10:07,939 that we can understand in accordance with the strength 197 00:10:07,941 --> 00:10:12,177 that Homer described the city as having had. 198 00:10:12,179 --> 00:10:14,546 FOX: Homer said the walls of Troy were so strong 199 00:10:14,548 --> 00:10:18,016 that they looked like they were built by the god Poseidon. 200 00:10:18,018 --> 00:10:21,286 Here, at level 6, the walls are more than 32 feet tall 201 00:10:21,288 --> 00:10:23,788 and 16 feet wide, 202 00:10:23,790 --> 00:10:28,293 as thick as the Great Wall of China and 10 feet taller. 203 00:10:28,295 --> 00:10:31,229 But Homer also described Troy as being a mighty city 204 00:10:31,231 --> 00:10:34,065 with tens of thousands of people, 205 00:10:34,067 --> 00:10:39,037 and all in all, level 6 is only 650 feet across. 206 00:10:39,039 --> 00:10:41,473 Is this really the great city of Troy? 207 00:10:41,475 --> 00:10:43,675 The way it's described, 208 00:10:43,677 --> 00:10:48,246 I would've imagined it being larger. 209 00:10:48,248 --> 00:10:50,849 You're exactly right, but, with remote sensing, 210 00:10:50,851 --> 00:10:52,250 we've been able to show 211 00:10:52,252 --> 00:10:54,753 that there was an enormous residential district 212 00:10:54,755 --> 00:10:57,155 to the southwest and east of the city 213 00:10:57,157 --> 00:10:58,757 that we call the Lower City. 214 00:10:58,759 --> 00:11:01,393 That's where people lived, and so I can point that out. 215 00:11:01,395 --> 00:11:02,694 Yeah. 216 00:11:05,098 --> 00:11:08,900 So the one thing to watch out for are the centipedes. 217 00:11:08,902 --> 00:11:10,535 They won't kill you, 218 00:11:10,537 --> 00:11:13,605 but they are poisonous when they sting you, 219 00:11:13,607 --> 00:11:17,175 and down there, there are a number of snakes. 220 00:11:17,177 --> 00:11:18,710 The small ones are more poisonous than the... 221 00:11:18,712 --> 00:11:20,011 Brian, are you **** with me? 222 00:11:20,013 --> 00:11:22,280 I'm telling you the truth. 223 00:11:22,282 --> 00:11:24,082 Here is civilization, just ahead of us. 224 00:11:24,084 --> 00:11:26,251 Okay. 225 00:11:26,253 --> 00:11:29,254 ROSE: So as we look out on the horizon, 226 00:11:29,256 --> 00:11:31,856 the residential district would've extended 227 00:11:31,858 --> 00:11:37,429 beyond that line of trees that you see in the distance. 228 00:11:37,431 --> 00:11:39,798 The population may conceivably have reached 229 00:11:39,800 --> 00:11:42,033 something like 10,000 people, 230 00:11:42,035 --> 00:11:44,102 which is phenomenal for that period. 231 00:11:44,104 --> 00:11:46,504 - Yeah. - So this was a mighty city. 232 00:11:46,506 --> 00:11:49,074 That's so cool. 233 00:11:49,076 --> 00:11:52,510 FOX: After having him confirm there are some parallels 234 00:11:52,512 --> 00:11:54,646 between the evidence and the things that they've found here 235 00:11:54,648 --> 00:11:58,717 with "The Iliad," for me, that opens the door to, 236 00:11:58,719 --> 00:12:02,821 "There has to be other clues." 237 00:12:02,823 --> 00:12:05,290 I believe that the city of Troy was real, 238 00:12:05,292 --> 00:12:07,859 but what about the Trojan War itself? 239 00:12:07,861 --> 00:12:10,028 There has to be other dots to connect. 240 00:12:13,133 --> 00:12:14,499 Wow. 241 00:12:16,169 --> 00:12:18,937 And the truth could be hidden in one of the greatest 242 00:12:18,939 --> 00:12:21,439 archaeological finds of the modern age. 243 00:12:21,441 --> 00:12:24,776 Wow, and it's 3,500 years old? 244 00:12:34,588 --> 00:12:35,954 FOX: We've been taught that the Trojan War, 245 00:12:35,956 --> 00:12:39,124 immortalized in Homer's "Iliad," was just a legend 246 00:12:39,126 --> 00:12:43,795 from one of the greatest works of fiction ever written, 247 00:12:43,797 --> 00:12:47,699 but I'm on a journey to find out if this mythical war was real. 248 00:12:47,701 --> 00:12:50,902 ♪♪ 249 00:12:50,904 --> 00:12:52,403 - How are you? - Good to meet you in person. 250 00:12:52,405 --> 00:12:53,404 I'm Eric. - Good to see you. 251 00:12:53,406 --> 00:12:54,539 How are you? - Yes, welcome. 252 00:12:55,809 --> 00:12:59,244 FOX: Dr. Eric Cline might have the answers. 253 00:12:59,246 --> 00:13:01,946 He's spent his career studying little-known texts 254 00:13:01,948 --> 00:13:03,481 from the ancient world. 255 00:13:03,483 --> 00:13:05,884 The Trojan War is why I got into archaeology. 256 00:13:05,886 --> 00:13:07,218 - Yeah. - When I was 7, 257 00:13:07,220 --> 00:13:09,254 my mother gave me a book, and I told my parents, 258 00:13:09,256 --> 00:13:10,522 "I'm going to be an archaeologist," 259 00:13:10,524 --> 00:13:13,324 so this is, like, near and dear to my heart. 260 00:13:13,326 --> 00:13:14,793 FOX: Eric's research has focused 261 00:13:14,795 --> 00:13:17,061 on a mysterious ancient civilization 262 00:13:17,063 --> 00:13:19,531 known as the Hittites that could be the key 263 00:13:19,533 --> 00:13:22,433 to proving that the Trojan War was real. 264 00:13:22,435 --> 00:13:25,203 The Hittites, they do connect to Troy, and... 265 00:13:25,205 --> 00:13:26,771 I don't know much about the Hittites 266 00:13:26,773 --> 00:13:28,306 at all, honestly, so... 267 00:13:28,308 --> 00:13:30,508 Well, you would have been in good company 200 years ago 268 00:13:30,510 --> 00:13:32,410 because they were completely lost to history. 269 00:13:32,412 --> 00:13:33,678 Were they? 270 00:13:33,680 --> 00:13:37,315 Yeah, we only just found them in, like, the late 1800s. 271 00:13:37,317 --> 00:13:39,584 FOX: For centuries, the Bible's Old Testament 272 00:13:39,586 --> 00:13:41,252 was the only source that mentioned 273 00:13:41,254 --> 00:13:43,922 the mysterious Hittite people, 274 00:13:43,924 --> 00:13:46,324 but modern archaeology has revealed that the Hittites 275 00:13:46,326 --> 00:13:49,761 were actually a major player in the ancient world. 276 00:13:49,763 --> 00:13:52,564 Between 1700 and 1200 BC, 277 00:13:52,566 --> 00:13:55,366 the time that the Trojan War would have been happening, 278 00:13:55,368 --> 00:13:57,769 the Hittites controlled massive swathes of land 279 00:13:57,771 --> 00:14:02,774 from the western coast of Turkey to Syria and Lebanon. 280 00:14:02,776 --> 00:14:04,909 The Hittites are part of what I call 281 00:14:04,911 --> 00:14:08,213 the G8 of the ancient world. - Okay. 282 00:14:08,215 --> 00:14:10,148 The Hittite Empire was basically everything 283 00:14:10,150 --> 00:14:12,050 that's in red on this map, 284 00:14:12,052 --> 00:14:15,920 and then the capital city is right here, Hattusa, 285 00:14:15,922 --> 00:14:18,122 and Troy is over here. 286 00:14:18,124 --> 00:14:19,657 But the true power of the Hittites 287 00:14:19,659 --> 00:14:21,860 was not the land they conquered. 288 00:14:21,862 --> 00:14:24,896 It was the precious ancient knowledge that they left behind. 289 00:14:24,898 --> 00:14:29,100 The connections that we've got to Troy come from Hattusa. 290 00:14:29,102 --> 00:14:32,804 The archaeologists started excavating in 1906. 291 00:14:32,806 --> 00:14:34,372 A year later, they hit the archives. 292 00:14:34,374 --> 00:14:37,108 They hit all of the tablets. 293 00:14:37,110 --> 00:14:40,745 FOX: During excavations near the location of the Hittite capital, 294 00:14:40,747 --> 00:14:42,814 archaeologists uncovered a massive 295 00:14:42,816 --> 00:14:46,251 cache of over 25,000 clay tablets 296 00:14:46,253 --> 00:14:49,153 containing everything from the oldest-known peace treaty 297 00:14:49,155 --> 00:14:54,359 from 1258 BC to intimate military records. 298 00:14:54,361 --> 00:14:56,394 Once they were able to read Hittite, 299 00:14:56,396 --> 00:14:59,063 which happened within 5 or 6 years or so, 300 00:14:59,065 --> 00:15:01,065 they realized this was a treasure trove. 301 00:15:01,067 --> 00:15:03,067 Within that period of time, 302 00:15:03,069 --> 00:15:07,538 they found tablets mentioning things like Troy. 303 00:15:07,540 --> 00:15:11,676 In the Hittite text, there is a place they call Wilusa. 304 00:15:11,678 --> 00:15:14,445 Wilusa is the Hittite name for Troy 305 00:15:14,447 --> 00:15:18,016 because the original name for Troy was Wilios. 306 00:15:18,018 --> 00:15:19,284 Mm. 307 00:15:19,286 --> 00:15:20,385 Doesn't Wilios sound a lot like Wilusa? 308 00:15:20,387 --> 00:15:23,388 - Yeah. - Yeah, so I kind of go, "Hmm." 309 00:15:23,390 --> 00:15:25,890 Now, let me add something else into the equation here, 310 00:15:25,892 --> 00:15:28,526 and this is where the Trojan War comes in. 311 00:15:28,528 --> 00:15:29,928 In the Hittite records, 312 00:15:29,930 --> 00:15:33,831 some of the tablets that deal with Wilusa and Troy 313 00:15:33,833 --> 00:15:36,601 also talked about the Greeks, and they talked about wars 314 00:15:36,603 --> 00:15:39,137 involving the Greeks and the Trojans, and... 315 00:15:39,139 --> 00:15:40,505 - Ooh, that's exciting. - Isn't it? 316 00:15:40,507 --> 00:15:41,773 - Yeah. - I know. I know. 317 00:15:41,775 --> 00:15:44,008 Now, where it gets even more interesting -- 318 00:15:44,010 --> 00:15:47,345 There is a treaty between one of the Hittite kings 319 00:15:47,347 --> 00:15:51,049 with a guy named Alaksandu of Wilusa. 320 00:15:51,051 --> 00:15:54,385 So we already said another name for Troy is Wilios. 321 00:15:54,387 --> 00:15:55,620 - Mm-hmm. - Okay. 322 00:15:55,622 --> 00:15:58,389 Paris, as in Paris and Helen and all that, 323 00:15:58,391 --> 00:16:00,024 there's another name for Paris, right? 324 00:16:00,026 --> 00:16:03,127 His name is Alexander. 325 00:16:03,129 --> 00:16:05,196 FOX: Paris, the son of the king of Troy, 326 00:16:05,198 --> 00:16:07,365 who Homer said abducted the Greek queen Helen 327 00:16:07,367 --> 00:16:09,534 and ignited the Trojan War, 328 00:16:09,536 --> 00:16:14,806 was also given the name Alexander as a child. 329 00:16:14,808 --> 00:16:16,874 CLINE: Let's see if I can diagram this for you. 330 00:16:16,876 --> 00:16:19,978 We've got Paris, right? 331 00:16:19,980 --> 00:16:24,716 Alternate name for him is Alexander. 332 00:16:24,718 --> 00:16:27,485 We've also got Troy. 333 00:16:27,487 --> 00:16:30,521 Alternate name for that is Wilios. 334 00:16:30,523 --> 00:16:35,026 So if you've got Alexander of Wilios from Homer, 335 00:16:35,028 --> 00:16:38,129 and you've got Alaksandu of Wilusa, 336 00:16:38,131 --> 00:16:40,398 on the other hand, from the Hittites... 337 00:16:40,400 --> 00:16:41,866 I like Occam's razor -- 338 00:16:41,868 --> 00:16:44,135 "The simplest solution is probably the most correct." 339 00:16:44,137 --> 00:16:46,838 I think that might be the same guy. 340 00:16:46,840 --> 00:16:48,106 Yeah. 341 00:16:48,108 --> 00:16:50,541 I mean, I don't know how you could argue against it. 342 00:16:50,543 --> 00:16:54,512 FOX: If Paris is just a fictional character concocted by Homer, 343 00:16:54,514 --> 00:16:56,447 how is he mentioned by the Hittites' writings 344 00:16:56,449 --> 00:17:00,251 over 500 years before Homer was even born? 345 00:17:00,253 --> 00:17:03,488 How significant was finding those tablets? 346 00:17:03,490 --> 00:17:05,623 This gave us the keys to the kingdom. 347 00:17:05,625 --> 00:17:08,459 It's as good as it gets without actually finding 348 00:17:08,461 --> 00:17:11,662 a tablet that says, "PS, the Trojan War happened." 349 00:17:11,664 --> 00:17:13,564 Right. 350 00:17:13,566 --> 00:17:15,733 FOX: These Hittite tablets are one of the greatest 351 00:17:15,735 --> 00:17:20,038 archaeological hauls in history, and because of that, 352 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:23,574 they are kept under strict lock and key in Istanbul, Turkey. 353 00:17:23,576 --> 00:17:26,844 No one outside of the Turkish archaeological community 354 00:17:26,846 --> 00:17:28,379 is allowed access. 355 00:17:28,381 --> 00:17:30,048 I know it's almost impossible -- 356 00:17:30,050 --> 00:17:31,916 It's nearly impossible to see one of these, 357 00:17:31,918 --> 00:17:33,751 but I'm going to go. 358 00:17:33,753 --> 00:17:36,754 After days of phone calls and working back channels, 359 00:17:36,756 --> 00:17:40,024 I've managed to get access to see one of these tablets 360 00:17:40,026 --> 00:17:42,326 housed at the Istanbul Archaeological Museum. 361 00:17:46,900 --> 00:17:49,233 Wow. 362 00:17:49,235 --> 00:17:52,236 Thank you. 363 00:17:52,238 --> 00:17:55,773 FOX: I'm joined by museum archivist Veysel Donbaz, 364 00:17:55,775 --> 00:17:57,475 one of the world's leading experts 365 00:17:57,477 --> 00:17:59,577 in dead ancient languages. 366 00:18:04,851 --> 00:18:06,751 MAN: Alexander's tablet. 367 00:18:06,753 --> 00:18:10,021 - Mm. - And it's 3,500 years old? 368 00:18:13,626 --> 00:18:15,359 I would love to touch the tablet. 369 00:18:15,361 --> 00:18:17,495 I'll hold it like it was my newborn baby. 370 00:18:19,966 --> 00:18:21,232 It's really heavy, wow. 371 00:18:24,671 --> 00:18:26,871 Wow. 372 00:18:34,581 --> 00:18:38,015 The Alaksandu that's mentioned in this tablet, 373 00:18:38,017 --> 00:18:39,717 that's also another name for Alexander, 374 00:18:39,719 --> 00:18:42,286 which was also another name for Paris, 375 00:18:42,288 --> 00:18:44,455 who was the son of the king of Troy. 376 00:18:45,658 --> 00:18:48,926 By reading these tablets, we have further proof 377 00:18:48,928 --> 00:18:54,165 and further confirmation that the Homeric Troy was real. 378 00:18:54,167 --> 00:18:56,334 FOX: And if Alexander was real, 379 00:18:56,336 --> 00:18:59,837 what other heroes of this epic tale could be real, too? 380 00:19:07,280 --> 00:19:10,982 - Are we going up there? - Yes. Yes! 381 00:19:19,425 --> 00:19:23,361 ♪♪ 382 00:19:23,363 --> 00:19:27,131 FOX: I've discovered that the city of Troy existed, and Paris, 383 00:19:27,133 --> 00:19:29,467 the Trojan prince who was said to have stolen Helen 384 00:19:29,469 --> 00:19:32,136 and ignited this 10-year Trojan War, 385 00:19:32,138 --> 00:19:34,972 was likely a real person, too. 386 00:19:34,974 --> 00:19:36,374 FOX: I want to know, what was the truth, 387 00:19:36,376 --> 00:19:39,944 if there ever was a truth to begin with? 388 00:19:39,946 --> 00:19:42,046 Now I'm on the hunt to see what other key figures 389 00:19:42,048 --> 00:19:44,515 from this myth could also be real. 390 00:19:44,517 --> 00:19:46,317 The story, this really important story, 391 00:19:46,319 --> 00:19:49,520 is an all-consuming passion. 392 00:19:49,522 --> 00:19:53,357 To find out, I'm with Dr. Naoise Mac Sweeney, 393 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:55,359 a historian whose groundbreaking research 394 00:19:55,361 --> 00:19:56,827 on ancient Greek mythology 395 00:19:56,829 --> 00:20:00,631 is changing the way that we look at the past. 396 00:20:00,633 --> 00:20:02,633 Let me just get over this hill. 397 00:20:02,635 --> 00:20:07,104 You should be able to see Besik Bay. 398 00:20:07,106 --> 00:20:08,973 Just miles from the city of Troy 399 00:20:08,975 --> 00:20:12,043 is a stretch of beach known as Besik Bay, 400 00:20:12,045 --> 00:20:13,277 where the Greek army is said 401 00:20:13,279 --> 00:20:15,780 to have set up their camp during the war. 402 00:20:15,782 --> 00:20:20,117 ♪♪ 403 00:20:20,119 --> 00:20:22,687 Mac SWEENEY: What you see in front of you is Besik Bay, 404 00:20:22,689 --> 00:20:25,356 which really fits nicely with the Homeric description 405 00:20:25,358 --> 00:20:28,226 of the landscape of the Greek camp 406 00:20:28,228 --> 00:20:31,963 and crucially, the camp of Achilles. 407 00:20:31,965 --> 00:20:34,465 FOX: The key to uncovering the truth about the Trojan War 408 00:20:34,467 --> 00:20:37,368 could be with one of the Greek's greatest heroes -- 409 00:20:37,370 --> 00:20:42,340 Achilles, a fearsome half-man, half-god warrior 410 00:20:42,342 --> 00:20:45,743 who slays Trojans by the dozens. 411 00:20:45,745 --> 00:20:49,247 "The Iliad" is the story of the wrath of Achilles, 412 00:20:49,249 --> 00:20:51,515 and then there's passages within "The Iliad" 413 00:20:51,517 --> 00:20:53,150 which give us a sense of the location 414 00:20:53,152 --> 00:20:55,219 of where Achilles might have been. 415 00:20:55,221 --> 00:20:56,821 Specific enough where you go, 416 00:20:56,823 --> 00:21:01,525 "Oh, this must be the place because this is the only place 417 00:21:01,527 --> 00:21:04,996 that matches exactly what he wrote in this passage"? 418 00:21:04,998 --> 00:21:07,064 Pretty much, right? 419 00:21:07,066 --> 00:21:09,767 Okay, so here we've got a little passage of "Book II" 420 00:21:09,769 --> 00:21:11,435 of "The Iliad," and here we can say, 421 00:21:11,437 --> 00:21:13,904 so, Achilles, he's down by the beach. 422 00:21:13,906 --> 00:21:16,407 So we've got his horses and the chariots. 423 00:21:16,409 --> 00:21:18,909 They are tethered, and the horses are grazing on... 424 00:21:18,911 --> 00:21:20,711 And he's very specific about this. 425 00:21:20,713 --> 00:21:22,980 The horses are eating this really particular type 426 00:21:22,982 --> 00:21:25,783 of clover, which is fed on freshwater marshes, 427 00:21:25,785 --> 00:21:27,718 and that fits this landscape because just over there, 428 00:21:27,720 --> 00:21:30,021 we've got a freshwater stream, which runs down, 429 00:21:30,023 --> 00:21:31,656 and it's one of the few places along the coast 430 00:21:31,658 --> 00:21:33,758 which kind of has that kind of combination. 431 00:21:33,760 --> 00:21:36,827 So it's really like piecing together the jigsaw pieces. 432 00:21:39,032 --> 00:21:40,364 FOX: Ten years into the war, 433 00:21:40,366 --> 00:21:43,267 after slaughtering hundreds of Trojan soldiers, 434 00:21:43,269 --> 00:21:46,170 Achilles is ultimately killed by Paris, 435 00:21:46,172 --> 00:21:48,105 the Trojan prince who strikes him in the heel 436 00:21:48,107 --> 00:21:51,242 with a poison arrow. 437 00:21:51,244 --> 00:21:52,810 For thousands of years, 438 00:21:52,812 --> 00:21:55,846 people have come to this area in search of Achilles' tomb 439 00:21:55,848 --> 00:21:59,650 because clues provided by Homer suggest his final resting spot 440 00:21:59,652 --> 00:22:02,019 is just a few hundred yards from here 441 00:22:02,021 --> 00:22:04,588 under a mound called Sivri Tepe. 442 00:22:05,858 --> 00:22:09,060 So that black circle there is Sivri Tepe, 443 00:22:09,062 --> 00:22:11,796 what we think is the tomb of Achilles. 444 00:22:11,798 --> 00:22:15,132 - Are we going up there? - Yes. Yes! 445 00:22:17,036 --> 00:22:19,236 Mac SWEENEY: Certainly in antiquity because they thought 446 00:22:19,238 --> 00:22:21,238 there was an Achilles. They thought there was a tomb, 447 00:22:21,240 --> 00:22:23,307 and I'm pretty sure they thought it was here. 448 00:22:23,309 --> 00:22:27,378 FOX: Did Homer say, "It's a thousand paces past a certain landmark," 449 00:22:27,380 --> 00:22:29,413 and then that's how we end up with that? 450 00:22:29,415 --> 00:22:30,548 Something close. 451 00:22:30,550 --> 00:22:32,249 Actually, it's towards the end of "The Iliad." 452 00:22:32,251 --> 00:22:34,685 Achilles' best friend, and actually, we think, 453 00:22:34,687 --> 00:22:37,555 his lover, Patroclus, dies in battle. 454 00:22:37,557 --> 00:22:39,390 Achilles is grieving, and what he does is, 455 00:22:39,392 --> 00:22:42,193 he buries his lover here, 456 00:22:42,195 --> 00:22:44,795 and what Achilles requests is that, when he dies, 457 00:22:44,797 --> 00:22:47,598 he's buried in the same mound as Patroclus. 458 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:49,900 In fact, actually, the ghost of Patroclus 459 00:22:49,902 --> 00:22:51,435 comes back to talk to Achilles, 460 00:22:51,437 --> 00:22:53,771 and he says, "Don't let us be separated in death. 461 00:22:53,773 --> 00:22:55,005 We weren't separated in life. 462 00:22:55,007 --> 00:22:57,141 Let's not be separated in death." 463 00:22:57,143 --> 00:22:59,443 FOX: The belief that Achilles was buried at this mound 464 00:22:59,445 --> 00:23:02,313 was so strong that even one of the most famous 465 00:23:02,315 --> 00:23:04,315 and powerful kings of the ancient world 466 00:23:04,317 --> 00:23:07,451 came here to pay his respects. 467 00:23:07,453 --> 00:23:09,954 Alexander the Great comes to visit, right? 468 00:23:09,956 --> 00:23:14,325 He thinks it's Achilles' tomb, so then they start to... 469 00:23:14,327 --> 00:23:16,026 You know, they have a whole bunch of ceremonies around it. 470 00:23:16,028 --> 00:23:18,329 He and his lover, Hephaestion, 471 00:23:18,331 --> 00:23:20,731 they kind of celebrate Achilles and Patroclus 472 00:23:20,733 --> 00:23:24,635 as kind of... as parallels for themselves. 473 00:23:24,637 --> 00:23:26,137 When he leaves, in the years that follow, 474 00:23:26,139 --> 00:23:27,738 they start building the mound higher, 475 00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:29,473 so they actually raised the mound 476 00:23:29,475 --> 00:23:31,275 another kind of 12 meters or so. 477 00:23:31,277 --> 00:23:32,576 It's like a tourist destination, right? 478 00:23:32,578 --> 00:23:34,211 So Alexander is the first tourist 479 00:23:34,213 --> 00:23:37,081 to come to pay homage to Achilles. 480 00:23:37,083 --> 00:23:38,916 How many times has it been excavated? 481 00:23:38,918 --> 00:23:39,984 Do you know? 482 00:23:39,986 --> 00:23:41,719 So it's never been fully excavated, 483 00:23:41,721 --> 00:23:44,355 but we've had a couple of slices kind of cut out of it, 484 00:23:44,357 --> 00:23:45,856 enough to know what's going on. 485 00:23:45,858 --> 00:23:47,658 Is that a burial mound? 486 00:23:49,962 --> 00:23:51,462 - No, right? - Okay. 487 00:23:51,464 --> 00:23:53,097 We know now, through excavations, 488 00:23:53,099 --> 00:23:54,665 that it's a settlement mound. 489 00:23:54,667 --> 00:23:56,967 That's where basically people lived. 490 00:23:56,969 --> 00:23:59,136 FOX: Although Achilles isn't buried here, 491 00:23:59,138 --> 00:24:03,007 the obsession to find him didn't end with Alexander the Great. 492 00:24:03,009 --> 00:24:05,176 Over the centuries, Roman emperors, 493 00:24:05,178 --> 00:24:07,611 powerful sultans and amateur explorers 494 00:24:07,613 --> 00:24:09,780 have all made the pilgrimage to this area, 495 00:24:09,782 --> 00:24:13,083 looking for the lost tomb of Achilles. 496 00:24:13,085 --> 00:24:16,287 Are there any burial mounds that haven't been excavated? 497 00:24:16,289 --> 00:24:17,555 Yeah. 498 00:24:17,557 --> 00:24:19,857 There's really just a whole landscape full of mounds 499 00:24:19,859 --> 00:24:21,759 associated with the tomb of Achilles. 500 00:24:21,761 --> 00:24:24,528 Why are there so many potential tombs for him? 501 00:24:24,530 --> 00:24:27,264 Different people want to claim a link with the Homeric past 502 00:24:27,266 --> 00:24:29,800 because it's such a powerful shared past. 503 00:24:29,802 --> 00:24:32,236 We, as a society, still care about it. 504 00:24:32,238 --> 00:24:34,939 FOX: If we can find Achilles' final resting place, 505 00:24:34,941 --> 00:24:36,907 it would be one of the most powerful pieces 506 00:24:36,909 --> 00:24:38,542 of physical evidence to suggest 507 00:24:38,544 --> 00:24:41,378 that the Trojan War actually happened, 508 00:24:41,380 --> 00:24:42,947 and it could mean that there might be truth 509 00:24:42,949 --> 00:24:45,549 in other Greek gods and legends. 510 00:24:45,551 --> 00:24:50,988 The problem is there are burial mounds all over this landscape. 511 00:24:50,990 --> 00:24:54,492 So based on the descriptions that Homer gave in "The Iliad," 512 00:24:54,494 --> 00:24:56,293 where should we look? 513 00:24:56,295 --> 00:24:58,128 Tell you what, I'll show you instead. 514 00:24:58,130 --> 00:25:02,233 ♪♪ 515 00:25:02,235 --> 00:25:03,934 Around here. 516 00:25:03,936 --> 00:25:07,605 ♪♪ 517 00:25:07,607 --> 00:25:09,240 Okay. 518 00:25:09,242 --> 00:25:11,909 ♪♪ 519 00:25:11,911 --> 00:25:13,744 The thing that's really worth seeing from here 520 00:25:13,746 --> 00:25:15,045 is across the bay, so... 521 00:25:15,047 --> 00:25:16,647 All the way down there, at the end. 522 00:25:16,649 --> 00:25:17,815 Yeah. 523 00:25:17,817 --> 00:25:21,018 Up to the north, the least-explored plateau. 524 00:25:21,020 --> 00:25:22,419 FOX: So that's virgin over there. 525 00:25:22,421 --> 00:25:23,988 That hasn't been... - Yeah. 526 00:25:23,990 --> 00:25:25,356 We can go for it. 527 00:25:25,358 --> 00:25:27,057 There should be something to find. 528 00:25:27,059 --> 00:25:29,226 ♪♪ 529 00:25:37,003 --> 00:25:39,770 ♪♪ 530 00:25:39,772 --> 00:25:42,039 So that's virgin over there. That hasn't been... 531 00:25:42,041 --> 00:25:43,574 Yeah. We can go for it. 532 00:25:43,576 --> 00:25:46,143 There should be something to find. 533 00:25:46,145 --> 00:25:49,246 FOX: Just miles from the ancient city of Troy, 534 00:25:49,248 --> 00:25:51,215 with the help of historian Naoise Mac Sweeney, 535 00:25:51,217 --> 00:25:53,684 we have zeroed in on an area of Turkish coastline 536 00:25:53,686 --> 00:25:55,085 that she believes could be teeming 537 00:25:55,087 --> 00:25:57,454 with unexplored burial mounds, 538 00:25:57,456 --> 00:26:00,558 and one of them could be the tomb of Achilles, 539 00:26:00,560 --> 00:26:02,993 the greatest hero of the Trojan War. 540 00:26:05,197 --> 00:26:06,564 FOX: Hi. How are you? 541 00:26:07,466 --> 00:26:10,034 Hi. Megan. 542 00:26:10,036 --> 00:26:12,703 FOX: But with 40 square miles of land in our search area 543 00:26:12,705 --> 00:26:15,973 and Achilles' tomb likely hidden below ground, 544 00:26:15,975 --> 00:26:18,142 we'll need some help to try and find him. 545 00:26:25,051 --> 00:26:27,017 Aerial survey engineer Mehmet is armed 546 00:26:27,019 --> 00:26:29,386 with a state-of-the-art mapping drone. 547 00:26:29,388 --> 00:26:31,789 It captures tens of thousands of high-res images 548 00:26:31,791 --> 00:26:33,724 and then uses software to piece them together 549 00:26:33,726 --> 00:26:36,760 to create a 3-D map of the landscape 550 00:26:36,762 --> 00:26:41,098 that can reveal anomalies that the naked eye could never find. 551 00:26:41,100 --> 00:26:43,734 If you want to find other mounds, right, we know 552 00:26:43,736 --> 00:26:47,104 that there are some up the ridge here and a bit further north. 553 00:26:47,106 --> 00:26:48,639 That's something that you can do... 554 00:26:48,641 --> 00:26:50,140 Yes, we can do, exactly. 555 00:26:50,142 --> 00:26:51,642 Are you going to show me how to put it up? 556 00:26:51,644 --> 00:26:53,077 Of course. 557 00:26:53,079 --> 00:26:55,279 Three times... Okay. 558 00:27:03,356 --> 00:27:04,388 Okay. 559 00:27:08,127 --> 00:27:12,029 Hey, I did it, you guys! - Well done. 560 00:27:12,031 --> 00:27:15,132 Another milestone. 561 00:27:15,134 --> 00:27:16,834 FOX: It will take several hours for the drone 562 00:27:16,836 --> 00:27:18,769 to finish its flight path 563 00:27:18,771 --> 00:27:20,838 and then a week to analyze the data. 564 00:27:20,840 --> 00:27:27,778 ♪♪ 565 00:27:27,780 --> 00:27:29,880 So while I wait, I'm headed to investigate 566 00:27:29,882 --> 00:27:32,883 rarely seen artifacts that could be the key to proving 567 00:27:32,885 --> 00:27:35,219 that the Trojan War really happened. 568 00:27:42,128 --> 00:27:46,864 I'm joined by Resit Berker, my local fixer and translator. 569 00:27:46,866 --> 00:27:48,932 Growing up in Turkey, he has been obsessed 570 00:27:48,934 --> 00:27:51,602 by the legends of Troy from an early age. 571 00:28:05,584 --> 00:28:09,386 We're heading to the Canakkale Archaeological Museum, 572 00:28:09,388 --> 00:28:11,488 located 16 miles north of the site 573 00:28:11,490 --> 00:28:13,524 which may have been Homer's Troy, 574 00:28:13,526 --> 00:28:15,292 to see some of the rarest artifacts 575 00:28:15,294 --> 00:28:18,862 discovered in the ruins of that ancient city. 576 00:28:18,864 --> 00:28:21,231 [ Speaking Turkish ] 577 00:28:28,974 --> 00:28:30,708 FOX: Head Archaeologist Rustem Aslan 578 00:28:30,710 --> 00:28:33,977 has been studying the ruins of Troy since 1988, 579 00:28:33,979 --> 00:28:36,914 searching for evidence of the Trojan War, 580 00:28:36,916 --> 00:28:40,684 and he may have finally found it. 581 00:28:58,404 --> 00:28:59,870 FOX: These arrowheads are not 582 00:28:59,872 --> 00:29:02,506 only consistent with the type of weapons used by the Greeks 583 00:29:02,508 --> 00:29:05,542 but also date to around 1200 BC, 584 00:29:05,544 --> 00:29:08,278 right when the Trojan War would have been unfolding. 585 00:29:13,719 --> 00:29:18,789 So these were being shot by the enemy at the Trojan wall? 586 00:29:24,029 --> 00:29:26,230 And that's exciting for you because you know that, 587 00:29:26,232 --> 00:29:28,465 in the story, a lot of the battles took place 588 00:29:28,467 --> 00:29:30,267 right out front of the West Gate. 589 00:29:35,775 --> 00:29:38,675 So when you discover arrowheads, that confirms that. 590 00:29:38,677 --> 00:29:41,411 So then you're like, "Oh, it's exactly as the story said, 591 00:29:41,413 --> 00:29:44,047 in the exact place." 592 00:29:44,049 --> 00:29:46,450 FOX: Hector was the most powerful Trojan warrior 593 00:29:46,452 --> 00:29:49,052 and defended his city to the death. 594 00:29:49,054 --> 00:29:51,288 As the Greeks stormed the Western Gate, 595 00:29:51,290 --> 00:29:53,557 Hector fought Achilles head-to-head, 596 00:29:53,559 --> 00:29:55,392 and these arrowheads could've been used 597 00:29:55,394 --> 00:29:58,796 in that very battle 3,000 years ago. 598 00:30:12,044 --> 00:30:16,146 Why is there no real written record of the Trojans? 599 00:30:16,148 --> 00:30:18,749 Why are they still so mysterious? 600 00:30:37,870 --> 00:30:39,236 FOX: I'm one of the few people 601 00:30:39,238 --> 00:30:40,771 to see this rare piece of writing 602 00:30:40,773 --> 00:30:42,906 that was pulled from the ruins of Troy. 603 00:30:48,414 --> 00:30:50,347 This 3,000-year-old bronze seal 604 00:30:50,349 --> 00:30:52,850 is written in Luwian hieroglyphs, 605 00:30:52,852 --> 00:30:57,020 a mysterious language spoken in parts of ancient Turkey. 606 00:30:57,022 --> 00:30:58,755 FOX: Do you know what it says? 607 00:31:01,660 --> 00:31:03,393 Oh, yeah. 608 00:31:06,565 --> 00:31:10,300 Was it carried as, like, a talisman? 609 00:31:10,302 --> 00:31:12,035 Okay. 610 00:31:17,843 --> 00:31:20,777 FOX: This seal would have acted like an ancient passport, 611 00:31:20,779 --> 00:31:23,747 allowing this foreign messenger into the city of Troy. 612 00:31:26,352 --> 00:31:28,151 - With gloves? - And touch it. 613 00:31:36,996 --> 00:31:38,362 You haven't touched it yet? 614 00:31:38,364 --> 00:31:39,997 Well, you should touch it before me. 615 00:31:41,400 --> 00:31:42,766 Okay. 616 00:31:46,305 --> 00:31:48,272 It's so cool. 617 00:31:51,810 --> 00:31:53,210 Wow. 618 00:31:54,647 --> 00:31:57,881 - You should touch it now. - Yes. 619 00:32:00,719 --> 00:32:04,288 It's heavy, and, I mean, it feels like 620 00:32:04,290 --> 00:32:05,889 I shouldn't be touching it, obviously. 621 00:32:05,891 --> 00:32:08,125 It feels like I shouldn't be able to do that. 622 00:32:14,767 --> 00:32:18,201 Why is that the most significant find in the last 50 years? 623 00:32:38,123 --> 00:32:40,290 FOX: This bronze seal means Greeks and Trojans 624 00:32:40,292 --> 00:32:44,161 weren't the only people swept up in this decade-long conflict. 625 00:32:44,163 --> 00:32:47,965 What mysterious kingdom could this messenger have belonged to, 626 00:32:47,967 --> 00:32:50,100 and why were they a part of the war? 627 00:32:50,102 --> 00:32:52,002 Well, it seems like it was a battle 628 00:32:52,004 --> 00:32:53,737 that was part of a much larger one. 629 00:32:53,739 --> 00:32:55,872 Exactly. 630 00:32:55,874 --> 00:32:57,474 Wow. 631 00:32:57,476 --> 00:33:02,212 FOX: The story of this Trojan War just got a whole lot bigger. 632 00:33:12,791 --> 00:33:16,426 FOX: The key to uncovering whether the Trojan War was real 633 00:33:16,428 --> 00:33:19,062 could lie in a mysterious bronze seal 634 00:33:19,064 --> 00:33:22,466 found in the ruins of Troy from the time of that infamous war. 635 00:33:23,435 --> 00:33:26,837 This is the only written record ever discovered in that city, 636 00:33:26,839 --> 00:33:29,139 written in an ancient and mysterious language 637 00:33:29,141 --> 00:33:32,209 called Luwian. 638 00:33:32,211 --> 00:33:36,847 I actually got to see and hold in my hand the Luwian seal. 639 00:33:36,849 --> 00:33:39,883 - Yes. - And so who were the Luwians, 640 00:33:39,885 --> 00:33:42,986 and how did that seal end up in Troy? 641 00:33:42,988 --> 00:33:45,222 Yeah, I've been digging into this for best part 642 00:33:45,224 --> 00:33:47,657 of 4 or 5 years myself now, 643 00:33:47,659 --> 00:33:49,493 and I had exactly the same question. 644 00:33:50,629 --> 00:33:53,730 FOX: Dr. Colin Barras is a well-known academic journalist 645 00:33:53,732 --> 00:33:55,999 who studies emerging archaeological theories 646 00:33:56,001 --> 00:33:57,801 about the ancient world. 647 00:33:57,803 --> 00:34:01,371 That Luwian seal actually might be a key 648 00:34:01,373 --> 00:34:04,174 to understanding a much bigger story. 649 00:34:04,176 --> 00:34:07,844 Exactly who those Luwians are is a bit controversial. 650 00:34:07,846 --> 00:34:10,147 In what we now consider western Turkey, we have, 651 00:34:10,149 --> 00:34:14,051 at this point, a whole bunch of small isolated kingdoms, 652 00:34:14,053 --> 00:34:16,186 and one guy in particular I talked to, 653 00:34:16,188 --> 00:34:18,221 Professor Eberhard Zangger, 654 00:34:18,223 --> 00:34:20,357 he would argue that, collectively, 655 00:34:20,359 --> 00:34:23,927 those kingdoms have this shared cultural identity. 656 00:34:23,929 --> 00:34:26,930 He would call that a Luwian civilization, 657 00:34:26,932 --> 00:34:29,366 and Troy itself is actually... 658 00:34:29,368 --> 00:34:32,269 As well as being the site of the Trojans, it's a Luwian town. 659 00:34:32,271 --> 00:34:34,871 It's part of a Luwian kingdom. 660 00:34:34,873 --> 00:34:36,440 When we try to answer the question of, 661 00:34:36,442 --> 00:34:39,943 "Well, who are the Trojans?" the Trojans were Luwians. 662 00:34:39,945 --> 00:34:43,046 That's why the Luwian seal is there because it belonged there. 663 00:34:43,048 --> 00:34:44,381 That was the Luwian kingdom, 664 00:34:44,383 --> 00:34:47,384 and the Trojans were a part of that. 665 00:34:47,386 --> 00:34:51,588 FOX: So according to this theory, during the 13th century BC, 666 00:34:51,590 --> 00:34:53,490 the time of the Trojan War, 667 00:34:53,492 --> 00:34:57,360 this area of the world was split into three major powers -- 668 00:34:57,362 --> 00:35:00,464 the Luwians, occupying most of modern-day Turkey, 669 00:35:00,466 --> 00:35:05,869 including Troy; the Greeks, also known as the Mycenaeans; 670 00:35:05,871 --> 00:35:08,905 and the Hittites to the east. 671 00:35:08,907 --> 00:35:13,043 And this is where we really have to go, like, much grander. 672 00:35:13,045 --> 00:35:15,512 These Luwian kingdoms decide they want 673 00:35:15,514 --> 00:35:16,780 to increase their territory, 674 00:35:16,782 --> 00:35:18,315 gain more wealth, gain more power, 675 00:35:18,317 --> 00:35:21,251 and one of their first moves is against their neighbors, 676 00:35:21,253 --> 00:35:23,520 the Hittites. 677 00:35:23,522 --> 00:35:25,055 FOX: The Luwians defeat the Hittites 678 00:35:25,057 --> 00:35:27,524 and take over their large area of land, 679 00:35:27,526 --> 00:35:30,160 becoming an even more powerful force, 680 00:35:30,162 --> 00:35:33,096 and the fear was that they wouldn't stop there. 681 00:35:33,098 --> 00:35:36,733 So at the point that war is breaking out, we can argue 682 00:35:36,735 --> 00:35:40,770 that there were really two major superpowers, if you will, 683 00:35:40,772 --> 00:35:44,441 in the region at this time -- the Mycenaeans and the Luwians, 684 00:35:44,443 --> 00:35:47,677 and the Mycenaeans decide that they might well 685 00:35:47,679 --> 00:35:49,880 be next on the hit list. 686 00:35:49,882 --> 00:35:52,516 They sail across the sea, 687 00:35:52,518 --> 00:35:55,452 begin attacking the Luwians in their own territory, 688 00:35:55,454 --> 00:35:57,921 including, most famously, Troy itself. 689 00:35:57,923 --> 00:35:59,856 Well, it seems like it was a battle 690 00:35:59,858 --> 00:36:01,691 that was part of a much larger one. 691 00:36:01,693 --> 00:36:03,059 Exactly. Exactly. 692 00:36:03,061 --> 00:36:05,896 So no longer are we seeing Troy as an isolated battle. 693 00:36:05,898 --> 00:36:10,066 Maybe it was actually a skirmish in a much broader war 694 00:36:10,068 --> 00:36:12,802 that was being fought on multiple fronts, World War Zero. 695 00:36:12,804 --> 00:36:15,172 Wow. 696 00:36:15,174 --> 00:36:18,008 That's so cool. 697 00:36:18,010 --> 00:36:20,911 So in that scenario, Troy would have been a lot 698 00:36:20,913 --> 00:36:25,682 like the D-Day of World War II. 699 00:36:25,684 --> 00:36:27,784 In essence, yeah. 700 00:36:27,786 --> 00:36:29,686 FOX: Up until this point in the investigation, 701 00:36:29,688 --> 00:36:32,656 it's only been about the Trojan War, 702 00:36:32,658 --> 00:36:34,991 that Troy could've just been a smaller battle 703 00:36:34,993 --> 00:36:36,359 that was a part of this huge war. 704 00:36:36,361 --> 00:36:39,729 This is something that is revolutionary. 705 00:36:39,731 --> 00:36:42,766 If what was going on at Troy was part of something much larger, 706 00:36:42,768 --> 00:36:45,368 what we would consider a World War Zero, 707 00:36:45,370 --> 00:36:48,405 why do you think we have only Homer's retelling? 708 00:36:48,407 --> 00:36:50,307 Right. What's going on there? 709 00:36:50,309 --> 00:36:54,077 What happened after this World War Zero scenario is, 710 00:36:54,079 --> 00:36:56,580 basically, there's a collapse across the entire region. 711 00:36:56,582 --> 00:36:58,381 Civilizations are falling, 712 00:36:58,383 --> 00:37:01,551 and archaeologists would call this episode 713 00:37:01,553 --> 00:37:02,953 the Bronze Age Collapse, 714 00:37:02,955 --> 00:37:05,689 and it's one of the most dramatic events 715 00:37:05,691 --> 00:37:07,224 in the entire history of this region. 716 00:37:07,226 --> 00:37:09,593 So we're really talking about the Dark Age. 717 00:37:09,595 --> 00:37:11,494 They're losing their ability 718 00:37:11,496 --> 00:37:14,130 to keep very accurate written records. 719 00:37:14,132 --> 00:37:17,467 FOX: A hundred years after the Trojan War would've happened, 720 00:37:17,469 --> 00:37:20,737 the entire world is plunged into the Dark Ages... 721 00:37:20,739 --> 00:37:23,540 ♪♪ 722 00:37:23,542 --> 00:37:25,809 ...where language and written records are lost, 723 00:37:25,811 --> 00:37:30,280 and only oral tradition keeps history alive. 724 00:37:30,282 --> 00:37:32,415 After this dark period ends, 725 00:37:32,417 --> 00:37:35,719 Homer rises to prominence and writes "The Iliad." 726 00:37:35,721 --> 00:37:38,421 Was Homer a keeper of this ancient knowledge, 727 00:37:38,423 --> 00:37:41,324 and that's why he's the first and only person to commit 728 00:37:41,326 --> 00:37:44,294 this epic history to written record? 729 00:37:44,296 --> 00:37:46,596 This, I think, seems probable 730 00:37:46,598 --> 00:37:48,665 because you have someone hundreds of years later 731 00:37:48,667 --> 00:37:50,567 writing this epic poem about it. 732 00:37:50,569 --> 00:37:52,068 It had to be... 733 00:37:52,070 --> 00:37:54,371 There had to be more because like you said, and you noted, 734 00:37:54,373 --> 00:37:57,307 Troy was such a small town. 735 00:37:57,309 --> 00:38:01,211 So what was it about that that was so impactful 736 00:38:01,213 --> 00:38:03,480 and the whole idea that, in "The Iliad," you know, 737 00:38:03,482 --> 00:38:06,583 all of the gods are involved in what's going on, 738 00:38:06,585 --> 00:38:08,685 and that does speak to something. 739 00:38:08,687 --> 00:38:10,387 It was worldwide. 740 00:38:10,389 --> 00:38:11,788 There was a great amount of people 741 00:38:11,790 --> 00:38:14,090 being affected by this thing, 742 00:38:14,092 --> 00:38:15,959 by this fight and this battle that was going on. 743 00:38:15,961 --> 00:38:17,994 So, for me, this resonates with me 744 00:38:17,996 --> 00:38:22,432 and makes a lot of sense, and it's pretty groundbreaking. 745 00:38:24,603 --> 00:38:26,336 FOX: Not only is it more and more likely 746 00:38:26,338 --> 00:38:28,872 that the Trojan War was real, 747 00:38:28,874 --> 00:38:31,741 but that it was part of an even larger sequence of events 748 00:38:31,743 --> 00:38:34,244 that changed the whole world. 749 00:38:44,222 --> 00:38:46,189 FOX: The key to determining whether the Trojan War 750 00:38:46,191 --> 00:38:47,657 was real could lie 751 00:38:47,659 --> 00:38:49,759 in a never-before-explored swath of land 752 00:38:49,761 --> 00:38:53,163 surrounding the ancient city of Troy, 753 00:38:53,165 --> 00:38:55,632 which myth and legends say is the final resting spot 754 00:38:55,634 --> 00:38:59,235 of the infamous Greek warrior Achilles. 755 00:38:59,237 --> 00:39:01,438 You want to find other mounds, right? 756 00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:04,040 We know that there are some up the ridge here 757 00:39:04,042 --> 00:39:06,443 and a bit further north. 758 00:39:06,445 --> 00:39:09,312 FOX: A week ago, we deployed a state-of-the-art survey drone 759 00:39:09,314 --> 00:39:10,747 to scan this area 760 00:39:10,749 --> 00:39:14,351 where dozens of unexamined burial mounds still lie. 761 00:39:14,353 --> 00:39:15,819 Could one of them hold the remains 762 00:39:15,821 --> 00:39:19,489 of a 3,000-year-old half-man, half-god? 763 00:39:19,491 --> 00:39:21,024 - Hello. - Hey. 764 00:39:21,026 --> 00:39:22,025 - How are you? - How's it going? 765 00:39:22,027 --> 00:39:24,227 FOX: The results are in. 766 00:39:24,229 --> 00:39:26,529 All right. I'm ready to see what you have. 767 00:39:26,531 --> 00:39:28,565 Yeah, we got some data for you. 768 00:39:28,567 --> 00:39:30,834 FOX: I'm meeting with Eric Agnello and Kory Kellum 769 00:39:30,836 --> 00:39:34,471 of Phoenix LiDAR in Culver City, California. 770 00:39:34,473 --> 00:39:37,140 They're experts at analyzing survey data for clues 771 00:39:37,142 --> 00:39:40,443 of what lies below the Earth's surface. 772 00:39:40,445 --> 00:39:42,178 FOX: We wanted to take a look at the mounds 773 00:39:42,180 --> 00:39:44,514 and see if there were any anomalies 774 00:39:44,516 --> 00:39:46,182 or what we could see 775 00:39:46,184 --> 00:39:48,551 that could give us more information about Achilles. 776 00:39:48,553 --> 00:39:51,054 We were able to make a 3-D representation 777 00:39:51,056 --> 00:39:53,456 of most of the terrain. 778 00:39:53,458 --> 00:39:54,858 And definitely, I think, 779 00:39:54,860 --> 00:39:57,861 the most interesting thing here is this mound here. 780 00:39:57,863 --> 00:40:00,764 ♪♪ 781 00:40:00,766 --> 00:40:03,333 Clearly very uniform, it's very even. 782 00:40:03,335 --> 00:40:06,436 If we go to the backside, however, 783 00:40:06,438 --> 00:40:08,071 what you can't see with the naked eye, 784 00:40:08,073 --> 00:40:09,873 and you can see from the data set, 785 00:40:09,875 --> 00:40:13,777 is what appears to be kind of a shelving here. 786 00:40:13,779 --> 00:40:17,046 It's hidden by the vegetation that's there, 787 00:40:17,048 --> 00:40:18,281 but if you pull a good cross section, 788 00:40:18,283 --> 00:40:20,316 you can see that we do have one area here 789 00:40:20,318 --> 00:40:23,853 where there definitely is some kind of a shelf. 790 00:40:23,855 --> 00:40:26,222 To me, that's an obvious anomaly. 791 00:40:26,224 --> 00:40:28,024 Okay. What would that be? 792 00:40:28,026 --> 00:40:29,526 My first thought would be that there was 793 00:40:29,528 --> 00:40:33,696 some kind of an entry point to whatever is underneath. 794 00:40:33,698 --> 00:40:35,198 FOX: This strange shelf-like anomaly 795 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:37,033 jutting out from the burial mound 796 00:40:37,035 --> 00:40:40,570 is consistent with the work of ancient Greeks. 797 00:40:40,572 --> 00:40:43,173 Throughout antiquity, Greeks buried their most important 798 00:40:43,175 --> 00:40:45,842 heroes in beehive-shaped tombs. 799 00:40:45,844 --> 00:40:47,744 They were often equipped with entrances that, 800 00:40:47,746 --> 00:40:51,948 when viewed from the side, stuck out like large shelves. 801 00:40:51,950 --> 00:40:56,152 We can do a width on that... whatever that shelf is. 802 00:40:56,154 --> 00:41:00,523 The opening is 20 feet, about the width of a two-car garage. 803 00:41:00,525 --> 00:41:02,792 It would've required a lot of manpower 804 00:41:02,794 --> 00:41:06,529 to put something like this there. 805 00:41:06,531 --> 00:41:08,865 FOX: It's obvious that that was regarded 806 00:41:08,867 --> 00:41:10,800 as some sort of an important site. 807 00:41:10,802 --> 00:41:12,702 We don't know what they were using it for, 808 00:41:12,704 --> 00:41:16,539 and until we're able to go there and excavate and explore, 809 00:41:16,541 --> 00:41:18,541 it's, you know, anybody's guess. 810 00:41:18,543 --> 00:41:20,977 AGNELLO: Given the disturbance on the backside that we looked at, 811 00:41:20,979 --> 00:41:24,113 this was put there for a significant purpose. 812 00:41:24,115 --> 00:41:25,982 Okay, so Achilles could be there. 813 00:41:25,984 --> 00:41:28,585 - Yeah. This is important. - Or anybody could be there. 814 00:41:28,587 --> 00:41:31,321 FOX: I do believe Achilles existed, 815 00:41:31,323 --> 00:41:35,158 and I do believe that he was buried in that region somewhere. 816 00:41:35,160 --> 00:41:38,761 ♪♪ 817 00:41:38,763 --> 00:41:41,631 FOX: In the last several decades, archaeological discoveries 818 00:41:41,633 --> 00:41:44,334 have proven that the mythical city of Troy, 819 00:41:44,336 --> 00:41:47,103 that Homer described in his epic poem "The Iliad" 820 00:41:47,105 --> 00:41:50,940 nearly 3,000 years ago, was real. 821 00:41:50,942 --> 00:41:54,511 We've been able to show that this was a mighty city. 822 00:41:54,513 --> 00:41:56,412 FOX: And a great battle took place. 823 00:41:56,414 --> 00:42:01,150 So these were being shot by the enemy at the Trojan wall. 824 00:42:01,152 --> 00:42:02,552 Yes. 825 00:42:03,522 --> 00:42:07,423 FOX: Each new discovery refocuses our view on the Trojan War 826 00:42:07,425 --> 00:42:09,425 and suggests that this ancient work of fiction 827 00:42:09,427 --> 00:42:12,395 may actually be a window into the past, 828 00:42:12,397 --> 00:42:14,864 so if Achilles did slay the great Hector, 829 00:42:14,866 --> 00:42:17,634 and the Trojan horse was the key to a Greek victory, 830 00:42:17,636 --> 00:42:19,636 what other myths of the ancient world 831 00:42:19,638 --> 00:42:23,439 that we've written off as fiction might also be true? 832 00:42:23,441 --> 00:42:28,444 ♪♪