1 00:00:09,233 --> 00:00:11,167 NARRATOR: Beneath the clear blue waters 2 00:00:11,200 --> 00:00:16,200 of the Mediterranean lie treasures of ancient empires, 3 00:00:16,233 --> 00:00:21,400 relics of their bloody wars, 4 00:00:21,433 --> 00:00:25,567 and secrets of the seismic forces that shaped them, 5 00:00:25,600 --> 00:00:30,233 lost beneath the waves... 6 00:00:30,267 --> 00:00:33,133 until now. 7 00:00:33,167 --> 00:00:35,833 Imagine if we could empty the oceans, 8 00:00:35,867 --> 00:00:38,133 letting the water drain away 9 00:00:38,167 --> 00:00:42,367 to reveal the secrets of the seafloor. 10 00:00:42,400 --> 00:00:44,867 Now, we can. 11 00:00:47,767 --> 00:00:51,500 Using the latest underwater scanning technology, 12 00:00:51,533 --> 00:00:54,133 piercing the deep oceans, 13 00:00:54,167 --> 00:00:58,000 and turning accurate data into 3D images. 14 00:01:00,533 --> 00:01:04,200 This time, what apocalyptic disaster 15 00:01:04,233 --> 00:01:09,133 triggered the collapse of Europe's first civilization? 16 00:01:09,167 --> 00:01:13,300 Can an extraordinary 2,500-year-old shipwreck 17 00:01:13,333 --> 00:01:17,133 unlock the secrets of Ancient Greece? 18 00:01:17,167 --> 00:01:19,700 How did these deadly objects 19 00:01:19,733 --> 00:01:23,100 turn Ancient Rome into a superpower? 20 00:01:23,133 --> 00:01:26,867 And why does the Sin City of the Roman Empire 21 00:01:26,900 --> 00:01:29,733 lie abandoned beneath the waves? 22 00:01:32,300 --> 00:01:34,767 (music) 23 00:01:34,800 --> 00:01:40,333 (music) 24 00:01:40,367 --> 00:01:47,367 (music) 25 00:01:47,500 --> 00:01:50,667 Ancient people call it the Middle Sea, 26 00:01:50,700 --> 00:01:53,067 the center of the known world. 27 00:01:53,100 --> 00:01:55,500 The Egyptians, Greeks and Romans 28 00:01:55,533 --> 00:02:00,233 build mighty civilizations upon its shores. 29 00:02:00,267 --> 00:02:05,300 Empires battle for supremacy across its waters. 30 00:02:05,333 --> 00:02:09,733 Cities grow rich and powerful through trade. 31 00:02:09,767 --> 00:02:13,333 The Mediterranean becomes a superhighway, 32 00:02:13,367 --> 00:02:17,900 connecting cultures that will shape the modern world. 33 00:02:17,933 --> 00:02:21,500 But only by draining the sea can we reveal 34 00:02:21,533 --> 00:02:25,533 its biggest and most terrifying secret. 35 00:02:25,567 --> 00:02:29,133 What happened on this spectacular Greek island 36 00:02:29,167 --> 00:02:32,167 to doom an entire civilization? 37 00:02:35,467 --> 00:02:37,400 COSTAS SYNOLAKIS: They must have thought this was it, 38 00:02:37,433 --> 00:02:40,500 the end of the world. 39 00:02:40,533 --> 00:02:44,233 NARRATOR: 3,600 years ago. 40 00:02:44,267 --> 00:02:48,267 15 centuries before the Roman Empire. 41 00:02:48,300 --> 00:02:52,433 A mysterious people dominate the Mediterranean. 42 00:02:52,467 --> 00:02:56,300 We call them the Minoans. 43 00:02:56,333 --> 00:02:59,500 Their home is on Crete. 44 00:02:59,533 --> 00:03:03,433 Here they build magnificent temples and palaces, 45 00:03:03,467 --> 00:03:07,833 and decorate them with stunning frescoes. 46 00:03:07,867 --> 00:03:12,100 Celebrating their love of life and of nature. 47 00:03:15,667 --> 00:03:19,600 But there's a darker side, too. 48 00:03:19,633 --> 00:03:22,033 The Minoan royal palace at Knossos 49 00:03:22,067 --> 00:03:25,233 is said to contain a labyrinth. 50 00:03:25,267 --> 00:03:27,800 Home to the Minotaur. 51 00:03:27,833 --> 00:03:29,567 A fearsome creature... 52 00:03:29,600 --> 00:03:32,033 part man, part bull, 53 00:03:32,067 --> 00:03:36,033 with a terrible appetite for human flesh. 54 00:03:38,033 --> 00:03:40,600 But apart from a grisly myth, 55 00:03:40,633 --> 00:03:45,533 much about the Minoan world still remains a mystery. 56 00:03:45,567 --> 00:03:47,333 MICHAEL SCOTT: We can't decipher their language. 57 00:03:47,367 --> 00:03:49,000 We only have their archaeological remains, 58 00:03:49,033 --> 00:03:50,567 but what that tells us, I think, 59 00:03:50,600 --> 00:03:53,333 is that they were extremely imaginative, 60 00:03:53,367 --> 00:03:55,533 they were extremely adventurous, 61 00:03:55,567 --> 00:03:56,800 and that they developed 62 00:03:56,833 --> 00:03:59,600 a sophisticated hierarchical society 63 00:03:59,633 --> 00:04:03,367 that was capable of producing elements of art and architecture 64 00:04:03,400 --> 00:04:06,367 which still astound us today. 65 00:04:08,567 --> 00:04:11,300 NARRATOR: Historians do know that the Minoans spread 66 00:04:11,333 --> 00:04:13,567 across the Mediterranean, 67 00:04:13,600 --> 00:04:18,367 trading olive oil and pottery for gold and ivory, 68 00:04:18,400 --> 00:04:22,333 growing ever richer and more powerful. 69 00:04:22,367 --> 00:04:26,100 And then, in the 15th century BC, 70 00:04:26,133 --> 00:04:29,300 their ancient civilization begins to fade 71 00:04:29,333 --> 00:04:31,800 from the pages of history. 72 00:04:34,333 --> 00:04:37,400 For centuries, no one knows why. 73 00:04:39,733 --> 00:04:42,733 Until scientists start to look closely 74 00:04:42,767 --> 00:04:46,300 at the nearby island of Santorini. 75 00:04:49,167 --> 00:04:54,333 SYNOLAKIS: Santorini, it has this very, very calm water. 76 00:04:54,367 --> 00:04:57,767 It's almost like it plays with you and deceives you. 77 00:04:57,800 --> 00:05:00,967 Looking at this view, you would never imagine 78 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:06,100 how dangerous it once was and how dangerous it is. 79 00:05:06,133 --> 00:05:07,733 NARRATOR: The island is famous 80 00:05:07,767 --> 00:05:10,467 for its spectacular, jagged cliffs, 81 00:05:10,500 --> 00:05:15,700 which tower above a beautiful natural harbor. 82 00:05:15,733 --> 00:05:18,100 But what created them? 83 00:05:18,133 --> 00:05:22,467 And can they help explain the downfall of the Minoans? 84 00:05:26,867 --> 00:05:31,667 Marine geologist Evi Nomikou believes that crucial clues 85 00:05:31,700 --> 00:05:36,133 may lie deep beneath Santorini's tranquil waters. 86 00:05:36,167 --> 00:05:37,733 EVI NOMIKOU: As I was born in Santorini, 87 00:05:37,767 --> 00:05:43,833 I wanted to study the area to reveal their secret. 88 00:05:43,867 --> 00:05:47,933 Being a marine geologist means that you're having access 89 00:05:47,967 --> 00:05:50,433 to the mystic world of the seafloor, 90 00:05:50,467 --> 00:05:54,067 so you can see features that nobody else can see. 91 00:05:55,867 --> 00:05:57,233 NARRATOR: She harnesses the latest 92 00:05:57,267 --> 00:05:59,800 multi-beam sonar technology 93 00:05:59,833 --> 00:06:03,867 to scan the depths of the huge bay. 94 00:06:03,900 --> 00:06:08,800 By transforming her data into powerful computer imagery, 95 00:06:08,833 --> 00:06:13,000 it's possible to drain away the waters of the Mediterranean... 96 00:06:13,033 --> 00:06:18,200 (music) 97 00:06:18,233 --> 00:06:22,967 ...and reveal Santorini's terrifying secret. 98 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:27,967 The sheer cliffs tower 1,000 feet above sea level 99 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:32,467 and drop a further 1,000 feet to the seafloor. 100 00:06:32,500 --> 00:06:34,467 Framing a vast basin 101 00:06:34,500 --> 00:06:40,567 large enough to hold 10,000 Olympic stadiums. 102 00:06:40,600 --> 00:06:44,633 The basin is a huge crater, 103 00:06:44,667 --> 00:06:50,033 and Santorini itself is the remnant of a gigantic volcano. 104 00:06:50,067 --> 00:06:53,633 (music) 105 00:06:53,667 --> 00:06:55,800 But that's not all. 106 00:06:55,833 --> 00:06:57,933 On the rim of the crater, 107 00:06:57,967 --> 00:07:01,800 more evidence of Santorini's violent past. 108 00:07:01,833 --> 00:07:06,533 (music) 109 00:07:06,567 --> 00:07:09,533 (screams) 110 00:07:09,567 --> 00:07:13,333 Undiscovered until 1967, 111 00:07:13,367 --> 00:07:15,933 these shattered ruins are all that remain 112 00:07:15,967 --> 00:07:18,333 of a once-thriving city, 113 00:07:18,367 --> 00:07:21,967 known today as Akrotiri. 114 00:07:22,000 --> 00:07:24,800 It was destroyed when the volcano erupted, 115 00:07:24,833 --> 00:07:28,800 and buried under so much ash that it remained hidden 116 00:07:28,833 --> 00:07:31,967 for 3,500 years. 117 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,300 LEFTERIS ZORZOS: It's almost like a window back in time, 118 00:07:34,333 --> 00:07:38,300 where you can see how it was when it was destroyed. 119 00:07:38,333 --> 00:07:40,100 NARRATOR: And deep in the ruins 120 00:07:40,133 --> 00:07:44,033 archaeologists discover something remarkable. 121 00:07:45,767 --> 00:07:49,200 (rumbling) 122 00:07:49,233 --> 00:07:51,600 These stone steps were not broken 123 00:07:51,633 --> 00:07:54,167 by the ash and lava from a volcano. 124 00:07:54,200 --> 00:07:59,700 (rumbling) 125 00:07:59,733 --> 00:08:04,467 They were shattered by an earthquake. 126 00:08:04,500 --> 00:08:06,067 ZORZOS: When the earthquake happened, 127 00:08:06,100 --> 00:08:09,500 everyone fled their town, 128 00:08:09,533 --> 00:08:11,900 but then they came back to start rebuilding their homes, 129 00:08:11,933 --> 00:08:13,700 and this is exactly what we're seeing here. 130 00:08:16,933 --> 00:08:19,067 NARRATOR: Believing the danger over, 131 00:08:19,100 --> 00:08:21,700 people move furniture into the streets, 132 00:08:21,733 --> 00:08:25,267 so they can start repairing their houses. 133 00:08:25,300 --> 00:08:28,467 ZORZOS: We're seeing the beds placed outside of their homes, 134 00:08:28,500 --> 00:08:30,933 we're seeing the stones and mud 135 00:08:30,967 --> 00:08:35,267 getting ready to be used to rebuild these homes. 136 00:08:35,300 --> 00:08:38,833 NARRATOR: But then they are struck by an apocalypse. 137 00:08:38,867 --> 00:08:42,233 (rumbling) 138 00:08:42,267 --> 00:08:44,267 (explosion) 139 00:08:47,700 --> 00:08:51,100 The first stage of the eruption is so powerful 140 00:08:51,133 --> 00:08:53,500 that it engulfs Akrotiri 141 00:08:53,533 --> 00:08:57,767 and suffocates the whole island in a thick layer of debris. 142 00:09:01,367 --> 00:09:04,633 And the date of this cataclysmic eruption? 143 00:09:04,667 --> 00:09:10,200 Around 1625 BC, the same time as the Minoans 144 00:09:10,233 --> 00:09:14,300 begin to disappear from the pages of history. 145 00:09:14,333 --> 00:09:17,400 But how could a single eruption trigger the collapse 146 00:09:17,433 --> 00:09:24,267 of a great civilization based on an island 70 miles away? 147 00:09:24,300 --> 00:09:27,400 Until recently most scientists have focused 148 00:09:27,433 --> 00:09:31,267 only on the evidence above ground. 149 00:09:31,300 --> 00:09:34,700 But Evi Nomikou believes that once again 150 00:09:34,733 --> 00:09:38,800 the real clues lie underwater. 151 00:09:38,833 --> 00:09:40,367 EVI NOMIKOU: Scientists have been occupied 152 00:09:40,400 --> 00:09:43,067 studying only the on-land geology, 153 00:09:43,100 --> 00:09:45,767 so we are starting mapping the seafloor, 154 00:09:45,800 --> 00:09:47,967 in order to find out the total volume 155 00:09:48,000 --> 00:09:50,900 of that big, destructive eruption. 156 00:09:53,100 --> 00:09:55,567 NARRATOR: Evi heads outside the great crater 157 00:09:55,600 --> 00:09:58,400 to hunt for new evidence on the seabed. 158 00:10:01,267 --> 00:10:05,600 And what she finds is extraordinary. 159 00:10:05,633 --> 00:10:08,633 Proof of the sheer scale of this eruption. 160 00:10:10,867 --> 00:10:13,400 As the waters of the Mediterranean recede 161 00:10:13,433 --> 00:10:18,533 still further, they reveal wide stone terraces, 162 00:10:18,567 --> 00:10:21,967 fanning out from the mouth of the volcano... 163 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,400 the size of 20-story buildings. 164 00:10:29,033 --> 00:10:31,967 They point to one cause. 165 00:10:37,000 --> 00:10:40,033 They're called pyroclastic flows: 166 00:10:40,067 --> 00:10:44,733 torrents of superheated gas and molten rock. 167 00:10:44,767 --> 00:10:48,000 NOMIKOU: The pyroclastic flow can cover everything. 168 00:10:48,033 --> 00:10:50,167 They travel like a hurricane. 169 00:10:50,200 --> 00:10:53,533 They can destroy everything on their path 170 00:10:53,567 --> 00:10:57,400 because of the high temperature, up to 1,000 Celsius. 171 00:11:01,800 --> 00:11:03,733 NARRATOR: When they hit the sea, 172 00:11:03,767 --> 00:11:10,533 the pyroclastic flows cool and become solid ramparts of rock. 173 00:11:10,567 --> 00:11:14,600 Around Santorini, they stretch for a staggering 20 miles 174 00:11:14,633 --> 00:11:17,967 in every direction. 175 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:22,367 Evidence of multiple eruptions lasting for days. 176 00:11:25,333 --> 00:11:27,667 By measuring the stone terraces, 177 00:11:27,700 --> 00:11:30,667 scientists calculate that the volcano throws out 178 00:11:30,700 --> 00:11:33,933 14 cubic miles of debris. 179 00:11:33,967 --> 00:11:38,867 An eruption far more powerful than they had ever imagined. 180 00:11:38,900 --> 00:11:41,967 It's one of the biggest volcanic explosions 181 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:44,500 in the history of the planet. 182 00:11:44,533 --> 00:11:47,100 (explosion) 183 00:11:52,300 --> 00:11:56,233 SYNOLAKIS: Let's try to imagine what this eruption looked like. 184 00:11:56,267 --> 00:11:59,700 If you were sitting somewhere in any of the neighboring islands, 185 00:11:59,733 --> 00:12:03,667 it would have appeared like the end of the world. 186 00:12:03,700 --> 00:12:06,033 NARRATOR: At first the volcano blasts out 187 00:12:06,067 --> 00:12:12,133 a column of superheated debris more than 20 miles high. 188 00:12:12,167 --> 00:12:15,467 SYNOLAKIS: This huge funnel of black ash and cloud 189 00:12:15,500 --> 00:12:19,267 could have been seen going all the way to the sky. 190 00:12:19,300 --> 00:12:22,233 NARRATOR: Some of the volcanic plume falls to Earth 191 00:12:22,267 --> 00:12:26,233 many miles from Santorini. 192 00:12:26,267 --> 00:12:28,000 SYNOLAKIS: It would have been raining pumice 193 00:12:28,033 --> 00:12:30,000 on the surrounding islands. 194 00:12:30,033 --> 00:12:32,200 NARRATOR: But now the volcano unleashes 195 00:12:32,233 --> 00:12:35,267 its most devastating surprise, 196 00:12:35,300 --> 00:12:40,433 and in its path lies Crete, the center of the Minoan world. 197 00:12:44,833 --> 00:12:46,667 NARRATOR: 70 miles from Santorini, 198 00:12:46,700 --> 00:12:51,067 the Minoans on Crete see the soaring column of ash and smoke 199 00:12:51,100 --> 00:12:54,067 from the erupting volcano. 200 00:12:54,100 --> 00:12:58,967 But they have no idea of the disaster to come. 201 00:12:59,000 --> 00:13:03,667 The volcano blasts millions of tons of lava into the sea. 202 00:13:03,700 --> 00:13:08,033 Triggering wave after wave of powerful tsunamis. 203 00:13:10,033 --> 00:13:12,167 SYNOLAKIS: When the tsunami arrived in Crete, 204 00:13:12,200 --> 00:13:14,633 they were probably taken totally by surprise. 205 00:13:14,667 --> 00:13:18,433 Imagine seeing this wall of water, 206 00:13:18,467 --> 00:13:22,567 in some places ten meters high, advancing in. 207 00:13:22,600 --> 00:13:25,367 It must have looked like this was the end of the world. 208 00:13:25,400 --> 00:13:26,633 Totally unexpected. 209 00:13:26,667 --> 00:13:29,800 The wrath of the gods. 210 00:13:29,833 --> 00:13:32,967 NARRATOR: Entire coastal communities are swept away 211 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:37,400 by waves up to 30 feet tall. 212 00:13:37,433 --> 00:13:42,167 Ports are destroyed and ships smashed to pieces. 213 00:13:49,233 --> 00:13:52,933 And the gods aren't finished yet. 214 00:13:52,967 --> 00:13:55,533 After the eruption and the tsunamis, 215 00:13:55,567 --> 00:13:58,233 another disaster is looming. 216 00:13:58,267 --> 00:14:01,933 Clouds of volcanic ash cast a deadly pall 217 00:14:01,967 --> 00:14:06,867 over the whole Mediterranean, dramatically cooling the Earth. 218 00:14:09,733 --> 00:14:13,000 SCOTT: There were a series of effects from the eruption 219 00:14:13,033 --> 00:14:18,133 that together fatally weakened the Minoan civilization. 220 00:14:18,167 --> 00:14:20,767 A tsunami event, a divine event. 221 00:14:20,800 --> 00:14:23,700 The destabilization of their economy, 222 00:14:23,733 --> 00:14:26,900 the failure of harvests over several years. 223 00:14:26,933 --> 00:14:30,933 That was the moment when Minoan civilization started to die. 224 00:14:33,367 --> 00:14:35,400 NARRATOR: Without their ports and ships, 225 00:14:35,433 --> 00:14:39,200 the Minoans lose their mastery over the Mediterranean. 226 00:14:41,700 --> 00:14:44,700 Invaders challenge their power. 227 00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:52,500 And as the sun sets on the collapsing Minoan civilization, 228 00:14:52,533 --> 00:14:55,867 new powers arise. 229 00:14:55,900 --> 00:15:00,167 500 miles from Crete, just off the coast of Cyprus, 230 00:15:00,200 --> 00:15:02,467 the draining waters of the Mediterranean 231 00:15:02,500 --> 00:15:08,900 reveal a remarkable discovery almost 2,500 years old. 232 00:15:11,133 --> 00:15:14,733 What can it tell us about the lives, the power, 233 00:15:14,767 --> 00:15:18,633 and the pleasures of the Ancient Greeks? 234 00:15:18,667 --> 00:15:21,700 In the centuries after the fall of the Minoans, 235 00:15:21,733 --> 00:15:23,333 the city-states of Greece 236 00:15:23,367 --> 00:15:27,867 produce dazzling art and architecture. 237 00:15:27,900 --> 00:15:32,467 Forging ideas in mathematics, democracy and theater 238 00:15:32,500 --> 00:15:36,733 that still shape our world. 239 00:15:36,767 --> 00:15:40,233 The Greeks take to the sea in their wooden sailing ships 240 00:15:40,267 --> 00:15:43,533 risking their lives to explore, colonize, 241 00:15:43,567 --> 00:15:45,333 and trade with each other. 242 00:15:49,067 --> 00:15:52,300 Hundreds of boats shuttle across the Mediterranean, 243 00:15:52,333 --> 00:15:57,100 linking settlements in Africa, Asia and Europe. 244 00:15:57,133 --> 00:16:00,533 They are the lifeblood of Greek civilization. 245 00:16:02,433 --> 00:16:05,600 But these ships are a mystery. 246 00:16:05,633 --> 00:16:09,267 Only a few remnants have survived to offer a glimpse 247 00:16:09,300 --> 00:16:13,600 into how they worked and what they carried... 248 00:16:13,633 --> 00:16:16,900 until now. 249 00:16:16,933 --> 00:16:18,567 A shipwreck, recently discovered 250 00:16:18,600 --> 00:16:20,800 in the seas off Cyprus, 251 00:16:20,833 --> 00:16:24,600 is helping to bring this lost world back to life. 252 00:16:27,800 --> 00:16:31,033 Archaeologist Stella Demesticha and her team 253 00:16:31,067 --> 00:16:33,900 are unlocking the wreck's secrets. 254 00:16:35,900 --> 00:16:38,833 Where did it come from? 255 00:16:38,867 --> 00:16:41,200 What was it carrying? 256 00:16:44,267 --> 00:16:47,567 And why did it sink? 257 00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:50,433 STELLA DEMESTICHA: It's pretty deep, so it takes a while 258 00:16:50,467 --> 00:16:54,000 when you're diving before you can see the sea bottom. 259 00:16:56,567 --> 00:16:58,733 SCOTT: It looks all very higgledy-piggledy, 260 00:16:58,767 --> 00:17:03,800 it looks like, well, someone's dropped a whole load of garbage 261 00:17:03,833 --> 00:17:07,233 in the ocean. 262 00:17:07,267 --> 00:17:10,933 NARRATOR: But this apparent chaos is packed with clues 263 00:17:10,967 --> 00:17:14,433 about the lost world of the Ancient Greeks. 264 00:17:14,467 --> 00:17:18,600 DEMESTICHA: This is really fantastic for an archaeologist. 265 00:17:18,633 --> 00:17:21,233 NARRATOR: Exploring such a deep and complex site 266 00:17:21,267 --> 00:17:23,200 is challenging. 267 00:17:25,233 --> 00:17:29,733 DEMESTICHA: Diving at 45 meters has several constraints, 268 00:17:29,767 --> 00:17:33,567 and time is one of them. 269 00:17:33,600 --> 00:17:38,300 The maximum we can stay per day is 20 minutes. 270 00:17:38,333 --> 00:17:40,333 NARRATOR: It's almost impossible to work effectively 271 00:17:40,367 --> 00:17:43,900 at such depths. 272 00:17:43,933 --> 00:17:46,300 So the team explores the site 273 00:17:46,333 --> 00:17:49,533 using a technique called photogrammetry, 274 00:17:49,567 --> 00:17:51,567 taking hundreds of pictures of the wreck 275 00:17:51,600 --> 00:17:53,733 from different angles. 276 00:17:56,533 --> 00:18:01,700 DEMESTICHA: So instead of trying to make decisions at 45 meters 277 00:18:01,733 --> 00:18:05,067 where your brain doesn't work properly, 278 00:18:05,100 --> 00:18:09,333 taking the pictures allows us to have the luxury 279 00:18:09,367 --> 00:18:12,333 of diving through the screen of our computer 280 00:18:12,367 --> 00:18:14,733 as long as we wanted. 281 00:18:17,900 --> 00:18:20,867 NARRATOR: Using the unique photogrammetry data, 282 00:18:20,900 --> 00:18:23,500 it's possible for the first time 283 00:18:23,533 --> 00:18:26,867 to drain the Mediterranean... 284 00:18:26,900 --> 00:18:31,067 allowing sunshine to illuminate a site that's been in darkness 285 00:18:31,100 --> 00:18:34,033 for 2,500 years. 286 00:18:34,067 --> 00:18:38,433 (music) 287 00:18:38,467 --> 00:18:42,067 The debris lies in the shape of a ship. 288 00:18:45,067 --> 00:18:47,667 Much of the timber hull has rotted away, 289 00:18:47,700 --> 00:18:50,700 leaving only its ancient cargo. 290 00:18:53,333 --> 00:18:57,833 Hundreds of earthenware jars, known as amphorae, 291 00:18:57,867 --> 00:19:00,633 piled neatly on top of each other, 292 00:19:00,667 --> 00:19:03,433 many of them still intact. 293 00:19:03,467 --> 00:19:08,000 (music) 294 00:19:08,033 --> 00:19:09,633 SCOTT: Amphorae look very odd. 295 00:19:09,667 --> 00:19:12,900 They look very ungainly and not very well designed 296 00:19:12,933 --> 00:19:17,233 to be storage jars or certainly container jars on a sea vessel. 297 00:19:17,267 --> 00:19:20,000 But they are a design that's evolved over centuries. 298 00:19:20,033 --> 00:19:22,300 And actually if you stack them all really neatly together, 299 00:19:22,333 --> 00:19:24,800 they do all make sense, 300 00:19:24,833 --> 00:19:27,600 and they were the way that you transported things 301 00:19:27,633 --> 00:19:31,300 around the ancient world. 302 00:19:31,333 --> 00:19:32,867 NARRATOR: Amphorae like this 303 00:19:32,900 --> 00:19:37,833 give the archaeologists some vital clues. 304 00:19:37,867 --> 00:19:40,367 Their distinctive shape varies, 305 00:19:40,400 --> 00:19:44,833 depending on where and when they were made. 306 00:19:44,867 --> 00:19:48,567 This one dates from the 4th century BC 307 00:19:48,600 --> 00:19:51,367 and comes from the Greek island of Chios, 308 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:55,067 500 miles from the wreck site. 309 00:19:55,100 --> 00:19:58,767 So what was in it? 310 00:19:58,800 --> 00:20:01,867 Although the amphorae are all now empty, 311 00:20:01,900 --> 00:20:06,567 they offer intriguing clues about what they once contained. 312 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:11,033 DEMESTICHA: In this case we have the opportunity to see evidence. 313 00:20:11,067 --> 00:20:14,333 This dark coating inside the amphora, 314 00:20:14,367 --> 00:20:18,333 we have to imagine that it was all over the inside walls, 315 00:20:18,367 --> 00:20:20,933 and it was pitch, or resin, 316 00:20:20,967 --> 00:20:26,000 so it was a kind of sealant to make these walls waterproof. 317 00:20:26,033 --> 00:20:30,933 So we are sure that these are Chian wine containers. 318 00:20:30,967 --> 00:20:34,333 NARRATOR: Wine from the island of Chios is highly prized 319 00:20:34,367 --> 00:20:36,967 throughout the Ancient Mediterranean. 320 00:20:37,000 --> 00:20:39,733 The wrecked ship is loaded with the equivalent 321 00:20:39,767 --> 00:20:43,767 of more than 10,000 modern-sized bottles. 322 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:47,733 A hugely valuable cargo and a telling insight 323 00:20:47,767 --> 00:20:52,767 into the Ancient Greek trade in luxury goods. 324 00:20:52,800 --> 00:20:56,300 SCOTT: The Greeks loved their wine. 325 00:20:56,333 --> 00:20:57,800 This little wreck off Cyprus 326 00:20:57,833 --> 00:21:01,000 is the tip of the iceberg of the wine trade. 327 00:21:01,033 --> 00:21:05,933 It was an absolutely fundamental part of their society 328 00:21:05,967 --> 00:21:08,167 and of all their cultural experiences, 329 00:21:08,200 --> 00:21:10,167 whether that be religious 330 00:21:10,200 --> 00:21:11,900 or whether it be letting their hair down 331 00:21:11,933 --> 00:21:14,800 and having a really good time. 332 00:21:14,833 --> 00:21:17,267 DEMESTICHA: The greatest thing about Ancient Greeks 333 00:21:17,300 --> 00:21:19,333 is their love for life. 334 00:21:19,367 --> 00:21:24,733 They like to talk, to think, to discuss, to drink, to party. 335 00:21:24,767 --> 00:21:26,933 SCOTT: There was a great profit to be made 336 00:21:26,967 --> 00:21:31,267 in making sure that the rich around the Mediterranean world 337 00:21:31,300 --> 00:21:34,600 had a good supply of very good wine to drink. 338 00:21:36,900 --> 00:21:39,333 NARRATOR: Trading in wine and other luxury items 339 00:21:39,367 --> 00:21:42,467 makes good money for the Greek city-states. 340 00:21:42,500 --> 00:21:46,067 But their ships carry an even more precious cargo, 341 00:21:46,100 --> 00:21:49,633 as they traverse the Mediterranean and beyond, 342 00:21:49,667 --> 00:21:52,833 from Egypt to Southern France, 343 00:21:52,867 --> 00:21:55,633 they spread Greek ideas and culture 344 00:21:55,667 --> 00:21:57,933 that influence Western civilization 345 00:21:57,967 --> 00:22:00,933 to the present day. 346 00:22:00,967 --> 00:22:06,100 But this cargo never reaches its destination. 347 00:22:06,133 --> 00:22:08,933 DEMESTICHA: One of the most important questions that we ask 348 00:22:08,967 --> 00:22:13,100 in shipwreck archaeology is why this ship sunk. 349 00:22:16,500 --> 00:22:20,633 NARRATOR: The biggest clue is the shape of the debris. 350 00:22:20,667 --> 00:22:23,400 The way that the jars lie grouped together 351 00:22:23,433 --> 00:22:25,267 rather than scattered about 352 00:22:25,300 --> 00:22:27,900 proves that the vessel didn't capsize. 353 00:22:31,467 --> 00:22:34,800 So what did happen? 354 00:22:34,833 --> 00:22:38,867 DEMESTICHA: The ships in antiquity were open-decked. 355 00:22:38,900 --> 00:22:41,433 The hold was not covered with a deck, 356 00:22:41,467 --> 00:22:45,500 so when the waves were very high, or we have a storm, 357 00:22:45,533 --> 00:22:47,933 then the water was coming in. 358 00:22:50,933 --> 00:22:54,267 NARRATOR: The ship is most likely overwhelmed by a wave. 359 00:22:58,300 --> 00:23:01,967 Pulled down by the weight of all the expensive wine 360 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,867 to a watery grave. 361 00:23:03,900 --> 00:23:10,667 (music) 362 00:23:10,700 --> 00:23:13,200 (music) 363 00:23:13,233 --> 00:23:18,367 (music) 364 00:23:18,400 --> 00:23:20,233 As the waters of the Mediterranean 365 00:23:20,267 --> 00:23:24,200 continue to drain away, 366 00:23:24,233 --> 00:23:28,233 they uncover unique evidence of a titanic clash 367 00:23:28,267 --> 00:23:32,533 between two ancient superpowers. 368 00:23:32,567 --> 00:23:34,733 This is the site of a battle 369 00:23:34,767 --> 00:23:38,133 that would change the course of history. 370 00:23:38,167 --> 00:23:40,000 WILLIAM M. MURRAY: When they saw the Romans in front of them, 371 00:23:40,033 --> 00:23:43,267 they had one of these 'Oh, no!' moments. 372 00:23:45,967 --> 00:23:49,333 NARRATOR: What can these bizarre objects on the seabed 373 00:23:49,367 --> 00:23:53,433 tell us about the merciless rise of the Romans? 374 00:23:58,200 --> 00:24:01,133 NARRATOR: The third century BC. 375 00:24:01,167 --> 00:24:04,300 Rome already controls mainland Italy, 376 00:24:04,333 --> 00:24:08,900 and has ambitions to expand across the whole Mediterranean. 377 00:24:08,933 --> 00:24:11,600 But its navy is weak. 378 00:24:11,633 --> 00:24:13,900 JON HENDERSON: Rome was known as being a terrestrial power, 379 00:24:13,933 --> 00:24:17,700 not a maritime power, it was not known for fighting sea battles, 380 00:24:17,733 --> 00:24:19,367 but they were set on a militaristic path 381 00:24:19,400 --> 00:24:21,600 of maritime control. 382 00:24:21,633 --> 00:24:23,400 NARRATOR: This brings them into conflict 383 00:24:23,433 --> 00:24:26,700 with another superpower of the Mediterranean: 384 00:24:26,733 --> 00:24:30,400 the Carthaginians. 385 00:24:30,433 --> 00:24:33,167 SCOTT: The Carthaginians were great traders, great seafarers, 386 00:24:33,200 --> 00:24:36,767 controlling most of the west and central Mediterranean, 387 00:24:36,800 --> 00:24:38,167 and it was that fact 388 00:24:38,200 --> 00:24:42,467 that brought them into conflict with Rome. 389 00:24:42,500 --> 00:24:44,067 NARRATOR: Carthage, from its position 390 00:24:44,100 --> 00:24:46,267 on the north coast of Africa, 391 00:24:46,300 --> 00:24:50,100 commands the most powerful navy in the region. 392 00:24:50,133 --> 00:24:51,967 To challenge Carthage, 393 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:56,300 Rome must first learn a new kind of naval warfare. 394 00:24:59,100 --> 00:25:02,067 So begins a titanic struggle 395 00:25:02,100 --> 00:25:06,167 that will last for more than 100 years. 396 00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,267 The winner will dominate the Mediterranean 397 00:25:09,300 --> 00:25:12,167 for the next seven centuries. 398 00:25:14,267 --> 00:25:17,300 Its first truly decisive encounter happens 399 00:25:17,333 --> 00:25:21,733 somewhere off the west coast of Sicily, 400 00:25:21,767 --> 00:25:24,833 near the Egadi Islands. 401 00:25:24,867 --> 00:25:28,633 Here, according to ancient historian Polybius, 402 00:25:28,667 --> 00:25:31,433 the mighty navies of Rome and Carthage 403 00:25:31,467 --> 00:25:36,433 go head-to-head in an epic battle. 404 00:25:36,467 --> 00:25:39,633 He describes the clash of two huge fleets 405 00:25:39,667 --> 00:25:46,400 involving 400 ships, and at least 100,000 men... 406 00:25:46,433 --> 00:25:50,467 turning the waters of the Mediterranean blood-red. 407 00:25:54,533 --> 00:25:56,500 But Polybius writes his history 408 00:25:56,533 --> 00:26:00,100 at least half a century after the battle 409 00:26:00,133 --> 00:26:02,900 and for a Roman audience. 410 00:26:02,933 --> 00:26:07,000 So how reliable is his account? 411 00:26:07,033 --> 00:26:09,867 However huge this battle may have been, 412 00:26:09,900 --> 00:26:14,200 no one has ever been able to find any trace of it. 413 00:26:14,233 --> 00:26:17,167 MURRAY: Taking the description from an ancient historian 414 00:26:17,200 --> 00:26:20,600 and actually pointing to the exact place 415 00:26:20,633 --> 00:26:22,800 on the surface of the globe where the battle took place 416 00:26:22,833 --> 00:26:26,167 is extremely difficult. 417 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:29,433 NARRATOR: Bill Murray and a team of marine archaeologists 418 00:26:29,467 --> 00:26:32,367 are on the trail of some extraordinary finds 419 00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:36,433 reported by local fishermen. 420 00:26:36,467 --> 00:26:39,867 But the area they need to survey is huge, 421 00:26:39,900 --> 00:26:43,467 many miles across. 422 00:26:43,500 --> 00:26:47,233 So first, they sonar scan the seabed. 423 00:26:51,167 --> 00:26:54,033 Then they launch a remotely operated vehicle 424 00:26:54,067 --> 00:26:56,433 to investigate the finds. 425 00:26:56,467 --> 00:26:58,967 (music) 426 00:26:59,000 --> 00:27:04,133 (music) 427 00:27:04,167 --> 00:27:05,833 PETER CAMPBELL: As you're watching the live feed 428 00:27:05,867 --> 00:27:09,333 of the video from the ROV, and it's going across the seafloor, 429 00:27:09,367 --> 00:27:10,933 the shapes suddenly pop into view, 430 00:27:10,967 --> 00:27:12,567 and it's incredibly distinctive. 431 00:27:12,600 --> 00:27:14,167 So there's a great moment of excitement 432 00:27:14,200 --> 00:27:17,533 as these objects are first seen. 433 00:27:17,567 --> 00:27:20,733 NARRATOR: They discover a truly astonishing shape 434 00:27:20,767 --> 00:27:22,867 300 feet down. 435 00:27:26,733 --> 00:27:27,900 CAMPBELL: These are the rarest artifacts 436 00:27:27,933 --> 00:27:30,333 we have from antiquity. 437 00:27:33,533 --> 00:27:35,333 NARRATOR: So what is it? 438 00:27:39,033 --> 00:27:41,900 Using the data gathered by the expedition, 439 00:27:41,933 --> 00:27:45,600 it's possible to pull the plug on the Mediterranean, 440 00:27:45,633 --> 00:27:49,100 emptying the waters from around the coast of Sicily. 441 00:27:49,133 --> 00:27:54,133 The mysterious object on the seabed comes clearly into view. 442 00:27:54,167 --> 00:27:57,467 It's three feet wide and made of metal. 443 00:27:57,500 --> 00:28:01,533 Its jagged edges suggest a deadly purpose. 444 00:28:01,567 --> 00:28:05,300 SCOTT: So these are bronze battering rams. 445 00:28:05,333 --> 00:28:08,967 They would have been attached to the front of a ship, 446 00:28:09,000 --> 00:28:10,700 and this was the main method 447 00:28:10,733 --> 00:28:14,967 of attacking and destroying ships in antiquity. 448 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,067 NARRATOR: Rams are the superweapons 449 00:28:17,100 --> 00:28:20,067 of ancient naval warfare. 450 00:28:20,100 --> 00:28:23,967 The large vertical fin is like a splitting axe, 451 00:28:24,000 --> 00:28:26,967 and the horizontal fins are like blades, 452 00:28:27,000 --> 00:28:30,233 to slice through an enemy ship's timbers. 453 00:28:30,267 --> 00:28:31,833 SCOTT: You didn't have cannon fire, 454 00:28:31,867 --> 00:28:34,333 there were no kind of guns a la Pirates of the Caribbean 455 00:28:34,367 --> 00:28:35,867 or anything like that. 456 00:28:35,900 --> 00:28:37,667 The only way to take down the enemy ship 457 00:28:37,700 --> 00:28:40,233 was to smash a massive hole in the middle of it 458 00:28:40,267 --> 00:28:41,733 and let it sink to the bottom, 459 00:28:41,767 --> 00:28:43,867 and the only way of doing that was to ram it. 460 00:28:43,900 --> 00:28:48,833 (crashing) 461 00:28:48,867 --> 00:28:50,267 NARRATOR: A closer look reveals 462 00:28:50,300 --> 00:28:52,833 that this ram is battle-damaged, 463 00:28:52,867 --> 00:28:55,233 its metal edges broken and distorted 464 00:28:55,267 --> 00:28:57,267 by a violent collision. 465 00:29:00,267 --> 00:29:01,667 MURRAY: In one episode 466 00:29:01,700 --> 00:29:05,100 we're told that the men up in a forward tower 467 00:29:05,133 --> 00:29:08,067 were literally catapulted out of the tower 468 00:29:08,100 --> 00:29:10,833 and into the sea after a ram strike. 469 00:29:14,833 --> 00:29:17,000 And we're told that it was an effective ram strike, 470 00:29:17,033 --> 00:29:21,067 because as the ancient author wrote, 'Bronze hit bronze.' 471 00:29:27,900 --> 00:29:31,833 NARRATOR: And this isn't the only discovery. 472 00:29:31,867 --> 00:29:34,400 Based on data from the survey, 473 00:29:34,433 --> 00:29:37,033 draining away more of the Mediterranean 474 00:29:37,067 --> 00:29:40,200 reveals a remarkable pattern. 475 00:29:40,233 --> 00:29:42,433 Ten more rams, scattered 476 00:29:42,467 --> 00:29:45,467 across two square miles. 477 00:29:45,500 --> 00:29:48,367 More than enough to convince historians 478 00:29:48,400 --> 00:29:52,000 that an important naval battle took place here. 479 00:29:53,833 --> 00:29:57,633 But is it the legendary Battle of the Egadi Islands 480 00:29:57,667 --> 00:29:59,800 described by Polybius? 481 00:30:02,267 --> 00:30:06,100 An unlikely piece of evidence may hold the answer. 482 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:13,200 A single amphora storage jar, found near one of the rams. 483 00:30:15,667 --> 00:30:18,400 By analyzing its shape 484 00:30:18,433 --> 00:30:24,133 archaeologists can narrow down when and where it was made. 485 00:30:24,167 --> 00:30:28,433 It's like finding a black box recorder. 486 00:30:28,467 --> 00:30:31,533 The team believes the amphora is Carthaginian 487 00:30:31,567 --> 00:30:34,800 and dates to the 3rd century BC, 488 00:30:34,833 --> 00:30:40,500 the same period as the Battle of the Egadi Islands. 489 00:30:40,533 --> 00:30:43,967 The historian Polybius describes how the Carthaginians 490 00:30:44,000 --> 00:30:48,900 are carrying supplies for their soldiers in Sicily. 491 00:30:48,933 --> 00:30:53,600 Could this amphora be part of that cargo? 492 00:30:53,633 --> 00:30:55,600 POLYBIUS: The plan was to cross to Mount Erice, 493 00:30:55,633 --> 00:30:59,500 unobserved by the enemy, and offload the stores. 494 00:30:59,533 --> 00:31:02,100 Then take on soldiers in the lightened ships 495 00:31:02,133 --> 00:31:04,133 and engage the enemy. 496 00:31:06,333 --> 00:31:09,533 NARRATOR: But the Carthaginians never make it. 497 00:31:09,567 --> 00:31:12,567 Compelling evidence from the drained seabed 498 00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:17,167 now indicates this is where it all happened. 499 00:31:17,200 --> 00:31:19,667 MURRAY: A number of rams line up and give us a bearing 500 00:31:19,700 --> 00:31:22,667 that makes some sense, 501 00:31:22,700 --> 00:31:25,567 and that's fascinating, that is exciting. 502 00:31:25,600 --> 00:31:27,867 NARRATOR: The words of an ancient historian 503 00:31:27,900 --> 00:31:30,467 and the evidence of modern technology 504 00:31:30,500 --> 00:31:33,933 both point to the same conclusion: 505 00:31:33,967 --> 00:31:38,167 this is the site of the Battle of the Egadi Islands. 506 00:31:40,400 --> 00:31:42,467 MURRAY: It was an important enough event for the Romans 507 00:31:42,500 --> 00:31:44,067 that they remembered the date. 508 00:31:44,100 --> 00:31:46,533 It was actually written down in a calendar somewhere, 509 00:31:46,567 --> 00:31:50,867 and we know that it occurred on 10 March, 241 BC. 510 00:31:54,067 --> 00:31:57,733 This is not your typical naval battle where both sides prepare. 511 00:31:57,767 --> 00:31:59,867 This was a battle of opportunity. 512 00:32:02,500 --> 00:32:06,233 NARRATOR: The Carthaginians, still laden with supplies, 513 00:32:06,267 --> 00:32:09,767 head for shore believing the coast is clear. 514 00:32:12,467 --> 00:32:15,467 But the Romans keep dozens of their ships hidden 515 00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:17,667 behind one of the islands. 516 00:32:17,700 --> 00:32:21,033 It's a huge ambush. 517 00:32:21,067 --> 00:32:24,433 MURRAY: The lookouts spied the Carthaginian ships coming in, 518 00:32:24,467 --> 00:32:27,000 and as the Carthaginians saw the Romans in front of them, 519 00:32:27,033 --> 00:32:31,000 they had one of these 'Oh, no!' moments. 520 00:32:31,033 --> 00:32:33,233 CAMPBELL: So we're talking about tens of thousands of men 521 00:32:33,267 --> 00:32:35,000 on board these ships, 522 00:32:35,033 --> 00:32:36,900 and they would have lined up across from each other 523 00:32:36,933 --> 00:32:38,667 in lines of battle, 524 00:32:38,700 --> 00:32:40,267 headed toward each other at a great rate, 525 00:32:40,300 --> 00:32:42,267 and smashed into each other head-to-head. 526 00:32:44,933 --> 00:32:48,700 (crashing) 527 00:32:48,733 --> 00:32:52,333 (men yelling) 528 00:32:54,700 --> 00:32:59,233 NARRATOR: Polybius describes what happened next. 529 00:32:59,267 --> 00:33:02,233 POLYBIUS: Before long, they were defeated. 530 00:33:02,267 --> 00:33:05,167 50 of the Carthaginians' ships were sunk, 531 00:33:05,200 --> 00:33:08,000 and 70 captured with their crews, 532 00:33:08,033 --> 00:33:12,800 while the prisoners numbered almost 10,000. 533 00:33:12,833 --> 00:33:16,800 NARRATOR: Another discovery on the seabed is a stark reminder 534 00:33:16,833 --> 00:33:21,800 that this epic victory came at a high price in human life. 535 00:33:27,367 --> 00:33:32,000 This is the last resting place of thousands of brave men. 536 00:33:35,467 --> 00:33:38,167 And it has been judged so important 537 00:33:38,200 --> 00:33:43,200 that its exact location must remain secret. 538 00:33:43,233 --> 00:33:44,533 CAMPBELL: There's nothing else really like this. 539 00:33:44,567 --> 00:33:45,833 It's the first ancient battle site 540 00:33:45,867 --> 00:33:47,600 that's ever been discovered. 541 00:33:47,633 --> 00:33:51,200 It's just an incredible debris field. 542 00:33:51,233 --> 00:33:53,333 SCOTT: The Battle of the Egadi Islands was the turning point, 543 00:33:53,367 --> 00:33:59,167 when a Roman fleet managed to absolutely trounce 544 00:33:59,200 --> 00:34:02,367 a Carthaginian fleet at sea. 545 00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:04,100 CAMPBELL: This was the defining battle 546 00:34:04,133 --> 00:34:08,933 where Rome went from a regional power to a superpower. 547 00:34:08,967 --> 00:34:11,333 NARRATOR: The struggle between Rome and Carthage 548 00:34:11,367 --> 00:34:14,500 would last for another century. 549 00:34:14,533 --> 00:34:17,900 But victory here set Rome on a path 550 00:34:17,933 --> 00:34:24,700 to shaping the destiny of Europe for the next 700 years. 551 00:34:24,733 --> 00:34:27,533 As the last of its water runs away, 552 00:34:27,567 --> 00:34:31,533 the Mediterranean reveals a final secret. 553 00:34:31,567 --> 00:34:35,133 What can draining the Bay of Naples teach us 554 00:34:35,167 --> 00:34:40,200 about the glory and the decadence of the Roman Empire? 555 00:34:45,400 --> 00:34:47,367 NARRATOR: 2,000 years ago 556 00:34:47,400 --> 00:34:51,467 Rome has grown far beyond its Italian homeland. 557 00:34:51,500 --> 00:34:54,467 Its legions control a vast area 558 00:34:54,500 --> 00:34:57,867 from North Africa to Northern Europe, 559 00:34:57,900 --> 00:35:01,267 from Spain to the Black Sea, 560 00:35:01,300 --> 00:35:05,033 and the Roman navy dominates the Mediterranean, 561 00:35:05,067 --> 00:35:08,867 from its port next to the city of Baiae 562 00:35:08,900 --> 00:35:11,667 in the shadow of mighty Vesuvius. 563 00:35:14,467 --> 00:35:19,667 Baiae earns a reputation as the Sin City of Ancient Rome. 564 00:35:19,700 --> 00:35:23,467 It's famous for debauchery and excess. 565 00:35:26,267 --> 00:35:31,333 But what really went on in this seaside party town? 566 00:35:31,367 --> 00:35:36,100 And why does so much of it lie abandoned beneath the waves? 567 00:35:39,233 --> 00:35:43,600 Now, marine archaeologist Jon Henderson is exploring 568 00:35:43,633 --> 00:35:46,300 the secrets of this sunken city. 569 00:35:48,900 --> 00:35:51,500 Starting with the huge harbor walls 570 00:35:51,533 --> 00:35:54,433 that once surrounded the city's port. 571 00:35:56,433 --> 00:35:58,833 HENDERSON: These are built by the Romans. 572 00:35:58,867 --> 00:36:01,400 They were incredible engineers. 573 00:36:01,433 --> 00:36:03,433 You can still see the artificial construction 574 00:36:03,467 --> 00:36:05,800 of this very clearly. 575 00:36:05,833 --> 00:36:09,600 You can see the brickwork, overlapping bricks. 576 00:36:09,633 --> 00:36:11,333 Amazing! 577 00:36:15,700 --> 00:36:19,400 NARRATOR: Beyond the port walls lie magnificent villas 578 00:36:19,433 --> 00:36:23,200 where Roman emperors host lavish parties. 579 00:36:23,233 --> 00:36:25,167 HENDERSON: Look at this. 580 00:36:25,200 --> 00:36:30,067 This is a mosaic floor of one of the bath houses. 581 00:36:30,100 --> 00:36:32,033 Looks like it was just done yesterday. 582 00:36:32,067 --> 00:36:34,400 It's phenomenal! 583 00:36:34,433 --> 00:36:37,000 Absolutely amazing! 584 00:36:40,267 --> 00:36:42,567 This is called the nymphaeum. 585 00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:44,367 It's actually an elaborate dining room 586 00:36:44,400 --> 00:36:46,333 for the Emperor Claudius. 587 00:36:46,367 --> 00:36:48,167 You can imagine people eating food 588 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:50,767 surrounded by these water nymphs. 589 00:36:50,800 --> 00:36:54,567 It was built to entertain the emperor's most honored guests. 590 00:36:58,000 --> 00:36:59,233 Well, one of the things I'm interested in 591 00:36:59,267 --> 00:37:01,133 is actually the scale of the site. 592 00:37:01,167 --> 00:37:04,533 Much of the focus has been on the resort area of Baiae itself. 593 00:37:04,567 --> 00:37:05,933 But on the margins of the site 594 00:37:05,967 --> 00:37:08,433 there are constantly new areas coming up. 595 00:37:08,467 --> 00:37:13,333 (music) 596 00:37:13,367 --> 00:37:14,967 That's it, slow it down. 597 00:37:18,733 --> 00:37:20,533 There's a lot down there. 598 00:37:22,933 --> 00:37:26,200 NARRATOR: So why did the Romans lavish so much wealth 599 00:37:26,233 --> 00:37:30,600 on building a pleasure city here? 600 00:37:30,633 --> 00:37:32,500 HENDERSON: The Romans came to Baiae 601 00:37:32,533 --> 00:37:36,533 because of the lovely maritime climate and the thermal springs. 602 00:37:36,567 --> 00:37:38,600 But Baiae was also a very important port, 603 00:37:38,633 --> 00:37:39,767 it's a natural port, 604 00:37:39,800 --> 00:37:41,500 it's one of the best ports 605 00:37:41,533 --> 00:37:45,100 on the western coast of Italy at the time. 606 00:37:45,133 --> 00:37:47,700 NARRATOR: Wealth brought pleasure and excess 607 00:37:47,733 --> 00:37:51,467 to this Las Vegas of the Roman world. 608 00:37:51,500 --> 00:37:53,667 HENDERSON: There were parties, there was drinking, 609 00:37:53,700 --> 00:37:56,067 it was a place to get prostitutes, 610 00:37:56,100 --> 00:37:59,133 and writers at the time referred to it as 'a harbor of vice' 611 00:37:59,167 --> 00:38:02,667 or 'a vortex of luxury.' 612 00:38:02,700 --> 00:38:05,467 NARRATOR: The famous Roman philosopher Seneca 613 00:38:05,500 --> 00:38:09,300 is appalled by what he finds. 614 00:38:09,333 --> 00:38:12,867 SENECA: Baiae is a place to be avoided. 615 00:38:12,900 --> 00:38:16,133 People wandering drunk along the beach, 616 00:38:16,167 --> 00:38:19,333 the riotous reveling of sailing parties, 617 00:38:19,367 --> 00:38:23,467 the lakes noisy with singing. 618 00:38:23,500 --> 00:38:27,200 NARRATOR: But time is running out for this party town. 619 00:38:29,667 --> 00:38:32,900 Gradually many of its most impressive public buildings 620 00:38:32,933 --> 00:38:36,500 and private villas are lost beneath the waves. 621 00:38:39,967 --> 00:38:43,433 What happened? 622 00:38:43,467 --> 00:38:46,067 Based on detailed sonar scanning, 623 00:38:46,100 --> 00:38:50,867 draining away the Mediterranean begins to reveal the real story 624 00:38:50,900 --> 00:38:55,333 of the rise and fall of Baiae. 625 00:38:55,367 --> 00:38:59,867 It exposes just how much of the city fell under the waves. 626 00:38:59,900 --> 00:39:04,100 430 acres of streets, shops, 627 00:39:04,133 --> 00:39:07,433 warehouses, and luxury villas. 628 00:39:09,933 --> 00:39:14,400 Draining beyond the town uncovers the reason-- 629 00:39:14,433 --> 00:39:16,667 an extraordinary landscape, 630 00:39:16,700 --> 00:39:20,833 shaped by powerful underground forces. 631 00:39:20,867 --> 00:39:26,400 The whole town sits inside the shallow crater 632 00:39:26,433 --> 00:39:29,600 of a giant volcano. 633 00:39:29,633 --> 00:39:31,367 HENDERSON: You hear about Naples, 634 00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:33,633 people talk about Vesuvius, they don't seem to realize that 635 00:39:33,667 --> 00:39:38,600 the whole western Bay of Naples itself is a massive volcano. 636 00:39:38,633 --> 00:39:42,833 We're actually standing in a volcano now. 637 00:39:42,867 --> 00:39:45,967 NARRATOR: The people of Baiae may not understand 638 00:39:46,000 --> 00:39:50,800 the unpredictable forces stirring beneath them. 639 00:39:50,833 --> 00:39:53,967 DOUGAL JERRAM: And we know we're sat on a volcano. 640 00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:55,967 But it's not your normal volcano. 641 00:39:56,000 --> 00:40:01,233 It's this much larger and much more complex volcanic system. 642 00:40:01,267 --> 00:40:04,133 NARRATOR: There's remarkable evidence of its restless power 643 00:40:04,167 --> 00:40:08,967 three miles away, across the bay in the Temple of Serapis. 644 00:40:12,233 --> 00:40:14,167 JERRAM: It's really when you get into the Roman ruins 645 00:40:14,200 --> 00:40:16,133 that you can see what's going on. 646 00:40:16,167 --> 00:40:17,400 You have to look closely, though. 647 00:40:17,433 --> 00:40:19,333 If you look up at the column behind me, 648 00:40:19,367 --> 00:40:20,733 you'll see in the middle part 649 00:40:20,767 --> 00:40:23,233 it's got this strange texture to it. 650 00:40:23,267 --> 00:40:26,033 Lots and lots of holes in it. 651 00:40:26,067 --> 00:40:27,733 There's even bits of shell on this. 652 00:40:27,767 --> 00:40:30,533 This is a stone-boring marine mollusk. 653 00:40:30,567 --> 00:40:34,933 That tells me that this stuff has been under the sea. 654 00:40:34,967 --> 00:40:36,367 Time enough for those mollusks 655 00:40:36,400 --> 00:40:38,000 to get to grips with the columns. 656 00:40:38,033 --> 00:40:40,500 But look now, these columns are in place, 657 00:40:40,533 --> 00:40:43,100 and look where those marker horizons are now. 658 00:40:43,133 --> 00:40:45,300 That's like a tide on the side of a bath 659 00:40:45,333 --> 00:40:47,533 telling you where the sea level was. 660 00:40:47,567 --> 00:40:51,133 So we know that this has been dropped under the sea, 661 00:40:51,167 --> 00:40:53,700 and it's now risen above. 662 00:40:53,733 --> 00:40:55,733 NARRATOR: Can draining the waters of the bay 663 00:40:55,767 --> 00:40:59,500 even further explain why this ancient landscape 664 00:40:59,533 --> 00:41:03,800 is constantly rising and falling, 665 00:41:03,833 --> 00:41:09,167 and finally show why the Romans lost their Sin City? 666 00:41:16,700 --> 00:41:21,267 NARRATOR: Baiae, once a major Roman port, 667 00:41:21,300 --> 00:41:26,300 lies half-submerged amid a volcanic landscape. 668 00:41:26,333 --> 00:41:30,500 (music) 669 00:41:30,533 --> 00:41:32,867 Jon Henderson has been exploring the area 670 00:41:32,900 --> 00:41:35,867 beneath the waves, 671 00:41:35,900 --> 00:41:40,567 and he finds a telltale sign of the power at work here. 672 00:41:40,600 --> 00:41:41,767 HENDERSON: So we've got all these bubbles 673 00:41:41,800 --> 00:41:44,433 are coming out of the ground, 674 00:41:44,467 --> 00:41:48,333 all this hot air coming up from the seabed. 675 00:41:51,867 --> 00:41:55,500 You really get a sense here of the power that's underneath, 676 00:41:55,533 --> 00:41:58,700 waiting to burst out. 677 00:41:58,733 --> 00:42:02,267 Hot water piling out of the ground under the sea. 678 00:42:04,333 --> 00:42:07,267 I've never seen anything like this. 679 00:42:07,300 --> 00:42:09,900 NARRATOR: These underwater vents are superheated 680 00:42:09,933 --> 00:42:13,133 by molten rock from the volcano below, 681 00:42:13,167 --> 00:42:16,600 evidence that the forces stirring under Baiae 682 00:42:16,633 --> 00:42:19,400 are highly active. 683 00:42:19,433 --> 00:42:22,433 Locals call the area Campi Flegri, 684 00:42:22,467 --> 00:42:25,667 the Fields of Fire. 685 00:42:25,700 --> 00:42:29,000 Now, for the first time, draining the water 686 00:42:29,033 --> 00:42:35,033 from the entire bay exposes an extraordinary site. 687 00:42:35,067 --> 00:42:40,433 24 separate volcanoes nesting inside the crater. 688 00:42:42,633 --> 00:42:46,833 It spans an incredible 38 square miles. 689 00:42:49,100 --> 00:42:51,167 But geologists here have been mapping 690 00:42:51,200 --> 00:42:54,867 deep inside the Earth itself. 691 00:42:54,900 --> 00:42:58,367 Now, draining not only the Mediterranean, 692 00:42:58,400 --> 00:43:02,267 but looking deep into the layers of rock below it, 693 00:43:02,300 --> 00:43:06,033 reveals a fantastical sight. 694 00:43:06,067 --> 00:43:09,267 Giant cauldrons of superheated molten rock, 695 00:43:09,300 --> 00:43:11,800 known as a magma chambers, 696 00:43:11,833 --> 00:43:16,367 that slowly empty and fill over centuries. 697 00:43:16,400 --> 00:43:19,767 Evidence that this huge volcanic system 698 00:43:19,800 --> 00:43:23,367 is still very much alive. 699 00:43:23,400 --> 00:43:25,200 HENDERSON: Basically you've got magma chambers 700 00:43:25,233 --> 00:43:28,433 sitting under the sea, which operate almost like bellows. 701 00:43:28,467 --> 00:43:31,333 When they fill full of lava, the ground goes up, 702 00:43:31,367 --> 00:43:33,333 and then when they empty again the ground goes down, 703 00:43:33,367 --> 00:43:36,167 and this process is going on constantly. 704 00:43:36,200 --> 00:43:39,433 NARRATOR: It's as if the land within the Campi Flegri crater 705 00:43:39,467 --> 00:43:42,467 itself is breathing. 706 00:43:44,233 --> 00:43:45,533 SCOTT: You feel like you're standing 707 00:43:45,567 --> 00:43:50,133 on some kind of giant's chest. 708 00:43:50,167 --> 00:43:54,933 You feel minute compared to the giant tectonic forces 709 00:43:54,967 --> 00:43:57,000 that are creating the world around you. 710 00:43:57,033 --> 00:43:58,333 NARRATOR: The damage caused 711 00:43:58,367 --> 00:44:01,367 by these breathing chambers of magma 712 00:44:01,400 --> 00:44:05,767 coincides with the decline of the Roman Empire. 713 00:44:05,800 --> 00:44:09,500 As part of the city slides beneath the Mediterranean, 714 00:44:09,533 --> 00:44:14,133 the population shrinks and the parties end; 715 00:44:14,167 --> 00:44:18,133 Sin City is no more. 716 00:44:20,733 --> 00:44:23,767 Today, the scientists studying the landscape here 717 00:44:23,800 --> 00:44:26,500 believe that pressures in the magma chambers 718 00:44:26,533 --> 00:44:28,767 are increasing once again, 719 00:44:28,800 --> 00:44:31,900 and that could have catastrophic consequences 720 00:44:31,933 --> 00:44:35,733 for the millions of people living close by. 721 00:44:35,767 --> 00:44:37,467 JERRAM: We know it's an active system. 722 00:44:37,500 --> 00:44:39,367 So one of the interesting problems we have 723 00:44:39,400 --> 00:44:42,867 with something the size of Campi Flegri is, 724 00:44:42,900 --> 00:44:47,333 is it going to erupt big or is it going to erupt small? 725 00:44:47,367 --> 00:44:51,400 NARRATOR: Big could mean very big. 726 00:44:53,900 --> 00:44:59,100 In AD 79, nearby Vesuvius erupts. 727 00:44:59,133 --> 00:45:03,467 It destroys the city of Pompeii. 728 00:45:03,500 --> 00:45:08,267 Thousands of people burn to death or choke on volcanic ash. 729 00:45:10,733 --> 00:45:13,233 But scientists know the volcanic system 730 00:45:13,267 --> 00:45:16,867 feeding the Fields of Fire is far larger 731 00:45:16,900 --> 00:45:21,233 and far more powerful than Vesuvius. 732 00:45:21,267 --> 00:45:23,900 And with so many people living nearby, 733 00:45:23,933 --> 00:45:26,233 it's vital to keep a close eye 734 00:45:26,267 --> 00:45:31,033 on the breathing giant beneath them. 735 00:45:31,067 --> 00:45:32,267 JERRAM: It's even more critical 736 00:45:32,300 --> 00:45:34,433 that we monitor volcanoes like this, 737 00:45:34,467 --> 00:45:36,233 and that's because we're verging 738 00:45:36,267 --> 00:45:39,467 on the side of what we call a supervolcano. 739 00:45:39,500 --> 00:45:42,433 NARRATOR: Even the smallest changes in the ground level, 740 00:45:42,467 --> 00:45:46,000 or its temperature, could be a vital warning sign 741 00:45:46,033 --> 00:45:51,300 that the unstoppable forces of nature are about to turn ugly. 742 00:45:53,133 --> 00:45:54,500 JERRAM: If we had an eruption 743 00:45:54,533 --> 00:45:57,267 where these multiple craters evacuated, 744 00:45:57,300 --> 00:45:59,700 it would be devastating. 745 00:45:59,733 --> 00:46:04,000 It would essentially flatten this area. 746 00:46:04,033 --> 00:46:08,033 NARRATOR: The eruption could be almost ten times more powerful 747 00:46:08,067 --> 00:46:12,167 than the one at Santorini that shattered the Minoan world. 748 00:46:12,200 --> 00:46:17,967 (music) 749 00:46:18,000 --> 00:46:20,233 Vast amounts of volcanic material 750 00:46:20,267 --> 00:46:22,800 would be ejected into the atmosphere, 751 00:46:22,833 --> 00:46:27,767 blocking out the sunlight. 752 00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:30,000 Global temperatures would plummet 753 00:46:30,033 --> 00:46:32,700 with devastating consequences. 754 00:46:37,000 --> 00:46:40,600 New scanning technology reveals remarkable evidence 755 00:46:40,633 --> 00:46:44,633 lying hidden beneath the waters of the Mediterranean. 756 00:46:44,667 --> 00:46:46,600 The raw forces of nature 757 00:46:46,633 --> 00:46:49,767 still shaping this volcanic landscape. 758 00:46:51,867 --> 00:46:57,633 Priceless evidence of the trade that drove the ancient world, 759 00:46:57,667 --> 00:47:03,367 and an epic battle that changed the course of history.