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[Narrator] On a rocky outcrop
high above the city of Athens,

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engineers race to
stabilize one of the most famous

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buildings in history.

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[Narrator] They are
on a mission to restore

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the iconic Parthenon.

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-This is the most nervous
moment because we want

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everything to be perfect
and not to have damage.

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[Narrator] And reveal the
secrets behind the greatest

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wonder of Ancient Greece.

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[Narrator] The Parthenon
is a towering symbol

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of Ancient Greece,

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a civilization
that changed history.

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-We all know the perfection
of the Parthenon.

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This is the foundations
of Western civilization.

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[Narrator] Since its dawn
around 4,000 years ago,

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the legacy of Ancient Greece
has shaped the Western world.

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Greece was the
birthplace of democracy,

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the cradle of classical
art and architecture.

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From awe-inspiring inventions
to epic myths and dark legends.

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The wonders of
Ancient Greece are amongst

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the greatest ever known.

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Now our cameras have unique
access to follow teams of

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archaeologists as they use
cutting-edge technology to

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uncover the secrets behind
this remarkable civilization.

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How and why was the
Parthenon built,

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and what does it tell us
about the rise of Athens,

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a city that came to
dominate Ancient Greece?

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The Parthenon towers above
the Greek capital, Athens,

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on a rocky plateau
called the Acropolis.

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Architect Vasileia Manidaki
works here on an ambitious

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engineering program, the
Parthenon Restoration Project.

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[Narrator] The
Parthenon Temple is Greece's

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most famous building,

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but at more
than 2500 years old,

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it's in urgent need
of conservation.

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Earthquakes, war,

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and previous well-intentioned
but misguided interventions

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have taken their toll,

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key sections are
damaged or missing,

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making it structurally unstable.

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[Narrator] The restoration
team don't want to rebuild the

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Parthenon so it looks
brand new, instead,

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their aim is to restore
what is necessary to maintain

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the building's stability.

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Today, restorers work
to slot new pieces of

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marble into existing ones,

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creating a patchwork
of old and new that will

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preserve the glory of the
site for generations to come.

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[Narrator] To create the
new marble supplement,

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the team begins by
making a plaster mold

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around a broken
original marble piece.

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This cast gives them the
exact contours of the surface.

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So the new model can be
cut and shaped exactly to fit.

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When finished, the two will
fit together like a jigsaw.

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The Parthenon was built
more than 2,500 years ago.

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At this time,

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the Pyramids in Egypt
were nearly 2,000 years old,

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and Ancient Rome
was in its infancy.

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Greece as we know it
didn't exist in 500 BCE,

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it was a collection of
over 1000 city-states,

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including Sparta,
Corinth, and Athens.

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Greek cities could be
found as far west as Syracuse

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in Italy and on the eastern
coast of modern-day Turkey.

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Athens began in the
4th millennium BCE as a

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small settlement on a
hilltop, the Acropolis.

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As the city developed,

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the Acropolis remained its
center and religious heart.

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In the 5th century BCE,

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the Athenians decided
to build a temple on

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the Acropolis in honor of
their patron goddess Athena.

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Vasileia investigates
traces of this early temple.

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[Narrator] Work began on
the temple's foundations,

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but disaster struck before
it could be completed.

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[Narrator] In 480 BCE,
Greek city-states were invaded

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by the mighty Persian Empire,

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Athens was attacked
and its buildings on the

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Acropolis burnt to the ground.

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But just days later,

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the Greeks forced
the Persians to retreat,

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this paved the way for
the golden age of Athens

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and its crowning glory,

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the Parthenon.

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A clue to this reversal in
fortunes could lie around six

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miles from the
Parthenon at Piraeus,

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the city's harbor.

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Archaeologist and sailor
Nefeli Pirée Iliou investigates

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how the rise of Athens is
linked to the development

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of another engineering marvel.

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She is about to set sail
onboard an extraordinary

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reconstructed Athenian
warship from around the time

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of the Parthenon.

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-Wow, and there she is!

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She is stunning,
she is stunning.

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[Narrator] This
is the Olympias,

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a reconstruction of an
ancient Athenian ship known

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as a trireme.

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-A trireme or in
Ancient Greek a triris,

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was an oared warship,

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and the reason that
it is called the trireme

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is probably because
it had three rows of rowers.

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[Narrator] No ancient
trireme has ever been discovered

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on land or at sea.

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So an international team
used ancient texts and

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archaeological finds to
inform the construction

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of the Olympias.

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This archaeological
experiment can be used to

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learn about the ancient world.

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-While the Olympias has been
called a floating hypothesis,

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it’s also a chance
for us to liven the past

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in the present.

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[Narrator] The Olympias can
shed light on a critical battle

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that would determine
the fate of Athens.

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In 480 BCE,

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with Greece under attack,

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Athens, together
with other Greek cities,

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decided to confront
the Persian force at sea.

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They made their
stand at Salamis,

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in the face of
overwhelming odds.

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-The Battle of Salamis
was fought by a collection of

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Greek allies who got
together in order to fight

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the Persian fleet,
which was much, much larger.

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[Narrator] Athenian triremes
made up about half of

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the Greek fleet.

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[Nefeli] The Olympias,
it’s a chance to test speed

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and capabilities,

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and would ancient
triremes actually have been

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able to do what ancient authors
claim that they could have done.

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[Narrator] The first step is
for Nefeli to explore how easy

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it is to row a trireme.

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She joins the crew
of the Olympias.

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This ship is a military vessel
operated by the Greek navy,

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its commander is Manos Zorbas.

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[speaking in Greek]

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[Narrator] Today, he
leads the ship and a crew of

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military students
on a training voyage.

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-Rowing with
Olympias is very challenging,

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it demands, uh, strength,

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it demands good performance,

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and people have to coordinate.

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[speaking in Greek]

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People used to train for
a lot of months before

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going out to battles.

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[speaking in Greek]

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[Narrator] There are 170
sailors onboard sitting on

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three different levels.

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For the ship to move
efficiently through the water,

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they must all row in time.

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-You try to imagine
what it would have been like

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2,000 years ago,

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and I don’t think it
necessarily would have been

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that different to
what it feels now.

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The difference of what it
would have been like if we

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were going to the
Battle of Salamis is that

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we would all be
very, very anxious.

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[speaking in Greek]

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[Narrator] Rowing a
trireme demands physical

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effort and coordination.

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At the first, the
crew’s oars clash,

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but it doesn’t take long for
the rowers to find their rhythm.

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-There is already
the sense of camaraderie and

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the different rowers
on different levels

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helping each other.

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[Narrator] At Salamis,
Athen’s triremes provided much

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of the allied fleet’s strength.

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With the face of Greece
hanging in the balance,

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they won a decisive victory
against the Persians.

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How did the Greek Alliance
manage to defeat the much

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larger Persian fleet?

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Nefeli’s next step is to find
out what was different about

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the Greeks that won the day.

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The victory at Salamis
secured Athens’ freedom,

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it also set the stage for
the city’s rise to power.

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On the ruined Acropolis,
the Athenians built a

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new temple directly above the
foundations of the previous one,

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a magnificent structure,
the Parthenon.

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What is it about the Parthenon,

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that sets it apart
from other Greek temples?

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[Narrator] At the Acropolis,

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restoring the Parthenon
is a formidable challenge.

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There are no surviving plans.

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To preserve it,

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today's architects and stone
masons must take on the role

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of archeologists.

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Investigating and
decoding the techniques used by

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the ancient Greeks.

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The Athenians began building
the Parthenon in 447 BCE,

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at its heart was a
wooden statue of Athena,

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the city's patron goddess.

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Around 40 foot tall,

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it was wrapped in
over a ton of gold with

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skin carved from ivory,
polished to a glow.

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Sheltering the goddess
was a sacred chamber known

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as the Cella.

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On the outer temple,
exquisite sculptures brought

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Greek mythology to life.

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This was the pinnacle of
Ancient Greek architecture and

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a symbol of Greek
victory after Salamis.

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00:13:54,834 --> 00:13:57,234
At the temporary
workshop in the Cella,

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restorers have completed the
carving of the new section and

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00:14:01,467 --> 00:14:03,000
are ready for the next step.

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[Narrator] The team coats
the original marble in clay,

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and slots the pieces together,

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using the clay markings
on the new marble as

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a guide to fine-tune the fit.

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00:14:31,667 --> 00:14:35,334
This is an enormous project
of experimental archaeology.

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00:14:59,400 --> 00:15:01,601
[Narrator] The team is
not only joining new marble

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00:15:01,734 --> 00:15:03,667
sections with the old.

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00:15:03,801 --> 00:15:05,968
At the entrance porch,

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00:15:06,100 --> 00:15:08,501
after patching the
columns with new marble,

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00:15:09,067 --> 00:15:11,501
the team has to
carve them by hand.

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00:15:12,334 --> 00:15:15,734
Athanasios Psilopoulos is
replicating the work of the

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00:15:15,868 --> 00:15:19,667
Ancient Athenians by
carving fluting into the new

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00:15:19,801 --> 00:15:21,701
marble parts of the columns.

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00:15:40,834 --> 00:15:44,767
[Narrator] Athanasios's
greatest tool is his expert eye.

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00:15:55,667 --> 00:15:57,033
[Narrator] To shape the marble,

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00:15:57,167 --> 00:16:00,000
he chisels it and
then sands it until the

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00:16:00,133 --> 00:16:02,334
fluting looks perfectly even.

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00:16:03,667 --> 00:16:06,000
This precision
reveals the skill of the

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00:16:06,133 --> 00:16:07,734
Ancient Greek artisans.

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00:16:09,067 --> 00:16:12,968
Their principles of aesthetic
harmony and elegance continue

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00:16:13,100 --> 00:16:17,667
to inspire architects and
builders in Europe and America.

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[Narrator] The workmanship
of the Athenians

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was exceptional.

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How did the Parthenon
compare to other Greek temples

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00:16:42,267 --> 00:16:43,534
of its day?

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00:16:48,300 --> 00:16:51,934
A clue lies hundreds of
miles away at the city of

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Syracuse in Sicily.

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00:16:58,267 --> 00:17:02,501
Here, archaeologist
Rodolfo Brancarto investigates

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00:17:02,634 --> 00:17:05,200
the ruins of another
ancient megastructure,

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00:17:07,099 --> 00:17:09,267
the Temple of Olympian Zeus.

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00:17:11,133 --> 00:17:15,166
This building predates the
Parthenon by around 150 years

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00:17:16,133 --> 00:17:19,334
and could help shed light
on the development of

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00:17:19,467 --> 00:17:22,032
Ancient Greek temples.

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00:17:31,534 --> 00:17:34,701
[Narrator] Today,
Syracuse is Italian,

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00:17:35,000 --> 00:17:37,334
but it began life
as a Greek colony.

236
00:17:38,100 --> 00:17:41,300
It was one of many powerful
city-states founded by Greek

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00:17:41,434 --> 00:17:46,100
settlers in search of new,
fertile lands and access to

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00:17:46,234 --> 00:17:47,667
trade routes.

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00:17:52,667 --> 00:17:57,467
This season, Rodolfo wants
to investigate the architecture

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00:17:57,601 --> 00:17:58,968
of the structure here.

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00:18:17,634 --> 00:18:19,267
[Narrator] Understanding
what would have been here

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00:18:19,400 --> 00:18:23,501
over 2,500 years ago is
an enormous challenge,

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00:18:25,734 --> 00:18:27,734
little remains of the
ancient structure.

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00:18:37,100 --> 00:18:39,000
[Narrator] To find out
more about the temple,

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00:18:39,400 --> 00:18:41,133
Rodolfo and his
team need to carefully

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00:18:41,267 --> 00:18:42,701
target their excavations.

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00:18:45,167 --> 00:18:47,367
They explore the bedrock
of the foundation walls.

248
00:18:49,601 --> 00:18:53,033
Scraping through soil,
one of the team finds a clue.

249
00:18:58,767 --> 00:19:01,033
[Narrator] Even the smallest
of fragments can be used

250
00:19:01,167 --> 00:19:03,767
to piece together a
picture of the site.

251
00:19:12,434 --> 00:19:13,501
-No way!

252
00:19:16,501 --> 00:19:18,367
-How old do you think that is?

253
00:19:40,734 --> 00:19:43,434
-And this is the first thing
that I found here so this is

254
00:19:43,567 --> 00:19:45,000
very exciting for me.

255
00:19:49,667 --> 00:19:51,634
[Narrator] Despite
their appearance today,

256
00:19:52,033 --> 00:19:53,968
Greek temples had roofs.

257
00:19:54,667 --> 00:19:58,567
Most were built with
terracotta tiles, but a few,

258
00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,400
like the Parthenon,
had tiles of marble.

259
00:20:02,667 --> 00:20:04,968
Building a temple
this way is not just

260
00:20:05,100 --> 00:20:06,601
much more expensive.

261
00:20:06,734 --> 00:20:09,701
Marble is
extraordinarily heavy,

262
00:20:10,667 --> 00:20:12,667
and the Parthenon’s
builders needed around

263
00:20:12,801 --> 00:20:15,167
100,000 tons of it.

264
00:20:16,100 --> 00:20:19,467
How did the Ancient Greeks
move and remove the marble

265
00:20:19,601 --> 00:20:21,033
at the Parthenon?

266
00:20:26,200 --> 00:20:28,033
[Narrator] At the Parthenon,

267
00:20:28,167 --> 00:20:30,534
Vasileia and the
restoration team are now

268
00:20:30,667 --> 00:20:33,267
working on one of
two triangular facades

269
00:20:33,400 --> 00:20:35,767
that bookend the temple.

270
00:20:36,267 --> 00:20:39,234
It is called the west
pediment and is where

271
00:20:39,367 --> 00:20:42,267
exquisite statues
stood in ancient times.

272
00:20:44,267 --> 00:20:48,367
Today’s task is to install a
1.7-ton block of new marble

273
00:20:48,767 --> 00:20:50,434
onto the pediment’s
backing wall.

274
00:20:52,334 --> 00:20:56,267
Architect Kosmas Skaris
oversees the installation.

275
00:20:58,667 --> 00:21:01,300
[Kosmas] This backing wall
has a double row on one hand

276
00:21:01,801 --> 00:21:04,400
holding upright the triangle
which is the background of the

277
00:21:04,534 --> 00:21:06,400
sculptures of the pediment,

278
00:21:06,968 --> 00:21:09,434
and on the other hand
have these special cuttings

279
00:21:09,567 --> 00:21:11,567
for the beams of the roof.

280
00:21:11,701 --> 00:21:14,634
So it was not a visible
part of the monument but very

281
00:21:14,767 --> 00:21:16,667
special one for
its architecture.

282
00:21:18,467 --> 00:21:19,567
[Narrator] To get it
up to the pediment,

283
00:21:19,701 --> 00:21:23,667
the team must hoist this
block of precision-cut marble

284
00:21:24,000 --> 00:21:26,033
around 50 feet into the air.

285
00:21:28,367 --> 00:21:30,200
They begin the lift.

286
00:21:40,200 --> 00:21:43,100
Every movement must be
carefully calibrated to

287
00:21:43,234 --> 00:21:45,334
preserve the fragile marble.

288
00:21:46,834 --> 00:21:48,734
[Kosmas] This is the most
nervous moment when you have

289
00:21:48,868 --> 00:21:51,400
to lift an old or a
new piece in its position,

290
00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:54,667
because we want everything
to be perfect and not to

291
00:21:54,801 --> 00:21:57,133
have even the minute damage.

292
00:21:57,701 --> 00:21:59,534
[Narrator] The block
reaches the pediment,

293
00:21:59,667 --> 00:22:01,968
but now a more
difficult task,

294
00:22:02,267 --> 00:22:03,734
it needs to line up exactly.

295
00:22:14,167 --> 00:22:15,667
[Narrator] Even
for today's team,

296
00:22:15,801 --> 00:22:19,000
fitting new marble
is a challenge.

297
00:22:19,133 --> 00:22:22,634
How did the builders manage
it nearly 3,000 years ago

298
00:22:24,667 --> 00:22:28,400
Ancient texts say how
Athenian stonemasons first cut

299
00:22:28,534 --> 00:22:32,234
huge marble blocks from the
quarries of Mount Pentelicus,

300
00:22:33,701 --> 00:22:36,133
and hauled them to
Athens on ox-drawn carts.

301
00:22:37,400 --> 00:22:40,167
To move the heavy blocks up
the slopes of the Acropolis,

302
00:22:40,801 --> 00:22:44,400
the builders used a
clever mule-powered,

303
00:22:44,534 --> 00:22:46,334
counterbalanced rope lift.

304
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,534
Experts believe that the
Greeks were the first to

305
00:22:51,667 --> 00:22:54,567
use cranes for
construction to lift the

306
00:22:54,701 --> 00:22:56,367
stones into position.

307
00:22:58,634 --> 00:23:00,200
Once finally in place,

308
00:23:00,334 --> 00:23:03,267
the craftsmen shaped the
marble by hand to ensure a

309
00:23:03,400 --> 00:23:05,734
perfect fit without mortar.

310
00:23:09,701 --> 00:23:12,167
The Ancient Greeks were
impressive engineers.

311
00:23:13,067 --> 00:23:16,334
Why did they go to such
extremes of effort?

312
00:23:22,167 --> 00:23:27,334
In Sicily, Rodolfo searches
for evidence of the scale and

313
00:23:27,467 --> 00:23:30,000
layout of the Temple
of Olympian Zeus.

314
00:23:32,133 --> 00:23:34,734
There is so little left at
the site that it's difficult

315
00:23:34,868 --> 00:23:36,934
to know where to
focus their digging.

316
00:23:40,067 --> 00:23:42,300
So the team uses
modern technology,

317
00:23:42,601 --> 00:23:45,033
including ground
penetrating radar,

318
00:23:45,334 --> 00:23:47,367
or GPR for short,

319
00:23:47,501 --> 00:23:51,334
which can detect potential
ruins hidden under the earth.

320
00:24:17,167 --> 00:24:19,767
[Narrator] These surveys,
alongside previous excavations,

321
00:24:20,300 --> 00:24:22,234
reveal the scale of the temple.

322
00:24:40,400 --> 00:24:43,634
[Narrator] This temple was
even larger than the Parthenon.

323
00:24:44,934 --> 00:24:48,667
Now the excavation team is
opening up trenches according

324
00:24:48,801 --> 00:24:52,200
to the maps grid
system to find out what is

325
00:24:52,334 --> 00:24:53,968
buried beneath the dirt.

326
00:25:20,033 --> 00:25:22,501
[Narrator] Rodolfo hopes
that digging at the Cella in

327
00:25:22,634 --> 00:25:25,234
Syracuse will uncover
more about the layout

328
00:25:25,367 --> 00:25:26,534
of this building.

329
00:25:27,567 --> 00:25:30,133
And he thinks that the
entire sanctuary is much

330
00:25:30,267 --> 00:25:31,701
bigger than once thought.

331
00:25:34,067 --> 00:25:36,467
It reflects the
ambitions of Syracuse...

332
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:40,334
...as the Parthenon
does for Athens,

333
00:25:41,601 --> 00:25:45,067
and suggests this city
once rivaled Athens.

334
00:25:53,801 --> 00:25:56,634
[Narrator] Mega temples
like these required enormous

335
00:25:56,767 --> 00:25:59,534
resources and the
investment of organized,

336
00:25:59,667 --> 00:26:01,400
powerful city-states.

337
00:26:02,667 --> 00:26:05,334
The Parthenon is a
supreme example of this,

338
00:26:05,767 --> 00:26:07,601
magnificent even
by the standards of

339
00:26:07,734 --> 00:26:09,367
Ancient Greek temples.

340
00:26:11,367 --> 00:26:14,100
Some experts believe
that building it cost around

341
00:26:14,234 --> 00:26:16,734
half the city’s
entire annual income.

342
00:26:18,367 --> 00:26:20,601
Athens had not
just grown rich,

343
00:26:20,734 --> 00:26:22,634
by the time it
build the Parthenon,

344
00:26:22,767 --> 00:26:25,534
it was the wealthiest
city-state in Greece.

345
00:26:27,067 --> 00:26:29,467
How did it rise to this point?

346
00:26:30,200 --> 00:26:32,501
The answer could lie at sea.

347
00:26:39,734 --> 00:26:42,501
[Narrator] Close to Athens,
off the coast of Piraeus,

348
00:26:43,367 --> 00:26:45,634
[speaking in Greek]

349
00:26:46,200 --> 00:26:49,300
[Narrator] Nefeli investigates
what made the Athenian trireme

350
00:26:49,434 --> 00:26:51,534
so effective as
a weapon of war.

351
00:26:53,267 --> 00:26:55,601
[speaking in Greek]

352
00:26:57,300 --> 00:26:58,434
[Narrator] Out on the water,

353
00:26:58,567 --> 00:27:00,434
the crew from the
Hellenic Navy is discovering

354
00:27:00,567 --> 00:27:04,434
how to sail a trireme
like the Ancient Athenians.

355
00:27:06,234 --> 00:27:09,300
[Nefeli] I’ve never rowed this
part of a trireme crew before.

356
00:27:11,601 --> 00:27:13,133
There is a learning curve.

357
00:27:14,734 --> 00:27:19,968
Quite a lot of oars that
I’m hitting, I can feel it,

358
00:27:21,200 --> 00:27:23,434
but I think I’m
getting the hang of it.

359
00:27:24,601 --> 00:27:27,067
[Narrator] A trireme’s
primary weapon was the

360
00:27:27,200 --> 00:27:29,367
bronze ram on its prow,

361
00:27:30,267 --> 00:27:33,133
which could hole an enemy
ship below the water line.

362
00:27:35,701 --> 00:27:39,067
The Olympias’ ram is a
replica of one found off the

363
00:27:39,200 --> 00:27:41,367
coast of Greece.

364
00:27:41,734 --> 00:27:44,501
The first step in using
it requires speed.

365
00:27:44,901 --> 00:27:47,000
[speaking in Greek]

366
00:27:47,767 --> 00:27:50,534
[Narrator] The ship’s
170 rowers are organized

367
00:27:50,667 --> 00:27:52,067
in three tiers.

368
00:27:53,734 --> 00:27:56,667
The vertical rows allowed
the Athenians to pack a large

369
00:27:56,801 --> 00:27:59,267
number of oarsmen
into a relatively light,

370
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:02,367
narrow hull, perfect for speed.

371
00:28:03,767 --> 00:28:06,467
Their combined power
would likely have accelerated

372
00:28:06,601 --> 00:28:09,200
the ship to around
eight knots per hour.

373
00:28:13,100 --> 00:28:15,701
[Nefeli] A trireme compared
to other oared warships of the

374
00:28:15,834 --> 00:28:19,467
time was a much faster ship,
it had the ability to accelerate

375
00:28:19,601 --> 00:28:21,701
very fast because of
the numbers of rowers,

376
00:28:22,133 --> 00:28:24,334
and that could come in
very handy in battle.

377
00:28:25,234 --> 00:28:27,167
[speaking in Greek]

378
00:28:27,400 --> 00:28:29,100
[Narrator] The
trireme was fast,

379
00:28:29,234 --> 00:28:32,634
but success or defeat in
battle depended on a trireme

380
00:28:32,767 --> 00:28:35,501
getting into position
first to use its ram.

381
00:28:38,801 --> 00:28:42,100
Nefeli and the crew practice
changing direction at speed.

382
00:28:44,100 --> 00:28:47,234
[Manos] You have to make,
uh, a faster turn,

383
00:28:47,734 --> 00:28:50,434
so we do this with the rudders.

384
00:28:52,701 --> 00:28:54,334
[Narrator] With help
from the rowers,

385
00:28:54,467 --> 00:28:56,334
the ship makes a fast turn.

386
00:28:57,133 --> 00:28:59,000
[speaking in Greek]

387
00:28:59,234 --> 00:29:01,234
[Nefeli] You could imagine
a ship that coming in at

388
00:29:01,367 --> 00:29:03,400
a very fast speed in
a matter of seconds,

389
00:29:03,868 --> 00:29:06,334
running through enemy line,
turning around,

390
00:29:06,734 --> 00:29:09,567
and ramming the stern
of a boat with water,

391
00:29:09,934 --> 00:29:12,767
then rushing in and
disaster following.

392
00:29:13,767 --> 00:29:16,667
[Narrator] The design of the
Athenian trireme prioritized

393
00:29:16,801 --> 00:29:19,300
speed and maneuverability

394
00:29:19,667 --> 00:29:21,534
[speaking in Greek]

395
00:29:22,267 --> 00:29:24,501
[Narrator] And the
experience of the modern crew

396
00:29:24,634 --> 00:29:27,300
demonstrates to Nefeli
how effective they could be.

397
00:29:31,300 --> 00:29:34,567
At Salamis, the Athenians
made the most of their capable

398
00:29:34,701 --> 00:29:38,667
fleet after enticing
the Persian ships into

399
00:29:38,801 --> 00:29:40,267
a narrow strait,

400
00:29:40,400 --> 00:29:43,067
which nullified their
enemies' greater numbers.

401
00:29:47,601 --> 00:29:49,467
But the Athenians
believed they had another

402
00:29:49,601 --> 00:29:52,667
edge over the Persians,
their political system.

403
00:29:54,300 --> 00:29:58,067
-Instead of hiring foreign
mercenaries like the Persians,

404
00:29:58,467 --> 00:30:00,534
they’re using
their own free citizens.

405
00:30:01,767 --> 00:30:04,200
[Narrator] In the
5th century BCE,

406
00:30:04,334 --> 00:30:06,601
Athens is one of the
world’s first democracies.

407
00:30:09,234 --> 00:30:11,634
This democracy was partial
by modern standards.

408
00:30:14,067 --> 00:30:16,467
But every adult male
citizen can vote,

409
00:30:17,033 --> 00:30:18,734
whether they
were rich or poor,

410
00:30:20,534 --> 00:30:23,067
and only citizens were
allowed to join the Navy.

411
00:30:27,267 --> 00:30:29,234
-One of the first lines is
that it is the poor people

412
00:30:31,033 --> 00:30:33,968
who are important,
those who row the boats,

413
00:30:34,601 --> 00:30:37,334
because it is they who impart
the strength of the city.

414
00:30:37,767 --> 00:30:39,968
They have to have the
right to vote because they’re

415
00:30:40,100 --> 00:30:41,534
the ones without
whom there would be no

416
00:30:41,667 --> 00:30:44,501
Athenian navy and
hence no Athenian democracy.

417
00:30:50,067 --> 00:30:52,567
[Narrator] This citizen
navy cemented Athens's naval

418
00:30:52,701 --> 00:30:57,234
supremacy, and in the
mid-5th century BCE,

419
00:30:58,033 --> 00:31:02,634
when the Parthenon was built,
Athens used this military

420
00:31:03,267 --> 00:31:06,601
muscle to cement its power
and influence in Greece.

421
00:31:11,667 --> 00:31:14,434
Two years after the
Battle of Salamis,

422
00:31:15,167 --> 00:31:18,534
some Greek city-states formed
an alliance against Persia.

423
00:31:21,634 --> 00:31:25,100
They cast metal into the sea
as a symbol of their alliance,

424
00:31:26,834 --> 00:31:29,601
and vowed it would endure
until the metal rose again.

425
00:31:33,400 --> 00:31:37,667
Athens came to dominate the
alliance and eventually seize

426
00:31:37,801 --> 00:31:39,701
control of its treasury.

427
00:31:41,601 --> 00:31:43,701
It used the money to
finance the building of the

428
00:31:43,834 --> 00:31:47,033
Parthenon and
continued to demand

429
00:31:47,167 --> 00:31:49,334
tribute from its former allies.

430
00:31:52,634 --> 00:31:56,334
The Parthenon was a
symbol not just of victory

431
00:31:56,467 --> 00:32:00,133
over the Persians
but of imperial might.

432
00:32:04,601 --> 00:32:08,601
[Narrator] At the Acropolis,
restorers are part way through

433
00:32:08,734 --> 00:32:12,167
fitting the 1.7 ton new
block on the Parthenon.

434
00:32:19,501 --> 00:32:22,434
[Narrator] Now the marble
is roughly positioned,

435
00:32:22,567 --> 00:32:25,000
the team removes the ropes...

436
00:32:26,300 --> 00:32:28,000
[overlapping chatter]

437
00:32:28,567 --> 00:32:31,033
...and uses an enormous
clamp to pick it up.

438
00:32:33,834 --> 00:32:36,567
They take away the wooden wedges
underneath the block

439
00:32:37,133 --> 00:32:39,033
and clear the gap of debris.

440
00:32:41,300 --> 00:32:43,968
The block must be lowered
into its final position

441
00:32:44,100 --> 00:32:48,234
exactly level, any
tilt to it when it hits the

442
00:32:48,367 --> 00:32:51,534
pediment could damage
one of the corners or edges.

443
00:33:05,100 --> 00:33:07,067
[Narrator] Finally,
the new marble block is

444
00:33:07,200 --> 00:33:09,567
lowered into place.

445
00:33:15,801 --> 00:33:18,000
[Narrator] The old
and new marble fit flush

446
00:33:18,133 --> 00:33:19,400
against each other.

447
00:33:20,701 --> 00:33:22,367
[Kosmos] Precision
is very important,

448
00:33:22,868 --> 00:33:25,133
we all know the perfection
of the Parthenon,

449
00:33:25,267 --> 00:33:28,167
and we want to have the same
level of quality and perfection.

450
00:33:32,167 --> 00:33:33,501
[Narrator] The Parthenon
took just under

451
00:33:33,634 --> 00:33:35,234
ten years to build.

452
00:33:36,300 --> 00:33:37,501
When it was finished,

453
00:33:37,634 --> 00:33:39,667
it was a symbol
of Athenian power.

454
00:33:41,734 --> 00:33:45,501
Colossal marble statues
on its outer walls displayed

455
00:33:45,634 --> 00:33:49,567
scenes from Greek
mythology and celebrated

456
00:33:50,033 --> 00:33:51,634
the Goddess Athena.

457
00:33:58,167 --> 00:34:01,200
Tucked away high on the
outer wall of the Cella is

458
00:34:01,334 --> 00:34:03,200
an unusual feature...

459
00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:09,033
...a marble frieze not of gods,

460
00:34:09,766 --> 00:34:12,400
but ordinary Athenians
during a festival.

461
00:34:16,766 --> 00:34:19,501
No other Greek temple
has anything like this.

462
00:34:20,400 --> 00:34:23,467
What does it reveal about
why Athenians thought their

463
00:34:23,601 --> 00:34:25,467
city had risen to greatness?

464
00:34:29,734 --> 00:34:34,067
A clue could lie far below
the Acropolis in the political

465
00:34:34,199 --> 00:34:36,234
and cultural
centre of Athens,

466
00:34:37,601 --> 00:34:39,467
it was known as the Agora.

467
00:34:42,067 --> 00:34:44,234
Archaeologist John Papadopoulos
from the

468
00:34:44,367 --> 00:34:47,067
American School of
Classical Studies is at the

469
00:34:47,199 --> 00:34:50,266
start of a new
excavation season here.

470
00:34:51,300 --> 00:34:54,266
One of his goals is to
discover more about the

471
00:34:54,400 --> 00:34:56,567
Ancient Athenians who
built the Parthenon.

472
00:34:57,634 --> 00:34:59,701
[John] We're going through
every little bit of dust.

473
00:35:00,567 --> 00:35:06,067
This place has the potential
to give voice a little to the

474
00:35:06,200 --> 00:35:08,267
people that inhabited
these places.

475
00:35:10,767 --> 00:35:13,234
[Narrator] The Agora was
a hub of Ancient Athens,

476
00:35:14,501 --> 00:35:16,934
a marketplace buzzing
with merchants,

477
00:35:17,067 --> 00:35:18,667
philosophers, and politicians.

478
00:35:20,701 --> 00:35:23,434
Beside it stood an
assembly chamber where

479
00:35:23,567 --> 00:35:25,567
citizens debated laws.

480
00:35:26,667 --> 00:35:29,634
Thousands marched through
the Agora to take part in a

481
00:35:29,767 --> 00:35:32,934
festival of sport and
song in honor of the

482
00:35:33,067 --> 00:35:34,601
city’s patron goddess.

483
00:35:37,834 --> 00:35:40,133
The procession ended
at the Acropolis with

484
00:35:40,267 --> 00:35:42,300
sacred offerings to Athena.

485
00:35:46,133 --> 00:35:47,934
The challenge with
investigating the lives of the

486
00:35:48,067 --> 00:35:51,567
past Athenians is that
most of Athens is covered

487
00:35:51,701 --> 00:35:53,267
with modern buildings.

488
00:35:56,734 --> 00:35:58,267
So this season,

489
00:35:58,400 --> 00:36:02,267
John digs in a spot that has
never been fully investigated.

490
00:36:04,234 --> 00:36:05,634
-Sarah.

491
00:36:06,100 --> 00:36:08,634
Can we get that leg
closest to the umbrella?

492
00:36:08,934 --> 00:36:10,367
Can you move it a little bit?

493
00:36:13,133 --> 00:36:14,968
[John] Archaeology is
a little like fishing.

494
00:36:16,267 --> 00:36:17,000
-Alright.

495
00:36:17,133 --> 00:36:19,167
[John] We are
working our way down.

496
00:36:19,300 --> 00:36:22,000
How far I will get,
I have no idea.

497
00:36:24,467 --> 00:36:27,167
[Narrator] Discoveries made
over the past decades have

498
00:36:27,300 --> 00:36:31,634
pieced together fragments of
evidence that reveal that this

499
00:36:31,767 --> 00:36:34,968
area was originally a
covered walkway adorned

500
00:36:35,100 --> 00:36:36,534
with painted panels.

501
00:36:38,167 --> 00:36:40,667
It’s likely this part
of the Agora was known as

502
00:36:40,801 --> 00:36:42,701
the Painted Stoa.

503
00:36:43,100 --> 00:36:46,467
[John] The importance of the
Painted Stoa is immeasurable,

504
00:36:46,934 --> 00:36:50,167
it’s the world’s
first shopping mall,

505
00:36:50,300 --> 00:36:54,234
it’s where the Stoic
philosophers like to hang out

506
00:36:54,734 --> 00:36:58,300
in the 4th century BC,
so much was happening here.

507
00:37:02,334 --> 00:37:04,534
[Narrator] Today, John’s
team is digging at the

508
00:37:04,667 --> 00:37:06,367
western corner of the site.

509
00:37:07,801 --> 00:37:09,734
[John] Gabriel, what
have you got today?

510
00:37:16,133 --> 00:37:17,534
Good man.

511
00:37:17,801 --> 00:37:19,634
Look at this black glaze,

512
00:37:19,968 --> 00:37:23,667
that is a fragment from
a handle or a part of a

513
00:37:23,801 --> 00:37:25,334
classical period pot.

514
00:37:25,701 --> 00:37:29,601
This has to be sixth
or fifth century, uh, BC.

515
00:37:30,300 --> 00:37:33,767
Um, so it's in these
modern levels, in these levels,

516
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:37,367
you sometimes get residual
material that's earlier,

517
00:37:37,634 --> 00:37:39,767
and this is a really
good example of that.

518
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:44,400
[Narrator] This evidence
of classical remains points

519
00:37:44,534 --> 00:37:47,334
to a time of
transformation in Athens.

520
00:37:51,634 --> 00:37:53,968
After their victory at Salamis,

521
00:37:54,100 --> 00:37:57,100
the Athenians launched a
colossal building program

522
00:37:58,234 --> 00:38:01,467
that included the Painted Stoa
and the Parthenon.

523
00:38:02,234 --> 00:38:06,267
-Civic architecture was
all-important to the Athenians.

524
00:38:06,400 --> 00:38:09,167
When we look at the
Athenian Acropolis,

525
00:38:09,300 --> 00:38:10,601
there was bragging rights,

526
00:38:10,734 --> 00:38:14,434
we beat the Persians
on our own home turf and

527
00:38:14,567 --> 00:38:16,133
virtually singlehandedly.

528
00:38:16,767 --> 00:38:20,534
For the Athenian
democracy to have existed,

529
00:38:20,667 --> 00:38:24,400
it had to beat the might of
the Persian military machine.

530
00:38:25,334 --> 00:38:27,067
[Narrator] The Athenians
were so proud of their

531
00:38:27,200 --> 00:38:29,234
city and democracy,

532
00:38:29,367 --> 00:38:31,934
that they celebrated
themselves on the walls

533
00:38:32,067 --> 00:38:33,501
of the Parthenon.

534
00:38:34,067 --> 00:38:36,534
Athens seemed unstoppable,

535
00:38:36,934 --> 00:38:40,434
but the tides of fortune
were about to turn.

536
00:38:44,267 --> 00:38:46,501
[Narrator] In the gulf
off the coast of Piraeus,

537
00:38:48,100 --> 00:38:51,367
Nefeli's time as part of
the crew of the trireme has

538
00:38:51,501 --> 00:38:54,434
revealed the skill of the
Ancient Athenian navy.

539
00:38:55,400 --> 00:39:00,033
-It was through its
navy that Athens became a power

540
00:39:00,334 --> 00:39:01,801
way beyond Athens,

541
00:39:02,434 --> 00:39:05,133
its navy
was how it ran its empire.

542
00:39:06,067 --> 00:39:08,634
[Narrator] The Athenian
navy was second to none

543
00:39:08,767 --> 00:39:10,434
in open water,

544
00:39:10,868 --> 00:39:12,434
but it had a weakness.

545
00:39:13,767 --> 00:39:16,501
In 415 BCE,

546
00:39:16,634 --> 00:39:21,033
Athens sent 130
warships and 5,000 soldiers

547
00:39:21,167 --> 00:39:24,167
to invade Syracuse
and extend its empire.

548
00:39:25,834 --> 00:39:27,701
They seized the high
ground and fortified the

549
00:39:27,834 --> 00:39:29,801
Temple of Olympian Zeus,

550
00:39:30,434 --> 00:39:32,767
using it as a base
to launch their attack.

551
00:39:34,767 --> 00:39:38,267
Syracuse was a rival
regional power and allied

552
00:39:38,400 --> 00:39:40,467
with other
dominant city-states,

553
00:39:40,834 --> 00:39:42,567
Sparta and Corinth,

554
00:39:42,701 --> 00:39:46,000
in a strategic alliance
which did not include Athens.

555
00:39:47,467 --> 00:39:50,634
At Syracuse, the
Athenian navy found itself

556
00:39:50,767 --> 00:39:52,701
trapped and outsmarted.

557
00:39:56,167 --> 00:39:59,100
Syracuse called on their
Spartan allies to help defeat

558
00:39:59,234 --> 00:40:03,667
the Athenian attack, and
in a final sea battle,

559
00:40:05,334 --> 00:40:08,467
the Syracusans bottled up
the entire Athenian fleet

560
00:40:08,601 --> 00:40:10,334
in their great harbor,

561
00:40:10,901 --> 00:40:13,501
destroying the
trireme navy and killing and

562
00:40:13,634 --> 00:40:16,000
capturing tens of thousands.

563
00:40:18,367 --> 00:40:21,067
Unable to make use of
their tactics of ramming

564
00:40:21,200 --> 00:40:23,200
and maneuvering in
an enclosed harbor,

565
00:40:24,400 --> 00:40:26,400
the Athenian
fleet was doomed.

566
00:40:27,434 --> 00:40:29,467
This was one of the
greatest naval defeats

567
00:40:29,601 --> 00:40:31,734
in ancient history.

568
00:40:34,300 --> 00:40:37,334
[Nefeli] The defeat at Syracuse
was incredibly devastating

569
00:40:37,734 --> 00:40:42,567
because the Athenians lost
200 triremes and thousands

570
00:40:42,701 --> 00:40:45,167
of men as a result, uh,

571
00:40:45,300 --> 00:40:47,200
which was the
majority of their navy.

572
00:40:49,434 --> 00:40:52,701
[Narrator] Athens relied
on its navy to enforce its

573
00:40:52,834 --> 00:40:55,968
power and procure
resources and tribute

574
00:40:56,100 --> 00:40:57,567
from its empire.

575
00:40:59,667 --> 00:41:02,467
The loss of so many
ships heralded the end of

576
00:41:02,601 --> 00:41:04,367
Athens’s golden age.

577
00:41:07,133 --> 00:41:11,567
By 404 BCE, Athens was
defeated by rival city-state

578
00:41:11,701 --> 00:41:13,634
Sparta and occupied.

579
00:41:15,067 --> 00:41:17,501
But though the power
of Athens was at an end,

580
00:41:17,634 --> 00:41:21,133
the fame and legacy
of this city lived on.

581
00:41:26,200 --> 00:41:28,067
At the Athenian Agora,

582
00:41:29,801 --> 00:41:32,167
John and his team have
discovered the floor of

583
00:41:32,300 --> 00:41:36,033
a house dating to between
the 10th to 12th centuries,

584
00:41:36,167 --> 00:41:37,501
common era.

585
00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:41,033
[John] We take samples
just to see what’s going on

586
00:41:41,167 --> 00:41:42,033
in the room,

587
00:41:42,167 --> 00:41:44,400
what they’re doing,
what sort of activity.

588
00:41:45,767 --> 00:41:46,968
[Narrator] Over
the centuries,

589
00:41:47,100 --> 00:41:51,067
the Agora was used and reused
by generations of inhabitants.

590
00:41:54,601 --> 00:41:58,267
Later civilizations
held the city's 5th-century BCE

591
00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:01,133
achievements in high regard.

592
00:42:05,767 --> 00:42:08,000
When the Romans
conquered Greece,

593
00:42:08,133 --> 00:42:11,167
they drew inspiration from the
classical buildings of Athens,

594
00:42:12,133 --> 00:42:13,534
like the Parthenon.

595
00:42:14,100 --> 00:42:17,767
[John] The Romans were very
much in awe of the Greeks.

596
00:42:18,067 --> 00:42:20,501
The Roman legal system,
for example,

597
00:42:20,868 --> 00:42:25,367
was very much built on the
basis of the earlier Greek,

598
00:42:25,701 --> 00:42:29,133
and it’s on the basis
of what happened here

599
00:42:29,267 --> 00:42:31,634
at the Athenian Agora.

600
00:42:36,634 --> 00:42:38,601
[Narrator] On the Acropolis,

601
00:42:38,734 --> 00:42:40,667
with the new block
of marble in place,

602
00:42:42,100 --> 00:42:43,501
work on the
backing wall of the

603
00:42:43,634 --> 00:42:45,501
west pediment is finished.

604
00:42:47,234 --> 00:42:49,501
It’s a testament to
the skill of the ancient

605
00:42:49,634 --> 00:42:51,400
and modern engineers.

606
00:42:53,367 --> 00:42:54,934
[Kosmas] I think we have the,

607
00:42:55,067 --> 00:42:56,467
the best result for the day.

608
00:42:56,601 --> 00:42:59,434
I’m quite moved to
finish this special project.

609
00:43:00,300 --> 00:43:02,267
[Narrator] Another part
of the ancient Parthenon

610
00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:03,734
is restored.

611
00:43:04,400 --> 00:43:07,801
[Kosmas] This is the foundations
of Western civilization,

612
00:43:07,934 --> 00:43:10,400
it’s our society
that is based on these values,

613
00:43:10,901 --> 00:43:15,367
so we feel this opportunity
to have this special monument

614
00:43:15,501 --> 00:43:18,667
conserved and, uh, a
symbol of our civilization.

615
00:43:21,501 --> 00:43:24,701
[Narrator] 2,500 years after
the Parthenon was built,

616
00:43:25,701 --> 00:43:30,200
experts are still uncovering
the secrets of its builders as

617
00:43:30,334 --> 00:43:33,534
they race to preserve
Greece’s most famous building.

618
00:43:35,167 --> 00:43:38,567
Investigators across the
ancient world reveal how this

619
00:43:38,701 --> 00:43:42,934
structure was a symbol of
the ambition of Ancient Athens.

620
00:43:44,467 --> 00:43:46,601
The result of its
rise to become the most

621
00:43:46,734 --> 00:43:49,100
powerful city in Greece.

622
00:43:50,067 --> 00:43:52,200
Even as its star faded,

623
00:43:52,334 --> 00:43:55,000
the achievements
of Athens lived on,

624
00:43:55,300 --> 00:43:57,334
a legacy treasured
from the Romans to

625
00:43:57,467 --> 00:43:59,467
the modern day.