1 00:00:01,133 --> 00:00:03,734 [Narrator] On a hillside in Western Turkey, 2 00:00:04,133 --> 00:00:05,901 a team investigates the remains of a 3 00:00:06,033 --> 00:00:08,167 mysterious ancient city. 4 00:00:08,934 --> 00:00:10,000 -What did you find here? 5 00:00:10,133 --> 00:00:11,367 -What do you think, what do you think about this? 6 00:00:11,501 --> 00:00:13,100 [Narrator] They’re uncovering clues dating back 7 00:00:13,234 --> 00:00:15,067 more than 2,000 years. 8 00:00:15,968 --> 00:00:19,000 -Oh, that’s interesting. Okay, this is very early. 9 00:00:19,968 --> 00:00:22,701 [Narrator] Could their discoveries shed new light on 10 00:00:22,834 --> 00:00:27,100 the life and legacy of one of the greatest military leaders 11 00:00:27,234 --> 00:00:28,467 of all time? 12 00:00:28,968 --> 00:00:31,367 -This is really breaking news yeah. 13 00:00:31,767 --> 00:00:34,367 [Narrator] A real-life hero whose story has become 14 00:00:34,501 --> 00:00:37,868 legendary, Alexander the Great. 15 00:00:41,434 --> 00:00:44,567 [♪ theme music playing] 16 00:00:50,200 --> 00:00:52,467 The wonders of Ancient Greece are among the 17 00:00:52,601 --> 00:00:54,400 greatest ever known. 18 00:00:55,167 --> 00:00:59,434 Greece was the birthplace of democracy and the cradle of 19 00:00:59,567 --> 00:01:01,767 Western engineering and architecture. 20 00:01:03,400 --> 00:01:07,467 From inspiring inventions to epic heroes and legends, 21 00:01:08,934 --> 00:01:12,634 the legacy of Ancient Greece still shapes the modern world. 22 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:18,801 One of its most influential figures was Alexander the Great. 23 00:01:21,367 --> 00:01:24,834 -He was extremely successful, very powerful, and strong. 24 00:01:25,501 --> 00:01:27,667 [Narrator] A legendary commander who never 25 00:01:27,801 --> 00:01:29,467 lost a battle. 26 00:01:30,167 --> 00:01:31,400 In just 10 years, 27 00:01:31,534 --> 00:01:34,234 Alexander established one of the greatest empires 28 00:01:34,367 --> 00:01:36,334 the world had ever seen. 29 00:01:37,534 --> 00:01:40,133 -He is known to so many different cultures, 30 00:01:40,267 --> 00:01:43,400 and his stories are told in so many different books 31 00:01:43,534 --> 00:01:47,133 that he is for sure one of the most influential leaders 32 00:01:47,267 --> 00:01:48,801 that has ever lived. 33 00:01:50,601 --> 00:01:54,234 [Narrator] Alexander’s vast empire stretched from Greece in 34 00:01:54,367 --> 00:01:57,434 the west to modern-day Pakistan in the east. 35 00:01:59,968 --> 00:02:02,667 And he conquered it all before he died at the age 36 00:02:02,801 --> 00:02:04,534 of just 32. 37 00:02:05,534 --> 00:02:08,300 Alexander’s reign was short-lived, 38 00:02:08,434 --> 00:02:11,834 but the new age he created, the Hellenistic Period, 39 00:02:12,400 --> 00:02:14,767 would endure for three centuries. 40 00:02:16,634 --> 00:02:20,133 Why did his influence last so long after his death? 41 00:02:22,133 --> 00:02:25,834 This season, international teams of archaeologists dig 42 00:02:25,968 --> 00:02:30,100 through centuries of earth to shed light on the real world 43 00:02:30,234 --> 00:02:32,667 behind this legendary hero. 44 00:02:37,334 --> 00:02:40,634 In Northern Greece lies the ancient city of Pella, 45 00:02:41,868 --> 00:02:44,200 the birthplace of Alexander the Great. 46 00:02:45,033 --> 00:02:46,734 -There's a piece of pottery there, isn't there? 47 00:02:46,901 --> 00:02:48,133 -Yeah, there’s a piece of pottery there, 48 00:02:48,267 --> 00:02:49,501 some of the stones over there. 49 00:02:49,634 --> 00:02:52,033 [Narrator] Archaeologist Lisa Nevett investigates the 50 00:02:52,167 --> 00:02:54,467 city where Alexander’s journey began. 51 00:02:55,968 --> 00:02:59,000 She wants to understand how his influence endured 52 00:02:59,133 --> 00:03:00,634 for so long. 53 00:03:01,534 --> 00:03:05,067 [Lisa] Alexander was able to create an empire very quickly, 54 00:03:05,534 --> 00:03:08,834 that empire also fell apart very quickly on his death. 55 00:03:09,334 --> 00:03:12,567 But an interesting aspect of it is that we see that 56 00:03:12,701 --> 00:03:14,434 the culture continued. 57 00:03:19,000 --> 00:03:23,567 [Narrator] Alexander was born in Pella in 356 BCE, 58 00:03:25,033 --> 00:03:27,501 2,000 years after the Pyramids of Giza were 59 00:03:27,634 --> 00:03:30,934 constructed and about a century after the 60 00:03:31,067 --> 00:03:33,367 Parthenon of Athens. 61 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:37,367 At the time, Pella was the capital of Macedon, 62 00:03:37,767 --> 00:03:40,367 one of several rival Greek kingdoms. 63 00:03:44,567 --> 00:03:47,467 [Lisa] Today, we think of Greece as a single nation, 64 00:03:48,300 --> 00:03:52,033 but in antiquity, it was a land of many cities, 65 00:03:52,601 --> 00:03:54,734 and they were independent politically 66 00:03:54,968 --> 00:03:56,767 and related culturally. 67 00:04:01,601 --> 00:04:04,100 [Narrator] Alexander was a royal prince, 68 00:04:04,767 --> 00:04:07,734 the son of Olympias, a Greek princess, 69 00:04:08,200 --> 00:04:10,334 and King Philip II of Macedon. 70 00:04:12,868 --> 00:04:16,399 Philip conquered nearly all the kingdoms in Greece and wanted 71 00:04:16,534 --> 00:04:20,567 to invade the Persian Empire, Greece’s mortal enemy. 72 00:04:23,601 --> 00:04:26,567 But the plan was cut short when the King was 73 00:04:26,701 --> 00:04:29,334 assassinated by his own bodyguard. 74 00:04:33,067 --> 00:04:36,367 So when Alexander took the throne at the age of 20, 75 00:04:36,634 --> 00:04:39,334 he vowed to complete his father's mission and 76 00:04:39,467 --> 00:04:41,300 defeat the Persians. 77 00:04:45,000 --> 00:04:48,734 In Pella, Lisa wants to find out how the city changed 78 00:04:48,868 --> 00:04:51,267 thanks to Alexander's success. 79 00:04:52,901 --> 00:04:55,234 The problem is that little remains of the place 80 00:04:55,367 --> 00:04:57,100 where he grew up. 81 00:04:57,834 --> 00:05:01,100 [Lisa] Most of the buildings that we see today were 82 00:05:01,234 --> 00:05:03,434 constructed after Alexander’s death, 83 00:05:03,901 --> 00:05:06,534 and so the city I think, was shaped, erm, 84 00:05:06,667 --> 00:05:10,567 perhaps by Alexander’s legacy more than by Alexander himself. 85 00:05:11,634 --> 00:05:14,968 [Narrator] Today, Lisa and her team excavate a house 86 00:05:15,100 --> 00:05:16,601 in the south of the city. 87 00:05:22,234 --> 00:05:24,367 [Lisa] Is the soil texture different there? 88 00:05:25,467 --> 00:05:28,300 [Narrator] They uncover a well-preserved layer of tiles, 89 00:05:28,601 --> 00:05:30,601 which they think might be part of a floor. 90 00:05:34,234 --> 00:05:35,701 -So do they continue? 91 00:05:37,834 --> 00:05:38,767 This is something new, 92 00:05:38,901 --> 00:05:40,801 we haven’t seen this elsewhere in the house, 93 00:05:40,934 --> 00:05:43,434 and in fact, it’s really hard to find floors in 94 00:05:43,567 --> 00:05:45,534 this house because they’re nearly all made 95 00:05:45,667 --> 00:05:47,200 of stamped earth. 96 00:05:48,567 --> 00:05:51,133 One possibility is some sort of area where people 97 00:05:51,267 --> 00:05:52,400 were using water, 98 00:05:52,534 --> 00:05:54,567 and that the tiles are to prevent water 99 00:05:54,701 --> 00:05:56,467 damaging the floor. 100 00:05:57,300 --> 00:06:00,200 The house was originally about 400 square meters, 101 00:06:00,334 --> 00:06:01,501 which was quite big, 102 00:06:01,634 --> 00:06:04,734 so maybe ten or 12 rooms around an open courtyard. 103 00:06:06,601 --> 00:06:09,801 [Narrator] The size and design of this house tells Lisa 104 00:06:09,934 --> 00:06:12,501 that it belonged to a relatively prosperous owner. 105 00:06:15,067 --> 00:06:16,834 By studying this structure further, 106 00:06:16,968 --> 00:06:20,501 Lisa hopes to learn more about how Alexander’s empire 107 00:06:20,634 --> 00:06:23,667 brought wealth and influence to his hometown. 108 00:06:25,334 --> 00:06:27,100 [Lisa] Pella is a really interesting site, 109 00:06:27,734 --> 00:06:32,367 it went from being quite a small town at around 400 BC, 110 00:06:32,501 --> 00:06:36,200 and then very quickly it seems to have grown into a large city. 111 00:06:38,367 --> 00:06:40,133 [Narrator] So, how big was the Greek world at the 112 00:06:40,267 --> 00:06:42,367 start of Alexander’s reign? 113 00:06:42,968 --> 00:06:46,534 And why did the young king dream of making it bigger? 114 00:06:50,334 --> 00:06:53,200 On the other side of the Aegean Sea, in Turkey, 115 00:06:54,234 --> 00:06:56,434 sits the city of Ephesus. 116 00:06:58,534 --> 00:07:00,934 Archaeologists have been working here for more 117 00:07:01,067 --> 00:07:03,200 than 130 years. 118 00:07:03,767 --> 00:07:07,167 Today, the dig is led by Martin Steskal. 119 00:07:08,300 --> 00:07:10,200 -Okay, today’s program, 120 00:07:10,334 --> 00:07:12,501 we are going to expand our trench, 121 00:07:12,634 --> 00:07:15,434 so make two groups, one group is working here, 122 00:07:15,567 --> 00:07:18,767 one is working there, let’s go, okay. 123 00:07:21,467 --> 00:07:24,367 [Narrator] Although Ephesus now lies in modern Turkey, 124 00:07:24,901 --> 00:07:27,667 it was originally founded by Greek settlers almost 125 00:07:27,801 --> 00:07:29,701 3,000 years ago. 126 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:39,467 In ancient times, Ephesus was one of many Greek cities on the 127 00:07:39,601 --> 00:07:41,567 coast of what is now Turkey, 128 00:07:42,400 --> 00:07:44,901 a sprawl of homes and workshops stretching 129 00:07:45,033 --> 00:07:47,267 up to 450 acres. 130 00:07:48,701 --> 00:07:51,801 At its heart stood the city’s most sacred monument, 131 00:07:52,801 --> 00:07:54,567 the Temple of Artemis. 132 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:58,300 Covering an area larger than the Parthenon, 133 00:07:58,734 --> 00:08:04,200 it rose on 127 marble columns, each nearly 60 feet tall. 134 00:08:05,868 --> 00:08:08,767 It was decorated with mythological figures, 135 00:08:08,901 --> 00:08:11,334 and much of it was painted in vivid colors, 136 00:08:12,601 --> 00:08:15,400 a temple so stunning it was considered a wonder 137 00:08:15,534 --> 00:08:17,334 of the ancient world. 138 00:08:21,701 --> 00:08:25,767 This season, Martin and his team hunt for the extent 139 00:08:25,901 --> 00:08:28,834 of the ancient city from the age of Alexander, 140 00:08:29,834 --> 00:08:34,133 no easy task in a metropolis that was continuously occupied 141 00:08:34,267 --> 00:08:36,033 until Roman times. 142 00:08:37,067 --> 00:08:40,033 [Martin] If we want to find the Greek city here in Ephesus, 143 00:08:40,167 --> 00:08:44,067 you have to either dig very deep because the city's really 144 00:08:44,200 --> 00:08:45,934 densely built over, 145 00:08:46,067 --> 00:08:50,400 or you have to dig in areas that have never been explored before, 146 00:08:50,901 --> 00:08:52,133 like we are doing here. 147 00:08:54,234 --> 00:08:55,501 [Narrator] From written records, 148 00:08:55,634 --> 00:08:59,267 researchers know that Ephesus had three city gates, 149 00:09:00,634 --> 00:09:03,334 excavations had only found two. 150 00:09:04,100 --> 00:09:07,501 But Martin's team has made an exciting breakthrough. 151 00:09:10,567 --> 00:09:13,400 [Martin] So we’ve been starting to excavate here last year, 152 00:09:13,534 --> 00:09:18,234 and we really found this third, so far unknown city gate of 153 00:09:18,367 --> 00:09:21,367 Ephesus, er, which we know from the literary sources was 154 00:09:21,501 --> 00:09:23,467 called The Coressian Gate. 155 00:09:24,601 --> 00:09:26,734 [Narrator] Martin explores the new gate. 156 00:09:28,634 --> 00:09:31,968 -What you can clearly see here is a wide entrance 157 00:09:32,100 --> 00:09:34,100 between two pillars, 158 00:09:34,234 --> 00:09:36,200 and just to the right of us, 159 00:09:36,467 --> 00:09:37,934 there would be another entrance, 160 00:09:38,067 --> 00:09:40,367 not as wide as this one. 161 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:46,534 [Narrator] As they continue to excavate the gate, 162 00:09:46,667 --> 00:09:48,734 they unearth other structures. 163 00:09:51,133 --> 00:09:52,400 [Martin] Here you have the remains of 164 00:09:52,534 --> 00:09:55,667 a massive watchtower, it's a square watchtower, 165 00:09:55,934 --> 00:09:59,167 only the foundations have been remained unfortunately. 166 00:09:59,501 --> 00:10:02,133 But it was probably a watchtower with two or three stories, 167 00:10:02,767 --> 00:10:06,334 and from here a potential enemy could be easily attacked. 168 00:10:07,934 --> 00:10:11,033 If you look up here you can see the connecting city walls, 169 00:10:11,400 --> 00:10:13,133 they run up this hill. 170 00:10:16,634 --> 00:10:19,000 [Narrator] Ephesus was one of the greatest Greek cities 171 00:10:19,133 --> 00:10:20,501 of its day. 172 00:10:22,400 --> 00:10:25,267 But for much of the fourth century BCE, 173 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,901 its citizens lived under the overlordship 174 00:10:28,033 --> 00:10:32,534 of Greece’s archenemy, the mighty Persian Empire. 175 00:10:36,300 --> 00:10:37,868 A realm that stretched from the shores of the 176 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:41,634 Mediterranean Sea to the mountains of Iran, 177 00:10:43,934 --> 00:10:46,234 it was a world that the young Alexander was 178 00:10:46,367 --> 00:10:48,434 determined to change. 179 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:53,067 [Martin] Alexander pursued the idea of his father, 180 00:10:53,334 --> 00:10:56,501 who wanted to liberate the Greek cities here in 181 00:10:56,634 --> 00:11:01,901 Western Asia Minor, however Alexander had ideas 182 00:11:02,033 --> 00:11:04,100 that got far beyond that. 183 00:11:05,367 --> 00:11:09,400 [Narrator] In 334 BCE, at the age of just 22, 184 00:11:10,167 --> 00:11:13,501 Alexander the Great landed in what is now Turkey, 185 00:11:16,434 --> 00:11:19,367 on his mission to defeat the Persian Empire. 186 00:11:20,667 --> 00:11:24,167 Ephesus was one of the first cities that he reached. 187 00:11:25,868 --> 00:11:29,701 What might discoveries here reveal about the scale of the 188 00:11:29,834 --> 00:11:31,534 task ahead of him? 189 00:11:37,033 --> 00:11:38,767 [Narrator] At Ephesus in Turkey, 190 00:11:41,234 --> 00:11:43,434 Martin Steskal investigates more of the 191 00:11:43,567 --> 00:11:45,534 newly discovered city gate. 192 00:11:48,467 --> 00:11:50,267 -What did you find here? 193 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:51,767 -What do you think about that? 194 00:11:52,400 --> 00:11:55,200 -Oh, that’s interesting. Okay, this is very early. 195 00:11:55,634 --> 00:11:57,067 Can you please register this find? 196 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:58,667 Yeah fantastic. 197 00:12:00,701 --> 00:12:05,767 [Narrator] In 334 BCE, Ephesus was one of the first cities in 198 00:12:05,901 --> 00:12:09,067 the Persian Empire to face the invading army of 199 00:12:09,200 --> 00:12:10,601 Alexander the Great. 200 00:12:13,534 --> 00:12:16,300 The piece of pottery tells Martin that he is close 201 00:12:16,434 --> 00:12:18,200 to the Greek period. 202 00:12:19,467 --> 00:12:21,400 And as the excavation continues, 203 00:12:21,701 --> 00:12:24,200 the team makes another discovery. 204 00:12:38,133 --> 00:12:40,934 [Narrator] Martin thinks they have discovered the threshold 205 00:12:41,067 --> 00:12:42,801 of an important part of the gate. 206 00:12:43,934 --> 00:12:47,067 [Martin] Once you have reached the gate and you’ve passed the 207 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:51,000 first gateway, you ended up in an antechamber where there was 208 00:12:51,133 --> 00:12:55,467 still possibility for the guards to attack a potential enemy, 209 00:12:56,067 --> 00:12:59,000 because obviously a city gate is the weakest point 210 00:12:59,133 --> 00:13:00,734 in the fortification. 211 00:13:02,167 --> 00:13:04,534 [Narrator] The discovery reveals how the city gate was 212 00:13:04,667 --> 00:13:07,501 strongly fortified against invaders. 213 00:13:09,701 --> 00:13:11,901 But to find out what Ephesus looked like 214 00:13:12,033 --> 00:13:13,634 when Alexander arrived, 215 00:13:14,868 --> 00:13:17,734 Martin first needs to dig down further, 216 00:13:19,100 --> 00:13:21,567 he wants to know when the gate was built. 217 00:13:23,400 --> 00:13:26,634 [Martin] So far, we have only a glimpse of this city gate, 218 00:13:26,868 --> 00:13:27,968 actually excavated. 219 00:13:28,100 --> 00:13:32,000 We are pretty sure that this gate has been built very early 220 00:13:32,133 --> 00:13:33,400 in the Hellenistic Period, 221 00:13:33,534 --> 00:13:36,300 but of course we need more detailed information about that. 222 00:13:38,167 --> 00:13:41,534 [Narrator] The team continues to record and analyze the ruins. 223 00:13:42,734 --> 00:13:45,167 If Martin’s right and the gate was built in the 224 00:13:45,300 --> 00:13:47,534 early Hellenistic Period, 225 00:13:47,667 --> 00:13:49,234 that means this gate was built in the 226 00:13:49,367 --> 00:13:51,534 time after Alexander. 227 00:13:53,434 --> 00:13:56,200 There was no wall here when he arrived. 228 00:13:56,667 --> 00:13:59,067 [Martin] The city looked completely different, 229 00:13:59,300 --> 00:14:02,367 it was not as strongly fortified as it is today. 230 00:14:02,734 --> 00:14:06,467 Actually, the city consisted of a couple of more village-like 231 00:14:06,601 --> 00:14:09,467 settlements that were very badly fortified, 232 00:14:09,834 --> 00:14:12,334 so for Alexander, from a military perspective, 233 00:14:12,467 --> 00:14:14,567 it would not have been a problem to overcome a 234 00:14:14,701 --> 00:14:16,467 city like Ephesus. 235 00:14:19,033 --> 00:14:22,234 [Narrator] The lack of strong defenses sheds light on how 236 00:14:22,367 --> 00:14:24,467 Alexander’s empire was one. 237 00:14:26,367 --> 00:14:30,267 Alexander did not need to lay siege to cities one by one. 238 00:14:31,701 --> 00:14:34,033 Warfare at this time was determined on 239 00:14:34,167 --> 00:14:35,801 the open battlefield, 240 00:14:37,434 --> 00:14:40,701 and it was here that the Macedonians excelled. 241 00:14:45,234 --> 00:14:47,400 The backbone of Alexander's army was a 242 00:14:47,534 --> 00:14:50,000 formation called the phalanx, 243 00:14:50,934 --> 00:14:54,701 a tight wall of infantry armed with long spears and shields, 244 00:14:55,334 --> 00:14:58,033 unbreakable from the front. 245 00:14:58,934 --> 00:15:02,467 It pinned the enemy in place, so that Alexander’s elite 246 00:15:02,601 --> 00:15:06,033 cavalry could attack from the side or the rear, 247 00:15:06,400 --> 00:15:08,300 shattering their line. 248 00:15:10,467 --> 00:15:13,167 The Persian army was a looser force made up 249 00:15:13,300 --> 00:15:14,534 of Greek mercenaries, 250 00:15:14,667 --> 00:15:17,267 archers, infantry, and cavalry. 251 00:15:19,100 --> 00:15:22,968 Alexander’s innovative military tactics and strong leadership 252 00:15:23,100 --> 00:15:25,634 enabled him to crush the Persian army. 253 00:15:29,968 --> 00:15:32,367 Once he’d defeated them on the battlefield, 254 00:15:32,501 --> 00:15:36,267 Alexander simply walked into Ephesus as the new ruler. 255 00:15:42,601 --> 00:15:45,267 [Martin] I think the Ephesians were used to ever-changing 256 00:15:45,400 --> 00:15:48,434 rulers, so throughout the centuries they always 257 00:15:48,567 --> 00:15:52,267 tried to side with the potential winner of a conflict. 258 00:15:54,300 --> 00:15:57,000 [Narrator] Ephesus, with its strong Greek ties 259 00:15:57,133 --> 00:15:59,000 and pragmatic attitude, 260 00:15:59,133 --> 00:16:02,767 was just one of many cities across the empire that fell. 261 00:16:08,901 --> 00:16:14,234 In November 332 BCE, Alexander marched into Egypt, 262 00:16:14,934 --> 00:16:18,200 where he was welcomed as a liberator and crowned pharaoh. 263 00:16:20,901 --> 00:16:25,067 In the following year, he led his army into Mesopotamia, 264 00:16:25,434 --> 00:16:27,567 the heart of the Persian Empire. 265 00:16:30,100 --> 00:16:33,400 In October, he crushed the Persian army in a single, 266 00:16:33,534 --> 00:16:36,167 mighty battle at Gaugamela. 267 00:16:38,501 --> 00:16:41,701 He entered Babylon unopposed in triumph, 268 00:16:42,467 --> 00:16:44,801 the new ruler of the east. 269 00:16:46,267 --> 00:16:48,267 He continued to conquer relentlessly for 270 00:16:48,400 --> 00:16:50,367 the next eight years, 271 00:16:50,968 --> 00:16:53,634 pushing his empire to the edge of India. 272 00:16:57,634 --> 00:17:01,167 Along the way, Alexander brought Greek culture to the 273 00:17:01,300 --> 00:17:04,534 east and adopted eastern traditions himself. 274 00:17:06,501 --> 00:17:09,767 -Alexander the Great was the first person who was 275 00:17:09,901 --> 00:17:14,133 able to connect this Greek and eastern world 276 00:17:14,733 --> 00:17:16,467 to such an extent. 277 00:17:20,334 --> 00:17:23,434 [Narrator] By then, the territory Alexander controlled 278 00:17:23,567 --> 00:17:27,434 covered more than two million square miles and 279 00:17:27,567 --> 00:17:30,701 included parts of around 20 modern-day countries. 280 00:17:33,501 --> 00:17:38,400 But before he could go even further, in 323 BCE, 281 00:17:39,167 --> 00:17:42,634 Alexander died, probably of a fever. 282 00:17:43,234 --> 00:17:46,234 He was just 32 years old. 283 00:17:47,367 --> 00:17:50,467 What happened to his empire after his death? 284 00:17:55,601 --> 00:17:57,467 [Narrator] At Pella in Greece, 285 00:17:59,067 --> 00:18:02,601 Lisa Nevett and her team are investigating how 286 00:18:02,734 --> 00:18:06,467 the city of Alexander's birth changed after his death. 287 00:18:08,033 --> 00:18:10,968 They want to find out how the house that they're uncovering 288 00:18:11,100 --> 00:18:13,167 compares to those around it. 289 00:18:15,934 --> 00:18:18,801 [Lisa] Previous excavations show that there was a regular 290 00:18:18,934 --> 00:18:23,234 grid of streets, and our aim really was to see if we could, 291 00:18:23,367 --> 00:18:29,133 erm, get a sense of the plan of the city in an area 292 00:18:29,267 --> 00:18:31,100 that wasn’t excavated. 293 00:18:31,734 --> 00:18:35,133 [Narrator] Lisa’s excavations reveal how Pella experienced a 294 00:18:35,267 --> 00:18:39,133 dramatic change in fortunes in 4th century BCE. 295 00:18:42,534 --> 00:18:45,701 [Lisa] What we do see is that the grid plan 296 00:18:45,834 --> 00:18:47,868 continues into this area, 297 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:50,133 and we don’t know too much about what classical 298 00:18:50,267 --> 00:18:51,334 Pella looked like, 299 00:18:51,467 --> 00:18:53,901 but we do know that it became this, er, 300 00:18:54,033 --> 00:18:57,667 big grid planned city with an enormous marketplace 301 00:18:57,801 --> 00:18:59,400 at the center of it. 302 00:19:04,400 --> 00:19:06,701 [Narrator] In the 4th century BCE, 303 00:19:06,834 --> 00:19:08,667 Pella expanded rapidly, 304 00:19:11,000 --> 00:19:13,501 new districts rose to the east and north, 305 00:19:14,100 --> 00:19:17,234 stretching the city's grid layout to new limits. 306 00:19:19,868 --> 00:19:22,901 Luxury houses and busy workshops lined the southern 307 00:19:23,033 --> 00:19:24,634 slope of the city. 308 00:19:27,968 --> 00:19:31,367 And at the city's heart stood the largest public square in 309 00:19:31,501 --> 00:19:34,167 Greece known as the Agora. 310 00:19:38,033 --> 00:19:42,067 Crowned by an enormous palace, Pella reached its greatest 311 00:19:42,200 --> 00:19:45,734 extent in the years after Alexander's death. 312 00:19:49,200 --> 00:19:52,200 Alexander's brief reign may have laid the foundations for 313 00:19:52,334 --> 00:19:56,300 Pella's success, but it flourished under the rule of 314 00:19:56,434 --> 00:19:59,400 one of his former generals, called Cassander. 315 00:20:02,400 --> 00:20:03,934 Ambitious and ruthless, 316 00:20:04,067 --> 00:20:07,701 he had Alexander's young son and his mother poisoned, 317 00:20:09,167 --> 00:20:11,667 and took over Greece and Macedonia. 318 00:20:14,434 --> 00:20:17,067 The rest of the empire was seized by Alexander's 319 00:20:17,200 --> 00:20:18,467 brothers-in-arms. 320 00:20:18,934 --> 00:20:22,200 While Cassander took lands in Greece and Macedonia, 321 00:20:22,334 --> 00:20:25,701 Generals Seleucus and Lysimachus seized territories 322 00:20:25,834 --> 00:20:27,834 to the east. 323 00:20:28,267 --> 00:20:31,200 And Egypt was claimed by Ptolemy. 324 00:20:33,200 --> 00:20:37,767 Together, they became known as the Diadochi, the successors. 325 00:20:42,267 --> 00:20:44,801 In Egypt, at the city of Alexandria, 326 00:20:47,033 --> 00:20:51,367 archaeologist Jay Silverstein investigates how Ptolemy 327 00:20:51,501 --> 00:20:55,133 ensured Alexander's legacy lived on. 328 00:20:57,200 --> 00:20:59,234 -Ptolemy was known as Ptolemy Soter, 329 00:20:59,367 --> 00:21:01,701 because Soter means savior. 330 00:21:02,400 --> 00:21:04,000 He had saved Alexander the Great's 331 00:21:04,133 --> 00:21:05,701 life in battle, 332 00:21:06,334 --> 00:21:08,334 and when Alexander the Great died, 333 00:21:08,467 --> 00:21:12,434 he claimed Egypt as his part of Alexander's empire. 334 00:21:15,033 --> 00:21:17,267 [Narrator] Ptolemy needed to convince the fiercely 335 00:21:17,400 --> 00:21:20,601 independent Egyptians that he had a legitimate right 336 00:21:20,734 --> 00:21:22,300 to rule them. 337 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:25,334 So just like Alexander, 338 00:21:25,467 --> 00:21:27,734 he declared himself Pharaoh, 339 00:21:29,367 --> 00:21:32,534 and decided to continue what Alexander had started. 340 00:21:34,667 --> 00:21:35,934 [Jay] So when Alexander the Great 341 00:21:36,067 --> 00:21:37,334 came to Egypt, 342 00:21:37,467 --> 00:21:40,834 he established the foundation of the city of Alexandria. 343 00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:45,234 He had the vision to see how important a port in this 344 00:21:45,367 --> 00:21:50,400 location would be, and he literally outlined the city of 345 00:21:50,534 --> 00:21:52,434 where it should be constructed. 346 00:21:54,434 --> 00:21:58,200 [Narrator] In Egypt, Alexander planned a major strategic port, 347 00:21:58,767 --> 00:22:01,534 ideally located on the Mediterranean coast. 348 00:22:02,334 --> 00:22:03,434 When he died, 349 00:22:03,567 --> 00:22:06,200 his successor, Ptolemy seized control of it, 350 00:22:06,934 --> 00:22:10,667 Ptolemy expanded the city into a global hub of trade, 351 00:22:11,701 --> 00:22:15,534 and a beacon of culture and knowledge in the ancient world. 352 00:22:18,334 --> 00:22:20,367 He commissioned its famous lighthouse, 353 00:22:20,501 --> 00:22:23,601 an icon of Greek engineering and architecture. 354 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:31,501 In 321 BCE, Ptolemy brought Alexander’s body to Alexandria, 355 00:22:32,868 --> 00:22:37,100 the final resting place of a king who would become a legend. 356 00:22:39,801 --> 00:22:42,133 This was a strategic move. 357 00:22:43,200 --> 00:22:45,167 [Jay] Ptolemy was a shrewd politician, 358 00:22:45,501 --> 00:22:48,067 he knew that by grabbing Alexander the Great’s body 359 00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:50,501 and holding it within his capital city, 360 00:22:50,634 --> 00:22:55,100 that he had legitimacy to claim the entirety of 361 00:22:55,234 --> 00:22:56,667 the Hellenistic world. 362 00:22:57,634 --> 00:23:00,334 [Narrator] So great was Alexander’s celebrity, 363 00:23:00,467 --> 00:23:04,100 that having his tomb here made Alexandria the new 364 00:23:04,234 --> 00:23:07,267 center of Greek culture in the East. 365 00:23:08,934 --> 00:23:11,400 [Jay] This is a power that resonated throughout history 366 00:23:11,534 --> 00:23:14,801 for hundreds of years, even Julius Caesar came to stand 367 00:23:14,934 --> 00:23:18,167 before the tomb to be humbled before the presence of 368 00:23:18,300 --> 00:23:20,200 Alexander the Great. 369 00:23:21,901 --> 00:23:25,167 [Narrator] Today, the location of Alexander’s tomb is one of 370 00:23:25,300 --> 00:23:27,567 the greatest mysteries of archaeology. 371 00:23:29,400 --> 00:23:31,767 [Jay] We don’t know how much of it survived. 372 00:23:32,367 --> 00:23:35,334 Archaeologists have been searching for it for, 373 00:23:35,467 --> 00:23:39,200 for decades and decades, but it’s never been found. 374 00:23:42,200 --> 00:23:43,801 [Narrator] Controlling Alexandria 375 00:23:43,934 --> 00:23:47,133 gave Ptolemy and his descendants great power. 376 00:23:48,501 --> 00:23:50,133 But tensions were brewing across 377 00:23:50,267 --> 00:23:52,300 Alexander’s former empire. 378 00:23:53,200 --> 00:23:56,767 What did the growing rivalry between his successors mean 379 00:23:56,901 --> 00:23:59,534 for the people living under their rule? 380 00:24:05,934 --> 00:24:08,033 [Narrator] The new kingdoms ruled by Alexander's 381 00:24:08,167 --> 00:24:10,267 former generals were rivals, 382 00:24:10,868 --> 00:24:13,033 but they shared a common culture, 383 00:24:13,300 --> 00:24:17,367 a blend of Greek and eastern customs known as Hellenistic, 384 00:24:18,033 --> 00:24:21,834 from Hellene, the name the Greeks gave themselves. 385 00:24:22,601 --> 00:24:26,601 How did the generals keep control over their new lands? 386 00:24:28,434 --> 00:24:31,400 A clue lies at the city of Metropolis, 387 00:24:31,701 --> 00:24:34,467 not far from Ephesus in Western Turkey. 388 00:24:36,000 --> 00:24:38,300 It was a medium-sized city built around a 389 00:24:38,434 --> 00:24:40,501 necropolis or citadel. 390 00:24:42,167 --> 00:24:43,834 After Alexander's death, 391 00:24:43,968 --> 00:24:47,367 it was claimed by another of his generals, Seleucus. 392 00:24:50,868 --> 00:24:54,367 Today, archaeologists are digging in the main meeting or 393 00:24:54,501 --> 00:24:57,133 marketplace called the Agora. 394 00:24:59,267 --> 00:25:03,234 Serdar Aybek has been working here since 1993. 395 00:25:04,100 --> 00:25:06,901 He wants to find out what life in the city was like 396 00:25:07,033 --> 00:25:08,567 in ancient times. 397 00:25:28,000 --> 00:25:30,701 [Narrator] The team uses a conveyor belt to help move 398 00:25:30,834 --> 00:25:32,367 the excavated soil. 399 00:25:35,400 --> 00:25:38,234 This helps to ensure they don't miss crucial traces of 400 00:25:38,367 --> 00:25:40,267 evidence buried in the dirt. 401 00:26:05,601 --> 00:26:09,701 [Narrator] Excavations show that Metropolis grew rapidly 402 00:26:10,634 --> 00:26:13,567 under the rule of Seleucus and his successors. 403 00:26:15,367 --> 00:26:18,634 The city reached its height in the 3rd century BCE. 404 00:26:22,567 --> 00:26:25,234 Serdar explores one of the buildings constructed 405 00:26:25,367 --> 00:26:28,501 in this period, the theatre. 406 00:26:31,501 --> 00:26:33,434 In the Hellenistic Age, 407 00:26:33,567 --> 00:26:36,300 this was the hub of metropolitan life, 408 00:26:36,567 --> 00:26:38,734 seating up to 3,600 people. 409 00:26:41,400 --> 00:26:44,267 But excavations underneath the building reveal 410 00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:46,334 its humble beginnings. 411 00:26:59,200 --> 00:27:02,300 [Narrator] Theaters like the one in Metropolis offered local 412 00:27:02,434 --> 00:27:04,534 people a taste of Greek culture, 413 00:27:05,567 --> 00:27:07,701 and provided homegrown entertainment 414 00:27:07,834 --> 00:27:09,334 for Greek immigrants. 415 00:27:10,033 --> 00:27:13,200 Alexander's successors competed to build new and 416 00:27:13,334 --> 00:27:16,634 impressive cities and stamp Greek culture on 417 00:27:16,767 --> 00:27:18,634 their new lands. 418 00:27:19,667 --> 00:27:22,601 So how successful were they? 419 00:27:26,200 --> 00:27:29,334 500 miles south at Alexandria in Egypt, 420 00:27:31,667 --> 00:27:35,067 Jay Silverstein investigates whether Greek customs were 421 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:36,968 welcomed in countries with their own 422 00:27:37,100 --> 00:27:39,133 long-established traditions. 423 00:27:40,300 --> 00:27:43,300 He hunts for clues deep beneath the city. 424 00:27:45,901 --> 00:27:49,601 [Jay] Here we are down in the catacombs of Alexandria, 425 00:27:50,400 --> 00:27:52,000 the underworld, the, 426 00:27:52,133 --> 00:27:54,667 the place where the dead would be buried. 427 00:27:56,734 --> 00:27:59,300 [Narrator] He explores some intriguing carvings, 428 00:27:59,634 --> 00:28:03,200 unlike anything in Egypt from before the Greeks arrived. 429 00:28:05,601 --> 00:28:08,300 -Over here, we can see at the very top, 430 00:28:08,434 --> 00:28:11,400 you have a shield with a representation of a gorgon or 431 00:28:11,534 --> 00:28:14,968 medusa, a, a symbol of Macedonian power that you would 432 00:28:15,100 --> 00:28:17,667 often find on a warrior’s shield. 433 00:28:18,434 --> 00:28:23,434 Er, you see the Agatha demon, a, a symbol of good fortune, 434 00:28:23,767 --> 00:28:26,434 of power, but wearing the crowns of upper and lower 435 00:28:26,567 --> 00:28:30,767 Egypt, sitting on top of a very Egyptian temple. 436 00:28:33,100 --> 00:28:36,400 [Narrator] The tomb displays a curious fusion of Egyptian and 437 00:28:36,534 --> 00:28:38,734 Greek religious images. 438 00:28:39,167 --> 00:28:42,167 It dates to the second century CE, 439 00:28:42,534 --> 00:28:45,534 more than 300 years after Alexander died. 440 00:28:46,567 --> 00:28:50,601 At this time, a new people, the Romans, ruled Egypt. 441 00:28:53,167 --> 00:28:55,934 [Jay] Here you have the god Anubis, but he’s dressed in, 442 00:28:56,067 --> 00:28:59,133 very much like a Roman warrior, so with this leather skirt 443 00:28:59,267 --> 00:29:01,467 hanging down and that pose and spear, 444 00:29:01,601 --> 00:29:03,634 he’s a Romanized Anubis. 445 00:29:05,400 --> 00:29:07,400 [Narrator] Jay thinks the decorations reveal 446 00:29:07,534 --> 00:29:09,701 the background of the tomb’s owners. 447 00:29:12,067 --> 00:29:13,300 [Jay] We know it was a family, 448 00:29:13,434 --> 00:29:15,400 from the representations that we see here, 449 00:29:15,534 --> 00:29:19,634 we know that it was probably from the Greek aristocracy, 450 00:29:19,968 --> 00:29:21,100 it’s a wealthy family, 451 00:29:21,234 --> 00:29:22,434 there’s a lot of Greek representations, 452 00:29:22,567 --> 00:29:25,167 but there’s also Roman representations, and of course, 453 00:29:25,300 --> 00:29:27,334 the strong Egyptian influence. 454 00:29:28,067 --> 00:29:30,868 [Narrator] The persistence of Greek culture in Egypt into 455 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:35,033 Roman times reveals the success of the aristocracy that 456 00:29:35,167 --> 00:29:37,100 arrived with Alexander. 457 00:29:37,934 --> 00:29:40,767 The tomb appears to depict a harmonious fusion of 458 00:29:40,901 --> 00:29:43,200 east and west. 459 00:29:43,601 --> 00:29:47,133 But how peaceful was this brave new world? 460 00:29:53,601 --> 00:29:56,100 [Narrator] At Ephesus in Western Turkey, 461 00:29:57,434 --> 00:30:00,467 Martin Steskal continues his excavation of the 462 00:30:00,601 --> 00:30:04,367 city gate to learn more about what happened after the 463 00:30:04,501 --> 00:30:06,234 death of Alexander. 464 00:30:14,567 --> 00:30:16,267 [Narrator] As the dig progresses, 465 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:20,100 Martin finds more evidence of expansion and fortification. 466 00:30:22,367 --> 00:30:25,534 -These huge blocks, they were joined together by 467 00:30:25,667 --> 00:30:29,834 iron and lead so actually they were pouring in lead, 468 00:30:29,968 --> 00:30:32,200 you can see the, the shape of the liquid lead, 469 00:30:32,601 --> 00:30:35,601 and in the interior of this would be a, er, 470 00:30:35,901 --> 00:30:39,734 an iron joint that really fixed those blocks together. 471 00:30:41,901 --> 00:30:45,434 [Narrator] These iron and lead clamps are incredibly strong, 472 00:30:45,901 --> 00:30:49,267 even today, the blocks are still held firmly together. 473 00:30:51,234 --> 00:30:54,200 Martin thinks that the strength of the gate’s construction 474 00:30:54,334 --> 00:30:56,968 reveals what happened here when Alexander’s 475 00:30:57,100 --> 00:30:58,734 empire broke apart, 476 00:30:59,667 --> 00:31:03,100 and Ephesus was inherited by another of his generals, 477 00:31:03,234 --> 00:31:05,200 Lysimachus. 478 00:31:05,567 --> 00:31:07,300 -One is wondering why a city like Ephesus, 479 00:31:07,434 --> 00:31:09,801 all of a sudden, needs a fortification like that. 480 00:31:10,567 --> 00:31:12,567 Clearly, after the death of Alexander, 481 00:31:12,701 --> 00:31:17,334 whoever wanted to establish an empire for himself afterwards 482 00:31:17,467 --> 00:31:20,868 needed to fortify his er, potential residency, 483 00:31:21,234 --> 00:31:22,767 and so did Lysimachus. 484 00:31:22,901 --> 00:31:26,033 Er, he decided Ephesus to be his residential city, 485 00:31:26,167 --> 00:31:31,100 and this city really needed to be strongly fortified because 486 00:31:31,234 --> 00:31:34,567 the situation in the region was very unstable. 487 00:31:36,968 --> 00:31:40,167 [Narrator] Ephesus's city gate is not the only hint at the 488 00:31:40,300 --> 00:31:43,300 volatile situation after Alexander died. 489 00:31:45,601 --> 00:31:49,501 While Lysimachus was busy fortifying his new city, 490 00:31:50,701 --> 00:31:53,601 just 12 miles away at Metropolis, 491 00:31:58,934 --> 00:32:01,901 Historian Boris Dreyer works with Serdar to 492 00:32:02,033 --> 00:32:05,334 investigate how its ruler Seleucus, 493 00:32:05,467 --> 00:32:08,767 also prepared for possible threats to his rule. 494 00:32:10,868 --> 00:32:13,267 In the storeroom, they examine more than 495 00:32:13,400 --> 00:32:15,767 50 excavated stone projectiles. 496 00:32:24,200 --> 00:32:27,434 [Narrator] Boris heads up to the Acropolis to find out what 497 00:32:27,567 --> 00:32:30,367 this huge cache of weapons was for. 498 00:32:51,467 --> 00:32:55,100 [Narrator] This vantage point allowed the ruler of Metropolis 499 00:32:55,234 --> 00:32:58,100 to control the traffic going to Ephesus, 500 00:32:58,601 --> 00:33:01,434 it's also where the team found the projectiles. 501 00:33:11,534 --> 00:33:14,567 [Narrator] This arsenal reveals how the break-up of Alexander's 502 00:33:14,701 --> 00:33:18,434 empire led to conflict between his former generals. 503 00:33:20,033 --> 00:33:23,033 They fortified their cities, stockpiled weapons, 504 00:33:23,634 --> 00:33:25,501 and often fought among themselves. 505 00:33:26,200 --> 00:33:29,234 But the threats these new Greek kingdoms faced were 506 00:33:29,367 --> 00:33:31,167 not only from each other. 507 00:33:31,968 --> 00:33:34,801 What happened when the attacks came from within? 508 00:33:39,234 --> 00:33:41,667 In Egypt, now ruled by Ptolemy, 509 00:33:42,334 --> 00:33:45,501 lie the sister cities of Thmuis and Mendes, 510 00:33:46,267 --> 00:33:47,734 less than a mile apart. 511 00:33:53,501 --> 00:33:57,534 Jay Silverstein has been excavating here for 16 years. 512 00:33:58,334 --> 00:34:02,267 He investigates how Ptolemy and his son, also called Ptolemy, 513 00:34:02,934 --> 00:34:05,701 tried to win over their Egyptian subjects. 514 00:34:07,901 --> 00:34:10,434 -We know that Ptolemy II came here to pay tribute 515 00:34:10,567 --> 00:34:12,801 to the ram god of Mendes. 516 00:34:13,534 --> 00:34:16,868 It was a really important event that the pharaoh would come and 517 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:21,033 work with the priests to build that political relationship 518 00:34:21,333 --> 00:34:24,400 between the old religions of Egypt, 519 00:34:24,766 --> 00:34:28,367 and the Greek or Macedonian government in Egypt. 520 00:34:30,467 --> 00:34:32,934 [Narrator] Just like his father in Alexandria, 521 00:34:33,067 --> 00:34:37,199 Ptolemy II tried to maintain his power by blending Greek and 522 00:34:37,333 --> 00:34:39,400 Egyptian traditions. 523 00:34:41,067 --> 00:34:43,167 But here at this temple in Thmuis, 524 00:34:43,300 --> 00:34:46,634 Jay’s dig has uncovered a dark secret. 525 00:34:47,501 --> 00:34:51,868 [Jay] We found piles of ceramics that dated to the 526 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:55,067 Ptolemaic Period where they’d been left, but burned, 527 00:34:55,400 --> 00:34:57,701 suggesting that there had been a sudden fire. 528 00:34:58,434 --> 00:35:00,834 And then we noticed that we were also finding stones from a 529 00:35:00,968 --> 00:35:05,200 stone-throwing catapult, and we found some arrowheads as well. 530 00:35:06,100 --> 00:35:09,000 To me it’s, it’s starting to look very much there had been 531 00:35:09,133 --> 00:35:10,734 a war here. 532 00:35:11,467 --> 00:35:14,467 [Narrator] Other discoveries here are more gruesome. 533 00:35:16,033 --> 00:35:18,801 -I saw a piece of bone sticking out of one of the excavations. 534 00:35:19,267 --> 00:35:23,100 I excavated there and uncovered the body of 535 00:35:23,234 --> 00:35:27,300 a man in his 50s who was built like a warrior, 536 00:35:28,501 --> 00:35:31,267 had wounds healed on his bones like a warrior, 537 00:35:31,868 --> 00:35:35,501 and most importantly, he had one very clear unhealed wound 538 00:35:35,634 --> 00:35:38,467 on his left arm, telling us that he, 539 00:35:38,601 --> 00:35:41,234 he probably died fighting. 540 00:35:43,067 --> 00:35:46,200 [Narrator] Jay thinks this man died during a rebellion known 541 00:35:46,334 --> 00:35:48,167 as the Great Revolt. 542 00:35:51,033 --> 00:35:55,067 To protect their new kingdom, the Ptolemies trained native 543 00:35:55,200 --> 00:35:58,067 Egyptian soldiers in the elite tactics of 544 00:35:58,200 --> 00:36:00,033 the Macedonian phalanx. 545 00:36:01,067 --> 00:36:04,234 They equipped them with Greek weapons and armor and 546 00:36:04,367 --> 00:36:08,167 sent them to fight in wars against rival Hellenistic kings. 547 00:36:11,133 --> 00:36:14,734 But after decades of war funded by heavy taxation, 548 00:36:15,400 --> 00:36:18,934 many Egyptians felt exploited and revolted against 549 00:36:19,067 --> 00:36:20,767 their foreign masters. 550 00:36:23,367 --> 00:36:26,133 The dynasty responded with brutal force, 551 00:36:26,434 --> 00:36:28,901 slaughtering many rebels or enslaving them 552 00:36:29,033 --> 00:36:31,100 and their families. 553 00:36:35,367 --> 00:36:36,767 [Jay] Throughout this time period, 554 00:36:36,901 --> 00:36:41,133 we see evidence of tension between the indigenous people 555 00:36:41,267 --> 00:36:44,400 and their beliefs, and the Greek system that was 556 00:36:44,534 --> 00:36:46,400 superimposed on top of them. 557 00:36:47,934 --> 00:36:51,467 They stepped up to free Egypt from Ptolemaic rule. 558 00:36:52,901 --> 00:36:55,033 [Narrator] The Hellenistic kings might have wanted their 559 00:36:55,167 --> 00:36:57,267 subjects to embrace Greek culture, 560 00:36:58,567 --> 00:37:01,467 but they backed up their rule with military power. 561 00:37:03,534 --> 00:37:07,234 How did their dominance finally come to an end? 562 00:37:12,567 --> 00:37:15,167 [Narrator] The world founded by Alexander the Great 563 00:37:15,300 --> 00:37:17,300 was politically fragmented, 564 00:37:17,734 --> 00:37:20,601 but united by a common Greek culture. 565 00:37:21,567 --> 00:37:24,467 It lasted for 300 years. 566 00:37:24,934 --> 00:37:26,534 Why did it end? 567 00:37:28,133 --> 00:37:33,267 At Metropolis, while the team continues the excavations, 568 00:37:35,868 --> 00:37:39,234 Boris Dreyer has found an intriguing inscription. 569 00:37:57,968 --> 00:38:00,334 [Narrator] The inscription is dedicated to a man 570 00:38:00,467 --> 00:38:02,300 named Apolllonius. 571 00:38:26,567 --> 00:38:31,334 [Narrator] In 133 BCE, the Greek kingdoms in Asia Minor 572 00:38:31,467 --> 00:38:33,767 faced a new threat, the Romans. 573 00:38:34,501 --> 00:38:37,501 They promised to liberate the people from Greek rule. 574 00:38:38,501 --> 00:38:40,567 Although Metropolis was his home city, 575 00:38:40,701 --> 00:38:43,167 Apollonius sided with the invaders, 576 00:38:44,033 --> 00:38:47,467 Rome soon became the dominant power in the region. 577 00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:57,267 Down the road at Ephesus, Martin finds evidence of the 578 00:38:57,501 --> 00:39:00,167 Romans in this city's magnificent buildings. 579 00:39:02,334 --> 00:39:04,000 [Martin] At this time, it was clear that, er, 580 00:39:04,133 --> 00:39:08,067 it is the Roman power who is going to unify this world again 581 00:39:08,467 --> 00:39:10,467 in the 2nd century BCE, 582 00:39:10,868 --> 00:39:14,567 and Ephesus had to accept the fact that there’s a 583 00:39:14,701 --> 00:39:16,367 new ruler again. 584 00:39:17,534 --> 00:39:19,567 [Narrator] Thanks to its strategic location, 585 00:39:19,701 --> 00:39:23,067 the Romans made Ephesus the capital of the entire 586 00:39:23,200 --> 00:39:24,767 province of Asia. 587 00:39:29,601 --> 00:39:32,734 Martin's excavations provide clues to what happened 588 00:39:32,868 --> 00:39:35,167 under Roman occupation. 589 00:39:36,067 --> 00:39:37,100 [Martin] In Roman times, 590 00:39:37,234 --> 00:39:39,267 we were in the middle of the Roman Empire, 591 00:39:39,400 --> 00:39:41,601 there was no enemy whatsoever close to the 592 00:39:41,734 --> 00:39:43,334 city of Ephesus. 593 00:39:43,467 --> 00:39:46,467 So they started to actually dismantle the city walls 594 00:39:46,968 --> 00:39:48,934 because they were thinking there will never be 595 00:39:49,067 --> 00:39:50,801 enemy around anymore. 596 00:39:51,834 --> 00:39:55,100 [Narrator] It was a new era of peace under the Romans, 597 00:39:55,968 --> 00:39:59,167 so what happened to the legend of Alexander? 598 00:39:59,567 --> 00:40:01,634 [Martin] The Romans adored Alexander the Great, 599 00:40:02,100 --> 00:40:03,567 particularly Caesar for example, 600 00:40:03,701 --> 00:40:06,934 he was like a role model of military strength 601 00:40:07,067 --> 00:40:08,567 and military glory, 602 00:40:08,701 --> 00:40:11,133 he was a superstar in the Roman period. 603 00:40:11,801 --> 00:40:14,000 [Narrator] Today, few structures remain from 604 00:40:14,133 --> 00:40:16,334 Alexander’s time at Ephesus. 605 00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:22,534 But one important link to the city’s origins endures. 606 00:40:25,567 --> 00:40:28,000 -The one Greek tradition that persisted for 607 00:40:28,133 --> 00:40:29,501 the longest time is the language. 608 00:40:29,634 --> 00:40:32,434 Even though this is a very Roman city and there were very 609 00:40:32,567 --> 00:40:35,067 many people from Italy actually present here, 610 00:40:35,200 --> 00:40:38,167 the people spoke Greek here, yeah, for, 611 00:40:38,300 --> 00:40:39,934 for over 2000 years actually. 612 00:40:40,067 --> 00:40:43,200 And so, from the many, many inscriptions you will see here 613 00:40:43,334 --> 00:40:46,234 in the city, over 90% are in Greek letters. 614 00:40:48,601 --> 00:40:50,601 They were very proud of their Greek ancestors, 615 00:40:50,734 --> 00:40:53,000 and they were very proud that they’ve been founded by 616 00:40:53,133 --> 00:40:54,734 actually Greek people. 617 00:40:56,868 --> 00:41:00,000 [Narrator] It was thanks to Alexander’s conquest that Greek 618 00:41:00,133 --> 00:41:02,200 culture spread so widely. 619 00:41:03,400 --> 00:41:06,868 -It brought Greek traditions and education, 620 00:41:07,000 --> 00:41:12,200 science, and Greek architecture into areas that didn't 621 00:41:12,334 --> 00:41:14,634 know anything about Greek culture back then. 622 00:41:18,267 --> 00:41:20,601 [Narrator] At Pella, the Macedonian capital, 623 00:41:22,901 --> 00:41:25,968 Lisa's team has uncovered more of the tiled area 624 00:41:26,100 --> 00:41:27,467 in the house. 625 00:41:29,200 --> 00:41:31,067 [Lisa] So it looks as though there are almost 626 00:41:31,200 --> 00:41:32,634 three levels here. 627 00:41:32,767 --> 00:41:34,133 -Yeah. 628 00:41:34,734 --> 00:41:38,200 [Narrator] But for now, its purpose remains a mystery. 629 00:41:39,367 --> 00:41:41,567 -One possibility is that this is some kind of drainage 630 00:41:41,701 --> 00:41:44,133 feature that’s running along here, 631 00:41:44,267 --> 00:41:45,501 so I think whatever it is, 632 00:41:45,634 --> 00:41:47,801 it’s something to do with liquids, probably, 633 00:41:48,133 --> 00:41:50,534 but we need to continue the excavation. 634 00:41:51,400 --> 00:41:54,100 [Narrator] Here, too, Lisa has found clues to what 635 00:41:54,234 --> 00:41:56,601 happened at the end of the Hellenistic Period. 636 00:41:59,434 --> 00:42:02,334 [Lisa] What we see is quite widespread destruction. 637 00:42:02,467 --> 00:42:03,901 We don’t exactly know the reason, 638 00:42:04,033 --> 00:42:06,534 there’s one hypothesis that there was an earthquake 639 00:42:06,667 --> 00:42:08,400 that destroyed many of the buildings, 640 00:42:08,767 --> 00:42:11,567 another idea is that the destruction could be associated 641 00:42:11,701 --> 00:42:13,367 with the Romans. 642 00:42:14,100 --> 00:42:18,701 [Narrator] In 168 BCE, the Romans conquered Macedon 643 00:42:18,834 --> 00:42:20,567 and looted the city. 644 00:42:21,367 --> 00:42:24,000 But as the birthplace of Alexander the Great, 645 00:42:24,133 --> 00:42:26,534 Pella remains immortal. 646 00:42:31,400 --> 00:42:33,901 [Lisa] I think we’re still talking about Alexander today 647 00:42:34,033 --> 00:42:36,567 simply because he was regarded as this 648 00:42:36,701 --> 00:42:39,834 charismatic figure, and also because the changes 649 00:42:39,968 --> 00:42:42,901 that happened under his leadership really were 650 00:42:43,033 --> 00:42:44,534 quite transformational. 651 00:42:46,400 --> 00:42:48,234 [Martin] We are still talking about Alexander the Great 652 00:42:48,367 --> 00:42:51,033 because he’s been one of the most influential military 653 00:42:51,167 --> 00:42:52,801 leaders in the world. 654 00:42:53,667 --> 00:42:56,267 There is hardly anybody who has ever conquered such a huge 655 00:42:56,400 --> 00:42:58,434 empire in such a short time. 656 00:42:59,334 --> 00:43:02,234 [Narrator] Alexander conquered one of the greatest empires 657 00:43:02,367 --> 00:43:04,367 the world has ever seen. 658 00:43:05,267 --> 00:43:08,501 Thanks to his ambition, cities rose and grew, 659 00:43:09,067 --> 00:43:10,734 and Greek culture spread. 660 00:43:12,701 --> 00:43:14,634 [Jay] From Persia to Egypt to Asia, 661 00:43:14,934 --> 00:43:18,167 there was a cultural unity that facilitated and encouraged 662 00:43:18,300 --> 00:43:22,367 trade and exchange of ideas, of knowledge, 663 00:43:22,501 --> 00:43:25,467 of goods from around the world. 664 00:43:26,234 --> 00:43:29,534 This was one of the hallmarks of Hellenism, 665 00:43:29,767 --> 00:43:32,200 one of the strengths that allowed the Hellenistic world 666 00:43:32,334 --> 00:43:34,400 to become so successful. 667 00:43:36,601 --> 00:43:39,133 [Narrator] Alexander’s legacy was the rise of a new 668 00:43:39,267 --> 00:43:41,167 multicultural world. 669 00:43:41,901 --> 00:43:44,868 Greek influence lasted for centuries across his former 670 00:43:45,000 --> 00:43:49,567 empire, and even after it ended, his legend survived. 671 00:43:51,400 --> 00:43:54,234 The fame of Alexander III of Macedon, 672 00:43:54,367 --> 00:43:57,200 the Great, lives on.