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(uplifting orchestral music)
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(birds squawking)
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I'm Christopher Clark, Cambridge historian.
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I was born in Australia, for Europeans
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that's practically the other end of the world.
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But the European continent and its incredible diversity
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always fascinated me, even in the far off country
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where I grew up, I was always aware that so much
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of our world has its roots in Europe,
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and modern Europe is one
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of the greatest achievements in human history.
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I want to share the grand saga of this continent
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and in the process I hope to re-discover
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its wonders for myself.
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Where does Europe start and where does it stop?
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I'm at the south western most point of the continent.
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From here on there's just water, next stop America.
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Luís de Camoes, the national poet of Portugal
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described this cape in the 16th century
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in these words, (speaks foreign language).
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Where the earth ends and the ocean begins.
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In fact most of Europe is surrounded by water.
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Europe is a continent in name only,
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in reality it's a peninsula and it's history
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is deeply shaped by this fact.
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That history begins 135 million years ago.
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Actually Europe as we know it isn't really all that old
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in a geological sense.
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In the beginning all the continents are one.
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Then the world is set in motion,
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land masses break off, drift apart and reunite
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creating mountains and rivers in the process.
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Bit by bit the continent as well know it today
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begins to take shape.
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Ice masses form fjords, mountains unfold,
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the lava flows we can still see today
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give us an inking of earth's incredible power
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to create and reshape, and at some point
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these elementary forces will produce
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a denser array of unique cultures and peoples
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than anywhere else on the planet.
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How did it all begin?
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Asia, to which this rather small continent
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is a kind of appendix has always been the gateway
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to Europe, also for the first humans to arrive here.
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But who were the first Europeans and where were they from?
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It's during an ice age that the first people leave Africa
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to conquer the rest of the world.
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A sheet of ice kilometers thick covers the continent
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where today we find cities like London, Berlin and Warsaw.
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But homo sapiens will not be deterred.
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From what we know today it seems that they traveled
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to the continent via the Middle East, the Levant and Romania
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and slowly it begins to grow warmer in Europe,
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the ice age is coming to an end.
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This is where the first migrants come into contact
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with the neanderthals and begin to mix with them.
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Even today all Europeans have a bit of neanderthal in them.
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By 30,000 years ago, the neanderthals have died out
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and the homo sapiens, the wise human, has taken over.
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They hunt and gather, live in groups of varying sizes
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and spread across massive swathes of territory
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often in rocky areas with caves
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such as Southern France and Northern Spain.
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It's around this time that the intellectual world
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of the early Europeans actually begins to take shape.
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The depths of the caves are sacred places
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for these early peoples.
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Pre-historic cathedrals where they feel the presence
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of the supernatural world.
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But above all the caves offer protection and warmth,
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absolute necessities that allow
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these early Europeans to survive.
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Here we can see the first evidence of the ancient Europeans.
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I'm in the Chauvet Cave in Southern France
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and I can hardly believe that people painted
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something like this 30,000 years ago.
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The talent and precision
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of these early European artists are staggering.
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When Pablo Picasso first saw the cave paintings
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of Stone Age humans he was shocked.
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We've learned nothing since then he said.
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The people of the Ardehe Valley in modern day France
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created these first European works of art
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nearly 40,000 years ago and they did it for eternity,
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probably without realizing it.
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How could they know that we would one day
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admire the wooly rhinoceros, cave lions,
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mammoths and bison that they drew
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with such energy and elegance.
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A quantum leap in human history.
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Homo sapiens became a cultural being.
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Humans reflected on their own existence,
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observed and record their environment
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and invented a new form of communication.
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A bison with eight legs like a time lapse image.
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We can't know for sure but they were probably
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supposed to suggest movement, a kind of Stone Age cinema.
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(light music)
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These works are among the oldest expressions
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of human creativity anywhere on earth
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a kind of cultural big bang.
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We have no idea what brought it about.
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All human societies have produced art
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and there have always been moments
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in which something new emerged.
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What was special about Europe was the tension
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between memory and renewal, between continuity and rapture.
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Michelangelo may have imitated the Greeks
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but he also creating something new.
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Something that had never been seen,
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landscapes, objects and people came to be seen in news ways.
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Art rebelled against tradition without escaping
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from its authority.
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Images and objects from Asia and Africa
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enriched the visual repertoire.
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Boundaries were tested and breached.
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Freed from the obligations to depict anything real
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paintings took on a life of their own.
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And these astonishing moments of creativity
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would have been unthinkable without the diversity
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of the cultures on this continent and the cultural
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competition between them.
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(light music)
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it would be difficult to underestimate the spiritual
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effect these caves had on the people of that era.
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We're now fairly certain that some caves were used
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specifically for rituals.
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Humans already lived in groups at this point
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and they divided up their work among themselves.
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It's easy to imagine that during the winter
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when the opportunities for hunting and gathering
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were limited, they would have honed their cultural skills.
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And that's how we get the Lion Man
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carved from a mammoth tusk 35,000 years ago.
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Half man, half lion, perhaps even a demigod.
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It began in caves but soon spread into the world beyond.
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The first outdoor venues of collective worship
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sprang up in multiple locations across Europe
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around 5,000 years ago.
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The first settled peoples positioned enormous boulders
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in circles creating sites like Stonehenge.
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They were aligned with the course of the sun
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and primarily served as observatories.
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Transporting and setting up the stones
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must have been an incredibly challenging task
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for the people of that era.
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They had to be highly organized and must
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have developed specialized skills
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and technologies for the job.
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Ancestor worship played an important role here.
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They wanted to immortalize the world of their forebears
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in stone for all eternity.
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Cults and strictly defined rituals seem to have
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been the glue that held these early societies together.
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Of course we need to see this in perspective.
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While the Europeans were positioning boulders
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the Egyptians were building pyramids.
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Stone monuments sprang up from Spain to Sweden
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and Poland to France.
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For the first time these megaliths mark
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a visible commonality among the various peoples
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of Europe but at the same time
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the first cities are already appearing
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in modern day Iraq and Syria.
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Europe is still at a developing country.
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The the Eastern Mediterranean on the other hand
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things are starting to get interesting.
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Myths and legends are being woven.
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Why is Europe called Europe?
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Well the answer lies here in Greece.
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A myth relates that Zeus, father of the gods
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fell in love with beautiful Europa,
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daughter of the Phonetician king of Sidon
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in today's Lebanon.
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Europa immediately fell in love with the bull
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or rather Zeus, and climbed onto his back.
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Together they swam to Crete.
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There the bull took human form and asked
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the beautiful maiden to be his queen.
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The part of the world where she lived
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would forever bear her name.
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It's a myth of course but like all myths
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it contains a kernel of truth because the origins
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of Europe really did lie outside this continent
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in Asia Minor, the Levant and Africa.
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From the very beginning Europe was a place
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where cultures met and mixed
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and this would one of the keys to its power and creativity.
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It all started on Crete.
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The islanders were gifted seafarers and traders.
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Crete became Europe's first commercial power
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crafting an impressive trade network
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that stretched across the entire Mediterranean
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to Egypt and Mesopotamia.
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The Cretans grew olive and exported the valuable oil
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to place like Egypt.
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King Minos who according to legend,
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was the son of Zeus and Europa
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commissioned the construction of a magnificent palace
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in Knossos, over 3,000 years ago.
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Today it still bears witness to the golden age
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of both the island and the Minoans,
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the first advanced civilization in Europe.
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Europe's first kingdom emerges here.
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But there are many indications that the Minoans
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aren't particularly interested in personally
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exercising power.
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For everything we know about this mysterious culture
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it appears that leaders and heroes didn't play
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an especially eminent role.
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The first European laws and courts have their roots
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in Minoan society, their legal codes governed
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everything from family law to criminal law,
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literally letter by letter.
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And Minoans were the first Europeans
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who could read and write.
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They adopted their writing system from the Phoenicians.
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This Middle Eastern alphabet is the mother of all
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European writing systems.
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The Minoans even stamped these symbols in clay
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on the famous Phaistos Disc nearly 3,000 years
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before Johannes Gutenberg invented modern printing.
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The meaning of the ancient symbols may have been forgotten
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over time but the Greeks ultimately based
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their own alphabet on the Minoan writing system
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and both our Latin alphabet and the Cyrrelic
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Eastern European alphabet have their origins in Greek.
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For centuries to come Europe's path would be shaped
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by the legacy of Ancient Greece.
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What was so special about Greece?
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Well partly it was question of geography.
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The Greeks were scattered in some 1,500 cities,
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the polis around the shores of the Eastern Mediterranean
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and the Black Sea.
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The terrain of the Greek mainland crisscrossed
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by mountains and ravines favored small communities
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but also obliged them to trade
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and negotiate with each other.
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Not all of the cities were democracies.
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Some were ruled by oligarchs or by tyrants,
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but one city established a system of government
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that would leave a deep imprint on world history.
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Nothing compares to Athens in its golden age.
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Many of the traits that define modern Europe
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can be found here.
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The Greek's world consists of numerous gods
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to whom they dedicate the temples they build
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but also are brilliant thinkers
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who spend their days investigating earthly concerns.
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The grand Parthenon Temple on the Acropolis
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is the most beautiful representation
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of what the streets and squares of ancient Athens
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brought forth into the world.
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Architecture, science, philosophy,
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art, literature and also political thought.
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Athens isn't ruled by a king but by the people.
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For the first time in the continent's history
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all men share responsibility for the decisions
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that affect everyone.
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Women don't yet play a political role
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but it's a start, democracy is born.
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Calm down, all opposed to the proposal raise your hands.
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And all in favor raise your hand now.
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Perhaps we could learn a thing or two
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from the ancient Athenians.
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00:14:32,980 --> 00:14:36,970
They used a voting machine known as a kleroterion
268
00:14:36,970 --> 00:14:38,770
to fill political offices.
269
00:14:38,770 --> 00:14:41,420
Men were elected by lottery so there was no
270
00:14:41,420 --> 00:14:44,093
opportunity for corruption or for lobbying.
271
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,523
Leonidas Linas, you are elected.
272
00:14:48,523 --> 00:14:50,350
(people cheering)
273
00:14:50,350 --> 00:14:52,680
But all of this didn't happen overnight.
274
00:14:52,680 --> 00:14:56,350
Democracy in Athens developed slowly, step by step
275
00:14:56,350 --> 00:14:58,083
and it was repeatedly reformed.
276
00:14:59,940 --> 00:15:03,090
The Athens democracy possessed three institutions
277
00:15:03,090 --> 00:15:06,060
that remain crucial to the political organization
278
00:15:06,060 --> 00:15:07,890
of any free society.
279
00:15:07,890 --> 00:15:10,220
A basic law or constitution
280
00:15:10,220 --> 00:15:12,620
dating back to the 5th century BC.
281
00:15:12,620 --> 00:15:14,520
A parliament, the Ecclesia
282
00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:16,100
where matters of state were discussed
283
00:15:16,100 --> 00:15:19,860
by the citizenry and the system of independent courts.
284
00:15:19,860 --> 00:15:21,570
And these performed their tasks
285
00:15:21,570 --> 00:15:23,620
in magnificent public buildings
286
00:15:23,620 --> 00:15:25,620
located at the heart of the city.
287
00:15:25,620 --> 00:15:26,721
The climate must have helped
288
00:15:26,721 --> 00:15:29,104
because a lot of the public life of this culture
289
00:15:29,104 --> 00:15:31,020
took place outdoors.
290
00:15:31,020 --> 00:15:33,840
The athenian democracy was not invincible
291
00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:35,847
just too centuries after its inception
292
00:15:35,847 --> 00:15:38,360
it was terminated by the rising power
293
00:15:38,360 --> 00:15:40,740
of the Macedonian Kingdom.
294
00:15:40,740 --> 00:15:42,776
But the fact that the democracy of Athens
295
00:15:42,776 --> 00:15:46,676
failed to hold out against a military dictatorship
296
00:15:46,676 --> 00:15:50,163
does nothing to diminish its world historical importance.
297
00:15:52,290 --> 00:15:55,270
What was it Winston Churchill told the British parliament?
298
00:15:55,270 --> 00:15:57,785
Democracy is the worst form of government
299
00:15:57,785 --> 00:15:59,962
except for all those other forms
300
00:15:59,962 --> 00:16:01,983
that have been tried from time to time.
301
00:16:03,344 --> 00:16:06,200
(light music)
302
00:16:06,200 --> 00:16:08,440
In that sense it's easy to understand
303
00:16:08,440 --> 00:16:10,770
why Greek architecture is still reflected
304
00:16:10,770 --> 00:16:13,723
in so many parliament buildings in Europe today.
305
00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:18,790
Symbols representing the power of the people
306
00:16:18,790 --> 00:16:20,950
even if the Athenian form of government
307
00:16:20,950 --> 00:16:22,520
has little in common with out modern
308
00:16:22,520 --> 00:16:24,430
representative democracy.
309
00:16:24,430 --> 00:16:27,070
This is where things come full circle.
310
00:16:27,070 --> 00:16:30,220
The idea of democracy, the balance of power
311
00:16:30,220 --> 00:16:31,680
is supposed to be reflected
312
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:33,870
in the golden ratio of the buildings.
313
00:16:33,870 --> 00:16:37,510
It all traces back to Greek's pursuit of perfection.
314
00:16:37,510 --> 00:16:39,965
Democracy would later become one of the founding principals
315
00:16:39,965 --> 00:16:42,870
of modern Europe and the cornerstone
316
00:16:42,870 --> 00:16:44,453
of this community of nations.
317
00:16:48,750 --> 00:16:52,420
Of course we shouldn't idealize Athenian democracy.
318
00:16:52,420 --> 00:16:56,280
Only free male Athenians held citizenship.
319
00:16:56,280 --> 00:16:59,860
Women and slaves had no political rights at all.
320
00:16:59,860 --> 00:17:02,290
And this democracy like all democracies
321
00:17:02,290 --> 00:17:05,240
was an untidy and open-ended affair.
322
00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:08,560
The nobility were always trying to expand their privileges
323
00:17:08,560 --> 00:17:11,370
and even on occasion, to overturn the system.
324
00:17:11,370 --> 00:17:13,550
The power of money was another problem
325
00:17:13,550 --> 00:17:16,270
when the wealthiest citizens used their cash
326
00:17:16,270 --> 00:17:19,350
to secure power, plutocracy loomed.
327
00:17:19,350 --> 00:17:22,880
And then there was the power of the public word.
328
00:17:22,880 --> 00:17:25,240
Demigods, the literal translation means
329
00:17:25,240 --> 00:17:27,640
leader of the people, was the name Greeks
330
00:17:27,640 --> 00:17:30,370
gave to those gifted orators who sought
331
00:17:30,370 --> 00:17:33,050
to sway the masses in their decisions.
332
00:17:33,050 --> 00:17:34,590
This didn't have to a bad thing
333
00:17:34,590 --> 00:17:36,980
when demigods placed themselves in the service
334
00:17:36,980 --> 00:17:39,810
of the political system they could do great good.
335
00:17:39,810 --> 00:17:41,980
But as soon as they placed their own interests,
336
00:17:41,980 --> 00:17:44,910
or those of a particular faction above those
337
00:17:44,910 --> 00:17:48,570
of the city they became a threat to the general good.
338
00:17:48,570 --> 00:17:51,044
And today in an evermore complex world
339
00:17:51,044 --> 00:17:54,923
the demigods are prospering once again in Europe.
340
00:17:57,689 --> 00:17:59,760
(gun shot blasts)
341
00:17:59,760 --> 00:18:01,500
The marathon is the most
342
00:18:01,500 --> 00:18:04,000
democratic sporting event of all time.
343
00:18:04,000 --> 00:18:07,920
Young, old, fat, thin, anyone can join in the run.
344
00:18:07,920 --> 00:18:09,960
Millions of people around the world catch
345
00:18:09,960 --> 00:18:12,300
marathon fever every year.
346
00:18:12,300 --> 00:18:14,540
This long-distance run is named
347
00:18:14,540 --> 00:18:16,923
after a small town in Greece.
348
00:18:18,930 --> 00:18:22,840
The first marathon runner of history was completely alone.
349
00:18:22,840 --> 00:18:24,780
His name was Pheidippides and he ran
350
00:18:24,780 --> 00:18:27,820
the approximately 40 kilometers from the town of Marathon
351
00:18:27,820 --> 00:18:30,270
to the market place in Athens in order to announce
352
00:18:30,270 --> 00:18:32,480
the victory of the Greeks over
353
00:18:32,480 --> 00:18:35,890
a much larger Persian army in a decisive battle.
354
00:18:35,890 --> 00:18:38,800
It's said that he then collapsed dead on the ground
355
00:18:38,800 --> 00:18:40,882
but not before warning the Athenians
356
00:18:40,882 --> 00:18:43,006
that the remaining Persian forces
357
00:18:43,006 --> 00:18:45,323
were swiftly approaching the city.
358
00:18:46,457 --> 00:18:49,270
(footfall crunching)
359
00:18:49,270 --> 00:18:53,840
And so 490 years before the Christian era
360
00:18:53,840 --> 00:18:56,920
Athenian soldiers moved into position.
361
00:18:56,920 --> 00:18:58,360
Here's the story.
362
00:18:58,360 --> 00:19:00,662
The global super power of the time,
363
00:19:00,662 --> 00:19:04,560
the expansive Persian Empire feels threatened
364
00:19:04,560 --> 00:19:09,200
by the rival cities of Corinth, Sparta and Athens.
365
00:19:09,200 --> 00:19:11,903
The Greeks are united by this common enemy
366
00:19:11,903 --> 00:19:15,283
and they react together with a preemptive strike.
367
00:19:16,360 --> 00:19:19,398
For the first time they feel like Europeans
368
00:19:19,398 --> 00:19:22,870
and they even call their homeland Europe.
369
00:19:22,870 --> 00:19:25,904
It is an identity born of shared fate.
370
00:19:25,904 --> 00:19:28,064
Athens defeats the Persians.
371
00:19:28,064 --> 00:19:32,000
The war continues but the future of the continent
372
00:19:32,000 --> 00:19:34,603
is decided in the dust of Marathon.
373
00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:42,160
The victory at Marathon was a defining moment
374
00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:44,480
for the Greek democracy, a sign of what
375
00:19:44,480 --> 00:19:48,100
could be achieved through unity and self confidence.
376
00:19:48,100 --> 00:19:52,010
Then as so often in its history the destiny of democracy
377
00:19:52,010 --> 00:19:54,090
was tied up with war.
378
00:19:54,090 --> 00:19:56,330
Above all the victory at Marathon
379
00:19:56,330 --> 00:19:59,150
showed the deeper popular participation in political
380
00:19:59,150 --> 00:20:02,050
life can actually heighten the striking power
381
00:20:02,050 --> 00:20:05,560
of a state and the gods too were granted their share.
382
00:20:05,560 --> 00:20:07,420
In its gratitude for the victory
383
00:20:07,420 --> 00:20:11,186
the city sacrificed 500 goats every year
384
00:20:11,186 --> 00:20:13,570
until the number of slaughtered goats
385
00:20:13,570 --> 00:20:15,773
matched the number of Persian dead.
386
00:20:18,020 --> 00:20:19,600
The story of that victory
387
00:20:19,600 --> 00:20:22,910
is classic Hollywood blockbuster material.
388
00:20:22,910 --> 00:20:26,070
Back then it was immediately adapted for the stage.
389
00:20:26,070 --> 00:20:28,850
That's right, Athens is also the birthplace
390
00:20:28,850 --> 00:20:31,020
of the entertainment industry.
391
00:20:31,020 --> 00:20:32,840
The Greeks have loved heroic tales
392
00:20:32,840 --> 00:20:34,140
since the days of Homer
393
00:20:34,140 --> 00:20:37,380
and the story of the Persian wars is no exception.
394
00:20:37,380 --> 00:20:39,990
Actors step into the role of their old enemy
395
00:20:39,990 --> 00:20:43,213
and relive a victory that all Greeks are proud of.
396
00:20:45,090 --> 00:20:48,913
Be stern and remember chin up and chest out.
397
00:20:50,080 --> 00:20:51,030
Aeschylus, a veteran
398
00:20:51,030 --> 00:20:52,020
of the Battle of Marathon
399
00:20:52,020 --> 00:20:54,240
is the author of this thrilling work.
400
00:20:54,240 --> 00:20:55,590
It's your turn now.
401
00:20:56,680 --> 00:20:57,870
With support from the young
402
00:20:57,870 --> 00:21:00,920
politician Pericles, the playwright hopes to win
403
00:21:00,920 --> 00:21:02,900
the theater competition that the Athenians
404
00:21:02,900 --> 00:21:05,560
hold every year in honor of Dionysus
405
00:21:05,560 --> 00:21:07,233
the god of wine and mirth.
406
00:21:10,700 --> 00:21:13,570
Aeschylus himself hadn't exactly covered himself in glory
407
00:21:13,570 --> 00:21:15,450
on the battlefield, but this play
408
00:21:15,450 --> 00:21:17,580
would immortalize his name.
409
00:21:17,580 --> 00:21:20,530
The playwright portrays the senselessness of war
410
00:21:20,530 --> 00:21:23,240
which leads to nothing but horror, despair,
411
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:24,740
death and grief.
412
00:21:24,740 --> 00:21:26,650
He tells the story from the perspective
413
00:21:26,650 --> 00:21:29,280
of the losing side without denigrating
414
00:21:29,280 --> 00:21:31,010
the Persians for their loss.
415
00:21:31,010 --> 00:21:33,883
In this way he hopes to educate his audience.
416
00:21:35,820 --> 00:21:38,730
And the Athenians understand his message.
417
00:21:38,730 --> 00:21:41,000
The Persians won first prize.
418
00:21:41,000 --> 00:21:44,325
It's the oldest surviving theatrical work in the world.
419
00:21:44,325 --> 00:21:46,860
From tragedy to comedy, the Greeks
420
00:21:46,860 --> 00:21:49,543
showed the world the meaning of good entertainment.
421
00:21:50,430 --> 00:21:52,980
The narrative forms established then
422
00:21:52,980 --> 00:21:54,766
have survived the test of time
423
00:21:54,766 --> 00:21:56,960
and the play commemorating the event
424
00:21:56,960 --> 00:22:00,540
that gave rise to the idea of Europe, the Persian wars
425
00:22:00,540 --> 00:22:03,523
is still regularly performed on stage even today.
426
00:22:04,580 --> 00:22:07,040
Art, architecture, political thought,
427
00:22:07,040 --> 00:22:10,230
society in ancient Greece was open and sophisticated
428
00:22:10,230 --> 00:22:13,350
and over the centuries Europe has drawn again and again
429
00:22:13,350 --> 00:22:15,690
from this cultural wellspring.
430
00:22:15,690 --> 00:22:17,350
So this is where the roots of our
431
00:22:17,350 --> 00:22:20,718
European civilization lie, but outside of Hellas
432
00:22:20,718 --> 00:22:24,490
no one else yet identified themselves at European.
433
00:22:24,490 --> 00:22:27,450
So how did the ancient Greeks disseminate their culture?
434
00:22:27,450 --> 00:22:30,973
And how did Greek culture become European culture?
435
00:22:32,810 --> 00:22:35,750
In the 4th century before the birth of Christ
436
00:22:35,750 --> 00:22:38,030
Macedonian King Alexander, later known
437
00:22:38,030 --> 00:22:41,070
as Alexander The Great, conquers all the Greek
438
00:22:41,070 --> 00:22:43,860
city states with the exception of Sparta.
439
00:22:43,860 --> 00:22:46,810
He wants to spread Greek culture around the world.
440
00:22:46,810 --> 00:22:49,898
He creates a global empire in Asia
441
00:22:49,898 --> 00:22:51,923
which he feels is more promising to reign
442
00:22:51,923 --> 00:22:54,020
than the European continent.
443
00:22:54,020 --> 00:22:56,550
The Greeks on the other hand establish colonies
444
00:22:56,550 --> 00:22:59,540
around the Mediterranean including Massilia,
445
00:22:59,540 --> 00:23:01,470
today known as Marseille.
446
00:23:01,470 --> 00:23:04,380
This is where explorer Pytheas set sail
447
00:23:04,380 --> 00:23:07,400
in the 4th century before Christ.
448
00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:08,950
A contemporary of Alexander The Great,
449
00:23:08,950 --> 00:23:11,040
Pytheas wants to explore northern Europe
450
00:23:11,040 --> 00:23:13,790
and his discoveries will revolutionize
451
00:23:13,790 --> 00:23:15,550
the Greek's view of the world.
452
00:23:15,550 --> 00:23:17,087
Up to that point they had believed
453
00:23:17,087 --> 00:23:19,370
that the best and most intelligent people
454
00:23:19,370 --> 00:23:22,530
could only be found in the Mediterranean.
455
00:23:22,530 --> 00:23:26,210
Then Pytheas met the Celts and a new power
456
00:23:26,210 --> 00:23:28,140
appeared on the scene.
457
00:23:28,140 --> 00:23:29,990
The Celts are not a unified people
458
00:23:29,990 --> 00:23:31,760
and they don't have an empire.
459
00:23:31,760 --> 00:23:34,910
Instead they live in numerous different tribal groups.
460
00:23:34,910 --> 00:23:36,534
But, they have shared customs
461
00:23:36,534 --> 00:23:40,110
and when they feel threatened they close ranks.
462
00:23:40,110 --> 00:23:42,810
That sounds almost European you might say.
463
00:23:42,810 --> 00:23:44,850
And in fact in the 1st century BC
464
00:23:44,850 --> 00:23:47,480
the Celts expand their tribal territory
465
00:23:47,480 --> 00:23:51,400
from Central Europe to Anatolia and Britannia.
466
00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:53,753
Their culture continues to grow and develop.
467
00:23:59,400 --> 00:24:01,010
The north is full of nothing
468
00:24:01,010 --> 00:24:03,560
but backward barbarians the groups think.
469
00:24:03,560 --> 00:24:05,791
They believe that the cold and fog of the north
470
00:24:05,791 --> 00:24:08,050
has made the people sluggish.
471
00:24:08,050 --> 00:24:11,670
Still they give them the northerners a flattering name.
472
00:24:11,670 --> 00:24:14,343
The Celts, or the brave ones.
473
00:24:16,750 --> 00:24:19,430
The Greeks are also interesting in doing business.
474
00:24:19,430 --> 00:24:22,280
They have olives and wine to trade with the Celts
475
00:24:22,280 --> 00:24:24,180
for amber and tin.
476
00:24:24,180 --> 00:24:26,620
But first they need to interesting the Celts
477
00:24:26,620 --> 00:24:28,300
to Greek culture.
478
00:24:28,300 --> 00:24:32,383
A few gifts, mainly gold, help to solidify their friendship.
479
00:24:33,600 --> 00:24:35,941
Pytheas, the explorer from Marseille
480
00:24:35,941 --> 00:24:38,260
knows how important this is,
481
00:24:38,260 --> 00:24:41,100
he was the first Greek to reach the northern edge
482
00:24:41,100 --> 00:24:43,363
of the known world at the time.
483
00:24:51,790 --> 00:24:54,890
The Celts are more than just strong warriors
484
00:24:54,890 --> 00:24:56,780
they're also gifted metal workers
485
00:24:56,780 --> 00:24:58,940
and slowly they development a taste
486
00:24:58,940 --> 00:25:02,830
for the Mediterranean lifestyle, especially for wine.
487
00:25:02,830 --> 00:25:04,970
This vessel, as tall as an adult
488
00:25:04,970 --> 00:25:07,420
came from Greece and was found in the tomb
489
00:25:07,420 --> 00:25:11,180
of a Celtic chieftainess, the ubiquitous drinking horns
490
00:25:11,180 --> 00:25:14,453
are further evidence of the Celts and unquenchable thirst.
491
00:25:18,510 --> 00:25:20,720
The Celts were the ones who built the first
492
00:25:20,720 --> 00:25:25,430
cities north of the alps, around 150 of them in fact.
493
00:25:25,430 --> 00:25:28,215
One of the most famous is the Heuneburg
494
00:25:28,215 --> 00:25:30,823
located in modern day Southern Germany.
495
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,700
It's the oldest known Celtic settlement
496
00:25:34,700 --> 00:25:38,070
north of the alps to be mentioned in literature.
497
00:25:38,070 --> 00:25:40,080
Even Greek historian Herodotus
498
00:25:40,080 --> 00:25:41,853
was interested in this city.
499
00:25:43,020 --> 00:25:45,843
Built in 600 BC the Heuneburg was the residence
500
00:25:45,843 --> 00:25:49,156
of Celtic chieftains with clever fortifications
501
00:25:49,156 --> 00:25:51,660
to fend off enemies.
502
00:25:51,660 --> 00:25:54,500
The Celts carefully organized their lives
503
00:25:54,500 --> 00:25:56,226
behind the high walls.
504
00:25:56,226 --> 00:25:59,080
They had their own coins and a system
505
00:25:59,080 --> 00:26:00,433
for the division of labor.
506
00:26:01,780 --> 00:26:06,560
Up to 10,000 people lived in this form of ancient city.
507
00:26:06,560 --> 00:26:09,231
From here the Celts increasingly traded with the Greeks
508
00:26:09,231 --> 00:26:12,583
and with Pytheas' home town, Marseille.
509
00:26:17,861 --> 00:26:20,680
(light music)
510
00:26:20,680 --> 00:26:22,590
The Celts weren't exactly methodical
511
00:26:22,590 --> 00:26:25,220
when it came to occupation and conquest.
512
00:26:25,220 --> 00:26:29,930
But in 387 BC they briefly conquered Rome.
513
00:26:29,930 --> 00:26:33,260
A traumatic experience that remained a vivid memory
514
00:26:33,260 --> 00:26:35,043
for the city's ensuing generations.
515
00:26:36,982 --> 00:26:39,482
(light music)
516
00:26:44,040 --> 00:26:47,610
The imperial Romana, the Roman Empire
517
00:26:47,610 --> 00:26:49,601
isn't an exact model for our modern concept
518
00:26:49,601 --> 00:26:51,917
of Europe of course, but today's Europe
519
00:26:51,917 --> 00:26:55,180
certainly has many of its roots in Rome.
520
00:26:55,180 --> 00:26:58,830
The idea of the republic, the laws, the architecture.
521
00:26:58,830 --> 00:27:00,928
In many areas the Romans were able to build
522
00:27:00,928 --> 00:27:03,113
on what the Greeks had created.
523
00:27:05,550 --> 00:27:07,780
The Pantheon is a good example here.
524
00:27:07,780 --> 00:27:10,464
Behind the Greek style facade is one of the oldest
525
00:27:10,464 --> 00:27:14,940
and largest domes in Europe and it's made of cement.
526
00:27:14,940 --> 00:27:18,460
Both of those things Roman inventions.
527
00:27:18,460 --> 00:27:20,337
In all areas of life the Romans looked
528
00:27:20,337 --> 00:27:22,630
to the Greeks for inspiration
529
00:27:22,630 --> 00:27:24,880
but they wanted to improve on things as well.
530
00:27:27,760 --> 00:27:32,070
The ambitious Gaius Julius Caesar is no exception.
531
00:27:32,070 --> 00:27:34,880
He sees a bright future for himself.
532
00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:38,770
He dreams of being a conqueror like Alexander The Great
533
00:27:38,770 --> 00:27:40,580
but before he can make history
534
00:27:40,580 --> 00:27:42,420
he has to tread the career path
535
00:27:42,420 --> 00:27:46,780
of a Roman civil servant, a long hard slog.
536
00:27:46,780 --> 00:27:49,210
He spares no expense or effort in pursuit
537
00:27:49,210 --> 00:27:52,403
of his ambitions, spending enormous sums on bribes,
538
00:27:52,403 --> 00:27:55,060
and by the time he becomes consul,
539
00:27:55,060 --> 00:27:57,960
Caesar has racked up considerable debts.
540
00:27:57,960 --> 00:28:01,350
What he needs now is a war, a campaign of plunder
541
00:28:01,350 --> 00:28:04,913
to burnish his reputation and fill his empty coffers.
542
00:28:08,370 --> 00:28:13,370
But Caesar has a problem, there's not much left to plunder.
543
00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:16,260
His predecessors have already quashed competition
544
00:28:16,260 --> 00:28:18,500
around the Mediterranean.
545
00:28:18,500 --> 00:28:23,500
His only remaining option is the wild north of Europe.
546
00:28:23,630 --> 00:28:28,380
The land of the Celts, or the Gauls as the Romans call them.
547
00:28:32,050 --> 00:28:36,218
Caesar plans to slow these barbarians who's boss.
548
00:28:36,218 --> 00:28:39,523
300 years after the Celts themselves had plundered Rome.
549
00:28:40,590 --> 00:28:41,793
Better late than never.
550
00:28:50,960 --> 00:28:52,820
Which brings us to the bane
551
00:28:52,820 --> 00:28:55,550
of every Latin student's existence,
552
00:28:55,550 --> 00:28:58,110
the Caesaris Commentarii de Bello Gallico,
553
00:28:58,110 --> 00:29:00,940
or Caesar's account of the Gallic wars.
554
00:29:00,940 --> 00:29:03,170
In the region today known as France
555
00:29:03,170 --> 00:29:05,540
Celtic chieftain Vercingetorix
556
00:29:05,540 --> 00:29:08,235
attempts to block the path of Caesar's legions
557
00:29:08,235 --> 00:29:11,335
barricading himself into the city of Alesia.
558
00:29:11,335 --> 00:29:13,970
Caesar and 50,000 of his legionaries
559
00:29:13,970 --> 00:29:16,310
surround the city with two layers
560
00:29:16,310 --> 00:29:18,330
of circular fortifications
561
00:29:18,330 --> 00:29:21,913
secured with guard towers, moats and traps.
562
00:29:23,160 --> 00:29:25,240
Caesar describes the brutality of this war
563
00:29:25,240 --> 00:29:28,200
without betraying a hint of emotion.
564
00:29:28,200 --> 00:29:30,660
Vercingetorix sends all the women,
565
00:29:30,660 --> 00:29:34,040
children and elderly out of the city
566
00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,497
but they are trapped by the Roman fortifications
567
00:29:36,497 --> 00:29:40,473
and Caesar refuses to help them, the wall remains closed.
568
00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:44,840
Then Vercingetorix attacks.
569
00:29:44,840 --> 00:29:46,930
The battle lasts four days.
570
00:29:46,930 --> 00:29:49,290
More than once the Gauls are close to surmounting
571
00:29:49,290 --> 00:29:51,375
the Roman wall but they are beaten back
572
00:29:51,375 --> 00:29:54,178
and suffer major losses each time.
573
00:29:54,178 --> 00:29:57,261
(warriors screaming)
574
00:29:59,620 --> 00:30:01,640
finally the Roman commander himself
575
00:30:01,640 --> 00:30:03,474
takes to the front lines of his cavalry
576
00:30:03,474 --> 00:30:06,670
bolstering the wavering ranks of his legionaries.
577
00:30:06,670 --> 00:30:09,370
They capture such a large number of prisoners
578
00:30:09,370 --> 00:30:12,413
that each legionary receives one as a slave.
579
00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:20,130
After six years of fighting Vercingetorix surrenders.
580
00:30:20,130 --> 00:30:24,290
His people the Gauls are absorbed into the Roman Empire.
581
00:30:24,290 --> 00:30:26,810
With this victory, Caesar successfully
582
00:30:26,810 --> 00:30:29,483
expands the Roman Empire far into the west.
583
00:30:35,090 --> 00:30:39,041
In the 19th century the Gaulish Vercingetorix
584
00:30:39,041 --> 00:30:41,370
becomes French.
585
00:30:41,370 --> 00:30:43,790
In modern France he's still considered
586
00:30:43,790 --> 00:30:45,995
a national hero deserving of a monument
587
00:30:45,995 --> 00:30:48,683
as a symbol of their unity as a nation.
588
00:30:52,910 --> 00:30:55,220
The world of the Celts shrinks
589
00:30:55,220 --> 00:30:57,120
after the battle of Alesia.
590
00:30:57,120 --> 00:30:59,225
First they disappear north of the alps
591
00:30:59,225 --> 00:31:02,660
and then Caesar conquers Gaul and incorporates it
592
00:31:02,660 --> 00:31:04,300
into the Roman Empire.
593
00:31:04,300 --> 00:31:07,743
In the end only the Celts on the British Isles remain.
594
00:31:12,130 --> 00:31:15,780
Caesar's path is drenched in blood.
595
00:31:15,780 --> 00:31:17,400
By his own account he had over
596
00:31:17,400 --> 00:31:19,373
one million lives on his conscience.
597
00:31:20,650 --> 00:31:24,523
Look behind you and remember you are but a man.
598
00:31:25,420 --> 00:31:27,166
This good advice is drowned out
599
00:31:27,166 --> 00:31:29,400
by the cheers of the masses.
600
00:31:29,400 --> 00:31:31,410
With the praise heaped upon Caesar
601
00:31:31,410 --> 00:31:35,320
he rises to the status of demigod and he knows it.
602
00:31:35,320 --> 00:31:38,273
Megalomania becomes his constant companion.
603
00:31:40,680 --> 00:31:42,650
After his victory over the Gauls,
604
00:31:42,650 --> 00:31:44,770
Caesar calls for a victory parade
605
00:31:44,770 --> 00:31:47,600
the likes of which have never been seen before.
606
00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:50,440
It's an unparalleled show of strength.
607
00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:53,490
He dresses as Jupiter, the chief deity
608
00:31:53,490 --> 00:31:56,960
in the Roman Pantheon, no false modesty here.
609
00:31:56,960 --> 00:31:58,510
And Caesar presents his most
610
00:31:58,510 --> 00:32:01,860
important trophy, Vercingetorix.
611
00:32:01,860 --> 00:32:05,320
He keeps him alive just for this performance.
612
00:32:05,320 --> 00:32:08,130
Caesar, the conqueror of the Barbarians,
613
00:32:08,130 --> 00:32:10,593
the message comes across loud and clear.
614
00:32:11,958 --> 00:32:15,510
(crowd cheering)
615
00:32:15,510 --> 00:32:18,850
With Caesar a new idea takes hold in Europe,
616
00:32:18,850 --> 00:32:20,890
the concept of empire.
617
00:32:20,890 --> 00:32:22,934
Roman had been a republic up to that point,
618
00:32:22,934 --> 00:32:25,090
ruled by the nobility.
619
00:32:25,090 --> 00:32:28,161
But the senators transfer full control to Caesar
620
00:32:28,161 --> 00:32:30,800
naming him dictator for life.
621
00:32:30,800 --> 00:32:34,730
The Roman republic becomes the Imperial Romana,
622
00:32:34,730 --> 00:32:37,310
incorporating broad swathes of Europe.
623
00:32:37,310 --> 00:32:40,640
So ironically Europeans have one the world's
624
00:32:40,640 --> 00:32:45,330
greatest egomaniacs to thank for the first political union.
625
00:32:45,330 --> 00:32:48,783
European emperors and dictators invoke Caesar's name
626
00:32:48,783 --> 00:32:51,883
from Roman times up until the 20th century.
627
00:32:53,450 --> 00:32:58,450
His successors, the Caesars became Kaisers and Czars.
628
00:33:01,010 --> 00:33:01,843
Charlemagnen,
629
00:33:03,110 --> 00:33:04,313
Ivan The Terrible,
630
00:33:07,150 --> 00:33:08,593
Napoleon Bonaparte,
631
00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:12,813
Emperor Wilhelm II,
632
00:33:16,090 --> 00:33:17,573
and Benito Mussolini.
633
00:33:24,210 --> 00:33:27,390
Caesar's adopted son and heir Augustus
634
00:33:27,390 --> 00:33:30,550
is the first to truly infirm and establish the idea
635
00:33:30,550 --> 00:33:32,540
of empire and it's under his rule
636
00:33:32,540 --> 00:33:34,660
the people become aware of what it means
637
00:33:34,660 --> 00:33:35,860
to govern the continent.
638
00:33:38,270 --> 00:33:40,800
And this included perfect communication
639
00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:42,830
his subjects across Europe.
640
00:33:42,830 --> 00:33:44,971
Augustus who built this forum
641
00:33:44,971 --> 00:33:47,630
was a master of public relations.
642
00:33:47,630 --> 00:33:50,710
He really understood the marketing of power.
643
00:33:50,710 --> 00:33:53,266
And here as you can see, he's depicted on a coin.
644
00:33:53,266 --> 00:33:56,257
This is how, for the first time in European history
645
00:33:56,257 --> 00:34:00,450
the image of a ruler traveled a million times over.
646
00:34:00,450 --> 00:34:03,850
Augustus preempted Andy Warhol's 20th century axiom,
647
00:34:03,850 --> 00:34:06,178
exposure yourself, take your picture,
648
00:34:06,178 --> 00:34:09,800
bit yourself up and send your image around the world.
649
00:34:09,800 --> 00:34:12,637
Facebook, Instagram, nothing new there then.
650
00:34:12,637 --> 00:34:16,256
As his power increased, Augustus' picture changed.
651
00:34:16,256 --> 00:34:19,550
At the beginning his face was still folded
652
00:34:19,550 --> 00:34:22,008
in the worry lines of a politician preoccupied
653
00:34:22,008 --> 00:34:25,430
by the res publica, the affairs of state.
654
00:34:25,430 --> 00:34:28,410
Later the line fell away, the face depicted
655
00:34:28,410 --> 00:34:31,527
in pictures and on coins is completely smooth,
656
00:34:31,527 --> 00:34:34,000
timeless and godlike.
657
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:37,237
The image minted here was meticulously designed
658
00:34:37,237 --> 00:34:40,340
and thought through by Augustus and his spin doctors.
659
00:34:40,340 --> 00:34:43,310
And the message was, you can be proud Romans
660
00:34:43,310 --> 00:34:45,080
that you reign over the world.
661
00:34:45,080 --> 00:34:46,683
This is your calling.
662
00:34:48,800 --> 00:34:51,754
The comforts offered by the Roman way of civilization
663
00:34:51,754 --> 00:34:54,650
are one of the primary factors driving
664
00:34:54,650 --> 00:34:57,371
the success of Greco-Roman civilization.
665
00:34:57,371 --> 00:34:59,467
The Romans established colonies everywhere
666
00:34:59,467 --> 00:35:03,070
from Southern France and Trier in Germany
667
00:35:03,070 --> 00:35:06,593
to Bath in Britain, from the Atlantic to the Balkans.
668
00:35:10,914 --> 00:35:13,580
And the dense network of roads they construct
669
00:35:13,580 --> 00:35:15,790
in the lands they conquer make it easy
670
00:35:15,790 --> 00:35:17,890
for legionaries, traders and travelers
671
00:35:17,890 --> 00:35:19,040
to cross the continent.
672
00:35:22,228 --> 00:35:25,061
(rocks crunching)
673
00:35:27,330 --> 00:35:30,670
Roman roads crisscross thousands of kilometers
674
00:35:30,670 --> 00:35:31,960
throughout Europe.
675
00:35:31,960 --> 00:35:35,360
The Romans organize an entire continent.
676
00:35:35,360 --> 00:35:39,010
They connect Europe with their empire and their language
677
00:35:39,010 --> 00:35:41,760
and they unite Europe with their laws.
678
00:35:41,760 --> 00:35:44,660
Soon Roman law would apply everywhere in Europe
679
00:35:44,660 --> 00:35:47,070
governing the daily lives of its peoples
680
00:35:47,070 --> 00:35:50,363
and stipulating the means of resolving all disputes.
681
00:35:56,170 --> 00:35:57,858
The Romans have a criminal law
682
00:35:57,858 --> 00:36:01,120
and a defined code of criminal procedure
683
00:36:01,120 --> 00:36:02,950
which would form the basis for everything
684
00:36:02,950 --> 00:36:04,003
that came afterwards.
685
00:36:09,950 --> 00:36:12,070
The Roman's citizenship in particular
686
00:36:12,070 --> 00:36:14,260
had a tremendous power to integrate.
687
00:36:14,260 --> 00:36:16,521
It was granted to all inhabitants of the Roman Empire
688
00:36:16,521 --> 00:36:21,119
in the year 212, slaves were the only exception.
689
00:36:21,119 --> 00:36:23,650
Emperor Caligula ensured that there was equality
690
00:36:23,650 --> 00:36:26,300
before the law and he also looked to the pleasure
691
00:36:26,300 --> 00:36:28,300
of the Romans, ordering that the system
692
00:36:28,300 --> 00:36:30,725
of aqueducts be extended and that gigantic
693
00:36:30,725 --> 00:36:33,040
thermal bathes be built.
694
00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:34,840
Whether dressed for the public bathes
695
00:36:34,840 --> 00:36:36,741
or standing before a court of law
696
00:36:36,741 --> 00:36:40,201
everyone was equal and possessed, in principal at least,
697
00:36:40,201 --> 00:36:42,930
the same opportunities for advancement.
698
00:36:42,930 --> 00:36:45,696
Theoretically, anyone could assume public office
699
00:36:45,696 --> 00:36:48,250
and the Romans never forced a citizen
700
00:36:48,250 --> 00:36:50,000
to give up his own culture.
701
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:52,210
Many of the those who fell under Roman sway
702
00:36:52,210 --> 00:36:54,440
wanted in any case to be like the Romans
703
00:36:54,440 --> 00:36:56,640
and so voluntarily assimilated themselves
704
00:36:56,640 --> 00:36:58,420
to the Roman norm.
705
00:36:58,420 --> 00:37:01,190
And so the Pax Romana came about.
706
00:37:01,190 --> 00:37:04,040
Internal peace in this huge empire
707
00:37:04,040 --> 00:37:05,876
and will it a loose community
708
00:37:05,876 --> 00:37:09,303
that one might describe as Proto European.
709
00:37:10,810 --> 00:37:13,470
But not all Europeans are prepared to trade
710
00:37:13,470 --> 00:37:16,890
their freedom for a bath at a Roman spa.
711
00:37:16,890 --> 00:37:18,330
The peoples of the regions today
712
00:37:18,330 --> 00:37:21,710
known as Germany and Scotland offer stubborn
713
00:37:21,710 --> 00:37:23,053
assertive resistance.
714
00:37:27,070 --> 00:37:29,706
Rather than subduing the ruly barbarians
715
00:37:29,706 --> 00:37:33,990
the Romans seal themselves off with Hadrian's Wall
716
00:37:33,990 --> 00:37:36,700
today on the border between England and Scotland.
717
00:37:36,700 --> 00:37:38,700
It was named for the Roman emperor
718
00:37:38,700 --> 00:37:40,830
who commissioned its construction.
719
00:37:40,830 --> 00:37:43,300
They also set up a border defense system against
720
00:37:43,300 --> 00:37:46,830
the Germanic tribes along the Rhine and Danube rivers,
721
00:37:46,830 --> 00:37:50,909
the Limes, a 550 kilometer cultural border
722
00:37:50,909 --> 00:37:52,863
that cuts right through Europe.
723
00:37:56,200 --> 00:37:59,510
On one side are the cities of the Roman Empire
724
00:37:59,510 --> 00:38:01,253
where civilization flourishes.
725
00:38:04,380 --> 00:38:06,550
There are magnificent buildings here,
726
00:38:06,550 --> 00:38:09,193
spas and bustling market places.
727
00:38:10,600 --> 00:38:13,080
When Augustus reigned, many millions of people
728
00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:14,573
lived in these cities.
729
00:38:14,573 --> 00:38:17,780
Germanios which is not occupied by the Romans
730
00:38:17,780 --> 00:38:20,660
is thinly populated, it looks a bit like
731
00:38:20,660 --> 00:38:22,920
a gigantic nature reserve.
732
00:38:25,540 --> 00:38:28,980
East of the Rhine live numerous Germanic and Slavic tribes
733
00:38:28,980 --> 00:38:31,830
in far-flung villages, it's a completely
734
00:38:31,830 --> 00:38:34,303
different world, an archaic world.
735
00:38:37,120 --> 00:38:39,720
A handful of travel reports full of stories
736
00:38:39,720 --> 00:38:41,230
about the Barbarians to the north
737
00:38:41,230 --> 00:38:43,070
were circulating in Roman.
738
00:38:43,070 --> 00:38:45,230
They were likely the basis for the work of
739
00:38:45,230 --> 00:38:49,160
Publius Cornelius Tactius, who's most famous publication
740
00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:52,560
bears the succinct title, Germania.
741
00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,950
The senator and historian apparently never traveled
742
00:38:55,950 --> 00:38:58,340
to the wild of Europe himself,
743
00:38:58,340 --> 00:39:00,200
but that didn't stop didn't stop him from writing
744
00:39:00,200 --> 00:39:04,270
46 chapters about these backward barbarian tribes
745
00:39:04,270 --> 00:39:05,170
in the year 98 AD.
746
00:39:06,970 --> 00:39:09,453
He describes them as slovenly dressers
747
00:39:09,453 --> 00:39:11,816
and he makes mention of their simple foods
748
00:39:11,816 --> 00:39:14,830
and their unusually intoxicating drink,
749
00:39:14,830 --> 00:39:16,670
something called beer,
750
00:39:16,670 --> 00:39:19,290
which was unknown in Roman at the time.
751
00:39:19,290 --> 00:39:22,300
Tactius praises the hospitality of the Germanic tribes,
752
00:39:22,300 --> 00:39:24,200
their modesty and their bravery,
753
00:39:24,200 --> 00:39:28,510
but in fact his aim is to hold a mirror up to Roman society.
754
00:39:28,510 --> 00:39:31,770
He's particularly impressed with the marital fidelity
755
00:39:31,770 --> 00:39:34,090
of the Northerners, but he also mentions
756
00:39:34,090 --> 00:39:35,959
their tendency to drink to excess
757
00:39:35,959 --> 00:39:38,573
and to gamble on games of dice.
758
00:39:39,430 --> 00:39:42,010
Of course, what else can they be expected to do
759
00:39:42,010 --> 00:39:45,920
in such barren wooded country Tactius wonders.
760
00:39:45,920 --> 00:39:48,300
He puts all these musings to paper
761
00:39:48,300 --> 00:39:51,163
as he continues to marvel at these exotic Teutons.
762
00:39:53,830 --> 00:39:56,026
There is brisk trade between the Romans
763
00:39:56,026 --> 00:39:58,690
and the Germanic tribes in the border regions
764
00:39:58,690 --> 00:40:00,740
via Gates and the Limes.
765
00:40:00,740 --> 00:40:03,080
On the whole the European neighbors seem
766
00:40:03,080 --> 00:40:04,930
to have come to an arrangement.
767
00:40:04,930 --> 00:40:06,662
Only occasionally do the Numeri,
768
00:40:06,662 --> 00:40:10,170
a Roman rapid response force need to step in.
769
00:40:10,170 --> 00:40:12,180
Like border police, they take action
770
00:40:12,180 --> 00:40:14,973
against the frequent raids plotted by Germanic hoards
771
00:40:14,973 --> 00:40:18,513
against the wealthy Romans on the other side of the wall.
772
00:40:22,470 --> 00:40:26,140
But walls and fences aren't a permanent solution.
773
00:40:26,140 --> 00:40:28,930
And the Romans learn that the hard way.
774
00:40:28,930 --> 00:40:31,490
When nomadic Asian tribes invade Europe
775
00:40:31,490 --> 00:40:34,610
in the 4th century, the old order crumbles.
776
00:40:34,610 --> 00:40:37,890
Roman officer and historian Ammianus Marcellinus
777
00:40:37,890 --> 00:40:40,548
describes the arrival of the Hun peoples
778
00:40:40,548 --> 00:40:43,970
saying that they were excited by an unrestrained
779
00:40:43,970 --> 00:40:47,060
desire of plundering the possessions of others.
780
00:40:47,060 --> 00:40:49,233
And that they went on ravishing and slaughtering
781
00:40:49,233 --> 00:40:51,243
all the nations in their neighborhood.
782
00:40:56,009 --> 00:40:59,259
(horse hoofs clopping)
783
00:41:01,950 --> 00:41:05,840
After more than 300 years the Pax Romana
784
00:41:05,840 --> 00:41:09,270
the peace within the Roman Empire comes to an end.
785
00:41:09,270 --> 00:41:11,640
Germanic tribes descend on the Empire
786
00:41:11,640 --> 00:41:14,610
as refugees and as conquerors.
787
00:41:14,610 --> 00:41:17,270
The Goths are the first to seek refuge in the Empire.
788
00:41:17,270 --> 00:41:20,253
They cross the Danube in 376.
789
00:41:21,500 --> 00:41:23,393
Other Germanic tribes would follow.
790
00:41:32,690 --> 00:41:36,250
Ammianus Marcellinus observes this mass migration
791
00:41:36,250 --> 00:41:39,750
and reports of large numbers of unfamiliar Barbarian
792
00:41:39,750 --> 00:41:42,860
tribes composed of various nations
793
00:41:42,860 --> 00:41:45,650
now with all their families wandering about
794
00:41:45,650 --> 00:41:47,870
in different directions on the banks
795
00:41:47,870 --> 00:41:49,710
of the river Danube.
796
00:41:49,710 --> 00:41:52,680
At first his intelligence was lightly treated
797
00:41:52,680 --> 00:41:54,670
by our people he writes.
798
00:41:54,670 --> 00:41:58,040
And in fact the Romans gradually lose control,
799
00:41:58,040 --> 00:42:01,173
first over their borders and then over their Empire.
800
00:42:05,180 --> 00:42:08,930
The Empire is finally divided in the year 395
801
00:42:08,930 --> 00:42:12,410
into a Western and an Eastern Roman Empire.
802
00:42:12,410 --> 00:42:15,090
This migration period upsets the balance
803
00:42:15,090 --> 00:42:17,208
of ancient Europe, but at the same time
804
00:42:17,208 --> 00:42:20,930
Europe as we know it begins to take shape.
805
00:42:20,930 --> 00:42:23,270
Germanic kingdoms arise in the territory
806
00:42:23,270 --> 00:42:26,530
of western Roman, including the powerful Franconia
807
00:42:26,530 --> 00:42:28,963
in the region that is today Germany and France.
808
00:42:31,310 --> 00:42:34,550
I've traveled to Angals and Saxons in England,
809
00:42:34,550 --> 00:42:37,233
or to be more specific, to Cambridge.
810
00:42:39,690 --> 00:42:42,190
(light music)
811
00:42:46,350 --> 00:42:48,560
Europe has always been about movement.
812
00:42:48,560 --> 00:42:50,450
Peoples and nations came and went,
813
00:42:50,450 --> 00:42:51,880
everything got mixed up.
814
00:42:51,880 --> 00:42:53,780
And the record of this long history
815
00:42:53,780 --> 00:42:55,330
or more or less constant movement
816
00:42:55,330 --> 00:42:57,870
over thousands of years is recorded
817
00:42:57,870 --> 00:43:00,780
in the genetic material of the Europeans.
818
00:43:00,780 --> 00:43:03,370
And with the modern methods of gene technology
819
00:43:03,370 --> 00:43:05,860
we can read it, every individual can find out
820
00:43:05,860 --> 00:43:09,400
what kind of mix he or she is made up of.
821
00:43:09,400 --> 00:43:10,670
And that's interesting.
822
00:43:10,670 --> 00:43:12,876
I for example, would very much like to know
823
00:43:12,876 --> 00:43:16,010
how much of Europe is inside me as an Australian
824
00:43:16,010 --> 00:43:20,130
and what paths my ancestors followed on the old continent.
825
00:43:20,130 --> 00:43:22,800
With some patience and a little bit of saliva
826
00:43:22,800 --> 00:43:24,108
I can find it out.
827
00:43:24,108 --> 00:43:26,750
I'm going to send this sample to a laboratory
828
00:43:26,750 --> 00:43:28,810
in the United States.
829
00:43:28,810 --> 00:43:32,111
My genetic material will be deciphered
830
00:43:32,111 --> 00:43:35,490
and I'm looking forward to getting the result.
831
00:43:35,490 --> 00:43:37,980
By the way, all of this is only possible
832
00:43:37,980 --> 00:43:41,080
because Frances Crick and James Watson
833
00:43:41,080 --> 00:43:42,920
discovered, here in Cambridge
834
00:43:42,920 --> 00:43:45,690
how our genetic material is constructed
835
00:43:45,690 --> 00:43:48,120
and it was in this pub that they first
836
00:43:48,120 --> 00:43:51,653
informed the public of their discoveries in 1953.
837
00:43:57,740 --> 00:44:00,483
Pop this into the postbox, let's see what they say.
838
00:44:02,570 --> 00:44:04,670
I'm eagerly awaiting my results
839
00:44:04,670 --> 00:44:06,803
and two weeks later they arrive.
840
00:44:10,070 --> 00:44:13,930
Ah, the results of my gene test are in.
841
00:44:13,930 --> 00:44:18,320
And here we have it.
842
00:44:18,320 --> 00:44:23,320
78.5% of me is British or Irish, that's hardly surprising.
843
00:44:23,530 --> 00:44:26,730
At least 5.1% is French or German,
844
00:44:26,730 --> 00:44:28,370
apparently you can't distinguish between
845
00:44:28,370 --> 00:44:30,300
French and German genes.
846
00:44:30,300 --> 00:44:33,510
2.5% is Scandinavian,
847
00:44:33,510 --> 00:44:36,100
and the 11% of my genes come from
848
00:44:36,100 --> 00:44:38,760
the north European and Baltic Sea region.
849
00:44:38,760 --> 00:44:40,700
That must be the Viking in me.
850
00:44:40,700 --> 00:44:43,267
But I'm also 0.7% Sardinian.
851
00:44:44,810 --> 00:44:47,110
I'm particularly proud of that element
852
00:44:47,110 --> 00:44:49,010
of my genetic heritage.
853
00:44:49,010 --> 00:44:50,900
And then there are the Neanderthal genes
854
00:44:50,900 --> 00:44:53,210
which apparently we all have, and the DNA
855
00:44:53,210 --> 00:44:55,350
from North Africa, apparently that too
856
00:44:55,350 --> 00:44:58,130
is universal and from the Middle East.
857
00:44:58,130 --> 00:45:03,030
All the result of migratory movement to and within Europe.
858
00:45:03,030 --> 00:45:05,710
History has been mixing Europe together
859
00:45:05,710 --> 00:45:09,184
since the Stone Age, and even I, as an Australian
860
00:45:09,184 --> 00:45:10,933
am part of that story.
861
00:45:11,850 --> 00:45:14,320
It's this extraordinary diversity,
862
00:45:14,320 --> 00:45:17,590
this blend of languages and cultures
863
00:45:17,590 --> 00:45:20,360
that had always triggered movement in Europe
864
00:45:20,360 --> 00:45:22,040
just as it did in the Roman era
865
00:45:22,040 --> 00:45:24,702
when the Imperium Romana collapsed.
866
00:45:24,702 --> 00:45:27,290
It was a gradual process.
867
00:45:27,290 --> 00:45:30,220
The supposed decadence of late Roman culture
868
00:45:30,220 --> 00:45:32,823
wasn't the only thing that led to its downfall.
869
00:45:34,240 --> 00:45:37,970
What does an empire look like as it disintegrates?
870
00:45:37,970 --> 00:45:40,950
The continuous civil war and declining economy
871
00:45:40,950 --> 00:45:43,420
of Western Roman means that that part
872
00:45:43,420 --> 00:45:46,363
of the Empire has essentially already dissolved.
873
00:45:47,329 --> 00:45:49,490
A child emperor Romulus Augustulus
874
00:45:49,490 --> 00:45:51,670
sits on the imperial throne.
875
00:45:51,670 --> 00:45:53,960
The influence of the Germanic tribes
876
00:45:53,960 --> 00:45:56,070
has grown significantly.
877
00:45:56,070 --> 00:45:59,640
Now they seize complete control of Western Europe.
878
00:45:59,640 --> 00:46:02,080
The story of the Roman Empire in the west
879
00:46:02,080 --> 00:46:06,260
ends after 503 years with the dethronement
880
00:46:06,260 --> 00:46:09,240
of the child emperor by Germanic leader
881
00:46:09,240 --> 00:46:11,253
Odoacer in the year 476.
882
00:46:16,780 --> 00:46:19,773
Take the imperial mantle to Byzantium.
883
00:46:21,010 --> 00:46:23,160
Tell the emperor of East Rome
884
00:46:24,610 --> 00:46:28,273
that we not longer need it, not here.
885
00:46:29,870 --> 00:46:32,993
From now on I'll have a new title,
886
00:46:34,630 --> 00:46:39,630
Rex Italiae, King of Italy.
887
00:46:44,520 --> 00:46:46,350
This fountain in the middle of Rome,
888
00:46:46,350 --> 00:46:47,950
right in front of the Pantheon
889
00:46:47,950 --> 00:46:50,650
tells a typically European story.
890
00:46:50,650 --> 00:46:52,680
The Roman emperors loved obelisks
891
00:46:52,680 --> 00:46:55,100
because as the Ancient Egyptians already knew,
892
00:46:55,100 --> 00:46:58,110
obelisks are kind of antenna to the gods,
893
00:46:58,110 --> 00:47:00,400
so they caused them, this one for example,
894
00:47:00,400 --> 00:47:02,100
dates from the time of Ramesses II
895
00:47:02,950 --> 00:47:05,480
to be brought to The Eternal City.
896
00:47:05,480 --> 00:47:08,340
A thousand years later, Pope Clement XI
897
00:47:08,340 --> 00:47:11,440
had it erected here and added another antenna
898
00:47:11,440 --> 00:47:13,570
in the form of a cross on top.
899
00:47:13,570 --> 00:47:16,040
And here you can see his coat of arms.
900
00:47:16,040 --> 00:47:18,480
The dolphins were added later during the Baroque
901
00:47:18,480 --> 00:47:21,280
and represent Christ, the redeemer of souls.
902
00:47:21,280 --> 00:47:23,500
And then there's the water in the fountain itself.
903
00:47:23,500 --> 00:47:25,970
The worship of river gods and spring nymphs
904
00:47:25,970 --> 00:47:29,070
was of course a widespread practice among the Greeks.
905
00:47:29,070 --> 00:47:31,140
And for Plato the philosopher,
906
00:47:31,140 --> 00:47:34,610
water always performed an allegorical function.
907
00:47:34,610 --> 00:47:38,660
Plato compared the ideal state to a body of clear waters
908
00:47:38,660 --> 00:47:41,900
into which all springs and brooks flow and merge.
909
00:47:41,900 --> 00:47:45,730
And one could compare this fountain with Europe itself.
910
00:47:45,730 --> 00:47:48,720
What was there is its past is constantly mingling
911
00:47:48,720 --> 00:47:50,040
with something new.
912
00:47:50,040 --> 00:47:53,473
From this dynamic mixture great things can grow.
913
00:47:56,730 --> 00:47:58,990
So what remains?
914
00:47:58,990 --> 00:48:02,850
For me Rome's most beautiful building is the Pantheon
915
00:48:02,850 --> 00:48:04,880
with its massive dome.
916
00:48:04,880 --> 00:48:07,720
It's a place that reflects the highs and lows
917
00:48:07,720 --> 00:48:10,210
of European history like no other.
918
00:48:10,210 --> 00:48:12,210
I want to go back there one more time.
919
00:48:30,794 --> 00:48:34,461
(gentle echoing vocalizing)
920
00:48:44,560 --> 00:48:46,560
The resonance of this place conveys
921
00:48:46,560 --> 00:48:47,810
something of its immensity.
922
00:48:47,810 --> 00:48:50,570
This really is a break-taking temple.
923
00:48:50,570 --> 00:48:52,610
When Michelangelo first clapped eyes
924
00:48:52,610 --> 00:48:55,280
on the Pantheon in Rome he thought that such
925
00:48:55,280 --> 00:48:58,450
an architectural wonder could scarcely have been created
926
00:48:58,450 --> 00:49:02,010
by mortal hands, it must have been the work of angels.
927
00:49:02,010 --> 00:49:04,040
And perhaps he was right
928
00:49:04,040 --> 00:49:05,900
because that would explain why the Pantheon
929
00:49:05,900 --> 00:49:07,617
survived the devastating destructions
930
00:49:07,617 --> 00:49:11,720
of the Teutons in Rome as well as a couple of earth quakes.
931
00:49:11,720 --> 00:49:14,628
At any rate, the seizure of power by the Teutons
932
00:49:14,628 --> 00:49:18,090
turned out not to be the end of European history.
933
00:49:18,090 --> 00:49:20,520
On the contrary, it further enriched
934
00:49:20,520 --> 00:49:24,190
the unique mix on whose foundations European civilization
935
00:49:24,190 --> 00:49:27,730
rests until this day, because instead of destroying
936
00:49:27,730 --> 00:49:29,930
the ancient culture of the Greeks and Romans
937
00:49:29,930 --> 00:49:33,210
the Germanic warriors cultivated this legacy.
938
00:49:33,210 --> 00:49:36,698
A further ingredient was still to come, Christianity.
939
00:49:36,698 --> 00:49:39,530
What will bind the Europeans together
940
00:49:39,530 --> 00:49:42,733
but also bitterly divide them, is their faith.
941
00:49:44,913 --> 00:49:47,496
(light music)
74792
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