All language subtitles for Unearthed Lost City of the Desert 720p

Narrator: PETRA -- AN ANCIENT
AND MYSTERIOUS CITY OF STONE

CONCEALED BY THE DESERT.

Parker: PETRA, SUDDENLY,
APPEARS ALMOST OUT OF NOWHERE.

AND THEN, IT DISAPPEARS
VERY QUICKLY.

Narrator:
PETRA, IN JORDAN,

IS FAMOUS FOR
ITS EXTRAORDINARY BEAUTY.

BUT VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN
ABOUT THIS VAST METROPOLIS

OR THE CIVILIZATION
THAT BUILT IT.

THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE
WITH PETRA IS ITS SCALE.

IT'S A HUGE CITY, AND WE
HAVEN'T EVEN BEGUN TO TOUCH

EVEN 2% OF IT.

Narrator: BUT NOW,
ARCHAEOLOGISTS ARE USING

THE LATEST TECHNIQUES
TO RESURRECT THE LIVES

OF PETRA'S
FORGOTTEN PEOPLE.

WHO WERE THEY,
AND WHY DID THEY DISAPPEAR?

Corbett: NOT VERY MUCH HAS BEEN
KNOWN ABOUT THE DAILY LIVES

OF THE NORMAL PEOPLE
WHO INBITED PETRA.

I THINK PETRA REPRESENTS A MAJOR
CHALLENGE FOR ARCHAEOLOGISTS.

Narrator: THE ONLY WAY TO
DISCOVER WHY PETRA WAS ABANDONED

IS TO LIFT THIS MIGHTY
METROPOLIS FROM THE SANDS.

WE'LL BRING BACK TO LIFE
THE ASTONISHING MONUMENTS

OF THIS FORGOTTEN
CIVILIZATION

TO REVEAL WHAT HAPPENED

TO THE GREATEST
LOST CITY

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ON THE EDGE OF
THE ARABIAN DESERT

LIE THE RUINS OF
A FORGOTTEN METROPOLIS --

PETRA.

ONE OF THE GREATEST CITIES
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

TWO THOUSAND YEARS AGO,

PETRA'S KINGS WERE
THE CONTEMPORARIES

OF FAMOUS RULERS
LIKE JULIUS CAESAR

AND LIVED AT
THE TIME OF CHRIST.

BUT WHY DO WE KNOW
SO LITTLE ABOUT THIS

ONCE-GREAT
CIVILIZATION?

PETRA WAS ONE OF THE GREAT
INTERNATIONAL CITIES

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

IT'S A CITY THAT'S CUT LARGELY
OUT OF THE LIVING SANDSTONE.

¶¶

Narrator:
THIS VAST CITY LIES HIDDEN AT
THE END OF A WINDING PASSAGEWAY

ALMOST A MILE LONG.

THIS NATURAL SPLIT IN THE ROCK
IS KNOWN AS THE "SIQ,"

AND IT LEADS TO PETRA'S MOST
FAMOUS MONUMENT -- THE TREASURY.

THIS ELABORATE TOMB IS CARVED
DEEP INTO THE ROCK FACE,

FAMILIAR TO MILLIONS
FROM THE "INDIANA JONES" MOVIES.

BUT IT'S JUST A GLIMPSE
OF WHAT'S HIDING HERE.

DEEPER TOWARDS
THE CITY'S CENTER,

DOZENS MORE TOMBS
LINE THE CLIFF WALLS

ALONG WITH A THEATER
FOR OVER 8,000 PEOPLE.

HOW DID A CIVILIZATION
GROW SO POWERFUL

THAT IT COULD CREATE SO MANY
EXTRAORDINARY BUILDINGS

AND YET LEAVE BEHIND
SO LITTLE ABOUT ITSELF?

THE FIRST EXPLORERS
TO STUMBLE ACROSS PETRA

DISCOVERED A CITY UNLIKE
ANYTHING THEY HAD EVER SEEN --

A LABYRINTH OF STRANGE CAVES
AND BREATHTAKING ARCHITECTURE.

IT IS THE LONG-LOST CAPITAL
OF AN ANCIENT NOMADIC PEOPLE

CALLED
"THE NABATEANS."

ARCHAEOLOGIST GLENN CORBETT
INVESTIGATES

WHY THEY CREATED
THIS UNIQUE CITY.

Corbett: VERY, VERY LITTLE
OF THIS ANCIENT CITY

HAS ACTUALLY
BEEN DISCOVERED.

AND SO, FOR THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS,
IT REPRESENTS A REAL CHALLENGE.

Narrator: GLENN'S ON HIS WAY
TO PETRA'S FAMOUS TREASURY.

HE THINKS A CLUE TO
THE CITY'S ORIGINS

LIES WITH ITS PUZZLING
ARCHITECTURE.

THIS MONUMENT IS COVERED WITH
FEATURES FROM DIFFERENT CULTURES

THAT SHOULD HAVE NOTHING
IN COMMON WITH EACH OTHER.

PETRA'S TREASURY IS A BEAUTIFUL
BUT BEWILDERING STRUCTURE.

GRIFFONS SIT ON TOP
OF CORINTHIAN-STYLE COLUMNS

WITH AXE-WIELDING WARRIORS AND
EAGLES OF THE GREEK GOD ZEUS.

BUT IN THE MIDDLE
IS A STATUE

THAT RESEMBLES
THE EGYPTIAN GODDESS ISIS.

AND INSIDE, THIS ICONIC
MONUMENT IS EVEN STRANGER.

BEHIND THE FACADE
IS JUST AN EMPTY CHAMBER,

PERHAPS A FEASTING HALL
FOR THE DEAD.

AND BENEATH IT ALL,
ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED

THE SIMPLE BURIAL CHAMBER
OF A RICH AND POWERFUL FAMILY.

SO, COULD THE STRANGE DESIGN
OF THESE MONUMENTS

REVEAL WHY SUCH
A CITY WAS BUILT?

ANCIENT WRITERS DESCRIBED THE
NABATEANS AS NOMADS FROM ARABIA,

BUT PETRA LOOKS MORE LIKE
A GREEK OR ROMAN CITY

ON THE EDGE
OF THE DESERT.

Corbett: WE SEE ALL THE BASIC
ELEMENTS OF CLASSICAL

GRECO-ROMAN
ARCHITECTURE HERE.

WE SEE THE COLUMNS, THE FLORAL
CAPITALS, THE DECORATED FRIEZES.

WE SEE THE BROKEN PEDIMENT,
THE CENTRAL THOLOS.

AND AMID ALL OF THESE
ARCHITECTURAL ELEMENTS,

WE SEE THE GODS AND GODDESSES
AND MYTHOLOGICAL FIGURES

THAT, HONESTLY,
TO THE AVERAGE NABATEAN,

WOULDN'T HAVE MADE
THAT MUCH SENSE.

Narrator: BUT GLENN BELIEVES
THERE IS A HIDDEN MEANING

TO PETRA'S MONUMENTS THAT
REVEALS WHO THE NABATEANS WERE

AND WHY THEY BUILT
THIS CITY.

AND HE THINKS THE ANSWERS LIE
BURIED IN THE CITY CENTER.

THE SECRETIVE NABATEANS
LEFT ALMOST NO WRITTEN RECORDS.

BUT THEY DID LEAVE A VAST
ARCHAEOLOGICAL TREASURE TROVE.

[ SPEAKING NATIVE
LANGUAGE ]

TODAY, AMERICAN
AND JORDANEAN ARCHAEOLOGISTS

ARE SIFTING THROUGH
THE HUGE HEAPS OF SAND

THAT COVER THIS CITY.

SO MANY THINGS THAT WE HAVE
COME OUT OF THIS DUMP.

POTTERY LIKE THIS REVEALS
THAT THE NABATEANS WERE RICH

AND SOPHISTICATED.

VERY NICE.

THIS, FOR EXAMPLE, IS A VERY,
VERY NICE PIECE OF NABATEAN

PAINTED POTTERY -- VERY FINE,
VERY THIN, ALMOST EGGSHELL THIN

WHERE IS VERY CHARACTERISTIC
OF THE NABATEANS

DURING THEIR HEYDAY.

THE SHEER VOLUME OF MATERIAL
IN PETRA REVEALS THAT,

NEARLY 2,000 YEARS AGO,

NABATEAN SOCIETY
CHANGED DRAMATICALLY.

THESE NOMADS DECIDED TO BUILD
A NEW KIND OF CITY

ALMOST OVERNIGHT.

Corbett:
IT'S REALLY UNBELIEVABLE

HOW MUCH POTTERY WE FIND

AT JUST ANY
ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE,

BUT ESPECIALLY LARGE,
ANCIENT CITIES LIKE PETRA.

YOU CAN WALK THE SURFACE
OF PETRA

AND SEE THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS OF SHERDS.

Narrator: SO WHAT DROVE PETRA'S
NOMADS TO BECOME CITY SLICKERS?

ANCIENT WRITERS SAY THAT
THE CITY LAY ON THE WORLD'S

GREATEST TRADE ROUTE ACROSS THE
DESERT TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

THE NABATEANS SETTLED HERE TO
CONTROL THIS TRADE IN INCENSE,

SPICES, AND TEXTILES,
BECOMING EXTREMELY WEALTHY.

THEY DECIDED TO POUR
THEIR NEW MONEY

INTO CREATING INCREDIBLE
MASTERPIECES.

BUT THEY USED IDEAS
FROM GREECE AND ROME

THAT FLOWED BACK
INTO PETRA.

SO, DID THE NABATEANS JUST
ABANDON THEIR OLD WAY OF LIFE?

GLENN'S POTTERY COMES
FROM A SHRINE

CALLED "THE TEMPLE
OF THE WINGED LIONS."

DISCOVERIES HERE REVEAL
THAT IT WAS DEDICATED

TO A POWERFUL NABATEAN GODDESS
CALLED "AL-UZZA"

2,000 YEARS AGO.

Corbett: THIS TEMPLE,
AS FAR AS WE KNOW,

WAS PROBABLY BUILT WHEN
THE CITY WAS REALLY EXPLODING

WITH A MASSIVE
BUILDING PROGRAM.

Narrator: GLENN
AND HIS COLLEAGUES

ARE STILL PIECING TOGETHER

EXACTLY WHAT
THIS SACRED TEMPLE LOOKED LIKE.

BUT THEY'VE DISCOVERED THAT
IT HIDES A SECRET.

THIS TEMPLE MAY LOOK GREEK
OR ROMAN ON THE OUTSIDE --

LIKE SO MANY
OF PETRA'S BUILDINGS --

BUT THE LAYOUT OF
THE CENTRAL SANCTUARY

IS BASED ON AN ANCIENT
ARABIAN DESIGN.

Corbett: A LOT OF THE DECORATIVE
ELEMENTS OF THE TEMPLE

ARE ACTUALLY MUCH MORE COMMON
TO GREEK AND ROMAN ARCHITECTURE.

BUT AT THE SAME TIME,
THAT'S SOMETHING OF A VENEER

BECAUSE THE TEMPLE ITSELF
IS VERY MUCH

A NABATEAN
SPIRITUAL HOUSE

THAT'S VERY MUCH
WORSHIPPING THE SUPREME

NABATEAN GODDESS,
AL-UZZA.

THE NABATEANS BUILT
A NEW KIND OF CITY

THAT FUSED NOMADIC
ARABIAN CULTURE

WITH NEW IDEAS COMING IN
FROM GREECE AND ROME.

GLENN THINKS THEIR KINGS
WERE TRYING TO ANNOUNCE

THEIR ARRIVAL
ON THE WORLD STAGE.

Corbett: WELL,
WE HAVE TO REMEMBER THAT,

WHEN THE NABATEANS REALLY
CONSTRUCTED THIS CITY

IN THE FIRST CENTURY B.C.
AND FIRST CENTURY A.D.,

THEY WERE REALLY MAJOR PLAYERS
IN THE ECONOMIES

AND CARAVAN TRADES
OF THAT TIME.

AND DEFINITELY, TO MAKE
THEMSELVES MAJOR PLAYERS

ON THAT INTERNATIONAL STAGE

THAT INCLUDED HEROD
AND THE CAESARS

AND ANTONY AND CLEOPATRA,

THEY REALLY HAD TO PRESENT
THEMSELVES AS EQUAL PARTNERS.

Narrator: PETRA EMERGED
FROM THE DESERT

AS THE SYMBOL OF A NEW,
POWERFUL CIVILIZATION.

BUT THERE'S A MYSTERY.

HOW COULD A THRIVING
METROPOLIS SURVIVE

IN SUCH AN
INHOSPITABLE PLACE?

ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK THE ANSWER
LIES WITH THE DESERT'S

MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY --
WATER.

NOW, CAN NEW DISCOVERIES REVEAL
HOW PETRA'S CITIZENS

TRANSFORMED THIS DRY
AND DUSTY WORLD

INTO AN ASTONISHING
GARDEN OF EDEN?

Narrator: PETRA, IN JORDAN, IS
AN ANCIENT AND BEAUTIFUL CITY.

IN ITS HEYDAY, IT CONTROLLED
ONE OF THE RICHEST TRADE ROUTES

IN THE ANCIENT WORLD.

BUT WHAT ALLOWED THIS CITY TO
SURVIVE ON THE EDGE OF A DESERT?

ARCHAEOLOGIST DAVID GRAF
INVESTIGATES HOW THE NABATEANS

WERE MASTERS
OF THEIR ENVIRONMENT.

THERE WAS A POPULATION OF
AT LEAST 10,000 TO 20,000 PEOPLE

LIVING IN THE
PETRA REGION.

AND THEY HAD TO BE SUPPLIED
WITH THE NECESSITIES OF LIFE.

BUT THAT'S A LOT OF PEOPLE.

Narrator: DAVID THINKS
THE SECRET TO PETRA'S SUCCESS

LAY WITH THE NABATEANS'
UNIQUE ABILITY

TO HARNESS WATER
FROM THE WORLD AROUND THEM.

DOTTED AROUND PETRA
ARE CANYONS LIKE THE SIQ

THAT ARE NATURAL WATER CHANNELS
MODIFIED BY THE NABATEANS.

A BARELY VISIBLE
WATER PIPELINE

RUNS ALONG THE LENGTH
OF THIS WINDING PASSAGE

UNTIL IT PASSES UNDERNEATH
A FADED CARVING.

2,000 YEARS AGO,

THESE GIANT SCULPTURES
REPRESENTED CAMELS

LED BY A MERCHANT
ON HIS WAY TO DO BUSINESS.

THESE PIPELINES FED
FRESH WATER TO THE CENTER.

BUT HOW DID THEY GET
ENOUGH WATER TO SUSTAIN

AN ENTIRE CITY OF TENS
OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE?

SIX MILES NORTH OF PETRA
IS A ROCKY OUTCROP CALLED "BAJA"

WHERE DAVID LEADS A TEAM
DIGGING FOR ANSWERS.

TODAY, THE LAND BENEATH IT
IS BONE-DRY.

BUT EVEN SO FAR
FROM THE CITY CENTER,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS LIKE
ZEYAD AL-SALAMEEN

FIND HINTS OF AN EXTENSIVE
WATER NETWORK.

THE MYSTERIOUS REMAINS OF
PIPELINES AND FORGOTTEN DAMS

COVER THE GROUND AT BAJA.

WHAT WERE THEY FOR?

ZEYAD COMES ACROSS A CLUE --
A CAVITY CUT INTO THE ROCK.

BUT HE DOESN'T THINK THIS IS
FOR STORING WATER.

IT'S EVEN MORE SURPRISING --
A WINE PRESS.

THE NUMBER OF WATER PIPES
AND WINE PRESSES SUGGEST

SOMETHING REMARKABLE
WAS GOING ON HERE.

DAVID'S TEAM INVESTIGATES
ANOTHER STRANGE FEATURE

THAT LIES NEARBY.

AS THEY DIG BESIDE THIS ROCK,
THEY UNCOVER A WALL.

IT LOOKS LIKE
A STORAGE DEPOT,

SUGGESTING THAT BAJA
WAS PRODUCING A LOT OF WINE.

DAVID THINKS IT'S TIME TO THROW
AWAY OUR OLD NOTIONS

ABOUT THESE
RESOURCEFUL PEOPLE.

THE GENERAL ASSUMPTION
ABOUT THE NABATEANS

IS THAT THEY WERE NOMADS,
DIDN'T DRINK WINE,

AND WERE NOT INVOLVED
IN AGRICULTURE.

BUT WE KNOW THAT'S
NOT THE CASE, NOW.

Narrator:
THE DISCOVERIES AT BAJA PROVE
THAT THE NABATEANS WERE ABLE

TO HARNESS SO MUCH WATER
THEY DIDN'T JUST MAKE WINE.

THEY HAD ENOUGH TO PLANT AND
GROW EXTENSIVE VINEYARDS HERE.

WHAT I FIND SO INGENIOUS
ABOUT THE NABATEANS IS,

THEY COULD TAKE
A DESOLATE LANDSCAPE

AND FIND LITTLE NICHES
TO DEVELOP FOR AGRICULTURE.

Narrator: SO, HOW DID
THIS WATER SYSTEM WORK?

THE NABATEANS CREATED
AN IMPRESSIVE WATER NETWORK

CHANNELING WATER TO WHERE
IT WAS NEEDED FROM MILES AROUND.

IN THE CITY CENTER, THEY BUILT
A TUNNEL INTO THE ROCK AND DAMS

TO REROUTE
THE WATER FLOW.

ENGINEERS LINED THE SIQ
PASSAGEWAY WITH CLAY PIPES.

THE ENDS OF THE PIPES
WERE TAPERED TO CREATE

A HIGH-PRESSURE SUPPLY.

BUT ACROSS THE KINGDOM,
THEY CREATED CISTERNS

LINED WITH
HYDRAULIC CONCRETE

TO STORE THE PRECIOUS
WATER UNDERGROUND.

DAVID THINKS THAT
THIS SAME TECHNOLOGY

EXTENDED FAR BEYOND
THE CITY CENTER.

Graf: MOST PLACES
HAVE A SPRING.

THERE'S NO SPRING HERE.

THE AMAZING THING IS,
THIS IS RAIN WATER.

AND THE RAIN WATER
IS VERY MINIMAL.

SO, IT TOOK A LOT OF CREATIVITY,
OF ENGINEERING SKILL

TO CHANNEL THAT WATER
INTO RESERVOIRS AND PRESERVE IT.

AND THAT'S THE AMAZING
ACHIEVEMENT OF BAJA.

Narrator: NABATEAN INGENUITY
BUILT A RICH AND POWERFUL CITY,

AN ARTIFICIAL PARADISE IN
A DRY AND DESOLATE REGION.

BUT AT ITS HEIGHT,
PETRA FELL VICTIM

TO ONE OF THE MOST
POWERFUL EMPIRES

IN THE ANCIENT WORLD --
ROME.

AN ARSENAL OF BURIED WEAPONS
HINTS AT A FORGOTTEN BATTLE

IN THE CITY STREETS.

SO, DID THE FEARED ROMAN
LEGIONS DESTROY PETRA?

Narrator:
NEARLY 2,000 YEARS AGO,

THE GREAT SUPERPOWER
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD

MARCHED INTO PETRA.

¶¶

ROME ABSORBED THE NABATEANS
INTO HER VAST EMPIRE,

BOASTING THAT THEIR CITY
HAD BEEN ACQUIRED, NOT CAPTURED.

BUT DID PETRA'S CITIZENS
REALLY WELCOME ROMAN RULE

WITH OPEN ARMS?

ARCHAEOLOGIST TOM PARKER
THINKS WE NEED

TO REWRITE THIS
VERSION OF HISTORY.

Parker: FOR YEARS,
THE SCHOLARLY CONSENSUS WAS,

THIS WAS A RELATIVELY
PEACEFUL EVENT.

BUT THERE'S BEEN MORE
AND MORE EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST

THAT THIS WAS A TAKEOVER
THAT WAS ACCOMPANIED

BY CONSIDERABLE VIOLENCE.

Narrator: SO, DID PETRA
RESIST ROMAN RULE?

TOM BELIEVES THAT A CLUE LIES
OVER IN THE CITY'S GREAT TEMPLE.

DEEP IN THE REMAINS OF THIS
COLOSSAL STRUCTURE,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE MADE
A SURPRISING DISCOVERY.

HUNDREDS OF
STONE MISSILES,

EACH ONE THE SIZE
OF A SMALL SOCCER BALL,

WERE FOUND RIGHT
BY THE MAIN ENTRANCE.

AMONG THEM WERE 162
ARROW HEADS MADE IF IRON.

THESE WEAPONS WERE HIDDEN HERE
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

WHAT IS MILITARY EQUIPMENT
DOING INSIDE

ONE OF PETRA'S GREATEST
CIVIC BUILDINGS,

AND TO WHOM
DID IT BELONG?

TOM TAKES A CLOSER LOOK
AT THE GREAT STONE BALLS.

THEY'RE TYPICAL OF THE KIND OF
WEAPONS USED BY ROMAN SOLDIERS.

Parker: BEHIND ME IS A STORE
OF 100 ROUNDED STONE BALLS

THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
HURLED BY CATAPULTS,

OR THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN
HURLED BY HAND.

Narrator: THERE ARE
NO ANCIENT RECORDS

OF A HOSTILE
ROMAN TAKEOVER.

BUT TOM THINKS THEY WERE
CERTAINLY READY FOR WAR.

WE KNOW THAT THE ROMANS
WERE PREPARED

FOR VERY SERIOUS
RESISTANCE

BECAUSE THEY HAD ASSEMBLED
MASSIVE FORCES

FROM THREE DIFFERENT
PROVINCES.

EVEN SO, TOM'S NOT SO SURE THAT
THESE MISSILES REALLY ARE ROMAN.

WE KNOW A LOT
ABOUT THE ROMAN ARMY.

IT WAS VERY
STANDARDIZED,

AND WE HAVE MASSIVE
AMOUNTS OF EVIDENCE

FROM ALL CORNERS
OF THE EMPIRE.

FOR THE NABATEAN ARMY,
IN CONTRAST,

WE KNOW VIRTUALLY
NOTHING.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK THAT
MOST NABATEAN SOLDIERS

PROBABLY FOUGHT EITHER
ON FOOT WITH SPEARS

OR AS A CAVALRY
AND WERE EXPERT ARCHERS.

THEY BUILT SIMPLE WATCH TOWERS
TO GUARD THEIR CITY,

CAREFULLY POSITIONED
TO DETECT INVADERS EARLY.

BY CONTRAST, WE KNOW THE ROMANS
HAD ADVANCED SIEGE WEAPONS --

GIANT CROSSBOWS AND CATAPULTS
THAT COULD LAUNCH STONE MISSILES

OVER 1,000 FEET.

BUT BEFORE THE ROMANS SEIZED
PETRA, THEY AND THE NABATEANS

SOMETIMES FOUGHT SIDE BY SIDE
AGAINST COMMON ENEMIES.

SO, COULD THE NABATEANS
HAVE COPIED

OR STOLEN THESE WEAPONS
FROM ROME?

TOM THINKS THAT THE MISSILES
ARE NABATEAN.

THE MOST LIKELY SCENARIO
IS THAT THE NABATEANS

STOCKPILED WEAPONS HERE.

Parker: THE BALLS WERE FOUND
IN WHAT APPEARS TO BE

A DESTRUCTION LAYER.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOME OF THE
DOORWAYS HAD BEEN BLOCKED OFF,

AND THAT'S QUITE SURPRISING
TO FIND IN THIS CONTEXT

BECAUSE THIS IS NOT
A MILITARY BUILDING OF ANY KIND.

WE'RE IN THE CENTER
OF THE CITY.

THE DISCOVERY OF THESE STONE
BALLS HINTS AT A DESPERATE

LAST STAND AT THE ENTRANCE
TO THE GREAT TEMPLE.

TOM IMAGINES THE NABATEANS
HURLING THEM DOWN

ONTO THE ADVANCING
ROMAN LEGIONNAIRES.

Parker: THE ROMANS WERE PROBABLY
TRYING TO COME UP THE STAIRS,

UNDER FIRE, PRESUMABLY.

THEY HAD A SO-CALLED FORMATION
CALLED A "TESTUDO," A TORTOISE,

WHERE THEY COULD INTERLOCK
THEIR OBLONG SHIELDS

OVER THEIR HEADS.

THAT MIGHT HAVE WELL DEFLECTED
SOME OF THESE BALLS

THAT WERE HURLED AT THEM,
OR ARROWS, AS WELL.

BUT THE FIGHTING SEEMS TO HAVE
SPREAD BEYOND THE GREAT TEMPLE.

MORE BUILDINGS
ALONG THE MAIN STREET

ALSO SHOW SCARS
OF A VIOLENT TAKE OVER.

Parker: THE AREAS
THAT ARE MOST DEFENSIBLE

ARE THE ELEVATED STRUCTURES
ABOVE THE STREETS.

THE NABATEANS MIGHT HAVE
FORTIFIED INDIVIDUAL BUILDINGS

WITHIN THE CITY
TO TRY TO HOLD OUT.

AND I THINK THAT THE GREAT
TEMPLE WAS OUR BEST EXAMPLE

OF THAT, SO FAR.

Narrator: IF THERE WAS
SUCH A SAVAGE FIGHT

IN THE STREETS
OF PETRA,

WHY DID ROMAN WRITERS
IGNORE IT?

Parker: THIS WAS PROBABLY
A FAIRLY MINOR MILITARY AFFAIR

FROM A ROMAN
PERSPECTIVE.

BUT FROM THE NABATEAN
PERSPECTIVE, OF COURSE,

THIS WAS
A DEVASTATING BLOW.

BUT IN THE END,
OF COURSE,

THE ODDS WERE JUST
TOO GREAT AGAINST THEM.

Narrator: ROME'S MILITARY
MACHINE TOPPLED PETRA'S RULERS.

BUT DID THE ARRIVAL OF THE
EMPIRE ALSO SPELL DISASTER

FOR THE NABATEAN
WAY OF LIFE?

ARCHAEOLOGISTS SEARCH FOR CLUES
BENEATH A MYSTERIOUS RUIN

AT THE TOP OF
A REMOTE RIDGE.

AND CAN A CRUMBLING
ANCIENT TEXT, AT LAST,

REVEAL WHAT HAPPENED
TO THE PEOPLE OF PETRA?

Narrator:
NEARLY 2,000 YEARS AGO,

THE ROMAN EMPIRE
TOOK OVER PETRA.

WHAT DID ROMAN RULE MEAN FOR
THE EMPIRE'S NEWEST CITIZENS?

ARCHAEOLOGIST MEGAN PERRY
INVESTIGATES HOW THE NABATEANS

ADJUSTED TO LIFE
UNDER FOREIGN OCCUPATION.

Perry: ONE OF THE BIG THINGS
WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT IS,

HOW MUCH DID PETRA REALLY CHANGE
WHEN ROME TOOK IT OVER?

WE REALLY HAVE NO IDEA.

Narrator: MEGAN HUNTS FOR CLUES
BENEATH A MYSTERIOUS WALL

THAT RUNS ALONG
THE CITY'S NORTH RIDGE.

THE WALL IS MADE FROM THOUSANDS
OF ROUGH-HEWN SANDSTONE BLOCKS

AND FILLED WITH RUBBLE.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED
THE FOUNDATIONS

WERE BUILT
WHEN THE ROMANS ARRIVED.

AND IT APPEARS TO RUN
STRAIGHT THROUGH

A RESIDENTIAL
NEIGHBORHOOD,

CARVING UP ORDINARY
NABATEAN HOUSES.

SO, WHAT DOES THE WALL'S
STRANGE CONSTRUCTION

TELL US ABOUT LIFE
IN ROMAN PETRA?

MEGAN'S FIRST JOB IS TO TRY AND
WORK OUT WHO BUILT THIS WALL.

SHE USES INNOVATIVE
LASER-SCANNING TECHNOLOGY.

Perry: THE LASER SCANNING
SHOOTS OUT A LASER,

AND IT BOUNCES BACK,
ALMOST LIKE A REFLECTION.

Narrator: HER TEAM HAS SCANNED
THIS ENTIRE WALL

WITH EXTREME PRECISION.

Perry: ONE OF THE THINGS THAT
WE CAN SEE IS THAT THE WALL,

IT'S KIND OF A HODGEPODGE
OF DIFFERENT TYPES

OF STONES
THAT HAVE BEEN,

OBVIOUSLY, BORROWED
FROM DIFFERENT LOCATIONS

ON THE SITE,
FROM OTHER STRUCTURES.

SO, RIGHT HERE, YOU CAN SEE
HOW POORLY BUILT IT IS

WITH THIS EARLIER
HOUSE WALL

BEING INCORPORATED
INTO THE CITY WALL.

AND YOU CAN SEE HERE,

RATHER THAN CUTTING
THROUGH THIS STRUCTURE,

IT ACTUALLY KIND OF
INCORPORATES THIS WALL

WITHIN THE CONSTRUCTION
OF THE CITY WALL ITSELF.

SO, IT'S SORT OF
RATHER SLOPPILY BUILT.

Narrator: MEGAN'S INTRIGUED
BY THE WAY THE WALL IS BUILT.

SHE TAKES A CLOSER LOOK
AT THE RUINS WITH HER COLLEAGUE,

TOM PARKER.

Parker:
THIS THING BUTTS UP.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THIS IS
A BALLISTA PLATFORM.

Narrator:
TOM THINKS THE WALL HIDES TRACES
OF ROMAN MILITARY TECHNOLOGY.

THIS COULD BE THE BASE
FOR A FEARSOME WEAPON

CALLED A "BALLISTA."

THESE WERE CATAPULTS
THAT SHOT THESE BOLTS

THAT THE ROMAN ARMY
EMPLOYED.

AND THEY COULD BE MOUNTED
ON THE PLATFORM

HERE UP AGAINST THE WALL
TO BE AIMED DOWN INTO THE WADI.

EVERY LEGION, WE'RE TOLD,
HAD 60 OF THESE ASSIGNED TO IT.

AND IT WAS MANNED
BY A CREW OF THREE.

AND IT WAS ESSENTIALLY
A LARGE CROSSBOW.

Narrator: DID THE ROMAN ARMY
HASTILY BUILD THIS WALL

TO HOLD DOWN
A HOSTILE POPULATION?

THIS RIDGE REALLY COMMANDS
THE WHOLE CENTER OF PETRA.

AND SO, IF YOU'RE GONNA INSTALL
A MILITARY GARRISON HERE,

THIS IS
THE IDEAL SPOT.

Narrator: BUT ONCE THE GARRISON
HAD SETTLED IN,

HOW DID IT CHANGE
THE CITY?

MEGAN SUSPECTS THAT MOST ASPECTS
OF DAY-TO-DAY LIFE

CARRIED ON AS NORMAL.

Perry: THIS IS A TYPICAL
ROMAN COOKING POT,

VERY TYPICAL FOR ANYWHERE
AROUND THIS REGION.

AND MOST OF WHAT WE HAVE HERE
IS THE DEBRIS OF, JUST,

EVERYDAY
DOMESTIC LIFE --

YOU KNOW, PEOPLE'S
BROKEN COOKING POTS

GETTING THROWN
INTO THE DUMP.

Narrator: BUT THE TOP OF THE
RIDGE HIDES A SHOCKING SECRET --

IT'S DOTTED
WITH SIMPLE TOMBS.

IN PETRA, THE LIVING
AND THE DEAD WERE SIDE BY SIDE.

Perry: THESE ARE THE TOMBS OF
THE ORDINARY NABATEAN FOLKS,

THE ONES THAT WOULD NOT HAVE
THE MONEY OR THE PRESTIGE

TO BE BURIED IN SOME OF
THE FACADE CHAMBER TOMBS

THAT SURROUND THE CITY.

Narrator:
SEVERAL GENERATIONS COULD BE
BURIED IN CHAMBERS LIKE THIS.

BUT MEGAN'S DISCOVERED
THAT THE NABATEANS

SUDDENLY STOPPED
BURYING THEIR DEAD HERE

AT AROUND THE SAME TIME

THE WALL WAS BUILT
AND THE ROMANS ARRIVED.

THIS IS ONE OF THE CLEAR PIECES
OF EVIDENCE

THAT WE HAVE OF HOW
THE ROMAN ANNEXATION OF NABATEA

REALLY AFFECTED THE DAILY
LIVES OF ITS CITIZENS.

Narrator: SO, WHY DID PETRA'S
NEW RULERS STOP THE NABATEANS

LIVING AMONGST THE DEAD,

ENDING A PRACTICE THAT HAD
EXISTED FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS?

Perry: THE ROMANS HAD
VERY STRICT RULES

ABOUT WHERE THE DEAD
CAN BE BURIED.

THEY WOULD HAVE CONSIDERED IT
VERY POLLUTING AND VERY ODD.

SO, THEY WOULD DEFINITELY
PROHIBIT ANY KIND OF BURIAL

WITHIN THE CITY WALL.

Narrator: THE ROMANS CHANGED
NABATEAN CIVILIZATION.

BUT THEY ALSO INVESTED A HUGE
AMOUNT OF CASH INTO THE CITY.

AS THE ROMAN EMPIRE EXPANDED
ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST,

CITIES LIKE PETRA
CONTINUED TO FLOURISH,

BUT THEY STARTED TO LOOK
VERY DIFFERENT.

AT PETRA, THE ROMANS MAY HAVE
BUILT THE IMPRESSIVE STREET

THAT RUNS THROUGH THE CENTER
OF THE CITY,

LINED WITH
MASSIVE COLUMNS.

NEXT TO THE GREAT TEMPLE,
THE ROMANS BUILT PUBLIC BATHS,

THE TRADEMARK
OF THEIR CIVILIZATION.

FINALLY, THE ROMANS BUILT
A TRIUMPHAL ARCH

OVER THE ENTRANCE
TO THE SIQ.

THE MESSAGE TO VISITORS
WAS CLEAR --

PETRA WAS STILL OPEN
FOR BUSINESS,

BUT ROME WAS HERE
TO STAY.

PETRA AND HER PEOPLE MANAGED TO
ADAPT TO LIFE UNDER ROMAN RULE,

AND THEY CONTINUED TO PROSPER
AS PART OF THE EMPIRE.

BUT FOR HOW LONG?

NOW, CAN NEW DISCOVERIES
REVEAL THE TRUE GLORY

OF PETRA'S ASTONISHING
CITY CENTER

AND THE KILLER BLOW
THAT BROUGHT IT CRASHING DOWN?

Narrator:
ALMOST 2,000 YEARS AGO,

PETRA JOINED
THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

ONE OF THE RICHEST AND LARGEST
REALMS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

BUT TODAY, ITS TOMBS
AND TEMPLES ARE HAUNTING RUINS.

SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO THE
MYSTERIOUS NABATEANS

WHO BUILT THIS CITY?

ARCHAEOLOGIST LEIGH-ANN BEDAL
THINKS A CLUE LIES

BENEATH AN
ARTIFICIAL OASIS

THAT THE NABATEANS CREATED
NEXT TO THE GREAT TEMPLE.

Bedal: WE ARE LOOKING ACROSS
TO THE GARDEN-AND-POOL COMPLEX.

SO, IMAGINE A GROVE
OF PALM TREES,

A VERY SHADED AREA
WITH WATER IN THE BACKGROUND.

AFTER A JOURNEY
THROUGH THE DESERT,

THIS KIND OF ARTIFICIAL OASIS
WOULD BE QUITE IMPRESSIVE

TO ANYBODY
VISITING PETRA.

Narrator: THE GREAT TEMPLE
ONCE STOOD PROUD

IN THE CENTER
OF THE CITY,

A GLORIOUS FACADE
FIVE STORIES HIGH --

THE LARGEST FREE-STANDING
BUILDING IN PETRA.

IT TOWERED HIGH ABOVE THE CITY
WITH AN ELABORATE ENTRANCE

OF TRIPLE COLONNADES
CONTAINING OVER 100 COLUMNS.

BUT THE GARDEN NEXT TO IT
WAS EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE.

EXCAVATIONS REVEAL
THE REMAINS

OF A MAGNIFICENT
OLYMPIC-SIZED POOL.

SO, WHAT HAPPENED TO IT,
AND COULD IT REVEAL

WHY PETRA
CAME TO AN END?

LEIGH-ANN DISCOVERS
HOW THE TECHNOLOGY

THAT MAINTAINED
THIS GARDEN BROKE DOWN.

SHE THINKS THAT THIS GROOVE
IN THE ROCK WAS ONCE A CHUTE

OR EVEN A WATERFALL
THAT SUPPLIED THE POOL

WITH FRESH WATER.

BUT TODAY, EVEN HER EXCAVATIONS
ARE FULL OF SAND AND SILT

THAT CONTINUES
TO BUILD UP.

Bedal: EVERYTHING HERE --
ALL OF THIS SOIL --

IS JUST FILLED THIS TRENCH JUST
IN THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS.

WHEN WE FIRST STARTED
EXCAVATING IN 2013,

THE SILT WAS ALL THE WAY UP,
ABOUT HALFWAY UP THIS CLIFF.

YOU CAN SEE
THE WHITE COLORING,

THE CHANGE OF THE COLOR
OF THE SANDSTONE.

SO, ALL OF THIS WAS
A BIG SLOPE OF SOIL.

AND WHEN WE EXCAVATED,

THE TRENCH WENT DOWN
ANOTHER 2 OR 3 METERS.

Narrator: AT SOME POINT,
THIS POOL WAS ABANDONED

AND LEFT TO FILL
WITH SILT.

WHY?

ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE GARDEN,
LEIGH-ANN SPOTS

THE FOOTPRINT OF
A DEVASTATING EVENT.

Bedal: WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS THE
BEDROCK SHELF FOR THE PROMENADE

THAT WENT ALL THE WAY
AROUND THE POOL.

THERE MUST HAVE BEEN
COLUMNS HERE.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN
A NICE COLONNADE.

BUT THERE'S NOTHING LEFT
OF IT.

BUT WE DID FIND SOME
FRAGMENTS IN THE POOL.

Narrator: LEIGH-ANN THINKS SHE
KNOWS WHAT CAUSED THIS DAMAGE --

A MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE THAT
DESTROYED MANY GRAND BUILDINGS

BEYOND REPAIR
IN THE YEAR 363.

Bedal: THESE ARE SOME
OF THE MARBLE FRAGMENTS

THAT CAME OUT OF
THE TRENCH IN THE POOL.

AND YOU CAN SEE,
THEY'RE JUST FRAGMENTS.

BUT SOME OF THEM HAVE A NICE,
CURVED FACE, WHICH TELL US

THAT THEY WERE FROM A CIRCULAR
FEATURE, LIKE A COLUMN.

AND YOU CAN SEE, IF YOU LOOK AT
IT WET, THE GREAT COLOR OF IT.

AND YOU CAN'T REALLY
REUSE PIECES LIKE THIS

AND MAKE ANOTHER COLUMN.

Narrator: SO, DID THIS DISASTER
SEND PETRA INTO DECLINE?

LEIGH-ANN HAS DISCOVERED
SOMETHING STRANGE.

THE POOL STARTED TO DRY UP
ALMOST 150 YEARS

BEFORE THE EARTHQUAKE HIT.

Bedal: WE KNOW THAT
IT BEGAN THAT EARLY

BECAUSE THERE IS MORE THAN
A HALF METER OF SOIL

WITH MANY ANIMAL BONES
AND POTTERY SHERDS

THAT COVERED THE BOTTOM OF
THE POOL BEFORE THE EARTHQUAKE.

Narrator: THE DEBRIS
TELLS LEIGH-ANN

THAT PETRA'S CITIZENS
WERE EITHER UNWILLING OR UNABLE

TO LOOK AFTER
THIS GARDEN.

Bedal: THEY STOPPED MAINTAINING
THE POOL, WHICH TELLS US THAT,

EVEN WELL BEFORE
THIS EARTHQUAKE,

THAT THERE WAS A DECLINE
IN THE STATUS OF THIS SITE,

THE USE OF THIS SITE,
IF THEY WERE NO LONGER BOTHERING

TO EVEN CLEAN OUT
ALL OF THE DIRT AND THE TRASH.

Narrator: SO, WHY WAS NO ONE
BOTHERING TO MAINTAIN THIS POOL?

ALTHOUGH THE EARTHQUAKE
DESTROYED

MUCH OF THE CITY CENTER,

PETRA'S TROUBLES BEGAN
150 YEARS EARLIER,

SOON AFTER
THE ROMANS ARRIVED.

NEW ROADS SHIFTED
THE TRADE ROUTES

TOWARDS OTHER CITIES
IN THE EMPIRE,

MEANING PETRA WAS NO LONGER
THE HUB OF COMMERCE

ACROSS THE DESERT.

THE CITY STARTED
TO DWINDLE.

PEOPLE CONTINUED
TO LIVE HERE,

BUT MANY OF ITS ANCIENT PALACES
AND TEMPLES WERE NEVER REBUILT.

AND THE BEAUTIFUL GARDEN
NEXT TO THE GREAT TEMPLE

BECAME A FIELD USED
FOR GROWING CROPS.

Bedal: IF THE CITY ITSELF
IS LOSING ITS STATUS

AT THE END OF
THIS ROMAN PERIOD --

IT'S LOSING ITS KIND
OF STATUS AND WEALTH --

THAT SOMETHING LIKE
MAINTAINING THIS BIG POOL

WOULD HAVE BEEN A DIVERSION
OF RESOURCES THAT, PERHAPS,

JUST EVENTUALLY BECAME
UNNECESSARY OR IMPOSSIBLE.

Narrator: THE LOSS OF ITS TRADE
ROUTES HIT PETRA HARD.

BUT WAS THIS THE END FOR THE
NABATEANS AND THEIR GREAT CITY?

NOW, CAN AN EXTRAORDINARY
ANCIENT TEXT

DISCOVERED IN
A LOST CHURCH

REVEAL WHAT HAPPENED
TO THE PEOPLE OF PETRA?

Narrator: 500 YEARS
AFTER PETRA BURST INTO LIFE,

MANY OF THIS CITY'S ANCIENT
NABATEAN TOMBS AND TEMPLES

LAY IN RUINS.

FALLING TRADE HAD REDUCED
PARTS OF IT TO A GHOST TOWN.

SHATTERED COLUMNS STILL LIE
EXACTLY WHERE THEY FELL

DURING A GREAT
EARTHQUAKE.

THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN THE
BEGINNING OF THE END FOR PETRA.

BUT ARCHAEOLOGIST BARBARA PORTER
DISCOVERS HOW ITS CITIZENS

WERE MORE RESILIENT
THAN ANYONE EVER IMAGINED.

SHE INVESTIGATES
AN EXTRAORDINARY

ARCHAEOLOGICAL
TREASURE TROVE

THAT REVEALS THE RISE
OF A NEW, SMALLER CITY.

IN MY MIND, THESE REALLY HAVE
REWRITTEN THE HISTORY

OF SIXTH-CENTURY PETRA.

Narrator: THESE CHARRED SCROLLS
ARE CALLED THE "PETRA PAPYRI."

THE FADED WRITING ON THEM
IS STILL VISIBLE,

THANKS TO A SLOW-BURNING FIRE
THAT PRESERVED THEM AS CHARCOAL.

IF THIS FIRE HADN'T HAPPENED,
THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN,

ESSENTIALLY,
AS ORGANIC MATERIAL,

ROTTED IN THE GROUNDS
OF PETRA.

Narrator: THE PAPYRI
WERE DISCOVERED

IN ONE OF
PETRA'S CHURCHES.

THEY'RE THE ARCHIVE OF
A LOCAL MAN CALLED "THEODOROS."

THEY GIVE US A UNIQUE INSIGHT
INTO HOW HE AND HIS FRIENDS

HAD BOUNCED BACK NEARLY
200 YEARS AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE.

Porter: THIS FIRST DOCUMENT
HAS TO DO WITH,

ACTUALLY, THEODOROS AND HIS
ARRANGEMENTS FOR FAMILY PROPERTY

AND BASICALLY
LEADING UP TO THE FACT

THAT HE WILL MARRY
HIS FIRST COUSIN, STEPHANOS.

Narrator: THESE PAPYRI REVEAL
A NEW CHRISTIAN CITY.

ITS PEOPLE WERE STILL MARRYING
AND HAGGLING OVER PROPERTY,

AND THEY KEPT ALIVE
NABATEAN TRADITIONS.

Porter:
WE KNOW, FOR EXAMPLE,

THAT THEODOROS MEANS
"LOVER OF GOD" IN GREEK.

BUT HIS FATHER AND GRANDFATHER
WERE "OBODIANOS,"

WHICH IS "OBIDOT," A GREAT
NABATEAN NAME, GREAT KING.

THESE PEOPLE WERE STILL HONORING
THEIR NABATEAN FOREFATHERS.

Narrator: THESE RECORDS REVEAL
THAT PETRA WAS STILL

FAR FROM POOR.

SO, WHY DID THEODOROS
AND HIS FELLOW CITIZENS

LEAVE THEIR ANCESTRAL
TEMPLES IN RUINS?

BARBARA VISITS WHERE
THE PAPYRI WERE FOUND.

Porter:
I FEEL THAT THIS PETRA CHURCH
IS VERY MUCH A HIDDEN TREASURE.

Narrator: SHE THINKS THAT
PETRA'S NOW-CHRISTIAN CITIZENS

CHOSE NOT TO
REBUILD TEMPLES

THAT WERE DEDICATED
TO THE OLD GODS.

Porter:
WHAT'S INTERESTING,
OF COURSE, IS THAT,

WITH THE TEMPLE OF THE LIONS
BEING SO CLOSE

AND MOSTLY BEING DESTROYED IN
THE 363 EARTHQUAKE, OF COURSE,

BY THE TIME
THEY'RE BUILDING,

RIGHT NEARBY THEY'VE GOT
THE PERFECT SOURCE TO ROB OUT

AND REUSE THAT ANCIENT MATERIAL
FROM THAT NABATEAN STRUCTURE.

ALL OF THE CAPITAL ELEMENTS,
AND EVEN, PROBABLY,

THESE COLUMNS,
PROBABLY CAME FROM THERE.

Narrator: PETRA'S CITIZENS
WERE STILL RICH ENOUGH

TO COVER THE FLOOR OF THEIR NEW
CHURCH WITH EXQUISITE MOSAICS.

SOME OF THESE CREATURES
THEY SHOW ARE EXOTIC,

OTHERS MORE
DOWN-TO-EARTH.

Porter: WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS
A CAMEL WHO IS LAYING DOWN

WITH THESE HUGE,
BIG LOGS.

HE DOESN'T LOOK
VERY HAPPY.

AND YOU'VE GOT,
ON EITHER SIDE --

ALTHOUGH THEIR HEADS
ARE MISSING --

TWO CAMEL HERDERS

WHO ARE, OBVIOUSLY,
TRYING TO DRAG HIM ALONG.

BUT PETRA'S CHRISTIAN CITIZENS
DIDN'T ABANDON

THEIR ENTIRE PAST.

THIS MOSAIC PORTRAYS
THE FOUR SEASONS

AS ROMAN GODS
AND GODDESSES,

THE SAME ONES WHO HAD
CAPTURED THE IMAGINATION

OF THE VERY FIRST
NABATEANS.

THEIR ACTUAL FACES MAY EVEN
BE MODELED ON REAL PEOPLE.

Porter: EACH ONE OF THESE
TELLS SOME STORY,

WHETHER IT'S A PRETTY
WONKY-LOOKING FISH

TO DETAILS OF SPRING HERSELF,
WHERE, HERE SHE IS.

SHE'S IDENTIFIED BY
THE GREEK INSCRIPTION

ABOVE HER HEAD,
CALLED "EIRENE."

AND SHE IS, IN MY MIND,
SIMPLY GORGEOUS.

SHE'S GOT AN
EMERALD NECKLACE.

SHE'S GOT BRACELETS.

THAT'S AN ELEGANT LADY
WHO'S DRESSED TO THE NINES

WEARING HER JEWELRY

AND OFFERING YOU
A BOWL OF ROSES.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGISTS
WILL CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE

THE LIVES OF PETRA'S
ORDINARY CITIZENS

TO DISCOVER EXACTLY WHEN THEY
ABANDONED THIS SMALLER CITY.

BUT WHAT THEY HAVE
DISCOVERED SO FAR

IS A REMARKABLE PEOPLE
WHO ADAPTED AND SURVIVED

FOR FAR LONGER
THAN ANYONE THOUGHT.

Graf: EVEN THOUGH WE'VE
EXCAVATED A NUMBER

OF THE MOST IMPORTANT
MONUMENTS OF PETRA,

THERE'S ACTUALLY STILL TONS
AND TONS TO DISCOVER.

Corbett: IT'S REALLY ONLY
THROUGH ARCHAEOLOGY

THAT WE'RE BEGINNING
TO GET SOME INSIGHT

INTO THE DAILY LIVES
OF THE ACTUAL NABATEANS,

THE REAL PEOPLE
WHO BUILT THIS CITY.

Parker: THE NABATEANS HAD THEIR
OWN KINGS, THEIR OWN COINAGE,

THEIR OWN LAWS,
THEIR OWN ADMINISTRATION

AND THEIR OWN CULTURE

AND A QUITE BRILLIANT
ONE, AT THAT.

Narrator: THE TRUE HISTORY
OF PETRA'S EXTRAORDINARY PEOPLE

IS ONLY NOW STARTING
TO BE UNCOVERED.

THE FIRST NABATEANS TRANSFORMED
THIS ROCKY TERRAIN

INTO A MAGNIFICENT CITY

THAT STILL INSPIRES AWE
IN VISITORS TODAY.

THEIR INGENUITY ALLOWED THEM
TO BUILD A MAN-MADE OASIS

ON THE EDGE
OF THE DESERT.

PETRA'S CITIZENS HAD
A REMARKABLE ABILITY TO COPE

WITH WHATEVER LIFE
THREW AT THEM

WHILE RETAINING THEIR
OWN UNIQUE HERITAGE.

PETRA, THE HIDDEN CITY, IS AT
LAST GIVING UP ITS SECRETS.

¶¶