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Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:03,370 --> 00:00:04,870 Narrator: Hidden for centuries, 2 00:00:04,971 --> 00:00:08,907 a strange mega structure emerges from beneath the sea 3 00:00:09,009 --> 00:00:10,776 and sand. 4 00:00:10,877 --> 00:00:14,513 An ancient timber circle... Seahenge. 5 00:00:14,614 --> 00:00:17,449 I think it's an upside down tree. 6 00:00:17,550 --> 00:00:20,486 It was huge, and it went down so far. 7 00:00:20,587 --> 00:00:23,922 Narrator: Lost beneath the waves for thousands of years, 8 00:00:24,024 --> 00:00:26,959 this submerged wooden circle conceals many 9 00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:28,560 prehistoric secrets. 10 00:00:28,661 --> 00:00:31,130 Something peculiar is going on here. 11 00:00:31,231 --> 00:00:33,065 And could hold clues that marked 12 00:00:33,166 --> 00:00:35,701 the beginning of the bronze age. 13 00:00:35,802 --> 00:00:37,202 Knight: This is a period where we see 14 00:00:37,303 --> 00:00:39,838 the first metal objects being produced. 15 00:00:39,939 --> 00:00:42,841 Society is getting very technologically savvy 16 00:00:42,942 --> 00:00:44,643 at this point. 17 00:00:44,744 --> 00:00:47,780 Narrator: Today, experts use pioneering technology 18 00:00:47,881 --> 00:00:50,449 and 3D scan analysis 19 00:00:50,550 --> 00:00:55,254 to shed new light on who builds this unique monument. 20 00:00:55,355 --> 00:00:58,257 What dark rituals are performed here? 21 00:00:58,358 --> 00:01:01,727 What secrets does it share with the iconic Stonehenge? 22 00:01:05,698 --> 00:01:08,901 To solve these mysteries, we blow apart 23 00:01:09,002 --> 00:01:11,670 this bronze age monument piece by piece. 24 00:01:13,573 --> 00:01:17,209 We investigate a second submerged prehistoric circle, 25 00:01:18,678 --> 00:01:20,679 unearth ancient skeletons, 26 00:01:20,780 --> 00:01:25,484 and digitally rebuild the lost mega structure 27 00:01:25,585 --> 00:01:30,556 to uncover the truth behind this strange sunken wonder. 28 00:01:41,634 --> 00:01:43,869 Holme beach, 29 00:01:43,970 --> 00:01:46,839 a remote stretch of coast in eastern England. 30 00:01:48,441 --> 00:01:51,243 Today, it is a peaceful haven, 31 00:01:51,344 --> 00:01:54,179 but the discovery of a strange relic reveals 32 00:01:54,280 --> 00:01:56,815 a dark macabre past 33 00:01:56,916 --> 00:01:59,218 and could transform our understanding 34 00:01:59,319 --> 00:02:00,919 of our prehistoric world. 35 00:02:03,523 --> 00:02:07,793 One summer's day, coastal sands shift 36 00:02:07,894 --> 00:02:10,129 and reveal an ancient secret. 37 00:02:11,698 --> 00:02:15,267 Hidden in the silt is a mysterious structure... 38 00:02:15,368 --> 00:02:18,770 55 timber posts 39 00:02:18,872 --> 00:02:20,706 arranged in a wide circle. 40 00:02:22,275 --> 00:02:24,510 They're made from tree trunks split down 41 00:02:24,611 --> 00:02:27,479 the middle and covered in strange markings. 42 00:02:29,649 --> 00:02:32,284 And in the center of the circle, 43 00:02:32,385 --> 00:02:34,887 erupting from the sand 44 00:02:34,988 --> 00:02:38,190 sits a colossal, strangely shaped object. 45 00:02:40,260 --> 00:02:42,194 What is this peculiar structure? 46 00:02:42,295 --> 00:02:49,334 ♪♪ 47 00:02:49,435 --> 00:02:51,937 Maisie Taylor investigates the wood 48 00:02:52,038 --> 00:02:54,840 of this submerged edifice. 49 00:02:54,941 --> 00:02:57,109 You had these quite stunted, 50 00:02:57,210 --> 00:03:01,313 obviously very damaged timbers in the circle. 51 00:03:01,414 --> 00:03:03,615 Narrator: The extraordinarily-shaped object at 52 00:03:03,716 --> 00:03:07,819 the center of the circle captures Maisie's attention. 53 00:03:07,921 --> 00:03:13,292 At first, it appears this object is a huge tree branch, 54 00:03:13,393 --> 00:03:17,129 but closer inspection turns this theory on its head. 55 00:03:17,230 --> 00:03:18,764 Taylor: The more you looked at it, 56 00:03:18,865 --> 00:03:20,799 the more you thought they're roots. 57 00:03:20,900 --> 00:03:22,568 I think it's 58 00:03:22,669 --> 00:03:25,070 on upside down tree. 59 00:03:25,171 --> 00:03:26,738 Narrator: With the threat of the sea 60 00:03:26,839 --> 00:03:30,576 washing the newly exposed structure away, 61 00:03:30,677 --> 00:03:33,011 Maisie and an 11-strong team 62 00:03:33,079 --> 00:03:35,714 of archaeologists race to excavate the site. 63 00:03:38,251 --> 00:03:40,652 They dig 4 feet down into the mud 64 00:03:42,689 --> 00:03:45,057 to carefully extract each timber. 65 00:03:47,260 --> 00:03:48,961 They use heavy lifting equipment 66 00:03:49,062 --> 00:03:51,630 to finally remove the central tree. 67 00:03:51,731 --> 00:03:56,168 Taylor: The most extraordinary thing we found was it was huge, 68 00:03:56,269 --> 00:03:58,637 and it went down so far. 69 00:03:58,738 --> 00:04:01,006 Narrator: With the timber circle safely extracted 70 00:04:01,107 --> 00:04:03,308 and preserved in tanks of fresh water, 71 00:04:03,409 --> 00:04:07,746 experts can investigate clues to its age and origins. 72 00:04:07,847 --> 00:04:10,983 When scientists examine the tree rings of 73 00:04:11,084 --> 00:04:15,554 the wood, they discover it dates back to 2049 B.C. 74 00:04:18,258 --> 00:04:21,393 It means the structure is 4,000 years old 75 00:04:21,494 --> 00:04:24,396 and dates to the bronze age. 76 00:04:24,497 --> 00:04:25,831 At this time, 77 00:04:25,932 --> 00:04:28,133 monumental circles of different types 78 00:04:28,234 --> 00:04:31,169 stand proudly across the country. 79 00:04:31,271 --> 00:04:33,572 The best surviving is Stonehenge, 80 00:04:33,673 --> 00:04:37,376 built 1,000 years earlier. 81 00:04:37,477 --> 00:04:40,212 Used by prehistoric people for centuries, 82 00:04:40,313 --> 00:04:43,148 this stone landmark is a monumental reminder of 83 00:04:43,249 --> 00:04:45,284 our ancestral past. 84 00:04:45,385 --> 00:04:49,788 Originally in the center, five archways stand in 85 00:04:49,889 --> 00:04:51,256 a horseshoe shape, 86 00:04:51,357 --> 00:04:54,192 surrounded by two concentric circles of rock. 87 00:04:57,063 --> 00:04:59,798 With the layout of the timber circle resembling Britain’s 88 00:04:59,899 --> 00:05:01,433 iconic stone circle, 89 00:05:01,534 --> 00:05:06,805 local press coined the name seahenge. 90 00:05:06,906 --> 00:05:09,608 All that remains on the beach today is 91 00:05:09,709 --> 00:05:13,111 a metal pole that marks the spot where it once stands. 92 00:05:15,315 --> 00:05:17,215 What does the mysterious structure look like 93 00:05:17,317 --> 00:05:18,517 in its prime? 94 00:05:20,219 --> 00:05:21,853 Maisie believes measurements from 95 00:05:21,954 --> 00:05:25,223 the excavation could provide evidence. 96 00:05:25,325 --> 00:05:30,162 If you start looking at those depths below ground, 97 00:05:30,263 --> 00:05:33,198 it gives you the height above ground. 98 00:05:33,299 --> 00:05:35,534 Narrator: The timbers they discover at seahenge 99 00:05:35,635 --> 00:05:39,071 plunge 3 to 4 feet into the sand. 100 00:05:39,172 --> 00:05:41,873 Taylor: The rule of thumb is that a third of 101 00:05:41,974 --> 00:05:45,544 the wood needs to be in the ground to make it stable. 102 00:05:45,645 --> 00:05:48,880 Narrator: Maisie tests this theory at a smaller scale 103 00:05:48,981 --> 00:05:51,583 to calculate the original height of the structure. 104 00:05:54,187 --> 00:05:56,321 It really is quite stable, 105 00:05:56,422 --> 00:05:59,658 so I think we can get on with our calculations 106 00:05:59,759 --> 00:06:03,762 assuming roughly a third is underground. 107 00:06:03,863 --> 00:06:05,564 Let's have a look. 108 00:06:07,400 --> 00:06:09,434 Yeah, it's about a third. 109 00:06:12,905 --> 00:06:15,841 Narrator: Maisie's calculations reveal the original timber 110 00:06:15,942 --> 00:06:19,311 circle is a staggering 10 feet tall. 111 00:06:19,412 --> 00:06:24,683 Taylor: This amazing wall would have been pretty impressive. 112 00:06:24,784 --> 00:06:27,419 I'm 5-foot tall, so the timbers are 113 00:06:27,520 --> 00:06:29,454 going to be twice as tall as me. 114 00:06:30,823 --> 00:06:32,357 Narrator: When they're unearthed, 115 00:06:32,458 --> 00:06:35,026 the timbers are worn and weathered, 116 00:06:35,128 --> 00:06:37,295 but in their prime, 117 00:06:37,397 --> 00:06:40,031 the trunks tower up to 10 feet high 118 00:06:42,201 --> 00:06:45,937 and stand shoulder to shoulder to form a circular fence. 119 00:06:48,775 --> 00:06:50,776 At the front, 120 00:06:50,877 --> 00:06:54,179 a y-shaped post creates a gap, 121 00:06:54,280 --> 00:06:56,248 an entrance that gives access 122 00:06:56,349 --> 00:06:57,916 to the tree stump in the center. 123 00:06:59,585 --> 00:07:01,586 To close the circle, a final 124 00:07:01,687 --> 00:07:04,790 post stands in front of the entrance, 125 00:07:04,891 --> 00:07:06,258 which perfectly aligns with 126 00:07:06,359 --> 00:07:08,827 the rising sun on the summer solstice. 127 00:07:10,329 --> 00:07:12,464 What is the purpose of seahenge? 128 00:07:15,301 --> 00:07:20,138 This solar alignment is similar to Stonehenge, where 129 00:07:20,239 --> 00:07:23,175 the heel stone aligns with the rising sun. 130 00:07:23,276 --> 00:07:25,544 Each year on the solstice, 131 00:07:25,645 --> 00:07:29,281 ancient people host sacred rituals here. 132 00:07:29,382 --> 00:07:32,818 But the central stump in the heart of this circle 133 00:07:32,919 --> 00:07:36,188 is a clue that seahenge has a different purpose. 134 00:07:38,758 --> 00:07:42,527 John Collis is on a mission to solve this mystery. 135 00:07:43,896 --> 00:07:46,231 The tides at seahenge have swept 136 00:07:46,332 --> 00:07:49,568 away any loose evidence around the circle, 137 00:07:49,669 --> 00:07:51,937 but John spots a similarity with 138 00:07:52,038 --> 00:07:55,507 another prehistoric site 70 miles inland. 139 00:07:58,177 --> 00:07:59,978 It's called wigber low, 140 00:08:00,079 --> 00:08:03,949 a 16-yard stone circle surrounded by colossal 141 00:08:04,050 --> 00:08:05,484 limestone blocks. 142 00:08:07,253 --> 00:08:09,387 Its layout is similar to seahenge. 143 00:08:10,523 --> 00:08:12,457 It offers a unique window into 144 00:08:12,558 --> 00:08:14,759 the lost world of the bronze age. 145 00:08:16,729 --> 00:08:18,497 When John excavates the site, 146 00:08:18,598 --> 00:08:22,033 he discovers multiple fragments of bone and pottery 147 00:08:22,134 --> 00:08:24,336 dating back to the time of seahenge. 148 00:08:26,506 --> 00:08:30,575 Could human remains scattered within the mounds of wigber low 149 00:08:30,676 --> 00:08:33,445 reveal the purpose of these strange structures 150 00:08:33,546 --> 00:08:36,114 and give us a rare insight into 151 00:08:36,182 --> 00:08:39,618 the fascinating lives of these ancient people? 152 00:08:39,719 --> 00:08:42,888 Right away across the mound, we were picking up teeth, 153 00:08:42,989 --> 00:08:45,457 finger bones, toe bones, 154 00:08:45,558 --> 00:08:49,327 but also very noticeably absent were any traces of 155 00:08:49,428 --> 00:08:50,795 the larger bones. 156 00:08:50,897 --> 00:08:53,498 So immediately, we began to think 157 00:08:53,566 --> 00:08:56,668 that something peculiar is going on here. 158 00:08:56,769 --> 00:09:00,272 Narrator: John suspects the presence of small human bones, 159 00:09:00,373 --> 00:09:04,209 but the lack of large ones, could be a sign wigber low 160 00:09:04,310 --> 00:09:07,512 is used as a dark prehistoric ritual called 161 00:09:07,613 --> 00:09:09,347 excarnation. 162 00:09:09,448 --> 00:09:11,483 Collis: Excarnation is a burial rite. 163 00:09:11,584 --> 00:09:15,153 When somebody dies, they are laid out, 164 00:09:15,254 --> 00:09:17,856 exposed to scavenging birds. 165 00:09:17,957 --> 00:09:20,458 The flesh is removed, 166 00:09:20,560 --> 00:09:24,162 and many of the bones are left behind. 167 00:09:26,032 --> 00:09:29,467 Narrator: Excarnation is also known as a sky burial. 168 00:09:30,603 --> 00:09:32,470 Once complete, the large bones are 169 00:09:32,572 --> 00:09:35,173 removed and buried in a grave. 170 00:09:35,274 --> 00:09:37,242 But traces of the ritual remain in 171 00:09:37,343 --> 00:09:40,245 the form of tiny bones that fall from the body. 172 00:09:42,014 --> 00:09:44,583 Collis: Excarnation seems to be the most 173 00:09:44,684 --> 00:09:46,384 sensible interpretation. 174 00:09:46,485 --> 00:09:49,821 Very small bones are simply trickled down through 175 00:09:49,889 --> 00:09:52,357 the mound, but larger bones, 176 00:09:52,458 --> 00:09:55,493 one would expect, are just missing. 177 00:09:55,595 --> 00:09:59,064 Narrator: John's discovery of pottery and small human bones 178 00:09:59,165 --> 00:10:03,134 at wigber low prove people of the bronze age performed rituals 179 00:10:03,235 --> 00:10:04,369 for their dead. 180 00:10:05,972 --> 00:10:10,809 Is seahenge an excarnation site like wigber low? 181 00:10:10,910 --> 00:10:13,578 Collis: We know in other societies that exposure of 182 00:10:13,679 --> 00:10:16,514 the dead can be taking place in trees. 183 00:10:18,985 --> 00:10:21,753 This is one interpretation for 184 00:10:21,854 --> 00:10:25,190 the upturned tree trunk in seahenge. 185 00:10:29,462 --> 00:10:31,963 Narrator: When someone dies, 186 00:10:32,064 --> 00:10:34,966 the community carries their body to the timber circle. 187 00:10:38,437 --> 00:10:41,172 They lay the body out on the upturned stump, 188 00:10:42,642 --> 00:10:45,343 expose it to the elements, 189 00:10:45,444 --> 00:10:47,312 and let the flesh decompose. 190 00:10:51,150 --> 00:10:53,752 Visible for the surrounding communities to see, 191 00:10:53,853 --> 00:10:58,223 scavenging animals move in to strip down the corpse. 192 00:11:02,294 --> 00:11:04,696 Once the excarnation is complete, 193 00:11:04,797 --> 00:11:06,831 the remaining bones are gathered to be 194 00:11:06,932 --> 00:11:08,199 buried elsewhere. 195 00:11:12,972 --> 00:11:16,441 Maisie believes the inverted tree trunk at seahenge 196 00:11:16,542 --> 00:11:20,078 is a clear sign of excarnation taking place. 197 00:11:20,179 --> 00:11:21,680 Taylor: The central tree 198 00:11:21,781 --> 00:11:25,784 is precisely the right shape and size to place 199 00:11:25,885 --> 00:11:31,322 a... what we call a crouched body in the embryo position. 200 00:11:33,392 --> 00:11:34,926 Narrator: The discovery of seahenge 201 00:11:35,027 --> 00:11:37,862 reveals that people of the bronze age celebrate 202 00:11:37,963 --> 00:11:41,833 the dead in the form of elaborate sky burials. 203 00:11:41,934 --> 00:11:44,302 But what can another mysterious object 204 00:11:44,403 --> 00:11:46,337 imprisoned beneath the sands 205 00:11:46,439 --> 00:11:49,774 reveal about this 4,000-year-old burial rite? 206 00:11:59,351 --> 00:12:03,288 Narrator: Seahenge, an ancient sky burial site 207 00:12:03,389 --> 00:12:06,291 where scavenging birds eat the flesh of the dead 208 00:12:06,392 --> 00:12:10,061 unearthed from the sand after 4,000 years. 209 00:12:13,299 --> 00:12:15,400 But just weeks after its discovery, 210 00:12:15,501 --> 00:12:17,936 another mysterious monument emerges. 211 00:12:19,672 --> 00:12:21,806 Seahenge is not alone. 212 00:12:24,977 --> 00:12:28,012 Just 300 feet east of their first find, 213 00:12:28,114 --> 00:12:32,383 archaeologists uncover a series of ancient flat timbers. 214 00:12:33,819 --> 00:12:37,555 Now decayed, they once form a huge second circle. 215 00:12:40,059 --> 00:12:42,193 Over 40 feet wide, 216 00:12:42,294 --> 00:12:45,230 it covers an even bigger area than seahenge. 217 00:12:46,265 --> 00:12:48,233 On the inside, 218 00:12:48,334 --> 00:12:52,137 up to 60 smaller posts Mark out an inner circle. 219 00:12:55,141 --> 00:12:57,342 Finally, in the very center, 220 00:12:57,443 --> 00:13:02,213 a woven wicker fence surrounds two logs lying side by side. 221 00:13:04,817 --> 00:13:07,519 Could this second circle mean seahenge is 222 00:13:07,620 --> 00:13:09,454 part of an even bigger ritual? 223 00:13:11,791 --> 00:13:14,459 Today, the second timber circle lies hidden 224 00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:15,827 beneath the sands, 225 00:13:17,496 --> 00:13:19,898 but all is not lost. 226 00:13:19,999 --> 00:13:22,200 Before it is completely reburied, 227 00:13:22,301 --> 00:13:25,236 archaeologists take a sample from the monument. 228 00:13:27,373 --> 00:13:31,209 Cathy Tyers believes dating the wood can reveal. 229 00:13:31,310 --> 00:13:34,145 If seahenge and the second timber circle 230 00:13:34,246 --> 00:13:37,282 are constructed at the same time. 231 00:13:37,383 --> 00:13:40,485 To do this, she observes ring patterns on 232 00:13:40,586 --> 00:13:43,288 wood that form over the lifespan of the tree, 233 00:13:43,389 --> 00:13:46,491 a snapshot of the climate conditions 234 00:13:46,592 --> 00:13:48,493 in which the tree grew. 235 00:13:49,895 --> 00:13:51,830 The wide rings are actually where 236 00:13:51,931 --> 00:13:54,065 the tree was very happy that year. 237 00:13:54,166 --> 00:13:56,134 It wasn't short of nutrients, 238 00:13:56,235 --> 00:13:58,903 whereas some of these rings in this sample are actually very, 239 00:13:59,004 --> 00:14:00,238 very narrow, 240 00:14:00,339 --> 00:14:03,374 so it shows that the tree was actually under stress. 241 00:14:03,475 --> 00:14:07,345 So those wide and narrow rings that pattern through 242 00:14:07,446 --> 00:14:11,616 time is giving us some information about the climate. 243 00:14:11,717 --> 00:14:13,918 Narrator: Cathy compares the ring patterns from 244 00:14:14,019 --> 00:14:17,155 the second circle timber to those from seahenge. 245 00:14:17,256 --> 00:14:22,260 If the ring patterns match, this is proof 246 00:14:22,361 --> 00:14:24,929 both circles are built at the same time. 247 00:14:26,498 --> 00:14:29,934 Tyers: The black line was seahenge. 248 00:14:30,035 --> 00:14:32,270 The red line is actually from 249 00:14:32,371 --> 00:14:35,173 the other timber circle that was discovered. 250 00:14:35,274 --> 00:14:37,575 And what we can see here is 251 00:14:37,676 --> 00:14:39,410 that the ring pattern is very similar. 252 00:14:39,511 --> 00:14:42,513 We've got peaks and troughs... so wide 253 00:14:42,615 --> 00:14:45,383 and narrow rings in the same place. 254 00:14:45,484 --> 00:14:49,454 And because that outermost ring on 255 00:14:49,555 --> 00:14:53,091 a lot of those timbers is only partially formed, 256 00:14:53,192 --> 00:14:55,426 what we can actually say is that they were 257 00:14:55,527 --> 00:14:59,898 felled in spring or very early summer 2049 B.C. 258 00:15:01,066 --> 00:15:04,269 Narrator: This evidence reveals the second timber circle is 259 00:15:04,370 --> 00:15:07,038 built within just a few months of seahenge. 260 00:15:08,507 --> 00:15:11,409 This could mean that both these monuments are 261 00:15:11,510 --> 00:15:14,846 part of a complex and intricate burial practice. 262 00:15:16,815 --> 00:15:20,919 Archaeologist Maisie Taylor believes the two central beams 263 00:15:21,020 --> 00:15:22,987 of the second timber circle are 264 00:15:23,088 --> 00:15:26,724 the key to understanding the role each monument plays in 265 00:15:26,825 --> 00:15:29,127 this 4,000-year-old ritual. 266 00:15:30,596 --> 00:15:34,465 Taylor: In the very center are two huge logs. 267 00:15:34,566 --> 00:15:39,604 They were about 6 feet apart and precisely aligned so that 268 00:15:39,705 --> 00:15:44,642 the most logical and sensible explanation is that a coffin 269 00:15:44,743 --> 00:15:47,178 would have sat on them, and this site 270 00:15:47,279 --> 00:15:49,881 was the final resting place 271 00:15:49,982 --> 00:15:51,716 for somebody. 272 00:15:55,187 --> 00:15:57,622 Narrator: Maisie thinks that when the excarnation 273 00:15:57,723 --> 00:16:00,158 of the body at seahenge is complete, 274 00:16:00,225 --> 00:16:03,428 the bones are placed into a coffin made from 275 00:16:03,529 --> 00:16:05,063 a hollowed-out tree trunk. 276 00:16:07,633 --> 00:16:10,668 The mourners then carry it 300 feet 277 00:16:10,769 --> 00:16:14,005 in a ceremonial procession to the second circle. 278 00:16:17,910 --> 00:16:21,212 Here they lay the coffin across two central stumps 279 00:16:21,313 --> 00:16:23,748 and Bury it with earth, 280 00:16:23,849 --> 00:16:26,351 cementing the transition to the afterlife. 281 00:16:29,521 --> 00:16:31,789 4,000 years ago, 282 00:16:31,890 --> 00:16:33,925 the inhabitants of this area build 283 00:16:34,026 --> 00:16:37,428 not one but two monumental timber circles. 284 00:16:38,697 --> 00:16:41,032 Here they host elaborate ceremonies to 285 00:16:41,133 --> 00:16:43,234 commemorate the death of their loved ones. 286 00:16:45,371 --> 00:16:48,406 These practices are not unique to seahenge. 287 00:16:48,507 --> 00:16:51,776 At Stonehenge, cremated human remains 288 00:16:51,877 --> 00:16:54,412 and hundreds of skeletons are buried around 289 00:16:54,513 --> 00:16:56,080 the outside of the circle. 290 00:16:56,181 --> 00:17:00,418 But in Holme beach, the bones remain 291 00:17:00,519 --> 00:17:02,920 inside the second timber circle. 292 00:17:03,022 --> 00:17:05,490 Are the people that build Stonehenge 293 00:17:05,591 --> 00:17:07,392 and seahenge related? 294 00:17:08,727 --> 00:17:11,863 Could clues unearthed two miles from seahenge 295 00:17:11,964 --> 00:17:13,331 reveal the answer? 296 00:17:21,306 --> 00:17:24,609 Narrator: 4,000 years ago, 297 00:17:24,710 --> 00:17:27,612 two mysterious circles 300 feet apart 298 00:17:27,713 --> 00:17:30,114 and twice the height of a human 299 00:17:30,215 --> 00:17:33,017 are built with colossal tree trunks at their center. 300 00:17:34,386 --> 00:17:36,421 Archaeologists believe they are used 301 00:17:36,522 --> 00:17:38,856 in complex burial rituals, 302 00:17:38,957 --> 00:17:41,359 but who are the groundbreaking 303 00:17:41,460 --> 00:17:44,262 ancient engineers behind these monuments? 304 00:17:47,299 --> 00:17:50,435 David Robertson is on a mission to track them down. 305 00:17:51,670 --> 00:17:53,538 He heads to Thornham village, 306 00:17:53,639 --> 00:17:56,340 just two miles from seahenge, to investigate. 307 00:17:57,376 --> 00:17:58,976 Robertson: This location is really interesting, 308 00:17:59,078 --> 00:18:02,213 because looking straight out there is where the sight of 309 00:18:02,314 --> 00:18:04,449 seahenge and the second timber circle 310 00:18:04,550 --> 00:18:05,950 at Holme beach would have bean. 311 00:18:07,419 --> 00:18:09,720 Narrator: But this hilltop overlooking seahenge 312 00:18:09,822 --> 00:18:12,423 is more than just a vantage point. 313 00:18:12,524 --> 00:18:15,460 David thinks it could hold clues to identifying 314 00:18:15,561 --> 00:18:18,629 the builders of the seahenge ritual complex. 315 00:18:18,730 --> 00:18:20,832 Robertson: One of the reasons this site is so important 316 00:18:20,933 --> 00:18:22,366 is that we have aerial photographs 317 00:18:22,468 --> 00:18:25,236 by the raf that show crop marks. 318 00:18:27,806 --> 00:18:29,574 Narrator: Distinct lines in the fields are 319 00:18:29,675 --> 00:18:33,611 a clear sign that something hides beneath the ground 320 00:18:33,712 --> 00:18:35,179 and needs investigation. 321 00:18:38,617 --> 00:18:41,219 When archaeologists excavate the site, 322 00:18:41,320 --> 00:18:43,454 they uncover the remains of a fort 323 00:18:43,555 --> 00:18:46,724 dating back to the Romans, and in the center, 324 00:18:48,393 --> 00:18:50,795 they unearth dozens of skeletons buried 325 00:18:50,896 --> 00:18:52,263 in shallow graves. 326 00:18:54,766 --> 00:18:57,368 But it's what they find beneath the foundation, 327 00:18:57,469 --> 00:18:59,537 which most excites them... 328 00:18:59,638 --> 00:19:02,173 Evidence of a much older settlement. 329 00:19:03,642 --> 00:19:06,077 They unearth eight fragments of pottery 330 00:19:07,746 --> 00:19:10,848 that date back to the early bronze age 331 00:19:10,949 --> 00:19:13,618 and are delicately and distinctively decorated. 332 00:19:15,921 --> 00:19:19,757 Can this pottery help identify the builders of seahenge? 333 00:19:22,728 --> 00:19:25,796 David believes that the unique style of pottery is 334 00:19:25,898 --> 00:19:29,600 a direct link to a particular group of highly skilled people. 335 00:19:30,903 --> 00:19:36,007 It is the signature of the beaker people, 336 00:19:36,108 --> 00:19:37,441 named after their unique, 337 00:19:37,543 --> 00:19:40,778 bell-shaped drinking vessels known as beakers, 338 00:19:40,879 --> 00:19:44,815 but they are from mainland Europe. 339 00:19:44,917 --> 00:19:48,085 What is their distinctive pottery doing here? 340 00:19:49,588 --> 00:19:51,489 Is it imported? 341 00:19:51,590 --> 00:19:54,492 Or is it evidence the beaker people are in Britain 342 00:19:54,593 --> 00:19:56,894 and could be the builders of seahenge? 343 00:19:58,697 --> 00:20:01,332 Matt knight believes an ancient skeleton 344 00:20:01,400 --> 00:20:04,101 holds the key to unlocking this mystery. 345 00:20:04,203 --> 00:20:08,239 Archaeologists excavated the grave of a young woman 346 00:20:08,340 --> 00:20:11,542 buried at Sorisdale on the west coast of Scotland, 347 00:20:11,643 --> 00:20:17,215 and she was buried with a very small, ornately-decorated pot. 348 00:20:17,316 --> 00:20:19,717 The style of the pot suggests to us 349 00:20:19,818 --> 00:20:22,853 that she is one of the beaker people. 350 00:20:22,955 --> 00:20:25,456 Narrator: Radiocarbon dating of the skeleton shows 351 00:20:25,557 --> 00:20:28,693 she dates back to 2470 B.C., 352 00:20:28,794 --> 00:20:32,663 400 years before seahenge is built. 353 00:20:32,764 --> 00:20:35,233 She is proof the beaker people are 354 00:20:35,334 --> 00:20:38,069 in Britain in time to build seahenge. 355 00:20:40,138 --> 00:20:42,740 Is there more evidence they build it? 356 00:20:42,841 --> 00:20:46,277 Matt believes the answer lies with the technology used 357 00:20:46,378 --> 00:20:48,179 to fell the timber and construct 358 00:20:48,280 --> 00:20:51,048 the magnificent wood circle. 359 00:20:52,251 --> 00:20:53,618 Knight: This is a period where we see 360 00:20:53,719 --> 00:20:56,420 the first metal objects being produced. 361 00:20:56,521 --> 00:21:00,825 We start off with copper daggers and copper axes 362 00:21:00,926 --> 00:21:03,194 and over time, that transforms 363 00:21:03,295 --> 00:21:05,596 and is alloyed with tin to make bronze styles 364 00:21:05,697 --> 00:21:06,897 of axes. 365 00:21:06,999 --> 00:21:09,934 Narrator: By the time seahenge is built, 366 00:21:10,035 --> 00:21:13,471 bronze tools are spreading across the country. 367 00:21:13,572 --> 00:21:16,874 Matt believes the beaker people are responsible. 368 00:21:16,975 --> 00:21:21,045 They come to Britain for copper and tin to make bronze. 369 00:21:21,146 --> 00:21:25,750 Metal would have been a key part of why people moved. 370 00:21:25,851 --> 00:21:28,586 This is the first metal age of Britain. 371 00:21:31,056 --> 00:21:33,824 Narrator: The beaker people make their way across Europe 372 00:21:33,925 --> 00:21:36,894 and arrive in Britain by 2500 B.C. 373 00:21:42,734 --> 00:21:45,536 They are skilled metal workers 374 00:21:45,637 --> 00:21:48,572 and bring their bronze-making technology with them. 375 00:21:54,146 --> 00:21:56,947 Here they mine and smelt British copper 376 00:21:57,049 --> 00:21:58,883 and tin to make their bronze. 377 00:21:59,918 --> 00:22:03,020 This marks the beginning of the British bronze age. 378 00:22:04,790 --> 00:22:07,792 They forge bronze tools that are sharper 379 00:22:07,893 --> 00:22:11,028 and stronger than any used in Britain before. 380 00:22:16,068 --> 00:22:19,270 Knight: This period where bronze becomes adopted 381 00:22:19,371 --> 00:22:22,206 is around the time that seahenge was being built, 382 00:22:22,307 --> 00:22:24,675 and we can link all these different ideas 383 00:22:24,776 --> 00:22:29,080 relating to metal-working, pottery, and monument building. 384 00:22:29,181 --> 00:22:31,816 Narrator: The beaker people introduce bronze technology 385 00:22:31,917 --> 00:22:34,852 to Britain and build magnificent monuments. 386 00:22:34,953 --> 00:22:36,721 They set about constructing 387 00:22:36,822 --> 00:22:39,290 seahenge and the second timber circle, 388 00:22:41,059 --> 00:22:45,529 and they travel inland to erect 20-ton Sarsen boulders, 389 00:22:45,630 --> 00:22:49,166 adding a third circle to Britain’s iconic Stonehenge. 390 00:22:51,203 --> 00:22:53,571 They add the finishing touches to the colossal 391 00:22:53,672 --> 00:22:55,373 Avebury stone circle 392 00:22:55,474 --> 00:22:58,442 and build thousands of settlements across Britain’s 393 00:22:58,543 --> 00:23:00,244 rolling landscape. 394 00:23:00,345 --> 00:23:04,949 How do the revolutionary, bronze-wielding beaker people 395 00:23:05,050 --> 00:23:08,586 bring about such dramatic change to Britain? 396 00:23:08,687 --> 00:23:13,624 Studying the DNA of 400 European skeletons from before 397 00:23:13,725 --> 00:23:16,193 and after the beaker people arrive, 398 00:23:16,294 --> 00:23:18,896 Matt discovers something astonishing. 399 00:23:18,997 --> 00:23:22,833 The DNA was particularly remarkable in showing this 90% 400 00:23:22,934 --> 00:23:27,004 turnover in genetic material over the course of 1,000 years. 401 00:23:27,105 --> 00:23:30,207 Narrator: Incredibly, within just 1,000 years 402 00:23:30,308 --> 00:23:33,110 of the first beaker people arriving in Britain, 403 00:23:33,211 --> 00:23:37,381 they make up 90% of the entire population. 404 00:23:37,482 --> 00:23:39,517 Is this evidence that the beaker people 405 00:23:39,618 --> 00:23:42,420 violently overthrow the indigenous inhabitants 406 00:23:42,521 --> 00:23:43,954 of Britain? 407 00:23:44,055 --> 00:23:46,524 Matt believes the long transition period of 408 00:23:46,625 --> 00:23:50,261 1,000 years shows a different, more surprising story. 409 00:23:51,463 --> 00:23:54,465 We suspect that over the course of 1,000 years, 410 00:23:54,566 --> 00:23:58,068 you get this integration of communities, intermarriage of 411 00:23:58,170 --> 00:24:02,907 people, and that slowly produces the genetic makeup. 412 00:24:03,008 --> 00:24:05,976 Narrator: Matt's research shows that these new people are not 413 00:24:06,077 --> 00:24:08,179 a threat to the indigenous communities, 414 00:24:08,280 --> 00:24:10,614 but instead are a welcome addition. 415 00:24:14,085 --> 00:24:17,354 4,500 years ago, the beaker people migrate 416 00:24:17,456 --> 00:24:20,124 to Britain and mix with the indigenous people. 417 00:24:22,694 --> 00:24:23,894 They integrate with them, 418 00:24:23,995 --> 00:24:27,832 forming a new British culture and build monuments to 419 00:24:27,933 --> 00:24:29,467 celebrate the dead. 420 00:24:29,568 --> 00:24:33,971 Can their bronze tools tell us more secrets of seahenge? 421 00:24:34,072 --> 00:24:36,240 What can discoveries on its timbers 422 00:24:36,341 --> 00:24:39,510 reveal about life in these prehistoric times? 423 00:24:47,752 --> 00:24:49,587 Narrator: Seahenge is a mysterious 424 00:24:49,688 --> 00:24:53,591 4,000-year-old structure found on the English coast. 425 00:24:53,692 --> 00:24:56,961 Archaeologists discover it is built by 426 00:24:57,062 --> 00:25:00,564 the migrants who bring bronze to Britain. 427 00:25:00,665 --> 00:25:04,134 Can clues found at seahenge reveal more 428 00:25:04,236 --> 00:25:07,037 about these pioneering people and how they live? 429 00:25:11,510 --> 00:25:14,411 When archaeologists extract the ancient timbers, 430 00:25:14,513 --> 00:25:17,982 they make a remarkable discovery. 431 00:25:18,083 --> 00:25:21,085 At the base, where the logs are best preserved, 432 00:25:21,186 --> 00:25:24,655 they find dozens of scars in the wood, 433 00:25:24,756 --> 00:25:27,691 the marks of bronze tools, 434 00:25:27,792 --> 00:25:31,428 most likely the axes the builders used to fell the trees. 435 00:25:35,267 --> 00:25:38,369 Other timbers carry shaving marks where branches 436 00:25:38,470 --> 00:25:41,972 and twigs have been stripped... These incredible 437 00:25:42,073 --> 00:25:46,210 ancient records etched into the wood reveal remarkable 438 00:25:46,311 --> 00:25:49,513 evidence about bronze age people and how they live. 439 00:25:53,652 --> 00:25:56,453 Archaeologist and ancient wood specialist 440 00:25:56,555 --> 00:25:58,055 Maisie Taylor is 441 00:25:58,156 --> 00:26:02,626 conducting a forensic analysis of the seahenge timbers. 442 00:26:02,727 --> 00:26:05,362 To examine the axe markings 443 00:26:05,463 --> 00:26:07,932 in the microscopic details she needs, 444 00:26:08,033 --> 00:26:12,236 Maisie uses ultra high resolution 3D scans. 445 00:26:12,337 --> 00:26:16,774 This point here, an axe has completely bitten in and stuck, 446 00:26:16,875 --> 00:26:18,242 and they've had to pull it out. 447 00:26:18,343 --> 00:26:21,211 We've got the whole shape of the axe 448 00:26:21,313 --> 00:26:23,614 and the complete width, as well. 449 00:26:23,715 --> 00:26:27,017 That is the precise shape of the axe. 450 00:26:27,118 --> 00:26:30,688 Narrator: But when Maisie inspects another seahenge 451 00:26:30,789 --> 00:26:33,624 timber, she discovers different axe markings. 452 00:26:34,893 --> 00:26:37,628 When we look at the axe marks on here, 453 00:26:37,729 --> 00:26:39,129 they look quite different. 454 00:26:39,230 --> 00:26:41,966 They're definitely wider, flatter. 455 00:26:42,067 --> 00:26:46,470 So whoever cut this down was using a different axe. 456 00:26:48,373 --> 00:26:51,375 Narrator: Maisie believes that by studying the variation of 457 00:26:51,476 --> 00:26:53,577 axe marks on the timbers, 458 00:26:53,678 --> 00:26:57,081 she can calculate the size of the workforce involved in 459 00:26:57,182 --> 00:26:58,882 the construction of seahenge. 460 00:27:00,785 --> 00:27:04,722 I've got a bronze-bladed tool. 461 00:27:04,823 --> 00:27:06,957 One of things that isn't so clear 462 00:27:07,058 --> 00:27:09,893 is blemishes on the edge of the blade, 463 00:27:09,995 --> 00:27:13,163 and so when the axe bites in, 464 00:27:13,264 --> 00:27:17,501 it will leave the pattern of the blemishes. 465 00:27:17,602 --> 00:27:20,704 Narrator: The blemishes create a unique fingerprint for each 466 00:27:20,805 --> 00:27:24,174 axe used in the construction of seahenge. 467 00:27:24,275 --> 00:27:26,677 Maisie uses this information to count 468 00:27:26,778 --> 00:27:29,580 the total number of axes. 469 00:27:29,681 --> 00:27:34,151 Taylor: There has to be at least 50 different axes, 470 00:27:34,252 --> 00:27:39,556 and so you've got at least 50, 50 plus people just working on 471 00:27:39,658 --> 00:27:42,292 the trees and the timbers. 472 00:27:42,394 --> 00:27:44,828 Narrator: This realization uproots historical 473 00:27:44,929 --> 00:27:47,898 assumptions about bronze age communities. 474 00:27:47,999 --> 00:27:50,567 Far from being primitive tribes, 475 00:27:50,669 --> 00:27:53,971 the builders of seahenge are, in fact, a highly organized 476 00:27:54,072 --> 00:27:56,974 and skilled society. 477 00:27:57,075 --> 00:28:00,911 Taylor: Somebody has decided what they're going to build, 478 00:28:01,012 --> 00:28:05,115 rounded up the people who've got the right skills, 479 00:28:05,216 --> 00:28:08,185 and got them all working 480 00:28:08,286 --> 00:28:13,824 and ending up with a carefully worked-out structure. 481 00:28:13,925 --> 00:28:15,859 Narrator: But with seahenge surrounded by 482 00:28:15,960 --> 00:28:18,962 two miles of flat sands and dunes, 483 00:28:19,064 --> 00:28:22,499 where do the beaker people source the wood? 484 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:25,869 Analysis of the timbers reveal 485 00:28:25,970 --> 00:28:29,006 seahenge is built from solid oak. 486 00:28:31,209 --> 00:28:34,478 Taylor: It's absolutely clear that the wood could not have 487 00:28:34,579 --> 00:28:37,581 been growing immediately alongside 488 00:28:37,682 --> 00:28:41,585 where the monument was made, because they're healthy young 489 00:28:41,653 --> 00:28:44,922 oak trees, and they don't grow in water, 490 00:28:45,023 --> 00:28:48,092 and they certainly don't grow on the edge of the tide. 491 00:28:48,193 --> 00:28:51,095 Narrator: The oak must come from inland. 492 00:28:51,196 --> 00:28:54,765 How do they transport tons of timber to this coastal site? 493 00:28:57,068 --> 00:28:59,970 Maisie turns her attention to the 3D scans 494 00:29:00,071 --> 00:29:02,740 of the upturned tree trunk. 495 00:29:02,841 --> 00:29:06,243 You can see two holes cut really 496 00:29:06,344 --> 00:29:09,413 quite precisely on either side. 497 00:29:09,514 --> 00:29:10,914 Narrator: But close examination of 498 00:29:11,015 --> 00:29:13,851 the holes reveals something extraordinary. 499 00:29:13,952 --> 00:29:18,021 There are still traces of where the rope went through. 500 00:29:18,123 --> 00:29:21,091 Narrator: And Maisie suspects these holes 501 00:29:21,192 --> 00:29:23,460 and rope markings could reveal 502 00:29:23,561 --> 00:29:26,930 how they position this two-ton tree trunk. 503 00:29:27,031 --> 00:29:30,768 Taylor: It was obvious there was still rope in place. 504 00:29:30,869 --> 00:29:32,970 Narrator: Scientific tests reveal 505 00:29:33,071 --> 00:29:34,972 the rope is made from honeysuckle, 506 00:29:35,073 --> 00:29:37,608 a plant commonly growing in woodland. 507 00:29:39,210 --> 00:29:42,312 Honeysuckle grows by winding itself around 508 00:29:42,413 --> 00:29:45,015 anything it can get hold of, including itself, 509 00:29:45,116 --> 00:29:47,351 and they exploited that to make 510 00:29:47,452 --> 00:29:49,720 very strong rope. 511 00:29:51,089 --> 00:29:53,423 Narrator: But how did the builders of seahenge move 512 00:29:53,525 --> 00:29:57,961 a two-ton tree trunk using just strands of honeysuckle? 513 00:29:58,062 --> 00:30:00,397 Taylor: Well, the rope, originally, 514 00:30:00,498 --> 00:30:02,866 would have encircled the trunk. 515 00:30:02,967 --> 00:30:05,202 Presumably when they were towing it, 516 00:30:05,303 --> 00:30:08,739 the ropes trailed up, and they were still attached through 517 00:30:08,840 --> 00:30:11,575 the holes, proving 518 00:30:11,676 --> 00:30:14,545 once and for all that these holes were used for towing. 519 00:30:19,350 --> 00:30:22,085 Narrator: First, workers cut down trees 520 00:30:23,655 --> 00:30:25,989 and uproot one large oak stump. 521 00:30:30,128 --> 00:30:33,463 They drill holes into the stump 522 00:30:33,565 --> 00:30:35,866 and attach ropes made from honeysuckle. 523 00:30:41,806 --> 00:30:45,342 Then they haul the timber through the woodland 524 00:30:45,443 --> 00:30:47,744 to where they build their magnificent monument 525 00:30:47,846 --> 00:30:48,979 for the dead. 526 00:30:51,516 --> 00:30:55,686 Here they dig a hole and a circular trench so they 527 00:30:55,787 --> 00:30:59,857 can install the central altar and the timber fence around it. 528 00:31:02,594 --> 00:31:05,596 But one mystery remains unsolved. 529 00:31:05,697 --> 00:31:08,465 Why bring all the materials to this site 530 00:31:08,533 --> 00:31:10,534 rather than building near the woodland? 531 00:31:12,070 --> 00:31:14,171 With the discovery of over 1,000 532 00:31:14,272 --> 00:31:16,540 prehistoric circular formations across 533 00:31:16,641 --> 00:31:17,808 Britain’s landscape, 534 00:31:19,677 --> 00:31:23,680 why are the seahenge circles the only ones found by the sea? 535 00:31:33,958 --> 00:31:35,926 Narrator: 4,000 years ago, 536 00:31:36,027 --> 00:31:39,263 not long after Stonehenge is built, two more 537 00:31:39,364 --> 00:31:41,765 strange prehistoric monuments rise up 538 00:31:41,866 --> 00:31:44,401 on the English coastline... 539 00:31:44,502 --> 00:31:47,938 Seahenge and a second timber circle. 540 00:31:48,039 --> 00:31:50,574 But why do the bronze age people 541 00:31:50,675 --> 00:31:53,877 build these monuments here on this remote beach? 542 00:31:56,814 --> 00:31:59,182 David Robertson believes the clues lie 543 00:31:59,284 --> 00:32:01,718 in the sand around seahenge. 544 00:32:01,853 --> 00:32:04,588 The sand that's in my hand at the moment, 545 00:32:04,689 --> 00:32:06,590 that's the modern beach deposit. 546 00:32:06,691 --> 00:32:09,359 But these weren't here when seahenge 547 00:32:09,460 --> 00:32:11,094 was built in the bronze age. 548 00:32:11,195 --> 00:32:15,065 Narrator: What does this beach look like back then? 549 00:32:15,166 --> 00:32:17,935 Not far away, there are sediments just 550 00:32:18,036 --> 00:32:20,504 like those that seahenge was built within. 551 00:32:23,274 --> 00:32:25,142 Narrator: 3 feet beneath the sand 552 00:32:25,243 --> 00:32:27,411 lies a completely different sediment. 553 00:32:28,646 --> 00:32:29,780 In parts of the beach, 554 00:32:29,881 --> 00:32:32,449 this sediment is visible today. 555 00:32:32,550 --> 00:32:36,219 If I just scrape off a little bit of the clays and silts, 556 00:32:36,321 --> 00:32:37,854 run them through my hand, 557 00:32:37,956 --> 00:32:40,524 you can see how soft and sticky they are 558 00:32:40,625 --> 00:32:42,659 all over my fingers. 559 00:32:42,727 --> 00:32:46,063 And if I pick up some of the sand 560 00:32:46,164 --> 00:32:49,333 that's on the beach, lays around, 561 00:32:49,434 --> 00:32:52,669 you can see how different the two are. 562 00:32:52,770 --> 00:32:55,639 Narrator: The ancient clays are formed 563 00:32:55,740 --> 00:32:57,708 from very fine particles, 564 00:32:57,809 --> 00:33:01,345 unlike the larger grains of modern beach sand. 565 00:33:01,446 --> 00:33:03,647 We know from the seahenge excavations 566 00:33:03,748 --> 00:33:06,016 and from work on the second circle 567 00:33:06,117 --> 00:33:10,787 that both structures were built in the environment that... that 568 00:33:10,888 --> 00:33:13,423 silts and the clays were laid down in. 569 00:33:14,692 --> 00:33:16,560 Narrator: Both timber circles are built in 570 00:33:16,661 --> 00:33:19,029 these sticky gray clays and silts. 571 00:33:22,467 --> 00:33:26,036 David surveys the coast to look for a modern equivalent. 572 00:33:27,472 --> 00:33:29,573 If he can find the matching soil, 573 00:33:29,674 --> 00:33:32,042 it will reveal the original environment 574 00:33:32,143 --> 00:33:34,144 the timber circles are built in. 575 00:33:34,245 --> 00:33:36,680 I'm just having a very gentle scrape 576 00:33:36,781 --> 00:33:39,649 around in these modern salt marsh deposits. 577 00:33:39,751 --> 00:33:41,551 Having a look at the color. 578 00:33:41,652 --> 00:33:44,788 Having a look at the consistency, 579 00:33:44,889 --> 00:33:46,757 narrator: David compares the sediment 580 00:33:46,858 --> 00:33:48,959 from this modern salt marsh to 581 00:33:49,060 --> 00:33:52,262 the Clay and silt samples from seahenge. 582 00:33:52,363 --> 00:33:53,463 Although you can see the colors are 583 00:33:53,564 --> 00:33:54,631 slightly different, 584 00:33:54,732 --> 00:33:57,534 the modern salt marsh sediment is slightly darker, 585 00:33:57,635 --> 00:34:00,637 there is a lot of similarity in consistency, 586 00:34:00,705 --> 00:34:05,375 both are silts and clays, both are very, very sticky. 587 00:34:05,476 --> 00:34:08,545 Narrator: From this sticky soil, David can deduce that 588 00:34:08,646 --> 00:34:11,982 seahenge is built in a salt marsh. 589 00:34:12,083 --> 00:34:13,650 I believe this is just like 590 00:34:13,751 --> 00:34:15,619 the environment in which the two circles 591 00:34:15,720 --> 00:34:17,854 were constructed. 592 00:34:17,955 --> 00:34:20,724 Narrator: A surprising discovery just yards from 593 00:34:20,825 --> 00:34:23,627 seahenge makes it possible to piece together 594 00:34:23,728 --> 00:34:25,262 this ancient environment. 595 00:34:29,067 --> 00:34:33,170 When archaeologists extract the timbers of seahenge, 596 00:34:33,271 --> 00:34:36,139 they find an antler buried in the peat 597 00:34:36,240 --> 00:34:39,009 dating to the same period as seahenge. 598 00:34:39,110 --> 00:34:40,977 It comes from a red deer, 599 00:34:42,447 --> 00:34:45,615 a clue this area is not always a beach. 600 00:34:48,953 --> 00:34:53,056 This unexpected discovery lets scientists paint a clear 601 00:34:53,157 --> 00:34:56,660 picture of the prehistoric landscape around seahenge. 602 00:34:58,062 --> 00:34:58,929 In its prime, 603 00:34:59,030 --> 00:35:01,765 the would circle sits in a grassy marshland 604 00:35:01,866 --> 00:35:05,035 teeming with life, miles away from the sea. 605 00:35:07,004 --> 00:35:09,806 Why is this landscape so different from today? 606 00:35:15,179 --> 00:35:16,546 Robertson: At some point in the past, 607 00:35:16,647 --> 00:35:19,149 potentially in the iron age or maybe later, 608 00:35:19,250 --> 00:35:22,486 the sea engulfed this area. 609 00:35:22,587 --> 00:35:24,754 Narrator: Over thousands of years, 610 00:35:24,856 --> 00:35:26,923 the north sea inundates the region, 611 00:35:27,024 --> 00:35:29,860 destroying the timber circles and burying them 612 00:35:29,961 --> 00:35:31,795 beneath the sand. 613 00:35:31,896 --> 00:35:34,998 But how do the remnants survive to be discovered? 614 00:35:38,336 --> 00:35:41,438 As plants growing in the marshland die, 615 00:35:41,539 --> 00:35:45,208 they decompose into a thick layer of peat that builds up 616 00:35:45,309 --> 00:35:46,376 around seahenge. 617 00:35:50,314 --> 00:35:53,617 When a protective sand dune moves inland, 618 00:35:53,718 --> 00:35:56,186 it exposes seahenge to the ocean. 619 00:36:01,759 --> 00:36:05,228 Now the tide submerges seahenge twice a day, 620 00:36:06,731 --> 00:36:08,532 and its timber begins to decay. 621 00:36:12,069 --> 00:36:15,172 But sealed in the water-logged peat, 622 00:36:15,273 --> 00:36:17,607 the bases survive 623 00:36:17,708 --> 00:36:20,544 to be discovered 4,000 years later. 624 00:36:22,980 --> 00:36:25,115 Robertson: Without the peat beds, seahenge 625 00:36:25,216 --> 00:36:27,684 and the second circle wouldn't have survived. 626 00:36:29,587 --> 00:36:31,254 Narrator: Over 4,000 years, 627 00:36:31,355 --> 00:36:36,393 the sea, peat, and environment all work in perfect Harmony 628 00:36:36,494 --> 00:36:39,796 to preserve the two timber circles for us today. 629 00:36:41,766 --> 00:36:43,900 Why do the people choose this remote, 630 00:36:44,001 --> 00:36:45,502 seemingly uninhabitable, 631 00:36:45,603 --> 00:36:48,171 marshy location for their great monument? 632 00:36:49,540 --> 00:36:54,110 Can an ancient settlement 40 miles away reveal clues? 633 00:37:04,488 --> 00:37:07,691 Narrator: On the eastern coast of England, 634 00:37:07,792 --> 00:37:11,161 investigations at seahenge reveal a tribe of people 635 00:37:11,262 --> 00:37:12,596 from Europe 636 00:37:12,697 --> 00:37:14,831 who bring bronze to Britain. 637 00:37:16,634 --> 00:37:19,336 Why do they build their monumental timber circle 638 00:37:19,437 --> 00:37:23,139 in this netherworld between land and sea? 639 00:37:26,143 --> 00:37:29,212 Francis Pryor believes a bronze age settlement 640 00:37:29,313 --> 00:37:31,381 discovered in a vast marshy basin 641 00:37:31,482 --> 00:37:34,784 40 miles from seahenge could hold clues. 642 00:37:37,355 --> 00:37:40,490 The fen base is very low-lying landing. 643 00:37:40,591 --> 00:37:42,792 It covers about a million acres, 644 00:37:42,893 --> 00:37:46,396 which used to flood from the sea. 645 00:37:46,497 --> 00:37:48,031 Narrator: It's identical to the original 646 00:37:48,132 --> 00:37:49,599 environment around seahenge. 647 00:37:51,102 --> 00:37:54,137 Here, Francis discovers a surprising structure 648 00:37:54,238 --> 00:37:56,039 beneath the mud. 649 00:37:56,140 --> 00:38:00,410 This, then, is the bronze age causeway, 650 00:38:00,511 --> 00:38:03,813 constructed from about 1300 B.C. 651 00:38:03,914 --> 00:38:06,783 Narrator: 700 years after seahenge, 652 00:38:06,884 --> 00:38:09,519 people here construct this colossal wooden 653 00:38:09,620 --> 00:38:13,323 causeway on the edge of the fen basin in an area 654 00:38:13,424 --> 00:38:15,692 known today as flag fen. 655 00:38:17,395 --> 00:38:21,264 It stretches almost a mile through dense marshland 656 00:38:21,332 --> 00:38:23,633 connecting two bronze age settlements. 657 00:38:25,236 --> 00:38:27,270 Pryor: We estimate that there are about 658 00:38:27,371 --> 00:38:32,742 60,000 timbers in the flag fen causeway, 659 00:38:32,843 --> 00:38:36,346 so it was a major engineering undertaking. 660 00:38:37,548 --> 00:38:39,182 Narrator: This community uses 661 00:38:39,283 --> 00:38:41,885 the same building techniques for their causeway 662 00:38:41,952 --> 00:38:44,921 as the builders of the sacred timber circles, 663 00:38:45,022 --> 00:38:49,326 working in great teams to build the enormous structures. 664 00:38:49,427 --> 00:38:51,294 But unlike seahenge on the coast, 665 00:38:51,395 --> 00:38:54,364 this sheltered basin is littered with hundreds of 666 00:38:54,465 --> 00:38:55,465 extra clues. 667 00:38:57,001 --> 00:38:59,002 Francis's team finds hundreds 668 00:38:59,103 --> 00:39:02,572 of bronze artifacts alongside the causeway. 669 00:39:02,673 --> 00:39:06,209 The causeway, like a modern road, 670 00:39:06,310 --> 00:39:08,345 was used for carrying goods. 671 00:39:08,446 --> 00:39:12,248 We actually found a wheel, we found pieces of axles, 672 00:39:12,350 --> 00:39:16,786 so society is getting very technologically savvy 673 00:39:16,887 --> 00:39:18,555 at this point. 674 00:39:18,656 --> 00:39:21,458 Narrator: Discoveries here reveal the huge efforts 675 00:39:21,559 --> 00:39:24,561 bronze age people make to settle marshy wetlands. 676 00:39:26,364 --> 00:39:27,864 But why are they so determined 677 00:39:27,965 --> 00:39:31,334 to live and Bury their dead here? 678 00:39:31,435 --> 00:39:35,638 Francis believes the people are fascinated by water. 679 00:39:35,740 --> 00:39:37,507 Pryor: Every day, we look in the mirror, 680 00:39:37,608 --> 00:39:41,411 but in the bronze age, people didn't have mirrors, 681 00:39:41,512 --> 00:39:44,347 so they didn't know what their faces looked like, 682 00:39:44,448 --> 00:39:48,318 unless they look down into the water, 683 00:39:48,419 --> 00:39:52,922 but you pass below the water, and you drown. 684 00:39:53,023 --> 00:39:56,593 It's the world of death, it's the world of the ancestors. 685 00:39:58,729 --> 00:40:01,531 Narrator: Just like the people at flag fen, 686 00:40:01,632 --> 00:40:04,334 the people of seahenge are drawn to water. 687 00:40:05,603 --> 00:40:08,071 What can this ancient fascination tell us 688 00:40:08,172 --> 00:40:09,439 about seahenge? 689 00:40:10,808 --> 00:40:13,943 You get a similar feeling at seahenge, 690 00:40:14,044 --> 00:40:16,880 where the tree is placed upside down, 691 00:40:16,981 --> 00:40:20,683 and it's going down into 692 00:40:20,785 --> 00:40:23,286 the world below the surface. 693 00:40:23,387 --> 00:40:26,256 They also had a vision of 694 00:40:26,357 --> 00:40:31,261 the afterlife being below the ground, below water. 695 00:40:31,362 --> 00:40:33,696 Narrator: Francis's investigations reveal 696 00:40:33,798 --> 00:40:35,198 that people of the bronze age 697 00:40:35,299 --> 00:40:38,535 have a deep spiritual connection with the afterlife, 698 00:40:38,636 --> 00:40:41,037 and the monuments they build form a direct 699 00:40:41,138 --> 00:40:43,973 link from their world to the spiritual world. 700 00:40:45,843 --> 00:40:47,977 Pryor: And that's why sites like flag fen 701 00:40:48,078 --> 00:40:51,581 and seahenge were so important to people, 702 00:40:51,682 --> 00:40:54,751 because those sites gave structure 703 00:40:54,852 --> 00:40:56,753 and meaning to their lives. 704 00:41:00,658 --> 00:41:04,761 Narrator: 4,500 years ago, a sophisticated people 705 00:41:04,862 --> 00:41:06,162 migrate to Britain 706 00:41:06,263 --> 00:41:09,065 and kickstart the British bronze age. 707 00:41:11,368 --> 00:41:14,003 They build two colossal timber circles 708 00:41:14,104 --> 00:41:16,706 to commemorate their dead. 709 00:41:16,807 --> 00:41:19,943 Over time, these people thrive in Britain. 710 00:41:22,279 --> 00:41:26,549 These unique timber circles finally reveal secrets that 711 00:41:26,650 --> 00:41:28,651 revolutionize our understanding 712 00:41:28,752 --> 00:41:32,222 of the bronze age and the people who make it possible. 713 00:41:32,323 --> 00:41:36,826 ♪♪ 714 00:41:36,927 --> 00:41:44,927 ♪♪ 715 00:41:46,837 --> 00:41:54,837 ♪♪ 716 00:41:56,847 --> 00:42:03,720 ♪♪ 56662

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