Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated:
1
00:00:06,661 --> 00:00:10,781
This is the Amazon rainforest.
It's breathtaking.
2
00:00:12,701 --> 00:00:17,581
So many people think of the Amazon
as this vast, natural oasis.
3
00:00:17,621 --> 00:00:20,981
Truly wild, unchanged forever...
4
00:00:24,141 --> 00:00:26,061
..dotted with a few isolated tribes.
5
00:00:27,421 --> 00:00:29,821
But it's a complete myth.
6
00:00:29,861 --> 00:00:33,181
See, a monumental mystery is
unfolding out here,
7
00:00:33,221 --> 00:00:37,421
with new evidence of vast societies
that thrived along these banks
8
00:00:37,461 --> 00:00:39,981
and stretched right across the
continent,
9
00:00:40,021 --> 00:00:42,861
where now, there's nothing but dense
rainforest.
10
00:00:44,461 --> 00:00:47,141
I want to get to the bottom of this
mystery
11
00:00:47,181 --> 00:00:51,021
and find out for myself the real
history of the Amazon.
12
00:00:53,341 --> 00:00:56,421
I'm Ella al-Shamahi.
13
00:00:56,461 --> 00:00:59,741
I'm an explorer and archaeologist in
some of the world's
14
00:00:59,781 --> 00:01:02,581
most dangerous and remote regions.
15
00:01:04,581 --> 00:01:07,661
I'll be travelling through the
Amazon's conflict zones...
16
00:01:07,701 --> 00:01:09,541
GUNFIRE
17
00:01:09,581 --> 00:01:11,341
LOUD BANG
18
00:01:11,381 --> 00:01:14,821
..in search of a lost ancient world.
19
00:01:14,861 --> 00:01:16,501
There's hand prints.
20
00:01:16,541 --> 00:01:19,101
There's actual hand prints.
21
00:01:19,141 --> 00:01:24,461
I'll be seeing how new technology is
looking beneath the jungle,
22
00:01:24,501 --> 00:01:27,661
uncovering vast, hidden settlements
23
00:01:27,701 --> 00:01:32,141
and revealing the remains of entire
civilisations
24
00:01:32,181 --> 00:01:34,501
of millions of people.
25
00:01:34,541 --> 00:01:38,021
It's going to raise a whole pile of
questions.
26
00:01:38,061 --> 00:01:41,381
Who were these people and when did
they live here?
27
00:01:41,421 --> 00:01:43,021
Where did they come from?
28
00:01:43,061 --> 00:01:48,261
And perhaps most important of all,
what on Earth happened to them?
29
00:01:57,261 --> 00:02:02,101
I'm going on an incredible adventure
to solve a massive mystery.
30
00:02:05,701 --> 00:02:09,661
When most of us think about ancient
civilisations in the Americas,
31
00:02:09,701 --> 00:02:14,141
we think of the mighty mountain
citadels of the Inca...
32
00:02:15,661 --> 00:02:18,341
..and the great pyramids of the
Maya.
33
00:02:23,461 --> 00:02:25,021
But here in the Amazon,
34
00:02:25,061 --> 00:02:28,541
there are no signs of ancient
civilisation at all.
35
00:02:28,581 --> 00:02:32,061
Just a vast, empty wilderness,
36
00:02:32,101 --> 00:02:36,381
lightly populated by scattered
indigenous groups.
37
00:02:39,541 --> 00:02:41,941
But could we have got it all wrong?
38
00:02:43,301 --> 00:02:46,301
An extraordinary account by a
European explorer,
39
00:02:46,341 --> 00:02:48,381
almost 500 years ago,
40
00:02:48,421 --> 00:02:51,781
paints a dramatically different
picture.
41
00:02:53,181 --> 00:02:56,101
One of the first Europeans to ever
travel along the Amazon
42
00:02:56,141 --> 00:02:59,421
was a missionary called Gaspar de
Carvajal.
43
00:02:59,461 --> 00:03:02,581
He actually wrote about it in
his diary in the 16th century
44
00:03:02,621 --> 00:03:06,741
and he talks about "gleaming vast
cities
45
00:03:06,781 --> 00:03:08,461
"on the river banks."
46
00:03:08,501 --> 00:03:13,181
And he describes inhabited areas
that were 440 kilometres long.
47
00:03:13,221 --> 00:03:17,501
It took them two days and two nights
to pass through it.
48
00:03:20,181 --> 00:03:21,621
Back in 1542...
49
00:03:22,781 --> 00:03:26,741
..Carvajal described a
highly developed civilisation.
50
00:03:31,781 --> 00:03:34,301
One to rival the famous cities of
the Inca.
51
00:03:35,861 --> 00:03:38,341
But successive generations of
explorers
52
00:03:38,381 --> 00:03:40,701
found pretty much what we see today.
53
00:03:40,741 --> 00:03:45,021
Endless, impenetrable jungle.
54
00:03:45,061 --> 00:03:47,581
So, the Spanish priest was
forgotten.
55
00:03:47,621 --> 00:03:50,381
His diary ridiculed.
56
00:03:51,541 --> 00:03:54,741
But now, new archaeological evidence
is suggesting
57
00:03:54,781 --> 00:03:57,661
he may have been
telling the truth after all.
58
00:04:01,901 --> 00:04:05,901
My investigation will take me right
across the Amazon,
59
00:04:05,941 --> 00:04:08,101
the world's largest rainforest,
60
00:04:08,141 --> 00:04:11,221
so huge, it spans eight countries.
61
00:04:14,421 --> 00:04:18,901
I'm starting off in a region of
western Brazil called Acre.
62
00:04:21,501 --> 00:04:24,541
Here, huge areas of the forest have
been cleared
63
00:04:24,581 --> 00:04:26,181
and turned into farmland.
64
00:04:27,221 --> 00:04:28,821
It's just tragic.
65
00:04:28,861 --> 00:04:32,741
But it's also revealing something
amazing.
66
00:04:34,581 --> 00:04:37,381
Allowing archaeologists like Jose
Iriarte
67
00:04:37,421 --> 00:04:40,221
to discover the Amazon's
ancient secrets.
68
00:04:41,541 --> 00:04:44,061
Hello, how are you? Hey, how's it
going?
69
00:04:45,181 --> 00:04:47,181
Watch out, it's super steep.
70
00:04:51,141 --> 00:04:54,981
Deforestation has recently revealed
these mind-blowing,
71
00:04:55,021 --> 00:04:57,461
man-made geoglyphs.
72
00:04:59,541 --> 00:05:02,501
Huge, mysterious geometric
patterns...
73
00:05:04,181 --> 00:05:06,821
..carved into the landscape.
74
00:05:07,981 --> 00:05:12,141
This is one of the most distinct and
mysterious geoglyphs
75
00:05:12,181 --> 00:05:13,621
in the whole region.
76
00:05:13,661 --> 00:05:15,861
We've all seen crop circles. Yeah.
77
00:05:15,901 --> 00:05:19,701
But this is something like a
pre-historic crop circle...
78
00:05:20,701 --> 00:05:21,741
..in the Amazon.
79
00:05:23,021 --> 00:05:27,261
This isn't supposed to exist and
yet, it does.
80
00:05:29,501 --> 00:05:31,461
It is a bit mad, isn't it?
81
00:05:33,301 --> 00:05:36,221
Thought to date from as long as 2,000
years ago,
82
00:05:36,261 --> 00:05:40,221
centuries before Europeans arrived
in the Amazon,
83
00:05:40,261 --> 00:05:45,381
their sheer scale means they surely
could only have been built
84
00:05:45,421 --> 00:05:47,901
by a highly organised society.
85
00:05:50,421 --> 00:05:52,701
These are ritual, ceremonial
structures.
86
00:05:52,741 --> 00:05:56,341
If we go back in time and we think
of the technology
87
00:05:56,381 --> 00:05:57,981
that the geoglyph builders have,
88
00:05:58,021 --> 00:06:02,101
it would take 100 people a month to
take out the dirt
89
00:06:02,141 --> 00:06:03,781
to build one of these structures.
90
00:06:03,821 --> 00:06:07,821
So, we're talking about a society
that was very complex.
91
00:06:07,861 --> 00:06:12,981
To be able to plan, to build and to
maintain these structures.
92
00:06:15,781 --> 00:06:18,821
Discovering these structures is a
game changer.
93
00:06:18,861 --> 00:06:23,021
The people who built them weren't
small groups of hunter-gatherers,
94
00:06:23,061 --> 00:06:28,541
but part of a much more complex
society than experts ever imagined.
95
00:06:30,021 --> 00:06:34,461
Once completely hidden, they now
seem to be everywhere.
96
00:06:38,301 --> 00:06:41,461
So far, more than 500 structures
have emerged
97
00:06:41,501 --> 00:06:43,821
in this part of the Amazon alone...
98
00:06:45,261 --> 00:06:48,701
..across an area almost the size of
Scotland.
99
00:06:51,461 --> 00:06:53,501
It's so completely unexpected.
100
00:06:53,541 --> 00:06:56,861
I think so many of us have got the
notion of the people
101
00:06:56,901 --> 00:07:01,581
that lived in the Amazon
and it wasn't societies like this.
102
00:07:03,261 --> 00:07:05,421
This isn't a simple society.
103
00:07:05,461 --> 00:07:10,501
These geoglyphs indicate a really
complex society.
104
00:07:19,781 --> 00:07:22,381
These discoveries are starting a
revolution
105
00:07:22,421 --> 00:07:24,621
in Amazonian archaeology.
106
00:07:33,861 --> 00:07:35,941
OK, what...what are we looking
at here?
107
00:07:37,381 --> 00:07:41,541
So, this is our area of
archaeological interest.
108
00:07:42,701 --> 00:07:46,661
Today, cutting-edge laser technology
called Lidar
109
00:07:46,701 --> 00:07:51,381
is helping scientists to discover
what's hidden beneath the tress,
110
00:07:51,421 --> 00:07:53,981
without destroying the rainforest.
111
00:07:55,621 --> 00:07:59,181
Look at all this area covered with
trees.
112
00:07:59,221 --> 00:08:01,941
But when we remove the canopy...
113
00:08:01,981 --> 00:08:03,821
..kaboom.
114
00:08:03,861 --> 00:08:07,821
The scan reveals structures that
have never been seen before...
115
00:08:09,341 --> 00:08:12,581
..including one that Jose is
particularly intrigued by.
116
00:08:13,781 --> 00:08:16,101
As you can see, we've found a new
site
117
00:08:16,141 --> 00:08:19,341
that was completely unknown to
archaeology.
118
00:08:21,741 --> 00:08:23,061
Oh, wow.
119
00:08:23,101 --> 00:08:24,541
I mean, that's amazing.
120
00:08:26,221 --> 00:08:29,901
What's revealed looks like a precise
circle of mounds
121
00:08:29,941 --> 00:08:32,621
with a straight road leading to it.
122
00:08:36,341 --> 00:08:37,621
It's incredible.
123
00:08:37,661 --> 00:08:39,821
That is completely hidden under the
trees.
124
00:08:41,261 --> 00:08:44,381
Jose believes this could be an
ancient settlement.
125
00:08:45,821 --> 00:08:48,461
But there's only one way to find out
for sure.
126
00:08:49,741 --> 00:08:54,541
Tomorrow, we're going to do an
expedition to go through the forest
127
00:08:54,581 --> 00:08:57,301
to find this site and see how it
looks.
128
00:08:57,341 --> 00:08:59,501
Oh, this is gonna be brilliant.
129
00:09:12,981 --> 00:09:15,901
It's morning and a short,
sweltering hike
130
00:09:15,941 --> 00:09:18,301
takes us to the edge of the forest.
131
00:09:18,341 --> 00:09:19,741
Ugh!
132
00:09:19,781 --> 00:09:22,021
It's going to be dense, difficult
terrain,
133
00:09:22,061 --> 00:09:24,181
so we need a local guide.
134
00:09:27,341 --> 00:09:28,381
Hey. Ella.
135
00:09:29,781 --> 00:09:32,581
So, what's your assessment of the
forest behind us?
136
00:09:32,621 --> 00:09:34,261
Like, how brutal is it, really?
137
00:09:47,061 --> 00:09:49,861
I feel like I'm about to go to my
death in there.
138
00:09:54,941 --> 00:09:58,661
I've done most of my archaeology in
unstable and hostile territories,
139
00:09:58,701 --> 00:10:00,541
like Yemen and Iraq,
140
00:10:00,581 --> 00:10:03,261
but this jungle is a whole different
challenge.
141
00:10:04,821 --> 00:10:06,461
Here is the worst kind of forest.
142
00:10:07,541 --> 00:10:09,581
This is the thing we need to watch
for.
143
00:10:09,621 --> 00:10:11,901
The palm spines. You see?
144
00:10:11,941 --> 00:10:14,581
Once it enters your body, it won't
come out.
145
00:10:14,621 --> 00:10:18,061
Are you being serious? Yeah. It will
come out in two, three months, so...
146
00:10:18,101 --> 00:10:20,581
Please be very careful with these
spines.
147
00:10:27,141 --> 00:10:29,261
The going is painfully slow,
148
00:10:29,301 --> 00:10:32,541
and it's taking much longer than
Jose expected.
149
00:10:33,661 --> 00:10:35,741
We still have a while to go
150
00:10:35,781 --> 00:10:38,421
and, er, I'm a bit worried
151
00:10:38,461 --> 00:10:42,781
because you can see how dense it is
to get there.
152
00:10:43,901 --> 00:10:46,941
I don't know if we are going to be
able to see anything.
153
00:10:49,301 --> 00:10:51,181
Oh, my God, the ants are everywhere.
154
00:10:51,221 --> 00:10:53,181
We just did half of it.
155
00:10:53,221 --> 00:10:54,901
We need to do the other half.
156
00:10:54,941 --> 00:10:56,661
Come on, we can do this.
157
00:10:58,701 --> 00:11:01,101
We can't stay in the forest after
dark,
158
00:11:01,141 --> 00:11:03,941
because at night, the jungle gets
really dangerous.
159
00:11:05,261 --> 00:11:06,501
Ow, shit.
160
00:11:06,541 --> 00:11:08,341
Ai-ai-ai.
161
00:11:12,621 --> 00:11:15,461
Then suddenly, Jose spots something.
162
00:11:15,501 --> 00:11:18,061
Do you think this could be
something, Ella?
163
00:11:18,101 --> 00:11:21,101
I think, er, we may have found
something.
164
00:11:21,141 --> 00:11:24,701
Could it be the entrance to the
ancient village?
165
00:11:24,741 --> 00:11:26,581
This could be the causeway. Woo!
166
00:11:26,621 --> 00:11:28,021
In there.
167
00:11:34,781 --> 00:11:39,341
We've been hacking through dense
forest for most of the day...
168
00:11:39,381 --> 00:11:44,701
..in search of what could be
an ancient Amazonian settlement.
169
00:11:44,741 --> 00:11:46,581
Wait, Neguinho. Wait.
170
00:11:46,621 --> 00:11:50,221
Then suddenly, deep in the forest...
171
00:11:50,261 --> 00:11:52,221
Look at that! Look at that.
172
00:11:53,541 --> 00:11:55,941
This is much lower down.
173
00:11:55,981 --> 00:11:57,861
If you take a look,
174
00:11:57,901 --> 00:12:00,301
this looks like a ridge.
175
00:12:00,341 --> 00:12:04,221
Steps down here
and steps down to the other side.
176
00:12:04,261 --> 00:12:07,621
Neguinho is 1.6 metres,
177
00:12:07,661 --> 00:12:12,621
so we are talking that this man is
minimum two metres and a half.
178
00:12:12,661 --> 00:12:14,821
So this might be the entrance
to the village?
179
00:12:14,861 --> 00:12:18,541
This is likely to be the entrance of
the village. Yeah, yeah, yeah.
180
00:12:18,581 --> 00:12:19,781
Yes!
181
00:12:19,821 --> 00:12:21,941
As an archaeologist,
these are the moments
182
00:12:21,981 --> 00:12:23,621
that are really special, you know?
183
00:12:25,301 --> 00:12:27,941
This is our newly-discovered site.
184
00:12:27,981 --> 00:12:29,341
I wanna hug you. Sorry.
185
00:12:32,221 --> 00:12:34,821
Jose's, like, doing this
in the background.
186
00:12:34,861 --> 00:12:37,981
This...this is just blowing my mind
right now,
187
00:12:38,021 --> 00:12:40,621
because this
is real archaeological discovery.
188
00:12:40,661 --> 00:12:44,381
No archaeologist has stepped
here before. Not at all.
189
00:12:47,941 --> 00:12:49,821
Revealed by laser scans,
190
00:12:49,861 --> 00:12:55,021
Jose begins the first ever survey
of the new site,
191
00:12:55,061 --> 00:12:58,621
piecing together a picture of
an ancient settlement.
192
00:12:59,661 --> 00:13:03,021
And this ground-truthing
gives strong evidence
193
00:13:03,061 --> 00:13:05,501
that other newly-revealed structures
194
00:13:05,541 --> 00:13:08,661
are also man-made.
195
00:13:08,701 --> 00:13:13,341
It's archaeology like this that's
retelling the history of the Amazon.
196
00:13:13,381 --> 00:13:17,461
There were people who were living
here hundreds of years ago
197
00:13:17,501 --> 00:13:21,621
and it's so bloody awesome... Yeah.
198
00:13:21,661 --> 00:13:24,701
..that we're standing
at the beginning of the village.
199
00:13:24,741 --> 00:13:26,901
But I am actually standing
on an ant hill
200
00:13:26,941 --> 00:13:29,741
and they are biting me really badly,
201
00:13:29,781 --> 00:13:31,461
so I think we should move.
202
00:13:31,501 --> 00:13:34,901
It's five o'clock.
We need to get out. Vamonos!
203
00:13:37,861 --> 00:13:41,421
We can now bring this village
to life.
204
00:13:41,461 --> 00:13:43,501
Over 500 years ago,
205
00:13:43,541 --> 00:13:47,621
20 or more houses would have been
built on raised platforms,
206
00:13:47,661 --> 00:13:51,861
forming a circle more than
150 metres across.
207
00:13:53,541 --> 00:13:57,501
There was a sunken road leading into
a large central plaza...
208
00:13:58,861 --> 00:14:03,301
..where a community of up to 200
people would have gathered.
209
00:14:05,541 --> 00:14:10,621
And the lidar scans show this
settlement wasn't alone.
210
00:14:10,661 --> 00:14:14,221
The road leads to another
village nearby,
211
00:14:14,261 --> 00:14:17,181
the first of over 50
212
00:14:17,221 --> 00:14:24,341
that formed a vast extended network,
mostly hidden until now.
213
00:14:24,381 --> 00:14:27,941
It's powerful evidence that ancient
Amazonians
214
00:14:27,981 --> 00:14:31,821
built permanent, organised
societies.
215
00:14:35,781 --> 00:14:38,061
And it's just the start
of the revolution
216
00:14:38,101 --> 00:14:41,701
that's changing our understanding
of the Amazon.
217
00:14:45,501 --> 00:14:47,301
Back in 1542,
218
00:14:47,341 --> 00:14:49,781
the Spanish missionary
Gaspar de Carvajal
219
00:14:49,821 --> 00:14:53,381
described even more
sophisticated societies...
220
00:14:55,661 --> 00:15:01,661
..with huge cities and lords adorned
with elaborate jewellery.
221
00:15:01,701 --> 00:15:04,301
Now, I'm heading to Bolivia
222
00:15:04,341 --> 00:15:07,341
in search of those gleaming cities.
223
00:15:10,981 --> 00:15:12,181
Oh!
224
00:15:13,901 --> 00:15:15,861
My introduction to Bolivia's
a bit bumpy.
225
00:15:18,261 --> 00:15:20,981
I've already seen how
ground-breaking lidar
226
00:15:21,021 --> 00:15:23,421
can unlock the secrets
of the Amazon.
227
00:15:25,181 --> 00:15:27,861
I've come to find out how
it actually works
228
00:15:27,901 --> 00:15:31,261
and what more secrets it can reveal.
229
00:15:31,301 --> 00:15:32,501
Hi!
230
00:15:32,541 --> 00:15:33,661
Good morning.
231
00:15:33,701 --> 00:15:35,941
Ella, nice to meet you guys. Mark.
232
00:15:35,981 --> 00:15:37,661
How do you do, Ella? Hi, Mark.
233
00:15:37,701 --> 00:15:39,741
Heiko. Heiko, nice to meet you. Hi.
234
00:15:39,781 --> 00:15:42,421
British archaeologist Mark Robinson
235
00:15:42,461 --> 00:15:46,261
and a team
from three archaeological institutes
236
00:15:46,301 --> 00:15:49,061
are lidar pioneers in the Amazon.
237
00:15:49,101 --> 00:15:51,341
Could you just explain to me what
lidar is?
238
00:15:51,381 --> 00:15:53,501
Yeah, lidar is a laser scanner.
239
00:15:53,541 --> 00:15:55,501
It's a 3D laser scanner.
240
00:15:55,541 --> 00:15:58,301
And here we have a rotating mirror
through the glass. Mm-hm.
241
00:15:58,341 --> 00:16:02,381
And the idea is that you shoot a lot
of laser pulses at the ground.
242
00:16:02,421 --> 00:16:05,301
So, lasers will shoot out, hit the
mirror and the mirror's rotating,
243
00:16:05,341 --> 00:16:07,301
so it can basically get
the full spread
244
00:16:07,341 --> 00:16:10,981
and it can create an incredibly
detailed three-dimensional map
245
00:16:11,021 --> 00:16:12,461
of the terrain.
246
00:16:12,501 --> 00:16:14,541
ENGINE REVS
247
00:16:21,621 --> 00:16:25,621
Yeah, you definitely get
the motion sickness on the turns.
248
00:16:25,661 --> 00:16:28,061
Leaping backwards
and forwards like this
249
00:16:28,101 --> 00:16:30,781
can be queasy work.
250
00:16:30,821 --> 00:16:32,421
Yeah, you need a strong stomach.
251
00:16:35,501 --> 00:16:38,941
The area we are scanning
is mostly open floodplains...
252
00:16:39,901 --> 00:16:42,101
..dotted with patches of forest.
253
00:16:44,261 --> 00:16:45,661
It's incredible!
254
00:16:49,661 --> 00:16:53,381
It is really surprising to me
that this is the Amazon,
255
00:16:53,421 --> 00:16:57,381
cos I wouldn't expect
a massive floodplain.
256
00:16:57,421 --> 00:17:01,861
Yeah, the diversity of the Amazon
basin is just mind-boggling.
257
00:17:01,901 --> 00:17:05,741
For humans, these are perfect
locations to exist.
258
00:17:05,781 --> 00:17:07,501
You get the best of both worlds.
259
00:17:07,541 --> 00:17:10,341
You get all the resources
of a savannah environment
260
00:17:10,381 --> 00:17:12,741
as well as the benefits
of a full forest.
261
00:17:14,861 --> 00:17:18,061
Our main focus is an unusual mound
262
00:17:18,101 --> 00:17:22,501
rising out of the otherwise
flat landscape.
263
00:17:22,541 --> 00:17:25,421
Coming up on the right,
on the right side of the helicopter,
264
00:17:25,461 --> 00:17:27,701
we're gonna come up on
La Punta mound,
265
00:17:27,741 --> 00:17:30,101
with a nice little white house
on top.
266
00:17:30,141 --> 00:17:33,901
Mark believes the mound is the relic
of an ancient settlement,
267
00:17:33,941 --> 00:17:37,181
possibly built more
than 2,000 years ago.
268
00:17:38,341 --> 00:17:40,861
Now he's in search of any signs
269
00:17:40,901 --> 00:17:44,981
that it might have been part
of something bigger.
270
00:17:45,021 --> 00:17:46,781
When we were on the ground,
271
00:17:46,821 --> 00:17:50,621
you could see that there were
clusters of trees nearby,
272
00:17:50,661 --> 00:17:54,941
but it was actually being up in the
sky you could suddenly start seeing
273
00:17:54,981 --> 00:17:57,341
the other mounds that are really
close by
274
00:17:57,381 --> 00:18:02,021
in really close proximity, like
neighbours to the La Punta mound.
275
00:18:02,061 --> 00:18:03,981
And suddenly you're thinking,
276
00:18:04,021 --> 00:18:05,941
"All right, what's going on there?"
277
00:18:05,981 --> 00:18:09,941
All right, so if we look at the map
here, it's our current position.
278
00:18:09,981 --> 00:18:11,621
You can see as we progress,
279
00:18:11,661 --> 00:18:15,581
we're collecting new data that's
coming out as we pass over.
280
00:18:17,861 --> 00:18:21,941
Amazingly, lidar is working
its magic again.
281
00:18:25,821 --> 00:18:29,501
The scans reveal more man-made
mounds nearby,
282
00:18:29,541 --> 00:18:32,621
many hidden beneath the trees.
283
00:18:32,661 --> 00:18:35,381
And the mounds
are all different sizes,
284
00:18:35,421 --> 00:18:38,701
with some much more impressive
than others.
285
00:18:40,261 --> 00:18:42,701
For Mark, that's curious,
286
00:18:42,741 --> 00:18:46,621
as it could be evidence
of social hierarchy,
287
00:18:46,661 --> 00:18:51,661
a crucial stage towards
large-scale societies.
288
00:18:57,261 --> 00:19:00,661
The La Punta mound appears
to be the epicentre
289
00:19:00,701 --> 00:19:02,861
of something much bigger
290
00:19:02,901 --> 00:19:08,981
and it might hold clues to the great
civilisations I'm searching for.
291
00:19:09,021 --> 00:19:12,221
I'm going there with archaeologist
Carla Betancourt,
292
00:19:12,261 --> 00:19:15,141
who recently began excavating
the mound.
293
00:19:17,501 --> 00:19:19,141
On our way, I can't resist
294
00:19:19,181 --> 00:19:23,141
taking a closer look at some
of the wildlife.
295
00:19:27,901 --> 00:19:29,541
Can you see them?
296
00:19:29,581 --> 00:19:32,181
Do you see the teeth on it?
Look at that!
297
00:19:41,461 --> 00:19:42,981
CARLA: So, welcome to La Punta.
298
00:19:45,781 --> 00:19:49,741
It looks beautiful.
Yeah, it's a beautiful landscape.
299
00:19:51,061 --> 00:19:53,581
Already, in the first year
of excavation,
300
00:19:53,621 --> 00:19:58,261
Carla's uncovered a whole history
of human occupation at La Punta.
301
00:19:59,941 --> 00:20:03,501
This is amazing.
Yeah, the stratigraphy is wonderful.
302
00:20:03,541 --> 00:20:07,621
You can see this black layer.
303
00:20:07,661 --> 00:20:12,021
That is the earliest layer... Oh!
304
00:20:12,061 --> 00:20:15,501
..from when they started
to build this mound.
305
00:20:15,541 --> 00:20:18,781
Cos we are talking about maybe
1,000 years.
306
00:20:18,821 --> 00:20:20,861
Are you kidding? That's wonderful!
307
00:20:22,301 --> 00:20:26,541
The layers of soil contain signs
of the people who lived here
308
00:20:26,581 --> 00:20:30,301
at different points
in Amazonian history.
309
00:20:30,341 --> 00:20:34,221
Their pottery, their rubbish,
even their bones.
310
00:20:35,741 --> 00:20:39,461
So, that is a snapshot
of 1,000 years. Yes.
311
00:20:39,501 --> 00:20:41,341
How doesn't that give
you goose bumps?
312
00:20:41,381 --> 00:20:44,621
Like, seriously, how does that not
give you goose bumps?
313
00:20:46,061 --> 00:20:49,261
But it's the human remains
discovered by Carla
314
00:20:49,301 --> 00:20:53,901
that are giving us a window
into ancient Amazonian society.
315
00:20:55,301 --> 00:20:57,621
The unearthed skeleton of a man
316
00:20:57,661 --> 00:21:00,901
buried with elaborate copper
earrings
317
00:21:00,941 --> 00:21:03,981
is a sure sign of status.
318
00:21:05,261 --> 00:21:10,021
So, I think this man was
an important man in this society.
319
00:21:10,061 --> 00:21:13,541
Yeah, maybe a political character
or something
320
00:21:13,581 --> 00:21:17,061
and that is the reasons that
we are thinking that there was
321
00:21:17,101 --> 00:21:21,221
a society organised,
also with hierarchies.
322
00:21:21,261 --> 00:21:23,021
It seems privileged people
323
00:21:23,061 --> 00:21:27,501
were living on the larger,
more impressive mounds.
324
00:21:27,541 --> 00:21:30,981
The lower classes left
with the lower mounds.
325
00:21:33,301 --> 00:21:36,901
It all fits with a complex
class-based society.
326
00:21:39,501 --> 00:21:42,141
Maybe there is something like
a competition
327
00:21:42,181 --> 00:21:44,981
between these different groups
of people
328
00:21:45,021 --> 00:21:48,861
and they are building this mound
higher and higher.
329
00:21:48,901 --> 00:21:50,541
One bigger than the other.
330
00:21:51,501 --> 00:21:55,381
So, I think it is a sign of status
or competition.
331
00:21:55,421 --> 00:21:58,181
So, that's interesting, cos we know
this in anthropology
332
00:21:58,221 --> 00:22:01,261
that people do compete with higher
and higher buildings.
333
00:22:01,301 --> 00:22:03,941
Even today, we know
that people do this.
334
00:22:03,981 --> 00:22:05,941
People build a tower
335
00:22:05,981 --> 00:22:08,541
and then somebody else tries
to build a higher tower.
336
00:22:08,581 --> 00:22:11,861
You get the idea. So, it's kind of
blown my mind to think people
337
00:22:11,901 --> 00:22:13,341
would be doing it with mounds,
338
00:22:13,381 --> 00:22:15,181
cos you're keeping up
with the Jones',
339
00:22:15,221 --> 00:22:17,621
you're trying to compete.
340
00:22:17,661 --> 00:22:21,181
I'm already building a picture
of societies
341
00:22:21,221 --> 00:22:24,501
more complex than experts
ever imagined.
342
00:22:27,221 --> 00:22:30,061
But the Spanish priest 500 years ago
343
00:22:30,101 --> 00:22:33,661
talked of an even more
advanced society,
344
00:22:33,701 --> 00:22:36,781
of cities ruled by powerful lords.
345
00:22:37,901 --> 00:22:40,701
800 miles east, in Brazil,
346
00:22:40,741 --> 00:22:43,621
I'm hoping one indigenous community
347
00:22:43,661 --> 00:22:46,821
can unlock that great ancient secret
348
00:22:46,861 --> 00:22:49,941
and perhaps the mystery of what
happened
349
00:22:49,981 --> 00:22:52,781
to those lost civilisations.
350
00:22:57,141 --> 00:22:59,101
Back in Brazil, I'm still
investigating
351
00:22:59,141 --> 00:23:04,341
the extraordinary diary of Spanish
missionary, Gaspar De Carvajal.
352
00:23:05,781 --> 00:23:08,861
In 1542, he was aboard one of
the first
353
00:23:08,901 --> 00:23:11,781
European explorations of the Amazon.
354
00:23:13,621 --> 00:23:17,301
His account describes vast,
sprawling settlements,
355
00:23:17,341 --> 00:23:19,661
all along the river bank.
356
00:23:21,421 --> 00:23:25,021
And he talks about one
settlement being so large
357
00:23:25,061 --> 00:23:27,461
that it stretched for five leagues,
358
00:23:27,501 --> 00:23:29,341
that's about 27.5km,
359
00:23:29,381 --> 00:23:33,021
without there intervening any space
from house to house,
360
00:23:33,061 --> 00:23:35,581
which was a marvellous thing to
behold.
361
00:23:37,701 --> 00:23:40,981
But when Europeans returned to
the Amazon, years later,
362
00:23:41,021 --> 00:23:43,781
all they found was forest.
363
00:23:45,101 --> 00:23:50,541
And Carvajal's account of great
Amazonian civilisations was
dismissed.
364
00:23:52,941 --> 00:23:57,181
Today, new approaches to archaeology
are completely overturning
365
00:23:57,221 --> 00:24:00,141
our understanding of the Amazon's
history.
366
00:24:01,821 --> 00:24:03,621
It's shocking, but for years,
367
00:24:03,661 --> 00:24:06,621
we've ignored one critical piece
of the puzzle.
368
00:24:06,661 --> 00:24:10,141
But finally, indigenous peoples'
own accounts
369
00:24:10,181 --> 00:24:13,701
of their ancient history are
leading the way.
370
00:24:15,381 --> 00:24:19,661
The Kuikuro people live in the
upper Xingu region of Brazil.
371
00:24:20,861 --> 00:24:22,701
Today, there are just 500 of them.
372
00:24:22,741 --> 00:24:24,541
WHOOPING
373
00:24:24,581 --> 00:24:26,341
But they believe they're descendants
374
00:24:26,381 --> 00:24:28,821
of a once-vast, ancient
civilisation.
375
00:24:30,701 --> 00:24:33,541
And Chief Afukaka is proud of
that heritage.
376
00:24:42,421 --> 00:24:45,621
American anthropologist Michael
Heckenberger
377
00:24:45,661 --> 00:24:47,901
works closely with the Kuikuro.
378
00:24:49,341 --> 00:24:51,981
They've led him to a remote part
of the forest,
379
00:24:52,021 --> 00:24:55,381
where they say there are clues to
their ancient past.
380
00:24:58,381 --> 00:25:02,541
The site is surrounded by a
massive, mysterious ditch.
381
00:25:04,861 --> 00:25:07,301
When we'd mapped the extent of
this ditch
382
00:25:07,341 --> 00:25:12,741
around the archaeological site,
it goes for over 2km.
383
00:25:12,781 --> 00:25:17,621
That ditch enclosed an area of 50
hectares,
384
00:25:17,661 --> 00:25:22,661
which is 20-times as large as the
contemporary village.
385
00:25:22,701 --> 00:25:25,061
So this was a massive earthen
structure
386
00:25:25,101 --> 00:25:29,181
that was built by a population
that could mobilise labour
387
00:25:29,221 --> 00:25:34,541
on a much larger scale and obviously
supported a much larger population.
388
00:25:36,581 --> 00:25:40,061
Michael believes the ancient
Kuikuro built the ditch
389
00:25:40,101 --> 00:25:44,221
as a defensive fortification, around
800 years ago.
390
00:25:45,901 --> 00:25:50,101
Compared with today's village, the
ancient settlement was huge.
391
00:25:51,061 --> 00:25:54,301
But in other ways, it was
incredibly similar.
392
00:25:55,261 --> 00:25:58,381
So Michael can use the layout
of today's village
393
00:25:58,421 --> 00:26:01,621
to guide him around the
archaeological site.
394
00:26:03,101 --> 00:26:05,461
Starting, oddly, with the trash
mounds
395
00:26:05,501 --> 00:26:08,661
that families always build behind
their houses.
396
00:26:11,221 --> 00:26:15,141
What we set about looking for
first was the trash mounds.
397
00:26:15,181 --> 00:26:19,861
We assumed that, between the
plaza and these trash mounds,
398
00:26:19,901 --> 00:26:22,501
we would find the remains of
ancient houses.
399
00:26:22,541 --> 00:26:24,261
So we opened up this area,
400
00:26:24,301 --> 00:26:27,341
looking for the remains of
that actual house.
401
00:26:28,941 --> 00:26:32,541
We came across, suddenly, a
pot support,
402
00:26:32,581 --> 00:26:34,781
it's a very distinctive ceramic
artefact.
403
00:26:34,821 --> 00:26:37,901
It's what they used to hold up
their cooking pots.
404
00:26:39,341 --> 00:26:41,581
This is an important breakthrough,
405
00:26:41,621 --> 00:26:47,261
because the Kuikuro use very similar
supports to help them cook today.
406
00:26:48,581 --> 00:26:51,461
As soon as the Kuikuru saw
that pot support,
407
00:26:51,501 --> 00:26:53,861
they immediately knew what
we were looking at.
408
00:26:53,901 --> 00:26:55,541
They said, "This is the kitchen.
409
00:26:55,581 --> 00:26:57,861
"The front door is going to be
right there.
410
00:26:57,901 --> 00:26:59,981
"The sleeping areas are going to be
right there."
411
00:27:00,021 --> 00:27:02,621
And sure enough, as we expanded
our excavations,
412
00:27:02,661 --> 00:27:04,701
we found remnants of the front door.
413
00:27:04,741 --> 00:27:07,061
We found remnants of the sleeping
area.
414
00:27:07,101 --> 00:27:11,021
This ancient community was built on
the same principles
415
00:27:11,061 --> 00:27:13,221
as the contemporary community.
416
00:27:15,501 --> 00:27:18,461
And these revelations are only the
beginning.
417
00:27:18,501 --> 00:27:19,981
GRUNTING
418
00:27:20,021 --> 00:27:22,181
Investigating the surrounding area
419
00:27:22,221 --> 00:27:26,341
has revealed that this settlement
was not alone,
420
00:27:26,381 --> 00:27:30,301
but part of an entire, ancient,
urban network.
421
00:27:32,701 --> 00:27:35,981
What really took me by surprise
is how integrated they were.
422
00:27:36,021 --> 00:27:38,101
They were all connected by roads,
423
00:27:38,141 --> 00:27:41,221
and not just small paths through
the tropical forest,
424
00:27:41,261 --> 00:27:44,861
these were wide and
well-constructed roads with kerbs.
425
00:27:47,221 --> 00:27:50,901
Michael estimates this
ancient, interconnected metropolis
426
00:27:50,941 --> 00:27:56,741
was home to around 50,000 people,
in just this area alone.
427
00:27:57,981 --> 00:28:01,061
Much bigger than anything
else we've seen.
428
00:28:02,541 --> 00:28:07,621
It confirms what today's Kuikuro
people have always believed.
429
00:28:34,581 --> 00:28:37,061
Why not civilisations in the Amazon?
430
00:28:39,421 --> 00:28:41,981
The pre-Columbian societies
of the Amazon,
431
00:28:42,021 --> 00:28:46,061
these were not that different from
some of the classic civilisations
432
00:28:46,101 --> 00:28:48,381
we look to in antiquity.
433
00:28:50,981 --> 00:28:53,941
The evidence is now really
stacking up
434
00:28:53,981 --> 00:28:58,261
that ancient Amazon
societies not only existed,
435
00:28:58,301 --> 00:29:01,981
but did so on a scale and complexity
436
00:29:02,021 --> 00:29:06,061
that, compared to today, is
staggering.
437
00:29:06,101 --> 00:29:10,341
Experts now believe as many as
10 million people
438
00:29:10,381 --> 00:29:13,301
lived across the whole
of the Amazon.
439
00:29:15,021 --> 00:29:19,021
It looks like the ridiculed Spanish
missionary, Gaspar De Carvajal,
440
00:29:19,061 --> 00:29:22,181
may well have been telling the
truth, after all.
441
00:29:23,181 --> 00:29:26,621
But that raises another, huge
question.
442
00:29:27,621 --> 00:29:31,541
Where on earth did all those people
go?
443
00:29:32,701 --> 00:29:35,101
The truth is simple and tragic.
444
00:29:37,141 --> 00:29:41,581
The early Europeans, possibly
including Gaspar De Carvajal
himself,
445
00:29:41,621 --> 00:29:44,741
brought diseases that spread
like wildfire
446
00:29:44,781 --> 00:29:46,861
through the people of the Amazon.
447
00:29:49,221 --> 00:29:52,021
It decimated those populations very
quickly.
448
00:29:52,061 --> 00:29:56,661
They had never had experience
with these Old World diseases.
449
00:29:56,701 --> 00:30:00,021
And once they hit, they
would ravage entire villages
450
00:30:00,061 --> 00:30:02,261
and quickly move from village to
village,
451
00:30:02,301 --> 00:30:05,901
precisely because these
populations were interlinked
452
00:30:05,941 --> 00:30:09,301
in very complex trade networks.
453
00:30:12,221 --> 00:30:14,381
In some places, the lack of immunity
454
00:30:14,421 --> 00:30:18,541
meant up to 90% of
Amazonians perished
455
00:30:18,581 --> 00:30:21,101
from influenza and smallpox.
456
00:30:21,141 --> 00:30:25,341
Across the Americas, millions died
457
00:30:25,381 --> 00:30:29,901
in one of the biggest demographic
catastrophes in human history.
458
00:30:32,141 --> 00:30:34,421
BELLS JANGLE
459
00:30:34,461 --> 00:30:38,101
Some escaped death and enslavement
by fleeing their cities.
460
00:30:39,741 --> 00:30:42,981
But unlike the stone relics of
other great civilisations,
461
00:30:43,021 --> 00:30:48,261
their wooden cities rotted and
disappeared beneath the forest.
462
00:30:50,461 --> 00:30:54,621
Over the centuries, repeated
contact with the outside world
463
00:30:54,661 --> 00:30:56,821
has often spelt disaster.
464
00:30:59,141 --> 00:31:01,221
Even in living memory.
465
00:31:29,341 --> 00:31:30,741
Five centuries ago,
466
00:31:30,781 --> 00:31:36,421
this area was populated by as
many as 50,000 people.
467
00:31:36,461 --> 00:31:40,941
Now there are only around 500.
468
00:31:44,141 --> 00:31:47,341
Just 1% of a once-great metropolis.
469
00:31:48,341 --> 00:31:50,621
And today, across the Amazon,
470
00:31:50,661 --> 00:31:54,261
its people are still fighting for
their survival.
471
00:31:56,341 --> 00:31:59,541
Right now, the Brazilian rainforest
472
00:31:59,581 --> 00:32:03,421
is being cleared at a
terrifying rate...
473
00:32:03,461 --> 00:32:06,821
BOLSANARO SPEAKS PORTUGUESE
..as President Bolsanaro's
government
474
00:32:06,861 --> 00:32:09,381
ruthlessly pursues economic growth.
475
00:32:11,261 --> 00:32:16,181
In the last 50 years, a fifth of the
rainforest has disappeared.
476
00:32:16,221 --> 00:32:18,141
Cleared for timber and farming.
477
00:32:20,021 --> 00:32:23,461
Indigenous peoples have seen their
land taken away,
478
00:32:23,501 --> 00:32:26,021
their forest destroyed.
479
00:32:30,261 --> 00:32:32,221
But they're fighting back.
480
00:32:34,981 --> 00:32:37,461
And they're discovering that
their history
481
00:32:37,501 --> 00:32:39,821
is an important weapon in the
battle...
482
00:32:39,861 --> 00:32:42,461
CHANTING
483
00:32:44,261 --> 00:32:48,181
...as some communities try to prove
the lands they occupy today
484
00:32:48,221 --> 00:32:51,421
are traditional, indigenous
homelands.
485
00:32:55,861 --> 00:32:59,101
I've come to a remote river
town called Tefe,
486
00:32:59,141 --> 00:33:01,141
in the northwest of Brazil.
487
00:33:01,181 --> 00:33:04,621
From here I'm travelling up-river
to meet the Kokama,
488
00:33:04,661 --> 00:33:09,021
an indigenous community that live
in fear of eviction.
489
00:33:12,061 --> 00:33:15,021
But they've been finding unusual
pottery,
490
00:33:15,061 --> 00:33:20,181
which they hope will help them
to stay in their ancestral home.
491
00:33:24,541 --> 00:33:26,981
The Kokama people believe these
artefacts
492
00:33:27,021 --> 00:33:29,421
are from an ancient Amazonian
society.
493
00:33:29,461 --> 00:33:32,861
The problem is, we don't even know
that they are that old.
494
00:33:32,901 --> 00:33:35,581
We haven't even verified that
they are authentic,
495
00:33:35,621 --> 00:33:37,421
and the reason for that is no
archaeologist
496
00:33:37,461 --> 00:33:38,981
has actually examined them
497
00:33:39,021 --> 00:33:41,981
and that's because the Kokama are
actually quite protective over them
498
00:33:42,021 --> 00:33:44,781
and they are refusing to release
them to archaeologists.
499
00:33:44,821 --> 00:33:47,981
And so I'm, I'm feeling somewhat
beside myself,
500
00:33:48,021 --> 00:33:49,141
I'm feeling really excited,
501
00:33:49,181 --> 00:33:51,301
because they are actually letting
me see them.
502
00:33:53,061 --> 00:33:54,581
We're here.
503
00:33:57,021 --> 00:33:58,541
All right, here we go.
504
00:33:59,901 --> 00:34:03,021
Hi! Nice to meet you. Thank you for
having us.
505
00:34:12,261 --> 00:34:14,821
I am really, really honoured to see
them.
506
00:34:14,861 --> 00:34:17,181
And thank you, cos I feel
like everybody's come out
507
00:34:17,221 --> 00:34:18,621
to see them with me!
508
00:34:20,421 --> 00:34:25,461
The Kokama's lifestyle has
continually changed with the times.
509
00:34:26,701 --> 00:34:30,381
But they also claim centuries of
history on this land.
510
00:34:31,381 --> 00:34:34,341
And Chief Anildo has made it
his life's work
511
00:34:34,381 --> 00:34:37,541
to protect his people from the
threat of eviction.
512
00:34:54,381 --> 00:34:57,901
Although they're nervous of
outsiders, Chief Anildo has agreed
513
00:34:57,941 --> 00:35:01,061
to show me the artefacts
they've discovered nearby.
514
00:35:05,181 --> 00:35:06,181
Ooh!
515
00:35:06,221 --> 00:35:10,621
It's the first time they've shown
them to any archaeologist.
516
00:35:10,661 --> 00:35:12,381
Ah, OK.
517
00:35:15,221 --> 00:35:16,981
Oh!
518
00:35:17,021 --> 00:35:20,421
You can see there's quite a bit of
design going on here.
519
00:35:20,461 --> 00:35:24,301
Belais and her friend Teresa
discovered these pieces
520
00:35:24,341 --> 00:35:26,341
while they were collecting Brazil
nuts.
521
00:35:46,861 --> 00:35:49,221
It's hard to tell much from a
simple broken pot...
522
00:35:50,221 --> 00:35:52,781
..but I'm quickly led to another
house...
523
00:35:57,341 --> 00:35:59,621
SHE GASPS
524
00:35:59,661 --> 00:36:03,221
..and what could be an ancient
treasure trove.
525
00:36:06,421 --> 00:36:08,541
It's like a hidden museum around
here!
526
00:36:10,741 --> 00:36:14,261
Look at that! Oh, my gosh, that's
face, isn't it?
527
00:36:14,301 --> 00:36:16,541
This is easily, so far, of
everything I've seen,
528
00:36:16,581 --> 00:36:19,021
the most, kind of, intact, and most
spectacular, really.
529
00:36:19,061 --> 00:36:23,101
It's an archaeological artefact, it
could be ancient, um,
530
00:36:23,141 --> 00:36:25,781
and it's just kind of loitering
here in a back bedroom.
531
00:36:27,341 --> 00:36:28,341
It's a delicate situation,
532
00:36:28,381 --> 00:36:31,421
cos these things have been in the
ground for a very long time,
533
00:36:31,461 --> 00:36:33,181
and that's what's preserved them.
534
00:36:33,221 --> 00:36:36,661
If they were out in the open air, in
this sweltering heat,
535
00:36:36,701 --> 00:36:38,101
they would not have survived.
536
00:36:39,181 --> 00:36:42,301
The concern is that something like
this, you want protect it,
537
00:36:42,341 --> 00:36:45,781
and you want to protect it for the
Kokama, actually,
538
00:36:45,821 --> 00:36:48,221
not...not just for the
archaeologists.
539
00:36:51,941 --> 00:36:55,421
If the pottery can be proved to be
ancient artefacts,
540
00:36:55,461 --> 00:36:57,741
it could be powerful evidence
541
00:36:57,781 --> 00:37:01,741
in the case the Kokama are building
against eviction.
542
00:37:02,981 --> 00:37:06,501
But they've consistently refused to
show the pots to outsiders.
543
00:37:08,221 --> 00:37:10,821
Why were you afraid to let others
see them?
544
00:37:26,181 --> 00:37:29,381
They simply don't trust government
officials.
545
00:37:29,421 --> 00:37:32,581
They're worried that if the pots
are taken away,
546
00:37:32,621 --> 00:37:34,821
they will disappear for good,
547
00:37:34,861 --> 00:37:39,461
ending any hope they have of
remaining on their ancestral land.
548
00:37:57,621 --> 00:38:00,821
OK, I'm good with fish.
Fish is...fish is good.
549
00:38:00,861 --> 00:38:01,941
Fish is good.
550
00:38:01,981 --> 00:38:05,381
I really hope I can help the Kokama
prove
551
00:38:05,421 --> 00:38:09,141
that people have been living here
for centuries.
552
00:38:11,101 --> 00:38:14,261
Tomorrow will be the day of
reckoning
553
00:38:14,301 --> 00:38:18,021
in their desperate battle against
eviction.
554
00:38:19,141 --> 00:38:20,741
Thank you so much, thank you.
555
00:38:20,781 --> 00:38:21,781
Thank you!
556
00:38:22,741 --> 00:38:23,941
Obrigada.
557
00:38:37,221 --> 00:38:41,381
So, I guess today is going to be
really dramatic,
558
00:38:41,421 --> 00:38:43,741
and I'm really hoping not traumatic
for the Kokama,
559
00:38:43,781 --> 00:38:47,821
because we've organised for a
specialist in Amazonian pottery
560
00:38:47,861 --> 00:38:52,101
to come down and to essentially
assess and examine the pottery,
561
00:38:52,141 --> 00:38:56,901
so that they can tell us if the
pottery is actually ancient or not.
562
00:39:00,301 --> 00:39:04,261
The Kokama have allowed me to invite
Eduardo Tamanaha,
563
00:39:04,301 --> 00:39:07,661
an expert in ancient Amazonian
artefacts,
564
00:39:07,701 --> 00:39:12,061
to judge whether the pottery really
is pre-Columbian,
565
00:39:12,101 --> 00:39:18,021
made before the arrival of the
Spanish, more than 500 years ago.
566
00:39:21,061 --> 00:39:22,541
How's it going? Hi.
567
00:39:22,581 --> 00:39:23,821
This is the chief.
568
00:39:29,061 --> 00:39:32,981
The Kokama's hope of proving this is
ancient indigenous land
569
00:39:33,021 --> 00:39:36,181
rests on Eduardo's judgment.
570
00:39:42,501 --> 00:39:48,141
And I'm incredibly nervous about how
all this might turn out.
571
00:39:48,181 --> 00:39:50,701
Suddenly, I'm...
572
00:39:50,741 --> 00:39:53,821
..I'm really rooting for this stuff
to be pre-Columbian,
573
00:39:53,861 --> 00:39:56,621
because, you know, it is a wonderful
community.
574
00:39:56,661 --> 00:40:00,221
You see here, just... The kids, they
just come up to you, they say hello.
575
00:40:00,261 --> 00:40:01,461
Hey!
576
00:40:01,501 --> 00:40:03,621
It's quite...upsetting to think that
577
00:40:03,661 --> 00:40:07,821
that might not be the conclusion,
you know? This is not pre-Columbian.
578
00:40:13,541 --> 00:40:15,581
But this is archaeology, it's
science,
579
00:40:15,621 --> 00:40:18,221
and sometimes you don't get
the results that you want.
580
00:40:18,261 --> 00:40:20,541
And it can be, er, upsetting.
581
00:40:21,701 --> 00:40:24,261
That's not a...a nice feeling, at
all.
582
00:40:26,061 --> 00:40:29,181
So much here, it's just kind of
finding spots for it,
583
00:40:29,221 --> 00:40:30,861
it's like a treasure trove.
584
00:40:34,421 --> 00:40:37,021
It's the moment of truth.
585
00:40:43,301 --> 00:40:45,141
I'm studying your face, Eduardo.
586
00:40:46,181 --> 00:40:48,261
Trying to see if I can see any
clues.
587
00:40:52,261 --> 00:40:54,381
Well, what signs are you looking
for?
588
00:40:54,421 --> 00:40:57,381
There are some signs that we can
see if they are ancient,
589
00:40:57,421 --> 00:40:58,941
or not so ancient.
590
00:40:58,981 --> 00:41:02,341
What type of technology they used
to make this pottery.
591
00:41:02,381 --> 00:41:06,621
The colour of the clay, what did
they put in the base of this clay,
too?
592
00:41:07,781 --> 00:41:11,181
Is there anything interesting that
you could tell me maybe about this
one?
593
00:41:13,821 --> 00:41:16,741
Well, here, we can see what they
put in this clay.
594
00:41:17,821 --> 00:41:19,021
It's the speckliness, right?
595
00:41:19,061 --> 00:41:20,941
Yes. Slight speckles, spot and
stuff.
596
00:41:20,981 --> 00:41:25,141
That is from the tree bark that they
burn and mix with the clay.
597
00:41:25,181 --> 00:41:27,021
To...to make the pottery.
598
00:41:27,061 --> 00:41:29,261
Oh, gosh, yeah, yeah.
We call it "caraipe".
599
00:41:29,301 --> 00:41:31,021
You can actually see that.
600
00:41:31,061 --> 00:41:32,941
Yeah, it's very small.
601
00:41:32,981 --> 00:41:34,901
And it is a very old technology.
602
00:41:36,661 --> 00:41:38,141
All right, this one.
603
00:41:39,221 --> 00:41:40,501
Hm...
604
00:41:41,581 --> 00:41:45,941
That's very interesting, because you
can see here the Yuma face.
605
00:41:45,981 --> 00:41:48,701
Right? Yeah. We have here the Yuma
face. Uh-huh.
606
00:41:48,741 --> 00:41:50,901
Probably they mixed something with
red,
607
00:41:50,941 --> 00:41:53,541
to make the eyes, the ears, the
nose.
608
00:41:53,581 --> 00:41:56,941
It's very typical on archaeological
sites in the Amazon.
609
00:41:58,141 --> 00:42:00,901
So, I guess this is the big moment.
610
00:42:00,941 --> 00:42:03,821
Um...what's your professional
opinion?
611
00:42:03,861 --> 00:42:08,381
Well, definitely, with no doubt, it
is all ancient pottery.
612
00:42:08,421 --> 00:42:14,661
All of this is pre-Columbian, and
probably with 1,000 or 1,500 years
ago.
613
00:42:14,701 --> 00:42:16,901
Shut up! That's amazing, really?
Yeah.
614
00:42:16,941 --> 00:42:17,941
Oh, my gosh.
615
00:42:17,981 --> 00:42:19,381
I'm so glad!
616
00:42:19,421 --> 00:42:21,461
I feel really, really excited with
that,
617
00:42:21,501 --> 00:42:23,981
because it is a great collection
that they have.
618
00:42:24,021 --> 00:42:25,461
That is really amazing.
619
00:42:32,141 --> 00:42:33,381
Eduardo?
620
00:42:33,421 --> 00:42:35,381
You're Brazilian, do you want to...
621
00:42:35,421 --> 00:42:37,661
..do you want to tell them the good
news?
622
00:42:54,341 --> 00:42:56,861
APPLAUSE
Yeah!
623
00:42:59,701 --> 00:43:01,021
Give us a high one.
624
00:43:01,061 --> 00:43:03,341
It really couldn't be better news.
625
00:43:03,381 --> 00:43:06,741
It's persuasive evidence that
indigenous people,
626
00:43:06,781 --> 00:43:08,661
probably Kokama themselves,
627
00:43:08,701 --> 00:43:13,981
have lived here for well over 1,000
years.
628
00:43:20,901 --> 00:43:23,341
It means their ancestors may well
629
00:43:23,381 --> 00:43:26,381
have been part of those great
civilisations...
630
00:43:27,981 --> 00:43:30,741
..that the Spanish missionary,
Carvajal,
631
00:43:30,781 --> 00:43:33,021
witnessed all those centuries ago.
632
00:43:35,301 --> 00:43:37,221
CHIEF SNIFFLES
633
00:43:38,381 --> 00:43:39,621
God, this is...
634
00:43:42,421 --> 00:43:43,821
Chief, how are you feeling,
635
00:43:43,861 --> 00:43:47,941
and what does this mean for you, and
for the Kokama?
636
00:44:28,661 --> 00:44:30,861
APPLAUSE
637
00:44:35,461 --> 00:44:40,861
It's a moving end to the first part
of my epic mission.
638
00:44:40,901 --> 00:44:45,141
To explore how the story of the
ancient Amazon
639
00:44:45,181 --> 00:44:49,941
is being completely rewritten by
brand-new discoveries.
640
00:44:55,181 --> 00:44:58,581
What I've seen in the Amazon has
blown my mind.
641
00:44:59,861 --> 00:45:02,621
Because it has completely changed my
perception.
642
00:45:04,901 --> 00:45:06,901
See, we thought of the Amazon,
historically,
643
00:45:06,941 --> 00:45:10,181
as being this wilderness with a
few indigenous groups in it.
644
00:45:11,781 --> 00:45:15,421
But we're finding out that,
actually, just a few hundred years
ago,
645
00:45:15,461 --> 00:45:17,901
complex societies existed in the
Amazon.
646
00:45:17,941 --> 00:45:21,301
Societies with infrastructure, with
roads, with hierarchy.
647
00:45:22,501 --> 00:45:26,581
But my Amazon adventure is only
just beginning,
648
00:45:26,621 --> 00:45:29,221
and I want to find out so much more.
649
00:45:29,261 --> 00:45:31,141
How did they get here?
650
00:45:32,261 --> 00:45:35,861
How did they survive and thrive in
such large numbers,
651
00:45:35,901 --> 00:45:38,021
in such an inhospitable place?
652
00:45:42,741 --> 00:45:47,221
Next time, I'm going deep into
dangerous Columbian territory...
653
00:45:47,261 --> 00:45:50,461
We basically got our visa from a
bunch of rebels.
654
00:45:51,901 --> 00:45:55,581
..to discover never-seen-before
ancient rock art.
655
00:45:57,021 --> 00:45:59,901
This is the prehistoric Sistine
Chapel.
656
00:46:02,141 --> 00:46:06,581
I come face-to-face with the remains
of ancient Amazonians.
657
00:46:07,741 --> 00:46:08,941
They are 6,000 years old.
658
00:46:11,101 --> 00:46:13,421
And I meet a people who are changing
the story...
659
00:46:13,461 --> 00:46:17,061
You share DNA with people in
Australia.
660
00:46:17,101 --> 00:46:20,341
..of one of the greatest ever human
journeys.
661
00:46:44,301 --> 00:46:47,301
Subtitles by Red Bee Media
51069
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.