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(mysterious music)
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NARRATOR:80 miles west of London,
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the world's most famousStone Age monument
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still stands today.
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Stonehenge.
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But it's not alone.
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MIKE (off screen):Most people don't realize
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that there's a landscape
out there
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that is absolutely packedwith prehistoric monuments.
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NARRATOR: Why so many?
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Are they all connected?
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Is there more to itthan we imagine?
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350 miles away,
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across the Irish Sea,
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droughts and dronesuncover a new Stonehenge.
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ANTHONY:
Never in my wildest dreams
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would I have expected
there to be such a huge monument
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hidden in the landscape.
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NARRATOR: This amazing find
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may bring us closer than ever
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to revealing its secrets.
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♪ ♪
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(stirring string music)
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It's midsummer,and Ireland withers
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in the grip of an epic drought.
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The past month was the hottestin 175 years,
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and there's no relief in sight.
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30 miles north of Dublin
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in the parched Boyne Valley,home to dozens
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of the world's most spectacularprehistoric monuments,
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author Anthony Murphysenses an opportunity.
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ANTHONY: What a day to be
making discoveries, huh?
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KEN: (laughs)
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NARRATOR: For decades,Murphy has been captivated
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by the mysterious countryside
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surrounding the greatpassage tomb of Newgrange,
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a Unesco World Heritage Site
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some 5,200 years old.
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KEN: Isn't it, yeah?
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NARRATOR: Today, he's using adrone to get a bird's-eye view.
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(curious music)
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♪ ♪
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ANTHONY (off screen):I was aware
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that several discoveries had
been made in the UK and Europe
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during the drought,so I was flying with intent.
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I thought maybe we might seesome features in the landscape
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here at Brú na Bóinne thatmaybe hadn't been seen before.
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(indistinct chatter)
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NARRATOR: Following a hunch,Murphy fires up his drone
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and takes to the skiesover Newgrange Farm.
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His friend, Ken Williams,a photographer,
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joins in the flight.
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Ireland is famously lushand green,
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but not this summer.
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A drought has drainedall the color from the fields.
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ANTHONY (off screen):It was like any other day
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except for the weather.
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We'd had sustained sunshine--
long days of sunshine,
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warm temperatures,
dry conditions.
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It's very unusual for Ireland.
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NARRATOR:But from an aerial view,
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something astonishing emerges.
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ANTHONY (off screen): I wasflying near the Boyne River.
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In the background,
I could see a circular feature
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that immediatelyjumped out at me,
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and I flew closer to it.
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I let out an exclamation--
"What the hell is that?"
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Within moments, really, we knewwe were seeing something
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very substantial that had notpreviously been recorded.
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♪ ♪
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KEN (off screen):When I went to view it,
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I said, "This is the most
spectacular discovery
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I've ever seen."
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And within this same field,
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more featuresstarted to turn up.
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NARRATOR: The mysterious circle
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looks strikinglylike the footprint
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of a large archeological feature
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known as a henge.
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These ancient earthworks,
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composed of circular banks,ditches,
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and wooden posts or stones,
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are found throughout Irelandand Britain
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and in more distant partsof the world,
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separated by hundreds of miles.
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But here in Ireland'sBoyne Valley,
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no one was expectingto uncover one this big.
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Not today.
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ANTHONY (off screen):I've flown dozens of times
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trying to get a new perspective
on the landscape.
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Never in my wildest dreams
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would I have expected thereto be such a huge monument
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hidden in the landscape
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less than a kilometerfrom Newgrange.
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KEN (off screen):As a photographer who has spent
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many years
with two feet on the ground
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trying to capture
these monuments in a new way,
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this new perspective givesa whole new opportunity.
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We're looking at a monument thathas been hidden from human eyes
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for generationsand has now been revealed
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with the useof camera technology.
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♪ ♪
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NARRATOR:Measuring over 570 feet across,
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the structure's giant footprint
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is the resultof soil moisture deficit.
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ANTHONY (off screen):The soil basically dries out,
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and so the crop that's growing
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out of thearcheological features
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has a tiny amount more
trace moisture available to it
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than the surrounding crop,
and essentially what happens is,
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there's a greener,healthier crop
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growing out of the archeology
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and a slightly paler,yellower crop
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in the surrounding field,
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and that's what createsthe image.
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And the actual image is
several feet above the surface
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even though
the archeological features
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are several feet below
the ground.
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NARRATOR: The aerial discovery
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kicks off a remarkable stringof new finds.
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ANTHONY: What we were seeing
was an image of those
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above the ground, but the actual
archeology is under there.
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There's a sort of a roadwayof archeological discovery
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that lays before us, andessentially what we've done is,
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we've started the ball rolling,as it were.
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So we have the images,
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and the images provokeall sorts of questions,
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but now it will be up tothe archeological community
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to put the flesh on the bones,as it were,
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to tell us what
might be down there,
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and that makes it
tremendously exciting
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'cause there's all sorts
of possibilities.
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NARRATOR: For the two friends,
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it's the discovery of a lifetime
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and cause for celebration.
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The stunning findadds to a rich complex of sites
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dating from the Stone Age
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combining henges,
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tombs,
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post rings,and other ceremonial enclosures.
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Brú na Bóinne representsa grand project
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that would haveoccupied generations
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and involved unimaginableplanning and labor.
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♪ ♪
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For chief archeologistMichael MacDonagh,
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this new discovery enrichesthe fascinating landscape
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that is thisUnesco World Heritage Site.
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MICHAEL: This representation
of a late Neolithic structure
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is reminiscent
of the henge discoveries
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made by drone
down on the floodplain
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here at Brú na Bóinnethis summer.
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We see a transition
in this period
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from the largestone-built monuments
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of the passage tombs
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to these massivewooden-built structures.
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Large oak posts set deep
into postholes in the ground,
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forming these
circular structures
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that would have been placed
as a great gathering
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for the communities
during that period
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from across this landscape.
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We believe that discovery datesaround 2,900 B.C., roughly--
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several hundred years after thebuilding of these passage tombs,
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forming part of an extensiveNeolithic ritual landscape.
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NARRATOR:Exactly what were those rituals?
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With no written languageto consult,
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archeologists are left
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with what amountsto giant puzzles in stone.
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♪ ♪
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But in recent years,
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those puzzle pieceshave started to fit together.
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The key was to stoplooking at them in isolation.
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MICHAEL (off screen):The similarities
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between the landscape
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such as Brú na Bóinnehere in Ireland
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and the Stonehenge Salisburyarcheological landscape
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over in Britain--
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they are similar.
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The research and theories
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around howthose landscapes developed--
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where did people live?
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Where did communities live?
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How did they marshal
the resources
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to build
such fantastic monuments?
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We can share those ideas.
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We can share those theories
and try to answer the questions
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and the mysteries
that we still don't know
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about this landscape here.
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NARRATOR: This new wayof seeing these ancient sites
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is the logical outgrowthof a revolutionary theory
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first developedsome 15 years ago
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not here at Newgrange
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but across the Irish Seain England,
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home to the most famous
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and iconic Stone Age monumentin the world...
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♪ ♪
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Salisbury Plainin southern England.
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(rousing instrumental music)
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Thousands of people workedto build Stonehenge.
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♪ ♪
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When completed,
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an inner horseshoeof five great arches
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is enclosed by a ringof 30 stone uprights
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and topped by a circle
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of perfectly horizontal stonescalled lintels.
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Today, this mammoth featof engineering
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remains one of the greatunsolved mysteries
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of the ancient world.
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MICHAEL (off screen):Myths and legend grew up
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about these iconic sites--
Stonehenge and Newgrange.
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Merlin of Arthurian legend
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allegedly brought the stones
from Ireland
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to build Stonehenge.
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These are stories that developed
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because of the importance
of these landscapes
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and these monuments
for millennia and centuries,
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reflecting people's knowledge
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that these stones
were transported
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from long, long distances away.
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♪ ♪
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NARRATOR: Such talesare more fantasy than fact.
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♪ ♪
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(motor rumbling)
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MIKE: Okay, that's right.
No deeper than that.
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NARRATOR: But now,in a local farmer's field,
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archeologistMike Parker Pearson and his team
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are finally digging upreal answers.
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♪ ♪
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MIKE: Can we start
by uncovering the trenches?
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Take the polythene off,
get the stones out,
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move them to one side,
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and then we'll all
get out there.
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Thank you.
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NARRATOR: ArchaeologistMike Parker Pearson
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is leading one of the biggestarcheological investigations
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of modern times,
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a seven-year project
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to unlock the mysterysurrounding Stonehenge.
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MIKE (off screen): There wasa puzzle there, and we thought,
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"Yeah, why don't we actually goand find out for ourselves?"
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♪ ♪
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NARRATOR: But they do notexcavate at Stonehenge.
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(camera whirs)
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Instead, they excavatethe surrounding countryside.
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♪ ♪
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It's here Parker Pearsonbelieves they'll find evidence
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to supporta revolutionary new theory.
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MIKE (off screen):I think Stonehenge
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is such an iconic monumentthat most people don't realize
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that there'sa landscape out there
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that is absolutely packedwith prehistoric monuments.
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(dramatic music)
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NARRATOR:Stonehenge sits center stage
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on a much biggerceremonial landscape.
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♪ ♪
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A grand avenueconnects the stone circle
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to the River Avon,
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while standing stones,burial mounds,
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and circular earthworkscalled henges
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fill the surrounding area.
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♪ ♪
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According to this theory,
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Stonehenge was only half
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of a vast religious complex.
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The other halfwas a mysterious circle
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built of woodjust a few miles away.
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♪ ♪
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At certain times of the year,thousands traveled to the area
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to take part in rituals
269
00:11:55,280 --> 00:11:58,280
marking the cycleof life and death.
270
00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:04,960
♪ ♪
271
00:12:05,040 --> 00:12:06,960
MIKE (off screen):If this theory works,
272
00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,440
then there should besome kind of settlement
273
00:12:10,520 --> 00:12:12,200
close to Stonehenge,
274
00:12:12,280 --> 00:12:16,000
and there should be an avenue
linking it to the river
275
00:12:16,080 --> 00:12:19,720
just as there's an avenue
from Stonehenge to the river.
276
00:12:19,800 --> 00:12:21,840
NARRATOR: If he's right,
277
00:12:21,920 --> 00:12:26,080
Parker Pearson's theorywill transform our understanding
278
00:12:26,160 --> 00:12:28,480
of the prehistoric world.
279
00:12:28,560 --> 00:12:31,200
MICHAEL: New discoveries have
enabled a new conversation
280
00:12:31,280 --> 00:12:34,920
to start about what do we know
about the people who lived here
281
00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:36,320
and what don't we know?
282
00:12:36,400 --> 00:12:37,920
Especially in that
later Neolithic period.
283
00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:40,720
There'll be a new conversationstarting now
284
00:12:40,800 --> 00:12:42,280
amongst thearcheological community
285
00:12:42,360 --> 00:12:45,400
to look at the questionsthat we need to answer.
286
00:12:45,480 --> 00:12:47,280
♪ ♪
287
00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:50,000
NARRATOR: An important keyto this theory
288
00:12:50,080 --> 00:12:51,640
lies just north of Stonehenge.
289
00:12:51,720 --> 00:12:55,160
♪ ♪
290
00:12:55,240 --> 00:12:58,040
The Cursus is the largestof the monuments
291
00:12:58,120 --> 00:13:01,000
surrounding the stone circle:
292
00:13:01,080 --> 00:13:06,960
an earthwork enclosurestretching over 1 1/2 miles.
293
00:13:07,040 --> 00:13:10,480
Parker Pearson believesthe Cursus is a dividing line
294
00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:15,000
marking off the land surroundingStonehenge as sacred.
295
00:13:15,080 --> 00:13:17,120
MIKE (off screen): It seemsthat it became a boundary
296
00:13:17,200 --> 00:13:20,960
dividing two kinds of landscape,
297
00:13:21,040 --> 00:13:25,000
and what it would seemis that on the south side,
298
00:13:25,080 --> 00:13:28,680
we really are lookingat a landscape of the dead.
299
00:13:28,760 --> 00:13:31,200
And I thought,"Well, if that's the case,
300
00:13:31,280 --> 00:13:35,040
then there's got to be a domainfor the living."
301
00:13:35,120 --> 00:13:37,040
♪ ♪
302
00:13:37,120 --> 00:13:39,880
NARRATOR: The investigationleads him to a site
303
00:13:39,960 --> 00:13:42,280
a mile and a half awayfrom the stone circle...
304
00:13:42,360 --> 00:13:46,440
♪ ♪
305
00:13:46,520 --> 00:13:49,960
A place called Durrington Walls.
306
00:13:50,040 --> 00:13:55,720
Here, a vast circular hengedominates the landscape,
307
00:13:55,800 --> 00:14:01,240
20 times the size of Stonehengearound the perimeter.
308
00:14:01,320 --> 00:14:03,440
In previous excavations,
309
00:14:03,520 --> 00:14:06,560
archeologists duginside the henge
310
00:14:06,640 --> 00:14:09,480
but found no sign of settlement.
311
00:14:09,560 --> 00:14:13,320
Parker Pearson decidesto look outside.
312
00:14:13,400 --> 00:14:16,000
(birds chirping)
313
00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:20,160
In doing so,he uncovers the lost city
314
00:14:20,240 --> 00:14:22,480
of the builders of Stonehenge.
315
00:14:22,560 --> 00:14:26,960
♪ ♪
316
00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:29,640
This is the largestStone Age settlement
317
00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:31,160
found in northern Europe.
318
00:14:31,240 --> 00:14:34,080
(indistinct chatter)
319
00:14:34,160 --> 00:14:35,840
From the density of houses,
320
00:14:35,920 --> 00:14:39,280
it's possible the populationran into the thousands.
321
00:14:39,360 --> 00:14:43,200
♪ ♪
322
00:14:43,280 --> 00:14:46,680
Tribes would have gatheredfrom across England
323
00:14:46,760 --> 00:14:48,320
to build Stonehenge.
324
00:14:48,400 --> 00:14:53,160
♪ ♪
325
00:14:53,240 --> 00:14:56,200
Was this how all the greatprehistoric monuments
326
00:14:56,280 --> 00:14:58,800
were constructed?
327
00:14:58,880 --> 00:15:00,800
In Ireland, chief archeologist
328
00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:05,640
Michael MacDonaghwishes it were only so simple.
329
00:15:05,720 --> 00:15:08,240
In the Boyne Valley,a place of similar size
330
00:15:08,320 --> 00:15:10,640
and even older than Stonehenge,
331
00:15:10,720 --> 00:15:14,880
he's searched for evidenceof a workers' village for years.
332
00:15:14,960 --> 00:15:17,720
So far, no luck.
333
00:15:17,800 --> 00:15:19,000
MICHAEL (off screen):Here in Brú na Bóinne
334
00:15:19,080 --> 00:15:20,200
around the passage tombsof Newgrange
335
00:15:20,280 --> 00:15:23,120
and Knowth and Dowth,
we don't have such evidence.
336
00:15:23,200 --> 00:15:26,640
We do have evidence
for smaller houses
337
00:15:26,720 --> 00:15:29,080
dating to around the time
the tombs were built,
338
00:15:29,160 --> 00:15:31,040
but what the theories
over in Stonehenge show
339
00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:33,040
is that there's many mysteries
still to be told
340
00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:34,440
about the people who--
who built these tombs
341
00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,360
and who cameinto this landscape.
342
00:15:37,440 --> 00:15:39,840
NARRATOR: The buildersmust have lived somewhere.
343
00:15:39,920 --> 00:15:42,520
Or perhaps they traveledfrom nearby settlements
344
00:15:42,600 --> 00:15:44,720
to complete their work.
345
00:15:44,800 --> 00:15:47,400
At Durrington Walls,Parker Pearson believes
346
00:15:47,480 --> 00:15:51,160
these residentswere part-timers.
347
00:15:51,240 --> 00:15:53,000
MIKE (off screen):I think what we're seeing
348
00:15:53,080 --> 00:15:56,080
is a community that are bringingall their stock with them,
349
00:15:56,160 --> 00:15:58,960
coming here for short parts
of the year.
350
00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:01,920
This isn't a full-time,
permanent settlement.
351
00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:03,400
(indistinct chatter)
352
00:16:03,480 --> 00:16:06,320
NARRATOR: People came hereto celebrate an important event
353
00:16:06,400 --> 00:16:07,640
in their calendar:
354
00:16:07,720 --> 00:16:11,840
the longest day of the year,
355
00:16:11,920 --> 00:16:13,840
the midsummer solstice.
356
00:16:13,920 --> 00:16:17,200
MIKE (off screen): If we'd beenhere at the midsummer solstice,
357
00:16:17,280 --> 00:16:18,640
what would have happened?
358
00:16:18,720 --> 00:16:20,520
(insects chirping)
359
00:16:20,600 --> 00:16:22,880
Now, we don't have
a time machine,
360
00:16:22,960 --> 00:16:26,440
but I think there are ways
that we can really get a glimmer
361
00:16:26,520 --> 00:16:28,640
of an understanding,
362
00:16:28,720 --> 00:16:33,320
and what I would imagineis that at dawn,
363
00:16:33,400 --> 00:16:35,560
people gathered at Stonehenge,
364
00:16:35,640 --> 00:16:39,560
and that beginsa really important day.
365
00:16:39,640 --> 00:16:41,000
(eerie horns playing)
366
00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:43,040
NARRATOR: On this day,
367
00:16:43,120 --> 00:16:45,000
Stonehenge alignswith the rising sun.
368
00:16:45,080 --> 00:16:46,480
(crowd cheering)
369
00:16:46,560 --> 00:16:49,440
The sun's rays passbetween the standing stones
370
00:16:49,520 --> 00:16:51,840
placed on its perimeter
371
00:16:51,920 --> 00:16:53,960
and directly througha vast central arch
372
00:16:54,040 --> 00:16:56,600
known as the Great Trilithon.
373
00:16:56,680 --> 00:16:59,600
(rousing instrumental music)
374
00:16:59,680 --> 00:17:00,680
♪ ♪
375
00:17:00,760 --> 00:17:04,760
But Parker Pearson believesthis sunrise ritual
376
00:17:04,840 --> 00:17:08,200
was just the startof the midsummer celebrations.
377
00:17:08,280 --> 00:17:11,560
♪ ♪
378
00:17:11,640 --> 00:17:13,400
With the sun's movement,
379
00:17:13,480 --> 00:17:15,360
he believes the peoplemake their way
380
00:17:15,440 --> 00:17:19,920
to Durrington Walls alongthe banks of the River Avon.
381
00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:24,440
They move toward an astoundingnear-replica of Stonehenge
382
00:17:24,520 --> 00:17:27,480
built out of wood.
383
00:17:27,560 --> 00:17:30,840
The use of stone and woodis no accident,
384
00:17:30,920 --> 00:17:33,920
and gives Parker Pearsona fundamental insight
385
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:38,320
into the religious beliefsof these ancient people.
386
00:17:38,400 --> 00:17:39,320
MIKE (off screen):Because, of course,
387
00:17:39,400 --> 00:17:42,240
wood is somethingthat doesn't last forever,
388
00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:45,400
just as our own liveswon't last forever.
389
00:17:45,480 --> 00:17:47,680
But stone,
390
00:17:47,760 --> 00:17:52,280
that's gonna be therefor eternity.
391
00:17:52,360 --> 00:17:54,000
And it set me thinking as to,
392
00:17:54,080 --> 00:17:56,720
"Well, was one monumentfor the dead
393
00:17:56,800 --> 00:17:58,480
and one for the living?"
394
00:17:58,560 --> 00:18:01,720
One in stone, one in wood.
395
00:18:01,800 --> 00:18:03,800
♪ ♪
396
00:18:03,880 --> 00:18:05,120
NARRATOR: Like Stonehenge,
397
00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:08,040
this circle also alignswith the sun,
398
00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:10,160
now setting in the west.
399
00:18:10,240 --> 00:18:12,280
At the stone circle,
400
00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:15,040
people paid their respectsto the dead.
401
00:18:15,120 --> 00:18:20,400
But at this wooden circle,they celebrate life.
402
00:18:20,480 --> 00:18:24,200
They thank their ancestorsfor the gift of fertility,
403
00:18:24,280 --> 00:18:28,240
for their crops, their animals,and themselves.
404
00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:31,040
(thunder rumbles)
405
00:18:31,120 --> 00:18:35,080
Such ritual complexity is echoedin the monuments of Ireland.
406
00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:43,760
MICHAEL (off screen): Newgrangewas built as a burial monument,
407
00:18:43,840 --> 00:18:46,360
but it is much more than that
and became much more than that.
408
00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:48,680
It became a focal point
for ritual activity
409
00:18:48,760 --> 00:18:50,120
and ceremonial gathering
410
00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:52,920
for centuries and millennia
afterwards.
411
00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:55,240
NARRATOR: Like Stonehenge,
412
00:18:55,320 --> 00:18:57,160
the prehistoric monumentsin the Boyne Valley
413
00:18:57,240 --> 00:18:59,800
line up with the solstices.
414
00:18:59,880 --> 00:19:01,560
MICHAEL: As much as they're
different chronologically--
415
00:19:01,640 --> 00:19:03,720
several hundred
if not 1,000 years' difference
416
00:19:03,800 --> 00:19:05,480
between the great passage tomb
of Newgrange
417
00:19:05,560 --> 00:19:07,720
and the sarsen build stone
of Stonehenge--
418
00:19:07,800 --> 00:19:09,080
there are amazing similarities
419
00:19:09,160 --> 00:19:10,840
in terms
of the prehistoric engineering.
420
00:19:10,920 --> 00:19:14,880
NARRATOR: Even so,there's no Stone Age town
421
00:19:14,960 --> 00:19:18,880
at Brú na Bóinne that compareswith Durrington Walls.
422
00:19:18,960 --> 00:19:23,320
But the summer of 2018is filled with surprises.
423
00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:26,480
A mere week afterAnthony Murphy's drone flight,
424
00:19:26,560 --> 00:19:30,560
an agricultural companyexcavating in the Boyne Valley
425
00:19:30,640 --> 00:19:34,600
hits upon somethingthey weren't expecting...
426
00:19:34,680 --> 00:19:36,920
an undiscovered tomb.
427
00:19:37,000 --> 00:19:39,040
Have they finally found
428
00:19:39,120 --> 00:19:42,680
the elusive buildersof Newgrange?
429
00:19:47,000 --> 00:19:48,920
(mellow piano music)
430
00:19:49,000 --> 00:19:52,800
NARRATOR: Dowth Hall:a grand 18th-century home
431
00:19:52,880 --> 00:19:54,640
tucked in Ireland's Boyne Valley
432
00:19:54,720 --> 00:19:57,560
is planning a renovation.
433
00:19:57,640 --> 00:19:59,440
But in this part of Ireland,
434
00:19:59,520 --> 00:20:02,080
digging isa complicated business.
435
00:20:02,160 --> 00:20:04,520
Dr. Clíodhna Ní Lionáin
436
00:20:04,600 --> 00:20:07,280
is the lead archeologiston-site.
437
00:20:07,360 --> 00:20:08,440
CLIODHNA (off screen):In Ireland, we're lucky
438
00:20:08,520 --> 00:20:09,720
that we've legal structuresin place
439
00:20:09,800 --> 00:20:11,680
to protect
our archeological heritage,
440
00:20:11,760 --> 00:20:15,880
so anyone who wants to build
or develop land
441
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:17,800
in an area of high
archeological potential--
442
00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:20,880
like here, the Unesco World
Heritage Site of Brú na Bóinne--
443
00:20:20,960 --> 00:20:23,720
oftentimes, a condition is put
on their planning permission
444
00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:26,200
that they have to have
an archeologist on-site
445
00:20:26,280 --> 00:20:29,160
for all movement of earth.
446
00:20:29,240 --> 00:20:31,000
NARRATOR:Under her watchful eye,
447
00:20:31,080 --> 00:20:32,680
a crew begins the job
448
00:20:32,760 --> 00:20:36,480
of excavating aroundthe old home's basement.
449
00:20:36,560 --> 00:20:38,960
CLIODHNA: Oh, yeah.
450
00:20:39,040 --> 00:20:40,680
(rock clatters)
451
00:20:40,760 --> 00:20:45,480
NARRATOR: Suddenly,work screeches to a halt.
452
00:20:45,560 --> 00:20:48,360
CLIODHNA: We came across
a large greywacke stone.
453
00:20:48,440 --> 00:20:50,480
So it's a type of sandstone
that's often used
454
00:20:50,560 --> 00:20:52,280
in the construction
of passage tombs,
455
00:20:52,360 --> 00:20:55,120
and it looked like a back stoneof a chamber.
456
00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,440
Then we found an uprightto the south
457
00:20:57,520 --> 00:20:58,960
and an upright to the north
458
00:20:59,040 --> 00:21:01,600
and we realized we definitelyhave something here.
459
00:21:01,680 --> 00:21:03,200
Because it was somethingvery special,
460
00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:05,720
we had to stop work.
461
00:21:05,800 --> 00:21:07,800
NARRATOR:While authorities investigate,
462
00:21:07,880 --> 00:21:10,560
the crew relocatesa little to the south.
463
00:21:10,640 --> 00:21:13,880
♪ ♪
464
00:21:13,960 --> 00:21:15,680
But just a few days later,
465
00:21:15,760 --> 00:21:18,240
they're forced to halt again.
466
00:21:18,320 --> 00:21:22,880
Now they've hitupon a second tomb chamber
467
00:21:22,960 --> 00:21:25,040
lined with ornately decoratedkerb stones.
468
00:21:25,120 --> 00:21:27,560
♪ ♪
469
00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:31,040
This can't be a coincidence.
470
00:21:31,120 --> 00:21:32,200
CLIODHNA (off screen): It wasonly then that we realized
471
00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:34,800
that the house itself
was completely surrounded
472
00:21:34,880 --> 00:21:37,520
by the remains
of a passage tomb.
473
00:21:37,600 --> 00:21:39,600
This is oneof the most significant
474
00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:41,800
megalithic discoveriesin Brú na Bóinne
475
00:21:41,880 --> 00:21:43,440
in the last 50 years.
476
00:21:43,520 --> 00:21:45,720
And definitely,with this monument,
477
00:21:45,800 --> 00:21:49,240
we didn't even know it existed
until work started
478
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:51,240
on the redevelopment
of the house,
479
00:21:51,320 --> 00:21:53,680
so a big find for the area
480
00:21:53,760 --> 00:21:55,800
but also for the country
and our understanding
481
00:21:55,880 --> 00:21:57,280
of passage tombs in Ireland.
482
00:21:57,360 --> 00:21:59,600
♪ ♪
483
00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:01,160
NARRATOR:It takes nearly a year
484
00:22:01,240 --> 00:22:04,040
for archaeologists to reachthe prehistoric layers
485
00:22:04,120 --> 00:22:06,200
several yards underground,
486
00:22:06,280 --> 00:22:08,200
but in the summer of 2018,
487
00:22:08,280 --> 00:22:11,720
the payoff is a thunderclap.
488
00:22:11,800 --> 00:22:16,760
The tomb datesto 5,500 years ago,
489
00:22:16,840 --> 00:22:19,520
back to the time of theearliest farmers in Ireland,
490
00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:24,160
the very people responsiblefor building Newgrange.
491
00:22:24,240 --> 00:22:27,080
CLIODHNA (off screen): Thepeople who built these monuments
492
00:22:27,160 --> 00:22:30,920
were the descendantsof the first farmers in Ireland.
493
00:22:31,000 --> 00:22:33,920
They were able to dedicateresource and time
494
00:22:34,000 --> 00:22:36,600
to building theseamazing structures.
495
00:22:36,680 --> 00:22:38,640
It says a lot about the society
496
00:22:38,720 --> 00:22:40,800
that they were ableto manage this
497
00:22:40,880 --> 00:22:43,000
and able to encourage everyone
498
00:22:43,080 --> 00:22:45,200
to be involvedin the construction of it.
499
00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:47,200
It would have definitely beena community effort.
500
00:22:47,280 --> 00:22:50,440
Some of the larger tombsin this area of Knowth,
501
00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:52,800
Newgrange, and Dowth,
they're towards the end
502
00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:54,280
of the passage tomb tradition
503
00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:57,000
where they're getting bigger
and bigger
504
00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:58,880
and had the mostlavish decoration.
505
00:22:58,960 --> 00:23:00,520
NARRATOR:This part of the Boyne Valley
506
00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:04,240
is a virtual galleryof megalithic artwork,
507
00:23:04,320 --> 00:23:07,160
with more than 600 masterpiecesin stone.
508
00:23:09,520 --> 00:23:12,440
CLIODHNA: In this area, it's all
abstract geometric shapes.
509
00:23:12,520 --> 00:23:13,560
There's lotsof circular shapes,
510
00:23:13,640 --> 00:23:17,840
but we also get lozengesand more rectilinear shapes.
511
00:23:17,920 --> 00:23:19,360
Like any good abstract art,
512
00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:22,840
it's hard to know
exactly what the artist meant
513
00:23:22,920 --> 00:23:25,040
when he or she carved it.
514
00:23:25,120 --> 00:23:26,360
It keeps people questioning
515
00:23:26,440 --> 00:23:30,800
and trying to understandthe people who carved these.
516
00:23:30,880 --> 00:23:34,040
NARRATOR:The Knowth passage tomb.
517
00:23:34,120 --> 00:23:36,240
Similar in size to Newgrange,
518
00:23:36,320 --> 00:23:38,480
its outer walls are adorned
519
00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,880
with elaborateand mysterious designs.
520
00:23:41,960 --> 00:23:44,640
♪ ♪
521
00:23:44,720 --> 00:23:46,880
MICHAEL: Yeah, this kerb stone
522
00:23:46,960 --> 00:23:48,560
is one of the most
highly decorated
523
00:23:48,640 --> 00:23:50,520
and well-known
of the 90 kerb stones here
524
00:23:50,600 --> 00:23:52,440
around the main passage tomb
at Knowth.
525
00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:54,000
Various levels of design.
526
00:23:54,080 --> 00:23:57,400
We have spirals and circles,
we have cup marks,
527
00:23:57,480 --> 00:24:00,200
and we have this
hemisphere design
528
00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,320
with lines radiating out like
the rays of the sun, perhaps.
529
00:24:03,400 --> 00:24:07,120
And this sort of design, again,
like many of the passage tombs,
530
00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:08,640
represents, perhaps,
the importance
531
00:24:08,720 --> 00:24:11,200
of planetary movements--
the sun and the moon, perhaps--
532
00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:12,840
into the symbology
and the funerary rights
533
00:24:12,920 --> 00:24:14,240
of our Neolithic ancestors.
534
00:24:14,320 --> 00:24:15,840
♪ ♪
535
00:24:15,920 --> 00:24:18,960
NARRATOR: The Knowth complexand its many satellite tombs
536
00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:21,400
belong toa passage tomb tradition
537
00:24:21,480 --> 00:24:23,920
similar to Newgrange.
538
00:24:24,000 --> 00:24:27,000
Here, celestialand astronomical alignments
539
00:24:27,080 --> 00:24:30,720
are criticalto a developing belief system.
540
00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:33,000
MICHAEL: And that level
of belief system--
541
00:24:33,080 --> 00:24:34,920
following the
astronomical alignments
542
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:36,080
at certain auspicious days--
543
00:24:36,160 --> 00:24:38,160
whether they're summer solstices
or winter solstices--
544
00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:40,080
you're looking at theirshared belief systems
545
00:24:40,160 --> 00:24:41,680
across Britain, Ireland,and Europe,
546
00:24:41,760 --> 00:24:43,400
and indeed acrossthe wider world
547
00:24:43,480 --> 00:24:46,760
that we start to seeshared beliefs and connections.
548
00:24:46,840 --> 00:24:48,120
(singers vocalizing)
549
00:24:48,200 --> 00:24:49,320
NARRATOR: At Stonehenge,
550
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,760
the midsummer celebrationscontinue.
551
00:24:51,840 --> 00:24:53,240
(lively instrumental music)
552
00:24:53,320 --> 00:24:54,680
MIKE (off screen):My guess is that
553
00:24:54,760 --> 00:24:56,600
they're havingthe time of their lives
554
00:24:56,680 --> 00:24:59,440
because when we look
at the waste--
555
00:24:59,520 --> 00:25:02,560
you know, the rubbish
that litters this place--
556
00:25:02,640 --> 00:25:04,760
it is excessive.
557
00:25:04,840 --> 00:25:07,040
Normally, when you're digging
a Neolithic site,
558
00:25:07,120 --> 00:25:08,840
you find the odd bone,
559
00:25:08,920 --> 00:25:11,440
maybe a small sherd of pottery.
560
00:25:11,520 --> 00:25:15,600
But we have found itin vast quantities,
561
00:25:15,680 --> 00:25:17,400
and they're living almostknee-deep in this stuff.
562
00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:19,680
Just the sort of thingyou'd find at a feast
563
00:25:19,760 --> 00:25:22,000
when too much food is served.
564
00:25:22,080 --> 00:25:25,200
(tools scraping)
565
00:25:26,800 --> 00:25:30,560
NARRATOR: But not all the findsare evidence of celebrations.
566
00:25:30,640 --> 00:25:34,360
Some reveal a darker sideto this society.
567
00:25:34,440 --> 00:25:36,200
MIKE: This is the artifact
568
00:25:36,280 --> 00:25:40,240
that we find so many of--
in the hundreds--
569
00:25:40,320 --> 00:25:43,560
and we call them
oblique arrowheads.
570
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:47,000
Sharpened to quite
a point, there,
571
00:25:47,080 --> 00:25:49,920
and you can imagine
this sort of thing,
572
00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:52,400
it's gonna have
a devastating effect
573
00:25:52,480 --> 00:25:55,600
when shot from, you know,
up to 50 meters or so.
574
00:25:55,680 --> 00:25:58,120
♪ ♪
575
00:25:58,200 --> 00:26:01,120
NARRATOR: The recent discoveryof this human leg bone
576
00:26:01,200 --> 00:26:02,640
close to the henge
577
00:26:02,720 --> 00:26:05,720
shows where someof those arrowheads ended up.
578
00:26:05,800 --> 00:26:07,320
♪ ♪
579
00:26:07,400 --> 00:26:11,080
Two small dents showhow deep they penetrated.
580
00:26:11,160 --> 00:26:13,240
Since they never healed,
581
00:26:13,320 --> 00:26:16,080
the victim must have diedfrom his wounds.
582
00:26:16,160 --> 00:26:19,400
MIKE (off screen): It appearsto come from an adult male...
583
00:26:19,480 --> 00:26:20,520
♪ ♪
584
00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:24,520
And we can only imaginewhat happened to him.
585
00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:26,840
To get two injuries like that,
586
00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:31,040
you might have basically
stuck him like a pig.
587
00:26:31,120 --> 00:26:33,680
Arrows from all directions.
588
00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:35,720
Perhaps even an execution.
589
00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:38,360
♪ ♪
590
00:26:38,440 --> 00:26:40,520
NARRATOR:Executions may have taken place
591
00:26:40,600 --> 00:26:43,480
in the middleof the Durrington Henge.
592
00:26:43,560 --> 00:26:46,320
As in other ancient societies,
593
00:26:46,400 --> 00:26:49,200
they may have been stagedas popular spectacles.
594
00:26:49,280 --> 00:26:51,520
(dramatic music)
595
00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:54,240
(crowd cheering)
596
00:26:54,320 --> 00:26:55,840
♪ ♪
597
00:26:55,920 --> 00:26:58,600
But in theBrú na Bóinne landscape,
598
00:26:58,680 --> 00:27:02,640
there is no evidence to dateof any such sacrifice
599
00:27:02,720 --> 00:27:04,760
or ritual killings.
600
00:27:04,840 --> 00:27:06,320
CLIODHNA (off screen):It's generally believed
601
00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:09,600
that the communities that
built this were egalitarian,
602
00:27:09,680 --> 00:27:12,720
and people wantedto put this effort
603
00:27:12,800 --> 00:27:14,000
into a ritual monument,
604
00:27:14,080 --> 00:27:16,200
both for themselvesas an individual
605
00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:18,320
but for the wider communityas well.
606
00:27:18,400 --> 00:27:20,440
(indistinct chatter)
607
00:27:20,520 --> 00:27:23,360
NARRATOR: At Stonehenge,people have not traveled here
608
00:27:23,440 --> 00:27:27,560
just for the celebrationsand rituals of punishment.
609
00:27:27,640 --> 00:27:29,600
They have a daunting job,
610
00:27:29,680 --> 00:27:34,240
one so big it will takecenturies to complete.
611
00:27:34,320 --> 00:27:36,040
MIKE (off screen): Now, when welook at the concentration
612
00:27:36,120 --> 00:27:39,720
of population that we havein this one valley,
613
00:27:39,800 --> 00:27:43,320
there's one major task
that they had to perform,
614
00:27:43,400 --> 00:27:46,680
and that is the buildingof Stonehenge,
615
00:27:46,760 --> 00:27:49,560
the constructionof the great sarsen circle,
616
00:27:49,640 --> 00:27:52,720
and the trilithons within it.
617
00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:56,600
NARRATOR: Exactly how this featof engineering was accomplished
618
00:27:56,680 --> 00:28:00,040
may be the biggest mysteryof all.
619
00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:07,800
NARRATOR: In 2,500 B.C.,
620
00:28:07,880 --> 00:28:11,360
Stonehenge is one of the largestactive building projects
621
00:28:11,440 --> 00:28:13,880
in the prehistoric world.
622
00:28:13,960 --> 00:28:15,360
(mysterious music)
623
00:28:15,440 --> 00:28:18,880
No one knowshow long it took to complete.
624
00:28:20,520 --> 00:28:23,080
The great stones are sarsen,
625
00:28:23,160 --> 00:28:25,640
a dense rock as hard as granite.
626
00:28:25,720 --> 00:28:30,360
Each weighs up to 45 tons.
627
00:28:30,440 --> 00:28:33,360
Lifting them involvessophisticated engineering...
628
00:28:33,440 --> 00:28:35,240
(all grunting)
629
00:28:35,320 --> 00:28:38,480
But the construction workis only half the story.
630
00:28:38,560 --> 00:28:39,880
(all shouting)
631
00:28:39,960 --> 00:28:41,080
♪ ♪
632
00:28:41,160 --> 00:28:42,920
NARRATOR:Building Stonehenge requires
633
00:28:43,000 --> 00:28:46,600
over 1,000 tons of sarsen stone,
634
00:28:46,680 --> 00:28:50,160
and the closest sourceis 25 miles away.
635
00:28:50,240 --> 00:28:52,520
♪ ♪
636
00:28:52,600 --> 00:28:56,200
In Ireland, hauling stoneto the Newgrange monument
637
00:28:56,280 --> 00:28:58,200
was even more challenging.
638
00:28:58,280 --> 00:29:01,200
It meant coveringa greater distance.
639
00:29:01,280 --> 00:29:03,240
MICHAEL (off screen):The large greywacke stones
640
00:29:03,320 --> 00:29:06,320
that were used to decorate it,
to build the passage tombs
641
00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:08,520
of Newgrange, Knowth, and Dowth,
they were quarried
642
00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:11,280
from over 25 kilometers away
to the northeast,
643
00:29:11,360 --> 00:29:14,400
and we've long thought that
the river played a major role
644
00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:18,120
in being able to transport thosestones here to Brú na Bóinne.
645
00:29:18,200 --> 00:29:20,800
NARRATOR: Shipping thesemassive stones overland
646
00:29:20,880 --> 00:29:22,040
and then by river
647
00:29:22,120 --> 00:29:24,960
would have requiredsophisticated navigational
648
00:29:25,040 --> 00:29:26,840
and engineering skills.
649
00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:28,200
MICHAEL (off screen):We do have evidence
650
00:29:28,280 --> 00:29:30,800
from very recent discoverieshere on the River Boyne
651
00:29:30,880 --> 00:29:33,880
of Neolithic log boats.
652
00:29:33,960 --> 00:29:35,360
That wood was cut between--
653
00:29:35,440 --> 00:29:38,880
radio carbon dating suggests
3,300 to 2,900 B.C.,
654
00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:41,720
and that is the exact time that
the passage tombs were built.
655
00:29:41,800 --> 00:29:43,840
So we're thinkingwith this recent discovery
656
00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:46,040
that such a craftwould have been used
657
00:29:46,120 --> 00:29:48,120
to carry them down the
Boyne River here to Newgrange.
658
00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:50,080
So they were then dragged up
the floodplain terraces
659
00:29:50,160 --> 00:29:53,080
to build the tombs.
660
00:29:53,160 --> 00:29:56,680
NARRATOR: Incredibly, they mayeven have traveled by sea,
661
00:29:56,760 --> 00:29:58,720
hugging the coasts
662
00:29:58,800 --> 00:30:02,080
until reachingthe intercoastal areas
663
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:03,480
and then the Boyne River.
664
00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:04,920
♪ ♪
665
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:10,520
Such distanceseasily exceed 70 miles.
666
00:30:10,600 --> 00:30:12,000
Convincing simple farmers
667
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:14,200
to expend suchextraordinary effort
668
00:30:14,280 --> 00:30:17,000
must have been no easy task,
669
00:30:17,080 --> 00:30:20,040
and suggests a high degreeof organization
670
00:30:20,120 --> 00:30:21,920
and political power.
671
00:30:22,000 --> 00:30:23,800
There must also have been
672
00:30:23,880 --> 00:30:26,840
a strong internal motivation.
673
00:30:26,920 --> 00:30:28,160
MICHAEL (off screen):There must have been that need--
674
00:30:28,240 --> 00:30:29,760
that belief need,that ritual need--
675
00:30:29,840 --> 00:30:31,040
to honor their dead
676
00:30:31,120 --> 00:30:33,400
and to bury themin these large tombs
677
00:30:33,480 --> 00:30:34,680
that allowed these communities
678
00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:37,160
to marshalthe huge resources necessary
679
00:30:37,240 --> 00:30:39,800
to build these monumentsover many, many years
680
00:30:39,880 --> 00:30:42,320
and to take the riskin doing so.
681
00:30:42,400 --> 00:30:45,320
NARRATOR: For the buildersof Stonehenge,
682
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:48,760
moving the sarsenis entirely an overland journey,
683
00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:51,840
but they have devisedingenious methods
684
00:30:51,920 --> 00:30:54,120
to accomplish this task.
685
00:30:54,200 --> 00:30:56,720
Hauling a single 45-ton stone
686
00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:58,520
requires an enormous effort
687
00:30:58,600 --> 00:31:01,560
from every single memberof the group.
688
00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:05,040
(all chanting)
689
00:31:05,120 --> 00:31:08,040
NARRATOR: On firm ground,they run the stone
690
00:31:08,120 --> 00:31:10,480
over a bed of wooden rollers.
691
00:31:10,560 --> 00:31:12,840
Archaeologist Mike Pitts
692
00:31:12,920 --> 00:31:14,800
has studiedthe various techniques
693
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:18,880
that might have been employedto transport these great stones.
694
00:31:18,960 --> 00:31:21,080
PITTS (off screen):It's a challenging journey,
695
00:31:21,160 --> 00:31:24,160
and they would have had
to employ everything, I think,
696
00:31:24,240 --> 00:31:25,320
that they could draw on
697
00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:28,240
to get these stones
along that route.
698
00:31:28,320 --> 00:31:31,480
NARRATOR: But the routeis not all level.
699
00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:34,720
At times, it is too steepto pull the stone.
700
00:31:34,800 --> 00:31:36,440
PITTS (off screen): There'sreally quite a steep climb
701
00:31:36,520 --> 00:31:37,760
up onto Salisbury plain,
702
00:31:37,840 --> 00:31:40,000
and I thinkat occasions like that,
703
00:31:40,080 --> 00:31:42,760
what they would have done isuse very large poles as levers,
704
00:31:42,840 --> 00:31:44,640
and if you havea number of people
705
00:31:44,720 --> 00:31:46,000
on each side of the stone,
706
00:31:46,080 --> 00:31:49,440
you can almost literally
row the stone forward.
707
00:31:49,520 --> 00:31:51,680
(all shouting indistinctly)
708
00:31:51,760 --> 00:31:53,040
NARRATOR: No one knowshow long it took
709
00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:56,080
to bring a stone to Stonehenge.
710
00:31:56,160 --> 00:31:59,640
It may have taken monthsor even years.
711
00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:02,200
(mysterious music)
712
00:32:02,280 --> 00:32:03,200
MIKE: Stonehenge,
which is multi-phased,
713
00:32:03,280 --> 00:32:04,800
which culminates in this large,
714
00:32:04,880 --> 00:32:07,640
iconic
sarsen stone-built structure,
715
00:32:07,720 --> 00:32:09,320
is part
of a much wider landscape.
716
00:32:09,400 --> 00:32:11,240
Similarly, here in Newgrange,
717
00:32:11,320 --> 00:32:14,720
it was a construction projectthat took many years.
718
00:32:14,800 --> 00:32:16,240
It wasn't a once-off project.
719
00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,880
It took many years
of continued activity
720
00:32:18,960 --> 00:32:22,360
in order to construct
what we see now.
721
00:32:22,440 --> 00:32:24,640
NARRATOR:Finally, these weary people
722
00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:28,080
have their destination in sight.
723
00:32:28,160 --> 00:32:29,480
But their workstill isn't finished.
724
00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:31,320
♪ ♪
725
00:32:31,400 --> 00:32:33,160
There's the matter of dressing
726
00:32:33,240 --> 00:32:35,800
and raising the stoneinto position,
727
00:32:35,880 --> 00:32:39,720
and this is just 1 of 80it will take
728
00:32:39,800 --> 00:32:42,520
to complete the monument.
729
00:32:46,680 --> 00:32:48,880
NARRATOR: Thousands returnto the domain at Durrington
730
00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:52,320
to preparefor another celebration:
731
00:32:52,400 --> 00:32:56,040
the midwinter solstice.
732
00:32:56,120 --> 00:32:57,160
MICHAEL:
Our prehistoric ancestors
733
00:32:57,240 --> 00:32:58,880
had an awareness--
a full-on awareness
734
00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:01,320
of the movement
of astronomical bodies,
735
00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:02,720
of our planetary alignments,
736
00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:04,680
of our auspicious dateson calendars
737
00:33:04,760 --> 00:33:05,920
such as the winter solstice
738
00:33:06,000 --> 00:33:08,240
that obviouslythen played a further part
739
00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:11,400
into their funerary monumentsand their burial practices.
740
00:33:11,480 --> 00:33:14,360
NARRATOR:1 1/2 miles from Durrington,
741
00:33:14,440 --> 00:33:16,200
work resumes at Stonehenge.
742
00:33:16,280 --> 00:33:18,360
♪ ♪
743
00:33:18,440 --> 00:33:21,720
This is the only stone circlein the world
744
00:33:21,800 --> 00:33:25,080
where the stones are shapedand jointed.
745
00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:27,160
It's grueling work.
746
00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:29,120
They use wood formers
747
00:33:29,200 --> 00:33:32,080
to check the shapeand dimensions...
748
00:33:32,160 --> 00:33:35,080
♪ ♪
749
00:33:35,160 --> 00:33:37,000
And flour milling techniques
750
00:33:37,080 --> 00:33:38,720
to grind the surfaceof the stones
751
00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:40,800
to a marble-smooth finish.
752
00:33:40,880 --> 00:33:43,720
♪ ♪
753
00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:47,360
The workers are expertstonemasons and engineers.
754
00:33:47,440 --> 00:33:49,840
(indistinct chatter)
755
00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:53,680
They prepare to drag the stoneinto a pit
756
00:33:53,760 --> 00:33:56,640
that will secureand hold it upright.
757
00:33:58,200 --> 00:34:00,360
The sarsens vary greatlyin length,
758
00:34:00,440 --> 00:34:05,200
so the depth must be preciseto keep the top line level.
759
00:34:05,280 --> 00:34:06,880
(man shouting)
760
00:34:06,960 --> 00:34:09,120
NARRATOR: Ropes runningover wooden A-frames
761
00:34:09,200 --> 00:34:10,440
increase leverage.
762
00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:12,240
MAN: (shouts)
763
00:34:12,320 --> 00:34:16,440
(people chanting)
764
00:34:16,520 --> 00:34:18,680
NARRATOR: They haul the stoneup an earth ramp
765
00:34:18,760 --> 00:34:21,320
toward a pivot pointmade of tree trunks.
766
00:34:21,400 --> 00:34:23,960
(people chanting)
767
00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:26,600
(dramatic music)
768
00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:29,240
(people chanting)
769
00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:32,880
NARRATOR: Now, they canpull the stone vertical.
770
00:34:32,960 --> 00:34:35,240
(people chanting)
771
00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:41,040
♪ ♪
772
00:34:41,120 --> 00:34:43,080
NARRATOR: Each of these stonesbrings these ancient Britons
773
00:34:43,160 --> 00:34:46,040
closer to fulfillingtheir ambition
774
00:34:46,120 --> 00:34:50,200
of building a domainfor the ancestors.
775
00:34:50,280 --> 00:34:54,560
♪ ♪
776
00:34:54,640 --> 00:34:58,400
The ancient farmers of Irelandalso mastered the challenges
777
00:34:58,480 --> 00:35:01,680
of building a megalithicmonument at Newgrange.
778
00:35:03,640 --> 00:35:06,400
MICHAEL:
3,300 years before Christ,
779
00:35:06,480 --> 00:35:10,880
a community decided to build
this immense burial monument.
780
00:35:10,960 --> 00:35:14,040
The stones were transported22 kilometers.
781
00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:15,400
As at Stonehenge,
782
00:35:15,480 --> 00:35:19,000
rolled, pulled upthe floodplain terraces,
783
00:35:19,080 --> 00:35:21,120
socket stuck,and then using ropes,
784
00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:22,960
using ramps of earth,
785
00:35:23,040 --> 00:35:25,360
they were then hauled up
into these upright positions.
786
00:35:25,440 --> 00:35:28,240
♪ ♪
787
00:35:28,320 --> 00:35:31,160
NARRATOR: Both at Newgrangeand Stonehenge,
788
00:35:31,240 --> 00:35:32,920
rough and clumsy stoneshave been moved
789
00:35:33,000 --> 00:35:35,680
over dozens of miles
790
00:35:35,760 --> 00:35:38,160
and raised into position.
791
00:35:38,240 --> 00:35:42,440
Now, they must be arrangedwith watch-like precision
792
00:35:42,520 --> 00:35:46,080
in time to mark the calendar'smost important event.
793
00:35:46,160 --> 00:35:49,080
(pensive music)
794
00:35:49,160 --> 00:35:50,160
♪ ♪
795
00:35:50,240 --> 00:35:51,440
(indistinct chatter)
796
00:35:51,520 --> 00:35:53,360
At Stonehenge,
797
00:35:53,440 --> 00:35:55,720
these people laborwith a dual purpose:
798
00:35:55,800 --> 00:35:57,840
to build their grand monument
799
00:35:57,920 --> 00:36:01,720
and preparefor the midwinter solstice.
800
00:36:01,800 --> 00:36:05,080
It's a time of yearimbued with meaning.
801
00:36:05,160 --> 00:36:08,120
(indistinct chatter)
802
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:12,480
MIKE (off screen): Everything isheading towards death.
803
00:36:12,560 --> 00:36:16,000
The land is getting less
and less green,
804
00:36:16,080 --> 00:36:19,280
the sun itself appears
to be dying,
805
00:36:19,360 --> 00:36:22,440
and we need to waitfor that crucial moment
806
00:36:22,520 --> 00:36:25,200
when everything is restarted.
807
00:36:25,280 --> 00:36:27,760
That is atthe midwinter solstice.
808
00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:29,720
(mysterious music)
809
00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:31,560
(indistinct chatter)
810
00:36:31,640 --> 00:36:32,960
NARRATOR:While the summer solstice
811
00:36:33,040 --> 00:36:35,680
was about life and fertility,
812
00:36:35,760 --> 00:36:38,480
the winter solsticebrings the year full circle
813
00:36:38,560 --> 00:36:41,600
with a ceremony for the dead.
814
00:36:41,680 --> 00:36:44,640
On the shortest day of the year,
815
00:36:44,720 --> 00:36:48,440
thousands assemble before dawnat the wooden circle
816
00:36:48,520 --> 00:36:51,040
insidethe Durrington settlement.
817
00:36:51,120 --> 00:36:52,680
Like Stonehenge,
818
00:36:52,760 --> 00:36:55,480
the circle's postsare precisely positioned.
819
00:36:55,560 --> 00:36:58,920
Almost 350 miles to the west,
820
00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:01,720
Ireland's Newgrange monument
821
00:37:01,800 --> 00:37:03,920
also awaits the momentof sunrise.
822
00:37:04,000 --> 00:37:08,520
Only here, the entire structurehas been fine-tuned
823
00:37:08,600 --> 00:37:11,560
with this purpose in mind.
824
00:37:11,640 --> 00:37:13,680
MICHAEL: Such a monument as this
great passage tomb of Newgrange
825
00:37:13,760 --> 00:37:16,840
required tremendous effort,
both in workforce
826
00:37:16,920 --> 00:37:18,200
to bring the materials in
827
00:37:18,280 --> 00:37:20,440
but in the precision
of its architecture,
828
00:37:20,520 --> 00:37:23,120
the precision of the engineering
to align perfectly
829
00:37:23,200 --> 00:37:25,760
with that astronomical alignment
of the rising of the sun
830
00:37:25,840 --> 00:37:27,480
on the morning
of the winter solstice.
831
00:37:27,560 --> 00:37:28,680
♪ ♪
832
00:37:28,760 --> 00:37:29,880
NARRATOR: The slope of the hill
833
00:37:29,960 --> 00:37:32,040
on whichNewgrange is constructed
834
00:37:32,120 --> 00:37:35,400
poses an additional challenge.
835
00:37:35,480 --> 00:37:39,480
To achieve the solstice effect,the sun's first rays
836
00:37:39,560 --> 00:37:42,000
must penetratea 62-foot passageway
837
00:37:42,080 --> 00:37:44,120
that rises towardthe burial chamber.
838
00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:46,160
♪ ♪
839
00:37:46,240 --> 00:37:48,760
To counteract the slopeof the passage,
840
00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:52,520
engineers build a roof-boxabove the tomb entrance.
841
00:37:52,600 --> 00:37:54,880
♪ ♪
842
00:37:54,960 --> 00:37:56,800
It would have taken yearsto get the size
843
00:37:56,880 --> 00:37:58,960
and position just right.
844
00:37:59,040 --> 00:38:01,280
MICHAEL (off screen):On the morning of the solstice,
845
00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:03,840
as sun rises through a roof-box
846
00:38:03,920 --> 00:38:05,520
built directly above
the entrance,
847
00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:08,640
the sun's rays get concentrated
and they shine a beam of light
848
00:38:08,720 --> 00:38:11,600
that illuminatethe burial chamber.
849
00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:14,240
♪ ♪
850
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:17,920
NARRATOR:Now, the moment has arrived.
851
00:38:18,000 --> 00:38:21,840
All eyes are fixedon the Newgrange roof-box
852
00:38:21,920 --> 00:38:24,040
and the postsof Durrington Walls.
853
00:38:24,120 --> 00:38:26,480
(insects chirping)
854
00:38:26,560 --> 00:38:32,240
♪ ♪
855
00:38:33,680 --> 00:38:36,680
(all cheering)
856
00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:44,600
♪ ♪
857
00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:48,040
MICHAEL (off screen):The winter solstice
858
00:38:48,120 --> 00:38:49,560
was an auspicious date.
859
00:38:49,640 --> 00:38:51,680
It's the effective start
of the new year,
860
00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:53,200
the end of one
and the start of another
861
00:38:53,280 --> 00:38:54,920
as the days begin to lengthen,
862
00:38:55,000 --> 00:38:56,680
so it's hugely important
in terms of--
863
00:38:56,760 --> 00:39:00,240
for a farming community in terms
of fertility, renewal.
864
00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:01,640
A sign of hope.
865
00:39:01,720 --> 00:39:03,720
But also, we havethat winter solstice sun
866
00:39:03,800 --> 00:39:06,520
illuminating the burial chambersof their ancestors,
867
00:39:06,600 --> 00:39:09,480
giving some sort of senseof rebirth, renewal.
868
00:39:14,880 --> 00:39:16,960
NARRATOR:Across Stone Age Europe,
869
00:39:17,040 --> 00:39:20,360
bands of peoplehonor their ancestors.
870
00:39:20,440 --> 00:39:23,960
It's a day for both sadnessand hope.
871
00:39:24,040 --> 00:39:26,320
But at the settlementof Durrington Walls,
872
00:39:26,400 --> 00:39:29,400
there's still one last journeyto make:
873
00:39:29,480 --> 00:39:32,800
a procession that completesthe cycle of the year
874
00:39:32,880 --> 00:39:35,240
and renews life itself.
875
00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:38,240
(somber music)
876
00:39:38,320 --> 00:39:40,560
♪ ♪
877
00:39:40,640 --> 00:39:42,000
(all cheering)
878
00:39:42,080 --> 00:39:46,080
At Durrington Walls,the sun has risen,
879
00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:49,160
but their day is not done.
880
00:39:49,240 --> 00:39:51,360
(indistinct chatter)
881
00:39:51,440 --> 00:39:52,560
MIKE: So it's quite careful work
because...
882
00:39:52,640 --> 00:39:54,440
NARRATOR:Mike Parker Pearson believes
883
00:39:54,520 --> 00:39:58,480
the wooden circle is the startof a journey for the dead
884
00:39:58,560 --> 00:40:00,800
that leads them backto Stonehenge.
885
00:40:00,880 --> 00:40:05,960
♪ ♪
886
00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:08,680
He believesthat at midwinter solstice,
887
00:40:08,760 --> 00:40:11,440
ancient Britons travelfrom the wooden circle
888
00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:15,000
at Durrington Wallsalong the River Avon,
889
00:40:15,080 --> 00:40:19,200
then up a wide avenueto Stonehenge.
890
00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:21,480
The almost 2 1/2 mile journey
891
00:40:21,560 --> 00:40:24,960
culminates in a slow climbup a ridge.
892
00:40:25,040 --> 00:40:26,360
♪ ♪
893
00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:28,280
MIKE (off screen): They can'tsee where they're going.
894
00:40:28,360 --> 00:40:32,520
They've not a had a view of the
great stone monument all day,
895
00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:35,480
and it is hidden
until the very last moment
896
00:40:35,560 --> 00:40:37,640
as they come overKing Barrow Ridge.
897
00:40:37,720 --> 00:40:41,960
Suddenly, for the first time,they actually see Stonehenge
898
00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:44,240
at really quite close range.
899
00:40:44,320 --> 00:40:50,960
♪ ♪
900
00:40:51,040 --> 00:40:53,520
NARRATOR:At the midwinter solstice,
901
00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:56,320
the upright pillarsof the Great Trilithon
902
00:40:56,400 --> 00:40:59,040
will perfectly framethe setting sun.
903
00:40:59,120 --> 00:41:04,960
♪ ♪
904
00:41:05,040 --> 00:41:08,440
Now they ask the ancestorsto accept the spirits
905
00:41:08,520 --> 00:41:11,320
of those who have diedin the past year.
906
00:41:11,400 --> 00:41:14,320
(all cheering)
907
00:41:14,400 --> 00:41:21,280
♪ ♪
908
00:41:21,360 --> 00:41:23,360
MIKE (off screen):Now, we do have similar ideas
909
00:41:23,440 --> 00:41:25,640
in the sensethat death isn't the end
910
00:41:25,720 --> 00:41:29,520
but it's the beginning,that the soul will live on,
911
00:41:29,600 --> 00:41:31,240
and I think
what we're seeing here
912
00:41:31,320 --> 00:41:33,000
is just another version
913
00:41:33,080 --> 00:41:35,240
of that overall
kind of principle
914
00:41:35,320 --> 00:41:38,080
which is right at the heart
of human religious belief.
915
00:41:38,160 --> 00:41:42,120
(all cheering, shouting)
916
00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:43,680
NARRATOR:But the midwinter festival
917
00:41:43,760 --> 00:41:46,000
is not only about death.
918
00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:49,920
It's also a celebration.
919
00:41:50,000 --> 00:41:53,000
From this day forward,the sun will grow stronger
920
00:41:53,080 --> 00:41:54,800
and the days longer
921
00:41:54,880 --> 00:41:57,720
until these people returnto Stonehenge
922
00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:00,520
for the next midsummer solstice.
923
00:42:00,600 --> 00:42:02,440
(mysterious music)
924
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:05,160
♪ ♪
925
00:42:05,240 --> 00:42:07,240
For thousands of years,
926
00:42:07,320 --> 00:42:09,920
Stonehenge has remaineda mysterious monument
927
00:42:10,000 --> 00:42:12,160
from the distant past.
928
00:42:12,240 --> 00:42:16,240
Now, Parker Pearsonand his team of archaeologists
929
00:42:16,320 --> 00:42:19,840
are uncoveringits true significance.
930
00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:22,720
MIKE (off screen):We've got the evidence here
931
00:42:22,800 --> 00:42:25,200
for a city for the living,
932
00:42:25,280 --> 00:42:27,680
the largest settlementin northern Europe
933
00:42:27,760 --> 00:42:29,400
from this period.
934
00:42:29,480 --> 00:42:31,920
♪ ♪
935
00:42:32,000 --> 00:42:33,920
NARRATOR: He's convinced
936
00:42:34,000 --> 00:42:37,880
that Stonehenge is one halfof an extraordinary complex.
937
00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:39,520
♪ ♪
938
00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:42,120
The other halfis a huge wooden circle,
939
00:42:42,200 --> 00:42:44,360
a mirror imageof the stone monument
940
00:42:44,440 --> 00:42:46,720
that joins the worldof the living
941
00:42:46,800 --> 00:42:48,440
with the world of the dead.
942
00:42:48,520 --> 00:42:53,400
♪ ♪
943
00:42:53,480 --> 00:42:55,280
MIKE (off screen):The other great discovery
944
00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:57,400
is that it's a monument
945
00:42:57,480 --> 00:43:00,440
not to ancient gods
946
00:43:00,520 --> 00:43:02,480
but actually to the dead,
947
00:43:02,560 --> 00:43:05,360
and I think that's remarkable.
948
00:43:05,440 --> 00:43:07,920
♪ ♪
949
00:43:08,000 --> 00:43:09,120
MICHAEL (off screen):Lot of mysteries
950
00:43:09,200 --> 00:43:11,680
and a lot of questionsstill to be answered,
951
00:43:11,760 --> 00:43:13,760
but what we hope now
is that with further research,
952
00:43:13,840 --> 00:43:16,360
we're gonna be able to help
solve some of the mysteries
953
00:43:16,440 --> 00:43:19,560
about this landscape and
the people who inhabited here
954
00:43:19,640 --> 00:43:21,160
over 5,000 years ago.
955
00:43:21,240 --> 00:43:25,280
♪ ♪
956
00:43:25,360 --> 00:43:27,680
NARRATOR: In Britainand across northern Europe,
957
00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:29,680
the ancientscarved their beliefs
958
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:32,160
in pillars and tombs of stone.
959
00:43:32,240 --> 00:43:34,960
♪ ♪
960
00:43:35,040 --> 00:43:38,400
These great monumentstell a timeless tale
961
00:43:38,480 --> 00:43:40,800
not of giants or gods,
962
00:43:40,880 --> 00:43:43,400
but of simple human beings,
963
00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:47,080
community, sacrifice,
964
00:43:47,160 --> 00:43:50,440
the cycle of life and death.
965
00:43:50,520 --> 00:43:52,920
♪ ♪
966
00:43:53,000 --> 00:43:57,400
Separated by centuriesand hundreds of miles,
967
00:43:57,480 --> 00:43:59,360
we are only now discovering
968
00:43:59,440 --> 00:44:02,280
how much they share in common
969
00:44:02,360 --> 00:44:06,520
and how much we have to learn.
970
00:44:06,600 --> 00:44:08,600
Captioned by Captionmax
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