All language subtitles for Unearthed.(2016).S03E05.Hunt.for.the.Real.Atlantis.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-Cinefeel_track3_[eng]

Narrator: THE ANCIENT RUINS
OF KNOSSOS IN GREECE.

THE HEART OF A CIVILIZATION

THAT VANISHED MORE THAN
THREE MILLENNIA AGO.

THE MYSTERIOUS MINOANS.

Fitzsimons: CONSTRUCTING KNOSSOS
IS AN INCREDIBLE FEAT.

THE BUILDERS LIVED OVER
A THOUSAND YEARS

BEFORE THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.

Narrator:
KNOSSOS WAS ONCE HOME TO A
LEGENDARY AND PIONEERING PEOPLE.

INGENIOUS, ANCIENT BUILDERS
WHO MAY HAVE INSPIRED

THE STORIES OF ATLANTIS.

BUT WHO WERE THE MINOANS, AND
WHY DID THEY SUDDENLY DISAPPEAR?

TODAY, INVESTIGATORS USE
THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY

TO REVEAL A LOST WORLD

CREATED BY EUROPE'S
FIRST GREAT CIVILIZATION.

Brogan: THE MINOANS EXPERIENCED
A WAY OF LIFE

THAT WE DO NOT SEE
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Narrator: DID A SERIES OF
NATURAL DISASTERS

CAUSE THIS EXTRAORDINARY
SOCIETY TO COLLAPSE?

THIS HUGE WAVE SEVERAL
HUNDREDS OF FEET HIGH

DESTROYING
EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.

Narrator: OR DID INVADERS BRING
ABOUT THEIR DOWNFALL?

TO SOLVE THESE MYSTERIES,
WE'LL JOURNEY DEEP INSIDE

THE MINOAN CAPITAL OF KNOSSOS.

UNCOVERING BURIED CHAMBERS
AND SECRET CODES,

WE'LL FINALLY REVEAL
THE AMAZING HIDDEN STORY

OF THIS LOST EMPIRE.

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ON THE GREEK ISLAND
OF CRETE STANDS KNOSSOS,

ONE OF THE MOST MYSTERIOUS MEGA-
STRUCTURES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

BUILT 4,000 YEARS AGO,

IT WAS THE MOST SPECTACULAR
BUILDING IN EUROPE.

WHEN ATHENS WAS JUST
A SMALL SETTLEMENT,

KNOSSOS WAS ALREADY
500 YEARS OLD.

WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING WITH THIS
LEVEL OF SOPHISTICATION

ANYWHERE ELSE IN EUROPE
AT THE SAME TIME.

Narrator: NOW NEW DISCOVERIES
MAY FINALLY REVEAL THE RISE

AND FALL OF THE
EXTRAORDINARY CIVILIZATION

THAT LIVED HERE.

THE MINOANS.

WHO WERE THESE ANCIENT PEOPLE,
AND WHY DID THEY DISAPPEAR?

♪♪

THIS VAST SET OF RUINS

SPRAWLS ACROSS CRETE'S
ANCIENT LANDSCAPE.

AT THE HEART OF THE COMPLEX,
A LAVISHLY DECORATED CHAMBER

WITH A MYSTERIOUS THRONE
CARVED FROM SOLID STONE.

SURROUNDING THIS, 1,500 ROOMS,

CONNECTED BY A BEWILDERING
MAZE OF PASSAGEWAYS.

IN ITS PRIME,
COLUMNS UP TO 10-FEET TALL

ONCE SUPPORTED A BUILDING
FOUR STORIES HIGH.

♪♪

WHAT WAS THIS COMPLEX
REALLY FOR,

AND DID THIS MASTERPIECE
OF ANCIENT ENGINEERING

INSPIRE MYTHS
AND LEGENDS?

♪♪

THE ANCIENT GREEKS BELIEVED
THAT KNOSSOS WAS ONCE THE HOME

OF A KING WHO IMPRISONED
A DEADLY BEAST

INSIDE A MYSTERIOUS LAIR.

A MAZE KNOWN AS THE LABYRINTH.

WITH A FEARSOME HALF-MAN,
HALF-BULL CREATURE

CALLED THE MINOTAUR
TRAPPED INSIDE.

ARCHAEOLOGIST DR. KOSTIS
CHRISTAKIS THINKS

THAT THE CLUES TO UNDERSTANDING

WHY THESE MYTHS BEGAN
ARE LOCKED INSIDE THE RUINS

HERE AT KNOSSOS.

BUT WHY DID KNOSSOS GIVE RISE
TO THE MYTH OF THE LABYRINTH?

KOSTIS INVESTIGATES
HIDDEN FEATURES

THAT COULD PROVIDE ANSWERS.

♪♪

INSIDE THE LOWER PARTS
OF KNOSSOS

IS A BEWILDERING WARREN
OF PASSAGES AND TIGHT CORNERS.

RUNNING THOUSANDS
OF FEET IN LENGTH.

YOU CAN LOSE YOUR BEARINGS
WITH ONE WRONG TURN.

INSCRIBED ON THE WALLS
HIDDEN BEHIND PLASTER,

MYSTERIOUS SYMBOLS
CARVED INTO THE STONE

LIE THROUGHOUT THE PALACE.

CAN THESE INSCRIPTIONS
UNLOCK THE SECRETS

OF THIS BAFFLING MAZE?

WAS IT REALLY THE INSPIRATION
FOR THE LEGENDARY LABYRINTH?

♪♪

KOSTIS THINKS THE SPRAWLING
LAYOUT OF KNOSSOS

WAS A BIG INFLUENCE
ON THE ANCIENT STORIES.

BUT IT'S THE SYMBOL OF A WEAPON
INSCRIBED BY ITS BUILDERS

THAT COULD EXPLAIN HOW
THE LABYRINTH GOT ITS NAME.

IN ANCIENT GREEK, THIS WEAPON
WAS KNOWN AS A LABRYS.

AND SO CENTURIES LATER,
WHEN THE GREEKS RULED CRETE,

IT'S POSSIBLE
THAT THESE MARKINGS

GAVE THE PALACE ITS NAME.

KNOSSOS SEEMS TO HAVE LABYRINTH
LITERALLY WRITTEN ALL OVER IT.

BUT THESE LABRYSES WERE
CUT HUNDREDS OF YEARS

BEFORE THE GREEK MYTHS
WERE CREATED.

SO COULD THEIR ORIGINAL
MEANING REVEAL

WHAT KNOSSOS
WAS REALLY USED FOR?

LIKE AN ANCIENT CODE,
THE SYMBOLS REVEAL

KNOSSOS' SUPREME
POLITICAL STATUS.

SO WHAT IS THIS PLACE?

WAS IT SIMPLY A ROYAL RESIDENCE,

AS ITS LAVISH
DECORATION SUGGESTS?

KOSTIS BELIEVES THAT MASSIVE
JARS FOUND INSIDE KNOSSOS

ARE A CLUE
THAT IT SERVED AN AREA

MUCH BIGGER THAN WE SEE TODAY.

FOR KOSTIS, THE STORAGE
CAPACITY AT KNOSSOS

IS PROOF IT ADMINISTERED
A VAST MINOAN COMMUNITY.

ALTHOUGH IT MAY LOOK
LIKE A LABYRINTH,

KOSTIS THINKS KNOSSOS'
LAYOUT IS, IN FACT,

AN INGENIOUS FLEXIBLE DESIGN

THAT HELPED SERVE
A GROWING POPULATION.

THE COMPLEX AT KNOSSOS WAS
DIVIDED UP BY LARGE WOODEN DOORS

THAT COULD LOCK SHUT.

[ CLANGING ]

SEGREGATING THE SPACE
TRANSFORMED IT

FROM A MAZE-LIKE LAYOUT

INTO A SERIES OF INDIVIDUAL
ROOMS AND WORKSHOPS.

WEAVERS WORKED ALONGSIDE POTTERS
AND SCRIBES WHO KEPT RECORDS.

♪♪

THE STRUCTURE SPANNED
FOUR FLOORS,

CREATING OVER 1,500 ROOMS
TO HOUSE A HUGE ARMY OF WORKERS.

♪♪

SO, JUST HOW BIG WAS THE CITY

THAT THIS PALACE
GOVERNED 4,000 YEARS AGO?

TO TRULY UNDERSTAND ITS SCALE,

KOSTIS NEEDS TO GO BEYOND
KNOSSOS' MODERN BOUNDARIES.

AMAZINGLY, POTTERY CAN
STILL BE FOUND

LYING IN THE SURROUNDING FIELDS.

IT REVEALS WHERE
THE SUBURBAN MINOANS

LIVED THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

REMNANTS LIKE THIS CAN PROVIDE
CLUES TO KNOSSOS' ORIGINAL SIZE

DURING THE TIME OF THE MINOANS.

[ DRONE BUZZING ]

TODAY, KOSTIS USES A DRONE

TO GET A NEW, BIRD'S-EYE
PERSPECTIVE

ON THE SCALE OF THIS
SPRAWLING URBAN AREA.

THE DRONE REVEALS JUST
HOW LARGE IT ONCE WAS.

COVERING AN INCREDIBLE 300 ACRES

WITH A POPULATION
OF AROUND 30,000 PEOPLE.

THE MINOANS MAY NOT BE
AS WELL KNOWN

AS THE LATER GREEKS OR ROMANS,

BUT THEY BUILT THE FIRST
GREAT CIVILIZATION OF EUROPE.

THE INTRICATE LAYOUT OF THE
PALACE HELPED SUPPORT A CITY

AND INSPIRED THE MYTH
OF THE LABYRINTH.

DID IT ALSO GIVE RISE TO
THE LEGEND OF A POWERFUL KING,

OR THE TALE OF THE HALF-MAN,
HALF-BULL CREATURE,

THE MINOTAUR?

AND WHAT WOULD IT TAKE TO BRING
EUROPE'S FIRST CIVILIZATION

CRASHING DOWN?

Narrator: KNOSSOS ON THE
GREEK ISLAND OF CRETE.

THE COLOSSAL PALACE CITY
OF THE MINOANS,

EUROPE'S FIRST CIVILIZATION.

THE ANCIENT GREEKS BELIEVED IT
WAS HOME TO A KING CALLED MINOS,

WHO IMPRISONED THE HALF-MAN,
HALF-BULL MONSTER, THE MINOTAUR.

A LEGEND THAT ALMOST SEEMED TRUE

WHEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED
A MAZE-LIKE COMPLEX

AND A MIGHTY THRONE ROOM
BENEATH THE DIRT.

IT'S THE FINEST THRONE EVER
FOUND TILL THE 18th CENTURY.

Narrator: BUT OTHER THAN THIS
SEAT, NO EVIDENCE FOR A KING

AT KNOSSOS HAS EVER BEEN FOUND.

THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
WHO LIVED AT THE SAME TIME

AS THE MINOANS HAD HUGE MURALS

WITH IMAGES
OF GOD-LIKE PHARAOHS.

THE MINOANS DID NOT HAVE,

LIKE, WHAT WE WOULD
CALL ROYAL ICONOGRAPHY.

WE KNOW ABOUT
THE EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS,

BUT THE MINOANS DIDN'T
DEPICT THEIR RULERS.

Narrator: WITH NO SUCH EVIDENCE
LIKE THIS AT KNOSSOS,

CAN WE BE SURE THAT A KING
LIKE MINOS EVER RULED HERE?

♪♪

THE THRONE ROOM IS
THE MOST IMPORTANT SITE

IN THE ENTIRE PALACE.

LAVISHLY DECORATED WALLS
WITH STONE BENCHES SUGGEST

AN ELITE SITTING COUNCIL.

AT THE CENTER,
FLANKED BY TWO GRIFFINS,

AN INTRICATELY CARVED STONE
THRONE LOOKS FIT FOR A KING.

BUT ITS DESIGN HIDES
A CURIOUS FEATURE.

AT DAWN DURING
THE WINTER SOLSTICE,

THE RISING SUN ALIGNS
PRECISELY WITH THE DOOR,

ILLUMINATING THE THRONE IN
A SUBLIME, OTHERWORLDLY LIGHT.

SO IS THIS THE THRONE
OF A KING

OR A SEAT FOR A MIGHTY
SPIRITUAL LEADER?

ARCHAEOLOGIST JAN DRIESSEN HAS
BEEN STUDYING THE RUINS OF CRETE

FOR 30 YEARS,

BUT THIS CHAMBER
STILL HIDES SECRETS.

THE PERSON WHO WOULD BE
SITTING ON THAT THRONE

WOULD IMMEDIATELY
GRAB ATTENTION.

BUT WHO THAT PERSON WAS IS,
OF COURSE, A BIG MYSTERY.

Narrator: OTHER AREAS OF THE
ROOM WERE ALSO HUGELY IMPORTANT

AS THE SUN'S RAYS HIT THEM ON
KEY DATES IN THE SOLAR CALENDAR.

IN THE SUMMER SOLSTICE,
THE LIGHT WOULD FALL IMMEDIATELY

IN THE CORNER
OF THAT SUNKEN ROOM.

PROBABLY A RITUAL
PURIFICATION BASIN.

IN THE SPRING EQUINOX,

THE LIGHT WOULD FALL
DIRECTLY ON THE DOOR THERE.

EVERY ELEMENT OF THIS ROOM
WAS ACTUALLY MADE

TO ENHANCE CERTAIN ACTIONS,

CERTAIN PERSONS AT DIFFERENT
MOMENTS OF THE YEAR.

Narrator: THIS CHAMBER ISN'T
JUST A HIGH SEAT OF POWER,

BUT A RITUAL SPACE
FOR CEREMONIES

THAT MARK OUT THE SEASONS.

PERHAPS THIS ISN'T A THRONE
FOR A KING,

BUT A MORE SPIRITUAL LEADER.

THERE IS SOMETHING WHICH IS
CONNECTING THIS PERSON

WITH CEREMONY,
WITH RELIGION AND RITUAL.

A PRIEST, MAYBE, OR PRIESTESS?

♪♪

Narrator: AND THERE ARE FURTHER
SIGNS THAT SOCIETY AT KNOSSOS

REVOLVED AROUND RELIGION.

ONE IMAGE APPEARS
AGAIN AND AGAIN.

♪♪

THE BULL.

WAS THIS CREATURE AT THE HEART
OF THE MINOAN FAITH?

ALL VISITORS TO THE PALACE WOULD
HAVE COME THIS WAY UP THIS RAMP.

JUST ABOVE THIS RAMP,
YOU SEE THE BULL IMAGERY.

THIS AMAZING RELIEF MODEL
MADE OF PLASTER, ATTACKING BULL.

BUT THE BULL WAS ALSO PRESENT
ALL OVER THIS BUILDING.

THE BULL REALLY REPRESENTS

THE SYMBOL OF THIS
PALACE OF KNOSSOS.

Narrator:
THIS ANIMAL IS A KEY CHARACTER
IN CRETE'S GREATEST MYTH.

THE HALF-MAN, HALF-BULL BEAST,
THE MINOTAUR.

ALL THE STORIES ABOUT
THE MINOTAUR COULD ACTUALLY BE

A CONSEQUENCE OF BULL IMAGERY
STILL BEING PRESENT

EVEN WHEN THE PALACE
WAS LONG DESTROYED.

Narrator: SO, WHY WAS THE BULL
SO IMPORTANT AT KNOSSOS?

JAN THINKS A CURIOUS PAINTING
THAT ORIGINALLY DECORATED A WALL

IN THE EAST WING OF THE PALACE
COULD HOLD THE ANSWER.

HERE, WE FOUND A REALLY
REMARKABLE SCENE.

YOU ACTUALLY SEE HOW THE BULL
ACTUALLY THROWS A PERSON

OVER HIS BACK INTO THE ARMS
OF SOMEBODY ELSE.

THIS IS ACTUALLY BULL JUMPING.

THIS IS AN ACTIVITY THAT PEOPLE
STILL DO IN PORTUGAL AND SPAIN,

IN FRANCE, OR IN AFRICA.

YOU SEE THE RESEMBLANCE
BETWEEN THESE TWO ACTIONS.

Narrator: SOME ARCHAEOLOGISTS
THINK BULL-JUMPING EVENTS

COULD HAVE TAKEN
PLACE RIGHT HERE.

JAN PACES OUT THE SIZE
OF THE COURTYARD.

MODERN BULL RINGS ARE OFTEN
AROUND 200 FEET IN DIAMETER.

IS KNOSSOS' CENTRAL
COURT BIG ENOUGH

TO HOLD THIS EXTREME RITUAL?

200.

AT 200 FEET, IT'S LONG ENOUGH
FOR BULL JUMPING.

Driessen:
EVERYTHING IMPORTANT THAT
HAPPENED IN MINOAN SOCIETY

WAS PROBABLY TAKING PLACE HERE.

I MEAN, THEY HAD LARGE FEASTS.

YOU COULD HAVE PEOPLE CHEERING
FROM ON THE BALUSTRADES,

AND PROBABLY ONE OF
THE MAJOR ACTIVITIES

WHICH CENTERED THEIR SOCIETY
WAS THIS BULL-JUMPING.

Narrator: THE COURTYARD COVERED
16,000 SQUARE FEET.

ENCLOSED BY BUILDINGS, IT MAY
HAVE DOUBLED UP AS AN ARENA

FOR BULL JUMPING.

SOME BELIEVE THAT AT
THE START OF THE SPECTACLE,

A BULL WOULD EMERGE
FROM ONE END OF THE COURTYARD

AND SIZE UP THE LEGENDARY
MINOAN LEAPERS.

♪♪

WHEN THE BULL CHARGED,
A BULL LEAPER TRIED TO VAULT

OVER THE BEAST AND LAND
UNSCATHED ON THE OTHER SIDE.

PILLARED CORRIDORS ON THE
COURTYARD'S SECOND FLOOR

WOULD HAVE MADE IDEAL
VIEWING GALLERIES

WHERE CROWDS OF SPECTATORS
CHEERED ON THEIR HEROES.

♪♪

JAN THINKS THE CENTRAL
COURT OF KNOSSOS

SERVED MORE THAN JUST THE ELITES

WHO LOOKED ON
FROM THE THRONE ROOM.

IT WAS A SPACE
TO UNITE THE PEOPLE.

THE COHESION OF THE SOCIETY

IS WHATEVER WAS HAPPENING
IN THIS COURT.

ALL THE RITUALS,
ALL THE CEREMONIES.

SO IT'S REALLY NOT ONLY
THE HEART OF THE PALACE,

BUT IT'S THE HEART
OF MINOAN CIVILIZATION.

THIS WASN'T THE LAIR
OF THE MINOTAUR,

BUT WITH ALL THE BULL IMAGERY,

I'M SURE THAT THIS STAYED
IN THE MEMORY FOR CENTURIES,

FROM ONE GENERATION
TO THE OTHER.

AND EVENTUALLY, IT TRANSFORMED
INTO MANY MYTHS

THAT CENTERED AROUND THIS PLACE.

Narrator: A PICTURE OF A
SOPHISTICATED CIVILIZATION

EMERGES FROM THE RUINS
AT KNOSSOS,

BUT JUST HOW MUCH INFLUENCE
DID THE MINOANS

HAVE BEYOND THEIR OWN KINGDOM?

CAN THIS TINY ISLAND
OFF THE COAST OF CRETE

REVEAL HOW THEY BECAME
AN INTERNATIONAL SUPERPOWER?

AND WAS KNOSSOS ADVANCED ENOUGH
TO SURVIVE A SERIES

OF DEVASTATING
NATURAL DISASTERS?

Narrator:
THE PALACE COMPLEX OF KNOSSOS
WAS THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT

OF THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION.

BUILT BY A SOPHISTICATED
ISLAND SOCIETY,

UNDERPINNED BY
A STRANGE RELIGION,

IT'S ONE OF THE MOST INCREDIBLE
MONUMENTS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

EVEN MORE ASTOUNDING,
THIS 4,000-YEAR-OLD STRUCTURE

STANDS INSIDE A DANGER ZONE.

THE ISLAND OF CRETE BRINGS
WITH IT NOT ONLY NATURAL BEAUTY,

BUT ALSO NATURAL DANGERS.

NONE MORE DESTRUCTIVE
THAN THE EFFECTS OF EARTHQUAKES.

Narrator: A DEADLY SEISMIC FAULT
LINE LIES JUST 15 MILES OFF

THE SOUTH COAST OF CRETE.

IT ROCKS THE ISLAND WITH UP
TO 30 SHOCKS EVERY YEAR.

[ RUMBLING ]

IT'S TERRORIZED
THE CIVILIZATIONS

OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

CRACKING THE STONE
TEMPLES OF ATHENS

UNDER THE STRAIN
OF REPEATED QUAKES.

SO, HOW DID KNOSSOS SURVIVE
FOR A MILLENNIA?

♪♪

HUGE COLUMNS TEN FEET TALL ONCE
SUPPORTED KNOSSOS' UPPER LEVELS.

FROM THE OUTSIDE, THEY LOOKED
LIKE REGULAR STONE COLUMNS.

BUT HIDDEN BENEATH THE OUTER
LAYER OF PLASTER,

A SOLID TREE TRUNK,
WEIGHING HUNDREDS OF POUNDS.

TOGETHER, THESE COLUMNS HELD UP
A TOWERING BUILDING

FOUR STORIES TALL.

A TRULY ANCIENT SKYSCRAPER.

BUT WHY WOULD THE MINOANS
HAVE USED WOOD INSTEAD OF STONE?

COULD THIS HAVE BEEN AN EARLY
EARTHQUAKE DEFENSE SYSTEM?

THE TIMBER COLUMNS HERE
ROTTED AWAY A LONG TIME AGO,

BUT DR. RODNEY FITZSIMONS

THINK THEY PLAYED A VITAL ROLE

IN THE STRUCTURAL
INTEGRITY OF THE PALACE.

WHAT ORIGINALLY WOULD
HAVE BEEN PLACED IN HERE

IS A VERTICAL WOODEN TIMBER.

WE HAVE ONE EXAMPLE HERE.

ONE EXAMPLE DOWN HERE.

SO TWO PARTS OF A MUCH
LARGER WOODEN FRAMEWORK

THAT WOULD HAVE HELD
THE WALL TOGETHER.

Narrator: RODNEY FINDS THAT WOOD
DOES THE HEAVY LIFTING

IN EVERY CORNER
OF THE PALACE.

SO THIS ENTIRE WALL
HAS BEEN RECONSTRUCTED,

BUT IT GIVES US A GOOD SENSE
OF WHAT THAT TIMBER FRAMEWORK

ORIGINALLY WOULD
HAVE LOOKED LIKE.

IT FORMS THIS WOODEN SKELETON.

IT PROVIDES STRUCTURE.

IT PROVIDES STRENGTH
TO THE WALL.

Narrator: RODNEY ESTIMATES THAT
IT TOOK HUNDREDS OF TONS OF WOOD

TO KEEP KNOSSOS STANDING.

Fitzsimons: WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS
A REPLICANT MADE OF CONCRETE.

THE ORIGINAL COLUMN
WOULD HAVE BEEN MADE

OF AN INVERTED TREE TRUNK.

YOU CAN SEE THEIR
MASSIVE SIZE NECESSARY

TO SUPPORT THE INCREDIBLE WEIGHT

OF THE UP TO FOUR STORIES
THAT WOULD HAVE RISEN

ABOVE WHERE WE'RE STANDING HERE.

Narrator: RODNEY IS CONVINCED
THE RIGHT WOOD

MIGHT HAVE BEEN
THE MINOANS' SECRET WEAPON

THAT PROTECTED THEM AGAINST
THE MOST VIOLENT EARTHQUAKES.

COULD WHAT STILL REMAINS
OF THE BUILDING TODAY

REVEAL WHAT TYPE
OF TREE THEY USED?

Fitzsimons: THE FUNCTION
OF THE COLUMN BASE

IS REALLY TO RAISE THE WOOD
ABOVE GROUND LEVEL

TO PROTECT IT
FROM WATER AND MOISTURE.

BUT FOR OUR PURPOSES, THESE
BASES SERVE AS A HANDY GUIDE

BECAUSE BY MEASURING THEM,
WE GET A DIAMETER OF 14 INCHES

WHICH GIVES US SOME IDEA
THE KIND OF TREE

THAT MIGHT HAVE BEEN
USED FOR THE COLUMN.

Narrator: ARMED WITH
THESE MEASUREMENTS,

RODNEY SEARCHES FOR
A TREE THAT FITS.

HE THINKS THE MINOANS HAD
THE PERFECT RAW MATERIAL

RIGHT OUTSIDE
THE GATES OF KNOSSOS.

Fitzsimons: I'VE BASICALLY
WALKED ABOUT 20 FEET.

I'M NOW IN THE MIDDLE OF A COPSE
OF CYPRESS TREES,

AND RIGHT BEFORE ME HERE
IS AN EXCELLENT CANDIDATE.

IT'S STRONG.
IT'S STRAIGHT.

IT WOULD BE RELATIVELY EASY
TO CONVERT INTO A COLUMN.

THEY WOULD TRIM DOWN THE SHAFT,
AND THEN THEY WOULD COAT

WHAT'S LEFT IN PLASTER
THAT THEY CAN PAINT.

AND IF WE MEASURE THE DIAMETER,
WE GET ABOUT 13 INCHES,

WHICH MAKES IT PERFECT TO SIT ON
A 14-INCH STONE COLUMN BASE.

Narrator: RODNEY BELIEVES THE
MINOANS CHOSE CYPRESS TRUNKS.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE WOOD
IS PLIABLE

AND RESISTANT TO SPLITTING,

EVEN WHEN UNDER
IMMENSE PRESSURE.

SO IN ADDITION TO STRENGTH,
THESE CYPRESS TREES

ALSO PROVIDE FLEXIBILITY.

SO IN ESSENCE,
WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE STRIKES,

THE WALLS CAN BEND
AND ABSORB THE SHOCKS,

AND THEREFORE, SURVIVE
THE EARTHQUAKE INTACT.

Narrator:
SO, HOW DOES WOOD ABSORB THE
EFFECTS OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY?

♪♪

STONE COLUMNS ARE STRONG
AND SOLID, BUT INFLEXIBLE.

SO IN EARTHQUAKE-PRONE AREAS,
THEY ARE VULNERABLE TO CRACKING.

A COLUMN MADE FROM A CYPRESS
TREE TRUNK IS DIFFERENT.

IT'S MADE UP OF COUNTLESS
TOUGH FIBERS

WHICH CAN FLEX AND SLIDE
OVER EACH OTHER.

THE COMBINED EFFECT IS A STURDY
COLUMN THAT CAN BEND

WITHOUT BREAKING.

SO WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE STRIKES,

THE COLUMNS ABSORB THE SHOCK
FROM THE GROUND AT THEIR BASE.

THIS REDUCES THE MOTION
AT THE TOP

AND STEADIES THE FLOORS ABOVE.

THEY'RE AN ANCIENT BUT EFFECTIVE
DEFENSE AGAINST EARTHQUAKES.

♪♪

DESIGNING
SUCH MAGNIFICENT BUILDINGS,

CAPABLE OF WITHSTANDING
SEISMIC SHOCKS

MADE THE MINOANS MASTERS
OF ENGINEERING.

Fitzsimons:
CONSTRUCTING THE PALACE AT
KNOSSOS IS AN INCREDIBLE FEAT,

AND IT'S ONE THAT'S MADE
EVEN MORE IMPRESSIVE

WHEN WE RECALL THE MINOANS
WHO BUILT THIS PALACE

LIVED OVER A THOUSAND YEARS
BEFORE THE GREEKS AND ROMANS.

Narrator:
THE MINOANS WERE ONE OF THE
FIRST ADVANCED CIVILIZATIONS

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

AN ISLAND NATION THAT BUILT
AN INCREDIBLE CITY

ON A SCALE UNRIVALED IN EUROPE.

SO, WHERE DID THEY GET THE
RICHES NEEDED TO BUILD KNOSSOS?

WERE THE MINOANS MASTERS OF MORE
THAN JUST ARCHITECTURE?

AND COULD SHOCKING EVIDENCE
FROM THE COAST

REVEAL THE KNOCKOUT BLOW

THAT STRUCK THEIR SOCIETY
RIGHT AT ITS PEAK?

Narrator: KNOSSOS IN GREECE IS
A MARVEL OF ANCIENT ENGINEERING.

THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT OF THE
ADVANCED MINOAN CIVILIZATION.

IT WAS A CITY CENTER
FOR A HUGE POPULATION.

AND A GRAND ARENA
FOR DRAMATIC PUBLIC SPECTACLES.

THE WEALTH IN MINOAN SOCIETY
WASN'T RESTRICTED TO THE PALACE.

WE SEE IT ON MANY LEVELS,
WIDESPREAD THROUGHOUT SOCIETY.

Narrator: SO, HOW DID
THEY CREATE AN AFFLUENT

AND SOPHISTICATED
CIVILIZATION

WHEN THE REST OF EUROPE
WAS BUILDING SIMPLE HOMES?

ONE DISCOVERY AT KNOSSOS
COULD REVEAL THE KEY

TO THEIR INCREDIBLE WEALTH.

♪♪

WHEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIRST
UNCOVERED THE NORTH ENTRANCE,

THEY UNEARTHED
A MYSTERIOUS ARTIFACT

NOT SEEN FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS.

AN ANCIENT BOARD GAME

WITH AN EXTRAVAGANTLY
DECORATED WOODEN BASE.

INLAID WITH BLUE GLASS,
ROCK CRYSTAL,

AND GOLD FROM FOREIGN LANDS.

AND FOUR GAMING PIECES CARVED
OUT OF EXOTIC ELEPHANT IVORY.

THIS SINGLE OBJECT
CONTAINS TREASURES

FROM FAR ACROSS THE OCEANS.

IF TRADE WAS THE SOURCE
OF THE MINOANS' WEALTH,

WHAT WERE THEY OFFERING
IN EXCHANGE FOR SUCH RICHES?

♪♪

ARCHAEOLOGIST THOMAS BROGAN
THINKS THE ANSWER LIES

ON A TINY ISLAND
42 MILES FROM KNOSSOS

JUST OFF THE COAST OF CRETE.

BEHIND ME, YOU CAN JUST BEGIN TO
SEE THE MINOAN TOWN OF MOCHLOS.

THIS SETTLEMENT PRESERVES
ONE OF THE BEST PICTURES

OF EVERYDAY LIFE
WE HAVE FOR MINOAN CRETE.

Narrator:
MOCHLOS IS A TINY ISLAND, BUT
TOM THINKS IT PLAYED A KEY ROLE

IN ENABLING THE MINOANS TO TRADE
FAR BEYOND THEIR HOMELAND.

HE SPOTS SOMETHING STRANGE
BY THE SHORELINE.

Brogan: ON THE LEFT-HAND SIDE
ARE TRACES OF WALLS

WHICH APPEAR TO BE RUNNING
DOWN INTO THE WATER.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE AS MUCH
AS HALF OR MORE OF THE HOUSE

WAS LOST CLOSE TO THE SEA.

Narrator:
TOM THINKS THE DESTROYED HOUSE
COULD INDICATE A DRAMATIC CHANGE

IN THE LANDSCAPE --

ONE THAT CONCEALS HOW
THE MINOANS USED THE ISLAND.

4,000 YEARS AGO,
THE SEA LEVEL HERE

WAS SOME 12 FEET LOWER
THAN IT IS NOW.

BY MEASURING THE SEA LEVEL
TODAY, WE CAN SEE THAT THE WATER

IS 7 1/2 FEET DEEP,

WHICH MEANS THAT THIS ENTIRE
AREA BETWEEN THE MODERN VILLAGE

AND THE ISLAND OF MOCHLOS
WOULD HAVE BEEN EXPOSED.

[ SPEAKING GREEK ]

Narrator: THE LOWER SEA LEVEL
WOULD HAVE REVEALED

A PENINSULA CONNECTED
TO THE MAINLAND.

Brogan:
WE'RE WALKING DOWN THE LARGEST
STREET IN THE MINOAN TOWN,

AND NOW YOU BEGIN TO SEE
HOW THE STREET ENDS

AS IT APPROACHES THE HARBOR.

AND YOU'VE GOT TO IMAGINE
A LAND BRIDGE.

AND THIS STREET WOULD
HAVE RUN ACROSS IT

AND TAKEN MERCHANTS
AND CRAFTSMEN TO THE MAINLAND.

Narrator:
MOCHLOS WAS AN EXTRAORDINARY,
NATURAL FORMATION.

THE PENINSULA WOULD HAVE
DIVIDED THE BAY IN TWO,

FORMING A HARBOR ON EACH SIDE
FOR FLEETS OF SHIPS,

EACH BRINGING IN UP
TO 20 TONS OF GOODS EVERY DAY.

BUT WERE THERE PRODUCTS
GOING OUT AS WELL AS COMING IN?

THE LAND BRIDGE THAT CONNECTED
MOCHLOS TO CRETE

PROVED CRITICAL ON AN ISLAND
RENOWNED FOR ITS EXTREME WINDS.

[ WIND HOWLING ]

IT CREATED TWO COVES.

NO MATTER WHICH DIRECTION
THE WIND BLEW FROM,

ONE SIDE OR THE OTHER PROTECTED
SHIPS FROM DESTRUCTIVE STORMS.

THE MINOANS EXPLOITED
THIS NATURAL FORMATION

AND USED IT TO HELP BUILD UP
A VAST MERCHANT NAVY.

♪♪

4,000 YEARS AGO,
MOCHLOS WAS A BUSTLING PORT,

ONE OF THE EARLIEST
INTERNATIONAL HUBS EVER BUILT.

♪♪

MERCHANTS IMPORTED HUGE NUMBERS
OF VALUABLE OBJECTS

AS THEY VENTURED EVEN
FURTHER ACROSS THE SEAS.

BUT WHAT EXACTLY
WERE THE MINOANS

EXPORTING THAT
WOULD BRING SUCH WEALTH?

ON MOCHLOS, TOM DISCOVERS
CLUES INSIDE ITS BUILDINGS.

OVER HERE, WE HAVE
A POUNDING PLATFORM.

NEXT TO WHICH WE FOUND STONE
TOOLS LIKE THIS HAMMER STONE,

WHICH WERE USED TO CRUSH
SOMETHING ON ITS SURFACE.

Narrator:
TOM BELIEVES THIS WAS ONCE A
WORKSHOP FOR MAKING PERFUME,

WHERE THE MINOANS PROCESSED
THEIR MOST VALUABLE PRODUCT,

OLIVE OIL.

OVER HERE, WE FOUND A BASIN

WHICH WAS USED TO RETAIN
WARMED OLIVE OIL.

AND WE THINK AROMATIC PLANTS,

WHICH WERE WIDELY AVAILABLE
IN THE LANDSCAPE,

WERE BROUGHT IN HERE AND CRUSHED

AND THEN SEEPED
INTO THE WARM OIL.

AND THEN THE AROMATIC PERFUME
THAT WAS PRODUCED WAS EXCHANGED

FOR THE THINGS THAT
WEREN'T AVAILABLE ON THE ISLAND.

Narrator:
DRIVEN BY PERFUMED OIL, HARBORS
LIKE MOCHLOS ALLOWED THE MINOANS

TO BUILD A VAST
TRADING EMPIRE

WITH FLEETS OF SHIPS
SAILING THOUSANDS OF MILES.

THE OIL WAS EXCHANGED
FOR TREASURES,

LIKE THOSE USED TO MAKE
THE SPECTACULAR BOARD GAME

AT KNOSSOS.

Brogan: THEY WERE IMPORTING
ROCK CRYSTAL FROM SOURCES

IN TAJIKISTAN AND AFGHANISTAN.

GOLD FROM SOURCES IN EGYPT.

IVORY FROM SOURCES IN SYRIA.

MINOANS LIVING IN
THESE COMMUNITIES

EXPERIENCED A WAY OF LIFE
THAT WE DO NOT SEE ELSEWHERE

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Narrator:
THE RICHES FLOWED INTO KNOSSOS
TO FUND ITS CONSTRUCTION

AND A LIFE OF LUXURY.

THE FINDS FROM ALL
OF THESE HOUSES BEGINS

TO GIVE YOU A PICTURE OF THE
WEALTH THAT HAD BEEN ACQUIRED

BY THE INHABITANTS
NOT ONLY OF MOCHLOS,

BUT BY THE MINOAN
CIVILIZATION IN GENERAL.

Narrator: HARBORS LIKE THIS
ALLOWED THE MINOANS

TO SPREAD THEIR CULTURE
AND INFLUENCE ACROSS EUROPE

AND THE NEAR EAST.

BUT AT THE HEIGHT
OF THEIR EMPIRE,

THEIR CIVILIZATION SUDDENLY
AND SHOCKINGLY DISAPPEARED.

DID A SERIES OF
NATURAL DISASTERS

BRING THE MINOANS
TO THEIR KNEES?

AND CAN TERRIFYING EVIDENCE
REVEAL THE CHAOS

CAUSED BY AN INVADING POWER?

Narrator:
3,000 YEARS AGO, KNOSSOS WAS
THE SOPHISTICATED CAPITAL CITY

OF AN ANCIENT SUPERPOWER.

BUT AT ITS PEAK, TRACES OF
MINOAN LIFE ACROSS THE ISLAND

SUDDENLY DISAPPEARED.

WHAT DESTROYED EUROPE'S
FIRST GREAT CIVILIZATION?

ARCHAEOLOGIST JAN DRIESSEN
THINKS A THREAT

CAME FROM THE SEA.

HE DISCOVERS A SHOCKING DISASTER

AT A COASTAL TOWN
CALLED PALAIKASTRO.

ANCIENT CRETE'S SECOND-BIGGEST
SETTLEMENT AFTER KNOSSOS.

WE'RE ACTUALLY WALKING
A 4,000-YEAR-OLD STREET,

AND THIS SETTLEMENT WENT ALL
THE WAY DOWN TO THE SEA.

SORT OF LIKE AT LEAST 200,
300 METERS DOWN.

BUT RIGHT AT THE MOMENT
WHEN MINOAN CIVILIZATION

WAS AT ITS PRIME,

THIS WAS ALL FLATTENED,
WIPED OUT,

KNOCKED DOWN
BY A TERRIBLE FORCE.

Narrator:
SO, WHAT DESTROYED PALAIKASTRO?

BURIED BENEATH THIS
MINOAN COASTAL OUTPOST,

UNDER LAYERS OF CLAY AND SOIL,

DEPOSITS OF ASH NEARLY
EIGHT INCHES THICK

GIVE CLUES
TO A CATASTROPHIC EVENT.

♪♪

NEARBY, ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNEARTH
AN EXQUISITELY DECORATED VASE.

BUT INSTEAD OF A BULL,
A NEW ANIMAL TAKES CENTER STAGE

IN THE ARTWORK.

THE OCTOPUS.

♪♪

WHERE DID THE ASH COME FROM,

AND DID ITS SOURCE
HAVE THE POWER

TO CHANGE MINOAN
CULTURE FOREVER?

♪♪

JAN SEARCHES FOR EVIDENCE OF
DESTRUCTION IN THE LAYERS OF MUD

ON THE SHORELINE AT PALAIKASTRO.

Driessen:
YOU SEE, LIKE, FALLEN BLOCKS.

YOU SEE A BEAUTIFULLY CUT SLAB
WHICH WAS LIKE A PAVING SLAB.

Narrator:
IT REVEALS THE SHOCKING IMPACT
ON THE PEOPLE OF THE TOWN.

Driessen: YOU SEE ACTUALLY HUMAN
BONES STICKING OUT HERE.

I THINK IT'S EVEN A SKULL,
SMASHED TO SMITHEREENS.

Narrator: FOR JAN, THIS LEVEL
OF DEVASTATION IS A SIGN

THAT A MEGA TSUNAMI STRUCK
THE COAST OF CRETE.

Driessen:
A HUGE TIDAL WAVE CAME IN

AND TRANSPORTED PART
OF THE SETTLEMENT INLAND

AND THEN DREW
EVERYTHING BACK AGAIN

AND THEN DEPOSITED IT
AND DESTROYED EVERYTHING.

♪♪

Narrator: THE TSUNAMI HIT
THE TOWN WITH ENOUGH POWER

TO FLATTEN BUILDINGS

AND CATAPULT CREATURES
FROM THE DEEP FAR INLAND.

IMAGINE WHAT IT MEANT
FOR THE PEOPLE

AT PALAIKASTRO
LIVING IN THESE DAYS.

THIS HUGE WAVE, SEVERAL
HUNDREDS OF FEET HIGH,

TRAVELING AT HIGH SPEED INLAND,

DESTROYING EVERYTHING
ON ITS PATH.

♪♪

Narrator: BUT WHAT COULD HAVE
CAUSED THIS COLOSSAL WAVE?

ON THE BEACHES OF PALAIKASTRO,

JAN FINDS EVIDENCE
OF ANOTHER NATURAL DISASTER

THAT STRUCK THE MINOANS.

Driessen:
THIS IS A VERY LIGHT STONE.

YOU SEE ALL THE BUBBLES IN THEM.

WE FIND THESE THINGS
SORT OF ALL OVER THE SITE

AND ALL OVER
THE BEACHES OF CRETE.

IT LOOKS HARMLESS, BUT IT'S
ACTUALLY A SIGN OF NATURE'S

MOST VIOLENT EVENTS.

Narrator:
THIS IS PUMICE, A TYPE OF ROCK
THAT FORMS INSIDE A VOLCANO.

WHAT IS ALSO INTERESTING
IS THAT THIS FLOATS.

IT FLOATS BECAUSE OF
THE GAS BUBBLES

THAT ARE CAUGHT IN THE PUMICE

WHEN IT'S THROWN OUT
BY THE ERUPTION.

Narrator: BUT THERE ARE
NO VOLCANOS ON CRETE.

SO COULD THE PUMICE HAVE BEEN
BROUGHT HERE BY A TSUNAMI

TRIGGERED BY A MASSIVE
VOLCANIC ERUPTION?

THE CLOSEST VOLCANO IS, IN FACT,
ON THE ISLAND OF SANTORINI,

AND THAT'S MORE THAN
100 KILOMETERS THAT DIRECTION.

♪♪

Narrator: THE HORSESHOE-SHAPED
ISLAND OF SANTORINI

SITS 70 MILES NORTH OF CRETE.

BUT 3,500 YEARS AGO,
IT LOOKED VERY DIFFERENT.

AT THE HEIGHT OF THE MINOAN
CIVILIZATION,

SANTORINI'S VOLCANO EXPLODED,

SHOOTING ASH 22 MILES UP
INTO THE ATMOSPHERE.

AS THE ISLAND COLLAPSED
INTO THE SEA,

IT WOULD HAVE DISPLACED
HUGE AMOUNTS OF WATER.

UNLEASHING A DEADLY TSUNAMI.

♪♪

THE WAVE SMASHED INTO
THE COASTLINE OF CRETE,

DEVASTATING COASTAL TOWNS.

♪♪

SOME BELIEVE THAT THIS
TIDAL WAVE

MAY HAVE EVEN INSPIRED
THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS.

THE ERUPTION ALSO DESTROYED
A SOPHISTICATED MINOAN COLONY

ON SANTORINI,

OFTEN IDENTIFIED
AS THIS FABLED SUNKEN CITY.

ON CRETE, ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK
THIS DOUBLE BLOW OF VOLCANIC ASH

AND TSUNAMI RESULTED
IN ISLAND-WIDE STARVATION

EVEN FOR THOSE AT KNOSSOS.

THE ASH BLANKETED THEIR FIELDS,
DESTROYING THE HARVEST.

IT CLOGGED THEIR WELLS.
IT KILLED OFF THEIR ANIMALS,

AND THE TSUNAMI DESTROYED
THEIR HARBOR INSTALLATIONS

AND WIPED OUT
ITS TRADING PARTNERS.

THESE THINGS ANNOUNCED
A SPIRAL OF DECLINE,

AND IT WAS ONLY GETTING
FROM BAD TO WORSE.

Narrator:
AFTER THE TSUNAMI, SOME EXPERTS
BELIEVE THAT THE MINOANS

MAY HAVE TURNED TO NEW
SYMBOLS OF POWER.

OCEAN CREATURES TO PROTECT THEM
FROM THREATS

THAT CAME FROM THE SEA.

Driessen:
THE TSUNAMI BROUGHT ALONG,
LIKE, SEA CREATURES.

AND THESE SEA CREATURES LIKE
ARGONAUTS AND OCTOPUSES

AND SEA STARS IMMEDIATELY
AFTERWARDS SHOW UP IN THEIR ART.

AND SO IT ALSO MEANS THAT
THEIR RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES

WERE CHANGED BY THE TSUNAMI.

Narrator: THE DESTRUCTION CAUSED
BY THE SANTORINI ERUPTION

AND TSUNAMI CAUSED
A PERIOD OF DECLINE

THAT LASTED FOR CENTURIES.

OVER TIME, THE MEMORY
OF THIS TRAUMATIC EVENT

MAY HAVE MORPHED INTO THE
FANTASTICAL STORY OF ATLANTIS.

BUT ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK
THE REAL-LIFE MINOANS

MAY HAVE SURVIVED ONLY
TO FACE A MORE TERRIBLE ENEMY.

CAN NEW EVIDENCE REVEAL AN EVEN
DARKER CAUSE OF THE DOWNFALL

OF THE MINOANS?

AND WHAT FATE WOULD BEFALL
THE MAGNIFICENT PALACE CITY

OF KNOSSOS?

Narrator:
3,500 YEARS AGO, A HUGE TSUNAMI
HIT THE ISLAND OF CRETE.

IT DEVASTATED THE SOPHISTICATED
WORLD OF THE MINOANS.

AND MAY HAVE EVEN INSPIRED
THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS.

BUT AMID THE DESTRUCTION,

ONE PLACE APPEARS TO HAVE
SURVIVED A LITTLE LONGER.

THE PALACE CITY OF KNOSSOS.

SO WHAT FINALLY BROUGHT DOWN
EUROPE'S FIRST

GREAT CIVILIZATION?

LEADING ARCHAEOLOGIST
DR. MARIA VLAZAKI

HAS COME TO THE MINOAN TOWN
OF KYDONIA.

HERE, SHOCKING DISCOVERIES
REVEAL THAT A NEW PEOPLE

WERE NOW IN CHARGE ON CRETE.

AMONG THE RUINS BURIED DEEP
BENEATH THE MODERN CITY,

MARIA FINDS EVIDENCE FOR A
CHANGE IN ARCHITECTURAL STYLE.

ON TOP OF THE SMALL,
INTERLOCKING ROOMS

TYPICAL OF THE MINOAN DESIGN
SEEN AT KNOSSOS,

A NEW LAYOUT EMERGES.

SO WHO WERE THESE NEW PEOPLE
THAT CONSTRUCTED THESE BUILDINGS

RIGHT ON TOP OF THE MINOAN TOWN?

MARIA EXAMINES THE SKULL
OF A 16-YEAR-OLD GIRL.

IT DATES TO THE SAME PERIOD
AS THE CHANGE IN ARCHITECTURE.

A TIME WHEN TRACES OF THE MINOAN
CIVILIZATION BEGIN TO DISAPPEAR.

THE SKULL HAS VICIOUS,
MORTAL INJURIES.

MARIA THINKS THE WOUNDS
INDICATE A HORRIFIC ACT

SOMETIMES ASSOCIATED WITH
PERIODS OF SOCIAL TURMOIL.

HUMAN SACRIFICE.

THIS S A RARE, VIOLENT RITUAL

WITH JUST TWO OTHER CASES
EVER FOUND ON CRETE.

SO, WHAT DROVE THE PEOPLE OF
KYDONIA TO SUCH A DESPERATE ACT?

MARIA BELIEVES THIS GIRL
WAS KILLED BY HER OWN PEOPLE

AFTER AN EARTHQUAKE
STRUCK THE TOWN.

ALONGSIDE THE SKULL,
INVESTIGATORS FIND ANIMAL BONES.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE SUGGESTS
THAT THIS VICTIM

WASN'T A MINOAN.

MARIA BELIEVES THIS INDICATES
THAT A NEW PEOPLE,

THE MYCENAEANS,
HAD ARRIVED IN CRETE.

THE MYCENAEANS WERE
A CIVILIZATION

ON THE RISE OVER
ON MAINLAND GREECE.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE THEY SET
SAIL FOR CRETE IN HUGE NUMBERS

AFTER THE SANTORINI ERUPTION
AND TSUNAMI

TO TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE STRUGGLING MINOANS.

THEY BUILT UP TOWNS LIKE
KYDONIA TO RIVAL KNOSSOS

WITH NEW STYLES OF ARCHITECTURE
AND STRONG BELIEF SYSTEMS.

EVENTUALLY, THE MYCENAEANS
EVEN TOOK CONTROL OF KNOSSOS,

TRIGGERING THE END
OF MINOAN SOCIETY.

THE AGE OF THE MINOANS WAS OVER,

BUT THE STORIES OF THIS
ONCE GREAT PEOPLE

WOULD ENDURE FAR LONGER
THAN KNOSSOS ITSELF.

THEIR CAPITAL CITY,
THE INSPIRATION BEHIND LEGENDS,

WAS PRESERVED IN THE GREEK
IMAGINATION FOR ETERNITY.

Fitzsimons: THE MINOANS
SHOULD BE REMEMBERED FOR

THEIR FANTASTIC ARCHITECTURE,

BRILLIANT ARTWORK,

THEIR SOPHISTICATED
ADMINISTRATIVE SYSTEM,

AND THEIR EXTENSIVE
AND WIDE-REACHING TRADE NETWORKS

THAT BROUGHT
MINOAN CULTURE

ACROSS THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN,

WHERE IT DOMINATED
FOR CENTURIES.

Narrator:
THE STORY OF KNOSSOS IS LIKE
NOTHING ELSE IN ANCIENT HISTORY.

A UNIQUE PALACE CITY,

THE CAPITAL OF THE LOST
MINOAN PEOPLE.

KNOSSOS WAS THE HEART
OF AN EMPIRE.

A PIONEER OF ARCHITECTURAL
INGENUITY.

AND A SURVIVOR OF CATASTROPHE.

KNOSSOS.

THE GREATEST ACHIEVEMENT
OF EUROPE'S FIRST

GREAT CIVILIZATION.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪