All language subtitles for Unearthed.2016.S10E04.1080p.WEB.h264-REALiTYTV_track2_[eng]

NARRATOR: Hadrian's Villa,

an ancient luxury mansion
like no other.

Built by the Emperor Hadrian,

it's the largest Roman villa
in the world.

It seems to go on forever.

NARRATOR: The emperor's
ambitious mega structures

showcase Roman engineering
and ingenuity at their peak

and contain clues
that could reveal

the truth about one of Rome's
most enigmatic rulers.

He was not just
an inhabitant of this place,

but he was a creator of
this place.

NARRATOR: But what drives
Hadrian to build

an opulent mega mansion,
then spend years on the road?

Perhaps the clues lie
in the ruins

of this sprawling villa.

Villa Hadrian is a window on
the person of Hadrian himself.

NARRATOR: Now, investigators
have special access

to hidden spaces to use
laser scanning technology,

pioneering
restoration techniques,

and 3D modeling to shed
new light on Hadrian's

remarkable reign and bring
this extraordinary site

back to life.

We digitally reconstruct
its epic splendor.

We dive down to reveal
hidden tunnels,

and we rebuild
the architectural wonders

that reveal the secrets

of one of Rome's
greatest emperors.

Rome.

The capital of one of
history's

mightiest civilizations,

it lasts for 1,000 years.

One of its mightiest emperors
is Hadrian.

Hadrian takes the throne
in 117 CE,

When the Roman world is at
its biggest and its richest.

He builds the glorious
Pantheon in the center of Rome

and Hadrian's wall
that stretches 73 miles

coast-to-coast
across Britain.

One of his greatest
achievements is

the construction
of this grand villa,

20 miles east of Rome in
the Sabine Hills.

It stretches
for more than 200 acres

and is made up of more than
30 separate buildings.

It is the largest
Roman villa ever built.

This villa is huge, maybe

the most beautiful place in
the world.

NARRATOR: Hadrian's workers
spend more than

10 years building
this mega structure.

It brims with tranquil pools,
countless statues

and luxury spaces for
every occasion.

It's an idyllic and luxurious
pleasure palace, with gardens,

bath houses, temples,
libraries, and theaters.

An opulent country retreat

10 times bigger
than the White House.

What can this place
tell us about

one of Rome's most enigmatic
and powerful leaders?

Sergio del Ferro manages this
sprawling Roman supervilla.

SERGIO:
As an archaeologist,

I think it's fantastic to work
here, just because every year,

we have excavations,
and so there's always something

more to be discovered.

NARRATOR: This mega mansion
is so huge that

half its total area is
still unexcavated.

Sergio wants
to find out what

drives Hadrian
to build on such scale.

His mission begins at one of
the grandest spaces,

the Golden Square.

It is not a name given by
the Emperor Hadrian.

It's because of the many
treasures that have been found

there during the excavations
in the centuries.

NARRATOR: Sergio's work here
aims to bring this huge

space back to life
to reveal its purpose.

This enormous 150-by-200-foot
open space is

once surrounded by grand
columns and filled with

luxurious gardens.

SERGIO:
All the way around the square,

there was the gardens you see
on the left and on the right of

this shallow pool.

NARRATOR: Now, the purpose of
this huge space becomes clearer.

With gardens
and water and columns

of luxury marble
reflecting on the water,

such a wonderful place would
be more common in Rome.

This is useful
to understand

the real scale
of the entire villa.

NARRATOR: Sergio believes
the comparison to Rome is key

and that the Golden Square
is Hadrian's

answer to its public gardens
and piazzas.

This is a forum,
but it's not a public square as

you can find in Rome and
another cities of the empire.

It is a giant square,
but for private use.

Just a place to hang out for

the emperor and his court
and his guests.

NARRATOR: Hadrian wants
his villa to compete with

Rome itself, and he isn't
compromising on scale.

SERGIO: Hadrian wanted to build
up in the countryside here

something that could equal
the level of

richness and power as
the monuments of Rome.

NARRATOR: This is to be
Hadrian's power base,

at arm's length from Rome
and his rivals.

Hadrian is 10 years old
when his parents die.

His cousin, the Emperor Trajan,
becomes his guardian.

31 years later,
in 117 CE,

Trajan lies dying --
according to his wife,

he nominates Hadrian as
his successor.

When influential figures in
Rome voice their opposition,

Hadrian's right-hand man,
Attianus,

arrests
and assassinates them.

Hadrian fears the Senate
and Rome's revenge

and builds a Rome of his own
at a safe distance.

Sergio investigates what
Hadrian uses this villa for.

SERGIO:
This is the winter palace.

You have to imagine,
because now we see only ruins,

but it's such
a huge building,

and it's very, very rich
in its decoration.

NARRATOR: Hadrian builds
this grand structure as

a display of power to impress
illustrious guests.

From here, Hadrian could look
out over his property.

It seems to go on forever.

NARRATOR: Hadrian creates
a miniature Rome out in

the countryside and makes
Rome's elite come to him.

Hundreds of officials

and dignitaries fill
these stately buildings,

but one unusual structure
stands out --

not a grand palace
nor a place of work.

In the heart of the villa is
a strange island complex.

A colonnaded enclosure
paved in

white mosaic runs around
the perimeter,

and a marble-lined moat 15 feet
wide surrounds the island,

crossed only by two pivoting
wooden bridges.

The walls inside are not
the usual straight lines of

Roman architecture,

but a mixture of curved walls
that create many irregular

rooms and alcoves.

Little remains
of the original structures,

but Sergio searches
the island for evidence

of its true purpose.

NARRATOR: Opus Sectile is
a style of patterned flooring.

Craftsmen use perfectly cut

tiles of expensive colored
marble sourced from all corners

of the Roman Empire.

NARRATOR: Its use here
reveals that this

is a space intended for
Hadrian himself.

Sergio hunts for clues to
its purpose.

NARRATOR: As Sergio explores
more of the island,

its design becomes clear.

NARRATOR: Hadrian
has a completely

self-contained apartment
on this island,

luxuriously appointed with
precious marble,

but in scale, far more humble
than any other

imperial residence.

This private home
within a home isolates

him from the rest of
his palatial villa

and reveals
a startling insight

into the emperor's character.

NARRATOR: The moat
and these high walls

surround this private retreat

and offer seclusion from
the constant demands

of running an empire

and protection against any
enemies, real or imagined.

What else can the villa reveal

about Hadrian
and his true character?

How can the emperor
indulge his ego

and impress
his guests here?

NARRATOR: Hadrian's
200-acre mega palace,

his own personal Rome.

It is full of hidden clues

to the character of
the enigmatic emperor.

This intensely
private man needs

to host important politicians
and dignitaries,

and Hadrian has a stunning
showpiece to wow his guests.

The villa's main attraction is
the breathtaking serapeum,

a 60-foot-high dining space,

with richly decorated walls
brought to

life by rows of
cascading waters.

Its ceiling is lined
with the tiles of blue glass

and studded with stones
to resemble the glittering sky.

And the crowning glory --

Hadrian has a private area

where he can hide with
a controllable curtain of water.

Why does
the emperor want to

cut himself off
from his esteemed guests?

There are water features
everywhere in this villa,

but this one is
a prime example -- in Italian,

we say it's the cherry
on the cake.

NARRATOR: Sergio passes through
a small door to

examine the wings of
the emperor's private space.

It feels like I'm in
a backstage before a show.

NARRATOR: The elevated stage
allows Sergio to look down

on the main dining room

and strengthens his suspicion
that this design is

all about showmanship.

He believes the waterfall
curtain is key.

I think that Hadrian
used this waterfall,

this little artificial
waterfall,

as a real curtain
of a theater.

So while he was getting to
the position and wasn't ready,

the curtain goes down,
and when he finally

was ready to be seen,
the curtain goes up.

NARRATOR: This extravagant
feature is all designed

to impress his guests.

Sergio investigates
how Hadrian does it.

He believes the answer could
lie behind the serapeum.

Tucked away at the back are

the inner workings of
Hadrian's magic trick.

That's where
the water came from.

And it was collected
into this shallow little pool,

and then it was collected by
these double little aqueducts.

NARRATOR: Gray stone blocks
hold grooves for

panels that can be
raised or lowered.

Hadrian just needs
to wave his hand,

and a servant can stop and start
his wondrous waterfall.

When the gates were lifted up,
the water could reach

the waterfall,
and when the gates were closed,

the waterfall was
switched off.

NARRATOR: This clever act
of stagecraft relies on

a steady and continuous
supply of water.

Danilo Ceirani
heads a team from

Sotterranei di Roma,
an organization committed

to mapping all the ancient
underground spaces

around the Rome region.

They're on a mission
to investigate where

this huge villa
gets all its water from.

NARRATOR: They head
underground to explore

the water supply
to the great baths.

NARRATOR: The team's first job
is to ensure the tunnel is safe.

One-third of the underground
spaces are yet to be mapped,

and they can't risk damaging

any fragile structures
or entering

a channel too small for them.

NARRATOR: Danilo gives the okay,
and one-by-one, they climb in.

The team reaches a narrow
point in the tunnel.

When they squeeze through,

they find signs this next
section stores

a huge amount of water.

NARRATOR:
The team explores further

and discovers a system
of branching

water tunnels that continues
until it reaches

a main supply channel,

and they find where
this water comes from.

NARRATOR:
The water supplying

these baths comes from
a giant waterway,

or aqueduct, that is
intended to supply Rome.

Sergio investigates how
the ancient engineers pump

the water around the vast

site to make
Hadrian's incredible

water-filled villa
a reality.

He finds that
the entire villa

is designed for
water distribution.

Here, behind the serapeum,
there's a bigger clue.

Just look at the ground --
here, we are at a ground level,

and there,
we have roof level,

so the water flows
with gravity.

There's no need for pumping.

NARRATOR: From south to north,
the entire

villa is built
on a gentle gradient.

SERGIO: But the water follows
the natural slope of the land.

It is very, very simple,
but very efficient.

NARRATOR: All Hadrian's
engineers have to do

to realize his grand plan

is connect one end of
the villa to the giant

aqueduct network.

The water
carried by the aqueducts

is the lifeblood
of Roman civic life,

but nothing is off bounds for
the all-powerful emperor.

The stretch of land
under the villa is

200 feet higher in the south
than the north.

Hadrian's workers smooth
the terrain to create

a gentle gradient across
the whole area.

The water,
powered simply by gravity,

reaches every part of the site

to create a villa filled

with constantly running
fountains and pools.

Hadrian creates
this water-cooled engineering

masterpiece as a display of
imperial might, to show

there is nothing beyond
his power,

but there are other
hidden spaces

that don't serve
the water systems.

Why has Hadrian
hidden miles of

paved underground passageways
in his luxury villa?

NARRATOR: Hadrian's villa --
investigations here are

revealing hidden insights
into the emperor,

and an incredible secret
subterranean world

is slowly giving up
his secrets, too.

Beneath the bathhouses,
domes,

and luxury entertaining spaces,

archaeologists discover
two miles of unseen tunnels

and passageways.

Some are narrow
and only semi-submerged

and paved and plastered
with fine materials.

But others run deeper,

with huge, rough walls
up to 16 feet wide

and strange markings
on the ground.

What is the purpose of
these subterranean passageways?

[speaking foreign language]

NARRATOR: In the northwest
section of the site,

Danilo Ceirani
and his team gear up

to explore one of
the roughly-hewn tunnels.

NARRATOR: One that begins
on the outskirts of

the villa and disappears into
the heart of the complex.

NARRATOR: They're attempting
to create a digital map

of all the underground spaces

to find out what exactly
each tunnel is used for.

NARRATOR: They use
a state-of-the-art laser scanner

to survey one stretch at a time
in incredible 3D detail.

NARRATOR: The team makes
its way into the tunnel.

NARRATOR: They were once
clearly lit by torchlight,

and the team spots another
clue on the paving stones.

NARRATOR: A rut
worn into the stone pavement

shows the repeated
passage of wheels.

There aren't just people
using these tunnels,

but vehicles, too.

Look here, can you see?
Okay?

NARRATOR: The size and depth
of the groove reveals that

horse-drawn carts travel
through these tunnels

countless times.

NARRATOR:
Danilo thinks the torchlight

and the cart tracks, together
with the tunnel's location

and the rough finish of its
interior all add up to reveal

its original use.

NARRATOR: Hadrian demands
that all the vital services

of his luxury home
are hidden from view.

His servants keep the villa

running using this huge
underground labyrinth,

but when their day's
work ends,

they need to remain out
of sight.

Archaeologist
Benedetta Adembri investigates

where all these servants live

and how the reclusive emperor
avoids contact with them.

At the entrance, we see
the remains of a big arch,

but there is also
a second road here.

NARRATOR: Sandwiched between
the grand approach road

and the villa itself

is a wider road,
sunk into the ground.

Facing onto it are the doors
and windows of dozens upon

dozens of tiny rooms,

all built into the enormous
earthworks that support

the giant reflecting pool
and gardens above.

Every room
was separated from each other,

but we think that
they had bunk beds

in each room,
and also a common toilet.

NARRATOR:
Crammed side-by-side,

they're a world away from

the luxury chambers of Hadrian
and his guests.

It's clear to Benedetta
who these rooms are for.

They are more than
100 chambers -- many,

many rooms, which we think
served as a bedroom

for servants.

NARRATOR: The size of this giant
accommodation block reveals

the sheer scale of
the operation

required to staff
this villa.

We don't know exactly
how many people lived there,

but every activity needed

many people --
we think that here in

the villa would work at least
some thousand servants.

NARRATOR: The site of over
a thousand servants hard at

work will be repulsive to
the genteel Hadrian,

but Benedetta discovers how
he keeps them out of his sight.

You see the --
this line means that

the wall reached this height
in ancient times.

The guests which enter
the villa could not

see the servant area
because of this wall.

NARRATOR: The accommodation
block is the perfect

illustration of
a villa of two halves --

the elite enjoying
the tranquility above,

and the servants
toiling below.

Storage rooms and stables
beneath the servants'

living quarters

house everything needed
to host

Hadrian and his guests.

They're flanked by a huge
service road that passes into

a tunnel under
the grand entrance hall

and completely out of sight.

A high wall hides the service
road from arriving guests,

and pools lining the gardens

prevent guests from standing
at the edge

and seeing the hustle
and bustle below.

Hadrian has
a 200-acre mega mansion with

hundreds of servants
spread all over the property.

And thanks to this huge
network of tunnels,

all their work is hidden
from sight.

But what of the villa
the guests can see?

How does Hadrian impose
his own enigmatic character

and taste?

How does he put
his own stamp on it

to make it truly unique?

NARRATOR:
On the outskirts of Rome lies

the gargantuan villa of
Emperor Hadrian.

Benedetta Adembri
searches for clues

to Hadrian's character
hidden in the detail.

She examines
the best preserved

of his many bathhouses.

We are in the heart of
a little bath.

From these doors,
you could reach

different parts
of the bath.

On that side, you could
reach the warm section,

with a sauna --
on the other side,

the cold section,
and on the other side,

the space for exercises.

NARRATOR: Benedetta
searches the walls for

clues to the chamber's
original appearance.

Deep holes dot the ancient
brick at regular intervals.

BENEDETTA:
The holes were used to put

inside iron elements
to fix marble slabs.

NARRATOR: Strong iron hooks
take the weight of enormous

marble panels.

Thick slabs of
this luxury paneling

cover these walls
from floor to ceiling.

This means that this room
was a very precious room.

NARRATOR: These are the baths
used by the emperor,

and Benedetta believes
every aspect of this

fine decoration reveals
an insight into Hadrian.

In the time of
the Emperor Hadrian,

marble was used to
impress guests,

to show luxury and power

of the emperor,
and to show the emperor himself

was a -- a god.

NARRATOR:
Hadrian believes he is a god.

He wants his villa to remind
his visitors

of his divine status.

An under-floor
heating system

warms this entrance hallway,

and more than 10 tons of
marble slabs cover the walls.

Instead of the traditional
circular atrium at the heart of

most baths,

these walls curve inwards
to create unusual

undulating vaults.

Daylight shines in
through giant glass windows,

giving the room
an ethereal aura.

This complex
octagonal bathhouse is

topped with
a segmented dome.

What inspires this strange
style of building?

See how complicated was
the shape

of this interior,
because of

the straight
and concave shape

of the four walls
and the roof.

NARRATOR: This strange design is
unusual in Roman architecture,

but is a common theme in
Hadrian's buildings.

Ancient writers describe
how Hadrian is fascinated

by architecture,

and his travels through
the empire influence

his lavish taste.

He stayed in Syria as
a governor of the province.

It was a very rich province of
Rome, and in Syria

still today,
we can see similar

buildings with this particular
movement of walls.

So we think these elements
could inspire the emperor.

NARRATOR: This exotic
and extravagant architecture

is evidence Hadrian
is personally

involved in the design
of his villa.

BENEDETTA: We have perhaps
one proof here in

little bus that the emperor
planned himself

some buildings.

NARRATOR: Hadrian wants
this villa to be

not just an illustration of
his power or even his taste,

but his talent.

He has a deep passion
for architecture,

and, as emperor,
it is allowed to run wild.

Hadrian is
a self-taught architect.

He builds projects across
the empire wherever he goes.

He is fascinated
with the domed

and semi-domed structures
he has seen

in the east, and they inspire
his own projects.

The story goes,
Hadrian discusses his designs

with the celebrated architect
Apollodorus of Damascus,

who pours scorn
on his efforts.

The emperor later banishes
Apollodorus, and the architect

is eventually tried on
trumped-up charges and executed.

The villa is Hadrian's
architectural playground,

showing off his taste
and talent on a grand scale.

This extraordinary opulence
makes his villa

fit for an emperor
and a god.

But what clues
to the real Hadrian,

the private man,
are found here?

NARRATOR:
Twenty miles from Rome,

the 200-acre villa
of Emperor Hadrian.

Veronica Fondi works in
the villa's on-site

restoration laboratory,

bringing the materials
and decorations

of these grand structures
back to life.

Today, she is restoring
a statue that could

reveal a deeply personal side
of Hadrian's character

and unlock the final clue to
the real purpose of his villa.

There were hundreds
of statues in

the original times, in the
Hadrian times, in the villa.

They were everywhere --

in the palace or near
the fountains -- everywhere.

NARRATOR: Roman leaders
regularly portray themselves

in statues.

But the piece Veronica is
working on today

doesn't look Roman.

In fact,
it isn't even human.

This is actually the statue of
an Egyptian god, Horus.

NARRATOR:
Hadrian's interest in Egypt

is exemplified in
the Canopus.

The marble-lined water feature
is named for an Egyptian city,

and its carved crocodiles
and 400 feet of

gentle flowing waters are
styled on the River Nile.

But it also boasts
statues copied from

the Acropolis in Athens
and the Greek god, Hermes.

Why does such a mix of
non-Roman influences

take center stage
in a Roman emperor's villa?

The statues around the Canopus
are only rediscovered in

the 1950s, when archaeologists
dredged the mud-filled pool.

NARRATOR: Art historian
and site director,

Andrea Bruciati,
tries to

make sense of this mixture of
statues from different regions.

NARRATOR: The sculptures
around the Canopus seem to

be from various parts
of his enormous empire,

almost like an expo of
the Roman world.

However, Andrea
sees a link between them.

NARRATOR: Greece and Egypt
are separate parts

of Hadrian's Roman Empire.

But after the Greek king,
Alexander the Great,

conquers Egypt back in
the fourth century BCE,

Greek and Egyptian
cultures blend.

NARRATOR:
The Greco-Egyptian city,

Canopus, that gives its name
to this feature in the villa,

is a port on
the Nile delta that has

strong trade links with Greece.

NARRATOR: Hadrian is especially
influenced by Greek culture.

NARRATOR: Hadrian spends half
his 21-year reign traveling

the vast empire, from Britain
to Spain to Egypt.

But Hadrian has a particular
affinity for Greece.

He loves all things Greek,

from its architecture
to its art and culture.

In Greece, in 123 CE,

He meets the love of
his life, a Greek youth

named Antinous,

and brings him back to
his villa.

Antinous personifies
Hadrian's obsession

for and love of Greece.

Ensconced
in his luxury villa,

it seems the emperor
has everything he wants.

But one monument to his
travels could hold the key to

a tragedy in Hadrian's life
and shed light

on the end of his reign.

NARRATOR: The grand villa
of Roman Emperor Hadrian.

Hadrian expands this mega
palace for more than a decade.

The art and architecture
on show here

are evidence of his character
and his reign,

but could also shed light on
a great personal tragedy.

Benedetta Adembri
looks for the clues

at the ruins of
a mysterious structure

near the villa's entrance.

We found brick stamps of
the year 134,

and so we know that it was

one of the last building of
the villa.

We found recently some
original Egyptian artifacts,

but a lot of imitations
made by Roman artisans.

NARRATOR:
The remaining masonry outlines

the foundations of what could be

two rectangular temples
that face one another.

Analysis of the soil
indicates there were palm trees,

so recalling Egypt also in
the plants for the garden.

NARRATOR: The Egyptian-style
structure could be connected

to the death of Hadrian's
lover, Antinous.

In 130 CE,

Hadrian and Antinous are
sailing up the River Nile

in Egypt
when Antinous drowns in

suspicious circumstances.

There are rumors
that Antinous is murdered,

because, no longer a boy,

he is too old to be
an acceptable companion

for the emperor.

Yet another rumor says
Antinous sacrifices himself.

A common belief
was that one person's

health could be sacrificed
to improve another's.

Dark rumors fly about what
really happens on the Nile,

but Benedetta believes
the stamped brick that dates

the building suggests Hadrian
is not responsible

for Antinous's death.

BENEDETTA: We know that
it was built after

the voyage to Egypt
and the death of Antinous.

NARRATOR: Benedetta thinks
Hadrian builds this

monument to commemorate
his lost lover.

We can say that here,
we have a will of the emperor

to recall his voyage,

but also the figure of
Antinous.

NARRATOR: This structure,
known as the Aegyptica,

is a memorial not just
to a place close to

Hadrian's heart,
but also a person.

Hadrian starts
a cult to Antinous,

builds a city by the Nile
in his name,

and even declares him a god.

The actions of a bereaved
lover or a guilty murderer?

Hadrian dies eight years after
Antinous, in 138 CE.

Later emperors plunder his
villa for its marble and stone,

but the brick structures
survive, and to this day,

experts here continue to
reveal new secrets about

Hadrian and the Roman world.

SERGIO: We have here
one of the greatest

reflections of the power
of the Roman empire,

and Villa Hadrian is also

a window on the person of
Hadrian himself.

NARRATOR: This incredible
villa is a testament to

the heights of Roman luxury
and engineering.

From unique architecture,
clad in the richest materials,

to subterranean passageways

hiding his thousand servants,

and the groundbreaking design
of his private island home,

to the magical spectacle of
the waterfalls

he controls
with a wave of his hand.

Every aspect of this
staggering creation

reflects the private

and public character of
the man who builds it

and brings us ever closer to

understanding one of
Rome's greatest emperors.