1 00:00:04,960 --> 00:00:09,200 ALICE ROBERTS: The Aegean Sea and its collection of beautiful islands 2 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:14,000 are framed by the coastlines of mainland Greece and Turkey. 3 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:19,280 Millions of tourists of all nationalities 4 00:00:19,280 --> 00:00:21,360 come here every year. 5 00:00:22,560 --> 00:00:26,440 3,000 years ago it was just as popular. 6 00:00:26,440 --> 00:00:27,920 The ports of the Aegean 7 00:00:27,920 --> 00:00:31,640 would have been crammed with families, workers, 8 00:00:31,640 --> 00:00:33,680 soldiers and kings, 9 00:00:33,680 --> 00:00:37,240 travelling for trade and to fight. 10 00:00:37,240 --> 00:00:41,600 The cities of Ancient Greece were often at war with each other. 11 00:00:42,640 --> 00:00:47,960 I want to find out more about this vast and complicated civilisation, 12 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,280 to dig out the real stories behind the myths. 13 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:54,160 And I'm not just going to the well-known tourist spots. 14 00:00:54,160 --> 00:00:55,680 Of course not. 15 00:00:55,680 --> 00:00:58,640 I'm headed off the beaten track. 16 00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:00,800 I'm Alice Roberts, 17 00:01:00,800 --> 00:01:02,920 and I'm travelling hundreds of miles 18 00:01:02,920 --> 00:01:05,640 through what is now Greece and Turkey, 19 00:01:05,640 --> 00:01:09,560 looking into the flowering of Classical civilisation 20 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:12,040 from Ancient Greece to the Romans... 21 00:01:12,040 --> 00:01:13,640 Oh, my goodness! 22 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:15,240 That's wonderful. 23 00:01:16,280 --> 00:01:19,240 ..to discover this region's vital role 24 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:20,720 as the birthplace 25 00:01:20,720 --> 00:01:25,000 of Plato, Socrates and Alexander the Great, 26 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:28,480 mythology, theatre and democracy. 27 00:01:40,520 --> 00:01:44,240 I'm in Kusadasi, a port town on the Aegean, 28 00:01:44,240 --> 00:01:48,400 and I'm embarking on the final leg of my adventure. 29 00:01:55,120 --> 00:02:00,160 My first stop will be the famous ancient city of Ephesus. 30 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,120 From Selcuk Station 31 00:02:02,120 --> 00:02:04,560 I'll head 45 miles north 32 00:02:04,560 --> 00:02:08,360 to the ancient city of Smyrna, modern Izmir... 33 00:02:11,040 --> 00:02:13,440 ..before travelling a further 60 miles 34 00:02:13,440 --> 00:02:16,440 to Pergamon, modern Bergama... 35 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:23,480 ..and my journey ends at the legendary city of Troy. 36 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:30,680 I've arrived in Ephesus 37 00:02:30,680 --> 00:02:33,960 and I'm meeting Nesrin, a local historian. 38 00:02:33,960 --> 00:02:35,400 Nesrin! 39 00:02:35,400 --> 00:02:36,920 Hi, Alice! Hello! 40 00:02:36,920 --> 00:02:38,400 Welcome to Ephesus. 41 00:02:38,400 --> 00:02:40,880 I can't believe I'm here. This is absolutely fantastic. 42 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:42,560 And this is just the beginning. 43 00:02:42,560 --> 00:02:43,520 Yes. 44 00:02:45,280 --> 00:02:48,480 What's incredible is just the scale of this, isn't it? 45 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:51,680 (LIVELY MUSIC PLAYS) 46 00:02:53,920 --> 00:02:58,400 The history of Ephesus goes right back to the Neolithic, 47 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:02,560 when early farmers settled here 9,000 years ago. 48 00:03:02,560 --> 00:03:05,160 By 3,000 years ago 49 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:09,840 it had grown into an important Ionian Greek city 50 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:14,640 and it continued as a regional capital under the Romans. 51 00:03:15,880 --> 00:03:20,240 Today, it's one of the ancient world's best preserved sites. 52 00:03:21,640 --> 00:03:25,280 The archaeology that we can see here, do you know when this dates to? 53 00:03:25,280 --> 00:03:29,160 This is 1st century BC till 2nd century AD, 54 00:03:29,160 --> 00:03:34,800 and it was the fourth-largest city in ancient world. 55 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:36,480 The fourth-largest city? Yes. 56 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:38,240 So, what were the other three then? 57 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:39,400 Rome... Yeah. 58 00:03:39,400 --> 00:03:40,920 ..Alexandria, Athens 59 00:03:40,920 --> 00:03:41,960 and Ephesus. 60 00:03:41,960 --> 00:03:43,360 Really? Definitely. 61 00:03:43,360 --> 00:03:44,680 Yeah. So, incredibly important. 62 00:03:44,680 --> 00:03:45,840 Definitely. Yeah. 63 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,640 Plus it was a cosmopolitan city, 64 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:51,960 so, there were Greek-speaking people in this area, 65 00:03:51,960 --> 00:03:53,560 there were Latin-speaking people 66 00:03:53,560 --> 00:03:55,920 and there were Asian people here, 67 00:03:55,920 --> 00:03:57,400 there were Egyptians here. 68 00:03:57,400 --> 00:03:59,360 So, it was a colourful... Yeah, yeah. 69 00:03:59,360 --> 00:04:02,560 ..a cosmopolitan metropolis of antiquity. 70 00:04:02,560 --> 00:04:06,680 Can you believe that quarter-million people lived in this city? 71 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,320 I've heard that estimate. I mean, that seems incredible. 72 00:04:09,320 --> 00:04:12,280 Yes. Quarter-million people. Yeah. Yeah. 73 00:04:12,280 --> 00:04:15,760 And what is it that makes Ephesus? Why did it develop here? 74 00:04:15,760 --> 00:04:17,600 We are in between two hills. 75 00:04:17,600 --> 00:04:20,040 Yes, yeah. Mt Bulbul and Mt Panayir. 76 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:23,520 So, that's naturally a defensible city. 77 00:04:23,520 --> 00:04:26,160 And it ends in the harbour, 78 00:04:26,160 --> 00:04:29,880 so, it's a perfect location to set up a grid-plan city. 79 00:04:29,880 --> 00:04:34,680 So, if we'd been here in the 4th century BCE, 80 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:36,720 we'd have been looking at the sea just there. 81 00:04:36,720 --> 00:04:38,840 Yes, you would have a sea view... 82 00:04:38,840 --> 00:04:40,400 Yeah. Yeah. ..down there. 83 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:43,600 The water used to come that close to the city, 84 00:04:43,600 --> 00:04:45,920 and anyone standing on this side 85 00:04:45,920 --> 00:04:48,320 would see a wonderful sea view from this point 86 00:04:48,320 --> 00:04:50,840 and would see the ships... 87 00:04:50,840 --> 00:04:52,560 Yes. Just there. ..carrying goods 88 00:04:52,560 --> 00:04:55,040 to the port of Ephesus back at that time. 89 00:04:56,080 --> 00:04:59,560 It's hard to imagine Ephesus as a port today, 90 00:04:59,560 --> 00:05:02,440 but it was on the river Kestros. 91 00:05:02,440 --> 00:05:05,600 Over time the estuary has silted up 92 00:05:05,600 --> 00:05:10,320 and, today, the shoreline is a staggering 17 miles away. 93 00:05:11,760 --> 00:05:13,520 Back in ancient times 94 00:05:13,520 --> 00:05:16,440 the location of Ephesus as a port 95 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:19,400 made it a key trading hub on the Aegean, 96 00:05:19,400 --> 00:05:22,480 with the Ephesians becoming very rich. 97 00:05:22,480 --> 00:05:25,120 Imagine that on both sides of us 98 00:05:25,120 --> 00:05:29,480 there used to be pillars like this and a pavement after... 99 00:05:29,480 --> 00:05:31,680 Yeah. ..and then the shops. 100 00:05:31,680 --> 00:05:33,800 So, this is the main road? 101 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:36,400 This is the main road. The main road of Ephesus. 102 00:05:36,400 --> 00:05:38,760 Ephesus - 103 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:43,480 standing on the very end of the Eastern Royal Road. 104 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:48,840 So, the goods of the Eastern world, like spices and silks and cottons 105 00:05:48,840 --> 00:05:50,840 and leather, everything, the perfumes... 106 00:05:50,840 --> 00:05:53,520 And everything coming in from the Mediterranean as well. 107 00:05:53,520 --> 00:05:55,760 And yes, the Mediterranean world. Yeah. Yeah. 108 00:05:55,760 --> 00:05:57,160 Olive oil, wine. 109 00:05:57,160 --> 00:06:01,080 They were all here for sale in these shops. 110 00:06:01,080 --> 00:06:05,600 And the elite of Ephesians were living in this neighbourhood. 111 00:06:05,600 --> 00:06:07,240 It was a prosperous neighbourhood. 112 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:08,800 Yeah. (LAUGHS) 113 00:06:08,800 --> 00:06:11,600 Now, this is the newly excavated part, isn't it? 114 00:06:11,600 --> 00:06:12,560 Yes. 115 00:06:13,600 --> 00:06:15,440 The terrace houses. 116 00:06:15,440 --> 00:06:18,520 This is a wonderful place to get the idea 117 00:06:18,520 --> 00:06:20,280 about the domestic life... 118 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:21,640 Yeah. ..of the wealthy Ephesians. 119 00:06:21,640 --> 00:06:24,080 (GASPS) Yes. The rich Ephesians. 120 00:06:24,080 --> 00:06:25,440 The absolute... 121 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:26,760 Yes. 122 00:06:26,760 --> 00:06:27,960 ..creme de la creme. 123 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:29,760 Creme de la creme. Definitely. Yeah. 124 00:06:29,760 --> 00:06:32,040 So, we need our tickets here. Yes. 125 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:37,600 Yes. You just put it there. 126 00:06:37,600 --> 00:06:40,360 Here you go. Off we go. 127 00:06:43,000 --> 00:06:44,480 There's paintings on the wall. 128 00:06:44,480 --> 00:06:48,360 All these paintings and mosaics on the ground. 129 00:06:48,360 --> 00:06:52,200 So, it is a special place. 130 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:53,600 (GASPS) It's incredible. 131 00:06:53,600 --> 00:06:55,520 Definitely. Wow! 132 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:58,720 And we are in the house of number six. 133 00:06:58,720 --> 00:07:00,560 Size-wise the biggest house. 134 00:07:00,560 --> 00:07:02,160 (GASPS) Look at this marble! 135 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:04,000 Yeah. Look. (CHUCKLES) Oh, my goodness. 136 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,000 There we are. Yes. Look at that little niche! 137 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:10,440 And the water pipe coming down carrying water here. 138 00:07:10,440 --> 00:07:11,880 They've got running water? Running water. 139 00:07:11,880 --> 00:07:12,880 In the house? 140 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:14,920 Definitely. That's just amazing, isn't it? 141 00:07:14,920 --> 00:07:15,960 Definitely. 142 00:07:15,960 --> 00:07:18,440 Wow! Running water, sewage canals. 143 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:23,720 And everything designed for keeping the standards high, actually. 144 00:07:23,720 --> 00:07:25,960 Yeah. I mean, it's just strikingly modern, isn't it? 145 00:07:25,960 --> 00:07:27,840 Definitely. 146 00:07:27,840 --> 00:07:29,520 Incredible marble floor as well. 147 00:07:29,520 --> 00:07:30,840 Yes. Wow! 148 00:07:30,840 --> 00:07:32,000 I wonder who lived here. 149 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:34,840 We know who lived in that place. 150 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:37,000 Their last name was Apti. 151 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,920 Aptus was the high priest of Dionysus temples. 152 00:07:39,920 --> 00:07:40,920 Really? 153 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:45,200 So, he had a key position in the society. 154 00:07:45,200 --> 00:07:48,920 And that makes him a very senior official in the city? 155 00:07:48,920 --> 00:07:51,720 Yes. And a wealthy merchant. 156 00:07:51,720 --> 00:07:54,600 We will go up the steps. Look at this marble! 157 00:07:54,600 --> 00:07:58,280 I mean, it's absolutely dripping with opulence. 158 00:07:58,280 --> 00:07:59,720 Definitely. 159 00:07:59,720 --> 00:08:01,480 Should we go right to the top? We will. 160 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:04,640 And the interior collection of this house 161 00:08:04,640 --> 00:08:06,800 is gorgeous 162 00:08:06,800 --> 00:08:09,200 with the floor mosaics. (GASPS) Look at that. 163 00:08:09,200 --> 00:08:10,760 Look at them. Look at it! Wow! 164 00:08:10,760 --> 00:08:12,440 Look. A lion. 165 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:16,000 A lion enjoying his meal. (LAUGHS) 166 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:20,360 You can see the details there. 167 00:08:20,360 --> 00:08:24,040 A beautiful frame around the lion figure. 168 00:08:24,040 --> 00:08:25,360 Yeah. It's just stunning. 169 00:08:25,360 --> 00:08:26,640 It's beautiful. Wow! 170 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:28,240 And the walls... 171 00:08:28,240 --> 00:08:30,960 Birds painted in those panels. Yeah. 172 00:08:30,960 --> 00:08:33,160 I mean, that's just gorgeous, isn't it? 173 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:35,560 Definitely. So, when is this abandoned then? 174 00:08:35,560 --> 00:08:37,920 Last quarter of the 3rd century AD 175 00:08:37,920 --> 00:08:41,200 Ephesus experienced a severe earthquake, 176 00:08:41,200 --> 00:08:44,560 then the series of earthquakes demolished the city. 177 00:08:44,560 --> 00:08:47,640 So, the wealthy people first left... 178 00:08:47,640 --> 00:08:48,920 Yeah. Yeah. ..the city 179 00:08:48,920 --> 00:08:53,920 because there was no more trade activities in the city. 180 00:08:53,920 --> 00:09:00,120 And the city was not that glorious city anymore, back in the old days. 181 00:09:00,120 --> 00:09:01,720 Yeah. Yeah. So, they left the city. 182 00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:04,120 So, you've got several things conspiring 183 00:09:04,120 --> 00:09:06,440 to spell the end for Ephesus then - 184 00:09:06,440 --> 00:09:08,240 the harbour silting up 185 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:11,400 and then recurring earthquakes causing damage as well. 186 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:12,760 Definitely. 187 00:09:13,800 --> 00:09:16,440 One of the last earthquakes to hit Ephesus 188 00:09:16,440 --> 00:09:20,000 destroyed one of its greatest structures. 189 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:25,240 The great Library of Celsus was left in ruins. 190 00:09:26,760 --> 00:09:28,640 But in the 1970s 191 00:09:28,640 --> 00:09:32,280 archaeologists recovered and reconstructed 192 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,640 the facade of this architectural marvel. 193 00:09:37,160 --> 00:09:39,480 That is beautiful. 194 00:09:39,480 --> 00:09:40,800 That is stunning, isn't it? 195 00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:42,920 It is amazing. 196 00:09:42,920 --> 00:09:44,880 It's really a masterpiece. 197 00:09:44,880 --> 00:09:47,320 Goes back 2nd century AD. 198 00:09:47,320 --> 00:09:49,960 And... So, it's Roman. 199 00:09:49,960 --> 00:09:51,080 It IS Roman. 200 00:09:51,080 --> 00:09:54,240 Yeah. But the building is not the first library. 201 00:09:54,240 --> 00:09:57,720 The library was famous going back before the Romans here. 202 00:09:57,720 --> 00:09:58,880 Before the Romans. 203 00:09:58,880 --> 00:10:00,000 Yeah. Yeah. Yes. Yes. 204 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:05,280 And this library had 12,000 scrolls in it. 205 00:10:05,280 --> 00:10:06,560 But it's just incredible, isn't it? 206 00:10:06,560 --> 00:10:09,640 And there must have been people coming to Ephesus to learn, 207 00:10:09,640 --> 00:10:11,720 you know, it had that reputation as a seat of learning. 208 00:10:11,720 --> 00:10:13,000 Definitely, definitely. Yeah. 209 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:15,080 And as a public library, 210 00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:16,240 it has... Yeah. 211 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:18,800 ..I mean, it's really important too. 212 00:10:18,800 --> 00:10:21,800 When we look at the details, 213 00:10:21,800 --> 00:10:27,640 we see an intricate work on the facade of the library. 214 00:10:29,040 --> 00:10:30,560 Look. 215 00:10:30,560 --> 00:10:32,280 The capitals. 216 00:10:32,280 --> 00:10:34,160 Corinthian capitals. Each of them are Corinthian. 217 00:10:34,160 --> 00:10:35,400 Yeah. 218 00:10:36,440 --> 00:10:43,000 Imagine that this is all carved by hand and solid marble pillars. 219 00:10:43,000 --> 00:10:44,480 You can see there. 220 00:10:44,480 --> 00:10:45,920 Oh, my goodness! Yeah. 221 00:10:45,920 --> 00:10:48,120 Single solid marble piece. Wow! 222 00:10:48,120 --> 00:10:51,120 We know that till 13th century AD 223 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:53,680 there was a continuous living on this site. 224 00:10:53,680 --> 00:10:57,000 Right. Yeah. So, it's not that far. 225 00:10:57,000 --> 00:10:58,800 13th century AD. 226 00:10:58,800 --> 00:11:01,720 In terms of history... All the people would have been living here amongst the ruins. 227 00:11:01,720 --> 00:11:03,280 Yes. Yeah, yeah. 228 00:11:03,280 --> 00:11:05,480 And we've got some inscriptions up here. 229 00:11:05,480 --> 00:11:06,680 Latin. 230 00:11:06,680 --> 00:11:09,680 So, we've got, "Emperor Cassari..." 231 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:12,120 The very last line - 232 00:11:12,120 --> 00:11:14,040 "Mazaevs." 233 00:11:14,040 --> 00:11:15,800 And on the second block 234 00:11:15,800 --> 00:11:17,880 you can read, "Mithridates." 235 00:11:17,880 --> 00:11:19,960 Yeah. Two brothers. 236 00:11:21,360 --> 00:11:24,360 They were slaves of Augustus family, 237 00:11:24,360 --> 00:11:26,600 1st century BC. 238 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:31,440 Due to their good manners, due to their loyalty to the family, 239 00:11:31,440 --> 00:11:33,800 they granted their freedom 240 00:11:33,800 --> 00:11:38,280 and sent as tax collectors to Ephesus. 241 00:11:38,280 --> 00:11:39,360 Right. OK. 242 00:11:39,360 --> 00:11:42,440 To show their loyalty to Augustus family, 243 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:44,560 they had... 244 00:11:44,560 --> 00:11:49,680 ..they wanted to put a mark to the city that they appointed to. 245 00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:54,400 And that's the gate giving access to the commercial agora of Ephesus. 246 00:11:54,400 --> 00:11:55,480 That's what we see beyond there. 247 00:11:55,480 --> 00:11:58,640 So, we've got the library, we've got this magnificent gate, 248 00:11:58,640 --> 00:12:01,760 and then we've got the agora, the forum, the marketplace. 249 00:12:01,760 --> 00:12:03,760 Marketplace. Yeah. 250 00:12:03,760 --> 00:12:09,920 The commercial agora of Ephesus was established in the 3rd century BCE 251 00:12:09,920 --> 00:12:12,760 and was like a modern-day market square. 252 00:12:14,520 --> 00:12:17,400 Behind the colonnades were 100 rooms 253 00:12:17,400 --> 00:12:19,920 serving as shops, workshops 254 00:12:19,920 --> 00:12:22,840 and meeting places for guild associations. 255 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:29,280 Just beyond the agora is the vast theatre 256 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:33,120 where the people of Ephesus enjoyed their entertainment. 257 00:12:34,360 --> 00:12:38,560 Shall we settle down here, wait for the performance to start? 258 00:12:39,800 --> 00:12:43,720 Imagine that there are another 25,000 people. 259 00:12:43,720 --> 00:12:44,720 Yeah. (CHUCKLES) 260 00:12:44,720 --> 00:12:46,880 Plus us. I mean, it's absolutely enormous. 261 00:12:46,880 --> 00:12:50,000 You know, by today's scale it's enormous. 262 00:12:50,000 --> 00:12:53,400 You know, this would be a huge theatre to go into. 263 00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,040 It is the largest in the world. 264 00:12:56,040 --> 00:12:58,840 Is it? With 25,000 people. 265 00:12:58,840 --> 00:12:59,840 Yeah. 266 00:12:59,840 --> 00:13:03,440 Of course, the front seats were for... (CHUCKLES) 267 00:13:04,480 --> 00:13:06,000 ..elite. The elite. 268 00:13:06,000 --> 00:13:08,000 The people who lived in those lovely houses. 269 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:09,000 (LAUGHS) Yes. 270 00:13:09,000 --> 00:13:11,800 Would have had a season ticket, wouldn't they, down the front there? 271 00:13:11,800 --> 00:13:12,800 Definitely. 272 00:13:12,800 --> 00:13:14,280 And this would have been open. 273 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:15,520 Open. Yeah. Of course. 274 00:13:15,520 --> 00:13:17,680 It's far too big to roof over, isn't it? 275 00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:20,120 (LAUGHS) Yes. It's absolutely enormous. 276 00:13:20,120 --> 00:13:23,840 You think there were gladiatorial events here 277 00:13:23,840 --> 00:13:26,000 as well as plays performed? 278 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:27,360 Yes, yes. 279 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,040 Gladiator fights was so popular. 280 00:13:30,040 --> 00:13:33,640 And there was a gladiator school in Ephesus. 281 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:34,640 Right. 282 00:13:34,640 --> 00:13:35,920 Besides this, 283 00:13:35,920 --> 00:13:41,160 every four years Ephesus used to organise festivals. 284 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:43,000 Right. For the name of Roman emperors. 285 00:13:43,000 --> 00:13:45,400 Oh, really? Yeah. This was a big thing. 286 00:13:45,400 --> 00:13:47,680 Because it's such an important city in the Roman Empire. 287 00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:49,440 The capital of Asia Minor province. 288 00:13:49,440 --> 00:13:50,440 Yeah. 289 00:13:50,440 --> 00:13:53,880 I think what's astonishing is that it's just all here 290 00:13:53,880 --> 00:13:56,080 as it was in the late Roman period. 291 00:13:56,080 --> 00:13:58,560 It is a little bit like Pompeii in that respect 292 00:13:58,560 --> 00:14:00,280 that it just seems to have stopped... 293 00:14:00,280 --> 00:14:03,320 Yes. ..and then it's been frozen in time. 294 00:14:03,320 --> 00:14:07,200 But it's the destiny of every ancient city. 295 00:14:07,200 --> 00:14:08,200 Yeah. 296 00:14:08,200 --> 00:14:10,600 They born, they have glorious years and then they fall down. 297 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:11,560 Yeah, yeah. 298 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:14,920 Ephesus is magnificent. 299 00:14:14,920 --> 00:14:20,480 It's amazing to be able to explore such an intact ancient city. 300 00:14:21,520 --> 00:14:24,400 Tomorrow I'm back on the train heading north 301 00:14:24,400 --> 00:14:26,600 and I'm going in search of another Greek city, 302 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:31,160 which, unlike Ephesus, still thrives to this day. 303 00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:38,360 ALICE ROBERTS: It's early morning in Turkey 304 00:14:38,360 --> 00:14:40,040 and time to get back on the train 305 00:14:40,040 --> 00:14:43,640 for the next leg of my Ancient Greek adventure. 306 00:14:51,160 --> 00:14:52,640 Merhaba! Merhaba. 307 00:14:52,640 --> 00:14:54,560 Izmir'e bilet lutfen. 308 00:14:54,560 --> 00:14:55,800 Kac kisi? 309 00:14:55,800 --> 00:14:57,400 How many person? 310 00:14:57,400 --> 00:14:58,960 One. 311 00:14:58,960 --> 00:15:00,920 One person email, please. 312 00:15:00,920 --> 00:15:02,240 Email. 313 00:15:02,240 --> 00:15:03,920 It's 14 lira, please. 314 00:15:04,960 --> 00:15:06,480 Tesekkurler. 315 00:15:06,480 --> 00:15:08,520 OK. Please fill out form. 316 00:15:08,520 --> 00:15:09,560 Lovely. 317 00:15:09,560 --> 00:15:11,600 Tesekkur ederim. 318 00:15:13,720 --> 00:15:15,160 From Selcuk Station 319 00:15:15,160 --> 00:15:19,280 I'm heading 35 miles north to the city of Izmir, 320 00:15:19,280 --> 00:15:21,240 ancient Smyrna. 321 00:15:25,480 --> 00:15:27,320 Izmir! 322 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,160 (BRAKES SQUEAL) 323 00:15:36,920 --> 00:15:40,440 Train travel in Turkey is staggeringly cheap, 324 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:44,960 with most journeys costing just the equivalent of a few pounds sterling. 325 00:15:48,920 --> 00:15:52,200 (BLOWS WHISTLE) 326 00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,200 (WHISTLE BLOWS) 327 00:16:23,760 --> 00:16:28,160 The face of Ephesus really was sealed by that changing environment, 328 00:16:28,160 --> 00:16:31,160 the harbour silting up over time 329 00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:32,640 so that eventually 330 00:16:32,640 --> 00:16:34,960 ships just couldn't make it all the way through. 331 00:16:34,960 --> 00:16:39,920 And at that point the city really started to fade. 332 00:16:39,920 --> 00:16:44,480 It was inhabited for a few centuries after that into the Byzantine period, 333 00:16:44,480 --> 00:16:46,640 but eventually it was completely abandoned. 334 00:16:46,640 --> 00:16:51,640 And that's really the reason that it's so wonderfully preserved today. 335 00:16:51,640 --> 00:16:54,600 Well, I'm on my way to another port city, 336 00:16:54,600 --> 00:16:56,080 but this time 337 00:16:56,080 --> 00:16:59,160 one that persisted through the centuries, 338 00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:01,560 grew bigger and bigger. 339 00:17:01,560 --> 00:17:03,280 It was ancient Smyrna. 340 00:17:03,280 --> 00:17:05,400 It's modern Izmir. 341 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:09,080 And because that city has just grown through time 342 00:17:09,080 --> 00:17:15,160 I'm really intrigued to see how much of the ancient Smyrna is still here. 343 00:17:15,160 --> 00:17:18,120 (DYNAMIC MUSIC PLAYS) 344 00:17:22,080 --> 00:17:26,400 Like Ephesus, the port city of Smyrna was an important gateway 345 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:28,600 between Asia and Europe. 346 00:17:30,480 --> 00:17:32,800 It continued to be a prominent city 347 00:17:32,800 --> 00:17:35,880 within the Byzantine and Ottoman Empires, 348 00:17:35,880 --> 00:17:40,800 and, today, Izmir is the third-largest city in Turkey. 349 00:17:43,360 --> 00:17:46,320 (DYNAMIC MUSIC PLAYS) 350 00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:57,640 (TRAFFIC DRONES) 351 00:18:02,160 --> 00:18:05,240 This is why Izmir is here - the sea, 352 00:18:05,240 --> 00:18:07,120 and the port is really busy this morning, 353 00:18:07,120 --> 00:18:09,000 I can see ferries coming and going. 354 00:18:09,000 --> 00:18:12,040 There's a huge container ship out there. 355 00:18:12,040 --> 00:18:15,920 And the city itself comes right up to the seafront. 356 00:18:15,920 --> 00:18:18,680 We've got Ottoman-era buildings, 357 00:18:18,680 --> 00:18:23,840 we've got big modern tower blocks built of glass, steel and concrete, 358 00:18:23,840 --> 00:18:29,280 and it just doesn't look like there's any room at all for ancient Smyrna. 359 00:18:32,920 --> 00:18:37,080 But I've been told that if I take a 10-minute walk through the bazaar 360 00:18:37,080 --> 00:18:40,000 I might find what I'm looking for. 361 00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:42,960 (HUBBUB) 362 00:18:45,840 --> 00:18:48,680 (ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC PLAYS) 363 00:18:48,680 --> 00:18:52,720 (HUBBUB) 364 00:18:52,720 --> 00:18:54,720 In the 1930s 365 00:18:54,720 --> 00:18:59,120 floodwaters exposed what appear to be archaeological remains. 366 00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:03,120 Excavations began, 367 00:19:03,120 --> 00:19:05,960 and over the decades archaeologists have revealed 368 00:19:05,960 --> 00:19:09,880 one of the most important sites of the ancient city... 369 00:19:11,400 --> 00:19:13,200 ..the Agora. 370 00:19:16,040 --> 00:19:18,360 Hello. Can I get one ticket, please? 371 00:19:21,200 --> 00:19:23,240 Tesekkurler. Thank you. 372 00:19:25,800 --> 00:19:28,960 The agora as a meeting place and marketplace 373 00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:32,120 was the beating heart of every Greek city. 374 00:19:32,120 --> 00:19:35,080 (ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC PLAYS) 375 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:47,720 The Romans adopted the same town plan, 376 00:19:47,720 --> 00:19:51,760 and here in Smyrna they just revamped the existing agora. 377 00:19:52,800 --> 00:19:56,560 Around the central courtyard there's a covered colonnade 378 00:19:56,560 --> 00:20:01,920 where citizens could conduct their business sheltered from sun or rain. 379 00:20:01,920 --> 00:20:04,920 The buildings behind the colonnade included shops 380 00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:09,120 and spaces with civic, legal and religious functions. 381 00:20:11,840 --> 00:20:14,200 The Romans added two extra storeys 382 00:20:14,200 --> 00:20:17,400 on top of the original Greek building, or stoa. 383 00:20:18,440 --> 00:20:22,200 But I'm most impressed by the wonderful basement. 384 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,880 (ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC PLAYS) 385 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:30,480 This is a great site. 386 00:20:30,480 --> 00:20:33,040 We've got a lot of the archaeology 387 00:20:33,040 --> 00:20:35,320 that would have been, in fact, below ground in the Roman period, 388 00:20:35,320 --> 00:20:38,800 with those wonderful basements and the water supply to the agora, 389 00:20:38,800 --> 00:20:42,880 and then just a little bit of what would have been above ground, 390 00:20:42,880 --> 00:20:44,200 including over there, 391 00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:47,960 you can see just the bottom layer, really, 392 00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:52,000 of what would have been the town council, the bouleuterion, 393 00:20:52,000 --> 00:20:53,640 like a little theatre. 394 00:20:53,640 --> 00:20:58,360 And we've just got fragments of two rows of seats remaining. 395 00:20:59,720 --> 00:21:03,080 (STIRRING MUSIC PLAYS) 396 00:21:08,360 --> 00:21:12,840 This site is like an oasis in the middle of busy Izmir today 397 00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:15,080 and it's intriguing to wander around it, 398 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:18,960 imagining it bustling with traders and food stalls. 399 00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:32,280 "Damo-xaris." 400 00:21:32,280 --> 00:21:34,560 That would have Damocharis. 401 00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,320 "Someone who is... 402 00:21:38,360 --> 00:21:40,240 "..to be remembered for his skills 403 00:21:40,240 --> 00:21:44,120 "in reconstructing the city of Smyrna after an earthquake." 404 00:21:45,640 --> 00:21:48,760 And I presume there would have been a statue of him on top of it. 405 00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,440 Damocharis is thought to have been a governor of Asia 406 00:21:56,440 --> 00:21:58,600 in the 4th or 5th century CE. 407 00:22:00,160 --> 00:22:04,240 And this reconstruction of the city after an earthquake 408 00:22:04,240 --> 00:22:05,760 wasn't the first, 409 00:22:05,760 --> 00:22:07,440 and it wouldn't be the last. 410 00:22:21,120 --> 00:22:23,280 Merhaba. Can you take me to Karabel? 411 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:25,040 (INDISTINCT DIALOGUE) 412 00:22:27,280 --> 00:22:29,160 Before I leave Izmir 413 00:22:29,160 --> 00:22:33,080 there's one more ancient thing I'd like to see. 414 00:22:33,080 --> 00:22:34,960 This time it's not Greek. 415 00:22:36,080 --> 00:22:38,600 So, we're headed out of the city, out of Izmir. 416 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:41,400 I think it's going to be about a 40-minute drive 417 00:22:41,400 --> 00:22:44,960 up into the hills, up to this pass 418 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:48,840 where there's some very, very ancient rock art. 419 00:22:48,840 --> 00:22:50,520 And it's really busy. 420 00:22:50,520 --> 00:22:52,160 But this isn't a new thing. 421 00:22:52,160 --> 00:22:55,200 This city's been busy for thousands of years. 422 00:22:59,120 --> 00:23:01,480 In the 5th century BCE 423 00:23:01,480 --> 00:23:03,960 Herodotus, the Ancient Greek historian, 424 00:23:03,960 --> 00:23:06,080 wrote his Histories, 425 00:23:06,080 --> 00:23:11,160 and in them he said that on the road from Smyrna to Sardis inland 426 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:14,120 there was a figure of a man cut in the rock 427 00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:19,520 holding in his right hand a spear and in his left are bow and arrows. 428 00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:22,800 And he also said that there was an inscription on it 429 00:23:22,800 --> 00:23:26,280 in Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. 430 00:23:26,280 --> 00:23:27,920 So hidden! 431 00:23:35,160 --> 00:23:37,360 I need to see this for myself, 432 00:23:37,360 --> 00:23:38,800 if I can find it. 433 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:50,160 Doesn't feel like many tourists come up here. 434 00:24:11,880 --> 00:24:13,080 Oh, dear. 435 00:24:13,080 --> 00:24:16,000 You know, my first thoughts on seeing this 436 00:24:16,000 --> 00:24:19,520 are that I'm just gutted, I'm absolutely devastated, 437 00:24:19,520 --> 00:24:22,160 because this is a rock carving 438 00:24:22,160 --> 00:24:26,760 that has survived more than 3,000 years, 439 00:24:26,760 --> 00:24:30,120 and it just the last few years 440 00:24:30,120 --> 00:24:32,360 it's been hacked away. 441 00:24:32,360 --> 00:24:35,040 So, we can see this figure. We can see his head, his arms. 442 00:24:35,040 --> 00:24:36,920 He's holding a spear. 443 00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:39,800 He's got a bow and arrow as well. 444 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:42,320 And his knees... 445 00:24:42,320 --> 00:24:45,080 From the knees down, basically, it's all been hacked away. 446 00:24:45,080 --> 00:24:47,640 And, yeah, that's really, really recent damage. 447 00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:49,160 It's so sad. 448 00:24:51,640 --> 00:24:54,160 Although there's less of it to see today, 449 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:59,200 it seems likely that this IS the rock carving mentioned by Herodotus, 450 00:24:59,200 --> 00:25:02,920 which he thought depicted an Egyptian conqueror 451 00:25:02,920 --> 00:25:05,080 because of these hieroglyphics. 452 00:25:07,600 --> 00:25:09,400 But it's not an Egyptian pharaoh. 453 00:25:09,400 --> 00:25:11,360 It's a local king. 454 00:25:11,360 --> 00:25:15,440 And those hieroglyphics have now been decoded, they've been read. 455 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:20,000 They're written in a local Anatolian language, Luwian, 456 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:23,040 and they commemorate this king, 457 00:25:23,040 --> 00:25:26,240 whose name was Tarkasnawa. 458 00:25:26,240 --> 00:25:29,880 He was king of this Kingdom of Mira, 459 00:25:29,880 --> 00:25:33,800 part of the bigger Hittite Empire 460 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:35,880 in the Late Bronze Age. 461 00:25:35,880 --> 00:25:41,240 The carving is thought to date from the 13th century BCE. 462 00:25:41,240 --> 00:25:45,240 It was already very ancient when Herodotus wrote about it. 463 00:25:50,520 --> 00:25:54,000 (AMBIENT MUSIC PLAYS) 464 00:25:54,000 --> 00:25:55,640 ALICE ROBERTS: As night falls 465 00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:59,520 I'm back on the train for the next leg of my journey 466 00:25:59,520 --> 00:26:01,440 to visit a Greek city 467 00:26:01,440 --> 00:26:04,440 that spearheaded an intellectual revolution. 468 00:26:06,320 --> 00:26:08,080 Next stop is Bergama, 469 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:11,560 or, as it was known in ancient times, Pergamon. 470 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:16,000 And I'm particularly excited about visiting ancient Pergamon 471 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:19,880 because it was a renowned centre of learning. 472 00:26:19,880 --> 00:26:24,080 Its library was second only to the one at Alexandria, 473 00:26:24,080 --> 00:26:27,200 bigger than the library at Ephesus. 474 00:26:27,200 --> 00:26:30,000 And it was particularly well-known for medicine. 475 00:26:30,000 --> 00:26:31,520 I'm really interested to go there 476 00:26:31,520 --> 00:26:35,080 because it was the birthplace of Galen. 477 00:26:35,080 --> 00:26:38,280 He was a famous, famous physician. 478 00:26:38,280 --> 00:26:41,040 He started his career in Pergamon. 479 00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:43,240 He was learning medicine at the Asclepeion, 480 00:26:43,240 --> 00:26:45,120 the temple of healing there, 481 00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:47,680 and later on he would become doctor 482 00:26:47,680 --> 00:26:50,560 to the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius. 483 00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:56,800 Bergama, or, as the Ancient Greeks knew it, Pergamon, 484 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:00,160 is 60 miles north of Izmir. 485 00:27:00,160 --> 00:27:03,680 This train will take me only as far as Soma, 486 00:27:03,680 --> 00:27:07,160 where tomorrow I'll complete my journey by taxi. 487 00:27:16,280 --> 00:27:19,520 In the second half of the first millennium BCE, 488 00:27:19,520 --> 00:27:21,560 empires came and went, 489 00:27:21,560 --> 00:27:25,240 but Pergamon was always an important city. 490 00:27:25,240 --> 00:27:27,600 It was part of the Persian Empire, 491 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:30,960 then Alexander the Great's Macedonian Empire 492 00:27:30,960 --> 00:27:35,440 and then it was the capital of the smaller Kingdom of Pergamon. 493 00:27:42,680 --> 00:27:44,640 Baby girl, it's so lovely to see you! 494 00:27:44,640 --> 00:27:46,880 Yeah! Lovely to see you too! 495 00:27:46,880 --> 00:27:48,480 Welcome! Beautiful day in a beautiful place. 496 00:27:48,480 --> 00:27:49,760 Mwah! Oh! 497 00:27:49,760 --> 00:27:51,440 Welcome. Upstairs. 498 00:27:51,440 --> 00:27:54,320 A cable car up to an acropolis. This is just fantastic! 499 00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:55,880 Yes. Oh, my goodness! 500 00:27:55,880 --> 00:28:00,240 I'm taking a cable car with my historian friend Begum. 501 00:28:01,600 --> 00:28:04,040 A thousand feet up to reach the acropolis 502 00:28:04,040 --> 00:28:06,680 on top of this impressive hill. 503 00:28:08,920 --> 00:28:12,400 'Acropolis' means, quite simply, 'high city'. 504 00:28:13,440 --> 00:28:14,440 Oh, this is lovely. 505 00:28:14,440 --> 00:28:16,880 Look - we're about to emerge into an olive grove. 506 00:28:18,800 --> 00:28:23,080 And I can see the ancient stones of Bergama at the top of the hill. 507 00:28:24,120 --> 00:28:26,600 Or, as I should say, Pergamon. 508 00:28:28,680 --> 00:28:32,400 Oh, look - there's some archaeology poking up. Poking out up there. 509 00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,680 Here is called Kale Hill. 510 00:28:34,680 --> 00:28:36,040 What does that mean? 511 00:28:36,040 --> 00:28:37,560 'Kale' means 'castle'. 512 00:28:37,560 --> 00:28:38,840 Castle Hill. Right. 513 00:28:38,840 --> 00:28:40,240 OK, so, this is what we're looking at then, 514 00:28:40,240 --> 00:28:41,880 the walls of the castle there. Castle Hill. 515 00:28:41,880 --> 00:28:43,840 If you translate it. Yeah. Yeah. 516 00:28:43,840 --> 00:28:46,120 With A couple of these towers here. Mm-hm. 517 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:48,520 And cattle grazing around them. 518 00:28:53,080 --> 00:28:55,120 Oh, look, we're here! We're here, we're here! 519 00:28:55,120 --> 00:28:57,320 After you, Begum. Here. 520 00:28:59,480 --> 00:29:00,440 Ooh! 521 00:29:02,440 --> 00:29:04,480 From the 3rd century BCE 522 00:29:04,480 --> 00:29:06,160 Pergamon was the royal seat 523 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:10,000 of the Greek king Attalus and his descendants, 524 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:12,800 and an important cultural centre. 525 00:29:14,400 --> 00:29:15,920 Like many Greek cities, 526 00:29:15,920 --> 00:29:18,440 it had a citadel or acropolis 527 00:29:18,440 --> 00:29:21,000 where magnificent temples were constructed 528 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:24,560 dedicated to Athena, goddess of wisdom and warfare, 529 00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:27,400 and Dionysus, the Greek god of wine, 530 00:29:27,400 --> 00:29:31,640 as well as a colossal altar to Zeus. 531 00:29:31,640 --> 00:29:36,160 The Romans, when they arrived, added a temple to the emperor Trajan. 532 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:38,880 And down below 533 00:29:38,880 --> 00:29:42,480 there's more architecture hugging the steep hillside. 534 00:29:42,480 --> 00:29:44,720 We are now in the theatre. 535 00:29:44,720 --> 00:29:47,280 Oh, my goodness, it's just there! 536 00:29:47,280 --> 00:29:50,920 The spectacular Pergamon Theatre. 537 00:29:50,920 --> 00:29:53,080 Look at that. It's incredibly steep. 538 00:29:53,080 --> 00:29:54,560 Oh, my goodness! 539 00:29:54,560 --> 00:29:55,960 (WIND WHOOSHES) 540 00:29:55,960 --> 00:29:59,160 The wind is whistling up the steep side of the acropolis. 541 00:30:00,200 --> 00:30:04,040 And then fitted onto the side of the hill here we've got that theatre. 542 00:30:04,040 --> 00:30:05,480 It's so steep! 543 00:30:05,480 --> 00:30:06,960 Very steep. 544 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:09,240 One of the steepest in the ancient world. 545 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:10,360 Is it really? Yes. 546 00:30:10,360 --> 00:30:12,120 Yeah, I can believe that. 547 00:30:12,120 --> 00:30:14,680 You'd be worried, wouldn't you, if you were sitting up here at the top, 548 00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:17,920 that you'd just end up tumbling all the way down to the stage? 549 00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:22,960 The theatre is 36 metres tall, 550 00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:27,520 and with 78 rows of seats it could hold 10,000 people. 551 00:30:32,200 --> 00:30:34,760 Pergamon's rulers were patrons of culture. 552 00:30:34,760 --> 00:30:36,640 As well as that vast theatre 553 00:30:36,640 --> 00:30:38,520 they built a huge library, 554 00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:41,560 transforming the city into a centre of learning. 555 00:30:45,160 --> 00:30:47,040 This is in the second place 556 00:30:47,040 --> 00:30:49,640 one of the largest in the ancient world. 557 00:30:49,640 --> 00:30:51,320 The second-largest library in the world. 558 00:30:51,320 --> 00:30:52,920 Mm-hm. 559 00:30:52,920 --> 00:30:55,480 And it's believed 560 00:30:55,480 --> 00:31:01,520 that Marcus Antonius gave 200,000 scrolls to Cleopatra... 561 00:31:01,520 --> 00:31:03,200 Yeah. ..as a sign, as a symbol... 562 00:31:03,200 --> 00:31:06,640 From here? From here, as a symbol for his love. 563 00:31:06,640 --> 00:31:08,320 What an incredible gift. Yeah. Yeah. 564 00:31:08,320 --> 00:31:10,520 200,000 scrolls. 200,000 books. 565 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:11,720 Yes. Yeah. 566 00:31:11,720 --> 00:31:14,720 I'm sure Cleopatra read all of them. 567 00:31:14,720 --> 00:31:15,760 (BOTH LAUGH) 568 00:31:16,800 --> 00:31:18,280 In antiquity 569 00:31:18,280 --> 00:31:20,120 the literature in these libraries 570 00:31:20,120 --> 00:31:22,880 would have been handwritten on long scrolls 571 00:31:22,880 --> 00:31:27,720 made of either paper-like papyrus or parchment. 572 00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:30,440 Now, tell me about parchment 573 00:31:30,440 --> 00:31:32,680 'cause there's a really interesting 574 00:31:32,680 --> 00:31:33,720 story here. Yes. 575 00:31:33,720 --> 00:31:36,960 I think the word is very familiar. 576 00:31:36,960 --> 00:31:40,520 I mean, 'parchment', 'Pergamon,' 'Pergamum' in Latin - 577 00:31:40,520 --> 00:31:42,120 they are all connected, 578 00:31:42,120 --> 00:31:45,360 so, it's believed that parchment is invented here, 579 00:31:45,360 --> 00:31:46,840 and, the Pergamons, 580 00:31:46,840 --> 00:31:50,840 they were the one who first used the parchments. 581 00:31:50,840 --> 00:31:53,080 Nice! Yeah! So, yeah, here is... 582 00:31:53,080 --> 00:31:54,240 That's extraordinary. 583 00:31:54,240 --> 00:31:55,680 I didn't know that. Mm-hm. 584 00:31:55,680 --> 00:31:57,880 I mean, I'm obviously familiar with the word 'parchment', 585 00:31:57,880 --> 00:32:00,200 and that is animal skin... 586 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,400 Oh, yes. Made from animal skin. Yes. ..that's been prepared 587 00:32:02,400 --> 00:32:04,400 so that you can write on it. Uh-huh. 588 00:32:04,400 --> 00:32:07,520 But it actually derives from 'Pergamon'. 589 00:32:07,520 --> 00:32:09,240 'Parchment' - 'Pergamon'. Yes. Yes. 590 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:13,440 Here is one of the very thriving producer of parchment 591 00:32:13,440 --> 00:32:15,000 to the other kingdoms... Yeah. 592 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:16,320 Yeah. ..of the Hellenistic world. 593 00:32:16,320 --> 00:32:18,760 I didn't know that. I didn't know that's where the word came from. 594 00:32:18,760 --> 00:32:20,160 Yes. Yes. That's absolutely brilliant. 595 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:22,600 And it's connected with the second biggest library in the ancient world. 596 00:32:22,600 --> 00:32:23,680 It makes sense. Yes. 597 00:32:23,680 --> 00:32:25,040 Exactly. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. 598 00:32:25,040 --> 00:32:27,680 And we'd have been standing right in front of it just here. 599 00:32:27,680 --> 00:32:30,880 There's an incredible collection of monuments up here, 600 00:32:30,880 --> 00:32:33,880 but there's one more I just can't wait to see - 601 00:32:33,880 --> 00:32:36,000 the Asclepeion, 602 00:32:36,000 --> 00:32:40,480 a temple dedicated to Asclepius, the god of healing. 603 00:32:40,480 --> 00:32:43,440 But, in fact, this was more than just a temple. 604 00:32:43,440 --> 00:32:46,320 It was a hospital and a medical school. 605 00:32:47,360 --> 00:32:50,760 And it was here that one of the most famous doctors in history 606 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:52,240 began his career. 607 00:32:57,320 --> 00:32:59,360 This is where I really wanted to come 608 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:03,120 because I'm a doctor originally and an anatomist, 609 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:07,240 and Galen's such... such an important figure 610 00:33:07,240 --> 00:33:08,720 in the history of medicine. 611 00:33:08,720 --> 00:33:11,440 Yes. He is the father of modern medicine. 612 00:33:11,440 --> 00:33:15,120 He is, yeah. And this is... I mean, this is where he was born 613 00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:16,840 and this is where he studied, isn't it? 614 00:33:16,840 --> 00:33:18,320 Yes. 615 00:33:18,320 --> 00:33:19,920 Oh, it's beautiful. 616 00:33:21,360 --> 00:33:24,920 Claudius Galenus, or Galen, as we know him, 617 00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:28,560 was a Roman physician, surgeon and philosopher. 618 00:33:30,840 --> 00:33:32,320 He studied here in Pergamon, 619 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,080 but also did his own research, 620 00:33:34,080 --> 00:33:37,760 dissecting animals to help him understand the human body. 621 00:33:38,800 --> 00:33:43,560 It's incredible to think of Claudius Galenus, Galen, being here... 622 00:33:43,560 --> 00:33:46,240 Yeah, yeah, yeah. He lived here... ..and learning. 623 00:33:46,240 --> 00:33:49,480 ..yeah, he taught lectures here. 624 00:33:49,480 --> 00:33:53,280 He invented so many medical treatments. 625 00:33:53,280 --> 00:33:55,480 Yeah. And it's incredible. 626 00:33:55,480 --> 00:33:56,680 And he would have learned, you know, 627 00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:58,320 from this incredible library that they had here, 628 00:33:58,320 --> 00:34:00,120 and he went to other places as well. 629 00:34:00,120 --> 00:34:02,680 He went to Smyrna. He went to Alexandria. 630 00:34:02,680 --> 00:34:04,120 You are right. Exactly. 631 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:07,880 Great centre of learning, especially for medicine. 632 00:34:07,880 --> 00:34:09,000 But then came back. 633 00:34:09,000 --> 00:34:10,680 Came back here. Yeah. 634 00:34:10,680 --> 00:34:12,760 It's amazing. It's brilliant story. 635 00:34:12,760 --> 00:34:16,720 And his writings were just so, so influential, so powerful. 636 00:34:16,720 --> 00:34:19,520 You know, they kept on being the main medical writings 637 00:34:19,520 --> 00:34:21,720 right through into the Middle Ages. Mm-hm. 638 00:34:21,720 --> 00:34:23,480 And he... You know, he got a few things wrong, 639 00:34:23,480 --> 00:34:24,960 but there's a lot he got right. 640 00:34:24,960 --> 00:34:25,960 Yes! 641 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:28,720 You know, he thought the mind was associated with the brain, 642 00:34:28,720 --> 00:34:29,720 for instance... Mm-hm. 643 00:34:29,720 --> 00:34:32,320 ..and that was a relatively new idea at the time. 644 00:34:32,320 --> 00:34:34,040 Yes. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. 645 00:34:35,320 --> 00:34:37,120 Galen travelled widely, 646 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:39,960 visiting Smyrna and the Greek islands and mainland 647 00:34:39,960 --> 00:34:42,480 in his quest for medical learning. 648 00:34:44,440 --> 00:34:46,000 He eventually went to Rome 649 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:49,240 to become physician to the emperor Marcus Aurelius. 650 00:34:51,160 --> 00:34:55,320 And he's still remembered as a pioneer of medicine today. 651 00:35:02,760 --> 00:35:06,320 (MOODY MUSIC PLAYS) 652 00:35:14,120 --> 00:35:17,640 I'm on the last leg of my journey through ancient Turkey, 653 00:35:17,640 --> 00:35:22,680 and I'm on the trail of one of the oldest stories in the world - 654 00:35:22,680 --> 00:35:27,000 the story of the Trojan War, the Iliad as written by Homer. 655 00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,000 And I've got so many questions. 656 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:33,280 Archaeologists think they found the location of Troy. 657 00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:35,080 But how can they be sure? 658 00:35:35,080 --> 00:35:39,320 How can they connect those stones to this ancient story, 659 00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:42,400 which is more than 3,000 years old? 660 00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:44,800 And who was Homer anyway? 661 00:35:46,240 --> 00:35:49,680 At Soma I hopped onto the express train. 662 00:35:49,680 --> 00:35:52,720 I'm travelling 100 miles north to Balikisir, 663 00:35:52,720 --> 00:35:56,040 the nearest railway station to my next destination, 664 00:35:56,040 --> 00:35:59,640 a place that is shrouded in myth and legend - 665 00:35:59,640 --> 00:36:01,960 the city of Troy. 666 00:36:05,280 --> 00:36:07,600 Nobody really knows who Homer was 667 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:10,760 or indeed whether he was just one person. 668 00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:12,320 But the story of the Iliad 669 00:36:12,320 --> 00:36:15,720 is likely to have been passed on through the spoken word 670 00:36:15,720 --> 00:36:19,160 for generations before it was written down. 671 00:36:19,160 --> 00:36:22,480 It's history that has turned into myth. 672 00:36:22,480 --> 00:36:24,800 As well as kings and warriors 673 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,040 it's full of heroes, gods and goddesses. 674 00:36:29,800 --> 00:36:32,880 It's the story of a battle that kicks off 675 00:36:32,880 --> 00:36:38,440 when a Trojan prince, Paris, steals a Greek queen, the beautiful Helen. 676 00:36:39,880 --> 00:36:42,200 Then the Greeks sail across the Aegean 677 00:36:42,200 --> 00:36:45,080 to wreak their vengeance on Troy. 678 00:36:45,080 --> 00:36:47,040 Mustafa! Hello! 679 00:36:47,040 --> 00:36:49,840 Really lovely to meet you. Nice to meet you too, yes. 680 00:36:49,840 --> 00:36:51,320 Thank you very much. 681 00:36:52,520 --> 00:36:56,040 I'm with Mustafa, who grew up in the local area 682 00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:59,880 and is an expert in the ancient history of Troy. 683 00:36:59,880 --> 00:37:01,400 Two years ago 684 00:37:01,400 --> 00:37:04,200 I was in a field in England 685 00:37:04,200 --> 00:37:07,400 and we were excavating a Roman villa, 686 00:37:07,400 --> 00:37:13,160 and I was brushing the dirt away from a mosaic, 687 00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:14,880 a beautiful mosaic. 688 00:37:14,880 --> 00:37:16,800 And as the mosaic appeared... 689 00:37:17,840 --> 00:37:21,120 ..it was clear what it was depicting. 690 00:37:21,120 --> 00:37:25,560 There were two warriors facing each other in chariots. 691 00:37:25,560 --> 00:37:27,240 Then there was another panel 692 00:37:27,240 --> 00:37:29,360 where one of the warriors was dead 693 00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:33,040 and being dragged behind the second warrior's chariot. 694 00:37:33,040 --> 00:37:35,520 And then a third panel, 695 00:37:35,520 --> 00:37:40,360 where a king in a long cloak 696 00:37:40,360 --> 00:37:42,360 was begging for the body 697 00:37:42,360 --> 00:37:44,880 and paying for the body in gold. 698 00:37:44,880 --> 00:37:49,080 And we looked at the mosaic and went, "We know this story." 699 00:37:49,080 --> 00:37:50,960 Yeah, it's Troy's story. 700 00:37:50,960 --> 00:37:53,720 Achilles dragging Hector's dead body. 701 00:37:53,720 --> 00:37:55,440 Yeah. Behind his chariot. 702 00:37:55,440 --> 00:37:56,800 Yeah. 703 00:37:56,800 --> 00:37:58,320 And then later, 704 00:37:58,320 --> 00:38:02,920 Priam, his father, is paying to paying to take his son's dead body. 705 00:38:02,920 --> 00:38:05,040 Yeah. Yeah. Hector's dead body. 706 00:38:05,040 --> 00:38:07,720 Everybody knows something about Troy, you know. 707 00:38:07,720 --> 00:38:10,240 Like, kids in the Western world 708 00:38:10,240 --> 00:38:13,360 grow up with wooden-horse stories and with Troy stories. 709 00:38:13,360 --> 00:38:15,520 Yeah, yeah. Isn't that amazing? 710 00:38:15,520 --> 00:38:17,920 How far back do you think this story goes? 711 00:38:17,920 --> 00:38:20,760 I believe Trojan War was an historical fact 712 00:38:20,760 --> 00:38:24,160 which took place around 1250 BC. 713 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:25,960 So, late Bronze Age? Yeah. 714 00:38:25,960 --> 00:38:27,240 Some storytellers 715 00:38:27,240 --> 00:38:31,520 went through from one town to another and told these stories. 716 00:38:31,520 --> 00:38:32,520 Yeah. 717 00:38:32,520 --> 00:38:34,800 And Homer was one of them. 718 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:36,680 So, they're oral histories... 719 00:38:36,680 --> 00:38:38,320 Oral histories. ..and oral mythology. 720 00:38:38,320 --> 00:38:41,000 It's all history mixed up with myth, isn't it? Exactly. Yes, yeah. 721 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:43,920 So, there's good reason to believe that this is Troy? 722 00:38:43,920 --> 00:38:45,920 No doubt. Yeah. 723 00:38:45,920 --> 00:38:48,760 I mean, I was born here... 724 00:38:50,080 --> 00:38:51,800 ..and when I was a child 725 00:38:51,800 --> 00:38:53,320 Troy was my playground, 726 00:38:53,320 --> 00:38:56,760 and I know the topography very well. 727 00:38:56,760 --> 00:38:59,280 Especially when I was reading the Iliad, 728 00:38:59,280 --> 00:39:03,000 I could easily imagine that, "Now they are here, now they are there." 729 00:39:03,000 --> 00:39:06,840 So, it fits very well with the descriptions in there. 730 00:39:06,840 --> 00:39:09,920 Like Mt Ida this way, for example. 731 00:39:09,920 --> 00:39:11,840 Island of Tenedos there. 732 00:39:11,840 --> 00:39:13,880 Imbros there. Dardanelles there. 733 00:39:13,880 --> 00:39:16,240 Rivers there, you know, wind there. 734 00:39:16,240 --> 00:39:17,360 Everything fits. 735 00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:19,440 And then 2,000 years ago 736 00:39:19,440 --> 00:39:23,920 the Romans also believed that they were founding a city 737 00:39:23,920 --> 00:39:25,640 on the site of Troy. 738 00:39:25,640 --> 00:39:27,120 Exactly. They called it New Troy. 739 00:39:27,120 --> 00:39:29,520 The traditions continued. Mm. 740 00:39:29,520 --> 00:39:32,160 I mean, you don't need to be an archaeologist. 741 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:34,880 I mean, Romans already knew that this was Troy here. 742 00:39:34,880 --> 00:39:38,200 Yeah. The local people knew all about it. 743 00:39:38,200 --> 00:39:39,960 I have no doubt. 744 00:39:41,080 --> 00:39:43,120 Can we have a look at your book? Yes. 745 00:39:43,120 --> 00:39:44,920 Before we go and look at Troy itself. 746 00:39:44,920 --> 00:39:46,240 Yeah. Of course. 747 00:39:47,280 --> 00:39:48,440 OK. 748 00:39:50,520 --> 00:39:53,120 A reconstruction, how it looked like once, you know. 749 00:39:53,120 --> 00:39:55,240 Yeah. During the time of the Trojan War. 750 00:39:55,240 --> 00:39:56,760 That was the acropolis. 751 00:39:57,800 --> 00:39:58,800 OK. 752 00:40:00,360 --> 00:40:01,960 The plan of Troy. 753 00:40:01,960 --> 00:40:04,120 That gives you a good impression of all the different layers... 754 00:40:04,120 --> 00:40:06,040 Exactly, yes. ..of archaeology. 755 00:40:06,040 --> 00:40:07,800 It's confusing, actually. 756 00:40:07,800 --> 00:40:11,520 I mean, this is the bottom level, for example - Troy 1, the smallest, 757 00:40:11,520 --> 00:40:13,440 and the larger one, Troy 2. 758 00:40:13,440 --> 00:40:17,000 But that's the Homeric one. The pink one is the Homeric period. 759 00:40:17,000 --> 00:40:20,920 As soon as you go into the site, you know, 760 00:40:20,920 --> 00:40:22,760 you used to see that wooden horse, 761 00:40:22,760 --> 00:40:23,760 you know. Oh, Yeah! 762 00:40:23,760 --> 00:40:26,880 Which is not there anymore. 763 00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:28,720 But we don't know anything about the wooden horse. 764 00:40:28,720 --> 00:40:30,040 No, exactly. We don't know 765 00:40:30,040 --> 00:40:32,360 whether there was a horse or not. We don't know if it was real. No. 766 00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:34,760 There are different theories about the wooden horse. 767 00:40:34,760 --> 00:40:36,960 Yeah. I mean, one of them, for example... 768 00:40:36,960 --> 00:40:39,880 All you can reasonably say is beware of Greeks bearing gifts. 769 00:40:39,880 --> 00:40:40,880 Bearing gifts. Yeah. 770 00:40:40,880 --> 00:40:44,040 'Timeo Danaos et dona ferentes' in Latin. 771 00:40:44,040 --> 00:40:45,800 Yeah. (BOTH LAUGH) 772 00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:46,800 Oh, yeah. 773 00:40:46,800 --> 00:40:48,160 I think we should go and have a look round. 774 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:49,960 Don't you? OK. Right. OK. 775 00:40:49,960 --> 00:40:51,440 Have you got a raincoat or an umbrella? 776 00:40:51,440 --> 00:40:53,160 I will have one. 777 00:40:54,920 --> 00:40:56,800 In the 19th century 778 00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:59,720 Heinrich Schliemann, a wealthy German businessman, 779 00:40:59,720 --> 00:41:03,000 was determined to find the lost city of Troy. 780 00:41:04,160 --> 00:41:07,360 Whilst many scholars believed Troy was just a myth, 781 00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:10,000 Schliemann was convinced it was true. 782 00:41:12,520 --> 00:41:15,600 In 1868 he arrived in Turkey, 783 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:17,960 where an Englishman called Frank Calvert 784 00:41:17,960 --> 00:41:21,840 had already started to excavate at the site of Hisarlik Hill... 785 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,600 ..and Schliemann continued the excavations, 786 00:41:26,600 --> 00:41:30,800 eventually uncovering a whole ancient city. 787 00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:35,720 (ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC PLAYS) 788 00:41:42,080 --> 00:41:46,960 Yeah, we're going to start our tour from the monumental city walls. 789 00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:49,880 So, these are the acropolis walls. 790 00:41:49,880 --> 00:41:52,160 We are already inside of the lower town 791 00:41:52,160 --> 00:41:53,960 but outside of the acropolis. 792 00:41:53,960 --> 00:41:54,920 Yeah. 793 00:41:56,360 --> 00:41:58,000 So, as we come up here, 794 00:41:58,000 --> 00:42:00,880 you start to appreciate that this really is an acropolis. 795 00:42:00,880 --> 00:42:04,560 It really is dominating the landscape all around. 796 00:42:06,920 --> 00:42:08,680 During the time of the Trojan War 797 00:42:08,680 --> 00:42:10,320 it was just like that. 798 00:42:10,320 --> 00:42:15,160 Topography was like...as you see, it was described in the Iliad. 799 00:42:15,160 --> 00:42:16,960 So, the battle would have taken place down there. 800 00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:20,120 Exactly. That's the battlefield in front of us there. 801 00:42:20,120 --> 00:42:23,480 Imagine the Greeks attacking from the Dardanelles, 802 00:42:23,480 --> 00:42:26,880 Trojans on a commanding spot could easily see them coming, you know. 803 00:42:26,880 --> 00:42:30,520 Sometimes the Trojans push them all the way to their boats. 804 00:42:30,520 --> 00:42:35,240 Sometimes Greeks push them all inside of the city walls, you know. 805 00:42:35,240 --> 00:42:37,040 They'd have seen the ships coming. Yeah. 806 00:42:37,040 --> 00:42:41,040 Imagine, I mean, thousands of ships, you know, coming here. 807 00:42:41,040 --> 00:42:44,360 That's what the Iliad describes. 808 00:42:46,000 --> 00:42:49,320 And the Greeks and the Trojans fought for Helen. 809 00:42:49,320 --> 00:42:51,680 What do you think about that? 810 00:42:51,680 --> 00:42:54,760 Do you think they fought for a beautiful woman? 811 00:42:54,760 --> 00:42:56,520 No, I think they fought for THAT. 812 00:42:56,520 --> 00:43:00,360 For that access between the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. 813 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:02,080 Yeah. Yes. It's a magical location. 814 00:43:02,080 --> 00:43:04,440 Yeah, yeah. All economical reasons. 815 00:43:04,440 --> 00:43:05,480 Yeah. 816 00:43:05,480 --> 00:43:09,080 But, actually, cause of the war was a beautiful woman, you know. 817 00:43:09,080 --> 00:43:10,720 But what you need is an excuse, you know. 818 00:43:10,720 --> 00:43:11,720 Yeah. 819 00:43:11,720 --> 00:43:13,480 I think Helen was a beautiful excuse. 820 00:43:13,480 --> 00:43:14,480 Yeah. 821 00:43:14,480 --> 00:43:16,920 But it's beautiful story. It's a great story. 822 00:43:16,920 --> 00:43:19,160 Never let the truth in the way of a good story. 823 00:43:19,160 --> 00:43:21,440 (LAUGHS) And I love this story. (LAUGHS) 824 00:43:21,440 --> 00:43:23,360 And it's persisted all these centuries. 825 00:43:23,360 --> 00:43:25,240 (LAUGHS) Yes! Yeah, yeah. 826 00:43:30,200 --> 00:43:32,920 So, when Schliemann found this impressive gateway, 827 00:43:32,920 --> 00:43:35,720 he said this was the famous Scaean Gate. 828 00:43:35,720 --> 00:43:40,760 Achilles-Hector duel took place just outside of that gate, Scaean Gate, 829 00:43:40,760 --> 00:43:43,240 between the city walls and the river Scamander. 830 00:43:43,240 --> 00:43:44,240 Yeah, yeah. 831 00:43:44,240 --> 00:43:47,600 Just imagine that took place just in front of us there. 832 00:43:47,600 --> 00:43:49,880 And when I was a child, you know, 833 00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:52,680 I was around here. 834 00:43:52,680 --> 00:43:55,160 So, when I started reading the Iliad, 835 00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:57,960 I said, "Oh, that event took place just in front of us there." 836 00:43:57,960 --> 00:44:01,720 So, I could easily visualise it. I can imagine it. 837 00:44:01,720 --> 00:44:04,240 Yeah, yeah. It's a true story, I think. 838 00:44:04,240 --> 00:44:06,680 You think it's true? Yeah. It's not a legend. 839 00:44:06,680 --> 00:44:08,680 Yeah. Yeah. It's a true story. 840 00:44:08,680 --> 00:44:11,200 I mean, what we have seen - only 10%. 841 00:44:11,200 --> 00:44:12,720 90% is still there. 842 00:44:12,720 --> 00:44:15,800 There's a lot to do for the icons. Yeah, yeah. 843 00:44:15,800 --> 00:44:17,280 Especially in the lower town. 844 00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:19,920 Yeah, especially in the lower town. Yeah. Yeah. 845 00:44:19,920 --> 00:44:21,600 I hope they discover new things 846 00:44:21,600 --> 00:44:24,880 and I hope we tell different stories. 847 00:44:24,880 --> 00:44:26,320 The story is still emerging. Yes. 848 00:44:26,320 --> 00:44:27,920 Yeah. Yes. 849 00:44:27,920 --> 00:44:29,480 OK. 850 00:44:29,480 --> 00:44:31,440 Thank you so much. 851 00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:34,720 No, it was very special to be shown around Troy by a Trojan. 852 00:44:34,720 --> 00:44:35,680 (CHUCKLES) 853 00:44:40,600 --> 00:44:43,880 I'm at the end of my adventure, my odyssey, 854 00:44:43,880 --> 00:44:46,320 and I've learned and seen so much. 855 00:44:46,320 --> 00:44:47,440 Wow! 856 00:44:48,480 --> 00:44:50,160 That's incredible. 857 00:44:50,160 --> 00:44:55,720 The Ancient Greeks gave us philosophy, science, medicine, art, 858 00:44:55,720 --> 00:44:58,080 theatre and democracy. 859 00:44:58,080 --> 00:45:02,040 (VIBRANT MUSIC PLAYS) 860 00:45:05,080 --> 00:45:06,200 (GASPS) 861 00:45:06,200 --> 00:45:07,720 There's violence in there. Yes! 862 00:45:07,720 --> 00:45:10,680 And yet at times it was brutal, 863 00:45:10,680 --> 00:45:14,520 with Greeks battling it out with Persians, Romans 864 00:45:14,520 --> 00:45:16,040 and between themselves 865 00:45:16,040 --> 00:45:19,240 on land and at sea. 866 00:45:19,240 --> 00:45:23,080 And yet at Delphi they worked out a way of coming together, 867 00:45:23,080 --> 00:45:26,440 high politics happening alongside festivities 868 00:45:26,440 --> 00:45:28,720 and a sporting competition. 869 00:45:28,720 --> 00:45:34,840 Ancient Greek civilisation flowered in the first millennium BCE, 870 00:45:34,840 --> 00:45:39,360 with its ideas flowing on into the Roman period and beyond, 871 00:45:39,360 --> 00:45:42,880 a culture born out of the connections offered 872 00:45:42,880 --> 00:45:45,640 by the Aegean and the Mediterranean. 873 00:45:45,640 --> 00:45:46,640 May I pick that up? 874 00:45:46,640 --> 00:45:49,040 And I'll treasure the connections I've made, 875 00:45:49,040 --> 00:45:53,280 all the wonderful people who've shared their research, their stories 876 00:45:53,280 --> 00:45:56,040 and their passion for Ancient Greece. 877 00:45:56,040 --> 00:45:58,200 Archaeology, history AND mythology. 878 00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:00,280 It's all coming together. Yes. Yes. Of course. 879 00:46:00,280 --> 00:46:03,240 (THEME MUSIC PLAYS) 880 00:46:24,280 --> 00:46:26,240 Captions by Red Bee Media (c) SBS Australia 2025