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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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- [Narrator] The Sumerians were noted

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for their worship of many gods.

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[calm music]

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Among them was Enki,

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a god known for being the patron
deity of the city of Eridu.

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Enki is depicted in many
pieces of Sumerian art

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and literature, including
the Babylonian creation epic,

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the "Enuma Elish," "The Epic
of Gilgamesh," and others.

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Due to his prominence in such works,

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it's fair to assume he played a large role

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in Sumerian culture.

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Much about Enki remains
shrouded in mystery

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and begs further exploration.

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Enki, a god known for his inherent worth,

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represented healing, fertility,

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and creation in Sumerian culture.

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His intelligent magic
often included trickery

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to benefit the good of the human race.

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Son of a sky god, Enki was
thought to reign over the earth

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and high heavens as a leader

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of the Anunna gods in Sumeria.

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It is believed that Enki inhabited

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the Earth nearly 400,000 years ago.

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Enki was known by a variety of names,

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including Enkig, Ea, Nissiku,

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and Nudimmund.

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The names come with a
variety of translations such

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as prince, lord of the earth,

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and creator, gift of
fertility and creation.

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In Sumerian culture,

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Enki is heavily connected

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to the concepts of fertility and creation.

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This is often represented by water.

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Ancient images of Enki show rivers flowing

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from his masculine shoulders.

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The rivers depicted are
thought to be the Euphrates

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and Tigris rivers that
flow through Mesopotamia

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and signify his gift of
fertility to the land.

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According to legend,

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the rivers were formed from his semen,

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which further supports his ties
to the concept of fertility.

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In addition, other symbols associated

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with Enki are the goat and the fish,

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which also signify
fertility or fertileness.

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One Sumerian lore depicts
Enki as the founder of Eridu,

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possibly Mesopotamia's first city,

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thus establishing the
beginning of life on earth.

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The spiritual site of
Eridu has been compared

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to the Judeo-Christian
concept of the Garden of Eden.

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The intelligent yet
mischievous Enki suggested

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the gods create other beings
to mine the gold for them.

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The Anunnaki were thought to
be clone masters who sought

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to clone lesser beings
such as the human race

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to do their work.

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Control of human beings is still thought

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to be happening under Anunnaki gods today.

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Although Enki contributed
to the concept of cloning,

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which could be considered
manipulation of the human race,

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he was well intended

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and provided humans
with information on how

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to restore balance to the Earth

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after devastating droughts and famine.

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Enki had a substantial cosmic family line.

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His immediate family
included a father figure,

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mother, brother, wife, and four sons.

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An additional eight children
were born later as mentioned

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in a folk tale.

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The names and relations

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of Enki's family members vary
throughout ancient texts.

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Enki was a very powerful god

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and had the assistance of
mythical beings at his service.

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Legends describe an
assortment of creatures such

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as mermaids, giants,

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and even demons that aided
Enki in his earthly endeavors.

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Also, he could call upon both destructive

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and caring existences
and keep favored humanity

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and social justice.

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He was known for his intelligence, wisdom,

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and gift for divine arts and crafts.

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Enki's knowledge of rituals
included exorcism as well

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as healing prayers and chants.

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An important figure in
mythological history,

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Enki remains one of the
greatest Sumerian legends

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and one of the most complex Sumerian gods.

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As such, one can spend a
significant amount of time delving

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into the history and mystery of Enki.

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Continue to explore this
fascinating mythical being

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on your own and enjoy the journey.

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[epic music]

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A discovery comes along that
challenges those theories.

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[mysterious music]

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We can thank the late great
journalist George Plimpton

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for one artifact

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that has recently
challenged that narrative,

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potentially setting back
the history of mathematics

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and casting a new light on
the ever-intriguing culture

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of the ancient Babylonians.

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The artifact known as Plimpton 322 is

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a cuneiform tablet that

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was purchased almost a century ago

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from the real-life Indiana Jones

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and could potentially prove that

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the ancient Babylonians
were the first civilization

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to understand trigonometry.

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Cuneiform tablets.

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Pythagoras is thought
to have been the first

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to understand that the area of the square

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of the hypotenuse of a
right-angle triangle is equal

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to the sum of the areas of the squares

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of its other two sides, aka
the Pythagorean theorem,

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but it's not necessarily well documented

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that Pythagoras actually
conceptualized this equation,

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nor are there any other of
his mathematical achievements.

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Pythagoras ran a school
that was shrouded in mystery

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and secrecy with a cabalistic
take on math and numbers.

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Some believe it is possible

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that his students may
have been responsible

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for his supposed
achievements in mathematics,

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but due to either reverence or fear,

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gave credit to Pythagoras.

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Interpretations and documentation
from the time are scarce

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as knowledge was typically
spread by word of mouth.

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At the same time,

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Pythagoras's school was
almost cult-like with stories

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of members being murdered

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for not maintaining the
school's secrecy and learnings.

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The ancient Babylonians,
on the other hand,

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used cuneiform tablets to record much

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of their intellectual work with thousands

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of tablets having been
recovered to this day.

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Many of them were excavated
in the early 1900s

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and sold to museums or collectors,

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but some of the implications
of their carvings

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are challenging what
archeologists have believed

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about ancient history.

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One of these tablets was
purchased by George Plimpton

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for a mere $10 in 1922

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and has been the center of a heated debate

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between archeologists.

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The new theory pairs the
findings from Plimpton 322

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with another tablet known as YBC 7289

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and posits that Babylonian
mathematics included trigonometry

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predating the Greeks by 1,000 years.

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These ancient Babylonians
used a base-60 system

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of mathematics rather than

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the base-10 system that we use today.

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While we have all assumed
Pythagoras to be the first

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to postulate his eponymous theory,

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Hipparchus is generally known

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to be the Greek father of trigonometry

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and the first to produce a
trigonometric table known

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as the table of chords.

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Hipparchus's work required
a knowledge of trigonometry

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for measuring astronomical distances,

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but much of the basis for his work came

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from Babylonian mathematics
using the base-60 system.

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Also, few details are known specifically

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about his life despite being
credited with the discovery

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of a large field of mathematics.

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The base-60 system allowed the Babylonians

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to make trigonometric
calculations in terms

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of ratios rather than angles.

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What is so fascinating

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about this discovery is that it brings

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a subjective interpretation
to mathematics,

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which may seem counterintuitive,

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but the ancient Babylonian system

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of trigonometry shows
that they were capable

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of achieving similar results using

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a different mathematical perspective.

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Part of their base-60

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or sexagesimal system
is even retained today

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in certain elements of our lives.

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[epic music]

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[mysterious music]

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Long before the sprawling city streets

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of Mexico City stood another city,

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one almost lost in the mists of time,

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if not for the efforts of
some amazing archeologists

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and a little luck.

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Under the streets

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of this Latin American
city is another city that

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was once called Tenochtitlan,

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found underneath the now historical sector

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of modern Mexico City.

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Although its initial construction
would look nothing like

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what we see today.

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Instead, the present
Mexico City has been built

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on a dry lake bed,

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previously known as Lake Texcoco

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and the former Tenochtitlan
had its foundations built

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on an island by the
once great Aztec empire.

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The great city was expanded

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and added to over the centuries
until its ultimate fall

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at the hands of the invading
Spanish in the 15th century.

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Before its downfall, it
was a true marvel to behold

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and was one of the largest cities

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in the pre-Columbian Americas.

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Bernal Diaz del Castillo

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in his "Conquest of New Spain" offers us

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some insights into the surprise

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of the conquerors as
they approached the city.

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"When we saw so many cities

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and villages built in the water

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and other great towns on
dry land, we were amazed

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and said that it was like
the enchantments on account

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of the great towers and cues

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and buildings rising from the water,

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and all built of masonry.

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And some of our soldiers
even asked whether

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the things that we saw were not a dream.

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I do not know how to describe it,

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seeing things as we did
that had never been heard

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or seen of before, not
even dreamed about."

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[enigmatic music]

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The great city was founded in 1325 AD

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and unlike most of the
civilizations around the world,

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great cultures need a secure cornerstone

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of religious underpinnings to bring order

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and control to the masses.

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The Mexica was founded the city

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and ruled over the Aztec empire.

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However, there are
suggestions that they were

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a harsh civilization and plenty

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of evidence that shows they
possessed a cruel streak.

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The religion was based

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on an ancient prophecy that recognized

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the early tribal cultures
of Central America

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and noted that they would find peace

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in a great city whose sight
would be signaled to them

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in the form of a great
eagle that held a snake

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in its mouth resting on top of a cactus.

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Interestingly, the Mexica
concluded that the answer

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to this prophecy was found
on an island in Lake Texcoco,

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fulfilling their belief

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and creating a foundation
to build the great city

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and open it to not only their people

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but also to their gods.

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During excavations of
Tenochtitlan in 2006,

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archeologists uncovered a
massive stone tablet dedicated

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to one of their gods called Tlaltecuhtli.

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They're calling it the
largest Aztec idol ever found,

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and it seems a title
well deserved weighing

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at 12 and 1/2 tons.

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A spectacular statue of that size

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with almost perfect detail
should be fascinating enough,

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but it seems it's even more intriguing

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because some were speculating

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this structure may have been a door

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to a hidden chamber.

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The monolith of Tlaltecuhtli

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was excavated within close
proximity to the Templo Mayor,

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which was actually discovered by accident

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as workers uncovered a corner

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of the great monolith while sweeping some

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of the temple steps.

261
00:12:15,720 --> 00:12:18,090
Templo Mayor was the main temple

262
00:12:18,090 --> 00:12:21,570
and was used by the Aztecs
for ceremonial purposes.

263
00:12:21,570 --> 00:12:25,500
Unfortunately, this was
primarily human sacrifice.

264
00:12:25,500 --> 00:12:29,130
Archeologists have reported
that in one ceremony alone,

265
00:12:29,130 --> 00:12:32,703
thousands of victims
were sacrificed in 1487.

266
00:12:33,630 --> 00:12:36,600
Tlaltecuhtli, the Earth God goddess was

267
00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:40,770
a Mesoamerican earth goddess
associated with fertility.

268
00:12:40,770 --> 00:12:42,720
As she was seen as their source of life,

269
00:12:42,720 --> 00:12:44,430
the Aztecs sought necessary

270
00:12:44,430 --> 00:12:48,030
to constantly please their
goddess with blood sacrifices,

271
00:12:48,030 --> 00:12:50,520
especially human hearts.

272
00:12:50,520 --> 00:12:53,130
According to the creation
legend surrounding it,

273
00:12:53,130 --> 00:12:56,580
the earth first roamed on the
primordial sea in the form

274
00:12:56,580 --> 00:12:58,860
of a monster by this name.

275
00:12:58,860 --> 00:13:02,520
The legend also goes on to say
that this goddess was fierce

276
00:13:02,520 --> 00:13:05,430
and had a taste for
human flesh so ferocious

277
00:13:05,430 --> 00:13:07,020
that one single gaping mouth

278
00:13:07,020 --> 00:13:09,510
with teeth of flint knives was not enough

279
00:13:09,510 --> 00:13:11,700
to satisfy her bestial hunger.

280
00:13:11,700 --> 00:13:14,760
To remedy this, she had
more mouths at her elbows

281
00:13:14,760 --> 00:13:19,530
and knees that could
simultaneously devour her victims.

282
00:13:19,530 --> 00:13:22,920
She was so savage that even
other gods were afraid of her.

283
00:13:22,920 --> 00:13:26,273
The myth continues to say
that the gods Tezcatlipoca

284
00:13:26,273 --> 00:13:29,910
and Quetzalcoatl transformed
into giant serpents

285
00:13:29,910 --> 00:13:31,590
and strangled Tlaltecuhtli

286
00:13:31,590 --> 00:13:34,230
until her giant body split in two.

287
00:13:34,230 --> 00:13:37,200
They threw one half of her
broken body up in the sky

288
00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:40,140
and it was transformed into
the vault of the heavens

289
00:13:40,140 --> 00:13:42,960
and the other half of
her created the earth.

290
00:13:42,960 --> 00:13:44,550
The other deities were appalled

291
00:13:44,550 --> 00:13:47,580
by what the serpents had
done to Tlaltecuhtli,

292
00:13:47,580 --> 00:13:51,030
so they descended to the
earth half to console her.

293
00:13:51,030 --> 00:13:53,580
They commanded that all
the fruits necessary

294
00:13:53,580 --> 00:13:56,610
for the survival of humans
should come from her.

295
00:13:56,610 --> 00:14:00,750
From that moment, all creation
was to come from her body.

296
00:14:00,750 --> 00:14:02,760
They made it so that all trees, flowers,

297
00:14:02,760 --> 00:14:05,700
and herbs would spring
from her hair, wells,

298
00:14:05,700 --> 00:14:07,710
and springs to come from her eyes,

299
00:14:07,710 --> 00:14:10,950
her mouth would create the
rivers, lakes, and caverns,

300
00:14:10,950 --> 00:14:14,520
and her nose would create the
mountain ranges and valleys.

301
00:14:14,520 --> 00:14:16,950
The goddess sprang back
to life in a new way,

302
00:14:16,950 --> 00:14:19,110
but despite the gifts she had been given,

303
00:14:19,110 --> 00:14:21,900
she is said to still cry out
at night with her longing

304
00:14:21,900 --> 00:14:25,440
to continue to eat the
hearts of humankind.

305
00:14:25,440 --> 00:14:26,550
The legend continues,

306
00:14:26,550 --> 00:14:29,220
the goddess was restless
and will not stay quiet

307
00:14:29,220 --> 00:14:32,160
and still until she was
given the sacrifices,

308
00:14:32,160 --> 00:14:33,390
nor would she bear fruit

309
00:14:33,390 --> 00:14:35,850
on the land unless her thirst was quenched

310
00:14:35,850 --> 00:14:36,993
with the blood of men.

311
00:14:37,860 --> 00:14:39,840
Some researchers believe that the increase

312
00:14:39,840 --> 00:14:42,360
in human sacrifice in the later stages

313
00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:44,190
of the Mayan civilization

314
00:14:44,190 --> 00:14:46,080
and the almost frenzied pace it took

315
00:14:46,080 --> 00:14:49,710
with the Aztecs was due to
the decline of their society.

316
00:14:49,710 --> 00:14:52,170
This downward spiral
would've made it very easy

317
00:14:52,170 --> 00:14:54,600
for the Spanish to conquer them.

318
00:14:54,600 --> 00:14:56,760
Unfortunately, when the massive statue

319
00:14:56,760 --> 00:14:58,680
of Tlaltecuhtli was discovered,

320
00:14:58,680 --> 00:15:01,710
it was fragmented into
four pieces with a section

321
00:15:01,710 --> 00:15:03,060
of its core missing

322
00:15:03,060 --> 00:15:06,660
or possibly destroyed by
the decimation of time.

323
00:15:06,660 --> 00:15:09,420
However, despite its
incomplete appearance,

324
00:15:09,420 --> 00:15:12,420
the monolith of this
earth monster deity is

325
00:15:12,420 --> 00:15:14,160
one that radiates great power

326
00:15:14,160 --> 00:15:17,250
and intimidation to all
those in its presence.

327
00:15:17,250 --> 00:15:19,440
The Aztecs believed that the presentation

328
00:15:19,440 --> 00:15:21,510
of a monument should be in accordance

329
00:15:21,510 --> 00:15:23,730
with its cosmological place

330
00:15:23,730 --> 00:15:27,450
and as Tlaltecuhtli was
depicted as an earth monster,

331
00:15:27,450 --> 00:15:29,460
she was placed in the earth underneath

332
00:15:29,460 --> 00:15:31,470
or below other objects.

333
00:15:31,470 --> 00:15:33,000
She was also often carved

334
00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:36,480
beneath Aztec monuments
rather than in plain sight,

335
00:15:36,480 --> 00:15:39,120
like those of the carvings at Tlaloc,

336
00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:40,240
and is believed that this

337
00:15:40,240 --> 00:15:43,200
is so that she can take her
position of the earth as well

338
00:15:43,200 --> 00:15:45,960
as resting against the earth itself.

339
00:15:45,960 --> 00:15:47,880
She's also placed front forward

340
00:15:47,880 --> 00:15:50,790
in the many representations found of her.

341
00:15:50,790 --> 00:15:52,050
In the Aztec culture,

342
00:15:52,050 --> 00:15:53,820
it was commonplace for their deities

343
00:15:53,820 --> 00:15:56,910
to be presented this way
as to show their power

344
00:15:56,910 --> 00:15:59,280
and distinguish them from other figures.

345
00:15:59,280 --> 00:16:01,050
Directly underneath the statue,

346
00:16:01,050 --> 00:16:03,570
they discovered the
largest find of offerings,

347
00:16:03,570 --> 00:16:05,850
which included shells and corals,

348
00:16:05,850 --> 00:16:09,120
a tiny pine mask, a sawfish bill,

349
00:16:09,120 --> 00:16:11,040
8 and 1/2 thousand animal bones,

350
00:16:11,040 --> 00:16:15,390
a jar of grain, a scepter,
and many fire god sculptures.

351
00:16:15,390 --> 00:16:17,820
Archeologists believe these
used to be an arrangement

352
00:16:17,820 --> 00:16:21,660
of sacrificial ornaments or
offerings to the goddess.

353
00:16:21,660 --> 00:16:23,120
The gods of old and their worshipers

354
00:16:23,120 --> 00:16:25,350
have always fascinated us.

355
00:16:25,350 --> 00:16:26,670
Even in modern religion,

356
00:16:26,670 --> 00:16:29,400
we venerate statues of saints in buildings

357
00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:31,860
and churches that were
adorned with symbolism

358
00:16:31,860 --> 00:16:35,550
and carvings that are
linked to old pagan worship,

359
00:16:35,550 --> 00:16:37,890
but sadly, even with the many lives

360
00:16:37,890 --> 00:16:40,980
that the Aztecs sacrificed to Tlaltecuhtli

361
00:16:40,980 --> 00:16:43,560
to placate her thirst for human hearts,

362
00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:46,627
the once great city of
Tenochtitlan was abandoned

363
00:16:46,627 --> 00:16:48,330
by their goddess.

364
00:16:48,330 --> 00:16:50,130
Following a failed aqueduct design

365
00:16:50,130 --> 00:16:52,740
to bring fresh water to the Aztec people,

366
00:16:52,740 --> 00:16:54,570
a massive flood destroyed the city

367
00:16:54,570 --> 00:16:59,430
in 1502 AD including many
satellite towns and villages.

368
00:16:59,430 --> 00:17:01,800
Even though the city was built by mortar,

369
00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:03,270
the walls could not sustain

370
00:17:03,270 --> 00:17:05,730
the devastating attack by the water.

371
00:17:05,730 --> 00:17:08,490
However, the Mexica were persistent

372
00:17:08,490 --> 00:17:11,340
and began rebuilding
once the waters receded.

373
00:17:11,340 --> 00:17:12,210
For the most part,

374
00:17:12,210 --> 00:17:13,680
the technological genius

375
00:17:13,680 --> 00:17:16,470
of the Aztec people
allowed them to build dams,

376
00:17:16,470 --> 00:17:19,680
which actually controlled the
level of water quite well.

377
00:17:19,680 --> 00:17:21,840
However, after the Spanish conquest,

378
00:17:21,840 --> 00:17:23,370
the dams were destroyed

379
00:17:23,370 --> 00:17:26,760
and the flooding once again
claimed this great city

380
00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:28,665
of ancient times.

381
00:17:28,665 --> 00:17:31,082
[epic music]

382
00:17:35,259 --> 00:17:36,990
[haunting music]

383
00:17:36,990 --> 00:17:40,080
A strange circular rock
known as Alien Mountain

384
00:17:40,080 --> 00:17:44,610
in Sri Lanka is so called
because of its cylindrical shape,

385
00:17:44,610 --> 00:17:47,640
numerous UFO sightings, ancient legends,

386
00:17:47,640 --> 00:17:50,070
and spiritual connotations.

387
00:17:50,070 --> 00:17:52,440
Now newly discovered petroglyphs,

388
00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,680
which some believe to be an
antique astronomical code

389
00:17:55,680 --> 00:17:58,020
have been discovered at the site as well.

390
00:17:58,020 --> 00:17:59,907
Some researchers believe that the mountain

391
00:17:59,907 --> 00:18:03,150
and its ancient rock
carvings provide proof

392
00:18:03,150 --> 00:18:05,783
of extraterrestrial visitors on Earth.

393
00:18:07,710 --> 00:18:10,560
Sri Lanka is a large
independent island nation

394
00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:12,090
in the Indian Ocean,

395
00:18:12,090 --> 00:18:16,230
located about 26 miles off
the southeast coast of India.

396
00:18:16,230 --> 00:18:19,830
The island was colonized by
anatomically modern humans

397
00:18:19,830 --> 00:18:22,500
in the last Interglacial
period dating back

398
00:18:22,500 --> 00:18:25,980
to around 125,000 years ago.

399
00:18:25,980 --> 00:18:27,930
Danigala Mountain is situated

400
00:18:27,930 --> 00:18:30,930
in the Polonnaruwa district of Sri Lanka

401
00:18:30,930 --> 00:18:33,000
and has long been known as a sacred site

402
00:18:33,000 --> 00:18:34,980
to the local population.

403
00:18:34,980 --> 00:18:38,280
The mountain itself is a
unique cylindrical shaped rock,

404
00:18:38,280 --> 00:18:40,710
which is known by various intriguing names

405
00:18:40,710 --> 00:18:42,990
including Alien Mountain,

406
00:18:42,990 --> 00:18:46,573
Kandegama Rock, and the
Stargate of King Ravana.

407
00:18:46,573 --> 00:18:47,406
[cryptic music]

408
00:18:47,406 --> 00:18:48,480
It's believed to be one of the places

409
00:18:48,480 --> 00:18:52,517
where King Ravana landed his
special aircraft Dandu Monara.

410
00:18:53,370 --> 00:18:54,682
According to Hindu legend,

411
00:18:54,682 --> 00:18:57,930
King Ravana was one of the
most powerful beings ever

412
00:18:57,930 --> 00:18:59,490
to roam the universe.

413
00:18:59,490 --> 00:19:02,460
He ruled in Sri Lanka
over the Monara gods,

414
00:19:02,460 --> 00:19:04,620
humans, and demons.

415
00:19:04,620 --> 00:19:06,930
Legend says that Ravana ruled Lanka

416
00:19:06,930 --> 00:19:09,720
for several hundred
years prior to the times

417
00:19:09,720 --> 00:19:12,990
of Ramayana when he was
killed by Prince Janmab

418
00:19:12,990 --> 00:19:15,180
for kidnapping his wife Sita.

419
00:19:15,180 --> 00:19:18,090
Some researchers believed
that this Ramayana

420
00:19:18,090 --> 00:19:20,550
was not entirely a fictional character

421
00:19:20,550 --> 00:19:21,480
and may have been based

422
00:19:21,480 --> 00:19:24,000
on a real king who ruled over Sri Lanka

423
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:28,530
from 2554 to 2517 BC.

424
00:19:28,530 --> 00:19:31,170
Under the rule of the scholarly Ravana,

425
00:19:31,170 --> 00:19:33,270
Sri Lanka witnessed great advancements

426
00:19:33,270 --> 00:19:35,130
in science and medicine.

427
00:19:35,130 --> 00:19:37,890
The Pushpaka Vimana or the airplane

428
00:19:37,890 --> 00:19:39,090
in which some versions

429
00:19:39,090 --> 00:19:40,770
of the legend is said to have flown

430
00:19:40,770 --> 00:19:43,230
during his reign is held up as an example

431
00:19:43,230 --> 00:19:45,660
of the great scientific
achievements taking place

432
00:19:45,660 --> 00:19:46,800
at the time.

433
00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:50,407
The word vimana is
composed of "vi" the sky,

434
00:19:50,407 --> 00:19:52,500
"mana" meaning measure.

435
00:19:52,500 --> 00:19:54,030
Vimana is something that measures

436
00:19:54,030 --> 00:19:55,920
the sky as it crosses it.

437
00:19:55,920 --> 00:19:59,490
Indian legends are full
of stories of vimana.

438
00:19:59,490 --> 00:20:01,230
The most well-known of these legends

439
00:20:01,230 --> 00:20:05,340
of the Pushpaka Vimana
concerns Rama who was returning

440
00:20:05,340 --> 00:20:08,910
from Lanka to Ayodhya along with Sita

441
00:20:08,910 --> 00:20:10,857
after defeating Ravana.

442
00:20:10,857 --> 00:20:14,520
The vimana that was used by
Ravana himself was also known

443
00:20:14,520 --> 00:20:15,898
as Dandu Monara.

444
00:20:15,898 --> 00:20:16,740
[plucky music]

445
00:20:16,740 --> 00:20:18,870
In the local Sinhalaese language,

446
00:20:18,870 --> 00:20:20,670
monara means peacock

447
00:20:20,670 --> 00:20:22,620
and Dandu Monara means

448
00:20:22,620 --> 00:20:25,800
that which can fly resembling a peacock.

449
00:20:25,800 --> 00:20:28,830
In fact, the story of
Ravana flying in a vimana

450
00:20:28,830 --> 00:20:32,195
with his wife Mandodari is
depicted in the insignia

451
00:20:32,195 --> 00:20:34,680
of Sri Lanka's most famous hotel,

452
00:20:34,680 --> 00:20:37,110
Galle Face Hotel Colombo.

453
00:20:37,110 --> 00:20:40,410
In some ancient texts which
discuss these flying machines,

454
00:20:40,410 --> 00:20:43,680
there are tantalizing mentions
of possible fuels used,

455
00:20:43,680 --> 00:20:45,930
aeronautics, meteorology,

456
00:20:45,930 --> 00:20:49,470
and aerial maneuvers that
were deployed in flying them.

457
00:20:49,470 --> 00:20:51,540
Some researchers have noted the connection

458
00:20:51,540 --> 00:20:53,460
between these ancient vimanas

459
00:20:53,460 --> 00:20:55,980
and the designation of Alien Mountain

460
00:20:55,980 --> 00:20:58,890
to describe Danigala Mountain.

461
00:20:58,890 --> 00:21:00,240
There's just one problem,

462
00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,210
there is no record of any
UFO sightings in the area

463
00:21:03,210 --> 00:21:04,530
of the mountain.

464
00:21:04,530 --> 00:21:08,490
It could be perhaps the
designation Alien Mountain comes

465
00:21:08,490 --> 00:21:11,070
from the connection with
the ancient vimanas,

466
00:21:11,070 --> 00:21:12,990
though no one seems to be sure of that,

467
00:21:12,990 --> 00:21:14,130
it's possible through

468
00:21:14,130 --> 00:21:16,170
the alien connection that it goes

469
00:21:16,170 --> 00:21:18,884
further back than modern UFO sightings.

470
00:21:18,884 --> 00:21:19,717
[elusive music]

471
00:21:19,717 --> 00:21:21,390
In September 2020,

472
00:21:21,390 --> 00:21:23,640
a doctor published a controversial report

473
00:21:23,640 --> 00:21:26,700
on the Research Gate
scientific networking site

474
00:21:26,700 --> 00:21:27,750
on the petroglyphs

475
00:21:27,750 --> 00:21:32,430
at Alien Mountain entitled
"Danigala Coding Sri Lanka."

476
00:21:32,430 --> 00:21:33,270
In this report,

477
00:21:33,270 --> 00:21:35,940
which describes the new
discovery of petroglyphs

478
00:21:35,940 --> 00:21:38,400
in a part of the northwest
slope of the mountain

479
00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:40,050
in July 2020,

480
00:21:40,050 --> 00:21:43,110
Danigala states, "Those bind ruins

481
00:21:43,110 --> 00:21:44,310
are dominantly compared

482
00:21:44,310 --> 00:21:47,400
with other archeological
sites in Sri Lanka

483
00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:49,860
and the Southeast Asia region.

484
00:21:49,860 --> 00:21:52,260
The type of symbols bind ruins

485
00:21:52,260 --> 00:21:54,840
and petroglyphs found are quite new,

486
00:21:54,840 --> 00:21:57,510
and for the first time
discovered in Sri Lankan

487
00:21:57,510 --> 00:21:58,760
during archeoastronomical

488
00:21:59,670 --> 00:22:02,490
and geological preliminary
survey conducted

489
00:22:02,490 --> 00:22:05,940
by the Central Culture
Fund with a corporation

490
00:22:05,940 --> 00:22:07,950
of South Asian Astrobiology

491
00:22:07,950 --> 00:22:12,950
and Earth Sciences Research
Unit of Eco Astronomy Sri Lanka.

492
00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,330
Hence, this is a new discovery.

493
00:22:15,330 --> 00:22:17,760
It should be considered as our geological,

494
00:22:17,760 --> 00:22:20,940
astronomical, and
archeological heritage site,

495
00:22:20,940 --> 00:22:23,250
which represents the collective memory

496
00:22:23,250 --> 00:22:27,960
of the anthropomorphic scenes
affected by mother nature."

497
00:22:27,960 --> 00:22:29,610
He's the CEO and founder

498
00:22:29,610 --> 00:22:32,220
of Eco Astronomy Sri Lanka established

499
00:22:32,220 --> 00:22:36,851
in 2016 as a newly developed
research area in Sri Lanka.

500
00:22:36,851 --> 00:22:38,241
Their research focuses

501
00:22:38,241 --> 00:22:41,070
on comparative systematic analysis

502
00:22:41,070 --> 00:22:44,280
of extreme environmental
conditions of planet Earth,

503
00:22:44,280 --> 00:22:47,011
which related to
extraterrestrial life based

504
00:22:47,011 --> 00:22:51,300
on paleontological and
meteorological factors.

505
00:22:51,300 --> 00:22:54,480
He believes that the rock
carvings found at Alien Mountain,

506
00:22:54,480 --> 00:22:56,250
so-called bind ruins,

507
00:22:56,250 --> 00:22:58,110
when two or more ruins are connected

508
00:22:58,110 --> 00:22:59,100
or bound together,

509
00:22:59,100 --> 00:23:02,820
constitute a lost astronomical
counting system created

510
00:23:02,820 --> 00:23:05,943
by the Neolithic hunters
thousands of years ago.

511
00:23:06,840 --> 00:23:09,420
Though such bind ruins are unique,

512
00:23:09,420 --> 00:23:12,360
ancient rock art in Sri
Lanka is fairly common.

513
00:23:12,360 --> 00:23:16,380
It first came to the attention
of researchers in 1897

514
00:23:16,380 --> 00:23:18,300
and to date over 40 sites

515
00:23:18,300 --> 00:23:20,340
have been cataloged on the island.

516
00:23:20,340 --> 00:23:22,590
These sites mostly rock shelters

517
00:23:22,590 --> 00:23:25,050
are mainly concentrated in the eastern,

518
00:23:25,050 --> 00:23:27,300
southeastern north, central,

519
00:23:27,300 --> 00:23:30,060
and central hill regions of the island.

520
00:23:30,060 --> 00:23:32,940
The paintings in the caves
generally depict humans

521
00:23:32,940 --> 00:23:35,340
and animals such as elephants, leopards,

522
00:23:35,340 --> 00:23:37,350
stags, deer, and dogs.

523
00:23:37,350 --> 00:23:38,880
It's important to note that

524
00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:40,710
the animals depicted are not shown

525
00:23:40,710 --> 00:23:44,130
in hunting scenes when they're
shown alongside humans,

526
00:23:44,130 --> 00:23:47,980
they appear almost as
companions rather than prey.

527
00:23:47,980 --> 00:23:50,580
[ethereal music]

528
00:23:50,580 --> 00:23:53,640
Some researchers have pointed
out these similarities

529
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:56,430
between the circular Danigala Mountain

530
00:23:56,430 --> 00:23:58,710
and the prominent ancient rock fortress

531
00:23:58,710 --> 00:24:00,990
in the Northern Matale district near

532
00:24:00,990 --> 00:24:02,370
the town of Dambulla

533
00:24:02,370 --> 00:24:04,950
in the central province of Sri Lanka,

534
00:24:04,950 --> 00:24:08,022
this enigmatic rock
outcrop rises dramatically

535
00:24:08,022 --> 00:24:09,810
from the plains.

536
00:24:09,810 --> 00:24:12,420
Its almost vertical walls soar skyward

537
00:24:12,420 --> 00:24:15,240
to a flat top summit
that contains the ruins

538
00:24:15,240 --> 00:24:17,430
of an ancient civilization believed

539
00:24:17,430 --> 00:24:18,930
to be once the focal point

540
00:24:18,930 --> 00:24:21,600
of the short-lived kingdom of Kassapa.

541
00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:23,310
Given its stunning appearance,

542
00:24:23,310 --> 00:24:26,010
it's perhaps not surprising
that Sigiriya is known

543
00:24:26,010 --> 00:24:29,310
by locals as the eighth
wonder of the world.

544
00:24:29,310 --> 00:24:32,700
The fortress complex is located
on a massive rock plateau,

545
00:24:32,700 --> 00:24:36,240
1,214 feet above sea level.

546
00:24:36,240 --> 00:24:38,520
The fortress complex includes the remains

547
00:24:38,520 --> 00:24:39,840
of a ruined palace,

548
00:24:39,840 --> 00:24:43,470
surrounded by an extensive
network of fortifications,

549
00:24:43,470 --> 00:24:47,760
huge gardens, ponds, canals,
alleys, and fountains.

550
00:24:47,760 --> 00:24:49,680
From the 3rd century BC,

551
00:24:49,680 --> 00:24:53,550
the rocky plateau of Sigiriya
functioned as a monastery.

552
00:24:53,550 --> 00:24:56,490
In the second half of the 5th century AD,

553
00:24:56,490 --> 00:25:00,570
King Kashyapa constructed
a royal residence there,

554
00:25:00,570 --> 00:25:01,650
but after his death,

555
00:25:01,650 --> 00:25:03,840
the site again became
a Buddhist monastery,

556
00:25:03,840 --> 00:25:06,360
which lasted up until the 14th century

557
00:25:06,360 --> 00:25:08,280
when it was finally abandoned.

558
00:25:08,280 --> 00:25:09,720
The western wall of the palace

559
00:25:09,720 --> 00:25:11,160
was almost entirely covered

560
00:25:11,160 --> 00:25:15,240
by stunning frescoes created
during the reign of Kashyapa,

561
00:25:15,240 --> 00:25:17,940
18 of which survived to this day.

562
00:25:17,940 --> 00:25:19,672
The frescoes depict naked females

563
00:25:19,672 --> 00:25:21,870
and are considered to be either portraits

564
00:25:21,870 --> 00:25:24,570
of Kashyapa's wives and concubines

565
00:25:24,570 --> 00:25:27,750
or priestesses performing
religious rituals.

566
00:25:27,750 --> 00:25:31,800
Another striking feature of
Sigiriya is its mirror wall.

567
00:25:31,800 --> 00:25:34,530
In ancient times, it was
polished so thoroughly that

568
00:25:34,530 --> 00:25:37,140
the king could see his reflection in it.

569
00:25:37,140 --> 00:25:39,420
The mirror wall is
painted with inscriptions

570
00:25:39,420 --> 00:25:42,780
and poems written by the
visitors to the area,

571
00:25:42,780 --> 00:25:44,640
the most ancient of which dates back

572
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:47,730
to the 8th century
showing that Sigiriya was

573
00:25:47,730 --> 00:25:51,540
a tourist destination more
than a thousand years ago.

574
00:25:51,540 --> 00:25:53,940
Sigiriya has also water gardens,

575
00:25:53,940 --> 00:25:55,710
cave and boulder gardens,

576
00:25:55,710 --> 00:25:57,600
and also terrace gardens.

577
00:25:57,600 --> 00:26:00,240
They're located on the
western part of the site

578
00:26:00,240 --> 00:26:01,710
and were watered using

579
00:26:01,710 --> 00:26:04,500
an incredibly complex hydraulic system

580
00:26:04,500 --> 00:26:07,080
which consisted of canals, locks,

581
00:26:07,080 --> 00:26:09,870
lakes, dams, bridges, fountains,

582
00:26:09,870 --> 00:26:12,603
as well as surface and
underground water pumps.

583
00:26:13,620 --> 00:26:15,480
The buildings and landscape gardens

584
00:26:15,480 --> 00:26:17,730
of Sigiriya show that the creators

585
00:26:17,730 --> 00:26:20,363
of this incredible architectural
monument used unique

586
00:26:20,363 --> 00:26:21,360
[mysterious music]

587
00:26:21,360 --> 00:26:24,690
and creative technical
skills and technologies.

588
00:26:24,690 --> 00:26:26,730
In fact, so astonishing are

589
00:26:26,730 --> 00:26:29,850
the features that some
paranormal researchers believe

590
00:26:29,850 --> 00:26:31,620
the site to be the result

591
00:26:31,620 --> 00:26:33,720
of extraterrestrial intervention

592
00:26:33,720 --> 00:26:36,960
rather than human ingenuity and hard work.

593
00:26:36,960 --> 00:26:39,420
These researchers point
out the architectural

594
00:26:39,420 --> 00:26:43,020
and engineering design at the
site which is advanced even

595
00:26:43,020 --> 00:26:45,558
by 21st century standards.

596
00:26:45,558 --> 00:26:47,070
One legend surrounding

597
00:26:47,070 --> 00:26:48,870
the huge rock fortress states

598
00:26:48,870 --> 00:26:51,023
that it was built initially for Kubera,

599
00:26:51,023 --> 00:26:54,750
the treasurer of the Gods of Vishwakarma,

600
00:26:54,750 --> 00:26:56,013
the divine engineer.

601
00:26:56,880 --> 00:26:59,580
One alien hunter suggested
that the rock fortress

602
00:26:59,580 --> 00:27:00,930
was something like a lighthouse

603
00:27:00,930 --> 00:27:02,577
for ancient aliens and their vimanas,

604
00:27:02,577 --> 00:27:03,410
[energy pulsating]

605
00:27:03,410 --> 00:27:05,760
reasoning that if they
were landing at night,

606
00:27:05,760 --> 00:27:07,320
the crystals in the mirror wall

607
00:27:07,320 --> 00:27:11,340
of the site would reflect the
light back from the craft.

608
00:27:11,340 --> 00:27:13,680
Believers in the ancient alien theory

609
00:27:13,680 --> 00:27:16,664
for the site question how
ancient builders created

610
00:27:16,664 --> 00:27:18,750
such extraordinary structures

611
00:27:18,750 --> 00:27:22,320
on top of a rock over 1,200 feet high.

612
00:27:22,320 --> 00:27:24,630
But why would this suggest aliens?

613
00:27:24,630 --> 00:27:26,730
There are numerous archeological sites

614
00:27:26,730 --> 00:27:27,780
throughout the world,

615
00:27:27,780 --> 00:27:30,510
far higher up and more inaccessible.

616
00:27:30,510 --> 00:27:33,064
The most obvious examples
being the Inca Citadel

617
00:27:33,064 --> 00:27:35,250
of Machu Picchu in Peru,

618
00:27:35,250 --> 00:27:40,250
located 7,970 feet up on a mountain ridge.

619
00:27:40,560 --> 00:27:42,510
The palace and fortress complex

620
00:27:42,510 --> 00:27:44,790
of Sigiriya has been recognized as one

621
00:27:44,790 --> 00:27:47,670
of the finest examples
of ancient urban planning

622
00:27:47,670 --> 00:27:48,810
in the world.

623
00:27:48,810 --> 00:27:52,020
Taking into account the
uniqueness of this site,

624
00:27:52,020 --> 00:27:56,403
UNESCO declared it a world
heritage site in 1982.

625
00:27:58,412 --> 00:28:00,829
[epic music]

626
00:28:03,332 --> 00:28:06,082
[haunting music]

627
00:28:07,290 --> 00:28:10,200
The Inga Stone is located
in the middle of the waters

628
00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:13,014
of the Inga River near
the small city of Inga

629
00:28:13,014 --> 00:28:16,890
in Paraiba state in the
northwest of Brazil.

630
00:28:16,890 --> 00:28:20,258
This controversial historical
treasure 150 feet long

631
00:28:20,258 --> 00:28:22,950
and 13 feet in height
is covered in carvings

632
00:28:22,950 --> 00:28:27,030
of strange unidentified geometric symbols

633
00:28:27,030 --> 00:28:29,280
of various sizes and shapes.

634
00:28:29,280 --> 00:28:32,149
Although many researchers
have speculated on the origins

635
00:28:32,149 --> 00:28:34,200
and the meaning of the symbols,

636
00:28:34,200 --> 00:28:36,780
no theory has yet been proven.

637
00:28:36,780 --> 00:28:37,860
Were they made by

638
00:28:37,860 --> 00:28:40,170
a previously unknown civilization

639
00:28:40,170 --> 00:28:43,980
maybe possessing ancient
technology long since forgotten?

640
00:28:43,980 --> 00:28:46,113
What do the symbols really mean?

641
00:28:46,951 --> 00:28:48,570
[mysterious music]

642
00:28:48,570 --> 00:28:51,210
The area where the site is located covers

643
00:28:51,210 --> 00:28:54,900
around 40 hectares of
extensive granite outcrops

644
00:28:54,900 --> 00:28:57,690
that contain a large
number of rock carvings.

645
00:28:57,690 --> 00:28:59,880
The main outcrop is popularly known

646
00:28:59,880 --> 00:29:02,970
as Pedra do Inga, the Stone of Inga,

647
00:29:02,970 --> 00:29:06,660
and forms a wall oriented
northeast-southeast

648
00:29:06,660 --> 00:29:10,560
and features the three main
rock panels at the site.

649
00:29:10,560 --> 00:29:11,580
In the rainy season,

650
00:29:11,580 --> 00:29:14,520
this large monolith is
partially covered by water

651
00:29:14,520 --> 00:29:17,640
and can only be seen in
its entirety in dry weather

652
00:29:17,640 --> 00:29:20,340
and when the riverbed is completely dry.

653
00:29:20,340 --> 00:29:21,990
Although there is speculation as

654
00:29:21,990 --> 00:29:24,930
to what tools could have been
used to make the carvings,

655
00:29:24,930 --> 00:29:26,670
it's believed that the figures were made

656
00:29:26,670 --> 00:29:29,880
with round stones found in nearby streams.

657
00:29:29,880 --> 00:29:32,610
Archeological research
indicates the existence

658
00:29:32,610 --> 00:29:35,790
of lithic workshops in
the vicinity of the site

659
00:29:35,790 --> 00:29:38,790
and temporary camps
associated with the main site

660
00:29:38,790 --> 00:29:43,200
in use from about 10,000
BC to around 1,400 AD,

661
00:29:43,200 --> 00:29:45,090
possibly as a sacred place used

662
00:29:45,090 --> 00:29:48,060
by the local prehistoric populations.

663
00:29:48,060 --> 00:29:50,340
There is also evidence
of other occupations

664
00:29:50,340 --> 00:29:52,650
in the areas outside of the main site,

665
00:29:52,650 --> 00:29:54,960
which is associated with it.

666
00:29:54,960 --> 00:29:56,754
So far, experts have identified

667
00:29:56,754 --> 00:30:00,660
more than 400 engravings
on the stone's surface.

668
00:30:00,660 --> 00:30:03,450
Most of the Inga carvings
are hard to understand,

669
00:30:03,450 --> 00:30:05,547
but some of them are thought

670
00:30:05,547 --> 00:30:06,900
to represent celestial features

671
00:30:06,900 --> 00:30:09,120
with two being similar to the Milky Way

672
00:30:09,120 --> 00:30:11,430
and the constellation of Orion.

673
00:30:11,430 --> 00:30:14,730
Others are thought to be
representations of circles,

674
00:30:14,730 --> 00:30:19,230
geometric shapes,
animals, fruits, weapons,

675
00:30:19,230 --> 00:30:21,810
human shapes, and birds.

676
00:30:21,810 --> 00:30:24,420
Many of the carvings seem
to relate to the daily life

677
00:30:24,420 --> 00:30:26,970
of the local population at the time.

678
00:30:26,970 --> 00:30:30,069
The exact origin of the
inscriptions is still unknown.

679
00:30:30,069 --> 00:30:30,902
[ominous music]

680
00:30:30,902 --> 00:30:33,450
Brazil was officially discovered in 1500

681
00:30:33,450 --> 00:30:36,030
when a fleet on its way to India commanded

682
00:30:36,030 --> 00:30:39,840
by Portuguese diplomat
Pedro Alvarez Cabral landed

683
00:30:39,840 --> 00:30:43,920
in Porto Seguro between
Salvador and Rio de Janeiro.

684
00:30:43,920 --> 00:30:46,740
The first references to
the mysterious carvings

685
00:30:46,740 --> 00:30:49,380
are found in the reports
of the European settlers

686
00:30:49,380 --> 00:30:52,140
in the state in the 16th century.

687
00:30:52,140 --> 00:30:53,430
Among these references,

688
00:30:53,430 --> 00:30:54,840
the most important is

689
00:30:54,840 --> 00:30:57,690
the "Dialogues of Brazil's Grandness"

690
00:30:57,690 --> 00:31:00,810
attributed to Ambrosio Fernandes Brandao

691
00:31:00,810 --> 00:31:04,440
written between 1519 and 1618.

692
00:31:04,440 --> 00:31:08,287
According to the researcher
Gabriela Martin in 2008,

693
00:31:08,287 --> 00:31:10,200
"The Inga stone is undoubtedly

694
00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:12,930
the most famous rock engraving in Brazil,

695
00:31:12,930 --> 00:31:15,660
but as a result of this
exalted reputation,

696
00:31:15,660 --> 00:31:18,900
a number of groundless
theories, hopeful speculations

697
00:31:18,900 --> 00:31:21,780
and popular myths have
grown up around the stone

698
00:31:21,780 --> 00:31:24,510
and the origin and
meaning of its carvings.

699
00:31:24,510 --> 00:31:28,230
Hidden treasures are mentioned
as are lost Venetian sailors

700
00:31:28,230 --> 00:31:31,020
and of course extraterrestrial beings.

701
00:31:31,020 --> 00:31:32,975
Where would we be without their help?"

702
00:31:32,975 --> 00:31:33,808
[mysterious music]

703
00:31:33,808 --> 00:31:38,100
Gabriele D'Annunzio
Baraldi from 1938 to 2002

704
00:31:38,100 --> 00:31:39,600
was Italian by birth,

705
00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:42,990
but lived in Brazil, Sao
Paulo until his death.

706
00:31:42,990 --> 00:31:44,760
Baraldi claimed that the area

707
00:31:44,760 --> 00:31:47,910
around the Inga Stone was a Hittite colony

708
00:31:47,910 --> 00:31:51,000
and that the Hittite empire
had existed in Brazil.

709
00:31:51,000 --> 00:31:53,640
This was apparently based
on the basic similarity

710
00:31:53,640 --> 00:31:56,520
and nothing more between
Hittite inscriptions

711
00:31:56,520 --> 00:31:58,590
and those on the Inga stone.

712
00:31:58,590 --> 00:32:00,780
The Hittites occupied the ancient region

713
00:32:00,780 --> 00:32:03,150
of Anatolia, modern-day Turkey,

714
00:32:03,150 --> 00:32:05,520
around 1700 BC,

715
00:32:05,520 --> 00:32:08,220
so how they found the way
to Brazil is anyone's guess,

716
00:32:08,220 --> 00:32:10,083
perhaps the extraterrestrials
brought them.

717
00:32:10,083 --> 00:32:12,325
[energy pulsating]

718
00:32:12,325 --> 00:32:13,500
[mysterious music]

719
00:32:13,500 --> 00:32:15,210
In the early 20th century,

720
00:32:15,210 --> 00:32:18,420
the Austrian traveler
Ludwig Schwennhagen toured

721
00:32:18,420 --> 00:32:22,020
various parts of Northeastern
Brazil studying traces

722
00:32:22,020 --> 00:32:23,550
of what he believed to be the presence

723
00:32:23,550 --> 00:32:25,800
of Phoenicians in this region.

724
00:32:25,800 --> 00:32:27,390
Besides numerous articles,

725
00:32:27,390 --> 00:32:30,420
he published a book,
"Ancient History of Brazil,"

726
00:32:30,420 --> 00:32:32,610
associating the inscriptions of Inga

727
00:32:32,610 --> 00:32:34,350
with the Phoenicians.

728
00:32:34,350 --> 00:32:36,480
The Phoenicians were a maritime people

729
00:32:36,480 --> 00:32:38,670
who occupied the coast of Levant,

730
00:32:38,670 --> 00:32:41,160
modern Syria, Lebanon, Palestine,

731
00:32:41,160 --> 00:32:42,690
and most of Western Turkey

732
00:32:42,690 --> 00:32:46,590
from around 1500 to 332 BC.

733
00:32:46,590 --> 00:32:49,410
Again, what were they doing in Brazil?

734
00:32:49,410 --> 00:32:51,297
But the theory of Phoenicians in Brazil

735
00:32:51,297 --> 00:32:54,210
and the Americas has
a long history as part

736
00:32:54,210 --> 00:32:56,550
of the recurring, often bizarre attempts

737
00:32:56,550 --> 00:32:59,100
to find ancient Semitic inscriptions

738
00:32:59,100 --> 00:33:00,900
in the western hemisphere.

739
00:33:00,900 --> 00:33:03,600
In 1872, a stone inscribed

740
00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,270
with Phoenician writing
was allegedly discovered

741
00:33:06,270 --> 00:33:08,610
in Paraiba, northeast Brazil.

742
00:33:08,610 --> 00:33:10,830
The letter sent from
the original discoverer

743
00:33:10,830 --> 00:33:12,390
of the stone to the president

744
00:33:12,390 --> 00:33:14,010
of the Brazilian Historical

745
00:33:14,010 --> 00:33:16,718
and Geographic Institute is worth quoting:

746
00:33:16,718 --> 00:33:17,551
[eerie music]

747
00:33:17,551 --> 00:33:20,490
"As I was having stones
carried into my property,

748
00:33:20,490 --> 00:33:23,280
my slaves brought me one
that they had already broken

749
00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:24,720
into four pieces.

750
00:33:24,720 --> 00:33:26,940
This stone presented numerous characters

751
00:33:26,940 --> 00:33:28,650
that no one understood.

752
00:33:28,650 --> 00:33:30,510
I had them copied by my son,

753
00:33:30,510 --> 00:33:32,790
who knows a little about draftsmanship,

754
00:33:32,790 --> 00:33:36,330
and I was resolved to send
this copy to your Excellency

755
00:33:36,330 --> 00:33:38,040
as president of the Historical

756
00:33:38,040 --> 00:33:40,530
and Geographical Institute of Brazil

757
00:33:40,530 --> 00:33:41,970
to see if your Excellency

758
00:33:41,970 --> 00:33:43,950
or some other person could determine

759
00:33:43,950 --> 00:33:45,570
what these letters mean,

760
00:33:45,570 --> 00:33:48,090
and as I have arrived in this capital city

761
00:33:48,090 --> 00:33:50,160
and have not had the time
to give them personally

762
00:33:50,160 --> 00:33:51,390
to your Excellency,

763
00:33:51,390 --> 00:33:53,670
I have sent them to him through the post.

764
00:33:53,670 --> 00:33:55,290
I am with all consideration

765
00:33:55,290 --> 00:33:57,330
and respect for your Excellency.

766
00:33:57,330 --> 00:34:00,180
Attentive, devoted, and obliged servant,

767
00:34:00,180 --> 00:34:01,680
Joaquim Alves de Costa,

768
00:34:01,680 --> 00:34:05,967
Rio, 11th of September, 1872."

769
00:34:05,967 --> 00:34:06,800
[thunder crashing]

770
00:34:06,800 --> 00:34:08,550
The inscription itself told the story

771
00:34:08,550 --> 00:34:11,340
of a Phoenician ship which
was caught in a storm

772
00:34:11,340 --> 00:34:13,200
and separated from a fleet sailing

773
00:34:13,200 --> 00:34:15,162
from Egypt around Africa.

774
00:34:15,162 --> 00:34:15,995
[enigmatic music]

775
00:34:15,995 --> 00:34:20,550
The stone also mentions the
Pharaoh Necho I or Necho II.

776
00:34:20,550 --> 00:34:22,650
A transcription was shown to the director

777
00:34:22,650 --> 00:34:24,750
of the National Museum of Brazil who

778
00:34:24,750 --> 00:34:27,540
at first accepted the
inscription as genuine,

779
00:34:27,540 --> 00:34:28,740
but Alves de Costa

780
00:34:28,740 --> 00:34:32,040
and his estate proved impossible to locate

781
00:34:32,040 --> 00:34:33,930
and it was concluded that the whole affair

782
00:34:33,930 --> 00:34:36,030
was nothing more than a hoax.

783
00:34:36,030 --> 00:34:38,189
Marshall McKusick has reviewed

784
00:34:38,189 --> 00:34:41,010
and dismissed various
theories of Phoenicians

785
00:34:41,010 --> 00:34:43,380
or Canaanites in the new world,

786
00:34:43,380 --> 00:34:46,650
observing that "In this
modern day everyone wishes

787
00:34:46,650 --> 00:34:48,480
to be his own authority

788
00:34:48,480 --> 00:34:49,620
and the personal search

789
00:34:49,620 --> 00:34:51,990
for cultural alternatives seems

790
00:34:51,990 --> 00:34:55,521
to make every idea or
theory equal in value."

791
00:34:55,521 --> 00:34:56,354
[mysterious music]

792
00:34:56,354 --> 00:34:57,900
Ronald H. Fritze has discussed

793
00:34:57,900 --> 00:34:59,460
the theory of such claims

794
00:34:59,460 --> 00:35:02,160
from the 17th to the 20th centuries,

795
00:35:02,160 --> 00:35:04,050
concluding that although the journey

796
00:35:04,050 --> 00:35:06,210
to Brazil was technically possible,

797
00:35:06,210 --> 00:35:09,090
no archeological evidence
has yet been discovered

798
00:35:09,090 --> 00:35:10,380
to prove it.

799
00:35:10,380 --> 00:35:13,560
Peruvian electrical engineer Huari Roman

800
00:35:13,560 --> 00:35:15,000
has linked the Inga stone

801
00:35:15,000 --> 00:35:19,050
with refugees from the
sunken continent of Atlantis.

802
00:35:19,050 --> 00:35:21,480
Roman claims that before the great flood,

803
00:35:21,480 --> 00:35:24,780
most of central Brazil
was a huge inland sea

804
00:35:24,780 --> 00:35:25,980
and that the Atlanteans

805
00:35:25,980 --> 00:35:28,350
and Arawaks lived around this lake,

806
00:35:28,350 --> 00:35:30,420
and that the one artifact left behind

807
00:35:30,420 --> 00:35:32,970
by them was the Inga stone.

808
00:35:32,970 --> 00:35:33,803
After the deluge,

809
00:35:33,803 --> 00:35:34,636
[waves crashing]

810
00:35:34,636 --> 00:35:37,440
a cataclysm inundated Atlantis and Brazil,

811
00:35:37,440 --> 00:35:39,480
destroying the Inland Sea.

812
00:35:39,480 --> 00:35:41,880
Some groups fled to the Andean Highlands

813
00:35:41,880 --> 00:35:45,810
of Peru eventually developing
the empire of Tiwanaku,

814
00:35:45,810 --> 00:35:48,570
which then later became the Incan Empire.

815
00:35:48,570 --> 00:35:52,410
What is Roman's evidence for
this extraordinary theory?

816
00:35:52,410 --> 00:35:55,260
Apparently, he's keeping that to himself.

817
00:35:55,260 --> 00:35:57,270
Who also those who believe that the signs

818
00:35:57,270 --> 00:36:00,780
on the Inga stone are the
work of extraterrestrials?

819
00:36:00,780 --> 00:36:02,403
According to Claudio Quintans

820
00:36:02,403 --> 00:36:05,730
of the Paraibano Center for Ufology,

821
00:36:05,730 --> 00:36:08,010
it is unlikely that the prehistoric people

822
00:36:08,010 --> 00:36:09,300
of the area would've been able

823
00:36:09,300 --> 00:36:11,730
to make such intricate carvings.

824
00:36:11,730 --> 00:36:14,640
Therefore, he believes the
carvings were actually made

825
00:36:14,640 --> 00:36:17,520
by extraterrestrial
visitors to the planet,

826
00:36:17,520 --> 00:36:19,740
and some symbols may be interpreted

827
00:36:19,740 --> 00:36:22,710
as explaining the distance
between the planets such

828
00:36:22,710 --> 00:36:24,270
as the Earth and the Moon,

829
00:36:24,270 --> 00:36:25,857
and even further beyond that.

830
00:36:25,857 --> 00:36:26,690
[haunting music]

831
00:36:26,690 --> 00:36:29,280
He adds that the Inga
stone shows some formulas

832
00:36:29,280 --> 00:36:31,560
for the production of quantum energy.

833
00:36:31,560 --> 00:36:32,393
There must be a queue

834
00:36:32,393 --> 00:36:35,190
of physicists forming
around Quintans's house

835
00:36:35,190 --> 00:36:37,050
to ask just where he obtained

836
00:36:37,050 --> 00:36:40,500
that earth-shattering
information and what it means.

837
00:36:40,500 --> 00:36:41,333
[mysterious music]

838
00:36:41,333 --> 00:36:43,170
The attitude of Quintan's is very common

839
00:36:43,170 --> 00:36:45,570
in alternative history theories.

840
00:36:45,570 --> 00:36:47,880
The belief is that there's
no way that the natives

841
00:36:47,880 --> 00:36:50,430
of Brazil could have
ever been advanced enough

842
00:36:50,430 --> 00:36:53,610
to make anything that required
any technological skill

843
00:36:53,610 --> 00:36:54,840
or knowledge.

844
00:36:54,840 --> 00:36:57,840
In fact, in Brazil's
Natural History Museum,

845
00:36:57,840 --> 00:37:00,120
there are stone instruments
which the natives used

846
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,054
for various activities
including grooving stones

847
00:37:03,054 --> 00:37:07,290
to make inscriptions such
as those on the Inga stone.

848
00:37:07,290 --> 00:37:10,560
Spanish engineer Francisco Pavia Alemany

849
00:37:10,560 --> 00:37:12,900
has mathematically studied the stone,

850
00:37:12,900 --> 00:37:16,800
and his first results
were published in 1986.

851
00:37:16,800 --> 00:37:20,550
Alemany identified a series of
bowls on the stone's surface

852
00:37:20,550 --> 00:37:22,290
and another petroglyph etched

853
00:37:22,290 --> 00:37:24,870
into the vertical surface
of the wall of Inga

854
00:37:24,870 --> 00:37:27,180
that formed a solar calendar.

855
00:37:27,180 --> 00:37:28,974
Alemany later focused on recording

856
00:37:28,974 --> 00:37:31,500
and documenting a series of symbols

857
00:37:31,500 --> 00:37:34,770
on the surface which
represented stars that appeared

858
00:37:34,770 --> 00:37:36,870
to have been grouped
together in what appeared

859
00:37:36,870 --> 00:37:38,820
to be constellations.

860
00:37:38,820 --> 00:37:41,970
According to him, it's the
coexistence of the bowls

861
00:37:41,970 --> 00:37:45,060
and constellations on the
rock surface which give

862
00:37:45,060 --> 00:37:48,960
the stone its
archeoastronomical significance.

863
00:37:48,960 --> 00:37:51,270
Although there are a number of theories

864
00:37:51,270 --> 00:37:54,030
to explain the unusual
designs on the stone,

865
00:37:54,030 --> 00:37:55,950
the simplest is probably true.

866
00:37:55,950 --> 00:37:58,110
The symbols represent various cultural

867
00:37:58,110 --> 00:38:01,800
and spiritual teachings passed
on by local tribal elders

868
00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:03,960
to the younger generations.

869
00:38:03,960 --> 00:38:06,750
Unfortunately, there have
been virtually no studies

870
00:38:06,750 --> 00:38:10,110
of the technological
development, social structure,

871
00:38:10,110 --> 00:38:13,350
or cultural complexity of
the prehistoric populations

872
00:38:13,350 --> 00:38:15,150
of Northeastern Brazil.

873
00:38:15,150 --> 00:38:16,770
Hence, there's a gap in our knowledge

874
00:38:16,770 --> 00:38:18,300
of the cultures of the area,

875
00:38:18,300 --> 00:38:19,680
which allows all sorts

876
00:38:19,680 --> 00:38:21,856
of bizarre unsubstantiated theories

877
00:38:21,856 --> 00:38:23,753
to wriggle through unchecked.

878
00:38:23,753 --> 00:38:24,586
[calm music]

879
00:38:24,586 --> 00:38:26,970
The Inga stone and the
area around it represents

880
00:38:26,970 --> 00:38:29,640
a people who created
expressive art in rock

881
00:38:29,640 --> 00:38:32,010
with a high technical capacity.

882
00:38:32,010 --> 00:38:35,280
The site is remarkable for
its almost exclusive use

883
00:38:35,280 --> 00:38:37,410
of non-figurative representations

884
00:38:37,410 --> 00:38:40,363
on its panels expressing
the creative genius of

885
00:38:40,363 --> 00:38:44,910
a human group that appropriated
abstract aesthetic standards

886
00:38:44,910 --> 00:38:46,530
as a means of expression

887
00:38:46,530 --> 00:38:49,410
of possibly symbolic religious concepts.

888
00:38:49,410 --> 00:38:51,300
The local populations were unlike

889
00:38:51,300 --> 00:38:54,150
other prehistoric
Brazilian cultures in this,

890
00:38:54,150 --> 00:38:56,730
who mostly made use of anthropomorphic

891
00:38:56,730 --> 00:38:59,310
and zoomorphic representations.

892
00:38:59,310 --> 00:39:02,940
Unfortunately today the site
where the Inga stone stands

893
00:39:02,940 --> 00:39:04,590
is under constant threat,

894
00:39:04,590 --> 00:39:06,930
not only from the elements
but from the hundreds

895
00:39:06,930 --> 00:39:09,990
of tourists who trample
all over it almost daily.

896
00:39:09,990 --> 00:39:11,280
There have been also cases

897
00:39:11,280 --> 00:39:13,860
of the stone being damaged by vandals,

898
00:39:13,860 --> 00:39:16,170
so there is an urgent
need for the Inga stone

899
00:39:16,170 --> 00:39:18,090
to be protected and preserved

900
00:39:18,090 --> 00:39:20,160
if we want future generations to be

901
00:39:20,160 --> 00:39:22,593
as fascinated by it as we are.

902
00:39:25,221 --> 00:39:27,638
[epic music]

903
00:39:29,392 --> 00:39:30,225
[ethereal music]

904
00:39:30,225 --> 00:39:32,730
Controversy has arisen
around an artifact known

905
00:39:32,730 --> 00:39:35,033
as the Nazareth Inscription long believed

906
00:39:35,033 --> 00:39:36,090
[feet stomping]

907
00:39:36,090 --> 00:39:38,814
to be an official Roman
response to the disappearance

908
00:39:38,814 --> 00:39:41,550
of Jesus' body from its tomb.

909
00:39:41,550 --> 00:39:43,290
New researchers cast doubt

910
00:39:43,290 --> 00:39:45,120
on the origin of the inscription,

911
00:39:45,120 --> 00:39:46,020
which was acquired

912
00:39:46,020 --> 00:39:48,029
by German collector in Paris in 1878.

913
00:39:48,029 --> 00:39:49,620
[playful carnival music]

914
00:39:49,620 --> 00:39:51,584
However, apart from a note indicating

915
00:39:51,584 --> 00:39:52,417
[ethereal music continues]

916
00:39:52,417 --> 00:39:53,850
that it had come from Nazareth,

917
00:39:53,850 --> 00:39:57,120
its history has remained
something of a mystery.

918
00:39:57,120 --> 00:39:58,773
The Nazareth Inscription.

919
00:39:59,640 --> 00:40:02,430
The Nazareth Inscription
itself is written on a block

920
00:40:02,430 --> 00:40:05,700
of marble, about two
feet tall, a foot wide,

921
00:40:05,700 --> 00:40:07,530
and two inches deep.

922
00:40:07,530 --> 00:40:10,440
The first of its 22 lines of text carved

923
00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:12,330
in Greek letters announces

924
00:40:12,330 --> 00:40:14,135
an "Edict of Caesar."

925
00:40:14,135 --> 00:40:14,968
[trumpet blowing]

926
00:40:14,968 --> 00:40:16,800
The edict calls for capital punishment

927
00:40:16,800 --> 00:40:19,800
for anyone who removes a body from a tomb.

928
00:40:19,800 --> 00:40:22,170
If the tablet did originate in Nazareth,

929
00:40:22,170 --> 00:40:24,840
it's understandable how
one could make a connection

930
00:40:24,840 --> 00:40:28,740
between this edict and the
beginnings of Christianity.

931
00:40:28,740 --> 00:40:30,720
Perhaps the inscription
had something to do

932
00:40:30,720 --> 00:40:34,110
with the controversy over
the famous empty tomb

933
00:40:34,110 --> 00:40:36,300
and suggests that a
Roman emperor was aware

934
00:40:36,300 --> 00:40:39,930
of disturbing claims about
a crucified man rising

935
00:40:39,930 --> 00:40:43,353
from the dead in a distant
province of his wide empire.

936
00:40:44,220 --> 00:40:45,780
The style of the letters used

937
00:40:45,780 --> 00:40:48,570
in the inscription certainly
indicates it was written

938
00:40:48,570 --> 00:40:50,940
in the first half of the 1st century.

939
00:40:50,940 --> 00:40:51,786
- [Soldier] What do we want!
- [Narrator] Indeed, no one-

940
00:40:51,786 --> 00:40:52,769
has ever questioned-
- [Soldiers] Justice!

941
00:40:52,769 --> 00:40:53,602
- [Soldier] When do we want it!

942
00:40:53,602 --> 00:40:54,435
- [Soldiers] Now!
- [Narrator] The authenticity

943
00:40:54,435 --> 00:40:56,100
of the Nazareth inscription,

944
00:40:56,100 --> 00:40:59,580
so it's highly unlikely
that this is a forgery,

945
00:40:59,580 --> 00:41:01,110
but its interpretation

946
00:41:01,110 --> 00:41:02,910
and possible connection to the story

947
00:41:02,910 --> 00:41:04,590
of the resurrection of Christ

948
00:41:04,590 --> 00:41:07,320
are still fiercely debated today.

949
00:41:07,320 --> 00:41:09,877
The translation of the inscription reads:

950
00:41:09,877 --> 00:41:11,184
"Edict of Caesar.

951
00:41:11,184 --> 00:41:12,030
[bell dinging]

952
00:41:12,030 --> 00:41:13,350
It is my decision,

953
00:41:13,350 --> 00:41:15,453
graves and tombs, whoever has made them

954
00:41:15,453 --> 00:41:19,380
for the religious observances
of parents, or children,

955
00:41:19,380 --> 00:41:20,850
or household members,

956
00:41:20,850 --> 00:41:23,760
that these remain undisturbed forever.

957
00:41:23,760 --> 00:41:25,055
But if anyone legally charges

958
00:41:25,055 --> 00:41:27,510
that another person has destroyed

959
00:41:27,510 --> 00:41:29,760
or has in any manner extracted

960
00:41:29,760 --> 00:41:31,380
those who have been buried,

961
00:41:31,380 --> 00:41:33,480
or has moved with wicked intent

962
00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:35,940
those who have been
buried to other places,

963
00:41:35,940 --> 00:41:37,710
committing a crime against them,

964
00:41:37,710 --> 00:41:39,894
or has moved sepulchral stones,

965
00:41:39,894 --> 00:41:42,000
against such a person,

966
00:41:42,000 --> 00:41:44,445
I order that a judicial
tribunal be created,

967
00:41:44,445 --> 00:41:45,450
[bell dinging]

968
00:41:45,450 --> 00:41:47,100
just as concerning the gods

969
00:41:47,100 --> 00:41:49,470
in human religious observances.

970
00:41:49,470 --> 00:41:52,260
Even more so it will
be obligatory to treat

971
00:41:52,260 --> 00:41:55,140
with honor those who have been entombed.

972
00:41:55,140 --> 00:41:58,410
You are absolutely not
to allow anyone to move,

973
00:41:58,410 --> 00:42:00,390
But if so, I wish that one

974
00:42:00,390 --> 00:42:03,150
to suffer capital
punishment under the title

975
00:42:03,150 --> 00:42:05,190
of tomb-breaker."

976
00:42:05,190 --> 00:42:08,190
The discovery of the Nazareth Inscription.

977
00:42:08,190 --> 00:42:10,440
When scholar and collector of antiquities,

978
00:42:10,440 --> 00:42:15,030
Wilhelm Froehner died in
his Paris home in 1925,

979
00:42:15,030 --> 00:42:17,670
he left behind among his possessions

980
00:42:17,670 --> 00:42:19,290
a curious inscription

981
00:42:19,290 --> 00:42:20,850
and manuscripts that could be

982
00:42:20,850 --> 00:42:23,760
the oldest surviving
artifact of Christianity.

983
00:42:23,760 --> 00:42:25,200
By the time he died,

984
00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:27,750
he'd been in possession of
the Nazareth Inscription

985
00:42:27,750 --> 00:42:29,460
for nearly 50 years.

986
00:42:29,460 --> 00:42:32,197
His inventory of the
inscription simply states,

987
00:42:32,197 --> 00:42:36,630
"This marble was sent
from Nazareth in 1878."

988
00:42:36,630 --> 00:42:39,077
In 1925, the collection was acquired

989
00:42:39,077 --> 00:42:41,760
by the Paris National Library where

990
00:42:41,760 --> 00:42:44,280
the Nazareth inscription was rediscovered

991
00:42:44,280 --> 00:42:47,310
and read by a monsieur Rostovtzeff.

992
00:42:47,310 --> 00:42:49,590
Rostovtzeff informed his friend

993
00:42:49,590 --> 00:42:52,500
the scholar Franz Cumont
about the inscription,

994
00:42:52,500 --> 00:42:56,220
and in 1930 he published
a Greek transcription

995
00:42:56,220 --> 00:42:59,400
and a translation of the
inscription with a commentary.

996
00:42:59,400 --> 00:43:01,380
Cumont came to the conclusion

997
00:43:01,380 --> 00:43:03,450
that there were two possible contexts

998
00:43:03,450 --> 00:43:04,620
for the inscription,

999
00:43:04,620 --> 00:43:08,013
which have remained the
leading contenders to this day

1000
00:43:08,013 --> 00:43:08,846
[feet stomping]

1001
00:43:08,846 --> 00:43:11,160
Theories about the inscription's origin.

1002
00:43:11,160 --> 00:43:12,510
The first suggests that

1003
00:43:12,510 --> 00:43:14,700
the edict was issued
against the background

1004
00:43:14,700 --> 00:43:17,910
of the general upheavals of
Rome's violent transition

1005
00:43:17,910 --> 00:43:19,830
from republic to empire.

1006
00:43:19,830 --> 00:43:21,540
The end of the republic had witnessed

1007
00:43:21,540 --> 00:43:24,660
the eastern provinces
extensively plundered,

1008
00:43:24,660 --> 00:43:27,480
tombs and temples alike were ravaged.

1009
00:43:27,480 --> 00:43:29,760
Perhaps the Nazareth inscription was part

1010
00:43:29,760 --> 00:43:32,490
of a general effort to restore order.

1011
00:43:32,490 --> 00:43:35,550
If this is the case, then
the inscription would belong

1012
00:43:35,550 --> 00:43:37,680
to the final decade's BC

1013
00:43:37,680 --> 00:43:40,233
and thus originally to
a fully Roman dominion

1014
00:43:40,233 --> 00:43:41,066
[fire crackling]

1015
00:43:41,066 --> 00:43:42,150
somewhere like Greece

1016
00:43:42,150 --> 00:43:44,100
or more likely Asia Minor,

1017
00:43:44,100 --> 00:43:47,310
before eventually surfacing in Palestine.

1018
00:43:47,310 --> 00:43:49,380
Palestinian origins.

1019
00:43:49,380 --> 00:43:51,339
The primary alternative explanation

1020
00:43:51,339 --> 00:43:53,820
is that the edict is a response

1021
00:43:53,820 --> 00:43:55,145
to the Christian gospel

1022
00:43:55,145 --> 00:43:55,978
[bell dinging]

1023
00:43:55,978 --> 00:43:58,170
and the hostile conflicts it aroused.

1024
00:43:58,170 --> 00:43:59,820
In the Bible, the disciples

1025
00:43:59,820 --> 00:44:03,270
of Jesus claimed that they
found their master's tomb empty,

1026
00:44:03,270 --> 00:44:05,520
and the Gospel of Matthew makes it clear

1027
00:44:05,520 --> 00:44:07,500
that opposing accounts of the empty tomb

1028
00:44:07,500 --> 00:44:09,360
were being circulated.

1029
00:44:09,360 --> 00:44:12,030
Those Jews who did not
believe that Jesus was

1030
00:44:12,030 --> 00:44:14,190
the Messiah spread the rumor that

1031
00:44:14,190 --> 00:44:16,440
the disciples had stolen the body,

1032
00:44:16,440 --> 00:44:17,670
and according to Matthew,

1033
00:44:17,670 --> 00:44:19,170
they bribed the Roman guards

1034
00:44:19,170 --> 00:44:23,100
into swearing this alternative
truth before the governor.

1035
00:44:23,100 --> 00:44:26,070
Could it be that, aware
of enduring tensions

1036
00:44:26,070 --> 00:44:29,160
and conflict over the
claims of the resurrection,

1037
00:44:29,160 --> 00:44:32,970
the emperor issued an edict
specifying harsh penalties

1038
00:44:32,970 --> 00:44:36,240
for violating tombs and
the bodies lying within?

1039
00:44:36,240 --> 00:44:38,190
But while this of course doesn't prove

1040
00:44:38,190 --> 00:44:39,690
that the inscription is evidence

1041
00:44:39,690 --> 00:44:41,550
for the resurrection of Christ,

1042
00:44:41,550 --> 00:44:43,950
it does indicate that the
story of the resurrection

1043
00:44:43,950 --> 00:44:47,580
of Christ was already
circulating very early on,

1044
00:44:47,580 --> 00:44:48,720
perhaps even in the reign

1045
00:44:48,720 --> 00:44:52,260
of Emperor Claudius around 41 AD.

1046
00:44:52,260 --> 00:44:53,880
If the story of the resurrection

1047
00:44:53,880 --> 00:44:57,630
of Christ was widely known
soon after his crucifixion,

1048
00:44:57,630 --> 00:44:59,520
it could be that it was circulated

1049
00:44:59,520 --> 00:45:02,400
by his apostles themselves.

1050
00:45:02,400 --> 00:45:04,380
In his 1968 book,

1051
00:45:04,380 --> 00:45:06,360
author Michael Green wrote that there

1052
00:45:06,360 --> 00:45:08,100
was firm contemporary evidence

1053
00:45:08,100 --> 00:45:10,650
for the presence of Jesus' empty tomb.

1054
00:45:10,650 --> 00:45:11,483
He said this piece

1055
00:45:11,483 --> 00:45:15,570
of evidence is called
the Nazareth Inscription

1056
00:45:15,570 --> 00:45:17,760
after the town where it was found.

1057
00:45:17,760 --> 00:45:20,700
It is an imperial edict belonging either

1058
00:45:20,700 --> 00:45:24,660
to the reign of Tiberius, 14-37 AD,

1059
00:45:24,660 --> 00:45:28,230
or of Claudius 41-54 AD,

1060
00:45:28,230 --> 00:45:31,470
and it's an invective
backed with heavy sanctions

1061
00:45:31,470 --> 00:45:34,260
against meddling around
with tombs and graves.

1062
00:45:34,260 --> 00:45:36,060
It looked very much as if the news

1063
00:45:36,060 --> 00:45:39,780
of the empty tomb had got back
to Rome in a garbled form.

1064
00:45:39,780 --> 00:45:41,970
Pilate would have had to report

1065
00:45:41,970 --> 00:45:43,500
and he would obviously have said

1066
00:45:43,500 --> 00:45:45,360
the tomb had been rifled.

1067
00:45:45,360 --> 00:45:48,573
This edict, it seems, is
the imperial reaction,

1068
00:45:49,440 --> 00:45:50,790
but as mentioned earlier,

1069
00:45:50,790 --> 00:45:52,680
the inscription provides no evidence

1070
00:45:52,680 --> 00:45:54,780
for any specific event.

1071
00:45:54,780 --> 00:45:57,776
Indeed, skeptics of the
Jesus connection argue

1072
00:45:57,776 --> 00:45:59,717
that there is absolutely nothing linking

1073
00:45:59,717 --> 00:46:02,610
this inscription with Christianity,

1074
00:46:02,610 --> 00:46:04,620
only the town it was found in.

1075
00:46:04,620 --> 00:46:07,110
Even though Jesus was
not buried in Nazareth,

1076
00:46:07,110 --> 00:46:08,970
and its possible date.

1077
00:46:08,970 --> 00:46:11,670
They also point out
that the law is prefaced

1078
00:46:11,670 --> 00:46:13,590
by a reference to the importance

1079
00:46:13,590 --> 00:46:15,570
of family burial cult,

1080
00:46:15,570 --> 00:46:17,610
so the incentive for the law seems

1081
00:46:17,610 --> 00:46:19,140
seems to been an objection

1082
00:46:19,140 --> 00:46:21,300
to those who were depriving
people of the right

1083
00:46:21,300 --> 00:46:23,970
to pay homage to their dead ancestors,

1084
00:46:23,970 --> 00:46:26,430
something that would appear
to have no connection

1085
00:46:26,430 --> 00:46:29,040
with the missing body of Jesus.

1086
00:46:29,040 --> 00:46:30,690
Skeptics also point out that

1087
00:46:30,690 --> 00:46:32,790
in the late 19th century there

1088
00:46:32,790 --> 00:46:34,950
were only two major market centers

1089
00:46:34,950 --> 00:46:37,920
for all antiquities
recovered in Palestine,

1090
00:46:37,920 --> 00:46:39,990
Jerusalem, and Nazareth.

1091
00:46:39,990 --> 00:46:43,860
Thus de Zulueta makes the
plausible conjecture that

1092
00:46:43,860 --> 00:46:47,850
the slab was recovered either
in Samaria or Decapolis

1093
00:46:47,850 --> 00:46:49,020
and either purchased

1094
00:46:49,020 --> 00:46:51,990
or shipped via the nearest possible place,

1095
00:46:51,990 --> 00:46:54,270
which would've been Nazareth.

1096
00:46:54,270 --> 00:46:56,760
New evidence: In April 2020,

1097
00:46:56,760 --> 00:46:59,250
it was announced that
scientists had conducted

1098
00:46:59,250 --> 00:47:01,950
the first isotope
analysis of marble sample

1099
00:47:01,950 --> 00:47:05,040
from the slab containing the inscription.

1100
00:47:05,040 --> 00:47:07,980
The research team
sensationally discovered that

1101
00:47:07,980 --> 00:47:09,900
the unique isotopic fingerprints

1102
00:47:09,900 --> 00:47:11,760
of the marble were a close match

1103
00:47:11,760 --> 00:47:13,890
for a signature found in white marble

1104
00:47:13,890 --> 00:47:15,990
from the Greek island of Kos

1105
00:47:15,990 --> 00:47:17,857
of Turkey's southwestern coast.

1106
00:47:17,857 --> 00:47:18,690
[waves crashing]

1107
00:47:18,690 --> 00:47:20,550
As Kos is a long way from Nazareth,

1108
00:47:20,550 --> 00:47:22,560
the results of the tests
would certainly seem

1109
00:47:22,560 --> 00:47:23,947
to reduce the likelihood that

1110
00:47:23,947 --> 00:47:27,870
the edict had any connection
with early Christianity.

1111
00:47:27,870 --> 00:47:30,300
Researchers believe that the inscription,

1112
00:47:30,300 --> 00:47:31,530
rather than referring

1113
00:47:31,530 --> 00:47:33,955
to the story of Jesus' empty tomb,

1114
00:47:33,955 --> 00:47:36,635
relates to an incident
which took place decades

1115
00:47:36,635 --> 00:47:38,970
before the death of Jesus.

1116
00:47:38,970 --> 00:47:41,843
The incident took place
on Kos in the 30s BC

1117
00:47:42,750 --> 00:47:44,790
and involved what happened after the death

1118
00:47:44,790 --> 00:47:46,410
of an extremely unpopular

1119
00:47:46,410 --> 00:47:49,096
but powerful official named Nicias.

1120
00:47:49,096 --> 00:47:49,929
[wolf howling]

1121
00:47:49,929 --> 00:47:50,970
After Nicias's demise,

1122
00:47:50,970 --> 00:47:54,720
locals broke into his tomb
and desecrated the body.

1123
00:47:54,720 --> 00:47:57,540
Researchers now believe
that the Roman edict warning

1124
00:47:57,540 --> 00:47:59,970
of harsh punishments for grave desecration

1125
00:47:59,970 --> 00:48:02,250
was response to the fate suffered

1126
00:48:02,250 --> 00:48:04,290
by the body of Nicias.

1127
00:48:04,290 --> 00:48:06,330
Lead study author Kyle Harper,

1128
00:48:06,330 --> 00:48:07,620
a professor of classics

1129
00:48:07,620 --> 00:48:10,110
and letters at the
University of Oklahoma said

1130
00:48:10,110 --> 00:48:11,467
of the discovery,

1131
00:48:11,467 --> 00:48:12,900
"We believe that it's

1132
00:48:12,900 --> 00:48:15,900
the first time stable isotope chemistry

1133
00:48:15,900 --> 00:48:17,610
has ever been used to establish

1134
00:48:17,610 --> 00:48:20,670
the provenance of an inscription, period.

1135
00:48:20,670 --> 00:48:22,860
We got lucky twice over.

1136
00:48:22,860 --> 00:48:25,230
First, it was very direct match with

1137
00:48:25,230 --> 00:48:27,510
a rather unexpected marble quarry

1138
00:48:27,510 --> 00:48:30,503
so we could really pinpoint
its origins on Kos.

1139
00:48:30,503 --> 00:48:31,380
[bell dinging]

1140
00:48:31,380 --> 00:48:33,900
Second, it happened that
we know of an episode

1141
00:48:33,900 --> 00:48:36,450
of tomb violation that was very famous

1142
00:48:36,450 --> 00:48:37,999
in the exact right period.

1143
00:48:37,999 --> 00:48:38,832
[waves crashing]

1144
00:48:38,832 --> 00:48:39,862
I would've never hoped

1145
00:48:39,862 --> 00:48:42,118
for such a remarkable alignment."

1146
00:48:42,118 --> 00:48:42,951
[insects chirring]

1147
00:48:42,951 --> 00:48:44,892
Harper and his team have also suggested

1148
00:48:44,892 --> 00:48:48,360
the Greek dialect on the
inscription does not match

1149
00:48:48,360 --> 00:48:50,610
a Nazarene background for the period

1150
00:48:50,610 --> 00:48:52,140
and that it could have
been written anywhere

1151
00:48:52,140 --> 00:48:55,260
between 100 BC and 100 AD.

1152
00:48:55,260 --> 00:48:57,090
But although Harper's work proves

1153
00:48:57,090 --> 00:48:59,250
that the marble was sourced from Kos,

1154
00:48:59,250 --> 00:49:01,560
it doesn't prove that
Nazareth's Inscription

1155
00:49:01,560 --> 00:49:03,390
was inscribed in Kos.

1156
00:49:03,390 --> 00:49:05,460
Indeed, since its publication,

1157
00:49:05,460 --> 00:49:07,380
Harper's research has been questioned

1158
00:49:07,380 --> 00:49:08,970
by other researchers

1159
00:49:08,970 --> 00:49:10,320
and is certainly not set

1160
00:49:10,320 --> 00:49:12,600
to be the final word on the edict.

1161
00:49:12,600 --> 00:49:14,550
One researcher has pointed out

1162
00:49:14,550 --> 00:49:16,590
that with the Herodian Dynasty,

1163
00:49:16,590 --> 00:49:19,080
which ruled Judea for almost 80 years

1164
00:49:19,080 --> 00:49:22,110
from 37 BC to 39 AD,

1165
00:49:22,110 --> 00:49:24,960
traded regularly with the island of Kos.

1166
00:49:24,960 --> 00:49:25,793
Perhaps, they reason,

1167
00:49:25,793 --> 00:49:26,626
[waves crashing]

1168
00:49:26,626 --> 00:49:29,700
marble was commercially
transported to Judea from Kos

1169
00:49:29,700 --> 00:49:32,340
and found its way into
Nazareth during the reign

1170
00:49:32,340 --> 00:49:34,560
of Claudius or Nero.

1171
00:49:34,560 --> 00:49:36,210
At the moment, there's no way of knowing

1172
00:49:36,210 --> 00:49:38,730
for certain where the stone was inscribed

1173
00:49:38,730 --> 00:49:41,400
and what exactly it was referring to.

1174
00:49:41,400 --> 00:49:44,940
It seems the debate about the
Nazareth inscription is set

1175
00:49:44,940 --> 00:49:47,253
to rage on for many years to come.

1176
00:49:48,209 --> 00:49:50,626
[epic music]

1177
00:49:53,405 --> 00:49:54,420
[dramatic music]

1178
00:49:54,420 --> 00:49:57,510
Evidence from the 11,000-year-old carvings

1179
00:49:57,510 --> 00:49:59,250
on an ancient temple site

1180
00:49:59,250 --> 00:50:01,290
in what is now Turkey suggests

1181
00:50:01,290 --> 00:50:02,956
that a mass of comet fragments hit

1182
00:50:02,956 --> 00:50:06,510
the Earth around 11,000 BC.

1183
00:50:06,510 --> 00:50:07,860
There is also other evidence

1184
00:50:07,860 --> 00:50:10,260
to support this catastrophic event

1185
00:50:10,260 --> 00:50:12,570
from a Greenland ice core.

1186
00:50:12,570 --> 00:50:14,490
The impact, which probably resulted

1187
00:50:14,490 --> 00:50:16,380
from the breakup of a giant comet

1188
00:50:16,380 --> 00:50:17,910
in the inner solar system,

1189
00:50:17,910 --> 00:50:19,440
triggered a cold climate,

1190
00:50:19,440 --> 00:50:22,050
which lasted at least a thousand years

1191
00:50:22,050 --> 00:50:23,580
and seems to have been remembered

1192
00:50:23,580 --> 00:50:25,770
by the hunter-gatherers in the area

1193
00:50:25,770 --> 00:50:27,858
for thousands of years afterwards.

1194
00:50:27,858 --> 00:50:30,775
[mysterious music]

1195
00:50:38,298 --> 00:50:39,843
Gobekli Tepe.

1196
00:50:39,843 --> 00:50:43,047
Gobekli Tepe, Turkish for
the hill of the navel is

1197
00:50:43,047 --> 00:50:46,130
a 1,000-foot diameter mound located

1198
00:50:46,130 --> 00:50:47,190
at the highest point

1199
00:50:47,190 --> 00:50:50,100
of a mountain ridge in
southeastern Turkey.

1200
00:50:50,100 --> 00:50:52,710
The site includes two phases of use,

1201
00:50:52,710 --> 00:50:54,000
believed to be social

1202
00:50:54,000 --> 00:50:56,640
or ritual in nature by its discoverer

1203
00:50:56,640 --> 00:50:58,740
and excavator Klaus Schmidt.

1204
00:50:58,740 --> 00:51:02,111
It dates back to the
10th-8th millennium BC

1205
00:51:02,111 --> 00:51:06,210
and since 1994, excavations
conducted by Klaus Schmidt

1206
00:51:06,210 --> 00:51:07,410
of the Istanbul branch

1207
00:51:07,410 --> 00:51:10,030
of the German Archeological Institute have

1208
00:51:11,232 --> 00:51:12,383
been taking place at the site.

1209
00:51:18,030 --> 00:51:20,700
Results to date have been outstanding,

1210
00:51:20,700 --> 00:51:22,200
especially bearing in mind that

1211
00:51:22,200 --> 00:51:25,170
the excavators estimate that
their work has uncovered

1212
00:51:25,170 --> 00:51:27,810
a mere 5% of the site.

1213
00:51:27,810 --> 00:51:30,270
Gobekli Tepe consists of four arrangements

1214
00:51:30,270 --> 00:51:33,210
of monolithic pillars
linked together by segments

1215
00:51:33,210 --> 00:51:35,963
of coarsely built dry stone
walls to form a series

1216
00:51:35,963 --> 00:51:39,300
of circular or oval structures.

1217
00:51:39,300 --> 00:51:40,740
There are two large pillars

1218
00:51:40,740 --> 00:51:42,630
in the center of each complex,

1219
00:51:42,630 --> 00:51:43,800
which are encircled

1220
00:51:43,800 --> 00:51:46,740
by slightly smaller stones facing inwards.

1221
00:51:46,740 --> 00:51:48,810
During the first phase of the site,

1222
00:51:48,810 --> 00:51:52,380
circles of huge T-shaped
stone pillars were erected,

1223
00:51:52,380 --> 00:51:55,560
at the moment, the world's
oldest known megaliths.

1224
00:51:55,560 --> 00:51:57,690
Archeologists believed that these pillars

1225
00:51:57,690 --> 00:52:00,120
could have once supported roofs.

1226
00:52:00,120 --> 00:52:01,647
The structures vary in size between 33

1227
00:52:01,647 --> 00:52:04,560
and 98 feet in diameter

1228
00:52:04,560 --> 00:52:07,260
and have floors made of burned lime.

1229
00:52:07,260 --> 00:52:08,730
The megaliths themselves,

1230
00:52:08,730 --> 00:52:11,220
43 of which have been unearthed so far,

1231
00:52:11,220 --> 00:52:14,250
are mainly T-shaped
pillars of soft limestone

1232
00:52:14,250 --> 00:52:17,190
up to around 16 feet in height.

1233
00:52:17,190 --> 00:52:19,170
The stone would've been excavated

1234
00:52:19,170 --> 00:52:21,360
and transported from a stone quarry

1235
00:52:21,360 --> 00:52:24,900
on the lowest southwestern
slope of the hill.

1236
00:52:24,900 --> 00:52:27,817
Geophysical surveys on the
hill indicate there are

1237
00:52:27,817 --> 00:52:32,700
as many as 250 more megaliths
lying buried around the site,

1238
00:52:32,700 --> 00:52:36,450
suggesting that another
16 complexes once existed

1239
00:52:36,450 --> 00:52:38,280
at Gobekli Tepe.

1240
00:52:38,280 --> 00:52:40,430
Although the pictograms at Gobekli Tepe

1241
00:52:40,430 --> 00:52:42,810
do not represent a form of writing,

1242
00:52:42,810 --> 00:52:45,450
they may have functioned as sacred symbols

1243
00:52:45,450 --> 00:52:47,760
whose meanings were implicitly understood

1244
00:52:47,760 --> 00:52:50,190
by the local population at the time.

1245
00:52:50,190 --> 00:52:52,770
The carving of the comet impact.

1246
00:52:52,770 --> 00:52:55,053
The mysterious megaliths at Gobekli Tepe

1247
00:52:55,053 --> 00:52:57,180
have been puzzling archeologists

1248
00:52:57,180 --> 00:52:58,800
and challenging presumptions

1249
00:52:58,800 --> 00:53:02,040
about prehistoric culture
since their discovery.

1250
00:53:02,040 --> 00:53:03,720
The most debated point is how

1251
00:53:03,720 --> 00:53:06,060
a nomadic hunter-gatherer society

1252
00:53:06,060 --> 00:53:09,417
with a supposedly primitive
social structure could plan

1253
00:53:09,417 --> 00:53:13,110
and build such monumental stone circles.

1254
00:53:13,110 --> 00:53:15,120
It was recently announced that researchers

1255
00:53:15,120 --> 00:53:16,590
from the University of Edinburgh

1256
00:53:16,590 --> 00:53:19,530
in Scotland had found
evidence for the recording

1257
00:53:19,530 --> 00:53:21,630
of a devastating comet impact

1258
00:53:21,630 --> 00:53:25,530
more than 13,000 years ago
while examining symbols

1259
00:53:25,530 --> 00:53:27,150
on a decorated stone

1260
00:53:27,150 --> 00:53:30,300
from Gobekli Tepe called
the Vulture Stone.

1261
00:53:30,300 --> 00:53:34,020
Using computer star tracking
software called Stellarium,

1262
00:53:34,020 --> 00:53:35,700
the researchers were able to track

1263
00:53:35,700 --> 00:53:37,200
what the sky looked like

1264
00:53:37,200 --> 00:53:39,900
in the time Gobekli Tepe was in use.

1265
00:53:39,900 --> 00:53:43,080
The team matched carvings of
animals on the Vulture Stone,

1266
00:53:43,080 --> 00:53:44,762
which they interpreted
as astronomical symbols,

1267
00:53:44,762 --> 00:53:46,260
[celestial music]

1268
00:53:46,260 --> 00:53:47,820
to patterns of stars

1269
00:53:47,820 --> 00:53:51,270
and were able to pinpoint
the cataclysmic event caused

1270
00:53:51,270 --> 00:53:53,280
by the comet fragments hitting the Earth

1271
00:53:53,280 --> 00:53:58,280
to 10,950 BC, give or take 250 years.

1272
00:53:58,530 --> 00:54:00,000
Another image on the stone,

1273
00:54:00,000 --> 00:54:01,380
that of a headless man,

1274
00:54:01,380 --> 00:54:03,780
is believed to symbolize human disaster

1275
00:54:03,780 --> 00:54:06,060
and extensive loss of life.

1276
00:54:06,060 --> 00:54:08,310
Scientists have speculated for decades

1277
00:54:08,310 --> 00:54:10,050
whether a comet could have been the cause

1278
00:54:10,050 --> 00:54:13,170
of a sudden fall in temperature
during a period known

1279
00:54:13,170 --> 00:54:15,210
as the Younger Dryas.

1280
00:54:15,210 --> 00:54:17,880
The Younger Dryas was
essentially a mini ice age,

1281
00:54:17,880 --> 00:54:20,250
which lasted around a thousand years

1282
00:54:20,250 --> 00:54:23,310
and it's considered a
critical period for humanity

1283
00:54:23,310 --> 00:54:25,530
as it was around the time agriculture

1284
00:54:25,530 --> 00:54:28,440
and the first Neolithic
civilizations arose,

1285
00:54:28,440 --> 00:54:32,520
possibly in response to the
arrival of a colder climate.

1286
00:54:32,520 --> 00:54:34,908
Dr. Martin Sweatman of
the School of Engineering

1287
00:54:34,908 --> 00:54:37,777
at the University of
Edinburgh led the research

1288
00:54:37,777 --> 00:54:40,037
into the Vulture Stone and commented

1289
00:54:40,037 --> 00:54:42,337
on the team's findings.

1290
00:54:42,337 --> 00:54:43,980
"I think this research,

1291
00:54:43,980 --> 00:54:45,330
along with a recent finding

1292
00:54:45,330 --> 00:54:47,400
of a widespread platinum anomaly

1293
00:54:47,400 --> 00:54:49,680
across the North American continent,

1294
00:54:49,680 --> 00:54:51,960
virtually seal the case in favor

1295
00:54:51,960 --> 00:54:54,510
of a Younger Dryas comet impact.

1296
00:54:54,510 --> 00:54:57,990
Our work serves to reinforce
that physical evidence.

1297
00:54:57,990 --> 00:54:59,400
What is happening here is

1298
00:54:59,400 --> 00:55:01,224
the process of paradigm change.

1299
00:55:01,224 --> 00:55:02,057
[explosion booming]

1300
00:55:02,057 --> 00:55:04,800
It appears Gobekli Tepe
was, among other things,

1301
00:55:04,800 --> 00:55:07,710
an observatory for
monitoring the night sky.

1302
00:55:07,710 --> 00:55:09,510
One of its pillars seems to have served

1303
00:55:09,510 --> 00:55:12,270
as a memorial to this devastating event,

1304
00:55:12,270 --> 00:55:15,370
probably the worst day
in history since the end

1305
00:55:16,964 --> 00:55:17,797
of the Ice Age."

1306
00:55:17,797 --> 00:55:18,630
The Vulture Stone,

1307
00:55:18,630 --> 00:55:21,120
labeled by archeologists Pillar 43,

1308
00:55:21,120 --> 00:55:23,160
is one of the oldest artifacts discovered

1309
00:55:23,160 --> 00:55:24,510
at Gobekli Tepe,

1310
00:55:24,510 --> 00:55:26,119
and archeologists have
found that it exhibits signs

1311
00:55:26,119 --> 00:55:27,330
[mysterious music]

1312
00:55:27,330 --> 00:55:30,390
of being cared for by the
people there for millennia,

1313
00:55:30,390 --> 00:55:32,850
which indicates that
what was carved onto it

1314
00:55:32,850 --> 00:55:34,620
was very important.

1315
00:55:34,620 --> 00:55:37,270
Perhaps the event that
researchers believe the images

1316
00:55:38,696 --> 00:55:40,260
on the stone depicted
had a long-lasting impact

1317
00:55:40,260 --> 00:55:42,900
on the civilization in the area.

1318
00:55:42,900 --> 00:55:45,390
In their paper published
on the Vulture Stone,

1319
00:55:45,390 --> 00:55:47,310
images in "Mediterranean Archeology

1320
00:55:47,310 --> 00:55:51,290
and Archeometry" in 2017, Dr. Sweatman

1321
00:55:51,290 --> 00:55:54,150
and Dimitrios Tsikritsis described

1322
00:55:54,150 --> 00:55:55,290
their findings connecting

1323
00:55:55,290 --> 00:55:57,360
the comet strike with Gobekli Tepe

1324
00:55:57,360 --> 00:56:00,300
and the onset of the Younger
Dryas in more detail.

1325
00:56:00,300 --> 00:56:03,303
They said, "Symbolism on
pillar 18 is consistent

1326
00:56:03,303 --> 00:56:06,150
with an event of cosmic origin.

1327
00:56:06,150 --> 00:56:08,326
The fox symbolism in particular suggests

1328
00:56:08,326 --> 00:56:10,470
a cosmic event originating

1329
00:56:10,470 --> 00:56:12,720
from a specific position.

1330
00:56:12,720 --> 00:56:14,100
The belt, buckle, eclipse,

1331
00:56:14,100 --> 00:56:16,230
and snake symbols are consistent

1332
00:56:16,230 --> 00:56:18,690
with a cometary encounter.

1333
00:56:18,690 --> 00:56:20,670
We also find evidence that a key function

1334
00:56:20,670 --> 00:56:24,030
of Gobekli Tepe was to
observe meteor showers

1335
00:56:24,030 --> 00:56:26,400
and record cometary encounters.

1336
00:56:26,400 --> 00:56:28,830
Indeed, the people of Gobekli Tepe appear

1337
00:56:28,830 --> 00:56:30,600
to have had a special interest

1338
00:56:30,600 --> 00:56:32,760
in the Taurid meteor stream,

1339
00:56:32,760 --> 00:56:36,000
the same meteor stream that
is proposed as responsible

1340
00:56:36,000 --> 00:56:38,250
for the Younger Dryas event."

1341
00:56:38,250 --> 00:56:39,975
Is Gobekli Tepe the smoking gun

1342
00:56:39,975 --> 00:56:42,780
for the Younger Dryas cometary encounter

1343
00:56:42,780 --> 00:56:45,720
and hence for coherent catastrophism?

1344
00:56:45,720 --> 00:56:49,050
Was Gobekli Tepe an observatory?

1345
00:56:49,050 --> 00:56:51,030
Dr. Sweatman's comment that Gobekli Tepe

1346
00:56:51,030 --> 00:56:52,380
may have functioned

1347
00:56:52,380 --> 00:56:54,150
as an observatory at some stage

1348
00:56:54,150 --> 00:56:57,240
in its history is a controversial one.

1349
00:56:57,240 --> 00:56:59,280
The claims of Gobekli Tepe's connection

1350
00:56:59,280 --> 00:57:01,860
to the night sky have been mostly rejected

1351
00:57:01,860 --> 00:57:05,850
by the main archeological
team excavating the temple.

1352
00:57:05,850 --> 00:57:06,960
In their opinion,

1353
00:57:06,960 --> 00:57:10,560
although Gobekli Tepe is
extraordinarily well preserved,

1354
00:57:10,560 --> 00:57:13,140
time and the elements
have changed the location

1355
00:57:13,140 --> 00:57:15,420
of certain features at the site.

1356
00:57:15,420 --> 00:57:18,510
Some of the pillars at Gobekli
Tepe were certainly removed

1357
00:57:18,510 --> 00:57:21,960
and recycled elsewhere during
occupation of the site.

1358
00:57:21,960 --> 00:57:24,960
Moreover, later civilizations in the area

1359
00:57:24,960 --> 00:57:27,664
and more recently farmers
have repositioned parts

1360
00:57:27,664 --> 00:57:29,280
of certain pillars,

1361
00:57:29,280 --> 00:57:32,520
even on some occasions
breaking pieces off.

1362
00:57:32,520 --> 00:57:33,990
In a paper written in response

1363
00:57:33,990 --> 00:57:36,690
to the claims of Dr.
Sweatman and his team,

1364
00:57:36,690 --> 00:57:38,520
they stated their main objection

1365
00:57:38,520 --> 00:57:42,457
to his claim that Gobekli
Tepe was an observatory is

1366
00:57:42,457 --> 00:57:43,884
"There is significant possibility

1367
00:57:43,884 --> 00:57:46,920
that we are dealing
with roofed structures.

1368
00:57:46,920 --> 00:57:49,170
This fact alone would pose limitations

1369
00:57:49,170 --> 00:57:51,780
to a function of sky observatories.

1370
00:57:51,780 --> 00:57:54,330
The arches depicted on
the western broad side

1371
00:57:54,330 --> 00:57:56,725
of Pillar 43 could even be images

1372
00:57:56,725 --> 00:57:59,880
of the monumental buildings
themselves covered

1373
00:57:59,880 --> 00:58:01,980
by a corbel roof."

1374
00:58:01,980 --> 00:58:04,470
Dr. Sweatman published a quick response

1375
00:58:04,470 --> 00:58:06,450
to the criticism of their work

1376
00:58:06,450 --> 00:58:09,030
by the excavators of Gobekli Tepe,

1377
00:58:09,030 --> 00:58:10,980
and in this response they reiterated

1378
00:58:10,980 --> 00:58:13,462
their hypothesis that
Gobekli Tepe had been,

1379
00:58:13,462 --> 00:58:17,520
at an early stage at the
site's history, an observatory,

1380
00:58:17,520 --> 00:58:20,790
whether it was in later life
a roofed structure or not.

1381
00:58:20,790 --> 00:58:22,731
They said, "We suggest construction

1382
00:58:22,731 --> 00:58:23,564
[celestial music]

1383
00:58:23,564 --> 00:58:25,200
of the rough stone enclosure walls,

1384
00:58:25,200 --> 00:58:28,080
might or might not have supported a roof,

1385
00:58:28,080 --> 00:58:30,000
might have followed an earlier phase

1386
00:58:30,000 --> 00:58:31,326
of construction consisting

1387
00:58:31,326 --> 00:58:34,260
of relatively freestanding pillars.

1388
00:58:34,260 --> 00:58:36,540
We suggest this because
the carvings on many

1389
00:58:36,540 --> 00:58:39,360
of the pillars are covered by these walls.

1390
00:58:39,360 --> 00:58:41,910
Given the undoubted
extreme effort required

1391
00:58:41,910 --> 00:58:45,000
and limited resources available
to construct the pillars

1392
00:58:45,000 --> 00:58:46,260
and their carvings,

1393
00:58:46,260 --> 00:58:48,510
it makes little sense
to us that the builders

1394
00:58:48,510 --> 00:58:51,600
of Gobekli Tepe would have
immediately hidden many

1395
00:58:51,600 --> 00:58:54,840
of the carvings within the
rough stone enclosure wall.

1396
00:58:54,840 --> 00:58:57,360
We also note that whether Gobekli Tepe

1397
00:58:57,360 --> 00:58:59,490
was roofed at some point or not,

1398
00:58:59,490 --> 00:59:01,770
this has little bearing on the statistics

1399
00:59:01,770 --> 00:59:03,450
in our interpretation.

1400
00:59:03,450 --> 00:59:06,090
It only affects
interpretation of the usage

1401
00:59:06,090 --> 00:59:09,576
of Gobekli Tepe at some
point in its history."

1402
00:59:09,576 --> 00:59:11,993
[epic music]

1403
00:59:14,250 --> 00:59:16,014
Most people are familiar
with the biblical story

1404
00:59:16,014 --> 00:59:16,847
[celestial music]

1405
00:59:16,847 --> 00:59:18,210
of Sodom and Gomorrah.

1406
00:59:18,210 --> 00:59:20,970
For most scholars, it is just a story,

1407
00:59:20,970 --> 00:59:23,340
but one scientific study has determined

1408
00:59:23,340 --> 00:59:24,870
that a clay tablet dating

1409
00:59:24,870 --> 00:59:27,570
from around 700 BC is a copy

1410
00:59:27,570 --> 00:59:29,430
of notes taken by an eyewitness

1411
00:59:29,430 --> 00:59:30,928
to the ancient asteroid impact

1412
00:59:30,928 --> 00:59:31,761
[asteroid whooshing]

1413
00:59:31,761 --> 00:59:33,930
believed to be responsible
for the destruction

1414
00:59:33,930 --> 00:59:36,300
of the two biblical cities.

1415
00:59:36,300 --> 00:59:38,520
The cuneiform symbols on the tablet,

1416
00:59:38,520 --> 00:59:41,040
recently translated by researchers,

1417
00:59:41,040 --> 00:59:43,230
are believed to detail an account written

1418
00:59:43,230 --> 00:59:46,020
by an ancient Sumerian astronomer watching

1419
00:59:46,020 --> 00:59:47,880
the asteroid impact.

1420
00:59:47,880 --> 00:59:49,470
There were other competing theories

1421
00:59:49,470 --> 00:59:52,530
for the destruction of
the two cities however.

1422
00:59:52,530 --> 00:59:54,750
Recently one researcher wrote

1423
00:59:54,750 --> 00:59:56,220
that he was convinced that Sodom

1424
00:59:56,220 --> 00:59:57,480
and Gomorrah were destroyed

1425
00:59:57,480 --> 00:59:59,340
by a massive earthquake followed

1426
00:59:59,340 --> 01:00:01,323
by a catastrophic landslide.

1427
01:00:02,220 --> 01:00:04,323
The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah.

1428
01:00:05,370 --> 01:00:08,880
Sodom and Gomorrah were two
notoriously sinful cities

1429
01:00:08,880 --> 01:00:10,980
in the biblical book of Genesis,

1430
01:00:10,980 --> 01:00:13,440
located in the region of the Dead Sea

1431
01:00:13,440 --> 01:00:15,030
between what are now Israel

1432
01:00:15,030 --> 01:00:17,430
and Jordan in the Middle East.

1433
01:00:17,430 --> 01:00:20,149
Along with the cities of Admah, Zeboim,

1434
01:00:20,149 --> 01:00:23,250
and Zoar, Sodom and Gomorrah constituted

1435
01:00:23,250 --> 01:00:25,920
the five cities of the plain referenced

1436
01:00:25,920 --> 01:00:27,360
throughout both the Old

1437
01:00:27,360 --> 01:00:29,790
and New Testaments and the Quran.

1438
01:00:29,790 --> 01:00:32,340
Genesis describes God's dissatisfaction

1439
01:00:32,340 --> 01:00:34,650
with Sodom and Gomorrah and his decision

1440
01:00:34,650 --> 01:00:35,483
to destroy them,

1441
01:00:35,483 --> 01:00:36,316
[energy whirring]

1442
01:00:36,316 --> 01:00:37,530
"The sun had risen over

1443
01:00:37,530 --> 01:00:40,200
the earth when Lot came to Zoar.

1444
01:00:40,200 --> 01:00:43,380
Then the Lord rained on
Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone

1445
01:00:43,380 --> 01:00:45,870
and fire from the Lord out of heaven,

1446
01:00:45,870 --> 01:00:48,960
and he overthrew those
cities, and all the valley,

1447
01:00:48,960 --> 01:00:50,970
and all the inhabitants of the cities,

1448
01:00:50,970 --> 01:00:53,100
and what grew on the ground.

1449
01:00:53,100 --> 01:00:55,196
But his wife from behind him looked back,

1450
01:00:55,196 --> 01:00:56,029
[celestial music]

1451
01:00:56,029 --> 01:00:58,260
and she became a pillar of salt.

1452
01:00:58,260 --> 01:01:00,660
Now Abraham arose early in the morning

1453
01:01:00,660 --> 01:01:03,720
and went to the place where
he had stood before the Lord,

1454
01:01:03,720 --> 01:01:06,330
and he looked down
towards Sodom and Gomorrah

1455
01:01:06,330 --> 01:01:08,640
and toward all the land of the valley,

1456
01:01:08,640 --> 01:01:10,124
and he saw, and behold,

1457
01:01:10,124 --> 01:01:10,957
[fire crackling]

1458
01:01:10,957 --> 01:01:14,490
the smoke of the land ascended
like the smoke of a furnace.

1459
01:01:14,490 --> 01:01:16,050
Thus, it came about,

1460
01:01:16,050 --> 01:01:18,540
when God destroyed the
cities of the valley,

1461
01:01:18,540 --> 01:01:20,550
that God remembered Abraham

1462
01:01:20,550 --> 01:01:22,290
and sent Lot out in the midst

1463
01:01:22,290 --> 01:01:25,350
of the overthrow when
he overthrew the cities

1464
01:01:25,350 --> 01:01:26,945
in which Lot lived."

1465
01:01:26,945 --> 01:01:27,778
[fire crackling]

1466
01:01:27,778 --> 01:01:29,940
It is an extremely dramatic story,

1467
01:01:29,940 --> 01:01:31,950
but is it merely fiction?

1468
01:01:31,950 --> 01:01:34,260
According to archeologists, scientists,

1469
01:01:34,260 --> 01:01:37,470
and biblical scholars, there
is no evidence that Sodom

1470
01:01:37,470 --> 01:01:40,470
and its sister town Gomorrah even existed,

1471
01:01:40,470 --> 01:01:41,610
let alone that they came

1472
01:01:41,610 --> 01:01:43,922
to a sudden and disastrous end.

1473
01:01:43,922 --> 01:01:44,755
[eluding music]

1474
01:01:44,755 --> 01:01:46,143
The ancient clay tablet.

1475
01:01:47,520 --> 01:01:50,940
In March 2008, it was
announced in the media that

1476
01:01:50,940 --> 01:01:53,751
an ancient clay tablet that
had perplexed scientists

1477
01:01:53,751 --> 01:01:57,420
for over 150 years had been identified

1478
01:01:57,420 --> 01:01:59,341
as a witness's account of an asteroid

1479
01:01:59,341 --> 01:02:00,174
[cryptic music]

1480
01:02:00,174 --> 01:02:01,530
that destroyed the biblical cities

1481
01:02:01,530 --> 01:02:04,890
of Sodom and Gomorrah 5,000 years ago.

1482
01:02:04,890 --> 01:02:08,220
The cuneiform tablet known
as the Planisphere is

1483
01:02:08,220 --> 01:02:12,267
in the British Museum
collection number K8538,

1484
01:02:12,267 --> 01:02:15,510
and was discovered by
Henry Layard in the remains

1485
01:02:15,510 --> 01:02:18,720
of the library in the
royal palace at Nineveh.

1486
01:02:18,720 --> 01:02:19,740
The tablet was made

1487
01:02:19,740 --> 01:02:23,430
by an Assyrian scribe around 700 BC.

1488
01:02:23,430 --> 01:02:26,700
The recently translated
cuneiform symbols are believed

1489
01:02:26,700 --> 01:02:29,460
to be an ancient copy of
the night notebook made

1490
01:02:29,460 --> 01:02:32,160
by an ancient Sumerian
astronomer who watched

1491
01:02:32,160 --> 01:02:33,810
the asteroid impact.

1492
01:02:33,810 --> 01:02:35,880
Astonishingly, scholars have been able

1493
01:02:35,880 --> 01:02:38,610
to pinpoint the date of the impact at dawn

1494
01:02:38,610 --> 01:02:43,020
on the 29th of June 3123 BC,

1495
01:02:43,020 --> 01:02:45,030
based on the symbols on the tablet

1496
01:02:45,030 --> 01:02:47,220
which describe cloud formation

1497
01:02:47,220 --> 01:02:50,193
and the positions of
constellations in the sky.

1498
01:02:51,210 --> 01:02:53,730
The theory was put forward by Alan Bond,

1499
01:02:53,730 --> 01:02:56,640
Managing Director of
Reaction Engines Limited,

1500
01:02:56,640 --> 01:02:57,600
and Mark Hempsell,

1501
01:02:57,600 --> 01:02:59,460
Senior Lecturer in Astronautics

1502
01:02:59,460 --> 01:03:02,310
at Bristol University in the UK,

1503
01:03:02,310 --> 01:03:04,860
who spent eight years
researching the subject

1504
01:03:04,860 --> 01:03:08,220
and collecting evidence
to support their theory.

1505
01:03:08,220 --> 01:03:10,350
The asteroid in question is believed

1506
01:03:10,350 --> 01:03:12,450
to have been over half a mile wide

1507
01:03:12,450 --> 01:03:14,730
and probably crashed
into the Austrian Alps

1508
01:03:14,730 --> 01:03:16,800
at Kofels where there is evidence

1509
01:03:16,800 --> 01:03:19,230
of a huge ancient landslide.

1510
01:03:19,230 --> 01:03:20,063
It had long been thought

1511
01:03:20,063 --> 01:03:20,896
[asteroid roaring]

1512
01:03:20,896 --> 01:03:23,340
that a large object
had impacted at Kofels,

1513
01:03:23,340 --> 01:03:27,390
the evidence being a giant
landslide 640 feet thick

1514
01:03:27,390 --> 01:03:30,450
and 3.1 miles in diameter.

1515
01:03:30,450 --> 01:03:32,370
Hempsell described the ancient event

1516
01:03:32,370 --> 01:03:34,297
as he believes it happened.

1517
01:03:34,297 --> 01:03:35,868
"It came in at a very low angle

1518
01:03:35,868 --> 01:03:36,701
[asteroid whooshing]

1519
01:03:36,701 --> 01:03:38,430
around six degrees and then clipped

1520
01:03:38,430 --> 01:03:40,093
a mountain called Gamskogel

1521
01:03:40,093 --> 01:03:40,926
[calm music]

1522
01:03:40,926 --> 01:03:43,290
around 11 kilometers from Kofels.

1523
01:03:43,290 --> 01:03:44,439
This caused it to explode,

1524
01:03:44,439 --> 01:03:45,272
[explosion banging]

1525
01:03:45,272 --> 01:03:46,710
and as it traveled down the valley,

1526
01:03:46,710 --> 01:03:48,450
it became a fireball.

1527
01:03:48,450 --> 01:03:49,288
When it hit Kofels

1528
01:03:49,288 --> 01:03:50,121
[fireball whooshing]

1529
01:03:50,121 --> 01:03:51,960
it created enormous pressure,

1530
01:03:51,960 --> 01:03:55,140
which pulverized the rock
and caused the landslide,

1531
01:03:55,140 --> 01:03:56,670
but because it wasn't solid,

1532
01:03:56,670 --> 01:03:58,200
there was no crater."

1533
01:03:58,200 --> 01:03:59,760
Another conclusion can be made

1534
01:03:59,760 --> 01:04:01,620
from the trajectory.

1535
01:04:01,620 --> 01:04:03,750
The back plume from the explosion,

1536
01:04:03,750 --> 01:04:04,583
the mushroom cloud,

1537
01:04:04,583 --> 01:04:05,416
[explosion banging]

1538
01:04:05,416 --> 01:04:07,860
would be bent over the Mediterranean Sea,

1539
01:04:07,860 --> 01:04:09,480
reentering the atmosphere

1540
01:04:09,480 --> 01:04:12,720
over the Levant, Sinai,
and Northern Egypt.

1541
01:04:12,720 --> 01:04:14,970
The ground heating, though very short,

1542
01:04:14,970 --> 01:04:17,700
would be enough to ignite
any flammable material

1543
01:04:17,700 --> 01:04:20,100
including human hair and clothes.

1544
01:04:20,100 --> 01:04:23,100
It's probable more people
died under the plume

1545
01:04:23,100 --> 01:04:26,760
than in the Alps due to the impact blast.

1546
01:04:26,760 --> 01:04:28,290
According to Dr. Hempsell,

1547
01:04:28,290 --> 01:04:31,290
around 386,000 square miles

1548
01:04:31,290 --> 01:04:33,660
would've been devastated by the asteroid,

1549
01:04:33,660 --> 01:04:35,400
and the impact would've been equivalent

1550
01:04:35,400 --> 01:04:39,180
to more than 1000 tons of TNT exploding.

1551
01:04:39,180 --> 01:04:40,013
He believes that

1552
01:04:40,013 --> 01:04:43,200
at least 20 ancient
myths record devastation

1553
01:04:43,200 --> 01:04:45,420
which could equate to that of the type

1554
01:04:45,420 --> 01:04:48,450
and on the scale of the asteroid's impact.

1555
01:04:48,450 --> 01:04:50,730
These stories include
the Old Testament tale

1556
01:04:50,730 --> 01:04:52,710
of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

1557
01:04:52,710 --> 01:04:55,950
and the ancient Greek myth
of Phaeton, son of Helios,

1558
01:04:55,950 --> 01:04:57,990
who fell into the river Eridanus

1559
01:04:57,990 --> 01:05:01,620
after losing control of
his father's sun chariot.

1560
01:05:01,620 --> 01:05:03,570
Bond and Hempsell presented their theory

1561
01:05:03,570 --> 01:05:06,187
in their 2008 monograph,

1562
01:05:06,187 --> 01:05:09,990
"A Sumerian Observation
of the Kofels Impact."

1563
01:05:09,990 --> 01:05:12,660
However, the academic world
was far from convinced

1564
01:05:12,660 --> 01:05:14,400
by the asteroid theory.

1565
01:05:14,400 --> 01:05:17,940
Jon Taylor, a retired expert
in Near Eastern archeology

1566
01:05:17,940 --> 01:05:19,350
at the British Museum,

1567
01:05:19,350 --> 01:05:21,390
pointed out that there
was no evidence that

1568
01:05:21,390 --> 01:05:23,460
the ancient Sumerians had the ability

1569
01:05:23,460 --> 01:05:26,520
to make such accurate
astronomical records,

1570
01:05:26,520 --> 01:05:28,830
and that our knowledge
of Sumerian language

1571
01:05:28,830 --> 01:05:30,877
was very far from complete.

1572
01:05:30,877 --> 01:05:34,980
"I remain unconvinced by
these results," he stated.

1573
01:05:34,980 --> 01:05:38,190
In December 2018, yet
another theory accounting

1574
01:05:38,190 --> 01:05:41,310
for the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah emerged.

1575
01:05:41,310 --> 01:05:43,860
This time, it was a meteor that exploded

1576
01:05:43,860 --> 01:05:47,550
in the air near the
Dead Sea 3,700 years ago

1577
01:05:47,550 --> 01:05:50,070
and could have wiped out
communities in the area

1578
01:05:50,070 --> 01:05:53,250
of the Bronze Age city of Tall el-Hammam,

1579
01:05:53,250 --> 01:05:56,370
which according to one of its
excavators, Steven Collins,

1580
01:05:56,370 --> 01:05:59,253
is the biblical city of
Sodom from the Bible.

1581
01:06:00,120 --> 01:06:03,300
Part of the abstract from
the conference presentation

1582
01:06:03,300 --> 01:06:05,760
by the two proponents of this new theory,

1583
01:06:05,760 --> 01:06:08,040
archeologists Philip J. Silvia

1584
01:06:08,040 --> 01:06:09,180
and Steven Collins

1585
01:06:09,180 --> 01:06:13,057
of Trinity Southwest University
in Albuquerque, reads,

1586
01:06:13,057 --> 01:06:15,570
"The paper surveys the multiple lines

1587
01:06:15,570 --> 01:06:17,940
of evidence that collectively suggest

1588
01:06:17,940 --> 01:06:20,970
a Tunguska-like cosmic airburst event

1589
01:06:20,970 --> 01:06:23,160
that obliterated civilization,

1590
01:06:23,160 --> 01:06:26,340
including the Middle Bronze
Age city-state anchored

1591
01:06:26,340 --> 01:06:28,260
by Tall el-Hammam.

1592
01:06:28,260 --> 01:06:29,738
In the Middle Ghor,

1593
01:06:29,738 --> 01:06:31,830
the 25-kilometer diameter circular plain

1594
01:06:31,830 --> 01:06:33,703
immediately north of the Dead Sea,

1595
01:06:33,703 --> 01:06:36,598
3,700 years before present."

1596
01:06:36,598 --> 01:06:37,431
[mysterious music]

1597
01:06:37,431 --> 01:06:40,050
The two researchers also have
an intriguing explanation

1598
01:06:40,050 --> 01:06:42,240
as to how Lot's wife
could have been turned

1599
01:06:42,240 --> 01:06:44,040
into a pillar of salt.

1600
01:06:44,040 --> 01:06:46,200
They theorize that the intense shock waves

1601
01:06:46,200 --> 01:06:48,900
from the blast may have
also covered the area

1602
01:06:48,900 --> 01:06:52,980
with a superheated brine of
Dead Sea anhydride salts.

1603
01:06:52,980 --> 01:06:55,740
This catastrophic event
could also account for

1604
01:06:55,740 --> 01:06:57,480
the archeological evidence

1605
01:06:57,480 --> 01:07:00,150
that indicates that it
took almost 600 years

1606
01:07:00,150 --> 01:07:02,670
for civilization to return to the area,

1607
01:07:02,670 --> 01:07:06,600
as the soil had been rendered
useless for agriculture.

1608
01:07:06,600 --> 01:07:09,990
Did an earthquake destroy
Sodom and Gomorrah?

1609
01:07:09,990 --> 01:07:12,090
A conflicting theory for the destruction

1610
01:07:12,090 --> 01:07:15,660
of the two biblical cities
emerged a few years ago.

1611
01:07:15,660 --> 01:07:18,240
Retired geologist Graham Harris believes

1612
01:07:18,240 --> 01:07:21,060
that not only did Sodom
and Gomorrah exist,

1613
01:07:21,060 --> 01:07:22,830
but that they were also destroyed

1614
01:07:22,830 --> 01:07:25,503
by a dreadful natural
apocalypse corresponding

1615
01:07:25,503 --> 01:07:28,410
to the description in the book of Genesis.

1616
01:07:28,410 --> 01:07:30,320
Harris spent 10 years researching

1617
01:07:30,320 --> 01:07:33,000
in the area where the two biblical cities

1618
01:07:33,000 --> 01:07:34,770
were supposed to be located

1619
01:07:34,770 --> 01:07:36,360
and came to the conclusion that

1620
01:07:36,360 --> 01:07:37,920
the conditions there were perfect

1621
01:07:37,920 --> 01:07:40,440
for a massive earthquake
that would've triggered

1622
01:07:40,440 --> 01:07:42,150
a huge landslide.

1623
01:07:42,150 --> 01:07:44,370
Harris believes the resulting destruction

1624
01:07:44,370 --> 01:07:46,350
of settlements in the area would've been

1625
01:07:46,350 --> 01:07:50,580
so devastating that it could
have passed into folklore.

1626
01:07:50,580 --> 01:07:53,917
A summary of Harris's
2015 book on the subject,

1627
01:07:53,917 --> 01:07:55,440
"Destruction of Sodom:

1628
01:07:55,440 --> 01:07:58,507
The A Scientific Commentary," states,

1629
01:07:58,507 --> 01:08:00,510
"In 'The Destruction of Sodom,'

1630
01:08:00,510 --> 01:08:02,910
the biblical account of
the destruction of Sodom

1631
01:08:02,910 --> 01:08:05,520
and Gomorrah is examined
under the spotlight

1632
01:08:05,520 --> 01:08:07,754
of modern science against
a cultural backdrop

1633
01:08:07,754 --> 01:08:10,440
of history and archeology.

1634
01:08:10,440 --> 01:08:12,600
In this scientific reconstruction,

1635
01:08:12,600 --> 01:08:14,460
the account of the events described

1636
01:08:14,460 --> 01:08:16,830
in the book of Genesis is verified,

1637
01:08:16,830 --> 01:08:18,180
and it is established that

1638
01:08:18,180 --> 01:08:22,720
the destruction occurred at
about 2350 BC as a result

1639
01:08:22,720 --> 01:08:26,400
of an earthquake-induced
landslide transporting Sodom

1640
01:08:26,400 --> 01:08:28,590
to the depths of the Dead Sea.

1641
01:08:28,590 --> 01:08:30,600
Strands of geography, geology,

1642
01:08:30,600 --> 01:08:33,060
and engineering science are drawn together

1643
01:08:33,060 --> 01:08:34,890
to provide comprehensive treatment

1644
01:08:34,890 --> 01:08:37,534
of all relevant scientific
aspects pertinent

1645
01:08:37,534 --> 01:08:40,890
to a rational understanding
of the mechanics

1646
01:08:40,890 --> 01:08:42,630
of the disaster.

1647
01:08:42,630 --> 01:08:45,600
Graham Harris provides
evidence that the mainstay

1648
01:08:45,600 --> 01:08:47,917
of Canaanite commerce was the exploitation

1649
01:08:47,917 --> 01:08:51,330
of the bitumen resources of the Dead Sea,

1650
01:08:51,330 --> 01:08:52,740
that the Sodomites were among

1651
01:08:52,740 --> 01:08:55,147
the world's first chemical engineers.

1652
01:08:55,147 --> 01:08:57,570
"The Destruction of Sodom" is an example

1653
01:08:57,570 --> 01:08:59,490
of the application of science

1654
01:08:59,490 --> 01:09:00,500
to a fuller understanding

1655
01:09:00,500 --> 01:09:01,333
[bright music]

1656
01:09:01,333 --> 01:09:04,440
of one of the most intriguing
events in the Old Testament

1657
01:09:04,440 --> 01:09:07,050
and will be of direct
interest to scholars,

1658
01:09:07,050 --> 01:09:09,450
as well as to the wider public.

1659
01:09:09,450 --> 01:09:11,250
All these competing theories, of course,

1660
01:09:11,250 --> 01:09:13,380
can't be right, and thus far,

1661
01:09:13,380 --> 01:09:15,930
none of them have proved convincing enough

1662
01:09:15,930 --> 01:09:18,863
to be taken seriously
by the academic world.

1663
01:09:20,312 --> 01:09:22,979
[ominous music]

1664
01:10:05,729 --> 01:10:08,396
[intense music]