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♪ ♪
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NARRATOR: Lost civilizations.
Mysterious sunken cities.
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And legendary Atlantis itself.
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Vanished beneath the waves.
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PATRICK: There is a
huge amount of unrecorded
human history beneath the
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ocean's surface that we don't
know very much about at all.
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NARRATOR: Imagine if we
could empty the oceans,
letting the water drain away
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to reveal the secrets
of the sea floor.
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Now we can, using the latest
underwater technology.
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Piercing the deep oceans
and turning accurate
data into 3D images.
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Is this a huge
underwater temple carved by a
mysterious lost civilization?
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NARRATOR: Why are these
perfectly circular stones
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lying at the bottom of
a bay in the Aegean Sea?
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SIMON: There are shapes
on the seabed that
just don't make sense.
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NARRATOR: Are these just
rocks, or the remains
of an ancient city?
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JON (over radio): Parts of
this are just beginning to
be revealed for the first time.
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Wow.
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NARRATOR: And is the real
site of Atlantis finally
about to be revealed?
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-People want to believe
in places like Atlantis.
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They want to believe
in other worlds.
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(waves crashing)
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NARRATOR: Stories
of sunken cities have
fascinated for millennia.
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The most tantalizing
of all: Atlantis.
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First described by
ancient philosopher,
Plato, a dazzling civilization
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destroyed by the gods as
punishment for human pride.
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-People connect to that story,
and it's because of this idea
of an ancient civilization,
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a utopia, that
we've evolved from.
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NARRATOR: 2,000 years
later, the idea of Atlantis
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continues to fascinate
A-list archaeologists.
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And the producers
of B-list movies.
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MAN (over TV): Atlantis is the
story of those who, like today,
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would use the
marvels of science to
conquer and enslave.
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Atlantis, a world
that worships strange
gods of science,
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of science, a
science gone berserk.
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-Plato would have
loved this okay?
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He would have
had a great time.
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He would have said, 'at
last, you know, people
are listening to me.
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People are taking
my story seriously.'
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And he would have
enjoyed this immensely.
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NARRATOR: Using science,
not science fiction,
draining the oceans
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exposes new evidence
about Atlantis.
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And other stories of
great sunken cities,
around the world.
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As the waters recede
from around the remote
Japanese island of Yonaguni,
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a mysterious formation
begins to appear.
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Could it be the creation of
an advanced, ancient people?
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Yonaguni lies in
the East China Sea.
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The waters here are perilous.
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Schools of hammerhead
sharks patrol, amid
powerful currents.
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Typhoons frequently
batter the island.
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For divers, it's the
ultimate challenge.
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Kihachiro Aratake is one of
the pioneers of diving here.
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KIHACHIRO: The water
was crystal clear.
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I felt as though I was
looking down from the
seabed from the sky.
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NARRATOR: Searching for
a new dive site, he makes
a startling discovery.
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-I saw a steps-like formation,
like terraced fields.
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I thought for a moment
it was similar to the
Machu Picchu ruins.
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So, I named the spot
the submarine ruins.
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NARRATOR: It's an
extraordinary spectacle.
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The size of five
football fields.
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Smooth-sided walls rise up
to the summit, the height
of an eight-story building.
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Flights of stone steps
climb up from the base.
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And on every side, the
shapes and forms are
strikingly regular.
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-It can't be formed naturally,
without human involvement.
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It couldn't be like that.
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NARRATOR: So,
what could it be?
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It's impossible to investigate
the structure fully by diving.
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The only way is to conduct
a survey using the latest
scanning technology.
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HIRONOBU: Although the shallow
waters around Yonaguni Island
are close to human habitation,
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we don't know much about them.
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It's an unknown frontier.
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NARRATOR: Using sonar scans,
Hironobu Kan records a
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complete digital map
of the sea floor.
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Using this data,
it's possible, for
the very first time,
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to drain away the waters
and reveal what lies
beneath in exact detail.
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The summit of the
mysterious structure
begins to appear.
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(waves crashing)
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Water pours off its smooth
terraced layers, exposing
them once again to the sky.
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And with the monument
left high and dry, its
true scale becomes clear.
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Vast, imposing
and spectacular.
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The incredible discovery
attracts worldwide attention.
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Divers, journalists
and TV crews flock to
Yonaguni, all asking:
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what could this
mysterious structure be?
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And scientists come here too.
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Among them is Professor
Masaaki Kimura, one of
Japan's top marine geologists.
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KIMURA: When I dived
underwater to explore it I
felt right away that it must
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be a man-made structure.
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NARRATOR: He finds several
features that he believes
indicate human activity.
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-Here, you'll see
something that looks like
the front gate of a castle.
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It's like a tunnel,
and you go through it.
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NARRATOR: On the far side
of the tunnel, a road loops
around to a flight of steps.
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Watched over by two
mysterious stone objects.
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-There are mound-like
bulges here and here,
and if you look at them,
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you'll find turtles with their
necks extended, on both sides.
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NARRATOR: According to
ancient Japanese folklore,
the dragon god, Ryujin,
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lives in an underwater palace,
watched over by turtles.
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To Professor Kimura, this
indicates that the monument
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is so important
it needs guarding.
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And that's not all.
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-If you go up this path
you get to this place.
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This portion is triangular.
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That's why it's called
the triangle pool.
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Since this is fairly
big and shallow as well,
you can relax in it.
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Also, the sea surface is
very close to it and it's
warm due to the sunlight.
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You feel chilly after
you come out of the
deeper area down there,
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and you can warm up here.
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NARRATOR: But the monument's
most striking feature
is its wide, flat terraces,
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Large enough to support
thousands of people.
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Professor Kimura believes
the gateway, stairs,
turtles and terraces
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all point towards one purpose.
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-Judging from its
shape, I think they
used it as a castle.
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NARRATOR: But to prove his
theory, Professor Kimura
needs more:
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the artifacts of those
who once lived here.
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He scours the structure
looking for clues, and
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discovers what look
like primitive tools.
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Then, hidden behind one of
the great walls, the most
remarkable find of all.
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-Look at this,
a symbol is inscribed
here and here's a hole.
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Probably, they hung
this article like this.
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And here's something
looking like a letter.
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Maybe it could be a kind
of a talisman to protect
people from evil.
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NARRATOR: For Professor
Kimura, the case is closed.
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The artifacts and
the monument's regular shapes
prove that humans lived here,
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8,000 years ago.
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After that, rising sea levels
claim the territory of this
lost race of master builders.
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But is that the real
story of Yonaguni?
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NARRATOR: Professor
Kimura believes that this
extraordinary structure
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off the coast of Japan is a
gigantic castle, built long
before the pyramids of Egypt
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by a mysterious
lost civilization.
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But is it?
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With the water drained away,
it's possible to scrutinize the
monument in forensic detail.
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The edges appear regular and
straight, as if made from
blocks carved by human hand.
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But closer examination
reveals something else.
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The surfaces are
smooth and unbroken.
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The monument is not assembled
from handmade blocks,
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but is in fact one
solid mass of rock.
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HIRONOBU: The pyramid area
and the headland behind it
are connected with each other.
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The surface of the terrain
has a lot of grooves, so you
may think they are separate,
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but since they consist of
the identical stone, they
are originally connected.
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NARRATOR: The basic
form of the monument
is clearly natural.
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But what about the gateway,
steps, turtles and pool?
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Could it be that an
ancient people carved
into this huge rock,
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transforming it into a
great castle or temple?
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Studying the headland on
shore provides the answer.
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The shapes here are
strikingly similar to
those found on the monument,
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and that's because
they were formed in
exactly the same way.
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Both are made of
sandstone which, when
subjected to stress,
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such as during
an earthquake, can
fracture along vertical faults,
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forming angular shapes
and what look like steps.
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PATRICK: Put something like
that underwater, have the
water wash over the top of it
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and clear away all the debris,
and you've got very, very
fine step-like structures.
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But they're no more
human made than any other
structure down there.
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NARRATOR: The lack of tool
marks is further confirmation.
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The forces which
shaped this remarkable
place are geological.
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But what of the artifacts?
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Perhaps the monument,
if not built by ancient
people, was inhabited by them.
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Walking these steps.
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Crowding these
natural terraces.
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But so far, no other objects
have been found, suggesting
that the talisman and tools
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were dropped from a boat
passing overhead, landing on
the monument simply by chance.
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-The clear thing for Yonaguni
for me is there's no pottery,
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there's no evidence of
actual human occupation.
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There's not a single
wall from the site.
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There's nothing on it, that
indicates human activity.
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NARRATOR: The Yonaguni
Monument is an extraordinary
natural formation,
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created by epic
geological forces.
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But its shapes
appear so regular
that many still believe
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it holds a secret,
ancient purpose.
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JIM: You can take
that leap if you have an
imagination and say yes,
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this could be an ancient
city beneath the sea but
in the case of Yonaguni
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I'm in those ranks
that feel that it's not.
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It's geology.
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-We want to believe
that science doesn't
have all the answers.
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We want to believe innately
that there is something out
there that we can connect with
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spiritually and that hasn't
really been polluted by
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being the subject of
scientific discovery.
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NARRATOR: And still
amongst the believers
is Professor Kimura.
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He remains convinced that the
monument was inhabited by his
ancestors and continues to
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search for evidence to
prove the doubters wrong.
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Beneath the oceans of
the world lie many more
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tantalizing traces of
possible lost civilizations.
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As the water continues
to drain away, in the
Eastern Mediterranean,
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astonishing structures emerge
in a quiet island harbor.
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Is this jumble of shaped
stones the architectural
debris of a once great city?
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Alikanas Bay, a tourist
hotspot on the island
of Zakynthos, Greece.
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Diver, Pavlos Voutos,
sets out to take some
underwater photos.
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NARRATOR: Pavlos swims
farther out into the bay
in search of clearer water.
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Then, out of the gloom,
he sees something that
will change his life.
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NARRATOR: The debris
stretches out for hundreds
of yards in all directions.
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The area is so large that
Pavlos is convinced he's found
the remains of an entire town.
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NARRATOR: The discovery sends
a bolt of electricity through
the world of archaeology.
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Professor Michael Stamatakis,
immediately travels to
Zakynthos to investigate.
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NARRATOR: Stamatakis recalls
seeing similar shapes on land,
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at the site of an
ancient settlement built
over 2,000 years ago.
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NARRATOR: If the same shapes
lie on the sea bed, they could
indicate an ancient settlement
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just offshore concealed
under the bay and forgotten
about for centuries.
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Comparing the images
is not enough.
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The only way to
reveal a complete
picture of the structures
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is a detailed
underwater survey.
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Simon Brown is an
expert in 3D modelling.
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But the task facing
him is immense.
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SIMON: Right now
we're not quite sure
how big the area is.
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I've estimated it's about
16 acres, which will be
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more than double the
largest subject I've
ever covered to date.
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It's a weird place.
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There is definitely features
here that I have never
seen anywhere else before.
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They look out of place.
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But then I started to see
more regular shapes that
looked that cut stone.
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So my mind then starts
to think, is it...
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is it manmade?
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NARRATOR: Can draining the
waters of the Mediterranean
provide the answer?
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NARRATOR: Simon Brown
is mapping mysterious
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underwater structures
discovered in a Greek bay.
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Could they be the remains
of an ancient town?
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He takes nearly 4,000 high
resolution photographs of the
sea floor tracking each with
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pinpoint accuracy through GPS.
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Using these images, it's now
possible to do something which
has never been done before:
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drain the waters of
Alikanas Bay and reveal,
for the first time ever,
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00:22:13,315 --> 00:22:16,083
a 3D plan of the
entire sea floor.
218
00:22:20,490 --> 00:22:24,692
As the Mediterranean begins
to recede, a world is exposed
219
00:22:24,694 --> 00:22:27,928
that's been invisible
for thousands of years.
220
00:22:29,865 --> 00:22:34,168
First, the rocky shoreline
is left high and dry.
221
00:22:35,204 --> 00:22:40,574
Then, from the
dark depths, regular
shapes begin to appear,
222
00:22:40,610 --> 00:22:42,443
hidden amongst the rocks.
223
00:22:45,815 --> 00:22:51,152
Could they be the bases of
stone columns which together
once formed a grand colonnade?
224
00:22:55,091 --> 00:23:00,027
The use of colonnades is
a turning point in ancient
Greek architecture.
225
00:23:01,564 --> 00:23:06,734
Builders can now switch
from wood to stone, a
far stronger material,
226
00:23:06,736 --> 00:23:09,770
to create ever larger
temples to the gods.
227
00:23:11,374 --> 00:23:15,142
A colonnade in Alikanas Bay
would prove that an important,
228
00:23:15,244 --> 00:23:17,878
ancient settlement
once stood here.
229
00:23:18,214 --> 00:23:21,215
But some experts
remain skeptical.
230
00:23:21,851 --> 00:23:24,151
PATRICK: There are structures
all over the world that mimic
231
00:23:24,253 --> 00:23:25,886
something that humans
may have created.
232
00:23:26,021 --> 00:23:28,555
Doesn't mean that
humans created them.
233
00:23:29,391 --> 00:23:32,993
NARRATOR: With the water
drained away, it's now
possible to search the
234
00:23:33,095 --> 00:23:36,763
sea bed for evidence
of human occupation.
235
00:23:37,366 --> 00:23:40,134
Fragments of the pots
people cooked with.
236
00:23:41,704 --> 00:23:44,104
Charcoal from their fires.
237
00:23:44,106 --> 00:23:47,842
Tools for farming, and weapons
for defending their homes.
238
00:23:48,844 --> 00:23:53,047
Any objects made of
metal, clay or stone
should have survived.
239
00:23:57,453 --> 00:24:00,220
But there's nothing.
240
00:24:00,756 --> 00:24:05,025
Which means
these extraordinary
remains, whatever they are,
241
00:24:05,127 --> 00:24:08,429
are not the relics
of a lost town.
242
00:24:09,799 --> 00:24:11,365
So, what are they?
243
00:24:41,730 --> 00:24:45,833
NARRATOR: Further analysis
reveals the formations
are what geologists call
244
00:24:45,968 --> 00:24:47,901
'concretions'.
245
00:24:47,903 --> 00:24:53,607
Solid blocks of
sedimentary rock formed by
powerful volcanic activity.
246
00:24:55,077 --> 00:24:59,180
Underwater vents
release methane from
deep within the Earth.
247
00:24:59,282 --> 00:25:01,982
Combining with
microbes and sediment,
248
00:25:01,984 --> 00:25:06,052
the methane causes regular
circular shapes to form.
249
00:25:06,055 --> 00:25:09,289
Far from being a
relic of ancient Greece,
250
00:25:09,291 --> 00:25:14,228
the structures here
pre-date human activities
by five million years!
251
00:25:17,967 --> 00:25:20,634
Despite all the evidence
against his theory,
252
00:25:20,769 --> 00:25:24,338
Pavlos Voutos remains
convinced that the fantastical
253
00:25:24,373 --> 00:25:28,142
landscape he discovered
was shaped by his ancestors.
254
00:25:47,296 --> 00:25:49,329
NARRATOR: Classical
civilizations dominate the
255
00:25:49,331 --> 00:25:52,499
Mediterranean for
over a thousand years.
256
00:25:52,601 --> 00:25:57,304
Today, all around
its coast, people tell
stories of sunken cities.
257
00:26:00,509 --> 00:26:03,844
As the waters around
Greece drain away further,
258
00:26:03,945 --> 00:26:07,647
an extraordinary underwater
vista is exposed.
259
00:26:08,517 --> 00:26:13,287
Could these patterns on the
sea floor be the remnants
of an ancient city?
260
00:26:18,394 --> 00:26:22,963
The village of Elafonisos
sits on a small island
just off the Greek coast.
261
00:26:29,138 --> 00:26:32,740
At first glance, an
ordinary fishing port.
262
00:26:34,043 --> 00:26:39,346
But in 1967, less than 100
yards out to sea, something
attracts the attention of a
263
00:26:40,882 --> 00:26:43,817
visiting maritime
archaeologist.
264
00:26:44,520 --> 00:26:49,222
Snorkeling in 13 feet
of water, Nicholas Fleming
catches a glimpse of
265
00:26:49,292 --> 00:26:51,859
regular shapes
on the sea floor.
266
00:26:54,363 --> 00:26:59,233
Then, exploring deeper,
he sees what he thinks is
evidence of human activity.
267
00:27:00,936 --> 00:27:05,271
FLEMING: I looked at these
rows of stones, and I just
had no idea what it was,
268
00:27:05,374 --> 00:27:10,043
but I realized immediately
that it was manmade, that
we were looking at a
269
00:27:10,045 --> 00:27:14,314
large part of a town, and
I mean I just went crazy.
270
00:27:15,184 --> 00:27:19,520
NARRATOR: Fleming is
convinced he has found
something special.
271
00:27:19,621 --> 00:27:24,558
But could these simply
be natural formations,
mimicking human structures,
272
00:27:24,560 --> 00:27:27,728
like the concretions
of nearby Alikanas Bay?
273
00:27:28,264 --> 00:27:32,266
The following year,
Fleming returns with
a team of surveyors
274
00:27:32,368 --> 00:27:34,568
to discover the truth.
275
00:27:35,771 --> 00:27:39,740
Using tape measures, they
document what they find.
276
00:27:39,842 --> 00:27:43,043
And the results
are astonishing.
277
00:27:43,912 --> 00:27:48,015
The site is strewn with
signs of human activity.
278
00:27:48,384 --> 00:27:54,721
Pots, storage vessels
and tools lie across a
huge area of the sea bed.
279
00:27:54,990 --> 00:28:00,694
There can be no doubt:
Fleming has discovered the
remains of an ancient town.
280
00:28:01,497 --> 00:28:05,399
It's named Pavlopetri
after a nearby island.
281
00:28:06,268 --> 00:28:08,736
But who built it, and when?
282
00:28:11,207 --> 00:28:14,708
These questions inspire a
generation of archaeologists.
283
00:28:15,377 --> 00:28:19,380
JON: Well I've always
been interested in submerged
settlement, submerged towns,
284
00:28:19,515 --> 00:28:21,414
and I'd read about
Pavlopetri as a boy.
285
00:28:21,517 --> 00:28:26,320
And this idea of an intact,
prehistoric town underwater
just seemed you know
286
00:28:26,422 --> 00:28:28,555
incredibly romantic,
incredibly exciting.
287
00:28:36,365 --> 00:28:41,468
NARRATOR: Henderson can now
fulfill a childhood dream
and explore this haunted
288
00:28:41,537 --> 00:28:44,137
underwater world for himself.
289
00:28:44,473 --> 00:28:46,339
-Here we have a quern stone.
290
00:28:46,441 --> 00:28:50,477
-You can see it's
got a very concave,
concave surface there.
291
00:28:50,579 --> 00:28:55,816
That's for grinding grain or
whatever it was that you were
turning into you know flour.
292
00:28:57,386 --> 00:28:58,685
That's quite a clear artifact.
293
00:28:58,754 --> 00:29:00,954
Very nice.
294
00:29:06,529 --> 00:29:08,595
There is a huge amphora.
295
00:29:08,631 --> 00:29:12,232
One, amphora, two amphora,
three, four, five.
296
00:29:14,503 --> 00:29:16,837
This gives you an example of
what's coming out of the sand,
297
00:29:16,972 --> 00:29:19,039
what's eroding out of the sand.
298
00:29:19,074 --> 00:29:22,609
Look, there's the base of an
amphora, there's the amphora
shape there, it's on its side.
299
00:29:24,046 --> 00:29:26,914
There's another one next to
it and another one there.
300
00:29:29,885 --> 00:29:34,755
NARRATOR: And further into
the bay, more evidence
of human life, and death.
301
00:29:36,158 --> 00:29:41,161
-So, here's a cist grave.
Edge set slabs.
302
00:29:42,465 --> 00:29:45,666
A very small one.
Possibly for a baby.
303
00:29:47,369 --> 00:29:50,103
There are about 40
of these on the site.
304
00:29:53,709 --> 00:29:55,809
NARRATOR: Diving gives
intriguing glimpses of
305
00:29:55,911 --> 00:29:58,745
objects lying
upon the sea bed.
306
00:29:59,448 --> 00:30:02,182
But it's impossible to
gain a complete picture.
307
00:30:07,056 --> 00:30:11,592
To do this, it must be mapped
using the latest in underwater
scanning technology.
308
00:30:20,469 --> 00:30:23,070
(waves crashing)
309
00:30:29,044 --> 00:30:34,781
Using this data, it's now
possible to drain away the
waters above Pavlopetri and
310
00:30:35,718 --> 00:30:40,821
bring sunlight back to
a forgotten world and
a true Sunken City.
311
00:30:48,864 --> 00:30:54,067
With the entire
bay drained away,
everything becomes clear.
312
00:30:58,306 --> 00:31:03,577
The lines are the
foundations of buildings,
laid out in clear streets.
313
00:31:05,647 --> 00:31:10,284
At the heart of the town is
a large open area, perhaps
an ancient market place.
314
00:31:16,025 --> 00:31:21,261
And nearby, the remnants
of a huge structure, perhaps
an important civic building.
315
00:31:25,000 --> 00:31:30,003
The remains cover 20
acres and the town could
have housed 4,000 people.
316
00:31:32,341 --> 00:31:36,009
A thriving, ancient
settlement once existed here.
317
00:31:37,513 --> 00:31:41,715
The next challenge is to
discover who built it.
318
00:31:42,251 --> 00:31:44,117
And when.
319
00:31:46,354 --> 00:31:50,123
-We know how old the
occupation of the site is,
because we've got pottery.
320
00:31:50,192 --> 00:31:53,860
And pottery particularly
in this part of the
world is very well dated.
321
00:31:54,463 --> 00:31:57,064
What was really
exciting is we actually found
evicdence of pottery
322
00:31:57,166 --> 00:31:59,666
from the end of the Stone Age.
323
00:31:59,969 --> 00:32:04,137
So, we've actually got
occupation here from
about 5,500 years ago.
324
00:32:04,139 --> 00:32:06,540
And then we've got
every single bit of
pottery you would expect
325
00:32:06,675 --> 00:32:08,341
up until about 1100 BC.
326
00:32:08,410 --> 00:32:10,477
There's no gaps in that.
327
00:32:10,479 --> 00:32:13,480
So, the place seems to have
been continuously occupied
throughout the Bronze Age.
328
00:32:15,417 --> 00:32:19,686
NARRATOR: Pavlopetri was
occupied for 2,400 years during
329
00:32:19,722 --> 00:32:23,156
a revolutionary period
of human development.
330
00:32:24,259 --> 00:32:29,730
At its peak in the bronze age,
around 1700BC, it looked like
this: a perfect example of the
331
00:32:32,634 --> 00:32:37,804
time when Europeans start
to live in stone-built towns
with regular laid out streets.
332
00:32:39,908 --> 00:32:42,776
But one question remains.
333
00:32:42,978 --> 00:32:47,313
Why did the builders of
this town choose this
particular location,
334
00:32:47,383 --> 00:32:50,117
in a remote part
of ancient Greece?
335
00:32:52,321 --> 00:32:55,989
Exploring the
drained landscape
around the ancient city
336
00:32:55,991 --> 00:32:58,725
reveals an all-important clue.
337
00:32:59,761 --> 00:33:04,864
At its edge, a huge sand bank
stretches out into the ocean.
338
00:33:04,867 --> 00:33:09,002
During the Bronze Age,
people don't build
ports out of stone.
339
00:33:09,771 --> 00:33:13,440
They bring ships up to the
shore and then beach them.
340
00:33:14,576 --> 00:33:19,946
And Pavlopetri's location
means it can exploit the trade
routes that boom during the
341
00:33:19,948 --> 00:33:22,983
Bronze Age right across
the Mediterranean.
342
00:33:26,088 --> 00:33:29,489
Evidence of early commercial
activity is everywhere.
343
00:33:29,992 --> 00:33:33,159
-The interesting thing is
we've clearly got a lot
of material coming in.
344
00:33:33,195 --> 00:33:36,430
We found thousands
and thousands of shards of
very large storage vessels,
345
00:33:36,498 --> 00:33:39,565
which have been used for
storing olive oil, wine,
346
00:33:39,568 --> 00:33:41,301
that kind of thing and
generally anything.
347
00:33:41,436 --> 00:33:43,070
They were like the
containers of the day.
348
00:33:44,206 --> 00:33:45,605
NARRATOR: And that's not all.
349
00:33:45,740 --> 00:33:50,176
Pavlopetri is also a
hub for manufactory.
350
00:33:50,178 --> 00:33:54,447
-We've got a lot of
evidence for loom weights,
thousands of loom weights,
351
00:33:54,449 --> 00:33:57,917
way more than you would need
for domestic production so it
seems that maybe textiles were
352
00:33:58,019 --> 00:34:00,687
something that were being
produced on the site
and perhaps exported.
353
00:34:04,660 --> 00:34:08,428
NARRATOR: Pavlopetri is an
extraordinary, bustling,
vibrant port city.
354
00:34:09,565 --> 00:34:12,132
And an important
center of trade.
355
00:34:12,433 --> 00:34:15,569
So how did such an advanced
metropolis meet its end?
356
00:34:21,960 --> 00:34:26,129
NARRATOR: An ancient,
submerged city off
the coast of Greece.
357
00:34:26,198 --> 00:34:29,399
How it came to lie on the
sea floor is a mystery.
358
00:34:30,502 --> 00:34:32,869
JON: One of the interesting
things about Pavlopetri and
its submergence is that
359
00:34:32,971 --> 00:34:35,272
there are no historical
references to it at all.
360
00:34:35,274 --> 00:34:38,341
It sunk under the waves
and then it was out
of sight, out of mind.
361
00:34:38,343 --> 00:34:41,278
And there's certainly no
classical sources that
refer to its sinking.
362
00:34:41,379 --> 00:34:44,748
And there's nothing until
it's discovery really
in the 20th century.
363
00:34:47,853 --> 00:34:53,089
NARRATOR: Scanning
the drained bay could reveal
what happened to Pavlopetri.
364
00:34:54,560 --> 00:34:58,228
At the edge of the town,
it's possible to make out
three mysterious lines.
365
00:35:01,599 --> 00:35:06,803
These are strips of beach
rock, formed by the action
of sunlight on salt water.
366
00:35:08,073 --> 00:35:10,507
They form only
near the shoreline.
367
00:35:11,209 --> 00:35:16,746
It can mean only one thing:
earthquakes caused this land
to subside into the sea.
368
00:35:18,517 --> 00:35:21,450
-So, there was a big
earthquake, perhaps part of
the remains went under the
369
00:35:21,453 --> 00:35:24,821
water, part of them are
still surviving, then there
was another earthquake it was
370
00:35:24,823 --> 00:35:27,424
pushed under then there was
a third, and it was gone.
371
00:35:29,928 --> 00:35:34,998
NARRATOR: Pavlopetri is one
of the most important Bronze
age sites in the world,
372
00:35:35,067 --> 00:35:38,401
and the oldest submerged
town ever discovered.
373
00:35:41,139 --> 00:35:44,174
But it's not alone.
374
00:35:52,918 --> 00:35:56,819
-A lot of the major finds in
the next couple of decades are
going to come from the sea.
375
00:35:56,822 --> 00:36:01,424
I think we have the
potential to rewrite what
we know about human history.
376
00:36:02,961 --> 00:36:08,698
NARRATOR: Pavlopetri is an
extraordinary find, but it is
not the legendary Atlantis.
377
00:36:11,537 --> 00:36:15,638
Various locations for
Plato's dazzling city
have been proposed,
378
00:36:15,674 --> 00:36:17,574
around the world.
379
00:36:18,176 --> 00:36:23,580
But most academic
investigations point to one
place: the Mediterranean.
380
00:36:25,050 --> 00:36:28,985
As its waters continue
to drain away,
at its western end,
381
00:36:29,087 --> 00:36:32,388
new and tantalizing
evidence is revealed.
382
00:36:32,890 --> 00:36:38,795
Could archaeologists
finally have found the site
of Plato's famous lost city?
383
00:36:44,669 --> 00:36:49,472
Marc Gutscher
is a geophysicist, long
fascinated by Plato's story.
384
00:36:49,574 --> 00:36:52,742
MARC: I do think that
becoming interested in
Atlantis can be almost,
385
00:36:52,844 --> 00:36:57,013
like a bug or an infection
or like gambling.
386
00:36:57,049 --> 00:37:00,517
I think one can
become obsessed.
387
00:37:01,286 --> 00:37:07,089
NARRATOR: Plato wrote about
Atlantis in 360BC, describing
an advanced metropolis
388
00:37:07,092 --> 00:37:12,829
9,000 years before his own
time, lost beneath the waves
in a cataclysmic event.
389
00:37:16,034 --> 00:37:21,904
Marc Gutscher has analyzed
Plato's texts, searching
for clues to its location.
390
00:37:22,240 --> 00:37:27,176
-'This power came forth out
of the Atlantic Ocean from an
island situated in front of
391
00:37:27,279 --> 00:37:31,581
the straits which
are by you called the
Pillars of Heracles.'
392
00:37:33,318 --> 00:37:38,188
NARRATOR: The Pillars of
Heracles is the name given by
Plato to the maritime boundary
393
00:37:38,190 --> 00:37:40,957
of the ancient Greek world.
394
00:37:41,225 --> 00:37:42,926
Many locations have
been suggested.
395
00:37:43,028 --> 00:37:47,864
But Marc believes he
has the answer: The
Straits of Gibraltar.
396
00:37:48,967 --> 00:37:54,804
-So here at Cape Spartel we're
at the northern edge of the
Moroccan Atlantic coast and
397
00:37:54,806 --> 00:37:57,607
just at the entrance to
the Straits of Gibraltar.
398
00:37:57,609 --> 00:38:02,012
About 10 to 15 kilometers
off to the north west
there's a submerged bank.
399
00:38:02,113 --> 00:38:05,481
Some people have suggested
that it might have been
inhabited and it might have
400
00:38:05,517 --> 00:38:08,751
formed the origin of
the Atlantis legend.
401
00:38:10,188 --> 00:38:15,758
NARRATOR: Today, this area
sits under the second busiest
shipping route in the world,
402
00:38:15,794 --> 00:38:19,095
a difficult place for
sub-sea investigation.
403
00:38:20,631 --> 00:38:25,101
During a project to study
rising sea levels here,
Marc gets his chance.
404
00:38:27,972 --> 00:38:33,376
Using a remotely operated
vehicle or ROV, he sets
out to map the sea floor.
405
00:38:39,151 --> 00:38:41,818
(waves crashing)
406
00:38:46,491 --> 00:38:48,591
It's challenging work.
407
00:38:49,728 --> 00:38:53,463
-It was very difficult,
both the towing of the
camera was difficult,
408
00:38:53,565 --> 00:38:57,734
keeping the ship in place
was difficult, and especially
trying to keep the ROV
409
00:38:57,736 --> 00:38:59,703
in place was really,
really difficult.
410
00:39:03,775 --> 00:39:08,178
NARRATOR: Finally, Marc
gets the sonar scanning
data that he needs.
411
00:39:13,851 --> 00:39:18,088
Now, combining
this information with the
latest computer graphics,
412
00:39:18,189 --> 00:39:24,226
it's possible to drain away
the sea water from between the
ancient pillars of Heracles,
413
00:39:25,196 --> 00:39:30,967
and attempt to solve one of
the greatest archaeological
mysteries of all time...
414
00:39:32,104 --> 00:39:35,305
Soon, rocks begin
to emerge, and the
415
00:39:35,307 --> 00:39:40,042
unmistakable outline of an
island gradually appears.
416
00:39:40,579 --> 00:39:46,116
Is this the site of
Atlantis, exposed for the
first time in 11,000 years?
417
00:39:48,520 --> 00:39:53,456
Once again, important clues
lie in Plato's own writing.
418
00:39:53,558 --> 00:39:58,561
-Plato says that the city, and
all of its war-like men, were
destroyed in one day and night
419
00:40:00,565 --> 00:40:05,869
of terrible misfortune,
caused by strong
earthquakes and floods.
420
00:40:08,506 --> 00:40:13,810
NARRATOR: The island revealed
by draining the ocean,
sits on a subduction zone,
421
00:40:13,812 --> 00:40:19,549
a boundary between the huge
tectonic plates that make
up the Earth's surface.
422
00:40:19,650 --> 00:40:24,120
The exact point where the
biggest earthquakes strike.
423
00:40:24,422 --> 00:40:29,759
A series of powerful
earthquakes and tsunamis could
have obliterated Atlantis and
424
00:40:29,828 --> 00:40:34,831
sent the island
on which it rests down
into the ocean depths.
425
00:40:35,167 --> 00:40:39,702
-You could imagine that during
great earthquakes there might
have been some subsidence,
426
00:40:39,704 --> 00:40:45,308
so if we were to take into
account maybe 20 or 30 meters
of subsidence due to those
427
00:40:46,178 --> 00:40:50,746
earthquakes, there might
have been a somewhat
larger island there.
428
00:40:51,316 --> 00:40:55,785
NARRATOR: The geology
supports Plato's account of
the destruction of Atlantis.
429
00:40:55,887 --> 00:40:59,789
But one other vital piece
of evidence is still needed.
430
00:41:02,777 --> 00:41:06,012
NARRATOR: Draining
the ocean has revealed
a mysterious island
431
00:41:06,147 --> 00:41:09,616
exactly where Plato
said Atlantis would be.
432
00:41:09,717 --> 00:41:15,488
But one other piece of
evidence must be present for
it actually to be Atlantis:
433
00:41:15,623 --> 00:41:19,559
The remains of substantial
man-made structures.
434
00:41:19,561 --> 00:41:24,029
Using the drained landscape,
it's possible to study
the island's surface
435
00:41:24,065 --> 00:41:26,966
in extraordinary
three-dimensional detail.
436
00:41:27,836 --> 00:41:32,371
Searching carefully for
the remains of walls,
temples, bridges,
437
00:41:32,440 --> 00:41:35,575
and anything constructed
by human hands.
438
00:41:36,611 --> 00:41:38,378
But there are none.
439
00:41:38,846 --> 00:41:43,849
Nowhere on this mysterious
island are there any lines or
geometric shapes which would
440
00:41:43,919 --> 00:41:47,653
indicate the presence of
a great, ancient city.
441
00:41:48,323 --> 00:41:52,458
MARC: Atlantis did not exist
in the tiny island of Spartel.
442
00:41:52,893 --> 00:41:56,596
If it did exist traces of
it have not been found.
443
00:41:58,133 --> 00:42:03,235
NARRATOR: However, the
story of this submerged
island is not over yet.
444
00:42:03,237 --> 00:42:06,873
There may be no trace of
a city built out of stone.
445
00:42:06,975 --> 00:42:12,144
But evidence found on
land nearby suggests that
during the Stone Age,
446
00:42:12,214 --> 00:42:16,348
when sea levels were much
lower, people did live here
447
00:42:16,351 --> 00:42:19,052
and in many other
places just like it.
448
00:42:19,153 --> 00:42:23,823
And during this period,
our human ancestors make
some of the most important
449
00:42:23,892 --> 00:42:26,359
breakthroughs of all time.
450
00:42:26,661 --> 00:42:32,164
They learn how to farm,
keep domesticated animals,
use sophisticated tools,
451
00:42:32,234 --> 00:42:36,936
build wooden houses
and begin to trade.
452
00:42:37,171 --> 00:42:41,341
Then, the last Ice
Age comes to an end.
453
00:42:46,147 --> 00:42:52,384
Over the course of
15,000 years, sea
levels rise by 400 feet.
454
00:42:52,754 --> 00:42:56,022
And the territory of these
early people vanishes.
455
00:42:58,426 --> 00:43:02,595
Their tools, homes and
weapons are washed away.
456
00:43:03,298 --> 00:43:09,168
That elemental human story
may help explain the timeless
appeal of the Atlantis legend.
457
00:43:10,405 --> 00:43:14,707
PATRICK: There are many,
many stories out there in
the world that recall times
458
00:43:14,809 --> 00:43:18,544
when land that was once
inhabited was submerged.
459
00:43:18,646 --> 00:43:22,949
Did that information
inform Plato's fiction
about Atlantis?
460
00:43:23,885 --> 00:43:28,721
JON: I think there's no doubt,
that almost every culture
in the world has a flood myth,
461
00:43:28,856 --> 00:43:31,758
a deluge story, because
we developed, as a species,
462
00:43:31,893 --> 00:43:33,960
within this period
of rising sea level.
463
00:43:33,962 --> 00:43:38,564
So, that for me, is so
fundamental to understanding
ourselves as a species,
464
00:43:38,600 --> 00:43:40,333
that we should be
looking into this.
465
00:43:42,037 --> 00:43:46,038
NARRATOR: Plato's story of
Atlantis is about human folly
466
00:43:46,074 --> 00:43:49,709
and the destructive
power of nature.
467
00:43:50,879 --> 00:43:57,082
Today, the rising level
of the oceans threatens
all coastal communities.
468
00:43:58,353 --> 00:44:03,823
Great port cities like
Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City
and Dhaka are all at risk.
469
00:44:12,701 --> 00:44:18,137
And in North America there's
one of particular concern.
470
00:44:18,473 --> 00:44:20,473
New Orleans.
471
00:44:20,574 --> 00:44:25,277
Sitting on the banks of the
great Mississippi River,
the city's average height
472
00:44:25,313 --> 00:44:28,347
is six feet below sea level.
473
00:44:28,550 --> 00:44:31,751
This makes it highly
vulnerable to flooding.
474
00:44:33,054 --> 00:44:36,489
In 2005, disaster strikes.
475
00:44:38,026 --> 00:44:42,728
Hurricane Katrina
causes a massive storm
surge and the levees,
476
00:44:42,731 --> 00:44:45,932
designed to protect
the city, are breached.
477
00:44:47,335 --> 00:44:50,536
The resulting floods
are catastrophic.
478
00:44:50,739 --> 00:44:56,042
Nearly 2,000 people die and
many more are left homeless.
479
00:44:56,511 --> 00:44:59,979
And the situation in
New Orleans is getting
worse, because the
480
00:45:00,048 --> 00:45:03,015
city itself is sinking.
481
00:45:03,852 --> 00:45:07,987
Due in part to the removal of
groundwater, some districts of
482
00:45:07,989 --> 00:45:11,657
New Orleans are subsiding
by two inches a year.
483
00:45:12,159 --> 00:45:14,994
JIM: Given ongoing
sea level rise, which
is a scientific fact,
484
00:45:14,996 --> 00:45:18,630
the time will come when
some of our settlements in
our time are under water.
485
00:45:18,633 --> 00:45:22,602
Cities like New Orleans,
they all have suffered
incursions of water.
486
00:45:22,604 --> 00:45:26,406
And the time will come when
we will no longer be able
to battle that incursion.
487
00:45:29,910 --> 00:45:34,213
NARRATOR: By the turn of the
next century, New Orleans
could be uninhabitable.
488
00:45:38,853 --> 00:45:44,290
A mysterious underwater
city, studied by
maritime archaeologists.
489
00:45:47,262 --> 00:45:49,429
A modern-day Atlantis.
490
00:45:55,236 --> 00:45:56,436
Captioned by Cotter
Captioning Services.