Britain's Pompeii: A Village Lost in Time (2016) - full transcript

-We are at Must Farm,
near Cambridge,

..in eastern England.

This archaeological site is located
in the Fenland region,

..which was once the largest
swampy area in the country.

The large-scale excavations
that take place there.

.. revolutionize our knowledge
of European history.

A Bronze Age village,
engulfed by the marshes,

.. froze in time ..

..until you stumble upon it
by chance.

-It's a website..

..of first importance.



What he tells us about the way
people lived here ..

..3,000 years ago is precious.

-The state of conservation
and the objects discovered.

..are so exceptional
that the village has been nicknamed ..

.. "British Pompeii".

Archaeologists find ...

..meal leftovers
still intact,

.. like new agricultural tools,

.. very beautiful glass beads ..

..and a large collection
of prehistoric fabrics.

-The discovery of Must Farm is
a capital event.

..in research on
prehistory in Great Britain.

This is the great discovery.

-It's a mini-Pompeii.
It's unique.



We had already uncovered ..

... farms and houses
from the Bronze Age,

..but no wood still intact.

Discovering a complete frame
is fantastic.

-Thanks to the abundance of details,

..we now know ..

.. how our ancestors lived
when modern Europe ...

.. was taking shape.

The techniques they mastered,

..the weapons they made ..

..and the commercial networks
that connected ..

..this British hamlet isolated
to Europe.

The discovery
a few years ago

.. old pieces of wood
in the quarry of Must Farm ..

.. led
to the exhumation of the village.

The remains date
from the Bronze Age,

.. 1000 years or so ..

.. before Julius Caesar invaded
Great Britain.

At the time,
we often built in wood,

..material which decomposes,

..but this village has been
miraculously preserved ..

..by the Fenland marshes.

-We compare it to Pompeii,
because it gives a perfect image.

..of life 3,000 years ago

..in this village,

.. houses and objects.

And all this, in 3D.

-Marc Knight, the excavation director
, and his team.

.. were able to identify
5 circular wooden houses,

.. built close
to each other.

-In front of me,

.. we have a 1st circle,
a hexagon formed of stakes,

..and around,

..a larger circle
8 m in diameter.

We can imagine the frame.

..through the rafters of the roof.

They spread out like a fan,

..which gives this impression
of a roof that has collapsed.

-It is incredible that
the frames are complete,

..when the houses
collapsed.

-What surprises visitors,
journalists.

..and the academics,
it's that roof,

..a roof from the Bronze Age.

We enter the structure.

..and we find out
what's inside.

-Discovering kitchen utensils
and agricultural tools,

..the archaeologists reconstruct
the life of the time ..

..with unprecedented precision
.

-I remember the first time ..

..that I've heard of.
We were all looking for that.

..since a long time :

an intact domestic space,
in its agricultural context,

..which tells us
about domestic life ..

..and home life.

-For Marc Knight,

... it's a unique opportunity
to understand ...

..the privacy of our ancestors
in the Bronze Age.

-It's incredible !
It exceeds all our dreams.

And this feeling of height
gives us the feeling ...

..that by leaning forward,

..we will be able to enter
the houses.

-Mike Bamforth had never had the opportunity to piece
together.

..the structure
of a Bronze Age village.

-As a wood specialist,
I couldn't have ..

..dream better.

We discover objects,
structural elements ...

.. constructions,

..the wood scraps.

And all the pieces come together.

Often
in archaeological excavations,

..the puzzle is so incomplete ..

..that we do not represent
the whole.

Here, for once, we have
enough parts.

Wood survives everywhere.

..where germs and bacteria
cannot attack it:

..in frozen environments ..

..and humid,
oxygen free.

-The conservation power of
these marshes is exceptional.

For hundreds of years
the ground was waterlogged,

..so the wood is in good condition.

He was no longer
in contact with the air.

However, it is the association of air
and water that causes ..

..the decomposition
of organic matter.

-This village nevertheless contains
a mystery.

It has also stood
the test of time well,

... because while he was engulfed
in flames,

..it was swallowed up by the mud.

The team hopes
that 10 months of construction ..

..will reveal
the causes of the fire ..

..and allow
to learn more ..

..on the origins
of our modern world.

The work is meticulous.

Nothing should be done
in a rush.

Each object is gradually extracted
from its earth matrix.

..and carefully cleaned.

Exposed to air for the first time
in 3000 years,

..the wood may dry out
and decompose.

It must be constantly humidified.

All over the site,
archaeologists are doing ..

.. extraordinary discoveries.

-We see a kind of groove
on the top.

It is obviously
a large piece of wood.

It extends
over this entire surface.

Who knows how far it goes?
On that side or that one?

It also seems to extend
to my right.

This fragment is weird.

It is undoubtedly a stake
like this,

..but it seems connected
to this piece of wood.

Definitely
something different.

-As the object is cleared,

..it turns out the archaeologists
got it right.

It is indeed
something different.

These villagers therefore had access
to the most advanced techniques.

It is the oldest complete wheel.

..never unearthed
in Britain.

-It is the best preserved
and the most complete.

..which we found
in the region.

With that, I said it all.

It is the largest
and the one in the best condition.

And above all, it is complete.

-This wheel is so remarkable ..

..that archaeologist Maisie Taylor
came to examine it ..

... even before it is
fully cleared.

-It is compressed.

It must have been
much thicker originally.

-This object could
teach us more ..

..about manufacture
and use ..

..the first wheels in Europe.

But this copy
is so fragile.

..that to extract it, we must
wait for the arrival of a specialist.

The discovery
of an object so well preserved.

.. foreshadows
other discoveries ..

..and therefore a considerable deepening
..

..of our knowledge
of the way of life of our ancestors ..

..3,000 years ago.

A few years ago,
in the bed of a nearby river,

.. archaeologists have discovered ..

..8 boats carved out
of a tree trunk.

..dating to the Bronze Age.

It is the largest group
ever unearthed in Northern Europe.

These boats must have belonged
to the inhabitants of Must Farm.

For Marc Knight,

..their number indicates
that the village did not live in isolation.

-All along..

..of this river,
there are boats.

If proof of human activity in the area was needed
,

..in my opinion, it is there.

What would be
our level of communication ...

..if in our modern world the
Internet did not exist?

In a way,

..these canoes and streams ..

..were
a communication network.

-The villagers had to be
skilled carpenters.

At Butser Ancient Farm,
a prehistoric hamlet.

..reconstructed,
archaeologist Ryan Watts ..

.. try to understand ..

.. how they did it.

-We build a monoxyl boat,

as there were in the Stone
Age, in the Bronze Age,

..in the Iron Age ..

..and until the Middle Ages.

These boats are simple.

They are carved
from a piece of wood,

..but it takes a
lot of work.

-Ryan Watts is testing.

..with the various tools
available to the villagers.

-For 2 years, I have explored
manufacturing techniques.

I test
several methods and tools.

Right now,
to remove the biggest,

.. we use wooden corners ..

... rather than bronze tools.

Bronze tools require
labor to hollow out a trunk.

Wooden wedges allow
larger wedges to be detached.

-Despite its rudimentary appearance,

..the wooden corner gives
amazing results.

-Once the canoe is finished,

..it should be about
5cm thick,

.. about that.

We know this thanks to archaeological discoveries
.

This work requires
incredible expertise.

This time,
I hope to be more efficient.

It is necessary to notch the wood,
so as to shape the edges.

-Through research,

..it appeared that these boats ..

..were
intentionally sunk.

Ryan Watts thinks he knows why.

The transom
of some canoes is removable.

-You can remove
the transom,

..so that the water rushes in
and causes the boat to sink.

All Must Farm canoes
had a groove,

..but the rear panels are
gone. They are rarely found.

The boat is found under water,
which helps in its conservation.

They were found intact
thousands of years later.

Them, it was not
to manufacture it every year.

-The practical aspect
of this means of transport.

..was not the only one that mattered to the
villagers.

-The dugouts unearthed
at Must Farm.

..are the 1st
with exterior decorations.

Until then,
the pieces of wood were smooth.

These are engraved.

Of course, the patterns are
linear and geometric,

..but they exist,

..for no practical reason.

They are there to look pretty.

..or so that the owner
finds his canoe among the others.

-These villagers lived
in remote areas,

.. on the borders of Europe.

Getting around was so important.

..that they did everything possible ..

..to build their boats.

As the excavations
progress,

.. archaeologists find
lots of fragments of burnt wood.

Marc Knight therefore asked
a forensic archaeologist.

..to join his team.

By studying
the piles and the beams,

..Karl Harrison
can help him understand ..

..which led
to the destruction of the village.

He finds that the pieces of wood
were not evenly burned.

-This fire is
remarkable.

..that he did not
reduce everything to ashes.

Whole portions.

.. escaped the flames ..

..and charred parts
have intact surfaces.

-This characteristic is found
everywhere on the site.

-We are near house number 1.

As we clear
the roof elements,

..we discover traces
of a raised floor.

These stakes are stakes
that escaped the flames.

-The study of charred remains
helps.

..to understand
how the village was destroyed ..

..and how it was built,
because alone ..

..the upper part of the houses
burnt down.

The team thus finds out.

..an unusual construction technique
.

-The floor was ..

..at this height and at Dan's level
, there was water.

Dan clears the charred remains
of a building.

..located above the water
and which is now below.

Hence this disorderly pile
of elements.

It's chaos.

But there are
many indications there.

..of what there was at this level:

pieces of wood that have burned,
thatch bundles.

..and a collection of materials
and various objects,

.as if the floor
had fallen here,

..but the thatched roof too.

We have to disentangle that and understand
the correlation between these elements.

-It's a big discovery.

The houses of Must Farm were
actually built on stilts,

..on the water,

... which explains why they
partly escaped the flames.

No villages on stilts
dating from the Bronze Age.

... had not yet been exhumed
in Great Britain.

The wood fragments
unearthed by the team.

..were used
in the construction of houses ..

..and that
of elevated platforms.

This is the first time that has
been highlighted ..

..a link between Must Farm
and the European continent,

..where we discovered
in the foothills of the Alps ..

..the remains of villages
on stilts very similar.

One of these hamlets has been
restored.

.. more than 1000 km
from the English coast,

.. on the shores of Lake Constance,

..a region where living on the water
is an ancestral tradition.

-Lake Constance is part
of a vast network of rivers.

..extending..

.. all over Europe.

Here, we don't think
in terms of highways,

..but of waterways.

This explains
the presence of stands.

..in very important sites.

These stands are numerous ..

..and they form a network
dedicated to trade and fishing.

And then it's a beautiful place to
settle.

Look around you.

-If we have proof ..

.. that a number of individuals
have migrated across Europe,

..we do not however know
the extent of this movement.

The discovery
of a common way of life.

..in Germany
and Great Britain ..

..indicates that 3000 years ago,

..a whole community
left the continent ..

..to settle
in the East of England.

-Maybe they are locals.

..of villages on stilts
in Switzerland, the Alps ..

... or the polders of the Netherlands,

..who settled here.

This habitat was familiar to them.

They mastered
the required techniques.

They didn't have to invent them.

-Objects exhumed in the
Lake Constance region.

.. prove the existence
of a trade in goods ..

..between Germany
and Great Britain.

-This sword was found
in a river,

.. about twenty km from here.

It is identical.

..to another sword ..

..discovered in the Thames
and these points ..

... could have been imported
from England to Germany.

-There were common ideas,

..but some were evolving.

In the Bronze Age there was
a form of nationalism.

In Britain all
houses had to be round.

On the continent, they were preferred
square or rectangular.

We are facing ..

..to 2 different architectural traditions
, but there was ..

..many similarities too.

-A Must Farm, archaeologists
unearth new objects.

..which prove the existence
of intra-European relations.

For example,
those tiny glass beads.

It is so unusual
to find so many.

..on a British site
from the Bronze Age,

..that Julian Henderson
examined them.

-It's rare.

These pearls which date from the 8th
and 9th centuries BC.

..are therefore very valuable.

-This is the only set
of the time.

.. discovered to date.

-These pearls prove the love
of the people of Must Farm.

..for beautiful things,

..but they weren't
made in Great Britain.

-Copper and iron give them ..

..a beautiful turquoise color
or a beautiful pale green.

These pearls played a social role.

They were decorative.

But they can also help us
to identify the links that united ...

..the different parts of the world.

-The glass was made with
sand and vegetable ashes.

To establish their provenance,

..the beads were subjected
to isotopic analysis.

-Must Farm glass is made
with ash from shrubs.

These plants only grow
in semi-desert areas,

..an environment which did not exist in
Northern and Northwestern Europe ..

..in the 9th and 8th centuries
BC.

It could be
that these pearls have traveled ..

..3 000, 4 000 km.

It is very likely ..

..whether they were made
in the Middle East and imported.

-We know that in the Bronze Age,
goods circulated.

.. across all of Europe,
but we don't know ..

..the extent of these exchanges.

The presence
of so many glass beads ..

.. indicates
that although being away ..

..Must Farm had an active role
in trading networks.

To find out how Europeans
traded in the Bronze Age,

... you have to go south of the Alps,
to Italy,

..in the Po estuary.

Here was one of the
largest manufacturing centers:

-Frattesina was an
industrial and commercial region ..

..of the Mediterranean basin.

It imported
raw materials.

..and transformed them into manufactured products
for export.

She was in contact
with the Levant,

Lebanon and Palestine,

..with southern Germany
and northern France.

-Love for luxury products
being universal,

..the raw materials arrived
by ship in Frattesina ..

..and were exported once
processed, all over Europe.

-We have two very interesting objects here
.

The first is this necklace.

These little beads
are made from ..

..shells ..

..of Ostrich egg
imported from Africa.

We discovered
unworked pieces,

.. proof that the raw material was
imported and transformed on site.

The 2nd big surprise ..

..we comes from ivory.

It was coming here in
rough fragments like this.

The 1st material was imported
to Frattesina.

..from Africa or Asia
and transformed into combs ..

..on the spot.

The most astonishing is that an
identical copy of this comb ..

..was discovered
at a site in Cyprus.

Ivory was imported from
Africa or Asia.

..and we made it into a product
that we returned.

This place was a major manufacturing center
.

We were at the center of the world here.
It is fabulous.

-Among these personal effects
are also included ..

.. pieces of metal.

-Here is a mold that is used
to make rings.

Copper is poured
along this groove.

From there, side branches lead
it.

..to each individual mold.

This ring has been detached from the rest,

..but it was not trimmed.

If Frattesina made
a smashing entry ..

..in archaeological literature
,

.. it is mainly thanks to glass.

The
largest number of glass objects were found there.

..of the late Bronze Age,

..and valuable information
on their manufacture.

-The inhabitants of Must Farm.

..were not the only Europeans
to treasure these pearls.

-We have here some fragments
of glass ingots.

..of different colors.

This one is particularly
interesting.

On and devine the form ..

..of the complete ingot ..

..and they bear the bite
of the workman's pincers ..

..to grab
semi-molten glass.

It's fantastic !

This ingot has kept the gestures of the glassmaker intact
.

-New scientific techniques.

.. may soon
find out exactly ..

..which trade route
did the glassware take ..

..discovered
at Frattesina and Must Farm.

-We don't have a job.

.. significant and exciting,

..through, among other things,
isotope analysis.

Research targets
the origin of raw materials.

..serving
in the manufacture of glass.

-European exchanges at the time
announced.

..the international trade networks
of today.

-L'Europe,

..at the height of the Bronze Age,

... let's say from 1600 BCE
until 700 BCE,

..when iron
gradually imposed itself,

..Europe was a totally interconnected world
,

.. like never before.

But the bronze supply
was irregular,

..when hamlets
and farms needed it.

The supply had to
be more regular,

..that trade routes
remain open.

And for that, we had to
set up institutions.

..which promote these links
and the regularity of exchanges.

-Researchers have always lacked
elements to determine.

..the standard of living of our ancestors
in the Bronze Age.

The number of metal tools
unearthed at Must Farm.

.. is all the more surprising.

-We think that this blade
is a sickle.

It is interesting that
she still has some sparkle.

This site is unique.

Once exhumed,

..the objects still shine.

Unbelievable !

-Throughout northern Europe,
the Bronze Age was marked.

..by intensification
and expansion of agriculture.

This revolution and commerce
were favored.

..by the development
of these metal tools.

-Bronze allowed people to ..

..to engage
in new activities.

It is a malleable metal.

..to which we can give
the shape we want.

Farms and hamlets.

... all needed them.

-Many elements show
that Must Farm ..

..was a very prosperous agricultural community
.

The large quantity
of wooden utensils.

..indicates that the villagers were
producing enough food ..

..to organize feasts.

-We found clay pots
and wooden crockery.

This is what is believed to
be a wooden dish.

There might have been
a handful here and one there.

It is carved
from a single piece of wood.

The edges burned.

It had to be used
to present a dish.

Maybe a pig's head?

-Archaeologists
have also discovered ..

..bones of sheep,
pig and beef ..

..and pots filled with grain.

In fact, agriculture
was so flourishing.

..that part of the grain
could be marketed.

This prosperity was due ..

..to the fertility of the soil,
to the herds,

..but also to the appearance
of metallurgical techniques ..

..and the application of scientific advances
to agriculture.

-Some farms had ..

.. hundreds, if not thousands
of head of cattle.

And the cultivation of cereals
was done on a very large scale,

..with the systematic practice
of spreading.

Fertilizer was found
in these fields.

L'intensification
de l'agriculture..

..have had significant effects
on the lives of ordinary people.

For example, as far as I know,

..there is no sign
of malnutrition ..

..at the Bronze Age.

And huge amounts ..

..of meat were eaten
on the occasion of festivals.

-In the city of Halle,

..in the heart of Germany,

.. there is an object which indicates
that scientific progress ..

.. surely benefited European farmers
of the Bronze Age.

The Prehistoric Museum houses such
an extraordinary treasure.

..that it is considered by Unesco
as one ..

.. major archaeological discoveries
of the 20th century.

It is called
the celestial disk of Nebra.

It was unearthed by
amateur prospectors in 1999.

This representation
of the night sky.

..is the oldest known.

It allows us to assume
that the farmers ..

.. knew when the time for sowing had come
.

-This is the 1st faithful representation
of the celestial vault.

-We can make out a cluster of stars,
the Pleiades,

..which were of crucial importance to the growers
.

-The drawing is very simple.

Here we have the 7 stars
that form the Pleiades.

..and there, the Moon.

Their simultaneous presence
indicates a highlight of the year,

..the beginning of March.

-The Pleiades, visible
in the northern hemisphere in winter,

.. disappear in the spring,

.. around the period
suitable for sowing.

-The important thing here

..it is not metalwork,
but knowledge,

..delivered by a drawing ..

..simple and talking.

-Analysis revealed ..

..that the metals
of the Nebra disk ..

... had been partly
imported into Germany.

-We analyzed the copper.

He comes from the Alps,
from the Mittleberg region,

..near Salzburg.

Pewter comes from Cornwall,
we are sure.

As for gold, analysis shows.

..that it was also mined
in Cornwall.

The raw material therefore comes from ..

..from Germany and England.

-The need for metals and the taste
for luxury products.

.. have brought together
the different European peoples.

-Great Britain had ..

..an essential wealth:

tin.

Unlike copper,
tin is a rare metal.

It is not found
in many parts of the world.

It was a commodity
that was very important.

..and very difficult to deliver
uninterrupted.

We could not do without the 10%
tin that comes in ..

..in the making of bronze.

Tin was therefore the most precious metal
,

..probably
on par with gold.

-New European commercial networks.

..were created to ensure
the transport of metals,

..then extending
to other goods,

..they favored ..

..the circulation
of people and ideas.

-In the Bronze Age,

... Europe was to have
13 to 14 million inhabitants.

She was extremely organized
at the time.

Merchants, soldiers,

..all kinds of people
were moving,

.. bringing with them
new things.

-As the population
of Frattesina ..

..and Lake Constance,

..the inhabitants of Must Farm
have understood ..

..that the waterways
opened the doors of Europe to them.

That is why they established themselves
above the water.

-They realized that by settling
in the swamps, on the water,

..they mastered an environment
that allows exchange,

..the movement of goods.

They placed themselves at the heart
of the activity, of the commercial flow,

..which gave them
some control.

-They had
the best of both worlds.

Behind them was the earth.

They cultivated their fields
and raised cattle.

In front of them were the marshes,
with the fish,

.. eels,
wild birds.

The most precious,

.. it was protein in winter,

.. because the recurring problem
of the 1st stands ..

..was the lack of protein.
How to survive the winter?

These people had a fantastic
reservoir of food.

In summer,
when the water level fell,

..the swamps suddenly became ..

.. very rich pastures,
because the land ..

..had been fertilized
by the floods.

These people weren't stupid.

It was a very wealthy area,
so they settled there.

-The Must Farm excavations tell
us a lot.

..on the way of life
of our ancestors in the Bronze Age.

Thanks to the discoveries
made in one of the houses,

..we can go back
to the origins ..

..of an old industry:
the manufacture of fabrics.

-We have here a fabric
of great finesse.

I found it there,
embedded in the clay.

It's by digging.

..that I found
this piece of cloth.

This is the upper part.

These fragments show us
how fine the weaving is.

Never such a quantity
of delicate material.

..n't been unearthed
in a Bronze Age site.

It seems incredible
that fabrics ...

.. could have withstood
such humidity ..

..for 3 millennia.

To analyze
the finesse of the work,

..Marc Knight called
on specialist Susanna Harris.

-We can't always send.

..the objects in the laboratory.

You have to be able to
transport the equipment.

-The study under the microscope gives
a better idea.

..of the sophistication
of weaving techniques.

- This is called the warp
and weft.

Here are weft threads.

They go behind
these warp threads.

..and emerge a little further.
Look.

-Susanna Harris discovered
that these sons ..

..were made
from vegetable fibers,

..which requires
great know-how.

Observations made
under a microscope.

.. reveal that they are
only 2 / 10th of a mm thick,

.. proof of extremely careful work
..

..and a great professional mastery
.

-I drew a line
5 mm long.

..and I will count
the number of threads.

9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

On 5 mm, we have 13 wires.

That makes us 26 threads per cm.

Must Farm fabrics.

..are as fine as those unearthed
on the mainland.

-The quality of these fabrics
tells us that 3,000 years ago,

..our ancestors
did not just exist.

They loved beautiful clothes
and decorated their homes.

-These fabrics were not necessarily
black or brown in the past.

Part of our research is
...

..to reconstitute
textures and colors ..

..in their original beauty.

-The study of these textiles
will teach us a lot more.

..on the way of life of Europeans
in the Bronze Age.

In the hamlets
of Lake Constance,

..similar fragments
have been found.

And like those of Must Farm,

..they come from baskets,
nets ..

..or more refined materials.

-This set comes from the villages
of Lake Constance.

There are nets,
very fine fibers.

A universe of textile products.

-The commercial relations being
very developed then in Europe,

..a market for fabrics
may have existed.

-The villages were delivered
mainly ..

... to trade
in copper and tin,

..separately,
in the form of ores,

..the alloys
were made on site,

..but also
in the form of finished products.

Now, once you have
trade routes ...

..and the merchants
who borrow them,

..it is obvious that we will sell
and buy other commodities.

These last few years,
it's very recent,

..we learned that alongside
the metal trading,

..there was
a trade in woolen fabrics.

-A Must Farm,

.. archaeologists
have unearthed ..

..a set of tools used
in the manufacture of fabrics,

..an unprecedented fact
in Britain.

-This huge object,
which has the shape ..

..a club
or a cricket ball ..

..is a magnificent copy ..

..d'écang.

We found 3 on the site.

Their weight and shape
allow ..

..to grind the stems of one ..

..to extract the fibers
intended to be spun.

In a regular movement,
the pond is folded into a groove,

... by crushing the rods across.

-The discovery of these tools
and textile materials.

..is an extremely rare occurrence in Europe.

It will establish ...

.. how fabrics
were made and used ...

..in a village
from the Bronze Age.

-This thread is wrapped
around a spindle.

We imagine people
spinning fiber.

It is as if we were attending ..

..in the manufacture of these fabrics.

-Archaeologists have even
discovered accessories.

..which went
with the looms.

-We found..

..3 weight
in house number 1.

A pyramidal shape,

.. pieces of clay
assembled and fired,

..the whole pierced.

It is used to tighten the warp to
pass the weft threads.

This element allows us
to complete the puzzle.

-What was discovered
at Must Farm,

.. it is the origins
of the European textile industry.

These spinning and weaving tools.

..are the ancestors
of our modern machines.

-It's very rare, exceptional,

..to discover all the elements
of the manufacturing process,

..stems of plants ..

..to finished products.

Our textile specialists.

..will be overwhelmed.

-With equipment
of this kind,

..clothing for sale must
have been made.

We now have
such a wealth of detail.

..that we can almost
imagine our ancestors,

..leaning over their work,
day after day.

The considerable number
of exhumed objects.

..hows to think that the village
has been abandoned ..

.. at the time of the fire.

Archaeologists hope to
find out why.

..its inhabitants left
, leaving everything behind.

Karl Harrison is looking for ..

..to define the method of propagation
of the fire.

-When our research has
enabled us ..

..to understand..

.. how the fire spread,

..we will know if a fire has
developed in this structure ..

.. before expanding
to the next ..

..or if two fires set two different houses ablaze
.

Which would indicate
that the fire was deliberate.

-It must first determine
how the houses were built.

-This piece of wood illustrates.

..the way
the behavior of a fire ..

..can help to understand
construction techniques.

There are 3 modes of propagation
of a fire in a building.

We speak of conduction.

..when metallic materials
cause ..

..a heat transfer.

Convection, when the fire causes
the rise in the structure.

..a mass of hot gas.

And by radiation is when
the heat transfer ..

.. is done
through a body.

-Determine if the fire
has spread by conduction,

..convection or radiation
will be very difficult.

Karl Harrison must analyze
the traces left by the fire.

-The upper part of
this beam has been blackened,

..except..

..a few circular areas.

As if a structure placed above
had protected these areas.

On this side, we can see
the limit of the burns,

..which indicates that the lower part
is intact.

-This piece of wood did not burn.

These marks were only
caused by the heat.

-It did not burn,
because it was outside.

The fire especially ravaged
the interior.

The radiation travels
in a straight line.

..and this part was protected.

It's like slathering
on sunscreen.

-If the pieces of wood
outside have not burned,

.. this allows to establish
the place of origin of the fire.

-The fire caught inside.

No one set the roof on fire
from outside.

The mode of propagation would have been
very different otherwise.

- So that the villagers
give up as many things,

... the fire had
to spread very quickly.

The team will need to collect
more clues.

..before establishing whether the villagers
fled an attack ..

..or if the disaster
was accidental.

The discovery of the oldest
complete wheel in Europe.

..is a particularly exciting event
for the team.

In order to extract as
delicately as possible ..

.. this object buried
for 3,000 years,

..specialists were called in to assist
.

-We tried to lift her up.

..in 3 pieces,
but it doesn't work.

We're going to use plaster
to consolidate it.

But since we can't
protect all the way around,

..we will have to change
technique.

We chose to make
a box around the wheel.

..and inject
polyurethane foam into it.

Once fully wrapped
in expanding foam,

..the wheel will be
securely held.

We can then dig
holes below,

..to slide
in wooden bars ..

..and lift it up
in one piece.

-Ian Panter relies
on his skills as a carpenter.

..to overcome
all difficulties.

Once cleared, this wheel
will teach us a lot.

..on the first techniques
developed in Europe.

It is not a simple object.

It is the proof
of an explosion of know-how.

..and manufacturing methods.

-One of the reasons that make me love
the Bronze Age,

... is that this period
clearly marks ...

..the beginning of the specialization.

Certain carpentry works.

..are
extremely sophisticated.

The wheel is comparable
to canoes,

.. because it offers an example
of very advanced woodworking,

..very specialized.

We have exceeded the milestone.

..good or bad
carpenters.

We have specialized carpenters here
.

On the one hand,
wheel builders,

..on the other,
boat builders.

-The discovery of this wheel
confirms the existence.

.. close relations ..

..between the European populations
of the time.

-The Must Farm wheel
is part of a set.

It looks like copies
unearthed in the Netherlands,

..in Denmark
and southern Germany.

The wheel builders
of this hamlet.

..should relate
to others.

All shared
a common know-how.

-We know how these villagers
shared their lives.

..between dry land and marshes.

-The presence of this wheel is intriguing
in a village on stilts,

..without space to roll such
a big wheel.

We have a means of terrestrial locomotion.

..in a marsh environment.

But it sticks with the other
elements discovered on the site.

The bones are mostly
those of land animals:

..sheep, cows, horses, dogs.

As plants,
we have holed wheat and barley.

The wood used for
the construction of the village.

.. comes from terrestrial rather than swampy habitat
.

The villagers have not cut themselves
off from the mainland.

..and the wheel
is part of that link.

They lived, slept,
ate here,

..but they cultivated
their fields ..

..and they traded
on the surrounding land.

The remains of material exhumed
on the site are proof of this.

Ditto for objects like the wheel.

-Archaeologists have learned
that the peasants of Must Farm ..

..were prosperous peasants,
who traded ..

..with stands
from all over the continent.

But they were surprised
by the profusion of their possessions.

Like us, they had
more than they needed.

-We are here.

..in house number 2,
where there is ..

..many containers:

wooden buckets,
and pottery. This jar.

This pretty little bowl there at the back.

And this other jar.

There are large containers
and small cups.

These objects are intact,
grouped in heaps,

... buried
in their original context.

It gives us an excellent idea
of the use we made of it.

-Like us,

..these people liked to surround themselves
with beautiful things.

-What characterizes first of all ..

..these objects,
it is their great finesse.

They are very beautiful to look at,
because there is nothing primitive about them.

These vessels are anything
but rude.

They have admirable finishes:

nicely streamlined body,
everted edge.

The other characteristic
is the color.

This pot had
a nice dark color,

..but the fire changed it.

-Archaeologists
have also exhumed.

..2 very strange long pieces of wood
.

Each has 3 mortises.

..containing the remains of burnt posts
.

Timber specialist
Mike Bamforth is puzzled.

-We don't know what it is,

..but we think we can solve
the mystery quickly enough.

We do not know if these are the 2 halves
of a vertical element.

..or placed on the ground ..

..or the 2 lower parts ..

..of a vertical element.
We will find.

- Further examination suggests
that this is a frame.

..used
in the treatment of textiles.

Research
is still needed,

..but the remains of Must Farm
already prove ..

..that our modern way of life
appeared in the Bronze Age.

One of the main
characteristics of this village.

..is the series of piles
that surrounded the dwellings.

Like the piles,
these piles were ..

..deep
into the ground.

Erecting such a structure was a
technical feat.

-A fence surrounds the site.

It's a row of ash stakes,

..with a few oak piles
inserted.

She had to arrive ..

..at head height.

The use of ash
is very unusual.

The other pieces are in oak,

.. more robust.

This choice reveals
a heightened aesthetic sense.

It must have been..

..very pretty.

-Given its large dimensions,

..the palisade was also to
fulfill a protective function.

-These villagers
physically cut themselves off.

..of the mainland ..

..and they erected
a barricade to protect themselves.

This fence could fulfill
this defensive role.

-Like other stands
across Europe,

..Must Farm got richer through
farming and trading.

An unexpected number of properties
were discovered there.

In each house
were exhumed.

.. about twenty pots
and metal tools,

..weaving equipment
and other utensils.

Did people feel
vulnerable to attacks

..for this reason ?

Inside the enclosure,
spear points.

..were unearthed.

-There were some
all along the fence.

Perhaps people with their spears
were on guard?

In this universe,
there was no ..

..than baskets, pottery
and round houses.

These people felt ..

..the need to bring oneself ..

..a sword and a spear.

-The team unearths objects.

..can be used as weapons.

-I am
in house number 1.

We have discovered..

..a socket ax.

It was exhumed
about 1.50 m on this side.

We have one.

..in this section
and one there.

There is an ax
in each quadrant.

The handle fits into this hole
and the side ring.

.. is used to attach the strap.

Looking closely,
we can see small veins.

There are 3 on each side.

..and also the mark of the joints
of the bivalve clay mold.

-The discovery of swords,
a weapon that appeared in the Bronze Age,

.. fascinates the team.

- Yesterday, we found
this bronze sword.

Usually, old bronze
is covered with verdigris,

..but due to the excellent state
of preservation of the site,

..it kept its original color.

-An astonishing number of swords
have been exhumed,

.. inside
and outside the village.

-Here is the blade of a leaf-shaped sword
.

She lost her handle.

It matches the style of sword
we were making.

.. at the time ..

..and we found it
near the layers of ash.

It belongs to this hamlet.

-This discovery is important.

She could help
solve a big puzzle.

Were swords
prestige weapons ...

..for elite warriors ..

..or was it
used daily?

Neil Burridge is a blacksmith
specializing in prehistory.

- This is the moment that I dread.
The top of the mold.

.. has split,

..but it does not matter.
I add a little more.

It is a very skilled job.
I am the person.

..the most experienced
in this field,

..but in the Bronze Age
I would have had 1 in 10.

It's very difficult.

-The crafting of a single sword
requires almost 1 kg of bronze.

Thanks to Neil Burridge,

..we know that our ancestors
invested ..

.. a lot of resources
to forge these items.

-It's incredible,

..what they were doing
with bronze.

They got very creative
and they invented weapons.

For us, the sword is
a common object, that we know,

..but it is an invention ..

..of the Bronze Age.

-As you see,

..the mold broke.

And here is the melted piece.

It's not that bad
for a first try.

The mold was cracked more
than I expected.

..and the blade is too thick.

By Bronze Age criteria
, it is heavy.

We wouldn't have wanted it.

-Even experienced specialists
like Neil Burridge.

..have failed to manufacture ..

.. replicas of as
good quality as the originals.

-It is necessary to work the blade,

..to have something
that looks like this.

The blacksmiths polished
the surface.

..with what they found
in the area.

The next step
is very important too.

You have to forge the edges.

... until they are as thin
as paper.

It is a very skilled job,
because the blade is beaten with a hammer.

That's what gives that narrow, beveled edge
.

Working the metal cold
makes it hard.

..and to tap the edge.

It is a very important operation
.

It is probably necessary to heat
the bronze several times.

..to give it
flexibility ..

..and forge the edges 2, 3, 4,
maybe up to 8 or 9 times ..

..to make them
sufficiently tapered.

It is very sophisticated work.

A sword discovered
at an excavation site.

..is often covered
with verdigris.

She is not beautiful.

But in the Bronze Age,
once over,

..it must look like this,
well polished,

..with its decorated handle
and blade ..

..well sharpened.

-We now know
that in the Bronze Age,

..swords were
very complex to craft.

However, the state of several copies
discovered at Must Farm.

... indicates that they were not
prestigious objects,

..but weapons used
by ordinary people.

-The presence of these deep notches
on one side of the blade.

..might mean that the sword
was used in battles ..

..or that she hit
another metal object.

-The Bronze Age swords
being shorter.

..than those
of previous eras,

..we don't know exactly ..

.. how men fought.

The copies discovered
at Must Farm ..

..will be rich in teaching.

Newcastle University
has incorporated them.

..to his study
of combat techniques.

-We keep away
from each other,

..then we get closer
immediately.

There is no middle ground.

Either the opponent.

..is out of reach,
or we are face to face.

An exciting technique.

-Andrea Dolfini studies
the weapons of the Bronze Age.

-These weapons were used
in various battles,

..but we don't know
exactly how.

-The weapon is so short, it's like
fighting with a long knife.

It's a very close fight,

..which requires commitment ..

..much more personal.

-The marks left
by the blades.

..will provide valuable clues.

-Swords.

..of the Bronze Age show
similar notches.

The 2 blades came knocking
against each other,

..then have surely rotated.

-It's a very violent fight,
very physical, but which requires ..

..a great intelligence.

You have to learn
to assess the opponent.

..to impose his will on him.

-The objective is to analyze
the marks made today.

..and compare them
to those we observe ..

..on the swords of the Bronze Age, in
order to learn ..

..on the fighting techniques of the
time.

-When you handle
a sword made to kill,

.. you have to protect yourself.
One thing while training ..

... another,
over time,

..we are developing
much more effective warfare techniques.

The profession of warrior appeared
in the Bronze Age.

-The specialists still wonder
if the gain of prosperity ..

..in the Bronze Age,

.. has not resulted in
an increase in violence.

The Must Farm site seems to
indicate that it has.

In the opinion of archaeologists,

..the village suffered
a terrible attack.

As proof,
the quantity of weapons exhumed.

..and the reaction of the inhabitants
who did not return home,

..not even to recover
their precious possessions.

-It's obvious that
they had to leave ..

..hastily.

Looks
like everything was left as is.

.. barely a minute or two ago.

When we have time to organize,
we take our things.

We clean our house.

There, that was not the case.

In my opinion,

..there was a disaster,

..maybe an enemy attack.

Houses and farms burned down
and collapsed.

It happened so quickly ..

..that people could not get anything out
of the burning houses.

-Nothing really indicates ..

..that they returned
after the fire.

Looks like what
drove them from home,

..it wasn't just fire.

Maybe we set fire
to get them out of there.

-The excavations of Must Farm
have already shed some light.

some of the great mysteries
of the European Bronze Age.

We know that through trade,

..very close ties united
villages across Europe.

Travel was
an integral part of life.

Some villagers owned
more property.

..than we imagined.

And by generating
social tensions,

... this wealth may have
led to greater violence.

What is most fascinating is the state
of preservation of the site.

.. allowed us to dive,
like never before,

..in the daily life
of our ancestors.

We know what their kitchens contained,

.. what clothes they were wearing ..

..and what techniques
were used ..

.. at the time of the birth
of modern Europe.

The team must complete the site
in a few weeks.

-The more we dig, the
more questions we ask ourselves,

..the more information we have.

Each new element
tells us a story.

This is the final phase
of the work on site.

Then, many objects
will be studied under a microscope,

.. sent to the laboratory,
analyzed, measured.

Our knowledge will be enriched.

We will discover colors,

.. textures,
which will modify ..

..our understanding of the time.

-At the end of the work,

.. everything will be covered with earth in
order to preserve the site.

Years of research
will still be necessary.

.. before this village ..

.. does not reveal all its secrets.

But our vision of birth ..

..modern Europe
has already changed.

-It is a site of 1st importance.

What he tells us about the past,

..about the way of life of people
3,000 years ago is precious.