Underground Marvels (2019–…): Season 2, Episode 1 - Hotel Bunker of the Apocalypse - full transcript

[narrator] Carved into the mountainside
beneath this West Virginia hotel.

Lies a top secret Cold War bunker.

For nearly thirty years this military
fortress was kept hidden from the world.

Until it's cover was shockingly blown.

It was no longer deniable.
We're closing down the bunker.

[narrator] Thousands of miles
away in the United Kingdom,

is the entrance to a giant
subterranean network,

created by 200 years of mining.

How has it been transformed
for modern day use?

You get the thrill of being underground,
that is so alien to most people.

[narrator] And in Israel,
more than 1,000 caves,



make up an ancient underground labyrinth.

What secrets are just being revealed?

And what still remains below?

We were actually the first people to
enter into that room in 2,000 years.

[narrator] Throughout history, life
underground has captured our imagination.

It creates very frightening but
also very beautiful experience.

[narrator] Now we're taking
you further and deeper.

There's all kinds of wild theories
about what could be below.

[narrator] To unearth the mysteries,
the secrets and the wonders

of these underground marvels.

Hidden underneath this
palatial, West Virginia hotel,

is the site of one of America's most
closely guarded Cold War secrets.

In the event of a nuclear attack,
this vast subterranean bunker

was designed to provide more than
1,000 people with enough water and food



to survive for 60 days.

I walked by it thousands
of times and never thought

there's an 18-ton blast door behind there.

[narrator] How was the
construction of this massive structure

kept confidential from the people
living and working in the hotel above.

One of the techniques they used to keep
it a secret was hiding it in plain sight.

[narrator] And how was its cover
suddenly and shockingly blown.

The bunker was really sort of
prepared for everything except this.

[narrator] At the height of the Cold War,

the threat of nuclear Armageddon
sent the world into a panic.

Fearing an invasion could
happen at any moment.

Both the Soviet Union and the United States
built up their military capabilities.

Constructed vast nuclear arsenals.

And in the event of a national emergency
built secret underground bunkers.

Spread over 11,000 acres of
sprawling West Virginia hills,

the Greenbrier resort was
an unlikely yet perfect location.

From the mid 1800's on the Greenbriers

has really been an
impressive place to visit.

[narrator] Cam Huffman is Director
of Public Relations at the resort.

Politicians, actors, actresses were visiting
and five U.S. presidents visited here

even before the Civil War.

It was a mark of society if you
come and stay at the Greenbrier

and it is still that way.

[narrator] The hotel's involvement in
the Cold War efforts, began in 1955.

The U.S. government had tasked the Army
Corps of Engineers with scouting locations

for a subterranean bunker.

Where members of Congress could safely
shelter in the event of a nuclear attack.

Having already served as a military
hospital during World War II, the Greenbrier

was ultimately selected because
of its proximity to Washington D.C.

And prior relationship
with the U.S. government.

Constructing the bunker, codenamed Project
Greek Island was a huge undertaking.

People in the military and the
government were thinking of the question

of when there is a war.

These two superpowers are going to
be sending bombers across the ocean.

And Washington would be a primary target.

[narrator] Bob Conte has worked at
the Greenbrier resort for over 40 years.

And is an expert on its rich history.

The government drew what
they called the federal arc.

So within 300 miles of Washington D.C.

was a series of emergency
relocation centers.

It wasn't really a matter of
protecting certain individuals.

It was a matter of keeping the
constitutional framework of our government.

So you're gonna move the
leadership of the federal government,

to these facilities.

Congress here, Executive
branch in other facility.

The defense department in another facility.

They would stay in contact with
one another and they would provide

continuity of government.

It was really an audacious idea.

[narrator] Construction on
the bunker began in 1958.

To keep their plans under wraps,
the resort came up with a cover story

that they were adding
on a new wing to the hotel.

The Greenbrier at the time
didn't have air-conditioning.

And we were kind of at a time in history
where air-conditioning was becoming

popular and needed, in
hotels such as the Greenbrier.

So, they were able to
build the West Virginia wing.

And use the story that they needed
rooms that had air-conditioning.

So, it worked out perfectly.

[narrator] Neither the hotel staff nor the
locals caught on to the real reason behind

this major addition.

People knew that there was a
construction project going on.

It was just what was beneath
that people didn't know about.

One of the techniques they used to keep
it secret was hiding it in plain sight.

[narrator] Construction of the
new wing provided the perfect cover

for the real work that was
being done underground.

They built a wall around it so that people
couldn't see exactly what was going on.

[narrator] At a 112,544 square feet,

the two-level facility was roughly
the size of two football fields,

stacked on top of each other.

The bunker's basically a giant concrete
box that has two-foot thick concrete walls

reinforced with steel
all the way around it.

It's buried under 20 feet of earth.

Took 50,000 tons of
concrete to built it all.

It obviously took a massive
crew to build the whole thing.

[narrator] The Greenbrier bunker
was built to accommodate 1,100 people.

435 representatives.

100 senators and all the
associated legislative members

and their support staff.

This was no small project.

[Conte] The bunker for all intents
and purposes, is a giant concrete,

112,000 square foot box.

And it is vulnerable at
the entrances and exits.

So that you need to have blast
doors to protect those openings.

This is an 18-ton blast door.

This is where the hotel meets the bunker.

Now you can't have an 18-ton blast
door sitting in the middle of your hotel,

without raising suspicions.

What you're looking at here is just
a cover door that fit right over this.

In the thirty years that
this bunker was sitting here.

I walked by it thousands of times and
never thought, "I bet that's a cover door".

And there is an 18-ton
blast door behind there.

[narrator] The bunker was part of a
larger continuity of government program.

In the event of an international
crisis, the entire property

would be used as a meeting
place for members of government.

[Conte] This is called
governor's hall right here.

There are 435 seats here.

435 members of the
House of Representatives.

There would be meetings here. There
would be deliberations on legislation.

They'd be taking votes here.

[narrator] Down the corridor is a
second room that could accommodate

up to 100 people.

This would have been the Senate side.

All this was aimed to provide
continuity of government,

to the American population,

in the face of a catastrophic war.

[narrator] To ensure Congress
could communicate with the military

and what remained of the public,

the necessary technology
was put into place.

[Conte] 1,300 telephone lines,
running into this underground facility.

[narrator] In contrast to the
resort's premiere accommodation'.

The bunker wasn't outfitted
with five star amenities.

The dormitories consisted of 18 rooms.

Each built to house 60
people in metal bunk beds.

These are some of the bunk beds
that were installed in the bunker,

back in the early 1960's.

There were 1,100 beds.

The dormitories took up about
30% of the whole square footage.

For all those years, every member of
Congress had a bed assigned to him.

[narrator] But for all
that it lacked in comfort,

it made up for in preparedness.

In the event of a nuclear attack, how
would this underground fortress maintain

a constant state of operational readiness,

and nearly 30 years after its construction,

how did one journalist
blow the bunker's cover?

[narrator] During the Cold War,
in the event of a nuclear attack,

the United States Congress
would have been taken underground,

to a decontamination room
beneath the Greenbrier hotel.

So you would take all your clothing off,

you would just put it right down
in here, because it's contaminated.

There are a series of shower nozzles

This amount of high pressure would wash
any contamination that would have attached

to your body.

Pass through these doors and
it's time to get a new set of clothing.

Good old U.S. army fatigues.

And then you walk directly
into the bunker proper.

[narrator] Among its other
features the bunker had a kitchen

stocked with enough food
and water to last for 60 days.

So we're entering the cafeteria.

Who knew, that back behind
their closet was this cafeteria.

[narrator] It also had a medical clinic

equipped with a
state-of-the-art operating room.

A dental unit and 12 beds as
well as a fully-stocked pharmacy,

while guns, straitjackets and
riot gear were in place if needed.

The bunker also had its
own secure water supply,

and three separate generators, each
capable of powering the bunker on its own.

[Conte] All this was fueled by oil.

Every Wednesday night, for 30 years
they fired up these generators here.

They did this in the middle of the night.

[narrator] For three decades the
Greenbrier bunker was maintained

in both a constant state of operational
readiness and complete secrecy.

Members of the Greenbrier staff.

They were the plumbers and the
electricians and the air-conditioning guys.

They were cleared, they had
signed non-disclosure agreements.

It was pretty stiff you know, I
mean you sign one of these things

and it tells you right above your signature

how long you're going to be in jail,

and how big the fine is going to be.

So people were pretty serious
about not talking about this.

But then, at all times,
this had to be available

to the Congress of the United States.

[narrator] Having worked here
throughout the 70s and 80s,

Bob's experience shows how every
day hundreds of people came within inches

of the US government's
top secret operations.

[Conte] This was the office
of Forsythe Associates,

our audio/visual consultants.

They repaired televisions.

And one of the little perks of working
here was you could bring your television.

You would come in here,
Chuck and Bob were here,

you'd shoot the breeze with them.

[narrator] But Chuck and Bob would
both have been government employees.

Their job was not to fix TVs

but to guard the bunker and
keep it ready at a moment's notice.

Unbeknownst to me and everybody
else that this was the dividing line.

Between the overhead part of the facility

and the covert part of the facility.

[narrator] The bunker remained a
complete secret to the outside world

for more than 30 years.

Then in April, 1992, reporter Ted Gup

who had been investigating rumors
about the Greenbrier for several years

finally persuaded someone to talk.

When he arrived here, he
actually had a map of the facility,

where all the rooms where.

An accurate map. So once he showed that

it was pretty clear that he
had some good sources.

He spent quite a bit of
time at The Washington Post

should they publish this story.

And finally, it was decided that
they did not think that this would affect

national security, so they
went ahead with the story.

[narrator] Ted Gup's article contained
explicit details of the classified bunker

and the government immediately reacted.

It was no longer deniable.

The next day, the speaker of
the house, Tom Foley announced

"We're closing down the bunker."

[narrator] In the three years
following the article's publication,

the legal relationship between
the Greenbrier and the government

was dissolved.

The bunker was really, sort
of prepared for everything

except an article in The Washington Post.

There really wasn't a plan
for how to shut this down.

[narrator] Equipment from
inside the bunker was removed

and transferred to other
government properties.

And on August 1st, 1995,
the bunker officially became

the property of the Greenbrier.

The very first thing we
started doing was giving tours.

[narrator] Serving as a tour guide,

Bob immediately got full access to
the areas that had been hidden away

for more than 30 years.

To say the least, I'm peeing in my
pants. I'm pretty excited, you know.

I'm gonna actually see this bunker.

[Conte] We walk through those doors there,

and we go into the kitchen.

And I'm thinking,

"Wait a minute. This is like a
high school cafeteria kitchen."

This is the secret bunker I've
been hearing about for years.

I mean, it was right here.

It was right next to this exhibit hall

where I'd been a thousand times.

[narrator] Today, the
Greenbrier bunker offers a unique

and quite terrifying reminder of how
close the world came to nuclear war.

It gives us an insight to
what life would've been like

for the chosen few sheltered
deep below a post-apocalyptic world.

Hiding at the base of a 1,200 foot mountain

lies the entrance to Cwmorthin mine,

one of the deepest places
in the United Kingdom.

[Pred] Down here in the bowels of the earth

you have no idea what it's doing outside.

[narrator] During the peak
of the industrial revolution,

these pitch-black passages
in Wales were dug by hand.

Slate from this mine was exported globally.

They were going as far as Australia.

All over the world.

[narrator] Cwmorthin shutdown in the 1990s

after the cost of slate
mining became unsustainable.

So why, now, are there
voices once again ringing

in these forgotten tunnels?

We wanted to keep it
as authentic as possible.

[narrator] How as a long, harmonious
history of humans working with the land

been revived to bring new life here?

In the 1800s, the rapid growth
of the industrial revolution

drove people from rural
country homes towards cities.

This expansion fueled the housing boom

putting Welsh slate for
roofing in high demand.

[Pred] The slate roof, you could
guarantee it for well over 100 years.

[narrator] At its peak, slate mining
in Wales employed 17,000 people,

and produced half a million tons per year.

Cwmorthin in North Wales was
one of the most prolific slate mines

in the region.

It's one of the renowned
slates in the world.

[narrator] Pred Hughes worked in
the slate mines here for 25 years.

And is now part of Cwmorthin's revival.

This slate runs in my veins.

[Pred] Its history, its texture,

the whole lot. I just love it.

We're looking at the mountain here.

Believe it or not, it's a hollow mountain

going down 15 levels, going up 14 levels.

And it's all because of the type of slates

that lies within this mountain

250 men would walk
down there in the mornings.

And the poor sods that
worked down in the lower levels,

they had a long walk to reach their work.

[narrator] Cwmorthin's vertical
shafts reached so high and so deep

that you could fit both the Eiffel
Tower and the Statute of Liberty

on top of each other.

This is a crucial part of the mine

because here we're looking
down the backbone of the mine.

[Pred] 1,383 feet below ground.

[narrator] Advances in technology

allowed miners to burrow
deeper into the mountain.

Yet, progress doesn't come without risk.

And by the late 19th century,
that progress was tested.

[Pred] This was the stairway to hell.

But as you can see, this has
come under a little bit of an accident

and it's wedged between
the floor and the roof.

[narrator] Situated outside
a small town in Wales

lies one of the world's
largest slate mines.

What makes it so remarkable is
the distinctive geology surrounding it.

About 450 million years ago,
this entire region was under water.

And the oceanic sediments
formed this hard slate.

This slate, it's a very fine sediments

that's been compressed

and is split into a very fine,
smooth ribbon roofing slates.

It's one of the renowned
slates in the world.

[narrator] The unique
properties of the rock here

also make it ideal for mining.

[Pred] Gravity basically is with you

because of the angle of the slates.

It lays on about 42, 45 degrees.

[narrator] During the 1800s,
slate production was on the rise,

and Cwmorthin's slate miners were
expected to keep up with the demand.

To extract the slate from the mountain,

miners came up with an explosive solution.

Gunpowder.

They would've filled the hole
up with black powder up to there.

[narrator] But the hole for the
powder had to be cut by hand.

[Pred] It's called a jumper.

You would twist it and
throw it into the hole.

And of course, the force of
that would chip away the hole

and it would bounce back
or jump back into your hand.

Thus the name, the jumper.

Every chamber would only be two men.

These two men would fire a big block,

taken out on a trolley,

maybe two, three, even four wagons.

About a ton and a half each.

So, in total, you're talking nine
tons they would haul up in one go.

[narrator] Although advances in
technology sped up the mining process,

some of these engineering
upgrades created new obstacles.

It created much more dust.

[Pred] And, of course, the
dust from the slates, is silica.

So they would breathe in the dust
and give them silicosis on the lung.

It was horrendous.

[narrator] By the late 1800s, the miners
had dug nearly 800 feet below sea level,

more than 1,400 feet below the mountain.

However, in 1884, a
major underground collapse

caused half of the mine to flood

and temporarily close down.

[Pred] We're on G floor.

And this is the lowest point we'll get to.

'Cause as you can see
down there, it's flooded

nine floors down into
the bottom of the Q floor.

One thing about being down
here and that water rising,

that's the only clue you have that it's
probably horrendous weather outside.

That water is on the rise.

We're not in... too much danger.

[narrator] Many companies attempted to
restore the mines to pre-flood working order.

The tunnels remained in use
until the end of the 20th century.

But the doors closed for good in 1997.

Much of the original
machinery was abandoned.

[Pred] There's so much artifacts left here.

They would just shut shop and just left.

Quite a lot of stuff.

[narrator] But even though the mine
is now closed, it hasn't been forgotten.

How were the tunnels and shafts,

once the pride of Cwmorthin
transformed to draw crowds?

In Wales, a new
generation of thrill seekers

is heading back underground
to explore the wonders

of the abandoned Cwmorthin mine.

[Mike Griffiths] It really
is a real adventure.

It's a good day out.

[narrator] Mike Griffiths
is part of a local company

that has turned this old industrial site

into an extreme adventure course.

It's all fairly white knuckle activities.

We've got climbs, zip wires.

Traverses, abseils.

We've got a big freefall which
involves people stepping off the ledge,

plummeting into the abyss.

[woman screaming]

This is what we call, kind
of, authentic adventure

because everybody is
clipped into the safety system.

But there is still that element of danger.

[Griffiths] We wanted to keep
it as authentic as possible.

You get the thrill of being
underground in this environment

that is so alien to most people.

And you get the history of the place

and a feel for how it was when the
miners worked underground here.

[narrator] It's taken veterans
and newcomers alike,

to re-imagine this space.

It's quite emotional
in a way, after working

almost 25 years in the slate
industry here in Ffestiniog.

Yeah, a bit slippy here, Pred.

[Griffiths] Building the route
was challenging to say the least.

What we were able to do was
try and get into areas of the mine

that nobody had really been in before.

So, we have this
vision of lots of zip wires

such as the one you can
see here that heads across

to Little Island.

Nobody had been on them for over 100 years.

[narrator] Despite the
challenging environment,

in many ways, the old mine
is perfect for this new purpose.

The architecture of the slate mine
lends itself really well to what we do.

The 42 degree angle

of the slate, kinda creates an angle

that's a tough climb but just about doable.

[narrator] This intense course

isn't for a novice adventurer.

This is one of the most
dangerous areas of the mine

that we'll pass through
on one of our trips.

We're absolutely fine
where we are standing now.

But if I shine my torch behind me here,

you can see on the far side of this chamber

that there has been a big
collapse at some point in the past.

[narrator] Mike, Pred and their
colleagues were blown away

by the popularity of the mine,

as visitors flocked to get a taste
of the danger and the history.

We are at the deepest,
accessible point in Cwmorthin, now,

and for those who can make it this far,

we've got an extra special treat that
I'm gonna show you now. Follow me.

[narrator] The climbing and rappelling

naturally ends at the bottom of the mine,

the lowest point.

Cavers would usually then

begin the long climb back to the entrance.

But Mike had a better idea.

[Griffiths] Welcome to the deepest
underground accommodation in the world.

[narrator] Mike and his team have
spent months constructing six cabins

at the very lowest point
of Cwmorthin mines,

where cavers can spend the night
in the dark, damp bottom of the pit.

We are miles away from
civilization down here

and it's somewhere that you don't
need to worry about noisy neighbors,

that's for sure.

[narrator] Mike and the team
have always felt the need to honor

not just history of the mine,

but the history of the mountain.

They vowed early on to limit any damage

to the surrounding environment
as much as they could.

These cabins do have electricity

but its provided by the mine itself.

[Griffiths] There's a lot of water
down here, that's all flowed down

through the mine.

An enormous effort was made
when Cwmorthin was being worked

to pump all of the water out.

Since Cwmorthin has closed down,

nature's kind of taken over again.

And the water that was once pumped out

is now flowing down into the mountain

through this turbine

which generates power
for our accommodation.

[narrator] Converting
this area for their guests,

has been no simple task.

It's been great, but don't
get me wrong, it's been tough.

[narrator] Every single supply and tool

has been brought down by hand,

across the very same eight-hour
journey that visitors must negotiate.

I'm gonna go to the left a bit.

[narrator] It has taken Mike
and Pred, almost eight months

to get the cabins built.

And they aren't done yet.

[Griffiths] I dread to think, how
many kilograms of equipment

and timber

and tools and everything
that we've brought down here,

it has been really tough.

Thankfully, Mike, we've only
got two loads left after this one.

After the hundreds that
we've carried down here.

[Griffiths] It's probably come
quite close to having broken me,

but we've have managed
sort of fight on through

and get most of it completed now.

My back is thanking me for that.

What the old quarrymen would
say if they were to see this.

They'd probably tell us that we're all mad.

[narrator] Former miner Pred,
is proud of the mines reinvention.

[Pred] If you would've
asked me ten years ago,

five years ago,

that I would be building
these accommodation

in an old quarryman's chamber,

it would be unbelievable.

It's really nice, you know, bringing
life back into these empty voids.

After doing it, they look good.

They really look good.

[narrator] Spanning 2,150 acres,

this UNESCO world heritage site in Israel,

marks an area which has been
home to a multitude of civilizations

beginning some 3,000 years ago.

Jews, Edomites, Phoenicians
Egyptians, all lived here.

[narrator] This land was
mentioned throughput the Bible.

[Yohanen] This site was
destroyed many times

and built all over again.

[narrator] Yet below ground,

a spectacular timeline has been preserved.

[Yohanen] There are more caves to excavate.

May be even 10,000.

[narrator] What do these ancient
caves tell us of the lost civilizations,

that once called these lands their home.

[narrator] Located in southern Israel,

is one of the most extensive
archeological sites in the world.

In the region known as the Shephelah

or Judean lowlands,

this area has for centuries

been a crossroads for
travelers moving north and south

east and west, between
Europe, Africa and Asia.

Covering an area over 10,000 square miles,

the Beit Guvrin National Park,

encompasses the remains
of the town of Maresha.

The biblical six acre tell

or ancient mound of Maresha,

is the oldest site in the park

and was built to defend against
marauding Egyptian pharaohs.

[Yohanen] This site was
destroyed many times

and built all over again.

[narrator] Haji Yohanen, is
an archeologist and expert

in deciphering the clues left behind.

[Yohanen] Maresha is cited as

a fortified city that was built
by Rehoboam King of Judea.

He managed to defend it

from the Egyptian pharaoh, Shishak,

who came to conquer
the city and didn't succeed.

[narrator] Ancient Maresha
enjoyed its most successful period

of peace and prosperity,

during the third and second centuries BCE.

Maresha was a cosmopolitan center.

It was an economic magnet.

We are right now in ancient Maresha,

a city mentioned four
times in the biblical text.

[narrator] Archeologist and
director of the Maresha project,

Dr. Ian Stern,

is an expert on the regions rich history.

This was a city that, at its peak contained

close to 10,000 people.

Jews, Edomites, Phoenicians, Egyptians,

all sorts of people mixed here

lived, thrived, traded,

and brought their various cultures

basically to shine in a city like this.

[narrator] And while this
region has a tumultuous history,

dating back over 2,000 years,

its geology tells its own unique story.

The land under Beit
Guvrin-Maresha is unusual.

The geology of the region,

basically has about a meter and
a half of very hard rock called nari.

But if one could penetrate
with their iron tools,

about a meter and a half down,

they came to a very soft rock
called [indistinct] which is like chalk.

Once they hit the chalk
level, they belled out.

Belling out allowed
them to create a quarry.

[narrator] Among the
many caves in the area,

the park contains over
800 bell-shaped caves.

Many of these structures
are linked together

via underground tunnels.

The largest bell caves

are located to the east side of the park

and were initially excavated for chalk.

You can see here, the beginning
of the quarrying of new bricks,

in actuality they would have now,

the next step would have
been to carve away here

and bring another brick out.

Here's one typical brick.

But if we look at the wall over
here, one can see that they went

line by line, these bricks were taken out

and they were used to build
their homes on the surface.

[narrator] The soft chalk made it easy

for inhabitants to hollow
out subterranean facilities.

Thousands of them.

[Stern] Once they had built their homes,

they then had a hollow space underground.

It could then be converted into
rooms that had a functional value.

Cool and comfortable in the summertime

and it is basically dry in the winter.

Which means, everything
inside here is preserved very well.

This complex here has over
30 interconnecting rooms.

[narrator] Soon, the
people of Maresha realized

the caves they dug in the limestone rock,

could serve another purpose.

One that would supply
the town's inhabitants,

with a vital human necessity.

[narrator] Located nearly
two hours south of Jerusalem,

the Beit Guvrin-Maresha National Park,

is one of the most extensive
archeological sites in the world.

By the third to second centuries, BCE,

the town of Maresha had become

a sprawling Hellenistic settlement.

But what makes it unique,
is what lies below ground.

During this era, the people of
Maresha dug caves in the limestone.

Not only to quarry chalk,
to build their homes,

but also to hollow out
subterranean facilities

like this carved out water cistern.

[Yohanen] Maresha is located

in an arid area where
water is definitely needed.

The large caves were used
partially as a water cistern.

The chalk is watertight.

They were draining the roofs

of the buildings on top

and then drained into

the water cistern.

The water cisterns were full.

And in this arid area, you have to
accumulate large amount of water

in order to hold through the summer.

[narrator] In the years that followed,

as the city's needs evolved,

the quarry's were converted into baths,

tombs and places of worship.

Among the most
remarkable caves in the park,

are the burial caves,

excavated when the
city was under Greek rule

and named Sidon.

They are known as the painted caves.

This burial cave called
the Apollophanes Cave.

Apollophanes was the head
of the Sidonian community.

This person believed
in the Greek mythology,

because Phoenix
symbolized the life after death.

Apollophanes as the head of the family,

was buried in this chamber.

He was one of the
richest person in this city.

You can see that by the
very nice paintings on the wall.

When we walk around, we'll see the chambers

where people were buried.

Their corpses were laid over here.

After a year, when the
remains are only bones,

you collect the bones,

and make room for the other deceased.

The only deceased that is left in his place

is the head of the family. Apollophanes.

[narrator] These caves
were also used for the living.

And some of the most magnificent
caves are the Columbarium,

used to house and harvest turtle doves.

Doves were highly praised
for their eggs, their meat,

and for their droppings.

[narrator] The doves and their droppings,

which were used as fertilizer,

were highly sought after.

[Yohanen] It was also
very important for sacrifice

in the Jewish and the Pagan cultures.

So we're in the middle of
the Columbarium Caves.

It is 60 feet long,

30 feet wide and 20 feet high.

This columbaria is one of the
biggest that we have in Maresha.

The niche that are carved into the chalk

starting at nine feet in order to prevent

predators getting to the
doves inside the niche.

Th doves were the most
precious things in this cave.

The caves contains
about 2,000 niche all over.

[narrator] Hellenistic
Maresha fell in 167 B.C.,

during the Maccabean Revolt.

The region has always
been a prized territory

and considered worth fighting for

because it's a crossroads
for people traveling

between Europe, Africa and Asia.

In 40 A.D., King Herod attacked,

and wiped the city from the map,

replacing it with the
newly-built Beit Guvrin.

Sixty years later, Rome
made its mark on the region

when General Vespasian invaded,

slaying an estimated 10,000 people.

Haji has studied the area's
volatile history in detail.

[Yohanen] Despite the fighting and killing,

the people of this country lived on.

A small militia of Jewish rebels

just sat inside hiding caves.

The hiding caves were carved into places

where the Roman couldn't enter.

[narrator] Confined to the narrow tunnels,

these resistance fighters battled on.

[Yohanen] This is a place for living

and surprising the Roman legionnaires

that were looking for the rebels.

[narrator] Roman military prowess

eventually dislodged this rebel militia.

[Yohanen] The Romans
take them out by using smoke.

Just imagine living inside those tunnels.

[narrator] In 135 A.D.,

Emperor Severus renamed
Beit Guvrin the City of the Free.

[Yohanen] The Roman amphitheater,

it was built in the 2nd Century A.D.

to hold gladiator wars to
amuse the Roman legions

who were left here

after the suppression
of the Bar Kokhba Revolt.

[narrator] After the fall
of the Roman Empire,

Beit Guvrin changed
hands several more times.

The caves of Beit Guvrin and Maresha

have been a treasure
trove for archeologists

for more than 100 years.

Among those man-made
subterranean structures,

is a site known today as the Maze Caves,

s system of 31 interconnected caves

which were used as dwellings
when the Greeks ruled

during the Hellenistic period.

We discovered an opening,
and that was quite exciting

'cause we were actually the first people

to enter into that room in 2,000 years.

[narrator] But it has only been recently

that serious excavation has begun.

There are more than
1,250 acres to explore here.

So archeologists have employed a tactic

seen in no other
excavation site in the world,

they use the help of volunteers.

[Stern] Without exaggeration,
hundreds of thousands of people

have participated in this program.

A number of those people
actually continue to excavate

or work on the pottery restoration

as well as the registration.

It is giving us such valuable information

about the economy, about iconography,

about styles,

and even about the
ethnic makeup of the city.

We discovered a series of seven new rooms.

Within one of those rooms, was an archive

that contained 1,027 sealings.

Sealings are clay that were stamped

and they would've been
attached to documents, papyri,

of two millennium ago.

On these sealings,

the images that we found
were gods and goddesses,

including Athena, including Hercules,

erotic scenes as well.

This is the largest private archive
ever to be discovered in Israel.

[narrator] Today, the
hidden underground treasures

give us a truly unique
insight into life in this region

over 2,000 years ago.

This magnificent site may have
already gained worldwide recognition,

but the extraordinary
subterranean story of Beit Guvrin

is far from over.

It will take us years to process all
of the material that we have there.

Incredible insight into life in Maresha

from 2,000 years ago.

The area is known as the
land of a thousand caves.

We believe that there are
more caves to excavate,

maybe even 10,000 caves in this area.