Unearthed (2016–…): Season 11, Episode 1 - The Lost Empire of Palmyra - full transcript

Palmyra,

a monumental ancient city

at the crossroads of some

of the world's
greatest civilizations.

This spectacular site survives

in remarkable condition
since antiquity.

But in our lifetime,

it falls into the hands of
an extremist terror group.

Today, we have unique
access to follow investigators

as they return
to this once dangerous site.

Equipped with
pioneering technology,



they're on a mission to

piece together
this recently shattered city.

They put ancient engineering
to the test...

Stop, stop, stop.

...and venture into
forgotten tombs

to uncover how thousands
of citizens survive

and thrive here two millennia
before ISIS arrive.

They discover how one queen is

responsible for both
its greatest glory

and it's tragic downfall.

To solve these mysteries,

we digitally reconstruct
the city at the height of

its glory.

We open long-lost tombs,
come face-to-face



with the people who live

and die here and reveal
the secrets

Of the lost Empire of Palmyra.

Palmyra lies in
the remote heart of Syria.

Known as
the Pearl of the Desert,

its grand ruins survive for
almost 2,000 years,

inspiring legends
of its awesome power.

But in the last decade,

it has come under fire from
the militant group, ISIS.

In 2015,

ISIS stormed Palmyra
and its museum,

smashing artifacts
and demolishing monuments in

a bid to wipe out
its non-Islamic heritage.

Courageous archaeologists
race to remove what they

can in the days
before ISIS arrives,

transporting statues
and other relics

to Syria's capital, Damascus,

but not everything is saved.

The terrorists destroy many
temples, tombs, and treasures.

Now, with ISIS gone,

our cameras have exclusive
access to follow investigators

as they return
to explore this still

perilous site and help
reconstruct this lost wonder as

it was almost 2,000 years ago.

Palmyra is once
a magnificent city.

The main colonnaded street
stretches for over half a mile.

In its center sits an ornate
structure called a tetrapylon.

To the north and west,
an extravagant bathhouse

and temples, and in the south,

an impressive theater
to entertain Palmyra's

30,000 residents.

Now, experts want to solve
an enduring riddle.

What are the origins of
this remote desert city?

Ahmad Deeb has been fascinated
by Palmyra most of his life.

Ahmad is on a mission
to discover the city's origins.

Studying an ancient ruin
ravaged by time is tough.

Piecing together
a site battered by

recent conflict is
an even greater challenge.

Ahmad searches for any surviving
clues of the city's builders

and soon spot
something intriguing.

Palmyra has all the hallmarks of

a Roman city, almost
1,500 miles from Rome.

Grand civic buildings,

colonnaded streets,

temples,

and a theater.

Ancient texts reveal
that by the 1st century CE,

this area is part of
the Roman Empire,

and Palmyra becomes one of

the key cities on
its eastern frontier.

But Ahmad suspects
its people have

roots here before
this Roman takeover.

He heads to the ruins of
the main temple of the city.

Before the ISIS attacks,

this temple is a jewel in
the desert,

but today, it's shattered
into millions of pieces.

Ahmad looks for fragments,

which he hopes
may hold clues about

the origins of the people
who live in Palmyra,

known as Palmyrenes.

He eventually finds some pieces,

which reveal
Roman-style decoration

and figures in Roman
military dress.

But other carvings
now likely buried deep in

the rubble are special,
as they show male figures

wearing trousers,

and women in veils,

distinctly un-Roman fashions.

These depictions suggest
the Palmyrenes are

not originally Roman,

and that's not the only clue.

Before its destruction,

the temple's floor plan is
a colossal 27,000 square feet.

Grand columns surround it,

just like a typical
Roman temple.

But unusually,
the roof is flat with openings,

perhaps so that rituals
can be performed here.

Further breaking
with Roman convention,

the temple's entrance is not
on the short end,

but on the long side.

And within is
an altar dedicated to

three mysterious Gods.

Who are they,
and what can they tell us

about the origins of
the Palmyrenes?

Many artifacts rescued from
the clutches of ISIS are

now securely held here, in
the National Museum of Damascus.

Dima Ashkar

has rare access
to surviving relics from

Palmyra's temples
and other parts of the site.

She scours
the collection for clues to

the identity of the mysterious
gods from the main temple

and comes across an incredibly

well preserved
relief found nearby.

She recognizes
two figures on the right,

their large halos evidence
of their godly status.

Bel and Aglibol are often
worshiped alongside

the Sun God, Yahibol,

who Dima believes is once on
the right side of the relief.

They are a unique blend of
local and Mesopotamian gods

and are very likely the trio
worshiped in the main temple.

And these are not the only
Eastern influences in Palmyra.

Many sculptures
depict gods from all

over the Levant, Arabia,
and beyond.

Clearly, Palmyra
is a mix of cultures,

coexisting and merging
their ideas and beliefs.

Ahmad wants to know
what brings these different

people here to this remote
part of the desert.

On the edge of the city,

he finds a stone enclosure
full of water.

A natural spring.

Ahmad believes this source
may be what first attracts

people here, at least as early
as the Bronze Age.

Desert tribes live
here for millennia.

But it is the citizens of
the 1st century CE

who put Palmyra on the map.

The Silk Road is vital for
Rome's trade with the East,

but the usual route is blocked
by conflict with

Rome's enemies, the Parthians.

The Palmyrenes have a plan.

Their camels take western
goods through the desert

to the River Euphrates,

where they're sent on
to the East.

And they return with spices,
silk, and precious gems

to be sent on to Rome.

Palmyra becomes
a melting pot of different

people who come here
to do business.

Palmyra booms over
the next two centuries

and reaches
its population's peak.

But there's a mystery.

How does this enormous city
get the water it needs

to survive

and supply its many
flowing fountains?

And what can these mysterious
piles of rubble

tell us about the lives
and deaths of the Palmyrenes?

Palmyra,
deep in the Syrian desert.

Archaeologist Ahmad Deeb wants
to find out how its 30,000

citizens survive
in this arid landscape

with limited local water.

He hunts for clues to this
Roman city's water supply.

It's no easy mission,
as so much has

Been recently razed
to the ground by ISIS.

But he soon discovers something

that retains
a distinctive shape.

These fountains are
a clue that pressurized water

flows here.

But the Efqa Spring
is lower in altitude

than the city,
and water can't flow uphill.

So there must be another
hidden source.

A maze of underground channels
lies deep beneath the city.

An incredible engineered
network of aqueducts

feeds Palmyra with fresh
drinking water.

A tank on a nearby hill
stores the water,

which then flows through pipes
downhill

for almost a mile

It bursts out at high pressure

into cascading fountains
throughout the city.

Where does this supply of
flowing water come from?

Ahmad examines satellite
imagery from

The area around Palmyra to
find out.

This line of dots is, in fact,

a series of manholes,

clear evidence of
an underground aqueduct

leading to the city.

Ahmad follows the aqueduct
for mile afrrer mile.

And discovers it suddenly
disappears underground.

He wants to know
where this subterranean water

is coming from.

Ahmad launches a drone
to get a bird's eye view...

...and it soon reveals
something distinctive,

hills scarred with deep wadis,
or river canyons.

This region is dry today
but always has wet seasons

where huge amounts of rain
scour out these wadi canyons.

Some water collects
underground at the foot

of the hills to create
permanent natural springs.

The clever Palmyrenes exploit

these springs
and use gravity alone

to channel at least
260,000 gallons

of fresh water
to Palmyra each day

so the city's residents can

enjoy a sophisticated
Roman lifestyle.

They develop innovative ways

to harness additional
fresh rainwater.

High in the mountains,

they build dams
across the rivers

to slow and regulate water flow.

They create walled fields inside

the wadis to capture
the rich sediments

and provide the perfect
soil for crops.

And for farms and houses
out of town,

they construct cisterns
to collect

and retain water
for when it is needed.

These water control
and capture techniques allow

a huge area around Palmyra to
be transformed into farmland.

The Palmyrenes not only
survive but thrive in

the desert thanks
to these techniques,

and their ingenuity
doesn't stop there.

How do Palmyra's citizens
create one of

the grandest cities of
the ancient world?

And how do they do this

hundreds of miles from
any other civilization?

Palmyra,

a vast city

crammed full of incredible
ancient wonders.

Houmam Saad has been studying
Palmyra for over 20 years

and has a unique bond
with the site.

Houmam ventures into the ruins.

Many of Palmyra's most
impressive monuments were badly

damaged by Islamic extremists,

ISIS, during a four-year reign
of terror that sees them

capture much of Syria and Iraq.

Houmam wants to study these
ruins to find out how

the Palmyrenes create
a city as grand as Rome

in this isolated desert.

He examines the stone
used to create

most of the buildings here,

a beautiful local limestone.

The Palmyrenes
choose it not only for

its striking appearance but
also its structural properties.

The stone is almost
as hard as marble,

and its natural strength
is the key

to how so much survives,

Even withstanding demolition
by ISIS.

Archaeologists are now trying to

piece together
these particular stones

to rebuild one of the most

impressive structures
that ISIS does destroy.

A spectacular arch once towers
over the heart of Palmyra,

Over 40 feet tall 20 feet wide.

It appears like
a typical Roman arch,

but pulling the stones apart

reveals a fascinating piece
of ancient engineering.

The blocks are all
irregular shapes.

And instead of
a triangular keystone,

an 8-foot lintel caps
the arch like a doorway.

Why do the Palmyrenes make
their arch this unusual way,

Unlike any others across
the Roman Empire?

Egyptian archaeologist,
Adel Kelany,

wants to solve this mystery

using ancient
building techniques.

A Roman arch stays up
because it's made of

wedge-shaped stones locked in
place with a keystone.

But the Palmyrenes
reject the Roman arch

in favor of a different style.

Adel examines a photo of
the Palmyra arch,

taken before
the ISIS destruction,

for clues to the ancient
engineers' design.

Unlike in a Roman arch,

the blocks are square cut
rather than wedge-shaped,

and they extend horizontally
into the walls on either side.

Adel believes
these uniquely shaped

blocks could be
the engineer's secret.

Adel's team tests
his theory by building

a 1/8 scale replica of
the Palmyra arch.

It soon starts
to become clear just

how clever the Palmyrene
engineers are.

Each stone
overhangs the one before

to form the curve of the arch.

Some are long
to act as counterbalance,

and as more stones are added,

they hold in place
the blocks below.

The Palmyra arch is built
like a wall without supports,

right up to the top.

They complete
the curved shape with

the addition of a wide lintel

that provides
downward pressure to

hold the whole
structure together.

The Palmyrenes likely
invent this clever method

as the true arch technique

has not yet traveled
to their remote part of

the Roman world.

It's an effective
and practical solution.

This isn't the Palmyrenes'

Only engineering innovation.

They have another clever trick

for their homes
and commercial buildings.

Houmam examines the walls of
an ancient shop in

central Palmyra.

Opus Palmyrenum is
a unique building method.

Quarrymen use large picks

to cut thin sheets of stone.

They are far lighter
than solid blocks

and are more easily transported

and lifted into position
using cranes.

Two walls are then secured
together with mortar to give

the appearance of solid stone
at a fraction of the cost.

This helps
the Palmyrenes construct

homes and shops
quickly and cheaply,

and the city expands rapidly.

These expert engineers are
masters at inventing solutions,

which mimic Roman monumental
style and make

the most of their limited
local resources.

Palmyra grows to over three
square miles

by the 3rd century CE,

a shining beacon in the desert.

What is life like here?

And how does Palmyra
transform into

the capital of a vast empire?

Palmyra,

a monumental stone city,

a triumph of engineering,
which, before its destruction

by ISIS, rivals even
the grandeur of Rome.

Ahmad Deeb is on a quest to

piece together the lives of
the Palmyrenes.

He explores the columns
in the main colonnaded street.

These are some of
the only standing ruins

ISIS does not destroy.

Ahmad spots strange shelves that

protrude from halfway up
the columns,

and he suspects
what they are for.

These are plinths
for now lost sculptures.

And they're on nearly
every column.

This huge colonnaded street
runs through

the heart of Palmyra.

It connects the western gate
to the Temple of Bel

in the east.

The columns along
the street display

different bronze statues.

Each statue is a portrait of
a person, not a god,

a hall of fame,

clearly designed to be seen
by all who visit the city.

Who are these people,

and what can they reveal
about life in Palmyra?

Ahmad investigates the columns
for further clues.

He spots something intriguing.

These texts are
written in both Greek,

the language of the Eastern
Roman Empire, and local Aramaic.

One text in particular
catches Ahmad's eye.

The name of the person
memorialized here, Sallamathos,

son of Males,
does not sound Roman.

And the same is true of most

of the inscriptions
on the other columns.

They each honor local people
who pay for public works

or protect the trade
on which the city relies.

This reveals that
it's Palmyrene locals,

not their Roman overlords,
who ensure the smooth

running of life here.

And in return,
they have an elite,

revered position in society.

Ahmad investigates what life
is like for these elites,

and for the rest of
the Palmyrenes living here.

He studies images of
strange objects,

known as tesserae,
unearthed across the city.

These small ceramic
tokens depict priests

with vines
or people serving wine.

These are single-use tickets,
or tokens, to dining parties,

which take place in banqueting
halls at the temples.

At the annual Festival of Bel,

the city's inhabitants take
part in a procession along

the colonnaded street.

When they arrive
at the main temple,

priests gather with bulls to
make sacrifices to the gods.

The majority of Palmyra's
citizens picnic and celebrate

together outside around
the courtyard of the sanctuary.

But a select few dine in
a private banqueting hall,

enjoying wine and the best of
the sacrificial meats.

The Palmyrenes enjoy many
feasts throughout the year

and life is good

in this desert oasis,

especially for the lucky elites.

Now, strange structures
unearthed outside the city

reveal another aspect
to life and death here.

What can these mummified
remains reveal

about the beliefs of
the Palmyrene people?

Palmyra is a bustling city,

home to some 30,000 people
at its peak

between the 1st
and 3rd centuries CE.

Its citizens include
a wealthy elite, shown

in statues along the main
colonnaded street.

Houmam Saad is on a mission

to unearth more clues about
Palmyra's inhabitants.

He ventures to
the last surviving relics of

an area on the edge of the city.

Piles of enormous stone blocks

are scattered across
the landscape,

the remains of structures
destroyed by terror group, ISIS.

Houmam searches for clues
to what these buildings were.

He finds an inscription
in Greek and Aramaic.

These are
the remains of a colossal

tower tomb, which soars
over 65 feet tall.

More than 180 of these giants
dot the landscape

around Palmyra,

striking monuments
each dedicated

To a different wealthy family.

Inside, there are
several stories,

end each level has rows of
niches from floor to ceiling.

Mummies lie inside,

some of the only ones in
the Middle East outside

of Egypt.

What can these burials reveal of

Palmyrene beliefs
about life and death?

ISIS terrorists destroy
the towers and their contents.

They think these symbols of

pre-Islamic belief
offend their God,

but luckily,

archaeologists photographed
the mummified

bodies in the years before.

These rare images are some of

the only surviving evidence of
these curious mummies.

Lidija McKnight
and Jenefer Metcalfe

want to unlock their secrets.

Mummies are absolutely
fascinating to study,

to understand
an actual ancient culture

in a totally unique way.

They want to find out
why the Palmyrenes mummify

their dead and if they could be

influenced by Egyptian
ideas and practices.

It's really interesting
to find them in places

that are close to Egypt
but not Egypt itself.

First, the team
analyze a CT scan

Of a 3,000-year-old
Egyptian mummy.

We can see that the skull
cavity is empty.

The brain's been
deliberately removed.

Brain removal is typical of

Egyptian mummification.

The brain rots quickly.

It is carefully extracted
with a special hook

via the nostrils.

The Egyptians also remove
abdominal organs, preserving

and often storing them in
special vessels called

canopic jars.

The Egyptians believed
that by preserving the organs,

The person would be a complete
body for the afterlife.

So it was vitally important
to their religious beliefs.

Next, they investigate
the mummies from Palmyra.

They want to find out whether

the Palmyrenes
also remove these organs.

We do know that from a report
that at least one mummy

had its brain removed,

but that was centrally through
a hole in the forehead.

This method causes
much greater facial damage,

and they discover evidence
that the Palmyrenes

do not preserve any of
the abdominal organs.

They may have been burnt
rather than being retained.

The Egyptians take
great care to keep the body

intact as a physical home
for the soul in the afterlife,

a belief which doesn't
appear to be shared

by the Palmyrenes.

The skin of
the Palmyrene mummies

also appears to be drier
and more brittle.

It is evidence they may

Use less sophisticated
preservation techniques.

But the Palmyrenes
certainly seem to put

great care into the final
stage of the process.

Chinese silk, also discovered
by archaeologists inside

the tombs, suggests the mummies
are wrapped luxuriously.

All this evidence shows

the wide scope of Palmyra's
cultural influences.

They share similar
mummification techniques

With Egypt but have a set
of beliefs of their own.

It is impossible for
researchers to draw

firm conclusions about these
beliefs without more evidence.

But one thing is clear,
wealthy Palmyrenes honor

their dead in a unique way,

with techniques
and materials imported

to their cultural crossroads.

Wealthy families each
build their own tower tomb,

Into which they place
their dead relatives.

These tombs
line the main road into town

and are admired by all who pass,

but only family members
may enter.

They carefully wrap the deceased

and then seal
their resting place

with a stone likeness
of their face.

When descendants pay visits,

they light candles
and make offerings

to assert their right to

the same wealth
and power as their ancestors.

Houmam's survey of Palmyra
reveals one final

secret of Palmyrene
burial traditions.

He has been granted
unique access

to enter another type of tomb.

The towers can only hold
a finite number of bodies.

So over time,
the Palmyrenes build these,

underground tombs,

which hold many more burials

and are just as richly
decorated as the tower tombs.

But a clue inside
suggests they are

no longer reserved for
a single wealthy family.

These underground
crypts mean elaborate burials

are now available
to all who can afford it.

The Palmyrenes are
businesspeople, even in death.

The funerary
inscriptions date up to

the end of the 3rd century CE

but then abruptly stop.

It suggests monumental tomb
building suddenly halts.

Is this the end
of Palmyra's golden age?

What happens
to this once great city?

Palmyra,

a city which venerates its dead

with extraordinary
burial traditions.

Ahmad Deeb investigates
what happens to bring

this vibrant culture
to a sudden stop.

He examines a column
on the main street

and finds one of the last

statue inscriptions
written in the city.

Queen Zenobia is the
most famous ruler of Palmyra,

a brave warrior queen

who is responsible for
the city's greatest triumph.

Zenobia's husband is
the client king of Palmyra.

He dies suddenly in 267 CE,

and she becomes regent
for their young son.

Zenobia embraces the role...
She is determined to

expand Palmyra's territory and
challenge her Roman overlords.

Ahmad explores whether Zenobia
is successful in this quest.

He examines a rare coin.

It is now faded,

but Ahmad can identify
Zenobia's profile.

This is one of the only existing

images of Queen Zenobia
from her lifetime.

And coins like this are found
in sites all over the Near East.

The wide distribution
of these coins is evidence

that Zenobia conquers much of
the Eastern Roman.

She overruns the Romans,
from Türkiye to Egypt,

in less than two years
of fighting,

a rare and incredible feat
against a mighty opponent.

And Palmyra becomes
the capital of her vast empire.

But Zenobia's conquering spree
does not last.

Ahmad finds
a final clue in the city,

evidence of Roman
military fortifications.

These Roman military
structures date

to around 290 CE

and suggest a hostile takeover.

Zenobia is a threat to Rome
who needs to be eliminated.

Troops tear into Palmyra,
attacking the city.

Zenobia's fate is a mystery,
but some say she is

taken to Rome, paraded in
chains, and then killed.

Following her death,

the Romans turn Palmyra
into a military camp.

No longer the capital
of a great empire

nor a buzzing Silk Road city,

Palmyra's glorious
golden age is over,

and it is gradually abandoned,

eventually becoming
a target for ISIS terrorists.

But today, Palmyra is still
a globally important site.

Archaeologists are
determined not to let Palmyra's

destruction by ISIS
be its final chapter.

Palmyra will always
be a pearl of the desert.

Its people use ingenious
engineering to

combine the best
of East and West.

They honor locals as heroes

and build intricate tombs
for their dead.

This is the true story
of the epic rise

And fall of the great
Empire of Palmyra.