Unearthed (2016–…): Season 11, Episode 6 - Olous: Lost City of the Ancients - full transcript

One of the great lost
cities of the ancient world,

today, the site of Olous

lies submerged in
the Mediterranean Sea.

A sprawling metropolis home to
thousands of people

who worship strange gods is
hidden beneath the waves.

How does this unique
city survive the rise

and fall of Europe's greatest
civilizations against all odds?

And does a catastrophic
earthquake cause Olous to sink?

Now, archaeologists use
cutting-edge technology to

uncover the wonders
of this lost world.

To solve these mysteries,



we digitally reconstruct
this submerged city.

We explore its links
to Europe's first

great civilization,

discover how it evades
destruction by the mighty

Roman Empire,

and investigate whether
an ancient apocalypse has a part

to play in the downfall of
this sunken city.

The north coast of Crete.

A mysterious road
emerges at low tide.

It heads straight into
the Mediterranean Sea.

The sea and sand have kept
these ruins a secret

for centuries.

But now, a new breed of maritime

archaeologists can descend
beneath the surface



to investigate.

Their discoveries
here match ancient

accounts of a legendary
city called Olous.

Archaeologists dive down
and discover carved stones,

the foundations of
a remarkable ancient settlement.

At the center lies
the beating heart of a city,

a hub of impressive temples
and public buildings.

They explore stone houses
and shops

that line a maze of
narrow streets

and a 10-foot-wide
defensive wall

that protects this prosperous
place from attacks.

These are the underwater ruins
of Olous.

What can they reveal about
the city and its importance?

The team of underwater experts
searching for

answers here is led by

archaeologist
Theotokis Theodoulou.

He is on a mission to identify
the city's

limits and discover the scale
of this ancient site.

His team will be the first to
excavate the city.

150 feet offshore,

Theotokis finds
what he is looking for.

Theotokis believes
this line of stones is

evidence of
a man-made structure.

The discovery of an ancient wall

could reveal the boundaries of
the city.

Theotokis has uncovered Olous's
southern walls.

He traces the wall to map
the city's layout.

But after 165 feet, it ends.

The large, manmade boulders
suddenly stop.

Sections of the city wall
are missing.

Theotokis wants to know just
how big this city is.

He heads back to land to

continue his investigation from
another viewpoint, above.

He launches a high-resolution,

drone-mounted camera
to survey the coastline.

The aerial footage reveals
a maze of

over 1000 feet of
modern walls on land.

It's a vast labyrinth today.

Theotokis hunts for signs of
any ancient structures

among them.

Inside the fields,

there are some remnants of
parts of the city wall.

Telltale signs lie beneath

some of the modern walls,

boulders of the same
dimensions and material as

the underwater structures.

They are proof that some of
these modern

walls are built on top of
the ancient city.

The walls on land
and underwater encompass

36 acres, about the size of
eight Manhattan city blocks.

Theotokis uses this figure to
calculate the city's population.

We can talk about
something like 10,000 or more.

This is no small-scale city.

It's a major metropolis.

Theotokis returns underwater
to investigate

why so many people live here.

Not far from the city wall,
he spies something.

The robust structure
stands out from

the rest of the ruins of Olous.

Theotokis and his team
use an underwater

camera to document
this mysterious structure.

He returns to dry land to
analyze a 3D model of

his images.

The 3D model reveals
a substantial ruin.

The structure stretches
50 feet long

and 26 feet wide.

These worked sandstones,

they are material that it was

not used by people
for their houses.

These were probably used
for public buildings

and for important buildings
of the city.

These stones could be
the remains of

a 50-foot-long jetty.

The ancient people likely
build it here to take

advantage of the city's

brilliant natural harbor that
is sheltered by the landscape

from prevailing winds
and enemy attack.

Olous is a rich port at

the junction of
the Mediterranean

and Aegean Seas.

When does the city
reach this thriving peak?

Can the jetty's stones reveal
its age?

Olous is mentioned in
a 3rd century CE

list of ports
in the Roman Empire.

It is one of the first times

the city's name appears in
the historical record.

Theotokis wants to find out
if this grand coastal

metropolis is created

by the Romans or if it
could be even more ancient.

He explores a submerged location

he believes could hold
the answers,

a rocky outcrop just on
the outskirts of the city.

The land connecting
the island to

the mainland is chiseled away
in ancient times.

It forms part of
an ancient quarry.

Just like Olous, the quarry
is now mostly hidden underwater.

Theotokis finds marks
on the sea floor where

the rock has been cut away
to create solid blocks.

The submerged quarry
could help reveal

the date the city is built.

Today, it is
6.5 feet underwater,

but when it is quarried,
it is on dry land.

The site's depth matches
that of other ruins

across Crete that date to
around 300 BCE.

This reveals Olous is built
at this time,

the era of ancient
Greek domination

of the Eastern Mediterranean.

But could discoveries nearby
be evidence

its origins reach back
even further,

to the dawn of civilization
in Europe?

And what causes Olous to
plunge beneath the waves?

Ancient Olous,

a sunken metropolis at least
2,000 years old.

Theotokis Theodoulou is on
a mission to trace

this great city back to
its roots.

He wants to find out who is
the first to settle here.

He investigates the shore just

2 miles from Olous's ruins.

This area is only accessible
by boat, so has

remained largely untouched
since the golden age of

ancient Greece.

Theotokis scours the ground for
evidence of early settlers.

It's not long before he finds

a treasure trove of
pottery shards.

It's Bronze Age, it's mainly
second millennium BC.

These shapes
and this kind of stuff,

this clay, it's very
characteristic of the era.

When archaeologists
start to piece together some

fragments here,

they reveal pots with
distinctive markings.

They date to the time of
the Minoans,

Europe's first
great civilization.

The particular shape of
the vessel

and the supporting legs
beneath it are

signs that this is
a cooking pot.

Its discovery here suggests
that the Minoans settle

in this sheltered cove
and the nearby region.

Is there a connection between

Olous and the great
Minoan empire?

Do the famous Minoans
build Olous?

Artemis Karnava is
an expert in Cretan history.

She wants to investigate

the link between
the Minoans and ancient Olous.

She has come just 30 miles west

of Olous, to the magnificent
Minoan palace of Knossos.

This is the seat of
the government

and the people who ruled.

Knossos is only
uncovered by archaeologists

In 1878.

The sophistication of
the Minoan civilization

unearthed here continues to
astound experts.

We are still impressed by it,
because before this thing

was constructed,
there was nothing like it.

In the second millennium BCE,

the Minoans are living in
palaces while

the people of Northern Europe
are still in mud huts.

They exhibit technical
expertise and richness

I think beyond imagination
even for the period.

Much of what we think of as

later Greek culture starts
here with the Minoans.

This great palace is the setting

for the legend of the Minotaur,

a bloodthirsty mythical
creature held

captive by the king of Crete.

Clues to an Olous connection
could lie

in images that adorn
the walls here.

Archeologists spend years
piecing these

paintings together.

When they're put
together and through the colors,

we get a glimpse of what

the people that lived at
the time looked like.

Frescoes across
the Minoan Empire show

the lavish lifestyles of
a cosmopolitan society.

They're very
impressive, very delicate

closed sometimes,
and very complicated.

These exotic goods
suggest the Minoans

have a gateway
to the wider world.

And maritime motifs are a clue

the Minoans are
expert seafarers.

Knossos is inland.

The Minoans need access to

the sea to launch
their great expeditions.

Archaeologist Dimitris Karampas

is on a mission to find out if

Olous is a long lost
Minoan port.

The ancient city is located on
the western edge

of a large bay,

- the Mirabello Gulf.
- This gulf was

really important for people
in antiquity.

The reason for that is,
first of all,

it's the biggest one around
Crete, while also, it is

supported with great chances
for anchorage and shelters.

The sheltered bay
protects the ships of Olous.

It is ideal for
the seafaring Minoans.

Crete's mountains make
overland travel difficult,

so to get around their island,

the Minoans turn to the sea.

Before the Bronze Age,

ancient Cretans beach
their boats in sheltered

sandy coves.

Eventually, ships grow larger to

haul vast treasures
across the sea.

So Minoans seek out
harbors where

they can anchor in deeper water.

Olous's natural harbor sits at

the northwestern tip of
Crete's largest bay.

It's the ideal refuge for both
small and large ships.

Three big surveys have
taken place

in this part of Crete...
Through them,

tens of sites
have been identified,

mainly from the Minoan times.

Olous is one of the last sites

of this area to be excavated.

Direct evidence of Minoans is
yet to be unearthed here.

But the concentration of
Minoan settlements

in this bay suggests
it is likely.

It could be one of

the launch pads of Europe's
first great civilization.

But what
these Minoan boats export

from this bay is
a long-standing puzzle.

The Minoan Empire
becomes unimaginably wealthy.

What treasures do they
exchange to gain such fortunes?

Can an ancient script reveal
their secret cargo?

Olous, Crete.

This submerged port city has
ties to the mighty

Minoan Empire.

Artemis Karnava is on
a mission to find out

how the Minoan Empire

uses ports such as
Olous to become so rich.

The nearby Minoan
capital, Knossos,

is covered in vivid images of
the citizens'

lavish lifestyles.

How were they able to obtain
all these precious objects?

What were they giving in return?

A chance discovery
made 100 years ago

could hold the answers.

When archaeologists
first excavate Knossos,

they discover the ruins of
a small

annex in the southwest part of
the palace.

Under a layer of black soil
and ash,

they unearthed the remains of
an oval terracotta chest.

Inside, they find over 30 baked

clay tablets
packed together in rows.

Strange inscriptions are
etched on their surfaces.

What mysterious code is
written on these tablets

and others found
across the Minoan Empire?

Could they reveal what the
Minoans are exchanging at Olous?

Artemis examines
the tablets to look

for clues hidden
in the tiny symbols.

They make up one of the world's

earliest scripts,
known as Linear B.

It was the first writing
system that was used to

record Greek,
the Greek language.

These tablets are
a remarkable record of

financial accounts from over
3,000 years ago.

We can now take images.

And once you have the tablet
on your computer screen,

you can light the tablet
from different angles.

Chances are that I would be able

to read them better than I would

if I had the actual tablet in
my hand.

Artemis can decode
and read Linear B.

Each symbol represents
a different object or commodity.

Artemis spots one that stands
out, repeated again and again

across the tablet,

the symbol for sheep.

They keep flocks of sheep.

So we have the registration of
these flocks.

And we think the main reason
for that is

that they wanted to be able to
collect their wool,

and the wool was the basis to
make thread.

Thread was the basis for
producing textiles.

Textiles are
a highly valuable commodity

in ancient times.

But Artemis believes wool
alone doesn't

explain the immense
wealth of Minoans.

They are in a league greater

than any European civilization
before them.

Other Linear B tablets show

another prominent word
repeated many times.

Purpurea.

The word "purple" comes from
this very ancient word.

This detail is key.

The Minoans create luxurious
purple dyed textiles.

These textiles are traded
across the Mediterranean

to Greece, Syria, and Egypt.

Many centuries after
the Minoans,

the Romans call it "imperial
purple," and it's worn only by

elite members of society.

Even to this day,

purple robes are still
associated with royalty.

The source of this valuable
dye is a puzzle.

Answers lie on
a Olous's shoreline.

Specialists from the Hellenic
Center for Marine Research

believe Olous could be
the source of the purple dye.

Just up the coast from
the underwater city

lie fragments of ancient shells

alongside the Minoan pottery.

They belong to a type of
sea snail called murex.

Murex turn purple when they die.

Olous is an ideal habitat
for these snails,

from ancient times to this day.

The team collect the murex to
study them up close.

Eva Chatzinikolaou is an expert
in these unique creatures.

She investigates how the murex
produce the rare pigment.

Her first step is to dissect
a dead specimen.

Eva believes
the mucus secreted from

the snail's gland is
the pigment's key ingredient.

The Minoans add
this mucus to water

to create large quantities
of precious dye.

The discarded shells around
Olous suggest this area may

be part of a 3,500-year-old
Minoan murex industry.

The Minoans make the most of
Crete's mountainous landscape,

rearing vast flocks of sheep to

provide wool for
their textile industry.

They shear the animals for
their fleeces,

then dye the wool and weave it
into expensive fine cloth.

They export the valuable
textiles from Mirabello Bay to

distant shores of
the Mediterranean and import

copper and gold.

Skilled artisans at
Knossos fashion

these imported precious metals

and gemstones into weapons
and beautiful objects.

The Minoans dominate
the Mediterranean from

their base on Crete
for a millennium.

But in 1600 BCE, their fate
suddenly changes.

The volcanic eruption on
nearby Santorini generates

a tsunami that destroys Minoan
settlements across the island,

including Olous.

It triggers the end of
the mighty Minoan Empire,

but it is not the end for Olous.

How does a new civilization
rebuild this city?

And does another even greater
catastrophe lie ahead?

Ancient Olous,

a site submerged in Crete's
largest harbor.

The island's cities
are wiped out by

a colossal volcanic eruption
in the Minoan era.

But Crete rises from the ashes,
and Olous reaches its peak

in 300 BCE, a millennium
after the collapse

of the Minoan civilization

and long before
the rise of Rome.

Theotokis Theodoulou

wants to investigate
the island's revival

and the new golden era of Olous.

He looks for remnants
close to shore that

could shed light on
the city's glory days.

Theotokis's team use geophysical
scanning equipment to

detect ruins hidden beneath
the sea floor.

The results reveal
an incredible maze of

ancient buildings.

We are probably in the center of

the city, and that means
public important buildings.

These submerged
ruins form the heart of Olous in

its heyday
In the 4th century BCE.

2,300 years ago,
the citizens of Olous come

to this main square to worship
their gods.

They build a sanctuary for
Apollo, another for Zeus,

and a mysterious temple
with a wooden statue

of a female deity.

Ancient texts reveal she wields

a double-bladed axe in each hand

and is surrounded by vicious
wild animals.

Who is this fearsome
warrior goddess?

And what can she reveal about
ancient Olous at its peak?

Dimitris Karampas
is on a mission to find out.

He treks to the neighboring
ancient city of Lato.

The city is high in the hills

and avoids the rising water
levels that submerge Olous.

Its ruins are more intact
and easier to explore.

Lato may reveal important clues

about ancient Olous
in its prime.

He scours the ruins
at the heart of the city.

Usually, the temples
were located at the top

of the acropolis,
and that's exactly what happened

with Lato.

Here, we have a temple standing
at the top of the city,

and it was definitely
different to the one

at ancient Olous.

Artifacts unearthed here

reveal Lato's temple is
dedicated to Eileithyia,

the goddess of childbirth.

But the mysterious wooden
statue in the temple of Olous

depicts an entirely different
goddess for the people

to worship.

Ancient coins
could reveal her identity,

and uncover more about the city.

Such coins are often decorated
with the city's chief deities.

Dimitris takes a closer look
at one found in Olous.

We see a feminine figure,
and we think

that this was
the goddess Vritomartis.

Olous's chief deity
is Vritomartis,

the Greek goddess of hunting
and mountains.

The two cities, Lato and Olous,

are only 7 miles apart
but worship different

gods and operate within
their own small worlds.

By 300 BCE,

Crete consists of over
50 independent city-states,

each with their own coins,
gods, and laws.

Cities like Olous

and Lato fight in a constant
cycle of war

and peace as they compete
for land and resources.

Cretans in search of a better
fortune beyond their shores

raid merchant ships in
the Mediterranean and Aegean.

Coastal cities like Olous
benefit from

the piracy by selling the loot
that they capture.

We should imagine
a divided island,

an island where endemic
warfare was happening.

Thousands of people
cluster behind Olous's walls

to protect themselves
from their neighbors,

but the city is still not safe.

The Roman republic
is rising in the West.

It defeats an alliance of
Greek city-states in 146 BCE

and looks to consolidate
its power over the rest of

the Mediterranean.

What happens to Olous when

the Romans turn
their attention to Crete?

Do the island's pirates
meet their match?

Olous,

a thriving city-state and pirate

stronghold on the coast
of Crete.

In the 2nd century BCE,

the Roman republic has
its eye on the island.

Olous is in its golden age...
Its natural harbor and position

in the Mediterranean Sea

make it a hotbed of piracy.

The city grows rich from
looting ships

and levying charges on
the sales of looted treasures,

but Rome is approaching
from the west.

Are Olous's days numbered?

Theotokis Theodoulou believes
the island's position is

the key to its allure for
the Romans.

They wanted
to secure this important

nautical route that was
passing through Crete.

The island lies on the route

between Rome and Egypt,

the source of
the republic's wheat.

Access to this food source is
critical to Rome.

Wheat is the staple of
the Roman diet.

Rome, as a big city, had
the need to feed their people.

The Romans need to
secure their grain highway.

But Babis Fassoulas,

from the Natural History
Museum of Crete,

believes there could be
another draw for the Romans.

He heads to the hills above
Olous to investigate.

This cliff is made of whetstone,

one of the hardest natural
materials in the world.

The Romans could have
an important use for it.

Babis puts a piece
of local whetstone to the test.

First, he adds olive oil.

We use the oil
to polish smoothly

and without causing big
scratches to the blade

if big crystals exist.

The small crystals
wear away the metal

into the perfect blade.

We get a blade,
which is like a razor,

so we could even...

The blade is so sharp,

it can slice through
paper with ease.

Sharp blades are crucial
in ancient times,

especially in warfare.

It would be very important
for an army

to have quite sharpened weapons.

This would make them more

effective and better
during the battle.

The valuable whetstone
and its location on the grain

super highway makes Olous
a prime target for the Romans.

A Roman coin discovered
amongst the ruins of

Olous is evidence the Romans
make their move.

Coastal cities of Crete are
the perfect home for pirates

but are vulnerable to Roman
attack from the sea.

Across the island,

Romans catapult missiles
over the walls

to destroy the cities.

They drop masonry
in harbor entrances

to trap the local pirates'
boats in.

Finally, the Romans set
the cities on fire.

They sweep across the island,
eventually reaching Olous.

The Romans are quick to
conquer the city

and make it part of
their vast empire.

Olous's golden age
of independence is over.

But the fabric of the city
lives on.

Olous survives once again
and flourishes under the Romans.

Ancient texts reveal
whetstone quarrying

continues throughout
the Roman rule and beyond.

But today, Olous lies in
ruins, 6 feet beneath the sea.

What triggers the downfall of
the resilient ancient city?

Could clues in a nearby site
reveal the greatest

threat to Olous is yet to come?

Olous.

The ancient city sinks 6 feet
under the sea.

Babis Fassoulas

is on a mission to find out
what causes

the final collapse of the city
after it withstands centuries

of upheaval.

He heads along the coast to
the ancient site of Phalasarna.

This Cretan port dates to
the same time as

Olous, but its ruins are
intact and not submerged.

Evidence here could shed light
on the fate of Olous.

Babis explores an ancient
stairway carved into

the shoreline.

It leads to a colossal
stone tank,

where locals farm fish
2,000 years ago.

A peculiar feature catches
his attention.

What we see here,
which is very impressive are

those cracks,
which are developed

on this direction, cutting

also the base of the tank,
continuing towards the sea.

The only force
strong enough to cause

such destruction is
an earthquake of

epic proportions.

Greece is one of the most
geologically active areas

of Europe, and, of course, Crete

is one of the most
seismic areas.

In 365 CE,
a monumental earthquake

strikes just off
the coast of Phalasarna.

The strongest earthquake
that ever happened in

the Mediterranean area,
of about eight Richter scale.

Phalasarna is severely damaged,

but the tremors are not
the only destructive force.

The epicenter of the earthquake
lies off the coast,

so the underwater shocks
trigger a second deadly force,

a tsunami.

There are estimations
that, in many parts,

this tsunami may have reached
the heights of 20 meters.

A 65-foot-tall wave would tower

over the cities in
the eastern Mediterranean.

Phalasarna is hit by a tsunami
and earthquake,

but it is finished off by
a third natural phenomenon.

We are standing at
an amazing place.

We can even see here the holes

of the rocks,
where the ships were coming,

and they are putting
their ropes.

These mooring holes
are part of the ancient harbor,

but they lie 16 feet
above sea level today.

This reveals that
the earthquake causes

a dramatic shift in
the Earth's crust,

lifting the entire city of
Phalasarna up.

In a surprising twist of fate,

the upheaval lifts
the harbor high

above the eroding waves
to this day.

So the site is preserved for
millennia, frozen in time.

But Olous now lies in
ruins underwater.

Theotokis Theodoulou

wants to find out if this
earthquake and tsunami caused

the submergence of Olous
or if the city escapes

these catastrophes.

Just underwater,
beside today's shoreline, lies

a mysterious manmade semicircle.

It lines up with a set of
ruins on shore.

Theotokis plots
the floor plan of

this large, partially
submerged building.

The apse is this
semicircular wall,

and it's very characteristic
for the Christian

church buildings.

This church is built a few

hundred years after
the great earthquake.

The city was still alive until

at least then,
until sixth century.

It is incredible proof
that Olous survives

the biggest earthquake
and tsunami ever to hit

the Mediterranean.

In 365 CE,
an earthquake of biblical

proportions strikes beneath
the ocean just west of Crete.

The tremors generate a giant
tsunami that reaches as far

as Alexandria in Egypt,
where it hurls ships

2 miles inland.

The devastating quake
buckles the Earth's crust,

raising Crete 30 feet
above water

and flattening large parts
of the island.

But Olous is sheltered in
a bay in the east of Crete

and is spared from the worst
of the waves.

Olous survives
the ancient tsunami

and continues to prosper
for many centuries

through the Christian era.

Its watery demise must be
a more recent calamity.

Babis thinks an explanation
lies in continental

scale changes over
the last thousand years.

Each year, Crete and Africa

move 2 inches
towards each other.

This leads to
a surprising phenomenon.

As the island of Crete is
migrating towards the south

and it is stretched,

some parts fall down and
appear today under the sea.

Probably this is the reason
that Olous is found now

under the sea.

Olous survives
Roman conquest, tsunamis,

and earthquakes,

but global tectonic shifts
finally cause the city to sink.

It is abandoned by
the 8th century CE.

Now, it is hidden beneath
the waves,

but new developments in
underwater archaeology

will continue to reveal
its secrets.

We expect further
investigation and excavation

to uncover the mysteries of
the city.

Olous,

a vibrant port on this isolated
island in the Mediterranean,

home to 10,000 people
who worship a fearless

warrior goddess.

This great walled city survives
for over a thousand years.

It transforms from a gateway
for the famous Minoans to

a pirate hub and is
the ultimate prize for

the invading Romans.

But the Earth's great untamable

forces ultimately seal its fate.

Olous sinks beneath
the waves, lying in

wait for future archaeologists
to unearth even more about

its past.