Unearthed (2016–…): Season 7, Episode 6 - Lost World of Atlantis - full transcript

Narrator: THE ISLAND OF SANTORINI
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

TODAY, A PEACEFUL PARADISE.

BUT BURIED DEEP
WITHIN THESE COLORED CLIFFS

ARE THE RUINS OF AKROTIRI,

AN ANCIENT CITY
WITH A DARK PAST.

A MYSTERIOUS CIVILIZATION
WIPED OUT BY A VOLCANIC ERUPTION

100 TIMES
MORE POWERFUL THAN POMPEI.

Goodman: THAT NATURAL DISASTER
CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY.

IT WAS TRULY A MASSIVE,
CATASTROPHIC EVENT.

Narrator: TODAY, INVESTIGATORS
USE INNOVATIVE UNDERWATER ROBOTS

AND PIONEERING TECHNIQUES
TO DISCOVER THE TRUE EXTENT



OF THIS EARTH-SHATTERING
ERUPTION.

Papanikolaou: I DON'T THINK THAT
THERE'S ANY OTHER EXPLOSION

IN RECENT HISTORY THAT COMES
CLOSE TO THE SANTORINI ERUPTION.

Narrator: FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS,

THIS ERUPTION HAS INSPIRED MYTHS
OF THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN.

MOST OF THE PEOPLE BELIEVE
THE LOST A ATLANTIS CITY

WAS HERE... WAS IN SANTORINI.

Narrator: BUT WHAT IS THE TRUTH
BEHIND THE MOST DESTRUCTIVE ERUPTION

IN RECORDED HISTORY?

TO FIND OUT, WE'LL UNEARTH
THE LOST CITY OF AKROTIRI...

...RECONSTRUCT MAGNIFICENT
HOMES...

...AND DIVE DEEP
BENEATH THIS MYSTERIOUS ISLAND.

WE'LL UNEARTH THE FATE
OF THIS LOST CIVILIZATION,

AND REVEAL THE SECRETS OF
SANTORINI'S DEADLY MEGA VOLCANO.



UNEARTHED - SEASON 7
EP - 6 - Lost World of Atlantis

SANTORINI IS A GREEK ISLAND

LOCATED 140 MILES
SOUTHEAST OF ATHENS

IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

A MYSTERIOUS
ANCIENT CIVILIZATION

LIVING HERE THOUSANDS OF YEARS
AGO VANISHES WITHOUT A TRACE.

Papanikolaou: THOUSANDS OF YEARS
AGO IN SANTORINI,

A HIGHLY DEVELOPED CIVILIZATION

AND CULTURE DISAPPEARED
SUDDENLY IN THE AREA.

Narrator: TODAY, THIS IDYLLIC
PARADISE

IS FAMOUS
FOR ITS TOWERING CLIFFS,

COLORED BEACHES,
AND DEEP BLUE WATERS,

BUT HIDDEN AWAY
AT SANTORINI'S SOUTHERN TIP

ARE CLUES
TO ITS MYSTERIOUS PAST.

BURIED 200 FEET
BENEATH THE GROUND,

ARCHEOLOGISTS UNCOVER AKROTIRI,

AN ANCIENT CITY
OVER 3,000 YEARS OLD.

IN ITS PRIME, ITS NARROW STREETS

ARE INTRICATELY PAVED
WITH STONE.

ITS TOWN SQUARE IS LINED
WITH PICTURESQUE HOUSES

THAT TOWER THREE
AND FOUR STORIES HIGH.

AN ARRAY OF COLORFUL STONES
DECORATE THE FACADES.

WHAT IS THIS
THRIVING CIVILIZATION?

AND WHAT HAPPENS TO ITS PEOPLE?

¶

GEOLOGIST DIMITRIOS PAPANIKOLAOU

INVESTIGATES AKROTIRI'S
ANCIENT PAST.

THE RUINS SUGGESTS A HIGHLY
SOPHISTICATED CIVILIZATION

FLOURISHES HERE FOR THOUSANDS
OF YEARS BEFORE ITS ABRUPT END.

Papanikolaou: IT PREDATES
PARTHENON AND THE ACROPOLIS,

CONSIDERED ALL OVER
THE WORLD AS A SYMBOL

OF A HIGH LEVEL OF CULTURE.

HERE, THIS IS 1,000 YEARS
BEFORE THAT.

Narrator: DIMITRIOS EXAMINES THE
CITY'S ANCIENT STONE BUILDINGS.

HE DISCOVERS MANY OF THE ROCKS
USED TO CONSTRUCT

THE UPPER FLOORS
ARE VOLCANIC IN ORIGIN.

THE UPPER PART CONTAINS
A LOT OF VOLCANIC ROCKS,

EITHER TUFTS OR SOME LOUVERS.

Narrator:
DIMITRIOS EXPLORES FURTHER

AND DISCOVERS
MORE VOLCANIC ROCK,

BUT THIS VOLCANIC ROCK
IS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

IT'S NOT USED AS
A BUILDING MATERIAL,

BUT IS DUMPED UNCEREMONIOUSLY.

HERE WE HAVE SOME HUGE BOULDERS
OF PURE LAVA

AND THEY ARE FOUND HERE...
THIS ONE,

THE OTHER ONE ALSO VERY BIG,
ANOTHER ONE A LITTLE SMALLER.

Narrator: THE UNUSUAL ROCK PROVIDES
CLUES TO A MAJOR CATASTROPHE

THAT ANNIHILATES THIS CITY.

THE EVIDENCE SUGGESTS

A MASSIVE VOLCANIC
ERUPTION BURIES AKROTIRI.

BUT THERE'S NO OBVIOUS
VOLCANIC MOUNTAIN ON SANTORINI

OR IN THE SURROUNDING SEA.

SO WHERE IS THE VOLCANO?

TO FIND CLUES,
DIMITRIOS EXPLORES THE ISLANDS

AT THE HEART
OF SANTORINI'S ARCHIPELAGO.

SANTORINI IS A GROUP
OF FIVE ISLANDS...

SANTORINI,
THERASIA, AND ASPRONISI,

FORM ITS OUTER RING.

THE ISLANDS OF NEA KAMENI,
AND PALAIA KAMENI

LIE AT ITS CENTER.

HERE, THE WATER IS TINTED
IN SHADES OF RUSTY RED.

AND PATCHES OF COLORED ROCKS
PEPPER THE DARK LANDSCAPE.

Papanikolaou:
LOOKING AT THE LANDSCAPE,

WE SEE THAT THERE ARE SOME
CONTRASTING POINTS... AREAS...

SMALL AREAS WHERE THE COLOR
IS WHITEST.

WELL, THESE ARE LOCATIONS

WHERE GASES ARE COMING OUT
FROM THE INTERIOR.

Narrator: THE COLORED ROCKS
SUGGEST THE GROUND HERE RELEASES

CLOUDS OF TOXIC GAS.

EXPLORING FURTHER, DIMITRIOS
CONFIRMS HIS SUSPICION.

AT THE ISLAND'S SUMMIT,
HE FINDS GAS

ESCAPING THROUGH CRACKS
IN THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

IT'S CLEAR EVIDENCE
OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

I WOULD SAY THAT I'M STANDING

REALLY IN
THE HEART OF THE VOLCANO HERE.

Narrator:
THE ESCAPING GASES HINT

AT WHAT LURKS
BENEATH THE ISLAND'S SURFACE...

A THICK LAYER OF FRAGMENTED ROCK
STRETCHES 2 MILES UNDERGROUND.

BENEATH IT LIES
A SPONGY LAYER OF CRYSTALS

AND GLOWING HOT
SEMI-MOLTEN ROCK...

...ALL CONCEALING
A HUGE CAVERN BELOW...

...BURSTING WITH UP TO
1.5 TRILLION GALLONS

OF MOLTEN MAGMA HOTTER THAN
1,800 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT.

IS THIS HUGE
BUBBLING CHAMBER OF MAGMA

KEY TO UNDERSTANDING
THE ISLAND'S PAST?

THE WHOLE ISLAND IS THE RESULT
OF VOLCANIC ACTIVITY.

THE TYPE OF ROCKS,
THE THERMAL SPRINGS,

THE VEGETATION, THE ATMOSPHERE,

THE FUMAROLES,
EVERYTHING AROUND HERE

IS THE RESULT
OF ACTIVE VOLCANISM.

Narrator:
SANTORINI IS A VOLCANIC CALDERA,

A HUGE DEPRESSION THAT FORMS
AFTER A VOLCANO ERUPTS.

STRETCHING SEVEN MILES ACROSS
AND COVERING AN AREA

OVER 30 SQUARE MILES,

IT'S THE LARGEST ACTIVE CALDERA
IN THE WORLD.

ITS IMMENSE SIZE HINTS

AT THE ENORMITY
OF THE ANCIENT ERUPTION.

THIS SHOWS REALLY
THE ENERGY RELEASE

AND THE MAGNITUDE
OF THE EXPLOSION.

Narrator: THE ERUPTION CREATES
A HUGE 20-MILE HIGH CLOUD.

THAT BLASTS ASH AS FAR AS EGYPT

OVER 200 MILES AWAY.

ANCIENT WRITERS DESCRIBE
HOW THE ASH CLOUD

PLUNGES THE WORLD
INTO DARKNESS...

VEILING THE SUN AND CAUSING A
GLOBAL WINTER

FOR OVER TWO YEARS.

A BLANKET OF ASH UP TO 200-FEET
THICK COVERS THE ENTIRE ISLAND.

¶

AS THE EMPTY VOLCANO
COLLAPSES INTO THE WATER,

IT CHANGES THE SHAPE
OF THE ISLAND FOREVER.

LIKE THE ROMAN RUINS AT POMPEI,
THE ANCIENT REMAINS OF AKROTIRI

ARE PRESERVED
BY HOT VOLCANIC ASH.

A FROZEN SNAPSHOT OF AKROTIRI'S
LAST MOMENTS.

BUT THERE'S
AN UNSETTLING MYSTERY...

ALL OVER THE EXCAVATED AREA,

THERE ARE NO BODIES FOUND, IN
CONTRAST TO POMPEI, FOR EXAMPLE.

THERE YOU HAVE PLENTY OF BODIES
BURIED BELOW THE ASHES.

HERE THERE'S NOTHING LEFT.

Narrator:
WHAT HAPPENS TO THE PEOPLE?

HOW DOES AN ENTIRE CIVILIZATION
MYSTERIOUSLY VANISH?

AT AKROTIRI, EVIDENCE OF
MAN-MADE DESTRUCTION

PROVIDES TANTALIZING CLUES.

¶

Narrator: SANTORINI'S MEGA ERUPTION
IS THE MOST CATASTROPHIC VOLCANIC

EXPLOSION IN RECORDED HISTORY.

I DON'T THINK THAT IS ANY OTHER
EXPLOSION IN RECENT HISTORY

THAT COMES CLOSE
TO THE SANTORINI ERUPTION.

Narrator: IT VARIES THE ANCIENT
CITY OF AKROTIRI

IN LAVA AND ASH
UP TO 200-FEET THICK,

100 TIMES DEEPER THAN POMPEII.

BUT UNLIKE THAT INFAMOUS
ERUPTION, AT AKROTIRI,

NOT A SINGLE BODY
HAS EVER BEEN RECOVERED.

Papanikolaou: THIS IS ONE OF THE
BIG DIFFERENCES.

THERE HAVE BEEN NO BODIES
FOUND ANYWHERE.

Narrator:
DIMITRIOS BELIEVES A CLUE

TO THE FATE OF THE PEOPLE
LIES INSIDE THE CITY.

HIDDEN AMONGST THE DEBRIS
OF THE RUINS,

INVESTIGATORS UNEARTH
A STRANGE HEAVY STONE

WEIGHING OVER 30 POUNDS.

ARCHEOLOGISTS BELIEVE
THE GROOVES ONCE HOLD ROPES SO

IT CAN BE USED
LIKE A WRECKING BALL.

AND IN A NEARBY HOUSE,
TWO POTS OF PLASTER

AND A POT OF DRIED PAINT
LIE STREWN ON THE FLOOR...

A DECORATION JOB
HASTILY ABANDONED.

ARE THESE HOME REPAIR
AND DEMOLITION TOOLS,

CLUES TO WHAT HAPPENS
TO THE LOST PEOPLE OF AKROTIRI?

TODAY, AKROTIRI'S EMPTY
STREETS REMAIN EERILY

FILLED WITH RUBBLE
AND ROWS OF DESTROYED BUILDINGS.

Papanikolaou:
THE PRESENT DAY RUINS SHOW

IT WAS DESTROYED SEVERAL TIMES
AND WAS REBUILT.

Narrator: FOR DIMITRIOS,
THE MULTIPLE REPAIRS HOLD CLUES

TO THE FATE
OF THE PEOPLE OF AKROTIRI.

Papanikolaou: WE CAN SEE
IN LOWER PARTS,

THE CONSTRUCTION IS MADE OF
LARGE BLOCKS.

THEN YOU HAVE NEW CONSTRUCTION
ON TOP OF THE EARLY ONES

WHERE YOU HAVE VERY SMALL
BLOCKS.

Narrator: DIFFERENT STYLES
OF CONSTRUCTION SUGGESTS

THAT PEOPLE DESPERATELY TRIED

TO REPAIR THEIR HOMES
AFTER A MAJOR DISASTER.

Papanikolaou: THEY WERE TRYING
TO REPAIR RAPIDLY THE CITY.

THIS IS ILLUSTRATED
ALL OVER THE SETTLEMENT HERE.

Narrator: BUT WHAT IS THE CAUSE
OF ALL THESE EMERGENCY REPAIRS?

DIMITRIOS EXAMINES
THE NORTHERN PART OF THE CITY

AND FINDS A MAJOR CLUE.

HE DISCOVERS A SOLID STONE
STAIRCASE

SPLIT STRAIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE.

IT'S A PATTERN OF DESTRUCTION
HE KNOWS WELL.

THIS DESTRUCTION YOU CAN OBSERVE
IN MANY PLACES IN GREECE

DUE TO EARTHQUAKES.

Narrator: THE BROKEN STAIRCASE IS
PROOF THAT A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE

ALSO DEVASTATES AKROTIRI
BEFORE THE ERUPTION.

THE EARTHQUAKE MAY HAVE WARNED
THE PEOPLE

OF IMPENDING DISASTER.

¶

BUT DIMITRIOS BELIEVES
THAT FURTHER WARNING SIGNALS

HIT THE CITY
BEFORE THE ERUPTION BEGINS.

HE HUNTS FOR EVIDENCE
ALONG THE COASTLINE.

AN OPEN QUARRY PROVIDES HIM
WITH A TIMELINE OF THE EVENTS

LEADING UP TO THE ERUPTION

AND A CLUE
TO THE FATE OF THE PEOPLE.

Papanikolaou:
THIS IS DIFFERENT LAYERS.

EACH ONE MEANING
A DIFFERENT PERIOD

WITH DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS.

Narrator: THE SEPARATE LAYERS
SHOW THE MATERIAL DEPOSITED

DURING DIFFERENT PHASES
OF THE VOLCANIC ERUPTION.

THE LOWER THE LAYER,
THE OLDER THE EVENT.

¶

DIMITRIOS EXAMINES
THE FIRST LAYER FOR CLUES

TO AKROTIRI'S DESTRUCTION.

Papanikolaou:
THE DEPOSITION OF THIS LAYER

MEANS THE CITY
DOES NOT EXIST AS A CITY.

IT IS BURIED BELOW THIS LAYER
OF SEVERAL METERS THICK.

Narrator: ON CLOSE INSPECTION
AT THE VERY BASE,

DIMITRIOS DISCOVERS
A THIN LAYER OF ASH.

Papanikolaou:
SEE THIS YELLOWISH MATERIAL.

THIS IS A DISTINCTIVE,

VERY TINY, THIN LAYER,
A FEW CENTIMETERS THICK,

WHICH IS THE RESULT
OF THE FIRST EXPLOSION.

Narrator:
THE THIN LAYER OF ASH SUGGESTS
THE VOLCANO'S FIRST ERUPTION

IS A MINOR EXPLOSION.

Papanikolaou: THIS TINY FIRST
LAYER SHOWS THE FIRST EXPLOSION,

WHICH IS NOT A DEVASTATING ONE,

AND THIS MADE THE WARNING
TO PEOPLE TO FLEE OUT.

Narrator: THE FIRST SMALL
ERUPTION SPEWS THIN, LIGHT ASH

ACROSS THE WHOLE OF AKROTIRI.

THE ASH AND TREMORS
FROM THE VOLCANO'S FOREWARNINGS

DAMAGED LOCAL HOUSES, WHICH
ARE PAINSTAKINGLY REPAIRED.

BUT THE TREMORS CONTINUE
OVER THE MONTHS

AND CAUSE MORE AND MORE DAMAGE
TO THE CITY'S BUILDINGS.

AS THE WARNING SIGNS INCREASE IN
THEIR FREQUENCY AND INTENSITY,

THE PEOPLE PACK UP
THEIR VALUABLES

AND EVACUATE THE ISLAND
TO ESCAPE THE ERUPTING VOLCANO.

Papanikolaou: THEY TOOK
WHATEVER THEY COULD JUST CARRY

AND THEY WENT AWAY HOPING
THAT THEY MIGHT COME BACK.

Narrator: DIMITRIOS BELIEVES THE PEOPLE
ESCAPE ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN

FOLLOWING THE VOLCANO'S
WARNING SIGNS.

THE MEGA ERUPTION
INSTANTLY WIPES OUT

ALL LIFE LEFT ON THE ISLAND.

BUT ITS EFFECTS
ARE EVEN FURTHER REACHING.

A DISCOVERY 850 MILES AWAY
IN EGYPT

PROVIDES EVIDENCE
OF ITS SHOCKING POWER.

HOW DOES THIS EVENT BECOME
THE MOST POWERFUL

AND VIOLENT ERUPTION
EVER WITNESSED BY HUMANKIND?

Narrator: SANTORINI'S MEGA VOLCANO
IS THE MOST POWERFUL ERUPTION

IN WRITTEN HISTORY.

ALL LIFE ON THE ISLAND
IS DESTROYED IN AN INSTANT.

Papanikolaou: THE ISLAND CHANGED
ITS MORPHOLOGY

AND EVERYTHING WAS CHANGED HERE.

EVERYTHING WAS DESTROYED
BY A MAJOR EXPLOSION.

Narrator: A DISCOVERY 850 MILES
ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA

IN EGYPT PROVIDES EVIDENCE
OF ITS IMMENSE POWER.

IN KARNAK, ARCHEOLOGISTS
DISCOVER FRAGMENTS

OF A STONE SLAB THAT DATES BACK
TO THE 16th CENTURY B.C.

KNOWN AS THE
TEMPEST STELE OF AHMOSE,

IT'S THE WORLD'S OLDEST
WEATHER REPORT.

IT DESCRIBES A HUGE STORM
THAT RAVAGES EGYPT

WHERE THE SKY IS HIT
BY A TEMPEST OF RAIN

CAUSING INTENSE DARKNESS.

EXPERTS BELIEVE THIS COULD BE
PROOF

OF THE FAR-REACHING EFFECTS
OF THE SANTORINI ERUPTION.

WHAT MAKES THIS ERUPTION
MORE POWERFUL

THAN ANY OTHER IN HUMAN HISTORY?

¶

INGO SONDER IS A VOLCANOLOGIST

AT THE UNIVERSITY AT BUFFALO,
NEW YORK.

HE INVESTIGATES
THE VOLCANIC PROCESS.

I AM FASCINATED BY THIS PROCESS.

I'M FASCINATED BY MOLTEN ROCK,
AND WHAT WE CAN DO WITH IT.

Narrator: DURING SANTORINI'S ERUPTION,
SEAWATER INFILTRATES

THE VOLCANO'S MAGMATIC
CHAMBER DEEP UNDERGROUND.

WHEN THE MAGMA RISES
IN THE UNDERGROUND CHAMBER,

IT CRACKS THE SURROUNDING ROCK,

CAUSING LONG FRACTURES
THAT REACH THE SEA.

THE CRACKS ACT LIKE VACUUMS
AND SUCK THE SEAWATER

DOWN INTO THE CHAMBER

SO THE COLD WATER HITS THE
SCORCHING 1,800-DEGREE MAGMA.

INGO BELIEVES
THIS PROCESS OF WATER

MIXING WITH MAGMA IS KEY
TO SANTORINI'S EXPLOSIVE POWER.

BUT HOW CAN WATER FUEL
A VOLCANIC EXPLOSION?

TO TEST HOW WATER IMPACTS
A VOLCANIC ERUPTION,

INGO AND HIS TEAM CREATE
THEIR OWN MINI VOLCANO.

THEY HEAT 130-POUNDS OF ROCK

IN A HIGH POWERED
INDUCTION FURNACE.

Sonder: THE ROCK WILL MELT
ABOVE 1,200 DEGREES CELSIUS.

WE WILL HEAT IT UP
A LITTLE BIT HIGHER,

SO WE HAVE IT REALLY LIQUID
ONCE WE POUR IT.

Narrator:
INGO SETS UP THE EQUIPMENT.

FOUR INJECTION TUBES
WILL SPRAY WATER INTO THE MAGMA.

WHEN THE MAGMA REACHES
2,300 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT,

INGO POURS IT
INTO THE CONTAINER.

FIRST, INGO AND HIS TEAM
WILL TEST WHAT HAPPENS

WHEN WATER
SLOWLY MIXES WITH MAGMA.

HE TRIGGERS A COUNTDOWN
AND CLEARS THE SURROUNDING AREA.

¶

THE EXPLOSION SENDS THE MAGMA
FLYING 3 FEET INTO THE AIR.

BUT HOW DOES IT COMPARE TO WHEN
THE WATER IS MIXED

WITH MAGMA AT HIGH SPEED?

INGO ADJUSTS THE VALVES.

THEY RUN THE EXPERIMENT AGAIN.

¶

¶

Sonder: LOOK AT THAT.

Narrator: THE MOLTEN ROCK IS
EJECTED OVER 9 FEET INTO THE AIR,

AND MELT IS SPREAD
ACROSS THE SURROUNDING AREA.

INGO'S TESTS SHOW THE HIGHER
THE SPEED OF THE WATER,

THE MORE POWERFUL THE EXPLOSION.

THE SPEED AT WHICH THE WATER
ENTERS THE MELT DOMAINS

AND CREATES ITS OWN MINGLING.

THIS IS PROBABLY
THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT.

Narrator: THE FASTER THE SPEED,
THE MORE THE WATER

AND MAGMA MIX TOGETHER.

AND SO THE MORE HEAT SHOCK
THE MAGMA RECEIVES.

THIS RAPID CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE

IS CONVERTED
INTO MECHANICAL ENERGY

AND IS WHAT MAKES
THE ERUPTION SO EXPLOSIVE.

THE AMOUNT OF MATERIALS
SANTORINI'S VOLCANO EXPELS

IS A TESTAMENT TO THE POWER
OF THE MAGMA/WATER INTERACTION.

Papanikolaou: THE MAGMA FROM
THE INTERIOR OF THE EARTH,

IT TAKES UP TOGETHER BLOCKS
AND FRAGMENTS

OF THE PRE-EXISTING ROCKS,

AND EVERYTHING IS SPREAD
TENS OF KILOMETERS AWAY.

Narrator: AS WELL AS LAVA AND ASH,
AN ERUPTING VOLCANO

CAN SPEW OUT SOLID ROCK...

CHUNKS BIGGER THAN 2 1/2-INCHES
ARE KNOWN AS LAVA BOMBS.

THEY CAN BE THROWN INCREDIBLE
DISTANCES.

IN SANTORINI,
ARCHEOLOGISTS FIND LAVA BOMBS

AS FAR AS 5 MILES
FROM THE VOLCANO.

THE EXPLOSION OF SANTORINI'S
MEGA VOLCANO

SHOWERS THE ISLAND
WITH VOLCANIC BOMBS

AND COVERS ITS INHABITANTS
IN A BLANKET OF VOLCANIC ASH.

Papanikolaou:
EVERYTHING IS ESCALATED.

YOU HAVE BIGGER
AND BIGGER EXPLOSIONS.

Narrator:
BUT THE DANGER ISN'T OVER YET.

AS ARCHEOLOGISTS DIVE
BENEATH THE WATER,

THEY DISCOVER EVIDENCE
THAT SUGGESTS

THE ERUPTION TRIGGERS ANOTHER
DESTRUCTIVE FORCE OF NATURE

THAT DEVASTATES
THE SURROUNDING ISLANDS...

A TSUNAMI.

CAN A DISCOVERY ON THE COAST

75 MILES AWAY PROVIDE CLUES
ABOUT SANTORINI'S MONSTER WAVE?

Narrator: THE ERUPTION OF
SANTORINI IS A NATURAL DISASTER

UNPARALLELED IN ALL OF HISTORY.

IT DESTROYS THE ANCIENT CITY
OF AKROTIRI

AND CHANGES THE SHAPE
OF THE ISLAND FOREVER.

THE POWER OF THE ERUPTION
WAS HUGE,

THE EQUIVALENT OF 600 ATOMIC
BOMBS, CAN YOU IMAGINE THIS?

IT WAS A CATASTROPHE FOR SURE.

Narrator:
BUT THE DANGER IS FAR FROM OVER.

IN CRETE, 75 MILES
FROM SANTORINI,

ARCHEOLOGISTS FIND UNUSUAL,
CHAOTIC LAYERS OF SOIL.

THEY CONTAIN A STRANGE MIXTURE
OF DEBRIS...

PIECES OF ANCIENT POTTERY,
PLATES AND CUPS,

CHUNKS OF WALL PLASTER FROM ONCE
BEAUTIFUL HOMES,

AND FRAGMENTS OF CATTLE BONES
MIXED IN WITH VOLCANIC ASH.

NESTLED AMONGST THIS DEBRIS

ARE 3,000-YEAR-OLD SEA SHELLS
AND ALGAE

AS FAR AS 1,000-FEET INLAND.

IS THIS MIXTURE OF LAND AND SEA

PROOF OF A MEGA TSUNAMI
FROM SANTORINI.

AS A SANTORINI NATIVE,
MARINE GEOLOGIST, EVI NOMIKOU,

FEELS A CLOSE CONNECTION
TO THE VOLCANO.

Nomikou: I WAS BORN IN SANTORINI.
MY FATHER WAS A SAILOR,

SO I'M ALWAYS CLOSE TO THE SEA.

AND OF COURSE, AS A KID,
WE LOVED TO WALK ON THE VOLCANO

AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND
WHAT IS HAPPENING.

Narrator: TODAY, EVI UNCOVERS
SANTORINI'S UNDERWATER SECRETS.

SHE INVESTIGATES
HOW THE VOLCANIC ERUPTION HERE

COULD TRIGGER A MEGA TSUNAMI.

Nomikou: SOME YEARS AGO, THE
SCIENTISTS BELIEVE

THE GENERATION OF TSUNAMI
HAPPENED

BECAUSE OF THE CALDERA COLLAPSE.

Narrator: SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE
THE COLLAPSE OF THE CALDERA

INTO THE SEA
DISPLACES SO MUCH WATER

THAT IT TRIGGERS THE TSUNAMI.

THE DEADLY WAVE IS SO HUGE,
TOWERING OVER 90-FEET HIGH,

IT OVERWHELMS BOATS AND
DESTROYS EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.

BUT IS THERE ANY TRUTH
TO THE THEORY?

¶

EVI WORKS WITH REMOTE-OPERATED
VEHICLE PILOT

OTHONAS VLASOPOULOS

TO EXPLORE SANTORINI'S SUBMERGED
CALDERA FOR EVIDENCE.

THE SECRETS OF SANTORINI ARE ON
THE SEAWATER, NOT ON LAND, OKAY.

WE KNOW LOTS OF
WHAT IS HAPPENING ON SHORE,

BUT WE NEED TO GET OUT
WHAT IS HAPPENING OFFSHORE.

Narrator: OTHONAS PREPARES
AN UNDERWATER ROBOT.

THE CUTTING EDGE R.O.V. IS
FITTED WITH TWO CAMERAS

TO MAP AND MODEL
THE CALDERA FLOOR.

THEY DEPLOY THE ROBOT OFF
THE SOUTHERN EDGE

OF SANTORINI'S THERASIA ISLAND.

- WE GOT HIM 40-METERS DEPTH NOW.
- WOW. 40 METERS.

Narrator: 130 FEET BELOW THE
WATER'S SURFACE,

EVI MAKES A SURPRISING
DISCOVERY.

ON THE CALDERA FLOOR
IS A MASSIVE LANDSLIDE.

FOR SURE THIS IS THE
CONTINUATION

OF A HUGE LANDSLIDE, OKAY.

SO THE OTHER WATER
LANDSLIDE TELL US

THIS PART OF THE ISLAND WAS LAND

AND AT THE END OF THE ERUPTION,
THIS PART WAS COLLAPSED.

Narrator: THE LANDSLIDE IS EVIDENCE
THAT AT THE TIME OF THE ERUPTION,

SANTORINI'S ISLANDS WERE
CONNECTED.

WHERE THE CALDERA LIES TODAY

WAS ONCE DRY LAND
AND CLOSED OFF TO THE SEA.

YOU HAVE THE CALDERA COLLAPSE,

BUT AT THAT TIME, SANTORINI
WAS NOT FILLED UP WITH WATER.

THE CALDERA WAS DRY,
WAS COMPLETELY DRY.

Narrator: THE CALDERA IS DRY
AND ISOLATED FROM THE SEA,

SO ITS COLLAPSE
CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR GENERATING THE MEGA TSUNAMI
THAT DEVASTATES CRETE.

SO WHAT IS THE TRUE TRIGGER?

EVI ANALYZES HER SURVEYS

OF SANTORINI'S SEA FLOOR
TO FIND CLUES.

THE RESULTS REVEAL A HUGE VOLUME
OF VOLCANIC MATERIAL

BURIED BENEATH THE SEABED.

THIS YELLOW LAYER INDICATES
THE PYROCLASTIC FLOWS,

SO THE THICKNESS OF THE
PYROCLASTIC FLOWS

IS ALMOST 300 FEET.

Narrator: PYROCLASTIC FLOWS ARE
GROUND-HUGGING CLOUDS

OF HOT VOLCANIC MATERIAL.

THEY REACH TEMPERATURES
OF 1,800 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT

AND CAN TRAVEL UP
TO 600 MILES PER HOUR...

THREE TIMES FASTER
THAN A BULLET TRAIN,

DESTROYING EVERYTHING
IN ITS PATH.

EVI BELIEVES THESE HUGE 300-FEET
THICK DEPOSITS

OF VOLCANIC MATERIAL

ARE THE TRUE TRIGGER OF THE MEGA
TSUNAMI THAT DEVASTATES CRETE.

THE VOLCANO'S VIOLENT
PYROCLASTIC FLOW

TUMBLES INTO THE SEA,
DISPLACING SO MUCH WATER,

IT TRIGGERS A SERIES
OF POWERFUL TSUNAMIS.

THE TSUNAMIS DEVASTATE
THE COASTLINE OF CRETE

OVER 75 MILES AWAY

AND EVEN REACH AS FAR
AS THE MEDITERRANEAN'S

EASTERN SHORES.

THE HEIGHT OF THE WAVES
WAS ALMOST 90 FEET.

SO YOU HAD A BIG TSUNAMI
THAT WAS DEVASTATING

ALL THE NORTHERN PARTS OF CRETE.

Narrator:
AT SANTORINI'S SOUTHERN TIP,

EVI EXPLORES THE PYROCLASTIC
DEPOSITS ON LAND.

IT'S AN ALIEN LANDSCAPE

DOMINATED BY 130-FOOT HIGH
CLIFFS.

THEY ARE PROOF OF
THE HUGE VOLUME OF MATERIAL

EJECTED BY THE VOLCANO.

YOU NEED TO IMAGINE
ALL THIS VOLUME

OF PYROCLASTIC FLOWS
THAT WERE ENTERING INTO THE SEA

WITH HIGH SPEEDS
AND GENERATED THE TSUNAMI.

THIS WAS THE TOTAL CATASTROPHE
OF THE ISLAND.

Narrator: THE TSUNAMI AND ASH
WIPE OUT CIVILIZATIONS ON ISLANDS

FOR MILES AROUND.

BUT WITH SO MUCH DESTROYED,
SCIENTISTS AND SCHOLARS

WAGE WAR OVER THE PRECISE DATE
OF THESE CATACLYSMIC EVENTS.

CLUES BURIED UNDER WATER

OVER 600 MILES AWAY
COULD PROVIDE THE ANSWER.

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator:
THE SANTORINI ERUPTION EXPLODES

WITH THE POWER OF TWO MILLION
HIROSHIMA ATOMIC BOMBS.

BUT WHEN DID THIS CATACLYSMIC
EVENT HAPPEN?

EVIDENCE FOR THE DATE MAY LIE
ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN.

I BELIEVE THAT THE ERUPTION
THAT LED TO ITS TSUNAMI

THAT MADE ITS WAY
TO THE SHORES OF ISRAEL.

Narrator: BEVERLY GOODMAN IS
A MARINE GEO-ARCHEOLOGIST.

SHE STUDIES ANCIENT
TSUNAMI EVIDENCE

ALONG THE SHORES OF ISRAEL

AND MAKES SOME SURPRISING
DISCOVERIES.

NOT ONLY DO WE HAVE EVIDENCE
FOR ONE TSUNAMI,

WE HAVE EVIDENCE
FOR MANY TSUNAMIS

THAT HAVE HIT
THE COAST OF ISRAEL.

Narrator: ANY EVIDENCE HERE OF

THE SANTORINI TSUNAMI COULD HELP
DATE IT.

Goodman: SO THE WAY THAT I GO
ABOUT TRYING TO FIND INFORMATION

ABOUT THE COASTAL HISTORY

IS THAT WE LOOK
ALONG THE COASTLINE,

BUT THEN WE ALSO ESPECIALLY
GO UNDERWATER.

Narrator: BEVERLY AND HER TEAM HEAD
OUT TO SEA TO COLLECT SEDIMENTS

NEAR CAESAREA MARITIMA,

A ROMAN CITY ON ISRAEL'S
MEDITERRANEAN COAST.

A TEAM OF DIVERS WORKS UP

TO 120-FEET
BENEATH THE WATER'S SURFACE.

TO RETRIEVE A CORE SAMPLE,
THE TEAM USES A HAMMER

TO INSERT A HOLLOW STEEL TUBE
INTO THE SEABED.

THE TUBE FILLS UP
WITH A SECTION OF SAND.

THE DIVERS SECURE THE CORE
TO AN AIRBAG

AND LAUNCH IT TO THE SURFACE.

BACK ON LAND, BEVERLY OPENS
AND ANALYZES THE CORES.

THE CORES CAN REVEAL
MAJOR EVENTS

IN THE COASTLINE'S HISTORY.

Goodman: SO WHAT WE CAN SEE
HERE IS THAT WHEN WE TAKE A CORE,

THE TOP OF THE CORE
IS OUR PRESENT SITUATION.

THIS IS TODAY.
AND AS WE GO DOWN THE CORE,

IT'S SORT OF LIKE
LOOKING AT TREE RINGS

WHERE WE'RE
LOOKING BACK IN TIME.

Narrator: VARIATIONS IN THE
SEDIMENT CAN REVEAL MAJOR EVENTS

THAT HIT CAESAREA'S COASTLINE.

WE WANT TO PAY ATTENTION AND SEE
WHERE WE GET ANY CHAOTIC LAYERS

OR ANY BIG CHANGES,
BUT AS WE GET DOWN TO THIS PART,

WHOA! BOOM! WE'VE GOT THIS
MASSIVE, CHAOTIC LAYER.

IT'S FULL OF PIECES OF BROKEN
SHELL AND TINY LITTLE PEBBLES.

Narrator: THESE CHAOTIC LAYERS

ARE EVIDENCE
OF ANCIENT TSUNAMI DAMAGE.

BEVERLY HOMES IN ON
THE LARGER STONES AND SEASHELLS.

THIS IS ACTUALLY
OUR SMOKING GUN.

THIS IS OUR FINGERPRINT
OF OUR TSUNAMIS.

THE CORE WAS COLLECTED
IN ABOUT 60-FEET WATER DEPTH,

AND THESE ARE CLAMS THAT LIKE
TO LIVE IN MUCH DEEPER WATER,

SO WE KNOW THAT THEY HAD
TO BE TRANSPORTED AND MOVED.

Narrator: THE CORES DISPLAY
THREE STRIPS OF CHAOTIC LAYERS.

IT'S EVIDENCE
FOR THREE TSUNAMI EVENTS.

BUT IS ONE FROM THE SANTORINI
ERUPTION,

AND CAN IT HELP DATE IT?

THE FIRST TWO CHAOTIC LAYERS

CONTAIN FRAGMENTS
OF ROMAN POTTERY.

BUT AT THE TIME OF THE ERUPTION,
THE ROMAN EMPIRE DOESN'T EXIST.

IT SUGGESTS THOSE EVENTS

ARE TOO RECENT
TO BE THE SANTORINI TSUNAMI.

THE THIRD LAYER, HOWEVER,
CONTAINS NO POTTERY WHATSOEVER.

BECAUSE WE DON'T SEE A LOT
OF POTTERY IN HERE, ANY POTTERY,

THERE'S A VERY GOOD CHANCE
THAT THIS IS AN EARLIER EVENT

AND MAYBE EVEN THE EVENT
RELATED TO SANTORINI'S ERUPTION.

Narrator: BEVERLY SENDS SHELLS

FROM THIS MYSTERIOUS LAYER
FOR RADIOCARBON ANALYSIS.

THE RESULTS ARE CONCLUSIVE.

THE RADIOCARBON DATES
ON THESE DEPOSITS

HAVE GIVEN US THE DATE
OF 1650 B.C.

Narrator: HER RESULTS
GIVE A DECISIVE DATE

FOR THE OBLITERATION
OF SANTORINI.

Goodman: THESE CORES ARE THE
FIRST EVIDENCE OF A TSUNAMI DEPOSIT

FROM SANTORINI ARRIVING
TO THE SHORES OF ISRAEL.

Narrator: THE DATING OF 1650
B.C. PLACES THE ERUPTION CLOSE

TO THE MYSTERIOUS COLLAPSE

OF A MIGHTY SEA-FARING
CIVILIZATION...

THE MINOANS.

ALTHOUGH ONLY
70 MILES AWAY FROM SANTORINI,

THE MINOANS HAVE A DISTINCT
AND SEPARATE CULTURE

FROM THE PEOPLE OF AKROTIRI.

THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION
IS SITUATED IN CRETE

AND ITS SURROUNDING ISLANDS.

WHILE MOST PEOPLE IN EUROPE
LIVE IN SIMPLE HUTS,

THE MINOANS
BUILD ADVANCED CITIES.

BUT 200 YEARS
AFTER THE ERUPTION,

THE CIVILIZATION DECLINES
AND IS CONQUERED BY INVADERS.

IS THE ERUPTION TO BLAME?

MANY ARCHEOLOGISTS BELIEVE

THAT THE SANTORINI ERUPTION
PLAYS A ROLE

IN THE GREAT MINOAN COLLAPSE.

THE EXPLOSION COVERS THE LAND
IN ASH, CHOKING THE VEGETATION,

AND THE TSUNAMI
DESTROYS MANY OF THEIR FLEETS.

THEY BECOME AN OPEN TARGET
FOR ENEMY ATTACK.

IT'S THE WORST NATURAL DISASTER
IN RECORDED HISTORY,

AND THE MINOANS PAY FOR IT.

FINDING THE TSUNAMI EVIDENCE

FROM THIS FAR IN THE EASTERN
MEDITERRANEAN SHOWS

THAT IT WAS TRULY A MASSIVE,
CATASTROPHIC EVENT,

AND MAKES US REALLY UNDERSTAND
WHAT IT MEANT FOR THAT TIME.

Narrator: BUT WHO ARE THE PEOPLE
WHO LIVE IN ANCIENT AKROTIRI?

MANY SCIENTISTS CLAIM SANTORINI
IS THE LOST ISLAND OF ATLANTIS.

COULD A DISCOVERY
ON THE SEA FLOOR

PROVIDE EVIDENCE
OF A SUBMERGED CITY?

Narrator: THE ERUPTION
OF SANTORINI IN 1650 B.C.

DECIMATES ALL LIFE ON THE ISLAND

AND ERASES
AN ENTIRE CIVILIZATION

FROM THE PAGES OF HISTORY.

THE MYSTERIOUS LOST PEOPLE
OF ANCIENT AKROTIRI

LEAVE BEHIND NO WRITTEN RECORDS
OF WHO THEY ARE.

CLUES, HOWEVER, CAN BE FOUND
IN THE ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE.

THE RUINS PRESERVED
BY THE VOLCANIC ASH

PROVIDE A GLIMPSE OF THIS
ADVANCED, LOST CIVILIZATION.

THROUGH THE FRONT DOOR,

A STONE STAIRCASE
LEADS UP TO THE FIRST FLOOR.

THE FLOORS ARE PAVED WITH
HUGE SLABS OF VOLCANIC ROCK

WITH VIBRANT RED DETAIL.

BEAUTIFUL FRESCOES ADORN
THE WALLS DEPICTING LOCAL LIFE

BY THE SEA... SAILBOATS
AND FISHERMEN WITH THEIR CATCH.

ALONGSIDE AN ANCIENT BATHROOM
WITH A MAGNIFICENT CLAY BATHTUB

AND ONE OF THE EARLIEST TOILETS
EVER DISCOVERED, INGENIOUSLY

PLUMBED INTO THE CITY'S OWN
SEWER NETWORK.

IT'S EVIDENCE OF
A HIGHLY SOPHISTICATED

AND CULTURED SOCIETY.

WHAT IS THIS CIVILIZATION,
AND WHO ARE ITS PEOPLE?

MOST OF THE PEOPLE BELIEVE
THE LOST ATLANTIS CITY

WAS HERE... WAS IN SANTORINI.

THERE WAS A HUGE CITY,
A MARVELOUS CITY

THAT HAS BEEN
DESTROYED COMPLETELY

DUE TO THE ERUPTION.

Narrator: IN 360 B.C.,

THE GREEK PHILOSOPHER PLATO
RECORDS THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS,

THE STORY OF
AN ADVANCED CIVILIZATION

DESTROYED BY THE GODS
FOR THEIR ARROGANCE.

IT'S A STORY THAT'S FASCINATED
US FOR MILLENNIA.

PEOPLE HAVE SEARCHED
FOR PHYSICAL EVIDENCE

OF PLATO'S ATLANTIS,
BUT FOUND NOTHING.

COULD SANTORINI
BE THE LOST ISLAND OF ATLANTIS?

PLATO SAY THAT THE CIVILIZATION
WAS VERY BRILLIANT,

AND WE DO KNOW THE PEOPLE
THAT THEY LIVE IN SANTORINI

AT THAT TIME, THEY WERE VERY
CLEVER.

THAT CIVILIZATION
WAS VERY SOPHISTICATED.

Narrator:
BUT SOMETHING DOESN'T STACK UP.

PLATO'S ATLANTIS SINKS
INTO THE OCEAN,

BUT SANTORINI DOESN'T

COULD MORE EVIDENCE
BE SUBMERGED BENEATH THE WAVES?

EVI USES HER REMOTE
OPERATED VEHICLE

TO EXPLORE SANTORINI'S
HIDDEN DEPTHS.

SHE'S LOOKING FOR ANY EVIDENCE
OF ANCIENT MAN-MADE STRUCTURES.

Nomikou: I'M JUST WONDERING
WHAT WILL HAPPEN

IF WE MAP THE AREA ON THE
SMALLEST DIKES OVER THERE.

Narrator: IN SANTORINI'S CALDERA

ON THE EASTERN EDGE
OF THERASIA ISLAND,

36-FEET BELOW THE WATER,

EVI MAKES
AN EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY.

YEAH. WHAT IS THIS?
YEAH, YOU SEE THE STRUCTURE

OF THE LAVA? - YES.

IT'S VERY PECULIAR HERE.

ALSO, THERE IS A LINE HERE. WOW.

SO WE HAVE SOME KIND OF STEPS
VERY CLOSE TO THE LAND.

Narrator: AN ANCIENT STRUCTURE
BEARS A STRIKING RESEMBLANCE

TO A STONE STAIRCASE.

BUT IS IT NATURAL OR MAN-MADE?

THE STEP COULD BE MAN-MADE,
OKAY,

BECAUSE OF THE SHAPE,
THE GEOMETRY OF THE STEP,

THEY DON'T HAVE THIS PECULIAR
LAVA STRUCTURE AROUND.

THIS IS COMPLETELY FLAT
AND PERPENDICULAR.

Narrator: BUT WHY ARE THESE
STEPS UNDERWATER?

MAYBE THIS IS A SMALL PART OF
THE ANCIENT PORT...

A SUBMERGED ANCIENT PORT.
- AMAZING.

Narrator: AN ANCIENT PORT
WITHIN THE CALDERA

MATCHES PLATO'S DESCRIPTION OF
ATLANTIS.

ORIGINALLY ON DRY LAND,

THE PORT COLLAPSES
INTO THE CALDERA

DURING SANTORINI'S ERUPTION.
IT SUGGESTS

THE PORT SITS RIGHT ON TOP
OF THE VOLCANO'S EPICENTER

WHEN IT ERUPTS OVER
3,000 YEARS AGO.

IF WE FOUND SOME REMNANTS
OF THE PORT WITHIN THE CALDERA,

THAT MEANS THAT SOMETHING
THAT WAS AN ANCIENT CITY

JUST IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE CALDERA

LIKE PLATO DESCRIBED.

Narrator: EVI WILL NEED
FUTURE EXPLORATION

TO CONFIRM HER FINDINGS

AND REVEAL THE TRUE RELATIONSHIP
BETWEEN SANTORINI AND ATLANTIS.

Nikomou:
IF YOU CONNECT GEOGRAPHY,

THE HISTORY, AND THE
CATASTROPHIC EVENT

OF THE ERUPTION,
THAT MEANS YOU HAVE FOUND

SOME EVIDENCE OF THE LOST
ATLANTIS IN SANTORINI.

¶

Narrator: SANTORINI IS AN ISLAND
BORNE OUT OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE.

TODAY, THE RUINS OF AKROTIRI
ARE ALL THAT REMAINS

OF THE
SOPHISTICATED CIVILIZATION

THAT ONCE THRIVES HERE.

WIPED FROM EXISTENCE
IN THE LARGEST VOLCANIC ERUPTION

IN HUMAN HISTORY.

BY UNEARTHING THE REMAINS
AND DIVING DEEP INTO THE CRATER,

EXPERTS CAN PIECE TOGETHER
THE TRUE STORY OF SANTORINI'S

MEGA VOLCANO,
AND DISCOVER THE REAL CONNECTION

BETWEEN ANCIENT AKROTIRI
AND THE LEGEND OF ATLANTIS.

¶

¶