Unearthed (2016–…): Season 7, Episode 7 - Jericho's Buried Secrets - full transcript

ANCIENT JERICHO... THE
SITE OF A LEGENDARY BIBLICAL BATTLE.

A SEVEN-DAY SIEGE

THAT BRINGS THE CITY'S
MIGHTY WALLS CRASHING DOWN.

BUT IS THERE ANY TRUTH
TO THIS TALE?

UNDISTURBED
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

INVESTIGATORS NOW
UNEARTH JERICHO'S SECRETS...

I MEAN, THIS PRECEDED THE
PYRAMIDS, PRECEDED STONEHENGE.

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

...TO DISCOVER NOT ONE,

BUT MANY ANCIENT CITY WALLS
DESTROYED AGAIN AND AGAIN.

WE CAN SEE THOUSANDS
AND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS,



EVEN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS
INTO THE PAST.

TODAY, TEAMS VENTURE
INTO UNDERGROUND CAVES

AND USE PIONEERING MICRO-C.T.
TECHNOLOGY

TO UNEARTH THE SECRETS
OF JERICHO'S LOST INHABITANTS

FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME,

AND HUNT FOR EVIDENCE OF
VIOLENT INVASIONS.

PEOPLE DIDN'T HAVE THE CHANCE
TO RETRIEVE THEIR BELONGINGS.

HOW DOES JERICHO RISE

TO BECOME THE WORLD'S
FIRST FORTIFIED CITY?

AND WHO IS RESPONSIBLE
FOR ITS APOCALYPTIC DOWNFALL?

TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH,

WE'LL UNEARTH THIS ANCIENT CITY
LAYER BY LAYER.

WE'LL DIGITALLY RECONSTRUCT
ITS MIGHTY WALLS,

VENTURE DEEP INSIDE
ITS MONUMENTAL TOWER,



AND FORENSICALLY EXAMINE
LONG-BURIED SKELETONS

TO FINALLY DECODE
THE LEGENDARY BIBLE STORY.

UNEARTHED - SEASON 7
EP - 7 - Egypt's Sunken Treasures

JERICHO...
AN ANCIENT CITY IN PALESTINE

ON THE WEST BANK
OF THE RIVER JORDAN.

THIS CITY FINDS FAME
IN THE BOOK OF JOSHUA.

JERICHO IS THE FIRST CITY
CONQUERED BY ISRAELITES

RETURNING FROM EXODUS IN EGYPT,

THE SETTING FOR ONE OF THE MOST
EPIC BATTLES

IN BIBLICAL HISTORY.

ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE,
OVER 3,000 YEARS AGO,

JERICHO IS A POWERFUL CITY.

INNER AND OUTER WALLS

STRENGTHENED
WITH RECTANGULAR TOWERS

OFFER A DOUBLE LAYER OF
PROTECTION FROM OUTSIDE DANGER.

ISRAELITES LAY SIEGE TO THE CITY

FOR SIX DAYS AND NIGHTS.

ON THE SEVENTH DAY,

THE PRIESTS TRIUMPHANTLY
BLOW RAMS' HORNS...

...AND THE WALLS
COME TUMBLING DOWN.

JERICHO IS CONQUERED.

IT'S ONE OF THE BIBLE'S
MOST FAMOUS STORIES.

BUT HOW MUCH OF IT IS TRUE?

ARCHEOLOGIST MAHMOUD HAWARI
HAS BEEN INVESTIGATING

ANCIENT JERICHO
FOR OVER 15 YEARS.

TODAY, HE HUNTS FOR EVIDENCE OF
JERICHO'S LEGENDARY GREAT WALL.

DESPITE THE LEGEND AND
THE STORY MENTIONED IN THE BIBLE,

JERICHO IS A REAL PLACE.

AS SOON AS ARCHEOLOGISTS
BEGIN THE SEARCH FOR THE GREAT WALL,

THEY MAKE A SURPRISING
DISCOVERY.

THIS SITE IS A GOLD MINE
OF EVIDENCE REVEALING NOT ONE,

BUT MANY ANCIENT WALLS

THAT DATE BACK
OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

JERICHO, OR THE TELL ES-SULTAN,

THE ANCIENT SITE OF JERICHO,

THE "TELL" IS AN ARABIC WORD
FOR A MOUND

WHERE ACCUMULATION OF LAYERS
UPON LAYERS OF CIVILIZATIONS

ARE IN THE SAME PLACE.

BENEATH THE TOP LAYERS
OF RUBBLE AND DEBRIS,

ARCHEOLOGISTS UNEARTH EVIDENCE
OF AN ANCIENT FORTIFIED CITY

SURROUNDED BY MUD-BRICK WALLS
AND RECTANGULAR TOWERS.

DEEPER DOWN,

AN OLDER WALL ENCIRCLES
70 MUD-BRICK HOUSES

BUILT ON STONE FOUNDATIONS.

EXCAVATION TO THE DEEPEST LEVEL
REVEALS AN EVEN OLDER CITY

WITH WALLS 12 FEET HIGH
AND 5 FEET WIDE,

AND A HUGE CYLINDRICAL TOWER
THAT RISES 28 FEET INTO THE AIR.

BUT DO ANY OF THESE WALLS
DATE TO BIBLICAL TIMES?

MAHMOUD EXAMINES
A CROSS SECTION OF A WALL

IN THE DEEPEST EXCAVATION PIT.

IT'S BUILT FROM SIMPLE STONES
WITH MORTAR AND EARTH

BETWEEN THEM.

THE STYLE OF CONSTRUCTION ALLOWS
MAHMOUD TO DATE THE WALLS.

THIS GOES BACK TO AROUND
9000 B.C.E.

IT'S QUITE IMPRESSIVE THAT

NOW WE'RE LOOKING
AT SUCH AN OLD WALL

DATING ALMOST 11,000 YEARS OLD.

IT'S EXTRAORDINARY.

IF THESE WALLS
DATE TO 11,000 YEARS AGO,

THEY ARE FAR OLDER
THAN THE BIBLE STORY.

BETWEEN THIS WALL
AND THE BIBLICAL STORY

OF THE STORMING OF THE CITY
BY THE ISRAELITES,

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT
7,000 YEARS DIFFERENCE.

AND THAT TELLS YOU THAT JERICHO
EXISTED A LONG, LONG TIME AGO

BEFORE THE BIBLICAL STORY
HAPPENED.

CARBON DATING ORGANIC
MATERIAL FROM THESE WALLS

PLACES THEIR CONSTRUCTION
IN THE NINTH MILLENNIUM B.C.

AND MAKES IT
THE OLDEST CITY WALL

DISCOVERED
ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

WHEN THIS WALL WAS BUILT,

HUMANS WERE STILL ROAMING
AROUND THE EARTH,

COLLECTING AND GATHERING
THEIR FOOD,

AND THEY WERE LIVING
IN OPEN SPACES OR IN CAVES.

AND SO THAT'S WHY JERICHO IS
SO SPECIAL AND SO SIGNIFICANT.

ARE THESE WALLS
EVIDENCE OF HUNTER GATHERERS

ASSEMBLING TO BUILD
HUGE STRUCTURES

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN HISTORY?

PALESTINIAN ARCHEOLOGIST
ISSA SARIE

HAS BEEN EXCAVATING
ANCIENT JERICHO FOR MANY YEARS.

HIS FINDINGS SHINE A LIGHT
ON THE FIRST GREAT WALL

AND THE PEOPLE WHO BUILD IT.

FOR ISSA,
JERICHO IS AT THE HEART

OF THE NEOLITHIC REVOLUTION,

A TRANSITION FROM
HUNTING AND GATHERING

TO FARMING AND SETTLEMENT.

WHY IS JERICHO THE CHOSEN SITE

FOR THIS LEAP
IN HUMAN CIVILIZATION?

THE LANDSCAPE OFFERS THE PERFECT
GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION

FOR THESE EARLY SETTLERS.

THE AREA IS BLESSED
WITH A NATURAL SPRING.

THE BIBLE SAYS THE PROPHET
ELISHA PURIFIES THE WATER.

JERICHO'S SPRING PROVIDES
A RELIABLE AND PREDICTABLE

SUPPLY OF SAFE, FRESH WATER

AND ATTRACTS HUNTER GATHERERS
TO SETTLE HERE

11,000 YEARS AGO.

SMALL COMMUNITIES
GATHER AROUND THE SPRING

AND USE THE WATER TO GROW CEREAL
AND GRAINS AND RAISE LIVESTOCK.

THIS IS SOME OF THE FIRST
FARMING ON THE PLANET.

THE PEOPLE START TO BUILD
PERMANENT STRUCTURES HERE,

INCLUDING SIMPLE HOMES MADE
FROM MUD-BRICK,

AND MIGHTY WALLS.

EVENTUALLY, JERICHO GROWS

INTO A FULL-FLEDGED
PERMANENT SETTLEMENT

OF MORE THAN 2,000 PEOPLE

TO BECOME THE WORLD'S
FIRST CITY.

THIS IS THE DAWN
OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION,

WHERE THINGS REALLY HAPPENED

AND GAVE WAY
TO WHAT WILL BECOME OUR WORLD

MANY THOUSANDS OF YEARS LATER.

THE WALLS AT JERICHO ARE
BUILT BY THE WORLD'S FIRST SETTLERS

IN A VAST OASIS
7,000 YEARS BEFORE

THE BIBLE'S STORY
OF ITS DESTRUCTION.

BUT WHAT IS THE PURPOSE
OF THIS FIRST GREAT WALL?

THE DISCOVERY OF A MYSTERIOUS
TOWER COULD PROVIDE CLUES.

ARE THESE MONUMENTAL STRUCTURES
BUILT TO DEFEND

AGAINST A VIOLENT INVASION,
AS THE BIBLE DESCRIBES?

JERICHO...
THE OLDEST CITY IN THE WORLD.

ITS PAST IS INTERTWINED
WITH BIBLICAL STORIES

OF DRAMATIC CONQUEST
AND TUMBLING WALLS.

NOW THE DISCOVERY OF A CITY WALL

ALMOST 11,000 YEARS OLD TRACES
THE LEGEND BACK MUCH FURTHER

THAN PREVIOUSLY IMAGINED.

WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT
THE PYRAMIDS

THAT WERE BUILT AROUND
2500 B.C.E.,

I MEAN, THIS HAS PRECEDED THE
PYRAMIDS, PRECEDED STONEHENGE.

BUILT MORE THAN 5,000 YEARS
BEFORE THESE ANCIENT WONDERS,

THE WALLS OF JERICHO ARE AMONG
THE OLDEST STRUCTURES

IN THE WORLD.

I WOULD IMAGINE WHEN PEOPLE
ARE TRAVELING FROM AFAR,

COMING TO JERICHO
AND SEEING THIS MASSIVE WALL

FOR THE FIRST TIME,

THEY'D NEVER SEEN
SOMETHING LIKE THIS BEFORE.

WHY DO THE WORLD'S
FIRST HUMAN SETTLERS

BUILD THIS MONUMENTAL WALL
HERE IN JERICHO?

AN UNEXPECTED DISCOVERY
MAY PROVIDE CLUES TO THE ANSWER

ON THE WESTERN EDGE OF THE CITY,

A MONUMENTAL TOWER RISES 28 FEET

ABOVE THE SURROUNDING LANDSCAPE.

MEASURING 33 FEET ACROSS,
IT'S MADE FROM HUNDREDS

OF HANDCRAFTED
AND SUN-DRIED BRICKS.

INSIDE, A STEEP STAIRCASE
LEADS TO AN OPENING

IN THE TOWER'S ROOF.

OUTSIDE, A FINE WHITE LIMESTONE
PLASTER COVERS THE SURFACE,

MAKING IT A DAZZLING BEACON
ON THE LANDSCAPE.

WHEN THEY'RE BUILT,
JERICHO'S MONUMENTAL WALL

AND TOWER RISE TALLER THAN ANY
OTHER STRUCTURE ON THE PLANET.

WHY DO JERICHO'S PEOPLE
GO TO SUCH EXTREME EFFORTS

TO BUILD THESE
COLOSSAL STRUCTURES?

FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGIST HILA MAY

INVESTIGATES THE ROLE
THIS TOWER PLAYS

IN THE EVERYDAY LIVES
OF THE INHABITANTS OF JERICHO.

HILA SUSPECTS
THE PURPOSE OF THE TOWER

IS TO PROVIDE THE CITY DWELLERS
WITH A CLEAR LINE OF SIGHT...

AN EARLY WARNING SYSTEM
OR WATCHTOWER TO GUARD

AGAINST ENEMY ATTACK.

HILA BELIEVES THAT THESE
SETTLERS FEEL THREATENED ENOUGH

TO CONSTRUCT
THIS HUGE WATCHTOWER.

BUT SHE NEEDS PROOF
THAT THE THREAT OF ATTACK

IS A VERY REAL ONE.

HILA LOOKS FOR CLUES IN BODIES

FOUND NEAR
JERICHO'S CRUMBLING WALLS.

INVESTIGATORS UNEARTH THESE
25 SKELETONS IN A REGION

CALLED THE JEZREEL VALLEY.

THEY DATE BACK TO 7000 B.C.

HILA USES PIONEERING
MICRO-C.T. TECHNOLOGY

TO RECONSTRUCT THE VERTEBRA

AND DIGITALLY ENTER
THE VERY BONE ITSELF.

WITHIN THE NECK
OF THIS ANCIENT MALE,

SHE DISCOVERS SOMETHING
EXTRAORDINARY.

HILA FINDS EVIDENCE OF SOME
OF THE WORLD'S EARLIEST WEAPONS

AND THE FIRST EVER FOUND
IN THE REGION.

THIS NEOLITHIC ARROWHEAD FOUND
NEAR JERICHO

IS AMONG THE OLDEST EVIDENCE
OF WARFARE DISCOVERED.

THE ANCIENT CITY OF JERICHO
IS RIGHT TO BE ON ITS GUARD.

PEOPLE AT THAT TIME,
IN THE NEOLITHIC IN JERICHO,

I THINK THEY'RE
VERY PRACTICAL PEOPLE,

AND I THINK THEY WANTED
TO DEFEND THEMSELVES

AND THEIR OWN SETTLEMENT.

THE TOWER IS A MONUMENTAL
SYMBOL OF STRENGTH TO OUTSIDERS

THAT STILL STANDS TO THIS DAY.

WOW.

I'M ACTUALLY SPEECHLESS
TO LOOK INTO THIS STAIRCASE.

BUT IT'S NOT A CLOSED CASE.

SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE
THE TOWER IS NOT DEFENSIVE,

BUT IS CENTRAL
TO AN ANCIENT RITUAL.

ON THE EVENING
OF THE SUMMER SOLSTICE,

THE SETTING SUN ALIGNS
WITH NEARBY

MOUNT KRNTL AND THE TOWER,

CASTING A MASSIVE SHADOW
OVER THE SITE.

INSIDE THE TOWER,
A COMMUNITY LEADER

CEREMONIALLY CLIMBS
THE 22 STEPS,

ASCENDING TOWARDS THE LIGHT.

WHEN HE REACHES
THE ROOF OF THE TOWER,

A CEREMONY TAKES PLACE TO HONOR
THE DYING RAYS OF THE SUN.

AT THE BASE OF THE TOWER,
THE PEOPLE OF JERICHO GATHERED

TO WITNESS THE DRAMATIC EVENT

THAT SIGNALS THE START OF
SHORTER DAYS AND LONGER NIGHTS.

THE TOWER COULD BE THE FOCUS
OF A SUN-WORSHIPING CULT.

THERE IS A CONTROVERSY
OVER THE NATURE

OF THE FUNCTION OF THIS TOWER.

WHATEVER ITS ANCIENT PURPOSE,

TODAY, THE INSIDE
OF THIS TOWER IS OFF LIMITS.

YEARS AFTER ITS DISCOVERY,

THE TOWER STILL REMAINS
A TANTALIZING MYSTERY.

OFTEN, ARCHEOLOGY,
UNFORTUNATELY,

DOESN'T GIVE ALL
THE COMPREHENSIVE ANSWERS

AND IMPOSING DEFENSIVE
MONOLITH OR A TEMPLE FOR WORSHIP.

EVEN A PROTOTYPE
FOR ZIGGURATS AND PYRAMIDS.

THE OLDEST AND TALLEST STRUCTURE
OF ITS TIME,

THE TOWER OF JERICHO,
IS HUMANKIND'S FIRST SKYSCRAPER.

THE BIBLE TELLS THE STORY

OF A VIOLENT SIEGE
AT ANCIENT JERICHO.

WHEN INVESTIGATORS UNEARTH
ANCIENT HOUSES WITHIN THE WALLS,

THEY FIND TROUBLESOME CLUES
HIDDEN BENEATH THE FLOORS.

ARE THESE DECAPITATED
SKELETONS CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE

THAT THIS BIBLICAL TALE IS TRUE?

ANCIENT JERICHO,
THE WORLD'S OLDEST CITY

AND THE SITE
OF A LEGENDARY BIBLICAL BATTLE.

IT LIES IN THE SHADOW
OF A MONUMENTAL WALL AND TOWER.

IT'S FORTIFICATIONS OFFER SAFETY
AND ENABLE THE CITY

TO GROW TO OVER 2,000 PEOPLE.

BUT INVESTIGATORS
UNCOVER EVIDENCE

THAT SUGGESTS
THESE WALLS ARE BREACHED.

BENEATH THE MUD-BRICK HOUSES,

ARCHEOLOGISTS MAKE A GRUESOME
DISCOVERY.

BURIED UNDER
THE FLOORS OF HOMES,

THEY UNEARTH DECAPITATED
HUMAN SKELETONS.

NEARBY, THEY FIND SOMETHING
EVEN STRANGER...

SEVEN SKULLS WITH FACES
MADE OF PLASTER,

THEIR EYES INLAID WITH
THE SHELLS OF SEA CREATURES.

SOME HAVE EVEN BEEN PAINTED
TO IMITATE HAIR AND MUSTACHES.

ARE THESE BIZARRE
SKULLS EVIDENCE

OF A BIBLICAL SLAUGHTER?

THERE ARE A LOT OF EXPLANATION,

A LOT THE HYPOTHESIS RAISED
IN THE LAST 20 OR 30 YEARS

SINCE THE FIRST PLASTER SKULLS
WERE DISCOVERED.

PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGIST
ISRAEL HERSHKOVITZ

FORENSICALLY ANALYZES
ANCIENT BONES.

INTERESTING IS THE CHIN
WITH, LIKE,

I MYSELF HAVE IT HERE...
THE DEPRESSION HERE,

WHICH IS NICE.
THIS IS WHY I FALL IN LOVE

WITH THIS SKULL.

AT TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY,

ISRAEL INVESTIGATES
PLASTERED SKULLS

FOUND IN THE REGION OF JERICHO.

SOME ARCHEOLOGISTS BELIEVE
THAT THESE SKULLS BELONG

TO VICTIMS OF THE BRUTAL BATTLE
FOR JERICHO,

BUT ISRAEL HAS ANOTHER THEORY.

YOU DON'T BURY
YOUR ENEMY INSIDE YOUR HOUSE.

THAT'S SOMETHING
THAT YOU DON'T NEED.

YOU DON'T TAKE THE TROUBLE

TO BURY YOUR ENEMY
INSIDE YOUR HOUSE.

BUT WHAT I AM SURE ABOUT IT
IS THAT THE INDIVIDUALS

THAT ARE BURIED
UNDER THE LIVING FLOOR

WERE MEMBERS OF THE FAMILY
WHO OWNED THE HOUSE.

THIS PRACTICE
DATES BACK TO JERICHO'S

FIRST NEOLITHIC SETTLERS.

BUT WHY WOULD THE PEOPLE
OF ANCIENT JERICHO

DECAPITATE
THEIR OWN FAMILY MEMBERS?

THEY TOOK CARE OF THEIR DEAD
IN A VERY PECULIAR WAY

THAT WAS IMPORTANT TO THEM.

I MEAN, TO MAKE THIS
KIND OF A CONNECTION

BETWEEN THE WORLD OF THE LIVING

AND THE WORLD OF THE DEAD.

IN ANCIENT JERICHO,

THESE DECAPITATED HEADS ARE
A POWERFUL SYMBOL OF ANCESTRY.

THEIR CREATION
IS A TIME-CONSUMING

AND DELICATE PROCEDURE.

FIRST, MOURNERS DIG A GRAVE

IN THE PLASTERED FLOOR
OF THEIR HOUSE...

...AND THEN BURY THE BODY
INSIDE.

AFTER A YEAR OR TWO,
WHEN THE FLESH HAS DECOMPOSED,

THEY EXHUME THE SKULL
FROM THE GRAVE.

THEY REMOVE THE TEETH
AND LOWER JAW

AND THEN APPLY PLASTER
AND DECORATION TO THE SKULL.

ON SPECIAL OCCASIONS,
THE FAMILY MAY GATHER TOGETHER

WITH THE SKULL CENTER STAGE
IN A CEREMONY

TO HONOR THEIR ANCESTORS.

THE SKULLS FORM PART OF WHAT
ISRAEL CALLS AN ANCESTRAL CULT.

YOU DECLARE OWNERSHIP
THROUGH YOUR ANCESTOR.

"MY ANCESTORS WERE HERE.
THEY OWNED THE LAND.

SO THIS LAND
BELONGS TO ME, AS WELL."

THE AMERICAN EXAMPLE
IS MOUNT RUSHMORE,

WHERE YOU HAVE THE FOUR
IMPORTANT AMERICAN PRESIDENTS.

"THIS IS MY LAND.

HERE ARE THE FOREFATHER
OF THE AMERICAN NATION."

FOR ISRAEL,
MOUNT RUSHMORE IS AMERICA'S VERSION

OF THE PLASTERED SKULL,
STAKING A CLAIM ON THE LAND,

A DECLARATION THAT GOES BACK
TO ANCIENT TIMES.

THESE PLASTERED SKULLS
ARE THE EARLIEST EVIDENCE

OF ANCESTOR WORSHIP
IN THE WORLD.

AND THIS REVERENCE FOR THE DEAD
LEADS JERICHO

TO BECOME A STRONG AND POWERFUL
UNIFIED CITY,

AND FOR ISRAEL,
A SOURCE OF ENDLESS FASCINATION.

ANTHROPOLOGISTS ARE ATTACHED
TO THE SKELETONS.

THEY'RE ATTACHED
TO SOME CLOSE RELATIVES.

AND YOU NEVER GET TIRED BECAUSE
THEY HIDE SO MANY SECRETS

THAT THEY WANT TO TELL YOU.

IT'S KIND OF A CHALLENGE,
LIKE SAYING,

"LET'S SEE HOW SMART YOU ARE."

THE PLASTERED SKULLS
SHINE LIGHT ON LIFE

INSIDE JERICHO'S
ANCIENT CITY WALLS.

THIS CITY OF 2,000 PEOPLE
IS BOUND TOGETHER

BY ANCESTRAL WORSHIP,

PROTECTED BY ITS MIGHTY WALL
AND IMPOSING TOWER.

BUT AS JERICHO GROWS
FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH,

IT BECOMES A TARGET FOR ATTACK.

CAN JERICHO'S POPULATION
FEND OFF THE LOOMING DANGERS?

EVIDENCE AMONGST THE RUINS
MAY PROVIDE CLUES

TO THE GREAT WALL'S FATE.

DO THE WALLS REALLY TUMBLE
AS THE BIBLE DESCRIBES?

THE ANCIENT CITY OF JERICHO,

HOME TO KEY TURNING POINTS
IN THE HISTORY OF HUMANKIND...

THE WORLD'S FIRST CITY WALL,

THE ORIGINS OF CIVILIZATION,
AND AN ANCIENT SKYSCRAPER.

THE BIBLICAL STORY OF JERICHO
TELLS OF A MIGHTY SIEGE

TUMBLING THE GREAT WALLS
OF THIS CITY.

BUT IS THERE ANY EVIDENCE
OF AN EVENT OF THIS SCALE HERE?

EXCAVATING DEEP INTO
JERICHO'S PAST,

ARCHEOLOGISTS DISCOVER
INTRIGUING CLUES

TO THE CITY'S TURBULENT HISTORY.

ONCE VERTICAL WALLS
NOW LIE FLAT TO THE GROUND.

BENEATH THEM,

INVESTIGATORS FIND A COLLECTION
OF SKELETONS.

THE BODIES LIE FROZEN IN TIME,

SUDDENLY CRUSHED BY THE WALL.

AROUND THEM, A CHAOTIC MIXTURE
OF BRICKS AND FALLEN ROOF BEAMS,

AND IN A NEARBY HOUSE,
AND ANCESTRAL GRAVE

IS SPLIT IN TWO BY A HUGE CRACK
RUNNING ACROSS THE FLOOR.

ARE THESE CLUES EVIDENCE
OF AN EARTH-SHATTERING CONQUEST,

AS THE BIBLE DESCRIBES?

ARCHEOLOGIST MAHMOUD HAWARI
SUSPECTS THIS DEVASTATION

COULD ACTUALLY BE EVIDENCE
OF SOMETHING EVEN BIGGER.

THIS COUNTRY HAVE BEEN SUBJECTED
TO EARTHQUAKES

FOR MANY HUNDREDS
OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

JERICHO SITS ALONG
THE SYRIAN-AFRICAN FAULT LINE,

MAKING THIS REGION A HOTSPOT
FOR TECTONIC ACTIVITY.

COULD EARTHQUAKES BE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE COLLAPSE
OF JERICHO'S WALLS?

EARTHQUAKES THAT ARE LARGE
ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY CAUSE

STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO,
IN HISTORIC TIMES,

TO BUILDINGS ARE SOMEWHERE
BETWEEN MAGNITUDE 4.5, 5.

GEOLOGIST ELISA KAGAN
HUNTS FOR EVIDENCE

OF MAJOR EARTHQUAKES
OF THIS SCALE

IN THE REGION'S ANCIENT PAST.

SHE VENTURES INTO SOREQ CAVE,
25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF JERICHO,

TO SEARCH FOR CLUES.

CAVES ARE VERY PROTECTED
FROM THE ELEMENTS.

IN THIS CAVE, THERE'S NO RIVERS
RUSHING THROUGH IT,

THERE'S NO ICE FLOE,
THERE'S NO RAIN,

THERE'S NO ANIMALS.

SOREQ CAVE IS A TIME
CAPSULE OF GEOLOGICAL ACTIVITY.

THERE'S ALMOST ZERO EROSION,

SO WHATEVER HAPPENS,
SUCH AS A COLLAPSE

BY AN EARTHQUAKE,
IS FOSSILIZED AND PRESERVED

AND WE CAN SEE IT,

AND WE CAN SEE
THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS,

EVEN TENS OF THOUSANDS OF YEARS
INTO THE PAST

WHEN AN EARTHQUAKE HITS,

THE SEISMIC SHOCKWAVE CAUSES
STRUCTURAL DAMAGE IN THE CAVE

IN THE SAME WAY
THAT BUILDINGS TODAY

ARE AFFECTED BY EARTHQUAKES

AND CAN BE DAMAGED
OR COMPLETELY COLLAPSE,

STALAGMITE CAVES SHOW DAMAGE
BY EARTHQUAKES.

ELISA VENTURES DEEPER
INTO THE CAVE.

SHE DISCOVERS EVIDENCE

THAT A LARGE-SCALE
SEISMIC EVENT ONCE OCCURS HERE.

HUGE SECTIONS OF THE CAVE
CEILING HAVE COLLAPSED.

WHEN DOES THIS EARTHQUAKE OCCUR?

CAVE DEPOSITS CAN PROVIDE
AN EXCELLENT RECORDING

OF GEOLOGICAL PHENOMENA.

IT AFFECTS THE CAVE,
AND THEREFORE,

LEAVES SIGNS IN THE CAVE,

AND THESE SIGNS
WE CAN SEE TILL TODAY.

THESE MINERAL DEPOSITS...
STALACTITES AND STALAGMITES...

GROW SLOWLY
OVER THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THEY ARE TIME CAPSULES
CONTAINING HIDDEN CLUES

TO THE SEISMIC EVENTS
OF THE PAST.

IF YOU LOOK INTO ONE OF THESE
STALACTITES SLICED OPEN,

THE RINGS IN THE CENTER
ARE THE OLDER RINGS.

THE OUTER RINGS
ARE THE YOUNGER PARTS.

AND WITHIN THESE RINGS,
THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION.

CLOSE EXAMINATION
OF THE STALACTITES

FROM THE COLLAPSED CEILING

ALLOWS ELISA
TO DATE THE EARTHQUAKE.

HERE WE CAN SEE THAT PART
OF THE COLLAPSED CEILING.

WE TOOK SMALL, TINY SAMPLES
HERE, USED THEM FOR DATING.

AND THESE DARKER LAYERS
ARE POST-EARTHQUAKE REGROWTH,

AND THIS PARTICULAR
EARTHQUAKE OCCURRED

APPROXIMATELY 6000 B.C.

THIS EARTHQUAKE
COULD BE STRONG ENOUGH

TO MAKE JERICHO'S
MUD-BRICK WALLS CRUMBLE.

BUT THIS CATASTROPHIC EVENT
OCCURS

4,500 YEARS
BEFORE THE BIBLE STORY IS SET.

ELISA FINDS EVIDENCE OF MANY
MORE EARTHQUAKES

IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS,

BUT ARCHEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES
ALSO SHOW

THAT THE PEOPLE OF JERICHO
DON'T ABANDON THE CITY.

EACH TIME A MAJOR EARTHQUAKE
DESTROYS JERICHO'S WALLS,

THE CITY'S ENGINEERS SET OUT
TO REBUILD THEM

BIGGER AND STRONGER THAN BEFORE.

THEY REINFORCED
THE ORIGINAL SINGLE LAYER

WITH WIDER DOUBLE
MUD-BRICK WALLS,

MAKING IT MUCH STURDIER.

BY 3000 B.C.,

JERICHO'S BUILDERS ERECT
EVEN STRONGER WALLS

PLASTERED WITH A CLAY MORTAR

TO BIND THE STRUCTURE
MORE TIGHTLY TOGETHER.

1,000 YEARS LATER,

ENGINEERS BUILD
AN ARTIFICIAL SLOPE OF EARTH

CALLED A GLACIS
TO SUPPORT THE OUTER WALL

AND GIVE IT EXTRA STRENGTH.

FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS,
THE PEOPLE OF JERICHO ENDURE

THESE EARTH-SHATTERING
NATURAL DISASTERS.

HOWEVER, ONE LAYER
OF DESTRUCTION STANDS OUT.

I'M STANDING IN FRONT
OF THE CITY GATE

FROM THE EARLY BRONZE AGE,
AND HERE THE ARCHEOLOGISTS

HAVE FOUND
A VERY THICK LAYER OF ASHES

AND BURNED ORGANIC STUFF,
INCLUDING PIECES OF WOOD.

IT'S GOING OUTSIDE
THE CITY WALL,

EXPANDING FOR
I WOULD SAY MAYBE 15 FEET.

IT COULD BE CAUSED BY A FIRE
OR AS A RESULT OF AN INVASION.

THIS ASH LAYER
IS UNLIKE ANY OTHER EVIDENCE

OF DESTRUCTION FOUND IN JERICHO.

THE LAYER DATES TO THE MIDDLE
OF THE SECOND MILLENNIUM B.C.

AND IS DISCOVERED
ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY.

WHAT CAUSES THIS FIERCE INFERNO?

COULD THE BIBLE STORY OF
THE BATTLE OF JERICHO BE TRUE?

THE ANCIENT CITY OF JERICHO.

OVER ITS 11,000-YEAR LIFE,

THE CITY ENDURES
MANY MAJOR EARTHQUAKES,

ITS FAMOUS WALLS TUMBLED
TO THE GROUND AGAIN AND AGAIN.

BUT EACH TIME,
THE PEOPLE BOUNCE BACK,

REBUILDING THEIR WALLS BIGGER,
STRONGER, AND BETTER.

BY THE SECOND MILLENNIUM B.C.,

JERICHO IS A WEALTHY CITY WITH
AN ESTIMATED 3,000 INHABITANTS.

IN THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE,

STARTING FROM AROUND 2000 B.C.E.

UNTIL 1650,

THAT IS A TIME WHEN
REALLY JERICHO AS A CITY PEAKED.

BUT ACCORDING TO THE BIBLE,

THE CITY IS FINALLY DESTROYED
BY INVADING ISRAELITES

WHO BRING THE WALLS
CRASHING DOWN.

AN ANCIENT ASH LAYER DISCOVERED
ALONG THE CITY WALLS

SUGGESTS THIS STORY
COULD HAVE ROOTS IN REALITY.

JEWISH SCHOLARS WRITE THE STORY
OF THE SIEGE OF JERICHO

IN THE BIBLE'S BOOK OF JOSHUA.

THEY DESCRIBE A SEVEN-DAY SIEGE,

THE START OF THE ISRAELITE
CONQUEST OF CANAAN,

A REGION THAT INCLUDES
PRESENT-DAY

ISRAEL AND PALESTINE.

IN THE BOOK,
THE ISRAELITES STORM JERICHO

AND BURN IT TO THE GROUND.

ARCHEOLOGISTS SEARCH
FOR EVIDENCE OF THIS CONQUEST.

DO FURTHER EXCAVATIONS
AT ANCIENT JERICHO ALIGN

WITH THE BIBLICAL TALE?

INSIDE THE WALLS
OF THE ANCIENT CITY,

THE ASH LAYER MEASURES
MORE THAN THREE FEET THICK

ACROSS THE ENTIRE SITE,

EVIDENCE THE CITY IS DESTROYED
IN A FIRE OF HUGE PROPORTIONS,

EXACTLY AS THE BIBLE DESCRIBES.

WITHIN THE ASH,

JERICHO'S FAMOUS DOUBLE
FORTIFICATION WALLS

LIKE COLLAPSED, AGAIN,
LIKE THE BIBLICAL STORY.

AND AMIDST THE DEBRIS,

ARCHEOLOGISTS FIND SEVERAL LARGE
JARS FILLED WITH GRAIN,

A TANTALIZING HINT THAT THE CITY
IS NOT CAPTIVE FOR LONG,

ALIGNING WITH THE ACCOUNT
OF A SHORT SEVEN-DAY SIEGE.

IS THIS EVIDENCE
THAT A VIOLENT SIEGE

IS THE DOWNFALL OF JERICHO?

THE ANSWER CAN BE FOUND

NOT AT JERICHO,
BUT 50 MILES NORTH AT MEGIDDO,

KNOWN TO HISTORY
AS THE SITE OF ARMAGEDDON.

THE NAME ARMAGEDDON
IS PROBABLY A CORRUPTION

IN GREEK OF THE HEBREW
"HAR MEGIDDO,"

THE MOUND OF MEGIDDO,

THE PLACE WHERE THE FINAL BATTLE
BETWEEN THE FORCES OF GOD

AND THE FORCES OF EVIL
WILL TAKE PLACE.

ARCHEOLOGIST ISRAEL
FINKELSTEIN HEADS UP EXCAVATIONS HERE.

MEGIDDO IS SPECIAL
BECAUSE IT HAS

THE FULL SEQUENCE OF OCCUPATION.

YOU CAN SEE
IN THE REMAINS BEHIND

THE FULL SEQUENCE
OF DESTRUCTION LAYERS.

OVER A CENTURY OF INVESTIGATION,

ARCHEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED
25 DESTRUCTION LAYERS AT MEGIDDO

FROM THE END
OF THE SIXTH MILLENNIUM B.C.

TO THE 5th CENTURY B.C.

THEY SHOW THE CITY IS BESIEGED

AND DESTROYED MORE
THAN ANY OTHER IN HISTORY.

IT'S A TREASURE TROVE
OF EVIDENCE.

AND LIKE JERICHO,
IT'S SAID TO BE DESTROYED

BY THE ISRAELITES
IN THEIR CONQUEST OF CANAAN.

YOU CAN SEE OVER HERE,
LOOK AT THIS.

THERE'S ASH OVER HERE.

DURING THE EXCAVATION,

IT'S VERY EASY TO IDENTIFY
THE BREAKS

AND THE FIRE AND THE COLLAPSE,
BUT WHOEVER DID THIS CAME HERE

WITH THE IDEA OF ANNIHILATING
THE CITY ALTOGETHER.

IN MEGIDDO, LIKE
JERICHO, THERE IS EVIDENCE

OF TOTAL DESTRUCTION
ACROSS THE ENTIRE CITY.

SO HERE WE... ON THE FLOOR,
MANY VESSELS BROKEN.

PEOPLE COULD NOT... THEY EVEN
DIDN'T HAVE THE CHANCE

TO RETRIEVE THEIR BELONGINGS.

SO EVERYTHING IS ON THE FLOOR.
VERY GOOD FOR ARCHEOLOGISTS.

VERY TRAGIC FOR THE PEOPLE
OF THE TIME.

THE QUESTION, OF COURSE,
IS MAINLY HOW TO TRANSLATE

IT INTO HISTORY.

WHO DID IT AND WHEN?

BUT DATING
DESTRUCTION LAYERS TO THE TIME

OF THE ISRAELITE CONQUEST
IS A CHALLENGE.

THERE IS NO WAY TO TELL
FROM ARCHEOLOGY TO HISTORY

WITHOUT ESTABLISHING
A GOOD DATING SYSTEM.

SO BECAUSE OF OUR RADIOCARBON
DATING PROGRAM HERE AT MEGIDDO,

WE ARE IN A SITUATION
TO STABILIZE THAT CHRONOLOGY.

RADIOCARBON DATING CAN
RELIABLY DATE ORGANIC MATERIAL

AS FAR BACK AS 50,000 YEARS AGO.

AT MEGIDDO,
ISRAEL'S TEAM COLLECTS

HUNDREDS OF SAMPLES
OF CHARCOAL AND POTTERY

AND SENDS THEM FOR DATING.

DO THESE SAMPLES DATE
TO BIBLICAL TIMES?

THERE ARE FOUR BIG DESTRUCTIONS
AT MEGIDDO...

ONE IN AROUND 1100 B.C.,
ANOTHER ONE IN THE 10th CENTURY,

ANOTHER IN THE 9th,
AND ANOTHER IN THE 8th.

EXPERTS DATE
THE ISRAELITE CONQUEST OF CANAAN

DESCRIBED IN THE BOOK OF JOSHUA
TO THE 13th CENTURY B.C.

NONE OF THE DESTRUCTION LAYERS
THAT MEGIDDO MATCH THIS DATE.

THE PLACES WHICH
ARE REFERRED TO SPECIFICALLY

AS HAVING BEEN
DESTROYED BY JOSHUA,

THEY HAVE NO EVIDENCE
FOR DESTRUCTION.

IN THE 13th CENTURY B.C.,
THE SUPPOSED TIME OF JOSHUA.

METICULOUS FORENSIC
INVESTIGATION OF MEGIDDO

REVEALS IT IS NOT ATTACKED
BY INVADING ISRAELITES

AS THE BOOK OF JOSHUA STATES.

THIS LEADS ARCHEOLOGISTS
TO RULE OUT A JEWISH CONQUEST

OF JERICHO, TOO.

WHEN THE STORY
OF THE CONQUEST OF JOSHUA

WAS SUPPOSED TO TAKE PLACE,

WHICH IS AROUND THE 13th
OR 14th CENTURY,

JERICHO WAS ABANDONED.

THERE WAS NO INHABITANTS
WHO LIVE IN JERICHO

AND THE CITY WAS IN RUINS.

JERICHO'S ASH LAYER DATES
ITS DESTRUCTION TWO CENTURIES

BEFORE JOSHUA'S
BIBLICAL CONQUEST.

BY THEN, ITS ANCIENT WALLS
HAVE LAIN ABANDONED

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

THE STORY IS A MYTHICAL STORY
AND DOES NOT HAVE ANY PROOF.

IF THE BIBLE STORY ISN'T TRUE,

WHAT CAN EXPLAIN THE LEGENDARY
CONQUEST OF CANAAN?

AND WHO IS BEHIND THE ATTACK

THAT FINALLY BRINGS THESE
FAMOUS WALLS TUMBLING DOWN?

THE GREAT WALLS OF JERICHO,
TUMBLING AGAIN AND AGAIN

THROUGH CENTURIES OF
EARTHQUAKES AND CONQUESTS.

ARCHEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE
SUGGESTS THE ANCIENT SITE

LIES ABANDONED
IN THE 13th CENTURY B.C.,

THE TIME OF THE LEGENDARY
BATTLE OF JERICHO

DESCRIBED IN THE BIBLE.

SO WHO IS RESPONSIBLE

FOR FINALLY RAZING ITS WALLS
TO THE GROUND?

ARCHEOLOGISTS ISRAEL FINKELSTEIN
BELIEVES THE CULPRITS

ALSO DESTROYED THE NEIGHBORING
CANAANITE CITY OF MEGIDDO.

WHOEVER CAME HERE HAD THE IDEA
OF COMPLETELY DEVASTATING,

ANNIHILATING THIS CITY.

ISRAEL TURNS TO AN
INCREDIBLE ANCIENT SOURCE FOR CLUES

TO THE IDENTITY
OF THE INVADERS...

A SET OF CLAY TABLETS
CALLED THE AMARNA LETTERS.

FOUND IN THE ANCIENT CITY
OF AMARNA IN EGYPT,

THE ASTONISHING COLLECTION
OF NEARLY 400 CLAY TABLETS

REVEAL THE MIGHTY
EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS

MAY HAVE A KEEN INTEREST
IN CANAAN.

POLITICALLY,
GEOGRAPHICALLY, HISTORICALLY,

THEY OPEN A WINDOW FOR US
INTO THEIR AFFAIRS IN CANAAN.

THEY TELL US A LOT ABOUT
HOSTILITIES,

BUT WE DON'T REALLY KNOW
HOW BAD THE HOSTILITIES WERE.

EGYPT IS A MILITARY SUPERPOWER,

AGGRESSIVELY ANNEXING
ITS NEIGHBORS.

ARE JERICHO, MEGIDDO,

AND OTHER CANAANITE CITIES
ATTACKED BY EGYPT?

AN EMPIRE SUCH AS
THE EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS

IN THEIR LATE BRONZE AGE,

THEY COME ORGANIZE
AND THEY TAKE THE SEIZURES.

ISRAEL BELIEVES IT'S
NOT POSSIBLE FOR THE EGYPTIANS

TO BE BEHIND THE CONQUEST.

WE ARE NOT DEALING HERE
WITH A WELL-ORGANIZED EMPIRE

COMING HERE
IN ORDER TO CONQUER AND STAY,

BUT SKIRMISHES HERE AND THERE.

AND BECAUSE THERE IS NO
BIG DESTRUCTION LAYER AT MEGIDDO

AT THIS TIME, HE SUSPECTS
A MORE LOCAL INVADER.

THE HIGHLANDS NOT SO FAR
FROM US,

30, 40 KILOMETERS TO THE SOUTH.

AND IN THE HIGHLANDS,
WE DEFINITELY SEE

A BIG WAVE
OF SETTLEMENT ACTIVITY

IN THE MIDDLE BRONZE AGE,
SO SOMETHING HAPPENED,

SOME SORT OF DISTURBANCE
IN THE 16th CENTURY B.C.

ISRAEL BELIEVES THE PEOPLE
OF THE HIGHLANDS SOUTH OF MEGIDDO

LAY WASTE TO THE CITY.

THEY STORM ACROSS MODERN-DAY
ISRAEL AND PALESTINE,

HEADING TOWARDS JERICHO.

THEY SMASH DOWN ITS WALLS,

BURN IT TO THE GROUND,
AND LEAVE IT IN RUINS.

THE HIGHLANDERS ARE EXPANDING
TO THE LOWLANDS.

THEY ARE DESTROYING CITIES
IN THE PROCESS

ONE AFTER THE OTHER.

IF THESE HIGHLANDERS
ARE RESPONSIBLE

FOR THE CONQUEST OF CANAAN,

HOW DOES THE BIBLICAL STORY
OF THE TUMBLING WALLS

OF JERICHO COME TO BE?

AFTER THE HIGHLANDERS
BURN JERICHO TO THE GROUND,

ALL THAT REMAINS OF THE CITY
IS A HUGE HEAP OF ASH,

COLLAPSED WALLS,
AND SMOKING DEBRIS.

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS,

THE SITE LIES ABANDONED,
WITH THE CHARRED REMAINS SERVING

AS AN INCREASINGLY DISTANT
REMINDER OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE.

IN THE EARLY IRON AGE,
AROUND 1200 B.C.,

ISRAELITES BEGIN TO EMERGE
IN CANAAN,

CLOSE TO THE ANCIENT RUINS
OF JERICHO.

LOCAL TALES AND LEGENDS
GROW UP AROUND THE RUINS,

BUT THEY AREN'T WRITTEN DOWN
UNTIL CENTURIES LATER.

THE BOOK OF JOSHUA

DESCRIBING THE ISRAELITE
CONQUEST OF JERICHO

IS WRITTEN IN
THE 6th CENTURY B.C.

FROM THE ARCHEOLOGY
POINT OF VIEW,

WE KNOW TODAY THERE IS NO
CONQUEST OF CANAAN.

THE BIBLICAL BATTLE OF JERICHO
WITH TRUMPETING HORNS

TUMBLING THE WALLS
MAY NEVER HAVE OCCURRED.

BUT THIS ANCIENT SITE
IS FAR MORE

THAN JUST THE BIRTHPLACE
OF AN EPIC BIBLICAL TALE.

IT IS THE ORIGIN OF HUMANITY
AS WE KNOW IT.

JERICHO SEES THE BIRTH
OF CIVILIZATION

11,000 YEARS AGO WHEN
OUR NOMADIC ANCESTORS SETTLE,

BUILD A CITY WITH GREAT WALLS,

CONSTRUCT THE WORLD'S
FIRST SKYSCRAPER,

AND FACE BESIEGING ARMIES.

THIS IS THE SITE
OF EPIC DEFENSE,

DESTRUCTION, AND INVASION,
A CITY LIKE NO OTHER,

INSPIRING THE BIBLE STORY
THAT SURVIVES TO THIS DAY.