Original subtitles

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] Throughout history,

the mysteries of death and the allure of immortality

have held an enduring fascination for humankind.

- You tend to find a common theme across the globe,

and that is that death was always a passage

to the next state.

- [Narrator] Our quest to honor the departed

and enshrine their memory

has led to the creation of awe-inspiring monuments.

But these structures are more than mere resting places

for the dead.

Each holds clues to the beliefs, technologies,

and aspirations of the civilizations that created them.

From a grand edifice born of undying love,

its beauty rivaled only by the sorrow it embodies.

- This is a story of dark romance

that produced one of the most beautiful pieces

of architecture in the world.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] To a towering sanctuary

whose halls echo the weight of royal legacies.

- He needs to do something, something symbolic,

that will cement his family's claim to the throne.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] It serves as a gateway

to understanding not only how our ancestors faced death,

but how they celebrated life and power.

- These grand structures suggest power, grandeur, opulence.

(dramatic music)

(dramatic music continues)

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] In the heart of Agra, India,

the Taj Mahal stands as the pinnacle of Mughal grandeur

and architectural perfection,

its white marble, gleaming under the sun.

(uplifting music)

This marvel of construction has fascinated the world

for nearly four centuries.

- It's truly breathtaking standing before the Taj Mahal.

- It's beautiful, it's expressive,

it's architecturally relevant, and it's massive.

- The site spans 42 acres

and took over two decades to complete.

(uplifting music)

- The Taj Mahal's design blends elements

from various architectural styles

and is considered the jewel of Islamic art in India.

- [Narrator] Combining Islamic design

with Indo Persian styles,

this white marble masterpiece

dazzles with an intricate tapestry

of inlaid semi-precious stones.

- It creates a mesmerizing dance between light and shade,

which changes throughout the day and with the seasons.

- [Narrator] But beneath a pristine marble facade

lie deep mysteries of its construction.

(dramatic music)

- What recent discoveries have given us new clues

as to the grand vision for this palace?

- What were the true motivations behind its construction?

(gentle music)

(dramatic music)

- This is a story of dark romance

that produced one of the most beautiful pieces

of architecture in the world.

- [Narrator] In 1631, the Taj Mahal is commissioned

by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan

as a mausoleum for his wife.

Born Arjumand Banu Begum,

she becomes the ruler's third wife

and soon becomes his favorite,

earning the title of Mumtaz Mahal

or Chosen One of the Palace.

- The emperor's wife plays a significant role in his life,

and his reign.

She's not only his devoted companion,

but also a trusted political advisor.

- Her death, at the age of 38 devastates Shah Jahan,

who goes into secluded mourning.

It is in his profound grief that Shah Jahan

conceives the idea of building the Taj Mahal.

- He built the Taj Mahal as a tribute to a woman

he considered his closest partner, political advisor,

who had died in childbirth at the age of 38,

and the Taj Mahal became this magnificent mausoleum

in her honor.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] But while the Taj Mahal is heralded

as a grand monument to love,

could there be deeper, more complex motivations

behind its construction?

(gentle music)

The road to Shah Jahan's reign

is paved with conflict and ambition.

(dramatic music)

In 1628, following the death of his father, Jahangir,

a fierce struggle for succession erupts.

(bright music)

Shah Jahan emerges victorious,

defeating his younger brother in a brief

but intense power struggle.

To secure his claim to the Mughal throne,

he orders the execution of rival claimants,

securing his position as the new emperor.

- Now he really needs to legitimate his rule

and cement his power.

- Over and over in history,

one of the things that we see is that leaders

who want to show their power

build big structures, build monuments,

build something not only to leave a lasting legacy

for their own time in power,

but also to show that they had the ability to do so.

The grander the structure,

the more people you had serving you,

because those cultures really were a top down control system

in their forms of government.

- This was a very specific Muslim form of charity.

It could be a school.

It could be a mosque.

One of the reasons why Shah Jahan

may have been able to appease the people

through its construction and not face any kind of unrest,

is that it had a broader purpose, a public purpose.

- These grand structures serve a symbolic function.

They suggest power, grandeur, opulence.

- Shah Jahan was one of the many Mughal rulers.

He was Muslim and he was also intent on building his power

and displaying it to the other kingdoms around him.

- In some historical accounts,

he is painted as a ruthless leader.

But what exactly do we know about the emperor's character?

(soft tense music)

- [Narrator] The significance of the project is immense

for the Mughal emperor.

- The Taj Mahal becomes a gamble on the emperor's vision,

and his ability to realize it.

- He built it of marble.

He brought precious stones

from many, many different countries.

So this was an endeavor

that required extensive financial resources,

but also the political authority

and the human capital to be able to move it across

thousands of miles.

- [Narrator] Estimates suggest the construction

costs upward of 32 million rupees,

equivalent to more than 53 billion rupees,

or 600 million US dollars in today's currency.

- Failure would be catastrophic

for the emperor's reputation and legacy,

while success would cement his place in history

and create a lasting symbol of Mughal glory.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] The banks of the Yamuna River are chosen

as the location for the ambitious project.

(dramatic music)

- Here it is, this enormous structure

which is located and built literally on the banks

of a very important river,

which means that it's immediately visible

from a long distance by anyone traveling by.

It is intended to be seen.

It is intended also, by virtue of its appearance,

to communicate spiritual and political authority.

(soft tense music)

- [Narrator] The ever shifting river banks

present a formidable engineering challenge

to the Taj Mahal's construction.

- The river's unpredictable nature

poses a significant threat

to any structure built along its shores.

- You're near a water source

that is also going to impact the soils

that you're building on.

It's going to impact the construction of the site.

You have to manage water all the time,

and water can emulsify soil.

It changes its properties.

You can't bear something on the soil;

you can't push down on, it's not strong enough.

And so you have to find a way around that soil

to a much better, more solid foundation.

- [Narrator] For a building of the Taj Mahal's immense size

and weight, this could spell disaster.

- The Taj Mahal weighs about 80,000 tons.

That is a massive amount of material.

- How did these builders achieve this feat of engineering?

And how does this colossal structure

stand unwavering on such a precarious location?

(shovel thumps)

- [Narrator] To create a foundation that can withstand

the heavy load of the structure on the soft alluvial soil

of the Yamuna riverbank,

a deeply excavated foundation would be crucial.

- Did they have an advanced knowledge of soil mechanics

or hydrology?

- How did the builders anticipate

these environmental challenges

and achieve such precision

without modern surveying equipment?

- Ground penetrating radar reveals an excavation depth

of about 17 and-a-half meters below ground level.

This depth is extraordinary for a 17th century foundation.

- The idea is to take the forces down

from above grade down into solid soil down below.

- This is known as a "well foundation".

- [Narrator] The genius of this design

is in its flexibility.

The well foundation allows for some movement

adapting to the river's changes rather than resisting them.

- By drilling all of these vertical shafts

through that poor soil into good soil

and filling it with a material such as rock or wood,

you're creating this pile,

a vertical shaft of solid bearing.

And then when you have all these points

that are nice and solid,

you can then build structure over top of that

to bridge from pile to pile.

That's in modern days called a "pile cap".

It's building a platform that is stable,

that won't settle differentially

and support these heavy loads on top.

You have to do a lot of work

just to be able to start building the Taj Mahal.

(somber music)

(rain pattering)

- [Narrator] While the monsoon rains

threaten the banks of the river

and the very foundation of the Taj Mahal,

the walls of the majestic monument itself

appear to respond to nature's onslaught

in another poignant way.

- During heavy rains,

the marble walls of the Taj Mahal

present an interesting phenomenon.

- It's as if the stone walls weep

in eternal sympathy with the emperor's sorrow.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] These tears have come to represent

Shah Jahan's enduring grief over the loss of Mumtaz Mahal.

The secrets of this phenomena

lie hidden in the very fabric of the monument.

- The facade of the Taj Mahal is constructed completely

in white marble.

In Mughal culture, colors hold profound symbolic meaning.

White, in particular, is associated with purity,

innocence, and spirituality.

- This was very integral to the construction

or the meaning of this place,

that when you saw the Taj Mahal from a distance,

you would know that this was a religious place.

- [Narrator] Science unveils an explanation

for the Taj Mahal's mysterious tears.

- The scientific explanation comes down

to the marble's high concentration of calcium.

When the rainwater interacts with the stone,

it forms a saline solution,

which gives the impression that the marble is weeping.

- It's not actually crying.

But what we have here is people view the Taj Mahal

with the story in mind.

They are feeling what they would expect the Shah felt

at the time of the build,

and in feeling that they're projecting that

onto what they're seeing,

which is the tears streaking down the sides of the building.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] While the walls seem to weep

with the sorrow of lost love,

they also stand as a testament to the immense labor

that brought this architectural wonder to life

by the hands of an estimated 20,000 people.

- How the Taj Mahal was built

implies an enormously skilled labor force.

There's mastery of art with resources

that had to be sought from distant parts.

- [Narrator] While the mausoleum itself is encased

in gleaming white marble,

the surrounding complex incorporates not only brick

and red sandstone, but other precious stones.

The Taj Mahal showcases the exquisite art of pietra dura.

- This is an intricate inlay technique

that involves the use of highly polished, colored stones

to create images.

- [Narrator] This precise and beautiful art form

adorns the monument with vibrant patterns

utilizing hard stones like marble, jasper, and lapis lazuli,

chosen for their rich colors and durability.

Yet these materials are not sourced nearby,

but instead imported from distant lands like China,

Tibet, and Arabia.

- How did the Taj Mahal's builders manage to bring together

such a vast array of materials

from these far flung corners of the continents?

- His networks clearly spanned from the Silk Road

to the further south regions of the Indian Ocean.

He was incorporating jade, sapphire, crystal,

all these luxurious elements

that could not be found in his own kingdom.

(somber music)

- [Narrator] The construction of the Taj Mahal

implies an enormously skilled labor force.

And some scholars have posited the idea

that perhaps elephants were involved as well.

(gentle uplifting music)

- The use of elephants in construction projects

was not uncommon in ancient India.

- It's believed that over 1000 of these majestic creatures

were used to carry building materials

from all over Asia back to Agra.

- These powerful animals were often employed

for their incredible strength and endurance.

- Apparently, they were critical to its construction,

but we simply don't know the extent

to which that was the case.

- The Mughal Empire held elephants in high esteem,

viewing them as symbols of royal power

and essential components of military and ceremonial life.

- They were in many ways a wonderful manifestation

of a kingdom that was powerful, that was big.

So in that sense,

they seemed to be part of the story as well.

- [Narrator] As the colossal efforts of elephants

may have shaped the Taj Mahal's grandeur,

a darker legend emerges about the fate

of its human creators,

suggesting that Shah Jahan's pursuit of perfection

may have come at a terrible cost.

- Legend has it that the Shah cuts off the hands

of the key craftsmen,

so that they can never build or replicate

this type of structure again.

Some versions of this legend go as far to say

that he even had some of the workers blinded.

- [Narrator] The legend suggests that the Taj Mahal's beauty

was so extraordinary

that its creators had to be prevented

from ever replicating it.

- Is this story true?

We don't have any evidence for it,

but what we can say is that it's just one indication

that this building was considered unnatural

because of its beauty,

and because of the sophistication of its craftsmanship.

- [Narrator] The tale has endured over time,

continuing to captivate people's imaginations.

- When we look back in our own memories,

we remember the highs and the lows.

The everyday doesn't really stick with us that well.

And therefore, when you see something good

like building of the Taj Mahal,

and then you hear a story that,

well, the master builders' hands were cut off

so nobody else could build something like it,

it almost fits that realm of the best and the worst.

(soft music)

- [Narrator] Despite its fictional nature,

this legend has become an integral part

of the Taj Mahal's mystique.

- The persistence of this myth

speaks to the Taj Mahal's ability to inspire awe and wonder.

- This adds a real layer of dark romance

to the monument's story.

(thunder rumbling)

- [Narrator] The true darkness of the Taj Mahal

may reveal itself not in gruesome tales,

but in the very bones of its interior.

- In the Taj Mahal, we find Koranic script,

and this is an element that we do find in other mosques.

- [Narrator] But what appears at first glance

to be painted text

is actually an ingenious use of inlay work.

Thin pieces of black marble meticulously cut

and fitted into the white walls

to create a flowing Arabic script.

- The level of precision is astounding.

Each piece fits together perfectly

to create smooth, unbroken lines of text.

- [Narrator] The contrast between the black and white marble

creates a striking visual effect,

but also reveals a complex theological messaging

woven into the very fabric of the Taj Mahal's design.

- The scripture is interesting

because it is clearly intended to orient

the passage of the believer through this space.

And it begins by trying to let them and remind them

of the glories of the celestial realm when they die.

- The inscriptions in the gateway beckon towards Paradise,

promising celestial bliss.

But as you progress to the main mausoleum,

the tone dramatically shifts.

- Over the course of their travels,

as they move closer and closer

to the sacred center of this building,

they are being warned that if they are not ready for it,

they will not be found worthy in order to enter it.

- It warns of a dire fate awaiting the nonbelievers.

But on entering the mausoleum itself,

the inscriptions give way from a warning

to a renewed promise of entering paradise.

- They're warning them that its only good practicing,

observant Muslims who will ultimately be saved.

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] In 2018,

archeologists make a stunning discovery

on the banks of the Yamuna River,

directly opposite the Taj Mahal.

They unearth an ancient structure

that includes remnants of a fountain, a water channel,

and several rooms.

- They unearth the remains

of what appears to be a summer palace,

potentially linked to the Taj Mahal complex itself.

- What does this discovery reveal

about the Taj Mahal's original design?

How does it change our understanding

of this iconic monument?

(gentle bright music)

- [Narrator] The discovery of the summer palace

across the river reveals a new dimension

to the Taj Mahal's design,

one that extends beyond the monument itself.

The structure, renowned for its symmetrical features,

may have been part of a grander, mirrored footprint

extending across both banks of the Yamuna.

- When you approach this building,

there is that clear sense of symmetry

about that central axis.

Even when you look at the wraparound gardens,

the landscaping,

all of that was executed in a really beautiful vision.

- This discovery suggests Shah Jahan's vision

for the Taj Mahal was far more expansive

than previously thought.

- It does seem that he imagined a space

that would be a larger political and religious center.

(somber music)

- [Narrator] This revelation opens up new avenues

of research and interpretation.

- Perhaps the Taj Mahal was not intended

to be an isolated monument,

but the centerpiece of a larger,

carefully planned landscape.

- One understanding we have to take away

is that these were projects

undertaken by rulers

who were also cultivating their images as spiritual leaders.

They were eager to legitimize their political authority

by producing works that not only proved their piety,

but that also testified to their appointment by God.

- Why has this structure remained hidden for so long?

- What other hidden structures

might still lie buried around the Taj Mahal?

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] While the Taj Mahal

stands in representation of one man's devotion

and an empire's grandeur,

the Speyer Cathedral

signifies a different kind of immortality.

Transcending its role as a mere tomb,

the monument has endured as a symbol of power, faith,

and human determination

to leave behind a lasting mark on the world.

(soft tense music)

On the left bank of the Rhine River,

the Romanesque towers of Speyer Cathedral

rise to dominate the German skyline.

This was conceived the grand aspiration

of becoming the largest cathedral in all of Christendom.

- This cathedral is not only an architectural endeavor,

but a bold statement of power and prestige.

It contains the largest Romanesque crypt in the world.

The vault stretches to a remarkable height of seven meters.

(soft music)

- [Narrator] As the cathedral takes shape,

it becomes the center of a controversy

that would shake the religious foundations

of medieval Europe.

- How did this power struggle between religious

and secular authority

shape the construction of this cathedral?

What hidden symbols or features

might reflect this controversy?

- [Narrator] At the beginning of the 11th century,

the Holy Roman Empire is in a period of transition

and consolidation.

- Now, the first thing you need to know

about the Holy Roman Empire is it's not particularly holy,

and it's definitely not Roman.

It's a loose German amalgamation

of various little principalities in the Middle Ages.

The Roman in the title is a very conscious effort

to try to link it to the ancient Roman Empire,

but it really doesn't have anything to do with it.

So in 1024, the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire,

Henry II dies without an heir.

And this is where Conrad II

comes onto the historical stage.

He's not a particularly important German noble.

He manages to convince enough of the German nobles

to get behind him,

and he's elected as the new Holy Roman Emperor.

And because he's a new family,

he is therefore launching a new dynasty.

This is the beginning of the Salian dynasty,

a dynasty that would have a profound effect

on not only the Holy Roman Empire,

but the history of the Middle Ages in general.

- [Narrator] The rise of the Salian dynasty

marks a pivotal moment in medieval European history.

(dramatic music)

- The Salian dynasty would go on to shape

European political and religious history for over a century.

- [Narrator] Yet, to legitimize Conrad II's family name

and imperial lineage, a bold gesture will be required.

- He's the head of a new dynasty, a new emperor.

He needs to do something,

something symbolic that will cement his family's claim

to the throne.

He settles on a new cathedral.

(dramatic music)

- What's so interesting about Speyer Cathedral

from the start is that, clearly, Conrad envisioned this

as also an imperial tomb.

- At this time, there was no fixed place

for the burial of German kings or Holy Roman Emperors.

This lack of a centralized burial site

meant that there was no one space

that could symbolize imperial stability, and continuity.

(somber music)

- [Narrator] Conrad II moves to establish

a permanent imperial necropolis.

By choosing a single location for royal burials,

he can create a physical representation

of the dynasty's legitimacy.

- This was not simply an act of religious devotion,

but a calculated political move.

- I think we have to see it as an expression

of the power of Conrad as both a political ruler

but also as a local spiritual ruler.

- By establishing a new location in a new cathedral

that he built, he's adding legitimacy to his family's claim.

He's creating an enduring monument

that will last from this point onward

for all emperors of the Holy Roman Empire,

beginning with his family.

- How did the vision for this burial site

inform the physical design of the cathedral?

(dramatic music)

- [Narrator] A vast subterranean chamber

holding the secrets of emperors and kings

stretches beneath the Speyer Cathedral.

- This is the largest Romanesque crypt in the world,

covering an astounding 850 square meters.

- [Narrator] The design is achieved

through an unprecedented feat of 11th century engineering,

groin vaults.

- Vaults are an incredible mechanism

to support structural loads.

They're arches and they can resist a lot of force.

Think about an egg.

When you push down on an egg,

it's really strong because it is an arched system.

Imagine that you had a block of cheese

and you held it and you bent it.

You would see that cracks would form on the bottom side,

and the top would maybe wrinkle in compression.

So the bottom side is experiencing tension,

and the top is experiencing compression.

So we break bending down into those two fundamental forces.

We ideally want to minimize bending

because it requires a robust section.

So that's where the arch comes in.

It's this beautiful mix of axial forces

and bending forces and resisting those forces

through its vault, or ceiling,

and bringing those forces down into the haunches

and having them be dissipated

throughout the rest of the building

and eventually down into the soil.

Groin vaults, in particular, are quite interesting.

They're geometrically complex.

You've got two arches that are intersecting

and the precision required to get that right,

to make sure there's equilibrium in the forces

and that that arch won't collapse,

it's difficult engineering.

- [Narrator] Groin vaults reduce the need

for internal supporting columns,

allowing the creation of larger, more open interior spaces.

These architectural departures

would set a new standard for Romanesque architecture.

- When we get to the Speyer Cathedral with the new methods

of building these crisscross arches,

now the spaces are even larger and grander,

and those structures are a measure of our wealth,

a measure of our status.

- [Narrator] Even the placement of the doors is unique,

standing prominently at the eastern end of Speyer Cathedral,

a bold departure from traditional medieval church design,

which typically reserves the eastern wall for the alter.

(soft music)

The richly decorated doors,

adorned with symbols of resurrection and eternal life,

create a profound psychological effect.

They remind visitors of the honored dead beneath their feet

and their own mortality,

blending imperial grandeur with spiritual contemplation

in a masterful stroke of architectural symbolism.

- If you study a cathedral,

you've got clearly a thirst to find a way

to convey divine on Earth.

So what does a cathedral do

that earlier churches couldn't do?

Well, through its height,

through its use of vaults to create openness,

through its use of enormous windows eventually,

this brings in light.

This brings in a sense of majesty,

and the verticality conveys divinity.

So on so many levels, it is communicating that God is here.

(gentle bright music)

- [Narrator] But Conrad II would not live

to witness the cathedral's legacy or even its completion.

The crypt is not consecrated

until two years after Conrad II's death in 1039 CE.

- So the building of Speyer Cathedral

had established Conrad II,

not only as the legitimate ruler of the Holy Roman Empire,

but it also established him as a religious authority

within the empire as well.

Decades later, in the 1080s,

his grandson Henry IV would further this aim

by expanding the cathedral considerably.

But this would bring him into direct conflict with the Pope.

(soft tense music)

- [Narrator] The expansion introduces

two key architectural innovations

that will influence church design for centuries to come,

a system of decorative blind arches

and the addition of a circumferential gallery

encircling the entire cathedral.

But as Speyer Cathedral reaches new heights

of architectural brilliance,

it becomes embroiled in a bitter power struggle

that will shake the foundations of medieval Europe.

- The history of Speyer Cathedral is intimately connected

with one of the most significant and damaging controversies

to rock the body of the Catholic Church,

this was the Investiture Controversy of the Middle Ages.

- The Investiture Controversy

was a conflict around the right to appoint church officials.

- For centuries, kings and emperors had claimed the right

to appoint new people into religious positions

within their kingdom or territory.

But by the time we get to the 11th century,

popes are becoming much more powerful,

and the Pope now is ready to start exerting

more power and influence.

They claim that they have the sole right

to decide who's going to be a new bishop.

- Bishops were in charge of dioceses,

which were territories of the church,

but they lie within other lands.

And so they could be a potential threat, rulers thought,

to their authority if there are more obedient

to the papacy than to them.

- Now, this will put the Pope on a collision course

with all of the secular rulers of Europe.

But it would be Henry IV that would take up the challenge.

- [Narrator] The cathedral itself

becomes a symbol of this struggle.

- The building of Speyer Cathedral was, in a way,

the declaration that he was both a spiritual

and a political leader, and that this cathedral,

which was going to be one of the highest

and most grandiose of the time,

would be an expression of both those authorities.

(soft music)

- [Narrator] The conflict will reach its peak

when the papacy decides to take drastic measures.

- So it all gets started when the Bishop of Milan dies

and we have a vacancy.

So for a period of time,

there's just a lot of arguing back and forth

between the Pope and Henry

about who's going to be this new bishop.

It goes on for too long,

and eventually Henry loses his patience

and simply appoints the person that he wants into the role.

This infuriates the Pope.

He immediately excommunicates Henry.

- The Pope uses his most powerful tool.

It's called "the interdict".

And the other tool he used was excommunication.

What does this mean?

Excommunication is the power to kick someone

out of the Christian body.

And interdict actually puts a ban on worship

in his territory.

This means that none of his subjects can go to mass.

They cannot be buried with the rites.

They, in other words, are going to suffer spiritually

because of the loss of these ritual services.

- That is a terrible fate for any religious person.

And symbolically, it's even worse for someone like Henry,

the emperor of a vast territory.

The German nobles begin to line up against him.

He has very few options.

(dramatic music)

He decides to make a very public penance.

Now, penance in the Middle Ages

was something you had to do quite visibly,

and it usually needed to be really embarrassing.

He finds out that the Pope is staying at Canossa,

so he travels there.

- The Holy Roman Emperor, Henry IV,

undertakes a perilous journey across the Alps.

(soft tense music)

- Excommunicated by the Pope,

he's seeking to salvage his reign

by begging for forgiveness.

(soft tense music)

- He stands barefoot in the snow for three days,

begging for forgiveness as a penitent.

(soft tense music)

- The Pope feels pressured by this public display

and eventually lifts his excommunication.

- The Pope forgives him,

but this marks a pivotal moment in medieval history,

because we now have what was arguably

the most powerful secular ruler in Europe,

waiting to ask forgiveness of the Pope.

Never again will we see popes quite this powerful.

It is the zenith of their power.

- On the one hand, he's accepting

that he is in this situation politically weaker

than the Pope.

But on the other, he's modeling himself as a good Christian

by imitating Christ.

And so I think if we think from the mindset,

late medieval mindset,

shaming is also a process of spiritual restoration,

renewal, purification.

It's a ritual act as much as anything else,

and he is participating in that.

- So while for a time there was peace between the Pope

and the Holy Roman Emperor, it didn't last.

The Pope excommunicated him several times over his lifetime.

And unfortunately for Henry, he happened to die

during one of those periods of excommunication.

And this created a massive controversy,

because if he was excommunicated,

it meant that he wasn't allowed to be buried

in Speyer Cathedral,

the very structure that his grandfather had created

for burying emperors of the Holy Roman Empire.

- [Narrator] It is five years following his death

that the punishment is lifted

and Henry IV is finally interred in the cathedral.

(dramatic music)

Another path of humiliation, mirroring Henry IV's journey,

extends beyond the cathedral walls

to the very road leading to it.

- In the Middle Ages, penance was meant to be public,

and it was meant to be embarrassing.

Cathedrals usually played a prominent role

in what is known as the "walk of shame".

The so-called walk of shame would begin with a criminal

being escorted from the church through the town

to their jail.

Along the way, they would carry embarrassing reminders

of their crime.

They would be forced to endure the taunts of the townsfolk,

potentially even rotten fruit

or vegetables being thrown at them.

And this would be a very public and embarrassing way

of cleansing their soul and walking towards salvation.

(dramatic music) (indistinct chatter)

- [Narrator] This public spectacle blended punishment,

deterrence, and religious penance

in a uniquely medieval way.

- These walks of shame were an opportunity

for the penitent to demonstrate humility.

It was a massive fall from grace.

But in recognizing their sins publicly,

they were also begging for forgiveness.

- [Narrator] The physical layout of the walk of shame itself

reinforces its historical significance.

- The two poles, for example,

in the procession of criminals to the prison,

involved the cathedral on one end

and the prison on the other.

These are the two poles of local governance and authority.

So the procession of the criminal was intended to,

on the one hand, demonstrate the authority

of these two institutions locally,

but at the same time,

it was intended to represent the values

and the beliefs of that local society, as well.

- [Narrator] The walk of shame remains a haunting reminder

of the complex relationship between religion, justice,

and society in medieval Europe.

- The practice of public shaming

gradually falls out of favor as public attitudes

towards punishment change.

But vestiges of it still survive in public apologies

and community service.

- When we feel shame, it's because people that we know,

that we value their opinions of us

are there to see what we did wrong.

It's easy to be shameless, for example,

when you're anonymous on the internet.

In that walk from the cathedral through the town of Speyer

presumably everybody knew everybody else

in some way, shape or form

and everybody will know what your crime is.

You will forever be known for that.

(soft tense music)

- [Narrator] From the heart of medieval Europe

to the sun-drenched coasts of ancient Anatolia,

another civilization seeks to honor its dead

and preserve its legacy through monumental architecture.

Rock cut marvels reveal a very different approach

to commemorating the deceased

and offer a window into a unique culture

that bridged the ancient worlds of Greece and Persia.

(gentle music)

Along the rugged coastline of modern Turkiye,

carved into the very face of the mountains,

a haunting visual sight serves as the last reminder

of a long lost civilization.

- These tombs really are testament

to the architectural skill of this ancient people.

- The exterior of these Lycian tombs is elaborate,

and it really evokes

this kind of Greco-Mediterranean culture

with columns and elaborate motifs.

- Despite their grand exteriors,

the interiors of these tombs are strikingly bare.

Why were they left empty?

- [Narrator] Legend speaks of these tombs

as gateways for celestial beings to reach the deceased.

- Maybe their one function

might have been to be homes for the dead,

but given the fact that they're empty,

they don't have any items for them in the other world,

perhaps the purpose is very different.

We simply don't know.

- We don't truly understand

the significance of these structures,

because we have limited historical records of the Lycians.

(gentle music)

- According to the historian Herodotus,

the Lycian trace their roots back to the island of Crete.

The story goes that there were a pair of brothers,

the sons of Zeus and Europa.

They fought over the rule of the island of Crete.

Sarpedon lost the dispute

and fled to the mainland to modern day Turkiye.

He establishes a settlement known as Termilae,

which later became known as Lycia.

- The Lycians were known

for their fiercely independent nature.

They trace their lineage through their mothers,

which is a unique practice in the ancient world.

They're also deeply religious

with their primary gods that they worshiped being Apollo,

Artemis, and Leto.

(soft music)

- [Narrator] The Lycians left behind

a rich architectural legacy,

but none more striking than their elaborate tombs.

- These tombs are carved into sheer cliff faces,

often at dizzying heights.

- The choice of building high up this way

in these dramatic landscapes on cliff tops

gives us an idea that they associated height with divinity.

And we have to remember that certainly the Greek gods

were believed to live up high, Mount Etna was the home.

And mountains globally have long been places

which were considered to be homes to deities

and sites of divine communication.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] The Lycians were master stone masons,

taking advantage of the soft limestone

prevalent in the region.

This allowed for easier carving

but also proved durable enough

to withstand centuries of weathering.

- The level of detail in the carvings is astounding.

- When we look at other tombs carved into rock

at places like Petra in Jordan,

these are more accessible by ground entry, more or less.

But what makes these tombs so unique

is the fact that they're not accessible.

The fact that they're carved high into the cliffside.

- How is this achieved,

and why was building high so important?

(soft music)

- The Lycians viewed death as a journey to another world.

- They practiced a form of ancestor worship

and believed the spirits of the dead needed a place to rest.

- When they die, they believed that these winged creatures

will come and take them away

and bring them to the underworld.

- We believe this is why they built their tombs

in high places to bring the deceased closer to heaven.

(gentle bright music)

- [Narrator] The Lycians ability to create these tombs

at these great heights in seemingly inaccessible locations

suggests that they developed techniques for working

at extreme elevations.

- They're built extremely high up,

so we're going to take some technology to build structures

to support our workers when we're up carving these tombs.

When you think about the tombs themselves and the carving,

you have to put it in the context of the era.

We don't have ready access to iron,

and so we're using bronze tools.

These tools aren't particularly sharp.

They aren't particularly hard.

There would have been a lot of tool wear.

So you're actually going through a lot of tool materials.

You'll have a lot of people actually just constructing tools

because you're using them so quickly.

So while these structures look relatively simple to build,

the technology at the time that's required to do it

is actually leading edge.

- It's a totally different way to construct something.

It's construction by subtraction.

You are carving out potential areas of strength

that that entire rockface is relying on.

To see their thoughtfulness around building in a column,

to support a slab over a void,

and have another void on top of that,

it's quite a meticulous undertaking.

You can't haphazardly run in there

and just blast and chip away whatever you want,

because you can't put it back once it's gone.

(soft music)

- [Narrator] It's believed these ancient masons

likely began carving from the top of the cliffs

and worked their way downwards,

sculpting a variety of inset structures

down the steep terrain.

- They come in a variety of styles,

each reflecting different aspects of their culture

and their beliefs.

- The styles may have been the same styles of the homes

in which the Lycians also lived,

which made these tombs still part of the local community.

But at the same time, they're quite high up,

which suggests that maybe their one function

might have been to be homes for the dead.

But given the fact that they're empty,

they don't have any items for them in the other world

perhaps the purpose is very different.

We simply don't know.

- [Narrator] One tomb in particular, the tomb of Amyntas,

boasts an exquisitely celebrated exterior

carved to resemble a Greek temple facade.

It contains rooms and chambers.

- These chambers should be rich with artifacts and clues

about Lycian culture.

But instead, they're empty.

- It's not unusual to find such places empty

when they're discovered in modern times,

because there was so much looting

that went on over the centuries

that anything that wasn't hidden was basically looted.

- However, there is a lack of evidence

of any forced entry or damage.

- [Narrator] Does the explanation then lie

in Lycian funerary practices themselves?

(dramatic music)

- Worship in this culture involved ritual offerings,

animal sacrifices, and very lavish funerary practices.

- One possibility is that the rooms

were for a period of time

actually a site of temporary burial.

Perhaps this is where they performed the rituals necessary

to help the body pass on to the next world.

Because the Lycians,

like other societies around the Mediterranean,

believed that death rituals were critical

to the passage of the spirit on to the next world.

Now, these rituals varied,

but one thing that they all shared in common

was the involvement of multiple stages of preparation.

And so perhaps it's up in these tombs

that that ritual observance,

which could perhaps last several days,

took place before the bodies were finally removed

to their permanent burial elsewhere.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] But perhaps the most intriguing theory

for these barren interiors

lies in the mere symbolism of these tombs.

Some scholars propose that the elaborate exteriors

of these structures are meant to serve as a representation

of an eternal house of the dead,

visible reminders of the souls that once held importance

in Lycian society.

According to this idea, the empty chambers within

may reflect a belief that the spirit of a deceased citizen

is no longer in need of earthly possessions.

- The artistic designs, the architectural designs

suggest that they were influenced

by their domestic architecture.

So this raises questions about what was their intention?

Were they trying to create homes in the after world,

for example, for the dead,

something that made them part of the same community,

but obviously was for those who had passed away?

- If the tombs were primarily symbolic,

why carve out interior chambers at all?

- When you look at ancient people

and their beliefs about death and the afterlife,

you tend to find a common theme running through it

across the globe,

and that is that death was always a passage

to the next stage.

And in some cultures, that results in caves being the place

where you can cross over to the afterlife.

In others it was underground passages,

or through bodies of water,

or up in the air where you would be taken away.

And these themes repeat themselves over and over again.

They tend to be places where you don't really know

what's beyond it.

And so when you've lost somebody,

you hope that they are moving on somewhere else,

and then these are the passages

by which you might be able to go visit.

- Perhaps in this case,

the Lycians were not burying them

with the items they needed for their life after death.

Perhaps this was just a place that they could remember them.

- The Lycian tombs, to this day,

remain one of the ancients' most elusive secrets.

(soft music)

- We really don't know why people need to believe

that life goes on after death.

There are lots of religions out there that cover it.

So there's something there about the idea

that our consciousness that's within us

tends to feel a bit free floating.

It's not necessarily tied to our body,

and therefore, if our body dies,

then our consciousness should travel on somewhere else.

- If you think about why did people

historically treat the moment of death

and death itself as a moment to build monumental structures

or structures that recognize death,

I think we have to confront

that death was an ever present reality

of people historically,

and that was something that they were constantly

preoccupied with: How to get to the other world.

And tombs were about recognizing

that continuing relationship between the living

and the dead, and the connections between this world

and the next world.

So if we think about it that way,

then investing in these monuments actually was practical,

but it also had spiritual purpose.

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