All language subtitles for oracles.and.prophets.s01e10.1080p.web.h264-cbfm_track3_[eng]

(wondrous music)

- [Narrator] Throughout the
ages, there have been whispers

of those who see beyond
the veil of time,

visions of doom, warnings
from the unknown,

and messages from the divine.

- Harriet Tubman claims
visions and messages from God

give her the strength not
only to liberate herself

from the bondage of slavery,

but also to lead enslaved
people to freedom

by way of the
Underground Railroad.

- [Narrator] For
India's state of Kerala,

a bizarre phenomenon unfolds.

The heavens weep blood,

leaving scientists
scratching their heads

and believers searching
for a divine explanation.

- It would be
astonishing, right?

Like it would be
the kind of thing

that freezes you in your tracks.

- [Narrator] The Temple
of Apollo at Didyma

is second only to Delphi

and considered one of the
most important oracular sites

in the world.

- We see big characters in the
Roman Empire coming to Didyma

to enjoy Didyma for what it is,

but also to commune with
that sort of greatness

that Alexander the
Great imparted on it.

- [Narrator] What lies
behind these visions?

Is there a rational answer?

Or do forces less tangible
offer us the gift of prophecy?

(clock ticking)
(grand inquisitive music)

(subdued music)

In the 19th century, America
is a deeply divided nation.

Slavery is an
entrenched institution

dating back hundreds of years,

with generations
upon generations

of Black people's lives fraught

with poverty,
violence, and hardship

with many never knowing
the prospect of freedom.

- Although the United
States was founded

as the "land of the free,"
not everybody was free,

particularly in the Southern
states of the United States,

where the institution
of slavery endured,

and that was the enslavement

of African Americans
on plantations,

where they worked
under brutal conditions

with absolutely no human rights.

- [Narrator] From this
oppressive shadow,

a woman by the name of
Harriet Tubman emerges

as a beacon of light.

- Harriet Tubman was
an extremely religious,

passionately religious figure.

She was often
referred to as Moses

as a result of her ability

to lead enslaved
individuals to freedom.

And her fervent devotion
is really what was said

to be the source of not only
her courage and conviction,

but a sense of prophecy.

- She was somebody
who experienced a
traumatic brain injury

that led her to have visions.

Her work in social justice

and leading raids in the
Civil Rights Movement,

all of these things were
a very deep connection

between personal
trauma, spirituality,

and a belief that she
could change the future.

- [Narrator] How did
Harriet Tubman realize

her seemingly
supernatural capabilities?

And how did they thrust her

into a life of
unwavering service?

- Harriet is born in
1822 to enslaved parents

and also grows up enslaved.

(serious music)

- Harriet was being forced

to essentially
operate as a nursemaid

for her enslaver's baby.

And, if she made
noise or disobeyed,

she would be brutally
beaten by this woman.

Through lack of education,

people actually really
don't have an understanding

of what the life of someone
who was enslaved was like.

It was horrifying.

- [Narrator] But it's an
incident in her early teens

that changes Harriet's
life and destiny forever,

when she witnesses

another enslaved individual
attempt an escape.

Unfortunately, an
overseer watches the
event unfold as well,

and hurls a two-pound
weight into the open,

perhaps to thwart
this bolt for freedom

or to injure the
compliant bystander.

In any case, the weight
hits Harriet in the head

and cracks her skull.

- And for the rest of her life,

endures fits and terrible pain
as a result of this injury.

- It's unknown how this injury
and the subsequent symptoms

affected her relationship
with her enslaver.

Were there additional punishment

because of her
decreased productivity,

or did her family and fellow
enslaved people help her

and protect her from the
wrath of a cruel enslaver?

- [Narrator] During
sleep episodes,

Harriet experiences
visions and vivid dreams

that she believes is
divine messaging from God.

She describes
hearing angels sing

and prophetic voices speaking
in a strange language.

And when Harriet emerges
from the dreamworld,

she experiences sudden outbursts

of passionate religious praise.

- There's a very famous
story in psychology

about a character
named Phineas Gage,

who was working on the railroad

and was tapping down
these gunpowder things

using a metal rod.

And at one point, it
ignites the gunpowder

and shoots the rod
through his frontal lobes,

through the front
part of his brain.

He survives. He's okay.

He can even go back to work.

But his personality is
completely different.

That could be similar to
what happened to Harriet.

That area of the frontal
lobes is the same sort of area

where we have a lot
of sort of control,

what we call executive
control functions over us,

and we kind of
watch how we behave,

and we don't say certain
things to certain people.

But if that area
becomes damaged,

we tend to become less
inhibited, more chaotic.

And this is probably the kind
of thing we saw with Harriet.

- One of the great
influences on Harriet

is something called "the
Second Great Awakening"

this is a kind of protestant
revivalist movement

that sweeps across
the United States.

- Not only white communities,

but also Black
communities as well.

And Harriet Tubman is very
much swept up in this.

(gentle music)

- It's a charismatic movement,

an explosion of spirituality
that sweeps people along.

And Harriet becomes one of
those who is truly inspired.

- For Black Americans,
there's this,

you know, strong desire,
of course, for freedom.

And part of this
religious fervor

becomes associated with that.

And that's kind of guiding
her religious conviction

but also her dreams
and her visions.

- [Narrator] But before
Harriet can rescue others,

she must embark on the dangerous
journey of freeing herself.

- The death of
Harriet's enslaver

opens a window of
opportunity for her.

His death means that a number
of the enslaved will be sold,

and perhaps those other
enslavers may be harsher.

Harriet knows she
can no longer live

bound by the chains
of oppression

and is determined to
take control of her fate.

It's a perilous decision.

If caught, she risks being sold

into the states
of the Deep South.

- [Narrator] In 1849,
Harriet steals away

under the cover of darkness,

using the North Star and
a covert group of allies

that make up what is known
as the Underground Railroad,

a coalition of abolitionists

helping to plot the escape
plans of the enslaved.

- But this is kind of,
a misleading description

because you picture
something underground

and you picture a
railroad, and it's neither.

It's, if you want, a
route for slaves to take.

(subdued music)

- [Narrator] Escape
routes are called "lines".

Safe houses are
known as "stations",

and those helping along
the way are "conductors".

Escaping slaves were discreetly

called "packages" or "freight".

- What we're talking about
is a network of people

who are there to help runaway
slaves escape to safe places

in the North and Canada,

and they did it by providing
safe haven for them

as they're traveling, food,

giving them directions
to next safe places,

but also protecting them
from local scrutiny.

- [Narrator] After
a harrowing journey,

Harriet crosses the border

into the neighboring Free
State of Pennsylvania

and settles in Philadelphia.

- So this is a very
powerful moment for Harriet.

She later would describe
it as a moment of glory,

like being in heaven.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] Philadelphia
hosts a large population

of free Blacks and those
seeking freedom from the South.

- Tubman's now in
Philadelphia. What does she do?

Well, she wants to work

because she wants to bring
her family to freedom.

She's working in domestic work.

This is all to bring
her family with her.

- [Narrator] It's
in Philadelphia

where Harriet acquaints herself

with prominent Black businessman

and abolitionist William Still,

who recruits Harriet
as a conductor.

- And it's not clear when
exactly this happens,

but they meet,

and at some point they
start working together.

- When Harriet meets William,

she now finds a new
purpose for her,

a purpose that she thinks
she was born to do.

- [Narrator] Within a
year of her arrival,

everything is about to
dramatically change.

In September of 1850,

Congress passes the
Fugitive Slave Act.

The act requires that slaves
be returned to their owners,

even if they are
in a free state.

- Now, this posed
a serious threat

to Harriet Tubman and other
escaped slaves in the North,

because it said that
even in a free state,

any slave had to be repatriated,

returned to their
previous owner.

(soft music)

- Harriet is not only a
brave and devout woman,

but a quite righteous
and moral woman

who felt that it was
her divine mission

once she had freed herself
to also free others.

- [Narrator] Harriet
Tubman relies

on her vast network of sources

to help her guide
others to safety

but none more important
than her faith

and belief in her
unseen protector.

- We know from Harriet
Tubman's account

of her time as a conductor that
she felt over and over again

that she had not only a
divine responsibility,

but that God was protecting her.

And one example is when,

during one of these
very dangerous journeys,

they arrive at what's
supposed to be a safe house,

only to discover that
it had been compromised.

They are greeted by
an unfamiliar man
who's standing there.

He said, "It's too late.

They've discovered
this safe house.

You are not safe here anymore."

She realized that
they had to escape

because there were already
a search party out for them.

So what does she do?

She looks around and
she leads her group

into a very potentially
dangerous situation.

They're going into a marsh,
and it's starting to rain.

And it's raining
very, very hard.

And they have to wait
until they think it's safe.

- [Narrator] This is
potentially catastrophic

for Harriet and those
under her protection.

Once day breaks,

the patrollers will be combing
the area for fugitives.

- And it's while they're out
there overnight for hours

that she eventually
hears a voice

coming from a near distance

but that says there
is a wagon nearby

in a farm not far away.

And it's at this point

that she realizes this is
perhaps God talking to her.

- [Narrator] For her,
visions and premonitions,

which often proved crucial

in navigating
perilous situations,

are personal messages from God.

(subdued music)

Harriet helps dozens
of slaves to freedom,

a mission that she believes

will one day result in
the liberation of all.

In January of 1863, Abraham
Lincoln officially issues

the Proclamation
of Emancipation,

which declares that
persons held as slaves

in the Confederacy
shall be free.

- And there was rejoicing

and jubilation amongst all
the abolitionists of the North

and amongst all
the former slaves.

And when Harriet reacted rather,

you know, nonchalantly to
the news, she was asked,

"Why aren't you so excited?

This is what we've been
working towards for so long."

And Harriet said, "I did
my celebrating years ago."

She apparently had a vision,
a dream during the night,

which spelled out exactly

how all of the slaves
would be emancipated,

and she woke up
incredibly happy.

She came downstairs
in the morning

and she was singing to herself

and telling everybody
around what she had seen.

- [Narrator] As she gets older,

her premonitions and
episodes continue,

and begin to correlate
with great disasters.

In January of 1884, she has a
particularly harrowing dream.

- She has a dream about
fire and destruction,

and what happens is that
a steam ship goes down

in Martha's Vineyard.

What would be the significance

of her specifically
having an understanding

of Martha's Vineyard?

- [Narrator] On
January 18th, 1884,

the steamer ship
City of Columbus

runs aground during a
storm in Martha's Vineyard.

Over 100 people
died in the wreck.

In another vision, she sees
the earth cracking open

and houses and
people falling in.

And on September 7th, 1882,

an earthquake and subsequent
tsunami hits Panama.

The biggest such disaster
in Panamanian history.

- And this leads to
her having a reputation

not only as a liberator of
slaves but also as a prophetess.

- [Narrator] Few can explain
Harriet's prescient visions,

though after the war her
power gains recognition

both locally and nationally.

- Her bouts of religious
fervor aren't limited

to what she sees and dreams.

She's known for shouting and
rejoicing in the streets,

often inviting
others to join her.

- [Narrator] While the
faithful and devout

see her gift as truly divine,

some were less certain as
to the root of her power.

- Harriet Tubman's visions
and gift of prophecy

really comes from whether or
not people believe individuals

have the right to contact
and connection with God.

There can be this sort

of very traditional
Christian perspective,

that it's sort of
akin to witchcraft

and if that is something that
is held in a negative light,

it makes sense why people
would be uncomfortable

with that aspect of her journey.

And, yet, she did so much good.

- [Narrator] Even
through a medical lens,

consensus is difficult.

- Some have suggested that
it may have been the result

of temporal lobe epilepsy,

as a result of being
attacked when she was young.

- Hallucinations
of various sorts,

driven by just
activation of the brain,

the temporal lobe driving what's
called the occipital lobe,

which is where our
visual system works.

So it's sort of
hyperactivates that

producing all these
images that can be quick,

they can be vivid,

and they can be very
emotionally compelling.

Are these visions more extreme

if somebody is
experiencing narcolepsy

or just the brain
damage she has?

Perhaps. Perhaps
it's just dreams.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] Throughout
the 1850s and early '60s,

Harriet Tubman makes
13 daring trips

along the Underground Railroad,

guiding about 70
enslaved to freedom,

among them at least
three of her brothers,

their wives, and children.

- Harriet's faith really
provides her with the strength

to continue in the face
of unspeakable danger,

and this same faith is also
a source of inspiration

for others and embodies
this sense of purpose

for those around her.

- I think Harriet and
her wisdom is connected

to one of the deepest truths

that we find within Black
womanhood, which is the idea

that we are pillars of
strength within our communities

and, oftentimes, are keepers,

keepers of the communities

and safe keepers
of the community.

- [Narrator] Was Harriet's life
mission divinely reinforced?

Though the answer
may never be known,

her conviction reveals
the profound ways

in which faith can shape
the human experience.

This meeting of the
mystical and practical,

heavenly and earthly,

appears yet again
halfway around the world,

when an ominous event changes
a nation's understanding

of nature itself.

(uneasy music)

In 2001, amid the
annual monsoon,

the lush tropical
state of Kerala

on India's southwestern coast
awaits its annual renewal.

Dark clouds gather
on the horizon,

promising the life-giving rains

that have shaped
the region's culture

and agriculture for millennia.

- The monsoon is a really
important season in Kerala,

and it's deeply ingrained both
in the agricultural calendar

but also in its kind
of cultural fabric.

- [Narrator] For farmers,
these rains are crucial,

providing nearly 70% of the
state's annual rainfall.

- All farmers and people
connected to agriculture

know the importance of rain.

It is probably the single
most important signifier

of the farming
season that exists.

For anyone, really anyone
who is growing anything,

when the rains come

that is the moment when
the season can begin.

- [Narrator] But this year,

as the skies open and rain
falls across the region,

a macabre spectacle
will soon unfold.

The rain that splashes

onto leaves, buildings,
and bewildered onlookers

is not the clear
liquid they expect.

Instead, it falls in
ominous shades of red,

the streets of Kerala's
towns and villages

taking on an apocalyptic hue.

- When the rain falls blood red,

it turns a familiar
natural cycle

into something both
fascinating and unsettling.

- [Narrator] As the crimson
deluge falls from the sky,

many turn to ancient texts and
prophecies for explanation.

- The Book of Revelations,

the last book in
the New Testament,

has visions of the End of Days.

In Revelations, there
are two witnesses

who were able to turn
water into blood,

and so some interpret
the blood of rain

as the fulfillment
of biblical prophecy.

- [Narrator] Kerala
becomes the epicenter

of a global mystery.

The once-verdant paradise
now drips with gore,

drawing scientists,
religious leaders,

and morbidly fascinated
onlookers seeking

to understand the nature of
this biblical-seeming event.

Is this a divine warning,
nature's twisted joke,

or a harbinger of
something more malevolent

lurking just beyond
our comprehension?

When scarlet drops initially
fall from the skies,

a collaborative team
of scientists ponder
a cosmic culprit:

dust from an earth-bound meteor.

(meteor crashes)

Yet before long, this
theory is rejected.

As researchers search for
more convincing clues,

a primal fear begins
to grip the region.

- When something unnatural
happens, like raining blood,

the suggestion is there's
some force out there

that is not happy right now.

There is something
that is not aligned,

that is not the way
it's supposed to be.

And that portends some,
some very scary times ahead.

(hectic music)

- [Narrator] Even
in our modern era

of scientific understanding,

the sight of blood can evoke
powerful emotional responses.

- When you witness
events like this,

we can retrospectively offer
all kinds of explanations,

but when you're in
the moment of them,

you do get frozen in this
moment of the uninterpretable.

- [Narrator] The
impact can extend

beyond individual psychology

to shape collective behavior
and decision making.

- When the people of
Kerala are gathering

for their ritual of renewal
around the monsoon rains,

they have certain expectations.

And it's the meeting
of those expectations

that kind of keep
the culture moving.

- We can imagine ourselves
going to a festival

or just anticipating the
rainy season starting,

a time of rain coming down

and providing renewal
and rebirth and growth.

But instead the rain is
red. It's a rain of blood.

- [Narrator] Throughout
history, the skies have wept

in a spectrum of strange hues.

- Blood rain or red rain
is not unique to Kerala.

Throughout history,
there have been instances

of colored rain occurring
throughout the globe.

(subdued music)

- [Narrator] On a
spring morning in 1876,

a farm near Olympia
Springs, Kentucky

becomes the site of one of
the most bizarre phenomena

in American history.

- The so-called
Kentucky Meat Shower

is one of the most disturbing
natural events ever recorded.

On March 3rd, 1876, Mrs. Crouch
was making soap in her yard

when suddenly chunks
of blood and raw meat

begin falling from
the cloudless sky.

Described as a shower
of flesh and blood,

it lasts only a few
minutes but leaves an area

of about 100 yards by 50 yards
covered in pieces of flesh.

- [Narrator] The startling event

quickly captures the
public imagination

and scientists' attention
across the country.

- Meat the size of
anything from little flakes

to four-inch filets.

Some brave locals even
tasted the raining meat,

comparing it to venison,
mutton, and bear.

- [Narrator] As news of the
Kentucky Meat Shower spreads,

theories about its cause
begin to proliferate.

- They kind of run
the gamut here,

where some are theorizing

that there's a scientific
explanation for this.

One that's put forward
is a cyanobacteria,

which is quickly discredited.

Some claim that it's some
sort of meat-bearing meteor.

And others claim that
this is a sign of God,

or some sort of
magical occurrence.

- [Narrator] The
timing of the event

adds to its perceived
significance

occurring just one decade
after the American Civil War.

For many, it's an ominous
signal of upheaval yet to come.

- People have this habit

as they tell stories to one
another, to kind of up the game,

to make the story a
little more dramatic,

and adding the meat
makes it more dramatic,

and then adding the fact that
people were eating the meat

adds this whole
inconceivable level to it

that would make that a story
that would spread quickly.

It has a lot of emotional punch,

and my suspicion is
that this tells us more

about the dynamics of sort
of social storytelling

than it does about the reality
of what happened on that day.

- [Narrator] Samples of
the meat were preserved

and examined by
several scientists.

The most plausible explanation
came from a local scientist

who declared it to
be a coordinated bout

of projectile vulture vomit
from the birds flying overhead.

- [Narrator] "The
Iliad" offers a glimpse

into the ancient
Greek worldview,

where the gods themselves

would manipulate the
very fabric of nature.

In Book 11, Homer describes
Zeus, the king of the gods,

as sending a rain of
blood upon the earth.

- It's been suggested that
this represents Zeus's grief

over the impending death
of his son Sarpedon,

but it also represents how
the Greeks viewed blood rains

as a manifestation of the
gods, of their emotions,

of their intervention,

and it was seen as a
sign, a celestial signal.

(eerie music)

- [Narrator] Similar
accounts of blood rain appear

in other ancient
texts and cultures,

often interpreted as
portents of disaster

or signs of divine displeasure.

- For example, in
the Irish chronicle,

"The Chronicum Scotorum",

there's a blood rain
recorded for the year 878.

Blood rains were often
interpreted as a bad omen.

They also sometimes were
associated with the druids,

who people believed had the
power to call on such things.

- We know that for some people
this was seen as reverence,

as gods looking down
on you and saying,

"Ah, yes, you are a warrior.
This is my blood," perhaps.

The blood of Christ

has also always been
something very significant.

- [Narrator] Starting
in the 17th century,

explanations begin to shift
towards environmental causes,

reflecting a broader evolution

in human understanding
of natural phenomena.

- As we start to understand more

about kind of global
weather patterns

and atmospheric conditions,
as well as algae and bacteria,

there's a growing understanding

of what these types of
blood rains really could be.

(subdued music)

- [Narrator] The
Kerala blood rain

represents the
culmination of this shift,

with advanced scientific methods

providing more
definitive explanations.

Analyzing particulate matter
beneath powerful microscopes,

researchers draw on the
collaborative efforts

of meteorologists,
microbiologists,
and geneticists.

But the scientific
community remains divided.

After years of speculation,
a breakthrough comes in 2015,

when a team of Indian
and Austrian scientists

make a startling discovery.

- As it turns out, analysis
of the blood rain revealed

that there's a green algae
within a lot of that rain

that produced these red spores,

and it was the red spores

that caused the rain to have
that blood-like quality.

- The study confirmed
that the color red

could be attributed
to a micro green algae

known as Trentepohlia annulata.

- [Narrator] This
algae had never before

been documented in India.

So the discovery
raises new questions

about how these algal spores
ended up in the Kerala rain.

How did an algae, previously
seen predominantly in Europe,

end up thousands of kilometers
away in southern India?

- This is what sparked
investigators' curiosity.

- [Narrator] The research
reveals that the DNA sequence

of the Trentepohlia
annulata found in Kerala

had very little difference
from its Austrian counterpart,

which suggests recent
introduction of the
species to India.

The study proposes a mechanism

called "clouds over
oceans dispersal"

where algal spores are
carried by wind into clouds,

which then drift
across vast distances.

- The intercontinental
dispersal of microorganisms

is not necessarily
a new theorization,

but it has implications
for understanding cases

like the blood rains of Kerala.

- [Narrator] Even
in modern times,

religious interpretations
of blood rain

persist along
scientific explanations.

- While scientists
have provided evidence

that suggests there's a natural
basis for these blood rains,

some people still believe

that perhaps there's spiritual
significance as well.

- With something like
blood pouring from the sky,

we've had stories
about apocalypses

for as long as
we've had stories.

So human beings are kind
of like culturally tuned

to large-scale emergency.

(dark music)

- [Narrator] However, not
all religious interpretations

view it as a harbinger of doom.

- Normally, blood
rains in sources

carry negative connotations
such as bad omens.

That's not always the case.

Sometimes they are seen as
representative of power.

So, for example, in
the medieval source,

"The Chronicle of
William of Newburgh,"

a blood rain drenched
Richard the Lionheart,

and this was seen as evidence
of his power and his resolve,

rather than anything negative.

- [Narrator] The
ruby rains of Kerala

have become a source
of fascination,

and mark perhaps one of the
most memorable monsoon seasons

in the region.

- While scientific
research has diminished

some of the mystery
surrounding blood rain,

it hasn't changed its
cultural significance,

and blood rain remains
at the intersection

between cultural belief and
scientific understanding.

- [Narrator] While Kerala
witnessed a startling spectacle,

the oracle of Didyma offered
a different kind of vision,

one that both fascinated and
frightened the ancient world.

(wind rustling)

(subdued music)

The ancient Greek
sanctuary of Didyma,

nestled on the western
coast of modern-day Turkey,

was once home to one of
the most revered oracles

of the ancient world.

For centuries, pilgrims
and rulers alike

journeyed to the sacred site

seeking divine guidance and
glimpses into the future.

- Located near Miletus
in modern-day Turkey,

it's home to a renowned
sanctuary and temple

dedicated to Greek god Apollo.

The site's history predates
Greek colonization.

The Temple of Apollo at
Didyma was one of the largest

and most significant temples
in the Hellenistic world.

Its layout is unique
and grandiose,

designed to create a
sense of mystery and awe

to those who visit.

- [Narrator] The temple
stands on a high podium

with seven steps

and is surrounded by at
least 120 massive columns

and has unique characteristics

that set it apart from
the other oracle sites.

- Unlike most typical
Greek temples,

the inner chamber
of the building

was actually open to the sky.

The adyton, which
was the oracle room,

was accessed by
two long tunnels.

At its heart was a spring,

and it was believed that
if someone drank from it,

they would receive prophecies
and visions of the future.

- [Narrator] The
spring is central

to the oracle's mythology,

with some claiming
it to be the spot

where Zeus had seduced
the titan Leto.

- Zeus is known as
the King of the gods,

the ruler of Olympus,

and a god who was engaged
with numerous women,

much to the anger of
his wife, Queen Hera.

Her husband, Zeus, was drawn
to Leto, the titan goddess.

- [Narrator] Their affair
results in the birth

of twins, Artemis, and Apollo,

who are two of the most
powerful and revered gods.

- Apollo, who is often imagined
as this force in motion,

right, driving his chariot,

is associated with a lot
of elements of culture:

music, poetry, but particularly
storytelling and prophecy.

- [Narrator] Apollo
communicates through the oracles

at the famous Temple of
Delphi, but also at Didyma.

- A question was
posed to the oracle

in the form of a letter.

The priest would
descend into the oracle

and converse with Apollo,
emerging with the answer.

- The role of prognosticators

in this oracle-organized culture

was these were people
who were trusted

to have the skills

and what we might
call the literacy,

to be able to read,

you know, elements
of the present,

truths that are, you know,
around us in the moment

and weave them into narratives

that give us a sense
of what we can expect.

- [Narrator] The Oracle of
Didyma plays a crucial role

in ancient politics
and decision-making.

- City states and their leaders

often consult oracles before
making important decisions,

such as declaring war,
forming alliances,

or establishing new colonies.

They were also consulted
to explain acts of nature

or occurrences that seemed
beyond human control.

- [Narrator] One such
leader, Alexander the Great,

emerges around four centuries
after Didyma's inception.

- Alexander the Great is
one of the most famous

and renowned leaders
of the ancient world.

He was a son of
Philip II of Macedon,

and he came to the throne
at the young age of 20.

After that, however, he set his
ambitions on doing something

that no one had been
able to do before.

He managed to unite
the entire Greek world,

all of these
different city states

which had spent centuries
warring against one another

under his control
for the first time.

(gentle music)

- [Narrator] In 334 BCE,
Alexander the Great embarks

on an ambitious campaign to
conquer the Persian Empire.

- So when Alexander decides

to take his army towards
the Persian Empire,

it is a crazy decision.

The Achaemenid Empire
is the largest,

most powerful empire of its day.

The resources that it
possesses are vast.

If Alexander is to succeed,
he doesn't just need luck.

He needs divine intervention.

- [Narrator] At the time
of Alexander the Great,

the Persian Empire is under
the rule of King Darius III.

A figure who ascends the throne

after the previous two
kings are assassinated.

- Alexander wants
to free Greek cities

along the Anatolian coast

and on the island of Cyprus
that are under Persian control.

- [Narrator] As he marches
towards invading the heartland,

Alexander the Great moves
along the Ionian coast

to the ancient city of Miletus

and its nearby sacred site,
the Temple of Apollo at Didyma.

- By the time Alexander
reaches Didyma,

the temple is in ruins by
the hands of the Persians.

When Alex visits Didyma, he
actually consults the oracle,

and he's wondering if his
claim to take over Persia

will be successful.

- [Narrator] It is
said that the answer

he receives from the oracle is

"Do not hurry back to Europe.

Asia will be much
better for you."

- Taking on the Persians is
an incredibly risky move.

The Persian forces vastly
outnumber the Greeks,

and although the Greeks

have had encounters with
the Persians before,

such as at Thermopylae
or Marathon,

they've never done it
on Persian soil before.

- [Narrator] But
before leaving Didyma,

Alexander the Great
orders the temple

to be restored to
its former glory

after laying in ruins
for almost two centuries

as a result of the Persian
invasion two centuries before.

- The temple of Apollo at Didyma

had been plundered
and destroyed.

It was said that the sacred
spring itself had dried up.

If Alexander could somehow
restore this temple,

would it perhaps bring
him the luck he needs

in order to defeat the Persians?

- [Narrator] With
the gods on his side,

Alexander and his army

of tens of thousands of
soldiers march onward to Persia.

- In just three years,

Alexander the Great actually
had three major battles.

He took over modern-day
Syria, Turkey, and Egypt.

And then he sets his
sights on Darius.

- According to accounts,
Alexander's visits coincide

with the miraculous resurrection
of Didyma's sacred spring.

This event is seen
as a divine sign

of Apollo's favor
towards Alexander.

Could his order to
rejuvenate the site

perhaps have given
him good luck?

- Ancient people very
much endorsed the notion

of what we call "animism,"

this feeling that nature
wasn't just a set of processes,

that it might be alive,

and that there might be
something beyond that

in the spiritual world,
in the metaphysical world,

that actually had
control of the events

that happened on the planet.

- [Narrator] Alexander's
endorsement of the site

leads to increased political

and religious significance
for the oracle,

attracting pilgrims and
rulers from all over.

- Because of
Alexander's success,

the oracle of Didyma
becomes a place

where military rulers
want to ascend to,

in order to take in its
skills and expertise

and seek its guidance.

- [Narrator] It also becomes
known outside the Greek world

and is held in high regard
across Ancient Rome,

further enhancing its
prestige and influence.

- With the springing
of the water,

that gives Alexander the Great

some of that metaphysical mojo

that makes him probably
as impressive as he is.

But in the same time, Alexander
the Great embracing Didyma

gives it a mystique that
others now want a part of.

(soft music)

- [Narrator] Ambitious
new construction

also begins in the temple

to not only restore it
to its former grandeur,

but to expand into one of
Greece's largest temples.

However, it won't be long
before it suffers another blow.

After the death of Alexander
the Great in 323 BCE,

the Greek world
descends into disarray.

- When we think about
Alexander's legacy,

in many ways, it's
culturally more significant

than the empire that
he built to begin with.

When he dies at
a very young age,

and we still don't
know how he died,

we do know, though,
he was suffering ill
health before that,

what he left behind was
a Hellenistic culture

that would continue to shape
the Mediterranean world

from this time forward.

- [Narrator] Around
the year 278 BCE,

the Galatians, a Celtic
tribe situated in the north,

seize on Greece's vulnerability

and raid various Greek cities
and sites, including Didyma.

- It's in this historical
context that the Galatians,

on the northern border

of the former empire
of Alexander the Great,

invade and pillage and
generally loot many

of the Greek cities, including
the Temple of Didyma.

- [Narrator] The Galatians
are defeated two years later,

and construction on
the temple continues

early into the common era.

However, the rise
in Christianity

sees the prominence and
influence of oracles change.

In 303 CE, Roman
Emperor Diocletian

consults the oracle at Didyma

about how to deal with the
growing number of Christians.

- In the early fourth century,

the Roman Empire was entering
into a period of transition.

What had started as
a small Jewish sect,

Christianity had now
grown to sizable numbers

across the empire, and the
growing numbers of Christians

had begun to threaten
the existence

of the powerful imperial cult,

the religion of
the Roman Empire.

- Diocletian sees
the Christian refusal

to worship the imperial
cult as, quite frankly,

the end of the Roman Empire.

- [Narrator] Emboldened
by the oracle's message,

Diocletian escalates his actions
and orders the destruction

of a major Christian
church and its library,

which is followed by a series

of edicts stripping
Christians of their rights.

- Humans have human conflict

that gets in the way of
spiritual importance.

And so here we have the
Romans hating Christians

and the Christians having
to face persecution.

And this entire
conflict that happens

that just results
in retaliation,

that has Didyma
turned into a church.

And the real sad part
about all of this

is that that beautiful
spiritual place

that once provided
leadership opportunities

and spiritual guidance to the
people is now just in ruins.

- [Narrator] Despite the
savagery of the persecution,

it begins to wane.

Diocletian abdicates
his throne in 305 CE,

paving the way for a
new emperor, Galerius.

- While Galerius had
initially been a supporter

of the Diocletian persecutions,

he later has a change
of heart on his deathbed

and issues the
Edict of Toleration.

It represented a dramatic
shift in Roman policy

towards the Christians.

Over the century that followed,

Christianity continued to spread

and grow in influence
within the Roman Empire.

In fact, over time it
would in fact become

the official religion
of the Roman Empire.

- [Narrator] Christian
leaders portray oracles

as false prophets and
having demonic influences,

discouraging their followers

from seeking guidance
from these sources.

- Eventually, the priests
of the old imperial cult

are even arrested or executed,

perhaps in retribution
for the persecutions

that Christians had
experienced under Diocletian.

- [Narrator] In the 7th century,

a major earthquake causes
damage across the region,

but it's another
in the 15th century

that spells the
demise of the temple.

- The second earthquake
actually took a huge amount

of the land that
once held Didyma,

but also the population
that surrounded it.

- [Narrator] The ruins
remain in present-day Turkey

and serve as a reminder of the
crucial role oracles played

in ancient times.

They were a vital link between
the divine and mortal realm.

Their importance was deeply
ingrained in Hellenistic culture

and formed an integral part

of the ancient Greeks'
understanding of
fate and free will.

- The story and legacy
of Alexander the Great

can't be truly understood
without recognizing

the central importance

that the Temple of Apollo at
Didyma played in that story.

- Perhaps Alexander
the Great is so great

because of his belief,
not only in spirituality,

to guide him and to
help create greatness,

but he believed in himself.

This obviously is a man
who had tremendous ego

and tremendous belief that
he could do these things.

I don't think it would
have happened if he didn't.

But I think what Didyma did

is it gave him a
sense of realness,

of acceptance of this
idea that if he asked

and got the answer
that he needed,

that everything that he
wanted to do could happen.

And sometimes this belief
that the gods are watching you

and that you have their support

and that you're doing
your life's work,

I mean, that could make
you be able to conquer

what we knew of the whole
world at that moment, you know?

And so he conquered
from Greece to India

and then even
became a living god.

(subdued music)

- [Narrator] Alexander the
Great's legacy is a reminder

that greatness often lies

at the intersection
of human capability

and the intangible forces

that shape the beliefs
and aspirations of people.

He not only conquered
the known world

but captured the imagination
of generations to come.

The oracle's prophecies
guided military campaigns

and political decisions.

The oracle's response
led to the conquering

of the Persian Empire and
the Great Persecution,

which forever altered the
course of Christianity.

(grand music)

From the halls of antiquity,

where empires sought their fate,

to the foreboding skies
that delivered an omen,

and the visions of one woman
who blazed a path to freedom,

these divine whispers
echo across the centuries

mysterious, unexplained, and
yet somehow lighting the way

when all hope is near lost.

(warm inquisitive music)