All language subtitles for Mythical.Beasts.2018.S01E06.720p.WEB.H264-JFF_track3_[eng]

[ ROARS ]

Narrator: THE MINOTAUR.

A TERRIFYING MONSTER.

HALF MAN, HALF BULL.

[ ROARING ]

THE MINOTAUR WAS
BORN BECAUSE A WOMAN

FELL IN LOVE WITH A BULL.

Narrator: SO DANGEROUS,
IT WAS IMPRISONED

IN A HUGE LABYRINTH
AND FED ON HUMAN FLESH.

BEYOND THE SACRIFICE, THEY WERE
INTENTIONALLY BUTCHERED.

Narrator: THE ANCIENT GREEKS
CREATED THIS BLOODY MYTH

BECAUSE OF WHAT THEY SAW HERE.

THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS IN CRETE.

ARCHEOLOGISTS WERE
CONVINCED THAT BURIED

BENEATH THE CITY OF KNOSSOS,

THEY WOULD FIND THE LABYRINTH.

Narrator:
BUT WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED

TO INSPIRE THIS MONSTROUS TALE?

IT REALLY WAS A VERY
LARGE, VERY TERRIFYING

BULL-LIKE ANIMAL.

Narrator:
COULD THERE BE FAR MORE

TO THIS ANCIENT MYTH
THAN WE REALIZE?

FOUND A REALLY,
REALLY INTERESTING FEATURE HERE,

A SUBTERRANEAN FEATURE.

Narrator: AND WILL DECODING
IT FINALLY REVEAL

THE TRUTH ABOUT
THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO

AND WHAT THEY REALLY DID?

TO WORSHIP A MONSTER,
SACRIFICING OUR CHILDREN,

IT'S HARD TO RELATE TO TODAY.

Narrator: NOW EXPERTS USE
THE LATEST SCIENCE IN ARCHEOLOGY

TO INVESTIGATE CRETE'S
MYSTERIOUS RUINS.

Woman: PRETTY LOOSE HERE,
SO JUST BE CAREFUL.

Narrator: AND VENTURE DEEP INTO
ITS HIDDEN UNDERWORLD

TO UNCOVER
THE TERRIFYING REALITY

BEHIND THIS MYTHICAL BEAST
OF ANCIENT TIMES.

[ ROARING ]

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

♪♪

KNOSSOS IN CRETE,

SAID TO BE THE BIRTHPLACE
OF THE MYTHICAL MINOTAUR.

WAY BEFORE THE X-MEN,
GREEK MYTHOLOGY

WAS ALREADY COMBINING
HUMANS AND ANIMALS

TO CREATE MONSTERS AND HEROES.

THE AVENGERS,
YOUR "GAME OF THRONES" CAN RUN

FOR MULTIPLE SEASONS.

THE GREEK MYTHS, THOSE STORIES
HAVE BEEN GOING ON

FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS.

MINOTAUR IS ONE OF
THE GREATEST MONSTERS

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

IT'S THE FIRST SUPER-VILLAIN.

Narrator:
THE MINOTAUR MYTH TELLS

OF A TERRIFYING RITUAL.

EVERY NINE YEARS, 14 YOUTHS
FROM THE GREEK MAINLAND

ARE TORN FROM THEIR
FAMILIES AND SHIPPED

TO A MAGNIFICENT PALACE
ON THE ISLAND OF CRETE.

♪♪

HERE THEY ARE FORCED INTO
A GIGANTIC LABYRINTH

SO COMPLEX, THERE'S NO ESCAPE.

♪♪

THEY ARE A SACRIFICE TO
A MUTANT MAN-EATING MONSTER.

♪♪

THE MINOTAUR.

[ GROWLING ]

BUT IS THIS JUST A TALE?

OR DID TERRIBLE THINGS
REALLY HAPPEN ON THIS ISLAND

THAT INSPIRED THE ANCIENT GREEKS

TO CREATE THIS MYTH?

MOST MYTHOLOGY IS
BASED IN SOME FACT,

SOMETHING THAT WAS
REALLY OBSERVED.

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGIST,
ALEXANDER MacGILLIVRAY

SEARCHES FOR ANSWERS AT KNOSSOS.

THIS ANCIENT PALACE CITY
WAS BUILT 4,000 YEARS AGO

BY A POWERFUL
AND MYSTERIOUS CIVILIZATION --

THE MINOANS.

THE PALACE HERE AT
KNOSSOS WAS EXCAVATED

120 YEARS AGO, AND YET,
EVEN IN ALL THAT TIME,

WE'RE STILL KINDA
SCRAMBLING TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT THIS PLACE IS.

Narrator:
THESE RUINS HOLD MANY SECRETS.

BUT EVIDENCE FOUND HERE CONFIRMS

THAT ALEXANDER IS DEFINITELY
IN MINOTAUR TERRITORY.

MacGillivray: HUNDREDS OF THESE
COINS HAVE BEEN FOUND HERE

OVER THE CENTURIES.

WHAT WE HAVE ON THE FRONT
SIDE IS THE MINOTAUR,

WE CAN SEE HIM SORT OF
LEAPING THROUGH THE AIR.

AND WHEN YOU FLIP IT OVER,
WE HAVE THE LABYRINTH,

SO THEY'RE BOTH
REFERENCES TO THE MYTH

OF THE MINOTAUR
AND ON MANY COINS,

THERE'S THE INSCRIPTION
THAT SAYS KNOSS.

AND SO WE KNOW
THAT IT'S KNOSSOS.

Narrator: THE MINOANS WERE ONCE

THE MOST POWERFUL CIVILIZATION
IN THE MEDITERRANEAN.

FIERCE ENEMIES OF
THE MAINLAND GREEKS.

WHEN WE THINK ABOUT
ANCIENT GREECE,

A LOT OF TIMES WE THINK ABOUT IT

IN MODERN TERMS,
LIKE IT'S A COUNTRY,

BUT AT THE TIME, IT WAS
A LOT OF LITTLE CITY STATES

THAT WERE NOT ALWAYS
GETTING ALONG VERY WELL.

THE ENTIRE MAINLAND OF GREECE

MUST HAVE BEEN TERRIFIED
OF THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION.

Narrator:
BUT DID A CREATURE REALLY KILL

GREEK YOUTHS HERE AND IF SO,

WHAT WAS IT?

ALEXANDER THINKS
THE ANSWER COULD LIE

IN THE MINOAN RELIGION
AND THE MYSTERIOUS CEREMONIES

ONCE PERFORMED HERE.

THESE BUILDINGS ALL
CONTAIN RITUAL ROOMS.

IT WAS UP IN THIS NEIGHBORHOOD
THAT OUR EXCAVATIONS CAME UP

WITH THIS VERY, VERY
UNUSUAL COLLECTION OF BONES.

♪♪

Narrator:
REMAINS OF ANIMAL SKELETONS

ARE COMMON ON
ARCHEOLOGICAL DIGS,

BUT THESE SPECIMENS REVEAL
A VERY UNUSUAL STORY.

THIS IS WHAT WE'RE
USED TO FINDING

ON EXCAVATION,
FRAGMENTS OF ANIMAL BONES

THAT HAVE BEEN DE-FLESHED.

YOU'LL FIND CUT MARKS,

AND THAT WAS THE STANDARD
WAY OF PREPARING MEAT.

SOMETIMES, IF YOU'RE
NEAR A FIREPLACE,

YOU'LL FIND THAT SOME OF
THESE BONES HAVE BEEN BURNT.

Narrator:
BUT SOME SPECIMENS REVEAL

A PARTICULARLY DISTURBING
ASPECT OF LIFE HERE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

WE FOUND BONES THAT WERE
COMPLETELY DIFFERENT.

VERY, VERY INTERESTING, INDEED.

THEY WERE HUMAN BONES.

Narrator:
ALEXANDER BELIEVES THESE PEOPLE

MET A BRUTAL AND VIOLENT DEATH.

SOME OF THE BONES,
LIKE THIS FEMUR HERE,

WERE SMASHED UP,
INTENTIONALLY BROKEN.

THESE ARE THE FRAGMENTS
OF FOUR INDIVIDUALS,

AND THEY'RE ALL CHILDREN.

THEY'RE TOO YOUNG TO EVEN KNOW
WHAT GENDER THEY ARE.

Narrator: COULD THESE BE
THE YOUTHS REFERRED TO

IN THE MYTH?

WHO, OR WHAT, WAS RESPONSIBLE
FOR THESE GRIZZLY DEATHS?

HERE YOU CAN SEE EVEN
ON ONE OF THE VERTEBRAE

WHERE THERE'S BEEN
CUTTING ON THE VERTEBRAE

AND THE BACKBONE ITSELF.

YOU CAN SEE
THE SORT OF CUT MARKS

SLICING AWAY
EXACTLY THE SAME WAY

THAT YOU REMOVE
THE FLESH FROM ANIMALS

WHEN YOU'RE PREPARING A MEAL.

♪♪

WE SUSPECTED THAT
THEY WERE, PERHAPS, SACRIFICED,

BUT THEN
BEYOND THE SACRIFICE,

THEY WERE INTENTIONALLY
BUTCHERED.

♪♪

Narrator:
THIS DISCOVERY IS NOT UNIQUE.

INVESTIGATORS HAVE
UNCOVERED EVIDENCE

OF SACRIFICIAL RITUALS
RIGHT ACROSS THE ISLAND.

THREE MILES SOUTH OF KNOSSOS,

WHEN ARCHEOLOGISTS EXCAVATED
THE REMAINS OF A TEMPLE,

THEY MADE A GRIZZLY FIND
IN ONE OF THE ROOMS.

LYING ON A TABLE,
A TEENAGE MALE,

HIS LEGS CURLED BACK
LIKE HE'D BEEN BOUND

AND A BRONZE DAGGER BY HIS SIDE,

SIGNS THAT HE WAS
A VICTIM OF SACRIFICE.

AND AT THE WESTERN END OF CRETE,

IN THE PALACE OF KYDONIA,
ARCHEOLOGISTS UNEARTHED

CAREFULLY ARRANGED
PILES OF ROCKS.

THEY CONCEALED ANIMAL
BONES AND THE SKULL

OF A YOUNG WOMAN
WHO COULD BE ANOTHER VICTIM

OF A DEADLY RITUAL.

THE EVIDENCE LEAVES NO DOUBT,

HUMAN SACRIFICE WAS
HAPPENING HERE ON CRETE.

BUT WHY WAS THE FLESH
BEING CUT OFF THEIR BONES?

WAS IT TO FEED A MONSTER?

[ ROARING ]

THE IDEA THAT A MONSTER
WOULD EAT HUMAN FLESH

IS SOMETHING THAT'S ALWAYS
FREAKED HUMAN BEINGS OUT

AND SO ANY MONSTER
THAT DOES EAT PEOPLE,

THAT'S JUST ONE MORE
THING TO MAKE THAT MONSTER

SOMETHING TO BE FEARED.

Narrator: WAS THIS BEAST
THE INSPIRATION

FOR THE MINOTAUR?

THAT IS A HUGE HEAD.

I MEAN, WE'RE STARTING TO
APPROACH DINOSAUR SIZE NOW.

Narrator: CAN FINDING
THE MYTHICAL MONSTER'S PRISON,

THE GIANT LABYRINTH,
FINALLY PROVIDE THE ANSWERS?

[ ROARING ]

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

♪♪

Narrator: AT THE ANCIENT PALACE
OF KNOSSOS IN CRETE,

EXPERTS INVESTIGATE
WHY THE ANCIENT GREEKS

CREATED THE TERRIFYING
MINOTAUR MYTH.

WAS A MUTANT MONSTER
EATING THE FLESH

OF PEOPLE SACRIFICED AT
RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES HERE?

INVESTIGATORS TURN TO THE TALE
TO HUNT FOR MORE CLUES.

♪♪

THE STORY GOES THAT THE GOD,
POSEIDON, GIVES KING MINOS

A WHITE BULL AS A GIFT.

HE THEN CURSES THE QUEEN
TO FALL IN LOVE WITH IT.

SHE GIVES BIRTH
TO A MUTANT BABY,

HALF BOY, HALF BULL AND TRIES TO
NURSE THE CHILD HERSELF.

BUT SHE SOON DISCOVERS,
HE'S CURSED.

A MONSTER THAT CAN ONLY EAT
HUMAN FLESH,

THE MINOTAUR IS BORN.

THE KING IS SO ANGRY,
HE IMPRISONS THE BEAST

IN A HUGE LABYRINTH, A GIANT
MAZE SO LARGE AND COMPLEX

THAT NO ONE CAN EVER
FIND THEIR WAY OUT.

[ ROARING ]

THERE'S A NUMBER OF STORIES

THROUGHOUT GREEK
MYTHOLOGY OF HUMANS

HAVING SEX WITH ANIMALS.

THIS DOES NOT SUGGEST
THAT COPULATION WITH BULLS

WAS PART OF THE EVERY
DAY LIFE OF MINOANS.

I THINK IT WAS A CURIOSITY

THAT IS EXPLORED IN MYTH
SO THAT IT DOESN'T HAVE

TO BE EXPLORED IN REAL LIFE.

Narrator: BUT WHAT REAL EVENT
COULD'VE INSPIRED

THE TALE OF A BOVINE
MONSTER HERE AT KNOSSOS?

WHAT DID THE ANCIENT GREEKS SEE?

ARCHEOLOGIST
ALEXANDER MacGILLIVRAY

INVESTIGATES.

MacGillivray: THERE'S EVIDENCE
FOR BULL ICONOGRAPHY

ALL OVER THIS BUILDING.

THIS IS A PLAN OF THE PALACE.

THERE IS THIS BULL'S HEAD.

ACROSS THE CENTRAL COURT,
THERE WERE FRAGMENTS

OF THESE MINOAN HORNS
OF CONSECRATION.

A GREAT CHARGING, BELLOWING BULL

THAT WE HAVE IN
THE NORTH ENTRANCE PASSAGE

THAT GREETS YOU ON THE WAY IN.

THINK OF THE IMPRESSION
THAT WOULD MAKE

ON PEOPLE COMING IN
FROM ALL OVER CRETE

AND EVEN FROM OVERSEAS.

Narrator: BULLS CLEARLY HAD
INCREDIBLE STATUS HERE.

BUT DID THE MINOANS
INCLUDE THEM IN A RITUAL

THAT INVOLVED HUMAN SACRIFICE?

♪♪

AT THE HEART OF THE PALACE,

ALEXANDER UNCOVERS MORE CLUES.

MacGillivray: THE WHOLE
ARCHITECTURE OF THIS BUILDING

LOOKS INTO THIS COURT.

THIS IS REALLY WHAT
DEFINES THE PALACE.

Narrator: THIS CENTRAL PLAZA
STANDS OUT AT KNOSSOS.

IT'S HUGE AND IS THE ONLY
AREA HERE LEFT EMPTY.

WAS THIS THE LOCATION OF
THE SPECTACULAR, BUT DEADLY,

BOVINE RITUAL?

MacGillivray:
SO YOU'VE GOT BUILDINGS AROUND

IT ON ALL SIDES.

YOU COULD HAVE PEOPLE
GAZING DOWN INTO THE COURT.

SO WHATEVER HAPPENED
IN THIS COURT

WAS HUGELY IMPORTANT.

[ GROWLING ]

Narrator:
THE REMAINS OF A PALACE MURAL

COLD PROVIDE THE ANSWER.

SOME EXPERTS BELIEVE
THIS COULD BE EVIDENCE

THAT PEOPLE WERE, INDEED,
KILLED BY BULLS HERE

IN A DRAMATIC EVENT.

THIS IS PART OF A MUCH,
MUCH LARGER COMPOSITION

THAT WOULD HAVE
COVERED SOMETHING LIKE

THAT WHOLE SPACE UP THERE.

Narrator: PIECING TOGETHER
THE REMAINING FRAGMENTS

GIVES AN INCREDIBLE
INSIGHT INTO THE EVENT.

WHEN RESEARCHERS UNEARTHED
THIS ANCIENT MEGASTRUCTURE,

THEY FOUND HUNDREDS OF
FRAGMENTS OF PAINTED PLASTER

CREATING A HUGE PUZZLE
NEARLY 3,500 YEARS OLD.

TOGETHER, THEY REVEALED
THE FIGURE OF A MIGHTY

CHARGING BULL.

AROUND IT, THREE MINOAN FIGURES.

ONE GRABBING THE BULL'S HORNS,

ONE SOMERSAULTING
OVER IT'S BACK,

AND ONE TO
CATCH THE PERSON JUMPING.

FIVE OF THESE
PAINTINGS WERE FOUND,

FORMING A GIANT BILLBOARD
OF WHAT COULD BE

AN EXTREME ANCIENT RITUAL --

BULL LEAPING.

ONE WRONG MOVE
AND YOU CAN BE KILLED.

WHAT WE SEE FROM THE PAINTINGS

IS THAT BULL LEAPING WOULD'VE
TAKEN PLACE RIGHT HERE.

THEY PROBABLY LED
THE BULLS UP THE RAMP HERE

IN THE NORTH ENTRANCE PASSAGE

AND THEN LEAPED OVER
THE BULLS RIGHT HERE

WITH EVERYBODY WATCHING.

Narrator:
THIS RITUAL COULD'VE INSPIRED

THE IDEA OF BULLS AS
KILLERS AT KNOSSOS.

LEAPING OVER THE BULL IS LIKE,

IF YOU MAKE IT, YOU'VE
SURVIVED THIS INCREDIBLE FEAT.

IT'S LIKE OVERCOMING
YOUR FEAR OF DEATH.

WHAT I CONTINUE TO
FIND SO FASCINATING

ABOUT THE MYTH OF THE MINOTAUR

IS THAT WE STILL HAVE
THE SAME FEATURES

IN RITUALS TODAY.

FOR EXAMPLE, IN THE RUNNING
OF THE BULLS AT PAMPLONA,

WE SEE THE SAME MOTIFS.

HUMANS PUTTING THEMSELVES
IN THE WAY OF DANGER,

USING BULLS TO SHOW STRENGTH.

[ GROWLING ]

THE MINOTAUR'S STILL AROUND
IN DIFFERENT FORMS TODAY.

Narrator: BUT NOT ALL BULLS HERE
WERE LIKE THE BEASTS OF TODAY.

ALEXANDER BELIEVES SOME
WERE SUPERSIZED MONSTERS.

A PALACE ROOM DESTROYED
3,500 YEARS AGO

PROVIDES THE EVIDENCE.

THESE BLOCKS HAVE BEEN HURLED
BY A MASSIVE EARTHQUAKE

RIGHT OFF THE SOUTH FACADE
OF THE PALACE.

AFTER THE EARTHQUAKE,
THE MINOANS WENT BACK

INTO THE ROOM AND PLACED
THESE TWO MASSIVE BULL SKULLS

AS A PART OF AN OFFERING.

Narrator: EXAMINING X-RAY
IMAGES OF THE SKULLS

REVEALS THESE WERE, INDEED,
NO ORDINARY CREATURES.

YOU CAN SEE THE BULL'S
HEAD, GREAT LONG HEAD.

AND THEY WERE PLACED,
THEY WERE SEVERED FROM THE BODY

AND THEY WERE PLACED
INTENTIONALLY IN THE CORNER

OF THE ROOM.

IF YOU LOOK AT THIS
DETAIL OF THE HORNS,

YOU'LL SEE THAT,
IN FACT, THEY'RE HUGE.

THESE ARE FROM VERY,
VERY LARGE ANIMALS,

MUCH BIGGER THAN
YOU WOULD EXPECT

FROM REGULAR DOMESTIC CATTLE.

Narrator: BUT JUST HOW LARGE
AND POWERFUL WERE THESE BEASTS?

[ GROWLING ]

COMPARATIVE ANATOMIST,
DR. JOY REIDENBERG

DISSECTS AND STUDIES
THE BIGGEST CREATURES

IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM.

TODAY, SHE INVESTIGATES
THE REAL WORLD ORIGINS

OF MYTHICAL MONSTERS.

JOY BELIEVES THESE
SKULLS ARE FROM

A GIANT ANCIENT SPECIES
CALLED AN AUROCH.

THIS IS A PHOTO OF
AN AUROCH SKULL.

THESE ARE THE TYPES OF SKULLS
THAT WERE IN THE PALACE

AND THIS IS ACTUALLY
REDUCED PICTURE.

IF I WERE TO MEASURE THIS SKULL,
END TO END LIKE THIS,

IT WOULD, IN REALITY,
BE ABOUT THIS BIG.

ALMOST AS WIDE AS I COULD REACH.

YOU COULD IMAGINE,
THAT IS A HUGE HEAD.

I MEAN, WE'RE STARTING TO
APPROACH DINOSAUR SIZE NOW.

Narrator:
THESE EXTINCT SUPER-BULLS

WERE ON A COMPLETELY
DIFFERENT SCALE

THAN THE CATTLE OF TODAY.

BASED ON THE SIZE OF THE SKULLS
THAT WERE FOUND AT THE SITE,

ESTIMATES ARE THAT THEY
WERE PROBABLY BETWEEN

1,500 AND 3,000 POUNDS

AND PROBABLY MORE THAN
SEVEN FEET IN HEIGHT.

THAT WOULD BE
A TERRIFYING SIGHT TO SEE.

Narrator: AUROCHS DIED OUT
NEARLY 400 YEARS AGO,

BUT THESE BEASTS WERE COMMON IN
ANCIENT GREECE AND CRETE.

THERE MAY ACTUALLY BE SOME
TRUTH BEHIND THIS LEGEND.

MOST LEGENDS REALLY
START WITH A LITTLE FACT

THAT IS TRUE.

Narrator: GIANT BULLS CLEARLY
HAD EXTRAORDINARY STATUS

AT KNOSSOS, BUT WAS
AN EVEN BIGGER ONE

IMPRISONED SOMEWHERE
IN THIS PALACE?

TO FIND OUT, EXPERTS
NOW HUNT FOR EVIDENCE

OF THE GIANT LABYRINTH,
SAID TO BE THE MINOTAUR'S HOME.

MacGillivray:
IT'S LIKE A COMPLICATED

UNDERGROUND PASSAGEWAY.

Narrator: WAS A HUGE MAZE EVER
BUILT AT KNOSSOS?

AND WHAT COULD IT REVEAL ABOUT
WHAT REALLY HAPPENED HERE?

[ ROARING ]

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

♪♪

Narrator:
EXPERTS UNCOVER THE TRUTH

BEHIND THE BLOODY LEGEND
OF THE MUTANT MINOTAUR.

[ ROARING ]

NOW, THE HUNT IS ON
TO FIND THE MAZE,

THE PRISON SAID TO
HOLD THE BEAST CAPTIVE.

♪♪

THE CLUE TO ITS LOCATION
IS IN THE MYTH.

[ BIRDS CALL ]

ACCORDING TO LEGEND,
THE LABYRINTH IS SAID

TO LIE DEEP BENEATH
THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS.

IT'S A HUGE WEB OF
WINDING TUNNELS SO COMPLEX

AND SO VAST THAT ONCE YOU ENTER,

IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND
YOUR WAY OUT AGAIN.

THE CERTAIN FATE OF
ANYONE BROUGHT HERE

IS DEATH IN THE MINOTAUR'S JAWS.

WHEN THE PALACE WAS
FIRST DISCOVERED,

I THINK A LOT OF
THE PEOPLE INVOLVED

DID GENUINELY THINK,
NOW WE'LL FIND THE LABYRINTH.

YOU KNOW, IT'S GOTTA BE HERE.

ARCHEOLOGISTS WERE
CONVINCED THAT BURIED BENEATH

IN THE CITY OF KNOSSOS
THEY WOULD FIND THE LABYRINTH.

♪♪

Narrator: BRITISH ARCHEOLOGIST,
SIR ARTHUR EVANS

WAS ONE OF THESE.

HE DEDICATED MOST
OF HIS WORKING LIFE

TO HUNTING DOWN
THE MINOTAUR'S LABYRINTH.

IN 1900, HE BEGAN
HIS FIRST EXCAVATIONS

OF THE PALACE.

TODAY, ARCHEOLOGIST
ALEXANDER MacGILLIVRAY

CONTINUES THE INVESTIGATION.

WITHIN FIVE YEARS,

ARTHUR EVANS HAD GIVEN
A PRETTY CLEAR

PICTURE OF THIS
ENORMOUS BUILDING.

Narrator: WHAT EVANS DISCOVERED
WAS A TRULY BEHEMOTH STRUCTURE.

IN ANCIENT TIMES, IT WOULD
HAVE DWARFED ANYTHING

IN EUROPE.

THIS PALACE WRAPPED AROUND
A LAVISHLY DECORATED

THRONE ROOM AND TOWERED UP TO
FOUR STORIES HIGH.

THERE WERE OVER 1,000 ROOMS

SPREADING OUT ACROSS
200,000 SQUARE FEET.

BUT DID THE MINOANS CONSTRUCT

A CONCEALED LABYRINTH
HERE, AS WELL?

♪♪

MYSTERIOUS SYMBOLS
CARVED ACROSS THE PALACE

SUGGESTS THE MAZE COULD INDEED

BE MORE THAN JUST A STORY.

WHAT WE HAVE HERE
IS A MASON'S MARK

IN THE SHAPE OF
A DOUBLE BITTED AX.

YOU CAN SEE THE TWO TRIANGLES
AND THE STAFF IN THE MIDDLE.

Narrator: THE ANCIENT GREEK WORD
FOR THIS TYPE OF AX IS LABRYS.

IT CONVINCED EVANS
HE WAS CLOSE TO HIS GOAL.

THIS GAVE HIM EVIDENCE
FOR THE LABYRINTH,

THE PHYSICAL LABYRINTH.

♪♪

Narrator: EVANS DISCOVERED
MORE CRUCIAL CLUES.

THE STRUCTURE OF
THE PALACE PROVED

THE MINOANS HAD
THE ENGINEERING EXPERTISE

TO BUILD A GIANT MAZE.

THE SCALE OF
THE BUILDING WAS ENORMOUS.

♪♪

ALL OF A SUDDEN, HE WAS
EXCAVATING THIS BUILDING

OF 1,000 ROOMS.

Narrator:
AT THE TIME MOST STRUCTURES

ON MAINLAND GREECE
WERE SMALL AND SIMPLE,

KNOSSOS WAS ON
A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SCALE.

MacGillivray: SO IMAGINE
SOMEBODY COMING TO CRETE

AND THEN WALKING
INTO THIS BUILDING

WHERE YOU'VE GOT WINDING
BASEMENT CORRIDORS,

DIFFERENT FLOOR LEVELS
GOING UP AND DOWN STAIRS.

THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN
COMPLETELY BLOWN AWAY.

Narrator: BUT IS THERE EVIDENCE
OF BUILDING WORK

BENEATH THE PALACE, WHERE
THE MYTH PLACES THE LABYRINTH?

MacGillivray: I FOUND A REALLY,
REALLY INTERESTING FEATURE HERE.

A SUBTERRANEAN FEATURE.

Narrator: AT THE WESTERN
END OF THE PALACE,

ALEXANDER EVENTUALLY
FINDS A WAY IN

TO THIS MYSTERIOUS NETWORK.

MacGillivray: IT GOES IN
UNDERNEATH THE BUILDING.

IT'S LIKE A COMPLICATED
UNDERGROUND PASSAGEWAY.

Narrator: WHERE DO THESE
CHANNELS LEAD?

COULD THIS BE
THE ENTRANCE TO A MAZE?

IT LOOKS LIKE IT
GOES IN A LONG WAY.

IT'S REALLY KINDA DARK
AND CLAUSTROPHOBIC IN THERE

SO TO GET A BETTER IDEA,

I'M GONNA PUT THIS
CAMERA IN ON A POLE

AND MONITOR IT ON THIS PHONE.

♪♪

OKAY AND AS WE GO IN
DEEPER AND DEEPER,

WE FIND, IN FACT, THAT
THE CHANNEL IS BLOCKED.

♪♪

IT'S OBVIOUSLY
INCREDIBLY WELL-BUILT.

IT'S PART OF A WELL
ENGINEERED SYSTEM,

BUT WE CAN'T GET
ANY FURTHER HERE.

Narrator:
DIGGING UP THESE RUINS TO HUNT

FOR THE MINOTAUR'S
MAZE IS NOT POSSIBLE.

THE PALACE IS
SIMPLY TOO DELICATE.

BUT NEW TECHNOLOGY MAY
FINALLY HAVE FOUND THE ANSWER.

GROUND PENETRATING RADAR WORKS

BY SENDING A RADIO
SIGNAL INTO THE SOIL.

THIS DETECTS ANYTHING
HIDDEN UNDERGROUND.

EXPERTS HAVE NOW
COMPLETED A NUMBER

OF DIFFERENT
PAINSTAKING SURVEYS.

COMBINING THE RESULTS
GIVES A DEFINITIVE ANSWER.

♪♪

THERE IS NO MAZE
BENEATH THE PALACE.

THESE CHANNELS ARE
BELIEVED TO BE THE REMAINS

OF A WATER NETWORK.

IT IS SUBTERRANEAN, IT IS
BURIED BELOW THE PALACE,

BUT IT'S CLEARLY
NOT THE LABYRINTH.

SO WITH OUR COIN,
WE'VE GOT OUR EVIDENCE

FOR THE MINOTAUR.

WHAT ABOUT THE FLIP SIDE?

WHERE'S OUR EVIDENCE
FOR THE LABYRINTH?

AND IF THERE'S
A LABYRINTH DOWN HERE,

GROUND PENETRATING RADAR
WOULD'VE FOUND IT.

MAYBE IT'S NOT HERE.

MAYBE WE HAVE TO
LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE,

BEYOND THE PALACE.

Narrator:
THE SEARCH IS FAR FROM OVER.

SOME EXPERTS NOW
BELIEVE ARCHEOLOGISTS

HAVE BEEN LOOKING FOR
THE WRONG KIND OF MAZE.

THEY SUSPECT THE ANCIENT GREEKS

WERE DESCRIBING A NATURAL
UNDERGROUND STRUCTURE

ELSEWHERE ON THE ISLAND.

ONCE THAT WAS USED FOR
BLOODY RELIGIOUS RITUALS.

♪♪

THE LABYRINTH, ITSELF,
MIGHT NOT BE

WHAT YOU THINK IT IS.

A LABYRINTH IS STRUCTURE
COMBINED WITH CONFUSION.

SO IT'S SOMETHING THAT
MIGHT LURE YOU IN,

SOMETHING THAT CATCHES YOU
AND KEEPS YOU IN THERE.

Narrator:
COULD THE MINOTAUR'S MAZE

HAVE BEEN A HUGE CAVE SYSTEM?

[ GROWLING ]

AND WHAT COULD THESE
DARK CAVERNS REVEAL

ABOUT THE BEAST
AND WHAT IT DID HERE?

[ ROARING ]

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

♪♪

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
SEARCH FOR THE TRUTH

BEHIND THE MONSTROUS
MINOTAUR MYTH.

THEY WANNA LOCATE
THE LABYRINTH DEPICTED

IN THE LEGEND.

THEY HOPE FINDING IT WILL REVEAL

WHAT REALLY HAPPENED HERE

AND WHY THIS MYTH BEGAN.

♪♪

THE LEGEND CLAIMS THAT
THE MINOTAUR WAS IMPRISONED

INSIDE A VAST LABYRINTH
UNDER THE PALACE OF KNOSSOS.

EVERY NINE YEARS,
14 ATHENIAN YOUTHS

WERE FORCED INTO
THIS GIANT MAZE.

HERE, THE MINOTAUR
WOULD HUNT THEM DOWN

AND EAT THEM.

♪♪

ARCHEOLOGISTS HAVE NEVER FOUND

ANY EVIDENCE OF
A GIANT MAZE AT KNOSSOS.

BUT ARE THEY LOOKING
IN THE WRONG PLACE?

ACCORDING TO SOME HISTORIANS,

THE LABYRINTH MIGHT NOT HAVE
BEEN A MAN-MADE STRUCTURE,

BUT A NATURAL FEATURE.

♪♪

ARCHEOLOGISTS LOETA TYREE
AND ANTONIA STAMOS

INVESTIGATE A SIGHT JUST
OVER EIGHT MILES EAST

OF THE PALACE, DEEP IN
THE CRETAN COUNTRYSIDE.

THEIR WORK ON HOW THE MINOANS
USED CAVES LIKE THIS

COULD ALSO THROW LIGHT
ON THE REAL INSPIRATION

FOR THE LABYRINTH.

Tyree: I THINK IT'S QUITE
PLAUSIBLE THAT A CAVE

COULD HAVE BROUGHT UPON
THE IDEA OF A LABYRINTH.

YOU ARE MOVING THROUGH A SPACE

THAT IS VERY COMPLICATED

AND YOU'RE HOPING TO
BE ABLE TO RETURN.

♪♪

Narrator:
THE SKOTINO CAVE IS A COMPLETELY

NATURAL FEATURE OF
CRETE'S LIMESTONE BEDROCK.

IT'S A COMPLEX WEB OF CHAMBERS.

BUT HOW LIKE A LABYRINTH
COULD IT REALLY BE?

[ SNARLING ]

THE TEAMS RESEARCH
INVOLVES MAPPING

THIS PARTICULAR SYSTEM.

♪♪

Tyree: IT'S A WHOLE LOT MORE
CAVE THAN WE WERE EXPECTING.

SOME PLACES ARE ACTUALLY
COMPLETELY INACCESSIBLE.

Narrator: THIS CAVE IS SO
DARK AND COMPLEX,

IT'S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE
TO TELL WHAT'S DOWN HERE.

Tyree: YOU CANNOT
UNDERSTAND THESE CAVES

IN A SIMPLE IMAGE.

YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND
THE SHEER SENSE OF THE SIZE,

THE SENSE OF THE DEPTH
OR HOW THEY DROP OFF

SUDDENLY INTO THE DARKNESS.

IT'S PRETTY LOOSE HERE,
SO JUST BE CAREFUL.

WOW.

Narrator: IF A CAVE SYSTEM
DID HELP INSPIRE THE LABYRINTH,

IT WOULD NEED TO BE SO BIG
AND COMPLEX THAT PEOPLE

COULD EASILY LOSE THEIR WAY.

ANTONIA AND LOETA USE
A THEODOLITE TO BUILD UP

A VERY DETAILED PICTURE
OF THIS SUBTERRANEAN LAIR.

♪♪

Stamos: IT'S A ELECTRONIC
DISTANCE MEASURE

AND IT MEASURES ELEVATION
AS WELL AS DISTANCE.

OKAY, I FOUND YOU.

START LEVELING.

LEVEL.

GOT IT.

GIVING US EXACT MEASUREMENTS,
DOWN TO THE MILLIMETER.

Narrator: THE TEAM MUST COLLECT
THOUSANDS OF READINGS

TO MAP OUT ALL THE PASSAGEWAYS.

♪♪

OH, THERE WE GO.

Narrator:
THEY COMBINE THE DATA FROM MANY

PREVIOUS EXPEDITIONS.

YEAH, THAT'S KINDA INTERESTING.

THIS CAVE IS MUCH LARGER

THAN IT ACTUALLY APPEARS
BECAUSE YOU CAN ONLY WALK

TO ABOUT HERE, ROUGHLY,
AND THEN THE REST OF THAT

IS OFF INTO THE DEPTHS,
THE DARKNESS.

Narrator:
THE TEAM'S WORK REVEALS

THAT THIS CAVE
SYSTEM IS MUCH BIGGER

THAN ANYONE FIRST THOUGHT.

THE SKOTINO CAVE OPENS LIKE
A SUBTERRANEAN CATHEDRAL.

ALMOST 100 FEET WIDE.

IT DROPS OVER 200 FEET
INTO THE EARTH.

♪♪

THERE'S ONLY ONE COMPLEX ROUTE
OUT OF THESE CHAMBERS.

♪♪

SO GETTING DISORIENTED
AND TRAPPED

IS A DEFINITE POSSIBILITY.

BUT HOW WAS THIS CAVE
USED BY THE MINOANS?

DID PEOPLE DIE HERE?

[ GROWLING ]

ARTIFACTS FOUND IN
THE CHAMBERS REVEAL

THAT THESE SUBTERRANEAN PASSAGES

WERE THE LOCATION FOR SOME
KIND OF RELIGIOUS WORSHIP.

Tyree: WE DON'T KNOW IF THEY
WERE SEVERAL HUGE RITUALS

OR NUMEROUS SMALL ONES.

BUT THE AMOUNT OF
POTTERY SUGGESTS

THAT IT WAS VERY
WELL FREQUENTED.

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS
BELIEVE THE MINOANS

USED THESE ROCK
FORMATIONS AS AN ALTAR.

IT SEEMS THAT THE MAIN FOCUS

WAS TOASTING, LIBATIONS,
DRINKING, AND ALSO EATING.

♪♪

Narrator: THE EXACT NATURE
OF THESE RITUALS

REMAINS A MYSTERY.

BUT WHAT HISTORIANS
DO KNOW IS THAT BULLS

FEATURED PROMINENTLY
IN MINOAN RITUALS

AND RELIGIOUS ICONOGRAPHY.

♪♪

WE ESTIMATED THAT
MAYBE A HUNDRED PEOPLE

COULD HAVE GATHERED STANDING

AND MAYBE HEARING
AND TRYING TO LOOK INTO

THE SACRED AREA.

ANYONE AT THIS AREA WOULD
HAVE KNOWN ABOUT IT.

CAVES WERE NOT REMOTE TO
PEOPLE 3,000 YEARS AGO.

♪♪

Narrator: FOR LOETA,
IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO SAY

IF A SPECIFIC CAVE
DID INSPIRE THE MAZE.

[ ROARING ]

BUT IT'S THE CLOSEST
SOME EXPERTS THINK

WE CAN GET TO
UNCOVERING THE TRUTH.

SCIENTISTS AND ARCHEOLOGISTS
ARE DISCOVERING

MORE AND MORE
ELEMENTS THAT SUGGEST

THE MINOTAUR MYTH COULD
HAVE BEEN LOOSELY BASED

ON A NUMBER OF
REAL WORLD SOURCES.

HUMAN SACRIFICE,

SUPERSIZED BULLS,

AND LABYRINTH-LIKE CAVES.

BUT WHY DID
THE ANCIENT GREEKS DISTORT

THESE EVENTS SO MUCH WHEN
THEY CREATED THE MYTH?

USUALLY WITH MYTHS,
THEY'RE TRYING TO EXPRESS

SOMETHING THAT WAS MEMORABLE.

KEEP IN MIND,
A LOT OF PEOPLE DIDN'T KNOW

HOW TO WRITE IN HISTORY.

SO THEY WOULD'VE
PASSED ON WHAT THEY LEARNED

IN AN ENCODED WAY.

MANY OF THESE STORIES
WERE USED AS A WAY

OF SHARING INFORMATION.

BEING ABLE TO MAKE
THE STORY COMPELLING,

MAKE THE STORY MEMORABLE.

YOU OFTEN WOULD EXAGGERATE
JUST LIKE WE DO TODAY.

♪♪

Narrator:
DID THE ANCIENT GREEKS

ENCODE A MESSAGE IN
THE MINOTAUR MYTH?

IF WE CAN CRACK IT,
WHAT WOULD IT REVEAL?

AND CAN INVESTIGATING
ANOTHER MYTHICAL MONSTER

GIVE US THE KEY TO THE CODE?

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

♪♪

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGISTS ON
THE GREEK ISLAND OF CRETE

ARE UNCOVERING THE REAL
EVENTS THAT INSPIRED

THE TERRIFYING TALE
OF THE MINOTAUR.

♪♪

THIS GRUESOME STORY
HAS CAPTIVATED PEOPLE

FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS.

[ ROARING ]

Narrator:
BUT WHY DID THE ANCIENT GREEKS

MISREPRESENT WHAT
THEY FOUND AT KNOSSOS?

♪♪

EXPERTS THINK IT
COULD BE TO ENCODE

A MESSAGE THEY
WANTED TO PASS ON.

EVEN THOUGH MYTHS
ARE VERY FANTASTICAL,

THEY HAVE LITTLE SECRETS
THAT ARE ENCODED IN THEM,

THAT IF YOU PONDER
THE SYMBOLS IN THE RIGHT WAY,

YOU CAN START TO
UNLOCK THEIR SECRET.

Narrator:
CAN FINDING THE CODED MESSAGE

BEHIND ANOTHER LEGENDARY MONSTER

REVEAL WHY THE ANCIENT GREEKS
CREATED THE MINOTAUR MYTH?

♪♪

WHILE THIS MUTANT BULL
TERRORIZED PEOPLE ON LAND,

ANOTHER BLOOD-THIRSTY
BEAST HUNTED THE SEAS --

MERMAIDS.

AT FIRST GLANCE, THEY'RE
BEAUTIFUL WOMEN WITH FISHTAILS.

♪♪

BUT BEWARE,
THEY ARE AMBUSH PREDATORS

OUT TO SLAUGHTER
PASSING SAILORS.

USING THEIR SEDUCTIVE LOOKS
AND ANGELIC VOICES AS A TRAP,

THEY LURE MEN TOWARDS THE SHORE.

AND A DEADLY HUNT BEGINS.

BENEATH THEIR PRETTY FACES,

MERMAIDS ARE RAVENOUS
MAN-EATING MONSTERS,

DRAGGING SAILORS TO THEIR DEATH

AND FEASTING ON THEIR FLESH.

THE ORIGINAL VERSIONS
ARE NOTHING LIKE "SPLASH"

OR LIKE THE DISNEY VERSION.

THEY TENDED TO BE A BIT
MORE SINISTER THAN THAT.

NOTHING LIKE THE SORT
OF CUTESY VERSION

THAT MOST PEOPLE THINK OF.

Narrator:
COMPARATIVE ANATOMIST,

DR. JOY REIDENBERG THINKS
MINOTAURS AND MERMAIDS

HAVE A LOT IN COMMON.

SHE BELIEVES BOTH WERE
INSPIRED BY REAL ANIMALS.

THE MERMAID'S ORIGINS MAY BE

A FAMILIAR MARINE
CREATURE, THE SEAL.

WE'RE LOOKING AT A HARBOR SEAL.

BUT IT LOOKS VERY SIMILAR TO
THE MEDITERRANEAN MONK SEALS

WHICH ARE COMMON
AROUND ANCIENT GREECE.

Narrator:
BUT WHY WOULD SEALS HAVE BEEN

MISTAKEN FOR HALF-HUMAN,
HALF-FISH CREATURES?

IT ACTUALLY HAS EYES
THAT ARE FACING FORWARD.

SO THIS ANIMAL'S EYES
ARE LOOKING AT YOU

THE WAY A HUMAN WOULD,

BECAUSE HUMANS
HAVE BINOCULAR VISION,

TWO EYES FACING FORWARD.

VERY FEW ANIMALS HAVE THAT.

THEN WE GO DOWN
THIS FISH-LIKE BODY,

AND NOTICE THAT THESE
TWO FEET CAN SPREAD OUT

AND LOOK JUST LIKE A FISH'S TAIL
WITH THE WEBBING IN BETWEEN.

Narrator: IT'S NOT JUST
THE SEAL'S PHYSIOLOGY

THAT TIES IT TO
THE MERMAID MYTH.

ITS BEHAVIOR FITS, TOO.

Reidenberg: THESE SEALS LIKE TO
LIVE ON ROCKY COASTLINES,

THEY LIKE TO CLIMB UP
ON THE ROCKS,

GET A NICE LOOK AROUND,

AND THAT'S THE KIND OF COASTLINE

YOU HAVE OFF OF ANCIENT GREECE.

Narrator: LIKE BULLS,
SEALS ARE NOT

NORMALLY A THREAT TO HUMANS.

SO WHY DID
THE ANCIENT GREEKS CREATE

THE MINOTAUR
AND MERMAIDS AS MAN-EATERS?

[ ROARING ]

COULD THIS BE THE KEY
TO THE ENCODED MESSAGE?

♪♪

MARITIME ARCHEOLOGIST,
DR. DEREK IRWIN,

BELIEVES THE ANSWER
COULD LIE IN THE DANGEROUS

COASTLINE OF CRETE.

♪♪

THE AEGEAN SEA IS ACTUALLY
LITTERED WITH SHIPWRECKS.

WE THINK THAT THERE ARE
THOUSANDS OF SHIPWRECKS

LAYING IN THE SEABEDS
AROUND GREECE.

Narrator: DEREK BELIEVES
THE FLESH-EATING FAME

OF MERMAIDS IS
A CODED MESSAGE ABOUT

THE MANY DEATHS THAT
OCCURRED IN THESE WATERS.

Irwin: WE'VE FOUND SEVERAL
SHIPWRECKS HERE

AROUND THE ISLAND OF DIAS,
THE SOUTHERN EAST

AND THE WEST COAST
OF THE ISLAND.

[ SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE ]

♪♪

Narrator: HIDDEN UNDERWATER
VOLCANOES HAVE CREATED

DEADLY SHIP SHREDDING GEOLOGY,
COVERING THE SEA BED

AND SHORELINE WITH SHARP ROCKS.

Irwin: SO ALONG HERE MOSTLY
WE HAVE DROP OFFS

FROM THE SURFACE
WE GO TO DEEP WATER

TO 40 OR 50 METERS
STRAIGHT DOWN.

THEN WE HAVE SOME ROCKS
PROTRUDING OUT HERE.

♪♪

THE COMBINATION OF
THE BAD WEATHER, ROUGH SEAS,

AND ALL SORTS OF ROCKS ON
THE SURFACE, UNDER THE SURFACE,

NEAR THE COAST,
COULD'VE BEEN CATASTROPHIC

FOR ANY ANCIENT SAILING SHIP.

Narrator: DEREK THINKS
THE MERMAID'S HUNGER

FOR HUMAN FLESH WAS
CREATED AS A STARK WARNING.

MERMAID TALES WERE ALL
ABOUT DANGER AND DECEPTION.

STORIES OF MERMAIDS WERE
DEFINITELY LIKE A CODED MESSAGE

TO ANCIENT SAILORS NOT TO
GO TOO CLOSE TO THE ROCKS.

Narrator: IT WAS THIS
LIFE SAVING WARNING THAT

MEANT THE TALES OF MERMAIDS
ENDURE FOR MILLENNIA.

OUR HUMAN BRAIN IS
WIRED TO PAY ATTENTION

TO STORYTELLING, TO THINGS
THAT WE CAN RELATE TO.

IF WE MAKE THEM MEANINGFUL
WE ARE GOING TO STORE THEM

AND REMEMBER THEM BETTER.

Narrator: SO IF MERMAIDS WERE
CREATED FOR A PURPOSE,

WHAT MESSAGE LIES BEHIND
THE MINOTAUR MYTH?

WHAT WERE THE ANCIENT
GREEKS WARNING OF?

COULD THE SUDDEN
DOWNFALL OF THEIR ENEMY,

THE FEARSOME
MINOANS, BE THE KEY?

[ THUNDER CRASHING ]

♪♪

Narrator: THE MINOTAUR...

[ ROARING ]

...A MUTANT BULL WITH
A HUNGER FOR HUMAN FLESH.

DID THE ANCIENT GREEKS
CREATED THIS TERRIFYING

MYTHICAL BEAST, FOR A PURPOSE?

COULD IT BE A STARK WARNING?

THE MYTH PROVIDES FURTHER CLUES.

IT RECOUNTS HOW A GREEK
PRINCE DECIDES TO FIGHT

BACK AGAINST CRETE.

AND DISGUISES HIMSELF AS ONE
OF THE MINOTAUR'S SACRIFICES.

♪♪

HE ENTERS THE LABYRINTH ARMED
WITH A RAZOR SHARP SWORD

AND A MAGICAL BALL OF
STRING TO TRACE HIS PATH.

THE PRINCE TRACKS DOWN
THE MINOTAUR IN HIS LAIR,

AND THE BATTLE BEGINS.

♪♪

THE GREEK HERO FINALLY
SLAYS THE BEAST.

COULD THE MINOTAUR'S
DEATH BE A CODED MESSAGE

ABOUT THE END OF THE MINOANS?

ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER
COSTAS SYNOLAKIS,

INVESTIGATES HOW THE MYSTERIOUS
MINOAN CIVILIZATION

MET ITS DOWNFALL.

♪♪

Synolakis: THE END OF
THE MINOANS IS VERY PUZZLING

AND WE SEARCH FOR
EVIDENCE EVERYWHERE.

AND THE BIG QUESTION IS,
WHAT HAPPENED?

Narrator:
COSTAS BELIEVES THE ROCKS FOUND

ON THE COASTS OF CRETE
HOLD THE ANSWERS.

SEE THIS IS MINOAN PUMICE.

PUMICE COMES IN FROM
VOLCANIC ERUPTIONS.

ABOUT 60 MILES NORTH OF HERE,

IN THAT DIRECTION
THERE IS A BIG VOLCANO.

Narrator: THIS VOLCANO ERUPTED
AROUND 3,500 YEARS AGO

THE FACT THIS PUMICE IS FOUND
HERE IN CRETE TELLS COSTAS

IT STARTED A CHAIN OF EVENTS
THAT BROUGHT DOWN THE MINOANS.

[ RUMBLING ]

SO YOU PUT ALL
THE CLUES TOGETHER

AND IT ALL POINTS OUT TO

A HUGE WAVE, WHICH IS
THE HALLMARK OF A TSUNAMI.

Narrator: THIS GIANT WAVE
WOULD'VE CRUSHED

EVERYTHING IN ITS PATH.

WE KNOW THAT THE TSUNAMI
REACHED THIS HIGH

AND IF WE LOOK AROUND, I MEAN,
THERE IS A HOTEL RIGHT THERE

AND WE ARE HIGHER

THAN THE TOP FLOOR OF THE HOTEL.

YOU CAN IMAGINE HOW
DEVASTATING IT MUST HAVE BEEN

IF IN THIS LOCATION THE TSUNAMI
WAS AS HIGH AS 50 METERS.

♪♪

Narrator: POWERLESS AGAINST
THE TSUNAMI,

THE ONCE FEARSOME MINOANS
COULD ONLY WATCH

AS THEIR HOME WAS DEVASTATED.

AFTER THE TSUNAMI,
AFTER ALL OF THIS DESTRUCTION,

THE SURVIVING CRETANS ARE
VERY, VERY HEAVILY WEAKENED

AND THIS MAKES THEM
AN OPEN PREY TO THE GREEKS.

♪♪

Narrator:
IN THE LEGEND A GREEK PRINCE

SLAYS THE MONSTROUS MINOTAUR.

[ ROARING ]

♪♪

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT
THE STORY REFLECTS HOW

THE GREEKS THEMSELVES KILLED
OFF THE MINOAN CIVILIZATION.

♪♪

THE MYTH OF THE MINOTAUR
COULD BE POLITICAL PROPAGANDA.

[ ROARING ]

Narrator:
AN ANCIENT ENEMY WAS PRESENTED

IN A BARBARIC
BLOODTHIRSTY LIGHT.

THE MYTH OF THE MINOTAURS
TOLD TO LITTLE GREEK CHILDREN

ON THE MAINLAND AD INFINITUM,

SAYING ONCE UPON A TIME
WE WERE RULED BY THIS

VICIOUS SUPER POWER
JUST A LITTLE BIT

TO THE SOUTH OF US ON CRETE.

[ ROARING ]

Narrator: THE MINOTAUR IS ONE
OF THE MOST TERRIFYING

MONSTERS TO COME OUT
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

A MYTH SO FEROCIOUS
AND EXTREME IT HAS SURVIVED

FOR THOUSAND OF YEARS.

WRAP INSIDE THIS TALE ARE CLUES

TO HOW THE MINOANS REALLY LIVED,

HOW THEY WORSHIPED,

AND THE RIVALRIES THAT DEFINE

THE HISTORY OF THIS REGION
THOUSAND OF YEARS AGO.

WHAT WE HAVE IS
THE DISTORTED VERSION

OF THE MINOANS CIVILIZATION.

WE HAVE A CULTURE
WHO WORSHIPPED BULLS,

WERE ABLE TO BUILD
GREAT STRUCTURES,

BUT ALSO ENGAGED IN
HUMAN SACRIFICE.

ONE OF THE REASONS THAT
MYTHS ENDURE IS BECAUSE

THEY DEAL WITH
THESE UNIVERSAL THEMES

THAT THE HUMAN SPECIES IS ALWAYS
STRUGGLING WITH.

SO THEMES OF SURVIVAL,
OF FERTILITY, OF POWER,

OF WAR, OF CONFLICT,

ALL OF THAT IS TACKLED
THROUGH STORIES THAT WILL

HELP US KIND OF DEAL
WITH THESE CHALLENGES.

Narrator:
EXPERTS HAVE FINALLY DISCOVERED

HOW THE STORY OF
THE MINOTAUR IS MUCH MORE

THAN A SIMPLE FAIRYTALE.

IT REVEALS HOW A ONCE
POWERFUL CIVILIZATION

WAS ERADICATED BY
ITS GREATEST FOE.

[ ROARING ]

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪