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I'm travelling the world,
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exploring secrets and wonders.
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This is really tight.
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An adventure by land and sea to the
most fascinating places...
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This is absolutely incredible.
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...where I've been given special
access to significant
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and surprising treasures...
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It's so tiny and absolutely unique.
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...buried in ancient sites,
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extraordinary buildings
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and glorious works of art
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that help to explain the story of
us.
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Come with me to see how the
past shapes our lives.
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This time, Greece, birthplace
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of an astonishing culture that gave
us
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fantastic art, pioneering medicine
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and bold ideas.
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Greece is often hailed as a bedrock
of civilisation.
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It is that and so much more.
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I want to take you to the
heart of this extraordinary place.
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I'm visiting unparalleled sites
across this remarkable country...
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Oh, my gosh.
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...revealing fabulous stories...
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My goodness, if these walls could
talk.
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...that capture the exceptional,
enduring spirit...
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That is brilliant.
That is brilliant.
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...of this ancient land.
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What genius, this is genius.
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So this was 2,500 years ago.
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From trailblazing women
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to one of Britain's most famous
romantic poets,
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this country has inspired innovation
and passion.
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Every treasure I want to show you
reveals
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something vital about us and the
world.
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I'm taking you to my hand-picked
wonders.
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Athens, a jewel in the crown of
ancient Greek civilisation.
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Wherever you are in Athens, it's
pretty much
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impossible to miss this -
the Acropolis.
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For over 3,500 years
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it's borne witness to the incredible
Greek civilisation -
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a civilisation that still impacts
our lives today.
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On the Acropolis rock alone there
was a theatre,
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a concert hall and, of course,
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the great Temple of the goddess
Athena, the Parthenon.
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The Parthenon's come to embody what
some describe as
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the Golden age of Athens in the
fifth century BCE.
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But actually, that Greek spirit of
innovation
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and ambition and the sheer
creativity and energy
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and audacity that built
the treasures on the Acropolis
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was actually at play in different
times and different places
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right across Greece.
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To get to the heart of this
game changing story,
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I'm exploring intriguing, inspiring
wonders of Greece
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which reveal our deep debt to the
past.
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From Athens, I'm travelling west to
the port city of Nafplion.
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It's witnessed the grand sweep
of Greece's history from ancient
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to modern and was the first
capital of the modern Greek
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state in the 19th century.
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It's a treasure where geography
makes history.
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This is a naturally protected
harbour
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and it sits right on the crossroads
of Asia and Europe.
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So it means that this place is
always been
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a really important trading centre,
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dating back probably 4,000
years or so.
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But the issue with jewels
is that they attract thieves.
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And throughout its history, there've
been hostile takeover bids
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from Byzantines and Franks
and Venetians
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and Ottomans who all left their mark
on this town
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because they wanted control of the
sea.
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But Nafplion's own maritime story
starts
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long before foreign armies came.
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According to legend, the town was
founded by Nauplius,
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the son of the sea god Poseidon.
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Nauplius's own son Palamedes
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was a real player in Greek
mythology.
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He's said to have invented dice,
lighthouses
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and even several letters of the
Greek alphabet.
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And he played a key part in the
story of the Trojan War.
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We're told that Palamedes was sent
out across these waters to
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try to persuade the hero
Odysseus to join the fight.
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Now, Odysseus had no intention
whatsoever of being conscripted
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so he pretended he was mad.
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He yoked up two oxen to a plough
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and went out into the fields,
singing wildly.
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Palamedes just knew he was faking
it.
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And actually, very cleverly,
he grabbed the Odysseus's young
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baby boy Telemachus and laid him
down in front of the oxen's
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hooves, knowing he would stop.
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Odysseus did, proving he was sane.
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And he never forgave Palamedes for
this.
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So during the Trojan War he
actually had him framed
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for theft and treachery and then
stoned him to death.
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It's a really gruesome tale and
that, obviously, is just a legend.
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But there's an incredible discovery
just a few miles from here that
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links those stories of the
Trojan War
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to real historical heroic warriors.
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This find is now housed in the
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Archaeological Museum in Nafplion.
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I first came here years ago when I
was researching a book on
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Helen of Troy and I remember being
very excited then,
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so it is fantastic to be back.
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The treasurer I've come to see is a
unique
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survival from the Bronze Age,
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3,500 years ago,
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the time when the story of the
Trojan War is set.
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Oh, my goodness, this never
disappoints.
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Because what you've got to remember
that you're looking at here
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is armour that is close on
3,500 years old.
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This would have belonged to a
warrior
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and it's made of bronze but really,
really fine bronze,
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so those sheets are only about a
millimetre thick,
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which means that it provided
protection
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but would have been very
light to wear.
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And then the top, you've got this
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fabulous helmet decorated with
boars' tusks.
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Now, wild boar were and still are
really ferocious.
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So this whole thing is designed to
impress, to intimidate.
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This is physically the stuff that
legends are made of.
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And what's significant is that in
the most famous
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account of the Trojan War
we hear descriptions of tunics
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and gleaming helmets exactly like
this.
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So I think it proves that all these
fabulous
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stories about fantastic warrior
heroes
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like Palamedes have their roots
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in hard historical facts.
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So powerful was Palamedes' presence
in Nafplion
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he gave his name to the hill that
towers over the city
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and the formidable fortress
constructed on it.
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The Palamidi was built when the
whole of the Peloponnese was
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under the control of Venice, with
Nafplion its capital.
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Work started on the fortress
in 1711.
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Constructing this fortress was the
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most incredible feat of engineering,
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because you can see how
difficult the terrain is.
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And then the Venetians made it even
more complex for themselves
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because they built eight
separate bastions.
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And the idea was it provided
strength in depth.
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So if one bastion fell then
the soldiers could move up
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and occupy the one above.
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It was completed just in time,
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because in 1715 the Ottomans
from Turkey attacked.
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There were only 2,000 Venetian
soldiers up here
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and the reports were that when they
looked out,
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there were between 70 and 100,000
Ottoman troops
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all massed in boats in the harbour,
were actually
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attacking this fortress itself.
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Venetians didn't even bother to
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test their ingenious bastion system.
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They abandoned the fortress, fled to
the lower town
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and now the Ottomans were in charge.
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Ottoman rule continued for a little
over
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100 years, until in 1821
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the Greeks launched a revolt in a
bid for independence.
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A year later, in 1822, on the
night of November the 29th,
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under the cover of darkness, a band
of Greek freedom fighters
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broke in here and successfully
managed
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to take the garrison from the Turks.
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So this became one of the first
places in Greece
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to regain its independence.
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As the war continued, Greek fighters
were joined
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by a small army of foreigners.
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These volunteers were inspired by
the belief
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that Western civilisation owed a
profound debt
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to the ancient - and therefore to
the modern - Greece.
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The most famous foreigner to join
the cause
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was the British poet and adventurer
Lord Byron.
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His memory is still very much
alive in Nafplion today.
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Oh, hi. So we're doing something
about the history of Greece
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and obviously we're talking about
Byron.
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So, I stayed here ten years ago. Oh.
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Yeah. Yes, I know.
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It's... Yeah.
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With my family. I remember you, I
remember.
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D0 you? I remember you. Do you?
I had two little...
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I had a blonde girl and a little
girl with red hair. Yes.
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So tell me one thing, we're talking
about Byron
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and the freedom fighters of Greece.
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So you called your hotel
Byron Hotel.
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This Romantic, yes, with Byron.
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Well, Byron... Byron is... He was
like a hero for us in Greece.
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He wrote a lot of poetry too,
he helped the Greek revolution.
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Yes, he was very important, so we
said we will have this name.
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Because Byron is like a hero. OK.
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OK, yassas. OK, bye.
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Overall, nearly 300 foreigners died
in the War of Independence.
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There is something very moving about
people willing
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to give up their lives and die for
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somebody else's liberty.
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And that is what was happening here,
they were dying for liberty
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00:12:01,291 --> 00:12:03,986
and they were dying for the idea
that is Greece.
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They were heroes who believed
in something bigger than themselves.
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Finally, after seven years of
conflict, the war was won.
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Greece was free and Nafplion was
made
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the first official capital city.
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00:12:21,091 --> 00:12:25,425
In 1833, the new king of Greece -
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in fact, a young Bavarian prince
called Otto,
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00:12:29,841 --> 00:12:33,706
chosen by committee in London -
landed here.
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And for the first time in its
history,
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Greece was a nation state
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with its own name.
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Greece is a tapestry,
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a place rich from its encounters
with many parts of the world
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and Nafplion bears witness to
that.
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This is a city that embodies the
compelling,
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00:12:59,921 --> 00:13:02,506
complicated history of Greece.
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00:13:02,531 --> 00:13:04,866
A story that spans East and West,
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00:13:04,891 --> 00:13:07,425
ancient and modern, and that's
inspired
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00:13:07,450 --> 00:13:13,425
heroes, whether they are legendary
or real, across thousands of years.
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00:13:13,450 --> 00:13:17,345
And that is why Nafplion is a
wonder.
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My next treasure is in an experiment
in utopia,
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a city state where women and men
gave everything
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00:13:43,866 --> 00:13:46,361
for the common good.
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00:13:46,386 --> 00:13:51,641
Sparta, in the south east
Peloponnese.
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00:13:51,666 --> 00:13:53,921
When you come to visit Sparta,
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00:13:53,946 --> 00:13:56,001
it can be hard to imagine that this
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was once one of the most
influential, game-changing
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00:13:59,026 --> 00:14:02,160
civilisations in the story
of the world -
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00:14:02,185 --> 00:14:04,591
but there is good reason for that.
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00:14:04,616 --> 00:14:07,030
The Spartans didn't really believe
in material
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wealth or monumental buildings.
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00:14:10,105 --> 00:14:12,841
What they were all about was
the human experience
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00:14:12,866 --> 00:14:14,801
and military muscle.
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00:14:19,225 --> 00:14:22,131
Life for Sparta's male citizens was
dedicated
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to being a full-time soldier.
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00:14:27,055 --> 00:14:29,391
The men lived communally and were
selected
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for the military elite at birth.
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00:14:34,336 --> 00:14:37,441
When babies were born,
they were bathed in wine
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by the elders of the city to toughen
them up.
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00:14:41,105 --> 00:14:44,751
And if they were still considered
weak or disabled
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00:14:44,776 --> 00:14:47,491
in any way, then they were thrown
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00:14:47,516 --> 00:14:49,030
off the ridge of that mountain.
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00:14:54,185 --> 00:14:58,030
For those deemed fit, super strict
training lay ahead.
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00:15:00,696 --> 00:15:03,721
From the age of seven,
all boys were taken
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00:15:03,746 --> 00:15:06,311
out of the city and put into the
Agoge,
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00:15:06,336 --> 00:15:09,881
which was basically a kind of
extreme boot camp.
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00:15:09,906 --> 00:15:12,160
They were taught music and dancing,
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00:15:12,185 --> 00:15:14,441
but, most important importantly,
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00:15:14,466 --> 00:15:17,080
survival and military skills
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00:15:17,105 --> 00:15:19,960
because the idea was to turn these
young men
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00:15:19,985 --> 00:15:23,521
into the ultimate fighting machines.
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00:15:27,596 --> 00:15:32,441
Sparta's values were physically
beaten into these young boys -
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00:15:32,466 --> 00:15:36,241
their education was brutal and
bloody.
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00:15:38,546 --> 00:15:42,391
When they became teenagers,
things got really hard-core.
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00:15:42,416 --> 00:15:45,391
The most promising trainees were
selected to become
245
00:15:45,416 --> 00:15:48,881
part of the Krypteia,
a secret society,
246
00:15:48,906 --> 00:15:52,571
and these boys were set the ultimate
test.
247
00:15:52,596 --> 00:15:56,131
They had to sneak back into the city
of Sparta
248
00:15:56,156 --> 00:16:02,571
by night and murder a slave in cold
blood in his or her bed.
249
00:16:02,596 --> 00:16:05,960
Spartan men were not to be messed
with.
250
00:16:10,826 --> 00:16:14,040
From the age of 20, these men were
only allowed
251
00:16:14,065 --> 00:16:16,881
to be full-time soldiers.
252
00:16:18,266 --> 00:16:22,571
Someone had to do everything else to
run Spartan society.
253
00:16:26,026 --> 00:16:29,080
All non-military work in Sparta was
carried out
254
00:16:29,105 --> 00:16:32,801
by a slave population, the Helots.
255
00:16:32,826 --> 00:16:35,881
Now, of course, it's an
uncomfortable truth about Greek
256
00:16:35,906 --> 00:16:38,241
society that this was
a slave economy.
257
00:16:38,266 --> 00:16:40,601
But it was a bit different in
Sparta.
258
00:16:40,626 --> 00:16:42,521
The Helots weren't outsiders,
they were
259
00:16:42,546 --> 00:16:45,851
local Greeks who'd been conquered
and subordinated
260
00:16:45,876 --> 00:16:47,751
by the Spartans.
261
00:16:47,776 --> 00:16:49,801
And it was these Helots that made
262
00:16:49,826 --> 00:16:52,241
the Spartan war machine possible.
263
00:16:53,706 --> 00:16:55,960
Many had their liberty denied,
264
00:16:55,985 --> 00:16:58,651
but women enjoyed more freedom here
265
00:16:58,676 --> 00:17:00,931
than in most other Greek city
states.
266
00:17:04,065 --> 00:17:07,040
Spartan women pretty much had
the run of the city.
267
00:17:07,065 --> 00:17:09,651
They were taught to speak in
public,
268
00:17:09,676 --> 00:17:12,040
they were allowed the same rations
of men,
269
00:17:12,065 --> 00:17:14,401
which was really unusual in the
ancient world.
270
00:17:14,426 --> 00:17:18,160
They could drink wine,
they could race in chariots.
271
00:17:18,185 --> 00:17:20,441
And the women used to get together
272
00:17:20,466 --> 00:17:22,960
to commemorate Helen of Troy.
273
00:17:22,985 --> 00:17:26,960
The powerful queen who was
originally Helen of Sparta.
274
00:17:28,315 --> 00:17:31,290
They would oil one another with
olive oil
275
00:17:31,315 --> 00:17:33,881
and speak of ambrosial nights
276
00:17:33,906 --> 00:17:36,601
and limb-loosening desire.
277
00:17:36,626 --> 00:17:41,931
Frankly, it all sounds pretty
wonderful and pretty erotic.
278
00:17:43,266 --> 00:17:46,731
Many of these liberties were there
to ensure Sparta women were
279
00:17:46,756 --> 00:17:50,441
strong enough to birth robust baby
boys -
280
00:17:50,466 --> 00:17:53,191
spear fodder for the model army -
281
00:17:53,216 --> 00:17:57,191
but they were freedoms nonetheless.
282
00:17:57,216 --> 00:18:01,601
Of course, there was a very dark
side to the Spartan system.
283
00:18:01,626 --> 00:18:04,521
But what caught the imagination
of contemporaries and many
284
00:18:04,546 --> 00:18:09,290
future generations was their
absolute commitment
285
00:18:09,315 --> 00:18:12,160
to excellence and to courage.
286
00:18:12,185 --> 00:18:15,840
Those qualities lay at the heart of
the last stand
287
00:18:15,865 --> 00:18:18,601
of the Spartans at the battle
of Thermopylae,
288
00:18:18,626 --> 00:18:24,121
when 300 Spartan soldiers, hugely
outnumbered by a Persian army
289
00:18:24,146 --> 00:18:29,241
refused to retreat, knowing that by
standing their ground
290
00:18:29,266 --> 00:18:31,801
they faced certain death.
291
00:18:37,166 --> 00:18:39,471
Sparta is one of my treasures,
292
00:18:39,496 --> 00:18:42,501
not because it was the ultimate
military machine
293
00:18:42,526 --> 00:18:46,571
but because it was a society
based on an idea -
294
00:18:46,596 --> 00:18:50,501
an idea that, if we come together,
anything is possible
295
00:18:50,526 --> 00:18:53,060
and that we should put our lives to
the service
296
00:18:53,085 --> 00:18:56,031
of a cause greater than ourselves.
297
00:18:56,056 --> 00:18:58,751
And love it or loathe it,
298
00:18:58,776 --> 00:19:04,751
it's a role model that continues to
inspire after 2,500 years.
299
00:19:09,646 --> 00:19:12,901
My next treasure, in the heart of
northern Greece,
300
00:19:12,926 --> 00:19:15,930
opens a page in the playbook of
ambition.
301
00:19:17,166 --> 00:19:20,541
Aigai, a capital of the ancient
kingdom of Macedon,
302
00:19:20,566 --> 00:19:23,940
boasts the biggest palace of all
classical antiquity
303
00:19:23,965 --> 00:19:27,261
and one of the most spectacular
archaeological
304
00:19:27,286 --> 00:19:29,781
treasure troves ever discovered.
305
00:19:32,286 --> 00:19:34,190
I've come here in search of gold
306
00:19:34,215 --> 00:19:36,980
and the true story of two
of the most iconic
307
00:19:37,005 --> 00:19:40,421
and dynamic kings from the ancient
world.
308
00:19:41,676 --> 00:19:43,940
Philip ll of Macedon
309
00:19:43,965 --> 00:19:46,391
and his son - Alexander the Great.
310
00:19:47,856 --> 00:19:50,141
These men were determined to take
over
311
00:19:50,166 --> 00:19:52,940
the whole of Greece and beyond.
312
00:20:00,856 --> 00:20:03,190
Philip's political and military
ambition
313
00:20:03,215 --> 00:20:06,471
was matched by his cultural
and philosophical vision.
314
00:20:06,496 --> 00:20:08,341
And, as he was conquering Greece,
315
00:20:08,366 --> 00:20:10,661
he was also building a massive new
316
00:20:10,686 --> 00:20:13,701
headquarters for himself right
here.
317
00:20:18,526 --> 00:20:21,621
The centrepiece was this palace.
318
00:20:21,646 --> 00:20:27,190
Two storeys high, spanning
12,500 square metres,
319
00:20:27,215 --> 00:20:30,860
with ceremonial rooms, enclosing a
splendid courtyard
320
00:20:30,885 --> 00:20:33,980
that could host 3,000 people.
321
00:20:34,005 --> 00:20:36,860
The first of its kind,
this cutting edge design
322
00:20:36,885 --> 00:20:39,501
was a model for the future.
323
00:20:39,526 --> 00:20:42,940
Lead archaeologist Dr Angeliki
Kottaridi
324
00:20:42,965 --> 00:20:47,551
has given me exclusive access to the
excavations.
325
00:20:47,576 --> 00:20:50,781
So how long have you been doing
these excavations here?
326
00:20:50,806 --> 00:20:55,190
We started 2007 with the works.
327
00:20:55,215 --> 00:20:59,141
That was a huge excavation and is
still running, as you see. Yes.
328
00:20:59,166 --> 00:21:02,021
We have even today found. Today?
329
00:21:02,046 --> 00:21:06,631
Unbelievable, yes, that part here,
this Ionic capital here.
330
00:21:06,656 --> 00:21:08,911
How lucky am I to get to see this?
331
00:21:08,936 --> 00:21:10,341
Yes, you brought us luck.
332
00:21:12,496 --> 00:21:14,980
So it's a capital, so this is for
the top of a column.
333
00:21:15,005 --> 00:21:17,341
Yes, this is off the top of the
column.
334
00:21:17,366 --> 00:21:19,730
It's a special capital,
a very important one.
335
00:21:19,755 --> 00:21:23,551
Look at the decoration on it,
that's beautiful.
336
00:21:23,576 --> 00:21:25,301
See, isn't it brilliant?
337
00:21:25,326 --> 00:21:28,990
Because can we imagine Philip being
shown the plans for this
338
00:21:29,015 --> 00:21:31,631
and saying, "What do you think of
our design?"
339
00:21:31,656 --> 00:21:35,021
I'm sure, I'm sure he would've had
an opinion on these details.
340
00:21:35,046 --> 00:21:37,740
Of course, they had discuss
everything.
341
00:21:37,765 --> 00:21:40,021
He was a genius.
342
00:21:40,046 --> 00:21:43,141
This is an amazing building because
343
00:21:43,166 --> 00:21:45,740
it has no predecessors. No.
344
00:21:45,765 --> 00:21:49,060
For the first time, the ancient
Greeks have seen something
345
00:21:49,085 --> 00:21:52,501
so big you can put three
Parthenon here, actually.
346
00:21:52,526 --> 00:21:55,661
It was the biggest building of
classical Greece
347
00:21:55,686 --> 00:21:58,301
and it dominates all the area
348
00:21:58,326 --> 00:22:01,351
of central Macedonia here. Yes.
349
00:22:01,376 --> 00:22:04,940
And you really get that sense up
here that you're not just
350
00:22:04,965 --> 00:22:07,381
king of the world, you are top
of the world here.
351
00:22:08,806 --> 00:22:11,581
The palace was designed to impress
allcomers
352
00:22:11,606 --> 00:22:14,021
as a potent centre of power.
353
00:22:14,046 --> 00:22:16,471
Philip hosted hundreds at a time
right here,
354
00:22:16,496 --> 00:22:18,421
in lavish drinking parties,
355
00:22:18,446 --> 00:22:21,110
where ideas and plans were shared,
356
00:22:21,135 --> 00:22:24,021
a kind of cross between the
Camp David in the USA
357
00:22:24,046 --> 00:22:27,940
or state banquets in Buckingham
Palace in the UK.
358
00:22:27,965 --> 00:22:30,911
This is incredible space.
Quite high.
359
00:22:30,936 --> 00:22:33,661
So this is the real entrance here?
Yes? Yeah.
360
00:22:33,686 --> 00:22:35,221
The door. Fantastic.
361
00:22:35,246 --> 00:22:37,551
Big one, six-metre high. Wow!
362
00:22:37,576 --> 00:22:40,271
Wow! So that would be quite
a spectacular entrance.
363
00:22:40,296 --> 00:22:42,740
And what a beautiful mosaic,
look at that.
364
00:22:42,765 --> 00:22:45,381
A carpet for eternity...
365
00:22:45,406 --> 00:22:48,301
...made by stone.
A carpet for eternity -
366
00:22:48,326 --> 00:22:50,381
what a lovely idea.
367
00:22:50,406 --> 00:22:52,705
So what would this room have
been used for?
368
00:22:52,730 --> 00:22:54,984
Banqueting room. OK.
369
00:22:55,009 --> 00:22:56,705
You have the couches around. Yes.
370
00:22:56,730 --> 00:22:58,984
Ivory couches. Beautiful.
371
00:22:59,009 --> 00:23:01,545
Imagine, here we have Philip,
372
00:23:01,570 --> 00:23:04,734
Aristotelis, Alexander,
373
00:23:04,759 --> 00:23:09,135
Athenians, people from other Greek
cities as well.
374
00:23:09,160 --> 00:23:14,095
All the guys which we know from
history sitting around,
375
00:23:14,120 --> 00:23:17,375
drinking wine with water
and discussing
376
00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:20,705
philosophy, politics, the new
world,
377
00:23:20,730 --> 00:23:23,265
which they want to create.
378
00:23:23,290 --> 00:23:26,854
I mean, that is just mind-blowingly
brilliant.
379
00:23:26,879 --> 00:23:29,814
And I can imagine thinking of those
conversations that have happened,
380
00:23:29,839 --> 00:23:32,825
as you said, with the wine
and the kind of candlelight,
381
00:23:32,850 --> 00:23:34,814
it would give you the ambition to
think,
382
00:23:34,839 --> 00:23:36,655
"l'm going to go and change the
world."
383
00:23:36,680 --> 00:23:39,734
And in Alexander's case, "l'm going
to go and conquer the world."
384
00:23:39,759 --> 00:23:43,785
The history is so thick for 20
years, almost.
385
00:23:43,810 --> 00:23:46,095
Now, everything happens here.
Amazing.
386
00:23:46,120 --> 00:23:47,984
This is the absolute heart,
387
00:23:48,009 --> 00:23:50,455
not just of Macedonia, of Greece
388
00:23:50,480 --> 00:23:53,145
and of the world, actually. Yeah.
389
00:23:53,170 --> 00:23:56,095
All the developments happens here.
390
00:23:56,120 --> 00:23:57,655
Yeah. Here, yes.
391
00:23:57,680 --> 00:24:00,095
It is the womb... Yes.
392
00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:02,575
...who give birth to everything.
393
00:24:02,600 --> 00:24:04,215
Incredible.
394
00:24:17,610 --> 00:24:21,614
I'm at the site of Aigai in northern
Greece,
395
00:24:21,639 --> 00:24:25,095
a seat of power for Alexander The
Great's
396
00:24:25,120 --> 00:24:28,455
father, Philip the ll.
397
00:24:28,480 --> 00:24:32,975
In October, 336 BCE, Philip
invited the leading VIPs
398
00:24:33,000 --> 00:24:36,535
of the day here, to Aigai,
to celebrate the lavish
399
00:24:36,560 --> 00:24:42,064
wedding of his daughter, Alexander's
sister, Cleopatra of Macedon.
400
00:24:42,089 --> 00:24:44,385
As part of the show of festivities,
401
00:24:44,410 --> 00:24:47,064
the king hosted games in the
theatre.
402
00:24:47,089 --> 00:24:49,425
The spectators crowded in.
403
00:24:52,450 --> 00:24:56,175
It all began with a procession of
glory here at dawn.
404
00:24:56,200 --> 00:24:58,694
Statues of the 12 Olympian gods were
processed in,
405
00:24:58,719 --> 00:25:01,425
followed by a statue of the king
himself,
406
00:25:01,450 --> 00:25:04,944
making a point that he too had
divine power.
407
00:25:04,969 --> 00:25:08,025
Philip had actually dismissed his
personal bodyguard to
408
00:25:08,050 --> 00:25:11,694
prove that he was protected
by the goodwill of the Greeks.
409
00:25:13,089 --> 00:25:17,455
Philip walked in alone, dressed in a
beautiful white cloak.
410
00:25:17,480 --> 00:25:21,025
But suddenly, an assassin sprang
forward, somebody who'd been
411
00:25:21,050 --> 00:25:24,535
loyal to him before, and stabbed him
under the ribs.
412
00:25:24,560 --> 00:25:29,864
In front of the horrified crowd,
the king fell dead to the ground.
413
00:25:29,889 --> 00:25:32,425
And now there was a new
king in charge -
414
00:25:32,450 --> 00:25:34,385
Alexander the Great.
415
00:25:36,839 --> 00:25:40,744
Alexander buried his father right
here, at Aigai,
416
00:25:40,769 --> 00:25:43,025
in a vast burial mound,
417
00:25:43,050 --> 00:25:46,305
in a ceremony of unparalleled glory.
418
00:25:46,330 --> 00:25:48,785
17 months later, he set off at the
419
00:25:48,810 --> 00:25:51,225
head of his army on a relentless
420
00:25:51,250 --> 00:25:54,425
11-year campaign,
conquering territories from Egypt
421
00:25:54,450 --> 00:25:57,225
to modern-day Afghanistan and India,
422
00:25:57,250 --> 00:26:01,895
exporting Greek culture to Asia,
the Middle East and North Africa.
423
00:26:01,920 --> 00:26:04,744
Across the centuries, 90% of the
424
00:26:04,769 --> 00:26:07,335
royal tombs Aigai were looted,
425
00:26:07,360 --> 00:26:10,694
but then a miraculous discovery.
426
00:26:10,719 --> 00:26:14,585
Deep in this mound, undisturbed
burials,
427
00:26:14,610 --> 00:26:17,385
including that of the great king -
428
00:26:17,410 --> 00:26:19,744
Philip the ll.
429
00:26:28,810 --> 00:26:31,385
Hailed as the find of the century,
430
00:26:31,410 --> 00:26:35,694
the treasures in the tombs are
breathtaking.
431
00:26:37,690 --> 00:26:42,864
Philip the ll's shield of ivory
and gold...
432
00:26:42,889 --> 00:26:44,614
...his gilded armour...
433
00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:48,864
...his gold oak crown,
434
00:26:48,889 --> 00:26:53,255
the heaviest and most impressive
from Greek antiquity.
435
00:26:53,280 --> 00:26:57,665
Nearby, an exquisite ivory of
Dionysus dancing.
436
00:26:57,690 --> 00:27:01,694
And perhaps most spine-tingling of
all,
437
00:27:01,719 --> 00:27:06,505
a pure gold chest containing
the bones of the king.
438
00:27:08,460 --> 00:27:10,744
The miraculous discovery of the
tombs
439
00:27:10,769 --> 00:27:12,824
and their treasures give us a unique
440
00:27:12,849 --> 00:27:15,185
window into the lives of two of the
world's
441
00:27:15,210 --> 00:27:18,775
most powerful and influential men.
442
00:27:18,800 --> 00:27:21,155
This is just the most remarkable
place
443
00:27:21,180 --> 00:27:24,744
because history is being physically
brought back to life.
444
00:27:24,769 --> 00:27:28,255
And Aigai is one of my wonders,
not just because it tells us
445
00:27:28,280 --> 00:27:31,545
about the power and ambition of
Macedonian kings,
446
00:27:31,570 --> 00:27:34,665
but because it reveals a very human
story,
447
00:27:34,690 --> 00:27:38,185
from Philip the ll's grand designs
here,
448
00:27:38,210 --> 00:27:42,585
to his brutal death, to Alexander's
filial piety,
449
00:27:42,610 --> 00:27:45,824
reflected in all that beautiful
gold.
450
00:27:45,849 --> 00:27:48,265
This is somewhere where you can
really feel
451
00:27:48,290 --> 00:27:51,135
the emotional currents of the past
452
00:27:51,160 --> 00:27:53,824
and where you get to meet
personalities
453
00:27:53,849 --> 00:27:58,385
who went on to shape the story of
the world.
454
00:28:08,250 --> 00:28:10,944
For my next treasure, I'm following
the footsteps
455
00:28:10,969 --> 00:28:13,335
of travellers from across the
ancient world
456
00:28:13,360 --> 00:28:16,665
who made this journey as if their
lives depended on it.
457
00:28:18,130 --> 00:28:21,744
My destination - Epidaurus...
458
00:28:22,849 --> 00:28:26,694
...somewhere that nourished body and
souL
459
00:28:26,719 --> 00:28:29,105
And the story starts in one of the
most
460
00:28:29,130 --> 00:28:32,905
spectacular buildings in the ancient
world.
461
00:28:40,160 --> 00:28:42,185
This vast auditorium
462
00:28:42,210 --> 00:28:45,905
is an architectural masterpiece.
463
00:28:45,930 --> 00:28:48,335
55 tiers of marble benches
464
00:28:48,360 --> 00:28:51,985
can seat up to 15,000 people.
465
00:28:52,010 --> 00:28:54,824
Ancient superstars from the
playwright Sophocles
466
00:28:54,849 --> 00:28:57,595
to the Emperor Hadrian journeyed
here
467
00:28:57,620 --> 00:29:00,515
to enjoy drama as a shared
experience.
468
00:29:00,540 --> 00:29:03,494
So what everybody does when
they come here, and I have to say,
469
00:29:03,519 --> 00:29:05,944
I am no exception, is they stand in
the centre
470
00:29:05,969 --> 00:29:10,545
because the acoustics of this
place are totally amazing.
471
00:29:10,570 --> 00:29:12,595
And this is how it was designed,
472
00:29:12,620 --> 00:29:15,105
and you can hear from right at the
top.
473
00:29:15,130 --> 00:29:18,954
But I need somebody to listen to me,
so I have roped in, kindly, Angelos.
474
00:29:18,979 --> 00:29:21,385
Angelos. Hey.
475
00:29:21,410 --> 00:29:23,704
Is it OK if I stand there,
476
00:29:23,729 --> 00:29:26,055
do you mind running up to the top?
Sure. Why not?
477
00:29:26,080 --> 00:29:28,055
And just... But tell me, honestly,
if you can hear me
478
00:29:28,080 --> 00:29:29,985
because I'm not going to shout or
anything.
479
00:29:30,010 --> 00:29:31,465
OK, then. ls that all right? Yeah.
480
00:29:31,490 --> 00:29:34,265
I'll start going, yes? Bye.
Thank you.
481
00:29:34,290 --> 00:29:36,744
So I'm standing down here and I've
just
482
00:29:36,769 --> 00:29:39,494
sent Angelos right up to the top
483
00:29:39,519 --> 00:29:41,465
to see if he can hear me.
484
00:29:41,490 --> 00:29:45,824
I promise, I mean, you can hear me,
I'm not raising my voice at all.
485
00:29:45,849 --> 00:29:47,494
He's up at the top now.
486
00:29:48,880 --> 00:29:50,265
Hey, Angelos.
487
00:29:53,290 --> 00:29:54,905
Angelos, can you hear me?
488
00:29:54,930 --> 00:29:56,415
I can hear you.
489
00:29:58,050 --> 00:30:00,775
OK, I'm going to give you
a bit of a Greek tragedy.
490
00:30:00,800 --> 00:30:03,954
So, the wounds somebody of
who loves you
491
00:30:03,979 --> 00:30:07,135
and the wounds of somebody who hates
you are just the same.
492
00:30:07,160 --> 00:30:10,775
Because a lover's love is incurable,
whether it's good or bad.
493
00:30:11,930 --> 00:30:13,185
Whoa, that was great.
494
00:30:14,800 --> 00:30:17,905
What was l...? I'm testing you,
what was I talking about?
495
00:30:17,930 --> 00:30:19,624
About the wounds of love.
496
00:30:21,649 --> 00:30:24,215
I was. That is brilliant.
497
00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:25,574
That is brilliant.
498
00:30:25,599 --> 00:30:27,574
They are... I mean, what genius,
this is genius.
499
00:30:27,599 --> 00:30:31,315
So this was 2,500 years ago.
500
00:30:31,340 --> 00:30:33,065
And, of course, the ancient Greeks,
501
00:30:33,090 --> 00:30:35,345
they were sharing these brilliant,
502
00:30:35,370 --> 00:30:38,065
beautiful, bold words, these kind of
503
00:30:38,090 --> 00:30:40,785
big ideas about what it is to be
human,
504
00:30:40,810 --> 00:30:43,065
so what was said here really
mattered.
505
00:30:44,930 --> 00:30:47,574
But the theatre wasn't actually
the reason
506
00:30:47,599 --> 00:30:51,035
that the ancients came here from far
and wide.
507
00:30:51,060 --> 00:30:53,785
They came because this earthly
paradise
508
00:30:53,810 --> 00:30:57,215
was sacred to Asclepius,
god of medicine,
509
00:30:57,240 --> 00:31:00,065
protector of human health and
happiness,
510
00:31:00,090 --> 00:31:03,265
believed to have been born
right here.
511
00:31:03,290 --> 00:31:06,744
This was one of the first
ever health centres,
512
00:31:06,769 --> 00:31:09,574
famed across the Greek and Roman
world.
513
00:31:11,010 --> 00:31:15,905
People came here as pilgrims
and as patients.
514
00:31:15,930 --> 00:31:18,985
Obviously, they honoured the gods
and right at the heart
515
00:31:19,010 --> 00:31:22,215
of the sanctuary there was a massive
temple to Asclepius
516
00:31:22,240 --> 00:31:26,574
housing a giant statue of him
made out of gold and ivory.
517
00:31:26,599 --> 00:31:28,425
But they also came
518
00:31:28,450 --> 00:31:31,215
desperate to be cured.
519
00:31:36,130 --> 00:31:39,675
This is where the gods' healing was
actually thought to take place.
520
00:31:39,700 --> 00:31:43,185
It's called the Abaton, which means
a sacred enclosure,
521
00:31:43,210 --> 00:31:45,504
and during the day the sick
and the wounded
522
00:31:45,529 --> 00:31:48,465
would lie out here and then at night
523
00:31:48,490 --> 00:31:50,905
they'd enter a dark chamber to
undergo
524
00:31:50,930 --> 00:31:53,574
the sacred right of incubation.
525
00:31:56,450 --> 00:31:58,865
So, the patients fell asleep,
526
00:31:58,890 --> 00:32:02,115
waiting for Asclepius to come
to them in their dreams,
527
00:32:02,140 --> 00:32:04,624
believing he'd magically cured them
528
00:32:04,649 --> 00:32:07,225
or reveal what treatment they
needed.
529
00:32:09,680 --> 00:32:12,145
There's a brilliant bit of
evidence from here that tells
530
00:32:12,170 --> 00:32:15,065
a story of a blind man who came
and was cured,
531
00:32:15,090 --> 00:32:18,624
but then he didn't cough up enough
of an offering to the sanctuary,
532
00:32:18,649 --> 00:32:20,985
so he immediately lost his sight
again.
533
00:32:21,010 --> 00:32:23,504
And he came back and he was healed
for the second time
534
00:32:23,529 --> 00:32:27,345
and the priests here loved this fact
and then made much of it
535
00:32:27,370 --> 00:32:29,704
and publicised it because,
basically,
536
00:32:29,729 --> 00:32:31,504
it was very convenient for them to
say,
537
00:32:31,529 --> 00:32:35,834
"Listen, miracles do happen here,
but only at the right price."
538
00:32:37,500 --> 00:32:41,225
There were, however, some treatments
that were free of charge.
539
00:32:42,810 --> 00:32:46,345
This is just too perfect that there
are dogs here in the sanctuary
540
00:32:46,370 --> 00:32:49,834
because we know there were loads of
dogs in ancient times
541
00:32:49,859 --> 00:32:53,504
because dogs were actually
sacred to Asclepius.
542
00:32:53,529 --> 00:32:55,865
And I know that is a bit
counterintuitive,
543
00:32:55,890 --> 00:32:57,504
you might kind of wonder
why that is.
544
00:32:57,529 --> 00:33:00,475
But recent research shows that there
545
00:33:00,500 --> 00:33:04,345
is definitely antibacterial
properties in dog's saliva,
546
00:33:04,370 --> 00:33:07,345
so they can heal with their lick.
547
00:33:07,370 --> 00:33:10,035
So they were kind of like the
servants
548
00:33:10,060 --> 00:33:12,395
of healing in the ancient world.
549
00:33:12,420 --> 00:33:15,623
And they're still here today,
although...
550
00:33:15,648 --> 00:33:18,513
...l'm not sure I'd let these ones
lick my wounds.
551
00:33:22,338 --> 00:33:26,753
But treatment here went beyond dogs
and miracles.
552
00:33:26,778 --> 00:33:31,083
Archaeology has revealed why this
place was a cradle of medicine.
553
00:33:32,338 --> 00:33:35,753
There is something here
I absolutely have got to show you.
554
00:33:35,778 --> 00:33:37,833
So, in this lovely little cabinet,
555
00:33:37,858 --> 00:33:39,722
there are all these medical
instruments
556
00:33:39,747 --> 00:33:41,523
that were found on the site,
557
00:33:41,548 --> 00:33:43,833
which are basically just the kind
of precursor
558
00:33:43,858 --> 00:33:45,273
of our surgical instruments today.
559
00:33:45,298 --> 00:33:47,672
So there are tweezers and spatulas
560
00:33:47,697 --> 00:33:49,523
and knives, obviously,
561
00:33:49,548 --> 00:33:52,722
and then little hooks to deal with
veins.
562
00:33:52,747 --> 00:33:54,393
And it's really interesting, this,
563
00:33:54,418 --> 00:33:56,913
because increasingly we find,
as well as the priests,
564
00:33:56,938 --> 00:34:01,633
you're getting people that we really
think of as doctors operating here.
565
00:34:01,658 --> 00:34:05,722
The ancient Greeks were massive
pioneers in medicine
566
00:34:05,747 --> 00:34:09,313
and, actually, our word pharmacy is
basically an ancient Greek word,
567
00:34:09,338 --> 00:34:13,113
it comes from "pharmakeia", which
means useful little things,
568
00:34:13,138 --> 00:34:15,953
sometimes drugs.
569
00:34:15,978 --> 00:34:18,633
I'm thinking of the operations
that would be done here
570
00:34:18,658 --> 00:34:19,993
with instruments like this.
571
00:34:20,018 --> 00:34:22,592
You might be relieved to hear
572
00:34:22,617 --> 00:34:26,913
that they did use pain relief in the
form of opiates.
573
00:34:35,188 --> 00:34:38,602
Healing treatments pioneered here
spread to over 200
574
00:34:38,627 --> 00:34:41,883
Asclepius sanctuaries across Asia
and Europe.
575
00:34:44,188 --> 00:34:47,913
This sanatorium employed all
kinds of practices,
576
00:34:47,938 --> 00:34:53,273
physical and psychological,
as brand-new archaeology suggests.
577
00:34:53,298 --> 00:34:56,672
OK. So I know this might look
a bit like a building site,
578
00:34:56,697 --> 00:35:03,523
but, actually, this is an incredibly
exciting and important discovery.
579
00:35:03,548 --> 00:35:06,523
So it's an excavation that's
obviously still going on
580
00:35:06,548 --> 00:35:08,913
and what has been found down there
581
00:35:08,938 --> 00:35:11,802
is in underground chamber.
582
00:35:11,827 --> 00:35:16,193
Now, we don't know yet exactly what
it would've been used for.
583
00:35:16,218 --> 00:35:19,163
It might have been a music ritual or
even a snake pit,
584
00:35:19,188 --> 00:35:22,243
or some kind of dungeon where people
imagined
585
00:35:22,268 --> 00:35:26,602
that they were dead so that they
could be healed and reborn again.
586
00:35:26,627 --> 00:35:29,833
But, whatever it is, it's a vital,
587
00:35:29,858 --> 00:35:34,163
new piece in the jigsaw puzzle
story of this place.
588
00:35:40,548 --> 00:35:43,523
And this is a story that really
matters,
589
00:35:43,548 --> 00:35:45,523
that has a lot to teach us,
590
00:35:45,548 --> 00:35:48,163
because, 2,000 years ago, the women
591
00:35:48,188 --> 00:35:50,963
and men here had a holistic approach
592
00:35:50,988 --> 00:35:53,523
to life and health and happiness
593
00:35:53,548 --> 00:35:56,113
we're only re-embracing now.
594
00:36:03,018 --> 00:36:06,523
So, remember this beautiful
theatre?
595
00:36:06,548 --> 00:36:10,193
Well, by the fourth century BCE,
there wasn't just a theatre here,
596
00:36:10,218 --> 00:36:14,073
there was a stadium, a running
track, a gymnasium
597
00:36:14,098 --> 00:36:18,472
and an odeon, which is the ancient
Greek word for a music hall.
598
00:36:18,497 --> 00:36:20,432
And, at first, you might think
all of this was just
599
00:36:20,457 --> 00:36:22,833
provided as entertainment for all
those visitors
600
00:36:22,858 --> 00:36:25,243
and pilgrims, but, actually,
601
00:36:25,268 --> 00:36:27,913
the truth runs far, far deeper.
602
00:36:28,988 --> 00:36:31,753
This was here as therapy
603
00:36:31,778 --> 00:36:35,273
because the ancient Greeks believed
that you could not have
604
00:36:35,298 --> 00:36:38,793
a healthy body unless you had a
healthy mind.
605
00:36:38,818 --> 00:36:41,753
And the philosopher Aristotle said
that when people came
606
00:36:41,778 --> 00:36:44,432
together in a theatre like this
to listen to drama,
607
00:36:44,457 --> 00:36:47,113
it was catharsis -
608
00:36:47,138 --> 00:36:51,432
it was a purge and a balm for
societies soul.
609
00:36:58,577 --> 00:37:00,993
That idea of treating the person
as a whole,
610
00:37:01,018 --> 00:37:03,883
rather than just focusing on an
isolated problem,
611
00:37:03,908 --> 00:37:08,472
of using art to heal,
might seem super modern,
612
00:37:08,497 --> 00:37:11,883
but the Greeks got there 2,500 years
ago.
613
00:37:14,707 --> 00:37:17,713
Epidaurus is a wonder for all
kinds of reasons,
614
00:37:17,738 --> 00:37:21,273
but I really love it because it
reminds us to respect history
615
00:37:21,298 --> 00:37:23,713
and that we shouldn't just learn
616
00:37:23,738 --> 00:37:26,073
about the people of the past -
617
00:37:26,098 --> 00:37:27,602
we should learn from them.
618
00:37:45,168 --> 00:37:46,702
For my final treasure,
619
00:37:46,727 --> 00:37:51,423
I'm heading to one of the most
iconic ancient sites on the planet,
620
00:37:51,448 --> 00:37:55,783
home to a driving competitive
spirit that made the Greeks special
621
00:37:55,808 --> 00:37:57,783
and that shaped our world...
622
00:37:59,168 --> 00:38:00,452
...Olympia,
623
00:38:00,477 --> 00:38:04,023
birthplace of the original Olympic
Games.
624
00:38:08,168 --> 00:38:11,143
I just love coming to Olympia
because, obviously,
625
00:38:11,168 --> 00:38:14,023
it's thrilling to be somewhere
that's famous as the birthplace
626
00:38:14,048 --> 00:38:15,693
of the Olympic Games,
627
00:38:15,718 --> 00:38:19,053
but this site has so much more to
reveal.
628
00:38:19,078 --> 00:38:21,533
For over 3,000 years,
629
00:38:21,558 --> 00:38:24,423
Olympia has been a sacred place -
630
00:38:24,448 --> 00:38:26,382
the chief sanctuary of Zeus,
631
00:38:26,407 --> 00:38:28,863
the most powerful of all the Greek
gods,
632
00:38:28,888 --> 00:38:31,143
ruler of Mount Olympus,
633
00:38:31,168 --> 00:38:32,663
god of success,
634
00:38:32,688 --> 00:38:34,143
god of the sky.
635
00:38:39,078 --> 00:38:40,303
In ancient times,
636
00:38:40,328 --> 00:38:42,693
visitors would've entered this
sacred space
637
00:38:42,718 --> 00:38:46,173
with a real sense of awe and wonder.
638
00:38:47,477 --> 00:38:49,423
Knowing that, with every step,
639
00:38:49,448 --> 00:38:53,103
they were drawing closer to the
home of the almighty god.
640
00:38:54,248 --> 00:38:58,223
I have to be honest, coming here, it
does still feel very spiritual.
641
00:39:01,198 --> 00:39:04,693
Recent digs are revealing how every
detail was chosen
642
00:39:04,718 --> 00:39:07,893
to enhance the sublime experience.
643
00:39:07,918 --> 00:39:10,693
Because this has all only just been
excavated,
644
00:39:10,718 --> 00:39:14,023
you can still see fantastic details
on the stone,
645
00:39:14,048 --> 00:39:17,252
like the fact that it's made of a
composite stone
646
00:39:17,277 --> 00:39:22,943
that's absolutely thick with
millions-of-year-old seashells.
647
00:39:22,968 --> 00:39:24,943
We know that this stone was chosen
648
00:39:24,968 --> 00:39:27,582
because it celebrated the raw power
of the Earth.
649
00:39:28,607 --> 00:39:29,893
Isn't that beautiful?
650
00:39:36,248 --> 00:39:37,863
So, this is the Altis,
651
00:39:37,888 --> 00:39:39,693
the sanctuary of the gods,
652
00:39:39,718 --> 00:39:42,582
the pulsing centre of divine power
here
653
00:39:42,607 --> 00:39:47,663
and a celebration of the power of
the creations of humanity.
654
00:39:50,248 --> 00:39:54,973
And at its heart was the magnificent
Temple of Zeus.
655
00:39:58,918 --> 00:40:00,023
And within the temple,
656
00:40:00,048 --> 00:40:02,943
a huge statue of the god himself,
657
00:40:02,968 --> 00:40:05,252
decorated in gold and ivory,
658
00:40:05,277 --> 00:40:07,533
over 12 metres tall
659
00:40:07,558 --> 00:40:08,773
and so spectacular,
660
00:40:08,798 --> 00:40:12,183
it was considered one of the Seven
Wonders of the World.
661
00:40:15,328 --> 00:40:17,943
Originally a statement of pure
power,
662
00:40:17,968 --> 00:40:20,973
only ghostly remains have been left.
663
00:40:20,998 --> 00:40:23,693
The temple was destroyed by an
earthquake,
664
00:40:23,718 --> 00:40:25,943
the statue by fire.
665
00:40:28,048 --> 00:40:31,582
But now, painstaking research and
modern technology
666
00:40:31,607 --> 00:40:34,303
is raising the Olympian Zeus from
the ashes.
667
00:40:35,357 --> 00:40:36,943
Oh, this is fantastic.
668
00:40:36,968 --> 00:40:38,382
Oh, it's amazing!
669
00:40:38,407 --> 00:40:43,053
It had very famous decorations above
the entrance on the pediment.
670
00:40:43,078 --> 00:40:46,582
World-class, and they were painted
these bright colours.
671
00:40:46,607 --> 00:40:48,663
And then... There it is.
672
00:40:48,688 --> 00:40:54,023
That's the world-famous statue of
Zeus.
673
00:40:54,048 --> 00:40:56,023
Look at him!
674
00:40:56,048 --> 00:40:59,183
So, covered in gold and ivory.
675
00:40:59,208 --> 00:41:01,023
This is brilliant!
676
00:41:01,048 --> 00:41:03,502
And people who came here from the
ancient world said
677
00:41:03,527 --> 00:41:06,332
it was so beautifully done, it was
so inspiring,
678
00:41:06,357 --> 00:41:10,663
they felt as though they were in
the presence of Zeus himself.
679
00:41:11,688 --> 00:41:15,543
Wow, what a moment to be standing in
the temple and looking at him.
680
00:41:17,078 --> 00:41:18,462
Every four years,
681
00:41:18,487 --> 00:41:20,863
for over 1,000 years,
682
00:41:20,888 --> 00:41:24,103
a pretty intense festival that
glorified achievement
683
00:41:24,128 --> 00:41:26,382
was held here in honour of Zeus,
684
00:41:26,407 --> 00:41:28,943
including a gory climax -
685
00:41:28,968 --> 00:41:33,863
the ritual sacrifice of 100 bulls.
686
00:41:33,888 --> 00:41:35,132
Their throats were cut,
687
00:41:35,157 --> 00:41:37,943
and then they were burnt as an
offering to the gods,
688
00:41:37,968 --> 00:41:40,303
and the remains of that offering
689
00:41:40,328 --> 00:41:42,743
and the remains of the ash of the
sacred flame,
690
00:41:42,768 --> 00:41:45,103
the Olympic flame which always
burnt here,
691
00:41:45,128 --> 00:41:49,693
would be piled up in this kind of
weird, greasy,
692
00:41:49,718 --> 00:41:56,303
ashy, bone monument altar to death
and sacrifice, just there.
693
00:41:56,328 --> 00:42:00,693
And so, when people came here, that
was one of the sites.
694
00:42:00,718 --> 00:42:03,903
So visceral as an experience, coming
here.
695
00:42:03,928 --> 00:42:07,462
Really, you know, this was a place
and an experience
696
00:42:07,487 --> 00:42:09,132
that really, really mattered,
697
00:42:09,157 --> 00:42:12,943
and if you'd come, you would
never have forgotten your visit.
698
00:42:15,688 --> 00:42:18,623
This extraordinary place was also
the backdrop
699
00:42:18,648 --> 00:42:22,303
to the ancient world's greatest
sporting contest,
700
00:42:22,328 --> 00:42:24,773
the Olympic Games.
701
00:42:24,798 --> 00:42:29,342
Over 50,000 spectators flocked to
Olympia.
702
00:42:29,367 --> 00:42:31,103
This wasn't just about sport.
703
00:42:31,128 --> 00:42:34,663
The competition itself was a
religious experience,
704
00:42:34,688 --> 00:42:39,053
attracting Greek citizens and
travellers from Sicily to Georgia.
705
00:42:39,078 --> 00:42:41,903
The atmosphere must have been
electric.
706
00:42:43,878 --> 00:42:46,773
So, this is the stadium where the
races were held,
707
00:42:46,798 --> 00:42:49,103
and the competitors would all have
lined up here
708
00:42:49,128 --> 00:42:52,212
on the starting line, stark naked,
709
00:42:52,237 --> 00:42:56,623
to prove to Zeus how hard they
trained for his festival.
710
00:42:56,648 --> 00:42:59,853
And, actually, the Ancient Greek
word for naked is "gymnos",
711
00:42:59,878 --> 00:43:02,543
which gives us our word
"gymnastics".
712
00:43:02,568 --> 00:43:06,342
And the stadium takes its name from
the stadion, or stage,
713
00:43:06,367 --> 00:43:10,053
which was the measure of distance
from one end to the other.
714
00:43:11,878 --> 00:43:13,262
For the ancients,
715
00:43:13,287 --> 00:43:17,132
these sporting heroes were touched
by the divine.
716
00:43:17,157 --> 00:43:18,543
To understand more,
717
00:43:18,568 --> 00:43:22,953
I'm meeting archaeologist
Konstantinos Antonopoulos.
718
00:43:22,978 --> 00:43:26,853
So, was this really a religious
experience when people came here?
719
00:43:26,878 --> 00:43:27,953
For sure.
720
00:43:27,978 --> 00:43:31,342
The Olympic Games was not just an
athletic event.
721
00:43:31,367 --> 00:43:36,212
The Olympic victor was a hero among
humans
722
00:43:36,237 --> 00:43:41,382
and, many times, he would be
worshipped
723
00:43:41,407 --> 00:43:44,462
as a semi-god or as a god after he
died.
724
00:43:44,487 --> 00:43:47,953
So, I mean, it really mattered that
you won when you came here.
725
00:43:47,978 --> 00:43:49,262
Exactly.
726
00:43:49,287 --> 00:43:53,313
Zeus was the prominent beloved god
of the Greeks,
727
00:43:53,338 --> 00:43:56,262
and he had this festival here.
728
00:43:56,287 --> 00:44:01,703
They thought that the Olympic victor
would be accepted in Zeus's palace
729
00:44:01,728 --> 00:44:04,023
and he would live among the gods,
730
00:44:04,048 --> 00:44:06,783
and that would be the ticket to
immortality.
731
00:44:07,848 --> 00:44:13,063
Of course, competing to be godlike
encouraged fierce competition.
732
00:44:13,088 --> 00:44:15,783
For the Greeks, winning was
everything.
733
00:44:15,808 --> 00:44:19,212
There was no such thing as an
honourable loser,
734
00:44:19,237 --> 00:44:23,573
and competition was stitched
through all aspects of Greek life.
735
00:44:23,598 --> 00:44:25,493
So, politicians competed,
736
00:44:25,518 --> 00:44:29,933
but poets, playwrights and even
potters competed, too.
737
00:44:29,958 --> 00:44:32,543
The Olympic Games provided the
opportunity
738
00:44:32,568 --> 00:44:34,212
for clays on end
739
00:44:34,237 --> 00:44:37,623
of sublime, ferocious contest.
740
00:44:39,698 --> 00:44:43,493
Contest, struggle, was there to
honour the best
741
00:44:43,518 --> 00:44:46,983
and to make people aspire to be
better.
742
00:44:47,008 --> 00:44:50,903
Success was a goal enshrined in
Greek culture via the Games
743
00:44:50,928 --> 00:44:53,212
for over 1,000 years...
744
00:44:54,417 --> 00:44:58,703
...a legacy and, some would argue, an
ethos we've inherited.
745
00:45:00,728 --> 00:45:04,673
The modern Games were revived in
Greece in 1896
746
00:45:04,698 --> 00:45:08,983
after being closed down by Christian
emperors 1,600 years before.
747
00:45:10,058 --> 00:45:13,823
The Olympic torch is now ritually
lit here at Olympia...
748
00:45:15,058 --> 00:45:17,573
...and is transported around the
world.
749
00:45:20,318 --> 00:45:22,933
Olympia is one of our wonders
because,
750
00:45:22,958 --> 00:45:25,293
from the stupendous statue of Zeus
751
00:45:25,318 --> 00:45:27,623
to the raw rivalry of the Games,
752
00:45:27,648 --> 00:45:31,293
it encapsulates a Greek spirit of
competition.
753
00:45:31,318 --> 00:45:37,753
That constant restless struggle to
innovate and create and be the best
754
00:45:37,778 --> 00:45:42,503
led the Greeks to make astonishing
advances in the human story.
755
00:45:47,678 --> 00:45:49,342
My treasures of Greece
756
00:45:49,367 --> 00:45:52,392
have taken me across this glorious
land.
757
00:45:54,728 --> 00:45:57,753
I've felt the passion of the ancient
Olympics,
758
00:45:57,778 --> 00:46:00,653
been dazzled by the gold of Macedon
759
00:46:00,678 --> 00:46:04,983
and visited the first health spa in
western civilisation.
760
00:46:07,728 --> 00:46:10,933
This journey to explore the wonders
and treasures of Greece
761
00:46:10,958 --> 00:46:14,222
has been epic and a joy.
762
00:46:14,247 --> 00:46:16,983
It's shown me that ambition and
determination
763
00:46:17,008 --> 00:46:20,012
and inspiration and sheer curiosity
764
00:46:20,037 --> 00:46:22,543
is what builds a civilisation
765
00:46:22,568 --> 00:46:25,753
and it's reminded me that the gifts
of the Greeks
766
00:46:25,778 --> 00:46:29,113
are still enjoyed across the world
today.
767
00:46:51,736 --> 00:46:55,091
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