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[narrator] Ancient Iraq,
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a land of myth and legend,
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home to someof the greatest citiesof the Bible.
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Well, it's the cradle
of civilization.
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This is oneof the most important areasin the world.
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[narrator] Now,after decades of war,
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pioneering archaeologistsare returning to Iraq.
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Our camerashave unprecedented access
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as they unearthburied treasures
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as they unearthburied treasures
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and discover the real worldof the Old Testament.
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Western civilization only kept
memories from the Bible.
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It's very difficult
to pick apart
the myths and the legends.
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[narrator] This timeinvestigators uncoverthe lost cities of Genesis,
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Uruk and Ur,the legendary birthplaceof Abraham.
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Ur was transcended.
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It essentially ruled
over many cities.
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It essentially ruled
over many cities.
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[narrator] Why did peoplehere go from beingsimple farmers
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to big time city slickers?
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And did the collapseof this brave new world
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influence one of the greatestbiblical stories ever told?
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Noah and the great flood.
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It's just before dawnin southern Iraq.
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A small convoy of vehiclesheads out across the desert.
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A small convoy of vehiclesheads out across the desert.
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Joining the teamis archaeologistSebastien Rey.
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He and his colleaguesare traveling 200 miles southof Iraq's capital Baghdad,
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heading for a setof ancient ruins,
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which could unlock the originsof civilization itself.
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[Sebastien Rey] Archeologyis truly amazing here.
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Every morning, I have
this exciting of maybe
this is the day
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where we will find something
truly exceptional.
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where we will find something
truly exceptional.
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[narrator]
The sands of southern Iraq
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hold a unique placein human history.
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6,000 years ago,a people called the Sumerians
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built the world'sfirst cities here.
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They vanished,
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but for reasonsthat are still unclear.
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Their civilization influencedthe stories of the Bible,
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written 1,000s of years laterby a very different people.
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According to Genesis,this is where the world began.
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According to Genesis,this is where the world began.
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The settingfor the Garden of Eden,the great flood,
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and where the descendantsof Noah built Erech,a mighty city.
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Today, biblical scholarsidentify Erech with Urukin southern Iraq,
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a huge Sumerian metropolisolder than the pyramids.
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Uruk had templesstudded with intricatestone mosaics...
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Uruk had templesstudded with intricatestone mosaics...
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...and developeda maze of streets,
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filled withmud brick houses...
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...wildly seen as the world'sfirst true city.
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6,000 years ago,this was a revolutionaryway of living.
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Why were the Sumeriansthe first peopleto build cities?
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And what wasthe world of Genesisreally like?
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The first Westernersto uncover Iraq's lost cities
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The first Westernersto uncover Iraq's lost cities
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were inspiredby the stories of the Bible.
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But archeologists havestill barely scratchedthe surface
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of what lies buried here.
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These rare aerial imagesshow the sheer scale of Uruk'ssprawling ruins today.
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Sebastien Reyfrom the British Museumbelongs to a new generation,
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working alongsideIraqi colleaguesand driven by science.
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Our cameras have unique access
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Our cameras have unique access
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to follow theirgroundbreaking dig
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at a neighboring sitecalled Girsu.
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It could shed new lighton how the first citieslike Uruk evolved.
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[Rey] Girsuin the third millennium BCwas a very, very big city.
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We call it a mega city.
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And it was home
to more than 20,000 people.
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[narrator] The Sumerians,like the ancient Egyptians,built on a massive scale.
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The team is uncoveringa very unusual structure.
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The team is uncoveringa very unusual structure.
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It's colossal
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and unlike anythingevery found in ancient Iraq.
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[Rey] This constructionis a very unusual plan,
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almost in the shape
of a big X.
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[narrator] Sebastien workswith archaeologist Ebru Torun.
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She investigatesthe strange design.
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[Ebru Torun] This isa very interesting structure
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[Ebru Torun] This isa very interesting structure
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built actually like
two symmetrically arranged
convex walls.
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We have studied the structurealmost brick by brick,
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uh, and we knowthat it was madeof fire bricks.
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It must have beena very useful structure
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because it was kept maintainedfor many, many centuries.
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[narrator] Archeologistsonce thought this structurecould be a tomb
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or even a temple.
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But it stands insidean ancient canal.
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But it stands insidean ancient canal.
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These are actuallythe foundations of a bridge...
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...built from 1,000sof mud brickswith bitumen as mortar.
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This structurewas once 26 feet high
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and up to 130 feet wide.
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It's a small bridgeby modern standards,
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but when it was built4,000 years ago,
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it was revolutionary.
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It's also an ancientwater management system.
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By squeezing the currentthrew a narrow channel,
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By squeezing the currentthrew a narrow channel,
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the water picked up speed
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without raisingthe level downstream,
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a testamentto Sumerian ingenuity.
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The bridgeis the oldest ever foundin the world.
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Could it revealwhy the Sumeriansinvented cities?
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[Torun] This structureis not only a very impressivearcheological ruin,
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it also tells us a lot
about how
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it also tells us a lot
about how
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people, Sumerians,
actually found solutions
to live in this climate.
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It's a unique structure.
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[narrator] The bridgeis the first hintthat this arid land
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looked very differentin biblical times.
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Sebastien workswith geoarchaeologistJaafar Jotheri
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to reconstruct Girsu'soriginal environment.
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[narrator] Together they flya drone to lookfor more canals
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[narrator] Together they flya drone to lookfor more canals
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like the one with the bridge.
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Work that would take monthson the ground
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takes minutes in the air.
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You would think the drone
is really important.
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We used to use tradition wayof survey and excavation.
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But now, we are allowed
to discover lots of things.
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If you have high technology,
and you can plan well
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where to excavateor where to dig.
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[narrator] From above,the desert looksflat and featureless,
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but it hidesremarkable secrets.
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[Rey] So this imageis made up of more thana 100 drone photos.
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The main large straight lines
you can see
are ancient canals.
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[narrator] The drone's surveyreveals that water surroundedGirsu in ancient times.
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This desert citywas the Venice of its day.
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This desert citywas the Venice of its day.
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[Rey] We always had this idea
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that a Mesopotamian city,any city like Uruk,like Babylon,
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is strongly connected
to one river course.
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But here
in the case of Girsu...
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...there are numbers of canals
that run across
through the site.
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[narrator] Conventional wisdomsays that the constructionof these canals
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led directly to the birthof the first cities.
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An extraordinary vasediscovered at Uruk...
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...reveals how they allowedthe Sumerians to turnthe desert into fields.
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The vase depicts farmerswho carry basketsoverflowing with crops.
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A herd of goats and sheepgraze freely.
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It's a fertile landscapethat some believemight even have inspired
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the story ofthe Garden of Edenin the Bible.
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Genesis describes how a streamrunning from Eden flowed
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Genesis describes how a streamrunning from Eden flowed
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into Iraq'slife-giving rivers,the Tigris and the Euphrates.
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Some scholars believethe name Eden itself
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may come fromthe Sumerian wordfor a plain or open country.
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But no one knows for sureif this theory
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about the riseof the first cities is correct
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because few have ever triedto date these canals...
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...until now.
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[Rey] Our knowledgeof ancient Mesopotamia
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[Rey] Our knowledgeof ancient Mesopotamia
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is very limited,
and it dates back to
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50, 60, 70 years.
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[narrator] Sebastien's teamuses an ingenious technique
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to find out exactly how oldthe canals are
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and if they were dugat the same timeas the city was built.
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The one way of dating
an ancient canal
is to collect shells
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from the bottom
of those canals.
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We can radiocarbon datethe shells,
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We can radiocarbon datethe shells,
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and this would datethe canal itself.
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[narrator] The team analyzesmore than 20 shells.
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The results reveala staggering surprise.
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[Rey] These are, um,
the first results we have
from the lab.
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The range of dates
for the earliest
largescale canal...
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...is roughly from 6,000 BCE
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to 4,500 BCE.
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[narrator] The canals appearto predate any Sumerian city
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[narrator] The canals appearto predate any Sumerian city
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by at least 1,000 years.
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It means that settled farmingcannot be the spark
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that led to places like Uruk.
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So if we assume that the model
that everyone agrees on today
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that Uruk, the famous cityis the first city,
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these canals are 1,000
to 2,000 years earlier
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than this very important date.
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This would significantly
change almost
everything we know
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about the rise of the city
in Mesopotamia.
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[narrator] Everything thatwe thought we knew
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about the dawn of civilizationcould be wrong.
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Something else must havemotivated people hereto build cities.
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Why did people leavethis real life Garden of Eden
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for life in a big metropolis?
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for life in a big metropolis?
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A clue could lieat the center of Urukwith a vast temple.
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The world's first pyramid.
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[narrator] The Bible saysthat after the Great Flood,
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the descendants of Noahspread out across the Earth.
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One man, a mighty huntercalled Nimrod,
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supposedly foundedthe world's first citiesin the land of Shinar.
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Archeology confirmsthat Iraq is indeedwhere cities began.
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But why did humansdecide to build them herein the first place?
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But why did humansdecide to build them herein the first place?
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A clue could lieat the center of Uruk.
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Here archaeologistshave discoveredthe world's first pyramid.
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A raised platformcalled a ziggurat.
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On top is a temple dedicatedto the Sumerian sky god.
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It's gleaming,whitewashed wallsmake it stand out from afar.
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Next to it liesa temple precinct, the Eanna.
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Next to it liesa temple precinct, the Eanna.
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Ancient buildersstudded its wallswith thousands of stone cones
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creating a mosaic of intricategeometric patterns.
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5,000 years ago,there was no other placelike this on Earth.
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So could religion explainthe birth of the first cities?
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Sebastien Rey investigatesa building buriedat the nearby city of Girsu.
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Sebastien Rey investigatesa building buriedat the nearby city of Girsu.
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Here Iraqi excavatorsunearth terracotta conesembedded in the walls
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similar to thoseat Uruk's temple.
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[Sebastien Rey]
I'm holding in my hands
one of the most iconic objects
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of the site of Girsu Tello.
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This is a temple cone.
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But rather, we should
really call it a temple nail.
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It was a symbolic object.
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There's an inscription
incised on this object.
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The text always starts
with the name of Ningirsu.
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The text always starts
with the name of Ningirsu.
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[narrator] Each Sumerian cityhad its own deity.
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Girsu's patron godwas the thunder god, Ningirsu.
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Hero of epic tales and slayerof the monster, Anzu.
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[bestial roar]
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The Sumerians believedthat each cityhad its own deity.
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The cone revealsthat this buildingis the temple of Ningirsu,
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one of the most sacred sitesin ancient Iraq.
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one of the most sacred sitesin ancient Iraq.
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[Rey] When we found the cones
inserted in the walls,
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it was an exceptional moment.
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We knew for a factthat we had indeed discovered
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this long-forgottentemple of Ningirsu.
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[narrator] Legend saysthat Ningirsu himself ordered
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the constructionof this building
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by appearingto the city's king in a dream.
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A headless statue discoveredin the building depicts
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A headless statue discoveredin the building depicts
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the king as an architectholding a floor plan.
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At first, its geometrybaffled archaeologists.
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But Sebastien managedto decode the measurementsinscribed on it.
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Incredibly, the dimensionsmatched the buildingin this trench perfectly.
244
00:15:03,267 --> 00:15:06,867
This floor plan is supposedto be a divine blueprint.
245
00:15:11,367 --> 00:15:11,701
Sebastien thinks thatsacred shrines like thisevolved into the first cities.
246
00:15:11,701 --> 00:15:12,000
Sebastien thinks thatsacred shrines like thisevolved into the first cities.
247
00:15:17,367 --> 00:15:21,367
Girsu's temple was builtjust as the citystarted to get going.
248
00:15:23,167 --> 00:15:26,100
[Rey] So a templein ancient Mesopotamiawas like a magnet.
249
00:15:26,100 --> 00:15:30,100
It attracted people
worshipping the gods.
250
00:15:30,167 --> 00:15:34,867
And the whole citygravitated aroundthis important structure.
251
00:15:36,667 --> 00:15:38,367
[narrator] Religion helpedto give rise
252
00:15:38,367 --> 00:15:41,667
to the civilizationthat would shape the Bible.
253
00:15:41,667 --> 00:15:41,701
Gods lay at the heartof the day-to-daySumerian world.
254
00:15:41,701 --> 00:15:42,000
Gods lay at the heartof the day-to-daySumerian world.
255
00:15:46,400 --> 00:15:49,967
But many early cultureshad shrines.
256
00:15:49,967 --> 00:15:53,267
How did the Sumeriansturn theirs into cities?
257
00:15:54,367 --> 00:15:57,267
A clue lies with a skillwe take for granted.
258
00:15:59,767 --> 00:16:01,500
Writing.
259
00:16:02,767 --> 00:16:06,567
Phil Jones investigateshow Sumerian priestswere the first people
260
00:16:06,567 --> 00:16:10,067
to harness the true powerof this radical new idea.
261
00:16:11,767 --> 00:16:12,000
Writing is probably one of
the three or four
most crucial inventions
262
00:16:16,467 --> 00:16:18,200
in the whole of human history.
263
00:16:19,267 --> 00:16:22,300
It is a complete game changer.
264
00:16:22,367 --> 00:16:26,667
[narrator] The Sumeriansdeveloped a system of writingcalled cuneiform.
265
00:16:26,667 --> 00:16:30,100
A series of wedge-shapedsymbols made on wet clay.
266
00:16:31,667 --> 00:16:34,067
Some archaeologists thinkwriting was invented
267
00:16:34,067 --> 00:16:36,700
in the templeas a method of book keeping.
268
00:16:36,767 --> 00:16:41,400
This is a cuneiform tablet
just over 4,000 years old.
269
00:16:41,467 --> 00:16:41,701
So this is basically a receipt
270
00:16:41,701 --> 00:16:42,000
So this is basically a receipt
271
00:16:43,467 --> 00:16:47,100
for various uh, officials
receiving grain.
272
00:16:47,167 --> 00:16:50,100
First line ends
with the name of a person.
273
00:16:50,167 --> 00:16:53,400
When its finished
giving the list of people
receiving the grain,
274
00:16:53,467 --> 00:16:57,400
we have a total
of how much grain
has been involved.
275
00:16:57,467 --> 00:16:59,600
[narrator] This carvingfrom Uruk reveals
276
00:16:59,667 --> 00:17:03,267
how temples had to administeran extraordinaryamount of produce.
277
00:17:05,767 --> 00:17:10,467
Citizens carry jars of fruit,grain and fish to the temple.
278
00:17:10,467 --> 00:17:11,701
All offeringsfor the goddess Inanna.
279
00:17:11,701 --> 00:17:12,000
All offeringsfor the goddess Inanna.
280
00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:17,467
But priests would alsoredistribute some of this food
281
00:17:17,467 --> 00:17:20,167
back among the peopleliving in the city.
282
00:17:20,167 --> 00:17:23,200
The Sumerians werethe world's first bureaucrats.
283
00:17:25,200 --> 00:17:28,867
[Phil Jones] Writing allowsyou to keep trackof the raw materials
284
00:17:28,867 --> 00:17:30,500
moving through the system.
285
00:17:30,567 --> 00:17:33,867
The temple itself is partly
a religious institution,
286
00:17:33,867 --> 00:17:37,067
but it's also essentially
a real estate corporation.
287
00:17:38,667 --> 00:17:41,701
[narrator] Sebastien believesthat the temple ranthese fledgling cities.
288
00:17:41,701 --> 00:17:42,000
[narrator] Sebastien believesthat the temple ranthese fledgling cities.
289
00:17:43,267 --> 00:17:46,767
It was the enginewhich poweredthe growth of civic life.
290
00:17:48,167 --> 00:17:50,567
[Rey] Everything is linkedto the temple.
291
00:17:50,567 --> 00:17:54,867
So in Uruk for example,most of the very firsttablets that we have
292
00:17:54,867 --> 00:17:57,767
are linked tothe temple of Inanna.
293
00:17:57,767 --> 00:18:00,767
So there can be no doubt
that in Mesopotamia
294
00:18:00,767 --> 00:18:04,267
the birth of the city
and the invention of writing
295
00:18:04,267 --> 00:18:06,800
is linked to developmentof the temple.
296
00:18:08,500 --> 00:18:11,701
[narrator] Sumer was a landof incredible innovations.
297
00:18:11,701 --> 00:18:12,000
[narrator] Sumer was a landof incredible innovations.
298
00:18:12,367 --> 00:18:16,667
Is this why the laterBiblical writers believethe world began here?
299
00:18:18,267 --> 00:18:22,867
Writing also allowed humansto record storiesfor the very first time.
300
00:18:24,100 --> 00:18:28,700
But the Sumerians were devotedto one story in particular.
301
00:18:28,767 --> 00:18:31,067
The myth of a Great Flood.
302
00:18:31,967 --> 00:18:33,567
Where does it come from?
303
00:18:33,567 --> 00:18:37,967
And why is it so similarto the tale of Noah's Arkin the Bible?
304
00:18:42,767 --> 00:18:44,300
[narrator]
Thousands of years ago,
305
00:18:44,367 --> 00:18:49,067
the Sumerians believeda great flooddestroyed the world.
306
00:18:49,067 --> 00:18:54,300
Legend says the godsgrew angry with humanityfor being too noisy.
307
00:18:54,367 --> 00:18:57,667
So they sent a great delugeto wipe them out.
308
00:18:58,567 --> 00:19:00,867
But they spared one man
309
00:19:00,867 --> 00:19:05,067
who they told to build a boatand rescue all life.
310
00:19:05,067 --> 00:19:09,467
Why is this Sumerian taleso similar to the storyof Noah's Ark?
311
00:19:10,567 --> 00:19:11,487
Could a real eventconnect them both?
312
00:19:11,487 --> 00:19:12,000
Could a real eventconnect them both?
313
00:19:13,767 --> 00:19:18,767
Archaeologists have foundmany versions of this story.
314
00:19:18,767 --> 00:19:25,067
The most famous is foundin the tale of a king of Urukcalled Gilgamesh.
315
00:19:25,067 --> 00:19:29,867
The discovery of his storyin the 19th centuryastounded a Western world
316
00:19:29,867 --> 00:19:31,600
brought upon the tale of Noah.
317
00:19:35,267 --> 00:19:39,667
It appeared to confirmthat the Bible conveyedhistorical truth.
318
00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:42,000
Gilgamesh was an epic hero,but he may be based
319
00:19:45,367 --> 00:19:50,100
on a real king who livednearly 5,000 years ago.
320
00:19:50,100 --> 00:19:53,500
So if he did exist,what was the worldhe came from,
321
00:19:53,567 --> 00:19:56,367
the world of the flood?
322
00:19:57,767 --> 00:20:01,000
The rise of these early rulersis shrouded in mystery.
323
00:20:02,467 --> 00:20:05,000
Barbara Helwinglooks for clues here
324
00:20:05,067 --> 00:20:07,567
at the Pergamonmuseumin Berlin.
325
00:20:07,567 --> 00:20:10,000
The big change
of the fourth millennium
326
00:20:10,067 --> 00:20:11,487
is that we see a new type
of leadership emerging.
327
00:20:11,487 --> 00:20:12,000
is that we see a new type
of leadership emerging.
328
00:20:13,867 --> 00:20:18,000
There is a figure responsiblefor forming the interface
329
00:20:18,067 --> 00:20:20,900
between the humansand the deities.
330
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:27,900
[narrator] This small clayimpression depictsone of these new rulers.
331
00:20:27,967 --> 00:20:30,700
He stands on a boatnext to a modelof Uruk's temple...
332
00:20:32,367 --> 00:20:35,700
...a sign of hissacred responsibilities.
333
00:20:35,767 --> 00:20:40,467
But as cities grew bigger,they needed leaderswho could combine many roles.
334
00:20:41,867 --> 00:20:42,000
[Barbara Helwing]
We also see himin scenes of violence.
335
00:20:45,167 --> 00:20:49,367
This personality takes charge
of organizing these things.
336
00:20:49,367 --> 00:20:53,800
[narrator] This was the worldthat Gilgamesh would havecome from if he existed...
337
00:20:56,000 --> 00:20:59,000
...one with a dark side.
338
00:20:59,067 --> 00:21:04,100
[Helwing] Constructingsuch a public buildingrequires a huge work force,
339
00:21:04,167 --> 00:21:05,567
and we know
from the early texts
340
00:21:05,567 --> 00:21:09,100
that there are people
who are treated as slaves,
341
00:21:09,100 --> 00:21:11,487
and people whoare treated as laborers.
342
00:21:11,487 --> 00:21:11,600
and people whoare treated as laborers.
343
00:21:11,667 --> 00:21:12,000
We haven't seenan institutionalizedinequality in the same way,
344
00:21:17,100 --> 00:21:20,567
and it fascinates me.
345
00:21:20,567 --> 00:21:23,900
I would like to understandhow people everagreed to do this.
346
00:21:26,100 --> 00:21:30,300
[narrator] A curiousancient text calledthe Sumerian King List
347
00:21:30,367 --> 00:21:33,300
claims that Gilgameshwas one of these early rulers.
348
00:21:35,867 --> 00:21:41,487
He appears as one of the kingswho reigned after an eventknown as the Flood.
349
00:21:41,487 --> 00:21:41,767
He appears as one of the kingswho reigned after an eventknown as the Flood.
350
00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:42,000
At first, it appears toconfirm the Sumerian myth...
351
00:21:45,967 --> 00:21:47,100
...but there's a problem.
352
00:21:48,267 --> 00:21:50,667
Historians thinkthat originally,
353
00:21:50,667 --> 00:21:53,867
the stories of Gilgameshand the Flood were separate.
354
00:21:56,500 --> 00:21:58,867
They were only combinedmuch later.
355
00:22:01,400 --> 00:22:03,867
But Assyriologist,Stephanie Dalley
356
00:22:03,867 --> 00:22:06,867
thinks that the ideaof a global deluge
357
00:22:06,867 --> 00:22:10,667
could have its originsin southern Iraq'sunique geography.
358
00:22:12,067 --> 00:22:15,367
You need a flood
to give people the idea of it,
359
00:22:15,367 --> 00:22:18,067
and that's what you do get
in Mesopotamia.
360
00:22:19,600 --> 00:22:22,667
[narrator] In ancient times,the Sumerian cities
361
00:22:22,667 --> 00:22:25,267
lay between the Tigrisand Euphrates rivers
362
00:22:25,267 --> 00:22:27,300
and were much closerto the sea.
363
00:22:29,667 --> 00:22:32,967
Under certain conditions,a flood could submerge
364
00:22:32,967 --> 00:22:35,200
everything as faras the eye could see.
365
00:22:37,100 --> 00:22:39,267
You wouldn't get that
in Palestine,
366
00:22:39,267 --> 00:22:41,487
you wouldn't get that
in most of Syria,
367
00:22:41,487 --> 00:22:42,000
you wouldn't get that
in most of Syria,
368
00:22:42,067 --> 00:22:44,467
but you do get it
in Mesopotamia
369
00:22:44,467 --> 00:22:48,200
because of the twogreat rivers flooding over,
370
00:22:48,267 --> 00:22:51,667
one into the other,and coveringthe whole of the land.
371
00:22:53,400 --> 00:22:55,967
[narrator] Intriguingly,archeologists have found
372
00:22:55,967 --> 00:22:59,100
evidence of floodingat several Sumerian cities.
373
00:23:00,767 --> 00:23:02,967
They all datefrom different times.
374
00:23:03,867 --> 00:23:06,467
Flooding wasan ever-present hazard.
375
00:23:08,200 --> 00:23:11,487
But the story of the Floodalso reflects an attemptby the Sumerians
376
00:23:11,487 --> 00:23:12,000
But the story of the Floodalso reflects an attemptby the Sumerians
377
00:23:12,567 --> 00:23:15,067
to reconstructtheir distant past...
378
00:23:16,267 --> 00:23:19,067
...just likethe Book of Genesis.
379
00:23:19,067 --> 00:23:22,767
The Flood was the equivalentof a Sumerian year zero.
380
00:23:24,200 --> 00:23:26,800
[Stephanie Dalley]
When you look atthe Sumerian King List,
381
00:23:26,867 --> 00:23:32,067
you do see
that it's an absolute
defining point in history.
382
00:23:32,067 --> 00:23:35,967
Before which, people hadlegendarily long lives,
383
00:23:35,967 --> 00:23:38,100
or they had perhaps
384
00:23:38,100 --> 00:23:41,487
the names of animals
or constellations.
385
00:23:41,487 --> 00:23:42,000
the names of animals
or constellations.
386
00:23:47,667 --> 00:23:51,400
[narrator]
It's impossible to sayif a shared memory of a flood
387
00:23:51,467 --> 00:23:55,400
filtered down to the earlyIsraelites as well,
388
00:23:55,467 --> 00:23:58,767
but many historians believethat the Biblical authors
389
00:23:58,767 --> 00:24:04,567
must have borrowed key detailsfrom the Sumerian talesfor their story of Noah's Ark.
390
00:24:07,467 --> 00:24:09,900
But how did this happen?
391
00:24:09,967 --> 00:24:11,487
The Flood story is far fromthe only chapter in Genesis
392
00:24:11,487 --> 00:24:12,000
The Flood story is far fromthe only chapter in Genesis
393
00:24:13,467 --> 00:24:15,900
with a mysteriousSumerian connection.
394
00:24:17,367 --> 00:24:19,667
Why did the Biblical writersalso believe
395
00:24:19,667 --> 00:24:23,467
that their ancestor, Abraham,came from this place,
396
00:24:24,167 --> 00:24:26,767
the legendary city of Ur?
397
00:24:30,767 --> 00:24:36,367
[narrator] 4,300 years ago,disaster struckthe Biblical city of Uruk.
398
00:24:37,867 --> 00:24:42,867
A new city in the north,Akkad, conquered allof the Sumerian people
399
00:24:42,867 --> 00:24:46,067
and created the world'sfirst empire.
400
00:24:46,067 --> 00:24:50,467
The city of Akkad itselfhas never been identified,
401
00:24:50,467 --> 00:24:54,100
but the Bible alludes toits world-shattering power.
402
00:24:54,100 --> 00:24:58,133
According to Genesis,Nimrod, the founder of Uruk,also established Akkad.
403
00:24:58,133 --> 00:24:59,000
According to Genesis,Nimrod, the founder of Uruk,also established Akkad.
404
00:25:01,567 --> 00:25:04,167
Some believehis name might referto an Akkadian king...
405
00:25:05,567 --> 00:25:06,867
...called Naram-Sin.
406
00:25:09,867 --> 00:25:12,567
Eventually, the Sumeriansfought back
407
00:25:12,567 --> 00:25:14,767
under the leadershipof another city,
408
00:25:14,767 --> 00:25:17,100
one of the most famousin the Bible...
409
00:25:18,367 --> 00:25:21,667
...Ur, the legendarybirthplace of Abraham.
410
00:25:24,267 --> 00:25:28,133
Excavations revealthat 4,100 years ago,Ur was a mighty metropolis.
411
00:25:28,133 --> 00:25:29,000
Excavations revealthat 4,100 years ago,Ur was a mighty metropolis.
412
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:39,567
At its center rosea towering ziggurat, dedicatedto the moon god, Nanna...
413
00:25:41,267 --> 00:25:44,067
...surrounded by a sprawlingreligious district.
414
00:25:45,667 --> 00:25:48,100
Beyond it laya maze of streets,
415
00:25:48,100 --> 00:25:51,900
home to as manyas 65,000 people,
416
00:25:51,967 --> 00:25:55,567
all surroundedby fertile farmland.
417
00:25:55,567 --> 00:25:58,133
So who lived here,and why does the Bible saythat Abraham was among them?
418
00:25:58,133 --> 00:25:59,000
So who lived here,and why does the Bible saythat Abraham was among them?
419
00:26:05,267 --> 00:26:09,800
Archaeologist,William B. Haffordfrom Penn Museum
420
00:26:09,867 --> 00:26:12,867
investigates Urduring its golden age.
421
00:26:12,867 --> 00:26:16,467
During the Ur Three dynasty,
Ur was transcendent.
422
00:26:16,467 --> 00:26:18,267
It essentially ruled
over many cities.
423
00:26:18,267 --> 00:26:22,867
[narrator]
The city's most famous rulerwas a king called Ur-Nammu.
424
00:26:22,867 --> 00:26:27,067
He instigated a massivebuilding program.
425
00:26:27,067 --> 00:26:28,133
Many of the structureswe see todaydate from his reign.
426
00:26:28,133 --> 00:26:29,000
Many of the structureswe see todaydate from his reign.
427
00:26:32,167 --> 00:26:34,467
[William Hafford]
These are mud bricks,
the fundamental building block
428
00:26:34,467 --> 00:26:36,567
of all southern
Mesopotamian cities.
429
00:26:36,567 --> 00:26:43,567
The stamp here tells us
that this brick was made
for Ur-Nammu, the king,
430
00:26:43,567 --> 00:26:48,267
and he was building
the temple of Nanna,
the moon god,
431
00:26:48,267 --> 00:26:51,667
and it also
mentions that he built
the city wall of Ur.
432
00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:58,133
[narrator]
Ur's colossal buildings revealthe power of Ur-Nammu...
433
00:26:58,133 --> 00:26:58,500
[narrator]
Ur's colossal buildings revealthe power of Ur-Nammu...
434
00:27:01,100 --> 00:27:03,567
...but they also requiredvast resources.
435
00:27:04,567 --> 00:27:07,467
As the cities of Sumergrew larger,
436
00:27:07,467 --> 00:27:13,067
competition between thembecame more intense,leading to war.
437
00:27:15,767 --> 00:27:19,367
An ancient work of artdiscovered at Ur
438
00:27:19,367 --> 00:27:22,467
shows the Sumerianwar machine at work.
439
00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:28,133
Chariots ride into battleand crush foes in their path.
440
00:27:28,133 --> 00:27:29,000
Chariots ride into battleand crush foes in their path.
441
00:27:29,867 --> 00:27:34,100
There's infantrycarrying spears,rushing into the fray,
442
00:27:34,167 --> 00:27:37,300
smiting enemiesand taking prisoners.
443
00:27:37,367 --> 00:27:40,567
Above all standsthe king of Ur,
444
00:27:40,567 --> 00:27:43,100
shown taller thaneveryone else,
445
00:27:43,100 --> 00:27:45,967
being presentedwith injured prisoners.
446
00:27:49,667 --> 00:27:54,400
But William believes that Urowed its success to morethan just military power.
447
00:27:56,167 --> 00:27:58,133
A clue lies in the hundredsof intriguing objectsdiscovered in the city.
448
00:27:58,133 --> 00:27:59,000
A clue lies in the hundredsof intriguing objectsdiscovered in the city.
449
00:28:02,867 --> 00:28:06,600
Ur had few raw materials...
450
00:28:06,667 --> 00:28:11,367
...but its rich farmland meantit had plenty of grainand wool for sale.
451
00:28:13,667 --> 00:28:15,367
[Hafford] These are
spindle whorls.
452
00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:21,600
Well, spindle whorls
are used to make thread
and/or yarn.
453
00:28:21,667 --> 00:28:24,800
A major export
from Mesopotamia
was cloth.
454
00:28:24,867 --> 00:28:28,133
They had a lot of sheep,
they could spin a lot of wool,
and they could make textiles.
455
00:28:28,133 --> 00:28:28,600
They had a lot of sheep,
they could spin a lot of wool,
and they could make textiles.
456
00:28:30,567 --> 00:28:36,067
[narrator] This astonishingcopper bowl revealsthe quality of Ur's textiles.
457
00:28:36,067 --> 00:28:40,200
Corrosion has preserveddetails of the clothit was wrapped in.
458
00:28:40,267 --> 00:28:44,700
[Hafford] And it preserved
the pattern of how tight
that weave is,
459
00:28:44,767 --> 00:28:46,567
and we can see a number
of these different things
460
00:28:46,567 --> 00:28:50,067
to get the range
of cloth types
that they were making.
461
00:28:50,067 --> 00:28:54,600
[narrator] The artifactsalso hint at what the citywas getting in return,
462
00:28:54,667 --> 00:28:57,100
precious metalsfrom distant lands.
463
00:28:59,500 --> 00:29:02,867
[Hafford] We've gotcarnelian coming infrom the Indus valley,
464
00:29:02,867 --> 00:29:06,300
we've got copper
and diorite coming in
from Oman,
465
00:29:06,367 --> 00:29:10,100
and we've got lapis lazuli
and gold coming from Iran
and Afghanistan.
466
00:29:11,700 --> 00:29:14,667
So long distancetrade networksare very important
467
00:29:14,667 --> 00:29:19,967
because this is the wayyou legitimize your kingship,and you show your power.
468
00:29:30,767 --> 00:29:33,200
[narrator] So why didthe Biblical writers believe
469
00:29:33,267 --> 00:29:36,667
that their ancestor,Abraham, was born here?
470
00:29:37,867 --> 00:29:41,067
A clue could lie with howthey describe this city.
471
00:29:42,900 --> 00:29:46,667
The book of Genesismentions Ur three times...
472
00:29:47,767 --> 00:29:50,667
...on each occasionas Ur of the Chaldees,
473
00:29:50,667 --> 00:29:55,467
a people who ruledsouthern Iraqmore than 1,000 years later...
474
00:29:57,067 --> 00:29:58,133
...when most scholars believethe Bible was written down.
475
00:29:58,133 --> 00:29:59,000
...when most scholars believethe Bible was written down.
476
00:30:02,767 --> 00:30:08,567
Ur still existed at this timeand was already morethan 2,000 years old.
477
00:30:09,667 --> 00:30:12,167
One explanation is thatthe Biblical authors
478
00:30:12,167 --> 00:30:15,100
were trying to reconstructtheir distant past.
479
00:30:18,067 --> 00:30:22,700
But people of faithbelieve that Abrahamreally did live here,
480
00:30:22,767 --> 00:30:25,900
just hundreds of yearsafter Ur's golden age.
481
00:30:27,267 --> 00:30:28,133
This was a time of turmoil...
482
00:30:28,133 --> 00:30:29,000
This was a time of turmoil...
483
00:30:30,267 --> 00:30:33,567
...when invadersdevastated the city.
484
00:30:33,567 --> 00:30:38,567
It's also whenthe first written copiesof the Flood myth appear.
485
00:30:38,567 --> 00:30:43,767
So could the collapseof the Sumerian worldhelp explain both stories?
486
00:30:46,900 --> 00:30:47,000
[narrator] 4,000 years ago,
487
00:30:49,667 --> 00:30:53,100
foreign enemies attackedthe great city of Ur,
488
00:30:53,167 --> 00:30:55,467
bringing its golden ageto a sudden end.
489
00:30:58,100 --> 00:31:01,367
Some believe one of the mostimportant events in the Bible
490
00:31:01,367 --> 00:31:05,600
took place duringthe chaotic era that followed.
491
00:31:05,667 --> 00:31:10,900
Abraham, the ancestorof the Israelites, left Urfor the Promised Land.
492
00:31:12,567 --> 00:31:15,067
This is also the timewhen the earliest written
493
00:31:15,067 --> 00:31:16,211
versions of the Flood mythstart to appear.
494
00:31:16,211 --> 00:31:17,000
versions of the Flood mythstart to appear.
495
00:31:18,767 --> 00:31:20,700
So did the falloutfrom the collapse
496
00:31:20,767 --> 00:31:24,700
of this great city influencethe Old Testament stories?
497
00:31:26,767 --> 00:31:32,600
Today, tradition says thatthis building in Uris the house of Abraham.
498
00:31:32,667 --> 00:31:37,067
Archaeologists uncovered itin the early 20th century.
499
00:31:37,067 --> 00:31:42,267
Well, the earliest
archaeologists in the near
and Middle East
500
00:31:42,267 --> 00:31:44,667
were often drivenby Biblical stories,
501
00:31:44,667 --> 00:31:46,211
certainly Sir Leonard Woolleythought that this was the city
502
00:31:46,211 --> 00:31:47,000
certainly Sir Leonard Woolleythought that this was the city
503
00:31:48,167 --> 00:31:50,167
that Abrahammay have come from.
504
00:31:50,167 --> 00:31:53,400
However, he was gonna bevery careful to tryand find evidence.
505
00:31:54,400 --> 00:31:57,900
So, in a way,they were trying to see
506
00:31:57,967 --> 00:32:00,400
what was this city like
through so many
periods of time?
507
00:32:00,467 --> 00:32:02,567
It was occupiedfor 5,000 years.
508
00:32:04,667 --> 00:32:08,267
[narrator] The earlyexcavators claimed thatthese were the very streets
509
00:32:08,267 --> 00:32:11,200
that Abraham would havewandered through as a boy,
510
00:32:11,267 --> 00:32:15,900
a claim that was perhapsdriven by the need to raisefunding for their dig
511
00:32:15,967 --> 00:32:16,211
from a public hungryfor historical truthin the stories of Genesis.
512
00:32:16,211 --> 00:32:17,000
from a public hungryfor historical truthin the stories of Genesis.
513
00:32:21,467 --> 00:32:23,500
[Hafford] Sir Leonard Woolley,in his academic work,
514
00:32:23,567 --> 00:32:25,500
he almost nevermentions the Bible.
515
00:32:25,567 --> 00:32:27,167
In his public worksand his lectures,
516
00:32:27,167 --> 00:32:31,100
he would often do it
to bring in the crowds.
517
00:32:31,167 --> 00:32:36,767
[narrator] There's no physicalproof that this housebelonged to Abraham himself.
518
00:32:36,767 --> 00:32:41,700
What we see today was restoredduring the 20th century.
519
00:32:41,767 --> 00:32:45,667
But it does dateto the centuriesafter the fall of Ur,
520
00:32:45,667 --> 00:32:46,211
which is whenBiblical tradition suggeststhat Abraham might have lived.
521
00:32:46,211 --> 00:32:47,000
which is whenBiblical tradition suggeststhat Abraham might have lived.
522
00:32:51,567 --> 00:32:54,567
The violent endof Ur's golden age is seared
523
00:32:54,567 --> 00:32:57,667
into the fabricof this ancient metropolis.
524
00:32:57,667 --> 00:33:02,867
Archaeologists herehave found evidenceof burning and destruction.
525
00:33:02,867 --> 00:33:06,067
But new discoveries revealhow the people of Ur
526
00:33:06,067 --> 00:33:09,567
managed to rebuildtheir shattered homes.
527
00:33:09,567 --> 00:33:12,800
The city's populationcontinued to grow.
528
00:33:14,267 --> 00:33:16,211
[Hafford] We think thatat its most dense,
529
00:33:16,211 --> 00:33:17,000
[Hafford] We think thatat its most dense,
530
00:33:17,100 --> 00:33:20,667
it might have reached
25,000 people
within the city walls.
531
00:33:20,667 --> 00:33:22,667
If we expandinto the hinterland,
532
00:33:22,667 --> 00:33:24,500
it might have supportedup to 60,000.
533
00:33:26,300 --> 00:33:29,267
[narrator] The citizens of Urblamed a nomadic people
534
00:33:29,267 --> 00:33:32,100
of Aramaean descentfor their city's woes.
535
00:33:33,500 --> 00:33:37,167
Some argue that Abrahamwas related to them.
536
00:33:37,167 --> 00:33:39,867
This era did seemany people on the move.
537
00:33:42,067 --> 00:33:44,900
But others claim thatthe Biblical writerswere referring
538
00:33:44,967 --> 00:33:46,211
to a different citywith a similar name
539
00:33:46,211 --> 00:33:47,000
to a different citywith a similar name
540
00:33:47,867 --> 00:33:50,900
in what is nowsouthern Turkey.
541
00:33:50,967 --> 00:33:53,767
It's impossible to proveif the founding father
542
00:33:53,767 --> 00:33:57,467
of the Israelitesleft Ur at this time.
543
00:33:57,467 --> 00:34:00,567
For millions of people,it is a matter of faith.
544
00:34:04,267 --> 00:34:09,067
But the fall of Ur may havehad an unexpected impacton another story.
545
00:34:10,300 --> 00:34:12,567
The Sumerian taleof the Flood,
546
00:34:12,567 --> 00:34:16,211
which bears many similaritiesto the storyof Noah's Ark in Genesis.
547
00:34:16,211 --> 00:34:17,000
which bears many similaritiesto the storyof Noah's Ark in Genesis.
548
00:34:18,467 --> 00:34:21,667
Cuneiform specialist,Samuel Chen thinks
549
00:34:21,667 --> 00:34:24,300
this attempt to rebuildthe Sumerian world
550
00:34:24,367 --> 00:34:27,067
could also explainwhy the Flood story
551
00:34:27,067 --> 00:34:30,267
suddenly becamehugely popular at this time
552
00:34:30,267 --> 00:34:31,900
The fall of
the Ur Three dynasty
553
00:34:31,967 --> 00:34:35,267
was a traumatic
experience for Sumer.
554
00:34:35,267 --> 00:34:38,700
Basically it was the collapseof not only urban structure,
555
00:34:38,767 --> 00:34:42,567
but also all of
the supporting networks.
556
00:34:42,567 --> 00:34:46,211
[narrator] Samuel findskey similaritiesbetween the Flood story
557
00:34:46,211 --> 00:34:46,467
[narrator] Samuel findskey similaritiesbetween the Flood story
558
00:34:46,467 --> 00:34:47,000
and poems lamentingthe fall of Ur.
559
00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:53,067
In them, people startedto question
560
00:34:53,067 --> 00:34:56,967
why the gods had allowedtheir own templesto be destroyed.
561
00:34:58,567 --> 00:35:03,267
The destruction of the city
also brings a lot
of suffering to the deities.
562
00:35:03,267 --> 00:35:06,300
They were thinking aboutthe irrational aspect
563
00:35:06,367 --> 00:35:10,900
of a divine decisionto destroyurban civilizations.
564
00:35:10,967 --> 00:35:14,767
This is something lost storiesbegan to question
565
00:35:14,767 --> 00:35:16,211
and even make into a satire.
566
00:35:16,211 --> 00:35:17,000
and even make into a satire.
567
00:35:18,467 --> 00:35:23,267
[narrator] But the moralof the Flood story was howhumans could start again.
568
00:35:24,267 --> 00:35:26,467
It was a reassuring tale.
569
00:35:27,700 --> 00:35:30,367
And as it was toldagain and again
570
00:35:30,367 --> 00:35:33,067
it becameblockbuster entertainment.
571
00:35:35,967 --> 00:35:38,167
There was a lot
of borrowing as well.
572
00:35:38,167 --> 00:35:40,100
There was a lot of
cross fertilization.
573
00:35:41,367 --> 00:35:43,267
So you havethese different heroes
574
00:35:43,267 --> 00:35:46,211
who were originallyindependent of each other.
575
00:35:46,211 --> 00:35:46,500
who were originallyindependent of each other.
576
00:35:46,567 --> 00:35:47,000
They were brought togetherto meet with each other,to make it more exciting,
577
00:35:50,267 --> 00:35:53,200
very much similarto the Marvel films.
578
00:35:54,667 --> 00:35:57,867
[narrator] The Sumerian mythsbecame hugely popular.
579
00:35:59,700 --> 00:36:05,267
But how did tales from citieslike Ur and Uruk reachthe authors of the Bible
580
00:36:05,267 --> 00:36:08,400
on the other sideof the Middle East?
581
00:36:08,467 --> 00:36:11,667
The answer lieswith a new power:
582
00:36:11,667 --> 00:36:15,167
Babylon, the infamouscity of Babel.
583
00:36:21,367 --> 00:36:25,500
[narrator] The Sumeriansappeared more than4,000 years ago.
584
00:36:25,567 --> 00:36:29,467
But the tales of their citieslive on in the Bible.
585
00:36:29,467 --> 00:36:34,200
How did two civilizationsseparated bythousands of years
586
00:36:34,267 --> 00:36:38,367
end up sharing so manyof the same stories?
587
00:36:38,367 --> 00:36:42,467
The answer could liewith a city thatconnects them both
588
00:36:42,467 --> 00:36:45,767
and casts a long shadowover the Old Testament.
589
00:36:46,967 --> 00:36:48,267
Babylon.
590
00:36:50,100 --> 00:36:53,767
Today these are the remainsof this legendary city.
591
00:36:53,767 --> 00:36:57,167
A vast and sprawling siteby the river Euphrates.
592
00:36:59,167 --> 00:37:02,200
Osama Hishamfrom the World Monuments Fund
593
00:37:02,267 --> 00:37:05,067
works to rebuildthis magnificent site.
594
00:37:06,167 --> 00:37:08,767
He and his team are removingmodern materials
595
00:37:08,767 --> 00:37:11,167
from Babylon'srestored buildings
596
00:37:11,167 --> 00:37:13,767
and replacing themwith traditional ones.
597
00:37:25,500 --> 00:37:29,100
[narrator] Babylon isno stranger to repairs.
598
00:37:29,167 --> 00:37:31,967
Maintenance happenedin all ancient cities.
599
00:37:33,967 --> 00:37:38,067
But what makes Babylonexceptional is its longevity.
600
00:37:39,267 --> 00:37:42,467
Its buildings were rebuiltagain and again.
601
00:38:02,167 --> 00:38:06,300
[narrator] The city burstonto the world stage3,800 years ago,
602
00:38:07,767 --> 00:38:12,500
ruthlessly taking advantage ofthe declining Sumerian cities.
603
00:38:12,567 --> 00:38:16,867
It became the biggest,most famous metropolisin ancient Iraq,
604
00:38:16,867 --> 00:38:19,277
a title it heldfor the next thousand years.
605
00:38:19,277 --> 00:38:20,000
a title it heldfor the next thousand years.
606
00:38:21,100 --> 00:38:27,067
But the Babylonians were awarethat they controlled citiesfar older than their own.
607
00:38:27,067 --> 00:38:31,767
Assyriologist Stephanie Dalleyinvestigates how Babylon
608
00:38:31,767 --> 00:38:36,067
played a critical rolein keeping Sumerianculture alive.
609
00:38:36,067 --> 00:38:41,400
The Babylonians inheritedwriting from the Sumeriansand much more.
610
00:38:41,467 --> 00:38:45,367
Babylon comes late
into the history
of Mesopotamia.
611
00:38:45,367 --> 00:38:49,277
There was a tremendous
amount of copying
Sumerian literature.
612
00:38:49,277 --> 00:38:50,000
There was a tremendous
amount of copying
Sumerian literature.
613
00:38:50,267 --> 00:38:53,500
And Sumerian poetry is verydifferent from Babylonian.
614
00:38:53,567 --> 00:38:55,800
It's very imaginative.
615
00:38:55,867 --> 00:38:58,467
It was a major point for them
616
00:38:58,467 --> 00:39:02,067
to copy the poetryof the Sumerians.
617
00:39:04,100 --> 00:39:08,467
[narrator] The Babyloniansset up writing schoolsto teach cuneiform.
618
00:39:08,467 --> 00:39:14,067
Students learned by copyingfrom famous Sumerian storieslike the Flood myth.
619
00:39:16,800 --> 00:39:19,277
Well the scribes had to master
the art of writing cuneiform
for a start.
620
00:39:19,277 --> 00:39:20,000
Well the scribes had to master
the art of writing cuneiform
for a start.
621
00:39:21,167 --> 00:39:23,567
So they practiced signs
and we've got lots
622
00:39:23,567 --> 00:39:27,467
of terribly, badly
written signs
from their exercises.
623
00:39:27,467 --> 00:39:30,067
But then, they would takea Sumerian poem
624
00:39:30,067 --> 00:39:34,167
or they would takea short story about Gilgamesh.
625
00:39:34,167 --> 00:39:38,367
They would get to know it
like we would learn
a piece of Shakespeare.
626
00:39:39,500 --> 00:39:42,167
[narrator] The scaleof the copying was immense.
627
00:39:43,167 --> 00:39:47,100
But only selectedstories survive.
628
00:39:47,100 --> 00:39:49,277
Some people think that
all the literature we've got
is on school exercises,
629
00:39:49,277 --> 00:39:50,000
Some people think that
all the literature we've got
is on school exercises,
630
00:39:52,367 --> 00:39:55,567
and we certainly find a lot
of them that are
not very well written
631
00:39:55,567 --> 00:39:58,467
and got quite a lot
of mistakes in them.
632
00:39:58,467 --> 00:40:04,800
One of the things about
he Flood story is that
we have got more extracts
633
00:40:04,867 --> 00:40:09,600
of Tablet XI than we have
of any other bits
of the Gilgamesh epic
634
00:40:09,667 --> 00:40:12,267
which is marvelous,but infuriating
635
00:40:12,267 --> 00:40:15,067
because we still got gapswhere we haven't got anything.
636
00:40:17,267 --> 00:40:19,277
[narrator] Babylon oweda rich debtto Sumerian culture.
637
00:40:19,277 --> 00:40:20,000
[narrator] Babylon oweda rich debtto Sumerian culture.
638
00:40:21,567 --> 00:40:26,367
And in turn, it broughttheir tales to a new audience.
639
00:40:26,367 --> 00:40:33,167
In 589 BC, the Babylonian kingNebuchadnezzar IIconquered Jerusalem
640
00:40:33,167 --> 00:40:36,267
and deportedmany of its citizens.
641
00:40:36,267 --> 00:40:40,000
Many scholars thinkthe Book of Genesiswas written in Babylon
642
00:40:40,000 --> 00:40:41,667
by Jewish exiles.
643
00:40:43,267 --> 00:40:46,500
Here they came into contactwith Sumerian stories
644
00:40:46,567 --> 00:40:48,667
that were thousandsof years old.
645
00:40:50,700 --> 00:40:52,667
But for the Biblical authors,
646
00:40:52,667 --> 00:40:58,067
these storiesof gods and monsterstook on a new dimension.
647
00:40:58,067 --> 00:41:02,067
They revealed the truthabout human existenceas they saw it.
648
00:41:03,067 --> 00:41:07,367
As the divine planof a single God.
649
00:41:07,367 --> 00:41:11,067
The Jewish scribes were tryingto reconstruct their history
650
00:41:11,067 --> 00:41:15,800
much like Sumerians had donethousands of years earlierwith the Flood.
651
00:41:18,300 --> 00:41:19,277
The Sumerians are
our common ancestor.
652
00:41:19,277 --> 00:41:20,000
The Sumerians are
our common ancestor.
653
00:41:22,800 --> 00:41:25,100
We owe them so much.
654
00:41:25,167 --> 00:41:28,200
[narrator] The talesof the Old Testamentremember the legacy
655
00:41:28,267 --> 00:41:33,067
of an ancientand remarkable people:the Sumerians.
656
00:41:33,067 --> 00:41:35,467
They constructedextraordinary wonders
657
00:41:35,567 --> 00:41:37,867
that have survivedthe test of time,
658
00:41:38,667 --> 00:41:41,767
invented writingand literature
659
00:41:41,767 --> 00:41:45,467
and pioneereda new urban life.
660
00:41:45,467 --> 00:41:49,277
In many ways, the storyof Iraq's lost citiesis Genesis.
661
00:41:49,277 --> 00:41:50,000
In many ways, the storyof Iraq's lost citiesis Genesis.
662
00:41:51,467 --> 00:41:53,967
The history of our beginnings.
663
00:41:53,967 --> 00:41:56,667
The creationof the modern world.
65349
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