All language subtitles for Ancient.Powers.S01E01.Origins.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-FLUXForced

Rice is their staple food.

The entire Liangzhu culture
is built on rice farming.

Rice farming has
different requirements

to wheat farming.

It's a crop that needs
refined management.

In its growing cycle, it needs

constant irrigation
and draining,

Liangzhu's hydraulic system
includes high dams and low dams.

The high dams reservoir
is the blue area on our map.

It's the other side
of that mountain so
can't be seen from here.

The low dams,
are in front of us.

This huge area
is the low dam reservoir.

Its complex structure,
and its huge scale

represent the highest standard

Liangzhu is like Venice.

It's a water town.

In the town, there are all kinds
of man-made waterways.

A total length of 35 kilometres.

And the surrounding water
network is like a road network.

The challenges
that the Minoan faces

is dependent on which part
of the island you are.

Because you either find
very, very dry, rocky places

or you find plains like the one
we are just now.

And so each
of these ecological spheres

was good for specific things.

So one was for grazing.

Another might have been good
for grain.

As archaeologists, we are still
trying to really understand

how these places function.

Because we see that
there are these open places.

For example, we have
the three western courts,

a central court,
and an eastern court.

If I had to try and define
a Minoan palace

There are a lot of places for
storage and storage of staples,

like wine, oil,
maybe also barley and wheat.

And so what we can reckon

is that all these
were stored together.

Maybe to be used in order to

Now we can see
that places like Phaistos

worked like gathering places,

where ceremonial activity
was going on

that allowed people
to bring their stuff.

And they were also getting
everything that they needed.

So there was exchange

and there was also
putting things together.

In a way, a palace
can be compared to a hub.

So I bring my olive,
you bring your wheat

and you bring my meat.

And then we can put
everything together

This civilisation precedes
the Roman Empire

by more than
two and a half thousand years.

It seems that the town
was settled

at one single point of time.

And there was huge planning

If you are maintaining
a large population

and in a very concentrated area

so you generate dirty water
quite a lot.

And through the stagnant water
you get diseases

Every household has the drain

which is coming out
of the house

and then it turns
and it joins the street drain.

And the street drain then
takes it out of the town area.

It is one single item that can
make your life good or bad.

If you can’t get rid
of the disposal properly,

One well would have done
for the whole neighbourhood

but here the case is different.

They want to keep the water
with them,

very near.

They want personal water.

They undertook this task

despite the fact that they had
the easy access to the water.

This might be the place where
the community used to come

to meet, to celebrate.

But it is indication of
the society which
is flourishing.

They planned the city,
they built it.

This is unparalleled,
this is wonderful

We are compelled to say
that it must have been some

weather variations and changes

When the temperature rises,

when the fertility of the land
is undermined,

when there are lesser rains,

the food supply is diminishing.

And it affects
the growth of populations.

So once this decline comes in,
the city cannot sustain itself.

So under its own weight,
the city starts dying.

This gradual vacating the towns

happened slowly
and very imperceptibly.

But it was definite march
of the people from this region.

The civilisation lost its vigour