Original subtitles

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: THE ACROPOLIS:

A MIGHTY, HILLTOP WONDER OVER 2,000 YEARS OLD.

THE SHEER SCALE OF THESE TEMPLES

IS ALMOST UNIMAGINABLE.

HOW DID THE ANCIENT GREEKS

CONSTRUCT THESE EXTRAORDINARY BUILDINGS?

IT'S REALLY FASCINATING.

IT'S A HUGE PUZZLE.

WHAT LONG-LOST RITUALS WERE THEY USED FOR?

AND HOW HAVE THEY SURVIVED,

WHILE OTHER ANCIENT BUILDINGS HAVE CRUMBLED AWAY?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE THESE MYSTERIES

IS TO BLOW THIS TEMPLE COMPLEX APART.

EXPLORING ITS STRUCTURE, STONE BY STONE,

WILL HELP US UNEARTH THE ASTONISHING ENGINEERING SECRETS

HIDDEN INSIDE THIS ANCIENT WONDER.

*

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

*

PERCHED HIGH ON A MASSIVE ROCK, OVERLOOKING THE CITY OF ATHENS,

STANDS A LANDMARK OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION:

THE ACROPOLIS.

HERE, 2,400 YEARS AGO, THE GREEKS BUILT

AN EXTRAORDINARY COMPLEX OF TEMPLES,

WHERE THEY COULD WORSHIP THEIR GODS.

NOW, AS RESTORERS DISMANTLE AND REBUILD IT,

THE ACROPOLIS IS REVEALING ITS HIDDEN SECRETS.

NEW CLUES ARE EMERGING FROM THE RESTORATION

OF ITS TWO LARGEST BUILDINGS: THE WORLD-FAMOUS PARTHENON...

AND THE IMPOSING ENTRANCE GATEWAY KNOWN AS THE PROPYLAEA.

THE PARTHENON WAS THE GREATEST TEMPLE OF ITS AGE...

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

A WONDER OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

FROM 22,000 TONS OF PRECIOUS MARBLE,

GREEK STONEMASONS ASSEMBLED

A BUILDING OF EXQUISITE PERFECTION.

ITS 13,000 INDIVIDUAL STONES FITTED TOGETHER SO PRECISELY,

THE JOINTS WERE WATERTIGHT.

ITS 58 TOWERING COLUMNS COULD WITHSTAND EARTHQUAKES.

IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY STRUCTURE.

BUT HOW EXACTLY DID THE ANCIENT GREEKS CONSTRUCT IT?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

[ BELL TOLLS ]

THE SECRET TO THE PARTHENON'S PERFECTION BEGINS

WITH ITS SPECIAL BUILDING MATERIAL:

MARBLE.

ITS LARGEST BLOCKS ARE MASSIVE, WEIGHING IN AT 10 TONS EACH.

[ OMINOUS MUSIC PLAYS ]

BUT NO MARBLE EXISTED IN ATHENS, SO HOW DID THE ANCIENT GREEKS

FIND AND TRANSPORT THESE ENORMOUS PIECES OF MARBLE

TO THIS DIZZYING HILLTOP SITE?

[ BELL TOLLS ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

THE ANSWER LIES AT PENTELIKON, OVER 10 MILES FROM THE CITY.

HISTORIAN EDITH HALL HAS COME HERE

TO PIECE TOGETHER THIS ANCIENT MYSTERY.

THIS IS THE VERY BIRTHPLACE OF THE PARTHENON:

THESE GREAT ROCKFACES, WHERE THEY CUT DOWN THE MARBLE

AND TOOK IT ALL THE WAY TO ATHENS TO BUILD THE ACROPOLIS.

AND, EVERYWHERE YOU LOOK, THERE'S JUST GLITTERING,

WHITE MARBLE, JUST STONES OF EVERY SIZE.

I MEAN, LOOK AT THIS ONE. JUST PICK IT UP OFF THE FLOOR.

YOU CAN ACTUALLY SEE HOW INCREDIBLY GLEAMING WHITE IT IS

AND THE SPARKLY BITS THAT, WELL, YOU CAN SEE,

ONCE IT'S POLISHED OFF AND SMOOTHED DOWN AND CHISELED,

IT WOULD ACTUALLY GLEAM IN THE SUNSHINE.

IT'S ACTUALLY INCANDESCENT.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: ALTHOUGH EDITH IS SURROUNDED BY MARBLE

AT THE ANCIENT QUARRY,

MOST OF IT IS IN SMALL PIECES.

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ]

IN ANCIENT TIMES, CRAFTSMEN WOULD'VE STRUGGLED

TO FIND THE ENORMOUS BLOCKS NEEDED TO BUILD THE PARTHENON.

TODAY, WORKERS AT THIS MODERN QUARRY ON MOUNT PENTELIKON

FACE THE SAME CHALLENGE.

THE BLOCKS FROM HERE ARE CONSIDERED SPECIAL.

Narrator: THEY ARE FROM THE SAME SEAM OF MARBLE

AS THE ANCIENT QUARRY AND ARE USED

[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS] FOR THE ACROPOLIS RESTORATION.

* [HEARTBEAT]

Sotiris: IT'S EXACTLY THE SAME MARBLE THE ANCIENTS USED

TO MAKE THE CONSTRUCTIONS IN THE PARTHENON.

[BELLS RINGS] [SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES]

Narrator: EVEN WITH MODERN MACHINERY,

EXTRACTING LARGE BLOCKS IS DIFFICULT.

THE ROCK IS FULL OF NATURAL FISSURES,

TINY CRACKS THAT CAUSE THE MARBLE TO BREAK.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

DIAMOND-COATED WIRE SAWS SLICE THROUGH THE STONE WITH EASE.

BUT, ONCE SOTIRIS EXTRACTS THE BLOCKS,

THEY OFTEN BREAK UP INTO SMALLER PIECES.

Narrator: FOR THE ANCIENT GREEKS,

WHO ONLY HAD HAND TOOLS,

IT WOULD'VE TAKEN YEARS TO EXTRACT ALL THE LARGE,

10-TON STONES NEEDED TO BUILD THE PARTHENON.

AND, ONCE THEY HAD FOUND THEIR STONES,

THEY FACED AN EVEN GREATER CHALLENGE...

HOW DID THEY TRANSPORT THESE ENORMOUSLY HEAVY,

PRECIOUS BLOCKS OVER 10 MILES,

THEN RAISE THEM TO THE WORK SITE AT THE TOP OF THE HILL?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

AT THE ANCIENT QUARRY, EDITH THINKS SHE HAS FOUND A CLUE.

Edith: WHERE I'M STANDING NOW IS ACTUALLY THE ROAD

THAT WAS MADE TO TRANSPORT ALL THOSE SLABS FROM THE QUARRY,

ALL THE WAY DOWNHILL, TO ATHENS, AND TO THE ACROPOLIS ITSELF.

IT'S DOWNHILL ALL THE WAY.

IT'S QUITE A STEEP GRADIENT, BUT IT'S REGULAR AND SMOOTH

AND THE ROAD'S AS STRAIGHT AS THEY COULD POSSIBLY MAKE IT

SO THAT THE JOURNEY WAS AS SHORT AS POSSIBLE

BECAUSE IT WAS AN INCREDIBLY HARD LABOR FOR ALL OF THEM.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: WORKERS USED MULES TO PULL THE STONES ON CARTS,

DOWN FROM THE MOUNTAIN, TO THE CITY OF ATHENS.

BUT THEN CAME THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE:

RAISING THE MARBLE UP TO THE ACROPOLIS.

THE ROCK RISES NEARLY 230 FEET ABOVE THE CITY.

THERE WAS NO WAY THE GREEKS COULD PULL THE MASSIVE BLOCKS

DIRECTLY UP THIS PRECIPICE.

SO HOW DID THEY HAUL THEM TO THE TOP?

HIDING UNNOTICED BY THE THOUSANDS OF TOURISTS

WHO PASS THIS WAY LIES THE ANSWER.

Edith: THEY BUILT A VERY SMOOTH STONE RAMP

WITH QUITE A SLOW GRADIENT.

IT'S ONLY ABOUT 10°.

Narrator: TODAY, THERE ARE ONLY A FEW STONES LEFT HERE.

BUT IT'S CLEAR, FROM THEIR ANGLE,

THAT THEY ARE PART OF A MASSIVE RAMP

THAT ONCE EXTENDED FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL TO THE TOP.

SO HOW DID THE GREEKS USE THIS RAMP?

ARCHAEOLOGISTS SUSPECT THEY CREATED THE PERFECT SYSTEM.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE RAMP,

BUILDERS POSITIONED A CART WITH HUGE WHEELS

TO SUPPORT THE COLOSSAL WEIGHT OF THE MARBLE BLOCKS.

AT THE TOP OF THE RAMP,

THEY ANCHORED A MASSIVE WOODEN PULLEY.

A HEAVY ROPE RAN AROUND IT

AND DOWN TO THE CART AT THE BOTTOM.

THEY CONNECTED THE ROPE TO A SECOND CART, AT THE TOP,

THEN FILLED THIS WITH RUBBLE FROM THE SITE,

TO TURN IT INTO A COUNTERWEIGHT.

AS THE RUBBLE CART ROLLED DOWNHILL,

IT PULLED THE MARBLE BLOCKS UP THE RAMP:

AN INGENIOUS CABLE CAR, RUNNING RIGHT UP TO THE ACROPOLIS.

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]

IT TOOK A HUGE EFFORT TO TRANSPORT

22,000 TONS OF STONE TO THE TOP OF THIS HILL.

SO WHY DID THEY CHOOSE THE MOST DIFFICULT PLACE

IN THE WHOLE CITY TO BUILD THESE SACRED TEMPLES,

AND WHAT WAS THEIR PURPOSE?

*

*

Narrator: THE ANCIENT GREEKS COULD'VE BUILT

THESE SACRED TEMPLES ANYWHERE IN THE CITY.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

WHY HERE?

AND WHAT DID THEY USE THEM FOR?

ACROPOLIS MEANS THE HIGH PLACE OR THE SUMMIT OF THE CITY.

IT'S WHERE THEY USED TO PUT THEIR TREASURES.

IT WAS ORIGINALLY THEIR SEAT OF GOVERNMENT

AND IT WAS CERTAINLY THE PLACE

WHERE THEY WERE GOING TO WORSHIP THE GODS.

Narrator: ON THE ACROPOLIS,

THE ATHENIANS FELT CLOSER TO THEIR GODS IN THE SKY.

ALTHOUGH THEY WORSHIPED MANY GODS,

THE MAIN TEMPLES ON THIS SITE WERE DEDICATED TO JUST ONE:

ATHENA.

Edith: ATHENA IS ONE OF THE OLDEST GREEK GODS.

SHE'S THE GODDESS OF CITIES, OF CIVILIZATION,

AND SHE'S VERY, VERY OFTEN FOUND WORSHIPED

WHERE THERE'S A HIGH, ROCKY CITADEL,

WHERE PEOPLE TENDED TO FORM BIG, URBAN COMMUNITIES.

THAT'S WHY THE CITY IS CALLED ATHENS.

IT'S THE CITY OF ATHENA.

*

Narrator: ATHENA WAS KNOWN AS THE VIRGIN GODDESS AND SO,

THE PEOPLE NAMED THIS BUILDING FROM THE GREEK WORD FOR VIRGIN:

THE PARTHENON.

*

HISTORICAL ACCOUNTS REVEAL THIS WAS ONCE A SHINING TEMPLE.

INSIDE, A NEARLY 40-FOOT TALL STATUE OF THE GODDESS ATHENA.

IN HER HAND, A HUMAN-SIZED FIGURE OF NIKE,

THE GODDESS OF VICTORY.

AROUND HER RISES AN EXQUISITE BUILDING CREATED

SO THE PEOPLE OF ATHENS COULD PROPERLY WORSHIP

THE GODDESS THEY BELIEVED WOULD PROTECT THEIR CITY

AND MAKE IT IMPREGNABLE.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

RECENTLY, ARCHAEOLOGISTS HERE HAVE MADE AN AMAZING DISCOVERY.

Narrator: THE REMAINS OF A STRANGE STRUCTURE

LIE HIDDEN BENEATH THE PARTHENON.

COULD IT BE THAT THE BUILDING WE SEE TODAY IS NOT THE ORIGINAL?

*

OUT OF SIGHT, BENEATH THE FLOOR OF THE MARBLE PARTHENON,

LIES TENS OF THOUSANDS OF MYSTERIOUS LIMESTONE BLOCKS.

THE BLOCKS PLUNGE 22 LAYERS DEEP ON ONE SIDE.

THEY FORM A MASSIVE, WEDGE-SHAPED FOUNDATION

THAT HUGS THE SLOPE OF THE ACROPOLIS HILL.

INVESTIGATIONS REVEAL THAT SOME OF THESE BLOCKS

ARE OVER 100 YEARS OLDER

THAN THE PARTHENON THAT SITS ON TOP OF THEM,

A SIGN THAT ANOTHER BUILDING STOOD HERE

LONG BEFORE THE MONUMENT WE SEE TODAY.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]

SO WHAT WAS THIS MYSTERIOUS STRUCTURE,

AND WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

ARCHAEOLOGIST ELISAVET SIOUMPARA

IS WORKING TO UNRAVEL THE MYSTERY.

Narrator: SHE AND HER TEAM ARE TACKLING A HUGE,

3-DIMENSIONAL JIGSAW PUZZLE.

THOUSANDS OF STONES LIE SCATTERED

WITHIN THE WALLS OF THE ACROPOLIS.

NOT ALL OF THESE STONES ARE MARBLE.

SOME ARE LIMESTONE, FRAGMENTS OF ANCIENT BUILDINGS

THAT EXISTED BEFORE THE PARTHENON.

ELISAVET IS HUNTING FOR PIECES

OF THESE ANCIENT STONES THAT JOIN TOGETHER.

IT'S A MONUMENTAL TASK.

WE HAVE ALREADY DOCUMENTATED AROUND 23,000 BLOCKS.

Narrator: IT'S A PUZZLE WITH AN EXTRAORDINARY PRIZE.

Narrator: IF THEY CAN JOIN ENOUGH PIECES,

THEY CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THE ORIGINAL BUILDINGS LOOKED LIKE.

Narrator: AFTER YEARS OF WORK,

THE TEAM HAS MADE A MAJOR DISCOVERY.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

FROM THE SMALL FRAGMENTS THAT THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS

HAVE COLLECTED, THEY'VE PIECED TOGETHER

THE DIMENSIONS OF A MYSTERIOUS BUILDING.

THEY'VE WORKED OUT, FROM THE DECORATED BLOCKS,

THAT IT WAS A TEMPLE

WITH A MAGNIFICENT ENTRANCE AT ITS FRONT,

SIDES 160 FEET LONG,

AND WEIGHING THOUSANDS OF TONS.

IT STOOD PROUD ON A FOUNDATION OF LIMESTONE BLOCKS

THAT STILL SITS DEEP UNDER THE PARTHENON WE KNOW,

RIGHT TO THIS VERY DAY.

AMAZINGLY, THIS ANCIENT TEMPLE WAS ANOTHER PARTHENON,

BUILT LONG BEFORE THE ONE WE SEE TODAY.

BUT WHAT HAPPENED TO IT?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

IN HER SEARCH FOR ANSWERS,

EDITH THINKS SHE'S FOUND A CLUE IN THESE STATUES.

Edith: THESE ARE THE REMAINS OF THE SCULPTURES

ON THE TEMPLE OF ATHENA THAT PRECEDED THE PARTHENON

THAT WE NOW CAN SEE AND THEY'RE REALLY AMAZING.

Narrator: THE STATUES DATE FROM A TIME

JUST BEFORE ATHENS EMERGED AS THE WORLD'S FIRST DEMOCRACY.

IT'S VERY ELEMENTAL. IT'S MUCH MORE PRIMITIVE

THAN WHAT WE SEE ON THE PARTHENON THAT SURVIVED.

Narrator: EXACTLY WHY THE TEMPLE WAS DESTROYED IS A MYSTERY,

BUT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT THE GREEKS CONSIDERED IT OLD;

AND ITS MYTHOLOGICAL SCULPTURES,

OUT OF FASHION WITH THEIR BELIEFS.

MAYBE SOMETHING ABOUT THE MYTHOLOGY ON IT

WASN'T EXACTLY RIGHT.

WHAT WE DO KNOW, THOUGH, IS IT WAS A VERY IMPORTANT

STEPPING STONE TOWARDS THE ERECTION OF THE GREAT TEMPLE

THAT WE REALLY IDENTIFY AS THE PARTHENON.

Narrator: THE FIRST PARTHENON SHOWED THE PEOPLE OF ATHENS

THEY COULD CONSTRUCT A STONE TEMPLE HIGH ABOVE THE CITY.

BUT THE NEXT GENERATION WAS DETERMINED

TO BUILD SOMETHING BIGGER AND BETTER.

THEIR ACHIEVEMENT CONSTRUCTING THE ANCIENT-GREEK ACROPOLIS

WE SEE TODAY WAS TRULY EXTRAORDINARY.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

FROM THEIR WORK ON THE ANCIENT STONES,

THE TEAM RESTORING THE ACROPOLIS IS CONVINCED THAT THESE

WERE SOME OF THE FINEST BUILDINGS EVER CONSTRUCTED.

VASSILIKI ELEFTHERIOU

IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE ACROPOLIS RESTORATION.

THEY HAVE TO MOVE THIS BLOCK NOW.

THE FINAL POSITION IS HERE.

Narrator: TODAY, HER TEAM IS INSTALLING AN ANCIENT BLOCK

THAT MAKES UP THE ENTRANCE GATEWAY: THE PROPYLAEA.

THE RESTORATION HERE REVEALS NEW EVIDENCE

THAT THE ANCIENT CRAFTSMEN WORKED WITH EXTREME PRECISION.

THEY LEFT MARKINGS IN THE STONE

THAT VASSILIKI CAN STILL USE AS A GUIDE.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: IT'S A CHALLENGE TO MATCH THE CRAFTSMANSHIP

OF THE ANCIENT BUILDERS, EVEN WITH MODERN TOOLS.

Narrator: EVEN AFTER 2,400 YEARS,

THE ANCIENT-GREEK BLOCK STILL FITS INTO POSITION.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]

TO BUILD THE ACROPOLIS, THE GREEKS HAD TO

REPEAT THIS PRECISION, OVER AND OVER AGAIN.

SO, HOW DID THEY DO IT?

*

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: ANCIENT MASONS CARVED

13,000 PERFECTLY RECTANGULAR BLOCKS OF MARBLE.

THEY ASSEMBLED THE BLOCKS INTO 40-FOOT-HIGH WALLS.

OUTSIDE, THEY STACKED OVER 600 MASSIVE MARBLE DRUMS

TO FORM 58 TOWERING COLUMNS OVER 3 STORIES TALL.

ON TOP, THEY LAID STONES WEIGHING UP TO 10 TONS.

HOW COULD THE ANCIENT GREEKS LIFT SUCH MASSIVE WEIGHTS

AND PLACE THEM WITH SUCH SURGICAL PRECISION?

*

ON THE ENTRANCE GATEWAY TO THE ACROPOLIS,

KNOWN AS THE PROPYLAEA,

THE RESTORATION TEAM IS GRAPPLING

WITH THE SAME PROBLEM THAT CHALLENGED THE ANCIENT GREEKS.

ARCHITECT KONSTANTINOS KARANASOS AND HIS TEAM

MUST RAISE AN ORIGINAL DRUM OF MARBLE

TO THE TOP OF ONE OF THE COLUMNS.

THE PLAN IS TO PUT THE DRUM AT ITS ORIGINAL POSITION.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: LIFTING THIS 2,400-YEAR-OLD PIECE OF MARBLE

REQUIRES EXTREME CAUTION.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: RAISING THE STONE REVEALS A PROBLEM.

THE STRAPS WRAP RIGHT UNDERNEATH THE DRUM.

THEIR POSITION MAKES IT IMPOSSIBLE

TO LAY THE DRUM DIRECTLY ONTO THE COLUMN.

SO WHAT DID THE ANCIENT GREEKS DO THAT THIS MODERN TEAM IS NOT?

ONE ORIGINAL STONE, AMONG THOUSANDS ON THE ACROPOLIS,

HOLDS THE KEY.

IT LOOKS COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TO A FINISHED COLUMN DRUM,

BUT EDITH THINKS IT SOLVES AN ENGINEERING MYSTERY.

Edith: THIS IS VERY EXCITING.

THIS IS ACTUALLY A COLUMN DRUM

TO MAKE ONE OF THE COLUMNS FOR THE TEMPLES,

BUT IN THE STATE IT WOULD'VE ARRIVED AT FROM THE QUARRY.

AT THE QUARRY, IT WAS MADE INTO THE CIRCLE, CIRCULAR SHAPE,

BUT THESE BIG BOSSES WERE LEFT ON.

Narrator: SO WHAT COULD THESE KNOTS HAVE BEEN USED FOR?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

THE GREEKS HAD BIG, WOODEN CRANES THAT COULD WINCH

10-TON MARBLE PIECES OVER 3 STORIES HIGH.

THEY LEFT THE DRUMS UNCARVED,

EXCEPT FOR THE PROTRUSIONS, CALLED BOSSES.

THE LIFTING ROPES GRIPPED TO THE BOSSES

AND RELEASED WITH EASE.

THEY STACKED UP 11 DRUMS TO BUILD A COLUMN.

THEN, THE MASONS CARVED THE FLUTES IN PERFECT ALIGNMENT,

TO MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE COLUMNS

OF THE PARTHENON LOOKED EXACTLY THE SAME.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

[ SUSPENSEFUL CHORD STRIKES ]

Narrator: WITHOUT THESE BOSSES, THE ONLY WAY

KONSTANTINOS AND THE TEAM CAN LOWER THE DRUM INTO PLACE

IS TO USE MODERN EQUIPMENT.

THEY TIE THE ROPES TIGHT AROUND THE SIDES OF THE DRUM.

BUT KEEPING THE STONE LEVEL IS NO SIMPLE TASK.

Narrator: IT TAKES THE TEAM 2 DAYS

TO PLACE THE DRUM SAFELY INTO ITS ORIGINAL POSITION

AND TAKE THE ENTRANCE GATEWAY A STEP CLOSER TO COMPLETION.

*

THE BUILDINGS ON THE ACROPOLIS ARE OVER 2,400 YEARS OLD.

GREECE IS STILL ONE OF THE MOST SEISMICALLY ACTIVE AREAS

IN THE WORLD, WITH FEW OTHER STRUCTURES LASTING SO LONG.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

SO WHAT'S THE SECRET?

HOW HAVE THESE ANCIENT TEMPLES SURVIVED?

*

Narrator: PERCHED HIGH ABOVE THE CITY OF ATHENS,

THE ANCIENT TEMPLES OF THE ACROPOLIS,

INCLUDING THE MAJESTIC PARTHENON,

ARE AN ENGINEERING MYSTERY.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

THEY STAND IN ONE OF THE MOST

SEISMICALLY ACTIVE COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD.

RECENT EARTHQUAKES HAVE DEMOLISHED

MODERN BUILDINGS IN THE CITY.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

SO HOW HAVE THESE ANCIENT TEMPLES SURVIVED

FOR OVER 2,000 YEARS?

SEISMOLOGIST IOANNIS KALOGERAS

MONITORS SEISMIC ACTIVITY ON THE ACROPOLIS.

Narrator: THIS ACCELEROGRAPH,

ONE OF 10 POSITIONED ACROSS THE SITE,

MEASURES HOW MUCH THE GROUND SHAKES.

Narrator: WHEN HE LOOKS BACK AT THE DATA,

IOANNIS DISCOVERS THAT, DURING EARTHQUAKES,

SOMETHING STRANGE HAPPENS HERE AT THE PARTHENON.

[ EERIE MUSIC PLAYS ]

THIS IS A TYPICAL RECORD OF A SMALL EARTHQUAKE,

A LOCAL EARTHQUAKE.

Narrator: THE RECORDING SHOWS

THAT THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE PARTHENON SHAKE LESS

THAN THE GROUND IN THE SURROUNDING CITY.

BUT WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

WHAT IS SPECIAL ABOUT THIS PLACE?

Narrator: THE ROCK ITSELF IS SOLID,

BUT THE CITY AROUND IT IS BUILT ON LOOSE SOIL

THAT VIBRATES STRONGLY IN AN EARTHQUAKE.

Narrator: IT APPEARS THAT THE PARTHENON'S FOUNDATIONS,

BUILT DIRECTLY ON SOLID ROCK, HAVE HELPED IT SURVIVE.

[ SINISTER MUSIC PLAYS ]

BUT THIS ALONE DOESN'T EXPLAIN HOW THESE TEMPLES

HAVE STOOD FIRM AGAINST EARTHQUAKES.

THE BIGGEST CLUE TO WHAT MAKES THESE STRUCTURES SO SPECIAL

HIDES INSIDE THEIR STONES.

BLOW THE PARTHENON APART, AND YOU WON'T FIND

AN OUNCE OF MORTAR TO BOUND THE MARBLE TOGETHER.

*

INSTEAD, THERE ARE MYSTERIOUS SLOTS IN THE BLOCKS

AND, INSIDE THEM, IRON CLAMPS.

IN BETWEEN THE COLUMN DRUMS,

THERE ARE WOODEN WEDGES AND PINS.

THESE PIECES OF IRON AND WOOD HELP PROTECT THE TEMPLE

FROM EARTHQUAKES, BUT HOW DO THEY DO IT?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

CIVIL ENGINEER ZANNIS KONTEAS WORKS WITH THE RESTORATION TEAM.

HE THINKS THE ANCIENT GREEKS DID SOMETHING CLEVER

WHEN THEY INSTALLED THESE CONNECTING PIECES.

THE CLAMPS WERE PLACED IN SOCKETS

THAT WERE CAREFULLY CARVED ON THE TOP SIDE OF THE BLOCKS.

Narrator: HE'S NOTICED THAT ANCIENT BUILDERS

DELIBERATELY CUT THE HOLES LARGER THAN THE CLAMPS.

Narrator: THE LEAD SEALS THE IRON CLAMPS FROM THE AIR

AND STOPS THEM FROM RUSTING.

BUT IT ALSO PLAYS A CRITICAL ROLE IN AN EARTHQUAKE.

Narrator: DURING AN EARTHQUAKE, THE SOFT, FLEXIBLE LEAD

ALLOWS THE MARBLE BLOCKS TO MOVE,

WHILE THE CLAMPS STOP THE WALLS FROM FALLING DOWN.

Narrator: THE SYSTEM THAT PROTECTS THE COLUMNS

IS EVEN SMARTER.

WHEN THEY PULLED THE COLUMNS APART,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FOUND PIECES OF WOOD

2,400 YEARS OLD AND AMAZINGLY WELL-PRESERVED.

THE SEGMENTS ARE CALLED EMPOLIA AND POLOS.

Narrator: THE WAY THE WOOD PIECES WORK IS INGENIOUS.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

WITHOUT THEM, A BIG QUAKE COULD SHAKE THE COLUMNS

OUT OF ALIGNMENT UNTIL THEY COLLAPSE.

[ RUMBLING ]

BUT THE EMPOLIA PREVENT THIS.

THEY SIT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DRUMS

AND ACT LIKE SOFT, WOODEN JOINTS.

THEIR SPECIAL SHAPE LETS COLUMNS WOBBLE IN A QUAKE,

BUT ALWAYS KEEPS THE DRUMS IN LINE.

THAT MEANS THEY DON'T COLLAPSE,

SO, WHEN THE EARTH STOPS SHAKING,

THE PARTHENON LIVES TO SEE ANOTHER DAY.

*

ARCHAEOLOGISTS EVEN HAVE FOUND PROVE THE CONCEPT WORKS.

Narrator: THE WOOD HELD THE STONES TOGETHER.

IT TWISTED, BUT DIDN'T BREAK.

THE ANCIENT-GREEK WAY OF BUILDING WAS SO GOOD

THAT THE TEAM RESTORING THE ACROPOLIS

STILL USES THE SAME TECHNIQUES.

WHERE ANCIENT STONES ARE MISSING,

THE TEAM REPLACES THEM WITH NEW MARBLE.

TODAY, THE RESTORERS ARE LAYING A NEW MARBLE BLOCK

ON THE WALL OF THE CELLAR, THE TEMPLE SANCTUARY.

ARCHITECT ROSALIA CHRISTODOULOPOULOU

MONITORS THE OPERATION.

WE ARE GOING TO HAVE A TRIAL POSITIONING OF THIS MARBLE.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: TO JOIN THE BLOCKS,

THE ANCIENT GREEKS USED DOWELS MADE OF IRON.

TODAY, RESTORERS USE TITANIUM, BECAUSE IT WON'T RUST.

AND, ISN'T OF COATING THE DOWEL IN LEAD,

THEY CEMENT IT IN PLACE.

Narrator: THE MORTAR IS A SPECIAL, WEAK MIX.

IN AN EARTHQUAKE, IT WILL CRUMBLE,

ALLOWING THE BLOCKS TO MOVE, JUST LIKE THE LEAD DID.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

AFTER MONTHS OF PREPARING THE STONE,

IT TAKES THE TEAM JUST 10 MINUTES

TO PLACE IT IN ITS FINAL POSITION.

[ SPEAKING GREEK ]

THEY HOPE THAT, BY COPYING THE TRIED AND TESTED,

ANCIENT METHODS, IT WILL SIT IN THIS SAME SPOT FOR CENTURIES.

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC CLIMBS ]

*

THANKS TO INGENIOUS ANTI-EARTHQUAKE DEVICES,

THE PARTHENON STILL STANDS, 2,500 YEARS AFTER IT WAS BUILT.

NOW, MODERN RESEARCHERS ARE ABLE TO STUDY ITS WALLS CLOSEUP.

THEY'VE DISCOVERED NEW EVIDENCE TO SOLVE A PERSISTENT MYSTERY:

WHAT DID THIS ICONIC BUILDING REALLY LOOK LIKE?

*

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

Narrator: TO CONSTRUCT THE AMAZING ACROPOLIS,

GREEK BUILDERS HAD TO TRANSPORT VAST AMOUNTS OF MARBLE

TO THIS SITE,

LIFT THOUSANDS OF BLOCKS ONTO ITS WALLS,

AND CARVE DOZENS OF EXQUISITE COLUMNS.

BUT WHAT THEY DID NEXT IS SHROUDED IN MYSTERY.

HOW DID THEY COMPLETE THESE BUILDINGS?

AND WHAT DID THEY ORIGINALLY LOOK LIKE?

[ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYS ]

CHEMICAL ENGINEER ELENI AGGELAKOPOULOU

IS SCOURING THE PARTHENON FOR EVIDENCE.

[ CREAK ]

SHE HAS JUST A FEW CLUES,

BUT ONE OF THE BEST IS HIDDEN IN THIS TOWER.

IT'S PART OF A MOSQUE BUILT INSIDE THE PARTHENON

IN THE 16th CENTURY.

IT'S POSSIBLE TO SEE PART OF THE OLDER GREEK TEMPLE

THROUGH THIS GAP IN THE WALL.

IN THIS AREA, SOME BLOCKS OF THE TOWER WERE REMOVED AND...

Narrator: THE ANCIENT GREEKS, IT SEEMS,

DIDN'T LEAVE THE MARBLE BARE,

BUT COLORED IT WITH BRIGHT PAINT.

IF SO, HOW MUCH OF THE BUILDING WAS PAINTED?

THE SCAFFOLDING ON THE PARTHENON ALLOWS RESEARCHERS

TO ACCESS PLACES THEY WOULDN'T NORMALLY SEE.

THEY'VE DISCOVERED MORE TRACES OF ANCIENT PAINT

ON THE CORNER OF THE WEST PEDIMENT.

Narrator: NEARBY, ELENI HAS DISCOVERED A FAINT CLUE

TO HOW AN ANCIENT ARTIST PREPARED THE MARBLE.

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Narrator: COMBINING THESE DISCOVERIES

WITH ANCIENT DESCRIPTIONS OF THE PARTHENON,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS ARE ABLE TO RECREATE

WHAT THE TEMPLE ORIGINALLY LOOKED LIKE.

2,500 YEARS AGO,

THE PARTHENON WOULD'VE BEEN AN IMPOSING SITE.

*

INSIDE ITS INNER SANCTUARY WAS A STUNNING DISPLAY

OF SHINING MARBLE AND RICH COLOR:

THE CLOAK AND ARMOR OF ATHENA,

FORGED FROM OVER A TON OF DAZZLING GOLD,

AND HER LIMBS CARVED IN GLEAMING WHITE IVORY.

PAINT, IN VIVID COLORS, ADORNED THE CEILING.

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AND, AT THE ENTRANCE, ELABORATE CARVINGS

SHOWED SCENES FROM GREEK MYTHS,

IN SUCH GLORIOUS COLOR, IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE IT TODAY.

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BUT, DESPITE ALL THE EVIDENCE OF COLOR, A MYSTERY REMAINS.

THE SURFACE OF MARBLE IS HARD AND GLOSSY.

PAINT DOESN'T EASILY ADHERE TO IT,

SO HOW DID THE GREEKS GET THEIR PAINT TO STICK?

EUPHROSYNE DOXIADIS INVESTIGATES ANCIENT METHODS OF PAINTING.

SHE THINKS THE SECRET WAS WAX.

Narrator: TO MAKE THE SPECIAL PAINT,

EUPHROSYNE MELTS THE GUM WITH BEESWAX

THEN ADDS A PIGMENT TO GIVE IT COLOR.

NEXT, SHE MARKS OUT THE PATTERN.

AND THIS IS VERY HARD TO CUT.

THIS IS LIKE THE PARTHENON MARBLE.

Narrator: EUPHROSYNE MUST WORK FAST.

AS THE WAX COOLS, IT SOLIDIFIES.

READY, HERE. AND...

Narrator: THE HEAT HELPS BIND THE PAINT TO THE MARBLE.

Narrator: USING THIS TECHNIQUE TO PAINT THE PARTHENON

WOULD HAVE REQUIRED GREAT SKILL.

Narrator: THE FINISHED PAINTWORK ON ATHENA'S GREAT TEMPLE

WOULD'VE BEEN OUTSTANDING.

MOST OF THE PAINT ON THE PARTHENON HAS FADED AWAY.

CAN ARCHAEOLOGISTS SOLVE THE MYSTERIES

OF THE UNDERLYING STONE BEFORE THEY ARE UNDETECTABLE?

*

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Narrator: CENTURIES OF ATTACK HAVE LEFT THE MARBLE VULNERABLE.

IN THE 17th CENTURY, CANNONBALLS BLASTED OUT THESE CRATERS.

BUT THAT WAS A MINOR INCIDENT,

COMPARED TO THE TEMPLE'S LONG HISTORY OF DESTRUCTION.

IN 267 A.D., INVADERS BURNED DOWN THE ROOF.

THROUGH THE CENTURIES, THE STATUE OF ATHENA,

OVER A TON OF IVORY AND GOLD, HAS DISAPPEARED.

THEN, CHRISTIANS TURNED THE PARTHENON INTO A CHURCH

AND RIPPED THE STATUES TO PAGAN GODS OFF THE WALLS.

AND, IN 1687,

A GUNPOWDER EXPLOSION BLEW THE HEART OUT OF THE BUILDING.

EVEN TODAY, THE BUILDINGS ON THE ACROPOLIS

ARE STILL UNDER THREAT.

CONSERVATOR ANASTASIA PANOU LEADS THE BATTLE TO SAVE THEM.

AS YOU CAN SEE, THE SITUATION IS VERY BAD.

Narrator: AN ESCALATING PROBLEM COMES

FROM INSIDE THE STONES, THEMSELVES.

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WHEN ENGINEERS LAST RESTORED THE BUILDING, 90 YEARS AGO,

THEY INSERTED NEW, IRON CLAMPS TO HOLD THE BLOCKS TOGETHER.

BUT THEY COATED THEM IN POOR-QUALITY LEAD.

AS THE CLAMPS HAVE RUSTED, THEY HAVE EXPANDED,

CRACKING THE ANCIENT MARBLE.

Narrator: SO FAR, THE TEAM HAS REMOVED

OVER 900 IRON CLAMPS FROM THE PARTHENON

AND REPLACED THEM WITH CLAMPS MADE OF TITANIUM,

A METAL THAT WON'T CORRODE.

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WHERE ESSENTIAL PIECES OF THE ORIGINAL MARBLE ARE MISSING,

THE RESTORATION TEAM MUST REPLACE THEM.

CARVING THE MISSING HALF OF THE MARBLE BLOCK

TAKES TREMENDOUS SKILL.

A STONEMASON MUST CAREFULLY COPY

A PLASTER-CAST REPLICA OF THE MISSING PIECE.

HE USES THIS MEASURING TOOL TO IDENTIFY AREAS OF STONE

THAT NEED TO BE REMOVED.

NEXT COMES THE DETAILED WORK THAT ENSURES A TIGHT FIT.

THE MASON PAINTS THE OLD BLOCK IN MUD.

HE THEN PUSHES THE TWO STONES TOGETHER.

DOTS OF MUD ON THE NEW STONE IDENTIFY AREAS

HE NEEDS TO CHISEL AWAY.

THE FINAL PIECE WILL BE A PERFECT FIT.

RIGHT NOW, THE NEW WHITE MARBLE ON THE PARTHENON STANDS OUT,

BUT, OVER TIME, IT WILL FADE, TO BLEND WITH THE OLD.

THE NEW MARBLE ON THIS TEMPLE, RESTORED 35 YEARS AGO,

HAS ALREADY STARTED TO FADE.

IT WILL EVENTUALLY MATCH THE ORIGINAL.

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2,500 YEARS AFTER IT WAS BUILT,

THE ACROPOLIS IS STILL GIVING UP ITS SECRETS...

HELPING US UNRAVEL THE MYSTERIES OF THE ANCIENT GREEKS.

THE MORE WE DISCOVER,

THE MORE AMAZING THIS ANCIENT CITADEL BECOMES.

*

ITS HERO STRUCTURE, THE MIGHTY PARTHENON,...

BUILT TO WORSHIP AN ANCIENT GODDESS,

IS THE CROWNING ACHIEVEMENT

OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S GREATEST CIVILIZATIONS.

*

IT REMAINS ONE OF THE MOST

AWE-INSPIRING ANCIENT WONDERS EVER BUILT.

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