Original subtitles

NARRATOR: Palmyra,

a monumental ancient city

at the crossroads of some

of the world's greatest civilizations.

NARRATOR: This spectacular site survives

in remarkable condition since antiquity.

But in our lifetime,

it falls into the hands of an extremist terror group.

NARRATOR: Today, we have unique access to follow investigators

as they return to this once dangerous site.

Equipped with pioneering technology,

they're on a mission to

piece together this recently shattered city.

[speaks indistinctly]

They put ancient engineering to the test...

Stop, stop, stop.

...and venture into forgotten tombs

to uncover how thousands of citizens survive

and thrive here two millennia before ISIS arrive.

and thrive here two millennia before ISIS arrive.

NARRATOR: They discover how one queen is

responsible for both its greatest glory

and it's tragic downfall.

To solve these mysteries,

we digitally reconstruct the city at the height of

its glory.

We open long-lost tombs, come face-to-face

with the people who live

and die here and reveal the secrets

of the lost Empire of Palmyra.

of the lost Empire of Palmyra.

Palmyra lies in the remote heart of Syria.

Known as the Pearl of the Desert,

its grand ruins survive for almost 2,000 years,

inspiring legends of its awesome power.

But in the last decade,

But in the last decade,

it has come under fire from the militant group, ISIS.

In 2015,

ISIS stormed Palmyra and its museum,

smashing artifacts and demolishing monuments in

a bid to wipe out its non-Islamic heritage.

Courageous archaeologists race to remove what they

can in the days before ISIS arrives,

can in the days before ISIS arrives,

transporting statues and other relics

to Syria's capital, Damascus,

but not everything is saved.

The terrorists destroy many temples, tombs, and treasures.

NARRATOR: Now, with ISIS gone,

our cameras have exclusive access to follow investigators

our cameras have exclusive access to follow investigators

as they return to explore this still

perilous site and help reconstruct this lost wonder as

it was almost 2,000 years ago.

Palmyra is once a magnificent city.

The main colonnaded street stretches for over half a mile.

In its center sits an ornate structure called a tetrapylon.

In its center sits an ornate structure called a tetrapylon.

To the north and west, an extravagant bathhouse

and temples, and in the south,

an impressive theater to entertain Palmyra's

30,000 residents.

Now, experts want to solve an enduring riddle.

What are the origins of this remote desert city?

Ahmad Deeb has been fascinated by Palmyra most of his life.

NARRATOR: Ahmad is on a mission to discover the city's origins.

Studying an ancient ruin ravaged by time is tough.

Studying an ancient ruin ravaged by time is tough.

Piecing together a site battered by

recent conflict is an even greater challenge.

Ahmad searches for any surviving clues of the city's builders

and soon spot something intriguing.

NARRATOR: Palmyra has all the hallmarks of

a Roman city, almost 1,500 miles from Rome.

Grand civic buildings,

colonnaded streets,

temples,

and a theater.

Ancient texts reveal that by the 1st century CE,

Ancient texts reveal that by the 1st century CE,

this area is part of the Roman Empire,

and Palmyra becomes one of

the key cities on its eastern frontier.

But Ahmad suspects its people have

roots here before this Roman takeover.

He heads to the ruins of the main temple of the city.

Before the ISIS attacks,

this temple is a jewel in the desert,

but today, it's shattered into millions of pieces.

Ahmad looks for fragments,

which he hopes may hold clues about

the origins of the people who live in Palmyra,

known as Palmyrenes.

He eventually finds some pieces,

which reveal Roman-style decoration

and figures in Roman military dress.

But other carvings now likely buried deep in

But other carvings now likely buried deep in

the rubble are special, as they show male figures

wearing trousers,

and women in veils,

distinctly un-Roman fashions.

These depictions suggest the Palmyrenes are

not originally Roman,

and that's not the only clue.

Before its destruction,

the temple's floor plan is a colossal 27,000 square feet.

Grand columns surround it,

just like a typical Roman temple.

But unusually, the roof is flat with openings,

perhaps so that rituals can be performed here.

Further breaking with Roman convention,

the temple's entrance is not on the short end,

but on the long side.

And within is an altar dedicated to

three mysterious Gods.

Who are they, and what can they tell us

about the origins of the Palmyrenes?

Many artifacts rescued from the clutches of ISIS are

now securely held here, in the National Museum of Damascus.

Dima Ashkar

has rare access to surviving relics from

Palmyra's temples and other parts of the site.

She scours the collection for clues to

the identity of the mysterious gods from the main temple

and comes across an incredibly

well preserved relief found nearby.

She recognizes two figures on the right,

their large halos evidence of their godly status.

Bel and Aglibol are often worshiped alongside

the Sun God, Yahibol,

who Dima believes is once on the right side of the relief.

They are a unique blend of local and Mesopotamian gods

and are very likely the trio worshiped in the main temple.

And these are not the only Eastern influences in Palmyra.

Many sculptures depict gods from all

over the Levant, Arabia, and beyond.

Clearly, Palmyra is a mix of cultures,

coexisting and merging their ideas and beliefs.

Ahmad wants to know what brings these different

people here to this remote part of the desert.

On the edge of the city,

On the edge of the city,

he finds a stone enclosure full of water.

A natural spring.

Ahmad believes this source may be what first attracts

people here, at least as early as the Bronze Age.

NARRATOR: Desert tribes live here for millennia.

But it is the citizens of the 1st century CE

who put Palmyra on the map.

The Silk Road is vital for Rome's trade with the East,

but the usual route is blocked by conflict with

Rome's enemies, the Parthians.

The Palmyrenes have a plan.

Their camels take western goods through the desert

Their camels take western goods through the desert

to the River Euphrates,

where they're sent on to the East.

And they return with spices, silk, and precious gems

to be sent on to Rome.

Palmyra becomes a melting pot of different

people who come here to do business.

Palmyra booms over the next two centuries

Palmyra booms over the next two centuries

and reaches its population's peak.

But there's a mystery.

How does this enormous city get the water it needs

to survive

and supply its many flowing fountains?

And what can these mysterious piles of rubble

tell us about the lives and deaths of the Palmyrenes?

NARRATOR: Palmyra, deep in the Syrian desert.

Archaeologist Ahmad Deeb wants to find out how its 30,000

citizens survive in this arid landscape

with limited local water.

He hunts for clues to this Roman city's water supply.

It's no easy mission, as so much has

been recently razed to the ground by ISIS.

been recently razed to the ground by ISIS.

But he soon discovers something

that retains a distinctive shape.

NARRATOR: These fountains are a clue that pressurized water

flows here.

But the Efqa Spring is lower in altitude

But the Efqa Spring is lower in altitude

than the city, and water can't flow uphill.

So there must be another hidden source.

A maze of underground channels lies deep beneath the city.

An incredible engineered network of aqueducts

feeds Palmyra with fresh drinking water.

A tank on a nearby hill stores the water,

A tank on a nearby hill stores the water,

which then flows through pipes downhill

for almost a mile

It bursts out at high pressure

into cascading fountains throughout the city.

Where does this supply of flowing water come from?

Ahmad examines satellite imagery from

the area around Palmyra to find out.

the area around Palmyra to find out.

NARRATOR: This line of dots is, in fact,

a series of manholes,

clear evidence of an underground aqueduct

leading to the city.

Ahmad follows the aqueduct for mile afrrer mile.

and discovers it suddenly disappears underground.

and discovers it suddenly disappears underground.

He wants to know where this subterranean water

is coming from.

Ahmad launches a drone to get a bird's eye view...

...and it soon reveals something distinctive,

hills scarred with deep wadis, or river canyons.

This region is dry today but always has wet seasons

where huge amounts of rain scour out these wadi canyons.

Some water collects underground at the foot

of the hills to create permanent natural springs.

The clever Palmyrenes exploit

these springs and use gravity alone

to channel at least 260,000 gallons

of fresh water to Palmyra each day

of fresh water to Palmyra each day

so the city's residents can

enjoy a sophisticated Roman lifestyle.

They develop innovative ways

to harness additional fresh rainwater.

High in the mountains,

they build dams across the rivers

to slow and regulate water flow.

They create walled fields inside

They create walled fields inside

the wadis to capture the rich sediments

and provide the perfect soil for crops.

And for farms and houses out of town,

they construct cisterns to collect

and retain water for when it is needed.

These water control and capture techniques allow

a huge area around Palmyra to be transformed into farmland.

The Palmyrenes not only survive but thrive in

the desert thanks to these techniques,

and their ingenuity doesn't stop there.

How do Palmyra's citizens create one of

the grandest cities of the ancient world?

And how do they do this

hundreds of miles from any other civilization?

NARRATOR: Palmyra,

a vast city

crammed full of incredible ancient wonders.

Houmam Saad has been studying Palmyra for over 20 years

and has a unique bond with the site.

NARRATOR: Houmam ventures into the ruins.

Many of Palmyra's most impressive monuments were badly

damaged by Islamic extremists,

ISIS, during a four-year reign of terror that sees them

capture much of Syria and Iraq.

Houmam wants to study these ruins to find out how

the Palmyrenes create a city as grand as Rome

in this isolated desert.

He examines the stone used to create

most of the buildings here,

a beautiful local limestone.

The Palmyrenes choose it not only for

its striking appearance but also its structural properties.

The stone is almost as hard as marble,

and its natural strength is the key

to how so much survives,

even withstanding demolition by ISIS.

even withstanding demolition by ISIS.

NARRATOR: Archaeologists are now trying to

piece together these particular stones

to rebuild one of the most

impressive structures that ISIS does destroy.

A spectacular arch once towers over the heart of Palmyra,

over 40 feet tall 20 feet wide.

over 40 feet tall 20 feet wide.

It appears like a typical Roman arch,

but pulling the stones apart

reveals a fascinating piece of ancient engineering.

The blocks are all irregular shapes.

And instead of a triangular keystone,

an 8-foot lintel caps the arch like a doorway.

Why do the Palmyrenes make their arch this unusual way,

unlike any others across the Roman Empire?

unlike any others across the Roman Empire?

Egyptian archaeologist, Adel Kelany,

wants to solve this mystery

using ancient building techniques.

A Roman arch stays up because it's made of

wedge-shaped stones locked in place with a keystone.

But the Palmyrenes reject the Roman arch

in favor of a different style.

Adel examines a photo of the Palmyra arch,

Adel examines a photo of the Palmyra arch,

taken before the ISIS destruction,

for clues to the ancient engineers' design.

NARRATOR: Unlike in a Roman arch,

the blocks are square cut rather than wedge-shaped,

and they extend horizontally into the walls on either side.

Adel believes these uniquely shaped

blocks could be the engineer's secret.

NARRATOR: Adel's team tests his theory by building

a 1/8 scale replica of the Palmyra arch.

It soon starts to become clear just

how clever the Palmyrene engineers are.

Each stone overhangs the one before

to form the curve of the arch.

Some are long to act as counterbalance,

and as more stones are added,

they hold in place the blocks below.

The Palmyra arch is built like a wall without supports,

right up to the top.

They complete the curved shape with

the addition of a wide lintel

that provides downward pressure to

that provides downward pressure to

hold the whole structure together.

The Palmyrenes likely invent this clever method

as the true arch technique

has not yet traveled to their remote part of

the Roman world.

It's an effective and practical solution.

NARRATOR: This isn't the Palmyrenes'

only engineering innovation.

only engineering innovation.

They have another clever trick

for their homes and commercial buildings.

Houmam examines the walls of an ancient shop in

central Palmyra.

Opus Palmyrenum is a unique building method.

Quarrymen use large picks

Quarrymen use large picks

to cut thin sheets of stone.

They are far lighter than solid blocks

and are more easily transported

and lifted into position using cranes.

Two walls are then secured together with mortar to give

the appearance of solid stone at a fraction of the cost.

This helps the Palmyrenes construct

This helps the Palmyrenes construct

homes and shops quickly and cheaply,

and the city expands rapidly.

These expert engineers are masters at inventing solutions,

which mimic Roman monumental style and make

the most of their limited local resources.

Palmyra grows to over three square miles

by the 3rd century CE,

a shining beacon in the desert.

What is life like here?

What is life like here?

And how does Palmyra transform into

the capital of a vast empire?

NARRATOR: Palmyra,

a monumental stone city,

a triumph of engineering, which, before its destruction

by ISIS, rivals even the grandeur of Rome.

Ahmad Deeb is on a quest to

piece together the lives of the Palmyrenes.

He explores the columns in the main colonnaded street.

He explores the columns in the main colonnaded street.

These are some of the only standing ruins

ISIS does not destroy.

Ahmad spots strange shelves that

protrude from halfway up the columns,

and he suspects what they are for.

NARRATOR: These are plinths for now lost sculptures.

And they're on nearly every column.

This huge colonnaded street runs through

the heart of Palmyra.

It connects the western gate to the Temple of Bel

in the east.

The columns along the street display

different bronze statues.

Each statue is a portrait of a person, not a god,

Each statue is a portrait of a person, not a god,

a hall of fame,

clearly designed to be seen by all who visit the city.

Who are these people,

and what can they reveal about life in Palmyra?

Ahmad investigates the columns for further clues.

He spots something intriguing.

He spots something intriguing.

NARRATOR: These texts are written in both Greek,

the language of the Eastern Roman Empire, and local Aramaic.

One text in particular catches Ahmad's eye.

NARRATOR: The name of the person memorialized here, Sallamathos,

son of Males, does not sound Roman.

And the same is true of most

of the inscriptions on the other columns.

They each honor local people who pay for public works

or protect the trade on which the city relies.

This reveals that it's Palmyrene locals,

not their Roman overlords, who ensure the smooth

not their Roman overlords, who ensure the smooth

running of life here.

And in return, they have an elite,

revered position in society.

Ahmad investigates what life is like for these elites,

and for the rest of the Palmyrenes living here.

He studies images of strange objects,

known as tesserae, unearthed across the city.

NARRATOR: These small ceramic tokens depict priests

with vines or people serving wine.

These are single-use tickets, or tokens, to dining parties,

which take place in banqueting halls at the temples.

At the annual Festival of Bel,

the city's inhabitants take part in a procession along

the colonnaded street.

When they arrive at the main temple,

priests gather with bulls to make sacrifices to the gods.

The majority of Palmyra's citizens picnic and celebrate

together outside around the courtyard of the sanctuary.

But a select few dine in a private banqueting hall,

enjoying wine and the best of the sacrificial meats.

The Palmyrenes enjoy many feasts throughout the year

and life is good

in this desert oasis,

in this desert oasis,

especially for the lucky elites.

Now, strange structures unearthed outside the city

reveal another aspect to life and death here.

What can these mummified remains reveal

about the beliefs of the Palmyrene people?

NARRATOR: Palmyra is a bustling city,

home to some 30,000 people at its peak

between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE.

Its citizens include a wealthy elite, shown

in statues along the main colonnaded street.

Houmam Saad is on a mission

to unearth more clues about Palmyra's inhabitants.

He ventures to the last surviving relics of

He ventures to the last surviving relics of

an area on the edge of the city.

Piles of enormous stone blocks

are scattered across the landscape,

the remains of structures destroyed by terror group, ISIS.

Houmam searches for clues to what these buildings were.

He finds an inscription in Greek and Aramaic.

NARRATOR: These are the remains of a colossal

tower tomb, which soars over 65 feet tall.

More than 180 of these giants dot the landscape

around Palmyra,

striking monuments each dedicated

to a different wealthy family.

to a different wealthy family.

Inside, there are several stories,

end each level has rows of niches from floor to ceiling.

Mummies lie inside,

some of the only ones in the Middle East outside

of Egypt.

What can these burials reveal of

Palmyrene beliefs about life and death?

ISIS terrorists destroy the towers and their contents.

ISIS terrorists destroy the towers and their contents.

They think these symbols of

pre-Islamic belief offend their God,

but luckily,

archaeologists photographed the mummified

bodies in the years before.

These rare images are some of

the only surviving evidence of these curious mummies.

Lidija McKnight and Jenefer Metcalfe

want to unlock their secrets.

JENEFER: Mummies are absolutely fascinating to study,

to understand an actual ancient culture

in a totally unique way.

NARRATOR: They want to find out why the Palmyrenes mummify

their dead and if they could be

influenced by Egyptian ideas and practices.

It's really interesting to find them in places

that are close to Egypt but not Egypt itself.

NARRATOR: First, the team analyze a CT scan

of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy.

of a 3,000-year-old Egyptian mummy.

We can see that the skull cavity is empty.

The brain's been deliberately removed.

NARRATOR: Brain removal is typical of

Egyptian mummification.

The brain rots quickly.

It is carefully extracted with a special hook

via the nostrils.

The Egyptians also remove abdominal organs, preserving

and often storing them in special vessels called

canopic jars.

LIDIJA: The Egyptians believed that by preserving the organs,

the person would be a complete body for the afterlife.

the person would be a complete body for the afterlife.

So it was vitally important to their religious beliefs.

NARRATOR: Next, they investigate the mummies from Palmyra.

They want to find out whether

the Palmyrenes also remove these organs.

We do know that from a report that at least one mummy

had its brain removed,

but that was centrally through a hole in the forehead.

NARRATOR: This method causes much greater facial damage,

and they discover evidence that the Palmyrenes

do not preserve any of the abdominal organs.

They may have been burnt rather than being retained.

NARRATOR: The Egyptians take great care to keep the body

intact as a physical home for the soul in the afterlife,

a belief which doesn't appear to be shared

by the Palmyrenes.

The skin of the Palmyrene mummies

also appears to be drier and more brittle.

It is evidence they may

use less sophisticated preservation techniques.

use less sophisticated preservation techniques.

But the Palmyrenes certainly seem to put

great care into the final stage of the process.

Chinese silk, also discovered by archaeologists inside

the tombs, suggests the mummies are wrapped luxuriously.

All this evidence shows

the wide scope of Palmyra's cultural influences.

They share similar mummification techniques

with Egypt but have a set of beliefs of their own.

with Egypt but have a set of beliefs of their own.

It is impossible for researchers to draw

firm conclusions about these beliefs without more evidence.

But one thing is clear, wealthy Palmyrenes honor

their dead in a unique way,

with techniques and materials imported

to their cultural crossroads.

Wealthy families each build their own tower tomb,

into which they place their dead relatives.

into which they place their dead relatives.

These tombs line the main road into town

and are admired by all who pass,

but only family members may enter.

They carefully wrap the deceased

and then seal their resting place

with a stone likeness of their face.

When descendants pay visits,

When descendants pay visits,

they light candles and make offerings

to assert their right to

the same wealth and power as their ancestors.

Houmam's survey of Palmyra reveals one final

secret of Palmyrene burial traditions.

He has been granted unique access

to enter another type of tomb.

The towers can only hold a finite number of bodies.

So over time, the Palmyrenes build these,

So over time, the Palmyrenes build these,

underground tombs,

which hold many more burials

and are just as richly decorated as the tower tombs.

But a clue inside suggests they are

no longer reserved for a single wealthy family.

NARRATOR: These underground crypts mean elaborate burials

are now available to all who can afford it.

The Palmyrenes are businesspeople, even in death.

The funerary inscriptions date up to

the end of the 3rd century CE

but then abruptly stop.

It suggests monumental tomb building suddenly halts.

It suggests monumental tomb building suddenly halts.

Is this the end of Palmyra's golden age?

What happens to this once great city?

NARRATOR: Palmyra,

a city which venerates its dead

with extraordinary burial traditions.

Ahmad Deeb investigates what happens to bring

this vibrant culture to a sudden stop.

He examines a column on the main street

and finds one of the last

statue inscriptions written in the city.

NARRATOR: Queen Zenobia is the most famous ruler of Palmyra,

a brave warrior queen

who is responsible for the city's greatest triumph.

Zenobia's husband is the client king of Palmyra.

Zenobia's husband is the client king of Palmyra.

He dies suddenly in 267 CE,

and she becomes regent for their young son.

Zenobia embraces the role -- she is determined to

expand Palmyra's territory and challenge her Roman overlords.

Ahmad explores whether Zenobia is successful in this quest.

He examines a rare coin.

It is now faded,

but Ahmad can identify Zenobia's profile.

NARRATOR: This is one of the only existing

images of Queen Zenobia from her lifetime.

And coins like this are found in sites all over the Near East.

NARRATOR: The wide distribution of these coins is evidence

that Zenobia conquers much of the Eastern Roman.

She overruns the Romans, from Türkiye to Egypt,

in less than two years of fighting,

a rare and incredible feat against a mighty opponent.

And Palmyra becomes the capital of her vast empire.

But Zenobia's conquering spree does not last.

Ahmad finds a final clue in the city,

evidence of Roman military fortifications.

NARRATOR: These Roman military structures date

to around 290 CE

and suggest a hostile takeover.

Zenobia is a threat to Rome who needs to be eliminated.

Troops tear into Palmyra, attacking the city.

Zenobia's fate is a mystery, but some say she is

taken to Rome, paraded in chains, and then killed.

Following her death,

the Romans turn Palmyra into a military camp.

No longer the capital of a great empire

nor a buzzing Silk Road city,

Palmyra's glorious golden age is over,

and it is gradually abandoned,

eventually becoming a target for ISIS terrorists.

But today, Palmyra is still a globally important site.

NARRATOR: Archaeologists are determined not to let Palmyra's

destruction by ISIS be its final chapter.

NARRATOR: Palmyra will always be a pearl of the desert.

Its people use ingenious engineering to

combine the best of East and West.

They honor locals as heroes

and build intricate tombs for their dead.

This is the true story of the epic rise

and fall of the great Empire of Palmyra.

and fall of the great Empire of Palmyra.