All language subtitles for Ancient.Powers.S01E01.Origins.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-FLUX_track4_[eng].1

Thousands of years ago,

ancient powers ruled
our world--

Egypt, China, India,
Greece, and Rome,

players in a high-stakes game
of strategy and luck.

Success will bring them wealth
and immortality...

failure, oblivion and death.

In their battle for survival,
each civilisation

will face the same challenges.

How they respond
will shape their destiny.

In this episode, "Origins,"

in a brutal world where nature
is both friend and foe,

our ancient powers
are just beginning.

They must use all their skill
and ingenuity

to shape their territory
and establish their cultures.

So who will tame the land
and claim their future?

10,000 years ago,
the kingdom of ancient Egypt

does not yet exist,
but bands of hunter-gatherers

are drawn to the banks
of the River Nile.

At the water'’s edge
they live hand to mouth.

They forage, fish, hunt
wild cattle and even hippos.

These wandering people
have just enough to eat,

but to set down roots,
they need more than this.

How can they make
this landscape

work harder for them?

Egypt'’s geography is key
to how this country developed

because the Nile
is what makes Egypt.

Through endless miles
of scorched desert,

the Nile creates a narrow strip
of life-giving fertility.

But it'’s this river'’s
unique geography

that gives early Egyptian
settlers a head start.

Once a year, heavy rains
at its source far to the south

send an enormous torrent

rushing towards
the Nile'’s river valley,

flooding the riverbanks
and bringing abundant life.

Floods in Egypt came annually
for over four months,

starting at the end of June,

and a large part
of the country was submerged,

and the waters flowed out,

depositing huge,
rich amounts of silt,

so they never needed
any fertiliser here.

So really, it was
an amazingly rich, fertile soil

and very easy to cultivate.

The early settlers take
advantage of this healthy soil

and plant crops,

but they can'’t depend on them
year round

because as the floods recede
and desert temperatures rise

their precious crops
sometimes fail.

They must find a way
to keep them watered.

Irrigation technology was key.
Very quickly, they decided

that they were going
to harness this water,

and so they cut
a series of canals,

they built reservoirs,
they figured out ways

so they could have more
than one crop a year.

As the people farm,
they devise a simple

but effective
piece of technology.

The shadoof was a means
of raising water

from the lower Nile

and was lifting it up with
a bucket and a counterpoise,

and this was used then
to collect water.

You can either
put it into more buckets

and move it along or even into
another set of canals.

Now, these early Egyptians

have a constant
water supply and food.

This land was so fertile that
they could grow wheat, barley,

all kinds of fruits
and vegetables,

cucumbers, lettuces galore,
and herbs and spices.

No longer forced
to wander the land

in search of sustenance,

the Egyptians are now
fully-fledged farmers.

Their domain is
this narrow river valley,

and their mastery
over this environment sets them

on their way to becoming
an ancient power.

Farming was really
the mainstay of ancient Egypt,

and without the Nile
and its annual flood,

Egypt would never have been
the rich and great civilisation.

Everything about
Egyptian culture

comes from the environment,

and the Nile is the sort
of central part of it.

The Egyptians have
struck lucky--

they have a reliable source
of water

to grow their crops
and their civilisation.

Far to the east, another
ancient power is taking shape,

but on a far more dangerous
river.

From the western plateau to
the eastern plain,

two huge water courses
snake through China--

the Yellow River
and the Yangtze.

In the east, these rivers
and their tributaries

form a network of inhospitable
marshes and swamps,

but on the Yangtze,
in the water lands of Liangzhu,

people are attempting
to settle and farm.

Rice is their staple food.

The entire Liangzhu culture
is built on rice farming.

But rice is temperamental
and difficult to grow.

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,

irrigation and draining.

If these farmers water
their rice too much

or too little,
their crop will fail.

Get it right,
and in good conditions,

they can manage
a decent harvest.

But the weather is not always
on their side.

Here, the monsoon season lasts
from May till September,

bringing with it
the threat of flooding.

This unpredictable
natural disaster

can wipe out
their precious crop

and leave the people
of Liangzhu facing starvation.

To secure their food source
and their future,

can the people here control
this destructive flooding?

They have a plan,
but it'’s risky,

involving an unprecedented level

of engineering
and sheer hard work.

It takes thousands of workers
years to build

a series of earth dams
and create two vast reservoirs.

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.

Around 10 square kilometres.

Now, when the monsoon rains
thrash down,

these reservoirs
contain the excess water

and stop it flooding
the precious rice fields

downstream.

Its complex structure,
and its huge scale

represent the highest standard

in people's hydraulic endeavour
at that time.

Now they'’ve tamed
the wild river,

Liangzhu'’s farmers can
safely plan for the future

and create somewhere
to call home.

The people here build
a huge settlement.

It covers 300 hectares

and is surrounded by
a 50-metre-wide perimeter wall

that'’s over four metres high.

Inside, there are homes,
workshops, and tombs,

as well as a central palace.

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.

30,000 people live here,

and at its heart
are huge rice granaries,

the foundation of
their wealth and security.

With their food source secured
and their land safe,

the people of Liangzhu

are the start
for this ancient power.

In China,
remarkable engineering

transforms a dangerous threat

into the beginnings
of the civilisation.

To the west, an island people
are attempting to settle

in a very different terrain.

On mainland Greece, there are
a few isolated settlements,

but on the mountainous island
of Crete,

in the middle
of the Mediterranean,

a new culture is growing.

This island'’s isolation
provides a natural defence

against invaders,

and the fruits of the sea
are a ready source of food.

But for the people who
live here, the Minoans,

there are downsides.

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.

So this is how it was.

Each region of the island
is able to produce

different foods,

but spread out across
8,000 square kilometres

of rocky terrain,

no single area
has all the variety it needs.

So to feed their people,

the Minoans must find
a way to share it.

The Minoans hope that
these buildings are the answer

to their problem.

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

it was about crowds of people
gathering together.

This palace isn'’t a home
for their king,

but designed for the people.

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

maintain the community
as a whole.

Built on a high promontory,

this palace is visible
to every Minoan,

and it overlooks
their settlements and farmland.

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

and get whatever we need.

Pooling their food
in this communal palace

allows the Minoans
to share their riches

so this island'’s resources
benefit them all.

Now, with well-fed people
and few enemies,

the Minoans set about
creating a culture,

a cornerstone
for any ancient power.

This object was found
in a rectangular tomb

on the south
central part of Crete.

This fascinates me
because it'’s a unique artefact .

It is a masterpiece
of elegance and skill.

The intricate paintings
that decorate this sarcophagus

reveal details
of a Minoan funeral.

On this long side,
of the sarcophagus

we can see a procession
of gift bearers to the deceased.

The deceased is shown
standing by his tomb .

He'’s presented like a mummy
without hands.

The quality of
the representations,

the colours,
the hairstyles,

the garments, and, of course ,
these illustrations

give also evidence for the skill

of the craftsmen
of this special culture.

So the society must be socially
stratified, prosperous, wealthy,

and well organised.

This communal society creates
the perfect environment

for an explosion
in culture and art.

They make pottery with myriad
designs and colours,

celebrating the sea
and the land,

fine jewellery
that glitters and shines,

sculptures that hint
at deep beliefs and rituals

and celebrate the world
they have mastered.

This vase depict a procession
of farmers.

This object tells us a lot
how the Minoans saw the world.

They loved nature, they
exploited natural resources.

I mean the, the development
of agriculture was a main factor

for the prosperity
of the Minoan economy.

For well over a millennia,
the Minoans'’ community spirit

allows them to live in harmony
with their environment,

building an ancient power rich
in resources and culture.

But nature is about
to turn on them.

Just over 100 kilometres
to the north,

on the island of Santorini,
there is a huge volcano,

dormant for as long as anyone
can remember.

In 1500 BCE, it erupts.

It is one of the largest
eruptions in human history,

destroying Santorini

and sending
30 cubic kilometres of ash

and lava into the atmosphere.

It signals the beginning
of the end for the Minoans.

The eruption'’s fallout destroys
their crops, weakening them,

allowing Greeks
from the mainland,

the Mycenaeans,
to occupy the island.

They will be the people
to take this ancient power

to the next level.

The Minoans'’ ancient power
is both triumph and tragedy,

but they are the foundation
of all that follows in Greece.

To the south,

Egypt'’s early farmers
have harnessed the Nile.

Now they need someone to lead
them to their glorious future.

Over millennia,

plentiful food has allowed
early rural settlements

to become villages,
towns, and territories.

But to become an ancient power,

this land needs to unify
under one ruler.

This stone palette reveals
his identity.

It'’s one of the earliest named
images of an Egyptian king.

So this is the Narmer Palette,
and you can see here at the top,

there is the name of Narmer.

We know that Narmer comes
from upper Egypt

because he'’s wearing
the white crown .

That is a representation
of upper Egypt .

And he sets the rules here

because he starts
wearing that crown.

Narmer is ambitious
and aggressive.

He wants to add lower Egypt
to his southern kingdom,

so he goes on the attack.

He showed himself smiting
his enemies,

and that'’s what we see.

Narmer is standing
on the enemies of Egypt,

and you can see them
trampling beneath him.

Narmer beats his enemy
and emerges victorious.

On the other side
of the palette ,

we see Narmer'’s
victory procession,

and he'’s wearing
the red crown of lower Egypt,

and you can see here at the end
of the procession,

his enemies with their heads
between their legs,

and it'’s to show what will
happen to the enemies of Egypt.

Narmer is king of it all,
leader of over a million people

and over 1,000 kilometres
of the Nile river valley.

This land is now truly
an ancient power,

ruled by a single man.

After Narmer unifies Egypt,

this is a very important moment
in history .

This is when Egypt starts
to prosper

and we know it as it is .

This is when all the grand
monuments are on their way

to being built .

This is the building
of the great civilisation

and how it started.

Egypt has land, food,
and a strong ruler.

But to the east, in India,
another ancient power

is beginning to emerge

with a very different
character.

The Indus River flows
over 3,000 kilometres,

from the Himalayas
to the Arabian Sea,

and over millennia,

it has created a vast,
fertile plain.

In this benevolent landscape,

the first
ancient Indian culture

builds something astounding.

Hidden away in what is now
Sindh Province, Pakistan,

is one of the best preserved
cities of its age...

anywhere in the world.

This civilisation precedes
the Roman Empire

by more than
two and a half thousand years.

So this is something
very remarkable.

Today, its name translates
as the Mount of the Dead.

It seems that the town
was settled

at one single point of time.

And there was huge planning

which went with the building
of the town.

This city'’s inhabitants design
its construction

down to the last centimetre,
using thousands of bricks,

each identical in size.

They lay out
the three-square-kilometre site

on a grid system.

Rows of multistorey houses,

each with their own
central courtyard,

are connected by narrow
alleyways to the main streets.

This triumph of urban design

is home to more than
40,000 people.

Life is good here.

But as our other ancient powers
have discovered,

there are always
dangers to overcome.

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

if no proper care is taken.

The people here must find a way
to defend themselves

against this life-threatening
hazard.

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,

you become sick.

This drainage network removes
infectious water

from the streets,
but that alone is not enough

to keep Mohenjo-Daro'’s
inhabitants safe.

They also need clean water
for drinking and cooking

so they build wells.

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.

Across the city,
these wells bring

naturally-filtered
drinking water

to almost every courtyard,

and they celebrate
their control

of this critical resource

with a huge ritual bath
in the city'’s centre.

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.

This city and its people thrive
for more than 700 years,

and it'’s just one in a network
of urban settlements

that stretch all along
the length of the Indus River

and its tributaries.

Millions of people,
living in over 1,400 towns.

They planned the city,
they built it.

This is unparalleled,
this is wonderful

and highest achievement
this region made.

But even this flourishing
ancient power

can'’t foresee every threat.

We are compelled to say
that it must have been some

weather variations and changes

and the climate might have
started behaving differently.

Over a period of years,
changes in weather patterns

and the monsoon rains

lead to drought
all across the Indus Valley.

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.

As water sources dry up,
the people of Mohenjo-Daro

find their lands
can'’t sustain regular crops.

Their grand city
is of little use,

and they begin to leave.

This gradual vacating the towns

happened slowly
and very imperceptibly.

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

The Indus Valley people abandon
their sophisticated cities,

leaving them empty.

The civilisation lost its vigour

and it was no more.

It will be over a millennium
before urban life

is seen on
the Indian subcontinent again.

India has an early success
as an ancient power,

but then fails.

In the west,
the Romans have grand plans

and will use engineering
to achieve them.

Rome is a latecomer

to the world
of the ancient powers.

What begins as a small farming
community on several hills

expands over 400 years
to become a bustling city

of several hundred thousand
people

with a rich
metropolitan culture.

The great
Roman architect Vitruvius said

that all things depend
on the power of water.

Roman love of water
has no limits ,

not only for drinking purposes ,

but necessary for
a cultured life,

a great life-- the life that
the Romans considered dignified.

Having an over abundance
of water

was clearly a critical part
of living well as a Roman.

But in ancient Rome,

this demand for water
creates a problem.

The local wells are
running dry, and worse,

pollution is poisoning
the River Tiber.

The city desperately needs
a new

and reliable supply
of clean water.

But where can they find it?

Scouring the countryside,
the Romans eventually find

high-quality springs
in the surrounding hills,

but these are
over 10 kilometres away.

Unless they can transport
this fresh water,

their city and ancient power
can'’t grow.

The solution they come up with
is ingenious.

Gravity is arguably the
most reliable system

for getting your water
from point "A" to point "B."

The Romans made it work with
the minimum amount of technology

and therefore the minimum
amount of moving parts

and things that could fail.

In 312 BCE,
they begin construction

on a remarkable feat
of engineering,

the first of a series
of aqueducts.

These grand structures shift
thousands of litres of water

over huge distances.

Their water channels
are designed with a steady

and carefully calculated
gradient

to keep the water flowing.

It'’s milimetrically precise.

A grade more than 1 in 4,800

was going to cause
significant erosion

and therefore significant
manpower to repair.

Over the next five centuries,
the Romans build 11 aqueducts.

They stretch almost
500 kilometres

and provide Rome with millions
of litres of water every day,

a lifeline for
this expanding empire.

The ability to supply water
to the capital city of Rome

and to all of the important
cities around the empire

was absolutely fundamental
to the population growth

and to the success
of the Roman civilisation.

Without that, they would
certainly have shrivelled

and died
or simply not grown.

Rome'’s aqueducts are a
wonder of the ancient world,

proof of Rome'’s mastery
over nature.

But this is just the beginning.

These luxurious baths
are a spectacular temple

to the Roman love of water.

The emperor put on
this enormous expense

and enormous display in order
to give his citizens a place

to be Romans in
the fullest sense of the term.

Huge forests of columns of
all different kinds of granite,

all different kinds of marble .

A pantheon of Gods
and heroes in the niches.

This vast site is equipped
with a huge spa complex,

two gymnasiums,
a swimming pool,

and rooms ranging
from cold to hot.

A couple of thousand years ago,

we would'’ve been surrounded
by naked Romans.

The splashing of water,

the voices echoing off
the arches,

the smells, the perfumes.

This is a place
where you could come

and simply get away
from the world.

These palaces of water
are the hub

of Rome'’s cultural life.

This place was not merely
a place to get clean,

but a place
to do business deals,

a place to have banquets
and sing merry songs

with your friends,
a place to work out.

It was the society of Rome
all collected in one room.

Here, senators and paupers,

men and women
all bathe equally.

The Roman baths
are a great leveller.

But beneath this beauty,
there is a terrible secret.

The dark side of this city'’s
cultured facade.

Here, below ground,

hundreds of slaves toil
in unbearable conditions,

stoking furnaces
to heat the water.

This ferocious engine
constantly consuming wood,

constantly producing flame,

constantly consuming
human lives.

This would'’ve been just brutal.

People down here were
really cogs in a machine.

I mean,
without this unseen world,

without this unseen army--

unthanked, unrecognised,
sub-human--

nothing would'’ve
happened upstairs.

The slaves'’ grim work
is the harsh reality

of Rome'’s ancient power.

Nature is controlled,
but so too are humans.

The first challenge is
complete.

Each ancient power
has responded

to their unique geography

and taken the first steps
to their futures.

Egypt tames the Nile'’s floods

and begins the rule
of its Pharaohs.

China builds huge dams
and reservoirs

to control their fearsome
river,

protecting and feeding
their water town.

In the Indus Valley,
the Indians go one better,

planning and building
a vast city.

On Crete, the Minoans cooperate
to create a society

and a rich culture,

but are destroyed
when a natural disaster hits.

In Rome, they stamp
their authority

in even grander structures.

All these ancient powers have
established civilisations,

but to put a permanent mark
on the world,

their next challenge
is to build their empires.