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0:00 · [Music]
0:21 · ar this famous ancient city still holds many secrets some of which are buried in
0:27 · the bed of the run little by little archaeologists are
0:34 · revealing its incredible history and unearthing priceless coins
0:42 · [Music]
0:48 · 20 m underwater in almost complete darkness scuba divers are braving the
0:54 · treacherous currents to uncover the remains of a mysterious Roman shipwreck
1:02 · how did this ship sink who was destined to receive its precious cargo to gain an
1:09 · insight into this exciting investigation we have exclusive permission to set up
1:14 · our cameras on the banks of this former ancient city for fear of looting scientists are conducting their
1:21 · investigation in total secrecy from ultra rare discoveries to historical
1:27 · revelations their investigations lead us to the 4th century AD the golden age of
1:33 · the city of
1:40 · Al archaeologists are following the trail of a remarkable treasure does it
1:46 · come from the extraordinary wealth of the Allesians or is it linked to a critical period for the Roman Empire
1:57 · [Music]
2:04 · will the archaeologists succeed in putting together the pieces of this incredible puzzle and unravel the enigma
2:11 · of the treasures of the horn [Music]
2:22 · [Music]
2:29 · in Arl a fascinating past is reemerging that of the Aralat duplex a
2:37 · prestigious trading port that thrived on both banks of the Run in the early days
2:42 · of antiquity this is where archaeologists are preparing to explore the riverbed with the utmost discretion
2:51 · an extraordinary mission that will reveal the lesserk known side of ancient [Music]
2:59 · history this morning luke Long head of the operation is giving some final words
3:05 · of advice for the team the dive ahead is
3:12 · set to be very dangerous
3:29 · it's a demanding task that requires exceptional diving skills these
3:35 · archaeologists report to Dasum the French public body responsible for
3:40 · underwater and submarine
3:49 · [Music] excavations for security reasons we are
3:56 · unable to give the exact date or place of these investigations
4:12 · an interesting deposit has been spotted at a very unusual depth the
4:17 · archaeologists are in charge of filming it
4:24 · the site is located 20 m underwater in this part of the run it is
4:32 · total darkness the light from the lamps
4:38 · scarcely provides 15 cm of
4:43 · visibility the current is so strong that the divers could get lost or swept away
4:49 · at any given moment at no point must they leave the lifeline that has been
4:54 · set up it leads directly to the search area
5:03 · large blocks of [Music] stone and a collection of huge wooden
5:10 · planks protrude from the silt all covered with hundreds of
5:18 · ancient tiles
5:35 · back at base camp the archaeologists are analyzing the footage that has just been
5:40 · taken
6:11 · brazo
6:22 · [Music] the scientists are convinced that
6:27 · they're dealing with a Roman shipwreck they call it the Al Ron 24 another
6:34 · artifact confirms their theory
6:40 · stop stop stop voila a piece of metal that Luke immediately recognizes it
6:47 · belongs to a uniquely shaped anchor typical of sailing on the horn
7:33 · a towing anchor similar to one that has already been previously discovered in the ron
7:58 · [Music] it's not surprising to find a Roman
8:03 · shipwreck a stone throw from the historic center of
8:09 · Al ideally located on the run a gateway to the Mediterranean the city played a
8:15 · strategic role in the Roman Empire hundreds of cargo vessels from across the empire passed through this large
8:23 · river and maritime port few of which are still intact so why did the Aral Ruan 24
8:32 · sink archaeologists are eager to learn more about this ship and its
8:42 · cargo they begin by setting up a grid system
8:48 · using these concrete iron bars they mark out a survey area like a crime scene the
8:55 · archaeologists meticulously make a note of each item luke is responsible for this
9:02 · astonishing cargo of tiles he carefully measures and outlines
9:08 · their arrangement
9:18 · the collected data is then processed by Lauron Maselan the geographer of the
9:24 · operation he immediately records them on a baimetric chart with every excavation
9:31 · the archaeologists have been developing a unique 3D map it reveals the nature
9:37 · and position of every archaeological discovery made in the river within the
9:42 · last 20 years and today something surprising has caught their attention
9:58 · [Music]
10:05 · until now all the shipwrecks discovered in the ran were situated on the right
10:12 · bank on the site of the ancient port of Ar this is how it would have looked a
10:19 · huge commercial zone where business is booming with boat houses storage
10:24 · facilities where dockers load and unload goods from all over the
10:30 · [Music]
10:35 · empire from the 1st to the fifth century AD Arl was a prosperous port city that
10:41 · brought together the trade taxes and riches of the Roman Empire the
10:46 · archaeologists are faced with a mystery why was the Alon 24 not found like the
10:53 · others on the right bank of the river where the ancient trading port once
10:59 · [Music] stood this newly discovered shipwreck
11:06 · marks the beginning of a fascinating investigation [Music]
11:13 · luke's draftsmanship brings this boat to life judging by the dimensions of the
11:19 · stack of tiles on the bottom of the boat he estimates it to have been almost 18 m
11:24 · long according to Luke these tiles were used to steady the
11:35 · ship
11:51 · [Music]
11:58 · fore importance why was this boat built with
12:04 · such a ballast what was it carrying the next dives are going to be crucial
12:18 · [Applause]
12:36 · the investigation continues beneath the constant flow of
12:42 · [Laughter] boats inside one of the grids the
12:48 · archaeologists are in for a big surprise
12:53 · there are hundreds of ancient coins scattered across the
13:08 · riverbed among them gold coins [Music]
13:38 · hello
13:44 · [Music] i do
14:12 · [Music]
14:23 · for the bronze
14:35 · for this team of archaeologists these discoveries raise some questions why are
14:40 · such large amounts of coins being found grouped together especially gold coins
14:47 · were they tossed into the river as an offering or do they come from the trade that flourished on the streets of Al in
14:54 · ancient times
15:02 · from the 1st century AD the Ron was home to the majority of goods traffic coming
15:08 · from all corners of the empire al opens its doors to the world
15:15 · the city is brimming with shops where you can find both staple foods and rare
15:20 · exotic delicacies
15:51 · the Allesians are citiz citizens of the Roman Empire as such they reap the
15:57 · numerous commercial and legal benefits their official language is Latin their
16:03 · laws and monetary system also align with that of the Romans
16:15 · [Music]
16:24 · platform
16:33 · [Music]
16:38 · a hub of ancient commerce Arl lies at the heart of the Roman economic and
16:43 · political system how does the wreck discovered by archaeologists link to
16:49 · this [Music] commerce is it a traditional barge that
16:56 · was used to transport goods luke believes the wreck holds the
17:02 · answer to this mystery in an attempt to solve it we head northwards up the river
17:14 · in Leon a boat of the same kind has been discovered in the river
17:21 · Son it is currently undergoing restoration at Ark Nuclear a
17:27 · world-renowned laboratory buried in the sediment these fragments of wood have
17:33 · been preserved for centuries they're bathed in this resin solution for several months this globally unique
17:41 · technique is used to replace the water contained in the wood
17:49 · fiber each piece is then freeze dried in order to retain its original shape
17:58 · [Music]
18:08 · but now we must put together the thousands of pieces of this huge puzzle launched in 2014 this ambitious
18:17 · restoration project provides valuable information on Roman naval architecture
18:25 · scientists have created a model of this flatbottomed barge at 28 m long it would
18:32 · have originally been bigger than the one in Al it is estimated to have been
18:38 · capable of carrying nearly 53 tons of goods
18:51 · these wrecks offer archaeologists an invaluable opportunity to better understand ancient sailing
19:01 · [Music]
19:06 · techniques at the front teams of men hauled the boat to help it take to the
19:12 · current 30 people are enough to tug a 50tonon
19:20 · [Music] boat the rudder has not yet been
19:25 · invented positioned at the rear the helmsman instead uses a long ore to
19:31 · steer simply turning it right or left will move the boat
19:39 · we now have a more precise idea of the physion of the Al Ron
19:45 · 24 an 18 m long flatbottomed barge suitable for transporting
19:51 · [Music] goods meanwhile Luke Long's team
20:00 · continues their investigation back at base camp the archaeologists are trying
20:05 · to find out the date of the shipwreck by analyzing the coins after five dives close to a
20:12 · thousand ancient coins have been unearthed
20:18 · [Music] jean Claude Tiri is the coin expert for this project he patiently cleans each
20:25 · coin by removing the layer of corrosion a result of being in the r for centuries
20:32 · in Roman times the portrait and title of the reigning emperor were imprinted on
20:37 · each coin coins therefore provide an excellent chronological marker
21:01 · because Constantine II only ruled the empire for 3 years he is the son of
21:08 · Constantine the Great famous for having been the first emperor to tolerate the
21:13 · Christian faith he's also the first emperor to have converted to Christianity
21:19 · [Music] this is a major step forward in Luke's investigation
21:46 · [Music]
21:55 · of the thousands of coins discovered just one a gold coin has been traced
22:01 · back to the 1st century AD it depicts the Roman Emperor
22:09 · Traan all the other coins date back to the 4th century it has led scientists to
22:15 · look into the succession of the first Christian emperor in history
22:23 · [Music]
22:29 · during the 4th century the city enjoyed the favor of Constantine the Great he
22:34 · made this commercial port his imperial residence
22:41 · [Music]
22:49 · when he founded Al in the 1st century BC Julius Caesar made it a jewel in the
22:55 · crown of the empire the city quickly became a major
23:02 · hub with arenas an amphitheater a theater and fortifications
23:12 · in the 4th century Constantine built a palace and imperial thermal baths its
23:18 · beauty and wealth earned it the nickname the little Rome of Gaul it is not
23:24 · surprising that there are still astonishing discoveries being made here today
23:34 · luke's team are convinced that the Al Ron 24 barge sank in the ran between
23:41 · 337 and 340 ballasted with tiles the boat was
23:46 · carrying a precious cargo nearly a thousand bronze and gold coins the
23:52 · theory that the coins came from offerings or street trade has been definitively ruled out given that they
23:59 · were found 50 m from the riverbank but two questions remain who
24:05 · was funding this expedition and what was the boat doing so far from the port
24:16 · to progress their investigation the scientists are now focusing all their research on the left side of the
24:23 · [Music] river luke has arranged a meeting here
24:29 · with a resident of Al archaeologists have uncovered remains of the ancient
24:35 · city in his cellar
24:57 · [Music] sector through his drawings the expert
25:03 · brings various eras of Al to life
25:11 · he knows every nook and cranny of the [Music]
25:22 · city there is scientific evidence to prove that until the 8th century the ru
25:28 · was crossed by a boat bridge this ingenious structure made our famous
25:34 · throughout the empire at least 15 boats were tied together to
25:41 · support a large foot bridge at each end two draw bridges
25:47 · allowed the passage of ships anchored firmly in the riverbed
25:54 · the boats were also tethered to a stone [Music]
26:00 · column oxygen [Music]
26:22 · [Music]
26:58 · forever turbulence
27:20 · tibet [Music] this is Luke's version of events
27:28 · [Music] the barge and its precious cargo head
27:35 · for the key [Music]
27:40 · but the current is very strong the boat begins to pitch and
27:45 · becomes difficult to steer like with the shipwreck we saw in Leon the gun whales are very low barely
27:54 · 1.4 m [Music]
28:06 · the boat gets caught in the rigging of the boat [Music]
28:20 · [Music] deck the boat will sink into oblivion
28:26 · for the next 17 centuries
28:37 · [Music] the waters of the Ron are still just as
28:44 · dangerous today the archaeologists do not take any unnecessary risks each dive
28:51 · must be marked out and justified
29:01 · giorgio and Lauron have just made an astounding discovery it will take the
29:07 · investigation to a whole new level
29:21 · the divers have photographed some rarely seen objects
29:50 · on the other
29:59 · [Music]
30:10 · objects of this value cannot be left on the riverbed for too long in the hands
30:15 · of lutters these coins would sell for a pretty penny
30:31 · [Music]
30:41 · hello
31:02 · well
31:29 · [Music]
31:51 · a gold belt buckle a rare treasure most likely to have been worn by a senior
31:57 · dignitary of the Roman Empire it was customary for the emperor himself to
32:02 · offer this type of ornament to family members it is the only one like it in
32:10 · the world [Music]
32:18 · why are such remarkable objects being found aboard this shipwreck what was the
32:23 · final destination of this treasure trove luke has a tentative theory
32:59 · will the coming hours prove Luke's theory correct
33:05 · [Music] giorgio has just spotted some mysterious
33:11 · metal plates
33:24 · in association the
33:44 · language
33:51 · [Music]
33:58 · [Music]
34:07 · yeah right
34:15 · [Music] this wreck still holds precious
34:21 · treasures underwater it is impossible to understand the function of these metal
34:26 · plates however around 50 of them have
34:31 · emerged a short distance away the archaeologists are tying themselves to
34:37 · the small ingots [Applause]
34:54 · wow [Music]
35:04 · [Music]
35:11 · now it's time for the large metal plates
35:34 · [Music]
35:50 · in a single day's work 20 small ingots and 10 metal plates have been recovered
35:56 · from the surface of the site
36:02 · these small ingots are made of almost pure silver it's a remarkable
36:09 · discovery as for the large metal plates Luke thinks these could be raw materials
36:15 · intended to be melted could this ancient alloy have been used to manufacture
36:22 · [Music] money in Poier the silver mines of Mel
36:29 · host scientists studying paleomology luke has come to seek the
36:36 · expertise of Florian terol this archaeologist studies ancient
36:43 · metals and alloys
37:18 · metalology was an essential industry for the Romans without it there would have been no
37:23 · weaponry agriculture or monetary production floron is going to try to
37:29 · manufacture coins from metals identical to those found
37:47 · in once melted this alloy will be used to produce a coin blank the planchet
38:10 · [Music]
38:16 · Florio uses a crucible made of clay and fresh manure this strange method has
38:22 · been observed on ancient
38:30 · sites his gut instinct has paid off all that's left to do is bur the plantets
38:44 · [Music]
39:15 · the resulting coin blanks are then washed in a salt and acid solution all
39:20 · that's left to do now is mint
39:31 · them
39:42 · for Bill [Music]
40:07 · the experiment is successful it confirms that the metal plates were to be used to
40:13 · make [Music] coins in the early 4th century Emperor
40:21 · Constantine moved the mint of Austia the port of Rome to Al located in the heart
40:27 · of the city this workshop was one of the most productive of the empire it brought
40:33 · the city considerable economic wealth every year Al produced millions
40:42 · of coins that were supplied to the entire south of Gaul
40:47 · it was therefore customary for these boats loaded with precious metals to
40:52 · birth on the left bank towards the mint workshop
40:58 · [Music]
41:10 · however one question remains why did the crew not make every effort to retrieve
41:16 · this precious [Music] cargo for Luke many questions remain
41:24 · unresolved who did this treasure belong to who wanted to sink it and to what end
41:30 · the investigation of the golden buckle may provide him with a new lead
41:37 · there is only one such jewel known in the world it belonged to a highranking
41:42 · military [Music]
41:55 · officer no doubt during ancient times only Roman citizens had the right to
42:02 · bear a first name surname and family name this nomina revealed social status
42:09 · and allegiance to a
42:17 · clan
42:24 · foreign speech foreign speech foreign speech
42:47 · what if this treasure was linked to the need to recruit soldiers or mercenaries
42:53 · [Music]
43:00 · the archaeologists are certain that during the 4th century the city of Arl
43:05 · was home to military garrisons
43:21 · the 4th century saw the development of the Roman army it had to constantly
43:26 · recruit new soldiers and train them to protect the empire's borders thanks to sophisticated weaponry
43:34 · and relentless discipline the legion were better trained than all other soldiers of the time
43:44 · [Music]
43:52 · what if the treasure discovered in the run was intended to raise an army for a new expedition this is one of the
44:00 · archaeologists [Music]
44:05 · theories picture this a highranking officer seeks to form a new legion and
44:11 · it's in the great cosmopolitan port of Al that he hopes to enlist these
44:21 · soldiers to seal the deal he needs money lots of it much more than the coins and
44:28 · ingots recovered from the wreck so far
44:37 · [Music] only a thorough excavation could confirm
44:43 · this theory
44:48 · the investigation is far from over now
44:57 · [Music]
45:04 · door at the beginning of the 4th century a new belief flourished what if the
45:10 · treasure found on the shipwreck was linked to the advent of Christianity
45:15 · after all the Allesians were one of the most powerful Christian communities in the
45:25 · Gaul not far from the center in the corner of the ancient Rampart they built
45:30 · the first cathedral one of the first in the Christian West
45:36 · [Music]
45:43 · mark Ishman is an archaeologist it was he who unearthed
45:48 · the remains of this exceptional landmark its dimensions go far beyond the largest
45:55 · Paleo Christian churches so far known to have existed in
46:06 · Gaul form
46:22 · [Music]
46:55 · [Music] a reflection of the church's his new
47:02 · found power the Cathedral of Al was visible to all travelers sailing on the
47:08 · ran but to build a landmark of this scale you need a great deal of money was
47:14 · the horde of coins discovered on the shipwreck going to be used to fund this
47:19 · new religion [Music]
47:27 · the work was perhaps paid for by the wealthy Allesians who made their fortune
47:32 · through trade on their
47:38 · own the 4th century was a prosperous one for the
47:43 · city it was when trade was at its peak [Music]
48:02 · back at the archaeologist HQ a new development has just breathed life into
48:08 · the investigation of the horde of coins jeanclaude Tiri the coin expert has
48:14 · noticed a strange correlation between the most valuable objects
48:39 · exceptional
48:46 · [Music]
49:07 · extraordinary and it's not the only one the same effigy has appeared on all the gold and silver medallions that of the
49:14 · young emperor Constantine II and another intriguing piece of evidence not one
49:20 · medallion is dated later than the year 340 the year in which Constantine II was
49:27 · assassinated by his brother
49:52 · during antiquity the taxation service was tasked with melting down valuable
49:58 · objects as bullion with the intention of minting coins to honor the new emperor
50:04 · this was known as public les the treasure of the ran was therefore to
50:09 · celebrate the reign of the new prince
50:45 · [Music] a fratricidal conflict between Emperor Constantine's sons luke's team may have
50:53 · solved the origin of this mysterious treasure trove only a complete excavation will confirm whether they are
51:00 · on the right
51:07 · track it's a remarkable treasure that archaeologists have uncovered from the
51:12 · surface of the site around 20 bars of extremely pure silver almost a thousand
51:19 · bronze coins dozens of gold and silver coins imperial medallions one of which
51:25 · is completely unique and an extremely rare gold belt
51:33 · buckle these objects were intended for remelting but came into our hands thanks
51:39 · to a sailing accident [Music]
52:04 · oh my Glor
52:14 · [Music]