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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] |
