1 00:00:02,767 --> 00:00:05,867 NARRATOR: Nimrud, a ruined ancient city 2 00:00:05,867 --> 00:00:07,700 in the Iraqi desert, 3 00:00:07,767 --> 00:00:09,800 once the capital of a great empire, 4 00:00:09,867 --> 00:00:12,066 Assyria. 5 00:00:12,066 --> 00:00:14,000 After years of conflict here, 6 00:00:14,066 --> 00:00:17,500 our cameras have unique access to follow archaeologists as 7 00:00:17,567 --> 00:00:19,100 they return to unearth 8 00:00:19,166 --> 00:00:22,467 the buried secrets of this war-torn land... 9 00:00:22,467 --> 00:00:25,667 Yeah, this is what we're looking for, right? 10 00:00:25,667 --> 00:00:28,066 ...and rescue priceless ancient artifacts 11 00:00:28,066 --> 00:00:29,600 targeted by terrorists. 12 00:00:36,767 --> 00:00:38,467 NARRATOR: The city hides tombs 13 00:00:38,567 --> 00:00:40,500 full of unimaginable discoveries... 14 00:00:40,567 --> 00:00:42,867 It was one of the largest treasures that were found with 15 00:00:42,867 --> 00:00:45,567 any royal tomb, that includes with tombs that were found 16 00:00:45,567 --> 00:00:46,667 in Egypt. 17 00:00:46,767 --> 00:00:49,266 ...that could help decode the secrets of the king 18 00:00:49,266 --> 00:00:50,867 who builds this city 19 00:00:50,967 --> 00:00:53,667 and solve the mystery of why it is destroyed. 20 00:00:53,667 --> 00:00:55,667 SEBASTIEN: The power of Assyria would be 21 00:00:55,667 --> 00:00:59,567 completely nullified, would be obliterated from history. 22 00:00:59,667 --> 00:01:00,000 NARRATOR: How does this one city rule the greatest empire 23 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:01,000 NARRATOR: How does this one city rule the greatest empire 24 00:01:03,667 --> 00:01:07,467 of its time, and what gruesome fate befalls its people? 25 00:01:09,467 --> 00:01:13,367 To solve these mysteries, we digitally reconstruct 26 00:01:13,367 --> 00:01:15,266 this city to reveal its secrets, 27 00:01:15,266 --> 00:01:19,900 unearth mysterious rooms, and decipher ancient texts. 28 00:01:22,100 --> 00:01:25,467 We rebuild extraordinary palaces 29 00:01:25,467 --> 00:01:27,400 and discover the long-forgotten 30 00:01:27,467 --> 00:01:29,266 royal tombs buried below 31 00:01:30,367 --> 00:01:31,000 to reveal the hidden secrets of the Assyrian kings. 32 00:01:42,667 --> 00:01:44,667 Mesopotamia, 33 00:01:44,767 --> 00:01:47,100 the cradle of civilization, 34 00:01:47,166 --> 00:01:50,066 home of the world's first cities 35 00:01:50,066 --> 00:01:52,567 and the world's first true empire. 36 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:56,867 Twenty miles south of modern-day Mosul in Iraq, 37 00:01:56,967 --> 00:02:00,000 a 3,000-year-old city emerges from the sand. 38 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:00,600 a 3,000-year-old city emerges from the sand. 39 00:02:00,667 --> 00:02:01,000 This was once the great capital of one 40 00:02:02,667 --> 00:02:05,767 of the most influential empires in the ancient world. 41 00:02:05,867 --> 00:02:07,100 NARRATOR: When the ancient Greeks 42 00:02:07,166 --> 00:02:09,367 first discover these ruins, 43 00:02:09,367 --> 00:02:11,166 its people are long forgotten. 44 00:02:12,467 --> 00:02:15,900 Their story is lost in texts that they cannot decipher. 45 00:02:18,400 --> 00:02:21,200 Clues remain of the city's former glory, 46 00:02:21,266 --> 00:02:24,467 fragments of elaborately carved stone reliefs 47 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:29,567 and grand entrances to the remains of huge buildings. 48 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:33,467 This is the city of Nimrud. 49 00:02:35,266 --> 00:02:37,166 In its heyday, it is a city 50 00:02:37,166 --> 00:02:39,400 like nothing the world has ever seen. 51 00:02:43,367 --> 00:02:45,367 In 800 BCE, 52 00:02:45,467 --> 00:02:48,500 five miles of walls run around Nimrud, 53 00:02:48,567 --> 00:02:50,467 towering 42 feet high. 54 00:02:53,700 --> 00:02:56,266 Palaces and gardens fill the citadel, 55 00:02:57,367 --> 00:02:59,700 and a magnificent ziggurat temple connects 56 00:02:59,767 --> 00:03:00,000 the citizens with the gods above. 57 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:01,000 the citizens with the gods above. 58 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,066 In the northwest is the largest and most 59 00:03:06,066 --> 00:03:08,867 luxurious palace ever constructed to date. 60 00:03:10,667 --> 00:03:13,367 Outside the walls of the palace citadel lies 61 00:03:13,367 --> 00:03:18,000 the residential quarter, with enough homes for 75,000 people. 62 00:03:20,467 --> 00:03:22,967 Who builds this incredible capital city? 63 00:03:28,467 --> 00:03:30,000 Modern conflict has left scars at this mysterious site. 64 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:31,000 Modern conflict has left scars at this mysterious site. 65 00:03:32,266 --> 00:03:35,066 The standing remains of the city are tragically 66 00:03:35,066 --> 00:03:36,667 destroyed when the site is 67 00:03:36,767 --> 00:03:38,867 taken over by Islamic extremists, 68 00:03:38,867 --> 00:03:41,200 Daesh, in 2015. 69 00:03:43,300 --> 00:03:47,567 They claim they are removing false idols that offend Islam, 70 00:03:47,667 --> 00:03:50,567 but the destruction is a smokescreen to hide 71 00:03:50,567 --> 00:03:53,767 their lucrative trade in looted ancient artifacts. 72 00:03:57,967 --> 00:04:00,000 {\an8}Iraqi American Mark Altaweel returns to the site for 73 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:01,000 {\an8}Iraqi American Mark Altaweel returns to the site for 74 00:04:01,367 --> 00:04:03,400 {\an8}the first time since the destruction. 75 00:04:03,467 --> 00:04:07,266 Many parts of the city are still dangerous to explore. 76 00:04:08,800 --> 00:04:10,467 He is part of a global effort 77 00:04:10,467 --> 00:04:13,200 to recover what's left of the city. 78 00:04:13,266 --> 00:04:16,800 MARK: The plan for Nimrud is some form of rehabilitation, 79 00:04:16,867 --> 00:04:21,300 reconstruction -- specifically, there are large remains of 80 00:04:21,367 --> 00:04:24,300 the reliefs, which can be brought together, consolidated, 81 00:04:24,367 --> 00:04:27,400 perhaps even fixed to some extent -- that's probably 82 00:04:27,467 --> 00:04:29,100 the first major step. 83 00:04:30,266 --> 00:04:31,000 The once magnificent gateways in Nimrud are no more. 84 00:04:34,900 --> 00:04:38,500 And inside, Mark finds only fragments of huge carved 85 00:04:38,567 --> 00:04:41,200 reliefs that once stand in the palace throne room. 86 00:04:45,667 --> 00:04:47,567 Some of the restoration work is being 87 00:04:47,667 --> 00:04:50,066 done here in the museum at Mosul. 88 00:04:51,166 --> 00:04:53,367 Daesh also target the museum 89 00:04:53,367 --> 00:04:55,567 and loot many of its ancient treasures, 90 00:04:55,567 --> 00:04:57,700 destroying the rest. 91 00:04:57,767 --> 00:05:00,000 These artifacts reveal who builds this once great city. 92 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,000 These artifacts reveal who builds this once great city. 93 00:05:03,567 --> 00:05:07,266 Stefan Maul is an ancient language expert. 94 00:05:07,367 --> 00:05:11,400 He's attempting to reconstruct a stone block, or stele, from 95 00:05:11,467 --> 00:05:14,867 the palace throne room, smashed by Daesh into thousands 96 00:05:14,967 --> 00:05:16,367 of pieces. 97 00:05:16,467 --> 00:05:18,767 It is inscribed with cuneiform, 98 00:05:18,867 --> 00:05:21,900 the writing system used in the ancient city. 99 00:05:22,000 --> 00:05:24,967 For the moment, we still are working on the surface 100 00:05:24,967 --> 00:05:26,767 with the inscription but there are 101 00:05:26,867 --> 00:05:29,800 {\an8}other parts, which are un-inscribed 102 00:05:29,867 --> 00:05:30,000 {\an8}and smashed, as well, and we have to find 103 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,000 {\an8}and smashed, as well, and we have to find 104 00:05:33,467 --> 00:05:35,266 {\an8}these pieces and to put them together. 105 00:05:36,667 --> 00:05:39,800 NARRATOR: Stefan faces an almost impossible task. 106 00:05:39,867 --> 00:05:41,867 To rebuild the block, 107 00:05:41,967 --> 00:05:44,467 he needs to know what the inscription says. 108 00:05:44,467 --> 00:05:47,567 Complete cuneiform is tough to translate, 109 00:05:47,667 --> 00:05:51,967 but when it smashed into pieces, it's tougher still. 110 00:05:51,967 --> 00:05:54,700 STEFAN: The biggest problem is that we don't have 111 00:05:54,767 --> 00:05:59,600 a photography of the stele which still was intact. 112 00:05:59,667 --> 00:06:00,000 So it's difficult. 113 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,000 So it's difficult. 114 00:06:02,867 --> 00:06:05,467 NARRATOR: Stefan and the Iraqi team at the museum are 115 00:06:05,567 --> 00:06:08,400 trying to piece together the world's most difficult 116 00:06:08,467 --> 00:06:09,867 jigsaw puzzle. 117 00:06:09,867 --> 00:06:12,467 [sing-songy] Da da da! 118 00:06:12,467 --> 00:06:15,467 Wonderful. Yes, exactly. 119 00:06:15,567 --> 00:06:16,900 Good. 120 00:06:22,367 --> 00:06:25,600 NARRATOR: The words on the stele are 3,000 years old, 121 00:06:26,600 --> 00:06:28,400 and Stefan is just one of a few 122 00:06:28,467 --> 00:06:30,000 experts in the world who can read them. 123 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,000 experts in the world who can read them. 124 00:06:31,567 --> 00:06:34,967 They contain clues that identify the builder of Nimrud. 125 00:06:34,967 --> 00:06:40,166 What is written here is, in the Babylonian language... 126 00:06:40,266 --> 00:06:43,500 [speaking Babylonian] 127 00:06:43,567 --> 00:06:46,667 ...which means "in the city of Kalhu." 128 00:06:46,767 --> 00:06:48,867 This is the ancient name of Nimrud. 129 00:06:50,500 --> 00:06:52,667 "The center of the mighty dominion." 130 00:06:53,700 --> 00:06:56,266 And continues, "The temple of Enlil 131 00:06:56,266 --> 00:06:58,200 and the temple of Ninurta. 132 00:06:58,266 --> 00:07:00,000 I founded them in the midst of the city." 133 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,000 I founded them in the midst of the city." 134 00:07:02,700 --> 00:07:05,000 NARRATOR: These are the words of a king, 135 00:07:05,066 --> 00:07:07,266 the creator of the capital city of Nimrud 136 00:07:08,967 --> 00:07:12,667 and also the ruler of a vast empire known as Assyria. 137 00:07:13,767 --> 00:07:18,000 This is a stele, which one of the most famous Assyrian kings 138 00:07:18,066 --> 00:07:19,767 Ashurnasirpal II. 139 00:07:19,767 --> 00:07:23,000 So this stele basically celebrates 140 00:07:23,100 --> 00:07:27,266 and describes the building activities of this king. 141 00:07:30,667 --> 00:07:31,000 NARRATOR: King Ashurnasirpal II carefully plans 142 00:07:33,767 --> 00:07:36,667 the city of Nimrud in 880 BCE. 143 00:07:41,367 --> 00:07:45,967 He boasts about ships loaded with wood, ivory, and stone 144 00:07:45,967 --> 00:07:48,100 that travel up the River Tigris 145 00:07:48,166 --> 00:07:49,467 to the city's bustling docks. 146 00:07:53,000 --> 00:07:56,266 Animals from around the world also arrive on the ships. 147 00:07:56,266 --> 00:07:59,467 Lions, monkeys, and gazelles are herded 148 00:07:59,567 --> 00:08:00,000 into the botanical gardens and hunting grounds. 149 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:01,000 into the botanical gardens and hunting grounds. 150 00:08:03,867 --> 00:08:05,967 Ashurnasirpal celebrates the completion 151 00:08:05,967 --> 00:08:07,867 of this new city with a lavish feast 152 00:08:07,967 --> 00:08:10,767 for 70,000 people from across the empire. 153 00:08:13,266 --> 00:08:15,867 The Mosul Museum also partners with 154 00:08:15,967 --> 00:08:19,200 {\an8}the Louvre Museum in Paris on this important project. 155 00:08:20,266 --> 00:08:23,867 {\an8}Daniel Ibled is one of their master stone restorers 156 00:08:23,967 --> 00:08:25,967 and has the skills to restore 157 00:08:25,967 --> 00:08:28,266 Ashurnasirpal's finest sculptures. 158 00:08:49,467 --> 00:08:52,000 This sculpture is once a 9-foot-tall lion 159 00:08:52,100 --> 00:08:56,266 that stands in the sacred temple of the goddess Ishtar. 160 00:08:56,266 --> 00:08:59,000 Iconic symbols of the Assyrian Empire, 161 00:08:59,100 --> 00:09:00,000 statues like these are colossal gateway guardians. 162 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:01,000 statues like these are colossal gateway guardians. 163 00:09:02,266 --> 00:09:05,100 Many have the body of an animal with a human head, 164 00:09:05,166 --> 00:09:07,667 a creature known as a lamassu. 165 00:09:10,200 --> 00:09:14,467 Lamassu statues tower over every major gateway in Nimrud. 166 00:09:16,100 --> 00:09:19,300 They are there to protect the city's inhabitants from harm 167 00:09:19,367 --> 00:09:21,567 but are also designed to intimidate 168 00:09:21,567 --> 00:09:24,266 and impress -- the twin lamassu that 169 00:09:24,367 --> 00:09:25,400 guard the throne room 170 00:09:25,467 --> 00:09:28,100 to Ashurnasirpal's palace are each made of 171 00:09:28,166 --> 00:09:30,000 eight tons of alabaster and are vibrantly painted. 172 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:31,000 eight tons of alabaster and are vibrantly painted. 173 00:09:34,100 --> 00:09:36,400 In the throne room itself, 174 00:09:36,467 --> 00:09:38,900 the walls are covered with elaborate reliefs 175 00:09:39,000 --> 00:09:40,500 that depict kings, 176 00:09:40,567 --> 00:09:43,000 gods, and warfare. 177 00:09:43,066 --> 00:09:46,567 What can these reliefs reveal about Ashurnasirpal 178 00:09:46,667 --> 00:09:48,166 and his new capital at Nimrud? 179 00:09:52,200 --> 00:09:54,767 Ashurnasirpal gathers the best craftsmen, 180 00:09:54,767 --> 00:09:57,700 engineers, and architects to realize his vision. 181 00:09:59,467 --> 00:10:00,000 He is the first Assyrian king to cover 182 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:01,000 He is the first Assyrian king to cover 183 00:10:01,767 --> 00:10:05,367 the interior of his palace in reliefs of his own exploits, 184 00:10:07,000 --> 00:10:10,667 an artistic style that is copied by every king that follows. 185 00:10:11,700 --> 00:10:14,367 {\an8}Sebastien Rey is the Near Eastern curator 186 00:10:14,467 --> 00:10:15,800 {\an8}at the British Museum. 187 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,700 Many of the reliefs are removed from the palace 188 00:10:19,767 --> 00:10:21,567 at Nimrud in the 19th century 189 00:10:21,667 --> 00:10:25,367 during excavation work and are now in his care. 190 00:10:25,367 --> 00:10:28,200 SEBASTIEN: Looking at the reliefs, the sense we have 191 00:10:28,266 --> 00:10:30,000 is that we are indeed in a man's world. 192 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:31,000 is that we are indeed in a man's world. 193 00:10:32,066 --> 00:10:37,100 The themes, the iconographic themes that we see, are 194 00:10:37,166 --> 00:10:41,266 military scenes, battle scenes, hunting scenes. 195 00:10:41,266 --> 00:10:45,900 It's always about the triumph of the Assyrian king. 196 00:10:47,100 --> 00:10:49,867 Ashurnasirpal etches the same cuneiform inscription across 197 00:10:49,967 --> 00:10:51,667 every panel to send the message 198 00:10:51,767 --> 00:10:53,767 that he is an all-powerful leader. 199 00:10:53,767 --> 00:10:57,867 It's the same text over and over again, 200 00:10:57,967 --> 00:11:00,000 which always starts with the title of Ashurnasirpal. 201 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:01,000 which always starts with the title of Ashurnasirpal. 202 00:11:02,266 --> 00:11:06,800 Then the inscription goes on to describe the military 203 00:11:06,867 --> 00:11:08,266 victories of the king 204 00:11:08,367 --> 00:11:12,667 and ends with the building program of the king, including, 205 00:11:12,767 --> 00:11:14,800 of course, the city of Nimrud 206 00:11:14,867 --> 00:11:17,000 and the Northwest Palace. 207 00:11:19,166 --> 00:11:21,867 NARRATOR: By the time Ashurnasirpal takes the throne 208 00:11:21,967 --> 00:11:24,100 in 883 BCE, 209 00:11:24,166 --> 00:11:27,367 the Assyrian Empire is already 100 years old, 210 00:11:29,266 --> 00:11:30,000 but at his new capital in Nimrud, 211 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:31,000 but at his new capital in Nimrud, 212 00:11:31,467 --> 00:11:34,467 he ushers in a fresh age of artistic expression 213 00:11:34,467 --> 00:11:35,700 and military aggression 214 00:11:37,266 --> 00:11:39,200 with his own image at the center. 215 00:11:42,867 --> 00:11:45,667 Does an astonishing discovery under the floor of 216 00:11:45,767 --> 00:11:47,000 the Northwest Palace 217 00:11:47,100 --> 00:11:49,967 show this all-powerful king doesn't rule 218 00:11:49,967 --> 00:11:51,467 the empire alone? 219 00:11:52,900 --> 00:11:56,667 And how does he govern such a vast area from a single city? 220 00:12:05,100 --> 00:12:06,367 NARRATOR: Nimrud, 221 00:12:06,367 --> 00:12:09,400 the ancient capital of the mighty Assyrian Empire. 222 00:12:10,567 --> 00:12:13,867 At its heart, the ruins of Ashurnasirpal II's 223 00:12:13,867 --> 00:12:15,100 long-lost palace, 224 00:12:15,166 --> 00:12:18,667 once the largest palace in the world. 225 00:12:18,767 --> 00:12:20,800 This palace, it was one of the first 226 00:12:20,867 --> 00:12:24,567 great new palaces built by the new Assyrian empire. 227 00:12:24,667 --> 00:12:26,700 NARRATOR: The palace conceals secrets about 228 00:12:26,767 --> 00:12:29,066 the rulers of this vast territory. 229 00:12:33,066 --> 00:12:35,100 Beneath the palace floor, 230 00:12:35,166 --> 00:12:38,266 archaeologists find a vaulted room. 231 00:12:38,367 --> 00:12:41,166 It's filled with bronze cups, lamps, 232 00:12:41,166 --> 00:12:44,667 and ceramic jars and a tablet on display. 233 00:12:44,667 --> 00:12:47,900 A second doorway leads to a dark chamber, where 234 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,500 the marble floor is littered with more bronze 235 00:12:50,567 --> 00:12:52,700 and marble objects. 236 00:12:52,767 --> 00:12:56,767 At the back of the room lies a heavy white sarcophagus. 237 00:12:56,867 --> 00:12:58,266 Inside, 238 00:12:58,266 --> 00:13:00,880 they find hundreds of precious gold objects, 239 00:13:00,880 --> 00:13:01,000 they find hundreds of precious gold objects, 240 00:13:01,166 --> 00:13:03,800 including elaborate jewelry and crowns. 241 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:07,300 Beneath the cloth are two women, 242 00:13:07,367 --> 00:13:09,967 one placed on top of the other. 243 00:13:09,967 --> 00:13:11,867 Who are these people, and what 244 00:13:11,967 --> 00:13:16,300 do they reveal about the Assyrian Empire? 245 00:13:16,367 --> 00:13:19,967 An Iraqi team of archaeologists discovers this 246 00:13:19,967 --> 00:13:22,700 tomb and three more under the palace floor 247 00:13:22,767 --> 00:13:24,200 in the late 1980s. 248 00:13:25,767 --> 00:13:27,667 Islamic extremists, Daesh, 249 00:13:27,667 --> 00:13:30,567 destroy the palace structure in 2015. 250 00:13:32,667 --> 00:13:34,867 But the treasures recovered from the tombs are 251 00:13:34,967 --> 00:13:39,400 already safe, locked away in the Iraq Central Bank. 252 00:13:39,467 --> 00:13:42,467 MARK: It was one of the largest discoveries of treasures 253 00:13:42,567 --> 00:13:43,867 that were found with any royal tomb, 254 00:13:43,867 --> 00:13:46,467 and that includes with tombs that were found in Egypt. 255 00:13:47,800 --> 00:13:50,467 NARRATOR: Mark Altaweel believes the tomb's inhabitants 256 00:13:50,567 --> 00:13:53,767 leave behind clues that identify them by name. 257 00:13:54,767 --> 00:13:56,600 Fortunately, there were inscriptions that were found. 258 00:13:56,667 --> 00:13:59,000 You can see so many bricks are still inscribed. 259 00:13:59,066 --> 00:14:00,880 There's even a curse tablet that 260 00:14:00,880 --> 00:14:01,000 There's even a curse tablet that 261 00:14:01,066 --> 00:14:03,567 says you should not disturb this tomb. 262 00:14:03,667 --> 00:14:04,800 But there's a kind of famous, 263 00:14:04,867 --> 00:14:07,000 almost like mummy's curse, if you will. 264 00:14:08,300 --> 00:14:09,800 NARRATOR: The curse tablet found in 265 00:14:09,867 --> 00:14:13,300 the tomb contains the Assyrian word "segallu." 266 00:14:13,367 --> 00:14:16,600 Its literal translation is "woman of the palace." 267 00:14:18,200 --> 00:14:20,467 The closest modern-day interpretation 268 00:14:20,567 --> 00:14:22,166 of this word is "queen." 269 00:14:23,166 --> 00:14:26,367 At least one of the women buried in the tomb is a queen, 270 00:14:27,367 --> 00:14:29,000 part of the royal court. 271 00:14:29,100 --> 00:14:30,880 One of the tablets in the tomb reveals her name. 272 00:14:30,880 --> 00:14:31,000 One of the tablets in the tomb reveals her name. 273 00:14:33,166 --> 00:14:34,166 MARK: In this curse tablet, 274 00:14:34,166 --> 00:14:35,500 the name of the queen was given. 275 00:14:35,567 --> 00:14:38,266 So we shouldn't be disturbing Yaba's tomb, basically -- 276 00:14:38,367 --> 00:14:40,100 Yaba being the queen. 277 00:14:41,266 --> 00:14:43,667 NARRATOR: This is the first time Queen Yaba's name 278 00:14:43,767 --> 00:14:46,066 appears in the historical record, 279 00:14:46,066 --> 00:14:49,400 and the tomb's other occupant is also named in inscriptions, 280 00:14:49,467 --> 00:14:52,000 Atalya, another queen 281 00:14:52,066 --> 00:14:54,100 not known before this discovery. 282 00:14:55,166 --> 00:14:57,700 The cuneiform texts on other objects in the tomb 283 00:14:57,767 --> 00:15:00,880 also link Queen Yaba to a powerful known king. 284 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:01,000 also link Queen Yaba to a powerful known king. 285 00:15:04,166 --> 00:15:06,800 Yaba's husband is the king that rules nearly 286 00:15:06,867 --> 00:15:09,266 100 years after Ashurnasirpal, 287 00:15:09,367 --> 00:15:11,867 King Tiglath-Pileser III. 288 00:15:15,767 --> 00:15:20,000 Tiglath-Pileser becomes king of Assyria around 744 BCE. 289 00:15:20,100 --> 00:15:23,667 To help the declining empire, he reforms the large 290 00:15:23,667 --> 00:15:26,266 conscript army into an elite fighting force. 291 00:15:28,600 --> 00:15:30,880 He creates an engineering corps that builds and repairs 292 00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:31,000 He creates an engineering corps that builds and repairs 293 00:15:32,567 --> 00:15:34,467 infrastructure across the empire. 294 00:15:37,100 --> 00:15:39,166 He increases production of iron 295 00:15:41,166 --> 00:15:44,000 to manufacture masses of arrowheads, knives, 296 00:15:44,066 --> 00:15:45,300 chains, and swords. 297 00:15:47,467 --> 00:15:51,000 And he expands his empire outside of Mesopotamia, 298 00:15:51,066 --> 00:15:53,400 perhaps with a queen by his side. 299 00:15:56,166 --> 00:15:59,567 Amy Gansell is a Near Eastern art expert. 300 00:15:59,567 --> 00:16:00,880 She analyzes the tomb's contents for further 301 00:16:00,880 --> 00:16:01,000 She analyzes the tomb's contents for further 302 00:16:02,166 --> 00:16:04,967 clues about the appearance of these women. 303 00:16:04,967 --> 00:16:08,800 Her work might reveal how powerful the queens really are. 304 00:16:10,700 --> 00:16:13,600 Queens are rarely depicted in Assyrian art. 305 00:16:14,967 --> 00:16:17,800 Amy turns to one palace relief that could reveal 306 00:16:17,867 --> 00:16:20,767 how the queens wear the treasures found in the tomb. 307 00:16:22,066 --> 00:16:26,600 {\an8}I have this blown-up version of the queen so 308 00:16:26,667 --> 00:16:29,166 {\an8}that we can look at her in a bit more detail. 309 00:16:29,166 --> 00:16:30,880 We've been trying to crack the code of 310 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:31,000 We've been trying to crack the code of 311 00:16:31,166 --> 00:16:32,667 what this would have looked like 312 00:16:32,767 --> 00:16:36,800 in 3D, in 360 degrees. 313 00:16:39,000 --> 00:16:41,367 NARRATOR: Among the objects in the Nimrud tombs, 314 00:16:41,367 --> 00:16:44,767 archaeologists unearthed hundreds of tiny pieces of 315 00:16:44,767 --> 00:16:46,467 mysterious gold foil. 316 00:16:48,200 --> 00:16:49,767 AMY: Right away, 317 00:16:49,767 --> 00:16:53,266 you notice the garment has these circles all over it. 318 00:16:53,266 --> 00:16:57,166 Those are probably referring to gold medallions. 319 00:16:57,166 --> 00:17:00,500 So this would have been a very shimmery, shiny dress, 320 00:17:00,567 --> 00:17:00,880 reflecting light, so radiance was equality of royalty. 321 00:17:00,880 --> 00:17:01,000 reflecting light, so radiance was equality of royalty. 322 00:17:05,867 --> 00:17:08,667 NARRATOR: The queen is dressed in gold from head to toe. 323 00:17:09,600 --> 00:17:13,767 She wears other objects that could give clues to her power. 324 00:17:13,867 --> 00:17:16,967 AMY: Each of these queens had a different crown, 325 00:17:16,967 --> 00:17:20,166 and it has a row of winged 326 00:17:20,166 --> 00:17:22,700 fantastical figures, divine women. 327 00:17:22,767 --> 00:17:26,000 So this is a blessing and protecting the head, 328 00:17:26,066 --> 00:17:28,500 protecting the presence of the queen, and maybe also 329 00:17:28,567 --> 00:17:30,367 imparting divine power on her. 330 00:17:30,367 --> 00:17:30,880 NARRATOR: The lower layers on the crowns 331 00:17:30,880 --> 00:17:31,000 NARRATOR: The lower layers on the crowns 332 00:17:32,567 --> 00:17:35,100 are rosettes and pomegranates, 333 00:17:35,166 --> 00:17:37,166 symbols of fertility and life. 334 00:17:38,767 --> 00:17:41,900 They suggest the queen has the ultimate responsibility 335 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,667 to secure the king's dynasty by producing an heir. 336 00:17:45,667 --> 00:17:47,500 Amy believes that the queen's 337 00:17:47,567 --> 00:17:50,467 physical appearance has a political function. 338 00:17:50,467 --> 00:17:53,000 AMY: If you have these exotic precious stones, 339 00:17:53,066 --> 00:17:56,000 things like agate and carnelian that are coming from 340 00:17:56,066 --> 00:17:58,567 the reaches of the empire. 341 00:17:58,667 --> 00:18:00,367 What this is all about, though, is 342 00:18:00,367 --> 00:18:00,880 the wealth of the empire being embodied by the queen. 343 00:18:00,880 --> 00:18:01,000 the wealth of the empire being embodied by the queen. 344 00:18:05,266 --> 00:18:07,266 NARRATOR: The queen appears to her subjects as 345 00:18:07,266 --> 00:18:09,867 the embodiment of the power of the empire. 346 00:18:11,767 --> 00:18:13,367 AMY: Much of Assyrian history 347 00:18:13,467 --> 00:18:15,967 has been focused on Assyrian kings. 348 00:18:15,967 --> 00:18:17,867 Now we can see queens as powerful 349 00:18:17,867 --> 00:18:22,100 and having a significant role in royal power. 350 00:18:22,166 --> 00:18:24,100 The queen is the core of that empire. 351 00:18:24,166 --> 00:18:26,767 She's also the womb of the empire. 352 00:18:26,867 --> 00:18:29,066 She's the reproductive center of it. 353 00:18:29,066 --> 00:18:30,880 NARRATOR: From the physical appearance 354 00:18:30,880 --> 00:18:30,967 NARRATOR: From the physical appearance 355 00:18:30,967 --> 00:18:31,000 of its rulers to the imposing architecture, 356 00:18:33,266 --> 00:18:37,066 the royal court at Nimrud is designed to inspire 357 00:18:37,066 --> 00:18:39,066 awe and fear. 358 00:18:39,066 --> 00:18:41,867 Is this the key to the empire's success? 359 00:18:41,967 --> 00:18:45,600 Or does the Northwest Palace have more secrets to 360 00:18:45,667 --> 00:18:47,967 reveal about how the Assyrian rulers 361 00:18:47,967 --> 00:18:49,867 control this vast empire? 362 00:18:58,300 --> 00:19:02,567 NARRATOR: Nimrud, an ancient city in the Iraqi desert 363 00:19:02,667 --> 00:19:05,867 built by the Assyrian king, Ashurnasirpal II. 364 00:19:07,166 --> 00:19:09,800 His impressive palace in the northwest corner of 365 00:19:09,867 --> 00:19:13,166 the city has been reduced to rubble by Daesh terrorists. 366 00:19:14,567 --> 00:19:17,767 But excavation work before the destruction uncovers some 367 00:19:17,767 --> 00:19:21,100 extraordinary clues to how the king rules his empire. 368 00:19:25,467 --> 00:19:28,000 Among the ruins of the Northwest Palace, 369 00:19:28,066 --> 00:19:30,367 archaeologists discover what looks like 370 00:19:30,467 --> 00:19:32,166 an ancient waste dump. 371 00:19:34,567 --> 00:19:37,967 Over 300 clay tablets lie in one room, 372 00:19:37,967 --> 00:19:40,000 some broken and some intact. 373 00:19:41,367 --> 00:19:43,567 Each is covered in cuneiform writing. 374 00:19:45,867 --> 00:19:49,166 Beneath the tablets, lining the walls of the room, is 375 00:19:49,166 --> 00:19:53,800 a long brick bench, and against it, two rows of brick boxes. 376 00:19:53,800 --> 00:19:54,000 a long brick bench, and against it, two rows of brick boxes. 377 00:19:54,166 --> 00:19:57,367 It's an ancient filing system for important documents. 378 00:19:57,467 --> 00:20:00,467 Some of these tablets are stored here for decades. 379 00:20:00,567 --> 00:20:03,000 What does this room reveal about how 380 00:20:03,100 --> 00:20:06,000 the empire is controlled from a single city? 381 00:20:09,900 --> 00:20:12,400 Mark Altaweel investigates the impact 382 00:20:12,467 --> 00:20:15,066 the city of Nimrud has on the world around it. 383 00:20:16,100 --> 00:20:18,200 He uses satellite technology to 384 00:20:18,266 --> 00:20:21,266 study the Assyrian Empire from above. 385 00:20:22,400 --> 00:20:23,800 MARK: Some of the work I've been doing includes looking 386 00:20:23,800 --> 00:20:24,000 MARK: Some of the work I've been doing includes looking 387 00:20:25,266 --> 00:20:29,066 at spy satellite imagery, specifically in the late 1960s. 388 00:20:29,066 --> 00:20:31,500 Um, and this is a period before major agricultural 389 00:20:31,567 --> 00:20:34,300 development occurred, as well as urbanization 390 00:20:34,367 --> 00:20:35,500 at a large scale. 391 00:20:35,567 --> 00:20:37,100 So allows us to look at sort of 392 00:20:37,166 --> 00:20:39,467 archaeological features that are preserved on 393 00:20:39,467 --> 00:20:40,600 this landscape. 394 00:20:43,367 --> 00:20:46,100 NARRATOR: Mark can identify Assyrian towns and cities 395 00:20:46,166 --> 00:20:50,166 by matching the satellite imagery with known archaeology. 396 00:20:50,266 --> 00:20:53,600 So here, we can see the ancient city of Nimrud, for instance. 397 00:20:53,667 --> 00:20:53,800 You can see the massive walls around the city, the citadel. 398 00:20:53,800 --> 00:20:54,000 You can see the massive walls around the city, the citadel. 399 00:20:57,467 --> 00:20:59,567 NARRATOR: He discovers that as the empire reaches 400 00:20:59,567 --> 00:21:02,467 its peak in the first millennium BCE, 401 00:21:02,467 --> 00:21:05,600 it leaves a distinct imprint on the landscape. 402 00:21:05,667 --> 00:21:07,600 MARK: In the ninth century, 403 00:21:07,667 --> 00:21:09,667 but really continuing into the 8th and 7th centuries, 404 00:21:09,767 --> 00:21:13,266 the Assyrians really start a major program of settlements. 405 00:21:13,367 --> 00:21:15,800 NARRATOR: Assyria's major cities grow 406 00:21:15,867 --> 00:21:18,567 to an unprecedented size, and remote, 407 00:21:18,667 --> 00:21:21,300 rural settlements are abandoned. 408 00:21:21,367 --> 00:21:23,667 Mark can even see how the cities begin to 409 00:21:23,667 --> 00:21:23,800 link together. 410 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:24,000 link together. 411 00:21:25,266 --> 00:21:29,300 Here, you can see some remnants of ancient roads going, 412 00:21:29,367 --> 00:21:32,367 uh, from -- coming from the west and going to the east. 413 00:21:32,367 --> 00:21:34,867 Some of these roads, we've been able to trace for really 414 00:21:34,967 --> 00:21:37,900 hundreds of kilometers -- across into Syria, for instance. 415 00:21:40,300 --> 00:21:41,667 NARRATOR: The roads reveal 416 00:21:41,767 --> 00:21:44,600 the purpose of the stored documents in Nimrud. 417 00:21:44,667 --> 00:21:47,100 MARK: They have a system similar to the Pony Express, 418 00:21:47,166 --> 00:21:49,467 in many ways, in the 19th century in the United States, 419 00:21:49,467 --> 00:21:51,800 or even the sort of highway system 420 00:21:51,867 --> 00:21:53,800 created by Eisenhower in the 1950s -- they were kind of 421 00:21:53,800 --> 00:21:54,000 created by Eisenhower in the 1950s -- they were kind of 422 00:21:54,367 --> 00:21:58,100 meant to be a military communication network. 423 00:21:58,166 --> 00:22:00,166 NARRATOR: The documents that the archaeologists 424 00:22:00,266 --> 00:22:01,867 find in the Northwest Palace 425 00:22:01,867 --> 00:22:03,700 are the personal correspondence 426 00:22:03,767 --> 00:22:05,166 of the royal household. 427 00:22:05,266 --> 00:22:08,467 The roads are the missing piece of the puzzle. 428 00:22:08,467 --> 00:22:11,367 They are how the messages travel across the empire. 429 00:22:11,467 --> 00:22:14,667 The roads also reveal that the location of 430 00:22:14,767 --> 00:22:17,467 Ashurnasirpal's new capital is no accident. 431 00:22:17,467 --> 00:22:22,166 It is ideally placed to gather up the spoils of war. 432 00:22:22,166 --> 00:22:23,800 Looting and the removal of objects of conquered cities was 433 00:22:23,800 --> 00:22:24,000 Looting and the removal of objects of conquered cities was 434 00:22:25,100 --> 00:22:28,166 a typical part of warfare in these periods. 435 00:22:28,166 --> 00:22:30,467 That was one way to pay your soldiers. 436 00:22:30,567 --> 00:22:33,567 Another way to enrich the empire. 437 00:22:33,667 --> 00:22:36,667 NARRATOR: The Assyrians gather all the valuables of anywhere 438 00:22:36,667 --> 00:22:38,800 they conquer -- ivories, 439 00:22:38,867 --> 00:22:41,266 precious stones, and fine pottery -- 440 00:22:41,266 --> 00:22:43,000 and take them back to Nimrud. 441 00:22:44,667 --> 00:22:47,767 People are also a valuable commodity 442 00:22:47,767 --> 00:22:49,467 and are forced from their homeland 443 00:22:49,467 --> 00:22:51,500 to relocate across the empire. 444 00:22:52,567 --> 00:22:53,800 And whole populations are transformed as a result. 445 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:54,000 And whole populations are transformed as a result. 446 00:22:56,367 --> 00:22:57,800 MARK: They can potentially rebel against you 447 00:22:57,867 --> 00:22:59,000 if you conquer them, 448 00:22:59,066 --> 00:23:00,266 so moving them around prevents them, 449 00:23:00,266 --> 00:23:01,767 at least, from rebelling against you. 450 00:23:03,667 --> 00:23:06,500 NARRATOR: Ashurnasirpal sets the precedent for Assyria's 451 00:23:06,567 --> 00:23:09,066 main weapon of war -- terror. 452 00:23:09,066 --> 00:23:11,467 Inscriptions written by the king himself 453 00:23:11,467 --> 00:23:13,667 proudly celebrate his cruelty. 454 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:18,467 He subjects his prisoners to horrible mutilation. 455 00:23:19,467 --> 00:23:22,567 Hands, ears, and feet are cut off. 456 00:23:24,700 --> 00:23:28,166 Others are decapitated, their heads displayed as 457 00:23:28,166 --> 00:23:30,900 trophies on the walls of conquered cities. 458 00:23:31,000 --> 00:23:33,000 Ashurnasirpal boasts of how he 459 00:23:33,066 --> 00:23:36,367 forces other cities to pay tribute to him, 460 00:23:36,367 --> 00:23:39,667 a tax that enriches him and Nimrud. 461 00:23:39,667 --> 00:23:43,266 The king transforms the ancient world when he builds the city. 462 00:23:45,567 --> 00:23:47,600 MARK: What the Assyrians were effectively doing was changing 463 00:23:47,667 --> 00:23:51,467 the social fabric of the Near East -- by moving people around, 464 00:23:51,567 --> 00:23:53,300 they transformed identities in the region. 465 00:23:53,367 --> 00:23:53,800 They transformed loyalties. 466 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:54,000 They transformed loyalties. 467 00:23:54,767 --> 00:23:57,767 They even transformed language, and that had long-term 468 00:23:57,867 --> 00:24:00,600 repercussions that really influences even current 469 00:24:00,667 --> 00:24:01,967 circumstances in the Middle East. 470 00:24:03,667 --> 00:24:06,166 NARRATOR: As the might of the Assyrian army grows, 471 00:24:06,166 --> 00:24:09,867 the empire's borders continue to expand. 472 00:24:09,867 --> 00:24:13,266 Can the king still keep control of the empire from the city? 473 00:24:14,367 --> 00:24:17,467 Or do new discoveries show that Nimrud's days 474 00:24:17,467 --> 00:24:20,367 as the greatest city on earth are numbered? 475 00:24:28,367 --> 00:24:30,200 NARRATOR: Nimrud in Northern Iraq. 476 00:24:31,767 --> 00:24:34,767 Transformed into the capital of the ancient empire of 477 00:24:34,867 --> 00:24:39,300 Assyria by King Ashurnasirpal in 883 BCE. 478 00:24:40,500 --> 00:24:43,800 But more mysterious ruins 35 miles to the north 479 00:24:43,867 --> 00:24:46,900 may reveal a sudden change in the fortunes of Nimrud. 480 00:24:48,166 --> 00:24:50,767 This is the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh. 481 00:24:54,700 --> 00:24:55,000 This bustling city is enclosed by seven miles of walls. 482 00:25:00,567 --> 00:25:04,967 A large moat wraps around it as an extra layer of protection. 483 00:25:08,066 --> 00:25:10,567 The water is channeled to lush gardens that 484 00:25:10,667 --> 00:25:13,500 surround the palaces and houses. 485 00:25:13,567 --> 00:25:15,767 Green oases dotted throughout Nineveh. 486 00:25:17,300 --> 00:25:21,467 A busy dock and waterfront sits along the River Tigris 487 00:25:21,567 --> 00:25:23,066 And at the center of it all, 488 00:25:23,066 --> 00:25:24,440 an 80-room mega structure described in inscriptions as 489 00:25:24,440 --> 00:25:25,000 an 80-room mega structure described in inscriptions as 490 00:25:27,467 --> 00:25:29,967 a palace without rival. 491 00:25:29,967 --> 00:25:32,967 What does this new city mean for Nimrud, 492 00:25:32,967 --> 00:25:34,667 the greatest city on earth? 493 00:25:38,700 --> 00:25:42,166 This palace lies beneath the foundations of a sacred 494 00:25:42,166 --> 00:25:44,767 Ottoman mosque for over a millennium and cannot 495 00:25:44,867 --> 00:25:45,867 be investigated. 496 00:25:46,867 --> 00:25:49,000 But Islamic extremists target both 497 00:25:49,100 --> 00:25:53,100 the ancient city and the mosque for destruction. 498 00:25:53,166 --> 00:25:54,440 The mosque is one of 20 the Daesh 499 00:25:54,440 --> 00:25:55,000 The mosque is one of 20 the Daesh 500 00:25:55,266 --> 00:25:58,000 blow up during their occupation of northern Iraq. 501 00:25:59,467 --> 00:26:01,767 And they raze Nineveh's monumental gateways 502 00:26:01,867 --> 00:26:02,967 to the ground. 503 00:26:05,266 --> 00:26:07,867 Today, our cameras have access to follow 504 00:26:07,967 --> 00:26:12,100 a team of archaeologists from the University of Heidelberg. 505 00:26:12,166 --> 00:26:14,266 They're running the first excavation project 506 00:26:14,367 --> 00:26:16,166 here since Daesh were driven out. 507 00:26:17,500 --> 00:26:19,767 {\an8}Site director Peter Miglus is mapping 508 00:26:19,867 --> 00:26:22,667 {\an8}the site and has made incredible new discoveries. 509 00:26:25,500 --> 00:26:27,266 [speaking indistinctly] 510 00:26:27,367 --> 00:26:29,000 NARRATOR: Beneath the mosque, 511 00:26:29,100 --> 00:26:31,367 the Daesh terrorists dig a network of tunnels 512 00:26:31,367 --> 00:26:33,967 to smuggle looted artifacts out of the site. 513 00:26:54,166 --> 00:26:54,440 NARRATOR: The lamassu is the iconic 514 00:26:54,440 --> 00:26:55,000 NARRATOR: The lamassu is the iconic 515 00:26:55,867 --> 00:26:58,100 protective deity of the Assyrian people. 516 00:26:59,166 --> 00:27:00,567 Statues of them are placed at 517 00:27:00,567 --> 00:27:03,400 the doorways of the city's most spectacular buildings. 518 00:27:04,700 --> 00:27:07,266 Peter maps the tunnels and realizes they run 519 00:27:07,367 --> 00:27:10,400 right through never-before-seen parts of the palace. 520 00:27:11,467 --> 00:27:15,100 His investigations reveal the true scale of the largest 521 00:27:15,166 --> 00:27:18,567 room ever found in any Assyrian building. 522 00:27:26,100 --> 00:27:29,900 NARRATOR: This room is nearly 200 feet long and 60 feet wide. 523 00:27:31,166 --> 00:27:34,266 Every wall is once decorated with stone reliefs, 524 00:27:34,266 --> 00:27:36,500 just like the Northwest Palace at Nimrud. 525 00:27:56,867 --> 00:27:59,567 NARRATOR: Some inscriptions have survived in this room, 526 00:27:59,667 --> 00:28:02,767 buried beneath the mosque's foundations. 527 00:28:02,867 --> 00:28:05,266 They reveal the names of kings. 528 00:28:05,266 --> 00:28:07,867 They suggest a date for the building of this 529 00:28:07,867 --> 00:28:10,967 palace and what it means for the capital at Nimrud. 530 00:28:30,900 --> 00:28:33,600 NARRATOR: King Sennacherib takes the throne of the empire 531 00:28:33,667 --> 00:28:38,300 in 705 BCE, 180 years after Ashurbanipal. 532 00:28:39,767 --> 00:28:43,467 He inscribes his name all over the buildings in Nineveh, 533 00:28:43,467 --> 00:28:45,367 and the team believes it reveals one 534 00:28:45,367 --> 00:28:48,166 of the reasons he creates this new city. 535 00:28:48,166 --> 00:28:51,166 STEFAN: We find here, for example, hundreds and hundreds 536 00:28:51,166 --> 00:28:54,166 of inscribed bricks giving the name of the king. 537 00:28:54,166 --> 00:28:54,440 And you see, 2,500 years after the destruction of the palace, 538 00:28:54,440 --> 00:28:55,000 And you see, 2,500 years after the destruction of the palace, 539 00:28:58,166 --> 00:29:00,066 we still find these documents. 540 00:29:00,066 --> 00:29:05,000 So -- so the idea of the king being kept in mind 541 00:29:05,066 --> 00:29:07,667 of the people for hundreds and hundreds of years, 542 00:29:07,767 --> 00:29:09,000 this worked perfectly. 543 00:29:09,100 --> 00:29:11,166 NARRATOR: Peter and his team are still 544 00:29:11,266 --> 00:29:13,867 mapping the full extent of the palace. 545 00:29:13,867 --> 00:29:16,800 But contemporary inscriptions suggest it is twice 546 00:29:16,867 --> 00:29:19,000 the size of the palace at Nimrud. 547 00:29:20,567 --> 00:29:24,367 Sennacherib moves the capital of the Assyrian Empire 548 00:29:24,467 --> 00:29:25,000 from Nimrud here to Nineveh, 549 00:29:27,266 --> 00:29:30,100 and to outshine the kings that rule before him, 550 00:29:30,166 --> 00:29:33,166 he builds his palace without rival 551 00:29:33,266 --> 00:29:37,266 to ensure Nimrud is no longer the greatest city on earth. 552 00:29:38,567 --> 00:29:41,667 Stefan believes the move from Nimrud to Nineveh 553 00:29:41,667 --> 00:29:43,200 might also be strategic. 554 00:29:44,266 --> 00:29:46,867 STEFAN: A capital which is more in the north, from such 555 00:29:46,867 --> 00:29:51,100 a capital could reach much easier Syria and Palestine. 556 00:29:51,166 --> 00:29:53,567 So for practical and strategical reasons, 557 00:29:53,667 --> 00:29:54,440 this would make sense. 558 00:29:54,440 --> 00:29:54,767 this would make sense. 559 00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:02,967 NARRATOR: Sennacherib rules the Assyrian Empire 560 00:30:02,967 --> 00:30:04,767 at the very height of its power. 561 00:30:04,867 --> 00:30:06,900 Its army is unmatched 562 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:09,767 and expands the empire's borders even further. 563 00:30:09,767 --> 00:30:12,967 When he dies in 681 BCE, 564 00:30:12,967 --> 00:30:15,900 the empire extends from modern-day Iraq to 565 00:30:16,000 --> 00:30:17,200 Syria, Turkey, 566 00:30:17,266 --> 00:30:19,767 Israel, and Lebanon. 567 00:30:19,767 --> 00:30:23,100 But 65 years later, evidence at both Nineveh 568 00:30:23,166 --> 00:30:24,440 and Nimrud suggests catastrophe strikes in 569 00:30:24,440 --> 00:30:25,000 and Nimrud suggests catastrophe strikes in 570 00:30:26,166 --> 00:30:28,100 both cities. 571 00:30:28,166 --> 00:30:30,266 Assyria is the most powerful empire 572 00:30:30,266 --> 00:30:33,600 in the known world for 200 years. 573 00:30:33,667 --> 00:30:35,500 So what triggers its downfall? 574 00:30:43,400 --> 00:30:45,467 NARRATOR: The ancient city of Nimrud, 575 00:30:46,700 --> 00:30:49,000 one of the most important cities in the world 576 00:30:49,100 --> 00:30:52,100 for 200 years, since Ashurnasirpal II 577 00:30:52,166 --> 00:30:55,600 declares that his capital in 883 BCE. 578 00:30:56,800 --> 00:30:59,667 When Alexander the Great's Greek army arrives here over 579 00:30:59,767 --> 00:31:02,467 500 years later, the city is deserted. 580 00:31:02,567 --> 00:31:05,867 Clues to the fate of Nimrud lie undiscovered 581 00:31:05,967 --> 00:31:07,667 for a further two millennia. 582 00:31:11,300 --> 00:31:14,467 Modern-day archaeologists unearth a series of wells 583 00:31:14,567 --> 00:31:15,700 at Nimrud. 584 00:31:15,767 --> 00:31:17,667 In a room in the Northwest Palace, 585 00:31:17,767 --> 00:31:20,600 they find one over 80 feet deep 586 00:31:20,667 --> 00:31:23,367 and make the dangerous descent to investigate. 587 00:31:24,967 --> 00:31:27,767 At the bottom, they make a gruesome discovery -- 588 00:31:27,867 --> 00:31:31,667 180 skeletons stacked on top of each other. 589 00:31:31,767 --> 00:31:35,066 Some have their wrists and ankles shackled, signs 590 00:31:35,066 --> 00:31:37,900 they may have been thrown into this well alive. 591 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:39,320 Forensic analysis reveals they are all males. 592 00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:40,000 Forensic analysis reveals they are all males. 593 00:31:42,567 --> 00:31:44,700 What happens to these men? 594 00:31:44,767 --> 00:31:46,767 And what do they reveal about the downfall 595 00:31:46,867 --> 00:31:49,367 of Nimrud and the last days of the empire? 596 00:31:53,166 --> 00:31:56,367 Mark Altaweel is on a mission to find out. 597 00:31:56,367 --> 00:31:59,600 But first, he has to uncover the skeletons once again. 598 00:31:59,667 --> 00:32:02,367 MARK: The remains were moved from this well 599 00:32:02,367 --> 00:32:05,567 into a storage house near this well. 600 00:32:05,567 --> 00:32:09,100 And as ISIS approached the area of Nimrud, 601 00:32:09,166 --> 00:32:09,320 the responsible excavators of 602 00:32:09,320 --> 00:32:10,000 the responsible excavators of 603 00:32:10,767 --> 00:32:13,700 the site put them in a pit, effectively, 604 00:32:13,767 --> 00:32:15,367 next to the storage house. 605 00:32:15,367 --> 00:32:16,367 So the remains were buried, 606 00:32:16,467 --> 00:32:18,600 effectively, to protect them from ISIS. 607 00:32:20,100 --> 00:32:21,400 NARRATOR: Mark is one of the few 608 00:32:21,467 --> 00:32:23,667 people trusted with their secret location. 609 00:32:24,967 --> 00:32:27,400 His team has just one day to find 610 00:32:27,467 --> 00:32:29,100 and recover the bones. 611 00:32:29,166 --> 00:32:32,166 So they were not labeled separately. 612 00:32:32,266 --> 00:32:33,567 Sounds like there is nothing 613 00:32:33,667 --> 00:32:35,767 really organized about it whatsoever. 614 00:32:35,867 --> 00:32:38,166 -Yeah. Skeleton in a box. -Basically. 615 00:32:40,600 --> 00:32:43,300 NARRATOR: The bones were buried in a hurry, so the team 616 00:32:43,367 --> 00:32:46,567 has no idea if they've survived in the ground. 617 00:32:46,667 --> 00:32:50,000 I am worried that these skulls have fallen apart. 618 00:32:53,867 --> 00:32:55,567 NARRATOR: After two hours of digging, 619 00:32:55,667 --> 00:32:58,467 the excavation team finds what they're searching for. 620 00:32:58,467 --> 00:33:01,100 -WOMAN: Oh, there's a jar. -It's a jar. 621 00:33:01,166 --> 00:33:03,567 Yeah, this is what we're looking for, right? 622 00:33:03,567 --> 00:33:06,300 Yeah? The teeth, right? 623 00:33:06,367 --> 00:33:09,066 So at least some teeth survived. That's a good thing. 624 00:33:09,066 --> 00:33:09,320 You can sample one of those teeth -- that's good. 625 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:10,000 You can sample one of those teeth -- that's good. 626 00:33:13,266 --> 00:33:15,200 NARRATOR: This is an extraordinary discovery. 627 00:33:18,166 --> 00:33:19,967 In total, the team finds at least 628 00:33:19,967 --> 00:33:22,767 90 intact skulls buried on the site. 629 00:33:24,867 --> 00:33:27,300 They can now examine them for vital clues 630 00:33:27,367 --> 00:33:29,667 about the last days of the city of Nimrud. 631 00:33:37,467 --> 00:33:39,320 The team transports the skeletons to a sterile lab. 632 00:33:39,320 --> 00:33:40,000 The team transports the skeletons to a sterile lab. 633 00:33:41,967 --> 00:33:45,667 Here, they prepare samples to test for diseases and DNA. 634 00:33:47,500 --> 00:33:49,567 The archaeologists who originally unearth 635 00:33:49,567 --> 00:33:51,266 the skeletons believe that these are 636 00:33:51,367 --> 00:33:54,867 the remains of soldiers from the Assyrian army, taken 637 00:33:54,867 --> 00:33:57,100 prisoner after Nimrud is ransacked. 638 00:33:58,467 --> 00:34:00,166 Mark inspects the bones 639 00:34:00,266 --> 00:34:02,900 and begins to doubt the archaeologists' theory. 640 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:05,867 MARK: Funny how a lot of them are just quite young. 641 00:34:05,867 --> 00:34:07,800 I didn't expect that. 642 00:34:07,867 --> 00:34:09,320 I guess they weren't Assyrian soldiers after all. 643 00:34:09,320 --> 00:34:09,767 I guess they weren't Assyrian soldiers after all. 644 00:34:09,867 --> 00:34:10,000 Or maybe they were child soldiers, or I suppose 645 00:34:13,066 --> 00:34:14,667 they could have been just normal people. 646 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:19,967 NARRATOR: Mark's team uncovers injuries that also suggest 647 00:34:19,967 --> 00:34:22,567 these men are unfit for the Assyrian army. 648 00:34:23,567 --> 00:34:25,600 MARK: We do have, actually, some evidence. 649 00:34:25,667 --> 00:34:27,767 There are some pathologies and injuries, 650 00:34:27,867 --> 00:34:29,100 in fact, on the bones. 651 00:34:30,667 --> 00:34:33,166 For instance, one of the bones seems to show evidence 652 00:34:33,166 --> 00:34:36,500 of spina bifida, a kind of debilitating disease to 653 00:34:36,567 --> 00:34:38,100 the spinal area. 654 00:34:42,467 --> 00:34:44,567 NARRATOR: The team's examination reveals what 655 00:34:44,667 --> 00:34:46,367 happens at the downfall of Nimrud. 656 00:34:46,467 --> 00:34:50,800 The city is ransacked by its enemies, and they are as 657 00:34:50,867 --> 00:34:54,500 brutal and as merciless as the Assyrians had been to them. 658 00:34:55,800 --> 00:34:58,400 No one is spared, not even the young 659 00:34:58,467 --> 00:34:59,900 or the disabled -- 660 00:35:00,066 --> 00:35:02,600 shackled and drowned in the palace wells, 661 00:35:02,667 --> 00:35:04,367 a harrowing death. 662 00:35:06,300 --> 00:35:09,200 One set of inscriptions known as the Babylonian 663 00:35:09,266 --> 00:35:09,320 Chronicles reveals the identity of Assyria's brutal enemy. 664 00:35:09,320 --> 00:35:10,000 Chronicles reveals the identity of Assyria's brutal enemy. 665 00:35:18,066 --> 00:35:20,166 In 631 BCE, 666 00:35:20,166 --> 00:35:23,100 the last great king of Assyria dies 667 00:35:23,166 --> 00:35:26,100 and political disputes leave the empire weakened, 668 00:35:26,166 --> 00:35:29,100 with rebellions across the kingdom. 669 00:35:29,166 --> 00:35:32,166 In 614 BCE, two neighboring people, 670 00:35:32,266 --> 00:35:35,367 the Medes and the Babylonians, attack 671 00:35:35,467 --> 00:35:38,567 and conquer the major Assyrian cities one by one. 672 00:35:40,500 --> 00:35:43,000 These allies combined their men into a single 673 00:35:43,066 --> 00:35:46,266 force large enough to confront the empire's massive army. 674 00:35:47,667 --> 00:35:50,300 They overwhelm and destroy Nineveh and Nimrud, 675 00:35:52,367 --> 00:35:54,300 and the mighty empire falls. 676 00:35:58,467 --> 00:36:01,600 At the British Museum, curator Sebastien Rey 677 00:36:01,667 --> 00:36:03,700 finds evidence that the rebels ransacked 678 00:36:03,767 --> 00:36:06,467 the throne room of the Northwest Palace 679 00:36:06,467 --> 00:36:09,320 and find its elaborate wall decorations. 680 00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:09,667 and find its elaborate wall decorations. 681 00:36:09,767 --> 00:36:10,000 SEBASTIEN: And so they targeted the image of the king, 682 00:36:12,667 --> 00:36:14,467 the symbol of his power. 683 00:36:14,567 --> 00:36:17,400 And if you look closely, you will see that he has been 684 00:36:17,467 --> 00:36:20,500 blinded in an important and symbolic way 685 00:36:20,567 --> 00:36:24,800 to make sure that the symbol of the power of Assyria would 686 00:36:24,867 --> 00:36:29,266 be completely nullified, would be obliterated from history. 687 00:36:34,367 --> 00:36:36,200 NARRATOR: Nimrud lies in ruins, 688 00:36:36,266 --> 00:36:39,166 and the legacy that the mighty Assyrian kings try 689 00:36:39,266 --> 00:36:39,320 so hard to preserve in inscriptions and sculpture is 690 00:36:39,320 --> 00:36:40,000 so hard to preserve in inscriptions and sculpture is 691 00:36:43,166 --> 00:36:45,800 lost to the desert sands. 692 00:36:45,867 --> 00:36:48,567 But do the creators of the world's first true 693 00:36:48,567 --> 00:36:51,367 empire leave behind a surprising invention 694 00:36:51,367 --> 00:36:54,967 that will benefit every empire builder that follows? 695 00:37:03,166 --> 00:37:05,400 NARRATOR: The ancient city of Nimrud, 696 00:37:05,467 --> 00:37:08,834 once the most spectacular city on Earth. 697 00:37:10,233 --> 00:37:12,266 But in 612 BCE, 698 00:37:12,266 --> 00:37:14,867 it meets a sudden and unexpected end, 699 00:37:16,100 --> 00:37:19,600 destruction by the enemies of the Assyrian Empire. 700 00:37:19,667 --> 00:37:22,567 It lies forgotten for over 2,000 years. 701 00:37:23,967 --> 00:37:27,667 When investigators rediscover the city in the 19th century, 702 00:37:27,734 --> 00:37:28,867 language experts 703 00:37:28,934 --> 00:37:30,880 work for decades to translate the writing tablets 704 00:37:30,880 --> 00:37:31,000 work for decades to translate the writing tablets 705 00:37:31,834 --> 00:37:34,033 uncovered at the site. 706 00:37:34,100 --> 00:37:37,934 They realize that many of the tablets are letters 707 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:40,400 and that they reveal a sophisticated system that 708 00:37:40,467 --> 00:37:42,767 the Assyrians use to run their successful 709 00:37:42,834 --> 00:37:44,033 global enterprise. 710 00:37:45,300 --> 00:37:49,133 {\an8}Stephanie Dalley and Lara Bampfield are some of the few 711 00:37:49,133 --> 00:37:52,233 {\an8}people in the world that can read Akkadian, 712 00:37:52,233 --> 00:37:55,367 the ancient language of the Assyrian people. 713 00:37:55,367 --> 00:37:57,033 The Nimrud letters 714 00:37:57,100 --> 00:37:59,934 are correspondence that involve the king. 715 00:38:00,066 --> 00:38:00,880 They are correspondence that involve elites. 716 00:38:00,880 --> 00:38:01,000 They are correspondence that involve elites. 717 00:38:04,367 --> 00:38:06,934 NARRATOR: The letters show how the empire functions 718 00:38:07,000 --> 00:38:08,233 as a whole unit. 719 00:38:08,233 --> 00:38:10,467 There were messengers coming and going all 720 00:38:10,567 --> 00:38:15,266 the time with orders directly from the king. 721 00:38:15,367 --> 00:38:18,867 A lot of the letters are from the provincial governors, 722 00:38:18,967 --> 00:38:21,934 for example -- it's quite extraordinary 723 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,133 how far the reach goes. 724 00:38:26,066 --> 00:38:27,967 NARRATOR: The letters reveal that there is a large 725 00:38:28,033 --> 00:38:30,880 number of high-ranking officials beneath the king, 726 00:38:30,880 --> 00:38:31,000 number of high-ranking officials beneath the king, 727 00:38:31,266 --> 00:38:33,367 the king's most trusted bureaucrats. 728 00:38:35,400 --> 00:38:38,500 Ancient scribes use wooden writing tools to press shapes 729 00:38:38,567 --> 00:38:42,734 into the wet clay, writing messages on their behalf. 730 00:38:42,734 --> 00:38:45,467 They entrust messengers to transport these clay 731 00:38:45,467 --> 00:38:48,767 tablets from city to city over enormous distances. 732 00:38:48,834 --> 00:38:52,567 One letter comes from the city of Tyre in modern-day Lebanon, 733 00:38:52,667 --> 00:38:54,567 500 miles from Nimrud. 734 00:38:57,867 --> 00:39:00,600 The letters also show the softer side of the kings, 735 00:39:00,667 --> 00:39:00,880 very different to how they portray themselves 736 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:01,000 very different to how they portray themselves 737 00:39:03,133 --> 00:39:05,266 in their palace reliefs. 738 00:39:05,266 --> 00:39:06,867 One letter describes a group of 739 00:39:06,934 --> 00:39:08,834 prisoners taken from a conquered city. 740 00:39:10,467 --> 00:39:12,600 They say things like, "Please make 741 00:39:12,667 --> 00:39:14,367 "sure there's enough for them to eat, 742 00:39:15,467 --> 00:39:19,367 "and if anybody is ill among the deportees, 743 00:39:19,467 --> 00:39:22,000 "take him out of the group and look after him 744 00:39:22,066 --> 00:39:23,033 until he's well again." 745 00:39:26,033 --> 00:39:28,767 Another tiny object, found in large numbers 746 00:39:28,867 --> 00:39:30,033 in excavations across 747 00:39:30,100 --> 00:39:30,880 the empire, reveals how administrators can trust that 748 00:39:30,880 --> 00:39:31,000 the empire, reveals how administrators can trust that 749 00:39:33,367 --> 00:39:34,567 the letters are genuine. 750 00:39:36,767 --> 00:39:41,000 So here, we have the impression 751 00:39:41,066 --> 00:39:43,033 from a stamp seal of the king, 752 00:39:43,100 --> 00:39:47,367 which shows the king on the left-hand side in combat 753 00:39:47,367 --> 00:39:49,266 with a rearing beast. 754 00:39:50,500 --> 00:39:53,767 The seals are important, because they are a signature. 755 00:39:53,867 --> 00:39:55,500 They mark it 756 00:39:55,567 --> 00:40:00,867 as being overseen and condoned by the owner of the seal. 757 00:40:02,734 --> 00:40:04,567 NARRATOR: This strict bureaucracy 758 00:40:04,667 --> 00:40:06,967 may seem obvious today, 759 00:40:07,033 --> 00:40:09,667 but in the first millennium BCE, 760 00:40:09,734 --> 00:40:10,867 it is revolutionary. 761 00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,867 Every empire that follows, from the Romans to 762 00:40:14,967 --> 00:40:18,667 the Persians, adopts it to control their own territories. 763 00:40:19,667 --> 00:40:23,967 This administration system is Assyria's greatest legacy, 764 00:40:24,033 --> 00:40:26,233 an invention that survives even after 765 00:40:26,233 --> 00:40:28,367 its once great cities are forgotten. 766 00:40:34,166 --> 00:40:36,367 The Assyrian king, Ashurnasirpal, 767 00:40:36,367 --> 00:40:40,033 builds the spectacular capital city of Nimrud. 768 00:40:40,100 --> 00:40:42,100 The jewel in the city's crown is 769 00:40:42,166 --> 00:40:45,467 the impressive Northwest Palace, decorated with 770 00:40:45,567 --> 00:40:47,767 distinctive wall reliefs 771 00:40:47,867 --> 00:40:50,500 and giant wing statutes that become 772 00:40:50,567 --> 00:40:53,867 the iconic symbols of the world's first true empire. 773 00:40:56,166 --> 00:40:59,467 For 200 years, the city flourishes and grows 774 00:40:59,567 --> 00:41:00,880 wealthy before its citizens meet their terrible fate 775 00:41:00,880 --> 00:41:01,000 wealthy before its citizens meet their terrible fate 776 00:41:03,133 --> 00:41:05,066 when Assyria's enemies rebel. 777 00:41:07,300 --> 00:41:09,467 Assyria's true legacy, 778 00:41:09,467 --> 00:41:11,467 their efficient administration, 779 00:41:11,467 --> 00:41:13,300 their harsh management of the people 780 00:41:13,367 --> 00:41:16,567 they conquer, and their professional standing army 781 00:41:18,033 --> 00:41:21,133 sets the standard for every empire that follows, 782 00:41:22,166 --> 00:41:23,834 and the city of Nimrud changes 783 00:41:23,834 --> 00:41:26,667 the landscape of the Near East forever.