1 00:00:01,967 --> 00:00:03,900 [narrator] Ancient Iraq. 2 00:00:03,967 --> 00:00:07,267 A land of myth and legend. 3 00:00:07,267 --> 00:00:10,967 Home to some of the greatest cities of the Bible. 4 00:00:10,967 --> 00:00:14,100 It's the cradle of civilization. 5 00:00:14,100 --> 00:00:17,100 It is one of the most important areas in the world. 6 00:00:18,067 --> 00:00:20,467 [narrator] Now after decades of war, 7 00:00:20,467 --> 00:00:23,667 pioneering archaeologists are returning to Iraq. 8 00:00:25,900 --> 00:00:28,300 Our cameras have unprecendented access, 9 00:00:28,367 --> 00:00:30,000 as they unearth buried treasures, 10 00:00:30,000 --> 00:00:30,767 as they unearth buried treasures, 11 00:00:30,767 --> 00:00:31,000 and discover the real world of the Old Testament. 12 00:00:34,767 --> 00:00:39,800 Western civilization only kept memories through the Bible. 13 00:00:39,867 --> 00:00:41,200 I think it's very difficult 14 00:00:41,267 --> 00:00:44,167 to pick apart the myths and the legends. 15 00:00:44,167 --> 00:00:45,200 [narrator] This time, 16 00:00:45,267 --> 00:00:48,167 archaeologists uncover two superpowers 17 00:00:48,167 --> 00:00:49,867 of the ancient world. 18 00:00:49,867 --> 00:00:52,800 Nineveh and Babylon. 19 00:00:52,867 --> 00:00:56,000 [Osama] Nebuchadnezzar wanted to make Babylon 20 00:00:56,067 --> 00:00:58,000 the greatest city on Earth. 21 00:00:59,367 --> 00:01:00,000 [narrator] How did the epic struggle 22 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:01,000 [narrator] How did the epic struggle 23 00:01:01,067 --> 00:01:03,367 between these two infamous cities 24 00:01:03,367 --> 00:01:05,167 shape the ancient world? 25 00:01:05,167 --> 00:01:07,967 And why do we know them from the Bible 26 00:01:07,967 --> 00:01:09,767 as cities of sin? 27 00:01:17,067 --> 00:01:20,267 Iraq. The cradle of civilization. 28 00:01:21,400 --> 00:01:23,267 2,500 years ago, 29 00:01:23,267 --> 00:01:25,600 two great cities and their empires 30 00:01:25,667 --> 00:01:27,567 dominated this ancient land. 31 00:01:28,500 --> 00:01:30,000 Babylon and its great rival, Nineveh. 32 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:31,000 Babylon and its great rival, Nineveh. 33 00:01:32,667 --> 00:01:35,367 Babylon lies in central Iraq, 34 00:01:35,367 --> 00:01:38,267 on the banks of the River Euphrates. 35 00:01:38,267 --> 00:01:40,700 Nineveh sits much further north, 36 00:01:40,767 --> 00:01:43,167 beneath the banks of the modern city of Mosul. 37 00:01:46,700 --> 00:01:48,300 According to the Bible, 38 00:01:48,367 --> 00:01:51,300 both cities were sinful places, 39 00:01:51,367 --> 00:01:52,967 ruled by tyrants 40 00:01:52,967 --> 00:01:55,900 who were brought down by the wrath of God. 41 00:01:55,967 --> 00:01:59,200 But is there another side to these stories? 42 00:02:01,100 --> 00:02:04,500 The Bible was a potent vehicle of memories 43 00:02:04,567 --> 00:02:06,867 which were re-worked and traded as you wish, 44 00:02:06,867 --> 00:02:08,467 but that was the only connection 45 00:02:08,467 --> 00:02:10,667 until the first travellers 46 00:02:10,667 --> 00:02:14,500 started telling people back in Europe what they saw. 47 00:02:14,567 --> 00:02:15,867 They were reflecting on 48 00:02:15,867 --> 00:02:19,867 these clearly massive ruins in front of your eyes. 49 00:02:19,867 --> 00:02:22,567 And so myths were recreated. 50 00:02:26,867 --> 00:02:29,967 [narrator] Nineveh is the oldest of the two cities. 51 00:02:29,967 --> 00:02:30,000 It was founded by a people called the Assyrians. 52 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:31,000 It was founded by a people called the Assyrians. 53 00:02:34,267 --> 00:02:38,600 The Bible says that Nineveh was a vast metropolis, 54 00:02:38,667 --> 00:02:42,167 so large it took three days to walk across it. 55 00:02:42,167 --> 00:02:44,467 The walls stretched for miles, 56 00:02:44,467 --> 00:02:47,100 protecting grand palaces and temples. 57 00:02:48,800 --> 00:02:51,200 So, how much of this is true? 58 00:02:51,267 --> 00:02:54,867 Was Nineveh as big as the story describes? 59 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:00,000 Engineers rebuilt key sections 60 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:00,800 Engineers rebuilt key sections 61 00:03:00,867 --> 00:03:01,000 of Nineveh's once mighty ramparts 62 00:03:03,067 --> 00:03:04,500 in the 1970s, 63 00:03:04,567 --> 00:03:06,500 based on what they would have looked like. 64 00:03:07,300 --> 00:03:10,067 But today, little remains. 65 00:03:10,067 --> 00:03:13,467 In 2014, Islamic State tried to erase 66 00:03:13,467 --> 00:03:16,100 the ancient city's ruins from existence. 67 00:03:18,067 --> 00:03:22,067 Khaireddine Nasser is the Head of Antiquities in Mosul. 68 00:03:22,067 --> 00:03:26,267 He and his team are determined to rebuild what was lost, 69 00:03:26,267 --> 00:03:29,767 and discover the true scale of this ancient city. 70 00:03:30,467 --> 00:03:31,000 [speaking Arabic] 71 00:03:43,667 --> 00:03:46,600 [narrator] Khaireddine investigates a huge structure 72 00:03:46,667 --> 00:03:49,067 called the Shamash Gate. 73 00:03:49,067 --> 00:03:51,900 It's one of the few sections of Nineveh's city walls 74 00:03:51,967 --> 00:03:53,467 that survived the destruction. 75 00:03:53,467 --> 00:03:56,400 [speaking Arabic] 76 00:04:07,500 --> 00:04:10,067 [narrator] Our cameras have been granted rare access 77 00:04:10,067 --> 00:04:11,700 to the Iraqi team, 78 00:04:11,767 --> 00:04:13,967 as it explores this lost wonder. 79 00:04:14,767 --> 00:04:16,267 Here at the Shamash Gate, 80 00:04:16,267 --> 00:04:18,900 Islamic State looters dug this tunnel 81 00:04:18,967 --> 00:04:20,467 underneath the ruins, 82 00:04:20,467 --> 00:04:23,600 hunting for hidden treasures to sell on the black market. 83 00:04:23,667 --> 00:04:26,067 Engineers must fill it in 84 00:04:26,067 --> 00:04:29,100 to prevent the whole structure from collapsing. 85 00:04:29,167 --> 00:04:30,000 [Khaireddine speaking Arabic] 86 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,000 [Khaireddine speaking Arabic] 87 00:04:45,367 --> 00:04:47,367 [narrator] The archaeological repair work 88 00:04:47,367 --> 00:04:49,867 is also an opportunity to discover more 89 00:04:49,867 --> 00:04:52,067 about the size of the ancient city. 90 00:05:00,767 --> 00:05:01,000 Nineveh was so big it needed many entrances. 91 00:05:05,767 --> 00:05:07,600 On the other side of Mosul 92 00:05:07,667 --> 00:05:10,067 lie the remains of the Mashki Gate. 93 00:05:10,867 --> 00:05:13,467 Here, Fadhel Mohamad Khodr 94 00:05:13,467 --> 00:05:15,667 and a team from the University of Pennsylvania 95 00:05:15,667 --> 00:05:18,100 hope to uncover its foundations. 96 00:05:18,967 --> 00:05:23,367 [speaking Arabic] 97 00:05:26,100 --> 00:05:28,667 [narrator] This image taken before the destruction 98 00:05:28,667 --> 00:05:30,000 shows how the reconstructed Mashki Gate used to look. 99 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:31,000 shows how the reconstructed Mashki Gate used to look. 100 00:05:33,800 --> 00:05:35,700 It was a miniature fortress, 101 00:05:35,767 --> 00:05:38,367 more than 80 feet high and 80 feet wide. 102 00:05:40,100 --> 00:05:42,467 [Fadhel speaking Arabic] 103 00:05:55,267 --> 00:05:57,500 [narrator] So, how large was this city? 104 00:05:59,467 --> 00:06:00,000 Archaeologist, Nicolo Marchetti, 105 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:01,000 Archaeologist, Nicolo Marchetti, 106 00:06:01,767 --> 00:06:04,167 from the University of Bologna, 107 00:06:04,167 --> 00:06:07,167 belongs to an Iraqi-Italian team at Nineveh. 108 00:06:08,867 --> 00:06:10,567 He uses drone technology 109 00:06:10,567 --> 00:06:13,567 backed up by excavations on the ground 110 00:06:13,567 --> 00:06:15,800 to piece together the city's layout. 111 00:06:15,867 --> 00:06:18,300 What you see here is a representation 112 00:06:18,367 --> 00:06:19,567 of the elevations. 113 00:06:19,567 --> 00:06:21,700 We call it a digital elevation model. 114 00:06:22,767 --> 00:06:24,667 [narrator] Ancient inscriptions reveal 115 00:06:24,667 --> 00:06:27,267 how Nineveh had more than a dozen gates. 116 00:06:27,267 --> 00:06:30,000 [Nicolo] The earlier texts speak of 13, 14 gates. 117 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:30,667 [Nicolo] The earlier texts speak of 13, 14 gates. 118 00:06:30,667 --> 00:06:31,000 And then the number grows until 18. 119 00:06:33,467 --> 00:06:35,900 But until now, only five of them 120 00:06:35,967 --> 00:06:39,167 have been known archaeologically. 121 00:06:39,167 --> 00:06:44,200 [narrator] Incredibly, archaeologists are still finding more. 122 00:06:44,267 --> 00:06:48,467 We were very lucky in 2021 to identify a new gate here, 123 00:06:48,467 --> 00:06:50,100 almost halfway between the river 124 00:06:50,100 --> 00:06:51,767 and the Shamash Gate. 125 00:06:51,767 --> 00:06:55,067 And we just started excavation here. 126 00:06:55,067 --> 00:06:57,100 [narrator] The aerial survey reveals 127 00:06:57,100 --> 00:06:59,800 how the city was surrounded by fortified walls 128 00:06:59,867 --> 00:07:00,000 nearly 7.5 miles long. 129 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,000 nearly 7.5 miles long. 130 00:07:03,167 --> 00:07:07,067 [Nicolo] The main defensive wall was 35 meters thick. 131 00:07:07,067 --> 00:07:08,867 And minimum today, 132 00:07:08,867 --> 00:07:10,667 it's preserved to a height of 15 meters. 133 00:07:10,667 --> 00:07:12,967 But of course, it was much higher. 134 00:07:12,967 --> 00:07:15,567 If you multiply this, the amount of labor 135 00:07:15,567 --> 00:07:17,267 which was needed to make this wall 136 00:07:17,267 --> 00:07:18,867 was simply mind-blowing. 137 00:07:18,867 --> 00:07:21,100 It was an impossible technical feat. 138 00:07:23,100 --> 00:07:25,800 [narrator] It's not hard to see why the biblical writers 139 00:07:25,867 --> 00:07:27,800 believe that it took three days 140 00:07:27,867 --> 00:07:30,000 to walk across Nineveh. 141 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:30,100 to walk across Nineveh. 142 00:07:30,167 --> 00:07:31,000 The Assyrian capital was a mega-city. 143 00:07:33,567 --> 00:07:35,967 One of the largest in the ancient world. 144 00:07:35,967 --> 00:07:40,500 It covered an area of more than 2.5 square miles. 145 00:07:40,567 --> 00:07:43,367 So, why is Nineveh so big? 146 00:07:47,267 --> 00:07:50,400 A clue lies in the east of the city, 147 00:07:51,367 --> 00:07:53,067 where Nicolo's team is helping 148 00:07:53,067 --> 00:07:55,800 to rebuild another of the city's massive gates. 149 00:07:57,067 --> 00:08:00,000 Here, investigators uncover an inscription, 150 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:00,300 Here, investigators uncover an inscription, 151 00:08:00,367 --> 00:08:01,000 hidden from view for more than 2,500 years. 152 00:08:05,600 --> 00:08:09,067 It reveals the name of the king who built it, 153 00:08:09,067 --> 00:08:11,767 a mighty warrior called Sennacherib. 154 00:08:11,767 --> 00:08:16,100 One of the most notorious rulers in the Old Testament. 155 00:08:16,100 --> 00:08:17,700 [Nicolo] This is the inscription 156 00:08:17,767 --> 00:08:19,067 by Sennacherib, and it says, 157 00:08:19,067 --> 00:08:22,167 "Sennacherib, King of Assyria, King of the world, 158 00:08:22,167 --> 00:08:24,667 erected the inner wall and the outer wall of Nineveh, 159 00:08:24,667 --> 00:08:26,467 and built it as high as a mountain." 160 00:08:29,367 --> 00:08:30,000 [narrator] In 705 BC, 161 00:08:30,000 --> 00:08:31,000 [narrator] In 705 BC, 162 00:08:31,867 --> 00:08:35,067 Sennacherib inherited the Assyrian throne. 163 00:08:35,067 --> 00:08:37,400 His father had been killed in battle, 164 00:08:37,467 --> 00:08:39,867 bringing shame to the royal family. 165 00:08:40,700 --> 00:08:42,267 So Sennacherib decided 166 00:08:42,267 --> 00:08:44,867 to move the imperial capital to Nineveh 167 00:08:44,867 --> 00:08:46,100 and start again. 168 00:08:49,767 --> 00:08:52,167 Nicolo's investigations reveal 169 00:08:52,167 --> 00:08:55,467 how Sennacherib remodeled Nineveh's existing settlement 170 00:08:55,467 --> 00:08:58,167 on an unprecedented scale. 171 00:08:58,167 --> 00:09:00,000 He doubled its size 172 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:00,267 He doubled its size 173 00:09:00,267 --> 00:09:01,000 and even diverted the Khawsar River 174 00:09:02,667 --> 00:09:03,867 to run through it. 175 00:09:08,100 --> 00:09:10,467 This is not encampments surrounded by walls, 176 00:09:10,467 --> 00:09:12,967 empty, as so many people have surmised. 177 00:09:14,067 --> 00:09:15,567 Our researchers have shown 178 00:09:15,567 --> 00:09:17,967 that this was a real, thriving city. 179 00:09:17,967 --> 00:09:20,900 Wherever we look, we find buildings. 180 00:09:20,967 --> 00:09:22,700 And this is extraordinary. 181 00:09:24,467 --> 00:09:26,867 [narrator] Archaelogists think that Nineveh 182 00:09:26,867 --> 00:09:29,567 was home to more than 100,000 people. 183 00:09:30,900 --> 00:09:31,000 Sennacherib's ambitions had no limits. 184 00:09:34,267 --> 00:09:36,100 He decided to turn Nineveh 185 00:09:36,100 --> 00:09:39,067 into one of the biggest cities on Earth. 186 00:09:39,067 --> 00:09:42,567 Only Babylon was comparable in size and scale. 187 00:09:43,667 --> 00:09:46,400 So, who was Nineveh's mighty king? 188 00:09:46,467 --> 00:09:50,200 And did his city live up to his reputation in the Bible? 189 00:09:55,400 --> 00:09:58,700 The Bible says that Nineveh was a great city, 190 00:09:58,767 --> 00:10:00,700 but steeped in sin. 191 00:10:03,567 --> 00:10:06,367 So God sent a prophet, Jonah, 192 00:10:06,367 --> 00:10:08,700 to preach against the people of the city, 193 00:10:08,767 --> 00:10:10,867 and save them from their evil ways. 194 00:10:12,000 --> 00:10:15,000 At first, Jonah refused. 195 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:17,767 He tried to run away, and ended up at sea, 196 00:10:17,767 --> 00:10:19,767 where he was swallowed by a whale. 197 00:10:21,167 --> 00:10:22,558 But when the whale spat him out, 198 00:10:22,558 --> 00:10:23,000 But when the whale spat him out, 199 00:10:23,867 --> 00:10:27,167 he returned to Nineveh, and the people repented. 200 00:10:28,267 --> 00:10:29,867 It's a famous tale, 201 00:10:29,867 --> 00:10:32,900 but the Bible never says exactly why 202 00:10:32,967 --> 00:10:35,000 the city needed saving. 203 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:37,467 So, what was Nineveh like to live in? 204 00:10:39,367 --> 00:10:43,667 Tradition says that Jonah was buried on this hill in Nineveh. 205 00:10:43,667 --> 00:10:46,767 Today, a mosque dedicated to him stands here. 206 00:10:47,800 --> 00:10:50,100 It's now in ruins, 207 00:10:50,100 --> 00:10:51,967 destroyed by the same militants 208 00:10:51,967 --> 00:10:52,558 who tore down the city's ancient gates. 209 00:10:52,558 --> 00:10:53,000 who tore down the city's ancient gates. 210 00:10:55,800 --> 00:10:59,167 Intriguingly, investigators are uncovering the remains 211 00:10:59,167 --> 00:11:01,200 of a vast palace beneath it. 212 00:11:03,300 --> 00:11:04,700 It's one of several 213 00:11:04,767 --> 00:11:07,567 built by the Assyrian kings in the city. 214 00:11:08,267 --> 00:11:09,967 Fadhel Mohamad Khodr 215 00:11:09,967 --> 00:11:13,367 investigates the most famous of Nineveh's royal residences, 216 00:11:13,367 --> 00:11:15,967 Sennacherib's southwest palace. 217 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:20,200 [Fadhel speaking Arabic] 218 00:11:30,567 --> 00:11:32,200 [narrator] The southwest palace 219 00:11:32,267 --> 00:11:34,500 was the jewel in Sennacherib's crown. 220 00:11:35,467 --> 00:11:38,867 Raised high on 160 layers of brick, 221 00:11:38,867 --> 00:11:42,700 it had 80 rooms, adorned with sculptures, 222 00:11:42,767 --> 00:11:46,800 and nearly two miles of decorated wall panels. 223 00:11:46,867 --> 00:11:49,767 Sennacherib wanted this to be the greatest palace on Earth. 224 00:11:51,067 --> 00:11:52,558 So, was the biblical story of Jonah 225 00:11:52,558 --> 00:11:53,000 So, was the biblical story of Jonah 226 00:11:53,167 --> 00:11:55,667 a rejection of Nineveh's extravagance? 227 00:12:00,800 --> 00:12:03,667 Western archaeologists excavated this palace 228 00:12:03,667 --> 00:12:05,267 in the 19th century, 229 00:12:05,267 --> 00:12:08,567 driven by stories of the Bible and Jonah. 230 00:12:08,567 --> 00:12:11,367 Today, little remains above ground. 231 00:12:12,767 --> 00:12:14,467 But flying overhead 232 00:12:14,467 --> 00:12:18,067 reveals the sheer magnificence of this legendary building. 233 00:12:21,067 --> 00:12:22,558 [Fadhel speaking Arabic] 234 00:12:22,558 --> 00:12:22,600 [Fadhel speaking Arabic] 235 00:12:37,567 --> 00:12:39,867 [narrator] Fadhel thinks that Nineveh's palaces 236 00:12:39,867 --> 00:12:42,100 were designed to make a powerful statement. 237 00:12:46,067 --> 00:12:49,467 [Fadhel speaking Arabic] 238 00:12:58,967 --> 00:13:01,867 [narrator] So, was Nineveh just a royal playground? 239 00:13:05,300 --> 00:13:07,767 Nicolo Marchetti thinks that there was more 240 00:13:07,767 --> 00:13:10,200 to Sennacherib's city than grand palaces. 241 00:13:11,067 --> 00:13:12,567 He has uncovered the remains 242 00:13:12,567 --> 00:13:15,467 of a mysterious tunnel beneath the city walls. 243 00:13:18,767 --> 00:13:21,900 We opened an area here, and we were very surprised 244 00:13:21,967 --> 00:13:22,558 to understand this was a water inlet, a canal. 245 00:13:22,558 --> 00:13:23,000 to understand this was a water inlet, a canal. 246 00:13:26,967 --> 00:13:29,600 The tunnel is 42 meters long. 247 00:13:30,767 --> 00:13:33,600 But we are there eight meters below the surface. 248 00:13:34,867 --> 00:13:38,167 [narrator] The canal was part of an immense network, 249 00:13:38,167 --> 00:13:41,567 carrying water to Nineveh from the mountains. 250 00:13:41,567 --> 00:13:43,067 [Nicolo] Nineveh was, at that time, 251 00:13:43,067 --> 00:13:44,567 undergoing a drought. 252 00:13:44,567 --> 00:13:45,767 A severe drought. 253 00:13:45,767 --> 00:13:48,667 And this is why they worked so hard for bringing waters 254 00:13:48,667 --> 00:13:50,367 from very distant fields. 255 00:13:50,367 --> 00:13:52,558 This is an incredible feat by Sennacherib. 256 00:13:52,558 --> 00:13:52,700 This is an incredible feat by Sennacherib. 257 00:13:55,967 --> 00:13:58,467 [narrator] Nicolo has also unearthed evidence 258 00:13:58,467 --> 00:14:01,067 of where Sennacherib found the expertise 259 00:14:01,067 --> 00:14:03,567 to pull off these pioneering projects. 260 00:14:07,767 --> 00:14:10,167 [Nicolo] We found a library of literary texts. 261 00:14:10,167 --> 00:14:13,067 And the contents are incredibly interesting. 262 00:14:13,067 --> 00:14:14,867 There is no administrative aspects here. 263 00:14:14,867 --> 00:14:18,667 This is a library belonging to a learned individual. 264 00:14:18,667 --> 00:14:20,767 [narrator] Nicolo and his team found fragments 265 00:14:20,767 --> 00:14:22,558 of around 50 texts. 266 00:14:22,558 --> 00:14:23,000 of around 50 texts. 267 00:14:23,467 --> 00:14:27,067 But these are just the tip of the iceberg. 268 00:14:27,067 --> 00:14:28,667 [Nicolo] At Nineveh there was another library, 269 00:14:28,667 --> 00:14:30,100 which is the Library of Ashurbanipal, 270 00:14:30,167 --> 00:14:32,500 which is an immense library, 271 00:14:32,567 --> 00:14:34,267 featuring tens of thousands of tablets. 272 00:14:34,267 --> 00:14:36,267 So this was a truly imperial capital, 273 00:14:36,267 --> 00:14:38,300 and the intellectuals flocked here 274 00:14:38,367 --> 00:14:40,067 from all around the empire. 275 00:14:42,567 --> 00:14:44,167 [narrator] Nineveh was very different 276 00:14:44,167 --> 00:14:45,667 to the decadent city of sin 277 00:14:45,667 --> 00:14:48,167 portrayed in the story of Jonah. 278 00:14:48,167 --> 00:14:51,767 So why did the biblical writers place his story here? 279 00:14:52,467 --> 00:14:52,558 Did something happen later 280 00:14:52,558 --> 00:14:53,000 Did something happen later 281 00:14:54,467 --> 00:14:56,867 to spark the city's evil reputation? 282 00:14:58,567 --> 00:15:01,067 A clue could lie in a stone carving 283 00:15:01,067 --> 00:15:03,700 from inside one of Nineveh's palaces. 284 00:15:03,767 --> 00:15:06,400 It shows an Assyrian king and his queen 285 00:15:06,467 --> 00:15:07,867 relaxing in a garden, 286 00:15:09,100 --> 00:15:13,267 while behind them, the head of an enemy hangs from a tree. 287 00:15:14,367 --> 00:15:17,667 Did this paradise city have a dark side? 288 00:15:23,500 --> 00:15:25,300 New discoveries reveal 289 00:15:25,367 --> 00:15:27,700 how Sennacherib transformed Ninneveh 290 00:15:27,767 --> 00:15:30,167 into a city of astonishing sophistication. 291 00:15:32,067 --> 00:15:33,767 But did everyone embrace 292 00:15:33,767 --> 00:15:35,867 the ancient Assyrian way of life? 293 00:15:38,867 --> 00:15:42,067 The Assyrians, unlike the writers of the Bible, 294 00:15:42,067 --> 00:15:43,900 believed in many Gods. 295 00:15:43,967 --> 00:15:48,167 So could this be why Nineveh was seen as evil? 296 00:15:48,167 --> 00:15:50,767 Our cameras have been granted rare access 297 00:15:50,767 --> 00:15:52,167 to the Mosul Museum, 298 00:15:52,167 --> 00:15:52,354 where Khaireddine Nassar and a team of specialists 299 00:15:52,354 --> 00:15:53,000 where Khaireddine Nassar and a team of specialists 300 00:15:55,067 --> 00:15:58,567 are trying to save the remains of Nineveh's ancient past. 301 00:16:01,267 --> 00:16:04,067 Islamic State militants blew up this building 302 00:16:04,067 --> 00:16:06,967 and smashed many of its greatest treasures. 303 00:16:08,500 --> 00:16:10,667 [Khaireddine speaking Arabic] 304 00:16:34,467 --> 00:16:35,767 [narrator] These feet belong to 305 00:16:35,767 --> 00:16:38,067 the statue of a winged bull, 306 00:16:38,067 --> 00:16:42,100 a popular Assyrian deity known as a Lamassu. 307 00:16:46,800 --> 00:16:49,967 The creature's body represents speed and strength. 308 00:16:51,267 --> 00:16:52,354 But each one has a human head, 309 00:16:52,354 --> 00:16:53,000 But each one has a human head, 310 00:16:53,767 --> 00:16:57,100 a symbol of wisdom and intelligence. 311 00:16:57,100 --> 00:17:00,867 These celestial beings were hugely popular deities. 312 00:17:01,867 --> 00:17:04,100 Archaeologists find Lamassu 313 00:17:04,167 --> 00:17:06,200 at all the major Assyrian cities. 314 00:17:07,267 --> 00:17:09,767 The Assyrians saw them as guardians. 315 00:17:10,900 --> 00:17:14,100 [Khaireddine speaking Arabic] 316 00:17:32,867 --> 00:17:36,700 [narrator] Archaeologists have discovered an astonishing 43 317 00:17:36,767 --> 00:17:39,700 of these colossal statues at Nineveh alone. 318 00:17:42,367 --> 00:17:46,200 So, where did these fantastic beasts come from? 319 00:17:46,267 --> 00:17:49,900 A clue could lie with another, far older city. 320 00:17:51,167 --> 00:17:52,354 Sebastian Rey is digging the ancient site of Girsu 321 00:17:52,354 --> 00:17:53,000 Sebastian Rey is digging the ancient site of Girsu 322 00:17:54,767 --> 00:17:56,167 in southern Iraq. 323 00:17:58,200 --> 00:18:01,100 A familiar creature has been uncovered here. 324 00:18:04,767 --> 00:18:07,967 [Sebastian] This was found at the site of Girsu. 325 00:18:07,967 --> 00:18:11,167 This is a small stone sculpture 326 00:18:11,167 --> 00:18:15,467 of a mythical supernatural being 327 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:19,600 with a human head and the body of a bull. 328 00:18:22,767 --> 00:18:23,000 It's probably the earliest known representation 329 00:18:26,067 --> 00:18:29,767 of these supernatural beasts known as Lamassus. 330 00:18:31,167 --> 00:18:34,167 [narrator] This sculpture is more than 1,000 years older 331 00:18:34,167 --> 00:18:35,767 than the ones from Nineveh. 332 00:18:36,700 --> 00:18:38,100 [Sebastian] This is, in a way, 333 00:18:38,167 --> 00:18:41,400 a sort of prototype of the Assyrian Lamassus, 334 00:18:41,467 --> 00:18:43,467 those great beasts. 335 00:18:44,800 --> 00:18:46,767 [narrator] Sebastian thinks it reveals 336 00:18:46,767 --> 00:18:48,767 how the Assyrians saw the cultures 337 00:18:48,767 --> 00:18:50,700 that came before them. 338 00:18:50,767 --> 00:18:52,354 [Sebastian] This confirms this long tradition 339 00:18:52,354 --> 00:18:53,000 [Sebastian] This confirms this long tradition 340 00:18:54,100 --> 00:18:57,700 of myths, legends that were copied 341 00:18:57,767 --> 00:18:59,700 time and time again 342 00:18:59,767 --> 00:19:03,867 throughout the thousands years of the history of Mesopotamia. 343 00:19:05,600 --> 00:19:08,367 [narrator] Mythical beasts were hugely popular 344 00:19:08,367 --> 00:19:09,867 throughout the ancient world. 345 00:19:10,667 --> 00:19:12,700 The Assyrians had the Lamassu. 346 00:19:12,767 --> 00:19:16,167 The Egyptians had their own version, the Sphinx, 347 00:19:16,167 --> 00:19:20,467 a fiercely protective lion with the head of a pharaoh. 348 00:19:20,467 --> 00:19:22,354 Even the ancient Israelites, who believed in one god, 349 00:19:22,354 --> 00:19:23,000 Even the ancient Israelites, who believed in one god, 350 00:19:24,067 --> 00:19:26,567 had cherubim, heavenly creatures 351 00:19:26,567 --> 00:19:30,067 who act as guardians and bearers of God's throne. 352 00:19:33,900 --> 00:19:36,267 The Assyrian religion was similar 353 00:19:36,267 --> 00:19:38,167 to most other cultures at the time. 354 00:19:39,367 --> 00:19:41,300 So why does the Bible single out 355 00:19:41,367 --> 00:19:44,567 their capital, Nineveh, for special condemnation? 356 00:19:47,067 --> 00:19:48,967 A clue lies in the reliefs 357 00:19:48,967 --> 00:19:51,967 that once adorned the walls of Sennacherib's palace. 358 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:01,067 They depict his forces attacking the city of Lachish, 359 00:20:01,067 --> 00:20:02,467 in the Kingdom of Judah. 360 00:20:03,467 --> 00:20:06,867 Soldiers advance behind siege engines, 361 00:20:06,867 --> 00:20:09,600 while defenders hurl missiles at the attackers. 362 00:20:10,700 --> 00:20:13,100 But against Sennacherib's war machine, 363 00:20:13,100 --> 00:20:14,900 resistance was futile. 364 00:20:16,100 --> 00:20:19,467 He destroyed Lachish, flayed alive its leaders, 365 00:20:19,467 --> 00:20:21,567 and led its citizens into captivity. 366 00:20:25,700 --> 00:20:27,500 The story of Jonah was written 367 00:20:27,567 --> 00:20:29,600 well after all these events happened. 368 00:20:31,267 --> 00:20:33,100 Sennacherib's conquest of Israel 369 00:20:33,167 --> 00:20:34,667 made his capital the enemy 370 00:20:34,667 --> 00:20:36,367 in the eyes of the biblical writers. 371 00:20:38,467 --> 00:20:41,467 But the story is also a morality tale. 372 00:20:42,567 --> 00:20:45,267 Jonah warned that the city would be destroyed. 373 00:20:47,867 --> 00:20:50,400 A prediction that came true. 374 00:20:53,167 --> 00:20:57,367 In 612 BC, Nineveh's great rival, Babylon, 375 00:20:57,367 --> 00:20:58,967 raised it to the ground. 376 00:21:00,100 --> 00:21:03,100 The Assyrian empire was broken, 377 00:21:03,167 --> 00:21:04,467 and never recovered. 378 00:21:06,267 --> 00:21:10,467 But Babylon has an even worse reputation in the Bible. 379 00:21:10,467 --> 00:21:13,500 Why did the Biblical writers not celebrate the city 380 00:21:13,567 --> 00:21:16,567 that had freed them from Assyrian rule? 381 00:21:23,467 --> 00:21:25,800 In the 7th century BC, 382 00:21:25,867 --> 00:21:28,400 the Babylonians destroyed Nineveh. 383 00:21:30,667 --> 00:21:32,500 Their capital, Babylon, 384 00:21:32,567 --> 00:21:35,200 now became the greatest city in the world. 385 00:21:37,467 --> 00:21:39,700 But for the writers of both the Hebrew 386 00:21:39,767 --> 00:21:43,367 and the Christian Bible, it was a den of wickedness. 387 00:21:46,067 --> 00:21:48,067 According to the Old Testament, 388 00:21:48,067 --> 00:21:49,211 Babylon's infamy stretched back to the dawn of time. 389 00:21:49,211 --> 00:21:50,000 Babylon's infamy stretched back to the dawn of time. 390 00:21:52,567 --> 00:21:55,367 Nimrod, who founded ancient Erech, 391 00:21:55,367 --> 00:21:58,500 supposedly built this city, too. 392 00:21:58,567 --> 00:22:01,467 His people set out to build the Tower of Babel, 393 00:22:01,467 --> 00:22:05,100 a building so tall, its height offended God. 394 00:22:06,100 --> 00:22:07,967 He punished the people of Babylon 395 00:22:07,967 --> 00:22:11,067 by making them speak different languages, 396 00:22:11,067 --> 00:22:13,567 so they could no longer work together, 397 00:22:13,567 --> 00:22:16,300 and the tower was left unfinished. 398 00:22:22,467 --> 00:22:24,500 It's a fabulous story. 399 00:22:24,567 --> 00:22:28,867 So, was Babylon really the original sin city? 400 00:22:28,867 --> 00:22:33,067 Today, Osama Hisham from the World Monuments Fund, 401 00:22:33,067 --> 00:22:35,867 and archaeologist, Ammar al-Taee, 402 00:22:35,867 --> 00:22:38,067 work to rebuild Babylon. 403 00:22:40,267 --> 00:22:42,067 Despite the city's infamy, 404 00:22:42,067 --> 00:22:44,667 investigators know surprisingly little 405 00:22:44,667 --> 00:22:45,867 about its origins. 406 00:22:46,600 --> 00:22:49,211 [Osama speaking English] 407 00:22:49,211 --> 00:22:50,000 [Osama speaking English] 408 00:22:57,867 --> 00:23:00,767 [narrator] Osama and Ammar are currently restoring 409 00:23:00,767 --> 00:23:03,467 a temple dedicated to the goddess, Ninmakh. 410 00:23:04,567 --> 00:23:07,300 Above ground, it's a modern reconstruction, 411 00:23:07,367 --> 00:23:10,167 built during the rule of Saddam Hussein. 412 00:23:11,867 --> 00:23:14,867 Iraq's notorious dictator wanted to appropriate 413 00:23:14,867 --> 00:23:18,167 Babylon's glorious past for his own ends. 414 00:23:19,367 --> 00:23:20,000 But the reconstructions stand on ancient foundations. 415 00:23:27,200 --> 00:23:29,867 [Ammar speaking English] 416 00:23:49,867 --> 00:23:50,000 [narrator] Excavation trenches like this 417 00:23:52,167 --> 00:23:54,600 reveal how Babylon's original buildings 418 00:23:54,667 --> 00:23:57,167 were made from mud brick. 419 00:23:57,167 --> 00:24:00,267 The team has had to figure out the Babylonian recipe 420 00:24:00,267 --> 00:24:03,267 for mud brick to make their repairs more authentic. 421 00:24:03,900 --> 00:24:06,400 [Ammar speaking] 422 00:24:28,367 --> 00:24:30,667 [narrator] If the Tower of Babel did exist, 423 00:24:30,667 --> 00:24:34,167 it would have been constructed from mud bricks like these. 424 00:24:35,267 --> 00:24:37,667 Some think that the city's giant ziggurat 425 00:24:37,667 --> 00:24:39,200 might have been the inspiration 426 00:24:39,267 --> 00:24:40,467 for the biblical tower. 427 00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:43,767 But there's a problem. 428 00:24:45,067 --> 00:24:47,967 Today, it's a heap of mud brick. 429 00:24:47,967 --> 00:24:49,211 And no one knows exactly how old it is. 430 00:24:49,211 --> 00:24:50,000 And no one knows exactly how old it is. 431 00:24:51,367 --> 00:24:54,300 The city's high water table makes it very difficult 432 00:24:54,367 --> 00:24:58,267 for archaeologists to find Babylon's earliest buildings. 433 00:25:01,367 --> 00:25:04,067 [Ammar speaking] 434 00:25:14,900 --> 00:25:16,800 [narrator] So, archaeologists must hunt 435 00:25:16,867 --> 00:25:18,200 for evidence elsewhere 436 00:25:18,267 --> 00:25:19,211 to reconstruct the city's origins. 437 00:25:19,211 --> 00:25:20,000 to reconstruct the city's origins. 438 00:25:21,100 --> 00:25:22,767 According to Genesis, 439 00:25:22,767 --> 00:25:26,167 Babylon was one of the world's first cities. 440 00:25:26,167 --> 00:25:28,667 But today, most archaeologists 441 00:25:28,667 --> 00:25:30,767 believe it was a relative latecomer. 442 00:25:32,567 --> 00:25:34,767 Assyriologist, Stephanie Dalley, 443 00:25:34,767 --> 00:25:38,900 thinks Babylon first rose to power around 1800 BC, 444 00:25:39,567 --> 00:25:41,967 under a king called Hammurabi. 445 00:25:45,667 --> 00:25:47,667 Hammurabi was a great builder, 446 00:25:47,667 --> 00:25:49,211 and may even have constructed the original ziggurat. 447 00:25:49,211 --> 00:25:50,000 and may even have constructed the original ziggurat. 448 00:25:51,767 --> 00:25:53,267 He transformed Babylon 449 00:25:53,267 --> 00:25:56,967 from a small, regional city into a huge metropolis. 450 00:25:57,967 --> 00:26:00,867 [Stephanie] Hammurabi was a great king. 451 00:26:00,867 --> 00:26:02,767 He dug wonderful canals 452 00:26:02,767 --> 00:26:05,467 to facilitate transport and so on. 453 00:26:05,467 --> 00:26:09,900 And by building the canals, he made it possible 454 00:26:09,967 --> 00:26:14,200 to irrigate a larger expanse of agriculture. 455 00:26:17,100 --> 00:26:19,167 [narrator] This influential ruler 456 00:26:19,167 --> 00:26:19,211 also produced one of the earliest 457 00:26:19,211 --> 00:26:20,000 also produced one of the earliest 458 00:26:21,100 --> 00:26:24,100 lists of laws ever discovered. 459 00:26:24,167 --> 00:26:26,300 Known as the Code of Hammurabi, 460 00:26:26,367 --> 00:26:28,867 its principal of reciprocal justice 461 00:26:28,867 --> 00:26:30,367 could even have influenced 462 00:26:30,367 --> 00:26:32,967 the Bible's "eye for an eye" rule. 463 00:26:34,067 --> 00:26:36,367 Archaeologists have found copies of the Code 464 00:26:36,367 --> 00:26:38,067 across the Middle East. 465 00:26:43,500 --> 00:26:45,367 It's impossible to prove 466 00:26:45,367 --> 00:26:48,167 exactly when Babylon was founded. 467 00:26:48,167 --> 00:26:49,211 But its long and glorious past 468 00:26:49,211 --> 00:26:50,000 But its long and glorious past 469 00:26:50,667 --> 00:26:52,700 could explain why the writers of the Bible 470 00:26:52,767 --> 00:26:55,467 saw it as one of the world's first cities. 471 00:26:58,667 --> 00:27:01,067 Stephanie thinks that Babylon's fame 472 00:27:01,067 --> 00:27:02,867 also drew criticism, 473 00:27:02,867 --> 00:27:06,067 which may explain the origins of the Tower of Babel story. 474 00:27:10,167 --> 00:27:13,367 [Stephanie] It sounds as if they're mocking the fact 475 00:27:13,367 --> 00:27:15,167 that people are babbling away 476 00:27:15,167 --> 00:27:17,367 and can't understand each other. 477 00:27:17,367 --> 00:27:19,211 And that, to me, tells how cosmopolitan Babylon was. 478 00:27:19,211 --> 00:27:20,000 And that, to me, tells how cosmopolitan Babylon was. 479 00:27:24,500 --> 00:27:27,167 [narrator] Other myths from the time suggest that 480 00:27:27,167 --> 00:27:30,067 the biblical authors may have intended their story 481 00:27:30,067 --> 00:27:34,667 as a slight on a city so proud of its vast architecture. 482 00:27:34,667 --> 00:27:36,467 [Stephanie] We've now found a text 483 00:27:36,467 --> 00:27:39,467 which seems to be making fun of the people 484 00:27:39,467 --> 00:27:41,667 who build towers out of mud bricks, 485 00:27:41,667 --> 00:27:43,167 so they fall down all the time. 486 00:27:43,167 --> 00:27:46,067 [laughs] And of course, the Tower of Babel, 487 00:27:46,067 --> 00:27:49,167 the ziggurat in Babylon, did fall down, 488 00:27:49,167 --> 00:27:49,211 irreparably in the end. 489 00:27:49,211 --> 00:27:50,000 irreparably in the end. 490 00:27:52,467 --> 00:27:54,267 [narrator] So, why did the biblical authors 491 00:27:54,267 --> 00:27:57,067 focus so much on Babylon's flaws, 492 00:27:57,067 --> 00:28:00,267 if everyone else admired this great city? 493 00:28:00,267 --> 00:28:04,400 The answer lies with its most notorious king, 494 00:28:04,467 --> 00:28:06,667 Nebuchadnezzar II. 495 00:28:08,267 --> 00:28:12,500 In 586 BC, Babylonian armies conquered Jerusalem, 496 00:28:12,567 --> 00:28:14,300 and deported its population. 497 00:28:15,467 --> 00:28:17,400 His campaign would earn Babylon 498 00:28:17,467 --> 00:28:19,067 its terrible reputation. 499 00:28:20,767 --> 00:28:23,100 Who was Nebuchadnezzar II? 500 00:28:23,167 --> 00:28:26,400 And how much about his reign is true? 501 00:28:33,100 --> 00:28:35,467 In 586 BC, 502 00:28:35,467 --> 00:28:38,567 the King of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar II, 503 00:28:38,567 --> 00:28:40,500 conquered the city of Jerusalem. 504 00:28:44,067 --> 00:28:47,200 The Bible says he ransacked the city's temple, 505 00:28:47,267 --> 00:28:49,467 and exiled its people to Babylon. 506 00:28:54,167 --> 00:28:56,167 2,500 years ago, 507 00:28:56,167 --> 00:28:59,867 Babylon was an awe-inspiring sight. 508 00:28:59,867 --> 00:29:00,175 The exiled Judeans would have entered the inner city 509 00:29:00,175 --> 00:29:01,000 The exiled Judeans would have entered the inner city 510 00:29:02,967 --> 00:29:06,267 along a huge avenue called the Processional Way, 511 00:29:06,267 --> 00:29:10,867 that led to its main entrance, the Ishtar Gate. 512 00:29:12,667 --> 00:29:15,267 Babylonian engineers built this gate 513 00:29:15,267 --> 00:29:18,067 from baked brick instead of mud brick, 514 00:29:18,067 --> 00:29:20,367 and covered it in images of animals 515 00:29:20,367 --> 00:29:22,267 to amaze those who came through. 516 00:29:23,100 --> 00:29:25,300 For the exiled Judeans, 517 00:29:25,367 --> 00:29:28,467 it was the entrance to a prison like no other. 518 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:34,367 What can this mighty structure tell us 519 00:29:34,367 --> 00:29:36,167 about the man who brought them here? 520 00:29:37,800 --> 00:29:40,667 Was Nebuchadnezzar the megalomaniac 521 00:29:40,667 --> 00:29:42,167 of biblical fame? 522 00:29:44,167 --> 00:29:47,067 Our cameras have been granted special access 523 00:29:47,067 --> 00:29:49,200 to Osama Hisham and his team, 524 00:29:49,267 --> 00:29:51,700 as they rebuild the Ishtar Gate. 525 00:29:52,767 --> 00:29:55,667 [Osama speaking] 526 00:30:04,667 --> 00:30:05,967 [narrator] Over the centuries, 527 00:30:05,967 --> 00:30:08,467 this colossal monument has been plagued 528 00:30:08,467 --> 00:30:10,967 by Babylon's destructive water problem. 529 00:30:13,467 --> 00:30:17,367 [Osama speaking] 530 00:30:33,667 --> 00:30:35,367 [narrator] To safeguard the gate, 531 00:30:35,367 --> 00:30:38,467 the team must ensure that water does not become trapped 532 00:30:38,467 --> 00:30:40,200 inside the brick walls. 533 00:30:41,467 --> 00:30:43,367 [Osama speaking] 534 00:31:06,567 --> 00:31:08,067 [narrator] The reconstruction work 535 00:31:08,067 --> 00:31:09,667 gives Osama an insight 536 00:31:09,667 --> 00:31:11,767 into the mind of the king who commissioned it. 537 00:31:13,467 --> 00:31:15,667 [Osama speaking] 538 00:31:33,367 --> 00:31:35,567 [narrator] But Nebuchadnezzar wanted a city 539 00:31:35,567 --> 00:31:37,700 that was beautiful as well as big. 540 00:31:39,667 --> 00:31:42,667 In the 1900s, German archaeologists 541 00:31:42,667 --> 00:31:45,567 discovered thousands of broken glazed bricks 542 00:31:45,567 --> 00:31:47,067 that used to cover the gate. 543 00:31:50,767 --> 00:31:52,767 They shipped them to Berlin, 544 00:31:52,767 --> 00:31:56,567 where specialists painstakingly reconstructed 545 00:31:56,567 --> 00:31:58,767 Nebuchadnezzar's crowning achievement 546 00:31:58,767 --> 00:32:00,175 in its original glory. 547 00:32:00,175 --> 00:32:01,000 in its original glory. 548 00:32:02,467 --> 00:32:04,467 This is the awesome sight 549 00:32:04,467 --> 00:32:06,467 that would have greeted the Hebrew exiles 550 00:32:06,467 --> 00:32:08,400 as they began a new life, 551 00:32:08,467 --> 00:32:11,200 thousands of miles from their home in Jerusalem. 552 00:32:15,100 --> 00:32:17,400 Museum curator, Helen Gries, 553 00:32:17,467 --> 00:32:19,367 protects this ancient mega-structure. 554 00:32:20,367 --> 00:32:23,300 [speaking English] 555 00:32:27,800 --> 00:32:30,100 [narrator] Today, Helen and her team 556 00:32:30,167 --> 00:32:30,175 undertake crucial work on the Processional Way. 557 00:32:30,175 --> 00:32:31,000 undertake crucial work on the Processional Way. 558 00:32:35,500 --> 00:32:39,567 [Helen speaking] 559 00:32:50,767 --> 00:32:52,467 [narrator] They begin by taking 560 00:32:52,467 --> 00:32:56,767 high-resolution photographs of each individual brick. 561 00:32:56,767 --> 00:33:00,175 By comparing them to images taken in previous years, 562 00:33:00,175 --> 00:33:00,667 By comparing them to images taken in previous years, 563 00:33:00,667 --> 00:33:01,000 they can check for signs of damage 564 00:33:02,667 --> 00:33:04,167 to the fragile glazes. 565 00:33:07,567 --> 00:33:10,667 Helen focuses on one of the ornate lotus flowers 566 00:33:10,667 --> 00:33:12,400 that line the walls. 567 00:33:12,467 --> 00:33:15,067 [Helen speaking] 568 00:33:30,267 --> 00:33:31,000 [narrator] Helen's forensic analysis of the bricks 569 00:33:32,967 --> 00:33:35,667 also reveals how Nebuchadnezzar's artists 570 00:33:35,667 --> 00:33:37,467 pioneered a new technique 571 00:33:37,467 --> 00:33:40,567 to give the tiles their bright blue color. 572 00:34:07,800 --> 00:34:09,167 [narrator] But Helen thinks 573 00:34:09,167 --> 00:34:11,500 these ground-breaking monuments also reveal 574 00:34:11,567 --> 00:34:13,967 how Nebuchadnezzar wanted to be seen. 575 00:34:17,900 --> 00:34:20,600 Assyrian palaces are covered 576 00:34:20,667 --> 00:34:22,867 with images of war and conquest. 577 00:34:25,067 --> 00:34:28,867 But these Babylonian walls are alive with mythical beasts. 578 00:34:30,467 --> 00:34:31,000 The lion represents Ishtar, the goddess of love and war. 579 00:34:36,367 --> 00:34:39,467 The bull is the symbol of the weather god, Adad. 580 00:34:40,767 --> 00:34:43,967 And the white dragon is the avatar of Marduk, 581 00:34:43,967 --> 00:34:45,900 Chief God of Babylon. 582 00:34:49,567 --> 00:34:53,667 There are more than 575 animals on these walls. 583 00:34:56,500 --> 00:34:59,267 Nebuchadnezzar wanted to show himself 584 00:34:59,267 --> 00:35:00,175 as a devoted follower of the gods. 585 00:35:00,175 --> 00:35:01,000 as a devoted follower of the gods. 586 00:35:03,667 --> 00:35:05,700 But to the biblical exiles, 587 00:35:05,767 --> 00:35:08,700 the King must have seemed anything but pious. 588 00:35:12,567 --> 00:35:16,300 [Helen speaking] 589 00:35:26,100 --> 00:35:28,767 [narrator] Nebuchadnezzar was far from the liberator 590 00:35:28,767 --> 00:35:30,175 of the ancient world. 591 00:35:30,175 --> 00:35:30,367 of the ancient world. 592 00:35:30,367 --> 00:35:31,000 He used the loot 593 00:35:31,667 --> 00:35:33,767 from conquered cities like Jerusalem 594 00:35:33,767 --> 00:35:35,567 to make Babylon great again. 595 00:35:36,467 --> 00:35:38,900 So, what was life like for the exiles 596 00:35:38,967 --> 00:35:41,767 inside this monumental prison? 597 00:35:41,767 --> 00:35:44,867 And how did Babylon really fall? 598 00:35:54,100 --> 00:35:58,100 The bible describes Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar II 599 00:35:58,167 --> 00:36:00,467 as the ultimate city of sin. 600 00:36:03,967 --> 00:36:07,067 It tells us that he conquered the population of Judah 601 00:36:07,067 --> 00:36:09,067 and exiled them to Babylon. 602 00:36:13,167 --> 00:36:15,467 According to the Book of Daniel, 603 00:36:15,467 --> 00:36:17,367 the exiles endured a succession 604 00:36:17,367 --> 00:36:20,167 of terrible hardships in their new home. 605 00:36:21,567 --> 00:36:25,667 Including when one king threw the prophet Daniel himself 606 00:36:25,667 --> 00:36:27,267 into a lion's den. 607 00:36:27,267 --> 00:36:29,567 [lion roars] 608 00:36:29,567 --> 00:36:32,567 Ultimately, God brought divine retribution 609 00:36:32,567 --> 00:36:33,867 to the Babylonians. 610 00:36:35,167 --> 00:36:38,367 Nebuchadnezzar descended into madness. 611 00:36:38,367 --> 00:36:42,300 And a new people, the Persians, conquered the city. 612 00:36:51,267 --> 00:36:55,300 Many historians believe that the earlier parts of the Bible 613 00:36:55,367 --> 00:36:58,667 were written in Babylon by exiled priests. 614 00:37:02,467 --> 00:37:05,300 For them, exile was a traumatic experience, 615 00:37:06,367 --> 00:37:07,867 which explains the Bible's 616 00:37:07,867 --> 00:37:09,767 negative portrayal of the city. 617 00:37:12,200 --> 00:37:15,367 Did all Judeans see Babylon that way? 618 00:37:17,267 --> 00:37:20,300 Helen Gries finds a clue among the thousands 619 00:37:20,367 --> 00:37:20,882 of cuneiform fragments found at Babylon. 620 00:37:20,882 --> 00:37:21,000 of cuneiform fragments found at Babylon. 621 00:37:25,500 --> 00:37:27,900 This tablet is a rare glimpse 622 00:37:27,967 --> 00:37:30,367 into what life in exile was like. 623 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:02,967 [narrator] Jehoiachin was among the thousands 624 00:38:02,967 --> 00:38:05,400 of Judean exiles sent to Babylon. 625 00:38:07,067 --> 00:38:10,067 Archaeologists discovered this reference to him 626 00:38:10,067 --> 00:38:12,467 in Nebuchadnezzar's royal archive. 627 00:38:15,167 --> 00:38:17,967 [Helen speaking] 628 00:38:25,500 --> 00:38:28,100 [narrator] Nebuchadnezzar granted Jehoiachin 629 00:38:28,167 --> 00:38:31,767 an allowance of sesame oil from the royal storehouses. 630 00:38:34,767 --> 00:38:38,767 [Helen speaking] 631 00:38:55,067 --> 00:38:56,600 [narrator] As a former king, 632 00:38:56,667 --> 00:39:00,467 Jehoiachin enjoyed special treatment. 633 00:39:00,467 --> 00:39:04,367 But lower-ranking Judeans also took to life in Babylon. 634 00:39:06,100 --> 00:39:09,167 When the King of Persia, Cyrus the Great, 635 00:39:09,167 --> 00:39:11,667 conquered the city and allowed the exiles 636 00:39:11,667 --> 00:39:16,267 to return home to Jerusalem, many decided to stay. 637 00:39:19,100 --> 00:39:20,882 [Helen speaking] 638 00:39:20,882 --> 00:39:21,000 [Helen speaking] 639 00:40:00,367 --> 00:40:03,500 [narrator] Hundreds of years after Babylon fell, 640 00:40:03,567 --> 00:40:05,467 the Book of Daniel emerged. 641 00:40:07,000 --> 00:40:09,267 It was an apocalypse story, 642 00:40:10,567 --> 00:40:13,800 warning that God would punish those who disobeyed him, 643 00:40:14,967 --> 00:40:16,300 just as he had done 644 00:40:16,367 --> 00:40:18,667 to the sinful King Nebuchadnezzar. 645 00:40:21,700 --> 00:40:24,967 The fierce rivalry between Babylon and Nineveh 646 00:40:24,967 --> 00:40:26,567 shaped the ancient world. 647 00:40:28,167 --> 00:40:29,367 The writers of the Bible 648 00:40:29,367 --> 00:40:31,700 saw the rise and fall of these cities 649 00:40:31,767 --> 00:40:33,267 as cautionary tales. 650 00:40:34,500 --> 00:40:36,400 A sign of what happened to those 651 00:40:36,467 --> 00:40:38,800 who went against the will of God. 652 00:40:41,100 --> 00:40:44,300 [Nicolo] The historical reality of the Assyrian East 653 00:40:44,367 --> 00:40:45,733 was quickly forgotten. 654 00:40:45,733 --> 00:40:49,967 Western civilization only kept memories through the Bible. 655 00:40:51,867 --> 00:40:55,100 The interplay of ancient and modern myths 656 00:40:55,167 --> 00:40:56,267 in Mesopotamia 657 00:40:56,267 --> 00:40:58,767 is like a constant feature of the land. 658 00:41:02,100 --> 00:41:05,067 [narrator] But now, archaeologists are uncovering 659 00:41:05,067 --> 00:41:08,767 the true achievements of these remarkable civilizations, 660 00:41:11,467 --> 00:41:14,367 rebuilding lost wonders, 661 00:41:14,367 --> 00:41:17,300 and resurrecting rich and ancient cultures. 662 00:41:19,667 --> 00:41:20,882 Their investigations will take many years, 663 00:41:20,882 --> 00:41:21,000 Their investigations will take many years, 664 00:41:24,700 --> 00:41:27,067 as Iraq continues to recover 665 00:41:27,067 --> 00:41:29,367 from decades of war and terrorism. 666 00:41:31,300 --> 00:41:34,167 But the Babylonians and the Assyrians of Nineveh 667 00:41:34,167 --> 00:41:37,067 left us an incredible legacy. 668 00:41:37,067 --> 00:41:39,600 They preserved the stories and the culture 669 00:41:39,667 --> 00:41:43,367 of the first city builders, the ancient Sumerians, 670 00:41:45,067 --> 00:41:46,867 whose echoes can still be heard 671 00:41:46,867 --> 00:41:49,667 in three of the world's great religions. 672 00:41:51,100 --> 00:41:53,967 The truth behind the lost cities of the Bible 673 00:41:53,967 --> 00:41:57,367 is the story of the dawn of civilization.