The Hidden History Of Alexandria: Megacity Of The Ancient World | Metropolis | Odyssey
The Hidden History Of Alexandria: Megacity Of The Ancient World | Metropolis | Odyssey
Alexandria, a royal Greek city in the land of the Pharaohs. Along the sandy banks of the Nile delta on the African Mediterranean coast, the most powerful metropolis of its time rose from virtually nothing. The Hellenistic culture mingled with the legacy of the Pharaohs and bore the fruits of a glorious new heritage.
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0.08 -> if you love ancient history then this is
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22.48 -> on sign up
25.16 -> [Music]
30.8 -> over 2000 years ago the first great
33.84 -> european capital cities rose around the
36.16 -> shores of the mediterranean
39.72 -> [Music]
45.51 -> [Applause]
46.879 -> more and more people lived in
48.48 -> increasingly crowded conditions
50.719 -> the arts commerce and sciences
52.879 -> flourished
56.64 -> struggling for power and influence these
58.96 -> cities tried to outshine each other by
61.039 -> erecting magnificent buildings
68.32 -> people from different cultures and parts
70.56 -> of the world were drawn to these cities
73.04 -> seeking prosperity and happiness
76.37 -> [Music]
98.64 -> the entrance to the harbour of one of
100.799 -> antiquity's mega cities
103.04 -> alexandria
105.759 -> it was founded in 331 bc by alexander
108.96 -> the great
110 -> the greek commander had just conquered
111.92 -> egypt and wanted to establish a new
114.479 -> royal city in his own honor on the
117.119 -> western edge of the nile delta
119.1 -> [Music]
122.32 -> his architects designed the city on a
124.399 -> grid pattern
125.759 -> to be built on unoccupied ground
132 -> for decades
133.44 -> alexandria was the largest construction
136.16 -> site of the ancient mediterranean it
138.4 -> attracted people from everywhere
140.56 -> among them the most important thinkers
142.959 -> of the time
149.68 -> alexandria became the cultural center of
152.4 -> the ancient world
154.32 -> [Music]
164.72 -> oh
166.26 -> [Music]
177.76 -> today over four million people live in
180.319 -> egypt's second largest city
185.44 -> the modern metropolis has buried ancient
187.68 -> alexandria under concrete and asphalt
191.57 -> [Music]
195.68 -> only deep beneath the city
199.84 -> and in the expanses of the egyptian
201.92 -> desert can evidence of alexandria's
204.48 -> mysterious past be found
209.88 -> [Music]
214.48 -> what knowledge was stored in the
216.08 -> legendary library of alexandria
220.319 -> quest of the famous lighthouse one of
222.56 -> the seven wonders of the ancient world
227.04 -> what drew people to alexandria from
229.44 -> around the world
232.239 -> one of these stories has come down to us
234.239 -> the story of agnordiki
236.799 -> who came from athens to the young
238.319 -> metropolis to seek her fortune
240.32 -> [Music]
246 -> the stellar rise of alexandria has
248.319 -> preoccupied the french archaeologist
250.56 -> jean-yves emperor for over 10 years he's
254.239 -> the director of the center for
255.599 -> alexandrian studies
259.359 -> his research reveals that the ancient
260.959 -> metropolis was a city of gigantic
263.12 -> dimensions
267.44 -> the streets are wider than a in any
270.56 -> other city
272.24 -> the via canopy car the canopy way was
274.639 -> more than 30 meters wide
277.52 -> and so it's incredible size for the if
279.919 -> you compare with the ancient cities like
282.08 -> athens or corinth it's
285.04 -> it's like new york compared to paris or
287.04 -> london you know
288.72 -> and even there's a skyscraper like the
291.44 -> lighthouse
292.56 -> so the greek who came from the old trees
296.32 -> from the islands were very much
297.84 -> impressed when they came to the city
306.3 -> [Music]
314.72 -> the lighthouse with its gleaming white
316.72 -> marble facade rose
318.68 -> 140 meters into the sky
323.039 -> it was a conspicuous landmark and a
325.28 -> symbol of alexandria's power
327.23 -> [Music]
333.6 -> construction of the lighthouse began in
335.52 -> 299 bc
337.759 -> based on plans by stratus of canada's
344.8 -> after 20 years of construction the
347.52 -> gigantic tower was finally nearing
350.16 -> completion
353.12 -> it was a symbol of hope for all those
355.039 -> making the perilous voyage to alexandria
361.44 -> it was a beacon for agnadiki too
364.24 -> whose story is told by the roman scholar
366.24 -> hygienist
368.53 -> [Music]
380.479 -> nothing remains of the lighthouse today
383.199 -> not even its location is certain
389.12 -> however there are many indications that
391.039 -> this is where it stood
395.759 -> today the harbour entrance is dominated
398.08 -> by a building from the 15th century fort
400.88 -> cate bay
406.479 -> renovations on this arab citadel have
408.8 -> recently begun
411.36 -> they offer a rare opportunity to uncover
413.68 -> the building's secrets
418.08 -> did the ruins of the lighthouse provide
420.319 -> materials
463.12 -> machinic is an architect on dr emperor's
466.16 -> team
476.319 -> under the fort is a huge system which
478.96 -> could supply enough water to last out a
481.12 -> lengthy siege
489.36 -> the system is like a museum of
491.28 -> architectural history
493.919 -> there are corinthian capitals and
495.919 -> ancient columns
497.919 -> do they include fragments of the
499.44 -> lighthouse
506 -> the site of kaibay is a mixed site of
510.8 -> architectural pieces belonging to the
512.719 -> lighthouse itself we could for instance
514.959 -> reconstruct a very huge door more than
517.919 -> 12 or up to 30 meters from the lentil
522.159 -> to to the soil with very night jumps and
525.44 -> lintel of granite from swan
527.839 -> we have some colossal statues
530.399 -> which stood on in this place because we
532.64 -> have from them parallels one to the
535.04 -> other just in front of their bases so
537.6 -> they are very
539.44 -> big statues of the kings ptolemies and
542.399 -> their queens which were standing the
544.399 -> antiquity at the foot of the lighthouse
547.279 -> most likely fort cate bay stands on the
550.24 -> spot once occupied by the mightiest
552.48 -> lighthouse of all time
554.399 -> it guided maddeners safely into
556.24 -> alexandria's harbour for 1500 years
559.839 -> until it was toppled by an earthquake
564.32 -> what has remained is its legend
569.76 -> the best builders of the times were
571.839 -> brought to alexandria to create this
573.92 -> architectural miracle among them was
576.399 -> kratis brother of agnedike's mother
581.6 -> as a young engineer he had taken up
583.76 -> alexander the great's call
585.68 -> and followed him here
595.519 -> having survived an arduous and dangerous
597.92 -> sea voyage
606.16 -> has a bold plan
609.279 -> which she can realize only in alexandria
613.75 -> [Music]
624.64 -> the very first traces of the city of
626.88 -> alexandria are found out at sea on a
629.92 -> small rocky island off the coast nelson
632.88 -> island
635.279 -> professor paolo gallo
637.36 -> after years of negotiation is the first
639.68 -> scientist allowed to explore this barren
642.64 -> island in a secure military zone
645.839 -> here he expects to unearth important
648 -> information on the origins of alexandria
650.959 -> his early findings seem to justify his
653.279 -> hopes
654.399 -> the most striking feature of what we
657.12 -> found
658.16 -> it is that
659.519 -> we found the only uh
663.04 -> levels which are intact belonging to
665.92 -> this period i mean in alexandria itself
668.88 -> it is very difficult to find uh periods
672.079 -> of the first ptolemaic
674.48 -> age
676.16 -> in which all the things are still in
678.8 -> situ
679.92 -> so there we found all the pottery
683.36 -> and all the things that were
685.68 -> abandoned
687.44 -> at once
691.04 -> much to gallow's surprise this outpost
694 -> was abandoned shortly after alexandria's
696.48 -> founding and has remained uninhabited
698.959 -> ever since
703.68 -> just below ground level the foundations
706.399 -> of a large building have emerged
710.8 -> was this a temple
712.48 -> a lighthouse or a military installation
719.12 -> on the steep cliffs along the shore the
721.6 -> archaeologists stumbled across the
723.68 -> entrance to an underground gallery part
726.32 -> of an ancient system
730.16 -> in the 17th century
731.839 -> english sailors sought shelter here
735.6 -> it is written a little looks 1658
740.48 -> and this is his portrait
744.639 -> so a man of this period
747.519 -> with barbies and moustache
756.959 -> two thousand years earlier alexander the
759.519 -> great soldiers made camp on the island
766.8 -> we discovered houses belonging to
769.519 -> soldiers of this period
773.44 -> and for sure there was a military garden
775.68 -> there we found big bowls of caterpillars
779.44 -> in the houses
780.82 -> [Music]
785.36 -> the island was strategically positioned
787.519 -> facing canopus
789.2 -> egypt's most important mediterranean
791.44 -> port until the founding of alexandria
797.68 -> from this island alexander the great
799.839 -> could control the egyptian harbour but
802.16 -> also speed up construction of his royal
804.399 -> city
807.27 -> [Music]
811.44 -> this military garrison
813.76 -> occupied only during a short period
817.12 -> during during about
819.279 -> about almost between 30 and 40
823.199 -> years no more
824.72 -> so after this was completely abandoned
828.639 -> so we can understand from this that was
831.44 -> abandoned because the strategical
833.92 -> interest of the islet and of canopus
836.56 -> itself and the harbor of canopul
839.519 -> was lost because the new harbor that of
841.839 -> alexandria was
843.839 -> already working
849.1 -> [Applause]
852.88 -> was the island perhaps also a kind of
854.8 -> planning office for the city going up on
857.279 -> the mainland
861.92 -> alexandria was an experimental city
865.12 -> newer excavations show the complexity of
867.839 -> the work undertaken by ancient engineers
875.199 -> by now archaeologists from dr emperor's
878.079 -> team have become specialists in rescue
880.639 -> digs on construction sites
885.92 -> each time a point of entry to ancient
888.079 -> alexandria is uncovered a race against
890.959 -> time begins for the archaeologists
905.12 -> many promising sites are rapidly covered
907.279 -> over again by the building contractors
912.24 -> for them every day of archaeological
914.88 -> excavation represents the financial loss
921.36 -> the first general
923.199 -> uh
933.04 -> [Music]
947.519 -> this area near the ancient palace has
949.92 -> been inhabited continuously since the
951.759 -> founding of the city but it is difficult
954.32 -> to interpret the sequence of historical
956.16 -> eras still
958 -> discoveries have been made here that
960.079 -> show how far sighted the greek city
962.48 -> planners were
965.68 -> systems and water pipes have been found
968.639 -> they show the progressive way
970.16 -> alexandrian engineers solved the problem
972.56 -> of a city that lacked spring water
978.399 -> the first thing the greeks laid down for
980.079 -> the new metropolis was a network of
981.88 -> pre-fabricated clay pipes for the water
984.639 -> supply
988.32 -> [Music]
990.639 -> as in modern water systems the mass
993.279 -> produced ancient pipes with their
995.279 -> cone-shaped ends fitted exactly into one
998.639 -> another
1000.14 -> [Music]
1005.44 -> tens of thousands of such pipes must
1007.839 -> have been laid below ground
1010.8 -> before work began on the roads the
1013.36 -> entire infrastructure the layout of
1016 -> roads and paths and the position of
1018.079 -> buildings must have been determined in
1020.48 -> detail from the start a masterpiece of
1023.44 -> planning
1029.36 -> water from the nile and from natural
1031.679 -> reservoirs near the city flowed through
1034 -> canals to the city's ingenious network
1036.64 -> of water pipes
1044.4 -> two hundred kilometers inland
1046.48 -> is the region of fium
1048.48 -> which in antiquity was the granary for
1050.96 -> the city of alexandria
1053.02 -> [Music]
1055.12 -> in this fertile region
1057.2 -> time seems to have stood still
1060.07 -> [Music]
1071.039 -> to this day the ancient form of
1073.28 -> irrigation as simple as it is ingenious
1076.48 -> has been preserved
1085.44 -> powered by the water itself the wheel
1088.08 -> raises the precious liquid in its scoops
1090.799 -> and empties it into canals
1107.2 -> when the water reached alexandria it had
1109.44 -> to be stored and distributed
1114.32 -> [Music]
1117.6 -> an underground system
1121.76 -> isabelle lyrie from the center for
1124.32 -> alexandrian studies has been researching
1126.64 -> the hidden water reservoirs of the city
1128.64 -> for years
1133.84 -> the el nabi system is the best preserved
1137.28 -> it dates from the time of arab rule in
1139.28 -> alexandria
1140.86 -> [Music]
1158.799 -> foreign
1166.72 -> when the arabs reached the city during
1168.64 -> the 8th century a.d they built huge
1171.44 -> water systems a thousand years earlier
1174.48 -> the greeks had solved the problem of
1176.24 -> water supply in a different but no less
1178.64 -> spectacular manner
1182 -> [Music]
1188.24 -> dynamic formed
1204.799 -> alexandria
1221.2 -> only a few years after the city's
1223.039 -> founding in 331 bc
1225.52 -> the population of alexandria had
1227.36 -> increased to half a
1232.84 -> million but its architects had
1235.679 -> anticipated the growth of the settlement
1238 -> and had designed a road system built on
1240.32 -> a grid which could handle a high volume
1242.799 -> of traffic
1244.27 -> [Music]
1250.32 -> the two main traffic arteries of modern
1252.72 -> alexandria date back to when the city
1255.039 -> was founded they're the same size they
1257.36 -> were over 2 000 years ago
1263.2 -> magnificent palaces and temples lined
1265.679 -> the avenues in those days
1270 -> but how did ordinary alexandrians live
1272.96 -> jegosh my herik from warsaw university
1275.76 -> has managed to excavate the remains of
1277.679 -> residential buildings from the city's
1279.52 -> beginnings
1285.44 -> each owner was assigned the same was
1288.32 -> allotted the same a lot of land roughly
1291.2 -> 25 by 25 meters to build his house on it
1294.799 -> and we think that this system
1296.96 -> that backs
1298.64 -> that goes back to the time of alexander
1300.799 -> the great was retained at least for four
1303.6 -> centuries in alexandria
1309.36 -> a well-to-do family lived on about 600
1311.919 -> square meters of land enough for a
1314.24 -> spacious villa surrounded by gardens and
1316.72 -> stables
1318.14 -> [Music]
1321.44 -> discoveries such as this house with its
1323.44 -> greek mosaic are rare
1325.919 -> but everyday items from alexandria are
1328.48 -> even rarer
1330.01 -> [Music]
1333.44 -> alexandria's greco-roman museum houses
1336.72 -> the few remaining artifacts from that
1338.96 -> time including the precious tanagura
1341.679 -> figurines
1343.12 -> they were always found in the graves of
1345.12 -> young women for whom the figurines were
1347.52 -> probably companion toy and lucky charm
1352.69 -> [Music]
1358.72 -> ancient alexandria was not only the most
1361.28 -> modern city of its time but also the
1364.08 -> center of knowledge
1366.72 -> only here can agnodiki fulfill her
1369.44 -> greatest wish
1370.72 -> to study medicine and become a doctor
1376.96 -> even in alexandria this was unthinkable
1379.039 -> for a woman
1380.64 -> a taboo agnodiki must break if she wants
1383.12 -> to achieve her goal
1392.32 -> in cosmopolitan alexandria the image of
1395.039 -> women was shaped by greek ideals the
1398 -> proof is in the details of the tanagra
1399.919 -> figurines
1406.4 -> the elaborate painting has survived the
1408.559 -> centuries the figurines show alexandrian
1411.36 -> women followed greek fashion in their
1413.6 -> clothes and hair
1418.559 -> but did they follow greek conventions in
1420.64 -> other respects as well
1430.159 -> in alexandria the greeks had encountered
1432.799 -> a pharyonic tradition
1434.72 -> whereas in greece a woman's life was
1436.64 -> intended to be passed within the
1437.919 -> confines of the home
1439.6 -> egypt boasted some powerful female
1442.32 -> rulers
1445.52 -> you could find all the races of the
1448.96 -> people of the world
1451.52 -> all the languages were spoken in
1453.2 -> australia and even in the library you
1455.76 -> could find papillary books
1458.72 -> between brackets
1460.08 -> within uh written in alien language of
1462.88 -> the word and translated from egyptian to
1465.6 -> greek from aramian hebrew to greek and
1468.64 -> so on so it's it was
1470.72 -> the melting pot of antiquity
1475.76 -> like every big city alexandria was from
1478.159 -> the outset a major centre of production
1481.6 -> one effect of living so closely together
1483.919 -> was the division of labor and
1485.84 -> specialization people sold their goods
1488.559 -> and bought their food on the street
1491.2 -> the only meal that ordinary people
1493.039 -> usually had at home was the evening meal
1496.24 -> breakfast was generally bread dipped in
1499.039 -> wine
1505.7 -> [Applause]
1508.24 -> where fishermen bring their catch to
1510.24 -> shore today the slaves of 2300 years ago
1514.72 -> unloaded the merchant ships
1520.9 -> [Applause]
1522.159 -> goods from all over the mediterranean
1524.159 -> were loaded and unloaded here
1526.96 -> alexandria harbour was egypt's gate to
1530.08 -> the world
1534.88 -> at the beginning of the 19th century
1536.96 -> ancient alexandria had been almost
1539.12 -> completely forgotten
1541.52 -> then by pure chance the driver of a cab
1544.96 -> made an astonishing discovery it brought
1547.36 -> to light the history hidden beneath the
1549.919 -> city
1550.88 -> and gave a fascinating insight into this
1552.96 -> greek settlement in egypt
1559.919 -> early one morning he hitched up his
1562.08 -> horse and went to work on the streets of
1564.32 -> alexandria
1572.08 -> in one of the narrow lanes the road
1574.24 -> suddenly gave way beneath him
1576.64 -> and revealed the entrance to a long
1578.88 -> forgotten world
1587.919 -> the city of the dead
1590 -> the catacombs of comm el shakhafa
1594.799 -> 20 metres beneath the bustle of the
1596.799 -> modern port city lies an extensive
1599.279 -> network of caves carved out of the rock
1603.6 -> here the people of alexandria buried
1605.919 -> their dead
1607.3 -> [Music]
1612.4 -> this sarcophagus is decorated with greek
1614.799 -> vine leaves
1616.159 -> and with egyptian gods
1619.919 -> it expresses the peaceful coexistence
1622 -> between the newly arrived greek settlers
1624.32 -> and the indigenous egyptians
1627.2 -> this coexistence was fostered by general
1629.919 -> ptolemy who assumed power here after the
1632.48 -> death of alexander the great
1638.32 -> his heirs continued this policy and thus
1641.279 -> ptolemaic culture came into being
1643.679 -> cosmopolitan and dedicated to progress
1646.64 -> alexandria became a center of knowledge
1654.52 -> [Music]
1659.919 -> this is why agno dk2 has come to
1662.96 -> alexandria
1667.279 -> but because official avenues are close
1669.6 -> to her she's resorting to a dangerous
1672.159 -> ruse
1674.559 -> she must become a man
1680.55 -> [Music]
1686.559 -> her uncle kratis tries to change her
1688.64 -> mind but she will not be deterred by his
1691.12 -> warnings
1692.62 -> [Music]
1705.279 -> is bold but she is also keenly aware of
1708.32 -> the danger she must face if she is to
1710.96 -> enter the world of knowledge to which
1712.96 -> only men have access
1715.76 -> [Music]
1720.559 -> knowledge is power
1724.799 -> that was the insight of the ptolemaic
1726.72 -> rulers
1729.279 -> their legacy was some splendid monuments
1734.559 -> for dr emperor the temple of tapos iris
1737.679 -> is an impressive example of the
1739.279 -> magnificent buildings that must once
1741.36 -> have graced alexandria
1743.79 -> [Music]
1756.88 -> tapas iris is in the westernmost part of
1759.2 -> alexandria
1760.64 -> it indicates the size of the area ruled
1762.799 -> by the ptolemies
1765.74 -> [Music]
1773.2 -> the whole region was a flourishing
1774.88 -> commercial district with a harbour
1777.2 -> warehouses vineyards and small workshops
1780.3 -> [Music]
1790.72 -> the position of this temple is strategic
1794.399 -> because we are here at the end of the
1796.96 -> territory of alexandria there was a wall
1799.52 -> what they call the arab wall here to
1802.48 -> prevent any people to enter this area
1805.6 -> without paying the customs so they had
1808.24 -> to go through a gate there on the lake
1810.96 -> and even
1812.399 -> all the ships sailing on this lake had
1815.84 -> to go through a small bridge and to pay
1818.88 -> also the customs
1820.48 -> to enter alexandria territory
1824.159 -> this area was heavily populated
1826.88 -> the temple was surrounded by its own
1828.88 -> town with its own infrastructure
1831.84 -> next to the temple district were
1833.84 -> extensive residential areas and artisans
1837.12 -> workshops producing goods of all kinds
1843.9 -> [Music]
1849.2 -> to this day
1850.48 -> the shards of hundreds of thousands of
1853.12 -> amphi still lie here
1864.799 -> so this is only a very small part of the
1867.2 -> big dam and
1868.96 -> you can see there are some bottom of
1871.36 -> them france and it's appointed to stand
1873.84 -> into the sand to stand in the king to
1876.159 -> stand in the ships where they were
1877.919 -> transported to
1879.44 -> exploitation this is a handle
1882.24 -> double handle you see a very strong one
1884.48 -> with the figure print of the portrait
1886.159 -> maker you can see it when he did it
1888.48 -> so
1889.2 -> thousands of fun for us made by many
1891.039 -> many people who participated to this
1893.36 -> production mass production for mass
1895.679 -> exportation to alexandria and to the
1897.44 -> rest of the return
1899.65 -> [Music]
1903.279 -> in ancient times mass production
1905.6 -> probably looked much like this
1908.24 -> in a remote inland river valley
1910.559 -> thousands of amphi are still produced
1912.799 -> today
1914.27 -> [Music]
1921.919 -> the process has not changed people still
1924.64 -> get their clay from the river
1927.11 -> [Music]
1938.06 -> [Music]
1945.12 -> even today people cannot imagine daily
1947.36 -> life without amphorae which are used to
1950.399 -> keep food cool or to transport it
1954.09 -> [Music]
1960.32 -> just as in the workshops around ancient
1962.64 -> alexandria
1964.08 -> there are no machines here everything is
1966.72 -> made entirely by hand
1969.4 -> [Music]
1976 -> chance discovery revealed how so many
1978.64 -> clay vessels could be produced at once
1982.02 -> [Music]
1983.279 -> these are the remains of an enormous
1985.44 -> amphora kiln destroyed by an explosion
1989.12 -> until recently it was hidden under a
1991.039 -> mountain of shards
1996.72 -> in this kiln
1998.159 -> more than 600 amphorae could be fired
2000.96 -> simultaneously
2016.96 -> you have a lot of questions with such a
2019.44 -> kin
2020.32 -> and i think that they have a lot of
2022.559 -> problems you you can see the the eye of
2024.96 -> the of the dump they have broken a lot
2027.039 -> of arm for us because i think it was
2028.88 -> very difficult to control to check up
2030.72 -> the firing
2032.399 -> you know the fire chamber is
2034.799 -> more than two and a half meters high
2042.88 -> kilns like these are still used in the
2045.039 -> hinterlands of alexandria today
2047.6 -> they are lit once a week to fire all the
2050.159 -> pottery on hand
2057.76 -> clay was the universal material of
2059.599 -> antiquity it was cheap freely available
2062.72 -> easy to shape and durable
2072.639 -> as they did in ancient times the men
2075.04 -> feed the fire and keep it burning all
2077.679 -> night long
2086.56 -> whether it was amphorae or water pipes
2089.44 -> this early mass production of everyday
2091.76 -> items was one of the prerequisites for
2094.079 -> the development of large cities
2099.33 -> [Music]
2109.04 -> agnodiki's transformation is now
2111.68 -> complete
2118.13 -> [Music]
2122.079 -> but will the deception work
2124.6 -> [Music]
2137.599 -> the library of alexandria the goal of
2140.48 -> agnodiki's dreams
2144.14 -> [Music]
2163.2 -> here the greatest minds of her time
2165.76 -> teach and conduct research
2167.839 -> archimedes euclid or eratosthenes
2171.28 -> who had discovered that the earth was
2173.04 -> not flat
2174.24 -> but a sphere
2181.359 -> the library was renowned throughout the
2183.52 -> ancient world
2185.44 -> hundred thousand scrolls the collected
2188.24 -> knowledge of antiquity was stored here
2192.36 -> [Applause]
2193.09 -> [Music]
2197.2 -> the ptolemies went to unusual lengths in
2199.52 -> their pursuit of knowledge
2201.52 -> every ship that docked in alexandria had
2203.92 -> to hand over to the library all its
2206.079 -> written materials
2207.839 -> and received copies in return
2212.31 -> [Music]
2215.28 -> a treasure trove of knowledge opens up
2217.599 -> before agnodiki
2222.24 -> no one here could know that not a single
2224.16 -> scroll will survive
2228.72 -> the library and its treasures were
2230.48 -> destroyed by fire in the 3rd century a.d
2240.24 -> however there is one place where papyrus
2242.56 -> strolls from that time have been
2244.4 -> preserved
2248.48 -> at the edge of the desert
2253.599 -> for the past 20 years a french italian
2256.24 -> team has been excavating the remains of
2258.48 -> a ptolemaic city here
2264.48 -> what in alexandria is hidden beneath
2266.96 -> numerous layers of history here lies
2269.76 -> directly under the desert sand
2274.079 -> the extraordinary feature of teptunis is
2276 -> not the ruins
2277.76 -> the extremely dry desert climate has
2280.72 -> preserved thousands of written documents
2283.2 -> dating back to the founding of
2284.8 -> alexandria
2292.64 -> it is an el dorado for the papyrus
2294.88 -> specialist professor galazzi who leads
2297.44 -> the dig
2299.04 -> the virus was a user in old egypt and
2301.599 -> also in ukraine in europe but in recent
2304.4 -> in europe is impossible to find papyri
2308.8 -> as it's impossible to find papaya in
2310.56 -> alexandria because the humidity
2312.72 -> destroyed all this kind of material
2315.839 -> in this small village
2318.16 -> the
2318.96 -> sand the desert preserved all
2322 -> for that papaya teptunis is one of the
2325.04 -> rare place of the egypt where is it
2327.76 -> possible yet now to find papari under my
2330.96 -> mission find
2332.4 -> about
2333.68 -> 3 000 papyri
2344.56 -> the discoveries made in teptunis suggest
2347.52 -> what treasures must once have been
2349.599 -> stored in the library of
2352.839 -> alexandria these papyri already provide
2356.4 -> unrivaled insight into life in ancient
2358.8 -> times
2365.76 -> all the papyri give us a view of daily
2369.92 -> life we have
2371.76 -> the receipt or the taxes that are
2374.16 -> allowed to know the name of the owner of
2377.04 -> the building
2378.24 -> we have
2379.52 -> the account
2380.88 -> of
2382 -> the food
2383.359 -> bought
2384.16 -> by the family
2385.52 -> sometimes with
2387.28 -> official acts
2388.8 -> of burn or dead
2392.079 -> of marriage
2393.44 -> we have a contract so if you joined all
2398 -> these texts all this information you can
2401.119 -> really have exact view of the life in
2405.119 -> this village 2 thousand years ago
2411.76 -> there were no libraries in the provinces
2414.319 -> the teptunist papyri come from private
2416.8 -> dwellings offices or temples
2421.5 -> [Music]
2430.48 -> with its geometric layout and its broad
2433.359 -> processional avenue teptunis has
2435.52 -> similarities to the capital alexandria
2439.19 -> [Music]
2446.96 -> and as in alexandria there are signs of
2449.599 -> an intermingling of cultures
2454.31 -> [Music]
2458.72 -> greek columns
2460.4 -> deep in the egyptian hinterland
2464.88 -> this house may have been the home of a
2466.48 -> rich merchant who made his fortune by
2468.319 -> trading along the caravan routes
2476.64 -> even in egypt the greeks of the
2478.8 -> ptolemaic period retained their greek
2481.04 -> lifestyle
2482.4 -> they had a special temple dedicated to
2484.24 -> the god hermes
2485.76 -> and their daily lives in the desert were
2488.079 -> sweetened by luxurious public baths
2491.2 -> which even boasted heated floors
2500.319 -> the fragile papari must be treated on
2503.28 -> site to ensure their preservation
2508.24 -> after centuries in the sand
2510.48 -> they reveal their long-held secrets to
2512.64 -> the scientists
2517.119 -> the texts are written in greek but also
2519.599 -> in demotic the everyday egyptian script
2523.44 -> papyrus ii was a mass-produced product
2526 -> much like modern note paper it was
2528 -> necessary to join together
2530.4 -> the sheets of papyrus and to form a roll
2533.44 -> of papyrus normally a roll of
2536.96 -> 20 ships
2539.119 -> it was a long about a 3 meter 20
2541.76 -> centimeter
2543.119 -> and
2544 -> when some person needed to use a small
2547.52 -> part of the papyrus cut
2549.76 -> a part of the roll and use
2554.319 -> most of the teptunis papyri record
2556.56 -> ordinary everyday events
2560.4 -> their sales contracts tax notices or
2563.44 -> lease agreements
2567.52 -> but the library of alexandria housed the
2570.24 -> writings of all the great scholars of
2572.16 -> the time
2573.28 -> there were works on mathematics geometry
2575.52 -> and astronomy
2577.119 -> as well as historical works maps and
2580.16 -> pioneering medical treatises
2585.28 -> all waiting for agnadiki
2588.85 -> [Music]
2597.52 -> but the library also guarded some
2599.839 -> secrets which were to be withheld from
2602.079 -> most people
2606.77 -> [Music]
2612.079 -> the famous dr herophilus taught in
2614.64 -> alexandria
2616.319 -> his unusual research methods were not
2619.119 -> meant to be publicly known
2625.68 -> driven by curiosity agno dk dares to
2629.28 -> mingle with the doctor's circle of
2630.88 -> students
2632.28 -> [Music]
2642.4 -> herophilus was the founder of modern
2644.64 -> anatomy he gained his insights from the
2647.76 -> dissection of human cadavers
2650.54 -> [Music]
2654.64 -> but even in the city of knowledge such a
2657.04 -> practice was strictly taboo
2659.48 -> [Music]
2668.48 -> to cut open a corpse instead of burying
2671.04 -> it with dignity was to go against the
2673.44 -> will of the gods
2675.92 -> [Music]
2677.76 -> prosecutors
2680.53 -> [Music]
2689.11 -> [Music]
2701.119 -> agno dk is suddenly in great danger if
2703.839 -> she is discovered her survival is by no
2706 -> means certain
2707.72 -> [Music]
2717.29 -> [Music]
2731.28 -> professor galazi's discoveries generally
2733.76 -> shed light on matters that are less
2735.44 -> sensational but in no way less human
2743.44 -> this is information concerning a priest
2747.2 -> meeting
2748.4 -> with
2749.2 -> the date
2750.96 -> the name
2752.16 -> of the person invited
2754.4 -> in the meeting
2756.079 -> and the information
2757.76 -> that
2759.52 -> the member of the association
2762.319 -> and the person that
2764.24 -> was invited in the meeting
2767.119 -> drink some beer
2770.319 -> the face of alexandria has changed many
2772.8 -> times since his founding
2774.56 -> the greeks were succeeded by the romans
2777.2 -> then the arabs ruled the city for a time
2780.4 -> in the 1920s the ancient metropolis took
2782.96 -> on a mediterranean look
2789.68 -> nowadays progress has arrived in the
2792 -> form of newly constructed office
2794.16 -> buildings
2795.44 -> on historic soil
2800.319 -> dr emperor's team is on its way to yet
2802.4 -> another rescue dig
2808.4 -> a modern shopping mall is being built to
2810.96 -> save time
2812.24 -> and against all agreements the developer
2814.8 -> has buried half the excavation site
2817.28 -> under a concrete slab overnight
2820.16 -> the archaeologists have little time to
2822.079 -> explore the area still accessible
2824.88 -> and yet it was here that they made a
2827.599 -> significant discovery
2830.11 -> [Music]
2831.44 -> in a pile of rubble they came across the
2833.76 -> torso of a marble statue
2836.319 -> the precious find has been examined and
2838.64 -> treated in the research center's
2840.079 -> workshops
2841.78 -> [Music]
2847.599 -> much to the team's surprise it turned
2850.24 -> out to be the marble statue of a roman
2852.64 -> emperor
2856.96 -> alexandria had been the queen of the
2858.96 -> ancient capitals for 300 years
2862 -> when a new metropolis rose to power
2864.079 -> across the sea
2866.16 -> rome seized control over the entire
2868.8 -> mediterranean region
2875.04 -> in 31 bc
2876.72 -> the romans subjugated the realm of the
2878.88 -> ptolemies
2880.48 -> they changed the greek city radically by
2882.96 -> building their own on top of it
2885.68 -> and imposed their culture on alexandria
2891.119 -> this showy roman boulevard was built
2893.2 -> directly over a ptolemaic residential
2895.44 -> area
2898.8 -> unlike the greeks
2900.4 -> the romans took the country by force
2902.88 -> the intermingling of cultures ended
2905.44 -> abruptly the romans would tolerate no
2908.319 -> other rulers
2910.48 -> they reduced the glittering metropolis
2912.16 -> to a provincial town in their empire
2916.94 -> [Music]
2929.04 -> agnodiki's plan has failed
2931.76 -> she must return to athens
2934.09 -> [Music]
2936.24 -> but fate gives her story an unexpected
2939.119 -> twist
2945.52 -> at the lighthouse construction site part
2947.839 -> of the scaffolding has collapsed and
2950 -> buried some labourers working for crates
2955.44 -> he too has been injured
2958.76 -> [Music]
2978.319 -> yes
2987.28 -> the accident at the lighthouse gives
2989.28 -> agnodiki the opportunity to demonstrate
2991.76 -> her competence
2997.34 -> [Music]
3009.04 -> me
3013.33 -> [Music]
3015.92 -> her help is valued in this hour of need
3020.7 -> [Music]
3033.92 -> agnodiki will be allowed to stay in
3036.559 -> alexandria and finish her studies
3039.78 -> [Music]
3044.24 -> as a woman
3046.079 -> with the same rights as male students
3050.68 -> [Music]
3055.76 -> the story is told that she returned to
3057.839 -> athens
3059.04 -> and worked successfully as a doctor
3061.599 -> for many years
3063.19 -> [Music]
3077.599 -> alexandria's heyday under ptolemaic rule
3080.4 -> lasted only 300 years
3083.599 -> it was the ptolemies who transformed
3085.52 -> alexander the great's vision into
3087.359 -> reality
3088.88 -> they made alexandria the cultural center
3091.44 -> of the ancient world and a stronghold of
3094.16 -> knowledge and the sciences
3096.74 -> [Music]
3099.52 -> alexandria was also antiquities most
3101.92 -> modern city
3103.28 -> with a perfect infrastructure
3105.76 -> incomparable buildings
3108 -> and unique technological achievements
3117.599 -> alexandria was far ahead of his time
3120.88 -> not until the modern period did city
3123.28 -> planners again dare to attempt such
3126.079 -> immense urban projects
3132.24 -> [Music]
Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLZNFuOk_xc