Um documentário que nos leva numa viagem por todo o antigo Império Romano, explorando a entidade política mais multicultural da história.
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00:00A respeito de Brooklyn, o mundo inteiro, foi um dos novos conhecidos e influenciais
00:02O mundo inteiro é um dos maiores erer espirituales
00:06em todo o mundo histórico.
00:08E sua øyeis e desastres e fallinga
00:12continua a atribuir a nós
00:13após mais de 2000 anos.
00:16Os contribuições de art,
00:18de arquitetura,
00:19de linguagem,
00:20religião e culturais
00:22ainda nos atribuíse.
00:23At its height, the Roman Empire covered 2.3 million square miles over three continents,
00:34stretching north to Britannia and south, deep into Egypt.
00:39It's hard to imagine that it all started with a single city.
00:45I'm archaeologist Darius Aria, and in this series, we'll discover the contributions of Rome,
00:51its incredible monuments, beautiful landscapes, strategic organization, and its provinces and
00:59their resources. We'll explore the founding of the city and its evolution from one capital to many,
01:06to truly appreciate Rome's impact on the rest of the empire. In this episode, we'll explore what
01:13we call the Middle East, Jordan, along the Roman Empire's dramatic eastern frontier, and Petra,
01:20Rome, and the Rose City, the Kingdom of the Nabataeans.
01:23From up here on the citadel, Jebel Alcala, almost 2,800 feet above sea level, you can see the
01:53you can get an amazing perspective of Amman, the capital of Jordan.
02:02By the 3rd century BCE, the city thrived as a new urban center, the Ptolemaic Philadelphia,
02:08that finally fell under the sway of the Nabataeans, an ancient and mysterious nomadic Arab people
02:14who built the city of Petra and relied heavily on caravan routes, the spice trade,
02:19and agriculture for thousands of years.
02:22But it was in the Roman phase that the city enjoyed a truly privileged position in this region
02:30of the empire, displaying wealth and prestige throughout the city.
02:34From the citadel, an easily defensible area with a dominating view, you can enjoy a palimpsest
02:42of a Byzantine church, an 8th century Umayyad palace, and 12th century Ayyubid watchtower.
02:50Layers of history.
02:51Amman was founded on seven hills, or Jebel's, but the city is so much larger today.
03:04Look down below us and all around us, this massive urban sprawl.
03:08What a spectacular view from the citadel, the city's acropolis.
03:12It's already used as a fortified point in the Bronze Age,
03:15where what dominates your experience today is the remains of this Roman-era temple.
03:21Resting on a podium half the size of a football field,
03:24the columns were re-erected at a height of 45 feet,
03:28composed of drums weighing 11 tons apiece.
03:32And it would have been visible to the people down below in the Roman form.
03:39The location of the Acropolis in Amman,
03:42and the position of the temple overlooking the city,
03:44is a reminder of the construction and layout of Rome,
03:47with amazing views from the Acropolis on the Capitoline Hill.
03:55It represents the time of the apogee of Rome
04:00over Jordan in the 2nd century CE.
04:04In fact, it's this dedicatory inscription, written in Greek,
04:13by the dedicator, Giminias Marchanis,
04:16who was the provincial governor of Arabia Petraea
04:19when Roman Philadelphia was at its peak.
04:22Now, his career exemplifies the expanse of the Roman Empire.
04:26He is born in Sirta, modern Algeria,
04:30goes to Rome as a first-generation senator,
04:33a novus homo, or new man,
04:35and has his career in various offices doing the cursus enorm.
04:40He is a distinguished general under Marcus Aurelius,
04:44fighting in the Parthian Wars,
04:45and ends up his career as provincial governor here
04:49and ultimately, afterward, in the province of Asia,
04:55which is the Roman term for Western Turkey.
04:58His offering of this temple mirrors the pinnacle
05:01of Roman influence in Roman Jordan,
05:04the importance of Roman citizenship here.
05:07The economic and political weight of Rome
05:09was dominant throughout this region.
05:10But nothing lasts forever,
05:14and this temple ultimately falls into ruin
05:16to be reutilized in later constructions
05:19in subsequent periods.
05:26Indeed, the citadel continued to have
05:28an important role afterward,
05:30first as a Christian center with a Byzantine church,
05:33and then the sprawling, extensive Umayyad palace
05:37of the 8th century.
05:38Now, the Umayyad dynasty ruled from 661 to 750,
05:43and then extended its reach from Persia
05:45through the Middle East,
05:47across North Africa, and into Spain,
05:49one of the greatest and largest empires in history.
06:02Amidst the busy streets,
06:04signs of modernity,
06:05and socializing in the bustling capital city,
06:07where the average age of its citizens
06:09is under 24 years old,
06:12I'm making my way not just
06:13to the historic center of the city,
06:15with the Grand Hussein Mosque of 1932,
06:18but also the ancient center
06:22of ancient Philadelphia,
06:23where a portion of the Roman-era monuments
06:26are still nestled within the lively urban fabric.
06:29I'm in the heart of ancient Philadelphia,
06:44of the 2nd century CE.
06:47But there already was an impressive Hellenistic center,
06:49but under the Romans,
06:50the prosperity really took off.
06:52It all started with Pompey the Great,
06:54who conquered Syria and the Levant in 63 BC.
06:58And as a result,
06:59this city,
07:01always along the caravan route,
07:02passing from north to south,
07:04down to the Arabian Peninsula,
07:05truly benefited.
07:07And you have this impressive,
07:09important stop on that caravan route
07:11in this magnificent city.
07:19The remains today are still impressive,
07:21like this Greek theater built on a hillside.
07:25And that's in contrast to Roman-style theaters
07:27that were typically freestanding.
07:30Now, the Scanae Franz,
07:31the stage set right here,
07:32is beautifully preserved.
07:34And this is built on the reign of Antonius Pius,
07:36a period of relative tranquility
07:38and peace in the empire.
07:39It held 6,000 spectators
07:41and it's still in use today.
08:00I'm in the Odeon,
08:01which is a music hall just off the Forum.
08:04Looks like a theater,
08:06but it's smaller.
08:07That's because this was designed
08:09for musical performances,
08:11singing,
08:13debates,
08:14lectures.
08:15Originally, there was a wooden roof on top
08:18and it was all about acoustics
08:20and intimacy.
08:22It held about 500 people.
08:24It's largely intact still today.
08:26Ancient Philadelphia boasted the assets
08:36of a rich, urbanized community
08:38with impressive public venues.
08:41And just around the corner,
08:43there's the historic mosque
08:44of modern Amman.
08:46So you have this center
08:48used in antiquity
08:49and continue to be reused
08:51still today.
08:52We're headed north just 30 miles
08:58to explore one of the greatest
09:00preserved urban centers
09:01from Roman times.
09:02Jerash, known as the Pompeii
09:06of the Middle East.
09:07Like Amman,
09:08it was also part of the Decapolis
09:10that flourished under Rome.
09:12These 10 cities were similar
09:14in language, religion,
09:15and their ties to Hellenistic culture.
09:18Although the lists of the 10 cities vary,
09:20they include cities in today's Israel,
09:23Syria, and Jordan.
09:24In particular,
09:26Jerash,
09:27Skeleopolis,
09:28Hippos,
09:29Gadara,
09:30Pella,
09:31Philadelphia,
09:32Capitolius,
09:33Kanawat,
09:34Rafana,
09:35and Damascus.
09:39Most of the cities
09:40were Greek foundations
09:41created in the 3rd
09:42to 2nd centuries BCE
09:44and remained contested
09:46by various kingdoms
09:47like the Ptolemies,
09:49the Seleucids,
09:49Nabataeans,
09:50and Judeans,
09:51then sorted and organized
09:53as a special autonomous grouping
09:55under Pompeii the Great
09:56in 63 BCE.
09:59The cities culturally
10:01became a mix
10:02of Hellenistic Greek,
10:03Jewish,
10:04Nabataean,
10:05Aramaean,
10:06and Roman,
10:07achieving great wealth
10:08from their natural resources,
10:10namely fertile land,
10:11varieties of produce,
10:13availability of water,
10:14and location,
10:16along the principal
10:17caravan land routes
10:18carrying precious commodities
10:19from the Arabian Peninsula
10:21and the Far East.
10:23This magnificent arch,
10:28heavily restored,
10:29welcomes you
10:30to the outer limits
10:31of Jerash.
10:32It was constructed
10:34to honor the Emperor Hadrian
10:36in 129-130
10:37when he was actually here.
10:40Hadrian,
10:41the restless emperor,
10:43who spent so much
10:43of his reign
10:44in the provinces,
10:46not in Rome,
10:47was listening,
10:49defending,
10:50improving the empire.
10:51He actually wintered here
10:53between 129 and 130.
10:56And this arch
10:57is evocative
10:59of the grandeur
11:00of the triumphal arches
11:02in Rome,
11:02the Arch of Titus
11:04and the Arch of Septimius Severus.
11:06Inhabited as early
11:13as the Neolithic era,
11:14Jerash was settled
11:15by Alexander the Great's veterans,
11:17then refounded
11:18in the 2nd century BCE
11:20as Antioch on the Cerserus,
11:23the Golden River.
11:25Laid out on a series of terraces,
11:27the western side developed
11:28according to the lay of the land
11:30with public structures
11:31from north to south
11:32parallel with the river
11:33that ran through
11:34the middle of the town.
11:35Joined by two bridges,
11:37possibly four,
11:38the flatter eastern side
11:39developed into a corridor
11:41for large baths
11:42and possibly
11:43more residential living.
11:45A large circuit of walls
11:46over 2.5 miles long,
11:49built between the 1st
11:49and 3rd centuries CE,
11:51eventually surrounded
11:52the city's 200 acres.
11:54But its disparate parts
11:55became unified
11:56by colonnades and piazzas,
11:59a series of arches
12:00and monumental fountains
12:01that leave the visitor
12:02spellbound today.
12:04A huge area
12:07outside the city walls
12:08lined with tombs
12:09was cleared out
12:11for the construction
12:12of this circus
12:13for chariot racing.
12:15And you have here
12:16some of the best-preserved
12:17carceres,
12:18or starting blocks,
12:19in the ancient world.
12:20This held up to 15,000 spectators
12:27and some of the seating
12:28is still preserved.
12:29Actually considered
12:30to be the smallest circus
12:31in the ancient world,
12:32just about 265 meters long,
12:35consider that the Circus Maximus
12:37in Rome
12:37is over 600 meters long.
12:40Nevertheless,
12:42having a hippodrome
12:43or a circus
12:44is a sign of wealth
12:46and prominence
12:46of the city
12:47and a rarity
12:48in the Greek East.
12:56Past tombs, shops,
12:57and even a Byzantine-era church,
12:59we've finally come
13:00to the massive wall circuit
13:01at the monumental
13:02Southern Gate.
13:04Passing through it,
13:05we arrive in one of the most
13:07marvelously conceived
13:08urban spaces
13:09in the Roman world.
13:10I'm at the Oval Forum
13:18of Jerash.
13:19This is an amazing
13:20architectural space
13:21and you're surrounded
13:22still today
13:23by the original columns.
13:25This is a space created
13:27to connect you
13:28to all parts of the city.
13:29It accommodates you
13:30as you come through
13:31the city gates.
13:33It can direct you
13:34at an oblique angle
13:34up to the Grand Sanctuary
13:36of Zeus
13:36and the Major Theater.
13:38And it introduces you
13:40to the beginning
13:40of the corridor,
13:42this main elegant avenue
13:44that conducts you
13:45to the rest of the city.
13:47You've got the pavement
13:48here that's original.
13:49You've got a masterful creation,
13:52a wonderful architectural space,
13:54and it really does give you
13:56a grand sense
13:57of how amazing
13:58this city once was.
14:10The Roman-era sanctuary
14:14of Zeus,
14:15this grand temple,
14:17overlooks the Oval Forum.
14:19It greets you
14:19as you enter the city.
14:21It's a kind of
14:21an acropolis-like setting
14:23right next
14:24to the magnificent theater.
14:26It is one of the two
14:27key sanctuaries
14:28in the city of Jerash.
14:29When you walk through
14:43ancient Imperial Rome,
14:44you had a stunning display
14:46of colonnades everywhere,
14:48lighting porticos,
14:50carrying you
14:50through the Campus Martius,
14:51the Roman Forum,
14:53the Imperial Forum,
14:54all the way
14:54to the Colosseum.
14:56But we've lost that.
14:57We have it here
14:58in Jerash.
15:00Countless columns
15:01still standing
15:02on the main street.
15:16The sanctuary
15:17of the city patron,
15:18Artemis,
15:19was constructed later
15:20in the Antonine period.
15:22It was a masterpiece
15:23of planning
15:24and one of the largest
15:25sanctuaries
15:26in the Roman world.
15:28It too was terraced,
15:30responding to the natural
15:31topography of the city
15:32with a huge staircase
15:34and its colonnaded promenade
15:36with a trapezoid courtyard
15:39,
15:39extended across the river
15:40to the eastern side
15:41of the city.
15:43The central piazza
15:44was a whopping
15:45161 by 121 meters.
15:49And the experience today
15:50is stunning
15:51as all of the fundamental
15:53architectural pieces
15:54remain in place.
15:56in the Christian era,
16:07the city went through
16:08radical transformation.
16:10And you have that moment
16:12of recycling
16:14and repurposing
16:15so much architecture,
16:17big blocks,
16:18into new constructions.
16:20There are documented
16:2020 churches
16:21and three Byzantine
16:23bath complexes.
16:25And some of them
16:26were quite large,
16:27like this cathedral.
16:29It's gigantic
16:30in the shadow
16:31of the Temple of Artemis.
16:33and that's not by chance.
16:51We're here in a space
16:53in the shadow
16:54of the Temple of Artemis
16:55and you have a big saw
16:56that's powered
16:58by this water wheel.
17:00What a great use
17:01of the water
17:02to power.
17:03You have this technology
17:04in place
17:06at a time
17:06when you need
17:08to recycle the material.
17:09It's very effective.
17:10It's very efficient.
17:11It's very industrialized.
17:12And right here,
17:12we can see
17:13the cuts made
17:14by the saw.
17:15This particular block
17:16of marble
17:17is abandoned,
17:18where we can see
17:19the precision
17:20with the blades
17:21and how many blades
17:22are actually used.
17:23So it's a great example
17:24of what existed also
17:25in antiquity,
17:26so rarely preserved.
17:28Here we have it
17:29in the Byzantine era
17:31when life was still
17:32thriving in Jairash.
17:41Jairash is destabilized
17:43and even overrun
17:44by the Persian Sassanids
17:46in the early 7th century.
17:48By the mid-7th century,
17:49it's now Muslim
17:51and you have
17:51your first mosque.
17:53Then you have
17:53the destructive forces
17:55of a massive earthquake
17:56in the middle
17:57of the 8th century
17:58and the city
17:59never recovers.
18:00It's pretty much
18:01shrinking down
18:01to a small village.
18:03By about the 12th century,
18:04there's even
18:04a crusader fort.
18:06But then it's
18:06entirely abandoned
18:07and it becomes
18:08a quarry site.
18:10Fast forward
18:11to the excavations
18:13and the rediscovery
18:14of Jairash
18:14in the early 20th century.
18:17But they've just
18:18begun to scratch
18:19the surface
18:19because the eastern half
18:21of this ancient city
18:22is still underneath
18:24modern Jairash today.
18:36We're driving down
18:37the King's Highway,
18:38known in the Roman period
18:40as the Via Regia.
18:41It was the principal land route
18:42that the Nabataean-led caravans
18:44took from the Red Sea
18:44in the south
18:45heading north to Syria
18:46laden with goods
18:47frankincense, myrrh,
18:49bitumen, ivory
18:50destined for the
18:51Grand Roman market.
18:54The Emperor Trajan
18:55organized the area
18:56into a new Roman province,
18:58Arabia Petraea,
18:59and built a new main road,
19:01the Via Traiana Nova.
19:04Nabataean's primacy
19:05shrank under the wave
19:06of new roads,
19:07new routes,
19:08and ultimately
19:09a new line of defense,
19:12the fortified
19:12Limes Aravicus,
19:14which lasted for centuries.
19:19Afterward,
19:19in the Byzantine period,
19:21the King's Road
19:21became an important
19:22Christian pilgrimage route
19:23for nearby Mount Nebo,
19:25where Moses,
19:27a revered prophet
19:27and teacher
19:28in Judaic tradition,
19:30died and was buried.
19:31The Roman-built fortress,
19:38the Khazar Bashir,
19:39was a part of
19:39the Limes Arapicus,
19:41defended against Arab raids
19:43and protected
19:44the territory
19:45from brigands.
19:46It was always
19:47a porous border
19:48with control
19:49over strategic locations.
19:51We're 50 miles
19:52south of Amman,
19:54in arid steppeland,
19:55at an elevation
19:56of 800 meters.
20:01The fort
20:01is strategically located
20:02with a view
20:03to the north
20:04over a river valley.
20:06One and a half miles away
20:07and half a mile away
20:09is a ridge
20:10overlooking the desert
20:11to the east.
20:13It's perfect
20:13for cavalry patrols.
20:18This small fort
20:19was intended
20:20for half
20:20of the normal
20:21Limitani troops,
20:23those men stationed
20:24along the border,
20:25so just 60 men total
20:26and their mounts.
20:29This fort
20:30is famous
20:31for its level
20:32of preservation.
20:34An inscription
20:34over the gateway
20:35dates it
20:36to the Diocletianic era,
20:38around 293
20:39to 306 CE.
20:43The structure
20:44is rather small,
20:46roughly square,
20:4756 by 57 meters.
20:50It displays
20:51the typical architecture
20:52of this time
20:53for our castellum,
20:55projecting towers
20:56at the corners
20:56and flanking the gate,
20:59an inner courtyard
21:00surrounded on all four sides
21:02by barracks
21:02and stables.
21:12After the battle
21:13of Yarmouk,
21:14not far away,
21:16that ended
21:16the Roman rule
21:17of the Middle East
21:18in 636,
21:19many others
21:20created new circuits
21:21of castles
21:22along this line.
21:23defensive
21:25and for communication,
21:28but of a different,
21:29more imposing nature.
21:38The Crusader King
21:39Baldwin I
21:40built this fortification
21:42after the First Crusade
21:43in 1115.
21:45It's known as
21:46Croc de Montreal
21:47and Mons Regalis
21:49because the king himself
21:51was associated
21:52with its construction.
21:53Its purpose
21:54was twofold.
21:55One was to protect
21:57the eastern frontier
21:58of the Kingdom
21:59of Jerusalem
21:59and the other
22:00was to control
22:02the critical corridor
22:03from Egypt
22:04to Syria.
22:05The castle
22:06was located
22:07in a quintessential
22:08strategic location
22:09as fertile plains
22:11surrounded
22:11an isolated hilltop.
22:13Essentially,
22:14it was impregnable
22:15and not far off
22:16there was Petra
22:17that so long ago
22:19controlled the same
22:20land corridor
22:21for trade
22:22and commerce.
22:28In 1187,
22:30the Ayurvedic
22:31Sultan Saladin
22:32attacked Jerusalem
22:34and it fell
22:35immediately.
22:36Then he came here
22:37because this
22:38was such a strategic
22:39location.
22:40He brought his
22:41siege engines,
22:42he thought it would
22:42be over very quickly.
22:43But instead,
22:44this castle
22:45resisted.
22:46How was it possible?
22:48For two years,
22:49they had a secret.
22:51They had previously
22:51dug a tunnel,
22:53375 steps,
22:55piercing through
22:56the entire height
22:57of this hill
22:57to hit water,
22:59a natural spring,
23:01so they were able
23:01to resist.
23:02But ultimately,
23:04it fell
23:04in 1189,
23:06ending the presence
23:07of the Crusaders
23:08in Transjordan.
23:14control and protection
23:23to find these castles.
23:24But that's not
23:25the entire story
23:26in this region.
23:27Let's continue south
23:28to explore a different
23:29facet of ancient Jordan,
23:31in the desert
23:32where the nomadic city life
23:34is preserved still today.
23:35There's nothing in the world
23:51like Wadi Rum.
23:53And one of the reasons
23:54is because you have
23:56this unique sand
23:57full of iron oxide
23:58that makes it
23:59this red color.
24:01And for this reason,
24:04Wadi Rum stands in
24:05for off-world,
24:06for Mars,
24:07for Dunes Arrakis,
24:08and the desert planets
24:09of Star Wars.
24:10And it really does deserve
24:12to have that kind of feel
24:13of being in another world
24:14because there's nothing
24:16with this beautiful landscape.
24:17There's nothing like this
24:18on the planet.
24:19Wadi Rum is known
24:32by the locals
24:32as Wadi Al-Khamar.
24:35That's Valley of the Moon.
24:36This is a world heritage site
24:38that consists of
24:40285 square miles.
24:43Granite formations,
24:45weathered sandstone,
24:46canyons,
24:47valleys,
24:48natural arches,
24:51red sand deserts.
24:53It's forever associated
24:54with T.E. Lawrence,
24:55who was here
24:56and wrote about
24:57his impressions
24:57during the Arab Revolt
24:59from 1917 to 1918.
25:02The massive formation
25:03behind me
25:04is known to the locals
25:05as Hashem Al-Mazmar.
25:09But to tourists
25:09and people around the world,
25:11it's known
25:12as the seven pillars
25:13of wisdom.
25:1825,000 petroglyphs
25:27are etched in the walls
25:29of the canyons
25:30of Wadi Rum.
25:3220,000 inscriptions
25:33in Nabataean,
25:35Dhamudic,
25:36and Arabic,
25:37documenting the lives
25:39of people
25:39in pastoral societies
25:40and traders
25:42in caravans.
25:43There's so much history
25:44here in Wadi Rum.
25:46There's 154 archaeological sites,
25:49one notable
25:50Nabataean temple.
25:52We have then documented
25:5312,000 years
25:56of occupation
25:57of this space.
25:58And so many
25:59of the inscriptions
25:59are Nabataean
26:00in their period
26:02of flourishing
26:02from the 2nd century B.C.
26:04to the 1st century C.E.
26:06to the 1st century B.C.
26:36history of Jordan
26:37is literally written
26:39on the walls,
26:40recording the caravan routes
26:42matched by this
26:43otherworldly landscape.
26:45Before and after
26:45the Romans,
26:47people have tried
26:47to dominate
26:48the harsh land
26:48of Jordan
26:49with caravan highways,
26:51mighty urban centers,
26:52desert fortifications,
26:54and more.
26:55Today,
26:56exploring the natural
26:57landscape of Wadi Rum,
26:59once part of
27:00the expansive Roman Empire,
27:01we can contemplate
27:02just how much
27:03this corner
27:04of that world
27:05was always an entity
27:06unto itself,
27:08still waiting
27:08to be discovered
27:09to connect
27:10to its ancient past.
27:11from Jordan,
27:27we travel about
27:28150 miles southwest
27:29to Petra,
27:31Rome and the Rose City,
27:33the Kingdom
27:33of the Nabataeans.
27:34Who are the Nabataeans?
27:44Well, their tombs
27:45tell us so much
27:46about them,
27:46like this one,
27:48the Tomb of the Obelisk,
27:49as it's known
27:49for obvious reasons,
27:51underlining
27:52that the Nabataeans
27:52had relationships
27:53with other civilizations
27:55like Egypt.
27:59The Nabataeans' written language
28:01was based upon Aramaic
28:02and had a particular
28:04cursive script
28:05that developed
28:05into Arabic.
28:07The spoken Nabataean
28:08was based upon
28:09a form of Arabic
28:09as well
28:10and reminds us
28:12of the origins
28:12of the Nabataeans
28:13from the deserts
28:14of Arabia.
28:18The inscription
28:18is bilingual.
28:20It's also in Greek
28:21and it reads,
28:22This is the tomb
28:23of Agman,
28:24the son of Achaeus.
28:25It's for himself
28:26and his children.
28:27It dates between
28:28the 1st century BCE
28:29and the 1st century CE.
28:32It's worth considering
28:34that the Nabataean world
28:35was multicultural.
28:37You had art,
28:37architecture,
28:39religion,
28:39mediated through experiences
28:41with other people
28:42and empires,
28:44even the Roman Empire.
28:47They have left behind
28:48a treasure of architecture
28:49that we can explore,
28:51including a wonderful array
28:53of tomb types,
28:54pylon,
28:55Hegar with step
28:56crenellations,
28:57arch,
28:58and classical,
28:59with identifiable
29:00local elements,
29:01but also Greek,
29:03Egyptian,
29:04and even Mesopotamian features.
29:08Nomadic tribe
29:09from Arabia,
29:10the Nabataeans
29:11eventually controlled
29:12this part
29:13of the Great Rift Valley,
29:14as far north as Syria,
29:16as far south
29:17as northern Arabia,
29:19interacting with
29:20various powers
29:20from Mesopotamia
29:22to Jerusalem.
29:24Initially noted
29:24as brigands and robbers,
29:26they harassed
29:27the steady stream
29:28of caravans
29:29traveling across
29:30timeless routes
29:30from Egypt
29:31to Syria
29:32and beyond.
29:35The goods
29:36they first stole
29:37from the caravans
29:38and then trafficked
29:39included frankincense
29:40and myrrh
29:40used for religious rites.
29:42Bitumen from Egypt
29:43and silk from China
29:45brought along
29:46the Silk Road.
29:47They had innate
29:48knowledge of the desert,
29:51hidden paths,
29:52uses of dromedaries,
29:53and stashes of water,
29:56hidden cisterns.
30:03There are many entrances
30:05into Petra
30:05from the north
30:06and from the south,
30:07but the famous one
30:08is the Sikh
30:09located to the east.
30:10It's literally invisible
30:11from the outside.
30:13The Arabs call it the Sikh,
30:14it means the shaft,
30:15and it winds its way
30:16three quarters of a mile
30:18into Petra.
30:19Now it's created
30:19by a shifting
30:20of tectonic plates
30:21splitting apart
30:22the mountain,
30:23worn smooth
30:24by floodwaters
30:25from Wadi Musa.
30:28All along the route,
30:29it's lined with niches
30:31filled with
30:31unaccounted figures
30:32or bettales.
30:33That means that this
30:34was as much
30:35a religious processional route
30:36as it was one of commerce.
30:39Walking along the Sikh,
30:40I'm reminded of my stroll
30:42along the Via Appia,
30:43one of Rome's longest roads
30:45and trade routes.
30:46It's also lined
30:48with monuments and tombs,
30:50a tribute to the many
30:51great citizens of its time.
30:53The walk through the Sikh today
30:56is as it was
30:58thousands of years ago.
30:59Some points,
31:00the Sikh is very narrow,
31:01even a few feet.
31:02Other times,
31:03it's quite wide.
31:04But always looming overhead
31:05are these massive cliffs.
31:07But what happened here
31:08in antiquity?
31:09This relief
31:10reminds us
31:12of what happened.
31:13We have a camel driver here.
31:16We have reliefs
31:17of several Arabian camels,
31:19the dromedaries,
31:21laden with goods.
31:23There would have been
31:24hundreds and hundreds
31:25and hundreds of camels
31:26filled to the brim
31:28with myrrh
31:29and frankincense
31:30and other goods
31:31headed into Petra.
31:33Water was a key
31:36to the longevity
31:37of the Nabataean city.
31:39They controlled
31:39this precious resource
31:40by harnessing the water
31:42from the winter floods
31:43by dams
31:44and cutting cisterns
31:45into the walls.
31:46They applied this knowledge
31:48throughout their territory
31:49so that these hidden cisterns
31:51were only known to them.
31:53Wow, this cistern is huge.
31:59It's all cut out by hand.
32:02It contained
32:02an enormous amount of water.
32:04This is how the Nabataeans
32:06conquered the desert.
32:17I'm just edging the Sikh
32:18and this is why
32:19we come to Petra
32:20for this experience,
32:21for this wonder.
32:31This narrow passageway
32:33subtly reveals to you
32:34the magnificent facade
32:35of the treasury
32:36carved from the living rock.
32:39In a natural courtyard,
32:41the facade
32:41is almost entirely intact,
32:43standing 128 feet high
32:45on a massive wall
32:46of sandstone.
32:47It's known as
32:48the Al-Kazne Farum,
32:50the pharaoh's treasure.
32:52Named by local Bedouin tribes
32:54according to the legend
32:55that it held
32:56a hidden treasure
32:57from a long-lost pharaoh.
32:59Shooting it
32:59in the right spot
33:00would supposedly reveal
33:01of the gold, hence the bullet holes
33:03on the monument.
33:12But it wasn't a treasury at all.
33:14It was either a temple
33:16or it was a royal tomb
33:18or it was maybe a memorial mausoleum.
33:22We really don't know.
33:23But inside there are carved
33:26three large rooms
33:28to accommodate either public
33:30or private veneration.
33:33Now beneath here
33:33there were found tombs
33:35dating to 50 BCE.
33:37They're the oldest documented
33:38tombs in Petra.
33:39The latest tomb,
33:40the last tomb of Petra
33:41dates to 130 CE.
33:43They built so much
33:45in so little time.
33:46And it demonstrates
33:47the great wealth of Petra
33:49and it underlines
33:50the artistic
33:51and architectural bravura
33:52of its craftsmen.
34:00Much of the decoration
34:02has funerary associations.
34:04The lower half
34:05resembles a regular temple facade
34:07guarded by two Dioskodi figures
34:09straight out of Hellenistic
34:11Greek artwork and mythology.
34:13Above, the pediment
34:14is split in half
34:15with a tholos,
34:17a round temple-like structure.
34:19Amazons with raised weapons
34:20and winged Nike figures
34:21stand atop
34:22and the central tholos figure
34:24is a woman
34:25holding a cornucopia,
34:26possibly an Isis
34:27or Tike figure,
34:29ultimately associated
34:30with the Nabataean
34:31goddess Aludza.
34:33The pediment
34:33is surmounted by eagles.
34:36Whatever his relationship
34:37with the treasury,
34:38a king surely commissioned it.
34:40But his identification
34:40is still a mystery
34:42in the absence
34:42of any form
34:44of inscriptional evidence.
34:45Though frequently,
34:47scholars associate
34:47this building
34:48with Eretas IV,
34:50the great builder
34:51of Petra monuments.
35:01Beyond the natural courtyard
35:02of the treasury,
35:03the city begins to unfold
35:05as the area widens out,
35:08revealing a sprawling space
35:09of 250 acres
35:11hemmed in
35:12by a protective series
35:13of rocky mountaintops.
35:16At its peak,
35:17the city held
35:17as many as 20,000 inhabitants.
35:20We should now consider
35:21that the greater area
35:22around Petra,
35:23now UNESCO World Heritage Site,
35:26contains satellite towns
35:27and outposts
35:28spread across
35:29102 square miles.
35:33Which king built what
35:35in Petra
35:35remains a big question.
35:37Literary sources
35:38and a few precious inscriptions
35:40named the protagonists,
35:42such as Eretas IV,
35:44who was the greatest builder
35:45in Petra.
35:46He was active
35:47during the reigns
35:48of Augustus and Tiberius.
35:50Petra's kings
35:51ruled over 275 years
35:54of success,
35:55expansion,
35:56and finally absorption
35:57into the Roman Empire
35:59in the early
36:002nd century CE.
36:01They left behind
36:04an impressive artistic
36:05and architectural display
36:06similar to the
36:07Greco-Roman repertoire
36:08but with a distinct
36:10Nabataean flair.
36:13Walking along
36:14the street of facades,
36:15it's as if
36:16every single inch
36:17of the cliffs
36:18had been carved
36:19with tombs,
36:20over 600 have been documented
36:21of varying dimensions,
36:23and they serve
36:24to frame
36:25the entire central valley
36:27of Petra,
36:28where you have
36:28the urban center.
36:29All the structures
36:30of the urban center
36:31of Petra
36:32are aligned
36:33along this road.
36:35There are
36:35massive sanctuaries,
36:38markets,
36:38and shops.
36:39There's even
36:40an irrigated garden space
36:41using the Nabataean
36:43water system.
36:44Underneath, though,
36:45beforehand,
36:46you had
36:47a domestic quarter,
36:48houses.
36:49They're all obliterated
36:50to make this one
36:51organizing street
36:53under the reign
36:54of Eretas IV.
36:55And when we first
36:56go through this arch,
36:58a triumphal arch
36:59built by the Romans,
37:00you're entering
37:01into a religious
37:01Temenos space,
37:03a sacred precinct
37:04with shrines
37:05and a gigantic temple.
37:16This is the most
37:17impressive temple
37:18preserved in Petra.
37:19And known locally
37:20as Khazar bin Pharaon,
37:22that means the palace
37:23of the pharaoh's daughter,
37:25which doesn't really
37:26apply to the reality.
37:27The reality is
37:28inscriptions found
37:30on site say
37:30it's dedicated
37:31to Aphrodite
37:32and to Zeus,
37:34the Nabataean versions,
37:36Dushara and Naludza.
37:38And it's not just
37:39this temple.
37:40There's a grand complex
37:42that has separate
37:44temples and shrines,
37:45but this is the one
37:47that all of our attention
37:49is given to
37:49because it's so well-preserved.
37:51And you can just make out
37:52the individual blocks
37:53that are cut in place
37:55to construct this.
37:56It's over 100 feet wide
37:58and 100 feet long,
37:59about the same size
38:00and height,
38:02so we don't have to
38:02use our imagination
38:04to understand
38:04how important
38:05this temple was,
38:07also with its own
38:08gigantic altar.
38:10And we can make out
38:11some of the details
38:12on the exterior
38:13of the walls.
38:13This would have been
38:14painted and colored,
38:16very much more lavish
38:17than what we see.
38:17and in the imperial period
38:19under the Romans,
38:20it's even given
38:21marble stairs
38:23and a marble interior.
38:25So we have a long life
38:26for this temple complex
38:28that we think,
38:30archaeologically,
38:31goes back to the reign
38:32of Aratas IV.
38:34as sea routes change
38:48under the Romans
38:49and some of the caravan routes
38:51pushed further north,
38:52it's going to have
38:53an overall profound effect
38:54upon the Nabataean culture
38:56and way of life.
38:57But for a while,
38:59Petra continued to flourish.
39:01But by the end
39:02of the 3rd century,
39:03we don't see
39:04Nabataean inscriptions.
39:06It's predominantly in Greek.
39:08Now the city is eventually
39:09going to be Christianized
39:10in the 4th century
39:11as the rest of the empire.
39:14But you're not going to see
39:15a real change
39:16in the impact of the economy
39:17for a while.
39:18And in fact,
39:20the church culture
39:21is going to flourish here.
39:23This is the rich church.
39:24It was built from 450 to 600,
39:26finally destroyed by a fire,
39:28thereby preserving
39:29these beautiful mosaics.
39:31It gives us a sense
39:32of the wealth
39:32and prosperity
39:33still in Petra.
39:35But when Petra becomes
39:37Islamic,
39:37it pretty much
39:38is going to be abandoned.
39:40There's a brief moment
39:41when you have
39:41a crusader fort constructed
39:43on the mountain
39:44Jabal al-Habiz
39:45overlooking the city center,
39:47but that too goes away.
39:48And then Petra falls
39:49from memory
39:50known only
39:51to the local nomads.
39:52It wasn't until the 19th century
39:57that Europeans
39:58would again lay eyes
39:59on Petra.
40:00The Swiss explorer
40:01Johann Burkhart
40:02had heard tales
40:04of a hidden ancient city,
40:05so he set out to find it.
40:07Fluent in Arabic
40:08and disguised
40:09as a Muslim traveler,
40:10he rediscovered Petra
40:11in 1812,
40:13becoming the first
40:14Westerner to visit
40:15since the Crusades.
40:16After his journal
40:18was published,
40:19it became a must-see
40:20destination
40:20for adventurers,
40:22artists,
40:22architects,
40:23and finally tourists.
40:25Featured in several
40:26recent movies
40:27like Indiana Jones,
40:28it has continued
40:29to capture the imagination
40:30and is rightly recognized
40:32as one of the most
40:33important archaeological sites
40:34in the world.
40:35And now I'm arriving,
40:39a spectacular entrance
40:40into Petra.
40:42Look what awaits me,
40:43the monastery,
40:44Adir.
40:45It's called this
40:46because of crosses
40:47that were found
40:48inscribed inside.
40:50Cut back into the cliff
40:52to make this
40:53impressive forecourt,
40:55you have the monumental
40:56façade of the monastery,
40:5849 meters wide,
41:0045 meters high.
41:02It's like the treasury,
41:03little less refined
41:04in the details,
41:06but much more massive,
41:08much more muscular
41:09in scale, let's say.
41:11And there is
41:12a processional route,
41:13it seems,
41:13then cut into
41:14the staircase
41:15and the cliff below
41:16to reach this point.
41:18Was it a place of worship?
41:20Was it a tomb
41:21of one of the rulers
41:22of Petra?
41:24We really have
41:24a lot of unanswered questions.
41:26Nearby,
41:27an inscription was found
41:28attributed to the ruler
41:30Obadus I,
41:31who we know
41:32was worshipped
41:33as a god
41:33after he died.
41:34We have a lot
41:35of questions,
41:36but we're always impressed
41:37by this incredible
41:38architecture.
41:39Look at the details
41:40of the façade.
41:41We have that central
41:42tholos,
41:43that kind of round temple
41:45construction in the center,
41:46just like in the treasury,
41:47but this is much more massive.
41:49Look at the big niches
41:50that would have been
41:51filled with statuary.
41:53As we make our way down here,
41:54we look at the capitals,
41:56that pretty much just roughed out,
41:58not entirely finished.
42:00and at the bottom
42:01there's a whole section
42:02that cuts across
42:03the sandstone
42:04has eroded,
42:06has been worn.
42:07So initially,
42:08the idea
42:08that we think
42:09is that the entire surface
42:11was covered in stucco
42:13and paint,
42:14would have been
42:14a much more vibrant experience,
42:16and it would have been
42:17much more protective.
42:18Today,
42:19the façade
42:20is exposed
42:21to the elements,
42:22and preservation
42:23is the big issue.
42:24The task
42:36of identifying
42:37the ownership
42:38of these prominent tombs
42:39of Petra
42:39with the known rulers
42:40is basically
42:41an impossible task.
42:43They don't have
42:43any inscriptions
42:44preserved,
42:45and the archaeological evidence
42:46has been lost,
42:47robbed out,
42:48long ago.
42:49Be that as it may,
42:51locally,
42:52these tombs
42:52underneath the mountain
42:54Jabalakupta
42:54are known
42:55as the royal tombs
42:56for their prominence,
42:58for their majesty
42:59in scale.
43:00And they are known
43:01as the palace tomb
43:03that looks like
43:04the façade
43:05of a grand palace.
43:06The Corinthian tomb,
43:08the silk tomb,
43:10which has striations
43:11in the sandstone
43:12that are beautiful,
43:13reminding people
43:14of silk.
43:16And finally,
43:17the grand urn tomb,
43:18which has an elevated
43:19courtyard.
43:20It was converted
43:21into a church
43:22in the 5th century
43:23CE.
43:39Of all the tombs
43:40of Petra,
43:41only two are
43:42ascribed to Romans.
43:43And this one
43:44is important
43:45because it's the tomb
43:46of Sexius Florentinus.
43:47We know this
43:48because his inscription
43:49is on the tomb.
43:50We have the information
43:51about his career.
43:53He was the governor
43:54of the province
43:55of Arabia Petreia.
43:58Petra was the capital
43:58of the province
43:59and he died while in office
44:01between 128 and 129 CE.
44:03The province had been
44:04absorbed by Trajan
44:05in 106.
44:07And in 130,
44:07the emperor Hadrian
44:08visited
44:09and he added his name
44:10to Petra,
44:12adding the glory
44:13of the city
44:13to himself.
44:15Sexius Florentinus
44:16must have also loved
44:17Petra enough
44:17to be enshrined
44:19in a Nabataean-style
44:20tomb
44:20for all eternity.
44:36This then is
44:36the high place
44:37of sacrifice.
44:38All of Petra
44:39is down below us.
44:40The Nabataeans
44:41weren't just about
44:42building tomb facades.
44:43They were all about
44:45celebrating
44:46and harmonizing
44:47with the natural landscape,
44:49taming it with water,
44:51building architectural wonders,
44:53celebrating life
44:54and their success
44:55in their empire,
44:56and also celebrating
44:57frequently
44:58the afterlife,
45:00bringing their
45:01Arabian gods
45:02in harmony
45:03with other deities
45:04from Egypt
45:05to Greece.
45:06Certainly,
45:12so much of Petra
45:13has resisted
45:14the erosion of time,
45:15from conquering
45:16Romans and Muslims
45:17to encroaching
45:19desert sands.
45:20And with the constant
45:21work of the Petra
45:22National Trust
45:23and the local communities,
45:25we're ensured
45:26it will be preserved
45:27for centuries to come.
45:36of the Petra
45:38National Trust
45:39National Trust
45:40National Trust
45:41National Trust