"Mysteries at the Museum" Buried Alive In Pompeii

1 00:00:05,096 --> 00:00:08,630 Pompeii -- it remains our most revealing, 2 00:00:08,632 --> 00:00:11,533 yet mysterious, link to the ancient worlds. 3 00:00:11,535 --> 00:00:14,202 For centuries, they've been digging at this site, 4 00:00:14,204 --> 00:00:15,937 feeding our fascination about what 5 00:00:15,939 --> 00:00:18,340 life was like in the ancient world... 6 00:00:18,342 --> 00:00:22,077 and how it all tragically ended here one fateful day. 7 00:00:22,079 --> 00:00:23,511 When a volcanic eruption 8 00:00:23,513 --> 00:00:27,415 from Mount Vesuvius wiped out Pompeii, 9 00:00:27,417 --> 00:00:32,087 the ancient Roman city was thought to be buried forever. 10 00:00:32,089 --> 00:00:34,623 But, years later, as if by a miracle, 11 00:00:34,625 --> 00:00:37,292 the lost city was discovered almost 12 00:00:37,294 --> 00:00:41,297 completely intact, suspended in time. 13 00:00:41,299 --> 00:00:45,734 But, is there still more to learn about this fabled city? 14 00:00:45,736 --> 00:00:50,005 And, now, more than 2,000 years after its tragic end, 15 00:00:50,007 --> 00:00:52,508 there is still more to be learned. 16 00:00:52,510 --> 00:00:54,977 Never-before-seen discoveries... 17 00:00:54,979 --> 00:00:59,582 These ancient writings could be a key to so much. 18 00:00:59,584 --> 00:01:01,550 Ground-breaking theories... 19 00:01:01,552 --> 00:01:03,652 They didn't know what was coming. 20 00:01:03,654 --> 00:01:06,355 Pompeii people had no idea. 21 00:01:06,357 --> 00:01:08,290 And, new developments that could 22 00:01:08,292 --> 00:01:12,294 unlock a brand new portal into a long forgotten time. 23 00:01:12,296 --> 00:01:14,229 You're looking at one of the great breakthroughs 24 00:01:14,231 --> 00:01:17,266 in all of literature and history. 25 00:01:17,268 --> 00:01:20,703 It's a journey back in time to the jewel of the Roman Empire, 26 00:01:20,705 --> 00:01:25,707 where buried secrets are waiting to be revealed. 27 00:01:25,709 --> 00:01:27,108 I'm Don Wildman. 28 00:01:27,110 --> 00:01:29,711 I've explored the world's greatest mysteries, 29 00:01:29,713 --> 00:01:32,447 examined rare artifacts and epic monuments. 30 00:01:32,449 --> 00:01:33,882 That is unbelievable. 31 00:01:33,884 --> 00:01:35,751 Now, I'm digging deeper into 32 00:01:35,753 --> 00:01:39,788 some of the most perplexing and famous cases in history. 33 00:01:39,790 --> 00:01:42,224 My goal -- to get closer to the truth. 34 00:01:42,226 --> 00:01:45,060 Let's burn this place down. Burn it down. 35 00:01:45,062 --> 00:01:46,728 On this special episode 36 00:01:46,730 --> 00:01:50,365 of "Mysteries at the Museum: Pompeii." 37 00:02:02,246 --> 00:02:04,346 Today, it's hard to wrap your head around 38 00:02:04,348 --> 00:02:07,382 what life was like thousands of years ago. 39 00:02:07,384 --> 00:02:11,653 But ancient civilizations are portals to the past 40 00:02:11,655 --> 00:02:14,056 and can feed our deep curiosity about 41 00:02:14,058 --> 00:02:17,926 where we came from and where we're headed. 42 00:02:17,928 --> 00:02:21,196 And, no site gives us a better lens into that ancient world 43 00:02:21,198 --> 00:02:23,999 than the one right down the road from here, 44 00:02:24,001 --> 00:02:26,935 the city of Pompeii. 45 00:02:33,711 --> 00:02:34,976 The Roman Empire 46 00:02:34,978 --> 00:02:36,678 is considered one of the most dominant 47 00:02:36,680 --> 00:02:39,681 civilizations in the history of the world. 48 00:02:39,683 --> 00:02:41,816 And, if the city of Rome was the center 49 00:02:41,818 --> 00:02:47,656 of the empire's power, Pompeii was its gateway. 50 00:02:47,658 --> 00:02:51,026 Originally founded in the 7th century B.C., 51 00:02:51,028 --> 00:02:54,462 the port city of Pompeii lay in the south of Italy, 52 00:02:54,464 --> 00:02:58,167 just outside of what is now Naples. 53 00:02:58,169 --> 00:03:00,635 By the turn of the 1st century A.D., 54 00:03:00,637 --> 00:03:03,505 Pompeii's gorgeous ocean setting became 55 00:03:03,507 --> 00:03:06,908 a seaside resort for Rome's wealthy and political elite 56 00:03:06,910 --> 00:03:11,113 to enjoy all the excesses life had to offer. 57 00:03:11,115 --> 00:03:13,047 Imagine Las Vegas decadence mixed 58 00:03:13,049 --> 00:03:16,218 with the wealth of the Hamptons. 59 00:03:16,220 --> 00:03:19,388 Food, wine, entertainment and carnal exploits 60 00:03:19,390 --> 00:03:22,991 kept this ancient town very busy. 61 00:03:22,993 --> 00:03:26,829 Elegant houses and elaborate villas line the paved streets. 62 00:03:26,831 --> 00:03:30,398 Tourists, townspeople and slaves bustled in and out of 63 00:03:30,400 --> 00:03:32,734 small factories, artisan shops, 64 00:03:32,736 --> 00:03:36,204 taverns, and temples. 65 00:03:36,206 --> 00:03:38,072 According to records from that time, 66 00:03:38,074 --> 00:03:41,743 life for Pompeii's some 15,000 residents 67 00:03:41,745 --> 00:03:44,880 was good and prosperous. 68 00:03:44,882 --> 00:03:48,817 But all of that would change in the blink of an eye. 69 00:04:03,133 --> 00:04:06,068 On August 23, 79 A.D., 70 00:04:06,070 --> 00:04:08,437 the people of Pompeii gathered together 71 00:04:08,439 --> 00:04:11,673 for the Festival of Vulcan, the god of fire. 72 00:04:11,675 --> 00:04:15,343 With bonfires blazing, they sacrificed live fish 73 00:04:15,345 --> 00:04:18,514 and animals in ritual offering to Vulcan. 74 00:04:18,516 --> 00:04:21,450 In response, he would call upon his mighty powers 75 00:04:21,452 --> 00:04:25,820 to provide safety upon their land and crops. 76 00:04:25,822 --> 00:04:28,523 Satisfied with their offerings, the Pompeians, 77 00:04:28,525 --> 00:04:31,860 that night, would go to bed blindly unaware of 78 00:04:31,862 --> 00:04:33,795 the devastation that would consume them 79 00:04:33,797 --> 00:04:35,831 in a matter of hours. 80 00:04:43,908 --> 00:04:46,608 Early in the morning of the 24th, 81 00:04:46,610 --> 00:04:50,012 Pompeians would have returned to daily life -- 82 00:04:50,014 --> 00:04:53,281 at work, trading in markets, at baths. 83 00:04:53,283 --> 00:04:56,685 Some were even gathered here, at the Roman Empire's 84 00:04:56,687 --> 00:05:00,388 oldest amphitheater, to watch the summer games. 85 00:05:00,390 --> 00:05:01,990 [ Audience cheering ] 86 00:05:01,992 --> 00:05:05,060 But the people of Pompeii lived in the shadow 87 00:05:05,062 --> 00:05:08,863 of an enormous volcano -- Mount Vesuvius. 88 00:05:08,865 --> 00:05:13,468 Without warning, Pompeii would disappear forever. 89 00:05:13,470 --> 00:05:16,137 According to the only surviving eyewitness record 90 00:05:16,139 --> 00:05:21,376 of the time, what happened next was unimaginable horror. 91 00:05:21,378 --> 00:05:24,513 Up above Mount Vesuvius, they saw a huge column 92 00:05:24,515 --> 00:05:28,549 of ash and smoke, towering into the sky for miles. 93 00:05:30,554 --> 00:05:33,188 Now, in a typical volcano, our classic understanding, 94 00:05:33,190 --> 00:05:35,791 that explosion would be followed by a flow of lava. 95 00:05:35,793 --> 00:05:37,659 This is not the case for Vesuvius, 96 00:05:37,661 --> 00:05:40,028 this is a whole different kind of eruption. 97 00:05:40,030 --> 00:05:43,698 That towering smoke was full of ash and pumice stone, 98 00:05:43,700 --> 00:05:46,768 which the northern wind blew down onto the city to the south 99 00:05:46,770 --> 00:05:48,036 and began depositing, 100 00:05:48,038 --> 00:05:50,005 almost like a blizzard of snow, 101 00:05:50,007 --> 00:05:52,608 but, in this case, ash, that begins to pile up, 102 00:05:52,610 --> 00:05:56,078 immobilizing the city. 103 00:05:56,080 --> 00:05:57,979 [ Screaming ] 104 00:05:57,981 --> 00:05:59,081 The other thing that happens is 105 00:05:59,083 --> 00:06:01,450 that this pumice begins to grow in size. 106 00:06:01,452 --> 00:06:03,318 Bigger stones begin flying through the air, 107 00:06:03,320 --> 00:06:05,987 at speeds up to 800 miles per hour. 108 00:06:05,989 --> 00:06:07,922 I mean, killing projectiles. 109 00:06:12,263 --> 00:06:14,296 All of this was followed by what was truly 110 00:06:14,298 --> 00:06:19,100 the deadliest element of all, blasts of gas and hot air. 111 00:06:19,102 --> 00:06:21,703 Oven temperatures, 500 degrees and more, 112 00:06:21,705 --> 00:06:23,238 just moving through the city. 113 00:06:23,240 --> 00:06:25,841 And, anything and anyone it ran into, 114 00:06:25,843 --> 00:06:27,776 it fried where they stood. 115 00:06:27,778 --> 00:06:30,779 I mean, this killed anybody that was in the town. 116 00:06:44,261 --> 00:06:48,129 The eruption of Mount Vesuvius was devastating. 117 00:06:48,131 --> 00:06:52,500 It was a pyroclastic eruption, meaning "explosive," 118 00:06:52,502 --> 00:06:55,170 firing molten rock and pumice from its crater 119 00:06:55,172 --> 00:07:01,643 into the sky at a rate of 1.5 million tons per second. 120 00:07:01,645 --> 00:07:05,914 Soon, bursts of volcanic debris turned day into night, 121 00:07:05,916 --> 00:07:08,316 covering the area surrounding Vesuvius 122 00:07:08,318 --> 00:07:11,653 in several feet of burning ash. 123 00:07:11,655 --> 00:07:14,889 And, just like that, Pompeii was gone. 124 00:07:16,693 --> 00:07:18,827 For over 1,500 years, 125 00:07:18,829 --> 00:07:22,030 Pompeii was buried under that volcanic ash -- 126 00:07:22,032 --> 00:07:25,700 its memory and influence growing dimmer over time. 127 00:07:25,702 --> 00:07:27,736 But by the early 1700s, 128 00:07:27,738 --> 00:07:29,537 the legend of the ancient city 129 00:07:29,539 --> 00:07:33,475 began to surface in unexpected ways. 130 00:07:33,477 --> 00:07:37,078 A farmer digging a well found riches buried in the ash. 131 00:07:37,080 --> 00:07:40,015 By 1740, treasure-seeking excavators 132 00:07:40,017 --> 00:07:43,318 began plundering the site without anyone knowing they had, 133 00:07:43,320 --> 00:07:46,755 in fact, discovered Pompeii. 134 00:07:46,757 --> 00:07:50,091 By 1860, all that would change. 135 00:07:50,093 --> 00:07:53,628 Giuseppe Fiorelli was charged by the royal family of Italy 136 00:07:53,630 --> 00:07:56,765 to lead the excavations of the hidden city. 137 00:07:56,767 --> 00:08:00,234 Although he was digging in Pompeii since the age of 21, 138 00:08:00,236 --> 00:08:01,670 when appointed as director, 139 00:08:01,672 --> 00:08:04,606 Fiorelli's passionate beliefs as an archaeologist 140 00:08:04,608 --> 00:08:08,610 challenged the status quo of earlier digs. 141 00:08:08,612 --> 00:08:11,580 For 15 years, Fiorelli's unique approach 142 00:08:11,582 --> 00:08:14,850 to exposing Pompeii forever transformed 143 00:08:14,852 --> 00:08:18,387 the practice of preserving ancient sites. 144 00:08:18,389 --> 00:08:21,123 Fiorelli insisted on excavating carefully, 145 00:08:21,125 --> 00:08:25,360 from the top down, so as not to damage his discoveries. 146 00:08:25,362 --> 00:08:27,996 He built tents around exposed sites 147 00:08:27,998 --> 00:08:32,233 to protect and preserve what he found from the elements. 148 00:08:32,235 --> 00:08:35,103 To Fiorelli, ruins and artifacts were to be kept 149 00:08:35,105 --> 00:08:37,638 in the same place as where they were discovered, 150 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:41,042 for future study -- not plundered for treasure. 151 00:08:52,222 --> 00:08:54,022 Wow, look at that. 152 00:08:54,024 --> 00:08:55,690 Amazing, what a view. 153 00:09:07,838 --> 00:09:11,406 Even more remarkable than actually being here 154 00:09:11,408 --> 00:09:16,611 and seeing in person, is to remember that, for 1,500 years, 155 00:09:16,613 --> 00:09:19,213 Pompeii was a hidden graveyard, 156 00:09:19,215 --> 00:09:21,049 utterly suspended in time. 157 00:09:24,087 --> 00:09:26,888 One of the most amazing things about Pompeii is that, 158 00:09:26,890 --> 00:09:28,956 even after hundreds of years of digging, 159 00:09:28,958 --> 00:09:33,094 there are still active sites unearthing new discoveries. 160 00:09:33,096 --> 00:09:35,430 This is not just a tourist site, 161 00:09:35,432 --> 00:09:37,666 it's living, breathing history that changes 162 00:09:37,668 --> 00:09:41,303 how we look at Pompeii, every day. 163 00:09:41,305 --> 00:09:44,639 Could the destruction of the city have been avoided? 164 00:09:44,641 --> 00:09:47,876 And, what secrets have yet to be uncovered? 165 00:09:55,919 --> 00:09:59,086 The excavation of the ancient city of Pompeii 166 00:09:59,088 --> 00:10:01,790 has been going on for almost three centuries. 167 00:10:01,792 --> 00:10:04,059 Today, scholars and archaeologist 168 00:10:04,061 --> 00:10:07,596 are just as mesmerized by the city's eerie ruins 169 00:10:07,598 --> 00:10:10,365 as they were in the 18th century. 170 00:10:10,367 --> 00:10:12,033 Hello, Dr. Ellis. 171 00:10:12,035 --> 00:10:13,335 How ya doing? Good to see you. 172 00:10:13,337 --> 00:10:16,070 Archaeologist Dr. Steven Ellis 173 00:10:16,072 --> 00:10:20,308 specializes in ancient sites in Greece and Italy, 174 00:10:20,310 --> 00:10:21,809 and is one of the foremost experts 175 00:10:21,811 --> 00:10:25,380 studying Pompeii's current findings. 176 00:10:25,382 --> 00:10:27,515 I'm meeting him at a dig in progress 177 00:10:27,517 --> 00:10:30,585 to see what's new and to get up close and personal 178 00:10:30,587 --> 00:10:32,754 with the artifacts that make Pompeii 179 00:10:32,756 --> 00:10:35,423 unlike any other place in the world. 180 00:10:35,425 --> 00:10:37,559 So, this is really new, this is really exciting. 181 00:10:37,561 --> 00:10:40,061 This is being excavated out of all of the volcanic 182 00:10:40,063 --> 00:10:43,932 debris that buried the city, is all around us, right now. 183 00:10:43,934 --> 00:10:45,400 So, let me get my bearings... 184 00:10:45,402 --> 00:10:48,403 When Fiorelli came here, what did he find? 185 00:10:48,405 --> 00:10:50,271 So, what he's getting is... 186 00:10:50,273 --> 00:10:51,873 he's seeing Pompeii from on top, here, right? 187 00:10:51,875 --> 00:10:53,575 So, he's walking around a landscape 188 00:10:53,577 --> 00:10:56,744 and they're excavating through this volcanic debris 189 00:10:56,746 --> 00:10:58,813 and happening upon buildings like this. 190 00:10:58,815 --> 00:11:01,182 Unbelievable! Look at that! It is unbelievable. 191 00:11:01,184 --> 00:11:02,517 We haven't seen this kind of Pompeii. 192 00:11:02,519 --> 00:11:03,852 I mean, this kind of material here 193 00:11:03,854 --> 00:11:05,854 was pulled out of the ground only in the last week. 194 00:11:05,856 --> 00:11:07,489 This is days old. No way. 195 00:11:07,491 --> 00:11:09,090 And, you can see, of course, we have 196 00:11:09,092 --> 00:11:12,761 the wall paintings, mosaic floors and cement floors. 197 00:11:12,763 --> 00:11:14,729 And, even our artifacts coming out of the ground, 198 00:11:14,731 --> 00:11:20,335 have been sitting on the floor for 2,000 years. 199 00:11:20,337 --> 00:11:22,437 So, all these layers that have been excavated, 200 00:11:22,439 --> 00:11:25,707 basically, this changes archeology as we know it. 201 00:11:25,709 --> 00:11:28,143 This changes, this develops archeology. 202 00:11:28,145 --> 00:11:31,579 To see the excavation of cities in kind of a systematic way. 203 00:11:31,581 --> 00:11:34,448 A chance to actually, not just ransack a city 204 00:11:34,450 --> 00:11:36,585 for all of its treasures, but, to dig through it 205 00:11:36,587 --> 00:11:39,787 systematically and reveal, slowly but surely, 206 00:11:39,789 --> 00:11:42,924 all of the wonders that come from a city like Pompeii. 207 00:11:42,926 --> 00:11:46,160 What I'm seeing here had to be done the entire city of Pompei, 208 00:11:46,162 --> 00:11:47,562 the whole ruins? 209 00:11:47,564 --> 00:11:49,230 Yeah, it gives you a sense of scale, right? 210 00:11:49,232 --> 00:11:52,234 To be standing in the volcanic debris that buried a city. 211 00:11:52,236 --> 00:11:53,635 We're just in one building! 212 00:11:53,637 --> 00:11:54,969 This is what has to happen. 213 00:11:54,971 --> 00:11:56,604 Yeah, this is the magic of Pompeii. 214 00:11:56,606 --> 00:12:01,176 You get a chance to see a city and to get inside of a city, 215 00:12:01,178 --> 00:12:03,844 to walk down the streets, to look inside 216 00:12:03,846 --> 00:12:07,114 the doors of some of the houses and the shops. 217 00:12:07,116 --> 00:12:10,085 You get a chance to be a part of 218 00:12:10,087 --> 00:12:12,153 a tactile part of an ancient Roman city 219 00:12:12,155 --> 00:12:13,688 that you don't otherwise get from looking 220 00:12:13,690 --> 00:12:15,156 behind a glass cabinet somewhere. 221 00:12:15,158 --> 00:12:16,891 I wanna be an archaeologist, that's it. 222 00:12:16,893 --> 00:12:18,660 [ Laughs ] 223 00:12:23,634 --> 00:12:27,235 The layer of ash covering the city was so thick that, 224 00:12:27,237 --> 00:12:29,271 despite decades of excavations, 225 00:12:29,273 --> 00:12:36,243 approximately a third of Pompeii still remains buried. 226 00:12:36,245 --> 00:12:38,479 Boy, it's all about layers, isn't it? 227 00:12:38,481 --> 00:12:42,483 Yeah, it really is, and that's what Fiorelli saw here. 228 00:12:42,485 --> 00:12:45,053 An example is, right here, behind this, 229 00:12:45,055 --> 00:12:49,057 we have the ash that has buried the city, here. 230 00:12:49,059 --> 00:12:52,560 And, it's really in these layers that we're able to see, 231 00:12:52,562 --> 00:12:55,029 not just artifacts and not just whole cities coming out 232 00:12:55,031 --> 00:12:57,098 of the ground, but, in fact, the voids. 233 00:12:57,100 --> 00:13:00,368 There are these air pockets in the ash, which, 234 00:13:00,370 --> 00:13:02,437 not many people really knew what these air pockets were. 235 00:13:02,439 --> 00:13:05,573 But, he had this hunch, his idea was that if he filled 236 00:13:05,575 --> 00:13:08,910 those air pockets with plaster, let that plaster set, 237 00:13:08,912 --> 00:13:11,646 rock hard, in the shape of those voids, 238 00:13:11,648 --> 00:13:15,283 he could then excavate out that rock-hard plaster, 239 00:13:15,285 --> 00:13:19,321 revealing the shapes of what had been buried in the ash. 240 00:13:19,323 --> 00:13:20,921 And, what was that? 241 00:13:20,923 --> 00:13:22,623 Come with me. 242 00:13:25,662 --> 00:13:26,761 WILDMAN: Fiorelli believed 243 00:13:26,763 --> 00:13:29,197 the air pockets in the ash were created by 244 00:13:29,199 --> 00:13:33,033 organic material that had decayed, leaving a void. 245 00:13:33,035 --> 00:13:35,136 By filling those voids with plaster, 246 00:13:35,138 --> 00:13:39,006 Fiorelli hoped to figure out what had once been there. 247 00:13:39,008 --> 00:13:42,377 Sure enough, when the hardened plaster was extracted, 248 00:13:42,379 --> 00:13:45,814 it revealed perfect representations of the people who had 249 00:13:45,816 --> 00:13:51,152 suffered when Pompeii was destroyed, in incredible detail. 250 00:13:51,154 --> 00:13:53,187 It was the absence of something 251 00:13:53,189 --> 00:13:57,559 that turned out to be Pompeii's biggest find. 252 00:13:57,561 --> 00:14:02,663 It kind of takes your breath away, doesn't it? 253 00:14:02,665 --> 00:14:05,900 So, this is an actual group of people that were found together? 254 00:14:05,902 --> 00:14:07,635 Yeah, found all together, all trying 255 00:14:07,637 --> 00:14:10,471 to flee, all of them, last moments of life. 256 00:14:10,473 --> 00:14:12,540 I mean, you really see the moment of death, 257 00:14:12,542 --> 00:14:15,743 frozen in time. 258 00:14:15,745 --> 00:14:17,645 Yeah, it's incredibly immediate. 259 00:14:17,647 --> 00:14:20,115 You have, not just people, but, children, as well, 260 00:14:20,117 --> 00:14:23,951 scattered amongst all these victims. 261 00:14:23,953 --> 00:14:27,288 And, frozen in a moment of horrific tragedy. 262 00:14:27,290 --> 00:14:28,689 Unimaginable tragedy. 263 00:14:28,691 --> 00:14:30,424 I mean, we're talking about a natural catastrophe 264 00:14:30,426 --> 00:14:34,429 that is not only the worst of its time, but, a type that was 265 00:14:34,431 --> 00:14:39,033 absolutely unimaginable to the people of Pompeii. 266 00:14:39,035 --> 00:14:42,503 It's almost possible to project yourself into this tragedy 267 00:14:42,505 --> 00:14:44,605 by virtue of the existence of these casts. 268 00:14:44,607 --> 00:14:47,341 It is, it's extraordinary, we have statues 269 00:14:47,343 --> 00:14:49,010 and we have images of people from wall paintings 270 00:14:49,012 --> 00:14:51,646 and mosaics, but to have the actual people, 271 00:14:51,648 --> 00:14:55,049 the actual inhabitants of a town in southern Italy, 272 00:14:55,051 --> 00:14:55,984 it's an unfortunate gift. 273 00:14:55,986 --> 00:14:57,151 It's heartbreaking, isn't it? 274 00:14:57,153 --> 00:14:59,988 It really is, you never lose that sense of 275 00:14:59,990 --> 00:15:04,459 wonder and sorrow, really, at seeing these individuals. 276 00:15:04,461 --> 00:15:06,194 It's important not to lose that -- 277 00:15:06,196 --> 00:15:08,796 Sure. ...in the process. 278 00:15:08,798 --> 00:15:12,600 There's this sense of, unlike any other ancient site 279 00:15:12,602 --> 00:15:15,303 that I've been to, there's a sense of humanity here. 280 00:15:15,305 --> 00:15:17,005 There's a feeling of presence of people 281 00:15:17,007 --> 00:15:18,740 that are thousands of years old, 282 00:15:18,742 --> 00:15:20,975 but they're very immediate because of these casts. 283 00:15:25,282 --> 00:15:28,015 But, with a giant volcano looming over the city, 284 00:15:28,017 --> 00:15:30,518 why was no one prepared? 285 00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:33,621 Was this tragedy a matter of fate, 286 00:15:33,623 --> 00:15:36,690 or was something else to blame? 287 00:15:36,692 --> 00:15:39,560 Having seen these ancient casts, it seems to me, 288 00:15:39,562 --> 00:15:42,530 the people of Pompeii never knew what hit 'em. 289 00:15:42,532 --> 00:15:44,999 But, was the eruption of Mount Vesuvius 290 00:15:45,001 --> 00:15:48,470 really a complete surprise or were there warning signs? 291 00:15:48,472 --> 00:15:52,106 Could the ancient Pompeians actually have survived? 292 00:16:07,090 --> 00:16:10,325 WILDMAN: In 79 A.D., the Roman Empire 293 00:16:10,327 --> 00:16:13,327 expanded throughout Europe, extending its reach 294 00:16:13,329 --> 00:16:17,899 as far as Turkey, almost to the Persian Gulf. 295 00:16:17,901 --> 00:16:20,635 But that same year, a volcanic eruption 296 00:16:20,637 --> 00:16:26,107 from Mount Vesuvius wiped out the Roman resort of Pompeii, 297 00:16:26,109 --> 00:16:31,412 burying its 1,500 residents deep beneath layers of ash. 298 00:16:31,414 --> 00:16:34,148 Miraculously, the same volcano that killed 299 00:16:34,150 --> 00:16:37,518 all its people also preserved Pompeii, 300 00:16:37,520 --> 00:16:39,954 leaving behind nearly all its buildings 301 00:16:39,956 --> 00:16:42,890 and a plethora of questions. 302 00:16:42,892 --> 00:16:45,192 So, did anyone see this coming? 303 00:16:55,238 --> 00:16:59,741 A blast of this magnitude would have sent some kind of warning. 304 00:16:59,743 --> 00:17:01,809 The problem, here at Pompeii, was it had been 305 00:17:01,811 --> 00:17:06,080 some 1,500 years since the last major eruption. 306 00:17:06,082 --> 00:17:08,616 So, no one here knew what to look for. 307 00:17:08,618 --> 00:17:10,685 Not only that, the peak, in those days, 308 00:17:10,687 --> 00:17:13,788 was much smaller and covered in dense forest. 309 00:17:13,790 --> 00:17:16,057 So, not a living soul here knew that 310 00:17:16,059 --> 00:17:18,726 a sleeping giant was right beneath the surface. 311 00:17:30,674 --> 00:17:32,907 But, while the dense forest that covered its summit 312 00:17:32,909 --> 00:17:36,977 hid the volcano from view, were there any warning signs? 313 00:17:41,584 --> 00:17:43,317 Volcanologist Laura Sandri, 314 00:17:43,319 --> 00:17:46,286 of the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology, 315 00:17:46,288 --> 00:17:50,024 believes she may know what made this disaster so unique. 316 00:17:55,498 --> 00:17:58,266 Man, and, so, that's Naples, wow! 317 00:17:58,268 --> 00:18:02,437 Yeah. Beautiful view, huh? 318 00:18:02,439 --> 00:18:03,704 Boy, that is spectacular... 319 00:18:03,706 --> 00:18:06,674 so, we're on top of Vesuvius, here, 320 00:18:06,676 --> 00:18:09,643 looking down on all of Naples and Pompeii is where? 321 00:18:09,645 --> 00:18:11,045 To the south. 322 00:18:11,047 --> 00:18:15,216 In the shadow of this enormous volcano. 323 00:18:15,218 --> 00:18:17,551 If only they'd known that this was gonna happen. 324 00:18:17,553 --> 00:18:21,422 Yeah, they also had some warnings before the eruption, 325 00:18:21,424 --> 00:18:25,093 but, they didn't link it to the volcano. 326 00:18:25,095 --> 00:18:27,361 They had an earthquake, a large earthquake, 327 00:18:27,363 --> 00:18:30,164 destructive earthquake, 17 years before. 328 00:18:30,166 --> 00:18:32,599 Okay. In 62 A.D. 329 00:18:32,601 --> 00:18:36,004 So, this was a devastating earthquake in 62 A.D. 330 00:18:36,006 --> 00:18:37,972 Yeah. 17 years before. 331 00:18:37,974 --> 00:18:39,306 Yes. And, yet, 332 00:18:39,308 --> 00:18:41,709 they all stayed there, this town didn't move. 333 00:18:41,711 --> 00:18:43,677 Yes, they didn't thought 334 00:18:43,679 --> 00:18:45,345 that it was linked to the volcano. 335 00:18:45,347 --> 00:18:46,614 They were completely in the dark 336 00:18:46,616 --> 00:18:48,683 as to the science behind all of this. 337 00:18:48,685 --> 00:18:50,384 So, despite all of these warning signs, 338 00:18:50,386 --> 00:18:56,390 they stayed, and this was on its way to erupting. 339 00:18:56,392 --> 00:18:58,125 An explosion. Yes. 340 00:18:58,127 --> 00:19:02,196 So, yeah, if it was today, of course, 341 00:19:02,198 --> 00:19:06,100 we could look at the Earth and we would measure 342 00:19:06,102 --> 00:19:09,503 this volcanic formation with GPS. 343 00:19:09,505 --> 00:19:12,306 The huge trauma and tragedy of this story 344 00:19:12,308 --> 00:19:15,042 is that they didn't know what was coming. 345 00:19:15,044 --> 00:19:18,913 That they were sitting next to an enormous eruption 346 00:19:18,915 --> 00:19:21,582 waiting to happen, but, they would have had no idea. 347 00:19:21,584 --> 00:19:23,484 Pompeii people had no idea. 348 00:19:23,486 --> 00:19:26,721 Oof. 349 00:19:26,723 --> 00:19:29,857 It's clear, the people of Pompeii could have escaped 350 00:19:29,859 --> 00:19:33,127 the wrath of Vesuvius, if only they had modern science 351 00:19:33,129 --> 00:19:36,564 to help them heed the warning signs. 352 00:19:36,566 --> 00:19:38,899 These insights make the tragedy of Pompeii 353 00:19:38,901 --> 00:19:42,570 feel so immediate, not thousands of years old. 354 00:19:42,572 --> 00:19:45,440 But what about Vesuvius' eruption allowed the city 355 00:19:45,442 --> 00:19:48,442 to be preserved in such pristine condition, 356 00:19:48,444 --> 00:19:51,746 while wiping out all of its people? 357 00:19:51,748 --> 00:19:56,651 What made this volcano so unique? 358 00:19:56,653 --> 00:19:58,586 So, I'm looking at the crater, right? 359 00:19:58,588 --> 00:20:01,089 Yes, the crater of Vesuvius. 360 00:20:01,091 --> 00:20:03,757 Is Vesuvius still an active volcano? 361 00:20:03,759 --> 00:20:05,493 Yes, definitely, yes. 362 00:20:05,495 --> 00:20:09,230 First, because, last time it erupted was 70 years ago. 363 00:20:09,232 --> 00:20:12,366 That's really nothing, in geological times. 364 00:20:12,368 --> 00:20:14,869 But, also, we observe gasses coming out. 365 00:20:14,871 --> 00:20:16,504 The steam, in this case, 366 00:20:16,506 --> 00:20:19,340 but magmatic components inside. 367 00:20:19,342 --> 00:20:23,544 And, also because we locate earthquakes from Seismologists. 368 00:20:23,546 --> 00:20:26,380 There are different kinds of volcanic eruptions, yeah? 369 00:20:26,382 --> 00:20:29,617 You can define them, either, effusive or explosive. 370 00:20:29,619 --> 00:20:33,287 Effusive eruptions are those where lava flows out gently -- 371 00:20:33,289 --> 00:20:35,622 Like in Hawaii. Like in Hawaii. 372 00:20:35,624 --> 00:20:39,193 And, that's because gas in magma has already come out, 373 00:20:39,195 --> 00:20:43,463 so, it doesn't accompany magma in the eruption. 374 00:20:43,465 --> 00:20:47,535 Explosive eruptions, like the one in Pompeii, 375 00:20:47,537 --> 00:20:52,006 magma has a lot of gas, has bubbles inside. 376 00:20:52,008 --> 00:20:54,542 And, when these bubbles come to the surface, 377 00:20:54,544 --> 00:20:56,110 they just explode. 378 00:20:56,112 --> 00:21:00,147 And, this causes ash in the air, 379 00:21:00,149 --> 00:21:04,185 eruptive column and pyroclastic flows. 380 00:21:04,187 --> 00:21:06,253 Vesuvius was really a classic, I mean, 381 00:21:06,255 --> 00:21:08,856 this is the most dramatic kind of eruption, 382 00:21:08,858 --> 00:21:11,525 where you have the explosion, the magma, 383 00:21:11,527 --> 00:21:13,561 the ash, everything happens. 384 00:21:13,563 --> 00:21:15,729 This is the kind that we see in the movies. 385 00:21:15,731 --> 00:21:19,300 Yes, yes. 386 00:21:19,302 --> 00:21:20,668 In mere hours, 387 00:21:20,670 --> 00:21:23,971 Mother Earth brought Pompeii to its knees. 388 00:21:23,973 --> 00:21:27,074 2,000 years later, nearly four million people 389 00:21:27,076 --> 00:21:29,310 in metropolitan Naples continue to live 390 00:21:29,312 --> 00:21:32,914 in the shadow of Mount Vesuvius. 391 00:21:32,916 --> 00:21:36,483 Today, the National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology 392 00:21:36,485 --> 00:21:41,222 is able to monitor volcanoes, like Vesuvius, in real time. 393 00:21:41,224 --> 00:21:43,457 With technology like this on its side, 394 00:21:43,459 --> 00:21:48,229 Pompeii would surely have met a different fate. 395 00:21:48,231 --> 00:21:51,432 At present, Vesuvius is resting. 396 00:21:51,434 --> 00:21:53,734 But, the future remains unclear, 397 00:21:53,736 --> 00:21:56,937 especially for nearby volcano, Campi Flegrei, 398 00:21:56,939 --> 00:22:00,441 which is believed to be a major threat. 399 00:22:00,443 --> 00:22:02,210 Only through constant monitoring 400 00:22:02,212 --> 00:22:04,812 can the people of Naples be kept safe. 401 00:22:04,814 --> 00:22:07,181 In the meantime, the ominous memory 402 00:22:07,183 --> 00:22:11,252 of Pompeii remains a constant warning. 403 00:22:11,254 --> 00:22:14,755 While the disaster at Pompeii had a massive death toll, 404 00:22:14,757 --> 00:22:16,958 it also, eventually, revealed life in 405 00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,528 the Roman Empire better than any site on Earth. 406 00:22:20,530 --> 00:22:23,564 So, the same volcano that destroyed 407 00:22:23,566 --> 00:22:26,800 a society also preserved its legacy. 408 00:22:26,802 --> 00:22:29,437 So, what can we tell about everyday life 409 00:22:29,439 --> 00:22:30,838 in ancient Pompeii 410 00:22:30,840 --> 00:22:33,541 from the scarred evidence left behind? 411 00:22:33,543 --> 00:22:35,042 This is heartbreaking to see 'cause 412 00:22:35,044 --> 00:22:36,944 this is the moment of death, right? 413 00:22:49,525 --> 00:22:52,960 WILDMAN: Pompeii, this luxurious port city 414 00:22:52,962 --> 00:22:55,062 was a jewel of the Roman Empire, 415 00:22:55,064 --> 00:22:57,364 believed to be destroyed in the volcanic 416 00:22:57,366 --> 00:23:02,136 eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 A.D. 417 00:23:02,138 --> 00:23:04,538 But instead of wiping out the city, 418 00:23:04,540 --> 00:23:08,709 the volcanic ash actually protected it. 419 00:23:08,711 --> 00:23:12,479 Once excavated, Pompeii became a lens into the past -- 420 00:23:12,481 --> 00:23:15,048 an intact Roman city capable of 421 00:23:15,050 --> 00:23:18,852 revealing what life really was like in ancient times. 422 00:23:23,326 --> 00:23:26,160 The Forum -- the social, political 423 00:23:26,162 --> 00:23:28,762 and commercial hub of Pompeii. 424 00:23:28,764 --> 00:23:31,365 Boy, you can almost imagine the hectic, 425 00:23:31,367 --> 00:23:37,138 daily hustle in this wide, expansive, public space. 426 00:23:37,140 --> 00:23:40,140 You can see the lawyers chatting up potential clients. 427 00:23:40,142 --> 00:23:42,376 Teachers holding court with their students. 428 00:23:42,378 --> 00:23:46,013 Artisans and laborers, vying for a day of work. 429 00:23:46,015 --> 00:23:47,548 History has taught us 430 00:23:47,550 --> 00:23:51,385 that Pompeii was a playground resort for the Roman elite. 431 00:23:51,387 --> 00:23:52,920 But if you look beneath the surface 432 00:23:52,922 --> 00:23:55,655 of the wealth and excess, there's so much more 433 00:23:55,657 --> 00:23:59,259 to learn about this prosperous society. 434 00:23:59,261 --> 00:24:01,996 Like, what was the secret to Pompeii's success? 435 00:24:04,767 --> 00:24:06,767 To get to the root of this question, 436 00:24:06,769 --> 00:24:10,504 it's best approached just like the archaeologist Fiorelli: 437 00:24:10,506 --> 00:24:13,306 start at the surface and work your way down. 438 00:24:13,308 --> 00:24:14,675 Hey, nice to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. 439 00:24:14,677 --> 00:24:16,744 In here? In here. 440 00:24:16,746 --> 00:24:18,278 Dr. Sophie Hay, 441 00:24:18,280 --> 00:24:21,081 an archaeologist from the University of Southampton, 442 00:24:21,083 --> 00:24:23,817 who studies the urban development of Pompeii, 443 00:24:23,819 --> 00:24:27,621 asked me to meet her here, the House of Menander -- 444 00:24:27,623 --> 00:24:29,623 a prime example of opulent wealth 445 00:24:29,625 --> 00:24:32,226 at the top of the Pompeii food chain. 446 00:24:32,228 --> 00:24:34,428 Wow, this is beautiful. 447 00:24:34,430 --> 00:24:35,796 You just stop here for a second, 448 00:24:35,798 --> 00:24:39,132 'cause this is one of the best examples of a Roman house 449 00:24:39,134 --> 00:24:41,102 in Pompeii. A big Roman house. 450 00:24:41,104 --> 00:24:42,435 It's a big Roman house. 451 00:24:42,437 --> 00:24:44,471 In fact, there's only five that are similar 452 00:24:44,473 --> 00:24:48,775 in size in the whole of Pompeii. 453 00:24:48,777 --> 00:24:50,110 The House of Menander, 454 00:24:50,112 --> 00:24:53,480 named after the Greek playwright painted on its walls, 455 00:24:53,482 --> 00:24:58,052 is one of the largest and most elegant houses in Pompeii. 456 00:24:58,054 --> 00:25:00,554 Although the exact owner is unknown, 457 00:25:00,556 --> 00:25:04,658 Dr. Hay can deduce a great deal from the home itself. 458 00:25:04,660 --> 00:25:06,326 So this a member of the elite? 459 00:25:06,328 --> 00:25:07,961 Absolutely, I think we can definitely say, 460 00:25:07,963 --> 00:25:09,230 judging by the size of the house, 461 00:25:09,232 --> 00:25:10,764 the richness of these decorations, 462 00:25:10,766 --> 00:25:14,268 you can see this famous Pompeian red. 463 00:25:14,270 --> 00:25:16,337 Even today, you can feel the elegance -- 464 00:25:16,339 --> 00:25:21,241 Exactly, no, it's a house that's out to impress. 465 00:25:21,243 --> 00:25:24,044 So, what was daily life like in this space? 466 00:25:24,046 --> 00:25:28,115 So, the morning would start with the front doors opening up 467 00:25:28,117 --> 00:25:33,087 and his clients would come in to pay respects, do business, 468 00:25:33,089 --> 00:25:35,188 some would come for financial favors. 469 00:25:35,190 --> 00:25:37,191 This is a politician that we're talking about. 470 00:25:37,193 --> 00:25:39,860 Yes, he's, by the size of his house, the richness 471 00:25:39,862 --> 00:25:41,862 of all this, definitely we can say he's a magistrate. 472 00:25:41,864 --> 00:25:43,297 He's an important figure in town, 473 00:25:43,299 --> 00:25:44,932 there would be a crowd outside, every morning, 474 00:25:44,934 --> 00:25:47,901 to come in and he would receive them accordingly. 475 00:25:47,903 --> 00:25:50,304 And, then, when business was all concluded, 476 00:25:50,306 --> 00:25:52,405 they would all go back out into the street. 477 00:25:52,407 --> 00:25:54,141 And, that would be a sign of status, as well. 478 00:25:54,143 --> 00:25:56,377 Absolutely, yes. As he's walking through town, 479 00:25:56,379 --> 00:25:57,811 there's a big train of people. 480 00:25:57,813 --> 00:26:03,217 Exactly, no, exactly, you can't miss him in the street. 481 00:26:03,219 --> 00:26:06,153 But, while the entrance to the House of Menander 482 00:26:06,155 --> 00:26:09,156 supports our ideas of Pompeii and its Roman elite, 483 00:26:09,158 --> 00:26:11,792 what does digging below the surface reveal? 484 00:26:11,794 --> 00:26:15,462 Who else lived in this enormous house? 485 00:26:15,464 --> 00:26:18,498 In this room, we come to the gruesome 486 00:26:18,500 --> 00:26:23,003 end of the story of the eruption. 487 00:26:23,005 --> 00:26:25,239 So, this is always heartbreaking to see 488 00:26:25,241 --> 00:26:26,640 'cause this is the moment of death, right? 489 00:26:26,642 --> 00:26:27,574 Absolutely. 490 00:26:27,576 --> 00:26:29,109 So, how many people are in here? 491 00:26:29,111 --> 00:26:31,645 So, there's about nine skeletons and they -- 492 00:26:31,647 --> 00:26:34,448 age range between adults and young children. 493 00:26:34,450 --> 00:26:36,917 Okay. So, it seems like 494 00:26:36,919 --> 00:26:39,886 a sort of slave family group, if you like. 495 00:26:39,888 --> 00:26:41,388 How can you tell they're slaves? 496 00:26:41,390 --> 00:26:44,458 This kind of quite big group at the back of the house, 497 00:26:44,460 --> 00:26:46,694 really near the slave quarters, essentially. 498 00:26:46,696 --> 00:26:51,332 Right. 499 00:26:51,334 --> 00:26:55,102 Although the population of slaves in Pompeii is unknown, 500 00:26:55,104 --> 00:26:58,071 the average Roman household had five to seven. 501 00:26:58,073 --> 00:27:01,708 The House of Menander demanded even more. 502 00:27:01,710 --> 00:27:04,044 Dr. Hay's research suggests we can 503 00:27:04,046 --> 00:27:06,213 reveal new details about this society, 504 00:27:06,215 --> 00:27:09,049 through the lens of the slave experience. 505 00:27:09,051 --> 00:27:10,384 Into the backyard. Indeed... 506 00:27:10,386 --> 00:27:13,820 Plunging downwards from that opulent house, 507 00:27:13,822 --> 00:27:15,021 with all the lovely decorations, 508 00:27:15,023 --> 00:27:17,757 to this narrow, dark passages where -- 509 00:27:17,759 --> 00:27:19,292 This is the service area. 510 00:27:19,294 --> 00:27:23,597 Exactly, where the slaves would be working. 511 00:27:23,599 --> 00:27:24,999 Wow, what's this place? 512 00:27:25,001 --> 00:27:26,366 So, I'm bringing you here because this is, 513 00:27:26,368 --> 00:27:29,369 essentially, the heart of the slave family. 514 00:27:29,371 --> 00:27:34,975 This room behind you is the bedroom of the chief slave, 515 00:27:34,977 --> 00:27:36,944 the one has the most intimate relationship 516 00:27:36,946 --> 00:27:39,613 with the master, the most trusted. 517 00:27:39,615 --> 00:27:42,550 And, he was found, when they excavated it, lying in his bed. 518 00:27:42,552 --> 00:27:45,419 And, he died protecting his master's property. 519 00:27:45,421 --> 00:27:46,720 Wow. 520 00:27:46,722 --> 00:27:49,890 Slavery in Pompeii society can not be denied, 521 00:27:49,892 --> 00:27:53,360 but the progressive and personal role of slaves 522 00:27:53,362 --> 00:27:55,529 in ancient life tells us even more 523 00:27:55,531 --> 00:27:58,132 about how this city worked and what it was like 524 00:27:58,134 --> 00:27:59,633 to live there. 525 00:27:59,635 --> 00:28:01,969 But why would a slave risk everything 526 00:28:01,971 --> 00:28:04,237 to defend his master's home? 527 00:28:10,379 --> 00:28:12,412 So this was the slave marketplace? 528 00:28:12,414 --> 00:28:13,881 HAY: Absolutely, yeah. 529 00:28:13,883 --> 00:28:16,149 So your existence as a Pompeian slave 530 00:28:16,151 --> 00:28:18,152 would have been determined by who bought you. 531 00:28:18,154 --> 00:28:21,789 Absolutely your fate was cast by your owner. 532 00:28:21,791 --> 00:28:24,024 And if you stayed in Pompeii and you worked 533 00:28:24,026 --> 00:28:26,893 in a business you could probably elevate yourself 534 00:28:26,895 --> 00:28:28,995 and your master could make you a freed man. 535 00:28:28,997 --> 00:28:31,999 So unlike popular understanding of slavery, 536 00:28:32,001 --> 00:28:34,701 here in Pompeii it wasn't necessarily a life sentence. 537 00:28:34,703 --> 00:28:35,970 No absolutely. 538 00:28:35,972 --> 00:28:39,206 And although it could be as grim as we imagined, 539 00:28:39,208 --> 00:28:44,177 there was potentially light at the end the sort of long tunnel. 540 00:28:44,179 --> 00:28:50,451 But it certainly didn't happen to all of them. 541 00:28:50,453 --> 00:28:51,986 Pompeii has always been thought of 542 00:28:51,988 --> 00:28:54,588 as a city for the rich and elite. 543 00:28:54,590 --> 00:28:56,857 Yet the hidden slave class was essential 544 00:28:56,859 --> 00:28:59,993 to its success and prosperity. 545 00:28:59,995 --> 00:29:03,130 With this new perspective, our understanding of Pompeii, 546 00:29:03,132 --> 00:29:07,334 and the Roman Empire at large, continues to evolve. 547 00:29:07,336 --> 00:29:10,004 Pompeii tells us so much about the way people 548 00:29:10,006 --> 00:29:12,206 lived in ancient times. 549 00:29:12,208 --> 00:29:14,808 But what if we could get inside their heads 550 00:29:14,810 --> 00:29:17,510 and read their thoughts? 551 00:29:17,512 --> 00:29:21,181 Fortunately, there may now be a way. 552 00:29:21,183 --> 00:29:23,250 For centuries, one of the largest libraries 553 00:29:23,252 --> 00:29:26,520 of papyrus scrolls lay hidden deep beneath the ash 554 00:29:26,522 --> 00:29:29,523 deposited by Mount Vesuvius. 555 00:29:29,525 --> 00:29:32,393 Could this collection be lost literature classics 556 00:29:32,395 --> 00:29:34,594 from ancient Greece? 557 00:29:34,596 --> 00:29:36,930 Using cutting edge technology, 558 00:29:36,932 --> 00:29:40,033 can experts decipher the secrets of what's written 559 00:29:40,035 --> 00:29:42,602 inside these mysterious scrolls? 560 00:29:42,604 --> 00:29:46,973 These ancient writings could be a key to so much. 561 00:29:46,975 --> 00:29:49,143 This is a huge deal. 562 00:30:06,095 --> 00:30:09,663 I'm in southern Italy exploring the ruins of Pompeii, 563 00:30:09,665 --> 00:30:11,631 where the secrets of ancient life 564 00:30:11,633 --> 00:30:17,270 were buried under volcanic ash 2,000 years ago. 565 00:30:17,272 --> 00:30:20,440 It's incredible to think that between ancient eyewitness 566 00:30:20,442 --> 00:30:22,943 accounts and modern technology, 567 00:30:22,945 --> 00:30:26,880 we know as much as we do about how Pompeii met its fate 568 00:30:26,882 --> 00:30:28,916 and what life was like back then. 569 00:30:28,918 --> 00:30:31,151 But what if there were new information, 570 00:30:31,153 --> 00:30:34,021 new secrets that could be unlocked from evidence 571 00:30:34,023 --> 00:30:39,326 discovered centuries ago? 572 00:30:39,328 --> 00:30:42,062 I'm heading 10 miles down the road from Pompeii 573 00:30:42,064 --> 00:30:46,166 to a neighboring city, Herculaneum, 574 00:30:46,168 --> 00:30:48,067 in search of an incredible discovery 575 00:30:48,069 --> 00:30:50,604 that could be the key to understanding secrets 576 00:30:50,606 --> 00:30:54,107 of the ancient world. 577 00:30:54,109 --> 00:30:56,843 The wealthy city of Herculaneum also fell victim 578 00:30:56,845 --> 00:31:00,146 to Vesuvius's eruption in 79 A.D. 579 00:31:00,148 --> 00:31:04,017 But where little organic material survived in Pompeii, 580 00:31:04,019 --> 00:31:06,753 in Herculaneum, wooden beams, doors, 581 00:31:06,755 --> 00:31:09,656 and even food survived under the volcanic ash 582 00:31:09,658 --> 00:31:13,460 for thousands of years. 583 00:31:13,462 --> 00:31:16,529 When the first archeologists started excavating here, 584 00:31:16,531 --> 00:31:19,566 in 1750, they unearthed one of the most 585 00:31:19,568 --> 00:31:22,735 remarkable homes of the ancient world, 586 00:31:22,737 --> 00:31:28,542 the Villa of the Papyri. 587 00:31:28,544 --> 00:31:30,677 The sprawling estate was believed to be owned 588 00:31:30,679 --> 00:31:34,548 by Lucius Calpurnius Piso, a patron of the arts 589 00:31:34,550 --> 00:31:38,085 and father-in-law to Julius Caesar. 590 00:31:38,087 --> 00:31:41,021 This lavish home is named after the personal library 591 00:31:41,023 --> 00:31:43,557 of papyrus scrolls that were discovered here, 592 00:31:43,559 --> 00:31:47,594 the only remaining intact library from the ancient world. 593 00:31:47,596 --> 00:31:49,930 Many believe that written on these scrolls, 594 00:31:49,932 --> 00:31:53,133 could be examples of ancient Greek and Latin literature 595 00:31:53,135 --> 00:31:54,801 thought lost forever. 596 00:32:01,677 --> 00:32:04,678 Hello. Nice to meet you. 597 00:32:04,680 --> 00:32:07,080 Today, I'm meeting with Herculaneum director 598 00:32:07,082 --> 00:32:10,017 Dr. Francesco Sirano, to try and find out more 599 00:32:10,019 --> 00:32:15,088 about these mysterious scrolls and the secrets they hold. 600 00:32:15,090 --> 00:32:18,192 Wow. 601 00:32:18,194 --> 00:32:19,993 Hello. Buon giorno. 602 00:32:19,995 --> 00:32:21,395 To help with my Italian, 603 00:32:21,397 --> 00:32:24,331 we're joined by our translator Allison Trusky. 604 00:32:24,333 --> 00:32:26,233 So take a look at this, you really get the sense 605 00:32:26,235 --> 00:32:28,001 of the depth of the ash here. 606 00:32:28,003 --> 00:32:32,606 I mean, this is -- all of that is what buried Herculaneum. 607 00:32:35,811 --> 00:32:41,114 Wow, look at this place, this is a huge house, isn't it? 608 00:32:41,116 --> 00:32:46,186 This is the outdoor looking at the sea. 609 00:32:46,188 --> 00:32:48,989 But now a wall of ash. 610 00:32:48,991 --> 00:32:51,190 It's beautiful. 611 00:32:51,192 --> 00:32:54,527 What were these scrolls, why were they important? 612 00:32:54,529 --> 00:33:00,333 [ Speaking Italian ] 613 00:33:00,335 --> 00:33:04,505 So the majority of the Greek and Latin works 614 00:33:04,507 --> 00:33:08,509 were lost and here they had an opportunity 615 00:33:08,511 --> 00:33:09,977 to go back to that, 616 00:33:09,979 --> 00:33:12,246 with the finding of the scrolls. 617 00:33:12,248 --> 00:33:16,182 So the vast amount of ancient writings, 618 00:33:16,184 --> 00:33:18,619 from the Greeks and the Latins, are lost to history, 619 00:33:18,621 --> 00:33:20,853 is that right? 620 00:33:20,855 --> 00:33:23,189 99% of the stuff, they don't know where it is? 621 00:33:23,191 --> 00:33:25,125 [ Speaking Italian ] 622 00:33:25,127 --> 00:33:28,795 So this could be a key to so much, 623 00:33:28,797 --> 00:33:33,200 writings of ancient Greek and some Latin as well. 624 00:33:33,202 --> 00:33:35,768 This is a huge deal. 625 00:33:35,770 --> 00:33:36,870 Yes. 626 00:33:36,872 --> 00:33:39,139 So where was the library? 627 00:33:39,141 --> 00:33:43,076 [ Speaking Italian ] 628 00:33:43,078 --> 00:33:45,378 WILDMAN: Most of the villa is still underground, 629 00:33:45,380 --> 00:33:48,448 but parts have been cleared of volcanic deposits. 630 00:33:48,450 --> 00:33:52,251 A series of tunnels remain from the original excavation. 631 00:33:54,590 --> 00:33:57,591 Wow, amazing. 632 00:33:57,593 --> 00:34:01,361 Check this out, this doesn't get more visual than this. 633 00:34:01,363 --> 00:34:03,563 Beneath me is this beautiful tile. 634 00:34:03,565 --> 00:34:05,298 Okay, a very fancy house. 635 00:34:05,300 --> 00:34:08,568 But on the left of me here is all this ash. 636 00:34:08,570 --> 00:34:12,305 I'm basically inside of the ash that deposited 637 00:34:12,307 --> 00:34:14,140 on top of Herculaneum. 638 00:34:14,142 --> 00:34:16,609 And it's many, many feet above me. 639 00:34:16,611 --> 00:34:20,847 So this is what really buried so much of this fancy town 640 00:34:20,849 --> 00:34:23,182 and you can get inside because of this tunnel system 641 00:34:23,184 --> 00:34:25,919 behind me that was made back in the 1700s 642 00:34:25,921 --> 00:34:27,487 and it was within these tunnels 643 00:34:27,489 --> 00:34:29,523 that many of these scrolls were found, 644 00:34:29,525 --> 00:34:31,658 all black, all carbonized. 645 00:34:31,660 --> 00:34:35,161 Carbonized because they were so hot, inside the eruption, 646 00:34:35,163 --> 00:34:39,165 inside the ash but without the oxygen to burn them. 647 00:34:44,907 --> 00:34:47,173 Centuries after they were discovered, 648 00:34:47,175 --> 00:34:50,310 the papyrus scrolls of Herculaneum are now held 649 00:34:50,312 --> 00:34:53,079 in the National Library in nearby Naples. 650 00:34:53,081 --> 00:34:56,115 So, can science and technology open the doors 651 00:34:56,117 --> 00:34:58,551 to the Roman Empire in the way historians 652 00:34:58,553 --> 00:35:00,120 never believed possible? 653 00:35:00,122 --> 00:35:02,789 Can we learn the tightly bound secrets 654 00:35:02,791 --> 00:35:05,759 held deep within these scrolls? 655 00:35:05,761 --> 00:35:09,496 Look at that, it's unbelievable. 656 00:35:30,285 --> 00:35:32,786 It had been hundreds of years since the scrolls 657 00:35:32,788 --> 00:35:34,587 were discovered at Herculaneum. 658 00:35:34,589 --> 00:35:37,023 And during those centuries, those charred scrolls 659 00:35:37,025 --> 00:35:39,559 both fascinated and frustrated anyone 660 00:35:39,561 --> 00:35:41,061 trying to decipher them. 661 00:35:41,063 --> 00:35:43,897 Eventually, scientists and historians joined forces 662 00:35:43,899 --> 00:35:46,066 to experiment with new methods. 663 00:35:46,068 --> 00:35:49,302 It was anyone's guess as to what text was contained 664 00:35:49,304 --> 00:35:51,071 inside those ancient scrolls. 665 00:35:51,073 --> 00:35:54,340 Was it some classic of ancient Greek literature 666 00:35:54,342 --> 00:35:56,375 or something more mundane? 667 00:35:56,377 --> 00:35:59,279 And with each attempt came new hope, 668 00:35:59,281 --> 00:36:01,581 but also the profound risk of destroying 669 00:36:01,583 --> 00:36:05,485 those flaky, fragile, priceless antiquities. 670 00:36:14,196 --> 00:36:16,996 The scrolls at Herculaneum remain the largest 671 00:36:16,998 --> 00:36:20,066 ancient library collection ever found. 672 00:36:20,068 --> 00:36:22,102 But could state of the art technology 673 00:36:22,104 --> 00:36:25,038 help us read what's inside? 674 00:36:25,040 --> 00:36:27,507 What new knowledge the scrolls could reveal 675 00:36:27,509 --> 00:36:32,379 about ancient life is staggering to imagine. 676 00:36:32,381 --> 00:36:33,747 Oh, great, look at this. 677 00:36:33,749 --> 00:36:38,017 This is the archive room here at the National Library. 678 00:36:38,019 --> 00:36:40,486 Oh, man, these are the scrolls. 679 00:36:40,488 --> 00:36:44,257 Look at that. 680 00:36:44,259 --> 00:36:48,628 This is just a few samples of the 1,800 scrolls 681 00:36:48,630 --> 00:36:50,163 that they discovered there. 682 00:36:50,165 --> 00:36:51,765 It's pretty insane when you think about it. 683 00:36:51,767 --> 00:36:54,601 It speaks highly of these guys, in the 1700s, 684 00:36:54,603 --> 00:36:57,003 in the dark, in the tunnels under Herculaneum, 685 00:36:57,005 --> 00:36:59,906 to even know what they had found. 686 00:37:09,751 --> 00:37:11,818 But the first attempts to read the scrolls 687 00:37:11,820 --> 00:37:16,389 only causes irreparable damage. 688 00:37:16,391 --> 00:37:18,859 This is such an amazing opportunity to look at 689 00:37:18,861 --> 00:37:21,460 something so incredibly rare. 690 00:37:21,462 --> 00:37:22,963 Here's the thing, 691 00:37:22,965 --> 00:37:27,300 99% of ancient Greek and Roman writings don't exist. 692 00:37:27,302 --> 00:37:30,170 Okay, disappeared, gone to the ages. 693 00:37:30,172 --> 00:37:31,504 And that was always the thing, 694 00:37:31,506 --> 00:37:34,107 people wanted to know what was written down 695 00:37:34,109 --> 00:37:35,775 by the Greeks especially. 696 00:37:35,777 --> 00:37:38,478 So that in the 1700s, 697 00:37:38,480 --> 00:37:41,681 in the first excavations at Herculaneum, 698 00:37:41,683 --> 00:37:46,686 they discovered some 1,800 scrolls, buried in the ash, 699 00:37:46,688 --> 00:37:48,421 this was a big deal. 700 00:37:48,423 --> 00:37:52,225 This was a chance to know what was taught back then. 701 00:37:54,162 --> 00:37:58,231 Right in this room alone they have so many of these samples, 702 00:37:58,233 --> 00:38:00,499 and these are examples of failures in reading, 703 00:38:00,501 --> 00:38:03,637 Look at how broken up all of this is, it just crumbles. 704 00:38:03,639 --> 00:38:06,906 As they tried to unscroll these scrolls, 705 00:38:06,908 --> 00:38:09,909 you end up with flaky papyrus. 706 00:38:09,911 --> 00:38:12,411 Take a look at this. 707 00:38:12,413 --> 00:38:14,981 That's the actual scroll, pieces of scroll held together 708 00:38:14,983 --> 00:38:17,884 by pig intestine, which is the way they were done. 709 00:38:17,886 --> 00:38:19,719 And you see how many spaces are there 710 00:38:19,721 --> 00:38:22,955 as this material just flakes off. 711 00:38:22,957 --> 00:38:25,325 So it's so frustrating. 712 00:38:25,327 --> 00:38:29,362 On one hand you have all of this material. 713 00:38:29,364 --> 00:38:31,932 The wisdom of the ancients. 714 00:38:31,934 --> 00:38:36,236 But you can't read it. 715 00:38:36,238 --> 00:38:41,241 But in 1999 a new technology changed everything. 716 00:38:41,243 --> 00:38:42,842 That's when Brigham Young University's 717 00:38:42,844 --> 00:38:46,178 Center for the Preservation of Ancient Religious Texts 718 00:38:46,180 --> 00:38:49,349 began using a new technology developed by NASA 719 00:38:49,351 --> 00:38:52,552 called Multispectral Imaging, or MSI, 720 00:38:52,554 --> 00:38:55,488 to actually read the scrolls. 721 00:38:55,490 --> 00:38:57,924 Using cutting edge infrared technology, 722 00:38:57,926 --> 00:39:03,429 the black ink on the blackened scroll can actually be read. 723 00:39:03,431 --> 00:39:06,332 So far, the technology has been used to uncover writing 724 00:39:06,334 --> 00:39:09,169 on burnt scroll fragments that researchers believe 725 00:39:09,171 --> 00:39:10,837 were completely blank. 726 00:39:15,510 --> 00:39:18,211 But what about the scrolls themselves? 727 00:39:18,213 --> 00:39:21,213 Is it possible to use this technology to decipher 728 00:39:21,215 --> 00:39:24,951 what is inside the scrolls without destroying them? 729 00:39:24,953 --> 00:39:27,487 Ooh, I am astonished. 730 00:39:27,489 --> 00:39:29,789 I mean, this is an awesome opportunity to get this close 731 00:39:29,791 --> 00:39:34,160 to this amazing artifact. 732 00:39:34,162 --> 00:39:36,029 Check this out. 733 00:39:36,031 --> 00:39:39,131 So, when you look this closely, 734 00:39:39,133 --> 00:39:45,405 you can see how tightly packed that papyrus really is. 735 00:39:45,407 --> 00:39:47,606 Impossible, impenetrable, all carbonized. 736 00:39:47,608 --> 00:39:51,377 You can't possibly unroll these scrolls. 737 00:39:51,379 --> 00:39:53,880 But modern technology gives hope. 738 00:39:53,882 --> 00:39:56,716 In theory, they can take pictures, 739 00:39:56,718 --> 00:40:01,520 basically very, very skinny, very thin slices of pictures 740 00:40:01,522 --> 00:40:03,789 of these scrolls throughout, 741 00:40:03,791 --> 00:40:06,759 collecting that image and then basically digitally 742 00:40:06,761 --> 00:40:13,232 reassembling it, so they can virtually unroll the scrolls. 743 00:40:13,234 --> 00:40:14,834 And once they can do that, once they get in there 744 00:40:14,836 --> 00:40:18,204 and find out what's inside these objects, what they say, 745 00:40:18,206 --> 00:40:20,172 you're looking at one of the great breakthroughs 746 00:40:20,174 --> 00:40:25,045 in all of literature and history, right here, crazy. 747 00:40:28,650 --> 00:40:31,651 Teams of scientists and experts are fast evolving 748 00:40:31,653 --> 00:40:36,122 the technology they need to actually read the scrolls. 749 00:40:36,124 --> 00:40:39,859 Until then, what's written inside remains a mystery. 750 00:40:39,861 --> 00:40:42,028 But when their contents are revealed, 751 00:40:42,030 --> 00:40:43,963 the scrolls will be another clue 752 00:40:43,965 --> 00:40:47,067 in discovering the secrets of the ancient world. 753 00:40:47,069 --> 00:40:49,468 History is like sand, constantly slipping 754 00:40:49,470 --> 00:40:50,737 through our fingers. 755 00:40:50,739 --> 00:40:53,339 But at sites like Pompeii and Herculaneum, 756 00:40:53,341 --> 00:40:55,208 we have the chance to hold on to it, 757 00:40:55,210 --> 00:40:59,312 to preserve the very basis of Western civilization. 758 00:40:59,314 --> 00:41:00,714 But can we do it? 759 00:41:00,716 --> 00:41:05,552 Can we protect this fragile link to our most distant past? 760 00:41:23,772 --> 00:41:26,706 WILDMAN: We may never know exactly what it was like 761 00:41:26,708 --> 00:41:28,908 to live in ancient times. 762 00:41:28,910 --> 00:41:31,644 But with all these pieces of the puzzle, 763 00:41:31,646 --> 00:41:34,347 the sprawling ruins of Pompeii, 764 00:41:34,349 --> 00:41:36,649 the latest excavations, 765 00:41:36,651 --> 00:41:40,019 data collected by volcano science, 766 00:41:40,021 --> 00:41:42,955 and the remarkable insights still to be learned 767 00:41:42,957 --> 00:41:46,059 from the scrolls of Herculaneum, 768 00:41:46,061 --> 00:41:50,530 a vibrant portrait is being developed. 769 00:41:50,532 --> 00:41:52,498 And with each new revelation, 770 00:41:52,500 --> 00:41:54,867 history comes into sharper focus. 771 00:41:57,739 --> 00:42:00,907 Pompeii remains one of the world's most spectacular 772 00:42:00,909 --> 00:42:03,643 examples of ancient life. 773 00:42:03,645 --> 00:42:06,479 Much more than a dead ruin turned tourist attraction, 774 00:42:06,481 --> 00:42:10,717 it's a site vibrantly alive with inquiry and revelation. 775 00:42:10,719 --> 00:42:13,887 And after so much has been discovered and uncovered, 776 00:42:13,889 --> 00:42:17,056 Pompeii still has much more to give. 777 00:42:17,058 --> 00:42:19,626 And we still have so much more to learn.