Atlantis: End of a World, Birth of a Legend

2,500 years ago, the Greek philosopher Plato wrote of an island he called Atlantis...

..that was swallowed up by the sea in a single day and night.

Vanishing without a trace.

Ever since, people have wondered where this mysterious island might have been,

or whether it was all just a myth.

New research suggests that

Plato's story was based on real events.

Tantalising evidence uncovered on a Greek island of Santorini

has revealed an incredible civilization advanced beyond it's time,

Destroyed by the greatest natural disaster of the Ancient world.

Based on the latest scientific research,

this is the story

of an incredible island,

the people that lived there...

..and the extraordinary last days that inspired the legend of Atlantis.

A T L A N T I S

3,500 years ago, the Greek islands were home to a powerful and advanced Bronze Age civilisation...

..one that rivalled the Egypt of the Pharaohs.

These were the Minoans.

In this world, powerful priestesses presided over strange and dangerous rituals.

Not bad for Cretens.

No offence. - You think your son can better that?

He's Theran.

He's handsome, isn't he?

Did you choose him for you mother, or for me?

My son is the finest athlete in the whole of Thera.

We're all terribly impressed, Rusa.

Plato wrote of great bulls roaming the temples of Atlantis.

And the bull was certainly central to Minoan culture.

Hear me great Poseidon, creator of the earth and sea. Lend me the courage

of our forefathers and accept this wine as an offering.

So important was the bull that it gave birth to the legend of the man-killing minotaur.

Half human, half beast.

Yishharu, you OK?

You've shamed us all!

Go home!

Bull leaping is thought to have been an important initiation rite for young Minoan men.

And possibly even women.

A spectacle performed all over Crete in temple palaces like this one at Knossos,

a massive complex the size of four football fields

1300 quartyards, halls and chambers

At a time when most Europians was still living in a mud house

This was the cradle of Western civilisation.

For Queracio goddess of Thera.

You've made a good mariage to a good family.

Your future is secured. - I know yours is father.

We're all set.

Where's Yishharu?

I was thinking I might leave him here.

Save us all the embarrassment. - He's a boy.

The wife creates the man.

Come on.

Don't worry, your prescious doughter is safe with me.

Men, pull. Pull.

Minoans wealth was built on mastery of the sea.

Their powerfull fleeth dominated the trade network of the Mediterranaen.

Positioned in the hart of this network, between Europe, Africa and Asia

was Crete,

The strategic center of Minoan power.

And 70 miles North was the island of Thera.

Known today as Santorini.

In 1620 BC this was the setting for a disaster that would trigger,

the downfall of Minoan civilization.

You let me down, in front of my bussines partner.

Ground shook!

That's before is the bull.

Your hand was shaking when you touch the ground. You were nervous!

Maybe it was a sign! - Sign? You haven't practiced enough!

You shamed me Yishharu,

...you shamed Thera.

I wasn't shamed.

Admiring our beautifull island.

A jewell created by the gods in the center of the ocean.

Perhaps we should make an offering.

Well, thanks! Bull didn't kill you.

Something was wrong. I felt!

What's that?

Later described Atlantis,

As an Island consisting of circular belts of sea and land.

Reconstructions of Thera,

show how well it fits that description.

The islands unusuall landscape

had been shaped by the most powerfull geological forces on the planet.

The Therans were living on a massive volcano.

When did this start? - Two days ago, master.

Two days?

You, pass me some fish. Can I have two?

Where are you going with those?

Poseidon's island.

I've got an offering to make. -You have a feast to attend. -I won't be late.

Thera was too small to be self sufficient

but this Geographical position

Made it the key trading hub within the Mediterranian.

It's merchants acted as middleman,

trading metal, olive oil, vine, pottery and spices

from Africa and Asia, and other parts of Europe.

Evidence of this wealth can be seen today

Their streets were lined with multi-storey houses, decorated with elaborate wall paintings.

They built the world's first indoor toilets, connected

to an underground sewage system - a luxury most Europeans would not enjoy for another 2,000 years.

Presiding over this prosperous society was the priesthood.

My son's wife, Pinaruti.

Welcome.

I've brought you oil, to honour your island goddess.

That's for the high priestess, not for me.

Come, I'll take you to her.

High priestess? Yishharu's wife.

Oil from the fields of sacred Mount Juktas to honour your island goddess.

Come with me.

Minoan women were remarkably independent and influential.

The most influential of all were the priestesses.

Their role was to communicate with the gods,

often through elaborate rituals,

in which saffron seems to have been used as a hallucinogenic.

Queracio welcomes you to Thera, Pinaruti.

And we welcome you in her name.

Join us to give thanks for your safe arrival here.

Don't forget your offering.

Like other ancient civilisations, the Minoans believed that all things were inhabited by gods.

There were gods for every natural phenomenon, from childbirth

to earthquakes, to stormy seas, to mountain peaks.

These gods weren't all seen as benign and merciful, but as temperamental and sometimes vindictive.

Offerings were made by those seeking favour from the gods.

And it was through ritual ceremonies that the priesthood sought clarity on the gods' desires.

But in 1620 BC, the Minoans' complex belief system was

about to be blown apart by geological forces beyond their understanding.

It's OK, Pinaruti.

One of the first signs that the volcano was stirring would have been

hydrothermal explosions triggered by superheated ground water.

You saw something.

What was it?

I don't know. I don't understand.

Try.

It was Yishharu.

He was in danger.

What kind of danger?

The sacrificial axe was dripping in blood.

His blood.

Why would I see something like that?

Sometimes our visions don't come from the gods, but from our own fears.

This place is strange to you.

And perhaps you're unsure of your husband.

Come.

We have a celebration to prepare for.

We're here to welcome my son's new wife, Pinaruti.

She's the daughter of my loyal business companion, Piteri.

She is a Cretan, but let's not hold that against her.

Ah, good of you to join us, Yishharu.

Welcome.

Now, I've seen many things in this world.

Dolphins in the Straits of Hazim.

I've chased dolphins across the Straits of Hazim.

I've loaded my ships with treasures from Egypt.

I've fought pirates off the shores of Elias.

But none of it compares to the magnificence of this beautiful island.

But none of it, none it compares to the magnificence of this island.

An island I like to believe I've played a small part in making great.

Sorry I was late.

Without Cretan middlemen...

Did you make your offering?

Something happened at the sanctuary.

The ground cracked. There was this fountain of boiling water.

I don't know where it came from.

It was as if the whole island was... Was being torn apart.

At the bull leaping, you said that the ground shook.

You should tell your father.

I had hoped that my only son would follow in my wake and take to the seas.

Until now he's put his blood and sweat into bulls, and temple priestesses.

Here's hoping that his wife can make a better man of him.

He's drunk, let's go.

We can't. This is in our honour. - You think this is for us?

My advice to anyone who marries is this.

Enjoy every day,

because you never know when the gods will decide to take away what is most precious to you.

They've blessed you, Rusa.

You tell us that they want us to do this, do that.

We do it because you say so.

But still they punish us. - This is intolerable.

I don't speak to you.

Rusa you giving us a wonderfull... - Will dispower over us.

You tell us you know the gods will.

But, they don't speak to you!

Yishharu!

Yishharu!

Get down!

Where's Yishharu? - I don't know.

One of the Minoans' most powerful gods was the Earth Shaker.

And for good reason.

Structural damage uncovered on Thera shows that around 1620 BC

they were exposed to an enormous earthquake.

Measuring more than seven on the Richter scale.

Their buildings were designed to withstand minor tremors and quakes.

Thick timber frames had been used to give them extra strength.

Until finally, this quake, strong enough to shatter these stone steps,

set in motion an irreversible chain of events for the people of Thera.

Stay still.

Hey, little lady.

Has your husband left you already?

You should try the temple.

He used to find his peace there.