Atlantis: End of a World, Birth of a Legend

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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

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