Secrets of the Dead

NARRATOR

AN ANCIENT LUMP OF TIMBER SPOTTED IN A QUARRY IN SOUTHERN ENGLAND LEADS TO A MASSIVE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATION THAT REVEALS A PREHISTORIC VILLAGE PERFECTLY PRESERVED IN MUD AND SILT. THE SITE IS SO EXTRAORDINARY IT'S BEEN CALLED THE BRITISH POMPEII.

MAN

THIS IS THE CROWN JEWELS IN TERMS OF WHAT IT CAN TELL US ABOUT PAST HUMANITIES, THE WAY PEOPLE LIVED IN THIS LANDSCAPE 3,000 YEARS AGO.

NARRATOR

THE VILLAGE WAS BUILT AT LEAST 1,000 YEARS AFTER STONEHENGE WAS ERECTED. DURING THIS SAME ERA IN EGYPT, THE PYRAMIDS WERE COMPLETED, AND THE GOLDEN ERA OF AKHENATON AND TUTANKHAMEN CAME TO AN END. YET LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT WHAT LIFE IN EUROPE WAS LIKE AT THIS TIME. WERE VILLAGES LIKE THIS ISOLATED PLACES, WITH INHABITANTS LIVING DIFFICULT AND PRIMITIVE LIVES? THIS DIG MAY ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. SO, EXPERTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY WILL JOIN THE TEAM TO UNLOCK ITS SECRETS.

WOMAN

FOR ME, IT'S JUST SO AMAZING TO BE PART OF THIS AND IT'S EXCITING. IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A MOMENT IN TIME THAT'S BEEN CAPTURED.

NARRATOR

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER ON A DIG OF THIS SCALE AND COMPLEXITY, THE TEAM IS MAPPING THE ENTIRE SITE TO ENSURE NO EVIDENCE IS LOST.

MAN

THERE'S A BOWL HERE, THERE'S A BOWL THERE, THERE'S A BOWL THERE, THERE'S A COLLAPSED STORAGE VESSEL JUST THERE.

NARRATOR

THEY'RE USING EXPERIMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY TO INVESTIGATE WHAT LIFE WAS REALLY LIKE. THE RESULTS HAVE BEEN INCREDIBLE. FAR FROM BEING PRIMITIVE, IT SEEMS THE EUROPEAN BRONZE AGE SAW THE BEGINNINGS OF INDUSTRY, WEALTH, URBAN LIVING, INTERNATIONAL TRADE, AND WAR.

WOMAN

YESTERDAY, WE FOUND A BRONZE SWORD.

NARRATOR

BUT AT THE HEART OF THIS DISCOVERY LIES A MYSTERY. THIS VILLAGE WAS WIPED OUT BY A SUDDEN CATASTROPHIC EVENT.

MAN

THE FACT THAT THAT CONTAINED THEIR FOOD SUGGESTS THAT THE FIRE EVENT TOOK THEM BY SURPRISE. IT WASN'T PLANNED.

NARRATOR

OVER THE NEXT 10 MONTHS, THESE ARCHAEOLOGISTS HOPE TO FIND OUT WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO THIS VILLAGE. THE EVIDENCE THEY FIND WILL SHED LIGHT ON THE ROOTS OF EUROPEAN CIVILIZATION AND THE WORLD WE LIVE IN TODAY. IN A RURAL, WATER-LOGGED LANDSCAPE, A SMALL VILLAGE BURIED FOR MILLENNIA IS SLOWLY BEING REVEALED. IT SITS ON THE EDGE OF MUST FARM QUARRY, IN AN AREA OF SOUTHEAST BRITAIN KNOWN AS THE FENS. THE VILLAGE BUILDINGS WERE MADE OUT OF WOOD, WHICH NORMALLY ROTS AWAY. BUT THE SITE IS A BOON TO ARCHAEOLOGISTS, BECAUSE THESE WOODEN REMAINS FELL INTO THE MARSHY FENS, WHERE THEY REMAINED PROTECTED UNTIL NOW.

MAN

WOOD SURVIVES IN ANY ENVIRONMENT WHERE MICROBES AND BACTERIA CAN'T GO TO WORK ON IT, SO, IN FROZEN ENVIRONMENTS, IN VERY ARID ENVIRONMENTS, AND IN WET ENVIRONMENTS WHERE EVENTUALLY, THE OXYGEN'S BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THE SYSTEM.

NARRATOR

ARTIFACTS OF THIS QUANTITY AND QUALITY ARE EXTREMELY RARE. THE COMPLETE SURVIVING STRUCTURES OF ROUNDHOUSES, PERFECTLY PRESERVED. A BRITISH POMPEII.

MAN

THE POMPEII ANALOGY, IT'S AS IF WE'VE GOT A PRISTINE SETTLEMENT, A PRISTINE IMAGE OF EXACTLY WHAT WAS GOING ON WITHIN A SETTLEMENT 3,000 YEARS AGO OF A SERIES OF HOUSEHOLDS, ALL OF THEIR WORLDLY GOODS. IN--IN 3-D.

NARRATOR

IT'S ONE OF THE BEST EXAMPLES IN NORTHERN EUROPE OF BRONZE AGE PEOPLE LIVING IN SMALL VILLAGES, THE BEGINNINGS OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT.

KNIGHT

THE FACT THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CIRCULAR BUILDINGS, THAT'S A GOOD START, ISN'T IT?

NARRATOR

THE EXCAVATION HAS UNCOVERED A ROW OF ROUNDHOUSES, ONCE PART OF A BIGGER SETTLEMENT. INCREDIBLY, MILLENNIA AFTER THESE BUILDINGS COLLAPSED, THE FALLEN TIMBERS REMAIN IN THE SAME SPOT, THEIR CIRCULAR ROOFS STILL VISIBLE FROM ABOVE.

KNIGHT

IN FRONT OF ME IS AN INTERNAL CIRCLE OR HEXAGON OF POSTS, AND THEN A MUCH BROADER CIRCLE OF ABOUT NEARLY 8 METERS. WHAT DEFINES THAT-- THAT STRUCTURE, GIVES IT THE MOST SORT OF CLARITY IS THAT THE SPOKES OF THE WHEEL, I SUPPOSE, THE--THE ROOF RAFTERS FANNING OUT FROM THE CENTER, GIVING THAT SENSE OF A ROOF COLLAPSING DOWN INSIDE A CIRCULAR STRUCTURE.

NARRATOR

THE CONTENTS INSIDE THE BUILDING WERE FROZEN IN TIME WHEN THE ROOF COLLAPSED. MUST FARM PROMISES TO BE ONE OF THE RICHEST DISCOVERIES FROM THE PERIOD AFTER STONEHENGE. MARK KNIGHT IS LEADING THE EXCAVATION. WE GO UP THIS RAMP. HE HOPES THE SITE WILL ANSWER SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT BRITAIN IN THE BRONZE AGE AND PROVIDE A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIVES OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED DURING THIS MYSTERIOUS PERIOD.

KNIGHT

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE, ISN'T IT, THE DREAM OF WHAT YOU COULD DO WITHIN ARCHAEOLOGY AND THE SENSE THAT THERE'S HEIGHT. YOU FEEL LIKE YOU HAVE TO SORT OF DIP A HEAD SLIGHTLY AND WE'LL BE WALKING INTO THOSE BUILDINGS AND THINGS.

NARRATOR

WOOD EXPERT MIKE BAMFORTH HAS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME CHANCE TO INVESTIGATE THE STRUCTURE OF A COMPLETE VILLAGE.

BAMFORTH

FOR A WOOD SPECIALIST, THIS IS ABOUT THE BEST SITE YOU COULD EVER IMAGINE TO FIND.

NARRATOR

DR. KARL HARRISON HAS JOINED THE TEAM TO FIND OUT HOW AND WHY THE VILLAGE WAS DESTROYED.

HARRISON

THE FLAMING ENERGY THAT'S GONNA COME OFF THIS WHEN IT'S LIT IS GONNA BE SUFFICIENT TO CARRY THE FIRE UP TO THE ROOF.

NARRATOR

BUT THERE IS NO TIME TO LOSE. NOW THAT THE WOOD IS EXPOSED TO OXYGEN, IT WILL BEGIN TO DECOMPOSE. THE TEAM MUST RACE TO EXCAVATE EVERY SCRAP OF EVIDENCE. UNDERSTANDING WHAT HAPPENED TO THE VILLAGE HINGES ON THE FIRE INVESTIGATION.

KNIGHT

THE FIRE WAS EXTENSIVE, AND ALL THE MATERIAL CULTURE IS BURNT, OR AT LEAST HAS SOME SENSE OF THAT--OF THAT BURNING.

NARRATOR

WAS THE FIRE A TERRIBLE ACCIDENT OR A DELIBERATE ACT OF VIOLENCE?

KNIGHT

IF IT'S AN ACCIDENT, WE WOULD EXPECT IT TO BE ACCIDENT IN ONE PLACE, AND FOR IT TO SPREAD ACROSS THE SITE. IF IT'S INTENTIONAL, THEN MAYBE WE'LL HAVE MULTIPLE FIRE POINTS.

NARRATOR

AS A FORENSIC ARCHAEOLOGIST, HARRISON ALSO WORKS WITH POLICE ON MODERN CRIMES. HE'LL BE USING 21ST-CENTURY SCIENCE TO TRY AND SOLVE THIS ANCIENT MYSTERY.

HARRISON

ONE OF THE INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THE FIRE IS THAT IT ALREADY POINTS TO THE FACT THAT IT WASN'T ALL-CONSUMING. WE HAVE UNBURNT MATERIAL SURVIVING, WE HAVE AREAS OF PROTECTION ON SOME BURNT TIMBERS WHICH ARE OTHERWISE QUITE WELL CHARRED.

NARRATOR

EARLY EVIDENCE SUGGESTS THE VILLAGERS WERE TAKEN BY SURPRISE. THE TEAM HAS DISCOVERED BOWLS OF HALF-EATEN MEALS.

KNIGHT

THERE'S A REAL SENSE HERE THAT THINGS WERE ALL IN SITU, THAT THE SETTLEMENT WAS GOING ABOUT ITS DAILY ROUTINE. HENCE, THERE'S FOOD INSIDE THE POTS AND THINGS AND SPOONS AND STUFF LIKE THAT, SO, IT'S CAUGHT THAT.

NARRATOR

ONE OF THE BIG QUESTIONS IS WHETHER EUROPEAN BRONZE AGE VILLAGES LIKE THIS WERE ISOLATED, OR IF THEY HAD CONTACT WITH THE WIDER WORLD. THE SITE SITS IN A LANDSCAPE CRISS-CROSSED BY A NETWORK OF WATERWAYS. IN AN EARLIER DIG, MARK KNIGHT AND HIS TEAM MADE AN EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY-- 8 PRISTINE LOGBOATS, THE BIGGEST SINGLE COLLECTION EVER FOUND IN EUROPE. SUGGESTING THESE VILLAGERS WERE TRAVELERS.

KNIGHT

WHEREVER YOU GO ALONG THIS CHANNEL, THERE ARE BOATS, AND THAT IS A--IS A-- IF EVER THERE WAS A TESTAMENT TO THE RICHNESS BUT ALSO THE SCALE OF-- OF HUMAN ACTIVITY ALONG THIS CHANNEL, THEN THAT'S IT'S FOR ME. WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO US IF, IN THIS MODERN WORLD, WE DIDN'T HAVE THE INTERNET? HOW--HOW CONNECTED WOULD WE BE? AND YOU FEEL IN A WAY THAT THE LOGBOATS ON THE RIVERS WAS THAT--THAT SORT OF NETWORK, REALLY, THAT SORT OF CONNECTION.

NARRATOR

THESE PEOPLE USED RIVERS AS HIGHWAYS AND BOATS WERE THEIR MEANS OF TRANSPORTATION. BUT WHAT TOOLS DID THEY USE TO BUILD THESE BOATS? RYAN WATTS WANTS TO FIND OUT. WE'RE WORKING ON BUILDING A DUGOUT BOAT, OR A LOGBOAT, WHICH IS SOMETHING THAT WE FIND IN THE ARCHAEOLOGY ALL THE WAY FROM THE STONE AGE THROUGH TO THE BRONZE AGE, IRON AGE, AND ALL THE WAY TO THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD. IT'S A VERY SIMPLE TYPE OF BOAT, AND AS THE NAME SUGGESTS, IT'S CREATED FROM A LOG, BUT OBVIOUSLY, IT NEEDS LOTS OF SHAPING AND HOLLOWING OUT. WATTS IS TESTING A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT TOOLS THAT WOULD'VE BEEN AVAILABLE AT THIS TIME.

WATTS

OVER THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, I'VE BEEN WORKING ON DIFFERENT WAYS OF HOW THESE BOATS MIGHT HAVE BEEN BUILT, TESTING OUT DIFFERENT METHODS, DIFFERENT TOOLS. AT THE MOMENT, WE'RE USING WOODEN WEDGES TO REMOVE THE VAST BULK, RATHER THAN BRONZE TOOLS, BECAUSE WOODEN WEDGES CAN SPLIT OFF BIGGER SECTIONS AND BIGGER CHUNKS AS THEY GO. IT'S A LOT LESS LABOR-INTENSIVE.

NARRATOR

WHEN THE BOATS WERE DISCOVERED, IT APPEARED THEY'D BEEN DELIBERATELY SUNK INTO THE RIVERBED. WATTS HAS A THEORY AS TO HOW AND WHY.

WATTS

WHAT YOU CAN ACTUALLY DO IS REMOVE THE TRANSOM OUT FROM THE BACK AND ALLOW YOUR BOAT TO FLOOD, AND IT WILL SINK, AND ALL THE EXAMPLES FROM MUST FARM DON'T--WHERE WE HAVE THE GROOVE, WE DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE THE TRANSOM, AND YOU DON'T--YOU RARELY FIND THE TRANSOM. AND WHAT THAT DOES IS IT SINKS THE BOAT. THE WATER CAN RUSH IN AND THAT WILL ALLOW IT TO PRESERVE, SO, THE SAME WAY THAT WE FOUND IT THOUSANDS OF YEARS LATER, THEY COULD'VE DONE THAT JUST FOR A YEAR OR TWO. SO, YOU DON'T HAVE TO MAKE THEM EVERY YEAR OR EVERY SEASON THAT YOU WANT TO. YOU GET TO PRESERVE YOUR BOAT FOR MUCH LONGER.

NARRATOR

LIKE MANY CAR OWNERS TODAY, IT SEEMS THE VILLAGERS TOOK GREAT PRIDE IN THEIR BOATS.

WATTS

THE EVIDENCE FROM MUST FARM IS THE FIRST EVIDENCE WE HAVE FOR DECORATION ON THE OUTSIDE OF LOGBOATS. BEFORE THAT, THEY'D JUST BEEN PLAIN LOGS, WHEREAS THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WHERE WE HAVE CARVINGS ON THE OUTSIDE. THEY'RE VERY LINEAR AND GEOMETRICAL, BUT THEY ARE THERE. AS TO WHY, THERE'S NO REAL PRACTICAL REASON FOR THEM, SO, THE ONLY REAL REASON WOULD BE, ACTUALLY, JUST TO MAKE YOUR BOAT LOOK PRETTY OR AT LEAST STAND OUT SO THAT YOU'D KNOW IT WAS YOURS IF IT WAS IN A--IN A-- A COLLECTION OF OTHERS.

NARRATOR

THE DISCOVERY OF THE BOATS WAS JUST THE BEGINNING, AND A FULL EXCAVATION IS UNDERWAY. THE TEAM HAS FOUND EVIDENCE SUGGESTING BUILDINGS ACROSS EUROPE WERE ELEVATED USING SIMILAR METHODS.

BAMFORTH

SO, WE'RE JUST SITTING HERE ON THE EDGE OF ROUNDHOUSE ONE, AND AS WE'RE PEELING THE ROOF TIMBERS AWAY, WE'RE STARTING TO FEEL THAT WE'VE GOT HINTS OF A RAISED FLOOR STRUCTURE. WE KNOW THE RAISED FLOOR STRUCTURE WAS HERE BECAUSE WE'VE GOT THESE LONG LENGTH OF SUPPORT POSTS THAT HAVEN'T BEEN BURNT AT ALL.

NARRATOR

BUILT ON STILTS DRIVEN INTO THE GROUND, THESE STRUCTURES WERE RAISED ABOVE A SLOW-RUNNING CHANNEL OF WATER. IT'S THE RAISED FLOOR THAT PROTECTED THE POSTS BELOW FROM THE FIRE AT MUST FARM.

KNIGHT

WE CAN IMAGINE THE FLOOR MIGHT BE UP HERE, AND THAT DAN WOULD ACTUALLY BE UNDERWATER. OK, SO, WHAT DAN'S EXCAVATING IS THE COLLAPSED, CHARRED REMNANTS OF A BUILDING THAT WAS ABOVE WATER THAT'S NOW BELOW WATER.

NARRATOR

WHILE NOTHING LIKE THIS BRONZE AGE VILLAGE HAS BEEN DISCOVERED IN BRITAIN BEFORE, VILLAGES WITH SIMILAR BUILDINGS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN CENTRAL EUROPE, SOME 800 MILES AWAY. ONE OF THESE HAS BEEN RECONSTRUCTED IN GERMANY ON THE SHORES OF LAKE CONSTANCE. THIS SIMILARITY IN CONSTRUCTION COULD BE EXCITING EVIDENCE OF MIGRATION FROM MAINLAND EUROPE TO BRITAIN. SO, WE COULD IMAGINE THE POLE-DWELLERS OF SWITZERLAND OR THE ALPINE RIDGE AND ALL THE-- THE PEOPLE THAT LIVED ON THE-- THE RIVERS OF--OF HOLLAND BEING THE VERY PEOPLE THAT CAME AND OCCUPIED THIS PLACE, BECAUSE IT WAS THE SPACE THAT THEY WERE VERY ALREADY ADEPT AT ADAPTING TO OR TO--OR INHABITING. SO, THEY'RE--THEY ALREADY HAD THE TECHNOLOGY. THEY DIDN'T INVENT IT BECAUSE THEY CHANGED THE ENVIRONMENT. THIS WAS THEIR TEXTURE. BUT THE QUESTION IS, WAS THIS CONNECTION A TWO-WAY STREET? THE EXCAVATION HAS UNCOVERED SOME TINY BUT IMPORTANT CLUES-- GLASS BEADS. PROFESSOR JULIAN HENDERSON, FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF NOTTINGHAM, HAS BEEN INVITED HERE TO EXAMINE THEM.

HENDERSON

GLASS IS ACTUALLY QUITE A RARE FIND FROM THE BRONZE AGE IN ENGLAND, AND THEY DATE TO THE NINTH AND EIGHTH CENTURIES B.C. THEREFORE, THEY ARE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT AND VALUABLE. THIS COLLECTION OF BEADS REPRESENTS THE ONLY COLLECTION OF THIS DATE, AND THEY WERE FOUND AT MUST FARM.

NARRATOR

THE VILLAGERS WERE SOPHISTICATED ENOUGH TO HAVE DECORATIVE GOODS.

HENDERSON

THEY'RE BEAUTIFULLY COLORED WITH EITHER COPPER OR IRON, PRODUCING A BEAUTIFUL TURQUOISE COLOR OR A PALE GREEN COLOR. THEY HAD CLEARLY A SOCIAL VALUE. THEY ARE PURELY DECORATIVE, BUT THEY ALSO CAN BE USED AS TRACERS FOR LINKS BETWEEN DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE WORLD.

NARRATOR

IN THE BRONZE AGE, GLASS WAS MADE FROM SAND AND THE ASHES OF BURNT PLANTS. ANALYSIS CAN SHOW WHERE ITS INGREDIENTS CAME FROM.

HENDERSON

THE GLASS FROM MUST FARM WAS MADE USING SHRUBBY PLANTS. NOW, THESE PLANTS ONLY REALLY GROW IN SEMI-DESERT ENVIRONMENTS, AND THERE WEREN'T ANY SEMI-DESERT ENVIRONMENTS IN NORTHWESTERN OR NORTHERN EUROPE IN THE NINTH AND EIGHTH CENTURIES. IT COULD WELL BE THAT THEY CAME FROM A DISTANCE OF UP TO 2,000, 2,500 MILES AWAY. IT'S VERY LIKELY THAT THEY WERE MADE AND IMPORTED FROM AS FAR AFIELD AS THE MIDDLE EAST.

NARRATOR

WERE THE MUST FARM VILLAGERS IMPORTING GOODS FROM THE REST OF EUROPE? IT'S POSSIBLE THE GLASS BEADS CAME FROM AS FAR AS THE BANKS OF THE PO RIVER, 1,000 MILES AWAY IN ITALY. HERE SAT ONE OF THE GREATEST MANUFACTURING HUBS IN THE PREHISTORIC WORLD-- FRATTESINA.

MAN

FRATTESINA IS AN INDUSTRIAL TRADING SETTLEMENT. IT'S IN THE MEDITERRANEAN WORLD. IT'S IMPORTING RAW MATERIALS, AND THESE RAW MATERIALS ARE TRANSFORMED INTO MANUFACTURED GOODS AT FRATTESINA, AND THEN THEY'RE RE-EXPORTED. THE CONNECTIONS GO FROM THE LEVANT, FROM LEBANON, PALESTINE, RIGHT TO SOUTHERN GERMANY AND NORTHERN FRANCE.

NARRATOR

TO MEET THE DEMAND FOR DECORATIVE ITEMS, A VAST RANGE OF RAW MATERIALS WERE SHIPPED TO FRATTESINA. THESE VERY UNASSUMING LITTLE BEADS ARE OSTRICH EGGSHELL BROUGHT FROM AFRICA. WE'VE GOT UNWORKED PIECES AS WELL, SO, WE KNOW IT'S BROUGHT HERE AS A RAW MATERIAL AND--AND TURNED INTO BEADS. IN ADDITION TO THIS OSTRICH EGGSHELL, OTHER RAW MATERIALS INCLUDED AMBER FROM THE BALTIC AND IVORY FROM AS FAR AWAY AS AFRICA OR ASIA, ALL CRAFTED INTO EXQUISITE THINGS.

PEARCE

WE HAVE AT FRATTESINA NOT JUST THE BIGGEST NUMBER OF GLASS FINDS FROM THE LATER BRONZE AGE, BUT WE ALSO HAVE LOTS OF REALLY INTERESTING EVIDENCE OF GLASSMAKING. AND HERE YOU CAN SEE SOME INGOTS OF GLASS IN VARIOUS COLORS. THIS ONE'S REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE THE SHAPE OF THE INGOT, AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THE PINCERS SANK INTO THE SEMI-MOLTEN GLASS AS THE GLASSWORKER PICKED-- PICKED IT UP. THAT'S ACTUALLY AMAZING. YOU'VE GOT THE ACTUAL OPERATIONS OF THE GLASSMAKER PRESERVED IN THIS--THIS INGOT.

NARRATOR

THESE BEADS COULD BE EVIDENCE OF ONE OF THE EARLIEST COMMERCIAL NETWORKS, BUT IN A TIME BEFORE MONEY, WHAT DID THE PEOPLE AT MUST FARM HAVE TO OFFER IN EXCHANGE? THE ANSWER MIGHT LIE IN THESE BONES AND BOWLS OF GRAIN. THE TEAM HAS DISCOVERED EVIDENCE SUGGESTING THE FERTILE LANDSCAPE ALLOWED VILLAGERS TO PRODUCE MORE FOOD THAN THEY NEEDED. WERE THEY TRADING CROPS AND LIVESTOCK FOR ITEMS LIKE THE GLASS BEADS? DURING THIS ERA, LIFE WAS TRANSFORMED BY THE DISCOVERY OF A TOUGH METAL ALLOY--BRONZE. COPPER AND TIN COULD BE COMBINED TO CREATE NEW FARMING TOOLS THAT INCREASED PRODUCTION. WE FOUND THIS BLADED OBJECT WHICH WE THINK IS A SICKLE. IT'S INTERESTING BECAUSE YOU CAN SORT OF SEE IT'S SHINY STILL, WHICH IS REALLY THE UNIQUE THING ABOUT THIS SITE. STUFF'S SO WELL PRESERVED THAT IT COMES OUT OF THE GROUND SHINY STILL, WHICH IS PRETTY AMAZING. BRONZE TOOLS HELPED CREATE CROP SURPLUSES, BUT IN AN AGE BEFORE CLOCKS AND CALENDARS, HOW DID FARMERS KNOW WHEN TO PLANT? ANSWERS TO THIS QUESTION CAN BE FOUND IN HALLE, GERMANY, HOME OF THE STATE MUSEUM, WHICH HOUSES AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERY SO EXTRAORDINARY IT IS RECOGNIZED BY UNESCO AS ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT FINDS OF THE 20TH CENTURY.

MAN

THIS IS THE FIRST PICTURE OF THE REAL HEAVEN WE HAD IN THE WORLD HISTORY.

NARRATOR

THIS IS THE NEBRA SKY DISK. MADE OUT OF BRONZE, IT SHOWS A SIMPLE DEPICTION OF THE CELESTIAL SKY.

MAN

ALL THE PICTURES OF HEAVEN DURING THE HISTORY OF MAN ARE MYTHOLOGIZED. THIS IS THE PURE SCIENTIFIC PICTURE OF A NIGHTLY HEAVEN.

NARRATOR

THE SKY DISK IS THE EARLIEST EVIDENCE THAT PREHISTORIC MEN UNDERSTOOD THE MOVEMENTS OF THE SUN, MOON, AND STARS, INCLUDING A CLUSTER OF STARS KNOWN TODAY AS THE PLEIADES, WHICH WERE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR THE BRONZE AGE FARMER.

MELLER

AND THE PICTURE'S REALLY SIMPLE. WE HAD HERE THE 7 STARS OF THE PLEIADES AND WE HAVE HERE THE MOON. AND THE CONJUNCTION OF MOON AND PLEIADES SHOWED US ONE SPECIAL TIME OF THE YEAR-- THE EARLY MARCH.

NARRATOR

THE PLEIADES ARE VISIBLE IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE THROUGHOUT THE WINTER, AND DISAPPEAR IN THE SPRING, WHEN CROPS SHOULD BE SOWN.

MELLER

THE SPECIAL THING IS NOT THE METALWORKING. THE SPECIAL THING IS THE KNOWLEDGE FIXED INTO A REALLY, REALLY SIMPLE CONVINCING PICTURE. TO LOOK AT THE DISK IS LIKE TO LOOK AT A MODERN BRAIN.

NARRATOR

BUT COULD THE MUST FARM VILLAGERS HAVE SHARED THIS KNOWLEDGE? RECENT ANALYSIS REVEALED THE DISK WAS MADE FROM IMPORTED METAL.

MELLER

WE ANALYZED THE COPPER. THE COPPER COMES FROM THE ALPS, FROM THE MITTELBACH REGION NEAR SALZBURG. THEN WE ANALYZED THE TIN. THE TIN IS COMING DEFINITELY FROM CORNWALL, AND ALSO THE ANALYSIS OF THE GOLD SHOWS US THAT IT'S COMING FROM CORNWALL. SO, THERE'S A MIXTURE OF GERMANY AND OF ENGLAND.

NARRATOR

MODERN SCIENCE IS PROVING THAT, FAR FROM BEING INSULAR COMMUNITIES, GERMANY AND ENGLAND HAD TRADING CONNECTIONS THAT RAN DEEP. THE DESIRE FOR METAL AND MATERIAL GOODS FORGED A SYSTEM OF EXCHANGE THAT IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST EXAMPLES OF MODERN TRADE IN EUROPE. IT SEEMS THAT JUST LIKE THE PEOPLE LIVING AT FRATTESINA AND AROUND LAKE CONSTANCE, THE VILLAGERS RECOGNIZED THAT WATER WAS THE GATEWAY TO EUROPE, AND THEY CHOSE TO LIVE RIGHT ON TOP OF IT.

KNIGHT

THEY RECOGNIZED THAT BY BASICALLY MOVING OUT ONTO THIS WET SPACE AND BY SITTING THEMSELVES ON TOP OF THE RIVERS, THEY'D TAKE OVER A LANDSCAPE THAT'S BASICALLY SITTING BETWEEN THE SORT OF TRADE AND MOVEMENT OF--OF MATERIALS AND THINGS. IT CREATES--IT PUTS YOU AT THE CENTER OF THINGS. IT PUTS YOU IN--IN THE WAY, I SUPPOSE, OF--OF THAT MOVEMENT, SO, YOU GET SOME SENSE OF CONTROL.

NARRATOR

CLUES FROM THE SITE, TOGETHER WITH EVIDENCE FROM ACROSS EUROPE, HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT LIFE IN BRITAIN WAS NOT AS PRIMITIVE AS SCHOLARS MIGHT HAVE BELIEVED. BUT DISTURBING FINDS SUGGEST THAT SUCCESS HAD DARK CONSEQUENCES FOR THE PEOPLE OF MUST FARM. TO MARK THEIR TERRITORY, THEY BUILT A FENCE OF WOODEN POSTS CALLED A PALISADE AROUND THEIR VILLAGE.

BAMFORTH

THERE'S A LOVELY ASH PALISADE RUNNING RIGHT AROUND THE EDGE OF THE SETTLEMENT. THESE ASH POSTS STANDING SHOULDER TO SHOULDER WITH OCCASIONAL OAK POSTS, AND WE DON'T KNOW HOW HIGH THEY STOOD, BUT PROBABLY ABOVE HEAD HEIGHT.

NARRATOR

AND A CLOSER LOOK AROUND THE POSTS REVEALS SOMETHING SURPRISING.

KNIGHT

I'M CERTAIN THAT THESE ARE THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE PEOPLE THAT WERE LIVING HERE. I'M CERTAIN THAT THEY ARE THE FOOTPRINTS OF THE PEOPLE BUILDING THE PALISADES, SO, I THINK THIS IS THE--THIS IS THE TRACE OF THE--THE INHABITANTS OF OUR SETTLEMENT.

NARRATOR

BUT KNIGHT DOESN'T THINK THEIR PALISADE WAS JUST FOR DISPLAY. IT WAS ALSO A VITAL LINE OF DEFENSE.

KNIGHT

THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE FACT THAT THEY'RE IN A LANDSCAPE WHERE THEY'VE DETACHED THEMSELVES FROM THE DRY LAND, WHERE THEY PUT A BARRICADE AROUND THEMSELVES, SO, THERE IS A SENSE OF AN ENCLOSURE. IT HAS THAT SENSE OF-- OF A POTENTIAL DEFENSIVE NATURE ABOUT IT.

NARRATOR

IF THESE VILLAGERS FELT THREATENED, EVIDENCE IS EMERGING THAT THEY WERE PREPARED TO DEFEND THEMSELVES.

WOMAN

SO, YESTERDAY, WE FOUND A BRONZE SWORD. NORMALLY WHEN WE FIND BRONZE, IT'S GREEN AND CRUSTED OVER, BUT BECAUSE OF THE PRESERVATION AT THE SITE, THIS IS SORT OF THE ACTUAL BRONZE COLOR THAT WE CAN SEE HERE.

WOMAN 2

AND HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FOUND IT? AMAZING. ECSTATIC. REALLY EXCITED AND REALLY NERVOUS ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

NARRATOR

SWORDS FIRST APPEARED DURING THE BRONZE AGE, BUT SCHOLARS AREN'T SURE WHETHER THEY WERE A PRESTIGE ITEM, MADE FOR SHOW, OR DESIGNED PRIMARILY TO KILL.

MAN

EVERYTHING'S CAREFUL, THOUGHT-OUT PROCESS. IT JUST HEATS UP SLOWLY AND THEN THE BELLOWS JUST TAKES IT UP TO THE LAST BIT OF AROUND 1,200 DEGREES.

NARRATOR

NEIL BURRIDGE IS ONE OF THE FEW PEOPLE REPLICATING BRONZE AGE SWORDS USING AUTHENTIC TECHNIQUES. FOR HIM, THIS IS A SACRED RITUAL.

BURRIDGE

IT'S ALMOST A SUPERSTITION. YOU KNOW, ALMOST KIND OF DOING SOMETHING THAT BELONGED TO THE ANCIENT GODS. THERE'S MORE TO IT THAN JUST AN INDUSTRIAL PROCESS, AND THAT'S PROBABLY WHY I FIND IT SO INTERESTING. AND YOU'RE TRYING TO FOLLOW A ROUTE TO SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED 3,000 YEARS AGO. SO, IT'S COMING OUT QUITE NICELY, ISN'T IT? AND IT'S NOT EASY. IT IS VERY DIFFICULT. AND PEOPLE SAY, "OH, YOU MAKE IT LOOK EASY," BUT IT'S NOT. IT'S VERY CHALLENGING. I WILL BE VERY RELIEVED IF I GET A CASTING. HOPEFULLY IT'S THE LAST STEP THAT WILL TAKE US TO A SWORD.

THUD

NARRATOR

BURRIDGE USES AN AUTHENTIC BRONZE ALLOY COMPOSED OF 12% TIN AND 88% COPPER. AROUND TWO POUNDS OF THE MOLTEN METAL IS POURED INTO A CAST. THIS IS A NERVOUS POINT FOR ME. THE MOLTEN PART IS AT THE TOP. THAT'S NOT TOO BAD. SO, I'M JUST GONNA TOP IT UP A LITTLE BIT. IT'S CLEAR THAT BRONZE AGE SWORDS TOOK A HUGE AMOUNT OF EFFORT TO MAKE, BUT WERE THEY EXCLUSIVE TO ELITE WARRIORS, OR WAS THIS A VIOLENT AGE WHEN EVERYONE HAD TO OWN ONE?

BURRIDGE

IT'S QUITE GRIM, REALLY. REMEMBER, SWORDS DEVELOPED ON HUMAN BEINGS OVER HUNDREDS OF YEARS, SO, THE SHAPE THAT YOU SEE IN THE LATER BRONZE AGE SWORDS HAS TAKEN A GRISLY ROUTE TO GET THERE. YOU MUST ALWAYS REMEMBER THAT. IN "THE ILIAD," IT JUST TALKS ABOUT THE PITILESS BRONZE, AND IT'S BASICALLY A LONG LIST OF PEOPLE, WHO THEY ARE, AND HOW THEY DIED, AND IT'S PRETTY, YOU KNOW, QUITE HORRIFIC. WARFARE WAS HORRIFIC.

NARRATOR

DOES THE DISCOVERY OF A SWORD AND A DEFENSIVE BOUNDARY SUGGEST THAT THE VILLAGERS LIVED UNDER THREAT OF ATTACK? HARRISON HAS RETURNED TO THE SITE TO SEE IF HIS FORENSIC INVESTIGATION CAN YIELD MORE CLUES ABOUT THE BURNING OF THE VILLAGE.

HARRISON

I THINK AS WE INVESTIGATE FURTHER AND WE UNDERSTAND HOW THE FIRE DEVELOPED, WE'LL KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE THEN ABOUT WHETHER WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS A FIRE THAT IGNITES AND BEGINS AND DEVELOPS IN THIS STRUCTURE AND THEN SPREADS ACROSS TO THE OTHER, OR WHETHER WE'VE GOT TWO SEPARATE FIRES THAT BOTH START WITHIN THE STRUCTURES, IN WHICH CASE THAT SUGGESTS MUCH MORE THAT THERE'S AN INTENTIONAL DESIRE TO BURN. WHETHER THAT'S HOSTILE OR WHETHER THAT'S PLANNED, WE WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO SAY NECESSARILY.

NARRATOR

TO MAP THE SPREAD OF THE FIRE, HE NEEDS TO CONSIDER HOW THE BUILDINGS WERE CONSTRUCTED.

HARRISON

I THINK THAT THIS PARTICULAR PIECE OF WOOD IS A REALLY GOOD EXAMPLE OF THE WAY IN WHICH THE BEHAVIOR OF FIRE CAN HELP TO UNDERSTAND HOW THIS BUILDING MIGHT HAVE BEEN PUT TOGETHER. SO, THERE ARE ONLY 3 MAIN WAYS IN WHICH FIRE SPREADS IN A BUILDING. IT CAN SPREAD BY CONDUCTION, SO, YOU CAN HAVE METAL THINGS THAT WILL--THAT WILL SPREAD FIRE. THERE'S CONVECTION, SO, FIRE VERY EARLY ON WILL-- WILL PUT A LOT OF ENERGY UPWARDS, LIKE A BUOYANT GAS INTO A STRUCTURE. AND THEN THERE'S RADIATION, WHICH IS LIKE STANDING NEXT TO A BONFIRE OR GETTING RAYS FROM THE SUN WHERE HEAT WILL BE TRANSMITTED OVER A MEDIUM. SO, THE TOP OF THIS TIMBER HAS BEEN CHARRED, EXCEPT THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF CIRCULAR AREAS THAT ARE PROTECTED. SO, IT LOOKS AS IF A STRUCTURE'S SAT ON TOP OF IT AND PROTECTED IT FROM THAT RADIANT HEAT COMING DOWN. ON THIS SIDE CLOSER TO ME, THERE'S THEN A MARGIN WHERE THE BURNING STOPS. SO, THEN WE HAVE UNBURNT TIMBER UNDERNEATH. IT'S PROTECTED FROM THE FIRE BECAUSE IT'S ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE STRUCTURE, SO, MOST OF THE FUEL AND MOST OF THE FIRE IS ON THE INSIDE. RADIATION COMES IN STRAIGHT LINES AND IT'S FAIRLY WELL PROTECTED, SO, JUST LIKE A TAN LINE WHERE YOU PUT YOUR SUNTAN CREAM ON, IT--IT'S NOT BURNT IN THAT AREA.

NARRATOR

DRAWING ALL OF THIS EVIDENCE TOGETHER, HARRISON HAS COME TO A DEFINITIVE CONCLUSION ABOUT WHERE THE FIRE STARTED.

HARRISON

SO, I BELIEVE THAT THE FIRE STARTS INSIDE THIS STRUCTURE, SO, IT DOESN'T START AGAINST IT. NOBODY COMES ALONG AND LIGHTS THE ROOF FROM THE OUTSIDE, BECAUSE THAT WOULD RESULT IN QUITE A DIFFERENT PATTERN OF BURNING.

NARRATOR

HE MUST DETERMINE THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE AND WHETHER THE FIRE WAS A TRAGIC ACCIDENT OR A VIOLENT ATTACK. TO HELP WITH THE INVESTIGATIONS, AN EXPERIMENTAL ROUNDHOUSE IS BEING BUILT NEARBY. CONCENTRATE SO YOU DON'T FALL OFF THE ROOF.

EXHALES

NARRATOR

THIS IS DAUB. THE MAIN INGREDIENTS ARE WELL-ROTTED MANURE AND SOIL AND WATER. ALTHOUGH SMALLER AND NOT ON WATER, THE HOUSE RETAINS THE FUNDAMENTAL FEATURES OF THE ANCIENT HUTS.

BAMFORTH

ALL THE KEY STRUCTURAL ELEMENTS ARE HERE. THERE'S A RING OF SUPPORTING POSTS AND THE PRINCIPAL RAFTERS ARE COMING DOWN FROM THE ROOF APEX AND THEY'RE BALANCING ON THOSE PRINCIPAL POSTS. IT'S TIED TOGETHER IN A SORT OF--IN A CIRCULAR HOOPS

INDISTINCT

BAMFORTH

, AND THESE ARE IN PLACE TO HELP HOLD THE THATCH UP.

NARRATOR

THE TEAM WILL START A FIRE INSIDE THE ROUNDHOUSE AND RECORD THE PATTERN, HEAT, AND SPEED OF THE FLAMES. BACK AT THE SITE, THERE IS COMPELLING NEW EVIDENCE THAT THESE VILLAGERS WERE PREPARED FOR BATTLE.

KNIGHT

I'M SAT IN ROUNDHOUSE ONE, AND WITHIN A METER OF ME, WE FOUND A

INDISTINCT

KNIGHT

AXE. THIS ONE CAME FROM ABOUT A METER AND A HALF IN THAT DIRECTION. WE HAVE ONE IN THAT QUARTER AND WE HAVE ONE IN THAT QUARTER. SO, SO FAR, EACH QUADRANT OF THE ROUNDHOUSE HAS PRODUCED ANOTHER AXE. YOU CAN SEE THEIR--THEIR FORM. THEY'VE GOT THE HOLE FOR WHERE THE-- THE SORT OF-- THE HANDLE WENT IN. THEY'VE GOT A LITTLE LOOP ON THE SIDE FOR TETHERING IT ON. YOU CAN ALSO--YOU MIGHT JUST BE ABLE TO PICK OUT SOME SORT OF LITTLE RIB. THEY COME IN THREES ON THE SIDE THERE, AND THEN YOU CAN ALSO SEE THE CASTING SEAM. SO, WHERE THE BRONZE HAS GONE INTO THE CLAY MOLD.

NARRATOR

AXES LIKE THIS COULD'VE HAD A DUAL ROLE. PRACTICAL TOOL OR DANGEROUS WEAPON. BUT OTHER OBJECTS FOUND HERE PRIMARILY SERVED A MORE DEADLY PURPOSE.

KNIGHT

SO, THIS IS THE BLADE OF A-- A LEAF-SHAPED SWORD. IT'S LOST ITS--ITS SORT OF HILT AND HANDLE. BUT AGAIN, FITS IN WITH THE-- THE SORT OF RIGHT SORT OF TIME AND THINGS FOR--FOR THIS SETTLEMENT, AND WAS FOUND AT THE SAME LEVEL AS THE--THE ASH DEPOSIT, SO, IT'S PART OF THIS, THE CONTENTS OF OUR SETTLEMENT. BUT ALSO YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S GOT THESE SORT OF DEEP NOTCHES RUNNING ALONG ONE SIDE OF ITS BLADE, AND THAT MIGHT BE INDICATIVE THAT--THAT THE OBJECT ITSELF WAS ACTUALLY USED IN CONFLICT OR AT THE VERY LEAST, IT'S--IT'S HIT ANOTHER METAL OBJECT, AND IT COULD WELL BE A--A SWORD OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.

NARRATOR

IT SEEMS THAT IN THIS SETTLEMENT, SWORDS WERE NOT JUST EXPRESSIONS OF STATUS. THE VILLAGERS USED THEM TO FIGHT. BUT WHAT DID BRONZE AGE COMBAT LOOK LIKE? TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION, A STUDY USING PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS IS TAKING PLACE.

MAN GRUNTING

MAN

THIS STARTS FAR APART AND IMMEDIATELY MOVES CLOSE. THERE'S NOT REALLY MUCH IN BETWEEN. YOU'RE EITHER UNABLE TO REACH HIM OR YOU'RE BOTH LITERALLY FACE TO FACE. AND IT'S--IT'S A VERY EXCITING WAY TO FIGHT, CERTAINLY.

NARRATOR

DR. ANDREA DOLFINI IS EXAMINING HUNDREDS OF BRITISH BRONZE AGE WEAPONS.

DOLFINI

WE'VE SEEN VERY SIMILAR ON THE BRONZE AGE SWORDS IN THAT THE--THE DENT IS OPENED UP. PROBABLY THE TWO BLADES MET AND THEN SWING IN THAT-- IN THAT DIRECTION AND OPEN THE DENT.

BROOKS

THE WEAPON ITSELF, BECAUSE IT'S SO SHORT, EFFECTIVELY YOU'RE USING WHAT WOULD-- WHAT YOU COULD CONSIDER TO BE A LONG KNIFE. BECAUSE OF THAT, YOU HAVE TO GET IN SO MUCH-- SO MUCH CLOSER, SO MUCH MORE PERSONAL.

DOLFINI

PROBLEM I'M TRYING TO ADDRESS IS, WE KNOW THESE WEAPONS WOULD HAVE BEEN USED FOR FIGHTING, FOR COMBAT, FOR RAIDING IN THE BRONZE AGE, BUT WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY HOW.

BROOKS

IT'S A VERY BRUTAL, VERY VISCERAL PURSUIT, BUT IT REQUIRES A DEGREE OF INTELLIGENCE, AND SO, IT'S ALL ABOUT LEARNING TO READ YOUR OPPONENT, AND REALLY--AND ULTIMATELY IS TO IMPOSE YOUR WILL UPON YOUR OPPONENT. THE PLAN IS TO RECORD AND ANALYZE THE MARKS WE HAVE GENERATED TODAY WITH THE SWORDFIGHT AND COMPARE THEM WITH THE MARKS WE SEE ON THE BRONZE AGE SWORDS, AND IN THIS WAY, WE CAN LEARN A GREAT DEAL ABOUT BRONZE AGE FIGHTING.

NARRATOR

AS THE WORK OF MODERN METALWORKER NEIL BURRIDGE SHOWS, ENORMOUS RESOURCES AND SKILL WERE NEEDED TO MAKE THIS DEADLY WEAPON.

BURRIDGE

SO, YOU CAN SEE THAT MORE FRAGMENTS HAVE BROKEN OFF. AND YOU CAN SEE THE SWORD CASTING. SO, IT'S NOT BAD FOR A FIRST ATTEMPT. I THINK THE MOLD PARTED A LITTLE BIT MORE AS I EXPECTED, SO, IT'S INCREASED THE WIDTH OF THE SWORD, SO, IT'S--IN BRONZE AGE TERMS, IT'S A BIT HEAVY. THEY WOULD'VE GONE, "NO, I DON'T FANCY THAT ONE." IT'S A CASE OF WORKING THE SURFACE DOWN ON THE BLADE TO BRING IT UP TO SOMETHING LIKE THIS, SO, THEY WOULD WORK ON IT, POLISHING. THEY USE SOMETHING THAT'S LOCALLY AVAILABLE. THE NEXT MOST IMPORTANT STAGE IS FORGING THE EDGES DOWN TO A THIN WAFER. THIS IS VERY SKILLED AND IT'S DONE WITH ANVILS AND HAMMERS. WHEN WE FIND THEM IN THE EXCAVATIONS, THEY'RE USUALLY GREEN AND CORRODED AND NOT VERY ATTRACTIVE, BUT PROBABLY IN THE BRONZE AGE WHEN THE SWORD IS FINISHED, IT LOOKED LIKE THIS-- BEAUTIFULLY POLISHED, HANDLE, DECORATED BLADE, AND VERY SHARP EDGES. AND WHAT BETTER WAY OF SHOWING OFF YOUR PRESTIGE AS BEING THE MOST IMPORTANT PERSON BY HAVING THE MOST FANTASTIC SWORD.

NARRATOR

BACK AT THE DIG, THE TEAM HAS MADE A NEW DISCOVERY-- A SUBSTANTIAL AND CURIOUS OBJECT LEFT BEHIND BY THE INHABITANTS OF THE VILLAGE.

MAN

SO, YOU CAN SEE IT'S GOT THIS KIND OF RIDGE BURROWING THROUGH THE TOP OF IT. IT'S QUITE, YOU KNOW, AS YOU CAN SEE, IT'S QUITE SUBSTANTIAL. THE ACTUAL PIECE OF WOOD ITSELF GOES-- IT'S RUNNING ALL THE WAY, ALL THE WAY UNDERNEATH, SO, WHO KNOWS HOW FAR IT GOES THAT WAY OR THAT WAY, AND IT GOES--IT SEEMS TO BE GOING THAT WAY AS WELL. IT'S A BIT--QUITE WEIRD AS WELL, THIS-- I MEAN, IT MUST BE-- IT'S PROBABLY A POST. YEAH, LIKE THIS ONE, BUT THE FACT IT'S KIND OF-- LOOKS LIKE IT'S KIND OF CONNECTED TO THIS BIG PIECE MAKES IT SEEM AS IF IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I DON'T KNOW.

NARRATOR

AS THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS BRUSH THE DIRT AWAY, THE EXCITEMENT GROWS. A FIND OF NATIONAL IMPORTANCE, IT DEMONSTRATES THESE PEOPLE USED THE MOST SOPHISTICATED TECHNOLOGY OF THEIR TIME. THIS IS THE ONLY COMPLETE BRONZE AGE WHEEL EVER FOUND IN BRITAIN.

WOMAN

MAIN PROBLEMS ARE IT'S UNBELIEVABLY COMPRESSED, SO, IT WOULD'VE BEEN QUITE A LOT THICKER THAN THIS ORIGINALLY.

NARRATOR

PREHISTORIC WOOD EXPERT MAISIE TAYLOR IS CALLED ON TO LEND HER EXPERTISE.

TAYLOR

I MEAN, THIS IS THE BEST PRESERVED, MOST COMPLETE ONE FROM THIS AREA. THAT'S ALL I NEED TO SAY, REALLY. I MEAN, IT JUST-- IT'S JUST BIGGER AND BETTER THAN--THAN ANYTHING ELSE, AND COMPLETE-- THE FACT THAT IT'S COMPLETE IS--IS WONDERFUL.

NARRATOR

EVIDENCE THAT PEOPLE USED WHEELS IN BRITAIN AT THIS TIME HAS BEEN SCARCE. BUT THIS FIND SUGGESTS WHEELS WERE AN INTEGRAL PART OF DAILY LIFE. AND A NEW FIND OF A HARNESS FITTING SUGGESTS THIS WHEEL MIGHT HAVE BEEN PART OF A HORSE-DRAWN CART.

KNIGHT

IT'S AN ODD OBJECT, ISN'T IT, BUT THERE IS THESE SORT OF HOLES GOING THROUGH IT AND THINGS, THIS IDEA THAT MAYBE STRAPS AND THINGS LIKE THAT ARE RUNNING THROUGH AND THINGS, AND IT'S--IT'S MAYBE SITTING AS A SORT OF CHEEK PIECE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT ON--ON THE SIDE OF A HORSE.

NARRATOR

THE WHEEL AND HARNESS FITTING INDICATE THIS VILLAGE WAS USING MORE ADVANCED FARMING TECHNIQUES THAN PREVIOUSLY THOUGHT. HERE IS THE BEGINNING OF MODERN AGRICULTURE IN BRITAIN. BUT THESE DISCOVERIES PALE IN COMPARISON TO WHAT THE TEAM FINDS NEXT-- SOMETHING SO DELICATE AND FRAGILE IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE IT HAS SURVIVED IN THE GROUND FOR 3,000 YEARS.

WOMAN

IN HERE, WE HAVE THE REALLY FINE FABRIC THAT I FOUND DOWN THERE. IT WAS ENCASED IN CLAY, SO, AS I WAS EXCAVATING, AND THEN THAT'S WHEN I SAW THE TEXTILE FOLDED UP THERE, BUT THIS IS JUST THE TOP OF IT, AND YOU CAN SEE ON THESE PIECES HOW FINELY WOVEN IT IS.

NARRATOR

FABRICS LIKE THIS HAVE NEVER BEEN FOUND AT A BRITISH BRONZE AGE SITE BEFORE. EAGER TO FIND OUT JUST HOW SPECIAL THEY ARE, KNIGHT HAS CALLED IN TEXTILE EXPERT DR. SUSANNA HARRIS.

HARRIS

IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE PORTABLE EQUIPMENT. YOU CAN'T ALWAYS TAKE THE FINDS TO YOUR LABORATORY, SO, YOU WANT TO HAVE EQUIPMENT THAT YOU CAN MOVE AROUND.

NARRATOR

UNDER THE MICROSCOPE, THE SOPHISTICATE DETAILS OF THE FABRIC BECOME CLEAR.

HARRIS

WHAT WE HAVE ARE THESE, WHAT WE CALL THESE PASSIVE ELEMENTS, AND THE ACTIVE ELEMENTS. THIS IS ONE OF THOSE ACTIVE ELEMENTS, AND HERE, YOU SEE, IT TUCKS BEHIND THIS ONE, AND IT COMES OUT AGAIN HERE. YOU CAN SEE IT NICELY COMING OUT.

NARRATOR

HARRIS HAS DISCOVERED THAT THE THREADS USED TO MAKE THESE FABRICS WERE WOVEN OUT OF NATURAL PLANT FIBERS AND WERE UNBELIEVABLY DELICATE. USING THE MICROSCOPE, SHE MEASURES THE THREADS AT JUST 2/10 OF A MILLIMETER-- CLEAR EVIDENCE OF INCREDIBLE CARE AND EXPERT WORKMANSHIP.

HARRIS

SO, I'VE JUST DRAWN A LINE THAT'S 5 MILLIMETERS LONG. SO, WHAT I WANT TO DO IS COUNT THOSE THREADS. 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. SO, OVER 5 MILLIMETERS, WE'VE GOT 13 THREADS. SO, OVER A CENTIMETER, WE'D HAVE 26 THREADS. AND SO, THE MUST FARM TEXTILES ARE REALLY-- THEY'RE--THEY'RE UP THERE WITH THE OTHER FINE TEXTILES IN EUROPE AT THIS TIME.

NARRATOR

THESE FABRICS ARE FURTHER PROOF THAT THE PEOPLE LIVING HERE WERE MORE THAN JUST SURVIVING. THEY HAD ADVANCED, INTRICATE, MATERIAL GOODS.

HARRIS

JUST BECAUSE THEY LOOK BLACK AND BROWN NOW DOESN'T MEAN THAT WAS WHAT THEY WERE LIKE IN THE PAST, AND INDEED, THAT'S PART OF OUR RESEARCH, IS TO TRY AND UNDERSTAND THEM AS THEY WERE MADE AND IN--IN ALL THEIR GLORIOUS TEXTURES AND COLORS.

NARRATOR

THE QUESTION IS, WHERE DID THIS CLOTH COME FROM? SIMILAR FABRICS HAVE BEEN FOUND IN GERMANY, IN AND AROUND LAKE CONSTANCE, WHERE OTHER DISCOVERIES CAN HELP US PAINT A PICTURE OF DOMESTIC EUROPEAN LIFE AT THE TIME.

MAN

THIS IS A COLLECTION FROM THE LAKE DWELLINGS HERE ON THE--THE LAKE CONSTANCE. FINDINGS FROM THE LAST 150 YEARS.

NARRATOR

SOME OF THE OBJECTS THAT HAVE SURVIVED ACROSS THOUSANDS OF YEARS ARE IMPOSSIBLY DELICATE AND FRAGILE.

SCHOBEL

WE HAVE NETS. THIN FIBERS. IT'S A WONDERFUL WORLD OF TEXTILES.

NARRATOR

OTHER DISCOVERIES SUGGEST A VIBRANT AND PROSPEROUS COMMUNITY.

SCHOBEL

WE HAVE SUCH HOOKS LIKE THESE. WE FOUND IT ALONG THE PALISADE. AND YOU CAN IMAGINE THAT THE YOUNG BOYS ARE SITTING ON THE PALISADE IN THE AFTERNOON AND THE EVENING. AND WORK WITH THEM. WE HAVE SOMETIMES THESE LITTLE CUPS AND ALSO THE BIG ONE. AND YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND. THIS IS FOR LITTLE PEOPLE AND THE BIG ONE FOR THE ADULTS.

NARRATOR

BACK AT MUST FARM, THE TEAM HAS AGAIN FOUND SOMETHING WITHOUT PRECEDENT AT A BRITISH BRONZE AGE SETTLEMENT. THEY ARE NOW UNCOVERING THE TOOLS THAT MADE THESE EXQUISITE TEXTILES. THIS ENORMOUS CLUB OR--OR CRICKET BAT-SHAPED OBJECT TURNS OUT TO BE A VERY FINE EXAMPLE OF WHAT'S KNOWN AS A--A CLOTH BEATER, AND IT'S ONE OF 3 THAT COME FROM THE SITE. SO, WE'RE FINDING THEM ACROSS THE SETTLEMENT. THEIR WEIGHT AND THE SHAPE IS ABOUT TRYING TO SMASH STEMS OF FLAX SO THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO GET THE PLANT FIBERS OUT SO YOU CAN PREPARE THAT THEN FOR SPINNING. THE IDEA IS THAT IT SITS IN A SORT OF GROOVE WITH THE PLANT FIBERS GOING ACROSS IT AND YOU'RE JUST DOING THIS ON A SORT OF REGULAR BASIS AND SORT OF SMASHING IT DOWN AND THINGS. FROM THIS HEFTY CLOTH BEATER TO A MORE FRAGILE ITEM, ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND A REMNANT OF THE ANCIENT SPINNING PROCESS. WE'VE GOT THREAD WOUND ROUND A--A SORT OF A THIN PIECE OF WOOD, WHICH COULD WELL BE THE SPINDLE, SO, YOU CAN IMAGINE THEM SORT OF SPINNING THAT--THAT FIBER. SO, AGAIN, WE JUST SEE THOSE STAGES BEING PLAYED OUT IN THE DIFFERENT MATERIALS. AND FINALLY, EVIDENCE OF WEAVING TOOLS. BRONZE AGE LOOM WEIGHTS.

KNIGHT

WE'VE GOT 3 OF THESE ALL OCCURRING WITHIN-- WITHIN ROUNDHOUSE ONE. AND THEY'RE JUST VERY CRUDELY FORMED, SORT OF PYRAMID-SHAPED BITS OF CLAY THAT HAVE BEEN FIRED WITH A-- WITH A HOLE PIERCING THROUGH THEM. AND THAT'S WHAT ADDS WEIGHT TO YOUR--TO YOUR THREADS THAT YOU'RE THEN GONNA WEAVE THROUGH. SO, SO, IT'S JUST--JUST ANOTHER ELEMENT, REALLY. SO, IT'S JUST THAT SENSE OF COMPLETING THE PICTURE, I THINK.

NARRATOR

THE MUST FARM VILLAGERS WERE EXPERT CLOTHMAKERS, AND THEIR SIMPLE SPINNING AND WEAVING TOOLS WERE THE PREDECESSORS OF MODERN TEXTILE-MAKING MACHINERY. THIS IS THE FIRST SUBSTANTIAL EVIDENCE OF THE COMPLETE TEXTILE-MAKING PROCESS IN BRITAIN. AN INCREDIBLE GLIMPSE INTO THE VILLAGERS' DAILY LIVES. IT IS SO RARE, EXCEPTIONAL, TO FIND THE--THE WHOLE SORT OF RANGE OF SORT OF EQUIPMENT IN TERMS OF THEIR PRODUCTION. RIGHT FROM THE PLANT STEMS THEMSELVES RIGHT THROUGH TO GARMENTS AND THINGS. OUR TEXTILE SPECIALIST GONNA BE IN A SITUATION WHERE I THINK THEY'RE GONNA BE OVERWHELMED WITH THAT DETAIL. BUT WHY WAS ALL OF THIS ABANDONED? THE HALF-FINISHED MEALS SUGGEST THAT THESE PEOPLE WERE FORCED TO FLEE WITHOUT ANY OF THEIR THINGS. DATING SOME OF THE TIMBER ON SITE INDICATES THIS CATASTROPHE TOOK PLACE NOT LONG AFTER THEY MOVED IN.

KNIGHT

EVERYTHING POINTS TO THE FACT THAT THE SETTLEMENT WAS BRAND-NEW WHEN IT GOT BURNT DOWN, AND THAT'S NOW BEING CONFIRMED BY SOME OF THE DETAIL COMING OUT OF THE ANALYSIS OF DENDROCHRONOLOGY THAT SUGGESTS THAT THE WOOD OF ROUNDHOUSE ONE MIGHT HAVE BEEN GREEN WHEN THE BUILDING BURNT DOWN. AND BY ANY NORMAL STANDARDS, OAK, YOU KNOW, WILL BECOME SEASONED WITHIN A YEAR OF IT BEING FELLED. SO, THERE'S A POSSIBILITY THAT THIS SETTLEMENT ONLY STOOD FOR A YEAR AND THEN WAS ALL BURNT DOWN.

NARRATOR

WAS THIS A CASE OF UNWELCOME NEWCOMERS BEING DRIVEN OUT BY RIVALS BEFORE THEY EVEN HAD A CHANCE TO SETTLE IN? DR. KARL HARRISON IS NOW READY TO SET FIRE TO THE RECONSTRUCTED ROUNDHOUSE. HE WILL BE ABLE TO DETERMINE HOW THE FIRE SPREAD AND HOW MUCH TIME THE INHABITANTS HAD TO ESCAPE.

HARRISON

I'VE COME WITH SOME TEMPERATURE MONITORS AND A MONITOR THAT WILL GIVE US AN INDICATION OF THE AMOUNT OF RADIANT HEAT THAT'S GONNA ESCAPE FROM THE BUILDING SIDEWAYS, SO, THAT SHOULD HELP US UNDERSTAND HOW FIRE MIGHT HAVE SPREAD AT MUST FARM.

BAMFORTH

ARE THE RAISED TIMBERS GONNA BURN THROUGH COMPLETELY OR ARE THEY GONNA CHAR? ARE THEY GONNA BE STOOD UP AT THE END OF THE BURN? IS IT GONNA BE A SMOLDERING HEAP? I REALLY DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GONNA HAPPEN NEXT. I'M REALLY EXCITED TO SEE IT.

NARRATOR

HARRISON STARTS THE BURN WHERE HE BELIEVES IT WOULD'VE BEGUN INSIDE THE ROUNDHOUSE.

HARRISON

THE FLAMING ENERGY THAT'S GONNA COME OFF THIS WHEN IT'S LIT IS GONNA BE SUFFICIENT TO CARRY THE FIRE UP TO THE ROOF.

STRIKES MATCH

NARRATOR

HE LIGHTS A BUNDLE OF STRAW, NOT UNLIKE SOMETHING THAT COULD'VE BEEN FOUND IN ONE OF THE ORIGINAL ROUNDHOUSES.

HARRISON

I THINK IT WOULD DEVELOP QUITE QUICKLY. I THINK WITHIN 6 TO 7 MINUTES, WE'LL START TO SEE SOME INVOLVEMENT IN THE ROOF SPACE. 30 MINUTES AND I'D EXPECT THE ROOF TO BE TOTALLY INVOLVED AND THEN STARTING TO COLLAPSE. THERE'S A FEED OF--OF IGNITION UP TO THE ROOF, AND YOU CAN ALREADY SEE THE YELLOWING SMOKE THAT'S STARTING TO COME OUT ON THIS SIDE IN PARTICULAR.

NARRATOR

THE FIRE TAKES HOLD MUCH FASTER THAN HE EXPECTED.

MEN

WOW.

LAUGHTER

MEN

LIKE WOOL. HA HA HA!

INDISTINCT

MEN

OH, WELL OVER 1,000.

NARRATOR

AS THE FLAMES GREW, PANIC MUST HAVE SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE SETTLEMENT AS THE VILLAGERS RAN FOR THEIR LIVES.

HARRISON

THE HEAT THAT WE CAN FEEL HERE IS ALL RADIANT HEAT, THAT'S SPREADING NATURALLY, SO, THIS IS WHAT'S GONNA BE STRIKING THE OTHER BUILDINGS IN OUR BRONZE AGE SETTLEMENT.

BAMFORTH

I REALLY HOPE THAT SOME OF THIS DOESN'T BURN SO THAT IT FALLS DOWN......YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. IF IT ALL BURNS AWAY, THEN, THEN WE WON'T HAVE HAVE ANY SORT OF ARCHAEOLOGY LEFT. SO, I REALLY HOPE THAT SOME OF THIS ROOF STRUCTURE COMES DOWN INTACT. SO, THAT HAS BEEN QUICK. HOW LONG-- DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME WE STARTED THE FIRE? I THINK THAT THAT'S-- THAT CAN ONLY BE 10 MINUTES, REALLY. PROBABLY NOT MORE THAN THAT AT ALL. AT MUST FARM, WE KNOW WE CAN SEE 4 OR ROUNDHOUSES IN THE GROUND, AND WE KNOW ABOUT HALF THE SETTLEMENT'S MISSING, SO, PERHAPS 8 TO 10 ROUNDHOUSES, AND THEY COULD'VE GONE UP REALLY QUICKLY. YES. IF YOU COORDINATED THEIR LIGHTING, ABSOLUTELY.

NARRATOR

THE ROUNDHOUSES AT THE MUST FARM SITE WERE BUILT VERY CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. WITH THE WIND BLOWING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION, FIRE COULD'VE SPREAD FROM ONE HOUSE TO ANOTHER. AND THAT--THAT WIDE, FLAT LANDSCAPE WITH BIG SKIES, THE SPECTACLE OF THE--THE PALL OF SMOKE AND THE FLAMES. IT WAS POURING UP. IT WAS THIS HUGE

INDISTINCT

NARRATOR

. IT'D BE REALLY VISIBLE IN THE LANDSCAPE. IF IT WAS TORCHED BY AN ENEMY, THE SITE OF THIS BURNING VILLAGE WOULD'VE BEEN A STARK WARNING. THE WEIGHT OF EVIDENCE SEEMS TO POINT TOWARD A SUDDEN AND VIOLENT ATTACK. FOR KNIGHT, THE MOST COMPELLING FACT IS THAT THESE PEOPLE NEVER RETURNED TO THEIR VILLAGE.

KNIGHT

THERE IS ALSO THAT SENSE THAT ONCE THE THING HAD BURNT DOWN, THERE'S NO REAL INDICATION THAT THEY EVER CAME BACK. SO, THERE IS ALSO THAT SORT OF FEELING THAT-- THAT THE--THE FORCE THAT DROVE THEM AWAY MIGHT'VE BEEN MORE THAN THE FIRE. IT MIGHT'VE ACTUALLY BEEN SOMEONE ELSE WHO'D SET THAT FIRE THAT DIDN'T WANT THESE PEOPLE IN THIS LANDSCAPE.

NARRATOR

AND FURTHER EVIDENCE IS EMERGING THAT THESE PEOPLE MUST HAVE BEEN WARRIORS AS WELL AS FARMERS. A NUMBER OF WELL-PRESERVED BRONZE SPEARHEADS HAVE BEEN UNEARTHED.

KNIGHT

AND IT'S INTERESTING THAT THEY'RE ALL CARRIED ALONG THE INSIDE OF THE PALISADE. SO, IN YOUR MIND'S EYE, WHAT YOU START DOING IS YOU'VE GOT PEOPLE STOOD THERE WITH THEIR SPEARS SORT OF KEEPING GUARD AND THINGS LIKE THAT. SO, WHO KNOWS, BUT IT REMINDS US THAT THIS WORLD WASN'T NECESSARILY ONE OF JUST BASKETS AND POTS AND ROUNDHOUSES BUT ALSO WAS A WORLD WHERE YOU FELT IT NECESSARY TO HAVE A SWORD AND A SPEAR.

NARRATOR

THE SMOLDERING REMAINS HAVE BEEN LEFT OVERNIGHT, AND THEY'RE LOOKING FOR MORE CLUES THAT CAN TELL THEM NOT ONLY HOW THE SETTLEMENT BURNED BUT HOW IT WAS BUILT.

BAMFORTH

DO YOU THINK IT'S STILL GONNA BE WARM OR-- IT MIGHT BE WARM IN PLACES. THERE'S QUITE A DEPTH OF--OF THATCH LEFT THERE, ISN'T IT? THE WALLS HAVE REALLY HELD UP VERY WELL, HAVEN'T THEY? WE COULD PUT A ROOF BACK ON. IT MIGHT SMELL A BIT SMOKY, BUT THERE'S--THERE'S CHAR THAT'S SETTLED ON THEM, BUT THEY'RE NOT DAMAGED AT ALL. SO, IT MEANS THAT THE ROOF'S FALLEN IN, WHICH IS VERY DIFFERENT TO WHAT WE'VE SEEN AT MUST FARM, WHERE THE ROOF HAS COME DOWN. YEAH, SO-- MAKING ME THINK A LOT ABOUT THE WALLS. SO, ACTUALLY, THE DAUB'S PROTECTING THE WOOD INSIDE, ISN'T IT, SO, IT'S BECOME BURNED. NO, WE COULD CHIP THAT OFF AND THAT WILL BE AS IT WAS YESTERDAY MORNING.

NARRATOR

OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, HARRISON WILL CONTINUE TO INVESTIGATE THE FIRE THAT DESTROYED MUST FARM. BUT ONE THING IS INDISPUTABLE. ONCE THE VILLAGE BURNED DOWN, IT WAS THE END OF THIS ANCIENT COMMUNITY. THE EXCAVATION HAS SHED NEW LIGHT ON LIFE IN EUROPE AFTER STONEHENGE. PEOPLE BEGAN TO LIVE CLOSER TOGETHER IN SETTLEMENTS, AN EARLY PRECURSOR TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF MODERN CITIES. AND THEIR WORLD EXTENDED FAR BEYOND THEIR VILLAGE. THEIR NEED FOR RAW MATERIALS AND THE DESIRE FOR MATERIAL GOODS DROVE PEOPLE ACROSS RIVERS AND SEAS TO FORGE A NEW SYSTEM OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE THAT WOULD LINK AN ENTIRE CONTINENT. THEIR WORLD WAS FAR FROM PRIMITIVE. IDEAS AND TECHNOLOGY WERE SHARED AND SPREAD. BUT IT WAS ALSO FAR FROM PEACEFUL. AS EUROPE BECAME WEALTHY, IT SEEMS TO HAVE BECOME MORE VIOLENT. IN FACT, BY SHEDDING LIGHT ON THE MYSTERIOUS BRONZE AGE, THIS VILLAGE HAS REVEALED THE ROOTS OF THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY WE LIVE IN TODAY. SOON, THE TEAM MUST FINISH THEIR WORK HERE, BUT THERE IS STILL SO MUCH MORE TO DISCOVER.

KNIGHT

THE MORE YOU DIG, THE MORE QUESTIONS THAT COME UP, THE MORE DETAIL COMES OUT. EVERY MOMENT ANOTHER OBJECT COMES UP WITH A NEW STORY SORT OF THING, SO, WE ARE IN THE--IN THE THROES OF COMPLETION. BUT IN THE KNOWLEDGE THAT A LOT OF THE MATERIALS HERE WILL GO ON TO ANOTHER STAGE, SO, THEY WILL BE UNDER MICROSCOPE, SO, THEY WILL BE IN LABORATORIES, THEY WILL BE SLICED AND EXAMINED AND MEASURED AND--AND IF ANYTHING, THE STORY THAT YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN SO FAR TODAY WILL BE ENRICHED. THERE WILL BE COLOR, THERE WILL BE TEXTURE THAT WILL COME OUT THAT WILL TRANSFORM ELEMENTS OF OUR STORY AS WELL.

NARRATOR

WHAT'S LEFT OF THIS BRONZE AGE VILLAGE WILL BE BURIED BENEATH THE EARTH ONCE MORE WHEN THE LAND IS RETURNED TO ITS OWNERS. IT WILL TAKE YEARS OF STUDY AND ANALYSIS BEFORE MUST FARM REVEALS ALL OF ITS SECRETS, BUT IT'S ALREADY CHANGING OUR IDEAS ABOUT THE BEGINNINGS OF CIVILIZATION AS WE KNOW IT.

KNIGHT

THIS IS THE CROWN JEWELS IN TERMS OF WHAT IT CAN TELL US ABOUT PAST HUMANITIES AND ABOUT THE WAY PEOPLE LIVED IN THIS LANDSCAPE 3,000 YEARS AGO.