1 00:00:05,700 --> 00:00:10,700 ♪♪ 2 00:00:10,700 --> 00:00:14,133 -Submerged beneath the waters of Lake Iznik in Turkey, 3 00:00:14,133 --> 00:00:16,633 the ruins of an early Christian basilica 4 00:00:16,633 --> 00:00:20,933 sat undisturbed for nearly 1,000 years... 5 00:00:20,933 --> 00:00:23,600 until journalists on a routine helicopter flight 6 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:28,033 over the lake spotted the remains in 2014. 7 00:00:28,033 --> 00:00:30,300 ♪♪ 8 00:00:30,300 --> 00:00:33,633 News of the reappearance of this incredible sunken building 9 00:00:33,633 --> 00:00:38,100 quickly spread around the world. 10 00:00:38,100 --> 00:00:40,166 An international team of scientists 11 00:00:40,166 --> 00:00:42,700 is conducting an extraordinary investigation 12 00:00:42,700 --> 00:00:46,933 into the history of this long-hidden structure. 13 00:00:46,933 --> 00:00:48,900 -[ Speaking in French ] 14 00:00:48,900 --> 00:00:51,900 -This drowned basilica raises quite a few questions. 15 00:00:51,900 --> 00:00:55,333 We want to know when it was built, when it was destroyed, 16 00:00:55,333 --> 00:00:57,733 and how it was destroyed. 17 00:00:57,733 --> 00:01:02,333 -From Turkey to the Vatican, in both France and England, 18 00:01:02,333 --> 00:01:05,733 scientists search for clues about the church 19 00:01:05,733 --> 00:01:08,166 and how it ended up underwater. 20 00:01:10,633 --> 00:01:13,933 With exclusive access to the excavation site, 21 00:01:13,933 --> 00:01:17,466 this is also an examination of a major turning point 22 00:01:17,466 --> 00:01:19,966 in the history of the Roman Empire 23 00:01:19,966 --> 00:01:22,600 and Christianity. 24 00:01:22,600 --> 00:01:24,633 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] -We work like detectives -- 25 00:01:24,633 --> 00:01:27,533 archaeological detectives. 26 00:01:27,533 --> 00:01:30,466 -This will be a first for Turkey. 27 00:01:30,466 --> 00:01:33,633 -Turkey is fresh, it's new, it's engaging! 28 00:01:33,633 --> 00:01:37,300 -Working in the city of Iznik, once known as Nicaea, 29 00:01:37,300 --> 00:01:40,900 scientists want to answer one specific question -- 30 00:01:40,900 --> 00:01:44,700 Did the basilica host the First Council of Nicaea, 31 00:01:44,700 --> 00:01:49,233 one of the most important moments in early Christianity? 32 00:01:49,233 --> 00:01:53,200 But as the world was reminded in February 2023, 33 00:01:53,200 --> 00:01:56,400 Turkey is an area prone to earthquakes. 34 00:01:56,400 --> 00:01:58,500 The extreme seismic activity 35 00:01:58,500 --> 00:02:03,066 means the basilica could sink further at any moment. 36 00:02:03,066 --> 00:02:07,466 Scientists are racing to unravel the church's many mysteries 37 00:02:07,466 --> 00:02:10,466 and to reconstruct the submerged basilica 38 00:02:10,466 --> 00:02:13,633 and experience its original grandeur. 39 00:02:13,633 --> 00:02:15,900 "The Sunken Basilica." 40 00:02:15,900 --> 00:02:21,100 ♪♪ 41 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:26,233 -It all began on a calm, 42 00:02:26,233 --> 00:02:29,533 windless day in 2014 on Lake Iznik, 43 00:02:29,533 --> 00:02:32,000 located in northwest Turkey. 44 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:33,333 Three Turkish journalists 45 00:02:33,333 --> 00:02:36,100 were taking a helicopter trip over the city. 46 00:02:36,100 --> 00:02:39,900 Looking down from the air, what they saw shocked them. 47 00:02:39,900 --> 00:02:42,000 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 48 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:44,900 -We were flying over the lake, and the water 49 00:02:44,900 --> 00:02:47,366 was particularly clear that day... 50 00:02:49,200 --> 00:02:51,900 ...so we could actually see the basilica. 51 00:02:51,900 --> 00:02:54,800 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 52 00:02:54,800 --> 00:02:56,733 -If it wasn't for climate change, 53 00:02:56,733 --> 00:02:58,266 we'd never have discovered it. 54 00:02:58,266 --> 00:03:01,033 The water level's dropping every year. 55 00:03:01,033 --> 00:03:03,900 -A drought, the result of climate change, 56 00:03:03,900 --> 00:03:08,266 has caused the lake to shrink, revealing the basilica. 57 00:03:08,266 --> 00:03:09,700 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 58 00:03:09,700 --> 00:03:11,133 -We're delighted. 59 00:03:11,133 --> 00:03:14,000 Not everyone gets to make a discovery like that. 60 00:03:16,033 --> 00:03:18,433 It's a real gift to humanity. 61 00:03:18,433 --> 00:03:22,133 -Turkey is a land of fascinating historical riches. 62 00:03:22,133 --> 00:03:25,133 But this is a discovery unlike any other -- 63 00:03:25,133 --> 00:03:28,366 a building submerged for centuries. 64 00:03:28,366 --> 00:03:31,066 The scientific investigation is led by the director 65 00:03:31,066 --> 00:03:34,800 of the Department of Archaeology of Bursa Uludag University, 66 00:03:34,800 --> 00:03:37,466 Professor Mustafa Sahin. 67 00:03:37,466 --> 00:03:39,133 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] -How is it that, 'til now, 68 00:03:39,133 --> 00:03:44,166 no one has noticed the presence of such a large monument? 69 00:03:44,166 --> 00:03:48,733 I was really surprised when I first saw it. 70 00:03:48,733 --> 00:03:50,133 I could see it was a church 71 00:03:50,133 --> 00:03:53,733 because of its typical basilical layout -- 72 00:03:53,733 --> 00:03:56,966 with three naves. 73 00:03:56,966 --> 00:04:00,833 I immediately wondered who built this church, 74 00:04:00,833 --> 00:04:03,400 at what time, and why? 75 00:04:06,933 --> 00:04:09,100 -To begin his search for answers, 76 00:04:09,100 --> 00:04:11,666 Mustafa goes scuba diving in the lake 77 00:04:11,666 --> 00:04:15,366 and finds a world frozen in time. 78 00:04:17,266 --> 00:04:18,866 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 79 00:04:18,866 --> 00:04:23,533 -It's impossible to describe how I felt that day. 80 00:04:23,533 --> 00:04:26,833 -This investigation will be a real challenge -- 81 00:04:26,833 --> 00:04:29,966 a time machine taking scientists back 82 00:04:29,966 --> 00:04:32,866 to the beginnings of Christianity. 83 00:04:32,866 --> 00:04:35,766 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 84 00:04:35,766 --> 00:04:38,066 -Anatolia, later known as Turkey, 85 00:04:38,066 --> 00:04:40,466 is a real mixture of cultures. 86 00:04:40,466 --> 00:04:44,800 Christianity may have emerged in Jerusalem or the Near East, 87 00:04:44,800 --> 00:04:47,933 but its name, creation, and transformation 88 00:04:47,933 --> 00:04:54,600 into a true religion took place here in Anatolia. 89 00:04:57,266 --> 00:05:00,300 -Mustafa wants to know whether or not the basilica 90 00:05:00,300 --> 00:05:03,666 is where the First Council of Nicaea was held. 91 00:05:03,666 --> 00:05:05,833 Ordered by Emperor Constantine, 92 00:05:05,833 --> 00:05:09,833 it is one of the foundational events of Christianity. 93 00:05:13,033 --> 00:05:17,333 In the 4th century AD, Nicaea, as it was called then, 94 00:05:17,333 --> 00:05:22,200 was a part of the Roman Empire's eastern territory. 95 00:05:22,200 --> 00:05:25,100 Christianity was still a relatively new religion 96 00:05:25,100 --> 00:05:28,966 at that point, defining its core tenets and beliefs, 97 00:05:28,966 --> 00:05:32,966 establishing its central rituals. 98 00:05:32,966 --> 00:05:35,033 The conference would determine the rules 99 00:05:35,033 --> 00:05:38,533 that continue to govern the lives of billions of people 100 00:05:38,533 --> 00:05:40,900 nearly two millennia later. 101 00:05:43,233 --> 00:05:44,600 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 102 00:05:44,600 --> 00:05:46,033 -We still don't know exactly 103 00:05:46,033 --> 00:05:48,133 where the First Council was held. 104 00:05:50,200 --> 00:05:53,133 It's still up for debate. 105 00:05:53,133 --> 00:05:57,133 But it's believed the First Council may well have met here. 106 00:06:00,200 --> 00:06:03,000 -But there are other aspects of the basilica 107 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,966 that fascinate scientists around the world... 108 00:06:06,966 --> 00:06:11,100 scientists like geologist Julia de Sigoyer in Grenoble, 109 00:06:11,100 --> 00:06:13,400 who sees the structure as a chance to study 110 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:18,933 how earthquakes disrupt history and civilizations. 111 00:06:18,933 --> 00:06:21,300 She will team up with archaeologists, 112 00:06:21,300 --> 00:06:24,900 who can provide her with insight into the area's history 113 00:06:25,333 --> 00:06:27,533 -[ Speaking in French ] 114 00:06:27,533 --> 00:06:31,566 -What interested me was to see if this basilica had been buried 115 00:06:31,566 --> 00:06:34,200 because of a tectonic process -- 116 00:06:34,200 --> 00:06:38,566 in other words, because of an earthquake. 117 00:06:38,566 --> 00:06:41,966 -Turkey's past is punctuated by earthquakes. 118 00:06:41,966 --> 00:06:43,533 The country is at the convergence 119 00:06:43,533 --> 00:06:47,466 of three highly active tectonic plates. 120 00:06:47,466 --> 00:06:50,500 It's also home to many artifacts that date back 121 00:06:50,500 --> 00:06:51,700 to the Roman Empire, 122 00:06:51,700 --> 00:06:52,700 which covered 123 00:06:52,700 --> 00:06:55,000 this vast seismic region. 124 00:06:57,833 --> 00:07:02,766 Julia and Mustafa will conduct a double investigation. 125 00:07:02,766 --> 00:07:05,366 Their team is composed of 15 researchers 126 00:07:05,366 --> 00:07:09,566 from around the world, working together, virtually. 127 00:07:12,733 --> 00:07:15,100 Mustafa heads for Rome, 128 00:07:15,100 --> 00:07:16,766 where much of the recorded history 129 00:07:16,766 --> 00:07:20,900 of Christianity is kept -- the Vatican. 130 00:07:20,900 --> 00:07:24,833 He's there to learn more about the First Council of Nicaea. 131 00:07:24,833 --> 00:07:29,133 One magnificent fresco in particular catches his eye. 132 00:07:29,133 --> 00:07:30,700 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 133 00:07:30,700 --> 00:07:33,766 -Our starting point was the fresco in the Vatican 134 00:07:33,766 --> 00:07:36,933 that depicts the First Council of Nicaea. 135 00:07:36,933 --> 00:07:41,233 ♪♪ 136 00:07:41,233 --> 00:07:46,400 -It's a fresco painted in the 16th century by Cesare Nebbia. 137 00:07:46,400 --> 00:07:49,966 ♪♪ 138 00:07:49,966 --> 00:07:55,466 Emperor Constantine is included in the group of people shown. 139 00:07:55,466 --> 00:07:58,866 Mustafa notices one small detail. 140 00:07:58,866 --> 00:08:00,366 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 141 00:08:00,366 --> 00:08:02,566 -It was something at the top left of the fresco 142 00:08:02,566 --> 00:08:04,600 that caught our attention. 143 00:08:07,200 --> 00:08:08,800 You can see the edge of the lake 144 00:08:08,800 --> 00:08:12,333 and the city walls that go down to it. 145 00:08:12,333 --> 00:08:14,033 That's the first clue. 146 00:08:17,633 --> 00:08:19,666 So, what did that tell us? 147 00:08:21,400 --> 00:08:24,300 That the Council was held on the shore of the lake, 148 00:08:24,300 --> 00:08:25,966 outside the city walls, 149 00:08:25,966 --> 00:08:30,333 right here where the basilica is located. 150 00:08:30,333 --> 00:08:32,033 -For Mustafa, 151 00:08:32,033 --> 00:08:34,766 the fresco suggests the basilica may have played 152 00:08:34,766 --> 00:08:39,533 host to the historic Council of Nicaea. 153 00:08:39,533 --> 00:08:41,700 The North Anatolian Fault 154 00:08:41,700 --> 00:08:45,200 stretches across the width of Turkey, 155 00:08:45,200 --> 00:08:48,400 dividing into three branches. 156 00:08:48,400 --> 00:08:51,433 Iznik sits along the middle branch. 157 00:08:51,433 --> 00:08:54,800 The devastating earthquake in February 2023 158 00:08:54,800 --> 00:08:58,166 was caused by the East Anatolian Fault. 159 00:08:58,166 --> 00:09:00,433 For the last 150 years, 160 00:09:00,433 --> 00:09:04,733 the North Anatolian Fault has fractured from east to west, 161 00:09:04,733 --> 00:09:06,466 with each quake creating 162 00:09:06,466 --> 00:09:09,566 a new segment of the fault line. 163 00:09:09,566 --> 00:09:11,400 In 1999, 164 00:09:11,400 --> 00:09:13,133 the last segment to break 165 00:09:13,133 --> 00:09:14,333 caused an earthquake 166 00:09:14,333 --> 00:09:17,200 elsewhere in Turkey. 167 00:09:17,200 --> 00:09:20,066 It measured 7.4 on the Richter scale 168 00:09:20,066 --> 00:09:26,000 and completely ravaged the city of Izmit, killing 17,000 people. 169 00:09:26,000 --> 00:09:30,633 The shoreline bordering the Sea of Marmara sank nearly two feet, 170 00:09:30,633 --> 00:09:34,066 and a tsunami submerged part of the city. 171 00:09:34,066 --> 00:09:38,533 ♪♪ 172 00:09:38,533 --> 00:09:41,566 Despite being a small provincial town, 173 00:09:41,566 --> 00:09:45,033 Iznik contains many secrets from the past -- 174 00:09:45,033 --> 00:09:48,766 some of which are submerged in the waters of its lake. 175 00:09:51,300 --> 00:09:55,766 Two archaeologists, Serkan Gunduz and Suha Cura, 176 00:09:55,766 --> 00:09:59,033 supervise the team of archaeology students. 177 00:09:59,033 --> 00:10:02,000 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 178 00:10:02,000 --> 00:10:04,366 -First, we measure the water level. 179 00:10:04,366 --> 00:10:07,300 Sena, can you handle that? 180 00:10:07,300 --> 00:10:11,500 -These underwater excavations of a submerged basilica 181 00:10:11,500 --> 00:10:13,900 are a first for Turkey. 182 00:10:13,900 --> 00:10:17,133 The basilica is between 5 and 15 feet below 183 00:10:17,133 --> 00:10:18,500 the water's surface 184 00:10:18,500 --> 00:10:23,366 and is 135 feet long by 60 feet wide. 185 00:10:23,366 --> 00:10:27,333 Before each dive, the young researchers carefully pinpoint 186 00:10:27,333 --> 00:10:30,700 the areas to be excavated. 187 00:10:30,700 --> 00:10:32,466 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] -Let's go! 188 00:10:32,466 --> 00:10:34,566 -As each object is found, 189 00:10:34,566 --> 00:10:37,100 its precise location is recorded, 190 00:10:37,100 --> 00:10:40,733 in order to create a map of the dig. 191 00:10:40,733 --> 00:10:42,633 After 1,000 years, 192 00:10:42,633 --> 00:10:45,333 the remains of the basilica are covered in sediment 193 00:10:45,333 --> 00:10:49,500 that must be carefully vacuumed and then collected. 194 00:10:49,500 --> 00:10:53,133 -Ready? -Yes. You can turn it on. 195 00:10:53,133 --> 00:10:57,233 -The vacuum pumps are on, and the excavation can begin. 196 00:10:57,233 --> 00:11:05,600 ♪♪ 197 00:11:05,600 --> 00:11:08,966 The sediment is removed, layer by layer, 198 00:11:08,966 --> 00:11:11,400 taking the scientists further back in time 199 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:15,866 as they search for clues to the basilica's history. 200 00:11:15,866 --> 00:11:18,166 Merve Kurtbayam is responsible 201 00:11:18,166 --> 00:11:20,733 for sifting through the collected sediment 202 00:11:20,733 --> 00:11:23,866 in search of any possible artifacts. 203 00:11:28,766 --> 00:11:30,300 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 204 00:11:30,300 --> 00:11:31,833 -The church we're excavating here 205 00:11:31,833 --> 00:11:35,166 is one of the very first Christian churches. 206 00:11:35,166 --> 00:11:39,066 And, above all, it's one of the few examples that has survived 207 00:11:39,066 --> 00:11:43,500 to this day without any changes to its architectural plan. 208 00:11:48,766 --> 00:11:52,733 -A thick layer of algae and sediment covers the basilica, 209 00:11:52,733 --> 00:11:57,200 protecting the structure for 1,000 years. 210 00:11:57,200 --> 00:11:59,033 Its remains can shed light 211 00:11:59,033 --> 00:12:01,466 on Emperor Constantine's transformation 212 00:12:01,466 --> 00:12:04,733 of the Roman Empire in the 4th century AD. 213 00:12:08,966 --> 00:12:11,800 In Paris, Christophe Goddard, 214 00:12:11,800 --> 00:12:14,366 a specialist in Late Antiquity history, 215 00:12:14,366 --> 00:12:17,566 explains Constantine's significance in the history 216 00:12:17,566 --> 00:12:19,866 of the Roman Empire. -[ Speaking in French ] 217 00:12:19,866 --> 00:12:23,433 -Constantine is the inventor of the Christian basilica. 218 00:12:23,433 --> 00:12:26,433 He makes the decision to allow Christian worship 219 00:12:26,433 --> 00:12:28,800 outside of simple houses of prayer, 220 00:12:28,800 --> 00:12:31,000 and to bring this worship into the buildings 221 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:32,933 known as basilicas. 222 00:12:35,266 --> 00:12:37,533 What is a basilica? 223 00:12:37,533 --> 00:12:39,966 It's an architectural structure 224 00:12:39,966 --> 00:12:43,100 that looks like a kind of market hall, 225 00:12:43,100 --> 00:12:49,100 with several large rooms that are separated by colonnades. 226 00:12:49,100 --> 00:12:52,633 -Originally, basilicas could serve a variety of public 227 00:12:52,633 --> 00:12:55,866 and commercial functions. 228 00:12:55,866 --> 00:12:59,266 But their purpose evolved over time. 229 00:12:59,266 --> 00:13:02,266 -[ Speaking in French ] 230 00:13:02,266 --> 00:13:06,766 -Basilicas will become something else as well -- courthouses! 231 00:13:06,766 --> 00:13:11,166 And pretty soon, any imperial palace has its own basilica -- 232 00:13:11,166 --> 00:13:14,333 not just a reception room, but a courtroom too. 233 00:13:16,566 --> 00:13:18,833 -Already large open spaces, 234 00:13:18,833 --> 00:13:22,333 basilicas were then adapted to be places of worship, 235 00:13:22,333 --> 00:13:25,366 where congregations could gather together. 236 00:13:28,033 --> 00:13:32,300 ♪♪ 237 00:13:32,300 --> 00:13:36,733 The archaeological mission at the lake is well underway. 238 00:13:38,800 --> 00:13:42,633 The French and Swiss geophysicists and geologists 239 00:13:42,633 --> 00:13:44,266 are getting to know their Turkish 240 00:13:44,266 --> 00:13:46,800 archaeologist colleagues. 241 00:13:46,800 --> 00:13:48,766 They will work together to find out 242 00:13:48,766 --> 00:13:52,666 exactly how the basilica ended up underwater. 243 00:13:57,133 --> 00:13:59,866 To get a better sense of the ruins, 244 00:13:59,866 --> 00:14:02,833 Julia and Mustafa suit up for a dive 245 00:14:02,833 --> 00:14:06,866 to explore the basilica together, up close. 246 00:14:06,866 --> 00:14:25,833 ♪♪ 247 00:14:25,833 --> 00:14:28,933 Julia notices some large stone blocks 248 00:14:28,933 --> 00:14:31,966 that might have moved during major earthquakes... 249 00:14:31,966 --> 00:14:41,933 ♪♪ 250 00:14:41,933 --> 00:14:45,333 ...while Mustafa is intrigued by the many tombs 251 00:14:45,333 --> 00:14:48,300 dotted around the interior of the basilica. 252 00:14:48,300 --> 00:14:57,933 ♪♪ 253 00:14:57,933 --> 00:15:00,066 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 254 00:15:00,066 --> 00:15:02,600 -When we started our excavations here, 255 00:15:02,600 --> 00:15:04,200 the first thing we were surprised by 256 00:15:04,200 --> 00:15:10,333 was all the tombs inside the building and all around it. 257 00:15:10,333 --> 00:15:12,400 What were they doing there? 258 00:15:12,400 --> 00:15:15,633 Why were they there? 259 00:15:15,633 --> 00:15:19,333 And some of them were even underneath the foundations 260 00:15:19,333 --> 00:15:20,666 of the building! 261 00:15:20,666 --> 00:15:26,833 ♪♪ 262 00:15:26,833 --> 00:15:30,533 -Elsewhere, another exploration of Roman ruins in Iznik 263 00:15:30,533 --> 00:15:32,200 has begun -- 264 00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:36,533 this time at a theater located in the center of the city. 265 00:15:36,533 --> 00:15:38,533 And it's Yacine Benjelloun's job 266 00:15:38,533 --> 00:15:42,866 to catalogue the different traces left by past earthquakes. 267 00:15:42,866 --> 00:15:48,200 ♪♪ 268 00:15:48,200 --> 00:15:50,866 -[ Speaking in French ] -On this arch here, 269 00:15:50,866 --> 00:15:52,733 we clearly have, I believe, 270 00:15:52,733 --> 00:15:56,033 one of the most obvious signs of an earthquake. 271 00:15:56,033 --> 00:15:58,366 Because this keystone would normally have been 272 00:15:58,366 --> 00:16:00,966 perfectly aligned with the rest, 273 00:16:00,966 --> 00:16:04,333 but in fact it's moved and been pushed out a bit. 274 00:16:06,700 --> 00:16:11,566 -Yacine finds other, similar clues all around this theater. 275 00:16:11,566 --> 00:16:14,400 For him, there's no doubt that they all point 276 00:16:14,400 --> 00:16:19,466 to the occurrence of one or more major earthquakes. 277 00:16:19,466 --> 00:16:21,533 But just how big? 278 00:16:21,533 --> 00:16:24,966 And when did they happen? 279 00:16:24,966 --> 00:16:28,700 And where is the tectonic fault that generated them? 280 00:16:30,966 --> 00:16:33,733 Back at the basilica excavation site, 281 00:16:33,733 --> 00:16:37,733 the investigation moves in a new direction... 282 00:16:37,733 --> 00:16:42,200 with the discovery of a small clay token. 283 00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:45,133 To learn more about the significance of this object, 284 00:16:45,133 --> 00:16:48,500 Mustafa calls on the expertise of an American professor 285 00:16:48,500 --> 00:16:52,900 of biblical studies, Mark Fairchild. 286 00:16:52,900 --> 00:16:56,333 For Fairchild, Turkey is an especially rich location 287 00:16:56,333 --> 00:16:59,333 for the study of early Christianity. 288 00:16:59,333 --> 00:17:01,633 -I come to Turkey every year -- I've been here 289 00:17:01,633 --> 00:17:03,100 for more than 20 years, 290 00:17:03,100 --> 00:17:05,366 travelling through the back country, 291 00:17:05,366 --> 00:17:10,033 travelling to places that most people never go. 292 00:17:10,033 --> 00:17:13,633 I began to do research in Turkey because it's been neglected. 293 00:17:13,633 --> 00:17:17,066 Turkey is fresh, it's new, it's engaging! 294 00:17:17,066 --> 00:17:20,466 There's so much to be seen that nobody's seen before, 295 00:17:20,466 --> 00:17:23,300 that has not been thoroughly researched, 296 00:17:23,300 --> 00:17:27,700 and that's the part of the story that needs to be revealed, 297 00:17:27,700 --> 00:17:30,100 part of the story that we need to tell. 298 00:17:30,100 --> 00:17:32,066 -The newly found object shows 299 00:17:32,066 --> 00:17:34,066 the triumphant Christ Pantocrator 300 00:17:34,066 --> 00:17:35,200 seated on his throne. 301 00:17:35,200 --> 00:17:36,733 -It's not a coin, but a token, 302 00:17:36,733 --> 00:17:38,866 which indicates that people came here 303 00:17:38,866 --> 00:17:40,700 because of its significance. 304 00:17:40,700 --> 00:17:45,566 Literally, what "Pantocrator" means is "ruler of all" -- 305 00:17:45,566 --> 00:17:46,833 "Panto." 306 00:17:46,833 --> 00:17:50,166 The term "Pantocrator" is in opposition 307 00:17:50,166 --> 00:17:53,200 to the imperial claims of the emperors. 308 00:17:53,200 --> 00:17:56,433 The emperors claimed to be "Autocrator," 309 00:17:56,433 --> 00:18:00,966 which, translates, simply means ruler, monarch, dictator, 310 00:18:00,966 --> 00:18:03,733 and that is the imperial claim of the Roman emperors, 311 00:18:03,733 --> 00:18:08,833 that "we are in absolute control of the Mediterranean realm." 312 00:18:08,833 --> 00:18:13,200 The Christians used that term, "Pantocrator," 313 00:18:13,200 --> 00:18:14,666 to describe Christ, 314 00:18:14,666 --> 00:18:19,033 and it's a way of trumping the imperial claims. 315 00:18:19,033 --> 00:18:24,066 "Pantocrator" is... a political statement. 316 00:18:24,066 --> 00:18:27,133 -But a political statement about what? 317 00:18:27,133 --> 00:18:30,833 The fact that the basilica is built over a necropolis 318 00:18:30,833 --> 00:18:32,933 may shed some light on that... 319 00:18:32,933 --> 00:18:34,733 -Welcome to Turkey. 320 00:18:34,733 --> 00:18:36,466 -Thank you, thank you. 321 00:18:36,466 --> 00:18:39,533 Have you found tombs outside of the church 322 00:18:39,533 --> 00:18:42,366 or just inside of the church? 323 00:18:42,366 --> 00:18:44,866 -Together. Inside and... 324 00:18:44,866 --> 00:18:46,133 -And nearby. -And nearby. 325 00:18:46,133 --> 00:18:47,566 -Nearby. -In all, 326 00:18:47,566 --> 00:18:50,733 250 tombs will be found. 327 00:18:50,733 --> 00:18:53,833 But there's one detail that puzzles Mark. 328 00:18:53,833 --> 00:18:58,166 -Basilicas are usually built in the city. 329 00:18:58,166 --> 00:19:01,366 This basilica is outside of the city walls. 330 00:19:01,366 --> 00:19:03,033 That's unusual. 331 00:19:03,033 --> 00:19:06,500 A necropolis is also outside of the city 332 00:19:06,500 --> 00:19:09,366 because of the stench of the decaying bodies. 333 00:19:09,366 --> 00:19:15,333 When we find tombs inside of the basilica, that's very unusual, 334 00:19:15,333 --> 00:19:18,000 and the only conclusion that we can draw from that 335 00:19:18,000 --> 00:19:23,400 is that this basilica was a martyrion. 336 00:19:23,400 --> 00:19:28,566 -As a martyrion, the basilica holds special significance. 337 00:19:28,566 --> 00:19:33,033 -A martyrion is the place where a saint, an early Christian, 338 00:19:33,033 --> 00:19:36,033 was killed on behalf of his faith. 339 00:19:36,033 --> 00:19:39,533 The early Christians commemorated that saint 340 00:19:39,533 --> 00:19:41,500 by marking that spot. 341 00:19:41,500 --> 00:19:44,933 Soon thereafter, it became a place of worship, 342 00:19:44,933 --> 00:19:47,300 and after the Byzantine period, 343 00:19:47,300 --> 00:19:51,133 churches were built at these sites. 344 00:19:51,133 --> 00:19:55,133 -As members of a minor religion in the pagan Roman Empire, 345 00:19:55,133 --> 00:19:57,933 Christians were often persecuted, 346 00:19:57,933 --> 00:20:00,266 which could explain the martyr's death 347 00:20:00,266 --> 00:20:03,133 and the construction of the basilica. 348 00:20:05,466 --> 00:20:07,666 In the 3rd century AD, 349 00:20:07,666 --> 00:20:09,000 the Empire was under 350 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:10,266 great pressure. 351 00:20:10,266 --> 00:20:11,800 It was being attacked on both 352 00:20:11,800 --> 00:20:14,500 its western and eastern borders. 353 00:20:14,500 --> 00:20:16,500 Military spending was consuming 354 00:20:16,500 --> 00:20:18,033 the country's finances, 355 00:20:18,033 --> 00:20:19,033 leading to 356 00:20:19,033 --> 00:20:21,433 political instability. 357 00:20:21,433 --> 00:20:25,566 Diocletian was crowned emperor in 284 AD, 358 00:20:25,566 --> 00:20:27,566 and he tried to strengthen the Empire 359 00:20:27,566 --> 00:20:29,400 with far-reaching reforms, 360 00:20:29,400 --> 00:20:31,733 known as the Tetrarchy. 361 00:20:31,733 --> 00:20:33,300 He had the Empire divided 362 00:20:33,300 --> 00:20:35,000 into four territories, 363 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:36,900 each with its own leader. 364 00:20:36,900 --> 00:20:38,366 But that only created 365 00:20:38,366 --> 00:20:40,033 more chaos. 366 00:20:40,033 --> 00:20:41,866 Diocletian's next move 367 00:20:41,866 --> 00:20:43,633 was to ban Christianity 368 00:20:43,633 --> 00:20:45,466 in 303 AD. 369 00:20:45,466 --> 00:20:47,400 -[ Speaking in French ] -Being a Christian 370 00:20:47,400 --> 00:20:49,833 actually became a criminal act. 371 00:20:49,833 --> 00:20:52,366 -But persecution did little to stop the growth 372 00:20:52,366 --> 00:20:54,100 and spread of the religion. 373 00:20:54,100 --> 00:20:58,266 And just three years later, in 306 AD, 374 00:20:58,266 --> 00:21:00,566 Constantine became emperor. -[ Speaking in French ] 375 00:21:00,566 --> 00:21:03,300 -The Emperor Constantine didn't actually establish 376 00:21:03,300 --> 00:21:04,933 the Christian religion, 377 00:21:04,933 --> 00:21:07,933 but he was the first Christian emperor. 378 00:21:07,933 --> 00:21:11,200 He saw the persecution with his own eyes. 379 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,966 ♪♪ 380 00:21:14,966 --> 00:21:17,900 -Mark Fairchild wants to find out more about the events 381 00:21:17,900 --> 00:21:22,333 he believes the basilica was built to honor. 382 00:21:22,333 --> 00:21:25,900 He travels to Rome to locate any records pertaining 383 00:21:25,900 --> 00:21:30,100 to the basilica that can be found in Vatican archives. 384 00:21:32,333 --> 00:21:35,200 Fairchild studies an illuminated manuscript 385 00:21:35,200 --> 00:21:37,666 from the end of the 10th century, 386 00:21:37,666 --> 00:21:41,100 the Menologion of Basil II. 387 00:21:41,100 --> 00:21:45,300 The manuscript contains descriptions of saints' lives. 388 00:21:45,300 --> 00:21:48,766 Mark is interested in one particular young martyr 389 00:21:48,766 --> 00:21:51,333 named Neophytos. 390 00:21:51,333 --> 00:21:53,433 -Neophytos is an interesting character. 391 00:21:53,433 --> 00:21:56,266 Unfortunately, we don't have early traditions 392 00:21:56,266 --> 00:21:58,400 about Neophytos. 393 00:21:58,400 --> 00:22:02,466 -According to the text, Neophytos was born in Nicaea 394 00:22:02,466 --> 00:22:04,000 to Christian parents 395 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:07,200 and, while still a boy, he performed miracles, 396 00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:11,166 including bringing his mother back to life. 397 00:22:11,166 --> 00:22:16,000 In 303 AD, the Roman governor of Nicaea, Decius, 398 00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:18,333 forced the city's Christians to pay tribute 399 00:22:18,333 --> 00:22:21,233 and make offerings to the pagan gods. 400 00:22:21,233 --> 00:22:24,066 Neophytos refused. 401 00:22:24,066 --> 00:22:27,000 The governor tortured him, to no avail, 402 00:22:27,000 --> 00:22:31,200 and ultimately had him put to death. 403 00:22:31,200 --> 00:22:32,500 -The place of execution? 404 00:22:32,500 --> 00:22:33,866 Some traditions indicate 405 00:22:33,866 --> 00:22:39,066 that Decius actually came here to Nicaea, 406 00:22:39,066 --> 00:22:41,666 and that's where the whole confrontation had taken place 407 00:22:41,666 --> 00:22:43,600 and that he was executed here on the shore. 408 00:22:47,100 --> 00:22:49,166 -The basilica was built on the lakeshore 409 00:22:49,166 --> 00:22:52,566 where it's believed Neophytos was killed. 410 00:22:52,566 --> 00:22:57,066 It became a place of pilgrimage, in homage to the young martyr. 411 00:22:57,066 --> 00:23:01,933 ♪♪ 412 00:23:01,933 --> 00:23:07,733 Research into Iznik's other Roman ruins continues. 413 00:23:07,733 --> 00:23:10,866 Yacine has recorded more than 280 findings 414 00:23:10,866 --> 00:23:14,500 that indicate both destruction and reconstruction 415 00:23:14,500 --> 00:23:16,600 of the Roman theater of Nicaea. 416 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:19,633 Most of these damaged features 417 00:23:19,633 --> 00:23:22,133 are oriented north to south, 418 00:23:22,133 --> 00:23:23,166 which would make sense 419 00:23:23,166 --> 00:23:24,233 if the seismic fault 420 00:23:24,233 --> 00:23:25,566 that caused the earthquakes 421 00:23:25,566 --> 00:23:27,633 was located south of Iznik. 422 00:23:27,633 --> 00:23:34,466 ♪♪ 423 00:23:34,466 --> 00:23:38,000 -[ Speaking in French ] -I just felt from all my reading 424 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:40,100 and my understanding of tectonics 425 00:23:40,100 --> 00:23:44,666 that there must be active faults within this lake. 426 00:23:44,666 --> 00:23:46,733 Of course, intuition's all very well, 427 00:23:46,733 --> 00:23:49,966 but you have to be able to back it up. 428 00:23:49,966 --> 00:23:54,033 -And after Yacine's field studies confirm her intuition, 429 00:23:54,033 --> 00:23:57,000 Julia focuses her research on the possibility 430 00:23:57,000 --> 00:24:00,366 there are fault lines beneath the lake itself. 431 00:24:00,366 --> 00:24:06,100 ♪♪ 432 00:24:06,100 --> 00:24:09,866 A new mission that requires heavy equipment begins -- 433 00:24:09,866 --> 00:24:12,233 locating the seismic faults. 434 00:24:12,233 --> 00:24:18,400 ♪♪ 435 00:24:18,400 --> 00:24:23,766 Two Swiss geologists, Flavio Anselmetti and Stefano Fabbri, 436 00:24:23,766 --> 00:24:26,000 specialists in lake tectonics, 437 00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,166 will produce a map of the bottom of the lake. 438 00:24:34,066 --> 00:24:35,866 Within weeks, 439 00:24:35,866 --> 00:24:37,966 one-third of the lake is mapped, 440 00:24:37,966 --> 00:24:40,166 and two subaquatic fault lines 441 00:24:40,166 --> 00:24:41,933 have been identified. 442 00:24:45,100 --> 00:24:46,233 The researchers 443 00:24:46,233 --> 00:24:47,333 will focus their work 444 00:24:47,333 --> 00:24:48,533 on the more southern 445 00:24:48,533 --> 00:24:50,133 of the two faults. 446 00:24:52,233 --> 00:24:54,166 Lying just over half a mile 447 00:24:54,166 --> 00:24:55,566 south of the city, 448 00:24:55,566 --> 00:24:57,300 the Iznik Fault is a segment 449 00:24:57,300 --> 00:24:59,933 of the larger Anatolian Fault system, 450 00:24:59,933 --> 00:25:04,366 which separates the Eurasian plate from the Anatolian plate. 451 00:25:08,466 --> 00:25:12,600 The line has a dangerous straightness to it, though. 452 00:25:14,333 --> 00:25:15,533 -[ Speaking in French ] 453 00:25:15,533 --> 00:25:17,666 -A few years ago, it was discovered 454 00:25:17,666 --> 00:25:19,233 that on straight segments 455 00:25:19,233 --> 00:25:22,133 there can be a very particular kind of earthquake, 456 00:25:22,133 --> 00:25:25,200 one that involves sudden slipping -- 457 00:25:25,200 --> 00:25:27,233 which means that when the fault breaks, 458 00:25:27,233 --> 00:25:29,633 it slides apart at great speed. 459 00:25:29,633 --> 00:25:31,833 -Seismologists call 460 00:25:31,833 --> 00:25:33,100 this phenomenon 461 00:25:33,100 --> 00:25:34,666 "super-shear." 462 00:25:34,666 --> 00:25:36,233 On a straight fault, 463 00:25:36,233 --> 00:25:37,533 the wave of rupture 464 00:25:37,533 --> 00:25:38,533 that travels along it 465 00:25:38,533 --> 00:25:40,333 can advance much faster 466 00:25:40,333 --> 00:25:43,966 than the waves generated by the earthquake. 467 00:25:43,966 --> 00:25:46,633 The "super-shear" phenomenon was first noticed 468 00:25:46,633 --> 00:25:50,900 following the Izmit earthquake of 1999. 469 00:25:50,900 --> 00:25:53,633 With a magnitude of 7.4, 470 00:25:53,633 --> 00:25:56,633 the rupture wave surged along the straight portion 471 00:25:56,633 --> 00:25:59,866 of the fault, worsening the destruction. 472 00:25:59,866 --> 00:26:02,600 -[ Speaking in French ] 473 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:04,600 -If a super-shear earthquake 474 00:26:04,600 --> 00:26:06,233 were to occur on the fault segment 475 00:26:06,233 --> 00:26:08,900 that's just been discovered in Lake Iznik, 476 00:26:08,900 --> 00:26:11,766 it could lead to massive dissolving of the soil 477 00:26:11,766 --> 00:26:15,800 and the whole shoreline being engulfed. 478 00:26:15,800 --> 00:26:18,533 That might explain how the Basilica of Nicaea 479 00:26:18,533 --> 00:26:22,100 was once completely drowned. 480 00:26:22,100 --> 00:26:25,533 -To test this hypothesis, researchers must learn more 481 00:26:25,533 --> 00:26:27,166 about the characteristics of 482 00:26:27,166 --> 00:26:29,500 the newly discovered fault segment -- 483 00:26:29,500 --> 00:26:31,933 rupture length, past activity, 484 00:26:31,933 --> 00:26:35,766 and the magnitude of the earthquakes it has caused. 485 00:26:35,766 --> 00:26:38,800 Details about these past events could explain 486 00:26:38,800 --> 00:26:40,433 what happened to the basilica, 487 00:26:40,433 --> 00:26:43,566 as well as what might happen in the future. 488 00:26:43,566 --> 00:26:57,033 ♪♪ 489 00:26:57,033 --> 00:26:59,700 Yacine Benjelloun is looking for clues 490 00:26:59,700 --> 00:27:04,033 to measure the magnitude of the segment's previous earthquakes. 491 00:27:07,566 --> 00:27:12,366 Located three miles from Iznik, this funerary obelisk, 492 00:27:12,366 --> 00:27:15,633 which dates back to the 2nd century AD, 493 00:27:15,633 --> 00:27:18,633 could be helpful. 494 00:27:18,633 --> 00:27:22,666 Miraculously, it has survived several earthquakes. 495 00:27:22,666 --> 00:27:27,533 A few chips and slight rotations are the only visible damage 496 00:27:27,533 --> 00:27:32,866 caused by two millennia of earthquakes. 497 00:27:32,866 --> 00:27:35,266 At the Grenoble Alpes University, 498 00:27:35,266 --> 00:27:38,900 researchers create a computer animation of the obelisk 499 00:27:38,900 --> 00:27:43,366 and simulate the effects of various earthquake scenarios. 500 00:27:43,366 --> 00:27:46,400 The modelling shows what happens when seismic waves 501 00:27:46,400 --> 00:27:51,766 of varying magnitudes pass through the marble structure. 502 00:27:51,766 --> 00:27:53,933 The model proves that no earthquake 503 00:27:53,933 --> 00:27:56,966 with a magnitude higher than 7.3 504 00:27:56,966 --> 00:28:00,633 has occurred in the area in the last 2,000 years. 505 00:28:00,633 --> 00:28:05,566 Otherwise, the obelisk would have been damaged or destroyed. 506 00:28:05,566 --> 00:28:08,800 With this information, Yacine can begin to create 507 00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:12,533 a timeline of earthquakes along the fault. 508 00:28:12,533 --> 00:28:15,866 For additional insight, he consults written testimony 509 00:28:15,866 --> 00:28:18,766 kept at the Ecole Normale Supérieure. 510 00:28:18,766 --> 00:28:20,966 -[ Speaking in French ] 511 00:28:20,966 --> 00:28:25,000 -In Iznik, throughout Antiquity and the Middle Ages, 512 00:28:25,000 --> 00:28:28,133 there were members of the aristocracy, ecclesiastics, 513 00:28:28,133 --> 00:28:31,333 and monks who acted as chroniclers. 514 00:28:31,333 --> 00:28:35,100 Over the years, they reported political events and wars, 515 00:28:35,100 --> 00:28:40,166 but also natural disasters, including earthquakes. 516 00:28:40,166 --> 00:28:42,166 -According to these records, 517 00:28:42,166 --> 00:28:45,200 14 earthquakes have struck the Iznik region 518 00:28:45,200 --> 00:28:48,300 over the last 2,000 years. 519 00:28:48,300 --> 00:28:51,833 Of those 14, Yacine identifies four quakes 520 00:28:51,833 --> 00:28:54,266 that had a magnitude around 7... 521 00:28:56,333 --> 00:28:58,933 ...the tremors of 30 AD, 522 00:28:58,933 --> 00:29:00,633 368 AD, 523 00:29:00,633 --> 00:29:02,300 740 AD, 524 00:29:02,300 --> 00:29:05,866 and 1065 AD. 525 00:29:05,866 --> 00:29:08,366 The one in 30 AD is ruled out, 526 00:29:08,366 --> 00:29:11,400 because it happened before the basilica was built -- 527 00:29:11,400 --> 00:29:14,700 which means one of the three remaining earthquakes 528 00:29:14,700 --> 00:29:18,766 is responsible for sinking the basilica. 529 00:29:18,766 --> 00:29:21,600 The answer may well lie in Chambéry, 530 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:26,833 home to a collection of precious sediment core samples. 531 00:29:26,833 --> 00:29:29,233 -Do you know where they are? -They're right here. 532 00:29:29,233 --> 00:29:31,500 -The one taken from the bottom of Lake Iznik 533 00:29:31,500 --> 00:29:34,300 will give sediment specialist Pierre Sabatier 534 00:29:34,300 --> 00:29:37,333 and PhD student Renaldo Gastineau 535 00:29:37,333 --> 00:29:39,866 a picture of the last 2,000 years 536 00:29:39,866 --> 00:29:41,766 of the lake's seismic history. 537 00:29:41,766 --> 00:29:43,900 -Ooh! -Yes. Very nice. 538 00:29:43,900 --> 00:29:48,933 This one here just might tell us how the basilica was destroyed. 539 00:29:48,933 --> 00:29:50,800 There are indeed historical earthquakes 540 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:53,500 recorded in the archives of the city. 541 00:29:53,500 --> 00:29:57,133 But we've no real idea of their intensity. 542 00:29:57,133 --> 00:29:59,300 We know that if an event is recorded 543 00:29:59,300 --> 00:30:00,966 in the sedimentary core, 544 00:30:00,966 --> 00:30:03,600 it's probably significant enough to have done damage 545 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:05,833 and perhaps destroyed the basilica. 546 00:30:07,900 --> 00:30:11,800 ♪♪ 547 00:30:11,800 --> 00:30:14,200 -The sediment is caused, in part, 548 00:30:14,200 --> 00:30:16,500 by erosion along the lake's edges 549 00:30:16,500 --> 00:30:19,933 that settles, layer by layer, over the centuries, 550 00:30:19,933 --> 00:30:24,500 providing a great deal of scientific data. 551 00:30:24,500 --> 00:30:25,900 During an earthquake, 552 00:30:25,900 --> 00:30:28,533 the sediment slides like an avalanche 553 00:30:28,533 --> 00:30:33,966 and leaves a chaotic deposit on the surface of the lake bed. 554 00:30:33,966 --> 00:30:37,766 Coring sediment layers allows researchers to identify 555 00:30:37,766 --> 00:30:41,566 and date anomalous events such as earthquakes. 556 00:30:42,666 --> 00:30:44,033 -[ Speaking in French ] 557 00:30:44,033 --> 00:30:47,433 -You can see both events really clearly. 558 00:30:47,433 --> 00:30:49,466 There wasn't much time between them. 559 00:30:49,466 --> 00:30:52,066 -They're quite well marked. There are two distinct levels. 560 00:30:52,066 --> 00:30:56,100 -Geochemical analysis and carbon-14 dating of the sediment 561 00:30:56,100 --> 00:30:57,866 enable Pierre and Renaldo 562 00:30:57,866 --> 00:31:00,533 to identify all 14 earthquakes 563 00:31:00,533 --> 00:31:01,533 mentioned in 564 00:31:01,533 --> 00:31:04,133 the historical texts. 565 00:31:04,133 --> 00:31:05,733 -So there's the top of the core sample -- 566 00:31:05,733 --> 00:31:07,233 and the date it was sampled. 567 00:31:07,233 --> 00:31:10,933 -Two core samples, one from each side of the fault, 568 00:31:10,933 --> 00:31:12,866 are placed side by side. 569 00:31:12,866 --> 00:31:16,433 -Pass me the C-14 dates from the sequence, will you? 570 00:31:16,433 --> 00:31:19,366 -It's easy to see the anomalies that could have been caused 571 00:31:19,366 --> 00:31:20,866 by seismic activity 572 00:31:20,866 --> 00:31:23,133 and compare these disturbances in the sediment. 573 00:31:23,133 --> 00:31:25,233 -[ Speaking in French ] -This deposit here 574 00:31:25,233 --> 00:31:28,100 is what really matters. 575 00:31:28,100 --> 00:31:30,533 It's much lower down in the sample, 576 00:31:30,533 --> 00:31:32,633 at the foot of the fault. 577 00:31:32,633 --> 00:31:36,700 And we can date that to the historic earthquake of 1065 AD 578 00:31:36,700 --> 00:31:38,966 that really rocked the city of Iznik. 579 00:31:39,500 --> 00:31:42,533 -One thing's clear to the researchers -- 580 00:31:42,533 --> 00:31:46,600 of the two samples, the thickest and most offset 581 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:49,333 is from the 1065 earthquake, 582 00:31:49,333 --> 00:31:53,666 making it the most likely cause of the basilica's destruction. 583 00:31:53,666 --> 00:31:55,266 -[ Speaking in French ] 584 00:31:55,266 --> 00:31:58,833 -This would indicate that the basilica was destroyed 585 00:31:58,833 --> 00:32:01,500 by a possible "super-shear" earthquake 586 00:32:01,500 --> 00:32:03,966 on this rectilinear fault. 587 00:32:03,966 --> 00:32:06,100 And that's a major discovery, 588 00:32:06,100 --> 00:32:08,766 both in our understanding of the seismic cycle 589 00:32:08,766 --> 00:32:10,766 and the history of the basilica. 590 00:32:11,400 --> 00:32:16,200 [ Rumbling ] 591 00:32:16,200 --> 00:32:18,033 -The 1065 earthquake 592 00:32:18,033 --> 00:32:22,100 was a particularly devastating disaster -- 593 00:32:22,100 --> 00:32:25,100 and it's also the last large earthquake that's visible 594 00:32:25,100 --> 00:32:29,600 in the sediment core samples over the last thousand years. 595 00:32:35,633 --> 00:32:37,300 -[ Speaking in French ] 596 00:32:37,300 --> 00:32:39,166 -It can mean two things -- 597 00:32:39,166 --> 00:32:42,000 either this segment has ceased to be active, 598 00:32:42,000 --> 00:32:45,100 or, on the contrary, we're at a critical moment, 599 00:32:45,100 --> 00:32:47,833 where enough stress has built up 600 00:32:47,833 --> 00:32:48,833 to bring us close 601 00:32:48,833 --> 00:32:50,100 to a breaking point, 602 00:32:50,100 --> 00:32:51,566 and we can expect to have 603 00:32:51,566 --> 00:32:53,533 a very big earthquake here 604 00:32:53,533 --> 00:32:55,533 on this middle segment. 605 00:32:58,566 --> 00:33:01,466 That would have a big impact on the city of Iznik. 606 00:33:01,466 --> 00:33:04,533 And Iznik is developing its tourist industry, 607 00:33:04,533 --> 00:33:07,500 so there are more and more hotels being built 608 00:33:07,500 --> 00:33:09,166 on the shores of the lake. 609 00:33:09,166 --> 00:33:13,666 In fact, it's very close to the situation in Roman times. 610 00:33:13,666 --> 00:33:19,766 ♪♪ 611 00:33:19,766 --> 00:33:21,966 -Local authorities see the basilica 612 00:33:21,966 --> 00:33:24,633 as a major tourist attraction. 613 00:33:24,633 --> 00:33:26,733 But as the lake continues to shrink 614 00:33:26,733 --> 00:33:28,300 because of climate change, 615 00:33:28,300 --> 00:33:32,366 the buildings become more exposed and fragile. 616 00:33:32,366 --> 00:33:34,700 -Our underwater excavations will eventually 617 00:33:34,700 --> 00:33:38,533 turn into surface excavations. 618 00:33:38,533 --> 00:33:40,800 -Kagan Mehmet, the mayor of Iznik, 619 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:44,166 is clear about his hopes for the basilica. 620 00:33:44,166 --> 00:33:46,500 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 621 00:33:46,500 --> 00:33:47,733 -We still don't know, really, 622 00:33:47,733 --> 00:33:49,533 where the First Council was held. 623 00:33:49,533 --> 00:33:52,466 But if, as the experts claim, it was indeed here, 624 00:33:52,466 --> 00:33:55,300 the sites of the 1st and 7th Ecumenical Councils 625 00:33:55,300 --> 00:33:57,100 will be in the spotlight. 626 00:33:59,966 --> 00:34:02,533 For a small town like Iznik to have a monument like that 627 00:34:02,533 --> 00:34:06,333 is very important for us in terms of international tourism. 628 00:34:08,500 --> 00:34:12,366 -The submerged basilica could soon become a popular site 629 00:34:12,366 --> 00:34:15,333 for the world's Christians. 630 00:34:15,333 --> 00:34:18,466 It was here, in the city of Nicaea, 631 00:34:18,466 --> 00:34:20,300 in 325 AD, 632 00:34:20,300 --> 00:34:24,133 that Roman Emperor Constantine gathered the religion's bishops 633 00:34:24,133 --> 00:34:26,933 to lay out the foundations of their faith -- 634 00:34:26,933 --> 00:34:32,800 turning the pagan city into a center of Christianity. 635 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,066 Constantine organized the Council 636 00:34:35,066 --> 00:34:36,866 in hopes of resolving an issue 637 00:34:36,866 --> 00:34:39,233 that threatened to divide the church -- 638 00:34:39,233 --> 00:34:43,133 the nature of Christ. 639 00:34:43,133 --> 00:34:45,833 An Egyptian priest and theologian named Arius 640 00:34:45,833 --> 00:34:49,033 claimed that Christ was not the same being as God, 641 00:34:49,033 --> 00:34:51,466 but rather was "begotten" by God, 642 00:34:51,466 --> 00:34:55,266 causing controversy throughout the Empire. 643 00:34:55,266 --> 00:35:00,400 Constantine wanted the debate settled before it caused unrest. 644 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:02,000 To resolve the argument, 645 00:35:02,000 --> 00:35:05,633 he brought bishops from across the Empire to Nicaea. 646 00:35:05,633 --> 00:35:07,266 -Constantine was not a theologian. 647 00:35:07,266 --> 00:35:09,900 He was a politician, and he was very much concerned 648 00:35:09,900 --> 00:35:13,466 that Christianity was unified rather than fractured, 649 00:35:13,466 --> 00:35:16,500 because that would, of course, complicate his problems 650 00:35:16,500 --> 00:35:19,266 as a ruler. -[ Speaking in French ] 651 00:35:19,266 --> 00:35:22,666 -The presence there of the Emperor himself... 652 00:35:24,500 --> 00:35:28,433 ...offers a glimpse of the solemnity of the occasion 653 00:35:28,433 --> 00:35:32,566 and the very political demands that it put on the bishops. 654 00:35:32,566 --> 00:35:36,033 Those who did not agree with any decision would be exiled. 655 00:35:36,033 --> 00:35:39,833 And in those days, exile was pretty much a sentence of death. 656 00:35:39,833 --> 00:35:58,233 ♪♪ 657 00:35:58,233 --> 00:36:01,633 -As he directs the new excavations in search of clues 658 00:36:01,633 --> 00:36:03,200 about the First Council, 659 00:36:03,200 --> 00:36:07,400 Mustafa is intrigued by other, unexpected finds. 660 00:36:09,700 --> 00:36:11,066 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 661 00:36:11,066 --> 00:36:14,233 -In my opinion, there was a temple here. 662 00:36:14,233 --> 00:36:16,866 We've discovered architectural elements in marble 663 00:36:16,866 --> 00:36:19,333 that couldn't belong to a simple church. 664 00:36:22,533 --> 00:36:27,533 -These marble items suggest a pagan temple was located here 665 00:36:27,533 --> 00:36:30,933 before the basilica was built. 666 00:36:30,933 --> 00:36:34,166 And there are other clues to support this theory. 667 00:36:34,166 --> 00:36:36,333 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 668 00:36:36,333 --> 00:36:38,133 -What have we found recently? 669 00:36:38,133 --> 00:36:40,833 Well, we've unearthed coins dating back to the time 670 00:36:40,833 --> 00:36:45,400 of Antoninus Pius, in the 2nd century AD, 671 00:36:45,400 --> 00:36:48,633 as well as oil lamps from the 1st century AD. 672 00:36:50,700 --> 00:36:54,600 -All these objects predate the basilica. 673 00:36:54,600 --> 00:36:56,866 -Hi! It's wonderful to see you. 674 00:36:56,866 --> 00:36:58,833 -One of the oil lamps in particular 675 00:36:58,833 --> 00:37:01,933 has caught the attention of the archaeologists. 676 00:37:05,533 --> 00:37:07,166 -It looks like clay. 677 00:37:07,166 --> 00:37:10,066 -Found inside the remains of the basilica, 678 00:37:10,066 --> 00:37:14,166 this terracotta oil lamp with an erotic motif is, 679 00:37:14,166 --> 00:37:17,500 for Mustafa, a significant clue. -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 680 00:37:17,500 --> 00:37:22,200 -This type of oil lamp suggests it might be a pagan temple, 681 00:37:22,200 --> 00:37:25,333 because erotic lamps don't belong in a church. 682 00:37:28,300 --> 00:37:31,333 -Although such lamps were commonplace at the time, 683 00:37:31,333 --> 00:37:34,900 it's more likely one would be found in a pagan temple 684 00:37:34,900 --> 00:37:37,933 than a Christian basilica. -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 685 00:37:37,933 --> 00:37:39,933 -The Roman Emperor Commodus 686 00:37:39,933 --> 00:37:43,633 had ordered the construction of a Temple of Apollo at Iznik. 687 00:37:45,933 --> 00:37:47,200 It was built outside 688 00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:48,233 the city of Iznik, 689 00:37:48,233 --> 00:37:49,933 near the lake. 690 00:37:52,066 --> 00:37:53,600 But the Temple of Apollo 691 00:37:53,600 --> 00:37:55,700 has since disappeared. 692 00:37:57,900 --> 00:38:02,100 -Mustafa thinks this 2nd-century-AD Temple of Apollo 693 00:38:02,100 --> 00:38:06,066 may lie under the foundations of the basilica. 694 00:38:06,066 --> 00:38:09,166 Mark Fairchild isn't so sure. 695 00:38:09,166 --> 00:38:10,366 -There's also a distinction 696 00:38:10,366 --> 00:38:13,433 in the understanding of sacred space. 697 00:38:13,433 --> 00:38:15,033 In the pagan temples, 698 00:38:15,033 --> 00:38:17,266 the persons who come to the pagan temple to worship 699 00:38:17,266 --> 00:38:18,933 worshipped outside of the temple, 700 00:38:18,933 --> 00:38:21,266 they didn't enter into the temple. 701 00:38:21,266 --> 00:38:24,266 In the basilicas, they were invited to come 702 00:38:24,266 --> 00:38:27,600 into the inner precinct and worship inside. 703 00:38:27,600 --> 00:38:31,000 And I think it's also a different perception of God. 704 00:38:31,000 --> 00:38:34,333 Whereas the Pagans thought of God as being transcendent -- 705 00:38:34,333 --> 00:38:36,900 "he's out there, he's distant from us" -- 706 00:38:36,900 --> 00:38:39,833 the Christians promoted a God who is intimate, 707 00:38:39,833 --> 00:38:43,933 who invited to have communion. 708 00:38:43,933 --> 00:38:46,133 And the fact that you've got tombs 709 00:38:46,133 --> 00:38:50,900 that are inside of the church is a telling fact that indicates 710 00:38:50,900 --> 00:38:55,133 that it was originally a church, not a temple. 711 00:38:55,133 --> 00:39:01,100 ♪♪ 712 00:39:01,100 --> 00:39:04,966 -But Mustafa also consults Dominik Maschek, 713 00:39:04,966 --> 00:39:06,700 a specialist in the architecture 714 00:39:06,700 --> 00:39:10,566 of Late Roman Antiquity at Oxford. 715 00:39:10,566 --> 00:39:14,000 Dominik, unlike Mark Fairchild, thinks it's possible 716 00:39:14,000 --> 00:39:16,900 the basilica was built over a temple. 717 00:39:16,900 --> 00:39:20,033 -[ Speaking in foreign language ] 718 00:39:20,033 --> 00:39:24,733 -The basilica has a central part, here, in blue. 719 00:39:24,733 --> 00:39:26,733 And it could very well be the "cella" -- 720 00:39:26,733 --> 00:39:29,166 that is, the central part of the temple. 721 00:39:31,166 --> 00:39:33,433 This would have the advantage that the outer walls 722 00:39:33,433 --> 00:39:37,600 could support the columns of the temple. 723 00:39:37,600 --> 00:39:39,933 -Dominik cites a similar case -- 724 00:39:39,933 --> 00:39:43,300 a basilica built on top of a temple to Aphrodite, 725 00:39:43,300 --> 00:39:45,100 also in Turkey. 726 00:39:45,100 --> 00:39:47,700 -This is the Basilica of Aphrodisias, 727 00:39:47,700 --> 00:39:50,400 which dates from the beginning of the Byzantine period. 728 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:51,900 And if you superimpose the two, 729 00:39:51,900 --> 00:39:53,466 the temple fits into the basilica. 730 00:39:53,466 --> 00:39:55,966 The temple is smaller 731 00:39:55,966 --> 00:39:57,200 than the basilica, 732 00:39:57,200 --> 00:40:00,233 which would also be the case in Iznik. 733 00:40:00,233 --> 00:40:03,033 -Dominik has created a 3-D reconstruction 734 00:40:03,033 --> 00:40:06,166 of what the Temple of Apollo might have looked like. 735 00:40:06,166 --> 00:40:12,800 ♪♪ 736 00:40:12,800 --> 00:40:15,400 Continuing excavations should confirm 737 00:40:15,400 --> 00:40:18,833 whether or not a temple lay beneath the basilica. 738 00:40:18,833 --> 00:40:22,900 ♪♪ 739 00:40:22,900 --> 00:40:25,566 In order to predict how the Iznik fault 740 00:40:25,566 --> 00:40:27,333 will behave in the future, 741 00:40:27,333 --> 00:40:31,300 the scientists are studying how it has behaved in the past. 742 00:40:33,733 --> 00:40:36,500 -[ Speaking in French ] -We want to look closely 743 00:40:36,500 --> 00:40:40,700 at how this fault line functions. 744 00:40:40,700 --> 00:40:44,200 You can't do that with just one method and one specialist -- 745 00:40:44,200 --> 00:40:46,600 you need many different approaches. 746 00:40:50,500 --> 00:40:54,800 -The first team to get to work is the pair of Swiss geologists, 747 00:40:54,800 --> 00:40:57,633 who will study the fault's movements. 748 00:41:00,533 --> 00:41:04,166 They install a seismic reflection transceiver 749 00:41:04,166 --> 00:41:06,233 on a small fishing boat. 750 00:41:12,633 --> 00:41:15,600 It will allow them to probe the layers of sediment 751 00:41:15,600 --> 00:41:19,900 on the lake bed and learn more about the fault segment. 752 00:41:22,133 --> 00:41:24,400 -We do seismic surveys, 753 00:41:24,400 --> 00:41:27,233 which means that we produce acoustic waves. 754 00:41:27,233 --> 00:41:30,233 And for this purpose, we have it here next to the boat, 755 00:41:30,233 --> 00:41:32,633 so it emits -- Every 0.3 seconds, 756 00:41:32,633 --> 00:41:35,000 there is a soundwave that's created, 757 00:41:35,000 --> 00:41:36,600 which travel through the water, 758 00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:40,200 which go into the sediments below the lake. 759 00:41:40,200 --> 00:41:41,733 And we image these. 760 00:41:41,733 --> 00:41:44,500 And we want to actually find the surfaces 761 00:41:44,500 --> 00:41:46,900 where the earthquakes slipped. 762 00:41:52,933 --> 00:41:56,366 So, we see that the lake floor actually has a shift, 763 00:41:56,366 --> 00:41:59,866 and this was most likely caused by an earthquake 764 00:41:59,866 --> 00:42:02,866 that actually was the movement of this fault 765 00:42:02,866 --> 00:42:08,133 that might have caused the damage at the basilica. 766 00:42:08,133 --> 00:42:12,700 -Their first results show that the fault has shifted vertically 767 00:42:12,700 --> 00:42:15,333 by an average of three feet. 768 00:42:15,333 --> 00:42:19,766 ♪♪ 769 00:42:19,766 --> 00:42:21,766 The second team of scientists, 770 00:42:21,766 --> 00:42:23,900 from the Grenoble Alpes University, 771 00:42:23,900 --> 00:42:27,100 is tracking the course of the fault on dry land. 772 00:42:27,100 --> 00:42:34,900 ♪♪ 773 00:42:34,900 --> 00:42:38,666 Along with geophysicist Stéphane Garambois, 774 00:42:38,666 --> 00:42:40,366 Julia de Sigoyer's team 775 00:42:40,366 --> 00:42:44,333 is taking ultrasound readings of the lake's shoreline, 776 00:42:44,333 --> 00:42:46,666 using electromagnetic waves. 777 00:42:46,666 --> 00:42:53,200 ♪♪ 778 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:56,933 These electromagnetic echographies of the subsoil 779 00:42:56,933 --> 00:42:58,833 will provide important information 780 00:42:58,833 --> 00:43:01,866 about how the shoreline has moved. 781 00:43:05,500 --> 00:43:06,933 Each of the images 782 00:43:06,933 --> 00:43:07,933 shows the same 783 00:43:07,933 --> 00:43:09,566 sedimentary structure -- 784 00:43:09,566 --> 00:43:13,200 but shifted by about 15 feet. 785 00:43:13,200 --> 00:43:16,800 These two structures were one and the same -- 786 00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:21,366 until one or several earthquakes moved them apart. 787 00:43:21,366 --> 00:43:24,333 The team concludes that if a single earthquake 788 00:43:24,333 --> 00:43:26,433 caused this horizontal slippage, 789 00:43:26,433 --> 00:43:29,766 it must have been of a magnitude of at least 7 -- 790 00:43:29,766 --> 00:43:34,633 which corresponds to the modelling done with the obelisk. 791 00:43:34,633 --> 00:43:38,900 But their hunt for the fault line doesn't stop there. 792 00:43:40,866 --> 00:43:44,833 The team heads further east, into the hills, 793 00:43:44,833 --> 00:43:47,033 to the nearby village of Cerkesli, 794 00:43:47,033 --> 00:43:49,100 which sits astride the fault. 795 00:43:49,100 --> 00:43:55,800 ♪♪ 796 00:43:55,800 --> 00:43:59,033 Another expert, seismologist Yann Klinger, 797 00:43:59,033 --> 00:44:02,533 has joined this latest search. 798 00:44:02,533 --> 00:44:05,433 By studying the topography of the landscape, 799 00:44:05,433 --> 00:44:07,800 the team can track the fault. 800 00:44:07,800 --> 00:44:11,066 They'll now dig a trench and examine the soil 801 00:44:11,066 --> 00:44:13,666 to date the different earthquakes. 802 00:44:16,400 --> 00:44:18,733 Roughly 130 feet long, 803 00:44:18,733 --> 00:44:22,533 the trench stretches across the fault. 804 00:44:22,533 --> 00:44:27,133 So how will they identify those past earthquakes? 805 00:44:27,133 --> 00:44:29,133 -An earthquake is like a big fracture 806 00:44:29,133 --> 00:44:31,400 that spreads to the surface of the Earth. 807 00:44:31,400 --> 00:44:34,266 Deep down, the fault itself is like the trunk of the tree. 808 00:44:34,266 --> 00:44:35,900 By the time it gets to the surface, 809 00:44:35,900 --> 00:44:37,633 there are all these little branches. 810 00:44:37,633 --> 00:44:41,466 And these are all the little fissures. 811 00:44:41,466 --> 00:44:43,633 -The fault segment they're looking for 812 00:44:43,633 --> 00:44:49,466 is hidden at the heart of this mass of sedimentary layers. 813 00:44:49,466 --> 00:44:53,766 On the exposed walls, you can see a lot of cracks. 814 00:44:53,766 --> 00:44:56,066 But they're very hard to analyze, 815 00:44:56,066 --> 00:44:59,400 so the team is gathering as much data as possible -- 816 00:44:59,400 --> 00:45:04,066 such as this 3-D reconstruction of the heart of the trench. 817 00:45:04,066 --> 00:45:08,100 ♪♪ 818 00:45:08,100 --> 00:45:11,400 Raphael Paris, a specialist in tsunamis, 819 00:45:11,400 --> 00:45:15,100 is investigating the effects of the fault. 820 00:45:15,100 --> 00:45:18,033 Could it cause a super-shear earthquake -- 821 00:45:18,033 --> 00:45:21,866 and potentially a tsunami? 822 00:45:21,866 --> 00:45:25,300 Raphael and researcher Nur Deniz Unsal travel 823 00:45:25,300 --> 00:45:28,266 the shores of the lake that have remained undeveloped, 824 00:45:28,266 --> 00:45:31,900 in search of traces left by a tsunami. 825 00:45:33,200 --> 00:45:35,166 -[ Speaking in French ] 826 00:45:35,166 --> 00:45:39,000 -I'm looking for an anomaly, a sedimentary anomaly. 827 00:45:39,000 --> 00:45:42,266 This is an environment that has very slow sedimentation. 828 00:45:42,266 --> 00:45:45,633 Then, all of a sudden, a tsunami comes along and deposits 829 00:45:45,633 --> 00:45:47,800 sediment that's completely different -- 830 00:45:47,800 --> 00:45:49,266 much coarser and with shells, 831 00:45:49,266 --> 00:45:52,533 shells that come from the lake, things like that. 832 00:45:52,533 --> 00:45:56,733 -He's drilled into the soil to a depth of 10 feet. 833 00:45:56,733 --> 00:45:58,333 At seven and a half feet, 834 00:45:58,333 --> 00:46:01,633 there's a deposit that's very interesting. 835 00:46:01,633 --> 00:46:04,066 -[ Speaking in French ] -At precisely this depth, 836 00:46:04,066 --> 00:46:06,166 we've found a sandy level 837 00:46:06,166 --> 00:46:11,200 that's abnormally rich in shells that come from the lake. 838 00:46:11,200 --> 00:46:13,800 And we reckon that's probably evidence of a tsunami 839 00:46:13,800 --> 00:46:15,166 on Lake Iznik. 840 00:46:15,166 --> 00:46:21,733 ♪♪ 841 00:46:21,733 --> 00:46:24,233 -But it will take months of research to find out 842 00:46:24,233 --> 00:46:27,333 if this tsunami occurred in 1065 -- 843 00:46:27,333 --> 00:46:30,766 and if it contributed to the sinking of the basilica. 844 00:46:30,766 --> 00:46:39,100 ♪♪ 845 00:46:39,100 --> 00:46:41,333 The scientists now shift their attention 846 00:46:41,333 --> 00:46:44,366 from the fault's past to its future, 847 00:46:44,366 --> 00:46:47,766 hoping to determine when it might shift again 848 00:46:47,766 --> 00:46:50,200 and protect people living in the area. 849 00:46:50,200 --> 00:46:53,400 [ Ship horn blows ] 850 00:46:53,400 --> 00:46:57,000 ♪♪ 851 00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:01,766 As mist covers the Sea of Marmara, in the port of Yalova, 852 00:47:01,766 --> 00:47:04,566 the team of sedimentologists arrives to fetch 853 00:47:04,566 --> 00:47:07,566 an important research tool -- 854 00:47:07,566 --> 00:47:10,133 a National Research Centre barge 855 00:47:10,133 --> 00:47:13,133 that's left France for the first time. 856 00:47:13,133 --> 00:47:17,166 It is capable of drilling much deeper core samples. 857 00:47:21,166 --> 00:47:26,133 The barge must be reassembled after its journey from France. 858 00:47:29,066 --> 00:47:30,966 The scientists hope it will help them 859 00:47:30,966 --> 00:47:33,333 better understand the fault. 860 00:47:36,266 --> 00:47:40,700 Once assembled, the drilling barge is anchored in the lake, 861 00:47:40,700 --> 00:47:42,800 to the north of the fault. 862 00:47:44,533 --> 00:47:47,933 -This fault hasn't moved for about a thousand years. 863 00:47:47,933 --> 00:47:50,733 The last big earthquake was in 1065 -- 864 00:47:50,733 --> 00:47:53,800 and there hasn't been a major earthquake here since then. 865 00:47:53,800 --> 00:47:59,700 ♪♪ 866 00:47:59,700 --> 00:48:02,166 -The smaller 10-foot core samples 867 00:48:02,166 --> 00:48:04,133 the scientists studied previously 868 00:48:04,133 --> 00:48:05,500 have already confirmed 869 00:48:05,500 --> 00:48:09,166 the seismic activity of the last 2,000 years. 870 00:48:09,166 --> 00:48:12,133 But the new drill should produce sediment cores that go 871 00:48:12,133 --> 00:48:18,766 much further back in time -- between 10,000 and 15,000 years. 872 00:48:18,766 --> 00:48:20,666 -We want to see if these earthquakes are repeated 873 00:48:20,666 --> 00:48:23,466 every one or two thousand years, or even longer. 874 00:48:23,466 --> 00:48:24,966 If they're repeated every thousand years 875 00:48:24,966 --> 00:48:26,966 and the last one was a thousand years ago, 876 00:48:26,966 --> 00:48:30,133 we risk having an earthquake quite soon. 877 00:48:30,133 --> 00:48:33,433 -Since the last earthquake in 1065, 878 00:48:33,433 --> 00:48:36,900 the Iznik fault hasn't shifted. 879 00:48:36,900 --> 00:48:39,566 If the pattern is every thousand years, 880 00:48:39,566 --> 00:48:42,166 is another quake imminent? 881 00:48:44,933 --> 00:48:48,466 With that concern, the scientists race to collect 882 00:48:48,466 --> 00:48:53,433 as much information from the underwater basilica as they can. 883 00:48:53,433 --> 00:48:58,000 And their efforts pay off with an unexpected discovery... 884 00:48:59,666 --> 00:49:01,300 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 885 00:49:01,300 --> 00:49:05,333 -Two of these tombs are particularly important. 886 00:49:05,333 --> 00:49:09,266 They're placed right under the bema wall, 887 00:49:09,266 --> 00:49:13,333 which means that they were there before the church. 888 00:49:13,333 --> 00:49:16,200 -The bema wall, or "Seat of Judgement," 889 00:49:16,200 --> 00:49:19,500 is a foundation wall located between the central nave 890 00:49:19,500 --> 00:49:21,133 and the apse. 891 00:49:21,133 --> 00:49:23,366 The archaeologists have unearthed tombs 892 00:49:23,366 --> 00:49:25,833 located directly under it. 893 00:49:25,833 --> 00:49:28,200 If the tombs are beneath the bema, 894 00:49:28,200 --> 00:49:31,866 then they were there before the basilica was built. 895 00:49:34,466 --> 00:49:37,866 New evidence raises questions about whether the basilica 896 00:49:37,866 --> 00:49:41,333 really hosted the First Council of Nicaea. 897 00:49:41,333 --> 00:49:44,466 The tombs contain coins dating from the time 898 00:49:44,466 --> 00:49:46,833 of Emperors Valens and Valentinian, 899 00:49:46,833 --> 00:49:51,533 who reigned between 364 and 378 AD -- 900 00:49:51,533 --> 00:49:53,000 more than 50 years 901 00:49:53,000 --> 00:49:56,600 after the First Council of Nicaea took place. 902 00:49:56,600 --> 00:49:58,500 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 903 00:49:58,500 --> 00:50:02,200 -It means that the basilica was built, at the earliest, 904 00:50:02,200 --> 00:50:04,166 after 390 AD. 905 00:50:06,033 --> 00:50:11,300 -It could not have hosted the First Council of Nicaea. 906 00:50:11,300 --> 00:50:13,066 However, it does provide insight 907 00:50:13,066 --> 00:50:17,100 into the history of Christianity. 908 00:50:17,100 --> 00:50:20,433 The basilica reflects the profound transformation 909 00:50:20,433 --> 00:50:22,133 the Roman Empire underwent 910 00:50:22,133 --> 00:50:26,466 as it shifted from pagan belief systems to Christianity -- 911 00:50:26,466 --> 00:50:28,966 led by Emperor Constantine. 912 00:50:28,966 --> 00:50:31,500 ♪♪ 913 00:50:31,500 --> 00:50:33,733 -[ Speaking in French ] 914 00:50:33,733 --> 00:50:38,233 -It's rare to have this mix of someone with enough vision 915 00:50:38,233 --> 00:50:41,500 to lead the whole of the immense Roman Empire 916 00:50:41,500 --> 00:50:44,533 toward something completely different. 917 00:50:44,533 --> 00:50:47,866 -Constantine was determined to reunite the Empire 918 00:50:47,866 --> 00:50:51,833 after the chaos of the Tetrarchy. 919 00:50:51,833 --> 00:50:55,300 He led the military into battles to unite the Empire 920 00:50:55,300 --> 00:50:58,933 as soon as he came to power in 306 AD. 921 00:51:00,866 --> 00:51:03,133 Accounts vary as to what happened, 922 00:51:03,133 --> 00:51:05,900 but Constantine credited divine intervention 923 00:51:05,900 --> 00:51:08,300 for his defeat of rival Maxentius. 924 00:51:08,300 --> 00:51:11,200 The night before the battle, Constantine is said 925 00:51:11,200 --> 00:51:14,200 to have ordered the Greek letters Chi and Rho 926 00:51:14,200 --> 00:51:17,666 to be painted on the helmets and the shields of his troops. 927 00:51:17,666 --> 00:51:20,233 Chi-Rho is an early Christian symbol 928 00:51:20,233 --> 00:51:25,133 depicting the first two letters of "Christos," or Christ. 929 00:51:25,133 --> 00:51:30,033 Crowned with that symbol, on October 28, 312 AD, 930 00:51:30,033 --> 00:51:33,133 Constantine's forces defeated Maxentius 931 00:51:33,133 --> 00:51:37,900 and entered Rome cheered as liberators. 932 00:51:37,900 --> 00:51:39,266 The following year, 933 00:51:39,266 --> 00:51:40,333 after reuniting 934 00:51:40,333 --> 00:51:41,933 the entire Empire, 935 00:51:41,933 --> 00:51:44,633 he signed the Edict of Milan, 936 00:51:44,633 --> 00:51:45,700 which guaranteed 937 00:51:45,700 --> 00:51:49,266 freedom to all religions. 938 00:51:49,266 --> 00:51:53,733 -The Edict of Milan did not establish Christianity 939 00:51:53,733 --> 00:51:56,966 as the official religion of the Roman Empire. 940 00:51:56,966 --> 00:52:00,100 But it was a beginning, a new beginning for the Church. 941 00:52:00,100 --> 00:52:03,100 And buildings were constructed, like this basilica, 942 00:52:03,100 --> 00:52:06,100 where Christians could assemble together and worship freely 943 00:52:06,100 --> 00:52:08,833 without fear of persecution. 944 00:52:08,833 --> 00:52:13,166 ♪♪ 945 00:52:13,166 --> 00:52:17,533 -In Oxford, Dominik Maschek, with help from Mustafa, 946 00:52:17,533 --> 00:52:20,333 has completed one of the most exciting elements 947 00:52:20,333 --> 00:52:21,766 of the project -- 948 00:52:21,766 --> 00:52:25,266 a 3-D reconstruction of the basilica. 949 00:52:28,833 --> 00:52:31,533 What was only a dream for Mustafa, 950 00:52:31,533 --> 00:52:36,300 has now become a virtual reality. 951 00:52:36,300 --> 00:52:40,300 The Basilica of Iznik, one of the earliest Christian basilicas 952 00:52:40,300 --> 00:52:43,566 built in the Roman Empire's eastern provinces, 953 00:52:43,566 --> 00:52:46,900 has come back to life. -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 954 00:52:46,900 --> 00:52:49,766 -It was a very big dream for me -- 955 00:52:49,766 --> 00:52:52,966 to rebuild the basilica we'd excavated 956 00:52:52,966 --> 00:52:55,666 and to show it in all its stages. 957 00:52:55,666 --> 00:53:05,133 ♪♪ 958 00:53:05,133 --> 00:53:06,866 -While the Basilica of Iznik 959 00:53:06,866 --> 00:53:08,733 will never be physically rebuilt, 960 00:53:08,733 --> 00:53:12,333 the work of this international team has made it possible to see 961 00:53:12,333 --> 00:53:17,033 what it might have looked like before the earthquake of 1065. 962 00:53:17,033 --> 00:53:35,400 ♪♪ 963 00:53:35,400 --> 00:53:37,866 -[ Speaking in Turkish ] 964 00:53:37,866 --> 00:53:40,500 -We've shown the world how important it is 965 00:53:40,500 --> 00:53:41,900 to share research 966 00:53:41,900 --> 00:53:45,300 and work together on the international stage. 967 00:53:47,633 --> 00:53:50,866 -For Julia, and all the other scientists who carried out 968 00:53:50,866 --> 00:53:54,566 this investigation with her, the mission is over. 969 00:53:54,566 --> 00:53:57,633 A submerged basilica has been their starting point 970 00:53:57,633 --> 00:54:01,200 for a journey of historical and scientific discovery. 971 00:54:05,600 --> 00:54:11,300 On February 6, 2023, on the East Anatolian Fault, 972 00:54:11,300 --> 00:54:16,466 two violent earthquakes, with magnitudes of 7.8 and 7.6, 973 00:54:16,466 --> 00:54:19,333 hit southern Turkey and Syria. 974 00:54:19,333 --> 00:54:22,500 Thousands lost their lives. 975 00:54:22,500 --> 00:54:26,133 Scientists now fear that these earthquakes have increased 976 00:54:26,133 --> 00:54:29,933 the risk of a new rupture of the Iznik fault. 977 00:54:33,333 --> 00:54:36,866 With the destruction another earthquake could cause, 978 00:54:36,866 --> 00:54:42,200 research to prevent future disasters continues. 979 00:54:42,200 --> 00:54:45,500 The next movement of the Iznik fault may happen 980 00:54:45,500 --> 00:54:48,500 sooner than anyone thinks. 981 00:54:48,500 --> 00:54:54,466 We now know that the 1065 earthquake was very powerful. 982 00:54:54,466 --> 00:54:56,100 The Basilica of Iznik 983 00:54:56,100 --> 00:54:59,866 illustrates the damage earthquakes can cause. 984 00:54:59,866 --> 00:55:02,366 But it's also a real treasure, 985 00:55:02,366 --> 00:55:05,900 a precious testimony to a pivotal period in history, 986 00:55:05,900 --> 00:55:08,766 and a poignant vestige of the past -- 987 00:55:08,766 --> 00:55:11,833 as spectacular as it is fragile.