[Music] thank you [Music] this famous ancient city still holds many Secrets some of which are buried in the bed of the home [Music] little by little archaeologists are revealing its incredible history and unearthing Priceless coins 20 meters underwater in almost complete darkness scuba divers are braving the treacherous currents to uncover the remains of a mysterious Roman shipwreck [Music] how did this ship sink who was destined to receive its Precious Cargo to gain an insight into this exciting investigation we have exclusive permission to set up our cameras on the banks of this former ancient city for fear of looting scientists are conducting their investigation in total secrecy from ultra rare discoveries to historical Revelations their investigations lead us to the 4th Century A.D the Golden Age of the city of alright archaeologists are following the trail of a remarkable treasure does it come from the extraordinary wealth of the our lesions or is it linked to a critical period for the Roman Empire [Music] archaeologists succeed in putting together the pieces of this incredible puzzle and unravel the Enigma of the Treasures of the horn oh no [Music] thank you in Al a fascinating past is re-emerging that of the achalat duplex a prestigious trading Port that thrived on both banks of the horn in the early days of antiquity this is where archaeologists are preparing to explore the riverbed with the utmost discretion an extraordinary mission that will reveal the lesser-known side of ancient history [Music] this morning Luke long head of the operation is giving some final words of advice for the team the dive ahead is set to be very dangerous questions [Music] it's a demanding task that requires exceptional diving skills these archaeologists report to drasum the French public body responsible for underwater and submarine excavations [Music] for security reasons we are unable to give the exact date or place of these investigations [Music] an interesting deposit has been spotted at a very unusual depth the archaeologists are in charge of filming it the site is located 20 meters underwater this part of the horn it is total darkness [Music] the light from the lamps scarcely provides 15 centimeters of visibility the current is so strong that the divers could get lost or swept away at any given moment at no point must they leave the lifeline that has been set up foreign it leads directly to the search area large blocks of stone [Music] and a collection of huge wooden planks protrude from the silt covered with hundreds of ancient tiles [Music] foreign [Music] continue [Music] Santa beef the scientists are convinced that they're dealing with a Roman shipwreck they call it the al-rone 24 another artifact confirms their Theory voila a piece of metal that Luke immediately recognizes it belongs to a uniquely shaped anchor typical of sailing on the horn on fat on a universe is A Towing anchor similar to one that has already been previously discovered in their own resisted foreign it's not surprising to find a Roman shipwreck a stone throw from the historic Center of Al I located on the Rhone a gateway to the Mediterranean the city played a strategic role in the Roman Empire hundreds of cargo vessels from across the Empire pass through this large river and Maritime port few of which are still intact so why did the alron 24 sink archaeologists are eager to learn more about this ship and its cargo they begin by setting up a grid system [Music] concrete iron bars they Mark out a survey area like a crime scene the archaeologists meticulously make a note of each item Luke is responsible for this astonishing cargo of tiles he carefully measures and outlines their arrangement [Music] the collected data is then processed by Laurel Masala the geographer of the operation he immediately records them on a bathymetric chart with every excavation the archaeologists have been developing a unique 3D map it reveals the nature and position of every archaeological discovery made in the river within the last 20 years and today something surprising has caught their attention is Hotel [Music] until now all the shipwrecks discovered in their own were situated on the right Bank on the site of the ancient Port of Al this is how it would have looked a huge commercial Zone where business is booming with boat houses storage facilities where Dockers load and unload goods from all over the empire yesterday from the first to the 5th Century A.D Al was a prosperous Port City that brought together the trade taxes and Riches of the Roman Empire the archaeologists are faced with a mystery why was the alron 24 not found like the others on the right Bank of the river where the ancient trading Port once stood [Music] this newly discovered shipwreck marks the beginning of a fascinating investigation Luke's draftsmanship brings this boat to life judging by the dimensions of the stack of tiles on the bottom of the boat he estimates it to have been almost 18 meters long according to Luke these tiles were used to steady the ship [Music] foreign importance why was this boat built with such a ballast what was it carrying the next Dives are going to be crucial uh [Applause] [Music] the investigation continues beneath the constant flow of boats inside one of the grids the archaeologists are in for a big surprise there are hundreds of ancient coins scattered across the riverbed [Music] among them gold coins [Music] hello [Music] what is um money um [Music] for this team of archaeologists these discoveries raise some questions why are such large amounts of coins being found grouped together especially gold coins where they tossed into the river as an offering or do they come from the trade that flourished on the streets of Al in ancient times from the 1st Century A.D the Rhone was home to the majority of goods traffic coming from all corners of the empire [Music] Al opens its doors to the world the city is brimming with shops where you can find both staple foods and rare exotic Delicacies [Music] they are lesions are citizens of the Roman Empire as such they reap the numerous commercial and legal benefits their official language is Latin their laws and monetary system also align with that of the Romans is yeah a hub of ancient Commerce are lies at the heart of the Roman economic and political system how does the wreck discovered by archaeologists linked to this Commerce [Music] is it a traditional barge that was used to transport Goods Luke believes the wreck holds the answer to this mystery in an attempt to solve it we head northwards up the river [Music] with the same kind has been discovered in the river soon [Music] in restoration at ARC nuclear a world-renowned laboratory buried in the sediment these fragments of wood have been preserved for centuries they're based in this resin solution for several months this globally unique technique is used to replace the water contained in the wood fiber [Music] freeze dried in order to retain its original shape [Music] but now we must put together the thousands of pieces of this huge puzzle launched in 2014 this ambitious restoration project provides valuable information on Roman Naval architecture scientists have created a model of this flat-bottomed barge at 28 meters long it would have originally been bigger than the one in Al it is estimated to have been capable of carrying nearly 53 tons of goods [Music] hello [Music] these racks offer archaeologists an invaluable opportunity to better understand ancient sailing techniques at the front teams of men hauled the boat to help it tape to the current [Music] 30 people are enough to tug a 50-ton boat [Music] the rudder has not yet been invented positioned at the rear the Helmsman instead uses a long ore to steer simply turning it right or left will move the boat [Music] we now have a more precise idea of the physionomy of the al-rone 24. an 18 meter long flat bottomed barge suitable for transporting goods meanwhile Luke Long's team continues their investigation back at base camp the archaeologists are trying to find out the date of the Shipwreck by analyzing the coins after five Dives close to a thousand ancient coins have been Unearthed Ral Jean-Claude tiri is the coin expert for this project he patiently cleans each coin by removing the layer of corrosion a result of being in the horn for centuries in Roman times the portrait and title of the reigning Emperor were imprinted on each coin coins therefore provide an excellent chronological marker [Music] because Constantine II only ruled the empire for three years he is the son of Constantine the Great famous for having been the first emperor to tolerate the Christian faith he's also the first emperor to have converted to Christianity this is a major step forward in Luke's investigation um of the thousands of coins discovered just one a gold coin has been traced back to the First Century A.D it depicts the Roman Emperor trajan all the other coins date back to the 4th century it has led scientists to look into the succession of the first Christian emperor in history [Music] during the 4th Century the city enjoyed the favor of Constantine the Great he made this commercial Port his Imperial residence foreign [Music] the 1st Century BC Julius Caesar made it a jewel in the crown of the empire [Music] with Arenas and Amphitheater a theater and fortifications in the 4th Century Constantine built a palace and Imperial thermal baths it's Beauty and wealth earned it the nickname The Little Rome of Gaul it is not surprising that there are still astonishing discoveries being made here today Luke's team are convinced that the al-rone 24 barge sank in the Rhone between 337 and 340. ballasted with tiles the boat was carrying a precious cargo nearly a thousand bronze and gold coins the theory that the coins came from offerings or Street trade has been definitively ruled out given that they were found 50 meters from the riverbank but two questions remain who was funding this Expedition and what was the boat doing so far from the port [Music] to progress their investigation the scientists are now focusing all their research on the left side of the river Luke has arranged a meeting here with a resident of Al archaeologists have uncovered remains of the ancient city in his cellar foreign [Music] through his drawings the expert brings various eras of all to life [Music] he knows every a knock and cranny of the city there is scientific evidence to prove that until the 8th Century Throne was crossed by a boat bridge this ingenious structure made our famous throughout the empire at least 15 Boats were tied together to support a large Footbridge at each end two drawbridges allowed the passage of ships a riverbed the boats were Tethered to a stone column [Music] foreign telephone number is important functions [Music] [Music] too bad this is Luke's version of events [Music] cargo hedge head but the current is very strong the boat begins to pitch and becomes difficult to steer like with the Shipwreck we saw in Lyon the gun whales are very low barely 1.4 meters foreign gets caught in the rigging of the boat deck [Music] the boat will sink into Oblivion for the next 17 centuries [Music] the Waters of the Rhone are still just as dangerous today the archaeologists do not take any unnecessary risks each dive must be marked out and Justified [Music] have just made an astounding Discovery it will take the investigation to a whole new level foreign the divers have photographed some rarely seen objects sir surprise [Music] foreign objects of this value cannot be left on the riverbed for too long in the hands of looters these coins would sell for a pretty penny [Music] all right thank you [Music] [Applause] [Music] foreign belt buckle a rare treasure most likely to have been worn by a senior dignitary of the Roman Empire it was customary for the emperor himself to offer this type of ornament to family members the only one like it in the world why are such remarkable objects being found aboard this shipwreck what was the final destination of this Treasure Trove Luke has a tentative Theory [Music] um foreign will the coming hours prove Luke's Theory correct Giorgio has just spotted some mysterious metal plates is [Music] right [Music] only positions [Music] this wreck still holds precious Treasures underwater it is impossible to understand the function of these metal plates however around 50 of them have emerged a short distance away the archaeologists are tying themselves to the small ingots [Music] now it's time for the large metal plates uh Mr all right [Music] 20 small ingots and 10 metal plates have been recovered from the surface of the site these small ingots are made of almost pure silver it's a remarkable discovery [Applause] as for the large metal plates Luke thinks these could be raw materials intended to be melted could this ancient alloy have been used to manufacture money the Silver Mines of Mel host scientists studying paleo metallurgy [Music] Luke has come to seek the expertise of Florian Terrell this archaeologist studies ancient metals and alloys is foreign there would have been no Weaponry agriculture or monetary production Florio is going to try to manufacture coins from Metals identical to those found in Al so monitor is to produce a coin blank the planchet [Music] foreign [Music] made of clay and fresh manure this strange method has been observed on Ancient sites his gut instinct has paid off all that's left to do is burn the planchets [Music] thank you from the preparations foreign blanks are then washed in a salt and acid solution all that's left to do now is mint themselves yes a ifox is pill efas [Music] the experiment is successful it confirms that the metal plates were to be used to make coins [Music] in the early 4th Century emperor Constantine moved the mint of ostia the port of Rome to Al located in the Heart of the City this Workshop was one of the most productive of the Empire it brought the city considerable economic wealth [Music] every year Al produced millions of coins that were supplied to the entire south of ghoul it was therefore customary for these boats loaded with precious metals to birth on the Left Bank towards the mint Workshop [Music] [Music] however one question remains why did the crew not make every effort to retrieve this Precious Cargo [Music] for Luke many questions remain unresolved who did this treasure belong to who wanted to sink it and to what end the investigation of the golden Buckle May provide him with a new lead there is only one such Jewel known in the world it belonged to a high-ranking military officer is during ancient times only Roman citizens had the right to bear a first name surname and family name this Tria nomina revealed social status and allegiance to a clan is what if this treasure was linked to the need to recruit soldiers or Mercenaries [Music] the archaeologists are certain that during the 4th Century the city of Al was home to military garrisons [Music] the fourth Century saw the development of the Roman army it had to constantly Recruit new soldiers and train them to protect the Empire's borders thanks to sophisticated weaponry and Relentless discipline the legion were better trained than all other soldiers of the time [Music] what if the treasure discovered in the Rhone was intended to raise an army for a new Expedition this is one of the archaeologists theories foreign [Music] officer seeks to form a new Legion and it's in the great Cosmopolitan Port of Al that he hopes to enlist these soldiers [Music] to seal the deal he needs money lots of it much more than the coins and ingots recovered from the wreck so far only a thorough excavation could confirm this Theory [Music] the investigation is far from over [Music] at the beginning of the fourth Century a new belief flourished what if the treasure found on the Shipwreck was linked to the Advent of Christianity after all the our lesions were one of the most powerful Christian communities in the ghoul foreign not far from the center in the corner of the ancient Rampart they built the first Cathedral one of the first in the Christian West Mark Edgeman is an archaeologist it was he who Unearthed the remains of this exceptional landmark its Dimensions go far beyond the largest paleo-christian churches so far known to have existed in ghoul looking forward [Music] foreign [Music] a reflection of the church's Newfound power the Cathedral of Al was visible to all travelers sailing on their own back to build a landmark of this scale you need a great deal of money was the horde of coins discovered on the Shipwreck going to be used to fund this new religion foreign the work was perhaps paid for by the wealthier lesions who made their Fortune through trade on their own the 4th century was a prosperous one for the city [Music] is when trade was at its peak [Music] Peak [Music] back at the archaeologist HQ a new development has just breathed life into the investigation of the horde of coins Jean-Claude tiri the coin expert has noticed a strange correlation between the most valuable objects foreign [Music] foreign [Music] the same Effigy has appeared on all the gold and silver medallions that of the young emperor Constantine II and another intriguing piece of evidence not one Medallion is dated later than the year 340. the Year in which Constantine II was assassinated by his brother said said medella is during Antiquity the taxation service was tasked with melting down valuable objects as Boolean with the intention of minting coins to honor the new emperor this was known as public largesse The Treasure of their own was therefore to celebrate the reign of the new Prince foreign [Music] a fratricidal conflict between Emperor Constantine's Sons Luke's team may have solved the origin of this mysterious Treasure Trove only a complete excavation will confirm whether they are on the right track [Music] it's a remarkable treasure that archaeologists have uncovered from the surface of the site around 20 bars of extremely pure silver almost a thousand bronze coins dozens of gold and silver coins Imperial medallions one of which is completely unique and an extremely rare gold belt buckle these objects were intended for re-melting but came into our hands thanks to a sailing accident [Music] thank you