The Vanished Empire

**The Vanished Empire** is the 3rd episode in Season 3 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

On the Mediterranean island of Crete, the Minoans built one of the most glorious civilizations in the ancient world and then vanished. Gates travels to Greece to find out exactly how Europe's first superpower disappeared.

## Historical Context

"For thousands of years, the Minoans were relegated to the stuff of legend - a civilisation cloaked in mystery. They developed one of the world's first written languages, which remains totally undeciphered, and their paintings and murals give us glimpses of bizarre rituals. And they were the inspiration for the Greek myth of the Minotaur and perhaps the legend of Atlantis. The Minoans ruled from the island of Crete, off the coast of the Greek mainland. Their capital was described as a palace worthy of the gods, and their powerful navy dominated the Mediterranean. And then, suddenly, they vanished."

~ Josh Gates

## Summary

Josh goes to Athens, Greece and then to Neapolis where he meets Despina Koutsoumba, a maritime archaeologist. They dive to the underwater city of Pavlopetri and see old artefacts and remnants. Josh then goes to the heart of the Minoan empire - Crete. In Heraklion, Crete, Josh visits Knossos, a Minoan city, where he meets Colin McDonald, an archaeologist and they tour the ruins. Afterwards, Josh heads to Heraklion Museum and looks at pieces of Minoan writing which has yet to be deciphered.

Josh visits the town of Sisi and goes to a dig site where he meets head archaeologist, Jan Driessen. In the site, Jan has discovered lots of fire destruction which is possibly a clue to the mysterious downfall of the Minoan. Josh then goes to Santorini, originally called Thera. Thera was unknowingly built atop an active volcano which exploded. The tsunamis from the volcano were rumoured to have travelled to Crete destroying the Minoan society there.

Josh sees the old city of Akrotiri and then goes out to the Aegean Sea to meet Dr Evi Nomikou, a geologist. Josh and expert diver, Dimitrios Kambanis, dive down into the Santorini caldera and find samples to carbon date. Once topside, ROV engineer, Federico Morello sends the ROV down to the bottom of the caldera to collect more samples. Based on dating so far, the eruption appears to have happened 200 years earlier than the downfall of the Minoans. Josh's final stop is in Pylos, Greece where he meets Jack Davis and Sharon Stocker, archaeologists, at the Palace of Nestor - a Mycenaean site. They've found a grave of the Griffin Warrior buried with many treasures but they've found clues pointing to the fact that ash from the eruption may have killed crops and devasted the Minoan navy, causing a more prolonged downfall than once thought.

## Final Words

"The Griffin Warrior was an ancient Greek, people who would, in time, usher in the classical world with democracy, philosophy, art, and drama but they were not the beginning. Like all cultures, they were inspired and connected to those that came before - the Minoans - pioneers of trade, writing, and engineering. But for all their might they were fatally weakened by a single natural event. Their story is a chilling reminder that all empires can be temporary. In the U.S alone, millions of people live within striking distance of no less than 65 active volcanoes. But where the Minoans were caught unaware by natural disaster and fell victim to invaders, we would do well to remain vigilant and to sow cooperation so that the great cultures of the 21st century can thrive together into the future."

~ Josh Gates

## Notes & Trivia

* *This is where you can put notes and trivia, anything that is interesting or strange can be included here*

## Quotes

* "Can I make a quick appeal to the citizens of planet Earth? Enough with the selfie sticks."
* "Note to the Sparta Tourism Board how about a King Leonidas statue, some plastic swords for sale - something."
* "This is, of course, the Minoan taco. Incredibly rare to find this in such good condition. It's the world's first crispy shell taco."
* "It's like being the Greek "Rocketeer"?"
* "Today, the selfie stick capital of the world."
* "Greek helmet laws are seriously out of date."

## References

1. ↑ https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullrights/2016/10/24/1/TEXU303H\_240124\_858491.1400484.JPG.rend.hgtvcom.966.644.suffix/1491593454868.jpeg