WEBVTT - Underfoot

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Aaron Manke's Cabinet of Curiosities, a production of

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<v Speaker 1>iHeartRadio and Grimm and Mild. Our world is full of

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<v Speaker 1>the unexplainable, and if history is an open book, all

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<v Speaker 1>of these amazing tales are right there on display, just

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<v Speaker 1>waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities.

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<v Speaker 1>On a November evening in eighteen oh nine, a British

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<v Speaker 1>diplomat named Benjamin Bathurst and his assistant Herr Krauss, climbed

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<v Speaker 1>out of their horse drawn carriage outside of a shabby

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<v Speaker 1>inn in a small town in Prussia. As Kraus was

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<v Speaker 1>hitching the horses to a post, he saw Bathurst glance

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<v Speaker 1>frantically around the street. Kraus asked him what was wrong,

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<v Speaker 1>and Bathhurst said that he was certain that they were

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<v Speaker 1>being followed. Bathurst had been acting oddly paranoid all week long.

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<v Speaker 1>The two men were on their way back from a

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<v Speaker 1>diplomatic mission in Vienna, and to get home they had

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<v Speaker 1>to travel through territory controlled by the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte,

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<v Speaker 1>who was currently at war with Britain. Bathurst was sure

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<v Speaker 1>if anyone found out that he a British diplomat was

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<v Speaker 1>passing through the area he would be captured or killed,

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<v Speaker 1>and so he'd been taking every precaution in the book

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<v Speaker 1>to stay under the radar. He was traveling under a

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<v Speaker 1>fake name. He refused to stop anywhere for more than

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<v Speaker 1>a few hours at a time for fear that his

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<v Speaker 1>enemies might find him, And now, despite how careful he'd been,

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<v Speaker 1>he was worried that he was being followed by spies.

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<v Speaker 1>Kraus was at his wits end trying to keep his

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<v Speaker 1>boss calm. They were reaching the last leg of their

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<v Speaker 1>journey and so far nothing bad had happened to them,

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<v Speaker 1>so he didn't understand why Bathurst was still so agitated.

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<v Speaker 1>He was anxious to get home so that they could

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<v Speaker 1>both finally rest. While Krauss finished hitching up the horses,

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<v Speaker 1>Bathurst went inside to check in. He came back a

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<v Speaker 1>few minutes later and gave Kraus a room key. He

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<v Speaker 1>said they were just going to rest there for a

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<v Speaker 1>few hours, have dinner, and then get back on the

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<v Speaker 1>road so they could travel all nights under the cover

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<v Speaker 1>of darkness. Kraus went up to his room for a nap,

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<v Speaker 1>and around nine o'clock that night, he was awoken by

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<v Speaker 1>frantic knocking at the door. He opened it to find

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<v Speaker 1>Bathurst looking even more agitated than usual. Kraus asked if

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<v Speaker 1>he was okay, and Bathurst barked that it was time

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<v Speaker 1>to go. Kraus followed Bathurst outside, and while he loaded

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<v Speaker 1>up the carriage, Bathurst tapped his feet and nervously checked

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<v Speaker 1>his watch. He was wild eyed and sweat was dripping

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<v Speaker 1>down his pale forehead. Something had clearly spooked him, but

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<v Speaker 1>Kraus had no idea what. Out of the corner of

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<v Speaker 1>his eye, he saw Bathurst walk past him and go

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<v Speaker 1>around to the other side of the carriage. Mere seconds later,

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<v Speaker 1>Kraus looked over to see where he was going, and

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<v Speaker 1>Bathurst was gone. Kraus walked around the stables, searched every

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<v Speaker 1>nearby road, and even went back inside the inn to

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<v Speaker 1>look around, but there was no sign of Bathurst anywhere.

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<v Speaker 1>He had completely vanished without a trace. Benjamin Bathurst was

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<v Speaker 1>never found. There are multiple theories about what might have

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<v Speaker 1>happened to him. He could have been killed by bandits,

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<v Speaker 1>kidnapped by French spies, or even died by his own hand,

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<v Speaker 1>but none of these theories can fully explain how in

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<v Speaker 1>the span of no more than just a few seconds,

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<v Speaker 1>a grown man disappeared into thin air. It was nineteen

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<v Speaker 1>oh two in the port town of Paula, Malta, and

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<v Speaker 1>Father Maghri was overseeing the construction of a new parish

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<v Speaker 1>hall for his growing congregation. Workers toiled all day in

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<v Speaker 1>the hot sun excavating the site and hauling away the

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<v Speaker 1>rocks to set the foundation, and in one afternoon, something

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<v Speaker 1>strange happened. The men broke through the ground to find

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<v Speaker 1>a large hollow beneath. In the space, they found artifacts

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<v Speaker 1>and human remains. They thought it was perhaps a small tomb,

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<v Speaker 1>but further investigation proved they had in fact uncovered one

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<v Speaker 1>of the most enigmatic sites in the world. What the

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<v Speaker 1>men had discovered was a large subterranean structure, a series

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<v Speaker 1>of halls and chambers carved from the limestone. Father Magri

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<v Speaker 1>realized immediately that the site could have some historical significance,

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<v Speaker 1>and so as the men uncovered more and more of it,

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<v Speaker 1>he thoroughly documented the site, hoping to preserve it in

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<v Speaker 1>its entirety for future generations. He would not document for long, though,

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<v Speaker 1>as he died shortly after without his guiding influence the

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<v Speaker 1>site was neglected and fell prey to grave robbers. Five

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<v Speaker 1>years passed before an archaeologist would take up his mantle,

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<v Speaker 1>the impressively named Sir Zammit Themesticles. It was Zamet who

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<v Speaker 1>would truly uncover the real scale of the subterranean structure,

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<v Speaker 1>which which came to be known as the Hall Cephlienni Hypogeum.

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<v Speaker 1>It was divided into three levels, each one dug deeper

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<v Speaker 1>into the earth to make the best use of the space.

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<v Speaker 1>The top level, the one discovered by Father Magri's men,

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<v Speaker 1>was the primary entrance, containing a number of chambers used

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<v Speaker 1>for ritualistic and burial practices. The level below had a

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<v Speaker 1>more sophisticated design that mirrored the large above ground temples

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<v Speaker 1>of the era that it was built in. This included

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<v Speaker 1>an oracle room, the Sanctum Sanctorum, or the Holiest of Holies.

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<v Speaker 1>This chamber was built with strange acoustic properties. Its shape

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<v Speaker 1>causes sound to resonate at one hundred hertz. Modern studies

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<v Speaker 1>have shown that this particular frequency can suppress activity in

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<v Speaker 1>the brain's left hemisphere, subtly altering consciousness. This suggests that

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<v Speaker 1>the room was likely used for religious purposes, priests attempting

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<v Speaker 1>to commune with the dead or some divine power. In

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<v Speaker 1>the lowest level, archaeologists discovered the remains of roughly seven

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<v Speaker 1>thousand people in a large necropolis or city of the dead.

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<v Speaker 1>This meant that it was no ordinary burial ground, but

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<v Speaker 1>likely the central tomb for the area. Over many centuries,

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<v Speaker 1>excavations have uncovered stone tools and pottery, as well as

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<v Speaker 1>a small alabaster figure of a woman which came to

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<v Speaker 1>be known as the Sleeping Lady. She among many other

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<v Speaker 1>similar figurines and walls and bones colored in ochre, suggests

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<v Speaker 1>a complex religion complete with ancestor worship and an afterlife,

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<v Speaker 1>as well as a possible cult of the dead. Construction

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<v Speaker 1>of the Hypogeum dates all the way back to three

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<v Speaker 1>THOY three hundred BCE, and it seems as though the

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<v Speaker 1>necropolis was used until at least twenty five hundred BCE.

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<v Speaker 1>That's up to eight hundred years of burial. It was

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<v Speaker 1>an incredible accomplishment of engineering for the time, as builders

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<v Speaker 1>didn't have the use of metal tools, and so they

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<v Speaker 1>used picks made of antlers, stone hammers, and flint carving

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<v Speaker 1>tools to dig out and shape the limestone. Despite these limitations,

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<v Speaker 1>though their stone work is deeply impressive. Pillars and false

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<v Speaker 1>doors carved into the walls mirror those found in temples

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<v Speaker 1>on the surface, and that the structure keeps an average

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<v Speaker 1>temperature of sixty eight degrees shows the excellent understanding of

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<v Speaker 1>ventilation and has helped to preserve the bodies for thousands

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<v Speaker 1>of years. In twenty seventeen, Malta finished a massive renovation

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<v Speaker 1>project to help curb some of the normal wear and

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<v Speaker 1>tear that happens to ancient sites with heavy traffic. A

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<v Speaker 1>modern climate controlled system has been installed to keep the

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<v Speaker 1>air cool and dry, and visitors are limited to occasional

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<v Speaker 1>tours which need to be booked far in advance. In

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<v Speaker 1>this way, they hope to preserve the ancient site for

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<v Speaker 1>generations to come. The Hall Saflienni Hypogeum is a powerful

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<v Speaker 1>link to the prehistoric past of the Mediterranean. It gives

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<v Speaker 1>us insight into the spiritual lives of a society that

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<v Speaker 1>grew in isolation and challenges the more common perception of

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<v Speaker 1>the capabilities of ancient people. In nineteen eighty one, it

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<v Speaker 1>was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Sites and continues

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<v Speaker 1>to teach us about the daily lives and deaths of

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<v Speaker 1>the people who live there and who carve themselves a

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<v Speaker 1>curious tomb. I hope you enjoyed today's guided tour through

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<v Speaker 1>the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was created by me

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<v Speaker 1>Aaron Mankey in partnership with iHeart Podcasts, researched and written

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<v Speaker 1>by the Grim and Mild team, and produced by Jesse Funk.

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<v Speaker 1>Learn more about the show and the people who make

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<v Speaker 1>it over at Grimandmild dot com slash Curiosities. You'll also

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<v Speaker 1>find a link to the official Cabinet of Curiosity's hardcover book,

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<v Speaker 1>available in bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook.

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<v Speaker 1>And if you're looking for an ad free option, consider

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<v Speaker 1>joining our Patreon. It's all the same stories, but without

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<v Speaker 1>the interruption for a small monthly fee. Learn more and

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<v Speaker 1>sign up over at patreon dot com, slash Grimandmild, and

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<v Speaker 1>until next time, stay curious.