Mga Subtitle (122)
0:10Deep in the single and mountains of southern
Siberia, 20 miles from Russia's border with
0:16Mongolia. A small island in the center of
the frigid Lake Taroko harbors a big mystery.
0:22At 4000ft above sea level, Lake Tiracol is
high up in the mountains.
0:28It regularly gets down to -50°F in the
winter, and the ground surrounding the lake
0:34is predominantly permafrost.
0:38Archaeologists working in the remote
mountains come across an unusual site in the
0:44Out on a small eight and a half acre island,
they see the ruined remains of numerous large
0:53The crumbling walls and.
0:54Ruins practically cover the entire island.
1:00The complex is made up of a large rectangular
external wall, 705ft long by 531ft wide.
1:09Inside there are two main courtyards and the
remains of a large central structure.
1:17A chain of smaller, interconnected walled
yards and buildings surround the perimeter.
1:24The complex on the island is about the size
of two football fields.
1:29I mean, that is huge.
1:31The exterior wall or curtain wall is also
really thick.
1:35About 40ft at its widest and also about 30
to 40ft high.
1:42All the walls and buildings are made of clay
bricks, so the site has become known as
1:46Por-bazhyn or the Clay House.
1:50Based on the types of material and
construction methods used, archaeologists
1:54believe the site must be at least 1000 years
old.
1:59It would have taken a lot of time and energy
to build this enormous complex, especially in
2:05such a cold and remote location.
2:07But you can just imagine how it would have
looked, this huge walled structure standing
2:12out there in the middle of the lake.
2:13It would have been really stunning.
2:18Bizarrely, the archaeologists find very
little evidence of human presence at
2:23Por-bazhyn. When humans spend a prolonged
period of time somewhere, they leave behind
2:30what archaeologists call a cultural or
occupational layer of artifacts.
2:35But at this site they find nothing.
2:38With no evidence to indicate who lived here.
2:41Archaeologists must now dig deeper to
determine what this massive structure was.
2:51In the winter. This part of Siberia is cold,
and archaeologists don't even find evidence
2:56that they tried to heat this place.
2:58No. No fires, no herds.
3:00There were thick walls which could dampen
some of the cold.
3:03But when temperatures are well below
freezing all winter long, this place would be
3:10With no evidence of heating and no cultural
layer, it doesn't appear that anyone actually
3:17Why would someone build such an elaborate
structure on an island in the middle of
3:21nowhere, only to leave it unoccupied?
3:27At 40ft high, that exterior wall was really
good for keeping people out, and its position
3:35on the island is similar to the classic
military tradition of building moats around
3:43If it's not a domestic structure, then
perhaps it could have been a military site.
3:48Who was living here around 1000 years ago
that needed to protect themselves?
3:56During the Middle Ages, the Uyghurs, a
nomadic Turkic speaking people, once ruled an
4:02empire that spanned across Mongolia and into
southern Siberia.
4:07They were known for their formidable
fighting skills and dominated the area for
4:17Today, this area seems incredibly remote and
out of the way, but during the Uyghur Empire
4:22there were a number of trading routes and
other villages nearby, so this site could
4:26have been a strategic location for defence.
4:29Looking at the outer walls.
4:30Researchers do find the remains of a wooden
fighting platform running along the eastern
4:34side. So it's possible that this place was
built with defence in mind.
4:41But when you look closely at the structure
and the layout, all of the rooms and smaller
4:47courtyards do not open into the main square.
4:52If troops suddenly needed to mobilize on
short notice, this design feature would
4:58It would be a total disaster.
5:00And remember, it's surrounded by water so
quickly getting out of there is going to be a
5:06But maybe that was the point.
5:08The tall walls would have been good for
keeping people out, but could maybe also be
5:13used to keep people in.
5:16It's possible that this place was built to be
used as a prison.
5:21Islands are used as prisons all the time.
5:23I mean, think of Alcatraz or Rikers Island,
and the remote location on a lake would have
5:27been a huge deterrent for prisoners hoping
to escape.
5:34Archaeologists find traces of repairs to the
plaster walls, suggesting that the site had
5:39been kept up and maintained for a long
period of time.
5:43Some of the interior walls were painted with
red and black stripes, and even have evidence
5:47of painted frescoes, so clearly whoever
built this place was also invested in how it
5:55But you wouldn't go through all that trouble
of making it look nice just to keep prisoners
6:00there. Maybe looking at the construction of
the building itself and the materials that
6:06were used can give us a clue as to the
origin and the function.
6:13Building on such a remote island would be
extremely challenging.
6:16The walls appear to be made by an ancient
construction method called hangtou, also
6:21known as rammed earth construction.
6:23Clay rich soil is mixed with gravel or sand
and pressed into wooden forms to create
6:29Uncovered at the site.
6:31Preserved in the cold ground.
6:33Researchers find decorative tiles with
intricate patterns and dragon faces on them.
6:39This suggests that the builders could have
been Chinese, or maybe they'd studied Chinese
6:46Hongtu is a traditional Tang Dynasty style
of building, and decorated roof tiles like
6:51these were popular in China during the
Middle Ages.
6:55This area has been lived in and ruled over by
many different groups and cultures over the
6:59years. So until this material is dated, it's
going to be really hard to get an accurate
7:03assessment of who actually built this place.
7:08But in 2020, an international team of
researchers announced that they have made a
7:14discovery that could solve the mystery of
probation once and for all.
7:23They have uncovered a well preserved wooden
timber beam deep in the site's foundations.
7:29The walls were primarily made of clay bricks,
and wood was just a secondary construction
7:33material. But because this beam was found in
the base layers of the wall, it means it was
7:39placed early on during construction.
7:42But if archaeologists can date the wood,
it'll give us much more precise information
7:49about when the structure was built and who
built it.
7:54Scientists have determined that on very rare
occasions, radiocarbon in the atmosphere can
8:02A largest jump like this occurred in the
year 775.
8:07This excess carbon is often seen in the
rings of trees that were alive during that
8:12era. On the wooden beam from Por-bazhyn,
researchers were able to identify the growth
8:18ring that was formed in 775.
8:21From there, they simply counted the tree
rings to the bark edge to find out exactly
8:27Two more rings formed after that year, so
this tree must have been felled and used in
8:32the summer of 777 AD.
8:35This date places the construction of
Por-bazhyn to the reign of Uyghur ruler
8:43He was really interesting.
8:45Most of the Uyghurs at the time practiced
Buddhism, but Bogd Khan had converted to
8:49Manichaeism and he made it the official
religion of his empire.
8:53He was actively trying to convert his
subjects, and may have needed a place for
8:58them to study and pray.
9:00Could this strange island complex be a
manichaean monastery?
