Palmyra: On the Tracks of the Great Ancient City

Palmyra, the ancient city steeped in legend and nestled in the heart of the Syrian desert, is renowned for its beautiful funerary sculpted portraits. The sculptures and reliefs have been dispersed around the globe, but now a team of international archaeologists are working to unravel their secrets. The legendary city's rich history and multicultural identity serve as a focal point for scholars as they meticulously reconstruct family trees depicted in stone. Through the exploration of these sculptures, the exceptional nature of Palmyra emerges, underlining its legendary status and historical significance in the 21st century.
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[@elizabethannegrey6285]

What a beautiful tribute to an ancient city, and the work and dedication of those who sought to understand and preserve its history.

[@orionxtc1119]

ISIS/Islamic State committed such brutal evil atrocities on people and historical monumants....

[@MegaAli213]

I had the pleasure of visiting this beautiful place back in 1999. It was an incredible experience.

[@edgarsnake2857]

The legends and facts about such places as Palmyra have fascinated me since I was a little boy. Thanks for posting this interesting documentary.

[@DWHistoryandCulture]

Glad you enjoyed it 😉

[@mohamadnaseebaldabbas9473]

So much history in my country ❤️❤️

[@timz8280]

Hopefully they save it! It’s insane to destroy history for any religion.

[@ibrbackotb8]

Yeah but it’s not yours. Palmyra is mainly an Arabian and Aramean civilisation. Most Syrians however are Amorites.

[@mohammedsaysrashid3587]

It was a wonderful documentary shared by an amazing ( DW) documentary channel... documentary about ( Palmyra-Erbid) in Syria 🇸🇾 .thanks ...

[@Oulissyus]

Such an Amazing Video! I was utterly captivated by the meticulous research and storytelling woven throughout. The filmmakers showcased Palmyra's historical grandeur with such reverence. My heartfelt appreciation to all the individuals behind this documentary for their commendable efforts in preserving and sharing the legacy of Palmyra.

[@DWHistoryandCulture]

We're glad you liked it. Make sure to follow for the latest uploads.

[@markvines7308]

So much priceless history has been lost to religious extremism.

[@phillipjordan1010]

Very true. I don't like to point fingers but the blame for destructive religious terrorism began en mass with Christianity and their hatred and intolerance for anything of the classical pagan world. Not only did Christianity destroy traditions of Europe and the Americas but through missionary work which continues to this day throughout the world. Islam has done their share also but Christianity got things cooking and set the bar.

[@Itsme-um3vj]

My city Palmyra 😢💔

[@damnthezionists1708]

في اي دولة تقع هذي بلميرة؟!!!

[@maya-ut1xn]

@@damnthezionists1708 سوريا

[@annekabrimhall1059]

My ancestors are from Palmyra New York, USA

[@annekabrimhall1059]

@@damnthezionists1708I think they said Syria

[@Onora619]

I'm so sorry

[@wecandoit5035]

Zenobia was polyglot and spoke aramaic, greek, arabic, latein Such a strong woman

[@romulusbuta9318]

Latein = ??????🤔🤔🤔

[@Itsme-um3vj]

There have been lately palmyran traces that were found in the UAE, Yemen, Egypt and South India too This shows how big and affecting Palmyra was in the region

[@sabascaracas]

Another excellent documentary for enrichment of all viewers!

[@DWHistoryandCulture]

We're so glad you enjoyed it, make sure to follow us for the latest uploads 😊

[@mayurireddy8196]

Beautiful Palmyra lands

[@sabbyd1832]

Excellent, thanks DW

[@jeraldbaxter3532]

Thank you.

[@iadnaji8536]

They are dying not to say Syrian art and heritage They mentioned everyone's influence: Mesopotamia, eastern Greek Roman.. etc

[@reneharkamp4309]

Amsterdam, Chapeau,...what an amazing Quest...brilliant piece of work

[@plurplursen7172]

It was New York for it's time. Must have been a humble experience to walk down main street of ancient Palmyra.

[@369RiCHBOSS]

❤ thank you i love this

[@cas4554]

I actually cried when I watched this destruction on tv. I couldnt believe what I was seeing. And the destruction of artifacts in the museums. 😢💔

[@chris.asi_romeo]

Excellent documentary 💯👏

[@AlfredoMarchiquita-rc3pe]

Bravo❤❤❤❤ !!!!!....thanks a lot for this wonderful documentary❤❤❤❤❤

[@DWHistoryandCulture]

We're glad you liked it. Make sure to subscribe for the latest content :)

[@christianfrommuslim]

This video is excellent and interesting. Having visited most of the museums mentioned, I must have seen these sculptures scattered about, but their impact escaped me before. The fact that these are portraits of real people makes them more wonderful than the depictions of gods ancient cultures usually focus on. Besides Roman Egyptian encaustic portraits, which the Getty has a world class collection off, is there another ancient culture which so features individual portraits? I believe that there is a tomb statue of a woman from Syria in Northern England. It has featured in several documentaries. I now wonder if she brought the idea of it from Palmyra? Ideas or comments?

[@RealSalica]

Wonderful video , with the history and art details , thank you .

[@DWHistoryandCulture]

❤

[@shizumaakiyama3129]

Discunsting destroying such important cultural historic site.

[@nastyz477]

*Disgusting ❤️

[@nastyz477]

What

[@IrishTexan09]

So true.

[@wecandoit5035]

Syria will rise again

[@lindacondray7918]

They discussed the destruction of the areas by ISIS. It’s a real two edge sword…. Antiquities reside all over the world far from where they truly belong. But if it hadn’t been for them being taken and put in museums, they may have been permanently lost.@@nastyz477

[@grafneun]

beautiful city

[@satishgupta2658]

Plz also create its other channel in Hindi language 🙏🙏

[@Asgoga]

Actually majority archeological sites and architecture still stands in Palmyra, ISIS did destroyed several temples and looted Palmyra Museum and even killed Director of Palmyra National Museum, but good news most of the treasure is still there or was transfered to Damascus.

[@SnakeBush]

How did they film in Syria?

[@ahmada.shaheen9008]

Nice work, but it got me asking, where did the European museums got those ancient artefacts from?!

[@svetlanajahimovicha4517]

Thanks to European museums, many artifacts were preserved and were not destroyed.

[@ahmada.shaheen9008]

​@@svetlanajahimovicha4517 So in order to save our artifacts, you guys stole it!! many thanks!!

[@RandomNiceThings12]

@@svetlanajahimovicha4517 nothing justify stealing

[@TarquinTheTall]

Still glad they did though 🤷

[@ahmada.shaheen9008]

@@TarquinTheTall Well, the west stole our democracy, oil and lands, artifacts is not that important compared to that!!

[@DeadBlonde_80]

These beautiful windows into history getting blown to bits. It’s criminal, there should be rules of engagement to protect important sites. Trying to erase the history from the world. Sad.

[@moniumus6303]

They were blown up by religious-extremists. You think they'd follow rules?

[@cas4554]

There are international laws for the protection of historical sites. But unfortunately there are those who will seek to destroy. Will they be caught and punished? Probably not 😢

[@ChristelSilvers]

Very interesting .🧐👍

[@DWHistoryandCulture]

We're glad you liked it. Make sure to subscribe for the latest content :)

[@luckylucky-im5rf]

Informative video, but it doesn’t give an information why all these artefacts had been removed from the original site to end up in so many Western destinations. Are there any projects for returning the artefacts?

[@inLegacy]

hatra and palmyra unique civilizations with their own culture, language, traditions and methods :0

[@Mkalikapisa-ui7by]

Bittersweet, visited twice with a group & solo. Last time I was whisked over to a family's house for dinner followed by a long bathe in a warm cistern in the oasis. As people finished work in the evening they appeared to clean up, complete with a box of detergant! Also visited the infamous theatre where people were erecting stands for a visit by Assad, who has a country estate nearby

[@jeebusk]

what is the approximate age of this city

[@Pasha8204]

Need 4k

[@weberianobrasil4406]

Isso só mostra o quanto o islã é bárbaro. I LOVE PALMYRA and Roman empire.

[@farmerpete6274]

13:56 does she have 6 fingers? 5 fingers are shown with the thumb hidden?

[@jmdec20]

I wonder what the pointing finger in the portraits says to their relationships? A young man points to the elegant mother etc.

[@Tripplezonebech]

Where I grew up 🥹

[@LinhLe-cc9of]

You are so lucky then , such a beautiful country with amazing history .

[@aaronjaben7913]

13:51 6 fingers? or no thumb?

[@timz8280]

😂😮

[@marcotylerwilliams4090]

The true tragedy was the blowing up of what Aurelian had left standing!

[@jamiebizness1]

Who knew that all the effort to preserve life after death would only end to provide grad students more job opportunity. Im sure thats what they wanted and hoped for on their eternal life.

[@GlennBriggs-gjbInd]

The True History of the lands and it's way of life, can only be credited to the Indigenous Human Beings of this region in present times....not some ignoramus juvenile delinquents from far away lands.....and that too....thousands of years later!!!!

[@here_we_go_again2571]

As I recall the "Indigenous Human Beings of this region" were the ones blowing up the remains of the abandoned tombs, the statues, Temple of Bel, the Severan gate (arch) and the other architectural treasures of Palmyra a few years ago.

[@brettmuir5679]

It was the locals who did this this vandalism...all o er the region they looted and smashed museums. They destroyed Ninevah. Most all of these hoodlums were from the region

[@rianhammod9233]

Syria my country gave the humanity first note in history & first alfabit & first class made & first ships made & first grave in history ( habeel grave) & first wheat farming & ...

[@danielrutschman4618]

First use of fire for cooking, first wheel, first indoor plumbing, first computers, first TV cartoon shows...

[@rianhammod9233]

@@danielrutschman4618 first wheel use in iraq summr civilization , and why upset !!! You trivial & stuppied

[@NikaBoyce]

the mental giants who blew up this and other profoundly significant heritage sites (thinking of the giant buddhas in Afghanistan) forfeit their claim to human rights. im 100% certain that these people will never face justice either.

[@brettmuir5679]

Many, many of them are dead

[@koksalceylan9032]

Aramaic is not a death language and tens of thousands people in Syria still to this day use it,keep it Alive

[@jmdec20]

There is little civics in schools. The history you mention is meager.

[@marcotylerwilliams4090]

This documentary has condensed Zeobia's history to an extent that gives no credit to her husband and treats Aurelian's campaign too blithely. Aurelian only sacked the city on having to come back after treachery and then only had his soldiers dismantle the city - sparing the inhabitants the horror of a traditional sacking.

[@Onora619]

Zenobia is one of my favorite woma warriors. I'm so sorry to see what has happened to her land and people.

[@chanaheszter168]

Aramaic: Isn't this the language of the Kurds? Also, a few parts of the Bible and much of the Gemara are in Aramaic. Seems this is not so difficult, no?

[@nanasyrian3616]

Aramaic is a semetic language not an indoeuropean language like Kurdish or persian

[@brettmuir5679]

The language is understood. The script used at Palmyra is not well known

[@HOPEfullBoi01]

No?? Kurdish is a language.

[@user-ok6rl4dt7e]

Nije naše da procenjuje mo da li su stare gradjevine važne ili ne. Tužno je što su to rušenje sebi dozvolili.

[@JEM1989]

Its upsetting that they stole the portraits, but at least they aren't destroyed completely like if they were still in the city

[@lilylove2021]

What commom era?....

[@bethbartlett5692]

Channel Host: This production has 2 points of purpose: 1) the HistoryArchaeology and Socio-Anthropolgy 2) to share the acts of an Aggressor's Destruction (Yet, the manner in which it is done, reveals the fact that the "Producer, Editor, Academics/Archaeologists, all thise involved in the creating and completion of this Film/Video and it's statement" (succumbed to the very energy it seeks to Judge). This indicates that they have yet to identify, understand, or comprehend the "Group that inflicted the destruction AND the more destructive element, that being the "emotional abuse", the more toxic of the energies the Aggressor applied. For, the video, "in its present state of Production" amounts to "another assault", it is the "Production Team, including the Academics' literally assisting their villain/aggressor through reapplying the act and its emotional abuse", for there's zero diffusion of the "Emotional Energy Weapon used that accompanied the Physical Weapons of destruction". It reveals the absence of the Academic's having any knowledge of this point, and therefore not employing any Sociologist and Social-Psychologist for addressing the "understanding of this Emotional Abuse and offering a solution that provides a resolution, healing and innoculating from this invisible element, for the symptoms of emotional abuse are the greater cause of a cintinuing pain and far more threatening destruction for thise in the experience and those whom come to hear and visualize the experience. Note: This is exactly how News Medias and other Medias, like this Video, spread and foster the "weapon of Emotiinal Abuse" (fear, fear hased thiughts, prejudice, anger, insecurities, feelings of being a victim, and other feelings and emotions associated with being helpless to all forms of Narcissistic actions and aggressions, for the acts + the message of the acts, whether words are included or not, the message is clear, and the weapon continues to effect the victims and hit new targets"). The Power of the Tool of Information aka News Media/Medias is the Most Powerful Tool of Control. It is most Relevant that this subject be realized, understood, and addressed, for the value of Individuals and the Collective to gain a state of understanding, of achieving Higher Mind Thought, aka Mature Mind, and for all thats worthy, Academics should be successful knowledgeable of this subject and Mastered in their own: "Conscious in Thought" + "Applying the Higher Mind", for it is essential and must be a requirement for Teaching Others and for thise in Journalism having Responsibility for their participation in News Medias/Medias as it's effects affect every individual who receives the information, regardless of Medium. It is necessary that the Academics and Journalists gain the knowledge, and make it a requirement, of the Foundational Facts our Reality operates on: the "Universal Laws" particularly the "Universal Law of Attraction", for what it defines is relevant to every living being in the World and Universe. It must be realized that all that exists is a result of what this Law defines, and in this 21st Century it is irresponsible to not be aware of it + practiced in the managing of ones own Thoughts and their having Established a correction to their learned "Thoughts and Beliefs Program" aka "Subconscious Thought Program", as it directly influences ones Thoughts, Beliefs, Actions, and their creating their Experiences of Reality. The "Universal Law of Attraction" defines that all in this Universe is, and is contingent upon "Energy, Vibration, and Frequency" All is "Energy, Vibrating on a Frequency". Thoughts and Feelings are Energy. "Thoughts + Feelings X Beliefs" = Our Frequency = Our Reality All Positive Thought Energies are found in our "Higher Mind" aka "Mature Mind" and it is where Wisdom resides. The "Lower Mind, aka Ego Mind, aka Adolescent Mind"bis where negative thought energies reside. NOTE: (Journalism includes all types of Information Sharining and in all forms, from "TV Advertising, Newspapers, Radio Broadcasting, Movies, Documentaries, News and News Commentaries aka Opinion News, etc".) What we: "Think, Say, Feel, and Believe" are what we are creating. Like Energies) Frequencies attract Like Energies/Frequencies. Being in the feelings of abuse and victimized brings more of the same. Being confident and secure, feeling happy and abundant, brings more of the same. I would appreciate the sharing of these valuable facts with the Channel Host,vand they with the source of this video. Sharing with everyone would/will he the most valuable act of goodness I can imagine. This is the 🔑 to Our and the Collective having Harmony, feeling and experiencing Wellbeing. To withhold this speaks its own message and is the identifying of the Undesired state of chaos, of abuse, of the 1% vs the 99%. Harmony is found in the Middle, never too far Right or Left, and where Harmony is, Peace is realized. "Harmony is Balance in Motion" Beth Bartlett Sociologist/Behavioralist and Historian

[@Mr_Bob_Loblaw]

You should lay off the adderrall Beth, and work on the quality of your prose.

[@babelankontrakan-os5ik]

And than came along isis that destroyed everything 😭

[@IStevenSeagal]

Yeah the American operatives sent by the CIA.

[@pfranks75]

They weren’t even graven images, ISIS knew they were tombs and not gods.

[@jmdec20]

No mention of the woman who was a judge, a center of law there? Baal worship?

[@ishotkhuma6261]

Why did you completely omit Khaled Al Assad the man who gave his life saving the remaining treasures of Palmyra from ISIS?

[@---nb7ll]

No pida usted lo imposible…el país dueño de esta televisión ha sido incapaz de alzar la voz por lo del gaseoducto que le ha dañado su propia economía…Cómo va a decir tal cosa del presidente de Siria?🤣

[@ishotkhuma6261]

@@---nb7ll I understand but just a small correction, khaled al Assad who I’m referring to was an archaeologist not the president. ISIS executed him because he hid and had palmyrene treasures evacuated before they captured the city

[@cas4554]

He was a brave man. May he rest in perpetual peace 🙏😔🕯️

[@brettmuir5679]

​@@---nb7llThe President of Syria is Bashar Al Assad

[@brettmuir5679]

​@@ishotkhuma6261I ate lunch with him in his office at the museum on Septeber 8 2001. I was heartbroken when they murdered him. Very humble educated man

[@user-ok6rl4dt7e]

Šta je moglo da u ideji Palmire toliko zasmeta da bi bila bombardovana a u isto vreme omalovažena kao ne bitna?

[@mogh2603]

A documentary about Arab city of Palmyra, that doesn't mention the word "Arab" can't be a coincidence. DW is never apolitical.

[@delaramsalmassi4063]

At that time Syria wasn’t Arab.

[@herbertvonsauerkrautunterh2513]

It's good to know that there was a time before the scourge of Islam came into existence

[@anthonypalo8191]

i know right!

[@ahmeda6591]

Muslim fanatics might destroy statues but only an idiot will believe that they will destroy remains of buildings, tombs and pillars ,

[@IStevenSeagal]

There's the in bred hypocrite who's people have invaded the whole planet and destroyed cradles of civilizations. I was looking for it in the comments. You didn't didappoint 🙂.

[@IStevenSeagal]

BTW IS are American operatives. Major hypocrites and liars yes you are.

[@chanaheszter168]

People forget that the middle east was diverse and non-Arabic.

[@handleisGG]

Aramaic isnt a dead language, we SPEAK aramaic today tf 😂

[@salesmee]

Please the Lady researcher need to not work for certain countries that destroyed our humanitarian civilization and we know that for sure from documentation of their politician, this history we cared and worked for its true value in our humanitarian history that you and your propaganda claims are funny anecdotes unfortunately.

[@civitasincivibusest]

Why, you guys at DW, didn't you say anything, didn't you accuse NATO, when it bombed Palmyra, when it launched mercenaries against the Assad government? Thanks to Russia, Palmyra did not disappear.

[@klokangeorge4005]

Yes, first destroyed,And thén...this horrible document, all not in Order, théimagines of that women Are total false.

[@hanonomiri]

Stop laying about history with people.

[@Chicagohitman000]

there is no such thing as a greco-roman culture. there is greek and the romans were the greatest plagiarists.even latin is a dead language. its greek in origin and later failed and in disuse

[@karelvorster7414]

No "common era" for me. Bye bye

[@xpacnwo2000]

Thank God for Islam

[@MegaAli213]

They were Arab Aramaic speaking people's as was also the Arabs of Jordan Petra.

[@brettmuir5679]

There are many many ethnicities in this region. Not everyone is an Arab

[@fcukyou2_]

About portraiture ..what about the terra cotta army? I think they prob developed it before romans.

[@hongjian3714]

Remember that Russia and the Syrian Arab Army liberated Palmyra from the ISIS who are funded by the US and Israel, and hence Germany as well; as Germany is part of the US empire. Remember Khaled al-Asaad, Syrian archeologist beheaded by the US/Israel funded and German tolerated Islamic State on 18 August 2015, at the age of 83. Germany has blood on their hand.

[@GooseGumlizzard]

lol

[@chris.asi_romeo]

Excellent documentary 💯👏