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From long-lost cities to legendary monsters, Greek mythology holds surprising truths! Join us as we explore ancient tales that archaeology and science have proven real. From the magnificent walls once credited to Cyclopes to the actual city of Troy, these aren't just bedtime stories – they're history rediscovered through modern discoveries!
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00:00You know, I haven't seen this much love in a room since Narcissus discovered himself.
00:04Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the top 30 old tales in Greek mythology
00:09that were seemingly based in reality, thanks to a scientific discovery centuries later.
00:14Now some of you may ask, why Atlantis? It's just a myth, isn't it?
00:20Number 30. The Cyclopean Walls
00:23Cyclopes may not be real, but what is perceived as one of their creations does.
00:27We're talking about none other than the Cyclopean Walls.
00:30Massive stone fortifications fitted tightly together without mortars.
00:34They're so impressive that an ancient Greek traveler, Pausanias,
00:37believed they could only have been built by the one-eyed Thracian race of giants, the Cyclopes.
00:42But in reality, these walls were built by Mycenaeans to fortify their walls in the Late Bronze Age.
00:47Now called Cyclopean Masonry, this technique is just brilliant engineering, manpower, and organization.
00:53It's also believed the Mycenaeans were able to develop these unique structures
00:56after studying other civilizations like Egyptians and Hittites.
00:59These structures can be found in places like Italy, Crete, and Greece.
01:03Number 29. Agamemnon's Existence
01:06Even if you're not a Greek mythology buff, you've probably heard of Agamemnon,
01:10the king of Mycenae, brother of Menelaus, who led the Greeks to war against Troy when Helen was taken.
01:16Will you go to war with me, brother?
01:18Yep, the same guy who sacrificed his daughter Iphigenia before setting sail for Troy.
01:22His tale is famously told in Homer's Iliad, but did he really exist?
01:27Well, historically, the city of Mycenae exists.
01:30Archaeologists have uncovered a tomb and gold mask, famously dubbed the Mask of Agamemnon.
01:35But does this mean the man behind the myth existed?
01:38A great victory was won today, but that victory is not yours.
01:42Who knows? That tomb precedes his supposed time.
01:46So Agamemnon might not be a total myth, but he's not exactly proven history yet.
01:50Number 28. Semiramis
01:52This legendary Assyrian queen was so iconic, her story echoed across cultures, blurring the line between myth and fact.
01:59Semiramis might sound like pure myth, but she's actually inspired by a real-life neo-Assyrian queen, Shamaramat.
02:06She was the wife of Shamshi Aded V and mother of Aded-Nirari III.
02:10Greek historians say Semiramis ruled after the death of her husband King Ninus,
02:14expanding his empire dramatically, building the walls of Babylon, and controlling great armies.
02:19She's often portrayed as a powerful woman in a world dominated by men.
02:24And honestly, that's not far off.
02:25Shamaramat likely ruled in place of her younger son, wielding rare power for a woman of her era.
02:30Ancient records prove this.
02:32So while legends embellished her tale, her impact was definitely real.
02:37Number 27.
02:38Croesus
02:38You may not know all the details about this ancient king, but you must have heard the phrase,
02:43Rich as Croesus.
02:44That is how legendary his wealth was.
02:46Croesus ruled Lydia around the 6th century BCE, and was said to have hoarded unimaginable wealth,
02:52which was somehow linked to the King Midas myth.
02:55But his fame wasn't just about gold.
02:57In Herodotus' story, he learns the hard way from the Athenian sage Solon that money doesn't guarantee happiness.
03:04Still, Croesus wasn't just a legend.
03:06Archaeological and textual evidence confirm that this super-rich king ruled from the city of Sardis,
03:11and may have clashed with Cyrus the Great of Persia.
03:14The real source of his wealth likely came from taxes, and not from Midas' golden touch.
03:19Number 26.
03:20Homer
03:21Homer is the name behind two literary masterpieces of ancient Greece, the Iliad and the Odyssey.
03:26Now I can return to Ithaca and my sweet wife Penelope.
03:31We have tales of the Trojan War and Odysseus' wild journey home thanks to Homer.
03:35However, nobody knows if he was a real person.
03:38Some scholars believe he was a blind bard from the 8th century BCE, maybe from Ionia, since the poems use Ionic dialect.
03:46Others believe Homer was just a name for a group of storytellers who passed down oral traditions.
03:50Some even suggest the works were written by a woman or different authors, given the shift in tone in both epics.
03:56There's even a clan on the island of Chios claiming Homer as their ancestor.
04:00Real or not, Homer's legacy is undeniable.
04:03Number 25.
04:04Spartans
04:05We've all heard epic tales of Spartans.
04:07The fearless warriors trained from childhood to be unstoppable.
04:10Movies like 300 make them out to be incredibly ripped fighters who never flinch, even in the face of death.
04:17Spartans!
04:18What is your profession?
04:20Who?
04:21Who?
04:22Who?
04:24But how much of that is true?
04:26We know the Spartans were tough, just not exactly as Hollywood paints them.
04:29Their training system, known as a go-gay, focused on teamwork and discipline rather than on direct military combat.
04:35It was mostly about shaping citizens who would sacrifice everything for Sparta.
04:39Formal military training probably started at adulthood.
04:43While they were physically fit, what made Spartans really dangerous was their unity and precision on the battlefield.
04:49Still, they weren't invincible.
04:50Their rigid practice eventually failed when a more flexible army outmaneuvered them.
04:54Your position is hopeless.
04:57In a few moments, you will be dead.
05:00The priest will live.
05:01Number 24.
05:02Narcissus
05:03The word narcissism is tossed around quite often, but did you know it originated from Greek mythology?
05:08It all goes back to a young man named Narcissus who was so breathtakingly handsome that people fell in love with him almost instantly.
05:15But Narcissus rejected everyone, including the poor nymph Echo, who faded away from heartbreak.
05:21The gods didn't take his arrogance lightly and cursed him.
05:24He eventually withered away, dying for his own love, and a flower named after him bloomed where he died.
05:31This myth gave rise to the term narcissism, which describes a personality disorder based around self-importance.
05:37Number 23.
05:38Alexander the Great
05:39Alexander was only 20 when he became king of Macedon, and by 30, he had already conquered much of the known world.
05:46He crushed mighty Persia, took Egypt, and pushed all the way to India without losing one battle.
05:51He learns that the world is so much bigger than he ever thought it was, and it makes him determined to keep pressing on in order to conquer the world.
06:00Not once.
06:01While some chalk it up to luck, Alexander was indeed a tactical genius who outsmarted his enemies.
06:07He didn't just win wars, he reshaped civilization, founded many cities, and became a living legend.
06:13It's said he even believed he was the son of Zeus.
06:16Bold, right?
06:17But behind the image, some say he struggled with substance use, and had a violent temper.
06:22You no longer serve the purpose of this march!
06:24Get him from my sight!
06:26He likely wasn't towering or bulky in appearance.
06:29Then, when he died from a mysterious illness without naming a successor, his empire couldn't stand without him.
06:35Number 22.
06:36King Midas
06:37When you hear the name King Midas, you probably think of a man who turned everything he touched into gold.
06:42The golden touch, the golden touch, the golden touch, the golden touch.
06:46According to legend, after helping the god Dionysus, Midas was granted a wish.
06:51He chose a gift that quickly turned into a curse.
06:54The myths may be fabricated, but a king named Midas certainly existed.
06:58In 1957, archaeologists unearthed a lavish tomb at Gordion, the ancient capital of Phrygia, dating back to about 740 BC.
07:07Inside were the remains of a wealthy ruler buried with luxurious items.
07:11It may not be the legendary Midas, but scholars believe the tomb could be his father's, since the timeline and wealth match.
07:18Even today, new burial sites believed to be connected to Midas' world are being discovered.
07:23Number 21.
07:23Alphabets
07:25In Greek mythology, Cadmus, a Phoenician prince, is believed to have brought writing to Greeks.
07:30In their stories, Cadmus was a hero who taught them how to use letters, essentially giving them the alphabet.
07:35That's the myth.
07:36Now, the cool part is that some modern historians believe that it happened, but not exactly as the myth suggests.
07:42The Greek alphabet may have come from Phoenicians, though how the exchange occurred is somewhat unclear.
07:47Around 800 BCE, it's believed the Greeks took the Phoenician writing system, tweaked it, and added vowels, something the Phoenician script lacked.
07:55So Cadmus might be a legend, but the idea that the Greeks got their alphabets from Phoenicians isn't far from the truth.
08:02Number 20.
08:02Mount Olympus
08:03But why did you leave me on Earth?
08:06Didn't you want me?
08:07Of course we did.
08:09Your mother and I left you with all our hearts, and someone stole you from us.
08:14Every god needs somewhere to live.
08:16In Greek mythology, the 12 gods' home was based on the very real Mount Olympus on the Thessaly and Macedonia border, on its highest peak, Mytikos, at 9,572 feet up.
08:28Often, whenever Greeks settled in other areas, they named the highest peak Olympus, too.
08:33In 1913, the first recorded climbing of Mount Olympus took place, by Frédéric Boissana and Daniel Bobovi.
08:40However, they weren't the first to climb, as Greek scientists later found items on the mountain from as far back as 400 BCE.
08:48Some scientists believe natural events on Mount Olympus, such as a meteor strike, may have inspired some of the gods' feats in the mythology.
08:55Uh, guys, Olympus would be that way.
09:00Dude!
09:02Number 19.
09:03The Palace of Nestor
09:04The Trojans have never been conquered.
09:07Some say they can't be conquered.
09:09According to Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, Nestor was a former Argonaut and the king of Pilos.
09:14In those tales, now an older man, he gives others advice, including Agamemnon and Achilles.
09:19In 1939, American archaeologist Carl Blagen found the first signs of the Palace of Nestor and Pilos.
09:26However, World War II put a stop to the excavation for years.
09:31In 1952, Blagen and his team returned and continued uncovering the palace and ancient items until 1966.
09:38In 2015, a team from Blagen's former employers, the University of Cincinnati, uncovered the Griffin Warrior Tomb nearby.
09:46Dated around 1450 BCE, the tomb was filled with riches.
09:51However, while the body's identity has yet to be identified, it's not believed to be Nestor.
09:56How many battles have we won off the edge of his sword?
10:00This'll be the greatest war the world has ever seen.
10:04We need the greatest warrior.
10:06Number 18.
10:07Cyclops
10:08Cyclops play a role in many Greek mythological tales, and have become one of the most famous mythological beings.
10:20Described as hulking creatures with immense strength, their most defining feature is the single eye they have centered on their face.
10:27Depending on the story, Cyclops are depicted as barbarous raiders, builders, or blacksmiths for Zeus.
10:33While the creatures didn't exist in reality, they might have been inspired by a prehistoric elephant.
10:38In 1914, Austrian paleontologist Otinio Abel suggested the Cyclops myth could have originated from the discovery of dwarf elephant skulls by ancient Greeks.
10:47The animal's large nasal cavity for its trunk could have been misinterpreted as a single eye socket.
10:53Fossils of the dwarf elephants have been found in several Mediterranean islands, including Greece's Crete.
10:58The skeleton looked sort of human-like, only much bigger and a little stranger.
11:04Next thing you know, bada-boom, bada-bing, bada-bam, you have a cyclops.
11:07Number 17.
11:08The Labyrinth of Knossus
11:10Greek mythology can get really weird.
11:21Due to Minos' wife, Pasiphi, hiding in a wooden cow that a bull impregnated,
11:26she gave birth to the Minotaur, the half-human, half-bull hybrid monster.
11:31Minos, the king of Crete, got Daedalus to create a labyrinth to house the creature,
11:35with the king sacrificing people to it.
11:37Minos wasn't a nice person.
11:39While thankfully he doesn't exist in reality, the labyrinth seemingly does.
11:43In 1900, a team led by British archaeologist Arthur Evans began excavating in Knossus.
11:49An elaborate maze was discovered with bull motifs, leading to the belief it was the infamous labyrinth.
11:54As for the Minotaur, it may have been inspired by the skull of the extinct elephant species,
12:00Denotherium giganteum.
12:08Put my mother down!
12:10Number 16.
12:11Scylla and Charybdis
12:12Tell me those aren't sharks.
12:17Those aren't sharks.
12:18In Greek mythology, Scylla and Charybdis are sea monsters who are said to share the same
12:23strait, both residing under rocks.
12:26When Odysseus sailed near them, he was advised to go closer to Scylla rather than Charybdis
12:30to lose some crew, but not all of them if he did the opposite.
12:33As such, the duo gave rise to the idiom between Scylla and Charybdis, which is similar to between
12:39a rock and a hard place.
12:40Charybdis used whirlpools to drag ships to her mouth, while Scylla snatched people to consume.
12:45Scientists believe the duo may have been inspired by the Strait of Messina in southern Italy,
12:50as the area is known to have a whirlpool and rocks.
12:54It's Charybdis!
12:55Charyb-what?
12:57She guides the sea of monsters!
12:58Number 15.
12:59Archimedes' Heat Ray
13:01Probably the most famous ancient death ray was the one that was built by the Greek inventor
13:08Archimedes.
13:08While the siege of Syracuse actually happened from 213 BCE to 212 BCE, there's one part
13:15of the story that some believe to be nothing more than a myth.
13:17When the Roman Republic sent ships to attack, inventor Archimedes got creative.
13:22He used mirrors to create a heat ray that set the enemy ships ablaze.
13:26This far-fetched technology was tested in 1973 by Greek scientist Ioannis Sakis.
13:31He managed to set a mock-up Roman ship on fire, seemingly giving significant weight that this
13:36may have happened.
13:36However, the Mythbusters TV show couldn't replicate his experiment.
13:41Three times they tried, and their experiment did little beyond minor fires.
13:45Conversely, in 2023, 13-year-old Brendan Senner made a mini-version of Archimedes' Heat Ray
13:50with much better success.
13:52But how could Archimedes have conceived such a formidable weapon, one far in advance of any
13:59known at the time?
14:00Number 14.
14:01The Deucalion Flood
14:02Many cultures have a great flood mythology, such as Noah in the Bible.
14:17In ancient Greece, it was the Deucalion Flood.
14:20Zeus, in another one of his rages, decided to end the Bronze Age by inciting a flood to
14:25destroy everything.
14:26Deucalion and his wife Pyrrhus survived the flood by building a chest or ark, with help
14:30from his titan father, Prometheus.
14:32The real-life Parian Chronicle, which details some of Greece's history, believes a regional
14:37flood happened around 1529 BCE.
14:40For years, marine archaeologists had found evidence that seemingly confirmed a big flood
14:45took place.
14:45In 2000, Robert Ballard, who famously discovered the Titanic wreck, found evidence in the Black
14:51Sea that a major flood had happened over 7,000 years ago.
14:54Great flood is coming.
14:57The waters of the heavens will meet the waters of the earth.
15:01Number 13.
15:02Golden Apples
15:03My last labor, by far, was the most difficult.
15:07I had to pick the golden apples of Hesperides.
15:10This legendary fruit has popped up in several Greek myths.
15:14Most famously, Eris had thrown the apple of discord during a marriage with the words,
15:18to the most beautiful.
15:20This led to three goddesses claiming it.
15:22Typically, Zeus delegated the decision to Paris.
15:25He gave the golden apple to Aphrodite, who bribed him with Helen of Sparta's love, sparking
15:30the Trojan War.
15:30While there are apple species that share similarities with the mythical one, it's believed another
15:35real-life fruit is the fabled golden apple.
15:38Argan fruit, quince, and tomatoes have all been suggested by scientists.
15:42However, with many languages describing it as a golden apple, an orange is the favorite
15:47explanation.
15:47Especially as it wasn't grown in the region at the time.
15:51Necklace of Harmonia, Hercules' bow, golden apple of discord.
15:54Three millennia of gods and demigods, you'd think that someone would have come up with
15:58a cure for Talia's tree.
15:59Number 12.
16:00Hercules and the Nemean Lion
16:02This was no ordinary beast.
16:07It had a hide so tough, no weapon could penetrate it.
16:11Born of the sky father Zeus and the mortal Alcmene, Hercules the demigod was tricked into slaying
16:18his family by Hera, his stepmom slash aunt.
16:21Yeah.
16:22Anyway, to redeem himself, he worked under King Eurystheus, who gave him the 12 labors of
16:27Hercules.
16:28The first task was to slay the Nemean Lion, who was attacking the city of Nemea.
16:33Despite the beast's pelt being reputedly impenetrable, Hercules managed to do it and wore
16:38its pelt. Nowadays, lions don't live in Europe, but they used to and may have gone extinct
16:43there as late as the Bronze Age. As such, some scientists believe that a real-life version
16:48inspired the Nemean Lion fable. Lions terrorizing a community isn't unheard of, as the Savo
16:54man-eaters of Kenya wreaked havoc in 1898.
16:57Ever heard of the man-eating lions of the Savo? Well, in 1898, during the construction of the
17:05Kenya, Uganda really lied. More than 135 were mauled to death. Reasons of why lions would
17:11choose humana as their first prey still raises eyebrows.
17:15Number 11, the Mycenaean Civilization.
17:18I have decreed that this boy shall remain here with us in our city. Furthermore, he shall
17:23from this day forward be my own son and heir to the throne of Mycenae.
17:28The settlement Mycenae and the civilization that bears its name have been heavily featured
17:33in Greek mythology. After being founded by Perseus, the slayer of Medusa, Agamemnon later
17:38took the crown and famously led the Greeks in the Trojan War. In 1874, German archaeologist
17:44Heinrich Schliemann, desperate to prove Homer's work true, began excavating a site that turned
17:48out to be Mycenae. He found a royal cemetery and many artifacts, including the so-called
17:54Mask of Agamemnon, which is dated before the fabled ruler's rule. Schliemann's work not
17:59only proved that the Mycenae site existed, but a whole civilization that was believed
18:04lost to time had walked the earth.
18:06On either side of me stand two assistant priests wearing masks as well, lumpy, pop-eyed masks,
18:13such as were also found at Mycenae.
18:14Number 10, the City of Tenea.
18:17According to mythology, after the Trojan War, a bunch of prisoners were taken to the island
18:22of Tenedos. Eventually, Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, allowed them to create a settlement,
18:28which became the city of Tenea. The location also played a part in the story of Oedipus,
18:33who famously had a whole complex named after him. But Tenea eventually vanished from the records and
18:39was seemingly a fictional place. That was until 1846, when the Kouros of Tenea was found in the
18:45area. Then in 1984, a sarcophagus was discovered by local villagers and archaeologist Elena Korka.
18:52In 2013, Korka led an excavation of the site. Since then, various ancient items and the remains of
18:59Tenea's buildings have been discovered.
19:02Number 9, Orychalcum.
19:04It was Cadmus that brought the making of bronze. He knew how to make alloys, special metals,
19:10which in the early days of civilization was the beginning of technology.
19:15When you think of the most precious materials in the world, Orychalcum wouldn't be considered.
19:20However, to the ancient Greeks, this metal was believed to only be behind gold in value.
19:26In Plato's Critias, he speaks of the walls of some of Atlantis' buildings being decked out with
19:31the unusual material. He described the metal as, quote,
19:34"...flashing with the red light."
19:36The copper tint of this metal caught the attention of the seekers that came to this sacred place.
19:43While many believed Orychalcum to be a work of fiction, in 2015, a discovery was made.
19:49Off the coast of Gela in Sicily, a 2,600-year-old shipwreck was located.
19:54On board were 39 ingots made from seemingly Orychalcum.
19:58Scientists discovered the material was an alloy, primarily made from copper and zinc,
20:03but also had traces of lead, nickel, and iron.
20:07Number 8, The Golden Fleece.
20:09Get the fleece!
20:10In mythology, looking to become king of Iolcus, Jason and the Argonauts set out to claim the
20:20Golden Fleece of Chrysamalos, which has long ties to his heritage.
20:24When do we sail?
20:27Tomorrow.
20:27As the name suggests, the sought-after item was a fleece made from gold.
20:36During a perilous journey filled with one ridiculous task after another,
20:40Jason manages to get the iconic item from a grove in Colchis, located in modern-day Georgia.
20:45Well, this tale might be based on fact.
20:48Back then, sheep fleeces were used to collect gold flakes from rivers and streams.
20:52And, several of these gold-rich water sources were in Georgia and mentioned in Jason's tale.
20:58As such, it's likely the Golden Fleece is talking about this ancient way of prospecting.
21:03The fleece! Give me the fleece!
21:07It has the power to heal.
21:09Number 7, The Chimera.
21:12Give away! It's men who catch his fire!
21:17Probably one of the most terrifying creatures from Greek mythology,
21:20the fire-breathing Chimera is typically depicted as having the head of a lion,
21:25a goat, and a snake-headed tail.
21:28According to Homer's Iliad,
21:29Bellerophon defeated the beast in Lycia, modern-day Turkey.
21:33Well, it's likely a real location that inspired this story.
21:36In Yanartash, near the ancient city of Olympus in Turkey, is Mount Chimera.
21:41Legend has it that a fire-breathing monster was killed here by a Greek god,
21:46and its breath lives on beneath the rocks.
21:48On the slopes are fires that are still burning centuries later,
21:52which have natural gas vents below feeding them.
21:55On top of this, the area is said to have been inhabited by lions,
21:59snakes, and goats at one point.
22:02Suspicious.
22:03As the rocks of Yanartash continue to burn,
22:06geologists are continuing their search for more deposits like these.
22:10Number 6, Plutonian at Herapolis.
22:13Nicknamed Pluto's Gate,
22:15these areas were thought to be entrances to the underworld in ancient Greece.
22:19This magnificent place hides a dark secret.
22:23Legend says that beneath these streets lies the gate to hell.
22:28Named Plutonian after the god Pluto, who was previously called Hades,
22:32animal sacrifice was a common practice there,
22:34especially at the site in ancient Herapolis in modern-day Turkey.
22:37During a ceremony, a priest would take an animal into the eerie depths.
22:42The rising toxic gas would then cause the creature to pass away,
22:46but the human to live.
22:48They believed the gas was sent by Pluto.
22:50However, after the cave was discovered in 2011,
22:54studies have shown the gas is pockets of carbon dioxide from seismic activity.
22:58It's amazing that the myth was not only a myth, but it is a reality.
23:03The priests would hold their breaths to escape the effects
23:06and be celebrated for making it through Pluto's sacrifice.
23:10The priests likely believed the deadly vapors rise straight from the underworld.
23:15They almost certainly believed it was the gates of hell,
23:19and that this was the only way they could survive it.
23:22Number 5, The Oracle at Delphi.
23:25One of the top jobs in ancient Greece involved being the Pythia at the Temple of Apollo.
23:29At any given time, a single oracle known as the Pythia communicates Apollo's will.
23:36Also known as the Oracle of Delphi,
23:38the high priestess was visited by many, including rulers.
23:42She would go to a chamber and inhale the vapors from a crack in a rock,
23:45putting her into a trance as she gave advice.
23:47In antiquity, just like today, people had a lot of uncertainties in life,
23:52and they presumed that the gods knew more than they did.
23:54However, this occasionally caused delirium or led to their demise.
23:58When the temple was excavated in the late 1800s,
24:02the mystical vapor wasn't present, so it was thought of as a myth.
24:06However, in 2001, geological studies found fault zones underneath the site.
24:11Researchers believe the vapor was a hydrocarbon gas.
24:14In a nearby water source, ethylene was discovered,
24:17which was once used as an anesthetic.
24:20Scholars think water running underground could have carried gases
24:24up through the fault lines, directly to the priestess.
24:28Number 4. Amazon Warriors
24:31When thinking of Amazon Warriors,
24:34Wonder Woman would probably be the first thing to spring to mind.
24:43The second is that they're fictional.
24:45But are they?
24:46Ancient Greece was fascinated by them.
24:48As such, they were featured in many stories,
24:51including the labors of Hercules,
24:53and showcased their superior combat skills and strength over Greek folk.
24:57Amazon battle scenes decorated the Parthenon on the Athenian Acropolis.
25:02Paintings and statues of Amazon's adorned temples and public spaces.
25:06In 2019, a tomb in the Voronezh region in Russia was excavated.
25:11The archaeologists found the remains of four women warriors from three generations buried together.
25:16They found an elaborate golden headdress, weapons, and other goods within.
25:21The women's skeletons show battle injuries,
25:23ribs slashed by swords,
25:25skulls bashed by battle axes,
25:28and arrows embedded in bones.
25:30While the remains were officially credited to be Scythian nomads,
25:34some researchers believe they are the basis for the Amazon legend.
25:38Number 3. Atlantis
25:40An ancient structure bears a striking resemblance to a stone staircase.
25:46But is it natural or man-made?
25:49Since Plato wrote about the island of Atlantis in his work,
25:52the human race has been fascinated with the place.
25:55Within his tales,
25:56Plato describes the utopian island from its highest point to its lowest,
26:00when the gods sunk it into the ocean's depths.
26:02While Atlantis is thought of as fictional,
26:05the story might not be.
26:06Instead, it could be based on an actual natural disaster that swallowed an island.
26:12One example is the volcanic eruption and earthquake that turned the singular island of Santorini,
26:17previously known as Thera,
26:18into an archipelago.
26:20The quake also created tsunamis,
26:22which swept over other settlements.
26:24This devastated the highly advanced Minoan civilization,
26:27which was effectively wiped out.
26:29There is a huge amount of unrecorded human history beneath the ocean's surface
26:35that we don't know very much about at all.
26:39Number 2. Giant Squid
26:41The video of the 20-foot giant squid,
26:44100 miles off of New Orleans,
26:47captured the public's attention.
26:48Many ancient civilizations have tales about the monstrous giant squid
26:52that destroys boats and terrorizes the oceans.
26:55And the Greeks were no different.
26:56In Homer's Odyssey,
26:58he describes the sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis
27:00that resided in a narrow strait.
27:03The latter was known for creating whirlpools,
27:05while the former had six heads,
27:07was 12 feet,
27:08and had rows of sharp teeth.
27:10Athena, protect us.
27:17Scylla would use her multiple noggins
27:19to devour six sailors that got too close to a rock.
27:22It wasn't until 2004 that scientists managed to get a photo
27:26of a giant squid in its natural habitat.
27:29And it had some resemblance to the legend of Scylla.
27:33People are very interested in this kind of thing,
27:36and we need to make people more aware
27:39of just how many incredible things there are in our ocean.
27:42Before we continue,
27:44be sure to subscribe to our channel
27:45and ring the bell to get notified about our latest videos.
27:48You have the option to be notified for occasional videos or all of them.
27:52If you're on your phone,
27:53make sure you go into your settings
27:55and switch on notifications.
27:59Number 1. The City of Troy
28:01To the ancient Greeks,
28:03the city of Troy in Turkey was a powerful kingdom
28:05that had its downfall during the Trojan War.
28:08According to legend,
28:09Troy rises from the coastal plains of Asia Minor.
28:15It's the most powerful city in the region,
28:19housing more than 10,000 citizens.
28:21Detailed in Homer's work in Iliad and Odyssey,
28:25after 10 years of besiegement,
28:26it was conquered by the Greek army led by Agamemnon.
28:29It's also the setting for Achilles and Hector's legendary fight.
28:38But then, Troy fell to history and was considered a myth.
28:43That was until 1865,
28:45when Frank Calvert began excavating a site in Hisarlick
28:48and found evidence of its existence.
28:51Homer left clues to the location of Troy throughout the Iliad,
28:54and the details are so precise
28:55that many historians believe he was talking about an actual place.
28:59He brought in Heinrich Schliemann,
29:00who was notorious for his reckless methods.
29:03In 1871,
29:05they found multiple ruins believed to be attributed to Troy.
29:08Since then,
29:09archaeologists have discovered further evidence
29:11that the legendary city may have existed.
29:14What other Greek myths are based on true stories?
29:17Let us know in the comment section.
29:18Spartans never retreat.
29:21Spartans never surrender.
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