Vedere la Scienza

Bologna   27/5/2004 - 5/6/2004

Cinema Lumière - Via Azzo Gardino 65 - Bologna
Sala Cervi - Via Riva di Reno 72 - Bologna

The last days of Zeugma



  1. Original Title: Les derniers jours de Zeugma
  2. Author: Michel Abescat
  3. Director: Thierry Ragobert
  4. Photography: Eric Genillier
  5. Music: Benoit Urbain
  6. Voce/Voice
    Michel Papineschi
  7. Production: Gédéon, La SeptArte, Discovery Channel, CNRS
  8. France
  9. 52 min.
  10. 2000

The planned construction of a dam on the Heuphrates river in July 2000 was putting Zeugma, one of the most important cities of the ancient Roman empire, in jeopardy. So a multi-disciplinary scientific team set out on a struggle against time to salvage what was left of several centuries of history in Mesopotamia, making use of the most spectacular and adavanced technical tools available. This documentary provides live footage of the rescuing of the city and allows viewers to witness some extraordinary discoveries, such as a rich Roman mansion decorated with incredibly beautiful mosaics, before watching it sink to the bottom. While following the work of the archaeologists in the field, it also tells the story of this emblematic city, a major crossroads founded by one of Alexander the
Great's generals on the "Silk Road" that linked the East to the Mediterranean Sea at the end of the IV century b.C.


Best Film, Archaeologic Festival Telescience du Montreal, 2001, Canada; Best Film, Archaeological Festival of Andrieu, 2001, France; Best Scientific Film, International Scientific Film Festival, 2001, Portugal

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