12,000 years ago, man took
suddenly a decisive turning point. He leaves his nomadic life to
settle in the first villages. He soon invented agriculture,
livestock, irrigation, trade, and the alloy of metals, religions,
architecture, medicine. On his way, many
trials await him. Property generates the first wars. Livestock causes devastating epidemics. Overpopulation causes famines. But Homo-sapiens continues. He builds cities. And imagine a complex society,
organized, prioritize. He communicates widely
distance through writing. In 8000 years, the population of the planet passes
from 3 million to 100 million inhabitants. He builds the society that
is ours today. Soon he is no longer the same as before.
He is the contemporary man. Here is the story of the great moments,
which have led through the centuries, at our birth. The story of our evolution
as a contemporary man, begins around 15,000 years ago, by climate change
fast and high amplitude. The planet is warming,
causing immense changes. A few dozen centuries, the cap
glacier will melt by 2 thirds. Gigantic pieces
of ice floes break away. The oceans rise 120 meters. This is the great debacle.
Little by little, the contours of the earth become such that we
knows them today. In some areas, rains
torrential rains fall on us, causing cataclysmic flooding. In others, aridification is increasing, and natural fires
set the forests ablaze. The ice age is over. Without knowing it, men will
invent modern times, and while part
of the earth become deserted, the pioneers of this great change
will be born in the fertile crescent, the Middle East today. We are, 12,000 years ago, 3 to 4 million men and women
inhabit the planet, they are nomads. They live in immense spaces and
rarely encounter other human beings. Our clan is among the 1ᵉʳˢ
to have domesticated wolves. We made dogs out of them. On the planet, another big
change has just happened. A strange idea has just hatched
and she will surprise everyone. Stone tepees. With a hair of leaves at their top. We had never seen this. - My word is listened to because
that I am the strongest. Acha is my second companion. She is expecting her first child. We didn't know what was ahead
we were what we call houses. Another way of life had been discovered, an invention that will
disrupt the lives of men. Humans had decided to
settle here permanently, to stop walking in order to shine
around a center, their village. One of the first things that
surprised are the stone bags. It was everywhere. He kept there
water and also food. - We had no idea of doing
such heavy containers. What was the point of these
shelters impossible to move? He had put a tree,
in the middle of their teepee. These men acted like spiders. Warm outside and cool inside. The temperature was
pleasant, the smell too. A smell of men, of women
and children is everywhere impregnated there, the reassuring aroma of dried meat. To survive without moving,
you have to be ahead of the game, predict the moment when nature no longer gives. Sedentary people are not
still farmers. They pick berries and grains. They don't yet know that we
can cultivate wild plants. Their way of life has just added a
new facet of human temperament, a facet that nomads
do not know. The meaning of ownership. For us nomads, riches
of the earth belong to everyone. Sedentary people can no longer think like this.
Without reservation, they can no longer survive. Then this strange feeling is born, fear
to have his wealth stolen. For the nomad, the stranger
is a traveler like him. Even when food is scarce,
we must share to survive. In sedentary men,
stranger means danger. The nameless man was ready to defend
his property as his own life. We had entered this village,
like everywhere, like at home, but the inhabitants took
this for an assault. It must be said that this strange feeling that they had on their grain
had taken over everything. Their house was theirs,
their bags of stones, and even the water they put in it. We could not understand their aggression. For us to meet another
human was a chance, and we owed him hospitality. The most extraordinary thing, they considered that the
land was also their property. This land on which the ancestors
of our ancestors had lived, he didn't want anyone to enter
henceforth without their consent. They hunted us like wasps
which revolve around their meal. - We came in peace,
there is a pregnant woman among us. This place suits us and we
let's stay despite your threats. Sedentary? How did men
had this funny idea? It is possible that the treatment of
cereals played a role in this matter. To consume them, you have to grind the grains
into flour and to grind them, it takes 2 big stones so heavy, that they are impossible to
transport in a nomadic life. The men stayed
near the big stones. They stopped moving, it
significantly changed their behavior. At the end of the day, the nomad
watch nature fall asleep. While the sedentary
count its reserves. It is true that nomadic life
involves many hazards, pregnant women are
well placed to know. One of the disadvantages is that we
rarely has long reserves. And when nature is no more
generous, we suffer from lack. Acha can no longer digest this puree
half-rotten crushed fruit. She needs meat.
She needs strength. But the dried meat is sold out. As soon as there is a problem with us,
it's still Akala Borgne which comes whistling in my ears. The others don't dare. Too late to go hunting,
all these provisions so close to us. I decided to use myself in
the reserves of the stone tepees. Neither out of revenge nor out of lust. I took what I needed. These people lived surrounded
of all their possessions, and the tools that they used to crush,
to prepare and cook these strange grains, which they had made
the heart of their livelihood. Among nomads, the cell
social is the group. With sedentary life appears
a new unit: The family. And each family has its own space, its own house. The downside is that they are surrounded
by all kinds of small animals, who want their provisions. At that time, the sedentary
continue to hunt and to collect from nature
whatever they can eat. And some don't have
still domesticated the dog, because this invention was made
far from its first villages, especially in Western Europe and China. The dog was used for hunting,
but also for custody, waste disposal, company. The man had found in this animal
many interests and vice versa. It doesn't take much
time to be sedentary, to understand the formidable
interest of the animal. That evening, we suddenly
become friendly people. The day before, we could not
not even drink their water. They wanted to give us their bag of stones
and also those grains that sting the tongue. But it wasn't a present. We quickly understood that they were expecting
that we offer them one of our dogs. I didn't want these useless things, let alone separate
from one of my faithful companions. So they wanted to tell me the secret
grains that sting the tongue. Acha sensed danger. And maybe that day,
I should have followed his instinct. We were too different from those people. It was soft and tasteless.
I didn't like it. I would have preferred to roast these mice
which my dog found in large numbers. It is true that the stomach
was filling up quickly. And for La Borgne to whom
teeth were missing, it was easier to eat than meat. The sedentary had understood that our
dog could help him get rid of of the scourge that ate its seeds. To have it, he was ready to give me
all his objects, but it was a ruse. These gifts did not come from the heart,
they were intended to weaken mine. - Keep your things and I'll look after the dog! The sedentary accumulates goods
possessed, becomes a goal, we start to think that we
can get what we want, thanks to accumulated wealth. The nomad does not understand this. The life of nomads is made
trials and unforeseen events. Nature and its forces,
dominate their existence. Their beliefs are linked
to these inexplicable forces, and against which they can do nothing. The sedentary continue
they too fear nature. But little by little, their organization
allows you to free yourself from your excesses. Protect yourself from dangers and
make life more predictable. The stone tepees do not wobble
not under the waves of the wind, and do not fear the barking of fire. Skin Teepees do not
not resistant to tornadoes, and even less to the power
devastating flames. When you're a nomad, you're ready
to lose everything overnight. What was yesterday, will not be
maybe more tomorrow. This uncertainty is precisely what
the sedentary will fight fiercely. The sedentary person is always looking for a
way to avoid unpleasant surprises. The villagers offered us
to join them. Leave or stay with them for a while? If we left, Acha would be without
shelter during deliverance. Faced with the chaos of life, the sedentary
offers a reassuring solution, organized, stable. Even if nomads prefer a life
adventurous to a life made of work, discipline and routine. Security has enormous seductive power. To welcome us, the villagers
freed one of their teepees from Pierre. But when you have slept all your life under
the stars or under stretched skins, we don't fall asleep easily
in this enclosed space, where even the voices have difficulty escaping. Akhala Borge quickly got used to it
to the softness of the bread pancakes, but Acha can no longer eat
These ordeals exhausted her so much. She understood that she could
feed her by eating her bread. The nomad adapts to his environment. The sedentary person adapts
its environment to its needs. A few days have passed,
we tried to get used to it. At first the villagers pretended
to be happy with our presence, then a real bond was born. Houram still wanted my dog,
but he understood that he would have it When the hens have teeth. And like
At the time, we had not invented the chicken. A little girl was born from Acha's womb. But Acha, like the first companion of
Haar did not survive the birth. His breath was gone. She had left to join ours
in the sea of stars. A daughter of Gaia was gone, another had come,
with no one to feed her. We believe in Gaia,
The Eternal Mother. This feminine nature which lavishes us
everything we need. At this time, it is possible that man
does not have the awareness of being a father. He doesn't know that the children who go out
of the belly, are also a part of themselves. The next day, at dawn,
we continued on our way. I left my best dog in Houram, as a reward for generosity
which he was going to demonstrate. I left him Acha's daughter. It was the only solution for her to live. Gaia also remained with the child. His lineage will live on
by the daughter of Acha. Most nomads go
soon adopt a sedentary life. Seduced by comfort and safety. They will leave in our
genes this thirst for freedom, and this taste for discovering the unknown. A sedentary lifestyle goes deep
change human behavior, make him enter a spiral
inventions and novelties, that will never stop. The collection of wild cereals will
soon to be replaced by agriculture. Wheat and barley in the fertile crescent
will spread throughout Europe and the Indus. Rice and millet in China, corn,
potatoes and peppers in America, sorghum in Africa. More or less consciously, Sapiens
carries out the first genetic selections. He chooses the seeds of the plants
the most robust, the most generous. To cultivate the land, man
will open clearings. The landscapes will become humanized. We are 7,500 years ago
years before Jesus Christ. In the Middle East. The hamlet has become a village.
More security, more stability. Women have more children
and children die less. More people, more houses,
more tension too. The round house with difficulty
expandable, have little by little, been replaced by architectures
rectangular, which can be more easily enlarged
or cut into independent pieces. From the dynasty of Gaia. It's my amulet that says so. Her name is Nikki, since I was young
age, I dream of starting a family with her. We now have a house for the dead. We keep the remains here
ancestors of the village. This place allows us to maintain their
memory. To remember them better, We keep the skulls and put makeup on them
to make them look like they were. Thus, we know where and from whom we
have been descended for generations. The importance of our families is linked
to the number of skulls that bear their name. Alas, I'm not the only one
suitor to the beautiful Nikki, at the hands of the family
Bellutas, my eternal rival. The Bellutas are also a
of the big families of the village. They have a lot of men
valiant in their lineage. But Oku is a coward who took advantage
of his name to make bad moves. This day happened
which should never have happened. Nikki's father would choose the groom
of his daughter based on interests of his family and according to
omen of animal spirits. But the dispute had created
a dangerous situation, and I asked my father for the right to
immediately ask for Nikki’s hand. At the time we had
domesticated some animals. At the beginning, we kept alive
little ones brought back from hunting, wild boar, mountain horses. If we kept them and fed them, we had a supply of meat
fresh available at any time. These animals were rather rare, and I decided to offer our only wild boar
to Nikky's father, as a wedding ring gift. But Oku's family beat me to it. They had offered 2 animals
even rarer. The cats had arrived in our villages, attracted to rodents
who ate our crops. They quickly became
we are valuable allies. Owning property had
now an incidence, about what we can do
or get from others, the less rich, become less
powerful than the richest. Competition between men
is changing shape. The law of the strongest is underway
to become the law of the most fortunate. I was in love with Nikki, and Nikki had been given to another. I had the rules against me
of the village and the authority of the elders. I offended Oku,
his family, Nikki's father. It is for these reasons that
I decided to take Nikki, far away in another village,
to start a family there. We had life ahead of us,
we were free and we loved each other, no one had ever dared to do that before. I believe that that day,
we invented paradise. Nikki was getting colder. I will cure her with plants. But in the meantime, it was necessary
warm it up. It was dangerous, but I had no choice. Oku didn't want to accept no
no more losing the one he loved. His love disappointed, the power of the heads of family which was
on his side made him a tough enemy, tenacious and merciless. He had destroyed my body. Only a fragment of breath
kept me alive. I clung desperately to this air,
going in and out of my chest. At that time, men understood that we
could bury seeds in the ground, and that they gave news
plants after a few weeks. They even know how to choose
the best plants, they are constantly improving
the quality of their grains. My father thought I was gone forever, but he quickly understood that he
Something serious had happened. My father and my brother gave me
searched for a long time. On the way back, Oku had made the traces disappear
which would have allowed them to find me. Days have passed,
my life was hanging by a thread. It's thanks to these shoots
of soft wheat that I held. I saw them grow with each
once I regained consciousness. She was life. They were my light. A conflict between two individuals
thus transforms into a serious discord between 2 family clans. The rivalry between me and Oku was going
become the great drama of our village. Man has known for a long time
the power of medicinal plants, but surgery appears
only at this time. We begin to practice trepanation. We open the skull
to heal trauma, dementia and other unexplainable illnesses. Conflicts that are easy to resolve
when we were few in number, now threatened the cohesion of the group. Very quickly, the argument
extends to the entire village. We take sides with some,
we take sides with others, but no one can find a solution. The hole in my skull had
released the blood that paralyzed me. I will survive, but as a parasite. I will now be unable to help
my family working in the fields. It was the year it didn't rain. The earth no longer gave food
and the whole village lamented. Curiously, this era, we had not yet understood that
water was essential for plants. As crazy as it sounds, no one had done it
connection with drought. On the other hand, everyone has
made the connection with me. I had defied the will of
spirits, they punished us. Even my father was mad at me. I spent my time observing nature,
to seek to understand its secrets. My body no longer had any strength,
but my mind remained alert. The idea came to me suddenly. An idea, even a simple one, can change your life
men and change our destiny. My hand full of mud
digs a furrow on the ground, water flowing slowly,
the seeds that germinate, the tender green of young shoots
which grow little by little. Water was the secret of life. It was all there, before our eyes,
but we didn't understand it. So, at that time
was invented, irrigation. My father and my brother didn't let me
raw, but they tried anyway. They spared no effort,
just to please myself. Understanding the role
water in agriculture, will give great strength
to sedentary systems. Well irrigated, crops will yield
much more and the years of scarcity are over. I had stolen his powers from heaven. I shamed the rain. My idea was stronger than nature. Stronger than all spirits. Oku came to our land to understand
the reason for all these green plants, while his fields remained dry. He continued to think that
I had bad luck. Irrigation allowed us to produce
a much larger quantity of cereals, and better feed the
members of our family. Suddenly we had surpluses,
production surpluses. It has become a form of wealth and we
understood that this gave us power. The advantage of this new wealth,
is that it can be exchanged. Nikki's father and everyone who
had taken sides against us, came to offer us gifts
in exchange for our grain. And the exchange calms conflicts because it allows us to renew a dialogue
and mutual satisfaction. We, the family of Gaia's lineage, we had become the most
powerful and more respected. But Oku's family, I did not want. I couldn't
forget what he had done to me. I will never give them
even a single grain of wheat. Thus, a gesture can become
a form of violence. Thanks to the boar whose father
of Nikki had not wanted, I found a simple idea: It was enough to lock up males
and females together, they multiplied. This find
will soon tour the world. I still loved him. I never stopped loving him. Many times I thought she
would come back, I stopped hoping. Nikki persuaded me. I couldn't deprive her of food
because of her husband's dog. She had nothing to do with it.
So, I forgave. Agriculture, livestock, irrigation. Man can legitimately say
now that he manipulates the living world. And that he took over the elements. I had become stronger than the spirits. This new power
makes him proud and dominant. He begins to believe that he is
more powerful than nature. To represent its deities, he abandons the images
of animals and natural spirits. He represents himself. Ouki was even able to find a wife,
and he started a family. Gaia's lineage will have descendants. Exchanges of goods will soon
relayed by exchanges of know-how, and techniques. Thanks to the exchanges,
information and innovations, will travel over great distances,
and men will evolve more quickly. After the rise of agriculture,
livestock farming will spread across the planet like wildfire.
After the wolf became a dog, the sheep and the wild goat will be
domesticated in the Near East and Asia. The wild boar will be transformed into a pig,
the auroch will become the ox. The chickens will be domesticated
in Pakistan, the donkey in Palestine, the horse between Europe and Central Asia. The lama in Peru. The bee in Egypt. The domestication of animals
favored the demographic explosion, but it also led to a certain
number of evil effects. Terrible trials await men. The year is 3,500 BC. Our village has grown again.
More than 1000 people live there. Since travelers
brought the wheel and the cart, our work was made easier. People have tailoring jobs
stone workers, masons, blacksmiths, potters. But everyone practices
always agriculture and livestock. There are now many families.
There are arguments all the time. To mediate crises, advice
of experienced men does justice, and makes major collective decisions. Horu and Wakka were 2 brothers,
both descending from the lineage of Gaia, one of the oldest in the village.
Wakka was the eldest, he wore the amulet of the heads of the family. Their judgment was respected by all. Everyone now had their own field,
his animals, his accommodation. We all had property and
problems that came with it. To possess is also to defend. The goats of the tanner's son had passed
at night in the old potter's fields. Suffice to say that part
of his harvest was lost. In these cases, we did
always call for advice. The council decided on a case by case basis.
case and often according to custom. Exchange of goods, repair
thus mutual offenses, the fragile balance of the village,
was based on these collegial decisions. But the great misfortunes which
were waiting to burst it. With the help of Horu and his greed
for riches. I was Ikke, the son of Wakka. From the lineage of Gaia. We had fields and goats, my
Father was mainly the village blacksmith. The first metals had just appeared,
and their power fascinated us. From the mountain, I brought
ore for my father. Those found in the state
natural, like copper or gold. He melted and molded them to
pull containers and small tools. The problem with these metals is that they were
too fragile to turn the earth. For several days, the skin
of my mother had turned red. Nobody suspected then
the arrival of the great tragedy. Every week we killed a goat
to feed the family. I didn't like it. I did not know
never which one to choose. I was far from suspecting
that there was there, under my feet, invisible creatures
and terribly harmful. The first sign of the great tragedy
was this goat, half dead. Microbes, bacteria, viruses. Without them knowing it, all these creatures
were developing at high speed, thanks to the concentration of men,
animals, excrement and droppings. My mother suffered from a growing illness.
After the red patches on his body, she was taken by violent fevers,
and repeated vomiting. Horu, my father's brother was a healer. He mastered the science of plants
and made drinks, and ointments for the whole village. We had always had
diseases among men, but a mysterious new form was
appearing, more dangerous. More devastating. Horu wanted to be reassuring. He was keen on his prestige and his reward. His healing power,
would overcome the evil. Horu loved gifts. If he could, he would have chosen
itself rather the large vase. It would have been normal for him to refuse
his brother's reward, but Horu was too greedy. There is a phenomenon that men have been able to
anticipate pigs, but also cattle, the sheep are in the wild,
already carrying epidemic diseases. Breeding created the conditions
so that they can send them to us. At first. Nobody did the
rapprochement, not even Horu. Measles, tuberculosis,
flu, smallpox, all these scourges will be to us
transmitted by our livestock. My mother was leaving. His whole body was nothing but pain. His agony seemed excruciating
painful and we were helpless. At that time, customs
funeral services have changed. They have become more complex. We now keep the bodies of
deceased in the family home, sign of greater
importance given to each lineage. The whole family must give
to the dead, including Horu. In a few days, it was a massacre. The whole potter's family
died suddenly. And then others, and still more.
Whole families. So much so that after a while, there is no
had no one left to bury them. So the wise men decided to
put everyone in a pit, outside the village to hunt
the smells of death. The council had been sitting since the day before
in the town hall, but no one, even Idrou our shaman,
found no explanation for the evil. How could he have known? The only clue he had,
it was the red patches. The bad always started
by red patches. - You all show your bodies, we
Let's see if bad luck has chosen you. The invisible evil that lurks,
chooses his accomplices. But they cannot escape us,
because the trace of the villain is under their clothes. Those who had these traces were cursed. Horu had found the sign of evil and everything
the world saw that he was right. In a few well-chosen words, Horu established himself as the only
able to stop the scourge. You had to listen to his words
and obey his orders. It was a curse. All those who bore the sign of
villain, had to leave the village. Even his brother had to leave. Men cannot
understand the role of microbes, in the face of these disasters
they don't know the origin. They blame invisible forces. In a few moments, Horu has just invented
a new form of power, that of the leader. Horu thus became the man
the most important in the village. The one who decides for himself
for everyone else. He became the sole heir
of the lineage of Gaia. Who better than Hydro could say how much
Was the leader's vision correct? Evil had to be chased away.
The boss was right, he knew where the problem was. In a short time, the religious becomes
the first support of politics. Fire wards off evil spirits. Without knowing it, Horu took
there a salutary measure, eliminate evil with heat. All dead animals would be burned. In a short time, this measure has
stopped the slaughter among animals. They recognized his
power, his intelligence. Its accuracy. The great hunt for accomplices of evil
continued. Horu, A man of power, quickly understood that he needed strength
armed to help him carry out his decisions. All the houses were searched,
all living beings were controlled. All those who bore the mark
of the curse were banished, and their goods were marked with whitewash. When a leader takes good
decisions for the community, those who benefit
thank him with gifts. And so Horu becomes richer, we begin to show him
marks of respect. Our group wandered aimlessly,
we no longer had hope. Ours were dying
one after the other. Epidemics share
several features. It spreads quickly and efficiently
from one infected person to another, and these are diseases
acute, where we die, where we recover completely
in a short period of time. And little by little the evil left our bodies. We were saved. The red patches were gone. Only 3 of us had survived. After several weeks
walking, we found life. These people came from Anatolia, from the North. They too had experienced the great illness
and many men were missing. All these women without men have us
welcomed with great generosity. In our village, the men had
always order while women decided at home. Among these strangers, it was a woman who
made the big decisions. From the highlands of Anatolia, these women
had made 2 major discoveries. The horse, this fiery, fierce animal
and indomitable was there, before my eyes. Docile and calm, like a suckling lamb. She hadn't tamed him
only for its meat. Kélée. This woman made me dizzy.
She gave rise to a feeling in me, that I had never experienced. Want to sing, dance,
to hold her in my arms. Want to take his mouth
and stick mine there. The 2nd discovery would change my life
father and later, that of all men. What was this metal? He was hard as a rock,
my father had never seen that. How had they done it? My father was dying to know,
but the secret was well kept. In our country, the epidemic had spread
suddenly stopped, and the power of Huro in
had greatly benefited. The goods of those who had left
were now under his responsibility, and in particular those of his brother. But who would they serve?
now in these empty houses? Horu first had the idea of recovering
the reward my father had given him. This one and this one. All in all, if this vase he wanted. Soon all the goods of the houses
Empties were requisitioned. Horu declared that he belonged
to the village community. In a short time they will
become his property. All this for himself? No, Hydro didn't like that. THE
shaman had to be a true ally. He would be rewarded for his loyalty. Soon the chef will distribute a part
of his riches to his supporters. He will create an elite, a class
social above others. Bronze, this prodigious metal. The blacksmiths of Anatolia did not want
not pass on their secrets to him, but the tattooed woman had the power
and great tenderness for my father. Copper, tin,
mixed in the same bath. It's simple, but it
must have had the idea. Bronze makes tools
much more resistant and efficient. It will further increase productivity
agricultural societies. But bronze also makes it possible to shape
new weapons that are much more resistant. - Who had this idea? How many mixtures had been tried,
before it is found? In the village, everything had changed. Power had distorted Horu. His status now required that he
be housed in the largest house. The old town hall. He had ordered that they be arranged
everywhere there are statues bearing the effigy of Gaia. Huro was no longer a man like the others. He no longer worked in the fields,
no longer raised animals. His role as leader did not allow him
no more stooping to these tasks. So it was normal that he was
maintained by those he led. Thus, everyone was asked to bring their
contribution to the leader, a kind of tax. A practice that will not please everyone
the world. We will all end up accepting it. A new form of organization
of power was born: The chiefdom. Horu is maintained by everyone's effort. Part of the villagers' work
is given to the chief, which in turn actually
benefit its ruling class. And among those close to the leader settles
a hierarchy, desires. And a struggle for power. Kelée had changed my life. Love had made me a man
and I had found meaning to this chaotic existence. She also introduced me to
speed, enthusiasm and the ardor of the galloping horse. A prodigious animal will transform
our perception of distance. But curiously, at that time,
no one has tried to mount it yet. We will have to wait 2,000 years before
until horse riding was invented. Healed and strong in what we had learned,
we decided to return home. Discontent was brewing
in the population. Horu had become a despot and he
no longer tolerated any contradiction. Horu and Hydro had not planned our return. My father had been one of the men
the most esteemed and above all, he was the eldest in the line of Gaia. He wanted to know what gift his brother
brought him back from his distant journey. Rocks ? Was it there
the honor given to him? Where were the riches? How
were we going to reward him, for his limitless genius? Power calls for power. Possessed calls for more wealth,
and all this disturbs the mind. Hydro realized that
his boss was going too far. But what could he do? He took away my reason for living.
But the force is with me. Bronze will give me Kelée. When power becomes abusive, and that the balance of what it brings
and what it costs is broken, this one is condemned. When the power of decision
focuses on one man, and he no longer hears
the cries of his fellow men, this one is condemned. Horu had gone too far. Horu was doomed. Horu was lost. He was ready for anything
rock with him rather than give in. Hydro the shaman had betrayed. The taste of property, the pleasure of exercising power, the fear of losing him, all these facets have
forged the vanity of man. And his vanity and his own pyre. My father then decided that I should reign,
it was up to me to lead our people, in the new world
which opened to our eyes, Kelée and I will try to be worthy of it. The chiefdoms will soon
become kingdoms. Enlightened monarchs will understand
that their power rests on the prosperity of their people. We must redistribute wealth
instead of monopolizing them. But to have more wealth
without taking them from his own, you have to look elsewhere. This is how wars will be invented. In the next 2,000 years
follow, everywhere on the planet, great and powerful
cities will see the light of day, in Asia, the Middle East,
in the Mediterranean, in America. The most urban areas
rich people will want to expand. They will raise the first armies,
seize neighboring villages, unite them. This is how the first cities were born. The first of them,
will flourish in present-day Iraq, and give birth to the
great Sumerian civilization. We are in 2500 before
Jesus Christ in Mesopotamia. I am Tobar, the shepherd,
of the lineage of Gaia. Since my childhood, I have
dreamed of seeing the great city. Who could build buildings
of such magnitude? Is this the work of the gods? As soon as they appear, cities will
exercise immense fascination. For the first time in human history,
populations of different origins, different languages coexist
and build together. Where were all these people going?
What goal was he pursuing? We passed each other without even looking at each other. I had never seen so much of everything.
Objects from distant lands. Jewelry, perfumes, spices, alcohol. Some useful, but others
only for pleasure. Pleasure, of the eyes, of the nose, of the mouth, pleasure to hear. There is also the presence of the State everywhere. The king now has
many representatives. First among which are those
who are responsible for collecting tax, essential to the life of the city. The scribe is responsible for the accounts, it is the head of the guards who executes
decisions of the Crown Treasury. Some subjects are already trying
to minimize their fortune, to reduce their contribution to the State. To count
trade and taxes, we have just invented a system
of code engraved in clay. Writing has just been born. But it is of no use at the moment
than recording transactions. I was fascinated by this scribe. Sarkis mastering the power of signs,
for me it was magical knowledge. Could he count the stars in the sky? The weavers made
fabrics for notables, and its debt to the State
had suddenly tripled. He was unable to pay. Sarkis and he had formed a
friendship relationship and without thinking, he came to her aid. For what,
ask him that much right away? He could pay in several installments. The guards didn't know how to read,
they remembered everything. Nothing stopped his determination. The head of the guards served
the king body and soul, with zeal. But he used the authority given to him
had delegated to satisfy his cruelty. - How do you want to serve the king, if
are you depriving it of its best craftsmen? The more Sarkis wanted to defend the weaver
and the more the head of the guards corrected him. The king's palace. The center of the anthill
was a huge house, greater than the most
large desert dune. The taxes collected were sent there.
I wanted to see behind these walls. It was a forbidden area. I didn't even know it existed. A place where only some can
enter, I had never seen that. I wanted to know at all costs
what was behind these walls. Why did they hide their activities
to the people of the city? In my village, we could easily see
boss, all you had to do was ask. It was like a village
golden inside the city. Here all the decisions were made
the anthill, everything seemed wonderful there. There were architects there,
artists and scholars. The greatest concentration of
knowledge never collected. State wealth is used to
maintain the city and the prestige of the king, but also for the protection of the kingdom. Nomadic raiders had
made an incursion into the north of the kingdom. The king wanted to raise
additional armies, hire soldiers and
make new weapons. He needed more. I was attracted to this scribe. I wanted to meet him
and above all learn. His knowledge fascinated me. I now knew why I had come. I wanted to write. - Teach me. But writing is not
possibility open to all. This art is reserved for an elite whose
you don't belong, little shepherd. Through writing, kings can extend their power
even to distant lands. But their messages must remain secret.
No one should be able to decipher them. Hence the strategic importance
knowledge of the signs. By agreeing to initiate me,
Sarkis was taking a huge risk. He had no right to
teach me this secret code. Sarkis the scribe had taken a liking to me. I think he loved my youth,
my naivety and my outlook are more important to him. Writing is a discipline
which requires rigor, but never learn without understanding. - The principle is simple. So on
clay, and you choose what it means. Gaia's lineage is ancient. I don't know where we come from.
If my ancestors had been able to write. I had failed my first lesson, but
my failure had given Sarkis an idea. An idea that could save
his friend the weaver. The night of Sarkis had been chosen, to contribute to the effort
additional war. The head of the guards was
ready to strip him. The sophistication of
the organization of the city, also brings its share
injustices and imbalances. Civil servants must
execute orders, without taking into account the
reality of everyone's life. This time, the efforts
requested were too heavy. The weaver, had hidden
his last reserves. After 20 years of loyalty,
Sarkis was ready to betray his king. He was revolted against the abuse, and ready
to lie to save his friend in distress. The most gifted scribes will soon
do better than copy data. They will invent new symbols
to represent concepts, ideas, words. I began to understand that writing
could become a much more powerful tool. It made it possible to represent knowledge,
natural and scientific laws and disseminate them to a greater number of people. But she could also lie,
transmit false information, and set traps. It was a formidable weapon. To restore injustice
made to his friend the weaver, Sarkis had falsified
the request for the royal treasury. Some modified signs,
and the amount was different. The treasurer was tense, he couldn't
to collect all the goods required by the king. Sarkis betrayed for the first time
Once fear tightened his stomach. The falsification was well done,
but the treasurer had doubts. The head guard had seen the deception. He knew that the proof of Sarkis's wrongdoing
was inscribed on a clay plaque, but he didn't know which one. Sarkis treated me harshly. I do not
didn't go out, I had very little to eat, I had no right to
sleep more than 4 hours per night. The faster I learned, the more
Sarkis increased his demands. So sometimes I regretted
village life and my sheep. Hey, but how do you write the word sheep? Sarkis had been the subject of an investigation. We finally found
the falsified plate, and we compared it to the original. - What will you do now with your knowledge?
What will it be used for? - To travel, little boss. - You are lost, you will be executed. Sarkis was thrown into prison. Being deprived of liberty is
a terrible punishment. For an uneducated shepherd like me, it was death. But intellectual nourishment
can withstand a lot of things. Loneliness, boredom, persecution. One of the other benefits of writing, is that it allows knowledge to be
transmit to a very large number. For this it is still necessary that she
be taught to as many people as possible. Sarkis had put herself in the head
to educate all prisoners, even the mute, Sarkis did not have the right,
but now he didn't care. He wanted to share his knowledge, pass on your knowledge
before being sentenced to death. This was possible for one reason only,
Lugal was dying to learn too. He was allowed to listen and watch. So, he didn't say anything about it to his superiors. Writing will have difficulty becoming democratized,
it will take millennia. But we know that prosperity
and the dynamism of a city, are linked to its capacity
to educate his people. The kings didn't understand this at first.
They wanted to keep the knowledge to themselves, to better exploit it. Sarkis had betrayed his king and for
big affairs, the only judge, it is the king himself. Sarkis will be punished by death. Men will take a long time
to separate justice and power. In the city, public executions
offer the subject an entertaining spectacle. but they mainly serve to reinforce
the supremacy of the sovereign. Sarkis had taught me everything,
he had risked his life for me. I had to risk mine for him. I loved him, but that day,
I understood how much he loved me too. I was his disciple, his protégé,
he had put me in his heart. - Hold the symbol of Gaia. She will protect you. Living in big cities, man gradually
freed from the dangers of nature. Certainly, he no longer suffers from it, but the
problem is that he no longer knows them, even if he can still read
the stars to find your way, he no longer knows how to find water in
the desert without shadow to protect it, his body abandons him. Sarkis felt his end approaching,
but he regretted nothing. He preferred to die free
than living a lie. Desert people are used to finding
city dwellers lost in the sands. Usually it's too late,
they died of thirst. What was he going to do with a dying man? Strip it and leave
his body to the vultures? Who were these people? Why had he saved him? They were nomads and for them, the stranger is a traveler
to whom we owe hospitality. These people were part of the lineage
de Haar, a very old family, who had never converted
to a sedentary life. They knew the lineage of Gaia.
They knew her very well. I continued to study alone,
without ever forgetting Sarkis. Thanks to his teaching. I gradually became a scholar.
But I still missed the master. He gave me everything, the little shepherd. Between large urban centers,
new nomads have appeared, organized in caravans,
they begin to travel the planet, exchange goods
thousands of kilometers, and organize unconsciously,
the great diffusion of knowledge, which will continue to increase. Thanks to these travelers, and to the power
attraction of large cities, knowledge will accumulate,
sciences, arts. Techniques will progress. Thanks to Sarkis, they were able to master
numbers and symbols. Knowledge of writing will enable
for all peoples to free themselves of the exclusive power of kings. 10 years had passed, and Sarkis
found the city he had fled. I had become a royal scribe and a
master, Sarkis couldn't believe his eyes. He was proud of me. Sarkis had spoken about me to the nomads of
desert and he wanted me to join them. He wanted me to discover
the world, its riches and its sorrows. I stayed. My place was here. In the midst of my disciples.
Writing needed me. My role was no longer to
count the king's treasures, I was writing the great history of men. I will write the rest of the story
of the lineage of Gaia. So that it can be read and heard on the borders
of the world and for thousands of years. Writing will soon become
the pillar of human creation. The most powerful way
communication of the universe. There will soon be billions of men, and they will communicate with each other
their knowledge more and more quickly. When they no longer know where to go,
they will look behind.
