Damming the Euphrates

Synopsis

In June 2000, the world media gave extensive coverage to the flooding of the Euphrates River behind a dam in southeast Turkey. As the waters rose, Zeugma, an important Roman city containing high quality mosaics, was inundated in the Euphrates’ depths. At the same time, towns and villages disappeared beneath the new lake. Raising questions of government policies and sustainable development, this film tells the story of the mosaics as well as that of the displaced people, some of whom turned to antiquities trafficking to replace lost income. 26 minutes.

Language

English

Country

Turkey

Year of release

2005

Year of production

2000

Subjects

Archaeology; Environmental science

Keywords

dams; government policies; Roman antiquities; sustainable development; Turkey; Euphrates

Online availability

URI

http://www.archaeologychannel.org/

Delivery

Streamed

Production Company

Name

Ajans21

Distributor

Name

Archaeology Channel, The

Contact

Richard Pettigrew (president and director)

Web

http://www.archaeologychannel.org External site opens in new window

Notes

The Archaeology Channel is one of the initiatives of the US-based Archaeological Legacy Institute. The marketplace section of the Channel’s website sells a range of DVDs on archaeological topics. The site also streams documentaries in their entirety, free of charge. American archaeology is strongly represented but the extensive collection also covers worldwide content. Audio commentaries and interviews with archaeologists are also available free online .