Flames in Qatna: A Doomed Palace in Syria

They came to document an almost 4000 year-old palace in modern day Syria - they leave with an incredible discovery that will make history.

Fall 2002 - an international team of archeologists visit Syria, accompanied by a Story House camera crew. German Archaeologist, Dr. Peter Pfälzner and his colleagues have come to excavate a spectacular royal complex - the ancient palace of Qatna. In the process, the team reveals nothing less than an archaeological sensation - the yet untouched tomb of a royal Syrian dynasty. Dr. Pfälzner and his colleagues eventually uncover more than two thousand single items in the tomb alone - including the remains of the royal family and precious stone and gold jewelry. In addition, they find concrete evidence of a strange royal death rite - details of which, modern archaeologists had only vaguely suspected - until now. The discovery at Qatna brings back the lost history of an enigmatic kingdom from the depths of time.

Flames in Qatna brings to life the story of this archeological sensation with never-before seen footage. Cameras roll over days and weeks while an international team achieves their "discovery of the century." The film re-envisions Qatna as a "Global Player" of its time, a city state of great economic power located 93 miles northeast of today's Damascus. Flames in Qatna also depicts the rise and the tragic destiny of the royal family, as due to its wealth and political influence Qatna becomes envied by neighboring nations such as Egypt or the Hittities, and is ultimately destroyed in 1340 B.C., its palace devoured by flames.

Flames in Qatna documents a milestone in the world of Archeology and follows the efforts of scientists to unearth an almost forgotten kingdom. Flames in Qatna is not only a spectacular documentary of sensational archeological findings, but becomes an investigative science thriller set within the breathtaking scenery of the Syrian palace ruins. As countless items are analyzed in archives and laboratories from Berlin to Bristol, the consolidated findings of scientists are the basis for sumptuous re-enactments of a long forgotten episode in the history of the Middle East: the rise and fall of the kings of Qatna.

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