1 00:00:01,668 --> 00:00:03,503 NARRATOR: Giant volcanic rock walls 2 00:00:03,503 --> 00:00:05,339 rise up from the sea. 3 00:00:05,339 --> 00:00:08,008 BRUCE FENTON: We consider the sheer scale 4 00:00:08,008 --> 00:00:11,595 of the Nan Madol construction site... it's mind‐boggling. 5 00:00:11,595 --> 00:00:16,350 NARRATOR: Just how were these massive structures built, and why? 6 00:00:16,350 --> 00:00:20,437 Ancient astronaut theorists Giorgio Tsoukalos 7 00:00:20,437 --> 00:00:23,357 and David Childress embark on an incredible journey 8 00:00:23,357 --> 00:00:26,777 to these remote ruins in search of answers. 9 00:00:26,777 --> 00:00:28,737 GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS: Wow. Look at this. 10 00:00:28,737 --> 00:00:32,282 DAVID CHILDRESS: 250 million tons 11 00:00:32,282 --> 00:00:37,454 of basalt just piled up and into artificial islands. 12 00:00:37,454 --> 00:00:40,249 NARRATOR: Will they solve the mystery of 13 00:00:40,249 --> 00:00:42,751 one of the world's most baffling sites? 14 00:00:42,751 --> 00:00:45,045 ROSS CONKLIN: We should be getting close to the wall. 15 00:00:45,045 --> 00:00:48,048 CHILDRESS: So as soon as you get close to those stones, it disconnects. 16 00:00:48,048 --> 00:00:49,550 That's so strange. 17 00:00:49,550 --> 00:00:51,218 CHILDRESS The more you know, 18 00:00:51,218 --> 00:00:53,303 the more mysterious it gets. 19 00:00:55,597 --> 00:00:57,933 NARRATOR: There is a doorway 20 00:00:57,933 --> 00:01:00,727 in the universe. 21 00:01:00,727 --> 00:01:03,730 Beyond it is the promise of truth. 22 00:01:05,023 --> 00:01:07,609 It demands we question everything 23 00:01:07,609 --> 00:01:10,070 we have ever been taught. 24 00:01:10,070 --> 00:01:13,782 The evidence is all around us. 25 00:01:13,782 --> 00:01:17,536 The future is right before our eyes. 26 00:01:17,536 --> 00:01:20,455 We are not alone. 27 00:01:20,455 --> 00:01:23,709 We have never been alone. 28 00:01:31,466 --> 00:01:33,969 NARRATOR: The Pacific Ocean. 29 00:01:33,969 --> 00:01:36,680 January 1836. 30 00:01:36,680 --> 00:01:40,017 The British cutter Lambton arrives at the shores 31 00:01:40,017 --> 00:01:43,103 of the Micronesian island of Pohnpei. 32 00:01:43,103 --> 00:01:46,690 It is one of the first European expeditions 33 00:01:46,690 --> 00:01:48,567 to reach this remote landmass, 34 00:01:48,567 --> 00:01:53,447 which is located roughly 2,500 miles northeast of Australia. 35 00:01:54,781 --> 00:01:58,660 The ship's surgeon, identified only as Dr. Campbell, 36 00:01:58,660 --> 00:02:00,495 writes about a megalithic site 37 00:02:00,495 --> 00:02:03,540 that stands off Pohnpei's southeastern shore. 38 00:02:05,125 --> 00:02:07,502 He speculates that the massive structures 39 00:02:07,502 --> 00:02:10,297 are as old as the Egyptian pyramids, 40 00:02:10,297 --> 00:02:12,799 and must have been the work of great men. 41 00:02:12,799 --> 00:02:16,136 It is one of the earliest accounts 42 00:02:16,136 --> 00:02:18,639 of what will later be known as Nan Madol. 43 00:02:20,223 --> 00:02:23,894 Nan Madol is this amazing construction. 44 00:02:23,894 --> 00:02:26,229 It's‐it's a full‐on city. 45 00:02:26,229 --> 00:02:30,192 When pilots during World War II would fly over 46 00:02:30,192 --> 00:02:32,819 that part of the Pacific, they would look out their windows, 47 00:02:32,819 --> 00:02:35,656 and they would see what essentially was described 48 00:02:35,656 --> 00:02:37,032 as the Venice of the Pacific. 49 00:02:37,032 --> 00:02:40,327 So that became one of its nicknames. 50 00:02:40,327 --> 00:02:45,248 NARRATOR: Today, much of Nan Madol is hidden beneath dense vegetation, 51 00:02:45,248 --> 00:02:47,834 making it appear as though the edge of Pohnpei 52 00:02:47,834 --> 00:02:50,879 extends further out into the ocean. 53 00:02:50,879 --> 00:02:54,716 But in reality, it is an 11‐square‐mile complex 54 00:02:54,716 --> 00:02:58,428 consisting of more than 100 man‐made islets 55 00:02:58,428 --> 00:03:01,348 standing atop a submerged coral reef. 56 00:03:02,849 --> 00:03:06,478 Archeologists estimate that to construct the site, 57 00:03:06,478 --> 00:03:09,564 the builders used 250 million tons of basalt, 58 00:03:09,564 --> 00:03:13,402 a black rock that forms when basaltic lava from a volcano 59 00:03:13,402 --> 00:03:16,363 cools and becomes solid. 60 00:03:17,781 --> 00:03:22,035 Some of the basalt logs and blocks weigh upwards of 50 tons. 61 00:03:27,416 --> 00:03:32,921 Nan Madol is this mysterious island in the middle of nowhere. 62 00:03:32,921 --> 00:03:37,217 You have at least 600 miles in every direction 63 00:03:37,217 --> 00:03:40,512 where there is absolutely nothing. 64 00:03:40,512 --> 00:03:46,476 And so, to find this incredible megalithic structure there, 65 00:03:46,476 --> 00:03:49,271 you have to wonder why that place existed 66 00:03:49,271 --> 00:03:51,106 in the first place. 67 00:03:51,106 --> 00:03:53,191 When we consider the sheer scale 68 00:03:53,191 --> 00:03:57,154 of the Nan Madol construction site, it's mind‐boggling. 69 00:03:57,154 --> 00:04:00,949 Why would they need this scale of construction 70 00:04:00,949 --> 00:04:04,327 on a tiny island in the middle of nowhere? 71 00:04:04,327 --> 00:04:07,456 It is a complete mystery 72 00:04:07,456 --> 00:04:10,500 who exactly constructed it and when. 73 00:04:12,294 --> 00:04:15,005 NARRATOR: Historians have attributed the megalithic construction 74 00:04:15,005 --> 00:04:17,883 to the Saudeleur Dynasty. 75 00:04:17,883 --> 00:04:21,845 The empire ruled over Nan Madol for approximately 500 years, 76 00:04:21,845 --> 00:04:25,640 from 1100 to 1628 AD. 77 00:04:25,640 --> 00:04:29,186 But speculation that they were the builders of Nan Madol 78 00:04:29,186 --> 00:04:31,897 has been the subject of controversy, 79 00:04:31,897 --> 00:04:35,317 as many believe that an accurate dating of the structures 80 00:04:35,317 --> 00:04:38,361 is virtually impossible to determine. 81 00:04:38,361 --> 00:04:42,324 It's difficult, really, to put dates on Nan Madol. 82 00:04:42,324 --> 00:04:45,452 Currently, mainstream archeologists are 83 00:04:45,452 --> 00:04:49,289 giving the city a date of about 1100 AD, 84 00:04:49,289 --> 00:04:52,167 and they're coming up with that date by dating 85 00:04:52,167 --> 00:04:55,003 some of the coral rubble that's there. 86 00:04:55,003 --> 00:04:59,341 What I think of there is that this is the date 87 00:04:59,341 --> 00:05:03,720 of the last repair work on this amazing city 88 00:05:03,720 --> 00:05:05,138 and that the city itself 89 00:05:05,138 --> 00:05:09,476 was actually built much earlier than that. 90 00:05:09,476 --> 00:05:11,228 The thing is they left no records. 91 00:05:11,228 --> 00:05:13,647 They left no literature, no history, no art, 92 00:05:13,647 --> 00:05:16,817 nothing that says that they had these advanced technologies 93 00:05:16,817 --> 00:05:18,902 or concepts like mathematics 94 00:05:18,902 --> 00:05:22,906 that would enable them to build such an archeological wonder. 95 00:05:22,906 --> 00:05:24,533 So, it leaves this great mystery 96 00:05:24,533 --> 00:05:28,328 of who actually constructed Nan Madol and why. 97 00:05:34,835 --> 00:05:38,421 NARRATOR: A team of scientists, backed by the U. S. Department 98 00:05:38,421 --> 00:05:42,259 of State Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation, 99 00:05:42,259 --> 00:05:46,054 completes a six‐month project to conduct the first lidar survey 100 00:05:46,054 --> 00:05:48,682 of this World Heritage Site. 101 00:05:48,682 --> 00:05:54,479 Lidar utilizes laser wave pulses to create a 3‐D representation 102 00:05:54,479 --> 00:05:57,357 of an area and allows unprecedented access 103 00:05:57,357 --> 00:05:59,860 to otherwise impenetrable locations. 104 00:06:01,194 --> 00:06:06,116 This recent lidar survey at Temwen Island and Nan Madol 105 00:06:06,116 --> 00:06:08,243 indicates that there was 106 00:06:08,243 --> 00:06:11,288 a specially designed irrigation system 107 00:06:11,288 --> 00:06:13,874 that could support people 108 00:06:13,874 --> 00:06:18,211 on this relatively small island adjacent to Pohnpei. 109 00:06:18,211 --> 00:06:21,047 And then Nan Madol is built there, too. 110 00:06:21,047 --> 00:06:24,551 So, who then would have built 111 00:06:24,551 --> 00:06:27,804 such a sophisticated irrigation system, 112 00:06:27,804 --> 00:06:31,725 which no one knew about until this recent lidar survey? 113 00:06:31,725 --> 00:06:34,561 And it doesn't seem that the‐the so‐called builders, 114 00:06:34,561 --> 00:06:37,147 the Saudeleurs, were the builders of this. 115 00:06:37,147 --> 00:06:39,983 NARRATOR: While the study continues to credit the construction 116 00:06:39,983 --> 00:06:42,402 of Nan Madol to the Saudeleurs, 117 00:06:42,402 --> 00:06:45,405 many researchers suggest that the oral history 118 00:06:45,405 --> 00:06:49,159 of the people of Pohnpei contradicts this notion. 119 00:06:49,159 --> 00:06:51,244 This recent lidar survey is sensational 120 00:06:51,244 --> 00:06:54,748 because the big mystery about Nan Madol was always: 121 00:06:54,748 --> 00:06:58,001 Where did the people get their food from or their water? 122 00:06:58,001 --> 00:07:00,253 And according to the local population, 123 00:07:00,253 --> 00:07:01,796 it had to be boated in. 124 00:07:01,796 --> 00:07:05,258 But if you now look at this new lidar survey, 125 00:07:05,258 --> 00:07:08,470 which suggests that there is an artificial irrigation system 126 00:07:08,470 --> 00:07:12,515 on Temwen, well, they could've collected the water right there, 127 00:07:12,515 --> 00:07:15,518 and this leads me to think that the Saudeleurs 128 00:07:15,518 --> 00:07:20,565 appropriated whatever was at Temwen Island and Nan Madol. 129 00:07:20,565 --> 00:07:24,277 NARRATOR: Does the lidar survey prove that the conventional theories 130 00:07:24,277 --> 00:07:28,990 crediting the Saudeleurs as the creators of Nan Madol are wrong? 131 00:07:28,990 --> 00:07:33,536 But if so, who built Nan Madol, and why? 132 00:07:41,628 --> 00:07:45,131 Intrigued by the results of the recent lidar survey, 133 00:07:45,131 --> 00:07:47,884 ancient astronaut theorists Giorgio Tsoukalos 134 00:07:47,884 --> 00:07:51,388 and David Childress embark on a journey 135 00:07:51,388 --> 00:07:53,515 to the remote island of Pohnpei. 136 00:07:53,515 --> 00:07:56,643 They are hoping to find evidence that could shed new light 137 00:07:56,643 --> 00:07:59,896 on what has become a centuries‐old mystery. 138 00:07:59,896 --> 00:08:02,399 ‐Here we are. ‐This is exciting. 139 00:08:02,399 --> 00:08:05,235 NARRATOR: This expedition is the first for Giorgio, 140 00:08:05,235 --> 00:08:08,530 but David's fifth visit to the megalithic site. 141 00:08:08,530 --> 00:08:10,490 ‐All right. Hello. ‐Good morning. ‐Hi, Gus. This is our guide. 142 00:08:10,490 --> 00:08:12,283 ‐How are you, Gus? Good to see you. ‐Welcome to Pohnpei. 143 00:08:12,283 --> 00:08:16,162 NARRATOR: At Mangrove Bay on the island's north shore, 144 00:08:16,162 --> 00:08:18,248 Giorgio and David meet up with Micronesia's 145 00:08:18,248 --> 00:08:21,334 National Historic Preservation Officer, Gus Kohler. 146 00:08:21,334 --> 00:08:23,837 ‐So, ready to go? Okay. ‐Yeah. Let's get going, yeah. 147 00:08:23,837 --> 00:08:27,340 NARRATOR: From here, they will travel by boat to Nan Madol. 148 00:08:28,758 --> 00:08:30,468 TSOUKALOS: Nan Madol is one of the last 149 00:08:30,468 --> 00:08:33,471 ancient mysteries that I have yet to see, 150 00:08:33,471 --> 00:08:36,266 and it's been 30 years since I've wanted to come here. 151 00:08:36,266 --> 00:08:39,352 And I cannot wait to see what awaits us. 152 00:08:39,352 --> 00:08:42,856 And what better guide than David Childress? 153 00:08:42,856 --> 00:08:46,776 CHILDRESS: Nan Madol is the eighth wonder of the world. 154 00:08:46,776 --> 00:08:49,112 It's one of the most amazing megalithic sites 155 00:08:49,112 --> 00:08:50,530 that I've ever seen. 156 00:08:50,530 --> 00:08:52,115 But it's very little known. 157 00:08:52,115 --> 00:08:53,908 The archeologists who come here... 158 00:08:53,908 --> 00:08:56,119 ‐What do they say? ‐Yeah, what... they... 159 00:08:56,119 --> 00:08:58,538 How do they say it was made, Nan Madol? 160 00:08:58,538 --> 00:09:00,707 Every‐Everyone has their own theory. 161 00:09:00,707 --> 00:09:02,208 ‐Sure. ‐Their own different theory. ‐Yeah. 162 00:09:02,208 --> 00:09:05,086 If you imagine, if you carry it, uh, you know, 163 00:09:05,086 --> 00:09:06,963 it's‐it's a very uneven terrain. 164 00:09:06,963 --> 00:09:08,757 You've got mountains, you've got valleys, 165 00:09:08,757 --> 00:09:10,133 ‐you've got water. ‐It's very rugged. 166 00:09:10,133 --> 00:09:11,760 ‐Very rugged. ‐Very rugged. 167 00:09:11,760 --> 00:09:13,762 And then the‐the question 168 00:09:13,762 --> 00:09:17,307 of putting it or having it hung underneath a boat... 169 00:09:17,307 --> 00:09:21,061 ‐It's incredible. ‐I mean, w‐we've tried to carry lots, small ones on rafts, 170 00:09:21,061 --> 00:09:23,980 tried to imitate how... it's just impossible. 171 00:09:23,980 --> 00:09:26,399 ‐They can't do it? ‐Really? So you have actually tried... 172 00:09:26,399 --> 00:09:28,068 We've tried. We've experimented. 173 00:09:28,068 --> 00:09:30,278 ...to do it the way that mainstream archeology suggests 174 00:09:30,278 --> 00:09:31,780 and it didn't quite work. 175 00:09:31,780 --> 00:09:33,782 Uh, not with the rafts that we had. 176 00:09:33,782 --> 00:09:36,367 NARRATOR: According to mainstream scholars, 177 00:09:36,367 --> 00:09:39,245 bamboo rafts transported the blocks used 178 00:09:39,245 --> 00:09:41,790 in the construction of Nan Madol. 179 00:09:41,790 --> 00:09:44,250 But Gus Kohler does not agree. 180 00:09:44,250 --> 00:09:46,795 As far as he's concerned, 181 00:09:46,795 --> 00:09:50,548 this method has repeatedly been tested and has failed, 182 00:09:50,548 --> 00:09:53,802 even when the smallest of basalt columns are used. 183 00:09:53,802 --> 00:09:55,804 One of the most recent attempts 184 00:09:55,804 --> 00:10:00,308 was made for a television documentary in 1995. 185 00:10:00,308 --> 00:10:03,978 After several attempts, they were unable to demonstrate 186 00:10:03,978 --> 00:10:05,897 how this would be done, 187 00:10:05,897 --> 00:10:09,109 even with smaller blocks weighing only one ton. 188 00:10:11,486 --> 00:10:13,696 NARRATOR: After a 90‐minute boat ride, 189 00:10:13,696 --> 00:10:16,074 David and Giorgio get their first look 190 00:10:16,074 --> 00:10:19,119 at the massive basalt walls of Nan Madol. 191 00:10:19,119 --> 00:10:20,578 CHILDRESS: All right, so here we go. 192 00:10:20,578 --> 00:10:22,622 Here's the massive sea wall here. 193 00:10:22,622 --> 00:10:24,290 But it's just huge. 194 00:10:24,290 --> 00:10:26,751 Look at these giant stones. 195 00:10:26,751 --> 00:10:28,795 How they're piled up here. 196 00:10:28,795 --> 00:10:32,006 ‐But it‐it's just, it's huge. ‐TSOUKALOS: Incredible. 197 00:10:32,006 --> 00:10:37,011 CHILDRESS: It's just 250 million tons 198 00:10:37,011 --> 00:10:40,390 of basalt just piled up and into giant walls 199 00:10:40,390 --> 00:10:43,560 and artificial islands. 200 00:10:43,560 --> 00:10:45,645 It‐it boggles the mind. 201 00:10:45,645 --> 00:10:47,313 It's‐it's so incredible. 202 00:10:47,313 --> 00:10:50,066 I mean, some of these blocks are just massive, massive. 203 00:10:50,066 --> 00:10:51,818 CHILDRESS: Yeah, huge. 204 00:10:53,528 --> 00:10:55,488 TSOUKALOS: The first time I laid eyes 205 00:10:55,488 --> 00:10:59,617 on Nan Madol, I thought it was prehistoric. 206 00:10:59,617 --> 00:11:04,414 This place potentially is thousands of years older 207 00:11:04,414 --> 00:11:07,458 than what mainstream archeology suggests. 208 00:11:09,002 --> 00:11:11,588 CHILDRESS: Nan Madol astounds you when you see it, 209 00:11:11,588 --> 00:11:15,341 but most archeologists really don't want 210 00:11:15,341 --> 00:11:17,510 to open this Pandora's box 211 00:11:17,510 --> 00:11:21,598 of what is there on this island, 212 00:11:21,598 --> 00:11:24,184 because it's not easily explained 213 00:11:24,184 --> 00:11:26,519 by mainstream archeology. 214 00:11:26,519 --> 00:11:29,189 NARRATOR: Rufino Mauricio, 215 00:11:29,189 --> 00:11:30,940 the Director of the Federal States 216 00:11:30,940 --> 00:11:33,860 of Micronesia Office of National Archives, 217 00:11:33,860 --> 00:11:36,529 is among many who believe that the secret 218 00:11:36,529 --> 00:11:40,408 to Nan Madol's origins may not be a terrestrial one. 219 00:11:40,408 --> 00:11:44,287 MAURICIO: The existence of Nan Madol itself 220 00:11:44,287 --> 00:11:46,456 continues to puzzle people 221 00:11:46,456 --> 00:11:50,752 because it welcomes all kinds of possibilities, 222 00:11:50,752 --> 00:11:54,339 including possibilities of people from the outer space... 223 00:11:58,301 --> 00:12:00,261 NARRATOR: People from outer space? 224 00:12:00,261 --> 00:12:02,889 It is a question that Giorgio 225 00:12:02,889 --> 00:12:04,724 and David are determined to answer. 226 00:12:04,724 --> 00:12:08,061 And as the first step in their investigation, 227 00:12:08,061 --> 00:12:11,147 they are eager to make a closer examination of the site 228 00:12:11,147 --> 00:12:14,984 and investigate the details of its baffling construction. 229 00:12:20,615 --> 00:12:22,700 CHILDRESS: So here we're just on the edge 230 00:12:22,700 --> 00:12:25,578 ‐of Temwen Island. ‐TSOUKALOS: Amazing. 231 00:12:25,578 --> 00:12:28,790 NARRATOR: After docking on Pohnpei's Temwen Island, 232 00:12:28,790 --> 00:12:32,168 ancient astronaut theorists Giorgio Tsoukalos 233 00:12:32,168 --> 00:12:33,628 and David Childress 234 00:12:33,628 --> 00:12:36,339 are now approaching the ancient ruins 235 00:12:36,339 --> 00:12:38,508 of Nan Madol by land. 236 00:12:38,508 --> 00:12:41,094 With them is Micronesia's 237 00:12:41,094 --> 00:12:45,139 National Historic Preservation Officer, Gus Kohler. 238 00:12:45,139 --> 00:12:47,016 Okay, we're gonna make a left up there. 239 00:12:47,016 --> 00:12:49,602 A left up here? Okay. 240 00:12:49,602 --> 00:12:51,312 CHILDRESS: This is it, huh? Okay. 241 00:12:51,312 --> 00:12:53,147 ‐KOHLER: This is it. ‐TSOUKALOS: Yes. 242 00:12:53,147 --> 00:12:56,859 NARRATOR: To get an expert opinion on the construction 243 00:12:56,859 --> 00:12:58,861 of this staggering megalithic complex... 244 00:12:58,861 --> 00:13:00,571 ‐Yeah, let's do it. ‐KOHLER: Follow me. 245 00:13:00,571 --> 00:13:02,407 ...they have enlisted UCLA Professor 246 00:13:02,407 --> 00:13:05,285 of Structural Engineering Dr. Henry Burton. 247 00:13:05,285 --> 00:13:07,704 HENRY BURTON: I'm a structural engineer, 248 00:13:07,704 --> 00:13:10,456 so I think about how to design things to make sure 249 00:13:10,456 --> 00:13:12,000 that they move through structures 250 00:13:12,000 --> 00:13:14,168 in a way that they're... that they're stable. 251 00:13:14,168 --> 00:13:15,878 Are you okay back there? 252 00:13:15,878 --> 00:13:17,839 BURTON: So, my role is to bring a modern perspective 253 00:13:17,839 --> 00:13:21,676 on the structures that we're seeing here in Micronesia. 254 00:13:23,219 --> 00:13:25,513 TSOUKALOS: Wow. Look at this. 255 00:13:25,513 --> 00:13:28,057 ‐KOHLER: Amazing, huh? ‐BURTON: That's amazing. 256 00:13:28,057 --> 00:13:30,018 ‐I mean, look at some of those... ‐BURTON: I know. 257 00:13:30,018 --> 00:13:32,603 ‐But, I mean... ‐Look at that one. ‐BURTON: Look at that guy. 258 00:13:32,603 --> 00:13:35,315 CHILDRESS: So, here's this huge wall here 259 00:13:35,315 --> 00:13:38,234 full of prismatic basalt. 260 00:13:38,234 --> 00:13:41,154 How would you build that, then, today? 261 00:13:41,154 --> 00:13:43,239 Well, you'll... You'd certainly need cranes, 262 00:13:43,239 --> 00:13:44,615 I can tell you that. 263 00:13:44,615 --> 00:13:47,952 Um, even for some of these smaller blocks, 264 00:13:47,952 --> 00:13:52,123 you're talking about on the order of tens of tons. 265 00:13:52,123 --> 00:13:54,459 CHILDRESS: So, how would you build this 266 00:13:54,459 --> 00:13:57,253 if you didn't have any cranes? 267 00:13:57,253 --> 00:13:59,714 Well, that I can't... I can't, um... 268 00:13:59,714 --> 00:14:03,342 Yeah, I can't think of any way 269 00:14:03,342 --> 00:14:05,344 that you'd be able to build this. 270 00:14:06,345 --> 00:14:08,347 TSOUKALOS: Because one would argue, 271 00:14:08,347 --> 00:14:11,142 perhaps, this was done with some sort of scaffolding, 272 00:14:11,142 --> 00:14:15,063 but wouldn't you need really strong trees? 273 00:14:15,063 --> 00:14:18,191 And they don't really have strong trees here 274 00:14:18,191 --> 00:14:20,401 to build that type of scaffolding. 275 00:14:20,401 --> 00:14:22,695 Yeah. It's a mystery to me. 276 00:14:22,695 --> 00:14:26,407 I can't imagine how it could be built without cranes. 277 00:14:26,407 --> 00:14:29,410 So, Gus, uh, what is your tradition 278 00:14:29,410 --> 00:14:32,205 of how they built these walls? 279 00:14:45,134 --> 00:14:48,012 And that is, distance‐wise, how long? How far? 280 00:14:49,597 --> 00:14:51,557 20 miles? Okay. 281 00:14:51,557 --> 00:14:53,935 Just imagine moving that boulder right there. 282 00:14:53,935 --> 00:14:56,437 How many people would it take to move that? 283 00:14:56,437 --> 00:14:58,064 What kind of a boat 284 00:14:58,064 --> 00:15:01,526 would you have that you could put that boulder on? 285 00:15:01,526 --> 00:15:04,445 Well, I mean, you'd‐you'd be talking about a barge, right? 286 00:15:04,445 --> 00:15:07,448 So, um, there are barges 287 00:15:07,448 --> 00:15:10,493 that hold up to, uh, hundreds of tons. 288 00:15:10,493 --> 00:15:13,162 They have hundreds of tons in terms of‐of capacity, 289 00:15:13,162 --> 00:15:14,705 so that's what you're talking about. 290 00:15:14,705 --> 00:15:16,666 You're talking about basically shipping barges. 291 00:15:16,666 --> 00:15:18,918 ‐Giant shipping barge. ‐BURTON: Yes. 292 00:15:18,918 --> 00:15:21,254 ‐Like what we have today. ‐Yes. 293 00:15:21,254 --> 00:15:26,050 TSOUKALOS: The idea that people actually dragged these things 294 00:15:26,050 --> 00:15:27,969 across a rugged terrain or on rafts, 295 00:15:27,969 --> 00:15:30,304 it's absolutely preposterous in my opinion. 296 00:15:30,304 --> 00:15:33,182 The bottom line is that it is an impossibility 297 00:15:33,182 --> 00:15:38,104 to move 250 million tons of basalt 298 00:15:38,104 --> 00:15:40,439 from one side of the island to the other 299 00:15:40,439 --> 00:15:45,403 without modern technology, without modern machinery. 300 00:15:47,321 --> 00:15:50,324 NARRATOR: As a heavy rain suddenly sets in, 301 00:15:50,324 --> 00:15:53,035 the team makes its way through the ancient site 302 00:15:53,035 --> 00:15:56,581 and towards a remarkable feature in one of the basalt walls. 303 00:15:56,581 --> 00:15:58,833 TSOUKALOS: So, the weather here changes every 30 seconds. 304 00:16:01,627 --> 00:16:03,838 NARRATOR: For structural engineer Henry Burton, 305 00:16:03,838 --> 00:16:06,007 just as impressive as the size 306 00:16:06,007 --> 00:16:09,010 of the stones used to construct Nan Madol 307 00:16:09,010 --> 00:16:12,096 is the engineering knowledge the ancient builders must have had. 308 00:16:13,931 --> 00:16:16,517 BURTON: So, what's interesting about this is if you look 309 00:16:16,517 --> 00:16:18,186 at the doorway in any modern building 310 00:16:18,186 --> 00:16:20,354 and you open up the walls, 311 00:16:20,354 --> 00:16:23,107 you'll find a beam directly over the doorway. 312 00:16:23,107 --> 00:16:25,776 And why this type of beam is important is because 313 00:16:25,776 --> 00:16:27,612 it supports all of the load that's above it. 314 00:16:27,612 --> 00:16:28,946 It's called a lintel. 315 00:16:28,946 --> 00:16:31,240 Right? So, that's actually a‐a structural element 316 00:16:31,240 --> 00:16:33,034 that's used in design. 317 00:16:33,034 --> 00:16:34,493 This is interesting because 318 00:16:34,493 --> 00:16:36,370 this is actually in bending, right? 319 00:16:36,370 --> 00:16:38,414 It's subtle, but this is actually 320 00:16:38,414 --> 00:16:39,832 a bending action that you're seeing here, 321 00:16:39,832 --> 00:16:41,083 and it becomes a little bit 322 00:16:41,083 --> 00:16:42,919 more interesting when you have to do the design. 323 00:16:42,919 --> 00:16:46,339 Wh‐What type of mathematics or physics is involved here? 324 00:16:46,339 --> 00:16:48,591 Well, there are several things you have to think about. 325 00:16:48,591 --> 00:16:50,051 So, first, you'd have to think about 326 00:16:50,051 --> 00:16:52,094 the load that's being placed on this. 327 00:16:52,094 --> 00:16:53,387 Right? Then you would have to consider 328 00:16:53,387 --> 00:16:55,681 the structural mechanics, so you'd have to consider 329 00:16:55,681 --> 00:16:57,475 the cross‐sectional properties of this thing. 330 00:16:57,475 --> 00:17:00,186 You would have to consider the material properties. 331 00:17:00,186 --> 00:17:01,562 Now, if we're talking about 332 00:17:01,562 --> 00:17:03,314 sort of what governs the bending shape 333 00:17:03,314 --> 00:17:06,525 of this thing, then there's some actual calculus involved 334 00:17:06,525 --> 00:17:08,527 in‐in understanding that. 335 00:17:10,238 --> 00:17:12,240 TSOUKALOS: Dr. Burton said 336 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:15,034 that in order to calculate these stress levels, 337 00:17:15,034 --> 00:17:18,913 he would need advanced mathematics such as calculus. 338 00:17:18,913 --> 00:17:22,124 And that is a pretty tall order, because even archeologists 339 00:17:22,124 --> 00:17:25,419 would have to admit that calculus 340 00:17:25,419 --> 00:17:28,923 did not exist in the 1100 AD. 341 00:17:28,923 --> 00:17:31,384 Calculus, for all intents and purposes, 342 00:17:31,384 --> 00:17:35,930 was not invented until the 17th century AD. 343 00:17:42,937 --> 00:17:44,480 So, gentleman, we're gonna cross. 344 00:17:44,480 --> 00:17:46,232 All right, let's do it. 345 00:17:49,694 --> 00:17:52,613 NARRATOR: Although no inscriptions of any kind exist 346 00:17:52,613 --> 00:17:54,198 on the stone structures, 347 00:17:54,198 --> 00:17:58,286 in 1907, excavations were performed 348 00:17:58,286 --> 00:18:02,373 in areas believed to be ceremonial temples and tombs. 349 00:18:02,373 --> 00:18:04,709 KOHLER: So, this is the central part 350 00:18:04,709 --> 00:18:07,169 of Nandauwas, the ceremonial center. 351 00:18:07,169 --> 00:18:09,630 TSOUKALOS: This is unreal. 352 00:18:09,630 --> 00:18:13,217 Right up front, you'll see a tomb. 353 00:18:14,218 --> 00:18:15,678 CHILDRESS: Isn't this great? 354 00:18:15,678 --> 00:18:18,389 This is just something else, isn't it? 355 00:18:19,432 --> 00:18:21,392 TSOUKALOS: Wow. 356 00:18:21,392 --> 00:18:23,936 This is extraordinary. 357 00:18:29,567 --> 00:18:30,901 TSOUKALOS: And then this was, 358 00:18:30,901 --> 00:18:33,613 uh, some type of a tomb at some point? 359 00:18:35,114 --> 00:18:36,490 Okay. 360 00:18:36,490 --> 00:18:38,451 CHILDRESS: But they're not really sure 361 00:18:38,451 --> 00:18:41,287 that it was a tomb, are they? Do they... 362 00:18:42,330 --> 00:18:44,081 TSOUKALOS: And‐and what did they discover? 363 00:18:44,081 --> 00:18:45,666 Did they discover bones? 364 00:18:51,005 --> 00:18:53,007 And then later, 365 00:18:53,007 --> 00:18:55,718 some of the excavated material from here 366 00:18:55,718 --> 00:18:59,180 was put on a ship, and that ship sank 367 00:18:59,180 --> 00:19:01,807 in the Marshall Islands, and everything was lost. 368 00:19:01,807 --> 00:19:04,060 So, the excavator died and the ship sank. 369 00:19:04,060 --> 00:19:08,397 So is this similar to, like, the curse of the pharaohs? 370 00:19:08,397 --> 00:19:10,441 Because also in ancient Egypt, they were saying 371 00:19:10,441 --> 00:19:12,360 that if you excavate something, 372 00:19:12,360 --> 00:19:14,570 you'll have a curse and you die. 373 00:19:14,570 --> 00:19:17,156 ‐And some people have died. ‐Well... 374 00:19:23,329 --> 00:19:27,249 NARRATOR: Although Pohnpei is home to 34,000 people, 375 00:19:27,249 --> 00:19:30,503 Nan Madol is completely uninhabited 376 00:19:30,503 --> 00:19:33,005 and has been for centuries. 377 00:19:33,005 --> 00:19:36,717 Among the reasons is that the native islanders believe 378 00:19:36,717 --> 00:19:38,678 this ancient site is cursed. 379 00:19:38,678 --> 00:19:40,262 HENRY: There's all kinds 380 00:19:40,262 --> 00:19:42,598 of taboos about visiting this place, 381 00:19:42,598 --> 00:19:44,934 like it's got ghosts there. 382 00:19:44,934 --> 00:19:47,061 CHILDRESS: The local islanders believe 383 00:19:47,061 --> 00:19:50,147 that the city of Nan Madol is cursed, and they believe 384 00:19:50,147 --> 00:19:53,401 that if they spend the night there, they'll die. 385 00:19:53,401 --> 00:19:56,112 The islanders say that at night, 386 00:19:56,112 --> 00:19:59,865 there are lights that move around in the city. 387 00:20:11,961 --> 00:20:14,213 NARRATOR: An unexplainable death 388 00:20:14,213 --> 00:20:16,549 after the opening of a sacred tomb? 389 00:20:16,549 --> 00:20:18,509 ‐All evidence 390 00:20:18,509 --> 00:20:21,387 gathered from the site mysteriously lost at sea? 391 00:20:24,181 --> 00:20:27,351 Could Nan Madol be home to something that mankind 392 00:20:27,351 --> 00:20:29,937 is not yet meant to discover? 393 00:20:39,447 --> 00:20:41,574 Man, oh, man. 394 00:20:41,574 --> 00:20:43,743 Wait, look how tall that is. 395 00:20:43,743 --> 00:20:46,579 NARRATOR: While visiting the ancient site of Nan Madol, 396 00:20:46,579 --> 00:20:49,081 ancient astronaut theorists Giorgio Tsoukalos 397 00:20:49,081 --> 00:20:50,583 and David Childress, 398 00:20:50,583 --> 00:20:53,210 along with their guide, Gus Kohler, 399 00:20:53,210 --> 00:20:56,672 and structural engineer Dr. Henry Burton, 400 00:20:56,672 --> 00:20:58,883 have traveled to the site of Nandauwas, 401 00:20:58,883 --> 00:21:01,218 the royal mortuary said to belong 402 00:21:01,218 --> 00:21:04,305 to Nan Madol's original builders. 403 00:21:04,305 --> 00:21:07,933 This is supposed to be the biggest stone here at Nandauwas. 404 00:21:07,933 --> 00:21:09,351 This cornerstone right here? 405 00:21:09,351 --> 00:21:11,353 To this day, it's... it's supposed to be 406 00:21:11,353 --> 00:21:15,149 the biggest of all the stones here. 407 00:21:15,149 --> 00:21:17,902 Henry, do you think you can calculate the weight of this? 408 00:21:17,902 --> 00:21:19,862 Yeah, we can certainly estimate it. 409 00:21:19,862 --> 00:21:21,822 Um, I have a measuring tape... we can estimate 410 00:21:21,822 --> 00:21:23,783 the volume, and we know the density, 411 00:21:23,783 --> 00:21:25,159 so that can give us the mass. 412 00:21:25,159 --> 00:21:26,285 All right, let's do that. 413 00:21:27,495 --> 00:21:29,371 BURTON: Yeah, so this is about four meters. 414 00:21:29,371 --> 00:21:33,834 All right, here's, uh, the far... corner here. 415 00:21:33,834 --> 00:21:35,795 NARRATOR: Using the dimensions and the density 416 00:21:35,795 --> 00:21:38,047 of one of the basalt stone blocks, 417 00:21:38,047 --> 00:21:40,883 ‐Dr. Burton calculates its weight. ‐TSOUKALOS: 250. 418 00:21:40,883 --> 00:21:43,886 ‐Two meters, 50. ‐All right, so based on the measurements, 419 00:21:43,886 --> 00:21:45,888 we are looking at a weight of about 54 tons. 420 00:21:45,888 --> 00:21:48,641 ‐54 tons? ‐Yeah, so 50 tons, give or take. ‐Wow. 421 00:21:48,641 --> 00:21:51,727 And you have one, two, three, four 422 00:21:51,727 --> 00:21:55,731 of those monoliths essentially stacked on top of each other 423 00:21:55,731 --> 00:21:58,359 at a height of 40 feet? 424 00:21:58,359 --> 00:21:59,902 CHILDRESS: So, Gus, 425 00:21:59,902 --> 00:22:02,530 what is then the oral history 426 00:22:02,530 --> 00:22:05,407 of moving this stone on the island? 427 00:22:05,407 --> 00:22:07,326 Well, according to the legends, 428 00:22:07,326 --> 00:22:10,162 uh, the stones were flown up there. 429 00:22:14,917 --> 00:22:16,669 NARRATOR: For generations, 430 00:22:16,669 --> 00:22:19,505 the people of Pohnpei have told the story 431 00:22:19,505 --> 00:22:22,883 that Nan Madol was constructed by strange visitors 432 00:22:22,883 --> 00:22:25,845 through a process of levitation. 433 00:22:25,845 --> 00:22:27,888 It is this legend 434 00:22:27,888 --> 00:22:30,558 that has suggested to ancient astronaut theorists 435 00:22:30,558 --> 00:22:34,687 that Nan Madol is not only an ancient megalithic structure, 436 00:22:34,687 --> 00:22:38,524 it is also an extraterrestrial one. 437 00:22:38,524 --> 00:22:41,569 We have in the oral traditions 438 00:22:41,569 --> 00:22:43,863 a story about two brothers... 439 00:23:09,138 --> 00:23:11,473 NARRATOR: According to legend, 440 00:23:11,473 --> 00:23:14,059 the twin sorcerers who created Nan Madol 441 00:23:14,059 --> 00:23:16,478 were of giant proportions, 442 00:23:16,478 --> 00:23:18,772 much like the legends of Easter Island, 443 00:23:18,772 --> 00:23:20,900 ‐where it is said 444 00:23:20,900 --> 00:23:22,902 that giants magically floated 445 00:23:22,902 --> 00:23:25,487 the stone moai statues into place. 446 00:23:25,487 --> 00:23:28,908 Similar stories involving levitation 447 00:23:28,908 --> 00:23:33,037 are associated with numerous other megalithic sites... 448 00:23:33,037 --> 00:23:35,748 like Stonehenge in England, 449 00:23:35,748 --> 00:23:38,459 the Great Pyramid in Giza, Egypt, 450 00:23:38,459 --> 00:23:41,837 the Uxmal pyramid in the Yucatan peninsula, 451 00:23:41,837 --> 00:23:44,381 and Puma Punku in Bolivia. 452 00:23:45,674 --> 00:23:48,260 There are other stories around the world 453 00:23:48,260 --> 00:23:51,055 that say the exact same thing: 454 00:23:51,055 --> 00:23:55,601 how gigantic stones were moved into place 455 00:23:55,601 --> 00:23:57,603 as if by magic. 456 00:23:57,603 --> 00:24:00,272 And you have to ask yourself: Is there a connection? 457 00:24:00,272 --> 00:24:03,943 Did all of our ancestors receive the same knowledge 458 00:24:03,943 --> 00:24:06,070 from extraterrestrials? 459 00:24:06,070 --> 00:24:09,114 And the answer to that is a resounding yes. 460 00:24:16,956 --> 00:24:17,957 Okay. 461 00:24:22,086 --> 00:24:23,379 CHILDRESS: Yeah, they don't know... I think 462 00:24:23,379 --> 00:24:24,838 they don't know where it came from. 463 00:24:24,838 --> 00:24:26,799 ‐TSOUKALOS: Aha. ‐But it's not from here, right? 464 00:24:28,550 --> 00:24:30,219 CHILDRESS: So, yeah, 60% of the stones, 465 00:24:30,219 --> 00:24:31,971 they don't know where they came from. 466 00:24:31,971 --> 00:24:35,516 That's incredible, that the 60% is essentially 467 00:24:35,516 --> 00:24:38,018 still a mystery, yes? 468 00:24:38,018 --> 00:24:39,478 Huh. 469 00:24:41,522 --> 00:24:44,233 NARRATOR: For decades, mainstream archeologists 470 00:24:44,233 --> 00:24:47,528 had been frustrated by their failure to identify the source 471 00:24:47,528 --> 00:24:50,990 for much of the basalt used in the construction of Nan Madol. 472 00:24:50,990 --> 00:24:53,993 But recently, a growing number of scientists 473 00:24:53,993 --> 00:24:56,203 have become convinced that it came 474 00:24:56,203 --> 00:24:58,247 from a volcanic outcropping 475 00:24:58,247 --> 00:25:01,208 located 25 miles northeast of Nan Madol 476 00:25:01,208 --> 00:25:03,252 called Pwisehn Malek. 477 00:25:03,252 --> 00:25:07,589 The unusual formation extends over 400 feet into the air, 478 00:25:07,589 --> 00:25:11,051 and incredibly, the rock used to construct Nan Madol 479 00:25:11,051 --> 00:25:13,053 appears to have been extracted 480 00:25:13,053 --> 00:25:15,639 from the least accessible part of the mountain: 481 00:25:15,639 --> 00:25:17,516 the very top. 482 00:25:17,516 --> 00:25:19,018 But how? 483 00:25:19,018 --> 00:25:22,021 According to the oral history of Pohnpei, 484 00:25:22,021 --> 00:25:24,898 the basalt was taken by what the natives referred to 485 00:25:24,898 --> 00:25:27,359 as a "giant bird." 486 00:25:27,359 --> 00:25:29,737 There's one story that says that at some point 487 00:25:29,737 --> 00:25:32,322 there were these giant roosters 488 00:25:32,322 --> 00:25:35,659 that lived on top of that mountain, 489 00:25:35,659 --> 00:25:39,038 and this rooster took these basalt blocks 490 00:25:39,038 --> 00:25:42,166 and flew them over to Nan Madol. 491 00:25:43,459 --> 00:25:46,545 Now, monster roosters do not exist, 492 00:25:46,545 --> 00:25:50,716 so my mind always goes to misunderstood technology, 493 00:25:50,716 --> 00:25:54,970 machines that were provided by the extraterrestrials. 494 00:25:57,389 --> 00:26:00,601 CHILDRESS: I believe that the islanders are correct 495 00:26:00,601 --> 00:26:05,439 when they say all those stones were flown through the air, 496 00:26:05,439 --> 00:26:09,568 because I can't see how it was done in any other way. 497 00:26:10,986 --> 00:26:13,238 NARRATOR: As far as ancient astronaut theorists 498 00:26:13,238 --> 00:26:15,657 are concerned, the local legends, 499 00:26:15,657 --> 00:26:17,534 along with hard evidence 500 00:26:17,534 --> 00:26:20,079 that basalt appears to have been excavated 501 00:26:20,079 --> 00:26:23,832 from the top of Pwisehn Malek, add credence to the idea 502 00:26:23,832 --> 00:26:27,002 that advanced alien technology was used in the construction 503 00:26:27,002 --> 00:26:28,837 of Nan Madol. 504 00:26:28,837 --> 00:26:31,548 And to help prove their theory, Giorgio Tsoukalos 505 00:26:31,548 --> 00:26:35,511 and David Childress, along with structural engineer 506 00:26:35,511 --> 00:26:39,098 Dr. Henry Burton, travel 25 miles across the island 507 00:26:39,098 --> 00:26:42,017 to visit the nearest basalt quarry. 508 00:26:42,017 --> 00:26:44,103 TSOUKALOS: Man, look at this. 509 00:26:44,103 --> 00:26:46,105 ‐BURTON: Wow. ‐What a quarry, huh? 510 00:26:46,105 --> 00:26:50,025 So how does one free the basalt from‐from this wall? 511 00:26:50,025 --> 00:26:51,944 Yeah, no, it would, it would certainly require 512 00:26:51,944 --> 00:26:53,612 some specialized tools, 513 00:26:53,612 --> 00:26:56,365 some type of excavator, some type of drill tip. 514 00:26:56,365 --> 00:26:57,991 Once you start taking rocks off, 515 00:26:57,991 --> 00:27:01,120 depending on how much room you have to drive things up, 516 00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:03,122 um, depending on the size of the blocks, 517 00:27:03,122 --> 00:27:04,998 you might need a crane to sort of move things around. 518 00:27:04,998 --> 00:27:07,084 You would need some type of machinery 519 00:27:07,084 --> 00:27:09,253 to be able to do that today. 520 00:27:09,253 --> 00:27:12,172 How did people from at least a thousand years ago 521 00:27:12,172 --> 00:27:13,966 remove these blocks 522 00:27:13,966 --> 00:27:15,968 from this quarry? 523 00:27:15,968 --> 00:27:18,887 CHILDRESS: They had to somehow pry 524 00:27:18,887 --> 00:27:21,640 these columns out of the cliff 525 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:25,269 and, you know, remove them so that they would be, yeah, 526 00:27:25,269 --> 00:27:27,646 ‐stand‐alone piece of prismatic basalt... ‐Yeah. 527 00:27:27,646 --> 00:27:31,024 ...and then, and then move it, millions of tons of it. 528 00:27:31,024 --> 00:27:33,068 I would think that, yeah, there was very much 529 00:27:33,068 --> 00:27:36,989 a special survey done of this island, 530 00:27:36,989 --> 00:27:39,658 looking for material that could be used to build. 531 00:27:39,658 --> 00:27:41,326 ‐TSOUKALOS: Right. ‐And I would say 532 00:27:41,326 --> 00:27:43,996 that an aerial survey would accomplish all of that. 533 00:27:43,996 --> 00:27:46,623 Yes, yes. Or any type of, you know, 534 00:27:46,623 --> 00:27:50,168 advanced, uh, radar technology that, in my opinion, 535 00:27:50,168 --> 00:27:53,964 existed with the extraterrestrials at the time. 536 00:27:55,340 --> 00:27:57,342 NARRATOR: For Giorgio and David, 537 00:27:57,342 --> 00:27:59,928 the more they learn about Nan Madol, 538 00:27:59,928 --> 00:28:02,180 from the weight of the basalt columns 539 00:28:02,180 --> 00:28:05,100 to the distance they had to be transported 540 00:28:05,100 --> 00:28:08,645 to the tools that would be needed to quarry the rock, 541 00:28:08,645 --> 00:28:10,814 the more difficult it becomes to explain 542 00:28:10,814 --> 00:28:13,233 how all of this could have been accomplished 543 00:28:13,233 --> 00:28:17,571 without the help of advanced extraterrestrial technology. 544 00:28:17,571 --> 00:28:21,533 Nevertheless, according to the oral history of Pohnpei, 545 00:28:21,533 --> 00:28:24,453 the most compelling evidence cannot be found 546 00:28:24,453 --> 00:28:27,748 by examining the megalithic structures themselves, 547 00:28:27,748 --> 00:28:30,626 but what lies beneath them. 548 00:28:39,217 --> 00:28:40,928 NARRATOR: In search of further clues 549 00:28:40,928 --> 00:28:43,055 to help solve the mystery of Nan Madol, 550 00:28:43,055 --> 00:28:46,058 David Childress and Giorgio Tsoukalos 551 00:28:46,058 --> 00:28:49,436 meet up once again with historical preservation officer 552 00:28:49,436 --> 00:28:51,146 Gus Kohler. 553 00:28:51,146 --> 00:28:53,148 ‐You guys ready for a trip? ‐All right. Yes. 554 00:28:53,148 --> 00:28:55,359 NARRATOR: Gus has provided access 555 00:28:55,359 --> 00:28:59,404 to underwater drones so they can get an additional perspective 556 00:28:59,404 --> 00:29:01,531 on the ruins of Nan Madol. 557 00:29:01,531 --> 00:29:04,826 With their drone operator, Ross Conklin, 558 00:29:04,826 --> 00:29:07,412 David and Giorgio head out towards an area 559 00:29:07,412 --> 00:29:09,790 where it has been reported that there are a number 560 00:29:09,790 --> 00:29:13,961 of incredible structures that lie hidden under the water, 561 00:29:13,961 --> 00:29:16,922 structures that some believe are part 562 00:29:16,922 --> 00:29:19,091 of an incredibly ancient submerged city 563 00:29:19,091 --> 00:29:21,134 called Kanamwayso. 564 00:29:30,268 --> 00:29:33,730 And it's deep under the water. Uh, it's‐it's another city. 565 00:29:34,773 --> 00:29:35,941 It's different than Nan Madol. 566 00:29:35,941 --> 00:29:37,317 It's a second city. 567 00:29:37,317 --> 00:29:40,529 Could it be that the coral reef itself is... 568 00:29:40,529 --> 00:29:43,573 is that city, and the corals grown over it? 569 00:29:46,451 --> 00:29:49,287 NARRATOR: After a short trip across the shoreline, 570 00:29:49,287 --> 00:29:52,457 the team arrives at their destination. 571 00:29:52,457 --> 00:29:55,585 So, when you were scuba diving here about 30 years ago, 572 00:29:55,585 --> 00:29:59,297 you saw basalt columns encrusted in coral. 573 00:29:59,297 --> 00:30:00,632 CHILDRESS: That's what we think. 574 00:30:00,632 --> 00:30:02,134 We‐we think they're basalt column. 575 00:30:02,134 --> 00:30:05,303 ‐We‐we don't know. ‐So wouldn't that 576 00:30:05,303 --> 00:30:09,933 correlate with an extreme age, if you have columns, you know, 577 00:30:09,933 --> 00:30:12,978 ‐encrusted in‐in... in coral? ‐It would have been, I mean... 578 00:30:12,978 --> 00:30:16,565 It's about 80 feet deep or so, and it would mean that 579 00:30:16,565 --> 00:30:20,068 the ocean levels were 80 feet lower than they are today 580 00:30:20,068 --> 00:30:22,821 ‐whenever they built that. ‐Right. And that would mean 581 00:30:22,821 --> 00:30:25,157 that we're talking 12,000 years ago, at least. 582 00:30:25,157 --> 00:30:27,117 ‐Like, the last ice age, yeah. ‐Right. 583 00:30:27,117 --> 00:30:30,162 So, yeah, that the city would be 584 00:30:30,162 --> 00:30:32,748 12,000 years old or older. 585 00:30:34,166 --> 00:30:37,335 NARRATOR: 12,000 years old? 586 00:30:37,335 --> 00:30:39,838 Is it possible that extraterrestrials 587 00:30:39,838 --> 00:30:42,049 were not only responsible for constructing 588 00:30:42,049 --> 00:30:44,259 the incredible Nan Madol complex, 589 00:30:44,259 --> 00:30:48,180 but also an earlier structure that is now beneath the water, 590 00:30:48,180 --> 00:30:51,850 and that they are still accessing to this day? 591 00:30:54,061 --> 00:30:55,979 In many ancient texts, 592 00:30:55,979 --> 00:30:58,899 there can be found accounts of a great flood 593 00:30:58,899 --> 00:31:01,693 wiping out a previous civilization of humans, 594 00:31:01,693 --> 00:31:05,363 such as in the Sumerian epic of Gilgamesh, 595 00:31:05,363 --> 00:31:07,449 the Egyptian Edu Creation texts, 596 00:31:07,449 --> 00:31:09,701 the Vedic texts of India, 597 00:31:09,701 --> 00:31:12,162 and the Bible's Book of Genesis. 598 00:31:12,162 --> 00:31:15,749 Today, more and more scientific evidence is emerging 599 00:31:15,749 --> 00:31:19,294 to suggest that such a cataclysm may actually have happened 600 00:31:19,294 --> 00:31:21,797 around the end of the last ice age, 601 00:31:21,797 --> 00:31:24,216 12,000 years ago, 602 00:31:24,216 --> 00:31:27,552 when sea levels were 400 feet lower. 603 00:31:27,552 --> 00:31:31,598 Is it possible that Nan Madol was built that long ago 604 00:31:31,598 --> 00:31:35,143 by a now forgotten pre‐flood civilization? 605 00:31:35,143 --> 00:31:38,772 NEWMAN: The builders in Nan Madol were a very advanced civilization. 606 00:31:38,772 --> 00:31:41,441 So whether these people originated on the island, 607 00:31:41,441 --> 00:31:44,319 or as tradition states... they came from other areas... 608 00:31:44,319 --> 00:31:47,572 It may have been an inheritance from the lost city 609 00:31:47,572 --> 00:31:51,034 that was actually underwater that Nan Madol was built upon. 610 00:31:53,078 --> 00:31:55,831 NARRATOR: The team prepares to launch an underwater drone. 611 00:31:55,831 --> 00:31:58,792 This will be the first time that the ruins 612 00:31:58,792 --> 00:32:01,461 have ever been explored in this way. 613 00:32:01,461 --> 00:32:04,005 All right, so, Gus, I'm gonna ask you for a hand 614 00:32:04,005 --> 00:32:05,632 with this cable, just to wrangle it. 615 00:32:05,632 --> 00:32:07,592 GUS: Okay. 616 00:32:07,592 --> 00:32:10,303 Watch mode. Boom. 617 00:32:10,303 --> 00:32:13,765 All right, so you just kind of drop it. 618 00:32:13,765 --> 00:32:15,308 CHILDRESS: Yeah. There it is. 619 00:32:15,308 --> 00:32:16,768 ‐All right. ‐CONKLIN: And... 620 00:32:18,937 --> 00:32:20,772 CONKLIN: All right, now we're moving. 621 00:32:20,772 --> 00:32:22,607 TSOUKALOS: Cool. 622 00:32:23,942 --> 00:32:26,111 A little bit of an image. 623 00:32:26,111 --> 00:32:28,363 TSOUKALOS: Ooh. Yeah, look at that. 624 00:32:30,073 --> 00:32:32,450 CONKLIN: Open ocean, open ocean. 625 00:32:32,450 --> 00:32:35,620 We should be getting close to the wall. 626 00:32:35,620 --> 00:32:37,581 ‐Wow, cool. ‐So let me drop down. 627 00:32:40,500 --> 00:32:43,295 ‐And there we start to see the wall again. ‐Mm‐hmm. 628 00:32:45,213 --> 00:32:48,300 CONKLIN: Now, disconnected there for a second... 629 00:32:48,300 --> 00:32:50,302 ‐...and connected. 630 00:32:50,302 --> 00:32:54,306 NARRATOR: Curiously, the image being relayed by the drone 631 00:32:54,306 --> 00:32:57,475 continues to cut out every time it starts to get close 632 00:32:57,475 --> 00:33:00,145 to what appears to be an underwater wall 633 00:33:00,145 --> 00:33:02,397 of basalt columns. 634 00:33:04,024 --> 00:33:06,651 ‐It keeps disconnecting. ‐Aha. 635 00:33:06,651 --> 00:33:10,572 NARRATOR: The drone Ross is using tested perfectly just one day earlier, 636 00:33:10,572 --> 00:33:13,950 and in an area that was also rich in basalt, 637 00:33:13,950 --> 00:33:19,164 so he is genuinely baffled as to why it is now malfunctioning. 638 00:33:19,164 --> 00:33:21,374 I think what we should do is reel this one back in. 639 00:33:21,374 --> 00:33:23,793 I have another underwater drone. 640 00:33:23,793 --> 00:33:25,503 We'll give that one a try 641 00:33:25,503 --> 00:33:27,464 and we'll just go straight to that wall. 642 00:33:27,464 --> 00:33:29,799 KOHLER: Okay, fingers crossed. 643 00:33:42,354 --> 00:33:46,024 NARRATOR: While exploring a vast underwater complex 644 00:33:46,024 --> 00:33:49,694 submerged beneath the ancient ruins of Nan Madol, 645 00:33:49,694 --> 00:33:52,489 ancient astronaut theorists Giorgio Tsoukalos 646 00:33:52,489 --> 00:33:55,700 and David Childress, along with historic preservation officer 647 00:33:55,700 --> 00:33:59,371 Gus Kohler and drone operator Ross Conklin, 648 00:33:59,371 --> 00:34:02,582 have just experienced a mysterious setback. 649 00:34:02,582 --> 00:34:05,252 The submersible drone they deployed 650 00:34:05,252 --> 00:34:07,254 suddenly stopped working. 651 00:34:07,254 --> 00:34:10,548 Fortunately, Ross came prepared with a backup. 652 00:34:12,092 --> 00:34:13,385 CONKLIN: All right, 653 00:34:13,385 --> 00:34:15,053 so I'm heading right for that corner over there. 654 00:34:16,721 --> 00:34:18,556 Okay. 655 00:34:25,063 --> 00:34:26,273 ‐Okay. Disconnected. ‐Yeah. 656 00:34:26,273 --> 00:34:28,817 CONKLIN: Okay, disconnected. Wow. 657 00:34:28,817 --> 00:34:30,527 CHILDRESS: So as soon as you get close to those stones... 658 00:34:30,527 --> 00:34:33,029 ‐CONKLIN: Unbelievable. Yeah. ‐...it disconnects. 659 00:34:33,029 --> 00:34:34,823 CONKLIN: So I'm just right below the surface, 660 00:34:34,823 --> 00:34:36,408 and as soon as I try and drop... 661 00:34:36,408 --> 00:34:38,410 TSOUKALOS: This is now our second one now. 662 00:34:38,410 --> 00:34:39,786 CHILDRESS: Yeah, now it's doing it to both. 663 00:34:39,786 --> 00:34:42,163 That's so strange. 664 00:34:42,163 --> 00:34:43,999 NARRATOR: Curiously, 665 00:34:43,999 --> 00:34:47,877 the second drone has also malfunctioned. 666 00:34:47,877 --> 00:34:50,255 Could the stone materials have something to do with it? 667 00:34:50,255 --> 00:34:52,090 TSOUKALOS: Both underwater drones worked 668 00:34:52,090 --> 00:34:55,176 on the north side of the island the day before. 669 00:34:55,176 --> 00:34:59,472 And then we came to the area of Nan Madol, 670 00:34:59,472 --> 00:35:03,101 and outside, only a few feet away from Nan Madol, 671 00:35:03,101 --> 00:35:05,854 those machines no longer worked. 672 00:35:05,854 --> 00:35:08,690 It's as if something or someone 673 00:35:08,690 --> 00:35:11,192 was interfering with the devices. 674 00:35:11,192 --> 00:35:15,405 So it's very strange to think that maybe somehow 675 00:35:15,405 --> 00:35:18,491 those basalt blocks have been magnetized. 676 00:35:18,491 --> 00:35:21,911 And if that is the case, what were they exposed to 677 00:35:21,911 --> 00:35:25,332 that they are now apparently magnetized, 678 00:35:25,332 --> 00:35:27,083 as some people have suggested? 679 00:35:28,793 --> 00:35:31,379 CHILDRESS: People see lights in this city. 680 00:35:31,379 --> 00:35:33,548 At night, they see lights moving around, and it... 681 00:35:33,548 --> 00:35:37,302 and that may be because the whole city's magnetic 682 00:35:37,302 --> 00:35:39,471 and it's some kind of electromagnetic, 683 00:35:39,471 --> 00:35:41,640 ‐you know, phenomenon that's coming... ‐Phenomenon. Yeah. 684 00:35:41,640 --> 00:35:43,475 ‐...from the rocks themselves. ‐Right. 685 00:35:43,475 --> 00:35:47,145 NARRATOR: Oceanic basalt like that found at Nan Madol 686 00:35:47,145 --> 00:35:49,064 is ferromagnetic, 687 00:35:49,064 --> 00:35:52,067 meaning that, when exposed to a magnetic charge, 688 00:35:52,067 --> 00:35:55,070 it becomes magnetically charged itself. 689 00:35:55,070 --> 00:35:56,696 MICHAEL DENNIN: Rocks really have 690 00:35:56,696 --> 00:35:58,990 three basic effects on magnetic fields. 691 00:35:58,990 --> 00:36:00,533 They either have no effect, 692 00:36:00,533 --> 00:36:02,369 so the magnetic field stays kind of straight. 693 00:36:02,369 --> 00:36:05,497 They can effectively repel magnetic fields or attract them. 694 00:36:06,956 --> 00:36:09,959 Volcanic rock enhances the magnetic field. 695 00:36:12,003 --> 00:36:13,380 CHILDRESS: The natives say 696 00:36:13,380 --> 00:36:17,050 that the stones all flew across the island. 697 00:36:17,050 --> 00:36:19,135 And if that was the case, 698 00:36:19,135 --> 00:36:22,764 then some magnetic energy 699 00:36:22,764 --> 00:36:25,392 was put onto the stones, 700 00:36:25,392 --> 00:36:28,019 levitated them, they put them into place 701 00:36:28,019 --> 00:36:32,273 and that energy is still there in a residual manner. 702 00:36:32,273 --> 00:36:35,902 And that is why the drones wouldn't work there, 703 00:36:35,902 --> 00:36:39,322 because there's still this energy that was used 704 00:36:39,322 --> 00:36:41,616 to levitate the stones. 705 00:36:41,616 --> 00:36:45,537 If they flew these stones through the air, 706 00:36:45,537 --> 00:36:50,041 if they're using some antigravity technology, 707 00:36:50,041 --> 00:36:52,544 they would then be magnetized. 708 00:36:52,544 --> 00:36:56,089 TSOUKALOS: Clearly, it has something to do with the structure. 709 00:36:56,089 --> 00:36:58,675 It's highly unlikely that two pieces of equipment 710 00:36:58,675 --> 00:37:01,052 are malfunctioning all at the same time. 711 00:37:02,595 --> 00:37:05,223 NARRATOR: If the legend of Nan Madol is true 712 00:37:05,223 --> 00:37:08,101 and it was constructed by otherworldly visitors 713 00:37:08,101 --> 00:37:12,230 using levitation technology, what was it built for? 714 00:37:12,230 --> 00:37:14,399 TSOUKALOS: Why would anybody have 715 00:37:14,399 --> 00:37:17,902 to create artificial land or islands back in the day? 716 00:37:17,902 --> 00:37:20,113 Especially with a sizeable island 717 00:37:20,113 --> 00:37:21,781 ‐right here. ‐Right here. 718 00:37:21,781 --> 00:37:23,825 But think of Venice in Italy. 719 00:37:23,825 --> 00:37:26,035 It's a port city. It has canals. 720 00:37:26,035 --> 00:37:27,579 It's very much for boats. 721 00:37:27,579 --> 00:37:29,497 To me, it's a giant naval base here 722 00:37:29,497 --> 00:37:30,832 for huge ships, 723 00:37:30,832 --> 00:37:32,751 and those‐those ships were coming out 724 00:37:32,751 --> 00:37:36,504 of Southeast Asia into the vast Pacific, 725 00:37:36,504 --> 00:37:39,007 and they would meet here. 726 00:37:39,007 --> 00:37:41,509 And then they would go on to other islands 727 00:37:41,509 --> 00:37:45,513 and then to Mexico and to Colombia and Peru. 728 00:37:47,265 --> 00:37:48,600 But then, also, 729 00:37:48,600 --> 00:37:51,352 ‐it's airships and high technology. ‐Right. 730 00:37:53,605 --> 00:37:57,108 CHILDRESS: I don't think that naval traffic and airship traffic 731 00:37:57,108 --> 00:38:00,278 are necessarily, uh, exclusive of each other. 732 00:38:00,278 --> 00:38:01,738 And it would seem that, you know, 733 00:38:01,738 --> 00:38:03,531 it's a combination of both. 734 00:38:03,531 --> 00:38:05,074 They were using it as a stepping‐stone, 735 00:38:05,074 --> 00:38:07,035 going out to other Pacific islands, 736 00:38:07,035 --> 00:38:09,954 where other megaliths and pyramids and things were built. 737 00:38:11,206 --> 00:38:13,416 NARRATOR: Was Nan Madol a port 738 00:38:13,416 --> 00:38:16,961 for an advanced pre‐flood civilization? 739 00:38:16,961 --> 00:38:19,297 As far as David Childress is concerned, 740 00:38:19,297 --> 00:38:21,633 it was not only a port 741 00:38:21,633 --> 00:38:24,469 but one with an extraordinary origin. 742 00:38:24,469 --> 00:38:26,971 And he believes the most important evidence 743 00:38:26,971 --> 00:38:29,599 to support his theory can be found 744 00:38:29,599 --> 00:38:32,060 by examining the basalt stone used 745 00:38:32,060 --> 00:38:35,104 to build the massive complex. 746 00:38:41,319 --> 00:38:43,363 NARRATOR: For more than three decades, 747 00:38:43,363 --> 00:38:46,032 ancient astronaut theorist David Childress 748 00:38:46,032 --> 00:38:48,618 has been studying Nan Madol. 749 00:38:48,618 --> 00:38:50,161 Over the years, 750 00:38:50,161 --> 00:38:52,372 he has entertained dozens of theories 751 00:38:52,372 --> 00:38:55,041 as to how it was constructed and why. 752 00:38:55,041 --> 00:38:57,460 Based on what he has learned over the course 753 00:38:57,460 --> 00:38:59,504 of his latest investigation, 754 00:38:59,504 --> 00:39:01,673 he is now more convinced than ever 755 00:39:01,673 --> 00:39:03,299 that it was built either by 756 00:39:03,299 --> 00:39:07,345 or with the help from extraterrestrial visitors. 757 00:39:07,345 --> 00:39:09,264 He is also convinced 758 00:39:09,264 --> 00:39:11,850 that the complex was built with basalt rock 759 00:39:11,850 --> 00:39:15,019 because of its electromagnetic properties, 760 00:39:15,019 --> 00:39:17,188 properties that would make it possible 761 00:39:17,188 --> 00:39:20,692 to levitate the large megaton stones into place. 762 00:39:21,985 --> 00:39:25,029 Nan Madol is built out of millions 763 00:39:25,029 --> 00:39:27,657 and millions of tons of basalt, 764 00:39:27,657 --> 00:39:29,033 which is magnetic. 765 00:39:29,033 --> 00:39:31,369 And perhaps this is something 766 00:39:31,369 --> 00:39:34,038 that extraterrestrials can manipulate, 767 00:39:34,038 --> 00:39:36,082 use for themselves. 768 00:39:36,082 --> 00:39:38,501 Even it could possibly help power 769 00:39:38,501 --> 00:39:41,212 their spaceships and things. 770 00:39:41,212 --> 00:39:44,841 Nan Madol for sure had to have been built 771 00:39:44,841 --> 00:39:47,343 when the worldwide water levels 772 00:39:47,343 --> 00:39:49,637 were much, much lower. 773 00:39:49,637 --> 00:39:52,724 And that, according to science, 774 00:39:52,724 --> 00:39:56,436 was between 11,000 and 20,000 years ago. 775 00:39:56,436 --> 00:39:58,396 So, right there, 776 00:39:58,396 --> 00:40:01,232 we have physical evidence of a site that, 777 00:40:01,232 --> 00:40:04,569 in my opinion, was built in prehistory. 778 00:40:04,569 --> 00:40:08,740 NEWMAN: When you find evidence deep under the water 779 00:40:08,740 --> 00:40:12,076 that potentially goes back tens of thousands of years 780 00:40:12,076 --> 00:40:14,370 in a very important part of the Pacific, 781 00:40:14,370 --> 00:40:16,414 it does raise the question: 782 00:40:16,414 --> 00:40:20,835 Is there a much earlier epoch to Nan Madol than people realize? 783 00:40:20,835 --> 00:40:25,590 The incredible site of Nan Madol looks like it was part 784 00:40:25,590 --> 00:40:28,259 of a great culture that existed throughout 785 00:40:28,259 --> 00:40:30,261 the Pacific and probably beyond. 786 00:40:30,261 --> 00:40:33,181 We find evidence of similar construction at Gunung Padang, 787 00:40:33,181 --> 00:40:36,434 which potentially goes back 20,000 years. 788 00:40:36,434 --> 00:40:38,895 We find similar basalt columns 789 00:40:38,895 --> 00:40:41,898 at Olmec sites in ancient Mexico. 790 00:40:41,898 --> 00:40:44,108 And these builders may have been influencing, 791 00:40:44,108 --> 00:40:47,779 uh, the pyramid constructions in ancient Mexico. 792 00:40:47,779 --> 00:40:49,906 All these are indicators 793 00:40:49,906 --> 00:40:53,117 of an ancient lost civilization in the Pacific. 794 00:40:53,117 --> 00:40:55,787 TSOUKALOS: There's no doubt in my mind 795 00:40:55,787 --> 00:40:58,915 that the engineering knowledge for Nan Madol 796 00:40:58,915 --> 00:41:01,668 came from the extraterrestrials. 797 00:41:01,668 --> 00:41:05,004 I have seen megalithic structures around the world, 798 00:41:05,004 --> 00:41:10,301 but this one is one of the few that absolutely defies logic. 799 00:41:10,301 --> 00:41:14,305 I would categorize Nan Madol in the same category 800 00:41:14,305 --> 00:41:16,140 like the Great Pyramid of Egypt 801 00:41:16,140 --> 00:41:18,518 and also Puma Punku. 802 00:41:18,518 --> 00:41:21,396 And you have to ask yourself, is there a connection? 803 00:41:21,396 --> 00:41:24,774 And the answer to that is a resounding yes. 804 00:41:24,774 --> 00:41:29,821 NARRATOR: Do the incredible megalithic constructions at Nan Madol 805 00:41:29,821 --> 00:41:32,156 provide evidence that mankind 806 00:41:32,156 --> 00:41:34,617 has only begun to scratch the surface 807 00:41:34,617 --> 00:41:37,161 of an alien presence on planet Earth, 808 00:41:37,161 --> 00:41:41,666 one that dates back tens of thousands of years? 809 00:41:41,666 --> 00:41:46,045 As far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned, 810 00:41:46,045 --> 00:41:49,340 the answer is a profound yes 811 00:41:49,340 --> 00:41:52,635 and they are also convinced that further investigations 812 00:41:52,635 --> 00:41:54,345 will not only prove 813 00:41:54,345 --> 00:41:57,473 that extraterrestrials have revealed themselves to humanity 814 00:41:57,473 --> 00:41:59,851 at different times throughout history 815 00:41:59,851 --> 00:42:02,645 but that we are about to be visited 816 00:42:02,645 --> 00:42:07,108 by these same alien visitors again.