1 00:00:01,967 --> 00:00:03,166 NARRATOR: They're watching you. 2 00:00:03,266 --> 00:00:07,166 More than 6,000 satellites circle the Earth. 3 00:00:07,266 --> 00:00:10,467 Every day, they uncover new, mysterious phenomena 4 00:00:10,467 --> 00:00:13,467 that defy explanation. 5 00:00:15,100 --> 00:00:17,467 Terror in the Florida swamps. 6 00:00:17,567 --> 00:00:19,266 What happened was probably one of 7 00:00:19,266 --> 00:00:22,667 the most shameful events in American history. 8 00:00:22,667 --> 00:00:25,400 NARRATOR: The lost temple of the demigod. 9 00:00:25,467 --> 00:00:29,367 This is a once-in-a-lifetime discovery. 10 00:00:29,467 --> 00:00:32,100 NARRATOR: And the mystery of the bullet-proof warriors. 11 00:00:32,166 --> 00:00:34,567 They believed that martial arts 12 00:00:34,667 --> 00:00:36,600 could actually make them invincible. 13 00:00:37,667 --> 00:00:41,367 NARRATOR: Baffling phenomena, mysteries from space. 14 00:00:41,467 --> 00:00:43,767 What on Earth are they? 15 00:00:43,767 --> 00:00:47,100 [theme music playing] 16 00:01:01,166 --> 00:01:03,900 October 2021. 17 00:01:07,266 --> 00:01:09,400 Aerial archaeologists take to the skies 18 00:01:09,467 --> 00:01:12,100 over the swamps of Franklin County, Florida. 19 00:01:15,600 --> 00:01:19,467 On-board lasers scan the canopy below 20 00:01:19,567 --> 00:01:22,200 to reveal what the human eye cannot see. 21 00:01:23,467 --> 00:01:26,767 WALTERS: What we've got here is a kind of really swampy area, 22 00:01:26,867 --> 00:01:32,000 and there is what looks like, frankly, a star shape 23 00:01:32,066 --> 00:01:34,000 built into the swamp. 24 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:38,367 CAVELL: The interesting thing is that it's really distinct. 25 00:01:38,467 --> 00:01:39,667 I mean, it is quite clearly 26 00:01:39,767 --> 00:01:42,100 carved out of the environment around it. 27 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:46,667 NARRATOR: The aerial data has revealed 28 00:01:46,767 --> 00:01:50,166 a massive structure swallowed by the forest, 29 00:01:50,166 --> 00:01:51,266 and that's not all. 30 00:01:53,600 --> 00:01:55,567 Upon looking a little closer, 31 00:01:55,667 --> 00:01:59,200 you can actually see that there's 32 00:01:59,266 --> 00:02:02,700 a structure within a structure. 33 00:02:02,767 --> 00:02:05,266 It's one thing to have a star in the middle of the swamp. 34 00:02:05,367 --> 00:02:09,300 But you've now got a star inside another star. 35 00:02:11,767 --> 00:02:14,667 NARRATOR: The structure resembles the outline of a fort, 36 00:02:16,567 --> 00:02:19,000 but something about it doesn't make sense. 37 00:02:21,367 --> 00:02:24,200 If this is a fort, why would you 38 00:02:24,266 --> 00:02:28,667 have a smaller fort inside of a larger fort? 39 00:02:28,767 --> 00:02:30,266 JANULIS: This seems like overkill. 40 00:02:31,500 --> 00:02:35,600 We're on a river miles inland. Why build this? 41 00:02:43,266 --> 00:02:45,567 NARRATOR: Military historian Martin Morgan is 42 00:02:45,667 --> 00:02:47,266 heading into the Florida wetlands 43 00:02:47,266 --> 00:02:49,500 to study the mystery structure up close. 44 00:02:50,900 --> 00:02:53,166 Now, the shape that's up here, 45 00:02:53,266 --> 00:02:55,400 it really has me sort of confused, 46 00:02:55,467 --> 00:02:59,100 because I've seen just about every fort in this country, 47 00:02:59,166 --> 00:03:02,300 and this doesn't look like any that I've ever seen. 48 00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:06,266 NARRATOR: Morgan's journey takes him down 49 00:03:06,266 --> 00:03:09,967 the 112-mile-long Apalachicola River. 50 00:03:12,066 --> 00:03:14,567 The waterway could offer a clue to the purpose of 51 00:03:14,667 --> 00:03:16,200 the lost fort in the image. 52 00:03:18,066 --> 00:03:20,667 The possibility I'm considering is that 53 00:03:21,867 --> 00:03:24,166 this fortification was constructed by the Confederacy, 54 00:03:24,166 --> 00:03:26,166 because this was 55 00:03:26,266 --> 00:03:29,166 a strategically important waterway during the Civil War. 56 00:03:30,767 --> 00:03:33,867 The fact that the star shape is located right here on 57 00:03:33,867 --> 00:03:35,400 the Apalachicola River lends 58 00:03:35,467 --> 00:03:38,467 itself to the idea that it could have been part of 59 00:03:38,467 --> 00:03:41,400 Confederate defenses in the region. 60 00:03:41,467 --> 00:03:44,700 NARRATOR: On April 19th, 1861, 61 00:03:44,767 --> 00:03:46,767 President Abraham Lincoln orders 62 00:03:46,767 --> 00:03:48,567 the blockading of southern ports, 63 00:03:48,667 --> 00:03:51,967 hoping to suffocate the Confederate economies. 64 00:03:54,767 --> 00:03:57,166 The so-called Anaconda Plan will see 65 00:03:57,266 --> 00:04:01,000 the Union Navy patrol 3,500 miles of coastline 66 00:04:01,066 --> 00:04:03,166 and estuaries, 67 00:04:03,266 --> 00:04:06,166 including those down river from the site in the image. 68 00:04:08,166 --> 00:04:10,900 During the Civil war, the North tried to shut off 69 00:04:11,000 --> 00:04:12,266 this river to prevent the South 70 00:04:12,266 --> 00:04:13,800 from being able to resupply their troops. 71 00:04:15,000 --> 00:04:18,100 Stopping the flow of Confederate trade is 72 00:04:18,166 --> 00:04:21,000 how they make economic war against the South. 73 00:04:21,100 --> 00:04:23,367 [explosions blasting] 74 00:04:23,367 --> 00:04:26,000 NARRATOR: The patrols mean that cotton exports 75 00:04:26,066 --> 00:04:28,967 from the southern states fall by 95 percent, 76 00:04:28,967 --> 00:04:31,367 starving Confederate forces of money 77 00:04:31,467 --> 00:04:32,900 to buy food and weapons. 78 00:04:36,867 --> 00:04:40,467 In response, the Confederates dispatch runners to smuggle 79 00:04:40,467 --> 00:04:43,266 supplies past the Union ships and up rivers 80 00:04:43,367 --> 00:04:44,800 like the Apalachicola. 81 00:04:45,867 --> 00:04:50,800 This river meant you could avoid all those Union gunships 82 00:04:50,867 --> 00:04:54,066 and sneak supplies right to the heart of the Confederacy. 83 00:04:59,900 --> 00:05:01,100 Ah, you're a legend. 84 00:05:01,166 --> 00:05:03,000 I'm not even gonna get wet. Thank you. 85 00:05:04,767 --> 00:05:07,266 NARRATOR: The aerial image guides Morgan to a patch of 86 00:05:07,367 --> 00:05:10,266 woodland some 15 miles from the mouth of the river. 87 00:05:13,367 --> 00:05:15,100 I think I must be getting closer, 88 00:05:16,266 --> 00:05:18,567 because the terrain is rising. 89 00:05:20,967 --> 00:05:22,100 Makes sense. 90 00:05:22,166 --> 00:05:24,400 You choose the high ground. 91 00:05:24,467 --> 00:05:28,100 It's sort of military engineering 101. 92 00:05:33,467 --> 00:05:35,266 NARRATOR: When Morgan reaches the site, 93 00:05:35,266 --> 00:05:38,100 he discovers nature has reclaimed almost 94 00:05:38,166 --> 00:05:39,266 all of the structure. 95 00:05:43,000 --> 00:05:44,567 The ditch comes along that way, 96 00:05:44,567 --> 00:05:46,567 and then it comes back this way. 97 00:05:46,667 --> 00:05:48,767 That's the tip of the star shape right there. 98 00:05:51,100 --> 00:05:52,900 It's not much, but it's something. 99 00:05:56,567 --> 00:06:00,166 NARRATOR: Tracing what's left of the larger fort's walls, 100 00:06:00,166 --> 00:06:04,100 Morgan discovers that it covers more than 16 acres of the swamp. 101 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:09,066 The absence of visible remains suggests 102 00:06:09,066 --> 00:06:11,200 his Civil War theory was wrong. 103 00:06:13,100 --> 00:06:15,166 What's apparent is that there's a lack of brickwork. 104 00:06:15,166 --> 00:06:17,600 So that means that this fort would have been made of wood, 105 00:06:17,667 --> 00:06:19,600 and by the Civil War, what we know is 106 00:06:19,667 --> 00:06:22,166 almost all forts were made of brick. 107 00:06:22,166 --> 00:06:25,200 So this fort must be older. 108 00:06:28,467 --> 00:06:30,100 MORGAN: Since it's not 109 00:06:30,166 --> 00:06:32,500 a masonry fortification, 110 00:06:32,567 --> 00:06:34,166 I'm beginning to think that this might have 111 00:06:34,166 --> 00:06:38,600 been built even before Florida was a state. 112 00:06:41,500 --> 00:06:45,000 NARRATOR: Florida becomes a state in 1845, 113 00:06:45,100 --> 00:06:48,467 16 years before the outbreak of the Civil War. 114 00:06:49,767 --> 00:06:51,567 Before Florida becomes a state, 115 00:06:51,567 --> 00:06:53,800 it's actually owned by Spain, and it was 116 00:06:53,867 --> 00:06:56,300 the Spanish who conquered it in the 1500s. 117 00:06:58,667 --> 00:07:01,967 NARRATOR: The Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon 118 00:07:01,967 --> 00:07:05,567 reaches Florida in 1513, searching, 119 00:07:05,567 --> 00:07:08,467 it's said for the fabled Fountain of Youth. 120 00:07:10,967 --> 00:07:12,367 Over the following decades, 121 00:07:12,367 --> 00:07:15,467 the conquistador struggled to establish a foothold here, 122 00:07:18,700 --> 00:07:20,967 with many succumbing to disease 123 00:07:20,967 --> 00:07:22,600 and attacks from local tribes. 124 00:07:24,100 --> 00:07:26,867 It's kind of a no man's land in many respects. 125 00:07:26,867 --> 00:07:29,600 Lots of swamps, lots of heavy forests, and it's 126 00:07:29,667 --> 00:07:32,367 a very hard place to hang on to militarily. 127 00:07:32,467 --> 00:07:35,166 [horse neighing] 128 00:07:35,166 --> 00:07:37,667 NARRATOR: The Spanish finally establish control 129 00:07:37,667 --> 00:07:39,700 of Florida in 1783, 130 00:07:41,700 --> 00:07:43,967 but by the turn of the 19th century, 131 00:07:43,967 --> 00:07:47,000 bankrupted by wars elsewhere in their empire, 132 00:07:47,100 --> 00:07:49,400 the state descends into chaos. 133 00:07:49,467 --> 00:07:51,300 [cannon blasting] 134 00:07:51,367 --> 00:07:53,166 Spain had run out of cash, 135 00:07:53,166 --> 00:07:54,367 and they were having trouble governing 136 00:07:54,467 --> 00:07:56,467 such a huge place. 137 00:07:56,567 --> 00:07:59,000 WALTERS: The Spanish are basically turning a blind eye 138 00:07:59,066 --> 00:08:00,500 to anything that's going on. 139 00:08:00,567 --> 00:08:02,300 It's almost lawless. 140 00:08:04,767 --> 00:08:08,000 NARRATOR: The lack of Spanish military presence means other 141 00:08:08,066 --> 00:08:11,166 foreign powers begin to vie for control of Florida. 142 00:08:12,400 --> 00:08:15,767 It's a contested space between Britain, who wants to grab 143 00:08:15,767 --> 00:08:18,166 a piece of it, and also America, 144 00:08:18,166 --> 00:08:21,367 who are desperate to try and get a hold of the region to 145 00:08:21,367 --> 00:08:25,000 complete their continental United States. 146 00:08:26,567 --> 00:08:28,500 NARRATOR: Events then unfold that lead to 147 00:08:28,567 --> 00:08:30,967 the creation of the shapes in the images, 148 00:08:32,367 --> 00:08:34,900 ones which leave a terrible mark on both 149 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,767 these lands and the heart of the American people. 150 00:08:40,266 --> 00:08:42,266 What happened next was probably one of 151 00:08:42,367 --> 00:08:44,667 the most shameful events in American history. 152 00:08:45,700 --> 00:08:48,467 JANULIS: This is a difficult topic to discuss, 153 00:08:48,567 --> 00:08:50,166 because no matter how you look at it, 154 00:08:50,266 --> 00:08:54,967 we were the instigators of a horrible tragedy. 155 00:08:58,066 --> 00:09:01,567 NARRATOR: Coming up, Florida's long-forgotten heroes. 156 00:09:01,567 --> 00:09:03,467 They serve as stark reminders that 157 00:09:03,467 --> 00:09:05,800 we should never forget what happened. 158 00:09:06,867 --> 00:09:10,200 NARRATOR: And slayers of the righteous. 159 00:09:10,266 --> 00:09:11,467 They would roam the countryside, 160 00:09:11,467 --> 00:09:14,567 inflicting their vigilante justice wherever they could. 161 00:09:24,100 --> 00:09:26,800 NARRATOR: An aerial scan of Florida has 162 00:09:26,867 --> 00:09:30,100 revealed a strange fort within a fort 163 00:09:30,166 --> 00:09:31,600 hidden in the swamps. 164 00:09:35,667 --> 00:09:38,266 To learn more, Martin Morgan is meeting with 165 00:09:38,266 --> 00:09:39,367 Dawn Lawrence, 166 00:09:39,367 --> 00:09:41,700 an archaeologist with the Forest Service. 167 00:09:43,967 --> 00:09:46,166 -Hey. -Hello, you must be Dawn. 168 00:09:46,166 --> 00:09:47,700 I am. Nice to meet you, Marty. 169 00:09:49,767 --> 00:09:52,367 NARRATOR: Lawrence has spent years surveying land 170 00:09:52,367 --> 00:09:53,767 around the structures. 171 00:09:55,266 --> 00:09:58,300 Discoveries made nearby reveal they are the legacy of 172 00:09:58,367 --> 00:10:01,200 a cataclysmic event that took place here more than 173 00:10:01,266 --> 00:10:02,467 two centuries ago. 174 00:10:05,100 --> 00:10:06,367 Take a look at these. 175 00:10:06,467 --> 00:10:08,667 Are these bullets? 176 00:10:08,767 --> 00:10:10,700 They are, but they're not just bullets, 177 00:10:10,767 --> 00:10:13,600 they're melted bullets, and it's a clue to the catastrophe 178 00:10:13,667 --> 00:10:14,667 that happened here. 179 00:10:16,767 --> 00:10:18,700 NARRATOR: The catastrophe has its origin in 180 00:10:18,767 --> 00:10:21,900 escalating trade disputes between America and Britain 181 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:23,467 in the early 19th century. 182 00:10:26,300 --> 00:10:29,467 When the Royal Navy starts capturing U.S. sailors 183 00:10:29,467 --> 00:10:32,000 and forcing them to work on British ships, 184 00:10:32,066 --> 00:10:34,467 these hostilities reach a boiling point. 185 00:10:35,900 --> 00:10:38,600 The search and seizure of American vessels is 186 00:10:38,667 --> 00:10:42,567 a signal that something big is really about to kick off. 187 00:10:42,667 --> 00:10:44,066 JANULIS: That's the tipping point. 188 00:10:44,066 --> 00:10:46,000 We're going to war. 189 00:10:46,066 --> 00:10:48,667 [gunshots blasting, shouting] 190 00:10:48,767 --> 00:10:52,100 NARRATOR: On June 18th, 1812, 191 00:10:52,166 --> 00:10:55,000 the U.S. declares war on the most powerful 192 00:10:55,066 --> 00:10:58,000 militarized empire in human history. 193 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:01,266 JANULIS: The British rule the waves, 194 00:11:01,367 --> 00:11:04,867 and our first few battles were so bad, 195 00:11:04,967 --> 00:11:06,700 the British were able to march right to 196 00:11:06,767 --> 00:11:08,867 the White House and burn it to the ground. 197 00:11:13,500 --> 00:11:16,100 NARRATOR: After taking Washington and Detroit, 198 00:11:16,166 --> 00:11:17,900 the British turn their attention to 199 00:11:18,000 --> 00:11:19,700 Spanish-controlled Florida. 200 00:11:21,767 --> 00:11:23,266 What the British are trying to do is 201 00:11:23,266 --> 00:11:26,100 take advantage of Spanish weakness in the area. 202 00:11:26,166 --> 00:11:27,767 They just don't have the manpower that they 203 00:11:27,767 --> 00:11:30,667 would need to be able to repel the British. 204 00:11:30,667 --> 00:11:33,967 To add to that, Florida is a huge strategic advantage, 205 00:11:33,967 --> 00:11:37,000 because it's the best access point to the Gulf of Mexico. 206 00:11:39,300 --> 00:11:42,667 NARRATOR: In 1814, the British constructed the larger fort in 207 00:11:42,667 --> 00:11:44,600 the image, hoping to use it 208 00:11:44,667 --> 00:11:47,100 as a base to assault key southern cities. 209 00:11:49,767 --> 00:11:51,567 The British chose this spot for 210 00:11:51,567 --> 00:11:53,967 their fort, because it was incredibly tactical. 211 00:11:53,967 --> 00:11:55,600 This was where they launched a lot 212 00:11:55,667 --> 00:11:58,266 of their attacks on New Orleans and Mobile. 213 00:12:00,100 --> 00:12:03,266 NARRATOR: The British also used the force to recruit indigenous 214 00:12:03,367 --> 00:12:06,767 warriors and escaped slaves to help them attack 215 00:12:06,867 --> 00:12:08,266 U.S. targets. 216 00:12:09,467 --> 00:12:12,000 They are known as colonial marines. 217 00:12:13,000 --> 00:12:15,667 The British realized that slaves in the American South 218 00:12:15,667 --> 00:12:18,567 would be more than happy to fight against their owners. 219 00:12:18,667 --> 00:12:20,667 WALTERS: Over time, the number of free people 220 00:12:20,667 --> 00:12:22,567 living here gets larger and larger, 221 00:12:22,567 --> 00:12:24,600 and it becomes this real beacon of hope 222 00:12:24,667 --> 00:12:26,367 and resistance. 223 00:12:26,367 --> 00:12:31,000 BROWN: This fort was full of not only militia men, 224 00:12:31,066 --> 00:12:33,467 but it was also a place where 225 00:12:33,567 --> 00:12:36,367 women and children could exist, as well. 226 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:38,967 NARRATOR: At the height of the war, 227 00:12:38,967 --> 00:12:42,467 more than 1,000 soldiers and their families live in 228 00:12:42,567 --> 00:12:43,700 and around the fort. 229 00:12:45,367 --> 00:12:48,667 This location was a shining example of black people 230 00:12:48,767 --> 00:12:50,567 fighting to emancipate themselves 231 00:12:50,667 --> 00:12:51,734 from white slave owners. 232 00:12:51,767 --> 00:12:55,367 It became a symbol of that, embodied in a star. 233 00:12:57,367 --> 00:13:00,400 NARRATOR: In 1815, the British suffer a catastrophic 234 00:13:00,467 --> 00:13:02,367 defeat during the Battle of New Orleans, 235 00:13:04,266 --> 00:13:06,767 an engagement which cements America's victory. 236 00:13:08,867 --> 00:13:10,867 When they withdraw from Florida, 237 00:13:10,867 --> 00:13:13,867 many freed slaves choose to remain at the fort, 238 00:13:13,967 --> 00:13:15,667 [shouting] 239 00:13:15,667 --> 00:13:18,567 a decision that infuriates plantation owners 240 00:13:18,567 --> 00:13:19,567 across the South. 241 00:13:19,667 --> 00:13:21,500 [shouting] 242 00:13:21,567 --> 00:13:24,767 They felt like it was really an affront to have all of these 243 00:13:24,867 --> 00:13:27,767 free black militarized people living right on the other side 244 00:13:27,867 --> 00:13:29,667 of the border. 245 00:13:29,767 --> 00:13:32,066 This fort is a huge threat to 246 00:13:32,066 --> 00:13:34,367 the white plantation owners in the region. 247 00:13:34,467 --> 00:13:36,667 According to them, it has to go. 248 00:13:36,667 --> 00:13:38,266 [horse neighing] 249 00:13:38,266 --> 00:13:42,700 NARRATOR: In July 1816, future president, Andrew Jackson, 250 00:13:42,767 --> 00:13:44,300 orders an assault on the fort. 251 00:13:46,767 --> 00:13:49,867 A few days later, a gunboat steals up 252 00:13:49,967 --> 00:13:52,266 the Apalachicola River and unleashes 253 00:13:52,367 --> 00:13:56,367 a superheated cannonball known as a hot shot. 254 00:13:58,700 --> 00:14:02,066 So that heated cannonball struck the worst place possible. 255 00:14:02,066 --> 00:14:05,567 It hit the powder magazine, and it caused a massive explosion 256 00:14:05,567 --> 00:14:08,100 that some people say you could feel a hundred miles away 257 00:14:08,166 --> 00:14:09,300 in Pensacola. 258 00:14:10,767 --> 00:14:14,000 NARRATOR: The explosion vaporizes the fort and kills 259 00:14:14,100 --> 00:14:15,900 around 270 people. 260 00:14:17,767 --> 00:14:19,967 The place that had become such a powerful 261 00:14:19,967 --> 00:14:23,367 symbol of freedom and resistance for so many 262 00:14:23,367 --> 00:14:25,266 was taken out with one single cannonball. 263 00:14:26,467 --> 00:14:28,500 A. MORGAN: There were body parts and limbs 264 00:14:28,567 --> 00:14:31,600 scattered throughout the trees in the area. 265 00:14:31,667 --> 00:14:33,867 It caused even the most hardened 266 00:14:33,867 --> 00:14:35,967 soldiers to break down in tears. 267 00:14:37,467 --> 00:14:40,667 What happened to the survivors after the explosion? 268 00:14:40,667 --> 00:14:43,767 Those who did survive were sold back into enslavement. 269 00:14:43,867 --> 00:14:45,867 So it was really the end of 270 00:14:45,967 --> 00:14:48,300 this community in the worst way possible. 271 00:14:50,767 --> 00:14:54,100 NARRATOR: In 1818, U.S. forces construct a second, 272 00:14:54,166 --> 00:14:57,266 smaller stronghold where the larger fort once stood. 273 00:14:59,467 --> 00:15:01,600 It is abandoned three years later. 274 00:15:04,300 --> 00:15:07,300 Today, the shadows of the terrible events witnessed 275 00:15:07,367 --> 00:15:10,400 here are revealed once again from the skies. 276 00:15:12,567 --> 00:15:16,000 These images trace the scars of some of the darkest parts of 277 00:15:16,066 --> 00:15:17,233 American history, 278 00:15:17,266 --> 00:15:20,200 and they serve as stark reminders that we should never 279 00:15:20,266 --> 00:15:22,667 forget what happened here. 280 00:15:29,367 --> 00:15:32,600 NARRATOR: Coming up, tombs of the blood kings. 281 00:15:32,667 --> 00:15:35,166 They were a remarkable culture, 282 00:15:35,266 --> 00:15:37,867 but there was a dark side to them, as well. 283 00:15:37,967 --> 00:15:40,000 NARRATOR: And the lost temple 284 00:15:40,100 --> 00:15:41,767 of the ancient super warrior. 285 00:15:41,867 --> 00:15:43,767 He was one of the greatest generals 286 00:15:43,867 --> 00:15:44,967 in the history of the world. 287 00:15:53,500 --> 00:15:57,700 NARRATOR: October 30th, 2021. 288 00:15:57,767 --> 00:16:00,667 A satellite flying over eastern China captures 289 00:16:00,767 --> 00:16:02,800 something extraordinary concealed 290 00:16:02,867 --> 00:16:04,100 in the landscape below. 291 00:16:09,400 --> 00:16:12,367 There's about half a dozen of these unusual shapes, 292 00:16:12,467 --> 00:16:17,000 with a central area that is much larger. 293 00:16:17,066 --> 00:16:20,300 WALTERS: They're etched, or built, into the ground, 294 00:16:22,367 --> 00:16:25,467 and there's no clear reason as to why they're here. 295 00:16:28,266 --> 00:16:31,500 NARRATOR: The giant symbols appear to be made from stone. 296 00:16:34,100 --> 00:16:35,567 NARDI: Given that they're cross-shaped, 297 00:16:35,667 --> 00:16:38,700 perhaps there's some link to Christianity. 298 00:16:38,767 --> 00:16:40,867 However, they would only be something 299 00:16:40,967 --> 00:16:43,100 you could really see from the air. 300 00:16:44,166 --> 00:16:47,266 NARRATOR: Christians in China have long been persecuted for 301 00:16:47,266 --> 00:16:48,800 their faith. 302 00:16:48,867 --> 00:16:51,867 So if they are related to religious worship, 303 00:16:51,967 --> 00:16:54,767 then that would make sense to have them 304 00:16:54,767 --> 00:16:56,767 hidden from normal sight. 305 00:17:01,400 --> 00:17:05,967 NARRATOR: Chinese emperors first banned Christianity in 845 CE, 306 00:17:05,967 --> 00:17:09,400 decreeing that it is a dangerous foreign ideology. 307 00:17:12,100 --> 00:17:13,300 During the 19th century, 308 00:17:13,367 --> 00:17:15,166 it makes a return when thousands 309 00:17:15,266 --> 00:17:17,166 of missionaries travel to the country. 310 00:17:20,000 --> 00:17:22,166 China was seen as a possible 311 00:17:22,166 --> 00:17:24,800 fertile new ground for Christian conversion. 312 00:17:24,867 --> 00:17:26,100 [church bell tolling] 313 00:17:26,166 --> 00:17:29,100 The number of Anglican missionaries 314 00:17:29,166 --> 00:17:32,767 from Britain went up a hundredfold. 315 00:17:35,400 --> 00:17:36,767 NARRATOR: Around the same time, 316 00:17:36,767 --> 00:17:39,567 economic disputes lead to conflict between 317 00:17:39,667 --> 00:17:40,767 London and Beijing. 318 00:17:43,367 --> 00:17:47,000 The so-called Opium Wars end in a British victory 319 00:17:47,100 --> 00:17:50,500 and result in waves of persecution against Westerners 320 00:17:50,567 --> 00:17:51,634 in China. 321 00:17:53,000 --> 00:17:55,567 There was a group of rebels that became known as 322 00:17:55,567 --> 00:17:59,000 the Boxers that led a violent uprising 323 00:17:59,100 --> 00:18:01,100 against this western intrusion. 324 00:18:03,667 --> 00:18:04,867 KOUROUNIS: They would roam the countryside, 325 00:18:04,967 --> 00:18:08,266 inflicting their vigilante justice wherever they could on 326 00:18:08,367 --> 00:18:10,300 Chinese Christians and any 327 00:18:10,367 --> 00:18:12,767 Christian missionaries that they happen to come across. 328 00:18:14,100 --> 00:18:17,200 NARRATOR: The boxers believe themselves to be bulletproof. 329 00:18:18,667 --> 00:18:22,467 Between 1899 and 1901, they slaughter over 330 00:18:22,467 --> 00:18:26,500 30,000 Christians and forced countless others into hiding. 331 00:18:29,867 --> 00:18:33,800 Is it possible that this is some way that Christians were 332 00:18:33,867 --> 00:18:38,767 able to display their faith in a manner that wouldn't be 333 00:18:38,767 --> 00:18:41,800 immediately obvious to the oppressors? 334 00:18:41,867 --> 00:18:45,100 NARRATOR: When investigators excavate 335 00:18:45,166 --> 00:18:48,100 the structures, they discover that they are indeed connected 336 00:18:48,166 --> 00:18:50,367 to a period of extreme bloodshed, 337 00:18:52,867 --> 00:18:56,000 but one from an earlier time in China's past. 338 00:18:57,567 --> 00:19:02,767 Archaeological investigations have shown that they're far, far 339 00:19:02,767 --> 00:19:05,867 older and have nothing to do with Christianity. 340 00:19:07,667 --> 00:19:10,867 In fact, what they are, are the royal tombs 341 00:19:10,867 --> 00:19:12,300 of the Shang dynasty. 342 00:19:14,767 --> 00:19:19,000 NARRATOR: The Shang dynasty rises to power in 1600 BCE. 343 00:19:20,166 --> 00:19:22,867 They are pioneers in the fields of math 344 00:19:22,867 --> 00:19:25,800 and astronomy and invent the first form of 345 00:19:25,867 --> 00:19:27,000 Chinese writing. 346 00:19:29,200 --> 00:19:33,367 HORTON: In many ways, the Shang are the founders 347 00:19:33,367 --> 00:19:36,166 of Chinese cultural identity, 348 00:19:36,166 --> 00:19:39,266 but there was a dark side to them, as well. 349 00:19:41,066 --> 00:19:43,400 NARRATOR: Much of the Shangs' history is recorded in 350 00:19:43,467 --> 00:19:47,000 the blood they spilled during their long military campaigns. 351 00:19:49,100 --> 00:19:52,867 The Shang kept a very large, standing army 352 00:19:52,867 --> 00:19:55,166 and were very successful in the field of battle. 353 00:19:56,600 --> 00:19:59,300 KOUROUNIS: Their military might was unparalleled. 354 00:19:59,367 --> 00:20:02,567 They developed things such as horse-drawn chariots. 355 00:20:02,667 --> 00:20:04,467 Then they developed the compound bow. 356 00:20:04,567 --> 00:20:06,567 At the time, 357 00:20:06,667 --> 00:20:09,100 these were absolutely revolutionary technologies. 358 00:20:10,467 --> 00:20:12,500 NARRATOR: The Shang go on to rule 359 00:20:12,567 --> 00:20:15,867 a 480,000-square-mile empire, 360 00:20:15,867 --> 00:20:18,467 a territory larger than Texas. 361 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:23,667 They construct the monumental tombs in the image 362 00:20:23,667 --> 00:20:26,300 to honor the kings that have brought them glory. 363 00:20:27,367 --> 00:20:33,867 HUNT: These structures tell us how powerful the Shang were 364 00:20:33,967 --> 00:20:36,200 and how they wanted to manifest 365 00:20:36,266 --> 00:20:39,100 their power by these massive tombs. 366 00:20:42,567 --> 00:20:45,200 NARRATOR: Excavations of the tombs reveal that the Shang 367 00:20:45,266 --> 00:20:48,200 did not restrict their bloodshed to the battlefield. 368 00:20:54,300 --> 00:20:57,567 HORTON: Within these tombs, we find sacrificed bodies 369 00:20:57,667 --> 00:20:59,467 literally stacked up 370 00:20:59,567 --> 00:21:02,300 in the corridors leading to the main burial chambers. 371 00:21:06,900 --> 00:21:09,700 NARRATOR: The Shang believe that supernatural beings 372 00:21:09,767 --> 00:21:13,000 govern natural phenomena, like drought and storms. 373 00:21:15,367 --> 00:21:17,166 To appease these spirits, 374 00:21:17,166 --> 00:21:20,300 their kings slay up to 300 people at 375 00:21:20,367 --> 00:21:22,900 a time and inter them in the tombs. 376 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:25,367 [distant screaming] 377 00:21:25,367 --> 00:21:28,900 Not only were people sacrificed, but the manner 378 00:21:29,000 --> 00:21:32,967 in which they were sacrificed was absolutely horrific. 379 00:21:32,967 --> 00:21:34,166 WALTERS: I mean, you've got things like 380 00:21:34,166 --> 00:21:38,266 beheading, dismembering, and even being buried alive. 381 00:21:39,900 --> 00:21:41,867 NARRATOR: As the Shangs' power grows, 382 00:21:41,967 --> 00:21:43,467 so does the amount of ritual 383 00:21:43,567 --> 00:21:45,767 slaughter witnessed at the royal tombs. 384 00:21:48,500 --> 00:21:50,367 Over a 200-year period, 385 00:21:50,467 --> 00:21:53,900 some 13,000 people meet their end here. 386 00:21:55,266 --> 00:21:57,667 Ruling class families became more 387 00:21:57,767 --> 00:22:00,467 and more competitive with each other. 388 00:22:01,867 --> 00:22:03,900 And war parties were sent out to 389 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:06,300 bring back victims specifically for 390 00:22:06,367 --> 00:22:09,767 sacrificial burials -- this is insane. 391 00:22:14,867 --> 00:22:17,166 NARRATOR: In 1046 BCE, 392 00:22:17,166 --> 00:22:20,467 the neighboring Zhou dynasty invades and overthrows 393 00:22:20,467 --> 00:22:23,567 the Shang, ending their five-century rule. 394 00:22:27,266 --> 00:22:30,166 More than 3,000 years later, satellites are 395 00:22:30,266 --> 00:22:33,166 helping to uncover its long-buried secrets. 396 00:22:34,166 --> 00:22:37,700 AUERBACH: What we find in these tombs is really a testament 397 00:22:37,767 --> 00:22:41,800 to both the brilliance of this dynasty, 398 00:22:41,867 --> 00:22:43,000 but also its brutality. 399 00:22:50,867 --> 00:22:54,100 NARRATOR: Coming up, a 3000 year old mystery 400 00:22:54,166 --> 00:22:56,100 rises from the depths. 401 00:22:56,166 --> 00:22:57,467 It could represent one of 402 00:22:57,567 --> 00:23:00,667 the biggest archaeological finds of the century. 403 00:23:00,767 --> 00:23:04,000 NARRATOR: And the miracle of Easter Island. 404 00:23:04,066 --> 00:23:07,367 This was a godsend, because it kept these people alive. 405 00:23:15,233 --> 00:23:18,233 NARRATOR: December 21st, 2021. 406 00:23:19,367 --> 00:23:22,667 A satellite orbits over Cadiz in Spain, 407 00:23:22,767 --> 00:23:25,000 one of the oldest cities in Europe. 408 00:23:27,467 --> 00:23:30,767 When researchers combine aerial images of its historic 409 00:23:30,834 --> 00:23:32,600 port with radar data, 410 00:23:32,667 --> 00:23:35,667 they discover something that intrigues archaeologists. 411 00:23:37,867 --> 00:23:39,667 To the untrained eye, 412 00:23:39,734 --> 00:23:42,767 there may not seem like much to see here, 413 00:23:42,834 --> 00:23:47,567 but just off the coast, there's some kind of structure. 414 00:23:47,667 --> 00:23:50,133 HORTON: This is a massive building, 415 00:23:50,133 --> 00:23:52,567 which is now underneath the water. 416 00:23:55,300 --> 00:23:58,367 NARRATOR: The 500,000-square-foot structure 417 00:23:58,367 --> 00:24:01,367 has apparently been submerged for many centuries. 418 00:24:03,500 --> 00:24:05,767 A building on that scale from 419 00:24:05,867 --> 00:24:09,266 the ancient world was very, very rarely discovered. 420 00:24:09,266 --> 00:24:12,767 HUNT: Whatever this structure is, 421 00:24:12,867 --> 00:24:15,667 it has the potential to be a spectacular 422 00:24:15,767 --> 00:24:17,467 archaeological find. 423 00:24:19,734 --> 00:24:21,867 NARRATOR: Analysts study the city's archives. 424 00:24:24,166 --> 00:24:26,667 It transpires that the structure's outline 425 00:24:26,734 --> 00:24:28,734 matches that of a legendary temple 426 00:24:28,734 --> 00:24:31,600 lost to history 1,500 years ago. 427 00:24:33,567 --> 00:24:37,233 The temple is mentioned in multiple ancient sources, 428 00:24:37,233 --> 00:24:41,266 but the exact location of it has remained a mystery. 429 00:24:42,300 --> 00:24:43,600 WALTERS: This temple has 430 00:24:43,667 --> 00:24:46,300 an absolutely fascinating history. 431 00:24:46,367 --> 00:24:47,600 I mean, it's one that kind of 432 00:24:47,667 --> 00:24:49,867 charts the course of the ancient world. 433 00:24:52,367 --> 00:24:54,033 NARRATOR: The temple's story begins 434 00:24:54,100 --> 00:24:56,166 more than 3,500 years ago, 435 00:24:58,767 --> 00:25:00,367 when the Phoenician civilization 436 00:25:00,367 --> 00:25:02,767 emerges from the Eastern Mediterranean. 437 00:25:04,166 --> 00:25:08,467 The Phoenicians were the best traders of the ancient world. 438 00:25:10,100 --> 00:25:12,400 The Phoenicians have a very great 439 00:25:12,467 --> 00:25:14,767 influence on the development of the Mediterranean 440 00:25:14,834 --> 00:25:16,000 in ancient times. 441 00:25:18,667 --> 00:25:20,767 NARRATOR: The Phoenicians establish trade routes 442 00:25:20,867 --> 00:25:22,734 across Europe and West Africa, 443 00:25:24,367 --> 00:25:27,934 and, according to some sources, even reach the Americas. 444 00:25:29,867 --> 00:25:31,867 In the 12th century BCE, 445 00:25:31,934 --> 00:25:33,400 they found the city of Cadiz, 446 00:25:34,467 --> 00:25:36,133 and on its shores, construct 447 00:25:36,133 --> 00:25:38,767 a huge temple to their god, Melqart. 448 00:25:40,033 --> 00:25:44,166 One of Melqart's duties was to protect from attack. 449 00:25:44,266 --> 00:25:46,967 so it makes sense that a temple of Melqart 450 00:25:47,033 --> 00:25:49,166 would be built here, on the edge of the 451 00:25:49,233 --> 00:25:52,233 Phoenician Empire, an area most under threat. 452 00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:57,166 NARRATOR: By the third century BCE, 453 00:25:57,233 --> 00:25:59,667 the Phoenicians are known as the Carthaginians, 454 00:26:01,667 --> 00:26:03,734 and a threat rises from the east that 455 00:26:03,734 --> 00:26:06,934 will test all of Melqart's powers of protection. 456 00:26:08,100 --> 00:26:11,000 In the 3rd century BC, 457 00:26:11,066 --> 00:26:13,600 there were two competing global 458 00:26:13,667 --> 00:26:17,066 powers for control of the Mediterranean. 459 00:26:18,100 --> 00:26:19,967 On the one side, there was Rome, 460 00:26:21,367 --> 00:26:24,166 and on the other side was Carthage. 461 00:26:26,166 --> 00:26:29,133 NARRATOR: Rome and Carthage meet on the battlefield 462 00:26:29,133 --> 00:26:31,000 during the First Punic War, 463 00:26:31,066 --> 00:26:33,767 with the Romans ultimately emerging victorious. 464 00:26:37,033 --> 00:26:39,767 Two decades later, when the Carthaginians 465 00:26:39,867 --> 00:26:41,166 plot their revenge, 466 00:26:41,233 --> 00:26:44,133 the temple plays a role in one of the most incredible military 467 00:26:44,133 --> 00:26:45,934 campaigns in history. 468 00:26:48,467 --> 00:26:52,166 One very famous Carthaginian general makes a stop here 469 00:26:52,266 --> 00:26:54,166 before he begins his campaign 470 00:26:54,266 --> 00:26:57,567 through Spain to attack Italy, and that, 471 00:26:57,567 --> 00:26:59,500 of course, is Hannibal. 472 00:26:59,567 --> 00:27:02,767 HORTON: Before he embarked on this expedition, 473 00:27:02,834 --> 00:27:04,967 he went to provide offerings to 474 00:27:05,033 --> 00:27:08,266 the gods there that his mission would be successful. 475 00:27:10,867 --> 00:27:13,266 NARRATOR: Hannibal then assembles his forces 476 00:27:13,367 --> 00:27:15,934 and war elephants and marches towards Rome, 477 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,767 hoping to attack Italy's poorly-defended 478 00:27:18,834 --> 00:27:20,967 northern border. 479 00:27:21,033 --> 00:27:25,567 AUERBACH: He takes his entire army and several dozen elephants 480 00:27:25,667 --> 00:27:29,467 and does at the time was considered the impossible. 481 00:27:29,467 --> 00:27:31,967 He marches them across the greatest 482 00:27:32,033 --> 00:27:35,967 natural barrier known in the ancient world, the Alps. 483 00:27:37,767 --> 00:27:41,233 Hannibal's epic march sees 30,000 soldiers, 484 00:27:41,233 --> 00:27:45,667 15,000 horses, and around 40 war elephants 485 00:27:45,767 --> 00:27:49,166 scale mountain passes more than 6,000 feet high. 486 00:27:51,166 --> 00:27:54,867 It is an incredibly arduous passage. 487 00:27:54,934 --> 00:27:57,667 He loses thousands of men, 488 00:27:57,767 --> 00:28:01,767 but he retains the element of surprise. 489 00:28:01,834 --> 00:28:04,266 HUNT: The Romans thought they could handle Hannibal. 490 00:28:05,300 --> 00:28:07,166 Well, they were wrong. 491 00:28:07,233 --> 00:28:10,033 He marches into Italy and beats 492 00:28:10,100 --> 00:28:14,367 the Romans decisively at four battles. 493 00:28:15,867 --> 00:28:18,266 NARRATOR: Despite his initial successes, 494 00:28:18,367 --> 00:28:20,867 Hannibal fails to defeat Rome itself. 495 00:28:22,734 --> 00:28:25,767 While his army remains deadlocked in Italy, 496 00:28:25,867 --> 00:28:29,233 more Roman forces head for Cadiz under the command of 497 00:28:29,233 --> 00:28:31,300 General Scipio Africanus. 498 00:28:33,467 --> 00:28:37,767 The Romans were able to counterattack and captured 499 00:28:37,867 --> 00:28:40,734 Spain, and when they did that, 500 00:28:40,734 --> 00:28:46,667 they renamed their temple and dedicated it to a demigod, 501 00:28:46,734 --> 00:28:48,367 Hercules. 502 00:28:48,467 --> 00:28:50,467 Hercules was worshiped a lot around 503 00:28:50,467 --> 00:28:53,033 the Roman Empire, because he represented strength, 504 00:28:53,100 --> 00:28:57,266 and as a result, this temple becomes really important. 505 00:28:58,367 --> 00:29:00,567 NARRATOR: In 202 BCE, 506 00:29:00,667 --> 00:29:03,367 as Scipio prepares to meet Hannibal in battle, 507 00:29:03,367 --> 00:29:06,066 he reportedly visits the temple to seek 508 00:29:06,133 --> 00:29:07,367 Hercules blessing. 509 00:29:07,367 --> 00:29:08,667 [war cry] 510 00:29:08,734 --> 00:29:11,867 Once again, the gods oblige, 511 00:29:11,934 --> 00:29:14,500 and the Roman general slaughters 20,000 512 00:29:14,567 --> 00:29:17,867 of Hannibal's troops, ending Carthaginian resistance. 513 00:29:19,834 --> 00:29:24,567 In the period that follows, it becomes a go-to spot 514 00:29:24,567 --> 00:29:26,667 for those seeking Hercules's blessing 515 00:29:26,734 --> 00:29:29,266 and it's visited by some of the most famous figures 516 00:29:29,367 --> 00:29:31,166 in the ancient world. 517 00:29:31,233 --> 00:29:35,166 HORTON: The most famous was Julius Caesar, who had reputedly 518 00:29:35,233 --> 00:29:38,834 wept in front of the statue of Alexander the Great 519 00:29:38,834 --> 00:29:40,266 that was located there. 520 00:29:43,033 --> 00:29:46,133 NARRATOR: The temple remains a focal point for Roman worship 521 00:29:46,133 --> 00:29:49,467 for two centuries before it is swallowed by the seas. 522 00:29:52,467 --> 00:29:56,066 Investigations are ongoing, and archaeologists plan to 523 00:29:56,133 --> 00:29:59,467 explore the site to uncover its lost secrets. 524 00:30:00,867 --> 00:30:04,033 If this is it, we've discovered not only 525 00:30:04,100 --> 00:30:05,667 an incredible ancient structure, 526 00:30:05,734 --> 00:30:08,867 but a link to all these fascinating histories that 527 00:30:08,934 --> 00:30:11,667 spanned generations and empires. 528 00:30:16,300 --> 00:30:20,767 NARRATOR: Coming up, something big and weird in Canada. 529 00:30:20,867 --> 00:30:23,100 For some reason, they're in almost a perfect circle. 530 00:30:23,166 --> 00:30:26,934 NARRATOR: And the island of a thousand mysteries. 531 00:30:27,000 --> 00:30:32,367 There's a lot about it that we find strange and inexplicable. 532 00:30:40,600 --> 00:30:43,100 NARRATOR: April 2019. 533 00:30:44,834 --> 00:30:48,867 Eyes in the sky scan Canada's vast, verdant interior. 534 00:30:50,667 --> 00:30:54,166 We're looking here at the Ontario forests. 535 00:30:54,233 --> 00:30:56,967 And it's really strange, because in 536 00:30:57,033 --> 00:31:00,467 the midst of the forest are these circles. 537 00:31:02,667 --> 00:31:04,233 SPICER RICE: This is really odd. 538 00:31:04,233 --> 00:31:06,967 It doesn't seem to be like there's any clear pattern 539 00:31:07,033 --> 00:31:08,467 to them, 540 00:31:08,567 --> 00:31:11,567 and if you look at the scale, they're huge. 541 00:31:13,734 --> 00:31:15,967 NARRATOR: The mystery rings range from about 542 00:31:16,033 --> 00:31:19,333 160 feet to one mile in diameter. 543 00:31:20,367 --> 00:31:21,500 The other thing is that there's 544 00:31:21,567 --> 00:31:23,400 no human infrastructure in view, right? 545 00:31:23,467 --> 00:31:24,834 There's not even a road. 546 00:31:24,834 --> 00:31:26,567 And so, you know, this looks like 547 00:31:26,567 --> 00:31:28,734 it must be some kind of natural phenomenon. 548 00:31:30,133 --> 00:31:33,467 One possibility is that these are meteor impacts, 549 00:31:35,567 --> 00:31:39,100 where rocks have come through the atmosphere and smashed into 550 00:31:39,166 --> 00:31:41,266 this surface, creating craters. 551 00:31:43,166 --> 00:31:46,266 NARRATOR: During its 4.5-billion-year history, 552 00:31:48,033 --> 00:31:51,867 over 100 large asteroids have punctured the Earth's surface. 553 00:31:53,333 --> 00:31:56,133 Some have created giant circular patterns in 554 00:31:56,133 --> 00:31:57,333 the Canadian forests, 555 00:31:57,333 --> 00:32:01,166 such as the 200-million-year-old Lake Manicouagan. 556 00:32:03,333 --> 00:32:05,734 Is it possible that these rings could actually 557 00:32:05,734 --> 00:32:07,834 be defining the edges of craters 558 00:32:07,834 --> 00:32:09,667 out in the middle of this forest? 559 00:32:11,867 --> 00:32:14,166 NARRATOR: Investigations on the ground revealed 560 00:32:14,266 --> 00:32:15,467 this can't be the case. 561 00:32:16,500 --> 00:32:18,967 What we see is that these rings 562 00:32:19,033 --> 00:32:22,033 are formed because of stunted trees. 563 00:32:23,166 --> 00:32:26,567 KAYS: There are some trees that grow less than other trees, 564 00:32:26,567 --> 00:32:28,133 and for some reason, they're doing it 565 00:32:28,133 --> 00:32:29,400 in almost a perfect circle. 566 00:32:30,767 --> 00:32:33,767 NARRATOR: A clue to the weird forest circles could come 567 00:32:33,834 --> 00:32:36,066 from further aerial images captured 568 00:32:36,133 --> 00:32:38,333 more than 7,000 miles away. 569 00:32:39,934 --> 00:32:40,967 As strange as this is, 570 00:32:41,033 --> 00:32:43,834 it's not a phenomenon unique to this spot. 571 00:32:43,834 --> 00:32:46,367 There are areas near the border of Namibia 572 00:32:46,467 --> 00:32:49,066 and South Africa that also contain circles. 573 00:32:49,133 --> 00:32:50,667 They're called fairy circles. 574 00:32:52,467 --> 00:32:56,100 NARRATOR: Fairy circles are rings of vegetation found in 575 00:32:56,166 --> 00:32:59,567 arid, sandy soil and have long baffled scientists. 576 00:33:02,100 --> 00:33:04,166 Like the forest rings in Canada, 577 00:33:04,266 --> 00:33:07,166 they are spread over thousands of square miles. 578 00:33:08,600 --> 00:33:11,734 In Africa, the local Himba tribe 579 00:33:11,734 --> 00:33:13,867 brought their cattle to these circles, 580 00:33:13,967 --> 00:33:16,767 believing that their ancestors had filled them with magic 581 00:33:16,867 --> 00:33:20,400 powers to protect the cattle from predators. 582 00:33:20,467 --> 00:33:23,266 SPICER RICE: Scientists used to think that it was caused 583 00:33:23,333 --> 00:33:27,400 by termites, but at present, 584 00:33:27,467 --> 00:33:31,567 the best explanation that we can find is toxic sap. 585 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:37,934 NARRATOR: Some desert plants contain poisonous sap, 586 00:33:38,000 --> 00:33:41,033 which local tribes use to tip their hunting arrows. 587 00:33:42,266 --> 00:33:45,867 According to research, the sap also repels water. 588 00:33:45,967 --> 00:33:48,467 So in the ground, it creates barren 589 00:33:48,467 --> 00:33:51,934 patches of soil surrounded by healthy vegetation. 590 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:56,266 These dead zones are devoid of plant life, 591 00:33:56,367 --> 00:33:58,467 but the areas around them aren't. 592 00:33:58,467 --> 00:34:03,100 So they create these strange circle shapes. 593 00:34:03,166 --> 00:34:06,166 NARRATOR: In Canada, researchers take 594 00:34:06,233 --> 00:34:09,000 samples of soil from beneath the forest rings. 595 00:34:11,734 --> 00:34:14,166 Instead of toxic sap, they discover 596 00:34:14,233 --> 00:34:15,333 something shocking. 597 00:34:16,567 --> 00:34:21,767 The ground is inhabited by a bacteria 598 00:34:21,867 --> 00:34:25,100 that can generate electricity, 599 00:34:25,166 --> 00:34:28,667 and these bacteria are the root cause 600 00:34:28,734 --> 00:34:30,333 for the forest rings. 601 00:34:32,934 --> 00:34:35,600 NARRATOR: The bacteria are called geobacter, 602 00:34:36,967 --> 00:34:38,166 and they appear to exist 603 00:34:38,266 --> 00:34:41,133 in giant circular subterranean colonies. 604 00:34:42,834 --> 00:34:46,400 Studies suggest that geobacter at the edge of the colony 605 00:34:46,467 --> 00:34:47,667 generate an acid, 606 00:34:47,700 --> 00:34:50,567 which changes the composition of the surrounding soil. 607 00:34:53,834 --> 00:34:55,467 KAYS: This unusual combination of elements 608 00:34:55,567 --> 00:34:57,767 in the ground causes something extraordinary, 609 00:34:57,834 --> 00:34:59,567 a kind of natural battery. 610 00:35:00,834 --> 00:35:04,567 NARRATOR: As the subterranean battery eats away at the soil, 611 00:35:04,567 --> 00:35:08,333 it creates a ring-shaped depression in the forest. 612 00:35:08,333 --> 00:35:10,400 CERVENY: The depression becomes swampy, 613 00:35:10,467 --> 00:35:13,467 creating a distinct ring pattern 614 00:35:13,467 --> 00:35:14,567 when you view it from the air. 615 00:35:17,133 --> 00:35:20,033 NARRATOR: What puzzles scientists is that geobacter 616 00:35:20,100 --> 00:35:21,667 are found all over the world, 617 00:35:23,567 --> 00:35:26,266 but only here have such vast numbers 618 00:35:26,333 --> 00:35:27,667 been captured from space, 619 00:35:27,767 --> 00:35:31,367 creating patterns that stretch over huge distances. 620 00:35:32,767 --> 00:35:36,266 The idea that microscopic bacteria can create not only 621 00:35:36,367 --> 00:35:38,166 a mile-wide forest ring, 622 00:35:38,266 --> 00:35:43,066 but thousands of these rings, is really quite amazing. 623 00:35:47,467 --> 00:35:51,166 NARRATOR: Coming up, land of the disappeared. 624 00:35:51,233 --> 00:35:53,100 SALAITA: When the Europeans first arrived, 625 00:35:53,166 --> 00:35:55,834 they witnessed something completely baffling. 626 00:36:02,467 --> 00:36:05,433 NARRATOR: September 27th, 2021. 627 00:36:05,433 --> 00:36:10,767 A satellite above the south pacific scans Easter Island, 628 00:36:11,934 --> 00:36:14,667 some 2,400 miles from civilization. 629 00:36:16,567 --> 00:36:19,033 Easter Island is one of the most isolated 630 00:36:19,100 --> 00:36:21,233 inhabited places in the world, 631 00:36:21,233 --> 00:36:23,333 and it's had a long and strange history. 632 00:36:24,333 --> 00:36:27,266 The most famous element of the island and one of 633 00:36:27,367 --> 00:36:31,467 the most mysterious are the giant stone statues 634 00:36:31,567 --> 00:36:33,467 that dot it, 635 00:36:33,567 --> 00:36:36,333 and we're still not entirely sure why they 636 00:36:36,333 --> 00:36:40,166 were created or how they were put in place either. 637 00:36:43,133 --> 00:36:47,266 NARRATOR: The 887 stone monoliths are known as Moai. 638 00:36:49,667 --> 00:36:51,567 They were erected by the Rapa Nui, 639 00:36:53,133 --> 00:36:55,500 a civilization who ruled the seas here 640 00:36:55,567 --> 00:36:56,934 until the 19th century. 641 00:37:00,166 --> 00:37:03,367 What intrigues archaeologists isn't just why they created 642 00:37:03,467 --> 00:37:05,734 the Moai, but how they prospered 643 00:37:05,734 --> 00:37:08,266 on this remote barren outcrop for so long. 644 00:37:11,166 --> 00:37:14,333 Easter Island is not a lush tropical island. 645 00:37:14,333 --> 00:37:16,233 It's dry and volcanic. 646 00:37:16,233 --> 00:37:18,133 But somehow, the indigenous people 647 00:37:18,133 --> 00:37:20,667 who lived here thrived for centuries. 648 00:37:23,467 --> 00:37:25,834 NARRATOR: At one stage, it's believed Easter Island 649 00:37:25,834 --> 00:37:28,100 supported up to 20,000 Rapa Nui, 650 00:37:30,767 --> 00:37:34,667 but aerial images reveal the 64-square-mile landmass 651 00:37:34,734 --> 00:37:37,600 has no rivers, streams, or permanent lakes. 652 00:37:40,133 --> 00:37:41,467 One of the questions has been, 653 00:37:41,467 --> 00:37:46,100 where did this ancient culture get its drinking water? 654 00:37:46,166 --> 00:37:47,834 How could they support a huge 655 00:37:47,834 --> 00:37:51,266 population with very limited water resources? 656 00:37:53,767 --> 00:37:56,166 NARRATOR: A bizarre clue comes from accounts written 657 00:37:56,266 --> 00:37:59,033 by European explorers in the 18th century. 658 00:38:00,767 --> 00:38:03,734 When the Europeans first arrived in the 1700s, 659 00:38:03,734 --> 00:38:06,734 they witnessed something completely baffling. 660 00:38:06,734 --> 00:38:11,834 They were amazed to observe that the Easter Islanders 661 00:38:11,834 --> 00:38:14,834 collected their water from the sea and drank it, 662 00:38:14,834 --> 00:38:18,567 and we all know that sea water is a terribly dangerous 663 00:38:18,667 --> 00:38:20,734 and toxic thing to drink. 664 00:38:21,767 --> 00:38:24,734 NARRATOR: Historians have long dismissed these accounts. 665 00:38:28,867 --> 00:38:32,734 But in June 2021, when researchers conduct 666 00:38:32,734 --> 00:38:36,367 infrared drone scans of the same coastal waters, 667 00:38:36,433 --> 00:38:38,567 they discover something strange. 668 00:38:39,667 --> 00:38:41,667 SALAITA: This is really weird. 669 00:38:41,734 --> 00:38:44,600 We would expect that the thermal imaging would show 670 00:38:44,667 --> 00:38:46,000 us that the ocean would be 671 00:38:46,066 --> 00:38:48,867 roughly the same temperature and therefore the same color, 672 00:38:48,967 --> 00:38:51,266 but what we're seeing is that in these inlets, 673 00:38:51,333 --> 00:38:53,433 it's substantially cooler than the ambient ocean. 674 00:38:53,433 --> 00:38:55,033 It doesn't make sense that 675 00:38:55,100 --> 00:38:57,867 the sea is just chilling in those places. 676 00:38:57,934 --> 00:39:00,467 Where is that cold water coming from? 677 00:39:03,967 --> 00:39:06,867 NARRATOR: Samples taken from the cooler blue patches of 678 00:39:06,934 --> 00:39:10,433 ocean revealed they contain pools of drinkable water, 679 00:39:13,367 --> 00:39:16,433 pools large enough to sustain thousands of people. 680 00:39:18,667 --> 00:39:22,233 The drone imagery has helped to answer the mystery 681 00:39:22,233 --> 00:39:25,867 of what the Europeans thought 682 00:39:25,934 --> 00:39:28,867 the ancient Easter Island people were doing, 683 00:39:28,934 --> 00:39:30,467 drinking salt water. 684 00:39:31,667 --> 00:39:34,734 NARRATOR: Geologists believe these pools of fresh water have 685 00:39:34,734 --> 00:39:38,667 been created by rare phenomena called freshwater seeps. 686 00:39:40,433 --> 00:39:43,500 The land that makes up this island is volcanic 687 00:39:43,567 --> 00:39:45,567 and porous rock, 688 00:39:45,667 --> 00:39:48,767 and what happens when the rainwater drips down, 689 00:39:48,867 --> 00:39:52,100 it seeps into this porous rock and slowly 690 00:39:52,166 --> 00:39:55,066 starts to bubble up right at the coastline where these 691 00:39:55,133 --> 00:39:56,600 people were able to drink it. 692 00:39:58,233 --> 00:40:00,266 These freshwater seeps were salty, 693 00:40:00,367 --> 00:40:01,567 but it was still drinkable. 694 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:08,967 NARRATOR: Around 22 million Olympic swimming pools 695 00:40:09,033 --> 00:40:11,266 of fresh water percolates through the island 696 00:40:11,367 --> 00:40:14,133 and into the inlets around the coast each year 697 00:40:16,467 --> 00:40:17,567 On an island where there are 698 00:40:17,567 --> 00:40:20,133 no permanent surface rivers or streams, 699 00:40:20,133 --> 00:40:23,266 this strange sort of quirk of the island was 700 00:40:23,367 --> 00:40:26,266 actually a godsend, because it kept these people alive. 701 00:40:29,767 --> 00:40:32,100 NARRATOR: What's more, when scientists study 702 00:40:32,166 --> 00:40:34,166 the location of the freshwater pools, 703 00:40:34,266 --> 00:40:36,233 they discover something extraordinary. 704 00:40:38,266 --> 00:40:40,867 These researchers found that there's even a correlation 705 00:40:40,934 --> 00:40:42,767 between freshwater sources 706 00:40:42,867 --> 00:40:46,266 and where the inhabitants placed the large Moai statues. 707 00:40:47,467 --> 00:40:50,166 NARRATOR: Studies found that all the Moai stand near 708 00:40:50,266 --> 00:40:53,000 freshwater sources, like those revealed 709 00:40:53,066 --> 00:40:54,500 by the infrared imaging. 710 00:40:56,600 --> 00:40:57,867 RUBEN: For centuries, 711 00:40:57,967 --> 00:41:00,667 visitors to this island have wondered what the giant statues 712 00:41:00,767 --> 00:41:04,834 are doing there, and now, it seems we may finally understand 713 00:41:04,834 --> 00:41:07,467 that perhaps they're guarding these sources of fresh water, 714 00:41:07,567 --> 00:41:09,867 or at least marking where they are. 715 00:41:11,934 --> 00:41:14,367 NARRATOR: During the 19th century, the Rapa Nui 716 00:41:14,433 --> 00:41:16,133 civilization collapses, 717 00:41:16,133 --> 00:41:18,266 and many of the Moai topple over. 718 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:24,266 Some speculate that these events could be linked to 719 00:41:24,333 --> 00:41:27,867 changes in the freshwater seeps revealed from the skies. 720 00:41:31,166 --> 00:41:33,367 The answer, like much of this island, 721 00:41:33,433 --> 00:41:35,367 remains shrouded in mystery. 722 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:41,266 Perhaps these seeping aquifers 723 00:41:41,367 --> 00:41:44,467 were unable to produce 724 00:41:44,467 --> 00:41:48,166 enough water to sustain the population. 725 00:41:50,767 --> 00:41:53,834 It's likely that the local inhabitants became angry 726 00:41:53,834 --> 00:41:57,133 at these ancestral gods and toppled these statues over.