1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,040 WILLIAM SHATNER: Massive structures that are visible from space. 2 00:00:05,005 --> 00:00:08,715 A vast kingdom built in the clouds. 3 00:00:08,884 --> 00:00:11,854 And sprawling stone cities 4 00:00:11,970 --> 00:00:15,270 precisely aligned with the stars. 5 00:00:16,725 --> 00:00:21,095 Scattered across the globe lie mysterious ruins 6 00:00:21,230 --> 00:00:24,400 that are buried in sand-swept deserts, 7 00:00:24,566 --> 00:00:27,276 perched atop towering mountains 8 00:00:27,444 --> 00:00:31,074 and shrouded under the cover of dense jungles. 9 00:00:31,198 --> 00:00:33,488 These ancient structures stand 10 00:00:33,617 --> 00:00:36,037 as ghostly landmarks from the past, 11 00:00:36,203 --> 00:00:38,833 their true history seemingly erased 12 00:00:38,956 --> 00:00:40,956 by the relentless march of time. 13 00:00:42,209 --> 00:00:46,459 Can modern archaeology unravel the enigma 14 00:00:46,588 --> 00:00:50,338 of how and why these wonders were built? 15 00:00:51,301 --> 00:00:54,221 Well, that is what we’ll try and find out. 16 00:00:54,346 --> 00:00:56,386 ♪ ♪ 17 00:01:11,822 --> 00:01:15,122 Titan II rockets lift the Gemini IV 18 00:01:15,284 --> 00:01:17,794 spacecraft into orbit. 19 00:01:17,911 --> 00:01:20,961 Astronauts James McDivitt and Edward White circle 20 00:01:21,123 --> 00:01:24,083 the Earth 62 times in four days, 21 00:01:24,209 --> 00:01:27,419 famously achieving the first-ever 22 00:01:27,546 --> 00:01:30,506 spacewalk by an American. 23 00:01:31,550 --> 00:01:33,090 As part of their mission, 24 00:01:33,218 --> 00:01:35,388 the astronauts take hundreds of photos 25 00:01:35,512 --> 00:01:39,142 that offer an unprecedented view of our planet. 26 00:01:40,183 --> 00:01:43,233 But one particular picture attracts attention 27 00:01:43,353 --> 00:01:47,193 because it shows a structure that looks like 28 00:01:47,316 --> 00:01:49,856 a massive eye 29 00:01:49,943 --> 00:01:53,743 sitting in the middle of the Sahara desert. 30 00:01:55,991 --> 00:01:57,701 KAREN BELLINGER: The astronauts spotted something 31 00:01:57,826 --> 00:02:02,826 that looked like an enormous, 30-mile-wide circular shape, 32 00:02:02,956 --> 00:02:04,496 which had a center 33 00:02:04,583 --> 00:02:08,713 surrounded by concentric rings of stone and sand. 34 00:02:10,047 --> 00:02:12,257 And it looked just like a giant eye 35 00:02:12,341 --> 00:02:13,971 from all the way up in space. 36 00:02:14,092 --> 00:02:17,472 Hence, it came to be known as the Eye of the Sahara. 37 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,470 SHATNER: More than 50 years after the Eye of the Sahara 38 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:25,100 was revealed to the world, it remains a fascinating enigma, 39 00:02:25,228 --> 00:02:27,728 and a striking sight to behold. 40 00:02:27,856 --> 00:02:31,356 Locals call it the "Qalb ar-Risat" 41 00:02:31,526 --> 00:02:33,526 or the "Richat Structure," 42 00:02:33,654 --> 00:02:35,784 and this unique formation 43 00:02:35,864 --> 00:02:39,624 has raised more questions than answers. 44 00:02:39,701 --> 00:02:43,251 JIMMY CORSETTI: The Richat Structure is located off the coast 45 00:02:43,372 --> 00:02:46,422 of northwest Africa in the middle of the Sahara Desert. 46 00:02:46,541 --> 00:02:49,501 This formation is considered to be a geological feature 47 00:02:49,628 --> 00:02:51,418 that is volcanic in nature. 48 00:02:51,505 --> 00:02:54,015 However, there is still scientific mystery to it. 49 00:02:55,008 --> 00:02:57,048 For example, what’s so wild about this site 50 00:02:57,177 --> 00:02:59,927 is its spectacular fashion of concentric circles 51 00:03:00,055 --> 00:03:01,855 which are total anomalies. 52 00:03:01,973 --> 00:03:05,273 The Richat Structure is truly one of a kind 53 00:03:05,394 --> 00:03:08,104 in that we don’t see anything like it anywhere else on Earth. 54 00:03:09,189 --> 00:03:12,279 SHATNER: While the Eye of the Sahara continues to puzzle experts, 55 00:03:12,442 --> 00:03:15,032 in recent years, a remarkable new theory 56 00:03:15,153 --> 00:03:18,163 about this mysterious structure has been presented. 57 00:03:18,323 --> 00:03:22,743 It’s believed that this location could have once been the site 58 00:03:22,869 --> 00:03:27,209 of a fabled island kingdom that has never been found: 59 00:03:27,332 --> 00:03:30,502 the legendary Lost City of Atlantis. 60 00:03:31,628 --> 00:03:33,418 ANDREW COLLINS: The story of Atlantis 61 00:03:33,505 --> 00:03:37,975 comes down to us from the Greek philosopher Plato. 62 00:03:39,261 --> 00:03:43,221 Plato describes Atlantis as a huge island, 63 00:03:43,348 --> 00:03:46,848 and he says that on this island 64 00:03:46,977 --> 00:03:50,357 was this incredibly advanced civilization. 65 00:03:51,440 --> 00:03:54,570 Atlantis had been founded by the gods themself. 66 00:03:54,693 --> 00:03:57,453 By Atlas, and before that, Poseidon. 67 00:03:57,571 --> 00:04:02,281 And it was ruled over by the descendants of these gods. 68 00:04:03,326 --> 00:04:06,076 TOK THOMPSON: Atlantis is a compelling mystery to us 69 00:04:06,246 --> 00:04:08,666 because it’s been a part of our western society 70 00:04:08,790 --> 00:04:12,630 for a long, long time and yet we’ve never found it. 71 00:04:12,753 --> 00:04:14,633 Now, recently, it’s been suggested that 72 00:04:14,755 --> 00:04:17,475 the Richat Structure, also known as the Eye of the Sahara, 73 00:04:17,591 --> 00:04:18,971 uh, might be a contender for this. 74 00:04:19,092 --> 00:04:20,682 Not many people normally 75 00:04:20,844 --> 00:04:22,604 locate Atlantis in the Sahara. 76 00:04:22,763 --> 00:04:25,273 Um, but that’s not as far-fetched as it might sound. 77 00:04:26,266 --> 00:04:27,426 When you think of the Saraha now, 78 00:04:27,559 --> 00:04:29,099 you think of just vast sand, 79 00:04:29,227 --> 00:04:31,807 but it used to be a very lush, green environment. 80 00:04:31,938 --> 00:04:34,018 CORSETTI: With recent scientific studies, 81 00:04:34,149 --> 00:04:36,189 we now know that the Sahara Desert was 82 00:04:36,318 --> 00:04:39,738 a tropical paradise up until 5,000 years ago. 83 00:04:39,821 --> 00:04:42,031 It had some of the largest network 84 00:04:42,157 --> 00:04:44,277 of rivers ever known to exist. 85 00:04:44,409 --> 00:04:46,999 It had the largest freshwater lake ever known to exist, 86 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:48,870 which is Mega Lake Chad. 87 00:04:48,997 --> 00:04:50,957 There is evidence of sea life. 88 00:04:51,124 --> 00:04:54,844 Mollusks have been found in and around the Richat Structure. 89 00:04:55,003 --> 00:04:57,423 There are massive salt deposits, 90 00:04:57,547 --> 00:05:00,007 which is evidence that the ocean had once settled 91 00:05:00,133 --> 00:05:01,763 and later evaporated there. 92 00:05:01,927 --> 00:05:04,887 So the Sahara Desert, as we see it today, 93 00:05:05,013 --> 00:05:06,643 and the area around the Richat Structure 94 00:05:06,807 --> 00:05:09,347 is simply not what it was in prehistoric times. 95 00:05:10,519 --> 00:05:13,099 SHATNER: Even if the Eye of the Sahara was surrounded by water 96 00:05:13,230 --> 00:05:16,820 in the ancient past, there are numerous locations 97 00:05:16,942 --> 00:05:19,942 that have been proposed as the site of Atlantis. 98 00:05:20,070 --> 00:05:23,780 So what makes this place such a compelling candidate? 99 00:05:23,907 --> 00:05:26,777 Many believe a clue can be found 100 00:05:26,910 --> 00:05:30,540 in Plato’s writings about Atlantis. 101 00:05:30,622 --> 00:05:33,752 THOMPSON: According to Plato, Atlantis was 102 00:05:33,875 --> 00:05:36,165 technologically advanced, it was well fortified. 103 00:05:36,294 --> 00:05:39,214 And it was a series of concentric rings, 104 00:05:39,339 --> 00:05:43,179 sort of a super island, a super state. 105 00:05:43,301 --> 00:05:46,551 Atlantis was said to be made up of concentric circles, 106 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:48,930 which matches what you see 107 00:05:49,057 --> 00:05:51,767 at the Eye of the Sahara precisely. 108 00:05:51,893 --> 00:05:55,613 This truly unique resemblance of concentric circles 109 00:05:55,730 --> 00:05:58,780 is a massive similarity that can’t be ignored. 110 00:05:58,900 --> 00:06:01,780 SHATNER: In addition to concentric rings, 111 00:06:01,862 --> 00:06:05,202 researchers have found many more striking similarities between 112 00:06:05,365 --> 00:06:09,985 the Eye of the Sahara and Plato’s description of Atlantis. 113 00:06:11,329 --> 00:06:14,419 CORSETTI: Atlantis was said to have an opening to the sea at the south. 114 00:06:14,541 --> 00:06:16,881 Which is also what you see at the Richat Structure. 115 00:06:18,086 --> 00:06:20,336 Anyone that looks at it from satellite imagery 116 00:06:20,422 --> 00:06:21,712 can see clear evidence 117 00:06:21,840 --> 00:06:24,550 that there is an opening at the south. 118 00:06:25,844 --> 00:06:27,854 And not only that, evidence of a drainage, 119 00:06:27,971 --> 00:06:30,011 that water had flowed right through it. 120 00:06:30,140 --> 00:06:31,930 But the similarities don’t end there. 121 00:06:32,058 --> 00:06:33,978 Atlantis was said to be made up of red, 122 00:06:34,102 --> 00:06:35,442 black and white color stone, 123 00:06:35,604 --> 00:06:37,984 which is another precise similarity 124 00:06:38,064 --> 00:06:40,274 you see at the Richat Structure. 125 00:06:41,276 --> 00:06:43,736 Atlantis was said to have mountains to the north. 126 00:06:43,862 --> 00:06:46,162 And it just so happens that there is a massive 127 00:06:46,323 --> 00:06:48,373 mountain chain to the north of the Richat Structure 128 00:06:48,491 --> 00:06:51,041 called the Atlas Mountains. 129 00:06:51,202 --> 00:06:53,292 Which just so happens to share the same exact name 130 00:06:53,413 --> 00:06:55,583 of the very first king of Atlantis. 131 00:06:55,707 --> 00:06:56,667 Atlas. 132 00:06:56,791 --> 00:06:59,341 SHATNER: The sheer number 133 00:06:59,461 --> 00:07:02,711 of similarities between Plato’s description 134 00:07:02,839 --> 00:07:05,339 and the Eye is compelling. 135 00:07:05,425 --> 00:07:07,925 But some believe that even more evidence lies 136 00:07:08,053 --> 00:07:10,563 not just in Greek texts 137 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:15,060 but also in a curious map from Ancient Rome. 138 00:07:15,143 --> 00:07:19,153 This map was created by the Romans’ very first geographer, 139 00:07:19,272 --> 00:07:20,982 whose name was Pomponius Mela. 140 00:07:21,107 --> 00:07:24,777 And what’s so interesting is that on Pomponius Mela’s map, 141 00:07:24,861 --> 00:07:27,201 in northwest Africa, 142 00:07:27,364 --> 00:07:31,124 it annotates Atlantis precisely in the same location 143 00:07:31,284 --> 00:07:33,414 that you would find the Richat Structure. 144 00:07:33,536 --> 00:07:35,286 And so the more that we research, 145 00:07:35,413 --> 00:07:36,963 the more information that comes to light, 146 00:07:37,123 --> 00:07:39,713 it suggests that the Eye of the Sahara is indeed 147 00:07:39,834 --> 00:07:41,674 the long-lost location for Atlantis. 148 00:07:42,671 --> 00:07:44,511 SHATNER: But if the Eye of the Sahara was really 149 00:07:44,631 --> 00:07:48,131 the site of Atlantis, then it begs the question 150 00:07:48,259 --> 00:07:51,469 what happened to the ruins of the city? 151 00:07:51,596 --> 00:07:53,556 Because no remnants of ancient buildings 152 00:07:53,723 --> 00:07:56,023 have ever been found at this location. 153 00:07:56,101 --> 00:07:59,601 Some believe the answer may lie in Plato’s account 154 00:07:59,729 --> 00:08:02,689 of the fall of Atlantis. 155 00:08:02,816 --> 00:08:08,066 Plato describes this amazing, sophisticated city. 156 00:08:08,196 --> 00:08:12,066 And yet the more they acquired, they were not satisfied. 157 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,240 They kept reaching, kept reaching, 158 00:08:14,369 --> 00:08:15,829 until, according to Plato, 159 00:08:15,954 --> 00:08:18,754 they incurred the wrath of the gods. 160 00:08:20,667 --> 00:08:25,547 COLLINS: The god Zeus decided that he would destroy Atlantis 161 00:08:25,672 --> 00:08:28,222 in one night and a day 162 00:08:28,341 --> 00:08:32,431 through earthquakes and floods. 163 00:08:32,554 --> 00:08:37,394 And Atlantis then sank beneath the waves 164 00:08:37,517 --> 00:08:39,437 somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean. 165 00:08:39,602 --> 00:08:42,482 What’s interesting is that the Eye of the Sahara 166 00:08:42,647 --> 00:08:45,857 is approximately 250 miles inland off the Atlantic Coast. 167 00:08:45,942 --> 00:08:48,322 And what’s so fascinating is that when you look at it 168 00:08:48,486 --> 00:08:50,356 from space, you can see clear evidence 169 00:08:50,488 --> 00:08:52,868 of catastrophic water erosion, 170 00:08:52,991 --> 00:08:55,581 these massive striations that anyone can see. 171 00:08:55,702 --> 00:08:58,912 This shows that a force of water that goes far beyond 172 00:08:59,039 --> 00:09:00,749 anything we ever thought was possible 173 00:09:00,874 --> 00:09:03,214 bulldozed right over the Eye of the Sahara, 174 00:09:03,334 --> 00:09:05,134 going from east to west 175 00:09:05,253 --> 00:09:07,093 to the Atlantic Ocean, 176 00:09:07,213 --> 00:09:08,923 which matches that Atlantis was said 177 00:09:09,049 --> 00:09:12,009 to have been destroyed in a cataclysmic water event. 178 00:09:12,135 --> 00:09:15,185 So, if the ruins of Atlantis were to be found, 179 00:09:15,263 --> 00:09:18,183 it’s going to be off the Atlantic coast. 180 00:09:18,308 --> 00:09:21,808 If Atlantis was a real thing, if we perhaps discover it someday-- 181 00:09:21,936 --> 00:09:24,766 which we may, of course-- we could learn a lot from that. 182 00:09:24,898 --> 00:09:28,478 It would change our, uh, knowledge about the past. 183 00:09:28,610 --> 00:09:32,150 The story of Atlantis, this Sahara civilization, 184 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:36,740 could be almost an origin story for human civilization. 185 00:09:36,868 --> 00:09:38,578 Certainly in that part of the world. 186 00:09:39,621 --> 00:09:43,001 SHATNER: The striking aerial view of the Eye of the Sahara 187 00:09:43,166 --> 00:09:47,126 continues to evoke Plato’s description of the fabled city, 188 00:09:47,253 --> 00:09:50,173 and inspires further investigation. 189 00:09:50,298 --> 00:09:53,468 But in Southern Peru, 190 00:09:53,593 --> 00:09:55,473 there’s another mysterious structure 191 00:09:55,595 --> 00:09:59,175 that can only be properly appreciated from the sky, 192 00:09:59,307 --> 00:10:01,637 because it was built 193 00:10:01,768 --> 00:10:05,688 nearly 8,000 feet above sea level. 194 00:10:13,446 --> 00:10:16,616 SHATNER: Perched precariously on a mountaintop 195 00:10:16,741 --> 00:10:19,291 nearly 8,000 feet above sea level 196 00:10:19,410 --> 00:10:22,000 lies an ancient city that looks like 197 00:10:22,163 --> 00:10:23,793 it’s floating in the clouds. 198 00:10:23,915 --> 00:10:26,925 Built around 1450 AD, 199 00:10:27,001 --> 00:10:29,131 this curious engineering marvel 200 00:10:29,254 --> 00:10:31,514 stands as the crowning achievement 201 00:10:31,673 --> 00:10:33,343 of the Inca Empire, 202 00:10:33,424 --> 00:10:37,144 and is known as Machu Picchu. 203 00:10:38,680 --> 00:10:41,180 Machu Picchu is a technological marvel. 204 00:10:41,307 --> 00:10:43,927 For one thing, it’s a fairly good-sized city, 205 00:10:44,018 --> 00:10:47,188 and it was built at an incredibly high elevation. 206 00:10:48,273 --> 00:10:49,863 And it’s sculpted into the mountains. 207 00:10:50,024 --> 00:10:52,194 It takes a bit of time to even get up there. 208 00:10:52,318 --> 00:10:54,698 EDWIN BARNHART: The moment you walk in, you think to yourself, 209 00:10:54,863 --> 00:10:57,783 "How did anyone build this 210 00:10:57,866 --> 00:11:00,786 on top of sheer cliffs?" 211 00:11:00,869 --> 00:11:03,539 It’s a perilous journey. 212 00:11:03,663 --> 00:11:06,373 The mountainside is straight up and down. 213 00:11:06,541 --> 00:11:09,961 And so, after climbing up to this huge height, 214 00:11:10,128 --> 00:11:12,548 you see that the buildings themselves 215 00:11:12,714 --> 00:11:15,384 seem to blend into the landscape. 216 00:11:15,550 --> 00:11:19,550 As an archaeologist who has worked on sites 217 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:21,889 around the world and seen incredible 218 00:11:22,056 --> 00:11:23,556 engineering achievements, 219 00:11:23,725 --> 00:11:26,395 Machu Picchu kind of blows it all away. 220 00:11:27,478 --> 00:11:30,688 We’re talking massive, multi-ton stones 221 00:11:30,815 --> 00:11:33,225 shaped and moved into place 222 00:11:33,401 --> 00:11:35,741 and they fit together perfectly. 223 00:11:35,862 --> 00:11:40,072 And this mountain site somehow was transformed 224 00:11:40,200 --> 00:11:43,200 into an enduring city 225 00:11:43,369 --> 00:11:47,079 and survives 500 years later in 226 00:11:47,248 --> 00:11:49,418 absolutely perfect condition. 227 00:11:49,584 --> 00:11:53,424 SHATNER: Perhaps the greatest mystery of Machu Picchu 228 00:11:53,546 --> 00:11:56,836 is why did the ancient Incas choose 229 00:11:57,008 --> 00:11:59,008 to build a sprawling city 230 00:11:59,093 --> 00:12:03,263 in such an inaccessible mountain location? 231 00:12:03,389 --> 00:12:07,269 HYLAND: The Incas had an incredibly sophisticated culture. 232 00:12:07,393 --> 00:12:10,443 We know that in the Inca Empire, when a building was built, 233 00:12:10,563 --> 00:12:13,733 it had to be made strong in the spiritual world 234 00:12:13,858 --> 00:12:16,108 as well as in the physical world. 235 00:12:17,362 --> 00:12:21,452 As you walk through, you can see how the Inca artists 236 00:12:21,574 --> 00:12:24,204 echoed the shapes of all the mountains 237 00:12:24,369 --> 00:12:26,619 in the construction of Machu Picchu, 238 00:12:26,746 --> 00:12:29,076 in honor of the mountain gods around it. 239 00:12:29,249 --> 00:12:31,289 On the other hand, just saying that 240 00:12:31,459 --> 00:12:33,459 only tells us a little bit. 241 00:12:33,586 --> 00:12:35,586 There is still a huge amount of mystery 242 00:12:35,713 --> 00:12:37,423 about what Machu Picchu was for. 243 00:12:38,424 --> 00:12:41,434 SHATNER: Some believe that Machu Picchu’s true purpose may be connected 244 00:12:41,552 --> 00:12:44,222 to the great ruler who ordered its construction, 245 00:12:44,305 --> 00:12:46,805 Emperor Pachacuti. 246 00:12:46,933 --> 00:12:51,273 Machu Picchu was built by the Emperor Pachacuti, 247 00:12:51,396 --> 00:12:53,976 who’s known as really the founder 248 00:12:54,065 --> 00:12:57,285 of the imperial phase of the Inca state. 249 00:12:57,402 --> 00:13:00,452 One thing to remember is that in the Inca Empire, 250 00:13:00,571 --> 00:13:02,621 the emperors con-- were considered divine. 251 00:13:02,740 --> 00:13:04,410 They were considered like gods. 252 00:13:05,493 --> 00:13:09,163 And when an emperor died, his body was mummified. 253 00:13:09,330 --> 00:13:12,420 And it was treated as if he was still alive, 254 00:13:12,500 --> 00:13:15,500 so that their worship could continue. 255 00:13:16,587 --> 00:13:19,167 And so after Pachacuti’s death, 256 00:13:19,340 --> 00:13:22,760 his family would still go and use Machu Picchu. 257 00:13:22,927 --> 00:13:25,257 And we believe that when they did so, 258 00:13:25,346 --> 00:13:28,966 they brought the mummified body of the emperor with them. 259 00:13:30,184 --> 00:13:33,484 SHATNER: Did Emperor Pachacuti build Machu Picchu 260 00:13:33,646 --> 00:13:35,686 to be a sacred site in the mountains, 261 00:13:35,857 --> 00:13:38,777 where his mummy could rest for all eternity? 262 00:13:38,860 --> 00:13:41,450 It seems like a reasonable theory, 263 00:13:41,529 --> 00:13:43,859 but there’s just one problem. 264 00:13:44,032 --> 00:13:48,162 Pachacuti’s remains have never been found. 265 00:13:49,370 --> 00:13:51,790 However, in recent years, 266 00:13:51,873 --> 00:13:54,713 some have suggested that the emperor’s mummy 267 00:13:54,834 --> 00:13:58,054 may be hidden in a secret chamber 268 00:13:58,171 --> 00:14:00,211 at Machu Picchu. 269 00:14:02,050 --> 00:14:05,050 In 2010, a French engineer by the name 270 00:14:05,178 --> 00:14:06,968 of David Crespy 271 00:14:07,055 --> 00:14:09,975 was doing some measuring work 272 00:14:10,058 --> 00:14:13,018 within the city of Machu Picchu. 273 00:14:14,020 --> 00:14:17,020 And he noticed what was quite clearly 274 00:14:17,065 --> 00:14:19,535 a doorway, blocked up by stones. 275 00:14:19,650 --> 00:14:22,240 And it clearly was blocking the entrance 276 00:14:22,403 --> 00:14:24,703 into some kind of chamber. 277 00:14:25,656 --> 00:14:28,736 He reported it immediately to the authorities 278 00:14:28,910 --> 00:14:32,330 and people have suggested that this might well be 279 00:14:32,413 --> 00:14:34,583 the entrance into some kind of tomb. 280 00:14:34,749 --> 00:14:38,749 We could be looking at a royal burial. 281 00:14:38,920 --> 00:14:42,720 So is it the tomb of Pachacuti? 282 00:14:44,175 --> 00:14:46,895 Now, they did more tests and more scans, 283 00:14:47,011 --> 00:14:49,721 and they found what appeared to be gold-lined steps 284 00:14:49,889 --> 00:14:52,429 going down into this area. 285 00:14:53,434 --> 00:14:55,734 They wanted to push forward and excavate this, 286 00:14:55,853 --> 00:14:58,063 because this would have been, without a doubt, 287 00:14:58,189 --> 00:15:01,109 the most important discovery ever found at Machu Picchu. 288 00:15:01,234 --> 00:15:03,194 But then, apparently, 289 00:15:03,277 --> 00:15:05,107 the Peruvian government have kind of put a block on it 290 00:15:05,238 --> 00:15:07,408 and stopped the progression of this. 291 00:15:07,532 --> 00:15:10,122 Because they were concerned if it was dug into, 292 00:15:10,243 --> 00:15:11,453 it may collapse. 293 00:15:11,619 --> 00:15:14,459 SHATNER: Are Pachacuti’s mummified remains, 294 00:15:14,622 --> 00:15:17,422 and with them, the secrets of Machu Picchu, 295 00:15:17,542 --> 00:15:19,132 concealed in this chamber? 296 00:15:19,252 --> 00:15:22,632 For now, the answers may lie behind a stone wall. 297 00:15:24,799 --> 00:15:26,469 But perhaps there’s another way 298 00:15:26,634 --> 00:15:29,394 to solve the mysteries of Machu Picchu. 299 00:15:29,470 --> 00:15:33,640 Although the Inca did not leave behind any written records, 300 00:15:33,808 --> 00:15:35,978 they did encode information 301 00:15:36,144 --> 00:15:40,984 in strange threads that are known as quipus. 302 00:15:41,065 --> 00:15:45,105 HYLAND: Quipus are twisted cords that redefine what writing is, 303 00:15:45,236 --> 00:15:48,736 because some of them are incredibly complex 304 00:15:48,823 --> 00:15:51,953 with hundreds of pendants, dozens of colors, 305 00:15:52,076 --> 00:15:54,786 and they have knots that represented words, 306 00:15:54,912 --> 00:15:58,502 and they were read syllable by syllable. 307 00:15:58,624 --> 00:16:00,674 If you’re in an empire, like the Incas, 308 00:16:00,793 --> 00:16:04,343 where people spoke many, many, many different languages, 309 00:16:04,464 --> 00:16:08,094 if you have a writing system or a communication system 310 00:16:08,176 --> 00:16:13,846 that is not tied to speech, but uses symbols, uses ideas, 311 00:16:14,015 --> 00:16:16,645 then people who speak different languages 312 00:16:16,809 --> 00:16:19,309 can come together and understand those records. 313 00:16:20,354 --> 00:16:22,314 Now, what’s really mysterious 314 00:16:22,440 --> 00:16:25,110 is that there were narrative quipus. 315 00:16:25,193 --> 00:16:29,203 And, supposedly, these narrative quipus had biographies. 316 00:16:29,322 --> 00:16:32,122 They had poems. They had histories. 317 00:16:32,200 --> 00:16:33,780 They served as letters. 318 00:16:33,868 --> 00:16:35,698 The Incas would have used quipus 319 00:16:35,828 --> 00:16:37,658 during the construction of Machu Picchu. 320 00:16:37,788 --> 00:16:39,868 If we could decipher them, 321 00:16:39,999 --> 00:16:43,379 quipus could give us insights into that whole process. 322 00:16:43,503 --> 00:16:46,883 That could really unlock the mysteries of the Incas for us. 323 00:16:48,841 --> 00:16:53,891 Could untangling messages encoded in intricate rope knots 324 00:16:54,055 --> 00:16:57,355 reveal the true purpose of Machu Picchu? 325 00:16:57,475 --> 00:16:59,065 For now, the quest for answers 326 00:16:59,185 --> 00:17:01,855 about this mountain kingdom continues. 327 00:17:02,980 --> 00:17:05,320 But there’s a Native American structure 328 00:17:05,399 --> 00:17:07,569 that stands in New Mexico 329 00:17:07,693 --> 00:17:11,203 which experts believe may be even more baffling. 330 00:17:11,322 --> 00:17:13,412 Because its secrets 331 00:17:13,533 --> 00:17:17,373 were written in the stars. 332 00:17:20,915 --> 00:17:24,545 SHATNER: In the stifling deserts of northwest New Mexico 333 00:17:24,669 --> 00:17:29,969 lies a ten-mile-long rugged expanse called Chaco Canyon. 334 00:17:30,091 --> 00:17:33,091 The landscape consists of high mesas, 335 00:17:33,219 --> 00:17:36,599 sandstone cliffs and arid flatlands, 336 00:17:36,722 --> 00:17:39,932 giving the impression that humans would never 337 00:17:40,059 --> 00:17:42,479 inhabit this remote area. 338 00:17:42,645 --> 00:17:46,985 Which is why it’s so surprising that within this desert 339 00:17:47,108 --> 00:17:51,898 lie the ruins of what was once an ancient Native American city 340 00:17:52,029 --> 00:17:56,369 that was centered in the heart of Chaco Canyon. 341 00:17:58,911 --> 00:18:02,461 Chaco Canyon is considered a marvel 342 00:18:02,582 --> 00:18:03,622 of engineering 343 00:18:03,749 --> 00:18:05,129 because it’s a desert landscape. 344 00:18:05,251 --> 00:18:09,171 It’s a pretty, uh, secluded location. 345 00:18:09,297 --> 00:18:12,587 Materials had to come from a long way off. 346 00:18:12,717 --> 00:18:15,547 We really don’t know why they decided to build there. 347 00:18:16,554 --> 00:18:20,224 The time period for the occupation of Chaco Canyon 348 00:18:20,308 --> 00:18:22,888 starts around 500 AD. 349 00:18:23,019 --> 00:18:25,349 And it goes all the way up to... 350 00:18:25,479 --> 00:18:28,109 we’re told, 1070 AD, 351 00:18:28,232 --> 00:18:32,532 and Chaco Canyon is one of the largest structures 352 00:18:32,653 --> 00:18:36,123 of the ancient people that were put on the planet. 353 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:38,620 BELLINGER: The builders of Chaco Canyon 354 00:18:38,743 --> 00:18:41,043 were the Ancestral Puebloans, 355 00:18:41,162 --> 00:18:44,042 a prehistoric Native American group 356 00:18:44,206 --> 00:18:48,086 centered around the southwestern United States. 357 00:18:48,210 --> 00:18:50,630 Unlike many of their Native American neighbors, 358 00:18:50,755 --> 00:18:53,805 who maintained a traditional, nomadic lifestyle, 359 00:18:53,966 --> 00:18:57,466 the Pueblo people built 360 00:18:57,595 --> 00:19:01,935 an astonishing, quasi-urban settlement 361 00:19:02,058 --> 00:19:04,348 centered around Chaco Canyon 362 00:19:04,477 --> 00:19:07,267 in a set of 75 or more sites 363 00:19:07,396 --> 00:19:10,976 housing up to 5,000 people. 364 00:19:11,067 --> 00:19:13,607 So why choose 365 00:19:13,736 --> 00:19:15,856 this location so specifically? 366 00:19:16,864 --> 00:19:19,784 SHATNER: It’s hard to imagine why the Ancient Puebloans 367 00:19:19,867 --> 00:19:23,907 decided to build a grand city in the middle of the desert. 368 00:19:24,914 --> 00:19:27,464 But some believe that a clue lies in the fact 369 00:19:27,583 --> 00:19:30,093 that the structures in Chaco Canyon 370 00:19:30,211 --> 00:19:34,051 were painstakingly and perfectly oriented 371 00:19:34,173 --> 00:19:36,763 with the cosmos. 372 00:19:36,926 --> 00:19:39,926 The celestial alignments at Chaco Canyon 373 00:19:40,054 --> 00:19:41,814 are absolutely amazing. 374 00:19:41,931 --> 00:19:44,981 These guys built structures 375 00:19:45,101 --> 00:19:47,981 aligned with the stars. 376 00:19:49,397 --> 00:19:51,607 With the Sun and the Moon. 377 00:19:51,732 --> 00:19:54,532 And we don’t understand a lot of it. 378 00:19:54,652 --> 00:19:57,862 But that tells me that there was 379 00:19:57,947 --> 00:20:01,617 a very religious significance to these structures. 380 00:20:02,702 --> 00:20:05,082 SHATNER: Was Chaco Canyon built in a harsh desert 381 00:20:05,246 --> 00:20:08,786 for spiritual, instead of pragmatic, reasons? 382 00:20:08,916 --> 00:20:11,376 It’s a fascinating theory, 383 00:20:11,502 --> 00:20:14,592 but perhaps the bigger mystery of this ancient city 384 00:20:14,714 --> 00:20:18,304 is not why it was built but rather... 385 00:20:18,384 --> 00:20:20,474 why it was abandoned. 386 00:20:20,594 --> 00:20:22,894 Because in the 12th century AD, 387 00:20:23,013 --> 00:20:27,683 the people of Chaco Canyon just disappeared. 388 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,230 THOMPSON: This whole area of the Ancestral Pueblo groups 389 00:20:32,356 --> 00:20:34,896 had grown into these great big structures, 390 00:20:34,984 --> 00:20:38,704 and yet, suddenly, they are all abandoned. 391 00:20:38,821 --> 00:20:40,661 And this happened very, very quickly. 392 00:20:40,781 --> 00:20:42,201 A big question is why? 393 00:20:42,366 --> 00:20:44,946 Uh, we don’t know, but whatever it was, 394 00:20:45,077 --> 00:20:47,697 it was dramatic, it was drastic-- 395 00:20:47,830 --> 00:20:49,830 in some cases, almost overnight. 396 00:20:50,833 --> 00:20:53,463 People sort of leaving meals and getting out. 397 00:20:53,544 --> 00:20:56,844 And so we know that the great city-state was abandoned, 398 00:20:57,006 --> 00:20:59,586 but what we do not have is sort of a written record 399 00:20:59,717 --> 00:21:01,967 of what these people were thinking or believing. 400 00:21:02,970 --> 00:21:06,220 COLLINS: What happened to the inhabitants of Chaco Canyon? 401 00:21:06,307 --> 00:21:09,977 Well, we know they left behind some incredible monuments, 402 00:21:10,102 --> 00:21:13,482 but what we also know is that this same area 403 00:21:13,647 --> 00:21:16,937 is absolutely steeped in paranormal phenomena. 404 00:21:17,985 --> 00:21:20,735 Mysterious lights have been seen there. 405 00:21:20,863 --> 00:21:25,203 Other types of electromagnetic energy have been reported. 406 00:21:25,367 --> 00:21:28,617 And is it possible, therefore, 407 00:21:28,704 --> 00:21:31,044 that these energies are something 408 00:21:31,207 --> 00:21:34,577 that the Chaco Canyon people actually experienced? 409 00:21:34,710 --> 00:21:37,420 SHATNER: Was the abandonment of Chaco Canyon 410 00:21:37,505 --> 00:21:40,515 somehow connected to paranormal phenomena? 411 00:21:40,633 --> 00:21:42,553 It may sound farfetched to some. 412 00:21:42,676 --> 00:21:44,506 But according to former 413 00:21:44,637 --> 00:21:47,257 U.S. Special Operations Officer David Morehouse, 414 00:21:47,389 --> 00:21:51,349 the government actually studied bizarre anomalies 415 00:21:51,477 --> 00:21:55,057 in Chaco Canyon during the 1980s. 416 00:21:55,147 --> 00:21:58,687 I was the only Special Operations Combat Arms Officer 417 00:21:58,818 --> 00:22:02,568 ever assigned to a CIA, DIA, 418 00:22:02,696 --> 00:22:04,486 Director of Science and Technology 419 00:22:04,615 --> 00:22:06,245 Special Access Program. 420 00:22:07,284 --> 00:22:09,834 It was code-named Sun Streak. 421 00:22:09,954 --> 00:22:14,464 The United States government orchestrated the program in 1987 422 00:22:14,583 --> 00:22:17,713 to investigate the source of anomalous phenomena 423 00:22:17,837 --> 00:22:20,257 which was ascending and descending 424 00:22:20,381 --> 00:22:22,341 over the Chaco Canyon area. 425 00:22:22,424 --> 00:22:26,684 So we decided to keep a vigil over the night sky. 426 00:22:26,846 --> 00:22:31,056 And one night, at exactly 0100 in the morning, 427 00:22:31,183 --> 00:22:34,233 directly above Pueblo Alto, 428 00:22:34,353 --> 00:22:37,483 something was happening in the night sky. 429 00:22:38,440 --> 00:22:43,110 It was like looking at the translucent surface of water. 430 00:22:44,613 --> 00:22:48,203 But hanging in the sky in an oval shape. 431 00:22:48,367 --> 00:22:52,327 It seemed to bend the light of the stars behind it. 432 00:22:52,454 --> 00:22:55,254 And then, after a short time, 433 00:22:55,374 --> 00:22:58,924 approximately 18 to 20 minutes... 434 00:22:59,086 --> 00:23:01,416 it was just gone. 435 00:23:01,505 --> 00:23:03,665 Chattering amongst ourselves, uh, 436 00:23:03,799 --> 00:23:05,719 about what we just witnessed, 437 00:23:05,885 --> 00:23:09,145 we described this as opening and closing. 438 00:23:09,263 --> 00:23:11,263 And perhaps that is a jump 439 00:23:11,390 --> 00:23:13,810 well outside any scientific reasoning. 440 00:23:13,934 --> 00:23:16,814 But it is simply how it felt and looked to us. 441 00:23:16,937 --> 00:23:21,187 That doesn’t happen without something unexplained 442 00:23:21,317 --> 00:23:22,937 facilitating the event. 443 00:23:23,068 --> 00:23:26,528 We called it a portal or a vortex, uh, that very night. 444 00:23:26,655 --> 00:23:30,235 SHATNER: Could there really be a portal in Chaco Canyon, 445 00:23:30,409 --> 00:23:32,039 as David Morehouse claims? 446 00:23:33,162 --> 00:23:35,502 And if so, might that explain why 447 00:23:35,623 --> 00:23:39,293 the inhabitants of this desert city mysteriously vanished? 448 00:23:39,418 --> 00:23:42,628 Perhaps further clues can be found by examining 449 00:23:42,755 --> 00:23:47,055 a curious rock carving in Chaco Canyon. 450 00:23:48,052 --> 00:23:52,312 DOVER: In Chaco Canyon, there’s a place called Fajada Butte. 451 00:23:52,431 --> 00:23:55,681 The butte rises almost like a monolith 452 00:23:55,809 --> 00:23:57,979 out of the desert landscape. 453 00:23:58,103 --> 00:24:00,193 And near the top of this butte 454 00:24:00,314 --> 00:24:02,984 is a petroglyph 455 00:24:03,067 --> 00:24:05,487 that’s carved into the rock. 456 00:24:05,611 --> 00:24:08,611 And this petroglyph’s actually quite large. 457 00:24:08,739 --> 00:24:11,659 It’s a circular spiral. 458 00:24:11,784 --> 00:24:15,874 The spiral itself, actually, is a sign of migration 459 00:24:15,996 --> 00:24:18,366 into a different dimension. 460 00:24:18,499 --> 00:24:20,629 So, we’re thinking that that could be 461 00:24:20,751 --> 00:24:24,421 re-interpreted as, uh, a portal, also. 462 00:24:25,506 --> 00:24:28,086 It’s very possible that the builders 463 00:24:28,217 --> 00:24:30,087 of Chaco Canyon may have traveled 464 00:24:30,219 --> 00:24:32,969 through a portal to a different dimension. 465 00:24:33,097 --> 00:24:35,717 Because they disappeared mysteriously. 466 00:24:35,849 --> 00:24:39,439 MOREHOUSE: There was something unique about this place, 467 00:24:39,561 --> 00:24:43,401 and there had to be some sort of an interaction with something. 468 00:24:43,565 --> 00:24:46,525 Enough to draw an entire civilization of people there. 469 00:24:46,652 --> 00:24:51,742 Enough to cause these people to draw spirals into rocks. 470 00:24:51,824 --> 00:24:56,374 Based on my observations, my interpretation is that 471 00:24:56,495 --> 00:24:58,535 a portal exists in Chaco Canyon. 472 00:25:01,291 --> 00:25:05,881 Is there an inter-dimensional portal at Chaco Canyon? 473 00:25:06,046 --> 00:25:09,126 To understand both the site’s mysterious origins 474 00:25:09,258 --> 00:25:12,838 and strange modern-day phenomena, 475 00:25:12,970 --> 00:25:16,520 we still need to dig deeper for the truth. 476 00:25:17,516 --> 00:25:19,016 And the same could be said 477 00:25:19,143 --> 00:25:21,103 about a structure in the jungles of Indonesia 478 00:25:21,186 --> 00:25:23,436 that looks like an ordinary mountain peak, 479 00:25:23,605 --> 00:25:26,315 but is actually... 480 00:25:26,442 --> 00:25:29,152 the ruins of a giant pyramid. 481 00:25:34,700 --> 00:25:37,740 SHATNER: In the countryside of this lush, tropical island 482 00:25:37,911 --> 00:25:40,541 located in the Indian Ocean, 483 00:25:40,664 --> 00:25:43,004 lies a mountain that, from a distance, 484 00:25:43,083 --> 00:25:45,753 looks no different from any other peak in the region. 485 00:25:45,919 --> 00:25:49,879 But close examination of the mountaintop reveals 486 00:25:50,049 --> 00:25:53,429 a series of ancient stone terraces 487 00:25:53,594 --> 00:25:58,104 that are littered with thousands of megalithic blocks. 488 00:25:58,265 --> 00:26:00,595 This intriguing site 489 00:26:00,768 --> 00:26:03,938 is known as Gunung Padang. 490 00:26:06,106 --> 00:26:08,936 Gunung Padang has all these remarkable 491 00:26:09,026 --> 00:26:11,566 kind of hexagonal basalt columns 492 00:26:11,695 --> 00:26:13,775 as part of the entire construction. 493 00:26:13,906 --> 00:26:16,066 Hundreds of thousands of them, in fact. 494 00:26:17,076 --> 00:26:19,116 Each of the stones, they weigh up to about 495 00:26:19,244 --> 00:26:21,124 a third of a ton each. 496 00:26:21,288 --> 00:26:23,958 They make up the foundation, and they’re also placed 497 00:26:24,124 --> 00:26:27,134 in certain configurations at the top. 498 00:26:27,294 --> 00:26:30,964 There’s something very powerful about this place. 499 00:26:31,131 --> 00:26:33,131 It was only really rediscovered 500 00:26:33,258 --> 00:26:36,468 by farmers over the last few decades. 501 00:26:36,637 --> 00:26:38,717 It’s almost untouched. 502 00:26:38,889 --> 00:26:42,269 It’s like it hasn’t been known about for thousands of years. 503 00:26:42,392 --> 00:26:45,312 It makes you wonder who could have done this and when. 504 00:26:45,437 --> 00:26:47,727 SHATNER: The thousands of stone blocks 505 00:26:47,815 --> 00:26:51,995 strewn atop Gunung Padang are a perplexing sight. 506 00:26:52,111 --> 00:26:54,991 It’s hard to imagine what structure 507 00:26:55,155 --> 00:26:58,235 they could have been part of, or what purpose they served. 508 00:26:58,408 --> 00:27:01,238 And the origin of these curious ruins 509 00:27:01,411 --> 00:27:04,001 has long been shrouded in mystery. 510 00:27:04,957 --> 00:27:09,287 But in 2013, archaeologists excavating the mountain 511 00:27:09,419 --> 00:27:13,009 discovered that the truth about this mysterious site 512 00:27:13,173 --> 00:27:17,303 is hidden beneath layers of dirt and rubble. 513 00:27:18,929 --> 00:27:23,679 COLLINS: A team of experts did drilling, they did radar surveys, 514 00:27:23,851 --> 00:27:27,021 and they did radiocarbon testing. 515 00:27:27,146 --> 00:27:30,936 And what this revealed is that beneath the site 516 00:27:31,024 --> 00:27:34,114 that is visible today, which includes a number of 517 00:27:34,194 --> 00:27:36,994 incredible stone settings and rock mounds, 518 00:27:37,114 --> 00:27:39,534 is something even more incredible. 519 00:27:39,700 --> 00:27:42,660 We now know that this site 520 00:27:42,786 --> 00:27:46,206 does actually conceal beneath it 521 00:27:46,373 --> 00:27:48,543 a massive pyramid complex. 522 00:27:50,043 --> 00:27:53,343 NEWMAN: Gunung Padang is really like a step pyramid 523 00:27:53,463 --> 00:27:56,053 buried in stone and earth. 524 00:27:56,175 --> 00:27:59,725 The evidence suggests this is extremely ancient 525 00:27:59,887 --> 00:28:02,557 and it’s a very, very important place. 526 00:28:02,681 --> 00:28:05,811 The revelation that Gunung Padang is actually 527 00:28:05,893 --> 00:28:10,193 the ruins of a massive pyramid made headlines around the world. 528 00:28:11,190 --> 00:28:13,820 And in recent years, further investigation 529 00:28:13,901 --> 00:28:17,741 of the site has been led by geologist Danny Hilman. 530 00:28:17,863 --> 00:28:20,033 Danny and his team believe 531 00:28:20,157 --> 00:28:23,867 they have uncovered evidence of a hidden chamber. 532 00:29:13,210 --> 00:29:15,300 SHATNER: The discovery of numerous chambers 533 00:29:15,462 --> 00:29:16,632 buried underground 534 00:29:16,755 --> 00:29:19,915 has added to the mystery of Gunung Padang. 535 00:29:20,092 --> 00:29:22,472 But the most significant discovery so far 536 00:29:22,594 --> 00:29:25,474 is that this structure might be 537 00:29:25,639 --> 00:29:29,099 the oldest pyramid ever built. 538 00:29:47,244 --> 00:29:50,964 SHATNER: Ancient Egypt’s Pyramid of Djoser has long been 539 00:29:51,081 --> 00:29:53,671 considered the world’s oldest pyramid. 540 00:29:53,834 --> 00:29:56,844 But based on Danny Hilman’s research, 541 00:29:57,004 --> 00:29:59,464 Gunung Padang’s buried pyramid 542 00:29:59,506 --> 00:30:05,086 could be 10,000 or even 20,000 years older. 543 00:30:05,178 --> 00:30:10,018 If Gunung Padang is a 20,000-year-old pyramid, 544 00:30:10,183 --> 00:30:15,023 it would place an hitherto undiscovered culture 545 00:30:15,147 --> 00:30:16,977 at the heart of Indonesia. 546 00:30:17,024 --> 00:30:20,034 And it would completely disrupt our understanding 547 00:30:20,110 --> 00:30:23,030 of the evolution of human technology around the world. 548 00:30:49,222 --> 00:30:53,142 If Gunung Padang was really built 20,000 years ago, 549 00:30:53,226 --> 00:30:57,856 then our ancestors were far more advanced than we commonly think. 550 00:30:57,981 --> 00:31:02,241 And further evidence of surprising ancient technology 551 00:31:02,361 --> 00:31:05,241 can be found at a mysterious temple complex 552 00:31:05,364 --> 00:31:08,324 in Bolivia called Puma Punku. 553 00:31:08,492 --> 00:31:11,742 The site contains stone blocks 554 00:31:11,912 --> 00:31:13,752 that were carved so precisely 555 00:31:13,830 --> 00:31:17,750 some believe they were cut not by man but rather... 556 00:31:17,918 --> 00:31:28,258 by machine. 557 00:31:28,261 --> 00:31:32,101 SHATNER: Spanish explorer Pedro Cieza de Leon leads 558 00:31:32,265 --> 00:31:35,935 a group of conquistadors through the Andes mountains 559 00:31:36,103 --> 00:31:41,023 when he stumbles upon the ruins of a vast, abandoned city. 560 00:31:41,108 --> 00:31:44,108 The astonishing site contains numerous temples 561 00:31:44,277 --> 00:31:46,027 made out of massive stones. 562 00:31:46,113 --> 00:31:50,283 Though its builders disappeared long before the Spanish arrived, 563 00:31:50,450 --> 00:31:55,120 locals call the city Tiahuanaco. 564 00:31:55,288 --> 00:31:59,458 BELLINGER: Tiahuanaco is an elaborate example of skill in stonework. 565 00:31:59,584 --> 00:32:02,714 Spanish conquistadors, in their chronicles, 566 00:32:02,796 --> 00:32:05,296 described it specifically. 567 00:32:06,299 --> 00:32:09,089 It was wondrous, as they said. 568 00:32:09,219 --> 00:32:11,799 And it consisted of gateways and windows 569 00:32:11,972 --> 00:32:15,392 carved from single blocks of stone. 570 00:32:17,269 --> 00:32:20,609 They just could not imagine how it was created. 571 00:32:22,566 --> 00:32:24,646 SHATNER: Ever since Spanish explorers discovered 572 00:32:24,776 --> 00:32:27,106 the awe-inspiring ruins of Tiahuanaco, 573 00:32:27,237 --> 00:32:31,617 archaeologists have been eager to unravel its mysteries. 574 00:32:32,993 --> 00:32:36,163 In the 20th century, modern excavations revealed 575 00:32:36,329 --> 00:32:40,169 the enormous scope of this ancient metropolis. 576 00:32:41,168 --> 00:32:43,668 BELLINGER: Tiahuanaco was the city capital 577 00:32:43,795 --> 00:32:46,005 of a powerful, pre-Hispanic empire 578 00:32:46,173 --> 00:32:51,683 that dominated the south Andes between around 500 to 900 AD. 579 00:32:52,804 --> 00:32:56,434 The Tiahuanacans were a really advanced civilization. 580 00:32:56,516 --> 00:32:59,636 Looking at the stonework today, 581 00:32:59,811 --> 00:33:04,361 it would have been an incredibly time-intensive, laborious task 582 00:33:04,524 --> 00:33:06,484 without power tools. 583 00:33:06,651 --> 00:33:10,031 And yet, they managed it. 584 00:33:11,531 --> 00:33:13,951 SHATNER: The most mysterious ruin at Tiahuanaco 585 00:33:14,034 --> 00:33:19,294 is a terrace platform called Puma Punku. 586 00:33:20,290 --> 00:33:23,210 Scattered across the site are enormous stone blocks, 587 00:33:23,335 --> 00:33:27,175 each carved with such laser-like precision 588 00:33:27,297 --> 00:33:28,717 that we still don’t know 589 00:33:28,882 --> 00:33:31,382 how they were so perfectly fashioned. 590 00:33:31,468 --> 00:33:35,218 BARNHART: There are places all around the world that have megaliths, 591 00:33:35,347 --> 00:33:39,057 giant stones, but Puma Punku in particular 592 00:33:39,226 --> 00:33:43,726 has stones that are not just multi-ton stones. 593 00:33:44,731 --> 00:33:47,901 But they are carved in such a way where 594 00:33:48,026 --> 00:33:52,236 you couldn’t even slip a piece of paper between the stones. 595 00:33:52,405 --> 00:33:55,065 And it’s a mystery how exactly 596 00:33:55,200 --> 00:33:57,910 they were able to put these stones 597 00:33:58,036 --> 00:34:01,366 together like they were little Lego blocks. 598 00:34:03,416 --> 00:34:06,706 The craftsmanship is really far superior 599 00:34:06,836 --> 00:34:09,166 to anything that we have seen before. 600 00:34:10,423 --> 00:34:12,013 How did they stack them up? 601 00:34:12,092 --> 00:34:14,182 How did they work with them? 602 00:34:14,261 --> 00:34:16,931 They had something that we no longer have. 603 00:34:17,055 --> 00:34:19,175 SHATNER: How did ancient people 604 00:34:19,266 --> 00:34:21,766 manage to craft enormous stones 605 00:34:21,935 --> 00:34:23,445 with such precise angles 606 00:34:23,562 --> 00:34:26,192 and intricate patterns? 607 00:34:28,608 --> 00:34:32,398 The answer may lie in a curious story 608 00:34:32,571 --> 00:34:35,781 from Tiahuanaco mythology. 609 00:34:35,907 --> 00:34:38,947 NEWMAN: In the traditional creation stories of Puma Punku, 610 00:34:39,077 --> 00:34:42,457 it’s said that the great god Viracocha created 611 00:34:42,581 --> 00:34:45,881 a race of giants from the mud or earth, 612 00:34:45,959 --> 00:34:48,539 and then controlled them and gave them consciousness. 613 00:34:48,628 --> 00:34:51,958 And they created and built the sites in the area. 614 00:34:52,132 --> 00:34:55,722 If you go to the museum at Puma Punku 615 00:34:55,802 --> 00:34:57,472 and museums in the area, 616 00:34:57,596 --> 00:35:01,806 you see these gigantic, elongated skulls on display. 617 00:35:01,933 --> 00:35:05,143 And it makes you wonder if these were classed as giants 618 00:35:05,312 --> 00:35:07,402 by the native inhabitants. 619 00:35:08,815 --> 00:35:10,935 And when you go to Puma Punku, 620 00:35:11,067 --> 00:35:13,947 the traditions of giants really resonate when you see 621 00:35:13,987 --> 00:35:16,947 the size of some of these stones in the construction. 622 00:35:18,158 --> 00:35:21,238 SHATNER: The largest stone block at Puma Punku 623 00:35:21,411 --> 00:35:23,451 weighs 144 tons. 624 00:35:24,581 --> 00:35:27,001 Whether the myth is fact or fiction, 625 00:35:27,125 --> 00:35:29,665 to move such an object 626 00:35:29,794 --> 00:35:33,264 would certainly be a giant task. 627 00:35:34,299 --> 00:35:36,299 And according to legend, giants 628 00:35:36,426 --> 00:35:38,336 also had a part to play 629 00:35:38,470 --> 00:35:41,350 in the destruction of Puma Punku. 630 00:35:42,641 --> 00:35:45,021 NEWMAN: According to the traditions, the giants 631 00:35:45,143 --> 00:35:47,653 became out of control, cannibalistic, 632 00:35:47,812 --> 00:35:49,862 terrorizing the local inhabitants. 633 00:35:51,024 --> 00:35:53,944 And so the creator god Viracocha 634 00:35:54,027 --> 00:35:57,197 had to completely destroy them by a flood. 635 00:35:57,364 --> 00:36:00,874 And when you go to the site today, you can see that 636 00:36:01,034 --> 00:36:04,544 it almost looks like a tidal wave or tsunami 637 00:36:04,704 --> 00:36:08,174 has been wiped over the land, and knocked these giant stones 638 00:36:08,333 --> 00:36:10,213 around like Lego blocks. 639 00:36:11,211 --> 00:36:14,381 And scattered them at vast distances. 640 00:36:14,547 --> 00:36:16,127 And so it looks like something happened 641 00:36:16,216 --> 00:36:18,046 which just took out the whole site 642 00:36:18,176 --> 00:36:20,216 and all the inhabitants of the area. 643 00:36:21,721 --> 00:36:23,641 SHATNER: For centuries, the truth about Puma Punku 644 00:36:23,723 --> 00:36:26,143 has been shrouded in myth and folklore, 645 00:36:26,226 --> 00:36:29,226 leaving many to wonder if its full history 646 00:36:29,396 --> 00:36:31,976 will ever be unraveled. 647 00:36:32,065 --> 00:36:34,735 But then, in 2018, 648 00:36:34,901 --> 00:36:39,031 French geopolymer scientist Joseph Davidovits 649 00:36:39,155 --> 00:36:41,065 published a fascinating new study 650 00:36:41,241 --> 00:36:44,741 in which he theorized that the stones at Puma Punku 651 00:36:44,869 --> 00:36:47,829 were not carved and moved into place 652 00:36:47,914 --> 00:36:51,714 but rather molded together. 653 00:36:51,835 --> 00:36:55,175 He did what archeologists had never done. 654 00:36:55,255 --> 00:36:57,595 He looked at the stones of Puma Punku 655 00:36:57,757 --> 00:37:00,547 under a microscope. 656 00:37:00,677 --> 00:37:03,387 And what he saw was that they weren’t 657 00:37:03,430 --> 00:37:05,390 just regular basalt. 658 00:37:05,515 --> 00:37:10,275 They were actually polymers of varying things 659 00:37:10,437 --> 00:37:12,767 that were glued together. 660 00:37:12,939 --> 00:37:16,069 And that shouldn’t have happened in regular, 661 00:37:16,192 --> 00:37:18,782 naturally-occurring stones. 662 00:37:18,945 --> 00:37:23,025 So he theorized that they were created 663 00:37:23,116 --> 00:37:25,696 in a kind of ancient cement. 664 00:37:25,785 --> 00:37:29,575 Turned into big molds. 665 00:37:29,706 --> 00:37:32,416 And that they were put together in forms. 666 00:37:32,542 --> 00:37:34,712 They weren’t carved. 667 00:37:34,794 --> 00:37:37,714 They were created to fit together. 668 00:37:38,965 --> 00:37:40,465 SHATNER: Have modern archaeologists 669 00:37:40,633 --> 00:37:42,723 finally solved the mystery of Puma Punku? 670 00:37:42,802 --> 00:37:45,472 It appears that only time will tell. 671 00:37:45,597 --> 00:37:49,267 But technology is providing new insights 672 00:37:49,392 --> 00:37:52,982 into many other ancient structures around the world. 673 00:37:53,146 --> 00:37:56,896 Like a curious series of ruins 674 00:37:56,983 --> 00:37:58,653 that were recently found 675 00:37:58,818 --> 00:38:02,148 in the middle of the Arabian desert. 676 00:38:10,997 --> 00:38:13,667 SHATNER: In this arid region, 677 00:38:13,792 --> 00:38:15,962 located in the Arabian Desert. 678 00:38:16,085 --> 00:38:19,665 summer temperatures average more than 100 degrees Fahrenheit 679 00:38:19,839 --> 00:38:21,339 during the daytime. 680 00:38:21,466 --> 00:38:23,676 The landscape is a desolate expanse 681 00:38:23,802 --> 00:38:25,802 of jagged rock formations 682 00:38:25,970 --> 00:38:28,760 and smoldering volcano fields. 683 00:38:28,932 --> 00:38:32,522 But incredibly, in 2017, 684 00:38:32,644 --> 00:38:37,524 archaeologists analyzing satellite images of this desert 685 00:38:37,690 --> 00:38:42,150 discovered the ruins of more than 400 686 00:38:42,278 --> 00:38:45,198 ancient, man-made structures. 687 00:38:45,323 --> 00:38:49,333 A recent aerial survey using Google Earth, 688 00:38:49,494 --> 00:38:53,294 a relatively new technology, has identified 689 00:38:53,373 --> 00:38:55,543 huge formations 690 00:38:55,667 --> 00:38:59,297 of piles of stones that are in odd shapes. 691 00:39:00,380 --> 00:39:02,630 They look like keyholes 692 00:39:02,715 --> 00:39:05,045 or kites. 693 00:39:05,218 --> 00:39:09,638 And there are hundreds of these, and they’re rather large. 694 00:39:09,722 --> 00:39:13,062 Some of them are as much as 695 00:39:13,184 --> 00:39:15,394 a kilometer in size. 696 00:39:16,396 --> 00:39:18,396 It’s been suggested that they could be 697 00:39:18,523 --> 00:39:21,033 as old as 9,000 years. 698 00:39:22,026 --> 00:39:24,896 But to date, we don’t know what their purpose is. 699 00:39:26,489 --> 00:39:29,079 This area is literally dangerous. 700 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:30,870 It’s inhospitable. 701 00:39:30,994 --> 00:39:34,874 And why these features were built there 702 00:39:34,998 --> 00:39:37,078 remains somewhat of a mystery. 703 00:39:38,543 --> 00:39:42,173 NEWMAN: What’s also interesting is these various configurations. 704 00:39:42,255 --> 00:39:44,555 Some people say they look like gates. 705 00:39:44,674 --> 00:39:46,184 But we find other designs. 706 00:39:46,259 --> 00:39:48,089 We find abstract motifs. 707 00:39:48,219 --> 00:39:49,259 We find symbols 708 00:39:49,387 --> 00:39:51,927 that can’t be explained. 709 00:39:52,098 --> 00:39:55,598 So, who would have constructed these in such a remote region? 710 00:39:55,768 --> 00:39:58,098 They may have been made specifically 711 00:39:58,229 --> 00:40:00,189 for a purpose we just don’t know. 712 00:40:00,273 --> 00:40:03,943 SHATNER: Archaeologists continue to try and unravel the mystery 713 00:40:04,068 --> 00:40:08,568 of these strange formations in the Arabian desert. 714 00:40:09,866 --> 00:40:13,576 But what’s undeniable is that modern technology 715 00:40:13,703 --> 00:40:17,373 is both revealing ancient structures 716 00:40:17,457 --> 00:40:21,957 and providing new clues that could finally shed light 717 00:40:22,128 --> 00:40:25,298 on the secrets they have held for centuries. 718 00:40:25,465 --> 00:40:29,305 It’s really exciting that satellite imagery 719 00:40:29,469 --> 00:40:31,429 is available to the general public 720 00:40:31,554 --> 00:40:33,064 and not just to scholars. 721 00:40:34,390 --> 00:40:37,640 This whole new generation of archeologists 722 00:40:37,810 --> 00:40:41,480 can sit at home and do the same kind 723 00:40:41,606 --> 00:40:45,436 of reconnaissance that experts can do over a site. 724 00:40:45,610 --> 00:40:46,780 It’s a game changer. 725 00:40:48,071 --> 00:40:51,321 THOMPSON: Another big technology is lidar. 726 00:40:52,909 --> 00:40:56,499 Lidar’s... a way you can map the ground and the terrain, 727 00:40:56,621 --> 00:40:58,961 and it can peer through, uh, the vegetation. 728 00:40:59,082 --> 00:41:02,502 So in places where there’s a heavy overgrowth of vegetation, 729 00:41:02,669 --> 00:41:06,259 it has uncovered vastly more archaeological monuments 730 00:41:06,339 --> 00:41:07,419 than we knew was there. 731 00:41:07,507 --> 00:41:10,507 So we’re absolutely on the verge 732 00:41:10,677 --> 00:41:14,467 of a huge opening up of archeological discoveries. 733 00:41:14,597 --> 00:41:17,267 This is really going to help us to understand 734 00:41:17,350 --> 00:41:20,640 the vast complexity of human civilization 735 00:41:20,812 --> 00:41:23,442 and our story here on Earth. 736 00:41:25,024 --> 00:41:29,864 Was the Eye of the Sahara the location of Atlantis? 737 00:41:29,988 --> 00:41:34,868 Is Gunung Padang the oldest pyramid ever built? 738 00:41:34,951 --> 00:41:37,661 And how were the massive blocks 739 00:41:37,787 --> 00:41:41,327 at Puma Punku so perfectly fashioned? 740 00:41:41,457 --> 00:41:44,457 Perhaps further examination of these ruins with new, 741 00:41:44,544 --> 00:41:48,214 cutting-edge technology will one day reveal the answers. 742 00:41:48,339 --> 00:41:51,879 But until then, the mystery of both 743 00:41:52,051 --> 00:41:53,801 wondrous ancient structures 744 00:41:53,970 --> 00:41:57,970 and the civilizations who built them, will remain... 745 00:41:59,559 --> 00:42:01,389 ...unexplained. 746 00:42:01,519 --> 00:42:04,059 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS