1 00:00:02,250 --> 00:00:05,042 WILLIAM SHATNER: A hidden cave that could hold the remains 2 00:00:05,167 --> 00:00:07,958 of an ancient civilization. 3 00:00:09,250 --> 00:00:13,083 An entire city entombed in volcanic ash. 4 00:00:14,875 --> 00:00:16,917 And a royal grave 5 00:00:17,042 --> 00:00:18,833 guarded by thousands 6 00:00:18,917 --> 00:00:21,000 of silent warriors. 7 00:00:22,542 --> 00:00:27,042 Throughout history, kings, emperors and pharaohs 8 00:00:27,167 --> 00:00:30,500 have been laid to rest in sacred tombs. 9 00:00:30,625 --> 00:00:34,792 These burial grounds were meant to protect the body, 10 00:00:34,875 --> 00:00:37,125 and to allow the soul to transition 11 00:00:37,250 --> 00:00:40,000 into the afterlife. 12 00:00:40,125 --> 00:00:43,458 But is it possible that tombs serve another purpose? 13 00:00:43,583 --> 00:00:47,125 Could they contain not just human remains, 14 00:00:47,208 --> 00:00:52,000 but also surprising secrets about our past? 15 00:00:52,083 --> 00:00:55,458 Well, that is what we'll try and find out. 16 00:00:55,583 --> 00:00:57,500 ♪ ♪ 17 00:01:15,333 --> 00:01:17,583 Here in this rugged, mountainous region 18 00:01:17,708 --> 00:01:19,333 bordering the Gobi Desert, 19 00:01:19,417 --> 00:01:22,583 two brothers begin digging a well on their family farm. 20 00:01:22,708 --> 00:01:26,333 But instead of water, their shovels reveal 21 00:01:26,417 --> 00:01:29,500 a life-sized statue of a soldier. 22 00:01:30,625 --> 00:01:33,000 When archeologists later excavate the site, 23 00:01:33,125 --> 00:01:35,125 they unearth thousands of these sculptures, 24 00:01:35,208 --> 00:01:37,167 known as the Terra Cotta Warriors, 25 00:01:37,333 --> 00:01:39,292 each with remarkably 26 00:01:39,417 --> 00:01:43,125 realistic facial expressions. 27 00:01:45,417 --> 00:01:47,708 Every now and then, there's a game-changing moment 28 00:01:47,875 --> 00:01:50,208 in archaeological history. 29 00:01:50,375 --> 00:01:53,667 This is a discovery of that magnitude, 30 00:01:53,792 --> 00:01:55,583 because as time went on, 31 00:01:55,708 --> 00:01:58,125 it became clear that this wasn't just a few pots. 32 00:01:58,208 --> 00:02:01,125 It was actually a vast underground army 33 00:02:01,208 --> 00:02:03,750 of 6,000 soldiers 34 00:02:03,875 --> 00:02:05,750 standing to attention. 35 00:02:29,042 --> 00:02:32,208 SHATNER: These incredibly lifelike statues 36 00:02:32,333 --> 00:02:36,333 are actually part of a massive underground tomb complex 37 00:02:36,458 --> 00:02:40,958 called the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor. 38 00:02:41,042 --> 00:02:43,167 The mausoleum covers an area 39 00:02:43,292 --> 00:02:45,625 of nearly four miles and contains 40 00:02:45,708 --> 00:02:48,458 numerous underground palaces and chambers 41 00:02:48,583 --> 00:02:52,625 that surround a tomb mound at the center of the complex. 42 00:02:54,208 --> 00:02:57,625 The tomb mound itself is quite unassuming. 43 00:02:57,708 --> 00:03:00,292 It's sort of a pyramid shape, but it's made of earth. 44 00:03:00,375 --> 00:03:03,958 And these days it's covered with trees. 45 00:03:04,042 --> 00:03:05,625 So it's all very green, but when it was 46 00:03:05,708 --> 00:03:07,583 originally built, it would've supported 47 00:03:07,708 --> 00:03:10,042 some large structures, some large temple structures. 48 00:03:10,167 --> 00:03:13,417 So the tomb complex is far away 49 00:03:13,542 --> 00:03:15,750 from the place where they discovered 50 00:03:15,875 --> 00:03:17,583 the Terra Cotta Warriors. 51 00:03:17,708 --> 00:03:20,250 And everyone doesn't really understand, 52 00:03:20,375 --> 00:03:23,083 initially, how they can be part of the same thing. 53 00:03:23,208 --> 00:03:27,042 The sheer size of the complex is unprecedented. 54 00:03:27,167 --> 00:03:29,958 It's an amazing sight. 55 00:03:30,042 --> 00:03:33,292 The scope of this is hard to describe. 56 00:03:33,375 --> 00:03:36,833 There's chariots, there's horses. 57 00:03:36,958 --> 00:03:40,958 There's an entire labyrinthine complex that exits. 58 00:03:41,083 --> 00:03:44,583 And all of it intentionally kept 59 00:03:44,708 --> 00:03:49,625 underground in what is literally an underworld. 60 00:03:49,750 --> 00:03:54,542 SHATNER: This vast tomb complex was built in the 3rd century BC 61 00:03:54,667 --> 00:03:58,542 to the final resting place for Qin Shi Huang, 62 00:03:58,667 --> 00:04:01,542 the first emperor of a unified China. 63 00:04:03,917 --> 00:04:06,042 Mausoleums and tombs in China 64 00:04:06,208 --> 00:04:08,875 are statements of who you were. 65 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:13,792 So what you get with this tomb is a huge statement 66 00:04:13,917 --> 00:04:16,000 of how important this man was. 67 00:04:16,125 --> 00:04:18,167 The amazing thing about his reign 68 00:04:18,333 --> 00:04:20,417 is it only lasted 11 years, 69 00:04:20,542 --> 00:04:24,375 but, in that time, he completely transformed China 70 00:04:24,500 --> 00:04:27,375 by making it one unified whole. 71 00:04:28,500 --> 00:04:31,042 Even the name China seems to derive 72 00:04:31,208 --> 00:04:34,000 from the name of his state, Qin. 73 00:04:34,167 --> 00:04:37,375 So this is a guy who was unprecedented. 74 00:04:37,500 --> 00:04:40,250 He thought of himself as the ruler of the known world. 75 00:04:41,792 --> 00:04:44,167 DOMINIC STEAVU: As soon as he came to power he started building 76 00:04:44,333 --> 00:04:48,167 this tomb complex as a way of 77 00:04:48,333 --> 00:04:51,333 transporting what he had acquired and what he had 78 00:04:51,417 --> 00:04:54,833 accomplished in the living world into the afterlife, 79 00:04:54,958 --> 00:04:58,000 into the world of immortals, and that included 80 00:04:58,167 --> 00:05:02,375 material things like treasures and-and vast untold riches. 81 00:05:04,042 --> 00:05:07,167 SHATNER: The pyramid-shaped artificial mound at the center 82 00:05:07,250 --> 00:05:10,708 of the complex is 250 feet tall. 83 00:05:10,875 --> 00:05:14,667 Archaeologists believe that underneath this mound 84 00:05:14,750 --> 00:05:18,417 is a chamber containing Emperor Qin's tomb. 85 00:05:18,542 --> 00:05:21,458 According to ancient Chinese writings, 86 00:05:21,583 --> 00:05:24,417 every detail of this chamber was designed 87 00:05:24,542 --> 00:05:27,667 to perfectly mirror the emperor's kingdom. 88 00:05:29,542 --> 00:05:33,458 There's a very elaborate passage that vividly describes 89 00:05:33,542 --> 00:05:36,542 how the tomb was designed 90 00:05:36,667 --> 00:05:40,000 from the records of the grand historian, 91 00:05:40,125 --> 00:05:42,542 Szuma Chien. 92 00:05:42,667 --> 00:05:46,458 The main feature was a small-scale representation 93 00:05:46,583 --> 00:05:49,667 of the Chinese empire at the time. 94 00:05:49,833 --> 00:05:52,917 And so it had all the waterways and the rivers and the oceans 95 00:05:53,042 --> 00:05:56,292 and geographical features that were duplicated 96 00:05:56,417 --> 00:05:58,875 on a small scale. 97 00:05:59,000 --> 00:06:02,042 There is this sense in Chinese society, 98 00:06:02,208 --> 00:06:04,375 going right back to pre-history, 99 00:06:04,542 --> 00:06:07,292 that when people die, they kind of switch 100 00:06:07,417 --> 00:06:09,167 to another plane of existence 101 00:06:09,292 --> 00:06:12,333 and life goes on for them there. 102 00:06:12,458 --> 00:06:14,625 So the coffin of the first emperor sits 103 00:06:14,708 --> 00:06:17,667 in the center of a map of the known world. 104 00:06:17,833 --> 00:06:21,667 And so the towns are little jewels and the roads are gold. 105 00:06:21,833 --> 00:06:24,833 And then above him, you have a ceiling that has 106 00:06:24,958 --> 00:06:27,833 the constellations, uh, in the sky because 107 00:06:27,958 --> 00:06:30,417 the constellations are supposedly reflected 108 00:06:30,542 --> 00:06:33,500 by the world on the ground, so you have 109 00:06:33,667 --> 00:06:35,542 heaven and earth and the emperor in the middle. 110 00:06:35,708 --> 00:06:37,833 Um, and it's all picked out in precious metals. 111 00:06:37,958 --> 00:06:40,792 SHATNER: To date, the central burial mound 112 00:06:40,875 --> 00:06:43,542 has only been partially excavated 113 00:06:43,708 --> 00:06:46,000 because archeologists believe that, 114 00:06:46,125 --> 00:06:48,167 according to historical records, 115 00:06:48,292 --> 00:06:51,625 it may be too hazardous to uncover. 116 00:06:51,750 --> 00:06:54,125 STEAVU: According to the grand historian, 117 00:06:54,208 --> 00:06:57,917 the tomb itself is highly contaminated with mercury. 118 00:06:58,042 --> 00:07:01,167 The rivers and oceans 119 00:07:01,333 --> 00:07:05,167 were represented by flowing mercury. 120 00:07:05,333 --> 00:07:08,750 And this mercury was 121 00:07:08,875 --> 00:07:11,375 fed through a very complex drainage system 122 00:07:11,542 --> 00:07:13,500 and was mechanically activated, 123 00:07:13,625 --> 00:07:16,500 so that it permanently circulated. 124 00:07:16,667 --> 00:07:19,000 CLEMENTS: In ancient China, 125 00:07:19,125 --> 00:07:21,375 mercury was also believed to be, 126 00:07:21,542 --> 00:07:23,375 uh, one of the substances 127 00:07:23,500 --> 00:07:25,583 that could help somebody achieve immortality. 128 00:07:25,708 --> 00:07:30,333 And it just so happens that, since 1981, we've known 129 00:07:30,500 --> 00:07:32,917 that there are very high concentrations of mercury 130 00:07:33,042 --> 00:07:36,875 in the soil, um, around the grave mound. 131 00:07:38,167 --> 00:07:41,708 STEAVU: Because the soil around the tomb has high levels of mercury, 132 00:07:41,833 --> 00:07:46,208 archaeologists are reticent about opening up the tomb. 133 00:07:46,375 --> 00:07:48,667 There's a concern they could expose 134 00:07:48,750 --> 00:07:51,500 the local populations to mercury poisoning. 135 00:07:51,667 --> 00:07:54,500 And that it would lead to a large amount of the artifacts 136 00:07:54,583 --> 00:07:57,083 being damaged or lost irretrievably. 137 00:07:59,083 --> 00:08:01,833 SHATNER: Will archaeologists ever be able to safely open 138 00:08:01,917 --> 00:08:04,875 the tomb of Emperor Qin Shi Huang? 139 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:06,583 No one is certain. 140 00:08:06,708 --> 00:08:09,750 But there are those who believe the emperor's body 141 00:08:09,875 --> 00:08:12,542 was never located in the tomb's burial chamber 142 00:08:12,708 --> 00:08:14,583 in the first place. 143 00:08:16,042 --> 00:08:18,667 CLEMENTS: In Chinese history books, it says that the emperor was 144 00:08:18,833 --> 00:08:21,667 buried at Mount Li, but it's not clear if that 145 00:08:21,792 --> 00:08:25,542 meant in the mountain or in a grave mound near the mountain. 146 00:08:25,667 --> 00:08:28,000 And this is important, because in the Middle Ages, 147 00:08:28,125 --> 00:08:31,625 there was an historian who suggested that, actually, 148 00:08:31,750 --> 00:08:34,042 the emperor was buried in a jade mine 149 00:08:34,208 --> 00:08:35,708 in a mountain nearby. 150 00:08:35,833 --> 00:08:38,833 So, it's very possible that the tomb mound itself 151 00:08:38,917 --> 00:08:40,583 is a decoy, that he's not there at all. 152 00:08:40,708 --> 00:08:42,750 And if they start digging there, 153 00:08:42,875 --> 00:08:45,250 they'll be digging in the wrong place. 154 00:08:45,375 --> 00:08:47,458 One big, hanging question that we're still 155 00:08:47,542 --> 00:08:49,667 left with is, of course, what else is there? 156 00:08:49,833 --> 00:08:52,500 We've only uncovered parts of this tomb. 157 00:08:52,583 --> 00:08:55,583 So much of it still has not been revealed. 158 00:08:55,708 --> 00:08:59,250 And who knows if it will ever be discovered. 159 00:09:00,375 --> 00:09:02,083 Is it possible 160 00:09:02,208 --> 00:09:05,042 that the tomb of China's first emperor is a decoy, 161 00:09:05,167 --> 00:09:08,208 and his remains are actually held somewhere else? 162 00:09:08,375 --> 00:09:10,375 Well, if that's true, 163 00:09:10,500 --> 00:09:12,917 then it could be quite an elaborate ruse. 164 00:09:13,042 --> 00:09:16,000 In fact, there's another massive tomb, 165 00:09:16,167 --> 00:09:20,750 located in Ireland, that has an equally mysterious purpose. 166 00:09:20,875 --> 00:09:24,333 Because it was designed to offer passage 167 00:09:24,500 --> 00:09:27,125 to the land of the dead. 168 00:09:35,708 --> 00:09:37,958 Rising above this region's lush fields, 169 00:09:38,042 --> 00:09:40,125 not far from the banks of the River Boyne, 170 00:09:40,208 --> 00:09:43,500 is one of the most mysterious ancient tombs 171 00:09:43,667 --> 00:09:45,542 in the world. 172 00:09:46,417 --> 00:09:49,125 Newgrange. 173 00:09:49,208 --> 00:09:50,667 This massive stone structure 174 00:09:50,833 --> 00:09:52,750 has a diameter of 87 yards, 175 00:09:52,875 --> 00:09:54,958 or nearly the size of a football field. 176 00:09:56,208 --> 00:09:59,958 Newgrange is the envy of monuments all around the planet. 177 00:10:01,292 --> 00:10:03,500 The thing that people say when they come here 178 00:10:03,625 --> 00:10:05,458 is they're surprised how big it is. 179 00:10:05,542 --> 00:10:07,667 It is huge. 180 00:10:07,792 --> 00:10:11,125 It takes up over an acre of ground. 181 00:10:11,208 --> 00:10:13,417 And there is an estimated 182 00:10:13,542 --> 00:10:17,333 200,000 tons of stone in the monument. 183 00:10:19,833 --> 00:10:22,042 SHATNER: According to archaeological findings, 184 00:10:22,208 --> 00:10:26,458 Newgrange was built around the year 3200 BC, 185 00:10:26,583 --> 00:10:28,750 making it centuries older 186 00:10:28,875 --> 00:10:32,583 than both Stonehenge and the Great Pyramid in Egypt. 187 00:10:33,750 --> 00:10:36,458 Because Newgrange is so ancient, 188 00:10:36,542 --> 00:10:39,542 there's still much that we don't know about 189 00:10:39,708 --> 00:10:41,917 the people who built this extraordinary tomb. 190 00:10:42,042 --> 00:10:44,417 MURPHY: Probably one of the most fascinating 191 00:10:44,542 --> 00:10:45,958 things about Newgrange is the fact 192 00:10:46,083 --> 00:10:49,125 that it was built in pre-metal days, 193 00:10:49,208 --> 00:10:53,708 just as the Stone Age was kind of sort of coming to a close. 194 00:10:53,833 --> 00:10:56,000 And it's difficult to imagine 195 00:10:56,083 --> 00:10:58,667 how ancient people were able to assemble this 196 00:10:58,833 --> 00:11:01,000 massive monument, but they managed to do so. 197 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,000 TUFFY: A lot of work went into the building of this monument, 198 00:11:06,083 --> 00:11:08,875 and it was all done with extreme precision. 199 00:11:10,417 --> 00:11:13,750 Inside, there are carved stones. 200 00:11:15,875 --> 00:11:20,292 And then you come into a chamber, which is quite roomy. 201 00:11:20,375 --> 00:11:25,042 So you have this cathedral-like feeling when you walk inside. 202 00:11:26,625 --> 00:11:30,125 MURPHY: Newgrange is what archaeologists refer to as a passage tomb. 203 00:11:30,208 --> 00:11:32,667 It has a passage leading 204 00:11:32,750 --> 00:11:34,875 into the interior. 205 00:11:35,833 --> 00:11:38,167 And in that interior, human bones 206 00:11:38,333 --> 00:11:40,333 have generally been found, in different quantities. 207 00:11:42,125 --> 00:11:44,958 THOMPSON: There are human remains in these places, but the most common 208 00:11:45,042 --> 00:11:49,167 um, burial practice around this time was cremation. 209 00:11:49,250 --> 00:11:53,625 So we find multiple people being cremated and then interred. 210 00:11:53,750 --> 00:11:56,167 Then the traditional Irish folklore 211 00:11:56,333 --> 00:11:59,833 that dates way, way back, the other world of the dead, 212 00:11:59,958 --> 00:12:02,375 it sort of overlaps with our own. 213 00:12:02,500 --> 00:12:05,750 So the idea is that these sites would sort of allow 214 00:12:05,875 --> 00:12:07,875 for this passage between the realm of the dead 215 00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:09,333 and the realm of the living. 216 00:12:10,875 --> 00:12:13,250 TUFFY: On the back recess of the inner chamber 217 00:12:13,375 --> 00:12:14,833 there is a tri-spiral. 218 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,167 The most common interpretation 219 00:12:17,292 --> 00:12:20,125 that people come up with is that it represents 220 00:12:20,208 --> 00:12:24,042 this constant cycle of renewal and regeneration. 221 00:12:24,167 --> 00:12:27,500 On a spiritual level, it may promise rebirth 222 00:12:27,583 --> 00:12:29,500 for the spirits of the dead. 223 00:12:29,625 --> 00:12:32,667 The tri-spiral is unique to Newgrange. 224 00:12:32,792 --> 00:12:35,250 And it's also found on the entrance stone 225 00:12:35,375 --> 00:12:37,708 and throughout the tomb. 226 00:12:39,542 --> 00:12:41,750 SHATNER: Archaeologists who have studied Newgrange 227 00:12:41,875 --> 00:12:44,833 have theorized that this ancient tomb 228 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,958 was intended to serve a profound and mystical purpose. 229 00:12:49,083 --> 00:12:52,958 And as evidence, they point to a curious element 230 00:12:53,042 --> 00:12:55,625 of its design that is only visible 231 00:12:55,708 --> 00:12:58,125 one day a year. 232 00:12:59,167 --> 00:13:02,833 Newgrange is unusual in that it has 233 00:13:02,917 --> 00:13:05,250 a very special aperture... 234 00:13:07,167 --> 00:13:10,333 ...or opening above the entrance. 235 00:13:10,458 --> 00:13:13,292 On the day of winter solstice, 236 00:13:13,417 --> 00:13:17,542 this glimmering golden beam of sunlight enters there, 237 00:13:17,667 --> 00:13:20,125 and pierces the darkness. 238 00:13:21,375 --> 00:13:24,833 TUFFY: When the sun rises at winter solstice, 239 00:13:24,958 --> 00:13:27,417 light hits the chamber 240 00:13:27,542 --> 00:13:30,917 for precisely 17 minutes. 241 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,792 And some even speculate that the spirits 242 00:13:34,875 --> 00:13:36,667 would have used the light 243 00:13:36,750 --> 00:13:40,458 to leave the burial chamber and go and join the deities. 244 00:13:42,875 --> 00:13:44,500 SHATNER: Did the builders of Newgrange 245 00:13:44,625 --> 00:13:48,292 specifically design it to be a gateway into the afterlife? 246 00:13:49,583 --> 00:13:53,833 Some archaeologists believe that the answer is yes. 247 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,458 And they also claim that Newgrange was built 248 00:13:56,542 --> 00:13:59,833 to allow those who stood within its inner chamber 249 00:13:59,917 --> 00:14:02,333 to communicate directly 250 00:14:02,417 --> 00:14:05,000 with the dead. 251 00:14:05,167 --> 00:14:07,750 In the case of Newgrange, the notion of the sunbeam 252 00:14:07,875 --> 00:14:11,750 drawing out the souls of the deceased, 253 00:14:11,875 --> 00:14:13,667 and-and leading them to that other world, 254 00:14:13,792 --> 00:14:16,167 is not just a one-way ticket. 255 00:14:16,292 --> 00:14:18,750 It was a portal between worlds. 256 00:14:18,875 --> 00:14:20,833 Were the people inside there-- 257 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:22,500 the priests, for instance, the Druids-- 258 00:14:22,583 --> 00:14:26,208 were they in contact with the ancestors who'd gone before? 259 00:14:27,542 --> 00:14:31,125 TUFFY: The builders of the monument have created a space 260 00:14:31,208 --> 00:14:34,208 which is separate, which is a world of the dead. 261 00:14:35,292 --> 00:14:37,708 There was always a feeling that this is 262 00:14:37,833 --> 00:14:39,667 a house for the spirits. 263 00:14:39,792 --> 00:14:42,542 Where consulting with the ancestors, 264 00:14:42,667 --> 00:14:44,833 asking advice from the ancestors, 265 00:14:44,958 --> 00:14:46,958 would have happened 5,000 years ago. 266 00:14:48,083 --> 00:14:49,833 Which is extraordinary. 267 00:14:51,542 --> 00:14:55,000 SHATNER: Was Newgrange constructed to be not only a tomb, 268 00:14:55,125 --> 00:14:57,875 but also a place where the living 269 00:14:58,000 --> 00:14:59,792 communicated with the dead? 270 00:14:59,875 --> 00:15:02,875 It's an intriguing theory. 271 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,333 Which is why archaeologists continue 272 00:15:05,500 --> 00:15:08,667 to study Newgrange in the hope of one day 273 00:15:08,792 --> 00:15:11,250 unraveling all of its mysteries. 274 00:15:13,333 --> 00:15:16,500 THOMPSON: How people choose to handle their remains 275 00:15:16,625 --> 00:15:18,125 always tells you a lot about 276 00:15:18,208 --> 00:15:20,000 what people think about the afterlife. 277 00:15:20,125 --> 00:15:22,333 Where are they going? 278 00:15:22,458 --> 00:15:25,500 What is the relationship between the soul and the body? 279 00:15:27,042 --> 00:15:29,167 And in Newgrange, this had a lot to do 280 00:15:29,292 --> 00:15:32,333 with this notion that the dead are still around. 281 00:15:32,417 --> 00:15:34,833 And perhaps can see you even if you can't see them. 282 00:15:34,958 --> 00:15:38,042 So, in a sense, with Newgrange, 283 00:15:38,167 --> 00:15:40,583 we might even say that the dead 284 00:15:40,708 --> 00:15:43,042 did achieve immortality. 285 00:15:44,375 --> 00:15:47,167 The idea that Newgrange was built to allow 286 00:15:47,292 --> 00:15:50,000 the soul to live forever is fascinating. 287 00:15:50,125 --> 00:15:52,958 But on the other hand, there are some tombs 288 00:15:53,042 --> 00:15:55,208 that seem frozen in time. 289 00:15:55,375 --> 00:15:57,958 For instance, there's an entire city 290 00:15:58,042 --> 00:15:59,833 located near Mount Vesuvius 291 00:15:59,958 --> 00:16:02,000 that suddenly became a mass grave 292 00:16:02,083 --> 00:16:06,208 when it was covered in a blanket of volcanic ash. 293 00:16:14,875 --> 00:16:17,625 SHATNER: At approximately 1:00 p.m. on a peaceful late summer day, 294 00:16:17,750 --> 00:16:21,333 this ancient Roman city in the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius 295 00:16:21,458 --> 00:16:25,958 is shaken by a massive volcanic eruption. 296 00:16:27,417 --> 00:16:30,458 Within minutes, superheated gas and lava 297 00:16:30,542 --> 00:16:33,333 engulf the city and its surroundings. 298 00:16:34,542 --> 00:16:36,417 In an instant, thousands of people are 299 00:16:36,542 --> 00:16:39,833 buried alive, as a city that was once their home 300 00:16:39,958 --> 00:16:43,375 suddenly becomes their tomb. 301 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,833 Nearly 2,000 years after the eruption, 302 00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,333 Pompeii is a city that remains 303 00:16:52,417 --> 00:16:55,125 frozen in time. 304 00:16:55,208 --> 00:16:59,000 This eruption was what we call a pyroclastic eruption. 305 00:16:59,167 --> 00:17:02,167 Where clouds of-of ash and debris, 306 00:17:02,250 --> 00:17:06,000 hundreds of degrees hot, came flowing down the mountain, 307 00:17:06,083 --> 00:17:08,958 flash-frying everything in its path. 308 00:17:09,042 --> 00:17:13,750 And miraculously, the heat of this cloud 309 00:17:13,875 --> 00:17:16,917 was enough to carbonize and preserve, 310 00:17:17,042 --> 00:17:21,125 rather than destroy, all kinds of information. 311 00:17:22,208 --> 00:17:24,792 We have well-preserved architecture, 312 00:17:24,917 --> 00:17:27,042 wood and organic materials, 313 00:17:27,167 --> 00:17:29,417 foodstuffs, 314 00:17:29,542 --> 00:17:31,167 human remains, 315 00:17:31,292 --> 00:17:34,167 animal remains that have been preserved 316 00:17:34,250 --> 00:17:36,083 for 2,000 years 317 00:17:36,208 --> 00:17:38,542 beneath, uh, this volcanic debris. 318 00:17:40,625 --> 00:17:43,083 SHATNER: Today the excavated ruins of Pompei 319 00:17:43,208 --> 00:17:45,667 offer archaeologists and tourists 320 00:17:45,792 --> 00:17:49,542 a breathtaking look at the doomed ancient city. 321 00:17:49,708 --> 00:17:53,833 Perhaps the most intriguing discovery found beneath the ash 322 00:17:53,917 --> 00:17:56,167 from Mt. Vesuvius' eruption 323 00:17:56,292 --> 00:17:58,333 was an ancient Roman structure 324 00:17:58,417 --> 00:18:00,667 located not far from Pompeii 325 00:18:00,792 --> 00:18:03,042 known as the Villa dei Papiri. 326 00:18:05,208 --> 00:18:08,625 The Villa dei Papiri was a Roman luxury villa 327 00:18:08,750 --> 00:18:11,625 that was full of sculpture 328 00:18:11,708 --> 00:18:14,833 and marble and bronze. 329 00:18:14,958 --> 00:18:19,167 The villa was discovered by chance in 1750 330 00:18:19,250 --> 00:18:22,833 by well diggers, who, tunneling about 75 feet 331 00:18:22,958 --> 00:18:24,667 through volcanic debris, 332 00:18:24,833 --> 00:18:27,625 first hit a colored marble floor 333 00:18:27,708 --> 00:18:29,167 with an amazing pattern 334 00:18:29,250 --> 00:18:33,083 made up of bright red and yellow marbles. 335 00:18:34,542 --> 00:18:37,125 We think this was once the vacation home 336 00:18:37,208 --> 00:18:39,750 of a Roman senator of the highest rank 337 00:18:39,875 --> 00:18:41,833 of an old noble family 338 00:18:41,917 --> 00:18:44,208 named Lucius Calpurnius Piso. 339 00:18:45,542 --> 00:18:48,333 SHATNER: The volcanic ash that buried Villa dei Papiri, 340 00:18:48,458 --> 00:18:51,292 did not only preserve the physical structure. 341 00:18:51,417 --> 00:18:54,708 It also entombed a library that contained 342 00:18:54,875 --> 00:18:58,333 more than 1,800 papyrus scrolls. 343 00:18:58,417 --> 00:19:01,375 These scrolls are an extraordinary record 344 00:19:01,542 --> 00:19:04,333 of the thoughts and writings of people 345 00:19:04,417 --> 00:19:07,792 who lived nearly 2,000 years ago. 346 00:19:09,042 --> 00:19:13,625 Those texts were discovered when the city was excavated 347 00:19:13,708 --> 00:19:16,292 and some of the artifacts were first found. 348 00:19:16,375 --> 00:19:20,167 The people who discovered them didn't know what they were. 349 00:19:20,250 --> 00:19:22,792 They thought that maybe they were pieces of branches 350 00:19:22,875 --> 00:19:26,333 or logs because they were rolled up and carbonized. 351 00:19:26,458 --> 00:19:30,542 Until someone finally realized these are texts on papyrus. 352 00:19:30,708 --> 00:19:35,208 LAPATIN: The Villa dei Papiri library is significant because 353 00:19:35,333 --> 00:19:37,333 it's the only surviving library 354 00:19:37,417 --> 00:19:39,792 from antiquity with its contents. 355 00:19:39,875 --> 00:19:43,083 There were scrolls found that date to the 3rd, 356 00:19:43,208 --> 00:19:45,583 2nd and 1st century BC 357 00:19:45,708 --> 00:19:47,208 and the 1st century AD. 358 00:19:47,333 --> 00:19:50,667 About 300 of them or so have been un-scrolled. 359 00:19:50,792 --> 00:19:54,583 And they contain mostly philosophic texts, 360 00:19:54,708 --> 00:19:57,958 some poetry, some literary criticism, 361 00:19:58,042 --> 00:20:00,292 a little bit of history. 362 00:20:00,375 --> 00:20:04,125 But many of the scrolls are so tightly bound together 363 00:20:04,208 --> 00:20:06,333 and carbonized that there's been a moratorium 364 00:20:06,417 --> 00:20:07,917 on attempts to open them. 365 00:20:09,458 --> 00:20:12,083 SHATNER: Fear of damaging the scrolls has left many of them 366 00:20:12,208 --> 00:20:16,375 virtually untouched for over 100 years. 367 00:20:16,500 --> 00:20:20,500 But new technology has presented an extraordinary opportunity 368 00:20:20,667 --> 00:20:24,458 to actually read these mysterious ancient texts. 369 00:20:26,125 --> 00:20:28,667 Scientists in the computer science department 370 00:20:28,833 --> 00:20:31,583 at the University of Kentucky have developed 371 00:20:31,708 --> 00:20:35,667 a new method known as "virtual unwrapping," 372 00:20:35,833 --> 00:20:39,292 which uses a sophisticated X-ray machine 373 00:20:39,375 --> 00:20:43,417 to scan the scrolls without damaging them. 374 00:20:43,542 --> 00:20:46,250 SEALES: The virtual unwrapping that we innovated basically 375 00:20:46,375 --> 00:20:51,333 allows a 360-degree set of views to be collected 376 00:20:51,458 --> 00:20:55,667 from an object that rotates in front of an X-ray beam. 377 00:20:55,750 --> 00:20:59,333 This is a real scroll that's 2,000 years old. 378 00:20:59,458 --> 00:21:03,333 And in cross section, we can see 379 00:21:03,500 --> 00:21:05,333 there-there's damage, there are parts that are missing, 380 00:21:05,500 --> 00:21:06,917 sections that are broken. 381 00:21:07,042 --> 00:21:09,375 Now we're using our software for the second step, 382 00:21:09,500 --> 00:21:12,708 which is to trace these wraps all the way through, 383 00:21:12,833 --> 00:21:14,667 so that we can build a 3D model that lets us 384 00:21:14,833 --> 00:21:17,667 flatten that out and then read the text that's on it. 385 00:21:17,833 --> 00:21:20,750 And once we're done, we've achieved 386 00:21:20,875 --> 00:21:23,292 this image that's on the left, which is the final, 387 00:21:23,417 --> 00:21:25,833 completely unwrapped version. 388 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,000 This is a quote from Democritus 389 00:21:28,167 --> 00:21:30,875 who was an early Greek philosopher 390 00:21:31,042 --> 00:21:34,958 and is very well known for having postulated with others 391 00:21:35,042 --> 00:21:37,792 that materials are made of atoms. 392 00:21:39,917 --> 00:21:42,708 I think it's remarkable that 2,000 years ago, 393 00:21:42,833 --> 00:21:45,333 Greek philosophers were postulating 394 00:21:45,458 --> 00:21:47,833 what we now know is true from science. 395 00:21:47,958 --> 00:21:51,417 SHATNER: Thus far, the team has been able to digitally scan 396 00:21:51,542 --> 00:21:55,667 two complete scrolls and a number of fragments. 397 00:21:55,792 --> 00:21:59,500 They hope that, in the future, technology will advance 398 00:21:59,583 --> 00:22:01,792 and allow them to reveal even more. 399 00:22:03,333 --> 00:22:06,083 But what secrets might be contained 400 00:22:06,208 --> 00:22:08,333 in those 2,000-year-old scrolls? 401 00:22:08,417 --> 00:22:11,375 One exciting possibility that has been suggested 402 00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:13,667 is that the original letters 403 00:22:13,792 --> 00:22:16,000 written by Jesus's apostle Paul 404 00:22:16,125 --> 00:22:19,792 could've been kept within the library at Villa dei Papiri. 405 00:22:21,042 --> 00:22:23,417 RIC RADER: The Villa of the Papyri was entombed about 406 00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:26,458 40 to 50 years after the death of Jesus. 407 00:22:26,542 --> 00:22:30,583 At this time, the original apostles are now out doing 408 00:22:30,708 --> 00:22:34,667 their mission work in various parts of the Mediterranean. 409 00:22:34,833 --> 00:22:38,208 So it's entirely likely that the Villa of the Papyri, 410 00:22:38,333 --> 00:22:40,333 could have a collection 411 00:22:40,458 --> 00:22:43,417 of copies of Paul's letters. 412 00:22:44,708 --> 00:22:47,333 SEALES: If the letters from the Apostle Paul circulated 413 00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:49,583 and found its way into the collection, 414 00:22:49,708 --> 00:22:52,708 such a discovery would represent the earliest Christian 415 00:22:52,833 --> 00:22:55,375 material that we have, almost dating back 416 00:22:55,542 --> 00:22:59,083 to the time of Christ and the disciples. 417 00:22:59,208 --> 00:23:01,750 Being able to use these techniques 418 00:23:01,875 --> 00:23:05,583 to understand history in a way that's almost forensic 419 00:23:05,708 --> 00:23:08,500 is gonna bring surprising things forward 420 00:23:08,583 --> 00:23:10,583 and we're gonna be revealing more secrets 421 00:23:10,708 --> 00:23:12,875 than we'd ever imagined before. 422 00:23:14,583 --> 00:23:18,000 It's incredible to think that the original writings 423 00:23:18,083 --> 00:23:21,333 of Paul the Apostle might have been buried 424 00:23:21,417 --> 00:23:24,083 and preserved when Mount Vesuvius erupted. 425 00:23:24,208 --> 00:23:26,708 And, also, it makes you wonder 426 00:23:26,875 --> 00:23:28,917 are there other tombs that could be hiding 427 00:23:29,042 --> 00:23:30,958 forgotten knowledge? 428 00:23:31,083 --> 00:23:33,083 Well... 429 00:23:33,208 --> 00:23:36,417 there's one located in Ecuador that might contain 430 00:23:36,542 --> 00:23:38,875 the ancient library 431 00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,042 of a lost civilization. 432 00:23:46,667 --> 00:23:49,083 SHATNER: The Andes Mountains. 433 00:23:49,208 --> 00:23:51,500 In the eastern part of Ecuador, 434 00:23:51,625 --> 00:23:53,625 not far from the border of Peru, 435 00:23:53,708 --> 00:23:56,542 is the entrance to a cave 436 00:23:56,667 --> 00:24:00,000 known as Cueva de los Tayos, 437 00:24:00,125 --> 00:24:03,042 or the Caves of Tayos. 438 00:24:04,042 --> 00:24:07,458 Located at an elevation of 2,600 feet, 439 00:24:07,542 --> 00:24:11,625 this winding cave system contains a network 440 00:24:11,750 --> 00:24:14,542 of tunnels approximately three miles long 441 00:24:14,667 --> 00:24:16,792 and is considered sacred 442 00:24:16,875 --> 00:24:19,417 by the native Shuar people of the region. 443 00:24:20,750 --> 00:24:24,333 But what's most remarkable about these caves... 444 00:24:24,458 --> 00:24:26,875 is that somewhere within its depths 445 00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:30,792 is believed to be a tomb that was constructed 446 00:24:30,875 --> 00:24:34,708 by a mysterious lost civilization. 447 00:24:36,542 --> 00:24:39,875 The Tayos Caves are arguably one of the most 448 00:24:40,042 --> 00:24:42,708 enigmatic cave systems in the world. 449 00:24:43,833 --> 00:24:48,417 They first came to note in the 1960s, 450 00:24:48,542 --> 00:24:53,042 when an explorer by the name of Juan Moricz 451 00:24:53,208 --> 00:24:55,375 came suddenly out of the jungle, 452 00:24:55,500 --> 00:24:58,500 claiming that he'd descended hundreds of feet 453 00:24:58,625 --> 00:25:01,542 into the Tayos Caves, 454 00:25:01,667 --> 00:25:04,583 and had seen incredible things. 455 00:25:05,875 --> 00:25:08,500 This included this tomb chamber 456 00:25:08,625 --> 00:25:10,208 that is supposed to contain 457 00:25:10,375 --> 00:25:12,833 evidence of a lost civilization, 458 00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,083 most particularly what he described as a metal library 459 00:25:17,208 --> 00:25:20,792 of these metal tablets, 460 00:25:20,917 --> 00:25:23,292 seemingly in gold, with these 461 00:25:23,417 --> 00:25:25,125 weird glyphs written all over them, 462 00:25:25,208 --> 00:25:28,625 that were carved by some kind of ancient race 463 00:25:28,708 --> 00:25:31,708 that has been entirely lost to us. 464 00:25:31,833 --> 00:25:35,375 And Juan Moricz claimed 465 00:25:35,500 --> 00:25:38,500 that this is what he'd seen and wanted to... 466 00:25:38,625 --> 00:25:40,500 tell the world about this. 467 00:25:42,083 --> 00:25:45,083 SHATNER: A metal library containing gold tablets? 468 00:25:45,875 --> 00:25:48,292 Juan Moricz's extraordinary account 469 00:25:48,375 --> 00:25:51,542 sparked worldwide curiosity. 470 00:25:51,667 --> 00:25:54,000 And many began to wonder whether there really were 471 00:25:54,125 --> 00:25:57,667 ancient gold tablets hidden somewhere 472 00:25:57,792 --> 00:25:59,667 in the Tayos Caves. 473 00:25:59,833 --> 00:26:02,042 COLLINS: Anybody reading that story 474 00:26:02,208 --> 00:26:04,917 would've been fascinated by the mystery of the Tayos Caves. 475 00:26:05,042 --> 00:26:07,708 And this is indeed what happened, 476 00:26:07,833 --> 00:26:10,292 because it attracted the attention 477 00:26:10,375 --> 00:26:13,542 of a Scottish civil engineer 478 00:26:13,708 --> 00:26:16,458 by the name of Stan Hall, 479 00:26:16,583 --> 00:26:18,625 who decided that he would create 480 00:26:18,750 --> 00:26:21,458 an expedition to explore the caves. 481 00:26:21,583 --> 00:26:23,875 SHATNER: In 1976, Stan Hall 482 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,333 recruited a number of people to join his expedition 483 00:26:26,458 --> 00:26:30,167 to the remote jungle of Ecuador in search of the gold tablets, 484 00:26:30,292 --> 00:26:34,458 including American astronaut Neil Armstrong, 485 00:26:34,542 --> 00:26:37,708 whose participation helped to draw worldwide 486 00:26:37,833 --> 00:26:40,167 interest to Hall's efforts. 487 00:26:40,250 --> 00:26:44,458 HALL MUNOZ: My father became very obsessed with this treasure story. 488 00:26:44,542 --> 00:26:47,417 The expedition that he mounted is still today 489 00:26:47,542 --> 00:26:49,042 one of the largest of all time. 490 00:26:49,208 --> 00:26:52,167 and it's because it involved over 100 personnel 491 00:26:52,250 --> 00:26:54,875 from both the British and Ecuadorian government's 492 00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,375 special forces and some universities 493 00:26:58,500 --> 00:27:00,458 sent their scientists. 494 00:27:00,542 --> 00:27:03,500 The main challenge was entering the cave. 495 00:27:03,625 --> 00:27:06,000 Because the only way to get in 496 00:27:06,083 --> 00:27:09,000 is this very deep hole in the ground. 497 00:27:10,375 --> 00:27:13,458 SHATNER: According to Stan Hall's account of the expedition, 498 00:27:13,542 --> 00:27:16,542 the entrance to the Tayos Caves was a hole 499 00:27:16,708 --> 00:27:20,333 that required the group to descend one by one 500 00:27:20,458 --> 00:27:21,917 more than 200 feet. 501 00:27:22,042 --> 00:27:25,000 Soon after they entered the cave, 502 00:27:25,125 --> 00:27:28,042 they made an extraordinary discovery. 503 00:27:28,167 --> 00:27:30,333 DAVID KUSHNER: They saw these walls 504 00:27:30,417 --> 00:27:31,833 leading from one chamber to the next 505 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,833 that looked smooth and they looked like they're... 506 00:27:35,917 --> 00:27:37,833 cut at right angles, so... 507 00:27:37,917 --> 00:27:41,500 it looks like the ruins of some lost civilization. 508 00:27:41,625 --> 00:27:45,875 SHATNER: The massive walls did not appear to be formed naturally, 509 00:27:46,042 --> 00:27:49,750 but instead they looked like they were carved and placed, 510 00:27:49,875 --> 00:27:52,000 as if they were man-made. 511 00:27:52,125 --> 00:27:54,875 Stan Hall and his team believed this was evidence 512 00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,583 that a lost civilization had inhabited 513 00:27:57,708 --> 00:27:59,667 the Tayos Caves. 514 00:27:59,750 --> 00:28:02,292 As they moved deeper into the caves 515 00:28:02,417 --> 00:28:05,167 in search of the gold tablets, 516 00:28:05,292 --> 00:28:08,542 they made another remarkable discovery inside a chamber 517 00:28:08,708 --> 00:28:11,833 they referred to as the Altar of Light. 518 00:28:11,958 --> 00:28:15,208 HALL MUNOZ: Inside the Altar of Light, 519 00:28:15,333 --> 00:28:18,417 there was a ray of sunlight that shone straight 520 00:28:18,542 --> 00:28:20,667 into the entrance of that chamber 521 00:28:20,750 --> 00:28:22,458 and it made it really significant. 522 00:28:22,583 --> 00:28:25,833 And within it, there's a smaller chamber 523 00:28:25,958 --> 00:28:29,333 in which my father's expedition found the remains of a person. 524 00:28:30,542 --> 00:28:33,500 COLLINS: They found this human skeleton 525 00:28:33,583 --> 00:28:36,708 and surrounding it was pottery, um, 526 00:28:36,875 --> 00:28:42,042 various shell objects and adornments. 527 00:28:45,042 --> 00:28:47,125 But, unfortunately, when they reached out 528 00:28:47,250 --> 00:28:48,958 to touch this skeleton, 529 00:28:49,042 --> 00:28:51,667 it fell apart, it just fragmented. 530 00:28:51,833 --> 00:28:53,833 Showing how old it was. 531 00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,792 But subsequent research 532 00:28:56,875 --> 00:29:02,167 would show that this was around 3,500 years old, 533 00:29:02,333 --> 00:29:06,792 dating back to 1500 BC. 534 00:29:06,875 --> 00:29:08,833 And according to the local Shuar, 535 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:11,667 this was one of their ancestors, 536 00:29:11,833 --> 00:29:15,458 the race that had inhabited the caves before them. 537 00:29:17,625 --> 00:29:20,292 SHATNER: The discovery of this ancient tomb was an astonishing 538 00:29:20,375 --> 00:29:23,875 and unexpected find, one that heightened the mystery 539 00:29:24,042 --> 00:29:26,208 of who inhabited the Tayos Caves 540 00:29:26,333 --> 00:29:29,333 and led many to wonder what else might be hidden 541 00:29:29,458 --> 00:29:33,833 within this vast network of underground passages. 542 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:35,500 A few interesting things happened 543 00:29:35,625 --> 00:29:37,500 during Stan Hall's expedition. 544 00:29:37,583 --> 00:29:39,375 They did not find the metal library, 545 00:29:39,500 --> 00:29:41,167 but they did find other things. 546 00:29:41,333 --> 00:29:44,000 Number one, it had these 547 00:29:44,125 --> 00:29:46,417 walls that were cut at right angles. 548 00:29:46,542 --> 00:29:50,583 And number two, they found a corpse that was dated 549 00:29:50,708 --> 00:29:53,208 to go back to 1500 BC. 550 00:29:53,333 --> 00:29:57,292 So even though they didn't find the metal library, 551 00:29:57,375 --> 00:30:01,083 Stan was still convinced that it was there somewhere. 552 00:30:01,208 --> 00:30:03,208 Is there a collection of metal tablets 553 00:30:03,375 --> 00:30:05,667 hidden somewhere in the Tayos Caves? 554 00:30:05,792 --> 00:30:08,750 The search for answers continues. 555 00:30:08,875 --> 00:30:11,375 Just like on the other side of the world, 556 00:30:11,542 --> 00:30:13,833 in the mountains of Mongolia, 557 00:30:13,917 --> 00:30:16,833 where archaeologists are looking for the lost tomb 558 00:30:16,958 --> 00:30:20,125 of the most notorious warlord 559 00:30:20,208 --> 00:30:22,042 in history. 560 00:30:29,083 --> 00:30:31,542 SHATNER: Towering above the sparse landscape 561 00:30:31,667 --> 00:30:34,875 is a massive, 130-foot-tall statue 562 00:30:35,042 --> 00:30:36,667 made of stainless steel. 563 00:30:36,792 --> 00:30:40,042 This magnificent monument is a depiction 564 00:30:40,167 --> 00:30:43,333 of Mongolia's most famous ruler, 565 00:30:43,417 --> 00:30:46,167 Genghis Khan. 566 00:30:46,250 --> 00:30:49,250 THOMPSON: Genghis Khan is one of the most prominent figures 567 00:30:49,375 --> 00:30:52,167 in all of history, and he came up 568 00:30:52,250 --> 00:30:55,750 as a very small, minor player in what was a small, minor country 569 00:30:55,875 --> 00:30:58,833 that most of the world hadn't heard of. 570 00:30:58,958 --> 00:31:00,708 But by the time he had died, 571 00:31:00,833 --> 00:31:02,250 he had conquered most of the known world. 572 00:31:02,375 --> 00:31:05,083 STEAVU: Genghis Khan is unquestionably 573 00:31:05,208 --> 00:31:07,500 Mongolia's greatest, uh, cultural 574 00:31:07,625 --> 00:31:09,708 and historical and national hero. 575 00:31:09,833 --> 00:31:12,833 He was at the head of one 576 00:31:12,958 --> 00:31:15,000 of the largest empires in the world, 577 00:31:15,125 --> 00:31:17,458 second only to the British Empire. 578 00:31:17,542 --> 00:31:20,000 And many people 579 00:31:20,083 --> 00:31:22,333 maybe outside of Mongolia might remember Genghis Khan 580 00:31:22,458 --> 00:31:25,500 for, uh, the bloodshed and conquests. 581 00:31:25,667 --> 00:31:29,000 But he was also at the origins 582 00:31:29,125 --> 00:31:32,000 of many technological, scientific, 583 00:31:32,083 --> 00:31:35,833 astronomical developments and advancements. 584 00:31:38,083 --> 00:31:41,000 SHATNER: After 20 years of empire-building, 585 00:31:41,167 --> 00:31:44,958 Genghis Khan died in the year 1227 AD, 586 00:31:45,042 --> 00:31:48,667 while battling the western Shi dynasty. 587 00:31:48,833 --> 00:31:52,625 Khan's exact cause of death is a mystery. 588 00:31:52,750 --> 00:31:55,333 But before he passed, he commanded 589 00:31:55,500 --> 00:31:58,333 that his final resting place should be unmarked, 590 00:31:58,458 --> 00:32:02,333 so that his tomb would be undisturbed forever. 591 00:32:03,542 --> 00:32:07,833 STEAVU: The circumstances of his burial are quite mysterious. 592 00:32:07,917 --> 00:32:10,500 According to legend, Genghis Khan's body 593 00:32:10,625 --> 00:32:12,667 was brought back to Mongolia 594 00:32:12,792 --> 00:32:15,375 by a group of, uh, 2,000 servants 595 00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:20,042 who were guarded by a group of soldiers. 596 00:32:20,167 --> 00:32:24,292 And once they finished their work of burying the body, 597 00:32:24,417 --> 00:32:27,583 the servants were all killed by the soldiers. 598 00:32:28,917 --> 00:32:31,875 Now the soldiers themselves were then killed 599 00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,333 by a second group of soldiers, 600 00:32:34,500 --> 00:32:38,042 who then themselves committed suicide, 601 00:32:38,208 --> 00:32:40,667 so that the burial site would remain 602 00:32:40,792 --> 00:32:43,417 forever undisturbed and unknown. 603 00:32:43,542 --> 00:32:46,417 THOMPSON: Many great rulers in many parts of the world 604 00:32:46,542 --> 00:32:50,250 have wanted not to display one's body, but rather to hide it. 605 00:32:50,375 --> 00:32:53,167 And that would have been practiced by Genghis Khan. 606 00:32:53,333 --> 00:32:55,958 Because he knew that his tomb, if it was ever uncovered, 607 00:32:56,083 --> 00:32:59,667 would be an enormously political tool 608 00:32:59,833 --> 00:33:01,625 for whoever uncovered it. 609 00:33:01,708 --> 00:33:04,167 And he wanted to control that legacy. 610 00:33:04,250 --> 00:33:07,667 SHATNER: In the eight centuries since Genghis Khan's death, 611 00:33:07,750 --> 00:33:10,167 many have tried to find his tomb. 612 00:33:10,292 --> 00:33:13,500 But thus far, no one has been able to defeat 613 00:33:13,583 --> 00:33:17,708 Khan's drastic measures to keep its location a secret. 614 00:33:17,833 --> 00:33:20,417 Which naturally begs the question... 615 00:33:20,542 --> 00:33:23,208 where could it be? 616 00:33:25,125 --> 00:33:28,750 The Khentii Mountain Range, 2016. 617 00:33:28,875 --> 00:33:31,583 A French archaeological expedition 618 00:33:31,708 --> 00:33:35,250 ventures deep into this rugged region of northern Mongolia 619 00:33:35,375 --> 00:33:38,500 to find Genghis Khan's lost tomb. 620 00:33:38,667 --> 00:33:42,333 The team believes that the tomb may be hidden 621 00:33:42,458 --> 00:33:45,458 near a particular mountain peak that is known as... 622 00:33:45,542 --> 00:33:47,500 Burkhan Khaldun. 623 00:34:05,792 --> 00:34:08,958 SHATNER: Burkhan Khaldun is almost 8,000 feet high 624 00:34:09,083 --> 00:34:11,833 and covers more than 93 square miles. 625 00:34:11,958 --> 00:34:15,000 Exploring this vast, rugged terrain 626 00:34:15,125 --> 00:34:19,375 is made even more difficult because, in 2015, 627 00:34:19,542 --> 00:34:22,958 the mountain was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site, 628 00:34:23,083 --> 00:34:25,875 rendering if off-limits to any excavations 629 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,792 in search of Genghis Khan's tomb. 630 00:34:28,917 --> 00:34:31,167 Mongolians in general still desire 631 00:34:31,292 --> 00:34:33,333 to honor Genghis Kahn's wishes. 632 00:34:33,500 --> 00:34:35,917 They discourage archaeological digs, 633 00:34:36,042 --> 00:34:38,250 uh, to try to find the tomb. 634 00:34:38,375 --> 00:34:42,167 He is still very, very much a hero in Mongolia. 635 00:34:42,333 --> 00:34:45,333 And his wishes are still respected. 636 00:34:45,458 --> 00:34:47,333 SHATNER: Because of the restrictions 637 00:34:47,500 --> 00:34:49,500 against searching Burkhan Khaldun, 638 00:34:49,667 --> 00:34:52,833 members of the French expedition decided that the key 639 00:34:52,958 --> 00:34:55,333 to finding Genghis Khan's tomb 640 00:34:55,417 --> 00:34:58,875 was to explore the mountain from the sky. 641 00:34:59,042 --> 00:35:01,667 And in 2016, they used drones 642 00:35:01,792 --> 00:35:05,125 equipped with both photographic and infrared cameras 643 00:35:05,250 --> 00:35:08,708 to do an unprecedented survey of the area. 644 00:35:28,875 --> 00:35:31,417 SHATNER: After surveying the mountain from above, 645 00:35:31,542 --> 00:35:34,333 the French team made an extraordinary discovery. 646 00:35:34,458 --> 00:35:38,458 They identified a mound that was 130 feet high 647 00:35:38,542 --> 00:35:41,125 and 820 feet wide 648 00:35:41,250 --> 00:35:45,083 that they believe might be man-made. 649 00:35:56,875 --> 00:36:01,208 The French team that accessed, uh, the mountain 650 00:36:01,333 --> 00:36:04,917 identified that the pyramid-shaped elevation 651 00:36:05,042 --> 00:36:07,500 also had a little shrine 652 00:36:07,625 --> 00:36:10,208 and it sits atop of this sacred mountain. 653 00:36:10,333 --> 00:36:14,083 So they speculate that this would 654 00:36:14,208 --> 00:36:16,625 probably be where Genghis Khan is buried. 655 00:36:17,875 --> 00:36:20,417 SHATNER: Is it possible that the structure discovered 656 00:36:20,542 --> 00:36:23,458 by the French expedition on Burkhan Khaldun 657 00:36:23,542 --> 00:36:26,375 is the tomb of Genghis Khan? 658 00:36:28,542 --> 00:36:31,333 For now, that question is unanswered, 659 00:36:31,500 --> 00:36:34,125 because the Mongolian people remain committed 660 00:36:34,208 --> 00:36:37,042 to honoring the revered emperor's dying wish 661 00:36:37,167 --> 00:36:40,292 that his tomb should never be found. 662 00:37:11,667 --> 00:37:15,500 Will Genghis Khan's final resting place ever be found? 663 00:37:15,583 --> 00:37:18,167 It might seem impossible after all this time, 664 00:37:18,250 --> 00:37:21,667 but new technology is helping archaeologists 665 00:37:21,792 --> 00:37:25,083 discover tombs that were lost for centuries, 666 00:37:25,208 --> 00:37:27,417 including a number of Egyptian burial sites 667 00:37:27,542 --> 00:37:29,667 that weren't found by digging, 668 00:37:29,792 --> 00:37:32,042 but rather by satellites 669 00:37:32,167 --> 00:37:34,458 orbiting the Earth. 670 00:37:40,708 --> 00:37:43,708 SHATNER: Archaeologists from the University of Alabama 671 00:37:43,833 --> 00:37:45,958 announce that they have discovered thousands 672 00:37:46,042 --> 00:37:50,375 of ancient Egyptian sites by analyzing satellite imagery. 673 00:37:51,833 --> 00:37:55,250 Photographs taken from 435 miles above the Earth 674 00:37:55,375 --> 00:37:58,000 showed that the ancient city of Tanis, 675 00:37:58,167 --> 00:38:00,750 which is located in northeastern Egypt, 676 00:38:00,875 --> 00:38:04,458 was much larger than previously thought. 677 00:38:04,583 --> 00:38:07,292 The images of Tanis also revealed 678 00:38:07,375 --> 00:38:09,708 over 1,000 lost tombs 679 00:38:09,833 --> 00:38:12,500 that had been hidden beneath the sands 680 00:38:12,583 --> 00:38:14,792 for thousands of years. 681 00:38:16,542 --> 00:38:19,625 We've known for 300 years roughly where Tanis is. 682 00:38:19,708 --> 00:38:24,333 But digging up a couple of sphinxes or a temple is not 683 00:38:24,417 --> 00:38:27,042 the same as being able to look down from above 684 00:38:27,167 --> 00:38:29,417 at the entire area. 685 00:38:30,708 --> 00:38:32,667 And to see not only that it's four times 686 00:38:32,750 --> 00:38:34,792 larger than we thought it was, 687 00:38:34,917 --> 00:38:37,833 but also, when you look down on the satellite imagery, 688 00:38:37,917 --> 00:38:41,042 there's a little cluster of huts which gets a bit bigger, 689 00:38:41,208 --> 00:38:43,792 and then there's a kind of mansion phase where people get 690 00:38:43,875 --> 00:38:45,667 these bigger buildings. 691 00:38:45,792 --> 00:38:49,042 There's a temple district, and suddenly it allows you 692 00:38:49,208 --> 00:38:51,958 to see tombs below the earth that people have never suspected 693 00:38:52,042 --> 00:38:53,792 were there before. 694 00:38:53,917 --> 00:38:56,542 COLLINS: What's happened is that satellite imagery 695 00:38:56,667 --> 00:38:59,625 has actually given us the entire layout 696 00:38:59,750 --> 00:39:02,167 of that city for the first time. 697 00:39:02,333 --> 00:39:04,625 As we go into the future, 698 00:39:04,708 --> 00:39:08,833 the techniques of archaeology are becoming better and better. 699 00:39:10,708 --> 00:39:12,708 CLEMENTS: Space archaeology allows you to look 700 00:39:12,875 --> 00:39:15,125 from above. 701 00:39:15,208 --> 00:39:17,417 Beyond the human spectrum. 702 00:39:17,542 --> 00:39:18,958 It can look into the infrareds, 703 00:39:19,083 --> 00:39:21,792 so it can see tombs and cities below the earth 704 00:39:21,917 --> 00:39:24,333 that people have never suspected were there before. 705 00:39:25,708 --> 00:39:28,375 SHATNER: Thanks to these technological tools, 706 00:39:28,542 --> 00:39:31,917 finding hidden tombs is becoming much easier, 707 00:39:32,042 --> 00:39:36,833 including in areas that are extremely difficult to excavate, 708 00:39:36,917 --> 00:39:40,583 such as under the shifting sands of the Arabian desert. 709 00:39:40,708 --> 00:39:43,667 Which was where, in 2021, 710 00:39:43,792 --> 00:39:47,000 an incredible tomb structure was discovered 711 00:39:47,125 --> 00:39:49,208 near the city of Al-'Ula 712 00:39:49,375 --> 00:39:52,500 in northwest Saudi Arabia. 713 00:39:54,042 --> 00:39:56,500 MARK ALTAWHEEL: In the deserts of Arabia, many round structure tombs 714 00:39:56,583 --> 00:39:59,333 have been discovered using satellite technologies. 715 00:39:59,500 --> 00:40:02,625 These features are often located in very remote places. 716 00:40:02,708 --> 00:40:04,333 But with such technologies, we can 717 00:40:04,417 --> 00:40:06,083 locate them much more easily. 718 00:40:06,208 --> 00:40:09,458 CLEMENTS: What they worked out was that, at some point, 719 00:40:09,542 --> 00:40:11,625 six and a half thousand years ago, 720 00:40:11,708 --> 00:40:14,667 there had been a monumental tomb structure 721 00:40:14,792 --> 00:40:17,500 in what is now the Arabian desert. 722 00:40:17,625 --> 00:40:20,458 And so, suddenly, that changes our perspective 723 00:40:20,583 --> 00:40:23,917 on the history of the Arabian Peninsula. 724 00:40:24,042 --> 00:40:26,167 And we've worked that all out because a satellite 725 00:40:26,292 --> 00:40:28,875 notices something from way, way up. 726 00:40:30,042 --> 00:40:32,458 SHATNER: No matter what tools we use to find them, 727 00:40:32,583 --> 00:40:36,625 the search for lost tombs will continue. 728 00:40:36,708 --> 00:40:39,250 Because these sacred burial places 729 00:40:39,375 --> 00:40:42,292 contain secrets about our past. 730 00:40:42,375 --> 00:40:45,417 Some tombs are elaborate, 731 00:40:45,542 --> 00:40:49,583 some are mystical and some are hidden 732 00:40:49,708 --> 00:40:51,792 right beneath our feet. 733 00:40:53,750 --> 00:40:55,833 CLEMENTS: Human beings have been burying their dead 734 00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:59,583 for millennia, and we're often unaware 735 00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:02,333 that we're walking around on cemeteries 736 00:41:02,458 --> 00:41:03,875 from the distant past. 737 00:41:04,042 --> 00:41:06,542 But sometimes a tomb is the only way 738 00:41:06,667 --> 00:41:08,417 we can access the past. 739 00:41:09,500 --> 00:41:11,083 The further you go back in history, 740 00:41:11,208 --> 00:41:12,917 the greater the likelihood 741 00:41:13,042 --> 00:41:15,375 that a tomb is the only way you're gonna find out 742 00:41:15,542 --> 00:41:17,500 about life back then. 743 00:41:17,625 --> 00:41:20,500 The amazing thing about archaeology 744 00:41:20,625 --> 00:41:22,542 is it repeatedly confronts us 745 00:41:22,667 --> 00:41:24,958 with what we never even dreamed of. 746 00:41:25,958 --> 00:41:28,583 Could there be thousands of lost tombs 747 00:41:28,708 --> 00:41:31,333 scattered around the world, waiting to be found? 748 00:41:31,458 --> 00:41:34,042 It's a tantalizing prospect. 749 00:41:34,208 --> 00:41:37,417 But maybe we should remember that our ancestors 750 00:41:37,542 --> 00:41:40,375 sometimes went to great lengths 751 00:41:40,500 --> 00:41:43,667 to build and hide their sacred burial places. 752 00:41:43,750 --> 00:41:48,000 So while we're exploring ancient tombs, 753 00:41:48,083 --> 00:41:52,125 we should also take care to let the dead rest in peace 754 00:41:52,208 --> 00:41:55,667 and allow their journey into the afterlife 755 00:41:55,750 --> 00:41:58,625 to remain undisturbed and... 756 00:42:00,208 --> 00:42:02,417 ...unexplained. 757 00:42:02,542 --> 00:42:04,000 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS