Original subtitles

Tonight on The Curse of Oak Island...

Oh, my goodness! Oh, look at this!

Oh, it's beautiful!

- Oh, my heavens. - Whoa!

Whoa!

- See right there? - Yup.

That's massive.

That's been in there a long, long time.

- Yeah. - That could be another vault.

-Welcome to Malta. -Wow!

- Look at this. -It's quite amazing.

It's just absolutely incredible.

That's stunning.

Is this blueish clay?

Blue clay was one of the keys in working

- in the Money Pit. -This is evidence of

what happened on Oak Island.

There is an island in the North Atlantic

where people have been looking for

an incredible treasure for more than 200 years.

So far, they have found a stone slab

with strange symbols carved into it,

man-made workings that date to medieval times,

and a lead cross whose origin may be connected

to the Knights Templar.

To date, six men have died

trying to solve the mystery.

And according to legend, one more will have to die

before the treasure can be found.

Couple of objectives here for this group.

And this is a perfect group because

we're gonna talk about the swamp.

And we got the players right here.

As another brisk, fall day begins on Oak Island,

brothers Rick and Marty Lagina and their team remain hopeful

that before another harsh North Atlantic winter sets in,

they will be able to finally solve a 230-year-old mystery.

I'd like this group to kind of decide...

You know, we don't have much time left.

What do we want to accomplish?

Rick is off in Malta right now, but when he comes back,

it'd be nice to give him a happy surprise.

With search activities currently on hold

in the Money Pit area

as representatives from SB Canada and ROC Equipment

prepare the site for the team's deepest excavation yet

in search of a fabled treasure,

Rick Lagina and other members of the team have traveled

to the European nation of Malta

to investigate an incredible theory--

...that numerous treasure deposits were made on Oak Island

between the 12th and 17th centuries

by the medieval order of the Knights Templar

and a related group known as the Knights of Malta.

And while Rick is away,

Marty and Craig are leading the effort

to search for possible clues and valuables across Oak Island,

with a focus on the triangle-shaped swamp.

So, what are we gonna do?

Well, the big thing we're looking for in the swamp,

at this point in time, is artifacts.

Something that can say who or when.

I'd like a "why," too, Craig.

- Yeah. -All this weird digging

and manipulating in a swamp

for what reason?

The north area is where we found

- the vault. - Yeah.

In recent years,

the team has been astonished

to uncover numerous man-made structures

throughout the swamp,

including a massive paved feature near the center,

which has been dated to as early as 1200 AD,

and a stone road in the southeast corner

that is believed to be as much as 500 years old.

Doesn't that look like a vault to you?

And this year, after uncovering sections

of a mysterious cobblestone pathway

in the northern region of the swamp, incredibly,

the team uncovered an empty

brick and slate vault-like feature

that may be more than 300 years old.

Rick thinks, you know, that vault is just one of many.

And it sure could be.

So, we've got a big area that we could explore yet.

Steve, can you show where we expanded to?

Okay.

That area there.

Now, the team will expand their search

into the main body of the swamp

with the hope that even more important,

and potentially valuable secrets are still waiting

to be revealed.

So, we did dig in here...

...all the way up to the road.

Now, we can expand westward, and we can do

- everything north. -Hmm.

I've already staked this out.

It's a huge area,

and so, there's a lot of ground we can dig.

The swamp--

as much effort as we've expended there,

and as much material as we've moved,

we still probably only looked into about--

I don't know-- maybe 20 percent.

That leaves 80 percent unexplored.

So, there's plenty of room for more mysteries.

You know, I know big brother Rick

would certainly be delighted

if we uncover another one of those vaults,

with a clue or something in it.

Which might also help us to understand why it's there.

- Yeah. -All right.

Billy, ask me what time it is.

- What time is it? - It's time to dig.

Let's go.

As Marty and Craig conclude the meeting

in the war room on Oak Island...

...more than 4,000 miles to the east

on the island nation of Malta...

Wow. Look at this.

-What a beautiful day. -Unbelievable.

...Rick Lagina, along with his nephews,

Alex Lagina and Peter Fornetti,

and other members of the team...

Hey, Matthew.

- How are you? - Good.

...have arrived in the capital city of Valletta

to visit the historic site known as Fort St. Elmo,

a 16th century structure that was built

by members of the Knights of Malta.

Welcome to Fort St. Elmo.

This is just one

of the many historical fortifications of Malta.

But this one is a symbol for Malta,

because it proves the building skills of the Knights.

And that's why today we're here with Matthew Balzan,

who's an archeologist,

specializing in Hospitaller studies.

He's going to give us valuable insights.

In the 12th century, the order of the Knights Templar

was established by the Catholic Church

to defend Christian interests in Jerusalem

during the holy wars, known as the Crusades.

With the military and medical support

of a related group-- the Knights Hospitaller--

who later became the Knights of Malta,

the Templars waged many successful campaigns

for nearly two centuries

and built fortified strongholds

throughout the Middle East and Europe.

Some with elaborate tunnels and underground water systems.

The order also grew incredibly wealthy

by establishing a sophisticated banking system,

and were rumored to have found a number

of priceless religious artifacts,

including the Holy Grail,

the golden menorah from Solomon's Temple

and the Ark of the Covenant.

Treasures that some researchers believe

the Templars began secretly transporting

across the Atlantic Ocean around 1200 AD

and buried them on Oak Island.

But then, in the early 1300s,

the Catholic church and the king of France

suddenly persecuted and dissolved the Knights Templar

on controversial charges of heresy.

Many were imprisoned and executed,

but much of their remaining wealth

and rumored religious treasures were never found.

It has been speculated

that these valuables were transferred

to the Knights of Malta, along with secret knowledge

about an established vault on Oak Island.

And curiously, it is known

that the Knights of Malta had a presence in Nova Scotia

as early as the 17th century.

We brought some artifacts with us from Oak Island

that we'd like you to take a look at, if you would.

Is there a place we can do that?

Excellent.

- Thank you. - Yeah? - Yes.

- Sounds like a great idea. - Follow you there.

Now, in Malta,

Rick and members of the team are hoping

to learn more information

about possible connections to Oak Island

that might explain the mysterious structures

in the swamp,

and artifacts they have found,

including the 14th century,

possibly Templar-related lead cross,

a button with a starburst design,

which may be connected to the Knights of Malta,

and a pickax recovered from deep in the Money Pit area,

which scientific analysis has suggested

could be of European origin.

The reason for any of our research trips have been

for one single purpose,

and that is to try to come up with answers

regarding the Oak Island mystery.

We believe that there was a trail

to be followed here in Malta,

hopefully associated with the Knights of Malta.

We have a pick that we found.

This was found in our Money Pit area.

We put down a caisson,

and the name of the caisson was RF-1.

And this was found below 145 feet in the ground.

Wow.

When the knights

arrived here in the 1500s,

that was already in use?

In Valletta, Malta, at Fort St. Elmo,

a stronghold built by the Knights of Malta

in the 16th century,

historian Matthew Balzan has just suggested

that a pickax

recovered six years ago by the Oak Island team

from deep in the Money Pit area,

is the same kind of tool that was once used

by the Knights of Malta in the construction

of their elaborate tunneling systems.

Would a tool like that be used in limestone?

Did they make use of clay as a resource

as part of the fortifications, or anything else that they did?

Okay.

Oh.

We've brought lots of broken pottery out

- of the Money Pit area. - Sure have. - Certainly have.

When the Money Pit was first excavated down

to a depth of 90 feet in 1804,

searchers reported finding a heavy, man-made clay substance

that had been used as a sealant to keep water out of the shaft.

Curiously, the team has found not only heavy clay,

but also small fragments of pottery

during their excavations in the Money Pit area.

The depth that we found this on the island,

that's the type of material that's down in the Money Pit.

Quite similar.

Is it possible

that those substances, as well as this pickax,

could be evidence that might connect the Knights of Malta

to the Oak Island mystery?

It's incredible.

The Knights of Malta--

they were craftsmen extraordinaire,

just like the Knights Templar.

Both organizations built incredibly complex structures.

Is there some overlap

that the construction techniques learned

by one were exchanged with the other?

It's hard to believe that each arrived

at their unique abilities and talents

without some sort of cooperation

and some sort of interaction.

You know, Matthew, we want to say thank you.

It is only through help from people like yourself

that will allow us to move this story forward.

My pleasure having you.

-Thank you. -Thank you.

While Rick and the team

continue their investigation in Malta...

...back on the western side of Oak Island...

We're still getting stuff in here.

- That corner is basically done. - Yeah.

...Helen Sheldon,

Moya MacDonald and other members

of the archeology team are searching for clues

in a mysterious round feature

near the shoreline of Lot 5.

Ever since Rick, Marty and the team

began excavating this structure in 2022,

it has yielded a number of important discoveries.

These include varied types of stone constructs in the feature

that suggest it was used as a campsite

by a number of groups during different time periods.

A mortar-like substance matching soils

from over 100 feet deep in the Money Pit area,

and the so-called starburst button,

which researcher Judi Rudebusch

has potentially connected to the Knights of Malta.

Doing good today.

The archeologists have made

some very interesting finds

that suggest there were multiple people here.

So, are there connections between Lot 5

and the original depositional work?

I hope that we can

get to the point where Lot 5 will reveal its secrets.

Oh, nice.

- Look at this. -Whoa.

Whoa! Whoa!

- Oh, that's so pretty! - Look at that!

That's amazing!

That's a great find.

Hey, Helen, come look at this.

-You found something? -Yeah.

Check this out.

Oh, my heavens. Look at that.

- It's huge! - It's huge, yeah.

Wow.

- So, that's a slipware-like decoration. - Okay.

So, it's glazed, and they put the slip on it,

and then they would trail an object through it

to make that wiggly pattern.

These coarse earthenwares--

they have a wide date range.

It falls well within, like, mid to late 1700s.

- You can also find it earlier. - Hmm.

But it didn't change that much over time.

The interesting thing is,

over there in that pit, that's where

the starburst or the sunburst button came from.

- Oh, that's right. - Yeah. -Right.

- This area is actually quite interesting now, so... - Mm.

A piece of earthenware pottery

that dates to the 18th century or earlier?

Could it be connected

to whomever left the starburst button in this feature?

And if so, could it offer more evidence

that members of the Knights of Malta

might be linked to the Oak Island mystery?

- Nice. Very nice. - Awesome.

- Yeah. - I'll keep digging.

Keep digging.

As the archeology team continues their investigation

on Lot 5...

Hey, Billy!

What is the plan?

We're gonna keep going in this general direction?

We'll take slices this way 'cause

we found the vault right over there, and

we've never really explored around here.

...Gary Drayton,

Billy Gerhardt, Steve Guptill

and Charles Barkhouse are searching for more evidence

of man-made workings, and valuables,

in the northern region of the swamp.

Yeah. I'm hoping we find another vault, as well.

That vault was really cool.

When you find

something strange and out of place,

like the square-shaped vault,

and it's on Oak Island, I think it's a logical conclusion

that there might be more of them.

Maybe there's something inside it.

So, we need to look for them.

- Look at that. - What do you see?

Look at that timber right there.

- See right there? - Yeah.

We've already uncovered a piece of timber,

which is a great sign

because we have found some incredible man-made structures.

Hopefully, we're close to an old feature.

- Hey, Charles. - Hey, Marty.

How we doing?

There's quite a substantial log right there.

You came at a good time 'cause we're just trying

to figure out what this is.

Yeah. Let's have a look.

-That was a big log. -Yeah.

It does look like there could be real potential

- that something might have been built up here, right? - Yeah.

Could Billy be correct

that the team has just found part

of another man-made structure

buried under the muck in the swamp?

If so, just what might they reveal

as they uncover more of it?

There's another log right there.

- See that? -Yeah.

Little one.

My view would be

that's been in there a long, long time.

That's an important piece there.

Looks like it's cut on that end, too.

It's notched, like a structure.

Hopefully, it's something we could uncover here.

It's notched wood, like a structure.

Maybe you're coming into something.

In the northern region

of the Oak Island swamp,

Marty Lagina, along

with other members of the team

have just discovered evidence

of another man-made wooden structure.

Okay, let's start with things that are absolutely for sure.

For sure, somebody built this to get out here.

I don't think there's any way to argue that.

- No. - The question is why and who.

Yeah. Were they looking for the vault that we found?

Or did they know that one was there because, they...?

There's another one.

A whole bunch of activity occurred in the swamp.

The swamp was manipulated.

If not manmade entirely, at least manipulated.

It would have been used for something very, very important,

and very secretive, but none of this is easy work.

Particularly long ago.

Why somebody would do something like that remains a mystery.

Billy, we're only going to find out by digging.

Yup.

-Let's dig! -And see what we see.

The following morning,

while the team works to uncover the mysterious wooden structure

in the swamp on Oak Island...

...more than 4,000 miles to the east in Valletta, Malta...

Hello. Good to see you.

- How are you? - Hi.

- Nice to see you again. - Hey, Jean-Paul. - Hi.

So, guys, we are in the heart of Valletta.

...researcher Emiliano Sacchetti

has arranged for Rick Lagina

and other members of the team

to meet investigative journalist Jean-Paul Mifsud

for a guided tour of one of Malta's

most mysterious and renowned features.

Jean-Paul Mifsud

is going to be our guide today.

And we're going to go down

and take a look at the underground part of the city.

The one who was built by the Knights of Malta.

Mm-hmm.

As a kid, this was our playground,

you know, all these tunnels.

If you move back in time over 400 years ago,

this was just, like, a hill.

The Knights took this hill,

Mount Sciberras,

and designed all the fortifications

and the defense, but also, in case of siege, tunnels.

Valletta is like a grid.

And there are tunnels underneath each street.

These tunnels were then used by the Knights.

- Wow. -Incredible.

Be very careful walking down, and your heads.

Have fun down there. I've got an appointment at the archive,

so it's too close to that appointment for me to go down.

Okay.

- All right, see you, Doug. -See you.

In 1565,

after defending Valletta from an attempted invasion

by the Ottoman Empire...

...the Knights of Malta

began a major renovation of the city

to create a stronghold for their order.

The new fortification included a vast network

of underground tunnels

that were dug out of the limestone bedrock.

These tunnels offered not only a safe haven in times of war

for the Knights and the citizens of Valletta,

but also served as secure storage facilities

and featured elaborate cisterns for collecting

and controlling water.

And according to some researchers,

the tunnels may have also served

as a hiding place for Templar-related treasures

before they were transported to the New World.

It's just absolutely incredible.

As we are introduced to this underground area,

it's massive.

It is a highway, literally underground.

Various tunnels, cisterns, chambers

were developed and built to sustain a siege.

I think it was representative

of the skills necessary to construct a chamber

or a vault or a room that could hold treasure.

But these were the original cisterns.

The function of this was obviously

- for the water. -Mm-hmm.

And it's two... cisterns.

So, there is a... connecting arch there.

We'll go in. And even further down,

- it's a bit deeper, also. -Mm-hmm.

And at the end,

there is a small connecting tunnel,

which links both reservoirs.

So, this was done in 1570?

- JEAN-PAUL: That's the era. -The way I hear the story,

it was in response to the Great Siege

- that they did all this. - Oh, yeah.

Yes. Was direct response because

the Knights were convinced

that the Ottomans were going to try another great siege.

- Mm-hmm. - So, there's an acute threat.

- Yeah. - We're looking for reasons

they may have taken an interest

in other locations, even as far as Oak Island.

This is evidence that they might have been thinking that way,

that they needed to safeguard... things.

It certainly seems to be the right timeframe.

By that time, they'd realize

that they'd be susceptible to attacks here,

and it might be an idea that we need to move what we have,

and we take them to Nova Scotia,

and they go... they deposit something on Oak Island.

In 1632, the French sea captain

and Knight of Malta, Isaac de Razilly,

led an expedition to North America

in order to establish France's colony of Acadia,

known today as Nova Scotia.

Curiously, the colony's headquarters were at Fort Point

on the LaHave River, just 15 miles south of Oak Island.

Is it possible that Isaac de Razilly's expedition

was also related to a secret mission?

One designed to safeguard another cache

of Templar-related treasures in the New World on Oak Island?

So now, let's go and have a look at the tunnels.

- Let's go. - Perfect. -Okay.

After you, sir.

Everything that we've seen regarding the efforts

of the Knights of Malta-- it's an incredible undertaking.

They needed structures like these

to protect their possessions, to protect themselves.

that's easily explainable here, the "why."

On Oak Island, it's not quite so easy to explain,

but perhaps some answers lie within.

It's almost surreal.

JEAN-PAUL: In the Knight's era,

this would have been the passageway,

which passes exactly underneath the street up at the top.

You can really see the difference

in the tools that they used.

JEAN-PAUL: It's a kind of rock which you can

chisel away straight.

Is this clay?

It's grayish, blueish, it's softer than the limestone.

The blue clay played an important role,

because you have, like, a natural sealant.

And you come across something

- similar on your island? -Yes. We know

that waterproofing with blue clay

had to be done in the Money Pit.

- Okay. -Around

whatever they were hiding in there.

Is this clay?

It's grayish, blueish.

JEAN-PAUL: Did you come across something

- similar on your island? -Yes.

We know that waterproofing with blue clay

had to be done in the Money Pit.

- Okay. - Around

whatever they were hiding in there.

While exploring

an underground tunnel system in Valletta, Malta,

that was constructed in the 16th century

by members of the Knights of Malta,

Rick Lagina and members of the team

have just found a potential clue

that might be related to the Oak Island mystery.

Waterproofing was one

of the keys in working on the island,

because it was an island.

Is it possible that Rick and the team

have just seen a waterproofing method in tunnels

that were created by the Knights of Malta,

which matches the reported design

of the original Oak Island Money Pit?

We know, based on our work in the Money Pit,

that blue clay was used to waterproof things.

The shafts, in particular. Perhaps the tunnels.

-That's amazing. -Mm-hmm.

Might it be replicated here?

Because we know that they needed some way

to waterproof the aqueducts and the underground cisterns.

So, it's quite impactful to see it here.

This kind of limestone, you don't encounter

on Oak Island until you get very deep.

-Yup. -The legend

tells of flood tunnels on the island.

This speaks to the capability of these people,

experience with tunneling.

And when we talk

about potential suspects on the island,

like the Knights of Malta,

we're standing in the work

of a group of people at the end of the 1500s.

I mean, they did it.

Yeah. You're standing on it.

The original description

of the original find of the Money Pit,

where the treasure would have resided--

you could see the same things. There was no cribbing.

You could see the strike marks on the walls.

It was that tightly consolidated.

It was very competent ground.

Could this have been done long ago on Oak Island?

I'd say it's definitive.

All of the things

that we see exhibited

of the Knights of Malta's capabilities underground

certainly are exemplified underground in the Money Pit.

We have limestone, we have blue clay.

And someone found a way to move water

from the ocean to the Money Pit.

So, is it possible that this same type of work

by the same peoples, might that have been used

to do the same type of work on Oak Island?

It's possible.

And at some point, that might be provable.

You have led us to a place that affirms to us

some of the work on Oak Island was known

and conducted during the timeframes

that we have great suspicion of: 1500s,

times of the Knights of Malta.

So, for that, we are extremely grateful.

- Thank you very much. - Well, for us,

there's more to see in Valletta.

So, let's resurface.

-Thank you. -Thank you so much.

As Rick Lagina

and members of the team continue their search

for clues in Malta,

over 4,000 miles to the west, on Lot 5 of Oak Island...

Nice, loose subsoil, isn't it,

- compared to what we had in the other pits? -Yeah.

...Jack Begley joins Helen Sheldon

and other members of the archaeology team

as they dig for more artifacts and potential valuables

in and around the mysterious stone foundation.

- We just have to go slow. - Yeah.

Lot 5 always just keeps getting better and better,

and being able to dig on the side of the feature today

where that Starburst button was found,

I'm hoping we can find some other related artifacts

to give us an earlier date.

Oh, wow.

Oh! Look at that.

Oh, look. Looks like there's more here.

Oh, yeah. Oh, look!

Oh, my goodness.

It's a few shards together.

Yeah. There's a lot of shards.

Oh, what a nice piece.

I bet you those would fit together.

Yeah. Look at all this.

It's everywhere.

It's everywhere!

This is great. That's almost, like, a whole plate.

It is almost like a whole plate.

Look at that. You've got the foot ring

- that fits on there. - Yeah.

It's the base. Oh! This is great.

-Yeah. - There's tons of it here.

So, this looks like creamware here.

- Yup. Creamware. So, that's pretty neat. - Okay.

We're looking at something, you know, from the late

- three quarters of the 1700s. - Yeah. It's awesome.

Pottery from the late 18th century?

Because the team has found artifacts

dating to as early as the 14th century,

and a number from the 17th century,

is it possible that they are now finding evidence

of yet another period when this feature was occupied?

- Somebody ate off that plate. - Yeah.

If so, who was it?

And what was their purpose?

This feature has actually been really interesting

and has been changing our thoughts all along.

Initially, when we started looking at things,

it looked like it could have been perhaps a basic homestead.

Do you want to start bagging it?

- Because I think you've got the rest of the plate there. - Yeah.

The rest of the plate.

- A whole plate here. - I'll open it for you.

But as we started going along

and finding more and more artifacts,

now I'm starting to think

that it could have been multi-generational and

having some bit of conspiracy to do with the Money Pit itself.

There's definitely some ties,

and it's really making me rethink who was here

and what were they doing.

This is definitely an artifact-rich layer.

If we're finding that, right here, that much intact,

I'm excited to see what else is in here.

Yeah, exactly.

Oh, my goodness.

- What have you got? - Oh, look at this!

Oh, it's beautiful!

Oh, it's beautiful!

I think this is a button.

It's got a little pattern on it, kind of.

That looks really fragile.

- Can I take a look? - Yeah.

While excavating the mysterious stone foundation

near the shoreline on Lot 5,

archaeology assistant Ethan Green

has just made a potentially important discovery.

Look, you've got the shank and everything.

- It's fully intact. -Yeah.

Hey, Helen and Jack,

you got to come check this out.

-Yeah. - You got to look at this.

- What do you have? - Ethan just found this.

-Oh, my heavens. -Whoa!

There's something on there.

- That's not just a flat button. -Yeah, he...

He had good eyes. He could see it, too.

- What do you think it is? -Kind of looks

like a flower to me.

I think the fact that it's got any kind

of pattern on it is going to be fascinating.

- Yeah. - Yeah.

An ornate button

featuring a flower design?

Could Fiona Steele be correct that it may bear a key clue

that might help identify just who left it

in this feature on Lot 5?

A feature that the team believes may be connected

to one or more operations

to hide something of value in the Money Pit?

Keep in mind, we found

- the starburst button right over there. - Yeah.

-Yeah. - Like, we're talking a few feet away.

-Yeah. - So, if this is anything similar,

- then that's pretty exciting. - Yup.

There is that connection between the starburst button

and the Knights of Malta, so, who knows?

This new button we just found

could relate to that starburst button.

It could have an insignia or something on the face

of the button that could give us more information

to whether or not the Knights of Malta were on Oak Island.

We're going to have to take that to the lab...

-Yeah. - ...and do some scans on it.

Emma will tell us how old that is.

- Yeah. And exactly what it's made of. - Mm-hmm.

- Yeah. Yeah. - Ethan's on a roll.

Yeah, he is. He really is.

- Let's get back to sifting, Helen. - Okay.

Let's get back to it.

Nice find, Ethan.

The following morning on Oak Island,

as the investigations continue

in the northern region of the swamp...

We're running out of time! Dig!

...and on Lot 5...

- This could probably still come down a bit. - Yeah.

...some 4,000 miles to the east,

off the coast of Malta...

From one island to another.

- One beautiful island to another. -Yeah.

...Rick Lagina and members of the team

are being transported to the island of Gozo,

where the Knights of Malta established one

of their strongholds in 1565.

We brought some of the artifacts. -Yeah.

Because maybe we can find some connection.

There, the team will visit the Citadel of Victoria

in the hopes of making more possible connections

between the Knights of Malta and the Oak Island mystery.

It's beautiful.

Even though the beauty, the aesthetics

of what we are about to see, we are focused.

We mustn't lose fact of the magnitude

of the possibilities that we are beginning to hopefully uncover.

- Is this the place? -Yeah. This one.

We are here in Malta to, hopefully, prove

the connection between the Knights of Malta and Oak Island.

- Hey, Denis. How are you? - Hey. Hi.

How are you?

Denis Darmanin is a Maltese historian

and leading expert on military

artifacts and buttons, and today,

Corjan Mol and Emiliano Sachetti

have arranged for Denis to analyze the starburst button

that was found on Lot 5 one year ago.

- Well, sir, I have a button to show you. - Oh.

Our archeologists-- they believe it has the potential

to be one of the oldest buttons we've found on the island.

Let's see.

- There you go. - That's all right. There it is.

Ah, well, the pattern is more likely a Spanish pattern.

- Mm-hmm. -That's interesting, because

some members of the Knights of Malta came from Spain.

Of course. And what I can add to that is,

I did come across a similar pattern here.

And according to the sizes, they were either worn

on the waistcoat, or else they were worn,

the larger sizes, on their coats.

I would date it to about 1650, not later than 1675.

- Hmm. - That's crazy.

That may indicate a period of construction for that feature

- on Lot 5. - Yup. Correct.

It's more than a hundred years,

before the discovery of the Money Pit.

- Yeah. - It's quite remarkable.

- Yes. - Yes. I quite agree.

And this design was quite, sort of trendy.

But the more elaborate, it adds to the prestige of the owner.

- Okay. -So, we know,

in Nova Scotia in the 1630s,

- we had the presence of Knights of Malta. - Yes.

So, this button may connect

- to the Knights of Malta? - Yes.

That's quite remarkable.

Amazing.

So, this button may connect to the Knights of Malta?

- Yes. - That's quite remarkable.

Amazing.

In the historic Citadel,

located on the Maltese island of Gozo,

Rick Lagina and members of the team

have just learned from historian

and button expert Denis Darmanin

that the button bearing a starburst design,

which was found on Lot 5,

dates back to the 17th century,

and could be connected to the Knights of Malta.

So, these uniforms

- were highly personalized. -Yes. Yes, they are.

- They would wear the fashion of the time. - Yeah.

These buttons were more trendy with the aristocratic level.

So, the Knights would hold their status in what they wear.

Yeah.

So, we'd like to show you a picture

of a uniform that might have had a button

- like that with a swirl on it. - Sure. Sure.

Like to get your thoughts on that.

Yes. It's a similarity.

Either it's a button exactly like it,

- or of a larger size. - Mm-hmm.

Because a coat button-- that would be larger

than, let's say, a vest button

- or a waistcoat button. - Right.

So, with this starburst button in particular,

there is a possibility that this button would have been worn

by somebody, a member of the Knights of Malta.

Oh, yes, I agree.

Well, that's a pretty exciting possibility.

I find that to be

- very, very interesting. - Yeah.

If Denis Darmanin is correct

that the so-called starburst button

may very well have come

from the uniform of a member of the Knights of Malta,

could it help prove that the order was connected

to the Oak Island mystery?

And also explain the mortar-like material

that was found in the round feature on Lot 5,

that matches soils from over 100 feet deep

in the Money Pit area?

We have the research which kind of brought us here

in the first place that really spell out Malta.

But then we have this mysterious button

that seems to kind of be tying everything together.

So, I think that's an exciting possibility.

It's true.

We now have a visit

predating the discovery of the Money Pit

by a significant amount of time, but to what end?

This may be the button that explains

what the Lot 5 feature possibly represents.

You know, Denis, we can only solve the treasure hunt

by looking to the past

in order to understand what lies ahead of us.

- Yes. -But you have certainly given us

great insight, and we really, really appreciate it.

Well, my final comment is, I'm always here to assist.

-Thank you very much. -It's an honor.

Although thousands of miles

currently separate members of the Oak Island team,

their new discoveries both on the island,

and halfway across the globe,

may have brought them ever closer

to the answers they seek.

And now, as their long journey

to solve this mystery continues,

perhaps it is now only a matter of time

before the ultimate revelation is pulled from deep underground.

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