All language subtitles for Secrets.in.the.Sand.S02E03.1080p.WEB.h264-FREQUENCY_track3_[eng]

[narrator]
Archaeologists uncover
mysterious remains

within a crypt in Israel.

Four of the rings were around
the individual's neck,

and there were others
around the arms and the legs.

Who was this person?

And why were they buried
wrapped in metal rings?

An astonishing discovery
is unearthed in the sands

of the Egyptian desert.

They noticed strangely
smooth limestone blocks

on the cliff's facade,
carved right into the landscape.

But what was it?

In the Jordan Desert,

researchers unearthed
a strange structure

with remarkable
carved features.

But the most striking thing
inside the round rock formation

was two standing
vertical stones called steles,

each with a human face
carved into them.

So what were they for?

And how long have
they been standing here

in the middle of nowhere?

Ancient lost cities.

Forgotten treasures.

Mysterious structures.

As new technology
uncovers remarkable tales

hidden beneath
the deserts of the world.

The "Secrets in the Sand"
will finally be revealed.

Just a few miles due north
of the Jerusalem city center,

lies the settlement
of Ramat Shlomo, Israel.

During the summer months,
this area is blisteringly hot,

with temperatures
sometimes reaching

almost 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

It's also extremely dry,

averaging just under
two inches of rain per month,

most of which falls
during the wet season

from October to April.

Ramat Shlomo is part
of East Jerusalem.

It was once part of Jordan,
but came under Israeli control

after the Six-Day War in 1967.

Jerusalem is one
of the world's oldest cities,

with a history going
back over 5,000 years.

Its origins trace back
to roughly 3000 BCE,

with the first settlement
near the Gihon Spring.

The oldest mention of Jerusalem
is from Egyptian texts,

dating to around 2000 BCE,

where it's referred
to as Rusalimum.

Given this rich history,

it's no surprise that the area

is of keen interest
to archaeologists.

A team of archaeologists

from the Israel
Antiquities Authority

are excavating
an ancient complex

known as Khirbat el-Masani

in advance of construction
work near Ramat Shlomo,

when they unearth a surprise.

Two burial crypts were uncovered

containing the scattered
skeletal remains

of several individuals,

including children,
women, and men.

But the real shock came
when a third tomb was found.

Inside were skeletal remains

that appeared to be
wrapped in metal rings.

Four of the rings were
around the individual's neck,

and there were others
around the arms and the legs.

But unfortunately, the bones
were so severely degraded,

they were only able to recover
fragments of the cranium,

a small finger bone,
and parts of a femur.

The poor condition
of the remains

makes establishing things,
like the sex of the person

or age at death very difficult.

So the question is,
who was this person?

And why were they buried
wrapped in metal rings?

The first thing
that springs to mind

is that maybe
they were a prisoner,

a criminal bound
with chains and then executed,

or possibly an enslaved person.

In 2015, construction workers

in the village
of Great Casterton,

in the East Midlands
of England

discovered the ancient remains

of a man with heavy
iron shackles

and a padlock
around his ankles.

[Anthea]
Radiocarbon dating
placed the remains

to between 226 and 427 CE,

during the Roman
occupation of Britain.

The man was likely

between the ages
of 26 and 35 when he died,

and the body
showed evidence of a life

of physically demanding labor.

It's historical fact
that slavery

was an accepted practice
throughout the Roman Empire,

and they were known

to chain some
of their agricultural slaves.

So the shackled man
was probably a farm laborer.

So is it possible
that the individual discovered

at Khirbat el-Masani
was also an enslaved person?

Maybe, but there's
one key difference.

The slave's body
discovered in England

was not properly laid out.

It was found at a strange angle,

lying somewhat on its right side

with the left arm
raised up on a slope.

This indicates that maybe
the man was thrown into a ditch,

rather than given
a proper burial.

On the other hand,
the body at Khirbat el-Masani

was carefully buried

in a grave resting on its back.

So if they likely weren't
an enslaved person

or a prisoner,

there has to be
another explanation

for why this individual was
buried laden with metal rings.

Maybe it's something
a little strange

or involving superstition.

In 2022, a team
of archaeologists

from Nicolaus Copernicus
University in Torun, Poland,

were excavating
an ancient castle

when they uncovered
something truly bizarre.

On a riverbank
adjacent to the castle,

they noticed human bones
sticking out from the ground.

But here's
where it gets really weird.

After an excavation,

they found
that the individual was buried

with a semicircular sickle
pinned around their neck.

And that's not all.

The skeleton's big toe,
on the left foot,

had a rusted old triangular
padlock attached to it.

Analysis of the remains
revealed that they belonged

to a female between
the ages of 17 and 21.

She had the Kimmerle anomaly,

which is a condition
where an extra piece of bone

forms on the first
cervical vertebra.

This could have led her
to fainting regularly

or having mental health issues,

which could have been
seen as evil behavior.

[Dr. Anthony]
Reports of vampire
sightings and attacks

became widespread
across medieval Europe,

and unusual measures
were taken to ensure

that suspected vampires
could not rise from the dead.

Some individuals were buried

with large stones
around their necks.

Others were buried face down,

and some,
like the woman in Poland,

were pinned down
with metal objects

and secured with locks.

So could this explain the body
found at Khirbat el-Masani

that was chained
with metal rings?

It's possible,

but the timeline
and location are problematic.

Most vampire burials
took place in Europe,

during the Middle Ages
right up until the 18th century.

We know from the grave goods
and the geology

of the site at Khirbat el-Masani

that the bodies there

are likely
from the 5th century CE,

almost 1,000 years before
the vampire scare in Europe.

So there has
to be another reason

for the rings on the body.

The team at Khirbat el-Masani

investigates
the gravesite further

and makes another
surprising discovery.

Along with the rings,
iron plates were found

where the stomach
would have been.

This person was effectively
covered in metal,

which could suggest that it was

some kind of crudely-made
body armor.

So maybe
this is a warrior's grave?

[Dr. Dan]
That's a possibility,

but all that metal would have
been really cumbersome.

It would have been heavy.

I can't see somebody
being able to move around

or fight effectively
with metal rings

weighing down
their arms and legs.

Plus, if this person was
gonna get a warrior's burial,

you would expect
to find things like swords

or arrows or spears
with them, at least a helmet.

There's nothing like that here.

As the excavation
nears completion,

the scope of the complex
at Khirbat el-Masani

comes into view...

This place is huge.

They unearthed three apses

assumed to be part
of a church or monastery

built with finely-cut
limestone blocks.

There are also rooms
believed to have been an inn,

which makes sense,

given that the site
is near the main road

that led from Jaffa
and Lydda to Jerusalem.

[Dr. Anthony] The complex
is believed to have been built

between 350 and 650 CE,

when Christianity was becoming

the dominant religion
in the region

and Jerusalem
was a spiritual center,

attracting pilgrims
from far and wide.

This period also saw
the spread of monasticism,

a devout way of life

where people detached
from the world

to focus on spiritual concerns,

and lived in monasteries

like Khirbat el-Masani.

This period also saw
the growth of asceticism.

Basically, that's avoiding
anything pleasurable.

Asceticism is a word that's
sometimes used interchangeably

with monasticism,
but it's not the same.

Ascetics, perhaps,
extreme self-denial,

whereas monks isolate
themselves from the world.

Neither of them sound very fun.

The most stringent ascetics
practiced self-inflicted pain

and voluntary suffering.

And one of these practices
was to limit mobility

by wrapping themselves
in heavy metal chains,

like the ones found
with the remains

at Khirbat el-Masani.

So given this,

the grave likely
belonged to an ascetic

who also happened to be a monk

and probably lived
in isolation at the monastery.

But who was he?

Searching for answers
at Khirbat el-Masani.

the team salvages what little
remains of the skeleton

and turns it
into the lab for analysis.

The results are startling.

[Anthea]
They recovered a single tooth,

and analysis of the enamel
showed the presence of AMELX,

which is a protein encoded
on the X chromosome.

Also notable was
the absence of AMELY,

which is present only in males,

meaning this was a woman.

[Dr. Anthony] While the use
of chains by male ascetics

from this era is widely known,

this is the first
archaeological evidence

that women
engaged in self-torture

during the Byzantine period.

An amazing discovery.

Females tended to practice

less extreme forms of asceticism

by fasting,
meditating, and praying.

So just who was this woman

that took her beliefs
to such lengths?

Historical records indicate
that women in the Roman Empire

began practicing asceticism
as early as the 4th century CE,

as a spiritual pursuit

that likely began
with the nobility.

Many churches and monasteries
were founded in Jerusalem

by wealthy women
from the Roman aristocracy

looking
for a spiritual connection

as a way of atoning
for their lavish lifestyles.

But some of them
took it a step further.

[Anthea]
Two well-known ascetics
were Melania the Elder,

a Christian saint
from a noble family,

and her granddaughter
Melania the Younger,

who founded convents
in the Kidron Valley

and on the Mount of Olives,

located near
Jerusalem's Old City.

Melania the Younger was known
for her extreme practices,

which included confining
herself in a wooden box

that restricted all movement.

Some female ascetics
from the time

even went so far as
to disguise themselves as men.

Pelagia the Penitent,

recognized as a saint
by several churches,

was a former sex worker
who turned to Christianity,

and led a life of self-denial,

fasting, and prayer
disguised as a man.

This, at least,
suggests that monastic life

was sometimes simply
not available for women.

[Dr. Dan]
As for who the chained woman

found at Khirbat el-Masani was,

that is still a mystery.

And there may be more
forgotten female ascetics

hidden beneath
ancient monasteries.

The discovery
of the female remains

at Khirbat el-Masani

challenges traditional
historical narratives

by showing that women engaged

in extreme religious practices

in the Byzantine era,

and hints
that female asceticism

may have been
much more widespread

than previously believed.

Just over four miles
from the modern city of Sohag,

on the Western Bank
of the Nile,

the cliffs of Athribis rise up

from the desert floor.

When you think of Egypt,
you think of the desert.

And that's because 96%
of that country is exactly that.

But if you know where to look,

you can also find huge swaths
of fertile land there.

And one of those places
is an area surrounding Athribis.

This is because
the Nile River carries sediment

thousands of miles northwards,

through Egypt,
towards the Mediterranean.

And when the river floods,

these sediments are
dispersed across the valley,

turning the sand into rich soil.

Today, 95% of Egyptians

live within a few miles
of the Nile's banks,

a pattern that stretches
back thousands of years

to ancient Egyptians

who built their largest
cities along the river.

A group of archaeologists

is investigating
the cliff's base

as part of
an ongoing excavation

when they spot
something strange.

They noticed strangely
smooth limestone blocks

on the cliff's facade.

On closer inspection,

they realized they
were actually looking

at the remains of a structure,

carved right into the landscape.

But what was it?

As the team brushes away
centuries of sand,

they reveal figures
carved into the limestone.

Two stand out
as particularly unusual.

These two figures
have human bodies

and the heads of animals.

One is an ibis
and one is a falcon.

They're surrounded
by carvings of Egyptian gods.

And at first, you might
think that they're gods, too.

But they're actually
beings known as decans.

[Dr. Dan]
In ancient Egypt,

decans represented 36 small
constellations of stars.

Each decan corresponded
to about 10 degrees of sky.

So with 36 sections
of 10 degrees each,

you got a full
360-degree panorama.

And by tracking the decans
as they moved through the sky,

Egyptians were able
to keep track to keep track

of what the date was.

[Dr. Alison]
Each of the 36 decans
was associated

with a particular deity.

In the case
of the decans of Athribis,

the falcon-headed god
may have been linked

to the sky god, Horus,

while the ibis head
might evoke Thoth,

god of writing and wisdom.

Though we can't be sure,

but we're left wondering,
why were they carved here?

320 miles from Athribis,

in the northern reaches
of the Nile Delta,

a team of archaeologists
working on the ruins

of the ancient city
of Kafr El-Sheikh,

come across the work

of some of Egypt's
earliest astronomers.

They found a vast complex

built from mud bricks,

spanning more
than 10,000 square feet,

that contained
a huge limestone sundial

built out of 15-foot blocks.

This sundial acted like a clock,

allowing the ancient Egyptians

to track the time
throughout the day.

[Dr. Anthony]
Researchers also found
several other tools

that indicated
that this building

was also used at night.

One of them was a merkhet,

which was essentially a weight
attached to a wooden handle

that helped ancient
astronomers track the alignment

of the decans
across the night sky.

Researchers were
able to date the site

to the 6th century BCE,

making it the oldest
known observatory

in all of ancient Egypt.

Could the site at Athribis

have been built
around the same time

as part of that society's
curiosity about the stars?

[Dr. Alison] The decans
aren't the only figures

carved into the limestone.

The team also spotted
the silhouette of a pharaoh,

known as Ptolemy VIII,

one of ancient Egypt's
most volatile rulers.

[Dr. Amma]
Ptolemy VIII's reign
was incredibly chaotic

and led to the empire's
economic collapse.

He was constantly
at odds with his siblings,

driving his own brother
out of the country

to keep the throne.

He married his older sister,
but they feuded constantly

and he went so far

as to kill their own son
out of spite.

But the real tipping point

came when he decided
to marry his niece,

a move that sparked
a full-blown civil war.

Ptolemy hung onto his position
by the skin of his teeth,

often relying on diplomatic
support from Rome

to keep him in power.

Experts date
the structure at Athribis

to the second century BCE,

during the reign
of Ptolemy VIII,

hundreds of years
after the observatory

at Kafr El-Sheikh was built.

So why did
the pharaoh leave his mark

on this particular structure?

As work continues
on the ruins,

the archaeologists
realize for the first time

the true extent
of what they have uncovered.

[Dr. Dan]
This structure is enormous.

It's over 150 feet wide.

And it's made up of these
two symmetrical columns.

Unfortunately,
both of those columns

have been damaged
by a nearby limestone quarry.

So today,

they're only about 15 feet tall,

but it's believed

that they once towered up
to 60 feet above.

We know that ancient
Egyptian pharaohs

frequently commissioned
grand architectural projects

to showcase their power

and demonstrate
their devotion to the gods.

Massive structures

that took decades to complete,

and were often initiated

at the very start
of a pharaoh's reign.

Could the site
of Athribis represent

a continuation tradition?

Is it possible
that this was intended to serve

as the tomb
of Ptolemy VIII himself?

A short distance from Athribis,

a local police station
receives a call

that leads
to a shocking discovery.

Police learn that a small gang

is illegally excavating
a small mound

near a known
archaeological site.

When they investigate,
they're astonished

to find an exceptionally
well-preserved tomb.

Inside, they find
a central lobby

and a small burial room

with detailed funerary rites,

depicted on every single wall.

In the burial room,

there are
two limestone sarcophagi,

each containing a mummy.

[Dr. Dan] These mummies
were likely a married couple,

and probably really
important in the area,

because they were surrounded
by dozens of grave offerings,

including more
than 50 mummified animals.

They also had cats,

they had dogs,
they even had eagles.

And they had hundreds
of fragments of pottery.

And all of it

was just meant
to travel with that couple

into the afterlife.

Researchers are able to date
this extraordinary tomb

back more than 2,000 years,

to the tail end
of the Ptolemaic period.

The graves are evidence

that high-profile
Ptolemaic burials

took place extremely
close to Athribis.

Based on this,
it's even more likely

that the structure buried
in the cliff face

is another impressive tomb.

But there are problems
with this theory.

For one, many believe
that Ptolemy VIII

is likely buried
closer to Alexandria,

which was the capital
at the end of his reign

and the resting place
for many of his relatives.

Another theory suggests

that Ptolemy
was buried in Cyrene,

a Libyan colony
that he once ruled.

In the ancient city
of Ptolemais,

a grand tomb was discovered,

that some believe
may have been intended

as his final resting place.

[Dr. Dan]
Ultimately, we still don't know
where Ptolemy is buried.

So, if the structure at Athribis

probably isn't Ptolemy's tomb,

what else could it be?

As researchers finally
unearth the full facade

buried in the cliffside,

the building's
striking silhouette

points to fresh possibility.

The two towers,
joined by a shorter building,

is an iconic staple of ancient
Egyptian architecture,

known as a pylon.

These pylons were built
to symbolize the horizon.

The towers each represented
a huge mountain,

and the space between the two,

showed the valley
in which the sun set.

They also share
a close resemblance

to the hieroglyph Akhet,

which translates to horizon,

and shows a sun setting
between two large hills.

[Dr. Amma] The ancient Egyptians
were obsessed

with the concept of the horizon.

In part because
it represented a constant threat

to one of their oldest
and most important gods,

Ra.

It was believed that at night,

Ra would descend
below the horizon,

where he entered the underworld

and was forced
to battle a giant serpent,

known as Apophis.

Only if he won,
would the sun rise again.

Pylons like the one at Athribis

were a literal representation
of a boundary,

and were positioned
at the entrance

to some of Egypt's
grandest temples.

Most of these temples were built
to house Egyptian gods

who were channeled
through sacred sculptures

and rituals.

Priests would tend
to these temples,

conducting ceremonies
throughout the year,

to appease the gods

in an effort
to maintain peace.

So, if the temple at Athribis

is one of these houses,

the question becomes,

which god was it built for?

Having revealed the entirety
of the temple facade,

researchers are drawn
to one last set of figures

etched into the stone.

[Dr. Alison]
Alongside the pharaoh
and the decans

is the figure
of a man holding a flail.

This is Min,
the god of male fertility,

one of the most important
deities of ancient Egypt,

which relied heavily
on agriculture.

Each year before
the harvest season,

images of Min would
be brought out of the temples

and into the fields
to bless the crops.

[Dr. Amma] The cult of Min
grew extremely strong

in the area
surrounding Athribis,

and enormous festivals

would have been
held in his honor.

You would think this would make
him the star attraction

of the hidden temple,
but this isn't the case.

[Dr. Anthony]
There are two other gods
etched into the reliefs.

One is a woman
with the head of a lion,

and the other is a young boy.

These are Min's wife and son,
Repyt and Kolanthes.

In fact, it's Repyt that appears
to be taking center stage,

with the pharaoh making
offerings to her and her son,

rather than to her husband.

It's unclear exactly
what kind of role

Repyt or her son
would have played

in the local community,

but it likely would
have been related

somehow to fertility.

What is known,

is that before the Greeks
labeled this place Athribis,

Egyptians called it Hut-Repyt,
or Domain of Repyt.

So it may well be
that this temple

once stood at the center
of an entire town

dedicated to
that lion-headed goddess.

Today, the Athribis site

stretches over 75 acres.

Most of the area
is still covered

by a layer
of limestone rubble,

but researchers are confident

that their ongoing efforts

will one day uncover
the entirety of this stunning,

long-forgotten complex.

The unrelenting Syrian Desert

spans more than 200,000
square miles of West Asia,

including parts
of Saudi Arabia, Syria,

and 85% of Jordan's land mass.

The Syrian desert
is one of the most arid

and hottest deserts
in the world,

with summer temperatures
frequently reaching

over 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

The dry landscape
in Southeastern Jordan

is made up of sandy plateaus,

occasionally broken up
by mountain ranges

and river valleys,
called wadis.

While there's evidence
of human activity in Jordan

going back
to the Paleolithic Period,

large sections of the country
were first settled

by nomadic tribes
like the Canaanites and Shasu

in the Bronze Age,
between 3200 and 1200 BC.

These settlements were
consolidated into kingdoms

for hundreds of years
until the Classical period,

When Jordan came
under Greek and Roman influence.

Not surprisingly,

there's been
a wealth of discoveries

found beneath the sand
of Jordan's deserts.

The most famous
is the Rose City of Petra,

made up of rock-cut tombs
and advanced water systems.

In the north,
the Roman city of Jerash

was revealed
to contain a hippodrome

and the Temple of Artemis.

A team of archaeologists
is busy at work

in the southwestern Badia
region of Jordan,

when they come across
a surprising discovery.

[Dr. Amma]
They were surveying an area
between the Al-Jafr Basin

and a nearby mountain range,

in a fairly open
and flat section of the desert

and discovered
a circular enclosure

made from rocks and stones

with an altar-like
formation in its center,

as well as a stone hearth

with traces of burnt charcoal.

In addition
to the altar and hearth,

there were several
smaller stones

in the shape of animal figurines

placed around the perimeter.

But the most striking thing
inside the round rock formation

was two standing
vertical stones called steles,

each with a human face
carved into them.

The first one stood around
two feet, three inches tall,

and bore a simple set
of eyes, nose, and mouth.

The taller one,
at over three and a half feet,

displayed a larger human face,

along with a number
of vertical lines,

carved beside it
in a unique design or pattern.

So what were they for?

And how long
have they been standing here,

in the middle of nowhere?

Samples from the structure in
the southwestern Badia

region of Jordan are taken for
radiocarbon dating.

Over 15 samples were collected
from the charcoal remains

found among
the hearth's rocks and stones.

The results
were uniformly consistent,

putting the site
at around 7000 BC,

which falls
in the early Neolithic period.

[Dr. Anthony]
The Neolithic era spans
more than five millennia,

from 10,000 to 4500 BCE.

so it encompasses a lot
of change in human activity.

In Jordan,
just like in other places,

there was a slow transition

from tribal
hunter-gatherer societies

to cultures
with domesticated animals

and agricultural settlements.

Further examination
of the strange formation

reveals a possible clue.

[Dr. Amma] The circular
arrangement of the structure,

plus the altar-like
formation in the center

suggested it may
have been connected

to an ancient ritual
or ceremony.

And that line of thinking
was supported

by the anthropomorphic nature
of the two stone carvings.

The practice of giving
human characteristics

to non-human entities
has been around for millennia,

whether it's animals, deities,
or completely inanimate objects,

such as rocks and stones.

Many ancient cultures
imposed human traits

as a form of storytelling,

to pass down myths and folklore,

but it also had a deep spiritual
and religious significance.

One of the earliest
examples of this

was found at Göbekli Tepe,

a settlement in Mesopotamia
in what we now call Turkey.

It was inhabited
from roughly 9500 to 8000 BC,

also the Neolithic period.

and it featured
a large stone circle

with pillars decorated
with carvings of human features

like arms, hands, and clothing.

The carvings provided
archaeologists

with rare insights into
a possible prehistoric religion,

as well as the iconography
of the period.

[Dr. Anthony]
Since the stone circle
at Göbekli Tepe

didn't appear to have a function

connected to hunting,
farming, or dwelling,

it was believed to be a communal
or spiritual gathering place.

If that were the case,
it would make it

one of the world's
first known temples.

So is it possible

that the strange
discovery in Jordan,

served a similar purpose?

A detailed analysis
of the two stone carvings

leads to
a surprising connection.

The human faces depicted were
carved in simple, clean lines,

consistent with other
carvings of that period.

But it was the curious
pattern etched

beside the face
of the largest stone

that became the focus.

Two lines in a V-shape

coming together
to create an enclosed circle,

like a keyhole.

What could it mean?

[Teddy] Well,
given that the stone structure

was carbon dated to 7000 BC,

the keyhole shape
was ultimately identified

as being the same shape

as a Neolithic hunting
trap called a desert kite.

Desert kites were stone walls,

often hundreds of feet long,

that converged
into a round contained space.

They were built
by nomadic tribes

during the hunter-gatherer phase
of the early Neolithic period,

and used to trap animals
like deer and gazelles.

Hunting parties
would drive herds

into the open end of the kites

and down
into the confined space,

where other members of the party

corralled the animals
for slaughter.

[Dr. Anthony]
They were named in the 1920s

by British Royal
Air Force pilots

flying across the region.

They were marked
on their resemblance to kites,

and the name stuck.

To date, there have been
over 6,000

of these ancient animal traps,

identified across
the Middle East.

But were any of them connected

to the Southeastern Badia
rock circle?

A larger survey is conducted

to include
the surrounding area,

and it doesn't take long
to find answers.

Sure enough,
the surrounding desert landscape

showed evidence
of multiple desert kites,

shaped much like the one carved
next to the face on the stone.

So there's a strong connection

between the items found
inside the rock circle

and the hunting methods

of the Neolithic
nomads who built it.

[Dr. Amma]
The bigger picture that emerged

was of a hunting campsite,

featuring several
large desert kites.

The rock circle served
as the spiritual center

for the hunters,

a place to engage
in ceremonies or rituals,

connected to the upcoming hunt.

[Teddy] The presence
of the altar, hearth,

and smaller carved
animal figurines,

likely all played
a role in these rituals,

[thunder rumbling]

[Teddy]
whether it was to invoke
supernatural forces

for a successful hunt,

or to bring out an abundance
of prey to capture.

This remarkable
Neolithic stone altar

discovered in the Jordan Desert

represents a critical link
between mass hunting

and ritual performance,

and may be one
of the earliest examples of art

as an expression of faith.

Set in the heart
of south central New Mexico,

White Sands National Park
extends over 275 square miles,

dazzling hundreds of thousands
of visitors every year.

Most of the world's desert sand
is made of quartz grain,

tiny pieces of rock
weathered by years

of exposure to the elements.

But here, the sand is almost
all composed of pure gypsum,

a bright white mineral

that can be almost
blinding in the sun.

Gypsum is quite
a common mineral,

but gypsum sand
is extremely rare,

because it's water-soluble.

Like salt or sugar,
it dissolves in water

and won't solidify again,
unless the moisture evaporates.

But White Sands National Park
lies at the bottom of a basin,

surrounded by the San Andres
and Sacramento Mountains.

These mountains
are made up of layers of gypsum,

so when it rains,

the minerals wash down
into the basin,

and when the water
eventually evaporates,

the sand is left behind.

A national park biologist,

exploring the sands
after a rainstorm

notices something strange.

He spotted sets
of disappearing footprints.

When the ground was wet,

he could clearly
make out several tracks,

which seemed to belong
to a range of different animals.

But then
when the earth dried up again,

they just vanished.

[Dr. Alison]
Today, we know them
as ghost tracks,

but they baffled experts
for almost a century.

In the 1930s, a local trapper

described finding huge,
comma-shaped prints

up to 20 inches long.

At first, many believed

these were the first confirmed
evidence of Bigfoot.

But now we know
that these tracks,

actually belonged
to a giant ground sloth

that roamed North America
tens of thousands of years ago.

Here's where it gets odd.

Inside one of the sloth tracks
was what appeared to be

a human footprint.

Dozens more of these prints

were scattered
throughout the desert,

but there are
no other clues to tell us

who they might have belonged to.

There are no remnants
of ancient human settlements

anywhere in White Sands.

No arrowheads, stone tools,
or traces of buildings.

Who were
these mysterious people?

As interest
in the footprints grows,

some experts wonder whether
they could have been left

by one of North America's
oldest people,

known as Clovis culture.

[Anthea]
Clovis culture
was first discovered

300 miles northeast
of White Sands National Park

on the outskirts
of a village called Folsom.

A local rancher
was riding along a gully

when he spotted the bones
of Ice Age bison and mammoths

buried in the embankment.

Cut marks on the bones suggested

that these animals
hadn't died of natural causes.

They'd been butchered.

[Dr. Dan]
Twenty years later,

an archaeologist working
near the city of Clovis

began to uncover exquisitely
crafted stone points.

The points had been carved

with grooves along their edges

to make them
as sharp as possible,

and they became known

as Clovis points.

[Dr. Alison]
Over the last century,

more than 10,000 Clovis points

have been found scattered
across North America,

dated between roughly
9500 and 9000 BCE.

They're often associated
with the bones of large animals,

indicating
that the Clovis culture thrived

on butchering big game.

So, could the mysterious
White Sands footprints

be from this period?

Was the giant sloth
they were following

intended as prey?

In order to confirm

whether these prints
could belong

to the Clovis hunters,

a team begins an elaborate
effort to date the footprints.

They identified
61 human tracks in total,

trapped in multiple
layers of earth.

But these prints aren't
physical objects,

which makes them
impossible to date.

So they searched the sediment
layers for organic material

and found dozens of preserved
Ruppia cirrhosa seeds,

also known as ditch grass.

By dating the seeds
directly above

and below the footprints,
they were able to establish

that the prints were far too old
to belong to the Clovis culture.

In fact, these were far too old
to belong to any known culture.

These tracks were left
between 21 and 23,000 years ago.

The staggering results
sent shockwaves

through
the archaeological world.

This discovery
changes everything.

For decades,

the Clovis First theory
was widely accepted.

The idea that the Clovis
were the very first humans

to arrive in North America

and that they did that
no more than 13,000 years ago.

But here we have evidence

of a far older group

making that journey
much earlier.

[Dr. Alison]
The Clovis First theory

suggested that humans
reached America

by crossing
the Bering Strait,

a land bridge
that formed

between modern-day Russia
and Alaska.

They would then have
spread southwards,

following an ice-free corridor,

as massive ice sheets

covering much
of modern-day Canada

gradually receded.

This theory relies
on the idea

that this wave
of migration to the Americas,

led by Clovis culture,

was the first of its kind.

But these ancient footprints
challenge that notion.

So, were there people
here already?

Nearly 3,000 miles away,

a team of archaeologists

working along
Alaska's Tanana River

make their own
astonishing discovery,

unearthing yet more traces

of some of the earliest
Native Americans.

[Anthea]
They were conducting surveys

in a heavily-wooded,
remote area

when they found the remains
of an ancient campsite.

It included
a residential structure

and a central hearth

that was likely built
to cook food.

Inside the hearth,

they uncovered
the cremated remains

of a young child

who had died
around three years old.

[Dr. Dan] Below the hearth,
two more infants were uncovered.

This time, they were buried,
but not cremated.

Now, these children were much
younger than the first,

with the oldest being
no more than seven months old.

They had been buried in graves

filled with offerings,

including decorated antlers
and a set of stone tools.

In order to date
these burials,

the researchers carefully
extract DNA

from one of the infants

and begin a detailed analysis.

The results proved
these infants

were buried at the end
of the Paleolithic Era,

around 11,500 years ago.

This alone marks
an incredible discovery,

because DNA
this ancient is really rare.

But these samples
also allowed us

to look back
even further into the past

and form a detailed picture

of these children's
genetic ancestry.

[Teddy]
Up until this discovery,

two main groups
of Native Americans

had been identified,

Southern and Northern
Native Americans.

But these infants
belonged to neither.

Instead, they proved
the existence

of a third,
previously-undiscovered group.

Today, this group is known
as the Ancient Beringians.

[Anthea]
We now believe
that the Ancient Beringians

began to split
from their East Asian ancestors

around 25,000 years ago.

Based on this genetic evidence,

it's possible that
these ancient Native Americans

formed one of the earliest
known waves of migration

to North America,

thousands of years before
Clovis culture appeared.

The discovery of the Ancient
Beringian population

presents fascinating
possibilities

for the researchers
investigating

the White Sands footprints.

[Dr. Dan]
Finding an entirely
new ancient American group

means humans
didn't reach North America

in one large wave of migration
like we previously thought.

Instead, they appear
to have arrived

as a bunch of small,
genetically-distinct groups,

many of which may
still be undiscovered.

So now the question becomes,

could the people who left
their footprints in the desert

have been one
of these unidentified groups

of ancient Native Americans?

And, if so,

what's the story
of how that population

made its way to what is now
the southwestern U.S.?

[Dr. Alison]
The truth is, we don't know how

these ancient humans
reached New Mexico.

It's possible they may
have traveled by boat,

following the Siberian
and Alaskan shoreline south

before traveling inland on foot.

Or they may have found
a different passage,

one we still don't know about.

To this day,
the White Sands footprints

remain shrouded in mystery.

But while they may
not be able to tell us

who these people were,

they do paint a vivid picture

of the environment
in which they lived.

Today,
White Sands National Park

is a true desert,
but it wasn't always.

The ditchweed seeds

that were found trapped
in layers of sediment

are actually aquatic plants.

Tens of thousands of years ago,

these plants grew on the banks
of an enormous body of water

called Lake Otero.

Lake Otero was huge.

It covered roughly
1,600 square miles,

transforming
this desert landscape

into a thriving wetland.

Then around 23,000 years ago,

the region became drier
and the lake receded,

leaving behind a soft surface

covered by gypsum sand and silt.

This was the surface

that ended up preserving
the White Sands footprints.

We don't just see humans
stalking giant sloths here.

Other fossilized tracks prove

that there was
a whole range of animals

passing through
the shores of Lake Otero.

You've got mammoths,

you've got camels.

I mean, they're traveling
in herds as families.

In one spot,

there is even footprints
that show a baby mammoth

spinning around
and maybe even playing

next to its parents.

In almost all cases,
the interactions

between individuals
and different species

seem to have been peaceful.

It's even possible

that humans would
have followed animals here,

traveling in one large,
extended community

from one lake to another.

The extraordinary tracks
in White Sands National Park

serve as a fascinating
time capsule,

bringing a long-gone
world to life

using little more
than footprints in the sand,

while possibly
rewriting the history

of North America's
first inhabitants.