All language subtitles for Secrets.of.the.Underground.S02E02.King.Solomons.Treasure.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-playWEB_track3_[eng]

IN ISRAEL, THE CRADLE
OF THREE RELIGIONS,

COUNTLESS BIBLICAL MYSTERIES ARE
STILL BURIED BENEATH THE SOIL.

YOU'RE STANDING IN THE PLACE
YOU'VE READ STORIES ABOUT

SINCE YOU WERE
A LITTLE KID.

OH, WOW.

IN JERUSALEM, RUMORS PERSIST

THAT KING HEROD'S
TEMPLE TREASURES

LIE HIDDEN BENEATH
A BYZANTINE CHURCH.

NOW, NEW TECHNOLOGY WILL LET US
PEER BENEATH ITS FLOOR

FOR THE FIRST TIME...

IT'S KIND
OF MENORAH-SHAPED.

...AND TO THE SOUTH,
IN THE LAND OF THE EXODUS...

MOSES WOULD HAVE COME RIGHT
THROUGH THIS REGION.

...THERE ARE NEW CLUES
ABOUT THE TRUE STORY

OF A TOWERING
OLD-TESTAMENT ICON.

COULD THESE BE THE INFAMOUS
MINES OF THE GREAT KING SOLOMON,

AND COULD THIS SOLVE THE MYSTERY
OF ANCIENT ISRAEL'S

ASTONISHING RISE TO POWER?

HOLY MOLY.
LOOK AT THAT.

IT'S A GAME CHANGER.

WE'RE PLUNGING DEEP
BENEATH THE SURFACE...

WHOO, BUDDY!

...AND PEELING BACK THE LAYERS
OF TIME LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

WOW!

IT COULD REWRITE
THE HISTORY BOOKS COMPLETELY.

BURIED DEEP BELOW
THE EARTH'S SURFACE,

THERE ARE COUNTLESS
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.

AND TODAY, WE FINALLY HAVE
THE TOOLS TO UNLOCK THEM.

THAT'S AMAZING.

IT'S SUPER DEEP!

I'M ROB NELSON,
A SCIENTIST AND EXPLORER

INVESTIGATING
OUR PLANET'S HIDDEN DEPTHS.

- GETTING DEEPER.
- HOLY MOLY, STEFAN.

AND HELPING ME UNCOVER
THESE SUBTERRANEAN SECRETS

IS TECH SPECIALIST STEFAN BURNS.

OH, MY GOD.
LOOK AT THAT!

TOGETHER...

I GOT SOMETHING!

...WE ARE UNCOVERING
NEW LEADS IN OUR QUEST

TO SOLVE EARTH'S
MOST ENDURING MYSTERIES.

- THERE WE GO.
- WHOO!

THESE ARE THE SECRETS
OF THE UNDERGROUND.

Captions by VITAC--
www.vitac.com

IN ISRAEL,
THE BIBLE COMES TO LIFE.

THIS IS THE LAND
OF ANCIENT KINGS--

DAVID, SOLOMON, HEROD--

AND LOST TREASURES
OF BIBLICAL PROPORTION--

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT,
THE HOLY GRAIL.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER TROVE
OF SACRED RICHES

SHROUDED IN MYSTERY,

THE LEGENDARY LOST TREASURES
OF KING HEROD'S TEMPLE,

THE TEMPLE JESUS CHRIST
HIMSELF VISITED,

AND WHICH THE ROMANS
UTTERLY DESTROYED.

IN THAT TEMPLE WAS HOUSED
THE MOST PRIZED POSSESSION

OF THE ANCIENT JEWS,
THE GOLDEN MENORAH,

AND IT'S WHAT STEFAN AND I
ARE HERE TO FIND.

- WOW.
- WOW, THERE IT IS.

IT'S HUGE.

SADLY,
THIS ISN'T THE REAL THING.

IT'S A REPRODUCTION THAT STANDS
IN THE JEWISH QUARTER

OF JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY.

"WAS RE-CREATED
FOR THE FIRST TIME

SINCE THE DESTRUCTION
OF THE SECOND TEMPLE."

THE HEBREW BIBLE RECORDS
THAT GOD REVEALED THE DESIGN

OF THE MENORAH TO MOSES,

ITS SIX BRANCHES
REPRESENTING HUMAN WISDOM,

GUIDED BY A DIVINE
LIGHT AT THE CENTER.

THE GOLDEN MENORAH WAS
THE CENTERPIECE

OF THE TEMPLE'S SACRED VESSELS,

INTENDED TO LIGHT THE WAY
FOR JEWS UNTIL THE END OF TIME,

UNTIL THE ROMANS INTERVENED.

IN 70 A.D., THE EMPEROR'S MIGHTY
LEGIONS SACKED JERUSALEM.

BLOOD FLOWED IN THE STREETS
AS THOUSANDS OF JEWS PERISHED.

HEROD'S GREAT TEMPLE
WAS UTTERLY DEMOLISHED.

IN THE CHAOS, THE SACRED VESSELS
WERE STOLEN AWAY,

AND ALL TRACES
OF BIBLICAL JERUSALEM

WERE ERASED FROM HISTORY.

BUT A RECENT DISCOVERY BROUGHT
THE VIVID SCENE BACK TO LIFE.

WE'RE HEADING NOW
TO THE HERODIAN ROAD.

WE'VE GOT THE CREW IN FRONT
OF US WITH THE BIG CAMERAS.

JUST FEET BENEATH
MODERN JERUSALEM,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVERED
A FULLY INTACT ROAD

LEADING UP TO THE TEMPLE MOUNT,

LOST TO HISTORY SINCE
THE ROMAN SACKING.

IT'S A STUNNING GLIMPSE
INTO THE WORLD OF HEROD, CHRIST,

AND THE ROMAN LEGIONS
WHO STOLE THE GOLDEN MENORAH.

WOW.
LOOK AT THIS.

NOW A LEGION OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS

IS WORKING FEVERISHLY
TO RECLAIM IT.

WITH AN ASSEMBLY LINE
OF ARTIFACTS

SHIPPING UP FROM
THE DEPTHS EVERY DAY...

MORAN...

- HELLO, NICE SEEING YOU.
- HOW ARE YOU DOING?

...MORAN HAGBI IS
THE EXCAVATION'S CODIRECTOR.

THIS IS AN AMAZING OPERATION
YOU'VE GOT GOING HERE.

- YOU WANT TO JOIN ME AND SEE...
- YEAH, AFTER YOU.

MORAN SAYS THE JEWS
OF JESUS' TIME

WOULD HAVE WALKED THIS ROAD

DURING THEIR ANNUAL
PILGRIMAGE TO THE TEMPLE.

WOW.

BUT IT'S ALSO THE ROUTE
ROMAN SOLDIERS WOULD HAVE USED

TO SACK THE TEMPLE,

STEAL THE TREASURES
AND DESTROY THE CITY.

WE HAVE SOME ARTIFACTS
THAT WERE FOUND HERE.

NO WAY.

OH, WOW.

JEWISH FORCES WERE NO
MATCH FOR THIS MILITARY MIGHT,

SO THEY TURNED
TO GUERRILLA TACTICS.

WHILE ROMANS MARCHED
OVER THIS ROAD,

THE JEWS MOVED BENEATH IT,

USING THE CITY'S
1st-CENTURY SEWER SYSTEM

TO CATCH THE ENEMY OFF GUARD.

THOSE ARE ORIGINAL
MANHOLE COVERS?

YEAH.

NEARLY 2,000 YEARS LATER,

THESE TUNNELS ARE STILL
PERFECTLY INTACT...

HOLY MOLY.

...ENDURING AS
A SURVIVING WITNESS

TO THE END OF THE BIBLICAL AGE.

WOW.

THE TUNNEL STRETCHES FROM
THE TEMPLE MOUNT ALMOST A MILE

TO ALL THE WAY OUTSIDE
THE CITY WALLS.

FOR MANY JEWS UNDER SIEGE, IT
OFFERED THE ONLY HOPE OF ESCAPE.

SO THEY WERE HIDING DOWN HERE
FOR WEEKS, EVEN MONTHS,

AS THE ROMANS WERE UP ABOVE.

IMAGINE THE FEAR
THAT THEY MUST HAVE HAD.

YOU WERE SAFE
NOWHERE YOU WENT.

AS THE JEWS FLED
THE CITY IN DROVES,

THE ROMANS PLUNDERED
ALL THEY LEFT BEHIND,

INCLUDING HEROD'S
TEMPLE TREASURES.

THE GOLDEN MENORAH AND
OTHER SACRED RELICS

WERE CARTED BACK TO ROME

AND PARADED TRIUMPHANTLY
THROUGH THE STREETS.

THAT MOMENT IS CELEBRATED
ON THE ARCH OF TITUS

NEXT TO THE COLOSSEUM.

THE MESSAGE WAS CLEAR--
THE ROMANS HAD CONQUERED

THE HEART
AND SOUL OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE.

AS THE LEGEND GOES,

ESSENTIALLY THEY HAD
THE TEMPLE TREASURES

IN THEIR POSSESSION

FOR SEVERAL CENTURIES,
AND THEN...

THE COLLAPSE OF
THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

WELL, THAT'S WHERE
IT GETS FUZZY.

AS ROME FELL,
CHRISTIANITY ROSE.

THE HOLY LAND BECAME THE MOST
IMPORTANT PILGRIMAGE SPOT

FOR THE NEW RELIGION'S
FOLLOWERS.

RECOGNIZING THIS,
BYZANTINE EMPEROR JUSTINIAN

BUILT A COLOSSAL CHURCH
IN 534 A.D.

TO SYMBOLIZE
THE TRIUMPH OF CHRISTIANITY.

IT WAS CALLED THE NEAH,
OR NEW, CHURCH,

AND THERE ARE WRITTEN RECORDS
THAT SUGGEST IT BECAME

THE FINAL RESTING PLACE
OF THE ANCIENT TEMPLE TREASURES

BECAUSE JUSTINIAN, WHO HAD
INHERITED THEM FROM ROME,

WAS CONVINCED HE WOULD BE CURSED

IF THEY WEREN'T RETURNED
TO THEIR RIGHTFUL CITY.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED
TO IT AFTER THAT.

NOTHING WAS EVER FOUND
AFTER THAT POINT.

THERE WAS VERY LITTLE
DOCUMENTATION,

SO IT COULD
VERY WELL STILL BE

AT THE BOTTOM
OF THE NEAH CHURCH.

LET'S GET TO THE CHURCH
AND SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND.

YEAH.

1,500 YEARS AGO,

THE NEAH CHURCH DOMINATED
JERUSALEM'S SKYLINE,

BUT WHAT REMAINS OF IT TODAY

IS JUST THE STRUCTURE'S
NEGLECTED BASEMENT.

IT HASN'T BEEN EXPLORED
SINCE THE 1970s,

LONG BEFORE MODERN TECH

GAVE US THE ABILITY TO SEE
THROUGH WALLS AND FLOORS,

BUT STEFAN AND I HAVE BEEN
GRANTED UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS

TO SURVEY ITS DEPTHS
IN SEARCH OF THE TREASURE.

OH, WOW.
LOOK AT THIS.

WALKING THESE
FORGOTTEN HALLWAYS,

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE
THIS WAS ONCE

ONE OF THE MOST IMPOSING
STRUCTURES IN JERUSALEM.

HOW DEEP DOES THIS GO?

I DON'T KNOW.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE
TO FIND OUT.

OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE
THE FIRST-EVER 3-D MAP

OF THIS FORGOTTEN CHURCH

AND SEE WHAT SECRETS MAY STILL
LIE BURIED WITHIN ITS DEPTHS.

A LOT OF COBWEBS.

WE DESCEND UNTIL WE CAN'T
GO DOWN ANY FARTHER.

OH, WOW.
LOOK AT THESE ARCHES.

AMAZING, BUT IT SMELLS
TERRIBLE DOWN HERE.

I KNOW THE ODOR WELL.

IT PACKS THE AROMATIC PUNCH
OF BAT DROPPINGS.

- OH, WOW.
- SO MANY BATS.

THESE ARE BIG, TOO.

THERE'S A WHOLE...
OH, MY GOSH.

THERE'S A WHOLE COLONY
RIGHT UP THERE.

THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF BATS,
SPIDERS AND PIGEONS,

BUT IT DOESN'T LOOK
LIKE ANY HUMANS

HAVE SET FOOT
DOWN HERE FOR YEARS.

WHAT DO YOU THINK
THIS WAS USED FOR?

I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN,
IT'S A HUGE AREA, THOUGH.

I MEAN, IT WAS OBVIOUSLY
SOMETHING THAT WAS USED

TO SUPPORT THE CHURCH ABOVE,
THESE HUGE ARCHWAYS,

BUT WHY HAVE THIS
UNDERGROUND AREA?

MAYBE STORAGE, MAYBE A PLACE
TO PUT PRISONERS...

YEAH.

...MAYBE A PLACE
TO PUT TREASURE.

THERE IS A TON THAT WE DON'T
KNOW ABOUT THIS CHURCH.

WE NEED TO ZERO IN
ON DIFFERENT AREAS HERE

THAT WOULD BE
THE MOST SUSPECT.

TO IDENTIFY THOSE AREAS, WE'RE
GOING TO START WITH THE LiDAR.

IT USES PULSES OF LIGHT TO SCAN
SURFACES IN VERY FINE DETAIL.

IT'LL GIVE US A FEEL
FOR THE SPACE,

THEN WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHERE
WE RUN THE OTHER INSTRUMENTS.

YEAH.

OKAY.

THIS CHURCH WAS ABANDONED
SO LONG AGO,

SOME MIGHT CONSIDER
OUR SEARCH A PIPE DREAM,

BUT I'M HOPING THE LiDAR
WILL REVEAL THE CHURCH'S NOOKS

AND CRANNIES
IN A BRAND-NEW LIGHT.

ALL RIGHT.
LET'S GET THAT DATA OFF.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART.

YOU DID A FANTASTIC SURVEY,
TONS OF POINTS.

WILL OUR CUTTING-EDGE 3-D MAP
BREAK NEW GROUND

IN THE CASE OF THE MISSING
TEMPLE TREASURES?

- THERE WE GO.
- OH, BUDDY.

AND COULD WE BE ON THE VERGE
OF FINALLY UNEARTHING

THE GOLDEN MENORAH?

WHAT IS THAT
RIGHT THERE?

WE'VE GOT TO LOOK
AT THIS A LOT MORE.

STEFAN AND I ARE
IN JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY,

JUST OUTSIDE THE RUINS
OF THE NEAH CHURCH.

WE'VE JUST CREATED
THE FIRST-EVER 3-D MAP

OF THE CHURCH'S SUB-BASEMENT,

HOPING TO GAUGE
WHERE KING HEROD'S

LONG-LOST TEMPLE TREASURES
MIGHT BE HIDDEN.

THERE WE GO.

OH, BUDDY.

AND OUR MAP IS ALREADY
REVEALING FASCINATING NEW CLUES.

THE NEAH'S LOWEST LEVEL
IS PARTICULARLY INTRIGUING.

OH, YEAH.
LOOK AT THAT.

OH, NOW THAT'S INTERESTING.

IT'S FAR MORE UNEVEN
THAN IT APPEARED IN PERSON,

AND IT LOOKS SLANTED,
WHICH COULD MEAN

THERE ARE SECRETS
BURIED BENEATH IT.

THAT RIGHT THERE IS
PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.

HA!

SO GREEN
IS LOWER ELEVATION.

ORANGE IS HIGHER.

AND YOU CAN SEE IT SLOPES.

I HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WOULD
SLOPE OVER THAT DISTANCE.

IT LOOKED FLAT.

YEAH, AND YOU CAN
REALLY TELL RIGHT THERE.

YEAH.

I MEAN, THAT COULD BE
CENTURIES OF BAT POOP,

OR THERE COULD BE
SOMETHING THERE.

THERE'S MORE TO THIS SPOT
THAN WE CAN SEE.

THAT'S FOR SURE.

I THINK WE NEED TO SCAN THE
WHOLE SUBSURFACE WITH GPR...

MM-HMM.

...AND SEE WHAT
THAT CAN BRING UP.

OKAY.

GPR STANDS FOR
GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR,

WHICH WE CAN USE TO REVEAL
ANY LONG-HIDDEN OBJECTS

THAT MIGHT BE LURKING
BENEATH THE UNEVEN GROUND.

I'LL RUN THE GPR.

I'LL NEED YOUR HELP
SETTING UP A GRID.

ALL RIGHT. WE'VE GOT
A LITTLE BIT OF WORK TO DO.

- YEAH. COOL.
- LET'S GET GOING.

STEFAN AND I ARE USED TO
LUGGING OUR TECH AROUND CAVES

AND FIELDS,
CITY STREETS NOT SO MUCH.

I THINK IT LOOKS
A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS

CARRYING THAT THING AROUND.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY
KNOWS WHAT IT IS.

PEOPLE, THEY'RE LIKE,
"NICE LAWNMOWER."

THIS IS
OUR BABY STROLLER.

ROB, YOU WANT
TO SIT IN THERE?

ONCE WE'RE BACK IN
THE BASEMENT, WE GET TO WORK.

IF YOU COULD
HELP ME MEASURE...

- ALL RIGHT.
- ...THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

AW, DEAD BAT.

OH, BAT POOP
ALL OVER MY HANDS.

GROSS.

- WHAT DO WE GOT?
- 16.07.

THE ODOR DOWN HERE
PACKS AN AWFUL PUNCH.

THE ROOM IS FEELING
SMALLER BY THE MINUTE.

OH, MY GOD.

IS THIS DUST NOT
BOTHERING YOU, STEFAN?

IT'S THE NAME
OF THE GAME.

I'M JUST FEELING
A LITTLE BIT NAUSEOUS.

IT'S NOT JUST THE SMELL.

BAT DROPPINGS ARE
A BREEDING GROUND

FOR AN ESPECIALLY TOXIC FUNGUS

THAT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS
LUNG DISEASE.

IT'S LIKE PLAYING RUSSIAN
ROULETTE WITH PATHOLOGY.

I'VE GOT TO GO UP.
- ALL RIGHT.

I'LL GET STARTED
WITH THE SURVEY.

ALL RIGHT.
I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE.

SO NICE TO HAVE FRESH AIR.

I'M STANDING ON THE EASTERN
SLOPES OF MOUNT ZION

RIGHT NOW.

QUITE A VIEW.

NO WONDER JUSTINIAN PICKED
THIS SPOT FOR HIS NEAH CHURCH.

WHAT I FIND SO FASCINATING
ABOUT THIS CITY

IS THAT YOU BASICALLY
HAVE BUILDINGS

BUILT UPON BUILDINGS
BUILT UPON BUILDINGS.

THEY'VE ALL BEEN DESTROYED
OVER THE AGES

BY DIFFERENT CONQUESTS
COMING INTO HERE,

AND THEN THEY TOOK THE RUBBLE,
AND THEY BUILT NEW CITIES,

AND THAT GOES BACK
FOR MILLENNIA.

THE NEAH IS JUST
ONE MORE EXAMPLE

OF THIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL
LAYER CAKE,

BUT ITS LAYERS MAY STILL
BE HIDING BURIED TREASURE.

SO WHILE STEFAN
CONTINUES HIS SURVEY,

I MEET UP WITH
AN ARCHAEOLOGIST

WHO BRINGS ME TO THE
EXTERIOR WALL OF THE NEAH.

HE TELLS ME THE CHURCH WAS
BOTH THE IDEAL HIDING SPOT

AND, LATER, THE PERFECT TARGET.

NOT A MAIN TOURIST
ATTRACTION ANYMORE.

NO.
NO, UNFORTUNATELY.

DR. OREN GUTFELD HAS BEEN
STUDYING THE NEAH CHURCH

FOR THE PAST DECADE.

OH, WOW.

- YES, IMPRESSIVE.
- YEAH.

DESPITE CENTURIES OF NEGLECT,

YOU CAN STILL SEE TRACES
OF ITS FORMER GLORY.

Dr. Gutfeld: RIGHT HERE, YOU
CAN SEE THE ORIGINAL STONES

OF THE SOUTHERN WALL
OF THE NEAH CHURCH.

OH, WOW.

AND THIS IS
THE ORIGINAL PLASTER.

WHOA.

THE NEAH CHURCH WAS ONE OF
THE BIGGEST CHURCHES IN ISRAEL,

IN THE HOLY LAND AND MAYBE
IN THE ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST.

REALLY?

YES, AND IT'S NOT
ONLY A CHURCH.

IT'S A COMPLEX.

THE CHURCH OWNED A HOSPITAL
WITH 300 BEDS.

IT CONTAINED ALSO A MONASTERY
AND A LIBRARY.

BUT HOW MIGHT IT HAVE COME
TO HOLD THE TEMPLE TREASURES?

ACCORDING TO JUSTINIAN'S
COURT HISTORIAN,

BYZANTINE FORCES RECOVERED
THEM IN THE 6th CENTURY

AND BROUGHT THEM
TO CONSTANTINOPLE,

MODERN-DAY ISTANBUL,

WHERE THE EMPEROR DISPLAYED
THEM TO THE PUBLIC.

AND ONE OF THE JEWS
RECOGNIZED THE TREASURES

AND SENT A MESSAGE
TO JUSTINIAN

BEGGING HIM TO SEND
THE TREASURE TO JERUSALEM.

THE RELIGIOUS MAN
WARNED HIM THAT,

UNLESS THE SACRED ITEMS
WERE RESTORED TO THEIR HOME,

SOMETHING TERRIBLE WOULD BEFALL
THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE.

JUSTINIAN
TOOK THE WARNING SERIOUSLY.

SINCE JUSTINIAN BUILT
THE NEAH CHURCH,

AND THAT WAS
THE CHRISTIAN CENTER

DURING HIS PERIOD
OF TIME,

IT MAKES SENSE TO THINK

THAT THE TREASURES
WERE BROUGHT OVER HERE.

IN FACT, THAT SEEMS
SOMEWHAT LIKELY.

THAT'S CORRECT.

BUT THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN
THE LAST PLACE

THAT WE KNEW
THEY EXISTED.

JUST 70 YEARS AFTER
THE NEAH WAS BUILT,

THE PERSIANS ATTACKED JERUSALEM.

I READ THAT, WHEN
THE PERSIANS CAME IN

AND SACKED THE CITY,

THEY PAID PARTICULAR ATTENTION
TO DESTROY THE NEAH CHURCH.

WHY WOULD THEY
HAVE DONE THAT?

THE NEAH CHURCH
WAS A SYMBOL.

THAT WAS THE SYMBOL
OF CHRISTIANITY

IN THE LATE
BYZANTINE PERIOD,

SO TO DESTROY THE NEAH CHURCH
IS A SYMBOL AS WELL.

DO YOU THINK THEY WERE
LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

OF COURSE.
IF THE TREASURES WERE HERE,

OF COURSE
THEY WERE LOOKING FOR IT.

DID THE PERSIANS FIND THE
TREASURES AND CART THEM AWAY?

OR DID A QUICK-THINKING PRIEST
HIDE THEM BENEATH THE CHURCH

BEFORE THEY HAD THE CHANCE?

THESE QUESTIONS WENT
UNANSWERED FOR 1,400 YEARS,

ONLY TO BE REIGNITED
IN THE 1970s

WHEN AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEAM
FROM HEBREW UNIVERSITY

UNCOVERED THE RUINS.

A LOT WAS LEFT FROM
THE NEAH CHURCH,

BUT UNFORTUNATELY,
IT WAS NOT EXCAVATED.

WHY WASN'T MORE
OF IT EXCAVATED?

BECAUSE THE AREA
OF THE NEAH CHURCH

WAS PLANNED
TO BE A PARKING LOT,

SO THEY DIDN'T WANT TO INVEST
A LOT OF MONEY TO EXCAVATE.

THE PARKING LOT NOW
COVERS MUCH OF THE SITE.

SO WE CAN ONLY SEE A PART
OF THE NEAH CHURCH.

THERE'S JUST
A LITTLE TINY PART.

THE REST OF IT IS UNDER
THE PARKING LOT

OF THE JEWISH QUARTER,
AND BY MODERN HOUSES

THAT WERE BUILT
IN THE 19th CENTURY.

SOME OF THE CHURCH'S
SUBTERRANEAN PORTIONS

WERE LEFT INTACT,

AND UNTIL THE NEAH
CAN BE EXCAVATED,

THE ONLY WAY TO DETECT
WHAT'S BENEATH IT

IS THROUGH HIGH-TECH MAPPING
LIKE THE ONE STEFAN

IS DOING RIGHT NOW,
AND HE'S FINISHING UP.

HEY,
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

THIS IS THE GPR DATA.

LET ME GET IT RIGHT
IN THE CENTER.

IMMEDIATELY ONE AREA IS
STANDING OUT FROM THE REST.

WHAT IS THAT RIGHT THERE?

THERE'S A BIG BLOB
RIGHT THERE NEAR THE STAIRCASE.

MY HEART SKIPS A BEAT.

THAT DEFINITELY LOOKS LIKE
SOMETHING RIGHT THERE.

THAT'S REALLY UNUSUAL.

ARE WE ON THE VERGE OF SOLVING
A 2,000-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY

AND UNEARTHING ANCIENT
JERUSALEM'S GREATEST RICHES?

IT'S KIND
OF MENORAH-SHAPED.

STEFAN AND I ARE IN JERUSALEM

SEARCHING FOR THE LEGENDARY
LOST TEMPLE TREASURES.

OUR GPR SCAN HAS REVEALED
A BIZARRE,

MENORAH-SHAPED OBJECT
BENEATH THE FLOOR.

IT'S AT LEAST
CANDLE-SHAPED.

I DON'T KNOW
WHAT THAT IS.

MAYBE A CAVE
THAT WAS FILLED IN.

NO.

THERE'S AT LEAST
A GIANT BOULDER DOWN THERE.

THERE'S A COUPLE OTHER PLACES
THAT I SEE SOME STUFF.

IS THAT
WHAT YOU'RE SEEING?

YEAH, DEFINITELY
SOME SUSPECT AREAS HERE.

SO MY TAKE-HOME HERE

IS THAT THIS GROUND
IS NOT HOMOGENEOUS.

THERE'S STUFF DOWN THERE.

WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT.
- YEAH.

I THINK WE SHOULD GET
SOME MORE DATA.

IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR A CACHE
OF TREASURE, LET'S SAY,

IT'S GOING TO BE
CONDUCTIVE.

METALLIC OBJECTS
LIKE THE GOLDEN MENORAH

ARE CONSIDERED HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE

BECAUSE OF HOW
EASILY ELECTRICITY

TRAVELS THROUGH THEM,

AND WE HAVE JUST THE GADGET
TO TEST FOR METALS.

IT'S CALLED AN ELECTROMAGNETIC
PROFILER, OR E.M. FOR SHORT.

WE TAKE MULTIPLE DEPTH
MEASUREMENTS WITH THAT

AND THEN SEE
IF THERE'S ANY,

YOU KNOW, HIGHLY
CONDUCTIVE AREAS THERE.

THAT'S A GOOD IDEA.
CHEERS.

THE NEXT MORNING, STEFAN AND I
RETURN TO THE NEAH

WITH THE E.M. IN TOW.

I'M THINKING WE DO IT
AT ALL THE INTERSECTIONS,

SO THERE, THERE,
THERE, THERE.

IF THERE'S A LARGE BODY
OF METAL DOWN THERE,

IT'LL PICK THAT UP.

SO THE BIG, GIANT MENORAH,
IT WOULD PICK UP.

YEAH.

YOU CAN JUST WRITE
THE DATA DOWN AS WE GO.

ALL RIGHT.
TURN IT ON.

OKAY.

10. 70. 91.

LET'S GO
TO THE NEXT SPOT.

30. 20.
4.

KEEP MOVING.

10. 84.
37.

OKAY.

12.
22.

10. 70.
30. 91.

20. 4.

EACH OF THE NUMBERS
REPRESENTS

THE AREA'S LEVEL
OF CONDUCTIVITY,

GIVING CLUES TO WHERE
METAL MIGHT BE HIDDEN.

MIDWAY THROUGH THE SURVEY,
OUR READINGS JUMP.

THIS IS UNUSUAL
RIGHT THERE.

LOOK AT THAT.

IT'S A BIG JUMP
IN CONDUCTIVITY THERE.

EVEN MORE INTERESTING
IS WHERE THEY JUMP.

THAT'S RIGHT NEXT
TO THE STAIRWELL.

THIS IS EXACTLY
WHERE THE GPR SAID

THERE WAS AN ANOMALY,
DIDN'T IT?

ROUGHLY IN THE SAME AREA.

WE FIND THE METALLIC READING
APPEARS TO BE IN THE SAME SPOT

WE SAW THE MENORAH-SHAPED
OBJECT ON THE LAST SCAN.

WE GOT TO LOOK
AT THIS A LOT MORE.

YEAH.

SOMETHING'S LYING
UNDERGROUND HERE.

I'LL GET
A FULL 3-D PICTURE.

I THINK THAT'LL HELP US

RESOLVE EXACTLY
WHAT'S THERE.

MOST PEOPLE VISITING JERUSALEM
MIGHT SPEND THEIR EVENING

SEEING THE SIGHTS,

BUT WHEN YOU'RE HOT ON THE TRAIL
OF A 2,000-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY,

THERE'S NO TIME FOR TOURISM.

SO?

SO I'VE GOT SOME STUFF
TO SHOW YOU.

ARE WE ONTO SOMETHING?

I THINK
WE'RE ONTO SOMETHING,

BUT IT MIGHT NOT BE
WHAT YOU THINK WE'RE ONTO.

OH, WOW.

THAT DEFINITELY LOOKS
LIKE SOMETHING RIGHT THERE.

THOUGH IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE
MUCH TO THE UNTRAINED EYE,

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SCAN
HAS CONFIRMED

THAT THE MENORAH-SHAPED
OBJECT IS MADE OUT OF METAL,

BUT STEFAN DOESN'T THINK

IT'S THE BREAKTHROUGH
WE'RE HOPING FOR.

I'M JUST NOT SURE
IT'S THE TEMPLE TREASURES.

HOW COME?

STEFAN SAYS HE NOTICED SOMETHING
AS HE WAS PACKING UP THE GEAR.

THE MORE I WALKED OVER THE AREA,
THE MORE THE DIRT AND THE MUD

ERODED OFF OF THE HARD
BASEMENT LAYER...

MM-HMM.

...AND WHAT I FOUND
CLOSE TO THE SURFACE

WAS A WHOLE BUNCH
OF REINFORCED CONCRETE.

WELL, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE
HAD REINFORCED CONCRETE

BACK 1,500 YEARS AGO.

NO.

STEFAN SUSPECTS
THE CONCRETE DATES BACK

TO WHEN THE MODERN PARKING LOT
WAS BUILT IN THE 1980s.

SO I THINK WHEN THEY DID THE
RENOVATIONS OVER NEAH CHURCH,

THEY TIED THAT STRUCTURE
IN TO THE BOTTOM

OF THE CHURCH
WITH REINFORCEMENT.

THAT WOULD BE
HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE,

SO IT WAS A FALSE POSITIVE.

SO NOTHING, THEN?

NO, UNFORTUNATELY NOT,
BUT CHECK THIS OUT.

STEFAN ZOOMS IN ON THE OTHER
AREA WE NOTICED AT THE CAFE.

THIS ONE WAS OFF TO THE SIDE,
AWAY FROM THE STAIRWELL.

OH, YEAH.

A DENSE MASS SUSPENDED
BELOW THE SURFACE.

IT COULD BE A BIG ROCK.

WELL,
IF IT'S A BIG ROCK,

THERE WOULD LIKELY BE OTHER
BIG ROCKS NEXT TO THAT ONE,

AND THEY WOULD ALL
THEN SHOW UP SIMILAR,

BUT YOU'LL NOTICE
3 FEET DOWN,

THERE'S NO ANOMALIES
ABOVE IT OR BELOW IT.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLY EXCITING
LEAD SUGGESTING

WE'VE DISCOVERED
A LONG-LOST COMPARTMENT

OR CHAMBER DEEP
BENEATH THE CHURCH.

COULD THIS BE A SECRET
BYZANTINE STORAGE AREA

THAT LAY UNDISTURBED
FOR 1,400 YEARS,

ONE THAT COULD
STILL BE HOLDING

THE GOLDEN MENORAH
AND THE LOST TEMPLE TREASURES?

THIS IS WORTH
INVESTIGATING.

OUR INVESTIGATION HAS LED US
ON A JOURNEY

THROUGH JERUSALEM'S
STORIED PAST,

AND BY CREATING
THE FIRST-EVER 3-D MAP

OF THIS LONG-LOST CHURCH,

WE FOUND BIZARRE STRUCTURES
BURIED BELOW THE GROUND

THAT BRING A BIBLICAL
COLD CASE BACK TO LIFE

AND GIVE ARCHAEOLOGISTS
AN ENTIRELY NEW PLACE

TO LOOK FOR SOME OF THE BIBLE'S

MOST SOUGHT-AFTER
MISSING TREASURES.

OUR NEXT STEP IS TO GIVE
OREN THE COORDINATES

OF WHERE TO BEGIN EXCAVATING

IN SEARCH OF THE LOST ARTIFACTS,

WITH THE HOPE THAT
OUR HIGH-TECH MAP

WILL FINALLY UNEARTH NEW LEADS
IN THIS ANCIENT MYSTERY.

DOESN'T THIS PUT HISTORY

IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT
PERSPECTIVE FOR YOU?

YEAH. IT MAKES IT A BIG MORE
TANGIBLE, YOU KNOW?

YEAH, IT'S MORE REAL, LIKE
YOU'RE STANDING IN THE PLACE

YOU'VE READ STORIES ABOUT
SINCE YOU WERE A LITTLE KID.

YEAH.

ISRAEL IS FULL
OF BIBLICAL SECRETS

STILL WAITING
TO BE UNEARTHED,

AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES

IS THE RISE OF
THE NATION ITSELF.

HOW DID THIS BACKWATER
REGIONAL KINGDOM

GROW TO BECOME ONE
OF THE GREATEST EMPIRES

IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

TRADITION ATTRIBUTES ISRAEL'S
RISE TO THE GREAT WEALTH

IT AMASSED UNDER KING SOLOMON,
BUT IF THAT'S THE CASE,

WHERE DID THIS
TINY DESERT KINGDOM

FIND SUCH IMMEASURABLE RICHES?

TO FIND OUT, WE'RE HEADING
SOUTH FROM JERUSALEM

TOWARD THE RED SEA

TO AN AREA SOME
ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE

ARE THE LEGENDARY MINES
OF KING SOLOMON.

SOLOMON WAS THE SON
OF KING DAVID,

OF DAVID AND GOLIATH FAME.

THE BIBLE DESCRIBES SOLOMON
AS TWO THINGS--

WISE AND WEALTHY,
REALLY WEALTHY.

JUST A GENERATION
REMOVED FROM OBSCURITY,

ISRAEL'S KING WAS
SUDDENLY RICH ENOUGH

TO BUILD A MASSIVE ARMY
AND COPPER-LADEN TEMPLE

AND TURN THE YOUNG NATION
INTO AN IRON AGE SUPERPOWER.

SCHOLARS HAVE LONG DEBATED

WHETHER THIS STORIED
WEALTH WAS REAL

AND WHETHER KING SOLOMON
CAN TRULY BE CREDITED

FOR PUTTING ANCIENT
ISRAEL ON THE MAP.

FINDING THE SOURCE OF HIS RICHES
WOULD FINALLY SOLVE

ONE OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES

OF THE OLD TESTAMENT,

AND STEFAN AND I BELIEVE
THAT SOURCE COULD BE RIGHT HERE

IN THE COPPER MINES OF
SOUTHERN ISRAEL'S TIMNA VALLEY.

FOR 5,000 YEARS,

COPPER WAS THE TRUE CURRENCY
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD,

USED FOR EVERYTHING FROM WEAPONS
TO TEMPLES TO COINS AND JEWELRY.

WHOEVER CONTROLLED THE COPPER
MINES CONTROLLED THE ECONOMY,

AND THERE ARE NEW HINTS THAT

THESE MAY HAVE BELONGED
TO KING SOLOMON.

CHECK THIS ONE OUT.

IT'S A BIG ONE.

THEY LOOK LIKE A WHOLE
BUNCH OF GOPHER HOLES,

HUMAN-SIZED GOPHER HOLES.

I WONDER HOW MUCH COPPER
THEY PULLED OUT OF THIS.

LET'S GET INSIDE.

THE ISRAELITES DIDN'T
CREATE THESE MINES.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MINING
COPPER IN TIMNA VALLEY

SINCE ABOUT 5,000 BC.

THAT'S 7,000 YEARS.

WOW, THIS IS
REALLY INTENSE.

GOD, IMAGINE WORKING
IN THIS.

BUT IN THE PAST DECADE,

DISCOVERIES HAVE
BEEN COMING FAST

AND FURIOUS BENEATH
THE SOIL HERE,

AND THEY SUGGEST
THIS PLACE REALLY TOOK OFF

IN THE 10th CENTURY BC,

RIGHT IN LINE WITH
KING SOLOMON'S REIGN.

CHECK THIS OUT
RIGHT HERE.

OXIDATION GIVES COPPER VEINS
THEIR GREEN HUE.

OH, AND DOWN HERE.
LOOK AT THIS.

THAT'S A REALLY GOOD VEIN
RIGHT HERE.

YEAH, IT GOES
ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

WHOEVER CONTROLLED THIS LAND
IN ANCIENT TIMES

WOULD HAVE BEEN
UNIMAGINABLY RICH,

SO COULD TIMNA VALLEY BE THE
SITE OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES?

THAT THEORY WAS PROPOSED
AFTER THE ADVENTURE NOVEL

"KING SOLOMON'S MINES"
RENEWED EXCITEMENT

FOR THE ANCIENT LEGEND IN 1885.

BUT IN 1969, AFTER DECADES
OF SPECULATION,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS
UNCOVERED EVIDENCE HERE

THAT SEEMED
TO PROVE OTHERWISE--

A SHRINE TO THE EGYPTIAN
MINING GODDESS HATHOR

WITH INSCRIPTIONS
THAT EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS,

THE GREAT RAMESSES II
AND RAMESSES III

CONTROLLED THE MINES
A CENTURY BEFORE SOLOMON.

THE EGYPTIANS SEEMED TO HAVE
ABANDONED THE SITE AROUND THEN,

SUGGESTING MAYBE THE BEST
COPPER VEINS HAD RUN DRY,

BUT NOW ANOTHER TEAM

OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS FROM
TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY,

THE FIRST TO EXCAVATE OF THE
SITE IN ALMOST HALF A CENTURY,

ARE SHOOTING HOLES
IN THAT STORY.

HEY.

DR. EREZ BEN-YOSEF
IS THE DIRECTOR

OF THE CENTRAL TIMNA
VALLEY PROJECT.

WE DID.
THE TUNNELS ARE AMAZING.

RECENTLY, EREZ'S TEAM MADE
A SURPRISING DISCOVERY HERE,

SAMPLES OF CHARCOAL
FROM THE 10th CENTURY BC.

THAT'S AT LEAST 100 YEARS
AFTER EGYPTIANS

WERE ACTIVELY MINING HERE

AND SMACK-DAB DURING
KING SOLOMON'S REIGN

IN ANCIENT ISRAEL.

AND NEW FINDS MAY FURTHER LINK
TIMNA VALLEY MINES

WITH SOLOMON'S
OLD-TESTAMENT WEALTH.

A FEW WEEKS AGO, EREZ'S TEAM
STUMBLED ON

TWO VERTICAL MINE SHAFTS
HIDDEN FOR MILLENNIA.

COULD THESE MINE SHAFTS
HOLD THE KEYS TO UNLOCKING ONE

OF THE BIBLE'S
GREATEST MYSTERIES?

WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT...

OH, BUDDY.
IT'S DEEP.

...IF I CAN SURVIVE
THE WAY DOWN.

OH, GOD.

STEFAN AND I ARE
IN THE ISRAELI DESERT,

INVESTIGATING ONE
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT'S

MOST ICONIC MYSTERIES.

HOW DID KING SOLOMON AMASS
SUCH A VAST WEALTH?

THIS NEWLY DISCOVERED MINESHAFT,

WHICH NO ONE HAS EXPLORED
IN THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

COULD HOLD SOME KEY CLUES.

IT'S RIGHT UP ON TOP
OF THE RIDGE HERE.

OH, MY GOODNESS.
THIS IS A DEEP HOLE.

OH, GOD.

OH, MY GOD.
THAT'S REALLY DEEP.

HAS ANYBODY BEEN DOWN HERE
TO EXPLORE IT?

NO, NO.
WE JUST FOUND IT...

- THAT'S AMAZING.
- ...TO SEE WHAT'S THERE.

- CAN WE GO DOWN?
- SURE.

WE SHOULD CHECK WHAT'S
DOWN THERE DEFINITELY.

THE HOPE IS THAT INSIDE
I'LL FIND TOOLS

OR OTHER OBJECTS
THAT CAN BE DATED BACK

TO KING SOLOMON'S REIGN
IN THE 10th CENTURY BC.

BETTER YET,
MAYBE EVEN AN INSCRIPTION

REFERRING TO SOLOMON HIMSELF.

I'VE DONE MY SHARE OF RAPPELLING
DOWN CLIFFS AND CAVES,

BUT AN IRON AGE MINESHAFT?

THAT'S A FIRST.

I THINK THIS IS HOW IT GOES.

- TWIST AND PUSH.
- GOT IT.

LET ME GET MY HELMET ON.

- ALL OF US WILL BE READY.
- ALL RIGHT.

SO I'M GOING TO GO
STRAIGHT DOWN.

YEP. SO ONCE
YOU ARE DOWN THERE,

YOU NEED TO LOOK
FOR MINING TOOLS.

OR, EVEN BETTER FOR YOU,

TEXTILES
OR ORGANIC MATERIALS.

ABSOLUTELY.
SO IF YOU FIND ANYTHING ORGANIC,

THIS CAN HELP US DATE
THE MINING ACTIVITIES,

AND
THIS WILL BE FANTASTIC.

- OKAY. YOU READY?
- READY.

OKAY, GOOD.

LET'S DO THIS.

YEAH.

WHOO, BUDDY.

- OKAY?
- IT'S DEEP.

YEAH. I'M READY.

IT'S PRETTY TIGHT.

WOW.

ONCE MY EYES ADJUST
TO THE LIGHT,

THE FIRST THING THAT STRIKES ME

ARE ALL THE GROOVES
ON THE SIDES...

LOOK AT THAT.

...CHISEL MARKS LEFT BY THE MEN
WHO DUG THIS SHAFT OUT BY HAND.

IN ANCIENT TIMES,
LABORERS WOULD CROUCH

AND HOLLOW OUT THE GROUND
BENEATH THEM

IN A CIRCULAR PATTERN,

LIKELY USING ONLY
HAMMER AND CHISEL,

UNTIL THEY WERE MANY
FEET BELOW THE GROUND.

AS THEY GOT DEEPER, THEY USED
BURNING WOOD STICKS

TO LIGHT THE WAY,

MAKING THE ALREADY-HOT
MINING SHAFT

AN INSUFFERABLE,
SMOKE-FILLED CHAMBER.

AS I DESCEND, I'M FLOORED
BY A SERIES

OF NOTCHES LINING THE WALL.

YOU CAN SEE ALL THE STEPS ALONG
THE SIDE HERE ON BOTH SIDES.

IT'S BASICALLY LIKE
AN ANCIENT LADDER DOWN HERE.

YOU COULD PROBABLY CLIMB
DOWN THIS WITHOUT ANYTHING.

AMAZING.

OKAY.
I'M GOING FURTHER.

YEAH, I'M GETTING OUT THE LIGHT.

OH, WOW.

THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

IT'S SUPER DEEP!
JUST KEEPS GOING!

THE DUST GROWS THICKER
WITH EVERY FOOT I DROP.

I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE A MINER
DOWN HERE IN THE DAY.

IT'S REALLY DUSTY, AND I DON'T
THINK YOU'D LAST VERY LONG.

DO YOU SEE THE BOTTOM?

I CAN'T SEE THE BOTTOM YET.

OH, THERE YOU GO.

I CAN SEE IT.

OKAY, I MADE IT TO THE BOTTOM.

HEY, THERE WE GO.

ACCORDING TO STEFAN'S
LASER ANALYZER,

I'VE DROPPED ABOUT 80 FEET.

GIVE ME A LITTLE BIT OF SLACK
SO I CAN CROUCH DOWN.

SLACK!

OKAY.

IT LOOKS LIKE
IT'S POTENTIALLY FILLED IN.

- SO IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DEEPER?
- YEAH.

I'M THINKING IT MAY HAVE BEEN
A LITTLE BIT DEEPER.

ARE YOU SEEING
ANY BRONZE TOOLS?

I'M SEEING SPIDERS AND ROUNDED
STONES, BUT NOT MUCH ELSE.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THERE
WAS NO COPPER HERE.

I DON'T SEE ANY COPPER
VEINS ON THIS ONE.

IT MAY BE THAT THIS
MINESHAFT WAS DUG

JUST FOR PROSPECTING
AND ABANDONED

WHEN NO COPPER WAS FOUND,

SO DID SOLOMON'S PROSPECTORS
ARRIVE TOO LATE?

HAD THE EGYPTIANS STRIPPED
THE VALLEY OF COPPER,

OR WAS THIS JUST ONE
ISOLATED SWING AND MISS?

COULD YOU HURRY UP?
WE'RE BURNING.

I'M GOING TO TRY TO CLIMB OUT
LIKE THEY DID IN THE OLDEN DAYS.

ALL RIGHT.

IF I CAN.

IF I GET TOO TIRED,
I'VE GOT ROPES TO CLING TO,

BUT MY ANCIENT COUNTERPARTS
WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THAT LUXURY.

IF YOU LOST YOUR FOOTING BACK
IN THE DAY, GAME OVER.

ALL RIGHT.
YOU'RE BACK.

THAT WAS AMAZING.

I CAN'T HELP THINKING
IF EREZ AND HIS TEAM

STUMBLED ACROSS THIS SHAFT
JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO,

WHAT ELSE IS HIDDEN
IN THIS VALLEY,

AND WHAT COULD IT TELL US
ABOUT WHO CONTROLLED THESE MINES

AND THE GREAT WEALTH
OF THE MIDDLE EAST?

WE'RE ABOUT TO COME
FACE-TO-FACE WITH SOMEONE

WHO MAY HAVE THE ANSWERS
BENEATH THE DESERT SAND...

LOOK AT THIS, PRETTY.

OH, MY GOODNESS.
LOOK AT THAT.

...THE FIRST EYEWITNESS
EVER FOUND.

IT'S A GAME CHANGER.

THE SUN IS BARELY UP
IN ISRAEL'S TIMNA VALLEY.

BUT ARCHAEOLOGIST
EREZ BEN-YOSEF AND HIS TEAM

ARE ALREADY HARD AT WORK,

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF
THE COOL MORNING HOURS.

- FIRST TIME IN ISRAEL.
- FIRST TIME IN ISRAEL?

WE'RE TRYING TO HELP
THEM DETERMINE

WHETHER TIMNA WAS THE SITE
OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES

AND THE SOURCE OF THE WEALTH

THAT BUILT THE BIBLICAL
NATION OF ISRAEL.

AND NOW IN A STUNNING
MOMENT OF DISCOVERY,

THOSE PEOPLE HAVE
REVEALED THEMSELVES

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MILLENNIA.

EREZ'S TEAM HAS UNCOVERED TOMBS
HERE IN THE PAST,

BUT NEVER BEFORE HAVE THEY
FOUND ACTUAL HUMAN REMAINS.

THIS IS QUITE REAL.

THESE ARE SUPER WELL
PRESERVED, IT LOOKS LIKE.

THE DISCOVERY IS SO RECENT,

THE BONES ARE BEING UNCOVERED
AS WE SPEAK, AND AMAZINGLY,

I'M ONE OF THE FIRST
TO GET A GLIMPSE AT THEM.

LOOK AT THIS.
IT'S PRETTY.

OH, MY GOODNESS.
LOOK AT THAT.

PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGIST
HADAS AVNI

IS HARD AT WORK
EXCAVATING THE NEW FIND.

SO WHAT'S THE PROCESS NOW?

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE
THE FEMUR OUT FIRST,

THEN WE'RE GOING
TO SLOWLY GO UP.

WHOEVER THIS IS, HE OR SHE
HOLDS THE STORY

THAT COULD REWRITE
THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL.

IS THIS A LOYAL SUBJECT
OF THE PHARAOH,

KING SOLOMON,
OR SOMEONE ELSE ENTIRELY?

I'M CURIOUS ABOUT
TRYING TO DATE THIS.

IS THERE ANY WAY THAT
YOU CAN TRY TO PLACE

WHEN THIS PARTICULAR
BODY WAS BURIED,

WHETHER IT WAS EGYPTIAN
OR SOLOMON'S TIME?

THAT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY.

THE SKELETON IS STARTING
TO DISINTEGRATE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S
NO ORGANIC MATERIAL

LEFT IN THEM FOR CARBON DATING.

HADAS SAYS THAT, IN THEORY,
OTHER CLUES

CAN BE USED TO DATE THE TOMB,

LIKE PERSONAL EFFECTS
BURIED WITH THE BODY.

IT'S BASICALLY LOOKING AT
EVERYTHING LIKE A PUZZLE.

EVERY PIECE CAN
TELL US SOMETHING.

BUT THIS PUZZLE
HAS MISSING PIECES.

YOU'RE ONLY SEEING
HALF OF THE BODY.

IT'S TRUE.

PARTS OF THE UPPER
SKELETON ARE GONE.

HADAS THINKS THAT'S BECAUSE
GRAVE ROBBERS LOOTED THIS TOMB

AT SOME POINT IN ANTIQUITY.

AND SO THEY'D OPEN
THESE GRAVES AND LOOK

AND JUST TRAMPLE
AROUND THE SKELETON

LOOKING FOR THINGS
THAT THEY FOUND OF VALUE

SUCH AS JEWELRY
OR POTTERY.

THAT'S THE DRAWBACK
OF A SHALLOW BURIAL.

THE CLOSER TO THE SURFACE
A TOMB IS,

THE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE
IT IS TO DAMAGE.

A TOMB BURIED DEEPER IS MORE APT
TO BE UNDISTURBED

AND HOLD MORE RELIABLE CLUES
ABOUT THE TIMNA VALLEY'S PAST,

BUT WITHOUT THE LATEST
SCANNING TECH,

TOMBS LIKE THAT ARE VIRTUALLY
IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND.

UNLESS THEY START RANDOMLY
DIGGING IN THIS HARD ROCK,

THEY WOULDN'T FIND IT.

WE BROUGHT ALONG
SOME STATE-OF-THE-ART DEVICES

THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN
USED HERE BEFORE,

AND THEY MAY BE
JUST WHAT EREZ'S TEAM

NEEDS TO FINALLY UNCOVER
THE TRUTH ABOUT TIMNA VALLEY

AND THE LEGEND
OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES.

SO I THINK USING SOME OF
THE TECHNIQUES THAT WE HAVE,

WE'D PROBABLY BE ABLE TO ADD
TO THIS STUDY A LITTLE BIT.

YEAH.

IF THERE WAS ANYTHING
THAT WAS BELOW GROUND

THAT HAPPENED TO BE IN,

YOU KNOW, A CIRCULAR PATTERN,
THE GPR WOULD SEE THAT

STEFAN'S GPR WILL TURN
THIS DUSTY LANDSCAPE

INTO A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN 3-D MAP

AND POSSIBLY REVEAL NEW TOMBS
AND BURIED ARTIFACTS

THAT HAVE LAID
UNDETECTED FOR MILLENNIA.

I THINK
NEW ONES MIGHT POP OUT.

SO LET'S SET IT UP
RIGHT HERE.

GOOD DEAL.

LET'S MEASURE THAT.
MAKE SURE IT'S 20.

IT'S EXACTLY 20.

PERFECT!

YEAH, SO THIS
IS A PERFECT SQUARE.

THAT'S WHAT
WE REALLY WANT.

THIS IS WHY I BRING
THIS GUY ALONG.

HE KNOWS HOW TO PUT OUT
THE TAPE MEASURE

AND MAKE A SQUARE.

I'LL SET IT UP
ON THE RIGHT PATH.

ALL RIGHT.
LET'S GO.

WHILE STEFAN RUNS THE SURVEY,
I RECONNECT WITH EREZ

TO GET A WIDER LOOK
AT THIS VALLEY OF SECRETS.

SO HERE IS A GOOD VIEW
OF THE TIMNA VALLEY.

COULD KING SOLOMON HIMSELF HAVE
ONCE LOOKED OUT FROM THIS PERCH

ON A SEA OF WORKERS
SMELTING HIS PRICELESS COPPER,

OR EVEN MOSES LONG BEFORE HIM?

TIMNA LIES NEAR THE RED SEA
IN A NARROW SLIVER

BETWEEN JORDAN AND EGYPT
ALONG THE SINAI DESERT.

YOU READ THE STORIES
OF THE BIBLE,

AND, YOU KNOW, THE STORY
OF MOSES AND THE EXODUS

WOULD HAVE COME RIGHT
THROUGH THIS REGION.

RIGHT.

THE EXODUS HAPPENED
IN THIS AREA.

THE LAND IS PARCHED
AND PUNISHING,

NO WATER AROUND FOR 10 MILES.

UNLESS YOU WERE FLEEING
THE PHARAOH,

EREZ SAYS THE ONLY REASON
TO SET FOOT HERE WAS THE COPPER.

COPPER, IT WAS
LIKE OIL OF TODAY.

IT WAS THE RAW MATERIAL
FOR WEAPONS,

FOR AGRICULTURAL TOOLS,

FOR MANY OF THE MOST
IMPORTANT THINGS

IN THIS TIME PERIOD
THROUGHOUT ANTIQUITY.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MAJOR,
MAJOR SOURCE FOR WEALTH

TO WHOEVER
CONTROLLED THE PLACE.

AND THE BIG QUESTION IS,
IF IN THE 10th CENTURY,

SOLOMON CONTROLLED
THIS AREA OR NOT.

THE ANSWERS ARE HERE.

AND BACK DOWN IN THE VALLEY,

STEFAN MAY BE ABOUT
TO REVEAL ONE OF THEM.

HOLY MOLY.
LOOK AT THAT.

IT'S ANOTHER MORNING
AMID THE ANCIENT MINES

OF ISRAEL'S TIMNA VALLEY.

BACK IN THE AGE OF EGYPTIAN
PHARAOHS AND ISRAELI KINGS,

TIMNA'S BIGGEST PRIZE
WAS COPPER.

TODAY, IT'S TOMBS.

FINDING A SEALED GRAVE
WOULD BE LIKE FINDING

AN IRON AGE TIME CAPSULE.

IF ITS CONTENTS DATE BACK
TO THE TIME OF KING SOLOMON

IN THE 10th CENTURY BC,

IT COULD OFFER THE FIRST PROOF

THAT THESE REALLY ARE
HIS LEGENDARY MINES

AND VALIDATE
OLD-TESTAMENT CLAIMS

ABOUT HIS LEGENDARY WEALTH
FOR THE FIRST TIME.

- GOOD MORNING.
- HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING?

STEFAN AND I WOULD LOVE
TO SHOW YOU

SOME OF THE GPR DATA
THAT WE'VE COLLECTED.

FANTASTIC.
LET'S HAVE A LOOK.

- ALL RIGHT.
- SEE WE HAVE HERE.

SO WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR
IS PATTERNS

IN WHERE IT BOUNCES
OFF THE ROCK.

WHETHER OR NOT YOU DIG DOWN
AND THEN YOU FIND JUST A ROCK,

OR YOU DIG DOWN
AND FIND SOMETHING ELSE,

THAT'S WHAT'S
A LITTLE TRICKY.

IT'S HARD TO TELL.
ALL RIGHT.

LET'S LOOK AT THIS SECTION
REAL QUICK.

ALL RIGHT.

ON THE TOP OF THE LITTLE RIDGE.

THIS IS
A COMPLETELY OPEN AREA.

NOTHING HAS BEEN
FOUND THERE.

AT LEAST
NOTHING UNTIL NOW.

HOLY MOLY.

LOOK AT THAT.

- OH, WOW.
- THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

LOOKS LIKE A DOUGHNUT.

LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE PIT.

THAT'S THE SHAPE
YOU WOULD BE LOOKING FOR.

Ben-Yosef: IT MIGHT BE
ANOTHER TOMB EVEN.

OUR CUTTING EDGE 3-D
SCAN OF THIS VALLEY

HAS REVEALED WHAT APPEARS
TO BE A LONG-LOST TOMB.

DO YOU GUYS SEE
ANYTHING ELSE IN HERE?

OH, WOW.
THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

THERE'S ANOTHER
CIRCULAR SHAPE.

AND NOW ANOTHER
TOMB-SHAPED OBJECT

COMES INTO FOCUS NEAR THE FIRST.

WHAT I THINK IS SO COOL
ABOUT THIS IS, YOU KNOW,

WE LOOKED AT ONE
OF THESE GRAVE SITES,

AND IT WAS ROBBED BY PEOPLE
THAT HAD LOOTED IT...

YEAH.

YOU KNOW, AND HERE, POTENTIALLY
IF THAT'S A GRAVE SITE

THAT'S UNDERGROUND,
GOT BURIED,

IT COULD HAVE
A LOT MORE

PRESERVED REMAINS INSIDE.

IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY
DISCOVERY--

TWO POTENTIALLY
UNLOOTED TOMBS

JUST IN THE SMALL AREA
WE SCANNED,

PERHAPS HINTING AT
AN ENORMOUS BURIAL GROUND

LYING BENEATH THIS
WHOLE STRETCH OF DESERT,

LEFT UNDISTURBED
FOR MILLENNIA UNTIL NOW.

SO NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK
THE NEXT STEP IS?

Ben-Yosef: THAT'S QUITE EASY.
WE HAVE TO GO THERE.

USE YOUR DATA
TO MATCH THE COORDINATES EXACTLY

AND DIG THIS SPOT.

THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO FIND
THE ORIGINAL ARTIFACTS

THAT THEY BURIED
THE DECEASED WITH.

SO OFTEN, STEFAN AND I
SEE THINGS ON OUR SCANS

THAT CAN'T BE
INVESTIGATED ANY FURTHER,

BUT THIS FIND CAN,

AND WHEN EREZ RETURNS
WITH PERMITS TO EXCAVATE AGAIN

A YEAR FROM NOW, IT COULD
ACTUALLY REWRITE HISTORY.

THANK YOU.
I APPRECIATE IT.

IF THE FEATURE WE FOUND
IS REALLY A TOMB,

AND THAT TOMB HAS ARTIFACTS
STILL BURIED WITHIN IT

THAT CAN DEFINITIVELY
DATE THIS SETTLEMENT,

THE MYSTERY OF KING SOLOMON'S
MINES MIGHT FINALLY BE SOLVED

AFTER 3,000 YEARS.

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