1 00:00:02,044 --> 00:00:05,130 Below the bustling streets of Seoul, South Korea, 2 00:00:05,214 --> 00:00:07,673 an incredible discovery is made. 3 00:00:07,674 --> 00:00:11,344 Beneath CitiStar Mall lies a vast chamber 4 00:00:11,345 --> 00:00:15,640 just above the tracks of subway Line 2. 5 00:00:15,641 --> 00:00:17,391 How does a space like this get constructed 6 00:00:17,392 --> 00:00:18,601 in the middle of the city 7 00:00:18,602 --> 00:00:21,270 then stay hidden from public view for so long? 8 00:00:21,271 --> 00:00:24,649 What function was it meant to serve? 9 00:00:24,650 --> 00:00:27,443 Excavations beneath a Polish ice cream shop 10 00:00:27,444 --> 00:00:29,862 reveal a medieval gravesite. 11 00:00:29,863 --> 00:00:32,531 The first discovery was a limestone slab 12 00:00:32,532 --> 00:00:36,494 carved with the image of a man in full chainmail armor. 13 00:00:36,495 --> 00:00:37,870 So who was he? 14 00:00:37,871 --> 00:00:40,623 And what can his burial reveal about the forces 15 00:00:40,624 --> 00:00:44,001 that shaped the city at its beginnings? 16 00:00:44,002 --> 00:00:45,836 A remarkable discovery is made 17 00:00:45,837 --> 00:00:48,965 under the rubble of a demolished church in England. 18 00:00:48,966 --> 00:00:52,176 Three portrait busts made of stone. 19 00:00:52,177 --> 00:00:55,638 This site was like an archaeological nesting doll, 20 00:00:55,639 --> 00:00:59,934 each layer presenting a new mystery. 21 00:00:59,935 --> 00:01:01,686 Who put all these items here 22 00:01:01,687 --> 00:01:05,189 and what was this place? 23 00:01:05,190 --> 00:01:08,359 Below the busy streets of the world's cities 24 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,821 exists a hidden realm of wonder. 25 00:01:11,822 --> 00:01:16,033 Sprawling ancient complexes, 26 00:01:16,034 --> 00:01:18,536 mysterious tombs, 27 00:01:18,537 --> 00:01:21,581 top-secret military bases, 28 00:01:21,582 --> 00:01:24,208 strange structures, 29 00:01:24,209 --> 00:01:26,627 and lost artifacts, 30 00:01:26,628 --> 00:01:30,298 buried beneath our feet and long forgotten... 31 00:01:30,299 --> 00:01:32,800 until now. 32 00:01:32,801 --> 00:01:37,388 Underground marvels are exposed to reveal what lies... 33 00:01:37,389 --> 00:01:40,933 Hidden Beneath the Cities. 34 00:01:40,934 --> 00:01:43,227 Less than 40 miles from the Yellow Sea, 35 00:01:43,228 --> 00:01:46,439 the city of Seoul is located in South Korea, 36 00:01:46,440 --> 00:01:49,817 which makes up the southern part of the Korean Peninsula. 37 00:01:49,818 --> 00:01:51,777 {\an8}The Korean Peninsula stretches 38 00:01:51,778 --> 00:01:55,156 {\an8}over 600 miles from north to south, 39 00:01:55,157 --> 00:01:57,450 bordered by China and Russia, 40 00:01:57,451 --> 00:02:00,745 with Japan just across a narrow strait. 41 00:02:00,746 --> 00:02:04,749 A position that has made Korea both a cultural bridge 42 00:02:04,750 --> 00:02:07,752 and a focal point for rival powers. 43 00:02:07,753 --> 00:02:12,632 Today, South Korea covers over 38,000 square miles 44 00:02:12,633 --> 00:02:15,426 with more than 52 million people 45 00:02:15,427 --> 00:02:20,890 packed into one of the world's most densely populated nations. 46 00:02:20,891 --> 00:02:24,518 {\an8} In 1910, Japan seized control of Korea, 47 00:02:24,519 --> 00:02:28,814 erasing its sovereignty for the next 35 years. 48 00:02:28,815 --> 00:02:32,610 After Japan's surrender to Allied forces in 1945, 49 00:02:32,611 --> 00:02:35,279 Korea was divided into Soviet and American 50 00:02:35,280 --> 00:02:36,864 zones of occupation. 51 00:02:36,865 --> 00:02:39,784 Two rival regimes emerged in 1948. 52 00:02:39,785 --> 00:02:42,453 North Korea with its capital in Pyongyang, 53 00:02:42,454 --> 00:02:45,956 and South Korea with its capital in Seoul. 54 00:02:45,957 --> 00:02:48,751 Two years later, the Korean War erupted, 55 00:02:48,752 --> 00:02:51,921 leaving at least two and a half million people dead. 56 00:02:51,922 --> 00:02:55,257 The armistice of 1953 ended the fighting, 57 00:02:55,258 --> 00:02:58,803 but didn't formally end the war. 58 00:02:58,804 --> 00:03:02,932 And the peninsula remains divided to this day. 59 00:03:02,933 --> 00:03:05,768 Devastated by war, Seoul was rapidly rebuilt 60 00:03:05,769 --> 00:03:08,729 as waves of refugees and workers poured in. 61 00:03:08,730 --> 00:03:10,064 In the decades that followed, 62 00:03:10,065 --> 00:03:13,150 {\an8}South Korea's rise as one of Asia's "Four Tigers" 63 00:03:13,151 --> 00:03:15,111 {\an8}turned the capital into a metropolis 64 00:03:15,112 --> 00:03:17,780 of roughly 10 million. 65 00:03:17,781 --> 00:03:20,116 Today, it anchors the nation's political power, 66 00:03:20,117 --> 00:03:23,786 economic strength, and cultural life. 67 00:03:23,787 --> 00:03:26,956 In September of 2023, a hidden underground space 68 00:03:26,957 --> 00:03:29,625 beneath Seoul Plaza opens to the public 69 00:03:29,626 --> 00:03:32,754 for the first time in 40 years. 70 00:03:34,673 --> 00:03:35,881 {\an8}Beneath CitiStar Mall, 71 00:03:35,882 --> 00:03:38,175 {\an8}Seoul's first underground shopping center, 72 00:03:38,176 --> 00:03:39,969 lies a vast chamber. 73 00:03:39,970 --> 00:03:41,762 It's about 43 feet underground, 74 00:03:41,763 --> 00:03:45,349 just above the tracks of subway Line 2, 75 00:03:45,350 --> 00:03:50,855 stretching between two stations, City Hall and Euljiro 1-ga. 76 00:03:50,856 --> 00:03:53,983 The tunnel measures nearly 1,100 feet long 77 00:03:53,984 --> 00:03:56,527 and just over 30 feet wide. 78 00:03:56,528 --> 00:04:01,866 Altogether, it spans over 34,000 square feet. 79 00:04:01,867 --> 00:04:04,410 Above this chamber, there's a drainage system, 80 00:04:04,411 --> 00:04:07,746 and for decades water has dripped from the ceiling. 81 00:04:07,747 --> 00:04:11,167 Over time, those steady drips have built a stalagmite, 82 00:04:11,168 --> 00:04:14,003 a mineral column that rises from the floor, 83 00:04:14,004 --> 00:04:15,379 gradually building upward 84 00:04:15,380 --> 00:04:21,093 as each drop deposits a thin layer of calcium carbonate. 85 00:04:21,094 --> 00:04:22,762 Despite its massive scale, 86 00:04:22,763 --> 00:04:25,347 we don't know exactly why this chamber was built. 87 00:04:25,348 --> 00:04:27,808 So, how does a space like this get constructed 88 00:04:27,809 --> 00:04:28,934 in the middle of the city 89 00:04:28,935 --> 00:04:31,604 then stay hidden from public view for so long? 90 00:04:31,605 --> 00:04:34,440 What function was it meant to serve? 91 00:04:34,441 --> 00:04:36,567 In the 1960s and '70s, 92 00:04:36,568 --> 00:04:40,488 Seoul became the engine of South Korea's transformation 93 00:04:40,489 --> 00:04:42,281 as mayors pursued urban planning 94 00:04:42,282 --> 00:04:45,242 with the discipline of a wartime campaign. 95 00:04:45,243 --> 00:04:48,329 But this was also a period of escalating tension 96 00:04:48,330 --> 00:04:51,916 with North Korea, when even everyday spaces could be shaped 97 00:04:51,917 --> 00:04:54,293 by the logic of defense. 98 00:04:54,294 --> 00:04:57,379 After incidents like the 1976 murders 99 00:04:57,380 --> 00:04:59,089 of two US officers 100 00:04:59,090 --> 00:05:02,134 and the discovery of secret infiltration tunnels 101 00:05:02,135 --> 00:05:06,013 from the north, Seoul began building underground shelters 102 00:05:06,014 --> 00:05:09,016 and even designing some public spaces 103 00:05:09,017 --> 00:05:11,602 with emergency use in mind. 104 00:05:11,603 --> 00:05:14,563 So could the chamber beneath Seoul Plaza 105 00:05:14,564 --> 00:05:15,773 have been part of that strategy? 106 00:05:15,774 --> 00:05:18,108 Maybe it was a place to protect its citizens 107 00:05:18,109 --> 00:05:22,279 or government officials in the event of an attack. 108 00:05:22,280 --> 00:05:24,949 Seoul's explosive population growth 109 00:05:24,950 --> 00:05:28,786 drove rapid urbanization and industrial expansion. 110 00:05:28,787 --> 00:05:32,122 Ex-military mayors pushed sweeping redevelopment. 111 00:05:32,123 --> 00:05:34,124 They expanded Seoul's boundaries, 112 00:05:34,125 --> 00:05:38,003 built expressways and large-scale apartment complexes, 113 00:05:38,004 --> 00:05:41,465 and created new towns in the city's south, 114 00:05:41,466 --> 00:05:43,968 considered safer from attack. 115 00:05:43,969 --> 00:05:46,804 In this era, urban planning wasn't just about 116 00:05:46,805 --> 00:05:49,139 establishing a global presence, 117 00:05:49,140 --> 00:05:53,060 it was intertwined with national security. 118 00:05:53,061 --> 00:05:55,145 Tensions between north and south 119 00:05:55,146 --> 00:05:58,649 were already high when a new threat emerged underground, 120 00:05:58,650 --> 00:06:01,944 roughly 30 miles north of Seoul Plaza. 121 00:06:01,945 --> 00:06:05,155 In 1978, authorities uncovered the so-called 122 00:06:05,156 --> 00:06:08,534 "Third Tunnel of Aggression," the third such passage 123 00:06:08,535 --> 00:06:14,123 discovered beneath the Demilitarized Zone since 1974. 124 00:06:14,124 --> 00:06:16,917 It extended over 1,400 feet into South Korea 125 00:06:16,918 --> 00:06:20,004 and was believed to stretch nearly 4,000 feet 126 00:06:20,005 --> 00:06:22,965 back into North Korea. 127 00:06:22,966 --> 00:06:25,175 Carved nearly 240 feet below ground, 128 00:06:25,176 --> 00:06:27,887 and measuring about 6.5 feet high and wide, 129 00:06:27,888 --> 00:06:30,055 it was large enough for military vehicles, 130 00:06:30,056 --> 00:06:33,183 field guns, even tanks. 131 00:06:33,184 --> 00:06:36,020 Experts estimated as many as 30,000 troops 132 00:06:36,021 --> 00:06:39,106 could have passed through every hour. 133 00:06:39,107 --> 00:06:41,025 Adding to the tension was the fact that the tunnel 134 00:06:41,026 --> 00:06:43,193 opened toward the Munsan Corridor. 135 00:06:43,194 --> 00:06:45,946 That's the same route used by North Korean forces 136 00:06:45,947 --> 00:06:48,365 to reach Seoul in 1950. 137 00:06:48,366 --> 00:06:51,118 Back then the US called it an "act of aggression." 138 00:06:51,119 --> 00:06:53,871 But to South Korea, it was just evidence that the North 139 00:06:53,872 --> 00:06:57,082 had never really abandoned its policy 140 00:06:57,083 --> 00:07:00,711 of reunification by war. 141 00:07:00,712 --> 00:07:04,381 The discovery also underscored a sobering reality: 142 00:07:04,382 --> 00:07:07,551 the capital, which lies roughly 25 miles 143 00:07:07,552 --> 00:07:09,386 from the Demilitarized Zone, 144 00:07:09,387 --> 00:07:13,140 was still within easy reach of attack. 145 00:07:13,141 --> 00:07:15,225 In that climate, it made sense 146 00:07:15,226 --> 00:07:18,979 for Seoul to look underground for its own defenses. 147 00:07:18,980 --> 00:07:22,066 Perhaps the tunnel under Seoul Plaza 148 00:07:22,067 --> 00:07:25,444 was part of that response. 149 00:07:25,445 --> 00:07:28,530 In 2005, construction workers in Yeouido, 150 00:07:28,531 --> 00:07:31,241 just three and a half miles from Seoul Plaza, 151 00:07:31,242 --> 00:07:33,160 were building a new bus station 152 00:07:33,161 --> 00:07:36,456 when they uncovered what looked like a hollow void. 153 00:07:38,583 --> 00:07:40,209 Further investigation revealed 154 00:07:40,210 --> 00:07:43,253 it was actually a deliberately built bunker, 155 00:07:43,254 --> 00:07:45,130 reportedly with no official records 156 00:07:45,131 --> 00:07:47,925 to explain its existence. 157 00:07:47,926 --> 00:07:50,344 The bunker's layout consists of two zones: 158 00:07:50,345 --> 00:07:53,263 a living quarter of over 700 square feet, 159 00:07:53,264 --> 00:07:57,434 complete with a sofa, shower, and bathroom, 160 00:07:57,435 --> 00:08:02,356 and a sprawling machine room covering over 6,000 square feet. 161 00:08:02,357 --> 00:08:04,733 These features suggest that it was intended 162 00:08:04,734 --> 00:08:07,111 for a small number of VIPs. 163 00:08:07,112 --> 00:08:09,488 Its construction appears to date to a period 164 00:08:09,489 --> 00:08:11,615 of renewed Cold War tension. 165 00:08:11,616 --> 00:08:16,829 Aerial photos from 1977 reveal what seemed to be its doors, 166 00:08:16,830 --> 00:08:20,624 while none were present in images from 1976. 167 00:08:20,625 --> 00:08:23,043 It sits directly beneath the raised platform 168 00:08:23,044 --> 00:08:25,003 from which President Park Chung-hee would watch 169 00:08:25,004 --> 00:08:27,131 military parades staged to project 170 00:08:27,132 --> 00:08:30,426 South Korea's strength to the North. 171 00:08:30,427 --> 00:08:32,261 And so many believe the bunker was built 172 00:08:32,262 --> 00:08:35,222 for him and his bodyguards as a secure refuge 173 00:08:35,223 --> 00:08:37,808 in the event of an attack. 174 00:08:37,809 --> 00:08:40,561 The location and the general vibe of the bunker 175 00:08:40,562 --> 00:08:44,481 at Yeouido point very clearly to a government function. 176 00:08:44,482 --> 00:08:46,984 But the Seoul Plaza chamber is different. 177 00:08:46,985 --> 00:08:49,028 It's way bigger, it's way less defined, 178 00:08:49,029 --> 00:08:51,864 and it's just harder to explain. 179 00:08:51,865 --> 00:08:53,365 There's no evidence to suggest it was built 180 00:08:53,366 --> 00:08:56,243 to protect government officials or even civilians, 181 00:08:56,244 --> 00:08:59,663 so maybe we've been barking up the wrong tree altogether. 182 00:08:59,664 --> 00:09:02,875 But if so, what was it built for? 183 00:09:02,876 --> 00:09:04,626 Not all interpretations 184 00:09:04,627 --> 00:09:06,170 center on defense. 185 00:09:06,171 --> 00:09:09,131 Some see the chamber as a reflection of South Korea's 186 00:09:09,132 --> 00:09:12,634 own political landscape. 187 00:09:12,635 --> 00:09:15,220 The Korean Central Intelligence Agency 188 00:09:15,221 --> 00:09:18,599 was once arguably the most powerful institution 189 00:09:18,600 --> 00:09:20,851 in South Korea. 190 00:09:20,852 --> 00:09:24,938 Created in 1961 with American support, 191 00:09:24,939 --> 00:09:26,607 one US official described it 192 00:09:26,608 --> 00:09:31,737 as "a combination of the Gestapo and the Soviet KGB," 193 00:09:31,738 --> 00:09:36,408 reflecting the scale of its authority and methods. 194 00:09:36,409 --> 00:09:39,286 If the agency could dominate politics, 195 00:09:39,287 --> 00:09:44,291 intimidate communities abroad, and operate with such secrecy, 196 00:09:44,292 --> 00:09:46,502 could a hidden chamber in central Seoul 197 00:09:46,503 --> 00:09:50,714 have served as part of its operations? 198 00:09:50,715 --> 00:09:55,219 By the early 1970s, the KCIA's reach was absolute. 199 00:09:55,220 --> 00:09:58,013 It was accused of extorting money from businessmen, 200 00:09:58,014 --> 00:10:00,724 abducting dissidents, torturing students 201 00:10:00,725 --> 00:10:03,060 on fabricated espionage charges, 202 00:10:03,061 --> 00:10:06,563 and later even engineering the 1987 bombing 203 00:10:06,564 --> 00:10:11,360 of a Korean Air flight that killed 115 people. 204 00:10:11,361 --> 00:10:14,988 In that climate, the idea that underground facilities 205 00:10:14,989 --> 00:10:17,157 might have been built for intelligence use 206 00:10:17,158 --> 00:10:19,077 really isn't far-fetched. 207 00:10:21,579 --> 00:10:23,163 Less than a mile away, at the base of Namsan, 208 00:10:23,164 --> 00:10:25,749 a scenic tree-covered peak in the heart of Seoul, 209 00:10:25,750 --> 00:10:29,711 the KCIA's operations in their own facility's basement 210 00:10:29,712 --> 00:10:32,339 show how subterranean spaces in Seoul 211 00:10:32,340 --> 00:10:35,300 have served far darker purposes. 212 00:10:35,301 --> 00:10:38,720 The KCIA headquarters on Namsan opened in 1973, 213 00:10:38,721 --> 00:10:42,099 the same year a Seoul National University law professor died 214 00:10:42,100 --> 00:10:44,685 while in the agency's custody. 215 00:10:44,686 --> 00:10:46,520 Officials claimed he had confessed to being 216 00:10:46,521 --> 00:10:50,315 a North Korean spy and jumped from a window. 217 00:10:50,316 --> 00:10:51,441 But in the year 2000, 218 00:10:51,442 --> 00:10:53,819 South Korea passed a law to honor, 219 00:10:53,820 --> 00:10:56,947 and in some cases, compensate the people who took part 220 00:10:56,948 --> 00:10:58,448 in the country's democracy movement, 221 00:10:58,449 --> 00:11:01,410 creating a commission to review individual claims. 222 00:11:01,411 --> 00:11:03,954 And that commission later concluded 223 00:11:03,955 --> 00:11:05,789 that the allegation was fabricated 224 00:11:05,790 --> 00:11:09,001 and that he had most likely been thrown from the building 225 00:11:09,002 --> 00:11:11,545 or even tortured to death beforehand. 226 00:11:11,546 --> 00:11:16,383 Possibly the first victim inside the new headquarters. 227 00:11:16,384 --> 00:11:18,635 Namsan soon became synonymous 228 00:11:18,636 --> 00:11:20,679 with state repression. 229 00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:24,474 In South Korea's post-war authoritarian years, 230 00:11:24,475 --> 00:11:29,229 "going to Namsan" meant ending up in KCIA custody, 231 00:11:29,230 --> 00:11:33,233 often for involvement in pro-democracy activities 232 00:11:33,234 --> 00:11:35,569 where torture was common. 233 00:11:35,570 --> 00:11:38,071 The KCIA's record leaves little doubt 234 00:11:38,072 --> 00:11:41,158 about its capacity for secrecy and abuse. 235 00:11:41,159 --> 00:11:44,411 Its power radiated from the Namsan headquarters, 236 00:11:44,412 --> 00:11:47,539 while abroad, its agents operated through embassies, 237 00:11:47,540 --> 00:11:49,833 consulates, and front organizations. 238 00:11:49,834 --> 00:11:52,878 But nothing in the public record suggests that it used 239 00:11:52,879 --> 00:11:56,590 the vast hidden chamber beneath Seoul Plaza for its operations, 240 00:11:56,591 --> 00:11:58,842 which opens up other possibilities 241 00:11:58,843 --> 00:12:01,136 about its true purpose. 242 00:12:01,137 --> 00:12:02,512 The official explanation 243 00:12:02,513 --> 00:12:06,516 is the most straightforward and the least sensational. 244 00:12:06,517 --> 00:12:07,893 When Seoul began building its subway 245 00:12:07,894 --> 00:12:11,104 in the early 1970s, construction methods were very different 246 00:12:11,105 --> 00:12:13,398 from what we see today. 247 00:12:13,399 --> 00:12:14,691 Could the chamber beneath Seoul Plaza 248 00:12:14,692 --> 00:12:17,986 simply be a byproduct of that process? 249 00:12:17,987 --> 00:12:19,279 The evidence does line up. 250 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:21,740 The chamber lies right between Euljiro 1-ga 251 00:12:21,741 --> 00:12:23,116 and City Hall stations. 252 00:12:23,117 --> 00:12:24,868 And during the construction of Line 2, 253 00:12:24,869 --> 00:12:27,537 when it's believed this underground space was created, 254 00:12:27,538 --> 00:12:30,082 crews were digging down from the surface 255 00:12:30,083 --> 00:12:32,125 instead of boring a tunnel in from the side, 256 00:12:32,126 --> 00:12:34,544 which is how these things are done today. 257 00:12:34,545 --> 00:12:37,506 So officials believe that when Euljiro 1-ga station 258 00:12:37,507 --> 00:12:41,718 opened in 1983, this leftover space got sealed off 259 00:12:41,719 --> 00:12:46,473 and then just remained hidden for more than four decades. 260 00:12:46,474 --> 00:12:49,393 Over 6,700 miles across the Pacific, 261 00:12:49,394 --> 00:12:53,146 in Cincinnati, Ohio, a similar underground void 262 00:12:53,147 --> 00:12:54,439 tells its own story 263 00:12:54,440 --> 00:12:58,443 about a subway line that never came to be. 264 00:12:58,444 --> 00:13:00,445 In the early 20th century, 265 00:13:00,446 --> 00:13:04,825 Cincinnati set out to build a 16-mile rapid transit loop 266 00:13:04,826 --> 00:13:06,785 to serve its booming population. 267 00:13:06,786 --> 00:13:11,248 By 1923, two miles of the subway tunnels were completed 268 00:13:11,249 --> 00:13:14,751 to a spot just north of the Western Hills Viaduct 269 00:13:14,752 --> 00:13:17,671 with a short tunnel running beneath Hopple Street 270 00:13:17,672 --> 00:13:22,843 as part of the city's grand plan to modernize its transit system. 271 00:13:22,844 --> 00:13:25,721 But costs spiraled after World War I. 272 00:13:25,722 --> 00:13:28,765 Funds dried up, and planning was scaled back. 273 00:13:28,766 --> 00:13:31,977 By 1929, the project was abandoned. 274 00:13:31,978 --> 00:13:33,353 Tracks were never laid, 275 00:13:33,354 --> 00:13:36,440 and crucial links to the system never finished. 276 00:13:36,441 --> 00:13:39,192 The tunnels were sealed off and ultimately sidelined 277 00:13:39,193 --> 00:13:43,321 by the Mill Creek Expressway, today's I-75. 278 00:13:43,322 --> 00:13:46,450 Over the years, the abandoned subway was reimagined 279 00:13:46,451 --> 00:13:48,744 for everything from fallout shelters 280 00:13:48,745 --> 00:13:49,953 to underground wineries. 281 00:13:49,954 --> 00:13:53,248 But in the end, it remained what it had always been, 282 00:13:53,249 --> 00:13:57,252 a relic of unfinished planning. 283 00:13:57,253 --> 00:13:58,628 The official explanation in Seoul 284 00:13:58,629 --> 00:14:00,338 points to leftover subway construction, 285 00:14:00,339 --> 00:14:01,631 and it makes sense. 286 00:14:01,632 --> 00:14:04,676 With more than 65% of the land covered by mountains, 287 00:14:04,677 --> 00:14:07,763 tunneling has become unavoidable for railroads, freeways, 288 00:14:07,764 --> 00:14:09,639 subways, and the utility networks 289 00:14:09,640 --> 00:14:12,142 buried beneath South Korea's cities. 290 00:14:12,143 --> 00:14:14,770 The chamber under Seoul Plaza may simply be one of them; 291 00:14:14,771 --> 00:14:18,607 an ordinary remnant of extraordinary infrastructure. 292 00:14:18,608 --> 00:14:19,941 Hidden for decades, 293 00:14:19,942 --> 00:14:23,528 the chamber beneath Seoul Plaza is now in plain view-- 294 00:14:23,529 --> 00:14:26,948 a reminder that even the most familiar urban landscapes 295 00:14:26,949 --> 00:14:31,329 can contain histories we're only just beginning to uncover. 296 00:14:34,540 --> 00:14:37,667 175 miles northwest of Warsaw, 297 00:14:37,668 --> 00:14:40,420 where the Vistula River meets the Baltic Sea, 298 00:14:40,421 --> 00:14:43,465 Gdansk has endured for centuries as a city 299 00:14:43,466 --> 00:14:47,761 defined by commerce, conquest, and resilience. 300 00:14:47,762 --> 00:14:51,515 {\an8} In 1260, Gdansk secured municipal autonomy, 301 00:14:51,516 --> 00:14:55,185 granting merchants the freedom to expand their trade. 302 00:14:55,186 --> 00:14:57,729 Its position at the mouth of the Vistula 303 00:14:57,730 --> 00:15:00,857 made it Poland's main outlet for grain and timber, 304 00:15:00,858 --> 00:15:05,695 tying the city directly into northern Europe's trade routes. 305 00:15:05,696 --> 00:15:08,532 In 1308, the Teutonic Knights seized Gdansk. 306 00:15:08,533 --> 00:15:10,450 {\an8}Invited east decades earlier, 307 00:15:10,451 --> 00:15:12,786 {\an8}the German Catholic military order had already carved out 308 00:15:12,787 --> 00:15:16,414 a state in Prussia with papal and imperial backing. 309 00:15:16,415 --> 00:15:17,624 Their conquest of the city 310 00:15:17,625 --> 00:15:20,252 shifted the balance of power across the Baltic. 311 00:15:20,253 --> 00:15:22,254 From Gdansk, they ruled more than a century 312 00:15:22,255 --> 00:15:28,760 until King Casimir IV reclaimed it in 1466 after a 13-year war. 313 00:15:28,761 --> 00:15:32,055 {\an8} Casimir restored broad civic privileges, 314 00:15:32,056 --> 00:15:33,348 {\an8}fueling prosperity. 315 00:15:33,349 --> 00:15:34,558 {\an8}By the 18th century, 316 00:15:34,559 --> 00:15:37,519 Gdansk could become the Baltic's leading port, 317 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:39,855 home to 77,000 people 318 00:15:39,856 --> 00:15:45,986 and exporting over 200,000 tons of grain each year. 319 00:15:45,987 --> 00:15:47,070 But even in modern times, 320 00:15:47,071 --> 00:15:51,199 the fortunes of Gdansk rose and fell with conflict. 321 00:15:51,200 --> 00:15:55,162 It was remade as the Free City of Danzig after World War I, 322 00:15:55,163 --> 00:15:58,498 absorbed into Nazi Germany in 1939, 323 00:15:58,499 --> 00:16:02,043 reduced to ruins in 1945, 324 00:16:02,044 --> 00:16:04,254 and later rebuilt. 325 00:16:04,255 --> 00:16:05,839 In July of 2025, 326 00:16:05,840 --> 00:16:09,134 excavations beneath the site of a former ice cream shop 327 00:16:09,135 --> 00:16:13,430 in the center of Gdansk uncover traces of a medieval past 328 00:16:13,431 --> 00:16:15,932 long hidden beneath the city. 329 00:16:15,933 --> 00:16:18,685 {\an8} The first discovery was a limestone slab, 330 00:16:18,686 --> 00:16:22,606 thought to be a tombstone about 60 inches long, 331 00:16:22,607 --> 00:16:26,776 carved with the image of a man in full chainmail armor. 332 00:16:26,777 --> 00:16:29,529 He's gripping a sword in his right hand, 333 00:16:29,530 --> 00:16:31,615 a shield in his left hand, 334 00:16:31,616 --> 00:16:36,786 with boots and leggings encasing his legs. 335 00:16:36,787 --> 00:16:39,497 Monuments of this kind are exceptionally rare 336 00:16:39,498 --> 00:16:40,790 from medieval Poland, 337 00:16:40,791 --> 00:16:44,252 where tombstones almost never depicted the deceased 338 00:16:44,253 --> 00:16:46,631 in such vivid detail. 339 00:16:49,217 --> 00:16:50,467 The slab was lifted, 340 00:16:50,468 --> 00:16:53,220 and after two more days of excavation, 341 00:16:53,221 --> 00:16:57,432 they found a coffin below. 342 00:16:57,433 --> 00:16:59,726 Inside lay the skeleton of a man, 343 00:16:59,727 --> 00:17:02,229 surrounded by 23 field stones 344 00:17:02,230 --> 00:17:06,441 carefully arranged in a rectangle. 345 00:17:06,442 --> 00:17:07,984 Preliminary analysis showed 346 00:17:07,985 --> 00:17:10,779 that he was about 40 years old at death 347 00:17:10,780 --> 00:17:13,323 and stood between 5'6" and 5'9", 348 00:17:13,324 --> 00:17:17,661 close to the average stature for men in medieval Gdansk. 349 00:17:17,662 --> 00:17:19,913 The grave lies within a larger excavation zone, 350 00:17:19,914 --> 00:17:22,165 spanning nearly 11,000 square feet, 351 00:17:22,166 --> 00:17:25,126 which has uncovered traces of the city's earliest history-- 352 00:17:25,127 --> 00:17:28,046 wooden cottages, a 12th century timber street, 353 00:17:28,047 --> 00:17:29,839 and Gdansk's first church, 354 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:33,343 built around 1140 in the form of a Greek cross. 355 00:17:33,344 --> 00:17:37,806 The slab dates to the late 13th or early 14th century, 356 00:17:37,807 --> 00:17:40,016 and even after centuries underground, 357 00:17:40,017 --> 00:17:43,353 the outlines of the armor, sword, and shield 358 00:17:43,354 --> 00:17:45,855 remain strikingly well preserved-- 359 00:17:45,856 --> 00:17:51,027 a monument to a man of clear status whose identity is lost. 360 00:17:51,028 --> 00:17:52,445 So, who was he? 361 00:17:52,446 --> 00:17:53,822 Why was he buried here? 362 00:17:53,823 --> 00:17:56,533 And what can his burial reveal about the forces 363 00:17:56,534 --> 00:17:59,120 that shaped the city at its beginnings? 364 00:18:01,956 --> 00:18:03,873 In a city where wealth once flowed 365 00:18:03,874 --> 00:18:07,460 through merchant hands, the tomb may reflect the ambitions 366 00:18:07,461 --> 00:18:12,340 of a man who blurred the line between commerce and chivalry. 367 00:18:12,341 --> 00:18:14,217 After the mid-15th century, 368 00:18:14,218 --> 00:18:17,679 Gdansk was dominated by a merchant patriciate-- 369 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:20,890 families who controlled trade, held civic office, 370 00:18:20,891 --> 00:18:24,894 and displayed symbols of elite status. 371 00:18:24,895 --> 00:18:29,107 They worked to secure shipping routes, guard against pirates, 372 00:18:29,108 --> 00:18:30,734 and manage commerce, 373 00:18:30,735 --> 00:18:34,738 competing directly with English and Dutch rivals. 374 00:18:34,739 --> 00:18:38,408 Could this burial belong to one of them? 375 00:18:38,409 --> 00:18:41,411 The slab itself is a major clue. 376 00:18:41,412 --> 00:18:43,830 It was carved from Gotland limestone, 377 00:18:43,831 --> 00:18:47,667 an expensive material that was imported from the Swedish island 378 00:18:47,668 --> 00:18:50,170 at the heart of Baltic Exchange. 379 00:18:50,171 --> 00:18:52,756 That kind of stone would have reached Gdansk 380 00:18:52,757 --> 00:18:56,092 through trade routes, suggesting that the man in this grave 381 00:18:56,093 --> 00:18:58,470 had direct access to the networks 382 00:18:58,471 --> 00:19:01,097 of the ruling merchant class. 383 00:19:01,098 --> 00:19:02,849 Over 800 miles northwest 384 00:19:02,850 --> 00:19:05,727 on the Scottish island of Unst, another site shows 385 00:19:05,728 --> 00:19:09,272 how merchants marked their presence far from home. 386 00:19:09,273 --> 00:19:11,274 In the chapel ruins at Lunda Wick, 387 00:19:11,275 --> 00:19:14,110 a weathered imported slab still honors a German merchant 388 00:19:14,111 --> 00:19:17,155 who traded there for more than half a century. 389 00:19:17,156 --> 00:19:20,700 Its inscription lists his name, city, and profession; 390 00:19:20,701 --> 00:19:22,118 a grave that doubles as a statement 391 00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:24,120 of mercantile identity. 392 00:19:24,121 --> 00:19:26,706 In Gdansk, the pattern is different. 393 00:19:26,707 --> 00:19:29,459 The knight's effigy bears no merchant's seal, 394 00:19:29,460 --> 00:19:31,711 no inscription, no mark of trade; 395 00:19:31,712 --> 00:19:35,882 only the imagery of sword, shield, and armor. 396 00:19:35,883 --> 00:19:39,094 Nearly 115 miles south of Gdansk, 397 00:19:39,095 --> 00:19:41,971 in the Kuyavia region of north-central Poland, 398 00:19:41,972 --> 00:19:44,391 archaeologists uncovered a cemetery 399 00:19:44,392 --> 00:19:46,226 of several dozen chamber graves 400 00:19:46,227 --> 00:19:50,230 dating to the late 10th and early 11th centuries. 401 00:19:50,231 --> 00:19:54,484 Four rows of graves contained the remains of 14 men, 402 00:19:54,485 --> 00:19:57,487 21 women, and 14 children. 403 00:19:57,488 --> 00:20:01,616 Each lay within a wooden box reinforced by iron fittings 404 00:20:01,617 --> 00:20:03,201 and lined with fabric, 405 00:20:03,202 --> 00:20:07,247 with some graves marked by larger rectangular enclosures 406 00:20:07,248 --> 00:20:12,585 that may have been fences, or houses of the dead. 407 00:20:12,586 --> 00:20:15,880 Alongside them, richly furnished cenotaphs 408 00:20:15,881 --> 00:20:19,509 added further evidence of high status. 409 00:20:19,510 --> 00:20:22,887 These burials were filled with remarkable items: 410 00:20:22,888 --> 00:20:27,016 weapons, jewelry, coins, and ornaments of high quality. 411 00:20:27,017 --> 00:20:30,270 Women were laid to rest with necklaces of glass beads, 412 00:20:30,271 --> 00:20:33,523 gold foil beads, precious stones, and silver. 413 00:20:33,524 --> 00:20:37,610 Two silver amulet containers, one engraved with a bird, 414 00:20:37,611 --> 00:20:41,614 stand out as truly spectacular finds. 415 00:20:41,615 --> 00:20:43,616 The discovery of silk fragments, 416 00:20:43,617 --> 00:20:46,244 likely brought from as far away as China, 417 00:20:46,245 --> 00:20:47,871 shows just how far 418 00:20:47,872 --> 00:20:51,291 the community's trade connections reached. 419 00:20:51,292 --> 00:20:52,834 Weapons in the men's graves-- 420 00:20:52,835 --> 00:20:54,711 Viking swords, a pickaxe, 421 00:20:54,712 --> 00:20:56,463 and single-edged Langseax blades, 422 00:20:56,464 --> 00:20:58,965 which were long, straight-edged knives used in battle 423 00:20:58,966 --> 00:21:00,300 and as markers of status-- 424 00:21:00,301 --> 00:21:03,219 reveal a warrior elite whose funeral rites and equipment 425 00:21:03,220 --> 00:21:07,682 marked them as high-status settlers. 426 00:21:07,683 --> 00:21:09,267 The most striking case is a young man 427 00:21:09,268 --> 00:21:12,520 buried with a silver-inlaid ceremonial sword 428 00:21:12,521 --> 00:21:14,105 bearing a Rurikid tamga, 429 00:21:14,106 --> 00:21:17,192 a symbol of the noble lineage that ruled the Land of the Rus', 430 00:21:17,193 --> 00:21:19,569 which is evidence of far-reaching ties. 431 00:21:19,570 --> 00:21:22,906 At this site, we see evidence of trade connections, 432 00:21:22,907 --> 00:21:24,949 where wealth was displayed through weapons, 433 00:21:24,950 --> 00:21:27,285 ornaments, and foreign imports. 434 00:21:27,286 --> 00:21:31,664 But in Gdansk, there are no weapons, no jewelry, no silks, 435 00:21:31,665 --> 00:21:34,083 only the carved image of a knight. 436 00:21:34,084 --> 00:21:36,127 That absence makes it less likely 437 00:21:36,128 --> 00:21:39,881 he was a wealthy merchant, and instead, opens the possibility 438 00:21:39,882 --> 00:21:43,843 that his identity was defined in other ways. 439 00:21:43,844 --> 00:21:45,762 Long before merchants and crusaders 440 00:21:45,763 --> 00:21:47,472 left their mark on Gdansk, 441 00:21:47,473 --> 00:21:51,059 power rested in the hands of a native dynasty. 442 00:21:51,060 --> 00:21:53,561 The Sobieslawice Dynasty emerged in Gdansk 443 00:21:53,562 --> 00:21:59,025 in the 12th and 13th century, ruling for nearly a century. 444 00:21:59,026 --> 00:22:01,110 Its founder began as a governor, 445 00:22:01,111 --> 00:22:06,533 but from 1227, his heirs styled themselves as dukes, 446 00:22:06,534 --> 00:22:08,993 princes in their own right. 447 00:22:08,994 --> 00:22:13,164 Could this have been a duke of their dynasty? 448 00:22:13,165 --> 00:22:16,626 Excavations around the slab uncovered layers 449 00:22:16,627 --> 00:22:19,337 of early settlement-- timber cottages, 450 00:22:19,338 --> 00:22:23,007 a street built from 18 successive layers of wood, 451 00:22:23,008 --> 00:22:25,218 and nearly 300 burials. 452 00:22:25,219 --> 00:22:27,720 Only eight of those graves had stone markers, 453 00:22:27,721 --> 00:22:30,890 and the knight's was by far the most elaborate. 454 00:22:30,891 --> 00:22:35,103 That distinction suggests elite rank in a modest cemetery, 455 00:22:35,104 --> 00:22:38,523 consistent with a dynastic identity. 456 00:22:38,524 --> 00:22:41,568 Most members of the Sobieslawice Dynasty were buried 457 00:22:41,569 --> 00:22:43,987 in a monastery they found at Oliwa, 458 00:22:43,988 --> 00:22:46,823 but their original graves were destroyed several times 459 00:22:46,824 --> 00:22:48,408 by fire and war. 460 00:22:48,409 --> 00:22:52,287 That loss makes the Gdansk effigy all the more significant. 461 00:22:52,288 --> 00:22:54,289 If it belonged to one of their princes, 462 00:22:54,290 --> 00:22:58,001 it could be the earliest authentic ducal monument 463 00:22:58,002 --> 00:23:00,129 still tied to the dynasty. 464 00:23:02,339 --> 00:23:03,673 In 2018, a burial chest was discovered 465 00:23:03,674 --> 00:23:05,091 hidden in a storeroom, 466 00:23:05,092 --> 00:23:07,343 walled up inside St. Stephen's Church 467 00:23:07,344 --> 00:23:10,972 at the Czech city of Olomouc's Hradisko Monastery, 468 00:23:10,973 --> 00:23:14,392 around 330 miles southwest of Gdansk. 469 00:23:14,393 --> 00:23:16,519 Decorated with elaborate artwork, 470 00:23:16,520 --> 00:23:19,564 it held the skeletal remains of seven members 471 00:23:19,565 --> 00:23:21,107 of the Premyslid Dynasty. 472 00:23:21,108 --> 00:23:22,650 These were princes and princesses 473 00:23:22,651 --> 00:23:26,905 who ruled Bohemia and Moravia from the 9th to 14th centuries. 474 00:23:26,906 --> 00:23:28,281 Their identities were confirmed 475 00:23:28,282 --> 00:23:33,161 only after DNA and radiocarbon testing. 476 00:23:33,162 --> 00:23:35,288 The Sobieslawice princes of Gdansk 477 00:23:35,289 --> 00:23:37,707 belong to the same medieval world, 478 00:23:37,708 --> 00:23:41,628 and both groups' original tombs have been destroyed over time 479 00:23:41,629 --> 00:23:44,339 by disaster or conflict. 480 00:23:44,340 --> 00:23:48,092 But in Gdansk, the difficulty is twofold. 481 00:23:48,093 --> 00:23:52,221 The effigy bears no name or inscription, 482 00:23:52,222 --> 00:23:54,724 and it lies outside the dynasty's 483 00:23:54,725 --> 00:23:57,727 known necropolis of Oliwa. 484 00:23:57,728 --> 00:24:02,273 Its stark military imagery may instead hint at another power 485 00:24:02,274 --> 00:24:05,026 that would soon dominate the city. 486 00:24:05,027 --> 00:24:07,153 The tombstone may reflect status, 487 00:24:07,154 --> 00:24:09,739 but its stark simplicity could connect 488 00:24:09,740 --> 00:24:13,910 to Gdansk's most infamous occupiers. 489 00:24:13,911 --> 00:24:16,079 After a campaign of expansion, 490 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:19,415 the Teutonic Order carved out a militarized state in Prussia. 491 00:24:19,416 --> 00:24:22,251 In 1308, the Teutonic Knights seized Gdansk 492 00:24:22,252 --> 00:24:26,214 in a brutal massacre, placing the city under their rule. 493 00:24:26,215 --> 00:24:30,385 Could the man in this grave have once belonged to their ranks? 494 00:24:30,386 --> 00:24:33,429 The conquest of 1308 gave the order direct control 495 00:24:33,430 --> 00:24:34,597 over eastern Pomerania. 496 00:24:34,598 --> 00:24:37,475 From Gdansk, they expanded deeper into Prussia, 497 00:24:37,476 --> 00:24:40,436 building castles, churches, and monasteries. 498 00:24:40,437 --> 00:24:43,189 A high-status burial from this moment of transition 499 00:24:43,190 --> 00:24:44,774 would fit within the order's sudden, 500 00:24:44,775 --> 00:24:46,985 violent presence in the city. 501 00:24:46,986 --> 00:24:48,403 In the early 14th century, 502 00:24:48,404 --> 00:24:50,863 Teutonic Knights in Gdansk swore vows 503 00:24:50,864 --> 00:24:53,866 of poverty, chastity, and obedience. 504 00:24:53,867 --> 00:24:56,953 A lone stone tool marked with martial symbolism 505 00:24:56,954 --> 00:24:58,371 but devoid of goods 506 00:24:58,372 --> 00:25:02,167 is exactly what we might expect of their burials. 507 00:25:03,377 --> 00:25:05,920 The order also drew guest crusaders 508 00:25:05,921 --> 00:25:07,171 from across Europe. 509 00:25:07,172 --> 00:25:10,299 Nobles would join seasonal crusading campaigns 510 00:25:10,300 --> 00:25:11,801 known as reysen 511 00:25:11,802 --> 00:25:15,596 against Poland and Lithuania. 512 00:25:15,597 --> 00:25:19,267 Many would have died on campaign far from their homelands. 513 00:25:19,268 --> 00:25:22,478 With so many foreign knights passing through Gdansk, 514 00:25:22,479 --> 00:25:27,108 it is possible that one was buried here. 515 00:25:27,109 --> 00:25:29,777 Less than 30 miles southeast of Gdansk, 516 00:25:29,778 --> 00:25:34,073 in Malbork, the Teutonic Order built its greatest fortress, 517 00:25:34,074 --> 00:25:35,450 Malbork Castle. 518 00:25:35,451 --> 00:25:37,535 Beneath it, the Chapel of St. Anne 519 00:25:37,536 --> 00:25:41,164 shows how they buried their most powerful men. 520 00:25:41,165 --> 00:25:43,082 The Chapel of St. Anne was likely built 521 00:25:43,083 --> 00:25:45,418 in the 14th century as the burial place 522 00:25:45,419 --> 00:25:48,463 for the Grand Masters of the Teutonic Order. 523 00:25:48,464 --> 00:25:51,257 Dietrich von Altenburg was the first Grand Master 524 00:25:51,258 --> 00:25:54,385 to be interred beneath its floor in 1341. 525 00:25:54,386 --> 00:25:56,971 Ten of his successors were buried here, too, 526 00:25:56,972 --> 00:26:00,350 making it the order's symbolic necropolis. 527 00:26:01,685 --> 00:26:04,228 Ordinary knight burials were very different. 528 00:26:04,229 --> 00:26:07,690 The Teutonic rule banned personal seals, coats of arms, 529 00:26:07,691 --> 00:26:09,275 and ostentatious monuments. 530 00:26:09,276 --> 00:26:12,361 Even clothing and equipment were tightly regulated. 531 00:26:12,362 --> 00:26:14,781 Against that discipline, a solitary effigy 532 00:26:14,782 --> 00:26:16,991 with only military imagery fits: 533 00:26:16,992 --> 00:26:19,202 not a grand master celebrated in ritual, 534 00:26:19,203 --> 00:26:23,623 but perhaps a single knight remembered in the simplest way. 535 00:26:23,624 --> 00:26:26,417 Researchers are scanning the effigy in 3D 536 00:26:26,418 --> 00:26:30,254 and testing the bones through chemical and genetic analysis, 537 00:26:30,255 --> 00:26:34,801 aiming to uncover who this knight was and how he lived. 538 00:26:34,802 --> 00:26:38,304 They even plan a facial reconstruction from the skull, 539 00:26:38,305 --> 00:26:40,431 so the so-called Gdansk Lancelot 540 00:26:40,432 --> 00:26:44,977 may soon be seen as he once appeared in life. 541 00:26:44,978 --> 00:26:47,146 Beneath the streets of Gdansk, 542 00:26:47,147 --> 00:26:48,606 the carved tomb of the night 543 00:26:48,607 --> 00:26:50,733 carries the weight of a city's beginnings; 544 00:26:50,734 --> 00:26:55,739 a trace of power preserved, but never fully explained. 545 00:26:58,867 --> 00:27:02,036 In southern England, just outside Greater London, 546 00:27:02,037 --> 00:27:06,791 is the ceremonial county of Buckinghamshire. 547 00:27:06,792 --> 00:27:07,834 {\an8} This part of Britain 548 00:27:07,835 --> 00:27:09,961 {\an8}has seen centuries of human history. 549 00:27:09,962 --> 00:27:12,088 People have found evidence of Neolithic 550 00:27:12,089 --> 00:27:17,802 and Bronze Age occupation across Buckinghamshire. 551 00:27:17,803 --> 00:27:20,596 The hillfort at Ivinghoe Beacon was likely occupied 552 00:27:20,597 --> 00:27:24,308 long before the Romans ever invaded. 553 00:27:24,309 --> 00:27:25,893 But after that invasion, 554 00:27:25,894 --> 00:27:28,813 Rome began construction on Watling Road, 555 00:27:28,814 --> 00:27:31,274 which would ultimately connect this whole region 556 00:27:31,275 --> 00:27:34,318 to what would later become London. 557 00:27:34,319 --> 00:27:36,153 Buckinghamshire's more recent history 558 00:27:36,154 --> 00:27:39,407 {\an8}highlights British determination and perseverance. 559 00:27:39,408 --> 00:27:42,535 {\an8}In World War II, it was here that the Allied codebreakers 560 00:27:42,536 --> 00:27:45,288 managed to crack the German Enigma Codes, 561 00:27:45,289 --> 00:27:49,041 which helped bring the war to a close much sooner. 562 00:27:49,042 --> 00:27:51,961 {\an8} But it hasn't always been easy for Buckinghamshire 563 00:27:51,962 --> 00:27:54,589 {\an8}to hang on to its physical history. 564 00:27:54,590 --> 00:27:57,633 One building lost to the past is St. Mary's Church 565 00:27:57,634 --> 00:28:00,136 in the village of Stoke Mandeville. 566 00:28:00,137 --> 00:28:02,305 Demolished in 1966, 567 00:28:02,306 --> 00:28:06,309 St. Mary's rubble sits undisturbed until 2021, 568 00:28:06,310 --> 00:28:07,602 when the city must make room 569 00:28:07,603 --> 00:28:10,771 for a new national high-speed railway. 570 00:28:10,772 --> 00:28:12,189 But prior to its removal, 571 00:28:12,190 --> 00:28:15,526 researchers conducting a routine archaeological survey 572 00:28:15,527 --> 00:28:19,655 of the site discover much more than they bargained for. 573 00:28:19,656 --> 00:28:21,324 {\an8} Beneath the foundation of the church, 574 00:28:21,325 --> 00:28:24,994 {\an8}another structure emerged from the earth and rock. 575 00:28:24,995 --> 00:28:29,165 There were the foundations of a smaller, square-shaped building, 576 00:28:29,166 --> 00:28:32,501 possibly a tower of some kind. 577 00:28:32,502 --> 00:28:35,087 When the surrounding ditch was excavated, 578 00:28:35,088 --> 00:28:38,966 some incredible artifacts were unearthed: 579 00:28:38,967 --> 00:28:42,678 three portrait busts made of stone. 580 00:28:42,679 --> 00:28:46,098 This site was like an archaeological nesting doll, 581 00:28:46,099 --> 00:28:49,435 each layer presenting a new mystery. 582 00:28:49,436 --> 00:28:53,105 The busts depict an adult male, an adult female, 583 00:28:53,106 --> 00:28:54,357 and an additional head 584 00:28:54,358 --> 00:28:56,734 that seems to be that of a young child. 585 00:28:56,735 --> 00:29:00,696 But what's weird is that the adult busts appear to have been 586 00:29:00,697 --> 00:29:04,325 decapitated before they were buried. 587 00:29:04,326 --> 00:29:07,119 There are clean breaks at the necks. 588 00:29:07,120 --> 00:29:08,454 And there's something else. 589 00:29:08,455 --> 00:29:14,293 The remnants of a hexagonal jug made of glass. 590 00:29:14,294 --> 00:29:18,674 Who put all these items here and what was this place? 591 00:29:20,050 --> 00:29:23,052 The St. Mary's site is a multi-layered discovery, 592 00:29:23,053 --> 00:29:27,556 with each stratum offering its own piece of British history. 593 00:29:27,557 --> 00:29:31,018 We know that St. Mary's was built in 1080 CE, 594 00:29:31,019 --> 00:29:34,355 shortly after the Norman conquest. 595 00:29:34,356 --> 00:29:36,524 But the style of the busts are indicative 596 00:29:36,525 --> 00:29:38,275 of early Roman sculpture, 597 00:29:38,276 --> 00:29:42,405 dating them sometime between the 1st and 5th century. 598 00:29:42,406 --> 00:29:44,949 During this time, the region was dotted 599 00:29:44,950 --> 00:29:47,159 with large Roman farming estates. 600 00:29:47,160 --> 00:29:50,746 Agriculture was a major driver of the economy. 601 00:29:50,747 --> 00:29:53,916 The nearby Roman town of Magiovinium may have been 602 00:29:53,917 --> 00:29:56,752 the location of a garrison and a Roman fort. 603 00:29:56,753 --> 00:30:00,423 Magiovinium also shows evidence of multiple cemeteries. 604 00:30:00,424 --> 00:30:03,551 People likely came here to bury their dead. 605 00:30:03,552 --> 00:30:05,428 But the shards of the hexagonal glass jug 606 00:30:05,429 --> 00:30:07,930 complicate the historical picture. 607 00:30:07,931 --> 00:30:10,975 Jugs like this were often used as funerary vessels 608 00:30:10,976 --> 00:30:13,936 for flasks of holy oil. 609 00:30:13,937 --> 00:30:15,396 So what's it doing here? 610 00:30:15,397 --> 00:30:17,273 Why was this vessel buried in a ditch 611 00:30:17,274 --> 00:30:20,609 alongside these Roman sculptures? 612 00:30:20,610 --> 00:30:23,487 Approximately 50 miles from the St. Mary's site 613 00:30:23,488 --> 00:30:26,115 in Kent, near the town of Eynsford, 614 00:30:26,116 --> 00:30:28,492 is the Lullingstone Villa residence, 615 00:30:28,493 --> 00:30:31,037 where similar high-quality portrait sculptures 616 00:30:31,038 --> 00:30:35,624 were discovered in 1949 by G.W. Meates and others. 617 00:30:35,625 --> 00:30:37,960 The Lullingstone residents had two busts 618 00:30:37,961 --> 00:30:41,297 made of marble, possibly depicting a man and his father, 619 00:30:41,298 --> 00:30:42,631 and they were found 620 00:30:42,632 --> 00:30:45,760 in the building's so-called "cult room." 621 00:30:45,761 --> 00:30:48,137 So, maybe the sculptures under St. Mary's 622 00:30:48,138 --> 00:30:50,389 had a similar spiritual meaning. 623 00:30:50,390 --> 00:30:52,475 The stone busts were likely commissioned 624 00:30:52,476 --> 00:30:55,061 by someone of great wealth and influence, 625 00:30:55,062 --> 00:30:56,479 which further supports the notion 626 00:30:56,480 --> 00:30:59,273 that many Roman inhabitants from this area 627 00:30:59,274 --> 00:31:01,484 were from an affluent class. 628 00:31:01,485 --> 00:31:03,986 These are families that could afford a statue 629 00:31:03,987 --> 00:31:08,991 carved by skilled artisans, like the ones found under St. Mary's. 630 00:31:08,992 --> 00:31:11,410 But why would a private residence be built 631 00:31:11,411 --> 00:31:14,163 on top of this natural mound of dirt? 632 00:31:14,164 --> 00:31:18,042 So far, nothing has tied these busts or the glass vessel 633 00:31:18,043 --> 00:31:19,752 directly to a neighboring villa. 634 00:31:19,753 --> 00:31:23,089 The remnants of plaster and the roof tiles suggest 635 00:31:23,090 --> 00:31:24,423 that the busts and the glass 636 00:31:24,424 --> 00:31:27,009 were likely buried during a demolition. 637 00:31:27,010 --> 00:31:28,845 But a demolition of what? 638 00:31:31,139 --> 00:31:32,681 The building's location may be the key 639 00:31:32,682 --> 00:31:35,351 to understanding its purpose. 640 00:31:35,352 --> 00:31:37,895 Natural mounds were the go-to locations 641 00:31:37,896 --> 00:31:41,357 for ancient peoples when it came to choosing a burial site 642 00:31:41,358 --> 00:31:43,692 or ceremonial center. 643 00:31:43,693 --> 00:31:47,321 The circular ditch surrounding the site is also a common trait 644 00:31:47,322 --> 00:31:48,989 of an Iron Age temenos-- 645 00:31:48,990 --> 00:31:53,119 an enclosure that was designed to separate the outside world 646 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:55,871 from a sacred location. 647 00:31:55,872 --> 00:31:59,166 It's not hard to imagine this site being repurposed 648 00:31:59,167 --> 00:32:03,712 under Roman authority as a temple for pagan rituals. 649 00:32:03,713 --> 00:32:07,091 The busts in this context could be deities, 650 00:32:07,092 --> 00:32:09,051 or they could be family portraits 651 00:32:09,052 --> 00:32:11,262 of the temple's wealthy patrons. 652 00:32:11,263 --> 00:32:14,056 As Christianity spread, the temple may have been destroyed 653 00:32:14,057 --> 00:32:16,517 along with the statues and the glass vessel. 654 00:32:16,518 --> 00:32:19,228 That could explain the seemingly ritualistic 655 00:32:19,229 --> 00:32:21,564 severing of the stone heads 656 00:32:21,565 --> 00:32:25,442 that may have been a way to neutralize a symbol of power. 657 00:32:25,443 --> 00:32:28,696 In 1979, about 65 miles away 658 00:32:28,697 --> 00:32:30,573 from the dig at Saint Mary's, 659 00:32:30,574 --> 00:32:32,825 in the village of Uley in Gloucester, 660 00:32:32,826 --> 00:32:34,785 a cult statue from the second century 661 00:32:34,786 --> 00:32:37,204 was pulled from the ruins of a temple 662 00:32:37,205 --> 00:32:40,124 built to honor the Roman god Mercury. 663 00:32:40,125 --> 00:32:43,419 The limestone bust, which was a portrait of Mercury, 664 00:32:43,420 --> 00:32:46,547 had its nose and lips damaged in antiquity, 665 00:32:46,548 --> 00:32:49,466 but the head itself was found deliberately buried, 666 00:32:49,467 --> 00:32:50,634 which could have happened 667 00:32:50,635 --> 00:32:53,554 once the temple had been shuttered or demolished. 668 00:32:53,555 --> 00:32:55,472 This ritual burial of artifacts 669 00:32:55,473 --> 00:32:58,559 is called a structured deposition. 670 00:32:58,560 --> 00:33:00,561 It was common for Christian churches to be built 671 00:33:00,562 --> 00:33:04,648 on top of former temples, a signal to all that a new faith 672 00:33:04,649 --> 00:33:08,319 had taken root in the community and supplanted the old one. 673 00:33:08,320 --> 00:33:09,904 In the case of the St. Mary's site, 674 00:33:09,905 --> 00:33:12,239 the Norman church was built directly on top 675 00:33:12,240 --> 00:33:16,619 of the Roman rubble with no intervening soil in between. 676 00:33:16,620 --> 00:33:18,954 Demolition of the Roman structure appears to have been 677 00:33:18,955 --> 00:33:23,626 followed almost immediately by the construction of the church. 678 00:33:23,627 --> 00:33:26,462 The surrounding ditch does strongly suggest 679 00:33:26,463 --> 00:33:29,465 this was a sacred site for the Romans. 680 00:33:29,466 --> 00:33:32,468 But the realistic style of portraiture that we see 681 00:33:32,469 --> 00:33:35,512 in these three busts is more characteristic 682 00:33:35,513 --> 00:33:39,266 of a commemorative statue than a spiritual idol. 683 00:33:39,267 --> 00:33:45,022 So yes, this was likely a sacred space, but for what? 684 00:33:45,023 --> 00:33:46,315 There is another discovery 685 00:33:46,316 --> 00:33:48,150 within the Roman rubble that suggests 686 00:33:48,151 --> 00:33:51,946 this mysterious building had a special purpose. 687 00:33:51,947 --> 00:33:54,073 Within all the dust and debris, 688 00:33:54,074 --> 00:33:58,452 the excavation unearthed a bunch of Roman cremation urns. 689 00:33:58,453 --> 00:34:01,330 Those items suggest that the Roman church 690 00:34:01,331 --> 00:34:05,584 was built on top of a Roman mausoleum. 691 00:34:05,585 --> 00:34:08,087 Again, the severing of the heads on these busts 692 00:34:08,088 --> 00:34:09,546 is very symbolic. 693 00:34:09,547 --> 00:34:11,799 Within the context of the mausoleum, 694 00:34:11,800 --> 00:34:15,594 these decapitations could tell a story of a family undone 695 00:34:15,595 --> 00:34:17,930 by the fall of Roman Britain. 696 00:34:17,931 --> 00:34:19,139 While there's no evidence 697 00:34:19,140 --> 00:34:22,643 of any formal inhumations present at the site, 698 00:34:22,644 --> 00:34:24,603 the urn suggests that cremation 699 00:34:24,604 --> 00:34:27,398 was the primary funerary ritual here. 700 00:34:27,399 --> 00:34:29,775 And the family depicted in the stone portraits 701 00:34:29,776 --> 00:34:33,570 were likely the occupants of the tomb. 702 00:34:33,571 --> 00:34:35,698 But there are still questions: 703 00:34:35,699 --> 00:34:38,659 Who were this man, woman, and child? 704 00:34:38,660 --> 00:34:41,620 If they represent a family, we can infer a lot 705 00:34:41,621 --> 00:34:43,956 about their wealth and social status, 706 00:34:43,957 --> 00:34:46,583 but we still don't know their identities. 707 00:34:46,584 --> 00:34:50,838 Without any inscription, they remain anonymous. 708 00:34:50,839 --> 00:34:52,965 The incoming high-speed railway 709 00:34:52,966 --> 00:34:56,051 is but the latest chapter in the ongoing story 710 00:34:56,052 --> 00:34:58,262 of the multi-layered historical site 711 00:34:58,263 --> 00:35:00,055 beneath St. Mary's Church, 712 00:35:00,056 --> 00:35:04,853 one that may still contain hidden secrets from the past. 713 00:35:07,022 --> 00:35:09,648 In the eastern end of Los Angeles, California, 714 00:35:09,649 --> 00:35:12,234 about seven miles southeast of Hollywood, 715 00:35:12,235 --> 00:35:15,904 is the historic neighborhood of Lincoln Heights. 716 00:35:15,905 --> 00:35:19,408 {\an8} Lincoln Heights is the oldest suburb of Los Angeles. 717 00:35:19,409 --> 00:35:20,826 {\an8}In the late 1800s, 718 00:35:20,827 --> 00:35:23,579 one of the city's first horse-drawn streetcars 719 00:35:23,580 --> 00:35:25,289 ran through its streets. 720 00:35:25,290 --> 00:35:27,916 Due to the neighborhood's proximity to downtown, 721 00:35:27,917 --> 00:35:31,420 early residents here were primarily commuters, 722 00:35:31,421 --> 00:35:34,590 but Lincoln Heights quickly grew into a community of its own, 723 00:35:34,591 --> 00:35:36,258 attracting manufacturing companies 724 00:35:36,259 --> 00:35:40,429 and establishing both a nearby hospital and a library. 725 00:35:40,430 --> 00:35:41,764 {\an8}In the early 20th century, 726 00:35:41,765 --> 00:35:43,891 {\an8}Lincoln Heights had numerous attractions 727 00:35:43,892 --> 00:35:46,602 that made it a destination for Angelenos. 728 00:35:46,603 --> 00:35:48,604 Families could visit Lincoln Park, 729 00:35:48,605 --> 00:35:50,689 one of the oldest parks in the city, 730 00:35:50,690 --> 00:35:52,775 and other amusements like a merry-go-round 731 00:35:52,776 --> 00:35:55,194 and miniature railroad. 732 00:35:55,195 --> 00:35:58,614 Animal exhibits were definitely a major draw here. 733 00:35:58,615 --> 00:36:00,157 The Selig Zoo near the park 734 00:36:00,158 --> 00:36:03,952 {\an8}preceded the Los Angeles Zoo by 50 years. 735 00:36:03,953 --> 00:36:07,164 {\an8}Lincoln Heights also featured the California Alligator Farm 736 00:36:07,165 --> 00:36:11,043 and even something called the Los Angeles Ostrich Farm. 737 00:36:11,044 --> 00:36:14,797 In 1931, planning is underway for an orchard 738 00:36:14,798 --> 00:36:17,174 on Lincoln Heights' Flat Top Hill, 739 00:36:17,175 --> 00:36:20,636 and a plumber at the site discovers something unusual 740 00:36:20,637 --> 00:36:23,681 while digging a trench for the irrigation system. 741 00:36:23,682 --> 00:36:25,808 {\an8} It looked like a vertebra 742 00:36:25,809 --> 00:36:28,727 {\an8}from some kind of very big creature. 743 00:36:28,728 --> 00:36:31,355 So a team from the Natural History Museum 744 00:36:31,356 --> 00:36:34,191 was brought in to investigate. 745 00:36:34,192 --> 00:36:36,193 {\an8} They found a significant number of bones 746 00:36:36,194 --> 00:36:37,319 {\an8}buried under the ground. 747 00:36:37,320 --> 00:36:40,406 {\an8}The remains included a large skull and lower jaw, 748 00:36:40,407 --> 00:36:44,785 a left shoulder blade, and a series of 22 vertebrae. 749 00:36:44,786 --> 00:36:46,453 What was this thing? 750 00:36:46,454 --> 00:36:50,332 3,000 pounds of bones and sediment are removed 751 00:36:50,333 --> 00:36:52,251 from the pit for further study. 752 00:36:52,252 --> 00:36:55,421 And using a process called relative dating, 753 00:36:55,422 --> 00:36:58,340 the rock layers in which the skeleton was entombed 754 00:36:58,341 --> 00:37:01,176 are used to determine the age of the fossil. 755 00:37:01,177 --> 00:37:03,303 This area was part of what's called 756 00:37:03,304 --> 00:37:04,638 the Modelo Formation, 757 00:37:04,639 --> 00:37:07,725 which dates to the Middle to Late Miocene Epoch, 758 00:37:07,726 --> 00:37:11,478 between 8 and 16 million years ago. 759 00:37:11,479 --> 00:37:15,190 Cross-referencing this data with other fossils from California, 760 00:37:15,191 --> 00:37:17,234 it was determined this animal arrived 761 00:37:17,235 --> 00:37:21,905 at its final resting place over 10 million years ago. 762 00:37:21,906 --> 00:37:24,783 This era was defined by cooler global temperatures 763 00:37:24,784 --> 00:37:27,119 after the warmer Early Miocene. 764 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:29,913 It was a volatile period in the planet's history, 765 00:37:29,914 --> 00:37:31,874 with dramatic geological changes 766 00:37:31,875 --> 00:37:34,376 caused by shifting tectonic plates. 767 00:37:34,377 --> 00:37:39,006 Tropical forests declined while grasslands expanded. 768 00:37:39,007 --> 00:37:41,508 Geological studies of the Modelo Formation 769 00:37:41,509 --> 00:37:43,343 show that it was submerged in the ocean 770 00:37:43,344 --> 00:37:48,348 during this period at a depth of about 3,200 feet. 771 00:37:48,349 --> 00:37:50,392 The fossilized remains are sent 772 00:37:50,393 --> 00:37:52,060 for laboratory analysis, 773 00:37:52,061 --> 00:37:55,481 and the results leave researchers stunned. 774 00:37:55,482 --> 00:37:56,565 They're from a previously 775 00:37:56,566 --> 00:37:58,525 undiscovered species of whale. 776 00:37:58,526 --> 00:38:01,904 This incredible specimen is what's called a holotype, 777 00:38:01,905 --> 00:38:05,824 meaning it's the only one of its kind anywhere in the world. 778 00:38:05,825 --> 00:38:08,243 It was given the name Mixocetus elysius, 779 00:38:08,244 --> 00:38:10,913 which was a reference to the creature's whale-like features 780 00:38:10,914 --> 00:38:12,956 and the geological layer it was found in, 781 00:38:12,957 --> 00:38:15,501 the Elysian Park sandstone. 782 00:38:15,502 --> 00:38:16,543 Based on the measurements 783 00:38:16,544 --> 00:38:18,086 of the skull and vertebrae, 784 00:38:18,087 --> 00:38:21,924 it's estimated this whale was approximately 32 feet long. 785 00:38:21,925 --> 00:38:23,175 During this period, 786 00:38:23,176 --> 00:38:25,052 it would have been one of the largest in the world. 787 00:38:25,053 --> 00:38:28,388 So its discovery raised a couple of key questions. 788 00:38:28,389 --> 00:38:31,767 How did an animal of this size end up under the slopes 789 00:38:31,768 --> 00:38:34,102 of Flat Top Hill in Lincoln Heights? 790 00:38:34,103 --> 00:38:35,939 And how did this creature die? 791 00:38:37,941 --> 00:38:39,441 One of the most terrifying sea monsters 792 00:38:39,442 --> 00:38:43,445 from prehistoric times was a giant shark known as megalodon. 793 00:38:43,446 --> 00:38:47,950 Sometimes 60 feet in length and weighing as much as 50 tons, 794 00:38:47,951 --> 00:38:52,538 the megalodon was the largest shark that ever lived. 795 00:38:52,539 --> 00:38:57,125 It dominated the ocean as the apex predator of its era. 796 00:38:57,126 --> 00:38:59,920 So, could the Lincoln whale have been a victim 797 00:38:59,921 --> 00:39:02,506 of a megalodon attack? 798 00:39:02,507 --> 00:39:03,841 Other whale fossil discoveries 799 00:39:03,842 --> 00:39:07,594 suggest this could be a possibility. 800 00:39:07,595 --> 00:39:11,139 In 2022, fossilized whale vertebrae recovered 801 00:39:11,140 --> 00:39:14,142 along the Maryland shores of the Chesapeake Bay, 802 00:39:14,143 --> 00:39:18,021 showed evidence of a massive compression fracture. 803 00:39:18,022 --> 00:39:19,189 The fossils were estimated 804 00:39:19,190 --> 00:39:22,734 to be about 15 million years old. 805 00:39:22,735 --> 00:39:25,779 And evidence showed that the whale's backbone 806 00:39:25,780 --> 00:39:28,323 had been forcibly bent into a tight curve 807 00:39:28,324 --> 00:39:32,327 that caused one of the vertebrae to smash into another one. 808 00:39:32,328 --> 00:39:35,998 That might actually be a predation injury. 809 00:39:35,999 --> 00:39:37,624 And what might have caused that? 810 00:39:37,625 --> 00:39:41,003 Well, helpfully, the tooth of a megalodon 811 00:39:41,004 --> 00:39:42,296 was found with the remains. 812 00:39:42,297 --> 00:39:45,090 In fact, it was touching one of the vertebrae. 813 00:39:45,091 --> 00:39:48,677 So is that what killed our whale? 814 00:39:48,678 --> 00:39:49,970 Sharks use a variety of techniques 815 00:39:49,971 --> 00:39:51,263 to disable their prey, 816 00:39:51,264 --> 00:39:53,891 so if a megalodon had chosen the Lincoln Heights whale 817 00:39:53,892 --> 00:39:57,019 as its prey, it could have used one of several methods, 818 00:39:57,020 --> 00:39:58,478 including ramming it from below 819 00:39:58,479 --> 00:40:01,523 or biting off its tail flukes or pectoral fins, 820 00:40:01,524 --> 00:40:05,110 neither of which were found with the fossil. 821 00:40:05,111 --> 00:40:06,862 The skull of the Lincoln Heights whale 822 00:40:06,863 --> 00:40:09,865 did show some trauma near the jawbone, 823 00:40:09,866 --> 00:40:13,368 but a 2024 report from the Natural History Museum 824 00:40:13,369 --> 00:40:16,830 stated there was no evidence of any megalodon teeth 825 00:40:16,831 --> 00:40:20,500 in the whale's skull, vertebrae, or shoulder bones. 826 00:40:20,501 --> 00:40:23,211 Yes, a megalodon could have overcome the whale 827 00:40:23,212 --> 00:40:26,465 without biting it, but there's simply no concrete proof 828 00:40:26,466 --> 00:40:30,969 that the Lincoln Heights whale encountered a giant shark. 829 00:40:30,970 --> 00:40:32,721 If the whale wasn't annihilated 830 00:40:32,722 --> 00:40:34,222 by a vicious predator, 831 00:40:34,223 --> 00:40:37,225 it may have been the victim of a silent killer. 832 00:40:37,226 --> 00:40:40,062 Some of the most insidious and lethal life forms 833 00:40:40,063 --> 00:40:44,316 on the California coast are harmful algae blooms, or HAB. 834 00:40:44,317 --> 00:40:47,069 The single-celled algae, Pseudo-nitzschia, 835 00:40:47,070 --> 00:40:49,237 produce a deadly toxin that can attack 836 00:40:49,238 --> 00:40:52,199 the central nervous system of marine mammals. 837 00:40:52,200 --> 00:40:55,160 Those who ingest the algae can experience seizures, 838 00:40:55,161 --> 00:40:58,246 disorientation, fatigue, and ultimately death 839 00:40:58,247 --> 00:41:01,083 from neurological damage or drowning. 840 00:41:01,084 --> 00:41:02,501 The Cerro Ballena fossil site 841 00:41:02,502 --> 00:41:06,129 in Chile's Atacama Desert is a strong point of comparison. 842 00:41:06,130 --> 00:41:09,007 About 40 fossilized prehistoric whale skeletons 843 00:41:09,008 --> 00:41:10,884 from the Late Miocene lay among remains 844 00:41:10,885 --> 00:41:13,512 from seals and other marine vertebrates. 845 00:41:13,513 --> 00:41:15,931 The four distinct layers of fossils were attributed 846 00:41:15,932 --> 00:41:17,891 to recurring mass die-offs, 847 00:41:17,892 --> 00:41:19,226 resulting from the presence 848 00:41:19,227 --> 00:41:22,437 of large-scale harmful algae blooms. 849 00:41:22,438 --> 00:41:24,356 Studying an area like Cerro Ballena 850 00:41:24,357 --> 00:41:28,110 with multiple fossils deposited over many millions of years 851 00:41:28,111 --> 00:41:30,278 allows for a much more robust theory 852 00:41:30,279 --> 00:41:32,990 to develop around a mass death. 853 00:41:32,991 --> 00:41:36,451 But evidence of one whale carcass is much less conclusive. 854 00:41:36,452 --> 00:41:38,495 Ultimately, it may be next to impossible 855 00:41:38,496 --> 00:41:41,623 to uncover physical or chemical evidence 856 00:41:41,624 --> 00:41:42,833 on the Lincoln Heights fossil 857 00:41:42,834 --> 00:41:46,628 that proves it had ingested toxic algae. 858 00:41:46,629 --> 00:41:48,714 The greatest threat to the whale may have been 859 00:41:48,715 --> 00:41:53,010 the volatile habitat along the California coast. 860 00:41:53,011 --> 00:41:55,220 During the Middle to Late Miocene period, 861 00:41:55,221 --> 00:41:57,097 the tectonic plates under California 862 00:41:57,098 --> 00:41:59,933 were undergoing an incredible transformation. 863 00:41:59,934 --> 00:42:02,561 The Los Angeles basin was especially active, 864 00:42:02,562 --> 00:42:05,480 making catastrophic submarine landslides 865 00:42:05,481 --> 00:42:07,607 a frequent occurrence. 866 00:42:07,608 --> 00:42:09,609 Paleontologists believe that after 867 00:42:09,610 --> 00:42:10,694 the whale perished, 868 00:42:10,695 --> 00:42:14,031 it was buried in a violent underwater landslide, 869 00:42:14,032 --> 00:42:16,116 which would have immediately concealed the carcass 870 00:42:16,117 --> 00:42:17,826 from large scavengers 871 00:42:17,827 --> 00:42:20,662 and helped preserve it for millennia. 872 00:42:20,663 --> 00:42:25,250 In 1976, a baleen whale fossil from the Miocene period, 873 00:42:25,251 --> 00:42:28,503 excavated in Poland, was reported to have been found 874 00:42:28,504 --> 00:42:31,214 in a similar state of preservation. 875 00:42:31,215 --> 00:42:33,300 Its death was attributed to rapid burial 876 00:42:33,301 --> 00:42:35,260 by quickly accumulating sediment. 877 00:42:35,261 --> 00:42:37,471 This supports the theory that the Lincoln Heights whale 878 00:42:37,472 --> 00:42:40,140 could have died from a turbulent undersea event. 879 00:42:40,141 --> 00:42:42,976 The Modelo Formation, in which the whale fossil was found, 880 00:42:42,977 --> 00:42:44,311 is largely made up of sediments 881 00:42:44,312 --> 00:42:48,315 deposited by currents in a deep sea environment. 882 00:42:48,316 --> 00:42:50,692 Over the subsequent 11 million years, 883 00:42:50,693 --> 00:42:52,527 great shifts in tectonic pressure 884 00:42:52,528 --> 00:42:57,449 along the California coast raised the seabed by 500 feet, 885 00:42:57,450 --> 00:43:01,620 pushing it 20 miles inland to form the hills of Los Angeles, 886 00:43:01,621 --> 00:43:05,707 where the Lincoln Heights whale would eventually be found. 887 00:43:05,708 --> 00:43:07,876 California's shifting geological forces 888 00:43:07,877 --> 00:43:12,339 may help explain the whale's death and unusual burial, 889 00:43:12,340 --> 00:43:15,509 but many unanswered questions remain. 890 00:43:15,510 --> 00:43:17,886 While it's possible the Lincoln Heights whale 891 00:43:17,887 --> 00:43:20,388 was subsumed by a geological event, 892 00:43:20,389 --> 00:43:23,725 the true cause of death remains a mystery. 893 00:43:23,726 --> 00:43:26,228 Old age, disease, or starvation 894 00:43:26,229 --> 00:43:29,397 may have played a factor in its demise. 895 00:43:29,398 --> 00:43:32,943 More discoveries of any fossil from the Modelo Formation 896 00:43:32,944 --> 00:43:37,030 {\an8}is gonna help paint a clearer picture of what life was like 897 00:43:37,031 --> 00:43:38,448 {\an8}before this whale ever died. 898 00:43:38,449 --> 00:43:39,908 {\an8}One of the biggest unknowns 899 00:43:39,909 --> 00:43:43,411 {\an8}is why this whale fossil remains the only specimen of its species 900 00:43:43,412 --> 00:43:44,996 {\an8}ever discovered. 901 00:43:44,997 --> 00:43:46,998 {\an8}With future excavations, additional discoveries 902 00:43:46,999 --> 00:43:50,252 {\an8}will hopefully help us better study the animal, its habitat, 903 00:43:50,253 --> 00:43:53,088 {\an8}and its history during the Miocene. 904 00:43:53,089 --> 00:43:55,465 {\an8} For now, Mixocetus elysius 905 00:43:55,466 --> 00:43:56,633 {\an8}is one of one; 906 00:43:56,634 --> 00:44:00,053 {\an8}a single piece of a larger historical puzzle 907 00:44:00,054 --> 00:44:02,765 {\an8}that is yet to be fully understood.