Original subtitles

Narrator: THEY'RE WATCHING YOU.

MORE THAN 4,000 SATELLITES CIRCLE THE EARTH.

EVERY DAY, THEY UNCOVER NEW AND MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

[ BEEPING, DISTORTED MUSIC ]

A TERRIFYING TALE OF TERROR FROM TRANSYLVANIA.

SOMETHING REALLY CATASTROPHIC HAS HAPPENED.

IF YOU SAID ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THEM, YOU RISKED DEATH.

Narrator: LEGENDS AND LEPROSY ON LABYRINTH ISLAND.

Bruce: THEY WERE PLACES OF PERIL,

THEY WERE PLACES OF MYSTERY,

AND THEY WERE PLACES OF TERROR.

Narrator: CORPSE-MUNCHING BIRDS AND THE TEMPLES OF DOOM.

Sanford: YOU HAVE THIS BODY BEING STRIPPED BY THESE BIRDS,

GRABBING THE FLESH AND RIPPING IT FROM THE BONES.

Narrator: AND THE POLAR PUZZLE IN THE ANTARCTIC.

THE NUCLEAR EXPERIMENT WENT CATASTROPHICALLY WRONG.

BAM -- THEY JUST SMASHED INTO THE SIDE

TRAVELING HUNDREDS OF MILES PER HOUR.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

-- Captions by VITAC -- www.vitac.com

[ BEEPING ] [ CAMERA SHUTTER CLICKING ]

[ WHIRRING ]

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

JULY 4, 2012.

AS THE WORLDVIEW-2 SATELLITE PASSES

OVER THE LEGENDARY REGION OF TRANSYLVANIA IN ROMANIA,

IT CAPTURES AN IMAGE OF AN EXTRAORDINARY LAKE.

Mosher: I'VE SEEN A LOT OF IMAGES OF EARTH FROM SPACE,

AND THIS JUST LOOKS WILD.

THIS DEEP RED, AND THIS AQUA GREEN,

IT KIND OF LOOKS ALMOST MYSTICAL.

**

Narrator: IT'S NOT THE FIRST TIME AERIAL IMAGES

HAVE REVEALED COLORED LAKES,

BUT THERE'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS ONE.

Phoenix: THE STRANGEST PART ABOUT THIS PHOTOGRAPH

IS THAT THE LAKE HAS SO MANY DISTINCTIVE COLOR DIFFERENCES

FROM SECTION TO SECTION INSIDE THE SAME LAKE.

**

Narrator: HISTORICAL IMAGES OF THE LAKE

ADD TO THE MYSTERY.

Kourounis: IF YOU WERE TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT IMAGES

FROM DIFFERENT TIMES,

YOU COULD SEE THAT THE COLORED PARTS OF THE LAKE

ACTUALLY MOVE AND CHANGE SLIGHTLY.

THAT IS UNUSUAL.

Narrator: THE IMAGE COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF GEOLOGIST MARTIN PEPPER.

THE LAKE'S SWIRLING COMBINATION OF ORANGE, GREEN, AND GRAY

IS UNLIKE ANYTHING HE HAS SEEN.

**

PEPPER TRAVELS INTO THE HEART

OF TRANSYLVANIA'S CARPATHIAN MOUNTAINS --

A LAND OF LEGENDS AND VAMPIRES.

**

HE WONDERS IF THE VAST EXPANSE OF GRAY IN THE LAKE

COULD BE THE KEY TO UNLOCKING ITS STRANGE APPEARANCE.

WHEN I ZOOMED IN, I COULDN'T FIND ANY SIGNS OF LARGE BOULDERS

OR EVEN GRAVEL,

SO THAT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THAT'S MOST LIKELY A MUD SLUDGE.

Narrator: PEPPER FINDS NO EVIDENCE OF MUDDY RIVERS

OR A LANDSLIDE RUNNING FROM THE MOUNTAINS INTO THE LAKE.

**

HE CONSIDERS WHAT OTHER GEOLOGICAL FORCE

COULD HAVE FILLED IT WITH MUD.

ONE POSSIBILITY IS A MUD VOLCANO.

Pepper: MUD VOLCANOS COME ABOUT WHEN YOU HAVE VOLCANIC ACTIVITY,

AND WHEN THEY'RE STILL ACTIVE,

YOU CAN ACTUALLY FIND THAT SOME OF THE COLORS

THAT COME OUT ARE THESE EARTH TONES,

SO OCHRES AND EVEN SOME BROWNS.

THAT MIGHT BE EXACTLY WHAT WE ARE LOOKING AT.

Narrator: PEPPER LEARNS THAT MUD VOLCANOS DO EXIST

IN THIS PART OF ROMANIA.

Pepper: RIGHT NOW WE'RE DRIVING ON A MUD STONE.

SO THAT COULD BE THE VERY LAYER

THAT ALL THESE HYDROTHERMAL STEAMS AND VENTS AND FLUIDS

ARE PUNCHING THROUGH TO FORM ALL THOSE VOLCANOS.

Narrator: BUT AS HE APPROACHES THE LAKE

AND STUDIES THE MUDDY SLUDGE UP CLOSE,

PEPPER REALIZES THAT SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT.

WHOA.

I MEAN, LITERALLY, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS WHOLE THING

HAS BEEN FILLED WITH A GRAY SLIME.

IT STILL MAKES NO SENSE.

I'M GOING TO CHECK THIS OUT.

**

Narrator: AT THE LAKE'S EDGE,

PEPPER'S INVESTIGATION

TAKES A BIZARRE TWIST.

WHAT IS THAT?

SOME SORT OF BUILDING OUT THERE.

WHOA.

THAT LOOKS LIKE ALMOST A CHURCH SPIRE.

**

Narrator: THE SPIRE PROTRUDES 40 FEET

FROM THE CENTER OF THE WEIRD LAKE.

NOBODY JUST PUTS A CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE OF A BODY OF WATER.

THIS JUST GETS MORE AND MORE BIZARRE.

Narrator: PEPPER FEARS THE EERIE SIGHT IS EVIDENCE

OF A DISASTER OF EPIC PROPORTIONS.

SO, IF THAT'S A CHURCH,

I WONDER IF THERE'S A WHOLE TOWN UNDERNEATH ALL THIS MUCK.

Mosher: IT'S TOTALLY SURREAL, BUT THEN YOU START THINKING

ABOUT WHAT ELSE IS AROUND THERE.

IT TELLS YOU SOMETHING REALLY CATASTROPHIC HAS HAPPENED.

**

Narrator: WHEN PEPPER TAKES A CLOSER LOOK AT THE WATER,

HE DISCOVERS SOMETHING STRANGE.

LOOK AT THIS. SO THIS IS ALL MUCK.

USUALLY, WHEN CLAY SITS, IT WILL ACTUALLY SETTLE TO THE POINT

WHERE YOU CAN ALMOST WALK ON IT,

BUT THIS IS STILL JUST A FROTHY SOUP.

**

THIS IS NOT NATURAL.

I'VE EVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THIS.

Narrator: THIS IS NO MUD VOLCANO.

**

TREKKING DEEPER INTO THE BIZARRE LANDSCAPE,

PEPPER LOCATES THE BRIGHTLY COLORED

WATERS IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

UP CLOSE, HE CONFIRMS HIS SUSPICION THAT THE LAKE

AND THE DISASTER ARE MANMADE.

Pepper: THIS WATER IS JUST TOO GREEN

TO BE COMPLETELY NATURAL.

I MEAN, IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY HIT IT

WITH FOOD COLORING.

Narrator: PEPPER HOPES THAT HIS ANALYSIS OF WATER SAMPLES

WILL SHED SOME LIGHT ON THE MYSTERY.

I'M NOT TAKING ANY CHANCES HERE.

FIRST TEST KIT IS pH.

THE TEST REVEALS WORRYING LEVELS OF ACIDITY.

WOW. 2.5 -- THAT IS REALLY LOW.

THAT'S NOT NORMAL.

Phoenix: TYPICAL pH IS ABOUT A 7,

SO JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA HOW OFF THAT IS.

OUR STOMACH ACID HAS A pH OF AROUND 2.5,

AND THAT HAS THE JOB OF DIGESTING OUR FOOD.

IMAGINE WHAT THIS LAKE WOULD DO TO YOU.

**

Narrator: THE SINISTER NATURE OF THIS LAKE IS CONFIRMED

WHEN PEPPER'S ADDITIONAL WATER SAMPLES

REVEAL TRACES OF METALS.

**

Pepper: OOH, IT'S TURNING A NICE, BRIGHT PINK.

SO WE DEFINITELY HAVE MERCURY IN THE WATER.

Narrator: PEPPER ALSO DISCOVERS TOXIC ARSENIC AND CADMIUM.

IF YOU CONSUME THIS, IT WILL MAKE YOU SICK AND WILL KILL YOU.

Narrator: THESE WATERS AREN'T JUST WEIRD --

THEY'RE DEADLY.

**

Mosher: THESE ARE HIGHLY DANGEROUS CHEMICALS.

SO WHERE THE HELL ARE THEY COMING FROM?

**

Narrator: COMING UP, A NUCLEAR EXPERIMENT

GOES WRONG IN ANTARCTICA.

Chamberlain: COULD THIS SCAR BE A PLACE WHERE THEY DUG UP

ALL OF THIS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL?

Narrator: AND MARTIN PEPPER DIGS UP THE TRUTH

BEHIND THE TRANSYLVANIAN TERROR LAKE.

IT'S A DARK SCAR ON THE HISTORY OF ROMANIA.

Narrator: GEOLOGIST MARTIN PEPPER

HAS TRAVELED TO TRANSYLVANIA

TO INVESTIGATE A TOXIC, BIZARRELY COLORED LAKE.

HE DISCOVERS A CHURCH SWALLOWED BY THE DEADLY WATERS.

PEPPER'S SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS SIGNS OF HABITATION

IN THE WOODS TO THE WEST OF THE LAKE.

**

HE HEADS THERE WITH ROMANIAN TRANSLATOR ANDRA

TO GATHER THE LOCAL KNOWLEDGE

HE SUSPECTS MAY SOLVE THE MYSTERY.

**

HELLO?

[ KNOCK ON DOOR ]

**

HELLO.

CAN WE ASK SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LAKE?

Narrator: NOT EVERYBODY IS PREPARED

TO TALK ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE.

THANK YOU.

**

HELLO.

CAN WE ASK YOU SOME QUESTIONS ABOUT THE LAKE?

[ SPEAKING ROMANIAN]

Narrator: EVENTUALLY, PEPPER IS INVITED INTO THE HOME OF SAVA,

A GRANDMOTHER WHO HAS LIVED IN THE AREA ALL HER LIFE.

COULD YOU TELL US WHAT IT WAS LIKE HERE AT GEAMANA?

[ SPEAKING ROMANIAN ]

SAVA TELLS PEPPER THAT BEFORE THE VALLEY FLOODED,

IT SUPPORTED A THRIVING VILLAGE.

ONE DAY ALMOST 30 YEARS AGO,

STRANGELY COLORED CONTAMINATED WATER

BEGINS TO ENGULF HER HOME.

SAVA SHOWS PEPPER A PICTURE OF HER VILLAGE

BEFORE THE WATERS CAME.

[ SPEAKING ROMANIAN ]

THIS IS THE OLD, OLD CHURCH THAT NOW IS IN THE WATER.

GEEZ.

Narrator: THE IMAGE SHOWS THE VILLAGE

DROWNED BY HUNDREDS OF FEET OF LIQUID POISON.

YOU CAN SEE HOW MANY HOUSES...

WERE AROUND THE CHURCH, YEAH.

YEAH, STILL THERE, BUT JUST THE LAYER

OF WHAT WE'RE SEEING TODAY IS THAT FAR.

Kourounis: IT WOULD HAVE BEEN

THIS CATASTROPHIC TSUNAMI OF SLUDGE.

IT BLOWS MY MIND.

THERE USED TO BE A VILLAGE HERE,

AND NOW JUST A TOXIC LAKE OF MUCK.

Narrator: WITH SAVA'S HELP,

PEPPER PIECES TOGETHER THE FULL STORY.

Andra: ALL THIS WATER IS BECAUSE OF THE MINE,

AND THAT'S WHY THE VILLAGE IS NOW DROWN IN WATER.

**

Narrator: COPPER MINES PRODUCE VAST AMOUNTS OF POLLUTED WATER

AS A BYPRODUCT OF THE EXTRACTION PROCESS.

Kourounis: YOU NEED A LOT OF WATER

AND SOME PRETTY TOXIC CHEMICALS

TO GET THAT COPPER OUT OF THE ORE,

AND THERE'S ALWAYS GOING TO BE SOME TYPE OF TOXIC LEFTOVERS,

AND I THINK THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE.

Narrator: COPPER MINES USUALLY CONTAIN THEIR TOXIC RUNOFFS

IN POOLS CALLED TAILING PONDS.

**

BUT SAVA REVEALS THAT SOMEONE DECIDED TO SHORTCUT THIS PROCESS

BY FLOODING THE VALLEY AND HER VILLAGE.

THAT SOMEONE WAS THE TYRANT WHO RULED ROMANIA.

[ SPEAKING ROMANIAN ]

[ APPLAUSE ]

Baker: NICOLAE CEAUSESCU WAS ONE OF THE LAST

SORT OF CLASSIC, OLD SCHOOL, SOVIET-STYLE DICTATORS.

CEAUSESCU'S ROMANIA WAS REALLY SECOND ONLY TO THE SOVIET UNION

IN THE HARSHNESS OF THE COMMUNIST REGIME.

Narrator: CEAUSESCU'S REGIME BEGINS IN 1965

AND IS CHARACTERIZED BY INTIMIDATION, TERROR,

AND BRUTALITY.

Kourounis: HIS SECRET POLICE WERE NOTORIOUS

FOR MAKING PEOPLE DISAPPEAR IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT

IF YOU OPPOSED THE GOVERNMENT.

IF YOU SAID ANYTHING BAD ABOUT THEM, YOU RISKED DEATH.

Narrator: WHILE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HIS PEOPLE STARVE,

CEAUSESCU STEALS HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS

AND PLUNDERS HIS COUNTRY'S NATURAL RESOURCES.

Harrison: YES, HE WAS COMMUNIST,

BUT HE WAS ALSO DEALING WITH THE CAPITALIST WEST,

AND SO DEVELOPING THESE COPPER MINES

AND SIMILAR INDUSTRIES,

HE KNEW HE COULD TRADE WITH THE WEST.

AS THE FIRST PRESIDENT OF ROMANIA

EVER TO VISIT THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

SO HE WAS ESSENTIALLY TRYING TO MILK BOTH SIDES OF THE COLD WAR.

Narrator: MINING HELPS TO FUND THE DICTATOR'S LAVISH LIFESTYLE,

BUT SAVA AND HUNDREDS LIKE HER PAY A TERRIBLE PRICE.

IN 1977, GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS FORCE SAVA, HER FAMILY,

AND THEIR FELLOW VILLAGERS TO ABANDON THEIR HOMES.

**

JUST WEEKS LATER, SLURRY AND TOXIC CHEMICALS

FROM A NEARBY COPPER MINE

FLOW INTO THE VALLEY

AND GRADUALLY ENGULF THE VILLAGE.

**

BECAUSE OF CEAUSESCU, SHE LOST HER HOUSE,

HER LAND, HER FAMILY WAS DESTROYED.

Harrison: CONCERN FOR REGULAR ROMANIAN CITIZENS

WERE NOWHERE ON HIS LIST OF PRIORITIES.

IT'S A DARK SCAR ON THE HISTORY OF ROMANIA.

**

Narrator: CEAUSESCU'S CRUEL REGIME IS OVER.

TODAY, NEARLY 30 YEARS LATER,

THE MINE'S OWNERS ARE STILL CLEANING UP

THE MESS HE LEFT BEHIND.

BUT THE EVIL DICTATOR STILL HAUNTS

THIS EERIE TRANSYLVANIAN LAKE.

THE DECISIONS THAT THIS NARCISSISTIC,

POWER-OBSESSED COMMUNIST LEADER

CEAUSESCU MADE IN THE LATE '70s

ARE STILL AFFECTING US DECADES LATER.

Pepper: MEETING SAVA REALLY BROUGHT THE GRAVITY

OF THE WHOLE SITUATION IN.

IT'S SAD TO SEE HOW SUCH A REGIME

COULD SQUASH SMALL PEOPLE IN TINY VILLAGES

WITHOUT A CARE FOR HUMAN LIFE.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, GRUESOME DEATH RITUALS IN THE DESERT.

THEY WOULD LAY THE BODY OUT...

...AND THEY LEAVE IT THERE TO STRIP THE CARCASS.

Narrator: AND A LABYRINTH ISLAND IN THE LAND OF LEGENDS.

YOU LOOK AT IT AND THINK,

"IS THIS EVEN SOMETHING THAT'S REAL?"

LOOKS LITERALLY LIKE A GIANT THUMBPRINT.

Narrator: OCTOBER 24, 2014.

THE Geo-Eye SATELLITE PASSES HIGH ABOVE CENTRAL IRAN.

IT CAPTURES AN IMAGE OF TWO STRUCTURES IN THE BARREN DESERT.

Sanford: THESE CIRCULAR STRUCTURES HERE,

THEY DON'T REALLY FIT IN IN THIS LANDSCAPE.

I REALLY WANT TO KNOW WHO BUILT THEM AND WHY.

WHAT ARE THESE THINGS?

Narrator: THE STRUCTURES' WALLS ARE CRUMBLING AND CAST A SHADOW,

SUGGESTING THEY ARE ANCIENT TOWERS.

ANALYSIS OF LOCAL GEOGRAPHY COULD YIELD CLUES

ABOUT THEIR PURPOSE.

YOU CAN SEE THERE'S TWO MOUNTAINS ON EITHER SIDE,

SO WHAT COMES TO MIND IS THAT THESE ARE PROBABLY FORTRESSES

DEFENDING THESE TWO MOUNTAINS

AND PROBABLY THE PASS THAT GOES BETWEEN THEM.

**

Narrator: IF THESE ANCIENT TOWERS ARE GUARDING A PASS OR ROAD,

THEY COULD BE CONNECTED TO ONE OF IRAN'S

MOST FAMOUS HISTORICAL LEGACIES.

THIS PART OF IRAN IS PART OF WHAT WE CALL THE SILK ROAD,

WHICH WAS A MAJOR TRADING ROUTE THAT SPANNED FROM EAST TO WEST.

Narrator: IN THE SECOND CENTURY, B.C.,

AND FOR THE NEXT THOUSAND YEARS,

THE SILK ROAD IS THE EAST'S MAIN TRADING ROUTE,

STRETCHING 4,000 MILES FROM CHINA TO INDIA, IRAN,

AND ON TO THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA.

**

ON THE SILK ROAD, WE WOULD HAVE SEEN SILKS AND GOLD AND GLASS

AND PRECIOUS METALS AND SPICES.

Altaweel: THE SILK ROAD GIVES US OUR FOOD TODAY.

THINGS LIKE PEPPER, CINNAMON --

THOSE CAME INTO EUROPEAN TASTES BECAUSE OF THE SILK ROAD.

Narrator: SPICES LIKE SAFFRON TRADE FOR $18,000 A POUND.

RARE SILKS FETCH FIVE TIMES THAT.

THE ROUTE BECOMES A MAGNET FOR BANDITS.

WHEREVER THERE ARE RICHES THERE ARE ALSO THIEVES.

TRADERS WOULD NEED TO STOP AND SAFEGUARD THEMSELVES

AND THEIR GOODS ALONG THE WAY, AND A WHOLE NETWORK OF DEFENSES

REALLY GREW UP ALONG THIS SILK ROAD.

**

Narrator: BUT THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE THEORY

THAT THE TWO TOWERS ARE THE SILK ROAD FORTRESSES.

Bellinger: THESE THINGS ARE CLEARLY CIRCULAR,

AND THE PERSIANS WERE KNOWN

FOR BUILDING RECTANGULAR DEFENSIVE FORTS.

Narrator: IMAGE ANALYST MARC D'ANTONIO

STUDIES THE TWO TOWERS AND SPOTS SOMETHING UNUSUAL.

D'Antonio: THERE'S A LARGE AREA UP HERE.

IT'S FLAT, BUT IT'S ACTUALLY SLIGHTLY SLOPED DOWN

TOWARD THAT CENTRAL HOLE.

NOW, THAT HOLE'S A DEPRESSION,

AS YOU CAN TELL BY THIS SHADOW HERE.

IN THIS OTHER ONE, THERE'S A BIGGER PIT.

Narrator: ANCIENT TEXTS FROM THE REGION CONTAIN CLUES

AS TO THE PURPOSE OF THESE PITS.

**

Hoffman: ONE OF THE MOST INTERESTING RECORDS

WE HAVE COMES FROM A BABYLONIAN COURT

FROM ABOUT 650 B.C.,

AND IT TALKS ABOUT THESE BEACONS THAT WERE LIT

TO ANNOUNCE THE INAUGURATION

OF A NEW BABYLONIAN KING.

Narrator: FIRE BEACONS WERE USED FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

TO SEND MESSAGES OVER LONG DISTANCES.

Hoffman: ANYBODY WHO HAS SEEN "THE LORD OF THE RINGS"

FILMS REMEMBERS THE BEACONS OF GONDOR.

THAT COULD BE WHAT WE'RE SEEING HERE WITH THESE TOWERS.

Narrator: THE SHAPE OF THE PITS IS CONSISTENT WITH FIRE BEACONS,

BUT THE POSITION OF THE TOWERS IS PROBLEMATIC.

USUALLY, BEACONS ARE MILES APART.

SOMETHING LIKE 5, 10, 20, 30 MILES AWAY.

SOMETHING JUST FAR ENOUGH SO YOU CAN SEE IT ON THE HORIZON,

WHEREAS, IN THIS CASE, THEY'RE ACTUALLY QUITE CLOSE.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY OF THE TWO TOWERS DEEPENS

WHEN SATELLITE IMAGES REVEAL SEVERAL SIMILAR TOWERS

SPREAD ACROSS THOUSANDS OF MILES

IN THE NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES OF INDIA AND UZBEKISTAN.

**

INVESTIGATORS PLOT THE TOWERS' LOCATIONS.

THE DISCOVER THE PATTERN MIRRORS THE SPREAD OF AN ANCIENT

AND MYSTERIOUS RELIGION.

ZOROASTRIANISM IS ONE OF THE WORLD'S OLDEST RELIGIONS.

IT'S AT LEAST 3,000 YEARS OLD.

Hoffman: WE MAY NOT BE AS FAMILIAR WITH IT TODAY,

BUT ZOROASTRIANISM WAS ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL

AND INFLUENTIAL RELIGIONS OF THE WORLD.

**

Narrator: ZOROASTRIANS BELIEVE LIFE ON EARTH IS A WAR

BETWEEN THE FORCES OF GOOD AND EVIL.

HISTORIANS THINK THESE TOWERS WERE THE SCENE

OF A ZOROASTRIAN DEATH RITUAL -- TO CONQUER EVIL.

THE ZOROASTRIAN'S BURIAL RITUAL'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

THEY BELIEVED THE BODY HAD REAL DANGER.

IN FACT, THEY BELIEVED THE BODY WOULD ABSORB THE BODY DEMON.

AND IF IT WAS ALLOWED OUT, IT WOULD POLLUTE THE WORLD.

Narrator: THE DEMON IS CALLED DRUJ I NASHUSH.

TO PREVENT IT LEAVING THE BODY,

ATTENDANTS WASH THE CADAVER WITH BULL'S URINE

AND WRAP IT IN CLOTH

IN PREPARATION FOR ITS JOURNEY TO ONE OF THE TOWERS.

Horton: THEY WOULD TAKE THE BODIES UP INTO THE TOWER,

AND THEY WOULD LAY THE BODY OUT.

AND THEY LEAVE IT THERE FOR THE VULTURES TO COME

AND STRIP THE CARCASS.

Narrator: WITHIN MINUTES, DOZENS OF THE GIANT CARRION-EATERS

DESCEND ON THE CORPSE.

Sanford: YOU HAVE THIS BODY AT THE TOP OF A TOWER

BEING STRIPPED BY THESE BIRDS.

THEIR BEAKS GRABBING THE FLESH AND RIPPING IT FROM THE BONES.

Narrator: THE PRACTICE IS CALLED A SKY BURIAL.

THESE BIRDS ARE ADAPTED TO EAT ROTTING FLESH.

A PACK OF THEM CAN TOTALLY DESTROY A CORPSE

WITHIN 30 MINUTES.

Narrator: ONCE THE VULTURES' WORK IS DONE,

ATTENDANTS DISPOSE OF THE BONES IN THE BONE PIT.

Horton: THE BONES THEMSELVES WOULD BE WASHED DOWN

INTO A CENTRAL CHAMBER,

WHICH IS CLEARLY VISIBLE ON THIS PHOTOGRAPH,

AND THE BODIES WOULD THEN BE LEFT

AS BASICALLY BROKEN BONES AT THE BOTTOM.

**

Narrator: IT WAS JUST 50 YEARS AGO

THAT THE AUTHORITIES OUTLAWED SKY BURIALS.

TODAY, THE TWO TOWERS STAND AS SPECTERS TO THIS ANCIENT,

GRISLY RITUAL.

WHAT'S REMARKABLE HERE IS THAT THE PRACTICE OF A

THOUSANDS-OF-YEAR-OLD RELIGION HAS BEEN CAPTURED FROM SPACE.

**

Narrator: COMING UP,

THINGS GO WEIRD AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Pappalardo: TO ME, IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING LANDED THERE

EXTREMELY QUICKLY AND SKIDDED TO A HALT.

Narrator: AND TIME CAPSULES FROM AN AGE OF MONSTERS.

Bellinger: WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE MADE FOR,

POSSIBLY FOR SOME KIND OF CELESTIAL PURPOSE.

Narrator: NOVEMBER 2001.

A SATELLITE ABOVE MOUNT EREBUS IN ANTARCTICA CAPTURES

AN UNUSUAL IMAGE OF THE WINDSWEPT ICE SHEETS --

A JAGGED, SAW-SHAPED STRUCTURE

EXTENDING FROM THE FLANKS OF THE MOUNTAIN.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING HAS GONE ALONG THE GROUND

AND SCRAPED UP WHAT'S THERE AND KICKED UP THE SIDES.

LIKE, A BIG GOUGE HAS BEEN TAKEN OUT OF THE SIDE OF THE MOUNTAIN.

Narrator: TEMPERATURES HERE AVERAGE 1 DEGREE FAHRENHEIT.

IN WINTER, IT STAYS DARK FOR TWO WEEKS STRAIGHT.

DESPITE THIS, THERE IS A HISTORY OF HUMAN ACTIVITY IN THE AREA.

IT'S INTERESTING TO LEARN THAT THIS VERY STRANGE FORMATION

IN THE ICE

IS REALLY CLOSE TO THE AMERICAN RESEARCH STATION AT McMURDO.

THE U.S.-FUNDED McMURDO STATION IS LOCATED 15 MILES

FROM THE MYSTERY SCAR

AND IS STAFFED BY A TEAM OF 1,000.

WAS THIS SCAR ANYTHING TO DO

WITH WHAT THE SCIENTISTS ARE DOING?

Narrator: McMURDO HAS A CONTROVERSIAL PAST.

ON MARCH 4, 1962, SCIENTISTS FIRE UP THE FIRST

AND ONLY NUCLEAR REACTOR IN ANTARCTICA.

THE AMERICAN GOVERNMENT ACTUALLY TRIED TO PUT IN

A NUCLEAR REACTOR FOR POWER.

THE U.S. HOPES THAT THE REACTOR WILL REPLACE OIL

AS THE STATION'S FUEL SOURCE, EXPENSIVE AND TOUGH

TO TRANSPORT TO THE ISOLATED SITE.

BUT IN THE VOLATILE ANTARCTIC WEATHER,

THE REACTOR CRITICALLY MALFUNCTIONS.

Pavelec: THE NUCLEAR EXPERIMENT AT McMURDO STATION

WENT CATASTROPHICALLY WRONG.

THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF CUBIC FEET

OF RADIOACTIVELY CONTAMINATED SOIL

HAD TO BE DUG UP,

AND IT WAS PUT IN PROPER CONTAINMENT STORAGE.

Narrator: THE U.S. NAVY REMOVES 360 TONS OF RADIOACTIVE SOIL

AND TRANSPORTS IT THOUSANDS OF MILES BACK TO THE U.S.

Chamberlain: COULD THIS SCAR BE A PLACE

WHERE THEY DUG UP ALL OF THIS RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL?

Narrator: BUT ANALYSTS DOUBT THE LEAKED NUCLEAR MATERIAL

COULD BE CONFINED TO A LINEAR PATTERN

LIKE THE ONE IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

Pavelec: BECAUSE OF THE SIZE AND THE SCALE,

IT'S PROBABLY NOT SOMETHING THAT WAS DUG OUT.

THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER EXPLANATION

FOR THIS VERY STRANGE FORMATION IN THE ICE.

Narrator: AVIATION EXPERT JOE PAPPALARDO CONSIDERS

IF THE SCAR COULD BEAR THE HALLMARKS

OF AN AIRCRAFT DISASTER.

Pappalardo: TO ME, IT LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING LANDED THERE

EXTREMELY QUICKLY AND SKIDDED TO A HALT.

MAYBE SOMETHING HAD CRASHED HERE.

Narrator: THE CRASH THEORY GAINS TRACTION

WHEN INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER THE IMAGES

TAKEN CLOSE TO THE SITE OF ONE OF THE WORLD'S

MOST CATASTROPHIC AVIATION ACCIDENTS.

SO, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT SOMETHING CRASHING

IN THAT PART OF THE WORLD,

YOU THINK ABOUT THE WORST AIR DISASTER IN NEW ZEALAND HISTORY.

Narrator: AT 7:21 A.M. ON NOVEMBER 28, 1979,

AIR NEW ZEALAND FLIGHT 901 TAKES OFF FROM AUCKLAND AIRPORT

ON A SIGHT-SEEING TOUR OF ANTARCTICA.

THE CREW REPORT CLEAR WEATHER AND GOOD VISIBILITY,

BUT AS THE PLANE NEARS MOUNT EREBUS,

A STRANGE AND TERRIFYING OPTICAL ILLUSION

KNOWN AS A "WHITEOUT" DECEIVES THE TWO PILOTS.

Lester: IT'S NOT A STORM.

IT'S SIMPLY A SITUATION WHERE THERE'S WHITE EVERYWHERE.

WHITE GLACIER BENEATH, WHITE CLOUDS ABOVE,

AND THERE'S NO WAY TO TELL WHAT'S UP, WHAT'S DOWN,

AND WHAT'S IN FRONT OF YOU.

Narrator: AT 12:49 P.M., THE PLANE PLOWS INTO THE ICE,

KILLING ALL 257 PASSENGERS AND CREW.

BAM -- THEY JUST SMASHED INTO THE SIDE OF MOUNT EREBUS

TRAVELING HUNDREDS OF MILES PER HOUR.

Pappalardo: FOR THE PILOTS, IT MUST HAVE BEEN HORRIFYING,

THOSE LAST FEW SECONDS, REALIZING THAT, OUT OF NOWHERE,

A MOUNTAINSIDE WAS LOOMING IN THE COCKPIT WINDOW.

Narrator: ANALYST MARC D'ANTONIO STUDIES THE IMAGE TO SEE

IF IT COULD BE A REMNANT OF THE PLANE'S LONG DEBRIS TRAIL.

HE DISCOVERS SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT.

WHEN YOU FIRST LOOK AT THIS,

IT LOOKS AS IF SOMEBODY WAS SCRAPING ALONG IN THE ICE

AND MAKING THIS GIGANTIC FURROW.

BUT IF WE LOOK AT THIS OBJECT OVER HERE --

THIS LITTLE SPIRE OF ROCK --

YOU SEE THE SHADOW, WHICH WAYS IT'S GOING?

WELL, THERE, WE SEE THE SHADOW, AS WELL.

THIS IS AN ELEVATED FEATURE.

THIS IS AN ELEVATED FEATURE, TOO.

Narrator: THE SHADOW INDICATES IT IS NOT A DEPRESSION IN THE ICE,

BUT SOMETHING RISING ABOVE IT.

NASA SCIENTIST DR. KELLY BRUNT

TRAVELS TO THE REMOTE FEATURE.

SHE FINDS A 7-MILE-LONG WALL OF JAGGED ICE

PROTRUDING FROM THE FROZEN SEAS OF McMURDO SOUND.

Brunt: JUST LIKE AN ICE CUBE IN A GLASS,

ABOUT 10% OF THE ICE IS ABOVE THE SURFACE

AND THE OTHER 90% IS BELOW THE SURFACE.

Narrator: THE MASSIVE ICE WALL IS A RARE TYPE OF GLACIER

CALLED AN "ICE TONGUE,"

CREATED BY MILLIONS OF TONS OF ICE

FLOWING FROM THE BASE OF MOUNT EREBUS

INTO THE FROZEN SEAS.

SO, THE SERRATED FEATURES WE SEE ARE SORT OF THE SCARS LEFT

AS THE ICE IS SHEARING BY ROCKS OR OTHER FEATURES.

Narrator: INSIDE THE ICE TONGUE, THE GLACIER'S RELENTLESS,

CRUSHING FORCES CREATE A VAST LABYRINTH

OF CATHEDRAL-LIKE ICE CAVES.

Brunt: IT'S SERENE. IT'S QUIET.

THE LIGHT THAT YOU SEE ISN'T WHITE.

IT'S ACTUALLY BLUE.

IT'S QUITE A THING TO SEE.

THIS ICE TONGUE IS JUST THIS AMAZINGLY BEAUTIFUL

ICE SCULPTURE.

IT'S BREATHTAKING.

I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THIS CAME FROM NATURE.

Narrator: COMING UP, DEATH AND DISFIGUREMENT

ON A MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND.

IT GAVE YOU HORRIBLE MARKS ALL OVER YOUR BODY.

IT WAS A DISEASE THAT PEOPLE BECAME VERY TERRIFIED OF.

Narrator: AND STRANGE SPHERES ON A NEW ZEALAND BEACH.

THIS CARGO ROLLED ASHORE AND EVENTUALLY TURNED TO STONE.

Narrator: SEPTEMBER 13, 2016.

SATELLITE IMAGERY REVEALS A STRANGE PATTERN OF DOMES

SCATTERED ACROSS KOEKOHE BEACH ON NEW ZEALAND'S SOUTH ISLAND.

PERFECTLY ROUND SPHERES THAT LOOK LIKE MARBLES ON THE BEACH.

Bellinger: I REALLY WONDER WHAT ON EARTH THEY COULD BE.

COULD THEY HAVE WASHED ASHORE?

IT'S REALLY A VERY MYSTERIOUS IMAGE.

Narrator: THE IMAGE SPARKS WILD SPECULATION.

BEACH UMBRELLAS.

JELLYFISH WASHED ASHORE.

GIANT TURTLE EGGS.

CAN YOU IMAGINE THE TURTLE THAT WOULD COME OUT OF THAT?

Narrator: WHEN INVESTIGATORS CONSULT HISTORICAL RECORDS,

THEY HIT UPON A POTENTIALLY TERRIFYING POSSIBILITY.

A LEGACY OF NAVAL WARFARE IN THE PACIFIC OCEAN --

SEA MINES.

Walters: WHEN WE THINK OF MINES BEING LAID IN THE SECOND WORLD WAR,

WE TEND TO THINK OF THEM BEING LAID IN THE ATLANTIC

AND THE MEDITERRANEAN.

BUT ACTUALLY, WHAT IS LESS WELL-KNOWN IS THAT THE GERMANS

LAID HUNDREDS OF MINES OFF NEW ZEALAND.

Narrator: THE U.S. NAVY ALSO DUMPS CLOSE TO 25,000 MINES

IN THE PACIFIC TO COUNTER THE JAPANESE ADVANCE.

SO, AT THE END OF THE WAR, THERE WAS THIS HUGE CLEAN-UP OPERATION

OF ALL THESE MINES AND MINESWEEPING CRAFT

WE USED TO GATHER THE MINES IN OR EXPLODE THEM.

Narrator: NOT ALL THE MINES ARE RECOVERED.

RECORDS REVEAL WARTIME MINES LAID IN THE DEPTHS

OF THE PACIFIC HAVE WASHED ASHORE IN NEW ZEALAND

DURING THE PAST DECADE.

ARMED WITH 500 POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES,

MANY STILL POSE A DEADLY THREAT.

COULD BE THESE MINES POPPING BACK UP.

Narrator: WHEN INVESTIGATORS RE-EXAMINE THE IMAGE,

THEY NOTICE A DETAIL WHICH CASTS DOUBT ON THE MINE THEORY.

WHEN YOU LOOK CAREFULLY, YOU CAN SEE THAT THESE SPHERICAL OBJECTS

ARE VERY VARIABLE IN DIAMETER.

NOW, A WORLD WAR II MINE WILL HAVE A DIAMETER

AROUND 4 FOOT, SOMETHING LIKE THAT,

WHEREAS THESE RANGE IN SIZE FROM SMALL TO LARGE.

Narrator: FORENSIC GEOLOGIST SCOTT WOLTER

RECOGNIZES SOMETHING FAMILIAR IN THE IMAGE.

I SAW SOMETHING VERY SIMILAR TO THESE

IN THE JUNGLES IN COSTA RICA.

AND THEY WERE THESE LARGE --

IN SOME CASES, SEVERAL FEET IN DIAMETER --

ROUND BOULDERS THAT LOOKED LIKE BOWLING BALLS.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE DISCOVERED

MORE THAN 300 OF THESE MYSTERIOUS BALLS

IN THE JUNGLES OF CENTRAL AMERICA.

STUDIES REVEAL THESE STONE FORMATIONS

ARE, IN FACT, ANCIENT SCULPTURES.

INDIGENOUS PEOPLE IN COSTA RICA CALL THEM "LAS BOLAS,"

OR "THE BALLS."

Narrator: HISTORIANS BELIEVE THEY WERE CARVED BY

THE DIQUIS PEOPLE OVER 1,000 YEARS AGO.

THEIR PURPOSE REMAINS A MYSTERY.

WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT THEY WERE MADE FOR.

POSSIBLY FOR SOME KIND OF CELESTIAL PURPOSE

OR A SIGNPOST TO LEAD THE WAY SOMEWHERE.

COULD THESE HUGE, MARBLE-LIKE STRUCTURES

THAT WE SEE ON THIS BEACH IN NEW ZEALAND

BE SOMETHING SIMILAR?

Narrator: IF THESE SPHERES ARE ANCIENT SCULPTURES,

THEY'RE LIKELY TO BE THE WORK OF THE INDIGENOUS POPULATION,

THE MAORI.

THE MAORI ARRIVED IN NEW ZEALAND FROM POLYNESIAN ISLANDS

AROUND 700 YEARS AGO

AND HAVE A STRONG TRADITION OF STONE CARVING

IN THEIR CULTURE.

MAORI LEGENDS CELEBRATE THE SPHERICAL STONES

AND EVEN DESCRIBE HOW THEY ARRIVE ON THE BEACH.

Hoffman: ACCORDING TO MAORI TRADITION, THIS IS THE CARGO

THAT WAS ONCE PART OF A LEGENDARY CANOE THAT CAPSIZED.

SO, THIS CARGO ROLLED ASHORE AND EVENTUALLY TURNED TO STONE.

Narrator: YET, WHEN GEOLOGISTS GET ACCESS TO THE STRANGE ORBS

TO ANALYZE THEM,

THEY DISCOVER THESE ARE NOT MAN-MADE OBJECTS AT ALL.

THESE PODS HAVE TRAVELED IN TIME FROM THE PALEOCENE ERA --

60 MILLION YEARS AGO.

BACK THEN, NEW ZEALAND WAS A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE

TO TODAY'S LUSH PARADISE.

[ Roars ]

WEIRD AND TERRIFYING PREDATORS STALK THE OCEANS.

WHEN THEY DIE, FRAGMENTS OF THESE ANIMALS

AND THE PLANTS AROUND THEM SETTLE ON THE SILTY SEA BED.

A PIECE OF BONE MATERIAL -- A FOSSIL OR A LEAF OR A TWIG.

Narrator: AS THE FRAGMENTS ARE BURIED, A UNIQUE GEOLOGICAL PROCESS

LOCKS THEM WITHIN A STONY PRISON.

OVER TIME, WHAT HAPPENS IS,

GROUND WATER MOVES THROUGH THE ROCK,

IT CARRIES SOLUTIONS THAT WILL HARDEN AROUND THE FOSSIL,

AND THEY WILL ACTUALLY GROW

SIMILAR TO HOW A PEARL FORMS INSIDE OF A CLAM SHELL.

ONLY THESE ARE MUCH LARGER.

NARRATOR: GEOLOGISTS CALL THESE FOSSILIZED SPHERES

"CONCRETIONS."

Argyilan: SOME SCIENTISTS PERCEIVE THESE AS TIME CAPSULES

GIVING US A WINDOW BACK IN TIME TO SOME OF THE ORGANISMS

THAT MIGHT HAVE HELPED FACILITATE THE CREATION

OF THESE AMAZING, HUGE SPHERES.

Narrator: MILLIONS OF YEARS LATER, THESE STRANGE PODS APPEAR

WHEN THE SOFTER ROCK OF THESE EXPOSED CLIFF FACE WEARS AWAY.

AS TO WHAT ANCIENT CREATURES ARE LOCKED IN THESE TIME CAPSULES,

WE CAN ONLY GUESS.

COMING UP, A GIANT FINGERPRINT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SEA.

IT'S AS IF SOME DEITY HAS REACHED DOWN FROM THE HEAVENS

AND MARKED THIS ISLAND AS THEIR OWN.

Narrator: A SATELLITE PASSING OVER THE MEDITERRANEAN

SNAPS AN IMAGE OF A REMOTE ISLAND.

IT IS MARKED WITH A BIZARRE PATTERN.

Chamberlain: YOU LOOK AT IT AND THINK,

"IS THIS EVEN SOMETHING THAT'S REAL?"

IT LOOKS, LITERALLY, LIKE A GIANT THUMBPRINT.

Kourounis: IT'S AS IF SOME DEITY HAS REACHED DOWN FROM THE HEAVENS

AND MARKED THIS ISLAND AS THEIR OWN.

Narrator: FROM ABOVE, THE DISORIENTING DESIGN SEEMS TO OFFER A CLUE

TO THE ISLAND'S PURPOSE.

IT LOOKS LABYRINTHIAN, KIND OF LIKE A MAZE.

Narrator: HISTORIANS CONSIDER IF THIS COULD BE A LABYRINTH

WITH ANCIENT ORIGINS.

WE KNOW FOR A FACT THAT THE ANCIENT GREEKS

COLONIZED THIS AREA ABOUT 400 B.C.

THERE ARE CERTAINLY MENTIONS IN GREEK MYTHOLOGY

OF MAZES AND LABYRINTHS.

SO, IS THIS SITE SOME REMNANT OF THAT CIVILIZATION?

THE IDEA OF THE LABYRINTH IS SOMETHING WHICH IS SEARED

INTO GREEK MYTHOLOGY

AND SOMETHING THAT HAS LONG TRADITIONS.

Bruce: LABYRINTHS WEREN'T GAMES.

THEY WERE PLACES OF PERIL, THEY WERE PLACES OF MYSTERY,

AND THEY WERE PLACES OF TERROR.

Narrator: GREEK MYTHOLOGY TELLS OF A GIANT LABYRINTH

THAT IMPRISONED A MERCILESS BEAST --

THE MINOTAUR.

SO, THIS FEROCIOUS, DEADLY HALF-MAN, HALF-BULL MONSTER

THRIVED AT THE CENTER OF THIS MAZE, THIS LABYRINTH.

Narrator: VIRGINS WERE SACRIFICED

IN A DESPERATE ATTEMPT TO APPEASE THE BLOODTHIRSTY BEAST.

ONLY THE ATHENIAN HERO THESEUS COULD SLAY THE MONSTER

AND HALT THE MINOTAUR'S REIGN OF TERROR.

WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS MYTH IS THAT,

IT'S ACTUALLY CENTERED ON HISTORICAL REALITY.

THIS ISLAND -- A GIANT LABYRINTH.

Narrator: ARCHAEOLOGIST JEFF ROSE TRAVELS

TO THE UNINHABITED MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND.

HIS ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURES IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE

LEADS HIM TO BELIEVE THIS ISOLATED ISLAND'S MARKINGS

MAY BE THE WALLS OF LONG-ABANDONED DWELLINGS.

SO, HERE'S MY STRATEGY.

AS SOON AS WE GET TO THE ISLAND, I'M GOING TO START POKING AROUND

FOR ANY KIND OF MATERIAL CULTURE THAT I CAN FIND.

THAT'LL START TO GIVE ME A SENSE OF WHO OCCUPIED THE PLACE.

Narrator: ROSE HAS A THEORY THIS ISLAND WAS ONCE OCCUPIED

BY A COMMUNITY OF OUTCASTS.

IT'S POSSIBLE THAT, WHAT THIS ISLAND IS, IS A LEPER COLONY.

Narrator: LEPROSY WAS ONE OF THE MOST FEARED DISEASES

OF THE MIDDLE AGES.

Bruce: LEPROSY WAS A HORRIBLY DISFIGURING DISEASE.

IT COULD CAUSE YOU TO LOSE YOUR FINGERS AND TOES.

IT GAVE YOU HORRIBLE MARKS ALL OVER YOUR BODY.

Horton: IT WAS A VERY VISUAL DISEASE

THAT PEOPLE BECAME VERY TERRIFIED OF.

LEPERS WERE NOT PEOPLE YOU WANTED NEAR YOU.

RATHER, YOU WANTED THEM AWAY ON THEIR OWN ISLAND.

Narrator: THE MEDITERRANEAN ISLAND OF SPINALONGA

WAS ONCE USED TO ISOLATE LEPERS FROM THE MAINLAND.

ROSE BELIEVES FINGERPRINT ISLAND

MAY HAVE BEEN BUILT FOR A SIMILAR PURPOSE.

Rose: YOU GET A VERY SIMILAR LAYOUT --

IT'S ASYMMETRICAL, THERE ARE THESE TINY LITTLE COMPOUNDS.

THIS LABYRINTHIAN LAYOUT WAS MEANT TO KEEP PEOPLE IN.

Narrator: BUT AS ROSE CLOSES IN ON FINGERPRINT ISLAND,

ALL IS NOT AS IT SEEMS FROM THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

-WHAT, IT'S THIS? -YEAH.

THAT'S IT?

THESE AREN'T DWELLINGS.

I MEAN, THERE'S A COUPLE LITTLE STRUCTURES THERE,

BUT THEY LOOK LIKE TEMPORARY PLACES WITH SHADE.

SO, I THINK WE CAN THROW THE LEPER COLONY OUT THE WINDOW.

I REALLY NEED TO GET A LOOK AT THIS PLACE UP CLOSE.

Narrator: ROSE HEADS STRAIGHT TO THE NEAREST SECTION

OF CRUMBLING WALL.

Rose: SO, IF YOU LOOK AT THE WALL, IT DOESN'T HAVE ANY MORTAR.

IT'S ALL DRY STONE.

IT HASN'T BEEN LOCKED INTO PLACE.

THEY'RE JUST KIND OF LUMPING GIANT ROCKS

ON TOP OF EACH OTHER.

Narrator: IT'S A VITAL CLUE TO THE ISLAND'S PURPOSE.

THIS WHOLE ISLAND, IN FACT, IS FULL OF THESE LONG STRIPS.

THESE ARE AGRICULTURAL FIELDS. THESE ARE NOT DWELLINGS.

THESE DRY, STONE WALLS ARE NOT WEIGHT-BEARING,

THEY'RE NOT USED FOR STRUCTURAL PURPOSES,

BUT RATHER, THEIR PRIMARY PURPOSE

IS TO CLEAR THE GROUND OF DEBRIS.

Narrator: ONCE THE GROUND HAS BEEN CLEARED IN THIS WAY,

IT'S READY FOR GROWING CROPS.

BUT AGRICULTURE REQUIRES WATER, AND THE SATELLITE IMAGE

SHOWS NO EVIDENCE OF STREAMS OR LAKES.

ROSE SEARCHES FOR CLUES, AND SOON MAKES A DISCOVERY.

Rose: YES.

EUREKA.

IT'S A WELL.

NOW, IT ALL MAKES SENSE.

THIS IS WHY THEY'RE HERE ON THE ISLAND --

BECAUSE THERE'S FRESH WATER.

THERE'S A SOURCE OF FRESH WATER HERE.

Narrator: THE NEXT STEP IS TO FIGURE OUT

WHAT THE FARMERS WERE GROWING ON THIS ISLAND

AND WHETHER THEY LEFT ANY CLUES IN THE SOIL.

Rose: YEP.

AND THIS PRETTY MUCH ANSWERS THE QUESTION,

"WHAT WERE THEY GROWING HERE?"

THIS IS AN OLD GRAPE VINE.

Narrator: THE LABYRINTH SEEN FROM SPACE IS A WEIRD VINEYARD

DATING BACK HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

IT'S AN INTERESTING CHOICE TO PUT A VINEYARD ON AN ISLAND.

PROBABLY ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE AND BIZARRE VINEYARDS EVER.

THIS SOIL -- WE'RE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN,

THERE'S A SOURCE OF FRESH WATER --

IS PERFECT FOR GROWING GRAPES.

Narrator: BUT FOR ROSE, THERE IS STILL ONE PIECE OF THE PUZZLE MISSING.

WITH SUCH PERFECT GROWING CONDITIONS,

WHY WAS THE VINEYARD ABANDONED, AND WHEN?

ROSE HOPES THE GRAPE FARMERS OR THEIR RELATIVES

MAY STILL BE AROUND ON NEIGHBORING ISLANDS.

I REALLY DON'T KNOW MUCH ABOUT IT.

FINALLY, HE FINDS BOATMAN DARKO.

DARKO'S GRANDPARENTS' STORIES RECALL THE GRAPE FARMERS

MAKING THE FATAL ERROR

OF BRINGING PESTS TO THE ISLAND

DURING THE 1950s.

THEY WERE THINKING TO JUST PUT A LITTLE BIT OF RABBITS

THEY CAN HUNT, YOU KNOW?

THIS MINOR ACT RESULTS IN THE VINEYARD'S TOTAL DESTRUCTION.

THEY EXPAND -- LIKE, THOUSANDS OF THEM ON THE SMALL ISLAND

AND THEY EAT EVERYTHING.

EVERYTHING.

SO, THE REASON THE PLACE WAS ABANDONED WAS,

IT WAS TAKEN OVER BY RABBITS.

IT'S TRUE.

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.

IT'S UNBELIEVABLE, BUT IT'S TRUE.

THE RABBITS MIGHT HAVE DESTROYED THIS BIZARRE VINEYARD,

BUT ITS IMPRINT REMAINS --

A RELIC OF THE MEDITERRANEAN'S RICH, UNIQUE HISTORY.