All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S04E07.1080p.DSCP.WEB-DL.AAC2.0.H.264-BTN_track3_[eng]

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.