All language subtitles for What.on.Earth.S04E10.1080p.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, MYSTERIOUS PHENOMENA

THAT DEFY EXPLANATION.

[ BEEPING, DISTORTED MUSIC ]

FROST MONSTERS
RETURN FROM THE DEAD.

THIS ISN'T JUST SOME KIND
OF FRANKENSTEIN FANTASY.

THIS IS CUTTING-EDGE
GENETIC RESEARCH.

Narrator: VIBRATING ROCKS...

AND A FORTRESS FROM
THE BOTTOM OF THE OCEAN.

IT'S KIND OF LIKE SOMETHING
FROM AN "INDIANA JONES" MOVIE.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY CLOUD

CAUSING STRANGE SYMPTOMS
IN LA LA LAND.

EVERYONE IS LOSING THEIR MINDS.

Narrator: AND ROBIN HOOD
AND THE BURIED TREASURE.

Gough: ONE OF THE WORLD'S
MOST LEGENDARY TREASURE TROVES

IS SAID TO LIE IN THIS AREA --

THE ROYAL JEWELS OF KING JOHN.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.
MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ]

[ WHIRRING ]

Narrator: JULY 2017.

ORBITING OVER
THE WESTERN SAHARA DESERT

IN AN AREA KNOWN AS THE MAGHREB,

A MAPPING SATELLITE CAPTURES
A CIRCULAR STRUCTURE

STANDING OUT FROM THE TERRAIN.

Carter: IT JUST DOESN'T
LOOK LIKE IT BELONGS

WITH THE REST OF THE LANDSCAPE.

Narrator:
WHATEVER IT IS, IT'S HUGE --

THE SIZE OF 46 FOOTBALL FIELDS.

IT'S HARD TO TELL
JUST BY LOOKING AT THE IMAGE

EXACTLY WHAT IT IS.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURE
IS IN A REGION OF THE DESERT

KNOWN FOR ITS ALIEN APPEARANCE.

IT LOOKS ALMOST OTHERWORLDLY,

LIKE SOMETHING
YOU MIGHT SEE ON THE MOON.

Grush: IRONICALLY, THIS PLACE
HAS BEEN NICKNAMED "MOON 2,"

BUT IT ACTUALLY HAS
MORE OF A MARS VIBE.

Narrator: THIS DESERT LANDSCAPE
IS SO SIMILAR TO MARS

THAT NASA IS STARTING TO USE IT

AS A BASE
FOR MARS MISSION TRIALS.

Grush: WE'VE BEEN USING
THIS AREA AS A TEST BED

TO TEST OUT THE INSTRUMENTS

THAT OUR CERTAIN
SPACECRAFT AND ROBOTS

WOULD BE USING
WHEN WE SEND THEM TO MARS.

YOU ONLY GET ONE SHOT
WHEN YOU SEND YOUR ROBOT,

SO THE MORE WE CAN TEST THEM OUT

IN A MARS-LIKE ENVIRONMENT
BEFOREHAND,

THE BETTER IT WILL BE WHEN
WE ACTUALLY SEND THEM THERE.

Narrator: THE IMAGE COMES TO
THE ATTENTION OF LAUREN CARTER,

A GEOLOGIST
WORKING IN MARRAKESH.

Carter:
UNLIKE THE SAND DUNES

OR ANYTHING WHERE THERE'S
KIND OF A REGULAR PATTERN,

THIS SEEMS TO BE
STANDING ALONE, BY ITSELF.

IT LOOKS LIKE
IT'S WORTH THE TREK.

**

Narrator: CARTER HEADS
INTO THE SAHARA --

MORE THAN 3.5 MILLION
SQUARE MILES

OF BAKING SAND --

THE SIZE OF THE UNITED STATES.

IT WILL TAKE MORE THAN A DAY

FOR CARTER TO REACH THE PLACE
CAPTURED IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

ONLY SAHARAN TRIBESPEOPLE

KNOW THIS DESOLATE
LANDSCAPE FIRSTHAND,

AND, AS CARTER DISCOVERS,
THEY HAVE EERIE STORIES

TO TELL ABOUT
THIS STRANGE STRUCTURE.

ONE OF THE WEIRDER THEORIES
THAT I'VE HEARD ABOUT THIS SPACE

IS THAT IT COULD HAVE BEEN
SOME SORT OF VIBRATING ROCK

THAT ROSE OUT OF THE LANDSCAPE.

Narrator: TALES OF AN ALIEN
VIBRATING STONE WERE RECOUNTED

BY BERBER TRIBESMEN
TO A FRENCH ADVENTURER

CALLED PAUL PASCON IN 1952.

IF THERE REALLY WAS
THIS STRANGE OBJECT THERE,

WHAT COULD IT
POSSIBLY HAVE BEEN?

IT'S KIND OF LIKE SOMETHING
FROM AN "INDIANA JONES" MOVIE.

Narrator: CARTER'S BEST GUESS
IS THAT SHE'S HEADED

FOR SOME KIND OF MASSIVE CRATER
FORMED BY A GIANT METEOR.

Stenstrom:
IMPACT CRATERS ARE ROUND.
IMPACT CRATERS ARE HUGE.

AND IMPACT CRATERS
KICK UP SHEER, BIG CLIFFS.

SO IT TICKS ALL OF THOSE BOXES.

Narrator:
AS CARTER APPROACHES THE SITE,

ITS ENORMOUS SIZE
BECOMES APPARENT.

THE STRUCTURE THAT, FROM SPACE,
LOOKS ROUND AND FLAT,

RISES UP HIGH ABOVE
THE SURROUNDING DESERT PLAINS.

AND AS SHE GETS CLOSER,

SHE NOTICES A MASSIVE
MAN-MADE WALL.

**

THIS PART IS CLEARLY NATURAL,

BUT OVER HERE, SOMEONE BUILT
AN ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE WALL.

YOU CAN TELL FROM THE
CONSTRUCTION WITH THE MORTAR

THAT IT'S ACTUALLY QUITE OLD.

THIS ISN'T A NEW WALL.

THIS HAS BEEN AROUND HERE
FOR A LONG TIME.

BUT WHAT SOMEONE
WANTED TO KEEP OUT...

I REALLY HAVE NO IDEA.

Narrator:
THE WALL IS NO LESS

THAN 8 FEET THICK
AND 25 FEET HIGH...

AND SEALS THE FEW ENTRANCES
TO THIS NATURAL FORTRESS.

**

WHEN YOU HAVE AN IMPACT CRATER,
YOU HAVE THIS LOVELY BOWL SHAPE.

BUT THAT'S DEFINITELY NOT
WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE

NOW THAT I'M HERE ON THE GROUND.

Narrator: IF NOT
AN IMPACT CRATER, WHAT ELSE?

THE MASSIVE STONE WALL DOES NOT
RULE OUT A DORMANT VOLCANO.

Kourounis:
IT IS CERTAINLY NOT UNHEARD OF

TO HAVE VILLAGES INSIDE
VOLCANIC CALDERAS AND CRATERS.

Narrator: VOLCANIC CRATERS
ARE LIKE NATURE'S CASTLES,

PROVIDING NATURAL DEFENSE
AGAINST EXTERNAL THREATS.

IF THAT'S WHAT THIS PLACE IS,
A GEOLOGIST LIKE CARTER

WOULD EXPECT TO FIND
IGNEOUS ROCK

FORMED BY COOL LAVA.

Carter:
I'M PRETTY FAMILIAR WITH LAVA,

AND THERE'S USUALLY TWO KINDS.

YOU EITHER HAVE
THE THICK, ROPY BANDS,

OR THE REALLY SHARP,
FRAGMENTED LAVA.

AND IT'S JUST NOT REALLY
WHAT I'M SEEING HERE.

SO I CAN PRETTY CONFIDENTLY SAY

THAT WHILE I DON'T KNOW
WHAT IT IS YET,

IT'S NOT A VOLCANO.

Narrator:
CARTER CAN FIND NO SIGN

OF ANY STRANGE VIBRATING ROCK,

BUT SHE DOES DISCOVER
SOMETHING ALMOST AS WEIRD.

Carter:
THESE ARE FOSSILS.

THIS HERE LOOKS LIKE
AN AMMONITE,

WHICH IS KIND OF LIKE
AN ANCIENT SEA SNAIL.

Narrator: IF THERE'S ONE PLACE
YOU DON'T EXPECT TO SEE

THE REMAINS
OF AN ANCIENT SEA CREATURE,

IT'S IN A BONE-DRY DESERT.

Carter:
THESE FOSSILS ARE TELLING ME

THAT THIS USED TO
BE UNDER WATER.

**

Narrator:
IN THE TIME OF THE DINOSAURS,

THIS DESERT IS AT THE BOTTOM
OF TETHYS, A VAST SEA.

THEN 50 MILLION YEARS AGO,

A TECTONIC-PLATE COLLISION
CAUSES THE OCEAN TO SHRINK.

43 MILLION YEARS LATER,
THIS SEA BED

BECOMES THE WORLD'S
BIGGEST DESERT,

REVEALING ITS UNDERSEA CASTLE.

Carter: FOSSILS EXPLAIN
THE CAULDRON-LIKE SHAPE

THAT WE SAW
ON THE SATELLITE PHOTOS.

BUT THEY REALLY DON'T OFFER
ANY INSIGHT

AS TO WHO BUILT THIS WALL.

Narrator: TO DISCOVER
THE STRUCTURE'S HUMAN HISTORY,

CARTER WILL NEED THE HELP
OF TRIBESPEOPLE

WHO HAVE LIVED IN THE SAHARA
FOR GENERATIONS.

Carter: I REALLY WANT TO
FIGURE OUT WHO BUILT THIS

AND WHAT, IF ANYTHING,
IT WAS PROTECTING.

Narrator:
COMING UP, AN INVISIBLE
KILLER STALKS AMERICA...

THERE ARE THINGS AROUND US

THAT WE CAN'T SEE
WITH OUR OWN EYES.

Narrator: ...AND THE
SADISTIC SAHARAN SULTAN.

THE BLACK SULTAN WAS
A TYRANNICAL DICTATOR

WHO OPPRESSED HIS POPULATION.

**

Narrator:
GEOLOGIST LAUREN CARTER

IS IN THE MIDDLE
OF THE SAHARA DESERT

INVESTIGATING A STRUCTURE WHICH
SHE HAD ASSUMED WAS A CRATER.

THE INSIDE IS MUCH HIGHER THAN
ACTUALLY THE OUTSIDE ELEVATION,

AND SO THAT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

Narrator: WHAT'S MORE, THERE'S A
MASSIVE MAN-MADE DEFENSIVE WALL.

Carter:
THERE'S NO REAL EXPLANATION

AS TO WHO BUILT THIS
AND WHY THEY DID IT.

Kourounis: SOMEONE HAS BUILT
THIS TREMENDOUS BARRIER

ACROSS THE ENTRANCE.

Narrator: THERE ARE STILL
ARAB TRIBESPEOPLE

WHO LIVE IN THE SAHARA DESERT.

SOME ARE KNOWN TO TRADE
AT ERFOUD,

A NEARBY TOWN
BUILT BY THE COLONIAL FRENCH.

AND THAT'S WHERE
CARTER HEADS NEXT.

[ CONVERSING IN
NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

Narrator: SHE INTRODUCES
HERSELF TO HASSAN.

HE SAYS THE LOCALS CALL
THE STRUCTURE GARA MEDOUAR,

AND HE CLAIMS THE WALL
WAS BUILT BY THE PORTUGUESE.

Carter: HE'S TELLING ME

THAT THE PORTUGUESE
ACTUALLY CAME HERE

AND USED IT AS
A PRISON FOR SLAVES.

Narrator:
IN THE 16th CENTURY,

AS PORTUGAL IS CONQUERING
THE LAND IT NAMES BRAZIL,

IT'S ALSO BUILDING
AN EMPIRE IN AFRICA.

AND OF ALL THE OLD
EUROPEAN POWERS,

PORTUGAL IS THE BIGGEST TRADER
IN AFRICAN SLAVES.

THEY TRANSPORTED SLAVES
FROM AFRICAN NATIONS

VIA THE OVERLAND ROUTES,
INCLUDING THIS AREA OF MOROCCO.

Narrator: WARRING
AFRICAN TRIBES TAKE PRISONERS

AND SELL THEM
TO THE PORTUGUESE AND OTHERS.

MANY AFRICANS ARE KIDNAPPED
BY EUROPEAN SLAVE TRADERS.

OTHERS ARE SENTENCED
TO A LIFE OF SERVITUDE

IN COLONIAL LAW COURTS.

PLACES IN AFRICA BECAME KNOWN
NOT ONLY FOR SLAVES THEMSELVES,

BUT ALSO AREAS WHERE
THEY WOULD HOLD SLAVES

BEFORE THEY WERE SHIPPED OFF.

WE KNOW THAT SLAVES
WERE KEPT IN STONE FORTRESSES

AT WAY STATIONS
ALONG THIS SLAVE TRADE ROUTE,

AND THERE'S A BELIEF
THAT THIS CRATER

WAS USED TO PEN IN SLAVES.

MAYBE THAT WALL WASN'T
BUILT TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT.

MAYBE IT WAS BUILT
TO KEEP PEOPLE IN.

Narrator: OF THE 30 MILLION
AFRICANS SHIPPED OUT,

AROUND 3 MILLION DIE

BEFORE THEY EVER REACH
THE SLAVE MARKETS.

MANY MAY HAVE DIED HERE IN
THE HELLISH DESERT SLAVE PRISON

THE BERBERS CALL GARA MEDOUAR.

Carter:
EVEN TODAY, IT'S 110 DEGREES,

AND IT GETS EVEN HOTTER HERE.

SO THE IDEA OF PEOPLE
BAKING THERE IN...

CHAINS OR WHATEVER,
IT'S PRETTY HORRIBLE.

[ CHAINS RATTLING ]

Narrator: BUT WHY HERE?

SOME DOUBT THIS STRANGE FORTRESS
FROM THE SEA

WAS EVER A PRISON.

Stenstrom: WHY WOULD YOU
BUILD A SLAVE PRISON

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DESSERT?

IT JUST DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

HIMSELF, HE'S NOT SURE.
THESE ARE RUMORS.

BUT HE HAS TOLD ME THAT
IF I WANT TO KNOW MORE,

I NEED TO GO OVER
THE SAND DUNES TO TRY

AND FIND THE NOMADS
WHO HAVE BETTER INSIGHT

INTO WHAT THIS CRATER
WAS USED FOR

AND WHETHER OR NOT
IT WAS A PRISON

OR IF THEY HAVE
OTHER IDEAS.

**

Narrator:
BERBER NOMADS ARE STILL
TO BE FOUND IN THIS REGION.

THEY GATHER AT OASES,

ISOLATED WATER SPRINGS
FROM UNDERGROUND AQUIFERS.

CARTER FINDS ONE AND TALKS TO
A NOMAD TRIBESMAN -- MOHAMMAD.

JUST 8 MILES FROM
THE WEIRD STRUCTURE,

THERE WAS ONCE A DESERT CITY
CALLED SIJILMASA...

FOUNDED IN THE 8th CENTURY
AS A TRADING POST

FOR EXOTIC GOODS TRAVELING
BETWEEN EGYPT IN THE EAST,

THE BARBARY COAST TO THE WEST,
AND THE GOLD COAST TO THE SOUTH.

ACCORDING TO
A 1,000-YEAR-OLD ARAB TEXT

CALLED "MEADOWS OF GOLD,"

SIJILMASA GROWS FABULOUSLY RICH.

Dr. Altaweel: IT WAS CONSIDERED
THE WEALTHIEST CITY

IN THE MAGHREB AREA OF AFRICA.

IN THE ANCIENT WORLD,
GOLD WAS POWER.

IT MADE YOU KING.

Narrator: BUT HOW TO PROTECT ALL
THE GOLD FROM DESERT BANDITS?

WHENEVER WARRING TRIBES
OR ANYONE WOULD COME IN,

ALL THE PEOPLE FROM THE CITY
WOULD BRING

ALL THEIR VALUABLES --
GOLD, DATES, CAMELS, CARPETS --

ANYTHING, INTO THIS
CRATER TO PROTECT IT,

BECAUSE IT WAS THE MOST SECURE
PLACE THAT THEY COULD THINK OF.

AND SO THAT'S WHY THEY
BUILT THIS GIANT WALL.

Narrator:
THIS WEIRD STRUCTURE, IT SEEMS,

WAS LIKE A DESERT FORT KNOX.

BUT THE GOLDEN CITY OF SIJILMASA
EVENTUALLY FALLS

TO A MOORISH WARLORD
KNOWN AS "THE BLACK SULTAN."

THE BLACK SULTAN
WAS A TYRANNICAL DICTATOR

WHO OPPRESSED HIS POPULATION.

[ WAR SHOUTS ]

Narrator: SIX CENTURIES AGO,

THE BLACK SULTAN
PILLAGES SIJILMASA.

SOME SAY THE SURVIVORS
OF THE CITY SOUGHT REFUGE

IN THIS PLACE
WE SEE ON THE IMAGE.

IT SEEMS LIKE
A GREAT PLACE FOR REFUGE.

IT'S A CRATER.
IT'S NATURALLY DEFENSIVE.

Narrator: FOR ALL THE STORIES
OF VIBRATING ROCKS,

SLAVE PENS, AND HOARDS OF GOLD,

THERE ARE NO WRITTEN RECORDS
OF WHAT HAPPENED HERE.

Carter:
IT'S ALL PART OF THE MYSTERY

OF WHAT ACTUALLY
FORMED THE CRATER.

I STILL HAVEN'T FIGURED OUT WHY
EXACTLY OR WHO BUILT THAT WALL.

IT COULD HAVE BEEN TO PROTECT
GOLD OR OTHER VALUABLES.

SLAVES, PRISON, FORTRESS --
ANY OF THOSE THINGS.

BUT WHAT EXACTLY?
STILL NOT SURE.

SO TO ME, IT'S STILL A MYSTERY.

Narrator: A FORTRESS
FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA,

A RELIC FROM
THE AGE OF DINOSAURS.

THE TRUTH OF WHAT TOOK PLACE
HERE REMAINS UNKNOWN.

ITS TREASURES, IF ANY,
BURIED BENEATH THE DESERT SANDS.

COMING UP, ROBIN HOOD
AND THE LOST CROWN JEWELS...

CAN YOU IMAGINE
IF YOU FOUND THAT,

SOMETHING THAT'S WORTH ESTIMATED
TO BE $70 MILLION TODAY?

Narrator: ...AND FRANKENSTEIN
MONSTERS IN THE ARCTIC.

Dr. Kays: COULD THIS BE THE SITE
OF A SECRET GENETIC LAB

TRYING TO RE-CREATE
A MODERN JURASSIC PARK?

Narrator: APRIL 2017.

PASSING OVER THE COUNTY
OF NORFOLK IN EASTERN ENGLAND,

A SATELLITE CAPTURES AN IMAGE
OF A HEAVILY PITTED LANDSCAPE.

IT'S REALLY POCKMARKED
WITH CRATERS.

BUT WHAT CAUSED THEM?

ARE THEY HUMAN-CAUSED?
IS IT NATURAL?

WHAT'S GOING ON?

Narrator: THE MARKS
IN THE IMAGE COVER 20 ACRES

AND RESEMBLE AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHS

TAKEN OF A WORLD WAR I SITE
200 MILES AWAY.

THE BANKS OF THE RIVER SOMME
STILL BEAR THE SCARS

OF ONE OF THE DEADLIEST BATTLES
IN HUMAN HISTORY.

BRITISH GENERALS FIRE
TWO MILLION ARTILLERY SHELLS

AT THE GERMAN LINE...

THEN ORDER THEIR MEN
OUT OF THE TRENCHES.

SOON, OVER A MILLION MEN
WILL BE DEAD OR WOUNDED,

AND THE BLOOD-SOAKED FIELDS
ARE CHANGED FOREVER.

THE FIRST WORLD WAR LEAVES
AN ABSOLUTELY INDELIBLE MARK

ON THE LANDSCAPE --
ALL THESE GREAT BIG CRATERS

WHERE ARTILLERY ROUNDS
HAVE EXPLODED

AND LEFT THESE HUGE CRATERS.

IT'S A VERY DISTINCT,

ALMOST WHAT LOOKS LIKE NOW
A GEOLOGICAL FORMATION.

BUT, ACTUALLY,
THIS IS ALL MANMADE.

Narrator: BUT WARFARE
CAN'T EXPLAIN THE POCKMARKS

IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

NO MAJOR LAND BATTLES
WERE FOUGHT ON BRITISH SOIL

IN EITHER WORLD WAR.

IS THIS THE RESULT
OF A BATTLEFIELD SIMULATION?

THESE WERE UNTRAINED PEOPLE.
THEY WERE SOLICITORS.

THEY WERE TRADESMEN,
THEY WERE SHOPKEEPERS.

AND SO BEFORE THEY WENT OUT
TO NORTHERN FRANCE,

THEY WERE TAUGHT HOW TO
DIG TRENCHES, FOR EXAMPLE,

HOW TO OPERATE ARTILLERY,
ARTILLERY FIRE, AND SO FORTH.

Narrator:
BUT THE NORFOLK IMAGE

LACKS ONE VITAL PIECE
OF EVIDENCE.

THERE ARE NO TRENCHES
NEAR THESE CRATERS OR MOUNDS.

SO WHAT ARE THEY?

Narrator: A CLUE MIGHT LIE
IN THE HISTORY OF THIS AREA.

[ METAL DETECTOR BEEPING ]

THERE IS A WEALTH OF TREASURE
BURIED AROUND THIS AREA.

AND SOME OF IT IS WORTH
HUGE AMOUNTS OF MONEY.

Dr. Kays: COULD THESE PITS
BE THE RESULT OF SOMEBODY

LOOKING FOR BURIED TREASURE?

Narrator: IN RECENT TIMES,
$15 MILLION OF IRON AGE TREASURE

HAS BEEN DISCOVERED
IN THE IMMEDIATE AREA.

BUT THE BIGGEST PRIZE
IS STILL TO BE UNEARTHED.

Gough: ONE OF THE WORLD'S
MOST LEGENDARY TREASURE TROVES

IS SAID TO LIE IN THIS AREA --

THE ROYAL JEWELS OF KING JOHN.

Narrator:
THE LEGEND OF ROBIN HOOD

IS BASED ON REAL
13th-CENTURY EVENTS.

TAX REBELS RISE UP AGAINST
ENGLAND'S HATED KING JOHN,

FORCING HIM TO SIGN
THE FAMOUS MAGNA CARTA.

BUT JOHN'S CRUEL EXACTIONS

HAVE ACCRUED INTO
A VAST FORTUNE,

AND IN 1216,

WHEN HE IS FORCED TO FLEE
FROM HIS REBELLIOUS BARONS,

JOHN PACKS HIS GOLD AND JEWELS
INTO A WAGON,

A WAGON THAT,
AS HE MAKES HIS ESCAPE,

WILL SINK AND BE LOST FOREVER
IN MUD FLATS

CLOSE TO THE SPOT SEEN
IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

CAN YOU IMAGINE
IF YOU FOUND THAT,

SOMETHING THAT'S WORTH ESTIMATED
TO BE $70 MILLION TODAY?

Gough: IF YOU THOUGHT YOU KNEW
WHERE THAT TREASURE WAS,

WOULDN'T YOU KEEP DIGGING
HOLE AFTER HOLE AFTER HOLE

UNTIL YOU FOUND IT?

I SURE WOULD.

Narrator:
BUT ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION

REVEALS THAT THE HOLES HAVE NOT
BEEN DUG IN RECENT TIMES.

IT TURNS OUT THAT
THESE HOLES DATE

TO WAY BEFORE KING JOHN'S TIME,

BUT THEY WERE DUG BY PEOPLE

WHO WERE LOOKING FOR
BURIED TREASURE.

IT'S JUST THAT
THAT TREASURE WAS FLINT.

Narrator: THESE HOLES DATE BACK
TO THE LATE STONE AGE.

BENEATH THE 433 HOLLOWS

ARE 30-FOOT-DEEP SHAFTS,
CHAMBERS, AND TUNNELS

DUG BY PREHISTORIC MINERS
IN SEARCH OF FLINT.

THIS TYPE OF FLINT THAT'S FOUND
IN THESE BAYS IN THE CHALK

IS OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY.

IT'S REALLY EASY TO KNAP.

Gough: OVER 4,000 YEARS BEFORE
THE NOTION OF FACTORIES

WAS EVEN CONCEIVED,

IS THIS ONE OF THE EARLY
FOUNDATIONS OF TECHNOLOGY

IN THE ANCIENT WORLD?

Narrator: FLINT IS USED TO MAKE
EARLY ARROWHEADS AND TOOLS.

INSIDE ONE OF THE TUNNELS

ARE FOUND CRUDE CARVED
FERTILITY FIGURES,

A PRAYER PERHAPS TO THE GODS
TO KEEP THE MINE PRODUCTIVE.

FURTHER EXCAVATION REVEALS
SOMETHING EVEN STRANGER --

STONE AGE HUMAN SKELETONS
ENTOMBED WITH VALUABLES

IN WHAT APPEAR TO BE
RITUAL BURIALS.

THIS IS ONE OF
THE EARLIEST LOCATIONS

OF CEREMONIAL GRAVESITES
IN BRITAIN.

Wolter: ONCE THE FLINT
EITHER WAS EXHAUSTED

OR THEY COULDN'T DIG ANY DEEPER,
IT BECAME A BURIAL SITE.

SO IT STARTED OFF AS SACRED

FOR THE MATERIAL
THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO MINE,

AND THEN IT CONTINUED
TO BE SACRED,

WHERE THEY WOULD
BURY THEIR DEAD.

Narrator: PART MINE,
PART CITY OF THE DEAD.

BUT WHY DID NEOLITHIC HUMANS

CHOOSE TO PILE UP
THEIR DEAD HERE?

THERE'S A CLUE IN THE NAME GIVEN
TO THIS AREA IN LATER TIMES.

THE SAXONS CALLED THIS PLACE
GRIME'S GRAVES.

AND GRIME'S IS ANOTHER WORD

FOR ODIN,
THE ANCIENT GOD OF WAR.

Horton: ODIN WAS
A VERY IMPORTANT DEITY

IN THESE GERMANIC
ANGLO-SAXON SETTLERS

THAT CAME INTO NORFOLK IN
THE LATE 5th, EARLY 6th CENTURY.

PROBABLY THE MOST
IMPORTANT FIGURE, ACTUALLY.

Narrator: THE GOD OF WAR,
WARRIORS, AND DEATH,

ODIN, OR WODEN,

IS REMEMBERED IN OUR
WODEN'S DAY, OR "WEDNESDAY."

HE IS THE LORD OF VALHALLA,

THAT HALL OR HOLE
IN THE UNDERWORLD

RESERVED FOR SLAIN WARRIORS
CHOSEN TO DIE

BY FEMALE WARRIOR SPIRITS
CALLED VALKYRIES.

DOES THIS IMAGE
DEPICT A NEOLITHIC VERSION

OF WHAT THE NORSEMEN
CALLED A "HOLE" --

A WORD THAT LIVES ON
AS OUR HELL?

Horton: THE ANGLO-SAXONS
MUST HAVE THOUGHT

THAT THIS WAS A GREAT CEMETERY,

AND IN THERE
WERE BURIED ODIN'S ARMY.

HUMAN SACRIFICES WERE OFTEN MADE
TO WIN HIS FAVOR.

SO COULD THESE BURIAL SITES HAVE
ACTUALLY BEEN SACRIFICIAL SITES?

Narrator: SO FAR, JUST 20 OF
THE HUNDREDS OF GRIME'S GRAVES'

PREHISTORIC PITS
HAVE BEEN FULLY EXPLORED.

BUT ARCHAEOLOGISTS
ARE JUSTIFIABLY EXCITED

AT FINDING WHAT MAY BE
A STONE AGE VALHALLA,

FILLED WITH THE LIFELESS REMAINS

OF WARRIORS SENT HERE
BY THE VALKYRIES.

[ HORSE NEIGHS ]

Wolter:
WORK THAT'S BEEN DONE SO FAR,

THE ARTIFACTS
THAT HAVE BEEN FOUND

ARE REALLY JUST PIECES TO
A MUCH BIGGER JIGSAW PUZZLE.

WE MAY NEVER KNOW WHAT
WENT ON HERE IN THE PAST.

Narrator: STILL TO COME,
SEEN FROM SPACE,

A SIBERIAN HELL HOLE...

IF I HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN
ALCATRAZ AND THIS PLACE,

I THINK I'D CHOOSE ALCATRAZ.

Narrator: ...AND A MYSTERY
CLOUD ATTACKS L.A.

Dr. Spicer Rice: NOBODY HAD
ANY IDEA WHAT WAS CAUSING THIS,

AND THE GOVERNMENT
WASN'T SAYING.

Narrator: JANUARY 2016.

ORBITING OVER LOS ANGELES

IS NASA's EARTH OBSERVING-1
MISSION SATELLITE,

ARMED WITH AN INFRARED
SPECTROMETER.

IT IS SEARCHING
FOR ABNORMALITIES

IN THE SKIES OF PORTER RANCH
IN CALIFORNIA'S ALISO VALLEY.

THERE ARE THINGS AROUND US THAT
WE CAN'T SEE WITH OUR OWN EYES.

THEY'RE THERE.
THEY'RE OCCURRING.

AND WE CAN GET A BETTER VIEW

BY ENLISTING THINGS
BEYOND OUR COLOR VISION.

Narrator:
THE SATELLITE CONFIRMS

THAT SOMETHING'S NOT RIGHT
DOWN BELOW.

Dr. Schuttler: WHEN YOU LOOK
AT THE SPECTROMETER IMAGE,

YOU'LL SEE THIS REALLY
CONCENTRATED AREA OF BRIGHTNESS,

AND THAT INDICATES THERE'S
SOMETHING REALLY TERRIFYING

GOING ON IN THAT AREA.

[ THUNDER RUMBLES ]

Narrator: THE IMAGE SHOWS
A TERRIFYING, WEIRD CLOUD

SPREADING ACROSS
THE SUBURBS OF L.A.

ON THE GROUND,
RESIDENTS ARE CALLING 911.

THEY'RE HAVING TROUBLE
BREATHING.

THEIR NOSES ARE BLEEDING.

SOMETHING IS POISONING
THIS ENTIRE COMMUNITY.

Dr. Spicer Rice:
NOBODY HAD ANY IDEA

WHAT WAS CAUSING THIS OUTBREAK.

AND THE GOVERNMENT
WASN'T SAYING.

EVERYONE IS LOSING THEIR MINDS.

Narrator: THE AUTHORITIES
DECLARE A STATE OF EMERGENCY.

THEY EVACUATED 11,000 PEOPLE
FROM THIS AREA.

IT'S AWFUL.

Narrator: EMERGENCY MEDICAL
TEAMS TEST VICTIMS' BLOOD.

Williams: TURNS OUT, THERE'S
NO EVIDENCE FOR THE NOROVIRUS

OR ANY KIND OF VIRAL INFECTION
WITH THESE PEOPLE,

SO SOMETHING ELSE
MUST BE HAPPENING.

Narrator: SATELLITE DATA
CONFIRMS THAT WHATEVER IT IS,

IT'S COMING FROM THE SKIES.

HAS SOMEBODY RELEASED TOXINS
INTO THE AIR?

Moran: BIOWEAPONRY
IS VERY MUCH A REALITY.

WE'VE SEEN IT USED
IN PLACES LIKE IRAQ

AND EVEN RECENTLY IN SYRIA.

[ EXPLOSIONS ]

Narrator: ISLAMIC STATE
AND OTHER TERROR GROUPS

DO NOT CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY.

BUT AT THE NEARBY
LOS ANGELES AIR FORCE BASE

IS THE U.S. MILITARY'S
DEFENSE WEATHER SYSTEMS UNIT.

IS THIS AN EXPERIMENTAL
WEAPONS TEST GONE WRONG?

IT WOULDN'T BE THE FIRST TIME.

IN THE 1950s, THE U.S. NAVY

SECRETLY RELEASED
TWO TYPES OF BACTERIA

OVER 800,000 PEOPLE
IN SAN FRANCISCO.

Narrator: IT'S CALLED
OPERATION SEA-SPRAY.

IN 1950, A U.S. NAVY MINESWEEPER
SPRAYS CLOUDS OF BACTERIA

OVER THE SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA.

Moran: THEY SPECIFICALLY CHOSE
SAN FRANCISCO

BECAUSE THEY THOUGHT
THAT THE FAMOUS FOG

WOULD ACTUALLY SHROUD
THEIR ACTIVITY.

AND IT ACTUALLY RELEASES
A BRIGHT-RED PIGMENT

SO YOU CAN TRACK IT,
SEE HOW IT SPREAD.

AND IN THAT WAY,
THEY CAN LEARN ABOUT

OTHER POTENTIALLY DEADLY
BIOLOGICAL WEAPONS.

Narrator:
DECADES LATER, THE U.S.
GOVERNMENT IS TAKEN TO COURT...

BUT IS DECLARED IMMUNE
FROM PROSECUTION.

DOCTORS DISCOVERED THAT ONE
OF THE BACTERIA THE NAVY USED

ACTUALLY CAUSES RESPIRATORY
AND URINARY-TRACT INFECTIONS.

SO IT WASN'T ACTUALLY
THAT HARMLESS.

Narrator:
IN 1977, A SENATE HEARING

REVEALS THAT OVER TWO DECADES,

THE U.S. MILITARY
HAS CARRIED OUT

MORE THAN 200 OPEN-AIR TESTS
OF BIOLOGICAL AGENTS.

Moran: SHOCKINGLY,
TESTS OF THIS NATURE

HAVEN'T ONLY OCCURRED
IN SAN FRANCISCO.

THERE HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS OF THEM
IN NEW YORK, WASHINGTON, D.C.,

AND EVEN IN THE U.K.

Narrator:
IN 1969, PRESIDENT NIXON

BANS BIOLOGICAL WARFARE TESTS.

[ CAMERA SHUTTERS CLICKING ]

EXPERIMENTS LIKE THIS
JUST DON'T HAPPEN ANYMORE.

SO IT CAUSES US TO QUESTION
WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS
TURN TO THE SATELLITE DATA.

Dr. Miller: DIFFERENT GASES HAVE
DIFFERENT EMISSION SIGNATURES.

AND SO IF YOU MEASURE AT CERTAIN
WAVELENGTHS OR FREQUENCIES,

IT ALLOWS YOU TO IDENTIFY
WHAT KIND OF GAS IT MAY BE.

Narrator: FROM SPACE,
THE INFRARED SPECTROMETER

ON THE SATELLITE
IS ABLE TO IDENTIFY

THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION
OF THE CLOUD.

IT IS PREDOMINANTLY METHANE GAS

COMBINED WITH
SEVERAL OTHER TOXINS.

Dr. Spicer Rice:
NEARLY 100,000 TONS OF METHANE

WAS LEAKED OUT
INTO OUR ENVIRONMENT.

THEY ALSO FOUND
BENZENE AND TOLUENE

AND XYLENES, WHICH ARE
TOXIC, NOXIOUS CHEMICALS,

WHICH CAUSE MEMORY LOSS,
BIRTH DEFECTS.

THEY'RE CARCINOGENS.
THEY'RE TERRIBLE.

Narrator: TO FIND
THE MYSTERY CLOUD'S SOURCE,

INVESTIGATORS RETURN TO
THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

FROM THIS IMAGE,
WE CAN READILY TELL

THAT IT'S COMING FROM
A POINT SOURCE AT THE SURFACE,

AND IT LOOKS VERY LOCALIZED.

Narrator: THE TRAIL LEADS
TO A NATURAL-GAS STORAGE PLANT

IN THE NEARBY
SANTA SUSANA MOUNTAINS.

Dr. Schuttler: IN THIS AREA,

THERE IS A GIGANTIC STORAGE TANK
OF METHANE GAS.

AND ONE OF THESE RUPTURED,
ALLOWING FOR THIS GIGANTIC LEAK.

Narrator:
ENGINEERS IN PROTECTIVE SUITS

MOVE IN TO PLUG THE LEAK
AND SHUT THE FACILITY.

[ CROWD CHANTING
"SHUT IT ALL DOWN" ]

Dr. Schuttler: NOBODY EVEN KNOWS
THE LONG-TERM EFFECTS

FOR THE PEOPLE
THAT WERE EXPOSED.

IT'S UNCERTAIN WHAT
THEIR FUTURE HEALTH HOLDS.

Narrator: COMING UP,
GOVERNMENTS PREPPING

FOR A GLOBAL APOCALYPSE...

Pappalardo: WE WON'T DIE
BECAUSE OF NUCLEAR FALLOUT.

WE'LL DIE BECAUSE WE CAN'T
GROW ENOUGH FOOD TO LIVE.

Narrator: ...AND BARBARIAN
CHIEFS, MISSING PRINCESS BRIDES,

AND A MYSTERY IMAGE FROM SPACE.

IT'S VERY "GAME OF THRONES."

Narrator: SEPTEMBER 2017.

PASSING OVER ARCTIC ICE SHEETS,
A COMMERCIAL SATELLITE

SEES NOTHING
BUT A BLANKET OF WHITE...

UNTIL IT CAPTURES,
PROTRUDING FROM THE ICE,

PART OF A CONCRETE STRUCTURE.

Mosher:
IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE,

THERE'S MORE POLAR BEARS
THAN PEOPLE,

IT'S A BARREN WASTELAND,
THERE'S ICE AND MOUNTAINS.

BUT IN THE MIDDLE,
WE SEE THIS STRANGE STRUCTURE.

IT LOOKS AS IF IT'S SOME SORT
OF UNDERGROUND BUNKER OR LAIR.

Mosher:
THIS REMINDS ME OF "SUPERMAN"

AND THE FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE,

YOU KNOW, ALIENS HIDING THIS,
YOU KNOW, UPLOAD CENTER

FOR SUPERMAN TO FIGURE OUT
WHERE HE'S FROM.

AND SO THE QUESTION IS,
WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?

Narrator:
SCIENCE WRITER JOE PAPPALARDO

INVESTIGATES THE IMAGE

AND SPOTS THAT THE STRUCTURE
HAS A ROAD LEADING TO A DOOR.

ANY TIME YOU SEE A ROAD
THAT LEADS INTO A TUNNEL

AND NO EXIT, YOU WONDER,
"WHAT ARE THEY HOUSING IN THERE?

WHAT'S ACTUALLY BEING HELD
INSIDE OF THAT FACILITY?"

Narrator:
IT IS KNOWN THAT THERE ARE

SUPERPOWER MILITARY BASES
IN THE ARCTIC.

Dr. Kays: DURING THE COLD WAR,
THE U.S. HAD

AN INCREDIBLY AMBITIOUS IDEA
THEY CALLED PROJECT ICEWORM.

THEY WERE GOING TO CREATE

THOUSANDS OF MILES OF TUNNELS
THROUGH THE ICE

AND STORE 600 MISSILES

THAT THEY COULD MOVE AROUND
TO DIFFERENT SITES.

Dr. Pavelec: THIS FANTASTIC IDEA
STEMS IN THE 1960s

FROM THE IMPRECISION
MISSILES HAD AT THE TIME.

THE AMERICANS
WANTED TO GET THE MISSILES

CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE SOVIET UNION
SO THAT IF THEY HAD TO USE THEM,

THEY COULD ACTUALLY
REACH THEIR TARGETS.

[ EXPLOSION ]

Narrator:
OFFICIALLY, THE U.S. MILITARY'S

NORTHERNMOST AIR BASE
IS THULE IN GREENLAND.

IT OPERATES A BALLISTIC-MISSILE
EARLY-WARNING SYSTEM...

AND SERVES TO DEFEND
U.S. CLAIMS TO THE ARCTIC'S

ESTIMATED $30-TRILLION
FOSSIL-FUEL RESERVES.

IN 2017, RUSSIA OPENS TREFOIL,

A NEW STATE-OF-THE-ART
ARCTIC BASE.

**

BUT BOTH SUPERPOWERS TRY

TO KEEP THEIR ARCTIC ACTIVITIES
UNDER WRAPS.

Harrison:
THE RUSSIANS, THE AMERICANS --

EVERYONE IS TRYING TO BE AS
SECRETIVE AS THEY CAN UP THERE

TO KEEP THEIR ACTIVITIES

AS SHIELDED FROM THE ADVERSARY
AS POSSIBLE.

Narrator:
BUT THE STRUCTURE IN THE IMAGE

IS NOWHERE NEAR
ANY KNOWN MILITARY BASE.

THE OTHER THING THAT BRINGS
PEOPLE INTO THIS REMOTE REGION

IS SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH.

COULD THIS ISOLATED BASE BE SOME
KIND OF SECRET RESEARCH STATION?

Dr. Schuttler:
IF THERE WAS SCIENTIFIC
RESEARCH BEING DONE THERE,

IT'S BECAUSE PROBABLY
SOMETHING WAS FOUND THERE.

Narrator: SVALBARD'S LOCATION
WITHIN THE ARCTIC'S PERMAFROST

COULD PROVIDE A CLUE.

THERE HAVE BEEN SOME
AMAZING FOSSIL DISCOVERIES

IN THE PERMAFROST OF THE NORTH,

AND THEY AREN'T EVEN
REALLY FOSSILS.

THEY ARE ANIMALS THAT DIED
AND WERE FROZEN

AND HAVE STAYED FROZEN
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

Narrator:
SCIENTISTS ARE NOW TALKING ABOUT

A REAL-LIFE ARCTIC
JURASSIC PARK --

OF TAKING THE DNA

OF LONG-EXTINCT MONSTERS
FROM THE ICE

AND BRINGING THEM BACK TO LIFE.

WOOLLY MAMMOTHS HAVE BEEN FOUND
IN FROZEN PERMAFROST LAYERS,

AND THIS IS REALLY HELPFUL
TO SCIENTISTS,

BECAUSE COLD ACTUALLY HELPS
PRESERVE DNA REALLY WELL.

Dr. Kays: INCREDIBLY, A GROUP
OF GENETIC SCIENTISTS

ARE TRYING TO RESURRECT
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH.

THIS ISN'T JUST SOME KIND
OF FRANKENSTEIN FANTASY.

THIS IS CUTTING-EDGE
GENETIC RESEARCH.

Dr. Schuttler:
WE'RE BRINGING BACK A SPECIES

THAT HAS BEEN EXTINCT
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

[ MAMMOTHS GROWLING ]

Narrator: THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH
IS A SIX-TON ELEPHANTINE BEAST

WITH TUSKS 15 FEET LONG

WHO ROAMED THE ARCTIC TUNDRA
4,500 YEARS AGO.

THE END OF THE ICE AGE SENDS
THE CREATURE INTO EXTINCTION.

NOW SCIENTISTS HAVE DECODED

KEY SEGMENTS OF
THE WOOLLY MAMMOTH'S DNA,

INCLUDING THE GENES RESPONSIBLE
FOR ITS ANTIFREEZE BLOOD

AND DENSE THERMAL COAT.

THE DISCOVERY BRINGS A
WOOLLY MAMMOTH-ELEPHANT HYBRID

ONE STEP CLOSER.

Dr. Schuttler:
WE'RE DOING SOMETHING

THAT WE COULD ONLY DREAM ABOUT
IN THE PAST,

AND WE'RE MAKING IT REALITY.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO REPORTS,
SCIENTISTS ARE CLOSE

TO BRINGING BACK
THEIR FIRST EXTINCT MEGA-BEAST.

[ SNARLS ]

COULD THIS BE THE SITE
OF A SECRET GENETIC LAB

TRYING TO RE-CREATE
A MODERN JURASSIC PARK?

YOU CAN IMAGINE WHY THEY'D
WANT TO STAY OUT OF SIGHT.

**

Narrator: BUT THE IMAGE
SHOWS SOMETHING FAR SCARIER

THAN ANY JURASSIC PARK.

THE STRUCTURE GLIMPSED
BY THE SATELLITE

IS THE ENTRANCE
TO AN UNDERGROUND VAULT --

A BUNKER TO BE USED IN THE EVENT
OF A GLOBAL APOCALYPSE.

THERE ARE 15,000 ATOM BOMBS
IN THE WORLD --

ENOUGH TO THREATEN
THE HUMAN RACE WITH EXTINCTION.

THE U.S. AND OTHER GOVERNMENTS
ARE PREPPING FOR A DISASTER

ON THE SCALE
OF A NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST.

Pappalardo: THERE'S ALL SORTS OF
WAYS FOR LIFE TO END ON EARTH.

WHATEVER HAPPENS, THE REASON
WE'LL DIE IS STARVATION.

WE DON'T DIE BECAUSE
OF THE NUCLEAR FIRE.

WE DON'T DIE FROM
THE FALLOUT AS A SPECIES.

WE'LL DIE BECAUSE WE CAN'T
GROW ENOUGH FOOD TO LIVE.

Narrator: SATELLITE CAMERAS
HAVE CAPTURED THE ENTRANCE

TO AN APOCALYPSE SURVIVAL BUNKER

AIMED AT SAVING
THE HUMAN SPECIES.

Dr. Pavelec: TURNS OUT,
AT THE TURN OF THE MILLENNIUM,

THE NORWEGIANS, AS WELL
AS THE UNITED NATIONS,

BEGAN THIS PROJECT TO
BUILD A MASSIVE SEED VAULT

IN CASE ANYTHING REALLY, REALLY
BAD HAPPENED TO THE PLANET.

Mosher:
THE VAULT IS CURRENTLY STORING

MORE THAN 900,000 SAMPLES
OF PLANT LIFE,

BUT IT CAN STORE UP TO
4.5 MILLION VARIETIES

AND 2.5 BILLION SEEDS.

THIS SEED VAULT IS LIKE
THE NOAH'S ARK, BUT FOR PLANTS.

**

Narrator: IF A GLOBAL NUCLEAR
WAR WIPES OUT MOST OF HUMANITY,

THE FEW SURVIVORS
WILL HAVE THE SEED TOOLS

TO REINVENT BASIC AGRICULTURE.

ALL THEY HAVE TO DO...

IS FIND THE BUNKER.

STILL TO COME,
WARRIORS AND WEDDINGS

IN THE LAND OF GENGHIS KHAN.

YOU'RE A BARBARIAN WARLORD,

WHAT DO YOU DO TO
IMPRESS YOUR NEW BRIDE?

Narrator: PASSING OVER A LAKE IN
THE HARSH SIBERIAN WILDERNESS,

A MAPPING SATELLITE
CAPTURES A SMALL ISLAND

AND, ON IT, THE RUINS
OF A BUILDING.

[ CAMERA WHIRRING ]

THIS STRUCTURE IS VERY BIZARRE.

THERE'S NOTHING
FOR MILES AROUND.

Dr. Altaweel: IT'S AN
EXTREMELY ISOLATED LOCATION.

WHO ON EARTH WOULD BUILD IN
THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE LIKE THIS?

Narrator: SIBERIA IS HUGE,

COVERING 5 MILLION
SQUARE MILES --

SIGNIFICANTLY BIGGER
THAN THE U.S.

BUT IT'S ONE OF
THE MOST SPARSELY
POPULATED PLACES ON EARTH,

NOTORIOUS FOR ITS
COMMUNIST GULAG TORTURE CAMPS

WHERE 30 MILLION PEOPLE
ARE BELIEVED TO HAVE DIED.

Wallace: IT WOULD BE
A VERY SPARTAN EXISTENCE

LIVING IN THIS LOCATION.

Narrator: IMAGE ANALYSIS
REVEALS THE STRUCTURE'S SCALE --

ROUGHLY THE SIZE
OF SIX FOOTBALL FIELDS,

NOT BIG ENOUGH FOR A GULAG.

BUT FOR SOME, THE BUILDING'S
SOLITUDE AND MODULAR STRUCTURE

SUGGESTS SOME KIND OF PRISON.

WHEN I LOOK AT THIS,
I THINK OF ALCATRAZ.

IF I HAD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN
ALCATRAZ AND THIS PLACE,

I THINK I'D CHOOSE ALCATRAZ.

Narrator: A PRISON, PERHAPS.

OR A PLACE OF QUARANTINE.

THROUGHOUT HISTORY, MANKIND HAS
FOUGHT THE SPREAD OF DISEASE

BY SENDING INFECTED PEOPLE
TO LIVE ON ISLANDS.

THESE PLACES OF QUARANTINE

ARE CALLED LAZARETTOS,
OR LAZARETS,

AFTER LAZARUS, THE BEGGAR
FROM THE BIBLICAL SCRIPTURES.

Dr. Kays: THERE ARE OTHER
EXAMPLES WHERE WE KNOW

THAT PLAGUE VICTIMS
WERE ISOLATED ON ISLANDS.

FOR EXAMPLE,
THERE'S ONE ISLAND IN VENICE

WHERE THEY FOUND THE REMAINS
OF THOUSANDS OF PLAGUE VICTIMS.

YOU CAN IMAGINE WHAT
A MISERABLE PLACE THIS WOULD BE,

TO BE SENT TO DIE
ON AN ISLAND IN SIBERIA

WITH A BUNCH OF OTHER PEOPLE
WITH THE PLAGUE.

Narrator: THE 14th CENTURY'S
BUBONIC PLAGUE

SPREADS FIRST HERE IN ASIA.

BUT INVESTIGATORS FIND
NO EVIDENCE OF QUARANTINE

IN SIBERIA.

THEY CONSIDER INSTEAD
IF THE STRUCTURE IS MEANT

TO KEEP PEOPLE OUT
RATHER THAN IN.

IT LOOKS LIKE
A DEFENSIVE POSITION,

A FORTRESS THAT WOULD BE
EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TO BREACH.

Rose:
IF THIS WAS A FORTRESS,

IT WOULD BE
PRETTY MUCH IMPREGNABLE.

YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE
TO GET IN THERE IF
THEY DIDN'T WANT YOU TO.

Narrator:
ARCHAEOLOGISTS CONSIDER

THE STRUCTURE'S PROXIMITY
TO MONGOLIA.

Rose: THIS AREA IS ONLY 20 MILES
FROM THE MONGOLIAN BORDER.

AND WHO'S THE MOST FAMOUS
WARRIOR OF MONGOLIA?

GENGHIS KHAN.

Narrator: AT THE BEGINNING
OF THE 13th CENTURY,

GENGHIS KHAN LEADS
THE MONGOL AND TURKIC TRIBES

ON A BLOODY RAMPAGE
FROM BEIJING IN THE EAST

TO THE CASPIAN SEA IN THE WEST.

[ INDISTINCT SHOUTING ]

IN JUST TWO DECADES,
THE MONGOL EMPIRE

ENCOMPASSES
15 MILLION SQUARE MILES --

FOUR TIMES LARGER
THAN THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Rose: EVEN BY TODAY'S STANDARD,
GENGHIS KHAN

IS ONE OF THE MOST HORRIFYING
WARLORDS IN HISTORY.

HE KILLED
OVER 40 MILLION PEOPLE.

Narrator: WHEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS
EXCAVATE THE SITE,

THEY DISCOVER FRAGMENTS
OF ROOF TIMBER...

WHICH THEY USE
TO DATE THE STRUCTURE

TO THE 8th CENTURY A.D.

Dr. Hoffman: WE USED
DENDROCHRONOLOGY TO FIND OUT

THAT THEY CAME FROM 770 TO 790.

Dr. Altaweel: THE MONGOLS
DON'T GET TO THIS REGION

UNTIL ABOUT THE 13th CENTURY,
SO THE DATES DON'T MATCH UP.

Narrator: BUT THE STRUCTURE'S
AGE DOES CORRESPOND

TO ANOTHER ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIND
IN THE SAME REGION.

THE MORIN KHUUR STANDING STONE

IS ALSO ERECTED
IN THE 8th CENTURY

AND CARRIES
AN INTRIGUING INSCRIPTION.

THIS IS ACTUALLY LIKE
A REAL-LIFE "INDIANA JONES,"

WHERE YOU HAVE A CLUE
WRITTEN ON A TABLET

ABOUT THIS ANCIENT SITE.

Narrator:
THE MORIN KHUUR STONE

SPEAKS OF A WARRIOR RACE
CALLED THE UYGHURS,

WHO RULE OVER A LARGE PART
OF CENTRAL ASIA.

IT WAS A SOPHISTICATED
CIVILIZATION

THAT CERTAINLY HAD
THE TECHNOLOGY

TO CONSTRUCT
SOMETHING LIKE THIS.

Dr. Altaweel: ALL THESE
PIECES OF THE PUZZLE TELL US

THAT THIS IS PROBABLY
A UYGHUR PALACE.

Narrator: USING LASER MAPPING
AND CLUES FOUND AMONG THE RUINS,

INVESTIGATORS RECONSTRUCT
THE BUILDING IN VIRTUAL 3-D.

THE RESULTS ARE CONFUSING.

Dr. Hoffman:
THE WAY THE ROOFS WERE BUILT,

IT'S A UNIQUE STYLE
OF ARCHITECTURE

THAT'S USED IN CHINA.

WHAT'S A CHINESE PALACE DOING
IN THE MIDDLE OF SIBERIA?

Narrator:
AN ANCIENT TEXT CONTAINS A CLUE.

WHEN CHINA'S TANG DYNASTY
IS FACING A REBELLION,

THE UYGHUR BECOMES ITS ALLY.

TO SEAL THE ALLIANCE,

A TANG PRINCESS BRIDE
IS SENT TO SIBERIA.

Dr. Hoffman:
IT'S A CLASSIC POLITICAL MOVE

THROUGHOUT ANCIENT TIMES

TO MARRY A DAUGHTER
INTO ANOTHER ROYAL FAMILY

TO UNITE TWO KINGDOMS
OR EMPIRES,

AND THAT'S EXACTLY
WHAT HAPPENED.

IT'S VERY "GAME OF THRONES."

IF YOU'RE A BARBARIAN WARLORD,

WHAT DO YOU DO
TO IMPRESS YOUR NEW BRIDE?

YOU BUILD HER A PALACE
OUT IN THE SIBERIAN DESERT.

IMAGINE BEING A CHINESE
PRINCESS SOLD BY YOUR DAD

TO LIVE THE REST OF YOUR LIFE
IN SIBERIA.

PART OF ME FEELS BAD
FOR THIS PRINCESS

WHO WAS PROBABLY
BROUGHT AGAINST HER WILL

TO HAVE THIS ARRANGED MARRIAGE
IN SIBERIA,

WHERE THE WINTERS
CAN EASILY BE MINUS-20.

I THINK SHE GOT
THE RAW END OF THIS DEAL.

Narrator:
BUT WHEN ARCHAEOLOGISTS
EXCAVATE THE SITE,

THE MYSTERY DEEPENS.

THERE IS NO EVIDENCE
THAT ANYONE EVER LIVED HERE.

IT'S VERY INTRIGUING
AND CURIOUS.

Rose: IT'S LIKE ONE OF THOSE
"IF THESE WALLS COULD TALK,"

BECAUSE IN THIS CASE, THAT'S ALL
WE HAVE, IS THE BUILDING ITSELF.

Narrator:
AN ARRANGED MARRIAGE,

A MONGOLIAN BARBARIAN,
A MISSING PRINCESS,

AND A STILL UNEXPLAINED
SATELLITE IMAGE.