Original subtitles

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 ]

A LOST JUNGLE CITY MADE OF CORAL,

MALEVOLENT SPIRITS, AND CANNIBALS...

Hunt: EVERY SPIRIT HAS A DARK SOURCE OF POWER

YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO DRAW ON.

THE MORE PEOPLE YOU KILL AND THE MORE YOU EAT,

THE STRONGER YOU BECOME.

Narrator: ...COSSACKS, BLOOD RITUALS,

AND THE POSSIBLE ORIGIN OF ALL HUMAN CIVILIZATION.

IT COULD BE ONE OF THE OLDEST MAN-MADE STRUCTURES ON EARTH.

Narrator: AND WHAT IS THE MOB DOING

TO THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS VOLCANO?

Carter: I THINK WHAT'S MOST INCREDIBLE

ABOUT THESE SATELLITE IMAGES

IS THAT THEY ACTUALLY SHOW US THE MAFIA IN ACTION.

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

**

[ FREQUENCY WARBLES ] [ WHIRRING ]

**

MARCH 7th, 2017.

A SATELLITE PASSING HIGH ABOVE KENYA IN EAST AFRICA

CAPTURES A DENSE FOREST,

CONCEALING A SERIES OF STRANGE GEOMETRIC SHAPES.

TUCKED AWAY IN THE TREES IS WHAT LOOKS TO BE AN ABANDONED CITY.

THIS IS GOT TO BE ANCIENT.

NOT JUST BECAUSE THE BUILDINGS LOOK LIKE THEY'RE IN RUINS,

BUT BECAUSE THE FOREST IS ENCOMPASSING IT.

IT'S ENGULFING IT.

WHOEVER USED TO LIVE HERE, THEY'RE LONG GONE.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGE SHOWS THE REMAINS

OF NUMEROUS LARGE BUILDINGS.

THIS IS, INDEED, AN ABANDONED CITY.

LOCAL PEOPLE CALL IT "GEDI."

BUT THERE SEEMS TO BE NO MENTION OF SUCH A CITY

IN THE HISTORY BOOKS.

Hoffman: ALL THE SOPHISTICATION, ALL THIS PLANNING

THAT WAS PUT INTO CREATING THIS PLACE

MAKES IT EVEN MORE ENIGMATIC,

BECAUSE WHY IS IT NOT SOMEHOW ON THE RECORD BOOKS.

Kourounis: IT'S AS IF THE CITY WAS ERASED FROM HISTORY

OR DIDN'T WANT TO BE MENTIONED FOR SOME REASON.

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGIST KAREN BELLINGER HAS TRAVELED

TO KENYA TO TRY TO SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF WHAT THIS PLACE IS

AND WHY IT WAS SUDDENLY ABANDONED.

BELLINGER'S JOURNEY BEGINS IN MOMBASA,

THE NEAREST MAJOR CITY TO THE RUINS.

HER INVESTIGATION WON'T BE EASY.

THIS PART OF AFRICA HAS A DARK AND COMPLEX HISTORY.

WE KNOW THIS REGION WAS A REAL MELTING POT

OF POPULATIONS OVER CENTURIES.

IT'S A PLACE THAT WAS CONQUERED MANY TIMES, AND, AS A RESULT,

WE REALLY HAVE A LOT OF POTENTIAL PLAYERS

IN THIS MYSTERY.

Narrator: BELLINGER'S GUIDE TELLS HER THAT A SWAHILI TRIBE

LIVING NEAR THE RUINED CITY

HAS RECOVERED SEVERAL ARTIFACTS FROM THE SITE.

IN THE VILLAGE, BELLINGER MEETS ZARO AND HIS FATHER RANDO.

LOVELY TO MEET YOU.

SHE HOPES THEIR DISCOVERIES WILL SHED SOME LIGHT

ON WHO BUILT AND LIVED IN GEDI.

WOW. WHAT SHE FINDS STUNS HER.

THIS IS AMAZING. WOW! THESE ARE COINS.

LOOKS LIKE THESE ARE CHINESE COINS.

THIS IS MONEY FROM CHINA, ANCIENT MONEY FROM CHINA.

YEAH.

BELLINGER LEARNS THAT PEOPLE HAVE ALSO FOUND

SILVER NECKLACES FROM EUROPE,

MEDIEVAL GLASS FROM EGYPT,

AND FRAGMENTS OF MING DYNASTY VASES AT THE SITE.

THE ARTIFACTS ARE FROM SO MANY DISPARATE PLACES IT SUGGESTS

SHE HAS FOUND THE RUINS OF A PROSPEROUS,

ANCIENT TRADING POST.

THIS POPULATION WAS INCREDIBLY SOPHISTICATED.

Hoffman: THAT ADDS TO THE MYSTERY OF THIS.

IF THESE GUYS WERE SO WEALTHY,

SO WELL CONNECTED INTERNATIONALLY, WHO WERE THEY?

IF IT WAS SO PROSPEROUS, WHY DOESN'T ANYBODY REMEMBER THEM?

Narrator: BELLINGER BELIEVES THE NEWEST ARTIFACTS ARE AROUND

400 YEARS OLD,

SUGGESTING THIS CITY WAS ABANDONED IN THE 17th CENTURY.

BUT WHEN ZARO'S FATHER TELLS HER ABOUT WHAT ELSE

HE HAS SEEN AMONGST THE RUINS, THE MYSTERY OF GEDI DEEPENS.

THE TRIBESPEOPLE'S STORIES ARE THE FIRST CLUE

THAT SOMETHING MALEVOLENT FORCED THE PEOPLE OF GEDI

TO FLEE THEIR CITY.

YOU SAY THAT THEY ARE STILL IN THE RUINS TODAY?

**

Narrator: BELLINGER IS DETERMINED TO DISCOVER

WHAT IT IS ABOUT GEDI THAT TERRIFIES THE LOCALS SO MUCH.

FROM THE VILLAGE, IT'S A HIKE THROUGH THE FOREST TO THE RUINS.

ZARO'S WARNINGS SEEM TO ECHO THROUGH THE TREES.

THIS PLACE IS -- IT'S REALLY -- IT'S VERY ATMOSPHERIC.

IT'S A BIT EERIE.

Narrator: AS BELLINGER APPROACHES GEDI FROM THE GROUND,

THE DENSE JUNGLE BEGINS TO REVEAL ITS SECRETS.

DOZENS OF CRUMBLING BUILDINGS ARE OPEN TO THE SKIES,

BUT THE RUINS EXTEND INTO THE JUNGLE.

IT'S JUST MASSIVE.

IT'S MUCH BIGGER, MUCH MORE THAN I EXPECTED

TO FIND FROM THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

THE PLOT REALLY THICKENS WHEN YOU UNDERSTAND

HOW BIG THIS CITY WAS.

Narrator: AS BELLINGER INSPECTS THE BUILDINGS UP CLOSE,

SHE DISCOVERS SOMETHING BIZARRE.

Bellinger: I'VE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THAT.

Narrator: THE GHOST CITY IN THE MIDDLE OF THE JUNGLE

IS MADE OF CORAL.

IN AFRICA, TYPICALLY, PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BUILT STRUCTURES

OF ALL KINDS OUT OF MUD AND TIMBER.

Narrator: AS SHE PROBES DEEPER INTO THE CITY,

BELLINGER LOCATES THE REMAINS OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE PALACES

AND LARGE HOUSES AND REINFORCED VAULTS,

MOST LIKELY USED FOR STORING GOLD AND TREASURE.

ALL APPEAR TO BE MADE FROM INTRICATELY ARRANGED BLOCKS

OF MARINE LIFE.

Rose: THINGS ARE BUILT OUT OF CORAL THAT YOU'VE TAKEN

FROM MILES AWAY.

THAT SUGGESTS THAT THIS HAD SOME KIND OF A RITUAL

OR SPECIAL FUNCTION.

Narrator: AT THE EDGE OF THE RUINS,

BELLINGER DISCOVERS A POSSIBLE CLUE

AS TO WHY THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE CHOSE TO ABANDON

THIS WEALTHY CORAL CITY.

THIS IS INTERESTING.

Narrator: SECTIONS OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE

TWO HEAVILY FORTIFIED WALLS WITH HOLES CUT OUT OF THEM.

Bellinger: THESE HOLES WOULD HAVE BEEN USED AS SPY HOLES

AND POTENTIALLY EVEN FOR THE USE OF DEFENSIVE WEAPONS

OF SOME KIND.

Narrator: THE DISCOVERY IS ANOTHER CLUE

AS TO WHY GEDI MAY HAVE BEEN ABANDONED.

THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED HERE WERE TERRIFIED OF SOMEONE

OR SOMETHING.

Kourounis: THE CITY WAS QUITE WELL-DEFENDED.

NOW, WHAT WERE THEY PROTECTING THEMSELVES FROM?

THAT'S THE QUESTION.

Narrator: COMING UP...

TERROR IN THE JUNGLE...

-CANNIBALS? -YES.

THEY ATE PEOPLE?

THEY WOULD EAT WHOEVER THEY WOULD GET.

[ ALL SHOUTING ]

THIS IS REAL. THIS IS NOT A HORROR MOVIE.

Narrator: ...AND A SUPER-HEATED CLOUD OF DEATH

THREATENING MILLIONS OF PEOPLE.

THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO.

YOU CANNOT ESCAPE, YOU CANNOT PROTECT YOURSELF.

YOU WILL DIE.

**

NARRATOR: ARCHEOLOGIST KAREN BELLINGER

IS IN EASTERN AFRICA, INVESTIGATING ANCIENT RUINS

CAPTURED BY SATELLITE.

HER INVESTIGATION SUGGESTS THEY WERE PART OF A LARGE CITY

OF GREAT WEALTH,

BUT, BIZARRELY, IT DOESN'T APPEAR IN ANY HISTORY BOOKS.

A LARGE DEFENSIVE WALL HINTS AT A SINISTER END

FOR THE PEOPLE HERE.

Bellinger: PEOPLE IN THE CITY AT SOME POINT

WERE WORRIED ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY

OF HOSTILE OUTSIDERS OR EVEN INVADERS.

Narrator: AS BELLINGER EXPLORERS A LARGE BUILDING

VISIBLE ON THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

SHE FINDS A CLUE AS TO WHO MIGHT HAVE INHABITED THIS RUINED CITY.

IT'S NOT WHAT SHE EXPECTED.

THIS IS MIHRAB.

THIS IS A SPACE IN A MOSQUE, TRADITIONALLY, THAT FACED MECCA.

WHOEVER LIVED HERE, THEY WERE MUSLIM.

Narrator: FOLLOWING THE DEATH OF THE PROPHET MUHAMMAD

IN 632 A.D., THE MIDDLE EAST SUFFERS SEVERAL WARS

OVER WHO WOULD SUCCEED HIM AS THE LEADER OF ISLAM.

THE CONFLICTS GENERATE WAVES OF REFUGEES

WHO MIGRATE SOUTH THROUGH EAST AFRICA AND INTO KENYA.

WE KNOW THAT ISLAM SPREAD FROM ARABIAN NORTH AFRICA

DOWN TO THE EAST COAST OF AFRICA

AFTER ABOUT THE 8th CENTURY A.D.

Narrator: THE MOSQUE SUGGESTS THAT THE CITY'S RICHES

WERE AMASSED BY MUSLIM TRADERS DESCENDED FROM THESE REFUGEES.

BUT THE LOCAL SWAHILI TRIBESMEN HAVE WARNED BELLINGER THE RUINS

ARE NOW UNDER THE CONTROL OF MALEVOLENT SPIRITS.

THE CITY IS THE HOME OF THE JINN,

SUPERNATURAL CREATES DESCRIBED IN EARLY ARABIAN MYTHOLOGY.

ACCORDING TO THE QUR'AN,

THE JINN WERE CREATED ALONGSIDE HUMANS.

WHILE HUMANS WERE MADE OUT OF MUD AND EARTH,

THE JINN WERE MADE OUT OF SMOKELESS FIRE.

Narrator: JINN FORMED THE INSPIRATION FOR THE GENIE

IN THE TALES OF ALADDIN.

THEY CAN SHAPE SHIFT TO TAKE THE FORM OF HUMANS AND ANIMALS

AND DWELL IN ABANDONED PLACES SUCH AS RUINS AND TOMBS,

MANY OF WHICH LITTER THE SITE.

THE JINN ARE KNOWN TO HAUNT CERTAIN PLACES,

AND ESPECIALLY ANCIENT PLACES.

Narrator: THE TRIBE'S BELIEF THAT JINN HAUNT THE CITY

PROVIDES MORE POSSIBLE EVIDENCE

THAT SOMETHING EVIL HAPPENED HERE.

Hunt: EVERY JINN ALSO HAS A DARK SOURCE OF POWER

YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO DRAW ON.

THEY'RE ALIGNED WITH SHAITAN, SATAN,

SO YOU REALLY DON'T WANT TO MESS WITH THEM.

**

Narrator: ARMED WITH WHAT SHE HAS LEARNED,

BELLINGER ARRANGES TO MEET WITH HISTORIAN RAFAEL CAMBO

BACK IN MOMBASA.

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR AGREEING TO MEET ME HERE.

WELCOME. HAVE A SEAT.

SHE HOPES HE CAN SHED LIGHT ON WHO

OR WHAT COULD HAVE FORCED GEDI'S MUSLIM RESIDENTS

TO ABANDON THEIR CITY DURING THE 17th CENTURY.

CAMBO TELLS BELLINGER THAT WHEN GEDI WAS DESERTED

IT WAS UNDER CONTROL OF THE PORTUGUESE EMPIRE,

THE FIRST GLOBAL EMPIRE IN HISTORY,

WHICH STRETCHED FROM SOUTH AMERICA TO AFRICA, INDIA,

AND SOUTHEAST ASIA.

THE PORTUGUESE USED THE REGION TO MAKE MILLIONS FROM TRADE

IN GOLD, IVORY, AND SLAVES.

CAMBO REVEALS THAT AT THE TURN OF THE 17th CENTURY,

SEVERAL WARRIOR TRIBES ATTEMPT TO OVERTHROW

THEIR COLONIAL RULERS AND GAIN CONTROL OF THIS WEALTH.

OKAY, SO WE HAD BOTH LOCAL AND INTERNATIONAL GROUPS

ACTUALLY TUSSLING OVER THIS VERY LUCRATIVE TRADE CENTER.

BELLINGER LEARNS THAT ONE PARTICULARLY FEARSOME TRIBE

THAT WAS HOSTILE TO MUSLIMS WAS ACTIVE IN THE GEDI AREA

WHEN IT WAS DESERTED.

THE ZIMBA TRIBE.

OKAY.

CA-- CANNIBALS? YES.

THEY ATE PEOPLE?

CAMBO TELLS BELLINGER THAT THE ZIMBA ORIGINATE

FROM THE ZAMBEZI RIVER BASIN.

DURING THE LATE 16th CENTURY,

WAR PARTIES ROAM UP THE COAST TOWARDS KENYA,

SLAUGHTERING ALL IN THEIR PATH.

**

THE FEROCIOUS ZIMBA EAT THEIR ENEMIES IN THE BELIEF

THAT THEY WILL STEAL THEIR LIFE FORCE.

Maca: THE MORE PEOPLE YOU KILL AND THE MORE YOU EAT,

THE STRONGER YOU BECOME AND THE MORE POWERFUL

A WARRIOR YOU GET TO BE.

Hunt: RUMORS STILL OCCUR AROUND THE WORLD

OF PEOPLE EATING OTHER PEOPLE TO ABSORB THEIR POWER.

Narrator: AFTER BUTCHERING AN ENEMY,

CANNIBAL WARRIORS CONSUME THE BRAIN

TO ABSORB THEIR VICTIM'S KNOWLEDGE

AND THE HEART TO GAIN THEIR POWER AND COURAGE.

IN OUR SAFE, COMFORTABLE, MODERN WORLD,

WE CAN'T COMPREHEND THE TERROR OF KNOWING

THAT SOMEBODY LIKE THE ZIMBA WARRIORS

ARE COMING TO KILL US AND EAT US AND EAT OUR KIDS.

IT'S WHAT HAPPENED. THIS IS REAL.

THIS IS NOT A HORROR MOVIE.

THIS IS REALLY INTERESTING TO ME, RAFAEL,

BECAUSE I'M THINKING ABOUT WHETHER MAYBE THE ZIMBA

HAD SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE DOWNFALL OF THIS --

OF THIS CITY.

Narrator: EVIDENCE THAT THE ZIMBA EVER REACHED GEDI

REMAINS ELUSIVE.

SOME ARCHEOLOGISTS SPECULATE THAT A PLAGUE OR CATASTROPHIC

DROUGHT COULD HAVE FORCED ITS RESIDENTS TO FLEE.

BUT THESE ARE JUST THEORIES.

WHATEVER HAPPENED HERE, IT WAS SOMETHING SO POWERFUL

AND SO OVERWHELMING THAT ALL RECORD OF THE CITY

AND ITS PEOPLE WERE WIPED FROM HISTORY.

KNOWING ALL THAT WE KNOW ABOUT THIS PLACE,

IT'S A GENUINE MYSTERY AS TO HOW IT COULD FALL OFF THE MAP.

**

Narrator: COMING UP -- VIKINGS, SLAVES,

AND NAZIS IN THE BADLANDS OF RUSSIA.

Morgan: LIFE, DURING THE TIME, IT WAS PUNCTUATED

BY THE GREATEST BRUTALITY

THAT HUMANKIND COULD INFLICT ON ITSELF.

Narrator: AND A MULTIMILLION DOLLAR COVER-UP

IN THE HELL FIRES OF MOUNT VESUVIUS.

Carter: YOU COULD GET RID OF EVIDENCE,

YOU COULD GET RID OF BODIES,

YOU COULD GET RID OF ALMOST ANYTHING YOU NEED TO.

Narrator: JULY 12th, 2017.

THE SENTINEL-2 EARTH OBSERVATION SATELLITE FLIES OVER NAPLES

ON THE WEST COAST OF ITALY.

AS IT PASSES THE NEARBY VOLCANO MOUNT VESUVIUS,

IT CAPTURES THIS IMAGE.

THIS JUST SCREAMS "DANGER" TO ME.

Brand: THERE'S A PLUME OF SMOKE

COMING FROM ONE OF THE MOST DANGEROUS VOLCANOS IN THE WORLD.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ABOUT TO ERUPT.

Narrator: SINCE RECORDS BEGAN, VESUVIUS HAS ERUPTED 50 TIMES,

MOST RECENTLY IN 1944

WHEN BURNING ROCKS THE SIZE OF BASKETBALLS

RAINED DOWN ON LOCAL RESIDENTS

AND THE OCCUPYING ALLIED FORCES.

**

ANOTHER ERUPTION IS LONG OVERDUE.

VESUVIUS CAN ERUPT AS LARGE AS WHAT WE VOLCANOLOGISTS

CALL A V.E.I. 5.

5 IS BIG. 5 IS HUGE.

IT IS ABSOLUTELY A HELLISH INFERNO

WHEN THIS VOLCANO ERUPTS.

THE VOLCANO IS SO DANGEROUS THAT THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT

IS PAYING CITIZENS AND FAMILIES

TO MOVE AWAY FROM THE FLANKS OF THE VOLCANO.

THIS IS EUROPE'S TICKING TIME BOMB.

Narrator: THE NIGHTMARE SCENARIO IS THAT THE SATELLITE IMAGE

SHOWS THE FIRST PHASE OF WHAT VOLCANOLOGISTS CALL

"PYROCLASTIC FLOWS" --

1,800-DEGREE CLOUDS OF GAS

AND BURNING ROCK THAT SWEEP DOWN THE FLANKS OF VOLCANOS

AT UP TO 300 MILES PER HOUR.

THOSE ARE TERRIFYING. THERE IS NOTHING YOU CAN DO.

YOU CANNOT ESCAPE, YOU CANNOT PROTECT YOURSELF.

YOU WILL DIE IF YOU ARE CAUGHT IN A PYROCLASTIC FLOW.

IN A.D. 79, PYROCLASTIC FLOWS FROM VESUVIUS

ANNIHILATED THE NEARBY TOWNS OF POMPEII AND HERCULANEUM,

KILLING AN ESTIMATED 30,000 PEOPLE.

VOLCANOLOGISTS FEAR THAT A 21st-CENTURY ERUPTION

WILL MAKE POMPEII LOOK LIKE CHILD'S PLAY.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE POPULATION OF THE SURROUNDING AREA

IS SO MUCH DENSER.

YOU HAVE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

COMPARED TO TENS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

Narrator: YET WHEN VOLCANOLOGIST BRITTANY BRAND CONSULTS

GEOLOGICAL REPORTS OF THE AREA,

SHE DISCOVERS SOMETHING DOESN'T STACK UP.

Brand: WHEN VOLCANOS ERUPT, THEY'RE NOT QUIET.

[ EXPLOSION ]

THEY PRODUCE A LOT OF SEISMIC ENERGY,

AND THE THING THAT'S CURIOUS HERE IS THAT

WHEN THIS IMAGE WAS TAKEN,

THE VOLCANO WAS QUIET.

SO WHAT IS CAUSING THE SMOKE?

Narrator: ANALYST BRONWYN AGRIOS TURNED TO THE IMAGE FOR CLUES.

THE SMOKE ACTUALLY ISN'T COMING FROM ONE CENTRAL LOCATION

LIKE YOU'D EXPECT A VOLCANO TO.

THERE'S A LOT OF SMOKE AROUND THE EDGES

AND THE BASE OF THE MOUNTAIN.

IT LOOKS MORE LIKE THE SMOKE

THAT YOU'D SEE COMING OFF OF WILD FIRES.

Narrator: AGRIOS APPLIES AN INFRARED FILTER

TO REMOVE THE SMOKE PLUMES FROM THE IMAGE.

IT REVEALS THAT THESE ARE NO ORDINARY WILD FIRES.

Agrios: YOU ACTUALLY SEE THAT THERE ARE LITERALLY

DOZENS OF FIRES.

IT LOOKS LIKE SOMEBODY HAS GONE OUT

AND ACTUALLY SET THESE FIRES.

BUT WHY WOULD SOMEONE LIGHT A VOLCANO ON FIRE?

[ FIRE CRACKLING ]

Narrator: WHEN ARSON INVESTIGATORS

ARRIVE ON THE SCENE, THEY DISCOVER A BIZARRE,

POSSIBLE CLUE TO THE ORIGIN OF THE BLAZES.

THEY'RE FINDING DEAD CATS IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE FIRES.

WHAT DOES THAT MEAN?

WHY ARE THERE CATS APPARENTLY BURNED ALIVE

RIGHT NEAR THESE MASSIVE FIRES?

Narrator: EX-CIA OPERATIVE MIKE BAKER IS AN EXPERT

ON COORDINATED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY.

HE SUSPECTS THE BURNED CAT CORPSES REPRESENT

A GRUESOME ATTEMPT BY THE ARSONIST TO COVER THEIR TRACKS.

Baker: WHAT THEY DO IS THEY SOAK A RAG,

THEY TIE IT TO THE CAT'S TAIL, THEY LIGHT IT ON FIRE,

AND IT GOES OFF IN THIS RANDOM PATTERN,

BUT AN ARSON INVESTIGATOR COMING IN AFTER THE FACT

IS NOT GOING TO SEE THE TRADITIONAL PATTERN

THAT THEY LOOK FOR WHEN THEY'RE INVESTIGATING POST-FIRE.

Narrator: WHEN JOURNALIST SARA CARTER CALLS CONTACTS

LIVING NEAR VESUVIUS TO IDENTIFY THE CULPRITS,

THE INVESTIGATION TAKES ANOTHER BIZARRE TWIST.

Carter: SO, I'VE CONTACTED ITALIAN SOURCES,

AND THIS IS WHAT THEY'RE SAYING --

THEY BELIEVE THIS IS A MOB OPERATION.

THEY BELIEVE THAT THESE FIRES ARE INTENTIONALLY SET

BY THE MOB.

Narrator: FOR MOST OF ITS 150-YEAR HISTORY,

THE MAFIA'S REVENUE COMES FROM THINGS LIKE EXTORTION,

GAMBLING, AND DRUGS.

TODAY, IT HAS BRANCHED OUT, MAKING MONEY FROM ACTIVITIES

SUCH AS SELLING WEAPONS TO I.S.I.S. IN EXCHANGE FOR

LOOTED MIDDLE EASTERN ARTIFACTS.

CARTER'S CONTACTS TELL HER THE FIRES

ARE LINKED TO ANOTHER OF THESE NEW REVENUE STREAMS --

WASTE MANAGEMENT.

IF YOU'RE IN THE MOB, I MEAN, WHAT BETTER BUSINESS

TO HAVE THAN WASTE DISPOSAL, RIGHT?

YOU COULD GET RID OF EVIDENCE, YOU COULD GET RID OF BODIES,

YOU COULD GET RID OF ALMOST ANYTHING YOU NEED TO.

Narrator: MOST ITALIAN WASTE-DISPOSAL COMPANIES

ARE ENTIRELY LEGITIMATE,

BUT SOME ARE RUN BY THE COSA NOSTRA.

IN 2008, FOLLOWING A 10-YEAR TRIAL,

16 MEMBERS OF THE CASALESI FAMILY,

HEADED BY A MAN NICKNAMED "THE WASTE DISPOSAL KING,"

ARE CONVICTED OF RUNNING ILLEGAL WASTE DUMPS AROUND NAPLES.

THESE ILLEGAL DUMPS ENABLE THE MOB

TO SAVE MILLIONS ON NORMAL DISPOSAL COSTS.

Baker: THEY'RE A CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION,

SO BY DEFINITION THEY'RE NOT COMMUNITY MINDED, RIGHT?

THEY'RE NOT LOOKING AT THIS AS

"HOW DO WE FOLLOW THE LETTER OF THE LAW IN WASTE MANAGEMENT?

HOW DO WE DISPOSE OF THE GARBAGE?"

THEY DON'T CARE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THE MOB USED THE FIRES

ON VESUVIUS TO CLEAR LAND TO ILLEGALLY DUMP

THOUSANDS OF TONS OF GARBAGE.

THE PRACTICE HELPS THE MAFIA GENERATE $9 BILLION

EVERY YEAR FROM WASTE DISPOSAL.

Baker: IT'S A REVENUE STREAM LEGALLY,

BUT IT'S ALSO AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THEM

TO MAKE MONEY THROUGH KICKBACKS,

THROUGH ILLEGAL CONTRACTING, THROUGH EXTORTION.

SO, YOU KNOW, WASTE MANAGEMENT IS BIG BUSINESS

FOR THE MAFIA IN ITALY.

**

Narrator: TODAY, THE SMOKE PLUMES ARE GONE,

BUT THE DARK SPECTER OF THE MAFIA

AND THE NEXT VESUVIAN MEGA ERUPTION

STILL LOOMS OVER THIS PART OF ITALY.

I THINK WHAT'S MOST INCREDIBLE ABOUT THESE SATELLITE IMAGES

IS THAT THEY ACTUALLY SHOW US THE MAFIA IN ACTION.

**

Narrator: COMING UP -- A SECRET MILITARY BASE

AND HITLER'S MIRACLE WEAPONS...

THESE WEAPONS WERE, IN EVERY CATEGORY, AHEAD OF THEIR TIME.

...AND SUICIDAL SATELLITES DO BATTLE IN EARTH'S ORBIT.

THIS IS YET ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS ACTUAL WARFARE IN SPACE.

Narrator: SEPTEMBER 10th, 2013.

AS A SATELLITE FLIES OVER A COASTAL INLET

NEAR MURMANSK IN NORTHERN RUSSIA,

IT PHOTOGRAPHS THIS STRUCTURE IN THE ISOLATED LANDSCAPE.

IT'S VERY, VERY ODD, VERY, VERY STRANGE-LOOKING IMAGE.

Gough: A PERFECT, CIRCULAR SHAPE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WILDERNESS.

YOU KNOW, IT'S OBVIOUSLY MANMADE, BUT ITS PURPOSE --

THAT REMAINS A MYSTERY.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURE IS SURROUNDED BY A MOAT OF WATER.

THERE'S A TEXTURING ON IT THAT LOOKS OLD, YOU KNOW?

SO IT MAY HAVE BEEN HERE FOR QUITE A LONG TIME.

Narrator: THE STRUCTURE LIES JUST 15 MILES

FROM THE NORWEIGIAN BORDER.

IT REMINDS SOME HISTORIANS OF STRONGHOLDS BUILT BY VIKINGS.

YOU'RE CLOSE ENOUGH TO THE VIKINGS FOR IT TO MAKE SENSE,

THERE'S RUSSIAN-VIKING HERITAGE,

AND THE VIKINGS HAD A PAST OF BUILDING CIRCULAR

PIECES OF MILITARY ARCHITECTURE.

Narrator: IN THE 9th CENTURY, A.D.,

BANDS OF VIKING WARRIORS MARAUD THROUGH NORTHERN RUSSIA.

Horton: THEY TOOK THEIR SHIPS DOWN THE RUSSIAN RIVERS.

THEY WERE ALL OVER THIS AREA OF NORTHEAST RUSSIA, IN FACT.

THEIR WORD "RUS" ACTUALLY MEANS "VIKING."

Narrator: MANY OF THESE WARRIORS WERE SLAVERS,

SEIZING UP TO 3,000 PEOPLE IN EACH RAID.

THE MYSTERY STRUCTURE BEARS A STRONG RESEMBLANCE

TO A CIRCULAR VIKING FORT KNOWN AS A TRELLEBORG,

WHICH LITERALLY MEANS "A FORTRESS BUILT BY SLAVES."

BUT ANALYSIS REVEALS A MAJOR DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THESE FORTS

AND THE CONSTRUCTION IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

VIKING SETTLEMENTS, ALTHOUGH THEY MIGHT HAVE BEEN ROUND

IN THE OVERALL DESIGN,

THE SIZE OF THAT CIRCULAR FOOTPRINT WAS HUGE.

THIS IS JUST A FEW TENS OF FEET ACROSS,

SO THIS IS NOT A VIKING SETTLEMENT IN MY VIEW.

Narrator: THE MYSTERY DEEPENS WHEN INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER

MORE CIRCULAR STRUCTURES NEARBY,

SOME FLOODED OR CONCEALED WITH WATER.

Pavelec: IT IS EXTREMELY WEIRD. IT'S NOT ONLY THIS ONE.

THERE'S A COUPLE OF THEM IN THE SAME AREA

THAT SHOW THE SAME SORTS OF FORMATIONS --

PERFECT CIRCLES IN POOLS.

Narrator: THE UNIFORMITY OF THE STRUCTURES SUGGESTS

THEY WERE BUILT IN THE 20th CENTURY.

ANALYSIS OF A BUILDING NEAR ONE OF THE STRUCTURES

ENABLES INVESTIGATORS TO PINPOINT THE DATE

OF THEIR CONSTRUCTION.

Morgan: IT APPEARS TO BE KIND OF IN DILAPIDATED CONDITION

AND OVERGROWN, AND IT POINTS TOWARD THE SECOND WORLD WAR

AS A POTENTIAL TIME PERIOD THAT THESE SITES BELONG TO.

Narrator: ON JUNE 22nd, 1941,

GERMANY LAUNCHES OPERATION BARBAROSSA,

A BLITZKRIEG INVASION OF RUSSIA.

HITLER'S ASSAULT ULTIMATELY FAILS,

BUT THIS AREA OF RUSSIA REMAINS UNDER NAZI CONTROL

UNTIL THE END OF THE WAR.

Morgan: WHEN YOU CONSIDER THAT THESE STRUCTURES FALL

WITHIN THAT OCCUPIED TERRITORY, IT CERTAINLY OPENS UP

THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE GERMANS BUILT THESE.

Narrator: IN THE LATTER STAGES OF THE WAR,

THE NAZIS DESIGN AND TEST

A NEW GENERATION OF RADICAL MILITARY HARDWARE,

HOPING IT WILL TURN THE TIDE AGAINST THE ALLIES.

Walters: NAZIS WERE DEVELOPING CIRCULAR AIRCRAFT,

WHICH WOULD HAVE LOOKED LIKE FLYING SAUCERS.

IF YOU'RE TRYING TO DEVELOP TOP-SECRET NEW AIRCRAFT,

YOU NEED TO DO THAT IN REMOTE AREAS,

AND THIS COULD WELL BE ONE OF THOSE AREAS.

Narrator: THE REVOLUTIONARY CRAFT ARE WHAT THE NAZIS CALL

"WUNDERWAFFE," "MIRACLE WEAPONS."

THE NAZIS HAD THE MOST INCREDIBLE AMBITION

WHEN IT CAME TO CREATING AIRCRAFT THAT WAS FAR SUPERIOR,

FAR WEIRDER THAN ANYONE ELSE HAD EVEN CONCEIVED.

Narrator: WHILE SOME WUNDERWAFFE DO NOT PROGRESS PAST

PROTOTYPE PHASE, OTHERS PROVE TO BE HUGE SUCCESSES.

THE FOCKE-WULF 61 IS WIDELY REGARDED

AS THE FIRST FUNCTIONAL HELICOPTER.

AND THE V-2, THE FIRST MAN-MADE OBJECT TO ENTER SPACE,

WILL DIRECTLY INFLUENCE THE DESIGN OF THE SATURN V ROCKET

THAT TAKES THE APOLLO ASTRONAUTS TO THE MOON.

YOU STILL CAN'T HELP BUT RESPECT THE FACT

THAT INCREDIBLE TECHNICAL GENIUS WENT INTO DESIGNING

THESE WEAPONS, AND THESE WEAPONS WERE, IN EVERY CATEGORY,

AHEAD OF THEIR TIME.

Narrator: IN 1940, THE GERMANS BEGIN CONSTRUCTION

OF THE SACK AS-6,

A 16-FOOT DIAMETER DISC-SHAPED CRAFT.

RUMORS PERSIST THAT THE NAZIS GO ON TO SECRETLY DESIGN

AND BUILD A MORE AMBITIOUS

CIRCULAR VERTICAL TAKE-OFF CRAFT,

A 137-FOOT WIDE, JET-POWERED NAZI UFO.

THIS CIRCULAR-CRAFT TECHNOLOGY WOULD LAUNCH

AND RETURN TO THE SAME SPOT.

WHEN I LOOK AT THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

THAT WOULD BE A PERFECT EXAMPLE OF A LAUNCH PAD.

Narrator: THE NAZI CONSTRUCT DOZENS OF WUNDERWAFFE TESTS

AND LAUNCH FACILITIES,

BUT CLOSE ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THIS WASN'T ONE OF THEM.

D'Antonio: THERE'S NO REMNANT

OF ANY ENERGY-GENERATION FACILITIES.

YOU CAN'T JUST HAVE A SITE THAT'S A LAUNCH PAD

WITHOUT THE ATTENDANT SUPPORT INFRASTRUCTURE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER A CLUE TO THE ORIGIN

OF THE STRUCTURES IN AERIAL IMAGES

OF NAZI-OCCUPIED TERRITORY ON THE NORTHERN COAST OF FRANCE.

Pavelec: WHAT IT LOOKS TO ME LIKE IS A LOT OF THE SAME THINGS

THAT I SEE ON THE NORMANDY COAST, WHICH IS GUN PLACEMENTS.

Narrator: SCALE ANALYSIS OF THE STRUCTURE SUGGESTS

THAT THEY CARRIED HUGE 360-DEGREE

ROTATING ARTILLERY GUNS CAPABLE OF FIRING A SHELL PACKED

WITH OVER 335 POUNDS OF EXPLOSIVES

ON TO A TARGET UP TO 17 MILES AWAY.

Morgan: IT COULD PENETRATE THE ARMOR OF A WARSHIP

AND THEN INTRODUCE AN EXPLOSIVE CHARGE

INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE WARSHIP OF SUCH A FORCE AND POWER

THAT IT COULD SINK THAT SHIP.

Narrator: THE QUESTION REMAINS OF WHAT NEARBY

NAZI INSTALLATIONS WERE THESE HUGE GUNS PROTECTING.

RECORDS REVEAL THAT FOLLOWING THE END OF WORLD WAR II,

THE SOVIET MILITARY LIMIT ACCESS TO THE SITE FOR SEVERAL DECADES.

WHATEVER ITS PURPOSE, THIS REMOTE, OVERGROWN BASE

IS A HAUNTING REMINDER OF THE TERRIFYING POWER

OF THE GERMAN WAR MACHINE.

Walters: WAR DOESN'T JUST LEAVE SCARS ON HUMANITY AND PEOPLE.

IT ALSO LEAVES SCARS ON THE PLANET.

AND YOU ONLY HAVE TO LOOK AT IMAGES SUCH AS THIS TO REALIZE

THAT THE REMNANTS OF WAR WILL ALWAYS BE WITH US.

Narrator: COMING UP -- PAGAN BLOOD RITES

IN THE LAND OF THE COSSACKS...

Altaweel: THESE FEATURES WE'RE SEEING MAY HAVE BEEN ALMOST LIKE

AMPHITHEATERS OF SACRIFICE.

Narrator: ...AND A SPACE STATION GOES AWOL IN EARTH'S ORBIT.

Capps: IF THIS IS ABOUT TO CRASH INTO THE EARTH,

WELL, IT'S KIND OF LIKE GETTING A PICTURE OF THE TITANIC

RIGHT BEFORE THE ICEBERG.

Narrator: OCTOBER 6th, 2010.

THE WorldView-2 SATELLITE CAPTURES THIS IMAGE IN THE SKIES

OVER EASTERN CANADA.

Sanford: THIS OBJECT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE IMAGE --

IT JUST LOOKS LIKE IT'S HANGING IN MIDAIR.

Narrator: THE IMAGE BAFFLES ANALYSTS.

Marchetti: THIS IMAGE IS INTERESTING

BECAUSE IT LOOKS LIKE A SATELLITE.

HOW THE HECK DID THEY CAPTURE THE SATELLITE ZOOMING

UNDER ANOTHER SATELLITE?

Narrator: THE OBJECT IN THE IMAGE APPEARS TO BE

JUST A FEW HUNDRED FEET AWAY.

IT FUELS FEARS THAT THERE IS A LARGE OUT-OF-CONTROL OBJECT

ORBITING THE EARTH AT ALMOST FIVE MILES PER SECOND.

Grush: IF YOU WERE TO GET SUCH A CLEAR IMAGE OF A SATELLITE

USING ANOTHER SATELLITE,

THE TWO PROBES WOULD HAVE TO BE DANGEROUSLY CLOSE.

Pappalardo: ANY SATELLITE OPERATOR WHO WOULD SEE

AN IMAGE LIKE THIS WOULD BE TERRIFIED.

THIS WOULD BE, LIKE, A HORROR SHOW.

ARE WE LOOKING AT A SPACECRAFT GONE ROUGE?

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ANALYZE THE IMAGE FOR CLUES.

THE OBJECT IN THIS PICTURE, IT HAS ALL THESE SQUARES ON IT

THAT LOOK LIKE THEY COULD BE SOLAR PANELS.

WHEN YOU COUNT THEM, IT'S THE SAME NUMBER AS YOU WOULD FIND

ON THE CHINESE SPACE STATION.

Narrator: ON SEPTEMBER 29th, 2011,

THE CHINESE LAUNCHED TIANGONG-1,

THE COUNTRY'S FIRST PROTOTYPE SPACE STATION

ON A 2-YEAR MISSION.

BUT AFTER THE CHINESE SPACE AGENCY PUTS TIANGONG-1

INTO SLEEP MODE,

THE MULTI-BILLION DOLLAR MISSION GOES BAD.

IN DECEMBER, 2015, CHINA ADMITTED

THAT THEY LOST COMMUNICATION WITH THE SPACE STATION.

Sanford: WHICH MEANS THAT THEY CAN'T CONTROL IT,

AND IT MIGHT BE FALLING OUT OF ORBIT.

Narrator: AS THE OUT-OF-CONTROL 35-FOOT LONG,

9-TON SPACE STATION ORBITS OUR PLANET,

GRAVITY RELENTLESSLY DRAGS IT DOWN

TOWARDS THE EARTH'S SURFACE.

Capps: IF THIS IS A SHOT OF THE TIANGONG-1

JUST AS IT'S ABOUT TO CRASH INTO THE EARTH,

WELL, IT'S KIND OF LIKE GETTING A PICTURE OF THE TITANIC

RIGHT BEFORE THE ICEBERG.

Narrator: WHEN DROPPED FROM ORBIT, A METAL ROD JUST

20 FEET LONG WOULD EXPLODE WITH THE SAME FORCE

AS A NUCLEAR BOMB.

IT'S GOING TO CRASH INTO THE EARTH, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

Sanford: THERE ARE GONNA BE SOME BIG PIECES

THAT ARE GONNA LAND SOMEWHERE.

THEY MIGHT LAND IN THE OCEAN. THAT'S FINE.

BUT WHAT IF THEY LAND IN NEW YORK CITY?

Narrator: WHEN ANALYSTS RETURN TO THE IMAGE,

THEY DISCOVER KEY DIFFERENCES

BETWEEN THE MYSTERY SATELLITE AND THE ROUGE CHINESE CRAFT.

TIANGONG DOESN'T EXACTLY MATCH WHAT WE SEE IN THIS IMAGE.

IT'S MORE OF A CIRCULAR MODULE STRUCTURE WITH SOLAR PANELS

THAT COME OUT TO THE SIDE.

Narrator: AVIATION EXPERT JOE PAPPALARDO

HAS ANOTHER THEORY.

THIS SATELLITE ISN'T ROUGE --

IT'S SUICIDAL.

CHINA, RUSSIA, AND THE UNTIED STATES

ARE ALL INTERESTED IN DOMINATING SPACE MILITARILY.

ONE WAY THEY DO THIS IS WITH SATELLITES THAT COLLIDE

WITH OTHER SATELLITES, SUICIDE MISSIONS.

Narrator: IN 2017, AFTER LYING DORMANT FOR TWO YEARS,

A MYSTERIOUS RUSSIAN SATELLITE SUDDENLY

AND DRAMATICALLY CHANGES ITS ORBIT,

HEADING STRAIGHT FOR A CHINESE WEATHER SATELLITE,

COMING WITHIN JUST A FEW DOZEN FEET.

IF THIS IS SOMEHOW A SATELLITE DESIGNED TO GET CLOSE

TO ANOTHER ONE FOR NEFARIOUS PURPOSES,

IT WOULD BE YET ANOTHER STEP TOWARDS ACTUAL WARFARE IN SPACE.

**

Narrator: SATELLITES CAPABLE OF HUNTING DOWN

AND DESTROYING ENEMY SPACE CRAFT

WERE COVERTLY DEVELOPED BY THE SOVIETS DURING THE COLD WAR.

THE IMAGE FUELS FEARS THE PROGRAM IS BEING REVIVED.

BUT WHEN ANALYST AMANDA MARCHETTI EXAMINES

THE IMAGE IN GREATER DETAIL,

SHE NOTICES SOMETHING ISN'T RIGHT.

Marchetti: SO, IF THIS WERE A SATELLITE,

I WOULD EXPECT THESE SOLAR PANELS

TO BE SHOWING UP VERY BRIGHTLY BUT THEY'RE NOT.

THEY'RE VERY DARK.

Narrator: AS MARCHETTI ZOOMS IN CLOSER, SHE DISCOVERS A CLUE

TO THE ORIGIN OF THE MYSTERY OBJECT.

Marchetti: I ACTUALLY CAN SEE A SMALL BOAT

SAILING RIGHT OUTSIDE OF THE MAIN FEATURE

THAT WE'RE LOOKING AT.

SO THIS ALL JUST LEADS ME TO CONCLUDE

THAT THIS FEATURE THAT WE'RE SEEING THAT LOOKS VERY ODD

IS IN FACT IN THE WATER.

Narrator: THE SUICIDAL PIECE OF SPACE HARDWARE IS,

IT TRANSPIRES, A TRICK OF THE EYE --

A SATELLITE-SHAPED FISH FARM SEEN FROM SPACE.

WHAT ARE THE ODDS THAT SOMEONE DESIGNED THIS FISH FARM

AND IT LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE A SATELLITE, RIGHT?

Narrator: WHILE THE OUTCOME IS HARMLESS ENOUGH,

THE IMAGE IS A CHILLING REMINDER

THAT WAR WILL SOON BE MOVING INTO SPACE.

Pappalardo: IT DOES OPEN UP A LOT OF QUESTIONS OVER SPACE,

WEAPONRY, AND THE FUTURE OF THIS ENVIRONMENT

THAT WE ALL HAVE A STAKE IN.

**

Narrator: COMING UP, THE DRUNKEN, MURDEROUS

HORSEBACK WARRIORS WHO SPREAD TERROR WHEREVER THEY WENT.

Gough: THE COSSACKS WERE ABSOLUTELY FRIGHTENING.

THEY WERE RUTHLESS.

THEY DID NOT FEAR DEATH.

Narrator: SEPTEMBER, 2016.

A SATELLITE PASSING OVER EASTERN UKRAINE

CAPTURES AN IMAGE OF AN UNUSUAL FEATURE IN THE RURAL LANDSCAPE.

Chamberlain: THIS IMAGE IS REALLY WEIRD.

THERE'S THIS BIG ROUND THING THAT LOOKS LIKE A CRATER,

AND THERE'S LEGS COMING OFF ON SOME OF THE SIDES.

Horton: IT REALLY IS MYSTERIOUS.

THE QUESTION IS WHO BUILT IT AND WHY?

Narrator: ARCHEOLOGIST MARK ALTAWEEL HAS SPENT

ALMOST TWO DECADES STUDYING SATELLITE IMAGES.

Altaweel: TO ME, IT LOOKS DEFINITELY ANCIENT.

THE MOUNTAINS LOOK ERODED.

THEY LOOK LIKE THEY'VE BEEN THERE FOR A LONG TIME.

Narrator: ALTAWEEL CONSIDERS IF THE STRUCTURE COULD BE CONNECTED

TO A PEOPLE WHO DOMINATED THIS LANDSCAPE FOR CENTURIES--

THE COSSACKS.

[ ALL SHOUTING ]

Altaweel: THE COSSACKS WERE, LIKE, THE BIG BAD BOYS

OF EASTERN EUROPE -- MOUNTED HORSEBACK

WITH BIG, CURVY SWORDS, HEADGEAR THAT LOOKED INTIMIDATING.

Narrator: IT IS THOUGHT THE FIRST COSSACK WARRIORS

WERE 15th-CENTURY FUGITIVE SLAVES,

ESCAPED CONVICTS, AND MILITARY DESERTERS.

**

THE HORSE-BACKED WARRIORS MOST FEARED WEAPON IS THE SHASHKA,

A FEARSOME CURVED SABER THAT DREW BLOOD IN BATTLE

RIGHT UP TO WORLD WAR II.

THOSE WHO WITNESSED THEM IN ACTION

COMPARE THEM TO THE MIGHTY SPARTANS, ONLY MORE DRUNK.

THE COSSACKS WERE ABSOLUTELY FRIGHTENING.

THEY WERE RUTHLESS.

THEY DID NOT FEAR DEATH.

Altaweel: WE KNOW THAT THESE COSSACKS DID BUILD SUCH KINDS

OF ROUND FORTRESSES TO PROTECT THEMSELVES,

OFTEN ALONG OR NEXT TO RIVERS.

AND GUESS WHAT?

THIS IS NEXT TO A RIVER.

Narrator: OTHERS ARE NOT CONVINCED THAT THE STRUCTURE

IN THE IMAGE SERVED A MILITARY PURPOSE.

Horton: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE SATELLITE IMAGE CLOSELY,

YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S NO DITCH AROUND THE OUTSIDE.

USELESS AS A MILITARY DEFENSE.

MUCH MORE LIKELY TO BE A PREHISTORIC RITUAL MONUMENT

OF SOME TYPE.

Narrator: ANALYSIS OF THE MOUND'S ORIENTATION

BACKS UP THE THEORY THAT IT HAD CEREMONIAL FUNCTION.

Gough: WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE ALIGNMENT OF IT,

YOU SEE THAT IT'S ORIENTATED TOWARDS THE SOLSTICES,

AND THAT'S SIGNIFICANT.

IT DOES SUGGEST THAT SOMEHOW THERE'S A KIND OF RITUAL

ASSOCIATION OF THIS FEATURE.

Narrator: THE ANCIENT PAGAN CULTURES OF THE UKRAINE

OFTEN HONORED THEIR GODS WITH ANIMAL OR HUMAN SACRIFICE.

[ THUNDER CRASHES ]

THE HEIGHT AND SHAPE OF THE MOUND

SUGGESTS THE CENTRAL FEATURE IN THE IMAGE

COULD HAVE BEEN A KIND OF SACRIFICIAL ARENA

AWASH WITH THE BLOOD OF BUTCHERED BODIES.

Altaweel: HIGH PLACES OFTEN ARE HOLY PLACES,

SO PERHAPS THESE FEATURES WE'RE SEEING MAY HAVE BEEN

ALMOST LIKE AMPHITHEATERS OF SACRIFICE,

AREAS WHERE YOU WOULD GATHER PEOPLE OR ANIMALS

OR WHATEVER YOU'RE SACRIFICING.

Narrator: BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION

IN THE HEART OF UKRAINE, SOME SPECULATE THAT

THE STRUCTURE IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE

COULD BE A REMNANT OF AN EVEN OLDER CIVILIZATION --

PERHAPS THE VERY FIRST IN HUMAN HISTORY.

IT COULD BE ONE OF THE OLDEST MAN-MADE STRUCTURES ON EARTH.

Narrator: ANCIENT SOURCES REFERRED TO A LEGENDARY REALM

KNOWN AS "ARATTA," A LAND OF FABULOUS WEALTH,

REMOTE AND DIFFICULT TO REACH.

ARATTA IS A SORT OF MYSTERIOUS MOTHERLAND.

AND THE HISTORIANS HAVE NEVER SATISFACTORILY

IDENTIFIED WHERE ARATTA IS.

BUT PEOPLE HAVE CLAIMED THAT POSSIBLY IT'S IN

THIS PART OF UKRAINE.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO SOME SOURCES,

THE ARATTA CIVILIZATION IS THE FIRST IN HUMAN HISTORY.

ITS PEOPLE GO ON TO FORM MANY OF THE GREAT EMPIRES

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

THEY BELIEVE THAT ARATTA IS THE START OF SOMETHING

THAT INFLUENCED THE ENTIRE CIVILIZED WORLD.

SO WE'RE TALKING ANCIENT EGYPT, MESOPOTAMIA, INDIA --

YOU NAME IT.

Narrator: IF ARATTA IS REAL, IT COULD HELP EXPLAIN A MYSTERY

THAT'S STUMPED SCIENTISTS FOR DECADES.

HOW IS IT THAT COUNTRIES ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE WORLD

SHARE SO MANY SIMILARITIES IN THEIR LANGUAGE?

Horton: ENGLISH, GERMAN, FRENCH, ITALIAN, SPANISH --

THIS IS PART OF A LANGUAGE FAMILY

SHARED FROM THE WESTERN PART OF EUROPE

RIGHT THE WAY THROUGH PERSIA AND INTO INDIA --

A COMMON LANGUAGE THAT ASSUMES IT HAS A COMMON ORIGIN.

Narrator: NEW RESEARCH SUGGESTS THAT AS MANY AS 400 LANGUAGES

AROUND THE WORLD COULD TRACE THEIR ROOTS

TO A SINGLE ANCIENT CIVILIZATION HERE IN EASTERN UKRAINE.

Altaweel: I AM ALMOST SURE THAT WHEN WE INVESTIGATE THIS

WE WILL REWRITE THE HISTORY BOOKS.

WE MAY LEARN THAT AN ENTIRELY NEW PEOPLE

EMERGED IN THIS LANDSCAPE.

Narrator: WHAT LIES WITHIN THE MYSTERY CRAB-LIKE STRUCTURE

CAPTURED BY THE SATELLITE COULD LEAD US

TO THE ORIGINS OF ALL HUMAN CIVILIZATION ON EARTH.