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.

**

AN 8,000-SQUARE-MILE CODE IN THE LAND OF THE SPIDER GOD.

ALL OF THESE LINES ARE RADIATING, CARVED OUT,

FORMING WHAT LOOKS LIKE TO BE A GIANT SPIDER WEB,

AND IT'S HUGE.

Narrator: SATELLITES TRACK A MYSTERY MEGA-PREDATOR

IN THE SOUTHERN SEAS.

Nelson: THIS REALLY FEELS LIKE SOMETHING OUT OF THE MOVIE "JAWS."

BUT IN THIS CASE, JAWS IS THE VICTIM.

Narrator: AND THE ISLAND AT THE END OF THE WORLD.

Capps: THE BUILDING IN THIS SATELLITE IMAGE,

IT'S KEEPING US AWAY FROM NUCLEAR ARMAGEDDON.

Narrator: BAFFLING PHENOMENA.

MYSTERIES FROM SPACE.

WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY?

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

**

A RECENTLY DECLASSIFIED 1972 SPY SATELLITE IMAGE

OF BOLIVIA'S HIGH PLAINS SHOCKS THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL WORLD.

THE CORONA SATELLITE PHOTOGRAPHS A STRANGE SERIES OF LINES

CRISSCROSSING THE PLATEAU.

Rose: THESE LINES COVER AN AREA THAT'S 8,000 SQUARE MILES.

I MEAN, THIS IS HUMONGOUS.

THIS IS REALLY A BIG UNDERTAKING.

Narrator: SCALE ANALYSIS REVEALS THE ORIGINAL LINES

ARE UP TO 10 FEET WIDE,

AND SOME STRETCH FOR OVER 12 MILES,

ALL TRAVELING IN RAZOR-SHARP STRAIGHT LINES.

THIS LOOKS MAN-MADE.

IT LOOKS HUMAN-MADE, FOR SURE.

IT LOOKS VERY TIGHTLY ENGINEERED.

**

Narrator: ON THE GROUND, INVESTIGATORS DISCOVER THAT,

WHATEVER THEY ARE, THEY'VE BEEN ETCHED INTO THE EARTH BY HAND

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

**

THE DARK SURFACE MATERIAL OF SOIL AND ROCK HAS BEEN DUG UP,

THE LIGHTER-COLORED SUBSTANCE BENEATH BECOMING THE TOPSOIL.

**

INVESTIGATORS SEARCH FOR CLUES

THAT COULD REVEAL WHO BUILT THE LINES AND WHY.

**

HISTORIAN DAVID KRUEGER HAS SEEN SOMETHING SIMILAR,

ALSO IN SOUTH AMERICA.

WHEN I SEE THIS IMAGE, AND I CONSIDER THE LOCATION,

IT KIND OF REMINDS ME OF THE NAZCA LINES

THAT ARE LOCATED IN NEARBY PERU.

**

Narrator: THE NAZCA LINES ARE FIRST STUDIED IN 1926.

BUT EARLY GROUND INVESTIGATIONS REVEAL

NOTHING OF THE SCALE AND COMPLEXITY OF THE DESIGNS.

BUT WHEN COMMERCIAL PILOTS FIRST FLY OVER PERU IN THE 1930s,

THEY ARE THE FIRST TO BEHOLD THE FULL SPLENDOR

OF THESE ANCIENT PATTERNS.

**

BUT CLOSER ANALYSIS OF THE TWO SITES

REVEALS THAT THE LINES IN THE BOLIVIAN SATELLITE IMAGE

HAVE A CRUCIAL DIFFERENCE.

IN THE NAZCA AREA, THERE'S NOTHING QUITE LIKE THESE LINES.

WE DON'T SEE ANYTHING QUITE LIKE THIS STRUCTURE,

NETWORK OF LINES, SO THIS IS UNIQUE.

Narrator: WHEN ANALYSTS REEXAMINE THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

THEY NOTICED THE LINES ARE NOT JUST RANDOM MARKINGS

IN THE GROUND.

THEY SEEM TO FORM A PATTERN.

Chamberlain: ALL OF THESE LINES ARE RADIATING, CARVED OUT,

FORMING WHAT LOOKS LIKE TO BE A GIANT SPIDER WEB.

AND IT'S HUGE.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS CHECK BACK THROUGH ARCHAEOLOGICAL RECORDS,

LOOKING FOR OTHER SIGNS OF WEB-LIKE IMAGERY IN THIS REGION.

**

THEY FIND AN ANCIENT PEOPLE CALLED THE MOCHE

WHO LIVED OVER 2,000 YEARS AGO.

SKILLED ENGINEERS, THEY BUILT A COMPLEX SERIES OF CANALS,

SUPPORTING SETTLEMENTS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

AMONG THEIR MANY RITUALS, THE MOCHE WORSHIPPED A BRUTAL

AND TERRIFYING SPIDER GOD CALLED THE DECAPITATOR.

**

AS FAR AS GODS GO, SPIDERS ARE NOT GOING TO BE

THE WARM AND FUZZY ONES.

THEY'RE THE POWERFUL ONES, THE INTIMIDATING ONES.

THEY'RE GOING TO BE THE ONES THAT ARE USED

TO SCARE YOUR ENEMY.

**

Narrator: THIS GIANT SPIDER DEITY DEMANDS SACRIFICES

OF THE MOST GRUESOME KIND.

VICTIMS ARE TORTURED FOR WEEKS

TO DRAW BLOOD AS AN INITIAL OFFERING.

THEIR HEADS ARE SEVERED TO PAY TRIBUTE

TO THE ALL-POWERFUL SPIDER.

FINALLY, PARTS OF THE CORPSES ARE EATEN

IN CANNIBALISTIC RITUALS.

INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF THE LINES IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE

WERE CONSTRUCTED AS AN HOMAGE TO THE DECAPITATOR.

YOU CAN SEE WHY THIS GOD WOULD HAVE BEEN SOMETHING TO BE FEARED

AND APPEASED WITH GIFTS AND BLOODY RITUALS.

**

Narrator: BUT RECENT CARBON DATING OF THE LINES IN BOLIVIA

CONFIRMS THEY WERE MADE 3,000 YEARS AGO,

A THOUSAND YEARS BEFORE THE MOCHE PEOPLE.

ARCHAEOLOGIST MARK ALTAWEEL

STUDIES THE SATELLITE IMAGE IN DETAIL.

HE SUSPECTS THE LINES MAY BE HIDING

SOMETHING ALTOGETHER DIFFERENT WITHIN THEIR INTRICATE PATTERNS.

Altaweel: I DON'T THINK THIS IS A KIND OF MASSIVE SPIDER WEB.

**

THEY'RE NOT SPACED EVENLY. THEY'RE NOT SYMMETRICAL.

SO IT'S SUGGEST THEY'RE PROBABLY PATHWAYS

THAT WOULD HAVE CONNECTED DIFFERENT PLACES.

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS ANALYZE THE SATELLITE IMAGE FOR CLUES

AS TO WHAT THE LINES COULD BE CONNECTING

AND MAKE AN INTRIGUING DISCOVERY.

WHEN YOU REALLY ZOOM IN ON THESE LINES,

YOU CAN SEE THAT IT'S NOT A STRAIGHTFORWARD LINE.

THERE'S LITTLE DOTS ALONG THEM.

THESE WERE ACTUALLY TOMBS CALLED CHOPAS.

**

UNDERNEATH THESE TOWERS, YOU WILL FIND NOBLE PERSONS

BURIED IN THE FETAL POSITION ALONG WITH EARTHLY POSSESSIONS

TO CARRY THEM INTO THE NEXT LIFE.

Narrator: THE LINES LINK THE TOMBS TOGETHER,

AND THAT'S NOT ALL.

EXPERTS CONSIDER IF THE ORIENTATION OF KEY PATHS

MEANS THEY WERE BUILT AS A KIND OF SACRED PATHWAY.

Maca: I THINK THESE LINES COULD BE TIED TO RELIGION AND TO GODS.

WHY? BECAUSE A LOT OF THE LINES,

THEY SEEM TO CONNECT DIFFERENT MOUNTAINS.

AND MOUNTAINS WERE ASSOCIATED WITH GODS,

WITH THE HEAVENS, WITH CELESTIAL BODIES,

AND WITH DIVINE POWER.

Narrator: BUT DESPITE PAINSTAKING ANALYSIS,

BEYOND BEING PATHWAYS TO THE AFTERLIFE,

RESEARCHERS CANNOT BE SURE OF THE LINES' PRECISE ROLE

IN THE COMMEMORATION OF THE DEAD.

**

MANY BELIEVE THE PATTERNS IN THE GROUND MUST BE A CODE,

A MESSAGE FROM THE ANCIENT PAST.

BUT IF THEY ARE, IT'S A CODE WE MAY NEVER BREAK.

Gough: THIS WAS PREHISTORY. NOTHING WAS WRITTEN DOWN.

AND, SADLY, WE WILL NEVER KNOW FOR CERTAIN WHAT THEY WERE FOR.

**

Narrator: COMING UP...

THE STRANGE RINGS THAT STAND BETWEEN US AND ARMAGEDDON.

Baker: YOU'RE COUNTING ON THE GOOD WILL OF DICTATORS LIKE KIM JONG-UN

TO POLICE THEMSELVES?

Narrator: AND THE GREAT WHITE SHARK KILLER OF THE DEEP.

THESE THINGS ARE MASSIVE.

THEY CAN GROW UP TO 60 FEET LONG,

AND THEY CAN GRAB PREY MORE THAN 30 FEET AWAY.

Narrator: JANUARY 2004 --

WESTERN AUSTRALIA.

SCIENTISTS USING SATELLITE TAGS TO TRACK GREAT WHITE SHARKS

NOTICE SOMETHING STRANGE --

A LONE, PINGING TAG FLOATING ON THE SURFACE OF THE OCEAN.

BUT THE BIG SHARK IS NOWHERE TO BE SEEN.

THESE TAGS ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR SHARKS,

AND THEY CAN'T JUST SHAKE IT OFF AND GET RID OF IT.

SO WHEN ONE OF THESE SHOW UP,

YOU KNOW SOMETHING'S GONE WRONG.

Narrator: FOUR MONTHS PREVIOUSLY, BIOLOGISTS SECURELY FITTED IT

TO A 9-FOOT FEMALE GREAT WHITE SHARK CODENAMED "ALPHA."

THE TAG CONTAINS INSTRUMENTS

TO RECORD HER BODY TEMPERATURE AND DEPTH.

A SATELLITE UPLINK TRACKS HER MOVEMENT ALONG THE COAST.

THE SCIENTISTS HOPE THE RECORDED DATA WILL ENABLE THEM

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT WHERE SHE FEEDS AND REPRODUCES.

THESE TAGS ARE FITTED WITH SATELLITE GPS MARKERS.

WHEN THEY FLOAT TO THE SURFACE, A PING GOES OUT,

AND YOU KNOW EXACTLY WHERE THAT IS

AND WHETHER OR NOT IT'S ON A SHARK.

**

Narrator: THE SATELLITE TAG HAS SURFACED

AND BEGUN PINGING WEEKS AHEAD OF SCHEDULE.

A VISUAL INSPECTION ALSO REVEALS SOMETHING STRANGE.

THE TAG APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN EATEN AWAY BY ACID,

AND YOU DON'T GET ACID LIKE THIS IN THE SEA,

WHICH SUGGESTS THAT THE TAG HAS BEEN

IN THE STOMACH OF ANOTHER CREATURE.

**

Narrator: THE TAG WAS SECURELY ATTACHED

TO THE 3-INCH-THICK BASE OF HER DORSAL FIN.

GREAT WHITES LIKE ALPHA ATTACK THEIR PREY

AT UP TO 35 MILES PER HOUR

AND WITH SUCH FEROCITY,

THEY CAN GO THROUGH 30,000 TEETH IN A LIFETIME.

AND YET, IT APPEARS THAT A MYSTERY ANIMAL HAS ATTACKED

AND TAKEN HUGE CHUNKS OUT OF THE MASSIVE APEX PREDATOR

BEFORE BELCHING THE TAG BACK UP.

THINK ABOUT THIS. YOU HAVE A GREAT WHITE SHARK

THAT POTENTIALLY WAS EATEN BY SOMETHING BIGGER THAN IT.

THAT'S TERRIFYING.

Narrator: MARINE BIOLOGIST ARI FRIEDLAENDER CONSIDERS

WHETHER SHARK ALPHA WAS DEVOURED BY A MEMBER OF ITS OWN SPECIES.

Friedlaender: SHARKS ARE AMAZING PREDATORS.

THEY CAN BE VERY VICIOUS.

THEY CAN GET INTO THESE FEEDING FRENZIES,

SO IT'S VERY POSSIBLE THAT A 9-FOOT SHARK

WAS PREYED ON BY A LARGER SHARK.

**

Narrator: THE TAG'S SATELLITE TRACKING DATA REVEALS THAT ALPHA

TRAVELLED 2,000 MILES THROUGH SEAS

INFESTED WITH OVER 100 SPECIES OF SHARK.

**

BUT FRIEDLAENDER BELIEVES THAT ONLY ONE IS CAPABLE

OF TAKING ON AND DEVOURING SHARK ALPHA.

I THINK THE MOST LIKELY THING THAT HAPPENED IS THAT ANOTHER,

MUCH LARGER GREAT WHITE ATTACKED THIS ONE.

IT'S HARD TO FIND A MEAL IN THE OCEAN,

AND IF THE ONLY THING AROUND YOU

IS SOMETHING THAT'S PRETTY SIMILAR TO YOU,

YOU'RE GOING TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO FEED

RATHER THAN STARVE,

EVEN IF IT'S YOUR OWN SPECIES.

Narrator: YET THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH THE CANNIBAL SHARK THEORY.

USUALLY, A GREAT WHITE'S STOMACH TEMPERATURE IS 25 DEGREES

HIGHER THAN THE SURROUNDING WATER.

BUT THE TAG'S THERMOMETER REVEALS

THAT THE MYSTERY PREDATOR'S STOMACH TEMPERATURE

WAS SEVERAL DEGREES HIGHER THAN THAT.

**

EXPERTS CONSIDER WHAT OTHER PREDATOR

COULD ACCOUNT FOR THE TEMPERATURE ANOMALY

AND IS BIG AND BAD ENOUGH TO TAKE ON A GREAT WHITE.

THE ONLY THINK THAT I'VE EVER ENCOUNTERED OR HEARD OF

THAT COULD FEED ON GREAT WHITE SHARKS ARE KILLER WHALES.

Narrator: LIKE WOLVES, KILLER WHALES HUNT IN PACKS,

UP TO 40 AT A TIME.

THEY WILL SURROUND THEIR VICTIM AND USE DIFFERENT TECHNIQUES

TO DECEIVE THEM AND COME IN AT DIFFERENT ANGLES.

**

Narrator: WHEN HUNTING BIG PREY LIKE GREAT WHITES,

KILLER WHALES CAN TRANSFORM

INTO 40-MILE-PER-HOUR, 6-TON BATTERING RAMS.

Friedlaender: THEY'VE GOT THESE SORT OF BLUNT HEADS.

THEY'RE MASSIVE ANIMALS. THEY CAN GO VERY FAST,

AND THE FORCE OF THE ANIMAL IMPACTING IT

IS PROBABLY ONE WAY THEY COULD KILL IT.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE TRACKING DATA TELLS INVESTIGATORS

THAT WHILE SHARK ALPHA WAS ATTACKED IN SHALLOW WATER,

IT WAS THEN DRAGGED DOWN TO TWICE THE KNOWN DEPTH

OF A KILLER WHALE DIVE.

THEY'RE MAMMALS. THEY BREATHE AT THE SURFACE.

THEY NEED TO HUNT AND STAY AT THE SURFACE.

AND HERE YOU HAVE A TAG THAT SHOWS IT WENT TO 2,000 FEET.

Narrator: THE DATA LEADS INVESTIGATORS

TO TURN THEIR ATTENTION TO THE DEEP OCEAN,

HOME TO SOME OF OUR PLANET'S MOST ALIEN

AND FORMIDABLE PREDATORS.

AND WHEN IT COMES TO ALIEN AND FORMIDABLE,

LOOK NO FURTHER THAN THE GIANT SQUID.

IF YOU'RE TRYING TO PICTURE A GIANT SQUID, THINK THE KRAKEN

FROM THE "PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN" MOVIES.

Stenstrom: THESE THINGS ARE MASSIVE.

THEY CAN GROW UP TO 60 FEET LONG,

AND THEY HAVE HOOKED SUCKERS ON THEIR TENTACLES

AND CAN GRAB PREY MORE THAN 30 FEET AWAY.

**

Narrator: GIANT SQUID RELY ON BASKETBALL-SIZED EYES,

THE BIGGEST IN THE ANIMAL KINGDOM, TO PENETRATE THE GLOOM,

SEARCHING FOR PREY.

SCARS DISCOVERED ON 40 FOOT-LONG SPERM WHALES

ARE EVIDENCE THAT THEY CAN INFLICT HORRIFIC WOUNDS

ON SOME OF THE LARGEST OCEAN PREDATORS.

IF A GIANT SQUID CAN CAUSE THIS MUCH DAMAGE TO A SPERM WHALE,

WHAT'S TO SAY THAT IT CAN'T DO THE SAME THING

TO A BIG GREAT WHITE?

Narrator: ANALYSIS OF GIANT SQUID SPECIMENS

REVEALS A FLAW IN THIS ARGUMENT.

WHEN GIANT SQUAD CONSUME THEIR PREY,

IT MUST PASS THROUGH A HALF-INCH DIAMETER HOLE

IN THEIR DOUGHNUT-SHAPED BRAIN,

A HOLE TOO SMALL TO SWALLOW THE SATELLITE TAG.

**

THE ATTACK DATA RECORDED BY THE TAG

FORCES EXPERTS TO CONSIDER

IF A GIANT PREDATOR UNKNOWN TO SCIENCE

IS LURKING IN THE OCEANS OFF AUSTRALIA.

**

THE EXISTENCE OF SUCH A CREATURE IS BACKED UP

BY EYEWITNESS ACCOUNTS FROM THE 20th CENTURY.

Stenstrom: FISHERMEN HAVE RECORDED SOMETHING UNIDENTIFIED

OFF OF THE WATERS OF AUSTRALIA,

SOMETHING THAT WAS MASSIVE.

Narrator: ONE SIGHTING IN 1918 RECOUNTS HOW A GHOSTLY WHITE,

150-FOOT-LONG CREATURE EFFORTLESSLY SNATCHED

LOCAL FISHERMEN'S HEAVY NETS AND CATCH.

FOLLOWING SEVERAL OTHER SIGHTINGS

IN THE SOUTHERN OCEANS,

THE MYSTERY MONSTER BECOMES KNOWN AS THE LORD OF THE DEEP.

**

FOLKLORE? MAYBE,

BUT THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERE ADMINISTRATION

CALCULATES THAT 95% OF OUR OCEAN DEPTHS

REMAIN UNEXPLORED.

**

IN THE PAST TWO YEARS ALONE,

SCIENTISTS HAVE IDENTIFIED 3,000 NEW SPECIES OF MARINE ANIMALS,

INCLUDING A 25-FOOT-LONG BEAKED WHALE.

I THINK IT'S EXTREMELY EXCITING AND FASCINATING

THAT CREATURES LIKE THIS COULD STILL EXIST UNDISCOVERED.

Narrator: SHARK ALPHA'S KILLER MAY BE JUST ONE OF MANY

UNIDENTIFIED LARGE PREDATORS IN OUR OCEANS.

Nelson: THE OCEANS ARE A GIANT PLACE THAT WE KNOW VERY LITTLE ABOUT.

THERE'S NO DOUBT IN MY MIND THAT WE WILL ONE DAY

FIND ANOTHER MEGA-PREDATOR.

**

Narrator: COMING UP... A HUNT FROM THE HEAVENS

FOR A LEGENDARY BIBLICAL RELIC.

Kourounis: IF THIS THING ACTUALLY DOES EXIST,

THAT WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.

Narrator: AND A TOWN-SWALLOWING LAKE.

Mosher: THE LAKE IS RISING RAPIDLY, AND NOBODY KNOWS WHY.

IT'S A HUGE MYSTERY.

Narrator: AUGUST 2017.

A WorldView-3 SATELLITE PASSES OVER A LAKE IN HAITI

ON THE CARIBBEAN ISLAND OF HISPANIOLA.

IT CAPTURES AN IMAGE OF A SERIES OF RECTANGLES

WITHIN THE WATERS OF LAKE AZUéI.

HIGHER MAGNIFICATION REVEALS THAT THESE SHAPES ARE HOUSES,

HOUSES WIPED OUT IN A FLOOD.

Kays: YOU CAN SEE THAT THIS WATER HAS RISEN

AND DESTROYED PEOPLE'S LIVES.

Narrator: WORRYINGLY, SCIENTISTS CAN'T EXPLAIN

WHY THIS LAKE'S WATERS ARE RISING.

LOCAL PEOPLE FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL ON EVER-SHRINKING LAND.

Cerveny: THE PEOPLE THAT WERE LIVING NEAR THIS LAKE

HAVE BEEN FORCED INTO SMALLER AND SMALLER AREAS

BECAUSE THE LAKE HAS EXPANDED INTO WHAT WAS THEIR LIVING AREA.

Narrator: MAKING MATTERS WORSE, NOW THEIR TEMPORARY HOMES

ENCROACH UPON THE TERRITORY OF A DEADLY PREDATOR,

THE CROCODILE.

Chamberlain: THESE ARE NOT JUST ANY OLD CROCODILES.

THESE ARE AMERICAN CROCODILES,

WHICH ARE KNOWN TO BE MORE AGGRESSIVE

AND DANGEROUS TO HUMANS.

Narrator: WITH THE LOCALS RUNNING OUT OF SAFE AREAS TO LIVE,

THE REPTILES SENSE AN EASY KILL.

Kays: YOU GOT TO FEEL FOR THE PEOPLE HERE.

THEY'VE LOST THEIR HOMES. THEY'VE LOST THEIR LIVELIHOODS.

AND NOW THEIR BACKYARD'S INFESTED WITH CROCODILES.

**

Narrator: CLOSER INSPECTION OF THE SATELLITE IMAGE

REVEALS THAT THIS IS NOT THE ONLY LAKE THAT'S RISING.

THE NEARBY LAKE ENRIQUILLO IS ALSO BURSTING ITS BANKS.

Chamberlain: LAKE ENRIQUILLO IS THE LARGEST LAKE IN ALL OF THE CARIBBEAN,

AND IT HAS DOUBLED IN SIZE,

MAKING IT 135 SQUARE MILES.

THAT'S THE SIZE OF ATLANTA.

**

Narrator: ON THE GROUND, METEOROLOGISTS CONFIRM

WATER LEVELS HAVE RISEN IN THE PAST HERE.

IN THE WET SEASON, HEAVY RAINS MAKE THE LAKE OVERFLOW.

USUALLY, THIS IS REVERSED IN THE DRY SEASON.

BURNING HOT TEMPERATURES EVAPORATE THE WATER,

BUT THIS TIME, IT'S DIFFERENT.

Cerveny: WHAT WE SEE HERE IS THAT, SINCE 2004, THE SATELLITE IMAGERY

SHOWS THAT THESE LAKES HAVE BEEN STEADILY INCREASING,

AND THAT'S ALARMING.

**

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGES COME TO THE ATTENTION

OF SCIENCE JOURNALIST DAVE MOSHER.

HE'S MADE THE TRIP DOWN TO HAITI'S LAKE AZUéI

TO SEE IF EVIDENCE ON THE GROUND

CAN SHED LIGHT ON THE CAUSE OF THE CATASTROPHE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THE LAKE HAS ALMOST DOUBLED IN SIZE,

SWALLOWING FARMLAND AND VILLAGES,

DISPLACING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.

Narrator: FROM THE SATELLITE IMAGE, HE CALCULATES THE LAKE LEVELS

HAVE RISEN 16 FEET IN 8 YEARS.

**

MOSHER'S ARRANGED TO MEET A LOCAL BOAT OWNER

WHO'S WILLING TO TAKE HIM TO THE DEVASTATED COMMUNITY

IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

**

WOW.

HOW MANY PEOPLE USED TO LIVE THERE?

SO HOW MANY PEOPLE IN EACH ONE OF THESE HOMES?

WOW.

-IN EACH ONE OF THESE. -YES.

THIS IS CRAZY.

THERE ARE DOZENS OF HOUSES OVER HERE.

ALL OF THESE FAMILIES JUST HAD TO UP AND LEAVE

ON A MOMENT'S NOTICE AS THE WATERS ROSE.

**

Narrator: FROM THE LAKESIDE, MOSHER STUDIES THE LANDSCAPE.

HE NOTICES IT'S SURROUNDED

BY A SERIES OF STEEP, MOUNTAINOUS SLOPES.

SEISMIC DATA CONFIRMS HIS BELIEF

THAT THE WHOLE AREA IS GEOLOGICALLY UNSTABLE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S A FAULT LINE

THAT RUNS RIGHT UNDERNEATH THIS LAKE.

I'M WONDERING IF THIS HAS SOMETHING TO DO

WITH THE RISING WATER LEVELS.

Narrator: HAITI SITS PRECARIOUSLY ALONG THE BOUNDARY

OF TWO TECTONIC PLATES.

IT'S AN AREA OF INTENSE SEISMIC ACTIVITY.

THE MAGNITUDE 7 EARTHQUAKE THAT STRUCK THE ISLAND IN 2010

KILLED OVER 200,000 PEOPLE

AND CAUSED $14 BILLION WORTH OF DAMAGE.

ONE POSSIBILITY MIGHT BE THAT SEISMIC ACTIVITY

COULD RUPTURE AN UNDERGROUND AQUIFIER AND ALLOW FOR THE WATER

TO SEEP UP TO THE SURFACE AND CREATE THESE RISING LAKES.

**

Narrator: BUT PROVING THIS THEORY IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE.

IF THERE IS SOME SORT OF UNDERGROUND WATER SOURCE

THAT'S DISCHARGING INTO THE LAKE,

IT WOULD BE REALLY HARD TO SPOT

AND REALLY HARD TO KNOW IF IT WAS HAPPENING OR NOT.

Narrator: MOSHER RETURNS TO THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

CLOSE TO THE LAKE, HE NOTICES SIGNS OF INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY.

[ MAN SPEAKS NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

Narrator: HE FINDS THE FORESTS SURROUNDING THE LAKE

ARE A HUB FOR CHARCOAL PRODUCTION.

Mosher: I KNOW THAT HAITI AS A COUNTRY

RELIES HEAVILY ON CHARCOAL FOR ENERGY, FOR COOKING FUEL,

SO I'M DRIVING RIGHT NOW TO SEE IF THERE'S ANY CONNECTION

BETWEEN THAT AND THE RISING LAKE.

**

Narrator: MOSHER LEARNS THAT AROUND THE SAME TIME

AS THE WATERS BEGIN TO RISE,

INCREASED CHARCOAL PRODUCTION CAUSES A SURGE IN DEFORESTATION.

Chamberlain: THE IRONY OF ALL OF THAT IS THAT CUTTING DOWN THOSE TREES,

THAT'S GOING TO CONTRIBUTE TO WATER FLOW INTO THE LAKES

AND MAKE THE LAKES RISE EVEN HIGHER.

Cerveny: DEFORESTATION ALLOWS SOIL TO BE CARRIED

MORE EASILY BY RAINWATER INTO THE LAKES.

WELL, AS YOU PUT SOIL DOWN INTO THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKES,

YOU'RE BASICALLY CREATING A HIGHER AND HIGHER LAKE LEVEL.

AND THAT ALLOWS FOR INCREASED FLOODING.

Narrator: BUT LOCAL EXPERTS AREN'T CONVINCED

THAT DEFORESTATION ALONE

COULD ACCOUNT FOR THE SCALE OF THE FLOODING

DETECTED IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

WITHOUT ANSWERS, SOME BEGIN TO CONSIDER

IF GREATER FORCES COULD BE AT WORK.

Hoffman: WHEN THERE'S REALLY NOBODY THAT CAN TELL PEOPLE WHAT'S GOING ON,

WHEN SCIENCE DOESN'T HAVE AN ANSWER THAT'S CLEAR-CUT,

PEOPLE TEND TO TURN TO RELIGION FOR ANSWERS.

Narrator: AND ON HAITI, THAT MEANS VODOU.

**

THE POPULAR IMAGE OF VODOU

IS THAT OF A DEVIL-WORSHIPPING CULT.

WITCH DOCTORS CASTING DEADLY SPELLS ON THEIR ENEMIES.

**

BUT THE TRUE NATURE OF VODOU IS THAT OF A BENIGN RELIGION.

TODAY, NEARLY 5 MILLION HAITIANS, HALF THE POPULATION,

PRACTICE VODOU.

AND WHEN A NATURAL DISASTER STRIKES,

FOR SOME, VODOU SPIRITS COME UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT.

Krueger: THERE ARE WIDESPREAD BELIEFS AMONG THE LOCAL POPULATION

THAT THE SPIRITS ARE TRYING TO PUNISH THE HAITIAN PEOPLE

FOR SOME TYPE OF SIN AGAINST THE LANDSCAPE

OR DOING SOMETHING WRONG.

**

Narrator: BUT FOR THOSE WHO LOST EVERYTHING TO THE RISING WATERS,

THE IDEA OF ANGRY SPIRITS WREAKING HAVOC

JUST DOESN'T STACK UP.

**

THERE ARE SO MANY EXPLANATIONS

FOR WHY THESE LAKE LEVELS ARE RISING.

TO BE HONEST, THE THING THAT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND

IS WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE LAKE BED.

TO GET AT THAT MYSTERY, WE'RE GOING TO HAVE TO COME OUT HERE

AND DRILL BORE HOLES

AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON DOWN THERE.

Narrator: UNTIL SCIENTISTS CAN SEE WHAT LIES BENEATH THE LAKE,

THE MYSTERY OF THE RISING WATERS REMAINS UNSOLVED.

**

COMING UP...

THE SPECIAL FORCES OF THE HIGH SEAS.

Chamberlain: THIS IS, LIKE, A REAL GROUP OF SUPERHEROES,

GOOD AGAINST EVIL.

Narrator: AND A GHOST OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE SEEN FROM SPACE.

Kays: IT LOOKS KIND OF SNAKE-LIKE, AND YOU WONDER,

"WHAT'S CAUSED THAT?"

Narrator: NORTHERN ITALY -- 2005.

A SATELLITE PASSES HIGH OVER THE FIELDS OF SORBOLO

ON THE OUTSKIRTS OF PARMA.

IT CAPTURES AN IMAGE OF A GHOSTLY CURVED LINE

SEEMINGLY EMBEDDED IN THE LANDSCAPE.

IT'S A STRANGE SEMI-CIRCULAR SHAPE.

IT HAS SOME SINUOUS LOOK TO IT.

IT'S REALLY STRANGE-LOOKING.

Kays: IT LOOKS KIND OF SNAKE-LIKE, AND YOU WONDER,

"WHAT'S CAUSED THAT?"

Narrator: WHAT MAKES THIS SHAPE INTRIGUING

IS THAT THIS PART OF ITALY IS RENOWNED FOR ITS ARCHAEOLOGY.

RESEARCHERS WONDER IF THE SATELLITE IMAGE

SUGGESTS ANCIENT SECRETS LIE BENEATH.

**

THEY TURN TO LOCAL HISTORICAL RECORDS

AND MAKE AN INTRIGUING DISCOVERY.

THE RECORDS REVEAL THAT PARMA, JUST 6 MILES AWAY,

WAS A MAJOR ROMAN SETTLEMENT FROM 183 B.C.

UNTIL IT WAS OVERTAKEN BY ATTILA THE HUN.

ONE POSSIBILITY COULD BE THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY LOOKING

AT AN ANCIENT ROMAN RUIN OF SOME TYPE.

Narrator: MARC D'ANTONIO STUDIES THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

HE BELIEVES THE LINE'S SHAPE COULD YIELD CLUES.

D'Antonio: IF WE CONTINUE THIS MENTALLY AND MAKE THIS INTO A FULL ELLIPSE,

MAYBE THIS IS A SITE FOR GLADIATORIAL GAMES

OR CHARIOT RACES OR SOMETHING,

BECAUSE THIS IS PRETTY BIG

COMPARED TO THESE HOUSES OUT HERE.

Narrator: OVAL AMPHITHEATERS ARE CENTRAL TO ROMAN LIFE.

THE BIGGEST ARENA IN THE EMPIRE, THE COLOSSEUM IN ROME,

HOLDS 50,000 SPECTATORS,

THEN 1/4 OF THE CITY'S POPULATION.

SOMETIMES, 2,000 GLADIATORS ARE KILLED IN A SINGLE EVENT.

PEOPLE WOULD COME, AND THEY WOULD BRING FOOD.

THEY WOULD WATCH. THEY WOULD SHOUT.

THEY WOULD SCREAM UNTIL THEY WERE HOARSE,

GAME AFTER GAME.

[ CHEERS AND APPLAUSE ]

**

Narrator: THE ROMANS ARE KNOWN TO HAVE BUILT

230 AMPHITHEATERS ACROSS THEIR EMPIRE.

BUT ARCHAEOLOGIST MARK HORTON IS NOT CONVINCED

THE SATELLITE IMAGE HAS UNCOVERED A NEW COLOSSEUM.

Horton: THE COLOSSEUM IS AROUND 650 FEET,

AND THAT'S THE LARGEST KNOWN AMPHITHEATER IN THE ROMAN WORLD.

THIS IS 1,500 FEET, SO IT'S OVER TWICE THE SIZE.

I DON'T THINK THIS CAN BE AN AMPHITHEATER.

THE SHAPE'S ROUGHLY RIGHT.

IT'S ACTUALLY FAR TOO LARGE.

Narrator: D'ANTONIO RE-ANALYZES THE SATELLITE DATA

FOR FURTHER CLUES.

HE CONFIRMS THE CURVED LINE ISN'T THE ONLY UNUSUAL FEATURE

CAPTURED BY SATELLITE.

NOW, IF WE LOOK JUST A LITTLE BIT FARTHER NORTH

FROM THIS SPOT,

WE SEE THIS AREA HERE.

IT'S ACTUALLY GOT SOME LINEAR MARKS --

NOT THESE LINES, BUT WHAT'S IN BETWEEN.

THIS COULD BE THE REMAINS

OF AN ANCIENT ROMAN VILLA, PERHAPS.

Narrator: THE SATELLITE IMAGE COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS FROM THE MUSEUM OF PARMA.

THEY EXCAVATE THE DARK, RECTANGULAR SHAPES

AND FIND IMPORTANT ROMAN ARTIFACTS.

Horton: ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE FOUND CERAMICS

FROM THE FIRST CENTURY B.C.,

WHICH, OF COURSE, IS THE BEGINNING OF THE GOLDEN ERA

OF ROMAN CULTURE AND CIVILIZATION.

THIS IS THE PERIOD OF THE GREAT PROSPERITY,

THE GREAT EXPANSION OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

Narrator: AT THE HEIGHT OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

THE WEALTHY ELITE OWN VAST COUNTRY VILLAS,

STRETCHING TO 1,000 SQUARE FEET

WITH ROOM FOR 500 SLAVES.

VILLAS ARE PALATIAL IN STYLE.

THEY HAVE ELABORATE WALL PLASTER AND MOSAICS.

THEY WOULD HAVE GARDENS AND FOUNTAINS,

BUT THEY WERE SURROUNDED BY FARMLAND

AND THESE WERE KIND OF LIKE COUNTRY HOUSES, REALLY.

THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE RESIDENCE

OF SOMEONE WHO WAS QUITE WEALTHY,

EQUIVALENT TO, PERHAPS,

SOMEONE LIVING IN THE HOLLYWOOD HILLS.

Narrator: ACCORDING TO MANUSCRIPTS, ROMAN COUNTRY VILLAS

WERE OFTEN POSITIONED NEAR A BEND IN A MIGHTY RIVERS.

ANALYSTS BELIEVE THIS COULD BE A VITAL CLUE

TO THE ORIGIN OF THE SINUOUS SHADOW IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

SO, IF THIS WAS ACTUALLY A WATERWAY

OR A RIVER MEANDER

THAT HAPPENED TO COME BY NEAR THIS VILLA LOCATION,

THAT'S A PLACE TO BUILD.

THEY WOULD DO THAT.

YOU CAN SEE, VERY EASILY,

HOW A RIVER COURSE HAS MOVED

JUST A FEW MILES ACROSS THE LANDSCAPE,

LEAVING BEHIND ITS REMNANTS

IN THESE CURVED OXBOWS.

Narrator: A SINGLE SATELLITE IMAGE WITH A GHOSTLY OUTLINE,

GIVING EXPERTS A GLIMPSE INTO THE LIVES OF ROMAN ELITES

AND REVEALING AN ECHO OF A LONG-LOST LANDSCAPE.

CLEARLY, THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO LEARN

FROM USING THESE KIND OF IMAGERY TO UNDERSTAND

WHAT THAT ROMAN LANDSCAPE WAS LIKE.

THERE'S SO MUCH MORE TO BE DISCOVERED.

**

Narrator: COMING UP...

SATELLITES SPOT SOMETHING STRANGE IN THE HEART OF AFRICA.

Chamberlain: IT'S NOT JUST AN ANOMALY.

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

YOU CAN SEE THOUSANDS OF THEM.

Narrator: AND THE FORCES OF GOOD BATTLE EVIL ON THE SEVEN SEASONS.

THEY WOULD HONOR THEIR COMRADES BY BURYING THEM TOGETHER.

THAT COULD BE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN THIS SATELLITE IMAGE.

Narrator: MARCH 2016.

A WorldView-2 SATELLITE PASSES OVER A TINY SPECK OF LAND

IN THE MIDDLE OF THE ATLANTIC OCEAN.

IT CAPTURES AN IMAGE THAT BAFFLES ANALYSTS.

**

Chamberlain: IN ALL MY YEARS LOOKING AT SATELLITE IMAGES,

I HAVE NEVER SEEN ANYTHING ELSE THAT LOOKS LIKE THIS.

Krueger: WHEN I LOOK AT THIS IMAGE, I CAN'T THINK

OF ANY RATIONAL EXPLANATION FOR WHAT THIS THING IS.

IT'S REALLY WEIRD.

Narrator: CLOSER ANALYSIS OF THE IMAGE

REVEALS A RING OF SMALLER CIRCLES

MAKING UP ONE LARGE, PERFECT CIRCLE.

**

EVEN STRANGER, THIS ODD PATTERN

IS SITTING ON ONE OF THE MOST REMOTE PLACES ON EARTH --

ASCENSION ISLAND,

OVER 1,000 MILES FROM LAND IN ALL DIRECTIONS.

Gough: ASCENSION ISLAND IS ABOUT AS REMOTE AS YOU CAN GET.

WHEN SAILORS TALK ABOUT THE END OF THE WORLD,

THIS IS BASICALLY IT.

**

Narrator: ANALYSTS UNDERSTAND THAT THE ISLAND EMERGED FROM THE SEA

AROUND A MILLION YEARS AGO,

AS THE TIP OF A MASSIVE UNDERWATER MOUNTAIN

THAT PLUNGES NEARLY 11,000 FEET TO THE OCEAN FLOOR.

MOST OF ITS 34 SQUARE MILES

IS A DESERT OF DORMANT VOLCANIC VENTS.

HARDLY ANY VEGETATION CAN GROW HERE.

EXPERTS FOCUS IN ON THE SATELLITE IMAGE

LOOKING FOR ANY CLUES

THAT MAY REVEAL THE PURPOSE OF THE ODD SHAPES.

IT LOOKS LIKE THEY'RE KIND OF COMPRISED OF STONE.

IT KIND OF REMINDS ME OF A CEMETERY, A GRAVEYARD,

A MONUMENT FOR A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE DEPARTED.

THE QUESTION IS WHO?

Narrator: INVESTIGATORS SEARCH THE HISTORICAL RECORDS

FOR PAST INHABITANTS.

THEY DISCOVER THAT THE BRITISH NAVY BUILT A STATION HERE

IN THE EARLY 1800s.

IN 1807, THE BRITISH PASSED A LAW

THAT ABOLISHED THE SLAVE TRADE.

AND THE FOLLOWING YEAR, THEY COMMISSIONED A GROUP OF SHIPS

KNOWN AS THE WEST AFRICA SQUADRON

THAT PATROLLED THE WATERS OF THE ATLANTIC

WITH THE AIM OF INTERCEPTING AND STOPPING SLAVE SHIPS.

**

Narrator: THE SAILORS BOARDING A SLAVE SHIP

WERE CONFRONTED WITH THE MOST HELLISH SIGHT.

HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WOULD HAVE BEEN CHAINED TOGETHER,

HELD BELOW DECK FOR MONTHS ON END.

THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN IN STARVATION CONDITIONS.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A NIGHTMARE.

**

Narrator: FOR OVER 50 YEARS, THE MEN OF THIS NAVAL FORCE

PUT THEMSELVES IN MORTAL DANGER,

BATTLING OVER 1,600 SLAVE SHIPS.

**

THE MEN OF THE WEST AFRICAN SQUADRON WERE HEROES.

THEY WERE SMALL IN NUMBERS,

BUT THEY FREED 150,000 SLAVES.

THIS IS, LIKE, A REAL GROUP OF SUPERHEROES,

GOING OUT LIKE THE AVENGERS,

RIGHTING WRONGS, AND GOOD AGAINST EVIL.

IT'S JUST SO COOL THAT THIS IS REAL HISTORY.

**

Narrator: ANALYSTS CONSIDER THE POSSIBILITY

THAT THE PATTERN IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE

MAY BE A GRAVEYARD FOR THE MEN OF THE WEST AFRICA SQUADRON.

THEY FOUGHT TOGETHER. THEY ATE TOGETHER.

THEY SLEPT IN THE SAME CONFINES TOGETHER.

SO WHEN ONE DIED, YOU CAN UNDERSTAND

THAT THEY WOULD HONOR THEIR COMRADES

BY BURYING THEM TOGETHER.

THAT COULD BE WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IN THIS SATELLITE IMAGE.

Narrator: BUT A CHECK OF HISTORICAL RECORDS

REVEALS THAT NAVAL TRADITION PUTS THIS THEORY IN DOUBT.

Krueger: ALTHOUGH MEMBERS OF THE SQUADRON WOULD HAVE WANTED

TO MEMORIALIZE THEIR BROTHERS,

IT WAS MUCH MORE TYPICAL THAT THEY WOULD HAVE BURIALS AT SEA.

Narrator: THE IMAGE COMES TO THE ATTENTION

OF FORMER C.I.A. OPERATIVE MIKE BAKER.

BAKER HAS SEEN SIMILAR STRUCTURES

ON OTHER SATELLITE PHOTOS.

THERE'S SOME 60 OF THEM.

AND THEY'RE SPREAD THROUGH 35 NATIONS.

Narrator: BAKER BELIEVES THE STRUCTURES FORM PART

OF A GLOBAL MONITORING SYSTEM.

AND THEY ARE OUT THERE, ESSENTIALLY LISTENING FOR...

[ EXPLOSION ]

**

Narrator: BAKER EXPLAINS THAT THE STATIONS WERE SET UP IN 1996

TO POLICE A UNITED NATIONS TREATY

OUTLAWING THE TESTING OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS.

THE SYSTEM DETECTS INFRASOUND WAVES

THAT ARE AT SUCH A LOW FREQUENCY,

THEY'RE IMPOSSIBLE TO BE PICKED UP BY THE HUMAN EAR.

LIKE THE SAME WAVES EMITTED BY BLUE WHALES,

INFRASOUND WAVES TRAVEL FOR THOUSANDS OF MILES

THROUGH OCEAN WATER AND THICK ROCK.

**

THE 60 MONITORING STATIONS ENCIRCLING THE EARTH

ARE SO SENSITIVE,

THEY CAN PICK UP AN EXPLOSION AS SMALL AS A 1 KILOTON BLAST.

THAT'S 50,000 TIMES SMALLER THAN THE BIGGEST NUCLEAR TEST.

**

BY PLACING THE STATIONS OFTEN IN REMOTE PLACES

LIKE ASCENSION ISLAND,

THE U.N. HAS CREATED A GLOBAL NET

THAT CAN DETECT A NUCLEAR EXPLOSION

ANYWHERE IN THE WORLD.

FRANKLY, EVERYBODY SHOULD SLEEP BETTER AT NIGHT,

KNOWING THAT WE HAVE A SYSTEM LIKE THIS.

BECAUSE OTHERWISE, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

YOU'RE COUNTING ON THE GOOD WILL

OF POTENTIAL DESPOTS AND DICTATORS LIKE KIM JONG-UN

TO POLICE THEMSELVES?

**

THE BUILDING IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE,

IT MIGHT NOT LOOK LIKE MUCH --

A LITTLE BLACK BOX IN THE MIDDLE OF THE OCEAN,

BUT IT'S ONE PART OF A VERY IMPORTANT PUZZLE

TO KEEPING US AWAY FROM NUCLEAR ARMAGEDDON.

**

Narrator: STILL TO COME...

HAVE SATELLITES FINALLY SOLVED

A 3,000-YEAR-OLD BIBLICAL MYSTERY?

INSIDE IT ARE THE ORIGINAL TEN COMMANDMENTS GIVEN TO MOSES

ON TOP OF MOUNT SINAI.

**

Narrator: OCTOBER 2014.

A WorldView-3 SATELLITE PASSES OVER NORTHERN ETHIOPIA.

IT CAPTURES AN IMAGE

OF A SOLITARY CIRCULAR BUILDING ON TOP OF A HILL

HIDDEN FROM CIVILIZATION BY A DENSE FOREST.

AND IT'S NOT THE ONLY ONE OF ITS KIND.

WHEN YOU START EXPANDING THE IMAGE,

YOU START REALIZING THERE ARE LOTS OF SIMILAR STRUCTURES

THROUGHOUT THE LANDSCAPE.

IT'S A REPEATING FEATURE,

AND THAT MAKES IT WORTH INVESTIGATING.

IT'S SOMETHING VERY SIGNIFICANT, CLEARLY,

TO HAVE BEEN BUILT NUMEROUS TIMES

OVER AND OVER AGAIN IN A SIMILAR FASHION.

SO, IT'S NOT JUST AN ANOMALY.

THEY'RE EVERYWHERE.

AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE COUNTRY AS A WHOLE,

YOU CAN SEE THOUSANDS OF THEM.

**

Narrator: INVESTIGATIONS ON THE GROUND

REVEAL THAT THESE BUILDINGS ARE SIMPLE CHURCHES.

SOME ARE BELIEVED TO SIT ON FOUNDATIONS

BUILT 1,500 YEARS AGO,

MAKING THEM AMONG THE FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCHES EVER BUILT.

**

ANALYSTS SEARCH HISTORICAL RECORDS

FOR CLUES THAT MAY EXPLAIN

HOW AN ESTIMATED 3,000 NEAR-IDENTICAL CHURCHES

COME TO BE SCATTERED THROUGHOUT ETHIOPIA

OVER 1,000 MILES FROM THE HOLY LAND.

WE DON'T OFTEN THINK OF ETHIOPIA AS A HOTBED FOR CHRISTIANITY.

BUT, IN FACT, THE EARLY CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES

WERE OFTEN PERSECUTED IN THE ROMAN EMPIRE,

SO THEY FLED TO PLACES LIKE ETHIOPIA.

IT WAS ALSO A SANCTUARY FOR CHRISTIANITY.

IT WAS A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN BRING SACRED RELICS

AND HAVE THEM STORED THERE SAFELY AWAY

FROM THE PAWS OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

**

Narrator: THROUGHOUT THE HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY,

IMPORTANT RELICS HAVE BEEN LOCATED AROUND THE WORLD.

A FINGER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST IS SAID TO LIE IN A KANSAS CHURCH,

THE BONES OF THE THREE WISE MEN IN COLOGNE, GERMANY,

AND IN NOTRE DAME IN PARIS, JESUS' CROWN OF THORNS.

INVESTIGATORS CONSIDER IF THE ETHIOPIAN CHURCHES

ARE BUILT TO HOUSE OR HIDE RELIGIOUS RELICS.

**

HISTORIANS STUDY ANCIENT MANUSCRIPTS FOR CLUES.

THEY FIND A TRANSLATION FROM THE 6th CENTURY

THAT CLAIMS THE MOST IMPORTANT CHRISTIAN RELIC OF ALL

LIES HIDDEN NOT WITHIN THE HOLY LAND,

BUT IN AN ETHIOPIAN CHURCH.

Gough: THERE IS NO RELIGIOUS ARTIFACT MORE LEGENDARY,

MORE SIGNIFICANT THAN THE ARK OF THE COVENANT.

**

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT IS SAID TO BE THIS GILDED BOX.

IT'S GOLD, EMBELLISHED,

AND INSIDE IT ARE THE ORIGINAL TEN COMMANDMENTS

GIVEN TO MOSES ON TOP OF MOUNT SINAI.

**

Narrator: THE OLD TESTAMENT STATES THAT THE ARK WAS ORIGINALLY HOUSED

IN KING SOLOMON'S FIRST TEMPLE IN JERUSALEM.

**

BUT THE TEMPLE IS DESTROYED BY THE BABYLONIANS

IN THE 6th CENTURY B.C.

**

AND THE ARK DISAPPEARS.

[ DOORS SLAM ]

**

ACCORDING TO AN ANCIENT ETHIOPIAN MANUSCRIPT,

THE ARK IS SAVED

AND BROUGHT TO A FOREST-RINGED SHRINE.

HISTORIANS PINPOINT ITS LOCATION TO A STRUCTURE

150 MILES NORTH OF THE CHURCH IN THE SATELLITE IMAGE.

IF THIS THING ACTUALLY DOES EXIST AND IS IN THIS CHURCH,

THAT WOULD CHANGE EVERYTHING.

THE SCARY THING IS THAT, IF IT IS FOUND,

LEGEND SAYS IT WILL HARKEN IN THE END OF THE WORLD,

THE APOCALYPSE.

Narrator: YET MANY NOW BELIEVE THE SATELLITE IMAGE

CASTS DOUBT ON THE ACCEPTED THEORY

SURROUNDING THE ARK'S FINAL RESTING PLACE

BECAUSE IT CONFIRMS THE EXISTENCE

OF THOUSANDS OF ANCIENT CHURCHES,

ALL MATCHING THE DESCRIPTION OF A SHRINE WITHIN A FOREST.

IF SOMEBODY'S TRYING TO TELL ME THAT THE ARK OF THE COVENANT

IS HIDDEN IN A PARTICULAR CHURCH IN ETHIOPIA,

THIS IS MISDIRECTION 101.

Kourounis: THINK ABOUT THIS WAY.

IF YOU HAD THE WORLD'S MOST COVETED ARTIFACT,

AND YOU TOLD EVERYONE IT'S IN THIS ONE PARTICULAR SPOT,

GUARDED BY ONE PERSON, WOULDN'T IT MAKE SENSE

TO ACTUALLY HIDE IT SOMEPLACE ELSE?

HOW ABOUT A CHURCH ON TOP OF A HILLTOP

IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE IN ETHIOPIA?

Narrator: AS LEGEND HAS IT, ONLY ONE MAN ON EARTH,

THE LONE KNIGHT GUARDING THE ARK,

KNOWS ITS TRUE WHEREABOUTS.

PERHAPS THE ARK IS SOMEWHERE SAFE,

JUST HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT.