1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:03,423 [MUSIC PLAYING] 2 00:00:03,423 --> 00:00:17,115 3 00:00:17,115 --> 00:00:20,380 NARRATOR: Under the sea of the Bahamas 4 00:00:20,380 --> 00:00:22,280 are these stones, all that remains 5 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:25,550 of the lost world of Atlantis. 6 00:00:25,550 --> 00:00:29,000 Silent for 3,000 years, will these colossal heads 7 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:34,350 reveal the secrets of Central America's first civilization? 8 00:00:34,350 --> 00:00:37,470 Deep in the limestone of the Mediterranean island, 9 00:00:37,470 --> 00:00:43,120 who and what created the mystery tracks of Malta? 10 00:00:43,120 --> 00:00:45,630 Mysteries from the files of Arthur C. Clarke, 11 00:00:45,630 --> 00:00:50,250 author of "2001" and inventor of the communications satellite. 12 00:00:50,250 --> 00:00:53,410 Now in retreat in Sri Lanka, he ponders the riddles 13 00:00:53,410 --> 00:00:55,566 of this and other worlds. 14 00:00:55,566 --> 00:01:00,030 [MUSIC PLAYING] 15 00:01:00,030 --> 00:01:28,840 16 00:01:28,840 --> 00:01:32,500 This is the town of Kandy, the spiritual and cultural capital 17 00:01:32,500 --> 00:01:33,840 of Sri Lanka. 18 00:01:33,840 --> 00:01:36,980 Here many historic traditions are preserved. 19 00:01:36,980 --> 00:01:39,030 Like any ancient settlement-- and this one 20 00:01:39,030 --> 00:01:42,260 dates back at least 700 years-- its modern streets 21 00:01:42,260 --> 00:01:45,540 conceal the ruins of earlier civilizations. 22 00:01:45,540 --> 00:01:47,910 Many of these were founded by warlike kings who 23 00:01:47,910 --> 00:01:50,650 defended this mountain fortress against an invasion 24 00:01:50,650 --> 00:01:51,830 for centuries. 25 00:01:51,830 --> 00:01:54,050 We know a great deal about the kings of Kandy 26 00:01:54,050 --> 00:01:56,920 because they ruled until the 19th century. 27 00:01:56,920 --> 00:01:59,200 This lake was built by the last of them, 28 00:01:59,200 --> 00:02:01,820 before the British took over in 1815. 29 00:02:01,820 --> 00:02:04,320 But throughout the world, countless other civilizations 30 00:02:04,320 --> 00:02:06,250 have also come and gone leaving little 31 00:02:06,250 --> 00:02:08,530 behind them but puzzles and problems 32 00:02:08,530 --> 00:02:10,895 for the archaeologists who probe their secrets. 33 00:02:10,895 --> 00:02:18,080 34 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:22,470 NARRATOR: Only 30 minutes by air from Miami Beach in Florida, 35 00:02:22,470 --> 00:02:25,830 Bimini calls itself the gateway to the Bahamas. 36 00:02:25,830 --> 00:02:28,140 For tourists, the place is paradise. 37 00:02:28,140 --> 00:02:30,280 But for seekers of lost worlds, Bimini 38 00:02:30,280 --> 00:02:32,920 may be the site of the most alluring lost 39 00:02:32,920 --> 00:02:35,630 civilization of all. 40 00:02:35,630 --> 00:02:38,200 Bill Donato believes that beneath these waves 41 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:42,340 is evidence which could prove that Atlantis lay here. 42 00:02:42,340 --> 00:02:45,340 The civilization is said to have flourished 10,000 years 43 00:02:45,340 --> 00:02:48,160 ago until the seas rose around it 44 00:02:48,160 --> 00:02:49,730 and swamped the place forever. 45 00:02:49,730 --> 00:02:52,650 46 00:02:52,650 --> 00:02:56,570 In 1926, the American medium, Edgar Cayce, 47 00:02:56,570 --> 00:02:58,790 predicted that the true site of Atlantis 48 00:02:58,790 --> 00:03:02,110 would emerge at Bimini in the Bahamas. 49 00:03:02,110 --> 00:03:05,120 Cayce sent a follower to look for signs under the sea. 50 00:03:05,120 --> 00:03:10,070 51 00:03:10,070 --> 00:03:12,760 In Bimini, he employed a local fisherman, 52 00:03:12,760 --> 00:03:15,160 Pastor "Bonefish" Sam. 53 00:03:15,160 --> 00:03:17,520 Sam gave him all the help he could, 54 00:03:17,520 --> 00:03:20,410 but at first without success. 55 00:03:20,410 --> 00:03:23,330 One day Sam suggested they should look in a place he'd 56 00:03:23,330 --> 00:03:25,560 known about since childhood. 57 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:27,790 They went to the spot. 58 00:03:27,790 --> 00:03:28,820 And he jumped over the boat. 59 00:03:28,820 --> 00:03:32,460 And when he put his head down like that and raise it up. 60 00:03:32,460 --> 00:03:35,136 And then he jump out of the water and he said, we found it! 61 00:03:35,136 --> 00:03:36,630 Here it is! Here it is! 62 00:03:36,630 --> 00:03:38,630 We found it! 63 00:03:38,630 --> 00:03:42,000 NARRATOR: Under the sea was an extraordinary formation. 64 00:03:42,000 --> 00:03:45,530 Less than 20 feet down, off the Northeast of the island 65 00:03:45,530 --> 00:03:47,380 lies a line of rocks. 66 00:03:47,380 --> 00:03:50,860 Its size and shape have earned the name, The Bimini Road. 67 00:03:50,860 --> 00:03:53,590 68 00:03:53,590 --> 00:03:57,280 Today, Bill Donato is leading a diving expedition. 69 00:03:57,280 --> 00:04:00,300 He's convinced that the so-called Bimini Road will 70 00:04:00,300 --> 00:04:02,480 one day reveal its secrets and prove 71 00:04:02,480 --> 00:04:05,464 that this really was Atlantis. 72 00:04:05,464 --> 00:04:07,030 BILL DONATO (VOICEOVER): When you go overboard, 73 00:04:07,030 --> 00:04:10,670 the first thing you see is this huge arrangement that looks 74 00:04:10,670 --> 00:04:14,370 like a very large underwater pavement 75 00:04:14,370 --> 00:04:17,000 with stones intersecting at right angles, 76 00:04:17,000 --> 00:04:19,240 dead straight alignments. 77 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:20,040 It's really amazing. 78 00:04:20,040 --> 00:04:20,873 It looks very artificial. 79 00:04:20,873 --> 00:04:25,590 It doesn't look anything like what the beach rock looks like. 80 00:04:25,590 --> 00:04:28,100 I personally think because of the particular shape 81 00:04:28,100 --> 00:04:32,370 that it is some kind of ancient docking facilities. 82 00:04:32,370 --> 00:04:33,904 Every time I see this it's amazing. 83 00:04:33,904 --> 00:04:35,270 It's like I'm looking at something really 84 00:04:35,270 --> 00:04:38,510 ancient, really big, and it's impressive. 85 00:04:38,510 --> 00:04:40,260 Depending on what angle you look at it, 86 00:04:40,260 --> 00:04:41,510 you always see something different. 87 00:04:41,510 --> 00:04:44,370 88 00:04:44,370 --> 00:04:47,400 NARRATOR: Donato's mission is to collect rock samples. 89 00:04:47,400 --> 00:04:51,000 He hopes independent analysis will show that the road is 90 00:04:51,000 --> 00:04:52,994 indeed a man made construction. 91 00:04:52,994 --> 00:04:54,260 BILL DONATO (VOICEOVER): Today we were 92 00:04:54,260 --> 00:04:56,100 taking samples of the stone. 93 00:04:56,100 --> 00:04:58,970 And there seems to be more than one type of stone down there. 94 00:04:58,970 --> 00:05:00,610 And on some of the bigger stones it seems 95 00:05:00,610 --> 00:05:02,130 to be extremely encrusted. 96 00:05:02,130 --> 00:05:04,660 So I'm not sure whether we got what's actually on the inside 97 00:05:04,660 --> 00:05:06,270 or on the outside. 98 00:05:06,270 --> 00:05:08,910 Also, some of the stone appears relatively soft, 99 00:05:08,910 --> 00:05:12,310 other is very hard. 100 00:05:12,310 --> 00:05:14,490 I can't see how nature would place these here. 101 00:05:14,490 --> 00:05:16,440 Nature would not set them down exactly straight 102 00:05:16,440 --> 00:05:18,240 and they wouldn't have right angle orientations to it. 103 00:05:18,240 --> 00:05:19,810 That just doesn't happen. 104 00:05:19,810 --> 00:05:21,810 Especially it wouldn't have equal spacing between them, 105 00:05:21,810 --> 00:05:25,320 which is also a feature. 106 00:05:25,320 --> 00:05:28,240 I wouldn't just bet all my money or my time and effort 107 00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:29,130 that this is Atlantis. 108 00:05:29,130 --> 00:05:33,794 I would bet my life that this is Atlantis. 109 00:05:33,794 --> 00:05:37,120 NARRATOR: At Britain's Building Research Establishment, 110 00:05:37,120 --> 00:05:39,360 Donato's samples from the Bimini Road 111 00:05:39,360 --> 00:05:42,580 are prepared for microscopic examination. 112 00:05:42,580 --> 00:05:44,280 Thin slices of the stone have been 113 00:05:44,280 --> 00:05:49,550 mounted on slides for analysis by Kelvin Pettifer. 114 00:05:49,550 --> 00:05:51,380 Well, it's clearly from the sea bed. 115 00:05:51,380 --> 00:05:54,100 If you look at the hand sample you can 116 00:05:54,100 --> 00:05:56,750 see marine growths on there. 117 00:05:56,750 --> 00:05:59,230 What we say on the upper edge of this sample 118 00:05:59,230 --> 00:06:02,970 is a thin section through these marine growths. 119 00:06:02,970 --> 00:06:05,330 NARRATOR: Pettifer's examination reveals that the rock 120 00:06:05,330 --> 00:06:07,220 is of very poor quality. 121 00:06:07,220 --> 00:06:10,150 If anyone had used it to build a road or a keyside, 122 00:06:10,150 --> 00:06:12,720 it wouldn't have lasted very long. 123 00:06:12,720 --> 00:06:16,990 This is not a particularly good limestone for pavement work 124 00:06:16,990 --> 00:06:19,600 where heavy wear is to be expected. 125 00:06:19,600 --> 00:06:22,870 The individual grains, or the alocams as they're called, 126 00:06:22,870 --> 00:06:26,560 are bonded together so loosely and poorly that heavy wear 127 00:06:26,560 --> 00:06:29,320 rates could be expected very rapidly, especially 128 00:06:29,320 --> 00:06:32,080 if wheeled vehicles were being driven down there 129 00:06:32,080 --> 00:06:35,144 at all or animals like horses. No. 130 00:06:35,144 --> 00:06:36,910 It would wear very quickly and it would not be really 131 00:06:36,910 --> 00:06:39,390 suitable for a wearing surface. 132 00:06:39,390 --> 00:06:41,730 The evidence as far as I can see is that it's 133 00:06:41,730 --> 00:06:43,820 not a suitable rock for a road. 134 00:06:43,820 --> 00:06:48,510 And it makes me believe that this is not a road at all. 135 00:06:48,510 --> 00:06:50,390 Atlantis is still a mystery to me. 136 00:06:50,390 --> 00:06:51,535 I'd love to believe it. 137 00:06:51,535 --> 00:06:52,560 I really would. 138 00:06:52,560 --> 00:06:56,220 But this is not conclusive proof, as far as I'm concerned. 139 00:06:56,220 --> 00:06:59,090 NARRATOR: Atlantis was described by a Greek philosopher, Plato, 140 00:06:59,090 --> 00:07:00,950 in 300 BC. 141 00:07:00,950 --> 00:07:04,100 He wrote of an island surrounded by channels of water. 142 00:07:04,100 --> 00:07:06,610 It lay somewhere beyond the pillars of Hercules, 143 00:07:06,610 --> 00:07:09,230 as the Straits of Gibraltar were known. 144 00:07:09,230 --> 00:07:12,080 He described how Atlantis was swallowed up and destroyed 145 00:07:12,080 --> 00:07:13,880 by a gigantic flood. 146 00:07:13,880 --> 00:07:16,850 Ever since, the mystery of this lost civilization 147 00:07:16,850 --> 00:07:19,985 has enfolded explorers, archaeologists, and mystics. 148 00:07:19,985 --> 00:07:22,960 149 00:07:22,960 --> 00:07:26,370 Above the Aegean Sea of Plato's homeland, Greece, 150 00:07:26,370 --> 00:07:28,680 the dazzling white houses cling to the edge 151 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:30,990 of a sunken volcano. 152 00:07:30,990 --> 00:07:35,270 This is all that is left of the island of Santorini today. 153 00:07:35,270 --> 00:07:39,610 The islands nearby form the rim of the volcano's crater, or 154 00:07:39,610 --> 00:07:42,180 caldera, as geologists call it. 155 00:07:42,180 --> 00:07:45,350 Santorini is also known as Thira. 156 00:07:45,350 --> 00:07:49,030 It lies 80 miles north of Crete where archaeologists have 157 00:07:49,030 --> 00:07:52,735 proved that a great civilization, the Minoan, 158 00:07:52,735 --> 00:07:53,435 did once flourish. 159 00:07:53,435 --> 00:07:58,170 160 00:07:58,170 --> 00:08:00,670 Tim Druitt it is a geologist who wants to get 161 00:08:00,670 --> 00:08:02,690 to the bottom of the story. 162 00:08:02,690 --> 00:08:07,470 Beneath this landscape of ash lie older and earlier secrets. 163 00:08:07,470 --> 00:08:13,750 In 1600 BC in the Bronze Age, Santorini exploded. 164 00:08:13,750 --> 00:08:15,240 An eruption of this magnitude must've 165 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,000 been a truly awesome event. 166 00:08:18,000 --> 00:08:22,320 And it's not at all unlikely that the memory of it 167 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:25,650 would've been preserved in some kind of legend. 168 00:08:25,650 --> 00:08:30,190 The discharge of 30 cubic kilometers of molten rock. 169 00:08:30,190 --> 00:08:34,530 At least three times larger than the Krakatoa eruption in 1883. 170 00:08:34,530 --> 00:08:38,070 So this would have been a truly enormous event, which 171 00:08:38,070 --> 00:08:40,030 would have had widespread repercussions 172 00:08:40,030 --> 00:08:43,230 in the Mediterranean area. 173 00:08:43,230 --> 00:08:46,430 NARRATOR: Volcanic dust lay inches thick in Turkey 174 00:08:46,430 --> 00:08:49,450 and settled in the Nile delta of Egypt. 175 00:08:49,450 --> 00:08:52,230 Rivers of hot ash hit the sea. 176 00:08:52,230 --> 00:08:56,420 Tidal waves crashed down to swamp the north coast of Crete. 177 00:08:56,420 --> 00:09:01,060 It was a cataclysm unequaled in human memory. 178 00:09:01,060 --> 00:09:04,070 Druitt and his colleagues have been using ground radar 179 00:09:04,070 --> 00:09:06,640 techniques to establish the lie of the land 180 00:09:06,640 --> 00:09:12,130 before the eruption of 1600 BC. 181 00:09:12,130 --> 00:09:14,380 Under the ash and the volcanic rock, 182 00:09:14,380 --> 00:09:16,220 they're drawing the picture of the island 183 00:09:16,220 --> 00:09:23,560 as it existed more than 100,000 years before. 184 00:09:23,560 --> 00:09:25,830 Druitt's biggest surprise came with a discovery 185 00:09:25,830 --> 00:09:29,570 of pumice solidified on top of the old island rock. 186 00:09:29,570 --> 00:09:32,250 It was found on a cliff face in the caldera, 187 00:09:32,250 --> 00:09:35,410 and proved that even before the Bronze Age eruption, 188 00:09:35,410 --> 00:09:38,697 these steep cliff sides edged a crater. 189 00:09:38,697 --> 00:09:40,030 TIM DRUITT (VOICEOVER): At this location 190 00:09:40,030 --> 00:09:42,170 we're situated about halfway down 191 00:09:42,170 --> 00:09:45,110 the present day caldera cliff beneath the main town of Fira. 192 00:09:45,110 --> 00:09:50,460 And this layer of pumice, which is from the opening phase 193 00:09:50,460 --> 00:09:52,440 of the great Bronze Age eruption, 194 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:56,130 lies here upon much older deposits. 195 00:09:56,130 --> 00:09:58,830 And between these deposits, which 196 00:09:58,830 --> 00:10:03,190 are about 100,000 years old, and the Bronze Age pumice, 197 00:10:03,190 --> 00:10:05,070 is a layer of soil. 198 00:10:05,070 --> 00:10:08,765 So we know here that this cliff line must've been exposed 199 00:10:08,765 --> 00:10:12,110 and must have existed prior to the onset 200 00:10:12,110 --> 00:10:14,000 of the Bronze Age eruption. 201 00:10:14,000 --> 00:10:16,540 If we trace this old surface along 202 00:10:16,540 --> 00:10:20,190 and we map it geologically, we can, in fact, 203 00:10:20,190 --> 00:10:22,710 show that this ancient cliff line extends 204 00:10:22,710 --> 00:10:24,190 to present day sea level. 205 00:10:24,190 --> 00:10:28,100 And so the entire caldera wall here beneath Fira 206 00:10:28,100 --> 00:10:31,160 was already in existence in the late Bronze Age. 207 00:10:31,160 --> 00:10:33,320 The caldera at that time was flooded, 208 00:10:33,320 --> 00:10:35,200 much like the caldera today. 209 00:10:35,200 --> 00:10:39,490 And there was also at least one entrance to the sea 210 00:10:39,490 --> 00:10:40,750 in the southwest corner. 211 00:10:40,750 --> 00:10:43,410 212 00:10:43,410 --> 00:10:46,200 NARRATOR: And it was when Druitt compared his reconstruction 213 00:10:46,200 --> 00:10:49,010 of the earlier cliff line with the chart of Atlantis 214 00:10:49,010 --> 00:10:52,920 as described by Plato that startling similarities began 215 00:10:52,920 --> 00:10:54,380 to appear. 216 00:10:54,380 --> 00:10:57,290 A central island surrounded by water. 217 00:10:57,290 --> 00:10:58,930 A circular harbor. 218 00:10:58,930 --> 00:11:00,960 And even a channel to the open sea. 219 00:11:00,960 --> 00:11:03,760 220 00:11:03,760 --> 00:11:05,660 TIM DRUITT (VOICEOVER): There are striking similarities 221 00:11:05,660 --> 00:11:09,370 between our reconstruction of Bronze Age Santorini, which 222 00:11:09,370 --> 00:11:12,960 I stress is made entirely on geological evidence 223 00:11:12,960 --> 00:11:16,030 and the description handed down to us by Plato. 224 00:11:16,030 --> 00:11:18,420 Plato describes that the Atlanteans 225 00:11:18,420 --> 00:11:22,990 quarried stones of white, red, and black in color. 226 00:11:22,990 --> 00:11:25,000 And if we look around the present day caldera 227 00:11:25,000 --> 00:11:28,550 wall at Santorini we can see typical volcanic 228 00:11:28,550 --> 00:11:31,690 rocks, white, red, and black. 229 00:11:31,690 --> 00:11:37,050 Another similarity is that on the central island of Atlantis, 230 00:11:37,050 --> 00:11:41,150 Plato described springs of hot and cold water. 231 00:11:41,150 --> 00:11:43,340 And, of course, on the present day central island 232 00:11:43,340 --> 00:11:46,580 there are hot springs where the warm, volcanically heated 233 00:11:46,580 --> 00:11:50,850 water rises to the surface. 234 00:11:50,850 --> 00:11:54,410 It's nice to think that one day we may solve the mystery 235 00:11:54,410 --> 00:11:56,470 of the Atlantis legend. 236 00:11:56,470 --> 00:11:57,870 We can never be sure. 237 00:11:57,870 --> 00:12:00,970 In the meantime, if we assume that the legend that Plato 238 00:12:00,970 --> 00:12:05,090 passed on to us is indeed describing a historical event, 239 00:12:05,090 --> 00:12:06,670 probably the best interpretation we 240 00:12:06,670 --> 00:12:09,760 can give on the basis of the archaeological and volcanic 241 00:12:09,760 --> 00:12:14,280 evidence is that he was describing the civilization 242 00:12:14,280 --> 00:12:15,580 of Minoan Crete. 243 00:12:15,580 --> 00:12:18,490 And, at the same time, the greater Bronze 244 00:12:18,490 --> 00:12:22,290 Age eruption of Santorini. 245 00:12:22,290 --> 00:12:25,630 The legend of Atlantis is puzzling and beguiling, 246 00:12:25,630 --> 00:12:28,030 and one would like to believe that this paradise did 247 00:12:28,030 --> 00:12:29,280 once exist. 248 00:12:29,280 --> 00:12:32,280 But I'm not convinced by the evidence so far. 249 00:12:32,280 --> 00:12:34,460 In my dives around Sri Lanka I've 250 00:12:34,460 --> 00:12:37,370 often seen squared off slabs exactly 251 00:12:37,370 --> 00:12:39,510 like those on the Bimini Road. 252 00:12:39,510 --> 00:12:41,300 But they're completely natural. 253 00:12:41,300 --> 00:12:43,530 They've been formed by the steady action of the waves 254 00:12:43,530 --> 00:12:45,950 over countless generations. 255 00:12:45,950 --> 00:12:49,410 And Plato's account is based only on hearsay, 256 00:12:49,410 --> 00:12:52,390 suggesting that he was retelling a myth, only loosely based 257 00:12:52,390 --> 00:12:55,000 on a real life event, like the eruption 258 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:57,480 of the volcano at Santorini. 259 00:12:57,480 --> 00:12:59,810 Although I'd like to be proved wrong, for the moment 260 00:12:59,810 --> 00:13:02,910 I agree with the expert who concluded that the millions 261 00:13:02,910 --> 00:13:06,390 of words written about Atlantis are science fiction and not 262 00:13:06,390 --> 00:13:07,300 historical truth. 263 00:13:07,300 --> 00:13:11,300 264 00:13:11,300 --> 00:13:12,990 NARRATOR: The tiny island of Malta, 265 00:13:12,990 --> 00:13:16,460 midway in the Mediterranean between Europe and Africa, 266 00:13:16,460 --> 00:13:18,880 has played host to many civilizations 267 00:13:18,880 --> 00:13:21,650 in its 7,000 year history. 268 00:13:21,650 --> 00:13:26,000 Stone Age farmers, the temple builders, the Bronze Age 269 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:29,170 settlers, the Phoenicians, the Romans, 270 00:13:29,170 --> 00:13:31,790 the Arabs, and the great crusade culture 271 00:13:31,790 --> 00:13:33,890 of the Knights of Saint John. 272 00:13:33,890 --> 00:13:36,740 But with history has come mystery. 273 00:13:36,740 --> 00:13:40,800 Away from today's roads lie older enigmatic tracks. 274 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:43,460 Ruts cut deep in the limestone. 275 00:13:43,460 --> 00:13:46,780 They seem to start nowhere and lead nowhere. 276 00:13:46,780 --> 00:13:49,760 From the sky they look like a modern railway system. 277 00:13:49,760 --> 00:13:52,150 Indeed, this place is called Clapham Junction, 278 00:13:52,150 --> 00:13:54,760 after Britain's busiest railway station. 279 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:58,090 But these date from long before any railway. 280 00:13:58,090 --> 00:14:01,410 Indeed, so ancient is this mystery that archaeologists 281 00:14:01,410 --> 00:14:06,500 and historians cannot agree when the tracks were first created. 282 00:14:06,500 --> 00:14:10,180 Professor Anthony Bonanno has devoted years to the riddle 283 00:14:10,180 --> 00:14:12,400 of the Maltese ruts. 284 00:14:12,400 --> 00:14:17,450 They occur very often in such a great concentration 285 00:14:17,450 --> 00:14:21,060 that they are cut into very hard rock. 286 00:14:21,060 --> 00:14:25,890 And then there are some which seem to vanish into thin air. 287 00:14:25,890 --> 00:14:29,030 Others are even at the very edge of cliffs. 288 00:14:29,030 --> 00:14:33,130 So someone has actually suggested that some flying 289 00:14:33,130 --> 00:14:35,550 objects might have been used. 290 00:14:35,550 --> 00:14:37,890 Someone else has even suggested that they 291 00:14:37,890 --> 00:14:41,770 were designed for visits with extraterrestrial people. 292 00:14:41,770 --> 00:14:44,630 They are so mysterious. 293 00:14:44,630 --> 00:14:46,420 NARRATOR: Other archaeologists link the ruts 294 00:14:46,420 --> 00:14:48,000 with the temple builders. 295 00:14:48,000 --> 00:14:50,890 Bonanno believes they date from Roman times. 296 00:14:50,890 --> 00:14:53,050 He made a crucial discovery while researching 297 00:14:53,050 --> 00:14:54,630 ancient quarries. 298 00:14:54,630 --> 00:14:57,650 Whenever I manage to trace a quarry, 299 00:14:57,650 --> 00:15:00,850 I found cart tracks associated with them. 300 00:15:00,850 --> 00:15:07,090 And to explain the great concentration of cart tracks 301 00:15:07,090 --> 00:15:11,090 in this place, I proposed that they are actually 302 00:15:11,090 --> 00:15:13,950 associated with a huge concentration 303 00:15:13,950 --> 00:15:16,990 of quarries in the area. 304 00:15:16,990 --> 00:15:18,620 NARRATOR: Bonanno's quarrying theory 305 00:15:18,620 --> 00:15:22,680 could explain why so many lines are found in one place. 306 00:15:22,680 --> 00:15:25,460 As stone cutters moved along the rock face, 307 00:15:25,460 --> 00:15:27,790 each line represents the shortest journey 308 00:15:27,790 --> 00:15:30,290 between the quarry and the road. 309 00:15:30,290 --> 00:15:34,210 Here the stone would be carted away to building sites. 310 00:15:34,210 --> 00:15:36,280 And Bonanno believes the quarries 311 00:15:36,280 --> 00:15:39,390 hold the key to which of Malta's ancient civilizations 312 00:15:39,390 --> 00:15:40,940 made the ruts. 313 00:15:40,940 --> 00:15:44,050 The clue is in the size of the blocks quarried here. 314 00:15:44,050 --> 00:15:48,070 315 00:15:48,070 --> 00:15:51,260 61 inches by 21 inches. 316 00:15:51,260 --> 00:15:53,840 If you look at this whole stretch of rock, 317 00:15:53,840 --> 00:16:00,150 you'll find grooves of those same dimensions all over. 318 00:16:00,150 --> 00:16:02,500 This is where blocks of that size 319 00:16:02,500 --> 00:16:07,380 have been extracted to provide building stone. 320 00:16:07,380 --> 00:16:10,200 NARRATOR: And from a wall deep in the Roman foundations 321 00:16:10,200 --> 00:16:14,560 of the present day town, Medina, Bonanno finds an exact match 322 00:16:14,560 --> 00:16:16,270 for his measurements. 323 00:16:16,270 --> 00:16:18,010 This firmly links the quarry at Clapham 324 00:16:18,010 --> 00:16:20,980 Junction with the Roman town. 325 00:16:20,980 --> 00:16:23,880 61 inches by 21 inches. 326 00:16:23,880 --> 00:16:27,840 This is a typical Roman block with those 327 00:16:27,840 --> 00:16:29,410 typical Roman measurements. 328 00:16:29,410 --> 00:16:33,080 This is the solution to the mystery of the cart trusses It 329 00:16:33,080 --> 00:16:37,080 was Romans who produced them to carry the stone from the quarry 330 00:16:37,080 --> 00:16:40,340 face to the road, and from the road to the building site. 331 00:16:40,340 --> 00:16:43,030 332 00:16:43,030 --> 00:16:45,890 NARRATOR: Not everyone agrees with Bonanno's theory. 333 00:16:45,890 --> 00:16:48,810 This man, Frank Ventura, has walked all over the island 334 00:16:48,810 --> 00:16:50,720 investigating the tracks. 335 00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,010 He believes they're just simple roadways. 336 00:16:53,010 --> 00:16:57,000 But for him, the real mystery is what made them. 337 00:16:57,000 --> 00:17:02,730 Ventura carried out a detailed study of the ruts at Naxxar. 338 00:17:02,730 --> 00:17:04,750 The measurements tell us that the track 339 00:17:04,750 --> 00:17:07,640 isn't even-- the width of the track isn't even. 340 00:17:07,640 --> 00:17:10,680 There can be a difference of about 10 centimeters. 341 00:17:10,680 --> 00:17:15,760 So a fixed wheel cart would have stuck in these ruts, 342 00:17:15,760 --> 00:17:18,270 because the wheels are not that flexible. 343 00:17:18,270 --> 00:17:20,950 Another thing is that the shape of the rut 344 00:17:20,950 --> 00:17:25,700 itself indicates that it wasn't a wheel with a metal rim. 345 00:17:25,700 --> 00:17:28,910 So definitely it wasn't a cart like the Romans used. 346 00:17:28,910 --> 00:17:32,950 347 00:17:32,950 --> 00:17:34,530 NARRATOR: The two theorists are preparing 348 00:17:34,530 --> 00:17:36,700 for an experiment which they hope will prove 349 00:17:36,700 --> 00:17:38,020 which one of them is right. 350 00:17:38,020 --> 00:17:40,880 351 00:17:40,880 --> 00:17:43,510 Bonanno with his Roman cart theory 352 00:17:43,510 --> 00:17:46,270 or Ventura with a slide car-- a platform 353 00:17:46,270 --> 00:17:49,030 dragged on too long poles. 354 00:17:49,030 --> 00:17:51,630 This needs to be very hard because it 355 00:17:51,630 --> 00:17:55,784 has to run over the softer rock and form the ruts 356 00:17:55,784 --> 00:17:57,471 that we have been seeing. -Ready? 357 00:17:57,471 --> 00:17:58,748 1, 2, 3. 358 00:17:58,748 --> 00:18:10,110 359 00:18:10,110 --> 00:18:11,930 NARRATOR: They've chosen the beach for the test 360 00:18:11,930 --> 00:18:14,630 because the sand will show in a few passes, 361 00:18:14,630 --> 00:18:16,890 ruts that would take thousands of journeys 362 00:18:16,890 --> 00:18:18,480 to gouge from solid rock. 363 00:18:18,480 --> 00:18:28,130 364 00:18:28,130 --> 00:18:31,090 Meanwhile, in the cart corner, Professor Bonanno 365 00:18:31,090 --> 00:18:33,990 prepares to make his tracks. 366 00:18:33,990 --> 00:18:37,300 I have some trepidation as to whether the wheels 367 00:18:37,300 --> 00:18:40,590 will penetrate deeply enough into the sand. 368 00:18:40,590 --> 00:18:44,260 But I think in order to show that it really works, 369 00:18:44,260 --> 00:18:47,300 it needs to be done hundreds if not thousands of times 370 00:18:47,300 --> 00:18:48,392 over the same route. 371 00:18:48,392 --> 00:18:52,640 372 00:18:52,640 --> 00:18:54,076 NARRATOR: In the event, Bonanno's fears 373 00:18:54,076 --> 00:18:55,420 prove justified. 374 00:18:55,420 --> 00:18:58,110 As his tracks cross those of the slide car, 375 00:18:58,110 --> 00:19:00,920 everyone can see which one makes the deeper ruts. 376 00:19:00,920 --> 00:19:04,240 377 00:19:04,240 --> 00:19:07,830 Bonanno is prepared to concede-- partially at least. 378 00:19:07,830 --> 00:19:10,375 He still believes Roman quarry men made the ruts. 379 00:19:10,375 --> 00:19:13,520 But he will reconsider the cart. 380 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:17,180 Earlier on I showed a certain certainty 381 00:19:17,180 --> 00:19:20,520 about the purpose of the cart ruts 382 00:19:20,520 --> 00:19:23,080 and the vehicle that was used. 383 00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,670 As far as the vehicle is concerned, 384 00:19:25,670 --> 00:19:32,464 I would tend to almost concede you in some way a victory. 385 00:19:32,464 --> 00:19:33,830 ARTHUR CLARKE (VOICEOVER): Only slowly do 386 00:19:33,830 --> 00:19:35,970 ancient civilizations give up their treasures 387 00:19:35,970 --> 00:19:38,400 to the archaeologist trowel. 388 00:19:38,400 --> 00:19:40,490 In the 1880's a workman in Mexico 389 00:19:40,490 --> 00:19:44,730 unearthed a colossal stone head almost five feet high. 390 00:19:44,730 --> 00:19:47,140 From time to time, over the century that followed, 391 00:19:47,140 --> 00:19:50,260 others just as astonishing were uncovered. 392 00:19:50,260 --> 00:19:52,740 Gradually, it dawned on the archaeologists 393 00:19:52,740 --> 00:19:54,540 that the swamps of Central America 394 00:19:54,540 --> 00:19:57,011 conceal one of the great civilizations of the world-- 395 00:19:57,011 --> 00:19:57,710 the Olmecs. 396 00:19:57,710 --> 00:20:00,610 397 00:20:00,610 --> 00:20:02,170 NARRATOR: Above the plains of Mexico, 398 00:20:02,170 --> 00:20:06,500 the plateau of San Lorenzo rises like any natural formation. 399 00:20:06,500 --> 00:20:09,920 But beneath lie the remains of the Olmec civilization-- 400 00:20:09,920 --> 00:20:13,100 3,000 years older than our own. 401 00:20:13,100 --> 00:20:16,520 For archaeologist, Ann Cyphers, every inch conceal secrets 402 00:20:16,520 --> 00:20:17,575 waiting to be uncovered. 403 00:20:17,575 --> 00:20:20,390 404 00:20:20,390 --> 00:20:24,040 The Olmec were a very important civilization. 405 00:20:24,040 --> 00:20:27,580 The first civilization, in fact, in Mesoamerica that really 406 00:20:27,580 --> 00:20:30,310 set the pace and established many traditions 407 00:20:30,310 --> 00:20:35,000 and started the whole trends of cultural evolution here. 408 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:39,615 To study the Olmec is to study America's first civilization. 409 00:20:39,615 --> 00:20:45,190 410 00:20:45,190 --> 00:20:48,030 NARRATOR: Bit by bit in digs across the plateau, 411 00:20:48,030 --> 00:20:50,850 she's piecing together a picture of a civilization 412 00:20:50,850 --> 00:20:53,650 which is still largely unknown. 413 00:20:53,650 --> 00:20:57,690 The greatest day of her working life came here a year before. 414 00:20:57,690 --> 00:21:01,253 In a ravine she made a find she'll never forget. 415 00:21:01,253 --> 00:21:03,668 [NON-ENGLISH SPEECH] 416 00:21:03,668 --> 00:21:04,640 417 00:21:04,640 --> 00:21:08,430 The head she discovered was only the 17th to turn up. 418 00:21:08,430 --> 00:21:10,550 Each of them is colossal. 419 00:21:10,550 --> 00:21:12,730 Each of them is regarded by artists 420 00:21:12,730 --> 00:21:14,975 as well as archaeologists as a masterpiece. 421 00:21:14,975 --> 00:21:17,700 422 00:21:17,700 --> 00:21:20,370 The discovery of the colossal head 423 00:21:20,370 --> 00:21:23,140 occurred when we were doing a prospection 424 00:21:23,140 --> 00:21:27,185 operation in a ravine looking for another rock that 425 00:21:27,185 --> 00:21:28,690 had been reported. 426 00:21:28,690 --> 00:21:32,595 So we never found that rock, but we did find the colossal head. 427 00:21:32,595 --> 00:21:41,850 428 00:21:41,850 --> 00:21:44,380 NARRATOR: The head was lifted carefully from its hiding 429 00:21:44,380 --> 00:21:47,871 place of thousands of years under the watchful eyes 430 00:21:47,871 --> 00:21:48,570 of the villagers. 431 00:21:48,570 --> 00:21:56,280 432 00:21:56,280 --> 00:21:59,220 In the village, the men are preparing its new home. 433 00:21:59,220 --> 00:22:01,960 It'll be the centerpiece of their own museum. 434 00:22:01,960 --> 00:22:04,490 Every other head has been shipped to the capital, 435 00:22:04,490 --> 00:22:06,620 but this one is staying here. 436 00:22:06,620 --> 00:22:07,720 It's even got a nickname. 437 00:22:07,720 --> 00:22:09,220 ANN CYPHERS GUILLEN (VOICEOVER): They noticed 438 00:22:09,220 --> 00:22:10,940 that it looks like somebody that they knew, 439 00:22:10,940 --> 00:22:14,170 so they called it Tabursia. 440 00:22:14,170 --> 00:22:17,740 NARRATOR: Today it's exactly a year since the head was found. 441 00:22:17,740 --> 00:22:20,867 Cause for the villagers to celebrate. 442 00:22:20,867 --> 00:22:22,000 ANN CYPHERS GUILLEN (VOICEOVER): I 443 00:22:22,000 --> 00:22:24,610 think the most important thing about the colossal head 444 00:22:24,610 --> 00:22:28,420 is that they show an image of a particular person. 445 00:22:28,420 --> 00:22:31,340 So even though people in general think a colossal head is 446 00:22:31,340 --> 00:22:33,260 a colossal head, that they all have 447 00:22:33,260 --> 00:22:37,980 certain similar characteristics, each one is very distinct. 448 00:22:37,980 --> 00:22:42,610 The facial features are very, very individual. 449 00:22:42,610 --> 00:22:45,670 The eye of this colossal head very clearly shows 450 00:22:45,670 --> 00:22:48,160 the Asiatic style eyefold. 451 00:22:48,160 --> 00:22:51,690 It also shows the cross-eyed feature. 452 00:22:51,690 --> 00:22:54,800 This is visible in almost all the colossal heads. 453 00:22:54,800 --> 00:22:58,940 This was definitely a mark of beauty for the Olmec. 454 00:22:58,940 --> 00:23:03,200 The eye is slightly sunken here with bags under the eyes, 455 00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:07,660 representing the fact that this is an older or mature man. 456 00:23:07,660 --> 00:23:11,900 The nose of this colossal head is wide and slightly 457 00:23:11,900 --> 00:23:17,030 flattened in the center part. 458 00:23:17,030 --> 00:23:19,320 NARRATOR: Ann Cyphers believes that each of the heads 459 00:23:19,320 --> 00:23:21,000 represents a ruler. 460 00:23:21,000 --> 00:23:23,120 Not only does each have a different face, 461 00:23:23,120 --> 00:23:24,764 but a different headress, too. 462 00:23:24,764 --> 00:23:26,230 ANN CYPHERS GUILLEN (VOICEOVER): This device 463 00:23:26,230 --> 00:23:28,430 that comes down the center of the head 464 00:23:28,430 --> 00:23:33,090 is a claw, three digits, like this. 465 00:23:33,090 --> 00:23:36,850 Here you can see the nails, the claws themselves. 466 00:23:36,850 --> 00:23:40,910 This probably represents the name of the ruler. 467 00:23:40,910 --> 00:23:43,880 Even though the Olmec didn't have writing at this point, 468 00:23:43,880 --> 00:23:46,270 these are the kinds of symbols that identify 469 00:23:46,270 --> 00:23:49,630 the person represented here. 470 00:23:49,630 --> 00:23:51,610 NARRATOR: Some people think the features suggest 471 00:23:51,610 --> 00:23:53,470 the Olmecs came from Africa. 472 00:23:53,470 --> 00:23:55,750 But Ann Cyphers disagrees. 473 00:23:55,750 --> 00:23:58,820 She thinks the faces portray the Asiatic features 474 00:23:58,820 --> 00:24:02,050 of the American Indians who first came to the continent 475 00:24:02,050 --> 00:24:07,080 over the Bering Strait, which links Asia and North America. 476 00:24:07,080 --> 00:24:09,420 ANN CYPHERS GUILLEN (VOICEOVER): The lips vary from head 477 00:24:09,420 --> 00:24:11,430 to head, and the nose, too. 478 00:24:11,430 --> 00:24:13,100 In my opinion, however, I don't think 479 00:24:13,100 --> 00:24:14,950 these are African features. 480 00:24:14,950 --> 00:24:16,960 I think that what predominates in the heads 481 00:24:16,960 --> 00:24:19,010 are Asiatic features. 482 00:24:19,010 --> 00:24:21,300 For example, the eyefold on the colossal 483 00:24:21,300 --> 00:24:24,970 heads that are clearly an Asiatic eyefold. 484 00:24:24,970 --> 00:24:28,160 So I think, in my own view, that we're not 485 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:32,710 talking about diffusion from another continent to explain 486 00:24:32,710 --> 00:24:34,260 the rise of Olmec civilization. 487 00:24:34,260 --> 00:24:37,730 Olmec civilization arose here in Southern Vera Cruz. 488 00:24:37,730 --> 00:24:40,840 [PLAYING MUSIC] 489 00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:45,050 There's really no words to explain the feeling that you 490 00:24:45,050 --> 00:24:47,070 get when you see for the first time a face 491 00:24:47,070 --> 00:24:49,740 that nobody has seen for 3,000 years. 492 00:24:49,740 --> 00:24:53,570 It's just a thrill that cannot be repeated. 493 00:24:53,570 --> 00:24:56,560 These stories show how hard it is to reconstruct 494 00:24:56,560 --> 00:24:59,630 the histories of civilizations that have flourished 495 00:24:59,630 --> 00:25:01,790 and died centuries ago. 496 00:25:01,790 --> 00:25:04,800 So it's not surprising some cranks resort 497 00:25:04,800 --> 00:25:07,420 to outrageously implausible theories 498 00:25:07,420 --> 00:25:11,500 often invoking aliens from outer space. 499 00:25:11,500 --> 00:25:14,160 How insulting to our ancestors to think 500 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:17,310 that they were incapable of sculpting those noble 501 00:25:17,310 --> 00:25:18,970 Olmec heads. 502 00:25:18,970 --> 00:25:21,540 Even though their reasons may be inexplicable, 503 00:25:21,540 --> 00:25:25,700 we can be sure that human beings just like us were the creatures 504 00:25:25,700 --> 00:25:27,670 of these great works. 505 00:25:27,670 --> 00:25:31,320 [MUSIC PLAYING] 506 00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:59,867