[footsteps crunching] [thunder rumbling] [haunting music] [birds cawing] ♪ ♪ [wind blowing softly] ♪ ♪ - THE HISTORY THAT
WE WERE ALL TAUGHT GROWING UP IS WRONG. MY NAME IS SCOTT WOLTER, AND I'M A FORENSIC GEOLOGIST. THERE'S A HIDDEN HISTORY
IN THIS COUNTRY THAT NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT. THERE ARE PYRAMIDS HERE-- CHAMBERS, TOMBS,
INSCRIPTIONS. THEY'RE ALL OVER
THIS COUNTRY. WE'RE GOING TO INVESTIGATE
THESE ARTIFACTS AND SITES, AND WE'RE GOING TO GET
TO THE TRUTH. SOMETIMES HISTORY ISN'T WHAT
WE'VE BEEN TOLD. [percussive music] [waves crashing] ♪ ♪ I'M HEADING TO ISLE ROYALE
IN LAKE SUPERIOR. HERE IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION
MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO, AN INCREDIBLE RELIC
WAS FOUND-- A TABLET WITH CRYPTIC SYMBOLS, SYMBOLS I THINK ARE THE KEY
TO UNLOCKING AN EPIC, UNSOLVED
GEOLOGIC MYSTERY. THIS AREA WAS ONCE HOME TO SOME OF THE LARGEST
COPPER DEPOSITS IN THE WORLD. BILLIONS OF POUNDS OF COPPER
LAY HIDDEN UNDERGROUND, AND SOMEONE KNEW THAT. AT SOME POINT PRIOR TO COLUMBUS
COMING TO AMERICA, MUCH OF THE GREAT LAKES COPPER
DISAPPEARED. AND I'M HERE TO FIGURE OUT
WHERE IT WENT, WHO TOOK IT,
AND WHY. SO, GEORGE,
YOU'RE PROBABLY WONDERING WHY I ASKED YOU
TO TAKE ME OUT TO ISLE ROYALE. - YEAH, WHAT'S UP? - OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW,
ISLE ROYALE WAS A PLACE-- I KNOW THEY DID
A LOT OF MINING. - YEAH, YOU BET.
I LOVE LOOKING AT THE MINES. THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE
ON THE ISLAND. - HOW MANY MINES DO WE THINK
ARE ON ISLE ROYALE? WE HAVE ANY IDEA? - THEY'RE ALL--
CONSTANTLY FINDING NEW ONES. YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE ESTIMATES
FOR THAT REGION IS 5,000 TO 10,000. WHOEVER WAS HERE MINING
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO TOOK A LOT OF COPPER
OUT OF HERE. - WHAT KIND OF QUANTITIES
ARE WE TALKING ABOUT? - BETWEEN 1 BILLION
TO 1 1/2 BILLION POUNDS-- - A MILLION? - A BILLION...
- A BILLION. - TO 1 1/2 BILLION
POUNDS OF COPPER. - HOW LONG WOULD THAT TAKE?
I MEAN--MY GOD. - WELL, ONE OF THE ESTIMATES
FROM ONE OF THE ENGINEERS WAS 10,000 PEOPLE
FOR 1,000 YEARS. - THAT'S MIND-BOGGLING. I MEAN, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT
THESE NUMBERS, IT'S SO VAST, AND I KNOW THAT
THE NATIVE AMERICANS DID USE COPPER, BUT, YOU KNOW,
THEY'VE NEVER FOUND ANYTHING EVEN CLOSE
TO THE TYPE OF NUMBERS THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT. SO THE QUESTION IS,
WHERE DID ALL THAT COPPER GO? I THINK I KNOW. I'M FIRMLY CONVINCED THAT IT'S CONNECTED
TO THE BRONZE AGE. - THE BRONZE AGE IN EUROPE? - IN EUROPE, YEP. I THINK PEOPLE
WHO CAME OVER HERE-- THIS IS WHERE
THEY GOT THE COPPER TO FUEL THE BRONZE AGE. WHO TOOK
THE GREAT LAKES COPPER? WHERE DID IT GO? TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION, I HAVE TO GO BACK
TO THE POINT IN HUMAN HISTORY WHEN COPPER
FOREVER CHANGED THE WORLD: THE BRONZE AGE. 5,000 YEARS AGO, MAN LEARNED TO COMBINE
COPPER AND TIN TOGETHER TO FORGE AN EVEN STRONGER METAL:
BRONZE. IT WAS A GAME CHANGER. NOW HE COULD MAKE MORE USEFUL
AGRICULTURAL TOOLS AND MORE DEADLY WEAPONS-- THINGS LIKE DAGGERS,
SWORDS, AND AXES. WITH MORE WEAPONS
CAME MORE ADVANCED WARFARE. NATIONS BECAME MORE POWERFUL, RISING UP IN AN ATTEMPT
TO SPREAD THEIR CULTURE AROUND THE WORLD, ALL THANKS TO COPPER. [blades clashing] BUT WHERE DID THEY GET IT? WHILE SOURCES FOR COPPER
CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT EUROPE IN PLACES LIKE THE SWISS ALPS,
ENGLAND, AND IRELAND, SOME PEOPLE QUESTION WHETHER
THERE WAS ENOUGH MINERAL ORE TO ACCOUNT FOR
THE MASSIVE AMOUNTS NEEDED TO FUEL THE BRONZE AGE. I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE. AND THIS TABLET
FOUND IN NEWBERRY, MICHIGAN, COULD PROVE IT. CHECK THIS OUT. - WHAT'S THIS? - IT'S THE NEWBERRY TABLET. YOU KNOW, I THINK
IT COULD BE A KEY HERE, TYING TOGETHER
THE COPPER CULTURE-- WHOEVER IT WAS THAT MINED HERE
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. UNFORTUNATELY,
IT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE, BUT THIS THING WAS FOUND, 1896,
OVER BY NEWBERRY, MICHIGAN. A COUPLE OF GUYS
TIPPED OVER SOME TREES. THIS THING
WAS IN THE GROUND. IT'S GOT 140 CHARACTERS
ON IT. - SO THE TABLET'S GONE? - IT'S GONE.
- OH, MAN. - YEAH, IT APPARENTLY
WAS DESTROYED. YOU KNOW,
THIS WAS IN BEAUTIFUL CONDITION, BUT HOW MANY GREAT ARTIFACTS
HAVE WE HEARD ABOUT THAT ARE GONE? THIS COULD BE A LINK
TO THE COPPER CULTURE, AND I'M THINKING--
IT'S ALL SPECULATION-- BUT IT COULD BE A WAY-- I MEAN, IF THEY'RE MINING
THE KINDS OF, YOU KNOW, COPPER THAT WE THINK THEY WERE, THEY HAD TO KEEP SOME TYPE
OF RECORDS OR TABULATIONS. THIS COULD BE CONNECTED. I KNOW THAT, GOING BACK,
COPPER WAS ACTUALLY MORE VALUABLE
THAN GOLD AND SILVER, SO THAT'S A PRETTY STRONG
MOTIVATOR TO COME ALL THIS WAY. - IT'S THE MYSTERY
AROUND HERE. WHEN YOU READ THE OLD PAPERS FROM THE EARLY EXPLORERS
THAT CAME, THERE'S NO REMNANTS OF WHO. - YOU KNOW,
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT WAS THE PURITY
OF THIS COPPER HERE. COPPER, LIKE MOST METALS,
HAS A UNIQUE FINGERPRINT. I CAN TEST THE PURITY OF COPPER
IN THE GREAT LAKES AND COMPARE THE RESULTS TO
THE PURITY OF BRONZE AGE COPPER TO SEE IF IT'S A MATCH. THE BIG QUESTION IS, WHERE DID THE COPPER
COME FROM THAT FUELED
THE BRONZE AGE? YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING
5,000 YEARS AGO. THIS MIGHT BE THE ONLY CLUE
THAT TIES IT TOGETHER. [dramatic orchestral music] ♪ ♪ - THIS PLACE IS FANTASTIC,
GEORGE. - IT IS AWESOME. - I KNOW YOU SPEND
A LOT OF TIME OUT HERE. WHY DON'T YOU TELL--
TELL ME ABOUT THE ISLAND? - WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S UNIQUE. IT'S A NATIONAL PARK,
SO IT'S WELL-PRESERVED. BEEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT CULTURES
THAT HAVE COME THROUGH HERE, FROM FISHING TO MINING. IT'S THE LARGEST ISLAND
ON LAKE SUPERIOR. IT'S 45 MILES LONG
AND 8 MILES WIDE. IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GET HERE,
YOU KNOW. IT'S 50 MILES
FROM COPPER HARBOR. YOU HAVE TO TAKE
THE FERRY OVER OR IF YOU HAVE A BIG ENOUGH BOAT
TO DO IT YOURSELF. IT HAS A UNIQUE
WOLF POPULATION AS WELL. - HEY, I'VE READ ABOUT THAT. I GUESS THE WOLVES
ARE STRUGGLING, AREN'T THEY? - THE WOLF POPULATION
IS DWINDLING, AND THEY'RE WORRIED
ABOUT IT BECOMING EXTINCT. - WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS
DOWN TO NOW? - THEY WERE DOWN TO NINE
THIS LAST WINTER. - NINE? I KNOW THEIR DISAPPEARANCE
IS A MYSTERY, JUST LIKE THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF THIS COPPER IS A MYSTERY. ♪ ♪ AHH... - SO HERE WE GO. THIS IS--THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF ONE OF THE PITS
ON THE ISLAND. THIS PIT COULD VERY WELL HAVE BEEN
ONE OF THE ANCIENT PITS. BUT WE DO KNOW
THAT IT WAS WORKED BY MINERS IN THE 1840s. OFTENTIMES,
THE MORE MODERN MINERS-- THE EUROPEAN MINERS
THAT CAME OVER AND EXPLORED FOR COPPER-- FOUND ANCIENT PITS
AND WORKED OVER THE TOP OF THEM. THEY JUST WENT CRAZY
IN THE AREA. AND THE ENTIRE
KEWEENAW PENINSULA BECAME ONE GIANT MINING SITE, PRODUCING MORE REVENUE
FROM COPPER MINING THAN EVEN
THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH. - WOW. THAT'S--THAT'S A LOT
OF COPPER. AND SPEAKING OF THAT,
I THINK YOU SAID-- 5,000 YEARS IS ONE
OF THE NUMBERS YOU TOSSED AROUND AS THE AGE
OF SOME OF THESE PITS. HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT? - ACTUALLY, ON ONE OF THE PITS
ON THE ISLAND, THERE WAS ONE GIANT PIECE
OF FLOAT COPPER ON THE BOTTOM, AND IT WAS SUPPORTED BY
OAK TIMBERS THAT HAD BEEN CUT. THERE WERE CUT MARKS
IN THE TIMBERS THAT THEY ANALYZED
AND THEN-- SO THEY TOOK SOME CARBON SAMPLES
OF THAT OAK AND PLACED IT BETWEEN
5,000 AND 6,000 YEARS AGO. - OH, WOW.
- YEAH. - THIS IS A PRETTY SMALL PIT. I'D LOVE TO SEE
SOMETHING BIGGER. AFTER A NIGHT ON THE ISLAND, WE'RE HEADING OUT
TO THE DISTANT NORTH SHORE TO VISIT THE MINONG MINE. IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST
ANCIENT MINES ON THE ISLAND, AND I WANT TO SEE
IF THERE ARE ANY CLUES THERE TO WHO DID THE MINING. I ALSO WANT TO UNDERSTAND JUST HOW MANY MINES
WERE WORKED HERE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. IT TURNS OUT
THE WOLVES ON THE ISLAND COULD BE AN UNEXPECTED CLUE TO UNDERSTANDING
THE SIZE AND SCALE OF THIS MYSTERIOUS
MINING OPERATION. I'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF
READING ABOUT THIS BIG MYSTERY OF HOW DID WE LOSE
A CERTAIN SEGMENT OF THE DWINDLING POPULATION HERE
OF THE WOLVES. - YEAH, WE'VE HAD TEN YEARS
OF PRETTY HIGH WOLF NUMBERS. BUT NOW THE WOLF POPULATION HAS BEEN COMING DOWN
DRAMATICALLY, AND IN 2012,
THIS LAST YEAR, THEY HIT
THEIR LOWEST LEVEL EVER-- JUST NINE WOLVES LEFT. - NINE WOLVES? WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK
HAPPENED THERE? - THIS SPRING,
WE DID FIND OUT THAT THREE WOLVES
HAD DIED IN A MINE SHAFT. IN HERE, WE'VE GOT SOME BONES
OF ONE OF THOSE WOLVES. - THIS CAME FROM THE SHAFT. THIS ONE WAS ONE OF THE WOLVES
IN THE SHAFT. - YEAH, WE FISHED HIM OUT
ALONG WITH TWO OTHER WOLVES-- SO TWO ADULT MALES
AND THEN A FEMALE PUP. - SO I'M CURIOUS.
HOW DEEP DID THEY FALL? - WELL, IT'S A--IT'S A UNIQUE,
DANGEROUS MINE PIT, I MEAN,
EVEN FOR ISLE ROYALE, ABOUT 10 FEET OF SHEER WALL
DOWN TO A WATER SURFACE, WHICH WAS PROBABLY FROZEN. - OKAY. - I COULDN'T HIT THE BOTTOM WITH THE BIGGEST POLE
I COULD STICK DOWN THERE. - SO ARE THERE ANY OTHER
LARGE MAMMALS, OR IS IT JUST THE WOLVES? - YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN
A DOZEN OR SO MOOSE THAT HAVE FALLEN IN
AND DIED IN MINE SHAFTS. - DOESN'T THAT
TELL YOU SOMETHING ABOUT THE QUANTITY
OF MINE SHAFTS AND ABANDONED MINES? - YEAH, I MEAN,
THERE'S HUNDREDS OF SHALLOW PITS FROM MINING
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS. THIS--THE ONE HE WENT INTO
WAS, BY FAR, THE DEEPEST AND MOST DANGEROUS
I'VE SEEN. - YOU KNOW, IN THE ARTICLE
THAT I READ THIS SPRING, THEY LEFT ME
WITH A DISTINCT IMPRESSION THAT THE WOLVES ARE PROBABLY
GOING TO GO EXTINCT. WHAT DO YOU THINK? - ON THIS ISLAND,
IN TERMS OF PROBABILITY, THEY GOT ABOUT
A LESS THAN 50% CHANCE. - THE DWINDLING WOLF POPULATION
GIVES ME A SENSE OF JUST HOW MANY
ANCIENT MINE PITS THERE ARE ON ISLE ROYALE. THE REMNANTS OF
THIS MINING NETWORK ARE SO VAST THAT ANIMALS LIKE MOOSE
AND WOLVES CAN'T AVOID FALLING INTO THE PITS. THIS MAKES ME
MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER TO GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF WHO'S RESPONSIBLE FOR TAKING ALL THIS COPPER OUT
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. NOW WE'RE ON OUR WAY
TO THE MINONG MINE, WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE FAR
NORTH SHORE OF THE ISLAND. IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST MINES
ON ISLE ROYALE, CONSISTING OF DEEP PITS
AND MILES OF TUNNELS. IN THE LATE 1800s, A THRIVING MINING INDUSTRY
EXISTED HERE, AND HUNDREDS OF MINERS
WORKED THE PITS. IT WAS THESE MINERS
WHO UNCOVERED EVIDENCE SOMEONE ELSE HAD ALREADY
BEEN HERE MINING COPPER-- POSSIBLY PREHISTORIC PEOPLE. AND I WANT TO DISCOVER
WHO THOSE PEOPLE WERE. OH... - WELL, SCOTT, THIS IS WHAT
I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT. THIS IS THE MINONG MINE. - WOW.
THAT'S GREAT. - ISN'T IT SOMETHING? - WHAT'S THAT?
50 FEET? - I DON'T KNOW, MAN. IT'S CERTAINLY A LOT DEEPER THAN THE OTHER SHAFT
THAT WE SAW. - DOES THAT
GO UNDERNEATH THERE? IT LOOKS LIKE
IT KEEPS GOING. - IT DOES ACTUALLY. NOT ONLY CAN WE SEE THE SHAFT
FROM THE TOP, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO DOWN
OVER HERE, AND YOU CAN SEE THE SHAFT
FROM THE SIDE AS WELL. - [laughs] TAKING THE EASY WAY, HUH? - TOOK THE EASY WAY, MAN. HOW ABOUT THIS PLACE? - THIS IS AWESOME. - ISN'T IT INCREDIBLE? - THIS IS AMAZING, YEAH. WELL, YOU CAN SEE
PLENTY OF COPPER CARBONATE HERE. THAT GREEN CARBONATE
IS OBVIOUSLY THE BREAKDOWN OF COPPER;
THAT'S A TELLTALE SIGN. WE SEE IT ALL THE TIME. SEE ALL THESE FRACTURES SORT OF
RUNNING IN THIS DIRECTION? - YEAH. - THERE'S PROBABLY COPPER
IN THIS SEAM RIGHT HERE. COPPER HAS ALWAYS BEEN SEEN
AS A MIRACULOUS METAL. WE KNOW NOW
THAT ITS IONS KILL BACTERIA, WHICH IS WHY IT'S USED
FOR POTS AND PIPES. IT'S VALUABLE. THAT'S WHY PEOPLE STEAL IT
FROM ABANDONED HOMES. DURING WORLD WAR I, MORE THAN 270 MILLION TONS
OF COPPER CAME FROM HERE
IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION. BUT BILLIONS OF POUNDS OF COPPER
WAS MINED HERE LONG BEFORE MODERN TIMES, MAYBE BY WHOMEVER
LEFT THE NEWBERRY TABLET BEHIND. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT
OPERATION HERE. THERE WAS A LOT OF COPPER
PULLED OUT OF HERE. IT GOES BACK QUITE A WAYS. - YEAH, YOU CAN SEE THE TRACKS
THAT ARE LEFT FROM THE-- YOU KNOW,
FROM THE 1800 MINERS, AND-- AS THEY WORKED OVER THE TOP
OF THE ANCIENT MINERS. - I THINK THE CHANCES
ARE PRETTY REMOTE THAT WE'RE GOING TO FIND
EVIDENCE OF ANY ANCIENT MINING. I MEAN, THE BLASTING
THAT'S BEEN DONE HERE-- WHATEVER MIGHT HAVE BEEN HERE
IS SURELY GONE OR BURIED. DO YOU THINK--
IS THERE ANY CHANCE I COULD GET A SAMPLE
FROM HERE? - YOU KNOW,
YOU CAN'T TAKE ANY SAMPLES-- ANY COPPER--
OFF THE ISLAND BECAUSE IT IS A NATIONAL PARK,
AND IT'S A PRESERVE. - YEAH, I UNDERSTAND. - BUT WE'RE--WE'RE NOT FAR FROM THE LARGEST PIECE
OF FLOAT COPPER THAT ANYONE HAS
IN THEIR POSSESSION, AND I KNOW FOR A FACT
YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT, MAYBE GET A SAMPLE. IF NOTHING ELSE, THEY HAVE COPPER SAMPLES
FROM THE AREA THERE THAT WE CAN GET OUR HANDS ON
FOR SURE. - GEORGE TOLD ME SCIENTIFIC DATING
ON SOME OF THE PITS PROVED THEY WERE MINED
5,000 YEARS AGO. I'M CONVINCED
THAT GREAT LAKES COPPER WAS USED
IN THE BRONZE AGE. THERE MAY BE A SCIENTIFIC WAY
TO LINK IT TO BRONZE AGE COPPER, BUT I NEED A SAMPLE
SO I CAN TEST ITS PURITY. IF I FIND A MATCH, THEN SOMEONE
FROM EUROPE WAS HERE, MINING MICHIGAN COPPER
5,000 YEARS AGO, AND THAT WOULD MEAN A COMPLETE
REWRITE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. - I'M IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN INVESTIGATING
THE DISAPPEARANCE OF MILLIONS OF POUNDS
OF ANCIENT COPPER. I WANT TO KNOW WHO TOOK IT. I ALSO WANT TO KNOW
IF THERE'S A CONNECTION BETWEEN WHOEVER MINED THE COPPER
AND THE NEWBERRY TABLET, WHICH HAS SYMBOLS ON IT THAT
I THINK COULD CRACK THE CASE. I THINK THAT THE DISAPPEARANCE
CAN ONLY BE EXPLAINED BY MINERS
THAT CAME ACROSS FROM EUROPE DURING THE BRONZE AGE. I'M SEARCHING
FOR A PIECE OF MICHIGAN COPPER THAT I CAN TEST FOR PURITY TO FIND OUT IF IT MATCHES WITH ANCIENT COPPER
DISCOVERED IN EUROPE. BUT FIRST, I'M CHECKING OUT A MASSIVE EXAMPLE
OF LOCAL COPPER. WOW. LOOK AT THAT. THAT'S INCREDIBLE. SO HOW BIG IS IT? - OVER 28 TONS. - YOU KNOW, I CAN SEE
OBVIOUS GLACIAL STRIATIONS. SO CLEARLY, THIS IS A PIECE
THAT THE GLACIERS PICKED UP, CARRIED IT,
AND DROPPED IT. WE SEE THE SCRATCHES OF-- OF BEING SCRAPED ALONG
THE GROUND AS IT WAS CARRIED. SO, JUDY, I JUST CAME BACK
FROM THE MINONG MINE. MY FRIEND GEORGE
TOOK ME THERE, AND WE SAW SOME--
SOME MINING PITS, AND WE TALKED ABOUT
SOME OF THE QUANTITIES-- THE ESTIMATES OF OVER
A BILLION POUNDS OF COPPER THAT WAS MINED. SO WHAT DO YOU THINK
ABOUT THE IDEA OF ANCIENT PEOPLE
COMING FROM ACROSS THE ATLANTIC AND MINING COPPER
IN THIS REGION? - IT'S THE ONLY THING
THAT MAKES SENSE. WHERE DID THEY GET
ALL THE COPPER NEEDED TO BUILD
THE BRONZE AGE WHEN BRONZE IS MADE
FROM MOSTLY COPPER? WHY WOULDN'T THEY COME? - I AGREE WITH YOU.
WHY WOULDN'T THEY HAVE? SO THEY HAVE EVERY REASON
TO DO IT. WHAT ABOUT NATIVE LEGENDS? DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING
ABOUT THAT? - WELL, YES,
THERE ARE SOME STORIES ABOUT FAIR-HAIRED FAIR-SKINNED
PEOPLE HAVING BEEN HERE. AND PERHAPS NATIVE AMERICANS
EVEN LEFT A MESSAGE ABOUT THAT. - ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT
THE PETROGLYPHS IN COPPER HARBOR,
THE SHIP PETROGLYPH? - THAT'S THE ONE. - I'VE LOOKED
AT THAT PETROGLYPH, IN FACT, AND I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH
ON IT. PERSONALLY,
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY MAYBE 1,000 YEARS
OR SOMEWHERE IN THERE, BUT IT COULD BE MUCH OLDER. I'M NOT SURE.
WHAT DO YOU THINK? - THAT SHIP, I THINK,
IS SO SIGNIFICANT. IT'S SO DIFFERENT
FROM ANYTHING NATIVE AMERICANS
WOULD HAVE DONE. THE SHAPE OF THE SAIL--
IT'S QUITE SQUARE. - I LOOKED AT THAT
VERY CAREFULLY A COUPLE YEARS AGO, AND IT HAS SORT OF
A MINOAN-STYLE SQUARE SAIL. THE MINOANS
WERE A BRONZE AGE CULTURE FROM THE GREEK ISLAND
OF CRETE. IT WAS NOT UNTIL AROUND 1900
THAT ARCHAEOLOGISTS DISCOVERED EVIDENCE
FOR THE MINOANS BUT LITTLE IS KNOWN
ABOUT THEM. WHAT IS KNOWN
IS THAT THE MINOANS HAD A HUGE SAILING
AND TRADING EMPIRE THAT DATED BACK TO ABOUT
3,500 TO 5,000 YEARS AGO. THAT'S PRECISELY THE TIME THE COPPER IN AMERICA
WAS DISAPPEARING. IF I CAN TEST
MICHIGAN COPPER AND MATCH ITS PURITY WITH THAT
OF ANCIENT BRONZE AGE COPPER, THEN I MIGHT BE ABLE
TO PROVE THE MINOANS
WERE AMERICA'S MYSTERY MINERS. COULD THE MINOANS
HAVE BEEN INVOLVED? - THEY VERY WELL
COULD HAVE BEEN, SINCE THEY WERE NOTED
FOR BEING MARVELOUS MARINERS. - WE KNOW THE MINOANS
GOT FARTHER THAN CRETE, FARTHER WEST THAN CRETE. THEY WERE LOOKING FOR COPPER--
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT. WE HAVE THE COPPER HERE. THEY HAD THE SAILING TECHNOLOGY
TO GET HERE. I MEAN, THIS WOULD BE
A HUGE BLOW TO THE STANDARD HISTORY
THAT WE KNOW. THERE IS A WAY
I THINK I CAN TEST THIS. IT WOULD BE GREAT
IF WE COULD GET A SAMPLE TO TEST THAT COPPER
FOR TRACE ELEMENT ANALYSIS. I KNOW I CAN'T
GET A SAMPLE OF THIS, BUT WE MIGHT BE ABLE
TO GET ONE SOMEWHERE FROM UP HERE. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
- SURE. A FRIEND OF OURS
WHO HAS A CHARMING SHOP CALLED DA YOOPERS TOURIST TRAP. HE ALSO
IS AN AMATEUR GEOLOGIST. - WHO DO I ASK FOR
WHEN I GO THERE? - HOOLIE. - IN MY SEARCH
TO UNCOVER THE MYSTERY OF WHO MINED
THE ANCIENT MICHIGAN COPPER, I'VE SEEN PHOTOS
OF A LONG-LOST STONE TABLET FOUND IN THE AREA AND A PETROGLYPH OF WHAT COULD BE
A CARVED MINOAN TRADING SHIP. PERHAPS THE TWO
ARE CONNECTED AND THE SYMBOLS ON THE TABLET
ARE MINOAN. AND IF I CAN FIND
A PIECE MICHIGAN COPPER THAT TESTS AS
THE EXACT SAME PURITY AS A BRONZE AGE SAMPLE,
IT COULD MEAN THAT THE MINOANS
GOT THEIR COPPER FROM HERE. ALL I NEED IS SOME
GREAT LAKES COPPER TO COMPARE, AND THANKS TO JUDY,
I HAVE A LEAD. - HEY, HOW IS IT GOING? - GOOD. GOOD. SCOTT WOLTER.
HOW ARE YOU DOING? - NOT BAD.
NOT BAD. - SAY, JUDY JOHNSON--
DO YOU KNOW HER? - OH, YEAH. - SHE SAID I SHOULD BE LOOKING
FOR A GUY NAMED HOOLIE. - THAT'S ME.
- THAT'S YOU, OKAY. - YES, SIR.
- DO YOU HAVE ANY COPPER? - WE GOT LOTS OF COPPER. - WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS,
I'M WONDERING IF I MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET
A SAMPLE OF COPPER. I THINK WE CAN DO THAT HERE. DO YOU HAVE SOME
I COULD MAYBE LOOK AT? - YEAH, YEAH,
MATTER OF FACT, I WAS JUST PREPPING
THESE TWO HERE. I FOUND THEM
IN A BOX DOWNSTAIRS. I FORGOT I HAD THEM. AND THESE ARE--
THIS IS FLOAT COPPER. - SO YOU'RE FAMILIAR
WITH THE GIANT PIECE OF COPPER BACK IN MARQUETTE, RIGHT? - YES.
- OKAY. SO THIS IS ESSENTIALLY
THE SAME THING, JUST A SMALLER VERSION
OF IT. - YEAH, SMALLER VERSION.
YEAH, IT COMES IN ALL SIZES. - SAY,
THERE'S ONE OTHER THING I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU ABOUT. I DON'T KNOW
IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT, BUT I'VE BEEN
LOOKING INTO SOMETHING CALLED THE NEWBERRY TABLET. - OH, YEAH. - IT'S GONE NOW,
BUT DO YOU KNOW ANYBODY WHO MIGHT HAVE
SOME INFORMATION ABOUT IT? - WELL, YEAH, I MEAN,
WHEN THEY FOUND IT, THERE WAS THIS BIG HURRAH. I MEAN, THEY DIDN'T KNOW WHETHER IT WAS EGYPTIAN
OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW? AND LUCKILY, THERE WAS A MINING
JOURNAL NEWSPAPER GUY THERE THAT TOOK PICTURES OF THEM. - OKAY. - AND THEN THEY GOT STUCK
IN A GUY'S BARN, AND THEN THE WEATHER
WORE THEM DOWN BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T--
THEY WEREN'T BAKED CLAY. THEY WERE JUST, YOU KNOW,
IN THAT JUST RAW FORM. BUT THEY HAVE THEM
DOWN THERE IN THE MUSEUM IN ST. IGNACE
DOWN THERE. PART OF THE TABLET
IS STILL-- - WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. YOU MEAN IT STILL EXISTS?
- YEAH, YEAH. I WAS JUST DOWN THERE,
MATTER OF FACT, TWO WEEKS AGO. - HOOLIE, THE FACT THAT
THAT TABLET STILL EXISTS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, BECAUSE IF I COULD GET IT
UNDER MY MICROSCOPE AND DO SOME
WEATHERING STUDIES, I MIGHT BE ABLE
TO POTENTIALLY TIE THE MINOANS WITH THE NEW WORLD UP HERE, AND THE MICHIGAN COPPER MYSTERY
MIGHT BE SOLVED. IT WOULD BE A BIG DEAL. - I CAN'T BELIEVE
THE NEWBERRY TABLET, LONG THOUGHT
TO HAVE BEEN DESTROYED, STILL EXISTS. I THINK IT'S JUST THE CLUE
I NEED TO SOLVE THE CASE
OF MICHIGAN'S MYSTERY MINERS. WHEN TWO WOODSMEN FOUND THE TABLET BY ACCIDENT
IN 1896, THEY HAD NO IDEA
THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR FIND. WHEN I FOUND OUT
IT STILL EXISTS, I DELVED DEEPER
AND DISCOVERED SOMETHING ELSE: THE SCRIPT ON THE TABLET
IS THOUGHT TO BE MINOAN. BUT BASED ON
WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR, I SEE NO CHANCE
IT COULD HAVE BEEN FAKED. THAT'S BECAUSE THE TABLET
WAS DISCOVERED BEFORE THE MINOAN CULTURE
WAS EVEN KNOWN TO EXIST. ARCHAEOLOGISTS
DIDN'T FIND EVIDENCE OF THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN
CULTURE UNTIL 1900, FOUR YEARS AFTER THE WOODSMEN
FOUND THE TABLET. NOW I'VE COME TO THE MUSEUM
WHERE THE STONE TABLET IS KEPT TO CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS
USING FORENSIC GEOLOGY. - WELCOME TO FORT DE BUADE.
I'M CONNIE. - HI, CONNIE.
SCOTT WOLTER. - SCOTT, GLAD TO MEET YOU. - SAY, I'M A FORENSIC GEOLOGIST, AND I WAS REFERRED TO YOU
BY A MAN NAMED HOOLIE, AND HE MENTIONED TO ME
THAT YOU HAD AN ARTIFACT HERE THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL
IN SOME RESEARCH THAT I'M DOING ABOUT THE ANCIENT
COPPER CULTURE. HAVE YOU EVER HEARD
OF THE NEWBERRY TABLET? - AH, YES.
WE HAVE THEM RIGHT HERE. - YOU HAVE IT.
- WE HAVE THEM. - YOU DO HAVE IT. - WE HAVE THEM IN THIS MUSEUM.
YES. - HOW DID THE ARTIFACTS
GET HERE? - DR. BENSON, IN THE '60s, WAS A COLLECTOR
OF MANY ARTIFACTS, AND HE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL
FROM FORT ALGONQUIN IN THE AREA, AND HE DECIDED, "WHY NOT?" SO HE LOOKED AT
THE NEWBERRY TABLETS. HE PURCHASED THEM. HE BROUGHT THEM HERE. - TABLETS. - WELL, IT CAME IN PIECES WHEN IT SORT OF
ENDED UP HERE. - SO YOU HAVE
MORE THAN ONE PIECE. - YES, WE HAVE
MORE THAN ONE PIECE. - THEY'VE BEEN HERE
EVER SINCE. - THEY'VE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE.
YES. I UNDERSTAND THAT
THEY WERE FOUND IN NEWBERRY, AND THE SMITHSONIAN
ANALYZED THEM, BUT AT THAT TIME,
THEY HAD NO CLUE. SO THEY PUT THEM
IN THE FRAUD--IN THE HOAX-- - IN THE FRAUD CATEGORY.
- YES. - YEAH, I'VE HEARD THAT
BEFORE. - I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE A HOAX
OR A REAL THING. - LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION. HAS ANYBODY LOOKED AT THEM IN MODERN TIMES,
SCIENTIFICALLY... - NO, NO. - THAT YOU'RE AWARE? - NO.
NOT AT ALL. - OKAY, I THINK
I CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT. WOW. OH... WOW. THAT'S IN TOUGH SHAPE. [dramatic orchestral music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ WELL, I THINK I'M DONE WITH THE PRELIMINARY
EXAMINATION, AND I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS
AND SOME BAD NEWS. BUT I'LL START
WITH THE BAD NEWS, OKAY? - MM. - THIS IS NOTHING,
I'M SURE, THAT'S GONNA SHOCK YOU, BUT THE--THE TABLET
IS IN REALLY TOUGH SHAPE, AND IT NEEDS SOME ATTENTION--
SERIOUS ATTENTION-- OTHERWISE,
JUST ANOTHER HANDLING COULD-- IT COULD BE GONE. THE GOOD NEWS IS,
I WAS ABLE TO MAKE OUT SOME OF THE CHARACTERS
ON THE TABLET. I KNOW THERE'S AT LEAST THREE,
POSSIBLY FOUR-- MAYBE EVEN A FIFTH CHARACTER
THAT'S STILL THERE. - OH, WOW. - AND I THINK IT LOOKS
LIKE WHAT WE HAVE HERE ON THIS PHOTOGRAPH
TAKEN IN THE LATE 1890s OF THE TABLET. I KNOW FOR SURE WE HAVE
THIS TRIDENT FIGURE HERE. IT'S DEFINITELY THERE. AND IT'S MINOAN SCRIPT. - A WEIRD THING-- I HEARD OF SOME MORE
MINOAN-TYPE STONES-- - SOME MINOAN SCRIPT? - YEAH, SOME SCRIPT,
SOME SYMBOLS. - BEYOND THIS?
- YES. - WHERE WAS THAT? - UNDERWATER.
- UNDERWATER? - UNDERWATER. AND HOW THEY GET UNDERWATER--
I HAVE NO CLUE. - WELL, I HAVE SOME IDEAS. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A LAKE? - MM-HMM. - OKAY.
WHEREABOUTS? - NORTHERN--
NORTHERN WISCONSIN AREA. - OH, REALLY?
OKAY. WELL, YOU KNOW,
THINKING ABOUT IT, THAT MAY NOT BE SO STRANGE
AFTER ALL. AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY
THREW ANYTHING INTO THE LAKE. WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED
ISOSTATIC REBOUND, OR UPLIFT OF THE LAND. AND A FEW THOUSAND YEARS AGO, WHAT IS NOW
AT THE BOTTOM A LAKE MAY HAVE BEEN DRY LAND
AT ONE TIME. - OH, YEAH. - SO IF THERE'S MINOAN SCRIPT
CARVED ON A TABLET OR ON ROCKS
AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN,
I WILL FIND IT. - WELL, HOW ARE YOU
GONNA GET TO IT? IT'S UNDERWATER. - DIVING. - [whispering]
YES. ♪ ♪ - AFTER LOOKING
AT THE NEWBERRY TABLET, I'M CONVINCED THE MINOANS
COULD BE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE FOR MINING THE COPPER
IN THE GREAT LAKES THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. IF THERE REALLY
ARE MINOAN SYMBOLS IN THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE
IN THIS AREA THAT MATCH THE ONES
ON THE TABLET, I NEED TO SEE THEM, AND I'VE TRACKED DOWN THE GUY
WHO FOUND THEM. IF YOU LOOK BACK
AT THE TIME OF THE MINOANS AND IN THE--
DURING THE BRONZE AGE, IT TOOK A LOT OF COPPER TO MAKE THE AMOUNT OF BRONZE
THAT WAS MADE. I DON'T THINK
THERE'S ENOUGH THERE TO ACCOUNT
FOR ALL THE BRONZE, AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN PONDERING THAT ISSUE. SO WHERE DID IT COME FROM? I MEAN,
THAT'S THE QUESTION, AND, TO ME, IT SEEMS REASONABLE
THAT HERE IS WHERE THEY CAME. - THAT'S CORRECT.
THERE'S--THERE'S NO QUESTION. THEY CAME
FOR THE PURE COPPER THAT LINE
THE GREAT LAKES REGION, ESPECIALLY IN UPPER MICHIGAN. AND THEY LEFT A LOT BEHIND TO LET US KNOW
THAT THEY WERE HERE. - YOU FOUND THESE... - UNDERWATER,
15 TO 20 FEET IN DEPTH, SYMBOLS MADE OUT OF STONE, MADE INTO MOUNDS
TO MATCH SOME OF THESE. - SO WHAT
ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE? - THIS IS THE FISH SYMBOLS, LIKE A BOOMERANG,
THE "W." - THESE ARE AMAZING. YOU KNOW, I JUST GOT DONE
LOOKING AT WHAT'S LEFT OF THE NEWBERRY TABLET, AND THE "W"
WAS ONE OF THE SYMBOLS THAT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE OUT
ON THAT ANCIENT STONE. - THESE SYMBOLS
THAT I FOUND HERE CLEARLY MATCH MANY OF THESE
ON THIS TABLET. - SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS, YOUR SYMBOLS
ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE AND THE NEWBERRY TABLET ARE ALL CONNECTED
BY ANCIENT COPPER MINERS? - YES. - IS THERE ANY
THAT ARE STILL INTACT? - IN FACT, THERE IS
AND NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE. I'D LIKE TO SHOW 'EM YOU. - YOU REALIZE THAT
IF THESE ARE LEGITIMATE AND THEY WERE MADE
BY THE MINOANS, THAT MEANS THAT WE HAD
THE MINOAN CULTURE COMING HERE THOUSANDS OF YEARS
BEFORE COLUMBUS. I MEAN, THIS IS A BIG DEAL. [dramatic orchestral music] ♪ ♪ - SCOTT, YOU READY TO GO BACK
A FEW THOUSAND YEARS? - YOU BET.
LEAD THE WAY. [percussive music] ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ [water splashing] WELL, SCOTT,
WHATEVER THOSE PILES ONCE WERE, THEY SURE LOOK LIKE
THEY'VE BEEN MESSED WITH. THERE'S... NOT MUCH LEFT. - YEAH, THEY'VE ALL
BEEN TAMPERED WITH. LET'S GET OUT
OF THIS COLD WATER. I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT IT
ON THE BOAT. - I APPRECIATE
GUYS LIKE YOU THAT ARE OUT THERE
LOOKING FOR THESE THINGS. YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT. THAT ONE STRUCTURE
UNDERNEATH THERE DID LOOK LIKE A "W." IT WAS A LITTLE FLAT
ON THE BOTTOM, YOU KNOW? IT DIDN'T LOOP UP IN THE MIDDLE
LIKE MOST "W"s DO, BUT IT DEFINITELY
WAS NICELY SYMMETRIC, AND IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SYMBOL
DOWN THERE. THERE'S NO QUESTION
ABOUT THAT. - THE SYMBOLS DO MATCH. - BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT I'M A LITTLE SKEPTICAL
ABOUT WHAT I SAW IN THE WATER. THE ROCKS THERE
LOOKED TO ME LIKE THEY HAD NOT BEEN THERE
FOR A LONG TIME, AND I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED
MORE SEDIMENT BUILDUP. - THE MOUNDS WERE--
WERE NOT LIKE I FOUND 'EM SEVERAL YEARS AGO. - I DON'T KNOW
WHAT THE SITUATION IS THERE. IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, YOU KNOW,
SOME OF THEM AREN'T LEGIT OR THERE ARE OTHERS
IN OTHER PLACES. - IT'S NOT SO MUCH
THE MOUNDS THAT MAKE ME CONVINCED
THAT THE MINOANS WERE HERE. AND WE'RE STILL DOING
A LOT OF INVESTIGATION, BUT WE DO KNOW WE'RE WALKING
IN ANCIENT FOOTSTEPS. - I'M NOT CONVINCED
THAT THE ROCK PILES I JUST SAW IN THE LAKE
WERE LEFT HERE BY THE MINOANS. BUT SCOTT MITCHEN
IS YET ANOTHER LOCAL WHO BELIEVES
THAT THEY WERE HERE, MINING THE COPPER
FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGION, AND A SIMPLE TEST
COULD HELP ME PROVE IT. IF MICHIGAN COPPER IS AS PURE AS COPPER
FROM BRONZE AGE EUROPE AND SPECIFICALLY AS PURE
AS THE INGOTS FROM ONE OF THE ONLY
MINOAN SHIPWRECKS EVER FOUND, THEN THERE'S
AN ANCIENT CONNECTION I THINK IS IMPOSSIBLE
TO DENY. [machinery whirring] HEY, GREG. I WAS UP IN THE U.P.-- UPPER PENINSULA
OF MICHIGAN-- AND I HAVE A SAMPLE OF COPPER
RIGHT HERE. I UNDERSTAND IT'S VERY PURE. AND I'D LIKE TO FIND THAT OUT
FOR MYSELF. IS THAT SOMETHING
YOU CAN HELP ME WITH? - ABSOLUTELY. - SO CAN YOU
TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
WE'RE USING TODAY? - YES, THIS IS A TECHNIQUE KNOWN AS
PARTICLE-INDUCED X-RAY EMISSION, OR P.I.X.E., FOR SHORT. AND SO WHAT WE'VE GOT
IS A ACCELERATOR THAT'S GOING TO GENERATE
A HIGH-ENERGY BEAM OF PARTICLES. THOSE ARE GONNA SHOOT DOWN
THROUGH THAT TUBE, AND AS THOSE IONS HIT IT,
THE SAMPLE WILL EMIT X-RAYS. AND THOSE X-RAYS
CAN TELL YOU THINGS ABOUT WHAT'S INSIDE
THE SAMPLE. - AM I RIGHT
THAT NASA USED P.I.X.E. TO ANALYZE THE ROCKS
THAT CAME BACK ON THE<i> APOLLO</i> FLIGHTS, AND THEY'RE USING IT ON--
FOR MARS EXPLORATION TOO, RIGHT? - I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT,
YES. - SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO TRY TO DO
IS USE THIS DATA TO COMPARE WITH, HOPEFULLY,
SAMPLES OF BRONZE AGE COPPER TO SEE IF THERE'S A MATCH. AND IF THERE IS,
WELL, THIS WOULD PROVE THAT ANCIENT MINERS
CAME TO NORTH AMERICA LONG BEFORE COLUMBUS, AND THAT WOULD CHANGE HISTORY
IN A PROFOUND WAY. - SURE. ♪ ♪ - I THINK COPPER
MINED FROM AMERICA'S GREAT LAKES WAS USED TO FUEL
THE BRONZE AGE IN EUROPE THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO. I THINK THE ANCIENT MINERS
WERE THE MINOANS, A CULTURE
FROM THE ISLAND OF CRETE WHO ALSO LEFT BEHIND
THE NEWBERRY TABLET, WHICH IS UNDOUBTEDLY OLD AND MAY BE WRITTEN
IN THEIR LANGUAGE. AND I THINK
A HIGH-TECH ANALYSIS I'M DOING THAT COMPARES THE FINGERPRINT
OF GREAT LAKES COPPER WITH COPPER PULLED FROM
A MINOAN SHIPWRECK COULD PROVE IT. - SO FIRSTLY, IF WE LOOK AT
THE LARGER SPECTRUM, WE SEE THESE PEAKS
THAT CLEARLY ARE DUE TO COPPER. SO THERE'S--
AND THERE'S LOTS OF IT. - BIG PEAK THERE.
- YEP. AND THEN IF WE LOOK
AT THE FINER RESULTS, THE TRACE ELEMENTS, WE SEE A BIT OF GERMANIUM,
ARSENIC, AND SOME EVEN MORE EXOTIC THINGS
LIKE EUROPIUM, TERBIUM, AND THALLIUM. - OKAY, SO THAT'S
A PRETTY UNIQUE FINGERPRINT. I MEAN, THESE THINGS
ARE REPRESENTED HERE. THEY'RE JUST SO MUCH SMALLER
THAN THE COPPER. - YES, THEY ARE.
- OKAY. WHAT WAS THE PERCENTAGE
OF COPPER? WERE YOU ABLE
TO DETERMINE THAT? - WELL, AT LEAST
OF THE METALLIC ELEMENTS PRESENT IN THE SAMPLE, SOMETHING FROM 99%
TO 99.9% IS COPPER. - [laughs]
99-PLUS PERCENT COPPER. WELL, THAT CONFIRMS
WHAT WE WERE TOLD, WHAT WE SUSPECTED, IS THAT THAT COPPER
WAS EXTREMELY PURE. SO THAT TELLS US THAT
THE VISIBLE COPPER THAT WE SEE IS VERY SPECIFIC
TO THOSE AREAS, AND OBVIOUSLY,
YOUR RESULTS CONFIRM THAT. THAT'S GREAT. KNOWING THE PURITY OF THIS AND THE PURITY OF THE COPPER
FROM THE MINOAN SHIPWRECK ARE THE SAME, I'M FEELING BETTER THAN EVER
ABOUT MY THEORY THAT BRONZE AGE COPPER
CAME FROM AMERICA. I'VE INVESTIGATED WHETHER
COPPER FROM THE GREAT LAKES WAS USED TO FUEL
THE EUROPEAN BRONZE AGE. WHAT I CAN SAY FOR CERTAIN IS THAT THE PURITY
OF MICHIGAN COPPER IS A MATCH
TO THE PURITY OF COPPER FOUND ON A SHIPWRECK
OF THE MINOANS, A EUROPEAN CULTURE
FROM THE ISLAND OF CRETE PROMINENT
DURING THE BRONZE AGE. THE NEWBERRY TABLET
IS ANOTHER CLUE THAT LINKS THE MINOANS
TO THE GREAT LAKES REGION IN ANCIENT TIMES. MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO, A COUPLE OF WOODSMEN
STARTED CHOPPING WOOD AND STUMBLED UPON
THIS INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY. THIS STONE TABLET
WAS WRAPPED IN TREE ROOTS, SO IT MUST HAVE BEEN THERE
FOR A LONG TIME. THEY SAW THESE SYMBOLS
BUT HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE. ONLY YEARS LATER
WOULD WE KNOW THAT THESE SYMBOLS
WERE LIKELY MINOAN AND THE IMPORTANCE
OF THEIR DISCOVERY. WHAT I'VE SEEN REWRITES
NOT JUST AMERICAN HISTORY BUT ALSO EUROPEAN HISTORY AND GIVES US
NEW AND CRITICAL INSIGHT INTO UNDERSTANDING
THE EVOLUTION OF CIVILIZATIONS ON BOTH SIDES
OF THE ATLANTIC. I'M HERE TO UNRAVEL
THE DEEPEST MYSTERIES, AND WHAT I'M DISCOVERING MIGHT CHANGE HISTORY
IN A PROFOUND WAY.
