WHAT IF I TOLD YOU
THAT THE SECRETS OF OUR FUTURE,
OUR FATE, MAY BE FOUND IN THE WORK
OF LEONARDO DA VINCI? BORN IN 1452, DA VINCI WAS
THE ULTIMATE RENAISSANCE MAN -- ARTIST, BOTANIST, ARCHITECT,
SCIENTIST, MATHEMATICIAN, WRITER, MUSICIAN. YOU NAME IT, DA VINCI DID IT. AND HE DID IT AT A LEVEL
THAT BOGGLES THE MIND. AN INVENTOR, DA VINCI
ACCURATELY PREDICTED HUNDREDS OF ADVANCEMENTS
IN SCIENCE, TRANSPORTATION, MEDICINE, AND WARFARE
500 YEARS BEFORE THEY HAPPENED. SOME CALL THAT "HUMAN GENIUS," BUT A FEW THINK
HE ACTUALLY SAW THE FUTURE, AND MANY NOW BELIEVE THAT DA VINCI'S MOST DANGEROUS
PROPHECY HAS YET TO BE UNLOCKED. NOW A NEWLY DISCOVERED
DA VINCI DRAWING THAT'S BEEN HIDDEN FOR CENTURIES
MAY PROVE TO BE THE FINAL PIECE TO DA VINCI'S
MOST IMPORTANT PROPHECY. IT IS TIME TO DECODE
LEONARDO DA VINCI. I'M BRAD MELTZER. I'VE SPENT MY LIFE
COLLECTING STORIES -- SIGNS, SYMBOLS, AND CODES
HIDDEN IN PLAIN SIGHT. SOME HAVE BECOME THE BASIS
FOR MY NOVELS, BUT I'VE ONLY SCRATCHED
THE SURFACE. AND NOW HISTORY
HAS GIVEN ME THE RESOURCES TO INVESTIGATE THE REST. THIS IS "DECODED." [ CELLPHONE RINGS ] Rolle: HEY, BRAD.
YOU GOT A GOOD ONE FOR US? MELTZER: I do. You guys are going to Italy,
and you're gonna be decoding none other than
Leonardo da Vinci himself. YES! OH, WOW. OKAY, THAT IS SWEET
BUT A LITTLE DAUNTING. WHAT'S LEFT
ABOUT LEONARDO? There are things happening
right now that could change the way
we think about da Vinci's work. There's a family in Genoa
who thinks that they've found a brand-new
da Vinci sketch. OH.
THAT WOULD BE HUGE. It was actually hidden
for years in the secret compartment
of his book, which is
an awesome hiding place. And some people even think
that it contains prophecies. DA VINCI'S LIKE EINSTEIN TO ME, WHERE, IF THERE'S SOMETHING
THAT I HAVEN'T READ OF HIS, I WANT TO GET MY HANDS ON IT. You ever see his drawings
of helicopters and tanks and all the other inventions
that didn't exist back then? Those are common knowledge. But he also had
some more cryptic writings that some think
are starting to come true. OH, REALLY? This is a real chance for us,
right on the front lines. Look into the sketch.
Let's see if it's real. And let's find out what da Vinci
was trying to tell us about the future. IMAGINE HAVING
AN ORIGINAL DA VINCI SKETCH. Rolle:
I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE. Levy:
I HOPE IT IS. LEONARDO DA VINCI IS CONSIDERED
BY MANY SCHOLARS TO BE THE GREATEST PAINTER
OF ALL TIME, PRODUCING BOTH THE<i> MONA LISA</i>
AND<i> THE LAST SUPPER.</i> BORN OUT OF WEDLOCK IN 1452
TO A WEALTHY NOTARY FATHER AND A PEASANT MOTHER, DA VINCI TOOK HIS FIRST
PAINTING APPRENTICESHIP WITH THE RENAISSANCE MASTER
VERROCCHIO WHEN HE WAS JUST 14 YEARS OLD. THE STORY GOES THAT ONE OF
HIS FIRST BIG OPPORTUNITIES WAS TO PAINT AN ANGEL
IN THE GREAT MASTER'S WORK <i> BAPTISM OF CHRIST.</i> AFTER LOOKING AT IT, VERROCCHIO ALLEGEDLY VOWED
THAT HE WOULD NEVER PAINT AGAIN, UNABLE TO LIVE UP
TO HIS YOUNG STUDENT LEONARDO. BUT DA VINCI WAS ALSO
A BRILLIANT DRAFTSMAN, AND HIS INVENTIVE DRAWINGS
ARE PROOF OF A THINKER WHO WAS CLEARLY
CENTURIES AHEAD OF HIS TIME. HE IMAGINED A TANK, SCUBA SUITS,
DRIVING MACHINES. LOOK, FOR EXAMPLE, AT HIS DESIGN
FOR A FLYING MACHINE. HE DREW THIS IN 1488, MORE THAN 400 YEARS
BEFORE THE WRIGHT BROTHERS. AND HIS ORNITHOPTER
FLYING DEVICE INSPIRED THE WING LOOK WHEN BILL FINGER AND BOB KANE
CREATED BATMAN. THAT IS TRUE. WITHOUT LEONARDO,
THERE IS NO BATMAN. Gerbino:
WELL, THIS IS THE COVER,
AND THIS IS THE FIRST PAGE. THIS FIRST PAGE WAS STUCK HERE. AND THE DRAWING
WAS FOUND EXACTLY HERE. Levy: BUT THIS ISN'T A REPLICA.
THIS IS THE BOOK. NO, NO. THIS IS THE BOOK. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ONE,
OF COURSE. THIS IS THE ORIGINAL ONE THAT THE CARDINAL HAD HIDDEN
THE PAGE INSIDE. YES. BETWEEN THE COVER
AND THE FIRST PAGE, YES. CARDINAL TADINI,
THE FORMER ARCHBISHOP OF GENOA, HID THE DRAWING IN AN UNMARKED
BOOK'S SECRET COMPARTMENT, AND IT REMAINED THERE
UNTIL HIS DEATH IN 1847. WHEN THE CARDINAL'S POSSESSIONS
WERE AUCTIONED OFF, A NEW OWNER NOTICED THAT
THE COVER HAD BEEN COMPROMISED AND DISCOVERED
THE PORTRAIT UNDERNEATH. IT WAS ANOTHER 50 YEARS
BEFORE ANYBODY REALIZED WHAT AN IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
HAD BEEN MADE. THE DRAWING HUNG UNASSUMINGLY
ON A WALL UNTIL IT CAUGHT THE EYE OF CHRISTINA GERBINO'S
FAMILY FRIEND, AN ANTIQUE RESTORER WHO DECIDED
TO TRACE THE DRAWING BACK TO ITS CREATOR, AND THAT'S WHEN THINGS
GOT INTERESTING. ART HISTORIANS AND FORENSIC
SCIENTISTS CONCLUDED THAT NOT ONLY WAS THE DRAWING
BY LEONARDO DA VINCI, BUT IT WAS FROM A COLLECTION
OF HIS WORKS, THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS,</i> THAT INCLUDES
APOCALYPTIC PROPHECIES. ON THE SKETCH, THERE WAS A SIGNATURE
THAT HAS BEEN ERASED. THERE ARE DIFFERENT
HOLLOWS THERE. IN A TOTALLY DARK AMBIENT AND USING THE LIGHT
FROM THE LEFT ANGLE, YOU CAN SEE THE TRACES
OF THE SIGNATURE. THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE LOWER
PART OF OUR DRAWING. SO, IF WE READ THE SIGNATURE FROM THE LEFT SIDE
TO THE RIGHT SIDE, WE HAVE TWO LETTERS
THAT ARE VERY CLEAR. "IO" IS "MYSELF" IN ITALIAN. THEN WE HAVE FOUR LETTERS
TOGETHER -- "N-A-R-D," "NARD." THEN WE HAVE "O-D-A."
"IO NARDO DA VINCI." USE "MYSELF" --
LEO -- NARDO DA VINCI. IT'S A SIGNATURE. AND THEN WE CAN READ
THE SIGNATURE FROM THE RIGHT SIDE
TO THE LEFT SIDE. AND OUR INTERPRETATION IS<i>
IZ NI VADO DRAN OI.</i> IF WE TRANSLATE THAT IN ENGLISH,
IT MEANS, "IN THIS WAY, I DO MYSELF." THE FACT THAT THE SIGNATURE
READS BACKWARDS IS A TELLTALE SIGN THAT WE'RE LIKELY LOOKING
AT A REAL DA VINCI. HE WROTE ALMOST ALL OF HIS
PERSONAL NOTES AND LETTERS IN MIRROR WRITING. SOME SAY IT WAS BECAUSE
HE WAS A SOUTHPAW AND HE SIMPLY DIDN'T WANT
TO SMUDGE THE INK. OTHERS SAY
IT WAS SO THAT LESSER ARTISTS WOULDN'T COPY HIS MASTERWORKS. BUT MANY BELIEVE
IT WAS TO HIDE IDEAS THAT MIGHT HAVE GOTTEN HIM
IN TROUBLE WITH THE GOVERNMENT, THE LAW, OR THE CHURCH. IN LEONARDO'S TIME, DISSECTING ANYTHING MORE THAN
A PIG WAS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN, BUT DA VINCI PERFORMED
CLANDESTINE DISSECTIONS OF HUMANS AND CREATED HIGHLY DETAILED
ANATOMICAL DIAGRAMS AND WRITINGS ALL IN MIRROR WRITING. SO, WHEN YOU READ DA VINCI'S
SIGNATURE BACKWARDS, YOU GET SOMETHING INTERESTING. TRANSLATED LOOSELY, IT BECOMES "IN THIS WAY,
I AM DOING THIS MYSELF." IT DOESN'T SOUND
TOO PROVOCATIVE, BUT KEEP IN MIND
THIS WAS THE 1400s. THIS IS A TIME
WHEN SELF-RELIANCE AND PUTTING HUMAN REASON FIRST WERE CONSIDERED
A THREAT TO THE CHURCH. THE CHURCH ALWAYS
WAS SUPPOSED TO COME FIRST, AND HUMANS WERE JUST
ITS OBEDIENT SERVANTS. SO, BETWEEN CHOPPING UP
HUMAN CORPSES AND THE IDEA THAT THE HUMAN BODY
MIGHT BE A MARVEL OF SCIENCE AND NOT GOD -- THOSE WERE TWO THINGS
THAT MAY HAVE PUT DA VINCI ON A SHORT LIST OF PEOPLE
TO KEEP A CLOSE, WATCHFUL, AND POTENTIALLY SUPPRESSIVE
EYE ON. HERE WE HAVE
THE ORIGINAL DRAWING. McKinley: THIS IS
THE ORIGINAL DRAWING? THIS IS
THE ORIGINAL DRAWING. I DON'T WANT TO TOUCH. OH, MY GOD. Levy: OKAY. WELL,
WE JUST HAVE TO LOOK. WE DON'T WANT TO TOUCH. OKAY. Rolle: OH. WOW. YES. DID YOU EVER THINK,
IN A MILLION YEARS, THAT YOU WOULD BE THIS CLOSE
TO A LEONARDO DA VINCI SKETCH? HOW ABOUT THIS? TO A<i> FOUND</i>
LEONARDO DA VINCI SKETCH. THAT'S
WHAT'S INTERESTING. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT WE ARE
LOOKING AT A SELF-PORTRAIT OF LEONARDO DA VINCI? OF COURSE.
I AM SURE ABOUT IT. REALLY? YEAH. AFTER SOME YEARS,
THEY STARTED WORKING, AND ONE OF
THE MOST IMPORTANT RESULTS WAS THE DISCOVERY OF
THE MICROCHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF OUR DRAWING THAT PERFECTLY MATCHES
THE COMPOSITION OF THE PAPER
OF OTHER THREE DRAWINGS ATTRIBUTED
TO LEONARDO DA VINCI. IT'S THE SAME PAPER USED
FOR KNOWN DA VINCI WORKS? THIS IS THE SAME PAPER? YES, EXACTLY. WE FIND OUT THAT,
ON THE BACK OF OUR DRAWING, THERE ARE EVIDENT TRACES
OF GLUE, AND THE SAME TRACES OF GLUE ARE IN THE PAGE 1,033
OF THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS.</i> TO EXPLAIN
THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS,</i> FIRST YOU GOT TO KNOW
WHAT A CODEX IS. IT'S A COLLECTION
OF ANCIENT WORKS. THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> IS ESSENTIALLY DA VINCI'S BRAIN
ON PAPER, BRINGING TOGETHER
HIS PERSONAL JOURNALS, SKETCHES, PHILOSOPHIES,
AND INVENTIONS. LET ME PUT INTO PERSPECTIVE
HOW IMPORTANT THIS BOOK IS. A SMALLER COLLECTION
OF DA VINCI'S SCIENTIFIC OBSERVATIONS,
CALLED THE<i> CODEX LESTER,</i> WAS PURCHASED IN 1994
FOR $30 MILLION. THE BUYER WAS BILL GATES. THE<i> CODEX LESTER</i> SHOWS US DA VINCI'S UNDERSTANDING
OF THE WORLD WAS HUNDREDS OF YEARS
AHEAD OF HIS TIME. BUT THE<i> ATLANTICUS</i> SHOWS US DA VINCI'S UNDERSTANDING
OF THE WORLD MAY HAVE BEEN HUNDREDS OF YEARS
AHEAD OF<i> OUR</i> TIME. DA VINCI PREDICTED SO MUCH
OF THE WORLD WE LIVE IN TODAY. FIGURING OUT EXACTLY WHAT ELSE
HE PREDICTED MAY TELL US WHAT KIND OF FUTURE
WE CAN LOOK FORWARD TO. Levy: IS THERE ANYTHING
IN THAT PARTICULAR PAGE, CONTENT-WISE OR THEMATICALLY,
THAT MAKES IT SPECIAL? THAT'S CURIOUS BECAUSE THAT PAGE
TELLS ABOUT PROPHECIES. THAT SAME PAGE THAT WAS REMOVED
BY THE CARDINAL... YEAH, PAGE 1,033. ...HAS PROPHECIES ON IT? YES. YES. AND IT'S ONLY ONE IN
THE ENTIRE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> THAT DOES TALK ABOUT
PROPHECIES? YES, EXACTLY. THIS IS WHY
THIS DRAWING MATTERS. MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE PAGE 1,033
OF THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> IS DA VINCI
TRYING TO TELL THE WORLD SOMETHING ABOUT ITS FUTURE. HIS PREDICTIONS ARE GRIM. DA VINCI WRITES OF ENTIRE
FORESTS BEING DESTROYED AND WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION. HE REFERS TO THE EXTINCTION
OF SPECIES AND THE SLAUGHTER OF MAN. ONE OF HIS MOST RECURRING THEMES
IS DESTRUCTION BY WATER, FLOOD, OR TIDAL WAVE. FOR CENTURIES, DA VINCI SCHOLARS
HAVE SCANNED EVERY INCH OF PAGE 1,033, TRYING TO MAKE SENSE
OF THE PROPHECY AND TRYING TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THE MISSING PIECE IS. SO, THE IDEA THAT THIS DRAWING
MAY NOT ONLY BE A DA VINCI BUT THE MISSING PIECE IN PART
OF THE PROPHECY IS HUGE. ADD TO THAT THAT A CARDINAL CONSIDERED SOMETHING
ABOUT THIS DRAWING SO IMPORTANT THAT HE FELT IT NEEDED TO BE
CAREFULLY HIDDEN, AND I WANT TO KNOW, WHAT WAS HISTORY'S GREATEST MIND
TRYING TO TELL US? A NEWLY DISCOVERED
LEONARDO DA VINCI DRAWING WAS REPORTEDLY FOUND HIDDEN
IN THE BINDING OF A BOOK. NOW IT'S BEEN REVEALED THAT THE BOOK BELONGED
TO A CATHOLIC CARDINAL TASKED WITH STOMPING OUT
RELIGIOUS REVOLUTIONS, AND THE IMAGE MAY BE FROM
A SECTION OF DA VINCI'S WORK THAT FORETELLS THE END
OF THE EARTH. SO, WHY DID A CHURCH CARDINAL
KEEP DA VINCI'S WORK HIDDEN FOR ALL THESE YEARS, POSSIBLY GOING SO FAR
AS TO ERASE HIS SIGNATURE? WERE THEY ATTEMPTING TO SUPPRESS
DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES OR DA VINCI HIMSELF? Levy: WHEN YOU FIRST SAW
THIS SKETCH, WHAT DID YOU THINK? MY FIRST IMPRESSION --
EXTRAORDINARY DRAWING. AND, FOR ME, THE DRAWING IS
ABOUT 1500 OR SLIGHTLY AFTER. AND THIS IS INTERESTING. WHEN DR. HOHENSTATT
FIRST SAW THE PICTURE, THE ARTISTIC TECHNIQUE
WAS SO ADVANCED, HE THOUGHT
IT HAD TO BE FROM 1500. HOWEVER, WHEN SCIENTISTS
TESTED THE PAPER, THEY LEARNED THAT IT WAS
ACTUALLY FROM 1475. SO, WHO COULD HAVE BEEN DOING
WORK 25 YEARS AHEAD OF HIS PEERS? YOU GOT IT --
LEONARDO DA VINCI. I CAN CLEARLY STATE THAT,
FOR ME, IT'S A LEONARDO DA VINCI. FOR YOU, IT IS? YES. THERE'S ENOUGH EVIDENCE? YEAH, FOR ME,
IT'S ENOUGH EVIDENCE. HOW MUCH WOULD IT BE WORTH? THROW A NUMBER OUT THERE. [ SIGHS ]
LET'S SAY...$50 MILLION. [ LAUGHS ] WOW. Dude! Wow. Rolle: YEAH. WHOEVER TOOK THIS IMAGE
COULD HAVE TAKEN THE ENTIRE<i>
CODEX ATLANTICUS.</i> WHY THIS PARTICULAR SKETCH? IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO ANSWER
THIS QUESTION BECAUSE WE DON'T KNOW IT,
REALLY. COULD IT BE CONNECTED
IN ANY WAY TO THE FACT THAT IT WAS SURROUNDED
BY PROPHECIES? WITH THIS, YES. HE WAS NATURALLY ALWAYS
THINKING ABOUT THE FUTURE BECAUSE HE WAS A RESEARCHER. THE PROPHECIES WAS ANOTHER WAY,
LOOKING AT REALITY, TO OPEN UP, LET'S SAY,
CONSIDERATIONS WHICH, NORMALLY,
PEOPLE WOULDN'T HAVE. AND HE MADE ALSO SOME OF THEM
ABOUT THE CHURCH, WHICH, AT THE END, ARE CRITIQUES
ALSO ON THE CHURCH. Rolle: HEY, BRAD. MELTZER: So, I hear you saw
the picture in question. So, was it the real deal?
What do you think? WHAT'S COMPELLING TO ME IS
THEY HAVE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE. THEY HAVE DONE
THEIR HOMEWORK. THIS FEELS LIKE -- I MEAN,
FROM EVERYTHING WE'RE SEEING, IT FEELS LIKE IT DID COME OUT
OF THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS.</i> So, if we're confident
that it's a Leonardo, to me, the next step
is to figure out why the cardinal
would want to hide it. THERE'S THIS IDEA
THAT LEONARDO DA VINCI AND OTHER SCIENTISTS WERE REALLY
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES, AND THE CHURCH DIDN'T
NECESSARILY WANT THAT TO HAPPEN. Listen, da Vinci was a genius
but a controversial one. In an age when Europeans
were put to death for dissecting cadavers, da Vinci is the guy
who secretly performed more than 30
human dissections. And we also know that da Vinci
had an alternative lifestyle. He was arrested for an incident
with a male prostitute. And, yes, I'm sure these facts
didn't sit well with the church, but it may be something
in the work itself that troubled its leaders. Da Vinci hid meanings
and symbols throughout his art. If we can find the theme, it might help us figure out
what he was trying to tell us and what the church
was trying to cover up. Levy: YEAH. AND WHAT
FREAKS ME OUT ABOUT THAT AVENUE IS THAT IF THE CHURCH KNOWS
THAT THERE'S A PROPHECY HERE AND THE PROPHECY
IS SO FRIGHTENING AND SCARY AND DEVASTATING THAT THEY
JUST DON'T WANT IT OUT THERE. FATHER, WERE THERE ASPECTS OF DA VINCI'S
REVOLUTIONARY THINKING THAT THE CHURCH MAY HAVE
WANTED TO SUPPRESS? WELL, HIS PRIVATE LIFE
AND HIS HOMOSEXUALITY. BUT THE CHURCH
DOESN'T COMMEND EVERYTHING IN HIS LIFESTYLE OR IS NOT GIVING BLANKET
APPROVAL TO EVERYTHING, BUT, IN GENERAL, IT RECOGNIZED
THAT HERE IS A VERY GREAT AND IMPORTANT FIGURE. THE CHURCH WAS VERY PRUDENT
ABOUT NOT INQUIRING TOO MUCH INTO PEOPLE'S LIFESTYLE, PROVIDED THEY KEPT IT
REASONABLY DISCREET. IS IT DISCREET TO BE DOING
EXPERIMENTS ON HUMAN BODIES IN THE BACK ROOM? WELL, THERE WAS A STRONG
TRADITION OF MEDICINE THROUGHOUT THE MIDDLE AGES, AND MANY OF THE UNIVERSITIES
HAD A MEDICAL FACULTY. BUT THE CHURCH NEVER FORBADE --
INDEED, ENCOURAGED. IT ENCOURAGED
LOOKING AFTER ONE'S BODY AND TAKING PROPER MEASURES
WHERE NECESSARY. SO, IN THAT, LEONARDO
WAS VERY MUCH ENCOURAGED. Meltzer: DA VINCI WAS FASCINATED
WITH THE HUMAN ANATOMY. USING ONLY THE CRUDE INSTRUMENTS
OF HIS DAY, DA VINCI DISSECTED AND DREW THE DIFFERENT PARTS
OF THE BRAIN. HE MADE MAJOR BREAKTHROUGHS IN OUR UNDERSTANDINGS
OF THE BACKBONE, AND IN 2005, FRANCIS WELLS DEVELOPED
A REVOLUTIONARY TECHNOLOGY TO REPAIR DAMAGED HEARTS THAT WAS BASED ON DA VINCI'S
DIAGRAMS FROM 500 YEARS AGO. WE'RE INTERESTED
IN A SKETCH FOUND AMONG THE BELONGINGS
OF THE CARDINAL TADINI. YES. THE THING ABOUT THIS SKETCH
IS THAT IT APPEARS TO BE A SELF-PORTRAIT,
POTENTIALLY, THAT HAS HIDDEN MEANING,
HIDDEN SYMBOLS, MIRRORED WRITING
THAT SAYS SOMETHING. WELL, THROUGHOUT
THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD, THERE WAS A LOT OF INTEREST
IN THE OCCULT AND PROPHECY AND SO ON, SO THAT WAS
QUITE STANDARD. AND THEY ALSO LIKED WRITING
IN SECRET LANGUAGE AND SO ON. SO, THAT WAS
A PART OF LIFE. ANOTHER RENAISSANCE ARTIST WHO WAS THOUGHT TO USE SECRET
LANGUAGE WAS MICHELANGELO. IT'S REPORTED
THAT THE SISTINE CHAPEL CONTAINS CODED MESSAGES
CONSISTING OF HEBREW LETTERS AND OLD TESTAMENT SYMBOLOGY. LIKE LEONARDO, MICHELANGELO
MAY HAVE BEEN HIDING IDEAS THAT WOULD HAVE GOT HIM
IN TROUBLE WITH THE CHURCH. SOME SAY THE SISTINE CHAPEL
CONTAINS HIDDEN ATTACKS ON THE CORRUPT POPE JULIUS II, THE SAME MAN WHO COMMISSIONED
MICHELANGELO TO PAINT THE SISTINE CHAPEL, WHICH IS AN AWESOME WAY TO SAY,
"SCREW YOU." FATHER, I'M INTRIGUED
THAT THE SKETCH MAY HAVE CONTAINED
HIDDEN MESSAGES THAT WERE MEANT
FOR THE FUTURE. YES.
WELL, IT'S POSSIBLE. THEY RATHER LIKE
THIS KIND OF PLAYFUL HIDING AND A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF
SECRECY WITHIN PAINTINGS. YES. WE FIND THAT
IN MANY OTHER PAINTERS. SO, THAT WAS COMMON TO DO? YES. THAT'S RIGHT.
THAT'S RIGHT. WHY WOULD HE BE HIDING DETAILS OF WHAT HE THOUGHT
WAS GONNA HAPPEN AT THE END OF THE WORLD? WELL, THERE WAS
A GENERAL INTEREST IN WHAT WOULD HAPPEN
AT THE END OF THE WORLD. MM-HMM. AND THE END OF THE WORLD
IS SOMETHING TO BE FEARED, 'CAUSE WE'RE SINNERS, BUT WELCOME BECAUSE
WE'RE CHOSEN BY GOD, WHICH, FOR LEONARDO,
IT WAS ESSENTIAL. SO, YOU THINK
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH WAS NOT TRYING TO HIDE
ANYTHING OF DA VINCI'S BUT WAS ACTUALLY
SORT OF OWNING HIM AND... EMBRACING HIM? YES. BASICALLY, LEONARDO'S HAD
FULL SUPPORT FROM THE CHURCH, AND HE'S BEEN RECOGNIZED
AS A VERY GREAT FIGURE. AND, OF COURSE,
THAT DOESN'T MEAN TO SAY THAT THE CHURCH APPROVED OF
EVERYTHING HE DID OR WROTE, ET CETERA, ET CETERA, BUT, BASICALLY, LEONARDO
AND HIS WAY OF LIFE AND ALL THAT HE TRIED TO DO, THE CHURCH HAS GIVEN
GREAT ENCOURAGEMENT. TODAY THE CHURCH'S
OFFICIAL STANCE IS THEY TAKE NO ISSUE
WITH DA VINCI'S WORK. THEY SEE HIM AS A COMPLEX MAN
WITH SOME FAR-OUT IDEAS AND AN IRONIC SENSE OF HUMOR. AND WE ALSO KNOW THAT LEONARDO
EMBEDDED MESSAGES IN MUCH OF WHAT HE DID. SO, WHY WOULD HE PLACE
A SELF-PORTRAIT AMONG HIS MOST CRYPTIC
PROPHECIES? WE NEED TO FIND OUT MORE
ABOUT LEONARDO'S OTHER WORKS, ESPECIALLY THE ONE
FAMOUSLY DEBATED AS ANOTHER POSSIBLE
SELF-PORTRAIT -- THE<i> MONA LISA.</i> WE'RE LOOKING INTO
THE PROPHECIES OF DA VINCI, AND IT SEEMS THAT A NEWLY
DISCOVERED LEONARDO SKETCH COULD BE THE CLUE
TO UNDERSTANDING WHAT HE WAS TRYING TO TELL US
FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE. WE JUST LEARNED THAT HIDING
MESSAGES INSIDE WORKS OF ART WAS POPULAR
DURING THE RENAISSANCE AND DA VINCI
WAS THE MASTER OF IT. BUDDY, MAC, AND SCOTT
ARE TALKING TO SOMEONE WHO CAN SHED LIGHT ON
THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS,</i> THE COLLECTION THAT CONTAINED
DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES AS WELL AS DA VINCI'S
MOST FAMOUS WORK OF ALL. Wallace: THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i>
IS A FANTASTIC COLLECTION. A NUMBER OF PAGES HAVE BEEN
SAID TO HAVE BEEN FOUND, YES. AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE
ART HISTORIANS WHO ARE AUTHENTICATING PAGES AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND
WHETHER THEY BELONG AND WHERE THEY BELONG. WE HEARD THAT
THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> ALSO CONTAINS SOME PROPHECIES
THAT LEONARDO MADE. THEY WERE CONSIDERATIONS
ABOUT HOW ONE SHOULD BEHAVE AND HOW ONE SHOULD EXPECT
THINGS TO BE. THEY'RE KIND OF WAYS OF DEEP,
DEEP THOUGHT USING VERY CLEVER WORDING. LEONARDO THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT
THE FUTURE, AND WE KNOW HE WAS OBSESSED
WITH WATER. WHEN HE DIED, HE WAS PREPARING
WHAT MANY BELIEVE WOULD HAVE BEEN
HIS LAST MASTERPIECE. IT WAS CALLED THE<i> GREAT FLOOD.</i> THE SKETCHES SHOW
A STORM SO VIOLENT, IT TOPPLES MOUNTAINS. AS THE FEW SURVIVORS
CLING TO RAFTS, AN OLD MAN SITS ON A ROCK,
SADLY OBSERVING THE SUFFERING, BUT UNABLE TO HELP. IT IS BELIEVED THAT THE OLD MAN
IS LEONARDO HIMSELF -- YET ANOTHER MYSTERIOUS
SELF-PORTRAIT. THIS MAY BE A WILD THOUGHT, BUT COULD IT BE POSSIBLE
THAT THESE UNUSUAL, UNORTHODOX SELF-PORTRAITS
ARE ALL PART OF A SERIES, ONE THAT LEADS US BACK
TO PAGE 1,033 OF THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> AND ACTUALLY EXPLAINS
THE PROPHECIES? WELL, HE DESCRIBES THE FLOOD,
THE DELUGE, WITH INCREDIBLE WORDS. IT'S VERY DESCRIPTIVE,
AND IT'S VERY EVOCATIVE. AND THE DRAWINGS
ARE VERY DETAILED, AND THEY'RE VERY
SPECIFIC DRAWINGS, LOOKING AT THE DESTRUCTION THAT SUCH A NATURAL EVENT
COULD BRING. SO HE WAS POINTING TO THE FACT THAT THESE ARE THE THINGS
THAT OUR HUMAN NATURE IS GOING TO BE SUBJECTED TO
DURING OUR LIFETIME. IF YOU WANT TO EXTEND THAT
TO THE LIFETIME OF ALL THE ONES
WHO COME AFTER US, CERTAINLY YOU CAN SAY THAT
THAT IS A WARNING TO OURSELVES AS PART OF NATURE. Levy:
LISTENING TO MARINA WALLACE DESCRIBE DA VINCI'S VIEWS
ON NATURE, I STARTED TO THINK HE WAS
SPEAKING TO FUTURE GENERATIONS MORE THAN HIS OWN. I THINK LEONARDO WAS REALLY
ABSORBED IN WHAT HE DID. HE WAS VERY,
VERY, VERY BUSY. HE HAD COMMISSIONS.
HE STARTED PAINTINGS. HE DIDN'T FINISH THEM. HE WENT ON TO SOMETHING ELSE,
TRAVELED. REMEMBER THAT TRAVELING
TOOK A LONG TIME. HE TOOK THE<i> MONA LISA</i> WITH HIM
WHEREVER HE WENT. AND HE LEFT WORK UNFINISHED
ALL THE TIME. YOU SAID HE TOOK THE<i> MONA LISA</i>
WITH HIM WHEREVER HE WENT? WE KNOW THAT THE<i> MONA LISA</i>
TRAVELED WITH HIM. IT'S ONE OF THE PAINTINGS
THAT TRAVELED, THAT HE LIKED TO HAVE
WITH HIM. OKAY. IF YOU TELL ME
THAT DA VINCI HAND-CARRIED THE<i> MONA LISA</i> WITH HIM
EVERYWHERE, I WANT TO KNOW WHY. WAS HE PROTECTING SOMETHING
BIGGER THAN THE PAINTING ITSELF? THE<i> MONA LISA</i> FEATURES A SEATED
WOMAN WITH A SUBTLE SMILE. THIS SEEMINGLY SIMPLE IMAGE
IS POSSIBLY THE MOST WIDELY RECOGNIZED
AND STUDIED PIECE OF ART IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD. IT'S ESTIMATED TO BE WORTH
MORE THAN $700 MILLION. BUT COULD THERE BE MORE TO THIS
PAINTING THAN MEETS THE EYE? THIS ISN'T A NOVEL. COULD THE<i> MONA LISA</i> BE THE KEY TO CRACK A CODE THAT SPANS
DA VINCI'S LIFE'S WORK? THERE'S WATER
IN THE BACKGROUND OF THE<i> MONA LISA,</i>
ISN'T THERE? Wallace:
THAT'S RIGHT. YES. 'CAUSE THERE'S LOWER WATER
ON ONE SIDE AND HIGHER WATER
ON THE OTHER. THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS
OF LANDSCAPES, AND THERE IS A FIGURE
IN THE MIDDLE OF IT, SO THAT THEY DON'T COMBINE
COMPLETELY IF YOU REMOVE THE FIGURE. IF YOU REMOVE THE FIGURE,
THERE WOULD BE A DELUGE OF WATER FROM ONE SIDE
TO THE OTHER. Meltzer: THE BACKGROUND
OF THE<i> MONA LISA</i> LOOKS LIKE
A BEAUTIFUL NATURE SCENE. BUT LOOK CLOSER. THE WATER IS CLEARLY HIGHER
ON ONE SIDE THAN THE OTHER, AS THOUGH A FLOOD IS INEVITABLE. AND HERE'S THE THING. IF YOU PULL THE MONA LISA
OUT OF THE PAINTING, THE WATERS
COME CRASHING TOGETHER. THE ONLY THING
STOPPING THE FLOOD IS THE ALLEGED SELF-PORTRAIT. SO, AGAIN, WE HAVE TO ASK, COULD THE<i> MONA LISA</i>
BE PART OF A LARGER STORY, LEONARDO'S STORY
OF THE END OF THE WORLD? HE WAS TRYING REALLY HARD
TO PUT ACROSS FEELINGS AND EMOTIONS AND EXPRESSIONS
AS IN A HUMAN BEING AS WELL AS IN NATURE. AND THAT'S WHY HE WAS INTERESTED
IN THIS EXTRAORDINARY PHENOMENA OF FLOODS AND DELUGES AND THINGS IN WHICH
NATURE EXPRESSED ITSELF IN SUCH AN EXPRESSIVE WAY. CLEARLY, WE NEED TO LOOK DEEPER
INTO THE<i> MONA LISA,</i> THE PAINTING THAT NEVER LEFT
LEONARDO'S SIDE. WHO WAS MONA LISA, AND WHAT WAS SO SPECIAL ABOUT
THAT PARTICULAR PAINTING? ANSWERING THESE QUESTIONS
COULD BE THE KEY TO UNLOCKING DA VINCI'S
FINAL PROPHECY. FOR ONE YEAR,
LEONARDO LIVED THERE, EXACTLY IN
THAT BUILDING. Levy:
DA VINCI LIVED RIGHT THERE? YES. FOR ONE, ONE-HALF YEAR
FROM 1500 TO 1501. WHO DO YOU THINK
THE MONA LISA WAS? I BELIEVE THAT MONA LISA
IS LISA GHERARDINI. THE RELATIONSHIP IS BETWEEN FRANCESCO DEL GIOCONDO,
LISA'S HUSBAND, AND SER PIERO,
THE FATHER OF LEONARDO. GIUSEPPE'S ENGLISH IS
A LOT BETTER THAN MY ITALIAN. BUT LET ME TRANSLATE. HE WAS ABLE TO TRACE
LISA GHERARDINI'S HUSBAND TO LEONARDO DA VINCI'S FATHER. SO GIUSEPPE BELIEVES
WHEN FRANCESCO DEL GIOCONDO WANTED SOMETHING TO HANG ON
HIS MANTLE, HE COMMISSIONED HIS FRIEND'S KID TO PAINT THE PORTRAIT
OF HIS WIFE. LITTLE DID HE KNOW,
HE WAS HIRING ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED MEN
IN HISTORY TO TURN HIS WIFE INTO ONE OF THE MOST IMMORTAL
IMAGES OF ALL TIME. I WANT TO GO SEE WHERE
LISA GHERARDINI IS BURIED. YOU HAVE TO MEET
SILVANO VINCETTI AND HIS TEAM BECAUSE THEY ARE INVESTIGATING
UNDER THE OLD CHURCH WHERE, PROBABLY,
LISA WAS BURIED. RIGHT HERE IN FLORENCE? YES. EXACTLY. GIUSEPPE'S THEORY
IS PLAUSIBLE BUT UNPROVEN. BUT YOU KNOW
WHERE WE GOT ACCESS TO? THE DIG SITE WHERE THEY'RE NOW
EXHUMING THE BONES OF LISA GHERARDINI WITH THE HOPE OF MAKING
A POSITIVE IDENTIFICATION. HELLO. HELLO. HELLO. SCOTT. [ SPEAKS ITALIAN ] WELCOME. AND NOW WE'LL TAKE
A GREAT TOUR OF THE DIG SITE
WE'RE EXPLORING. Rolle: OKAY.
THAT SOUNDS EXCITING. Interpreter: THE EXCAVATION DIG
BEGAN HERE, WHERE, IN THE CHURCH,
WAS LOCATED THE ALTAR. THEY USED A MACHINE, SO THEY KNEW EXACTLY WHERE
THEY SHOULD DIG FOR THE GRAVES. THEY REFERRED TO A BOOK
BY THE FRANCISCAN MONK THAT WROTE ABOUT THEM
BRINGING FOUR BODIES TO THIS CRYPT IN THE 1600s. AND THEY BELIEVED THAT LISA GHERARDINI'S BODY
WAS BROUGHT HERE, FROM THAT BOOK. [ SPEAKING ITALIAN ] THEY KEPT DIGGING, AND, IN FACT,
THEY FOUND A SKULL. IF WE FIND THE BONES,
WE CAN RECONSTRUCT THE FACE. AND IT HAS VERY,
VERY LITTLE ROOM FOR ERROR. AND THIS IS SOMETHING
ANTHROPOLOGISTS CAN DO, BUT ART HISTORIANS CANNOT. SO WHAT WILL SILVANO VINCETTI
DO WITH THE REMAINS? THROUGH DNA EXTRACTION
AND FACIAL RECONSTRUCTION, SCIENTISTS CAN MAKE A POSITIVE
IDENTIFICATION OF THE DECEASED. VINCETTI HAS
SUCCESSFULLY EMPLOYED THIS CONTROVERSIAL TECHNIQUE
BEFORE, AND IF IT WORKS, IT COULD PROVE
WHETHER THE MONA LISA IS, IN FACT, LISA GHERARDINI OR ANOTHER OF DA VINCI'S
SELF-PORTRAITS. BUT THIS IS THE HARD PART
OF BEING ON THE CUTTING EDGE OF AN INVESTIGATION -- UNTIL THEY LITERALLY DIG
A LITTLE DEEPER, THE LAST PAGE OF THIS PART
OF THE STORY WILL REMAIN UNWRITTEN. IF YOU KNEW 100% THAT
THE BONES OF LISA GHERARDINI WERE HERE, WHAT WOULD THAT TELL US
ABOUT THE PAINTING, THE<i> MONA LISA,</i>
AND ABOUT LEONARDO DA VINCI? LEONARDO... Interpreter: LEONARDO WROTE IN
MANY PAINTING BOOKS THAT YOU HAVE TO EXPRESS
THE MODEL IN SYMBOLS WITHIN THE PAINTING. AND HE USED THAT. LEONARDO ALWAYS THOUGHT THE EYES EXPRESSED THE PERSON'S SOUL
THE BEST, AND SO MAYBE HE WAS SENDING US
A MESSAGE TO SAY, "LOOK VERY CLOSELY." Rolle: SO HAVE YOU FOUND
ANY SYMBOLS HIDDEN IN
THE<i> MONA LISA?</i> WHAT I FOUND WAS,
IN THE LEFT EYE, THERE IS THE LETTER "S." IN THE RIGHT EYE,
THERE'S A LETTER "L." THEN, IN THE BACKGROUND
OF THE PAINTING, UNDERNEATH THE ARCH,
THERE IS THE NUMBER 72. DURING THIS PERIOD
OF THE RENAISSANCE, GEOMETRIC SYMBOLS AND NUMBERS
WERE VERY IMPORTANT. WHEN YOU'RE INVESTIGATING
SIGNS AND SYMBOLS, THE NUMBERS 7 AND 2 COME UP
TIME AND TIME AGAIN. I HIDE THE NUMBER 27 IN
EVERY SINGLE ONE OF MY NOVELS. AND THEY WERE CLEARLY
SPECIAL NUMBERS TO LEONARDO. DA VINCI USED 27 AND 72 DEGREES AS THE BASIS
FOR<i> VITRUVIAN MAN.</i> THE NUMBERS SHOW UP REPEATEDLY
IN HIS PAINTINGS, AND HE EVEN INVENTED HIS OWN
SHAPE THAT HAS 72 SIDES. Interpreter:
WHEN I FOUND THE NUMBER 72,
I THOUGHT OF<i> THE LAST SUPPER</i> BECAUSE IN THE PAINTING,
THE CEILING HAS 72 INLAYS. 7 AND 2 ALSO REFER TO
JOHN'S GOSPEL TALKING ABOUT THE APOCALYPSE. CLEARLY DA VINCI
WAS FIXATED ON 2 AND 7. SILVANO SAYS 27 REFERS
TO THE BOOK OF REVELATIONS, IN WHICH JESUS
TELLS APOSTLE JOHN ABOUT A VIOLENT SERIES OF EVENTS
AT THE END OF THE WORLD. 72 IS ALSO A BIBLICAL REFERENCE. IT REFERS TO THE NUMBER OF RACES
THAT SURVIVED NOAH'S ARK. THAT'S RIGHT. THE NUMBER 72 DOESN'T JUST
RELATE TO AN APOCALYPTIC STORY, BUT TO A STORY DESCRIBING
A WORLDWIDE FLOOD. Interpreter:
LEONARDO KNEW VERY WELL THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT
OF THE BIBLE. AND IN HIS LIBRARY,
PERSONAL LIBRARY, HE HAD THESE PASSAGES
WRITTEN OUT. McKinley: SO IF WE DO LOOK VERY
CLOSELY AT THE<i> MONA LISA,</i> DO YOU THINK
HE'S TELLING US SOMETHING THAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN? LEONARDO DA VINCI USED TO SAY THAT THE PAINTING
IS THE APPEARANCE THAT DRESSES THE TRUTH. IF YOU LOOK IN THE BACKGROUND
OF THE PAINTING, YOU'LL SEE THAT THE LANDSCAPE
IS UNFINISHED. MEANWHILE,
MONA LISA IS VERY CLEAR. AND IT'S SAYING THAT MEN HAVE
THE POWER TO DESTROY NATURE, SO BE CAREFUL. THE GENIUS OF LEONARDO
IS THAT HE WAS ABLE TO PUT ALL THAT HE LEARNED
INSIDE HIS PAINTINGS AND PUT MESSAGES IN THERE
THAT SPEAK TO US OVER THE AGES. SILVANO STILL HAS
SEVERAL TESTS TO RUN BEFORE HE CAN PROVE
IF LISA GHERARDINI WAS OR WAS NOT THE MONA LISA. BUT WE'VE LEARNED
SOME INVALUABLE INFORMATION ABOUT THE<i> MONA LISA</i> ITSELF. MAYBE THE KEY TO THE<i> MONA LISA</i>
ISN'T WHO SHE IS, BUT THAT HER CANVAS
CARRIES THE NUMBER 72. DA VINCI USES 72 IN HIS WORK
ALMOST AS OFTEN AS HE USES THE THEME
OF WATER AND FLOODS. AND WE JUST LEARNED THAT 72
MAY, IN FACT, BE A DIRECT REFERENCE
TO A BIBLICAL FLOOD. DA VINCI'S MESSAGE MAY BE
STARTING TO COME TOGETHER. BUDDY, MAC, AND SCOTT
ARE DECODING DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES
FROM THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS,</i> THE COLLECTION OF DA VINCI'S
SKETCHES AND IDEAS COMPILED AFTER HIS DEATH. THEY'VE BEEN SCOURING HIS WORK
FOR CLUES, AND THERE'S EVIDENCE
THAT DA VINCI'S USE OF THE NUMBER 72 IN HIS WORK MAY BE A REFERENCE TO A FLOOD
OF BIBLICAL PROPORTIONS. DA VINCI WAS CENTURIES
AHEAD OF HIS TIME IN MANY OF HIS ENGINEERING
AND SCIENTIFIC FEATS. HE PREDICTED THE TANK,
THE SUBMARINE, DRIVING DEVICES. IF HE PROPHESIZED A GREAT FLOOD, THIS IS THE GUY
I'M GONNA LISTEN TO. SO WHY WAS DA VINCI
OBSESSED WITH WATER, AND WHAT EXACTLY
WAS HE PREDICTING? McKinley: IN HIS WORK,
I SEE A LOT OF WATER, YOU KNOW, FLOWING WATER AND DIFFERENT LEVELS OF WATER
BEHIND THE MONA LISA. WHY HIS OBSESSION
WITH WATER? WATER, WHILE A VERY POSITIVE
ELEMENT IN NATURE, ONE THAT ALLOWED YOU
TO GROW THINGS, THAT WAS A MEANS
OF COMMUNICATION
AND TRANSPORTATION, COULD ALSO BE
EXTREMELY VIOLENT. LEONARDO NOT ONLY MADE
MANY DRAWINGS OF WATER AND INCLUDED THE REPRESENTATION
OF WATER AND AQUEOUS BODIES IN MANY OF HIS PAINTINGS, BUT HE ALSO WROTE ABOUT WATER
IN THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> ITSELF. AND WE WERE TALKING ABOUT
FLOODING, THE DANGERS OF FLOODING, AND HOW CONSCIOUS LEONARDO
WOULD HAVE BEEN OF THAT -- ONE OF THE THINGS THAT HE WROTE
IN THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> WAS, "THE SWOLLEN RIVERS OVERFLOW AND SUBMERGE THE WIDE LOWLANDS
AND ITS INHABITANTS." THIS SOUNDS LIKE
SOME GREAT MYSTERY, SOME GREAT APOCALYPTIC
HAPPENING... McKinley: IT DOES. ...THAT LEONARDO
IS FORETELLING. ANOTHER THING THAT
LEONARDO WRITES TO US IN THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> IS THAT "SEAWATER WILL RISE "ABOVE THE HIGH PEAKS
OF MOUNTAINS TOWARDS THE SKY AND WILL FALL DOWN AGAIN
TOWARDS THE MOUNTAIN OF MEN." THIS ALSO SOUNDS REALLY
MYSTERIOUS, DOESN'T IT? IT SOUNDS LIKE LEONARDO'S
TELLING US SOMETHING. HE'S PREDICTING THE FUTURE. BUT WE DON'T NECESSARILY
HAVE TO READ THIS THIS WAY. LEONARDO COULD JUST BE TALKING
ABOUT THE KINDS OF THINGS THAT HE WOULD HAVE WITNESSED
ANYTIME A RIVER OVERFLOWED. IT HAPPENED FREQUENTLY. WHOLE VILLAGES WERE SWEPT AWAY BY THE NATURAL COURSE OF WATER
THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE. WHY DIDN'T HE WRITE THAT
IN PAST TENSE, THEN? YOU KNOW, INSTEAD OF "RISES"
OR "WILL RISE," WHY DIDN'T HE SAY,
"THEY ROSE"? BECAUSE TIME AND NATURE
WERE THOUGHT OF AS CYCLES, THE LOGICAL CONCLUSION TO KNOWING THAT THIS HAD BEEN
THE CASE IN THE PAST WOULD HAVE BEEN TO ASSUME THAT
THAT STATE WOULD RETURN AGAIN AT SOME POINT
IN THE FUTURE. LEONARDO UNDERSTOOD THE BEST WAY
TO SEE INTO THE FUTURE IS TO UNDERSTAND YOUR PAST. WHERE MOST PEOPLE SAW CHAOS, HE SAW RHYTHMS AND PATTERNS
AND CYCLES. IT'S POSSIBLE
DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES DREW ON HIS OWN OBSERVATIONS
OF NATURAL DISASTERS TO PREDICT FUTURE
CATASTROPHES -- SOMETHING WE'VE BEEN
SPECTACULARLY BAD AT IN THE PAST DECADE
AND EVEN IN THE LAST YEAR. WE KNOW DA VINCI'S WORK
FROM FIVE CENTURIES AGO HAS HELPED US
MAKE BREAKTHROUGHS TODAY. IF DA VINCI HAD A METHOD
FOR PREDICTING DISASTERS, WE NEED TO FIND OUT
WHAT HE FORESAW. Rolle:
WHAT ARE YOU THINKING? DO YOU THINK
THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> HAS ANY OF THESE PROPHECIES
THAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT? A 72 KEEPS COMING UP, AND I DO BELIEVE THAT
THIS IS A TIME THAT PEOPLE DID BURY
SORT OF SYMBOLS AND MESSAGES IN ARTWORK. I MEAN, IT WASN'T UNCOMMON
AT THE TIME. WE KNOW THAT DA VINCI
WAS WELL AWARE OF RIDDLES, OF MIRROR WRITING, OF EMBEDDING
SORT OF MYSTERIES WITHIN THE CONTEXT
OF THE PAINTING. WHAT ELSE COULD HE BE HIDING
IN THERE INTENTIONALLY? HOW ABOUT
THE MISSING SKETCH THAT WE SAW FROM
THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS?</i> DO YOU THINK THAT
THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, THROUGH THE CARDINAL, WAS
HIDING IT FOR SOME REASON? AND WHAT REASON DO YOU THINK
THAT MIGHT BE? I THINK THE CATHOLIC CHURCH
WAS REALLY IMPRESSED WITH HIM AND KNOWS THAT HE HAS
A HUGE FAN BASE. AND SO IF THERE'S ANYTHING
HE'S SAYING THAT DOESN'T SUPPORT THEM
OR HELP THEM, OF COURSE THEY'RE GONNA RIP OUT
THE PAGES AND REPRESS IT. NOW, I DON'T KNOW
THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED, BUT I COULD ABSOLUTELY
SEE THAT HAPPENING. [ FIREWORKS EXPLODING ] OH, LOOK. [ Laughing ] YES! OH, GOD! SO, DO YOU THINK DA VINCI
PROPHESIZED FIREWORKS? ONE OF HIS PROPHECIES
FROM THE<i> CODEX ATLANTICUS</i> READS LIKE THIS,
"IT SHALL SEEM TO MEN "THAT THEY SEE NEW DESTRUCTIONS
IN THE SKY "AND THE FLAMES DESCENDING
THEREFROM SHALL SEEM TO HAVE
TAKEN NIGHT." [ Laughing ] WOW. THAT DOES SEEM LIKE A PROPHECY,
DOESN'T IT? RIGHT THERE. BUDDY, MAC, AND SCOTT
HAVE BEEN ALL OVER ITALY, DECIPHERING
DA VINCI'S PROPHECIES. MANY OF HIS WRITINGS
SEEM TO BE APOCALYPTIC. AND WE LEARNED HE HAD
AN OBSESSION WITH WATER, TIDAL WAVES, AND FLOODS. BUT HERE'S THE KEY QUESTION -- WAS DA VINCI PREDICTING
A SPECIFIC EVENT WE CAN PREPARE FOR, OR WAS HE SIMPLY OBSERVING
THE CYCLES OF NATURE? McKinley:
HELLO, MARCO. Vinci:
[ SPEAKING ITALIAN ] Rolle: WE'VE BEEN LOOKING INTO
LEONARDO AS A VISIONARY AND, REALLY, SOMEONE
WHO MAY HAVE WRITTEN PROPHECIES. DO YOU BELIEVE THAT
SOME OF HIS WRITINGS WERE ACTUALLY PROPHECIES? WHEN WORK ON THE FLORENCE
CATHEDRAL BEGAN IN 1296, THE ARCHITECTS HAD NO IDEA HOW TO BUILD A CHURCH
OF THAT SIZE, BUT THEY WERE CONFIDENT
THAT FUTURE GENERATIONS WOULD RISE TO THE OCCASION. THE FINISHING TOUCHES WEREN'T
PUT ON IT UNTIL 173 YEARS LATER, WHEN A YOUNG APPRENTICE
OF VERROCCHIO'S NAMED LEONARDO IS SAID TO HAVE WORKED ON
THE DESIGN OF A BRASS BALL TO SIT ATOP THE DOME. THIS WAS HOW DA VINCI THOUGHT. SOMEONE HAD A DREAM
OF STARTING THE WORLD'S
MOST MAGNIFICENT CATHEDRAL, AND TWO CENTURIES LATER, HE'S USING ALL THE ADVANCEMENTS
IN ART, ARCHITECTURE, AND ENGINEERING TO COMPLETE IT. JUST AS HIS DREAMS OF
AN UNDERWATER APPARATUS AND FLYING MACHINES WOULD BE REALIZED THROUGH
THE SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENTS OF GENERATIONS AFTER HIM. SO MAYBE VISIONARY, YES.
PROPHET, NO? MAYBE THAT'S WHY
WE'RE DRAWN TO HIM SO MUCH IS HE REALLY BELIEVED
HUMAN BEINGS COULD DO IT, THAT HUMAN BEINGS COULD
SYNTHESIZE EVERYTHING WE KNOW. LEONARDO BELIEVED IN OUR ABILITY
TO FURTHER HIS IDEAS, BUT WHICH IDEAS? WOULD WE PURSUE HIS INNOVATIONS
IN MEDICINE AND ENGINEERING THAT IMPROVED HEALTH
AND QUALITY OF LIFE, OR WOULD WE TAKE HIS DESIGNS
FOR WEAPONS AND WAR MACHINES? DID DA VINCI PROPHESIZE
A FUTURE IN WHICH WE USED HIS IDEAS
TO IMPROVE THE WORLD OR TO DESTROY IT? BUDDY, McKINLEY, AND SCOTT
HAVE THEIR OWN CONCLUSIONS. Levy: YOU GUYS PROBABLY
DON'T BELIEVE THIS -- MY FIRST FULL-ON GELATO
SINCE WE'VE BEEN HERE. REALLY? I DON'T BELIEVE THAT. I WAS WAITING TILL WE GOT
TO THE END, TO MILAN. ALL ROADS HAVE LED US TO MILAN,
AND I WANTED TO END ON IT. WHAT BETTER PLACE
TO TRY TO CONCLUDE THIS? DO YOU GUYS THINK
THAT LEONARDO DA VINCI IS TRYING TO SPEAK TO US
FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE? HELL, YEAH. I WOULD SAY THAT HE'S NOT
TRYING TO SPEAK TO US FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE,
BUT HE DEFINITELY IS. HIS MESSAGE, IN GENERAL,
WAS LEARN, GET KNOWLEDGE, FIND OUT
AS MUCH AS YOU CAN. YOU CAN NEVER KNOW ENOUGH. AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THOUGH,
I DO THINK THAT HE WAS NOT
PROPHESIZING THE END OF THE WORLD
OR SOME SORT OF ARMAGEDDON, BUT JUST LETTING US KNOW LOTS OF THINGS HE SAW
THAT WE WERE DOING THAT WERE GONNA HARM
OUR NATURAL SURROUNDINGS. I THINK
THAT HE'S JUST A GUY THAT WAS SO FAR AHEAD
OF HIS TIME, SO BRILLIANT, AND SYNTHESIZING
SO MUCH INFORMATION FROM SO MANY DIRECTIONS AND HE GOT SO MUCH RIGHT THAT
HE DOES START TO LOOK PROPHETIC. WHEN HE STARTS TO TALK
ABOUT DEFORESTATION, IT'S BECAUSE
HE UNDERSTOOD THAT, WITH THE HUMAN MIND, YOU CAN QUICKLY LEARN HOW
NOT JUST TO CHOP DOWN ONE TREE, BUT CHOP DOWN A HUNDRED TREES
IN A DAY. HE FORESAW A TIME
WHEN HUMAN BEINGS AND THEIR TECHNOLOGY WOULD BEGIN TO HAVE
A DEVASTATING EFFECT ON THE NATURAL WORLD,
WHEREAS BEFORE, THE NATURAL WORLD
DID ITS OWN THING AND HUMANS
COULDN'T REALLY CONTROL IT. I MEAN,
HE WAS TRYING TO, RIGHT, WITH IRRIGATION AND CHANGING
THE FLOW OF WATER. BUT HE WAS ABLE TO SEE THAT,
"WAIT A MINUTE. "IF THERE ARE ENOUGH OF US, WE'RE GONNA START HAVING
AN EFFECT." AND THAT'S HUNDREDS OF YEARS
BEFORE ITS TIME. AS YOU KNOW,
LIKE IN AMERICAN LITERATURE, THEY DON'T START TO TALK ABOUT
THAT TILL 1950s OR SOMETHING. I MEAN, IT'S NOT
EVEN A DISCUSSION. IT'S ALWAYS LIKE,
"HOW CAN WE OVERCOME NATURE? HOW CAN WE OVERCOME
OUR HUMAN NATURE?" AND HE UNDERSTOOD THAT THESE
AREN'T THINGS TO OVERCOME -- THESE ARE THINGS
TO LIVE IN SYNC WITH. MAYBE THAT'S WHAT HE'S SAYING
TO US IS, "BE HUMANISTS," YOU KNOW? "REALIZE THE HUMAN POTENTIAL, AND LIVE YOUR OWN
HUMAN POTENTIAL." I REALLY CAN'T HELP
BUT LOOKING AT HIS ENVIRONMENTAL
OBSERVATIONS AS SORT OF
THE MOST IMPORTANT THING THAT HE'S LEFT US
IN A LOT OF WAYS AND A RESPONSIBILITY, TOO. AND THAT RESPONSIBILITY IS,
YOU KNOW, DON'T DEPLETE ALL OF
YOUR NATURAL RESOURCES. YOU KNOW,
DON'T CREATE TECHNOLOGY THAT CAN KILL ONE ANOTHER. AND SO, YEAH, I MEAN, I THINK
THAT WE'VE GOT A GUY WHO IS SPEAKING TO US
FROM BEYOND THE GRAVE AND SPEAKING TO US
MAYBE FOR ALL TIME. CAN WE DUMP THESE NOW? YES. IT'S THE LAWS OF
THERMODYNAMICS RIGHT HERE. WE HAVE A LITTLE
MAXWELL'S DEMON IN A CUP. LOOKS LIKE MELTED ICE CREAM
TO ME. DA VINCI WOULD TOTALLY GET
MY JOKES IF HE WERE AROUND. YOU GUYS DON'T. [ LAUGHS ] Meltzer: WHAT SENT US DOWN THIS
PATH WAS A NEWFOUND PORTRAIT BY LEONARDO DA VINCI THAT CAME FROM
HIS BOOK OF PROPHECIES. SO WHAT DID THE PORTRAIT MEAN? WAS IT A HINT, A CLUE,
A PROPHECY IN ITSELF? IT WAS. BECAUSE IT'S DA VINCI HIMSELF
WHO'S THE ANSWER. IT'S DA VINCI HIMSELF
WHO HAS ABSOLUTE PROOF OF THE WORLD'S
MOST BEAUTIFUL SECRET, THAT THE FUTURE IS CREATED
BY US, BY HUMAN INNOVATION. SO WHAT WILL THE FUTURE BRING? IT DEPENDS HOW BIG
WE'RE WILLING TO DREAM. ALMOST 500 YEARS AGO, EVERY SINGLE ONE OF DA VINCI'S
INVENTIONS FAILED. THE WINGS DIDN'T HELP HIM FLY, THE SCUBA GEAR WAS MADE
FROM A SUIT OF LEATHER, HIS PRE-HELICOPTER
NEVER TOOK OFF, BUT OVER TIME, AS HUMAN INNOVATION CAUGHT UP
WITH HIS IDEAS, THEY ALL WORKED. IT IS HIS ULTIMATE PROPHECY -- BE DARING, BE DARING,
ALWAYS BE DARING. THERE IS NO BIG DREAM
UNLESS YOU DREAM BIG.
