10x23 - The Italian Job
Posted: 04/17/24 08:21
NARRATOR: Tonight on
The Curse of Oak Island...
RICK:
We're following all the clues
where they lead.
Hey, guys,
come take a look at this.
CORJAN:
[chuckles] Fantastic.
Holy cow.
This is frickin' impressive.
I've never seen anything
like this on the island.
DOUG:
We found this on Oak Island.
EMILIANO:
It's very old.
Probably a thousand years old.
-DOUG: Wow.
-Wow.
ROGER: We are at the
bottom of the Money Pit shaft.
MARTY: And very close
to the actual treasure
-of the Money Pit.
-Absolutely amazing.
-MARTY: How about that?
-Wow.
MARTY: Oh, baby.
NARRATOR: There is an
island in the North Atlantic
where people have
been looking for
an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.
So far, they have
found a stone slab
with strange symbols
carved into it...
...man-made workings
that date to medieval times,
and a lead cross whose
origin may be connected
to the Knights Templar.
To date, six men have d*ed
trying to solve the mystery.
And according to legend,
one more will have to die
before the treasure
can be found.
♪ ♪
When this first
project was started...
-Hey, guys.
-Oh!
-Oh, look at you.
-CRAIG: Charles.
Got your Sunday
going-to-meeting clothes on.
I got my Sunday
go-to-meeting clothes on, yeah.
It's a pretty exciting day.
NARRATOR: For brothers
Rick and Marty Lagina,
their partner Craig Tester
and their entire team,
the dawn of another
day on Oak Island
brings renewed anticipation
for a major
breakthrough discovery
that could help solve
a 228-year-old mystery.
-This is a dream, isn't it?
-CHARLES: It's a dream,
and I want to thank
you both, a-and Rick,
for the opportunity for
allowing me to do this.
Roger, is he gonna,
you know, is he gonna
-meet the grade here? Can he do this?
-Well, I don't know.
But yeah, I-I think
he'll be able to cut it.
[laughs] Absolutely.
-How deep are we?
-So, right now,
we finally found the
bottom of the shaft.
The bottom of our
shaft is at 82 feet,
just a little over 82 feet,
so there is no more timber.
NARRATOR: Although the
bitter North Atlantic winter
is fast approaching,
the reconstruction
of the Garden Shaft
in the Money Pit area
is nearing completion, meaning
that a legendary treasure
people have been
searching for since 1795
may soon be within their reach.
MARTY: Charles,
you're going below ground
on Oak Island, man.
Yeah, I know. It's a
pretty select group.
Yeah. Well, I want to know if
your, uh, Spidey-sense tingles
-when you get down there.
-If I pick up any gold sig...
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
-...signals?
You'd be the first to know.
Okay. All right. Let's
get this show on the road.
Yeah. We'll go to the camera
and keep an eye on them.
NARRATOR: It has been five
long months since representatives
from Dumas Contracting
Limited began rebuilding
this 82-foot-deep
dilapidated feature,
which, thanks to
scientific testing
of wood and water samples,
has proven to contain
high-trace evidence of gold.
However, it also appears
to be sitting above a tunnel
some 95 feet deep
running due west
toward the so-called Baby
Blob, where water testing
in numerous boreholes
has suggested
that the fabled Money Pit
treasure vault could be located.
CHARLES: Wow.
When Rick asked
members of the team
who wanted to actually
go underground,
I think my hand was probably
the first one that went up.
To me, it's very personal
to go down there.
And that's the whole
idea of us being here,
to find this thing,
not only for us,
but for everybody
that came before us.
-Is this him?
-Yeah. That's them.
-CRAIG: That was quick.
-MARTY: Yeah.
NARRATOR: Now, after completing
specialized safety training,
Charles Barkhouse is inspecting
the nearly completed
bottom section, or set,
of the structure, in order
to help the team determine
how the Garden
Shaft may be related
to the possible treasure
tunnel beneath it.
CHARLES: Very cool. [laughs]
Wow.
Holy God.
Wow.
[exhales]
RODNEY: This timber
you see right here, that's...
-that's the last original piece.
-That right down there?
Yeah. You got noth-- no
more timber below that.
-CHARLES: No more timber below that?
-No.
And this is the corner
that was sinking all along.
-CHARLES: Right, yeah, I see that. Yeah, you can...
-You can see the angle
-right here.
-You could-- Yeah.
CHARLES: Wow.
[over video]: I'm curious
what made this corner sink.
You know? There is
something beyond this corner.
There is a tunnel or something
that caused this corner to sink.
The question is why was
so much activity in this area
that we know nothing about?
The good thing is,
we can get down there,
and there is a ton of things
that can be done from this.
Well, we can drill
from the bottom, right?
Yeah. So, we will do
some probe drilling,
to see if we can try
and intercept this tunnel.
MARTY: Dumas is about
to begin probe drilling.
I don't know exactly what
to expect, but I'm hoping
for treasure itself.
Maybe, uh, find this
tunnel that could be
a tunnel to an offset chamber.
This is unexplored
ground for us,
and it should be interesting.
So, when do we start drilling?
As soon as we get this set in.
This side here is not done.
MARTY [over radio]: Hey,
Charles. Surface to Charles.
Do you read me?
-[radio beeps]
-Go ahead, Marty.
Okay, you know what I'm
gonna say. Where's the gold?
Uh, I wish I could, Marty.
I wish I could tell you
where it is, but it-- I'll tell you,
it's-it's pretty
amazing down here.
Well, Charles,
here's the deal: I
want to get down there,
and I will, in the
next couple days.
And-and, but-but
really, let's face it,
the, uh, utility of this
thing has yet to be proven.
But I'm hopeful that it will be.
Me, too, Marty. It's time.
All right. Come on up.
You can't live down there.
Okay, coming up.
MARTY: I got to do my
training, um, but couple days,
-I'm gonna be down there.
-ROGER: Absolutely.
-I'll be more than glad to take you down.
-All right, perfect.
That's a-- It's a date.
-It's a date. Exactly. Yeah.
-MARTY: All right.
NARRATOR: As the
reconstruction of the Garden Shaft
continues in the Money Pit area,
nearly 4,000 miles to
the east, in Rome, Italy...
[Emiliano speaking Italian]
-Buongiorno. Rick.
-Nice to meet you.
NARRATOR: ...Rick Lagina, along
with his nephews Alex and Peter,
Doug Crowell and
researcher Emiliano Sacchetti,
are meeting with
numismatist Umberto Moruzzi.
Do you have a specialty
in the, like, a certain coin
or a certain era?
-Okay.
-RICK: That's really why we're here,
because we're trying
to understand the story
about Oak Island.
EMILIANO: Here there's another
amazing underground cave system.
NARRATOR: For the past week,
Rick and the team have
been visiting ancient sights
to investigate the theory
of the late Zena Halpern,
who believed that between
the 12th and 14th centuries...
RICK: Wow.
...members of the
medieval Christian order
known as the Knights Templar
transported sacred,
religious treasures from Italy
and other European
strongholds to Oak Island.
-ALEX: Hey, Rick.
-RICK: Hmm?
-Check this out.
-PETER: That's cool.
We have seen this symbol
before, on Oak Island.
-RICK: H+O Stone.
-PETER: Yeah.
NARRATOR: So far, they have
found numerous Templar carvings
in ancient cave systems
that have also been
found on or near the island.
And incredibly,
one of those sites,
located in the town of Camerano,
features a labyrinth
matching the exact shape
of the 14th-century lead
cross that was unearthed
at Smith's Cove back in 2017.
Well, hopefully today,
there will be an
unraveling of our story.
DOUG: Yes. We've found
several coins on the island
that seem very out of place to us.
NARRATOR: Today, the
team has asked Umberto
to examine the Roman half-coin
found earlier
this year on Lot 5,
along with another
metal artifact
that was unearthed on Lot 7,
to see if his findings might
help to further validate
Zena Halpern's
incredible theory.
It could be half a Roman
coin from the fourth century.
Wow.
EMILIANO: In his opinion,
this could be the original one.
UMBERTO: Look.
EMILIANO: They have been
in circulation for centuries.
And we could expect to find
this up to the medieval times.
ALEX: Wow.
[laughter]
RICK: How do you explain
a Roman half-coin on Oak Island?
This is one of the earliest
artifacts found on Oak Island.
That's huge.
I don't know what to
make of it quite yet.
Doug, I think...
-next-next one up?
-Yes. Yes.
DOUG: We have another item.
We're wondering if, uh,
Umberto can have a look at it.
[Umberto speaking Italian]
So, uh, it-it--
that's not a coin.
Uh, it's made out of
bronze and it's very old.
According to Umberto,
uh, probably a
thousand years old.
-ALEX: Wow.
-RICK: Wow.
[speaking Italian]
It's-it's a bit more
than four grams.
[Umberto speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: He's
saying, uh, this could be
a monetary weight.
Mm-hmm.
[speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: Probably,
that piece of bronze
was used, uh, to make
comparison between real coins.
Using the weight.
Mm-hmm.
NARRATOR: From the
times of Ancient Rome
up through the medieval
period across Europe,
the value of silver
and gold coins
were determined by their weight.
In order to prevent
counterfeiting,
merchants would
use trade weights
made of non-precious metals
as a standard for ensuring
the true value of coins.
If this is indeed around
a thousand years old,
why the need for trade
weights on Oak Island?
Don't know, yet.
NARRATOR: If Umberto
Moruzzi is correct
that this trade weight
could date back
approximately 1,000
years, could it be a clue
that supports Zena
Halpern's belief
that members of
the Templar order
first visited Oak Island
in the late 12th century?
RICK: The very
word "trade" means
some sort of
commercial activity,
or some sort of activity
associated with money.
Um...
Well, money, generally
in everyone's mind,
is associated with "treasure."
But it's the date he puts
on it, a thousand years old.
Well, it rounds, again--
we're back into the 1200s.
Perhaps, uh, an association
with a-a Templar treasure.
EMILIANO: It matches
the weight of a golden
-Byzantine coin.
-DOUG: Oh, yes.
Wow.
[Umberto speaking Italian]
And there's, uh, a Christ on it.
RICK: Wow.
He likes to think that
that piece of bronze
was used as a monetary
weight for that very coin.
Wow.
I always thought it
was a wonderful story.
-ALEX: Mm-hmm.
-But nothing like this.
Right? All of these outliers,
all of this new information
that comes to light
and you've just...
continually
puzzled by it, right?
Given legitimate artifacts
from literally millennia ago.
-Mm-hmm.
-So, I thank you for that,
because that
impresses upon all of us
the importance
of finds like this.
I'm very hopeful
as we look forward.
-UMBERTO: Grazie.
-RICK: Prego.
[bucket thuds]
NARRATOR: Back on Oak Island...
-How's it going, Laird?
-Hey, Jack.
I see a lot of test
pits in this area.
Yeah.
NARRATOR: ...Jack
Begley arrives on Lot 5,
located on the western
side of the island,
where archaeologist Laird Niven
continues his
meticulous excavation
of a mysterious
circular stone feature.
JACK: There's been a lot of
work done around here lately.
LAIRD: [chuckles]
Yeah, there's a lot to do.
Our first bit was to examine
what we thought
was the exterior.
But then we found that
there's this big circle
of stones around it.
NARRATOR: While the purpose
of the stone-covered depression
remains unknown,
the fact that it has
a 13-foot diameter,
matching that of
the original Money Pit
when it was discovered in 1795,
and is located in the area
where the Roman coin
and barter token were found,
the team suspects it
may be a critical clue
that could help solve
the Oak Island mystery.
You can see rocks
coming up here,
so-- well below
these placed rocks.
-JACK: Yeah. Yeah.
-Right?
The occupation could be...
I mean, we're finding
artifacts from the 1750s.
Wow.
Is there any chance
that the top feature
was built at a later date
than the rocks that are lower?
Oh, absolutely. Yeah,
this was at a later date.
Yeah, and there could be
an even earlier
component under that.
Oh. So, this could be
a really old stone feature
that was then rebuilt and...
-Yeah.
-...and rock-lined back in the 1700s.
LAIRD: That's what
we're hoping for.
-Hey, Laird.
-Hey, Marty.
Talk to me. What have you found?
Why don't you come
down and I'll show you?
-Well, I can be an archeologist then, right?
-Yep.
All right. What you got?
Well, we have a
big jumble of rocks.
-MARTY: I see that.
-And it's very deliberately built.
So, what is this?
Well, so, we're speculating now
if this was once
filled, with rocks.
-MARTY: The whole thing?
-The whole thing.
And then at some
point, somebody decided
to take some of these rocks
out and create this thing around it.
I'd be keenly interested in any
artifacts you find down there.
LAIRD: Yeah, We're getting
artifacts from 1750 up top.
-Mm-hmm.
-The hope is that, down below,
we'll find an earl-- an
even earlier component.
That would be great.
That would be exciting.
The round feature on Lot 5
can turn out to be significant
because it's so odd.
How can you not be
extremely interested
into what exactly it is?
It's a thing not found elsewhere
on Nova Scotia on Oak Island.
It could be very meaningful.
We need to explore it.
Well, there are
secrets here yet, Laird.
But I think you're
gonna find them.
LAIRD: I hope so.
All right, you guys carry on.
-I'm moving to other parts.
-All right.
-See you later.
-See you, Marty.
NARRATOR: As
Laird and Jack continue
their investigation on Lot 5...
-CRAIG: Okay, well, let's take her deeper.
-BILLY: Yeah.
NARRATOR: ...Craig Tester,
Billy Gerhardt, Steve Guptill
and Gary Drayton are
conducting an excavation
in the middle of the
triangle-shaped swamp.
CRAIG: Whoa. The water's
sure starting to come in
that little spot right there.
GARY: We got a gusher now. Wow.
-That's some water, isn't it?
-Yeah.
NARRATOR: After confirming the
discovery of a stone ramp one week ago,
which connects the
with a stone
pathway running along
the eastern border
of the swamp...
CRAIG: Let's keep going, see
what the base of it looks like.
BILLY: Yeah.
NARRATOR: ...the Oak Island team
is now hoping to unearth
a large, potentially
metallic object
that was detected during
a magnetometer survey
performed earlier this year.
We're awful deep.
But the water came in so
fast we couldn't really see it.
He's gonna try to get the
water out so we can see.
All rocks now.
It's deep though, for that, eh?
CRAIG: Yeah, you
can definitely see
-the rocks on that side.
-Yeah.
-BILLY: Big rocks and little rocks.
-GARY: Yep.
These rocks look like
they're from the paved area.
CRAIG: Good.
STEVE: Oh, wow.
That's very much
paved area type of rocks.
NARRATOR: While
searching for a metallic object,
possibly buried more than
ten feet deep in the center
of the triangle-shaped swamp...
CRAIG: Grab one more.
NARRATOR: ...Craig
Tester and other members
of the Oak Island
team have unearthed
what they believe
could be a new section
of the massive 800-year-old
stone-paved feature.
STEVE: That's a
lot of rock at 11 feet.
CRAIG: Why don't you, uh,
get a little more
water out of there,
-we'll take another good look.
-BILLY: Okay.
CRAIG: Maybe this was more
of the paved area in the swamp,
but we're not quite
sure where it's going
or where it's coming from.
But that's what we're here for.
We're here to-to find out
what actually was going on.
So, what do we got
going here now, guys?
What mystery do we have today?
Yeah, the question is,
is it a paved area or not?
Oh, yeah.
CRAIG: You can see the
rocks down there, like it's...
-MARTY: Oh, yeah. Very similar, isn't it?
-Yep.
MARTY: This
could be sort of, uh,
adjunct to the paved area.
We already knew we had
the paved area in the swamp,
we have the path, now we
have a ramp connecting 'em.
The big question is why?
It must have been
done for some reason.
What I'm thinking is, uh,
Dr. Spooner's coming tomorrow.
Have him take a look at
whether it's glacial or man-made.
For today, I think we're good.
MARTY: Yet another
mystery on Oak Island.
NARRATOR: The
following morning...
IAN: Hey, Billy.
Hey.
CRAIG: You'll see the rock layer
we found.
NARRATOR: ...Craig
Tester accompanies
geoscientist Dr. Ian
Spooner to the swamp
in order to have him
inspect the freshly unearthed
stone-paved feature.
CRAIG: So, I wanted you
to come look at it, you know,
make sure you're in
agreement that it is man-made.
IAN: Mm-hmm. You know
what's really important,
is we dug out there
and we did not find
-that rock layer.
-Yeah.
IAN: That rock layer, we
have it in the paved area,
and it stops right there.
-CRAIG: Yes.
-And it's-it's not over there at all.
Like, if it's a glacial feature,
you expect it to continue.
There's some kind
of human influence.
NARRATOR: While searching in
the swamp over the past several years,
the team has found
numerous pieces
of ancient sailing vessels
as well as parts
of cargo barrels,
which have been estimated
to date back 600 years or more.
Could Dr. Spooner be correct
that the paved area in
the center of the swamp
and the stone ramp
at its eastern edge
were used many centuries
ago in order to transport
something of great
value onto Oak Island?
So, when the
paved area was here,
there was a lot of
water right there.
One of the ideas is that
they might have brought boats
over the beach, had them
there, and the paved area
was some kind of staging
area or something like that.
And that other ramp is the
ramp to get up to the upland.
If you don't think
there's anything else
we need to do here,
I think we'll get him
putting it back in place.
IAN: Yeah. I don't think so.
CRAIG: Okay.
Okay. Well, thank you.
-CRAIG: Okay, Bill.
-BILLY: All right. -IAN: See you.
NARRATOR: While operations
continue on Oak Island...
RICK: Andrea,
pleasure to meet you, sir.
A pleasure to meet you, and
welcome to American University.
NARRATOR: ...meanwhile,
some 4,000 miles to the east,
researcher Emiliano
Sacchetti has arranged
for Rick Lagina and
other members of the team
to meet with Professor
Andrea di Robilant
at the American
University of Rome.
This day is gonna prove
to be most interesting
because it's our
belief, and part of it
is based on some
previous research
about pre-Columbian
voyages to the New World.
Well, I have an interesting
tale to tell you all.
-[soft laughter]
-DOUG: Excellent.
NARRATOR: With nearly
as an author and lecturer,
Professor Di Robilant
has written extensively
about pre-15th-century
European visits to the New World.
In the library where I was
doing my own research
was an extraordinary
little booklet
published in 1558 in Venice
about the narrative of
Nicolò and Antonio Zeno,
Venetian sailors
back in the 1390s.
They decided to leave Venice
to sail up to the North Atlantic
and trade with the
countries of Northern Europe.
And so, the two brothers
sail out of Venice,
cross the Mediterranean,
sail up the Atlantic
to the Faroe Islands.
There, they are eventually taken
to the l-- the-the
lord chieftain
of the whole area, who
was, uh, Sir Henry Sinclair.
DOUG: Henry Sinclair
is so interesting to us.
NARRATOR: Prince Henry Sinclair
was a Scottish nobleman,
m*llitary leader and explorer.
However, he is also
believed by some
to have given refuge to and
joined the Knights Templar
after their persecution in
France during the 14th century,
and then helped them
move some of their treasures
to the New World in 1398.
The two brothers, instead
of going back to Venice,
decide to stay and
work for Henry Sinclair.
And Sinclair, uh,
gives them ships,
with which they
further their journey
and travel further north.
During this period of ten years,
they described in great
detail the places they visited.
In 1558,
the grandnephew of
Antonio Zeno decides
to publish all of this
material and to print a map
of their journey to
the North Atlantic.
And I have this, uh, the map.
Uh, I have it right here.
ANDREA: So, the Zeno
brothers sailed further north,
and very, very possibly,
to the coast of Nova Scotia.
-Hmm.
NARRATOR: At the American
University in Rome, Italy,
Professor Andrea di Robilant
has just presented documents
reporting that in
the late 14th century,
Italian explorers
Antonio and Nicolò Zeno
sailed to the New World
with Prince Henry Sinclair,
a Templar knight, who
some believe buried
sacred religious
treasures on Oak Island.
ANDREA: They certainly mentioned
what is, to me, most obviously,
Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
Those parts are
included in the Zeno map.
And I have a-a very famous map
from the late, very
late 17th century.
I think I have it here. Yeah.
-And lo and behold, it says here...
-There it is.
-Yep. Yep.
-...right there in Canada,
"Discovered by
Antonio Zeno in 1390."
So, this, to me, was
extraordinary, because it meant
that here we have a
document which suggests
that the Zeno brothers
had, uh, landed
a-and discovered this
part of North America.
RICK: It truly is
-irresistible as you lay it out.
-ALEX: Mm-hmm.
-Mm-hmm.
-PETER: That puts a foothold
for the Zeno brothers in Canada,
so they could be associated
with the Oak Island story.
-Yes.
-CORJAN: And then Henry Sinclair
in North America.
RICK: We've got
multiple timelines.
I've always believed that
the work on Oak Island
associated with some
sort of treasure deposition
was incremental.
A plan was devised,
certain stages of it
were implemented
over, perhaps, centuries.
I think we have to
follow the possibility
that Templar treasure went
from France to Scotland,
from Scotland to the New World.
We have a connection here,
let's follow the clues
where they lead.
What we have heard here
today is that maps tell a story.
And that this is
certainly a connection
to a visitation to the
New World long, long ago.
So, thank you for the day.
It's been highly informative
and very, uh, impactful.
I wish you the best of luck.
-RICK: Thank you.
-ALEX/PETER: Thank you.
-DOUG: Thank you very much.
-CORJAN: Thank you so much.
NARRATOR: While Rick
and members of the team
finish their meeting
in Rome, Italy...
LAIRD: Hello,
y'all. Two visitors.
NARRATOR: ...back
on Oak Island...
Holy cow.
-No, I see what you mean by that.
-Yeah.
This is frickin' impressive.
I've never seen
anything like this
-on the island.
-No.
NARRATOR: ...Dr. Ian
Spooner joins Craig Tester
and other members
of the team on Lot 5
in order to make
his first inspection
of the circular,
stone-covered depression.
I don't know, uh,
circular things are so rare.
In my travels,
circular things like this,
few things that I've
seen are-- you know,
there can be fortifications
that were circular.
And one of the best-known
circular fortifications
are brochs,
are old, ancient Scottish
castles that were circular.
I've also seen things
like this where they have...
some kind of cannon
or f-- you know,
that moves around a circle.
Hmm.
NARRATOR: The
circular feature on Lot 5,
a possibly ancient
fortification?
And perhaps of Scottish origin?
If Dr. Spooner is correct,
could this structure
offer evidence
that the reported voyage
of Prince Henry Sinclair
to Oak Island in
the late 14th century
did, in fact, take place?
I-I mean, to me, it's
really quite impressive.
-CRAIG: It's very interesting.
-[laughter]
I mean, every time
you guys are puzzled
-by something...
-Yeah, it gets us interested.
Yeah, it gets me
very interested.
-Very interested.
-MIRIAM: Why does that happen
-a lot on this island?
-I don't know.
I don't know.
-IAN: Thank you.
-CRAIG: Catch you later on, then.
-IAN: All right.
-MIRIAM: Yeah.
-LAIRD: See you guys.
-CHARLES: Yeah, see you.
NARRATOR: The following day...
-EMILIANO: Hi, guys.
-[overlapping greetings]
-GIANLUCA: Buongiorno.
-RICK: Buongiorno.
-Benvenuto a Viterbo.
-Nice to meet you.
Buongiorno.
Gianluca Di Prospero is, um,
Templar investigator,
and he's gonna show us a
few things around Viterbo today.
NARRATOR: ...Rick Lagina
and members of the team
have traveled some 65
miles northwest of Rome
to the city of Viterbo, Italy.
EMILIANO: Viterbo was
an important crossroad,
and for 24 years,
Viterbo was the center
of Christianity in
the known world.
NARRATOR: They have arranged
to meet with Gianluca di Prospero,
an author who has spent
more than two decades
researching the
medieval activities
of the Knights
Templar in this region.
What is the Templar
connection with this area?
[Gianluca speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: Actually, he found
some, uh, interesting
symbols in a church
that is very close to here,
it's called Santa Maria Nuova.
There might be some
Templar connection.
-I'd say let's-let's take a look.
-Let's see.
Sì.
NARRATOR: Founded
in the eighth century,
Viterbo became the
temporary headquarters
for Pope Alexander IV
and the Catholic Church
during a time of
civil unrest in Rome.
During that period,
the city also served
as a stronghold for
the Templar order.
[speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: This is
Santa Maria Nuova,
a church built in 1080.
As you can see,
it's full of paintings,
carvings and symbolism.
It's hard-hard to
believe this-this-- this
was built in 1080.
-Mm-hmm.
-I think there's a lot to learn here.
So, let's-let's start
an initial investigation
-and see-see what we come up with.
-Okay.
-Okay.
-RICK: If you see anything at all,
-flag everyone else down.
-Okay.
-Great idea.
-Okay.
Let's do that.
RICK: The church is
an incredible edifice.
It's beautiful.
Churches were, even
though they were public,
they held secrets of their own.
And we need to learn
as much as we can.
DOUG: What'd you find, Pete?
-I think something pretty interesting.
-Oh.
-DOUG: Wow.
-NARRATOR: In Viterbo, Italy,
Peter Fornetti has just made
a potentially
important discovery
inside the Santa Maria Nuova,
a medieval church with
historically documented ties
to the Knights Templar.
PETER: It's unmistakable.
Cross with the four dots.
-Same as the H+O Stone.
-ALEX: Mm-hmm.
[Gianluca speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: He says that
these four-dots crosses
are marking special places
that Templars used to
be in and-- or around.
ALEX: Hmm.
[Gianluca speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: This is also
present in places connected
with the Holy Grail
or the Holy Shroud.
DOUG: If this four-dot cross
is only found in
Templar-associated locations
or with
Templar-associated articles
that they may have
been safeguarding,
I mean, i-it speaks
volumes for our H+O Stone.
NARRATOR: In the
featuring a number
of enigmatic carvings
was discovered
by treasure hunters
on the northern
shore of Oak Island.
Suspecting that it marked
the location of buried treasure,
they destroyed it with dynamite
in order to dig beneath it.
Nothing was found
below the massive boulder.
However, is it
possible that a fragment
known as the H+O Stone,
which featured a cross
surrounded by four dots,
represented a key clue that
sacred Templar treasures
are hidden on Oak Island?
If so, could that explain
the high-trace evidence
of gold and other metals
that have been detected
deep in the Money Pit area?
RICK: Every place we visit...
...it speaks to me
that there's an
ongoing story here.
An ongoing message.
We need to look
backwards in time,
and that's what
we've done today.
And I think we need
to continue to do that.
PETER: Yep.
Let's go.
RICK: We have seen
that cross everywhere,
from Portugal to the H+O Stone.
And we know for a fact
that Templars used
that representation,
but it certainly is a direct
connection to Oak Island.
-Rick.
-RICK: Hmm?
ALEX: Right here.
-Yeah.
-Right there.
Hmm.
"H-I-C."
ALEX: I think there's an
"A" even on the far side there.
There's an "A" here, yeah.
Mm-hmm.
In his opinion, this
refers to a compass.
And if you take a look
closely, there is also a square.
So, it could be a
Masonic, uh, symbolism.
-ALEX: Mm-hmm.
-Which is weird
in a church like this...
-Yeah.
-...so old and so important
-here in Viterbo.
-RICK: Hmm.
NARRATOR: A possible
Masonic compass
carved in the wall
of a medieval church
with known connections
to the Knights Templar?
Many believe that
the secretive fraternity
known as the Freemasons
evolved from the Templar
order after their dissolution
by the Catholic Church
in the 14th century.
Curiously, ever
since the Money Pit
was discovered in 1795,
Freemasons have been involved
in nearly every single organized
company of treasure hunters
that has tried to
solve the mystery.
Masonic symbols such
as triangles, crosses
and the letter "G,"
representing the divine creator,
have also been found
all across the island.
Is it possible that Alex Lagina
has just found more evidence
that these organizations
are directly connected?
And if so, does
that also explain
what Freemasons have been
trying to find on Oak Island
for more than two centuries?
ALEX: I just keep thinking
about the H+O Stone.
And let me show you this.
So...
in the church, we saw this.
-Right?
-RICK: Mm-hmm.
What does that mean?
-"Here."
-If you do this...
...you get the H+O Stone.
And this symbol,
we've learned today,
-means Templar-related relic.
-RICK: Mm-hmm.
And what have we found that
the symbol at the end means?
Some have
interpreted it to be gold.
ALEX: Yeah.
If you put it all
together, I mean,
there's the possibility that
the H+O Stone represents
"Here, Templar gold."
DOUG: We know
that in medieval times,
in Middle Age times, they
really like their ciphers.
They really like their
hidden meaning, so...
-...maybe. Yeah.
-Maybe.
You may have just
filled in the blank.
Or a blank or blanks.
I think it was incredibly
insightful of Alex.
I think he and Peter
work very well together.
I'm very proud of
them as my nephews.
Hopefully this means something.
RICK: If he's onto
something, that is fantastic.
We all believe the
H+O Stone is important.
The circle and the dot
could be a symbol for gold.
Is it possible that it
hints at or suggests
that there's a religious
relic associated
with the treasure of Oak Island?
Well, at this point, there's
some strong suggestions
that that is indeed the case.
Well, what we did
is we took the eyes
and boots approach
to the information hunt,
which is absolute imperative.
And that's, that's my thought
as we head back to the island.
DOUG: Appreciate you guys.
-Thank you so much.
-Thank you.
RICK: Grazie mille.
We owe you a debt of gratitude.
MARTY: I-I'm excited to go
down there. I really, really am.
It's-it's pretty neat. I
mean, you're doing down
-underground in the Money Pit.
-Yes.
Exactly right, yeah, and
maybe, very close to...
-The treasure.
-...the actual treasure of the Money Pit.
NARRATOR: It is a historic
moment on Oak Island.
After more than five
months of tireless effort
by representatives of
Dumas Contracting Limited,
the reconstruction of the
is now complete.
-Okay. Enjoy, guys.
-Thank you very much.
NARRATOR: In the next
week, the team will begin
a new probe-drilling
operation to look for evidence
of precious metals just
outside of the structure,
as well as a tunnel located
at a depth of some 95 feet
that leads toward the Baby
Blob, or believed treasure zone.
-Are you gonna lead?
-ROGER: Yes.
-MARTY: The real excitement begins now.
-Yeah.
NARRATOR: In the meantime,
Marty Lagina is about
to make his first descent
into the structure
in order to inspect it.
MARTY: I am physically going
underground in the Money Pit,
in a shaft that may, in
fact, lead us to the treasure.
It's pretty exciting from
an emotional standpoint.
-This is a long way down.
-ROGER: Yeah.
MARTY: The main
feeling is a bit of awe
as to the people who
did it 100 years ago,
maybe 400 years ago.
It's amazing to me what
human beings can do.
All right, the first thing
I want to do is look up.
-Holy crap.
-[Roger chuckles]
MARTY: When we get to the
bottom, the secondary feeling is,
"Hey, I'm underground
in the Money Pit area.
Wonder what I'm next to."
I just can't help myself.
-I got to take a look down there.
-Absolutely.
ROGER: Here, let me help you.
-MARTY: Oh, these just roll off?
-Oh, yeah.
We didn't nail them in yet.
MARTY: There she is. The ground.
Geez, Roger. I
wonder if we're close.
-[laughs softly] -I
wonder if we're close.
MARTY: We want to see
what that shaft was near.
It's in the treasure
area, the Baby Blob,
where the scientists tell us
there's anomalous
amounts of metals.
-Okay.
-RODNEY: Do you copy, Marty?
Oh.
Yeah, I copy.
What's your thoughts down there?
It's incredible, okay?
I mean, almost surely,
a tunnel right
underneath us here.
Yeah. And-and what
that thing means,
where it came from,
is it original, we'd
like to know all that.
This is where the treasure
hunt begins in this shaft.
-That's what it's all about.
-You're right.
It begins now.
Okay.
MARTY: Okay. We're coming up.
NARRATOR: Despite the
fast-approaching North Atlantic winter,
Rick, Marty and the
rest of the Fellowship
remain undeterred in their quest
to unlock Oak Island's
long-held secrets.
After scouring the island...
and making another profound
journey across the ocean,
they have discovered
more compelling evidence
that something of
historic proportions
may lie buried deep
in the Money Pit.
And now, with the
completion of the Garden Shaft,
they just might have the
means to finally recover it.
Next time on The
Curse of Oak Island...
JACK: We haven't
reached the edge yet.
It's quite a massive structure.
This could fit in
with Zena's map.
This could be the hatch.
GARY: Come on.
Be something good.
Ooh, that's pretty big.
-Wow, that is sweet.
-Whoa.
CHRIS [over video]:
Isotopically, it looks very similar
-to the cross.
-No way.
That's brilliant.
-SCOTT: Oh, wow.
-There's something there.
SCOTT:
It could possibly be
an original depositor tunnel.
MARTY:
You've done did it.
I feel good now.
The Curse of Oak Island...
RICK:
We're following all the clues
where they lead.
Hey, guys,
come take a look at this.
CORJAN:
[chuckles] Fantastic.
Holy cow.
This is frickin' impressive.
I've never seen anything
like this on the island.
DOUG:
We found this on Oak Island.
EMILIANO:
It's very old.
Probably a thousand years old.
-DOUG: Wow.
-Wow.
ROGER: We are at the
bottom of the Money Pit shaft.
MARTY: And very close
to the actual treasure
-of the Money Pit.
-Absolutely amazing.
-MARTY: How about that?
-Wow.
MARTY: Oh, baby.
NARRATOR: There is an
island in the North Atlantic
where people have
been looking for
an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.
So far, they have
found a stone slab
with strange symbols
carved into it...
...man-made workings
that date to medieval times,
and a lead cross whose
origin may be connected
to the Knights Templar.
To date, six men have d*ed
trying to solve the mystery.
And according to legend,
one more will have to die
before the treasure
can be found.
♪ ♪
When this first
project was started...
-Hey, guys.
-Oh!
-Oh, look at you.
-CRAIG: Charles.
Got your Sunday
going-to-meeting clothes on.
I got my Sunday
go-to-meeting clothes on, yeah.
It's a pretty exciting day.
NARRATOR: For brothers
Rick and Marty Lagina,
their partner Craig Tester
and their entire team,
the dawn of another
day on Oak Island
brings renewed anticipation
for a major
breakthrough discovery
that could help solve
a 228-year-old mystery.
-This is a dream, isn't it?
-CHARLES: It's a dream,
and I want to thank
you both, a-and Rick,
for the opportunity for
allowing me to do this.
Roger, is he gonna,
you know, is he gonna
-meet the grade here? Can he do this?
-Well, I don't know.
But yeah, I-I think
he'll be able to cut it.
[laughs] Absolutely.
-How deep are we?
-So, right now,
we finally found the
bottom of the shaft.
The bottom of our
shaft is at 82 feet,
just a little over 82 feet,
so there is no more timber.
NARRATOR: Although the
bitter North Atlantic winter
is fast approaching,
the reconstruction
of the Garden Shaft
in the Money Pit area
is nearing completion, meaning
that a legendary treasure
people have been
searching for since 1795
may soon be within their reach.
MARTY: Charles,
you're going below ground
on Oak Island, man.
Yeah, I know. It's a
pretty select group.
Yeah. Well, I want to know if
your, uh, Spidey-sense tingles
-when you get down there.
-If I pick up any gold sig...
-Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah.
-...signals?
You'd be the first to know.
Okay. All right. Let's
get this show on the road.
Yeah. We'll go to the camera
and keep an eye on them.
NARRATOR: It has been five
long months since representatives
from Dumas Contracting
Limited began rebuilding
this 82-foot-deep
dilapidated feature,
which, thanks to
scientific testing
of wood and water samples,
has proven to contain
high-trace evidence of gold.
However, it also appears
to be sitting above a tunnel
some 95 feet deep
running due west
toward the so-called Baby
Blob, where water testing
in numerous boreholes
has suggested
that the fabled Money Pit
treasure vault could be located.
CHARLES: Wow.
When Rick asked
members of the team
who wanted to actually
go underground,
I think my hand was probably
the first one that went up.
To me, it's very personal
to go down there.
And that's the whole
idea of us being here,
to find this thing,
not only for us,
but for everybody
that came before us.
-Is this him?
-Yeah. That's them.
-CRAIG: That was quick.
-MARTY: Yeah.
NARRATOR: Now, after completing
specialized safety training,
Charles Barkhouse is inspecting
the nearly completed
bottom section, or set,
of the structure, in order
to help the team determine
how the Garden
Shaft may be related
to the possible treasure
tunnel beneath it.
CHARLES: Very cool. [laughs]
Wow.
Holy God.
Wow.
[exhales]
RODNEY: This timber
you see right here, that's...
-that's the last original piece.
-That right down there?
Yeah. You got noth-- no
more timber below that.
-CHARLES: No more timber below that?
-No.
And this is the corner
that was sinking all along.
-CHARLES: Right, yeah, I see that. Yeah, you can...
-You can see the angle
-right here.
-You could-- Yeah.
CHARLES: Wow.
[over video]: I'm curious
what made this corner sink.
You know? There is
something beyond this corner.
There is a tunnel or something
that caused this corner to sink.
The question is why was
so much activity in this area
that we know nothing about?
The good thing is,
we can get down there,
and there is a ton of things
that can be done from this.
Well, we can drill
from the bottom, right?
Yeah. So, we will do
some probe drilling,
to see if we can try
and intercept this tunnel.
MARTY: Dumas is about
to begin probe drilling.
I don't know exactly what
to expect, but I'm hoping
for treasure itself.
Maybe, uh, find this
tunnel that could be
a tunnel to an offset chamber.
This is unexplored
ground for us,
and it should be interesting.
So, when do we start drilling?
As soon as we get this set in.
This side here is not done.
MARTY [over radio]: Hey,
Charles. Surface to Charles.
Do you read me?
-[radio beeps]
-Go ahead, Marty.
Okay, you know what I'm
gonna say. Where's the gold?
Uh, I wish I could, Marty.
I wish I could tell you
where it is, but it-- I'll tell you,
it's-it's pretty
amazing down here.
Well, Charles,
here's the deal: I
want to get down there,
and I will, in the
next couple days.
And-and, but-but
really, let's face it,
the, uh, utility of this
thing has yet to be proven.
But I'm hopeful that it will be.
Me, too, Marty. It's time.
All right. Come on up.
You can't live down there.
Okay, coming up.
MARTY: I got to do my
training, um, but couple days,
-I'm gonna be down there.
-ROGER: Absolutely.
-I'll be more than glad to take you down.
-All right, perfect.
That's a-- It's a date.
-It's a date. Exactly. Yeah.
-MARTY: All right.
NARRATOR: As the
reconstruction of the Garden Shaft
continues in the Money Pit area,
nearly 4,000 miles to
the east, in Rome, Italy...
[Emiliano speaking Italian]
-Buongiorno. Rick.
-Nice to meet you.
NARRATOR: ...Rick Lagina, along
with his nephews Alex and Peter,
Doug Crowell and
researcher Emiliano Sacchetti,
are meeting with
numismatist Umberto Moruzzi.
Do you have a specialty
in the, like, a certain coin
or a certain era?
-Okay.
-RICK: That's really why we're here,
because we're trying
to understand the story
about Oak Island.
EMILIANO: Here there's another
amazing underground cave system.
NARRATOR: For the past week,
Rick and the team have
been visiting ancient sights
to investigate the theory
of the late Zena Halpern,
who believed that between
the 12th and 14th centuries...
RICK: Wow.
...members of the
medieval Christian order
known as the Knights Templar
transported sacred,
religious treasures from Italy
and other European
strongholds to Oak Island.
-ALEX: Hey, Rick.
-RICK: Hmm?
-Check this out.
-PETER: That's cool.
We have seen this symbol
before, on Oak Island.
-RICK: H+O Stone.
-PETER: Yeah.
NARRATOR: So far, they have
found numerous Templar carvings
in ancient cave systems
that have also been
found on or near the island.
And incredibly,
one of those sites,
located in the town of Camerano,
features a labyrinth
matching the exact shape
of the 14th-century lead
cross that was unearthed
at Smith's Cove back in 2017.
Well, hopefully today,
there will be an
unraveling of our story.
DOUG: Yes. We've found
several coins on the island
that seem very out of place to us.
NARRATOR: Today, the
team has asked Umberto
to examine the Roman half-coin
found earlier
this year on Lot 5,
along with another
metal artifact
that was unearthed on Lot 7,
to see if his findings might
help to further validate
Zena Halpern's
incredible theory.
It could be half a Roman
coin from the fourth century.
Wow.
EMILIANO: In his opinion,
this could be the original one.
UMBERTO: Look.
EMILIANO: They have been
in circulation for centuries.
And we could expect to find
this up to the medieval times.
ALEX: Wow.
[laughter]
RICK: How do you explain
a Roman half-coin on Oak Island?
This is one of the earliest
artifacts found on Oak Island.
That's huge.
I don't know what to
make of it quite yet.
Doug, I think...
-next-next one up?
-Yes. Yes.
DOUG: We have another item.
We're wondering if, uh,
Umberto can have a look at it.
[Umberto speaking Italian]
So, uh, it-it--
that's not a coin.
Uh, it's made out of
bronze and it's very old.
According to Umberto,
uh, probably a
thousand years old.
-ALEX: Wow.
-RICK: Wow.
[speaking Italian]
It's-it's a bit more
than four grams.
[Umberto speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: He's
saying, uh, this could be
a monetary weight.
Mm-hmm.
[speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: Probably,
that piece of bronze
was used, uh, to make
comparison between real coins.
Using the weight.
Mm-hmm.
NARRATOR: From the
times of Ancient Rome
up through the medieval
period across Europe,
the value of silver
and gold coins
were determined by their weight.
In order to prevent
counterfeiting,
merchants would
use trade weights
made of non-precious metals
as a standard for ensuring
the true value of coins.
If this is indeed around
a thousand years old,
why the need for trade
weights on Oak Island?
Don't know, yet.
NARRATOR: If Umberto
Moruzzi is correct
that this trade weight
could date back
approximately 1,000
years, could it be a clue
that supports Zena
Halpern's belief
that members of
the Templar order
first visited Oak Island
in the late 12th century?
RICK: The very
word "trade" means
some sort of
commercial activity,
or some sort of activity
associated with money.
Um...
Well, money, generally
in everyone's mind,
is associated with "treasure."
But it's the date he puts
on it, a thousand years old.
Well, it rounds, again--
we're back into the 1200s.
Perhaps, uh, an association
with a-a Templar treasure.
EMILIANO: It matches
the weight of a golden
-Byzantine coin.
-DOUG: Oh, yes.
Wow.
[Umberto speaking Italian]
And there's, uh, a Christ on it.
RICK: Wow.
He likes to think that
that piece of bronze
was used as a monetary
weight for that very coin.
Wow.
I always thought it
was a wonderful story.
-ALEX: Mm-hmm.
-But nothing like this.
Right? All of these outliers,
all of this new information
that comes to light
and you've just...
continually
puzzled by it, right?
Given legitimate artifacts
from literally millennia ago.
-Mm-hmm.
-So, I thank you for that,
because that
impresses upon all of us
the importance
of finds like this.
I'm very hopeful
as we look forward.
-UMBERTO: Grazie.
-RICK: Prego.
[bucket thuds]
NARRATOR: Back on Oak Island...
-How's it going, Laird?
-Hey, Jack.
I see a lot of test
pits in this area.
Yeah.
NARRATOR: ...Jack
Begley arrives on Lot 5,
located on the western
side of the island,
where archaeologist Laird Niven
continues his
meticulous excavation
of a mysterious
circular stone feature.
JACK: There's been a lot of
work done around here lately.
LAIRD: [chuckles]
Yeah, there's a lot to do.
Our first bit was to examine
what we thought
was the exterior.
But then we found that
there's this big circle
of stones around it.
NARRATOR: While the purpose
of the stone-covered depression
remains unknown,
the fact that it has
a 13-foot diameter,
matching that of
the original Money Pit
when it was discovered in 1795,
and is located in the area
where the Roman coin
and barter token were found,
the team suspects it
may be a critical clue
that could help solve
the Oak Island mystery.
You can see rocks
coming up here,
so-- well below
these placed rocks.
-JACK: Yeah. Yeah.
-Right?
The occupation could be...
I mean, we're finding
artifacts from the 1750s.
Wow.
Is there any chance
that the top feature
was built at a later date
than the rocks that are lower?
Oh, absolutely. Yeah,
this was at a later date.
Yeah, and there could be
an even earlier
component under that.
Oh. So, this could be
a really old stone feature
that was then rebuilt and...
-Yeah.
-...and rock-lined back in the 1700s.
LAIRD: That's what
we're hoping for.
-Hey, Laird.
-Hey, Marty.
Talk to me. What have you found?
Why don't you come
down and I'll show you?
-Well, I can be an archeologist then, right?
-Yep.
All right. What you got?
Well, we have a
big jumble of rocks.
-MARTY: I see that.
-And it's very deliberately built.
So, what is this?
Well, so, we're speculating now
if this was once
filled, with rocks.
-MARTY: The whole thing?
-The whole thing.
And then at some
point, somebody decided
to take some of these rocks
out and create this thing around it.
I'd be keenly interested in any
artifacts you find down there.
LAIRD: Yeah, We're getting
artifacts from 1750 up top.
-Mm-hmm.
-The hope is that, down below,
we'll find an earl-- an
even earlier component.
That would be great.
That would be exciting.
The round feature on Lot 5
can turn out to be significant
because it's so odd.
How can you not be
extremely interested
into what exactly it is?
It's a thing not found elsewhere
on Nova Scotia on Oak Island.
It could be very meaningful.
We need to explore it.
Well, there are
secrets here yet, Laird.
But I think you're
gonna find them.
LAIRD: I hope so.
All right, you guys carry on.
-I'm moving to other parts.
-All right.
-See you later.
-See you, Marty.
NARRATOR: As
Laird and Jack continue
their investigation on Lot 5...
-CRAIG: Okay, well, let's take her deeper.
-BILLY: Yeah.
NARRATOR: ...Craig Tester,
Billy Gerhardt, Steve Guptill
and Gary Drayton are
conducting an excavation
in the middle of the
triangle-shaped swamp.
CRAIG: Whoa. The water's
sure starting to come in
that little spot right there.
GARY: We got a gusher now. Wow.
-That's some water, isn't it?
-Yeah.
NARRATOR: After confirming the
discovery of a stone ramp one week ago,
which connects the
with a stone
pathway running along
the eastern border
of the swamp...
CRAIG: Let's keep going, see
what the base of it looks like.
BILLY: Yeah.
NARRATOR: ...the Oak Island team
is now hoping to unearth
a large, potentially
metallic object
that was detected during
a magnetometer survey
performed earlier this year.
We're awful deep.
But the water came in so
fast we couldn't really see it.
He's gonna try to get the
water out so we can see.
All rocks now.
It's deep though, for that, eh?
CRAIG: Yeah, you
can definitely see
-the rocks on that side.
-Yeah.
-BILLY: Big rocks and little rocks.
-GARY: Yep.
These rocks look like
they're from the paved area.
CRAIG: Good.
STEVE: Oh, wow.
That's very much
paved area type of rocks.
NARRATOR: While
searching for a metallic object,
possibly buried more than
ten feet deep in the center
of the triangle-shaped swamp...
CRAIG: Grab one more.
NARRATOR: ...Craig
Tester and other members
of the Oak Island
team have unearthed
what they believe
could be a new section
of the massive 800-year-old
stone-paved feature.
STEVE: That's a
lot of rock at 11 feet.
CRAIG: Why don't you, uh,
get a little more
water out of there,
-we'll take another good look.
-BILLY: Okay.
CRAIG: Maybe this was more
of the paved area in the swamp,
but we're not quite
sure where it's going
or where it's coming from.
But that's what we're here for.
We're here to-to find out
what actually was going on.
So, what do we got
going here now, guys?
What mystery do we have today?
Yeah, the question is,
is it a paved area or not?
Oh, yeah.
CRAIG: You can see the
rocks down there, like it's...
-MARTY: Oh, yeah. Very similar, isn't it?
-Yep.
MARTY: This
could be sort of, uh,
adjunct to the paved area.
We already knew we had
the paved area in the swamp,
we have the path, now we
have a ramp connecting 'em.
The big question is why?
It must have been
done for some reason.
What I'm thinking is, uh,
Dr. Spooner's coming tomorrow.
Have him take a look at
whether it's glacial or man-made.
For today, I think we're good.
MARTY: Yet another
mystery on Oak Island.
NARRATOR: The
following morning...
IAN: Hey, Billy.
Hey.
CRAIG: You'll see the rock layer
we found.
NARRATOR: ...Craig
Tester accompanies
geoscientist Dr. Ian
Spooner to the swamp
in order to have him
inspect the freshly unearthed
stone-paved feature.
CRAIG: So, I wanted you
to come look at it, you know,
make sure you're in
agreement that it is man-made.
IAN: Mm-hmm. You know
what's really important,
is we dug out there
and we did not find
-that rock layer.
-Yeah.
IAN: That rock layer, we
have it in the paved area,
and it stops right there.
-CRAIG: Yes.
-And it's-it's not over there at all.
Like, if it's a glacial feature,
you expect it to continue.
There's some kind
of human influence.
NARRATOR: While searching in
the swamp over the past several years,
the team has found
numerous pieces
of ancient sailing vessels
as well as parts
of cargo barrels,
which have been estimated
to date back 600 years or more.
Could Dr. Spooner be correct
that the paved area in
the center of the swamp
and the stone ramp
at its eastern edge
were used many centuries
ago in order to transport
something of great
value onto Oak Island?
So, when the
paved area was here,
there was a lot of
water right there.
One of the ideas is that
they might have brought boats
over the beach, had them
there, and the paved area
was some kind of staging
area or something like that.
And that other ramp is the
ramp to get up to the upland.
If you don't think
there's anything else
we need to do here,
I think we'll get him
putting it back in place.
IAN: Yeah. I don't think so.
CRAIG: Okay.
Okay. Well, thank you.
-CRAIG: Okay, Bill.
-BILLY: All right. -IAN: See you.
NARRATOR: While operations
continue on Oak Island...
RICK: Andrea,
pleasure to meet you, sir.
A pleasure to meet you, and
welcome to American University.
NARRATOR: ...meanwhile,
some 4,000 miles to the east,
researcher Emiliano
Sacchetti has arranged
for Rick Lagina and
other members of the team
to meet with Professor
Andrea di Robilant
at the American
University of Rome.
This day is gonna prove
to be most interesting
because it's our
belief, and part of it
is based on some
previous research
about pre-Columbian
voyages to the New World.
Well, I have an interesting
tale to tell you all.
-[soft laughter]
-DOUG: Excellent.
NARRATOR: With nearly
as an author and lecturer,
Professor Di Robilant
has written extensively
about pre-15th-century
European visits to the New World.
In the library where I was
doing my own research
was an extraordinary
little booklet
published in 1558 in Venice
about the narrative of
Nicolò and Antonio Zeno,
Venetian sailors
back in the 1390s.
They decided to leave Venice
to sail up to the North Atlantic
and trade with the
countries of Northern Europe.
And so, the two brothers
sail out of Venice,
cross the Mediterranean,
sail up the Atlantic
to the Faroe Islands.
There, they are eventually taken
to the l-- the-the
lord chieftain
of the whole area, who
was, uh, Sir Henry Sinclair.
DOUG: Henry Sinclair
is so interesting to us.
NARRATOR: Prince Henry Sinclair
was a Scottish nobleman,
m*llitary leader and explorer.
However, he is also
believed by some
to have given refuge to and
joined the Knights Templar
after their persecution in
France during the 14th century,
and then helped them
move some of their treasures
to the New World in 1398.
The two brothers, instead
of going back to Venice,
decide to stay and
work for Henry Sinclair.
And Sinclair, uh,
gives them ships,
with which they
further their journey
and travel further north.
During this period of ten years,
they described in great
detail the places they visited.
In 1558,
the grandnephew of
Antonio Zeno decides
to publish all of this
material and to print a map
of their journey to
the North Atlantic.
And I have this, uh, the map.
Uh, I have it right here.
ANDREA: So, the Zeno
brothers sailed further north,
and very, very possibly,
to the coast of Nova Scotia.
-Hmm.
NARRATOR: At the American
University in Rome, Italy,
Professor Andrea di Robilant
has just presented documents
reporting that in
the late 14th century,
Italian explorers
Antonio and Nicolò Zeno
sailed to the New World
with Prince Henry Sinclair,
a Templar knight, who
some believe buried
sacred religious
treasures on Oak Island.
ANDREA: They certainly mentioned
what is, to me, most obviously,
Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.
Those parts are
included in the Zeno map.
And I have a-a very famous map
from the late, very
late 17th century.
I think I have it here. Yeah.
-And lo and behold, it says here...
-There it is.
-Yep. Yep.
-...right there in Canada,
"Discovered by
Antonio Zeno in 1390."
So, this, to me, was
extraordinary, because it meant
that here we have a
document which suggests
that the Zeno brothers
had, uh, landed
a-and discovered this
part of North America.
RICK: It truly is
-irresistible as you lay it out.
-ALEX: Mm-hmm.
-Mm-hmm.
-PETER: That puts a foothold
for the Zeno brothers in Canada,
so they could be associated
with the Oak Island story.
-Yes.
-CORJAN: And then Henry Sinclair
in North America.
RICK: We've got
multiple timelines.
I've always believed that
the work on Oak Island
associated with some
sort of treasure deposition
was incremental.
A plan was devised,
certain stages of it
were implemented
over, perhaps, centuries.
I think we have to
follow the possibility
that Templar treasure went
from France to Scotland,
from Scotland to the New World.
We have a connection here,
let's follow the clues
where they lead.
What we have heard here
today is that maps tell a story.
And that this is
certainly a connection
to a visitation to the
New World long, long ago.
So, thank you for the day.
It's been highly informative
and very, uh, impactful.
I wish you the best of luck.
-RICK: Thank you.
-ALEX/PETER: Thank you.
-DOUG: Thank you very much.
-CORJAN: Thank you so much.
NARRATOR: While Rick
and members of the team
finish their meeting
in Rome, Italy...
LAIRD: Hello,
y'all. Two visitors.
NARRATOR: ...back
on Oak Island...
Holy cow.
-No, I see what you mean by that.
-Yeah.
This is frickin' impressive.
I've never seen
anything like this
-on the island.
-No.
NARRATOR: ...Dr. Ian
Spooner joins Craig Tester
and other members
of the team on Lot 5
in order to make
his first inspection
of the circular,
stone-covered depression.
I don't know, uh,
circular things are so rare.
In my travels,
circular things like this,
few things that I've
seen are-- you know,
there can be fortifications
that were circular.
And one of the best-known
circular fortifications
are brochs,
are old, ancient Scottish
castles that were circular.
I've also seen things
like this where they have...
some kind of cannon
or f-- you know,
that moves around a circle.
Hmm.
NARRATOR: The
circular feature on Lot 5,
a possibly ancient
fortification?
And perhaps of Scottish origin?
If Dr. Spooner is correct,
could this structure
offer evidence
that the reported voyage
of Prince Henry Sinclair
to Oak Island in
the late 14th century
did, in fact, take place?
I-I mean, to me, it's
really quite impressive.
-CRAIG: It's very interesting.
-[laughter]
I mean, every time
you guys are puzzled
-by something...
-Yeah, it gets us interested.
Yeah, it gets me
very interested.
-Very interested.
-MIRIAM: Why does that happen
-a lot on this island?
-I don't know.
I don't know.
-IAN: Thank you.
-CRAIG: Catch you later on, then.
-IAN: All right.
-MIRIAM: Yeah.
-LAIRD: See you guys.
-CHARLES: Yeah, see you.
NARRATOR: The following day...
-EMILIANO: Hi, guys.
-[overlapping greetings]
-GIANLUCA: Buongiorno.
-RICK: Buongiorno.
-Benvenuto a Viterbo.
-Nice to meet you.
Buongiorno.
Gianluca Di Prospero is, um,
Templar investigator,
and he's gonna show us a
few things around Viterbo today.
NARRATOR: ...Rick Lagina
and members of the team
have traveled some 65
miles northwest of Rome
to the city of Viterbo, Italy.
EMILIANO: Viterbo was
an important crossroad,
and for 24 years,
Viterbo was the center
of Christianity in
the known world.
NARRATOR: They have arranged
to meet with Gianluca di Prospero,
an author who has spent
more than two decades
researching the
medieval activities
of the Knights
Templar in this region.
What is the Templar
connection with this area?
[Gianluca speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: Actually, he found
some, uh, interesting
symbols in a church
that is very close to here,
it's called Santa Maria Nuova.
There might be some
Templar connection.
-I'd say let's-let's take a look.
-Let's see.
Sì.
NARRATOR: Founded
in the eighth century,
Viterbo became the
temporary headquarters
for Pope Alexander IV
and the Catholic Church
during a time of
civil unrest in Rome.
During that period,
the city also served
as a stronghold for
the Templar order.
[speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: This is
Santa Maria Nuova,
a church built in 1080.
As you can see,
it's full of paintings,
carvings and symbolism.
It's hard-hard to
believe this-this-- this
was built in 1080.
-Mm-hmm.
-I think there's a lot to learn here.
So, let's-let's start
an initial investigation
-and see-see what we come up with.
-Okay.
-Okay.
-RICK: If you see anything at all,
-flag everyone else down.
-Okay.
-Great idea.
-Okay.
Let's do that.
RICK: The church is
an incredible edifice.
It's beautiful.
Churches were, even
though they were public,
they held secrets of their own.
And we need to learn
as much as we can.
DOUG: What'd you find, Pete?
-I think something pretty interesting.
-Oh.
-DOUG: Wow.
-NARRATOR: In Viterbo, Italy,
Peter Fornetti has just made
a potentially
important discovery
inside the Santa Maria Nuova,
a medieval church with
historically documented ties
to the Knights Templar.
PETER: It's unmistakable.
Cross with the four dots.
-Same as the H+O Stone.
-ALEX: Mm-hmm.
[Gianluca speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: He says that
these four-dots crosses
are marking special places
that Templars used to
be in and-- or around.
ALEX: Hmm.
[Gianluca speaking Italian]
EMILIANO: This is also
present in places connected
with the Holy Grail
or the Holy Shroud.
DOUG: If this four-dot cross
is only found in
Templar-associated locations
or with
Templar-associated articles
that they may have
been safeguarding,
I mean, i-it speaks
volumes for our H+O Stone.
NARRATOR: In the
featuring a number
of enigmatic carvings
was discovered
by treasure hunters
on the northern
shore of Oak Island.
Suspecting that it marked
the location of buried treasure,
they destroyed it with dynamite
in order to dig beneath it.
Nothing was found
below the massive boulder.
However, is it
possible that a fragment
known as the H+O Stone,
which featured a cross
surrounded by four dots,
represented a key clue that
sacred Templar treasures
are hidden on Oak Island?
If so, could that explain
the high-trace evidence
of gold and other metals
that have been detected
deep in the Money Pit area?
RICK: Every place we visit...
...it speaks to me
that there's an
ongoing story here.
An ongoing message.
We need to look
backwards in time,
and that's what
we've done today.
And I think we need
to continue to do that.
PETER: Yep.
Let's go.
RICK: We have seen
that cross everywhere,
from Portugal to the H+O Stone.
And we know for a fact
that Templars used
that representation,
but it certainly is a direct
connection to Oak Island.
-Rick.
-RICK: Hmm?
ALEX: Right here.
-Yeah.
-Right there.
Hmm.
"H-I-C."
ALEX: I think there's an
"A" even on the far side there.
There's an "A" here, yeah.
Mm-hmm.
In his opinion, this
refers to a compass.
And if you take a look
closely, there is also a square.
So, it could be a
Masonic, uh, symbolism.
-ALEX: Mm-hmm.
-Which is weird
in a church like this...
-Yeah.
-...so old and so important
-here in Viterbo.
-RICK: Hmm.
NARRATOR: A possible
Masonic compass
carved in the wall
of a medieval church
with known connections
to the Knights Templar?
Many believe that
the secretive fraternity
known as the Freemasons
evolved from the Templar
order after their dissolution
by the Catholic Church
in the 14th century.
Curiously, ever
since the Money Pit
was discovered in 1795,
Freemasons have been involved
in nearly every single organized
company of treasure hunters
that has tried to
solve the mystery.
Masonic symbols such
as triangles, crosses
and the letter "G,"
representing the divine creator,
have also been found
all across the island.
Is it possible that Alex Lagina
has just found more evidence
that these organizations
are directly connected?
And if so, does
that also explain
what Freemasons have been
trying to find on Oak Island
for more than two centuries?
ALEX: I just keep thinking
about the H+O Stone.
And let me show you this.
So...
in the church, we saw this.
-Right?
-RICK: Mm-hmm.
What does that mean?
-"Here."
-If you do this...
...you get the H+O Stone.
And this symbol,
we've learned today,
-means Templar-related relic.
-RICK: Mm-hmm.
And what have we found that
the symbol at the end means?
Some have
interpreted it to be gold.
ALEX: Yeah.
If you put it all
together, I mean,
there's the possibility that
the H+O Stone represents
"Here, Templar gold."
DOUG: We know
that in medieval times,
in Middle Age times, they
really like their ciphers.
They really like their
hidden meaning, so...
-...maybe. Yeah.
-Maybe.
You may have just
filled in the blank.
Or a blank or blanks.
I think it was incredibly
insightful of Alex.
I think he and Peter
work very well together.
I'm very proud of
them as my nephews.
Hopefully this means something.
RICK: If he's onto
something, that is fantastic.
We all believe the
H+O Stone is important.
The circle and the dot
could be a symbol for gold.
Is it possible that it
hints at or suggests
that there's a religious
relic associated
with the treasure of Oak Island?
Well, at this point, there's
some strong suggestions
that that is indeed the case.
Well, what we did
is we took the eyes
and boots approach
to the information hunt,
which is absolute imperative.
And that's, that's my thought
as we head back to the island.
DOUG: Appreciate you guys.
-Thank you so much.
-Thank you.
RICK: Grazie mille.
We owe you a debt of gratitude.
MARTY: I-I'm excited to go
down there. I really, really am.
It's-it's pretty neat. I
mean, you're doing down
-underground in the Money Pit.
-Yes.
Exactly right, yeah, and
maybe, very close to...
-The treasure.
-...the actual treasure of the Money Pit.
NARRATOR: It is a historic
moment on Oak Island.
After more than five
months of tireless effort
by representatives of
Dumas Contracting Limited,
the reconstruction of the
is now complete.
-Okay. Enjoy, guys.
-Thank you very much.
NARRATOR: In the next
week, the team will begin
a new probe-drilling
operation to look for evidence
of precious metals just
outside of the structure,
as well as a tunnel located
at a depth of some 95 feet
that leads toward the Baby
Blob, or believed treasure zone.
-Are you gonna lead?
-ROGER: Yes.
-MARTY: The real excitement begins now.
-Yeah.
NARRATOR: In the meantime,
Marty Lagina is about
to make his first descent
into the structure
in order to inspect it.
MARTY: I am physically going
underground in the Money Pit,
in a shaft that may, in
fact, lead us to the treasure.
It's pretty exciting from
an emotional standpoint.
-This is a long way down.
-ROGER: Yeah.
MARTY: The main
feeling is a bit of awe
as to the people who
did it 100 years ago,
maybe 400 years ago.
It's amazing to me what
human beings can do.
All right, the first thing
I want to do is look up.
-Holy crap.
-[Roger chuckles]
MARTY: When we get to the
bottom, the secondary feeling is,
"Hey, I'm underground
in the Money Pit area.
Wonder what I'm next to."
I just can't help myself.
-I got to take a look down there.
-Absolutely.
ROGER: Here, let me help you.
-MARTY: Oh, these just roll off?
-Oh, yeah.
We didn't nail them in yet.
MARTY: There she is. The ground.
Geez, Roger. I
wonder if we're close.
-[laughs softly] -I
wonder if we're close.
MARTY: We want to see
what that shaft was near.
It's in the treasure
area, the Baby Blob,
where the scientists tell us
there's anomalous
amounts of metals.
-Okay.
-RODNEY: Do you copy, Marty?
Oh.
Yeah, I copy.
What's your thoughts down there?
It's incredible, okay?
I mean, almost surely,
a tunnel right
underneath us here.
Yeah. And-and what
that thing means,
where it came from,
is it original, we'd
like to know all that.
This is where the treasure
hunt begins in this shaft.
-That's what it's all about.
-You're right.
It begins now.
Okay.
MARTY: Okay. We're coming up.
NARRATOR: Despite the
fast-approaching North Atlantic winter,
Rick, Marty and the
rest of the Fellowship
remain undeterred in their quest
to unlock Oak Island's
long-held secrets.
After scouring the island...
and making another profound
journey across the ocean,
they have discovered
more compelling evidence
that something of
historic proportions
may lie buried deep
in the Money Pit.
And now, with the
completion of the Garden Shaft,
they just might have the
means to finally recover it.
Next time on The
Curse of Oak Island...
JACK: We haven't
reached the edge yet.
It's quite a massive structure.
This could fit in
with Zena's map.
This could be the hatch.
GARY: Come on.
Be something good.
Ooh, that's pretty big.
-Wow, that is sweet.
-Whoa.
CHRIS [over video]:
Isotopically, it looks very similar
-to the cross.
-No way.
That's brilliant.
-SCOTT: Oh, wow.
-There's something there.
SCOTT:
It could possibly be
an original depositor tunnel.
MARTY:
You've done did it.
I feel good now.