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[narrator] How can this
corroded scrap of metal
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change the history
of a continent?
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00:00:06,633 --> 00:00:09,433
[Ben] As soon as
it's identified, wow.
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[Kevin] It's the real deal.
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[narrator]
Why can't we translate
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this 3,000-year-old relic
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of a lost civilization?
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[Tamar] The Phaistos Disc
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is one of the
greatest mysteries
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of the Bronze Age.
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[narrator] And is this
dead woman's face
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the most kissed in history?
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[Mark Benecke] She became
what we would today call
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an it girl.
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[narrator]
These are the most remarkable
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and mysterious objects
on Earth,
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hidden away in museums,
laboratories,
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and storage rooms.
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Now, new research
and technology
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can get under their skin
like never before.
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We can rebuild them,
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pull them apart,
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and zoom in
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to reveal the unbelievable,
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the ancient,
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and the truly bizarre.
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These are the world's
strangest things.
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[theme music playing]
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[narrator] In a display case
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in the Maine State Museum
in Augusta
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sits a tiny scrap of metal
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that helped rewrite history,
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because it is unlike
anything ever found
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in the United States.
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Now,
the latest imaging technology
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reveals it
in astonishing detail.
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The Maine penny.
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Despite being less than
an inch across
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with chipped
and corroded metal,
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the Maine penny
is one of the most
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famous coins in the world,
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because it's not a penny,
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and it's not from Maine.
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Strangely,
barely visible markings on it
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reveals something incredible.
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Vikings.
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[Ben] All of a sudden
this is Viking archaeology
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in North America.
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How did it get there
and what meaning did it have?
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[narrator] It flies in
the face of accepted history
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at the time
of the coin's find.
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American schoolchildren
were being taught
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that Columbus
had discovered America.
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[narrator]
So how does a Viking coin
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end up in Maine?
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Is it genuine
or an elaborate hoax?
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Now, new research
settles this question
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once and for all.
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[suspenseful music playing]
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[narrator] This strange story
begins at Naskeag Point,
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an isolated site
on the coast of Maine.
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[Kevin]
In the summer of 1957,
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an amateur archaeologist
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by the name of Guy Mellgren
and a friend
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set out to investigate
a Native American midden
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or trash heap.
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[narrator] They unearthed
thousands of finds
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left by the indigenous people
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a millennia ago.
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[Kevin] And amongst Native
American tools
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and bone debris
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was a single remarkable
eroded silver coin.
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[narrator]
But coins have no place
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on a site like this.
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[Ben] A thousand years ago,
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indigenous American groups
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weren't using coinage.
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[narrator]
So what exactly is it?
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[Kevin] Mellgren shows it
to a friend of his,
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who thinks it's a medieval
English coin.
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Perhaps it came over
with some
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of the earliest settlers
to New England.
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[narrator] Mellgren puts
the coin on a shelf
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and forgets about it
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for nearly two decades.
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[Ben] And it sits
in his house until 1974
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when it makes its way
to the museum.
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[narrator]
A local paper publishes
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a short article about it,
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and that's when this object
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becomes one
of history's strangest.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[Kevin] English coin expert,
Peter Seaby
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sees an article on it,
sees the coin, and realizes
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it is a very rare Viking coin
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of Olaf the Peaceful.
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[narrator] This is an original
Olaf the Peaceful coin.
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The similarities
are undeniable.
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Experts date it
as early as 1067.
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And that changes everything.
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[Ben] When it's considered
to be a British penny,
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there's no real mystery
as to how
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that might have turned up
on an archeological site.
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But as soon
as this is identified
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to King Olaf the Peaceful,
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wow, all of a sudden,
this is Viking archaeology
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in North America.
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[narrator] Somehow a tiny
piece of Viking history
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has been transported across
the Atlantic to America,
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and ended up
in a thousand-year-old
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trash heap
on the coast of Maine.
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And that is huge.
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American schoolchildren
were being taught
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that Columbus
had discovered America.
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The idea that there were
somehow Vikings
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in contact
with Native Americans
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500 years before Columbus
was big news.
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[narrator]
Extraordinary claims
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require extraordinary proof.
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So where is the evidence
to back this up?
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[dramatic music playing]
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[narrator]
The idea that Vikings
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might have got
to North America first
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isn't news to Scandinavians.
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They know of the great
Viking tales contained
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in the Icelandic sagas.
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In particular, the story
of legendary explorer,
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Leif Erikson.
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[Kevin]
Leif Erikson heard a tale
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from a shipwreck mariner
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who had been carried
by currents
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near a land
to the west of Greenland,
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which he noted
was covered with trees.
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This enticed Erikson,
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so he set out
with one well-laden
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and equipped boat.
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[narrator]
According to the sagas,
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Erikson reaches a new land
he names Vinland.
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[Kevin] When historians
saw his descriptions
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of this country
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and the people
he encountered,
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they thought there's only
one place that this can be.
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This must be somewhere
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in North America.
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Very possibly Newfoundland.
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[Ben] If there's any truth
to those stories
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and those sagas,
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then it really does mean
that the Vikings
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have made landfall
in the North...
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On the North
American continent
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much earlier
than anybody else
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from a European perspective.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[narrator]
Could this incredible object
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really a proof of that?
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It certainly isn't
the first Viking artifact
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to turn up in the States.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[Kevin] In 1898,
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there was the Kensington
Runestone in Minnesota.
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[narrator]
The runes translation
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records a voyage
by eight Goths
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and twenty-two Norwegians
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to Vinland in 1362
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that encounters
hostile locals.
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This seems to fit
more or less
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with the Icelandic sagas.
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And there are other finds too.
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[Kevin] In Ontario,
there was a Viking sword,
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axe, and shield found.
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And there are also various
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bits of writing on stones
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which people attributed
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to being Viking runes.
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[narrator] North America
seems to be littered
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with evidence
that the Vikings
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were there before Columbus.
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[Kevin] The problem is
that none of these
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were in fact authentic.
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The Kensington Runestone
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is now known
to have been a forgery.
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The axes and shields,
likewise.
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[narrator]
So why all the Viking fakes.
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The Kensington Runestone
may hold the answer.
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If you look
at the name of the man
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who discovered it,
Olof Ohman,
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you'll have a clue.
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These objects
were found by people
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of Scandinavian descent
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who were combating
a negative image.
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[dramatic music playing]
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[narrator] Scandinavian
immigrants to the US
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had often been taunted
and belittled.
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[Kevin] So if these immigrants
could prove
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that it wasn't the Italian,
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Columbus,
who discovered the New World
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but instead, effectively,
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a Scandinavian,
Leif Erikson,
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this would be greatly
to their credit.
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[narrator]
And that makes the discovery
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of the Maine penny
particularly suspicious
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because Mellgren,
the man who finds it,
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is of Swedish descent himself.
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So is this strange artifact
just another hoax?
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00:09:01,133 --> 00:09:04,133
[dramatic music playing]
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[theme music playing]
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[narrator]
Could the Maine penny
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be just another
in a long line
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of Viking hoaxes?
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One thing that isn't in doubt
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is the coins origins
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in 11th century Norway.
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[Ben] The coin
is definitely authentic.
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00:09:24,067 --> 00:09:26,633
It's definitely a coin
of King Olaf the Peaceful.
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But the big question then is
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how can we know
that this coin
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comes from
an archaeological context?
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[narrator] Or, more bluntly,
did Mellgren plant it?
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[Kevin] So Mellgren,
himself of Swedish descent,
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has both a motive
and an opportunity
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to plant this find.
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[narrator] To pull off a hoax,
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Mellgren would need
the right coin,
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but by the late 1950s,
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that is relatively easy.
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[Kevin] In 1879, a hoard
of more than 2,000 such coins
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had come to light.
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So the coins themselves
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were easy enough to find.
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00:10:06,267 --> 00:10:07,700
[narrator]
Could Mellgren have got hold
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00:10:07,733 --> 00:10:10,133
of a real coin to plant?
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Now, brand-new research
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claims to have finally
answered this question.
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[Kevin] The Swedish
coin expert, Von Goldbeck,
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decided to take on
the enormous task
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of tracing every known
coin find
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00:10:28,300 --> 00:10:30,500
of Olaf the Peaceful.
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[narrator]
Goldbeck tracks down
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00:10:31,733 --> 00:10:34,000
more than 2,300 coins
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00:10:34,033 --> 00:10:35,600
to find out
if any could have made it
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into Mellgren's hands.
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It's an enormous
piece of research
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00:10:39,867 --> 00:10:42,467
that takes over a decade
to complete.
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The result
after exhaustive study
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is that no
Olaf the Peaceful coins
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00:10:47,933 --> 00:10:50,267
were unaccounted for.
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[narrator] Additionally,
unlike the Maine penny,
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00:10:52,667 --> 00:10:54,867
all other
Olaf the Peaceful coins
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are in very good condition.
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00:10:57,867 --> 00:11:00,733
[Kevin] The Maine penny
is very heavily corroded.
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00:11:00,767 --> 00:11:02,400
And that's hard to fake.
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00:11:02,433 --> 00:11:04,767
This is a process
that goes on
253
00:11:04,800 --> 00:11:07,400
across the centuries.
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00:11:07,433 --> 00:11:09,067
[narrator]
The Maine State Museum
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00:11:09,067 --> 00:11:10,433
analyzes the chemistry
256
00:11:10,467 --> 00:11:13,267
of these layers of corrosion.
257
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The results support
258
00:11:14,600 --> 00:11:18,400
the object's authenticity.
259
00:11:18,433 --> 00:11:22,700
[Ben] There's evidence that
water sat around the coin.
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00:11:22,733 --> 00:11:24,633
It's been sat
in slowly moving water
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for a very long
period of time,
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00:11:26,733 --> 00:11:28,533
and this would be supportive
of the fact
263
00:11:28,567 --> 00:11:32,100
that it's been buried
for a long period of time.
264
00:11:32,133 --> 00:11:34,800
There's no doubt
that the Maine penny
265
00:11:34,833 --> 00:11:37,167
is the real deal.
266
00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:40,600
[narrator] Mellgren did not
plant the Maine penny.
267
00:11:40,633 --> 00:11:43,200
In which case,
how did it find its way
268
00:11:43,233 --> 00:11:45,067
to a Native
American settlement
269
00:11:45,067 --> 00:11:47,200
a thousand years ago?
270
00:11:51,767 --> 00:11:53,467
In 1960,
271
00:11:53,500 --> 00:11:55,967
three years after Mellgren
discovers the Maine penny,
272
00:11:56,067 --> 00:11:59,067
Norwegian archaeologist,
Anne Stine Ingstad,
273
00:11:59,067 --> 00:12:00,667
and her husband, Helge,
274
00:12:00,700 --> 00:12:03,733
are investigating a site
at L'Anse aux Meadows
275
00:12:03,767 --> 00:12:05,333
in Newfoundland.
276
00:12:06,800 --> 00:12:10,067
Locals describe it
as an old Indian camp,
277
00:12:10,067 --> 00:12:12,600
but it's something
far stranger.
278
00:12:12,633 --> 00:12:14,800
[dramatic music playing]
279
00:12:14,833 --> 00:12:18,767
[Kevin] They find the basis
of turf structures.
280
00:12:18,800 --> 00:12:20,067
One large hall.
281
00:12:20,067 --> 00:12:23,067
Also a blacksmith's workshop.
282
00:12:23,100 --> 00:12:26,900
They find remnants
of Viking boat sheds.
283
00:12:26,933 --> 00:12:29,200
So this is definitive proof
284
00:12:29,233 --> 00:12:31,633
that the Vikings
were the first Europeans
285
00:12:31,667 --> 00:12:34,133
to come to America.
286
00:12:34,167 --> 00:12:36,867
[narrator]
The Icelandic sagas are true.
287
00:12:36,900 --> 00:12:39,367
Vikings really do reach
North America
288
00:12:39,400 --> 00:12:41,767
500 years before Columbus.
289
00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:43,800
[thunder rumbles]
290
00:12:45,933 --> 00:12:49,067
[narrator] It's a revelation,
291
00:12:49,067 --> 00:12:51,200
but it doesn't explain
the coin's discovery
292
00:12:51,233 --> 00:12:54,867
750 miles farther south,
293
00:12:54,900 --> 00:12:57,833
because not a single scrap
of evidence ever
294
00:12:57,867 --> 00:13:00,133
turns up to suggest
the Vikings reached
295
00:13:00,167 --> 00:13:03,767
anywhere near this far down.
296
00:13:03,800 --> 00:13:06,500
So how does a Viking coin
end up in Maine?
297
00:13:06,533 --> 00:13:09,533
[dramatic music playing]
298
00:13:13,567 --> 00:13:16,600
[Kevin] Renewed professional
excavations at Naskeag Point
299
00:13:16,633 --> 00:13:18,700
have not found
any other traces
300
00:13:18,733 --> 00:13:20,600
of Norse artifacts.
301
00:13:20,633 --> 00:13:22,233
But what they have found
302
00:13:22,267 --> 00:13:24,367
are stone tools
and stone raw materials
303
00:13:24,400 --> 00:13:26,967
coming from as far away
as Labrador,
304
00:13:27,067 --> 00:13:29,267
hundreds of miles
to the north.
305
00:13:29,300 --> 00:13:32,067
So there's evidence here
for trade,
306
00:13:32,067 --> 00:13:33,800
for the movement of goods
307
00:13:33,833 --> 00:13:35,233
and also the movement
of people
308
00:13:35,267 --> 00:13:38,500
over really quite
significant distances.
309
00:13:38,533 --> 00:13:40,567
[narrator] Despite the fact
that it has no value
310
00:13:40,600 --> 00:13:42,933
to the indigenous people
as a coin,
311
00:13:42,967 --> 00:13:44,367
one feature may explain
312
00:13:44,400 --> 00:13:47,933
why and how
they carry it south.
313
00:13:47,967 --> 00:13:50,133
Although,
it has since crumbled away,
314
00:13:50,167 --> 00:13:52,367
when Mellgren finds the coin,
315
00:13:52,400 --> 00:13:55,100
it has a hole in it.
316
00:13:55,133 --> 00:13:56,800
[Kevin] It's been perforated,
317
00:13:56,833 --> 00:13:59,533
which would indicate
that it was being used
318
00:13:59,567 --> 00:14:01,600
as an object of decoration.
319
00:14:01,633 --> 00:14:04,533
Perhaps worn around the neck
or around the wrist.
320
00:14:04,567 --> 00:14:06,267
But the important thing is
321
00:14:06,300 --> 00:14:09,300
that this object
was not being used as a coin.
322
00:14:09,333 --> 00:14:11,100
[narrator]
So it's likely local people
323
00:14:11,133 --> 00:14:13,433
transport the coin
from Newfoundland
324
00:14:13,467 --> 00:14:15,867
all the way to Maine.
325
00:14:15,900 --> 00:14:18,933
This remarkable object
was created a millennia ago
326
00:14:18,967 --> 00:14:21,900
on the far side
of a stormy ocean.
327
00:14:21,933 --> 00:14:24,333
Like the finds
at L'Anse aux Meadows,
328
00:14:24,367 --> 00:14:26,300
it proves that Columbus
329
00:14:26,333 --> 00:14:30,067
isn't the first European
in North America.
330
00:14:30,067 --> 00:14:32,200
The Vikings beat him to it
331
00:14:32,233 --> 00:14:34,433
500 years earlier.
332
00:14:34,467 --> 00:14:37,167
[dramatic music playing]
333
00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:38,600
[narrator]
In a museum in Crete,
334
00:14:38,633 --> 00:14:41,433
sits a strangely-marked
clay disc
335
00:14:41,467 --> 00:14:42,633
that has sparked over
336
00:14:42,667 --> 00:14:45,533
a century of controversy.
337
00:14:45,567 --> 00:14:49,267
Some say it is one of the most
astonishing texts ever found,
338
00:14:49,300 --> 00:14:51,700
a 3,000-year-old
cryptic message
339
00:14:51,733 --> 00:14:54,600
from an ancient civilization.
340
00:14:54,633 --> 00:14:58,667
Others claim it's just
too good to be true.
341
00:14:58,700 --> 00:15:01,467
Now, using the latest
imaging technology,
342
00:15:01,500 --> 00:15:04,967
we're bringing it
into the light.
343
00:15:05,067 --> 00:15:07,600
This is the Phaistos Disc,
344
00:15:07,633 --> 00:15:09,533
measuring roughly
half an inch thick
345
00:15:09,567 --> 00:15:11,500
and six inches in diameter,
346
00:15:11,533 --> 00:15:15,133
made from fire-baked clay.
347
00:15:15,167 --> 00:15:18,467
Its two sides are covered
with inscriptions
348
00:15:18,500 --> 00:15:19,967
made using a technology
349
00:15:20,067 --> 00:15:22,300
thousands of years
ahead of it time,
350
00:15:22,333 --> 00:15:25,367
this disc is unique.
351
00:15:25,400 --> 00:15:27,333
[Mark Altaweel] It's the only
object that we know of
352
00:15:27,367 --> 00:15:28,833
that looks like that.
353
00:15:28,867 --> 00:15:32,167
[narrator]
There are 242 strange symbols
354
00:15:32,200 --> 00:15:35,533
from Mohican-haired men
to twisted figures,
355
00:15:35,567 --> 00:15:39,567
birds, fish,
and other cryptic shapes.
356
00:15:39,600 --> 00:15:42,433
The Phaistos Disc is one
of the greatest mysteries
357
00:15:42,467 --> 00:15:44,167
of the Bronze Age.
358
00:15:44,200 --> 00:15:47,433
And we've not been able
to decode it yet.
359
00:15:47,467 --> 00:15:48,867
[narrator] But, now,
360
00:15:48,900 --> 00:15:50,600
after more than
a century of debate,
361
00:15:50,633 --> 00:15:53,067
new research may have made
the first steps
362
00:15:53,100 --> 00:15:56,667
to revealing its secrets.
363
00:15:56,700 --> 00:16:00,533
So what do these
bizarre symbols mean?
364
00:16:00,567 --> 00:16:02,800
What is the disc for?
365
00:16:02,833 --> 00:16:04,200
Is it genuine?
366
00:16:04,233 --> 00:16:07,233
[dramatic music playing]
367
00:16:10,933 --> 00:16:12,867
[theme music playing]
368
00:16:15,633 --> 00:16:18,500
[narrator] The mystery
of the Phaistos Disc
369
00:16:18,533 --> 00:16:21,833
begins on the Island of Crete
in Greece.
370
00:16:24,400 --> 00:16:26,567
A place steeped
in mythological stories
371
00:16:26,600 --> 00:16:30,967
of a lost civilization
called The Minoans.
372
00:16:31,067 --> 00:16:33,700
Ancient legends
tell the story of their ruler,
373
00:16:33,733 --> 00:16:35,400
King Minos.
374
00:16:35,433 --> 00:16:38,100
Beneath his palace,
he builds a vast labyrinth
375
00:16:38,133 --> 00:16:42,200
to imprison a fearsome beast
called the Minotaur.
376
00:16:42,233 --> 00:16:44,067
[Mark Altaweel] The Minotaur
was this terrifying
377
00:16:44,067 --> 00:16:45,467
half-man half-bull creature.
378
00:16:45,500 --> 00:16:47,567
And it was kind
of the scourge of anyone
379
00:16:47,600 --> 00:16:49,400
who came to visit Minos.
380
00:16:49,433 --> 00:16:52,267
They would basically be eaten
by this Minotaur.
381
00:16:52,300 --> 00:16:54,467
[narrator] The creature
and the civilization behind it
382
00:16:54,500 --> 00:16:58,133
were considered little more
than ancient Greek legends.
383
00:16:58,167 --> 00:17:00,067
A lot of people thought
it was mythology.
384
00:17:00,100 --> 00:17:03,067
That perhaps they were just
kind of mythical people.
385
00:17:03,100 --> 00:17:04,600
[narrator] But in 1900,
386
00:17:04,633 --> 00:17:06,700
near the north coast
of the island,
387
00:17:06,733 --> 00:17:08,900
British archeologist,
Arthur Evans,
388
00:17:08,933 --> 00:17:12,233
makes a discovery
that changes everything,
389
00:17:14,067 --> 00:17:16,567
the ruins of a vast
Minoan palace
390
00:17:16,600 --> 00:17:19,067
4,000 years old.
391
00:17:19,100 --> 00:17:21,067
[Mark Altaweel] It's a major
deal for archeologists.
392
00:17:21,067 --> 00:17:22,600
This is the first time
we discovered
393
00:17:22,633 --> 00:17:24,200
that they're actually
a real civilization.
394
00:17:24,233 --> 00:17:27,300
They're not just some
made-up mythology.
395
00:17:27,333 --> 00:17:29,133
[Tamar] It transformed
our understanding
396
00:17:29,167 --> 00:17:30,900
of what Mediterranean
civilization
397
00:17:30,933 --> 00:17:33,667
were capable of
at this time.
398
00:17:33,700 --> 00:17:35,967
[narrator]
The site is called Knossos.
399
00:17:36,067 --> 00:17:39,567
And it has intriguing links
to the ancient legends.
400
00:17:39,600 --> 00:17:41,533
[Mark Altaweel]
When Arthur Evans began
401
00:17:41,567 --> 00:17:43,167
excavation at Knossos,
402
00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:45,633
he notices there are a lot
of bull symbols.
403
00:17:45,667 --> 00:17:47,600
He understood that,
"Hey, this is may be a place
404
00:17:47,633 --> 00:17:50,067
associated with
the Minotaur story."
405
00:17:50,067 --> 00:17:53,067
[dramatic music playing]
406
00:17:55,200 --> 00:17:57,067
[narrator]
It is a previously unknown
407
00:17:57,067 --> 00:17:58,967
and extraordinarily
sophisticated
408
00:17:59,067 --> 00:18:01,467
ancient civilization.
409
00:18:01,500 --> 00:18:03,967
It existed at a time
when the crowning achievement
410
00:18:04,067 --> 00:18:06,367
of most other
European societies
411
00:18:06,400 --> 00:18:10,833
is building wooden huts
and stone circles.
412
00:18:10,867 --> 00:18:12,667
But there is more to come.
413
00:18:14,167 --> 00:18:17,733
In 1908, Italian archeologist,
Luigi Pernier,
414
00:18:17,767 --> 00:18:20,733
excavates a second
Minoan palace complex
415
00:18:20,767 --> 00:18:22,933
on the south of the island.
416
00:18:22,967 --> 00:18:26,067
It is called Phaistos.
417
00:18:26,067 --> 00:18:28,067
One evening,
Pernier's foreman
418
00:18:28,067 --> 00:18:32,133
happens on a small clay disc
laying the ruins.
419
00:18:32,167 --> 00:18:34,233
The bizarre symbols
covering its surface
420
00:18:34,267 --> 00:18:38,067
are unlike anything
Pernier has ever seen.
421
00:18:38,067 --> 00:18:40,967
But this disc is exceptional
in every way.
422
00:18:41,067 --> 00:18:43,900
[dramatic music playing]
423
00:18:43,933 --> 00:18:47,467
Normally,
such tablets for writing
424
00:18:47,500 --> 00:18:50,167
would have been formed
out of wet clay.
425
00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:51,733
And then when they were
rather hard,
426
00:18:51,767 --> 00:18:53,500
they would have been
written upon
427
00:18:53,533 --> 00:18:57,333
and simply left to dry
in the sun.
428
00:18:57,367 --> 00:18:59,267
The disc was very different.
429
00:18:59,300 --> 00:19:01,533
This disc,
first of all, was baked.
430
00:19:01,567 --> 00:19:04,533
So rather than sun dried,
it was actually fired.
431
00:19:04,567 --> 00:19:07,267
[narrator] It is the only
Minoan clay tablet ever found
432
00:19:07,300 --> 00:19:10,133
that's been fired in a kiln.
433
00:19:10,167 --> 00:19:11,933
And that's just the start,
434
00:19:11,967 --> 00:19:13,700
because there's
something remarkable
435
00:19:13,733 --> 00:19:15,933
about the symbols on it.
436
00:19:15,967 --> 00:19:19,600
Most writing at this time
was inscribed into the clay.
437
00:19:19,633 --> 00:19:21,533
But the symbols
on the Phaistos Disc
438
00:19:21,567 --> 00:19:24,067
have been stamped.
439
00:19:24,067 --> 00:19:25,867
The fact that it was impressed
by a stamp
440
00:19:25,900 --> 00:19:29,733
has also been considered
a unique discovery.
441
00:19:29,767 --> 00:19:31,567
And some archeologists
have, in fact,
442
00:19:31,600 --> 00:19:33,100
called this
perhaps the oldest
443
00:19:33,133 --> 00:19:37,733
or first evidence
of a type of printing press.
444
00:19:37,767 --> 00:19:39,733
[narrator] There is literally
nothing else like it
445
00:19:39,767 --> 00:19:42,433
in the ancient world.
446
00:19:42,467 --> 00:19:44,433
[Kevin] Given the care
that was taken in it.
447
00:19:44,467 --> 00:19:46,767
The degree of its...
of its firing,
448
00:19:46,800 --> 00:19:49,300
all of these things mean that
this was a special object
449
00:19:49,333 --> 00:19:51,167
which was view as worthy
450
00:19:51,200 --> 00:19:53,433
of special treatment
and preservation.
451
00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:59,167
[narrator] What could have
been worth all this effort?
452
00:19:59,200 --> 00:20:01,133
Could the answer lie
in decoding
453
00:20:01,167 --> 00:20:02,500
these strange symbols?
454
00:20:02,533 --> 00:20:04,500
[dramatic music playing]
455
00:20:06,900 --> 00:20:08,567
[Mark Altaweel] For over
a hundred years now,
456
00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:09,933
people have been
trying to decipher
457
00:20:09,967 --> 00:20:12,633
what exactly is on that disc.
458
00:20:12,667 --> 00:20:14,300
There have been a number
of interpretations.
459
00:20:14,333 --> 00:20:16,033
It could have been
an ancient game perhaps.
460
00:20:16,067 --> 00:20:17,800
A kind of backgammon
or something like that.
461
00:20:17,833 --> 00:20:19,800
Another interpretation
is it's used
462
00:20:19,833 --> 00:20:22,833
for some kind of astronomical
or astrological purposes.
463
00:20:22,867 --> 00:20:24,533
[narrator]
But one obvious theory
464
00:20:24,567 --> 00:20:27,533
has gained more traction
among experts than any other.
465
00:20:27,567 --> 00:20:30,167
[Mark Altaweel] More likely
it's some kind of language.
466
00:20:30,200 --> 00:20:32,100
Whether it's
a localized language
467
00:20:32,133 --> 00:20:33,867
or a slightly more widespread
language is debatable,
468
00:20:33,900 --> 00:20:36,167
but it seems to be something
meant to be read
469
00:20:36,200 --> 00:20:39,933
or, at least, perhaps
even announced to an audience.
470
00:20:39,967 --> 00:20:41,533
[narrator] But experts
couldn't even agree
471
00:20:41,567 --> 00:20:43,033
which direction
they should read
472
00:20:43,067 --> 00:20:45,767
this language in.
473
00:20:45,800 --> 00:20:47,933
[Abigail] Archeologists
initially thought
474
00:20:47,967 --> 00:20:51,567
that you started
from the inside of the disc
475
00:20:51,600 --> 00:20:54,000
and read kind
of in a swirl pattern,
476
00:20:54,033 --> 00:20:56,633
coming out
to the outer edges.
477
00:20:56,667 --> 00:21:00,567
But then when they looked
more closely at the symbols,
478
00:21:00,600 --> 00:21:04,100
they seem to get more crowded
and difficult
479
00:21:04,133 --> 00:21:07,933
as you move
from the outer rim inside.
480
00:21:07,967 --> 00:21:10,567
So scholars now think
that it's more likely
481
00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:14,167
that it was read
working from the outside in.
482
00:21:15,400 --> 00:21:18,900
[narrator] But what does
it actually say?
483
00:21:18,933 --> 00:21:21,500
There are 242 impressions
on the disc
484
00:21:21,533 --> 00:21:24,133
using 45 unique symbols.
485
00:21:26,367 --> 00:21:28,933
Most alphabets
have far fewer symbols
486
00:21:28,967 --> 00:21:31,500
than the Phaistos Disc.
487
00:21:31,533 --> 00:21:35,300
So experts think it's probably
not an alphabet.
488
00:21:36,933 --> 00:21:40,267
But it has too few symbols
and too many repetitions
489
00:21:40,300 --> 00:21:42,567
to be a pictographic script,
490
00:21:42,600 --> 00:21:46,167
where one symbol can represent
an entire word,
491
00:21:46,200 --> 00:21:48,233
such as Egyptian hieroglyphics
492
00:21:48,267 --> 00:21:50,200
or Babylonian cuneiform.
493
00:21:51,767 --> 00:21:54,833
Instead, experts suspect
the Phaistos script
494
00:21:54,867 --> 00:21:57,867
is what's known as a syllabary
495
00:21:57,900 --> 00:22:00,267
in which symbols
represents syllables
496
00:22:00,300 --> 00:22:02,400
such as do, re, mi.
497
00:22:03,900 --> 00:22:06,200
Syllabaries fit well
with the number of symbols
498
00:22:06,233 --> 00:22:07,967
on the disc,
499
00:22:08,067 --> 00:22:11,433
and we already know another
Minoan script uses them.
500
00:22:13,067 --> 00:22:15,500
But a century of intense
effort by experts
501
00:22:15,533 --> 00:22:18,367
has failed to get any further
with its meaning.
502
00:22:22,300 --> 00:22:24,433
Now, after years of analysis,
503
00:22:24,467 --> 00:22:27,067
Gareth Owens,
a British linguistic scholar,
504
00:22:27,100 --> 00:22:30,500
claims to have solved
at least part of the riddle.
505
00:22:30,533 --> 00:22:32,100
[Abigail] What Owens has done
506
00:22:32,133 --> 00:22:34,900
is try and find
a parallel text.
507
00:22:34,933 --> 00:22:37,633
Something else that either
508
00:22:37,667 --> 00:22:39,500
has a similar function
509
00:22:39,533 --> 00:22:41,667
or has a similar type of text,
510
00:22:41,700 --> 00:22:44,267
going through,
looking for other examples
511
00:22:44,300 --> 00:22:48,267
in other languages
is a kind of natural process.
512
00:22:48,300 --> 00:22:50,733
[narrator] Owens has matched
a sequence of symbols
513
00:22:50,767 --> 00:22:52,933
on the disc
with a pattern of symbols
514
00:22:52,967 --> 00:22:55,133
on Minoan religious artifacts
515
00:22:55,167 --> 00:22:57,167
believed to be a prayer.
516
00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:58,633
He has also identified
517
00:22:58,667 --> 00:23:00,800
another pattern of symbols
on the disc
518
00:23:00,833 --> 00:23:03,233
repeated three times
like a chant,
519
00:23:03,267 --> 00:23:06,500
which is similar to an older
Cretan symbol pattern
520
00:23:06,533 --> 00:23:08,967
meaning "Mother Goddess".
521
00:23:09,067 --> 00:23:11,533
His theory,
the disc is a prayer
522
00:23:11,567 --> 00:23:13,133
to the Mother Goddess.
523
00:23:13,167 --> 00:23:15,133
This would fit quite well
of what we know.
524
00:23:15,167 --> 00:23:18,333
The Mother Goddess was very
important to Minoan society,
525
00:23:18,367 --> 00:23:21,067
so having some kind of
dedication of prayer to her
526
00:23:21,067 --> 00:23:23,600
seems to be logical.
527
00:23:23,633 --> 00:23:25,367
We do see some repetition
in this disc
528
00:23:25,400 --> 00:23:27,533
like you would do
in a prayer.
529
00:23:27,567 --> 00:23:29,600
And the fact that it's baked
clay seems to indicate
530
00:23:29,633 --> 00:23:31,233
that it's a high valued item.
531
00:23:31,267 --> 00:23:33,367
And so having
a religious reason
532
00:23:33,400 --> 00:23:36,833
as to why you have this disc,
I think it makes a lot sense.
533
00:23:36,867 --> 00:23:38,100
[narrator] But the problem
534
00:23:38,133 --> 00:23:39,833
with every theory
about the disc
535
00:23:39,867 --> 00:23:43,667
is that nothing quite like it
has ever been found.
536
00:23:43,700 --> 00:23:45,933
The strange symbols,
537
00:23:45,967 --> 00:23:48,067
the use of stamps
thousands of years
538
00:23:48,067 --> 00:23:50,133
before anyone else,
539
00:23:50,167 --> 00:23:52,967
the fact that it's the only
kiln-fired tablet
540
00:23:53,067 --> 00:23:55,200
the Minoans ever produced,
541
00:23:55,233 --> 00:23:58,567
it seems out of place
and out of time.
542
00:23:58,600 --> 00:24:00,600
But there is one
explosive theory
543
00:24:00,633 --> 00:24:02,833
that could answer
every question
544
00:24:02,867 --> 00:24:05,167
about this mysterious object.
545
00:24:11,600 --> 00:24:13,800
[theme music playing]
546
00:24:13,833 --> 00:24:15,667
[narrator] The Phaistos Disc
547
00:24:15,700 --> 00:24:18,133
is a unique ancient relic,
548
00:24:18,167 --> 00:24:21,100
and that worries
some experts.
549
00:24:21,133 --> 00:24:23,067
[Kevin] The uniqueness
of this object is...
550
00:24:23,067 --> 00:24:25,933
As is often the case
with unique objects,
551
00:24:25,967 --> 00:24:27,867
rings a lot of alarm bells.
552
00:24:29,833 --> 00:24:31,467
[Abigail] We would expect
to find more
553
00:24:31,500 --> 00:24:33,067
of these objects,
554
00:24:33,100 --> 00:24:34,700
because if someone
had made the stamp
555
00:24:34,733 --> 00:24:36,833
and have the set,
then we would think,
556
00:24:36,867 --> 00:24:40,067
particularly something
that is made in clay,
557
00:24:40,067 --> 00:24:42,767
which a relatively
durable material,
558
00:24:42,800 --> 00:24:46,767
that we would have more
of these surviving.
559
00:24:46,800 --> 00:24:50,500
[narrator] Establishing
its age is also troublesome.
560
00:24:50,533 --> 00:24:53,767
The disc itself
has not been directly dated,
561
00:24:53,800 --> 00:24:55,800
but as it was found
near a tablet
562
00:24:55,833 --> 00:25:00,133
made between
1700 and 1600 BCE,
563
00:25:00,167 --> 00:25:02,167
archeologists have assumed
564
00:25:02,200 --> 00:25:03,633
it's the same age.
565
00:25:04,967 --> 00:25:06,567
But the issue is clouded
566
00:25:06,600 --> 00:25:10,133
by the unusual circumstances
of its discovery.
567
00:25:10,167 --> 00:25:12,267
It wasn't actually found
568
00:25:12,300 --> 00:25:14,867
by a professional
archeologist.
569
00:25:14,900 --> 00:25:18,067
It was in an area which
had been previously excavated
570
00:25:18,067 --> 00:25:20,633
and was spotted by a foreman
doing their rounds.
571
00:25:20,667 --> 00:25:22,500
[narrator] So is it
the real deal
572
00:25:22,533 --> 00:25:24,833
or did someone plant it?
573
00:25:24,867 --> 00:25:27,500
Suspicion has fallen
on one person in particular
574
00:25:27,533 --> 00:25:29,267
at Phaistos.
575
00:25:29,300 --> 00:25:31,267
Site director, Luigi Pernier,
576
00:25:31,300 --> 00:25:34,133
has a strong motive
to conjure up a fake.
577
00:25:34,167 --> 00:25:37,133
[Kevin] What was being found
to the north at Knossos
578
00:25:37,167 --> 00:25:40,133
by Arthur Evans
was quite sensational,
579
00:25:40,167 --> 00:25:43,600
the supposed throne
of King Minos.
580
00:25:43,633 --> 00:25:46,067
Phaistos, by comparison,
581
00:25:46,067 --> 00:25:50,200
is a relatively
humble palatial complex
582
00:25:50,233 --> 00:25:51,633
which had,
583
00:25:51,667 --> 00:25:54,067
up to the find
of the Phaistos Disc,
584
00:25:54,100 --> 00:25:56,467
provided nothing
really sensational
585
00:25:56,500 --> 00:25:58,467
for the media at the time
586
00:25:58,500 --> 00:26:03,067
or to the credit
of Luigi Pernier.
587
00:26:03,067 --> 00:26:05,800
[narrator] The disc definitely
puts Pernier's Phaistos site
588
00:26:05,833 --> 00:26:07,467
on the map.
589
00:26:07,500 --> 00:26:11,333
It raises his archeological
profile immensely.
590
00:26:11,367 --> 00:26:13,100
And that's not
the only detail
591
00:26:13,133 --> 00:26:15,533
that casts a shadow
over Pernier.
592
00:26:15,567 --> 00:26:18,200
[Kevin]
Pernier was also responsible
593
00:26:18,233 --> 00:26:21,833
for antiquities in Florence,
in Italy,
594
00:26:21,867 --> 00:26:23,633
and the museum there.
595
00:26:23,667 --> 00:26:25,500
And in its collections
596
00:26:25,533 --> 00:26:29,067
was a remarkable
Etruscan disc
597
00:26:29,067 --> 00:26:30,900
known as the Milano Disc.
598
00:26:30,933 --> 00:26:32,467
The disc is circular.
599
00:26:32,500 --> 00:26:34,300
There is a set
of symbols engraved
600
00:26:34,333 --> 00:26:36,533
in a helical or spiral shape
601
00:26:36,567 --> 00:26:39,167
which looks uncannily similar
602
00:26:39,200 --> 00:26:41,700
to the Phaistos Disc.
603
00:26:41,733 --> 00:26:44,367
[narrator] Pernier has means,
motive, opportunity,
604
00:26:44,400 --> 00:26:46,067
and even inspiration.
605
00:26:47,167 --> 00:26:49,233
Cased closed?
606
00:26:49,267 --> 00:26:51,067
Nothing about
this unique object
607
00:26:51,067 --> 00:26:52,633
is that simple.
608
00:26:52,667 --> 00:26:55,567
[dramatic music playing]
609
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:58,433
[narrator] Decades after
the disc's discovery,
610
00:26:58,467 --> 00:27:01,533
another relic turns up.
611
00:27:01,567 --> 00:27:04,433
[Mark Altaweel] In 1934,
an axe was found.
612
00:27:04,467 --> 00:27:07,467
This bronze axe
actually had symbology
613
00:27:07,500 --> 00:27:11,167
that were very similar
to what was found on the disc.
614
00:27:11,200 --> 00:27:14,333
[narrator] It is known
as the Arkalochori Axe.
615
00:27:14,367 --> 00:27:15,833
Running down
the center of the axe
616
00:27:15,867 --> 00:27:18,600
are a series
of unusual symbols.
617
00:27:18,633 --> 00:27:21,067
Some appear strangely
similar to symbols
618
00:27:21,067 --> 00:27:23,267
on the Phaistos Disc.
619
00:27:23,300 --> 00:27:26,267
A plant, a T shape,
620
00:27:26,300 --> 00:27:29,067
a Y-shaped stick-like symbol,
621
00:27:29,067 --> 00:27:31,200
and, most striking of all,
622
00:27:31,233 --> 00:27:33,433
a man with spiky hair.
623
00:27:33,467 --> 00:27:35,667
[Mark Altaweel] So that
supports the argument
624
00:27:35,700 --> 00:27:38,833
that this was
an authentic disc.
625
00:27:38,867 --> 00:27:41,300
That these kinds of symbols
were symbols
626
00:27:41,333 --> 00:27:43,100
that would have been known
to at least somebody
627
00:27:43,133 --> 00:27:44,267
from this region.
628
00:27:46,267 --> 00:27:49,333
[Kevin] The question is,
how would Pernier
629
00:27:49,367 --> 00:27:51,567
have known if he was faking
the disc
630
00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:54,200
to make symbols
which had not yet officially
631
00:27:54,233 --> 00:27:56,167
been archeologically
discovered.
632
00:27:56,200 --> 00:27:57,700
This might attest
633
00:27:57,733 --> 00:27:59,367
to the authenticity
of the disc.
634
00:28:00,867 --> 00:28:03,433
[narrator]
So fake or not fake?
635
00:28:03,467 --> 00:28:05,067
[Mark Altaweel]
I think it's real.
636
00:28:05,067 --> 00:28:06,800
I think the symbology
that has been found
637
00:28:06,833 --> 00:28:08,767
subsequent to this disc,
638
00:28:08,800 --> 00:28:10,967
the fact that
it's very similar to it,
639
00:28:11,067 --> 00:28:12,833
and at a time of discovery,
640
00:28:12,867 --> 00:28:14,733
were not known symbols
641
00:28:14,767 --> 00:28:17,400
indicates to me
that it's real.
642
00:28:17,433 --> 00:28:20,200
[narrator]
Others are less certain.
643
00:28:20,233 --> 00:28:22,600
[Kevin] The Phaistos Disc
is one of those rare
644
00:28:22,633 --> 00:28:24,333
enigmatic objects
645
00:28:24,367 --> 00:28:27,333
that it is very difficult
646
00:28:27,367 --> 00:28:31,267
to make an absolute
judgment about.
647
00:28:31,300 --> 00:28:32,833
[Abigail]
What I've often found is
648
00:28:32,867 --> 00:28:35,800
when we call something
a fake,
649
00:28:35,833 --> 00:28:37,900
sometimes that is
largely because
650
00:28:37,933 --> 00:28:41,533
we can't understand
what it was used for.
651
00:28:41,567 --> 00:28:44,467
I don't see clear signs
652
00:28:44,500 --> 00:28:47,133
that it's a fake.
653
00:28:47,167 --> 00:28:50,267
And I would certainly
like to believe
654
00:28:50,300 --> 00:28:52,533
that it's real.
655
00:28:52,567 --> 00:28:54,800
[narrator] Controversy
about the disc's authenticity
656
00:28:54,833 --> 00:28:57,900
has raged for a hundred years.
657
00:28:57,933 --> 00:29:01,233
It shows no signs
of being settled anytime soon.
658
00:29:06,633 --> 00:29:10,400
[suspenseful music playing]
659
00:29:10,433 --> 00:29:13,500
[narrator] On display
in an old workshop in Paris
660
00:29:13,533 --> 00:29:16,667
is the death mask
of a drowned girl.
661
00:29:16,700 --> 00:29:18,433
Some claim this is the most
662
00:29:18,467 --> 00:29:21,233
kissed face in history.
663
00:29:21,267 --> 00:29:25,200
[Mark Benecke] She inspired
people, poets, music, dance,
664
00:29:25,233 --> 00:29:26,967
and she was really well known.
665
00:29:27,067 --> 00:29:28,767
[narrator] And she is said
to have saved
666
00:29:28,800 --> 00:29:30,967
over two million lives.
667
00:29:32,600 --> 00:29:35,067
Now, using the latest
imaging technology,
668
00:29:35,067 --> 00:29:37,400
we're bringing
this mysterious mask
669
00:29:37,433 --> 00:29:38,800
into the light.
670
00:29:40,900 --> 00:29:43,467
Every feature immortalized
in plaster
671
00:29:43,500 --> 00:29:45,500
in exceptional detail,
672
00:29:45,533 --> 00:29:47,800
the serene expression,
673
00:29:47,833 --> 00:29:50,800
the eyelids lightly closed,
674
00:29:50,833 --> 00:29:54,100
and that strange
enigmatic smile.
675
00:29:54,133 --> 00:29:56,367
This mask appears
again and again
676
00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:58,267
in museums
and private collections
677
00:29:58,300 --> 00:30:00,367
across the world.
678
00:30:00,400 --> 00:30:04,300
But the woman behind it
is shrouded in mystery.
679
00:30:04,333 --> 00:30:06,067
Who is she?
680
00:30:06,100 --> 00:30:08,300
How did she die?
681
00:30:08,333 --> 00:30:10,567
Why is she so famous?
682
00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:17,400
[theme music playing]
683
00:30:17,433 --> 00:30:20,267
[suspenseful music playing]
684
00:30:20,300 --> 00:30:22,133
[narrator] Who is the
mysterious girl
685
00:30:22,167 --> 00:30:24,200
behind this famous death mask?
686
00:30:27,667 --> 00:30:31,100
Her macabre story
begins in Paris
687
00:30:31,133 --> 00:30:33,067
in the mid-19th century.
688
00:30:33,100 --> 00:30:35,667
It is a sightseer's paradise.
689
00:30:35,700 --> 00:30:38,000
You can climb the 422 steps
690
00:30:38,033 --> 00:30:40,100
of Notre-Dame's towers,
691
00:30:40,133 --> 00:30:43,133
meander through the halls
of the Louvre,
692
00:30:43,167 --> 00:30:46,800
or marvel at the newly-built
Arc de Triomphe.
693
00:30:48,433 --> 00:30:50,967
But one of the biggest
crowd-pullers
694
00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:52,700
is the Paris morgue.
695
00:30:52,733 --> 00:30:55,300
[ominous music playing]
696
00:30:55,333 --> 00:30:57,333
[Mark Benecke] They were
lining up and queuing
697
00:30:57,367 --> 00:31:00,833
to see which people
were put on display.
698
00:31:02,233 --> 00:31:03,933
There were street vendors.
699
00:31:03,967 --> 00:31:06,100
Like today when there's
something entertaining
700
00:31:06,133 --> 00:31:07,233
taking place.
701
00:31:07,267 --> 00:31:08,367
So it was just, you know,
702
00:31:08,400 --> 00:31:10,167
fashionable for normal people
703
00:31:10,200 --> 00:31:13,067
to go and watch the corpses.
704
00:31:13,067 --> 00:31:14,933
[narrator] In theory,
this is done to aid
705
00:31:14,967 --> 00:31:17,733
in the identification
of the dead,
706
00:31:17,767 --> 00:31:19,333
but it quickly becomes
707
00:31:19,367 --> 00:31:22,900
a grisly form
of entertainment.
708
00:31:22,933 --> 00:31:26,833
[Ruth] This is a show
in the middle of Paris
709
00:31:26,867 --> 00:31:29,167
that's free to enter,
710
00:31:29,200 --> 00:31:31,167
'cause they want everybody
to come and have a look
711
00:31:31,200 --> 00:31:33,067
to identify the bodies,
712
00:31:33,067 --> 00:31:36,833
in which naked dead people
are laid out in front of you.
713
00:31:36,867 --> 00:31:38,400
So I think you have
to imagine
714
00:31:38,433 --> 00:31:40,067
the sort of social thing
that's going on here.
715
00:31:40,067 --> 00:31:42,067
We're looking
at a sort of mixture
716
00:31:42,067 --> 00:31:44,967
of titillation and thrill.
717
00:31:45,067 --> 00:31:46,833
[narrator]
Out of this macabre world
718
00:31:46,867 --> 00:31:49,600
appears this mysterious face.
719
00:31:51,300 --> 00:31:53,733
[Mark Benecke] The story goes
that a drowned woman
720
00:31:53,767 --> 00:31:55,500
was found in the River Seine.
721
00:31:55,533 --> 00:31:56,867
Nobody claimed the body
722
00:31:56,900 --> 00:31:58,233
so it was brought
to the morgue.
723
00:32:00,500 --> 00:32:03,100
Since there were no signs
of violence on her body,
724
00:32:03,133 --> 00:32:05,633
people thought that
she probably killed herself
725
00:32:05,667 --> 00:32:07,433
by drowning.
726
00:32:07,467 --> 00:32:09,467
[narrator] Her flawless
complexion suggests
727
00:32:09,500 --> 00:32:12,500
she is around 16 years old.
728
00:32:12,533 --> 00:32:16,100
Her hairstyle fits that
of a peasant girl.
729
00:32:16,133 --> 00:32:18,367
Despite being displayed
to the public,
730
00:32:18,400 --> 00:32:20,667
it seems no one steps forward
731
00:32:20,700 --> 00:32:22,533
to identify the drowned girl.
732
00:32:23,900 --> 00:32:26,733
But she catches someone's eye.
733
00:32:26,767 --> 00:32:28,333
One of the morgue staff
734
00:32:28,367 --> 00:32:31,333
decided that the face
was calm and interesting,
735
00:32:31,367 --> 00:32:33,633
and the person
was captivated and decided
736
00:32:33,667 --> 00:32:35,667
to build a plaster cast.
737
00:32:35,700 --> 00:32:38,733
And everybody who went in
could also see the mask.
738
00:32:40,667 --> 00:32:42,833
[narrator] In an era
before photography,
739
00:32:42,867 --> 00:32:44,833
it isn't uncommon
for morgue attendants
740
00:32:44,867 --> 00:32:46,600
to take plaster casts
741
00:32:46,633 --> 00:32:49,933
before the faces deteriorate
too much to identify.
742
00:32:51,233 --> 00:32:53,133
But how does this one become
743
00:32:53,167 --> 00:32:56,167
one of the most famous
death masks of all time?
744
00:32:58,500 --> 00:33:02,233
[ominous music playing]
745
00:33:02,267 --> 00:33:04,367
[narrator] Making casts
of a dead person's face
746
00:33:04,400 --> 00:33:07,100
sounds macabre today,
747
00:33:07,133 --> 00:33:09,500
but it wasn't always
like that.
748
00:33:11,467 --> 00:33:13,633
Two thousand years ago
in Rome,
749
00:33:13,667 --> 00:33:16,433
they are a family affair.
750
00:33:16,467 --> 00:33:18,133
[Abigail] The Greek historian,
Polybius,
751
00:33:18,167 --> 00:33:19,900
in the 2nd-century BC,
752
00:33:19,933 --> 00:33:23,433
wrote about these things
called imagines maiorum.
753
00:33:23,467 --> 00:33:25,533
These are the wax masks
754
00:33:25,567 --> 00:33:29,367
that Romans would make
after someone died.
755
00:33:29,400 --> 00:33:32,367
The idea would be
that at every funeral,
756
00:33:32,400 --> 00:33:34,600
they would get
these masks out
757
00:33:34,633 --> 00:33:37,567
and wear them as a part
of the funerary procession,
758
00:33:37,600 --> 00:33:39,600
as a way of remembering
759
00:33:39,633 --> 00:33:41,800
not just the one person
being buried
760
00:33:41,833 --> 00:33:45,067
but making sure that the
entire family was present.
761
00:33:46,500 --> 00:33:49,533
Kind of exciting,
but also a bit creepy.
762
00:33:50,800 --> 00:33:52,233
[narrator] But as far
as we know,
763
00:33:52,267 --> 00:33:54,067
no family comes to identify
764
00:33:54,067 --> 00:33:57,467
and preserve the mask
of this young woman.
765
00:33:57,500 --> 00:33:59,733
Yet she achieves immortality.
766
00:34:01,333 --> 00:34:02,967
She is not the first
death mask
767
00:34:03,067 --> 00:34:04,333
to become famous.
768
00:34:06,567 --> 00:34:10,767
Although others were rather
better known in life.
769
00:34:10,800 --> 00:34:13,633
Oliver Cromwell,
the 17th-century general
770
00:34:13,667 --> 00:34:16,067
who overthrew
the English monarchy,
771
00:34:16,100 --> 00:34:17,500
Ludwig van Beethoven,
772
00:34:17,533 --> 00:34:18,933
one of the most revered
composers
773
00:34:18,967 --> 00:34:21,600
of the Western world,
774
00:34:21,633 --> 00:34:23,500
and scientist,
Sir Isaac Newton,
775
00:34:23,533 --> 00:34:25,900
the man
who discovered gravity.
776
00:34:25,933 --> 00:34:28,900
These are all historical
celebrities.
777
00:34:30,767 --> 00:34:34,067
And for the most famous
celebrity death mask of all,
778
00:34:34,067 --> 00:34:35,733
you have to look to Egypt
779
00:34:35,767 --> 00:34:39,167
almost three and a half
thousand years ago
780
00:34:39,200 --> 00:34:42,567
to the death mask
of a king no less,
781
00:34:42,600 --> 00:34:44,800
Tutankhamun.
782
00:34:44,833 --> 00:34:46,367
[Rebecca] The ancient
Egyptians believed
783
00:34:46,400 --> 00:34:49,467
that your ba or your soul
784
00:34:49,500 --> 00:34:51,067
would go into the afterlife.
785
00:34:51,067 --> 00:34:54,700
And in order to identify
its body,
786
00:34:54,733 --> 00:34:56,967
so soul and body
can be reunited,
787
00:34:57,067 --> 00:34:59,133
it needed to have something
really visual,
788
00:34:59,167 --> 00:35:01,800
really clear to identify
your body as you.
789
00:35:04,333 --> 00:35:06,967
Tutankhamun's
very famous death mask
790
00:35:07,067 --> 00:35:09,067
is a really,
really good example of that.
791
00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:15,067
[narrator] But this young girl
is no royal.
792
00:35:15,067 --> 00:35:17,333
She doesn't produce
great works of art
793
00:35:17,367 --> 00:35:21,067
or make world-changing
scientific breakthroughs.
794
00:35:21,067 --> 00:35:23,067
She is the total opposite.
795
00:35:23,067 --> 00:35:25,267
Completely unknown.
796
00:35:25,300 --> 00:35:27,733
So why does her death mask
become so famous?
797
00:35:31,467 --> 00:35:35,333
It may just be a question
of right time, right place.
798
00:35:36,500 --> 00:35:38,800
In Europe during
the Victorian era,
799
00:35:38,833 --> 00:35:42,533
masks become a key part
of an obsession with death.
800
00:35:43,900 --> 00:35:46,100
They are keepsake reminders
of our mortality
801
00:35:46,133 --> 00:35:49,433
known as memento mori.
802
00:35:49,467 --> 00:35:51,633
[Ruth] Death masks
were normal way
803
00:35:51,667 --> 00:35:52,967
of dealing with death.
804
00:35:53,067 --> 00:35:55,067
People have them
about themselves,
805
00:35:55,100 --> 00:35:56,800
have them in their houses,
806
00:35:56,833 --> 00:35:59,067
used them as little reminders
807
00:35:59,067 --> 00:36:00,833
of the sweetness of life,
808
00:36:00,867 --> 00:36:02,767
as well as the shortness
of life.
809
00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,500
Like we might keep
a photograph
810
00:36:06,533 --> 00:36:07,900
of somebody
who's passed away,
811
00:36:07,933 --> 00:36:09,967
you might keep a death mask
812
00:36:10,067 --> 00:36:13,067
of your child
that you've lost.
813
00:36:14,367 --> 00:36:16,333
[narrator] In this culture,
the plaster mask
814
00:36:16,367 --> 00:36:18,233
of the drowned girl
from the Paris morgue
815
00:36:18,267 --> 00:36:20,733
finds a receptive audience.
816
00:36:20,767 --> 00:36:24,400
She becomes known
as L'Inconnue de la Seine,
817
00:36:24,433 --> 00:36:27,300
the unknown woman
of the Seine.
818
00:36:27,333 --> 00:36:28,500
[Mark Benecke]
At the beginning
819
00:36:28,533 --> 00:36:30,067
of the 20th-century,
820
00:36:30,067 --> 00:36:31,733
the mask of
L'Inconnue de la Seine
821
00:36:31,767 --> 00:36:34,233
was relatively widespread.
822
00:36:34,267 --> 00:36:37,700
[narrator] Thousands of copies
of her death mask are made.
823
00:36:37,733 --> 00:36:40,267
Her enigmatic features
capture the imagination
824
00:36:40,300 --> 00:36:42,667
of novelists and poets.
825
00:36:42,700 --> 00:36:45,333
Famous French philosopher,
Albert Camus,
826
00:36:45,367 --> 00:36:48,767
even compares her smile
to the Mona Lisa.
827
00:36:48,800 --> 00:36:50,600
[Mark Benecke]
L'Inconnue de la Seine became
828
00:36:50,633 --> 00:36:52,433
what we would today call
an it girl.
829
00:36:52,467 --> 00:36:53,567
She was known.
830
00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:55,767
She inspired people, poets,
831
00:36:55,800 --> 00:36:57,600
music, dance.
832
00:36:59,300 --> 00:37:01,633
[narrator] But how does
a dead it girl
833
00:37:01,667 --> 00:37:04,333
become the most kissed face
in the world?
834
00:37:10,967 --> 00:37:13,100
[theme music playing]
835
00:37:13,133 --> 00:37:16,533
[ominous music playing]
836
00:37:16,567 --> 00:37:19,067
[narrator] How does the death
mask of an unknown girl
837
00:37:19,067 --> 00:37:21,767
become the most kissed face
in history?
838
00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:25,400
The answer
to this mystery begins
839
00:37:25,433 --> 00:37:28,167
with the search for a way
to preserve life.
840
00:37:31,833 --> 00:37:35,167
When L'Inconnue's body
is fished out of the Seine,
841
00:37:35,200 --> 00:37:37,767
resuscitation is still
in its infancy,
842
00:37:37,800 --> 00:37:40,667
and there are some
pretty bizarre methods.
843
00:37:40,700 --> 00:37:42,933
[Ruth] People are looking
at many different ways
844
00:37:42,967 --> 00:37:45,500
that you might help
stimulate a person
845
00:37:45,533 --> 00:37:48,067
to bring them back.
846
00:37:48,100 --> 00:37:50,633
One is to whip them all over
with stinging nettles.
847
00:37:50,667 --> 00:37:52,733
That that sort of would get
the blood moving
848
00:37:52,767 --> 00:37:54,633
all over the body
and therefore perhaps
849
00:37:54,667 --> 00:37:57,933
trigger something
into action.
850
00:37:57,967 --> 00:38:00,067
[Mark Benecke] Maybe they
could resuscitate people
851
00:38:00,067 --> 00:38:03,433
by putting you
over a trotting horse
852
00:38:03,467 --> 00:38:06,967
or putting hot ashes
on your skin.
853
00:38:07,067 --> 00:38:09,067
A method that sounds
surprising
854
00:38:09,100 --> 00:38:11,733
is to blow tobacco fumes
855
00:38:11,767 --> 00:38:13,533
inside of the anus of a person
856
00:38:13,567 --> 00:38:15,400
that you try to resurrect.
857
00:38:17,067 --> 00:38:19,733
[Ruth] You'd make up
a really strong concoction
858
00:38:19,767 --> 00:38:21,333
infused with tobacco
859
00:38:21,367 --> 00:38:23,967
and then you'd introduce it
at the other end
860
00:38:24,067 --> 00:38:26,733
and hope that that would
also stimulate
861
00:38:26,767 --> 00:38:29,733
and excite the whole
bodily system,
862
00:38:29,767 --> 00:38:32,800
jerk it back into life.
863
00:38:32,833 --> 00:38:35,233
[narrator] Unsurprisingly,
none of these methods
864
00:38:35,267 --> 00:38:37,233
really help.
865
00:38:37,267 --> 00:38:40,600
So how does this face
become part of the solution?
866
00:38:42,300 --> 00:38:45,300
[dramatic music playing]
867
00:38:46,733 --> 00:38:48,633
[narrator] It isn't until
the 1950s
868
00:38:48,667 --> 00:38:51,667
and the work of an Austrian
anesthesiologist
869
00:38:51,700 --> 00:38:54,500
that modern medicine
really gets to grips
870
00:38:54,533 --> 00:38:57,300
with resuscitation.
871
00:38:57,333 --> 00:38:59,533
[Mark Benecke] Peter Safar
came up with the idea
872
00:38:59,567 --> 00:39:02,833
that you could resuscitate
a person correctly.
873
00:39:02,867 --> 00:39:05,133
For example,
by putting the head
874
00:39:05,167 --> 00:39:06,267
a little bit to the back,
875
00:39:06,300 --> 00:39:07,633
giving mouth-to-mouth,
876
00:39:07,667 --> 00:39:09,167
applying chest compression
877
00:39:09,200 --> 00:39:10,700
to get the heart
started again.
878
00:39:10,733 --> 00:39:13,433
So he invented CPR.
879
00:39:13,467 --> 00:39:15,233
[narrator] Safar reasons
that if everyone
880
00:39:15,267 --> 00:39:16,733
learns these techniques,
881
00:39:16,767 --> 00:39:19,867
more lives will be saved.
882
00:39:19,900 --> 00:39:22,633
To do that, he needs
a realistic training model
883
00:39:22,667 --> 00:39:24,167
for people to practice on.
884
00:39:25,533 --> 00:39:28,233
But no such model exists...
885
00:39:28,267 --> 00:39:29,233
yet.
886
00:39:30,967 --> 00:39:32,933
[dramatic music playing]
887
00:39:32,967 --> 00:39:36,133
In 1959, Dr. Safar
goes to a toymaker,
888
00:39:36,167 --> 00:39:38,200
a Norwegian toymaker
of his acquaintance,
889
00:39:38,233 --> 00:39:39,900
Asmund Laerdal.
890
00:39:39,933 --> 00:39:42,133
And Asmund has a lot
of experience using PVC,
891
00:39:42,167 --> 00:39:43,600
a brand-new material,
but he thinks
892
00:39:43,633 --> 00:39:46,267
that this might be
the way forward.
893
00:39:46,300 --> 00:39:49,167
And between them,
they come up with a mannequin
894
00:39:49,200 --> 00:39:51,833
which mimics the basic usage
895
00:39:51,867 --> 00:39:54,800
of a pair of lungs
within a person.
896
00:39:57,267 --> 00:39:58,700
Nearing the end
of the process,
897
00:39:58,733 --> 00:40:00,633
Laerdal has his doll
898
00:40:00,667 --> 00:40:02,233
but it hasn't got a face
at the moment.
899
00:40:02,267 --> 00:40:05,367
So where on Earth
is he gonna get one of those?
900
00:40:05,400 --> 00:40:06,900
[narrator]
Laerdal wants a passive,
901
00:40:06,933 --> 00:40:09,567
nonthreatening face.
902
00:40:09,600 --> 00:40:11,067
[Ruth] Well,
luckily at this moment,
903
00:40:11,100 --> 00:40:13,300
he goes and visits
his in-laws.
904
00:40:13,333 --> 00:40:15,167
And there on the wall
905
00:40:15,200 --> 00:40:18,433
is hanging L'Inconnue
de la Seine.
906
00:40:18,467 --> 00:40:19,400
Perfect.
907
00:40:19,433 --> 00:40:21,833
Absolutely perfect.
908
00:40:21,867 --> 00:40:23,633
[Mark Benecke] And this is
why we have the face
909
00:40:23,667 --> 00:40:27,233
of L'Inconnue de la Seine
on the CPR mannequin.
910
00:40:27,267 --> 00:40:30,967
[dramatic music playing]
911
00:40:31,000 --> 00:40:32,267
[narrator]
And the unknown girl
912
00:40:32,300 --> 00:40:34,367
finally gets a name.
913
00:40:34,400 --> 00:40:36,900
Resusci Anne.
914
00:40:36,933 --> 00:40:39,000
It's estimated
she has been used to train
915
00:40:39,033 --> 00:40:42,967
more than five hundred million
people worldwide
916
00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:46,967
and saved as many as two
and a half million lives.
917
00:40:48,300 --> 00:40:50,300
A girl who drowned
in the Seine
918
00:40:50,333 --> 00:40:52,333
more than 150 years ago
919
00:40:52,367 --> 00:40:55,400
has become the most
kissed face in history.
920
00:40:56,800 --> 00:40:58,833
But there's one last twist
to the story
921
00:40:58,867 --> 00:41:00,900
of L'Inconnue de la Seine.
922
00:41:02,333 --> 00:41:04,433
[dramatic music playing]
923
00:41:04,467 --> 00:41:08,200
[narrator] Her drowned face
is famously picture perfect,
924
00:41:08,233 --> 00:41:09,733
and that's a problem.
925
00:41:11,900 --> 00:41:13,500
[Mark Benecke]
When you die in water
926
00:41:13,533 --> 00:41:15,600
and your body is resting
or laying in water
927
00:41:15,633 --> 00:41:17,267
for an amount of time,
928
00:41:17,300 --> 00:41:19,267
then your skin starts to slip
929
00:41:19,300 --> 00:41:20,767
or you get marbling
which means
930
00:41:20,800 --> 00:41:22,867
you have bacteria
in your veins.
931
00:41:24,433 --> 00:41:27,200
And since you don't see that
on the death mask,
932
00:41:27,233 --> 00:41:30,067
some people thought
that maybe she was not dead.
933
00:41:31,800 --> 00:41:33,767
[narrator] And that's not
the only unexplained thing
934
00:41:33,800 --> 00:41:35,833
about her.
935
00:41:35,867 --> 00:41:37,767
[Mark Benecke] One thing
that is mentioned often
936
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:40,067
is that when you look
at the eyeballs,
937
00:41:40,067 --> 00:41:42,800
the eyeballs
are not perfectly round.
938
00:41:42,833 --> 00:41:44,233
[narrator] When your eyes
are shut,
939
00:41:44,267 --> 00:41:45,700
the lens underneath creates
940
00:41:45,733 --> 00:41:47,900
a slight bump in the eyelid.
941
00:41:47,933 --> 00:41:51,067
Some have suggested
that this bump is not circular
942
00:41:51,067 --> 00:41:53,133
on L'Inconnue's face
943
00:41:53,167 --> 00:41:54,967
as though the eyes were moving
944
00:41:55,067 --> 00:41:56,833
while the plaster was setting.
945
00:41:58,433 --> 00:42:01,667
So is this really the face
of a dead woman
946
00:42:01,700 --> 00:42:03,200
or is she just a fiction
947
00:42:03,233 --> 00:42:05,800
built around
an artist's model?
948
00:42:05,833 --> 00:42:08,300
We'll probably never know
for sure.
70085
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