1 00:00:01,543 --> 00:00:03,212 NARRATOR: He was an artist 2 00:00:03,212 --> 00:00:05,589 whose paintings have become priceless masterpieces. 3 00:00:05,589 --> 00:00:07,716 MATTHEW LANDRUS: Leonardo produced some of the world's 4 00:00:07,716 --> 00:00:09,051 most recognizable paintings-- 5 00:00:09,051 --> 00:00:10,594 the Mona Lisa, the Last Supper, 6 00:00:10,594 --> 00:00:12,304 the Lady with an Ermine. 7 00:00:12,304 --> 00:00:14,473 NARRATOR: He was a genius 8 00:00:14,473 --> 00:00:17,768 whose inventions were centuries ahead of their time. 9 00:00:17,768 --> 00:00:19,853 GIORGIO TSOUKALOS: He drew construction plans 10 00:00:19,853 --> 00:00:22,648 for tanks, for helicopters, 11 00:00:22,648 --> 00:00:27,361 all sorts of wild things that came into reality 12 00:00:27,361 --> 00:00:30,030 during our lifetime, right now. 13 00:00:30,030 --> 00:00:31,990 NARRATOR: But there are those who believe 14 00:00:31,990 --> 00:00:34,535 that Leonardo da Vinci was inspired 15 00:00:34,535 --> 00:00:37,746 by an extraterrestrial intelligence, 16 00:00:37,746 --> 00:00:41,875 that his paintings are embedded with secret knowledge 17 00:00:41,875 --> 00:00:45,212 and contain codes which, when deciphered, 18 00:00:45,212 --> 00:00:48,465 will provide the keys to unlocking the universe. 19 00:00:48,465 --> 00:00:51,093 WILLIAM HENRY: I think da Vinci is trying to tell us 20 00:00:51,093 --> 00:00:53,512 that there's a higher intelligence 21 00:00:53,512 --> 00:00:54,972 that operates in our world. 22 00:00:54,972 --> 00:00:57,307 ♪ ♪ 23 00:01:17,536 --> 00:01:19,454 ♪ ♪ 24 00:01:23,750 --> 00:01:26,587 AUCTIONEER: And so, ladies and gentlemen, 25 00:01:26,587 --> 00:01:29,715 we move to the Leonardo da Vinci, the Salvator Mundi, 26 00:01:29,715 --> 00:01:31,925 the masterpiece by Leonardo of Christ the Savior, 27 00:01:31,925 --> 00:01:34,678 previously in the collections of three kings of England. 28 00:01:34,678 --> 00:01:36,096 NARRATOR: New York City. 29 00:01:36,096 --> 00:01:39,725 November 15, 2017. 30 00:01:39,725 --> 00:01:42,644 $370 million. Back to Francoise's clients... 31 00:01:42,644 --> 00:01:45,856 at $370 million dollars, ladies and gentlemen. 32 00:01:45,856 --> 00:01:47,190 MAN: 400. 33 00:01:47,190 --> 00:01:49,067 -$400 million! -(gasping) 34 00:01:49,067 --> 00:01:50,444 NARRATOR: At a Christie's auction 35 00:01:50,444 --> 00:01:52,237 at Rockefeller Center, 36 00:01:52,237 --> 00:01:55,490 Leonardo da Vinci's newly authenticated painting 37 00:01:55,490 --> 00:01:57,117 Salvator Mundi 38 00:01:57,117 --> 00:02:00,912 sells for a record-breaking $400 million. 39 00:02:00,912 --> 00:02:04,791 -Sold. -The buyer is a Saudi prince, 40 00:02:04,791 --> 00:02:08,795 representing the new Louvre museum in Abu Dhabi. 41 00:02:08,795 --> 00:02:13,008 But why was a member of the Saudi royal family-- 42 00:02:13,008 --> 00:02:16,762 or anyone-- so willing to pay such an incredible price 43 00:02:16,762 --> 00:02:18,430 for a work of art? 44 00:02:21,224 --> 00:02:23,894 Leonardo da Vinci has captured the fascination 45 00:02:23,894 --> 00:02:25,812 of so many people. 46 00:02:25,812 --> 00:02:29,399 I really believe he was way ahead of his time. 47 00:02:29,399 --> 00:02:32,736 But if Leonardo were alive today and realized 48 00:02:32,736 --> 00:02:35,739 how much his paintings would go for, he'd go crazy. 49 00:02:35,739 --> 00:02:37,991 (chuckles): It's a lot of money for a painting. 50 00:02:37,991 --> 00:02:40,827 You ask yourself if there's another possibility. 51 00:02:40,827 --> 00:02:42,788 NARRATOR: There are those who believe 52 00:02:42,788 --> 00:02:44,665 that the Salvator Mundi 53 00:02:44,665 --> 00:02:48,585 is much more than a priceless piece of Renaissance art. 54 00:02:48,585 --> 00:02:51,421 They believe, when considered in context 55 00:02:51,421 --> 00:02:54,508 with other examples of da Vinci's paintings, 56 00:02:54,508 --> 00:02:57,469 that it contains a piece of a giant puzzle, 57 00:02:57,469 --> 00:02:59,971 one that, when put together, 58 00:02:59,971 --> 00:03:02,974 could reveal the secrets of the universe. 59 00:03:07,187 --> 00:03:10,857 NARRATOR April 15, 1452. 60 00:03:10,857 --> 00:03:13,819 Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci, 61 00:03:13,819 --> 00:03:15,987 the illegitimate child 62 00:03:15,987 --> 00:03:20,492 of a nobleman and his maid, is born in Vinci, Italy. 63 00:03:20,492 --> 00:03:23,453 If you were not entitled to take your father's name, 64 00:03:23,453 --> 00:03:26,164 your last name just became the town you came from. 65 00:03:26,164 --> 00:03:29,292 This probably aided his development. 66 00:03:29,292 --> 00:03:31,294 The fact that he didn't belong 67 00:03:31,294 --> 00:03:33,505 also meant that he wasn't caught up 68 00:03:33,505 --> 00:03:35,924 in the official version of reality. 69 00:03:35,924 --> 00:03:40,011 He was free enough to have his own ideas. 70 00:03:41,930 --> 00:03:43,932 NARRATOR: When he was a teenager, 71 00:03:43,932 --> 00:03:47,310 Leonardo settled in nearby Florence. 72 00:03:47,310 --> 00:03:51,773 At that time, the city was a cultural mecca, 73 00:03:51,773 --> 00:03:54,943 the beating heart of a classical revival 74 00:03:54,943 --> 00:03:57,028 known as the Renaissance. 75 00:03:57,028 --> 00:03:59,072 LANDRUS: The Renaissance is a resurgence 76 00:03:59,072 --> 00:04:02,284 of new ideas and approaches and interests 77 00:04:02,284 --> 00:04:04,453 in not only antiquity 78 00:04:04,453 --> 00:04:07,956 but in the reinterpretation of the human condition. 79 00:04:07,956 --> 00:04:11,209 It reinvents, really, the culture of the time. 80 00:04:14,045 --> 00:04:17,549 NARRATOR: Leonardo received an informal education 81 00:04:17,549 --> 00:04:20,177 in the studio of the renowned Florentine painter 82 00:04:20,177 --> 00:04:22,471 Andrea del Verrocchio, 83 00:04:22,471 --> 00:04:25,348 but was also largely self-taught. 84 00:04:25,348 --> 00:04:26,933 Despite this-- 85 00:04:26,933 --> 00:04:29,352 or perhaps because of it-- 86 00:04:29,352 --> 00:04:33,398 he excelled at a staggering range of disciplines. 87 00:04:33,398 --> 00:04:36,735 Da Vinci was way ahead of his time 88 00:04:36,735 --> 00:04:39,404 during the period in which he lived. 89 00:04:39,404 --> 00:04:43,867 He drew construction plans for tanks... 90 00:04:43,867 --> 00:04:48,038 for helicopters, all sorts of wild things 91 00:04:48,038 --> 00:04:49,998 that came into reality 92 00:04:49,998 --> 00:04:53,960 during our lifetime, right now. 93 00:04:55,420 --> 00:04:57,923 NARRATOR: In March 2018, 94 00:04:57,923 --> 00:05:00,842 author and ancient astronaut theorist William Henry 95 00:05:00,842 --> 00:05:02,886 traveled to Florence to learn more 96 00:05:02,886 --> 00:05:05,013 about the Renaissance master. 97 00:05:05,013 --> 00:05:07,724 He was also eager to find out, firsthand, 98 00:05:07,724 --> 00:05:10,602 if there was any truth to the theory 99 00:05:10,602 --> 00:05:14,940 that da Vinci hid secret messages in his paintings. 100 00:05:14,940 --> 00:05:18,527 At the Piazzale Michelangelo, overlooking the city, 101 00:05:18,527 --> 00:05:21,655 Henry met with Dr. Michael Kwakkelstein, 102 00:05:21,655 --> 00:05:24,199 who has made it his life's work to discover 103 00:05:24,199 --> 00:05:27,369 everything there is to know about Leonardo da Vinci. 104 00:05:27,369 --> 00:05:30,997 I'm so excited to be here in Florence, home of Leonardo. 105 00:05:30,997 --> 00:05:32,916 Yeah, you look around, you start to see 106 00:05:32,916 --> 00:05:34,835 that these are what you see in Leonardo's paintings. 107 00:05:34,835 --> 00:05:37,045 Absolutely. He took his inspiration 108 00:05:37,045 --> 00:05:39,589 just from those hills, those trees. 109 00:05:39,589 --> 00:05:42,551 500 years ago, Florence was, of course, a much smaller city. 110 00:05:42,551 --> 00:05:43,802 -Right. -So just crossing the Arno 111 00:05:43,802 --> 00:05:46,137 over there, you see the Ponte Vecchio, 112 00:05:46,137 --> 00:05:49,391 -Yes. -Leonardo would find himself amidst nature 113 00:05:49,391 --> 00:05:51,977 to study the fall of water or the movement of water, 114 00:05:51,977 --> 00:05:54,062 -to study birds. -Leonardo created 115 00:05:54,062 --> 00:05:56,690 just a prodigious volume of... 116 00:05:56,690 --> 00:05:58,984 an explosion, really, of creativity. 117 00:05:58,984 --> 00:06:01,152 What do we have left of his legacy? 118 00:06:01,152 --> 00:06:03,989 Do we have a lot? A little? 119 00:06:03,989 --> 00:06:05,782 Well, we have a dozen paintings. 120 00:06:05,782 --> 00:06:07,701 Some of these paintings are unfinished. 121 00:06:07,701 --> 00:06:10,328 Some of these paintings are in a bad state. 122 00:06:10,328 --> 00:06:12,497 Uh, but we have his notebooks, 123 00:06:12,497 --> 00:06:14,207 his manuscripts-- it's like a map 124 00:06:14,207 --> 00:06:16,668 -of his mind, all these writings. -Wow. 125 00:06:16,668 --> 00:06:18,920 You've personally been able to explore those notebooks 126 00:06:18,920 --> 00:06:20,839 -and spent your life... -I'm still working on it. 127 00:06:20,839 --> 00:06:22,549 It's a life work. 128 00:06:25,010 --> 00:06:27,762 NARRATOR: But while Leonardo's genius 129 00:06:27,762 --> 00:06:30,807 was highly regarded in his lifetime, 130 00:06:30,807 --> 00:06:34,936 he was also highly scrutinized by the Roman Catholic Church, 131 00:06:34,936 --> 00:06:37,814 which remained a powerful political force 132 00:06:37,814 --> 00:06:39,900 throughout Italy and much of the world. 133 00:06:39,900 --> 00:06:41,526 NOAH CHARNEY: During the Renaissance, 134 00:06:41,526 --> 00:06:43,486 there was a rediscovery 135 00:06:43,486 --> 00:06:47,824 of ancient classical documents that were stored in monasteries 136 00:06:47,824 --> 00:06:50,744 after the dissolution of the Roman Empire. 137 00:06:50,744 --> 00:06:52,662 Because of these new discoveries, 138 00:06:52,662 --> 00:06:54,539 new ideas were circulating, 139 00:06:54,539 --> 00:06:57,584 ideas from great minds like Plato, 140 00:06:57,584 --> 00:07:00,086 Aristotle and Galen from the ancient world. 141 00:07:00,086 --> 00:07:02,213 But these great ideas 142 00:07:02,213 --> 00:07:06,217 often did not combine well with Christianity, 143 00:07:06,217 --> 00:07:10,972 and Leonardo is someone who represents a point of conflict. 144 00:07:10,972 --> 00:07:13,850 NARRATOR: It is this ancient knowledge 145 00:07:13,850 --> 00:07:17,145 that has led many scholars and ancient astronaut theorists 146 00:07:17,145 --> 00:07:20,106 to suggest that da Vinci, while Christian, 147 00:07:20,106 --> 00:07:24,110 was also open to a wide range of spiritual philosophies. 148 00:07:25,528 --> 00:07:27,614 Philosophies which, if revealed, 149 00:07:27,614 --> 00:07:29,824 would have placed him in opposition 150 00:07:29,824 --> 00:07:33,036 to the strict teachings of the Catholic Church, 151 00:07:33,036 --> 00:07:36,665 and would have caused him to be publicly shunned as a heretic. 152 00:07:37,832 --> 00:07:39,334 It's almost certain 153 00:07:39,334 --> 00:07:42,420 that Leonardo had access to secret knowledge. 154 00:07:42,420 --> 00:07:45,840 Leonardo was actually not, as a lot of people think today, 155 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:48,009 some kind of atheist. 156 00:07:48,009 --> 00:07:50,637 Leonardo was a heretic. 157 00:07:50,637 --> 00:07:53,848 He passionately believed 158 00:07:53,848 --> 00:07:57,852 in something that was outside of the mainstream religion, 159 00:07:57,852 --> 00:08:00,021 and therefore very dangerous. 160 00:08:02,107 --> 00:08:05,777 NARRATOR: Florence, Italy. 2002. 161 00:08:05,777 --> 00:08:09,322 Using infrared diagnostic techniques, 162 00:08:09,322 --> 00:08:12,742 Dr. Maurizio Seracini uncovers the underdrawing, 163 00:08:12,742 --> 00:08:14,994 or preliminary sketch, 164 00:08:14,994 --> 00:08:17,789 done by Leonardo da Vinci for his unfinished painting 165 00:08:17,789 --> 00:08:19,916 Adoration of the Magi. 166 00:08:21,251 --> 00:08:23,878 Commissioned in 1481, 167 00:08:23,878 --> 00:08:26,256 the work depicts the biblical story 168 00:08:26,256 --> 00:08:31,302 of the three wise men visiting the infant Jesus in Bethlehem. 169 00:08:31,302 --> 00:08:34,139 But by viewing the painting with this new technology, 170 00:08:34,139 --> 00:08:37,892 it becomes apparent that Leonardo's original sketch 171 00:08:37,892 --> 00:08:40,562 actually included many more details 172 00:08:40,562 --> 00:08:43,982 than those that could be seen with just the naked eye. 173 00:08:45,567 --> 00:08:48,319 The first time I aimed the camera, 174 00:08:48,319 --> 00:08:51,990 the infrared camera, to the, uh, to the Adoration, 175 00:08:51,990 --> 00:08:55,535 uh... I felt very privileged. 176 00:08:55,535 --> 00:08:59,122 Because for the first time in 500 years, 177 00:08:59,122 --> 00:09:03,460 I managed to see probably the best creativity effort 178 00:09:03,460 --> 00:09:06,755 of Leonardo on a work of art. 179 00:09:06,755 --> 00:09:09,174 And science can help you to go back, 180 00:09:09,174 --> 00:09:11,801 like if you were in a time machine, 181 00:09:11,801 --> 00:09:15,305 and I saw dozens of figures-- 182 00:09:15,305 --> 00:09:18,141 fighting horses, uh... 183 00:09:18,141 --> 00:09:20,477 nature, architecture. 184 00:09:20,477 --> 00:09:23,188 And now my eyes alone could not see them, 185 00:09:23,188 --> 00:09:25,148 because they were covered 186 00:09:25,148 --> 00:09:29,611 by a brownish monochrome layer of paint... 187 00:09:29,611 --> 00:09:31,821 that later I understood 188 00:09:31,821 --> 00:09:33,990 was not applied by Leonardo. 189 00:09:35,450 --> 00:09:38,078 In the background of the top left, 190 00:09:38,078 --> 00:09:41,372 you could see a couple of people 191 00:09:41,372 --> 00:09:45,960 sitting in despair on stairs of a temple in ruins. 192 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:49,339 Well, aiming the camera at the scene, 193 00:09:49,339 --> 00:09:52,926 then suddenly a completely different view came out. 194 00:09:54,094 --> 00:09:56,429 The detail that was painted over 195 00:09:56,429 --> 00:09:59,516 was a scene of a pagan temple 196 00:09:59,516 --> 00:10:03,478 that was rising up through the ruins of a Christian church. 197 00:10:03,478 --> 00:10:06,106 And this was considered problematic 198 00:10:06,106 --> 00:10:09,192 during the Renaissance period with Christianity 199 00:10:09,192 --> 00:10:11,319 as the one and only true religion. 200 00:10:11,319 --> 00:10:13,696 NARRATOR: Upon close examination 201 00:10:13,696 --> 00:10:15,740 of da Vinci's original sketch, 202 00:10:15,740 --> 00:10:18,118 instead of a temple in ruins, 203 00:10:18,118 --> 00:10:20,912 the artist seemed to be depicting a scenario 204 00:10:20,912 --> 00:10:23,998 in which an Egyptian temple is being rebuilt. 205 00:10:25,917 --> 00:10:29,295 Most notable is the fact that one of the temple columns 206 00:10:29,295 --> 00:10:32,882 is capped by a lotus flower, which in ancient Egypt 207 00:10:32,882 --> 00:10:36,052 represented the so-called, "Flower of Life." 208 00:10:38,138 --> 00:10:41,391 CAROLINE CORY: The Flower of Life is the information 209 00:10:41,391 --> 00:10:45,854 behind how the universe was created. 210 00:10:45,854 --> 00:10:50,024 Everything in the universe is geometric. 211 00:10:54,404 --> 00:10:59,534 Sacred geometry implies that there is intelligence behind it. 212 00:10:59,534 --> 00:11:02,996 HENRY: It's believed by mystics to be a symbol 213 00:11:02,996 --> 00:11:06,291 of advanced super consciousness, 214 00:11:06,291 --> 00:11:08,751 a way of plugging into the knowledge 215 00:11:08,751 --> 00:11:11,337 possessed by extraterrestrial beings. 216 00:11:11,337 --> 00:11:15,508 Da Vinci, we can fairly say, was practically obsessed with it. 217 00:11:15,508 --> 00:11:19,679 And one wonders if da Vinci actually tapped into 218 00:11:19,679 --> 00:11:21,598 the ultimate cosmic secrets 219 00:11:21,598 --> 00:11:23,641 represented by the Flower of Life. 220 00:11:23,641 --> 00:11:27,061 NARRATOR: Cosmic secrets? 221 00:11:27,061 --> 00:11:30,815 Sacred geometry? 222 00:11:30,815 --> 00:11:33,943 Was Leonardo da Vinci encoding his paintings 223 00:11:33,943 --> 00:11:36,446 with forbidden knowledge? 224 00:11:36,446 --> 00:11:39,782 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes. 225 00:11:39,782 --> 00:11:43,453 And they believe that knowledge may have been given to him 226 00:11:43,453 --> 00:11:48,124 after direct contact with extraterrestrial beings. 227 00:11:57,342 --> 00:12:00,803 NARRATOR: Recognized as a genius even in his lifetime, 228 00:12:00,803 --> 00:12:04,682 Leonardo da Vinci has one of the most thoroughly recorded lives 229 00:12:04,682 --> 00:12:08,394 of all the Renaissance artists. 230 00:12:08,394 --> 00:12:12,023 Da Vinci was such a popular figure 231 00:12:12,023 --> 00:12:14,442 that his life 232 00:12:14,442 --> 00:12:17,570 was documented in great detail. 233 00:12:17,570 --> 00:12:19,656 However, what's interesting is 234 00:12:19,656 --> 00:12:23,868 that there are two years missing from his existence. 235 00:12:23,868 --> 00:12:27,330 He basically disappeared off of the face of the earth. 236 00:12:27,330 --> 00:12:33,044 NARRATOR: From 1476 to 1478, 237 00:12:33,044 --> 00:12:36,130 Leonardo da Vinci's activities completely disappear 238 00:12:36,130 --> 00:12:38,633 from the historical record. 239 00:12:38,633 --> 00:12:43,930 The gap occurs when the artist was between 24 to 26 years old, 240 00:12:43,930 --> 00:12:46,266 just at the point when he was beginning 241 00:12:46,266 --> 00:12:47,850 to come into prominence. 242 00:12:47,850 --> 00:12:52,438 So what could account for these missing years? 243 00:12:52,438 --> 00:12:55,900 Ancient astronaut theorists point to a strange experience 244 00:12:55,900 --> 00:12:59,988 the artist had while hiking near a cave. 245 00:12:59,988 --> 00:13:03,700 It is one of the very few autobiographical anecdotes 246 00:13:03,700 --> 00:13:08,371 da Vinci ever made in his personal journal. 247 00:13:08,371 --> 00:13:10,873 He came across this cave. 248 00:13:10,873 --> 00:13:12,583 And as he stood in front of it, 249 00:13:12,583 --> 00:13:17,255 all of a sudden he felt drawn to go inside 250 00:13:17,255 --> 00:13:20,383 in order to find out about the miracle 251 00:13:20,383 --> 00:13:23,720 or the wonderment that's inside. 252 00:13:23,720 --> 00:13:26,597 We don't know what happened inside this cave, 253 00:13:26,597 --> 00:13:29,392 but it's quite possible that Leonardo da Vinci 254 00:13:29,392 --> 00:13:32,729 actually encountered extraterrestrial teachers 255 00:13:32,729 --> 00:13:35,898 who then gave him certain information. 256 00:13:35,898 --> 00:13:38,192 And it's this knowledge, perhaps, 257 00:13:38,192 --> 00:13:40,695 that made Leonardo da Vinci 258 00:13:40,695 --> 00:13:42,864 the incredible genius that he was. 259 00:13:45,533 --> 00:13:48,619 I'm not sure Leonardo da Vinci went to another world, 260 00:13:48,619 --> 00:13:51,914 but I have a feeling that this guy, somehow, 261 00:13:51,914 --> 00:13:56,335 through dreaming or going through some kind of dimension, 262 00:13:56,335 --> 00:13:59,047 was able to see the future, our future. 263 00:14:01,883 --> 00:14:05,595 CORY: Those we call geniuses, such as Leonardo da Vinci, 264 00:14:05,595 --> 00:14:09,223 are able to discern and detect these codes 265 00:14:09,223 --> 00:14:13,853 that are coming to them from these higher levels of reality 266 00:14:13,853 --> 00:14:18,566 and utilize them in their work, in their art, 267 00:14:18,566 --> 00:14:20,151 in their inventions 268 00:14:20,151 --> 00:14:23,738 to improve this physical world that we live in. 269 00:14:23,738 --> 00:14:26,741 Unlike other artists, Leonardo da Vinci 270 00:14:26,741 --> 00:14:30,495 did not have to measure the ratios and the proportion. 271 00:14:30,495 --> 00:14:33,039 It just came to him spontaneously. 272 00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:37,376 He was tapping into something that allowed him 273 00:14:37,376 --> 00:14:40,963 to bring down knowledge and information, 274 00:14:40,963 --> 00:14:43,591 just like the ancient cultures did. 275 00:14:47,011 --> 00:14:49,222 NARRATOR: Ancient astronaut theorists 276 00:14:49,222 --> 00:14:52,100 suggest that further evidence 277 00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:55,269 of Leonardo's contact with extraterrestrial intelligence 278 00:14:55,269 --> 00:14:57,146 can be found by a close examination 279 00:14:57,146 --> 00:14:59,398 of one of his most intriguing paintings, 280 00:14:59,398 --> 00:15:02,193 The Virgin of the Rocks. 281 00:15:02,193 --> 00:15:04,320 CHARNEY: The Virgin of the Rocks is really a showpiece 282 00:15:04,320 --> 00:15:07,073 for some of Leonardo's special techniques, 283 00:15:07,073 --> 00:15:10,284 including sfumato, which adds this hazy aura. 284 00:15:10,284 --> 00:15:15,581 We see figures emerging from shadows into spot lighting 285 00:15:15,581 --> 00:15:18,292 in a way that other artists of his time didn't do. 286 00:15:18,292 --> 00:15:21,420 NARRATOR: In March 2018, 287 00:15:21,420 --> 00:15:23,840 author and researcher William Henry 288 00:15:23,840 --> 00:15:26,134 traveled to the outskirts of London. 289 00:15:26,134 --> 00:15:29,762 There he met with da Vinci expert Lynn Picknett 290 00:15:29,762 --> 00:15:34,016 in order to get her thoughts on this unique work of art. 291 00:15:34,016 --> 00:15:36,185 I've just come from the National Gallery 292 00:15:36,185 --> 00:15:39,605 and experienced The Virgin of the Rocks. 293 00:15:39,605 --> 00:15:41,649 When you look at it, you're... 294 00:15:41,649 --> 00:15:43,401 you're drawn into it. 295 00:15:43,401 --> 00:15:46,612 -The colors, the setting... -PICKNETT: Mmm. Yeah. 296 00:15:46,612 --> 00:15:49,532 -Yeah. -It's almost like it's just coming out of the wall 297 00:15:49,532 --> 00:15:51,075 and you're stepping into it. 298 00:15:51,075 --> 00:15:52,618 PICKNETT: Yeah, and also, there's a sense 299 00:15:52,618 --> 00:15:54,036 of there's something lurking in it 300 00:15:54,036 --> 00:15:55,538 that we don't really get, 301 00:15:55,538 --> 00:15:57,832 that he's holding back a little. 302 00:15:59,417 --> 00:16:01,586 NARRATOR: The Virgin of the Rocks 303 00:16:01,586 --> 00:16:04,755 depicts the apocryphal story of an early meeting 304 00:16:04,755 --> 00:16:07,800 between the infant Jesus and the infant John the Baptist 305 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:09,552 during the time 306 00:16:09,552 --> 00:16:11,637 of the Holy Family's flight to Egypt. 307 00:16:11,637 --> 00:16:13,514 PICKNETT: In this painting, 308 00:16:13,514 --> 00:16:16,642 apparently what we have is the baby John the Baptist 309 00:16:16,642 --> 00:16:18,603 kneeling to Jesus, 310 00:16:18,603 --> 00:16:21,772 and the Virgin Mary's got her arm around John the Baptist. 311 00:16:21,772 --> 00:16:24,692 And there's an archangel, who is Uriel. 312 00:16:24,692 --> 00:16:26,611 And, you know, 313 00:16:26,611 --> 00:16:28,654 so far, so good, you might think. 314 00:16:28,654 --> 00:16:33,201 Except that the children are with their wrong protectors. 315 00:16:33,201 --> 00:16:34,535 Oh. 316 00:16:34,535 --> 00:16:35,828 PICKNETT: I mean, you would expect Jesus 317 00:16:35,828 --> 00:16:37,288 -to be with his mother. -Mm-hmm. 318 00:16:37,288 --> 00:16:39,123 And it so happens that Uriel 319 00:16:39,123 --> 00:16:41,876 is traditionally John the Baptist's protector. 320 00:16:41,876 --> 00:16:43,252 HENRY: Right. 321 00:16:43,252 --> 00:16:46,297 Uriel is... has a big backstory 322 00:16:46,297 --> 00:16:47,840 -with informing Noah about the flood. -Yes. 323 00:16:47,840 --> 00:16:49,258 Archangel of wisdom. 324 00:16:49,258 --> 00:16:51,052 Yeah, yeah. Wisdom is... 325 00:16:51,052 --> 00:16:53,012 Yeah, that's important here. 326 00:16:53,012 --> 00:16:56,599 -A celestial being coming from the heavens. -Yeah. Yeah. 327 00:16:56,599 --> 00:16:59,685 NARRATOR: In one of the so-called lost chapters 328 00:16:59,685 --> 00:17:03,272 of the Hebrew Bible known as the Book of Enoch, 329 00:17:03,272 --> 00:17:06,609 the archangel Uriel guides Enoch, 330 00:17:06,609 --> 00:17:08,653 the great-grandfather of Noah, 331 00:17:08,653 --> 00:17:10,613 through Heaven, where he is taught 332 00:17:10,613 --> 00:17:14,951 all the secrets and mysteries of the universe. 333 00:17:14,951 --> 00:17:17,912 Is it possible that da Vinci knew 334 00:17:17,912 --> 00:17:21,832 of this lost and some would say forbidden chapter of the Bible 335 00:17:21,832 --> 00:17:23,626 and for this reason 336 00:17:23,626 --> 00:17:25,962 deliberately included Uriel 337 00:17:25,962 --> 00:17:28,422 as a way of sending a secret message 338 00:17:28,422 --> 00:17:32,009 about what he believed to be the extraterrestrial source 339 00:17:32,009 --> 00:17:34,220 of his incredible genius? 340 00:17:36,430 --> 00:17:38,683 And there is, as you say, 341 00:17:38,683 --> 00:17:40,434 -something very portal-like about this painting. -Mm-hmm. 342 00:17:40,434 --> 00:17:42,019 HENRY: We just dropped a very important word, 343 00:17:42,019 --> 00:17:43,688 as well: the word "portal." 344 00:17:43,688 --> 00:17:45,565 -Oh, oh, yes. -It suggests to me that this painting 345 00:17:45,565 --> 00:17:48,067 is a sort of portal that he's taking us into, 346 00:17:48,067 --> 00:17:50,695 -where something very special is happening here. -Yes. Yes. 347 00:17:50,695 --> 00:17:53,072 Maybe that explains why it's such an otherworldly, 348 00:17:53,072 --> 00:17:54,865 -almost dreamlike scene. -Yeah. 349 00:17:54,865 --> 00:17:57,535 The veil between this world and the other world. 350 00:17:57,535 --> 00:18:00,955 NARRATOR: In his painting The Virgin of the Rocks, 351 00:18:00,955 --> 00:18:04,250 did Leonardo da Vinci deliberately plant clues 352 00:18:04,250 --> 00:18:08,254 that were intended for future generations to find? 353 00:18:08,254 --> 00:18:11,382 Clues that gave insight into his belief 354 00:18:11,382 --> 00:18:13,759 that much of mankind's knowledge 355 00:18:13,759 --> 00:18:18,472 had profoundly extraterrestrial origins? 356 00:18:18,472 --> 00:18:21,642 Leonardo was equally fascinated with backgrounds 357 00:18:21,642 --> 00:18:23,769 as he was with figures in the foreground, 358 00:18:23,769 --> 00:18:25,354 and one of the things that's so striking 359 00:18:25,354 --> 00:18:26,897 about Virgin of the Rocks 360 00:18:26,897 --> 00:18:29,859 is this very craggy, spooky, dramatic cavern 361 00:18:29,859 --> 00:18:32,653 that provides the backdrop for the figures. 362 00:18:32,653 --> 00:18:35,197 There are almost no other precedents 363 00:18:35,197 --> 00:18:39,368 for this group of figures in this sort of location. 364 00:18:39,368 --> 00:18:41,287 NARRATOR: Could it be 365 00:18:41,287 --> 00:18:43,623 that Leonardo deliberately staged this scene 366 00:18:43,623 --> 00:18:45,666 at the mouth of a cavern 367 00:18:45,666 --> 00:18:48,085 in order to draw a link between the painting 368 00:18:48,085 --> 00:18:51,547 and his earlier experience in the cave? 369 00:18:51,547 --> 00:18:54,884 And by placing Jesus with the archangel Uriel, 370 00:18:54,884 --> 00:18:58,179 was he indicating a belief that the archangel 371 00:18:58,179 --> 00:19:02,391 was actually an extraterrestrial entity? 372 00:19:02,391 --> 00:19:06,312 Da Vinci's inclusion of the archangel Uriel, 373 00:19:06,312 --> 00:19:09,690 it makes you wonder if Leonardo may have had an experience 374 00:19:09,690 --> 00:19:11,734 with the archangel Uriel, 375 00:19:11,734 --> 00:19:14,612 who told him about humanity's future. 376 00:19:16,822 --> 00:19:19,283 NARRATOR: Of the only 15 known paintings 377 00:19:19,283 --> 00:19:21,619 attributed to Leonardo da Vinci, 378 00:19:21,619 --> 00:19:24,622 is it possible that they all contain evidence 379 00:19:24,622 --> 00:19:26,207 of the artist's belief 380 00:19:26,207 --> 00:19:29,627 in so-called secret or forbidden knowledge? 381 00:19:29,627 --> 00:19:33,047 And if so, might they also contain clues 382 00:19:33,047 --> 00:19:34,965 that are intended to reveal 383 00:19:34,965 --> 00:19:37,802 not only da Vinci's personal beliefs, 384 00:19:37,802 --> 00:19:40,721 but a message that he was entrusted to convey 385 00:19:40,721 --> 00:19:43,516 to future generations? 386 00:19:50,147 --> 00:19:53,359 NARRATOR: Milan, Italy. 387 00:19:53,359 --> 00:19:57,488 Housed in the monastery of Santa Maria delle Grazie 388 00:19:57,488 --> 00:20:01,075 is one of Leonardo da Vinci's most iconic paintings: 389 00:20:01,075 --> 00:20:04,120 The Last Supper. 390 00:20:04,120 --> 00:20:06,747 This imposing mural-- 391 00:20:06,747 --> 00:20:10,918 more than 15 feet tall and nearly 29 feet wide-- 392 00:20:10,918 --> 00:20:14,797 depicts the biblical moment when Jesus tells his disciples 393 00:20:14,797 --> 00:20:16,549 that one of them will betray him. 394 00:20:20,594 --> 00:20:22,638 It's a very poignant moment. 395 00:20:22,638 --> 00:20:25,349 And the disciples are reacting to this statement, 396 00:20:25,349 --> 00:20:27,601 many in horror. 397 00:20:27,601 --> 00:20:31,564 To the left is Saint Bartholomew, 398 00:20:31,564 --> 00:20:35,234 who seems to have leapt to his feet and hit the table 399 00:20:35,234 --> 00:20:39,321 and is leaning towards Jesus in shock. 400 00:20:39,321 --> 00:20:43,325 And third from right of Jesus in the middle is Saint Philip, 401 00:20:43,325 --> 00:20:47,538 who seems to cave in with shock. 402 00:20:47,538 --> 00:20:50,833 CHARNEY: What's interesting about this Last Supper 403 00:20:50,833 --> 00:20:53,085 is it looks like a frozen moment of action. 404 00:20:53,085 --> 00:20:54,879 If you imagine you have a remote control 405 00:20:54,879 --> 00:20:57,465 and the scene is on pause and you were to unpause it, 406 00:20:57,465 --> 00:20:59,049 all this movement would happen. 407 00:20:59,049 --> 00:21:01,886 But at this frozen moment, you can really study 408 00:21:01,886 --> 00:21:05,181 the actions and reactions of the people depicted. 409 00:21:09,018 --> 00:21:12,229 NARRATOR: As with Leonardo's other works, 410 00:21:12,229 --> 00:21:14,899 many researchers and ancient astronaut theorists 411 00:21:14,899 --> 00:21:16,650 believe that this painting 412 00:21:16,650 --> 00:21:19,904 contains hidden messages. 413 00:21:19,904 --> 00:21:21,822 When we were writing Templar Revelation, 414 00:21:21,822 --> 00:21:26,243 I looked at The Last Supper, 415 00:21:26,243 --> 00:21:28,287 and I thought, "But wait a minute, 416 00:21:28,287 --> 00:21:31,165 that's a woman, sitting next to Jesus." 417 00:21:31,165 --> 00:21:34,835 NARRATOR: Sitting at the right hand of Jesus is a figure 418 00:21:34,835 --> 00:21:38,923 that has long been assumed to represent the apostle John. 419 00:21:38,923 --> 00:21:41,467 But unlike the other figures in the painting, 420 00:21:41,467 --> 00:21:46,388 this one appears to have strikingly feminine features. 421 00:21:46,388 --> 00:21:49,642 In his own Treatise on Painting, 422 00:21:49,642 --> 00:21:53,521 Leonardo writes that women should always be depicted in art 423 00:21:53,521 --> 00:21:55,564 with "their heads looking downwards, 424 00:21:55,564 --> 00:21:59,819 and leaning a little on one side." 425 00:21:59,819 --> 00:22:04,323 If you look at Jesus sitting at the center of the table, 426 00:22:04,323 --> 00:22:08,327 leaning like that, 427 00:22:08,327 --> 00:22:12,248 to one side, is the woman who, with Jesus, 428 00:22:12,248 --> 00:22:14,208 forms a giant "M" shape, 429 00:22:14,208 --> 00:22:19,463 presumably, a clue to her name: Mary, Mary Magdalene. 430 00:22:19,463 --> 00:22:22,049 NARRATOR: In the Bible's New Testament, 431 00:22:22,049 --> 00:22:25,177 Mary Magdalene is identified as a follower of Jesus 432 00:22:25,177 --> 00:22:27,555 who witnesses both his crucifixion 433 00:22:27,555 --> 00:22:29,348 and his resurrection, 434 00:22:29,348 --> 00:22:32,643 but she was not reported to have been a participant 435 00:22:32,643 --> 00:22:34,895 in what is called the Last Supper. 436 00:22:34,895 --> 00:22:37,439 If that is true, 437 00:22:37,439 --> 00:22:40,860 then why would Leonardo place her in his painting? 438 00:22:40,860 --> 00:22:43,863 Did the artist have access to secret knowledge 439 00:22:43,863 --> 00:22:46,282 about the true nature of the relationship 440 00:22:46,282 --> 00:22:49,410 between Jesus and Mary Magdalene? 441 00:22:49,410 --> 00:22:52,872 It seems that Leonardo was trying to point 442 00:22:52,872 --> 00:22:58,168 to Mary Magdalene having been extremely close to Jesus. 443 00:22:58,168 --> 00:23:00,671 We have them joined at the hip, 444 00:23:00,671 --> 00:23:04,592 we have them wearing mirror image clothes. 445 00:23:04,592 --> 00:23:06,886 GODFREY HARRIS: Jesus, as 446 00:23:06,886 --> 00:23:10,389 a 30-year-old Jewish man of the time, 447 00:23:10,389 --> 00:23:14,435 would've been very hard-pressed to be without a wife. 448 00:23:14,435 --> 00:23:16,562 So, the theory is 449 00:23:16,562 --> 00:23:20,065 that Mary Magdalene was, in fact, his wife. 450 00:23:20,065 --> 00:23:22,985 But the Catholic church didn't want Jesus, 451 00:23:22,985 --> 00:23:26,530 as the son of God, to have a wife. 452 00:23:26,530 --> 00:23:31,994 They wanted him to be celibate, to be godlike, 453 00:23:31,994 --> 00:23:36,957 and so cast Mary Magdalene as a prostitute, 454 00:23:36,957 --> 00:23:41,545 rather than as a woman of importance. 455 00:23:44,256 --> 00:23:47,968 NARRATOR: If Leonardo did indeed intend to depict Mary Magdalene 456 00:23:47,968 --> 00:23:51,513 as the person sitting next to Jesus, what makes her inclusion 457 00:23:51,513 --> 00:23:55,184 even more curious is an element of the story that seems 458 00:23:55,184 --> 00:23:58,646 to have been deliberately omitted: Jesus's chalice, 459 00:23:58,646 --> 00:24:02,983 otherwise known as the Holy Grail. 460 00:24:02,983 --> 00:24:07,029 In the Bible, it says one of the reasons for the Last Supper 461 00:24:07,029 --> 00:24:10,741 was for Jesus to instigate the communion. 462 00:24:10,741 --> 00:24:13,827 His blood, represented by the wine on the table, 463 00:24:13,827 --> 00:24:16,038 and his body, which was to be broken on the cross, 464 00:24:16,038 --> 00:24:18,916 by the broken bread. 465 00:24:18,916 --> 00:24:22,002 Now, there is no great glass, 466 00:24:22,002 --> 00:24:26,048 or indeed, any particular glass of wine in front of Jesus, 467 00:24:26,048 --> 00:24:28,592 which, in itself, is an enormous thing. 468 00:24:28,592 --> 00:24:32,388 NARRATOR: According to legend, the Holy Grail 469 00:24:32,388 --> 00:24:34,974 had magical, life-giving properties. 470 00:24:34,974 --> 00:24:36,684 But there are some who insist 471 00:24:36,684 --> 00:24:40,187 that an actual Grail never really existed. 472 00:24:40,187 --> 00:24:43,273 Instead, they believe it was a symbol, 473 00:24:43,273 --> 00:24:47,111 intended to represent Jesus's divine bloodline. 474 00:24:47,111 --> 00:24:50,572 PICKNETT: Many people suggest that the Holy Grail 475 00:24:50,572 --> 00:24:52,866 was the body of Mary Magdalene, 476 00:24:52,866 --> 00:24:56,996 when she was pregnant with the child of herself and Jesus. 477 00:24:56,996 --> 00:24:59,707 JONATHAN YOUNG: So this is goddess lore. 478 00:24:59,707 --> 00:25:02,918 The Grail is a womb, and the true mystery, 479 00:25:02,918 --> 00:25:06,880 the true, sacred story, is birth. 480 00:25:06,880 --> 00:25:10,259 Human birth is the miracle. 481 00:25:10,259 --> 00:25:12,594 CHILDRESS: Mary Magdalene, 482 00:25:12,594 --> 00:25:14,930 according to a number of traditions, 483 00:25:14,930 --> 00:25:18,434 actually was the wife of Jesus. 484 00:25:18,434 --> 00:25:21,979 And she was pregnant with his children. 485 00:25:21,979 --> 00:25:25,691 And in fact, these children will be special, 486 00:25:25,691 --> 00:25:29,528 and carrying a special new type of DNA 487 00:25:29,528 --> 00:25:33,032 for a new type of person on Earth. 488 00:25:33,032 --> 00:25:35,868 And this is, literally, the Holy Grail. 489 00:25:35,868 --> 00:25:38,996 NARRATOR: Did Leonardo da Vinci 490 00:25:38,996 --> 00:25:42,124 have special, extraterrestrial knowledge? 491 00:25:42,124 --> 00:25:45,085 Knowledge about mankind's origins that he encoded 492 00:25:45,085 --> 00:25:49,339 in the form of secret messages within his paintings? 493 00:25:49,339 --> 00:25:53,969 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, and also suggest 494 00:25:53,969 --> 00:25:56,513 that within his painting of The Last Supper 495 00:25:56,513 --> 00:26:00,100 is yet another, even more profound code. 496 00:26:00,100 --> 00:26:02,811 One that, when translated, will allow 497 00:26:02,811 --> 00:26:06,344 direct communication with our alien ancestors. 498 00:26:13,572 --> 00:26:17,618 NARRATOR: Lecce, Italy. 2003. 499 00:26:17,618 --> 00:26:21,455 Based on a close examination of Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks, 500 00:26:21,455 --> 00:26:25,876 musician and scholar Giovanni Maria Pala begins to examine 501 00:26:25,876 --> 00:26:29,296 one of the artist's most famous works, The Last Supper, 502 00:26:29,296 --> 00:26:31,882 for evidence that da Vinci may have hidden 503 00:26:31,882 --> 00:26:35,552 a musical composition in the now-iconic painting. 504 00:26:35,552 --> 00:26:38,972 One of the intriguing theories about Last Supper, 505 00:26:38,972 --> 00:26:41,141 that I actually think has some merit, 506 00:26:41,141 --> 00:26:44,269 is that a scholar found musical notes. 507 00:26:44,269 --> 00:26:46,855 One of the things to keep in mind is that 508 00:26:46,855 --> 00:26:49,316 there's no such thing as an accidental, 509 00:26:49,316 --> 00:26:51,110 or "just for the sake of it" insertion 510 00:26:51,110 --> 00:26:53,070 in old master paintings. 511 00:26:53,070 --> 00:26:57,825 Each aspect was carefully decided upon. 512 00:26:57,825 --> 00:27:00,410 Leonardo definitely was a musician, 513 00:27:00,410 --> 00:27:05,582 and he served the de' Medicis as a lyre player, 514 00:27:05,582 --> 00:27:09,419 and as a singer for a number of years. 515 00:27:09,419 --> 00:27:12,548 He played what we would call the organ. 516 00:27:12,548 --> 00:27:16,552 Well, there was an organ in the church 517 00:27:16,552 --> 00:27:20,848 where he was painting The Last Supper. 518 00:27:23,767 --> 00:27:25,894 NARRATOR: In March 2018, 519 00:27:25,894 --> 00:27:29,231 William Henry met up with Giovanni Maria Pala in Florence, 520 00:27:29,231 --> 00:27:34,403 to find out more about his incredible theory. 521 00:27:34,403 --> 00:27:35,404 Hi. I'm William, the translator. 522 00:27:35,404 --> 00:27:36,864 HENRY: Pleasure to meet you, William. 523 00:27:36,864 --> 00:27:38,740 -William Henry. Nice to see you. -Absolutely. 524 00:27:38,740 --> 00:27:40,075 -William Henry. -I'm Giovanni. 525 00:27:40,075 --> 00:27:41,034 -Nice to meet you. -Thank you. 526 00:27:42,995 --> 00:27:45,622 HENRY: How did you come to find this evidence 527 00:27:45,622 --> 00:27:49,793 that in his-- one of his famous frescos is a hidden melody? 528 00:27:49,793 --> 00:27:51,670 (speaking Italian) 529 00:27:55,841 --> 00:27:57,301 ROBERTS (translating): So the first thing 530 00:27:57,301 --> 00:27:58,594 that really caught my attention was that this is 531 00:27:58,594 --> 00:28:00,804 the, uh, tablecloth of the Holy Mass. 532 00:28:00,804 --> 00:28:02,639 Right. 533 00:28:02,639 --> 00:28:04,933 ROBERTS: And there are some vertical lines along here, 534 00:28:04,933 --> 00:28:06,476 and also some horizontal lines, 535 00:28:06,476 --> 00:28:08,145 which prove to be very important. 536 00:28:08,145 --> 00:28:10,314 And as a musician, the first thing that came to mind 537 00:28:10,314 --> 00:28:12,941 seeing these horizontal lines, was a musical pentagram. 538 00:28:12,941 --> 00:28:16,028 Is the musical pentagram what we today would call 539 00:28:16,028 --> 00:28:18,655 -a sheet of music? -Yes, that's exactly right. 540 00:28:18,655 --> 00:28:22,659 So how did you bring this melody to life? 541 00:28:22,659 --> 00:28:25,329 (speaking Italian) 542 00:28:28,081 --> 00:28:30,000 ROBERTS: He says you can see here, the highlighted 543 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:31,793 -is these little pieces of bread, -HENRY: Right. 544 00:28:31,793 --> 00:28:34,922 of which there are many all across the table here. 545 00:28:34,922 --> 00:28:38,467 So he pinpointed the loaves of bread as being the notes. 546 00:28:38,467 --> 00:28:41,053 (Pala speaking Italian) 547 00:28:44,473 --> 00:28:47,142 ROBERTS: And another extremely important element that he noted 548 00:28:47,142 --> 00:28:50,562 was the lines of the sheet were exactly aligned 549 00:28:50,562 --> 00:28:53,315 with the hands of the apostles all across the table. 550 00:28:53,315 --> 00:28:55,317 So the elements that really gave life to this music 551 00:28:55,317 --> 00:28:57,110 are the loaves of bread 552 00:28:57,110 --> 00:28:58,946 and the hands of the apostles. 553 00:28:58,946 --> 00:29:00,948 -Okay. -(Pala speaking Italian) 554 00:29:03,367 --> 00:29:05,786 We have to remember an important fact that Leonardo 555 00:29:05,786 --> 00:29:08,956 had this peculiarity of writing from right to left. 556 00:29:08,956 --> 00:29:11,500 So now let's, uh, let's give it a listen. 557 00:29:11,500 --> 00:29:13,377 ♪ ♪ 558 00:29:58,714 --> 00:30:01,508 People have suggested that through meditation, 559 00:30:01,508 --> 00:30:05,846 chanting, and through vibration, essentially, 560 00:30:05,846 --> 00:30:10,017 that you can access this realm of knowledge. 561 00:30:10,017 --> 00:30:12,686 And this realm of knowledge is timeless. 562 00:30:12,686 --> 00:30:16,064 -(horn blows) -LAYNE LITTLE: Not only does the sound have the power 563 00:30:16,064 --> 00:30:18,066 to manifest all forms of phenomena, 564 00:30:18,066 --> 00:30:21,403 it also has the power to manifest 565 00:30:21,403 --> 00:30:24,281 how one perceives that very phenomena. 566 00:30:24,281 --> 00:30:28,994 In both Hinduism and Buddhism, as well Jainism, 567 00:30:28,994 --> 00:30:32,080 even religions such as Sikhism, you have specific mantras 568 00:30:32,080 --> 00:30:35,917 that are tuned to these deities. 569 00:30:35,917 --> 00:30:38,086 So these mantras are used 570 00:30:38,086 --> 00:30:42,090 both to create a rapport, connection 571 00:30:42,090 --> 00:30:43,800 with these deities, to summon them, 572 00:30:43,800 --> 00:30:45,302 to help you manifest them. 573 00:30:48,305 --> 00:30:50,849 NARRATOR: The idea that harmonic sounds 574 00:30:50,849 --> 00:30:54,394 or music might be the ideal means of communication 575 00:30:54,394 --> 00:30:57,773 with extraterrestrial beings was a key component 576 00:30:57,773 --> 00:31:01,318 of NASA's Voyager program in 1977. 577 00:31:03,695 --> 00:31:06,656 Originally designed as a pair of robotic probes 578 00:31:06,656 --> 00:31:09,951 which could collect and send back important information 579 00:31:09,951 --> 00:31:11,578 about the Earth's sister planets, 580 00:31:11,578 --> 00:31:14,331 Voyagers 1 and 2 581 00:31:14,331 --> 00:31:16,917 each carried a large golden disc 582 00:31:16,917 --> 00:31:21,296 onto which various images and sounds were recorded. 583 00:31:21,296 --> 00:31:24,091 The disc and its contents were the brainchild 584 00:31:24,091 --> 00:31:27,385 of famed astronomer Carl Sagan, who worked closely 585 00:31:27,385 --> 00:31:31,515 with space artist and science journalist John Lomberg. 586 00:31:31,515 --> 00:31:34,768 I felt that art, visual arts and music 587 00:31:34,768 --> 00:31:38,855 might be as legitimate a content of interstellar communication 588 00:31:38,855 --> 00:31:41,316 as math and physics, which he thought interesting. 589 00:31:41,316 --> 00:31:43,151 If they were to ask me 590 00:31:43,151 --> 00:31:45,403 what to send to establish communication, 591 00:31:45,403 --> 00:31:47,447 I'd send them music. 592 00:31:47,447 --> 00:31:50,408 The mathematical relationships 593 00:31:50,408 --> 00:31:53,203 that underlie most aesthetics, 594 00:31:53,203 --> 00:31:55,664 and whether you're talking about intervals in music, 595 00:31:55,664 --> 00:31:57,624 like harmony, 596 00:31:57,624 --> 00:32:00,335 or whether you're talking about proportion in architecture 597 00:32:00,335 --> 00:32:02,087 or painting, 598 00:32:02,087 --> 00:32:04,214 these things are not things that we just conjure up 599 00:32:04,214 --> 00:32:06,091 out of our own minds. 600 00:32:06,091 --> 00:32:08,510 They're a reflection of the beautiful fractal nature 601 00:32:08,510 --> 00:32:10,679 of the universe. 602 00:32:10,679 --> 00:32:14,182 Did you ever see the movie Close Encounters of the Third Kind? 603 00:32:14,182 --> 00:32:15,433 Uh, si. 604 00:32:15,433 --> 00:32:17,561 HENRY: The spaceship lands 605 00:32:17,561 --> 00:32:20,147 at the Devils Tower, and it starts playing tones, 606 00:32:20,147 --> 00:32:22,941 the language of the universe, 607 00:32:22,941 --> 00:32:24,943 and it loops infinitely. 608 00:32:24,943 --> 00:32:27,279 (speaks Italian) 609 00:32:27,279 --> 00:32:29,781 The melody begins with an E. 610 00:32:29,781 --> 00:32:31,491 (Pala speaks Italian) 611 00:32:31,491 --> 00:32:34,286 And it ends with an E as well. 612 00:32:34,286 --> 00:32:35,662 (Pala speaks Italian) 613 00:32:35,662 --> 00:32:37,497 And it can be repeated, 614 00:32:37,497 --> 00:32:40,041 um, pretty much infinitely. 615 00:32:40,041 --> 00:32:41,668 NARRATOR: If Leonardo da Vinci 616 00:32:41,668 --> 00:32:44,421 really did encode musical notes 617 00:32:44,421 --> 00:32:46,631 within his painting of the Last Supper, 618 00:32:46,631 --> 00:32:48,758 what was his purpose? 619 00:32:48,758 --> 00:32:51,970 Was he trying to convey an important message to humanity 620 00:32:51,970 --> 00:32:54,222 from another world? 621 00:32:54,222 --> 00:32:57,559 Or... was he trying to teach humanity 622 00:32:57,559 --> 00:32:59,978 the means by which it can communicate 623 00:32:59,978 --> 00:33:03,231 with its extraterrestrial ancestors? 624 00:33:12,449 --> 00:33:16,661 It is here, in what some would call an unlikely setting, 625 00:33:16,661 --> 00:33:18,955 that the world's most expensive work of art, 626 00:33:18,955 --> 00:33:22,000 Leonardo da Vinci's Salvator Mundi, will reside. 627 00:33:23,210 --> 00:33:27,797 Established in November 2017, 628 00:33:27,797 --> 00:33:30,759 this architectural marvel consists of a floating dome 629 00:33:30,759 --> 00:33:34,679 created from a complex geometric design 630 00:33:34,679 --> 00:33:36,765 of 7,800 interlocking stars 631 00:33:36,765 --> 00:33:40,727 that cast beams of light into the space below. 632 00:33:40,727 --> 00:33:43,104 Its appearance has been likened 633 00:33:43,104 --> 00:33:45,482 to that of a giant flying saucer, 634 00:33:45,482 --> 00:33:48,610 and the museum's architect, Jean Nouvel, 635 00:33:48,610 --> 00:33:50,779 says his goal was to emphasize the fascination 636 00:33:50,779 --> 00:33:53,615 generated by rare encounters. 637 00:33:56,284 --> 00:33:58,745 TSOUKALOS: The museum looks like this giant disc 638 00:33:58,745 --> 00:34:02,374 with thousands of stars. 639 00:34:02,374 --> 00:34:05,001 Are they trying to signal something, 640 00:34:05,001 --> 00:34:08,713 or is it purely an architectural choice? 641 00:34:08,713 --> 00:34:11,883 NARRATOR: But why is this futuristic museum 642 00:34:11,883 --> 00:34:14,803 considered by many ancient astronaut enthusiasts 643 00:34:14,803 --> 00:34:16,930 to be the most appropriate setting 644 00:34:16,930 --> 00:34:19,724 for what others would consider a traditional depiction 645 00:34:19,724 --> 00:34:21,559 of Jesus Christ? 646 00:34:21,559 --> 00:34:23,311 And what is it 647 00:34:23,311 --> 00:34:27,107 about this 518-year-old Renaissance painting 648 00:34:27,107 --> 00:34:30,568 that compelled its owner to pay such a record price? 649 00:34:30,568 --> 00:34:32,570 $400 million is the bid. 650 00:34:32,570 --> 00:34:35,365 And the piece is... sold! 651 00:34:35,365 --> 00:34:38,368 (cheering) 652 00:34:38,368 --> 00:34:40,662 I'm looking forward to seeing what we've got inside. 653 00:34:40,662 --> 00:34:42,789 NARRATOR: During his meeting with art historian 654 00:34:42,789 --> 00:34:44,416 Dr. Michael Kwakkelstein 655 00:34:44,416 --> 00:34:47,335 at the Dutch University Institute for Art History 656 00:34:47,335 --> 00:34:49,713 in March 2017, 657 00:34:49,713 --> 00:34:52,716 ancient astronaut theorist and author William Henry 658 00:34:52,716 --> 00:34:55,927 -Ah, there we go. -decided to share his thoughts 659 00:34:55,927 --> 00:35:00,140 concerning da Vinci's recently discovered masterpiece. 660 00:35:00,140 --> 00:35:02,976 He's got that lion-like gaze, 661 00:35:02,976 --> 00:35:06,104 -just very powerful, staring directly at us. -Mesmerizing. 662 00:35:06,104 --> 00:35:08,273 Mona Lisa smile, slightly. 663 00:35:08,273 --> 00:35:12,360 But it's this crystal sphere that draws people in. 664 00:35:12,360 --> 00:35:14,904 This, in fact, is the Cintamani Stone, 665 00:35:14,904 --> 00:35:17,991 the wish-fulfilling gem of Tibetan Buddhism. 666 00:35:17,991 --> 00:35:20,785 NARRATOR: The Cintamani Stone? 667 00:35:20,785 --> 00:35:22,829 A legendary relic that appears 668 00:35:22,829 --> 00:35:25,248 in many examples of Buddhist art? 669 00:35:27,167 --> 00:35:30,587 But why would Leonardo da Vinci depict Jesus Christ 670 00:35:30,587 --> 00:35:35,008 holding an orb that features a Buddhist symbol? 671 00:35:35,008 --> 00:35:37,594 Gemani means "jewel," 672 00:35:37,594 --> 00:35:40,180 and chinta, in this case, is referring to "wishes." 673 00:35:40,180 --> 00:35:42,223 It's the jewel that grants wishes. 674 00:35:42,223 --> 00:35:45,393 If you look at deities like Ksitigarbha, 675 00:35:45,393 --> 00:35:48,229 he actually is holding it in his hand, 676 00:35:48,229 --> 00:35:51,399 and it looks like a little orb. 677 00:35:51,399 --> 00:35:53,902 And he can travel through all the six realms 678 00:35:53,902 --> 00:35:56,988 where various beings dwell. 679 00:35:56,988 --> 00:35:59,741 NARRATOR: In Buddhist scripture, the Cintamani Stone 680 00:35:59,741 --> 00:36:03,703 is often described as a wish-fulfilling crystal sphere 681 00:36:03,703 --> 00:36:07,290 and is most often seen in the possession of a Bodhisattva, 682 00:36:07,290 --> 00:36:10,043 or enlightened teacher. 683 00:36:10,043 --> 00:36:13,588 Much like Jesus holding the orb in the Salvator Mundi painting, 684 00:36:13,588 --> 00:36:16,174 the Bodhisattva is usually depicted 685 00:36:16,174 --> 00:36:20,679 holding the Cintamani Stone in the palm of his hand. 686 00:36:20,679 --> 00:36:23,139 But how would a 15th century Renaissance artist-- 687 00:36:23,139 --> 00:36:24,974 a Roman Catholic-- 688 00:36:24,974 --> 00:36:27,936 have known about a 10th-century Buddhist symbol? 689 00:36:27,936 --> 00:36:30,438 And why would he have included it 690 00:36:30,438 --> 00:36:33,316 in an otherwise traditional religious painting? 691 00:36:35,568 --> 00:36:37,737 For William Henry, a key to the answer 692 00:36:37,737 --> 00:36:39,989 may be found by noting the presence 693 00:36:39,989 --> 00:36:43,326 of three simple white dots, or stars, 694 00:36:43,326 --> 00:36:47,497 floating inside the transparent orb. 695 00:36:47,497 --> 00:36:50,792 We have those triple dots on that sphere 696 00:36:50,792 --> 00:36:52,877 that symbolize the three stars of Orion, 697 00:36:52,877 --> 00:36:55,422 indicating that there's this cosmic connection 698 00:36:55,422 --> 00:36:57,424 that they're trying to make. 699 00:36:58,717 --> 00:37:00,635 NARRATOR: Orion? 700 00:37:00,635 --> 00:37:03,096 The constellation that the ancient Egyptians believed 701 00:37:03,096 --> 00:37:05,932 was the place of origin for the gods? 702 00:37:05,932 --> 00:37:08,476 And whose three most prominent stars, 703 00:37:08,476 --> 00:37:11,229 which form what is referred to as Orion's Belt, 704 00:37:11,229 --> 00:37:13,732 are oriented in precise alignment 705 00:37:13,732 --> 00:37:16,568 with not only the great pyramids of Egypt, 706 00:37:16,568 --> 00:37:19,154 but also Teotihuacan in Mexico? 707 00:37:19,154 --> 00:37:21,281 HENRY: The ancient Egyptians believed 708 00:37:21,281 --> 00:37:23,992 that their gods, Osiris in particular, 709 00:37:23,992 --> 00:37:27,036 came from Orion. 710 00:37:27,036 --> 00:37:30,081 And that upon his resurrection from the Earth, 711 00:37:30,081 --> 00:37:33,376 Osiris returned to Orion. 712 00:37:33,376 --> 00:37:38,047 Is it possible that what this painting is showing 713 00:37:38,047 --> 00:37:40,508 is that Jesus himself 714 00:37:40,508 --> 00:37:46,014 is somehow from the constellation Orion, 715 00:37:46,014 --> 00:37:50,602 and that that is ultimately where we, 716 00:37:50,602 --> 00:37:54,022 as a human species, are from? 717 00:37:54,022 --> 00:37:56,900 We have this very powerful connection 718 00:37:56,900 --> 00:37:59,903 between the resurrection of Osiris, going to Orion, 719 00:37:59,903 --> 00:38:04,908 and Christ ultimately returning from Orion. 720 00:38:04,908 --> 00:38:08,203 When we look at Christ holding this crystalline orb, 721 00:38:08,203 --> 00:38:10,955 it's trying to tell us that there's a... 722 00:38:10,955 --> 00:38:13,291 a higher intelligence that operates in our world. 723 00:38:13,291 --> 00:38:14,834 He tapped into it. 724 00:38:14,834 --> 00:38:16,836 But ultimately he's saying, 725 00:38:16,836 --> 00:38:20,590 there's a cosmic intelligence interwoven within human history. 726 00:38:22,300 --> 00:38:24,886 NARRATOR: Is it possible that Leonardo da Vinci 727 00:38:24,886 --> 00:38:28,264 was in possession of extraterrestrial knowledge? 728 00:38:30,809 --> 00:38:34,729 Ancient astronaut theorists believe the answers can be found 729 00:38:34,729 --> 00:38:36,439 by examining the artist's final 730 00:38:36,439 --> 00:38:39,025 and perhaps most prophetic work of art, 731 00:38:39,025 --> 00:38:42,987 one which many believe hides a startling portrait. 732 00:38:48,368 --> 00:38:52,080 NARRATOR: Amboise, France. 1513. 733 00:38:52,080 --> 00:38:54,415 At Château du Clos Lucé, 734 00:38:54,415 --> 00:38:56,835 a 61-year-old Leonardo da Vinci 735 00:38:56,835 --> 00:39:00,880 begins work on what will be his final painting. 736 00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:03,216 Three years later, he completes his portrait 737 00:39:03,216 --> 00:39:05,093 of an androgynous figure 738 00:39:05,093 --> 00:39:07,220 emerging from a shadowy background-- 739 00:39:07,220 --> 00:39:10,306 Saint John the Baptist. 740 00:39:10,306 --> 00:39:15,061 Picture this painting in a dimly lit chapel. 741 00:39:15,061 --> 00:39:17,272 Before lighting the candle, you don't see anything. 742 00:39:17,272 --> 00:39:18,940 -Right. -You light the candle, 743 00:39:18,940 --> 00:39:21,484 and the light of the flame illuminates the painting, 744 00:39:21,484 --> 00:39:23,945 and there emerges, against a dark background, 745 00:39:23,945 --> 00:39:25,947 Saint John the Baptist. 746 00:39:25,947 --> 00:39:27,490 And the pointing upward to heaven, 747 00:39:27,490 --> 00:39:29,158 saying: I'm from the light, 748 00:39:29,158 --> 00:39:30,827 I'm witnessing to the light. 749 00:39:30,827 --> 00:39:32,495 He's pointing to another realm. 750 00:39:32,495 --> 00:39:34,038 KWAKKELSTEIN: Oh, yes. 751 00:39:34,038 --> 00:39:37,125 This is where divine wisdom comes from. 752 00:39:37,125 --> 00:39:39,669 This is the source of everything. 753 00:39:39,669 --> 00:39:42,797 The first words of Saint John are, "I saw the light. 754 00:39:42,797 --> 00:39:45,383 -I will come to this Earth." -Wow. 755 00:39:45,383 --> 00:39:48,219 PICKNETT: Leonardo was encoding 756 00:39:48,219 --> 00:39:52,015 extraordinary secrets in his paintings. 757 00:39:52,015 --> 00:39:54,767 He wanted to imbue his work 758 00:39:54,767 --> 00:39:59,272 for the future generations with his own private message. 759 00:39:59,272 --> 00:40:02,984 His paintings are like portals to another world, 760 00:40:02,984 --> 00:40:05,111 where the real Leonardo inhabits. 761 00:40:05,111 --> 00:40:07,196 But whether we're big enough 762 00:40:07,196 --> 00:40:11,326 to accept what he has to say is quite another matter. 763 00:40:11,326 --> 00:40:16,372 I think he had some very subtle messages he wanted to convey 764 00:40:16,372 --> 00:40:20,126 to not the people of that time, but to the people of our time. 765 00:40:20,126 --> 00:40:22,337 And we have to look for it. 766 00:40:22,337 --> 00:40:24,797 Is he talking about extraterrestrials? 767 00:40:24,797 --> 00:40:27,342 Is he talking about the future? 768 00:40:27,342 --> 00:40:30,553 Investigators have recently found 769 00:40:30,553 --> 00:40:32,555 some pretty astonishing things 770 00:40:32,555 --> 00:40:36,059 about Leonardo da Vinci's painting John the Baptist. 771 00:40:36,059 --> 00:40:40,229 And they mirror the image to create a double image, 772 00:40:40,229 --> 00:40:43,524 and then through an enhancement process, 773 00:40:43,524 --> 00:40:47,028 they are able to bring out what seems to be 774 00:40:47,028 --> 00:40:49,989 the face of an extraterrestrial. 775 00:40:49,989 --> 00:40:52,158 It's a pretty unusual thing, 776 00:40:52,158 --> 00:40:55,078 and we know that da Vinci 777 00:40:55,078 --> 00:40:58,581 did use this mirroring technique. 778 00:40:58,581 --> 00:41:00,792 And so this isn't something that is so farfetched 779 00:41:00,792 --> 00:41:02,961 that he would do. 780 00:41:04,587 --> 00:41:08,716 Da Vinci is one of a long line of artists 781 00:41:08,716 --> 00:41:10,969 who have told us, beginning with the ancient Egyptians 782 00:41:10,969 --> 00:41:13,721 and running through the early Christians and Tibetans, 783 00:41:13,721 --> 00:41:17,642 that art is a medium, it's a conduit 784 00:41:17,642 --> 00:41:20,478 through which ordinary people can connect 785 00:41:20,478 --> 00:41:25,149 with higher-dimensional beings, even extraterrestrials. 786 00:41:25,149 --> 00:41:27,360 And I think this is the ultimate message 787 00:41:27,360 --> 00:41:29,946 that Leonardo placed in the codes 788 00:41:29,946 --> 00:41:32,156 and the symbols within his paintings. 789 00:41:33,783 --> 00:41:36,202 NARRATOR: Did Leonardo da Vinci experience 790 00:41:36,202 --> 00:41:39,998 an extraterrestrial encounter, one that opened his mind 791 00:41:39,998 --> 00:41:44,419 to what was once considered forbidden knowledge? 792 00:41:44,419 --> 00:41:47,505 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, 793 00:41:47,505 --> 00:41:51,801 and believe that da Vinci encoded his works in such a way 794 00:41:51,801 --> 00:41:54,721 that future generations could learn the truth 795 00:41:54,721 --> 00:41:57,724 about mankind's origins. 796 00:41:57,724 --> 00:42:00,309 And that, when fully understood, 797 00:42:00,309 --> 00:42:02,309 �3moovlmvhd؀�z؀�z