Original subtitles

IN ISRAEL, THE CRADLE OF THREE RELIGIONS,

COUNTLESS BIBLICAL MYSTERIES ARE STILL BURIED BENEATH THE SOIL.

YOU'RE STANDING IN THE PLACE YOU'VE READ STORIES ABOUT

SINCE YOU WERE A LITTLE KID.

OH, WOW.

IN JERUSALEM, RUMORS PERSIST

THAT KING HEROD'S TEMPLE TREASURES

LIE HIDDEN BENEATH A BYZANTINE CHURCH.

NOW, NEW TECHNOLOGY WILL LET US PEER BENEATH ITS FLOOR

FOR THE FIRST TIME...

IT'S KIND OF MENORAH-SHAPED.

...AND TO THE SOUTH, IN THE LAND OF THE EXODUS...

MOSES WOULD HAVE COME RIGHT THROUGH THIS REGION.

...THERE ARE NEW CLUES ABOUT THE TRUE STORY

OF A TOWERING OLD-TESTAMENT ICON.

COULD THESE BE THE INFAMOUS MINES OF THE GREAT KING SOLOMON,

AND COULD THIS SOLVE THE MYSTERY OF ANCIENT ISRAEL'S

ASTONISHING RISE TO POWER?

HOLY MOLY. LOOK AT THAT.

IT'S A GAME CHANGER.

WE'RE PLUNGING DEEP BENEATH THE SURFACE...

WHOO, BUDDY!

...AND PEELING BACK THE LAYERS OF TIME LIKE NEVER BEFORE.

WOW!

IT COULD REWRITE THE HISTORY BOOKS COMPLETELY.

BURIED DEEP BELOW THE EARTH'S SURFACE,

THERE ARE COUNTLESS UNSOLVED MYSTERIES.

AND TODAY, WE FINALLY HAVE THE TOOLS TO UNLOCK THEM.

THAT'S AMAZING.

IT'S SUPER DEEP!

I'M ROB NELSON, A SCIENTIST AND EXPLORER

INVESTIGATING OUR PLANET'S HIDDEN DEPTHS.

- GETTING DEEPER. - HOLY MOLY, STEFAN.

AND HELPING ME UNCOVER THESE SUBTERRANEAN SECRETS

IS TECH SPECIALIST STEFAN BURNS.

OH, MY GOD. LOOK AT THAT!

TOGETHER...

I GOT SOMETHING!

...WE ARE UNCOVERING NEW LEADS IN OUR QUEST

TO SOLVE EARTH'S MOST ENDURING MYSTERIES.

- THERE WE GO. - WHOO!

THESE ARE THE SECRETS OF THE UNDERGROUND.

Captions by VITAC-- www.vitac.com

IN ISRAEL, THE BIBLE COMES TO LIFE.

THIS IS THE LAND OF ANCIENT KINGS--

DAVID, SOLOMON, HEROD--

AND LOST TREASURES OF BIBLICAL PROPORTION--

THE ARK OF THE COVENANT, THE HOLY GRAIL.

BUT THERE'S ANOTHER TROVE OF SACRED RICHES

SHROUDED IN MYSTERY,

THE LEGENDARY LOST TREASURES OF KING HEROD'S TEMPLE,

THE TEMPLE JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF VISITED,

AND WHICH THE ROMANS UTTERLY DESTROYED.

IN THAT TEMPLE WAS HOUSED THE MOST PRIZED POSSESSION

OF THE ANCIENT JEWS, THE GOLDEN MENORAH,

AND IT'S WHAT STEFAN AND I ARE HERE TO FIND.

- WOW. - WOW, THERE IT IS.

IT'S HUGE.

SADLY, THIS ISN'T THE REAL THING.

IT'S A REPRODUCTION THAT STANDS IN THE JEWISH QUARTER

OF JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY.

"WAS RE-CREATED FOR THE FIRST TIME

SINCE THE DESTRUCTION OF THE SECOND TEMPLE."

THE HEBREW BIBLE RECORDS THAT GOD REVEALED THE DESIGN

OF THE MENORAH TO MOSES,

ITS SIX BRANCHES REPRESENTING HUMAN WISDOM,

GUIDED BY A DIVINE LIGHT AT THE CENTER.

THE GOLDEN MENORAH WAS THE CENTERPIECE

OF THE TEMPLE'S SACRED VESSELS,

INTENDED TO LIGHT THE WAY FOR JEWS UNTIL THE END OF TIME,

UNTIL THE ROMANS INTERVENED.

IN 70 A.D., THE EMPEROR'S MIGHTY LEGIONS SACKED JERUSALEM.

BLOOD FLOWED IN THE STREETS AS THOUSANDS OF JEWS PERISHED.

HEROD'S GREAT TEMPLE WAS UTTERLY DEMOLISHED.

IN THE CHAOS, THE SACRED VESSELS WERE STOLEN AWAY,

AND ALL TRACES OF BIBLICAL JERUSALEM

WERE ERASED FROM HISTORY.

BUT A RECENT DISCOVERY BROUGHT THE VIVID SCENE BACK TO LIFE.

WE'RE HEADING NOW TO THE HERODIAN ROAD.

WE'VE GOT THE CREW IN FRONT OF US WITH THE BIG CAMERAS.

JUST FEET BENEATH MODERN JERUSALEM,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVERED A FULLY INTACT ROAD

LEADING UP TO THE TEMPLE MOUNT,

LOST TO HISTORY SINCE THE ROMAN SACKING.

IT'S A STUNNING GLIMPSE INTO THE WORLD OF HEROD, CHRIST,

AND THE ROMAN LEGIONS WHO STOLE THE GOLDEN MENORAH.

WOW. LOOK AT THIS.

NOW A LEGION OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS

IS WORKING FEVERISHLY TO RECLAIM IT.

WITH AN ASSEMBLY LINE OF ARTIFACTS

SHIPPING UP FROM THE DEPTHS EVERY DAY...

MORAN...

- HELLO, NICE SEEING YOU. - HOW ARE YOU DOING?

...MORAN HAGBI IS THE EXCAVATION'S CODIRECTOR.

THIS IS AN AMAZING OPERATION YOU'VE GOT GOING HERE.

- YOU WANT TO JOIN ME AND SEE... - YEAH, AFTER YOU.

MORAN SAYS THE JEWS OF JESUS' TIME

WOULD HAVE WALKED THIS ROAD

DURING THEIR ANNUAL PILGRIMAGE TO THE TEMPLE.

WOW.

BUT IT'S ALSO THE ROUTE ROMAN SOLDIERS WOULD HAVE USED

TO SACK THE TEMPLE,

STEAL THE TREASURES AND DESTROY THE CITY.

WE HAVE SOME ARTIFACTS THAT WERE FOUND HERE.

NO WAY.

OH, WOW.

JEWISH FORCES WERE NO MATCH FOR THIS MILITARY MIGHT,

SO THEY TURNED TO GUERRILLA TACTICS.

WHILE ROMANS MARCHED OVER THIS ROAD,

THE JEWS MOVED BENEATH IT,

USING THE CITY'S 1st-CENTURY SEWER SYSTEM

TO CATCH THE ENEMY OFF GUARD.

THOSE ARE ORIGINAL MANHOLE COVERS?

YEAH.

NEARLY 2,000 YEARS LATER,

THESE TUNNELS ARE STILL PERFECTLY INTACT...

HOLY MOLY.

...ENDURING AS A SURVIVING WITNESS

TO THE END OF THE BIBLICAL AGE.

WOW.

THE TUNNEL STRETCHES FROM THE TEMPLE MOUNT ALMOST A MILE

TO ALL THE WAY OUTSIDE THE CITY WALLS.

FOR MANY JEWS UNDER SIEGE, IT OFFERED THE ONLY HOPE OF ESCAPE.

SO THEY WERE HIDING DOWN HERE FOR WEEKS, EVEN MONTHS,

AS THE ROMANS WERE UP ABOVE.

IMAGINE THE FEAR THAT THEY MUST HAVE HAD.

YOU WERE SAFE NOWHERE YOU WENT.

AS THE JEWS FLED THE CITY IN DROVES,

THE ROMANS PLUNDERED ALL THEY LEFT BEHIND,

INCLUDING HEROD'S TEMPLE TREASURES.

THE GOLDEN MENORAH AND OTHER SACRED RELICS

WERE CARTED BACK TO ROME

AND PARADED TRIUMPHANTLY THROUGH THE STREETS.

THAT MOMENT IS CELEBRATED ON THE ARCH OF TITUS

NEXT TO THE COLOSSEUM.

THE MESSAGE WAS CLEAR-- THE ROMANS HAD CONQUERED

THE HEART AND SOUL OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE.

AS THE LEGEND GOES,

ESSENTIALLY THEY HAD THE TEMPLE TREASURES

IN THEIR POSSESSION

FOR SEVERAL CENTURIES, AND THEN...

THE COLLAPSE OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.

WELL, THAT'S WHERE IT GETS FUZZY.

AS ROME FELL, CHRISTIANITY ROSE.

THE HOLY LAND BECAME THE MOST IMPORTANT PILGRIMAGE SPOT

FOR THE NEW RELIGION'S FOLLOWERS.

RECOGNIZING THIS, BYZANTINE EMPEROR JUSTINIAN

BUILT A COLOSSAL CHURCH IN 534 A.D.

TO SYMBOLIZE THE TRIUMPH OF CHRISTIANITY.

IT WAS CALLED THE NEAH, OR NEW, CHURCH,

AND THERE ARE WRITTEN RECORDS THAT SUGGEST IT BECAME

THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF THE ANCIENT TEMPLE TREASURES

BECAUSE JUSTINIAN, WHO HAD INHERITED THEM FROM ROME,

WAS CONVINCED HE WOULD BE CURSED

IF THEY WEREN'T RETURNED TO THEIR RIGHTFUL CITY.

WE DON'T KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO IT AFTER THAT.

NOTHING WAS EVER FOUND AFTER THAT POINT.

THERE WAS VERY LITTLE DOCUMENTATION,

SO IT COULD VERY WELL STILL BE

AT THE BOTTOM OF THE NEAH CHURCH.

LET'S GET TO THE CHURCH AND SEE WHAT WE CAN FIND.

YEAH.

1,500 YEARS AGO,

THE NEAH CHURCH DOMINATED JERUSALEM'S SKYLINE,

BUT WHAT REMAINS OF IT TODAY

IS JUST THE STRUCTURE'S NEGLECTED BASEMENT.

IT HASN'T BEEN EXPLORED SINCE THE 1970s,

LONG BEFORE MODERN TECH

GAVE US THE ABILITY TO SEE THROUGH WALLS AND FLOORS,

BUT STEFAN AND I HAVE BEEN GRANTED UNPRECEDENTED ACCESS

TO SURVEY ITS DEPTHS IN SEARCH OF THE TREASURE.

OH, WOW. LOOK AT THIS.

WALKING THESE FORGOTTEN HALLWAYS,

IT'S HARD TO BELIEVE THIS WAS ONCE

ONE OF THE MOST IMPOSING STRUCTURES IN JERUSALEM.

HOW DEEP DOES THIS GO?

I DON'T KNOW.

THAT'S WHAT WE'RE HERE TO FIND OUT.

OUR GOAL IS TO CREATE THE FIRST-EVER 3-D MAP

OF THIS FORGOTTEN CHURCH

AND SEE WHAT SECRETS MAY STILL LIE BURIED WITHIN ITS DEPTHS.

A LOT OF COBWEBS.

WE DESCEND UNTIL WE CAN'T GO DOWN ANY FARTHER.

OH, WOW. LOOK AT THESE ARCHES.

AMAZING, BUT IT SMELLS TERRIBLE DOWN HERE.

I KNOW THE ODOR WELL.

IT PACKS THE AROMATIC PUNCH OF BAT DROPPINGS.

- OH, WOW. - SO MANY BATS.

THESE ARE BIG, TOO.

THERE'S A WHOLE... OH, MY GOSH.

THERE'S A WHOLE COLONY RIGHT UP THERE.

THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF BATS, SPIDERS AND PIGEONS,

BUT IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ANY HUMANS

HAVE SET FOOT DOWN HERE FOR YEARS.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THIS WAS USED FOR?

I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, IT'S A HUGE AREA, THOUGH.

I MEAN, IT WAS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING THAT WAS USED

TO SUPPORT THE CHURCH ABOVE, THESE HUGE ARCHWAYS,

BUT WHY HAVE THIS UNDERGROUND AREA?

MAYBE STORAGE, MAYBE A PLACE TO PUT PRISONERS...

YEAH.

...MAYBE A PLACE TO PUT TREASURE.

THERE IS A TON THAT WE DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS CHURCH.

WE NEED TO ZERO IN ON DIFFERENT AREAS HERE

THAT WOULD BE THE MOST SUSPECT.

TO IDENTIFY THOSE AREAS, WE'RE GOING TO START WITH THE LiDAR.

IT USES PULSES OF LIGHT TO SCAN SURFACES IN VERY FINE DETAIL.

IT'LL GIVE US A FEEL FOR THE SPACE,

THEN WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHERE WE RUN THE OTHER INSTRUMENTS.

YEAH.

OKAY.

THIS CHURCH WAS ABANDONED SO LONG AGO,

SOME MIGHT CONSIDER OUR SEARCH A PIPE DREAM,

BUT I'M HOPING THE LiDAR WILL REVEAL THE CHURCH'S NOOKS

AND CRANNIES IN A BRAND-NEW LIGHT.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S GET THAT DATA OFF.

THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART.

YOU DID A FANTASTIC SURVEY, TONS OF POINTS.

WILL OUR CUTTING-EDGE 3-D MAP BREAK NEW GROUND

IN THE CASE OF THE MISSING TEMPLE TREASURES?

- THERE WE GO. - OH, BUDDY.

AND COULD WE BE ON THE VERGE OF FINALLY UNEARTHING

THE GOLDEN MENORAH?

WHAT IS THAT RIGHT THERE?

WE'VE GOT TO LOOK AT THIS A LOT MORE.

STEFAN AND I ARE IN JERUSALEM'S OLD CITY,

JUST OUTSIDE THE RUINS OF THE NEAH CHURCH.

WE'VE JUST CREATED THE FIRST-EVER 3-D MAP

OF THE CHURCH'S SUB-BASEMENT,

HOPING TO GAUGE WHERE KING HEROD'S

LONG-LOST TEMPLE TREASURES MIGHT BE HIDDEN.

THERE WE GO.

OH, BUDDY.

AND OUR MAP IS ALREADY REVEALING FASCINATING NEW CLUES.

THE NEAH'S LOWEST LEVEL IS PARTICULARLY INTRIGUING.

OH, YEAH. LOOK AT THAT.

OH, NOW THAT'S INTERESTING.

IT'S FAR MORE UNEVEN THAN IT APPEARED IN PERSON,

AND IT LOOKS SLANTED, WHICH COULD MEAN

THERE ARE SECRETS BURIED BENEATH IT.

THAT RIGHT THERE IS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.

HA!

SO GREEN IS LOWER ELEVATION.

ORANGE IS HIGHER.

AND YOU CAN SEE IT SLOPES.

I HAD NO IDEA THAT IT WOULD SLOPE OVER THAT DISTANCE.

IT LOOKED FLAT.

YEAH, AND YOU CAN REALLY TELL RIGHT THERE.

YEAH.

I MEAN, THAT COULD BE CENTURIES OF BAT POOP,

OR THERE COULD BE SOMETHING THERE.

THERE'S MORE TO THIS SPOT THAN WE CAN SEE.

THAT'S FOR SURE.

I THINK WE NEED TO SCAN THE WHOLE SUBSURFACE WITH GPR...

MM-HMM.

...AND SEE WHAT THAT CAN BRING UP.

OKAY.

GPR STANDS FOR GROUND-PENETRATING RADAR,

WHICH WE CAN USE TO REVEAL ANY LONG-HIDDEN OBJECTS

THAT MIGHT BE LURKING BENEATH THE UNEVEN GROUND.

I'LL RUN THE GPR.

I'LL NEED YOUR HELP SETTING UP A GRID.

ALL RIGHT. WE'VE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF WORK TO DO.

- YEAH. COOL. - LET'S GET GOING.

STEFAN AND I ARE USED TO LUGGING OUR TECH AROUND CAVES

AND FIELDS, CITY STREETS NOT SO MUCH.

I THINK IT LOOKS A LITTLE SUSPICIOUS

CARRYING THAT THING AROUND.

I DON'T THINK ANYBODY KNOWS WHAT IT IS.

PEOPLE, THEY'RE LIKE, "NICE LAWNMOWER."

THIS IS OUR BABY STROLLER.

ROB, YOU WANT TO SIT IN THERE?

ONCE WE'RE BACK IN THE BASEMENT, WE GET TO WORK.

IF YOU COULD HELP ME MEASURE...

- ALL RIGHT. - ...THAT WOULD BE GREAT.

AW, DEAD BAT.

OH, BAT POOP ALL OVER MY HANDS.

GROSS.

- WHAT DO WE GOT? - 16.07.

THE ODOR DOWN HERE PACKS AN AWFUL PUNCH.

THE ROOM IS FEELING SMALLER BY THE MINUTE.

OH, MY GOD.

IS THIS DUST NOT BOTHERING YOU, STEFAN?

IT'S THE NAME OF THE GAME.

I'M JUST FEELING A LITTLE BIT NAUSEOUS.

IT'S NOT JUST THE SMELL.

BAT DROPPINGS ARE A BREEDING GROUND

FOR AN ESPECIALLY TOXIC FUNGUS

THAT CAN CAUSE SERIOUS LUNG DISEASE.

IT'S LIKE PLAYING RUSSIAN ROULETTE WITH PATHOLOGY.

I'VE GOT TO GO UP. - ALL RIGHT.

I'LL GET STARTED WITH THE SURVEY.

ALL RIGHT. I'VE GOT TO GET OUT OF HERE.

SO NICE TO HAVE FRESH AIR.

I'M STANDING ON THE EASTERN SLOPES OF MOUNT ZION

RIGHT NOW.

QUITE A VIEW.

NO WONDER JUSTINIAN PICKED THIS SPOT FOR HIS NEAH CHURCH.

WHAT I FIND SO FASCINATING ABOUT THIS CITY

IS THAT YOU BASICALLY HAVE BUILDINGS

BUILT UPON BUILDINGS BUILT UPON BUILDINGS.

THEY'VE ALL BEEN DESTROYED OVER THE AGES

BY DIFFERENT CONQUESTS COMING INTO HERE,

AND THEN THEY TOOK THE RUBBLE, AND THEY BUILT NEW CITIES,

AND THAT GOES BACK FOR MILLENNIA.

THE NEAH IS JUST ONE MORE EXAMPLE

OF THIS ARCHAEOLOGICAL LAYER CAKE,

BUT ITS LAYERS MAY STILL BE HIDING BURIED TREASURE.

SO WHILE STEFAN CONTINUES HIS SURVEY,

I MEET UP WITH AN ARCHAEOLOGIST

WHO BRINGS ME TO THE EXTERIOR WALL OF THE NEAH.

HE TELLS ME THE CHURCH WAS BOTH THE IDEAL HIDING SPOT

AND, LATER, THE PERFECT TARGET.

NOT A MAIN TOURIST ATTRACTION ANYMORE.

NO. NO, UNFORTUNATELY.

DR. OREN GUTFELD HAS BEEN STUDYING THE NEAH CHURCH

FOR THE PAST DECADE.

OH, WOW.

- YES, IMPRESSIVE. - YEAH.

DESPITE CENTURIES OF NEGLECT,

YOU CAN STILL SEE TRACES OF ITS FORMER GLORY.

Dr. Gutfeld: RIGHT HERE, YOU CAN SEE THE ORIGINAL STONES

OF THE SOUTHERN WALL OF THE NEAH CHURCH.

OH, WOW.

AND THIS IS THE ORIGINAL PLASTER.

WHOA.

THE NEAH CHURCH WAS ONE OF THE BIGGEST CHURCHES IN ISRAEL,

IN THE HOLY LAND AND MAYBE IN THE ENTIRE MIDDLE EAST.

REALLY?

YES, AND IT'S NOT ONLY A CHURCH.

IT'S A COMPLEX.

THE CHURCH OWNED A HOSPITAL WITH 300 BEDS.

IT CONTAINED ALSO A MONASTERY AND A LIBRARY.

BUT HOW MIGHT IT HAVE COME TO HOLD THE TEMPLE TREASURES?

ACCORDING TO JUSTINIAN'S COURT HISTORIAN,

BYZANTINE FORCES RECOVERED THEM IN THE 6th CENTURY

AND BROUGHT THEM TO CONSTANTINOPLE,

MODERN-DAY ISTANBUL,

WHERE THE EMPEROR DISPLAYED THEM TO THE PUBLIC.

AND ONE OF THE JEWS RECOGNIZED THE TREASURES

AND SENT A MESSAGE TO JUSTINIAN

BEGGING HIM TO SEND THE TREASURE TO JERUSALEM.

THE RELIGIOUS MAN WARNED HIM THAT,

UNLESS THE SACRED ITEMS WERE RESTORED TO THEIR HOME,

SOMETHING TERRIBLE WOULD BEFALL THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE.

JUSTINIAN TOOK THE WARNING SERIOUSLY.

SINCE JUSTINIAN BUILT THE NEAH CHURCH,

AND THAT WAS THE CHRISTIAN CENTER

DURING HIS PERIOD OF TIME,

IT MAKES SENSE TO THINK

THAT THE TREASURES WERE BROUGHT OVER HERE.

IN FACT, THAT SEEMS SOMEWHAT LIKELY.

THAT'S CORRECT.

BUT THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN THE LAST PLACE

THAT WE KNEW THEY EXISTED.

JUST 70 YEARS AFTER THE NEAH WAS BUILT,

THE PERSIANS ATTACKED JERUSALEM.

I READ THAT, WHEN THE PERSIANS CAME IN

AND SACKED THE CITY,

THEY PAID PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO DESTROY THE NEAH CHURCH.

WHY WOULD THEY HAVE DONE THAT?

THE NEAH CHURCH WAS A SYMBOL.

THAT WAS THE SYMBOL OF CHRISTIANITY

IN THE LATE BYZANTINE PERIOD,

SO TO DESTROY THE NEAH CHURCH IS A SYMBOL AS WELL.

DO YOU THINK THEY WERE LOOKING FOR SOMETHING?

OF COURSE. IF THE TREASURES WERE HERE,

OF COURSE THEY WERE LOOKING FOR IT.

DID THE PERSIANS FIND THE TREASURES AND CART THEM AWAY?

OR DID A QUICK-THINKING PRIEST HIDE THEM BENEATH THE CHURCH

BEFORE THEY HAD THE CHANCE?

THESE QUESTIONS WENT UNANSWERED FOR 1,400 YEARS,

ONLY TO BE REIGNITED IN THE 1970s

WHEN AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL TEAM FROM HEBREW UNIVERSITY

UNCOVERED THE RUINS.

A LOT WAS LEFT FROM THE NEAH CHURCH,

BUT UNFORTUNATELY, IT WAS NOT EXCAVATED.

WHY WASN'T MORE OF IT EXCAVATED?

BECAUSE THE AREA OF THE NEAH CHURCH

WAS PLANNED TO BE A PARKING LOT,

SO THEY DIDN'T WANT TO INVEST A LOT OF MONEY TO EXCAVATE.

THE PARKING LOT NOW COVERS MUCH OF THE SITE.

SO WE CAN ONLY SEE A PART OF THE NEAH CHURCH.

THERE'S JUST A LITTLE TINY PART.

THE REST OF IT IS UNDER THE PARKING LOT

OF THE JEWISH QUARTER, AND BY MODERN HOUSES

THAT WERE BUILT IN THE 19th CENTURY.

SOME OF THE CHURCH'S SUBTERRANEAN PORTIONS

WERE LEFT INTACT,

AND UNTIL THE NEAH CAN BE EXCAVATED,

THE ONLY WAY TO DETECT WHAT'S BENEATH IT

IS THROUGH HIGH-TECH MAPPING LIKE THE ONE STEFAN

IS DOING RIGHT NOW, AND HE'S FINISHING UP.

HEY, TAKE A LOOK AT THIS.

THIS IS THE GPR DATA.

LET ME GET IT RIGHT IN THE CENTER.

IMMEDIATELY ONE AREA IS STANDING OUT FROM THE REST.

WHAT IS THAT RIGHT THERE?

THERE'S A BIG BLOB RIGHT THERE NEAR THE STAIRCASE.

MY HEART SKIPS A BEAT.

THAT DEFINITELY LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING RIGHT THERE.

THAT'S REALLY UNUSUAL.

ARE WE ON THE VERGE OF SOLVING A 2,000-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY

AND UNEARTHING ANCIENT JERUSALEM'S GREATEST RICHES?

IT'S KIND OF MENORAH-SHAPED.

STEFAN AND I ARE IN JERUSALEM

SEARCHING FOR THE LEGENDARY LOST TEMPLE TREASURES.

OUR GPR SCAN HAS REVEALED A BIZARRE,

MENORAH-SHAPED OBJECT BENEATH THE FLOOR.

IT'S AT LEAST CANDLE-SHAPED.

I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS.

MAYBE A CAVE THAT WAS FILLED IN.

NO.

THERE'S AT LEAST A GIANT BOULDER DOWN THERE.

THERE'S A COUPLE OTHER PLACES THAT I SEE SOME STUFF.

IS THAT WHAT YOU'RE SEEING?

YEAH, DEFINITELY SOME SUSPECT AREAS HERE.

SO MY TAKE-HOME HERE

IS THAT THIS GROUND IS NOT HOMOGENEOUS.

THERE'S STUFF DOWN THERE.

WE JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT. - YEAH.

I THINK WE SHOULD GET SOME MORE DATA.

IF WE'RE LOOKING FOR A CACHE OF TREASURE, LET'S SAY,

IT'S GOING TO BE CONDUCTIVE.

METALLIC OBJECTS LIKE THE GOLDEN MENORAH

ARE CONSIDERED HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE

BECAUSE OF HOW EASILY ELECTRICITY

TRAVELS THROUGH THEM,

AND WE HAVE JUST THE GADGET TO TEST FOR METALS.

IT'S CALLED AN ELECTROMAGNETIC PROFILER, OR E.M. FOR SHORT.

WE TAKE MULTIPLE DEPTH MEASUREMENTS WITH THAT

AND THEN SEE IF THERE'S ANY,

YOU KNOW, HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE AREAS THERE.

THAT'S A GOOD IDEA. CHEERS.

THE NEXT MORNING, STEFAN AND I RETURN TO THE NEAH

WITH THE E.M. IN TOW.

I'M THINKING WE DO IT AT ALL THE INTERSECTIONS,

SO THERE, THERE, THERE, THERE.

IF THERE'S A LARGE BODY OF METAL DOWN THERE,

IT'LL PICK THAT UP.

SO THE BIG, GIANT MENORAH, IT WOULD PICK UP.

YEAH.

YOU CAN JUST WRITE THE DATA DOWN AS WE GO.

ALL RIGHT. TURN IT ON.

OKAY.

10. 70. 91.

LET'S GO TO THE NEXT SPOT.

30. 20. 4.

KEEP MOVING.

10. 84. 37.

OKAY.

12. 22.

10. 70. 30. 91.

20. 4.

EACH OF THE NUMBERS REPRESENTS

THE AREA'S LEVEL OF CONDUCTIVITY,

GIVING CLUES TO WHERE METAL MIGHT BE HIDDEN.

MIDWAY THROUGH THE SURVEY, OUR READINGS JUMP.

THIS IS UNUSUAL RIGHT THERE.

LOOK AT THAT.

IT'S A BIG JUMP IN CONDUCTIVITY THERE.

EVEN MORE INTERESTING IS WHERE THEY JUMP.

THAT'S RIGHT NEXT TO THE STAIRWELL.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHERE THE GPR SAID

THERE WAS AN ANOMALY, DIDN'T IT?

ROUGHLY IN THE SAME AREA.

WE FIND THE METALLIC READING APPEARS TO BE IN THE SAME SPOT

WE SAW THE MENORAH-SHAPED OBJECT ON THE LAST SCAN.

WE GOT TO LOOK AT THIS A LOT MORE.

YEAH.

SOMETHING'S LYING UNDERGROUND HERE.

I'LL GET A FULL 3-D PICTURE.

I THINK THAT'LL HELP US

RESOLVE EXACTLY WHAT'S THERE.

MOST PEOPLE VISITING JERUSALEM MIGHT SPEND THEIR EVENING

SEEING THE SIGHTS,

BUT WHEN YOU'RE HOT ON THE TRAIL OF A 2,000-YEAR-OLD MYSTERY,

THERE'S NO TIME FOR TOURISM.

SO?

SO I'VE GOT SOME STUFF TO SHOW YOU.

ARE WE ONTO SOMETHING?

I THINK WE'RE ONTO SOMETHING,

BUT IT MIGHT NOT BE WHAT YOU THINK WE'RE ONTO.

OH, WOW.

THAT DEFINITELY LOOKS LIKE SOMETHING RIGHT THERE.

THOUGH IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE MUCH TO THE UNTRAINED EYE,

THE ELECTROMAGNETIC SCAN HAS CONFIRMED

THAT THE MENORAH-SHAPED OBJECT IS MADE OUT OF METAL,

BUT STEFAN DOESN'T THINK

IT'S THE BREAKTHROUGH WE'RE HOPING FOR.

I'M JUST NOT SURE IT'S THE TEMPLE TREASURES.

HOW COME?

STEFAN SAYS HE NOTICED SOMETHING AS HE WAS PACKING UP THE GEAR.

THE MORE I WALKED OVER THE AREA, THE MORE THE DIRT AND THE MUD

ERODED OFF OF THE HARD BASEMENT LAYER...

MM-HMM.

...AND WHAT I FOUND CLOSE TO THE SURFACE

WAS A WHOLE BUNCH OF REINFORCED CONCRETE.

WELL, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE HAD REINFORCED CONCRETE

BACK 1,500 YEARS AGO.

NO.

STEFAN SUSPECTS THE CONCRETE DATES BACK

TO WHEN THE MODERN PARKING LOT WAS BUILT IN THE 1980s.

SO I THINK WHEN THEY DID THE RENOVATIONS OVER NEAH CHURCH,

THEY TIED THAT STRUCTURE IN TO THE BOTTOM

OF THE CHURCH WITH REINFORCEMENT.

THAT WOULD BE HIGHLY CONDUCTIVE,

SO IT WAS A FALSE POSITIVE.

SO NOTHING, THEN?

NO, UNFORTUNATELY NOT, BUT CHECK THIS OUT.

STEFAN ZOOMS IN ON THE OTHER AREA WE NOTICED AT THE CAFE.

THIS ONE WAS OFF TO THE SIDE, AWAY FROM THE STAIRWELL.

OH, YEAH.

A DENSE MASS SUSPENDED BELOW THE SURFACE.

IT COULD BE A BIG ROCK.

WELL, IF IT'S A BIG ROCK,

THERE WOULD LIKELY BE OTHER BIG ROCKS NEXT TO THAT ONE,

AND THEY WOULD ALL THEN SHOW UP SIMILAR,

BUT YOU'LL NOTICE 3 FEET DOWN,

THERE'S NO ANOMALIES ABOVE IT OR BELOW IT.

IT'S AN INCREDIBLY EXCITING LEAD SUGGESTING

WE'VE DISCOVERED A LONG-LOST COMPARTMENT

OR CHAMBER DEEP BENEATH THE CHURCH.

COULD THIS BE A SECRET BYZANTINE STORAGE AREA

THAT LAY UNDISTURBED FOR 1,400 YEARS,

ONE THAT COULD STILL BE HOLDING

THE GOLDEN MENORAH AND THE LOST TEMPLE TREASURES?

THIS IS WORTH INVESTIGATING.

OUR INVESTIGATION HAS LED US ON A JOURNEY

THROUGH JERUSALEM'S STORIED PAST,

AND BY CREATING THE FIRST-EVER 3-D MAP

OF THIS LONG-LOST CHURCH,

WE FOUND BIZARRE STRUCTURES BURIED BELOW THE GROUND

THAT BRING A BIBLICAL COLD CASE BACK TO LIFE

AND GIVE ARCHAEOLOGISTS AN ENTIRELY NEW PLACE

TO LOOK FOR SOME OF THE BIBLE'S

MOST SOUGHT-AFTER MISSING TREASURES.

OUR NEXT STEP IS TO GIVE OREN THE COORDINATES

OF WHERE TO BEGIN EXCAVATING

IN SEARCH OF THE LOST ARTIFACTS,

WITH THE HOPE THAT OUR HIGH-TECH MAP

WILL FINALLY UNEARTH NEW LEADS IN THIS ANCIENT MYSTERY.

DOESN'T THIS PUT HISTORY

IN A WHOLE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE FOR YOU?

YEAH. IT MAKES IT A BIG MORE TANGIBLE, YOU KNOW?

YEAH, IT'S MORE REAL, LIKE YOU'RE STANDING IN THE PLACE

YOU'VE READ STORIES ABOUT SINCE YOU WERE A LITTLE KID.

YEAH.

ISRAEL IS FULL OF BIBLICAL SECRETS

STILL WAITING TO BE UNEARTHED,

AND ONE OF THE BIGGEST UNSOLVED MYSTERIES

IS THE RISE OF THE NATION ITSELF.

HOW DID THIS BACKWATER REGIONAL KINGDOM

GROW TO BECOME ONE OF THE GREATEST EMPIRES

IN THE MIDDLE EAST?

TRADITION ATTRIBUTES ISRAEL'S RISE TO THE GREAT WEALTH

IT AMASSED UNDER KING SOLOMON, BUT IF THAT'S THE CASE,

WHERE DID THIS TINY DESERT KINGDOM

FIND SUCH IMMEASURABLE RICHES?

TO FIND OUT, WE'RE HEADING SOUTH FROM JERUSALEM

TOWARD THE RED SEA

TO AN AREA SOME ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE

ARE THE LEGENDARY MINES OF KING SOLOMON.

SOLOMON WAS THE SON OF KING DAVID,

OF DAVID AND GOLIATH FAME.

THE BIBLE DESCRIBES SOLOMON AS TWO THINGS--

WISE AND WEALTHY, REALLY WEALTHY.

JUST A GENERATION REMOVED FROM OBSCURITY,

ISRAEL'S KING WAS SUDDENLY RICH ENOUGH

TO BUILD A MASSIVE ARMY AND COPPER-LADEN TEMPLE

AND TURN THE YOUNG NATION INTO AN IRON AGE SUPERPOWER.

SCHOLARS HAVE LONG DEBATED

WHETHER THIS STORIED WEALTH WAS REAL

AND WHETHER KING SOLOMON CAN TRULY BE CREDITED

FOR PUTTING ANCIENT ISRAEL ON THE MAP.

FINDING THE SOURCE OF HIS RICHES WOULD FINALLY SOLVE

ONE OF THE GREATEST MYSTERIES

OF THE OLD TESTAMENT,

AND STEFAN AND I BELIEVE THAT SOURCE COULD BE RIGHT HERE

IN THE COPPER MINES OF SOUTHERN ISRAEL'S TIMNA VALLEY.

FOR 5,000 YEARS,

COPPER WAS THE TRUE CURRENCY OF THE ANCIENT WORLD,

USED FOR EVERYTHING FROM WEAPONS TO TEMPLES TO COINS AND JEWELRY.

WHOEVER CONTROLLED THE COPPER MINES CONTROLLED THE ECONOMY,

AND THERE ARE NEW HINTS THAT

THESE MAY HAVE BELONGED TO KING SOLOMON.

CHECK THIS ONE OUT.

IT'S A BIG ONE.

THEY LOOK LIKE A WHOLE BUNCH OF GOPHER HOLES,

HUMAN-SIZED GOPHER HOLES.

I WONDER HOW MUCH COPPER THEY PULLED OUT OF THIS.

LET'S GET INSIDE.

THE ISRAELITES DIDN'T CREATE THESE MINES.

PEOPLE HAVE BEEN MINING COPPER IN TIMNA VALLEY

SINCE ABOUT 5,000 BC.

THAT'S 7,000 YEARS.

WOW, THIS IS REALLY INTENSE.

GOD, IMAGINE WORKING IN THIS.

BUT IN THE PAST DECADE,

DISCOVERIES HAVE BEEN COMING FAST

AND FURIOUS BENEATH THE SOIL HERE,

AND THEY SUGGEST THIS PLACE REALLY TOOK OFF

IN THE 10th CENTURY BC,

RIGHT IN LINE WITH KING SOLOMON'S REIGN.

CHECK THIS OUT RIGHT HERE.

OXIDATION GIVES COPPER VEINS THEIR GREEN HUE.

OH, AND DOWN HERE. LOOK AT THIS.

THAT'S A REALLY GOOD VEIN RIGHT HERE.

YEAH, IT GOES ALL THE WAY THROUGH.

WHOEVER CONTROLLED THIS LAND IN ANCIENT TIMES

WOULD HAVE BEEN UNIMAGINABLY RICH,

SO COULD TIMNA VALLEY BE THE SITE OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES?

THAT THEORY WAS PROPOSED AFTER THE ADVENTURE NOVEL

"KING SOLOMON'S MINES" RENEWED EXCITEMENT

FOR THE ANCIENT LEGEND IN 1885.

BUT IN 1969, AFTER DECADES OF SPECULATION,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS UNCOVERED EVIDENCE HERE

THAT SEEMED TO PROVE OTHERWISE--

A SHRINE TO THE EGYPTIAN MINING GODDESS HATHOR

WITH INSCRIPTIONS THAT EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS,

THE GREAT RAMESSES II AND RAMESSES III

CONTROLLED THE MINES A CENTURY BEFORE SOLOMON.

THE EGYPTIANS SEEMED TO HAVE ABANDONED THE SITE AROUND THEN,

SUGGESTING MAYBE THE BEST COPPER VEINS HAD RUN DRY,

BUT NOW ANOTHER TEAM

OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS FROM TEL AVIV UNIVERSITY,

THE FIRST TO EXCAVATE OF THE SITE IN ALMOST HALF A CENTURY,

ARE SHOOTING HOLES IN THAT STORY.

HEY.

DR. EREZ BEN-YOSEF IS THE DIRECTOR

OF THE CENTRAL TIMNA VALLEY PROJECT.

WE DID. THE TUNNELS ARE AMAZING.

RECENTLY, EREZ'S TEAM MADE A SURPRISING DISCOVERY HERE,

SAMPLES OF CHARCOAL FROM THE 10th CENTURY BC.

THAT'S AT LEAST 100 YEARS AFTER EGYPTIANS

WERE ACTIVELY MINING HERE

AND SMACK-DAB DURING KING SOLOMON'S REIGN

IN ANCIENT ISRAEL.

AND NEW FINDS MAY FURTHER LINK TIMNA VALLEY MINES

WITH SOLOMON'S OLD-TESTAMENT WEALTH.

A FEW WEEKS AGO, EREZ'S TEAM STUMBLED ON

TWO VERTICAL MINE SHAFTS HIDDEN FOR MILLENNIA.

COULD THESE MINE SHAFTS HOLD THE KEYS TO UNLOCKING ONE

OF THE BIBLE'S GREATEST MYSTERIES?

WE'RE ABOUT TO FIND OUT...

OH, BUDDY. IT'S DEEP.

...IF I CAN SURVIVE THE WAY DOWN.

OH, GOD.

STEFAN AND I ARE IN THE ISRAELI DESERT,

INVESTIGATING ONE OF THE OLD TESTAMENT'S

MOST ICONIC MYSTERIES.

HOW DID KING SOLOMON AMASS SUCH A VAST WEALTH?

THIS NEWLY DISCOVERED MINESHAFT,

WHICH NO ONE HAS EXPLORED IN THOUSANDS OF YEARS,

COULD HOLD SOME KEY CLUES.

IT'S RIGHT UP ON TOP OF THE RIDGE HERE.

OH, MY GOODNESS. THIS IS A DEEP HOLE.

OH, GOD.

OH, MY GOD. THAT'S REALLY DEEP.

HAS ANYBODY BEEN DOWN HERE TO EXPLORE IT?

NO, NO. WE JUST FOUND IT...

- THAT'S AMAZING. - ...TO SEE WHAT'S THERE.

- CAN WE GO DOWN? - SURE.

WE SHOULD CHECK WHAT'S DOWN THERE DEFINITELY.

THE HOPE IS THAT INSIDE I'LL FIND TOOLS

OR OTHER OBJECTS THAT CAN BE DATED BACK

TO KING SOLOMON'S REIGN IN THE 10th CENTURY BC.

BETTER YET, MAYBE EVEN AN INSCRIPTION

REFERRING TO SOLOMON HIMSELF.

I'VE DONE MY SHARE OF RAPPELLING DOWN CLIFFS AND CAVES,

BUT AN IRON AGE MINESHAFT?

THAT'S A FIRST.

I THINK THIS IS HOW IT GOES.

- TWIST AND PUSH. - GOT IT.

LET ME GET MY HELMET ON.

- ALL OF US WILL BE READY. - ALL RIGHT.

SO I'M GOING TO GO STRAIGHT DOWN.

YEP. SO ONCE YOU ARE DOWN THERE,

YOU NEED TO LOOK FOR MINING TOOLS.

OR, EVEN BETTER FOR YOU,

TEXTILES OR ORGANIC MATERIALS.

ABSOLUTELY. SO IF YOU FIND ANYTHING ORGANIC,

THIS CAN HELP US DATE THE MINING ACTIVITIES,

AND THIS WILL BE FANTASTIC.

- OKAY. YOU READY? - READY.

OKAY, GOOD.

LET'S DO THIS.

YEAH.

WHOO, BUDDY.

- OKAY? - IT'S DEEP.

YEAH. I'M READY.

IT'S PRETTY TIGHT.

WOW.

ONCE MY EYES ADJUST TO THE LIGHT,

THE FIRST THING THAT STRIKES ME

ARE ALL THE GROOVES ON THE SIDES...

LOOK AT THAT.

...CHISEL MARKS LEFT BY THE MEN WHO DUG THIS SHAFT OUT BY HAND.

IN ANCIENT TIMES, LABORERS WOULD CROUCH

AND HOLLOW OUT THE GROUND BENEATH THEM

IN A CIRCULAR PATTERN,

LIKELY USING ONLY HAMMER AND CHISEL,

UNTIL THEY WERE MANY FEET BELOW THE GROUND.

AS THEY GOT DEEPER, THEY USED BURNING WOOD STICKS

TO LIGHT THE WAY,

MAKING THE ALREADY-HOT MINING SHAFT

AN INSUFFERABLE, SMOKE-FILLED CHAMBER.

AS I DESCEND, I'M FLOORED BY A SERIES

OF NOTCHES LINING THE WALL.

YOU CAN SEE ALL THE STEPS ALONG THE SIDE HERE ON BOTH SIDES.

IT'S BASICALLY LIKE AN ANCIENT LADDER DOWN HERE.

YOU COULD PROBABLY CLIMB DOWN THIS WITHOUT ANYTHING.

AMAZING.

OKAY. I'M GOING FURTHER.

YEAH, I'M GETTING OUT THE LIGHT.

OH, WOW.

THIS IS INCREDIBLE.

IT'S SUPER DEEP! JUST KEEPS GOING!

THE DUST GROWS THICKER WITH EVERY FOOT I DROP.

I WOULDN'T WANT TO BE A MINER DOWN HERE IN THE DAY.

IT'S REALLY DUSTY, AND I DON'T THINK YOU'D LAST VERY LONG.

DO YOU SEE THE BOTTOM?

I CAN'T SEE THE BOTTOM YET.

OH, THERE YOU GO.

I CAN SEE IT.

OKAY, I MADE IT TO THE BOTTOM.

HEY, THERE WE GO.

ACCORDING TO STEFAN'S LASER ANALYZER,

I'VE DROPPED ABOUT 80 FEET.

GIVE ME A LITTLE BIT OF SLACK SO I CAN CROUCH DOWN.

SLACK!

OKAY.

IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S POTENTIALLY FILLED IN.

- SO IT MIGHT HAVE BEEN DEEPER? - YEAH.

I'M THINKING IT MAY HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BIT DEEPER.

ARE YOU SEEING ANY BRONZE TOOLS?

I'M SEEING SPIDERS AND ROUNDED STONES, BUT NOT MUCH ELSE.

IT ALMOST LOOKS LIKE THERE WAS NO COPPER HERE.

I DON'T SEE ANY COPPER VEINS ON THIS ONE.

IT MAY BE THAT THIS MINESHAFT WAS DUG

JUST FOR PROSPECTING AND ABANDONED

WHEN NO COPPER WAS FOUND,

SO DID SOLOMON'S PROSPECTORS ARRIVE TOO LATE?

HAD THE EGYPTIANS STRIPPED THE VALLEY OF COPPER,

OR WAS THIS JUST ONE ISOLATED SWING AND MISS?

COULD YOU HURRY UP? WE'RE BURNING.

I'M GOING TO TRY TO CLIMB OUT LIKE THEY DID IN THE OLDEN DAYS.

ALL RIGHT.

IF I CAN.

IF I GET TOO TIRED, I'VE GOT ROPES TO CLING TO,

BUT MY ANCIENT COUNTERPARTS WOULDN'T HAVE HAD THAT LUXURY.

IF YOU LOST YOUR FOOTING BACK IN THE DAY, GAME OVER.

ALL RIGHT. YOU'RE BACK.

THAT WAS AMAZING.

I CAN'T HELP THINKING IF EREZ AND HIS TEAM

STUMBLED ACROSS THIS SHAFT JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO,

WHAT ELSE IS HIDDEN IN THIS VALLEY,

AND WHAT COULD IT TELL US ABOUT WHO CONTROLLED THESE MINES

AND THE GREAT WEALTH OF THE MIDDLE EAST?

WE'RE ABOUT TO COME FACE-TO-FACE WITH SOMEONE

WHO MAY HAVE THE ANSWERS BENEATH THE DESERT SAND...

LOOK AT THIS, PRETTY.

OH, MY GOODNESS. LOOK AT THAT.

...THE FIRST EYEWITNESS EVER FOUND.

IT'S A GAME CHANGER.

THE SUN IS BARELY UP IN ISRAEL'S TIMNA VALLEY.

BUT ARCHAEOLOGIST EREZ BEN-YOSEF AND HIS TEAM

ARE ALREADY HARD AT WORK,

TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THE COOL MORNING HOURS.

- FIRST TIME IN ISRAEL. - FIRST TIME IN ISRAEL?

WE'RE TRYING TO HELP THEM DETERMINE

WHETHER TIMNA WAS THE SITE OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES

AND THE SOURCE OF THE WEALTH

THAT BUILT THE BIBLICAL NATION OF ISRAEL.

AND NOW IN A STUNNING MOMENT OF DISCOVERY,

THOSE PEOPLE HAVE REVEALED THEMSELVES

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MILLENNIA.

EREZ'S TEAM HAS UNCOVERED TOMBS HERE IN THE PAST,

BUT NEVER BEFORE HAVE THEY FOUND ACTUAL HUMAN REMAINS.

THIS IS QUITE REAL.

THESE ARE SUPER WELL PRESERVED, IT LOOKS LIKE.

THE DISCOVERY IS SO RECENT,

THE BONES ARE BEING UNCOVERED AS WE SPEAK, AND AMAZINGLY,

I'M ONE OF THE FIRST TO GET A GLIMPSE AT THEM.

LOOK AT THIS. IT'S PRETTY.

OH, MY GOODNESS. LOOK AT THAT.

PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGIST HADAS AVNI

IS HARD AT WORK EXCAVATING THE NEW FIND.

SO WHAT'S THE PROCESS NOW?

WE'RE GOING TO TAKE THE FEMUR OUT FIRST,

THEN WE'RE GOING TO SLOWLY GO UP.

WHOEVER THIS IS, HE OR SHE HOLDS THE STORY

THAT COULD REWRITE THE HISTORY OF ISRAEL.

IS THIS A LOYAL SUBJECT OF THE PHARAOH,

KING SOLOMON, OR SOMEONE ELSE ENTIRELY?

I'M CURIOUS ABOUT TRYING TO DATE THIS.

IS THERE ANY WAY THAT YOU CAN TRY TO PLACE

WHEN THIS PARTICULAR BODY WAS BURIED,

WHETHER IT WAS EGYPTIAN OR SOLOMON'S TIME?

THAT'S DIFFICULT TO SAY.

THE SKELETON IS STARTING TO DISINTEGRATE.

IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S NO ORGANIC MATERIAL

LEFT IN THEM FOR CARBON DATING.

HADAS SAYS THAT, IN THEORY, OTHER CLUES

CAN BE USED TO DATE THE TOMB,

LIKE PERSONAL EFFECTS BURIED WITH THE BODY.

IT'S BASICALLY LOOKING AT EVERYTHING LIKE A PUZZLE.

EVERY PIECE CAN TELL US SOMETHING.

BUT THIS PUZZLE HAS MISSING PIECES.

YOU'RE ONLY SEEING HALF OF THE BODY.

IT'S TRUE.

PARTS OF THE UPPER SKELETON ARE GONE.

HADAS THINKS THAT'S BECAUSE GRAVE ROBBERS LOOTED THIS TOMB

AT SOME POINT IN ANTIQUITY.

AND SO THEY'D OPEN THESE GRAVES AND LOOK

AND JUST TRAMPLE AROUND THE SKELETON

LOOKING FOR THINGS THAT THEY FOUND OF VALUE

SUCH AS JEWELRY OR POTTERY.

THAT'S THE DRAWBACK OF A SHALLOW BURIAL.

THE CLOSER TO THE SURFACE A TOMB IS,

THE MORE SUSCEPTIBLE IT IS TO DAMAGE.

A TOMB BURIED DEEPER IS MORE APT TO BE UNDISTURBED

AND HOLD MORE RELIABLE CLUES ABOUT THE TIMNA VALLEY'S PAST,

BUT WITHOUT THE LATEST SCANNING TECH,

TOMBS LIKE THAT ARE VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND.

UNLESS THEY START RANDOMLY DIGGING IN THIS HARD ROCK,

THEY WOULDN'T FIND IT.

WE BROUGHT ALONG SOME STATE-OF-THE-ART DEVICES

THAT HAVE NEVER BEEN USED HERE BEFORE,

AND THEY MAY BE JUST WHAT EREZ'S TEAM

NEEDS TO FINALLY UNCOVER THE TRUTH ABOUT TIMNA VALLEY

AND THE LEGEND OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES.

SO I THINK USING SOME OF THE TECHNIQUES THAT WE HAVE,

WE'D PROBABLY BE ABLE TO ADD TO THIS STUDY A LITTLE BIT.

YEAH.

IF THERE WAS ANYTHING THAT WAS BELOW GROUND

THAT HAPPENED TO BE IN,

YOU KNOW, A CIRCULAR PATTERN, THE GPR WOULD SEE THAT

STEFAN'S GPR WILL TURN THIS DUSTY LANDSCAPE

INTO A NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN 3-D MAP

AND POSSIBLY REVEAL NEW TOMBS AND BURIED ARTIFACTS

THAT HAVE LAID UNDETECTED FOR MILLENNIA.

I THINK NEW ONES MIGHT POP OUT.

SO LET'S SET IT UP RIGHT HERE.

GOOD DEAL.

LET'S MEASURE THAT. MAKE SURE IT'S 20.

IT'S EXACTLY 20.

PERFECT!

YEAH, SO THIS IS A PERFECT SQUARE.

THAT'S WHAT WE REALLY WANT.

THIS IS WHY I BRING THIS GUY ALONG.

HE KNOWS HOW TO PUT OUT THE TAPE MEASURE

AND MAKE A SQUARE.

I'LL SET IT UP ON THE RIGHT PATH.

ALL RIGHT. LET'S GO.

WHILE STEFAN RUNS THE SURVEY, I RECONNECT WITH EREZ

TO GET A WIDER LOOK AT THIS VALLEY OF SECRETS.

SO HERE IS A GOOD VIEW OF THE TIMNA VALLEY.

COULD KING SOLOMON HIMSELF HAVE ONCE LOOKED OUT FROM THIS PERCH

ON A SEA OF WORKERS SMELTING HIS PRICELESS COPPER,

OR EVEN MOSES LONG BEFORE HIM?

TIMNA LIES NEAR THE RED SEA IN A NARROW SLIVER

BETWEEN JORDAN AND EGYPT ALONG THE SINAI DESERT.

YOU READ THE STORIES OF THE BIBLE,

AND, YOU KNOW, THE STORY OF MOSES AND THE EXODUS

WOULD HAVE COME RIGHT THROUGH THIS REGION.

RIGHT.

THE EXODUS HAPPENED IN THIS AREA.

THE LAND IS PARCHED AND PUNISHING,

NO WATER AROUND FOR 10 MILES.

UNLESS YOU WERE FLEEING THE PHARAOH,

EREZ SAYS THE ONLY REASON TO SET FOOT HERE WAS THE COPPER.

COPPER, IT WAS LIKE OIL OF TODAY.

IT WAS THE RAW MATERIAL FOR WEAPONS,

FOR AGRICULTURAL TOOLS,

FOR MANY OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS

IN THIS TIME PERIOD THROUGHOUT ANTIQUITY.

WE ARE TALKING ABOUT A MAJOR, MAJOR SOURCE FOR WEALTH

TO WHOEVER CONTROLLED THE PLACE.

AND THE BIG QUESTION IS, IF IN THE 10th CENTURY,

SOLOMON CONTROLLED THIS AREA OR NOT.

THE ANSWERS ARE HERE.

AND BACK DOWN IN THE VALLEY,

STEFAN MAY BE ABOUT TO REVEAL ONE OF THEM.

HOLY MOLY. LOOK AT THAT.

IT'S ANOTHER MORNING AMID THE ANCIENT MINES

OF ISRAEL'S TIMNA VALLEY.

BACK IN THE AGE OF EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS AND ISRAELI KINGS,

TIMNA'S BIGGEST PRIZE WAS COPPER.

TODAY, IT'S TOMBS.

FINDING A SEALED GRAVE WOULD BE LIKE FINDING

AN IRON AGE TIME CAPSULE.

IF ITS CONTENTS DATE BACK TO THE TIME OF KING SOLOMON

IN THE 10th CENTURY BC,

IT COULD OFFER THE FIRST PROOF

THAT THESE REALLY ARE HIS LEGENDARY MINES

AND VALIDATE OLD-TESTAMENT CLAIMS

ABOUT HIS LEGENDARY WEALTH FOR THE FIRST TIME.

- GOOD MORNING. - HOW ARE YOU GUYS DOING?

STEFAN AND I WOULD LOVE TO SHOW YOU

SOME OF THE GPR DATA THAT WE'VE COLLECTED.

FANTASTIC. LET'S HAVE A LOOK.

- ALL RIGHT. - SEE WE HAVE HERE.

SO WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR IS PATTERNS

IN WHERE IT BOUNCES OFF THE ROCK.

WHETHER OR NOT YOU DIG DOWN AND THEN YOU FIND JUST A ROCK,

OR YOU DIG DOWN AND FIND SOMETHING ELSE,

THAT'S WHAT'S A LITTLE TRICKY.

IT'S HARD TO TELL. ALL RIGHT.

LET'S LOOK AT THIS SECTION REAL QUICK.

ALL RIGHT.

ON THE TOP OF THE LITTLE RIDGE.

THIS IS A COMPLETELY OPEN AREA.

NOTHING HAS BEEN FOUND THERE.

AT LEAST NOTHING UNTIL NOW.

HOLY MOLY.

LOOK AT THAT.

- OH, WOW. - THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

LOOKS LIKE A DOUGHNUT.

LOOKS LIKE A LITTLE PIT.

THAT'S THE SHAPE YOU WOULD BE LOOKING FOR.

Ben-Yosef: IT MIGHT BE ANOTHER TOMB EVEN.

OUR CUTTING EDGE 3-D SCAN OF THIS VALLEY

HAS REVEALED WHAT APPEARS TO BE A LONG-LOST TOMB.

DO YOU GUYS SEE ANYTHING ELSE IN HERE?

OH, WOW. THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

THERE'S ANOTHER CIRCULAR SHAPE.

AND NOW ANOTHER TOMB-SHAPED OBJECT

COMES INTO FOCUS NEAR THE FIRST.

WHAT I THINK IS SO COOL ABOUT THIS IS, YOU KNOW,

WE LOOKED AT ONE OF THESE GRAVE SITES,

AND IT WAS ROBBED BY PEOPLE THAT HAD LOOTED IT...

YEAH.

YOU KNOW, AND HERE, POTENTIALLY IF THAT'S A GRAVE SITE

THAT'S UNDERGROUND, GOT BURIED,

IT COULD HAVE A LOT MORE

PRESERVED REMAINS INSIDE.

IT'S AN EXTRAORDINARY DISCOVERY--

TWO POTENTIALLY UNLOOTED TOMBS

JUST IN THE SMALL AREA WE SCANNED,

PERHAPS HINTING AT AN ENORMOUS BURIAL GROUND

LYING BENEATH THIS WHOLE STRETCH OF DESERT,

LEFT UNDISTURBED FOR MILLENNIA UNTIL NOW.

SO NOW, WHAT DO YOU THINK THE NEXT STEP IS?

Ben-Yosef: THAT'S QUITE EASY. WE HAVE TO GO THERE.

USE YOUR DATA TO MATCH THE COORDINATES EXACTLY

AND DIG THIS SPOT.

THIS IS OUR CHANCE TO FIND THE ORIGINAL ARTIFACTS

THAT THEY BURIED THE DECEASED WITH.

SO OFTEN, STEFAN AND I SEE THINGS ON OUR SCANS

THAT CAN'T BE INVESTIGATED ANY FURTHER,

BUT THIS FIND CAN,

AND WHEN EREZ RETURNS WITH PERMITS TO EXCAVATE AGAIN

A YEAR FROM NOW, IT COULD ACTUALLY REWRITE HISTORY.

THANK YOU. I APPRECIATE IT.

IF THE FEATURE WE FOUND IS REALLY A TOMB,

AND THAT TOMB HAS ARTIFACTS STILL BURIED WITHIN IT

THAT CAN DEFINITIVELY DATE THIS SETTLEMENT,

THE MYSTERY OF KING SOLOMON'S MINES MIGHT FINALLY BE SOLVED

AFTER 3,000 YEARS.

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