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00:00See right there?
00:00Yep.
00:01That's massive.
00:02That's been in there a long, long time.
00:03Yeah.
00:04That could be another vault.
00:05Welcome to Malta.
00:06Wow, look at this.
00:07It's quite amazing.
00:08It's just absolutely incredible.
00:09Yeah, it's stunning.
00:11Did this?
00:11Blueish.
00:12Clay.
00:12Blue clay.
00:13It was one of the keys in working in the money pit.
00:15This is evidence of what happened on Oka Island.
00:21There is an island in the North Atlantic
00:23where people have been looking for an incredible treasure
00:27for more than 200 years.
00:30So far, they have found a stone slab
00:34with strange symbols carved into it,
00:37man-made workings that date to medieval times,
00:40and a lead cross whose origin may be connected
00:44to the Knights Templar.
00:46To date, six men have died trying to solve the mystery.
00:51And according to legend, one more will have to die.
00:56A couple of objectives here for this group,
01:14and this is a perfect group because we're going to talk
01:16about the swamp, and we got the players right here.
01:20As another brisk fall day begins on Oak Island,
01:25brothers Rick and Marty Lagina and their team
01:28remain hopeful that before another harsh North Atlantic
01:32winter sets in, they will be able to finally solve
01:35a 230-year-old mystery.
01:39I like this group to kind of decide, you know,
01:42we don't have much time left.
01:43What do we want to accomplish?
01:45Rick's off in Malta right now, but when he comes back,
01:47it would be nice to give him a happy surprise.
01:52With search activities currently on hold
01:54in the Money Pit area, as representatives from SB Canada
01:59and ROC Equipment prepare the site for the team's
02:02deepest excavation yet in search of a fabled treasure,
02:07Rick Lagina and other members of the team
02:09have traveled to the European nation of Malta
02:12to investigate an incredible theory
02:15that numerous treasure deposits were made on Oak Island
02:19between the 12th and 17th centuries
02:22by the medieval order of the Knights Templar
02:25and a related group known as the Knights of Malta.
02:29And while Rick is away, Marty and Craig
02:34are leading the effort to search for possible clues
02:37and valuables across Oak Island
02:39with a focus on the triangle-shaped swamp.
02:44So what are we going to do?
02:45Well, the big thing we're looking for in the swamp
02:47at this point in time is artifacts,
02:50something they can say who or when.
02:53I'd like a why, too, Craig.
02:54All this weird digging and manipulating in a swamp.
02:57For what reason?
02:59The north area is where we found the vault.
03:03Yeah.
03:05In recent years, the team has been astonished
03:08to uncover numerous man-made structures
03:10throughout the swamp,
03:12including a massive paved feature near the center,
03:16which has been dated to as early as 1200 AD,
03:20and a stone road in the southeast corner
03:23that is believed to be as much as 500 years old.
03:28Doesn't that look like a vault to you?
03:31And this year, after uncovering sections
03:33of a mysterious cobblestone pathway
03:36in the northern region of the swamp,
03:38incredibly, the team uncovered
03:41an empty brick-and-slate vault-like feature
03:43that may be more than 300 years old.
03:48Rick thinks, you know, that vault is just one of many,
03:53and it sure could be,
03:54so we've got a big area that we could explore yet.
03:58Steve, can you show where we're expanded to?
04:00Okay.
04:03That area there.
04:06Now, the team will expand their search
04:09into the main body of the swamp
04:10with the hope that even more important
04:14and potentially valuable secrets
04:16are still waiting to be revealed.
04:19So we did dig in here
04:21all the way up to the road.
04:25Now we can expand westward,
04:26and we can do everything north.
04:29I've already staked this out.
04:30It's a huge area,
04:32and so there's a lot of ground we can dig.
04:34The swamp, as much effort as we've expended there
04:39and as much material as we've moved,
04:41we've still probably only looked into about,
04:43I don't know, maybe 20%.
04:45That leaves 80% unexplored.
04:49So there's plenty of room for more mysteries.
04:53You know, I know Big Brother Rick
04:54would certainly be delighted
04:56if we uncover another one of those vaults
04:58with a clue or something in it,
05:00which might also help us to understand
05:02why it's there.
05:03Yeah.
05:04All right.
05:05Billy, ask me what time it is.
05:07What time is it?
05:07It's time to dig.
05:10Let's go.
05:11As Marty and Craig
05:13conclude the meeting in the war room
05:15on Oak Island,
05:16more than 4,000 miles to the east
05:20on the island nation of Malta.
05:24Wow, look at this.
05:26What a beautiful day.
05:28Unbelievable.
05:30Rick Lagina,
05:30along with his nephews,
05:32Alex Lagina and Peter Fernetti
05:34and other members of the team
05:36have arrived in the capital city of Valletta
05:41to visit the historic site
05:44known as Fort St. Elmo,
05:46a 16th century structure
05:48that was built by members
05:49of the Knights of Malta.
05:52Welcome to Fort St. Elmo.
05:54This is just one of the many historical fortifications
05:58of Malta.
05:59But this one is a symbol for Malta
06:02because it proves the building skills of the Knights.
06:07And that's why today we're here with Matthew Balsan,
06:10who's an archaeologist,
06:11specialized in hospitaler studies.
06:13He's going to give us valuable insights.
06:16So, um, the Knights came to Malta in 1530.
06:20It was the Knights who actually placed us on the map
06:23and, uh, transformed us into an island fortress.
06:29After they set foot on Malta,
06:30they realized they had to start and construct something.
06:33Now, that was something which was on the mind of the order
06:36ever since 1305,
06:38ever since the Templars were subdued by the papacy.
06:41The Knights of Malta always worried
06:44that the same will happen to us.
06:49In the 12th century,
06:51the order of the Knights Templar
06:52was established by the Catholic Church
06:54to defend Christian interests in Jerusalem
06:57during the Holy Wars,
06:59known as the Crusades.
07:01With the military and medical support
07:04of a related group,
07:06the Knights Hospitaller,
07:07who later became the Knights of Malta,
07:09the Templars waged many successful campaigns
07:13for nearly two centuries
07:15and built fortified strongholds
07:18throughout the Middle East and Europe,
07:20some with elaborate tunnels
07:22and underground water systems.
07:26The order also grew incredibly wealthy
07:29by establishing a sophisticated banking system
07:32and were rumored to have found
07:35a number of priceless religious artifacts,
07:37including the Holy Grail,
07:40the Golden Menorah from Solomon's Temple,
07:43and the Ark of the Covenant.
07:46Treasures that some researchers believe
07:49the Templars began secretly transporting
07:51across the Atlantic Ocean
07:53around 1200 AD
07:55and buried them on Oak Island.
07:58But then, in the early 1300s,
08:03the Catholic Church and the King of France
08:05suddenly persecuted and dissolved the Knights Templar
08:09on controversial charges of heresy.
08:13Many were imprisoned and executed,
08:15but much of their remaining wealth
08:18and rumored religious treasures were never found.
08:22It has been speculated that these valuables
08:25were transferred to the Knights of Malta,
08:27along with secret knowledge
08:29about an established vault on Oak Island.
08:33And curiously, it is known
08:35that the Knights of Malta
08:37had a presence in Nova Scotia
08:39as early as the 17th century.
08:42We brought some artifacts with us from Oak Island
08:45that we'd like you to take a look at, if you would.
08:46Sure.
08:47Is there a place we can do that?
08:48Yes, we can.
08:49Up inside the fort.
08:50Excellent.
08:50And see them there.
08:51All right.
08:52Sounds like a great idea.
08:53We'll follow you there.
08:53Now, in Malta, Rick and members of the team
08:58are hoping to learn more information
09:00about possible connections to Oak Island
09:02that might explain the mysterious structures in the swamp
09:06and artifacts they have found,
09:09including the 14th century,
09:11possibly Templar-related lead cross,
09:14a button with a starburst design,
09:17which may be connected to the Knights of Malta,
09:20and a pickaxe recovered from deep in the Money Pit area,
09:24which scientific analysis has suggested
09:27could be of European origin.
09:30The reason for any of our research trips
09:33has been one single purpose,
09:36and that is to try to come up with answers
09:38regarding the Oak Island mystery.
09:41We believe that there was a trail
09:43to be followed here in Malta,
09:45hopefully associated with the Knights of Malta.
09:47We have a pick that we found.
09:51This was found in our Money Pit area.
09:53We put down a caisson.
09:55The name of the caisson was RF1,
09:57and this was found below 145 feet in the ground.
10:01Oh.
10:05Yes.
10:06So, this is a pickaxe,
10:09which was also employed locally.
10:11I can tell you no different
10:13than the ones used hundreds of years earlier.
10:15But this, the Maltese word for this is ba'un,
10:18because you are digging with it.
10:20Ba'un means digging,
10:22especially in the quarrying process.
10:25First, they would cut out huge blocks of stone,
10:28then cut them down with this.
10:31But pickaxes were also used
10:32in the digging of underground tunnels, for example,
10:36and this was employed in Malta for centuries.
10:41And their marks are quite visible,
10:44even after centuries.
10:47Wow.
10:52Pickaxes were used in the digging of underground tunnels
10:56in Malta for centuries.
10:58And their marks are quite visible,
11:03even after centuries.
11:05When the knights arrived here in the 1500s,
11:09that was already in use?
11:10Yes, yes, it was already in use.
11:12Yes, the pickaxe is quite an ancient tool locally.
11:16In Valletta, Malta, at Fort St. Elmo,
11:19a stronghold built by the Knights of Malta
11:21in the 16th century,
11:24historian Matthew Balzan
11:26has just suggested
11:27that a pickaxe recovered six years ago
11:30by the Oak Island team
11:32from deep in the Money Pit area
11:34is the same kind of tool
11:36that was once used by the Knights of Malta
11:38in the construction
11:40of their elaborate tunneling systems.
11:42Would a tool like that be used in limestone?
11:46Yes, it was the predominant tool
11:48to be used in cutting the stones
11:50with both the soft rock
11:52and even the hard rock.
11:55Did they make use of clay as a resource
11:57as part of the fortifications
11:59or anything else that they did?
12:01Partially, yes.
12:02Mostly clay is in the northern part of the island.
12:06We have a particular substance.
12:09It's called the fun.
12:10It's made out of the product of clay.
12:13It's made out of broken pottery,
12:14which would be crushed
12:16and mixed with the limestone
12:19for waterproofing purposes.
12:22We brought lots of broken pottery
12:23out of the Money Pit area.
12:24We sure have.
12:25We sure have.
12:27When the Money Pit
12:28was first excavated down
12:30to a depth of 90 feet in 1804,
12:34searchers reported finding
12:35a heavy man-made clay substance
12:37that had been used as a sealant
12:39to keep water out of the shaft.
12:43Curiously, the team has found
12:45not only heavy clay,
12:47but also small fragments of pottery
12:49during their excavations
12:51in the Money Pit area.
12:53The depth that we found this on the island,
12:56that's the type of material
12:57that's down in the Money Pit.
12:59Quite similar.
12:59Is it possible that those substances,
13:04as well as this pickaxe,
13:06could be evidence
13:07that might connect
13:09the Knights of Malta
13:10to the Oak Island mystery?
13:12It's incredible.
13:14The Knights of Malta,
13:15they were craftsmen extraordinaire,
13:18just like the Knights Templar.
13:20Both organizations
13:21built incredibly complex structures.
13:24Is there some overlap
13:26that the construction techniques
13:28learned by one
13:30were exchanged with the other?
13:33It's hard to believe
13:35that each arrived
13:36at their unique abilities
13:37and talents
13:38without some sort of cooperation
13:40and some sort of interaction.
13:43You know, Matthew,
13:44we want to say thank you.
13:46It is only through help
13:47from people like yourself
13:48that will allow us
13:49to move this story forward.
13:51Most welcome.
13:53My pleasure.
13:54While Rick and the team
13:56continue their investigation
13:57in Malta,
13:59back on the western side
14:02of Oak Island...
14:03We're still getting stuff in here.
14:05That corner is basically done.
14:08Yeah.
14:09Helen Shelton,
14:11Moya MacDonald,
14:12and other members
14:13of the archaeology team
14:14are searching for clues
14:16in a mysterious round feature
14:18near the shoreline of Lot 5.
14:21Ever since Rick,
14:23Marty,
14:23and the team
14:24began excavating
14:26the structure in 2022,
14:28it has yielded
14:29a number of important discoveries.
14:32These include
14:33varied types of stone constructs
14:36in the feature
14:36that suggest
14:38it was used as a campsite
14:40by a number of groups
14:41during different time periods.
14:44A mortar-like substance
14:46matching soils
14:48from over 100 feet deep
14:49in the Money Pit area
14:51and the so-called
14:53Starburst Button,
14:55which researcher Judy Rudabusch
14:57has potentially connected
14:58to the Knights of Malta.
15:01It's doing good today.
15:03The archaeologists
15:04have made some
15:05very interesting finds
15:06that suggest
15:08there were multiple people here.
15:10So, are there connections
15:11between Lot 5
15:12and the original
15:13depositional work?
15:14I hope that we can
15:16get to the point
15:17where Lot 5
15:18will reveal its secrets.
15:23Oh, nice.
15:24Look at this.
15:25Whoa.
15:26Whoa.
15:28Whoa.
15:29Oh, that's so pretty.
15:31Look at that.
15:32That's amazing.
15:33That's a great find.
15:35Hey, Helen,
15:35come look at this.
15:36You found something?
15:37Yeah.
15:37Check this out.
15:40Oh, my heavens.
15:40Look at that.
15:41It's huge.
15:42It's huge, huh?
15:43Wow.
15:44So, that's a slipware
15:46decoration.
15:47So, it's glazed
15:48and they put the slip on it
15:50and then they would
15:50trail an object through it
15:52to make that
15:52wiggly pattern.
15:54These coarse earthenwares,
15:56they have a wide date range.
15:58It falls well within
15:59like our mid to late 1700s.
16:01You can also find it earlier,
16:02but it didn't change
16:03that much over time.
16:04The interesting thing is
16:06over there in that pitch,
16:08that's where the starburst
16:09or the sunburst button
16:10came from.
16:11Oh, that's right.
16:11Yeah.
16:12Right.
16:12This area is actually
16:13quite interesting now.
16:14Mm.
16:15A piece of earthenware pottery
16:17that dates to the 18th century
16:20or earlier?
16:22Could it be connected
16:24to whomever left
16:25the starburst button
16:26in this feature?
16:27And if so,
16:28could it offer more evidence
16:30that members of the Knights
16:31of Malta
16:32might be linked
16:33to the Oak Island mystery?
16:35Nice.
16:36Very nice.
16:37Awesome.
16:38Yeah.
16:39Well, keep digging.
16:40Keep digging.
16:41As the archaeology team
16:43continues their investigation
16:45on lot five.
16:48Hey, Billy,
16:48what is the plan?
16:50We're going to keep going
16:51in this general direction?
16:52We'll take slices this way
16:54because we found a vault
16:55right over there
16:55and we've never really
16:56explored around here.
16:57Gary Drayton,
17:00Billy Gerhardt,
17:01Steve Guptill,
17:02and Charles Barkhouse
17:04are searching for more evidence
17:06of man-made workings
17:07and valuables
17:08in the northern region
17:10of the swamp.
17:12I'm hoping we find
17:13another vault as well.
17:14That vault was really cool.
17:17When you find something strange
17:18and out of place,
17:20like the square-shaped vault
17:23and it's on Oak Island,
17:25I think it's a logical conclusion
17:28there might be more of them.
17:29I don't know.
17:30Maybe there's something inside it,
17:32so we need to look for them.
17:34Look at that.
17:35What do you see?
17:36Look at that timber right there.
17:38See right there?
17:39Right there.
17:40We've already uncovered
17:42a piece of timber,
17:44which is a great sign
17:45because we have found
17:47some incredible man-made structures.
17:50Hopefully, we're close
17:52to an old feature.
17:54Hey, Charles.
17:55Hey, Marty.
17:55How are we doing?
17:57There's quite a substantial log
17:58right there.
18:00You came at a good time
18:02because we're just trying
18:02to figure out what this is.
18:04Yeah, let's have a look.
18:17That was a big log.
18:19Yeah.
18:20It does look like
18:21there could be real potential
18:22that something might have been
18:23built up here, right?
18:24Yeah.
18:25Could Billy be correct
18:27that the team
18:28has just found part
18:29of another man-made structure
18:31buried under the muck
18:32in the swamp?
18:34If so,
18:35just what might they reveal
18:36as they uncover more of it?
18:39There's another log right there.
18:40See that?
18:41Yeah.
18:42A little one.
18:47My view would be
18:48that's been in there
18:49a long, long time.
18:50That's an important piece there.
18:52Looks like it's cut
18:52on that end, too.
18:54It's notched,
18:55like a structure.
18:55Hopefully, it's something
18:59we could uncover here.
19:03It's notched,
19:03like a structure.
19:05Maybe you're coming
19:06into something.
19:07In the northern region
19:09of the Oak Island Swamp,
19:11Marty Lagina,
19:12along with other members
19:13of the team,
19:14have just discovered
19:15evidence of another
19:16man-made wooden structure.
19:18Okay, let's start
19:20with things
19:21that are absolutely
19:21for sure.
19:23For sure,
19:23somebody built this
19:24to get out here.
19:25I don't think there's
19:26any way to argue that.
19:27No.
19:27The question is,
19:28why and who?
19:30Yeah, were they looking
19:30for the vault that we found,
19:32or did they know
19:32that that one was there
19:33because they...
19:34There's another one.
19:36A whole bunch of activity
19:38occurred in the swamp.
19:39The swamp was manipulated.
19:41If not man-made,
19:42entirely at least manipulated.
19:44It would have been used
19:45for something
19:45very, very important.
19:47and very secretive,
19:49but none of this
19:50is easy work.
19:52Particularly long ago,
19:53why somebody would do
19:54something like that
19:55remains a mystery.
19:57Billy, we're only going
19:58to find out by digging.
19:59Yep.
20:00Let's dig.
20:01And see what we see.
20:06The following morning,
20:07while the team
20:09works to uncover
20:10the mysterious wooden structure
20:12in the swamp
20:13on Oak Island,
20:14more than 4,000 miles
20:18to the east
20:18in Valletta, Malta.
20:20Hello.
20:22Good to see you.
20:23How are you?
20:24Hi.
20:25Nice to see you again.
20:25Nice to see you again.
20:26Hi.
20:27So, guys,
20:28we are in the heart
20:30of Valletta.
20:31Researcher Emiliano
20:33Zacchetti
20:33has arranged
20:34for Rick Lagina
20:35and other members
20:36of the team
20:37to meet investigative journalist
20:39Jean-Paul Mifsud
20:40for a guided tour
20:42of one of Malta's
20:43most mysterious
20:44and renowned features.
20:47Jean-Paul Mifsud
20:48is going to be our guide today,
20:50and we're going to go down
20:51and take a look
20:52at the underground part
20:53of the city,
20:54the one who was built
20:55by the knights
20:56of Malta.
20:58Mm-hmm.
20:59As a kid,
21:00this was our playground,
21:02you know.
21:02All these tunnels,
21:04if you move back in time
21:05over 400 years ago,
21:07this was just
21:08like a hill.
21:10The knights
21:11took this hill,
21:13Mount Shibaras,
21:15and designed
21:16all the fortifications
21:19and the defense,
21:21but also,
21:22in case of siege,
21:24tunnels,
21:26Valletta is like
21:26a grid,
21:28and there are tunnels
21:30underneath
21:31each street.
21:34These tunnels
21:35were then used
21:36by the knights.
21:38Wow.
21:38Incredible.
21:39Be very careful
21:40walking down
21:42and your heads.
21:44Have fun down there.
21:45I've got an appointment
21:45at the archives,
21:46so it's too close
21:47to that appointment
21:47for me to go down.
21:48Okay.
21:49All right, see you, Doug.
21:50See ya.
21:51In 1565,
21:53after defending Valletta,
21:55from an attempted invasion
21:57by the Ottoman Empire,
21:58the Knights of Malta
22:00began a major renovation
22:02of the city
22:03to create a stronghold
22:04for their order.
22:06The new fortification
22:07included a vast network
22:09of underground tunnels
22:11that were dug
22:12out of the limestone bedrock.
22:14These tunnels
22:15offered not only
22:16a safe haven
22:17in times of war
22:19for the knights
22:20and the citizens
22:21of Valletta,
22:22but also served
22:23as secure storage facilities
22:25and featured
22:27elaborate cisterns
22:28for collecting
22:29and controlling water.
22:31And according
22:32to some researchers,
22:34the tunnels
22:34may have also served
22:36as a hiding place
22:37for temporary-related treasures
22:39before they were transported
22:41to the new world.
22:46It's just absolutely incredible.
22:49As we are introduced
22:50to this underground area,
22:52it's massive.
22:53It's a highway,
22:54literally underground.
22:56Various tunnels,
22:57cisterns,
22:58chambers
22:59were developed
23:00and built
23:01to sustain a siege.
23:03I think it was
23:05representative
23:06of the skills
23:07necessary
23:08to construct
23:09a chamber
23:10or a vault
23:11or a room
23:12that could
23:14hold treasure.
23:15These were
23:16the original
23:18cisterns.
23:20The function of this
23:21was obviously
23:22for the water
23:23and it's
23:25two
23:26cisterns.
23:29So there is
23:30a connecting arch
23:33there
23:34will go in
23:35and even
23:36further down,
23:38it's a bit deeper
23:39also.
23:41And at the end,
23:42there is
23:43a small
23:44connecting
23:45tunnel
23:47which links
23:48both reservoirs.
23:49So this was done
23:50in 1570?
23:51That's the era.
23:52The way I hear the story,
23:53it was in response
23:54to the great siege
23:55that they did all this.
23:56Yes,
23:57it was
23:57direct response
23:59because the knights
24:00were convinced
24:00that
24:02the Ottomans
24:03were going to try
24:04another great siege.
24:05So there's
24:06an acute threat.
24:08Yeah.
24:08We're looking for reasons
24:09they may have
24:10taken an interest
24:11in other locations
24:13even as far
24:14as Oak Island.
24:15This is evidence
24:16that they might have
24:17been thinking that way,
24:18that they needed
24:19to safeguard
24:20things.
24:22It certainly
24:23seems to be
24:23the right time frame.
24:25By that time,
24:26they'd realized
24:26that they'd be
24:27susceptible to attacks
24:28here and it might
24:29be an idea
24:29that we need
24:30to move
24:30what we have
24:31and we take
24:32them to Nova Scotia
24:33and they deposit
24:34something on Oak Island.
24:36In 1632,
24:39the French sea captain
24:40and knight of Malta,
24:41Isaac de Rosalie,
24:43led an expedition
24:44to North America
24:45in order to establish
24:47France's colony
24:48of Acadia,
24:49known today
24:50as Nova Scotia.
24:52Curiously,
24:53the colony's
24:55headquarters
24:55were at Fort Point
24:56on the Le Havre River,
24:59just 15 miles south
25:00of Oak Island.
25:02Is it possible
25:03that Isaac de Rosalie's
25:05expedition
25:05was also related
25:07to a secret mission,
25:09one designed
25:10to safeguard
25:11another cache
25:12of Templar-related
25:13treasures
25:13in the New World
25:14on Oak Island?
25:17So now,
25:18let's go and have
25:20a look at
25:20the tunnels.
25:21Let's go.
25:23Perfect.
25:24Okay.
25:26After you, sir.
25:27Everything that we have seen
25:29regarding the efforts
25:30of the Knights of Malta,
25:31it's an incredible undertaking.
25:33They needed structures
25:35like these
25:35to protect their possessions,
25:37to protect themselves.
25:39That's easily explainable
25:41here, the why.
25:42On Oak Island,
25:43it's not quite so easy
25:44to explain,
25:45but perhaps
25:46some answers lie within.
25:48It's almost surreal.
25:50In the Knights' era,
25:52this would have been
25:53the passageway,
25:54which passes
25:55exactly underneath
25:57the street
25:58up at the top.
26:00You can really see
26:01the difference
26:02in the tools
26:02that they used.
26:04It's a kind of rock
26:05which you can
26:06chisel away
26:07straight.
26:08Is this clay
26:10that's grayish,
26:12blueish?
26:13It's softer
26:14than the limestone?
26:15The blue clay
26:16played an important role
26:17because you have
26:19like a natural sealant.
26:22Did you come across
26:23something similar
26:24on your island?
26:26Yes.
26:27We know that
26:28waterproofing with blue clay
26:29had to be done
26:30in the money pit.
26:31Okay.
26:31Around whatever
26:33they were hiding in there.
26:33While exploring
26:48an underground tunnel system
26:49in Baleta, Malta,
26:51that was constructed
27:04in the 16th century
27:05by members
27:06of the Knights of Malta,
27:08Rick Lagina
27:08and members of the team
27:10have just found
27:11a potential clue
27:12that might be related
27:13to the Oak Island mystery.
27:16Waterproofing was
27:17one of the keys
27:18of working on the island
27:19because it was an island.
27:20Is it possible
27:21that Rick and the team
27:23have just seen
27:24a waterproofing method
27:25in tunnels
27:26that were created
27:27by the Knights of Malta,
27:29which matches
27:30the reported design
27:32of the original
27:33Oak Island money pit?
27:35We know,
27:36based on our work
27:38in the money pit,
27:39that blue clay
27:40was used
27:40to waterproof things,
27:42the shafts in particular,
27:43perhaps the tunnels.
27:44That's amazing.
27:46Mm-hmm.
27:47Might it be replicated here
27:48because we know
27:49that they needed
27:50some way to waterproof
27:51the aqueducts
27:52and the underground cisterns?
27:54So it's quite impactful
27:56to see it here.
27:57This kind of limestone
27:59you don't encounter
28:00on Oak Island
28:00until you get very deep.
28:01Yep.
28:02The legend tells
28:03of flood tunnels
28:04on the island.
28:05This speaks
28:06to the capability
28:08of these people
28:08of experience
28:09with tunneling
28:10and when we talk
28:12about potential suspects
28:13on the island
28:14like the Knights of Malta
28:16and we're standing
28:17in the work
28:18of a group of people
28:19at the end
28:20of the 1500s.
28:21I mean,
28:22they did it.
28:23Yeah,
28:24you're standing on it.
28:25The original description
28:27of the original
28:27find of the money pit
28:29where the treasure
28:30would have resided,
28:32you could see
28:33the same things.
28:34There was no cribbing.
28:35You could see
28:36the strike marks
28:36on the walls.
28:37It was that
28:38tightly consolidated.
28:40It was very competent ground.
28:43Could this have been done
28:44long ago on Oak Island?
28:45I'd say it's definitive.
28:48All of the things
28:49that we see exhibited
28:50of the Knights of Malta's
28:52capabilities underground
28:54certainly are exemplified
28:55underground in the money pit.
28:57We have limestone,
28:58we have blue clay
28:59and someone found a way
29:01to move water
29:02from the ocean
29:03to the money pit.
29:04So is it possible
29:05that this same type
29:07of work
29:07by the same peoples
29:09might that have been used
29:11to do the same type
29:12of work on Oak Island?
29:14It's possible
29:15and at some point
29:17that might be provable.
29:19You have led us
29:20to a place
29:20that affirms to us
29:21some of the work
29:22on Oak Island
29:23was known
29:24and conducted
29:25during the time frames
29:27that we have
29:27great suspicion of,
29:291500s,
29:30times of the Knights of Malta.
29:32So for that
29:33we are extremely grateful.
29:34Thank you very much.
29:35Well, for us
29:37there's more to see
29:38in Valletta
29:39so let's resurface.
29:43Thank you so much.
29:44As Rick Lagina
29:45and members of the team
29:47continue their search
29:48for clues in Malta
29:49over 4,000 miles
29:52to the west
29:52on lot 5
29:54of Oak Island.
29:56Nice loose subsoil
29:57isn't that compared
29:58to what we had
29:58in the other pits?
29:59Jack Begley
30:00joins Helen Sheldon
30:02and other members
30:03of the archaeology team
30:04as they dig
30:06for more artifacts
30:07and potential valuables
30:08in and around
30:09the mysterious
30:10stone foundation.
30:12We just have to go slow.
30:14Yeah.
30:15Lot 5
30:16always just keeps
30:17getting better and better
30:19and being able to dig
30:21on the side
30:21of the feature today
30:22where that starburst
30:24button was found.
30:25I'm hoping we can find
30:27some other related artifacts
30:28to give us
30:29an earlier date.
30:37Oh wow.
30:40Oh.
30:42Look at that.
30:43Oh look.
30:44Looks like there's more.
30:45Oh yeah.
30:46Oh look.
30:47Oh my goodness.
30:49There's a few shards together.
30:50Yeah there's a lot of shards.
30:53Oh what a nice piece.
30:54I bet you those
30:55would fit together.
30:56Yeah.
30:57It's everywhere.
30:58Look at all this.
30:58It's everywhere.
31:00This is great.
31:01That's almost like
31:01a whole plate.
31:02It is almost like
31:03a whole plate.
31:04Look at that.
31:04You've got the foot ring
31:05that fits on there.
31:07Yeah.
31:07It's the base.
31:08Oh this is great.
31:10There's tons of it here.
31:11So this looks like
31:12creamware here.
31:13Yep creamware.
31:13Okay.
31:14So that's pretty neat.
31:15We were looking at something
31:16you know from the late
31:17true quarters of 1700s.
31:19Yeah it's awesome.
31:21Pottery from the late
31:2318th century?
31:25Because the team
31:26has found artifacts
31:27dating to as early
31:28as the 14th century
31:30and a number
31:31from the 17th century
31:33is it possible
31:35that they are now
31:36finding evidence
31:37of yet another period
31:38when this feature
31:39was occupied?
31:41Somebody ate off that plate.
31:43If so
31:44who was it
31:45and what
31:46was their purpose?
31:47This feature
31:48has actually been
31:49really interesting
31:50and has been changing
31:51our thoughts all along.
31:52Initially when we started
31:53looking at things
31:54it looked like
31:55it could have been
31:55perhaps a basic homestead.
31:57Do you want to
31:57start banging it?
32:00Because I think
32:00you've got the rest
32:01of the plate there.
32:02There's a whole plate here.
32:03I'll open it for you.
32:04But as we started
32:05going along
32:06and finding more
32:06and more artifacts
32:07now I'm starting
32:09to think
32:09that it could have
32:09been multi-generational
32:11and having some
32:13bit of conspiracy
32:14to do with the money pit itself.
32:16There's definitely
32:17some ties
32:18and it's really
32:19making me rethink
32:20who was here
32:21and what were they doing.
32:23So this is definitely
32:24an artifact
32:25rich layer.
32:27If we're finding
32:28that right here
32:29that much intact
32:30I'm excited to see
32:31what else is in here.
32:32Yeah, exactly.
32:43Oh my goodness.
32:44What have you got?
32:45Oh, look at this.
32:47Oh, it's beautiful.
32:52Oh, it's beautiful.
32:54I think this is a button.
32:56It's got a little
32:56pattern on it kind of.
32:58That looks really fragile.
33:00Can we take a look?
33:01Yeah.
33:01While excavating
33:03the mysterious
33:04stone foundation
33:04near the shoreline
33:06on lot 5
33:07archaeology assistant
33:08Ethan Green
33:09has just made
33:11a potentially
33:11important discovery.
33:13Look, you've got
33:15the shank and everything.
33:16It's fully intact.
33:17Yeah.
33:18Hey, Helen and Jack.
33:19You've got to come
33:20check this out.
33:21Yeah.
33:22You've got to look at this.
33:23Ethan just found this.
33:24Oh my heavens.
33:25Whoa.
33:26There's something on there.
33:28That's not just a flat.
33:29He had good eyes.
33:30He can see it too.
33:31What do you think it is?
33:32It kind of looks like
33:33a flower to me.
33:34I think the fact
33:35that it's got any kind
33:36of pattern on it
33:37is going to be fascinating.
33:38Yeah.
33:39Yeah.
33:39An ornate button
33:41featuring a flower design?
33:43Could Fiona Steele
33:44be correct
33:45that it may bear
33:46a key clue
33:47that might help identify
33:48just who left it
33:49in this feature
33:50on lot 5?
33:51A feature
33:52that the team believes
33:54may be connected
33:55to one or more operations
33:57to hide something
33:58of value
33:58in the money pit.
34:00Keep in mind,
34:01we found the starburst button
34:02right over there.
34:03Yeah.
34:04Like we're talking
34:04a few feet away.
34:05Yeah.
34:06So if this is anything similar,
34:07then that's pretty exciting.
34:09Yep.
34:10There is that connection
34:11between the starburst button
34:13and the Knights of Malta.
34:14So who knows?
34:16This new button
34:16we just found
34:17could relate
34:18to that starburst button.
34:20It could have an insignia
34:22or something
34:23on the face of the button
34:24that could give us
34:25more information
34:26to whether or not
34:27the Knights of Malta
34:28were on Oak Island.
34:30We're going to have
34:30to take that to the lab
34:31and do some scans on it.
34:34Emma will tell us
34:34how old that is.
34:35Yeah.
34:36And exactly what it's made of.
34:37Yeah.
34:38Yeah.
34:39Ethan's on a roll.
34:40Yeah, he is.
34:41He really is.
34:42Let's get back
34:43to sifting, Ellen.
34:44Back to it.
34:45Nice find, Ethan.
34:50The following morning
34:51on Oak Island
34:52as the investigations
34:54continue
34:55in the northern region
34:56of the swamp
34:57We're running out of time.
34:58Dig.
34:59And on lot five
35:01This could probably
35:02still come down a bit.
35:03Yeah.
35:04Some 4,000 miles
35:06to the east
35:06off the coast of Malta
35:08From one island
35:10to another.
35:11One beautiful island
35:12to another.
35:13Yeah.
35:13Rick Lagina
35:14and members of the team
35:15are being transported
35:17to the island of Gozo
35:18where the Knights of Malta
35:20established one
35:21of their strongholds
35:22in 1565.
35:24We brought some
35:25of the artifacts
35:26because maybe
35:26we can find
35:27some connection.
35:29There, the team
35:30will visit
35:30the Citadel of Victoria
35:32in the hopes
35:33of making more
35:34possible connections
35:35between the Knights of Malta
35:37and the Oak Island mystery.
35:40It's beautiful.
35:41Even though
35:42the beauty,
35:43the aesthetics
35:44of what we are
35:45about to see
35:46we are focused.
35:47we mustn't lose
35:48fact of the magnitude
35:50of the possibilities
35:51that we are beginning
35:54to hopefully uncover.
35:57Is this the place?
35:58Yeah, this one.
35:59We are here
36:00in Malta
36:01to hopefully
36:02prove
36:03the connection
36:04between the Knights
36:05of Malta
36:06and Oak Island.
36:07Hey, Dennis.
36:08Hey, how are you?
36:09How are you?
36:10Dennis Darmanen
36:11is a Maltese historian
36:13and leading expert
36:14on military artifacts
36:15and buttons.
36:16And today,
36:18Corian Malta
36:18and Emiliano Sacchetti
36:20have arranged
36:21for Dennis
36:22to analyze
36:23the starburst button
36:24that was found
36:24on lot 5
36:25one year ago.
36:27Well, sir,
36:28we have a button
36:30to show you.
36:31Our archaeologists,
36:31they believe
36:32it has the potential
36:33to be one
36:33of the oldest buttons
36:34we've found
36:34on the island.
36:35Let's see.
36:39There we go.
36:40That's all right.
36:41There it is.
36:42Ah, well,
36:44the pattern
36:44is more likely
36:46a Spanish pattern.
36:47That's interesting
36:48because some members
36:50of the Knights of Malta
36:51came from Spain.
36:52Of course.
36:53And what I can add
36:55to that
36:56is I did come across
36:58a similar pattern here
37:00and according
37:02to the sizes,
37:03they were either worn
37:04on a waistcoat
37:05or else they were worn
37:06the larger sizes
37:08on their coats.
37:08I would date it
37:10to about 1650,
37:12not later than 1675.
37:15That's crazy.
37:17That may indicate
37:18the period of construction
37:19for that feature
37:20on lot 5.
37:21Yeah, correct.
37:23It's more than 100 years
37:24before the discovery
37:25of the money pit.
37:26Yeah.
37:26It's quite remarkable.
37:28Yeah.
37:28Yes, I quite agree.
37:31And this design
37:32was quite sort of trendy,
37:34but the more elaborate
37:35adds to the prestige
37:36of the owner.
37:38Okay.
37:39So we know
37:41in Nova Scotia
37:42in the 1630s,
37:43we had the presence
37:44of Knights of Malta.
37:45Yes.
37:46So this button
37:47may connect
37:48to the Knights of Malta.
37:49Yes.
37:50That's quite remarkable.
37:54Amazing.
37:56So this button
37:58may connect
37:58to the Knights of Malta.
38:00Yes.
38:01That's quite remarkable.
38:02Mm-hmm.
38:03Amazing.
38:03In the historic citadel
38:06located on the Maltese
38:08island of Gozo,
38:10Rick Lagina
38:10and members of the team
38:12have just learned
38:13from historian
38:14and button expert
38:15Dennis Darmanin
38:16that the button
38:18bearing a starburst design,
38:20which was found
38:20on lot 5,
38:22dates back
38:22to the 17th century
38:24and could be connected
38:25to the Knights of Malta.
38:27So these uniforms
38:30were highly personalized.
38:31Yes.
38:31Yes, they are.
38:32They would wear
38:33the fashion of the time.
38:34Yeah.
38:34These buttons
38:35were more trendy
38:36with the aristocratic level.
38:38So the Knights
38:39would hold their status
38:41and what they wear.
38:42Yeah.
38:43So we'd like to show you
38:45a picture of a uniform
38:46that might have had
38:48a button like that
38:49with a swirl on it.
38:50Sure, sure.
38:51I'd like to get
38:53your thoughts on that.
38:56Yes.
38:57It's a similarity.
38:59Either it's a button
39:00exactly like it
39:01or of a larger size
39:04because a coat button,
39:07it would be larger
39:08than, let's say,
39:10a vest button
39:10or a waistcoat button.
39:12Right.
39:13So with this starburst button
39:14in particular,
39:15there is a possibility
39:17that this button
39:17would have been worn
39:18by somebody,
39:19a member of the Knights of Malta.
39:20Oh, yes.
39:21I agree.
39:22Well, that's a pretty
39:23exciting possibility.
39:24I find that to be
39:26very, very interesting.
39:28Yeah.
39:29If Dennis Darmanin
39:31is correct
39:32that the so-called
39:33starburst button
39:34may very well have come
39:35from the uniform
39:36of a member
39:37of the Knights of Malta,
39:39could it help prove
39:40that the order
39:41was connected
39:41to the Oak Island mystery
39:43and also explain
39:45the mortar-like material
39:47that was found
39:48in the round feature
39:49on Lot 5
39:50that matches soils
39:51from over 100 feet deep
39:53in the Money Pit area.
39:55We have the research
39:56which kind of brought us here
39:58in the first place
39:58that really spell out Malta.
40:02But then we have
40:02this mysterious button
40:03that seems to kind of
40:04be tying everything together.
40:06so I think that's
40:07an exciting possibility.
40:08It's true.
40:10We now have a visit
40:11predating the discovery
40:13of the Money Pit
40:14by a significant amount
40:15of time.
40:16But to what end?
40:18This may be the button
40:19that explains
40:20what the Lot 5 feature
40:21possibly represents.
40:22You know, Dennis,
40:24we can only solve
40:25the treasure hunt
40:26by looking to the past
40:28in order to understand
40:30what lies ahead of us.
40:31Yes.
40:32You have certainly
40:33given us great insight
40:34and we really,
40:35really appreciate it.
40:36Well, my final comment is
40:38I'm always here
40:39to assist.
40:41Thank you very much.
40:43It's an honor.
40:45Although thousands of miles
40:47currently separate members
40:49of the Oak Island team,
40:51their new discoveries,
40:52both on the island
40:54and halfway across the globe,
40:57may have brought them
40:58ever closer
40:59to the answers they seek.
41:02And now,
41:03as their long journey
41:04to solve this mystery continues,
41:07perhaps it is now
41:09only a matter of time
41:10before the ultimate revelation
41:13is pulled
41:14from deep underground.
41:19the concept
41:21of
41:22the trial
41:23of
41:26the
41:31the
41:31this
41:35the
41:36I
41:36druk
41:37I
41:39I
41:41I
41:41I
41:42I
41:42I
41:43I
41:44I
41:44I
41:44I
41:44I
41:45R
41:46D
41:47I
41:47I
41:48I
41:48I
41:48I
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