America Unearthed (2012–…): Season 1, Episode 3 - Great Lakes Copper Heist - full transcript

- THE HISTORY THAT
WE WERE ALL TAUGHT GROWING UP

IS WRONG.

MY NAME IS SCOTT WOLTER,

AND I'M A FORENSIC GEOLOGIST.

THERE'S A HIDDEN HISTORY
IN THIS COUNTRY

THAT NOBODY KNOWS ABOUT.

THERE ARE PYRAMIDS HERE...

CHAMBERS, TOMBS, INSCRIPTIONS.

THEY'RE ALL OVER THIS COUNTRY.

WE'RE GOING TO INVESTIGATE
THESE ARTIFACTS AND SITES,

AND WE'RE GOING TO GET
TO THE TRUTH.



SOMETIMES HISTORY

ISN'T WHAT WE'VE BEEN TOLD.

AMERICA UNEARTHED - SEASON 1
EP - 3 - Great Lakes Copper Heist

I'M HEADING TO ISLE ROYALE
IN LAKE SUPERIOR.

HERE IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION
MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO,

AN INCREDIBLE RELIC WAS FOUND...

A TABLET WITH CRYPTIC SYMBOLS,

SYMBOLS I THINK ARE THE KEY
TO UNLOCKING

AN EPIC, UNSOLVED
GEOLOGIC MYSTERY.

THIS AREA WAS ONCE HOME

TO SOME OF THE LARGEST
COPPER DEPOSITS IN THE WORLD.

BILLIONS OF POUNDS OF COPPER
LAY HIDDEN UNDERGROUND,

AND SOMEONE KNEW THAT.

AT SOME POINT PRIOR TO COLUMBUS
COMING TO AMERICA,



MUCH OF THE GREAT LAKES COPPER
DISAPPEARED.

AND I'M HERE TO FIGURE OUT
WHERE IT WENT,

WHO TOOK IT, AND WHY.

SO, GEORGE,
YOU'RE PROBABLY WONDERING

WHY I ASKED YOU
TO TAKE ME OUT TO ISLE ROYALE.

- YEAH, WHAT'S UP?

- OBVIOUSLY, YOU KNOW,
ISLE ROYALE WAS A PLACE...

I KNOW THEY DID A LOT OF MINING.

- YEAH, YOU BET.
I LOVE LOOKING AT THE MINES.

THEY'RE ALL OVER THE PLACE
ON THE ISLAND.

- HOW MANY MINES DO WE THINK
ARE ON ISLE ROYALE?

WE HAVE ANY IDEA?

- THEY'RE ALL...
CONSTANTLY FINDING NEW ONES.

YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE ESTIMATES
FOR THAT REGION

IS 5,000 TO 10,000.

WHOEVER WAS HERE MINING
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO

TOOK A LOT OF COPPER
OUT OF HERE.

- WHAT KIND OF QUANTITIES
ARE WE TALKING ABOUT?

- BETWEEN 1 BILLION
TO 1 1/2 BILLION POUNDS...

- A MILLION?

- A BILLION...
- A BILLION.

- TO 1 1/2 BILLION
POUNDS OF COPPER.

- HOW LONG WOULD THAT TAKE?
I MEAN... MY GOD.

- WELL, ONE OF THE ESTIMATES
FROM ONE OF THE ENGINEERS

WAS 10,000 PEOPLE
FOR 1,000 YEARS.

- THAT'S MIND-BOGGLING.

I MEAN, WHEN YOU TALK ABOUT
THESE NUMBERS,

IT'S SO VAST,

AND I KNOW THAT
THE NATIVE AMERICANS

DID USE COPPER,

BUT, YOU KNOW,
THEY'VE NEVER FOUND ANYTHING

EVEN CLOSE
TO THE TYPE OF NUMBERS

THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT.

SO THE QUESTION IS,
WHERE DID ALL THAT COPPER GO?

I THINK I KNOW.

I'M FIRMLY CONVINCED

THAT IT'S CONNECTED
TO THE BRONZE AGE.

- THE BRONZE AGE IN EUROPE?

- IN EUROPE, YEP.

I THINK PEOPLE
WHO CAME OVER HERE...

THIS IS WHERE
THEY GOT THE COPPER

TO FUEL THE BRONZE AGE.

WHO TOOK THE GREAT LAKES COPPER?

WHERE DID IT GO?

TO ANSWER THAT QUESTION,

I HAVE TO GO BACK
TO THE POINT IN HUMAN HISTORY

WHEN COPPER
FOREVER CHANGED THE WORLD:

THE BRONZE AGE.

5,000 YEARS AGO,

MAN LEARNED TO COMBINE
COPPER AND TIN TOGETHER

BRONZE.

IT WAS A GAME CHANGER.

NOW HE COULD MAKE MORE USEFUL
AGRICULTURAL TOOLS

AND MORE DEADLY WEAPONS...

THINGS LIKE DAGGERS,
SWORDS, AND AXES.

WITH MORE WEAPONS
CAME MORE ADVANCED WARFARE.

NATIONS BECAME MORE POWERFUL,

RISING UP IN AN ATTEMPT
TO SPREAD THEIR CULTURE

AROUND THE WORLD,

ALL THANKS TO COPPER.

BUT WHERE DID THEY GET IT?

WHILE SOURCES FOR COPPER
CAN BE FOUND THROUGHOUT EUROPE

IN PLACES LIKE THE SWISS ALPS,
ENGLAND, AND IRELAND,

SOME PEOPLE QUESTION WHETHER
THERE WAS ENOUGH MINERAL ORE

TO ACCOUNT FOR
THE MASSIVE AMOUNTS NEEDED

TO FUEL THE BRONZE AGE.

I'M ONE OF THOSE PEOPLE.

AND THIS TABLET
FOUND IN NEWBERRY, MICHIGAN,

COULD PROVE IT.

CHECK THIS OUT.

- WHAT'S THIS?

- IT'S THE NEWBERRY TABLET.

YOU KNOW, I THINK
IT COULD BE A KEY HERE,

TYING TOGETHER
THE COPPER CULTURE...

WHOEVER IT WAS THAT MINED HERE
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

UNFORTUNATELY,
IT DOESN'T EXIST ANYMORE,

BUT THIS THING WAS FOUND, 1896,
OVER BY NEWBERRY, MICHIGAN.

A COUPLE OF GUYS
TIPPED OVER SOME TREES.

THIS THING WAS IN THE GROUND.

IT'S GOT 140 CHARACTERS ON IT.

- SO THE TABLET'S GONE?

- IT'S GONE.
- OH, MAN.

- YEAH, IT APPARENTLY
WAS DESTROYED.

YOU KNOW,
THIS WAS IN BEAUTIFUL CONDITION,

BUT HOW MANY GREAT ARTIFACTS
HAVE WE HEARD ABOUT

THAT ARE GONE?

THIS COULD BE A LINK
TO THE COPPER CULTURE,

AND I'M THINKING...
IT'S ALL SPECULATION...

BUT IT COULD BE A WAY...

I MEAN, IF THEY'RE MINING
THE KINDS OF, YOU KNOW, COPPER

THAT WE THINK THEY WERE,

THEY HAD TO KEEP SOME TYPE
OF RECORDS OR TABULATIONS.

THIS COULD BE CONNECTED.

I KNOW THAT, GOING BACK,
COPPER WAS ACTUALLY

MORE VALUABLE
THAN GOLD AND SILVER,

SO THAT'S A PRETTY STRONG
MOTIVATOR TO COME ALL THIS WAY.

- IT'S THE MYSTERY AROUND HERE.

WHEN YOU READ THE OLD PAPERS

FROM THE EARLY EXPLORERS
THAT CAME,

THERE'S NO REMNANTS OF WHO.

- YOU KNOW,
ONE OF THE OTHER THINGS

THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT

WAS THE PURITY
OF THIS COPPER HERE.

COPPER, LIKE MOST METALS,
HAS A UNIQUE FINGERPRINT.

I CAN TEST THE PURITY OF COPPER
IN THE GREAT LAKES

AND COMPARE THE RESULTS TO
THE PURITY OF BRONZE AGE COPPER

TO SEE IF IT'S A MATCH.

THE BIG QUESTION IS,

WHERE DID THE COPPER COME FROM

THAT FUELED THE BRONZE AGE?

YOU KNOW, WE'RE TALKING
5,000 YEARS AGO.

THIS MIGHT BE THE ONLY CLUE
THAT TIES IT TOGETHER.

- THIS PLACE IS FANTASTIC,
GEORGE.

- IT IS AWESOME.

- I KNOW YOU SPEND
A LOT OF TIME OUT HERE.

WHY DON'T YOU TELL...
TELL ME ABOUT THE ISLAND?

- WELL, YOU KNOW, IT'S UNIQUE.

IT'S A NATIONAL PARK,
SO IT'S WELL-PRESERVED.

BEEN A LOT OF DIFFERENT CULTURES
THAT HAVE COME THROUGH HERE,

FROM FISHING TO MINING.

IT'S THE LARGEST ISLAND
ON LAKE SUPERIOR.

IT'S 45 MILES LONG
AND 8 MILES WIDE.

IT'S KIND OF HARD TO GET HERE,
YOU KNOW.

IT'S 50 MILES
FROM COPPER HARBOR.

YOU HAVE TO TAKE THE FERRY OVER

OR IF YOU HAVE A BIG ENOUGH BOAT
TO DO IT YOURSELF.

IT HAS A UNIQUE
WOLF POPULATION AS WELL.

- HEY, I'VE READ ABOUT THAT.

I GUESS THE WOLVES
ARE STRUGGLING, AREN'T THEY?

- THE WOLF POPULATION
IS DWINDLING,

AND THEY'RE WORRIED
ABOUT IT BECOMING EXTINCT.

- WHAT ARE THE NUMBERS
DOWN TO NOW?

- THEY WERE DOWN TO NINE
THIS LAST WINTER.

- NINE?

I KNOW THEIR DISAPPEARANCE
IS A MYSTERY,

JUST LIKE THE DISAPPEARANCE
OF THIS COPPER IS A MYSTERY.

AHH...

- SO HERE WE GO.

THIS IS... THIS IS AN EXAMPLE

OF ONE OF THE PITS
ON THE ISLAND.

THIS PIT COULD VERY WELL

HAVE BEEN
ONE OF THE ANCIENT PITS.

BUT WE DO KNOW
THAT IT WAS WORKED BY MINERS

IN THE 1840s.

OFTENTIMES,
THE MORE MODERN MINERS...

THE EUROPEAN MINERS
THAT CAME OVER

AND EXPLORED FOR COPPER...

FOUND ANCIENT PITS
AND WORKED OVER THE TOP OF THEM.

THEY JUST WENT CRAZY
IN THE AREA.

AND THE ENTIRE
KEWEENAW PENINSULA

BECAME ONE GIANT MINING SITE,

PRODUCING MORE REVENUE
FROM COPPER MINING

THAN EVEN
THE CALIFORNIA GOLD RUSH.

- WOW.

THAT'S... THAT'S A LOT OF COPPER.

AND SPEAKING OF THAT,
I THINK YOU SAID...

5,000 YEARS IS ONE
OF THE NUMBERS YOU TOSSED AROUND

AS THE AGE
OF SOME OF THESE PITS.

HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?

- ACTUALLY, ON ONE OF THE PITS
ON THE ISLAND,

THERE WAS ONE GIANT PIECE
OF FLOAT COPPER ON THE BOTTOM,

AND IT WAS SUPPORTED BY
OAK TIMBERS THAT HAD BEEN CUT.

THERE WERE CUT MARKS
IN THE TIMBERS

THAT THEY ANALYZED AND THEN...

SO THEY TOOK SOME CARBON SAMPLES
OF THAT OAK

AND PLACED IT BETWEEN
5,000 AND 6,000 YEARS AGO.

- OH, WOW.
- YEAH.

- THIS IS A PRETTY SMALL PIT.

I'D LOVE TO SEE
SOMETHING BIGGER.

AFTER A NIGHT ON THE ISLAND,

WE'RE HEADING OUT
TO THE DISTANT NORTH SHORE

TO VISIT THE MINONG MINE.

IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST
ANCIENT MINES ON THE ISLAND,

AND I WANT TO SEE
IF THERE ARE ANY CLUES THERE

TO WHO DID THE MINING.

I ALSO WANT TO UNDERSTAND

JUST HOW MANY MINES
WERE WORKED HERE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

IT TURNS OUT
THE WOLVES ON THE ISLAND

COULD BE AN UNEXPECTED CLUE

TO UNDERSTANDING
THE SIZE AND SCALE

OF THIS MYSTERIOUS
MINING OPERATION.

I'VE DONE A LITTLE BIT OF
READING ABOUT THIS BIG MYSTERY

OF HOW DID WE LOSE
A CERTAIN SEGMENT

OF THE DWINDLING POPULATION HERE
OF THE WOLVES.

- YEAH, WE'VE HAD TEN YEARS
OF PRETTY HIGH WOLF NUMBERS.

BUT NOW THE WOLF POPULATION

HAS BEEN COMING DOWN
DRAMATICALLY,

AND IN 2012, THIS LAST YEAR,

THEY HIT
THEIR LOWEST LEVEL EVER...

JUST NINE WOLVES LEFT.

- NINE WOLVES?

WELL, WHAT DO YOU THINK
HAPPENED THERE?

- THIS SPRING, WE DID FIND OUT

THAT THREE WOLVES
HAD DIED IN A MINE SHAFT.

IN HERE, WE'VE GOT SOME BONES
OF ONE OF THOSE WOLVES.

- THIS CAME FROM THE SHAFT.

THIS ONE WAS ONE OF THE WOLVES
IN THE SHAFT.

- YEAH, WE FISHED HIM OUT
ALONG WITH TWO OTHER WOLVES...

SO TWO ADULT MALES
AND THEN A FEMALE PUP.

- SO I'M CURIOUS.
HOW DEEP DID THEY FALL?

- WELL, IT'S A... IT'S A UNIQUE,
DANGEROUS MINE PIT,

I MEAN, EVEN FOR ISLE ROYALE,

ABOUT 10 FEET OF SHEER WALL
DOWN TO A WATER SURFACE,

WHICH WAS PROBABLY FROZEN.

- OKAY.

- I COULDN'T HIT THE BOTTOM

WITH THE BIGGEST POLE
I COULD STICK DOWN THERE.

- SO ARE THERE ANY OTHER
LARGE MAMMALS,

OR IS IT JUST THE WOLVES?

- YOU KNOW, WE'VE SEEN
A DOZEN OR SO MOOSE

THAT HAVE FALLEN IN
AND DIED IN MINE SHAFTS.

- DOESN'T THAT
TELL YOU SOMETHING

ABOUT THE QUANTITY
OF MINE SHAFTS

AND ABANDONED MINES?

- YEAH, I MEAN,
THERE'S HUNDREDS OF SHALLOW PITS

FROM MINING
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS.

THIS... THE ONE HE WENT INTO
WAS, BY FAR, THE DEEPEST

AND MOST DANGEROUS I'VE SEEN.

- YOU KNOW, IN THE ARTICLE
THAT I READ THIS SPRING,

THEY LEFT ME
WITH A DISTINCT IMPRESSION

THAT THE WOLVES ARE PROBABLY
GOING TO GO EXTINCT.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

- ON THIS ISLAND,
IN TERMS OF PROBABILITY,

THEY GOT ABOUT
A LESS THAN 50% CHANCE.

- THE DWINDLING WOLF POPULATION
GIVES ME A SENSE

OF JUST HOW MANY
ANCIENT MINE PITS THERE ARE

ON ISLE ROYALE.

THE REMNANTS OF
THIS MINING NETWORK ARE SO VAST

THAT ANIMALS LIKE MOOSE
AND WOLVES CAN'T AVOID

FALLING INTO THE PITS.

THIS MAKES ME
MORE DETERMINED THAN EVER

TO GET TO THE BOTTOM
OF WHO'S RESPONSIBLE

FOR TAKING ALL THIS COPPER OUT
THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

NOW WE'RE ON OUR WAY
TO THE MINONG MINE,

WHICH IS LOCATED ON THE FAR
NORTH SHORE OF THE ISLAND.

IT'S ONE OF THE LARGEST MINES
ON ISLE ROYALE,

CONSISTING OF DEEP PITS
AND MILES OF TUNNELS.

IN THE LATE 1800s,

A THRIVING MINING INDUSTRY
EXISTED HERE,

AND HUNDREDS OF MINERS
WORKED THE PITS.

IT WAS THESE MINERS
WHO UNCOVERED EVIDENCE

SOMEONE ELSE HAD ALREADY
BEEN HERE MINING COPPER...

POSSIBLY PREHISTORIC PEOPLE.

AND I WANT TO DISCOVER
WHO THOSE PEOPLE WERE.

OH...

- WELL, SCOTT, THIS IS WHAT
I'VE BEEN TALKING ABOUT.

THIS IS THE MINONG MINE.

- WOW. THAT'S GREAT.

- ISN'T IT SOMETHING?

- WHAT'S THAT? 50 FEET?

- I DON'T KNOW, MAN.

IT'S CERTAINLY A LOT DEEPER

THAN THE OTHER SHAFT
THAT WE SAW.

- DOES THAT GO UNDERNEATH THERE?

IT LOOKS LIKE IT KEEPS GOING.

- IT DOES ACTUALLY.

NOT ONLY CAN WE SEE THE SHAFT
FROM THE TOP,

BUT WE'RE GOING TO GO DOWN
OVER HERE,

AND YOU CAN SEE THE SHAFT
FROM THE SIDE AS WELL.

TAKING THE EASY WAY, HUH?

- TOOK THE EASY WAY, MAN.

HOW ABOUT THIS PLACE?

- THIS IS AWESOME.

- ISN'T IT INCREDIBLE?

- THIS IS AMAZING, YEAH.

WELL, YOU CAN SEE
PLENTY OF COPPER CARBONATE HERE.

THAT GREEN CARBONATE
IS OBVIOUSLY

THE BREAKDOWN OF COPPER;
THAT'S A TELLTALE SIGN.

WE SEE IT ALL THE TIME.

SEE ALL THESE FRACTURES SORT OF
RUNNING IN THIS DIRECTION?

- YEAH.

- THERE'S PROBABLY COPPER
IN THIS SEAM RIGHT HERE.

COPPER HAS ALWAYS BEEN SEEN
AS A MIRACULOUS METAL.

WE KNOW NOW
THAT ITS IONS KILL BACTERIA,

WHICH IS WHY IT'S USED
FOR POTS AND PIPES.

IT'S VALUABLE.

THAT'S WHY PEOPLE STEAL IT
FROM ABANDONED HOMES.

DURING WORLD WAR I,

MORE THAN 270 MILLION TONS
OF COPPER

CAME FROM HERE
IN THE GREAT LAKES REGION.

BUT BILLIONS OF POUNDS OF COPPER
WAS MINED HERE

LONG BEFORE MODERN TIMES,

MAYBE BY WHOMEVER
LEFT THE NEWBERRY TABLET BEHIND.

THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT
OPERATION HERE.

THERE WAS A LOT OF COPPER
PULLED OUT OF HERE.

IT GOES BACK QUITE A WAYS.

- YEAH, YOU CAN SEE THE TRACKS
THAT ARE LEFT FROM THE...

YOU KNOW,
FROM THE 1800 MINERS, AND...

AS THEY WORKED OVER THE TOP
OF THE ANCIENT MINERS.

- I INK THE CHANCES
ARE PRETTY REMOTE

THAT WE'RE GOING TO FIND
EVIDENCE OF ANY ANCIENT MINING.

I MEAN, THE BLASTING
THAT'S BEEN DONE HERE...

WHATEVER MIGHT HAVE BEEN HERE
IS SURELY GONE OR BURIED.

DO YOU THINK...
IS THERE ANY CHANCE

I COULD GET A SAMPLE FROM HERE?

- YOU KNOW,
YOU CAN'T TAKE ANY SAMPLES...

ANY COPPER... OFF THE ISLAND

BECAUSE IT IS A NATIONAL PARK,
AND IT'S A PRESERVE.

- YEAH, I UNDERSTAND.

- BUT WE'RE... WE'RE NOT FAR

FROM THE LARGEST PIECE
OF FLOAT COPPER

THAT ANYONE HAS
IN THEIR POSSESSION,

AND I KNOW FOR A FACT
YOU CAN TAKE A LOOK AT IT,

MAYBE GET A SAMPLE.

IF NOTHING ELSE,

THEY HAVE COPPER SAMPLES
FROM THE AREA THERE

THAT WE CAN GET OUR HANDS ON
FOR SURE.

- GEORGE TOLD ME

SCIENTIFIC DATING
ON SOME OF THE PITS

PROVED THEY WERE MINED
5,000 YEARS AGO.

I'M CONVINCED
THAT GREAT LAKES COPPER

WAS USED IN THE BRONZE AGE.

THERE MAY BE A SCIENTIFIC WAY
TO LINK IT TO BRONZE AGE COPPER,

BUT I NEED A SAMPLE
SO I CAN TEST ITS PURITY.

IF I FIND A MATCH, THEN SOMEONE
FROM EUROPE WAS HERE,

MINING MICHIGAN COPPER
5,000 YEARS AGO,

AND THAT WOULD MEAN A COMPLETE
REWRITE OF AMERICAN HISTORY.

- I'M IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN

INVESTIGATING THE DISAPPEARANCE

OF MILLIONS OF POUNDS
OF ANCIENT COPPER.

I WANT TO KNOW WHO TOOK IT.

I ALSO WANT TO KNOW
IF THERE'S A CONNECTION

BETWEEN WHOEVER MINED THE COPPER
AND THE NEWBERRY TABLET,

WHICH HAS SYMBOLS ON IT THAT
I THINK COULD CRACK THE CASE.

I THINK THAT THE DISAPPEARANCE
CAN ONLY BE EXPLAINED

BY MINERS
THAT CAME ACROSS FROM EUROPE

DURING THE BRONZE AGE.

I'M SEARCHING
FOR A PIECE OF MICHIGAN COPPER

THAT I CAN TEST FOR PURITY

TO FIND OUT IF IT MATCHES

WITH ANCIENT COPPER
DISCOVERED IN EUROPE.

BUT FIRST, I'M CHECKING OUT

A MASSIVE EXAMPLE
OF LOCAL COPPER.

WOW.

LOOK AT THAT.

THAT'S INCREDIBLE.

SO HOW BIG IS IT?

- OVER 28 TONS.

- YOU KNOW, I CAN SEE
OBVIOUS GLACIAL STRIATIONS.

SO CLEARLY, THIS IS A PIECE
THAT THE GLACIERS PICKED UP,

CARRIED IT, AND DROPPED IT.

WE SEE THE SCRATCHES OF...

OF BEING SCRAPED ALONG
THE GROUND AS IT WAS CARRIED.

SO, JUDY, I JUST CAME BACK
FROM THE MINONG MINE.

MY FRIEND GEORGE TOOK ME THERE,

AND WE SAW SOME...
SOME MINING PITS,

AND WE TALKED ABOUT
SOME OF THE QUANTITIES...

THE ESTIMATES OF OVER
A BILLION POUNDS OF COPPER

THAT WAS MINED.

SO WHAT DO YOU THINK
ABOUT THE IDEA

OF ANCIENT PEOPLE
COMING FROM ACROSS THE ATLANTIC

AND MINING COPPER
IN THIS REGION?

- IT'S THE ONLY THING
THAT MAKES SENSE.

WHERE DID THEY GET
ALL THE COPPER

NEEDED TO BUILD THE BRONZE AGE

WHEN BRONZE IS MADE
FROM MOSTLY COPPER?

WHY WOULDN'T THEY COME?

- I AGREE WITH YOU.
WHY WOULDN'T THEY HAVE?

SO THEY HAVE EVERY REASON
TO DO IT.

WHAT ABOUT NATIVE LEGENDS?

DO YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT THAT?

- WELL, YES,
THERE ARE SOME STORIES

ABOUT FAIR-HAIRED FAIR-SKINNED
PEOPLE HAVING BEEN HERE.

AND PERHAPS NATIVE AMERICANS
EVEN LEFT A MESSAGE ABOUT THAT.

- ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT
THE PETROGLYPHS

IN COPPER HARBOR,
THE SHIP PETROGLYPH?

- THAT'S THE ONE.

- I'VE LOOKED
AT THAT PETROGLYPH, IN FACT,

AND I'VE DONE SOME RESEARCH
ON IT.

PERSONALLY,
I THINK IT'S PROBABLY

MAYBE 1,000 YEARS
OR SOMEWHERE IN THERE,

BUT IT COULD BE MUCH OLDER.

I'M NOT SURE. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

- THAT SHIP, I THINK,
IS SO SIGNIFICANT.

IT'S SO DIFFERENT FROM ANYTHING

NATIVE AMERICANS
WOULD HAVE DONE.

THE SHAPE OF THE SAIL...
IT'S QUITE SQUARE.

- I LOOKED AT THAT
VERY CAREFULLY

A COUPLE YEARS AGO,

AND IT HAS SORT OF
A MINOAN-STYLE SQUARE SAIL.

THE MINOANS
WERE A BRONZE AGE CULTURE

FROM THE GREEK ISLAND OF CRETE.

IT WAS NOT UNTIL AROUND 1900
THAT ARCHAEOLOGISTS

DISCOVERED EVIDENCE
FOR THE MINOANS

BUT LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT THEM.

WHAT IS KNOWN
IS THAT THE MINOANS

HAD A HUGE SAILING
AND TRADING EMPIRE

THAT DATED BACK TO ABOUT
3,500 TO 5,000 YEARS AGO.

THAT'S PRECISELY THE TIME

THE COPPER IN AMERICA
WAS DISAPPEARING.

IF I CAN TEST MICHIGAN COPPER

AND MATCH ITS PURITY WITH THAT
OF ANCIENT BRONZE AGE COPPER,

THEN I MIGHT BE ABLE TO PROVE

THE MINOANS
WERE AMERICA'S MYSTERY MINERS.

COULD THE MINOANS
HAVE BEEN INVOLVED?

- THEY VERY WELL
COULD HAVE BEEN,

SINCE THEY WERE NOTED
FOR BEING MARVELOUS MARINERS.

- WE KNOW THE MINOANS
GOT FARTHER THAN CRETE,

FARTHER WEST THAN CRETE.

THEY WERE LOOKING FOR COPPER...
NO QUESTION ABOUT IT.

WE HAVE THE COPPER HERE.

THEY HAD THE SAILING TECHNOLOGY
TO GET HERE.

I MEAN, THIS WOULD BE
A HUGE BLOW

TO THE STANDARD HISTORY
THAT WE KNOW.

THERE IS A WAY
I THINK I CAN TEST THIS.

IT WOULD BE GREAT
IF WE COULD GET A SAMPLE

TO TEST THAT COPPER
FOR TRACE ELEMENT ANALYSIS.

I KNOW I CAN'T
GET A SAMPLE OF THIS,

BUT WE MIGHT BE ABLE
TO GET ONE SOMEWHERE

FROM UP HERE.

ANY SUGGESTIONS? - SURE.

A FRIEND OF OURS
WHO HAS A CHARMING SHOP

CALLED DA YOOPERS TOURIST TRAP.

HE ALSO IS AN AMATEUR GEOLOGIST.

- WHO DO I ASK FOR
WHEN I GO THERE?

- HOOLIE.

- IN MY SEARCH
TO UNCOVER THE MYSTERY

OF WHO MINED
THE ANCIENT MICHIGAN COPPER,

I'VE SEEN PHOTOS
OF A LONG-LOST STONE TABLET

FOUND IN THE AREA

AND A PETROGLYPH

OF WHAT COULD BE
A CARVED MINOAN TRADING SHIP.

PERHAPS THE TWO ARE CONNECTED

AND THE SYMBOLS ON THE TABLET
ARE MINOAN.

AND IF I CAN FIND
A PIECE MICHIGAN COPPER

THAT TESTS AS
THE EXACT SAME PURITY

AS A BRONZE AGE SAMPLE,
IT COULD MEAN

THAT THE MINOANS
GOT THEIR COPPER FROM HERE.

ALL I NEED IS SOME
GREAT LAKES COPPER TO COMPARE,

AND THANKS TO JUDY,
I HAVE A LEAD.

- HEY, HOW IS IT GOING?

- GOOD. GOOD.

SCOTT WOLTER. HOW ARE YOU DOING?

- NOT BAD. NOT BAD.

- SAY, JUDY JOHNSON...
DO YOU KNOW HER?

- OH, YEAH.

- SHE SAID I SHOULD BE LOOKING
FOR A GUY NAMED HOOLIE.

- THAT'S ME.
- THAT'S YOU, OKAY.

- YES, SIR.
- DO YOU HAVE ANY COPPER?

- WE GOT LOTS OF COPPER.

- WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO IS,
I'M WONDERING

IF I MIGHT BE ABLE TO GET
A SAMPLE OF COPPER.

I THINK WE CAN DO THAT HERE.

DO YOU HAVE SOME
I COULD MAYBE LOOK AT?

- YEAH, YEAH, MATTER OF FACT,

I WAS JUST PREPPING
THESE TWO HERE.

I FOUND THEM
IN A BOX DOWNSTAIRS.

I FORGOT I HAD THEM.

AND THESE ARE...
THIS IS FLOAT COPPER.

- SO YOU'RE FAMILIAR
WITH THE GIANT PIECE OF COPPER

BACK IN MARQUETTE, RIGHT?

- YES.
- OKAY.

SO THIS IS ESSENTIALLY
THE SAME THING,

JUST A SMALLER VERSION OF IT.

- YEAH, SMALLER VERSION.
YEAH, IT COMES IN ALL SIZES.

- SAY, THERE'S ONE OTHER THING

I'D LIKE TO ASK YOU ABOUT.

I DON'T KNOW
IF YOU KNOW ANYTHING ABOUT IT,

BUT I'VE BEEN
LOOKING INTO SOMETHING

CALLED THE NEWBERRY TABLET.

- OH, YEAH.

- IT'S GONE NOW,
BUT DO YOU KNOW ANYBODY

WHO MIGHT HAVE
SOME INFORMATION ABOUT IT?

- WELL, YEAH, I MEAN,
WHEN THEY FOUND IT,

THERE WAS THIS BIG HURRAH.

I MEAN, THEY DIDN'T KNOW

WHETHER IT WAS EGYPTIAN
OR WHATEVER, YOU KNOW?

AND LUCKILY, THERE WAS A MINING
JOURNAL NEWSPAPER GUY THERE

THAT TOOK PICTURES OF THEM.

- OKAY.

- AND THEN THEY GOT STUCK
IN A GUY'S BARN,

AND THEN THE WEATHER
WORE THEM DOWN

BECAUSE THEY WEREN'T...
THEY WEREN'T BAKED CLAY.

THEY WERE JUST, YOU KNOW,
IN THAT JUST RAW FORM.

BUT THEY HAVE THEM DOWN THERE

IN THE MUSEUM IN ST. IGNACE
DOWN THERE.

PART OF THE TABLET IS STILL...

- WAIT, WAIT, WAIT.

YOU MEAN IT STILL EXISTS?
- YEAH, YEAH.

I WAS JUST DOWN THERE,
MATTER OF FACT, TWO WEEKS AGO.

- HOOLIE, THE FACT THAT
THAT TABLET STILL EXISTS

IS REALLY IMPORTANT,

BECAUSE IF I COULD GET IT
UNDER MY MICROSCOPE

AND DO SOME WEATHERING STUDIES,

I MIGHT BE ABLE
TO POTENTIALLY TIE THE MINOANS

WITH THE NEW WORLD UP HERE,

AND THE MICHIGAN COPPER MYSTERY
MIGHT BE SOLVED.

IT WOULD BE A BIG DEAL.

- I CAN'T BELIEVE
THE NEWBERRY TABLET,

LONG THOUGHT
TOAVE BEEN DESTROYED,

STILL EXISTS.

I THINK IT'S JUST THE CLUE
I NEED

TO SOLVE THE CASE
OF MICHIGAN'S MYSTERY MINERS.

WHEN TWO WOODSMEN

FOUND THE TABLET BY ACCIDENT
IN 1896,

THEY HAD NO IDEA
THE IMPORTANCE OF THEIR FIND.

WHEN I FOUND OUT
IT STILL EXISTS,

I DELVED DEEPER
AND DISCOVERED SOMETHING ELSE:

THE SCRIPT ON THE TABLET
IS THOUGHT TO BE MINOAN.

BUT BASED ON
WHAT I'VE LEARNED SO FAR,

I SEE NO CHANCE
IT COULD HAVE BEEN FAKED.

THAT'S BECAUSE THE TABLET
WAS DISCOVERED

BEFORE THE MINOAN CULTURE
WAS EVEN KNOWN TO EXIST.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS
DIDN'T FIND EVIDENCE

OF THE ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN
CULTURE UNTIL 1900,

FOUR YEARS AFTER THE WOODSMEN
FOUND THE TABLET.

NOW I'VE COME TO THE MUSEUM
WHERE THE STONE TABLET IS KEPT

TO CONDUCT AN ANALYSIS
USING FORENSIC GEOLOGY.

- WELCOME TO FORT DE BUADE.
I'M CONNIE.

- HI, CONNIE. SCOTT WOLTER.

- SCOTT, GLAD TO MEET YOU.

- SAY, I'M A FORENSIC GEOLOGIST,

AND I WAS REFERRED TO YOU
BY A MAN NAMED HOOLIE,

AND HE MENTIONED TO ME
THAT YOU HAD AN ARTIFACT HERE

THAT MIGHT BE HELPFUL
IN SOME RESEARCH THAT I'M DOING

ABOUT THE ANCIENT
COPPER CULTURE.

HAVE YOU EVER HEARD
OF THE NEWBERRY TABLET?

- AH, YES.
WE HAVE THEM RIGHT HERE.

- YOU HAVE IT.
- WE HAVE THEM.

- YOU DO HAVE IT.

- WE HAVE THEM IN THIS MUSEUM.
YES.

- HOW DID THE ARTIFACTS
GET HERE?

- DR. BENSON, IN THE '60s,

WAS A COLLECTOR
OF MANY ARTIFACTS,

AND HE RECEIVED A PHONE CALL
FROM FORT ALGONQUIN IN THE AREA,

AND HE DECIDED, "WHY NOT?"

SO HE LOOKED AT
THE NEWBERRY TABLETS.

HE PURCHASED THEM.

HE BROUGHT THEM HERE.

- TABLETS.

- WELL, IT CAME IN PIECES

WHEN IT SORT OF ENDED UP HERE.

- SO YOU HAVE
MORE THAN ONE PIECE.

- YES, WE HAVE
MORE THAN ONE PIECE.

- THEY'VE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE.

- THEY'VE BEEN HERE EVER SINCE.
YES.

I UNDERSTAND THAT
THEY WERE FOUND IN NEWBERRY,

AND THE SMITHSONIAN
ANALYZED THEM,

BUT AT THAT TIME,
THEY HAD NO CLUE.

SO THEY PUT THEM
IN THE FRAUD... IN THE HOAX...

- IN THE FRAUD CATEGORY.
- YES.

- YEAH, I'VE HEARD THAT BEFORE.

- I DON'T KNOW IF THEY'RE A HOAX
OR A REAL THING.

- LET ME ASK YOU A QUESTION.

HAS ANYBODY LOOKED AT THEM

IN MODERN TIMES,
SCIENTIFICALLY...

- NO, NO.

- THAT YOU'RE AWARE?

- NO. NOT AT ALL.

- OKAY, I THINK
I CAN HELP YOU WITH THAT.

WOW.

OH...

WOW.

THAT'S IN TOUGH SHAPE.

WELL, I THINK I'M DONE

WITH THE PRELIMINARY
EXAMINATION,

AND I HAVE SOME GOOD NEWS
AND SOME BAD NEWS.

BUT I'LL START
WITH THE BAD NEWS, OKAY?

- MM.

- THIS IS NOTHING, I'M SURE,

THAT'S GONNA SHOCK YOU,

BUT THE... THE TABLET
IS IN REALLY TOUGH SHAPE,

AND IT NEEDS SOME ATTENTION...
SERIOUS ATTENTION...

OTHERWISE,
JUST ANOTHER HANDLING COULD...

IT COULD BE GONE.

THE GOOD NEWS IS,
I WAS ABLE TO MAKE OUT

SOME OF THE CHARACTERS
ON THE TABLET.

I KNOW THERE'S AT LEAST THREE,
POSSIBLY FOUR...

MAYBE EVEN A FIFTH CHARACTER
THAT'S STILL THERE.

- OH, WOW.

- AND I THINK IT LOOKS
LIKE WHAT WE HAVE HERE

ON THIS PHOTOGRAPH
TAKEN IN THE LATE 1890s

OF THE TABLET.

I KNOW FOR SURE WE HAVE
THIS TRIDENT FIGURE HERE.

IT'S DEFINITELY THERE.

AND IT'S MINOAN SCRIPT.

- A WEIRD THING...

I HEARD OF SOME MORE
MINOAN-TYPE STONES...

- SOME MINOAN SCRIPT?

- YEAH, SOME SCRIPT,
SOME SYMBOLS.

- BEYOND THIS?
- YES.

- WHERE WAS THAT?

- UNDERWATER.
- UNDERWATER?

- UNDERWATER.

AND HOW THEY GET UNDERWATER...
I HAVE NO CLUE.

- WELL, I HAVE SOME IDEAS.

ARE WE TALKING ABOUT A LAKE?

- MM-HMM.

- OKAY. WHEREABOUTS?

- NORTHERN...
NORTHERN WISCONSIN AREA.

- OH, REALLY? OKAY.

WELL, YOU KNOW,
THINKING ABOUT IT,

THAT MAY NOT BE SO STRANGE
AFTER ALL.

AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY
THREW ANYTHING INTO THE LAKE.

WE HAVE SOMETHING CALLED
ISOSTATIC REBOUND,

OR UPLIFT OF THE LAND.

AND A FEW THOUSAND YEARS AGO,

WHAT IS NOW AT THE BOTTOM A LAKE

MAY HAVE BEEN DRY LAND
AT ONE TIME.

- OH, YEAH.

- SO IF THERE'S MINOAN SCRIPT
CARVED ON A TABLET

OR ON ROCKS
AT THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE

IN NORTHERN WISCONSIN,
I WILL FIND IT.

- WELL, HOW ARE YOU
GONNA GET TO IT?

IT'S UNDERWATER.

- DIVING.

YES.

- AFTER LOOKING
AT THE NEWBERRY TABLET,

I'M CONVINCED THE MINOANS
COULD BE THE ONES RESPONSIBLE

FOR MINING THE COPPER
IN THE GREAT LAKES

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

IF THERE REALLY
ARE MINOAN SYMBOLS

IN THE BOTTOM OF A LAKE
IN THIS AREA

THAT MATCH THE ONES
ON THE TABLET,

I NEED TO SEE THEM,

AND I'VE TRACKED DOWN THE GUY
WHO FOUND THEM.

IF YOU LOOK BACK
AT THE TIME OF THE MINOANS

AND IN THE...
DURING THE BRONZE AGE,

IT TOOK A LOT OF COPPER

TO MAKE THE AMOUNT OF BRONZE
THAT WAS MADE.

I DON'T THINK
THERE'S ENOUGH THERE

TO ACCOUNT FOR ALL THE BRONZE,

AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE
HAVE BEEN PONDERING THAT ISSUE.

SO WHERE DID IT COME FROM?

I MEAN, THAT'S THE QUESTION,

AND, TO ME, IT SEEMS REASONABLE
THAT HERE IS WHERE THEY CAME.

- THAT'S CORRECT.
THERE'S... THERE'S NO QUESTION.

THEY CAME FOR THE PURE COPPER

THAT LINE
THE GREAT LAKES REGION,

ESPECIALLY IN UPPER MICHIGAN.

AND THEY LEFT A LOT BEHIND

TO LET US KNOW
THAT THEY WERE HERE.

- YOU FOUND THESE...

- UNDERWATER,
15 TO 20 FEET IN DEPTH,

SYMBOLS MADE OUT OF STONE,

MADE INTO MOUNDS
TO MATCH SOME OF THESE.

- SO WHAT
ARE WE LOOKING AT HERE?

- THIS IS THE FISH SYMBOLS,

LIKE A BOOMERANG, THE "W."

- THESE ARE AMAZING.

YOU KNOW, I JUST GOT DONE
LOOKING AT WHAT'S LEFT

OF THE NEWBERRY TABLET,

AND THE "W"
WAS ONE OF THE SYMBOLS

THAT I WAS ABLE TO MAKE OUT
ON THAT ANCIENT STONE.

- THESE SYMBOLS
THAT I FOUND HERE

CLEARLY MATCH MANY OF THESE
ON THIS TABLET.

- SO WHAT YOU'RE SAYING IS,

YOUR SYMBOLS
ON THE BOTTOM OF THE LAKE

AND THE NEWBERRY TABLET

ARE ALL CONNECTED
BY ANCIENT COPPER MINERS?

- YES.

- IS THERE ANY
THAT ARE STILL INTACT?

- IN FACT, THERE IS
AND NOT TOO FAR FROM HERE.

I'D LIKE TO SHOW 'EM YOU.

- YOU REALIZE THAT
IF THESE ARE LEGITIMATE

AND THEY WERE MADE
BY THE MINOANS,

THAT MEANS THAT WE HAD
THE MINOAN CULTURE COMING HERE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS
BEFORE COLUMBUS.

I MEAN, THIS IS A BIG DEAL.

- SCOTT, YOU READY TO GO BACK
A FEW THOUSAND YEARS?

- YOU BET. LEAD THE WAY.

WELL, SCOTT,
WHATEVER THOSE PILES ONCE WERE,

THEY SURE LOOK LIKE
THEY'VE BEEN MESSED WITH.

THERE'S...

NOT MUCH LEFT.

- YEAH, THEY'VE ALL
BEEN TAMPERED WITH.

LET'S GET OUT
OF THIS COLD WATER.

I'LL TELL YOU ABOUT IT
ON THE BOAT.

- I APPRECIATE GUYS LIKE YOU

THAT ARE OUT THERE
LOOKING FOR THESE THINGS.

YOU WERE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

THAT ONE STRUCTURE
UNDERNEATH THERE

DID LOOK LIKE A "W."

IT WAS A LITTLE FLAT
ON THE BOTTOM, YOU KNOW?

IT DIDN'T LOOP UP IN THE MIDDLE
LIKE MOST "W" s DO,

BUT IT DEFINITELY
WAS NICELY SYMMETRIC,

AND IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SYMBOL
DOWN THERE.

THERE'S NO QUESTION ABOUT THAT.

- THE SYMBOLS DO MATCH.

- BUT I HAVE TO TELL YOU THAT

I'M A LITTLE SKEPTICAL
ABOUT WHAT I SAW IN THE WATER.

THE ROCKS THERE LOOKED TO ME

LIKE THEY HAD NOT BEEN THERE
FOR A LONG TIME,

AND I WOULD HAVE EXPECTED
MORE SEDIMENT BUILDUP.

- THE MOUNDS WERE...
WERE NOT LIKE I FOUND 'EM

SEVERAL YEARS AGO.

- I DON'T KNOW
WHAT THE SITUATION IS THERE.

IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT, YOU KNOW,
SOME OF THEM AREN'T LEGIT

OR THERE ARE OTHERS
IN OTHER PLACES.

- IT'S NOT SO MUCH THE MOUNDS

THAT MAKE ME CONVINCED
THAT THE MINOANS WERE HERE.

AND WE'RE STILL DOING
A LOT OF INVESTIGATION,

BUT WE DO KNOW WE'RE WALKING
IN ANCIENT FOOTSTEPS.

- I'M NOT CONVINCED
THAT THE ROCK PILES

I JUST SAW IN THE LAKE
WERE LEFT HERE BY THE MINOANS.

BUT SCOTT MITCHEN
IS YET ANOTHER LOCAL

WHO BELIEVES
THAT THEY WERE HERE,

MINING THE COPPER
FROM THE GREAT LAKES REGION,

AND A SIMPLE TEST
COULD HELP ME PROVE IT.

IF MICHIGAN COPPER

IS AS PURE AS COPPER
FROM BRONZE AGE EUROPE

AND SPECIFICALLY AS PURE
AS THE INGOTS

FROM ONE OF THE ONLY
MINOAN SHIPWRECKS EVER FOUND,

THEN THERE'S
AN ANCIENT CONNECTION

I THINK IS IMPOSSIBLE TO DENY.

HEY, GREG.

I WAS UP IN THE U.P....

UPPER PENINSULA OF MICHIGAN...

AND I HAVE A SAMPLE OF COPPER
RIGHT HERE.

I UNDERSTAND IT'S VERY PURE.

AND I'D LIKE TO FIND THAT OUT
FOR MYSELF.

IS THAT SOMETHING
YOU CAN HELP ME WITH?

- ABSOLUTELY.

- SO CAN YOU TELL ME A LITTLE

ABOUT THE TECHNOLOGY
WE'RE USING TODAY?

- YES, THIS IS A TECHNIQUE

KNOWN AS
PARTICLE-INDUCED X-RAY EMISSION,

OR P.I.X.E., FOR SHORT.

AND SO WHAT WE'VE GOT
IS A ACCELERATOR

THAT'S GOING TO GENERATE
A HIGH-ENERGY BEAM OF PARTICLES.

THOSE ARE GONNA SHOOT DOWN
THROUGH THAT TUBE,

AND AS THOSE IONS HIT IT,
THE SAMPLE WILL EMIT X-RAYS.

AND THOSE X-RAYS
CAN TELL YOU THINGS

ABOUT WHAT'S INSIDE THE SAMPLE.

- AM I RIGHT
THAT NASA USED P.I.X.E.

TO ANALYZE THE ROCKS
THAT CAME BACK

ON THE APOLLO FLIGHTS,

AND THEY'RE USING IT ON...
FOR MARS EXPLORATION TOO, RIGHT?

- I BELIEVE THAT'S CORRECT, YES.

- SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO TRY TO DO
IS USE THIS DATA

TO COMPARE WITH, HOPEFULLY,
SAMPLES OF BRONZE AGE COPPER

TO SEE IF THERE'S A MATCH.

AND IF THERE IS,
WELL, THIS WOULD PROVE

THAT ANCIENT MINERS
CAME TO NORTH AMERICA

LONG BEFORE COLUMBUS,

AND THAT WOULD CHANGE HISTORY
IN A PROFOUND WAY.

- SURE.

- I THINK COPPER
MINED FROM AMERICA'S GREAT LAKES

WAS USED TO FUEL
THE BRONZE AGE IN EUROPE

THOUSANDS OF YEARS AGO.

I THINK THE ANCIENT MINERS
WERE THE MINOANS,

A CULTURE
FROM THE ISLAND OF CRETE

WHO ALSO LEFT BEHIND
THE NEWBERRY TABLET,

WHICH IS UNDOUBTEDLY OLD

AND MAY BE WRITTEN
IN THEIR LANGUAGE.

AND I THINK
A HIGH-TECH ANALYSIS I'M DOING

THAT COMPARES THE FINGERPRINT
OF GREAT LAKES COPPER

WITH COPPER PULLED FROM
A MINOAN SHIPWRECK

COULD PROVE IT.

- SO FIRSTLY, IF WE LOOK AT
THE LARGER SPECTRUM,

WE SEE THESE PEAKS
THAT CLEARLY ARE DUE TO COPPER.

SO THERE'S...
AND THERE'S LOTS OF IT.

- BIG PEAK THERE.
- YEP.

AND THEN IF WE LOOK
AT THE FINER RESULTS,

THE TRACE ELEMENTS,

WE SEE A BIT OF GERMANIUM,
ARSENIC,

AND SOME EVEN MORE EXOTIC THINGS
LIKE EUROPIUM,

TERBIUM, AND THALLIUM.

- OKAY, SO THAT'S
A PRETTY UNIQUE FINGERPRINT.

I MEAN, THESE THINGS
ARE REPRESENTED HERE.

THEY'RE JUST SO MUCH SMALLER
THAN THE COPPER.

- YES, THEY ARE.
- OKAY.

WHAT WAS THE PERCENTAGE
OF COPPER?

WERE YOU ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT?

- WELL, AT LEAST
OF THE METALLIC ELEMENTS

PRESENT IN THE SAMPLE,

SOMETHING FROM 99%
TO 99.9% IS COPPER.

99-PLUS PERCENT COPPER.

WELL, THAT CONFIRMS
WHAT WE WERE TOLD,

WHAT WE SUSPECTED,

IS THAT THAT COPPER
WAS EXTREMELY PURE.

SO THAT TELLS US THAT
THE VISIBLE COPPER THAT WE SEE

IS VERY SPECIFIC TO THOSE AREAS,

AND OBVIOUSLY,
YOUR RESULTS CONFIRM THAT.

THAT'S GREAT.

KNOWING THE PURITY OF THIS

AND THE PURITY OF THE COPPER
FROM THE MINOAN SHIPWRECK

ARE THE SAME,

I'M FEELING BETTER THAN EVER
ABOUT MY THEORY

THAT BRONZE AGE COPPER
CAME FROM AMERICA.

I'VE INVESTIGATED WHETHER
COPPER FROM THE GREAT LAKES

WAS USED TO FUEL
THE EUROAN BRONZE AGE.

WHAT I CAN SAY FOR CERTAIN

IS THAT THE PURITY
OF MICHIGAN COPPER

IS A MATCH
TO THE PURITY OF COPPER

FOUND ON A SHIPWRECK
OF THE MINOANS,

A EUROPEAN CULTURE
FROM THE ISLAND OF CRETE

PROMINENT DURING THE BRONZE AGE.

THE NEWBERRY TABLET
IS ANOTHER CLUE

THAT LINKS THE MINOANS
TO THE GREAT LAKES REGION

IN ANCIENT TIMES.

MORE THAN A CENTURY AGO,

A COUPLE OF WOODSMEN
STARTED CHOPPING WOOD

AND STUMBLED UPON
THIS INCREDIBLE DISCOVERY.

THIS STONE TABLET
WAS WRAPPED IN TREE ROOTS,

SO IT MUST HAVE BEEN THERE
FOR A LONG TIME.

THEY SAW THESE SYMBOLS
BUT HAD NO IDEA WHAT THEY WERE.

ONLY YEARS LATER WOULD WE KNOW

THAT THESE SYMBOLS
WERE LIKELY MINOAN

AND THE IMPORTANCE
OF THEIR DISCOVERY.

WHAT I'VE SEEN REWRITES
NOT JUST AMERICAN HISTORY

BUT ALSO EUROPEAN HISTORY

AND GIVES US
NEW AND CRITICAL INSIGHT

INTO UNDERSTANDING
THE EVOLUTION OF CIVILIZATIONS

ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ATLANTIC.

I'M HERE TO UNRAVEL
THE DEEPEST MYSTERIES,

AND WHAT I'M DISCOVERING

MIGHT CHANGE HISTORY
IN A PROFOUND WAY.

IF YOU HAVE
A MYSTERIOUS ARTIFACT OR SITE

I NEED TO SEE,
I WANT TO KNOW ABOUT IT.

Subtitles Diego Moraes
www.oakisland.tk