1
00:00:01,077 --> 00:00:03,545
[narrator] How can this
corroded scrap of metal
2
00:00:03,579 --> 00:00:05,781
change the history
of a continent?
3
00:00:05,815 --> 00:00:08,750
[Ben] As soon as
it's identified, wow.
4
00:00:08,785 --> 00:00:10,719
[Kevin] It's the real deal.
5
00:00:10,753 --> 00:00:12,587
[narrator]
Why can't we translate
6
00:00:12,622 --> 00:00:14,489
this 3,000-year-old relic
7
00:00:14,524 --> 00:00:16,892
of a lost civilization?
8
00:00:16,926 --> 00:00:18,360
[Tamar] The Phaistos Disc
9
00:00:18,394 --> 00:00:19,594
is one of the greatest mysteries
10
00:00:19,629 --> 00:00:21,196
of the Bronze Age.
11
00:00:21,230 --> 00:00:23,398
[narrator] And is this
dead woman's face
12
00:00:23,433 --> 00:00:25,500
the most kissed in history?
13
00:00:25,535 --> 00:00:28,170
[Mark Benecke] She became
what we would today call
14
00:00:28,204 --> 00:00:30,072
an it girl.
15
00:00:31,607 --> 00:00:33,542
[narrator]
These are the most remarkable
16
00:00:33,576 --> 00:00:37,646
and mysterious objects on Earth,
17
00:00:37,680 --> 00:00:40,348
hidden away in museums,
laboratories,
18
00:00:40,383 --> 00:00:43,618
and storage rooms.
19
00:00:43,653 --> 00:00:45,887
Now, new research and technology
20
00:00:45,922 --> 00:00:49,024
can get under their skin
like never before.
21
00:00:50,626 --> 00:00:53,562
We can rebuild them,
22
00:00:53,596 --> 00:00:56,198
pull them apart,
23
00:00:56,232 --> 00:00:57,899
and zoom in
24
00:00:57,934 --> 00:01:02,137
to reveal the unbelievable,
25
00:01:02,171 --> 00:01:03,672
the ancient,
26
00:01:03,706 --> 00:01:07,442
and the truly bizarre.
27
00:01:07,477 --> 00:01:10,245
These are the world's
strangest things.
28
00:01:10,279 --> 00:01:13,281
[theme music playing]
29
00:01:21,491 --> 00:01:22,691
[narrator] In a display case
30
00:01:22,725 --> 00:01:25,527
in the Maine State Museum
in Augusta
31
00:01:25,561 --> 00:01:27,295
sits a tiny scrap of metal
32
00:01:27,330 --> 00:01:31,399
that helped rewrite history,
33
00:01:31,434 --> 00:01:34,536
because it is unlike
anything ever found
34
00:01:34,570 --> 00:01:36,638
in the United States.
35
00:01:36,672 --> 00:01:39,741
Now,
the latest imaging technology
36
00:01:39,775 --> 00:01:43,445
reveals it
in astonishing detail.
37
00:01:43,479 --> 00:01:45,847
The Maine penny.
38
00:01:45,882 --> 00:01:48,550
Despite being less than
an inch across
39
00:01:48,584 --> 00:01:50,652
with chipped and corroded metal,
40
00:01:50,686 --> 00:01:52,487
the Maine penny
is one of the most
41
00:01:52,522 --> 00:01:56,358
famous coins in the world,
42
00:01:56,392 --> 00:01:58,293
because it's not a penny,
43
00:01:58,327 --> 00:02:00,529
and it's not from Maine.
44
00:02:00,563 --> 00:02:03,465
Strangely,
barely visible markings on it
45
00:02:03,499 --> 00:02:06,234
reveals something incredible.
46
00:02:06,269 --> 00:02:08,003
Vikings.
47
00:02:08,037 --> 00:02:09,471
[Ben] All of a sudden
this is Viking archaeology
48
00:02:09,505 --> 00:02:10,906
in North America.
49
00:02:10,940 --> 00:02:13,808
How did it get there
and what meaning did it have?
50
00:02:13,843 --> 00:02:16,378
[narrator] It flies in
the face of accepted history
51
00:02:16,412 --> 00:02:18,580
at the time of the coin's find.
52
00:02:18,614 --> 00:02:20,615
American schoolchildren
were being taught
53
00:02:20,650 --> 00:02:22,784
that Columbus
had discovered America.
54
00:02:22,818 --> 00:02:25,554
[narrator]
So how does a Viking coin
55
00:02:25,588 --> 00:02:27,589
end up in Maine?
56
00:02:27,623 --> 00:02:31,426
Is it genuine
or an elaborate hoax?
57
00:02:31,460 --> 00:02:34,563
Now, new research
settles this question
58
00:02:34,597 --> 00:02:36,298
once and for all.
59
00:02:36,332 --> 00:02:38,300
[suspenseful music playing]
60
00:02:40,236 --> 00:02:43,572
[narrator] This strange story
begins at Naskeag Point,
61
00:02:43,606 --> 00:02:46,474
an isolated site
on the coast of Maine.
62
00:02:48,644 --> 00:02:50,645
[Kevin] In the summer of 1957,
63
00:02:50,680 --> 00:02:52,781
an amateur archaeologist
64
00:02:52,815 --> 00:02:54,449
by the name of Guy Mellgren
and a friend
65
00:02:54,483 --> 00:02:57,485
set out to investigate
a Native American midden
66
00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:59,487
or trash heap.
67
00:02:59,522 --> 00:03:01,556
[narrator] They unearthed
thousands of finds
68
00:03:01,591 --> 00:03:03,458
left by the indigenous people
69
00:03:03,492 --> 00:03:06,561
a millennia ago.
70
00:03:06,596 --> 00:03:08,763
[Kevin] And amongst Native
American tools
71
00:03:08,798 --> 00:03:09,864
and bone debris
72
00:03:09,899 --> 00:03:15,537
was a single remarkable
eroded silver coin.
73
00:03:15,571 --> 00:03:17,472
[narrator]
But coins have no place
74
00:03:17,506 --> 00:03:20,609
on a site like this.
75
00:03:20,643 --> 00:03:22,611
[Ben] A thousand years ago,
76
00:03:22,645 --> 00:03:24,246
indigenous American groups
77
00:03:24,280 --> 00:03:26,648
weren't using coinage.
78
00:03:26,682 --> 00:03:28,817
[narrator]
So what exactly is it?
79
00:03:28,851 --> 00:03:30,785
[Kevin] Mellgren shows it
to a friend of his,
80
00:03:30,820 --> 00:03:34,556
who thinks it's a medieval
English coin.
81
00:03:34,590 --> 00:03:35,824
Perhaps it came over with some
82
00:03:35,858 --> 00:03:38,860
of the earliest settlers
to New England.
83
00:03:38,894 --> 00:03:41,329
[narrator] Mellgren puts
the coin on a shelf
84
00:03:41,364 --> 00:03:42,430
and forgets about it
85
00:03:42,465 --> 00:03:45,834
for nearly two decades.
86
00:03:45,868 --> 00:03:47,869
[Ben] And it sits
in his house until 1974
87
00:03:47,903 --> 00:03:50,739
when it makes its way
to the museum.
88
00:03:50,773 --> 00:03:52,507
[narrator]
A local paper publishes
89
00:03:52,541 --> 00:03:55,343
a short article about it,
90
00:03:55,378 --> 00:03:57,345
and that's when this object
91
00:03:57,380 --> 00:03:59,547
becomes one
of history's strangest.
92
00:03:59,582 --> 00:04:03,118
[dramatic music playing]
93
00:04:05,554 --> 00:04:07,489
[Kevin] English coin expert,
Peter Seaby
94
00:04:07,523 --> 00:04:11,326
sees an article on it,
sees the coin, and realizes
95
00:04:11,360 --> 00:04:14,429
it is a very rare Viking coin
96
00:04:14,463 --> 00:04:15,697
of Olaf the Peaceful.
97
00:04:15,731 --> 00:04:18,767
[narrator] This is an original
Olaf the Peaceful coin.
98
00:04:18,801 --> 00:04:22,537
The similarities are undeniable.
99
00:04:22,571 --> 00:04:25,540
Experts date it
as early as 1067.
100
00:04:25,574 --> 00:04:27,876
And that changes everything.
101
00:04:27,910 --> 00:04:30,578
[Ben] When it's considered
to be a British penny,
102
00:04:30,613 --> 00:04:31,780
there's no real mystery
as to how
103
00:04:31,814 --> 00:04:34,849
that might have turned up
on an archeological site.
104
00:04:34,884 --> 00:04:36,518
But as soon
as this is identified
105
00:04:36,552 --> 00:04:37,986
to King Olaf the Peaceful,
106
00:04:38,020 --> 00:04:41,222
wow, all of a sudden,
this is Viking archaeology
107
00:04:41,257 --> 00:04:43,191
in North America.
108
00:04:43,225 --> 00:04:45,827
[narrator] Somehow a tiny
piece of Viking history
109
00:04:45,861 --> 00:04:49,531
has been transported across
the Atlantic to America,
110
00:04:49,565 --> 00:04:51,499
and ended up
in a thousand-year-old
111
00:04:51,534 --> 00:04:54,469
trash heap
on the coast of Maine.
112
00:04:54,503 --> 00:04:57,439
And that is huge.
113
00:04:58,908 --> 00:05:01,509
American schoolchildren
were being taught
114
00:05:01,544 --> 00:05:04,379
that Columbus
had discovered America.
115
00:05:05,881 --> 00:05:09,551
The idea that there were
somehow Vikings
116
00:05:09,585 --> 00:05:12,187
in contact with Native Americans
117
00:05:12,221 --> 00:05:16,524
500 years before Columbus
was big news.
118
00:05:16,559 --> 00:05:18,259
[narrator] Extraordinary claims
119
00:05:18,294 --> 00:05:20,562
require extraordinary proof.
120
00:05:20,596 --> 00:05:23,431
So where is the evidence
to back this up?
121
00:05:23,466 --> 00:05:26,468
[dramatic music playing]
122
00:05:28,637 --> 00:05:29,838
[narrator] The idea that Vikings
123
00:05:29,872 --> 00:05:31,706
might have got
to North America first
124
00:05:31,741 --> 00:05:34,642
isn't news to Scandinavians.
125
00:05:34,677 --> 00:05:37,579
They know of the great
Viking tales contained
126
00:05:37,613 --> 00:05:39,748
in the Icelandic sagas.
127
00:05:39,782 --> 00:05:42,584
In particular, the story
of legendary explorer,
128
00:05:42,618 --> 00:05:45,387
Leif Erikson.
129
00:05:45,421 --> 00:05:47,422
[Kevin]
Leif Erikson heard a tale
130
00:05:47,456 --> 00:05:49,491
from a shipwreck mariner
131
00:05:49,525 --> 00:05:51,526
who had been carried by currents
132
00:05:51,560 --> 00:05:54,596
near a land
to the west of Greenland,
133
00:05:54,630 --> 00:05:57,532
which he noted
was covered with trees.
134
00:05:57,566 --> 00:05:58,833
This enticed Erikson,
135
00:05:58,868 --> 00:06:01,536
so he set out
with one well-laden
136
00:06:01,570 --> 00:06:03,738
and equipped boat.
137
00:06:03,773 --> 00:06:05,540
[narrator]
According to the sagas,
138
00:06:05,574 --> 00:06:09,878
Erikson reaches a new land
he names Vinland.
139
00:06:09,912 --> 00:06:12,414
[Kevin] When historians
saw his descriptions
140
00:06:12,448 --> 00:06:13,615
of this country
141
00:06:13,649 --> 00:06:15,550
and the people he encountered,
142
00:06:15,584 --> 00:06:18,386
they thought there's only
one place that this can be.
143
00:06:18,421 --> 00:06:20,355
This must be somewhere
144
00:06:20,389 --> 00:06:22,424
in North America.
145
00:06:22,458 --> 00:06:25,960
Very possibly Newfoundland.
146
00:06:25,995 --> 00:06:27,529
[Ben] If there's any truth
to those stories
147
00:06:27,563 --> 00:06:28,696
and those sagas,
148
00:06:28,731 --> 00:06:30,765
then it really does mean
that the Vikings
149
00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:32,667
have made landfall
in the North...
150
00:06:32,701 --> 00:06:34,536
On the North American continent
151
00:06:34,570 --> 00:06:35,637
much earlier than anybody else
152
00:06:35,671 --> 00:06:36,638
from a European perspective.
153
00:06:36,672 --> 00:06:40,175
[dramatic music playing]
154
00:06:42,144 --> 00:06:43,645
[narrator]
Could this incredible object
155
00:06:43,679 --> 00:06:46,414
really a proof of that?
156
00:06:46,449 --> 00:06:48,516
It certainly isn't
the first Viking artifact
157
00:06:48,551 --> 00:06:49,651
to turn up in the States.
158
00:06:49,685 --> 00:06:53,154
[dramatic music playing]
159
00:06:56,459 --> 00:06:57,692
[Kevin] In 1898,
160
00:06:57,726 --> 00:07:01,095
there was the Kensington
Runestone in Minnesota.
161
00:07:02,598 --> 00:07:04,332
[narrator] The runes translation
162
00:07:04,366 --> 00:07:06,468
records a voyage by eight Goths
163
00:07:06,502 --> 00:07:07,602
and twenty-two Norwegians
164
00:07:07,636 --> 00:07:10,772
to Vinland in 1362
165
00:07:10,806 --> 00:07:13,775
that encounters hostile locals.
166
00:07:13,809 --> 00:07:15,577
This seems to fit more or less
167
00:07:15,611 --> 00:07:18,379
with the Icelandic sagas.
168
00:07:18,414 --> 00:07:20,582
And there are other finds too.
169
00:07:20,616 --> 00:07:23,251
[Kevin] In Ontario,
there was a Viking sword,
170
00:07:23,285 --> 00:07:25,453
axe, and shield found.
171
00:07:25,488 --> 00:07:27,655
And there are also various
172
00:07:27,690 --> 00:07:30,458
bits of writing on stones
173
00:07:30,493 --> 00:07:31,526
which people attributed
174
00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,629
to being Viking runes.
175
00:07:34,697 --> 00:07:36,564
[narrator] North America
seems to be littered
176
00:07:36,599 --> 00:07:37,665
with evidence that the Vikings
177
00:07:37,700 --> 00:07:39,767
were there before Columbus.
178
00:07:39,802 --> 00:07:42,637
[Kevin] The problem is
that none of these
179
00:07:42,671 --> 00:07:45,039
were in fact authentic.
180
00:07:47,510 --> 00:07:48,576
The Kensington Runestone
181
00:07:48,611 --> 00:07:51,713
is now known
to have been a forgery.
182
00:07:51,747 --> 00:07:56,451
The axes and shields, likewise.
183
00:07:56,485 --> 00:07:59,988
[narrator]
So why all the Viking fakes.
184
00:08:00,022 --> 00:08:03,791
The Kensington Runestone
may hold the answer.
185
00:08:03,826 --> 00:08:05,627
If you look
at the name of the man
186
00:08:05,661 --> 00:08:08,429
who discovered it, Olof Ohman,
187
00:08:08,464 --> 00:08:10,365
you'll have a clue.
188
00:08:10,399 --> 00:08:12,600
These objects
were found by people
189
00:08:12,635 --> 00:08:14,669
of Scandinavian descent
190
00:08:14,703 --> 00:08:17,272
who were combating
a negative image.
191
00:08:17,306 --> 00:08:20,308
[dramatic music playing]
192
00:08:24,747 --> 00:08:26,681
[narrator] Scandinavian
immigrants to the US
193
00:08:26,715 --> 00:08:29,517
had often been taunted
and belittled.
194
00:08:29,552 --> 00:08:32,554
[Kevin] So if these immigrants
could prove
195
00:08:32,588 --> 00:08:34,822
that it wasn't the Italian,
196
00:08:34,857 --> 00:08:37,258
Columbus,
who discovered the New World
197
00:08:37,293 --> 00:08:39,561
but instead, effectively,
198
00:08:39,595 --> 00:08:41,763
a Scandinavian, Leif Erikson,
199
00:08:41,797 --> 00:08:45,400
this would be greatly
to their credit.
200
00:08:45,434 --> 00:08:46,668
[narrator]
And that makes the discovery
201
00:08:46,702 --> 00:08:50,772
of the Maine penny
particularly suspicious
202
00:08:50,806 --> 00:08:53,641
because Mellgren,
the man who finds it,
203
00:08:53,676 --> 00:08:56,878
is of Swedish descent himself.
204
00:08:56,912 --> 00:09:00,515
So is this strange artifact
just another hoax?
205
00:09:00,549 --> 00:09:04,052
[dramatic music playing]
206
00:09:05,654 --> 00:09:08,356
[theme music playing]
207
00:09:08,390 --> 00:09:09,791
[narrator] Could the Maine penny
208
00:09:09,825 --> 00:09:11,392
be just another in a long line
209
00:09:11,427 --> 00:09:13,795
of Viking hoaxes?
210
00:09:13,829 --> 00:09:15,229
One thing that isn't in doubt
211
00:09:15,264 --> 00:09:16,464
is the coins origins
212
00:09:16,498 --> 00:09:18,866
in 11th century Norway.
213
00:09:18,901 --> 00:09:21,736
[Ben] The coin
is definitely authentic.
214
00:09:21,770 --> 00:09:24,372
It's definitely a coin
of King Olaf the Peaceful.
215
00:09:24,406 --> 00:09:26,074
But the big question then is
216
00:09:26,108 --> 00:09:28,643
how can we know that this coin
217
00:09:28,677 --> 00:09:30,812
comes from
an archaeological context?
218
00:09:30,846 --> 00:09:35,283
[narrator] Or, more bluntly,
did Mellgren plant it?
219
00:09:36,685 --> 00:09:40,688
[Kevin] So Mellgren,
himself of Swedish descent,
220
00:09:40,723 --> 00:09:44,258
has both a motive
and an opportunity
221
00:09:44,293 --> 00:09:45,727
to plant this find.
222
00:09:45,761 --> 00:09:47,462
[narrator] To pull off a hoax,
223
00:09:47,496 --> 00:09:50,531
Mellgren would need
the right coin,
224
00:09:50,566 --> 00:09:51,566
but by the late 1950s,
225
00:09:51,600 --> 00:09:53,935
that is relatively easy.
226
00:09:53,969 --> 00:09:58,439
[Kevin] In 1879, a hoard
of more than 2,000 such coins
227
00:09:58,474 --> 00:09:59,607
had come to light.
228
00:09:59,642 --> 00:10:01,576
So the coins themselves
229
00:10:01,610 --> 00:10:03,678
were easy enough to find.
230
00:10:03,712 --> 00:10:05,413
[narrator]
Could Mellgren have got hold
231
00:10:05,447 --> 00:10:08,149
of a real coin to plant?
232
00:10:09,451 --> 00:10:10,952
Now, brand-new research
233
00:10:10,986 --> 00:10:15,657
claims to have finally
answered this question.
234
00:10:15,691 --> 00:10:18,693
[Kevin] The Swedish
coin expert, Von Goldbeck,
235
00:10:18,727 --> 00:10:21,596
decided to take on
the enormous task
236
00:10:21,630 --> 00:10:25,700
of tracing every known coin find
237
00:10:25,734 --> 00:10:28,302
of Olaf the Peaceful.
238
00:10:28,337 --> 00:10:29,404
[narrator] Goldbeck tracks down
239
00:10:29,438 --> 00:10:31,806
more than 2,300 coins
240
00:10:31,840 --> 00:10:33,374
to find out
if any could have made it
241
00:10:33,409 --> 00:10:35,810
into Mellgren's hands.
242
00:10:35,844 --> 00:10:37,478
It's an enormous
piece of research
243
00:10:37,513 --> 00:10:39,914
that takes over a decade
to complete.
244
00:10:39,948 --> 00:10:42,383
The result
after exhaustive study
245
00:10:42,418 --> 00:10:45,520
is that no
Olaf the Peaceful coins
246
00:10:45,554 --> 00:10:47,989
were unaccounted for.
247
00:10:48,023 --> 00:10:50,391
[narrator] Additionally,
unlike the Maine penny,
248
00:10:50,426 --> 00:10:52,493
all other
Olaf the Peaceful coins
249
00:10:52,528 --> 00:10:54,962
are in very good condition.
250
00:10:54,997 --> 00:10:58,399
[Kevin] The Maine penny
is very heavily corroded.
251
00:10:58,434 --> 00:10:59,767
And that's hard to fake.
252
00:10:59,802 --> 00:11:02,437
This is a process that goes on
253
00:11:02,471 --> 00:11:04,772
across the centuries.
254
00:11:04,807 --> 00:11:06,574
[narrator]
The Maine State Museum
255
00:11:06,608 --> 00:11:08,509
analyzes the chemistry
256
00:11:08,544 --> 00:11:11,179
of these layers of corrosion.
257
00:11:11,213 --> 00:11:12,513
The results support
258
00:11:12,548 --> 00:11:15,750
the object's authenticity.
259
00:11:15,784 --> 00:11:20,655
[Ben] There's evidence that
water sat around the coin.
260
00:11:20,689 --> 00:11:22,390
It's been sat
in slowly moving water
261
00:11:22,424 --> 00:11:24,559
for a very long period of time,
262
00:11:24,593 --> 00:11:25,827
and this would be supportive
of the fact
263
00:11:25,861 --> 00:11:29,597
that it's been buried
for a long period of time.
264
00:11:29,631 --> 00:11:32,500
There's no doubt
that the Maine penny
265
00:11:32,534 --> 00:11:34,635
is the real deal.
266
00:11:34,670 --> 00:11:37,872
[narrator] Mellgren did not
plant the Maine penny.
267
00:11:37,906 --> 00:11:40,708
In which case,
how did it find its way
268
00:11:40,742 --> 00:11:42,543
to a Native American settlement
269
00:11:42,578 --> 00:11:45,179
a thousand years ago?
270
00:11:49,451 --> 00:11:50,785
In 1960,
271
00:11:50,819 --> 00:11:53,821
three years after Mellgren
discovers the Maine penny,
272
00:11:53,856 --> 00:11:56,557
Norwegian archaeologist,
Anne Stine Ingstad,
273
00:11:56,592 --> 00:11:57,959
and her husband, Helge,
274
00:11:57,993 --> 00:12:01,462
are investigating a site
at L'Anse aux Meadows
275
00:12:01,497 --> 00:12:03,231
in Newfoundland.
276
00:12:04,466 --> 00:12:07,568
Locals describe it
as an old Indian camp,
277
00:12:07,603 --> 00:12:10,371
but it's something far stranger.
278
00:12:10,405 --> 00:12:11,973
[dramatic music playing]
279
00:12:12,007 --> 00:12:16,444
[Kevin] They find the basis
of turf structures.
280
00:12:16,478 --> 00:12:17,578
One large hall.
281
00:12:17,613 --> 00:12:20,581
Also a blacksmith's workshop.
282
00:12:20,616 --> 00:12:24,519
They find remnants
of Viking boat sheds.
283
00:12:24,553 --> 00:12:26,654
So this is definitive proof
284
00:12:26,688 --> 00:12:29,390
that the Vikings
were the first Europeans
285
00:12:29,424 --> 00:12:31,626
to come to America.
286
00:12:31,660 --> 00:12:34,695
[narrator]
The Icelandic sagas are true.
287
00:12:34,730 --> 00:12:37,231
Vikings really do reach
North America
288
00:12:37,266 --> 00:12:39,433
500 years before Columbus.
289
00:12:39,468 --> 00:12:41,469
[thunder rumbles]
290
00:12:43,539 --> 00:12:46,974
[narrator] It's a revelation,
291
00:12:47,009 --> 00:12:48,643
but it doesn't explain
the coin's discovery
292
00:12:48,677 --> 00:12:52,480
750 miles farther south,
293
00:12:52,514 --> 00:12:55,483
because not a single scrap
of evidence ever
294
00:12:55,517 --> 00:12:57,585
turns up to suggest
the Vikings reached
295
00:12:57,619 --> 00:13:01,455
anywhere near this far down.
296
00:13:01,490 --> 00:13:04,292
So how does a Viking coin
end up in Maine?
297
00:13:04,326 --> 00:13:07,328
[dramatic music playing]
298
00:13:10,933 --> 00:13:14,368
[Kevin] Renewed professional
excavations at Naskeag Point
299
00:13:14,403 --> 00:13:16,404
have not found any other traces
300
00:13:16,438 --> 00:13:18,372
of Norse artifacts.
301
00:13:18,407 --> 00:13:19,807
But what they have found
302
00:13:19,842 --> 00:13:21,742
are stone tools
and stone raw materials
303
00:13:21,777 --> 00:13:24,545
coming from as far away
as Labrador,
304
00:13:24,580 --> 00:13:26,681
hundreds of miles to the north.
305
00:13:26,715 --> 00:13:29,584
So there's evidence here
for trade,
306
00:13:29,618 --> 00:13:31,686
for the movement of goods
307
00:13:31,720 --> 00:13:32,687
and also the movement of people
308
00:13:32,721 --> 00:13:36,290
over really quite
significant distances.
309
00:13:36,325 --> 00:13:38,326
[narrator] Despite the fact
that it has no value
310
00:13:38,360 --> 00:13:40,528
to the indigenous people
as a coin,
311
00:13:40,562 --> 00:13:41,729
one feature may explain
312
00:13:41,763 --> 00:13:45,533
why and how they carry it south.
313
00:13:45,567 --> 00:13:47,668
Although,
it has since crumbled away,
314
00:13:47,702 --> 00:13:50,238
when Mellgren finds the coin,
315
00:13:50,272 --> 00:13:52,607
it has a hole in it.
316
00:13:52,641 --> 00:13:54,442
[Kevin] It's been perforated,
317
00:13:54,476 --> 00:13:57,311
which would indicate
that it was being used
318
00:13:57,346 --> 00:13:58,813
as an object of decoration.
319
00:13:58,847 --> 00:14:02,316
Perhaps worn around the neck
or around the wrist.
320
00:14:02,351 --> 00:14:03,684
But the important thing is
321
00:14:03,719 --> 00:14:06,721
that this object
was not being used as a coin.
322
00:14:06,755 --> 00:14:08,856
[narrator]
So it's likely local people
323
00:14:08,891 --> 00:14:11,259
transport the coin
from Newfoundland
324
00:14:11,293 --> 00:14:13,494
all the way to Maine.
325
00:14:13,528 --> 00:14:16,731
This remarkable object
was created a millennia ago
326
00:14:16,765 --> 00:14:19,500
on the far side
of a stormy ocean.
327
00:14:19,534 --> 00:14:22,236
Like the finds
at L'Anse aux Meadows,
328
00:14:22,271 --> 00:14:23,704
it proves that Columbus
329
00:14:23,739 --> 00:14:27,575
isn't the first European
in North America.
330
00:14:27,609 --> 00:14:29,644
The Vikings beat him to it
331
00:14:29,678 --> 00:14:32,280
500 years earlier.
332
00:14:32,314 --> 00:14:34,649
[dramatic music playing]
333
00:14:34,683 --> 00:14:36,350
[narrator] In a museum in Crete,
334
00:14:36,385 --> 00:14:39,287
sits a strangely-marked
clay disc
335
00:14:39,321 --> 00:14:40,388
that has sparked over
336
00:14:40,422 --> 00:14:42,823
a century of controversy.
337
00:14:42,858 --> 00:14:46,694
Some say it is one of the most
astonishing texts ever found,
338
00:14:46,728 --> 00:14:49,664
a 3,000-year-old cryptic message
339
00:14:49,698 --> 00:14:51,866
from an ancient civilization.
340
00:14:51,900 --> 00:14:55,903
Others claim it's just
too good to be true.
341
00:14:55,938 --> 00:14:58,773
Now, using the latest
imaging technology,
342
00:14:58,807 --> 00:15:02,543
we're bringing it
into the light.
343
00:15:02,577 --> 00:15:05,346
This is the Phaistos Disc,
344
00:15:05,380 --> 00:15:07,315
measuring roughly
half an inch thick
345
00:15:07,349 --> 00:15:09,317
and six inches in diameter,
346
00:15:09,351 --> 00:15:12,620
made from fire-baked clay.
347
00:15:12,654 --> 00:15:16,290
Its two sides are covered
with inscriptions
348
00:15:16,325 --> 00:15:17,558
made using a technology
349
00:15:17,592 --> 00:15:20,194
thousands of years
ahead of it time,
350
00:15:20,228 --> 00:15:22,897
this disc is unique.
351
00:15:22,931 --> 00:15:25,232
[Mark Altaweel] It's the only
object that we know of
352
00:15:25,267 --> 00:15:26,767
that looks like that.
353
00:15:26,802 --> 00:15:29,637
[narrator]
There are 242 strange symbols
354
00:15:29,671 --> 00:15:32,840
from Mohican-haired men
to twisted figures,
355
00:15:32,874 --> 00:15:36,844
birds, fish,
and other cryptic shapes.
356
00:15:36,878 --> 00:15:40,281
The Phaistos Disc is one
of the greatest mysteries
357
00:15:40,315 --> 00:15:41,649
of the Bronze Age.
358
00:15:41,683 --> 00:15:45,286
And we've not been able
to decode it yet.
359
00:15:45,320 --> 00:15:46,587
[narrator] But, now,
360
00:15:46,621 --> 00:15:47,855
after more than
a century of debate,
361
00:15:47,889 --> 00:15:50,691
new research may have made
the first steps
362
00:15:50,726 --> 00:15:54,395
to revealing its secrets.
363
00:15:54,429 --> 00:15:58,299
So what do these
bizarre symbols mean?
364
00:15:58,333 --> 00:16:00,468
What is the disc for?
365
00:16:00,502 --> 00:16:01,669
Is it genuine?
366
00:16:01,703 --> 00:16:05,206
[dramatic music playing]
367
00:16:06,641 --> 00:16:09,076
[theme music playing]
368
00:16:11,480 --> 00:16:14,448
[narrator] The mystery
of the Phaistos Disc
369
00:16:14,483 --> 00:16:18,085
begins on the Island of Crete
in Greece.
370
00:16:19,855 --> 00:16:22,423
A place steeped
in mythological stories
371
00:16:22,457 --> 00:16:26,671
of a lost civilization
called The Minoans.
372
00:16:26,695 --> 00:16:29,497
Ancient legends
tell the story of their ruler,
373
00:16:29,531 --> 00:16:30,965
King Minos.
374
00:16:30,999 --> 00:16:33,701
Beneath his palace,
he builds a vast labyrinth
375
00:16:33,735 --> 00:16:37,738
to imprison a fearsome beast
called the Minotaur.
376
00:16:37,773 --> 00:16:39,640
[Mark Altaweel] The Minotaur
was this terrifying
377
00:16:39,674 --> 00:16:41,375
half-man half-bull creature.
378
00:16:41,410 --> 00:16:43,477
And it was kind
of the scourge of anyone
379
00:16:43,512 --> 00:16:44,845
who came to visit Minos.
380
00:16:44,880 --> 00:16:48,149
They would basically be eaten
by this Minotaur.
381
00:16:48,183 --> 00:16:49,884
[narrator] The creature
and the civilization behind it
382
00:16:49,918 --> 00:16:53,721
were considered little more
than ancient Greek legends.
383
00:16:53,755 --> 00:16:56,023
A lot of people thought
it was mythology.
384
00:16:56,058 --> 00:16:58,626
That perhaps they were just
kind of mythical people.
385
00:16:58,660 --> 00:17:00,428
[narrator] But in 1900,
386
00:17:00,462 --> 00:17:02,496
near the north coast
of the island,
387
00:17:02,531 --> 00:17:04,598
British archeologist,
Arthur Evans,
388
00:17:04,633 --> 00:17:08,269
makes a discovery
that changes everything,
389
00:17:09,671 --> 00:17:12,440
the ruins of a vast
Minoan palace
390
00:17:12,474 --> 00:17:14,675
4,000 years old.
391
00:17:14,709 --> 00:17:16,644
[Mark Altaweel] It's a major
deal for archeologists.
392
00:17:16,678 --> 00:17:18,446
This is the first time
we discovered
393
00:17:18,480 --> 00:17:19,747
that they're actually
a real civilization.
394
00:17:19,781 --> 00:17:22,783
They're not just some
made-up mythology.
395
00:17:22,818 --> 00:17:24,718
[Tamar] It transformed
our understanding
396
00:17:24,753 --> 00:17:26,587
of what Mediterranean
civilization
397
00:17:26,621 --> 00:17:29,490
were capable of at this time.
398
00:17:29,524 --> 00:17:31,625
[narrator]
The site is called Knossos.
399
00:17:31,660 --> 00:17:35,429
And it has intriguing links
to the ancient legends.
400
00:17:35,464 --> 00:17:37,398
[Mark Altaweel]
When Arthur Evans began
401
00:17:37,432 --> 00:17:38,732
excavation at Knossos,
402
00:17:38,767 --> 00:17:41,469
he notices there are a lot
of bull symbols.
403
00:17:41,503 --> 00:17:43,437
He understood that,
"Hey, this is may be a place
404
00:17:43,472 --> 00:17:45,673
associated with
the Minotaur story."
405
00:17:45,707 --> 00:17:49,176
[dramatic music playing]
406
00:17:50,745 --> 00:17:52,691
[narrator]
It is a previously unknown
407
00:17:52,715 --> 00:17:54,615
and extraordinarily
sophisticated
408
00:17:54,649 --> 00:17:56,951
ancient civilization.
409
00:17:56,985 --> 00:17:59,587
It existed at a time
when the crowning achievement
410
00:17:59,621 --> 00:18:01,822
of most other European societies
411
00:18:01,857 --> 00:18:06,560
is building wooden huts
and stone circles.
412
00:18:06,595 --> 00:18:08,996
But there is more to come.
413
00:18:09,965 --> 00:18:13,901
In 1908, Italian archeologist,
Luigi Pernier,
414
00:18:13,935 --> 00:18:16,504
excavates a second
Minoan palace complex
415
00:18:16,538 --> 00:18:18,606
on the south of the island.
416
00:18:18,640 --> 00:18:21,942
It is called Phaistos.
417
00:18:21,977 --> 00:18:23,644
One evening, Pernier's foreman
418
00:18:23,678 --> 00:18:27,715
happens on a small clay disc
laying the ruins.
419
00:18:27,749 --> 00:18:30,017
The bizarre symbols
covering its surface
420
00:18:30,051 --> 00:18:33,754
are unlike anything
Pernier has ever seen.
421
00:18:33,788 --> 00:18:36,624
But this disc is exceptional
in every way.
422
00:18:36,658 --> 00:18:39,593
[dramatic music playing]
423
00:18:39,628 --> 00:18:42,863
Normally,
such tablets for writing
424
00:18:42,898 --> 00:18:45,733
would have been formed
out of wet clay.
425
00:18:45,767 --> 00:18:47,501
And then when they were
rather hard,
426
00:18:47,536 --> 00:18:49,403
they would have been
written upon
427
00:18:49,437 --> 00:18:53,307
and simply left to dry
in the sun.
428
00:18:53,341 --> 00:18:54,775
The disc was very different.
429
00:18:54,809 --> 00:18:56,877
This disc,
first of all, was baked.
430
00:18:56,912 --> 00:18:59,880
So rather than sun dried,
it was actually fired.
431
00:18:59,915 --> 00:19:03,284
[narrator] It is the only
Minoan clay tablet ever found
432
00:19:03,318 --> 00:19:05,719
that's been fired in a kiln.
433
00:19:05,754 --> 00:19:07,621
And that's just the start,
434
00:19:07,656 --> 00:19:09,490
because there's
something remarkable
435
00:19:09,524 --> 00:19:11,592
about the symbols on it.
436
00:19:11,626 --> 00:19:15,429
Most writing at this time
was inscribed into the clay.
437
00:19:15,463 --> 00:19:17,398
But the symbols
on the Phaistos Disc
438
00:19:17,432 --> 00:19:19,667
have been stamped.
439
00:19:19,701 --> 00:19:21,569
The fact that it was impressed
by a stamp
440
00:19:21,603 --> 00:19:25,506
has also been considered
a unique discovery.
441
00:19:25,540 --> 00:19:27,575
And some archeologists
have, in fact,
442
00:19:27,609 --> 00:19:28,676
called this perhaps the oldest
443
00:19:28,710 --> 00:19:33,514
or first evidence
of a type of printing press.
444
00:19:33,548 --> 00:19:35,516
[narrator] There is literally
nothing else like it
445
00:19:35,550 --> 00:19:37,851
in the ancient world.
446
00:19:37,886 --> 00:19:40,354
[Kevin] Given the care
that was taken in it.
447
00:19:40,388 --> 00:19:42,022
The degree of its...
of its firing,
448
00:19:42,057 --> 00:19:45,292
all of these things mean that
this was a special object
449
00:19:45,327 --> 00:19:46,727
which was view as worthy
450
00:19:46,761 --> 00:19:49,363
of special treatment
and preservation.
451
00:19:51,700 --> 00:19:54,735
[narrator] What could have
been worth all this effort?
452
00:19:54,769 --> 00:19:57,204
Could the answer lie in decoding
453
00:19:57,239 --> 00:19:58,405
these strange symbols?
454
00:19:58,440 --> 00:20:00,407
[dramatic music playing]
455
00:20:02,611 --> 00:20:04,411
[Mark Altaweel] For over
a hundred years now,
456
00:20:04,446 --> 00:20:05,613
people have been
trying to decipher
457
00:20:05,647 --> 00:20:08,782
what exactly is on that disc.
458
00:20:08,817 --> 00:20:09,783
There have been a number
of interpretations.
459
00:20:09,818 --> 00:20:11,652
It could have been
an ancient game perhaps.
460
00:20:11,686 --> 00:20:13,554
A kind of backgammon
or something like that.
461
00:20:13,588 --> 00:20:15,055
Another interpretation
is it's used
462
00:20:15,090 --> 00:20:18,559
for some kind of astronomical
or astrological purposes.
463
00:20:18,593 --> 00:20:19,893
[narrator]
But one obvious theory
464
00:20:19,928 --> 00:20:22,896
has gained more traction
among experts than any other.
465
00:20:22,931 --> 00:20:25,733
[Mark Altaweel] More likely
it's some kind of language.
466
00:20:25,767 --> 00:20:27,701
Whether it's
a localized language
467
00:20:27,736 --> 00:20:29,570
or a slightly more widespread
language is debatable,
468
00:20:29,604 --> 00:20:31,739
but it seems to be something
meant to be read
469
00:20:31,773 --> 00:20:35,609
or, at least, perhaps
even announced to an audience.
470
00:20:35,644 --> 00:20:37,411
[narrator] But experts
couldn't even agree
471
00:20:37,445 --> 00:20:39,146
which direction they should read
472
00:20:39,180 --> 00:20:41,515
this language in.
473
00:20:41,549 --> 00:20:43,617
[Abigail] Archeologists
initially thought
474
00:20:43,652 --> 00:20:47,421
that you started
from the inside of the disc
475
00:20:47,455 --> 00:20:49,657
and read kind
of in a swirl pattern,
476
00:20:49,691 --> 00:20:51,959
coming out to the outer edges.
477
00:20:51,993 --> 00:20:55,896
But then when they looked
more closely at the symbols,
478
00:20:55,930 --> 00:20:59,667
they seem to get more crowded
and difficult
479
00:20:59,701 --> 00:21:03,604
as you move
from the outer rim inside.
480
00:21:03,638 --> 00:21:06,106
So scholars now think
that it's more likely
481
00:21:06,141 --> 00:21:10,010
that it was read
working from the outside in.
482
00:21:10,845 --> 00:21:14,581
[narrator] But what does
it actually say?
483
00:21:14,616 --> 00:21:17,351
There are 242 impressions
on the disc
484
00:21:17,385 --> 00:21:20,220
using 45 unique symbols.
485
00:21:22,123 --> 00:21:24,625
Most alphabets
have far fewer symbols
486
00:21:24,659 --> 00:21:26,894
than the Phaistos Disc.
487
00:21:26,928 --> 00:21:31,298
So experts think it's probably
not an alphabet.
488
00:21:32,634 --> 00:21:36,270
But it has too few symbols
and too many repetitions
489
00:21:36,304 --> 00:21:37,949
to be a pictographic script,
490
00:21:37,973 --> 00:21:41,709
where one symbol can represent
an entire word,
491
00:21:41,743 --> 00:21:44,244
such as Egyptian hieroglyphics
492
00:21:44,279 --> 00:21:46,246
or Babylonian cuneiform.
493
00:21:47,549 --> 00:21:50,784
Instead, experts suspect
the Phaistos script
494
00:21:50,819 --> 00:21:53,587
is what's known as a syllabary
495
00:21:53,621 --> 00:21:56,256
in which symbols
represents syllables
496
00:21:56,291 --> 00:21:58,325
such as do, re, mi.
497
00:21:59,561 --> 00:22:02,229
Syllabaries fit well
with the number of symbols
498
00:22:02,263 --> 00:22:03,630
on the disc,
499
00:22:03,665 --> 00:22:07,368
and we already know another
Minoan script uses them.
500
00:22:08,703 --> 00:22:11,105
But a century of intense
effort by experts
501
00:22:11,139 --> 00:22:14,341
has failed to get any further
with its meaning.
502
00:22:18,313 --> 00:22:19,847
Now, after years of analysis,
503
00:22:19,881 --> 00:22:22,683
Gareth Owens,
a British linguistic scholar,
504
00:22:22,717 --> 00:22:26,387
claims to have solved
at least part of the riddle.
505
00:22:26,421 --> 00:22:27,721
[Abigail] What Owens has done
506
00:22:27,756 --> 00:22:30,591
is try and find a parallel text.
507
00:22:30,625 --> 00:22:33,460
Something else that either
508
00:22:33,495 --> 00:22:35,562
has a similar function
509
00:22:35,597 --> 00:22:37,464
or has a similar type of text,
510
00:22:37,499 --> 00:22:40,234
going through,
looking for other examples
511
00:22:40,268 --> 00:22:44,104
in other languages
is a kind of natural process.
512
00:22:44,139 --> 00:22:46,507
[narrator] Owens has matched
a sequence of symbols
513
00:22:46,541 --> 00:22:48,609
on the disc
with a pattern of symbols
514
00:22:48,643 --> 00:22:51,211
on Minoan religious artifacts
515
00:22:51,246 --> 00:22:53,213
believed to be a prayer.
516
00:22:53,248 --> 00:22:54,448
He has also identified
517
00:22:54,482 --> 00:22:56,517
another pattern of symbols
on the disc
518
00:22:56,551 --> 00:22:58,719
repeated three times
like a chant,
519
00:22:58,753 --> 00:23:02,389
which is similar to an older
Cretan symbol pattern
520
00:23:02,424 --> 00:23:04,625
meaning "Mother Goddess".
521
00:23:04,659 --> 00:23:07,394
His theory, the disc is a prayer
522
00:23:07,429 --> 00:23:08,829
to the Mother Goddess.
523
00:23:08,863 --> 00:23:10,697
This would fit quite well
of what we know.
524
00:23:10,732 --> 00:23:13,801
The Mother Goddess was very
important to Minoan society,
525
00:23:13,835 --> 00:23:16,637
so having some kind of
dedication of prayer to her
526
00:23:16,671 --> 00:23:19,440
seems to be logical.
527
00:23:19,474 --> 00:23:21,041
We do see some repetition
in this disc
528
00:23:21,075 --> 00:23:22,910
like you would do in a prayer.
529
00:23:22,944 --> 00:23:25,446
And the fact that it's baked
clay seems to indicate
530
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:26,747
that it's a high valued item.
531
00:23:26,781 --> 00:23:29,183
And so having a religious reason
532
00:23:29,217 --> 00:23:32,519
as to why you have this disc,
I think it makes a lot sense.
533
00:23:32,554 --> 00:23:33,687
[narrator] But the problem
534
00:23:33,721 --> 00:23:35,556
with every theory about the disc
535
00:23:35,590 --> 00:23:39,460
is that nothing quite like it
has ever been found.
536
00:23:39,494 --> 00:23:41,595
The strange symbols,
537
00:23:41,629 --> 00:23:43,664
the use of stamps
thousands of years
538
00:23:43,698 --> 00:23:45,799
before anyone else,
539
00:23:45,834 --> 00:23:48,635
the fact that it's the only
kiln-fired tablet
540
00:23:48,670 --> 00:23:50,737
the Minoans ever produced,
541
00:23:50,772 --> 00:23:54,441
it seems out of place
and out of time.
542
00:23:54,476 --> 00:23:56,410
But there is one
explosive theory
543
00:23:56,444 --> 00:23:58,512
that could answer every question
544
00:23:58,546 --> 00:24:01,248
about this mysterious object.
545
00:24:05,553 --> 00:24:07,621
[theme music playing]
546
00:24:07,655 --> 00:24:09,556
[narrator] The Phaistos Disc
547
00:24:09,624 --> 00:24:12,292
is a unique ancient relic,
548
00:24:12,327 --> 00:24:14,761
and that worries some experts.
549
00:24:14,796 --> 00:24:16,730
[Kevin] The uniqueness
of this object is...
550
00:24:16,764 --> 00:24:19,700
As is often the case
with unique objects,
551
00:24:19,734 --> 00:24:22,169
rings a lot of alarm bells.
552
00:24:23,671 --> 00:24:25,472
[Abigail] We would expect
to find more
553
00:24:25,507 --> 00:24:26,807
of these objects,
554
00:24:26,841 --> 00:24:28,575
because if someone
had made the stamp
555
00:24:28,610 --> 00:24:31,011
and have the set,
then we would think,
556
00:24:31,045 --> 00:24:33,747
particularly something
that is made in clay,
557
00:24:33,781 --> 00:24:36,617
which a relatively
durable material,
558
00:24:36,651 --> 00:24:40,621
that we would have more
of these surviving.
559
00:24:40,655 --> 00:24:44,491
[narrator] Establishing
its age is also troublesome.
560
00:24:44,526 --> 00:24:47,594
The disc itself
has not been directly dated,
561
00:24:47,629 --> 00:24:49,630
but as it was found
near a tablet
562
00:24:49,664 --> 00:24:54,268
made between 1700 and 1600 BCE,
563
00:24:54,302 --> 00:24:56,270
archeologists have assumed
564
00:24:56,304 --> 00:24:58,038
it's the same age.
565
00:24:58,706 --> 00:25:00,507
But the issue is clouded
566
00:25:00,542 --> 00:25:04,278
by the unusual circumstances
of its discovery.
567
00:25:04,312 --> 00:25:06,346
It wasn't actually found
568
00:25:06,381 --> 00:25:08,649
by a professional archeologist.
569
00:25:08,683 --> 00:25:12,052
It was in an area which
had been previously excavated
570
00:25:12,086 --> 00:25:14,555
and was spotted by a foreman
doing their rounds.
571
00:25:14,589 --> 00:25:16,490
[narrator] So is it
the real deal
572
00:25:16,524 --> 00:25:18,659
or did someone plant it?
573
00:25:18,693 --> 00:25:21,461
Suspicion has fallen
on one person in particular
574
00:25:21,496 --> 00:25:23,430
at Phaistos.
575
00:25:23,464 --> 00:25:24,865
Site director, Luigi Pernier,
576
00:25:24,899 --> 00:25:28,168
has a strong motive
to conjure up a fake.
577
00:25:28,202 --> 00:25:30,804
[Kevin] What was being found
to the north at Knossos
578
00:25:30,838 --> 00:25:33,807
by Arthur Evans
was quite sensational,
579
00:25:33,841 --> 00:25:37,511
the supposed throne
of King Minos.
580
00:25:37,545 --> 00:25:39,780
Phaistos, by comparison,
581
00:25:39,814 --> 00:25:44,318
is a relatively
humble palatial complex
582
00:25:44,352 --> 00:25:45,552
which had,
583
00:25:45,587 --> 00:25:47,754
up to the find
of the Phaistos Disc,
584
00:25:47,789 --> 00:25:50,457
provided nothing
really sensational
585
00:25:50,491 --> 00:25:52,659
for the media at the time
586
00:25:52,694 --> 00:25:57,230
or to the credit
of Luigi Pernier.
587
00:25:57,265 --> 00:25:59,600
[narrator] The disc definitely
puts Pernier's Phaistos site
588
00:25:59,634 --> 00:26:01,468
on the map.
589
00:26:01,502 --> 00:26:05,405
It raises his archeological
profile immensely.
590
00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:06,773
And that's not the only detail
591
00:26:06,808 --> 00:26:09,476
that casts a shadow
over Pernier.
592
00:26:09,510 --> 00:26:11,812
[Kevin]
Pernier was also responsible
593
00:26:11,846 --> 00:26:15,649
for antiquities in Florence,
in Italy,
594
00:26:15,683 --> 00:26:17,551
and the museum there.
595
00:26:17,585 --> 00:26:19,486
And in its collections
596
00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:22,756
was a remarkable Etruscan disc
597
00:26:22,790 --> 00:26:24,691
known as the Milano Disc.
598
00:26:24,726 --> 00:26:26,460
The disc is circular.
599
00:26:26,494 --> 00:26:28,362
There is a set
of symbols engraved
600
00:26:28,396 --> 00:26:30,497
in a helical or spiral shape
601
00:26:30,531 --> 00:26:33,433
which looks uncannily similar
602
00:26:33,468 --> 00:26:35,569
to the Phaistos Disc.
603
00:26:35,603 --> 00:26:38,405
[narrator] Pernier has means,
motive, opportunity,
604
00:26:38,439 --> 00:26:40,273
and even inspiration.
605
00:26:41,476 --> 00:26:43,343
Cased closed?
606
00:26:43,378 --> 00:26:45,278
Nothing about this unique object
607
00:26:45,312 --> 00:26:46,546
is that simple.
608
00:26:46,581 --> 00:26:49,716
[dramatic music playing]
609
00:26:49,751 --> 00:26:52,452
[narrator] Decades after
the disc's discovery,
610
00:26:52,487 --> 00:26:55,455
another relic turns up.
611
00:26:55,490 --> 00:26:58,392
[Mark Altaweel] In 1934,
an axe was found.
612
00:26:58,426 --> 00:27:00,961
This bronze axe
actually had symbology
613
00:27:00,995 --> 00:27:04,798
that were very similar
to what was found on the disc.
614
00:27:04,832 --> 00:27:08,402
[narrator] It is known
as the Arkalochori Axe.
615
00:27:08,436 --> 00:27:09,636
Running down
the center of the axe
616
00:27:09,671 --> 00:27:12,539
are a series of unusual symbols.
617
00:27:12,573 --> 00:27:15,242
Some appear strangely
similar to symbols
618
00:27:15,276 --> 00:27:17,344
on the Phaistos Disc.
619
00:27:17,378 --> 00:27:20,347
A plant, a T shape,
620
00:27:20,381 --> 00:27:22,716
a Y-shaped stick-like symbol,
621
00:27:22,750 --> 00:27:25,318
and, most striking of all,
622
00:27:25,353 --> 00:27:27,187
a man with spiky hair.
623
00:27:27,221 --> 00:27:29,556
[Mark Altaweel] So that
supports the argument
624
00:27:29,590 --> 00:27:32,626
that this was an authentic disc.
625
00:27:32,660 --> 00:27:35,328
That these kinds of symbols
were symbols
626
00:27:35,363 --> 00:27:37,264
that would have been known
to at least somebody
627
00:27:37,298 --> 00:27:38,365
from this region.
628
00:27:39,867 --> 00:27:43,403
[Kevin] The question is,
how would Pernier
629
00:27:43,438 --> 00:27:45,505
have known if he was faking
the disc
630
00:27:45,540 --> 00:27:48,341
to make symbols
which had not yet officially
631
00:27:48,376 --> 00:27:50,310
been archeologically discovered.
632
00:27:50,344 --> 00:27:51,578
This might attest
633
00:27:51,612 --> 00:27:53,413
to the authenticity of the disc.
634
00:27:54,649 --> 00:27:57,417
[narrator] So fake or not fake?
635
00:27:57,452 --> 00:27:58,685
[Mark Altaweel]
I think it's real.
636
00:27:58,720 --> 00:28:00,620
I think the symbology
that has been found
637
00:28:00,655 --> 00:28:02,622
subsequent to this disc,
638
00:28:02,657 --> 00:28:04,725
the fact that
it's very similar to it,
639
00:28:04,759 --> 00:28:06,626
and at a time of discovery,
640
00:28:06,661 --> 00:28:08,595
were not known symbols
641
00:28:08,629 --> 00:28:11,631
indicates to me that it's real.
642
00:28:11,666 --> 00:28:13,834
[narrator]
Others are less certain.
643
00:28:13,868 --> 00:28:16,536
[Kevin] The Phaistos Disc
is one of those rare
644
00:28:16,571 --> 00:28:18,405
enigmatic objects
645
00:28:18,439 --> 00:28:21,408
that it is very difficult
646
00:28:21,442 --> 00:28:25,345
to make an absolute
judgment about.
647
00:28:25,379 --> 00:28:26,646
[Abigail]
What I've often found is
648
00:28:26,681 --> 00:28:29,616
when we call something a fake,
649
00:28:29,650 --> 00:28:31,685
sometimes that is
largely because
650
00:28:31,719 --> 00:28:35,489
we can't understand
what it was used for.
651
00:28:35,523 --> 00:28:38,458
I don't see clear signs
652
00:28:38,493 --> 00:28:40,794
that it's a fake.
653
00:28:40,828 --> 00:28:44,397
And I would certainly
like to believe
654
00:28:44,432 --> 00:28:46,500
that it's real.
655
00:28:46,534 --> 00:28:48,735
[narrator] Controversy
about the disc's authenticity
656
00:28:48,770 --> 00:28:51,671
has raged for a hundred years.
657
00:28:51,706 --> 00:28:55,342
It shows no signs
of being settled anytime soon.
658
00:29:00,715 --> 00:29:03,917
[suspenseful music playing]
659
00:29:03,951 --> 00:29:07,487
[narrator] On display
in an old workshop in Paris
660
00:29:07,522 --> 00:29:10,557
is the death mask
of a drowned girl.
661
00:29:10,591 --> 00:29:12,436
Some claim this is the most
662
00:29:12,460 --> 00:29:14,828
kissed face in history.
663
00:29:14,862 --> 00:29:19,332
[Mark Benecke] She inspired
people, poets, music, dance,
664
00:29:19,367 --> 00:29:20,700
and she was really well known.
665
00:29:20,735 --> 00:29:22,602
[narrator] And she is said
to have saved
666
00:29:22,637 --> 00:29:25,238
over two million lives.
667
00:29:26,541 --> 00:29:28,742
Now, using the latest
imaging technology,
668
00:29:28,776 --> 00:29:31,411
we're bringing
this mysterious mask
669
00:29:31,445 --> 00:29:33,146
into the light.
670
00:29:34,682 --> 00:29:37,684
Every feature immortalized
in plaster
671
00:29:37,718 --> 00:29:39,486
in exceptional detail,
672
00:29:39,520 --> 00:29:41,888
the serene expression,
673
00:29:41,923 --> 00:29:44,624
the eyelids lightly closed,
674
00:29:44,659 --> 00:29:47,761
and that strange
enigmatic smile.
675
00:29:47,795 --> 00:29:50,397
This mask appears
again and again
676
00:29:50,431 --> 00:29:52,365
in museums
and private collections
677
00:29:52,400 --> 00:29:54,201
across the world.
678
00:29:54,235 --> 00:29:58,371
But the woman behind it
is shrouded in mystery.
679
00:29:58,406 --> 00:30:00,273
Who is she?
680
00:30:00,308 --> 00:30:02,375
How did she die?
681
00:30:02,410 --> 00:30:05,011
Why is she so famous?
682
00:30:07,715 --> 00:30:09,516
[theme music playing]
683
00:30:09,550 --> 00:30:12,452
[suspenseful music playing]
684
00:30:12,486 --> 00:30:14,387
[narrator] Who is the
mysterious girl
685
00:30:14,422 --> 00:30:16,423
behind this famous death mask?
686
00:30:19,794 --> 00:30:23,363
Her macabre story
begins in Paris
687
00:30:23,397 --> 00:30:25,332
in the mid-19th century.
688
00:30:25,366 --> 00:30:27,634
It is a sightseer's paradise.
689
00:30:27,668 --> 00:30:30,303
You can climb the 422 steps
690
00:30:30,338 --> 00:30:31,938
of Notre-Dame's towers,
691
00:30:31,973 --> 00:30:34,875
meander through the halls
of the Louvre,
692
00:30:34,909 --> 00:30:39,212
or marvel at the newly-built
Arc de Triomphe.
693
00:30:40,781 --> 00:30:43,283
But one of the biggest
crowd-pullers
694
00:30:43,317 --> 00:30:44,651
is the Paris morgue.
695
00:30:44,685 --> 00:30:47,454
[ominous music playing]
696
00:30:47,488 --> 00:30:49,489
[Mark Benecke] They were
lining up and queuing
697
00:30:49,523 --> 00:30:53,193
to see which people
were put on display.
698
00:30:54,395 --> 00:30:55,729
There were street vendors.
699
00:30:55,763 --> 00:30:58,331
Like today when there's
something entertaining
700
00:30:58,366 --> 00:30:59,399
taking place.
701
00:30:59,433 --> 00:31:00,533
So it was just, you know,
702
00:31:00,568 --> 00:31:02,402
fashionable for normal people
703
00:31:02,436 --> 00:31:05,071
to go and watch the corpses.
704
00:31:05,106 --> 00:31:06,773
[narrator] In theory,
this is done to aid
705
00:31:06,807 --> 00:31:09,676
in the identification
of the dead,
706
00:31:09,710 --> 00:31:11,478
but it quickly becomes
707
00:31:11,512 --> 00:31:14,748
a grisly form of entertainment.
708
00:31:14,782 --> 00:31:19,219
[Ruth] This is a show
in the middle of Paris
709
00:31:19,253 --> 00:31:20,887
that's free to enter,
710
00:31:20,922 --> 00:31:23,390
'cause they want everybody
to come and have a look
711
00:31:23,424 --> 00:31:24,824
to identify the bodies,
712
00:31:24,859 --> 00:31:28,728
in which naked dead people
are laid out in front of you.
713
00:31:28,763 --> 00:31:30,497
So I think you have to imagine
714
00:31:30,531 --> 00:31:31,831
the sort of social thing
that's going on here.
715
00:31:31,866 --> 00:31:34,301
We're looking
at a sort of mixture
716
00:31:34,335 --> 00:31:36,803
of titillation and thrill.
717
00:31:36,837 --> 00:31:38,738
[narrator]
Out of this macabre world
718
00:31:38,773 --> 00:31:41,908
appears this mysterious face.
719
00:31:42,977 --> 00:31:45,812
[Mark Benecke] The story goes
that a drowned woman
720
00:31:45,846 --> 00:31:47,547
was found in the River Seine.
721
00:31:47,581 --> 00:31:48,748
Nobody claimed the body
722
00:31:48,783 --> 00:31:50,450
so it was brought to the morgue.
723
00:31:52,553 --> 00:31:54,821
Since there were no signs
of violence on her body,
724
00:31:54,855 --> 00:31:57,590
people thought that
she probably killed herself
725
00:31:57,625 --> 00:31:59,492
by drowning.
726
00:31:59,527 --> 00:32:01,528
[narrator] Her flawless
complexion suggests
727
00:32:01,562 --> 00:32:04,564
she is around 16 years old.
728
00:32:04,598 --> 00:32:07,867
Her hairstyle fits that
of a peasant girl.
729
00:32:07,902 --> 00:32:10,704
Despite being displayed
to the public,
730
00:32:10,738 --> 00:32:12,639
it seems no one steps forward
731
00:32:12,673 --> 00:32:15,108
to identify the drowned girl.
732
00:32:15,776 --> 00:32:18,812
But she catches someone's eye.
733
00:32:18,846 --> 00:32:20,480
One of the morgue staff
734
00:32:20,514 --> 00:32:23,483
decided that the face
was calm and interesting,
735
00:32:23,517 --> 00:32:25,618
and the person
was captivated and decided
736
00:32:25,653 --> 00:32:27,654
to build a plaster cast.
737
00:32:27,688 --> 00:32:31,191
And everybody who went in
could also see the mask.
738
00:32:32,660 --> 00:32:34,794
[narrator] In an era
before photography,
739
00:32:34,829 --> 00:32:37,230
it isn't uncommon
for morgue attendants
740
00:32:37,264 --> 00:32:38,598
to take plaster casts
741
00:32:38,632 --> 00:32:42,302
before the faces deteriorate
too much to identify.
742
00:32:43,471 --> 00:32:44,871
But how does this one become
743
00:32:44,905 --> 00:32:48,408
one of the most famous
death masks of all time?
744
00:32:50,578 --> 00:32:53,880
[ominous music playing]
745
00:32:53,914 --> 00:32:56,449
[narrator] Making casts
of a dead person's face
746
00:32:56,484 --> 00:32:59,419
sounds macabre today,
747
00:32:59,453 --> 00:33:02,088
but it wasn't always like that.
748
00:33:03,758 --> 00:33:05,625
Two thousand years ago in Rome,
749
00:33:05,659 --> 00:33:08,528
they are a family affair.
750
00:33:08,562 --> 00:33:10,363
[Abigail] The Greek historian,
Polybius,
751
00:33:10,398 --> 00:33:11,965
in the 2nd-century BC,
752
00:33:11,999 --> 00:33:15,535
wrote about these things
called imagines maiorum.
753
00:33:15,569 --> 00:33:17,570
These are the wax masks
754
00:33:17,605 --> 00:33:21,508
that Romans would make
after someone died.
755
00:33:21,542 --> 00:33:24,511
The idea would be
that at every funeral,
756
00:33:24,545 --> 00:33:26,613
they would get these masks out
757
00:33:26,647 --> 00:33:29,582
and wear them as a part
of the funerary procession,
758
00:33:29,617 --> 00:33:31,618
as a way of remembering
759
00:33:31,652 --> 00:33:33,720
not just the one person
being buried
760
00:33:33,754 --> 00:33:37,357
but making sure that the
entire family was present.
761
00:33:38,592 --> 00:33:41,928
Kind of exciting,
but also a bit creepy.
762
00:33:42,730 --> 00:33:44,531
[narrator] But as far
as we know,
763
00:33:44,565 --> 00:33:45,799
no family comes to identify
764
00:33:45,833 --> 00:33:49,536
and preserve the mask
of this young woman.
765
00:33:49,570 --> 00:33:52,205
Yet she achieves immortality.
766
00:33:53,474 --> 00:33:55,275
She is not the first death mask
767
00:33:55,309 --> 00:33:56,443
to become famous.
768
00:33:58,579 --> 00:34:02,682
Although others were rather
better known in life.
769
00:34:02,716 --> 00:34:05,618
Oliver Cromwell,
the 17th-century general
770
00:34:05,653 --> 00:34:08,354
who overthrew
the English monarchy,
771
00:34:08,389 --> 00:34:09,589
Ludwig van Beethoven,
772
00:34:09,623 --> 00:34:11,291
one of the most revered
composers
773
00:34:11,325 --> 00:34:13,660
of the Western world,
774
00:34:13,694 --> 00:34:15,562
and scientist, Sir Isaac Newton,
775
00:34:15,596 --> 00:34:17,797
the man who discovered gravity.
776
00:34:17,832 --> 00:34:21,267
These are all historical
celebrities.
777
00:34:22,703 --> 00:34:26,306
And for the most famous
celebrity death mask of all,
778
00:34:26,340 --> 00:34:27,674
you have to look to Egypt
779
00:34:27,708 --> 00:34:31,377
almost three and a half
thousand years ago
780
00:34:31,412 --> 00:34:34,581
to the death mask
of a king no less,
781
00:34:34,615 --> 00:34:36,716
Tutankhamun.
782
00:34:36,750 --> 00:34:38,485
[Rebecca] The ancient
Egyptians believed
783
00:34:38,519 --> 00:34:41,554
that your ba or your soul
784
00:34:41,589 --> 00:34:43,323
would go into the afterlife.
785
00:34:43,357 --> 00:34:46,659
And in order to identify
its body,
786
00:34:46,694 --> 00:34:48,795
so soul and body
can be reunited,
787
00:34:48,829 --> 00:34:51,364
it needed to have something
really visual,
788
00:34:51,398 --> 00:34:54,200
really clear to identify
your body as you.
789
00:34:56,470 --> 00:34:58,938
Tutankhamun's
very famous death mask
790
00:34:58,973 --> 00:35:01,341
is a really,
really good example of that.
791
00:35:03,911 --> 00:35:07,046
[narrator] But this young girl
is no royal.
792
00:35:07,081 --> 00:35:09,482
She doesn't produce
great works of art
793
00:35:09,517 --> 00:35:13,319
or make world-changing
scientific breakthroughs.
794
00:35:13,354 --> 00:35:15,321
She is the total opposite.
795
00:35:15,356 --> 00:35:17,457
Completely unknown.
796
00:35:17,491 --> 00:35:20,193
So why does her death mask
become so famous?
797
00:35:23,697 --> 00:35:27,800
It may just be a question
of right time, right place.
798
00:35:28,569 --> 00:35:30,703
In Europe during
the Victorian era,
799
00:35:30,738 --> 00:35:34,941
masks become a key part
of an obsession with death.
800
00:35:35,843 --> 00:35:38,344
They are keepsake reminders
of our mortality
801
00:35:38,379 --> 00:35:41,514
known as memento mori.
802
00:35:41,549 --> 00:35:43,616
[Ruth] Death masks
were normal way
803
00:35:43,651 --> 00:35:44,784
of dealing with death.
804
00:35:44,818 --> 00:35:47,520
People have them
about themselves,
805
00:35:47,555 --> 00:35:48,721
have them in their houses,
806
00:35:48,756 --> 00:35:51,357
used them as little reminders
807
00:35:51,392 --> 00:35:52,692
of the sweetness of life,
808
00:35:52,726 --> 00:35:55,161
as well as the shortness
of life.
809
00:35:56,597 --> 00:35:58,531
Like we might keep a photograph
810
00:35:58,566 --> 00:35:59,966
of somebody who's passed away,
811
00:36:00,000 --> 00:36:01,801
you might keep a death mask
812
00:36:01,835 --> 00:36:05,338
of your child that you've lost.
813
00:36:06,507 --> 00:36:08,541
[narrator] In this culture,
the plaster mask
814
00:36:08,576 --> 00:36:10,410
of the drowned girl
from the Paris morgue
815
00:36:10,444 --> 00:36:12,679
finds a receptive audience.
816
00:36:12,713 --> 00:36:16,516
She becomes known
as L'Inconnue de la Seine,
817
00:36:16,550 --> 00:36:19,452
the unknown woman of the Seine.
818
00:36:19,486 --> 00:36:20,553
[Mark Benecke] At the beginning
819
00:36:20,588 --> 00:36:21,821
of the 20th-century,
820
00:36:21,855 --> 00:36:23,690
the mask of
L'Inconnue de la Seine
821
00:36:23,724 --> 00:36:25,925
was relatively widespread.
822
00:36:25,960 --> 00:36:29,662
[narrator] Thousands of copies
of her death mask are made.
823
00:36:29,697 --> 00:36:32,632
Her enigmatic features
capture the imagination
824
00:36:32,666 --> 00:36:34,634
of novelists and poets.
825
00:36:34,668 --> 00:36:37,470
Famous French philosopher,
Albert Camus,
826
00:36:37,504 --> 00:36:40,974
even compares her smile
to the Mona Lisa.
827
00:36:41,008 --> 00:36:42,609
[Mark Benecke]
L'Inconnue de la Seine became
828
00:36:42,643 --> 00:36:44,577
what we would today call
an it girl.
829
00:36:44,611 --> 00:36:45,578
She was known.
830
00:36:45,613 --> 00:36:48,181
She inspired people, poets,
831
00:36:48,215 --> 00:36:50,116
music, dance.
832
00:36:51,485 --> 00:36:53,586
[narrator] But how does
a dead it girl
833
00:36:53,621 --> 00:36:56,456
become the most kissed face
in the world?
834
00:37:01,528 --> 00:37:03,429
[theme music playing]
835
00:37:03,464 --> 00:37:06,666
[ominous music playing]
836
00:37:06,700 --> 00:37:09,569
[narrator] How does the death
mask of an unknown girl
837
00:37:09,603 --> 00:37:12,305
become the most kissed face
in history?
838
00:37:14,074 --> 00:37:15,608
The answer
to this mystery begins
839
00:37:15,643 --> 00:37:18,978
with the search for a way
to preserve life.
840
00:37:22,082 --> 00:37:25,485
When L'Inconnue's body
is fished out of the Seine,
841
00:37:25,519 --> 00:37:27,787
resuscitation is still
in its infancy,
842
00:37:27,821 --> 00:37:30,723
and there are some
pretty bizarre methods.
843
00:37:30,758 --> 00:37:32,859
[Ruth] People are looking
at many different ways
844
00:37:32,893 --> 00:37:35,628
that you might help
stimulate a person
845
00:37:35,663 --> 00:37:37,941
to bring them back.
846
00:37:37,965 --> 00:37:40,700
One is to whip them all over
with stinging nettles.
847
00:37:40,734 --> 00:37:42,902
That that sort of would get
the blood moving
848
00:37:42,936 --> 00:37:44,704
all over the body
and therefore perhaps
849
00:37:44,738 --> 00:37:47,874
trigger something into action.
850
00:37:47,908 --> 00:37:50,576
[Mark Benecke] Maybe they
could resuscitate people
851
00:37:50,611 --> 00:37:53,579
by putting you
over a trotting horse
852
00:37:53,614 --> 00:37:57,350
or putting hot ashes
on your skin.
853
00:37:57,384 --> 00:37:59,385
A method that sounds surprising
854
00:37:59,420 --> 00:38:01,754
is to blow tobacco fumes
855
00:38:01,789 --> 00:38:03,656
inside of the anus of a person
856
00:38:03,691 --> 00:38:06,092
that you try to resurrect.
857
00:38:07,227 --> 00:38:10,263
[Ruth] You'd make up
a really strong concoction
858
00:38:10,297 --> 00:38:11,564
infused with tobacco
859
00:38:11,598 --> 00:38:14,367
and then you'd introduce it
at the other end
860
00:38:14,401 --> 00:38:16,769
and hope that that would
also stimulate
861
00:38:16,804 --> 00:38:20,273
and excite the whole
bodily system,
862
00:38:20,307 --> 00:38:22,809
jerk it back into life.
863
00:38:22,843 --> 00:38:25,511
[narrator] Unsurprisingly,
none of these methods
864
00:38:25,546 --> 00:38:27,980
really help.
865
00:38:28,015 --> 00:38:31,217
So how does this face
become part of the solution?
866
00:38:32,553 --> 00:38:36,022
[dramatic music playing]
867
00:38:36,790 --> 00:38:38,725
[narrator] It isn't until
the 1950s
868
00:38:38,759 --> 00:38:41,728
and the work of an Austrian
anesthesiologist
869
00:38:41,762 --> 00:38:44,630
that modern medicine
really gets to grips
870
00:38:44,665 --> 00:38:47,567
with resuscitation.
871
00:38:47,601 --> 00:38:49,669
[Mark Benecke] Peter Safar
came up with the idea
872
00:38:49,703 --> 00:38:52,772
that you could resuscitate
a person correctly.
873
00:38:52,806 --> 00:38:55,441
For example, by putting the head
874
00:38:55,476 --> 00:38:56,476
a little bit to the back,
875
00:38:56,510 --> 00:38:57,677
giving mouth-to-mouth,
876
00:38:57,711 --> 00:38:59,445
applying chest compression
877
00:38:59,480 --> 00:39:01,247
to get the heart started again.
878
00:39:01,281 --> 00:39:03,616
So he invented CPR.
879
00:39:03,650 --> 00:39:05,518
[narrator] Safar reasons
that if everyone
880
00:39:05,552 --> 00:39:07,253
learns these techniques,
881
00:39:07,287 --> 00:39:09,822
more lives will be saved.
882
00:39:09,857 --> 00:39:12,692
To do that, he needs
a realistic training model
883
00:39:12,726 --> 00:39:14,994
for people to practice on.
884
00:39:15,662 --> 00:39:18,498
But no such model exists...
885
00:39:18,532 --> 00:39:20,032
yet.
886
00:39:21,402 --> 00:39:22,869
[dramatic music playing]
887
00:39:22,903 --> 00:39:26,472
In 1959, Dr. Safar
goes to a toymaker,
888
00:39:26,507 --> 00:39:28,541
a Norwegian toymaker
of his acquaintance,
889
00:39:28,575 --> 00:39:29,842
Asmund Laerdal.
890
00:39:29,877 --> 00:39:32,445
And Asmund has a lot
of experience using PVC,
891
00:39:32,479 --> 00:39:33,679
a brand-new material,
but he thinks
892
00:39:33,714 --> 00:39:36,516
that this might be
the way forward.
893
00:39:36,550 --> 00:39:39,485
And between them,
they come up with a mannequin
894
00:39:39,520 --> 00:39:41,821
which mimics the basic usage
895
00:39:41,855 --> 00:39:45,324
of a pair of lungs
within a person.
896
00:39:47,528 --> 00:39:49,429
Nearing the end of the process,
897
00:39:49,463 --> 00:39:50,696
Laerdal has his doll
898
00:39:50,731 --> 00:39:52,498
but it hasn't got a face
at the moment.
899
00:39:52,533 --> 00:39:55,568
So where on Earth
is he gonna get one of those?
900
00:39:55,602 --> 00:39:57,503
[narrator]
Laerdal wants a passive,
901
00:39:57,538 --> 00:39:59,672
nonthreatening face.
902
00:39:59,706 --> 00:40:01,607
[Ruth] Well,
luckily at this moment,
903
00:40:01,642 --> 00:40:03,543
he goes and visits his in-laws.
904
00:40:03,577 --> 00:40:05,611
And there on the wall
905
00:40:05,646 --> 00:40:09,115
is hanging L'Inconnue
de la Seine.
906
00:40:09,149 --> 00:40:09,715
Perfect.
907
00:40:09,750 --> 00:40:11,818
Absolutely perfect.
908
00:40:11,852 --> 00:40:13,853
[Mark Benecke] And this is
why we have the face
909
00:40:13,887 --> 00:40:17,523
of L'Inconnue de la Seine
on the CPR mannequin.
910
00:40:17,558 --> 00:40:21,360
[dramatic music playing]
911
00:40:21,395 --> 00:40:22,528
[narrator] And the unknown girl
912
00:40:22,563 --> 00:40:24,564
finally gets a name.
913
00:40:24,598 --> 00:40:26,833
Resusci Anne.
914
00:40:26,867 --> 00:40:28,901
It's estimated
she has been used to train
915
00:40:28,936 --> 00:40:32,872
more than five hundred million
people worldwide
916
00:40:32,906 --> 00:40:37,376
and saved as many as two
and a half million lives.
917
00:40:38,846 --> 00:40:40,546
A girl who drowned in the Seine
918
00:40:40,581 --> 00:40:42,915
more than 150 years ago
919
00:40:42,949 --> 00:40:46,118
has become the most
kissed face in history.
920
00:40:47,154 --> 00:40:49,322
But there's one last twist
to the story
921
00:40:49,356 --> 00:40:51,324
of L'Inconnue de la Seine.
922
00:40:52,526 --> 00:40:54,660
[dramatic music playing]
923
00:40:54,695 --> 00:40:58,464
[narrator] Her drowned face
is famously picture perfect,
924
00:40:58,499 --> 00:41:00,266
and that's a problem.
925
00:41:01,869 --> 00:41:03,636
[Mark Benecke]
When you die in water
926
00:41:03,670 --> 00:41:05,705
and your body is resting
or laying in water
927
00:41:05,739 --> 00:41:07,540
for an amount of time,
928
00:41:07,574 --> 00:41:09,509
then your skin starts to slip
929
00:41:09,543 --> 00:41:10,776
or you get marbling which means
930
00:41:10,811 --> 00:41:13,346
you have bacteria in your veins.
931
00:41:14,615 --> 00:41:17,483
And since you don't see that
on the death mask,
932
00:41:17,518 --> 00:41:20,453
some people thought
that maybe she was not dead.
933
00:41:21,822 --> 00:41:24,290
[narrator] And that's not
the only unexplained thing
934
00:41:24,324 --> 00:41:25,825
about her.
935
00:41:25,859 --> 00:41:28,060
[Mark Benecke] One thing
that is mentioned often
936
00:41:28,095 --> 00:41:30,396
is that when you look
at the eyeballs,
937
00:41:30,430 --> 00:41:32,798
the eyeballs
are not perfectly round.
938
00:41:32,833 --> 00:41:34,500
[narrator] When your eyes
are shut,
939
00:41:34,535 --> 00:41:36,002
the lens underneath creates
940
00:41:36,036 --> 00:41:37,837
a slight bump in the eyelid.
941
00:41:37,871 --> 00:41:41,407
Some have suggested
that this bump is not circular
942
00:41:41,441 --> 00:41:43,442
on L'Inconnue's face
943
00:41:43,477 --> 00:41:45,378
as though the eyes were moving
944
00:41:45,412 --> 00:41:47,313
while the plaster was setting.
945
00:41:48,682 --> 00:41:51,684
So is this really the face
of a dead woman
946
00:41:51,718 --> 00:41:53,452
or is she just a fiction
947
00:41:53,487 --> 00:41:55,755
built around an artist's model?
948
00:41:55,789 --> 00:41:59,025
We'll probably never know
for sure.