1 00:00:01,917 --> 00:00:04,208 [ambient music] 2 00:00:04,208 --> 00:00:08,500 - Tonight, two of the world's most mysterious monuments. 3 00:00:08,500 --> 00:00:11,000 - People have been trying to decipher Stonehenge 4 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,708 for literally hundreds of years. 5 00:00:14,708 --> 00:00:16,083 - Easter Island is home 6 00:00:16,083 --> 00:00:19,083 to not just one sacred stone structure, 7 00:00:19,083 --> 00:00:23,875 but over 900 of them known as the moai. 8 00:00:23,875 --> 00:00:25,167 - [Dennis] To this day, 9 00:00:25,167 --> 00:00:29,125 no one knows how they were built or why. 10 00:00:29,125 --> 00:00:31,542 - We can't stop trying to unravel their mysteries 11 00:00:31,542 --> 00:00:35,042 'cause they still have a lot to teach us. 12 00:00:35,042 --> 00:00:36,375 - What secrets can these 13 00:00:36,375 --> 00:00:38,750 intriguing structures reveal about 14 00:00:38,750 --> 00:00:43,458 the people who first created them so many centuries ago? 15 00:00:43,458 --> 00:00:46,375 - This tells him exactly who built Stonehenge, 16 00:00:46,375 --> 00:00:49,167 and it is not who anybody expected. 17 00:00:49,167 --> 00:00:51,292 - This could be the key 18 00:00:51,292 --> 00:00:53,792 to unlocking the mystery of the moai. 19 00:00:55,250 --> 00:00:58,208 - These sacred objects have inspired all 20 00:00:58,208 --> 00:01:00,167 for thousands of years. 21 00:01:00,167 --> 00:01:02,208 Now the remarkable stories 22 00:01:02,208 --> 00:01:06,042 behind history's most compelling "Holy Marvels". 23 00:01:06,042 --> 00:01:08,708 [ambient music] 24 00:01:19,667 --> 00:01:21,750 Salisbury Plain, England, 25 00:01:21,750 --> 00:01:26,083 home to one of the world's most mysterious sites, 26 00:01:26,083 --> 00:01:28,792 a circle of towering stones, 27 00:01:28,792 --> 00:01:33,167 whispering of ancient societies and arcane rites. 28 00:01:33,958 --> 00:01:35,875 Known as Stonehenge, 29 00:01:35,875 --> 00:01:40,208 this imposing monument has dominated the imagination 30 00:01:40,208 --> 00:01:43,792 of archaeologists and visitors for centuries. 31 00:01:44,875 --> 00:01:46,708 - The name Stonehenge is thought 32 00:01:46,708 --> 00:01:49,167 to come from the Old English or Saxon word, 33 00:01:49,167 --> 00:01:51,875 stan-hengen, which means stone hanging 34 00:01:51,875 --> 00:01:53,500 because it kind of resembles 35 00:01:53,500 --> 00:01:55,292 what gallows looked like in the Middle Ages. 36 00:01:55,292 --> 00:01:57,458 You had two uprights with a cross beam. 37 00:01:59,333 --> 00:02:03,042 Today there are 52 stones remaining at the site, 38 00:02:03,042 --> 00:02:05,208 laid out in two concentric circles, 39 00:02:05,208 --> 00:02:07,083 but scientists think that they were originally 40 00:02:07,083 --> 00:02:08,417 about 80 of them. 41 00:02:08,417 --> 00:02:11,625 And the stones themselves, massive. 42 00:02:11,625 --> 00:02:16,708 They're 13 feet tall and some weigh up to 25 tons. 43 00:02:18,875 --> 00:02:23,042 - Standing next to these stones is just awe inspiring. 44 00:02:23,042 --> 00:02:27,042 It makes you feel so small and insignificant 45 00:02:27,042 --> 00:02:30,125 and it raises the obvious questions. 46 00:02:30,125 --> 00:02:34,708 Who built this monument and how and why? 47 00:02:36,250 --> 00:02:39,708 - No one has ever found anything resembling written plans, 48 00:02:39,708 --> 00:02:43,667 no stone tablets, no papyrus, no cave drawings, 49 00:02:43,667 --> 00:02:45,458 nothing that can serve 50 00:02:45,458 --> 00:02:48,333 as an instruction manual or a backstory 51 00:02:48,333 --> 00:02:50,375 to explain how this happened. 52 00:02:51,875 --> 00:02:54,417 - [Dennis] The first known speculation on the origin 53 00:02:54,417 --> 00:02:57,167 of Stonehenge comes from a book 54 00:02:57,167 --> 00:02:59,875 written in 1136 55 00:02:59,875 --> 00:03:01,375 by Geoffrey of Monmouth 56 00:03:01,375 --> 00:03:04,958 called "The Histories of the Kings of Britain". 57 00:03:04,958 --> 00:03:06,375 - Geoffrey of Monmouth's book 58 00:03:06,375 --> 00:03:08,250 isn't what you would exactly call 59 00:03:08,250 --> 00:03:11,250 an accurate, verifiable history text, 60 00:03:11,250 --> 00:03:13,042 but there are lots of historical facts 61 00:03:13,042 --> 00:03:17,583 that are embedded in there alongside other more legendary 62 00:03:17,583 --> 00:03:19,875 material like the stories of King Arthur 63 00:03:19,875 --> 00:03:22,542 or the Knights of the Round Table or Guinevere 64 00:03:22,542 --> 00:03:25,292 or the famous wizard, Merlin. 65 00:03:26,417 --> 00:03:27,958 - [Dennis] According to Geoffrey's account, 66 00:03:27,958 --> 00:03:31,917 Merlin plays a surprising role in building the monument. 67 00:03:32,917 --> 00:03:34,250 - Around the fifth century, 68 00:03:34,250 --> 00:03:37,708 the area of Stonehenge is inhabited by people 69 00:03:37,708 --> 00:03:39,875 that are known as Celtic Britons, 70 00:03:39,875 --> 00:03:43,708 but an army of Germanic invaders called the Saxons arrives 71 00:03:43,708 --> 00:03:46,708 and tries to wage war and conquer the land. 72 00:03:46,708 --> 00:03:50,958 A meeting is called between the two sides, 73 00:03:50,958 --> 00:03:54,917 but it turns out the Saxons aren't really there to talk 74 00:03:56,167 --> 00:03:58,708 and they murder hundreds of the Britons. 75 00:03:58,708 --> 00:04:00,708 [dramatic music] 76 00:04:00,708 --> 00:04:03,500 - [Dennis] Geoffrey claims the structure we know today 77 00:04:03,500 --> 00:04:06,958 as Stonehenge is commissioned to honor the dead. 78 00:04:07,875 --> 00:04:10,417 - It's a giant grave marker 79 00:04:10,417 --> 00:04:13,042 that was built in the fifth century A.D. 80 00:04:13,042 --> 00:04:15,667 Now that seems plausible, 81 00:04:15,667 --> 00:04:18,750 but the rest of the story does not. 82 00:04:19,875 --> 00:04:21,333 - To build this grave monument, 83 00:04:21,333 --> 00:04:23,292 the king of the Britons, Ambrosius, 84 00:04:23,292 --> 00:04:25,542 asks the wizard Merlin for help. 85 00:04:25,542 --> 00:04:28,375 Merlin instead decides to steal a monument 86 00:04:28,375 --> 00:04:30,000 that already exists. 87 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,750 It's called the Giant's Ring. 88 00:04:31,750 --> 00:04:35,125 - The Giant's Ring is a set of stones in Ireland 89 00:04:35,125 --> 00:04:38,083 said to be located at Mount Killaraus, 90 00:04:38,083 --> 00:04:42,250 and it's believed that they were set up there for purposes 91 00:04:42,250 --> 00:04:43,917 of ritual healing. 92 00:04:45,417 --> 00:04:46,792 - According to Geoffrey of Monmouth, 93 00:04:46,792 --> 00:04:50,042 Merlin and 15,000 men sail to Ireland 94 00:04:50,042 --> 00:04:53,458 and battle the Irish king, Gillomanius, for the stones. 95 00:04:53,458 --> 00:04:55,417 Merlin and company win the war 96 00:04:55,417 --> 00:04:57,375 and with the help of a little magic, 97 00:04:57,375 --> 00:04:59,583 they bring the stones back to Salisbury Plain. 98 00:05:00,917 --> 00:05:03,667 - Whether or not you believe in Merlin or magic, 99 00:05:03,667 --> 00:05:06,458 this theory was believed to be the truth 100 00:05:06,458 --> 00:05:07,875 for hundreds of years. 101 00:05:09,042 --> 00:05:11,917 - [Dennis] While Geoffrey's story seems fantastical, 102 00:05:11,917 --> 00:05:14,625 he was right about one thing. 103 00:05:14,625 --> 00:05:17,500 - The stones themselves must have been imported, 104 00:05:17,500 --> 00:05:18,708 maybe not from Ireland, 105 00:05:18,708 --> 00:05:21,958 but there's nothing like them geologically 106 00:05:21,958 --> 00:05:24,125 in the immediate area. 107 00:05:24,125 --> 00:05:25,875 - [Dennis] Over the next 400 years, 108 00:05:25,875 --> 00:05:30,208 the origin of the stones generates numerous theories. 109 00:05:30,208 --> 00:05:32,542 - In the late 1500s, 110 00:05:32,542 --> 00:05:35,542 a British antiaquarian named William Lambarde proposes 111 00:05:35,542 --> 00:05:38,208 a source for these stones. 112 00:05:38,208 --> 00:05:41,542 Now, Lambarde believes that they come, not from Ireland, 113 00:05:41,542 --> 00:05:44,000 but from a quarry in Marlborough Downs, 114 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,167 which is 20 miles away from Stonehenge. 115 00:05:48,167 --> 00:05:50,542 - His method is somewhat unscientific. 116 00:05:50,542 --> 00:05:52,750 He just spots some stones in Marlboro 117 00:05:52,750 --> 00:05:55,292 and thinks these look an awful lot 118 00:05:55,292 --> 00:05:57,625 like the stones over at Stonehenge. 119 00:05:57,625 --> 00:05:59,042 To be clear, he's not a geologist, 120 00:05:59,042 --> 00:06:02,167 but later geologists are able to match the stones 121 00:06:02,167 --> 00:06:04,792 and prove that his theory is correct. 122 00:06:05,625 --> 00:06:07,167 This is hard to believe at first 123 00:06:07,167 --> 00:06:10,542 because before the advent of trucks, trains, cars, 124 00:06:10,542 --> 00:06:12,833 any sort of transportation device with a wheel, 125 00:06:12,833 --> 00:06:15,625 when these multi-ton monsters had to be transported 126 00:06:15,625 --> 00:06:19,625 by hand, 20 miles is quite an imposing distance. 127 00:06:19,625 --> 00:06:22,375 These stones might as well have come from the moon. 128 00:06:22,375 --> 00:06:23,875 - There's another wrinkle. 129 00:06:23,875 --> 00:06:26,500 Lambarde realizes that there are actually two types 130 00:06:26,500 --> 00:06:28,500 of stone at Stonehenge. 131 00:06:28,500 --> 00:06:31,833 The larger ones are a type of rock called sarsen, 132 00:06:31,833 --> 00:06:34,708 and that's what's at Marlborough Downs. 133 00:06:34,708 --> 00:06:39,000 There are also smaller stones of a type known as blue stone 134 00:06:39,000 --> 00:06:41,917 because it looks kind of blueish in color 135 00:06:41,917 --> 00:06:43,500 when it's broken apart. 136 00:06:43,500 --> 00:06:46,542 And neither Lambarde nor anyone else can find 137 00:06:46,542 --> 00:06:51,042 anything like these blue stones in the entire region. 138 00:06:51,042 --> 00:06:53,417 - While these discoveries are fascinating, 139 00:06:53,417 --> 00:06:55,792 they do not aid us in figuring out 140 00:06:55,792 --> 00:06:57,958 who precisely built Stonehenge. 141 00:06:59,292 --> 00:07:01,875 - [Dennis] It's something that captivates King James I, 142 00:07:02,875 --> 00:07:06,417 so he hires a top surveyor in 1620 143 00:07:06,417 --> 00:07:09,208 to unravel the mystery. 144 00:07:09,208 --> 00:07:12,375 - Inigo Jones is considered the first major architect 145 00:07:12,375 --> 00:07:13,625 of modern England. 146 00:07:13,625 --> 00:07:16,708 He's known for applying beautiful ancient Greek 147 00:07:16,708 --> 00:07:19,875 and Roman rules of proportion and symmetry to his work. 148 00:07:19,875 --> 00:07:22,708 - [Dennis] Jones takes this same approach 149 00:07:22,708 --> 00:07:25,208 when examining Stonehenge. 150 00:07:25,208 --> 00:07:28,375 - He spends a great deal of time 151 00:07:28,375 --> 00:07:30,750 poring over historical building techniques 152 00:07:30,750 --> 00:07:34,083 of other societies that have inhabited the area, 153 00:07:34,083 --> 00:07:37,583 and he decides that the only thing that adds up, 154 00:07:37,583 --> 00:07:40,042 the only people who once lived here 155 00:07:40,042 --> 00:07:43,542 who could have built this thing are the Romans. 156 00:07:44,625 --> 00:07:45,875 - [Dennis] If Jones is correct, 157 00:07:45,875 --> 00:07:48,958 Stonehenge could be much older than Geoffrey 158 00:07:48,958 --> 00:07:50,167 of Monmouth proposed. 159 00:07:51,500 --> 00:07:54,125 - The Romans invade the British Isles way back 160 00:07:54,125 --> 00:07:55,542 in about 50 B.C. 161 00:07:55,542 --> 00:07:59,167 and they stay until the Celtic Britons kick them out 162 00:07:59,167 --> 00:08:01,125 around 410 A.D. 163 00:08:01,125 --> 00:08:04,792 So the Romans very clearly predate the rule of the Britons. 164 00:08:04,792 --> 00:08:07,667 There's actually no real overlap. 165 00:08:07,667 --> 00:08:11,333 - In a book called "De Architectura" by Vitruvius 166 00:08:11,333 --> 00:08:13,083 from about 30 B.C., 167 00:08:13,083 --> 00:08:18,542 Jones finds Stonehenge resembles the layout 168 00:08:18,542 --> 00:08:21,583 and proportions of Vitruvius' temple designs. 169 00:08:21,583 --> 00:08:23,542 [tense dramatic music] 170 00:08:23,542 --> 00:08:25,917 Because it was built without a roof or an enclosure, 171 00:08:25,917 --> 00:08:29,125 Jones concludes that it must have been built 172 00:08:29,125 --> 00:08:32,667 to worship the sky god, Caelus. 173 00:08:32,667 --> 00:08:34,542 - But when Jones' theory is published, 174 00:08:34,542 --> 00:08:37,875 it's pretty immediately dismissed. 175 00:08:37,875 --> 00:08:39,375 Take a look at any Roman building 176 00:08:39,375 --> 00:08:42,167 and you can see that it's a lot more polished 177 00:08:42,167 --> 00:08:44,167 and detailed than Stonehenge. 178 00:08:44,167 --> 00:08:45,833 So despite the King's backing, 179 00:08:45,833 --> 00:08:48,792 pretty much nobody believes that it's the Romans, 180 00:08:48,792 --> 00:08:51,958 but who else could it possibly be? 181 00:08:51,958 --> 00:08:57,750 [dramatic music] 182 00:08:57,750 --> 00:08:59,708 - For more than 700 years, 183 00:08:59,708 --> 00:09:01,875 the mystery of who built Stonehenge, 184 00:09:01,875 --> 00:09:05,625 and how, confounds scientists and historians. 185 00:09:07,000 --> 00:09:10,583 - In the 1800s, we have a series of archaeologists 186 00:09:10,583 --> 00:09:12,167 doing excavations around Stonehenge, 187 00:09:12,167 --> 00:09:15,208 and during these digs, they're finding all sorts of things, 188 00:09:15,208 --> 00:09:19,333 charred wood, bits of antlers, and even Roman pottery. 189 00:09:19,333 --> 00:09:22,875 It's all kind of unremarkable, 190 00:09:22,875 --> 00:09:25,792 fueling just one origin theory after another. 191 00:09:26,708 --> 00:09:29,208 - [Dennis] Then in 1862, 192 00:09:29,208 --> 00:09:32,542 researcher John Lubbock takes a closer look 193 00:09:32,542 --> 00:09:35,042 at these various artifacts. 194 00:09:35,042 --> 00:09:38,458 - Lubbock finds something that, to him, 195 00:09:38,458 --> 00:09:40,583 is truly astonishing, 196 00:09:40,583 --> 00:09:43,333 cremated human remains. 197 00:09:43,333 --> 00:09:46,375 - Now to a lay person, this might not mean too much, 198 00:09:46,375 --> 00:09:50,500 but to Lubbock, this tells him exactly who built Stonehenge, 199 00:09:50,500 --> 00:09:53,083 and it is not who anybody expected. 200 00:09:54,333 --> 00:09:55,792 - [Dennis] According to Lubbock, 201 00:09:55,792 --> 00:09:58,750 cremation hasn't been practiced in this area 202 00:09:58,750 --> 00:10:00,875 since the Bronze Age. 203 00:10:00,875 --> 00:10:03,875 - That means that there was a previously unknown 204 00:10:03,875 --> 00:10:08,875 civilization living right here of Bronze Age people, 205 00:10:08,875 --> 00:10:11,833 and that's who built Stonehenge. 206 00:10:13,250 --> 00:10:16,417 - It's a major discovery not just in the history of England, 207 00:10:16,417 --> 00:10:20,583 but a huge leap forward in our understanding of Stonehenge. 208 00:10:21,750 --> 00:10:23,583 - [Dennis] The Bronze Age in Britain spans 209 00:10:23,583 --> 00:10:28,458 from approximately 2500 to 700 B.C. 210 00:10:28,458 --> 00:10:30,708 - It appears that somewhere 211 00:10:30,708 --> 00:10:33,875 around 2400 B.C., 212 00:10:33,875 --> 00:10:35,375 the area around Stonehenge 213 00:10:35,375 --> 00:10:38,000 sees the arrival of a group 214 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:40,917 that's come to be known as the Bell Beaker people, 215 00:10:40,917 --> 00:10:42,542 named for their inverted 216 00:10:42,542 --> 00:10:46,208 and highly ornate bell beaker drinking vessels. 217 00:10:46,208 --> 00:10:49,583 But the Beakers are significant for another advancement 218 00:10:49,583 --> 00:10:50,958 when it comes to Stonehenge. 219 00:10:50,958 --> 00:10:54,292 They figured out how to melt tin and copper alloy, 220 00:10:54,292 --> 00:10:57,958 mix them together, and to create something new, bronze. 221 00:10:57,958 --> 00:10:59,792 - Lubbock continues to excavate, 222 00:10:59,792 --> 00:11:04,375 and sure enough, he finds tools made from bronze. 223 00:11:04,375 --> 00:11:07,458 This indicates that Stonehenge was built much earlier 224 00:11:07,458 --> 00:11:10,708 than people had previously understood to be built. 225 00:11:12,083 --> 00:11:15,375 - [Dennis] If Lubbock is right about who built Stonehenge, 226 00:11:15,375 --> 00:11:17,375 the next question is how? 227 00:11:18,875 --> 00:11:21,792 - Before Lubbock, basically no one 228 00:11:21,792 --> 00:11:23,875 in the scientific community could have 229 00:11:23,875 --> 00:11:27,583 imagined that Stonehenge dates back so far. 230 00:11:27,583 --> 00:11:30,708 They believe that people of the Bronze Age 231 00:11:30,708 --> 00:11:32,833 were so incredibly primitive, 232 00:11:32,833 --> 00:11:34,250 they would've lacked the skills 233 00:11:34,250 --> 00:11:37,708 to pull off such an incredible feat of construction. 234 00:11:37,708 --> 00:11:39,208 - How could barbarians 235 00:11:39,208 --> 00:11:42,750 and savages transport 20-ton stones 236 00:11:42,750 --> 00:11:45,292 from 20 miles away and hoist them up? 237 00:11:46,750 --> 00:11:50,667 - [Dennis] Initially, one particular idea prevails. 238 00:11:51,583 --> 00:11:53,333 - Some speculate that the builders 239 00:11:53,333 --> 00:11:56,417 could have dug small holes around the perimeter 240 00:11:56,417 --> 00:11:58,458 and inserted long wooden poles 241 00:11:58,458 --> 00:12:01,250 in a triangular A-frame shape. 242 00:12:01,250 --> 00:12:04,958 Then they could pass long ropes over the frame, 243 00:12:04,958 --> 00:12:07,500 creating leverage. Get a big enough group of people 244 00:12:07,500 --> 00:12:09,042 on the other end of that rope 245 00:12:09,042 --> 00:12:12,167 and they should be able to pull a stone into position. 246 00:12:13,292 --> 00:12:15,875 - This theory is supported by the fact that a ring 247 00:12:15,875 --> 00:12:19,042 of 56 small holes is discovered 248 00:12:19,042 --> 00:12:21,500 around the outside of Stonehenge. 249 00:12:21,500 --> 00:12:23,250 They're called the Aubrey Holes, 250 00:12:23,250 --> 00:12:26,250 named for the archaeologist who found them, John Aubrey. 251 00:12:27,250 --> 00:12:29,917 - [Dennis] But in 2022, 252 00:12:29,917 --> 00:12:32,417 British archaeologist, Mike Pitts, 253 00:12:32,417 --> 00:12:35,542 argues this is impossible. 254 00:12:36,125 --> 00:12:39,458 - Pitts has directed excavations at Stonehenge. 255 00:12:39,458 --> 00:12:41,042 He's also been an editor 256 00:12:41,042 --> 00:12:44,250 of the British Archaeology Magazine. 257 00:12:44,250 --> 00:12:49,208 In 2022, he writes a book called "How to Build Stonehenge" 258 00:12:50,042 --> 00:12:51,167 and it's a fascinating new take 259 00:12:51,167 --> 00:12:53,417 on constructing the monument. 260 00:12:53,417 --> 00:12:54,750 - According to Pitts, 261 00:12:54,750 --> 00:12:56,833 the problem with the A-frame theory 262 00:12:56,833 --> 00:12:59,417 is that it imagines each stone at Stonehenge 263 00:12:59,417 --> 00:13:02,917 was put in place by itself with no other stones around it. 264 00:13:02,917 --> 00:13:05,917 And this of course, can't be true. 265 00:13:05,917 --> 00:13:07,792 Pitts reminds us that Stonehenge 266 00:13:07,792 --> 00:13:09,417 was a construction site, okay, 267 00:13:09,417 --> 00:13:12,333 with a whole set of stones being raised in a sequence. 268 00:13:12,333 --> 00:13:15,375 You can't set them up using the Aubrey Holes and A-frames 269 00:13:15,375 --> 00:13:18,125 because they'd just being each other's way. 270 00:13:18,125 --> 00:13:22,417 - [Dennis] Instead, Pitts offers another explanation. 271 00:13:22,417 --> 00:13:25,167 - Pitts thinks that the stones were brought 272 00:13:25,167 --> 00:13:29,042 near their final spots and then rocked back and forth 273 00:13:29,042 --> 00:13:31,583 with levers on either side. 274 00:13:31,583 --> 00:13:34,083 Each time one side was lifted, 275 00:13:34,083 --> 00:13:37,708 they'd carefully place smaller rocks under it to prop it up 276 00:13:37,708 --> 00:13:40,958 and they'd keep rocking it up and propping it up higher 277 00:13:40,958 --> 00:13:44,250 and higher until it was nearly upright, 278 00:13:44,250 --> 00:13:47,667 at which point a quick tug on a rope could easily pull it 279 00:13:47,667 --> 00:13:49,750 into a vertical position. 280 00:13:49,750 --> 00:13:52,042 - Pitts' suggestion is definitely possible, 281 00:13:52,042 --> 00:13:54,875 but unfortunately we can't prove it, 282 00:13:54,875 --> 00:13:57,375 and to this day, nothing has been found 283 00:13:57,375 --> 00:13:59,208 that can tell us for sure. 284 00:13:59,208 --> 00:14:00,500 - [Dennis] While we might never know 285 00:14:00,500 --> 00:14:02,333 exactly how it was built, 286 00:14:02,333 --> 00:14:05,958 experts are determined to figure out why. 287 00:14:05,958 --> 00:14:07,583 In the early 1700s. 288 00:14:07,583 --> 00:14:11,208 an English scholar makes a groundbreaking observation. 289 00:14:11,667 --> 00:14:15,958 - The antiquarian physician Freemason, William Stukeley, 290 00:14:15,958 --> 00:14:18,042 discovers that actually Stonehenge 291 00:14:18,042 --> 00:14:20,875 is aligned with the sun. 292 00:14:20,875 --> 00:14:22,583 - If you stand in the right place, 293 00:14:22,583 --> 00:14:27,458 the space between the central megalith perfectly frames 294 00:14:27,458 --> 00:14:31,083 the sun's movement on two days of the year, 295 00:14:31,083 --> 00:14:34,958 the summer solstice and the winter solstice. 296 00:14:34,958 --> 00:14:39,167 So, it seems that Stonehenge is accurately built 297 00:14:39,167 --> 00:14:42,958 to highlight the longest and the shortest days of the year. 298 00:14:42,958 --> 00:14:47,458 Many scholars speculate that what Stonehenge is, 299 00:14:47,458 --> 00:14:51,250 is a solar calendar, a method of timekeeping. 300 00:14:53,458 --> 00:14:56,083 - Later researchers have noted that the number 301 00:14:56,083 --> 00:14:58,958 of stones correspond loosely with a 30-day month 302 00:14:58,958 --> 00:15:01,417 and certain stones could mark the start 303 00:15:01,417 --> 00:15:03,917 of three 10-day weeks. 304 00:15:03,917 --> 00:15:06,583 This is probably the most popular theory on 305 00:15:06,583 --> 00:15:08,333 why Stonehenge was built. 306 00:15:08,333 --> 00:15:12,375 - Visitors still travel to the site to witness the sunrise 307 00:15:12,375 --> 00:15:16,042 between the two great stones on each equinox. 308 00:15:16,042 --> 00:15:17,917 - The alignment with the sun 309 00:15:17,917 --> 00:15:19,500 was almost certainly done on purpose, 310 00:15:19,500 --> 00:15:22,625 but that doesn't mean that it is the purpose, right? 311 00:15:22,625 --> 00:15:24,375 Correlation isn't causation. 312 00:15:24,375 --> 00:15:26,208 Just because you paint your house blue 313 00:15:26,208 --> 00:15:28,583 doesn't mean you worship the sky. 314 00:15:28,583 --> 00:15:32,417 - [Dennis] It also doesn't explain why there are so many 315 00:15:32,417 --> 00:15:34,292 burials around the area. 316 00:15:36,083 --> 00:15:41,042 - In 1919, 58 sets of human remains are found. 317 00:15:41,833 --> 00:15:43,750 This definitely suggests 318 00:15:43,750 --> 00:15:47,667 that the monument wasn't just a way of tracking the sun. 319 00:15:47,667 --> 00:15:50,250 - [Dennis] In total, more than 200 sets of remains 320 00:15:50,250 --> 00:15:53,125 have been uncovered at Stonehenge. 321 00:15:53,125 --> 00:15:56,125 - There's even evidence Stonehenge might have been 322 00:15:56,125 --> 00:15:58,583 some kind of primitive hospital. 323 00:15:58,583 --> 00:16:01,208 Two skulls found at the site show evidence 324 00:16:01,208 --> 00:16:02,542 of rudimentary surgery. 325 00:16:02,542 --> 00:16:05,542 But again, this might just be a coincidence. 326 00:16:05,542 --> 00:16:08,958 Remember, correlation doesn't equal causation. 327 00:16:08,958 --> 00:16:12,208 - What's so neat about Stonehenge though, 328 00:16:12,208 --> 00:16:13,917 is that there are still so many 329 00:16:13,917 --> 00:16:16,167 new discoveries being made regularly. 330 00:16:16,167 --> 00:16:19,958 Almost every year we advance our understanding of it, 331 00:16:19,958 --> 00:16:21,333 and so the question 332 00:16:21,333 --> 00:16:24,208 of why it was built still seems like something 333 00:16:24,208 --> 00:16:27,583 that we may eventually be able to answer. 334 00:16:27,583 --> 00:16:31,167 In fact, one very recent discovery may have brought us 335 00:16:31,167 --> 00:16:33,958 closer than ever to understanding Stonehenge. 336 00:16:33,958 --> 00:16:39,125 [dramatic orchestral music] 337 00:16:39,125 --> 00:16:41,167 - [Dennis] Despite dozens of investigations 338 00:16:41,167 --> 00:16:43,750 all using the most modern technology, 339 00:16:43,750 --> 00:16:45,875 the true purpose of Stonehenge 340 00:16:45,875 --> 00:16:49,083 remains a mystery until 2021 341 00:16:50,250 --> 00:16:54,042 when one enterprising archaeologist finally answers 342 00:16:54,042 --> 00:16:57,708 a key question about the blue stones. 343 00:16:57,708 --> 00:16:59,083 - So for at least 400 years, 344 00:16:59,083 --> 00:17:00,500 people have known there are two different types 345 00:17:00,500 --> 00:17:02,083 of stones at Stonehenge. 346 00:17:02,083 --> 00:17:03,625 There's the sarsen stone, 347 00:17:03,625 --> 00:17:06,708 which we know comes from a quarry about 20 miles away, 348 00:17:06,708 --> 00:17:09,125 but no one knows where the blue stone comes from. 349 00:17:09,125 --> 00:17:10,750 [dramatic suspenseful music] 350 00:17:10,750 --> 00:17:11,875 - [Dennis] For decades, 351 00:17:11,875 --> 00:17:14,667 scientists work to figure out their origin. 352 00:17:15,792 --> 00:17:17,917 - First in 1923, 353 00:17:17,917 --> 00:17:19,917 geologist, H.H. Thomas, 354 00:17:19,917 --> 00:17:22,792 finds a whole bunch of this type of stone, 355 00:17:22,792 --> 00:17:24,792 a perfect match in fact, 356 00:17:24,792 --> 00:17:28,375 but where he finds it makes no sense whatsoever. 357 00:17:28,375 --> 00:17:32,208 - He proposes that the blue stones come from 358 00:17:32,208 --> 00:17:35,708 the Preseli Mountains in Southwest Wales. 359 00:17:35,708 --> 00:17:39,542 It's a whopping 150 miles 360 00:17:39,542 --> 00:17:41,083 away from Stonehenge. 361 00:17:42,042 --> 00:17:44,125 - Several later archaeologists 362 00:17:44,125 --> 00:17:47,167 and geologists continue the work of H.H. Thomas, 363 00:17:47,167 --> 00:17:51,042 and eventually modern geochemical analysis proves 364 00:17:51,042 --> 00:17:52,250 that he was right. 365 00:17:52,250 --> 00:17:54,750 These stones definitely came from Wales. 366 00:17:56,167 --> 00:17:59,042 - [Dennis] But the exact location is still unknown. 367 00:18:00,208 --> 00:18:04,125 - Then in 2021, archaeologist, Mike Parker Pearson, 368 00:18:04,125 --> 00:18:07,083 is able to confirm the exact quarry in Wales 369 00:18:07,083 --> 00:18:09,417 that the blue stones came from. 370 00:18:09,417 --> 00:18:12,250 That's when he finds the final missing piece 371 00:18:12,250 --> 00:18:14,333 of the puzzle, quite literally. 372 00:18:15,542 --> 00:18:17,750 - Near this quarry, there are the remains 373 00:18:17,750 --> 00:18:20,833 of a dismantled circle of these same blue stones, 374 00:18:20,833 --> 00:18:22,208 and like Stonehenge, 375 00:18:22,208 --> 00:18:23,583 it's aligned with the movement of the sun. 376 00:18:23,583 --> 00:18:26,708 And incredibly, Parker Pearson finds a chip 377 00:18:26,708 --> 00:18:29,750 of blue stone left behind when it was dismantled 378 00:18:29,750 --> 00:18:32,042 and it fits perfectly 379 00:18:32,042 --> 00:18:34,542 into one of the blue stones at Stonehenge. 380 00:18:36,875 --> 00:18:38,042 - Now we know what happened. 381 00:18:38,042 --> 00:18:41,625 This society didn't just randomly start 382 00:18:41,625 --> 00:18:43,250 building at Stonehenge. 383 00:18:43,250 --> 00:18:45,250 They migrated there. 384 00:18:45,250 --> 00:18:48,208 Many centuries before, they lived in Wales 385 00:18:48,208 --> 00:18:52,125 where they were already making primitive stone circles, 386 00:18:52,125 --> 00:18:56,333 and these circles were aligned with the movement of the sun. 387 00:18:57,625 --> 00:18:59,625 - [Dennis] Parker Pearson determines that this group 388 00:18:59,625 --> 00:19:04,625 of people decides to leave the area around 3000 B.C. 389 00:19:05,250 --> 00:19:06,542 - And they dismantle 390 00:19:06,542 --> 00:19:09,958 and take their sacred stone circle with them. 391 00:19:09,958 --> 00:19:12,792 They then migrate to Salisbury Plain. 392 00:19:12,792 --> 00:19:15,542 - Once you combine Parker Pearson's discovery 393 00:19:15,542 --> 00:19:18,875 with a few others, suddenly it opens up the idea 394 00:19:18,875 --> 00:19:21,208 that there might have been multiple different purposes 395 00:19:21,208 --> 00:19:23,542 for Stonehenge throughout the years. 396 00:19:23,542 --> 00:19:26,542 Stonehenge wasn't just built from scratch 397 00:19:26,542 --> 00:19:28,042 the way we see it looking today. 398 00:19:28,042 --> 00:19:29,833 It's a site that has evolved 399 00:19:29,833 --> 00:19:34,750 and changed dramatically over the course of 5,000 years. 400 00:19:36,167 --> 00:19:37,292 - [Dennis] In fact, it doesn't even start 401 00:19:37,292 --> 00:19:38,792 with stones at all. 402 00:19:40,208 --> 00:19:42,875 - In 1966, Lance and Faith Vatcher 403 00:19:42,875 --> 00:19:47,625 discover three post holes in the Stonehenge car park 404 00:19:47,625 --> 00:19:49,250 that when analyzed, 405 00:19:49,250 --> 00:19:54,167 date back to between 8500 and 7000 B.C. 406 00:19:55,542 --> 00:19:57,292 In this spot three wooden tree trunks were raised 407 00:19:57,292 --> 00:20:01,417 by some early mesolithic hunter-gatherers. 408 00:20:01,417 --> 00:20:05,375 This tells us that a small group of people was beginning 409 00:20:05,375 --> 00:20:08,958 to think of this as a sacred place. 410 00:20:08,958 --> 00:20:11,667 - The site grows in popularity 411 00:20:11,667 --> 00:20:14,083 and other societies start coming to visit. 412 00:20:14,083 --> 00:20:18,833 Around 3900 B.C., we have evidence of the area being used 413 00:20:18,833 --> 00:20:22,042 as this massive meeting place. 414 00:20:22,042 --> 00:20:25,792 Archaeologists have discovered remnants of a feast 415 00:20:25,792 --> 00:20:29,000 between a culture of hunter-gatherers 416 00:20:29,000 --> 00:20:31,042 and a group of farmers. 417 00:20:31,042 --> 00:20:35,000 - Now, Stonehenge has gone from kind of an outdoor chapel to 418 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:38,042 a great place of multicultural gathering and unity, 419 00:20:38,042 --> 00:20:39,750 but there aren't any stones yet. 420 00:20:41,167 --> 00:20:44,417 - [Dennis] At least not for another 900 years. 421 00:20:45,417 --> 00:20:46,792 - As Mike Parker Pearson discovers, 422 00:20:46,792 --> 00:20:49,875 a group of people show up at around 3000 B.C. 423 00:20:49,875 --> 00:20:52,875 and they bring their stones from Wales with them. 424 00:20:52,875 --> 00:20:56,750 - The locals, they welcome these folks with open arms. 425 00:20:56,750 --> 00:21:01,500 They say, "Please, put your sacred stones right here." 426 00:21:01,500 --> 00:21:03,083 And they all work together 427 00:21:03,083 --> 00:21:07,708 to build a circular earthen enclosure surrounded by a ditch. 428 00:21:07,708 --> 00:21:11,542 And in the ditch, they erect 56 posts. 429 00:21:11,542 --> 00:21:13,375 - And just like they did in Wales, 430 00:21:13,375 --> 00:21:16,792 the migrants make sure to align the circle to the sun. 431 00:21:16,792 --> 00:21:21,542 Now, Stonehenge is also an astronomical calendar. 432 00:21:21,542 --> 00:21:23,042 - [Dennis] As time moves on, 433 00:21:23,042 --> 00:21:27,708 Stonehenge also becomes a significant place of burial. 434 00:21:27,708 --> 00:21:32,333 - As many as 240 burials have been discovered 435 00:21:32,333 --> 00:21:33,875 at Stonehenge so far, 436 00:21:33,875 --> 00:21:35,208 but there may be more. 437 00:21:35,208 --> 00:21:39,417 It makes sense that such a sacred place in life 438 00:21:39,417 --> 00:21:41,875 would also be sacred in death. 439 00:21:41,875 --> 00:21:46,667 So now it's a calendar, a holy gathering place, 440 00:21:46,667 --> 00:21:48,500 a shared construction project 441 00:21:48,500 --> 00:21:51,167 between two cultures, and a cemetery. 442 00:21:51,167 --> 00:21:52,333 [soft contemplative music] 443 00:21:52,333 --> 00:21:55,000 And around 2500 B.C., 444 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:58,875 the locals decide it's time to give Stonehenge an upgrade. 445 00:21:58,875 --> 00:22:01,917 - [Dennis] This is when the 80 massive sarsen stones 446 00:22:01,917 --> 00:22:05,250 are set up in the familiar circular formation 447 00:22:05,250 --> 00:22:08,542 that still captivates visitors today. 448 00:22:08,542 --> 00:22:11,375 - Researchers think that the end result 449 00:22:11,375 --> 00:22:13,208 wasn't the whole point of Stonehenge. 450 00:22:13,208 --> 00:22:14,792 The point was in the process. 451 00:22:14,792 --> 00:22:19,792 Stonehenge was like the ultimate community service project 452 00:22:20,792 --> 00:22:23,833 bringing people together, which it's still doing today. 453 00:22:23,833 --> 00:22:25,583 [dramatic music] 454 00:22:25,583 --> 00:22:28,000 - Even after thousands of years, 455 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:32,833 Stonehenge continues to confound and intrigue us. 456 00:22:32,833 --> 00:22:34,583 Some 8,000 miles away, 457 00:22:34,583 --> 00:22:36,875 a very different society 458 00:22:36,875 --> 00:22:40,042 has left an even stranger puzzle to solve. 459 00:22:40,042 --> 00:22:42,583 [dramatic music] 460 00:22:42,583 --> 00:22:44,167 - Easter Island is home 461 00:22:44,167 --> 00:22:46,875 to not just one sacred stone structure, 462 00:22:46,875 --> 00:22:51,333 but over 900 of them known as the moai. 463 00:22:52,708 --> 00:22:55,458 The island is around 2,000 miles off the coast of Chile. 464 00:22:55,458 --> 00:22:59,167 Some consider it the most remote island in the world. 465 00:22:59,167 --> 00:23:01,542 In fact, the nearest place where other people live 466 00:23:01,542 --> 00:23:04,625 is Pitcairn Island about 1,200 miles away. 467 00:23:05,583 --> 00:23:07,250 - In the early 18th century, 468 00:23:07,250 --> 00:23:11,625 European explorers stumble upon it completely by accident. 469 00:23:12,667 --> 00:23:15,542 - [Dennis] On August 1st, 1721, 470 00:23:15,542 --> 00:23:19,042 a team of Dutch sailors led by Jacob Roggeveen 471 00:23:19,042 --> 00:23:21,167 sets out on a mission sponsored 472 00:23:21,167 --> 00:23:23,875 by the Dutch West India Company. 473 00:23:24,333 --> 00:23:26,125 - They've been tasked to find a place 474 00:23:26,125 --> 00:23:27,708 called Terra Australis, 475 00:23:27,708 --> 00:23:29,875 which is a hypothetical continent, 476 00:23:29,875 --> 00:23:32,500 which is rumored to exist at the time. 477 00:23:32,500 --> 00:23:34,708 And even though it appears on maps between the 15th 478 00:23:34,708 --> 00:23:37,500 and the 18th century, no one's actually seen it. 479 00:23:38,750 --> 00:23:42,917 - So Roggeveen sets off to find Terra Australis 480 00:23:42,917 --> 00:23:47,500 and he doesn't because as we now know, it isn't real. 481 00:23:47,500 --> 00:23:50,292 But he does find something incredible, 482 00:23:50,292 --> 00:23:53,625 a remote and uncharted island. 483 00:23:53,625 --> 00:23:57,917 And on that island, there's a mystery unlike anything 484 00:23:57,917 --> 00:23:59,375 the world has ever seen. 485 00:23:59,375 --> 00:24:01,417 [dramatic music] 486 00:24:05,000 --> 00:24:08,958 - [Dennis] In 1722, Dutch explorer, Jacob Roggeveen, 487 00:24:08,958 --> 00:24:11,875 sets foot on a remote unknown island 488 00:24:11,875 --> 00:24:14,625 in the middle of the South Pacific. 489 00:24:14,625 --> 00:24:19,667 - He lands on April 5th, which that year was Easter Sunday, 490 00:24:20,583 --> 00:24:22,542 and so he names it Easter Island. 491 00:24:22,542 --> 00:24:25,208 Roggeveen finds that Easter island is dotted 492 00:24:25,208 --> 00:24:27,708 with several small village centers, 493 00:24:27,708 --> 00:24:31,083 and all the people there seem to be from Polynesian descent, 494 00:24:31,083 --> 00:24:35,625 so similar to the Samoans, Native Hawaiians. 495 00:24:35,625 --> 00:24:37,542 And Roggeveen records 496 00:24:37,542 --> 00:24:41,208 around 3,000 people living on the island 497 00:24:41,208 --> 00:24:45,500 and they survive by farming things like bananas, taro, 498 00:24:45,500 --> 00:24:47,958 sugar canes, they raise chickens. 499 00:24:49,208 --> 00:24:51,083 - [Dennis] But there's something else besides people 500 00:24:51,083 --> 00:24:53,375 and farms on Easter Island. 501 00:24:53,375 --> 00:24:55,125 Something astounding. 502 00:24:56,417 --> 00:24:58,833 - Roggeveen writes that the island features, 503 00:24:58,833 --> 00:25:02,542 quote, "remarkable tall stone figures, 504 00:25:02,542 --> 00:25:06,042 a good 30 feet in height." 505 00:25:06,042 --> 00:25:09,083 These statues are massive. 506 00:25:09,083 --> 00:25:12,542 Some weighing over 80 tons. 507 00:25:12,542 --> 00:25:16,417 They're legless, humanoid torsos with oversized heads, 508 00:25:16,417 --> 00:25:19,292 prominent noses and elongated ears, 509 00:25:19,292 --> 00:25:22,042 and there are hundreds of them. 510 00:25:22,042 --> 00:25:24,208 - Some stand up by themselves while groups 511 00:25:24,208 --> 00:25:27,583 of others are lined up on what looks like stages 512 00:25:27,583 --> 00:25:29,708 or altars near the shore. 513 00:25:29,708 --> 00:25:33,542 Of course, naturally Roggeveen has some questions like, 514 00:25:33,542 --> 00:25:35,417 what the heck are these things 515 00:25:35,417 --> 00:25:39,750 and how are they built and why? 516 00:25:39,750 --> 00:25:42,292 - So when Roggeveen asks the locals exactly 517 00:25:42,292 --> 00:25:43,417 what these things are, 518 00:25:43,417 --> 00:25:45,417 they tell him that they are moai, 519 00:25:45,417 --> 00:25:47,750 and it sounds really exotic, like wow. 520 00:25:47,750 --> 00:25:49,708 But as it turns out, 521 00:25:49,708 --> 00:25:52,083 the word simply means statue. 522 00:25:52,083 --> 00:25:56,417 - The islanders say the statues were made many generations 523 00:25:56,417 --> 00:25:57,875 before these islanders were born 524 00:25:57,875 --> 00:26:00,250 and that they represent the ancestors 525 00:26:00,250 --> 00:26:01,458 who've come and gone before them. 526 00:26:01,458 --> 00:26:04,042 But that's about all they know. 527 00:26:04,042 --> 00:26:07,583 Most of their history has been forgotten or just lost. 528 00:26:08,750 --> 00:26:10,375 - [Dennis] Nearly 50 years later, 529 00:26:10,375 --> 00:26:14,917 other explorers also stumble upon these strange statues. 530 00:26:15,875 --> 00:26:19,792 - Two Spanish ships visit in 1770 531 00:26:19,792 --> 00:26:23,458 and their records state that the sailors were amazed by 532 00:26:23,458 --> 00:26:26,208 what they called the standing idols. 533 00:26:27,542 --> 00:26:31,167 - In 1774, famed British explorer, James Cook, 534 00:26:31,167 --> 00:26:32,542 visits Easter Island. 535 00:26:33,667 --> 00:26:35,708 This visit though, something's different. 536 00:26:35,708 --> 00:26:39,542 He writes that some of the statues had been toppled, 537 00:26:39,542 --> 00:26:42,375 and this wasn't the case just four years earlier 538 00:26:42,375 --> 00:26:43,667 when the Spanish were there. 539 00:26:43,667 --> 00:26:45,667 [tense suspenseful music] 540 00:26:45,667 --> 00:26:48,583 - [Dennis] This new detail gives Cook a clue 541 00:26:48,583 --> 00:26:51,583 about the statues' possible purpose. 542 00:26:51,583 --> 00:26:53,083 - When Captain Cook arrives, 543 00:26:53,083 --> 00:26:57,125 he notices that the moai are facing towards the village 544 00:26:57,125 --> 00:26:59,125 away from the sea, 545 00:26:59,125 --> 00:27:03,042 as if they're looking over and protecting the villagers. 546 00:27:03,042 --> 00:27:06,542 - [Dennis] There is just one problem with this theory. 547 00:27:06,542 --> 00:27:09,917 - Because some statues are toppled by 1774 548 00:27:09,917 --> 00:27:12,333 and nobody else has been here, 549 00:27:12,333 --> 00:27:15,875 this clearly tells us one thing, the islanders did it. 550 00:27:15,875 --> 00:27:18,583 - [Dennis] Why would the locals purposely destroy 551 00:27:18,583 --> 00:27:21,042 their own statues? 552 00:27:21,042 --> 00:27:24,917 - Now, we think that instead of being a unified project 553 00:27:24,917 --> 00:27:27,250 to protect the entire island, 554 00:27:27,250 --> 00:27:28,542 these statues were meant 555 00:27:28,542 --> 00:27:32,167 to protect just certain villages or regions, 556 00:27:32,167 --> 00:27:36,292 and in fact, these regions may not have gotten along well. 557 00:27:37,417 --> 00:27:39,000 - [Dennis] It takes nearly a century 558 00:27:39,000 --> 00:27:42,125 for the next major breakthrough. 559 00:27:42,125 --> 00:27:43,583 - In the late 1800s, 560 00:27:43,583 --> 00:27:46,542 a lot more people start visiting Easter Island. 561 00:27:46,542 --> 00:27:48,417 Christian missionaries come. 562 00:27:48,417 --> 00:27:50,708 Peruvian slave traders come as well, 563 00:27:50,708 --> 00:27:53,667 and they capture about 1,500 of the natives, 564 00:27:53,667 --> 00:27:56,875 which is about half the entire population. 565 00:27:56,875 --> 00:28:01,583 They also, sadly, bring smallpox and tuberculosis too, 566 00:28:01,583 --> 00:28:04,250 which kills countless locals. 567 00:28:04,250 --> 00:28:06,625 But amidst all this tragedy, 568 00:28:06,625 --> 00:28:08,292 there's a new find, 569 00:28:08,292 --> 00:28:11,042 about two dozen wooden objects 570 00:28:11,042 --> 00:28:16,042 with pictographic glyphs carved across them in neat lines. 571 00:28:17,458 --> 00:28:18,667 - So this is the language that we never knew existed. 572 00:28:18,667 --> 00:28:20,250 It's called Rongorongo, 573 00:28:20,250 --> 00:28:24,167 and it's similar to Egyptian hieroglyphics. 574 00:28:24,167 --> 00:28:27,583 - Unlike at Stonehenge where we have no written record 575 00:28:27,583 --> 00:28:29,042 as to how this was built, 576 00:28:29,042 --> 00:28:31,958 this could be the key to unlocking 577 00:28:31,958 --> 00:28:34,167 the mystery of the moai. 578 00:28:35,125 --> 00:28:37,375 However, there's just one problem. 579 00:28:37,375 --> 00:28:38,542 Among the people kidnapped 580 00:28:38,542 --> 00:28:40,375 or killed on Easter Island 581 00:28:40,375 --> 00:28:43,208 are the only people who can still read Rongorongo. 582 00:28:43,208 --> 00:28:46,208 So as soon as the foreigners discover this language, 583 00:28:46,208 --> 00:28:49,292 they also ensure that we'll never be able to read it. 584 00:28:49,292 --> 00:28:51,208 It's a terrible irony. 585 00:28:52,500 --> 00:28:54,625 - [Dennis] While many have tried to translate it, 586 00:28:54,625 --> 00:28:56,083 all have failed. 587 00:28:57,000 --> 00:28:58,917 But a common mythology 588 00:28:58,917 --> 00:29:03,250 amongst cultural neighbors may offer valuable information. 589 00:29:03,250 --> 00:29:07,042 - Many Polynesians believe that when properly constructed, 590 00:29:07,042 --> 00:29:11,125 these statues could house the dead's mana, 591 00:29:11,125 --> 00:29:14,917 described as a supernatural power that dwells 592 00:29:14,917 --> 00:29:18,042 or lives in the head and in the hair. 593 00:29:18,042 --> 00:29:20,708 It's possible that the Easter Islanders 594 00:29:20,708 --> 00:29:23,000 don't just build the moai 595 00:29:23,000 --> 00:29:25,333 to represent their ancestors, 596 00:29:25,333 --> 00:29:30,250 but actually as vessels to hold their spirits, their mana. 597 00:29:31,708 --> 00:29:33,917 - We can see on some of the moai to this day, 598 00:29:33,917 --> 00:29:37,875 special attention is given to the top of the heads, 599 00:29:37,875 --> 00:29:41,083 mainly in the form of a separate stone placed on top 600 00:29:41,083 --> 00:29:43,042 that kind of looks like a hat. 601 00:29:43,042 --> 00:29:45,583 Scientists theorize that these represent 602 00:29:45,583 --> 00:29:47,708 a tribal chief's top-knot 603 00:29:47,708 --> 00:29:50,875 or pukau where all their mana would reside. 604 00:29:51,750 --> 00:29:53,333 - Polynesians also believe 605 00:29:53,333 --> 00:29:57,417 that one's ancestors could come back in spirit form 606 00:29:57,417 --> 00:29:58,750 and aid in times of need. 607 00:29:58,750 --> 00:30:01,625 So why not build these giant 608 00:30:01,625 --> 00:30:04,042 manafilled repositories for them? 609 00:30:04,042 --> 00:30:06,708 Of course, this is all just speculation. 610 00:30:06,708 --> 00:30:10,333 Until someone can translate Rongorongo 611 00:30:10,333 --> 00:30:13,208 we'll probably never know if our guess is correct. 612 00:30:13,208 --> 00:30:15,542 - [Dennis] Today, this remains the prevailing theory 613 00:30:15,542 --> 00:30:17,875 on why the moai were built, 614 00:30:17,875 --> 00:30:20,750 but it's far from the only mystery 615 00:30:20,750 --> 00:30:23,417 surrounding these stones. 616 00:30:23,417 --> 00:30:25,417 - It's good to ask why. 617 00:30:25,417 --> 00:30:29,208 But the even more interesting question is how? 618 00:30:29,208 --> 00:30:33,292 How the heck did they build these things in the first place? 619 00:30:37,333 --> 00:30:39,292 - While evidence points to possibilities 620 00:30:39,292 --> 00:30:42,208 for why the Easter Island statues are built, 621 00:30:42,208 --> 00:30:45,333 no one is quite sure how they got there. 622 00:30:46,542 --> 00:30:49,250 - It's also unclear when exactly the moai were built, 623 00:30:49,250 --> 00:30:53,000 but our best guess is that they were making these statues 624 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:57,208 between about 1250 and 1500 A.D. 625 00:30:57,208 --> 00:30:59,542 To put that date into some kind of perspective, 626 00:30:59,542 --> 00:31:03,083 other things built in Europe during that time would include 627 00:31:03,083 --> 00:31:07,208 the leaning Tower of Pisa and Paris' Sainte-Chapelle. 628 00:31:08,333 --> 00:31:12,042 But Europeans when confronted by the moai 629 00:31:12,042 --> 00:31:14,500 just can't comprehend them at all. 630 00:31:16,458 --> 00:31:20,875 - When James Cook arrives in 1774, he writes, quote, 631 00:31:20,875 --> 00:31:22,375 "We could hardly conceive 632 00:31:22,375 --> 00:31:24,333 how these islanders wholly unacquainted 633 00:31:24,333 --> 00:31:27,208 with any mechanical power could raise 634 00:31:27,208 --> 00:31:29,208 such stupendous figures." 635 00:31:29,208 --> 00:31:32,375 And Cook speculates that once the stone statues were carved, 636 00:31:32,375 --> 00:31:35,500 they were raised a little at a time using scaffolding. 637 00:31:36,875 --> 00:31:40,500 But Cook and other early visitors to Easter Island 638 00:31:40,500 --> 00:31:43,042 stayed close to the coast. 639 00:31:43,042 --> 00:31:46,250 - [Dennis] It isn't until much later in the 1800s 640 00:31:46,250 --> 00:31:49,500 that the rest of the island is finally explored. 641 00:31:50,875 --> 00:31:54,250 And what's uncovered only deepens the mystery. 642 00:31:56,167 --> 00:31:58,083 - Three quarters of a mile 643 00:31:58,083 --> 00:32:01,208 from the island's southeastern coast at the base 644 00:32:01,208 --> 00:32:03,958 of a large extinct volcano, 645 00:32:03,958 --> 00:32:07,042 explorers find even more moai. 646 00:32:07,042 --> 00:32:08,750 But these ones are different. 647 00:32:08,750 --> 00:32:10,833 They're works in progress. 648 00:32:10,833 --> 00:32:12,542 They're partially carved 649 00:32:12,542 --> 00:32:15,542 into the volcanic rock of the hillside. 650 00:32:15,542 --> 00:32:18,375 - [Dennis] The quarry is called Rano Raraku. 651 00:32:18,375 --> 00:32:21,708 It's rich in a type of rock called tuff, 652 00:32:21,708 --> 00:32:24,542 made of compressed volcanic ash. 653 00:32:24,542 --> 00:32:25,875 - The most surprising thing 654 00:32:25,875 --> 00:32:28,500 which Cook and all the other previous explorers 655 00:32:28,500 --> 00:32:30,792 never realized is that this is also 656 00:32:30,792 --> 00:32:33,542 where all the statues were carved. 657 00:32:33,542 --> 00:32:36,583 - So this changes the way we think about 658 00:32:36,583 --> 00:32:38,333 the origin of the moai. 659 00:32:38,333 --> 00:32:41,417 It used to be thought that they were built where they are, 660 00:32:41,417 --> 00:32:43,417 but in fact, they were built at this quarry 661 00:32:43,417 --> 00:32:46,542 and moved 11 miles to where they are now. 662 00:32:46,542 --> 00:32:48,167 And so how did this happen? 663 00:32:48,167 --> 00:32:52,542 How did these people move 30- foot statues that were 80 tons 664 00:32:52,542 --> 00:32:54,458 11 miles across this island? 665 00:32:55,708 --> 00:32:58,292 - [Dennis] The natives tell explorers of a local legend 666 00:32:58,292 --> 00:33:02,042 that offers a surprising answer to this question. 667 00:33:02,875 --> 00:33:04,375 - According to the lore, 668 00:33:04,375 --> 00:33:09,083 the powerful ancient chiefs literally command the moai 669 00:33:09,083 --> 00:33:12,875 to rise up and walk, and they do. 670 00:33:12,875 --> 00:33:15,875 It's a cool story, but not super helpful 671 00:33:15,875 --> 00:33:18,625 in figuring out what actually happened. 672 00:33:18,625 --> 00:33:20,000 Scientists have been floating 673 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:23,000 all kinds of theories ever since. 674 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:26,708 - One idea is that they're pulled around the island 675 00:33:26,708 --> 00:33:28,375 on wooden sleds. 676 00:33:28,375 --> 00:33:31,500 Another suggests that the ancients could have placed logs 677 00:33:31,500 --> 00:33:33,167 underneath the stones and simply rolled 678 00:33:33,167 --> 00:33:34,375 them across the island. 679 00:33:35,792 --> 00:33:39,292 It would be difficult, perhaps, but not impossible. 680 00:33:39,292 --> 00:33:42,292 With enough people and enough trees, 681 00:33:42,292 --> 00:33:44,917 they could potentially roll their statues 682 00:33:44,917 --> 00:33:46,125 where they need to go. 683 00:33:47,375 --> 00:33:50,000 - [Dennis] But when the Europeans land on Easter Island, 684 00:33:50,000 --> 00:33:52,042 there are no trees. 685 00:33:52,042 --> 00:33:54,625 - The island is completely devoid 686 00:33:54,625 --> 00:33:58,833 of any kind of wood source to make these rollers. 687 00:33:58,833 --> 00:34:02,417 Moving these statues seems impossible. 688 00:34:04,083 --> 00:34:06,208 - [Dennis] Until the early 2000s 689 00:34:06,208 --> 00:34:08,417 when a pair of American researchers 690 00:34:08,417 --> 00:34:11,542 are eager to prove it was possible. 691 00:34:12,917 --> 00:34:15,208 - Anthropologists Carl Lipo and Terry Hunt, 692 00:34:15,208 --> 00:34:17,500 propose a new hypothesis. 693 00:34:17,500 --> 00:34:21,958 The moai walked to their location after all, 694 00:34:21,958 --> 00:34:24,208 but it takes a little bit more effort 695 00:34:24,208 --> 00:34:25,917 than in the original story. 696 00:34:25,917 --> 00:34:27,250 Lipo and Hunt suggest 697 00:34:27,375 --> 00:34:30,667 that the statues are transported in an upright position. 698 00:34:30,667 --> 00:34:34,208 Ropes are attached to the heads of the statues, 699 00:34:34,208 --> 00:34:35,542 three of them to be exact, 700 00:34:35,542 --> 00:34:38,375 one on each side and one to the back. 701 00:34:38,375 --> 00:34:40,792 - [Dennis] Then a team of people is assigned 702 00:34:40,792 --> 00:34:43,042 to handle each rope. 703 00:34:43,042 --> 00:34:46,250 - They walk the statue down the hillside, 704 00:34:46,250 --> 00:34:49,083 alternately pulling from one side to the other 705 00:34:49,083 --> 00:34:51,708 as the statue walks its way down. 706 00:34:53,208 --> 00:34:56,292 From a distance, it would appear that the moai are walking. 707 00:34:59,250 --> 00:35:02,208 - [Dennis] In 2012 to prove their theory, 708 00:35:02,208 --> 00:35:06,333 Lipo and Hunt decide to recreate the process. 709 00:35:06,333 --> 00:35:10,250 - They make a replica moai as close to the real thing 710 00:35:10,250 --> 00:35:12,333 as humanly possible. 711 00:35:12,333 --> 00:35:14,958 They get a team of volunteers, attach the three ropes 712 00:35:14,958 --> 00:35:16,167 to the replica's head, 713 00:35:16,167 --> 00:35:17,875 and they begin to pull. 714 00:35:17,875 --> 00:35:18,750 And guess what? 715 00:35:19,708 --> 00:35:21,083 - Two, three. 716 00:35:21,083 --> 00:35:23,250 - The moai walks. 717 00:35:23,250 --> 00:35:26,833 Now this doesn't prove that they used this exact method, 718 00:35:26,833 --> 00:35:28,333 but it works. 719 00:35:28,333 --> 00:35:30,500 It doesn't require too much manpower, 720 00:35:30,500 --> 00:35:33,667 and you don't need trees either. 721 00:35:33,667 --> 00:35:38,333 And as a bonus, it fits in really neatly with the legend. 722 00:35:38,333 --> 00:35:40,625 [expansive dramatic music] 723 00:35:40,625 --> 00:35:44,208 - As we can see, finding the quarry at Rano Raraku 724 00:35:44,208 --> 00:35:46,208 does unlock some new answers and theories, 725 00:35:46,208 --> 00:35:49,625 but it also raises another huge question. 726 00:35:51,083 --> 00:35:54,125 After all this hard work on the moai, 727 00:35:54,958 --> 00:35:56,375 why did they stop? 728 00:36:00,583 --> 00:36:03,042 - [Dennis] The giant moai of Easter Island 729 00:36:03,042 --> 00:36:05,500 offer many mysteries, 730 00:36:05,500 --> 00:36:08,667 but perhaps the most intriguing isn't about how 731 00:36:08,667 --> 00:36:10,750 or why they were made, 732 00:36:10,750 --> 00:36:14,542 but why the islanders stopped building them. 733 00:36:14,542 --> 00:36:17,042 - Now we know that these imposing statues 734 00:36:17,042 --> 00:36:18,667 hold great cultural significance, 735 00:36:18,667 --> 00:36:21,375 and the natives clearly spent massive amounts of time 736 00:36:21,375 --> 00:36:23,458 and effort to craft and move them. 737 00:36:23,458 --> 00:36:25,083 But when their quarry is discovered, 738 00:36:25,083 --> 00:36:27,708 it's obvious that many moai were in progress 739 00:36:27,708 --> 00:36:29,583 and never completed. 740 00:36:29,583 --> 00:36:32,000 There are stone tools littered about, 741 00:36:32,000 --> 00:36:34,750 and it looks like the work was abandoned quite suddenly. 742 00:36:34,750 --> 00:36:37,292 They spent hundreds of years on this project, and then what? 743 00:36:37,292 --> 00:36:38,833 One day they randomly get up 744 00:36:38,833 --> 00:36:41,792 and walk away and just forget all about it? 745 00:36:41,792 --> 00:36:44,125 - [Dennis] Since discovering the deserted quarry 746 00:36:44,125 --> 00:36:45,875 in the mid 1800s, 747 00:36:45,875 --> 00:36:49,417 researchers have been trying to find answers. 748 00:36:50,750 --> 00:36:55,167 - One of the first theories emerges in the early 1900s. 749 00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:57,292 It's originally proposed 750 00:36:57,292 --> 00:36:59,833 by British engineer, James Churchward. 751 00:37:01,167 --> 00:37:04,333 Churchward believes that Easter Island 752 00:37:04,333 --> 00:37:07,958 actually wasn't an island to begin with. 753 00:37:07,958 --> 00:37:09,458 - He claims that it was part 754 00:37:09,458 --> 00:37:13,667 of a former large continent called the land of Mu. 755 00:37:14,875 --> 00:37:19,042 He believes that Mu was once a large Pacific Ocean 756 00:37:19,042 --> 00:37:23,167 continent nearly three times the size of Australia. 757 00:37:23,167 --> 00:37:24,500 [lava explodes] 758 00:37:24,500 --> 00:37:26,083 - A great series of earthquakes 759 00:37:26,083 --> 00:37:28,208 and volcanic eruptions ultimately sink 760 00:37:28,208 --> 00:37:30,375 nearly all of Mu beneath the ocean, 761 00:37:30,375 --> 00:37:33,292 leaving only a few small islands behind, 762 00:37:33,292 --> 00:37:34,667 such as Easter Island. 763 00:37:34,667 --> 00:37:38,417 So that's why they stopped building the statues. 764 00:37:38,417 --> 00:37:40,417 They were hit with the largest 765 00:37:40,417 --> 00:37:42,667 natural disaster in human history. 766 00:37:43,875 --> 00:37:46,250 - Today we know that there's no such continent, 767 00:37:46,250 --> 00:37:47,542 but in the 19th century, 768 00:37:47,542 --> 00:37:50,750 people believed that there was a land called Mu. 769 00:37:51,875 --> 00:37:54,083 - [Dennis] Other theories are less fanciful, 770 00:37:54,083 --> 00:37:56,000 but equally tragic. 771 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:58,542 - What we generally see with empires or civilizations 772 00:37:58,542 --> 00:38:00,542 or even communities that decline over time 773 00:38:00,542 --> 00:38:03,042 is that it's rarely a single event. 774 00:38:03,042 --> 00:38:07,458 And so in the case of the inhabitants of Easter Island 775 00:38:07,458 --> 00:38:09,542 and the building of the moai, 776 00:38:09,542 --> 00:38:13,208 it might not have been one thing that caused that to end. 777 00:38:13,208 --> 00:38:16,042 It could have been a whole host of factors. 778 00:38:16,042 --> 00:38:17,833 - Problem number one, 779 00:38:17,833 --> 00:38:19,792 the natives cut down all the trees. 780 00:38:19,792 --> 00:38:23,208 While the island is treeless when the Europeans arrive, 781 00:38:23,208 --> 00:38:25,750 soil and pollen analysis has proven 782 00:38:25,750 --> 00:38:29,708 that it was completely forested as late as 1250 A.D., 783 00:38:29,708 --> 00:38:33,208 which is about when we think the islanders first arrived. 784 00:38:33,208 --> 00:38:36,708 - [Lynne] No trees means no moisture in the soil, 785 00:38:36,708 --> 00:38:38,875 and no moisture means no crops. 786 00:38:38,875 --> 00:38:42,208 So this would've made things tough on the population. 787 00:38:42,208 --> 00:38:44,542 - It's hard to spend much time carving 788 00:38:44,542 --> 00:38:48,500 and moving giant statues when you're too busy fighting 789 00:38:48,500 --> 00:38:51,500 over food with your neighbors. 790 00:38:51,500 --> 00:38:53,458 - [Dennis] This shift in priorities 791 00:38:53,458 --> 00:38:57,125 might also extend to their belief system. 792 00:38:57,125 --> 00:38:59,542 - By the time the Europeans arrive, 793 00:38:59,542 --> 00:39:01,583 the natives don't care much about the statues, 794 00:39:01,583 --> 00:39:05,750 and instead practice something known as the Birdman cult. 795 00:39:05,750 --> 00:39:08,250 It's the worship of the migratory seabirds 796 00:39:08,250 --> 00:39:09,708 that would come to the island, 797 00:39:09,708 --> 00:39:12,958 with a particular importance placed on their eggs. 798 00:39:12,958 --> 00:39:18,000 - When you're faced with a starving, declining population, 799 00:39:19,250 --> 00:39:21,333 maybe the statues lose their meaning. 800 00:39:21,333 --> 00:39:24,250 After all, you can't eat them. 801 00:39:24,250 --> 00:39:26,417 The birds and their eggs were some 802 00:39:26,417 --> 00:39:29,458 of the only nutritious food available. 803 00:39:31,250 --> 00:39:33,542 - Eventually, it seems the natives 804 00:39:33,542 --> 00:39:36,875 became angry about the moai, even resentful. 805 00:39:36,875 --> 00:39:39,375 Remember when James Cook arrives, 806 00:39:39,375 --> 00:39:40,708 he finds that some of them 807 00:39:40,708 --> 00:39:43,500 have been toppled over, broken apart. 808 00:39:43,500 --> 00:39:45,542 Well, this practice continues. 809 00:39:45,542 --> 00:39:47,625 As war and slave traders 810 00:39:47,625 --> 00:39:49,708 and lack of resources reduce 811 00:39:49,708 --> 00:39:53,292 the population further and further, 812 00:39:53,292 --> 00:39:55,417 they keep knocking down their statues. 813 00:39:56,792 --> 00:40:00,042 - Were they angry that the building of the moai caused them 814 00:40:00,042 --> 00:40:02,083 to deplete all their resources? 815 00:40:02,083 --> 00:40:04,375 Or maybe were they angry 816 00:40:04,375 --> 00:40:07,208 that the moai failed to protect them? 817 00:40:07,208 --> 00:40:12,083 - [Dennis] By 1868, every single moai has been toppled. 818 00:40:13,625 --> 00:40:16,583 - Today, about 50 moai have been put back into place. 819 00:40:16,583 --> 00:40:20,417 They attract up to 150,000 visitors per year, 820 00:40:20,417 --> 00:40:22,583 which injects $120 million 821 00:40:22,583 --> 00:40:24,667 into the island's tourism economy, 822 00:40:24,667 --> 00:40:27,917 which sustains 75% of the population. 823 00:40:27,917 --> 00:40:30,875 Seems like once again, the moai are doing the job 824 00:40:30,875 --> 00:40:32,958 for which they were originally intended, 825 00:40:32,958 --> 00:40:36,875 protecting and providing for the people of Easter Island. 826 00:40:36,875 --> 00:40:40,167 - These larger-than- life sacred structures 827 00:40:40,167 --> 00:40:42,083 like Stonehenge and the moai, 828 00:40:42,083 --> 00:40:46,208 they're literally ancient history written in stone. 829 00:40:46,208 --> 00:40:50,458 And we can't stop trying to unravel their mysteries 830 00:40:50,458 --> 00:40:53,083 'cause they still have a lot to teach us. 831 00:40:55,000 --> 00:40:57,750 - While we may never know all the secrets hidden 832 00:40:57,750 --> 00:41:00,958 in Stonehenge or on Easter Island, 833 00:41:00,958 --> 00:41:04,042 we can still marvel at the ingenuity 834 00:41:04,042 --> 00:41:06,292 of our ancient ancestors. 835 00:41:06,292 --> 00:41:07,208 I'm Dennis Quaid. 836 00:41:07,667 --> 00:41:09,875 Thanks for watching "Holy Marvels".