13x03 - Medieval Intentions

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] Tonight
on The Curse of Oak Island...

[Steve] It's a brand-new area we
haven't explored on the western side.

- Oh. What have we got here?
- [Rick] Whoa!

- Look what I'm getting here. Oh!
- [Tansy] Oh!

So I've done a CT scan. You
can see it faintly right here.

[others gasping]

- Well, I'll be damned. -Yeah.
- That might tell a story.

[Terry] Whoa! Whoa!

We're probably into the void.
If there's

the one thing, he could have it
in that core barrel right now.

- Yeah.
- There you go.

[narrator] There is an island
in the North Atlantic

where people
have been looking for

an incredible treasure
for more than 200 years.

So far, they have found
a stone slab

with strange symbols
carved into it,

man-made workings
that date to medieval times,

and a lead cross whose origin

may be connected
to the Knights Templar.

To date, six men have died

trying to solve the mystery.

And according to legend,
one more will have to die

before the treasure
can be found.

♪ ♪

Okay, team. This is the part
of this whole venture

I like, honestly, the most.

[narrator]
Another bright morning

has dawned on Oak Island.

And in the laboratory,
Rick and Marty Lagina

and members of their team
are gathered to learn more

about a recent discovery.

Katya and I found something

that we thought
was really, really cool.

It's a coin, for sure.

And we're about to find out
what exactly this is.

- [rapid beeping]
- Ooh.

Wowzer.

[narrator] One week ago,
Marty and Katya Drayton

discovered a coin
with a curious design on Lot 5

and in the same area

where the team previously found
five Roman coins

that could be as much
as 2,000 years old.

[Emma] So, yeah.
So I've done an XRF.

So, compositionally,

it's copper-based.

There is iron, there is calcium,

but you see
there's a silver content also.

And that's a good sign.
That usually indicates

an older alloy.

That's amazing.

Emma says the composition
of the coin has silver.

And so I think
it could be very valuable.

Everything about this,
once again,

makes you feel like,
geez, I'm not wasting

my time and money here.

Uh, this is... this is for real.

I popped it into the CT scan
to get a better look at it.

[others gasping]

- [Gary] That's ancient.
- [Katya] Oh, my God.

[laughter]

- [Tom] Wow.
- [Emma] So you have the figure

standing left.

And we do have the lettering,

officina,

which is "N" for "novem,"
so "ninth."

So it's "ninth workshop."

Can't tell which region,

'cause the-the mint mark
is gone.

That would be, like,
in the Roman vicinity.

And if we take a look
at the other side.

So, you have the head bust
facing right.

You can see it faintly
right here.

Looks like a crown.

And a really distinctive,
pointed,

like, a really sharp nose,
sharp chin.

And these features,

you only see them
with Claudius II.

So, you have the workshops,

you have the composition,

and then you have Claudius II,

and that puts it more towards,
like, 250, 270 AD.

- So this is a Roman coin?
- Yes.

[English accent] Roman, baby!

[laughter]

- Without a doubt?
- Without a doubt.

[narrator]
Marcus Aurelius Claudius,

also known as Claudius II,

reigned as the emperor
of Rome from 268

to 270 AD.

The team has never found
evidence of habitation

on Oak Island dating back
to that era.

So how did the six Roman coins
get here?

-Well, I'll be damned.
We have very few... -Yeah.

Certainties on this island.
Well, there's one.

That is a Roman coin.

I mean, we used to say it
with a little bit of hesitation,

like, you know, we have a hard
time believing it ourselves.

But we-we can't discard it
anymore.

[Emma] It does have a high

surrounding silicon layer.

Does that imply
it's been there a long time?

- Yeah.
- How about that?

-[chuckling] -[Emma] What were
the other metals that, uh,

Dr. Spooner was finding
in the water

- in the Money Pit?
- [Rick] Lead, tin,

copper, and zinc.

So those are all elements
that are found in this coin.

The silver Pitblado coin
is 1367 to 1383

and has similar elements, too.

[narrator] The fact
that the composition

of the so-called
Portuguese Pitblado coin

and the Roman coins

match the traces
of precious metals

that were detected deep
in the Money Pit area

raises an important question.

Could they all be related?

I have always believed that what
happened here on Oak Island

happened long ago.

And so it's not out
of the bounds

to suggest that this might be
part of the treasure.

- Right? -[Marty] Yeah.
- [Emma] Mm-hmm.

[Tom] The interesting thing
now is,

- when was it deposited?
- [Marty] Yeah. Exactly.

That is what would be
interesting to know.

[Rick] I think Sandy Campbell

can certainly tell us something
about that coin.

We should have him
look into this further.

Well, as you often tell me,
Marty,

that's a great find,
but you guys need to go back out

to Lot 5 and find some more.

-Yeah. Let's do it. -Exactly!
Let's go. -[Laird] All right.

- See you later. Take care.
- [Marty] Good job.

[narrator] Later that morning,

as the team prepares
their next drill location

in the Money Pit area...

[Rick] So, as we know,
it's a very

aggressive search agenda
this year.

We have a lot of things
going on.

I know you've done
your homework.

You have the permits.

Rick meets with Steve Guptill,

Scott Barlow, and Billy Gerhardt

in the Oak Island
Research Center

to plan another
major investigation,

a large-scale dig
in the triangle-shaped swamp.

The swamp has been
incredibly generous to us

in terms of finding things.

- Mm-hmm.
- Think about

the timelines that have been
associated with the swamp.





We've always thought
that the bog held secrets,

and those secrets
might have something to do

- with the Money Pit, right?
- Yeah. -Mm-hmm.

[narrator]
During the past decade,

Rick, Marty, and the team

have uncovered numerous
stone structures in the swamp.

These include
a massive paved area

near the center of the bog,

which has been scientifically
dated to the 13th century;

a stone road
in the southeast corner,

which may be
more than 500 years old

and is believed to be
of Portuguese origin;

and a cobblestone pathway
in the northern region,

which led the team
to an empty vault-like feature

that has been dated
to as early as the 17th century.

[Rick] We've found
some incredibly unique things

in the swamp.

Things we haven't been able
to explain as of yet

but suggest numerous groups

may have deposited things here
on the island.

Once you understand the totality
of the work in the bog,

then you can apply
maybe a possible connection

to the Money Pit

and who was behind this mystery.

So, Steve, where are
your areas of interest?

So, I have an area
I'd like to start us at.

Um, it's just west of the paved
area. You can see it here.

It's a brand-new area we haven't
explored on the western side.

[Billy] That end of the swamp
is kind of like

the area around the vault,
right? You know, we traveled

across it a hundred times and
didn't know the vault was there.

So, you know, I think
that the same types of finds

- can exist in that corner.
- Hopefully there's another one,

- and hopefully it's not empty.
- Yeah.

[Rick] We drained the swamp.

And I think all that
really remains is, you know,

-get-get the excavators in place
and-and start digging. -Yeah.

Let's get to work.

[narrator] Later that day...

[Steve] All right, guys.
Western side of the swamp.

Brand-new area for us.

Rick meets with members
of the team to begin

their new investigation in
the western region of the swamp.

And we're only 180 feet
off the paved area.

That's just straight east of us.

Yeah. And I love those dates
from the paved area.



And we've seen
a certain coin this year,

a Portuguese coin
from the 1300s.

-We might be in for a bit
of pork and cheese. -[laughter]

[Rick] Every year
the swamp surprises us.

And the bar every year,
it keeps raising, right?

[Gary] Yeah. Let's get

diggy with it, Billy.

[Gary] I'm really excited

to be back in the swamp.
It's been good to us

in the past. We found a lot

of really nice artifacts
in the area.

And hopefully we are gonna find
some artifacts today.

No. It's clean at the moment.

Oh.

Wow. Look at that.

[Gary] What have we got here?

-Stake. Did you see that, Billy?
You just moved a stake. -Yeah.

[narrator] While digging
near the western edge

of the Oak Island swamp,

Rick Lagina
and members of the team

have just discovered
an interesting clue.

[Gary] Is that one
of the sharpened

old wooden stake posts, Rick?

[Rick] It looks like it.

- What do you think?
- It does look

like one
of those older style ones,

the way it's...

it's cut like that.

That ain't saw.

- That...
- [Rick] No.

- That's a... Yeah.
- That's axe-cut.

[narrator]
A hand-cut wooden stake?

Curiously, the team discovered
a number of similar stakes

one year ago
in the center of the swamp,

lining the cobble path.

These stakes were carbon-dated
to as early as the 17th century

and led them
to the vault-like feature.

So that would be
your first connection that this

-potentially at one point in
time was a path. -So that could

be a really old wood stake.

[narrator] Is it possible that
the team has uncovered evidence

of another pathway?

If so, just what
might it lead to?

What have we got here?

Whew.

Look at that.

-That's definitely a stake
there. -[Steve/Gary] Yeah.

[Rick] There's one right there.

- [Steve] Yeah.
- [Gary] Oh. Yeah.

Good eye, Rick.

Oh. That's a little mini
work of art, isn't it?

[Steve] Like the ones we've seen
on the north side of the swamp.

- Mm-hmm.
- And the dating on those

came back from 1630s
all the way to mid-1700s.

[Rick] Question is,
what do all these stakes mean?

This stake is strikingly similar

to the stakes
that we found in the north end.

The stakes
might be referencing some work

that is yet undiscovered
in the bog.

It is incredibly exciting.

It's odd to have
so many stakes in one area.

- Right? -Yeah.
- [Rick] We need to date these

to-to really understand
their importance here

- in a... in a very tight area.
- Yeah.

But you still need to find

-artifacts. -Oh, yeah.
The metals will tell the story

- of this place.
- Yeah.

Okey doke.

[Gary] I'm hoping for coins.

[Rick] Cross our fingers.

[narrator]
As Rick and the team

proceed with their excavation
in the swamp...

several hundred yards
to the west on Lot 5...

[Fiona] This almost feels like
this is that top layer soil,

'cause it's soft, but...

I noticed it's more gravelly
when you get over there,

-but that could be from
that pile. -It's from the pile,

- I think.
- Yeah.

Archaeologist Fiona Steele

and other members of the team

continue their investigation

of a mysterious rounded feature
near the shoreline.

Okay, your turn
for the coolest find ever.

[Tansy] Okay. Ever.

[narrator] In recent years,

the team has uncovered
evidence suggesting

that several different groups

conducted secret activities here
at different times

while possibly hiding valuables
on the island.

These include a number of
buttons and Venetian trade beads

that may be connected
to the Knights of Malta,

a religious military order

that descended
from the Knights Templar.

[Marty] Lot 5 is an example
of the extraordinary complexity

of this island
and what happened here.

The multigenerational theory

fits with a lot
of the dates we found.

I want to keep going, 'cause
I want to figure this out.

Oh, my God. Look at this.

Might be a pipe stem.

[Tansy gasps]

[Fiona] Hey, pipe stem!

Oh, that's great. That's got
a really small borehole.

Like, really s-small.

You can actually get
an idea of the date range

from the size of the boreholes.

So if you get
a smaller borehole,

it's more likely
a more recent pipe stem.

But if you get
a really big borehole, um,

it-it can age it quite a bit.

I always have stuff with me
that we can use for this.

This is what we use
to-to check the boreholes with.

All right,
so this one is a 4/64th,

which is what I'm expecting.

Let's see. And look at that...
that fits perfectly.

So that's saying
that this pipe stem was made

sometime between 1753 and 1800,

which actually fits in
exactly with what...

the mean date range

of all the artifacts
that we're finding here.

- Nice.
- I think that's pretty cool.

[Laird] The artifacts we have,
in general, from Lot 5,

these artifacts
still predate 1795,

so they predate the discovery
of the Money Pit.

To me, that's what makes our
work on Lot 5 so significant.

[Fiona] Wow, I'm glad
we found that. That's great.

Tansy. Look
what I'm getting here.

Check this out.

- Pottery.
- Oh, wow.

That's a big boy.

So we can take it out
in two pieces.

There's one.

- [Tansy] So shiny.
- Isn't that great?

See what magic...

- Oh!
- [gasps]

- [laughs]
- That's gorgeous.

[Tansy] That's really pretty.

[Fiona] Wow. You hold that one.

- Let's get the other piece out.
- Yeah.

- [Fiona] There we go!
- Ooh! So pretty!

[Fiona] Wow.
Those will go together.

Look how big that bowl
would've been.

It had to have been
a big utilitarian type of bowl.

It was probably used
for food purposes,

preparation of some sort,

whether it was breads
or preserved fruits.

I find
with these coarse earthenwares,

could be anywhere
from 1600 to 1800.

But this little design on it
will help date it.

Good job.

[narrator] Fragments
of an ornate earthenware bowl

that may have been used
to contain food?

There are no records that any
settlers ever lived on Lot 5.

So if Fiona is correct

that this pottery may date back
to the 17th century,

it's a potential clue that could
help identify who was here.

[Fiona] The things
that we've been finding on Lot 5

have been giving us
more of an indication

of multi-occupational use
of the lot itself.

That's pretty blatant
and evident.

So it's, uh... it's getting more
and more curious as we're going.

Every piece adds to the puzzle
and tells us more and more.

- [Tansy] Yeah.
- That's great.

Beautiful find.

[narrator] The next day...

[Rick] The find
is quite remarkable.

Laird, I would think you would
have to agree... finding that

is incredibly impressive.

Oh, absolutely. Yeah.

Rick and members of the team

meet once again in the lab

regarding another find

made two weeks ago on Lot 5.

Tansy, we thank you for that.

-[laughs] -It's-it's
stunningly beautiful. -It is.

[narrator] An ornate glass bead

that Tansy Rudnicki uncovered
in the rounded feature.

Laird, Emma, tell us what
this is and what it may mean.

[Emma] So I do have an XRF...

result.

So, the composition,

we have a whole bunch
of elements in it.

The color is due to the copper
content that you see right here.

So that's what makes it
a lovely, lovely blue.

But here's
the compositional averages

and the comparison with other
artifacts found on Oak Island.

Our bead is the one in blue.

The composition
of the glass itself,

the closest match
that it lines up with

are the Venetian beads that
we've collected over the years.

It would be interesting
to know if any of these

are associated with the activity

that was going on
with the Knights of Malta.

[Doug] It would be interesting
to know if any of these

are associated with
the activity that was going on

with the Knights of Malta.
So I'd just be curious

to see if maybe they brought
some beads with them.

They would've 100% brought
beads with them

to trade with the Indigenous
people in the area.

[narrator]
In the Oak Island lab,

Emma Culligan and Laird
have just informed the team

that it's possible
that the glass Venetian bead

found on Lot 5

could be connected
to the Knights of Malta.

So, it's what we call
a seed bead,

for obvious reasons.

It's the size of a large seed.

They were introduced

-in the second half
of the 1600s. -[Emma] Mm.

It would be interesting to know
if any of these

have ever been found
at Fort Point, because,

as we all know, Isaac de Razilly
came over and made

-his capital
on the LaHave River. -Mm-hmm.

[narrator] In 1632,

a French naval captain

and prominent member
of the Knights of Malta

named Isaac de Razilly

helped establish
the French colony of Acadia,

which is now known today
as Nova Scotia.

Curiously, de Razilly
established his headquarters

at Fort Point
on the LaHave River,

just 15 miles south
of Oak Island.

If Venetian beads have
been discovered at Fort Point,

could that offer more evidence
of a connection

between the Knights of Malta
and the Oak Island mystery?

We can check with the
archaeologists at Fort Point,

see what they may have for beads

that were recovered
from their archaeology.

That'd be great.

As strange as it sounds,
that little simple bead

might tell a story. So,

thank you, Emma.
Thank you, Laird.

-Having said that, we better get
out back to it. -[Peter] Mm-hmm.

- [Doug/Rick] Thank you.
- [Laird] See you later.

[Emma] See ya.

[narrator] Later that day,

as the investigations
in both the swamp

and on Lot 5 continue...

[Terry] J.5-8.5, guys.

- [Peter] All right.
- We're still

about...


would conventionally think

of the top
of the solution channel.

Over at the Money Pit area,

the core-drilling operation
reaches a depth

of nearly 140 feet

in a new borehole
known as J.5-8.5.

Here, the team hopes
to penetrate the natural cavity

known as the solution channel

and recover evidence
of treasure.

Previous holes have shown us

how convoluted it is.
We've run into

actual ledges within it

and soft spot below 190.

Hopefully, this one we'll get
into an even looser area

- and some kind of a chest.
- Yeah.

One full of silver coins.

That's what it's all about.
We live in hope.

[Rick] Did a treasure
fall down to the depths

of the solution channel?
We don't know.

You don't want
to be driven by possibilities.

You want to be driven by facts.

And the fact is, right now,
we are nowhere near done

exploring
the extremities of this void.

And we need to continue
to be very disciplined

in our approach.

But we mustn't relent.
We mustn't give up.

We're not there yet.
I want the one thing.

[Terry] Whoa! Whoa!

- That was interesting.
- [Charles] What happened?

He just lost his rods.

That means
we're probably into the void.

I'll ask him how far
they seem to have dropped.

- Adam!
- Hey.

- How far did they drop?
- About eight feet.

Okay.

- And that's into a loose area?
- I'm assuming.

-Yeah. That's what
we're looking for. -Okay.

- Go get 'er.
- Well, we'll see here. Yeah.

Thanks.

[Adam] That's weird.

- Hey, Terry.
- What did he, what did he say?

So, that was interesting.
So, we're into a loose area.



The rods just dropped right out.

Now we go deeper
to see what they find.

I mean, I've got my fingers
crossed here, gentlemen.

We are in a really
interesting point.

Let's hope.

[Terry] I mean, this is exactly
what we're looking for.

We're dropping down
into an open space

in the solution channel
below 150 feet.

If we trace this to the bottom,

we could find a lot of
amazing things before bedrock.

Whoa.

That is an extraordinary
washed-out...

- Yeah.
- Void of material.



- Wow.
- Yeah. Here you go.

Uh, the rods were 15 feet down.

- 15 feet?
- 15 feet.

So, is that the solution
channel, you think?

- Huh.
- Exactly so.

[Terry] That's the kind of
a void and open space

that you could lose
a whole lot of treasure.

[Brayden] So, out of
the 20 feet, that's all you got.

- [Charles] Wow. -[Peter] Wow.
- [Terry] Yeah.

[Terry] So,
that bodes well, gentlemen.

I think this is, uh, this is
getting very interesting.

[Charles] It's not over yet.

I'm gonna run
the pinpointer over this.

[Terry] So, when we pull
a 20-foot run

and we only have
a few feet of material in it,

that says we've passed
into a relative void

where only a small amount
of the solid material

has been encountered,

and if we hit
that kind of a situation,

we know we're into the void
in the solution channel.

Clear.

[Terry] That tells us
we could encounter

an artifact anywhere
between there and the bedrock.

[Adam] Terry!

[Terry] Adam, how we doing?

I'm, uh, I'm at 188.

-Wow. -And I haven't
hit anything hard.

- All we got is loose void.
- That's it.

Thanks.

What do ya got?

So, he has dropped
another 20 feet.

He went from 168 to 188,

and he's still got
nothing solid.

So, he's gonna
push forward from 188 to 198

to see if he can
hit something solid.

- Yeah.
- [Peter] Given what we know,

there's a 30-foot void,
give or take.

That's exciting.

I think objective number one
is to find the bottom

- of the solution channel.
- Absolutely.

[Peter] We're excited,

because what is below us

right here has not been searched
by anyone ever,

and we're gonna be the first
people to look at that.

[Charles] Hopefully, we'll find
something at the bottom,

because treasure is very dense,

and it will drop through
the m-material

in the solution channel
and settle at the bottom.

We have a core, gentlemen.

[Terry] The sample that we have
in that core barrel

is very important.

We've just passed down through
a huge amount of loose area.

If there's a debris field,

if there's a broken-up
treasure chest,

if there's the one thing,

he could have it in that core
barrel right now.

[Charles] Let's hope.

[Terry] 168 to 198 right
in front of us, gentlemen.

We're looking for aspects
of the debris field

-that-that have... of the fallen
treasure, yes? -Exactly.

- [Peter] There he is.
- [Charles] Hey, Rick. -Hey.

- Hi, Rick. How you doing?
- Hello.

[Terry] A very loose area
here, Rick.



- Okay. Let's see.
- All right.

[narrator]
In the Money Pit area,

Rick has joined the team
to inspect fresh drilling cores

recovered from
the solution channel.

[Terry] So, this material
is relatively watery

void-like material,

and from 198,

we should go to about 218 or 215
before we hit bedrock, Rick.

-[Rick] Yep. -[Terry] So,
it should be another swath

of interesting material
at the bottom

of the solution channel.

[Charles] Unfortunately...

- Nothing.
- No hits with the pinpointer.

-Well, let's see what the next
one looks like. -[Peter] Yeah.

I think this next run's
the most important.

That would be the hope.

This hole in particular,

it's soft enough
for something very heavy

to have migrated downward
to the point where it would fall

to the lowest possible point,

i.e., the bottom
of the solution channel.

We just have to find it.

[Adam]
This is getting ridiculous.

Like, I'm at 228 right now.

[Brayden] That's so weird, man.

[Terry] Adam, how we doing?

[Adam] 228.

- 228?
- 228.

Wow. That's one
for the record books.

- And loose all the way down?
- Yeah.

Nothing?

Well, it's loose,
but it's... I can feel it.

Do you think you're gonna
be able to retrieve that?

It's going in the rods
right now.

- Okay, thank you.
- Yeah.

Well, you don't
see that every day.

- 228 and no bedrock.
- What?

What are they going through,
just water?

Well, it's loose material
as well.

It looks like he's gonna
be able to get a sample,

so it looks like
we're gonna have 30 feet more

of core coming up.

I agree, it's highly unusual.

And the fact that you're
not at bedrock at 228,

- it's incredibly interesting.
- Yeah.

[narrator] Previously drilled
boreholes that have reached

the bottom
of the solution channel

have suggested that
the mysterious natural cavity

has a maximum depth
of some 220 feet.

However, has the team
now discovered evidence

that it could be deeper
in some areas,

presenting a whole new challenge

to finding
the believed treasure?

[Rick] The solution channel
is wide,

it's expansive, it's deep.

I think it's a little bit larger
and certainly deeper

than we had thought.

Generally,
the bottom is 218, 214.

Well, we're 14 feet past that.

I think what it tells us
is we have a lot more work to do

to truly understand
the solution channel.

It certainly presents
some unique challenges.

Will there be issues that arise
that we haven't anticipated?

Sure, there will be problems,
but we're not gonna give up,

and it's that simple.

Jump in and I'll guide you in.

If there were something
of some significance,

it would easily fall through
what we just had on the table.

- Exactly.
- Yes.

[Charles] Here we go.
Let's hope it's a good one.

We can be very hopeful. Look,

if Peter thinks it's hopeful,
I'm on board.

I'm cautiously optimistic.

-There you go. -[Terry] That was
the words. There you go.

[Rick] The drill bar
has basically fallen

almost 100 feet
with no hindrance.

Your immediate thought is,
"Well, here, absolutely,

is the collapse zone."

What other explanation is there?

And if there's a collapse zone,

then we may be close
to something.

[Terry] So, 198

all the way down to 228,
and no bedrock yet.

But a lot of loose material.

So, you've got
a lot of work to do here

-with your pinpointer, I think,
Charles. -[Charles] Oh, yeah.

Okay, so, for 30 feet
of drilling,

we got about 12 feet
of loose material.

- [Charles] Clear.
- Unfortunately,

in this section,
we didn't hit it.

Let's see where he hits bottom

and we'll see
what he brings back up.

If he's pounding,
that's bedrock.

[Terry] And it's a nice
white powder.

That's bedrock.

Let's see what we got
up above the bedrock.

[Charles] Here we go.

What do we got?

It's 228 to 233.

The rock was at 229.

[Terry] So, yeah, it looks like
you got about a foot

of loose material.

That's a good four feet
of bedrock.

Yeah, it's clear.

So, J.5-8.5

seems to have come to an end
here at 233 below grade.

We hit bedrock
at 229 below grade.

- It gave us information.
- Exactly.

[Peter] What do you think
about this, Adam?

[Adam] It's been the most
interesting one to me,

- to date.
- [Rick] The bottom line is,

I'm an eyes and boots guy.
When a driller of record says

this is something different,
you can put your nickel on that.

It's different. Absolutely.

Based on what we're seeing,
the theory that the treasure

would fall deep down
in the solution channel

still is alive and well.

[Rick] One of the reasons
for doing

the sonic drill program was,

"Okay, where's an area where
we might put a caisson down?"

Incremental information
is incredibly important

to help us determine that.

-Yeah. -We need to make
a decision where we go next.

- Right on.
- Yeah? -Yep.

- [Terry] Absolutely.
- [narrator] As the team plots

their next borehole location
in the Money Pit area...

[Rick] So, Sandy, thank you
for coming down once again.

Appreciate it, Rick.

[narrator] ...Rick and Doug
meet with coin expert

Sandy Campbell
in the research center

to get his analysis
of the Roman coin

that was recently found
on Lot 5.

[Sandy] You know,
as soon as I picked the coin up,

it's quite obvious what it is.

This is clearly
Roman Empire period.

It's in remarkable condition
for a coin

that's been buried
for quite a while.

I think we'll need a CT

to get a more
definitive portrait.

[Doug] Laird and Emma
have actually provided us

-with a couple of images
from the CT scanner. -Okay.

Let's have a look.

Yeah. The CT is pretty clear.

You know, the reverse
is quite spectacular.

A very definitive legend,

and somebody's standing,
holding an oak leaf.

Uh, the obverse here
is probably Claudius,

which makes it third century AD.

[Rick] That's what
Laird and Emma said.

Yeah.

No question in your mind,
it's a Roman coin?

No. No question.

It's a pretty obvious design
and-and period of Roman Empire.

But of all the Roman this is,
you know, perhaps,

the most remarkable piece
that's been found to date.

What do you make of Roman coins

being found on this island,
though?

Like, how many Roman coins
have been found elsewhere

in Nova Scotia?

I-I would say...

nothing that I'm aware of.

I'm puzzled
how so many Roman coins

could land on this island.

The question
that would be on my mind is

- "Who brought it?"
- Right.

You know,
Roman coins traded as currency

into the 1500s quite regularly.

They were monetarily used,

and that's what possibly
brought them to this island,

in my opinion.

Who brought them
is a different story.

[Doug] Here's a scenario
that starts to paint itself

in my mind, though.

The people that were
carrying out the work

to create the Money Pit
may have been carrying this

as currency in their pockets.

[Sandy] I think that is

a distinct possibility.

[Rick] Incredible.

If you have people on the island

building habitations
for the work,

perhaps, in the Money Pit
and they're losing

their personal possessions
along the way,

these coins might have been,
actually, the pocket change

of the workers working
to deposit a treasure

in the Money Pit.

So, this, to me,
may not be the actual treasure

they were depositing,
but it's evidence.

- Yes.
- Yeah. It could be.

[narrator] In the Oak Island
Research Center,

Sandy Campbell has just
validated the possibility

that the Roman coins
found on Lot 5

may have been dropped
by those who buried a treasure

in the Money Pit.

I wouldn't discount it.

You know, 1300s, 1400s,

this stuff was in use
all through Europe.

If you walked into any merchant
anywhere in the world,

you know, whether it's
a new world or the old world,

that had monetary value.

It's mind-numbing

that this stuff continues

- to get unearthed.
- Mm-hmm.

[Doug] One of the interesting
things about Roman coins is

they've often been found
in places we've investigated

the activities of the Templars,

- right?
- [Rick] Mm-hmm.

Another twist.

[Armann] So,
here we have the coins.

The Roman coins
that have been found in Iceland.

[narrator] During their
numerous trips to European sites

where the Templar order
was believed

to have operated between
the 12th and 14th centuries,

the team has been shown
Roman coins

from the same eras that
they have found on Oak Island.

This is fourth century.

- Fourth century?
- Yeah.

[Doug] We were told ours
were from fifth century AD.

If those coins
were in active use

right up through the 1200s,

then they could be associated
with activity with the Templars.

[Rick] This,
sitting here on this table,

might be representative
of that cultural context.

- Hmm.
- Perhaps with Nolan's Cross

and then the so-called
Pitblado coin.

Right.

[narrator] Is it possible

that the ancient Roman coins

could actually represent
another Templar connection

to the Oak Island mystery?

And could they be related

to other possible
Templar structures,

such as Nolan's Cross,

as well as reported discoveries

like the silver Portuguese coin?

The wealth associated
with the possible treasure

in the Money Pit
might have been gathered

from all over the world.

And Templars,
as we have learned,

assimilated power,

influence, wealth
and, specifically, knowledge.

So, it may be
that this coin is Roman,

but you have to take

the clues and the data
as presented to you,

but you have to analyze
that data with a very open mind,

because they could
all be connected.

We need to rededicate ourselves

to continue to look intensively,

uh, a-at Lot 5
and the adjacent lots

and the Money Pit,
for irrefutable proof.

- Right.
- So, Sandy,

thank you for coming down.
Really appreciate it as always.

Well, I appreciate
the invite and, again, just...

it's always interesting to see
something new and different.

It just deepens the mystery,
in my opinion.

- It does do that.
- Yeah.

[Rick] It's incredibly
interesting,

Roman coins were found
on Oak Island.

[Sandy] It's just more bizarre.

[laughter]

[narrator] Later that day...

[Gary] It's a good place
to start, Charles.

- [Charles] Yeah.
- Back on the trail

of artifacts, mate, on Lot 4.

I love it.

[narrator] ...Charles
joins Gary on Lot 4.

Encouraged by
the new discoveries

of the glass bead
and the Roman coin...

-You ready to get
stuck in, mate? -Let's do it.

- Okay. Let's start here.
- You find 'em, I'll dig 'em.

[narrator]
Rick has instructed them

to search an area
on nearby Lot 4,

where excavated spoils from
the round feature on Lot 5

have been deposited.

It's a bit of a jumpy signal,
Charles.

It's more than likely gonna be
a piece of elongated iron.

[Charles] You never know.

Let's get stuck back in,
you've diggled some dirt around.

[device beeping]

- I think it's out.
- Yeah. I believe so.

[high-pitched beeping]

Yeah, just a little nail. Look.

[tongue clicks] Darn it.

- Well, keep going.
- Yep.

[device beeping]

Ooh. We got a nice
bangin' signal here, Charles.

Oh, I like
the sound of that, Charles.

- Nice one?
- Yeah, a real good one.

-This could be a coin
or a button. -Well, let's hope.

This has got potential, mate.

- Just there, please.
- Right there? Okay.

[Charles] That's a lot of roots.

Yep.

X marks the spot.

[laughs]

[Charles] Yep.

Take a look-see.

All right.

- Let's see what we got.
- [high-pitched beeping]

It's here.

It's in me hand, mate,
and I can feel it...

This is the fun part, mate.

Let's see what we've got.

Ooh.

[Gary laughs] Oh!
What have we found, Charles?

Look at that, mate.

It's some kind of lead strip.

That's interesting.

[narrator] While searching
for clues on Lot 4,

Charles and Gary have just made
a curious discovery.

-[Gary] Look at the beveled
edges. -[Charles] I see that.

-You know what this
reminds me of? -What's that?

It reminds me
of a-an arm of a lead cross.

- Really?
- It looks like there's a hole

- at the top.
- Yeah.

[Gary] If you are making
a cross out of lead

and you want to tack it
onto something...

- Right.
- It would need holes.

-So, we could be
in Templar country. -Yeah.

[narrator] A lead artifact
with similar features

to the 14th-century lead cross

that was found
at Smith's Cove in 2017?

Members of the Oak Island team

have seen
this exact cross design

at 12th and 14th-century
Templar-related sites

in Domme, France;

in Camerano, Italy;

and near Reykjavik, Iceland.

And perhaps even more incredible

is the fact that in 2022,

while investigating
the mysterious round feature

just a few yards away on Lot 5,

Gary and Jack Begley
unearthed a lead barter token

that was scientifically matched
to the lead cross.

You see that?

- This looks really old.
- Yeah.

[narrator] Is it possible
that Gary and Charles have found

another key clue that could
help prove a Templar connection

to the Oak Island mystery?

Let's put this in the bag
where it belongs.

Even a little piece of lead
like this

could tell a really big story.

It's one of those metals you can
have tested and you never know.

Imagine if this piece
of lead is a match

to a certain medieval artifact
we recovered in Smith's Cove?

Medieval lead cross, baby.

I'm sure there's more
artifacts waiting for us,

but we need to get to the lab.

I can't wait
to see what this is.

- Let's go, man.
- All right, mate. Good digging.

- [Charles] Excellent.
- [Gary] Absolutely brilliant.

[narrator] Generations
of treasure hunters

have believed that something
of immense value

lies buried in the Money Pit.

Now, Rick, Marty and their team

may have not only
touched a piece

of those fabled riches

but have found
incredible new clues

that could help identify

just who was behind
this mystery.

So, despite the murky questions

that remain
in the solution channel,

this team will keep
searching for the truth

no matter how deep
they have to dig.

Next time on
The Curse of Oak Island...

[Rick] Hold it.
WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!

[Gary] Another feature
in the swamp.

What in the world is happening?

[Marty] This feature could help
us unwrap the whole mystery.

[Rick] Something this small
has fallen

to the bottom
of the solution channel.

[Charles] There it is,
right there.

- It could be a chunk of a coin.
- [Peter] It's got some

sort of design on it.
If it's a silver coin,

that's treasure.

-[Rick] It's what
we're looking for. -Yeah.

Be prepared to be gobstruck.

- [laughter]
- This is gonna be special.

- This is quite pure?
- Yes, absolutely.