01x01 - Mystery on Easter Island

[bunniefuu]

[narrator] a new digital investigation
reveals everything we knew

About this ancient mummy was wrong.

[woman] whoa.

What you can see here is an
incredible amount of trauma.

Her face has been completely caved in.

[narrator] can high resolution
imaging unlock the code

To a mysterious instrument
from ancient greece?

This looks like something
from the 20th century,

Not something that's 2000 years old.

[narrator] and ancient
m*rder in australia's outback,

Forensic analysis reveals evidence
of an unexpected m*rder weapon.

[woman] you might think
of this as a child's toy,

But some can actually be
used as an offensive weapon.

[narrator] in a digital
technology lab of the future,

Experts uncover clues
invisible to the naked eye.

I've never seen anything like that before.

[narrator] and solve mysteries
that have baffled for centuries.

That right there is what
scientists have been missing.

All the evidence points
to an incredible discovery.

This could be a game changer.

[narrator] state of the art digital
technology closes the toughest cases...

This mystery finally makes sense.

[narrator] ...From the
ancient unexplained files.

[narrator] rapa nui, chile,
better known as easter island.

This is the location of
one of the most enduring

Ancient mysteries known to humankind.

The iconic stone heads
on this island known as moai

Are incredible feats of engineering.

[narrator] for centuries, archaeologists
have struggled to fully understand them.

One of the most enduring
mysteries is why the location

For each of the nearly


These massive statues are
scattered all over the island

Without any apparent patterning.

[chelsea] if their purpose
was purely symbolic,

Or ritualistic we would expect them

To be placed up in really
highly visible places like hilltops,

Where everybody can see them.

But they're not.

The placement of the moai
doesn't seem to make any sense.

So what were the islanders thinking?

[narrator] now, digital
technology reveals the answer

With brand new analysis

That unlocks the hidden
logic to the statues locations.

The moai were the guardians of
what these people needed most.

Without this, the rapa nui knew
their communities would be doomed.

[narrator] rapa nui is
one of the most remote

Inhabited islands in the world.

[dr sian] when you first land there, you
notice that the landscape is rather bleak.

There's not a lot of trees,

There's limited rainfall,

The soil quality is poor,
so growing food is tough,

And finding fresh water is a nightmare.

[narrator] between the


The islanders carved hundreds of moai,

Some reaching 30 ft in height
and weighing over 80 tons.

Hauling the megaliths
across the unforgiving terrain

Would have drained huge amounts of energy.

This leads archaeologists to
speculate that these locations

Must have offered some strategic benefit.

Where the moai cited in such
a way to be close to resources

The islanders needed to survive.

[narrator] to uncover
what could be so valuable

Researchers head to the place
with the highest concentration of moai.

[dr cat] there are almost


And most of them were carved
in quarry called rano raraku.

And here,

Several hundred statues
are still left in place.

This is the easter island
statue headquarters, if you will.

If there is some vital resource
that drove the placement

Of these statues on the island,

That it's going to be here in this quarry.

[narrator] archaeologists
examined the site for clues.

At first glance, they have little to go on.

There doesn't seem to be much
here besides grass and volcanic rock.

So what are we not seeing?

[narrator] could the evidence they
need be hidden beneath the surface?

They excavate the area around the statues,

And send soil samples
for laboratory analysis.

The results are intriguing.

As it happens, the quarry soil samples
contain the remains of sweet potatoes.

Sweet potatoes were one of the primary

Sources of food on easter
island before europeans arrived.

They were incredibly important
for the inhabitants' survival.

[narrator] further analysis
suggests sweet potato

Wasn't the only crop being
cultivated at the quarry.

Banana, taro and paper mulberry
were all being grown here too.

[narrator] as the researchers dig
deeper, chemical analysis of the soil

Reveals why.

There are extraordinarily
high levels of nutrients

Like calcium and
phosphate in the quarry soil.

These elements are key to helping
plants grow and to ensure high yields.

The soil was not always this nutritious.

Over time, the quarrying
activity in this area enriched it.

[chelsea] unlike other parts of the island

Where the nutrients are being leeched away,

The influx of rock from the quarrying
process would have replenished them.

It was like a natural fertilizer.

[narrator] this brand
new insight may explain

Why so many megaliths
were erected in this quarry.

They were probably
deliberately placed in the quarry

To help support the success of the crops.

Chances are the islanders
put two and two together

And made a correlation between
the presence of the statues

And the crops that were doing really well.

The success of these crops must
have seemed like a gift from the gods.

[narrator] archaeologist conclude
the moai were erected at the quarry

To mark a reliable food supply.

They now ask whether the
availability of natural resources

Could also explain the locations
of the other easter island heads.

Food is undoubtedly vital, but
it's not the most important resource

For human survival.

We can survive for weeks without
food, but only days without water.

[narrator] on rapa nui, fresh
water is hard to come by.

There are some fresh water lakes

And volcanic craters,
but there are a few other

Freshwater sources on the
island and no permanent streams.

[narrator] the scarcity
of fresh water is down

To the island's complex geology.

The rocks on rapa nui
are incredibly porous.

Fresh water passes through
the ground into aqua fortis below,

Seeping in the caves and
emerging around the coast.

[narrator] the shortage of fresh
water means a reliable source

Would have been highly prized.

Perhaps the moai marked these sites.

To test their theory,

Researchers first mapped
the location of the base

Of the statues known as the ahu.

The ahu is the platform
upon which the moai stand.

A single ahu platform
can support multiple moai.

[narrator] next, they
compare them to the locations

Of three different types of resources.

Crops, fish and fresh water.

Could any of these be the
secret to explain the locations

Of the easter island heads?

In the tech lab, a new
digital mapping technique,

Could at last reveal the answer.

This evidence makes complete sense.

[narrator] researchers are seeking
the secret link to explain the locations

Of the world famous easter island heads.

They suspect the megaliths
marked vital sources of fresh water.

In the tech lab, a brand new
digital mapping tool is letting

Archaeologist karen bellinger
put the theory to the test.

Statistical analysis is the uniquely useful

Archaeological tool

For solving ancient mysteries.

We're focusing on the
eastern end of the island

Because that's where we
have the most complete data.

Now, let's plot the ahu
and let's represent them

Using the easter island heads

And next, the fresh water sources in blue.

By eye it's a pretty good correlation.

We've got a concentration
along most of both coasts.

To make a more conclusive link,

I can apply statistical analysis here

To visualize the proximity of
the ahu to fresh water sources.

The blue areas are close to fresh water
sources, while the yellow farther away.

And what's really fascinating
is that most of the ahu heads

Are in the blue areas near water sources.

It really does seem like
there's a genuine relationship.

What's more, an analytical process

Known as spatially explicit
point process modeling

Reinforces this.

[beeping]

[narrator] the spatial modeling
compares the proximity

Of different resource to the ahu,

And uses statistical analysis

To determine which resource
offers the strongest link.

It rules out that this ahu
freshwater relationship is by chance,

And it demonstrates their
strong association with fresh water

As opposed to other resources.

This evidence makes complete sense.

Water was such a scarce resource on easter
island, it would have been cherished.

[dr cat] fresh water was such
an important resource on rapa nui,

Marking the location where you could find

A safe supply would
be a very good strategy.

[narrator] and the moai
may have told the inhabitants

More than just where
the water could be found.

[dr cat] the statues could also be
used to demarcate particular territory.

And what this new study suggest is

There may also be used to show ownership

Of certain freshwater resources.

[dr karen] these giant
statues served to safeguard

The water sources on this dry island,

And that's because without it, the
islanders knew they would be doomed.

[narrator] turon national park, australia.

Seventy-six thousand
acres of remote wilderness

Home to vast floodplains,

Majestic rivers,

And the site of one of the most
unusual murders in australian history.

[carla] this isn't the kind of
position you find bodies in

When they've been dumped by an attacker.

[narrator] it's the earliest
evidence of m*rder

With a uniquely australian weapon.

[dr brenna] you might think
of this as sort of a child's toy,

But some of them can actually
used as an offensive weapon.

[narrator] now, with a
wealth of potential suspects...

You've got groups of people that
are in conflict with one another.

[narrator] ...Can digital forensics reveal

What happened in this mysterious m*rder?

[narrator] in 2014, local authorities
are alerted to a human skull

Partially buried in the australian
outback near the darling river.

Finding skeletons in the australian outback

Is actually quite a rare event.

And to find this skull
which was eroding out

Of a gravel area was really intriguing.

[narrator] excavations
reveal a complete skeleton.

And evidence suggests this could be m*rder.

[prof mark] it became clear
that in particular, across the skull,

There was evidence of perimortem
trauma, which had suggested

That the individual had a violent death.

[narrator] but bizarrely, the
body hasn't been hastily dumped.

Instead, it's carefully
arranged in a ritual way.

[dr brenna] the skeleton was
found sort of curled up in a ball

And facing upstream in the river.

The burial position indicates
that actually this person

Had a very strong connection to the land,

And was in fact, aboriginal australian.

[narrator] the revelation that
the skeleton is a native australian

Leads locals to name him
kaakutja, meaning "older brother."

Investigators now turn to digital scanning

For clues to how
kaakutja mysteriously died.

[carla] one of the most striking
things to notice isn't the skull injury,

But the lack of injury in other bones.

When we're analyzing skeletons,
we look for very small nicks

In the phalanges of the finger
bones and possibly the forearms,

Because these could be defense
wounds, the kind of wounds that happen

When people are trying to
shield themselves from a blade.

The kaakutja skeleton shows
no defense wounds anywhere.

[narrator] the lack of
defensive injuries hints kaakutja

Is the victim of a surprise attack
or was bound and cruelly ex*cuted.

Scientists search for clues
in his gruesome facial wound.

The initial thoughts
were that this individual

Had been k*lled using some metal weapon.

The facial wounds were very,
very sharp and well defined.

And, of course, australian
aborigines didn't have access to metal

Until the arrival of the
europeans in late 18th century.

[narrator] archaeologists now consider

Whether kaakutja was k*lled by communists.

As britain asserted her claim to
this new territory, settlers clashed

Finally with indigenous australian
groups in a brutal land grab.

Tens of thousands of
australian aboriginal people

Were k*lled during the
process of british colonization.

Many people died of
disease that was introduced.

However, some of the
violence was much more direct,

Including deaths that were
caused by metal weapons.

[narrator] did kaakutja fall victim
to murderous british invaders?

Forensic analysis reveals
the astonishing truth.

And uncovers the remarkable
weapon that took him down.

That injury that we see in skeleton

Can only be attributed to one object.

[narrator] archaeologists have
unearthed the mutilated body

Of a native australian man
locals have named kaakutja.

Now they're investigating

If kaakutja could have been slain
by a british sword during colonization

In the 19th century.

They radiocarbon date samples

From his foot and tooth
and get an astonishing result.

The radiocarbon dates actually come
back as dating to the mid-13th century.

Now, this completely turns
the investigation on its head.

Because 800 years ago,

There were no other people in
australia other than native australians.

[dr brenna] this is real smoking
g*n evidence that his death

Wasn't attributable to europeans,

But instead to aboriginal australian.

[narrator] the new evidence raises
a problem for the investigation.

Kaakutja's wound suggests
the blade of a metal weapon.

But at the time of his
death, native australians

Had yet to develop such technology.

Investigators returned to digital scans

In search of clues to this
mysterious implement.

The ct scan suggests
that the weapon used here

Had to be sharp and
applied with significant force.

It needed to be at least 16 inches
long and feature a narrow blade.

So something that's that size, that sharp

And would make that injury
that we see in the skeleton

Can only be attributed to one object,

And that object is the boomerang.

We have this modern idea of this
little boomerang that you throw returns.

But actually australian aborigines

Use a whole variety of boomerangs,

Some of which returned
some of which didn't,

And some of which morphed into clubs.

In some cases, these were made of
incredibly dense hard wood, so sharp

That it will provide an incision
very much akin to metal.

[narrator] a boomerang also
explains why kaakutja's skeleton

Shows evidence of a surprise attack.

[prof mark] australian
aborigines had shields, we know

Because they're visible in the rock art.

But boomerangs were able
to take up a curved trajectory

Behind the shield and injure the victim.

Whether it was actually
the fatal blow we don't know,

But they clearly would
have seriously injured him.

[narrator] experts now
reckon the most likely weapon

That struck down kaakutja was a
boomerang known as "the juana."

[jordan] so juana would have been
a exceptionally fearsome weapon.

The injury to kaakutja's skull could
very well have taken out his right eye.

The juana was used primarily
as a close quarters weapon.

It was used as a sort of battle axe

Of the native australians,
but could also be thrown.

They could measure
anywhere up to 18 inches.

[narrator] digital forensic
science has uncovered

The truth behind this vicious attack,

Making this the first and only example
of an ancient death by boomerang.

The discovery gives a
fascinating new insight

Into early australian aboriginal conflict.

[prof mark] we have an image
today of australian aborigines

Living in peace with
nature and environment.

But actually before european contact,

It might have been a very different place.

It wasn't this great garden of eden,

But actually a place in which

There was competition for resources
between different aboriginal groups.

This m*rder might be the
result of one such conflict.

[narrator] the aegean
sea, off the coast of greece.

Over a hundred years ago,

A shipwreck is discovered
near the island of antikythera.

It dates to the time of
ancient greece around 60 bce.

But among the wreckage,
divers find one artifact

That seems completely out of place.

This looks like something
from the 20th century,

Not something that's 2000 years old.

We've never found anything like it

In the ancient world.

[narrator] the complex device is
engraved with a mysterious code.

The device is an incredible instrument.

It has bronze gears and
springs and has symbols on it.

What is this thing for?

[narrator] for over a century,
mathematicians, scientists and archaeologists

Have endeavored to decipher its purpose.

Researchers have thought at
times that they figured this object out,

But in reality we just keep
coming up with new questions.

[narrator] now, high resolution
digital imaging is revealing

The inner workings in detail

Never we thought possible before.

Now we can see the
full intricacy of this thing,

And it's way more complex
than we first thought.

[narrator] can experts
finally unlocked the secret

Of this ancient scientific instrument?

[narrator] e xperts are baffled
by an ancient scientific device

Discovered on the seabed of the
island of antikythera in the aegean sea.

The island is notorious
for destroying ships

Blown onto its rocky coastline.

In 1900, sponge divers discovered
a 2000 year old shipwreck,

Quickly identified as the largest
ancient wreck ever found at sea.

What they have found is essentially
the titanic of the ancient world.

[dr peter] the ship was
filled to the brim with cargo,

And she sank around 60 bce.

It was a treasure trove

Of greek bronze and marble statues,

Jewelry, glassware and furniture

That has remained hidden
under the waves for millennia.

[narrator] but among the
many treasures found on board,

One object stands out.

[dr andrew] there's what appears
to be a complex bronze mechanism.

This device is a little like a clock.

It's clear that this is a carefully
designed piece of engineering.

[dr peter] people have
no idea what to make of it.

Some scholars think it's a hoax.

Others think it fell off of a modern
ship and sank down to the site.

[narrator] early
investigations are hampered

By the mechanisms condition.

Its time under the sea has
left it corroded, calcified,

And in 82 separate fragments.

[dr adam] the pieces that
remain are incredibly brittle,

Too delicate to handle.

They have the consistency and
flakiness of like a sheet of phyllo dough.

It literally would
crumble under your touch,

And that would destroy any chance
we'd have of ever understanding it.

[narrator] for decades,
archaeologists and scientists

Can study only the
exterior of the mechanism

And are confounded.

But now, the latest 21st century

Digital imaging techniques
enable examination

Of the instrument like never before.

Now we have modern 3d
x-ray technology at our disposal.

We can look right inside the device

Without touching it
and see what's in there.

It's astounding what they see.

It's like they're looking at a swiss clock,

But 2000 years old.

[dr sascha] now, we can see
the full intricacy of this thing,

And it's way more complex
than we first thought.

It's not just a few delicate gears.

It's made up of over thirty of them.

They're all of different
sizes and interlocking

And made with fine geometric precision.

[narrator] the complicated
sequence of gears is baffling.

But the high resolution images
bring to light another important clue.

Inscriptions hidden inside the device.

We've known for years that
there are words on the outside,

But now all of a sudden

There's all this text inside
that we've never seen before.

[dr sascha] we have to ask the question.

Could this be a set of
instructions that we're seeing?

Kind of like, a user's manual.

[narrator] but the
inscriptions pose a problem.

Much of the wording is illegible.

[dr andrew] some of the letters

Are only one-twentieth of an inch tall,

And some portions of the text

Are too damaged to read with the naked eye.

[narrator] to try and decipher the text,

Researchers combined the x-ray ct scans

With a sophisticated
imaging method known as rti.

The detailed images are a game
changer, but it's painstaking work.

Dozens of images need to be
analyzed to read each tiny letter.

[narrator] the researchers'
dedication pays off.

For the first time in two
millennia, ancient inscriptions

Can be read once again.

The inscription on the back cover
of the case includes an inventory

Of all the dials and what they mean.

The text suggests that the device
has an astronomical purpose.

[dr karen] the coded labeling
includes an "h" for helios or sun,

And the sign of sigma, which
stands for cellini or the moon.

[narrator] the inscriptions
also contained references

To locations and times of year.

[dr sascha] we can see the
words "pachons and payni,"

Which were words used for months

By the ancient egyptians
and the ancient greeks.

[narrator] but parts of the
inscriptions are missing.

And a complete understanding
remains out of reach.

Experts now turn to
mathematics and historical texts

To crack how the device worked.

We're trying to connect the inscriptions

With the ancient greeks,
understanding of astronomy

And the number of teeth on the gears
to see if that all makes sense together.

[dr peter] they explore
equations and advanced calculus

And all the things that you
didn't pay attention to in school

To try and understand
how this device was used.

[narrator] they reach a
remarkable conclusion.

The device can calculate and predict
a number of astronomical phenomena

Based on observations dating
back to the ancient babylonians.

It can predict what the sky
will look like in decades to come.

[dr adam] the device is
programmed based on greek theories

About how astronomical bodies moved.

That lets you work out

Where in the sky any planet should
be at a particular time of the year.

[dr peter] it's extraordinary.

I have an app on my phone that
tells me about the constellations,

But here the greeks two thousand years ago

Were using bronze and
maths to do the same thing.

[narrator] researchers
believe the mechanism

Is the world's oldest
astronomical calculator.

But how did these dozens of
fragments originally piece together?

New digital modeling techniques
finally unveiled a beauty

Of this ancient piece
of precision engineering.

[dr kiki] it's astounding.

The antikythera mechanism
is a mechanical work of art.

[narrator] scientists have
discovered the remains

Of the world's first
astronomical calculator.

It's 2000 years old, but it's in fragments.

Now, one question remains.

How did it all fit together?

Hundreds of different
possibilities are contemplated,

But none is considered correct.

[dr sascha] researchers put
together different pieces of the puzzle

To try to come up with options as to
how this device might have worked.

But there's always some
pieces that don't quite fit.

[narrator] then in 2020, researchers
at university college london,

Used 3d digital modeling

To rebuild the device
piece by piece by piece,

Until finally, after 2000 years,

The complete antikythera
mechanism is revealed.

[dr sascha] the device
looks a little bit like a clock.

It has a circular face with multiple rings,

And then there's a hand crank on the side

That can wind the mechanism,
either forward or backward.

The large dial on the front with pointers

Shows information about the
positions of the sun and the moon

In the zodiac.

[dr sascha] the series
of rings and pointers

Give the position of the five planets

Visible to the naked eye, which are
mercury, mars, venus, jupiter and saturn.

[narrator] the scope of the information
the device could calculate is astounding.

[dr kiki] there were two large
dials on the back of the case.

One was a calendar, and one showed

The timing of solar and lunar eclipses.

[dr adam] and if that wasn't enough,
there's even a dial that tells you

When certain events would take place.

Like the olympic games, it's like
an almanac for ancient greece.

[narrator] digital technology has shown
this millennia old astronomical calculator

To be a peerless mechanical work of art.

[dr sascha] this is so
far ahead of his time.

There's no type of geared
mechanism found like this until we see

The cathedral and town
clocks about 1500 years later.

[dr kiki] the antikythera
mechanism is a testament

To the astronomical and technical
abilities of the ancient greeks.

[narrator] munich, germany,

Where an ancient mummy long believed to be

A european bog body
may not be what it seems.

[dr michele] the munich
mummy is in a position

Which is not typical of bog bodies.

It doesn't make any sense.

[narrator] now, brand
new evidence is turning

The story of this mummy on its head.

Our investigation has to shift

To the other side of the world.

[narrator] can next generation
tech tell us what civilization

This mummy actually came
from and reveal how she died?

This is a stunning mystery,
just crying out to be solved.

[narrator] the bavarian state
archaeological collection,

Is one of the most revered
historical institutions in germany.

It maintains meticulous records

For the artifacts in its collection.

But the origins of one exhibit,

An ancient mummy have been lost.

[dr allan] the documentary records
about this mummy are really sparse.

We don't know much
about where it came from.

Usually human remains are
really carefully documented.

So this is a really unusual situation

That there is such a small amount

Of information about this individual.

[narrator] for decades,
the mummy was believed

To have been preserved
in a european peat bog.

This mummy is really well preserved.

It's easy to tell that this is a female.

[chelsea] the skin is the color of
dark leather, and from appearances,

This mummification looks
typical of local bog body burials.

[narrator] but now, modern day experts
are identifying problems with this theory.

The body position is fetal,

Which is not common for a bog body.

Bog bodies are usually tossed
unceremoniously into the bog after death.

Something just doesn't add up.

[narrator] with the
museum's reputation at stake,

Experts are desperate to uncover the truth

About the mummy and its origins.

They begin by looking for evidence
of how the body was mummified.

[prof turi] the tannin and moss in
peat bogs helps to preserve the body,

But what it also does
is it colors the hair red,

And it makes the skin color go brown.

Both of these are features that
you find in the munich mummy.

[narrator] the outside of the munich
mummy may look like a bog body,

But analysis of the insides
reveals a crucial difference.

While the flesh of bog bodies

Is usually really well preserved,

The bog actually strips calcium away,

And demineralizes the bones and the teeth.

[narrator] but on the munich
mummy, most of the teeth and bones

Are still in excellent condition.

The bones don't show the
kinds of demineralization

That occurs inside a peat bog.

These inconsistencies
force us to really rethink

The mummification of this individual.

[narrator] but if the mummy isn't a european
bog body then where does it come from?

Digital analysis in our forensics lab

Could rewrite the investigation,

And reveal the chilling truth
about the woman's death.

Whoa. What you can see here
is an incredible amount of trauma.

[narrator] for generations,

Experts believed this mummy in a
german museum was a european bog body.

But modern science has
shown that this is impossible.

Investigators now have
to uncover her true origins.

They search for clues and analyze a band

Wrapped around the woman's hair.

It turns out the hair ribbon is derived
from the wool of an alpaca or llama,

And those definitely were
not roaming around germany.

[narrator] modern research
has shown our diet leaves

A chemical signature in our hair,

Which could be read using isotope analysis.

Perhaps by identifying what this woman ate,

Experts can pinpoint where she lived.

[dr greg] the nitrogen and
hydrogen isotope analysis shows

That when the munich mummy was
alive, she ate lots of seafood and plants.

More specifically, a type
of plant known as a c4 plant.

These are plants that thrive
in hot, dry environments.

Putting together all these lines of
evidence tells us that this mummy

Was probably from an area along the coast

In either northern chile or southern peru.

This is an enormous breakthrough.

We now know that our
investigation has to shift

To the other side of the world.

[narrator] scientists revealed
where the mysterious mummy is from.

Now, experts want to know when she died.

They radiocarbon date a sample of her hair.

Now the story is coming into focus.

The results reveal that this mummy lived

Sometime between 1451 and 1642 ad.

Taken together with the
geographical evidence,

The scientists now realize that the
munich mummy is in fact an incan mummy.

[narrator] the inca flourished in ancient
peru in the 15th and 16th centuries,

Becoming one of south
america's greatest civilizations.

They were masters of mummification.

Inca techniques of
mummification are pretty distinctive.

You would dry the body out with salt

And also freeze dry the body

In the cold andean mountain air.

This method of desiccation, or
drying them out, leads to a skin color

That's very similar to what we
see in the european bog bodies.

[narrator] the confirmation
that the woman was incan

May also offer a clue as
to how she met her death.

[dr george] to create and
maintain relations with the gods,

The incans would give them a
variety of offerings from simple prayers,

Coca leaves, food, all the way up to

Perhaps the ultimate offering,
which is the human sacrifice.

[narrator] was the woman
the victim of ritual m*rder?

Samples of her hair are tested for drugs,

Often given to sacrificial
victims to keep them compliant.

The sequencing discounts
the usual suspects cocaine,

Heroin and cannabis are all ruled out.

The woman clearly wasn't
drugged before her death.

[narrator] with little evidence so
far, the team turns their attention

To tissue samples taken from the mummy

And make an extraordinary discovery.

[dr allan] they actually
got a result from the dna

That showed she had a really critically

Horrible disease called chagas,

Which would have deteriorated her body

And her health over a long period of time.

Chagas disease can cause heart
failure and extreme weakness in its host,

And the advanced nature of
this disease in the munich mummy

Suggests that this woman
picked up the infection in infancy.

What makes this surprising
is that the inca often

Chose sacrifice victims who
are considered unblemished.

But here we have a woman who is
clearly suffering from a terrible disease.

[narrator] experts are perplexed,

And want to dig deeper.

Digital imaging technology

Gives them the power to do so

With a high resolution ct scan.

Pathologist carla valentine is in our
forensics lab to analyze the results.

These scans could be absolutely pivotal.

They allow experts to look inside
her mummified body for the first time.

Now, when it comes to human sacrifice,

Age is often a strong indicator.

So let's try and determine hers.

One way is to examine the
vertebrae in the lower back.

Now, we have these rings of bone here,

These white areas, which
fused to other vertebra as we age.

The fact that we can still see hers
means they're only partially fused.

I'd estimate that she's around
twenty, twenty-five years old.

This raises a red flag.

We know the incan prefer to sacrifice girls

Up to their early teens,
so she is an anomaly.

What else?

Now, a really big telltale sign

Of human sacrifice is how the person died.

Some common methods might be slit throat,

Strangulation or a blow to the head.

Looking at her front on,

There's not really anything untoward.

But if we flip it to the side...

[gasps] oh, my goodness,

You can see here that her face
has been completely caved in.

This is a serious traumatic injury.

Now a digital visualization

Of the injury shows us very graphically,

What exactly has happened to her skull.

What's crazy is that to the
naked eye, none of this is visible.

After she perished, those broken bones

Would have just sunk into the
skull as her brain shriveled away.

It's just the mummified leathery
skin that's holding ahead together.

Experts agree that this
catastrophic cranial trauma

Was caused by a blunt instrument.

But critically, the incan
would use such a weapon

To strike the back of the head

And not the front like we see here.

For me, there are just
too many inconsistencies

For this to be a typical inca sacrifice.

It could be, for example, a mercy k*lling

To put this woman out of the
misery of her chagas disease.

The truth is, we're never going
to really know why this woman

Was so savagely k*lled.

[narrator] there's one last riddle
that experts might be able to solve.

How this money ended up in a german museum?

As they scour historical records,

The south american
connection reveals the answer.

[chelsea] personal records
show that the bavarian princess

And well known naturalist
therese von bayern

Traveled to peru on an expedition in 1898.

She returned to germany
with two peruvian mummies,

But their final destination
was never recorded.

The munich mummy could be
one of those two lost mummies.

[dr allan] when this young woman died,

Surely she never could have imagined
the road that her body would take

All the way to germany,
creating a mystery in munich,

Before finally being laid to rest.