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00:01We're following the trail left by Vikings.
00:04If they came south, this is a likely location.
00:08Could America be the site of their utopia, Finland?
00:13We'll use clues from the ancient sagas.
00:16Take her down.
00:18Try to clear out.
00:22And genuine Viking artifacts.
00:24I think I'm seeing a dragon here.
00:26Almost there.
00:27To finally solve this mystery.
00:30It's not safe out there.
00:31You can actually see the tide coming in.
00:36The Vikings.
00:38We're on the trail of where they went in America.
00:41This could change American history as we know it.
00:44I'm archaeologist and military vet, Lou Nelson.
00:49And I'm archaeologist and ocean explorer, Mike Arbuthnot.
00:52I'm having trouble standing up.
00:54We'll go to any length to uncover the real history of America.
00:58Got it, man. I think we're game on.
01:00We've worked together for almost 10 years.
01:03But we've never tackled a mystery as big as this.
01:06Holy cow.
01:07And my Viking blood means that this investigation is personal.
01:10These are my cousins.
01:12We'll be using cutting-edge technology and hands-on archaeology to reveal how the Vikings survived.
01:20I mean, this is like something from a horror movie.
01:22And how far into America they really went.
01:26Together, we're on the hunt for America's lost Vikings.
01:31For centuries, the Viking utopia of Vinland was thought to be a myth.
01:43But we believe Vinland is not only real, it lies in America.
01:49The big mystery is where.
01:52We're on our way to find out.
01:56The wind's chilling. Brutal.
01:58You've got a lot of ice on your beard now.
01:59Do I? Yeah.
02:00The Vikings journey from Europe at the start of the 11th century via Iceland and Greenland to make landfall in North America.
02:05At Lonsau Meadows.
02:06At Lonsau Meadows.
02:07We've come south of there following clues in ancient Viking books.
02:12The sagas describe how Viking explorer, Leif Erikson, discovered a fertile and bountiful paradise.
02:19And he named this utopia after the vines he finds there.
02:40But where is Vinland?
02:44We know that the sagas talked about a place called Stromsfjord.
02:51Stromsfjord, or Streamy Fjord, is described in the sagas as an early settlement in the Vinland expeditions.
02:59This could be a critical first clue.
03:03What made this place unique was that it had very strong currents and abnormally low tides.
03:09We've come to a place we think matches that description.
03:14The Bay of Fundy in Canada.
03:17The shape of the coastline here produces an extraordinary tidal phenomena.
03:25When the tide changes, it rapidly reverses the flow of this river.
03:31With water rushing in at over 13 miles an hour.
03:39Now we're going to experience it for ourselves.
03:42Look at the level.
03:44Wow.
03:48Hold on, buddy.
03:55That's a lot bigger than I expected it to be.
03:58You could have surfed that thing.
04:01But that's just the start.
04:10When this incoming tide hits the outgoing river,
04:14it creates a vast area of turbulence.
04:17We want to experience this phenomena first hand.
04:26Whoa!
04:27To see if it matches what's described in the sagas.
04:31I can't hold on.
04:34This is like a freaking rodeo ride.
04:36Over 160 million tons of water is fighting against itself.
04:45The waves are not actually breaking except over us.
04:55That's kind of the incredible phenomena, isn't it?
04:57Yeah.
04:57This certainly seems to match the description in the sagas
05:05of the strong currents in Stromsfjord.
05:09This is something you would remember.
05:13This is something you'd retell.
05:15And this is definitely something that would go in the sagas.
05:18Without realizing it,
05:19they stumbled upon
05:21the greatest tidal fluctuation in the world.
05:24If the Bay of Fundy is the home
05:28of the Viking settlement of Stromsfjord,
05:32Vinland is likely to be somewhere south of here.
05:37We're headed in the right direction.
05:39But we need a solid lead.
05:42I've got an idea where they may have been going.
05:45You see, down here,
05:48this is just a few hundred miles southwest
05:50of where we're at right now.
05:52They found, in my opinion,
05:53the most viable Viking artifact
05:55in the United States,
05:57the main penny.
06:00Our next clue in locating Vinland
06:02could be the 11th century main penny.
06:07Viking coins have been discovered all over Europe.
06:11The largest hordes contain hundreds of them.
06:16But the extraordinary thing about the main penny
06:19is that it was discovered right here on American soil.
06:23The coin was dug up in the 1950s
06:27by Guy Melgren,
06:29an amateur archaeologist.
06:31But while the coin
06:32has been verified as genuine,
06:35there are doubts about whether
06:37it was a legitimate discovery
06:38or if it was planted.
06:44I want to see if there's anything else we can figure out.
06:46Well, Guy Melgren found this thing.
06:49Yeah.
06:50And Guy
06:50happened to have been a coin collector.
06:53Right.
06:54You know, it may not have been that difficult
06:56for a coin collector
06:57to, whoops,
06:59drop an interesting coin into an archaeological site.
07:02We want to run our own test
07:05to establish
07:06if the coin's discovery was genuine,
07:08which could indicate
07:09the Vikings made it here.
07:11So we've come
07:16to the main state museum.
07:18Let's go see this thing.
07:20Where the main penny is now.
07:23I'm guessing I know
07:24what's in that box there.
07:27The coin is usually kept locked in a vault.
07:30But we've been given
07:32special permission
07:33to take it out of its case
07:35and examine it.
07:37There it is.
07:39Whoa.
07:42Look at that.
07:44This little coin right there
07:46could have come over
07:48in some of the Vikings' pocket.
07:50It was smaller than what I was expecting.
07:52You know, like,
07:53modern coins are about this big.
07:55But this one,
07:55I get this very, very small
07:57but very significant
07:58piece of metal.
08:00I'd love to take a closer look.
08:02Well, can we break out
08:03the microscope?
08:05This is one of my favorite
08:06pieces of kit.
08:08A microscope which can magnify
08:10up to 200 times.
08:13We can use it to take photographs
08:15and get really tight
08:18in on the penny.
08:22Viking coins were commonly
08:23made of silver.
08:25Some featured faces of kings.
08:27others, like Thor's hammer,
08:31signified strength and protection.
08:36Maybe the detail on the main penny
08:39will give us a clue
08:40to finding Vinland.
08:41Oh, wow.
08:45That is cool.
08:49I think I'm seeing a dragon here.
08:52I figure this thing's not going to have
08:54any detail at all.
08:55And one side is incredibly detailed.
08:58I see the dragon.
08:59You got his eye here,
09:00his mouth here,
09:02and there's a mane right here.
09:04The image of a mythical beast,
09:11like this dragon on a Viking coin,
09:13can symbolize destruction and greed.
09:17That's pretty incredible,
09:19but doesn't get us any closer
09:21to finding Vinland.
09:24Maybe the discovery of the coin itself
09:26could lead to a clue.
09:27If we could find evidence
09:30that Guy Melgren did not place this,
09:33that would make this
09:34the earliest dateable European object
09:38found in the United States.
09:51We've got our hands
09:52on physical evidence
09:54in our hunt
09:54for the Viking utopia of Vinland.
09:58This could be the oldest
09:59dated European artifact
10:02in the United States.
10:04A thousand years ago,
10:05when the Vikings were in North America,
10:08a silver coin like this
10:10could buy you
10:10a half a pound of corn
10:12or two chickens.
10:16Vikings amassed a fortune
10:17demanding a protection tax
10:19from their neighbors,
10:20with English king
10:21Ethelred the Unready
10:22paying 40 million coins.
10:26We want to verify
10:27if the main penny
10:28has laid in the ground
10:30since the time of the Vikings.
10:33So we've brought in technician
10:35Bill Breckenridge
10:36to find out
10:37if the corrosion on this coin
10:38is real or fake.
10:41What we're trying to see here
10:43is the extent of corrosion
10:45and evidence of weathering
10:47to see whether it's
10:48a natural burial
10:50or whether it's artificial aging.
10:51First thing to do
10:53is turn on the laser.
10:55Bill's got a Raman spectrograph.
10:58It has a laser
10:59which can help detect fraud
11:01in everything
11:01from works of art
11:02to archaeological artifacts.
11:07I've found artifacts
11:08that have been planted on sites.
11:10I've found artifacts
11:11that have been palmed off
11:13by well-known dealers
11:14or collectors
11:15to other collectors.
11:17Time to see what it reveals
11:21about the main penny.
11:23It might be helpful
11:24if I had somebody
11:24actually push this button.
11:26Here, I can do it for you.
11:28The laser works
11:29by blasting
11:30a tiny pulse of light
11:31at its target
11:32which hits the molecules
11:35in the metal
11:35causing them
11:36to release trapped energy
11:38which bounces back as light.
11:41The spectrograph captures this
11:45as a unique fingerprint.
11:48Okay, hang on.
11:50Right there.
11:52Okay, fire.
11:53Firing.
11:53The results will be shown
11:56on a graph.
11:58A level line
11:59will mean corrosion
12:00on the coin
12:01has occurred all at once.
12:03A sign of fraud.
12:06A curvier line
12:07will mean corrosion
12:08is uneven
12:09and that it's aged naturally.
12:12And it's done.
12:14That's good.
12:15Oh, that's a nice shot.
12:17Whoa, look at that.
12:19What the heck?
12:20When you see a graph
12:21like this
12:22you're looking at
12:23varying degrees
12:24of corrosion.
12:25So it appears
12:26to have been
12:27naturally weathered.
12:28Yes.
12:29Natural weathering
12:30is uneven.
12:32That's what you should see.
12:33So the bottom line is
12:34this thing has been buried
12:35for a long time.
12:37Well, that's the short of it.
12:39That's the short of it.
12:40This has been buried
12:41for a very long time.
12:44The laser test
12:44appears to back up
12:45Guy Melgren's story.
12:47The main penny
12:48was likely buried
12:49for hundreds of years
12:51before he discovered it.
12:52So Guy Melgren
12:56had nothing
12:56to do with this
12:57as a fake.
13:02How in the world
13:03did it get to Maine?
13:05That is the question.
13:07You know what we need
13:07to do?
13:08More archaeology.
13:09Yeah,
13:10this is true.
13:11We're going to try to establish
13:18the journey of the main penny
13:20to see if it leads us
13:21to Vinland.
13:26In the sagas,
13:28this utopia
13:29is described
13:29as a fertile land.
13:33We're headed to the location
13:34where Guy Melgren
13:35discovered the coin.
13:37The Goddard site
13:39on the main coast.
13:41This is an important
13:43next step
13:43in our investigation.
13:45The Goddard site.
13:46This is it.
13:47Right around here.
13:49This was a Native American
13:51trading hub
13:51dating back
13:527,000 years.
13:54One of the biggest
13:56in New England.
13:57Dramatic.
13:59Look at these trees.
14:00This is like
14:01the hallowed entrance
14:03to the sacred site.
14:06Maybe it'll give us
14:07our next lead
14:09to Vinland.
14:15This is my kind of party.
14:16Yeah.
14:17Professor Steve Cox
14:19has been running digs here
14:20for 40 years.
14:22Blue Nelson.
14:22You want to look?
14:23Sure.
14:23He knows
14:24the exact spot
14:25the main penny
14:26was discovered.
14:28Right about in here,
14:29huh?
14:29Yeah.
14:29Yeah.
14:30Wow.
14:31It was found
14:32about five inches down.
14:34Mixed in with arrowheads
14:35and everything else?
14:36Mixed in with
14:36Native American material.
14:38Along with the main penny,
14:40more than 30,000 artifacts
14:42have been found here,
14:43including decorated
14:46Native American pottery.
14:49Well, that just makes
14:50me want to dig.
14:52Let's get started.
14:53Yes.
14:54Yes.
14:55We've been given
14:56special permission
14:57to dig a small test pit
14:59in a part of the site
15:00that's never been
15:01excavated before.
15:04If we can find another
15:05Viking artifact here,
15:07it could help focus
15:08our search for Vinland.
15:11I am deep down hoping
15:13that I find a Norse coin
15:14because, you know,
15:15I'm a selfish archaeologist
15:17that wants to have
15:18bragging rights.
15:20But our first finds
15:21are 100% Native American.
15:24Is it a flake?
15:25So far,
15:27we're finding lithic flakes,
15:28fragments of stone
15:29that have been broken off
15:31during making stone tools.
15:36We've got a nice piece
15:38of ceramic here.
15:39Oh.
15:39Pottery.
15:42We're finding lots
15:44of different materials here.
15:46This flake here
15:47is quartz.
15:48All from one
15:50small test pit.
15:52This is incredible.
15:53I mean,
15:53this is a super rich site.
15:55There are very few places
15:56that I have excavated
15:57where you can drop
15:58a hole anywhere
16:00and guarantee
16:01to find something.
16:03This is my happy place.
16:07While the excavation continues,
16:11Steve's got something
16:13remarkable to show me.
16:14Is this the clue
16:17that will give our search
16:18for Vinland
16:19a shot in the arm?
16:21This piece was found
16:2320 years ago.
16:25It's a piece of chert.
16:28Chert is a kind of quartz.
16:31It's translucent.
16:32You can see the sky
16:34through it.
16:35It's tough enough
16:36to be made into arrowheads.
16:38And like the main penny,
16:39this artifact
16:40is not native
16:42to the United States.
16:43The remarkable thing
16:44about Ramachur
16:45is it comes from Labrador.
16:47This broken projectile point
16:49is from almost
16:491,500 miles away.
16:54Many items discovered
16:55from this site in Maine
16:56originate from up
16:58and down the east coast
16:59of America.
17:02As far north
17:03as Labrador.
17:06That's very close
17:07to Lonsau Meadows,
17:09the first Viking settlement
17:10in North America.
17:11This indicates the extraordinary
17:15extent of a vast trading network.
17:19But the discovery
17:20of the main penny
17:21can't definitively place
17:23Vikings at this location.
17:25This is a very important
17:27site to American history.
17:28And we can't say
17:31that the Vikings were here
17:32because of that coin,
17:33but we can certainly say
17:34that that coin
17:35made its way
17:37from a Viking's hand
17:39somehow
17:40to Maine.
17:44If Vinland is in America,
17:46we think it could be
17:47somewhere along
17:48this vast trade route.
17:51Now we need to go back
17:52to the sagas
17:53for more
17:54hidden clues.
17:56We're investigating
18:09the location
18:09of the Viking paradise,
18:11Vinland.
18:14The evidence points
18:15to it being somewhere
18:16on the northeast coast
18:18of America.
18:20To help narrow down
18:22the search,
18:22we need to return
18:25to the Viking sagas
18:26for clues.
18:28The most obvious
18:29is the name of Vinland
18:30or Wineland.
18:33We know that they named
18:35Vinland
18:35after the grapes
18:37that they found.
18:38The grapes
18:38that were used
18:39to produce wine.
18:40That's key
18:40to the investigation,
18:41isn't it?
18:43Vikings took drinking
18:45very seriously.
18:47They even had a law
18:48that demanded
18:48everyone brewed alcohol
18:50for seasonal feasts.
18:52So the discovery
18:53of vines and grapes
18:54was a big deal
18:55in the sagas.
18:58Mike and I
18:58have spent
18:59the last decade
19:00in dusty dig sites
19:01around the world,
19:02so searching for wine
19:03is a nice change.
19:05This is a mission
19:06I can get behind, man.
19:07The one thing
19:08that we haven't done
19:09enough of on this trip
19:10is drinking.
19:11We need to investigate
19:12if wild grapes
19:13grew along
19:14the northeast coast
19:15of America
19:161,000 years ago.
19:18This farm is a part
19:25of the University
19:26of Maine.
19:28Fruit specialist
19:29Professor David Hanley
19:31is giving us
19:32privileged access
19:33to their vineyards.
19:35Well, this obviously
19:37isn't the season
19:37to come view
19:38these are, is it?
19:40No, but you can see
19:41the remains
19:41of what we had here
19:42late this summer
19:43and early fall.
19:44Oh, yeah.
19:45Look at that.
19:471,000 years ago,
19:48were these grapes
19:49just growing wild
19:50all through New England?
19:51Yep, you would have
19:51found them growing up
19:52trees in areas
19:53where the woods
19:55meets the meadow,
19:56and that's probably
19:56where the Vikings
19:57would have said,
19:57wow, look at this.
20:01We know the Vikings
20:02had a taste for alcohol,
20:04as many Viking
20:05drinking horns
20:05have been uncovered
20:06at archaeological sites
20:07across Europe.
20:11But wine was a luxury,
20:13usually imported
20:14from France and Italy.
20:15Were these the kind
20:19of grape vines
20:20that the Vikings
20:20would have seen
20:20when they got here?
20:21This would have
20:22been very similar.
20:22This would be
20:23your classic
20:24Vitus labrusca,
20:25or American grape.
20:27Grape, to make
20:28a good quality
20:29alcoholic beverage,
20:30you don't really
20:31have to do much
20:32to them.
20:32You just squish them
20:33and then treat
20:33the juice right
20:34and you'll get
20:35a pretty good
20:35quality drinking.
20:38I want to know
20:39how this tasted
20:40to the Vikings
20:40that came here.
20:42Smells great in here,
20:43doesn't it?
20:44And here we are.
20:48This is a big bag
20:49of wine.
20:52Though the packaging
20:53is different,
20:53the process is basically
20:54the same as it would
20:55have been all those
20:56years ago when they
20:57started crushing grapes
20:58and fermenting the juice
20:59to make wine.
21:01The question is,
21:02does it taste the same
21:03as it would have
21:03a thousand years ago?
21:04Let's give it a try.
21:08There you go.
21:09Thanks, partner.
21:10You got it.
21:11I'll tell you what,
21:12Mike, this is a hard way
21:13to make a paycheck,
21:14isn't it?
21:14Yeah.
21:19It's really nice.
21:20It's lovely.
21:22I'm more of a beer man
21:24myself, but to my
21:25ancestors, this stuff
21:27would have tasted
21:27awesome.
21:29You can understand
21:30why the Vikings
21:30might have been,
21:31I've already had too much.
21:32He's cut off now.
21:36What Mike's trying to say
21:38is you can understand
21:40why they named this
21:41new land after this
21:42amazing substance.
21:47With David's help,
21:49we've mapped the
21:50probable location
21:51of wild grapevines
21:521,000 years ago.
21:54It suggests Vinland
21:56is somewhere in this area.
21:58But it's still
22:01a huge expanse.
22:05So we need to go
22:06back to the Viking
22:07sagas to follow
22:08another possible lead.
22:11So the sagas
22:12explicitly state
22:13that the Vikings
22:15were looking for
22:15timber.
22:17It's impossible
22:18to overstate
22:19the importance
22:20of timber to Vikings.
22:21furniture,
22:25sleds,
22:26and ceremonial beds
22:28were made from wood.
22:31But the biggest use
22:33of all was for
22:34shipbuilding.
22:36This required wood
22:37that was hard
22:38and durable.
22:40According to the sagas,
22:42the Vikings had
22:43deforested
22:43their own lands.
22:46So they brought back
22:48timber from Vinland.
22:51We want to find out
22:53if there's a tree
22:54native to New England
22:55that could have been
22:56suitable for Viking ships.
22:59Which one of you
23:00fellas is there?
23:01Me.
23:01We're meeting
23:02forester Eric Carlson,
23:03who thinks he might
23:05know the tree
23:05we're looking for,
23:07a tamarack.
23:08This is your tree
23:09right here.
23:10Whoa!
23:11Today,
23:12tamarack's strength
23:13and durability
23:14means it's used
23:15for heavy-duty jobs,
23:17like railroad ties
23:18and telephone poles.
23:20It's a big one.
23:21How old is that tree?
23:22Like 60 years old?
23:25But did the Vikings
23:26know its secrets
23:27a thousand years ago?
23:30There's no better way
23:31for us to find out
23:32how tough it is
23:33than to try
23:34and cut one down
23:35the Viking way.
23:36What would the Vikings
23:37use to cut down
23:37a tree like this?
23:38Those axes
23:39would probably
23:41be your best bet.
23:44So we're going to
23:45try to take down
23:45this giant tree
23:47essentially with hatchets.
23:48indeed.
23:50It's a little blade
23:51and that's a big tree.
23:55The axe was one
23:56of a Viking's
23:57most treasured
23:58possessions.
24:00Take her down.
24:02Usually made of iron,
24:04there were many
24:05different kinds.
24:07All super adaptable.
24:09It was a fearsome weapon
24:11on the battlefield
24:12but the same axe
24:14was often used
24:15for the construction
24:16of ships,
24:17houses,
24:18and sleds.
24:20And of course,
24:22chopping down trees.
24:24This is your critical
24:25lifeline here.
24:26Oh, absolutely.
24:27I mean,
24:27this is the original
24:28multi-tool.
24:29Take down trees,
24:30you can build a boat,
24:32you can kill
24:33an enemy.
24:34The axe was so popular
24:36that Viking poetry
24:37affectionately calls it
24:39a troll woman.
24:47We're under the
24:48heartwood here, man.
24:49Nice.
24:51Time for me to do
24:52my Viking ancestors
24:53proud.
24:54But the further
24:55I hack into this
24:56tamarack,
24:57the harder
24:59it gets.
24:59Once you start
25:03getting into the
25:04core of it,
25:04it is a chore
25:05to get through.
25:07I'm a big guy,
25:07I can put a lot
25:08of weight behind it
25:09but I can tell you
25:09that this is not easy.
25:13The sock has
25:14described Vikings
25:15cutting down
25:15large numbers
25:16of trees
25:17before returning
25:18home.
25:20My hands are
25:20starting to hurt
25:21which tells me
25:22how tough
25:22these tamarack
25:23trees really are.
25:25I think we're
25:25getting down
25:26to the wire here.
25:27When this starts
25:28to go,
25:28we're going to
25:29have to
25:29evacuate the area
25:30real fast.
25:32Could this tree
25:33help lead us
25:35to Vimler?
25:36Whoa!
25:47We're in Maine
25:48bringing down
25:50a tamarack tree
25:51to find out
25:52if this timber
25:53would have been
25:54tough enough
25:55for Viking ships.
25:56If so,
25:57it could help us
25:58narrow down
25:59to narrow down
25:59the location
26:00of Vinland.
26:02Whoa!
26:03Guys, clear out.
26:09Woo!
26:11Dude!
26:11Nice!
26:13Done!
26:13Holy cow!
26:15Man!
26:18Man, I'll tell you
26:18what, that wasn't
26:20a walk in the park.
26:21No.
26:23A couple of Vikings
26:24with a couple of
26:25good axes
26:26can take down
26:27a pretty big tree,
26:28a 60-year-old tamarack.
26:30Chopping down
26:30tamarack has shown us
26:32how tough this wood is
26:33and how effective
26:34it may have been
26:35for Vikings.
26:37Eric tells us
26:38that tamarack
26:39isn't only found
26:40in Maine.
26:41It also grows
26:43in other parts
26:43of New England,
26:44in Canada
26:45and along the east coast
26:46of North America.
26:48The southern reaches
26:49of where tamarack
26:50is found
26:51coincides with areas
26:52of wild grapes.
26:54The evidence
26:55is mounting.
26:57But if we're
26:58to find Vinland,
26:59we need to narrow
27:00our search down
27:01even further.
27:04Another clue
27:05comes from
27:06the first confirmed
27:07biking site
27:08in North America,
27:10Lonsa Meadows
27:10in Newfoundland.
27:13When the archaeologists
27:15were excavating
27:15at the Viking site,
27:16they found something
27:17seemingly insignificant,
27:19but it could hold
27:20the key
27:20to the whole investigation.
27:23They found butternuts,
27:25three of them.
27:26These hard-shelled,
27:28edible nuts
27:28don't grow
27:29in Newfoundland,
27:30but are native
27:32to New England.
27:34We want to see
27:35if they can help
27:36narrow down
27:37our search
27:37for Vinland.
27:39We need to learn
27:40more about these nuts.
27:42We're meeting
27:43butternut expert
27:44Phil Crystal.
27:45Phil Crystal,
27:45you guys are here
27:46for some butternut?
27:47We are.
27:48Yes, sir.
27:48Let's go check it out.
27:53So here's
27:54a small butternut.
27:56They're pretty
27:57conspicuous
27:58in the landscape.
27:59They have this
27:59gray bark,
28:01and then on the inner part
28:02it starts to get
28:03a little bit more
28:04chocolatey.
28:04butternuts are
28:06pretty big.
28:08I think the Vikings
28:10would have recognized
28:11this type of nut.
28:12We know that the Romans
28:13introduced the walnut
28:14to England
28:15about 400 A.D.
28:17These are closely related
28:18to walnuts,
28:19are they not?
28:21Yeah.
28:21The major difference here
28:23is,
28:24are you going to
28:25keep my nut?
28:26None of you want it back.
28:28I want it back.
28:28But you can see
28:30that the shell
28:31itself
28:32is very sharp
28:34and corrugated,
28:34and it's hard
28:35to remove
28:36this outer husk.
28:38So it's likely
28:39that the Vikings
28:40would have come here
28:41seeing this
28:41and been familiar
28:42at least with the concept.
28:43Yeah,
28:44if they knew
28:45what English walnut
28:45looked like,
28:46I think that they
28:47would be able
28:47to harvest
28:48quite a few nuts.
28:49Do you have any
28:49that we could try?
28:50You didn't want
28:51to dig through this now?
28:52No, thank you.
28:54Time for another
28:58Viking taste test.
29:01If you work for it,
29:03this little nut
29:05is packed with protein
29:06and high in calories.
29:10That's good.
29:12That's really
29:12surprisingly sweet.
29:15I mean,
29:15it's delicious, actually.
29:17This could be
29:17a nice little
29:18portable foodstuff
29:19that you could
29:20take on ships
29:21or you could have
29:22with you
29:23as you're chopping
29:23down wood.
29:25Kind of like
29:25the Viking version
29:26of a protein bar.
29:28Could it help
29:29fuel an American invasion?
29:31This could be
29:32the linchpin
29:33to the whole investigation
29:34of how far
29:35the Vikings
29:35came into America.
29:38We've now investigated
29:39three key pieces
29:40of evidence.
29:42Grapes,
29:44Tamarack,
29:45and now Butternut.
29:48By overlaying
29:49these maps,
29:50we can see
29:51where they converge.
29:52and where
29:55it leads.
29:56That overlap
29:57is predominantly
29:58New England.
30:00This area
30:01drives from southern Maine
30:02all the way down
30:03into Massachusetts.
30:04Wow.
30:05The Viking sagas
30:07tell us that
30:07Vinland
30:08had winters
30:10mild enough
30:10to keep the livestock
30:11outside.
30:13That's not Maine.
30:14That's not Maine.
30:15If you were to come
30:17further south
30:18like Massachusetts,
30:19Cape Cod area,
30:20the weather would be
30:21very pleasant,
30:22especially for people
30:23that were used to
30:23very, very strong winters.
30:25The evidence
30:26is leading us
30:28towards southern
30:28Massachusetts.
30:31But
30:31the one thing
30:33that we are lacking
30:34is clear,
30:35definitive evidence
30:37that the Vikings
30:37were there.
30:38I knew you were
30:39going to say that.
30:40I've got
30:41a potential candidate
30:42that I want to show you.
30:43All right.
30:44And it's in New England.
30:45Sign me up.
30:46Where are we going?
30:48We're going to
30:49no man's land,
30:49my friend.
30:50That sounds dangerous.
30:52It is.
30:52To track down
31:04another clue
31:05in our hunt
31:06for Vinland,
31:07we're upgrading
31:09our transport.
31:12Okay.
31:13Departure time
31:13approximately 10.30.
31:15For an aerial
31:16reconnaissance mission.
31:20All right.
31:21We're up.
31:22We are up.
31:24This is the only way
31:26to get to an
31:27archaeological site.
31:30Our target
31:31is no man's land stone,
31:34a granite rock
31:35inscribed with runes
31:36which are believed
31:37to read
31:38Leif Erikson,
31:40the Viking
31:40who discovered Vinland.
31:42If it still exists,
31:44it could be the evidence
31:45that the Vikings
31:46were here.
31:48In route,
31:49we're flying over
31:50Cape Cod.
31:51Getting the perspective
31:53from being up
31:54in the bird
31:54and looking down
31:55totally changes
31:57the way you think
31:58about the geography
31:59of the area.
32:00Exactly how isolated
32:01it is.
32:03Could Vinland
32:04be somewhere
32:05down here?
32:07The Viking saga
32:08speak about
32:09prominent headlands
32:10in the Vinland landscape.
32:13The most noticeable
32:14land mass
32:15that seems to match
32:16that description
32:17is Cape Cod.
32:20There's nothing
32:21more prominent
32:22on the east coast
32:22than this right here.
32:24So,
32:25if they came south,
32:26this is a likely location
32:28as any.
32:29It is something
32:30that would have been
32:31memorable
32:32to the Norse
32:34explorers.
32:38The stone
32:39we're trying
32:40to find
32:40is on an island
32:4118 miles
32:42southwest of Cape Cod.
32:45An inhospitable
32:46chunk of rock
32:47called
32:48No Man's Land.
32:52No Man's Land
32:53Island is coming in
32:54right now.
32:54You can just see it
32:55just on the horizon.
32:56The stone
32:58was discovered
32:58on the island
32:59in 1926.
33:02Since then,
33:03the island
33:03has suffered
33:04massive erosion,
33:06been battered
33:08by hurricanes,
33:09and used
33:11as target practice
33:12by the U.S. Navy.
33:16I want to see
33:17this thing.
33:19We've been given
33:20special permission
33:21to try to verify
33:22if the ruins
33:23are genuine.
33:26But it's such
33:27a dangerous sight,
33:28we need to get
33:29eyes on the rock
33:30from the air
33:31before we risk
33:32going there on foot.
33:34We're going to look
33:34for a large rock
33:36feature called
33:37whale rock.
33:38We should be able
33:39to spot that
33:39from the air.
33:41No Man's Land
33:41Stone is right
33:42next to whale rock.
33:43Okay, let's get
33:44that door open, Mike.
33:45All righty.
33:52Don't fall out.
33:54Okay, we're ready here.
33:56You stick your feet
34:01out the door
34:02and the wind
34:03catches it.
34:04It's wanting
34:05to pull me out.
34:07But this is
34:07quite a view.
34:10Now,
34:10all we have to do
34:12is pinpoint
34:12whale rock.
34:15Find that,
34:16and the Viking
34:17rune stone
34:17should be
34:18right next to it.
34:19I think this is
34:22our location.
34:23Big one right there.
34:25Yeah, that's it.
34:26That's whale rock.
34:31But is No Man's Land
34:32Stone still there?
34:34I can see a little
34:35dark shadow
34:36in the water.
34:39Aerial pictures confirm
34:41the stone
34:42with the Viking
34:43runes on it
34:44still exists.
34:49What a place
34:50to carve a stone.
34:52Only one thing
34:53left.
34:55Go down there
34:56and get closer.
34:58A lot closer.
35:00Okay, so let me
35:02get this straight.
35:03You're trying to
35:04take me to an island
35:05that's not easy
35:06to access,
35:07that may have
35:08unexploded ordnance
35:10everywhere.
35:11Maybe I don't want
35:12to go on this
35:12fishing with you.
35:14We need that
35:15Viking current.
35:16Do it for your
35:17ancestors, my friend.
35:18Don't turn it back.
35:20Quite the challenge
35:20getting there by
35:21helicopter.
35:22I can only imagine
35:23what it's going to
35:23be like by boat.
35:30We've been given
35:36special permission
35:37to investigate
35:37the remote and
35:39deadly
35:40no-man's-land
35:41island near Cape
35:42Cod.
35:44This place
35:45is dangerous.
35:47It's full of
35:48unexploded ordnance
35:49after being used
35:50as target practice
35:51by the U.S. Navy.
35:56But if we can
35:57verify the Viking
35:58rune stone on the
35:59island is all
36:00authentic,
36:03it could be proof
36:04Vinland is right
36:06here.
36:07It's fog as far
36:08as I can see.
36:10I think the sun's
36:11over there.
36:12There's also
36:13an incoming storm.
36:15It's going to start
36:16blowing around
36:172 o'clock.
36:18So we've hired
36:19local guide Buddy
36:21Vanderhoop
36:21to navigate us.
36:25Blow tides
36:26between 1 and 2,
36:27I think.
36:28We've got a small
36:29window.
36:32We have to risk
36:33this expedition now
36:34as it's the lowest
36:35tide of the month.
36:37But the incoming storm
36:39means we've got a tiny
36:40window of just one hour
36:41to get on the island,
36:43examine the rune stone,
36:44and leave.
36:47This isn't an easy task
36:49because we have to be
36:50so precise.
36:51we've got this tiny,
36:52tiny window that we have
36:53to fit in,
36:54and if we don't,
36:55we lose all of this.
37:03It's super eerie out here.
37:06This is like something
37:07from a horror movie.
37:08This is where
37:10jaws is filled.
37:12These seas
37:13have great whites.
37:17Is this what you're
37:18going to tell me
37:18before we hop in the water?
37:20You'll be all right.
37:21I wish we had
37:22a bigger boat.
37:27But out here,
37:28we've got to work
37:30with what we've got.
37:32Welcome
37:32to no man's land island.
37:35Let's go.
37:50This inhospitable island
37:51is usually closed
37:53to the public
37:53for one good reason.
37:56Still being followed
37:56by the seals.
37:59That's a bop.
38:00Oh, wow.
38:01Look at this.
38:01You weren't kidding.
38:04Let's give this thing
38:05a wide berth.
38:06I don't think
38:06we need to get
38:06any closer than this.
38:11That's our rock, buddy.
38:12Yeah.
38:14That's whale rock.
38:15Well, I'll tell you
38:16what I'm noticing
38:16immediately
38:17is our rock
38:19is still underwater.
38:21I can just see
38:22the top of it
38:22emerge
38:23when the wave
38:24pulls out.
38:26There it is.
38:28No man's land stone
38:29just to the right
38:31of whale rock.
38:33Man, I was hoping
38:33we wouldn't have
38:34to get wet.
38:37You're loving this,
38:38aren't you?
38:39It's a lovely day
38:40for a swim.
38:40Let's suit up.
38:43We now have
38:44only 40 minutes
38:45until stormy weather
38:46hits.
38:48Time to break out
38:49the wetsuits.
38:51Whoa.
38:52Whoa.
38:53Whoa.
38:54That water's cold,
38:55Mike.
38:55Yeah, it is.
38:56As a marine archaeologist,
38:58I'm used to getting wet.
39:01But this water's freezing.
39:04Ooh.
39:05And the currents here
39:06are like nothing
39:07I've ever experienced.
39:09Almost there.
39:11All right.
39:13Come on in.
39:14I could soon have
39:16my hands on evidence
39:17that suggests
39:18Vinland is in this area.
39:21Ah, dude,
39:22there's a lot of growth.
39:23The rune stone
39:25is caked
39:25in thick seaweed
39:27and algae.
39:29The stone
39:29is completely covered
39:31in growth.
39:33Oh, man.
39:38With the storm
39:40fast approaching,
39:41these waves
39:42are getting much stronger.
39:43Here comes one.
39:44I mean,
39:50there's some
39:50seaweed on this thing.
39:54It's not going
39:55to be possible
39:55to clear the stone
39:56of this stuff.
39:58Time for plan B.
40:00Uh, we don't even know
40:01where it's at
40:01on this rock.
40:02Let me tell you
40:03if at least
40:04I can feel it.
40:05Okay.
40:12I can feel it.
40:14Yeah.
40:15It's his face
40:16right here.
40:17Ugh.
40:21I've got my hands
40:22where Viking hands
40:24could have been
40:24a thousand years ago.
40:27But I'm desperate
40:28to see the runes.
40:31I can put on the mask
40:33and I may be able
40:34to see it.
40:36Hmm.
40:41You can actually
40:42see the tide
40:42coming in.
40:43You can see it
40:51getting deeper.
40:55Here we go.
41:00I'm to the point
41:01now where I'm
41:02having trouble
41:02standing up.
41:03here we go.
41:11How are you?
41:16It's too much, man.
41:19It's getting too dangerous
41:20out there.
41:23I hate to say this, man,
41:24but I think we're going to
41:24have to abort.
41:25Let's call it.
41:34It's not safe out there.
41:36The final piece
41:39of evidence we're after
41:40remains frustratingly
41:42out of reach.
41:43But our investigation
41:44has come closer
41:45than I ever thought
41:46to finding solid evidence
41:48of Vinland.
41:50I wish I could have
41:50seen it, man.
41:51I did feel the ruins.
41:53You know, they're there.
41:54That's good.
41:55But there's no way
41:56we could do the proper
41:56documentation that we
41:57wanted to.
41:58I think that that stone
42:00belongs to posterity
42:01now.
42:04We've followed the clues
42:06in the sagas.
42:08The wild grapes,
42:10tamarack trees,
42:12and butternuts.
42:14We're convinced
42:15the Viking utopia
42:16Vinland is in New
42:19England.
42:22Now, we're more
42:24determined than ever
42:25to prove it.
42:28Let's do it.
42:30Let's do it.
42:31Let's do it.
42:34Let's do it.
42:35Let's do it.
42:36Let's do it.
42:37We're back.
42:38Let's do it.
42:39Let's do it.
42:39Let's do it.
42:40Let's do it.
42:40Let's do it.
42:42Let's do it.
42:43Now, we're going
42:43to find out
42:44the Speedway
42:44in the Old
42:45이걸 coming
42:47to the Third
42:48Cities.
42:48This is not
42:49going
42:51to be where
42:52we're going
42:52to be
42:54to the Northern
42:55claw.
42:55To the third