Ancient Aliens s16e03 Episode Script
The Galactic Keyhole
1
NARRATOR:
A mysterious, ancient symbol,
with connections to the heavens.
DAVID CHILDRESS: We
see this unusual keyhole shape
as decoration for these gods.
NARRATOR:
It appears in mystic texts.
The Secret Seal of Solomon
has that interesting shape.
NARRATOR: It was
incorporated in sacred architecture.
If you look at this
from above
it's this keyhole shape,
and that to me is fascinating.
I am literally wowed by this.
NARRATOR: And it
exists all over the planet.
ANDREW COLLINS: Why is that
there are so many cultures that use
the keyhole shape
around the world?
Is there some commonality
to all of this?
NARRATOR: Could this cryptic
symbol represent a connection
to beings that came to Earth
thousands of years ago?
ERICH VON DANIKEN: We were
visited by beings from outer space.
And they left clues
on this planet Earth.
GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS:
There is an extraterrestrial message
inside this keyhole shape.
NARRATOR:
There is a doorway
in the universe.
Beyond it is
the promise of truth.
It demands
we question everything
we have ever been taught.
The evidence is all around us.
The future is
right before our eyes.
We are not alone.
We have never been alone.
NARRATOR:
Waterford, Virginia.
Cydonia Institute researcher
George Haas is combing through
images of Mars when something
catches his eye.
A large formation protruding
from the surface of the planet
that displays
extraordinary symmetry.
He is struck by the fact
that there are no other
large geographical features
around it,
and it has the distinct shape
of a keyhole.
HAAS:
When you initially look at it,
it looks like something
that someone made.
So, when scientists are looking for signs of activity
on another planet, they're looking for structural symmetry,
determining if this is possibly
just something nature made
or something that humans
or extraterrestrials
had a hand in.
What we're seeing on Mars
could be evidence
of intelligent design
by some unknown
extraterrestrial culture.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
took amazing detailed maps
of pretty much
the whole surface of Mars.
And there are some
anomalous pictures.
It's very much worth humanity's
while to travel there
and find out for sure,
are these artificial or not?
NARRATOR: Could it be that this
strangely symmetrical formation on Mars
is really
an artificial structure,
built by
an extraterrestrial race?
For ancient astronaut theorists,
what makes this image
even more intriguing
is the fact that strikingly
similar man-made structures
exist here on Earth.
Osaka, Japan.
Today, this bustling metropolis
is famous as one
of Japan's cultural centers
of food, fashion and finance.
But in its southern suburb
of Sakai
lies an ancient
and mysterious monument:
a megalithic tomb
called Daisen Kofun.
It rises up 35 feet
above the surrounding area
and is 1,600 feet long
and 980 feet wide,
and it's encircled
by three moats,
making the entire edifice
cover a space
of five million square feet.
COLLINS: You can only really
appreciate what it represents
by going up into the air,
looking down on it,
because you then see
that it's an enormous
keyhole shape.
NARRATOR: The Daisen
Kofun is merely the largest
of more than 160,000 kofuns
that dot Japan.
There are hundreds
of these tombs,
built between around 300 AD
to around 600 AD
all over Japan.
So what were these?
Were these really just tombs
built for emperors and kings,
or were they
something else altogether?
WILLIAM HENRY: The keyhole
shape can only be seen from the air.
And we're told that the ancient
Japanese did not have a means
of getting into the sky
to appreciate this shape.
So there's a great mystery hereabout why the keyhole shape?
NARRATOR: Some researchers suggest
that the purpose of the keyhole shape
can be traced back
to the first kofun ever built.
The first of these tombs
is associated
with the first historical
Japanese emperor,
Emperor Sujin,
in whose record in the book of
ancient mythology, the Kojiki,
a keyhole of a door actually
also plays an important part.
NARRATOR: According
to the story in the Kojiki,
a young woman becomes
impregnated by a powerful god
who comes to her room
through a keyhole,
then gives birth
to semi-divine children.
Another story
from the same text tells
that the Japanese royal family
are all descendants
of Amaterasu, who came
from the celestial plane.
TSOUKALOS:
So, what's the deal here?
Why do we have these stories
of someone coming from the sky?
They also describe them
as having come down
from their celestial palace,
which is called Takamagahara.
It's right there.
Our ancestors did not have words
for extraterrestrials or aliens
or any other creature
coming from another planet,
because it didn't exist
at the time.
So you've got to wonder
if these keyhole-shaped kofun
aren't something
that were actually designed
by extraterrestrials.
There's something about
that shape, it has meaning.
Are these sites
signaling somebody
who is apparently in the sky?
NARRATOR: Is it possible that
the design of the Japanese kofuns
was inspired by contact
with otherworldly visitors?
As far as ancient astronaut
theorists are concerned,
this symbol may offer
an important clue
about alien intervention
in Earth's distant past.
And as further evidence
of its significance,
they point to
much more recently discovered
keyhole-shaped structures
that were also made
to be seen from above.
Khaybar, Saudi Arabia.
May 2017.
An archaeological team
conducting an aerial survey
of the Saudi Arabian desert
makes an extraordinary
discovery:
a series of
mysterious stone structures.
Among them are 19 formations
in the shape of keyholes,
formed by walls roughly
three feet high.
NEWMAN: These were
keyhole-shaped kind of enclosures
built of quite large stones
and earth, and there
were hundreds of them
across the landscape.
And they're thought to be
thousands of years old,
but no one knows who built them.
No one knows why
they were there,
but they have this sacred symbol
of the keyhole as the design.
So the keyhole shape
is a combination
of the triangle and the circle,
and the circle is often
a representation of the Sun
and the Moon
and other heavenly objects,
whereas the triangle shape
is really the pyramid shape,
and that is a representation
of the Earth.
So it really could be
a representation
linking heaven and Earth.
NARRATOR: Scientific
testing of the materials
made to build these enclosures
dates them to roughly 6500 BC.
Could it be that
they are somehow related
to the keyhole-shaped kofuns
that were built in Japan
thousands of years later?
Curiously, a keyhole design
can be found at ancient sites
belonging to numerous
different cultures,
and all over the world.
This shape is present
in the Incan ruins of Moray
in Peru,
the Temple of the Foliated Cross
in Palenque, Mexico,
the Hopi kivas
in the American Southwest,
and the 10,000-year-old
burial mounds
in Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria.
Why is it that there
are so many cultures
that use the keyhole shape
around the world?
Is there some commonality
to all of this?
Even though they are
thousands of miles apart?
I would say that we have to look
towards human consciousness.
And the commonality of symbols.
Since ancient times there have been keys and locks.
The keyhole is what can unlock
a portal to another place,
an unseen place,
so it has a ritual
and symbolic significance.
We are aware that there are
things we do not know,
that there are energies
that affect human life
and all other life
that we are still learning,
just barely beginning to grasp.
So the keyhole image
symbolically represents
the possibility that
such gateways can be opened.
NARRATOR:
Could the keyhole symbol
carry a profound message
for humanity?
Was this shape repeated
at ancient sites
across the globe
so that future generations
would notice it
and attempt to understand it?
Perhaps further clues
can be found
by examining the connection
between the keyhole shape
and the ancient gods.
YOUNG: Khonsu has a pendant
with a keyhole on it.
January 2018.
Archaeologists digging
in this city,
located in the heart
of the Nile River Delta,
uncover the remains
of an ancient settlement.
Among the fragments of statues,
they discover pieces
of an amulet known as a menat.
RITA LUCARELLI:
The menat is a
a very important, uh, amulet,
um, for ancient Egypt.
So, the menat was, uh, made
by a series of lines of beads
with the counterbalance,
uh, in form of a keyhole.
And this way
could use as a necklace,
with the beads in front
and a counterbalance
in the back.
NARRATOR:
In Egyptian mythology,
the menat is often worn
by the god Khonsu.
LUCARELLI: Khonsu is,
uh, mainly god of the Moon.
But he's also a healing god.
He's considered a protector
who can, uh,
ward off evil spirits
or evil forces.
Khonsu was seen
as a wandering god.
This reflects how the Moon
wanders through the heavens.
He has a pendant
with a keyhole on it.
This represents
the gatekeeping function
of this particular divinity,
the ability
to open unseen worlds.
He taught many of the different sciences to the people.
He was also related
to technology.
So this is the suggestion
that he may have been involved
in some of the construction
of the sites there
in ancient Egypt.
NARRATOR:
Paintings often depict the gods
giving the menat
to members of Egyptian nobility.
While mainstream historians
contend the amulet
was simply a piece of jewelry,
ancient astronaut theorists
suspect it was
something more profound.
If you look at some of the earliest representations
of the menat,
rays are jumping out
into four different heads
that are on sticks.
What is going on?
To me, that is a representation
of something technological
that our ancestors witnessed.
But they
couldn't quite figure out yet
what they were looking at.
NARRATOR: Curiously,
Khonsu isn't the only lunar deity
or Moon god
symbolized by a keyhole shape.
We also have Tanit, the
Canaanite or Phoenician goddess
who, again, her symbol
was that of the keyhole shape,
and she was connected
with travel.
She was also connected
with machinery.
So, again,
there could be connections here
between these ancient cultures
and this symbol.
NARRATOR: Do depictions
of Khonsu and Tanit
point to the keyhole shape,
representing some type
of technological device?
And could it be more
than mere coincidence
that both have a connection
to the Moon?
Ancient astronaut theorists
believe further clues
can be found on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Today, this picturesque island
in the Mediterranean
is famous
for its crystalline waters,
white sandy beaches,
and luxurious resorts.
But thousands of years ago,
Sardinia was home to one of the
most mysterious civilizations
in the ancient world
the nuraghe.
The nuraghic culture of Sardinia
were a Bronze Age people
who occupied the island
from around 1800 BC
down to about 200 BC,
when the Romans arrived
and took over the island.
NEWMAN: There are
question marks about the dating
of the nuraghic civilization
in Sardinia.
There's so many sites there
that go back way before that.
There's dolmens that go back
to 3500 or 4000 BC.
There's, uh, the giants' tombs,
which are slightly older
than the nuraghic civilization.
And there's even a pyramid
there, Monte d'Accoddi,
which dates back
to around 3500 to 4000 BC.
The nuraghic culture emerged,
really, from nowhere.
So they were masters
of megalithic construction,
and they built
these amazing nuraghic towers
all over the country.
There are recorded
over 7,000 of them.
COLLINS:
Sardinia
is arguably one of the most
interesting sites in Europe,
not simply because of the-the
large stone structures there,
but it's the fact
that so many of them are aligned
to the Sun and the Moon
and also the stars,
that we have to ask ourselves:
did they have a belief
that their ancestors came
from the stars?
NARRATOR:
The nuraghic people
left no written
historical record,
causing many scholars
to question
how they could have achieved
such incredible building prowess
without having developed
a writing system.
In May 2018,
Oak Island treasure hunter
Marty Lagina
invited Giorgio Tsoukalos
to join him in Sardinia
to investigate the mystery
of the nuraghe
and offer
his unique perspective.
[speaking foreign language]
There, Giorgio and Marty were
met by local guide Ivana Malu
and archaeo astronomer
Mauro Peppino Zedda,
who showed them
an archaeological site
far stranger than they expected:
the well of Santa Cristina.
- Now, wait a minute, wait a minute, aspetta.
- MALU: Yes, yeah, prego.
- These are modern, right? This is reproduction.
- [laughing]: Yeah.
- No, no, I mean it.
- No, I know, I know, I know.
- MARTY: This is reproduction.
- It's what people say
when they are here they say,
"Oh, Ivana, that's a fake.
What is that?" Can you imagine
the well is 3,000 years old?
MARTY:
No. Honestly, these are
- the original stones?
- Really. Believe me.
- MARTY: Wow.
- Hundred percent.
That is built to last
for the eternity.
Well, this is spectacular.
- I mean, look at
- Do you want to touch with your hand
- the sophistication of the wall?
- Yes.
MALU:
Here we go. Andiamo.
- TSOUKALOS: This is crazy.
- MARTY: Unbelievable.
TSOUKALOS:
Look at this. It is round.
It's a perfect circle.
You can't put
a-a piece of paper
there's no mortar used
to put this stuff together.
- I mean
- MALU: It's amazing.
Incredible questo.
MARTY: Not only is it
constructed beautifully,
the foundation is
below the water table.
Okay? That's very hard to do.
I could tell you
from Oak Island,
- working in the water is difficult.
- Right? Yes.
MARTY:
This is spectacular.
NARRATOR: But the
incredibly precise construction
of the well of Santa Cristina
is not its only
extraordinary feature.
When archaeo astronomer
Mauro Peppino Zedda
began researching the
ancient structures of Sardinia
in search
of astronomical alignments,
he found that
the well of Sardinia
was constructed to track
a very specific celestial event.
[speaking foreign language]
And this cupola is really built
to observe the Moon
in its highest light.
[Zedda speaking
foreign language]
MALU [translating]:
It's maximum.
- [speaking foreign language]
- See, I get it.
Is every 18.6 years,
the full Moon reflects its light
in the deep water over there.
NARRATOR: The event tracked by
the well is known as a lunar standstill,
the time when the Moon reaches
its highest point
in the night sky and appears
to stay there for hours
before finally sinking back
toward the horizon.
But how was
an ancient civilization
one supposedly
without mathematics
or a written language
able to build a structure that
precisely tracks a lunar event
that would have only occurred
two or three times
in a normal lifetime?
The question is, there was no
written language.
How was this planned?
Because if you look at this
from above,
it's this keyhole shape,
and that, to me, is fascinating.
I have not seen anything
quite like this, okay?
I'm-I'm literally wowed by this.
Clearly, someone told
the local people
how to place these stones
into different areas,
because it was a connection
to the celestial realm.
So you're surmising
the technology was
given to these people?
- The engineering knowledge.
- Yeah. Yeah.
Because this screams
mathematics.
Yes, it does.
TSOUKALOS: It is unlike anything that I've ever seen,
even though the stone steps
have reminded me
of inside the grand gallery
of the Great Pyramid.
You can't put a dollar bill
in between the fittings.
No mortar was used;
it's absolute perfection.
And the hole with the oculus has
a deviation of about 11 degrees.
So, that right there is
something that's fascinating
because only with that
11-degree deviation
do you actually recognize
this lunar standstill.
So, my suggestion is that
this engineering knowledge
was given to the local culture
at the time
by the extraterrestrials.
I'm not offering
this opinion lightly.
The legends and the statuary and
the figurines and the objects
that have been found here
all speak of someone
descending from the sky.
NARRATOR: Ancient Moon
gods in Egypt and Carthage
symbolized by a keyhole.
An ancient well in Sardinia,
aligned to record
a rare lunar event
and also shaped like a keyhole.
Could these incredible parallels
provide evidence
of extraterrestrial intervention
on Earth?
Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes
and suggest further evidence
can be found by examining
another mysterious structure
in a remote village in India.
PRAVEEN MOHAN:
The well of Badlapur
June 2018.
Thousands flock to
the Pasadena Convention Center
to attend Alien Con,
a three-day event
that brings together
ancient astronaut theorists
and UFO researchers
from across the world.
Featured contributor
Giorgio Tsoukalos
has just returned
from his trip to Sardinia.
And while relating
what he experienced there
to convention attendees,
he is shown a photo
that is shockingly familiar.
The well of Santa Cristina is
one of the most amazing
architectural sites
I've ever seen.
On that photo
I was given at Alien Con
was an almost-identical well
4,000 miles away in India.
And I was like,
"This is incredible."
When you look at these
two structures from the sky,
immediately you see
that they both
are in the shape of a keyhole.
So you have to wonder,
"Is there a connection?"
And that is the big question.
NARRATOR:
A similar keyhole-shaped well
4,000 miles away?
Is it possible
that the well in India
located in the town
of Badlapur, near Mumbai
is somehow connected
to the well in Sardinia?
Mainstream archaeologists
believe
that the well at Badlapur
was created around 1715
during the time of Shivaji.
But there are
no inscriptions in the well
which state how old it is.
The fact is, locals believe
that this well was created
much, much earlier in time,
possibly dating back
to thousands of years.
Archaeological records in India
are not precisely kept,
so it is entirely possible
that this well was built
at the same as the step well
in Sardinia.
NARRATOR:
Curiously, both wells have
a similar connection
to the Moon.
In Sardinia,
it's the Moon shining down
on that pool of water
once every 18 years.
And in India, we have 18 steps
leading down
to the water's edge.
Both of them reflective
of the 18-year lunar cycle.
NARRATOR: Another
commonality between the two ancient
keyhole-shaped structures
is that both were constructed
using sophisticated
building techniques.
The Badlapur well was
originally constructed
without the use of any mortar,
which has only
been added in recent years
to ensure its preservation.
The well of Badlapur
was created without the use
of any mortar.
This type of construction is
based on the ancient technology
of Ayurveda where you are able
to create a structure
that can survive
for many thousands of years.
NARRATOR:
Archaeologists suggest
that this construction style,
known as Ayurvedic architecture,
is derived from
the ancient science of design
described in India's
oldest Sanskrit texts.
To the millions
of Hindu faithful,
these texts known as Vedas
are accounts given directly
by the gods themselves,
and only transcribed by humans.
CHILDRESS:
We still have
these ancient texts
from ancient India.
It's really the only
civilization left
that has this continuous thread to the very, very ancient past.
And these books can still be
read by Sanskrit scholars today.
And what these books talk about
is extraterrestrial gods
coming to ancient India.
TSOUKALOS: Now, the ancient
astronaut theory proposes that
the reason why these similar
structures exist is because
perhaps both cultures were
visited by the same teachers.
So, who knows if the nuraghic
culture of ancient Sardinia
was visited
by the same extraterrestrials
that were visiting
ancient India,
because in both cases
there are local stories
of beings
descending from the sky.
Some thousands of years,
we were visited
by beings from outer space.
These beings, they wanted
that we develop technology.
They wanted that sooner
or later we find out
that we are
the offsprings of them.
So they left clues
on this planet Earth.
NARRATOR: Is it possible
that these two ancient wells,
separated by thousands of miles
and with eerily similar
construction styles,
were built with the help
of extraterrestrial beings?
And if so, does the keyhole
shape represent some type
of technology
wielded by these visitors?
Ancient astronaut theorists
suggest
further clues can be found
by examining the significance
of this shape throughout India
in the form of the stupa.
MOHAN: In Ajanta caves, there
are many carvings of Buddha
inside stupas.
From the front, it appears
as though Buddha is standing
inside
an elaborately carved arch.
But the fact is,
what we are seeing
from the front is
a cross section of
a stupa, inside of which
Buddha is standing.
And what is a stupa?
It is nothing
but some kind of a vehicle.
It is also shaped
in the form of a keyhole.
TSOUKALOS: Buddha sitting
inside a stupa, in my opinion,
is this creature
inside a pod lifting off.
If we had one or ten
or even 20 examples like that,
you could be like,
"All right, interesting."
But what if I told you there
are millions of the same motif
in India about
celestial beings depicted
living in clouds up in the sky?
Whatever the shape was
that inspired the keyhole shape
was what was so important,
and in my opinion,
that was a flying craft.
NARRATOR: Is it possible
that the keyhole symbol
found throughout the world
was inspired
by the shape of
an extraterrestrial spacecraft
that our ancestors witnessed
descending from the sky?
Some ancient astronaut theorists
suggest there may be another,
even more profound explanation,
and point to
an early Hebrew text
that describes a magic ring
used to control demons.
HENRY: The archangel Michael is going to give Solomon a power
King Solomon
of the United Kingdom of Israel
begins construction
on a great temple
to house
the Ark of the Covenant.
According to the Hebrew Bible,
this sacred chest was built
to carry the stone tablets
on which the Ten Commandments
were written
and also facilitated
direct communication with God.
There's an ancient legend,
recorded in,
of all places, the Talmud,
wherein which it is said
that there were specific needs
for building Solomon's Temple
that no human being
could provide.
HENRY: In the story,
Solomon prays to God,
and instantly
the archangel Michael manifests,
as if out of thin air.
And Michael says that
he's going to give Solomon
a power that has never
before been seen on Earth
and never again shall be.
And he produces for him a golden ring with a signet seal.
LITTLE: This is known as
the Secret Seal of Solomon.
And it is a magical sign
which has that interesting shape
like a keyhole.
COLLINS: This ring was used
to command a legion of 72 jinn.
These are fire spirits, uh,
in Arabian tradition.
And once they were
under his control,
he used them to build monuments,
including Solomon's Temple
itself.
NARRATOR:
According to the Talmud,
these otherworldly beings
that Solomon was able to rule
with his divine
keyhole-shaped seal
were led by a jinn
named Ashmedai.
In constructing
Solomon's Temple,
Ashmedai not only oversaw
the building of the tabernacle
to hold the Ark of the Covenant,
but also a number of underground
hidden chambers.
TZADOK: Ashmedai
brought with him an army
of his followers who built
those places of the temple,
which no human being was allowed
to even know existed.
So these legends come down
to us to this day
that this temple of Solomon, the
parts that were subterranean,
were not built by human hands
and, therefore, secret
to this day to the human eye.
CHILDRESS: They built all
kinds of tunnels and chambers.
And you have to wonder if it might have something to do
with this high technology
that they put
into some very safe place
for keeping.
NARRATOR: Could it be that
the technology Solomon was given
to build his temple was hidden
somewhere beneath it?
Solomon's Temple was destroyed
by the Babylonian king
Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 BC.
But nearly 1,700 years later,
the site where it stood,
known today as Temple Mount,
was excavated
by a group
of warrior monks called
the Order of Solomon's Temple,
also known as
the Knights Templar.
And many believe that
they did not leave empty-handed.
[horse neighs]
The Knights Templars got
a commission from the Pope
to actually do excavations
at Solomon's Temple.
And the story there goes that
the Templars actually discovered
a secret chamber
beneath the temple.
NARRATOR: While it remains
unknown just what the Knights Templar
may have uncovered,
researchers know that
they would go on to display
incredible building prowess,
much like that of the jinn
that legend credits
with building Solomon's Temple.
The Knights Templars had
very advanced knowledge
of geometry, mathematics,
architecture,
and of working with stone.
Some of the early constructions
include the Gothic cathedrals
of Europe, and they show
remarkable technology.
The way they worked with stone,
the hidden geometry,
the mathematics, and the sort of
spiritual dimensions
that these elements create
are quite remarkable.
NARRATOR: Curiously,
nearly every Templar church
was built in the shape
of a keyhole
when viewed from above.
But perhaps most notable of all
is that at a former
Templar stronghold in France
called Rennes-Le-Château,
there is a statue of Ashmedai,
the king of the jinn
that helped Solomon
to build his temple.
TZADOK: Rumor has it
that the Templar Knights
endeavored to communicate
with Ashmedai,
the king of the Shedim,
the jinn,
who built the temple
to serve Solomon.
NARRATOR: Is it possible
that the Knights Templar
were in possession of
a long-lost alien technology?
One that was witnessed and
documented all over the world
in ancient times?
Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes
and suggest further clues
as to just what
this technology was
and if it still exists
somewhere on Earth today
can be found
by examining the most iconic
sacred object
in all of Christianity:
the Holy Grail.
Architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini
oversees the finishing touches
on his masterpiece,
St. Peter's Square.
This resplendent portico
consists of
two straight colonnades
that open up to a wide ellipse.
St. Peter's Square is
a very large plaza
in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
The thing is that St. Peter's
Square is not a square.
It's a keyhole shape,
and the question is why?
The architect Bernini
tells us that
when he envisioned
the keyhole shape,
it was to create a sort
of a womb or a vessel
so that the visitor
to this place
would feel like they're
embraced by the welcoming
or loving arms of the Church,
that as many as one million
people can gather together
in this spot.
In fact, they would gather
around a-a large
Egyptian obelisk
made of red granite
that's in the exact center
of the apex of this site.
But we know
that shapes hold power,
shapes have power.
We have to ask the question,
could this be something more?
NARRATOR: Some historians
suggest a clue as to why
St. Peter's Square was designed
in the shape of a keyhole
can be found at the Garway
Templar church in England.
In her 2007 book the Knights
Templar Encyclopedia,
author Karen Ralls notes
that there is a curious etching
above the church's piscina:
a keyhole-shaped chalice
thought to depict
the Holy Grail.
There are different perspectives
on what the Holy Grail is.
The one that most people
are familiar with
is that it's actually
a cup or a chalice,
one that was present
at the Last Supper
and that also was present
at the Crucifixion.
What's interesting is that
the Grail is very often
distinctively keyhole-shaped.
This is eerily similar to what
the Seal of Solomon looks like.
The keyhole shape that is
believed to be
the actual symbol
that Solomon used
in order to bind
or control demons.
NARRATOR: Could it be that the
Holy Grail and the Ring of Solomon
are both representations
of a technology
that was wielded
by extraterrestrial visitors?
A mysterious 12th-century
nobleman
named Wolfram von Eschenbach,
who is often regarded
as the greatest poet
of the Middle Ages,
wrote of the Holy Grail
falling to Earth
from the heavens.
One of the origin stories
of the Grail is that it was
a giant emerald that was
in the crown that Lucifer wore
before his fall,
that instead of descending
to the underworld,
it fell accidentally to Earth.
So we have a little piece
of heaven here on Earth.
NARRATOR: While scholars debate
what parts of Eschenbach's works
were meant to be taken as fact,
he goes into great detail
about the Grail,
which he alleged was carved
from this otherworldly gemstone.
HENRY: The stone can
instantly manifest wishes
through the power of
a frequency or vibration.
This is very important
because one of the critical uses
for the Grail is that
it could transmute
one thing into another.
A wasteland into a garden,
for example.
Wolfram von Eschenbach said that
the Grail fell from the heavens.
What if the Grail is, in fact,
extraterrestrial technology?
[horse neighs]
LYNN PICKNETT: We know that the Knights Templar
spent some time in Jerusalem,
and it's often said that they
were looking for holy relics.
They were looking, perhaps,
for the Holy Grail.
Had they got it,
where would they have taken it?
So let's think about
St. Peter's Square,
in light of this.
Maybe it tells us that
the Grail is in Vatican City.
NARRATOR: is it possible that
Bernini designed St. Peter's Square
in the shape of a keyhole
to provide a clue
that the Holy Grail resides
somewhere at the Vatican?
And was the Holy Grail not a cup
that could bestow
everlasting life
but a powerful
extraterrestrial technology?
Some ancient astronaut theorists
believe the Grail
may represent something
even more profound,
and point back to the keyhole
shape found on Mars.
NARRATOR:
November 2016.
After a three-year study
of the keyhole formation
discovered on Mars,
an independent research team
led by the director
of the Cydonia Institute,
George Haas,
publishes their findings.
The team determined
that the formation exhibits
such perfect symmetry
that it is highly unlikely
to be the result
of natural erosion.
It appears what we're
seeing on Mars
is evidence of some unknown
extraterrestrial culture
that I think may have been
telling the story
of where we came from
and possibly
where we may be going.
NARRATOR: If the keyhole formation
on Mars is an artificial structure,
as this scientific study
suggests,
could it indicate
that an alien technology,
documented by our ancestors,
was left on Earth's closest
neighboring planet
for humanity to one day
discover?
Or is it possible
that the structure
does not represent
some physical object
but carries a more
important message?
Was it meant to tell us
that there are profound secrets
waiting to be unlocked
about both our past
and our future?
When we look at all the examples of the keyhole shape
as it appears throughout different myths and traditions,
it tells us that
that is a vital shape
for us to understand.
And it suggests to me that when
we find the keyhole shape,
no matter where it is,
that they all refer
to this great mystery,
symbolized by the keyhole,
and that perhaps
by understanding one,
it's gonna help us to unlock
the mysteries of all,
and release some tremendous
cosmic power.
TSOUKALOS: I think that
there's an extraterrestrial message
inside this keyhole shape.
If anything, it is a project
of spreading knowledge
and information throughout
the entire universe.
Because without information,
what-what do you have?
You have nothing.
CHILDRESS: I think that what's really lying in store for humanity now
is that we will prove
these keyhole shapes
are really signifying
intelligent life,
perhaps giving us technology
and helping us go into space.
NARRATOR: Could it be that
the keyhole shape symbolizes
a connection to the universe
that humankind
is only beginning to comprehend?
Are religious artifacts
like the Holy Grail
not divine or even
extraterrestrial objects
but messages meant to tell us
that our destiny lies
in the stars?
Perhaps we are on the verge
of finally understanding
the significance of this
ubiquitous symbol
and the next giant leap
for mankind
will be more profound
than we could ever imagine.
CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY
A+E NETWORKS
NARRATOR:
A mysterious, ancient symbol,
with connections to the heavens.
DAVID CHILDRESS: We
see this unusual keyhole shape
as decoration for these gods.
NARRATOR:
It appears in mystic texts.
The Secret Seal of Solomon
has that interesting shape.
NARRATOR: It was
incorporated in sacred architecture.
If you look at this
from above
it's this keyhole shape,
and that to me is fascinating.
I am literally wowed by this.
NARRATOR: And it
exists all over the planet.
ANDREW COLLINS: Why is that
there are so many cultures that use
the keyhole shape
around the world?
Is there some commonality
to all of this?
NARRATOR: Could this cryptic
symbol represent a connection
to beings that came to Earth
thousands of years ago?
ERICH VON DANIKEN: We were
visited by beings from outer space.
And they left clues
on this planet Earth.
GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS:
There is an extraterrestrial message
inside this keyhole shape.
NARRATOR:
There is a doorway
in the universe.
Beyond it is
the promise of truth.
It demands
we question everything
we have ever been taught.
The evidence is all around us.
The future is
right before our eyes.
We are not alone.
We have never been alone.
NARRATOR:
Waterford, Virginia.
Cydonia Institute researcher
George Haas is combing through
images of Mars when something
catches his eye.
A large formation protruding
from the surface of the planet
that displays
extraordinary symmetry.
He is struck by the fact
that there are no other
large geographical features
around it,
and it has the distinct shape
of a keyhole.
HAAS:
When you initially look at it,
it looks like something
that someone made.
So, when scientists are looking for signs of activity
on another planet, they're looking for structural symmetry,
determining if this is possibly
just something nature made
or something that humans
or extraterrestrials
had a hand in.
What we're seeing on Mars
could be evidence
of intelligent design
by some unknown
extraterrestrial culture.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter
took amazing detailed maps
of pretty much
the whole surface of Mars.
And there are some
anomalous pictures.
It's very much worth humanity's
while to travel there
and find out for sure,
are these artificial or not?
NARRATOR: Could it be that this
strangely symmetrical formation on Mars
is really
an artificial structure,
built by
an extraterrestrial race?
For ancient astronaut theorists,
what makes this image
even more intriguing
is the fact that strikingly
similar man-made structures
exist here on Earth.
Osaka, Japan.
Today, this bustling metropolis
is famous as one
of Japan's cultural centers
of food, fashion and finance.
But in its southern suburb
of Sakai
lies an ancient
and mysterious monument:
a megalithic tomb
called Daisen Kofun.
It rises up 35 feet
above the surrounding area
and is 1,600 feet long
and 980 feet wide,
and it's encircled
by three moats,
making the entire edifice
cover a space
of five million square feet.
COLLINS: You can only really
appreciate what it represents
by going up into the air,
looking down on it,
because you then see
that it's an enormous
keyhole shape.
NARRATOR: The Daisen
Kofun is merely the largest
of more than 160,000 kofuns
that dot Japan.
There are hundreds
of these tombs,
built between around 300 AD
to around 600 AD
all over Japan.
So what were these?
Were these really just tombs
built for emperors and kings,
or were they
something else altogether?
WILLIAM HENRY: The keyhole
shape can only be seen from the air.
And we're told that the ancient
Japanese did not have a means
of getting into the sky
to appreciate this shape.
So there's a great mystery hereabout why the keyhole shape?
NARRATOR: Some researchers suggest
that the purpose of the keyhole shape
can be traced back
to the first kofun ever built.
The first of these tombs
is associated
with the first historical
Japanese emperor,
Emperor Sujin,
in whose record in the book of
ancient mythology, the Kojiki,
a keyhole of a door actually
also plays an important part.
NARRATOR: According
to the story in the Kojiki,
a young woman becomes
impregnated by a powerful god
who comes to her room
through a keyhole,
then gives birth
to semi-divine children.
Another story
from the same text tells
that the Japanese royal family
are all descendants
of Amaterasu, who came
from the celestial plane.
TSOUKALOS:
So, what's the deal here?
Why do we have these stories
of someone coming from the sky?
They also describe them
as having come down
from their celestial palace,
which is called Takamagahara.
It's right there.
Our ancestors did not have words
for extraterrestrials or aliens
or any other creature
coming from another planet,
because it didn't exist
at the time.
So you've got to wonder
if these keyhole-shaped kofun
aren't something
that were actually designed
by extraterrestrials.
There's something about
that shape, it has meaning.
Are these sites
signaling somebody
who is apparently in the sky?
NARRATOR: Is it possible that
the design of the Japanese kofuns
was inspired by contact
with otherworldly visitors?
As far as ancient astronaut
theorists are concerned,
this symbol may offer
an important clue
about alien intervention
in Earth's distant past.
And as further evidence
of its significance,
they point to
much more recently discovered
keyhole-shaped structures
that were also made
to be seen from above.
Khaybar, Saudi Arabia.
May 2017.
An archaeological team
conducting an aerial survey
of the Saudi Arabian desert
makes an extraordinary
discovery:
a series of
mysterious stone structures.
Among them are 19 formations
in the shape of keyholes,
formed by walls roughly
three feet high.
NEWMAN: These were
keyhole-shaped kind of enclosures
built of quite large stones
and earth, and there
were hundreds of them
across the landscape.
And they're thought to be
thousands of years old,
but no one knows who built them.
No one knows why
they were there,
but they have this sacred symbol
of the keyhole as the design.
So the keyhole shape
is a combination
of the triangle and the circle,
and the circle is often
a representation of the Sun
and the Moon
and other heavenly objects,
whereas the triangle shape
is really the pyramid shape,
and that is a representation
of the Earth.
So it really could be
a representation
linking heaven and Earth.
NARRATOR: Scientific
testing of the materials
made to build these enclosures
dates them to roughly 6500 BC.
Could it be that
they are somehow related
to the keyhole-shaped kofuns
that were built in Japan
thousands of years later?
Curiously, a keyhole design
can be found at ancient sites
belonging to numerous
different cultures,
and all over the world.
This shape is present
in the Incan ruins of Moray
in Peru,
the Temple of the Foliated Cross
in Palenque, Mexico,
the Hopi kivas
in the American Southwest,
and the 10,000-year-old
burial mounds
in Tassili n'Ajjer, Algeria.
Why is it that there
are so many cultures
that use the keyhole shape
around the world?
Is there some commonality
to all of this?
Even though they are
thousands of miles apart?
I would say that we have to look
towards human consciousness.
And the commonality of symbols.
Since ancient times there have been keys and locks.
The keyhole is what can unlock
a portal to another place,
an unseen place,
so it has a ritual
and symbolic significance.
We are aware that there are
things we do not know,
that there are energies
that affect human life
and all other life
that we are still learning,
just barely beginning to grasp.
So the keyhole image
symbolically represents
the possibility that
such gateways can be opened.
NARRATOR:
Could the keyhole symbol
carry a profound message
for humanity?
Was this shape repeated
at ancient sites
across the globe
so that future generations
would notice it
and attempt to understand it?
Perhaps further clues
can be found
by examining the connection
between the keyhole shape
and the ancient gods.
YOUNG: Khonsu has a pendant
with a keyhole on it.
January 2018.
Archaeologists digging
in this city,
located in the heart
of the Nile River Delta,
uncover the remains
of an ancient settlement.
Among the fragments of statues,
they discover pieces
of an amulet known as a menat.
RITA LUCARELLI:
The menat is a
a very important, uh, amulet,
um, for ancient Egypt.
So, the menat was, uh, made
by a series of lines of beads
with the counterbalance,
uh, in form of a keyhole.
And this way
could use as a necklace,
with the beads in front
and a counterbalance
in the back.
NARRATOR:
In Egyptian mythology,
the menat is often worn
by the god Khonsu.
LUCARELLI: Khonsu is,
uh, mainly god of the Moon.
But he's also a healing god.
He's considered a protector
who can, uh,
ward off evil spirits
or evil forces.
Khonsu was seen
as a wandering god.
This reflects how the Moon
wanders through the heavens.
He has a pendant
with a keyhole on it.
This represents
the gatekeeping function
of this particular divinity,
the ability
to open unseen worlds.
He taught many of the different sciences to the people.
He was also related
to technology.
So this is the suggestion
that he may have been involved
in some of the construction
of the sites there
in ancient Egypt.
NARRATOR:
Paintings often depict the gods
giving the menat
to members of Egyptian nobility.
While mainstream historians
contend the amulet
was simply a piece of jewelry,
ancient astronaut theorists
suspect it was
something more profound.
If you look at some of the earliest representations
of the menat,
rays are jumping out
into four different heads
that are on sticks.
What is going on?
To me, that is a representation
of something technological
that our ancestors witnessed.
But they
couldn't quite figure out yet
what they were looking at.
NARRATOR: Curiously,
Khonsu isn't the only lunar deity
or Moon god
symbolized by a keyhole shape.
We also have Tanit, the
Canaanite or Phoenician goddess
who, again, her symbol
was that of the keyhole shape,
and she was connected
with travel.
She was also connected
with machinery.
So, again,
there could be connections here
between these ancient cultures
and this symbol.
NARRATOR: Do depictions
of Khonsu and Tanit
point to the keyhole shape,
representing some type
of technological device?
And could it be more
than mere coincidence
that both have a connection
to the Moon?
Ancient astronaut theorists
believe further clues
can be found on the Italian island of Sardinia.
Today, this picturesque island
in the Mediterranean
is famous
for its crystalline waters,
white sandy beaches,
and luxurious resorts.
But thousands of years ago,
Sardinia was home to one of the
most mysterious civilizations
in the ancient world
the nuraghe.
The nuraghic culture of Sardinia
were a Bronze Age people
who occupied the island
from around 1800 BC
down to about 200 BC,
when the Romans arrived
and took over the island.
NEWMAN: There are
question marks about the dating
of the nuraghic civilization
in Sardinia.
There's so many sites there
that go back way before that.
There's dolmens that go back
to 3500 or 4000 BC.
There's, uh, the giants' tombs,
which are slightly older
than the nuraghic civilization.
And there's even a pyramid
there, Monte d'Accoddi,
which dates back
to around 3500 to 4000 BC.
The nuraghic culture emerged,
really, from nowhere.
So they were masters
of megalithic construction,
and they built
these amazing nuraghic towers
all over the country.
There are recorded
over 7,000 of them.
COLLINS:
Sardinia
is arguably one of the most
interesting sites in Europe,
not simply because of the-the
large stone structures there,
but it's the fact
that so many of them are aligned
to the Sun and the Moon
and also the stars,
that we have to ask ourselves:
did they have a belief
that their ancestors came
from the stars?
NARRATOR:
The nuraghic people
left no written
historical record,
causing many scholars
to question
how they could have achieved
such incredible building prowess
without having developed
a writing system.
In May 2018,
Oak Island treasure hunter
Marty Lagina
invited Giorgio Tsoukalos
to join him in Sardinia
to investigate the mystery
of the nuraghe
and offer
his unique perspective.
[speaking foreign language]
There, Giorgio and Marty were
met by local guide Ivana Malu
and archaeo astronomer
Mauro Peppino Zedda,
who showed them
an archaeological site
far stranger than they expected:
the well of Santa Cristina.
- Now, wait a minute, wait a minute, aspetta.
- MALU: Yes, yeah, prego.
- These are modern, right? This is reproduction.
- [laughing]: Yeah.
- No, no, I mean it.
- No, I know, I know, I know.
- MARTY: This is reproduction.
- It's what people say
when they are here they say,
"Oh, Ivana, that's a fake.
What is that?" Can you imagine
the well is 3,000 years old?
MARTY:
No. Honestly, these are
- the original stones?
- Really. Believe me.
- MARTY: Wow.
- Hundred percent.
That is built to last
for the eternity.
Well, this is spectacular.
- I mean, look at
- Do you want to touch with your hand
- the sophistication of the wall?
- Yes.
MALU:
Here we go. Andiamo.
- TSOUKALOS: This is crazy.
- MARTY: Unbelievable.
TSOUKALOS:
Look at this. It is round.
It's a perfect circle.
You can't put
a-a piece of paper
there's no mortar used
to put this stuff together.
- I mean
- MALU: It's amazing.
Incredible questo.
MARTY: Not only is it
constructed beautifully,
the foundation is
below the water table.
Okay? That's very hard to do.
I could tell you
from Oak Island,
- working in the water is difficult.
- Right? Yes.
MARTY:
This is spectacular.
NARRATOR: But the
incredibly precise construction
of the well of Santa Cristina
is not its only
extraordinary feature.
When archaeo astronomer
Mauro Peppino Zedda
began researching the
ancient structures of Sardinia
in search
of astronomical alignments,
he found that
the well of Sardinia
was constructed to track
a very specific celestial event.
[speaking foreign language]
And this cupola is really built
to observe the Moon
in its highest light.
[Zedda speaking
foreign language]
MALU [translating]:
It's maximum.
- [speaking foreign language]
- See, I get it.
Is every 18.6 years,
the full Moon reflects its light
in the deep water over there.
NARRATOR: The event tracked by
the well is known as a lunar standstill,
the time when the Moon reaches
its highest point
in the night sky and appears
to stay there for hours
before finally sinking back
toward the horizon.
But how was
an ancient civilization
one supposedly
without mathematics
or a written language
able to build a structure that
precisely tracks a lunar event
that would have only occurred
two or three times
in a normal lifetime?
The question is, there was no
written language.
How was this planned?
Because if you look at this
from above,
it's this keyhole shape,
and that, to me, is fascinating.
I have not seen anything
quite like this, okay?
I'm-I'm literally wowed by this.
Clearly, someone told
the local people
how to place these stones
into different areas,
because it was a connection
to the celestial realm.
So you're surmising
the technology was
given to these people?
- The engineering knowledge.
- Yeah. Yeah.
Because this screams
mathematics.
Yes, it does.
TSOUKALOS: It is unlike anything that I've ever seen,
even though the stone steps
have reminded me
of inside the grand gallery
of the Great Pyramid.
You can't put a dollar bill
in between the fittings.
No mortar was used;
it's absolute perfection.
And the hole with the oculus has
a deviation of about 11 degrees.
So, that right there is
something that's fascinating
because only with that
11-degree deviation
do you actually recognize
this lunar standstill.
So, my suggestion is that
this engineering knowledge
was given to the local culture
at the time
by the extraterrestrials.
I'm not offering
this opinion lightly.
The legends and the statuary and
the figurines and the objects
that have been found here
all speak of someone
descending from the sky.
NARRATOR: Ancient Moon
gods in Egypt and Carthage
symbolized by a keyhole.
An ancient well in Sardinia,
aligned to record
a rare lunar event
and also shaped like a keyhole.
Could these incredible parallels
provide evidence
of extraterrestrial intervention
on Earth?
Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes
and suggest further evidence
can be found by examining
another mysterious structure
in a remote village in India.
PRAVEEN MOHAN:
The well of Badlapur
June 2018.
Thousands flock to
the Pasadena Convention Center
to attend Alien Con,
a three-day event
that brings together
ancient astronaut theorists
and UFO researchers
from across the world.
Featured contributor
Giorgio Tsoukalos
has just returned
from his trip to Sardinia.
And while relating
what he experienced there
to convention attendees,
he is shown a photo
that is shockingly familiar.
The well of Santa Cristina is
one of the most amazing
architectural sites
I've ever seen.
On that photo
I was given at Alien Con
was an almost-identical well
4,000 miles away in India.
And I was like,
"This is incredible."
When you look at these
two structures from the sky,
immediately you see
that they both
are in the shape of a keyhole.
So you have to wonder,
"Is there a connection?"
And that is the big question.
NARRATOR:
A similar keyhole-shaped well
4,000 miles away?
Is it possible
that the well in India
located in the town
of Badlapur, near Mumbai
is somehow connected
to the well in Sardinia?
Mainstream archaeologists
believe
that the well at Badlapur
was created around 1715
during the time of Shivaji.
But there are
no inscriptions in the well
which state how old it is.
The fact is, locals believe
that this well was created
much, much earlier in time,
possibly dating back
to thousands of years.
Archaeological records in India
are not precisely kept,
so it is entirely possible
that this well was built
at the same as the step well
in Sardinia.
NARRATOR:
Curiously, both wells have
a similar connection
to the Moon.
In Sardinia,
it's the Moon shining down
on that pool of water
once every 18 years.
And in India, we have 18 steps
leading down
to the water's edge.
Both of them reflective
of the 18-year lunar cycle.
NARRATOR: Another
commonality between the two ancient
keyhole-shaped structures
is that both were constructed
using sophisticated
building techniques.
The Badlapur well was
originally constructed
without the use of any mortar,
which has only
been added in recent years
to ensure its preservation.
The well of Badlapur
was created without the use
of any mortar.
This type of construction is
based on the ancient technology
of Ayurveda where you are able
to create a structure
that can survive
for many thousands of years.
NARRATOR:
Archaeologists suggest
that this construction style,
known as Ayurvedic architecture,
is derived from
the ancient science of design
described in India's
oldest Sanskrit texts.
To the millions
of Hindu faithful,
these texts known as Vedas
are accounts given directly
by the gods themselves,
and only transcribed by humans.
CHILDRESS:
We still have
these ancient texts
from ancient India.
It's really the only
civilization left
that has this continuous thread to the very, very ancient past.
And these books can still be
read by Sanskrit scholars today.
And what these books talk about
is extraterrestrial gods
coming to ancient India.
TSOUKALOS: Now, the ancient
astronaut theory proposes that
the reason why these similar
structures exist is because
perhaps both cultures were
visited by the same teachers.
So, who knows if the nuraghic
culture of ancient Sardinia
was visited
by the same extraterrestrials
that were visiting
ancient India,
because in both cases
there are local stories
of beings
descending from the sky.
Some thousands of years,
we were visited
by beings from outer space.
These beings, they wanted
that we develop technology.
They wanted that sooner
or later we find out
that we are
the offsprings of them.
So they left clues
on this planet Earth.
NARRATOR: Is it possible
that these two ancient wells,
separated by thousands of miles
and with eerily similar
construction styles,
were built with the help
of extraterrestrial beings?
And if so, does the keyhole
shape represent some type
of technology
wielded by these visitors?
Ancient astronaut theorists
suggest
further clues can be found
by examining the significance
of this shape throughout India
in the form of the stupa.
MOHAN: In Ajanta caves, there
are many carvings of Buddha
inside stupas.
From the front, it appears
as though Buddha is standing
inside
an elaborately carved arch.
But the fact is,
what we are seeing
from the front is
a cross section of
a stupa, inside of which
Buddha is standing.
And what is a stupa?
It is nothing
but some kind of a vehicle.
It is also shaped
in the form of a keyhole.
TSOUKALOS: Buddha sitting
inside a stupa, in my opinion,
is this creature
inside a pod lifting off.
If we had one or ten
or even 20 examples like that,
you could be like,
"All right, interesting."
But what if I told you there
are millions of the same motif
in India about
celestial beings depicted
living in clouds up in the sky?
Whatever the shape was
that inspired the keyhole shape
was what was so important,
and in my opinion,
that was a flying craft.
NARRATOR: Is it possible
that the keyhole symbol
found throughout the world
was inspired
by the shape of
an extraterrestrial spacecraft
that our ancestors witnessed
descending from the sky?
Some ancient astronaut theorists
suggest there may be another,
even more profound explanation,
and point to
an early Hebrew text
that describes a magic ring
used to control demons.
HENRY: The archangel Michael is going to give Solomon a power
King Solomon
of the United Kingdom of Israel
begins construction
on a great temple
to house
the Ark of the Covenant.
According to the Hebrew Bible,
this sacred chest was built
to carry the stone tablets
on which the Ten Commandments
were written
and also facilitated
direct communication with God.
There's an ancient legend,
recorded in,
of all places, the Talmud,
wherein which it is said
that there were specific needs
for building Solomon's Temple
that no human being
could provide.
HENRY: In the story,
Solomon prays to God,
and instantly
the archangel Michael manifests,
as if out of thin air.
And Michael says that
he's going to give Solomon
a power that has never
before been seen on Earth
and never again shall be.
And he produces for him a golden ring with a signet seal.
LITTLE: This is known as
the Secret Seal of Solomon.
And it is a magical sign
which has that interesting shape
like a keyhole.
COLLINS: This ring was used
to command a legion of 72 jinn.
These are fire spirits, uh,
in Arabian tradition.
And once they were
under his control,
he used them to build monuments,
including Solomon's Temple
itself.
NARRATOR:
According to the Talmud,
these otherworldly beings
that Solomon was able to rule
with his divine
keyhole-shaped seal
were led by a jinn
named Ashmedai.
In constructing
Solomon's Temple,
Ashmedai not only oversaw
the building of the tabernacle
to hold the Ark of the Covenant,
but also a number of underground
hidden chambers.
TZADOK: Ashmedai
brought with him an army
of his followers who built
those places of the temple,
which no human being was allowed
to even know existed.
So these legends come down
to us to this day
that this temple of Solomon, the
parts that were subterranean,
were not built by human hands
and, therefore, secret
to this day to the human eye.
CHILDRESS: They built all
kinds of tunnels and chambers.
And you have to wonder if it might have something to do
with this high technology
that they put
into some very safe place
for keeping.
NARRATOR: Could it be that
the technology Solomon was given
to build his temple was hidden
somewhere beneath it?
Solomon's Temple was destroyed
by the Babylonian king
Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 BC.
But nearly 1,700 years later,
the site where it stood,
known today as Temple Mount,
was excavated
by a group
of warrior monks called
the Order of Solomon's Temple,
also known as
the Knights Templar.
And many believe that
they did not leave empty-handed.
[horse neighs]
The Knights Templars got
a commission from the Pope
to actually do excavations
at Solomon's Temple.
And the story there goes that
the Templars actually discovered
a secret chamber
beneath the temple.
NARRATOR: While it remains
unknown just what the Knights Templar
may have uncovered,
researchers know that
they would go on to display
incredible building prowess,
much like that of the jinn
that legend credits
with building Solomon's Temple.
The Knights Templars had
very advanced knowledge
of geometry, mathematics,
architecture,
and of working with stone.
Some of the early constructions
include the Gothic cathedrals
of Europe, and they show
remarkable technology.
The way they worked with stone,
the hidden geometry,
the mathematics, and the sort of
spiritual dimensions
that these elements create
are quite remarkable.
NARRATOR: Curiously,
nearly every Templar church
was built in the shape
of a keyhole
when viewed from above.
But perhaps most notable of all
is that at a former
Templar stronghold in France
called Rennes-Le-Château,
there is a statue of Ashmedai,
the king of the jinn
that helped Solomon
to build his temple.
TZADOK: Rumor has it
that the Templar Knights
endeavored to communicate
with Ashmedai,
the king of the Shedim,
the jinn,
who built the temple
to serve Solomon.
NARRATOR: Is it possible
that the Knights Templar
were in possession of
a long-lost alien technology?
One that was witnessed and
documented all over the world
in ancient times?
Ancient astronaut theorists
say yes
and suggest further clues
as to just what
this technology was
and if it still exists
somewhere on Earth today
can be found
by examining the most iconic
sacred object
in all of Christianity:
the Holy Grail.
Architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini
oversees the finishing touches
on his masterpiece,
St. Peter's Square.
This resplendent portico
consists of
two straight colonnades
that open up to a wide ellipse.
St. Peter's Square is
a very large plaza
in front of St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.
The thing is that St. Peter's
Square is not a square.
It's a keyhole shape,
and the question is why?
The architect Bernini
tells us that
when he envisioned
the keyhole shape,
it was to create a sort
of a womb or a vessel
so that the visitor
to this place
would feel like they're
embraced by the welcoming
or loving arms of the Church,
that as many as one million
people can gather together
in this spot.
In fact, they would gather
around a-a large
Egyptian obelisk
made of red granite
that's in the exact center
of the apex of this site.
But we know
that shapes hold power,
shapes have power.
We have to ask the question,
could this be something more?
NARRATOR: Some historians
suggest a clue as to why
St. Peter's Square was designed
in the shape of a keyhole
can be found at the Garway
Templar church in England.
In her 2007 book the Knights
Templar Encyclopedia,
author Karen Ralls notes
that there is a curious etching
above the church's piscina:
a keyhole-shaped chalice
thought to depict
the Holy Grail.
There are different perspectives
on what the Holy Grail is.
The one that most people
are familiar with
is that it's actually
a cup or a chalice,
one that was present
at the Last Supper
and that also was present
at the Crucifixion.
What's interesting is that
the Grail is very often
distinctively keyhole-shaped.
This is eerily similar to what
the Seal of Solomon looks like.
The keyhole shape that is
believed to be
the actual symbol
that Solomon used
in order to bind
or control demons.
NARRATOR: Could it be that the
Holy Grail and the Ring of Solomon
are both representations
of a technology
that was wielded
by extraterrestrial visitors?
A mysterious 12th-century
nobleman
named Wolfram von Eschenbach,
who is often regarded
as the greatest poet
of the Middle Ages,
wrote of the Holy Grail
falling to Earth
from the heavens.
One of the origin stories
of the Grail is that it was
a giant emerald that was
in the crown that Lucifer wore
before his fall,
that instead of descending
to the underworld,
it fell accidentally to Earth.
So we have a little piece
of heaven here on Earth.
NARRATOR: While scholars debate
what parts of Eschenbach's works
were meant to be taken as fact,
he goes into great detail
about the Grail,
which he alleged was carved
from this otherworldly gemstone.
HENRY: The stone can
instantly manifest wishes
through the power of
a frequency or vibration.
This is very important
because one of the critical uses
for the Grail is that
it could transmute
one thing into another.
A wasteland into a garden,
for example.
Wolfram von Eschenbach said that
the Grail fell from the heavens.
What if the Grail is, in fact,
extraterrestrial technology?
[horse neighs]
LYNN PICKNETT: We know that the Knights Templar
spent some time in Jerusalem,
and it's often said that they
were looking for holy relics.
They were looking, perhaps,
for the Holy Grail.
Had they got it,
where would they have taken it?
So let's think about
St. Peter's Square,
in light of this.
Maybe it tells us that
the Grail is in Vatican City.
NARRATOR: is it possible that
Bernini designed St. Peter's Square
in the shape of a keyhole
to provide a clue
that the Holy Grail resides
somewhere at the Vatican?
And was the Holy Grail not a cup
that could bestow
everlasting life
but a powerful
extraterrestrial technology?
Some ancient astronaut theorists
believe the Grail
may represent something
even more profound,
and point back to the keyhole
shape found on Mars.
NARRATOR:
November 2016.
After a three-year study
of the keyhole formation
discovered on Mars,
an independent research team
led by the director
of the Cydonia Institute,
George Haas,
publishes their findings.
The team determined
that the formation exhibits
such perfect symmetry
that it is highly unlikely
to be the result
of natural erosion.
It appears what we're
seeing on Mars
is evidence of some unknown
extraterrestrial culture
that I think may have been
telling the story
of where we came from
and possibly
where we may be going.
NARRATOR: If the keyhole formation
on Mars is an artificial structure,
as this scientific study
suggests,
could it indicate
that an alien technology,
documented by our ancestors,
was left on Earth's closest
neighboring planet
for humanity to one day
discover?
Or is it possible
that the structure
does not represent
some physical object
but carries a more
important message?
Was it meant to tell us
that there are profound secrets
waiting to be unlocked
about both our past
and our future?
When we look at all the examples of the keyhole shape
as it appears throughout different myths and traditions,
it tells us that
that is a vital shape
for us to understand.
And it suggests to me that when
we find the keyhole shape,
no matter where it is,
that they all refer
to this great mystery,
symbolized by the keyhole,
and that perhaps
by understanding one,
it's gonna help us to unlock
the mysteries of all,
and release some tremendous
cosmic power.
TSOUKALOS: I think that
there's an extraterrestrial message
inside this keyhole shape.
If anything, it is a project
of spreading knowledge
and information throughout
the entire universe.
Because without information,
what-what do you have?
You have nothing.
CHILDRESS: I think that what's really lying in store for humanity now
is that we will prove
these keyhole shapes
are really signifying
intelligent life,
perhaps giving us technology
and helping us go into space.
NARRATOR: Could it be that
the keyhole shape symbolizes
a connection to the universe
that humankind
is only beginning to comprehend?
Are religious artifacts
like the Holy Grail
not divine or even
extraterrestrial objects
but messages meant to tell us
that our destiny lies
in the stars?
Perhaps we are on the verge
of finally understanding
the significance of this
ubiquitous symbol
and the next giant leap
for mankind
will be more profound
than we could ever imagine.
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