(gentle music) - [Narrator] The world is a vault of untold wonders, waiting to be unlocked.

Some chase the thrill of discovery, others the promise of wealth or immortality in the pages of history.

It's the allure of the unknown that beckons, enigmatic relics that have lured explorers for centuries.

Deciphering ancient codes, tracing forgotten maps, uncovering treasures buried by time, each clue offers a glimpse into lost worlds, and fuels the eternal quest to uncover humanity's lost treasures and hidden secrets.

(gentle music) The world teems with hidden wonders and ancient mysteries.

Some are man made, while some are created by an angry earth, spitting fire and brimstone.

And when the dust settles, extraordinary treasures are unearthed.

For centuries, Italy was the heart of the Roman Empire, a vast, powerful civilization that shaped law, architecture, and culture across Europe and beyond, while Mount Vesuvius looked down over Pompeii and its 20,000 inhabitants.

At the start of this millennia, the mountain gave no sign of the power it held within, and they had no idea the countdown to devastation had already begun.

(volcano erupting) On October 24th, 79 AD, Vesuvius erupted with unimaginable destruction.

The explosion of lava and scalding gases completely consumed Pompeii, silencing every breath under its suffocating blanket of volcanic ash.

But incredibly, as a result, the secrets normally lost to time in so many of our ancient cities were perfectly preserved under the ash.

Homes and human remains frozen in time offered an eerie glimpse into the everyday life of ancient Rome.

But, perhaps even more incredibly, an ancient text from the Sibylline Oracles seemingly predicted the eruption of Vesuvius.

The premonition called it a punishment by God for the destruction of a temple in Jerusalem.

"Fire shall come flashing forth in the broad heaven, and many cities burned and men destroyed, and much black ashes shall fill the great sky, and small drops like red earth shall fall from heaven."

Indeed, Rome had sacked the great city and destroyed the Second Temple in 70 AD, just nine years before Pompeii was buried by ash and lava.

It's a remarkable prediction of an unpredictable disaster.

Or it would be, if it were true.

Historians now believe the so-called revelations were actually written after the eruption took place in order to make it appear as though it was God's revenge.

Was the prophecy mere coincidence, or did the people of Pompeii meet their end under a divine curse?

Either way, mystery continues to swirl around the event and its curse.

People who have taken objects from Pompeii's historic sites claim they have fallen ill or become victims of misfortune.

So, the advice from the locals is to look, but leave things where they lay.

That includes one of Pompeii's most haunting aspects, the casts of its victims, seemingly frozen in their final agonies.

Initially thought to be perfectly preserved bodies, these casts were created by archaeologists in the 19th century.

As the bodies decomposed, they left voids in the hardened ash, which were filled with plaster to recreate the victims' forms.

But some attribute the preservation to mystical forces protecting the dead.

While modern science explains the technique, the sight of these figures, hands raised, faces contorted, continues to evoke unease and fascination.

The casts are more than artefacts.

they are silent witnesses to the final moments of Pompeii's inhabitants, capturing the fragility of life and the power of nature.

Pompeii was a thriving port town in its day, its wealth drawn from trade and fertile soil.

Villas, markets, and public baths buzzed with activity, while the scent of olives and wine drifted from thriving orchards.

At least 25 taverns lined Pompeii's streets.

But much more went on in them than merry drinking and singalongs.

Back room walls are covered in frescoes of erotic scenes.

But these wall paintings were not just for decoration.

The imagery was a menu of the services provided by the women who worked in the establishments.

The ancient brothels also featured stone beds, curtained rooms, and dim candlelight, designed to enhance desire.

It might seem dark and seedy, but visiting a Pompeii prostitute was no dirty secret.

In fact, for Roman men, indulging in pleasures of the flesh was no more stigmatised than going to the gym or a pub is today.

The largest of the brothels, the Lupanar, housed 10 rooms.

Graffiti etched into the walls hinted at the hidden lives of its visitors, offering fragmented, personal glimpses into Roman life.

But beneath the allure lay a darker truth.

Though prostitution was legal, many of the women who worked there were enslaved, treated as property, trapped with no hope of escape from their harsh existence.

The Villa of Mysteries, on the other hand, shows Pompeiians didn't always have their minds in the gutter, but it does reveal another mysterious side to them.

The villa is remarkably well-preserved and features large rooms, hanging gardens, and a panoramic view of the Gulf of Naples, but it's also famous for large continuous frescoes that cover the walls.

But rather than depict scenes of eroticism, one of the frescos is so cryptic it has intrigued archaeologists and the public since its discovery.

It is believed to depict the initiations of a young woman into a cult.

The secret of what the cult was remains unsolved and may only be revealed through further excavations.

Until then, we can only wonder.

Which means Pompeii's story is far from over, as ancient mysteries continue to surface from beneath the ash and new secrets revealed with every excavation.

Pompeii is an accidental tomb created by nature.

However, some of our ancient ancestors and their treasures were deliberately entombed, preserved at the point of death by man for all eternity.

(upbeat music) Egypt's capital, Cairo, is a bustling metropolitan city in North Africa, dripping with legends of stolen treasures and hidden chambers only just now being uncovered by modern technology.

People flock to Cairo in millions to see the great Pyramids of Giza located close to fifteen kilometres from the city.

The three pyramids were part of the ancient city of Memphis, Egypt's capital during the Old Kingdom period.

The pyramids are tombs to three pharaohs.

The largest, known as the Great Pyramid, was built for Pharaoh Khufu around 2550 BC.

The two other pyramids were one for his son Khafra, and the smallest, which is about half the height of the Great Pyramid, was for Khafra's son, Menkaure.

Originally standing at 146 metres, the Great Pyramid was one and a half times the height of the Statue of Liberty, and the world's tallest human-made structure for more than 3,800 years.

The pyramids are aligned almost perfectly with magnetic north.

The calculations used to position them are staggering for the time.

How did the ancient engineers complete these calculations?

Historians speculate they probably used the stars as a guide.

These giant royal tombs were only a fragment of an elaborate funerary complex, complete with queens' burial sites and mortuary temples, where daily offerings once nourished the spirits of the dead.

The Pharaoh's final resting place lay within the king's chamber, in the middle of this towering structure, one chamber for the queen, another for the king.

But the mysteries deepen within the empty chambers.

Stripped of treasures long ago, their wealth vanished into the hands of ancient looters.

Was it simply plunder by opportunistic thieves, or did the riches serve some hidden purpose, spirited away by those who wished to bury secrets alongside the gold?

Despite having been investigated and excavated for centuries, these remarkable buildings continue to reveal more and more secrets.

Beyond the three main burial chambers and passageways inside the Great Pyramid, a hidden world lies waiting to be explored.

Using advanced cosmic-ray scans, or muography, scientists are able to penetrate the thick limestone walls without destructive drilling.

The technique, similar to an X-ray but on a much grander scale, uses muons, subatomic particles that constantly rain down on Earth from space.

By measuring the density of muons passing through the pyramid, researchers can identify hidden voids and structures.

It may take away some of the pyramid's ancient allure, but in 2017, this method revealed a large cavity on the Great Pyramid's north face, about 30 metres long and 17 metres above the ground's surface.

The discovery shocked the world and deepened the structure's mystery.

In 2023, a hidden corridor nearly two metres wide and 10 metres long, sloping upward was uncovered near the front entrance of the Great Pyramid.

But its purpose remains secret.

Does it guard a secret chamber?

Or perhaps lead to treasures yet unseen?

Scientists and archaeologists continue to explore the corridor, but for now, it offers more questions than answers, deepening the intrigue of one of history's most iconic structures.

The pyramids dominate the horizon.

Ancient Egyptians knew how to make things on the grandest scale.

The Great Sphinx of Giza is a colossal statue with the body of a lion and the head of a human.

At approximately 76.3 metres long and 20 metres high, it's as long as a Boeing 747-8 model and as tall as a six-story building.

It was carved from a single piece of limestone around four and a half thousand years ago.

It's thought to have taken 100 workers three years to sculpt, using stone hammers and copper chisels.

The face is now damaged, its nose notably missing, but how is a mystery.

Some blame Napoleon's soldiers undertaking callous target practise with their cannons, but sketches from centuries earlier show it already gone.

Others say it was cut off by Muhammad Sa'im al-Dahr, a mystic, angered by peasants praying to the statue for harvest blessings.

Was it desecration, a misguided act to suffocate spirits, or merely weather and time?

Most experts agree the great statue's nose came off with a chisel, but whose chisel may be forever lost to the desert winds.

The Sphinx's missing facial feature is not its only mystery.

Between its paws sits an ancient granite monument thought to have been erected by Pharaoh Thutmose IV around 1401 BCE.

Legend has it that in the shadow of the Great Sphinx, young Prince Thutmosis drifted into a slumber beneath the scorching midday sun.

In his dream, the Sphinx spoke, promising him Egypt's throne, but only if he would free the buried statue from encroaching sands.

Was this a prophecy or a tale crafted to cement the prince's own legacy?

Scholars wonder if the 3.6 metre, 15-ton Dream Stele is a genuine relic or a clever replacement, enhancing either Thutmosis' reign or the Sphinx's mythology.

The truth remains elusive.

Adding to the mystery, access tunnels were discovered in 1998 in several large natural caves hiding silently beneath the Sphinx.

It's thought these may lead to secret tunnels and chambers that contain ancient treasures or even mystical knowledge.

Other theories say ancient texts fill the shelves of a hidden library or perhaps a mortuary filled with the skeletons of Egypt's ancestors.

The truth is nobody knows not yet anyway.

Although there are no direct references to chambers in ancient texts, the discovery of the pyramid's chambers makes it very likely, one day, spaces will be discovered and explored in the Sphinx too.

It's likely just the beginning of unravelling Ancient Egypt's secrets.

Because our oldest cities all around the world are gatekeepers to humanity's ancient past.

(gentle music) In a land of immense jungles and rich cultural influences from both India and China, Phnom Penh serves as the political and economic capital of Cambodia, but it wasn't always so.

In the northwestern part of the country lies the region's ancient capital Angkor.

Cambodia's history is marked by the grandeur of the Khmer Empire, which flourished from the 9th to the 15th centuries, leaving behind a legacy of temples and monuments on an immense scale.

At its heart is Angkor Wat, the world's largest religious structure covering some 162 hectares, or about the size of 320 football fields.

Angkor Wat comprises more than a thousand buildings and is undoubtedly one of the great cultural wonders of the world.

A 188-meter bridge provides access to the site.

The main temple is reached by passing through three galleries, each separated by a walkway.

The five spires of the temple, or prasats, feature ornate carvings of Hindu mythology, culminating in a lotus-shaped peak.

Each prasat is hollow, serving as sanctuaries for statues of deities or sacred relics, and their elevation suggests a symbolic ascent toward the heavens.

The towers would have originally been gilded in gold.

Over time, the gold has either been lost, looted, or eroded due to the centuries of exposure to the natural elements and human activity.

In Cambodian mythology and local belief, the construction of Angkor Wat is often attributed to divine or celestial beings.

Specifically, one legend suggests that the Khmer king, Suryavarman II, who commissioned its construction, was divinely inspired by Hindu cosmology, intending the temple to represent Mount Meru, the home of the gods.

The grandeur and complexity of the temple, along with its celestial alignments, have led many to believe that it was not only a human achievement but one supported by divine guidance.

The temple's precise measurements, intricate carvings, and advanced irrigation systems, speculating that cosmic deities lent their knowledge to its construction Today, its silence whispers a forgotten story.

Despite its size and wealth, Angkor Wat was mysteriously abandoned in the 15th century.

Why was this magnificent city, with its towering temples and intricate carvings, abandoned to the jungle?

Was it the wrath of the gods as some legends claim, or was it for more earthly reasons?

Perhaps it was a changing climate droughts and floods that disrupted the delicate balance of life.

Some speak of shifting trade routes, as maritime commerce lured wealth and power away from the inland empire.

Some believe the abandonment of Angkor Wat was rooted in a spiritual shift, when the Khmer people transitioned from Hinduism to Theravada Buddhism, leading its grand towers to fall out of favour with the new belief system.

This incredible sprawling culture was then lost to the jungle for several centuries, known to locals through legend.

French archaeologist Henri Mouhot encountered it around 1860.

He came across the jungle covered ruins while exploring the tributaries of the Mekong River.

The empire was much larger than anyone guessed.

And even today, infrastructures are being found all the time using remote sensors.

Laser mapping shows Angkor was the size of modern day Los Angeles, and a million people lived in what was largest city on earth prior to the industrial revolution.

The are still many unanswered mysteries surrounding Angkor Wat.

How did the ancient builders set the stones during the Wat's construction so perfectly without the use of plaster or mortar, The walls of Angkor Wat seem to be covered with carved events from Hindu mythology and the Khmer empire, yet experts continue to debate about what these carvings mean and why they're here.

The images represented in the carvings are baffling even to historians.

As the sun sets on Angkor Wat, its shadows deepen.

The stones hold its secrets close, leaving us only to ponder the fate of this once-great civilization.

(gentle music) Some of humanity's greatest mysteries come from settlements that have either fallen to ruin or been abandoned, like the modest former British colony that sits on the temperate windswept island off the South East Coast of Australia in the Tasman Sea.

It has a lingering legacy of cruelty and ghosts that still cause goosebumps.

Tasmania's capital city, Hobart, is built around the second deepest natural harbour in the world.

And during the 19th century, it was the Southern Hemisphere's main whale port.

But 100 kilometres south east of Hobart, there lies a former timber station that became one of the most notorious penal colonies in Australia, housing some of the most hardened British criminals since 1830.

Port Arthur provides many eerie tales as it gave lashes with the whip.

It was a place of relentless punishment.

Convicts endured backbreaking labour in isolation, surrounded by cold, unforgiving walls.

And beyond them, a cold, unforgiving wilderness.

The grounds' haunting silence was punctuated by the cries of prisoners, subjected to harsh physical and psychological torment.

The colony closed almost 150 years ago, but parts of its penal outpost still stand today, along with its many myths and legends.

Many prisoners lost their lives there.

And ghostly goings on have been a draw for visitors since, especially in a place called the Separate Prison, where men were held in solitary confinement.

During prison tours, visitors often experience drops in temperature, unexplained noises like rattling chains, and the feeling of being touched or scratched.

It's not just in the prison, a sorrowful presence lingers in the nearby town The Blue Lady is thought to be the wife of an accountant who lived in the settlement during the 1800s before losing her life and that of her child during childbirth.

People report sightings of her spectral figure, dressed in a crinoline gown, wandering endlessly in search of her lost baby.

Her presence haunts the site, adding a chilling layer to Port Arthur's dark history.

Others are convinced they've seen the ghost of a young girl who, according to legend, fell down the stairs and died in a pool of blood.

Those who pass feel a cold touch, as if sharing the fear she felt in her final moments.

And of course, the aptly named Isle of Dead has a reputation for ghostly apparitions too, and for good reason.

It served as a burial ground for over a thousand convicts, military personnel, and free settlers.

Visitors and staff have reported strange occurrences on the island, including disembodied voices.

Many believe the spirits of those buried there, particularly the convicts, continue to haunt the isle, unable to find peace even in death Tasmania has a long history of notorious criminals and the legends that shadowed them.

One of them was the father of Australia's most notorious bushrangers, a terrifying outlaw who targeted travellers and rebelled against British colonial rule.

In 1842, Irish prisoner John Red Kelly was transported to Hobart's convict camps for stealing two pigs in his home country.

Once released, he moved to Glenrowan, Victoria, and had eight children.

It was his third born, Edward, who grew up to become the legendary Ned Kelly.

Ned was just 11 when his father died.

And from that tender age, he began having run-ins with the law.

After a short stint in prison at the age of 15, Ned became the protege of one infamous bushranger at the time, Harry Power.

Resentment towards authorities grew within the young Kelly, believing his family was unfairly targeted by the police for crimes they didn't commit.

Eventually, forming the Kelly gang with his brother and two others, they went on a two-year murderous crime spree, stealing and robbing.

He was as charismatic as he was dangerous, but he had a point of difference over the other bushrangers of the day that formed part of his legend.

His home-made armour.

Made from metal parts taken from a farmer's plough, it was surprisingly effective at deflecting bullets, and made him seem more threatening and even ghostly.

As described by a journalist who witnessed his last battle, Kelly was described as looking like the ghost of Hamlet's father without his head.

The Kelly Gang had a grand plan to derail a special police train and declare a republic of North East Victoria.

But this all came to an end during the infamous standoff and shootout at Glenrowan Inn on the 28th of June 1880.

During the long siege with police, Ned was wounded in the left hand, left arm, and right foot, and retreated into the bushland.

Kelly lay hidden for most of that night.

Then, at dawn, dressed in his legendary armour and armed with three handguns, he emerged from the bush, an iron-clad phantom.

The police opened fire, their bullets ricocheting off his helmeted figure as he advanced toward them.

But Kelly fell, wounded in the legs.

Captured at last, the infamous bushranger's criminal reign was over.

Legend has it that the arresting police officers kept part of the armour as souvenirs.

Some myths suggest there could still be undiscovered armour pieces hidden in remote areas of the Australian countryside, buried or abandoned during their various escape attempts.

Many believe there may be even more Kelly gang treasures hidden away too.

Gold, coins and jewellery yet to be discovered, sparking many hunts for the loot over the years.

One legend says Ned Kelly hid secret documents containing details of corruption within the police force or the government, which he intended to reveal to the public.

True or not, it was never meant to be.

Kelly was hanged for his crimes on the 11th of November 1880, but went down in history as Australia's most famous bushranger.

Perhaps with a different roll of the dice, he could have been a designer or engineer with a legacy of creation, rather than crime.

(gentle music) With a rich history of culture and invention, Prague in the Czech Republic is home to one of the world's most treasured timepieces, the Astronomical Clock.

Installed in 1410, it's the oldest working astronomical clock in the world.

Mikuláa of KadaH designed and built the clock with mathematician and astronomer Jan Sindel.

Remarkably, it was not only used to measure time, but also track the movements of the celestial bodies, and predict astronomical events.

Its most famous feature is the "Walk of the Apostles," where 12 statues parade through two doors, ending with a trumpet blast.

As a unique piece of human art, it became ensconced in myths and contentious legend.

One says it wasn't built by Mikuláa of KadaH at all, but by another clockmaker, Master Hanua.

Legend has it, the Prague councillors were so impressed by the clock, they wanted to ensure it remained unmatched to make the town famous across Europe.

To avoid the masterpiece being replicated and diluting the value of their great attraction, the councillors blinded Master Hanua with a piece of iron, but according to legend, the attempt backfired.

The blinded clockmaker retaliated by sabotaging the clock, rendering it inoperable for many years, disabling a hidden mechanism only he could restore.

Based on the legend, it was more than a century before other clockmakers figured out how to fix it and the clock started working again.

And it was a good thing too.

One legend states that when the clock ceases to function, a curse is cast across Prague and old Czechoslovakia until it is fixed.

This curse is embodied by a strange, ghostly addition to the clock.

Installed by Jan Roñe as part of an upgrade in the late 15th century, a skeleton mounted on the side of the clock is said to nod its head to confirm the Czech nation will suffer bad times until the clock is restored[29].

Whether an evil city council blinded the clock's maker or not, it remains one of the most beautiful pieces of mediaeval art in the world.

And as a combination of science, engineering, and art, it was perhaps a foreshadowing of the renaissance movement, building just around the corner.

(ceremonious music) During the 14th to 17th centuries, in the northern hills of Italy, Florence became a hub of art, culture, and intellectual thought.

It's celebrated as the birthplace of the Renaissance movement that saw Europe emerge from the Dark Ages.

Meaning rebirth, the Renaissance was a period of significant cultural change.

Wealthy families, like the Medicis, used their money to support innovators, architects, and artists of the day.

Florence was home to arguably the greatest artists of the second millennium, Michelangelo, Machiavelli, and, of course, Leonardo da Vinci.

Born in 1452, Da Vinci was a polymath whose contributions spanned sculpture, architecture, and engineering, but it was perhaps as a painter that he is best known, "The Last Supper" and, of course, the "Mona Lisa."

(gentle music) Despite being a seemingly simple portrait, it has become the most famous artwork in history.

Painted between 1503 and 1506, the "Mona Lisa" depicts Lisa Del Giocondo, the wife of a Florentine merchant, or does it?

Shrouded in mystery, the identity of the Mona Lisa's enigmatic subject remains one of art history's greatest puzzles.

Some speculate she is not Del Giocondo, but Leonardo da Vinci's own mother, or even a subtle self-portrait, the artist cloaking himself in the guise of a woman.

Adding to the intrigue, Da Vinci never delivered the painting to the man who commissioned it.

Labouring over it for four years.

By the time it was finished, he had relocated to France, taking the "Mona Lisa" with him, a work perhaps too personal or too significant to ever leave his hands.

After his death in 1519, the "Mona Lisa" was recognised as a great work, and was acquired by King Francis I of France.

(gentle music) But the oil on canvas is the keeper of many other unsolved mysteries.

Her enigmatic smile seems to change, depending on the viewer's perspective.

And what is behind that smirk?

One theory is it reflects the celebration of the birth of a new child after the loss of a previous one, happiness and sorrow in one expression.

Oddly, her eyebrows and eyelashes are missing.

Was this deliberate or could they have faded or been removed over the centuries?

And why are the backgrounds on either side of her head different?

After hanging on the bedroom wall of Napoleon Bonaparte, the "Mona Lisa" found its way to the Louvre in 1804.

But its rise to global fame didn't occur until 1911, when three men orchestrated a daring theft from the Paris museum.

The world watched in shock as headlines buzzed with the mystery of her disappearance, and an international manhunt began.

For more than two years, the painting remained lost, hidden in the shadows of the criminal underworld, until one thief tried to sell it to an unsuspecting Italian art dealer.

With the secret unravelled, the "Mona Lisa" was triumphantly returned to the Louvre, where her allure has only grown.

(gentle music) Using high resolution images and magnification, researchers found the right eye contains the microscopic letters LV which are thought to indicate Leonardo's initials.

The left eye has the symbol CE, and there is the number 72 under the arched bridge in the background.

Could this be linked to Jewish mysticism, representing the 72 names of God?

Da Vinci didn't live to see the mystery and intrigue his most famous work caused.

But one modern day street artist has managed to turn his art form into an unfolding story of myth and legend in real time.

(upbeat music) Melbourne, Australia.

Probably the country's most artistic urban environment.

It's particularly renowned for its street art, with iconic locations like Hosier Lane, AC/DC lane, and Duckboard Place, showcasing murals, stencils and paste-ups.

In 2003, it briefly became the centre of the urban art world when a mysterious street artist pencilled an image of a parachuting rat above a council building doorway in Hosier lane.

His name, Banksy.

(upbeat music) Banksy's provocative and humorous street-art stencils were already well known in the UK.

But with the appearance of the "Parachuting Rat" his fame began to spread further afield.

One of the secrets to his power, success, and mystery is his anonymity.

His street stencils are critiques of human capitalism and society that appear in urban settings under the cover of darkness.

But who is Banksy?

Nobody knows.

Legend has it, he makes public appearances, albeit in disguise.

- A crew with a camera- - [Narrator] People thought he dressed as a parking attendant during the launch of his "Dismaland" exhibition, a dark artistic parody of Disnelyand, further adding to his mystique.

(upbeat music) Born of the need to stay one step ahead of authorities, the myth around his identity means no-one knows why or how he creates some of the most iconic images of our time.

To add to the mystery, Banksy's work often has an unexpected stunt element to it.

The most famous was the auction of the "Girl with Balloon" in 2018.

As the auctioneer's hammer came down for the last time, declaring the painting sold, a hidden shredder embedded in the frame activated, slicing the lower half of the canvas into strips, much to the horror of the audience and buyer.

Banksy's work is uniquely iconoclastic.

In fact, it's all part of his appeal.

The artwork sold for just over 1 million pounds sterling, but the damaged artwork is now said to be worth eighteen and a half times more than it was in pristine condition.

The stunt also gave it a new name, "Love is in the Bin."

His works are not just artistic expressions, but seen as modern-day lost treasures, hidden on city walls, waiting to be uncovered or decoded, or stolen.

Two men were charged with burglary after a Banksy was stolen from a gallery in central London.

Whether it's the "Mona Lisa" or a "Girl with Balloon," human civilization has a long history of not just stolen art, but treasures of every kind.

If there's a legend around it, someone will want it.

Edinburgh Castle, Scotland.

The original seat of Scottish monarchs, and once home to the Stone of Scone encased in a royal coronation chair.

The Stone of Scone, also known as the Stone of Destiny, carries a legacy steeped in lore, war, and thievery.

One Celtic tale claims it originated in the Holy Lands of the Middle East, tirelessly carried across southern Europe before reaching Ireland around 700 BC.

Over a century later, the mystical stone was brought to Scotland, eventually finding a home in the village of Scone and later in Edinburgh.

Believed to hold magical powers or fairy enchantments, the Stone of Scone was said to cry out beneath the rightful king, heralding his divine authority.

A now-lost metal plaque once attached to the stone read, "Unless the fates be faulty grown and prophet's voice be vain where'er is found this sacred stone the Scottish race shall reign."

Monarchs sought to sit upon it to legitimise their reign and connect them to ancient prophecies of kingship.

The stone's mystical aura was thought to confer wisdom, strength, and protection, binding the ruler to the spiritual traditions of the land.

Wrapped in mythology and mystery, the Stone of Destiny remains a symbol of Scotland's royal heritage, entwining history with legend.

But the English also bought into the stories of the stone's special powers and ability to bestow greatness on monarchs.

In 1292, under the reign of Edward I, England invaded Scotland, and the stone was taken to Westminster Abbey in London.

English monarchs incorporated it into their coronation rituals, hoping to tap into the same ancient power.

The stone lay in the Abbey for 700 years as a symbol that Kings of England were Kings of Scotland too.

Perhaps angered by this English arrogance, a group of Scottish nationalists made a rebellious move to rectify the injustice.

On Christmas morning 1950, in a daring act cloaked in symbolism, they stole the Stone from Westminster Abbey, determined to return it to Scotland.

Weighing 152 kilogrammes, as heavy as a barrel of whisky, the stone cracked during its secretive transportation northward.

It disappeared into this new chapter of its myth, until it was discovered four months later at Arbroath Abbey, mended and draped in Scotland's flag, an unmistakable act of defiance.

The stone was restored to Westminster, but the echoes of its theft lingered.

After decades of pressure from the Scots, in 1996, the British government under Elizabeth II returned the stone to Scotland, marking its final journey, at least for now, ensuring its ancient legacy endures, steeped in mystery and national pride.

But many questions still remain about the origins of the stone.

Geologists have proven the stone taken by King Edward I to Westminster is an old red sandstone quarried near Scone, and not from the Middle East at all.

Legend has it, the rock taken by Edward was in fact a replica, while the monks of the Scone Abbey hid the real stone by burying it or dropping it into a local river.

- [Announcer] The Bible itself is then presented to her by the Moderator of the Church of Scotland.

- [Narrator] Despite being returned, the Scots still allow the stone to be used in coronations to this day, including for King Charles III in 2022.

It's an example of compromise in an effort to right some of the wrongs caused by colonialism and appropriation.

But there are still many taken treasures awaiting a return to their origin.

Across the channel, an incredible hoard of treasure remains a mystery to this very day.

With a name as evocative as it is mysterious, it's known as the Nazi gold train (gentle music) Berlin 1939, amid the looming shadow of war, a mystery started to grow around Germany's wealth.

As Nazi forces swept across Europe, so did tales of unimaginable treasures hidden in secret vaults.

The Nazis' theft of art, gold, and cultural relics grew into one of the greatest plundering efforts in history, an operation not just for greed, but one shrouded in secrecy.

By the end of the war, the Nazis had reportedly seized 20% of Europe's art, much of it vanishing without a trace.

But there was one underground myth that just wouldn't go away Said to be buried deep in the forests near Walbrzych, Poland, a Nazi gold train was rumoured to be loaded with gold bullion, jewels, and priceless artefacts.

The train was reportedly hidden as the Red Army advanced, vanishing beneath Ksiaz Castle where the Nazis carved an intricate labyrinth of tunnels.

While some of these tunnels have been explored, the fabled treasure has remained elusive.

(gentle music) In 2015, treasure hunters believed they had unlocked the mystery.

Using ground-penetrating radar, they detected an underground anomaly and negotiated with the Polish government for a finder's fee in exchange for its location.

The discovery sparked international excitement, but the excavation ultimately revealed only natural rock formations.

So where is it?

The legend endures, another unsolved riddle drawing adventurers and historians alike.

The Nazi gold train remains buried, if not in the earth, then at least in the imagination of those who seek it, ensuring the story lives on with every unsuccessful search.

(dramatic music) Tales of lost treasures stir our curiosity and reveal humanity's shared history.

Every unsolved secret inspires and challenges us.

And every unanswered question ignites the thrill of discovery.

Whether concealed beneath ruins or hidden in plain sight, our greatest mysteries remind us of our endless thirst for knowledge.

The more we learn about ourselves, the more we want to know.

(gentle music) (gentle music continues)