Traveling the Secret Worlds of Michael Arbuthnot

A review of the July 3, 2010 Travel Channel afternoon-a-thon

By ABH Alexander

There is little doubt that one of the most stimulating ways to learn is by actually going to a new exciting destination. Explore new continents, new cultures, and ancient civilizations. We all opt for the kind of travel arrangement we can manage, whether it be the careful, safe easy tour with someone giving you a narration of the site at hand. Or, after careful study of what you could see, the most revealing private tour you can find.

Fortunately, on the Travel Channel on July 3^rd, viewers were treated to a more revealing version lead a young dynamic Anthropologist, and adventurer, Michael Arbuthnot.

While the decision to air this show in six on hour segments as opposed to a single show at a time was unusual, the shows had plenty to offer the armchair adventurer. It must be noted that the promotion of the show prior to airing seemed to be mostly on-line versus the promos that normally accompany most new shows.

Since the shows constituted six hours, this review will be a little longer and will take a brief look at each one of the shows you might have seen or missed. It is likely that somewhere, sometime these shows will be re-aired, pay attention for that date and do make an effort to take an exciting trip around the world to fascinating places and puzzling archeological enigmas. As for those not familiar with the host of the show, Michael Arbuthnot, you will likely see more of him in the future, so take note.

About the Host- Michael Arbuthnot

Arbuthnot began his quest understanding the mysteries of ancient civilizations with his 1996 underwater investigation of the ruins of Yonaguni, an island in the possession of the Japanese located in the western most part of the Ryukyu Island chain, sixty-seven miles from the east coast of Taiwan. Yonaguni is a small island that appears to have been larger in ancient times before there was a sudden rise in sea levels, likely around 10,000 BC, which is before the recorded history of organized mankind begins. The diving was done in rather strong currents and resulted in an ABC-TV special and a video, The Yonaguni Enigma produced by Team Atlantis in 1998.

Team Atlantis is Arbuthnot's own vehicle to get him into production on other specials too. In 1996 there was Orion's Pyramids and in 2000, Long Rock of Cat Island and Beneath the Maya.

According to a report in Wikpedia, Arbuthnot was recruited by James Cameron, the producer, writer, and director of the movie "Titanic" in 2005. Arbuthnot reports on his website, teamatlantis.com they used two twenty-milllion dollar mini-subs and four remote cameras to capture the interior of the Titanic. Arbuthnot himself descended 12,600 feet to the Titanic to aid in getting the right footage. The ardous three hour trip to the bottom, an eight hour day there and three hours back became a memory that others could share. Arbuthnot would look back on this descent into the cold darkness as conquering those last twinges of claustrophobia in the most confined of quarters.

The Disocvery Channel aired the Earthship Productions special Last Mysteries of the Titanic in 2005. This special will also be exhibited as part of the Titanic Legacy Database Project

"We started the special which aired on the Travel Channel almost two years ago" said Arbuthnot in a recent phone interview with the author of this review.

In previous conversations with Mr. Arbuthnot as the driving force between Team Atlantis, Michael has done quite a bit of underwater Archaeology searching for traces of lost civilizations which have been covered by the shifting waters of Terra Firma.

Kicking off Secret Worlds was Arbuthnot's venture into the Southwest to find out what happened to the Anasazi

The Mystery of the Anasazi

The efforts to both enlighten and entertain were in full array from the first show, which was the Mystery of the Anasazi. This Indian Tribe in the Southwest of the United States once enjoyed a thriving civilization. At the time it was not the dry barren land that covers much of the area today; it had greater rainfall, crops and several thousand members living together in cliff and ground dwellings. The famous 600-room city called Pueblo Bonito is what remains of this once great civilization. The enormous Kiva's which could shelter hundreds in a circular hall type meeting environment, covered with enormous timbers, The clay blocks that still exist to this day are a partial testimonial to this group that one day decided to go away. The question is why?

This mystery of their disappearance has intrigued everyone from archaeologists to UFO investigators. There are some who believe they were taken back to the skies. Ancient Mythology is replete with accounts of Gods from the skies visiting. In the case of the Biblical Enoch it is said he was actually taken aloft to the skies in front of witnesses for a very extended visit. Some believe the Anasazi may have removed with assistance from those from the sky.

Arbuthnot gets more factual with local researchers who believe the reality of the vanishing Anasazi is more mundane. Arbuthnot is shown how the drought at the time of the disappearance of the Anasazi is noted in tree rings from that period. Tree rings appear much closer together during time of drought our host is told. Afterwards, some went to the cliffs, others, well, that could be another program if the numbers go right.

Our new young host casts a strong presence in front of the camera and while fair-minded will entertain theories which may not be strictly academic or mainstream.

Show 2 The Mystery of the Copper Scroll

Arbuthnot opens the case of the Mystery of the Copper Scroll for the second show. Since Copper Scrolls were among the 700 or so scrolls found near the ancient town of Khirbet Quamran since 1947, what they say and what they are interpreted as saying can be a subject of scholarly debate.

Arbuthnot tackles this mystery because some are claiming the scrolls are much older and may lead to hidden treasures and other antiquities stashed in the desert. This part of the show was aided by Biblical Productions and they helped Arbuthnot get great locations and interesting interviews. Among them was Jimmy D. Barfield or Jimmy D as he is called head the Copper Scroll Project, he claims the date on the scrolls to be hundreds of years before the 100 BC to 68 AD time frame generally accepted by most in the field.

Others interviewed were Shimon Gibson, Danny Herman and Steven Pfann who all contributed something to forwarding the debate over what was called the "Code" of the Copper Scrolls.

Jimmy D's would raise the ire of academic archaeology, in particular Dr. Robert Cargill, who has written that there is no code, only an older version of Hebrew. Since Cargill, has taught the Hebrew Bible at Pepperdine University and has quite the background on this subject he is one who gets rattled at claims particularly since even Jimmy D admits he can't read the language he says he can decode.

No real treasures were revealed in this episode, unless you consider knowledge a treasure in itself. Acquiring that knowledge was aided by the shows presentation of real questions. Any assumption the modern day status-quo version of our ancient past has all the answers is likely not answering questions but trying to find ways to profit and control.

Show 3 The Lost City of Angor Wat

Cambodia is known for many things, the 1975 genocidal tragedy of the deaths of at least 1.5 million people under the dictator known as Pol Pot still cast a dark cloud over a beautiful country.

Ancient times in the area were quite different as evidenced by the massive archaeological ruins of Angor Wat. Southeast Asia has a long history of warfare, it was approximately 1,000 years ago during the reign of King Suryavarman II that there was enough power on a throne, enough people, and peace to engage a good number of people to build a massive temple complex. This rather lush construction was surrounded by water, ornately steeped with well carved towers, spires, well carved walls and an abundance of history left behind.

The lessons of history are tainted with a dark side as many of these priceless relics were torn from their secure foundations and sold on the black market. This same kind of marketing was popular with selling Egyptian mummies in the late 19^th and early 20^th century to wealthy westerners, who were looking for a good novel conversation piece.

Angor Wat, is another great indication that our ancient history embodied some very advanced civilizations, organization, purpose and astronomical knowledge which is part of this very structure. Links to the sky above, in particular, the constellation Draco are mentioned and interestingly enough have been confirmed by other notables in the field like Graham Hancock and Robert Bauval. This would make a great field trip in person or on-line; comparing it to other ancient massive structures in Egypt, South America, Europe, India and China would be a great way to rediscover our ancient past.

Arbuthnot allows himself to get immersed in the cultures he visits and that can lead into all kinds of rather socially uncomfortable situations for the normal traveler. Since the host of this show is already out of the ordinary he will opt to getting spit and sprayed upon by a local female shaman of sorts to keep evil away. Or perhaps revealing many more fleshy parts while visiting his next location of intrigue, Easter Island.

Show 4 The Mystery of Easter Island

All over the globe there is evidence of ancient man, perhaps well in excess of 4,000 years ago moving very large blocks of stone to construct. On an island a little over 2,000 miles west of Santiago, Chile there lays the puzzle of 887 large statues, most often with eyes gazing upwards to the sky.

Arbuthnot tracks down locals who are there to inform and entertain the top business of the small island, the Tourist Industry. According to this segment, over 50,000 people come every year to marvel at the construction and destruction of their ancient island.

The statues are called Moai and weight up to an incredible 150 tons; they are made of the nearby soft volcanic stone. There are several parts of the mystery, the motivation to make them and exactly how they moved them. While the mainstream archaeologists will simply perform the Giza two step and say that with enough people you can pull or push anything into place, Easter Island never teemed with the many tens of thousands that were around in Egypt. The difficulty in moving these objects carefully was actually demonstrated. The act of positioning them and having the trees and resources on hand to make it happen was too much of a strain on their fragile ecosystem. They eventually turned on themselves, literally.

Into the Island caves goes Arbuthnot with an accompanying native historian. The evidence of skeletal fragments lends credence to the cannibalism that took hold of the island. The locals were all very adept at carving Easter Island like figures and when food and resources were scarce they began to create figures with starving, sunken stomachs and ribs exposed through the flesh. To this day tourists can get carved replicas of these rather hideous demon like mementos.

When it comes to participating in actual ceremonies, Arbuthnot has taken a leap above just about anyone else. Donning what amounts to little more than a thong, getting painted in several glorious designs and colors resembling eyes on his chest, our intrepid explorer engages in native traditions. The reason for the eyes on the chest he is told is because he is an observer, a reporter to others of the deeds of men and he must see clearly. As far as reviewing the dancing ability of the host in, that is probably best left up to the ever watchful Moai themselves.

Arbuthnot's vision would be needed on his next location to see clearly into the demise of one of the most advanced civilizations of ancient times, the Maya.

Show 5 The Mystery of the Maya

In the panorama of human civilizations the lessons are many, the inability of mankind to learn them appears to be a repeating theme from many points on the globe. In Mesoamerica Maya left us with traces of science, astronomy, building and a future event in December 2012 that is creating a lot of buzz. Will this event be global in scope? Catastrophic to human life? What might change?

The Mayans along with other civilizations like the Hopi Indians of the America's believe the world has been destroyed or rebooted for you computerphiles at least three times in the past. Opinions on the subject vary but most agree there will be a massive change in December 2012.

In what is perhaps his most stunning set of the series, Arbuthnot takes the viewer on a tour of the often seen site known as Palenque, the site of the burial tomb of Lord Tikal, one of the most revered Mayan Kings whose structure was built around him after his death in 683 AD.

The camera work and photography are thought out and well executed as Arbuthnot takes the viewer to the city state of Tikal as well as a trip to the sacred Ciba Trees.

Even though traces of the Mayan peoples still live today, their civilization began a decided downturn around 600 AD. There were still accomplishments to be completed and the city of Tikal would rise to a population of around half-a-million during these years.

What happened to the Maya was a conversion in their belief system, one of harmony to one of sacrifice. Arbuthnot captured the essence of this turn saying, "Maya religious beliefs were extreme to say the least and the only way to keep them happy was with blood". The lust for sacrificial blood and key organs accounted for an untold amount of carnage. As in the Indiana Jones flick, The Temple of Doom, Mayan priests did actually pull the heart out of the victim while he was still alive and the heart was beating. In this case fiction mirrors fact, murals depicting just such events are recorded in these Mesoamerican ruins.

Arbuthnot related the tale of these sacrifices and that in spite of this blood exchanged with the gods for good rains, crops and health, drought did occur. This drought would plant the seeds of doubt and as our host put it, "Doubt means death". The discord sewn by this doubt lead to the weakening of the empire leading to the abandonment of Tikal around 899 AD. The Northern Maya would continue to thrive until around 1200 AD and disband after that. The area known as Chichen Itza, a popular tourist attraction for its ancient observatory was populated by a people who were called the Itza, abandoned this site around 1244, again reasons not entirely known.

What is known is that there was one more mystery Michael Arbuthnot would take on before he vanishes into the swirling sands of time and space for his next project. His next adventure was the enigmatic Knights Templar.

Show 6 They Mystery of the Templars

Throughout history, emperors, kings and dictators have come and gone, the records of their deeds passed on in a manner they approved.

In the shadows of history there are people and groups of people whose influence is scarcely mentioned in mainstream education. One of those groups is the Knights Templar, also known as the Poor Fellow Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon.

While Arbuthnot relates the basic history of the Knights Templar, the source of their power and their wealth is what the search was about. The wealth, power and influence they gathered were also the reason behind the effort to extinguish their flame by a French King and Pope Clement V. The defeat of the Templars at the Battle of Acre in 1291 greatly reduced their swagger and influence.

By 1307, a plot to steel Templar wealth was begun by King Phillip IV of France. King Phillip was already deep in debt to the Templars and wanted another loan. Not wanting to throw good money after bad, the King of France was given the reject stamp by the Templars. The King was not finished, he had convinced Pope Clement V of the Roman Vatican that the once revered Knights Templar had taken to human sacrifice in their initiation rites and they had to be eliminated, convenient as that would wipe out the Kings debt.

On Oct. 11^th, the Templars smelled the foul stench of betrayal and a fleet of Templar ships left for Scotland, with much of the wealth they had gathered during their campaigns. The fleet is believed to have headed for Scotland and many believe later America, well ahead of Christopher Columbus.

It was on Friday the 13^th, 1307 that the roundup, mock trials, tortured confessions of about 60 Knights Templar began. For you Triscadecaphobia, that is the origin of why Friday the 13^th is bad luck day.

The Knights Templar was officially disbanded by the Council of Vienne in 1312, their fixed wealth transferred to the Knights of St. John, AKA the Hospitallers. What about the rest of the gold, jewels and formidable material wealth, did it go to Scotland? Perhaps America. Arbuthnot pursues the Scottish course.

There seems to be little doubt the Knights carted of their treasure in ships in 1307. Is it possible they would have attempted to alert their brothers across Europe to be on the lookout for Pope Clement V's roundup. What happened to the treasure, to this day no one officially knows.

Arbuthnot's search for the treasure ends up raising more questions but no large treasure chests. The Knights may have buried it in any number of places and while there may be real gold and jewels involved, the treasure may also be one which sheds new light on our own history.

These shows are ideal for the young as well as the old as much of what hosts like Arbuthnot have to display are not routinely explored in classrooms today. If you're looking for Arbuthnot today, you may find him at Flagler College in historic old St. Augustine, Florida where he is a faculty staff member, or perhaps any remote location on this planet.

If you want to tackle a big exciting historical projects this would be a good place to start. The enigmas on this planet while real do present a perplexing puzzle to the minds of all those who clear the smoke from these mysteries. This series is highly recommended for either the armchair adventurer, historical enthusiast or status quo archaeologist. Enjoy!

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