Cowie: Tonight on "Legend Quest"...
I trek across the deserts of the middle east...
In pursuit of the legendary Staff of Moses...
We hit the jackpot, guys.
And scour the hills and coasts of Scotland...
There's no symbols on the sides here.
This is a replica.
To hunt down
the nation-conquering Stone of Destiny.
Look at that. There's a door here.
My name is Ashley Cowie.
I'm an author and archaeological explorer...
[ Hinges creaking ]
Specializing in ancient symbols
and mysterious legends.
I've spent years
studying some of the world's most fascinating relics.
Now I'm on the hunt to find out where they are.
Some would hope that these secrets remain hidden.
But I'll leave no stone unturned
to uncover the truth in my Legend Quest.
When I was a kid,
one of my favorite movies was "The Ten Commandments,"
especially the part
where Charlton Heston raises his Staff,
parts the red sea,
and leads the freed Israelites
through those huge walls of water.
Every story of mystical Staffs and magic wands
has evolved from Moses' Staff.
Merlin, Gandalf, and even Harry Potter
can thank the original mystical stick.
But unlike those other magical rods,
many believe Moses' Staff was real.
According to oral tradition,
the Staff was grown from the tree of life
and was mysteriously engraved with mystical symbols
said to prophesize the 10 plagues.
The Staff was passed down from generations of prophets
until it ultimately ended up in the hands of Moses,
who eventually fulfilled the engraved prophecy
by using the Staff to cast plagues on the Egyptians,
including summoning pelting hail
and swarming locusts.
But during the exodus,
Moses used the Staff to save the Israelites
by parting the red sea...
And, most important to their survival in the desert,
creating an oasis named Kadesh-Barnea
by springing water from a rock.
The oasis at Kadesh-Barnea
is the last recorded location of the Staff.
For generations,
people have searched for the Staff in vain.
Of all the Staff's powers,
arguably the greatest was its mastery over water.
So I believe following that water connection
is the key to discovering the Staff's location,
starting with the oasis at Kadesh-Barnea.
But no one has ever positively located this elusive site.
That's why I'm headed to Jordan,
where I believe an ancient church may hold the secret
to finding the legendary Staff.
But to unlock that secret,
we're gonna have to crack a centuries-old code.
Now, right here in the center of Madaba
is the earliest known map of the Holy Land--
A mosaic tiled map on the floor of a church.
No one's really looked at it
in relation to the Staff of Moses.
We're gonna go to that church and we're gonna check it out
and see if we can locate
the last-known place of the Staff,
which was an area called Kadesh-Barnea.
That sounds like a plan, Ashley.
To unravel the map's mysteries,
we have to get closer to it than normally allowed.
I have special permission to enter the church after hours.
The Madaba map.
This isn't like any map I've ever seen.
It's a mosaic comprised
of over 2 million individual tiles,
written in Greek with several areas
where the tiles appear deliberately removed,
making it difficult to see the whole picture.
I'm going to need a crash course,
so I called on my colleague Dr. Konstantinos Politis
to meet us here.
I believe this is the oldest map in existence
of the Holy Land.
It is dated to the early Christian period,
and it certainly includes the Holy Land,
focusing around Jerusalem, the dead sea, the Jordan river,
and all the way South to the nile river delta.
It really is unique
because it has labels of about 150 sites.
Some are from the old and new testament,
but there are also geographic terms.
It's really interesting that this is the view
that Moses would have had of the Holy Land.
And, of course, I'm trying to locate Kadesh-Barnea.
Is that indicated on this map anywhere?
It's missing.
Kadesh-Barnea not being labeled on the map
presents a problem.
I need to figure out another way to locate the elusive site.
This is where the exodus passed up,
right through here.
I would say yes.
As I look closer,
I notice some strange symbols.
What are these marks here?
Those are mountains of negev desert.
They may be the clue needed to lead us to the Staff.
Since Moses used the Staff to form an oasis,
we need to find a valley along the exodus trail
capable of holding a large amount of water.
Moses striking the rock at the summit
would make the base of these mountains
the perfect place to form an oasis like Kadesh-Barnea.
But the mountains are in the wrong location,
or at least they appear that way
on this broken-tile map.
But with that one clue,
I know how to put this puzzle back together again.
Thank you, doctor.
Good luck.
Kinga, listen to me here.
I believe that if Kadesh-Barnea is anywhere,
it's gonna be in this region
at these base of these mountains here.
And what I'm gonna do
is use modern technology to solve an old problem.
So, what I'm figuring is,
we overlay a modern map on top of the Madaba map.
First thing we need to do is orient the map correctly,
because this map, like all ancient cartography,
was laid out east to west, following the path of the sun.
Now we need to overlay the approximate exodus route
onto our modern map.
Finally,
since the original mapmaker lacked precision tools,
we need to adjust it accurately
by triangulating three known locations.
First of all, plot Jerusalem.
Okay.
Next, here's Beersheba to the South.
And finally, gaza to the west.
Have technology do the work for us.
Watch this.
If we triangulate our three points accurately,
gaza would move to here,
Jerusalem to the north,
and Beersheba over here.
Using this correct alignment,
the mountains would end up here, in a totally new place,
right along the exodus route.
I've got it! Avdat.
Kadesh-Barnea could be in modern-day Avdat,
right beside the Mountain,
right here on the exodus route.
Modern-day Avdat.
Guys, pack up.
We're gonna make a trip to Israel in search of the Staff.
We head out deep into the Israeli desert
towards Avdat.
What we need to try and do is establish two things--
One, if this is the site of Kadesh-Barnea,
is the Staff there?
And if so, where could it be?
To find Kadesh-Barnea itself would be quite amazing.
To find the Staff, you know, it's a payoff beyond belief.
To help us out, we have Lior Rimon.
He's gonna meet us there.
He actually works for the national parks.
So he's gonna be able to give us some great history on the area
and take us around and show us what we need to see.
Okay.
We've worked out on a map
that this might be the site of Kadesh-Barnea,
where Moses, you know, took the Israelites on the exodus,
used his Staff to strike water.
It could be.
It's the biggest spring in the negev.
At the moment, there is rain upstream,
so there's a risk of flash floods.
Flash floods, when it comes,
it's two meters, brown wave, wash everything on its path.
Can we try to get down there before this cloud comes over?
Yeah, yeah. Let's go.
Philipps: Oh, wow.
What we'd like to do is get right down
and explore where the spring actually is.
[ Thunder crashes ]
Thunder.
Okay, so we need to get down there
before these clouds come over.
The last thing we want is to get caught up in a flash flood.
[ Thunder rumbling ]
Philipps: Ooh!
[ Rumbling continues ]
The storm's coming in.
It's not safe to go any further.
I mean, look at it-- This is desolate.
Just absolutely no way
the most important artifact in the Israelites' religion
is gonna be left lying around here
to get washed down a canyon like that.
You know, everything in this canyon here
is gonna be washed down with these floods.
But up on the higher ground
and up towards the real source of the spring,
we need to look for archeology
or some signs of, you know, the Israelites being there.
It's so important we go and see that,
because if this is Kadesh-Barnea,
no one's looked at those ruins considering this.
If the Staff was said to have the power to create water,
then what we need to find is an ancient cistern
or structure capable of storing water,
in hopes that it provides a lead.
Hey, Kinga, I found something really interesting.
It's an aqueduct in the middle of the desert.
It's exactly the kind of lead we need to follow.
And here's where it all ends up--
A much older-looking cistern.
This could be the clue
that connects Avdat to the Staff.
Our quest for the legendary Staff of Moses
has led us to an ancient ruin in Israel
near an oasis.
I found a series of aqueducts
that end at a water-storage building
that may be connected to the Israelites.
[ Thunder crashes ]
We've met up with an archaeologist,
Jacob Shavit.
You know, everything we've found along the trail of Moses' Staff
points towards water.
And again, even from this channel
down to this water cistern leads us to water.
The Nabataeans?
Many believe the Nabataeans
were descendents of the Israelites.
An ancient text tell of them possessing
what they referred to as "the secret of secrets,"
which some believe was related
to their concealed methods of finding water.
Let's assume for a moment the Staff of Moses
was the knowledge of how to find water.
If that was taken here by Moses,
are you indicating to us
that that sacred object could have passed through
from the Israelites to the Nabataeans?
It's sort of weird to think about
how one small tribe managed to find and control
nearly all the water in the desert,
making them incredibly rich.
The fact that they also claim to possess
the secret of secrets raises an eyebrow.
I mean, it's absolutely clear when you hear it like that--
Water's the secret,
and the knowledge of how to find it.
Now, if that Staff exists as a physical object,
it could only be in one place--
Where the Nabataeans ended up.
Petra.
And that's where we're headed next.
We're here in Jordan on the trail of the Nabataeans.
We're heading to the capital city in Petra.
It's a huge ancient temple
carved out in the sandstone rock.
Cowie: All right, guys,
so what we're looking out for are symbols.
Look for urns or goblets or cups
or anything that could have held water
or anything relating to the story
of the Nabataeans or Moses.
So, eyes peeled, guys. Let's move on.
We enter a narrow shaft,
barely 3 meters wide in places,
with walls reaching 600 feet in height.
Right here, we have our first well. Look.
Yep. It would get all filtered through here
into these holding jars
so people could come along and get their fresh water.
Remember, water being the biggest
and most valuable commodity in the ancient world.
And look, every couple of hundred yards,
you see these carved shrines in the rock there.
Is that what they are? They're shrines?
Yeah, they must be offerings to--
I mean, maybe to the pagans, to the water gods.
They could also have held urns
or a vessel for drawing water from the wells.
This whole shaft seems to be dedicated to worshiping water
and is leading us down a clue-filled trail.
Do you know this is like standing
at the base of the oasis we saw at Avdat?
But we're at the bottom this time.
Can you imagine this filled up?
It's almost exactly the same geology.
In fact, the locals call this gorge
"the river of Moses."
Some even believe the Staff itself was used
to create this mile-long passage
that once flowed with water.
We reach the end of the trail,
and what I find is even more astonishing.
In the movie,
Indiana Jones may have found the holy grail
inside this famous stone building,
but I've found my own sort of grail
on the outside of it--
An 11-foot-tall urn
carved at the highest point in the center of the monument.
An urn is a vessel used to give and receive water--
Just like the Staff of Moses.
And here's an 11-foot-tall one,
carved in the most prominent spot...
Right in front of us.
But time has eroded most of the carvings.
So, I'm gonna need help from a Nabataean elder
that Kinga contacted earlier.
Ashley. Nice to meet you.
Thank you for giving us your time.
He's very knowledgeable about this whole area.
Hopefully, he can help connect
the giant carved urn to the Staff.
I am seeking the Staff of Moses.
Could you tell me about the urn?
That's exactly the kind of clue I'm looking for.
Moses' spring could quite literally be
a reference to Moses' Staff--
The source of the Nabataeans' secret of secrets.
If we find the area that supplied Petra's water,
we may find evidence of the Staff.
The Nabataeans were masters at finding water, yes?
"Wadi Musa" means "valley of Moses"--
The ancient name for this area.
The pieces are starting to fall into place.
If Moses' spring was said to be
at the top of the valley of Moses,
we need to find a Mountain where the Staff of Moses
could have been used to spring forth water,
just like the Mountain that led us
to the oasis at Kadesh-Barnea.
Can I see the spring of Moses?
Moses' spring?
Nobody knows where's Moses' spring.
My grandfathers, they believe in Aaron mount.
What is Aaron mount?
The people of wadi Musa, they used to visit that mount.
It's 1,336 meters above the sea level.
So, it is the highest place here?
Yes, the highest point in this area.
How do I get there?
Just from here, through this canyon, down--
Put that point between your eyes and go to that mount--
The highest point.
Look, thank you. It was very helpful. Welcome.
Cowie: If that Staff went anywhere,
I bet you it was taken
to the highest point of this landscape,
overlooking this whole place.
Okay, guys, it looks like we're walking from here.
Let's go.
All right, guys, just be so careful.
All these rocks are really loose underfoot.
We climb Aaron mount--
A water location often visited by the ancient Nabataeans...
Ah!
The highest point in the area...
Whoa.
A location they called "Moses' spring,"
the source of Petra's water.
If this is indeed a holy site,
everything points towards this being
the possible eternal resting place
of the Staff of Moses.
More steps, guys. Let's go.
It's gonna be steep.
And, you know, if the Staff is up here,
it makes perfect sense, too.
It's literally living in the rain clouds.
It's as close to water as it can be.
And what we find is more than expected.
Jackpot, guys.
Our quest for the legendary Staff of Moses
has led us to the highest Mountain of Petra,
where, remarkably,
there's an ancient temple at the summit.
The upper part of the building is from the 14th century,
but the base looks much older.
If this temple was built on top
of what the ancient Nabataeans called Moses' spring,
it's possible that an entrance to an older area
may lead to evidence
of the Nabataeans' true secret of secrets--
The Staff of Moses.
Where did they hide the Staff?
Ashley, come here. Look.
Oh, yeah. Here we go.
Look at this.
Stairs.
It's a lower chamber. I'm gonna go down.
There's a tiny chamber down here.
It's about an arm's span in width.
Look at this room--
The layout, the construction, the location.
It looks like some sort of vault with a ceremonial area.
Is there any sign of the Staff?
A large sort of section in the wall here
has been carved out.
I thump it. It's hollow.
This had to have been carved for a reason.
I'm doing it with the utmost respect.
I'm not damaging a thing.
The shape and hollow sound leads me to believe
there is a hidden chamber or vault behind this wall.
It's too small to be a tomb,
but it could easily fit a Staff.
So, one has to ask, first,
why would the ancient Nabataeans build a temple
in such a remote area,
atop a Mountain with a vault built below it,
except to hide something incredibly valuable?
Second, the Nabataeans' most valuable asset
was their secret method for finding water,
which our evidence points to possibly being the Staff.
And lastly,
what better reference for the Staff of Moses being here
than the Nabataeans calling this spot the spring of Moses,
which would have required the Staff's presence
atop this ancient holy site?
The evidence leads me to one possible conclusion.
We may very well have found
the final resting place of Moses' Staff.
Philipps: The view's gone completely.
Until five minutes ago...
It was clear, completely.
Clear as a whistle. Now this has come about.
[ Thunder rumbling ]
You know me-- I am a spiritual guy.
We climbed up 1,500 feet today
in the clearest air imaginable.
I've walked back out of there--
The heavens have quite literally descended upon me.
I can't be sure,
but I feel we've come as close to the legend
of the Staff of Moses as possible.
Whether or not it's hidden atop mount Aaron,
one cannot ignore the connections
between the alleged powers of the Staff
and the ancient israelite-descended Nabataeans,
who built a mighty empire
through their supernatural-like ability
to find water in the desert--
Just as Moses supposedly did thousands of years ago.
For thousands of years,
world leaders have fought for control
of the legendary Stone of Destiny--
An artifact believed to be so essential
for ruling over nations
that it's actually still used today
to coronate the kings and queens of england.
According to legend, thousands of years ago,
a mysterious stone crashed to earth.
The stone was said to have the power
to make a man the rightful king of his people
by roaring out his name,
trigger visions of prophecy,
and keep alive the king's lineage
as long as the stone was in their possession.
Tribes, clans, and nations
battled for control of the stone for centuries,
until it ended up with early Scottish settlers
on the remote island of Iona...
Before moving inland to Scone abbey,
where, for more than 300 years, its alleged magical powers
were used to unite Scotland under one king.
Then, in 1296,
England's king Edward ransacked the abbey
and took the stone to London,
where it was integrated into a new British coronation chair
that's still used today.
But this story doesn't end there.
As an act of diplomacy,
the stone was recently moved back to Scotland,
where it's being held at Edinburgh castle.
Many believe the monks of Scone
switched the stone before the ransacking
and what king Edward stole was nothing more than a fake.
So, I'm headed to Scotland
to find out if the stone is actually real.
My first stop is Edinburgh castle
to examine the stone up close
and speak with its guardian
to find out what he knows
about the monks of Scone possibly switching and hiding
the real Stone of Destiny.
Pleased to meet you. Good to meet you.
You know, I'm sure you're aware, a lot of Scottish people believe
that this isn't the original Stone of Destiny,
that it was switched at some time in the past.
That may be the case,
but I personally think it is the real thing.
One of the main legends
to support the idea that the stone was switched
is that in 1296,
when Edward came up to take the stone from the scots,
the monks of Scone
had two months' notice that he was coming.
Why would the monks of Scone
protecting the king-making chair of the scots
happily give it away?
Surely there's a chance there to make a replica.
And what about the legend that when Edward came in 1296,
he arrived and he went away with a stone,
but he returned two years later
and tipped over every single stone of Scone.
Why did he return to Scone
if he'd happily walked away with the stone two years prior?
That's a line of argument.
What I'd love to do now is for us to go up,
spend five minutes with the guys,
get some images of the s--
Ashley, I don't want to disappoint you,
but I'm afraid that your cameras can't come.
You need permission to film in there, and you're--
How long would it take to get the permission
to get in there with a camera?
I've been involved with this for decades now,
and I can't think of an occasion we've given permission.
Can I go up myself and see this?
It's just-- The film cameras can't go.
Guys, you're just gonna hang out here until I get back. All right.
Philipps: Go take a look. Five minutes, okay.
Don't touch anything.
There he is. Cowie: I've got everything I need.
Come with me. All right, Kinga.
So, you saw the stone. What do you think? I saw the stone.
The legends all tell us
that the stone is a large black stone
with engravings or symbols around the side.
That stone-- It's the color of your jacket.
It's like a yellow sandstone.
That is not black as night.
This press photo shows exactly what I saw.
It's nothing like the legends recount
about the Stone of Destiny.
But most importantly, for the last 1,000 years almost,
people have been talking about this switch.
That took place at Scone.
What if the monks pulled it off?
The stone could quite simply be hiding somewhere at Scone.
We've got to go to Scone.
Our search for the Stone of Destiny took us to Edinburgh castle,
where we concluded
that the stone there appears to be a fake.
We're now at Scone palace,
where the Stone of Destiny
last displayed its alleged powers
before king Edward attacked here in 1296.
All right, guys, let's do it.
Wow. This is quite spooky, isn't it?
This is moot hill.
Moot hill is the coronation site of the kings of Scotland
where the stone was actually used to make the kings.
You can see this slight rise here with a chapel on top.
They used to put mud or earth from their local region
into their boots.
They came here, and at one of the parts
of the mystical ritual of the king-making ceremony,
they would pour the mud from their lands
right there around the feet of the newly appointed king.
We're standing on the souls
of hundreds and hundreds of noblemen
throughout Scottish history.
We searched the grounds for clues related to the stone.
I stopped to examine the ancient coronation site
on top of moot hill.
This is a replica of the one I saw in Edinburgh.
This is the unoriginal, correct?
Yep, exactly.
It looks nothing like the legends recounted
as being a large, black stone about this long,
about so wide.
There's no symbols on the sides here.
This is a replica of the one I saw in Edinburgh.
I've arranged to meet with Lady Stormont,
whose family of earls, duchesses, and lords
has owned Scone palace and its grounds
for over 400 years.
If anyone can tell us about the stone, she can.
Can I ask you the straight question?
You know, we're looking for the original Stone of Destiny
based on the premise that the stone at Edinburgh castle,
which this is a replica of,
was switched sometime in the past.
I mean, do you believe the stone in Edinburgh castle
is the true Stone of Destiny that was used here at Scone?
Stormont: I think it's quite well-known
that the original stone was a hard stone,
like a marble or a granite.
And it had carvings on it.
And I think that's quite well-known.
And there's not a single carving
on the stone in Edinburgh at all.
No. It's small. It's soft.
Here, locally, are there any legends
or is there anything that you can tell us
about where the true stone may have been taken?
Legends have said
that it could have been put down by the river.
Some legends say it could have gone to a local hill.
First thing you said, logic tells me no.
I would not take the coronation stone of Scotland
and put it anywhere near a river.
You know yourself, these rivers come into spate in the winter.
They flood.
The thing's gonna get lost.
Lady stormont tells me that this is one of the reasons
Scone was chosen as the site for the Stone of Destiny.
Apparently, when the tide rises and floods the river,
only moot hill remains above the water.
To the ancients, fresh water represents good
and salt water represents evil.
So, therefore, it's good defeating evil
at the point where the kings were made.
That's correct. That's what they said.
That's fascinating.
I mean, we've sort of scouted around the estate here.
We haven't found any signs of any hidden chambers.
We went down to where the actual abbey was
that was ransacked by Edward,
but we can't see anything there at all.
It might have been taken up to Dunsinane Hill.
It's in about that direction. Okay.
I think there was a fort up there,
and perhaps they knew it was a safe place
and Edward I wouldn't be looking for it there.
That would be the ideal place to take the stone to defend it.
And of course, from the top of a hill,
you could take it in any which direction.
If you saw forces coming one way,
it could go down the other.
We need to go and check out Dunsinane Hill, guys.
That's really, really important to us,
and I can't thank you enough for telling us that.
And thanks for your time.
Let's go.
We climb to the top of nearby Dunsinane Hill
to look for remains of the ancient fort.
But when we arrive, we find the fort's long gone.
Philipps: Ashley, there's no fortress.
Yes, there is. Look here.
All these impressions in the ground--
These are all walls.
Or they were walls at one time,
maybe three, four stories high.
Look at the view from everywhere.
You can see everything.
I mean, the view is beautiful, but I got to tell you,
I expected a little bit more of a castle than this.
Look, I agree with the reasoning
that this is a great place to bring the stone from Scone,
but, I mean, there's nothing here.
Lady stormont knows her stuff.
There's some substance in every legend.
What if this was just a temporary stop?
As soon as the switch has been done,
it's been taken here for safekeeping,
the heat's come off it, it's cooled down,
and it's been moved to a farther, safer place
where Edward would never find it.
Let's go through this story.
So, the stone arrives on the holy island of Iona.
This stone was protected by the monks of Iona for 300 years
before it came to Scone in Scotland.
There's an ancient Gaelic prophecy that says
during the apocalypse, when doomsday arrives,
the isle of Iona will swim above the waves.
Well, Lady Stormont told us
the reason Scone was chosen as the coronation site
was because when the tide rises and floods the river,
only moot hill remains above the waves.
Both places are the highest spot
where fresh water meets salt water
and good defeats evil.
Lady stormont says
all of the kings who were made king at Scone
were taken out and buried in Iona,
the farthest-flung island in Scotland--
The easiest island to defend, the hardest to get to.
What if the stone that roared
the rightful names of the kings of Scotland
was taken back and buried with the kings of Scotland,
right there on Iona?
Guys, wrap up.
We're going west to the sacred island of Iona.
Our search for the legendary Stone of Destiny
has us heading towards the remote island of Iona,
just off the coast of Scotland.
To help our search,
I got the design plans for the ancient abbey
located on the island.
Apparently, at the same time
that Edward was ransacking Scone,
the monks mysteriously began building
a new right-side transept here at Iona.
The transept is the structural section
that forms a cross
that can be seen on the design plan.
The transept area they rebuilt
usually has stained-glass windows,
which often contain coded messages.
And if the clues so far are right,
it's a great place to start.
Here we go, Ashley. This is the moment of truth.
Let's move it. Come on.
This looks promising. Look at all these stones.
I know.
Look at all this-- All these symbols.
These are the old burial stones,
some of them from kings from Scotland.
Some of them from monks.
Some of them from abbots, bishops.
Nobody knows.
Here's the right-side transept.
There's a window,
but clearly the stained glass has been removed.
But I'm not giving up so easily.
Look at this stone here with the cross in it.
You know, I'm finding crosses and all sorts of symbols
just built randomly into the walls of the church.
This thing's been rebuilt so many times that--
Just keep an eye out right above your head,
right below your feet--
Anything curious
that could be associated to the Stone of Destiny.
Well, Ashley, we're in an abbey made of large stones
on an island in the middle of nowhere,
and I got to tell you,
I'm getting a little bit desperate.
I don't feel as close to finding the stone.
Just keep your spirits up.
We've seen this from afar, from in a helicopter.
The helicopter-- That may be it.
This building's been rebuilt many times.
If they built a new transept,
there had to have been an old transept.
Is it possible the monks hid the stone in the old transept?
And if they did, how do we find that transept?
We need to get back to the helicopter.
But if you look here,
you see another cross...
Making this the older right-side transept.
If Edward came searching for the stone
while the monks were building,
he would likely focus on the area under construction,
thinking they were building a hiding place.
That would make the older area and its surroundings
an ideal location to hide the stone.
That's where we should focus our search.
And look at this room here-- It's not on the plans.
It may have been a part of the old transept.
But why isn't it on the blueprint?
We need to get down there and check it out.
If the stone is there,
we may have just discovered a 700-year-old secret.
Here's the older right-side transept.
And here's the area missing on the plans.
Philipps: Look how tiny that door is.
This is a lot older than the actual abbey.
[ Door rattles ]
Is it open? Yeah.
Look how tiny that door is.
Look at this-- The oldest part of Iona.
This has been rebuilt 'cause I can see modern cement there,
but these stones-- They're definitely original.
Well, it's beautiful
and this is really interesting, Ashley,
but we need a stone.
Take your pick.
What about something like this?
I mean, could it be?
Could it be in the wall, actually?
Yep. It could well be--
There's a large, black stone there,
but there's no symbols in this.
I'm gonna move this. Is that wrong?
No, not at all.
As long as you pay respect and don't stand on it, you'll be fine.
Oh.
No, this is not--
I mean, there are no engravings on that.
I don't think they would have put it into a wall.
Why not?
They could have it built into the roof.
They could have it anywhere.
Shh. You hear that?
Do that again. Do that again.
[ Hollow thud ]
Stand back-- Stand back a second.
Pull this back. Take this back. Roll it.
Look, Kinga. There's a door here.
Oh, my God.
[ Hinges creak ]
Whoa! Look here. Here.
Our quest for the legendary Stone of Destiny has taken us to the remote isle of Iona,
where a series of clues has led us to a room
that is mysteriously missing from the abbey plans.
We may be literally a stone's throw away
from finding the true Stone of Destiny.
They could have it built into the roof.
They could have it anywhere.
Shh. Do you hear that?
Do that again. Do that again.
[ Hollow thud ]
Stand back-- Stand back a second.
Pull this back. Take this back. Roll it.
Look, Kinga. There's a door here.
Oh, my God.
Shh. Look at this.
[ Hinges creak ]
Whoa! Look here. Here.
That's a large stone.
Philipps: Can you get in there?
Ashley, you need a better look at that.
Where does-- How far back does this go?
It's a large, flat stone.
Are there any kind of engravings on it?
Do you know something, Kinga?
This is dark with flecks of gold through it.
Can you see it glistening?
I can-- I can see it in the light of your flashlight.
Kinga, this could be the bloody Stone of Destiny.
Okay, Ashley, we have to go through
what we know about the stone and compare.
Is it the right color?
It's the right color. It's a dark lump of stone.
This isn't a blond sandstone. This is a dark lump of stone.
It's about 4 foot long.
It's the perfect size
to match the ones we've seen in the coronation scenes.
We need engravings. Does it have engravings?
It's got markings.
I can't get 'round to the back of it
to see if it's got engravings,
and there's nowhere for me to get access under here.
Do you have any idea what this means?
Kinga, look at this.
Here, can you see?
There's a carved cross in the floor right below it--
Right there?
This has all the hallmarks of the Stone of Destiny.
It has all the characteristics, Ashley.
It has everything.
I'm literally shaking. Think of what this means.
Right here, the very point that it landed in Iona
1,500 years ago.
Everything about it is right--
The color, the size, the engravings,
the logic that took us here.
And to find something so tangible
right here at the end of this quest,
it's mind-blowing.
Everything stacks up to say
that this could quite well be the Stone of Destiny--
The lost coronation stone of the scots.
The possibility that this may be
the original sacred stone artifact
prevents me from pulling up floorboards
and risking damage to the stone.
It'll take years to properly study it
and reach a final conclusion.
So, until then, scots will have to wait
to find out if the true Stone of Destiny
will one day rise again ** rightful king,
as it had done for thousands of years.
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