What did 'The Curse of Oak Island' team find on Lot 5? History TV archaeologists confirm rare metal discovery
NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA: This week's episode of 'The Curse of Oak Island' was filled with excitement as the crew discovered a real silver relic near the rectangular stone feature on Lot 5. The Tuesday, March 19 episode, titled 'Hi Ho Silver,' provided a not-so-subtle hint at the significance and value of their find, sparking anticipation among viewers for potential future discoveries of treasure.
On Lot 5, archaeologists Jamie Kouba and Fiona Steele examined the foundation along the coastline, where a 14th-century lead barter token had been unearthed a year earlier. Jamie stumbled upon what she believed to be a gold-plated button, potentially belonging to a military commander who may have concealed or sought to protect something of immense value on Oak Island.
Jamie uncovered another potentially pivotal clue along the seashore of Lot 5, situated on the western side of Oak Island in the strange foundation located beneath the round stone feature earlier last year. Nearly a month before this discovery, Jamie discovered a man-made cement-like material in the feature, which has also been detected in the enigmatic tunnel beneath the Garden Shaft. This has led the crew to consider if the feature on Lot 5 was part of a plan to hide something valuable deep in the Money Pit region.
Archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan confirmed metal artifacts found on Lot 5
Rick Lagina, Craig Tester, and Jack Begley met with archaeologist Laird Niven and archaeometallurgist Emma Culligan at the Oak Island laboratory to receive her scientific analysis of the gold-plated button and potential silver artifact unearthed just a day prior in Lot 5's large stone foundation.
Emma said that it is a copper alloy with roughly 3% gold on the surface, suggesting that it is gilded. In the Oak Island laboratory, Emma confirmed that the metal item unearthed one day ago in the mystery stone foundation on Lot 5 is nearly completely made of pure silver (40%).
Metal artifacts found on Lot 5 related to treasure hidden by Sir William Phips
Since the beginning of 2023, the team has discovered numerous metal artifacts within the expansive foundation on Lot 5. According to Emma's metallurgical analysis, these findings potentially link to Sir William Phips, an English naval officer and privateer who salvaged more than 30 tons of silver and gold from the Spanish wreck, the Concepción, in 1687.
In 2021, 32nd-degree Freemason Scott Clarke informed the crew that Phips collaborated closely with Captain Andrew Belcher, a high-ranking Freemason from Nova Scotia, during his second salvage operation on the Concepción. Clarke believes that a significant portion of the wealth recovered from the wreck was secretly deposited on Oak Island. Rick speculates that the discovery of the silver artifact may offer further evidence supporting Scott Clarke's theory.
If so, it could explain why the crew encountered the same man-made concrete-like material in both the Lot 5 feature and the tunnel beneath the Garden Shaft. Moreover, these discoveries may bolster the credibility of John Edwards' theory suggesting Freemasons' involvement in a multi-generational conspiracy to conceal and protect treasure vaults on Oak Island, initially constructed by the Knights Templar.
Did the Templar Knights bury the Ark of the Covenant on Oak Island?
Meanwhile, the team continues to investigate numerous claims about the ancient order of Templar Knights burying riches on the island in the thirteenth century. The theory gained traction once again as new evidence came to light, suggesting that the island's stone structures, particularly Nolan's Cross, were built in the 1200s to coincide with the sun, moon, and stars.
The team believed that only the Templar Knights had the skills and knowledge to do this in the 13th century. This time, they spoke with another scholar who believed the Templars hid the Ark of the Covenant on the island.
While this hypothesis isn't new, this particular scholar claimed to have uncovered a hidden code indicating the Ark's presence on Oak Island saying he can mark the area with an X. He also highlighted a phrase from a book that said, "This shall be the sacred mark, Which shall guide us to the skies, Bearing, like a holy ark."
'The Curse of Oak Island' Season 11 airs Tuesdays at 9/8c on History.