Previews

The Curse of Oak Island preview: New study of mysterious 14th-century map points team to more buried artifacts

Rick and Marty Lagina on Oak Island
Rick and Marty Lagina receive a new interpretation of an ancient treasure map. Pic credit: History

The Curse of Oak Island team receives fresh information about Zena Halpern’s 14th-century map of the island, which brings them closer to solving the mystery.

This month on Oak Island has been a bit like a roller coaster with the ups and downs. The guys hit a trough of frustration at one point when the authorities told them to stop searching in the area of the cobbled stone road due to them finding a First Nation Mi’kmaq vase from at least 500 years ago. They were told to shut down until the Mi’kmaq could get their own people in to investigate.

However, this frustration was counterbalanced by the wonderful fact that they now keep finding gold in the Money Pit area. The excitement has continued to build as an analysis of two different metal fragments revealed that the gold could originate from South America.

The guys theorize that a rogue Spanish Conquistador (or maybe a Portuguese captain) took plundered treasure from the Aztecs or the Incas and hid it on Oak Island.

A new theory based on Zena Halpern’s Oak Island map

And on this week’s episode, we can expect the Fellowship of the Dig to get new information from another expert who has a fresh insight into a key piece of evidence, namely Zena Halpern’s 14th Century map of Oak Island.

The History Channel’s description of the episode reads:

“Solving the Oak Island mystery feels closer than ever when the team learns they may have been reading Zena Halpern’s templar map incorrectly all along.”

Zena Halpern was a New York-based historian who spent half a century studying Oak Island and its possible connection to the Templar Knights. Halpern developed a friendship with Rick Lagina before she sadly passed away in 2018.

Halpern provided the guys with a map that they believe may have been created by a Templar Knight or may have connections to the ancient medieval order. It’s also suspected that the frustratingly vague and cryptic map might show the location of the treasure.

Zena Halpern's ancient map
Zena Halpern’s 14th-century map has proved confusing. Pic credit: History

Have Oak Island team been looking in the wrong place, again?

The guys have had various experts examine the mysterious map, including archaeologist Erin Helton, who this time last year told the guys that it indicated the position of some ancient treasure. Nothing much came of that at the time, but now the team has a new expert who seems to suggest that an important translation was missed.

In an episode preview, the expert can be heard pointing to some text on the map and translating it as “the hole under the hatch.” Marty then tells him, “we will look there.”

Later in the preview, after conducting a magnetic survey, which searches the ground for artifacts, Laird Niven can be heard stating that they’ve found an anomaly under the surface. And it’s just left to Jack Begley to point out that it’s near to the so-called “hatch” on the map.

The shut down at the stone roadway has given the guys time to explore other avenues of interest, and fingers crossed, they’ve found something interesting.

The Curse of Oak Island airs at 9/8c on History.

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F.J.Clifton
F.J.Clifton
2 years ago

They need to look at that one spot called the valve. Its just below the Hatch. The valve could be the water control point that has been flooding out the money pit. Or it could be that it lies beneath the hatch but has to be addressed as soon as they open up the hatch.

Kuala1313
Kuala1313
2 years ago
Reply to  F.J.Clifton

Hard to believe they over looked such an obvious clue to a money pit flood control. Must be waiting till next year’s show along with the 10 foot cans.

frank clifton
frank clifton
2 years ago

Whats interesting about the map is the thing called the valve which is just below the hatch. It might be of great importance to investigate that as it might be the way to control the water flow that has been plaguing efforts and threatens searching the money pit.