On tonight’s exciting Expedition Unknown on Discovery, the mysteries of the ancient Celtic warrior queen, Boudicca, are traced in an open field somewhere in Britain.
Josh Gates is joined by high tech sleuths who have a nifty device that can “see” under the top 10-15 feet of soil, exposing any anomalies like a burial spot for treasure.
Gates says: “Aerial GPR sends high-frequency radio waves into the ground, and measures how these waves are reflected back. It can cover more area than a ground-based unit and detect disturbances in the soil from above. Signs that something might be buried here.”
John Trust of Aerodata GPR Survey joins him, along with Allan and Dave. They are all following the patterns laid bare by the Cobra CBD, a drone on steroids as the Aerial GPR reflects waves to their computers.
And what our exclusive clip reveals is that there are signs that something may be buried in the field.
After a few passes, the ground-penetrating radar picks something up.
“This thing works,” says Gates.
Metal detecting is all about persistence, says Gates. And sure enough, efforts are paid off as there is a discoverable trail of treasure.
Roman silver is discovered in the field, coin after coin.
Who was Boudicca?
Boudicca was the queen of the Iceni people of Eastern England, described as a Celtic queen who led a major uprising against occupying Roman forces.
She was married to Prasutagus, ruler of the Iceni people of East Anglia.
According to historians, during the Roman conquering of southern England in AD 43, they allowed Prasutagus to continue to rule.
Upon his death, the Romans reversed their decision and wanted to rule the Iceni. In the process, they confiscated the property of prominent people of this tribe.
BBC writes:
They are also said to have stripped and flogged Boudicca and raped her daughters. These actions exacerbated widespread resentment at Roman rule…Boudicca’s warriors successfully defeated the Roman Ninth Legion and destroyed the capital of Roman Britain, then at Colchester. They went on to destroy London and Verulamium (St Albans). Thousands were killed. Finally, Boudicca was defeated by a Roman army led by Paulinus. Many Britons were killed and Boudicca is thought to have poisoned herself to avoid capture. The site of the battle, and of Boudicca’s death, are unknown.
What happens tonight on Expedition Unknown?
On Expedition Unknown, Gates is searching across England whee it is likely that the ancient Celtic warrior queen Boudicca left a trail of evidence by way of treasure.
Gates — with some help — unearths a cache of ancient silver treasure as he chases the legend of Queen Boudicca, the legendary Celtic queen who nearly defeated the invading Roman army 2,000 years ago.
Exclusive preview of Expedition Unknown:
Watch as the treasures from Boudicca’s time are found in an open field after using these high tech tools, and Josh is super psyched about all of it:
Expedition Unknown airs Wednesdays at 9PM ET/PT on Discovery Channel.
Viewers can join the conversation on social media by using the hashtag #ExpeditionUnknown. Host Josh Gates can be found on Facebook: @joshgatesofficial, Twitter: @joshuagates, and Instagram: @gatesygram.