Episode Information

Since the late 1800s, ancient artefacts have been found in the Great Lakes region of the United States. Their unique writing and imagery makes them look like stories from the Old Testament. A national controversy in the early 1900s, The Michigan Relics became the focus of intense investigation by church leaders concerned that these artefacts could be proof of the lost tribes of Israel inhabiting North America during the third and fourth centuries. Early scientists and academics dismissed the artefacts as frauds and yet more were discovered for 30 years in burial mounds throughout the state of Michigan. The artefacts passed into storage and were mostly forgotten until the last decade of the 20th century when new research brought the controversy back to life. For this film, leading experts present compelling arguments on both sides of the controversy about the nature of the artefacts, leaving the viewer to decide if the Michigan Relics are really history, or merely hoax.