TITLE:

People from Verona discovered a submerged civilization in Lake Titicaca. Among findings there is a gold idol weighing 40 Kg.

STUDIO (journalist):

An expedition composed of 2 Veronians and 5 lecchesi might have discovered the mythical lost civilization in South America. They indeed made sensational finding in Bolivia, at Lake Titicaca. Let's see.

SERVICE:

The head of the idol lies 43 meters under sea level. We are in the waters of Lake Titicaca, Bolivia, which is 4,000 meters above sea level, in the Andes. The subs belong to an Italian archaeological expedition which moved from Verona and Lecco. After several trials, that has been the right one, and the group of researchers made sensational findings, which have been acclaimed in the first pages of South American newspapers. They discovered a civilization dating 5,000 - 6,000 years B.C., a period which, according to historians, featured only small villages around the whole Earth and much more early than Pyramids.

INTERVIEW (Lorenzo Epis):

This year we show through findings and images that those civilisations were there and so much of culture, dates and origins of civilisation should be carefully reviewed 

SERVICE:

42 archaeological findings, which are in good condition, have been recovered and given to Bolivian authorities. But at 80 meters under Titicaca level, a distance subs couldn't reach, a robot discovered a submerged city: roads, walls and an altar for sacrifices. The images here are not very clear, but this is a golden idol, 60 cm x 40 kg. It is anchored to the bottom and it is suspected it is the pinnacle of a temple and that under the mud there is much more. Friendship with local Indians allowed these findings. 

INTERVIEW (Soraya Ayub):

We belong to different cultural backgrounds, but our Bolivian archaeologist Eduardo Pareja has been able to do a beautiful work with them. He communicated very well with them and so we've been deeply involved with their collaboration.

INTERVIEW (Giovanni Confente):

It has been a very strong experience, even at human level. We saw how people at that latitudes can find ways to survive that could be hardly imagined by us.

SERVICE:

Did they find El Dorado? No. Perhaps something even more extraordinary: the mythical Atlantis. In fact there are interesting connections: 6,000 years ago the Titicaca level was 100 meters lower. Perhaps the city was bordering the lake and it was submerged giving birth to the myth of Atlantis. Coca leaves from Bolivia have been found in the tombs of Egyptian pharaohs. In the Andes there are writings of bearded Vikings. If Europe and Americas really had contacts before Columbus, it would be possible to explain why Plato spoke about Atlantis for first. Another interesting fact is that Spanish people used to call "Atlantic" the Titicaca lake.