Italy's Barbarian Booty

**Italy's Barbarian Booty** is the 21st episode in Season 3 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

To find the plundered riches of the Roman Empire, Josh Gates must locate the tomb of the Visigoth king Alaric in Italy; the hunt extends from the capital of Rome to the southern city of Cosenza.

## Historical Context

"In 410 AD, Rome's luck runs out when the barbarian King Alaric and his Visigoth army stormed the gates. The Goths loot 8 centuries of Imperial treasures grabbing gold, silver, and astonishing artefacts accumulated in wars across the world. But, shortly after his triumph, King Alaric dies in Southern Italy and is reportedly buried in a riverbed with these priceless relics."

- Josh Gates

## Summary

Josh goes to Rome, Italy and the archives there where he meets Francesco Sisci, a journalist and historian, who shows him the Getica, which states that both Alaric and the treasure are buried in the River Busento near Cosenza. In Cosenza, he is pulled over for speeding but then gets a police escort to meet mayor, Mario Occhiuto, who is searching the town for the treasure, and interpreter, Geppino de Rose. He also meets Giuseppe "Joseph" Rota, a geologist and André Xerri, a researcher.

Joseph, André, and Josh go to a farm outside of town and they explain they've already used LIDAR which detected anomalies and they then begin searching the field using electron tomography, which detects a big anomaly. They bore into the ground to get a core sample and see from the soil it was once part of the river. They also find old copper in the cross-section. They hope to set up a full-scale dig soon.

At a castle, Josh meets back up with the mayor and Ombra the Falcon and he takes place in a falconry ceremony. Upriver, Josh meets with Serena Filice, an archaeologist and Joseph and André. They climb up a cliff and into a cave where Alaric's funeral may have and then back down to the river where they search. They find a modern piece of metal, an old metal point, and ceramic shards.

## Final Words

"As I move on to my next expedition, I bid farewell to what just might be my favourite country in the world. To me, the most wonderful thing about Italy isn't the food, though it's extraordinary. It isn't scenery, though it's majestic. It isn't even the people, though they're astonishingly warm. It's that everywhere you turn, you are absolutely enveloped by history, and tiny pieces of that history have called out to us from ancient books, from deep in the earth, and from under the water. Cosenza's maverick mayor believes these puzzle pieces may fit together to reveal the location of boundless riches stolen from the Eternal City. It's a find that would also put Cosenza on the map, and, like Alaric's treasure, reveal it to be one of Italy's hidden gems."

- Josh Gates

## Notes & Trivia

* *This is where you can put notes and trivia, anything that is interesting or strange can be included here*

## Quotes

* "Trying to sum up Rome in a few paragraphs is like the Mt Everest of travel TV host monologues."
* "When driving here in Rome, it's very important that you follow the rules of the road. Rule number one, there are no rules. Rule number two, see rule number one. It's basically the Colosseum on wheels. Just try to stay alive."
* "I don't even know if this is a road. I think I'm technically in an aqueduct at this point."
* "I went from being a hardened criminal to a made man. I'm in "The Godfather."
* "ABC. Always be coring."
* "Quick update, the bird's gone. I'm just a guy with a glove now."

## References

1. ↑ https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullrights/2017/3/4/TEXU315H\_Alarics-Treasure\_257648\_939630.1484192.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.966.725.suffix/1491594004168.jpeg