I don't know any quite as powerful as Google Earth.

我不知道有什麼能和谷歌地球一樣強大的。

Seeing beautiful patterns from above...

從上面看到美麗的圖案...

Dropping down into street view...

下降到街道視圖...

And seeing the planet in ways I would never get to see in person.

並以我本人永遠無法看到的方式看到這個星球。

So when I came across this post on Reddit, I was fascinated.

是以，當我在Reddit上看到這個帖子時，我很著迷。

It described “undocumented markings” in Algeria, in the middle of the Sahara

它描述了在撒哈拉中部的阿爾及利亞的 "無證標記"。

near a location called “Tebalbalet tomb.”

在一個叫 "特巴爾巴雷特墓 "的地方附近。

Visible on Google Earth.

在谷歌地球上可以看到。

There were 22 of them, each with 12 “surrounding things”, 42 meters in diameter

有22個，每個有12個 "周圍的東西"，直徑42米。

420 meters apart, at longitude 4'20 East.

相距420米，位於東經4'20。

It almost sounded like a joke.

這聽起來幾乎像一個笑話。

But then I copied the coordinates and I looked.

但後來我複製了座標，我看了看。

There they were: identical circles in an almost perfect line.

它們就在那裡：相同的圓圈排成一條几乎完美的線。

160 kilometers from any signs of life in the world's largest desert...

距離世界上最大的沙漠中的任何生命跡象160公里...

in the middle of the biggest country in Africa.

在非洲最大的國家的中間。

This is a story about the limits of what you can find out on the internet.

這是一個關於你在互聯網上能發現的極限的故事。

About all the different ways of looking at the same thing.

關於看待同一事物的所有不同方式。

And about going all the way there.

還有關於一路走來。

Over the course of the last 20 weeks, we filmed every step of the process

在過去20周的時間裡，我們拍攝了這一過程的每一個步驟

as we tried to figure out one thing...

當我們試圖弄清楚一件事時...

What could these circles be?

這些圓圈可能是什麼？

So this whole story starts back in September 2021

所以這整個故事要從2021年9月說起

when I first saw the Reddit post.

當我第一次看到Reddit的帖子時。

I wanted to figure out what these “markings” were

我想弄清楚這些 "標記 "是什麼

and make a video out of the entire reporting process.

並將整個報告過程製作成視頻。

No matter how long it took.

不管花了多長時間。

Because the answer had to be out there.

因為答案一定是在那裡。

And, step one, I knew I was going to have to send some emails.

而且，第一步，我知道我將不得不發送一些電子郵件。

For weeks, I reached out to everyone I could think of:

幾個星期以來，我向我能想到的所有人伸出了援手。

Algerian experts, officials, tour groups...

阿爾及利亞專家、官員、旅遊團...

even the closest hotel, in a city called Aïn Salah.

甚至最近的酒店，在一個叫艾恩薩拉的城市。

I read up on the town the circles were located closest to: Foggaret Ezzaouia.

我讀了一下這些圓圈所在的城鎮，離得最近。福格瑞特-埃扎烏亞。

I asked the commenters on the Reddit post...

我問Reddit帖子上的評論者...

and we even tracked down a Twitter account we thought was the same Will K

而我們甚至追蹤到了一個我們認為是同一個Will K的Twitter賬戶。

who posted this question to several subreddits before deleting his Reddit account.

他在刪除自己的Reddit賬戶之前，將這個問題發佈到幾個子Reddits上。

I tried English and French...

我試過英語和法語...

organizations, academics, locals...

組織、學術界、當地人...

And then...

然後...

I waited.

我等待著。

But there was one easy thing to clear up first.

但有一件容易的事要先弄清楚。

Were these circles real?

這些圓圈是真的嗎？

Or were they just some kind of satellite imaging glitch?

還是它們只是某種衛星成像的故障？

So I asked a teammate who works with maps a lot:

所以我問了一個經常與地圖打交道的隊友。

Sam, he produces our series Atlas.

山姆，他製作了我們的《阿特拉斯》系列。

And he pointed me to the company that takes a lot of the satellite pictures

他給我指出了拍攝大量衛星圖片的公司

for Google Earth: Maxar Technologies.

用於谷歌地球。Maxar Technologies.

I feel very confident that those are indeed on the ground

我覺得非常有信心，這些確實是在地面上。

because we see them in multiple images over multiple years.

因為我們在多年來的多個影像中看到他們。

So, I know it wasn't an artifact of the processing that Google might have done with our imagery.

是以，我知道這不是谷歌可能對我們的影像進行處理的一個偽命題。

And then a colleague of mine who has spent a decent amount of time studying this area

然後我的一個同事，他花了相當多的時間研究這個領域

said, “You know, this is a very rich area for oil and gas.”

說，"你知道，這是一個非常豐富的石油和天然氣區域。"

“This looks very similar to what we see when they're doing oil exploration.”

"這看起來與我們在進行石油勘探時看到的情況非常相似。"

Oil radically changed the course of Algeria's history.

石油從根本上改變了阿爾及利亞的歷史進程。

"Oil from the wastelands of the desert..."

"來自沙漠荒地的石油......"

"And it's believed that the Sahara is immensely rich in it."

"而且據說撒哈拉沙漠中蘊藏著巨大的財富。"

When oil and gas were discovered there in 1956, companies flocked to the region

當1956年在那裡發現石油和天然氣時，公司蜂擁而至。

against the backdrop of a brutal decolonization war with France.

在與法國進行殘酷的非殖民化戰爭的背景下。

Today, Algeria is one of the world's top exporters of natural gas.

今天，阿爾及利亞是世界上最大的天然氣出口國之一。

What Steve is talking about here is seismic surveys

史蒂夫在這裡所說的是地震勘測

where geophysicists analyze the Earth's surface by sending shock waves into the ground.

在這裡，地球物理學家通過向地下發送衝擊波來分析地球表面。

Depending on how those seismic waves bounce back

取決於這些地震波的反彈情況

researchers can tell what resources can be extracted from underground.

研究人員可以知道從地下可以提取什麼資源。

Steve thought that, maybe, seismic pulses from a specialized vehicle

史蒂夫認為，也許，來自專門車輛的地震脈衝

could produce something like this.

可以產生這樣的東西。

So, we had a hypothesis.

是以，我們有一個假設。

But I wanted a second opinion.

但我想聽聽第二個意見。

So I asked Bob Hardage at the University of Texas

所以我問了德克薩斯大學的鮑勃-哈達奇

one of the world's leading experts on seismic imaging.

世界領先的地震成像專家之一。

He responded by email:

他通過電子郵件作出了迴應。

”I can assure you with 100-percent confidence that

"我可以向你保證，百分之百的信心

the features in this imagery are not seismic arrays

該影像中的特徵不是地震陣列

used in oil and gas exploration.”

在石油和天然氣勘探中使用的"。

First, the shapes themselves weren't right.

首先，形狀本身並不正確。

“...there will be hundreds of thousands of receivers positioned

"......將有數十萬個接收器被定位

as either a single straight line

作為一個單一的直線

or as hundreds of parallel straight lines.”

或作為數百條平行的直線"。

I looked up pictures from NASA of seismic surveying

我從美國宇航局查找了地震勘測的圖片

and you can see what he means.

而且你可以看到他的意思。

Second: the fact that we could even see them meant they probably weren't a seismic survey.

第二：我們甚至可以看到它們，這意味著它們可能不是地震勘探。

“... the objective is to leave the landscape like you found it."

"......目標是讓景觀像你發現它一樣。"

"If a seismic crew created something like these features

"如果地震隊員創造了類似這些特徵的東西

a return visit would be made to restore the landscape.”

將進行回訪，以恢復景觀。"

“I have no idea what the circles in the satellite image are."

"我不知道衛星影像中的圓圈是什麼。"

"Whatever they are, the people who created them

"無論它們是什麼，創造它們的人

wanted those features to be permanent.”

希望這些功能是永久性的。"

“Closeout: I don't think we need to chat.”

"結賬。我想我們不需要再聊了。"

Thanks Bob.

謝謝你，鮑勃。

So I kept Googling.

所以我一直在谷歌上搜索。

I found geotagged pictures from the nearest municipality, Foggaret Ezzaouia

我發現最近的市鎮的地理標籤圖片，Foggaret Ezzaouia

on a site called mapio.net.

在一個叫mapio.net的網站上。

These old stone wells sorta looked like they could be arranged in a circle.

這些古老的石井有點像可以排列成一個圓圈。

But reverse image searches were a dead end.

但反向影像搜索是一個死衚衕。

I didn't know what to do next.

我不知道接下來該怎麼做。

So we looped in Vox video's senior researcher, Melissa, to help me out.

是以，我們請來了沃克斯視頻的高級研究員梅麗莎來幫助我。

So, I was trying to find what this thing was.

所以，我試圖找到這個東西是什麼。

I don't know if you remember from his original post

我不知道你是否記得他的原帖

he calls it the Tebalbalet tomb.

他稱其為特巴爾巴雷特墓。

Do you remember that?

你還記得嗎？

So I found this article.

所以我發現了這篇文章。

This is from like 1985 — I mean, not 1985: 1885.

這是1985年的作品--我是說，不是1985年：1885年。

The “Well of Tebalbalet” is at the latitude 27°20 and longitude 4°38.

特巴爾巴萊特之井 "位於北緯27°20，東經4°38。

And that's approximately where what we're looking at is.

而這大約就是我們正在看的地方。

And it says there are two circular tumuli.

並說有兩個圓形的墓穴。

I had to Google that, I don't know that word.

我不得不穀歌一下，我不知道這個詞。

-Tumuli.

-圖穆裡。

What's a tumulus.

什麼是瘤狀物。

Tumulus.

Tumulus。

It's an ancient burial mound.

這是一個古老的墳冢。

Which seems... that sounds about right.

這似乎......這聽起來是對的。

“... encompassed by two concentric mounds in the form of rings, all of great regularity."

"......被兩個環形的同心圓丘所包圍，都很有規律。"

"The two rings are respectively 30 and 21 meters in diameter, from crest to crest.”

"這兩個環的直徑分別為30米和21米，從峰頂到峰頂。"

So a document from 1885 said that, around this same area, there were

是以，1885年的一份文件說，在這個相同的地區，有

1) a bunch of wells, and

1) 一堆水井，和

2) tombs with “rings of great regularity.”

2）有 "很有規律的環形 "的墓葬。

Now, the sketches weren't an exact match.

現在，這些草圖並不完全匹配。

But they got us thinking: what if these things were actually really old?

但他們讓我們思考：如果這些東西實際上真的很古老呢？

So I sent the pictures to a Tunisian archaeologist who had done research in this area.

所以我把照片寄給了一位在這個地區做過研究的突尼西亞考古學家。

We spoke in French because of decades of French occupation in the 19th and 20th centuries

我們用法語交談，因為在19和20世紀，法國佔領了幾十年。

French is still used in many contexts in Tunisia and Algeria.

在突尼西亞和阿爾及利亞，許多情況下仍在使用法語。

And she had a new clue.

而且她有一個新的線索。

[in French] These monuments, they are without a doubt

[法語]這些紀念碑，它們無疑是

[in French] because I know Aïn Salah very well...

[法語]因為我非常瞭解Aïn Salah...

[in French] These monuments are related to...

[法語]這些紀念碑與...

[in French] Water.

[法語] 水。

[in French] It's a desert environment, it's the Sahara.

[法語]這是個沙漠環境，是撒哈拉沙漠。

[in French] It is practically the hottest place in the Maghreb.

[法語]它實際上是馬格里布最熱的地方。

[in French] It's an area which is very well known

[法語]這是一個非常有名的地區。

for the difficulties of this heat there, and for the water harvest.

為那裡的這種熱量的困難，以及為水的收穫。

[in French] So the people, they dig.

[法語]所以人們，他們挖掘。

[in French] It has a name: the Foggaras.

[法語]它有一個名字：Foggaras。

Foggara.

福格拉。

It's the North African name for a 2,500-year-old style of irrigation system

這是北非對一種有2500年曆史的灌溉系統的稱呼。

that goes by many names, but is often called a qanat.

它有很多名字，但通常被稱為 "卡納特"。

Builders dig a well at an elevated point on a slope

建築商在斜坡上的一個高點挖井

deep enough to tap into groundwater.

足夠深，可以開採地下水。

They then dig parallel shafts at regular intervals.

然後他們以固定的間隔挖掘平行的豎井。

These provide air flow for diggers as they create an underground channel

這些為挖掘機提供空氣流動，因為它們創建了一個地下通道

all the way back to the main well.

一直到主井。

With a slope of 1 or 2 degrees, the channel carries water long distances

坡度為1或2度，航道可長距離運水

powered by gravity alone.

僅由重力驅動。

In a part of the world with barely any rain and no running rivers

在這個世界上幾乎沒有雨水，沒有流動的河流的地方

this technology can provide water for crops, livestock, and people

這項技術可以為農作物、牲畜和人提供水

year round...

一年四季...

making human-made oases possible.

使人為的綠洲成為可能。

[in French] It's curious, eh?

[法語]很好奇，嗯？

This was the most promising lead yet.

這是迄今為止最有希望的線索。

It explained the desert location, the circular shape, the regularity, and spacing.

它解釋了沙漠的位置、圓形的形狀、規則性和間隔。

Even the closest municipality's name, Foggaret Ezzaouia, is named after foggaras.

甚至最近的一個市鎮的名字--佛格瑞特-埃扎烏亞，也是以佛格瑞特命名的。

And those mapio pictures of wells started to make sense.

而那些mapio的水井圖片開始變得有意義了。

But I wanted to run it by more people who had studied qanats.

但我想讓更多研究過坎兒井的人瞭解它。

Qanats are actually more than just water infrastructures.

Qanats實際上不僅僅是水的基礎設施。

I think they are the very raison d'etre:

我認為它們是存在的理由。

the basis of habitation in such harsh climates.

在這種嚴酷的氣候下居住的基礎。

They start from outside of the city, but then they usually end up

他們從城市以外的地方開始，但後來他們通常會在

into the city or into agricultural lands.

進入城市或進入農業用地。

But when it came to our circles...

但是當談到我們的圈子時...

I have no take on it, honestly.

老實說，我對這個問題沒有什麼看法。

I'm looking at it now.

我現在正看著呢。

Right.

對。

Okay, that's interesting.

好吧，這很有趣。

There's something like 20 of them in a row.

一共有20個左右的人。

Yeah. So that's definitely a foggara.

是的。是以，這絕對是一個福格拉。

So at the end of that, there should be a town.

是以，在結束時，應該有一個城鎮。

There should be an oasis or something.

應該有一個綠洲或其他東西。

But if there isn't, that means that probably the water in the qanat

但如果沒有，那就意味著可能坎兒井裡的水

or foggara has dried up since a long time.

或foggara已經乾涸了很久了。

You should talk to Dale Lightfoot.

你應該和戴爾-萊特福談談。

He is the American geographer

他是美國地理學家

who knows everything about qanats.

他對坎兒井的情況瞭如指掌。

These are what we're looking at.

這些是我們正在看的。

I couldn't even say with confidence whether these are related to water collection.

我甚至不能肯定地說，這些是否與取水有關。

But I can tell you they're definitely not qanats.

但我可以告訴你，他們絕對不是卡納特。

We also found these pictures.

我們還發現了這些照片。

Do you think these could be what the circles are?

你認為這些可能是圓圈的內容嗎？

What you're showing me pictures of here looks a lot like animal-drawn wells.

你在這裡給我看的圖片看起來很像動物拉的井。

I've seen these in a lot of places.

我在很多地方都見過這些。

To me, this is not the same thing.

對我來說，這不是同一件事。

I think you're back to square one.

我想你又回到了原點。

Back to square one, indeed.

的確，又回到了原點。

Don't rule out space aliens.

不要排除太空外星人的可能性。

I've heard they do crazy things, too.

我聽說他們也會做一些瘋狂的事情。

So they might be wells, but probably not a qanat.

所以他們可能是水井，但可能不是坎兒井。

And maybe not even related to water at all.

也許甚至與水一點關係都沒有。

Could we at least rule that out?

我們能不能至少排除這個可能性？

That's when Melissa found a database of oases in the Sahara.

這時，梅麗莎發現了一個關於撒哈拉沙漠中綠洲的數據庫。

With lists of the people who help manage their water supply.

有幫助管理其供水的人的名單。

Like Mohammed Brik, a farmer in Laghouat, Algeria.

就像阿爾及利亞拉古阿特（Laghouat）的農民穆罕默德-布里克（Mohammed Brik）。

I don't think it was done to fetch water.

我不認為這是為了打水。

Because the point of going out to look for water

因為出去找水的意義在於

is to meet the needs of the population

是為了滿足人口的需求

and agriculture.

和農業。

If there's nothing for 160 kilometers

如果160公里內沒有任何東西

then that's not a valid hypothesis.

那麼這就不是一個有效的假說。

Right. Because there is no village, no...

對。因為沒有村莊，沒有...

There's no village.

沒有村子。

There's no garden.

沒有花園。

There's no oasis.

沒有綠洲。

There's nothing planted.

沒有任何東西被種植。

There's no population.

沒有人口。

We were three months in and it seemed like our most promising hypothesis yet

我們已經進行了三個月，這似乎是我們最有希望的假說

was probably out.

可能是出局了。

Then I got an email.

然後我收到一封電子郵件。

Back in early October, Steve Wood promised to send me

早在10月初，史蒂夫-伍德就答應給我寄去

high-res images from Maxar's archive.

來自Maxar檔案的高清晰圖片。

Finally, we had them.

最後，我們得到了他們。

It was the clearest look we'd had yet.

這是我們迄今為止最清晰的樣子。

And Steve believed it showed a new detail: tire tracks.

而史蒂夫認為它顯示了一個新的細節：輪胎痕跡。

If that was right, it would mean someone had been there within the last century.

如果這是對的，那就意味著在上個世紀有人去過那裡。

I kept asking people.

我一直在問別人。

Historians...

歷史學家...

Algerian officials...

阿爾及利亞官員...

Archaeologists...

考古學家...

And nearby residents...

而附近的居民...

But after a while, I felt stuck.

但過了一段時間，我覺得被卡住了。

Like we had exhausted what we could find out on the internet.

就像我們已經用盡了我們在互聯網上能找到的東西。

And there was nowhere else to go from here...

而且從這裡開始就沒有別的地方可去了......。

except to the circles themselves.

除了對圓圈本身。

The longer this project went on, the more I realized that we had a choice to make.

這個項目進行得越久，我就越意識到，我們必須做出選擇。

We could keep interviewing more and more people, get more and more theories

我們可以繼續採訪越來越多的人，得到越來越多的理論

and ultimately have no way to back them up.

並最終沒有辦法支持它們。

Or... we could figure out a way to get someone there...

或者......我們可以想辦法把人送到那裡......。

Try to film it...

嘗試拍攝...

and then, maybe, we could know for sure.

然後，也許，我們就可以確定了。

So I asked my teammate Christina — who works with journalists all over the world

所以我問我的隊友克里斯蒂娜--她與世界各地的記者一起工作

if she knew anyone in Algeria.

她是否認識阿爾及利亞的任何人。

And that led us to Samir Abchiche, a video journalist in Algiers.

這讓我們找到了阿爾及爾的視頻記者薩米爾-阿布奇切。

I'm about to be a dad.

我馬上就要當爸爸了。