Rick Lagina: “We Found Roman Artifacts That Could Lead To Oak Island Treasure!”

At the time I was thinking, “Big deal, he’s going to come up, fix the comms, and go back in.”
That’s what I thought. I did too. I thought, “Well, this isn’t going to stop.”

Things proceeding, it’s just a glitch.
I see light, see light coming.
There he is, he’s on the surface, dead surface.
Let’s see it—whoa, what is it? A Roman sword! That is phenomenal.

For centuries, Oak Island has been a mystery wrapped in legends.
Some say the Vikings sailed here long before Columbus.
Others believe the island was a hiding spot for the lost treasure of the Knights Templar.
And then, of course, there is the idea that pirates buried a massive horde of gold deep underground.

But now, there is new evidence that might just change everything.
Turns out the Romans could have been here too.
And we are not talking about just one random object.

Several unusual artifacts have been uncovered, and they date way back to Roman times.
But let’s be clear, the search for these artifacts was not easy.
In fact, it almost cost a man his life.

So what happened? What did they find and how did they find it?
The mysterious borehole.

Oak Island is full of secrets.
People have been digging, drilling, and diving here for over two centuries trying to find out what lies beneath.
But before anyone stumbled upon the artifact that changed everything, they almost lost a life trying to solve one of the biggest mysteries of all—Borehole 10X.

Now, let’s talk about 10X.
This is not just a random hole in the ground.
It is a deep, dangerous, water-filled shaft that has been the focus of treasure hunters for decades.

It all started with Dan Blankenship, one of Oak Island’s most dedicated searchers.
He believed this borehole could lead straight to whatever was buried deep underground.
And honestly, considering all the weird stuff people have found on this island like gold chains, stone carvings, centuries-old coins, why not?
Why can’t there be treasure?

But Borehole 10X was not an easy dig.
First off, it goes 235 ft deep, which is not exactly a casual backyard project.
It starts with a 181 ft vertical drop through a reinforced steel and concrete shaft.
Then at the bottom, it narrows into a ridiculously tight 44-foot long tunnel, only 27 inches wide.

This means there is barely enough space for a grown man to squeeze through.
And if that was not bad enough, the whole thing is submerged in murky water, which means there is zero visibility.
And let’s not forget, this is not some stable, well-constructed tunnel.

Over the years, pieces of equipment have been lost down there.
Rocks, dirt, and debris keep collapsing into the shaft every time someone tries to go down.
There is a real risk of getting stuck or worse.

That’s why only the most experienced divers even consider going in.
That’s why the Lagginina brothers called Harvey Morash and Michael Gharts, two professional divers.
They brought them in to explore 10X.

Now, these guys knew the risks, but even they were not prepared for what happened.
The plan was simple: Michael would go first, acting as a safety diver, while Harvey descended further into the tunnel.
The crew on the surface would stay in touch with them through an underwater communication system.
Everything was set—at least that’s what they thought.

Just a few minutes into the dive, things started to fall apart.
Michael’s communication system suddenly stopped working.
There was no signal, no voice.
They were 100 ft underwater in complete darkness with no way to tell anyone if they were in trouble.

The team on the surface had no idea if Michael was safe.
They tried calling his name, but there was no response.
Panic started setting in.
If Michael was stuck or running out of air, they had no way of knowing.

For the next 32 minutes, no one knew what was happening.
That might not sound long, but when someone is underwater unable to communicate, every second feels like an hour.
The team tried tapping on the pipe to send signals, but still no sign of him.

People on the surface were tense.
If something went wrong, how would they even get him out?
Divers cannot just shoot straight up when they are that deep.
It is dangerous.
Decompression stops are needed to prevent serious health risks.

So they waited and waited.
Then finally, a light appeared beneath the water’s surface.
Harvey was coming up.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Of course, after making sure he was okay, the next big question was, “What happened down there?”
Harvey’s dive was not completely wasted.
He actually made it down pretty far.
But once inside the narrow part of the tunnel, things got even worse.

He could not see anything.
Not just bad visibility, there was zero visibility.
Thick clouds of silt made it impossible to make out any shapes or objects.
It was like trying to see through the mud.

He felt his way around the walls trying to figure out what was down there.
He could tell there was debris—possibly old wooden structures, broken rocks, and random objects.
But as for the legendary treasure chamber—still a mystery.

And then came the real problem—the drill bar.
Now this was not some tiny obstacle he could just move aside.
This was a massive 20ft long metal bar that had accidentally fallen into 10X decades ago.
It was wedged inside the tunnel blocking the way forward.

Harvey tried to maneuver around it but the space was too tight.
His movement was restricted and for a moment he was not sure he could get out.
That’s when things got really uncomfortable.

He had to twist and push himself backwards, scraping against the rough walls.
His breathing got heavier.
His air supply was limited.
Every second counted.

Somehow he managed to get free and start heading back up.
But the whole experience made one thing very clear—10X was not going to give up its secrets easily.

But it was a good thing that they did not find anything in that hole because only then were they able to shift their focus to someplace else—somewhere that was truly hiding the treasure they were looking for.

The unusual Roman artifact.

After the chaos and near disaster at Borehole 10X, the team knew they had to switch things up.
The shaft was dangerous, unpredictable, and was not giving them any answers.
At least not yet.

But Oak Island had plenty of mysteries left to explore, and they were not going to let one setback slow them down.
While deciding their next move, they turned their attention to another area that had been promising but not fully investigated.

That’s when they found something strange.
It started with what seemed like an ordinary rusted metal piece buried in the dirt.
But after clearing away more soil, it became clear it was not just some random scrap.
It was a pulley—old, heavy, and well-crafted.

This was not just something that had washed up on shore.
It had been placed there.
The team knew pulleys were often used in elaborate mechanisms—lifting heavy objects or operating hidden trap doors.
Maybe this was part of some centuries-old treasure retrieval system that past searchers used.
Or maybe it belonged to whoever had been here long before modern treasure hunters even arrived.

As exciting as the pulley was, it was not the biggest discovery of the day.

Just as the team was shifting their focus to their next steps, Charles Barkhouse walked in with something that would throw everyone into a frenzy.
He had brought them an artifact that had the potential to change everything they thought they knew about Oak Island.

Charles revealed that a Roman sword had been discovered in Mahon Bay just off the coast of Oak Island.
It had been found back in the 1940s by a local family who had been illegally scalloping in the area.
Instead of reporting the discovery, they kept it hidden for decades, passing it down through generations.

Now, after years of secrecy, the artifact had finally come into the hands of the Oak Island team.

The sword itself was a bronze or brass weapon with a distinct hilt which immediately caught their attention.
It was heavier than expected, with an ornate design that seemed far too intricate for anything made in recent history.
The hilt featured a carving of Hercules, which is a symbol commonly associated with ancient Roman military decorations.
This weapon really looked ancient.

Finding a Roman artifact in North America is unheard of as far as mainstream history is concerned.
The Romans never set foot anywhere near Oak Island.
Their empire stretched through Europe, parts of the Middle East, and North Africa, but it never crossed the Atlantic.

So what was the sword doing buried near Mahon Bay?
Theories started flying immediately.

Some believed the sword was absolute proof that Romans had been here, somehow managing to travel across the ocean centuries before Columbus or Norse explorers.
Others were more skeptical, arguing that even if the sword was authentic, that did not necessarily mean Romans had personally left it behind.
It could have been brought here later—maybe by European collectors, maybe through trade routes that had carried artifacts much farther than most historians assume.

The team knew speculation was not enough.
They needed proof.
The only way to be sure was to have the sword tested by experts.

They took it to St Mary’s University in Halifax, where specialists in archaeology and metallurgy could analyze it.
If this was a true Roman artifact, it would change everything people thought they knew about early transatlantic travel.

The first expert to examine the sword, Dr. Miles Macllum, noted that it looked similar to ceremonial weapons given to gladiators and high-ranking Roman officers.
That was an exciting start.
The hilt featured a figure believed to be Hercules, which lined up with Roman symbolism.
The sword itself had the right shape, the right size, and the right balance for a piece dating back nearly 2,000 years.

But none of that was conclusive on its own.
The most important test was yet to come—to determine if the sword was really ancient.

Scientists performed a chemical analysis.
The idea was that if the metal composition matched what Romans used, that would be a strong argument for its authenticity.
If it contained materials associated with more modern manufacturing, then it was likely a reproduction.

When the results came in, they were frustratingly inconclusive.
Some of the elements did match Roman metallurgy.
There were traces of copper, tin, lead, and even a small amount of arsenic—all consistent with ancient Roman bronze.
That was a good sign.

But there was a catch.
The way the sword was cast did not quite fit known Roman techniques.
Instead of being made through the traditional lost wax method, the sword seemed to have been cast in a bi-valve mold.

This was a problem.
Roman blacksmiths typically did not use this kind of mold—at least not for weapons like this.
The technique suggested a later time period, possibly medieval or even early modern.

That led to a new theory.
The sword could be an antique, but not necessarily from the Roman era.
Some experts suggested it might have been created in the 18th or 19th century, inspired by Roman designs.
Maybe it had been a collector’s item brought to Oak Island much later.
Or perhaps it had even been deliberately placed there by someone who wanted to add to the mystery of the island.

That last possibility was not as far-fetched as it sounded.
Oak Island has a long history of attracting treasure hunters, and over the years plenty of people have tried to leave their mark on the legend.
Maybe the sword was part of an elaborate hoax.
Or maybe it was really an ancient relic that had somehow made its way across the ocean long before anyone thought it possible.

The team was not ready to give up.
They sought a second opinion, bringing in Dr. Christa Brusso, who is a chemistry professor specializing in metal analysis.
She conducted a more detailed scan and found something unexpected.

The sword contained a high amount of zinc.
That raised eyebrows.
Zinc was not typically used in ancient Roman bronze, at least not in high concentrations.
That suggested the sword was modern brass, not ancient bronze.

If that was true, it meant the sword was not from the Roman era.
That was a massive blow to the theory that Romans had been here.

But not everyone was convinced.
Some pointed out that certain ancient mines contained naturally occurring zinc, which could have ended up in Roman bronze through natural contamination.
Others argued that the presence of zinc didn’t necessarily mean the sword was fake. It just meant more tests were needed. The debate only got more intense when comparisons were made to other similar swords found in Europe. It turned out that museums in Italy and Spain had almost identical swords, and those had already been classified as replicas made in the 1800s.

That didn’t look good for the Oak Island sword. If the same model existed elsewhere and had been proven to be a reproduction, it seemed unlikely that this one was any different.

But then came another twist. Some historians argued that just because replicas existed didn’t automatically mean this particular sword was one of them. Maybe the design had been copied from an actual ancient artifact, and maybe the Oak Island sword was the original, and the ones in Europe were copies.

At this point, things were a mess. Some experts insisted the sword was a modern fake, nothing more than a product of 19th century craftsmanship. Others believed it still had the potential to be a genuine ancient artifact, pointing to the metal composition and its unique discovery location. And of course, there were those who felt the whole thing was just another dead end in Oak Island’s long history of wild theories and false leads.

One thing was certain: the discovery has sparked one of the biggest controversies in the island’s history. Whether real or fake, the Roman sword had everyone talking. But the exciting thing is that this sword is not the only Roman artifact found in this region.

Other findings over the years — Oak Island has been teasing treasure hunters and history buffs for over two centuries. Every time someone thinks they are close to figuring out its secrets, the island throws them another mystery.

People have poured money, sweat, and even their lives into uncovering what’s buried beneath the surface. And while they haven’t yet found the legendary treasure, they have dug up some seriously strange things.

One of the biggest puzzles is the discovery of objects that don’t seem to belong. You would expect to find old tools, coins, and maybe even some pirate relics. But Oak Island has a habit of serving up things that have no logical reason to be there — and that includes what some claim to be Roman artifacts.

Now, if the Romans really were here, that would shake up everything we know about history. The official story is that they never set foot anywhere near North America. Yet here we are with multiple discoveries suggesting otherwise.

Take for example the Roman-style crossbow bolts. These small sharp projectiles were found on the island, and they match the design of bolts used by the Roman military. How did they end up here?

Some argue they could have arrived via trade routes much later in history, maybe even during the age of European exploration. But others insist this could mean the Romans, or at least someone carrying their weapons, visited this part of the world long before Columbus or the Vikings.

Then there is the famous lead cross discovered at Smith’s Cove. This one is still debated to this day. The cross, made of lead with a design resembling medieval Templar symbols, was buried under layers of sediment.

Some researchers believe it is linked to the Knights Templar, a mysterious order that supposedly traveled across the Atlantic to hide their treasures. But another theory suggests it could be even older, possibly dating back to the Roman period. If true, that would be massive.

The cross was analyzed and the lead composition was traced back to southern France, an area under Roman rule at one point. This could mean an ancient expedition reached Oak Island centuries before anyone thought it possible.

Another curious find is the inscribed stone known as the 90 ft stone, discovered deep in the infamous Money Pit. This large rock contains symbols that no one could immediately decipher.

Over the years, researchers have tried to crack the code, and some believe the markings resemble Phoenician or Roman era scripts.

Now the stone itself mysteriously disappeared in the early 1900s — because of course it did. This is Oak Island, where nothing stays simple. But records of its inscription still exist.

If the markings do have Roman origins, that would suggest someone with knowledge of their writing system was on the island centuries ago.

Let’s not forget the strange stone roads and platforms uncovered beneath Smith’s Cove. These are not natural formations — someone deliberately built them, and they don’t match the construction techniques of colonial era settlers.

Some researchers believe these structures resemble ancient European engineering, possibly even connected to Roman aqueducts or roads.

Maybe this is another clue pointing to pre-Colombian visitors. Or maybe this is simply the work of early explorers setting up base centuries later.

Another huge debate started when a Roman coin was allegedly found near Oak Island. The problem was that no one knew exactly where it came from.

If authentic, it could mean Roman merchants somehow ended up in this region. But coins are tricky — they travel, they get lost, traded, and passed down for centuries.

Just because a Roman coin turns up somewhere does not mean Romans were there. Still, it raises questions: why would a coin from ancient Rome be anywhere near Oak Island?

Then there is the mysterious shipwreck detected near Mahon Bay. The wreck has not been fully explored yet, but sonar scans suggest it is old — really old.

Some researchers believe it could be from the 1400s or earlier, meaning it predates Columbus. Others think it might be much older, possibly linked to medieval or ancient seafarers.

If any evidence surfaces that ties this wreck to the Romans, it would be groundbreaking. But for now, it remains one of the island’s many unsolved riddles.

And of course, we cannot talk about Oak Island’s bizarre finds without mentioning the wooden platforms and tunnels found deep underground.

Over the years, excavations have revealed layers upon layers of wooden beams arranged in a way that suggests deliberate construction.

Some of these tunnels seem booby trapped, designed to flood any digging attempts — which is another feature suspiciously similar to ancient Roman engineering.

The Romans were known for their complex underground structures, water management systems, and even hidden vaults. It is possible that whoever built these tunnels had knowledge of Roman techniques.

Skeptics argue that many of these discoveries could be explained by later European travelers or early settlers. But the problem with that theory is that many of these artifacts and structures predate recorded colonial history.

No one can quite explain how they got there. And that’s what keeps people coming back to Oak Island year after year.

Even though mainstream historians hesitate to connect Oak Island’s findings to the Romans, the sheer number of unexplained artifacts and structures suggest someone was here long before the official timeline allows.

The more objects they uncover, the harder it is to dismiss the possibility that ancient visitors — whether Roman, Phoenician, or another forgotten civilization — left their mark on this strange little island.

Every time someone digs on Oak Island, the mystery only gets deeper.

Each artifact found raises new questions. Just when one theory starts to make sense, a new discovery comes along and changes everything.

The idea that the Romans might have been here is still up for debate. But one thing is for sure: something strange happened on this island long ago.

Whether it was explorers, treasure hunters, or an unknown civilization, history left its mark here. And we are still trying to piece together the full story.

So what do you think? Could the Romans have actually made it to North America, or is there another explanation for these discoveries?

Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. And if you love hearing about historical mysteries like this, don’t forget to subscribe for more fascinating stories.