Underfoot

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Aaron Mahnke's Cabinet of Curiosities

Episode: Underfoot

Date: July 9, 2026

Host: Aaron Mahnke

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Episode Overview

In this episode, "Underfoot," Aaron Mahnke takes listeners on an audio tour of two mysterious tales connected by what happens—and what’s hidden—beneath our feet. The first story investigates the mysterious disappearance of British diplomat Benjamin Bathurst in early 19th-century Prussia. The second delves into the discovery and secrets of the ancient Hal Saflieni Hypogeum in Malta, an underground temple and necropolis, revealing the ingenuity and beliefs of prehistoric peoples. As always, Mahnke pairs historical intrigue with a fascination for the unexplained, maintaining his signature tone of curiosity and wonder.

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Key Discussion Points and Insights

1. The Disappearance of Benjamin Bathurst (00:47–04:11)

• Setting & Context:
  • November 1809, small Prussian town. Bathurst, a British diplomat, and his assistant (Kraus Karl) travel through war-torn territory, wary of Napoleon’s reach.
• Bathurst’s Paranoia:
  • Bathurst is notably anxious, convinced he's being followed, traveling under an alias, never lingering in one spot ("He refused to stop anywhere for more than a few hours at a time for fear that his enemies might find him.” [01:41])
• The Event:
  • Bathurst checks into an inn, gives Kraus a key, urges a short rest, and plans for night travel.
  • Later that night, Bathurst is agitated; demands they leave immediately. Bathurst vanishes within seconds while Kraus is preparing the carriage (“Mere seconds later, Kraus looked over to see where he was going and Bathurst was gone.” [03:29])
• Aftermath and Theories:
  • Kraus searches everywhere: no trace.
  • Theories include abduction, murder by bandits, espionage, or suicide, but none satisfactorily explain his vanishing in plain sight.
  • Memorable close: “...in the span of no more than just a few seconds, a grown man disappeared into thin air.” [03:55]

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2. The Hal Saflieni Hypogeum: Malta’s Underground Mystery (05:52–11:08)

• Discovery:
  • 1902, Paola, Malta. Construction for a parish hall uncovers a hollow containing artifacts and remains. (“They thought it was perhaps a small tomb, but further investigation proved they had in fact uncovered one of the most enigmatic sites in the world.” [06:15])
• Early Documentation and Loss:
  • Father Magri begins documenting but dies soon after. Site falls into neglect and is looted until Sir Zamet Themistocles resumes excavation five years later.
• The Structure:
  • Known as the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, it’s a triple-level subterranean complex:
    • Top Level: Ritual and burial chambers.
    • Middle Level: Mirrored above-ground temples; includes an “oracle room” with unique acoustics, resonating at 100 Hz.
      • “Modern studies have shown that this particular frequency can suppress activity in the brain's left hemisphere, subtly altering consciousness.” [08:09]
    • Bottom Level: Necropolis with remains of ~7,000 people. Evidence of ancestor worship, afterlife beliefs, and complex religious rituals.
• Engineering Marvel:
  • Built from 3300 BCE to 2500 BCE—an era without metal tools; only antler picks, stone hammers, and flint carvers.
  • Sophisticated ventilation maintains a stable 68°F temperature.
• Cultural Significance & Preservation:
  • Rich archaeological finds, including the “Sleeping Lady” figurine, pottery, painted ochre walls.
  • “It was an incredible accomplishment of engineering for the time...pillars and false doors carved into the walls mirror those found in temples on the surface...” [09:41]
  • Modern-day conservation: Limited visitor access and climate control installed in 2017.
  • Declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1981.
• Insightful Reflection:
  • “The Hall Saflieni Hypogeum is a powerful link to the prehistoric past of the Mediterranean. It gives us insight into the spiritual lives of a society that grew in isolation and challenges the more common perception of the capabilities of ancient people.” [10:41]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On sudden disappearance:
  “None of these theories can fully explain how in the span of no more than just a few seconds, a grown man disappeared into thin air.” (Aaron Mahnke, 03:55)
• On ancient acoustic engineering:
  “Modern studies have shown that this particular frequency can suppress activity in the brain's left hemisphere, subtly altering consciousness. This suggests that the room was likely used for religious purposes, priests attempting to commune with the dead or some divine power.” (Aaron Mahnke, 08:09)
• On ancient ingenuity:
  “...It was an incredible accomplishment of engineering for the time as builders didn’t have the use of metal tools, and so they used picks made of antlers, stone hammers, and flint carving tools to dig out and shape the limestone.” (Aaron Mahnke, 09:41)
• Reflection on the Hypogeum’s significance:
  “The Hall Saflieni Hypogeum is a powerful link to the prehistoric past of the Mediterranean. It gives us insight into the spiritual lives of a society that grew in isolation…” (Aaron Mahnke, 10:41)

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Timestamps for Key Segments

• Intro & Bathurst’s Disappearance: 00:47–04:11
• Hal Saflieni Hypogeum Discovery: 05:52–11:08

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Tone & Style

Aaron Mahnke’s narration is contemplative, atmospheric, and subtly suspenseful, maintaining an inviting tone of historical intrigue:

"Our world is full of the unexplainable and if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore." (00:47)

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Summary

This episode of Cabinet of Curiosities transports listeners beneath the surface—both physically and metaphorically—with the vanishing of a man in plain sight and the unearthing of an ancient subterranean temple. Both stories challenge what we think we know about the past and remind us of the mysteries still, quite literally, underfoot.

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Transcript

[A]

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[B]

Our world is full of the unexplainable and if history is an open book, all of these amazing tales are right there on display, just waiting for us to explore. Welcome to the Cabinet of Curiosities. On a November evening in 1809, a British diplomat named Benjamin Bathurst and his assistant, Herr Kraus Karl, climbed out of their horse drawn carriage outside of a shabby inn in a small town in Prussia. As Kraus was hitching the horses to a post, he saw Bathurst glance frantically around the street. Krauss asked him what was wrong and Bathurst said that he was certain that they were being followed. Bathurst had been acting oddly paranoid all week long. The two men were on their way back from a diplomatic mission in Vienna and to get home they had to travel through territory controlled by the French Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, who was currently at war with Britain. Bathurst was sure if anyone found out that he, a British diplomat, was passing through the area, he would be captured or killed. And so he'd been taking every precaution in the book to stay under the radar. He was traveling under a fake name. He refused to stop anywhere for more than a few hours at a time for fear that his enemies might find him. And now, despite how careful he'd been, he was worried that he was being followed by by spies. Kraus was at his wit's end, trying to keep his boss calm. They were reaching the last leg of their journey and so far nothing bad had happened to them. So he didn't understand why Bathurst was still so agitated. He was anxious to get home so that they could both finally rest. While Kraus finished hitching up the horses, Bathurst went inside to check in. He came back a few minutes later and gave Kraus a room key. He said they were just going to rest there for a few hours, have dinner and and then get back on the road so they could travel all night under the COVID of darkness. Kraus went up to his room for a nap and around 9 o' clock that night he was awoken by frantic knocking at the door. He opened it to find Bathurst looking even more agitated than usual. Kraus asked if he was okay and Bathurst barked that it was time to go. Kraus followed Bathurst outside and while he loaded up the carriage, Bathurst tapped his feet and nervously checked his watch. He was wild eyed and sweat was dripping down his pale forehead. Something had clearly spooked him, but Kraus had no idea what. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Bathurst walk past him and go around to the other side of the carriage. Mere seconds later, Kraus looked over to see where he was going and Bathurst was gone. Kraus walked around the stables, searched every nearby road, and even went back inside the inn to look around, but there was no sign of Bathurst anywhere. He had completely vanished without a trace. Benjamin Bathurst was never found. There are multiple theories about what might have happened to him. He could have been killed by bandits, kidnapped by French spies, or even died by his own hand. But none of these theories can fully explain how in the span of no more than just a few seconds, a grown man disappeared into thin air.

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[C]

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[B]

It was 1902 in the port town of Paula, Malta, and Father Magri was overseeing the construction of a new parish hall for his growing congregation. Workers toiled all day in the hot sun, excavating the site and hauling away the rocks to set the foundation. And then one afternoon, something strange happened. The men broke through the ground to find a large hollow beneath. In the space they found artifacts and human remains. They thought it was perhaps a small tomb, but further investigation proved they had in fact uncovered one of the most enigmatic sites in the world. What the men had discovered was a large subterranean structure, a series of halls and chambers carved from the limestone. Father Magri realized immediately that the site could have some historical significance, and so as the men uncovered more and more of it, he thoroughly documented the site, hoping to preserve it in its entirety for future generations. He would not document for long though, as he died shortly after. Without his guiding influence, the site was neglected and fell prey to grave robbers. Five years passed before an archaeologist would take up his mantle, the impressively named Sir Zamet Themistocles. It was Zammit who would truly uncover the real scale of the subterranean structure, which came to be known as the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. It was divided into three levels, each one dug deeper into the earth to make the best use of the space. The top level, the one discovered by Father Magri's men, was the primary entrance, containing a number of chambers used for ritualistic and burial practices. The level below had a more sophisticated design that mirrored the large above ground temples of the era that it was built in. This included an oracle room, the sanctum sanctorum, or the holiest of holies. This chamber was built with strange acoustic properties. Its shape causes sound to resonate at 100 hertz. Modern studies have shown that this particular frequency can suppress activity in the brain's left hemisphere, subtly altering consciousness. This suggests that the room was likely used for religious purposes, priests attempting to commune with the dead or some divine power. In the lowest level, archaeologists discovered the remains of roughly 7,000 people in a large necropolis or city of the dead. This meant that it was no ordinary burial ground, but likely the central tomb for the area. Over many centuries, excavations have uncovered stone tools and pottery, as well as a small alabaster figure of a woman which came to be known as the Sleeping Lady. She, among many other similar figurines and walls and bones colored in ochre suggest a complex religion complete with ancestor worship and an afterlife, as well as a possible cult of the dead. Construction of the Hypogeum dates all the way back to 3300 BCE and it seems as though the necropolis was used until at least 2500 BCE. That's up to 800 years of burial. It was an incredible accomplishment of engineering for the time as builders didn't have the use of metal tools and so they used picks made of antlers, stone hammers and flint carving tools to dig out and shape the limestone. Despite these limitations, though, their stonework is deeply impressive. Pillars and false doors carved into the walls mirror those found in temples on the surface, and that the structure keeps an average temperature of 68 degrees shows the excellent understanding of ventilation and has helped to preserve the bodies for thousands of years. In 2017, Malta finished a massive renovation project to help curb some of the normal wear and tear that happens to ancient sites with heavy traffic. A modern climate controlled system has been installed to keep the air cool and dry and visitors are limited to occasional tours which need to be booked far in advance. In this way they hope to preserve the ancient site for generations to come. The Hall Saflieni Hypogeum is a powerful link to the prehistoric past of the Mediterranean. It gives us insight into the spiritual lives of a society that grew in isolation and challenges the more common perception of the capabilities of ancient people. In 1981 it was named as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and continues to teach us about the daily lives and deaths of the people who live there and who carved themselves a curious tomb. I hope you enjoyed today's guided tour through the Cabinet of Curiosities. This show was created by me, me Aaron Manke in partnership with iHeart Podcasts, researched and written by the Grim and Mild team and produced by Jesse Funk. Learn more about the show and the people who make it [e-mail] curiosities. You'll also find a link to the official Cabinet of Curiosities hardcover book available in bookstores and online, as well as ebook and audiobook. And if you're looking for an ad free option, consider joining our Patreon. It's also all the same stories but without the interruption for a small monthly fee. Learn more and sign up [e-mail] grimandmiled and until next time, stay curious.

[C]

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[A]

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