The Oak Island Season 13, Episode 3: Ancient Bead Discovery Linked to Knights of Malta?

Episode 3 of The Curse of Oak Island Season 13 introduces one of the most intriguing artifacts the team has uncovered so far: a small, bluish bead that may carry a much larger historical significance than its size suggests. What began as a simple lab review quickly escalated into a discussion connecting the bead to Mediterranean trade networks, European explorers, and even the Knights of Malta—a religious and military order with deep ties to the same era and mystery-rich symbolism often associated with Oak Island.

The discovery begins in the lab, where archeometallurgist Emma Culligan presents her scientific analysis of the bead found on Lot 5 in the previous episode. Using X-ray fluorescence (XRF), Emma concludes that the bead’s distinctive blue color comes from copper-based pigmentation, a hallmark of European beadmaking traditions. When comparing it to other known bead samples recovered from the island, Emma reveals that its closest match comes from Venetian trade beads—items widely exchanged between Europeans and Indigenous peoples from the 1600s onward.

This is where the mystery deepens.

Venetian beads were not just decorative. They were a form of international currency, traded across the Atlantic by explorers, merchants, missionaries, and occasionally secretive orders. Their presence on Oak Island suggests contact with European groups far earlier than traditional historical timelines recognize.

Archaeologist Laird Niven dates the bead to the mid-to-late 1600s, placing it after the era of Isaac de Razilly and the establishment of nearby Fort Sainte Marie de Grace. But while the date aligns with known colonial activity, the bead’s style, precision, and composition hint at a higher-status origin than typical trade goods.

Then comes the theory that caught the team off guard.

During discussion, the possibility emerges that this bead might be connected to the Knights of Malta, a powerful maritime order active during the 16th and 17th centuries. Known for their naval expeditions, religious missions, and connections to other secretive groups—including the Templars—the Knights of Malta were among the most skilled seafarers of their time. Their artifacts are known to have traveled widely through trade, diplomacy, and religious exchange.

If a Knight of Malta or one of their affiliates ever set foot in Nova Scotia—or traded with Indigenous groups who later interacted with activity around Oak Island—then a bead like this could easily have followed.

But the context makes the find even more compelling.

Lot 5, where the bead was recovered, has now produced:

• Roman coins

• 1600s pipe stems

• 17th–18th century domestic pottery

• Trade goods

• Structural features

• And now a bead tied to Mediterranean craftsmanship

The variety and origin of artifacts strongly suggest that Lot 5 was either a meeting point, a trade hub, or a landing site used by multiple groups over multiple centuries—some of which may remain undocumented in official history.

In the episode, the team discusses the possibility that European explorers—or individuals tied to powerful religious orders—may have used Oak Island long before the Money Pit legend began. While no definitive conclusion is reached, the bead adds another compelling piece to a growing puzzle: the island’s story may be far more global, far older, and far more complicated than anyone once believed.

With every artifact uncovered on Lot 5, the evidence grows clearer:
Someone with Mediterranean ties may have left their mark on Oak Island.