1 00:00:01,066 --> 00:00:04,266 ♪♪ 2 00:00:05,466 --> 00:00:18,500 ♪♪ 3 00:00:18,500 --> 00:00:21,900 -Egypt, land of countless ancient treasures 4 00:00:21,900 --> 00:00:24,800 found inside its pyramids and temples. 5 00:00:26,633 --> 00:00:28,766 The walls of these monuments are covered 6 00:00:28,766 --> 00:00:30,766 with mysterious inscriptions 7 00:00:30,766 --> 00:00:34,966 left by ancient Egyptians -- hieroglyphics. 8 00:00:38,833 --> 00:00:40,766 -Hieroglyphs are perhaps a writing 9 00:00:40,766 --> 00:00:42,833 that has been used for the longest time 10 00:00:42,833 --> 00:00:44,366 in the history of the world. 11 00:00:44,366 --> 00:00:48,966 Because they were used for well over 3,000 years. 12 00:00:48,966 --> 00:00:52,933 -200 years ago, French scholar Jean-François Champollion 13 00:00:52,933 --> 00:00:56,566 deciphered the inscriptions, giving meaning to the signs 14 00:00:56,566 --> 00:01:00,833 that had been unreadable for more than a millennium. 15 00:01:00,833 --> 00:01:02,366 And with his work, 16 00:01:02,366 --> 00:01:06,133 an entire civilization buried in the desert sand 17 00:01:06,133 --> 00:01:09,133 was brought back to life. 18 00:01:09,133 --> 00:01:11,933 Today, new research is focused on the people 19 00:01:11,933 --> 00:01:13,933 who wrote these hieroglyphs -- 20 00:01:13,933 --> 00:01:17,600 a literate elite employed by the pharaohs. 21 00:01:17,600 --> 00:01:22,233 They were priests, scribes, painters, engravers, 22 00:01:22,233 --> 00:01:25,033 and builders of tombs. 23 00:01:25,033 --> 00:01:26,766 In the south of Egypt, 24 00:01:26,766 --> 00:01:30,300 scientists are studying a palace filled with hieroglyphics, 25 00:01:30,300 --> 00:01:34,100 the only tomb built for a non-royal in the necropolis 26 00:01:34,100 --> 00:01:36,633 and the largest in all of Egypt. 27 00:01:36,633 --> 00:01:40,266 -How was this man able to build this incredible monument? 28 00:01:43,500 --> 00:01:46,633 -Egyptologists have battled the stifling heat 29 00:01:46,633 --> 00:01:49,533 to reach the darkest depths of the tomb 30 00:01:49,533 --> 00:01:53,433 and unlock the secrets of the ancient inscriptions. 31 00:01:53,433 --> 00:01:56,533 ♪♪ 32 00:01:59,300 --> 00:02:05,566 ♪♪ 33 00:02:07,266 --> 00:02:09,700 -"Secrets of the Dead" was made possible in part 34 00:02:09,700 --> 00:02:14,366 by contributions to your PBS station from viewers like you. 35 00:02:14,366 --> 00:02:15,733 Thank you. 36 00:02:17,066 --> 00:02:23,966 ♪♪ 37 00:02:23,966 --> 00:02:26,533 -Along the Nile, 400 miles 38 00:02:26,533 --> 00:02:29,200 from the ancient political capital of Memphis -- 39 00:02:29,200 --> 00:02:34,233 Cairo, today -- lies Thebes, modern-day Luxor. 40 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:40,566 Here, on the west bank, 41 00:02:40,566 --> 00:02:43,666 pharaohs constructed sumptuous tombs. 42 00:02:43,666 --> 00:02:46,333 The vast necropolis includes at least a dozen 43 00:02:46,333 --> 00:02:49,033 ancient funerary temples and burial sites 44 00:02:49,033 --> 00:02:54,466 belonging to royalty, including Queen Hatshepsut. 45 00:02:54,466 --> 00:02:57,000 Surprisingly, Egyptologists have found 46 00:02:57,000 --> 00:02:58,966 that the largest tomb at the site -- 47 00:02:58,966 --> 00:03:02,633 and in the country -- wasn't built for a pharaoh, 48 00:03:02,633 --> 00:03:05,866 despite its immense size. 49 00:03:05,866 --> 00:03:09,333 Archeologists have named it "TT33," 50 00:03:09,333 --> 00:03:11,833 for "Theban tomb 33," 51 00:03:11,833 --> 00:03:13,933 and they hope to make new discoveries 52 00:03:13,933 --> 00:03:16,666 by translating the monument's hieroglyphics. 53 00:03:16,666 --> 00:03:25,933 ♪♪ 54 00:03:25,933 --> 00:03:27,666 Professor Claude Traunecker 55 00:03:27,666 --> 00:03:32,733 has been studying TT33 for the past 17 years, under the aegis 56 00:03:32,733 --> 00:03:37,200 of the French Institute of Oriental Archaeology in Cairo. 57 00:03:37,200 --> 00:03:41,766 He is joined by Silvia Einaudi and Isabelle Régen, 58 00:03:41,766 --> 00:03:44,933 two Egyptologists and renowned epigraphists, 59 00:03:44,933 --> 00:03:47,333 whose job it is to copy, translate, 60 00:03:47,333 --> 00:03:50,333 and interpret the texts. 61 00:03:50,333 --> 00:03:52,666 On this trip, they have only four weeks 62 00:03:52,666 --> 00:03:54,566 to exhume the latest treasures 63 00:03:54,566 --> 00:03:58,600 and safeguard the thousands of texts carved into the walls... 64 00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:00,900 [ Conversing in native language ] 65 00:04:00,900 --> 00:04:05,500 ♪♪ 66 00:04:05,500 --> 00:04:08,266 ...of a tomb well-known to the adventurers 67 00:04:08,266 --> 00:04:10,266 who risked their lives exploring it. 68 00:04:10,266 --> 00:04:11,900 -[ Speaking French ] 69 00:04:11,900 --> 00:04:16,533 -Lots of people visited it as the region's great curiosity, 70 00:04:16,533 --> 00:04:21,400 with its legend of being a cursed and dangerous tomb. 71 00:04:21,400 --> 00:04:23,966 There were very large colonies of bats here. 72 00:04:26,600 --> 00:04:29,200 And when people came in, the bats would fly out, 73 00:04:29,200 --> 00:04:31,033 causing accidents. 74 00:04:31,033 --> 00:04:32,633 People only had candlelight, 75 00:04:32,633 --> 00:04:35,400 so a number of them fell down the shaft of Room XII 76 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:38,633 when the wind from the bats' wings blew out their candles. 77 00:04:38,633 --> 00:04:42,666 -But who did this imposing and mysterious tomb belong to? 78 00:04:42,666 --> 00:04:46,033 -Pa-di-imen-ipet. 79 00:04:46,033 --> 00:04:48,466 Padiamenope. 80 00:04:48,466 --> 00:04:49,933 -Padiamenope. 81 00:04:49,933 --> 00:04:51,433 -[ Speaking French ] 82 00:04:51,433 --> 00:04:53,333 -In the first two passageways, 83 00:04:53,333 --> 00:04:55,800 there's always an image of Padiamenope, 84 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:58,066 looking towards the entrance to the tomb 85 00:04:58,066 --> 00:05:00,300 as if he were greeting visitors. 86 00:05:03,266 --> 00:05:06,433 -His name and image appear all over the walls. 87 00:05:06,433 --> 00:05:10,133 There can be no doubt -- this is his final resting place. 88 00:05:12,833 --> 00:05:14,566 For almost a century, 89 00:05:14,566 --> 00:05:17,866 exploration of the tomb stopped at Room III 90 00:05:17,866 --> 00:05:19,833 because archaeologists built a wall 91 00:05:19,833 --> 00:05:24,200 at the entrance to Room IV to shut in the bats. 92 00:05:24,200 --> 00:05:25,733 -[ Speaking French ] 93 00:05:25,733 --> 00:05:28,533 -There's a nice little article by Maspero that says, 94 00:05:28,533 --> 00:05:32,200 "We walled in Padiamenope's tomb because of the bats. 95 00:05:32,200 --> 00:05:33,766 I hope that when it's reopened, 96 00:05:33,766 --> 00:05:37,000 we'll finally find out who Padiamenope was." 97 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,233 And I made use of this text to have the tomb opened again. 98 00:05:43,333 --> 00:05:45,400 -In December 2005, 99 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:47,433 after Traunecker obtained authorization 100 00:05:47,433 --> 00:05:50,833 to break down the wall and access the rest of the tomb, 101 00:05:50,833 --> 00:05:55,833 he entered a space that had been closed for a century. 102 00:05:55,833 --> 00:05:58,633 The decomposed bodies of millions of bats 103 00:05:58,633 --> 00:06:03,000 had saturated the air with ammonia, making it unbreathable. 104 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:06,000 The floor and walls were badly degraded, 105 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:08,533 but when the professor looked more closely, 106 00:06:08,533 --> 00:06:12,000 he realized he'd discovered a priceless treasure. 107 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:13,400 -[ Speaking French ] 108 00:06:13,400 --> 00:06:14,966 -It was a revelation! 109 00:06:14,966 --> 00:06:18,200 Especially this word of greeting that I discovered. 110 00:06:18,200 --> 00:06:21,400 I remember, when I saw it, I had tears in my eyes. 111 00:06:22,866 --> 00:06:25,000 An appeal to the living. 112 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:28,533 "O, you who are on earth, 113 00:06:28,533 --> 00:06:30,333 those who are born..." 114 00:06:30,333 --> 00:06:34,733 This marks the future -- "Er-mes-tu." 115 00:06:34,733 --> 00:06:37,333 "...and those who will be born." 116 00:06:37,333 --> 00:06:39,200 It's quite incredible! 117 00:06:39,200 --> 00:06:41,466 And it interestingly goes on to address 118 00:06:41,466 --> 00:06:45,400 "Those who come to stroll." 119 00:06:45,400 --> 00:06:50,200 Coming to the necropolis for a stroll -- not bad! 120 00:06:50,200 --> 00:06:54,233 "Those who come to have fun looking at ancient tombs." 121 00:06:54,233 --> 00:06:56,733 This dates from the 7th century BCE, 122 00:06:56,733 --> 00:07:01,333 so there had already been 2,000 years of tombs before then! 123 00:07:01,333 --> 00:07:04,100 "Or those who come looking for spells." 124 00:07:04,100 --> 00:07:07,533 That's us. That's us. 125 00:07:07,533 --> 00:07:11,866 When I read that, I must admit, I was moved to tears. 126 00:07:11,866 --> 00:07:15,200 "Those looking for spells." 127 00:07:15,200 --> 00:07:16,700 And he goes on. 128 00:07:19,333 --> 00:07:22,200 "May they observe what is in this tomb." 129 00:07:22,200 --> 00:07:24,200 And then there's a blessing -- 130 00:07:24,200 --> 00:07:26,833 "They will receive the blessing of the god Amun 131 00:07:26,833 --> 00:07:28,866 if they respect this tomb." 132 00:07:31,866 --> 00:07:36,433 And finally, he asks us to "repair whatever is damaged." 133 00:07:38,200 --> 00:07:40,566 It's a very daring, direct message. 134 00:07:40,566 --> 00:07:47,000 ♪♪ 135 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:50,200 -The carvings on the walls of Padiamenope's tomb 136 00:07:50,200 --> 00:07:53,700 ask future visitors to keep it in good condition. 137 00:07:57,566 --> 00:07:59,933 Einaudi and Régen have spent 10 years 138 00:07:59,933 --> 00:08:03,266 investigating the tomb, studying the walls, 139 00:08:03,266 --> 00:08:05,266 and wandering the maze of corridors 140 00:08:05,266 --> 00:08:07,800 that leads to the burial chamber. 141 00:08:07,800 --> 00:08:10,266 Ultimately, their goal is to find answers 142 00:08:10,266 --> 00:08:11,633 to the many questions 143 00:08:11,633 --> 00:08:14,533 that still surround the figure of Padiamenope 144 00:08:14,533 --> 00:08:16,200 and create a clearer picture 145 00:08:16,200 --> 00:08:19,400 of who this scribe and priest was. 146 00:08:19,400 --> 00:08:20,766 They have already established 147 00:08:20,766 --> 00:08:22,966 that the architectural style of the tomb 148 00:08:22,966 --> 00:08:26,966 places its construction at around 700 BCE. 149 00:08:26,966 --> 00:08:31,666 To learn more, they must capture 3-D images of the entire site, 150 00:08:31,666 --> 00:08:34,033 360 degrees around. 151 00:08:34,033 --> 00:08:35,866 -[ Speaking French ] 152 00:08:35,866 --> 00:08:38,600 -We're about to start the photogrammetry phase, 153 00:08:38,600 --> 00:08:41,766 where we'll align the images and a cloud of dots. 154 00:08:45,666 --> 00:08:48,800 The images will be aligned by the photogrammetry software. 155 00:08:48,800 --> 00:08:51,733 It involves the recognition of counterpart pixels 156 00:08:51,733 --> 00:08:54,466 between each image. 157 00:08:54,466 --> 00:08:57,566 Then we go on to the second phase, which is meshing. 158 00:08:57,566 --> 00:08:59,733 Here, the software picks up the millions of dots 159 00:08:59,733 --> 00:09:02,466 and joins them all together with little triangles. 160 00:09:05,266 --> 00:09:07,400 And that gives the volume to the model. 161 00:09:07,400 --> 00:09:13,366 ♪♪ 162 00:09:13,366 --> 00:09:17,400 So we're really moving from 2-D to 3-D. 163 00:09:17,400 --> 00:09:20,833 Once we've composed the model, we go on to the last step -- 164 00:09:20,833 --> 00:09:22,033 compositing. 165 00:09:22,033 --> 00:09:24,333 -[ Speaking French ] 166 00:09:24,333 --> 00:09:26,600 -We'll decide on the camera movement 167 00:09:26,600 --> 00:09:29,366 and then the lighting and lighting moods... 168 00:09:31,633 --> 00:09:34,700 ...and finally the rendering of the tomb itself. 169 00:09:37,533 --> 00:09:40,200 Here, the camera is on the outside, 170 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:43,333 and it allows us to see the exterior volumes of the tomb, 171 00:09:43,333 --> 00:09:45,700 with all its architecture and depth. 172 00:09:47,966 --> 00:09:50,866 In the other scenario, we're on a virtual visit, 173 00:09:50,866 --> 00:09:53,466 with the camera inside the tomb. 174 00:09:53,466 --> 00:09:59,200 Here we're in Room I, as it is today, in a degraded state. 175 00:09:59,200 --> 00:10:02,266 These two camera features are quite complementary 176 00:10:02,266 --> 00:10:03,833 because they'll allow us to work out 177 00:10:03,833 --> 00:10:06,033 how we're going to work in the tomb. 178 00:10:06,033 --> 00:10:14,333 ♪♪ 179 00:10:14,333 --> 00:10:20,066 -For the first time, the vast maze within TT33 is visible -- 180 00:10:20,066 --> 00:10:25,000 22 rooms, countless corridors, and linked galleries... 181 00:10:27,200 --> 00:10:29,200 ...all spread across three levels 182 00:10:29,200 --> 00:10:33,300 buried more than 65 feet beneath the desert sands. 183 00:10:35,633 --> 00:10:39,400 28,000 square feet of decorated walls, 184 00:10:39,400 --> 00:10:43,833 every single one of them covered in hieroglyphs. 185 00:10:43,833 --> 00:10:47,200 The archaeologists face an immense challenge -- 186 00:10:47,200 --> 00:10:50,666 decoding the carvings that have been ravaged by time, 187 00:10:50,666 --> 00:10:54,533 earthquakes, looters, and the environment. 188 00:10:54,533 --> 00:10:56,733 But translating the inscriptions on the walls 189 00:10:56,733 --> 00:11:00,733 will shed new light on the tomb's enigmatic owner. 190 00:11:00,733 --> 00:11:02,800 With a resting place larger and grander 191 00:11:02,800 --> 00:11:04,300 than that of the pharaohs, 192 00:11:04,300 --> 00:11:07,266 Padiamenope was clearly an important member 193 00:11:07,266 --> 00:11:09,433 of Egyptian society. 194 00:11:09,433 --> 00:11:12,266 What kind of power did he wield? 195 00:11:12,266 --> 00:11:13,233 -[ Speaking French ] 196 00:11:13,233 --> 00:11:15,333 -Here we see his main title -- 197 00:11:15,333 --> 00:11:18,200 "Rehrireb" and "Rehritep," 198 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:20,966 which mean "lector-priest" and "chief, 199 00:11:20,966 --> 00:11:25,033 or "lector-priest" and "master of ceremonies". 200 00:11:25,033 --> 00:11:27,200 Padiamenope must have been someone 201 00:11:27,200 --> 00:11:31,200 who knew ancient Egypt's religious history very well, 202 00:11:31,200 --> 00:11:32,966 along with the religious texts. 203 00:11:32,966 --> 00:11:34,333 -[ Speaking French ] 204 00:11:34,333 --> 00:11:36,766 -He was the intermediary between, let's say, 205 00:11:36,766 --> 00:11:41,066 those who worked in the library, who devised the rites, 206 00:11:41,066 --> 00:11:43,866 who thought, who catalogued the papyri, 207 00:11:43,866 --> 00:11:45,366 before going out before the crowd 208 00:11:45,366 --> 00:11:47,566 to conduct religious ceremonies. 209 00:11:49,533 --> 00:11:52,033 You could say he was the link between religious theory 210 00:11:52,033 --> 00:11:54,266 and religious practice. 211 00:11:54,266 --> 00:11:56,200 And with what aim? 212 00:11:56,200 --> 00:11:58,366 To appease the Egyptian people. 213 00:11:58,366 --> 00:12:01,600 Because the Egyptians were so fearful. 214 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:02,700 You didn't build things like this 215 00:12:02,700 --> 00:12:04,533 without having a fear of death! 216 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:10,633 -A statue of Padiamenope in the Cairo Museum 217 00:12:10,633 --> 00:12:12,800 portrays him as a scribe, 218 00:12:12,800 --> 00:12:15,000 someone who belonged to the literate elite 219 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:18,333 that held significant power over the rest of the population, 220 00:12:18,333 --> 00:12:20,266 which couldn't read or write. 221 00:12:24,533 --> 00:12:29,033 The Louvre Museum in Paris is home to the "Seated Scribe," 222 00:12:29,033 --> 00:12:32,666 a statue of a seated man holding a papyrus scroll 223 00:12:32,666 --> 00:12:37,033 as a guardian of sacred knowledge, like all scribes. 224 00:12:37,033 --> 00:12:39,233 -Egypt was governed by a literate elite, 225 00:12:39,233 --> 00:12:42,000 which we call "scribes," because they knew how to write. 226 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:44,766 This ability to write distinguished them from others. 227 00:12:44,766 --> 00:12:46,800 The scribe's main job was to keep the accounts 228 00:12:46,800 --> 00:12:49,633 and write letters, basically administrative tasks. 229 00:12:49,633 --> 00:12:51,566 The more cultured among them wrote literature -- 230 00:12:51,566 --> 00:12:53,366 because there was an Egyptian literature 231 00:12:53,366 --> 00:12:55,000 in the modern sense of the term -- 232 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:56,933 while others ran libraries. 233 00:12:56,933 --> 00:13:01,400 ♪♪ 234 00:13:01,400 --> 00:13:04,800 Basically, hieroglyphs read from right to left. 235 00:13:04,800 --> 00:13:06,433 To understand which way to read them, 236 00:13:06,433 --> 00:13:08,400 you simply take a pictorial hieroglyph -- 237 00:13:08,400 --> 00:13:10,266 for example, a quail chick. 238 00:13:10,266 --> 00:13:11,600 It's looking to the left, 239 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:13,333 which means you read from left to right 240 00:13:13,333 --> 00:13:15,200 and downwards in a column. 241 00:13:15,200 --> 00:13:18,366 In another inscription, it could be the opposite. 242 00:13:18,366 --> 00:13:20,966 For example, around a door or a niche, there might be, 243 00:13:20,966 --> 00:13:22,466 on the left-hand side of the door, 244 00:13:22,466 --> 00:13:25,666 signs that show right to left, or vice versa. 245 00:13:25,666 --> 00:13:27,466 It's monumental writing which goes very well 246 00:13:27,466 --> 00:13:29,100 with architecture. 247 00:13:31,200 --> 00:13:35,233 -It is a complex and sophisticated writing system. 248 00:13:35,233 --> 00:13:37,400 The oldest examples of hieroglyphics 249 00:13:37,400 --> 00:13:40,533 date to around 3200 BCE, 250 00:13:40,533 --> 00:13:42,733 and, based on archaeological evidence, 251 00:13:42,733 --> 00:13:47,233 the pictorial carvings were used for nearly 3,500 years. 252 00:13:48,933 --> 00:13:51,200 Use of these symbols slowly faded 253 00:13:51,200 --> 00:13:55,066 as the Roman Empire took control of ancient Egypt. 254 00:13:55,066 --> 00:13:57,433 When the Romans officially adopted Christianity 255 00:13:57,433 --> 00:13:59,200 at the end of the 4th century, 256 00:13:59,200 --> 00:14:01,833 the use of hieroglyphics died out. 257 00:14:03,666 --> 00:14:08,266 In the year 380, the emperor Theodosius issued a decree 258 00:14:08,266 --> 00:14:11,533 effectively prohibiting all pagan worship. 259 00:14:11,533 --> 00:14:14,633 Hieroglyphics were central to the Egyptians' religion, 260 00:14:14,633 --> 00:14:16,666 and once the religion was banned, 261 00:14:16,666 --> 00:14:19,633 the need for a literate elite quickly ended, 262 00:14:19,633 --> 00:14:22,433 leaving the 3,000-year-old writing system 263 00:14:22,433 --> 00:14:26,566 to be buried in the sand for the next 1,400 years. 264 00:14:28,333 --> 00:14:30,233 But in 1798, 265 00:14:30,233 --> 00:14:34,933 General Napoleon Bonaparte landed in Egypt. 266 00:14:34,933 --> 00:14:38,600 He and his troops were there to protect French trade interests, 267 00:14:38,600 --> 00:14:40,000 but they were accompanied 268 00:14:40,000 --> 00:14:42,533 by a contingent of scientists and scholars 269 00:14:42,533 --> 00:14:46,733 sent to study the history and geography of the country. 270 00:14:46,733 --> 00:14:52,200 And in 1799, in the small northern town of Rosetta, 271 00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,533 a soldier made a crucial discovery 272 00:14:54,533 --> 00:14:56,833 that would unlock the mysterious inscriptions 273 00:14:56,833 --> 00:15:00,133 found on ancient walls and objects. 274 00:15:00,133 --> 00:15:02,866 Lieutenant Pierre François Xavier Bouchard 275 00:15:02,866 --> 00:15:07,466 found a stele dating from the 2nd century BCE, 276 00:15:07,466 --> 00:15:11,266 carved with a decree from King Ptolemy V. 277 00:15:11,266 --> 00:15:14,400 The text was written in three different scripts, 278 00:15:14,400 --> 00:15:17,033 hieroglyphic, Egyptian demotic -- 279 00:15:17,033 --> 00:15:19,866 a simplified cursive version of hieroglyphs -- 280 00:15:19,866 --> 00:15:22,866 and ancient Greek. 281 00:15:22,866 --> 00:15:25,266 -Before we could read hieroglyphs, 282 00:15:25,266 --> 00:15:27,533 looking at these monuments was a mystery, 283 00:15:27,533 --> 00:15:30,000 and that's why there's so much esoterica 284 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:31,533 that this has generated, 285 00:15:31,533 --> 00:15:33,866 with people thinking that these are all symbols, 286 00:15:33,866 --> 00:15:35,866 that they don't have sound values, 287 00:15:35,866 --> 00:15:37,533 so you could look at these monuments 288 00:15:37,533 --> 00:15:39,733 and not really understand things, 289 00:15:39,733 --> 00:15:43,433 until Champollion came and unlocked this key, 290 00:15:43,433 --> 00:15:44,800 this mystery. 291 00:15:48,633 --> 00:15:53,200 You can see this cartouche, which is this oval thing, 292 00:15:53,200 --> 00:15:56,066 which held the name of the king, and here you can see 293 00:15:56,066 --> 00:16:02,000 "Pe-to-we-le-miis," Ptolemy. 294 00:16:02,000 --> 00:16:04,500 So this is the name of Ptolemy, 295 00:16:04,500 --> 00:16:06,733 and, of course, this is one of the crucial names 296 00:16:06,733 --> 00:16:11,000 that we have in Egyptology not because of his importance, 297 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:14,033 but because his name was on the Rosetta stone 298 00:16:14,033 --> 00:16:17,200 and this was the first name to be deciphered. 299 00:16:17,200 --> 00:16:22,766 ♪♪ 300 00:16:22,766 --> 00:16:26,233 -Two decades later, linguist Jean-François Champollion 301 00:16:26,233 --> 00:16:30,833 began a new project -- deciphering hieroglyphics. 302 00:16:30,833 --> 00:16:35,666 ♪♪ 303 00:16:35,666 --> 00:16:37,533 As a scholar of ancient Greek, 304 00:16:37,533 --> 00:16:39,566 he was able to read the name Ptolemy -- 305 00:16:39,566 --> 00:16:42,666 "Ptolmaios" in Greek -- on the Rosetta stone. 306 00:16:44,866 --> 00:16:47,966 He then identified the corresponding cartouche 307 00:16:47,966 --> 00:16:52,266 with the name written in hieroglyphics. 308 00:16:52,266 --> 00:16:55,966 That allowed him to write the seven letters -- 309 00:16:55,966 --> 00:17:01,800 P-T-O-L-M-Y-S -- 310 00:17:01,800 --> 00:17:04,133 opposite the seven hieroglyphs. 311 00:17:07,266 --> 00:17:10,300 He was able to read the cartouche of Queen Cleopatra 312 00:17:10,300 --> 00:17:15,233 by isolating the three symbols for L-O-P, 313 00:17:15,233 --> 00:17:18,233 already identified in the Ptolemy cartouche. 314 00:17:20,400 --> 00:17:22,866 And then he matched the missing letters 315 00:17:22,866 --> 00:17:25,466 with the six unidentified hieroglyphs 316 00:17:25,466 --> 00:17:29,566 by comparing them to an obelisk inscribed with the queen's name 317 00:17:29,566 --> 00:17:32,200 in both hieroglyphics and ancient Greek. 318 00:17:32,200 --> 00:17:39,633 ♪♪ 319 00:17:39,633 --> 00:17:42,400 The cartouches contained the phonetic transcriptions 320 00:17:42,400 --> 00:17:44,000 of Greek names, 321 00:17:44,000 --> 00:17:46,033 but what could he do with the names of the pharaohs 322 00:17:46,033 --> 00:17:49,733 that ruled before Greek colonization? 323 00:17:49,733 --> 00:17:52,866 And that's where Champollion's genius came into play. 324 00:17:52,866 --> 00:17:54,100 ♪♪ 325 00:17:54,100 --> 00:17:56,766 The young scholar was a language enthusiast. 326 00:17:56,766 --> 00:18:03,066 At just 13, he studied Hebrew, Arabic, Syriac, and Aramaic. 327 00:18:03,066 --> 00:18:06,333 As an adult, he began to wonder if learning Coptic -- 328 00:18:06,333 --> 00:18:08,666 a late form of ancient Egyptian -- 329 00:18:08,666 --> 00:18:11,333 would help him understand the hieroglyphics. 330 00:18:11,333 --> 00:18:14,233 ♪♪ 331 00:18:14,233 --> 00:18:15,633 -[ Speaking French ] 332 00:18:15,633 --> 00:18:17,400 -At the beginning of our era, 333 00:18:17,400 --> 00:18:20,233 the Egyptians abandoned the hieroglyphic system 334 00:18:20,233 --> 00:18:24,533 and transcribed their language using the Greek alphabet. 335 00:18:24,533 --> 00:18:26,966 That's what we call Coptic. 336 00:18:26,966 --> 00:18:29,800 Coptic language and writing would then endure 337 00:18:29,800 --> 00:18:33,466 in the liturgical texts of Coptic Orthodox Christians. 338 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:40,066 In the 19th century, Champollion could read and write Coptic, 339 00:18:40,066 --> 00:18:41,833 and he relied on this continuity 340 00:18:41,833 --> 00:18:46,200 between the language transcribed by hieroglyphs and Coptic texts 341 00:18:46,200 --> 00:18:48,666 to unlock the secret of hieroglyphs. 342 00:18:51,733 --> 00:18:53,866 -With his understanding of Coptic, 343 00:18:53,866 --> 00:18:57,033 Champollion was able to translate a new cartouche, 344 00:18:57,033 --> 00:19:00,900 in which he could identify the letter "S." 345 00:19:00,900 --> 00:19:04,733 And the first hieroglyph of the name seemed to be a sun, 346 00:19:04,733 --> 00:19:08,700 which in Coptic is pronounced "Ra." 347 00:19:08,700 --> 00:19:12,100 He was just missing the hieroglyph in the middle. 348 00:19:12,100 --> 00:19:14,533 He thought the name might be Rameses, 349 00:19:14,533 --> 00:19:17,933 one of the greatest pharaohs, whose memory lived on 350 00:19:17,933 --> 00:19:21,266 despite the disappearance of hieroglyphics. 351 00:19:21,266 --> 00:19:24,833 Champollion immediately turned to another cartouche, 352 00:19:24,833 --> 00:19:27,533 which began with an image of an ibis, 353 00:19:27,533 --> 00:19:30,533 symbolizing the god Thoth. 354 00:19:30,533 --> 00:19:33,433 If his theory about Rameses was correct, 355 00:19:33,433 --> 00:19:36,266 the second symbol was perhaps an "M." 356 00:19:36,266 --> 00:19:39,400 And the last sign he knew -- the "S." 357 00:19:39,400 --> 00:19:43,800 So "Thot-m-s"? 358 00:19:43,800 --> 00:19:49,433 Thutmose, another famous pharaoh mentioned in Greek texts. 359 00:19:49,433 --> 00:19:51,400 Champollion had done it. 360 00:19:51,400 --> 00:19:54,333 He had cracked the hieroglyphic code. 361 00:19:54,333 --> 00:19:55,800 And he understood that the writing 362 00:19:55,800 --> 00:19:59,433 was both figurative and phonetic. 363 00:19:59,433 --> 00:20:03,066 It would now be possible to study ancient Egyptian society 364 00:20:03,066 --> 00:20:04,966 at a much deeper level. 365 00:20:04,966 --> 00:20:15,766 ♪♪ 366 00:20:15,766 --> 00:20:19,233 [ Indistinct conversations ] 367 00:20:19,233 --> 00:20:20,933 200 years later, 368 00:20:20,933 --> 00:20:24,433 the heirs of Champollion's discoveries continue his work. 369 00:20:24,433 --> 00:20:27,600 -And just before, you have the two points. 370 00:20:27,600 --> 00:20:31,400 -The extensive inscriptions on the walls of Padiamenope's tomb 371 00:20:31,400 --> 00:20:35,633 are now considered primary funerary texts, 372 00:20:35,633 --> 00:20:37,833 collections of incantations 373 00:20:37,833 --> 00:20:40,500 to help the deceased in the afterlife. 374 00:20:42,766 --> 00:20:48,200 Padiamenope left behind much more than a tomb. 375 00:20:48,200 --> 00:20:52,033 He created a library of hieroglyphic texts, 376 00:20:52,033 --> 00:20:55,200 unique in Egypt. 377 00:20:55,200 --> 00:20:57,633 The texts reveal the civilization myths 378 00:20:57,633 --> 00:20:59,733 of ancient Egypt, 379 00:20:59,733 --> 00:21:03,100 describing how the society viewed the world. 380 00:21:05,333 --> 00:21:08,700 They believed Ra, the sun god, 381 00:21:08,700 --> 00:21:10,266 fought off evil creatures 382 00:21:10,266 --> 00:21:13,033 who wanted to keep him a prisoner of the night. 383 00:21:16,066 --> 00:21:19,966 During this expedition, Isabelle Régen is determined 384 00:21:19,966 --> 00:21:22,800 to decipher the rest of the sacred text. 385 00:21:25,933 --> 00:21:29,200 -[ Speaking French ] 386 00:21:29,200 --> 00:21:32,466 -Here is the first hour of the Book of Amduat. 387 00:21:32,466 --> 00:21:33,833 The sun has just set. 388 00:21:33,833 --> 00:21:37,033 It's gone into the depths of the earth. 389 00:21:37,033 --> 00:21:39,033 In his night-boat, with Iuf -- 390 00:21:39,033 --> 00:21:42,000 the nocturnal form of the sun with his ram's head. 391 00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,066 And before him, kneeling in adoration, 392 00:21:44,066 --> 00:21:49,200 is Padiamenope, whose title and name are indicated here. 393 00:21:49,200 --> 00:21:51,833 The sun god's night-boat has an entire crew 394 00:21:51,833 --> 00:21:53,666 to help him safely reach the hour 395 00:21:53,666 --> 00:21:55,900 when he'll rise at the end of the night. 396 00:21:59,433 --> 00:22:02,666 -It seems that, on the walls of his tomb, 397 00:22:02,666 --> 00:22:07,033 Padiamenope inserted himself into the story of Ra, 398 00:22:07,033 --> 00:22:09,666 placing himself in the deity's boat. 399 00:22:11,300 --> 00:22:12,700 -[ Speaking French ] 400 00:22:12,700 --> 00:22:16,200 -As the hours go by, there are various events. 401 00:22:16,200 --> 00:22:18,633 Padiamenope is actively involved, 402 00:22:18,633 --> 00:22:22,400 hauling the sun god's boat, harpooning Apophis, 403 00:22:22,400 --> 00:22:26,033 the serpent that tries to stop the boat from progressing. 404 00:22:26,033 --> 00:22:28,033 He's very actively involved in the journey 405 00:22:28,033 --> 00:22:31,266 and even performs a ritual dance for the sun god. 406 00:22:34,466 --> 00:22:37,233 -According to the text, if during the night 407 00:22:37,233 --> 00:22:41,333 Padiamenope is unable to bring the sun god's boat home safely, 408 00:22:41,333 --> 00:22:45,233 the sun will not rise, and the world will end. 409 00:22:47,200 --> 00:22:50,433 And so, every morning, when the sun reappears, 410 00:22:50,433 --> 00:22:53,800 all living beings bow down before the sun god 411 00:22:53,800 --> 00:22:58,033 to celebrate his victory, that of life over death. 412 00:22:58,033 --> 00:22:59,333 -[ Speaking French ] 413 00:22:59,333 --> 00:23:02,266 -Padiamenope's version is very original. 414 00:23:02,266 --> 00:23:06,400 Into the sacred text, he inserts his own name and title. 415 00:23:06,400 --> 00:23:09,066 So there's the presence of the man of letters 416 00:23:09,066 --> 00:23:13,633 but also the desire to promote himself. 417 00:23:13,633 --> 00:23:16,833 -According to a tradition dating back to the Old Kingdom, 418 00:23:16,833 --> 00:23:19,633 it's the pharaoh who is typically seen in the boat, 419 00:23:19,633 --> 00:23:22,233 kneeling before Ra. 420 00:23:22,233 --> 00:23:26,966 So why has Padiamenope taken the pharaoh's place? 421 00:23:26,966 --> 00:23:28,200 Pride? 422 00:23:28,200 --> 00:23:31,366 Or devotion? 423 00:23:31,366 --> 00:23:34,800 Isabelle Régen's work provides the answer. 424 00:23:34,800 --> 00:23:37,533 He replaces the pharaoh as defender of Ra 425 00:23:37,533 --> 00:23:40,433 to ensure that, after his death, 426 00:23:40,433 --> 00:23:43,466 he will rise every day with the sun -- 427 00:23:43,466 --> 00:23:46,966 a way of guaranteeing eternal life in the Land of the Dead. 428 00:23:49,066 --> 00:23:52,466 But having the protection of the sun god wasn't enough. 429 00:23:52,466 --> 00:23:57,266 He also wanted to earn the favor of Osiris, the god of the dead. 430 00:23:57,266 --> 00:23:58,266 -[ Speaking French ] 431 00:23:58,266 --> 00:24:01,000 -We're in Room IX of the tomb, 432 00:24:01,000 --> 00:24:03,133 which has two walls dedicated 433 00:24:03,133 --> 00:24:07,900 to the famous "Weighing of the Heart." 434 00:24:07,900 --> 00:24:10,900 -Here, too, Padiamenope plays a key role 435 00:24:10,900 --> 00:24:12,733 in one of the most important parts 436 00:24:12,733 --> 00:24:15,066 of the Egyptian Book of the Dead. 437 00:24:17,833 --> 00:24:21,600 Anubis, who guides dead souls in the afterlife, 438 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:24,200 puts a feather on one side of a scale 439 00:24:24,200 --> 00:24:28,633 and then places the deceased's heart on the other. 440 00:24:28,633 --> 00:24:31,766 For the deceased to continue on into the afterlife, 441 00:24:31,766 --> 00:24:34,600 their heart must be as light as the feather -- 442 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:38,433 proof that they have committed no evil deeds. 443 00:24:38,433 --> 00:24:41,066 Thoth, the god of wisdom and writing, 444 00:24:41,066 --> 00:24:44,066 notes the result of the weighing on his tablet. 445 00:24:44,066 --> 00:24:48,433 If the scale does not balance, indicating the soul is impure, 446 00:24:48,433 --> 00:24:53,566 Ammit, the devourer of the dead, lies in wait to eat the heart. 447 00:24:53,566 --> 00:24:55,200 And when that happened, 448 00:24:55,200 --> 00:24:58,266 the deceased could not continue living in the afterlife. 449 00:25:01,033 --> 00:25:04,033 The whole scene takes place before Osiris, 450 00:25:04,033 --> 00:25:06,800 who oversees this divine tribunal. 451 00:25:06,800 --> 00:25:09,733 He will decide whether the deceased is pure 452 00:25:09,733 --> 00:25:11,666 or if he dies forever. 453 00:25:13,200 --> 00:25:17,433 Why does Padiamenope show such devotion to Osiris? 454 00:25:17,433 --> 00:25:19,833 Was he trying to win the god's favor? 455 00:25:19,833 --> 00:25:32,666 ♪♪ 456 00:25:32,666 --> 00:25:36,433 Egyptologists have a theory about why Padiamenope's name 457 00:25:36,433 --> 00:25:41,633 appears on the walls of his tomb dozens of times. 458 00:25:41,633 --> 00:25:44,000 Ancient Egyptians believed hieroglyphics 459 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:46,233 possessed an important property. 460 00:25:46,233 --> 00:25:50,000 They helped ensure eternal life. 461 00:25:50,000 --> 00:25:53,433 As long as visitors to the tomb read his name, 462 00:25:53,433 --> 00:25:57,233 Padiamenope would be assured of his place in the afterlife. 463 00:26:00,300 --> 00:26:04,933 -For the ancient Egyptians, the word was incredibly powerful. 464 00:26:04,933 --> 00:26:06,533 Words are magical. 465 00:26:06,533 --> 00:26:10,433 If you write something down, it has power, 466 00:26:10,433 --> 00:26:13,600 and once you say it, it gives it even more power. 467 00:26:13,600 --> 00:26:15,633 It ritualizes the whole thing, 468 00:26:15,633 --> 00:26:17,833 and so it's the same way than in any magic, 469 00:26:17,833 --> 00:26:19,766 even today, no matter where you are. 470 00:26:19,766 --> 00:26:24,233 If you give someone a name, they have power over you. 471 00:26:24,233 --> 00:26:26,200 So words have power, 472 00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:28,733 and one of the creation myths of the ancient Egyptians 473 00:26:28,733 --> 00:26:31,266 was the god would think 474 00:26:31,266 --> 00:26:34,566 and then he would speak and it would come into being. 475 00:26:38,066 --> 00:26:41,566 -For Egyptians, the act of preservation, 476 00:26:41,566 --> 00:26:45,000 be it in writing a text or embalming a body, 477 00:26:45,000 --> 00:26:46,566 was a critical practice 478 00:26:46,566 --> 00:26:49,266 to ensure their place in the afterlife. 479 00:26:49,266 --> 00:26:54,566 ♪♪ 480 00:26:54,566 --> 00:26:57,733 -[ Speaking French ] 481 00:26:57,733 --> 00:27:01,266 -To dig and decorate a tomb of such a size 482 00:27:01,266 --> 00:27:06,633 must have taken a good 20 years, if not more. 483 00:27:06,633 --> 00:27:09,333 And, certainly, in terrible conditions. 484 00:27:11,800 --> 00:27:13,433 We know there were several crews 485 00:27:13,433 --> 00:27:16,366 working on the tombs at the same time. 486 00:27:18,200 --> 00:27:21,666 When the excavators were working in the deepest sections, 487 00:27:21,666 --> 00:27:24,433 scribes and craftsmen had already begun 488 00:27:24,433 --> 00:27:29,066 decorating the first rooms, which were finished. 489 00:27:33,333 --> 00:27:35,600 -Who were these builders and craftsmen 490 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:38,233 who dug and decorated the tombs? 491 00:27:40,366 --> 00:27:41,733 The knowledge and training 492 00:27:41,733 --> 00:27:44,633 that made Padiamenope's tomb so dazzling 493 00:27:44,633 --> 00:27:47,333 can be traced back eight centuries 494 00:27:47,333 --> 00:27:52,400 to a unique archaeological site not far from TT33. 495 00:27:52,400 --> 00:27:53,900 ♪♪ 496 00:27:53,900 --> 00:27:57,600 It's a village where the men who worked on royal tombs lived 497 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:02,300 and learned how to create the intricate, inscribed texts. 498 00:28:02,300 --> 00:28:04,500 -Here we are at Deir el-Medina, 499 00:28:04,500 --> 00:28:07,400 which is one of the most important places in Egypt. 500 00:28:07,400 --> 00:28:09,433 It's the workmen's village, and these are the people 501 00:28:09,433 --> 00:28:11,700 who decorated the tombs of the kings 502 00:28:11,700 --> 00:28:13,400 and the Valley of the Queens, 503 00:28:13,400 --> 00:28:16,066 and here, this is in the west bank of Thebes, 504 00:28:16,066 --> 00:28:17,533 where the Valley of the Queens, 505 00:28:17,533 --> 00:28:19,566 which they also decorated, is there. 506 00:28:19,566 --> 00:28:22,433 The Valley of the Kings is just over there, 507 00:28:22,433 --> 00:28:24,533 and also the nobles' tombs 508 00:28:24,533 --> 00:28:27,766 and the temples are very close by. 509 00:28:27,766 --> 00:28:30,433 You can see different degrees of specialization, 510 00:28:30,433 --> 00:28:31,800 and that's, of course, because people 511 00:28:31,800 --> 00:28:33,666 were always learning the craft. 512 00:28:33,666 --> 00:28:35,633 So the fathers would be teaching their children 513 00:28:35,633 --> 00:28:38,033 but probably also the priest would help 514 00:28:38,033 --> 00:28:40,200 in terms of the reading and the writing, 515 00:28:40,200 --> 00:28:41,800 but you can see with the ostracon 516 00:28:41,800 --> 00:28:44,600 where people are clumsily writing out their hieroglyphs 517 00:28:44,600 --> 00:28:46,433 like their baby ABCs, 518 00:28:46,433 --> 00:28:48,200 and then they get very confident. 519 00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:51,633 -The village was built at the time of Thutmose I, 520 00:28:51,633 --> 00:28:54,200 more than 3,500 years ago. 521 00:28:54,200 --> 00:28:55,466 The workmen would leave the village 522 00:28:55,466 --> 00:28:57,633 at the beginning of each week to dig, 523 00:28:57,633 --> 00:29:02,300 construct, and decorate the tombs of the pharaohs. 524 00:29:02,300 --> 00:29:04,533 At the end of the New Kingdom, the site was abandoned 525 00:29:04,533 --> 00:29:06,400 and became buried in the sand, 526 00:29:06,400 --> 00:29:09,266 and the objects left behind by the inhabitants 527 00:29:09,266 --> 00:29:12,433 were discovered on digs in the early 20th century. 528 00:29:12,433 --> 00:29:17,833 ♪♪ 529 00:29:17,833 --> 00:29:20,566 -As part of a mission led by the Institute, 530 00:29:20,566 --> 00:29:24,200 Cédric Larcher oversees and coordinates researchers 531 00:29:24,200 --> 00:29:26,433 from around the world who gather at the site 532 00:29:26,433 --> 00:29:29,733 for two months every year. 533 00:29:29,733 --> 00:29:33,200 Their aim is to study the remains found in the village 534 00:29:33,200 --> 00:29:36,866 to better understand the work of these unsung craftsmen. 535 00:29:39,333 --> 00:29:40,833 -[ Speaking French ] 536 00:29:40,833 --> 00:29:43,766 -This is our place of work, our laboratory 537 00:29:43,766 --> 00:29:45,766 where the mission's researchers work on objects 538 00:29:45,766 --> 00:29:47,433 found directly on the ground. 539 00:29:50,800 --> 00:29:52,933 Gersande is analyzing the different types of wood 540 00:29:52,933 --> 00:29:54,566 found on the site. 541 00:29:58,366 --> 00:30:00,466 Zachary and Ahmed are scanning our database 542 00:30:00,466 --> 00:30:05,000 to find out what this object was used for, what's written on it, 543 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:08,600 and to establish the context of where it was found on the site. 544 00:30:08,600 --> 00:30:13,966 ♪♪ 545 00:30:13,966 --> 00:30:15,666 This is an ostracon. 546 00:30:18,466 --> 00:30:20,966 These ostraca have been found in large quantities 547 00:30:20,966 --> 00:30:24,033 at Deir el-Medina. 548 00:30:24,033 --> 00:30:27,200 They're fragments of limestone or potsherds, 549 00:30:27,200 --> 00:30:28,833 which were used as writing tablets 550 00:30:28,833 --> 00:30:30,400 by the inhabitants there. 551 00:30:33,633 --> 00:30:35,866 The ostraca give us a lot of information 552 00:30:35,866 --> 00:30:39,633 about everyday local life, as they mention events 553 00:30:39,633 --> 00:30:44,433 or consist of lists of workers and their families. 554 00:30:44,433 --> 00:30:47,400 But some of them were used to practice writing, 555 00:30:47,400 --> 00:30:49,666 which shows that people undertook apprenticeships 556 00:30:49,666 --> 00:30:53,633 in writing here at Deir el-Medina. 557 00:30:53,633 --> 00:30:55,800 They copied out classic texts again and again 558 00:30:55,800 --> 00:30:58,033 until not only did they know them by heart, 559 00:30:58,033 --> 00:31:01,066 but they could also write all the signs. 560 00:31:01,066 --> 00:31:03,500 We imagine that the apprentice had models 561 00:31:03,500 --> 00:31:05,500 and he had to keep carving the same sign 562 00:31:05,500 --> 00:31:09,000 until he could reproduce the volume expected by the teacher. 563 00:31:09,000 --> 00:31:12,666 -For the letters to each other, you would use hieratic, 564 00:31:12,666 --> 00:31:16,433 which is basically hieroglyphs but a more relaxed form, 565 00:31:16,433 --> 00:31:19,266 so it is the same way that hieroglyphs 566 00:31:19,266 --> 00:31:21,833 are like capital letters, very formal, 567 00:31:21,833 --> 00:31:25,066 and hieratic is joined-up cursive writing. 568 00:31:27,966 --> 00:31:32,433 -99% of ancient Egypt's population was illiterate, 569 00:31:32,433 --> 00:31:35,200 but that was not the case for the community of craftsmen 570 00:31:35,200 --> 00:31:37,833 living at Deir el-Medina. 571 00:31:37,833 --> 00:31:39,366 And the men were organized 572 00:31:39,366 --> 00:31:43,566 so that the work was spread evenly across the tombs. 573 00:31:43,566 --> 00:31:44,966 -[ Speaking French ] 574 00:31:44,966 --> 00:31:47,800 -Among the important ostraca found on the site 575 00:31:47,800 --> 00:31:50,433 is one now kept at the British Museum, 576 00:31:50,433 --> 00:31:52,933 which contains information about the organization of work 577 00:31:52,933 --> 00:31:55,433 at the royal tombs. 578 00:31:55,433 --> 00:32:00,033 Here, written in hieratic, are the names of the workers, 579 00:32:00,033 --> 00:32:03,866 with a list of the days they were present or absent. 580 00:32:03,866 --> 00:32:07,633 Scribes kept daily registers. 581 00:32:07,633 --> 00:32:12,466 They'd take a roll call to see who was there and who wasn't. 582 00:32:12,466 --> 00:32:15,666 We have some of the excuses presented by the absent -- 583 00:32:15,666 --> 00:32:19,000 "So-and-so absent for a family funeral" and so on. 584 00:32:22,200 --> 00:32:23,833 And along with the lists of workers 585 00:32:23,833 --> 00:32:25,233 are the names of the chief builders 586 00:32:25,233 --> 00:32:27,666 who oversaw their work at the tombs. 587 00:32:29,433 --> 00:32:33,033 -The workflow in the tomb included a variety of tasks, 588 00:32:33,033 --> 00:32:37,833 following a meticulously planned schedule. 589 00:32:37,833 --> 00:32:39,866 First, the excavators dug 590 00:32:39,866 --> 00:32:42,200 into a limestone vein in the mountain, 591 00:32:42,200 --> 00:32:45,833 which had been carefully located beforehand. 592 00:32:45,833 --> 00:32:48,033 It was grueling work. 593 00:32:48,033 --> 00:32:51,000 The men only had wooden mallets and bronze chisels 594 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,000 to excavate the rock. 595 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,433 Steel tools didn't exist in the ancient Egypt 596 00:32:55,433 --> 00:32:57,833 of 3,500 years ago. 597 00:32:57,833 --> 00:33:01,733 Others then removed the rubble from inside the tomb. 598 00:33:04,100 --> 00:33:09,133 Next came the polishers, who smoothed the floors and walls. 599 00:33:12,700 --> 00:33:16,033 Draftsmen would then trace grids on the walls. 600 00:33:16,033 --> 00:33:19,333 These served as the framework for the outline scribes, 601 00:33:19,333 --> 00:33:23,200 who used red ink to sketch figurative scenes and texts, 602 00:33:23,200 --> 00:33:25,266 which would be inscribed later. 603 00:33:25,266 --> 00:33:31,766 ♪♪ 604 00:33:31,766 --> 00:33:34,200 Next came the engravers, 605 00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:38,266 who carved the stone with wooden mallets and fine copper chisels, 606 00:33:38,266 --> 00:33:41,000 following the previously sketched guide. 607 00:33:43,800 --> 00:33:45,633 And the final step -- 608 00:33:45,633 --> 00:33:49,200 painters colored the carved scenes and hieroglyphs. 609 00:33:49,200 --> 00:33:55,366 ♪♪ 610 00:33:55,366 --> 00:33:57,200 -[ Speaking French ] 611 00:33:57,200 --> 00:33:59,233 -We've found a large number of paintbrushes 612 00:33:59,233 --> 00:34:02,633 of varying shapes and sizes, depending on their use. 613 00:34:04,500 --> 00:34:06,633 Some brushes were used for applying stucco 614 00:34:06,633 --> 00:34:09,700 or painting the first layer on the walls to be decorated. 615 00:34:09,700 --> 00:34:13,100 Finer brushes were used to paint the figures or hieroglyphs. 616 00:34:19,200 --> 00:34:23,433 -Elizabeth Bettles wants to find the name of each artist 617 00:34:23,433 --> 00:34:28,733 whose work appears in another tomb in the Theban necropolis. 618 00:34:28,733 --> 00:34:33,200 With tireless determination, this British paleography expert 619 00:34:33,200 --> 00:34:38,333 works to identify the painter of a tomb from the 20th dynasty. 620 00:34:38,333 --> 00:34:45,966 ♪♪ 621 00:34:45,966 --> 00:34:48,266 -Everybody's handwriting is different. 622 00:34:48,266 --> 00:34:51,633 Everybody's handwriting is unique. 623 00:34:51,633 --> 00:34:53,633 Today as it is known that that is the case, 624 00:34:53,633 --> 00:34:57,333 and it would have been exactly the same over 3,000 years ago, 625 00:34:57,333 --> 00:34:58,633 as this was. 626 00:34:58,633 --> 00:35:01,266 All of this learning about the man 627 00:35:01,266 --> 00:35:05,533 who created these hieroglyphs, who painted them, 628 00:35:05,533 --> 00:35:07,266 I've got to get to know him. 629 00:35:07,266 --> 00:35:11,100 So I've got to try and find his handwriting style 630 00:35:11,100 --> 00:35:15,600 through the shape, through -- of the sign, 631 00:35:15,600 --> 00:35:19,633 through how he created the sign, how he spelled things. 632 00:35:19,633 --> 00:35:21,200 And at the moment, 633 00:35:21,200 --> 00:35:26,033 I am concentrating on doing individual hieroglyphs 634 00:35:26,033 --> 00:35:28,666 to find out what their shape is. 635 00:35:28,666 --> 00:35:32,666 My long-term goal is to create 636 00:35:32,666 --> 00:35:35,466 a kind of an interactive database 637 00:35:35,466 --> 00:35:39,200 to be able to show people who we can name, 638 00:35:39,200 --> 00:35:40,833 who we know who they married, 639 00:35:40,833 --> 00:35:43,666 what their children's names were. 640 00:35:43,666 --> 00:35:48,433 So we can learn so much about the people who were literate, 641 00:35:48,433 --> 00:35:49,966 who could write. 642 00:35:52,033 --> 00:35:55,033 -You can recognize now the hands of the painters 643 00:35:55,033 --> 00:35:57,433 because they each has a special technique, 644 00:35:57,433 --> 00:35:59,266 which is marvelous, because, again, 645 00:35:59,266 --> 00:36:02,266 you start to connect the finished work of art 646 00:36:02,266 --> 00:36:03,800 with the individual. 647 00:36:03,800 --> 00:36:09,100 ♪♪ 648 00:36:09,100 --> 00:36:12,266 -Although the last artists left Deir el-Medina 649 00:36:12,266 --> 00:36:16,333 800 years before Padiamenope's tomb was built, 650 00:36:16,333 --> 00:36:19,600 their skills and traditions began there, 651 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:22,866 to be handed down from generation to generation. 652 00:36:22,866 --> 00:36:29,866 ♪♪ 653 00:36:29,866 --> 00:36:32,633 The mission goes on. 654 00:36:32,633 --> 00:36:35,600 The Egyptologists have decided to reconstruct, 655 00:36:35,600 --> 00:36:37,733 like a vast jigsaw puzzle, 656 00:36:37,733 --> 00:36:41,333 the magnificent decoration of the tomb's walls, 657 00:36:41,333 --> 00:36:45,200 which time has broken into thousands of pieces. 658 00:36:45,200 --> 00:36:52,866 ♪♪ 659 00:36:52,866 --> 00:36:57,866 For help, they have called on archaeologist Simone Nannucci. 660 00:37:00,900 --> 00:37:04,333 This morning, while digging in the tomb's first rooms, 661 00:37:04,333 --> 00:37:07,933 he discovered more information about Padiamenope. 662 00:37:07,933 --> 00:37:13,566 ♪♪ 663 00:37:15,466 --> 00:37:17,000 -[ Speaking native language ] 664 00:37:23,000 --> 00:37:25,033 -While digging, we found thousands of fragments 665 00:37:25,033 --> 00:37:29,000 from the walls, pillars, and ceiling. 666 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:30,600 The aim of our research is to place them 667 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:32,366 in their original position. 668 00:37:34,066 --> 00:37:36,533 -This part probably came 669 00:37:36,533 --> 00:37:39,200 from this, the southern wall of the room, 670 00:37:39,200 --> 00:37:44,200 where we can see Padiamenope's mummy before his tomb, 671 00:37:44,200 --> 00:37:49,800 and here, part of his title, "Rehrireb" or "Rehritep" -- 672 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:53,200 lector-priest. 673 00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:57,433 -Look at the detail in the ears and nostrils! 674 00:37:57,433 --> 00:37:59,800 -The stele. -I hadn't noticed that. 675 00:37:59,800 --> 00:38:03,300 So it's a representation of the tomb we're in right now! 676 00:38:03,300 --> 00:38:04,600 -Right. 677 00:38:04,600 --> 00:38:06,733 In its ideal state. 678 00:38:06,733 --> 00:38:10,000 -Padiamenope must be very happy in the afterlife! 679 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:11,933 We never stop mentioning his name! 680 00:38:14,333 --> 00:38:15,966 This is so moving. 681 00:38:18,466 --> 00:38:20,800 -The carved walls of temples and tombs 682 00:38:20,800 --> 00:38:23,533 aren't the only sources available to archeologists 683 00:38:23,533 --> 00:38:27,633 documenting the history of this civilization. 684 00:38:27,633 --> 00:38:29,233 5,000 years ago, 685 00:38:29,233 --> 00:38:33,233 ancient Egyptians also created a material akin to paper 686 00:38:33,233 --> 00:38:34,833 from the stalk of a plant 687 00:38:34,833 --> 00:38:37,733 that grows along the banks of the Nile -- 688 00:38:37,733 --> 00:38:39,033 papyrus. 689 00:38:42,333 --> 00:38:45,400 In the 19th century, ancient Egyptian papyri 690 00:38:45,400 --> 00:38:48,266 became collectors' items. 691 00:38:48,266 --> 00:38:52,833 Bernardino Drovetti, France's consul in Cairo at the time, 692 00:38:52,833 --> 00:38:57,800 made a business of selling texts that were several millennia old. 693 00:38:57,800 --> 00:39:00,300 The king of Piedmont paid him a fortune 694 00:39:00,300 --> 00:39:02,133 to put together a collection. 695 00:39:04,500 --> 00:39:09,100 The king was able to open the Museo Egizio in 1824 696 00:39:09,100 --> 00:39:12,533 that included statues, objects, and papyri. 697 00:39:15,333 --> 00:39:17,066 What did the man who made it possible 698 00:39:17,066 --> 00:39:19,466 think about the new museum in Italy? 699 00:39:21,433 --> 00:39:24,200 -When the Drovetti collection was acquired, 700 00:39:24,200 --> 00:39:27,466 they hope to bring the man 701 00:39:27,466 --> 00:39:30,400 who had found the key to ancient Egypt to Turin. 702 00:39:30,400 --> 00:39:34,266 So Champollion accepts their invitation. 703 00:39:34,266 --> 00:39:39,233 He is not at all happy about the fact 704 00:39:39,233 --> 00:39:42,866 that France has not acquired the collection, 705 00:39:42,866 --> 00:39:45,766 but Turin has. 706 00:39:45,766 --> 00:39:49,266 And so he's credited with that famous saying that, 707 00:39:49,266 --> 00:39:52,966 "The road to Memphis and Thebes goes through Turin." 708 00:39:54,833 --> 00:39:56,766 -But once he arrived in Turin, 709 00:39:56,766 --> 00:40:00,966 Champollion had a change of heart. 710 00:40:00,966 --> 00:40:03,466 He spent the next eight months at the museum 711 00:40:03,466 --> 00:40:05,666 studying papyri that he described 712 00:40:05,666 --> 00:40:09,200 as being "beyond words." 713 00:40:09,200 --> 00:40:11,433 He made extraordinary discoveries 714 00:40:11,433 --> 00:40:13,433 while restoring the papyri fragments 715 00:40:13,433 --> 00:40:15,966 brought back from Egypt by Drovetti. 716 00:40:19,333 --> 00:40:23,466 Today, the scientists at the Museo Egizio are busy restoring 717 00:40:23,466 --> 00:40:29,400 and piecing together papyri, continuing Champollion's work. 718 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:32,000 While at the museum, he used its collection 719 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,266 to create a foundational work in Egyptology -- 720 00:40:35,266 --> 00:40:38,633 the Turin King List, as it's sometimes called -- 721 00:40:38,633 --> 00:40:40,633 which helped establish the chronology 722 00:40:40,633 --> 00:40:43,466 of Pharaonic dynasties. 723 00:40:43,466 --> 00:40:48,333 -Chronology is one of the primary concerns of Champollion 724 00:40:48,333 --> 00:40:50,566 when he arrives in Turin. 725 00:40:50,566 --> 00:40:56,333 Champollion is confronted with a rich collection 726 00:40:56,333 --> 00:40:59,233 such as he has never seen before. 727 00:40:59,233 --> 00:41:00,900 Among the fragmentary papyrus 728 00:41:00,900 --> 00:41:03,733 that Champollion was confronted with 729 00:41:03,733 --> 00:41:08,000 was one that was a list of royal names -- 730 00:41:08,000 --> 00:41:12,600 the Turin Canon or the Papyrus of Kings, 731 00:41:12,600 --> 00:41:16,433 a list of kings starting from the time of the gods 732 00:41:16,433 --> 00:41:19,000 and all the way into historical times 733 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:23,600 and until, presumably, the time of Ramses II, 734 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:26,233 under whom this list was compiled. 735 00:41:26,233 --> 00:41:30,633 It is one of the fundamental historical documents 736 00:41:30,633 --> 00:41:32,266 of Egyptology. 737 00:41:34,933 --> 00:41:39,066 -Champollion threw himself into his work with the Turin papyri. 738 00:41:41,566 --> 00:41:43,766 But he hoped to return to Egypt, 739 00:41:43,766 --> 00:41:46,400 sail up the Nile deep into Nubia, 740 00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:48,400 and continue studying hieroglyphics 741 00:41:48,400 --> 00:41:50,800 carved directly on monuments. 742 00:41:50,800 --> 00:42:04,133 ♪♪ 743 00:41:57,433 --> 00:42:04,133 ♪♪ 744 00:42:04,133 --> 00:42:07,300 It took him two years, but he was able to organize 745 00:42:07,300 --> 00:42:10,900 an expedition of 14 scholars and scientists 746 00:42:10,900 --> 00:42:13,566 who would travel for 18 months, 747 00:42:13,566 --> 00:42:15,833 analyzing the main sites of antiquity 748 00:42:15,833 --> 00:42:19,933 that were seen during the Bonaparte mission. 749 00:42:19,933 --> 00:42:22,033 It was an immense task. 750 00:42:22,033 --> 00:42:27,266 ♪♪ 751 00:42:27,266 --> 00:42:28,633 -[ Speaking French ] 752 00:42:28,633 --> 00:42:32,866 -Champollion is the father of Egyptology 753 00:42:32,866 --> 00:42:35,600 not just because he deciphered hieroglyphs, 754 00:42:35,600 --> 00:42:37,600 but also because of his contribution 755 00:42:37,600 --> 00:42:41,033 to every field that constitutes the science -- 756 00:42:41,033 --> 00:42:43,533 his work on Egyptian religion, 757 00:42:43,533 --> 00:42:45,933 his work on the Turin Royal Canon 758 00:42:45,933 --> 00:42:48,500 and the lists of the pharaohs, and so on. 759 00:42:52,000 --> 00:42:54,200 -Champollion's chronology of pharaohs 760 00:42:54,200 --> 00:42:57,966 stopped at Rameses II, from the 19th dynasty. 761 00:42:57,966 --> 00:43:01,733 But the empire lasted another 700 years. 762 00:43:05,066 --> 00:43:07,300 Later scholars would complete the timeline 763 00:43:07,300 --> 00:43:09,133 through the Roman period. 764 00:43:12,600 --> 00:43:15,800 Claude Traunecker used the Turin King List 765 00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:21,800 to date TT33 to roughly the 7th century BCE. 766 00:43:21,800 --> 00:43:24,633 But in order to understand Padiamenope better, 767 00:43:24,633 --> 00:43:29,800 he must now determine which pharaoh the scribe served. 768 00:43:29,800 --> 00:43:31,033 -[ Speaking French ] 769 00:43:31,033 --> 00:43:32,433 -How come a man of such importance 770 00:43:32,433 --> 00:43:34,800 never speaks of his king in his tomb? 771 00:43:36,833 --> 00:43:41,266 From time to time, he says, "I was an important man. 772 00:43:41,266 --> 00:43:44,666 The king of my day counted a lot on me," 773 00:43:44,666 --> 00:43:46,100 but he never names him. 774 00:43:48,200 --> 00:43:53,200 -Which pharaoh relied on Padiamenope so heavily? 775 00:43:53,200 --> 00:43:56,266 The tomb next to his, that of Mentuemhat, 776 00:43:56,266 --> 00:43:58,833 governor of Upper Egypt and mayor of Thebes 777 00:43:58,833 --> 00:44:01,266 in the 7th century BCE, 778 00:44:01,266 --> 00:44:04,633 provides Traunecker with the answer. 779 00:44:04,633 --> 00:44:06,666 -[ Speaking French ] 780 00:44:06,666 --> 00:44:09,733 -Genuine power was held for about 10 years by Mentuemhat, 781 00:44:09,733 --> 00:44:11,600 the man who built the great pylon, 782 00:44:11,600 --> 00:44:13,233 which you can see behind me. 783 00:44:15,966 --> 00:44:18,566 How does Padiamenope fit in here? 784 00:44:18,566 --> 00:44:21,566 I think they were just about contemporaries, 785 00:44:21,566 --> 00:44:24,466 or there's perhaps 10 years between them, 786 00:44:24,466 --> 00:44:26,200 because there are the same features found 787 00:44:26,200 --> 00:44:30,866 in Mentuemhat's tomb as that of Padiamenope. 788 00:44:30,866 --> 00:44:32,566 So I believe that Padiamenope 789 00:44:32,566 --> 00:44:35,366 was the religious adviser to King Taharqa. 790 00:44:38,000 --> 00:44:41,200 -Taharqa. 791 00:44:41,200 --> 00:44:43,433 The Louvre contains several depictions 792 00:44:43,433 --> 00:44:47,200 of the most famous king of the 25th dynasty -- 793 00:44:47,200 --> 00:44:50,233 black pharaohs from the Kingdom of Kush. 794 00:44:50,233 --> 00:44:55,533 ♪♪ 795 00:44:55,533 --> 00:44:57,833 -The Nubian dynasty was already impregnated 796 00:44:57,833 --> 00:45:00,300 with Egyptian culture when it was established 797 00:45:00,300 --> 00:45:02,900 because they came from Sudan, Upper Nubia, 798 00:45:02,900 --> 00:45:04,533 which had been colonized by Egypt 799 00:45:04,533 --> 00:45:07,400 and had gone through a long acculturation process. 800 00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:09,100 So the Nubian elite was well-adapted 801 00:45:09,100 --> 00:45:11,833 to the customs and religion of the Egyptians. 802 00:45:11,833 --> 00:45:14,200 They were more royalist than the king, so to speak, 803 00:45:14,200 --> 00:45:17,200 because they advocated a return to original purity. 804 00:45:17,200 --> 00:45:22,233 ♪♪ 805 00:45:22,233 --> 00:45:26,033 Padiamenope participated in this antiquity revival movement, 806 00:45:26,033 --> 00:45:28,400 which was very fashionable at the time. 807 00:45:28,400 --> 00:45:30,433 He illustrated inside his tomb, 808 00:45:30,433 --> 00:45:33,233 with texts on the pyramids and on sarcophagi, 809 00:45:33,233 --> 00:45:36,233 which hadn't been in use for almost 2,000 years, 810 00:45:36,233 --> 00:45:38,866 to show how erudite he was to visitors, 811 00:45:38,866 --> 00:45:40,266 because part of his tomb 812 00:45:40,266 --> 00:45:42,766 was meant to attract intellectual tourists. 813 00:45:42,766 --> 00:45:45,266 And Padiamenope was a secretary to the king -- 814 00:45:45,266 --> 00:45:47,033 at a certain time, at least. 815 00:45:49,366 --> 00:45:53,966 -As a secretary, Padiamenope would have led sacred ceremonies 816 00:45:53,966 --> 00:45:55,833 in the pharaoh's absence. 817 00:45:58,200 --> 00:46:02,100 This strange ramp descending to the Nile is proof. 818 00:46:02,100 --> 00:46:05,333 It was constructed during Taharqa's reign, 819 00:46:05,333 --> 00:46:09,300 under the supervision of Padiamenope. 820 00:46:09,300 --> 00:46:12,033 A text in Padiamenope's tomb 821 00:46:12,033 --> 00:46:14,200 helped Traunecker make the connection. 822 00:46:14,200 --> 00:46:15,333 -[ Speaking French ] 823 00:46:15,333 --> 00:46:17,633 -"I constructed a mooring space," 824 00:46:17,633 --> 00:46:20,433 which means a quayside. 825 00:46:20,433 --> 00:46:24,200 This tells us he was in charge of construction work in Karnak, 826 00:46:24,200 --> 00:46:25,766 but as lector-priest, 827 00:46:25,766 --> 00:46:29,233 he was also in charge of the ceremonies in Karnak. 828 00:46:29,233 --> 00:46:32,600 He calls himself "he who conducted celebrations 829 00:46:32,600 --> 00:46:35,966 and ceremonies in the Temple of Karnak." 830 00:46:35,966 --> 00:46:37,866 So he was a very, very important figure 831 00:46:37,866 --> 00:46:39,866 in terms of local worship. 832 00:46:42,566 --> 00:46:43,866 -As part of what they called 833 00:46:43,866 --> 00:46:46,666 the Beautiful Festival of the Valley, 834 00:46:46,666 --> 00:46:49,666 the people of Thebes gathered together every year 835 00:46:49,666 --> 00:46:51,666 for a huge processional. 836 00:46:53,633 --> 00:46:56,933 As a remembrance of the dead, priests would launch a statue 837 00:46:56,933 --> 00:46:59,266 or portrait of Amun-Ra into the Nile 838 00:46:59,266 --> 00:47:02,933 on a ceremonial boat known as a barque. 839 00:47:02,933 --> 00:47:07,300 The barque would then tour the necropolises at the site. 840 00:47:07,300 --> 00:47:09,700 Padiamenope chose to build his own tomb 841 00:47:09,700 --> 00:47:12,900 in a place where the procession would stop each year. 842 00:47:12,900 --> 00:47:15,366 To get a sense of what the festival was like, 843 00:47:15,366 --> 00:47:20,366 this wall at the Temple of Luxor commemorates a similar event. 844 00:47:20,366 --> 00:47:24,633 -Padiamenope was very key to this whole connection 845 00:47:24,633 --> 00:47:28,200 and this control system that the Nubian pharaohs had. 846 00:47:28,200 --> 00:47:32,933 So Taharqa depended on Padiamenope to, in fact, 847 00:47:32,933 --> 00:47:38,200 guide him, almost, through the idea of Egypt's religion 848 00:47:38,200 --> 00:47:39,333 and the texts. 849 00:47:39,333 --> 00:47:46,233 ♪♪ 850 00:47:46,233 --> 00:47:48,266 -As Egyptologists have noted, 851 00:47:48,266 --> 00:47:51,200 many of the chapels inside the Karnak complex 852 00:47:51,200 --> 00:47:53,966 are dedicated to the god Osiris 853 00:47:53,966 --> 00:47:57,933 and date from the period of the Nubian pharaohs. 854 00:47:57,933 --> 00:48:01,266 It is difficult to know whether Padiamenope had any influence 855 00:48:01,266 --> 00:48:03,733 on the revival of Osiris worship. 856 00:48:03,733 --> 00:48:06,466 But for Salima Ikram, it's undeniable 857 00:48:06,466 --> 00:48:08,633 that the architecture of the chapels 858 00:48:08,633 --> 00:48:13,200 was a source of inspiration for Padiamenope. 859 00:48:13,200 --> 00:48:15,633 Life in ancient Egypt revolved around 860 00:48:15,633 --> 00:48:18,933 ensuring a place in the afterlife. 861 00:48:18,933 --> 00:48:23,266 Perhaps Padiamenope hoped that dedicating his tomb to Osiris 862 00:48:23,266 --> 00:48:26,333 would help him after death. 863 00:48:26,333 --> 00:48:28,766 A closer look at the architecture of his tomb 864 00:48:28,766 --> 00:48:31,566 offers some insight into his thinking. 865 00:48:31,566 --> 00:48:34,800 It was structured as several distinct sections. 866 00:48:34,800 --> 00:48:38,433 The first was undoubtedly open to all visitors. 867 00:48:38,433 --> 00:48:40,733 But the second section was reserved 868 00:48:40,733 --> 00:48:43,933 solely for pilgrims worshiping Osiris. 869 00:48:43,933 --> 00:48:45,333 -[ Speaking French ] 870 00:48:45,333 --> 00:48:48,333 -Imagine that we are not regular tomb tourists, 871 00:48:48,333 --> 00:48:51,700 but pilgrims come to worship at the altar of Osiris. 872 00:48:53,633 --> 00:48:55,600 We turn right. 873 00:48:55,600 --> 00:48:58,633 To access here, you need a special key. 874 00:48:58,633 --> 00:49:02,400 I even wonder whether there was an entrance fee. 875 00:49:02,400 --> 00:49:04,700 -It's possible Padiamenope built a tomb 876 00:49:04,700 --> 00:49:08,866 that would generate revenue to help pay for its upkeep. 877 00:49:11,733 --> 00:49:15,600 -Once through this door, we reach the cenotaph room. 878 00:49:15,600 --> 00:49:18,433 What's a cenotaph? A pretend tomb. 879 00:49:18,433 --> 00:49:22,233 It looks like a tomb, with all the decoration of the time, 880 00:49:22,233 --> 00:49:23,866 but there's no body inside. 881 00:49:23,866 --> 00:49:26,333 So what did the pilgrims do once they were here? 882 00:49:26,333 --> 00:49:28,633 They walked around, singing canticles. 883 00:49:28,633 --> 00:49:30,666 I think they would sing the texts inscribed 884 00:49:30,666 --> 00:49:32,266 at the tops of the walls. 885 00:49:34,433 --> 00:49:37,566 -The cenotaph served as a pilgrimage destination 886 00:49:37,566 --> 00:49:40,433 for worshipers of Osiris. 887 00:49:40,433 --> 00:49:44,000 And Traunecker is still studying the tomb's third section, 888 00:49:44,000 --> 00:49:46,666 which he describes as being private. 889 00:49:48,733 --> 00:49:50,633 To access the third section, 890 00:49:50,633 --> 00:49:54,866 one must descend the infamous shaft in Room XII 891 00:49:54,866 --> 00:49:56,933 that terrified visitors 892 00:49:56,933 --> 00:50:00,066 and earned the tomb the legend of being cursed. 893 00:50:02,366 --> 00:50:07,733 From there, it's down a passageway to Room XIX. 894 00:50:07,733 --> 00:50:09,233 -[ Speaking French ] 895 00:50:09,233 --> 00:50:13,066 -Here's the famous scene "Awakening Osiris," 896 00:50:13,066 --> 00:50:15,800 which must have covered the entire wall. 897 00:50:15,800 --> 00:50:18,966 The central part features the god Osiris. 898 00:50:18,966 --> 00:50:21,366 Before him is his son Horus, 899 00:50:21,366 --> 00:50:25,566 who is holding the symbol of life under his father's nose. 900 00:50:25,566 --> 00:50:27,966 The hieroglyphs say, "Waking up." 901 00:50:30,600 --> 00:50:34,966 -A second shaft descends even further into a strange room 902 00:50:34,966 --> 00:50:40,033 which resembles a sarcophagus from the Old Kingdom. 903 00:50:40,033 --> 00:50:42,966 Technically, it's the last room in the tomb. 904 00:50:42,966 --> 00:50:46,233 Any pillagers entering here could go no further. 905 00:50:46,233 --> 00:50:48,666 It appears there was nowhere else to go. 906 00:50:51,933 --> 00:50:55,733 But Padiamenope has created a secret burial chamber 907 00:50:55,733 --> 00:50:58,433 above the room. 908 00:50:58,433 --> 00:51:00,266 The ceiling had to be smashed 909 00:51:00,266 --> 00:51:03,766 before Padiamenope's real burial chamber could be entered. 910 00:51:08,500 --> 00:51:10,666 And it is a revelation. 911 00:51:10,666 --> 00:51:30,933 ♪♪ 912 00:51:30,933 --> 00:51:34,233 The decoration on the walls and ceiling of the chamber 913 00:51:34,233 --> 00:51:37,466 rival those of the Sistine Chapel. 914 00:51:39,433 --> 00:51:42,766 And Egyptologists have worked to restore them 915 00:51:42,766 --> 00:51:45,333 nearly to their original state. 916 00:51:45,333 --> 00:51:50,766 ♪♪ 917 00:51:50,766 --> 00:51:53,366 -[ Speaking French ] 918 00:51:53,366 --> 00:51:56,833 -Padiamenope clearly wanted to conceal the entrance 919 00:51:56,833 --> 00:52:00,066 to this last room, where he was probably buried. 920 00:52:03,033 --> 00:52:06,600 But as we found no remains of a sarcophagus, 921 00:52:06,600 --> 00:52:09,500 the latest hypothesis to be put forward 922 00:52:09,500 --> 00:52:12,600 is that his mummy was inside a wooden coffin 923 00:52:12,600 --> 00:52:14,633 placed on a funerary bed, 924 00:52:14,633 --> 00:52:17,500 possibly in the central part of the room. 925 00:52:21,533 --> 00:52:24,200 This hypothesis is based on the fact 926 00:52:24,200 --> 00:52:28,233 that on the east and west walls of this chamber, 927 00:52:28,233 --> 00:52:31,966 between the niches which must have held statuettes... 928 00:52:34,033 --> 00:52:38,466 ...there are images of guardian genies, deities, 929 00:52:38,466 --> 00:52:42,066 who were supposed to protect Padiamenope's body. 930 00:52:44,966 --> 00:52:46,666 The same guardian genies 931 00:52:46,666 --> 00:52:51,833 that featured to the left and right of "Awakening Osiris." 932 00:52:51,833 --> 00:52:54,666 So the hypothesis is that Padiamenope 933 00:52:54,666 --> 00:52:56,200 wanted to reproduce 934 00:52:56,200 --> 00:53:01,300 a kind of three-dimensional "Awakening Osiris" 935 00:53:01,300 --> 00:53:04,400 in which Padiamenope, on his funerary bed 936 00:53:04,400 --> 00:53:07,000 and surrounded by guardian genies, 937 00:53:07,000 --> 00:53:09,533 takes the place of Osiris. 938 00:53:11,933 --> 00:53:15,966 -The portrait of the mysterious Padiamenope has become clearer. 939 00:53:18,233 --> 00:53:21,433 Associating himself with the Judge of the Dead 940 00:53:21,433 --> 00:53:24,233 and receiving his blessing and good grace 941 00:53:24,233 --> 00:53:26,266 was undoubtedly the best guarantee 942 00:53:26,266 --> 00:53:28,866 of living eternally in the afterlife. 943 00:53:33,200 --> 00:53:34,666 Exploration of his tomb 944 00:53:34,666 --> 00:53:37,633 has revealed an extraordinary figure -- 945 00:53:37,633 --> 00:53:41,033 a priest, a scribe, and a scholar 946 00:53:41,033 --> 00:53:45,066 who played a crucial role at the pharaoh's court. 947 00:53:45,066 --> 00:53:48,266 Despite the 2,500 years that separate them, 948 00:53:48,266 --> 00:53:50,633 Padiamenope and Champollion 949 00:53:50,633 --> 00:53:55,433 shared the same fascination with hieroglyphics. 950 00:53:55,433 --> 00:53:59,200 In hindsight, one seems to have placed himself 951 00:53:59,200 --> 00:54:01,666 in the footsteps of the other. 952 00:54:01,666 --> 00:54:03,600 -[ Speaking French ] 953 00:54:03,600 --> 00:54:07,500 -Both of them wanted to pass on something they possessed. 954 00:54:07,500 --> 00:54:10,666 Padiamenope wanted to pass on his knowledge of history, 955 00:54:10,666 --> 00:54:13,300 a much older history of his civilization. 956 00:54:15,666 --> 00:54:18,200 And Champollion wanted to discover 957 00:54:18,200 --> 00:54:20,200 and then pass on to his contemporaries 958 00:54:20,200 --> 00:54:22,966 all of those wonderful things he had discovered. 959 00:54:26,833 --> 00:54:29,833 -Shortly after returning from his voyage to Egypt, 960 00:54:29,833 --> 00:54:33,233 Champollion fell ill. 961 00:54:33,233 --> 00:54:39,233 He died in Paris on March 4, 1832, at age 41. 962 00:54:40,566 --> 00:54:42,566 Despite his early passing, 963 00:54:42,566 --> 00:54:45,800 he left behind a vast body of work. 964 00:54:45,800 --> 00:54:47,366 -[ Speaking French ] 965 00:54:47,366 --> 00:54:49,000 -By cracking the code of hieroglyphs, 966 00:54:49,000 --> 00:54:50,566 Champollion opened the great door 967 00:54:50,566 --> 00:54:52,333 to what would become Egyptology, 968 00:54:52,333 --> 00:54:53,966 which is still developing today 969 00:54:53,966 --> 00:54:56,366 and destined to know even greater developments. 970 00:54:58,366 --> 00:55:02,400 -Today's Egyptologists continue the work Champollion started 971 00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:05,100 with his discoveries. 972 00:55:05,100 --> 00:55:06,800 The priority on their next trip 973 00:55:06,800 --> 00:55:10,600 will be to conserve the tomb and restore its treasure 974 00:55:10,600 --> 00:55:14,566 in order to reveal more of Padiamenope's secrets, 975 00:55:14,566 --> 00:55:16,200 deepening our understanding 976 00:55:16,200 --> 00:55:20,966 of this ancient civilization and its hieroglyphics.