1 00:00:01,066 --> 00:00:04,533 Welcome to the pyramid and tomb of the King Nastasen. 2 00:00:04,533 --> 00:00:06,100 What's in the third chamber? 3 00:00:06,100 --> 00:00:08,000 Theoretically, it should be the king. 4 00:00:08,634 --> 00:00:10,100 [Josh] It's completely flooded. 5 00:00:10,100 --> 00:00:12,734 So we decided to dive it. You interested? 6 00:00:12,734 --> 00:00:14,100 Huh. 7 00:00:15,734 --> 00:00:18,367 This is, like, the most dangerous diving that you could do. 8 00:00:18,367 --> 00:00:20,867 I am nervous. That's not true. I'm scared. 9 00:00:20,867 --> 00:00:22,867 Sounds more accurate. 10 00:00:22,867 --> 00:00:24,734 Any words of wisdom for a first-timer here? 11 00:00:24,734 --> 00:00:26,967 Don't let go of the line. Don't freak out. 12 00:00:26,967 --> 00:00:28,166 Yep. Don't panic. 13 00:00:28,700 --> 00:00:29,734 Let's go dive a tomb. 14 00:00:37,367 --> 00:00:40,266 [Josh] And the silt just follows you in. 15 00:00:40,266 --> 00:00:41,634 Moving forward. 16 00:00:46,700 --> 00:00:48,467 Okay. I'm letting go. 17 00:00:50,266 --> 00:00:53,100 I am not feeling that block this time. 18 00:00:53,100 --> 00:00:56,367 [over radio] I lost the line, and I don't know where I am here in chamber two. 19 00:00:56,367 --> 00:00:59,600 All right. Josh, can you repeat that you're off the line? 20 00:00:59,600 --> 00:01:00,000 [Josh] I lost the line in chamber two. 21 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,100 [Josh] I lost the line in chamber two. 22 00:01:02,100 --> 00:01:04,634 It should be in front of me, but I can't feel it. 23 00:01:04,634 --> 00:01:07,100 Josh is off the line. Repeat. 24 00:01:07,100 --> 00:01:08,467 [Josh] I can't get my bearings. 25 00:01:08,467 --> 00:01:10,467 Guys, I need some help here. 26 00:01:10,467 --> 00:01:14,533 Okay. Just don't panic. Reach around, and see if you can find the line. 27 00:01:14,533 --> 00:01:17,500 He doesn't have any kind of tactile reference, 28 00:01:17,500 --> 00:01:19,367 so he has no idea where he is in the tomb. 29 00:01:19,367 --> 00:01:22,500 [Josh] I can't see a [bleep] thing. 30 00:01:22,500 --> 00:01:26,166 Josh, is there any chance you can chamber into... Surface into chamber two? 31 00:01:26,166 --> 00:01:29,700 [Josh] If I could find that block at the front of chamber two, 32 00:01:29,700 --> 00:01:30,000 I could surface there, but I am in outer space right now. 33 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:35,100 I could surface there, but I am in outer space right now. 34 00:01:35,100 --> 00:01:36,734 [Pearce Paul] Josh, listen to me. 35 00:01:36,734 --> 00:01:38,867 Stay calm, and stay focused. 36 00:01:38,867 --> 00:01:40,467 Look around to that center block. 37 00:01:40,467 --> 00:01:42,867 If you can feel the two temperatures in the water, 38 00:01:42,867 --> 00:01:46,233 that center block should be your next best guess to get on that line. 39 00:01:54,600 --> 00:01:56,166 [Josh] I got it. I got the cave line. 40 00:01:57,500 --> 00:01:59,166 Outstanding. Great news. 41 00:01:59,166 --> 00:02:00,000 [Pearce Paul] You good? You doing all right? 42 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:00,600 [Pearce Paul] You good? You doing all right? 43 00:02:00,600 --> 00:02:01,800 [Josh] I'm good, man. 44 00:02:01,800 --> 00:02:06,967 -That was intense, but I'm good. -[Pearce Paul] Excellent. 45 00:02:06,967 --> 00:02:09,867 [Josh] Further into the darkness, deeper into the tomb. 46 00:02:09,867 --> 00:02:11,734 Let's see what's in here. 47 00:02:14,533 --> 00:02:16,166 My name is Josh Gates. 48 00:02:16,166 --> 00:02:17,100 Hello! 49 00:02:17,100 --> 00:02:18,166 Explorer... 50 00:02:18,166 --> 00:02:18,867 Here goes nothing. 51 00:02:18,867 --> 00:02:20,100 ...adventurer... 52 00:02:20,100 --> 00:02:21,266 Whoo! 53 00:02:21,266 --> 00:02:22,467 Oh, that's a long way down. 54 00:02:22,467 --> 00:02:25,467 ...and a guy who ends up in some very strange situations. 55 00:02:25,467 --> 00:02:27,600 I'm alive for now! 56 00:02:27,600 --> 00:02:30,000 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained, 57 00:02:30,000 --> 00:02:31,100 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained, 58 00:02:31,100 --> 00:02:33,734 I travel to the ends of the Earth, 59 00:02:33,734 --> 00:02:37,066 investigating the greatest legends in history. 60 00:02:37,066 --> 00:02:38,166 Ready to rock and roll. 61 00:02:38,166 --> 00:02:40,734 This is Expedition Unknown. 62 00:02:45,100 --> 00:02:50,266 Okay. So, good news is I haven't drowned, and I am back on the line. 63 00:02:50,266 --> 00:02:53,533 To say that I'm relieved is a grotesque understatement. 64 00:02:53,533 --> 00:02:57,000 In fact, my life is flashing before my eyes, 65 00:02:57,000 --> 00:03:00,000 particularly the last few days. 66 00:03:00,000 --> 00:03:01,066 particularly the last few days. 67 00:03:01,066 --> 00:03:05,467 I came to Sudan to investigate the mysteries of the great kingdom of Kush, 68 00:03:05,467 --> 00:03:07,734 the southern neighbors of ancient Egypt. 69 00:03:07,734 --> 00:03:12,634 Once, Egypt was able to conquer and occupy this gold-rich region, 70 00:03:12,634 --> 00:03:15,634 but after 500 years, they withdrew. 71 00:03:15,634 --> 00:03:18,600 And then something extraordinary happened. 72 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:22,367 The Kushites rose to become Africa's superpower. 73 00:03:22,367 --> 00:03:24,467 This was the largest city on the continent. 74 00:03:24,467 --> 00:03:25,800 -Yes, of course. -Wow. 75 00:03:27,500 --> 00:03:30,000 The Kushites invade Egypt, ruling over the 25th dynasty as pharaohs, 76 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:33,000 The Kushites invade Egypt, ruling over the 25th dynasty as pharaohs, 77 00:03:33,000 --> 00:03:36,166 and presiding over a renaissance of Egyptian culture, 78 00:03:36,166 --> 00:03:38,467 religion, an architecture. 79 00:03:38,467 --> 00:03:42,867 But what made the Kushites powerful enough to take control? 80 00:03:42,867 --> 00:03:46,100 And what happened to the Kush kings who ruled Egypt? 81 00:03:46,100 --> 00:03:50,700 A century of archaeology has yet to find the remains of a Kush king 82 00:03:50,700 --> 00:03:52,166 in his own tomb. 83 00:03:52,166 --> 00:03:54,500 To help locate one for the first time, 84 00:03:54,500 --> 00:03:56,967 I've come to the necropolis of Nuri, 85 00:03:56,967 --> 00:04:00,000 where 80 pyramids lie buried in the sand. 86 00:04:00,000 --> 00:04:00,166 where 80 pyramids lie buried in the sand. 87 00:04:00,166 --> 00:04:03,700 This is just a mind-blowing collection of ancient structures. 88 00:04:03,700 --> 00:04:09,166 The first tomb built here was that of the greatest hero of the Kush, Taharqa, 89 00:04:09,166 --> 00:04:12,367 and the last belonged to the king, Nastasen. 90 00:04:12,367 --> 00:04:16,367 It is Nastasen's tomb that has drawn the attention of archaeologist, 91 00:04:16,367 --> 00:04:17,533 Pearce Paul Creasman. 92 00:04:17,533 --> 00:04:20,867 Along with his team, we are exploring the interior, 93 00:04:20,867 --> 00:04:23,100 in the hopes of finding the king's mummy. 94 00:04:23,100 --> 00:04:26,734 If we're able to recover any mummified remains of Nastasen, 95 00:04:26,734 --> 00:04:30,000 his DNA could advance our knowledge of the Kush by leaps and bounds, 96 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:31,533 his DNA could advance our knowledge of the Kush by leaps and bounds, 97 00:04:31,533 --> 00:04:33,166 and it has not been easy. 98 00:04:33,166 --> 00:04:37,700 The instant you go inside, you stir up thousands of years of dust and sediment. 99 00:04:37,700 --> 00:04:40,734 You're literally in the dark. Like, blindfolded dark down there. 100 00:04:40,734 --> 00:04:43,500 The tomb, flooded by water from the Nile, 101 00:04:43,500 --> 00:04:47,734 consists of a staircase, leading through a reinforced passageway 102 00:04:47,734 --> 00:04:50,734 into three pitch-black chambers: 103 00:04:50,734 --> 00:04:54,700 a large first chamber with a guideline, 104 00:04:54,700 --> 00:04:59,066 a collapsed second chamber with a small air pocket, 105 00:05:01,967 --> 00:05:05,734 and then what we hope is the burial chamber of the king. 106 00:05:09,166 --> 00:05:10,734 [over radio] Okay. Let's get back to work. 107 00:05:10,734 --> 00:05:13,233 -Let's do this. -[Pearce Paul] That's what I like to hear. 108 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:18,734 All right. I'm back in the third chamber. 109 00:05:18,734 --> 00:05:21,166 -Ready? -[Josh] Yep. 110 00:05:21,166 --> 00:05:22,467 [Pearce Paul] And working away. 111 00:05:22,467 --> 00:05:26,066 [Josh] We've discovered that a large slab in chamber three 112 00:05:26,066 --> 00:05:29,600 appears to be the lid of Nastasen's sarcophagus, 113 00:05:29,600 --> 00:05:30,000 cracked open by falling rock from above. 114 00:05:30,000 --> 00:05:33,000 cracked open by falling rock from above. 115 00:05:33,000 --> 00:05:35,066 To recover any material inside, 116 00:05:35,066 --> 00:05:37,100 we'll therefore need to work quickly 117 00:05:37,100 --> 00:05:39,900 so we don't end up entombed here, as well. 118 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:43,367 Ben, are you currently under the slab? 119 00:05:43,367 --> 00:05:44,634 Where are you? 120 00:05:44,634 --> 00:05:47,634 [Pearce Paul] Yeah, so, there's that diagonal crack in the slab. 121 00:05:48,634 --> 00:05:50,867 I cleared off some of the clay, 122 00:05:50,867 --> 00:05:53,166 and I'm working down one of the edges. 123 00:05:55,600 --> 00:05:58,467 [Josh] All right. I'm parked at the doorway to chamber three. 124 00:06:01,867 --> 00:06:03,634 [Pearce Paul] All right. I'm bringing a bucket up. 125 00:06:04,867 --> 00:06:06,533 [Josh] There's no visibility, 126 00:06:06,533 --> 00:06:10,166 so we work together by forming a blind bucket brigade. 127 00:06:10,166 --> 00:06:15,066 Pearce Paul scoops material from under the lid that could contain artefacts 128 00:06:15,066 --> 00:06:18,100 and hands it off to me in the doorway. 129 00:06:18,100 --> 00:06:20,333 I'm waiting for it. You can see my light. 130 00:06:22,700 --> 00:06:25,967 I have the bucket, and I'm handing you one here. 131 00:06:25,967 --> 00:06:27,867 [Pearce Paul] Got it. Good exchange. 132 00:06:27,867 --> 00:06:30,000 [Josh] I pass over the collapsed ceiling in this room 133 00:06:30,000 --> 00:06:31,000 [Josh] I pass over the collapsed ceiling in this room 134 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:36,100 and clutch around for a set of waiting hands in the doorway to chamber one. 135 00:06:36,100 --> 00:06:37,867 Okay. I've just handed the bucket off. 136 00:06:37,867 --> 00:06:42,100 -I think Ryan has joined the relay here. -[Pearce Paul] Excellent. 137 00:06:42,100 --> 00:06:43,600 [Josh] Ryan uses the guide wire 138 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:46,734 and ferries the bucket through the large first chamber. 139 00:06:46,734 --> 00:06:50,900 Finally, Justin will bring it to the surface, to the topside team. 140 00:06:53,700 --> 00:06:56,734 Today, that just happens to be John T. Godfrey, 141 00:06:56,734 --> 00:06:58,734 the US ambassador to Sudan, 142 00:06:58,734 --> 00:07:00,000 who traveled to the dig for an official site visit. 143 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:01,867 who traveled to the dig for an official site visit. 144 00:07:01,867 --> 00:07:05,367 Now he's volunteering to haul the heavy buckets to the sifting tent, 145 00:07:05,367 --> 00:07:08,900 bringing new meaning to the term 'public servant.' 146 00:07:10,166 --> 00:07:13,367 Together, we work efficiently and carefully. 147 00:07:13,367 --> 00:07:15,867 [Pearce Paul] I have to be really careful where I'm working right now. 148 00:07:15,867 --> 00:07:17,867 I don't want these larger rocks 149 00:07:17,867 --> 00:07:21,166 -that I can't pick up to fall. -[Josh over radio] Right. 150 00:07:21,166 --> 00:07:22,467 [in voiceover] Along with the rocks, 151 00:07:22,467 --> 00:07:25,700 I start to imagine what else we might be disturbing in here. 152 00:07:25,700 --> 00:07:29,367 Pearce Paul, what are your feelings on the movie, The Mummy? 153 00:07:29,367 --> 00:07:30,000 -[Pearce Paul] I love a good Brendan Fraser. -[Josh laughs] 154 00:07:30,000 --> 00:07:34,367 -[Pearce Paul] I love a good Brendan Fraser. -[Josh laughs] 155 00:07:34,367 --> 00:07:38,266 That's not... That's not possible, though, right? That's not gonna happen here? 156 00:07:38,266 --> 00:07:40,533 [Pearce Paul] Mmm. Never say never. 157 00:07:43,600 --> 00:07:46,066 [Josh] The full buckets go up and out, 158 00:07:46,066 --> 00:07:48,266 the empty ones back in and down, 159 00:07:48,266 --> 00:07:51,233 passed from man to man in total darkness. 160 00:07:51,734 --> 00:07:53,100 I have the bucket. 161 00:07:53,100 --> 00:07:54,967 Heading back trough chamber two. 162 00:07:54,967 --> 00:07:57,367 [Pearce Paul] I think we should make this an Olympic event. 163 00:07:57,367 --> 00:08:00,000 -[Josh laughs] -[Pearce Paul] That exchange was beautiful. 164 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:00,734 -[Josh laughs] -[Pearce Paul] That exchange was beautiful. 165 00:08:00,734 --> 00:08:02,000 [Josh] The perfect hand-off. 166 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,367 [in voiceover] We keep it up for more than two hours, 167 00:08:04,367 --> 00:08:08,433 when I learned that not all of the buckets we were filling are equal. 168 00:08:10,734 --> 00:08:13,266 [Pearce Paul] I got some interesting things going on here. 169 00:08:13,266 --> 00:08:14,500 [Josh] What you got? 170 00:08:14,500 --> 00:08:16,433 [Pearce Paul] I don't know yet. Let me... 171 00:08:18,100 --> 00:08:19,867 I'm gonna fill this bucket a little more. 172 00:08:19,867 --> 00:08:23,000 There's something in here. It's gonna take me a minute to work around it, 173 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:26,266 -so we can't just pull it. -[Josh] Copy that. 174 00:08:26,266 --> 00:08:28,066 [Pearce Paul] I gotta get the layers off of it. 175 00:08:31,600 --> 00:08:35,166 All right. I got something of interest here. Smooth around the edges. 176 00:08:35,166 --> 00:08:36,867 [Josh] Does it feel like natural rock? 177 00:08:36,867 --> 00:08:39,266 [Pearce Paul] No, it does not feel natural. 178 00:08:39,266 --> 00:08:41,734 I think we need to get out and take a look at it. 179 00:08:41,734 --> 00:08:43,533 [Josh] The item, whatever it is, 180 00:08:43,533 --> 00:08:46,266 is placed inside a hard container 181 00:08:46,266 --> 00:08:48,000 Pearce Paul has clipped to his belt. 182 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,533 Then, we carefully ferry it out into the light. 183 00:08:51,533 --> 00:08:53,433 Josh and Pearce are coming out! 184 00:08:57,734 --> 00:09:00,000 [Pearce Paul] So, we're digging around, pulled some buckets out. 185 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:00,867 [Pearce Paul] So, we're digging around, pulled some buckets out. 186 00:09:00,867 --> 00:09:02,066 Look what we got. 187 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,166 -Oh, amazing. -[bleep] yes! 188 00:09:05,166 --> 00:09:08,500 -It's a shabti. -[Pearce Paul] So, this is Nastasen's shabti. 189 00:09:08,500 --> 00:09:10,000 [John] That is great. 190 00:09:10,000 --> 00:09:11,166 Just found that from down there? 191 00:09:11,166 --> 00:09:13,266 We just got it down out of the burial chamber. 192 00:09:13,266 --> 00:09:17,600 [Josh] A shabti is a figurine that would be buried with a royal 193 00:09:17,600 --> 00:09:20,066 to attend to them in the afterlife. 194 00:09:20,066 --> 00:09:21,867 And this wasn't a metaphor. 195 00:09:21,867 --> 00:09:28,000 This doll was supposed to physically spring to life to serve Nastasen in eternity. 196 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:30,000 And this that we see on here, this black, this is paint? 197 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:30,867 And this that we see on here, this black, this is paint? 198 00:09:30,867 --> 00:09:32,266 [Pearce Paul] This is paint that is put on it 199 00:09:32,266 --> 00:09:34,367 probably during the firing process. 200 00:09:34,367 --> 00:09:36,367 -You can see the circle going around here. -Yeah. 201 00:09:36,367 --> 00:09:38,000 [Pearce Paul] This is almost certainly the edge 202 00:09:38,000 --> 00:09:40,166 of the cartouche to keep the name. 203 00:09:40,166 --> 00:09:43,734 -So we have Kushite hieroglyphs on here? -Yes. 204 00:09:43,734 --> 00:09:47,166 A cartouche is an oval-shape surrounding hieroglyphics, 205 00:09:47,166 --> 00:09:50,967 typically displaying the name of an important individual. 206 00:09:50,967 --> 00:09:52,867 It binds the information. 207 00:09:52,867 --> 00:09:55,266 So we can see the name of Nastasen. 208 00:09:55,266 --> 00:09:58,600 [Josh] This is unbelievable. 209 00:09:58,600 --> 00:10:00,000 Even though these are meant to be servants to wait on him in the afterlife, 210 00:10:00,000 --> 00:10:02,600 Even though these are meant to be servants to wait on him in the afterlife, 211 00:10:02,600 --> 00:10:05,266 the representation, the face; is it meant to be him? 212 00:10:05,266 --> 00:10:07,166 [Pearce Paul] Yeah. This is intended to be him. 213 00:10:07,166 --> 00:10:10,166 You need to have representations of your image 214 00:10:10,166 --> 00:10:12,467 in order to ensure you live in perpetuity. 215 00:10:12,467 --> 00:10:16,867 [Josh] As a magical object, the shabti is covered with spells, 216 00:10:16,867 --> 00:10:21,700 intended to keep the king's name alive, granting him immortality. 217 00:10:21,700 --> 00:10:24,734 All I can say is so far, so good. 218 00:10:24,734 --> 00:10:30,000 I mean, the idea that this has been waiting for, you know, nearly 2,500 years. 219 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:30,066 I mean, the idea that this has been waiting for, you know, nearly 2,500 years. 220 00:10:30,066 --> 00:10:32,500 -How about that? -That's fantastic. What a find. 221 00:10:32,500 --> 00:10:35,166 [Josh] This is a precious discovery. 222 00:10:35,166 --> 00:10:39,700 This figure now serves his king once more, not by waiting on him 223 00:10:39,700 --> 00:10:42,000 but by preserving his memory. 224 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,000 It's an honor to have helped bring him to the surface. 225 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:47,867 And, Ambassador, for you to give this to me as a gift, 226 00:10:47,867 --> 00:10:49,734 that's so kind of you. You didn't need to do that. 227 00:10:49,734 --> 00:10:51,533 This is Pearce Paul and his team-- 228 00:10:51,533 --> 00:10:54,266 Hold on a sec. I thought I had the state department behind me. 229 00:10:54,266 --> 00:10:55,634 -[laughter] -I thought I had them. 230 00:10:57,266 --> 00:11:00,000 The team needs to catalog this remarkable find, 231 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:00,533 The team needs to catalog this remarkable find, 232 00:11:00,533 --> 00:11:03,166 and we've reached our daily time limit in the tomb, 233 00:11:03,166 --> 00:11:06,467 which is carefully controlled to prevent fatigue. 234 00:11:06,467 --> 00:11:08,967 Soon, we'll mount one last push inside 235 00:11:08,967 --> 00:11:11,700 in search of King Nastasen himself. 236 00:11:11,700 --> 00:11:16,467 In the meantime, the shabti we found raises some important questions. 237 00:11:16,467 --> 00:11:19,867 These objects, which are so iconically Egyptian, 238 00:11:19,867 --> 00:11:23,166 are also being used in tombs here in Kush, 239 00:11:23,166 --> 00:11:26,266 along with pyramids, mummies, and more. 240 00:11:26,266 --> 00:11:27,533 Why? 241 00:11:27,533 --> 00:11:30,000 And even more mysterious, what made this kingdom powerful enough 242 00:11:30,000 --> 00:11:31,266 And even more mysterious, what made this kingdom powerful enough 243 00:11:31,266 --> 00:11:33,233 to conquer Egypt? 244 00:11:43,533 --> 00:11:46,166 I am up before the sun and rolling out to meet an archaeologist 245 00:11:46,166 --> 00:11:47,600 named Geoff Emberling. 246 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:51,266 Now, Geoff has asked me to meet him at a site known as Jebel Barkal. 247 00:11:51,266 --> 00:11:54,533 I have coordinates, but there's a lot of sand out here, 248 00:11:54,533 --> 00:11:56,533 so hopefully we can find him. 249 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:02,967 All right. I'm guessing this is my guy here. 250 00:12:02,967 --> 00:12:06,266 At the base of the holy mountain known as Jebel Barkal, 251 00:12:06,266 --> 00:12:08,900 I meet archaeologist Geoff Emberling. 252 00:12:10,367 --> 00:12:12,266 -Geoff? -Good morning. 253 00:12:12,266 --> 00:12:14,700 -Welcome to Jebel Barkal. -Thank you. 254 00:12:14,700 --> 00:12:18,166 I normally don't like to meet strangers out in the desert in the middle of the night, 255 00:12:18,166 --> 00:12:20,266 -but for you, I'm making an exception. -[laughs] 256 00:12:20,266 --> 00:12:24,367 Okay. So, this big feature here is Jebel Barkal. So what does that mean? 257 00:12:24,367 --> 00:12:28,467 For the ancient Egyptians, the ancient Kushites, this is the pure mountain. 258 00:12:28,467 --> 00:12:29,467 The holy mountain. 259 00:12:29,467 --> 00:12:30,000 -[Josh] The holy mountain. -Yeah. 260 00:12:30,000 --> 00:12:30,500 -[Josh] The holy mountain. -Yeah. 261 00:12:30,500 --> 00:12:32,734 Okay, and so why? Why is it holy? 262 00:12:32,734 --> 00:12:36,266 To understand that, you're gonna have to walk up to the top, 263 00:12:36,266 --> 00:12:37,100 and I'll take you there. 264 00:12:37,100 --> 00:12:38,100 -We're going up? -We're going up. 265 00:12:38,100 --> 00:12:39,100 That is how tall? 266 00:12:39,100 --> 00:12:41,166 It's over 300 feet high. 267 00:12:41,166 --> 00:12:43,500 And it looks real steep. Is there a path up there? 268 00:12:43,500 --> 00:12:45,500 -There is. There is. -Sort of? 269 00:12:45,500 --> 00:12:46,734 We're gonna go find it. 270 00:12:46,734 --> 00:12:49,533 Oh, boy. Okay. Come on. Let's get our morning steps in, huh? 271 00:12:55,266 --> 00:12:58,166 We race the sun to the top of Jebel Barkal, 272 00:12:58,166 --> 00:13:00,000 but with the ground slipping away under our feet as we walk, 273 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:01,367 but with the ground slipping away under our feet as we walk, 274 00:13:01,367 --> 00:13:03,533 I put my money on the sun. 275 00:13:05,266 --> 00:13:08,000 It's like walking up a sand dune 276 00:13:08,000 --> 00:13:10,433 if the sand dune was filled with razorblade-sharp rocks. 277 00:13:19,500 --> 00:13:21,233 That's a long way down. 278 00:13:24,266 --> 00:13:27,266 Tough. This is tough. 279 00:13:27,266 --> 00:13:30,000 -[Geoff] It's not nothing, climbing up here, is it? -No, it's not. 280 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:30,166 -[Geoff] It's not nothing, climbing up here, is it? -No, it's not. 281 00:13:30,166 --> 00:13:32,600 And there's kind of no one path to the top. It's just... 282 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:34,634 -[Geoff] Yeah. -...choose your own adventure. 283 00:13:41,100 --> 00:13:42,266 Oh, look at that! 284 00:13:42,266 --> 00:13:43,533 [Geoff] There it is. 285 00:13:48,600 --> 00:13:49,900 [Josh] Greeting the dawn. 286 00:13:50,700 --> 00:13:53,266 Oh, that is something. What a view! 287 00:13:53,266 --> 00:13:55,967 But it's not just a nice view. 288 00:13:55,967 --> 00:13:58,166 From the top of Jebel Barkal, 289 00:13:58,166 --> 00:14:00,000 I'll finally glimpse the source of the Kush's power. 290 00:14:00,000 --> 00:14:01,734 I'll finally glimpse the source of the Kush's power. 291 00:14:02,734 --> 00:14:04,533 Beautiful. 292 00:14:08,800 --> 00:14:11,467 [Josh] That is the most spectacular thing. 293 00:14:11,467 --> 00:14:14,734 Water, green, desert. 294 00:14:14,734 --> 00:14:16,700 -Just life right there. -[Geoff] Yeah. 295 00:14:16,700 --> 00:14:19,467 [Josh] It's really not hard to see why somebody would find this place holy. 296 00:14:19,467 --> 00:14:21,000 [Geoff] Absolutely. 297 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:26,467 This picture is exactly how life has been in the Nile for thousands of years. 298 00:14:26,467 --> 00:14:27,634 That's awesome. 299 00:14:28,800 --> 00:14:31,166 I've climbed to the top of Jebel Barkal, 300 00:14:31,166 --> 00:14:34,577 the holiest mountain in the ancient kingdom of Kush 301 00:14:34,577 --> 00:14:35,000 the holiest mountain in the ancient kingdom of Kush 302 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:39,266 to learn how the Kushites were able to conquer their one-time conquerors 303 00:14:39,266 --> 00:14:42,266 to the north, the Egyptians. 304 00:14:42,266 --> 00:14:44,900 [Geoff] The thing you need to really see is this pinnacle down here. 305 00:14:44,900 --> 00:14:46,967 Let's go take a look. 306 00:14:49,467 --> 00:14:54,367 This pinnacle of rock is what makes Jebel Barkal a holy place. 307 00:14:54,367 --> 00:14:57,000 [Josh] Unbelievable. Look at this! 308 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,800 So why does this pinnacle make this a holy place? 309 00:14:59,800 --> 00:15:01,734 Just because it's such a unique feature? 310 00:15:01,734 --> 00:15:03,467 -No, it's much more than that. -Okay. 311 00:15:03,467 --> 00:15:04,577 Gonna back you up just a little bit. 312 00:15:04,577 --> 00:15:05,166 Gonna back you up just a little bit. 313 00:15:05,166 --> 00:15:06,367 -Okay. -Okay. 314 00:15:06,367 --> 00:15:08,100 -So, the Kushites were here first. -[Josh] Yep. 315 00:15:08,100 --> 00:15:10,533 [Geoff] And they had this idea that gods lived in the rock. 316 00:15:10,533 --> 00:15:13,166 [Josh] So already, they saw this as a sacred place. 317 00:15:13,166 --> 00:15:15,634 That's right. But of course, the Egyptians were their neighbors. 318 00:15:15,634 --> 00:15:16,867 They conquered Kush. 319 00:15:16,867 --> 00:15:20,867 -Right. -And in understanding why this is a sacred place, 320 00:15:20,867 --> 00:15:23,800 you have to go to the Egyptians. 321 00:15:23,800 --> 00:15:27,367 [Josh] When the Egyptians first conquered Kush and came into these lands, 322 00:15:27,367 --> 00:15:31,000 they were astonished at the sight of the rock formation 323 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:33,000 at Jebel Barkal. 324 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:34,577 So for the Egyptians, this became a holy place 325 00:15:34,577 --> 00:15:35,467 So for the Egyptians, this became a holy place 326 00:15:35,467 --> 00:15:37,266 because of this pinnacle of rock. 327 00:15:38,900 --> 00:15:43,100 They are the ones who really recognized this as a very specific symbol. 328 00:15:43,100 --> 00:15:46,700 -Okay. -A symbol of a uraeus. 329 00:15:46,700 --> 00:15:51,867 -A uraeus is a goddess in the form of a cobra... -[Josh] Mmm-hmm. 330 00:15:51,867 --> 00:15:56,867 ...coiled on your head, spitting fire and poison at the eyes of your enemies. 331 00:15:56,867 --> 00:15:58,266 -Protecting you. -Yes, exactly. 332 00:15:58,266 --> 00:16:01,367 This is something that people would maybe most recognize 333 00:16:01,367 --> 00:16:04,577 from Tut's death mask, for instance, right? 334 00:16:04,577 --> 00:16:05,000 from Tut's death mask, for instance, right? 335 00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:08,166 This was a big-deal symbol to the ancient Egyptians. 336 00:16:08,166 --> 00:16:12,533 Absolutely, and so for them, it was the combination of the uraeus 337 00:16:12,533 --> 00:16:16,266 with the rest of the Jebel, which was like a crown. 338 00:16:16,266 --> 00:16:20,467 -It became almost a hieroglyph in nature... -[Josh] Right. 339 00:16:20,467 --> 00:16:21,700 [Geoff] ...for kingship. 340 00:16:21,700 --> 00:16:23,900 -[Josh] Absolutely beautiful. -Yeah. 341 00:16:23,900 --> 00:16:26,900 [Josh] The Egyptians saw one of their holiest symbols 342 00:16:26,900 --> 00:16:29,634 emerging from the natural landscape. 343 00:16:29,634 --> 00:16:34,367 They called this land Napata and immediately built a temple here 344 00:16:34,367 --> 00:16:34,577 to their most important deity, the creator god, Amun. 345 00:16:34,577 --> 00:16:38,166 to their most important deity, the creator god, Amun. 346 00:16:38,166 --> 00:16:42,900 So, when they came here, the Kushites had been worshipping, we think, 347 00:16:42,900 --> 00:16:44,467 a ram-headed god. 348 00:16:44,467 --> 00:16:47,467 And when the Egyptians came down, their god was Amun. 349 00:16:47,467 --> 00:16:51,266 [Josh] Amun is, like, the main Egyptian deity, yes? 350 00:16:51,266 --> 00:16:53,367 [Geoff] He's the god of the Egyptian empire. 351 00:16:53,367 --> 00:16:57,166 And so the form of Amun that appeared here in Jebel Barkal 352 00:16:57,166 --> 00:16:58,867 was a ram-headed Amun. 353 00:16:58,867 --> 00:17:00,266 It was sort of a mixture of the two, 354 00:17:00,266 --> 00:17:02,467 -the Egyptian and the Kushite gods. -[Josh] Right. 355 00:17:02,467 --> 00:17:04,577 [Geoff] This became the birthplace of Amun. 356 00:17:04,577 --> 00:17:05,000 [Geoff] This became the birthplace of Amun. 357 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:08,000 This is kind of wild because it means that ancient Egypt- 358 00:17:08,000 --> 00:17:12,367 they're putting their whole origin in this other area, 359 00:17:12,367 --> 00:17:14,467 where there's this other kingdom, this other civilization. 360 00:17:14,467 --> 00:17:16,533 They're saying, "We came from here." 361 00:17:16,533 --> 00:17:19,367 Egypt wouldn't be what it was without Kush, 362 00:17:19,367 --> 00:17:22,266 and Kush wouldn't be what it was without Egypt. There's no question. 363 00:17:22,266 --> 00:17:24,900 [Josh] During their occupation by Egypt, 364 00:17:24,900 --> 00:17:29,000 the Kushites latched on to their conqueror's religion and traditions 365 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:33,100 and then surpassed their teachers, even after they left. 366 00:17:33,100 --> 00:17:34,577 The Kush became more Egyptian than the Egyptians. 367 00:17:34,577 --> 00:17:37,100 The Kush became more Egyptian than the Egyptians. 368 00:17:37,100 --> 00:17:38,367 So, what happens? 369 00:17:38,367 --> 00:17:42,000 Well, the people that they introduced the worship of Amun to, 370 00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:48,100 the Kushites, completely take this on as their god and their story. 371 00:17:48,100 --> 00:17:50,800 And they're not giving up on that myth at all. It gets stronger and stronger. 372 00:17:50,800 --> 00:17:52,166 -Absolutely. -Right. 373 00:17:52,166 --> 00:17:54,266 And in fact, it gets stronger and stronger here 374 00:17:54,266 --> 00:17:58,066 when the cult of Amun was weaker and weaker in Egypt. 375 00:17:59,700 --> 00:18:02,600 [Josh] When the Kush see that Egyptian faith is in decline, 376 00:18:02,600 --> 00:18:04,577 they seize their chance. 377 00:18:04,577 --> 00:18:05,367 they seize their chance. 378 00:18:05,367 --> 00:18:09,533 There's this mystery, right? About how do these kings of Kush 379 00:18:09,533 --> 00:18:12,266 get so successful that they push up into ancient Egypt 380 00:18:12,266 --> 00:18:15,166 and rule this 25th dynasty in Egypt? 381 00:18:15,166 --> 00:18:16,533 -Yeah. -These Kush kings. 382 00:18:16,533 --> 00:18:19,100 And I always sort of thought of them as, "Oh, they're outsiders, 383 00:18:19,100 --> 00:18:21,000 they're invaders," but in fact, 384 00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,867 they're coming from one of the most sacred parts 385 00:18:23,867 --> 00:18:26,000 of the ancient Egyptian world in a way. 386 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:28,734 They're coming from this genesis place. 387 00:18:28,734 --> 00:18:31,467 So to the ancient Egyptians, they must have looked at these guys and said, 388 00:18:31,467 --> 00:18:34,577 "They're from some place incredibly holy." 389 00:18:34,577 --> 00:18:34,634 "They're from some place incredibly holy." 390 00:18:34,634 --> 00:18:36,166 That's right. That's right. 391 00:18:36,166 --> 00:18:38,166 And that's how they positioned themselves, too. 392 00:18:38,166 --> 00:18:44,100 -Right. -Very much as the restorers of proper worship of the gods. 393 00:18:44,100 --> 00:18:46,734 In fact, it was the priests of Amun in Egypt 394 00:18:46,734 --> 00:18:48,367 -who invited them in. -Mmm. 395 00:18:48,367 --> 00:18:51,634 -So they are completely intertwined. -Right. 396 00:18:53,166 --> 00:18:57,867 At the base of the mountain is evidence of the merged Kushite Egyptian faith, 397 00:18:57,867 --> 00:19:01,367 which means to see it, we're climbing back down Jebel Barkal. 398 00:19:01,367 --> 00:19:04,577 But while Geoff is comfortable going the long way around, I find a shortcut. 399 00:19:04,577 --> 00:19:05,867 But while Geoff is comfortable going the long way around, I find a shortcut. 400 00:19:06,900 --> 00:19:09,166 Okay. Well, here goes nothing. 401 00:19:11,634 --> 00:19:13,000 [laughs and exclaims] 402 00:19:13,000 --> 00:19:16,900 This is definitely faster! [laughs] 403 00:19:16,900 --> 00:19:18,734 [exclaims] 404 00:19:20,867 --> 00:19:22,734 Ah! 405 00:19:28,734 --> 00:19:30,266 Too fast! Too fast! 406 00:19:30,266 --> 00:19:31,233 [grunts] 407 00:19:34,000 --> 00:19:34,577 [grunts and splutters] 408 00:19:34,577 --> 00:19:35,734 [grunts and splutters] 409 00:19:35,734 --> 00:19:38,634 Well, I'm down. 410 00:19:38,634 --> 00:19:41,000 [pants and spits] 411 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,634 I dust myself off and limp around the mountain 412 00:19:44,634 --> 00:19:49,734 to reconnect with Geoff at a majestic ruin first built by the Egyptians. 413 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,166 Oh, my word. 414 00:19:58,000 --> 00:19:59,266 Are we in a temple? 415 00:19:59,266 --> 00:20:03,166 [Geoff] Yeah. This is the temple of Amun of Napata, 416 00:20:03,166 --> 00:20:04,577 built right here at the base of Jebel Barkal. 417 00:20:04,577 --> 00:20:05,467 built right here at the base of Jebel Barkal. 418 00:20:05,467 --> 00:20:07,734 -So, we have our holy mountain right here behind us. -Yeah. 419 00:20:07,734 --> 00:20:10,467 [Josh] And now a temple to commemorate Amun, 420 00:20:10,467 --> 00:20:12,533 -to commemorate the god of the mountain. -[Geoff] That's right. 421 00:20:12,533 --> 00:20:16,100 So, when the Kushites began to gather their power, 422 00:20:16,100 --> 00:20:19,900 and when they conquered Egypt, they tripled the size of this temple. 423 00:20:19,900 --> 00:20:21,367 -Tripled it? -Tripled it. 424 00:20:21,367 --> 00:20:25,367 Okay. So they saw this as a supremely important place. 425 00:20:25,367 --> 00:20:26,734 -Yeah, they did. Yeah. -Yeah. 426 00:20:26,734 --> 00:20:29,266 And so at its maximum, how big was this place? 427 00:20:29,266 --> 00:20:31,900 [Geoff] It's 150 yards long. 428 00:20:31,900 --> 00:20:33,734 So it's like a football field and a half. 429 00:20:33,734 --> 00:20:34,577 -[Josh whispers] Wow. -[Geoff] Yeah. 430 00:20:34,577 --> 00:20:35,367 -[Josh whispers] Wow. -[Geoff] Yeah. 431 00:20:35,367 --> 00:20:37,700 [Josh] Today, time and the elements have reclaimed 432 00:20:37,700 --> 00:20:40,867 much of the structure, but a few thousand years ago, 433 00:20:40,867 --> 00:20:44,100 these columns would have soared 50 feet high. 434 00:20:44,100 --> 00:20:47,100 [Geoff] The columns were wrapped in copper. 435 00:20:47,100 --> 00:20:48,900 The bases were wrapped in gold. 436 00:20:48,900 --> 00:20:50,634 Oh, so this was blinged out? 437 00:20:50,634 --> 00:20:52,166 This was completely blinged out, 438 00:20:52,166 --> 00:20:56,100 and the whole thing around the sides was covered with reliefs... 439 00:20:56,100 --> 00:20:59,367 -Wow. -...that depicted the Kushite conquest of Egypt. 440 00:20:59,367 --> 00:21:01,700 And what would have happened in this temple? 441 00:21:01,700 --> 00:21:03,367 [Geoff] Kings would have been crowned here. 442 00:21:03,367 --> 00:21:04,577 They would have had huge processions of all the court, 443 00:21:04,577 --> 00:21:07,000 They would have had huge processions of all the court, 444 00:21:07,000 --> 00:21:12,367 all the palace, priests dressed in their fancy leopard-skin garments. 445 00:21:12,367 --> 00:21:16,000 -[Josh] This is the Westminster Abbey of Kush. -[Geoff] That's right. 446 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:19,367 [Josh] And to think kings and queens and high priests 447 00:21:19,367 --> 00:21:22,734 -stood, like, right here. -Right here. 448 00:21:22,734 --> 00:21:26,367 -Yeah, it would have been quite a spectacle. -Yeah. 449 00:21:26,367 --> 00:21:29,166 The temple shows that the Kushites merged their religion 450 00:21:29,166 --> 00:21:32,000 with that of the Egyptians in a monumental way. 451 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:34,166 But it must have taken more than that 452 00:21:34,166 --> 00:21:34,577 for the Kushites to actually conquer their northern neighbors. 453 00:21:34,577 --> 00:21:37,634 for the Kushites to actually conquer their northern neighbors. 454 00:21:37,634 --> 00:21:42,634 Just outside the temple, a colleague of Geoff's is overseeing an active dig, 455 00:21:42,634 --> 00:21:45,166 and they've just found something very telling. 456 00:21:45,166 --> 00:21:46,634 [all exclaim] 457 00:21:46,634 --> 00:21:47,467 What is that? 458 00:21:47,467 --> 00:21:49,734 That's a point of something. 459 00:21:49,734 --> 00:21:50,900 This is an arrowhead. 460 00:21:50,900 --> 00:21:53,100 -[Josh] It's an arrowhead? -Yeah. 461 00:21:53,100 --> 00:21:54,867 [Josh] Whoa! 462 00:21:54,867 --> 00:21:57,266 That is incredible. 463 00:22:01,367 --> 00:22:02,634 Coming up... 464 00:22:03,734 --> 00:22:04,577 -[Pearce Paul] Ready to do this, Josh? -I'm ready. Let's do it. 465 00:22:04,577 --> 00:22:07,066 -[Pearce Paul] Ready to do this, Josh? -I'm ready. Let's do it. 466 00:22:08,367 --> 00:22:10,166 Can you feel the bottom of it? 467 00:22:10,166 --> 00:22:11,967 [Pearce Paul] Not coming out till I get this. 468 00:22:13,467 --> 00:22:15,166 Oh, what is that? 469 00:22:15,166 --> 00:22:16,900 Wait, what is this? 470 00:22:23,100 --> 00:22:25,800 You can see the notch in the back of it there, and it's clearly an arrowhead. 471 00:22:25,800 --> 00:22:28,634 -[Sami] An arrowhead with a quartz. -[Josh] A quartz arrowhead. 472 00:22:28,634 --> 00:22:31,100 At the kingdom of Kush's holiest mountain, 473 00:22:31,100 --> 00:22:33,367 I've learned how this place was written 474 00:22:33,367 --> 00:22:35,900 into ancient Egypt's creation story. 475 00:22:35,900 --> 00:22:38,266 The Kushites used this religious connection 476 00:22:38,266 --> 00:22:41,266 to get a foothold within Egypt. 477 00:22:41,266 --> 00:22:43,867 And now this arrowhead offers a clue 478 00:22:43,867 --> 00:22:45,533 on how they may have conquered them. 479 00:22:45,533 --> 00:22:47,467 -This would not be for hunting, right? -No, no, no. 480 00:22:47,467 --> 00:22:48,734 It's ceremonial. 481 00:22:48,734 --> 00:22:48,970 -[Josh] It's ceremonial? -Yeah. 482 00:22:48,970 --> 00:22:49,700 -[Josh] It's ceremonial? -Yeah. 483 00:22:49,700 --> 00:22:53,266 This is a classic symbol of Kushite kingship. 484 00:22:53,266 --> 00:22:54,867 -Of kingship? -Yeah. 485 00:22:54,867 --> 00:22:59,000 In the very earliest tombs, just as the Kushite dynasty was coming to power, 486 00:22:59,000 --> 00:23:01,533 the burials all had these arrowheads in them. 487 00:23:01,533 --> 00:23:03,166 -And that's-- -In the royal burials? 488 00:23:03,166 --> 00:23:06,500 In the royal burials, and all made from this same-colored stone. 489 00:23:06,500 --> 00:23:07,734 Sort of reddish-orange. 490 00:23:07,734 --> 00:23:11,800 So the earliest Egyptian term for this region 491 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:14,634 was Ta-Seti- land of the bow. 492 00:23:14,634 --> 00:23:17,533 -[Josh] They had a reputation for archery. -[Geoff] They did. 493 00:23:17,533 --> 00:23:18,970 So this is part of the secret of Kushite success in warfare. 494 00:23:18,970 --> 00:23:21,900 So this is part of the secret of Kushite success in warfare. 495 00:23:21,900 --> 00:23:26,166 Kushite mercenaries are being hired in Egypt, and they're all archers. 496 00:23:26,166 --> 00:23:27,367 -All of them. -[Josh] Wait a minute. 497 00:23:27,367 --> 00:23:29,634 The Egyptians are hiring Kushites? 498 00:23:29,634 --> 00:23:32,000 [Sami] Yes, they were such excellent archers. 499 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:33,800 That's why the Egyptians used them as an army. 500 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,533 Incredible. And there are depictions of this or writings of this? 501 00:23:36,533 --> 00:23:37,634 Both. 502 00:23:37,634 --> 00:23:41,000 -So, we have the name of Kush being Ta-Seti. -Yeah. 503 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:44,800 We have Kushite kings are sometimes represented with thumb rings 504 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:47,900 that they used to pull back very powerful bows. 505 00:23:47,900 --> 00:23:48,970 [Josh] The Kush were so proficient with a bow and arrow, 506 00:23:48,970 --> 00:23:50,867 [Josh] The Kush were so proficient with a bow and arrow, 507 00:23:50,867 --> 00:23:54,367 Arabians of the time called them eye-smighters, 508 00:23:54,367 --> 00:23:58,000 meaning they could unfailingly hit the eyes of their targets. 509 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:02,100 In some ways, this one object feels like it kind of unlocks 510 00:24:02,100 --> 00:24:04,467 the secrets of the success of this civilization. 511 00:24:04,467 --> 00:24:05,900 They could be dangerous. 512 00:24:05,900 --> 00:24:08,467 But this is also filled with beauty, sophistication, 513 00:24:08,467 --> 00:24:11,000 -craftsmanship. That's Kush. -Yeah. 514 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:13,266 It's got everything. "Don't mess with the Kushites." 515 00:24:13,266 --> 00:24:16,700 "Don't mess with the Kushites ever." 516 00:24:16,700 --> 00:24:18,970 So, here at Jebel Barkal, I've seen two of the keys to the Kushites' power- 517 00:24:18,970 --> 00:24:21,367 So, here at Jebel Barkal, I've seen two of the keys to the Kushites' power- 518 00:24:21,367 --> 00:24:24,367 their spiritual authority and military might. 519 00:24:24,367 --> 00:24:28,533 The result of this mastery was a century of Kushites ruling 520 00:24:28,533 --> 00:24:31,533 as the pharaohs of Egypt's 25th dynasty. 521 00:24:31,533 --> 00:24:36,533 And after that, centuries more of Kush kings dominating this region. 522 00:24:36,533 --> 00:24:41,000 As we know, a Kush king has never before been found in his own tomb, 523 00:24:41,000 --> 00:24:43,166 but that may be about to change, 524 00:24:44,900 --> 00:24:47,166 as I received word that back at Nuri, 525 00:24:47,166 --> 00:24:48,970 Pearce Paul is ready to resume diving 526 00:24:48,970 --> 00:24:49,467 Pearce Paul is ready to resume diving 527 00:24:49,467 --> 00:24:52,467 at the flooded pyramid of King Nastasen. 528 00:24:52,467 --> 00:24:56,266 During the drive however, I get a walkie call from the back of my convoy 529 00:24:56,266 --> 00:24:58,500 that might make me a little late. 530 00:24:58,500 --> 00:25:00,333 [man speaking over radio] 531 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:05,500 Copy that. Okay. Pulling over. 532 00:25:05,500 --> 00:25:07,700 Well, that's pretty much the number one thing 533 00:25:07,700 --> 00:25:10,500 you don't wanna have happen in the desert. 534 00:25:10,500 --> 00:25:15,467 A flat tire on a remote desert rode in Sudan is a nightmare scenario. 535 00:25:15,467 --> 00:25:18,970 And, as I learned from my cameraman, Danny, this is no ordinary flat tire. 536 00:25:18,970 --> 00:25:20,000 And, as I learned from my cameraman, Danny, this is no ordinary flat tire. 537 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:22,367 What'd you do, Danny? What'd you do? 538 00:25:22,367 --> 00:25:24,533 Oh, boy. [laughs] No. 539 00:25:24,533 --> 00:25:26,467 [Danny] It's, like, the ultimate flat tire. 540 00:25:26,467 --> 00:25:27,634 So, what happened? 541 00:25:27,634 --> 00:25:30,867 I was just sitting there getting Arabic lessons from the driver, 542 00:25:30,867 --> 00:25:32,634 and the tire exploded. 543 00:25:32,634 --> 00:25:35,800 You know, we're fortunate. We pulled over to the [speaking other language] 544 00:25:35,800 --> 00:25:37,000 -And-- -Sand? 545 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:38,233 -Yeah, on the sand. -Yeah. 546 00:25:38,233 --> 00:25:40,533 Just make sure to stay out of the [speaking other language] . 547 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:42,734 -Okay. -That's a road. 548 00:25:42,734 --> 00:25:44,367 Oh, boy. 549 00:25:44,367 --> 00:25:45,500 But all [speaking other language] , 550 00:25:45,500 --> 00:25:48,100 or joking, aside, this is a real problem. 551 00:25:48,100 --> 00:25:48,970 Okay. Well, it looks terrible. 552 00:25:48,970 --> 00:25:51,734 Okay. Well, it looks terrible. 553 00:25:51,734 --> 00:25:54,166 Rubber is literally wrapped around the rim. 554 00:25:54,166 --> 00:25:56,734 Ah, that's gonna be fun. Okay. 555 00:25:56,734 --> 00:26:00,800 The local team has raised the truck enough to remove the tire. 556 00:26:00,800 --> 00:26:03,166 But the bolts don't want to budge. 557 00:26:03,166 --> 00:26:04,433 Those do not wanna come off. 558 00:26:06,367 --> 00:26:07,734 Come on. 559 00:26:09,734 --> 00:26:12,634 [grunts] There we go. 560 00:26:13,367 --> 00:26:14,634 Now we're talking. 561 00:26:14,634 --> 00:26:18,970 Finally, we make progress, only to discover new problems. 562 00:26:18,970 --> 00:26:19,533 Finally, we make progress, only to discover new problems. 563 00:26:19,533 --> 00:26:22,800 The good news is we've loosened the flat tire. 564 00:26:22,800 --> 00:26:27,166 The bad news is they cannot loosen the spare, so it's like the old saying goes: 565 00:26:27,166 --> 00:26:30,233 "You win some, you lose some," and then you die in the desert. 566 00:26:31,266 --> 00:26:33,000 We think we've got things handled 567 00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,333 when a military truck full of heavily-armed men pulls up next to us. 568 00:26:39,867 --> 00:26:43,266 Okay. Time to see what a camera and a smile gets me. 569 00:26:43,266 --> 00:26:46,166 -Hello. How are you? -Hello. 570 00:26:46,166 --> 00:26:47,734 -[speaking in own language] -[Josh] What's going on? 571 00:26:47,734 --> 00:26:48,800 Can we borrow your truck? 572 00:26:48,800 --> 00:26:48,970 -[speaking other language] -[Josh laughs] 573 00:26:48,970 --> 00:26:51,433 -[speaking other language] -[Josh laughs] 574 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:54,166 Okay. Thank you. 575 00:26:54,166 --> 00:26:55,367 See you later. 576 00:26:55,367 --> 00:26:57,867 Turns out they're just curious about what's going on 577 00:26:57,867 --> 00:26:59,967 and not really anxious to help. 578 00:27:00,800 --> 00:27:01,867 We could all fit in the back! 579 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:06,367 They leave, and we eventually free the spare tire, 580 00:27:06,367 --> 00:27:08,367 so we get back on the road to Nuri, 581 00:27:08,367 --> 00:27:11,533 where I hurry to reconnect with Pearce Paul, 582 00:27:11,533 --> 00:27:15,166 who's been preparing for our final dive into Nastasen's tomb. 583 00:27:16,533 --> 00:27:18,100 Pearce Paul, you in there? 584 00:27:18,100 --> 00:27:18,970 [Pearce Paul] Oh, yeah, Josh, you back? 585 00:27:18,970 --> 00:27:19,900 [Pearce Paul] Oh, yeah, Josh, you back? 586 00:27:19,900 --> 00:27:21,533 -Hey. -Good to see you. 587 00:27:21,533 --> 00:27:22,734 Good to see you, man. 588 00:27:22,734 --> 00:27:23,800 -Welcome back. -Thank you. 589 00:27:23,800 --> 00:27:25,533 -You ready to get to this? -You guys ready to dive? 590 00:27:25,533 --> 00:27:27,000 [Pearce Paul] The guys are all kitted up and ready. 591 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:29,600 You know, we got a lot to move out from underneath this slab now, so... 592 00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,700 -Yeah. -...time's a-burning. 593 00:27:31,700 --> 00:27:32,634 Yeah. Let's see what's under there. 594 00:27:32,634 --> 00:27:33,734 -Yeah. -Let's do it. 595 00:27:33,734 --> 00:27:35,100 All right. 596 00:27:41,367 --> 00:27:44,700 We suit up so quickly I don't even have time to get nervous 597 00:27:44,700 --> 00:27:48,233 before diving one more time into the entrance of the tomb. 598 00:27:50,634 --> 00:27:52,000 [Pearce Paul] You ready to do this, Josh? 599 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:52,800 [Josh] I'm ready. Let's do it. 600 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:53,967 [Pearce Paul] Let's get after it. 601 00:28:00,266 --> 00:28:01,634 [Pearce Paul] You ready to do this, Josh? 602 00:28:01,634 --> 00:28:02,367 [Josh] I'm ready. Let's do it. 603 00:28:02,367 --> 00:28:03,634 [Pearce Paul] Let's get after it. 604 00:28:10,266 --> 00:28:12,634 [Josh] All right. I am headed into the shute. 605 00:28:13,634 --> 00:28:16,266 Dive team. This is topside. No copy. 606 00:28:16,266 --> 00:28:19,634 [Josh over radio] This is Josh. I read you loud and clear, topside. 607 00:28:19,634 --> 00:28:23,533 [Pearce Paul] Confirmed. I hear you. I got a little bit of visibility in here today. 608 00:28:23,533 --> 00:28:26,066 It's not great, but it's better than usual. 609 00:28:27,266 --> 00:28:27,776 Oh, that's surprising. Make the most of it. 610 00:28:27,776 --> 00:28:29,166 Oh, that's surprising. Make the most of it. 611 00:28:29,166 --> 00:28:31,233 All right, gents. Good luck. Stay safe. 612 00:28:32,533 --> 00:28:34,967 [Josh] All right. I'm through the shute, it looks like. 613 00:28:37,066 --> 00:28:39,967 I'm sweeping up to find the cave line. 614 00:28:41,266 --> 00:28:42,734 I have it in my hand. 615 00:28:44,266 --> 00:28:47,100 I am making my way through chamber one. 616 00:28:49,533 --> 00:28:53,066 [Pearce Paul] I can see your light. You're coming in the right direction. 617 00:28:53,066 --> 00:28:54,634 [Josh] Okay. Great. 618 00:28:55,634 --> 00:28:56,900 Moving forward. 619 00:29:00,266 --> 00:29:01,634 [Pearce Paul] Go another body length, 620 00:29:01,634 --> 00:29:03,166 and then you can come up and surface. 621 00:29:03,166 --> 00:29:05,967 [Josh] Okay. Hold on. And I'm coming in, and I'm coming up. 622 00:29:05,967 --> 00:29:07,333 [Pearce Paul] Surface. 623 00:29:17,867 --> 00:29:20,533 [Josh] Okay. So, we're ready to head back into the burial chamber. 624 00:29:20,533 --> 00:29:21,734 What's the plan? 625 00:29:21,734 --> 00:29:23,867 [Pearce Paul] It's all about the king's burial today, Josh. 626 00:29:23,867 --> 00:29:26,367 We're gonna really get in there and see what's inside. 627 00:29:26,367 --> 00:29:27,776 [Josh] Our first dive in the tomb revealed that the slab here 628 00:29:27,776 --> 00:29:29,367 [Josh] Our first dive in the tomb revealed that the slab here 629 00:29:29,367 --> 00:29:31,266 is really a sarcophagus lid. 630 00:29:31,266 --> 00:29:36,367 But the lid was also cracked open as a result of a partial ceiling collapse. 631 00:29:36,367 --> 00:29:40,900 This terrifying development has given us the unprecedented opportunity 632 00:29:40,900 --> 00:29:43,533 to look inside Nastasen's sarcophagus. 633 00:29:43,533 --> 00:29:45,634 [Pearce Paul] The whole container's full of silt 634 00:29:45,634 --> 00:29:48,867 just like the rest of the room, from the collapses earlier. 635 00:29:48,867 --> 00:29:51,967 So our goal today is to move enough of it to get down to the bottom 636 00:29:51,967 --> 00:29:53,100 and see what's in there. 637 00:29:53,100 --> 00:29:55,634 [Josh] Right. Because if Nastasen is still in there, 638 00:29:55,634 --> 00:29:57,166 it's likely he's at the bottom. 639 00:29:57,166 --> 00:29:57,776 [Pearce Paul] He very well could be. 640 00:29:57,776 --> 00:29:58,900 [Pearce Paul] He very well could be. 641 00:29:58,900 --> 00:30:01,634 So let's get the guys ready and start moving a lot of silt topside. 642 00:30:01,634 --> 00:30:04,900 Try not to touch and bump into the walls as much as possible. 643 00:30:04,900 --> 00:30:06,634 This thing has collapsed in the past. 644 00:30:06,634 --> 00:30:10,266 -And so we don't want to encourage another one. -[Josh] Okay. 645 00:30:10,266 --> 00:30:11,900 [Pearce Paul] I'm going in. 646 00:30:13,367 --> 00:30:15,066 [Josh] I'm right behind you. 647 00:30:20,266 --> 00:30:23,634 [Pearce Paul] I can see the edge of the third chamber. 648 00:30:25,467 --> 00:30:27,776 It's a bit cooler in the third chamber today. 649 00:30:27,776 --> 00:30:28,467 It's a bit cooler in the third chamber today. 650 00:30:30,266 --> 00:30:32,166 [Josh in voiceover] The cracked stone lid is a reminder 651 00:30:32,166 --> 00:30:35,266 that this room is incredibly unsafe to be in. 652 00:30:35,266 --> 00:30:38,266 But Pearce Paul doesn't slow down for a second. 653 00:30:38,266 --> 00:30:40,800 He dives right in, literally. 654 00:30:42,734 --> 00:30:46,533 [Pearce Paul] I now have my head, neck, and shoulders 655 00:30:46,533 --> 00:30:48,867 entirely underneath this slab. 656 00:30:48,867 --> 00:30:50,634 [Josh] Unbelievable. 657 00:30:50,634 --> 00:30:54,066 [Pearce Paul] All right. All right. That's gonna give me some purchase. 658 00:30:54,900 --> 00:30:57,776 Give me a place. Work under here. 659 00:30:57,776 --> 00:30:58,100 Give me a place. Work under here. 660 00:31:01,500 --> 00:31:04,500 [Josh in voiceover] Pearce Paul wastes no time and starts filling buckets 661 00:31:04,500 --> 00:31:07,166 with silt from inside the sarcophagus. 662 00:31:07,166 --> 00:31:09,867 Dive team, all divers are in the water. 663 00:31:09,867 --> 00:31:11,266 [Pearce Paul over radio] Confirmed. 664 00:31:11,266 --> 00:31:13,266 [Josh in voiceover] The rest of us have taken up our familiar positions 665 00:31:13,266 --> 00:31:17,266 in the second and first chambers to restart the bucket brigade. 666 00:31:18,500 --> 00:31:20,467 And can you feel the bottom of it? 667 00:31:22,500 --> 00:31:24,367 [Pearce Paul] Maybe. It's tough. I'm not... 668 00:31:24,367 --> 00:31:25,634 It's tough to feel the difference 669 00:31:25,634 --> 00:31:27,776 between the floor and broken rock. 670 00:31:27,776 --> 00:31:29,166 between the floor and broken rock. 671 00:31:29,166 --> 00:31:32,533 Nastasen does not give up his secrets easy. 672 00:31:33,867 --> 00:31:36,166 All right. Take that bucket. 673 00:31:36,166 --> 00:31:38,367 [Josh] You got it Taking it all the way out. 674 00:31:38,367 --> 00:31:42,533 Pearce Paul passes another bucket to me, which I hand down the line. 675 00:31:42,533 --> 00:31:46,266 Okay. Bucket is headed your way, Justin. 676 00:31:57,266 --> 00:31:57,776 Over the next couple of hours we work relentlessly, 677 00:31:57,776 --> 00:32:00,166 Over the next couple of hours we work relentlessly, 678 00:32:00,166 --> 00:32:04,066 filling buckets and mesh bags again and again. 679 00:32:04,066 --> 00:32:06,266 [Pearce Paul] I'm gonna move on from this bucket. 680 00:32:06,266 --> 00:32:09,166 [Josh] All right. I got both Justin and Fred outside. 681 00:32:09,166 --> 00:32:13,266 [Pearce Paul] Well, they need to come back because we got another bucket. 682 00:32:13,266 --> 00:32:14,634 [Josh] What did you get through there, Pearce Paul? 683 00:32:14,634 --> 00:32:17,634 [Pearce Paul] I'm working on a layer that falls right nicely off. 684 00:32:17,634 --> 00:32:20,734 I just need to do it methodically. 685 00:32:20,734 --> 00:32:21,967 [Josh] Copy that. 686 00:32:21,967 --> 00:32:25,734 Gentlemen, we have 22 minutes left. 2-2 minutes left. 687 00:32:25,734 --> 00:32:27,266 [Pearce Paul over radio] I understand. Check the gas. 688 00:32:27,266 --> 00:32:27,776 I'm not coming out till I get this. 689 00:32:27,776 --> 00:32:29,233 I'm not coming out till I get this. 690 00:32:30,734 --> 00:32:32,734 [Josh] I have another bucket here, as well, if you need it. 691 00:32:34,266 --> 00:32:35,367 [Josh in voiceover] The gas is running low 692 00:32:35,367 --> 00:32:37,967 in the generator that is supplying our air, 693 00:32:37,967 --> 00:32:42,634 but Pearce Paul is determined to dig his way to the bottom of this sarcophagus. 694 00:32:45,634 --> 00:32:47,533 [Pearce Paul] I got a bucket coming out now. 695 00:32:47,533 --> 00:32:52,634 So I'm hopeful that this will have some artefacts in it of interest to us. 696 00:32:52,634 --> 00:32:54,533 Affirmative. We have two minutes left. Two minutes left. 697 00:32:54,533 --> 00:32:56,734 [Josh] I'm headed back out through chamber one. 698 00:32:58,266 --> 00:33:01,634 [in voiceover] We return to the surface with the last set of buckets 699 00:33:01,634 --> 00:33:03,266 before our air runs out. 700 00:33:03,266 --> 00:33:08,100 It's time to see if we hauled anything out of there other than sand. 701 00:33:08,100 --> 00:33:11,634 All right. So, this is pretty much the deepest area underneath this lid. 702 00:33:11,634 --> 00:33:13,367 -Mmm-hmm. -So let's see what's in it. 703 00:33:14,166 --> 00:33:15,867 There's, like, gold right there. 704 00:33:15,867 --> 00:33:17,266 Look at that right there. 705 00:33:21,634 --> 00:33:23,233 So, here we've got something. 706 00:33:24,500 --> 00:33:27,776 This looks like the sandstone, so what the heck is this rock... 707 00:33:27,776 --> 00:33:29,367 This looks like the sandstone, so what the heck is this rock... 708 00:33:29,367 --> 00:33:30,500 Right. 709 00:33:30,500 --> 00:33:32,634 [Pearce Paul] ...doing inside underneath the slab? 710 00:33:32,634 --> 00:33:34,100 [Josh] The more that comes out of here, 711 00:33:34,100 --> 00:33:38,166 the more you start to feel, like, offerings, ceremonial, burial... 712 00:33:38,166 --> 00:33:39,967 -I mean, it just all starts to fit together. -Yeah. 713 00:33:39,967 --> 00:33:42,500 [Josh] And our mesh bag. What do we go there? 714 00:33:42,500 --> 00:33:44,166 [Pearce Paul] Oh, my God. We got something here. 715 00:33:44,166 --> 00:33:46,533 -More gold leaf? -No. 716 00:33:47,967 --> 00:33:49,634 -Oh, what is that? -[laughs] Yes! 717 00:33:49,634 --> 00:33:51,233 Wait, what is this? 718 00:33:56,800 --> 00:34:01,266 [Josh] America may run on Dunkin', but Sudan runs on this. 719 00:34:01,266 --> 00:34:03,367 [both speaking other language] 720 00:34:03,367 --> 00:34:05,100 -How are you? -I'm fine, and you? 721 00:34:05,100 --> 00:34:05,967 I'm good. 722 00:34:05,967 --> 00:34:07,533 -Coffee, yeah? -Yeah. It's coffee. 723 00:34:07,533 --> 00:34:09,266 -One, please. -One coffee. 724 00:34:09,266 --> 00:34:12,266 [Josh] This is one of my favorite things about this country. 725 00:34:12,266 --> 00:34:16,166 They make a roadside cup of joe that not only tastes smooth and delicious 726 00:34:16,166 --> 00:34:19,367 but could also be used to power an orbital rocket. 727 00:34:19,367 --> 00:34:20,867 -Basically take... -[metal clanging] 728 00:34:20,867 --> 00:34:23,367 They take these beans, they grind them down right here, 729 00:34:23,367 --> 00:34:23,731 add a little ginger, pour the whole thing into water 730 00:34:23,731 --> 00:34:26,166 add a little ginger, pour the whole thing into water 731 00:34:26,166 --> 00:34:30,100 and just boil it into a delicious caffeinated sludge. 732 00:34:30,100 --> 00:34:31,467 Sugar is good? 733 00:34:31,467 --> 00:34:33,467 -Sugar is very good. -[man] Sugar is very good. 734 00:34:33,467 --> 00:34:34,967 Okay. 735 00:34:34,967 --> 00:34:37,967 Then filter, and serve. 736 00:34:37,967 --> 00:34:39,634 [both speaking other language] 737 00:34:41,533 --> 00:34:43,100 Oh, so good. 738 00:34:44,266 --> 00:34:46,100 -So good. -So good. 739 00:34:46,100 --> 00:34:48,100 Sorry, Starbucks. You got nothing on this. 740 00:34:50,533 --> 00:34:53,533 Oh! Five more cups. 741 00:34:57,166 --> 00:34:59,066 [Pearce Paul] Oh, my God. We got something here. 742 00:34:59,066 --> 00:35:00,967 More gold leaf? 743 00:35:00,967 --> 00:35:02,867 -Oh! What is that? -[laughs] Yeah. 744 00:35:02,867 --> 00:35:04,266 Wait, what is this? 745 00:35:04,266 --> 00:35:06,066 That is not gold leaf. 746 00:35:06,066 --> 00:35:07,634 -It's, like, thimble-shaped. -Yeah. 747 00:35:07,634 --> 00:35:09,634 What is this? 748 00:35:09,634 --> 00:35:11,867 [Pearce Paul] I think I know exactly what this is. 749 00:35:11,867 --> 00:35:14,066 This would have been one of the finger or toe caps 750 00:35:14,066 --> 00:35:16,467 of the king that they put on him when they buried him. 751 00:35:16,467 --> 00:35:20,634 Wait, this is a finger or toe cap that was on the king? 752 00:35:20,634 --> 00:35:21,967 Yeah. It's pretty great. 753 00:35:21,967 --> 00:35:23,925 This is insane. 754 00:35:23,925 --> 00:35:24,166 This is insane. 755 00:35:24,166 --> 00:35:27,500 This item may look small, but make no mistake. 756 00:35:27,500 --> 00:35:30,634 This appears to be a monumental find. 757 00:35:30,634 --> 00:35:35,266 We may have our first confirmation that the king has not left the building. 758 00:35:35,266 --> 00:35:37,467 This has to have been on him, right? 759 00:35:37,467 --> 00:35:40,066 There's no question. There's no other way this gets in there. 760 00:35:40,066 --> 00:35:41,967 It's a major clue. 761 00:35:41,967 --> 00:35:44,367 [Josh] These gold caps, also called stalls, 762 00:35:44,367 --> 00:35:47,266 were used only in royal burials 763 00:35:47,266 --> 00:35:49,634 to protect the king's extremities in death. 764 00:35:49,634 --> 00:35:53,734 The feet of King Tut had them when his sarcophagus was opened. 765 00:35:53,734 --> 00:35:53,925 And apparently, King Nastasen was sporting a set, as well. 766 00:35:53,925 --> 00:35:57,734 And apparently, King Nastasen was sporting a set, as well. 767 00:35:57,734 --> 00:35:59,533 That is a true smoking gun. 768 00:35:59,533 --> 00:36:03,367 It is a true smoking gun, and even better, look at it. 769 00:36:03,367 --> 00:36:05,066 -Is there something in it? -There's something in it. 770 00:36:05,066 --> 00:36:08,533 -Could there be bone in there? -There should be bone in there. 771 00:36:08,533 --> 00:36:10,967 So, we need to get this up, we need to clean it up, 772 00:36:10,967 --> 00:36:14,634 and then we need to see if we can't just pry this open a little bit 773 00:36:14,634 --> 00:36:16,367 and see if there's not some bone in there. 774 00:36:16,367 --> 00:36:17,734 So the king is here. 775 00:36:17,734 --> 00:36:20,533 -The king is in the tomb. -Dude. 776 00:36:20,533 --> 00:36:22,500 -This is incredible. -It's pretty great. 777 00:36:22,500 --> 00:36:23,266 Shall we go over to the tent? 778 00:36:23,266 --> 00:36:23,925 -Let's go. -Okay. 779 00:36:23,925 --> 00:36:24,533 -Let's go. -Okay. 780 00:36:24,533 --> 00:36:26,967 One mystery is definitely solved. 781 00:36:26,967 --> 00:36:29,367 Nastasen is in this tomb. 782 00:36:29,367 --> 00:36:34,333 Now the only question is is it possible that we have a piece of him? 783 00:36:35,533 --> 00:36:37,367 We get changed in record time 784 00:36:37,367 --> 00:36:40,000 and race to the sifting tent to find out. 785 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,100 [Pearce Paul] Look what we found in the mesh bag. 786 00:36:42,100 --> 00:36:44,367 -Wow, that's wonderful. -Wow. 787 00:36:44,367 --> 00:36:46,166 So, finger cap? Toe cap? 788 00:36:46,166 --> 00:36:48,533 -Something like that. Look. -Yeah, that's... 789 00:36:52,266 --> 00:36:53,925 I think so. Look at that. It looks like it's still in there. 790 00:36:53,925 --> 00:36:55,500 I think so. Look at that. It looks like it's still in there. 791 00:36:55,500 --> 00:36:57,066 [Josh] It's possible, right? 792 00:36:57,066 --> 00:36:59,867 It looks like you can see, like, the edge of the cuticle of the fingernail. 793 00:36:59,867 --> 00:37:01,066 -Like... -[man] That is amazing. 794 00:37:01,066 --> 00:37:03,100 -[Josh] Right? It really does. -[Pearce Paul laughs] 795 00:37:03,100 --> 00:37:06,867 It does almost seem like you can see the edge of the nail. 796 00:37:06,867 --> 00:37:08,333 Like, the actual cuticle. 797 00:37:09,166 --> 00:37:10,634 Okay. Here we go. 798 00:37:10,634 --> 00:37:12,000 So that bone may be in there. 799 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,166 [Pearce Paul] We got a good chance. 800 00:37:13,166 --> 00:37:15,266 There's something in here that's heavier than this gold. 801 00:37:15,266 --> 00:37:16,734 That's amazing. 802 00:37:16,734 --> 00:37:19,333 Stephanie, you wanna hand me the... All right. 803 00:37:21,867 --> 00:37:23,634 Can I have some water? 804 00:37:28,867 --> 00:37:30,333 Oh, my word. 805 00:37:31,867 --> 00:37:33,533 [all exclaim] 806 00:37:33,533 --> 00:37:35,634 -It's bone! -[woman] It's bone. 807 00:37:35,634 --> 00:37:36,533 [laughter] 808 00:37:36,533 --> 00:37:38,066 [Josh] That's the tip of a toe. 809 00:37:38,066 --> 00:37:40,734 -Absolutely. -[Josh] That's the tip of a toe for sure. 810 00:37:40,734 --> 00:37:44,467 No question. This is a human bone that came out of this cap, 811 00:37:44,467 --> 00:37:47,867 which was designed to go on the king when he was buried. 812 00:37:47,867 --> 00:37:49,266 -And nobody else. -And nobody else. 813 00:37:49,266 --> 00:37:50,734 This is Nastasen himself. 814 00:37:50,734 --> 00:37:52,266 There's the king. 815 00:37:52,266 --> 00:37:53,533 Part of him. 816 00:37:53,533 --> 00:37:53,925 [laughter] 817 00:37:53,925 --> 00:37:55,867 [laughter] 818 00:37:55,867 --> 00:37:58,533 Gonna burst into tears here. 819 00:37:58,533 --> 00:37:59,967 This is unbelievable. 820 00:37:59,967 --> 00:38:03,634 If you think tears are an overreaction, think again. 821 00:38:03,634 --> 00:38:06,734 These are the first remains of a king of Kush 822 00:38:06,734 --> 00:38:10,967 confirmed to be found in his own tomb ever. 823 00:38:10,967 --> 00:38:13,634 This is a moment for the history books. 824 00:38:13,634 --> 00:38:16,867 We rarely get those, "Eureka", "Aha!" moments. 825 00:38:16,867 --> 00:38:19,533 -Archaeology's a much slower process. -Yeah. 826 00:38:19,533 --> 00:38:22,867 But this tells us with absolute certainty Nastasen was here. 827 00:38:22,867 --> 00:38:23,925 He's buried there. 828 00:38:23,925 --> 00:38:24,266 He's buried there. 829 00:38:24,266 --> 00:38:27,533 And this can give us a lot of potential future data. 830 00:38:27,533 --> 00:38:29,967 Yeah, and if DNA could be found in there, 831 00:38:29,967 --> 00:38:32,500 it could start to build a family tree of sorts, 832 00:38:32,500 --> 00:38:35,367 at least learn more genetically about where this person came from. 833 00:38:35,367 --> 00:38:38,800 And about the environment in which they lived, and all kinds of things. 834 00:38:41,266 --> 00:38:43,467 Can we get some gloves to take a better look at this? 835 00:38:52,867 --> 00:38:53,925 [Josh] I see it there. 836 00:38:53,925 --> 00:38:55,066 [Josh] I see it there. 837 00:38:55,066 --> 00:38:57,367 I'm not often speechless. 838 00:38:58,967 --> 00:39:00,066 What can you say? 839 00:39:00,066 --> 00:39:01,533 What will happen to this bone now? 840 00:39:01,533 --> 00:39:03,533 So, first thing we're gonna do is put it right back in water. 841 00:39:03,533 --> 00:39:04,734 Yep. 842 00:39:04,734 --> 00:39:06,266 -Keep it preserved in the state that it's in. -Right. Yes. 843 00:39:06,266 --> 00:39:08,100 We'll photograph it. We'll measure it. 844 00:39:08,100 --> 00:39:11,266 We'll make sure it's taken care of and contained in this shape. 845 00:39:11,266 --> 00:39:13,000 Then we'll consult with the government 846 00:39:13,000 --> 00:39:14,533 and the antiquities authorities 847 00:39:14,533 --> 00:39:19,734 and make sure that we all have a plan we agree on on how to learn more from it. 848 00:39:19,734 --> 00:39:23,367 And one would assume, considering everything that's coming out of this tomb, 849 00:39:23,367 --> 00:39:23,925 there may be more of him there. 850 00:39:23,925 --> 00:39:25,000 there may be more of him there. 851 00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:26,867 -I think it's a safe bet. -Yeah? 852 00:39:26,867 --> 00:39:27,734 Yeah. 853 00:39:27,734 --> 00:39:29,367 Wow. 854 00:39:29,367 --> 00:39:31,266 -It's a big deal. -It's a big deal. 855 00:39:31,266 --> 00:39:32,734 It's a really big deal. 856 00:39:32,734 --> 00:39:38,100 A truly remarkable moment, with a truly remarkable group of archaeologists. 857 00:39:39,266 --> 00:39:43,066 Incredible. I mean, a king of Kush. 858 00:39:43,066 --> 00:39:44,533 What more do you want? 859 00:39:44,533 --> 00:39:47,000 -Well, mission accomplished. -Nailed it. 860 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:49,100 -Oh, that was good. That was good. -[laughs] 861 00:39:52,634 --> 00:39:53,925 [Josh] As I prepare to leave Sudan, 862 00:39:53,925 --> 00:39:54,533 [Josh] As I prepare to leave Sudan, 863 00:39:54,533 --> 00:39:58,533 I look back and gaze once more upon the kingdom of Kush 864 00:39:58,533 --> 00:40:03,266 and its pyramids, temples, tombs, and treasures. 865 00:40:03,266 --> 00:40:06,734 For far too long, these magnificent accomplishments 866 00:40:06,734 --> 00:40:09,734 have been overshadowed by those of Egypt. 867 00:40:09,734 --> 00:40:15,500 A grave injustice to history and to the people who conjured miracles 868 00:40:15,500 --> 00:40:20,066 like Kerma, Meroe, and Nuri. 869 00:40:20,066 --> 00:40:23,266 And maybe it's the thrill of groundbreaking discovery. 870 00:40:23,266 --> 00:40:23,925 Oh, what is that? 871 00:40:23,925 --> 00:40:26,066 Oh, what is that? 872 00:40:26,066 --> 00:40:30,066 Maybe it's the adrenaline rush of real danger. 873 00:40:30,066 --> 00:40:33,266 Or maybe it's just the joy of learning how a civilization 874 00:40:33,266 --> 00:40:37,867 was able to overpower Egypt by beating them at their own game. 875 00:40:37,867 --> 00:40:42,166 But I've learned that the Kush should take a back seat to nobody. 876 00:40:42,166 --> 00:40:45,533 And thanks to the hard work of the dedicated archaeologists here, 877 00:40:45,533 --> 00:40:50,634 a tangible and historic human connection to the kings of Kush 878 00:40:50,634 --> 00:40:52,266 has been revealed. 879 00:40:52,266 --> 00:40:53,925 [all exclaim] 880 00:40:53,925 --> 00:40:54,166 [all exclaim] 881 00:40:54,166 --> 00:40:55,433 [Josh] It's bone! 882 00:40:57,066 --> 00:41:00,367 Since our expedition, Sudan's political future 883 00:41:00,367 --> 00:41:02,367 has become more uncertain than ever. 884 00:41:02,367 --> 00:41:06,166 It's a tragedy for the millions of Sudanese people 885 00:41:06,166 --> 00:41:11,166 who, in my estimation, are some of the most proud and hospitable on Earth. 886 00:41:11,166 --> 00:41:14,500 But it's also a shame because it means that archaeologists 887 00:41:14,500 --> 00:41:19,000 and tourists won't have the opportunity to work and visit here 888 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:23,925 and discover more secrets of one of the greatest civilizations in history.