1 00:00:07,633 --> 00:00:11,433 NARRATOR: The mysteries of ancient Egypt, and its hidden secrets. 2 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:16,200 MATTHEW: These tombs represent the technology of resurrection. 3 00:00:18,167 --> 00:00:21,533 STEVEN: They created monuments that make the mind boggle. 4 00:00:21,567 --> 00:00:23,767 NARRATOR: Some of their greatest achievements, 5 00:00:23,800 --> 00:00:27,600 lost beneath the sand and water of the Nile valley... 6 00:00:28,767 --> 00:00:31,100 until now. 7 00:00:31,767 --> 00:00:34,367 Imagine if we could empty oceans, 8 00:00:35,967 --> 00:00:40,233 or drain the desert, and reveal the secrets beneath. 9 00:00:42,000 --> 00:00:44,633 Now we can. 10 00:00:44,967 --> 00:00:50,167 Using the latest imaging technology to pierce sea and sand 11 00:00:51,367 --> 00:00:54,933 and turn accurate data into 3D images. 12 00:00:57,167 --> 00:01:01,167 Can scientists solve the mystery of Alexandria's Lighthouse 13 00:01:01,200 --> 00:01:04,733 and recreate one of the ancient wonders of the World? 14 00:01:06,433 --> 00:01:11,767 Why did a Pharaoh build 15 mega-forts when none of them saw a major battle? 15 00:01:12,433 --> 00:01:14,433 LAUREL: This is a forgotten age in Egyptian history 16 00:01:14,467 --> 00:01:17,133 because we have lost access to these monuments. 17 00:01:17,167 --> 00:01:21,133 NARRATOR: And what does a fleet of boats, buried six miles from the Nile, 18 00:01:21,167 --> 00:01:25,400 reveal about Egypt's original 'Valley of the Kings'? 19 00:01:35,633 --> 00:01:40,567 * 20 00:01:40,600 --> 00:01:42,567 NARRATOR: Ancient Egypt... 21 00:01:42,600 --> 00:01:45,633 One of the greatest civilizations on Earth. 22 00:01:46,700 --> 00:01:50,367 It lasts for 3,000 years. 23 00:01:50,900 --> 00:01:55,700 Its people develop a remarkable written language using pictures and symbols. 24 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,867 They worship strange gods. 25 00:02:03,200 --> 00:02:06,900 And they build two of the seven wonders of the ancient world. 26 00:02:09,867 --> 00:02:13,300 The first, the great pyramids of Giza. 27 00:02:14,367 --> 00:02:20,300 -The ancients determined the seven wonders because they met certain criteria. 28 00:02:21,067 --> 00:02:25,233 It is the ingenuity of the design, but it had to be built 29 00:02:25,267 --> 00:02:28,800 on a super colossal, over the top scale. 30 00:02:29,333 --> 00:02:33,733 NARRATOR: The Egyptians' second ancient wonder is the lighthouse of Alexandria. 31 00:02:34,367 --> 00:02:39,400 Known as the Pharos, it is built on a grand scale like the other wonders: 32 00:02:39,433 --> 00:02:43,667 The Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Colossus of Rhodes. 33 00:02:46,167 --> 00:02:50,167 Of the seven wonders, only the pyramids now survive. 34 00:02:54,367 --> 00:02:59,667 But as the waters of the Nile Delta drain away, can the architectural marvel 35 00:02:59,700 --> 00:03:05,667 of the Pharos be brought back to life from the seas around Alexandria Harbor? 36 00:03:07,400 --> 00:03:12,933 And recreated accurately for the first time a sight that once dazzled the world. 37 00:03:14,000 --> 00:03:17,767 -The Pharos ranked as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world because it was 38 00:03:17,800 --> 00:03:20,933 something that had never been seen before. 39 00:03:22,467 --> 00:03:27,600 Some people say um the beacon could be seen 30 miles out to sea. 40 00:03:29,333 --> 00:03:34,133 NARRATOR: Alexandria's lighthouse is a technological and architectural masterpiece. 41 00:03:36,567 --> 00:03:42,433 Built in the third century BC, it's the crowning glory of a new capital city, 42 00:03:42,467 --> 00:03:46,600 founded by the conqueror of Ancient Egypt: Alexander the Great. 43 00:03:47,667 --> 00:03:50,367 -Alexandria was the be-all and end-all. 44 00:03:50,400 --> 00:03:54,733 Um you might think of the Champs Elysee in Paris or Times Square in New York. 45 00:03:54,767 --> 00:03:57,367 Alexandria was all of those things and more. 46 00:03:57,400 --> 00:04:01,433 Um it was the most beautiful city that the world had ever seen. 47 00:04:03,967 --> 00:04:08,267 NARRATOR: Egypt's new rulers want the Pharos to send a big and simple message. 48 00:04:10,567 --> 00:04:14,100 EMAD: They wanted to show how powerful is the city. 49 00:04:14,133 --> 00:04:18,867 So you'd need a sign, a big huge banner that says welcome to Alexandria. 50 00:04:19,933 --> 00:04:24,133 The Pharos was created mainly as a landmark. 51 00:04:26,533 --> 00:04:29,100 NARRATOR: But once Egypt's power has faded, 52 00:04:29,133 --> 00:04:32,667 Alexandria's famous lighthouse falls into disrepair. 53 00:04:34,267 --> 00:04:39,100 The land beneath it slowly subsides into the sea, and in the 14th century 54 00:04:39,133 --> 00:04:42,933 it finally collapses after it's struck by an earthquake. 55 00:04:45,833 --> 00:04:50,167 The Pharos is thought to be lost here, beneath 23 feet of water, 56 00:04:50,200 --> 00:04:53,800 at the entrance of Alexandria harbor. 57 00:05:00,100 --> 00:05:03,333 Now a French team of archaeologists is trying 58 00:05:03,367 --> 00:05:06,733 to rediscover its true magnificence. 59 00:05:07,900 --> 00:05:12,900 Using the latest undersea imaging technology, they're scouring the seabed for clues. 60 00:05:14,167 --> 00:05:18,667 Their aim is to digitally rebuild this lost Ancient Wonder of the World, 61 00:05:18,700 --> 00:05:20,933 for the first time. 62 00:05:21,967 --> 00:05:26,567 Leading the investigation is architect and archaeologist Isabelle Hairy. 63 00:05:27,600 --> 00:05:30,633 She's been searching for the truth about Alexandria's lighthouse 64 00:05:30,667 --> 00:05:33,433 for more than 20 years. 65 00:05:33,467 --> 00:05:36,533 ISABELLE: It's always very rewarding to work on one of 66 00:05:36,567 --> 00:05:38,900 the seven wonders of the ancient world. 67 00:05:38,933 --> 00:05:41,367 I'd be lying if I said otherwise. 68 00:05:42,867 --> 00:05:45,033 NARRATOR: Isabelle's team is working in one of the largest 69 00:05:45,067 --> 00:05:48,267 underwater archaeological sites in the world. 70 00:05:49,367 --> 00:05:52,833 They investigate some mysterious granite blocks. 71 00:05:53,467 --> 00:05:57,133 These remarkable remains are clearly man-made. 72 00:05:57,833 --> 00:06:01,267 Could they be from the missing ancient wonder? 73 00:06:02,300 --> 00:06:06,733 Isabelle's task is to unlock the true dimensions and design of the Pharos. 74 00:06:11,633 --> 00:06:14,900 But her job is made harder by the wildly conflicting accounts 75 00:06:14,933 --> 00:06:17,967 of what it actually looked lik. 76 00:06:18,633 --> 00:06:22,433 -We came across these quite extraordinary images of the lighthouse. 77 00:06:23,267 --> 00:06:26,767 NARRATOR: Different impressions from past travelers and artists shroud 78 00:06:26,800 --> 00:06:29,933 the true appearance of the lighthouse in mystery. 79 00:06:30,800 --> 00:06:34,033 -It's depicted here as the Tower of Babylon. 80 00:06:35,000 --> 00:06:38,467 Here a very classical building with floors one above the other, 81 00:06:38,500 --> 00:06:41,700 with doors opening into mysterious rooms. 82 00:06:43,300 --> 00:06:47,900 NARRATOR: Over time, ideas about the Pharos grew even more fantastic. 83 00:06:49,133 --> 00:06:52,300 -One of the authors was speaking about the Pharos being so tall and so 84 00:06:52,333 --> 00:06:57,767 extensively high, if a stone was thrown from the top of the lighthouse it would reach land 85 00:06:57,800 --> 00:06:59,967 in 2 days or 3 days. 86 00:07:00,000 --> 00:07:03,367 It's not true but it is saying something about how those people saw the lighthouse. 87 00:07:04,767 --> 00:07:07,867 NARRATOR: Where does the truth lie? 88 00:07:11,067 --> 00:07:15,100 Will the underwater granite blocks provide answers? 89 00:07:17,233 --> 00:07:23,000 To find out, Isabelle's team uses a technique called photogrammetry capturing 90 00:07:23,033 --> 00:07:27,100 thousands of detailed images across the enormous site. 91 00:07:27,833 --> 00:07:31,100 -This is closer view here on the map. 92 00:07:31,133 --> 00:07:33,933 This is block 1003. 93 00:07:33,967 --> 00:07:37,267 -Do you think we can go further, we can go more on the North? 94 00:07:38,567 --> 00:07:43,033 NARRATOR: After 28 weeks of diving and with 50,000 photographs, 95 00:07:43,067 --> 00:07:48,600 Isabelle has the data she needs to finally unlock the secrets of the Pharos. 96 00:07:53,400 --> 00:07:57,500 Combining this unique data with cutting edge computer graphics means 97 00:07:57,533 --> 00:08:03,533 that for the first time, the waters around Alexandria harbor can be drained away. 98 00:08:08,100 --> 00:08:13,300 As the Mediterranean begins to empty, surprising shapes come into view. 99 00:08:17,033 --> 00:08:22,500 Nearly 3,000 granite blocks scattered across three acres of the seabed. 100 00:08:24,933 --> 00:08:29,900 These are not natural rock formations, but clearly the work of human hands. 101 00:08:31,300 --> 00:08:35,133 Statue bases, chunks of pillars. 102 00:08:35,167 --> 00:08:38,633 All from a building of monumental proportions. 103 00:08:39,067 --> 00:08:44,667 The drowned ruins of a genuine ancient wonder, The Pharos lighthouse. 104 00:08:46,267 --> 00:08:51,267 Brought back into the light of day for the first time in 600 years. 105 00:08:53,900 --> 00:08:57,667 Already Isabelle's work has delivered one revelation. 106 00:08:58,100 --> 00:09:00,367 Some of the blocks from the drained landscape are 107 00:09:00,400 --> 00:09:03,600 a crucial clue to the shape of the Pharos. 108 00:09:04,900 --> 00:09:07,900 -Draining the site has enabled us to see the lighthouse. 109 00:09:08,733 --> 00:09:11,733 We've even found blocks that might have formed the corner stones, 110 00:09:12,233 --> 00:09:14,967 but no blocks found underwater indicated the walls sloped. 111 00:09:16,333 --> 00:09:18,533 The walls were straight. 112 00:09:19,667 --> 00:09:23,100 NARRATOR: This is the first physical proof of the lighthouse's design. 113 00:09:23,900 --> 00:09:26,767 A huge advance on all previous knowledge. 114 00:09:27,333 --> 00:09:32,133 But piecing together the rest of the underwater jigsaw remains an enormous challenge. 115 00:09:33,233 --> 00:09:34,800 -What we have here is a puzzle, 116 00:09:34,833 --> 00:09:37,800 basically it's a 3000 pieces puzzle 117 00:09:37,833 --> 00:09:40,300 that you have to try to fit things together. 118 00:09:40,333 --> 00:09:42,767 Will it fit or will it not fit? 119 00:09:43,800 --> 00:09:47,500 NARRATOR: And what's more, some crucial parts of the puzzle are missing, 120 00:09:47,733 --> 00:09:51,200 taken to museums by previous excavations. 121 00:09:53,600 --> 00:09:58,000 But one important piece lies nearby, abandoned on the quayside. 122 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:04,867 -This was probably the greatest discovery, found on the site. 123 00:10:07,533 --> 00:10:10,200 NARRATOR: But what is it? 124 00:10:10,533 --> 00:10:14,233 -So, here we have a side part of a door frame. 125 00:10:14,267 --> 00:10:18,200 We know because this is the place where the door would have been fixed. 126 00:10:19,367 --> 00:10:23,400 NARRATOR: This groove is carefully carved as the frame for a gigantic door. 127 00:10:25,467 --> 00:10:28,767 And incredibly, Isabelle can match the frame's distinctive 128 00:10:28,800 --> 00:10:32,033 shape to other stones lying underwater. 129 00:10:34,067 --> 00:10:37,467 They must all be pieces from the same doorway. 130 00:10:40,067 --> 00:10:46,067 -By joining this huge fragment almost 12 meters long together with all the other fragments, 131 00:10:46,100 --> 00:10:48,600 we can reconstruct a door. 132 00:10:48,633 --> 00:10:51,867 It's one of the most important pieces of the site. 133 00:10:53,033 --> 00:10:55,333 NARRATOR: Now, for the first time, it's possible 134 00:10:55,367 --> 00:10:58,900 to recreate the door to the Pharos. 135 00:10:58,933 --> 00:11:02,500 The entrance to a Wonder of the Ancient World. 136 00:11:02,533 --> 00:11:05,500 -So now we are able to connect it with the lintels. 137 00:11:05,533 --> 00:11:08,500 The upright, ah perfect. 138 00:11:08,533 --> 00:11:10,933 That's great. 139 00:11:11,433 --> 00:11:14,767 NARRATOR: The drained site reveals the lost fragments of the giant doorframe. 140 00:11:17,367 --> 00:11:21,733 Using the scanned images of the seabed, its huge blocks come into view. 141 00:11:24,533 --> 00:11:27,900 Computer graphic technology reverses the centuries. 142 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:32,767 The pieces of the doorframe fit together perfectly. 143 00:11:34,900 --> 00:11:39,333 And within the granite frame a vast wooden door was once fastened. 144 00:11:41,767 --> 00:11:47,300 All of it reaching 41 feet high and weighing more than 200 tons! 145 00:11:49,900 --> 00:11:54,167 The Pharos entrance is restored in the place where it fell. 146 00:11:55,400 --> 00:12:00,000 A monumental piece of architecture dwarfing anyone who enters. 147 00:12:02,300 --> 00:12:07,467 For the first time, a part of Alexandria's lighthouse is accurately reconstructed. 148 00:12:09,933 --> 00:12:12,700 But what does the rest of the Pharos look like? 149 00:12:12,733 --> 00:12:17,533 And does it truly deserve its title as a wonder of the Ancient world? 150 00:12:26,467 --> 00:12:30,033 NARRATOR: Archaeologist Isabelle Hairy continues to search for the truth about the 151 00:12:30,067 --> 00:12:32,500 Pharos lighthouse. 152 00:12:35,833 --> 00:12:38,867 Historical reports are conflicting. 153 00:12:38,900 --> 00:12:43,800 But most agree on one thing, that the Pharos has three distinct levels, 154 00:12:43,833 --> 00:12:47,167 each shaped differently. 155 00:12:48,933 --> 00:12:52,267 Isabelle heads to the place where the lighthouse is thought to have stood. 156 00:12:53,133 --> 00:12:57,133 Now the site of another grand building, Qaitbay Fort. 157 00:12:58,700 --> 00:13:05,033 Built in 1477, just 42 years after the ruins of the Pharos are last reported visible. 158 00:13:06,900 --> 00:13:10,467 Inside, an intriguing clue. 159 00:13:12,133 --> 00:13:17,000 Isabelle believes that its mosque is a small-scale replica of the Pharos. 160 00:13:20,067 --> 00:13:23,667 ISABELLE: You really get the impression of being in the ancient lighthouse even though 161 00:13:23,700 --> 00:13:28,167 the scale isn't the same, but there's this sense of space, still present, 162 00:13:28,200 --> 00:13:31,633 which we can feel all around us. 163 00:13:32,333 --> 00:13:34,567 NARRATOR: The main tower is square. 164 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:38,400 Above, it's topped by an octagonal and then a circular section. 165 00:13:39,500 --> 00:13:44,133 Isabelle's theory is that the Mosque's architects intended this to be a tribute to 166 00:13:44,167 --> 00:13:47,733 Alexandria's most famous building. 167 00:13:47,767 --> 00:13:51,633 So is the Pharos shaped like this? 168 00:13:52,967 --> 00:13:57,867 To solve this mystery, Isabelle needs to compare her 3D data with historical 169 00:13:57,900 --> 00:14:02,000 reports and discover the true scale of the Pharos. 170 00:14:04,267 --> 00:14:07,267 Some dimensions were recorded by Medieval travelers. 171 00:14:09,533 --> 00:14:15,633 In 1166, Al-Balawi from Spain penned a precise description of the lighthouse, 172 00:14:15,667 --> 00:14:18,733 reporting it to be 300 cubits high. 173 00:14:20,733 --> 00:14:24,933 Over a century later, Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta recorded 174 00:14:24,967 --> 00:14:28,800 the thickness of the Pharos walls as 10 spans. 175 00:14:31,400 --> 00:14:34,867 The problem is these units are lost to history. 176 00:14:37,933 --> 00:14:40,333 Until now. 177 00:14:42,100 --> 00:14:45,500 The breakthrough comes from the Pharos' reconstructed door frame. 178 00:14:46,733 --> 00:14:51,500 Its outside edge reveals the exact thickness of the lighthouse's exterior wall. 179 00:14:54,100 --> 00:14:57,933 The dimension also recorded by Ibn Battuta, centuries earlier. 180 00:15:00,633 --> 00:15:04,733 His 10 'spans' is equal to six feet ten inches. 181 00:15:07,433 --> 00:15:10,067 -It's a discovery that's incredibly rewarding. 182 00:15:10,100 --> 00:15:14,700 We are now able to decipher the texts of Ibn Battuta, and the texts of Al-Balawi. 183 00:15:18,467 --> 00:15:21,500 NARRATOR: It's a huge leap forward. 184 00:15:22,400 --> 00:15:25,533 Converting medieval units into accurate modern measurement 185 00:15:25,567 --> 00:15:29,867 unlocks the true scale of the Pharos for the first time. 186 00:15:32,667 --> 00:15:36,533 Combining all the underwater evidence with Al-Balawi's descriptions 187 00:15:36,567 --> 00:15:39,867 solves a centuries old puzzle. 188 00:15:40,133 --> 00:15:43,267 Revealing three towers that match the design of the mosque, 189 00:15:43,300 --> 00:15:49,600 making it possible to reconstruct a lost ancient wonder in exact detail. 190 00:15:52,833 --> 00:15:57,033 Statues from Alexandria's museums return to their original homes. 191 00:15:59,033 --> 00:16:04,833 Believed to be clad in limestone, the Pharos reaches almost 330 feet into the sky. 192 00:16:06,300 --> 00:16:09,300 The size of a 32 story building, it's one of 193 00:16:09,333 --> 00:16:12,733 the tallest structures in the Ancient World. 194 00:16:15,933 --> 00:16:20,533 And all of it is thought to be crowned by a wonder of ancient technology, 195 00:16:20,567 --> 00:16:24,867 fires and iron mirrors reflecting the light and 196 00:16:24,900 --> 00:16:28,700 the glory of Egypt to the world beyond. 197 00:16:29,933 --> 00:16:32,300 -It could have looked like the first skyscrapers built 198 00:16:32,333 --> 00:16:35,000 in Chicago at the end of the 19th century. 199 00:16:35,833 --> 00:16:38,500 It's really a fabulous structure. 200 00:16:43,133 --> 00:16:48,567 STEVEN: The ancients determined the seven wonders because they met certain criterias, and so 201 00:16:48,600 --> 00:16:53,867 the Pharos satisfies all of those ancient criteria of innovative design, 202 00:16:53,900 --> 00:16:57,733 that was actually built, that was actually towering. 203 00:17:05,400 --> 00:17:08,367 NARRATOR: Most importantly the Pharos marks the gateway to 204 00:17:08,400 --> 00:17:12,367 Ancient Egypt and the mighty river Nile. 205 00:17:15,567 --> 00:17:20,700 More than 4,000 miles long, the Nile is the longest river in the world. 206 00:17:23,100 --> 00:17:26,000 JON: The Nile was absolutely central to Ancient Egypt. 207 00:17:29,633 --> 00:17:34,100 It was the seasonal flood that brought this rich, black mineral mud and deposited it 208 00:17:34,133 --> 00:17:36,900 on the fields and made it fertile. 209 00:17:36,933 --> 00:17:40,000 It was actually that that drove Ancient Egyptian civilization. 210 00:17:40,033 --> 00:17:42,967 Without the Nile it wouldn't have happened. 211 00:17:43,200 --> 00:17:46,967 NARRATOR: Six and a half thousand years ago farmers make these riverbanks their 212 00:17:47,000 --> 00:17:51,433 home, and a civilization is born. 213 00:17:54,233 --> 00:17:59,233 Six miles west of the Nile, draining, not water, but sand, 214 00:18:00,067 --> 00:18:04,867 reveals an ancient mystery known as the Abydos boats. 215 00:18:05,933 --> 00:18:11,333 -It was completely unexpected to find a phantom flotilla in the middle of nowhere. 216 00:18:13,900 --> 00:18:18,133 NARRATOR: Why is there a fleet of boats beneath the sands of the Egyptian desert? 217 00:18:21,933 --> 00:18:28,100 Egyptologist Matthew Adams has excavated Abydos' mysterious boats for 30 years. 218 00:18:30,700 --> 00:18:36,833 MATTHEW: One would never know by looking at this flat patch of desert that underneath the 219 00:18:36,867 --> 00:18:43,067 sand is one of the most remarkable discoveries ever made in Egyptian archaeology. 220 00:18:44,867 --> 00:18:48,567 NARRATOR: The boats he excavated have been reburied in the sand to help 221 00:18:48,600 --> 00:18:50,900 preserve them for the future. 222 00:18:50,933 --> 00:18:55,333 Before then, they'd been lying undisturbed for 5000 years. 223 00:18:58,133 --> 00:19:01,133 -Was this the result of some great flood of the river that 224 00:19:01,167 --> 00:19:04,667 they sailed here and were left stranded? 225 00:19:04,700 --> 00:19:09,467 It's a very strange setting for a group of boats like this. 226 00:19:09,633 --> 00:19:11,933 -You would think perhaps it was a dried up quay or it was 227 00:19:11,967 --> 00:19:14,933 perhaps an area where the Nile once ran. 228 00:19:16,867 --> 00:19:20,200 NARRATOR: Throughout its history the Nile has shifted course. 229 00:19:20,233 --> 00:19:22,567 But it never ran here. 230 00:19:23,733 --> 00:19:27,300 Abydos lies on a desert plateau out of the river's reach. 231 00:19:28,067 --> 00:19:31,867 So if the Nile didn't bring these boats here, what did? 232 00:19:33,767 --> 00:19:37,200 To find out, Matthew's team surveys the location of the 233 00:19:37,233 --> 00:19:40,033 boats and the surrounding terrain. 234 00:19:42,067 --> 00:19:46,000 Accurate satellite mapping can reveal the extraordinary world beneath. 235 00:19:48,500 --> 00:19:54,000 Combining this data with the latest computer imaging allows the Egyptian desert to be 236 00:19:54,033 --> 00:19:57,800 drained of sand, grain by grain 237 00:19:59,300 --> 00:20:01,700 to solve an ancient mystery. 238 00:20:06,433 --> 00:20:09,833 The desert begins to reveal its secrets. 239 00:20:11,300 --> 00:20:16,667 Not one boat, Not two, but 14. 240 00:20:18,767 --> 00:20:23,367 The surviving fragments of timber reveal they are 60 feet long. 241 00:20:25,633 --> 00:20:28,767 All carefully lined up in parallel. 242 00:20:33,033 --> 00:20:36,600 It's the oldest buried fleet ever discovered. 243 00:20:40,033 --> 00:20:43,100 But who does it belong to? 244 00:20:43,867 --> 00:20:47,367 Reconstructing the boats immediately reveals a clue. 245 00:20:48,833 --> 00:20:53,133 These are not simple dugout canoes nor are they boats made from reeds. 246 00:20:55,033 --> 00:20:59,333 They're substantial rowing vessels, with space for up to 30 oarsmen. 247 00:21:01,733 --> 00:21:06,500 More revealing still is the way they're made from carefully crafted wooden 248 00:21:06,533 --> 00:21:10,167 planks all stitched together with rope. 249 00:21:11,467 --> 00:21:14,600 -These are they earliest plank boats that we have in this area, 250 00:21:14,633 --> 00:21:17,667 as status symbols they're important. 251 00:21:18,367 --> 00:21:22,533 NARRATOR: 5,000 years ago, this is cutting edge nautical technology. 252 00:21:23,633 --> 00:21:28,500 -It's almost like taking a sports car today and burying it in the desert somewhere. 253 00:21:30,700 --> 00:21:36,133 NARRATOR: And in Ancient Egypt only one person can afford such an immense investment. 254 00:21:37,533 --> 00:21:43,767 -Only the king could expend resources at this level and was in a position to 255 00:21:44,200 --> 00:21:49,633 dispose of a fleet a royal fleet in this way. 256 00:21:51,900 --> 00:21:55,033 NARRATOR: The 14 boats belong to a Pharaoh. 257 00:21:55,867 --> 00:21:59,367 But what are they doing abandoned in the desert? 258 00:22:07,400 --> 00:22:09,833 * 259 00:22:09,867 --> 00:22:14,300 NARRATOR: To unravel the mystery of the Abydos Boats Egyptologist Matthew Adams 260 00:22:14,333 --> 00:22:17,467 hunts for clues above the sand. 261 00:22:20,200 --> 00:22:24,300 Next to the buried fleet stands a huge mud brick ruin. 262 00:22:26,367 --> 00:22:30,333 Here Matthew finds evidence of an ancient belief system that 263 00:22:30,367 --> 00:22:33,633 could help explain this desert secret. 264 00:22:36,267 --> 00:22:41,867 MATTHEW: These massive walls created a kind of religious space, 265 00:22:43,333 --> 00:22:48,667 where one of Egypt's first kings was worshipped. 266 00:22:49,433 --> 00:22:54,367 NARRATOR: Excavations here uncover ancient pots that once contained food and beer. 267 00:22:55,633 --> 00:23:00,567 -Ceremonies took place in here, focused on this king as a kind of divine figure. 268 00:23:01,200 --> 00:23:07,367 Somehow these boats are part of this religious expression 269 00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:10,800 and they're connected to the activities of these early kings. 270 00:23:13,267 --> 00:23:17,067 NARRATOR: This enclosure is built for the Ancient Egyptians to worship their 271 00:23:17,100 --> 00:23:22,067 pharaoh as a god, as long ago as 2700 BC, 272 00:23:24,300 --> 00:23:28,000 200 years before the great pyramids. 273 00:23:28,800 --> 00:23:32,533 And more than a thousand before Tutankhamun. 274 00:23:38,700 --> 00:23:41,400 But what is the connection between this early worship 275 00:23:41,433 --> 00:23:44,200 of a Pharaoh and the mystery fleet? 276 00:23:47,467 --> 00:23:51,500 A closer examination of the drained boats reveals the answer. 277 00:23:53,300 --> 00:23:57,300 Surrounding each one is a curious mud-brick casing. 278 00:23:59,300 --> 00:24:02,633 The brick walls follow the curve of the boats, 279 00:24:02,667 --> 00:24:06,467 completely covering them from stern to bow. 280 00:24:07,667 --> 00:24:11,967 Returning them to their original state reveals more. 281 00:24:13,367 --> 00:24:19,667 Built on the desert surface each brick 'case' completely encloses a single boat. 282 00:24:21,867 --> 00:24:25,633 And all are covered in a layer of white plaster. 283 00:24:26,400 --> 00:24:29,933 Creating 14 boat graves. 284 00:24:34,333 --> 00:24:38,700 -When the boats were newly put in place, you wouldn't have seen the boats themselves, 285 00:24:38,733 --> 00:24:42,767 the wooden boat hulls, you would've seen these brick grave structures. 286 00:24:43,833 --> 00:24:47,300 NARRATOR: The boat tombs are designed to be highly visible. 287 00:24:47,700 --> 00:24:50,533 JON: This plaster would have caught the light of the sun when they were first built. 288 00:24:53,767 --> 00:24:58,300 -Seen from a distance they would have been glowing in the desert. 289 00:24:59,633 --> 00:25:02,900 NARRATOR: And all to honor a Pharaoh. 290 00:25:03,500 --> 00:25:07,933 -Like the offerings that were delivered for his benefit inside the monument, 291 00:25:08,967 --> 00:25:15,367 bread and beer and wine, the boats must represent a kind of offering to him. 292 00:25:20,967 --> 00:25:24,367 NARRATOR: What beliefs inspire the Ancient Egyptians to create all of this, 293 00:25:25,500 --> 00:25:29,733 and to place it so far away from the Nile, where they actually live? 294 00:25:32,733 --> 00:25:35,733 Just a mile away, there's another clue. 295 00:25:37,133 --> 00:25:42,267 This strange subterranean architecture is built around the same time the boats are 296 00:25:42,300 --> 00:25:45,167 left in the desert. 297 00:25:45,667 --> 00:25:49,900 It's the last resting place of one of Egypt's earliest Pharaohs. 298 00:25:55,100 --> 00:26:00,700 -This is the spot where the king ended his life in this world and made the transition 299 00:26:00,733 --> 00:26:04,833 from here to the other world, where he would have his eternal life. 300 00:26:06,300 --> 00:26:09,867 NARRATOR: The tomb is designed to ensure the dead Pharaoh passes into another 301 00:26:09,900 --> 00:26:15,300 realm known as the afterlife provided with all the essential possessions he 302 00:26:15,333 --> 00:26:19,600 needs: food, drink, even his servants, 303 00:26:19,633 --> 00:26:23,900 ritually killed to serve their master beyond the grave. 304 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:29,833 -These are the chambers in which the courtiers and retainers who were sacrificed 305 00:26:29,867 --> 00:26:33,333 to accompany the king into the next world were buried. 306 00:26:33,733 --> 00:26:40,000 And the, whole assemblage, the king in his burial chamber, his funerary enclosure and the 307 00:26:40,033 --> 00:26:45,633 boats that were buried next to it, the whole assemblage is being translated from this 308 00:26:45,667 --> 00:26:49,000 world to the next to be available to him there. 309 00:26:51,000 --> 00:26:53,667 NARRATOR: Just like the dead courtiers, the Royal fleet is 310 00:26:53,700 --> 00:26:56,800 there to serve the Pharaoh in the afterlife. 311 00:26:57,900 --> 00:27:02,367 So he can navigate the celestial Nile for all eternity. 312 00:27:05,567 --> 00:27:09,733 The Abydos boats mark the beginning of a belief in the afterlife that eventually 313 00:27:09,767 --> 00:27:13,100 creates the pyramids and the Valley of the Kings. 314 00:27:14,067 --> 00:27:18,067 And more signs of that connection still lie hidden beneath the sand. 315 00:27:19,667 --> 00:27:23,367 So Matthew's team carries out what's called a 'magnetometry' survey. 316 00:27:24,367 --> 00:27:28,967 It detects variations in the soil's magnetic field to reveal structures underground, 317 00:27:29,000 --> 00:27:32,400 not seen for thousands of years. 318 00:27:33,633 --> 00:27:36,533 ALEX: We walk over it every day, but what we don't see is all of this. 319 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:41,833 NARRATOR: The data reveal the origin of Egypt's obsession with the afterlife. 320 00:27:43,633 --> 00:27:48,233 -All of these darks lines that we can see here, 321 00:27:48,267 --> 00:27:51,733 these are all walls from buried structures. 322 00:27:52,133 --> 00:27:54,300 Big ones, small ones. 323 00:27:54,333 --> 00:27:58,500 We can identify these as tombs, which makes this 324 00:27:58,533 --> 00:28:02,133 a gigantic vast desert cemetery. 325 00:28:03,900 --> 00:28:06,167 NARRATOR: It's an astonishing discovery. 326 00:28:08,367 --> 00:28:11,300 Draining the sand from the rest of the plateau exposes 327 00:28:11,333 --> 00:28:15,100 Ancient Egypt's oldest Royal burial ground. 328 00:28:16,167 --> 00:28:20,500 A landscape designed for one purpose: Resurrection. 329 00:28:23,767 --> 00:28:28,300 Combining data from the surveys and excavations with computer generated imagery 330 00:28:28,333 --> 00:28:31,633 reveals the Pharaoh's tomb from below. 331 00:28:33,933 --> 00:28:39,500 But now, drained of sand, another nine huge underground complexes appear. 332 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:45,267 At least ten royal tombs fill the valley floor. 333 00:28:48,100 --> 00:28:52,033 Built more than a thousand years before the Valley of the Kings, 334 00:28:52,067 --> 00:28:56,267 this is Ancient Egypt's original city of the dead. 335 00:28:58,300 --> 00:29:01,900 And nearby, more ritual enclosures where Pharaohs are worshipped 336 00:29:01,933 --> 00:29:05,767 and the tombs of the royal boats. 337 00:29:09,300 --> 00:29:14,067 It's the landscape at Abydos that reveals the ultimate reason why all these 338 00:29:14,100 --> 00:29:17,367 structures are built so far from the Nile. 339 00:29:17,833 --> 00:29:21,933 It all sits at the entrance of a narrow gorge. 340 00:29:22,900 --> 00:29:26,533 The gateway to the afterlife. 341 00:29:27,733 --> 00:29:33,000 -I think it's very likely that the Ancient Egyptians viewed this canyon as the road that 342 00:29:33,033 --> 00:29:36,000 led to the land of the dead. 343 00:29:36,033 --> 00:29:40,433 The sun set in the west, the west was where the dead were, that was the other world and 344 00:29:40,467 --> 00:29:44,800 this canyon leads directly in that direction. 345 00:29:46,833 --> 00:29:51,200 NARRATOR: The people who build this sacred site believe that everything placed here is 346 00:29:51,233 --> 00:29:54,800 destined to join the Pharaoh in the afterlife. 347 00:29:55,700 --> 00:30:01,367 -Abydos is vital because it's the first area where we see Pharaohs being deposited into 348 00:30:01,400 --> 00:30:06,767 graves and treated in this specialized way with gifts for the afterlife 349 00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:10,133 and that carries on for millennia. 350 00:30:12,233 --> 00:30:16,833 NARRATOR: The tradition that began with the Abydos boats can be seen 200 years later at 351 00:30:16,867 --> 00:30:20,900 the pyramid tomb of King Khufu. 352 00:30:22,033 --> 00:30:25,600 His mummified body accompanied by a ceremonial boat. 353 00:30:28,767 --> 00:30:35,067 Around 1,200 years later the boy King, Tutankhamun is entombed with 35 model boats. 354 00:30:37,567 --> 00:30:43,433 Ensuring that in the afterlife each Pharaoh can navigate the all-important Nile. 355 00:30:50,767 --> 00:30:54,033 The Ancient Egyptians are master builders. 356 00:30:54,433 --> 00:30:59,933 Their spectacular tombs and temples populate more than 900 miles of the Nile Valley. 357 00:31:01,133 --> 00:31:06,400 But draining the waters behind the Aswan dam reveals something very different. 358 00:31:07,033 --> 00:31:11,400 One of the largest state building projects after the pyramids, 359 00:31:11,433 --> 00:31:15,433 a series of 15 massive forts. 360 00:31:16,167 --> 00:31:18,700 LAUREL: When we think about ancient Egypt we think of a peaceful society we think 361 00:31:18,733 --> 00:31:22,200 about temples and tombs and we don't think about the military. 362 00:31:23,100 --> 00:31:26,700 NARRATOR: And the forts that the Egyptian military build here are immense, 363 00:31:26,733 --> 00:31:31,267 as technologically advanced as the castles of Medieval Europe 364 00:31:31,300 --> 00:31:34,700 that weren't built for another 3000 years. 365 00:31:35,100 --> 00:31:39,367 And yet there is little evidence that any of them saw a battle. 366 00:31:40,133 --> 00:31:45,700 Can draining the Nile reveal the true purpose of the mystery forts? 367 00:31:52,867 --> 00:31:55,833 NARRATOR: For more than 50 years Ancient Egypt's forts 368 00:31:55,867 --> 00:31:59,000 are lost beneath the waters of Lake Nasser... 369 00:31:59,667 --> 00:32:03,667 their exact purpose, a mystery to archaeologists. 370 00:32:04,733 --> 00:32:07,533 Viewing them on the lakebed is impossible. 371 00:32:08,533 --> 00:32:12,067 Sediment makes the waters impenetrable to cameras. 372 00:32:12,733 --> 00:32:15,500 And diving here can be fatal. 373 00:32:16,867 --> 00:32:19,800 But there is one clue. 374 00:32:26,033 --> 00:32:31,500 Archaeologist Laurel Bestock is travelling to its remote location, deep in Sudan, 375 00:32:32,033 --> 00:32:35,233 near the Southern end of Lake Nasser. 376 00:32:35,867 --> 00:32:40,000 Fort Uronarti, one of the last surviving strongpoints 377 00:32:40,033 --> 00:32:43,700 from Ancient Egypt's southern frontier. 378 00:32:44,900 --> 00:32:48,400 Laurel is fascinated by these forgotten forts and has been 379 00:32:48,433 --> 00:32:51,900 excavating Uronarti for six years. 380 00:32:52,233 --> 00:32:55,900 -I had thought that I would never be able to see, let alone study personally, 381 00:32:55,933 --> 00:32:57,800 such a place. 382 00:32:57,833 --> 00:33:02,767 That I could potentially come here was a really a personally profound and 383 00:33:02,800 --> 00:33:05,900 a career changing discovery. 384 00:33:07,633 --> 00:33:11,033 NARRATOR: Laurel is searching for evidence to help her reveal the secrets of the 385 00:33:11,067 --> 00:33:14,533 forts that lie beneath the waters of Lake Nasser. 386 00:33:18,200 --> 00:33:24,667 Fort Uronarti itself is built around 1850BC, during an era known as the Middle Kingdom. 387 00:33:26,467 --> 00:33:32,800 It stands 200 miles south of Ancient Egyptian territory in what was once no man's land. 388 00:33:37,767 --> 00:33:41,267 -This represents the edge of the known world to the Egyptians. 389 00:33:41,300 --> 00:33:44,400 Egypt is behind me up the Nile, that's the familiar world, 390 00:33:44,433 --> 00:33:48,267 the world where the Egyptians felt at home, they knew how to behave in this place. 391 00:33:48,567 --> 00:33:51,133 It's a culture and a landscape together. 392 00:33:51,167 --> 00:33:55,867 Out there is the rest of ancient Africa, and that's very much a, 393 00:33:55,900 --> 00:34:00,133 a place that the Egyptians conceive of as terrifying, it's where they view the 394 00:34:00,167 --> 00:34:04,233 people and even the landscape itself as a threat to their order. 395 00:34:08,433 --> 00:34:11,933 NARRATOR: Beyond Egypt lies the land of Nubia... 396 00:34:12,333 --> 00:34:15,533 and the kingdom of the Kushites. 397 00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:20,333 Their fearsome warriors raid Egypt from the south. 398 00:34:21,033 --> 00:34:24,200 So the Pharaohs need to secure their territory. 399 00:34:25,033 --> 00:34:29,500 Clues to how they do it can be found at Uronarti. 400 00:34:29,533 --> 00:34:31,700 -Uronarti is really built for defense. 401 00:34:31,733 --> 00:34:35,000 It's hard to imagine a space that would be more difficult to attack and you come up this 402 00:34:35,033 --> 00:34:38,467 steep hill and you're met with this massive fortified gateway. 403 00:34:38,733 --> 00:34:42,500 We're standing in between the remains of what was two towers, 404 00:34:42,533 --> 00:34:45,667 even thicker than the walls of Uronarti itself. 405 00:34:45,700 --> 00:34:48,267 You can see how massive the brickwork is here. 406 00:34:48,300 --> 00:34:52,100 It's even reinforced you can see there are, are the remains of beams coming through the 407 00:34:52,133 --> 00:34:56,000 walls that would have acted like rebar in reinforced concrete here. 408 00:34:59,300 --> 00:35:03,000 NARRATOR: Fort Uronarti is a powerful deterrent to the hostile Kushites. 409 00:35:04,167 --> 00:35:06,667 But it's barely a fraction of the military might 410 00:35:06,700 --> 00:35:10,300 Ancient Egypt is about to unleash on its enemy. 411 00:35:12,333 --> 00:35:15,833 Most of that military machine now lies beneath Lake Nasser, 412 00:35:15,867 --> 00:35:19,367 one of the largest reservoirs in the world. 413 00:35:21,867 --> 00:35:26,900 The forts are lost forever when Egypt builds the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s, 414 00:35:27,500 --> 00:35:31,267 to produce hydroelectric power and control irrigation. 415 00:35:33,267 --> 00:35:36,800 The rising waters threaten some of Egypt's greatest monuments. 416 00:35:38,267 --> 00:35:42,667 So one of the world's largest archaeological salvage operations begins, 417 00:35:43,367 --> 00:35:47,700 involving 15 countries and more than $72 million. 418 00:35:49,467 --> 00:35:52,667 Monuments that can't be moved are excavated and recorded 419 00:35:55,067 --> 00:35:58,900 including Ancient Egypt's lost fortresses. 420 00:36:02,267 --> 00:36:05,300 Today, one of the most complete sets of archaeological reports from 421 00:36:05,333 --> 00:36:09,333 that time is kept at the Egypt Exploration Society. 422 00:36:11,167 --> 00:36:14,267 CEDRIC: First of all you see how huge these forts were. 423 00:36:14,633 --> 00:36:17,567 NARRATOR: And reveals some tantalizing clues. 424 00:36:18,133 --> 00:36:21,433 CHRIS: And yet, since this was taken all of this is gone? 425 00:36:21,467 --> 00:36:23,433 -Completely flooded, yes unfortunately. 426 00:36:23,467 --> 00:36:24,967 -Incredible 427 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:27,233 -So this is why we're all so thankful to the mission that 428 00:36:27,267 --> 00:36:30,800 has excavated and recorded all these forts. 429 00:36:32,733 --> 00:36:35,967 NARRATOR: Today investigators are analyzing the evidence to 430 00:36:36,000 --> 00:36:40,067 discover why the Egyptians need as many as 15 forts. 431 00:36:44,467 --> 00:36:48,167 Using this data and the latest computer graphic technology 432 00:36:48,200 --> 00:36:51,800 it's possible to drain the waters from Lake Nasser. 433 00:36:55,367 --> 00:36:59,700 44 trillion gallons of water are unleashed into the Nile 434 00:37:02,967 --> 00:37:07,367 slowly revealing a world that's 4000 years old. 435 00:37:09,667 --> 00:37:13,833 Travelling south beyond Ancient Egypt, Fort Iken appears. 436 00:37:18,667 --> 00:37:21,833 Then Fort Askut. 437 00:37:21,867 --> 00:37:26,200 Furthest south two more, Fort Kumma and Semna. 438 00:37:27,733 --> 00:37:31,600 Altogether a total of 15 forts. 439 00:37:33,433 --> 00:37:38,233 Spanning 200 miles, it's the longest fortified frontier in the world, 440 00:37:38,667 --> 00:37:42,067 along this strategically important stretch of the Nile. 441 00:37:42,367 --> 00:37:45,833 STEVEN: Because the Nile river was the principal thoroughfare up, 442 00:37:45,867 --> 00:37:48,433 the forts were arranged north to south, 443 00:37:48,467 --> 00:37:51,867 stopping any invasion from the south into the north. 444 00:37:52,867 --> 00:37:55,500 NARRATOR: The wall of forts transforms the Nile into a 445 00:37:55,533 --> 00:37:58,933 formidable barrier against the Kushites. 446 00:38:04,700 --> 00:38:06,467 But why do the Ancient Egyptians 447 00:38:06,500 --> 00:38:10,300 need to dominate territory so far beyond their heartlands? 448 00:38:12,367 --> 00:38:15,267 A clue comes from a fort inscription. 449 00:38:15,300 --> 00:38:18,133 It reveals that much of the frontier is created to 450 00:38:18,167 --> 00:38:21,933 satisfy one Pharaoh's military ambition. 451 00:38:22,967 --> 00:38:26,733 PHARAOH: I have made my boundary further south than my fathers. 452 00:38:28,233 --> 00:38:31,833 NARRATOR: And how he boasts about crushing the Kushite enemy. 453 00:38:32,333 --> 00:38:35,167 PHARAOH: They are not people one respects. 454 00:38:35,200 --> 00:38:37,333 They are wretches. 455 00:38:37,367 --> 00:38:42,067 I have captured their women, gone to their wells, killed their cattle, 456 00:38:42,500 --> 00:38:47,200 cut down their grain, set fire to it. 457 00:38:50,367 --> 00:38:52,700 -They definitely claimed this territory for their own by 458 00:38:52,733 --> 00:38:55,467 building these fortresses and said 'this is Egypt's now'. 459 00:38:55,967 --> 00:38:57,900 JON: These forts are representing a sort of 460 00:38:57,933 --> 00:39:00,700 consolidation of power of the Pharaoh. 461 00:39:01,767 --> 00:39:03,867 NARRATOR: But why does Ancient Egypt need so many 462 00:39:03,900 --> 00:39:07,367 forts constructed on such a massive scale? 463 00:39:10,900 --> 00:39:14,300 Could they have been built to protect something even more 464 00:39:14,333 --> 00:39:17,933 valuable than a Pharaoh's power? 465 00:39:24,967 --> 00:39:29,800 NARRATOR: When Egypt's Aswan Dam is built in the 1960s the largest fort to disappear 466 00:39:29,833 --> 00:39:32,900 beneath Lake Nasser is Fort Buhen. 467 00:39:34,467 --> 00:39:38,700 Hidden inside it is evidence of Ancient Egypt's military secrets. 468 00:39:40,300 --> 00:39:44,367 Draining the water from Lake Nasser, reveals traces of Fort Buhen, 469 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:47,700 not seen for more than 50 years. 470 00:39:49,633 --> 00:39:53,800 By combining the archaeological data with 3D computer graphics 471 00:39:53,833 --> 00:39:57,267 Fort Buhen is reconstructed. 472 00:39:57,633 --> 00:40:02,333 Revealing the nerve center of Ancient Egypt's frontier for the first time. 473 00:40:05,600 --> 00:40:08,633 And it's colossal! 474 00:40:09,700 --> 00:40:14,267 Buhen's vast footprint covers an area 20 times larger than Fort Uronarti. 475 00:40:17,367 --> 00:40:21,000 Its perimeter wall, almost a mile circuit. 476 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:26,367 The 36 foot high walls dominate the riverfront. 477 00:40:29,400 --> 00:40:33,367 This is Fort Buhen in all its original glory. 478 00:40:35,000 --> 00:40:39,233 And everything about it is designed to intimidate. 479 00:40:42,867 --> 00:40:45,233 LAUREL: It really shows the state power. 480 00:40:45,267 --> 00:40:47,700 It puts it outside so it's not just a symbol to the Egyptians, 481 00:40:47,733 --> 00:40:49,800 it's a symbol to other people. 482 00:40:49,833 --> 00:40:52,300 JON: These forts were clearly about military power. 483 00:40:52,333 --> 00:40:53,833 They were about domination. 484 00:40:53,867 --> 00:40:56,733 -One of the purposes of this monument is to be imposing. 485 00:40:57,967 --> 00:41:02,967 NARRATOR: The monumental scale of Buhen is designed to terrify the Kushite enemy and 486 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:07,000 proudly display military architecture so advanced, 487 00:41:07,033 --> 00:41:10,167 that it makes any raid on it, futile. 488 00:41:10,967 --> 00:41:17,000 STEVEN: What's unbelievable is if I told you, that all of the features that you find in 489 00:41:17,033 --> 00:41:21,967 mediaeval European forts were already in place 490 00:41:22,000 --> 00:41:27,067 in these mud brick forts 2000 to 1800 BC in Egypt, 491 00:41:27,100 --> 00:41:29,367 you would say no, you're wrong. 492 00:41:31,000 --> 00:41:34,667 NARRATOR: 3,000 years before the famous castles of Europe are built, 493 00:41:34,700 --> 00:41:39,767 Fort Buhen has a dry moat, a fortified gateway, 494 00:41:42,200 --> 00:41:46,067 defensive battlements and sophisticated arrow loops 495 00:41:46,100 --> 00:41:49,700 with a firing arc of 180 degrees. 496 00:41:51,200 --> 00:41:56,367 -Basically, everything that you come to love about a mediaeval fort is already 497 00:41:56,400 --> 00:42:00,300 there in the Middle Kingdom forts in Egypt. 498 00:42:04,333 --> 00:42:09,667 NARRATOR: It seems the intimidating power of the forts achieves its aim. 499 00:42:11,100 --> 00:42:16,067 Archaeological investigations here uncover almost no evidence of fighting. 500 00:42:17,667 --> 00:42:21,933 Is this lack of violence, a clue that the Nile frontier has another, 501 00:42:21,967 --> 00:42:25,067 entirely different purpose? 502 00:42:25,967 --> 00:42:29,167 Evidence lies deep inside Fort Buhen. 503 00:42:30,233 --> 00:42:35,400 Archaeologists believe that within the citadel lies a complex of enormous silos for 504 00:42:35,433 --> 00:42:38,433 storing precious grain. 505 00:42:40,867 --> 00:42:44,733 -The size of those granaries means that they could hold way more food than is necessary 506 00:42:44,767 --> 00:42:48,833 for the number of people who would have lived at Buhen and that's an important clue for 507 00:42:48,867 --> 00:42:52,467 us in terms of the economic activity that's going on. 508 00:42:53,467 --> 00:42:56,733 NARRATOR: Egypt is trading grain for gold. 509 00:42:58,200 --> 00:43:01,233 The forts not only dominate Ancient Egypt's southern neighbors, 510 00:43:01,267 --> 00:43:05,333 they also guard the trade routes from the gold mines of Nubia. 511 00:43:07,733 --> 00:43:10,533 To the Egyptians, gold is all important. 512 00:43:11,033 --> 00:43:14,033 And Nubia is the main source. 513 00:43:14,400 --> 00:43:19,267 The Pharaohs and their wealthiest subjects wear gold and cover their coffins with it 514 00:43:19,300 --> 00:43:22,300 as the ultimate symbol of power. 515 00:43:23,700 --> 00:43:27,067 -The building of the fortresses was an attempt to impose a trading monopoly on 516 00:43:27,100 --> 00:43:29,700 gold coming up from the south and to make sure that this is 517 00:43:29,733 --> 00:43:32,700 all happening through the Egyptian state. 518 00:43:33,200 --> 00:43:37,800 NARRATOR: No one can pass through this 200-mile stretch of territory undetected. 519 00:43:38,900 --> 00:43:42,933 Filled with soldiers, the forts form an effective surveillance system designed 520 00:43:42,967 --> 00:43:46,633 to trap thieves, smugglers and raiders. 521 00:43:47,800 --> 00:43:51,000 By ensuring all trade happens inside the forts 522 00:43:51,033 --> 00:43:54,633 Egypt secures the best of the deals for itself. 523 00:43:58,467 --> 00:44:02,233 These are the Fort Knoxes of the Ancient Egyptian world, 524 00:44:02,267 --> 00:44:05,367 trading gold and defending it from attack. 525 00:44:06,833 --> 00:44:12,333 Inside both Fort Uronarti and Fort Buhen there are clues to the scale of that operation. 526 00:44:16,000 --> 00:44:19,200 -This space was a barracks house, and this is a pattern 527 00:44:19,233 --> 00:44:22,133 we see repeated throughout the fortress. 528 00:44:22,367 --> 00:44:27,600 NARRATOR: Buhen reveals many similar barracks, divided into larger communal areas and 529 00:44:28,533 --> 00:44:33,533 smaller rooms that archaeologists identify as sleeping quarters. 530 00:44:36,333 --> 00:44:38,800 -We can calculate how many people might have been able to 531 00:44:38,833 --> 00:44:41,067 sleep in the fortress at any given time. 532 00:44:41,100 --> 00:44:45,000 From the space that's here it's a fairly decent space but if you think of soldiers lying 533 00:44:45,033 --> 00:44:48,900 close next to one another this could pack ten people in this room with no problem and if 534 00:44:48,933 --> 00:44:54,500 you think I'm relatively tall for an ancient Egyptian but if I lie here with my companions 535 00:44:54,700 --> 00:44:57,933 next to me you can get 10 of us in this room with no problem. 536 00:44:58,967 --> 00:45:03,900 NARRATOR: Scaling up, it's estimated that Uronarti could house 400 soldiers. 537 00:45:05,100 --> 00:45:08,733 And Buhen thousands more. 538 00:45:10,767 --> 00:45:14,633 -So you're looking at a multi-functional, multi-purpose facility that 539 00:45:14,667 --> 00:45:19,933 was vibrant and alive and was like a little city contained within itself. 540 00:45:21,067 --> 00:45:26,633 NARRATOR: At full capacity the whole fortress system could be packed with 10,000 soldiers, 541 00:45:26,667 --> 00:45:29,933 scribes and officials. 542 00:45:30,667 --> 00:45:35,500 Operating such an advanced frontier in far-flung lands is the pinnacle of 543 00:45:35,533 --> 00:45:38,867 Ancient Egypt's military achievement. 544 00:45:41,467 --> 00:45:44,200 An organizational feat on a scale that's similar to 545 00:45:44,233 --> 00:45:47,467 the building of the great pyramids. 546 00:45:48,867 --> 00:45:52,400 -You can see how this architecture enables this activity and really this 547 00:45:52,433 --> 00:45:57,300 bustling city on the edge of the Nile here at the edge of the world. 548 00:46:03,300 --> 00:46:07,533 NARRATOR: Ancient Egypt's forts protect its unique civilization from invasion and 549 00:46:09,100 --> 00:46:12,533 enable it to control the gold trade. 550 00:46:13,300 --> 00:46:16,933 Bringing glorification to its Pharaohs for the centuries to come. 551 00:46:26,067 --> 00:46:30,667 By the 1st Century BC the Ancient Egyptians are no more. 552 00:46:32,933 --> 00:46:37,767 But the mysteries they leave behind beneath the Nile Valley are a permanent reminder of 553 00:46:37,800 --> 00:46:40,533 their extraordinary culture. 554 00:46:42,500 --> 00:46:45,467 The legacy of Ancient Egypt lives on. 555 00:46:46,300 --> 00:46:51,000 Its architectural treasures, remarkable beliefs, 556 00:46:52,367 --> 00:46:55,533 formidable state power, 557 00:46:55,567 --> 00:47:01,900 and its golden voyages between the worlds of the living and the dead. 558 00:47:07,367 --> 00:47:08,567 Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.