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The one thing
you've learnt,
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which they never teach
you in University,
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is how to do archaeology
with your toes.
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I can feel a lot of silt,
Nile silt, that's very,
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very fine sand.
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On the
banks of the Nile,
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archaeologists are
investigating a temple that
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they think
Tutankhamun restored.
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I'm hitting a very
thick layer of stone.
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Evidence of the
boy king's reign may lie
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at the bottom of
this mysterious pit.
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This is going
to be hard work.
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The tomb of
Tutankhamen in Egypt's
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Valley of the Kings.
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When Tutankhamun's burial
chamber was first discovered,
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at its heart,
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lay an unimaginable treasure:
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The mummy of the boy king,
who died tragically young.
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He remains one of the
most mysterious and famous
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of all the pharaohs.
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Let's go, let's do it.
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Now, across Egypt
teams of archaeologists
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00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:18,760
investigate the unsolved
secrets of Tutankhamun.
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Where did he get so much gold?
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How did he control
his kingdom?
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And could experts have
missed anything when they
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first entered his tomb?
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Egyptologist Aliaa Ismail,
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aged just 30,
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runs an Egyptian team
digitally scanning and
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preserving data in the
Valley of the Kings.
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The team had previously
scanned and stored every inch
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of Tutankhamun's tomb.
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Now, Aliaa is heading back
on a mission of her own.
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Did the young pharaoh leave
more secrets yet to be found?
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The pioneering archaeologist
Howard Carter discovered
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Tutankhamun's tomb in 1922.
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It was the biggest and
still is the biggest discovery
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in ancient Egyptian antiquities.
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For Egyptologists, this was
like a marking point in time,
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finding a huge treasure
with all the golden masks,
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the coffins.
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Howard Carter
kept a detailed diary.
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It seemed that
Carter was on the brink of
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giving up and then suddenly
the treasure opens up.
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"Looking at his diary,
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It soon became obvious
that we were but on the
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threshold of the discovery,
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the site that met us was beyond
anything one could conceive."
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Carter discovered the tomb,
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with Tutankhamun's
sarcophagus and mummy,
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and rooms piled
high with treasures.
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The tomb, it's so
neat now but when Carter
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came in here this place
was cluttered with objects.
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In here, you would have had
the shrines of Tutankhamun,
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and then the sarcophagus
and then the coffins within.
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And within the coffins,
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the final layer would
be the mummy itself.
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But Carter's journal
holds a surprising revelation.
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He may not have been
the first to enter the
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chamber after all.
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Clearing the rubble
from the tomb,
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Carter discovered that someone
had cut a hole in the slab,
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sealing the entrance.
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Inside, more signs
of a break-in.
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Some of Tutankhamun's treasures had
been knocked over,
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damaged,
or strewn across the floor.
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The robbers must
have been in a rush,
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as they dropped
precious items,
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such as gold rings
wrapped in a scarf.
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Luckily for Carter,
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they didn't take the
most valuable treasure:
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the sarcophagus
of Tutankhamun and his
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famous death mask.
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Carter must have been
in true awe seeing this mask
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just out there, just the
biggest find of the century.
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Shortly after
the first robbery,
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the tomb was looted again.
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It was re-sealed
and preserved,
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leaving a chaotic
mess inside for Carter
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3,000 years later.
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He searched the tomb, but
he didn't have the modern day
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00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:45,880
scanning equipment Aliaa uses.
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The technology could
actually bring about things
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that no one thought once
could have ever existed.
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Can Aliaa's hi-tech
scanning
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reveal the secrets
of Tutankhamun
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the robbers
and Carter missed?
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At Gebel El-Silsila...
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Alright guys...
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Let's go and
find the lost temple.
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Director of the
Swedish Archaeological mission
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Maria Nilsson...
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Come on.
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Messa.
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Her husband,
archaeologist John Ward,
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and their dog, Carter...
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Come on.
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Are arriving
on the banks of the Nile
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with their team.
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Let's go, let's do it.
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They're
investigating a riverside
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temple that could have been
restored by Tutankhamun.
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Come on guys.
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Most of what
archaeologists know about the
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boy king comes from his tomb.
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But 100 years
since its discovery,
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experts are exploring beyond
the Valley of the Kings
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to find out more
about Tutankhamun's short
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life and reign.
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When Tutankhamun
came to power,
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it was all about restoring
what his father had neglected.
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So he had a task of
restoring all the grand
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monuments across Egypt.
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We going that way?
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Maria and John think
they may have found
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one of these restoration projects.
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Gebel El-Silsila was home to
a vast quarry and workforce
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during Tutankhamun's time.
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We know that we got his
quarries here so there's a lot
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of activity here on site from
the reign of Tutankhamen.
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Maria and John
have discovered the worker's
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village at Gebel El-Silsila,
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and the foundations of a
temple right next to the Nile.
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This is
the rear of temple.
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We've still got the grid
lines which show us where
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the actual walls used to be.
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And these would
have stood in this,
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literally right where
we're standing right now.
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We've got the here,
and we would have had a pylon
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gate at the front
facing the west.
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If this temple
was restored by Tutankhamun,
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why did he restore it,
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and which gods
were worshiped here?
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Finding new evidence
could help unravel the story
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of his reign.
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Maria and John are focusing
their work on a mysterious
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purpose-built pit within
the temple complex.
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This was an entire
mound with a tree growing out
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the middle of it.
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And the hunch was that
there was something beneath here,
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because the tree
had to have a water source.
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Once we cleared all that area,
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we started to find the dressed
slabs that went around,
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and now we have the pit.
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We just don't know what
the function of it is.
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The only way to
find out is for John
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to get in and have a look.
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So is the water
going down, Ahmed?
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But first they
have to pump the water out.
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That should be clear.
There's water seeping in from somewhere.
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The problem is that as
soon as we pump all the water out,
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it just seeps back in again,
and every time it seeps
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back in again it brings all
the clay and the mud with it
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and puts it in the center,
and the problem is that these boys
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are trying to work in a muddy slurry,
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and it's pretty disgusting
down there.
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But as workers
pump water from the pit,
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Maria gets an urgent call from
the other side of the temple.
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Hey, there.
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I think Ibrahim
has something again.
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He's done it again.
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In Abbad...
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Hey, Marcus.
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Director of the
French archaeology mission,
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Thomas Faucher,
and American Archaeologist
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Jennifer Gates-Foster...
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Are you ready?
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Are also
investigating one of
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Tutankhamun's secrets:
The source of his gold.
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There are no gold
mines along the Nile,
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where Tutankhamun and most
ancient Egyptians lived.
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So Thomas and Jennifer
are venturing far from
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Tutankhamun's tomb deep
into the Eastern Desert.
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They hope a site here can
reveal how he got his gold.
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Without question
it was a critical resource
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for filling the
Egyptian states coffers.
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What does it take to have
a solid gold death mask?
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What does it take
to have a throne covered
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completely in gold foil?
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Well, it takes generations of exploration
in a rough environment
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to find that gold,
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to process it,
and then to eventually have it
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end up in Tut's tombs.
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When priests
laid Tutankhamun to rest,
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they covered his face with a
death mask made of more than
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20 pounds of pure gold,
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then enclosed
his mummy in three exquisite
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golden coffins sealing them
inside a stone sarcophagus,
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surrounded by four shrines
covered in beaten gold.
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The priests crammed the
adjoining chambers with
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hundreds of gold and gilt treasures.
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In total, Tutankhamun
was buried with more than
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264 pounds of gold.
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How did the boy
king amass so much?
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In Egypt's Eastern Desert,
there are vast gold deposits.
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Thomas has been
investigating here since 2011
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and has discovered evidence
of ancient gold miners
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working out here.
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But they're hundreds of miles
from Tutankhamun's capital
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and in the middle of one
of the most-deadly landscapes
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in the world.
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How did his ancient miners
get his gold from way out here?
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You need like
a week by donkey or camel
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to cross the Eastern Desert.
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00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:14,280
You'll just die,
because you won't have any--
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00:11:14,360 --> 00:11:15,360
any water or food supplies.
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00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:24,560
Last year, Thomas and Jennifer
excavated an ancient fortress,
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00:11:24,640 --> 00:11:27,640
a vital safe haven
in this vast wilderness.
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00:11:27,720 --> 00:11:29,680
It probably had a little
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00:11:29,760 --> 00:11:31,960
out flair sort of flint,
yeah, kind of a flint...
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00:11:32,040 --> 00:11:34,440
They've uncovered
remarkable evidence that the
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00:11:34,520 --> 00:11:38,160
site dates to the Greek
era of Egyptian history,
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00:11:38,240 --> 00:11:43,240
1,000 years after Tutankhamun.
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00:11:43,320 --> 00:11:44,840
Well this--
this season we have had an
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00:11:44,920 --> 00:11:46,560
extraordinary amount of material.
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This is a really lovely
little, probably,
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00:11:49,680 --> 00:11:51,480
a perfume vessel.
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00:11:51,560 --> 00:11:55,480
But they suspect
the site could be far older.
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00:11:55,560 --> 00:11:58,960
The team needs to go deeper
beneath the fortress to know
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00:11:59,040 --> 00:12:02,360
if Tutankhamun's
workers were here
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00:12:02,440 --> 00:12:06,960
and that he got his gold
from the Eastern Desert.
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We found more
shards like down the level,
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00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:16,560
and as you see we're underneath
the level of the fortress,
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00:12:16,640 --> 00:12:19,480
so if we can find
the ceramics dating from the
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00:12:19,560 --> 00:12:22,520
time of Tutankhamun
that would be great.
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But their work
here is under threat.
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00:12:26,360 --> 00:12:29,320
Large areas of Abbad have
been bulldozed in the
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00:12:29,400 --> 00:12:31,720
past year for agricultural use.
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All the--all these
traces here and all the parts
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00:12:35,320 --> 00:12:38,240
here have been like completely,
completely destroyed.
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00:12:38,320 --> 00:12:41,120
But another,
more dangerous threat comes
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00:12:41,200 --> 00:12:43,840
from modern-day treasure hunters
and looters
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who target sites in a futile search
for gold.
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The longer Thomas
and Jennifer excavate here,
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00:12:49,880 --> 00:12:52,880
the more unwanted
attention they attract.
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And you'll see the--
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00:12:54,040 --> 00:12:57,360
the cars coming and going all day long.
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00:12:57,440 --> 00:12:59,840
People think that because
it's an ancient site,
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00:12:59,920 --> 00:13:02,600
they will find gold like
they could find gold in the--
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00:13:02,680 --> 00:13:06,120
in Karnak or in Luxor
or in these old temples.
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00:13:06,200 --> 00:13:09,760
They're in a race
to find out if Tutankhamun got
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00:13:09,840 --> 00:13:12,880
his gold from the Eastern Desert
before looters and
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00:13:12,960 --> 00:13:15,800
farmers destroy the evidence.
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00:13:15,880 --> 00:13:17,960
We're just like
running from one site to the
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00:13:18,040 --> 00:13:22,120
other like trying to save as
much data as possible before--
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00:13:22,200 --> 00:13:23,360
before it's all gone.
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At Silsila...
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00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:33,800
You are amazing.
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00:13:33,880 --> 00:13:36,160
Maria and John's
long-term colleague
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00:13:36,240 --> 00:13:38,800
Ibrahim Awadallah
Mohammed Jad
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00:13:38,880 --> 00:13:41,800
has found a clue beneath the
ruins of the temple complex.
253
00:13:41,880 --> 00:13:45,520
Oh wow.
254
00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:50,080
Here we have a crocodile
who's described as Sobek,
255
00:13:50,160 --> 00:13:55,120
Lord of Henney,
Lord of the ancient Silsila.
256
00:13:55,200 --> 00:13:56,440
And I'm holding
it in my hand.
257
00:13:56,520 --> 00:13:59,320
Yeah.
Wow.
258
00:13:59,400 --> 00:14:03,400
It's amazing.
It is fragmentary.
259
00:14:03,480 --> 00:14:05,600
We're missing the head.
260
00:14:05,680 --> 00:14:09,640
It confirms everything
that we've been
261
00:14:09,720 --> 00:14:14,800
trying to understand the last years.
262
00:14:14,880 --> 00:14:18,040
Statuettes like this one would
have been brought to the temple
263
00:14:18,120 --> 00:14:22,920
by worshippers as an offering
to the crocodile god Sobek.
264
00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:24,520
Isn't it beautiful?
It is.
265
00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:26,960
Isn't it beautiful?
It's our first.
266
00:14:27,040 --> 00:14:30,320
This is as close as you get
to the ancient people without
267
00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:31,720
actually going back in time.
268
00:14:31,800 --> 00:14:33,080
And made from Silsila Stone.
269
00:14:33,160 --> 00:14:35,280
And made from local stone.
270
00:14:35,360 --> 00:14:39,160
Oh, it's fantastic;
that is fantastic.
271
00:14:39,240 --> 00:14:42,160
The statuette of
the God Sobek can help Maria
272
00:14:42,240 --> 00:14:45,120
and John understand
the purpose of the temple,
273
00:14:45,200 --> 00:14:50,040
and why Tutankhamun
may have restored it.
274
00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:56,080
Sobek appears as a crocodile,
a dangerous predator here.
275
00:14:56,160 --> 00:14:58,000
We've now got high water,
276
00:14:58,080 --> 00:15:01,680
but during the low season,
when the water is down,
277
00:15:01,760 --> 00:15:04,320
on the other side
and all the way up here,
278
00:15:04,400 --> 00:15:08,400
it would just be
infested with crocodiles.
279
00:15:11,440 --> 00:15:12,800
Crocodiles were a constant,
280
00:15:12,880 --> 00:15:18,040
deadly threat for anyone
who worked near the Nile.
281
00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:22,520
The ancient Egyptians
worshipped the crocodile god, Sobek.
282
00:15:22,600 --> 00:15:25,280
He was the mythical
creator of the Nile
283
00:15:25,360 --> 00:15:30,440
and made the land fertile.
284
00:15:30,520 --> 00:15:34,240
The pharaohs built temples
on the Nile to Sobek,
285
00:15:34,320 --> 00:15:38,600
where he was worshipped to
preserve the life-giving waters,
286
00:15:38,680 --> 00:15:43,880
and to protect the
people from its dangers.
287
00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:47,320
Priests even kept live
crocodiles at their temples
288
00:15:47,400 --> 00:15:50,320
to worship as incarnations of Sobek.
289
00:15:55,000 --> 00:15:57,520
It would make sense
for Tutankhamun to restore
290
00:15:57,600 --> 00:16:02,040
a temple to Sobek here.
291
00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:04,920
Tutankhamen's quarries
here in Silsila required
292
00:16:05,000 --> 00:16:09,200
a massive workforce, and to
keep them safe and protected,
293
00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:12,000
Tutankhamen would
have used this temple.
294
00:16:12,080 --> 00:16:14,600
He would have used his
association with the God Sobek
295
00:16:14,680 --> 00:16:17,440
to empower himself
to show that he was the great
296
00:16:17,520 --> 00:16:19,680
protector and that he
could look after them in
297
00:16:19,760 --> 00:16:22,240
such a harsh environment.
298
00:16:22,320 --> 00:16:24,720
Could the pit
beside the temple have been
299
00:16:24,800 --> 00:16:31,400
used to keep crocodiles?
300
00:16:31,480 --> 00:16:34,320
We know from other
sites they kept crocodiles
301
00:16:34,400 --> 00:16:37,520
as part of the state religion.
302
00:16:37,600 --> 00:16:41,040
I think what we have here is
actually a crocodile pit where
303
00:16:41,120 --> 00:16:44,160
they would have kept them
literally in here and fed them.
304
00:16:44,240 --> 00:16:46,160
From where I'm standing now,
the priests would have just
305
00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:50,280
literally thrown the food down to them.
306
00:16:50,360 --> 00:16:52,680
The team has
finished pumping the water,
307
00:16:52,760 --> 00:16:55,320
and it's time to see if
they can find any evidence
308
00:16:55,400 --> 00:16:58,080
for this extraordinary theory.
309
00:16:58,160 --> 00:17:01,560
He's lifting
the stone out on his shoulder.
310
00:17:01,640 --> 00:17:04,440
But it's dangerous
work to clear the stones
311
00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:06,640
from the depths of the pit.
312
00:17:06,720 --> 00:17:09,680
Ali, Mohammed.
313
00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:14,320
We're about to do the
gang pull of a stone slab.
314
00:17:20,280 --> 00:17:24,600
Abbad is located in an 85,000
square mile wilderness,
315
00:17:24,680 --> 00:17:28,040
between Tutankhamun's
palaces along the Nile,
316
00:17:28,120 --> 00:17:31,480
and gold mines in the east.
317
00:17:31,560 --> 00:17:35,360
Jennifer is on the hunt for clues
that Tutankhamun's gold workers
318
00:17:35,440 --> 00:17:39,120
used this safe haven.
319
00:17:39,200 --> 00:17:42,360
It would unlock one of
Tutankhamun's secrets
320
00:17:42,440 --> 00:17:44,720
and be evidence he got
the gold for his glittering
321
00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:48,760
shrine from mines in the Eastern Desert.
322
00:17:48,840 --> 00:17:51,000
It takes
a lot of people's lives
323
00:17:51,080 --> 00:17:54,920
dedicated to this space
out here working, dying,
324
00:17:55,000 --> 00:17:57,360
trying to survive to
find that gold and then
325
00:17:57,440 --> 00:18:00,240
to eventually have
it end up in Tut's tombs.
326
00:18:05,160 --> 00:18:07,320
Okay.
327
00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:11,120
The clues, artifacts
dating to Tutankhamun's era
328
00:18:11,200 --> 00:18:16,080
could lie beneath the ruins
of this ancient fortress.
329
00:18:16,160 --> 00:18:20,920
3-D scans of the site
show the scale of the task.
330
00:18:21,000 --> 00:18:23,960
The fortress of
Abbad covers an area
331
00:18:24,040 --> 00:18:28,200
of 8,000-square feet with 18 rooms.
332
00:18:28,280 --> 00:18:33,120
It's like looking for a needle
underneath a giant haystack.
333
00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:36,840
But as the team
works their way through the
334
00:18:36,920 --> 00:18:39,280
rooms two feet below the fortress,
335
00:18:39,360 --> 00:18:42,280
they uncover something.
336
00:18:42,360 --> 00:18:45,240
You can see on this
shard of pottery that there is
337
00:18:45,320 --> 00:18:47,920
a bit of writing text
about three letters,
338
00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:52,200
and these letters is demotic
and demotic is the writing of
339
00:18:52,280 --> 00:18:53,560
the ancient Egyptian.
340
00:18:53,640 --> 00:18:57,320
It's really a unique
piece of evidence.
341
00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:01,440
The ancient Egyptians
wrote on broken pottery.
342
00:19:01,520 --> 00:19:03,080
Because papyri
was so expensive,
343
00:19:03,160 --> 00:19:05,360
usually they didn't use
it in the desert except
344
00:19:05,440 --> 00:19:07,000
for very official letters.
345
00:19:07,080 --> 00:19:10,240
So it's easy to pick up a pottery shard
and to write on it.
346
00:19:10,320 --> 00:19:13,280
They were like taking it
and putting in the rubbish bin.
347
00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:17,800
So I'd say it's really
thrilling to find this text.
348
00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:19,640
The pottery is
still not old enough to be
349
00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:23,000
from Tutankhamun's time,
350
00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:25,480
but it's clear progress...
351
00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:28,480
a sign the team
are on the right track.
352
00:19:28,560 --> 00:19:30,640
And if they keep on digging,
353
00:19:30,720 --> 00:19:32,920
they might reach pottery
or other remnants of
354
00:19:33,000 --> 00:19:38,280
Tutankhamun's era and
evidence his gold workers
355
00:19:38,360 --> 00:19:42,600
came through the fortress of
Abbad with gold for his tomb.
356
00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:53,480
At Gebel El-Silsila,
357
00:19:53,560 --> 00:19:55,880
Maria and John have
been working and living
358
00:19:55,960 --> 00:19:57,320
with their two children,
359
00:19:57,400 --> 00:20:02,120
Freja and Jonathan,
on a boat on the Nile.
360
00:20:02,200 --> 00:20:05,720
For ten years, they have split
their time between Sweden and Egypt
361
00:20:05,800 --> 00:20:08,520
to complete their work
and feed their passion
362
00:20:08,600 --> 00:20:12,640
for discovering more about
this ancient civilization.
363
00:20:12,720 --> 00:20:15,880
Four, two, one.
364
00:20:15,960 --> 00:20:19,480
Yeah.
365
00:20:19,560 --> 00:20:20,560
Ready to jump in?
366
00:20:20,640 --> 00:20:24,360
I am indeed.
It's been so hot today.
367
00:20:24,440 --> 00:20:28,640
What a place for the
kids to jump in and cool off.
368
00:20:28,720 --> 00:20:32,000
You haven't--you haven't
lived unless you've swam in the Nile,
369
00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:33,840
and the kids will be able to have
that for the rest of their lives...
370
00:20:33,920 --> 00:20:34,920
That's true.
371
00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:37,480
And thankfully
there's no crocodiles.
372
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,360
Come on then.
373
00:20:43,320 --> 00:20:47,880
They can relax
at the end of a hot day,
374
00:20:47,960 --> 00:20:51,680
but there's little time left to complete
their work this season,
375
00:20:51,760 --> 00:20:55,400
and they have
a busy few days ahead.
376
00:20:57,280 --> 00:21:00,080
They are investigating
a temple that they believe
377
00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:05,000
was restored by Tutankhamun
378
00:21:05,080 --> 00:21:08,080
and a deep pit that could have
held crocodiles
379
00:21:08,160 --> 00:21:11,360
worshipped as incarnations
of the God Sobek.
380
00:21:11,440 --> 00:21:13,520
Well done, Hussain.
381
00:21:13,600 --> 00:21:16,520
It's filled up
with a thick layer of mud,
382
00:21:16,600 --> 00:21:20,200
and a huge stone is
blocking their progress.
383
00:21:20,280 --> 00:21:23,120
The ladder could snap
in half; the rope could snap.
384
00:21:23,200 --> 00:21:25,760
Watch your toe.
Watch your toes.
385
00:21:25,840 --> 00:21:27,560
They need to get it out.
386
00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:29,080
They could drop
the stone on their feet.
387
00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:31,320
I mean, there's a
multitude of problems that
388
00:21:31,400 --> 00:21:33,200
could go wrong here.
389
00:21:33,280 --> 00:21:34,680
No, that's not going to work, boys.
That's not going to work.
390
00:21:34,760 --> 00:21:36,160
It's going to tip;
it's going to tip it.
391
00:21:36,240 --> 00:21:37,600
But it's not going to be easy.
392
00:21:37,680 --> 00:21:41,560
Watch your toes;
watch your toes.
393
00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:49,760
Well done, guys!
394
00:21:49,840 --> 00:21:52,240
Now that the
slab has been removed,
395
00:21:52,320 --> 00:21:54,920
they can see that exploring
the pit is going to be harder
396
00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:56,800
than they thought.
397
00:21:56,880 --> 00:21:59,960
They all thought the
"heba," this clay substance,
398
00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:02,520
was just the floor,
and that was it.
399
00:22:02,600 --> 00:22:05,480
There's a thick layer of mud at the
400
00:22:05,560 --> 00:22:07,760
bottom of the pit.
401
00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,480
Ahmed is now able to put his palm
frond all the way down,
402
00:22:11,560 --> 00:22:13,280
showing that there is
actually much, much more,
403
00:22:13,360 --> 00:22:15,360
over a meter and a half more to go
404
00:22:15,440 --> 00:22:20,600
after they've gone through
this clay substance.
405
00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:22,960
John decides it's
time for him to get down in
406
00:22:23,040 --> 00:22:26,400
the pit himself to search
through the mud for evidence
407
00:22:26,480 --> 00:22:29,120
that dates to Tutankhamun's reign.
408
00:22:29,200 --> 00:22:32,520
Oh.
409
00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:39,040
In the Valley of The Kings
410
00:22:39,120 --> 00:22:42,400
Aliaa is on a mission to
discover the unsolved secrets
411
00:22:42,480 --> 00:22:48,840
of Tutankhamun that
Howard Carter may have missed.
412
00:22:48,920 --> 00:22:50,600
To investigate further,
413
00:22:50,680 --> 00:22:53,240
Aliaa has come
to Stoppelaere House,
414
00:22:53,320 --> 00:22:55,760
where she heads up a scanning
team who use the latest
415
00:22:55,840 --> 00:23:00,920
technology to study tombs
in the Valley of the Kings.
416
00:23:03,200 --> 00:23:06,680
This is our
3-D scanning center.
417
00:23:06,760 --> 00:23:10,240
This is where we process all
the data that we have scanned.
418
00:23:10,320 --> 00:23:13,360
I have been scanning for
the last six years of my life,
419
00:23:13,440 --> 00:23:15,360
and this is so exciting.
420
00:23:15,440 --> 00:23:20,720
It's like you're
peeling back the layers.
421
00:23:20,800 --> 00:23:22,800
Aliaa thinks
the previous scans of
422
00:23:22,880 --> 00:23:29,360
Tutankhamun's tomb may have revealed
something extraordinary...
423
00:23:29,440 --> 00:23:33,600
Something that Howard Carter
would never have found.
424
00:23:36,560 --> 00:23:38,480
Looking at the color image,
425
00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,000
you can't really see much.
426
00:23:41,080 --> 00:23:44,840
Very beautiful,
but once we remove the layer of color
427
00:23:44,920 --> 00:23:47,240
and just look at the 3-D,
428
00:23:47,320 --> 00:23:52,200
the greyscale, it's very
obvious that there's no carving,
429
00:23:52,280 --> 00:23:54,360
it was just plaster and paint.
430
00:23:54,440 --> 00:24:00,040
When you look deeper,
you see sort of a shadow
431
00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:03,200
in here all the way to here.
432
00:24:03,280 --> 00:24:06,600
Almost inclined to believe
that this is a sort of
433
00:24:06,680 --> 00:24:09,800
passageway or doorway.
434
00:24:09,880 --> 00:24:11,680
It was with these scans
435
00:24:11,760 --> 00:24:15,080
that scholars were
able to review and reveal
436
00:24:15,160 --> 00:24:19,600
something might be lying
just behind the north wall.
437
00:24:19,680 --> 00:24:22,640
The lines aren't
visible to the naked eye,
438
00:24:22,720 --> 00:24:25,920
but this tantalizing
evidence that there might be
439
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,160
a lost chamber hidden
in Tutankhamun's tomb
440
00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:33,800
has sparked years of
exploration and controversy.
441
00:24:33,880 --> 00:24:37,760
It sort of gives us
hope that there's a tomb
442
00:24:37,840 --> 00:24:40,760
just sealed off in half
and somebody else,
443
00:24:40,840 --> 00:24:42,320
another occupant.
444
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:46,480
You know, there's possibility.
445
00:24:46,560 --> 00:24:52,080
A lost chamber of Tutankhamun's
tomb would rewrite history.
446
00:24:52,160 --> 00:24:56,640
But what or who could
be behind a secret door?
447
00:25:03,800 --> 00:25:05,680
At Gebel El El-Silsila...
448
00:25:05,760 --> 00:25:06,760
Come on.
449
00:25:06,840 --> 00:25:10,480
John Ward descends
into a foul-smelling pit.
450
00:25:10,560 --> 00:25:11,560
Oh.
451
00:25:11,640 --> 00:25:13,280
He's looking for
evidence that this was
452
00:25:13,360 --> 00:25:18,400
a ceremonial pit used during
the reign of Tutankhamun,
453
00:25:18,480 --> 00:25:22,920
a pit that he thinks was
used to keep crocodiles.
454
00:25:23,000 --> 00:25:26,120
But the bottom is covered
in a thick layer of mud.
455
00:25:26,200 --> 00:25:28,400
The thing that we've learned,
456
00:25:28,480 --> 00:25:30,720
which they never teach
you in university,
457
00:25:30,800 --> 00:25:35,080
is how to do archaeology
with your toes.
458
00:25:35,160 --> 00:25:38,760
And I'm being serious,
because of course you can't see,
459
00:25:38,840 --> 00:25:40,200
so you use your fingers.
460
00:25:40,280 --> 00:25:43,000
And what I can feel,
I can feel a lot of silt.
461
00:25:43,080 --> 00:25:47,680
As I'm going deeper,
I can feel very small stone.
462
00:25:47,760 --> 00:25:49,800
It's sandstone fragments.
463
00:25:49,880 --> 00:25:52,760
I'm going deeper now, ooh,
I'm going very deep now.
464
00:25:52,840 --> 00:25:57,280
But toes can
only get you so far.
465
00:25:57,360 --> 00:26:01,240
Oh, that's lovely;
oh, man.
466
00:26:01,320 --> 00:26:03,560
What you got?
467
00:26:03,640 --> 00:26:05,120
No, it's salt.
468
00:26:05,200 --> 00:26:07,600
Salt stone.
469
00:26:07,680 --> 00:26:10,120
The silt and the mud
470
00:26:10,200 --> 00:26:14,680
goes much
deeper than we anticipated,
471
00:26:14,760 --> 00:26:18,440
but I'm hitting a very thick
layer of stone fragments,
472
00:26:18,520 --> 00:26:20,840
and I can't get past that.
473
00:26:22,280 --> 00:26:25,920
But time is running
out for John and the team.
474
00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:29,720
Tomorrow is the last day
of their excavation here.
475
00:26:29,800 --> 00:26:31,240
This is going
to take a lot more work
476
00:26:31,320 --> 00:26:32,840
than we first envisaged.
477
00:26:32,920 --> 00:26:34,760
Can you see anything, John?
478
00:26:34,840 --> 00:26:36,320
There's nothing to see;
479
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:38,920
it's all blind archaeology.
480
00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:44,400
I can feel beneath this mud brick mixture
there's a stone layer,
481
00:26:44,480 --> 00:26:48,200
and that's where
we're trying to get to.
482
00:26:48,280 --> 00:26:50,880
Come to Egypt they said;
work in the sand, they said.
483
00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:54,840
They didn't say thing
about water and mud.
484
00:26:54,920 --> 00:26:57,920
Coming up
to the end of the day.
485
00:26:58,000 --> 00:26:59,920
Yep, I know.
486
00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:01,960
With time running out,
487
00:27:02,040 --> 00:27:04,680
one of the workers locates
something hidden beneath
488
00:27:04,760 --> 00:27:06,280
the muddy water.
489
00:27:06,360 --> 00:27:08,400
Look, touch here.
490
00:27:08,480 --> 00:27:11,000
Could it be proof
this pit and temple complex
491
00:27:11,080 --> 00:27:15,520
was used during the
reign of Tutankhamun?
492
00:27:22,040 --> 00:27:24,280
In Luxor...
493
00:27:24,360 --> 00:27:27,840
Aliaa has returned to
the tomb of Tutankhamun
494
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:30,240
to investigate evidence
for a lost chamber
495
00:27:30,320 --> 00:27:33,920
behind the north wall.
496
00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:37,280
3-D scans uncovered what
some believe are outlines
497
00:27:37,360 --> 00:27:39,640
of a doorway.
498
00:27:39,720 --> 00:27:44,320
Does Tutankhamun's tomb
have more secrets to reveal?
499
00:27:44,400 --> 00:27:49,160
Some Egyptologists
think that there is a whole
500
00:27:49,240 --> 00:27:51,560
tomb behind this scene.
501
00:27:51,640 --> 00:27:56,440
The outline or shadow
falls within this area.
502
00:27:56,520 --> 00:27:59,640
It is exciting as
Egyptologists to think that
503
00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:02,320
there may be a whole huge treasure
504
00:28:02,400 --> 00:28:06,360
lying just there behind this wall
505
00:28:06,440 --> 00:28:09,440
waiting to be discovered.
506
00:28:09,520 --> 00:28:12,400
Outside,
Aliaa looks for clues to where
507
00:28:12,480 --> 00:28:16,080
a hidden tomb could lie.
508
00:28:16,160 --> 00:28:21,680
Here, there is the tomb of
Tutankhamen just beneath this mound,
509
00:28:21,760 --> 00:28:26,280
and if there is another tomb
that comes right out of it,
510
00:28:26,360 --> 00:28:29,280
it's going to be right there.
511
00:28:29,360 --> 00:28:33,240
The presence of another hidden
tomb here is a controversial theory,
512
00:28:33,320 --> 00:28:35,840
and it's difficult to prove.
513
00:28:35,920 --> 00:28:38,880
Archaeological excavation
in the Valley of the Kings
514
00:28:38,960 --> 00:28:43,040
is a danger to the
priceless tombs below.
515
00:28:43,120 --> 00:28:46,920
But there's another way
to look under the surface.
516
00:28:47,000 --> 00:28:50,680
Not long ago,
a team was allowed to come and do
517
00:28:50,760 --> 00:28:54,440
some ground penetrating
radar over here.
518
00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:57,680
Their radar was to show if
there was a potential in the
519
00:28:57,760 --> 00:29:01,520
theory that there may be
another tomb lying down
520
00:29:01,600 --> 00:29:03,400
beneath Tutankhamun.
521
00:29:03,480 --> 00:29:07,640
Ground penetrating
radar allows archaeologists to
522
00:29:07,720 --> 00:29:14,480
search for voids through rock
and behind the walls of tombs.
523
00:29:14,560 --> 00:29:20,400
The area around Tutankhamun's tomb
has been scanned multiple times before
524
00:29:20,480 --> 00:29:25,360
with conflicting results.
525
00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:32,000
But recent work by Egyptian
archaeologist Mamdouh Eldamaty
526
00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:38,200
poses a new and captivating possibility.
527
00:29:38,280 --> 00:29:39,880
In his radar scan,
528
00:29:39,960 --> 00:29:43,560
he detected a
32-foot-long space right next
529
00:29:43,640 --> 00:29:47,320
to Tutankhamun's tomb.
530
00:29:47,400 --> 00:29:50,680
If this is connected to the
room that may lie hidden
531
00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:54,280
behind the burial chamber,
this could be an undiscovered
532
00:29:54,360 --> 00:29:56,560
section of the tomb.
533
00:29:56,640 --> 00:30:00,200
These rooms would most
likely be untouched and filled
534
00:30:00,280 --> 00:30:05,640
with ancient treasures
and possibly another burial.
535
00:30:05,720 --> 00:30:10,200
Did Tutankhamun share his
tomb with someone else?
536
00:30:10,280 --> 00:30:13,280
The results of the
radar were incredible.
537
00:30:13,360 --> 00:30:17,280
Now it's so exciting to
think that there is another
538
00:30:17,360 --> 00:30:19,720
discovery yet to be made.
539
00:30:19,800 --> 00:30:23,360
We're all waiting to
see what this secret
540
00:30:23,440 --> 00:30:25,360
is going to reveal.
541
00:30:25,440 --> 00:30:29,280
If Tutankhamun's
tomb contains a hidden burial chamber,
542
00:30:29,360 --> 00:30:33,280
the question is,
who could be buried there?
543
00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:48,120
Thomas and Jennifer
are investigating
544
00:30:48,200 --> 00:30:50,800
one of Tutankhamun's secrets
545
00:30:50,880 --> 00:30:53,800
excavating under a
ruined fortress for evidence
546
00:30:53,880 --> 00:30:58,680
he got his gold from the
inhospitable Eastern Desert.
547
00:30:58,760 --> 00:31:02,120
Did his miners shelter here?
548
00:31:03,680 --> 00:31:07,200
The team has just found something,
549
00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:10,000
Stone blocks that offer
a tantalizing glimpse of
550
00:31:10,080 --> 00:31:15,280
a settlement from
Tutankhamun's time.
551
00:31:15,360 --> 00:31:17,000
So these are
architectural blocks.
552
00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:20,880
They carry some Hieroglyphic
inscription very faintly
553
00:31:20,960 --> 00:31:24,520
visible here which would
indicate that they were carved
554
00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,080
and set up in some sort of
building which dates to the
555
00:31:27,160 --> 00:31:28,680
reign of Tutankhamen.
556
00:31:28,760 --> 00:31:31,480
It's exciting, because that
gives us a sort of ballpark
557
00:31:31,560 --> 00:31:34,400
for the time when this
site was busy and active
558
00:31:34,480 --> 00:31:38,160
and important during the 18th Dynasty.
559
00:31:38,240 --> 00:31:41,600
Jennifer's team must
now move the precious blocks
560
00:31:41,680 --> 00:31:44,800
off site for further analysis.
561
00:31:44,880 --> 00:31:48,640
As they dig deeper into the
layers below the fortress,
562
00:31:48,720 --> 00:31:52,080
they uncover more clues
that this site was in use
563
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:54,640
in Tutankhamun's time.
564
00:31:54,720 --> 00:31:58,480
It is beautiful.
565
00:31:58,560 --> 00:32:00,440
This is a really distinctive,
566
00:32:00,520 --> 00:32:03,320
very different from
any of the Ptolemaic material,
567
00:32:03,400 --> 00:32:06,000
the Greek-style pottery
that we find in most
568
00:32:06,080 --> 00:32:09,360
of the rooms of the fort
that is really common.
569
00:32:09,440 --> 00:32:12,400
This kind of pottery,
which belongs to the New Kingdom,
570
00:32:12,480 --> 00:32:13,800
is not wheel-made.
571
00:32:13,880 --> 00:32:16,640
It's handmade, and you can
tell that by looking at the
572
00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:17,920
interior of the pot,
573
00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:20,720
which has a surface
which is very irregular
574
00:32:20,800 --> 00:32:24,560
and that it's been smoothed
with a smooth stone most likely.
575
00:32:24,640 --> 00:32:26,920
It's not just one or two pieces
576
00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:29,480
of Tutankhamun-era pottery.
577
00:32:29,560 --> 00:32:31,520
Jennifer's team is
revealing that the layers
578
00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:35,600
of earth beneath the fortress
are packed full of it.
579
00:32:35,680 --> 00:32:38,680
We have New Kingdom material
under the floors of rooms 20,
580
00:32:38,760 --> 00:32:41,880
19, 26, 18, and 17.
581
00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:45,480
But to have the fort now
documented on top of deposits
582
00:32:45,560 --> 00:32:48,160
that indicate some kind of
occupation in the New Kingdom,
583
00:32:48,240 --> 00:32:51,280
and that's really exciting.
584
00:32:51,360 --> 00:32:54,320
The discovery is
proof the site may have been
585
00:32:54,400 --> 00:32:58,040
used in Tutankhamun's
time by his gold workers.
586
00:32:58,120 --> 00:33:03,200
But the team has found another
remarkable clue concealed in the fortress.
587
00:33:03,280 --> 00:33:08,560
Cutting into the bedrock
60 feet below the surface is a well.
588
00:33:08,640 --> 00:33:12,520
It's a vital source of water that explains
why the safe haven
589
00:33:12,600 --> 00:33:16,680
and Tutankhamun's
gold workers were here.
590
00:33:16,760 --> 00:33:19,480
The well was built at
the time of Tutankhamun by the
591
00:33:19,560 --> 00:33:20,960
evidence we have now.
592
00:33:21,040 --> 00:33:24,840
It was, I guess, more precious than even
than gold for people
593
00:33:24,920 --> 00:33:31,120
that they can have water to go inside
the-- inside the desert.
594
00:33:31,200 --> 00:33:33,680
The evidence here
and at other sites reveals
595
00:33:33,760 --> 00:33:39,560
how Tutankhamun got his gold
from the remote Eastern Desert.
596
00:33:42,640 --> 00:33:46,440
Miners had to trek vast
distances from the Nile Valley
597
00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:52,480
across the hot, dry desert,
to reach the gold mines.
598
00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:55,800
Ancient engineers dug wells
along the route
599
00:33:55,880 --> 00:33:58,320
for precious drinking water.
600
00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:05,120
Each well was a day's
walk from the last,
601
00:34:05,200 --> 00:34:08,720
creating a network of vital rest stops.
602
00:34:12,880 --> 00:34:16,680
This allowed them to survive the brutal
journey across the desert
603
00:34:16,760 --> 00:34:20,720
to mine gold in the east
and bring it back to their pharaoh.
604
00:34:26,280 --> 00:34:31,360
Thomas and Jennifer have revealed one
of Tutankhamun's secrets.
605
00:34:31,440 --> 00:34:33,920
Sites like this were
a critical part of the
606
00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:37,160
infrastructure that
allowed him to amass the gold
607
00:34:37,240 --> 00:34:41,200
for one of the most
elaborate burials in history.
608
00:34:41,280 --> 00:34:42,880
The gold in Tut's mask,
609
00:34:42,960 --> 00:34:45,280
all that gold in his tomb that's coming
from the Eastern Desert.
610
00:34:45,360 --> 00:34:48,880
So sites like this that
looked really modest are
611
00:34:48,960 --> 00:34:52,840
actually the mechanism that allowed
New Kingdom gold to be mined.
612
00:34:59,920 --> 00:35:03,520
At Gebel El-Silsila...
613
00:35:03,600 --> 00:35:05,720
John's colleague, Ibrahim,
614
00:35:05,800 --> 00:35:08,600
has found something in the
filthy mud in their search
615
00:35:08,680 --> 00:35:12,200
for evidence that this
ceremonial pit was also used
616
00:35:12,280 --> 00:35:15,320
during the reign of Tutankhamun.
617
00:35:21,720 --> 00:35:25,240
Hang on a minute;
that's actually painted.
618
00:35:27,680 --> 00:35:29,120
Yes?
619
00:35:29,200 --> 00:35:31,200
See the paint?
620
00:35:31,280 --> 00:35:36,920
Yeah. I can see.
Goes all the way down here.
621
00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:41,200
That's a doorjamb.
622
00:35:41,280 --> 00:35:48,080
So it's the actual doorjamb
from a doorway above us,
623
00:35:48,160 --> 00:35:52,440
which is now come into here
beneath all the mud brick.
624
00:35:52,520 --> 00:35:56,640
So you actually found part of
the doorway to the temple.
625
00:35:56,720 --> 00:35:58,800
What else? What else? What else?
You said there was two.
626
00:35:58,880 --> 00:36:01,800
Yeah.
Yeah, that's here.
627
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:02,920
You got it?
Yeah.
628
00:36:09,320 --> 00:36:12,800
No, I'm looking
at it the wrong way.
629
00:36:12,880 --> 00:36:15,120
It doesn't go lengthways.
630
00:36:15,200 --> 00:36:18,280
It goes that way.
It goes up.
631
00:36:18,360 --> 00:36:20,280
This isn't the door.
632
00:36:20,360 --> 00:36:22,040
So what is it?
It's a window.
633
00:36:22,120 --> 00:36:23,360
A window?
Fantastic.
634
00:36:23,440 --> 00:36:24,840
Beautiful.
635
00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:26,120
It's the first window here.
636
00:36:26,200 --> 00:36:29,120
It's the first window in Silsila.
637
00:36:29,200 --> 00:36:32,760
A three and a half
thousand-year-old window.
638
00:36:32,840 --> 00:36:34,160
Blocks from
an ancient window
639
00:36:34,240 --> 00:36:39,880
could have come from the
temple next to the pit.
640
00:36:39,960 --> 00:36:41,840
Down here would have
been the crocodiles,
641
00:36:41,920 --> 00:36:44,480
and they would have been thrashing
around in the water
642
00:36:44,560 --> 00:36:47,280
feeding all the time,
and above us
643
00:36:47,360 --> 00:36:48,600
there would be no sunlight.
644
00:36:48,680 --> 00:36:50,040
This would have been covered.
645
00:36:50,120 --> 00:36:51,840
And in here,
you've got the crocodiles.
646
00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:53,040
Up there,
you've got the temple,
647
00:36:53,120 --> 00:36:55,040
the priest throwing the food down.
648
00:36:55,120 --> 00:36:59,960
This is history.
It is absolutely phenomenal.
649
00:37:00,040 --> 00:37:03,000
Maria!
650
00:37:04,240 --> 00:37:07,360
What have you got?
651
00:37:07,440 --> 00:37:10,840
The discoveries in
the pit give Maria and John an
652
00:37:10,920 --> 00:37:16,680
idea of what this temple might
have looked like in its prime.
653
00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:22,280
Okay, fresh from
the pit of Sobek.
654
00:37:22,360 --> 00:37:24,800
Architectural details I can see.
655
00:37:24,880 --> 00:37:27,760
I think it was a southern window
that stood there.
656
00:37:29,560 --> 00:37:31,360
I mean, we've definitely 100%
657
00:37:31,440 --> 00:37:34,840
got a kind of temple
function going on here.
658
00:37:34,920 --> 00:37:37,760
We've got the Sobek statue,
659
00:37:37,840 --> 00:37:41,480
a pit that held live crocodiles.
660
00:37:41,560 --> 00:37:44,560
The evidence
is coming together.
661
00:37:44,640 --> 00:37:48,000
So it's plausible
to think that this
662
00:37:48,080 --> 00:37:51,160
could have been part of
King Tut's Tutankhamen's
663
00:37:51,240 --> 00:37:53,120
restoration project.
664
00:37:53,200 --> 00:37:56,800
Everything that we
found this season supports
665
00:37:56,880 --> 00:37:59,240
that and even more.
666
00:37:59,320 --> 00:38:03,400
Our temple once stood glorious
667
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:08,200
overlooking the Nile
with crocodiles natural to--
668
00:38:08,280 --> 00:38:10,080
to this site.
669
00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:11,600
What a sight to have.
670
00:38:11,680 --> 00:38:14,240
It would
have been amazing.
671
00:38:14,320 --> 00:38:17,360
The ceremonial pit
and temple ruins Maria and
672
00:38:17,440 --> 00:38:21,120
John have excavated point
to why Tutankhamun might
673
00:38:21,200 --> 00:38:23,080
have restored this temple
674
00:38:23,160 --> 00:38:26,640
and why it was
dedicated to Sobek.
675
00:38:26,720 --> 00:38:29,360
Not only was he showing the people
that he cared for them,
676
00:38:29,440 --> 00:38:33,680
but also at the same time by restoring
the temple to its former glory,
677
00:38:33,760 --> 00:38:36,040
he was able to show
them he had the power.
678
00:38:36,120 --> 00:38:39,680
He was able to say,
"I am here; I am king."
679
00:38:39,760 --> 00:38:42,320
Even though he was a
weak and feeble boy,
680
00:38:42,400 --> 00:38:45,880
he still had the
power of a living God.
681
00:38:45,960 --> 00:38:48,200
Tutankhamun died young
682
00:38:48,280 --> 00:38:52,560
but still projected the
power of a great pharaoh.
683
00:38:57,800 --> 00:38:59,320
In the Valley of the Kings,
684
00:38:59,400 --> 00:39:03,240
Aliaa is at the tomb of
Tutankhamun to hunt for clues
685
00:39:03,320 --> 00:39:05,520
to what, or who,
686
00:39:05,600 --> 00:39:08,360
could be inside a
mysterious secret chamber
687
00:39:08,440 --> 00:39:10,320
that might be next to the tomb.
688
00:39:10,400 --> 00:39:12,160
This would
be the doorway,
689
00:39:12,240 --> 00:39:16,840
and then this would be the
outline of the second chamber.
690
00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,760
Some think that the
hidden chamber could contain
691
00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:21,480
the body of another royal.
692
00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:24,360
But if so, who?
693
00:39:24,440 --> 00:39:29,320
Once again, Tutankhamun's
tomb itself holds clues.
694
00:39:29,400 --> 00:39:34,080
Other tombs of pharaohs in
the Valley of the Kings share a feature.
695
00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:37,120
You enter a corridor and turn left.
696
00:39:39,080 --> 00:39:41,320
But as you enter
Tutankhamun's tomb,
697
00:39:41,400 --> 00:39:44,480
you turn right.
698
00:39:44,560 --> 00:39:47,600
Some Egyptologists argue
turning right is typically
699
00:39:47,680 --> 00:39:49,760
a feature of a queen's tomb,
700
00:39:49,840 --> 00:39:53,520
not a king's tomb
like Tutankhamun's.
701
00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:58,200
Could a hidden chamber here
contain the body of a queen,
702
00:39:58,280 --> 00:40:04,280
Perhaps Tutankhamun's only
known wife, Ankhesenamun?
703
00:40:04,360 --> 00:40:07,760
Aliaa spots something on
the wall that could identify
704
00:40:07,840 --> 00:40:10,360
another possible candidate.
705
00:40:10,440 --> 00:40:14,520
So here we are having
images of Tutankhamun at the
706
00:40:14,600 --> 00:40:17,720
opening of the mouth scene,
being welcomed by the gods
707
00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:19,800
into the afterlife.
708
00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:23,400
These are normal images
to have in a royal tomb.
709
00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:27,840
But what was not normal
and some Egyptologists think
710
00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:32,640
is that this figure over
there was not Tutankhamen
711
00:40:32,720 --> 00:40:35,800
but rather a representation of Nefertiti.
712
00:40:38,080 --> 00:40:42,960
Around 1350 BC,
Nefertiti, aged about 15,
713
00:40:43,040 --> 00:40:47,480
became queen of Egypt.
714
00:40:47,560 --> 00:40:50,680
Together with her husband,
the Pharaoh Akhenaten,
715
00:40:50,760 --> 00:40:53,160
they created a new religious cult
716
00:40:53,240 --> 00:40:59,240
worshipping the sun god Aten.
717
00:40:59,320 --> 00:41:03,280
When her husband died,
some think Nefertiti continued to
718
00:41:03,360 --> 00:41:07,160
rule as pharaoh until
her stepson, Tutankhamun,
719
00:41:07,240 --> 00:41:10,520
ascended to the throne.
720
00:41:10,600 --> 00:41:14,160
Despite her being one of the
most famous queens of Egypt,
721
00:41:14,240 --> 00:41:18,400
Nefertiti's final resting
place has never been found.
722
00:41:24,040 --> 00:41:27,960
This is Nefertiti compared to
the image right here,
723
00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:30,720
the Osiris image of Tutankhamun.
724
00:41:30,800 --> 00:41:34,640
Looking closely at the image,
we can see, like,
725
00:41:34,720 --> 00:41:40,040
there is the lip line going down,
and this line, actually,
726
00:41:40,120 --> 00:41:46,320
it's the same line of other statues
and forms of Nefertiti.
727
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:49,520
To some experts,
this suggests an older picture
728
00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:53,360
of Nefertiti was modified
to look like Tutankhamun.
729
00:41:53,440 --> 00:41:56,880
If so, it's a clue
Tutankhamun's tomb
730
00:41:56,960 --> 00:42:00,120
was originally part of Nefertiti's tomb.
731
00:42:00,200 --> 00:42:03,400
If there's a hidden burial
chamber behind the north wall,
732
00:42:03,480 --> 00:42:05,400
it could be hers.
733
00:42:05,480 --> 00:42:10,160
But why would her tomb be
repurposed for Tutankhamun?
734
00:42:10,240 --> 00:42:13,840
Aliaa thinks clues could lie
in the mummified body
735
00:42:13,920 --> 00:42:16,520
of the king that remains in the tomb.
736
00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:18,720
The mummy of
Tutankhamen was scanned,
737
00:42:18,800 --> 00:42:23,200
and the scans showed that
he died at a very young age.
738
00:42:23,280 --> 00:42:27,120
He was ill most of his life,
and his sudden death
739
00:42:27,200 --> 00:42:31,080
was not prepared for, and so there
was no tomb
740
00:42:31,160 --> 00:42:33,760
for him ready at the time.
741
00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:37,400
So he had to use
someone else's tomb.
742
00:42:37,480 --> 00:42:40,840
Maybe that was just
the tomb of Nefertiti.
743
00:42:42,560 --> 00:42:45,840
It's a controversial
and disputed theory,
744
00:42:45,920 --> 00:42:49,520
but if true, it could lead to
the greatest discovery
745
00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:55,720
since Howard Carter
first found this tomb in 1922.
746
00:42:55,800 --> 00:42:59,200
If we are right now
standing in the tomb of
747
00:42:59,280 --> 00:43:03,360
Nefertiti that has been
used for Tutankhamun,
748
00:43:03,440 --> 00:43:07,800
that will be the world's biggest
discovery in Egyptology.
749
00:43:07,880 --> 00:43:10,920
That is going to be
the most exciting find
750
00:43:11,000 --> 00:43:13,320
this century has witnessed.
751
00:43:20,760 --> 00:43:23,120
Within his tomb and across Egypt
752
00:43:23,200 --> 00:43:27,240
archaeologists are searching
for the secrets of Tutankhamun
753
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:31,120
to piece together all his story.
754
00:43:31,200 --> 00:43:34,440
In life,
this pharaoh was young and frail
755
00:43:34,520 --> 00:43:38,480
but drew on the gods,
like Sobek, to rule his people,
756
00:43:38,560 --> 00:43:40,960
becoming their
all-powerful protector.
757
00:43:41,040 --> 00:43:43,960
Oh, it is beautiful.
758
00:43:44,040 --> 00:43:46,040
He sent his
men deep into the desert
759
00:43:46,120 --> 00:43:50,800
for gold to fill his
tomb with treasure...
760
00:43:50,880 --> 00:43:54,200
a tomb that may still hide a
chamber missed by explorers
761
00:43:54,280 --> 00:43:57,400
and ancient robbers.
762
00:43:57,480 --> 00:43:59,680
But with the use of
modern-day technologies,
763
00:43:59,760 --> 00:44:03,520
perhaps experts will
one day unearth all of
764
00:44:03,600 --> 00:44:06,520
Tutankhamun's lost secrets.