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NARRATOR: Egypt.

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The richest source of
archaeological treasures
on the planet.

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MALE: Oh wow,
look at that.

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NARRATOR: Hidden beneath
this desert landscape
lie the secrets

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of this ancient
civilization.

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MALE: [Foreign dialogue].

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ALEJANDRO: I'’ve never
seen something like this.

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NARRATOR: Now for a full
season of excavations,
our cameras have been given

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unprecedented access
to follow teams on the front
line of archaeology.

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MYRIAM: This is the
most critical moment.

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[all grunting]

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NARRATOR: Revealing
buried treasures.

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SALIMA: Oh!
AHMED: We were lucky today.

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NOZUMO: Wow!
Lots of mummies.

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KATHLEEN:
The smell is horrible.

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NARRATOR: And making
discoveries that could
rewrite ancient history.

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JOHN: We'’ve never had
the proof, until now.

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COLLEEN: This is
where it all started.

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ALEJANDRO: My goodness,
I never expected this.

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[applause]

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NARRATOR: This time,    new secrets of Ancient Egypt'’s  greatest structures,

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the Pyramids.

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Chris explores the
origins of the first
pyramid ever built.

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CHRIS: It'’s an
incredible achievement
architecturally.

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NARRATOR: Miroslav hunts
for the lost tomb

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of the mastermind of
Egypt'’s pyramid era.

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MIROSLAV: Evidence
for an entrance.

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HAMED: Move, move,
move, move, move.

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NARRATOR: Kamil unearths
new skeletons inside

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Egypt'’s oldest
pyramid complex.

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KAMIL: We actually
find the remains
of the next mummy.

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WORKER: Looks like we
have an eyeball here.

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NARRATOR: And Christelle
decodes ancient texts,

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to investigate
the mysterious beliefs

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that gave rise
to these structures.

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CHRISTELLE: Oh wow!
It'’s incredible.

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NARRATOR:
The Pyramids of Egypt.

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Across the last
three hundred years,
explorers have found

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over one hundred and
thirty of these iconic
ancient structures.

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But mysteries of
these monuments

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and the pharaohs buried
inside remain unsolved.

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To unlock the secrets of
these structures each year
teams of archaeologists

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investigate the birthplace
of this revolutionary
ancient architecture.

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Ten miles south of the
great pyramids of Giza...

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lies the necropolis
of Saqqara.

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Today Egyptologist Chris
Naunton travels here to
investigate what triggered

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over a thousand years
of pyramid building.

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He'’s been
granted rare access

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to explore restricted
areas of this necropolis.

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CHRIS: This is a pretty
exciting moment for me

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because I'’ve never
been inside before.

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NARRATOR: This ancient
cemetery is home to
eleven pyramids

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and hundreds of tombs,

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but one structure
dominates all others, the
first pyramid ever built.

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CHRIS: This is
where it all began.

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It is the first monumental
building in stone

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anywhere in the world.

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NARRATOR: Constructed
more than 4,500 years ago,

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this is the Step Pyramid tomb
of pharaoh Djoser,

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a king
of Egypt'’s third dynasty.

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It'’s a revolutionary
masterpiece designed

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by Egypt'’s pioneer
architect, Imhotep.

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CHRIS: His achievement
was massive, not just
for the Egyptians,

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but for humankind.

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NARRATOR: Born as
a commoner, Imhotep rose

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to become pharaoh
Djoser'’s trusted advisor,

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and eventually
his chief architect.

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He invented the stepped
pyramid, using stone blocks
instead of mud bricks,

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allowing him to
build ever bigger.

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More than two thousand
years after Imhotep'’s
death, he was worshipped

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as a god, all the way up
to Greek and Roman times.

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Chris wants to discover
for himself what
inspired Imhotep

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to design his
ground-breaking
step pyramid.

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He climbs to higher
ground to examine
the shape

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of older burial structures
that surround it.

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CHRIS: They'’re called
mastabas, and they are

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these sort of squat
square platforms,

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slightly sloping,
inwardly inclining walls.

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NARRATOR: Chris can make
out traces of these
simple structures

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within Imhotep'’s design.

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CHRIS: Now that
we'’re getting closer
to the pyramid,

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you can really see
this series of platforms,
one on top of another.

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So the bottom one, in
some sense, is a mastaba.

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It'’s just the addition of
these successive layers
that make it into a pyramid

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and it'’s
an incredible achievement
architecturally.

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NARRATOR: Built from over
five hundred thousand
tons of limestone,

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constructed in
mastaba-style layers,

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the Step Pyramid
stands over two
hundred feet high,

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then the tallest
building in the world.

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Its impact
on the Ancient Egyptian
landscape was huge.

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Ten more kings replicated
Imhotep'’s design,

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determined to attain the
same status as the pharaoh
of the first pyramid.

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Their tombs became some
of the most iconic sacred
buildings on the planet,

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each growing the necropolis
until it stretched five
miles across the desert,

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to create a sprawling
city of the dead.

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Today Imhotep'’s
masterpiece still dominates
the Egyptian desert.

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But while his
structures survive,

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no trace of the man
himself has ever
been found.

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Half a mile north
of the Step Pyramid,

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a team digs an
unexcavated area they
hope could lead to a tomb.

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NARRATOR: Project
leader Miroslav Barta

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has spent thirty years
searching Saqqara

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for Imhotep'’s final
resting place.

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Finding his burial
chamber could help
reveal the origins

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of Egypt'’s greatest
structures.

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MIROSLAV: This is
the very heart of Saqqara.

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Full of treasures,
scientifically speaking.

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NARRATOR: It'’s
two weeks into the dig,

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and site inspector
Hamada Shehata

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is keen to explore
a new lead.

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HAMED: I am very excited to
see what is happening down,

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because if this, I need to.

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NARRATOR: A shaft
filled with sand

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that leads straight
down into the bedrock.

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MIROSLAV: Who knows
where it will lead us to.

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Maybe to the tomb
of Imhotep.

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We will see what happens
in the next few hours.

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NARRATOR: Moments into
the day'’s dig, a team clearing
dirt next to the shaft

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makes an intriguing
discovery.

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MIROSLAV: We just came
across a large group
of beer jars.

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Wonderful.
We are lucky again.

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NARRATOR: It'’s a good sign.

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Pottery of this style
dates to the same era
as Imhotep.

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The team dig further down
into the shaft, hoping to
hit the burial chamber.

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NARRATOR: This may
be the desert,

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but groundwater
still exists deep
below the sand.

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Many Egyptian tombs have
been destroyed by flooding.

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MIROSLAV: I don'’t
want a deep shaft.

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NARRATOR: If Imhotep'’s tomb
lies below, Miroslav'’s team
needs to hit an entrance

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in the next few
baskets of sand.

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HAMED: Move, move,
move, move, move!

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NARRATOR: At the edge of
Djoser'’s pyramid complex,

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a team investigates
another mysterious structure,

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just one hundred and
fifty yards from the
Stepped Pyramid.

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Archaeologist Kamil
Kuraszkiewicz heads
up the project.

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This is his twenty-third
dig season investigating
ancient Saqqara.

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KAMIL: We actually find
the remains of a huge
trench enclosing

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the Stepped Pyramid
complex,

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like a moat around
a medieval castle.

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NARRATOR: The trench
stretches over a hundred
and thirty feet wide

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and sixty-five feet deep.

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It'’s likely Imhotep used the
extracted stone

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to build his
revolutionary pyramid.

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But huge man-made
walls begin to emerge
from the dirt,

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suggesting Kamil'’s
team dig more than
a simple stone quarry.

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Discovering the true
purpose of the structure
could change what we know

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about Imhotep'’s
pioneering design.

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After nineteen
days digging,

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bio-archaeologist Iwona
Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin

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unearths more than
just sand and stone.

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She finds human remains.

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IWONA: We just accidentally
come across it.

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As you would.

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So, yeah, it'’s quite
interesting. It'’s a young
individual, a teenager.

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I reckon probably
around fourteen.

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NARRATOR: Could these
bones hold clues to why
Imhotep dug the trench?

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Within moments,
the team finds a second
entire skeleton.

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KAMIL:
Where is the new one?

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IWONA: This one.

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KAMIL: The next burial
is not yet visible,

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but you have to believe us,
it is here.

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IWONA: Looks like
we might have

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an actual
eyeball preserved here.

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NARRATOR: A burial
this close to the Step
Pyramid could reveal

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a hidden chapter in
the history of this
revolutionary structure.

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But first, Kamil needs to
find out why the skeletons
were buried here.

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IWONA: This one
looks suspicious.

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NARRATOR: Iwona
carefully removes dirt

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from the ancient skeletons
buried in the trench.

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She wants to find out
why the bodies were
buried here.

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Can they explain
Imhotep'’s decision to
carve this huge structure

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surrounding the world'’s
first pyramid?

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As she gradually unearths
the skulls, vital clues

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to the burial practices
used begin to appear.

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IWONA: We can see a hole
made into the cranium

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through the nasal passages,
to remove the brain.

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And I think they used
some linen scrubs

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to clean
the inside of the cavity.

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NARRATOR: Traces of linen
and evidence of brain
extraction are both

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signs of mummification,
a form of body preservation

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practiced
during the time of Imhotep.

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But as the team
clears more sand Kamil
doesn'’t see a link

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00:12:07,840 --> 00:12:10,840
between the skeletons
and the trench.

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KAMIL: Without equipment
like coffins, the graves
are very simple.

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NARRATOR: The simple
burials are a sign that
they date to a time

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long after Imhotep.

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KAMIL:
At the time of Imhotep,

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it was absolutely
impossible for mortals

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to be buried close
to the king.

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NARRATOR: But they are
evidence that this is
a highly sacred site,

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where people wanted
to be buried.

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KAMIL: They knew about
the cemetery close to
the Step Pyramid complex.

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To be buried close
to the creation of Imhotep

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was the best thing
they could expect.

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NARRATOR: Convinced more
clues to the trench'’s
purpose lie beneath

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the dirt, Kamil
instructs his team to
ramp up the excavation.

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00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:07,320
Just a hundred and fifty
yards away at Djoser'’s
Step Pyramid,

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00:13:07,320 --> 00:13:12,440
Chris is keen to explore
the gigantic structure.

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00:13:12,440 --> 00:13:15,600
He thinks it might
reveal Imhotep'’s
incredible innovations

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00:13:15,600 --> 00:13:19,240
that inspired
over a thousand years
of pyramid tombs.

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Djoser'’s burial complex
is a restricted area,

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but Chris secures
rare access through
archaeologist

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Ragab Dawood.

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NARRATOR: They follow
tunnels that take them
into the burial shaft

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deep beneath
the pharaoh'’s pyramid.

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CHRIS: My god, wow,
that is amazing. It'’s huge.

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RAGAB: Yeah.

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CHRIS: And so the pyramid is...
RAGAB: Yeah.

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CHRIS: Above us now.
RAGAB: Yeah.

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00:14:05,000 --> 00:14:05,920
CHRIS: Wow.

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And what we'’re
looking at, at the
bottom of the shaft,

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so that'’s
where he was buried?

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00:14:12,800 --> 00:14:14,080
That'’s where Djoser
was buried?

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RAGAB: Yes...
CHRIS: Amazing.

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NARRATOR: To create
one of the largest
burial chambers in Egypt,

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Imhotep'’s
workers dug out thousands
of tons of limestone.

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CHRIS: It'’s amazing to
think that this is all
cut from the bedrock.

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RAGAB: Be careful.
CHRIS: Thanks.
RAGAB: Yeah.

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Watch your steps please,
and to the left, yeah.

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CHRIS: Go this way?
RAGAB: Yeah, come this way.

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NARRATOR: Ninety
feet below ground, Ragab
spots a hidden carving.

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RAGAB: Have a look.

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We found inside shaft
blocks and stars.

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CHRIS: Yeah, wow.

225
00:14:55,280 --> 00:14:58,720
NARRATOR: The original
tomb builders left
these blocks behind.

226
00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:03,080
CHRIS: It'’s amazing
to see here examples
of these stars,

227
00:15:03,080 --> 00:15:08,040
'’cause you find them on
the ceilings of temples
and tombs in many places,

228
00:15:08,040 --> 00:15:12,240
but this is the first
instance of this motif
ever being used.

229
00:15:12,240 --> 00:15:14,200
This is where it all began.

230
00:15:14,200 --> 00:15:17,000
It'’s another innovation
of this pyramid.

231
00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:19,600
NARRATOR: Originally
painted gold on a blue
background,

232
00:15:19,600 --> 00:15:25,160
Imhotep'’s stars
decorate tombs built over
a thousand years later.

233
00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:30,880
They offer a glimpse
into his vision for
this trailblazing tomb.

234
00:15:30,880 --> 00:15:33,480
CHRIS: These evoke
the night sky, so the idea is

235
00:15:33,480 --> 00:15:37,120
that even though Djoser
is laid to rest underground,

236
00:15:37,120 --> 00:15:43,280
in pitch darkness, he can
see, symbolically, this
stone-cut night sky,

237
00:15:43,280 --> 00:15:48,040
and in that way he would
have been able to make
the journey to the stars,

238
00:15:48,040 --> 00:15:54,400
which is how Imhotep
conceived of the journey
to the afterlife.

239
00:15:54,400 --> 00:15:57,000
NARRATOR: Imhotep'’s
underground labyrinth

240
00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,280
was a pioneering
architectural experiment,

241
00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,120
one that became
the blueprint for
Egypt'’s pyramids

242
00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:04,840
for hundreds of years.

243
00:16:08,520 --> 00:16:13,200
Two miles south of
Djoser'’s monument is a
site where the pyramid

244
00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:15,800
of Pharaoh Ibi once stood.

245
00:16:15,800 --> 00:16:18,080
CHRISTELLE: Oh! Oh!

246
00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:22,000
NARRATOR: Built five
hundred years after
the time of Imhotep,

247
00:16:22,000 --> 00:16:26,720
the structure was
ransacked for stone,
to build ancient Cairo.

248
00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:31,680
But archaeologist
Christelle Alvarez thinks
fragments of hieroglyphs

249
00:16:31,680 --> 00:16:35,800
here could reveal more
about the ancient beliefs
that inspired Imhotep

250
00:16:35,800 --> 00:16:39,600
and later Egyptians
to build pyramids.

251
00:16:39,600 --> 00:16:41,840
CHRISTELLE: Just in
the middle we have
the burial chamber,

252
00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,120
which has preserved
some of the text that
were inscribed

253
00:16:44,120 --> 00:16:45,680
4,000 years ago.

254
00:16:45,680 --> 00:16:48,800
NARRATOR: They'’re
known as pyramid texts.

255
00:16:48,800 --> 00:16:52,000
Christelle wants
to decipher these
ancient codes,

256
00:16:52,000 --> 00:16:55,800
but first she must
complete the damaged
inscriptions.

257
00:16:55,800 --> 00:17:00,000
CHRISTELLE: It actually
really fits, and for this one
we can tell that it holds.

258
00:17:00,000 --> 00:17:01,760
So one fragment
has found his home.

259
00:17:05,160 --> 00:17:09,400
NARRATOR: But this is
a puzzle with many
missing pieces.

260
00:17:09,400 --> 00:17:12,400
CHRISTELLE:
It'’s not easy. [laughs]

261
00:17:12,400 --> 00:17:14,240
And I need some
other hands.

262
00:17:17,280 --> 00:17:20,600
This one is supposed
to be here somewhere.
MALE: This one in here?

263
00:17:20,600 --> 00:17:23,600
CHRISTELLE: Maybe we need
to find more fragments.

264
00:17:23,600 --> 00:17:26,800
NARRATOR: Finding lost
sections of hieroglyphs

265
00:17:26,800 --> 00:17:29,720
will help Christelle
decode the ancient
writing.

266
00:17:29,720 --> 00:17:32,480
CHRISTELLE: Now if we
want to really have a
look at this whole area,

267
00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:35,720
we need to remove
these two big blocks.

268
00:17:35,720 --> 00:17:40,200
NARRATOR: She thinks
mystic texts, unseen for
over four thousand years,

269
00:17:40,200 --> 00:17:42,320
lie undiscovered
in the corner of the tomb.

270
00:17:42,320 --> 00:17:46,040
CHRISTELLE: Maybe there
will be some elements
that we will find.

271
00:17:48,400 --> 00:17:52,880
NARRATOR: Two miles
north, at Miroslav'’s
tomb excavation,

272
00:17:52,880 --> 00:17:57,600
it'’s week three of the
dig, and he finally gets
news of a breakthrough.

273
00:18:07,200 --> 00:18:09,480
MIROSLAV: Evidence
for an entrance.

274
00:18:09,480 --> 00:18:11,360
So we are on time.

275
00:18:11,360 --> 00:18:14,680
NARRATOR: At the bottom of
the shaft the team finds

276
00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:17,760
what they think is the
entrance to an ancient
burial chamber.

277
00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:27,280
NARRATOR: But the
excitement is put on hold.

278
00:18:27,280 --> 00:18:32,280
Reports from the bottom
of the shaft are not what
Miroslav is hoping for.

279
00:18:32,280 --> 00:18:34,720
MIROSLAV: It'’s open.
They say it'’s open.

280
00:18:37,200 --> 00:18:40,000
NARRATOR: Tombs are always
sealed after burial.

281
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:43,920
An open tomb is evidence
of ancient looters.

282
00:18:43,920 --> 00:18:48,280
MIROSLAV: We basically
follow in the footsteps
of the ancient robbers.

283
00:18:48,280 --> 00:18:51,960
NARRATOR: But crucial
discoveries may still
be inside.

284
00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:53,560
HAMED: Let'’s do it.
Hurry up.

285
00:18:57,920 --> 00:19:01,560
NARRATOR: Beneath
Saqqara'’s towering
Step Pyramid,

286
00:19:01,560 --> 00:19:03,960
Chris and Ragab navigate
the labyrinth

287
00:19:03,960 --> 00:19:07,400
of tunnels inside
pharaoh Djoser'’s tomb.

288
00:19:07,400 --> 00:19:11,920
They want to investigate
why Imhotep dug out
thousands of tons of rock

289
00:19:11,920 --> 00:19:14,600
to bury his master
so far underground.

290
00:19:14,600 --> 00:19:17,520
CHRIS: Can we go this way?
RAGAB: Yeah.

291
00:19:17,520 --> 00:19:19,720
CHRIS: It'’s very confusing.

292
00:19:19,720 --> 00:19:24,000
NARRATOR: At ninety feet
below ground level, they
emerge into a chamber

293
00:19:24,000 --> 00:19:26,880
dominated by a huge
stone structure.

294
00:19:26,880 --> 00:19:30,400
CHRIS: Wow! Oh my god!
That'’s immense.

295
00:19:30,400 --> 00:19:35,240
So this is a giant
sarcophagus for Djoser,

296
00:19:35,240 --> 00:19:37,920
and he would have
been buried inside,

297
00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:44,920
and it'’s made of
these massive pieces
of granite.

298
00:19:44,920 --> 00:19:47,160
There'’s no way in.

299
00:19:47,160 --> 00:19:50,960
Exactly as Imhotep
would have intended,

300
00:19:50,960 --> 00:19:55,360
but of course Imhotep
didn'’t have any idea that
after his time robbers,

301
00:19:55,360 --> 00:19:59,480
somehow, did manage
to find a way in.

302
00:19:59,480 --> 00:20:03,000
NARRATOR: When
archaeologists discovered
Djoser'’s sarcophagus,

303
00:20:03,000 --> 00:20:06,400
his body and treasure
were missing.

304
00:20:06,400 --> 00:20:11,160
Imhotep'’s underground
burial couldn'’t protect
his master'’s corpse,

305
00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:14,240
but it wasn'’t dug
just for security.

306
00:20:14,240 --> 00:20:19,800
CHRIS: The ancients were
bringing the body of Djoser
a long way underground,

307
00:20:19,800 --> 00:20:24,880
so that'’s partly about
placing him physically
underneath the world

308
00:20:24,880 --> 00:20:27,320
and in the kind
of underworld.

309
00:20:27,320 --> 00:20:31,280
NARRATOR: This pioneering
pyramid tomb was built as
a grand gateway

310
00:20:31,280 --> 00:20:34,600
for the deceased king
to pass into life
after death.

311
00:20:38,160 --> 00:20:42,080
Beneath the pyramid'’s
thousands of blocks
of limestone

312
00:20:42,080 --> 00:20:45,480
lies Djoser'’s
underground palace.

313
00:20:45,480 --> 00:20:50,720
A central shaft descends
to the pharaoh'’s tomb,

314
00:20:50,720 --> 00:20:53,760
a granite vault in which
Djoser'’s mummy once lay.

315
00:20:56,800 --> 00:21:01,440
Almost four miles of
tunnels, with over four
hundred chambers,

316
00:21:01,440 --> 00:21:03,360
branch out around it.

317
00:21:03,360 --> 00:21:06,280
Some full of riches,

318
00:21:06,280 --> 00:21:09,800
to make sure the pharaoh
had all he needed in the
afterlife.

319
00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:19,280
Crowned with a vast
pyramid, the tomb of King
Djoser was a beacon

320
00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:21,040
for early archaeologists.

321
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:31,680
Just over eight hundred
yards from the Step Pyramid
Miroslav'’s team search

322
00:21:31,680 --> 00:21:35,120
for the tomb
of its mastermind,
the great Imhotep.

323
00:21:37,920 --> 00:21:42,000
It'’s twenty-four days into
the dig, and they'’ve caught
a glimpse of an opening

324
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:44,160
at the bottom of the shaft.

325
00:21:51,360 --> 00:21:55,280
We are going down now,
to see the entrance.

326
00:21:55,280 --> 00:21:57,200
Cross the fingers.

327
00:21:59,680 --> 00:22:03,320
NARRATOR: This is the
moment Miroslav has
been waiting for.

328
00:22:03,320 --> 00:22:05,480
MIROSLAV: The excitement
is rising right now.

329
00:22:09,360 --> 00:22:13,680
NARRATOR: He could be
on the brink of an
historic discovery.

330
00:22:18,760 --> 00:22:20,680
MIROSLAV: So here we are.

331
00:22:20,680 --> 00:22:25,960
Oh! Oh there is
a wonderful limestone
sarcophagus,

332
00:22:25,960 --> 00:22:29,320
untouched for more than
four thousand years.

333
00:22:29,320 --> 00:22:33,520
NARRATOR: But up
close, Miroslav discovers
evidence of destruction.

334
00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:38,080
MIROSLAV: That'’s sad.
That'’s very sad.

335
00:22:38,080 --> 00:22:42,720
The mummy is completely
disarticulated.

336
00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:48,200
There is a very sad pile
of bones in the northern
part of the sarcophagus.

337
00:22:48,200 --> 00:22:51,920
So it'’s not a very nice
end for this gentleman.

338
00:22:51,920 --> 00:22:54,440
NARRATOR: The ancient
thieves who first
opened the tomb

339
00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:57,320
have broken
into the sarcophagus.

340
00:22:57,320 --> 00:23:02,160
MIROSLAV: It was torn
apart in antiquity because
the most important

341
00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:07,400
target for the tomb
robbers was his
personal jewelry.

342
00:23:07,400 --> 00:23:13,560
NARRATOR: With this level
of devastation, identifying
the body seems impossible.

343
00:23:13,560 --> 00:23:19,080
But could evidence
survive to reveal if this
is the great Imhotep?

344
00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:21,720
MIROSLAV: I think most
parts of the burial
equipment survived,

345
00:23:21,720 --> 00:23:26,840
which is quite
a valuable source of
information for us.

346
00:23:26,840 --> 00:23:30,360
NARRATOR: Further
inside, Miroslav
discovers vital clues

347
00:23:30,360 --> 00:23:34,160
to the tomb owner'’s status.

348
00:23:34,160 --> 00:23:37,680
MIROSLAV: So here we
are. This is called
"canopic jars."

349
00:23:37,680 --> 00:23:42,160
They were used
to contain mummified
organs of the deceased.

350
00:23:45,520 --> 00:23:48,480
NARRATOR: Only very
high-status people
were mummified,

351
00:23:48,480 --> 00:23:51,560
Imhotep included.

352
00:23:51,560 --> 00:23:55,440
But to be sure of the
identity of the body,
the team hauls up

353
00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:57,480
the evidence for
closer inspection.

354
00:23:59,480 --> 00:24:02,840
MIROSLAV: Oh!
Thirteen meters up.

355
00:24:02,840 --> 00:24:04,760
It'’s okay, we finished.

356
00:24:04,760 --> 00:24:08,960
NARRATOR: Two miles south,
at Pharaoh Ibi'’s pyramid,

357
00:24:08,960 --> 00:24:11,520
Christelle needs to move

358
00:24:11,520 --> 00:24:14,040
two huge stone blocks
that she thinks hide

359
00:24:14,040 --> 00:24:19,160
fragments of
pyramid texts lost
for thousands of years.

360
00:24:19,160 --> 00:24:21,360
They could help decipher
the hieroglyphic codes

361
00:24:21,360 --> 00:24:26,320
and reveal the vision
of the pyramid builders.

362
00:24:26,320 --> 00:24:28,800
CHRISTELLE: That will
take a little bit of
time because they need

363
00:24:28,800 --> 00:24:31,680
the wood and ropes
to drag them away.

364
00:24:31,680 --> 00:24:34,880
NARRATOR: Her team
sets to work moving
the blocks,

365
00:24:34,880 --> 00:24:37,880
slowly exposing a section
of wall she hopes

366
00:24:37,880 --> 00:24:41,640
will reveal inscriptions
unseen for millennia.

367
00:24:41,640 --> 00:24:45,320
CHRISTELLE: We hope
that maybe we will find
some extra fragments.

368
00:24:45,320 --> 00:24:48,680
NARRATOR: But if
Christelle is to decode
the pyramid texts,

369
00:24:48,680 --> 00:24:51,360
she'’ll need the
fragments intact.

370
00:24:51,360 --> 00:24:54,880
CHRISTELLE: I hope they
haven'’t damaged too much
the text that was going

371
00:24:54,880 --> 00:24:57,840
all the way down,
'’cause it'’s very easy
for the hieroglyph

372
00:24:57,840 --> 00:25:00,600
at the base of the block
to disappear in dust.

373
00:25:00,600 --> 00:25:03,600
NARRATOR: Each stone
weighs almost a ton.

374
00:25:03,600 --> 00:25:06,280
Any sudden move could
shatter the fragile

375
00:25:06,280 --> 00:25:10,440
4,000-year-old inscription.

376
00:25:10,440 --> 00:25:13,680
CHRISTELLE: I think
the far one is going
away here.

377
00:25:13,680 --> 00:25:18,000
No, I give it, I can
take it. No, it broke!

378
00:25:20,760 --> 00:25:24,480
NARRATOR: Inside the ruins
of pharaoh Ibi'’s tomb,

379
00:25:24,480 --> 00:25:28,240
Christelle has removed
two obstructing stone
blocks

380
00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:31,520
and continues her hunt for
sections of ancient writing

381
00:25:31,520 --> 00:25:34,600
unseen for thousands
of years.

382
00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:36,960
She'’s convinced they can
shed light on the belief

383
00:25:36,960 --> 00:25:39,360
systems that compelled
the Egyptians,

384
00:25:39,360 --> 00:25:43,640
starting with Imhotep,
to build the pyramids.

385
00:25:43,640 --> 00:25:46,880
CHRISTELLE: This is the
corner where we were never
able to actually look at,

386
00:25:46,880 --> 00:25:49,600
because it was behind
those big blocks.

387
00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:54,600
NARRATOR: As she digs
away the sand, Christelle
makes her first discovery.

388
00:25:54,600 --> 00:25:58,960
CHRISTELLE: There is one
fragment that they just
found in this corner.

389
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:02,280
It'’s the bottom of
the Cartouche of Ibi,

390
00:26:02,280 --> 00:26:05,440
so we'’ll just have a look
if there is some more.

391
00:26:05,440 --> 00:26:07,960
NARRATOR: This royal
hieroglyphic sign...

392
00:26:07,960 --> 00:26:10,360
CHRISTELLE: Oh, yes,
here there is one.

393
00:26:10,360 --> 00:26:13,120
NARRATOR: ...is a clue
that the texts were
written to reinforce

394
00:26:13,120 --> 00:26:16,120
the pyramid'’s
sacred function,

395
00:26:16,120 --> 00:26:19,120
to transport the king
into the afterlife.

396
00:26:19,120 --> 00:26:21,920
CHRISTELLE:
There is another one.

397
00:26:21,920 --> 00:26:25,400
NARRATOR: Among the
hieroglyphs, Christelle
recognizes a figure known

398
00:26:25,400 --> 00:26:29,880
to all Egypt and much
of the ancient world.

399
00:26:29,880 --> 00:26:36,400
CHRISTELLE: You can see
the Cartouche, looks like
the sign of the god Osiris.

400
00:26:36,400 --> 00:26:40,640
NARRATOR: This is one
of the earliest ever
descriptions of Osiris.

401
00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:43,320
A god of resurrection
and the underworld,

402
00:26:43,320 --> 00:26:47,800
who features in later
Greek and Roman religion.

403
00:26:47,800 --> 00:26:50,960
The hieroglyphs here reveal
the rise of belief systems

404
00:26:50,960 --> 00:26:54,160
that lasted for
thousands of years.

405
00:26:54,160 --> 00:26:58,200
They pyramid texts
are the oldest copies
of religious texts.

406
00:26:58,200 --> 00:27:03,200
Found in eleven pyramids
across Saqqara, these
pyramid texts record

407
00:27:03,200 --> 00:27:05,520
the spiritual beliefs
of the pyramid
builders.

408
00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:11,640
With her time at Ibi'’s
pyramid running out,

409
00:27:11,640 --> 00:27:15,280
Christelle still has
hundreds of pieces
missing.

410
00:27:15,280 --> 00:27:18,720
To help fill the gaps she
wants to explore another

411
00:27:18,720 --> 00:27:21,160
major discovery of
pyramid texts.

412
00:27:21,160 --> 00:27:24,480
CHRISTELLE: When we'’re
able to compare from
one version

413
00:27:24,480 --> 00:27:28,720
to another,
we can sometimes
get a better sense.

414
00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,160
NARRATOR: Christelle sets
off to find hieroglyphs
inside a tomb

415
00:27:32,160 --> 00:27:34,840
that has lain untouched
for almost fifty years.

416
00:27:34,840 --> 00:27:37,520
CHRISTELLE: And
it'’s exciting to see
what'’s awaiting us.

417
00:27:40,440 --> 00:27:44,840
NARRATOR: In the center of
the Saqqara necropolis,
Kamil'’s team works hard

418
00:27:44,840 --> 00:27:48,040
to excavate Imhotep'’s vast,
moat-shaped trench

419
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:50,440
surrounding
Djoser'’s pyramid.

420
00:27:50,440 --> 00:27:54,720
KAMIL: We are looking
for any structures
that could have been

421
00:27:54,720 --> 00:27:57,480
the parts of
the original design.

422
00:27:57,480 --> 00:28:00,840
NARRATOR: As they dig,
chambers begin to appear,

423
00:28:00,840 --> 00:28:03,160
cut into the sides
of the ancient structure.

424
00:28:03,160 --> 00:28:06,840
KAMIL: We uncovered
the entrance to this room,

425
00:28:06,840 --> 00:28:10,240
which is hewn in the back
of the moat.

426
00:28:10,240 --> 00:28:13,080
NARRATOR: The rock
surrounding the
chamber is weak.

427
00:28:13,080 --> 00:28:17,680
Cracks mean it'’s too
dangerous for Kamil
to explore,

428
00:28:17,680 --> 00:28:21,840
but he is keen to
investigate a tunnel
that has been secured.

429
00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:25,440
KAMIL: The first thing we
saw, it was the beginning
of the corridor,

430
00:28:25,440 --> 00:28:29,120
was quite unusual,
and during the exploration,

431
00:28:29,120 --> 00:28:32,400
as we progressed deeper
and deeper towards the pyramid,

432
00:28:32,400 --> 00:28:34,520
it became more
and more strange.

433
00:28:37,040 --> 00:28:40,680
NARRATOR: Kamil thinks
it could hold clues to
the true function

434
00:28:40,680 --> 00:28:43,240
of the giant trench.

435
00:28:43,240 --> 00:28:48,440
KAMIL: It'’s really
impressive piece of work,
of ancient stonecutters.

436
00:28:48,440 --> 00:28:51,480
So the pyramid
is ahead of us.

437
00:28:51,480 --> 00:28:56,480
The corridor points
almost exactly its
middle.

438
00:28:56,480 --> 00:29:00,760
NARRATOR: The shaft
seems to lead directly
towards the pyramid,

439
00:29:00,760 --> 00:29:03,720
but Kamil'’s team has
dirt to dig before
they can discover

440
00:29:03,720 --> 00:29:06,640
what lies at the end
of this mysterious tunnel.

441
00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:13,200
Half a mile north of
the Step Pyramid, Miroslav

442
00:29:13,200 --> 00:29:19,080
and his team are hunting for
the identity of the body in
the newly discovered tomb.

443
00:29:19,080 --> 00:29:22,440
To search for clues,
they excavate a
separate structure,

444
00:29:22,440 --> 00:29:25,000
constructed next to
the opening of the
burial shaft.

445
00:29:27,880 --> 00:29:31,880
Miroslav has found part
of the original mastaba,

446
00:29:31,880 --> 00:29:36,520
a large chamber
50 feet above where
he found the body.

447
00:29:36,520 --> 00:29:41,360
It'’s the tomb'’s chapel,
where visitors would have
come to leave offerings.

448
00:29:41,360 --> 00:29:43,840
A wall
with a small peephole

449
00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:48,440
seals off a tiny cell
that would have contained
a statue of the deceased

450
00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:51,640
and may have
preserved clues to
his or her identity.

451
00:29:54,240 --> 00:29:58,440
MIROSLAV: We have two
workers inside that are
about to clean the floor,

452
00:29:58,440 --> 00:30:00,640
but we must be extremely
careful, as you can see.

453
00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:02,840
NARRATOR: It'’s a big job.

454
00:30:02,840 --> 00:30:07,920
Keeping the desert sand
out of the chamber is an
endless task.

455
00:30:07,920 --> 00:30:10,960
MIROSLAV: So far, so
good, but still we have
to mind especially

456
00:30:10,960 --> 00:30:12,960
when the windblown
sand starts to flow,

457
00:30:12,960 --> 00:30:14,680
it'’s like a flood coming in.

458
00:30:14,680 --> 00:30:18,000
I'’m just going down
to check out what is there.

459
00:30:18,000 --> 00:30:21,880
NARRATOR: This is
Miroslav'’s last chance to
figure out the identity

460
00:30:21,880 --> 00:30:24,600
of the body in the tomb.

461
00:30:24,600 --> 00:30:27,360
Just as he
reaches the chamber'’s
entrance, the workers

462
00:30:27,360 --> 00:30:30,040
at the dig surface discover
something intriguing.

463
00:30:34,360 --> 00:30:38,800
NARRATOR: Miroslav
is keen to climb down
to examine the find.

464
00:30:38,800 --> 00:30:40,920
MIROSLAV: Now comes
the moment when we go down

465
00:30:40,920 --> 00:30:45,560
and inspect the walls for
any possible inscriptions,

466
00:30:45,560 --> 00:30:49,080
which may tell us
more about the owner.

467
00:30:49,080 --> 00:30:51,400
Let'’s hope for some
surprises.

468
00:30:57,960 --> 00:31:01,640
NARRATOR: In search
of clues to the identity
of the body discovered

469
00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:05,440
in the Saqqara tomb,
Miroslav scours the walls

470
00:31:05,440 --> 00:31:09,480
of the newly excavated
mastaba chamber.

471
00:31:09,480 --> 00:31:14,400
MIROSLAV: See, oh!
It'’s a red-painted graffito.

472
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:17,760
It starts here, I guess.

473
00:31:17,760 --> 00:31:21,040
Oh, here'’s one,
here'’s another one.

474
00:31:21,040 --> 00:31:24,840
NARRATOR: The 4,500-year-old
paint has faded,

475
00:31:24,840 --> 00:31:29,080
but Miroslav recognizes
sections of the graffiti.

476
00:31:29,080 --> 00:31:34,160
MIROSLAV: I'’m not sure
about the proper reading
at the moment though,

477
00:31:34,160 --> 00:31:36,040
we can discern some,

478
00:31:36,040 --> 00:31:42,400
it'’s double I, and
'’ha'’, B T perhaps.

479
00:31:42,400 --> 00:31:47,400
NARRATOR: These symbols
represent the sounds
'’huh'’, '’tuh'’ and '’puh'’.

480
00:31:47,400 --> 00:31:51,080
Could it be part of
the name Imhotep?

481
00:31:51,080 --> 00:31:57,280
MIROSLAV: We are coming up
to the total of four
red-painted graffiti

482
00:31:57,280 --> 00:32:01,480
which seem to be all
the same, and turned
upside down,

483
00:32:01,480 --> 00:32:05,480
so I would say it'’s
the name of the owner.

484
00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:08,840
NARRATOR: Why are some
of the inscriptions
upside down?

485
00:32:08,840 --> 00:32:14,200
The key lies in how the
Egyptians built this tomb.

486
00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:17,160
Before construction,
the builders would mark

487
00:32:17,160 --> 00:32:21,280
some stones with the
name of the tomb owner,

488
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:26,000
and then didn'’t care
which way round they
installed the blocks,

489
00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:30,840
explaining why some of the
inscriptions Miroslav has
found are upside down.

490
00:32:33,280 --> 00:32:37,040
But until Miroslav can
decode the hieroglyphs,

491
00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:38,960
he can'’t be sure
whose tomb this is.

492
00:32:41,600 --> 00:32:46,560
Just over seven
hundred yards from
Miroslav'’s site,

493
00:32:46,560 --> 00:32:51,000
Kamil'’s team has
excavate the entire
rock cut corridor.

494
00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,840
It doesn'’t lead to
the pyramid,

495
00:32:53,840 --> 00:32:57,560
but Kamil thinks a
strange object discovered
inside this tunnel

496
00:32:57,560 --> 00:33:02,360
can finally reveal
why Imhotep built
the giant trench.

497
00:33:02,360 --> 00:33:06,840
Kamil climbs inside
to investigate further.

498
00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:10,160
KAMIL: At the end
of this corridor, in a
small room to the right,

499
00:33:10,160 --> 00:33:15,120
we found a huge wooden
harpoon placed

500
00:33:15,120 --> 00:33:18,600
in a special
cylindrical container.

501
00:33:18,600 --> 00:33:21,120
It'’s really impressive.

502
00:33:21,120 --> 00:33:24,120
NARRATOR: Carved from
a solid piece of wood
from the juniper tree,

503
00:33:24,120 --> 00:33:27,040
the harpoon
is a precious object,

504
00:33:27,040 --> 00:33:31,480
and a snake motif dates
it to the time of Imhotep.

505
00:33:31,480 --> 00:33:33,440
KAMIL: It was
a ritual device.

506
00:33:33,440 --> 00:33:37,320
It could not be used
for an actual fight
or hunting,

507
00:33:37,320 --> 00:33:39,520
because it was too large
and too heavy.

508
00:33:42,080 --> 00:33:44,080
NARRATOR: The position
of the harpoon,

509
00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:47,040
tucked into a chamber
set inside the trench,

510
00:33:47,040 --> 00:33:49,080
could be a clue to the
function of the trench

511
00:33:49,080 --> 00:33:55,080
surrounding Imhotep'’s
revolutionary pyramid.

512
00:33:55,080 --> 00:34:00,400
KAMIL: It was a
three-dimensional model of
the road into the afterlife.

513
00:34:00,400 --> 00:34:05,520
It was a path
intended for the king
to ascend to heaven,

514
00:34:05,520 --> 00:34:09,640
so the harpoon was
a weapon prepared for
the king, for his afterlife.

515
00:34:12,800 --> 00:34:16,800
NARRATOR: The king was
buried deep below ground,

516
00:34:16,800 --> 00:34:20,640
taking him close
to the underworld, and the
path to resurrection.

517
00:34:23,600 --> 00:34:27,000
The Egyptians
believed the king'’s
spirit was fortified

518
00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:31,240
with offerings left
inside the tunnels.

519
00:34:31,240 --> 00:34:34,800
And with weapons stashed
inside the trench walls

520
00:34:34,800 --> 00:34:37,400
he'’d defeat his foes,

521
00:34:37,400 --> 00:34:40,000
until he finally
reached the afterlife,

522
00:34:40,000 --> 00:34:42,600
to complete his
transformation into a god.

523
00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:49,800
The trench may be
Imhotep'’s idea of
the sacred journey

524
00:34:49,800 --> 00:34:53,160
that awaited the king
after he died.

525
00:34:53,160 --> 00:34:57,080
If Kamil is right he has
exposed the true scale

526
00:34:57,080 --> 00:35:01,160
of Imhotep'’s ambition
for the world'’s first
pyramid.

527
00:35:01,160 --> 00:35:05,840
KAMIL: The Step Pyramid
complex was completely
experimental because

528
00:35:05,840 --> 00:35:08,920
Imhotep tried to
integrate religious

529
00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:13,880
and ideological concepts
and he translated it
into stone.

530
00:35:17,560 --> 00:35:20,040
NARRATOR: In the desert
two miles south

531
00:35:20,040 --> 00:35:24,120
is the pyramid of
pharaoh Pepi II.

532
00:35:24,120 --> 00:35:29,840
Built centuries
after Imhotep'’s
pioneering monument,

533
00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:32,920
Christelle thinks it hides
ancient pyramid texts

534
00:35:32,920 --> 00:35:37,200
that can shed light on the
missing inscriptions back
at Ibi'’s pyramid.

535
00:35:37,200 --> 00:35:41,960
CHRISTELLE: This is the
first time since the
1930'’s that some work

536
00:35:41,960 --> 00:35:45,920
is happening again in
the pyramid of Pepi II.

537
00:35:45,920 --> 00:35:51,160
NARRATOR: Unlike Ibi'’s
destroyed monument Pepi'’s
pyramid survives intact,

538
00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:54,760
preserving many of its
archaeological treasures.

539
00:35:54,760 --> 00:35:59,960
It'’s been locked up for
decades, but Christelle
has the keys to go inside.

540
00:36:02,240 --> 00:36:04,680
CHRISTELLE:
It'’s incredible. Wow!

541
00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:13,800
NARRATOR: At the pyramid
tomb of Pepi II,
Christelle comes face to face

542
00:36:13,800 --> 00:36:17,800
with the largest display
of pyramid texts ever
discovered--

543
00:36:17,800 --> 00:36:21,560
inscriptions that could
offer a glimpse into the
beliefs that inspired

544
00:36:21,560 --> 00:36:24,120
the building of these
enigmatic structures.

545
00:36:26,920 --> 00:36:31,760
CHRISTELLE: Oh wow!
So much was preserved
in this pyramid.

546
00:36:31,760 --> 00:36:33,640
It'’s really cool.

547
00:36:33,640 --> 00:36:35,800
I really wanna have a
look at the West Wall.

548
00:36:39,160 --> 00:36:40,640
Oh yeah.

549
00:36:40,640 --> 00:36:43,000
Oh, the text goes
all the way down.

550
00:36:43,000 --> 00:36:44,840
That'’s pretty impressive.

551
00:36:44,840 --> 00:36:49,680
I can see the white
paint, the green.

552
00:36:49,680 --> 00:36:52,000
Even the line at the end,
these are all things

553
00:36:52,000 --> 00:36:54,920
that I cannot see in
the pyramid of Ibi.

554
00:36:54,920 --> 00:36:58,520
NARRATOR: Christelle hunts
for sections that match up
with the inscriptions

555
00:36:58,520 --> 00:37:01,360
she found inside
Ibi'’s tomb.

556
00:37:01,360 --> 00:37:06,120
CHRISTELLE: You can
really see the very similar
arrangement between a line,

557
00:37:06,120 --> 00:37:08,800
where you have some
times a text written
horizontally,

558
00:37:08,800 --> 00:37:10,680
and then you have
the columns.

559
00:37:10,680 --> 00:37:13,560
NARRATOR: Christelle
uses a database of
inscriptions,

560
00:37:13,560 --> 00:37:18,920
to track down and decode
familiar sections of the
ancient hieroglyphics.

561
00:37:18,920 --> 00:37:24,120
CHRISTELLE: It tells me that
it'’s in the antechamber,
west wall, column eleven.

562
00:37:24,120 --> 00:37:27,480
The beginning
starts just here.

563
00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:31,360
So the title of the
spell is invoking the
ferryman and doorkeeper.

564
00:37:37,160 --> 00:37:43,800
NARRATOR: This is one of
the oldest carvings of the
ferryman spell in existence.

565
00:37:43,800 --> 00:37:48,160
In later myths he is
known as Nemty, the
falcon-headed god,

566
00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:53,120
who ferries the souls
of the dead through
the afterlife.

567
00:37:53,120 --> 00:37:57,160
The deceased pharaoh must
summon the ferryman to
help him navigate

568
00:37:57,160 --> 00:37:58,880
the treacherous waters
of the underworld.

569
00:38:02,440 --> 00:38:07,800
And deliver him safely
to the realm of the
Sun God Ra.

570
00:38:07,800 --> 00:38:11,280
Carving the hieroglyph
of the ferryman inside
a pyramid

571
00:38:11,280 --> 00:38:14,400
was meant to guarantee
protection for the dead.

572
00:38:20,120 --> 00:38:25,080
Complete spells written on
the walls of Pepi'’s pyramid
give Christelle a clue

573
00:38:25,080 --> 00:38:29,160
to the meaning of
the texts back
inside Ibi'’s tomb.

574
00:38:29,160 --> 00:38:31,680
CHRISTELLE: Perhaps
the fact of carving them
inside the burial chamber

575
00:38:31,680 --> 00:38:35,880
tells us that the pyramid
complex had really a
ritual function.

576
00:38:35,880 --> 00:38:37,640
It was a place of
remembrance of the king.

577
00:38:37,640 --> 00:38:41,920
It was a place to perform
the ritual activities,

578
00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:44,320
to be sure that the
king would actually

579
00:38:44,320 --> 00:38:49,560
be able to maintain his
status as a spirit in
the afterlife.

580
00:38:49,560 --> 00:38:52,760
NARRATOR: Like the
structures themselves
the ancient hieroglyphs

581
00:38:52,760 --> 00:38:57,880
inside Egypt'’s pyramids
served deeply sacred
functions.

582
00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:02,080
They carved out
a smooth passage into the
underworld, for the pharaoh,

583
00:39:02,080 --> 00:39:04,560
and ensured he was still
king when he got there.

584
00:39:07,360 --> 00:39:11,760
At Miroslav'’s
Saqqara base.

585
00:39:11,760 --> 00:39:15,040
He examines records of
ancient inscriptions,

586
00:39:15,040 --> 00:39:17,360
hoping to find a match
for the graffiti,

587
00:39:17,360 --> 00:39:22,080
and discover the identity
of the 4,500-year-old body.

588
00:39:22,080 --> 00:39:24,320
MIROSLAV: This now,
it is exciting.

589
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:27,880
NARRATOR: Hieroglyphic
markings discovered at
another pyramid complex

590
00:39:27,880 --> 00:39:31,240
appear similar to the
mason'’s graffiti on the
walls of the tomb.

591
00:39:31,240 --> 00:39:33,000
MIROSLAV: There is
the same name,

592
00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:36,440
referring to a
particular official
from the same period.

593
00:39:36,440 --> 00:39:39,200
Basically from the
same context.

594
00:39:39,200 --> 00:39:42,680
NARRATOR: A figure sits
next to the symbols.

595
00:39:42,680 --> 00:39:45,280
MIROSLAV: This could
be the tomb owner.

596
00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:50,120
NARRATOR: Miroslav is
able to fully translate
the hieroglyphic name.

597
00:39:50,120 --> 00:39:56,600
MIROSLAV: This part of
the scene, the reading
is ptah, wer.

598
00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:57,680
So that was him.

599
00:39:57,680 --> 00:40:00,160
Ptah Wer.

600
00:40:00,160 --> 00:40:04,280
NARRATOR: Incredibly
he has tracked down the
owner of the ancient tomb.

601
00:40:04,280 --> 00:40:08,080
It'’s not Imhotep, but
another high ranking
Egyptian official

602
00:40:08,080 --> 00:40:11,160
known as Ptah Wer.

603
00:40:11,160 --> 00:40:13,760
MIROSLAV: Imagine that
you have someone who
lived more than

604
00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:17,640
four thousand four
hundred years ago and
you have his tomb.

605
00:40:17,640 --> 00:40:20,040
You also have pictorial
evidence for him.

606
00:40:20,040 --> 00:40:23,480
It'’s quite an
exceptional case I think.

607
00:40:23,480 --> 00:40:26,320
NARRATOR:
But who is Ptah Wer?

608
00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:30,240
And why does he merit
a tomb so close to
Djoser'’s Step Pyramid?

609
00:40:30,240 --> 00:40:34,640
The clues could
lie hidden in the rest of
this ancient inscription,

610
00:40:34,640 --> 00:40:36,960
at the other end of
the Saqqara plateau.

611
00:40:41,360 --> 00:40:43,600
The pyramid complex
of Sahure,

612
00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:47,040
ruler of Egypt a
hundred years after
the time of Imhotep.

613
00:40:48,960 --> 00:40:52,080
Miroslav'’s colleague,
Mohamed Ismail Khaled,

614
00:40:52,080 --> 00:40:56,280
comes here to investigate
the inscription.

615
00:40:56,280 --> 00:41:01,760
It is hidden behind this
protective modern wall and
could reveal more clues

616
00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:04,120
about Ptah Wer'’s
life and work.

617
00:41:04,120 --> 00:41:06,240
MOHAMED: This is
the moment that I'’m
waiting for,

618
00:41:06,240 --> 00:41:08,120
to see actually
the relief.

619
00:41:22,280 --> 00:41:29,080
Wow, if you begin like
to clean little bit of the
dust, it'’s really amazing,

620
00:41:29,080 --> 00:41:34,760
to see how the artisan
was really carving
every single detail.

621
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:40,480
NARRATOR: Mohamed'’s
restorer gets to work
cleaning the stone,

622
00:41:40,480 --> 00:41:44,040
and glimpses of the ancient
scene begin to emerge.

623
00:41:46,960 --> 00:41:50,680
MOHAMED: This is really
a kind of detective work.

624
00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:55,120
NARRATOR: As they clear
the dust the ancient
original image of Ptah Wer

625
00:41:55,120 --> 00:41:59,560
is revealed, along
with the symbols that
spell out his name.

626
00:42:02,520 --> 00:42:06,880
MOHAMED: This is his
title and this is his
name, Ptah Wer,

627
00:42:06,880 --> 00:42:11,720
and his title is
written above him,
as the sculptor

628
00:42:11,720 --> 00:42:16,640
and also
the one who'’s in charge
of the stone vessels.

629
00:42:16,640 --> 00:42:21,280
NARRATOR: A century after
the great Imhotep built
the first pyramid,

630
00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:27,400
this inscription reveals
Ptah Wer is another master
craftsman of pyramids.

631
00:42:27,400 --> 00:42:30,320
His work honored by
the pharaoh Sahure.

632
00:42:32,960 --> 00:42:37,080
The carving shows
Ptah Wer feasting
at a royal banquet,

633
00:42:37,080 --> 00:42:40,040
a reward for his
services to the pharaoh.

634
00:42:42,280 --> 00:42:46,840
Ptah Wer had led
an expedition to the
lands east of Egypt,

635
00:42:46,840 --> 00:42:51,160
and brought back precious
stones, ivory and minerals--

636
00:42:51,160 --> 00:42:55,280
materials he used
to revolutionize
pyramid decoration.

637
00:42:58,200 --> 00:43:03,680
Commanding hundreds
of skilled craftsman,
he continued Imhotep'’s legacy

638
00:43:03,680 --> 00:43:06,680
and built in honor
of his king.

639
00:43:06,680 --> 00:43:10,280
In return for his
groundbreaking work,

640
00:43:10,280 --> 00:43:13,360
he was buried near
Imhotep'’s great pyramid,

641
00:43:13,360 --> 00:43:18,120
at Saqqara, the most
sacred burial ground
in Egypt.

642
00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:24,120
MOHAMED: It'’s something
extraordinary for Ptah Wer,

643
00:43:24,120 --> 00:43:27,320
to be depicted in such
scenes like this,

644
00:43:27,320 --> 00:43:30,520
that he'’s only just sitting,
eating and relaxing.

645
00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:34,680
We are now sure that
Ptah Wer was really
a high official

646
00:43:34,680 --> 00:43:39,520
and that'’s why the king
was able to reward him
for what he has done.

647
00:43:41,640 --> 00:43:45,160
NARRATOR: Miroslav and his
team have found Ptah Wer,

648
00:43:45,160 --> 00:43:49,880
a key figure in the rise
of Egypt'’s incredible
pyramid landscape,

649
00:43:49,880 --> 00:43:53,280
but the hunt for
Imhotep continues.

650
00:43:53,280 --> 00:43:57,600
Thousands of years
after Imhotep built
the first pyramid,

651
00:43:57,600 --> 00:44:01,920
his revolutionary
tomb design is a
spectacular success.

652
00:44:01,920 --> 00:44:05,320
Kings who sought
immortality live on

653
00:44:05,320 --> 00:44:07,480
through these
incredible structures.

654
00:44:07,480 --> 00:44:09,400
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