1 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:08,480 NARRATOR: Egypt, the richest source of archaeological 2 00:00:08,480 --> 00:00:10,640 treasures on the planet. 3 00:00:10,640 --> 00:00:12,640 MAN: Oh, wow! Look at that. 4 00:00:15,440 --> 00:00:19,680 NARRATOR: Hidden beneath this desert landscape 5 00:00:19,680 --> 00:00:22,840 lie the secrets of this ancient civilization. 6 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:24,760 [speaking native language] 7 00:00:24,760 --> 00:00:27,080 ALEJANDRO: I have never seen something like this. 8 00:00:27,080 --> 00:00:30,720 NARRATOR: Now, for a full season of excavations, 9 00:00:30,720 --> 00:00:35,000 our cameras have been given unprecedented access to follow 10 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:38,800 teams on the front line of archaeology. 11 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:41,120 MYRIAM: This is the most critical moment. 12 00:00:41,120 --> 00:00:42,760 [shouting] 13 00:00:42,760 --> 00:00:45,040 NARRATOR: Revealing buried treasures. 14 00:00:45,040 --> 00:00:47,720 -SALIMA: Oh! -AHMED: We were lucky today. 15 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:49,480 NOZOMU: Wow! Lots of mummies. 16 00:00:49,480 --> 00:00:52,160 KATHLEEN: The smell is horrible! 17 00:00:52,160 --> 00:00:53,640 NARRATOR: And making discoveries that could 18 00:00:53,640 --> 00:00:55,760 rewrite ancient history. 19 00:00:55,760 --> 00:00:58,800 JOHN: We'’ve never had the proof until now. 20 00:00:58,800 --> 00:01:02,760 COLLEEN: This is where it all started. 21 00:01:02,760 --> 00:01:05,560 ALEJANDRO: My goodness, I never expected this. 22 00:01:05,560 --> 00:01:08,040 [applause] 23 00:01:08,040 --> 00:01:12,240 NARRATOR: This time Anna goes in search of one of Egypt'’s 24 00:01:12,240 --> 00:01:17,000 most enigmatic queens, Nefertiti. 25 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:19,640 ANNA: If she wasn'’t buried here, where was she buried? 26 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:21,520 [shouting] 27 00:01:21,520 --> 00:01:23,760 NARRATOR: Mohamed searches for the lost wife of a noble. 28 00:01:23,760 --> 00:01:26,240 MOHAMED: If we are lucky we will have her. 29 00:01:28,520 --> 00:01:31,720 NARRATOR: An ancient cemetery reveals a startling find. 30 00:01:33,760 --> 00:01:35,920 FATHI: No. 31 00:01:35,920 --> 00:01:38,840 NARRATOR: And John and Maria uncover the secrets of 32 00:01:38,840 --> 00:01:41,400 Nefertiti'’s great Empire. 33 00:01:41,400 --> 00:01:43,360 MARIA: Wow, this is beautiful. 34 00:01:44,920 --> 00:01:50,080 [theme music plays] 35 00:01:58,880 --> 00:02:03,720 NARRATOR: Egypt, land of the mighty pharaohs, 36 00:02:03,720 --> 00:02:08,840 buried in monumental tombs with dazzling treasures. 37 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,760 But among these great Kings and Queens, 38 00:02:13,760 --> 00:02:16,680 some are missing, 39 00:02:16,680 --> 00:02:21,280 including one of the most iconic of all: Nefertiti. 40 00:02:23,880 --> 00:02:26,760 How did one of the most powerful women in the ancient 41 00:02:26,760 --> 00:02:29,840 world vanish from history? 42 00:02:31,720 --> 00:02:36,400 In the heart of Egypt lies the ancient site of Amarna. 43 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:43,720 Here, archaeologist Dr. Anna Stevens has spent nearly two 44 00:02:43,720 --> 00:02:46,920 decades unearthing the secrets of a ruined city 45 00:02:46,920 --> 00:02:49,640 and its captivating Queen. 46 00:02:49,640 --> 00:02:52,440 ANNA: We'’ve left the riverside city of ancient Amarna behind, 47 00:02:52,440 --> 00:02:55,200 and we'’re traveling through the low desert, 48 00:02:55,200 --> 00:02:59,200 heading out to the cliffs that border ancient Amarna. 49 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:03,880 NARRATOR: Anna heads for the royal tomb of 50 00:03:03,880 --> 00:03:08,080 Nefertiti'’s husband, pharaoh Akhenaten. 51 00:03:11,800 --> 00:03:16,520 The king'’s burial chamber is badly damaged by flooding, 52 00:03:16,520 --> 00:03:20,000 but it is another chamber that Anna has come to investigate. 53 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:24,240 ANNA: It'’s so prominent that you'’d have to think it belongs 54 00:03:24,240 --> 00:03:28,560 to a suitably prominent member of the Amarna royal family. 55 00:03:30,680 --> 00:03:34,360 NARRATOR: She searches for any sign of Nefertiti'’s whereabouts. 56 00:03:34,360 --> 00:03:39,280 The walls of a royal tomb should be covered in elaborate carvings, 57 00:03:39,280 --> 00:03:43,720 but here are only rough chisel marks on bare rock. 58 00:03:43,720 --> 00:03:45,160 ANNA: It'’s completely unfinished; 59 00:03:45,160 --> 00:03:48,280 it'’s not suitable for the burial of a queen. 60 00:03:48,280 --> 00:03:52,000 NARRATOR: The tomb is half-built and abandoned. 61 00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,840 ANNA: It hasn'’t taken a royal burial. 62 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,640 If she wasn'’t buried here, the question is, of course, 63 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:00,160 where was she buried? 64 00:04:06,160 --> 00:04:08,920 NARRATOR: These ruins were once a vast city from which 65 00:04:08,920 --> 00:04:12,760 Nefertiti and Akhenaten ruled over their great empire. 66 00:04:16,920 --> 00:04:19,720 Nestling on the East bank of the Nile, 67 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:23,560 Nefertiti'’s capital city covered over 3000 acres 68 00:04:23,560 --> 00:04:26,720 and was home to up to 50,000 people. 69 00:04:26,720 --> 00:04:30,760 What is now barren landscape was once one of the greatest 70 00:04:30,760 --> 00:04:34,680 cities in the ancient world, and from these palaces and 71 00:04:34,680 --> 00:04:38,720 temples, the royal couple ruled over all of Egypt. 72 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:43,120 She doesn'’t appear to be buried here. 73 00:04:43,120 --> 00:04:47,320 But does this place hold clues to the fate of the missing Queen? 74 00:04:50,360 --> 00:04:54,280 Nefertiti is famous today because of this iconic bust of her. 75 00:04:54,280 --> 00:04:58,840 She has one of the most well-known faces in all of ancient Egypt. 76 00:05:02,760 --> 00:05:06,440 ANNA: This is about the spot that the bust was actually found. 77 00:05:06,440 --> 00:05:09,440 We'’re in the house and the workshop of a sculptor 78 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:12,200 who was probably called Thutmose. 79 00:05:12,200 --> 00:05:15,680 This is where the Nefertiti bust was originally created. 80 00:05:15,680 --> 00:05:19,280 It'’s one version of Nefertiti'’s official portrait. 81 00:05:19,280 --> 00:05:22,560 She may herself have signed off on this image. 82 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:25,680 But really we have no idea what she'’d look like in real life. 83 00:05:28,560 --> 00:05:32,680 NARRATOR: Nefertiti'’s early life is also still a mystery. 84 00:05:32,680 --> 00:05:38,320 Her father was probably Ay, vizier to Pharaoh Amenhotep III, 85 00:05:38,320 --> 00:05:41,040 so she would have been brought up in a Royal palace. 86 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:45,760 By the age of just 15, she married Amenhotep'’s 87 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:49,800 second son, the new pharaoh Akhenaten, 88 00:05:49,800 --> 00:05:53,400 and bore him six daughters. 89 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:58,120 As his queen, Nefertiti became the most powerful woman in all of Egypt. 90 00:06:02,720 --> 00:06:06,000 Yet Nefertiti'’s ultimate fate remains a mystery that 91 00:06:06,000 --> 00:06:09,480 occupies archaeologists all over Egypt. 92 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:14,680 200 miles south along the Nile, at Luxor, 93 00:06:14,680 --> 00:06:17,160 lies the necropolis of Asasif, 94 00:06:20,640 --> 00:06:22,640 a vast cemetery where Egypt'’s 95 00:06:22,640 --> 00:06:26,160 rich and powerful were buried around the time of Nefertiti. 96 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,800 Site director Fathi Yaseen and his team are about to excavate 97 00:06:31,800 --> 00:06:33,800 a hidden burial shaft. 98 00:06:39,720 --> 00:06:42,600 NARRATOR: Fathi runs one of the busiest archaeological digs 99 00:06:42,600 --> 00:06:47,240 in Egypt, with up to 100 workers shifting sand every day. 100 00:06:49,480 --> 00:06:53,520 Sayed Mohamed is one of his most experienced archaeologists. 101 00:07:04,680 --> 00:07:07,600 NARRATOR: This ancient cemetery is full of artifacts. 102 00:07:18,240 --> 00:07:21,200 NARRATOR: Most of the finds are from the same era as Nefertiti. 103 00:07:23,560 --> 00:07:25,440 [speaking native language] 104 00:07:25,440 --> 00:07:28,680 NARRATOR: Ancient objects of ceramic and stone 105 00:07:28,680 --> 00:07:30,000 are common here. 106 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:34,240 But this seems to be made of wood. 107 00:07:44,000 --> 00:07:47,120 NARRATOR: A wooden face looks up from the sand. 108 00:07:47,120 --> 00:07:50,440 The mystery object could be a wooden mask or statue. 109 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:52,360 They must try to free it from the ground. 110 00:07:55,000 --> 00:07:57,200 FATHI: Wow! 111 00:07:57,200 --> 00:08:00,000 NARRATOR: The rope seems to wrap around it. 112 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:22,640 NARRATOR: Coffin finds are rare, 113 00:08:22,640 --> 00:08:26,280 particularly ones dating back to the time of Nefertiti. 114 00:08:26,280 --> 00:08:29,960 But whatever it is in the ground, it is quite large. 115 00:08:36,520 --> 00:08:38,760 NARRATOR: This is no ordinary burial. 116 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:42,400 Only one in 20 people could afford a coffin in ancient Egypt. 117 00:08:47,760 --> 00:08:50,320 NARRATOR: The rope, made from twisted palm leaves, 118 00:08:50,320 --> 00:08:52,440 is tied around the feet. 119 00:08:52,440 --> 00:08:53,880 [clapping] 120 00:08:59,120 --> 00:09:03,480 NARRATOR: For Sayed, the ropes can mean only one thing. 121 00:09:11,920 --> 00:09:14,560 NARRATOR: If the coffin does have a mummy in it, 122 00:09:14,560 --> 00:09:17,400 it could date back to Nefertiti'’s time. 123 00:09:21,800 --> 00:09:25,760 100 miles south, at Gebel El Silsila... 124 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:27,360 JOHN: Everybody here? 125 00:09:27,360 --> 00:09:29,720 NARRATOR: It'’s 7:00am. 126 00:09:29,720 --> 00:09:32,720 Husband and wife team Maria Nilsen and John Ward set 127 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:35,760 course for the ancient sandstone pits that pharaohs 128 00:09:35,760 --> 00:09:38,880 quarried for their great monuments, statues, 129 00:09:38,880 --> 00:09:41,800 temples and palaces. 130 00:09:41,800 --> 00:09:44,480 -MARIA: Good morning, John! -JOHN: Good morning. 131 00:09:44,480 --> 00:09:46,760 It'’s early in the morning, I haven'’t had enough coffee yet. 132 00:09:49,040 --> 00:09:52,160 NARRATOR: Akhenaten and Nefertiti opened several 133 00:09:52,160 --> 00:09:54,080 quarries here. 134 00:09:54,080 --> 00:09:57,680 JOHN: Gebel El Silsila'’s golden sandstone was revered 135 00:09:57,680 --> 00:10:00,640 and required by all the pharaohs. 136 00:10:00,640 --> 00:10:03,840 NARRATOR: John and Maria hope to discover important clues 137 00:10:03,840 --> 00:10:07,480 about what Akhenaten and Nefertiti were building at the time. 138 00:10:09,360 --> 00:10:13,120 The size of the gallery shows the scale of excavation. 139 00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:16,600 JOHN: People don'’t realize the sheer magnitude. 140 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:22,760 This one pillar alone is monumentally huge and this 141 00:10:22,760 --> 00:10:25,760 supports the roof above me. 142 00:10:25,760 --> 00:10:28,240 NARRATOR: Before they can investigate the clues here, 143 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:30,960 they must clear the thick layer of sand. 144 00:10:33,480 --> 00:10:35,720 JOHN: Jenna. 145 00:10:35,720 --> 00:10:37,920 MARIA: It'’s always a good start when our workers 146 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:39,600 describe it as heaven! 147 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:41,880 [laughing] 148 00:10:41,880 --> 00:10:44,120 JOHN: So, clean, clean, clean, clean, clean, clean, 149 00:10:44,120 --> 00:10:47,080 clean, clean, clean, down on the floor. 150 00:10:47,080 --> 00:10:50,320 Clean, clean, clean, clean, clean, onto the floor. 151 00:10:50,320 --> 00:10:52,800 MARIA: It'’s gonna be dirty. 152 00:10:52,800 --> 00:10:54,600 NARRATOR: As they clear the floor, 153 00:10:54,600 --> 00:10:57,840 John makes a surprising discovery. 154 00:10:57,840 --> 00:10:59,800 JOHN: Hey! Guess what I got? 155 00:10:59,800 --> 00:11:01,280 MARIA: You'’ve got to be kidding me! 156 00:11:06,760 --> 00:11:09,600 -JOHN: You ready for this? -MARIA: Yeah. 157 00:11:09,600 --> 00:11:11,800 NARRATOR: Beneath the sand on the quarry floor, 158 00:11:11,800 --> 00:11:14,720 John thinks he'’s found a clue to how ancient Egyptians 159 00:11:14,720 --> 00:11:17,480 quarried stone here. 160 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:21,440 JOHN: What would they have used to get such straight lines? 161 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:22,640 MARIA: You haven'’t? 162 00:11:22,640 --> 00:11:28,560 JOHN: Both hands. A plumb bob. Amazing! 163 00:11:28,560 --> 00:11:30,040 MARIA: That'’s our first. That'’s... 164 00:11:30,040 --> 00:11:31,840 JOHN: Our first plumb bob. 165 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:36,040 You just think, that'’s been laying there since Akhenaten 166 00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:39,000 closed the quarry! 167 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:41,480 NARRATOR: This plumb bob is a worker'’s tool dropped over 168 00:11:41,480 --> 00:11:43,440 3,000 years ago. 169 00:11:43,440 --> 00:11:45,280 JOHN: That would have had the cord on, 170 00:11:45,280 --> 00:11:47,440 and they would have been able to get the straight line. 171 00:11:47,440 --> 00:11:50,520 This is our first one at Silsila, 172 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,840 and it is beautiful! 173 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:58,240 NARRATOR: Nearby, Maria wants to analyze an inscription 174 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:01,040 she'’s found carved on the rock. 175 00:12:01,040 --> 00:12:06,280 Her keen eye has spotted faint traces of ancient ink. 176 00:12:06,280 --> 00:12:10,800 MARIA: You'’ve got lines of text here and here. 177 00:12:10,800 --> 00:12:12,840 NARRATOR: She thinks she can decode the markings to link 178 00:12:12,840 --> 00:12:15,840 the quarry directly back to Akhenaten, 179 00:12:15,840 --> 00:12:19,280 but here he uses a different name. 180 00:12:19,280 --> 00:12:21,240 MARIA: It is the time of Amenhotep IV, 181 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:25,280 before he turned into Akhenaten. 182 00:12:25,280 --> 00:12:28,960 NARRATOR: Amenhotep the fourth was his original name. 183 00:12:28,960 --> 00:12:32,080 But it is more than just a change of name. 184 00:12:32,080 --> 00:12:35,000 Early in his reign, he created a new identity, 185 00:12:35,000 --> 00:12:40,240 transforming himself into Akhenaten. 186 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:44,000 He also imposed a change of religion upon Egypt. 187 00:12:45,640 --> 00:12:47,920 For more than a millennium, the Ancient Egyptians 188 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:52,080 worshipped a pantheon of gods and goddesses. 189 00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:57,400 Their ruler was Amun-Ra, whom Egypt'’s ruling priests revered 190 00:12:57,400 --> 00:13:00,280 as the King of the Gods. 191 00:13:00,280 --> 00:13:03,840 Pharaoh Amenhotep outlawed worship of Amun-Ra and 192 00:13:03,840 --> 00:13:07,400 closed down his temples. 193 00:13:07,400 --> 00:13:11,200 Across Egypt, he erased the old gods and replaced them 194 00:13:11,200 --> 00:13:16,360 with a single deity: the Sun God, Aten. 195 00:13:16,360 --> 00:13:20,080 The only human figures left, bathing in the Sun God'’s rays, 196 00:13:20,080 --> 00:13:24,520 were Amenhotep, now transformed into Akhenaten 197 00:13:24,520 --> 00:13:27,200 and his queen, Nefertiti. 198 00:13:29,280 --> 00:13:31,520 On the faded inscription in the quarry, 199 00:13:31,520 --> 00:13:34,040 Maria spots another detail. 200 00:13:34,040 --> 00:13:36,720 MARIA: You'’ve got the Sun disc here. 201 00:13:36,720 --> 00:13:40,040 NARRATOR: The Sun, the god of the new religion, 202 00:13:40,040 --> 00:13:43,320 alongside Akhenaten'’s earlier name. 203 00:13:43,320 --> 00:13:47,680 MARIA: Clearly an early sign of the Aten worship. 204 00:13:47,680 --> 00:13:51,000 We can'’t find anything similar to this anywhere else in Egypt. 205 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:53,400 It'’s the earliest one that we have. 206 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:57,560 We haven'’t published it yet, it'’s on its way. 207 00:13:57,560 --> 00:14:01,480 NARRATOR: This discovery dates the quarry to the early reign 208 00:14:01,480 --> 00:14:05,080 of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, but it doesn'’t solve 209 00:14:05,080 --> 00:14:08,640 the mystery of why they were quarrying so much stone. 210 00:14:08,640 --> 00:14:09,800 What were they making? 211 00:14:11,600 --> 00:14:17,400 400 miles north at Saqqara, husband and wife 212 00:14:17,400 --> 00:14:21,640 archaeologists Mohamed Megahed and Hana Vymazalova 213 00:14:21,640 --> 00:14:24,000 are back for another season of excavation. 214 00:14:26,160 --> 00:14:31,200 Last year, they made an astonishing rare discovery: 215 00:14:34,960 --> 00:14:39,160 a tomb dating back over 4,000 years, 216 00:14:40,560 --> 00:14:42,680 in pristine condition. 217 00:14:44,800 --> 00:14:46,560 MOHAMED: The day we enter the tomb, 218 00:14:46,560 --> 00:14:50,320 it was unforgettable day for all of us. 219 00:14:51,800 --> 00:14:53,800 NARRATOR: It belongs to a man called Khuwy, 220 00:14:53,800 --> 00:14:57,480 a high official of Pharaoh Djedkhare who lived 221 00:14:57,480 --> 00:15:01,080 1,000 years before Nefertiti. 222 00:15:01,080 --> 00:15:04,360 Khuwy may even be a member of the royal family. 223 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:12,280 It'’s a spectacular find, but there'’s a mystery. 224 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:16,200 MOHAMED: Usually, ancient Egyptians were buried with 225 00:15:16,200 --> 00:15:18,200 their wives in their tombs. 226 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:20,400 In our case, we have only Khuwy. 227 00:15:20,400 --> 00:15:23,040 NARRATOR: Khuwy'’s wife should be buried with her husband, 228 00:15:23,040 --> 00:15:25,200 but she isn'’t. 229 00:15:25,200 --> 00:15:27,840 She is missing, just like Nefertiti, 230 00:15:27,840 --> 00:15:30,640 and Mohamed wants to find her. 231 00:15:30,640 --> 00:15:34,520 MOHAMED: It means we will be looking for perhaps similar tomb, 232 00:15:34,520 --> 00:15:37,640 maybe much bigger tomb, the same quality of reliefs 233 00:15:37,640 --> 00:15:40,040 for his wife. 234 00:15:40,040 --> 00:15:43,800 NARRATOR: Her tomb should be as magnificent as Khuwy'’s itself. 235 00:15:45,480 --> 00:15:47,640 MOHAMED: Why people love Egypt and love ancient Egypt? 236 00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:49,800 Because it'’s full of secrets and magic. 237 00:15:49,800 --> 00:15:53,480 For example, Queen Nefertiti, her tomb was never found. 238 00:15:53,480 --> 00:15:56,200 NARRATOR: Family members from this time are generally buried 239 00:15:56,200 --> 00:15:59,640 close together, so Khuwy'’s wife must be nearby. 240 00:15:59,640 --> 00:16:02,120 MOHAMED: We still need to go a little bit deeper in the 241 00:16:02,120 --> 00:16:06,040 west side to make sure that there is no other entrance for a corridor, 242 00:16:06,040 --> 00:16:10,320 or we have to look around for another shaft in the mastaba. 243 00:16:10,320 --> 00:16:12,640 NARRATOR: A mastaba is a massive flat-topped structure 244 00:16:12,640 --> 00:16:16,400 that ancient Egyptians built over tombs. 245 00:16:16,400 --> 00:16:20,160 Digging deeper, Mohamed finds a possible clue to another 246 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:24,640 entrance: the pure white rock finish of the mastaba changes 247 00:16:24,640 --> 00:16:27,160 to a different kind of rock. 248 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:28,960 MOHAMED: This is the white, nice, 249 00:16:28,960 --> 00:16:32,000 limestone and in the bottom it'’s completely local 250 00:16:32,000 --> 00:16:35,840 limestone, exactly like the entrance of Khuwy. 251 00:16:35,840 --> 00:16:39,800 NARRATOR: Local limestone surrounds the entrance to Khuwy'’s tomb. 252 00:16:39,800 --> 00:16:42,560 The same stone here could mark another entrance to 253 00:16:42,560 --> 00:16:47,200 his wife'’s burial chamber. 254 00:16:47,200 --> 00:16:51,480 MOHAMED: So the plan for today is to clear it all, go deeper, 255 00:16:51,480 --> 00:16:53,320 reach the floor. 256 00:16:53,320 --> 00:16:56,600 We hope to find something, and you never know what the sands 257 00:16:56,600 --> 00:16:58,880 of Egypt might hide. 258 00:16:58,880 --> 00:17:03,600 NARRATOR: Could the team be on the brink of another major discovery? 259 00:17:09,520 --> 00:17:12,640 NARRATOR: Mohamed found Khuwy'’s tomb last year. 260 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,640 It dates to a time called the Old Kingdom, 261 00:17:15,640 --> 00:17:19,920 1,000 years before Nefertiti. 262 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:23,040 The tomb of Khuwy'’s missing wife could be every bit as 263 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:26,240 spectacular as her husband'’s. 264 00:17:29,160 --> 00:17:31,320 MOHAMED: This is one of the most important and interesting 265 00:17:31,320 --> 00:17:34,000 tomb in Old Kingdom. 266 00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:39,120 NARRATOR: The scenes help Khuwy on his journey to the afterlife. 267 00:17:39,120 --> 00:17:43,040 An offering wall gives instructions for 95 different 268 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:48,880 offering rituals, jars of beer, bread, meat. 269 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,240 MOHAMED: There is no mention for the wife because 270 00:17:53,240 --> 00:17:57,560 everything underground here is for Khuwy. 271 00:17:57,560 --> 00:17:59,800 NARRATOR: She is not with him on the walls, 272 00:17:59,800 --> 00:18:01,440 but she is family. 273 00:18:01,440 --> 00:18:03,920 Her tomb shouldn'’t be far away. 274 00:18:05,360 --> 00:18:07,400 Outside, Mohamed'’s own wife, Hana, 275 00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:10,720 is also helping in the search for Khuwy'’s wife. 276 00:18:10,720 --> 00:18:13,680 HANA: We hope that we might find Khuwy'’s wife. 277 00:18:13,680 --> 00:18:15,840 At the moment we are in the area which is directly 278 00:18:15,840 --> 00:18:18,600 opposite to the entrance to the tomb. 279 00:18:23,120 --> 00:18:25,000 NARRATOR: They must dig carefully, 280 00:18:25,000 --> 00:18:27,600 as the sand is full of ancient fragments. 281 00:18:27,600 --> 00:18:30,480 Each one could be a vital clue. 282 00:18:32,320 --> 00:18:36,240 These are not just bones, it looks like a complete skeleton. 283 00:18:36,240 --> 00:18:40,360 Has Hana discovered Khuwy'’s wife? 284 00:18:42,200 --> 00:18:46,560 At Gebel El-Silsila John and Maria are on a mission to find 285 00:18:46,560 --> 00:18:50,240 the purpose of the quarry. 286 00:18:50,240 --> 00:18:52,000 The stone could reveal important clues about 287 00:18:52,000 --> 00:18:55,240 Akhenaten and Nefertiti'’s building projects, 288 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:58,480 and the ambition of their reign. 289 00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:01,160 MARIA: Wow! This is beautiful. 290 00:19:01,160 --> 00:19:02,880 Look at the block work. 291 00:19:02,880 --> 00:19:06,240 You can see perfect talatat blocks. 292 00:19:06,240 --> 00:19:07,960 NARRATOR: As workers clear the area, 293 00:19:07,960 --> 00:19:10,400 they reveal evidence of a building innovation that 294 00:19:10,400 --> 00:19:13,520 Akhenaten and Nefertiti pioneered. 295 00:19:13,520 --> 00:19:16,200 MARIA: Here we got a small block, 296 00:19:16,200 --> 00:19:20,240 they divided it into two and at the end of that you'’ll have 297 00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:22,800 two perfect talatat blocks. 298 00:19:22,800 --> 00:19:24,160 JOHN: They'’re ready to come through here aren'’t they? 299 00:19:24,160 --> 00:19:26,240 MARIA: Yeah, exactly. 300 00:19:26,240 --> 00:19:28,600 NARRATOR: These small blocks, called talatat, 301 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:32,560 could be quarried quicker and built with faster. 302 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:37,640 JOHN: This is from the period of Akhenaten where everything'’s changed. 303 00:19:37,640 --> 00:19:41,440 We'’ve gone from massive one ton block down to the small, 304 00:19:41,440 --> 00:19:46,160 minuscule talatat, which is famous for Akhenaten. 305 00:19:46,160 --> 00:19:48,360 It only weighed 60 kilograms. 306 00:19:48,360 --> 00:19:52,120 You could carry it on your shoulder. 307 00:19:52,120 --> 00:19:54,360 NARRATOR: John and Maria have solved the mystery of what 308 00:19:54,360 --> 00:19:57,280 Akhenaten and Nefertiti quarried here. 309 00:19:57,280 --> 00:20:00,800 It was talatat, key to an ambitious plan and an 310 00:20:00,800 --> 00:20:04,360 important clue that they began a huge construction program, 311 00:20:04,360 --> 00:20:08,840 including the building of their new capital, Amarna. 312 00:20:11,200 --> 00:20:14,360 Using the newly-invented talatat blocks, 313 00:20:14,360 --> 00:20:18,240 the city rose from the desert in record time. 314 00:20:18,240 --> 00:20:21,800 Akhenaten built a lavish palace for himself and 315 00:20:21,800 --> 00:20:27,040 Nefertiti in the center and two vast temples. 316 00:20:28,960 --> 00:20:32,480 Thousands gathered here to worship the Sun God Aten as 317 00:20:32,480 --> 00:20:37,040 the sun moved east to west. 318 00:20:37,040 --> 00:20:40,560 Spread around the outside were hundreds of stone tables for 319 00:20:40,560 --> 00:20:43,560 lavish offerings to their god. 320 00:20:45,520 --> 00:20:49,560 This monumental complex gave Akhenaten and Nefertiti total 321 00:20:49,560 --> 00:20:53,800 control over religion in Egypt. 322 00:20:55,640 --> 00:20:59,320 But the city'’s most famous resident, Queen Nefertiti, 323 00:20:59,320 --> 00:21:02,000 is missing. 324 00:21:02,000 --> 00:21:05,240 Could the city itself hold clues to her fate? 325 00:21:07,120 --> 00:21:12,440 At Amarna, Anna heads beyond the city limits to investigate 326 00:21:12,440 --> 00:21:15,320 a cemetery for Amana'’s elite. 327 00:21:17,480 --> 00:21:20,240 Tombs, richly decorated with pictures of the king and 328 00:21:20,240 --> 00:21:23,640 queen, might still reveal vital evidence. 329 00:21:25,280 --> 00:21:28,560 The royal couple seem to be in a land of paradise. 330 00:21:28,560 --> 00:21:31,360 They ride their chariots. 331 00:21:33,080 --> 00:21:36,720 They hand out gifts to their adoring crowds... 332 00:21:38,400 --> 00:21:42,680 and make lavish offerings to the Sun God, the Aten. 333 00:21:44,800 --> 00:21:47,240 ANNA: What'’s really lovely here is that you can see that 334 00:21:47,240 --> 00:21:50,400 one of the Aten rays extends to Akhenaten, 335 00:21:50,400 --> 00:21:52,360 the symbol of life, the Ankh. 336 00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:55,760 So the Aten is providing the king with life. 337 00:21:55,760 --> 00:21:59,920 NARRATOR: So, did the couple live out their lives in this utopia? 338 00:21:59,920 --> 00:22:03,560 The idyllic scenes also bear marks of violence. 339 00:22:03,560 --> 00:22:05,800 ANNA: The faces of the king and queen seem to have been 340 00:22:05,800 --> 00:22:07,880 deliberately hacked out. 341 00:22:07,880 --> 00:22:12,040 It'’s actually being done to obliterate their image. 342 00:22:12,040 --> 00:22:14,200 NARRATOR: Nefertiti and Akhenaten'’s 343 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,680 great religiousrevolution has been destroyed. 344 00:22:25,360 --> 00:22:28,000 NARRATOR: Anna finds more evidence that Akhenaten and 345 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:31,200 Nefertiti'’s revolution ends with a backlash against them. 346 00:22:33,360 --> 00:22:38,400 ANNA: There were deliberate attempts to forget Akhenaten'’s reign. 347 00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:41,680 He was essentially erased from Egyptian history. 348 00:22:41,680 --> 00:22:44,320 NARRATOR: Nefertiti'’s fate during this time of trouble 349 00:22:44,320 --> 00:22:47,000 is a mystery. 350 00:22:51,760 --> 00:22:55,360 Akhenaten and Nefertiti ruled for 17 years. 351 00:22:58,400 --> 00:23:01,720 But when the pharaoh died, the unpopular religion that he 352 00:23:01,720 --> 00:23:05,240 imposed on Egypt crumbled. 353 00:23:05,240 --> 00:23:09,200 People of Egypt returned to the old traditional gods that 354 00:23:09,200 --> 00:23:11,040 Akhenaten had banned. 355 00:23:14,000 --> 00:23:17,040 The enemies of the Aten religion set out to destroy 356 00:23:17,040 --> 00:23:20,480 every memory of the king and queen. 357 00:23:20,480 --> 00:23:25,160 Their revenge on Akhenaten was to attempt to rub him out of history. 358 00:23:30,160 --> 00:23:33,920 But what happened to Nefertiti? 359 00:23:33,920 --> 00:23:35,960 ANNA: This is still part of the tomb. 360 00:23:35,960 --> 00:23:39,840 It'’s completely unfinished, presumably because the city 361 00:23:39,840 --> 00:23:41,360 was abandoned. 362 00:23:41,360 --> 00:23:42,760 The king had died. 363 00:23:42,760 --> 00:23:46,600 Everyone had to uproot, leave the city. 364 00:23:46,600 --> 00:23:50,120 Akhenaten'’s vision ultimately failed. 365 00:23:50,120 --> 00:23:54,160 NARRATOR: In the heat of this crisis, where was the queen? 366 00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:55,640 ANNA: One of the big questions is, 367 00:23:55,640 --> 00:23:58,160 "What happened to Nefertiti?" 368 00:23:58,160 --> 00:24:00,280 If she was still living after Akhenaten'’s death, 369 00:24:00,280 --> 00:24:03,760 she can'’t have stayed on at Amarna very much longer. 370 00:24:03,760 --> 00:24:07,200 Where did she go? What happened to Nefertiti? 371 00:24:11,240 --> 00:24:15,960 NARRATOR: In Luxor, Egyptologist Chris Naunton is 372 00:24:15,960 --> 00:24:19,440 also on the trail of the missing queen. 373 00:24:19,440 --> 00:24:22,640 He has come to the ancient city of Thebes, 374 00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:26,520 where Nefertiti was born, to the tomb of a priest. 375 00:24:26,520 --> 00:24:29,320 CHRIS: This is normally closed to the public, so he'’s having 376 00:24:29,320 --> 00:24:32,640 to take the seal off and then we'’ll be able to go inside. 377 00:24:32,640 --> 00:24:35,400 NARRATOR: In the tomb, he wants to find clues to what 378 00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,240 might have happened to Nefertiti following 379 00:24:38,240 --> 00:24:39,760 Akhenaten'’s death. 380 00:24:43,240 --> 00:24:47,640 In his final years, did the king replace her with a new queen? 381 00:24:52,480 --> 00:24:55,360 Or did she remain his great royal wife, 382 00:24:55,360 --> 00:24:58,080 but flee into hiding after he died? 383 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:07,360 Was Nefertiti assassinated following Akhenaten'’s death, 384 00:25:07,360 --> 00:25:09,680 or did she continue as queen? 385 00:25:12,080 --> 00:25:15,440 The tomb belongs to a priest called Pa-iri, 386 00:25:15,440 --> 00:25:17,720 who lived in the time of Nefertiti. 387 00:25:17,720 --> 00:25:21,520 CHRIS: This is Pa-iri himself, with his wife standing behind him. 388 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,400 It'’s really lovely, this. 389 00:25:24,400 --> 00:25:28,240 NARRATOR: But something else catches Chris'’s eye: 390 00:25:28,240 --> 00:25:30,760 ancient graffiti. 391 00:25:30,760 --> 00:25:32,880 CHRIS: It'’s highly significant. 392 00:25:32,880 --> 00:25:35,640 It begins with a year date, year three, 393 00:25:35,640 --> 00:25:38,360 and then "The king of upper and lower Egypt," 394 00:25:38,360 --> 00:25:43,680 and that king is named as Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten. 395 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:47,360 NARRATOR: So, just who was this ruler? 396 00:25:47,360 --> 00:25:49,680 CHRIS: And this king is little-known, shadowy figure. 397 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:52,800 I think Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten is 398 00:25:52,800 --> 00:25:56,440 none other than Nefertiti. 399 00:25:56,440 --> 00:25:59,320 NARRATOR: This would be a sensational turnaround. 400 00:25:59,320 --> 00:26:02,920 Could Nefertiti have survived the death of Akhenaten, 401 00:26:02,920 --> 00:26:07,360 actually to succeed him herself as Pharaoh Nefertiti? 402 00:26:10,000 --> 00:26:12,560 It'’s a theory but, if Chris is correct, 403 00:26:12,560 --> 00:26:16,280 the search for Nefertiti is no longer the search for a queen. 404 00:26:16,280 --> 00:26:19,600 It'’s the search for a pharaoh. 405 00:26:22,040 --> 00:26:26,440 At Saqqara, husband and wife archaeologists, 406 00:26:26,440 --> 00:26:31,160 Mohamed and Hana, are searching for the missing wife of Khuwy. 407 00:26:31,160 --> 00:26:33,320 She should be buried with her husband in his 408 00:26:33,320 --> 00:26:36,600 magnificent tomb, but she isn'’t. 409 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:39,360 They believe that she must be nearby, 410 00:26:39,360 --> 00:26:42,760 and Hana has found human remains. 411 00:26:42,760 --> 00:26:45,200 HANA: The skeleton is very nicely preserved even though 412 00:26:45,200 --> 00:26:47,320 many of the bones are fragmented. 413 00:26:49,200 --> 00:26:52,640 NARRATOR: The teeth show that this is a mature adult. 414 00:26:52,640 --> 00:26:56,600 HANA: You can see the upper part of the teeth is quite worn down. 415 00:26:56,600 --> 00:27:01,120 The skeleton itself shows that the health of this individual 416 00:27:01,120 --> 00:27:03,280 was not very good. 417 00:27:03,280 --> 00:27:07,600 NARRATOR: Could this ancient skeleton be the missing wife of Khuwy? 418 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:11,320 HANA: The pit is hewn in a little bit dark sand, 419 00:27:11,320 --> 00:27:14,840 and it was filled with very pure yellow sand, 420 00:27:14,840 --> 00:27:18,320 which was added there into the pit together with the burial. 421 00:27:20,040 --> 00:27:21,640 NARRATOR: For Hana, 422 00:27:21,640 --> 00:27:24,920 all the signs are of a poor burial. 423 00:27:29,520 --> 00:27:32,240 HANA: We are learning a lot about the people of the past: 424 00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:35,640 the way they lived, how they suffered. 425 00:27:35,640 --> 00:27:40,520 It'’s a little bit like looking into a very old album of your family. 426 00:27:40,520 --> 00:27:42,800 NARRATOR: It'’s not Khuwy'’s wife, 427 00:27:42,800 --> 00:27:45,760 but families are normally buried close together. 428 00:27:45,760 --> 00:27:49,280 She should be buried nearby. 429 00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:53,240 Just yards away, Mohamed continues the search for 430 00:27:53,240 --> 00:27:55,360 another tomb entrance. 431 00:27:55,360 --> 00:27:57,640 MOHAMED: We have to continue digging down into the floor 432 00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:01,080 and keep looking for our lady, 433 00:28:01,080 --> 00:28:04,520 Khuwy'’s wife and, if we'’re lucky, we will have her. 434 00:28:06,960 --> 00:28:12,440 NARRATOR: In Luxor, at Asasif, Fathi and Sayed have found a 435 00:28:12,440 --> 00:28:15,880 wooden coffin in the cemetery of the rich and powerful from 436 00:28:15,880 --> 00:28:18,520 the era of Nefertiti. 437 00:28:18,520 --> 00:28:21,840 They are anxious to free it from the grip of the sand. 438 00:28:21,840 --> 00:28:24,440 SAYED: It'’s good. 439 00:28:24,440 --> 00:28:28,760 NARRATOR: Sayed digs a little deeper to see underneath it. 440 00:28:35,800 --> 00:28:38,720 NARRATOR: A complete ancient coffin is a major find. 441 00:28:44,960 --> 00:28:48,240 NARRATOR: But they have a lot of work before they can get it out. 442 00:28:48,240 --> 00:28:51,200 SAYED: Hey doctor, I think we found another something very important. 443 00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,200 FATHI: Yeah? Wow! 444 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,800 NARRATOR: There seems to be something buried with the coffin. 445 00:29:06,640 --> 00:29:09,160 NARRATOR: Sayed thinks the vase may have contained 446 00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:11,440 offerings for the afterlife. 447 00:29:11,440 --> 00:29:14,360 But something else catches Fathi'’s attention. 448 00:29:14,360 --> 00:29:16,600 [speaking native language] 449 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:25,840 FATHI: No. 450 00:29:27,360 --> 00:29:29,160 NARRATOR: This appears to be bread, 451 00:29:29,160 --> 00:29:32,280 untouched for 3,500 years. 452 00:29:40,200 --> 00:29:43,160 NARRATOR: The objects around the ancient coffin appear to 453 00:29:43,160 --> 00:29:47,160 be offerings, carefully placed as supplies for the deceased. 454 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:01,760 NARRATOR: It offers rare, hard evidence of the lives and 455 00:30:01,760 --> 00:30:05,880 beliefs of Ancient Egyptians, about death and the afterlife. 456 00:30:08,560 --> 00:30:10,040 SAYED: Complete. 457 00:30:10,040 --> 00:30:11,160 FATHI: Wow. 458 00:30:25,880 --> 00:30:28,160 NARRATOR: The pot also comes out. 459 00:30:28,160 --> 00:30:30,520 If they can date it, they can date the burial, 460 00:30:30,520 --> 00:30:34,760 and begin to piece together who might be in the coffin. 461 00:30:40,200 --> 00:30:43,640 NARRATOR: The 18th dynasty was when Egypt was at its very peak, 462 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:46,400 with the line of powerful pharaohs that 463 00:30:46,400 --> 00:30:49,120 included Akhenaten and Nefertiti themselves. 464 00:30:51,400 --> 00:30:53,960 After two hours of careful work, 465 00:30:53,960 --> 00:30:57,160 they finally clear away all the debris. 466 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:08,520 NARRATOR: But the fragile ancient wood could 467 00:31:08,520 --> 00:31:11,640 disintegrate now it is exposed to the elements. 468 00:31:11,640 --> 00:31:15,040 Fathi doesn'’t want to risk leaving it out any longer, 469 00:31:15,040 --> 00:31:17,720 so he must move it quickly. 470 00:31:20,480 --> 00:31:24,160 In Saqqara, outside the magnificent tomb of Khuwy 471 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:26,840 that Mohamed found last year, 472 00:31:26,840 --> 00:31:31,240 the team searches for a missing person, Khuwy'’s wife. 473 00:31:31,240 --> 00:31:34,880 Her tomb should be equally spectacular. 474 00:31:34,880 --> 00:31:37,040 Following clues in the limestone, 475 00:31:37,040 --> 00:31:39,560 they have shifted several tons of sand searching for 476 00:31:39,560 --> 00:31:42,880 another tomb entrance. 477 00:31:42,880 --> 00:31:46,240 Now there are huge limestone blocks in the way. 478 00:31:46,240 --> 00:31:48,920 Mohamed thinks that these came from the mastaba, 479 00:31:48,920 --> 00:31:52,280 the stone structure above the tomb. 480 00:31:52,280 --> 00:31:55,600 Again, it is pure white. 481 00:31:55,600 --> 00:31:57,080 [shouting] 482 00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:58,960 MOHAMED: White limestone are very precious, 483 00:31:58,960 --> 00:32:01,440 because in ancient Egypt the quarry belonged to the king. 484 00:32:01,440 --> 00:32:04,240 The king himself had to give permission to any individual, 485 00:32:04,240 --> 00:32:07,800 any official, to cut stones from there. 486 00:32:09,240 --> 00:32:11,080 NARRATOR: It'’s a vital clue. 487 00:32:11,080 --> 00:32:14,200 Only the pharaoh'’s innermost circle would be allowed to use 488 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,720 such a precious rock. 489 00:32:18,560 --> 00:32:20,920 With the limestone blocks out of the way, 490 00:32:20,920 --> 00:32:23,920 they soon reach the bedrock and can go no further. 491 00:32:25,600 --> 00:32:28,400 MOHAMED: We had no clue for the other entrance of the wife. 492 00:32:28,400 --> 00:32:32,440 This can tell us she might be buried in a different mastaba, 493 00:32:32,440 --> 00:32:35,160 separate mastaba, near to him. 494 00:32:35,160 --> 00:32:37,120 NARRATOR: Khuwy'’s wife isn'’t here, 495 00:32:37,120 --> 00:32:39,280 but Mohamed is undeterred. 496 00:32:39,280 --> 00:32:42,360 He believes that she must be nearby. 497 00:32:42,360 --> 00:32:45,720 MOHAMED: All the white limestone he used in his tomb, 498 00:32:45,720 --> 00:32:48,560 he was mummified, the colors he used in the underground'’s 499 00:32:48,560 --> 00:32:50,720 architecture of his tomb. 500 00:32:50,720 --> 00:32:54,160 NARRATOR: The evidence implies that Khuwy is royal. 501 00:32:54,160 --> 00:32:57,800 MOHAMED: Perhaps, also his wife was a member of the royal family. 502 00:32:57,800 --> 00:32:59,600 If she'’s not buried with him in the tomb, 503 00:32:59,600 --> 00:33:03,600 it means she decided to made a tomb for herself. 504 00:33:03,600 --> 00:33:06,200 This can tell us so much about her status. 505 00:33:06,200 --> 00:33:09,080 NARRATOR: Khuwy'’s wife must be important enough to build her 506 00:33:09,080 --> 00:33:10,920 own mastaba tomb, 507 00:33:10,920 --> 00:33:12,920 which should be as glorious as Khuwy'’s. 508 00:33:15,440 --> 00:33:18,880 The hunt for Khuwy'’s wife just got bigger. 509 00:33:21,720 --> 00:33:25,160 MOHAMED: We only found 30 or 40% of ancient Egyptian 510 00:33:25,160 --> 00:33:29,160 monuments, and this might be true because the sand of Egypt 511 00:33:29,160 --> 00:33:31,120 still hides so many secrets. 512 00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:37,400 NARRATOR: Mohamed'’s search for the missing wife continues. 513 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:44,280 In Luxor, at Asasif. 514 00:33:46,520 --> 00:33:49,360 [speaking native language] 515 00:33:49,360 --> 00:33:51,200 NARRATOR: The team urgently needs to move the 516 00:33:51,200 --> 00:33:54,280 newly discovered coffin to a safe store room. 517 00:33:56,680 --> 00:33:59,560 But it is a dangerous moment for the priceless artifact, 518 00:33:59,560 --> 00:34:04,120 as the ancient wood could disintegrate under the strain. 519 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,720 It'’s a big responsibility for Fathi. 520 00:34:17,880 --> 00:34:21,040 NARRATOR: The fragile coffin is on the move, 521 00:34:21,040 --> 00:34:24,200 but the last part of the journey is the most precarious. 522 00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:28,560 It'’s a steep and narrow descent. 523 00:34:49,200 --> 00:34:51,480 [applause] 524 00:34:54,080 --> 00:34:56,800 [laughing] 525 00:34:58,560 --> 00:35:01,080 NARRATOR: The coffin is still in one piece. 526 00:35:12,200 --> 00:35:15,280 NARRATOR: With the coffin now safely in the field lab, 527 00:35:17,240 --> 00:35:21,040 specialist conservator Ahmed Gad must inspect the wood for 528 00:35:21,040 --> 00:35:22,760 any weakness. 529 00:35:37,720 --> 00:35:40,240 NARRATOR: The coffin appears to be in good enough condition 530 00:35:40,240 --> 00:35:44,560 to be opened, but there'’s another problem for Fathi. 531 00:35:56,360 --> 00:36:00,240 NARRATOR: The 3,500-year-old ropes must come off, 532 00:36:00,240 --> 00:36:02,640 but the ancient fibers are stiff. 533 00:36:02,640 --> 00:36:05,520 If the alcohol solution doesn'’t soften them, 534 00:36:05,520 --> 00:36:07,480 they may have to cut them. 535 00:36:22,200 --> 00:36:24,720 -FATHI: Wow! -AHMED: Wow! 536 00:36:26,280 --> 00:36:27,840 FATHI: Very good. 537 00:36:27,840 --> 00:36:29,440 NARRATOR: The knot undone, 538 00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:32,560 they begin the slow task of removing plaster 539 00:36:32,560 --> 00:36:35,720 that sticks the fragile lid to the coffin. 540 00:36:37,360 --> 00:36:39,440 Fathi gets his first glimpse inside. 541 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:51,000 NARRATOR: He can see the mummy inside, 542 00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:53,960 but he can only watch on anxiously. 543 00:37:01,520 --> 00:37:04,080 NARRATOR: The wedges slowly push the lid up. 544 00:37:07,360 --> 00:37:11,640 The 3,500-year-old wood could disintegrate at any moment. 545 00:37:13,920 --> 00:37:15,560 FATHI: Wow. 546 00:37:15,560 --> 00:37:19,640 NARRATOR: Masks protect against any ancient diseases. 547 00:37:19,640 --> 00:37:23,480 [speaking native language] 548 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:25,000 FATHI: OK. 549 00:37:42,440 --> 00:37:44,320 NARRATOR: For the first time, they lay eyes on what'’s 550 00:37:44,320 --> 00:37:49,520 clearly a human form wrapped in plain linen that was woven 551 00:37:49,520 --> 00:37:51,760 30 centuries ago. 552 00:38:13,400 --> 00:38:15,280 NARRATOR: The team prepares the mummy for the next stage 553 00:38:15,280 --> 00:38:20,280 of research, where x-rays will reveal more of its secrets: 554 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:24,680 its age, gender, cause of death. 555 00:38:26,440 --> 00:38:30,000 This rare find is full of clues and vital evidence that 556 00:38:30,000 --> 00:38:33,360 will help Fathi and other archaeologists understand how 557 00:38:33,360 --> 00:38:36,680 people were buried during the time of Nefertiti. 558 00:38:41,160 --> 00:38:42,680 In Luxor... 559 00:38:45,200 --> 00:38:47,960 the idea that Nefertiti became pharaoh 560 00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:49,800 is now widely accepted, 561 00:38:49,800 --> 00:38:54,320 but it radically alters the hunt for the missing queen. 562 00:38:54,320 --> 00:38:58,000 Chris thinks that it can only lead to one conclusion. 563 00:39:00,440 --> 00:39:04,320 He has come to the famous Valley of the Kings to investigate. 564 00:39:04,320 --> 00:39:06,880 CHRIS: If Nefertiti did become pharaoh, 565 00:39:06,880 --> 00:39:10,240 and if she also made the move back here to Thebes from 566 00:39:10,240 --> 00:39:14,080 Amarna, then there'’s only really one place here where we 567 00:39:14,080 --> 00:39:15,880 could expect her to have been buried, 568 00:39:15,880 --> 00:39:17,560 and that'’s right in this place, 569 00:39:17,560 --> 00:39:19,840 in the Valley of the Kings. 570 00:39:19,840 --> 00:39:22,400 NARRATOR: If she lies here in the Valley of the Kings, 571 00:39:22,400 --> 00:39:26,800 could other tombs hold clues to help Chris find her? 572 00:39:30,720 --> 00:39:34,280 CHRIS: The tomb just goes on and on. 573 00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:37,720 NARRATOR: Passages and chambers extend over 600 feet, 574 00:39:37,720 --> 00:39:39,360 deep into the rock. 575 00:39:42,280 --> 00:39:44,400 CHRIS: The tombs in the Valley of the Kings are all 576 00:39:44,400 --> 00:39:47,160 different, but they'’re monumental, 577 00:39:47,160 --> 00:39:50,400 very large grand spaces, with long corridors, 578 00:39:50,400 --> 00:39:53,200 multiple chambers leading off them. 579 00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:56,440 If Nefertiti had a tomb in the Valley of the Kings, 580 00:39:56,440 --> 00:39:59,960 you'’ve got to think that it would have been like this one. 581 00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:03,520 NARRATOR: If this tomb is a guide 582 00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:06,240 to how Nefertiti'’s tomb might be, 583 00:40:06,240 --> 00:40:09,560 how could it have escaped detection for all this time? 584 00:40:09,560 --> 00:40:13,000 Where could Nefertiti be hiding? 585 00:40:13,000 --> 00:40:17,800 In search of answers, Chris heads for the most famous tomb 586 00:40:17,800 --> 00:40:22,720 in the Valley of the Kings: King Tutankhamun'’s. 587 00:40:22,720 --> 00:40:25,280 He was the first pharaoh known to be buried here 588 00:40:25,280 --> 00:40:28,800 after Nefertiti'’s reign. 589 00:40:28,800 --> 00:40:31,680 CHRIS: This tomb is a real oddity. 590 00:40:31,680 --> 00:40:34,600 When you think about how famous Tutankhamun is, 591 00:40:34,600 --> 00:40:38,440 the tomb itself just somehow doesn'’t fit. 592 00:40:38,440 --> 00:40:41,840 It'’s really small by comparison with the 593 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:45,320 other tombs in the Valley of the Kings. 594 00:40:45,320 --> 00:40:47,000 There'’s something just not quite right here. 595 00:40:49,680 --> 00:40:51,720 NARRATOR: There are many things about Tutankhamun'’s 596 00:40:51,720 --> 00:40:54,440 tomb that don'’t add up. 597 00:40:54,440 --> 00:40:57,160 The entrance to the tomb turns right, 598 00:40:57,160 --> 00:41:00,480 when for a male pharaoh it should be a turn to the left. 599 00:41:01,720 --> 00:41:04,000 Tutankhamun'’s nested coffins 600 00:41:04,000 --> 00:41:06,440 have double cobras and vulture headdresses, 601 00:41:06,440 --> 00:41:10,080 normally only associated with female coffins. 602 00:41:10,080 --> 00:41:13,000 And the most famous icon in Egyptian archaeology, 603 00:41:13,000 --> 00:41:16,880 the magnificent golden death mask of Tutankhamun, 604 00:41:16,880 --> 00:41:19,920 reveals earring holes. 605 00:41:19,920 --> 00:41:23,360 And, while Tut'’s name is engraved on the shoulder, 606 00:41:23,360 --> 00:41:27,280 hidden beneath it are faint traces of the cartouche of 607 00:41:27,280 --> 00:41:32,560 Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten or Nefertiti. 608 00:41:35,280 --> 00:41:38,960 Could Tutankhamun have been buried with Nefertiti'’s death mask 609 00:41:38,960 --> 00:41:44,400 in a small side chamber of a hidden bigger tomb meant for her? 610 00:41:44,400 --> 00:41:47,360 Chris continues to investigate. 611 00:41:47,360 --> 00:41:50,840 CHRIS: There'’s another side chamber called the treasury. 612 00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:54,000 Some of the items in here, although they apparently 613 00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:58,760 depict the king, had very feminine features. 614 00:41:58,760 --> 00:42:02,480 It'’s possible that, actually, some of Tutankhamun'’s objects 615 00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:05,760 and maybe even this tomb were originally prepared for 616 00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:09,160 someone else, maybe even Nefertiti. 617 00:42:09,160 --> 00:42:12,160 NARRATOR: But why would Tutankhamun 618 00:42:12,160 --> 00:42:14,160 be in Nefertiti'’s tomb? 619 00:42:15,320 --> 00:42:17,760 When Akhenaten died, 620 00:42:17,760 --> 00:42:22,200 his cult of the Sun God Aten wasoverthrown 621 00:42:22,200 --> 00:42:26,320 and the old gods, led by Amun, were restored. 622 00:42:28,520 --> 00:42:32,440 Nefertiti may have ruled then as the Pharaoh, 623 00:42:32,440 --> 00:42:37,120 until Akhenaten'’s son, 9-year-old Tutankhaten, 624 00:42:37,120 --> 00:42:40,720 ascended the throne and changed his name to honor 625 00:42:40,720 --> 00:42:44,800 Amun, becoming Tutankhamun. 626 00:42:48,480 --> 00:42:53,200 CHRIS: We know that Tutankhamun died at a very young age, 627 00:42:53,200 --> 00:42:55,960 he was perhaps 18 years old, 628 00:42:55,960 --> 00:43:00,040 and so perhaps he died unexpectedly and, if so, 629 00:43:00,040 --> 00:43:03,800 then perhaps his tomb was prepared in a hurry. 630 00:43:05,680 --> 00:43:08,560 NARRATOR: It'’s possible that Tutankhamun'’s officials 631 00:43:08,560 --> 00:43:12,280 used a tomb prepared for his stepmother, Nefertiti. 632 00:43:14,120 --> 00:43:16,800 CHRIS: That might help us to explain why, perhaps, 633 00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:22,000 a relatively small tomb was so crammed full of such 634 00:43:22,000 --> 00:43:24,200 a hotch-potch of items. 635 00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:27,520 Everything had to be done far more quickly 636 00:43:27,520 --> 00:43:29,160 than the authorities were expecting. 637 00:43:29,160 --> 00:43:31,560 NARRATOR: And it could finally explain where 638 00:43:31,560 --> 00:43:35,080 Nefertiti herself is buried. 639 00:43:35,080 --> 00:43:40,320 CHRIS: Is it possible that she'’s even still here somewhere? 640 00:43:40,320 --> 00:43:44,360 NARRATOR: The tomb of Tutankhamun is the greatest 641 00:43:44,360 --> 00:43:46,960 archaeological discovery of all time. 642 00:43:46,960 --> 00:43:51,520 Its greatest prize, its treasure. 643 00:43:51,520 --> 00:43:56,160 But could there be a greater lost treasure hidden beside it? 644 00:43:56,160 --> 00:44:00,080 The search for one of Egypt'’s most famous queens 645 00:44:00,080 --> 00:44:05,520 could be about to end here in the Valley of the Kings. 646 00:44:07,680 --> 00:44:09,760 Captioned by Cotter Captioning Services.