1 00:00:03,875 --> 00:00:06,583 Tonight, impressive and mysterious, 2 00:00:06,708 --> 00:00:09,417 they are among the wonders of the ancient world. 3 00:00:09,542 --> 00:00:13,292 These are the monuments that define innovation 4 00:00:13,417 --> 00:00:17,000 and technology that were meant to last forever. 5 00:00:17,125 --> 00:00:19,250 But to this day, no one fully understands 6 00:00:19,375 --> 00:00:22,042 how they were built or why. 7 00:00:22,167 --> 00:00:23,792 CAROLINE CORY: Despite how much we've learned 8 00:00:23,875 --> 00:00:25,458 from the writings on the pyramids, 9 00:00:25,583 --> 00:00:28,833 it's not always very complete or specific. 10 00:00:28,958 --> 00:00:31,375 Now, we explore the top theories 11 00:00:31,500 --> 00:00:35,708 surrounding these 4,600-year-old puzzles. 12 00:00:35,833 --> 00:00:39,500 The pyramids really have nothing to do with the afterlife at all. 13 00:00:39,583 --> 00:00:41,583 MICAH HANKS: Are these markers left for aliens 14 00:00:41,708 --> 00:00:43,875 arriving to Earth from space? 15 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:45,125 CAROLINE: The pyramids could have been built 16 00:00:45,208 --> 00:00:48,458 to provide a roadmap to paradise. 17 00:00:48,583 --> 00:00:50,583 Can we ever decipher the true purpose 18 00:00:50,708 --> 00:00:53,667 of Egypt's astonishing pyramids? 19 00:00:53,792 --> 00:00:56,208 [music] 20 00:01:10,167 --> 00:01:14,250 Saqqara, Egypt, 2650 B.C. 21 00:01:16,292 --> 00:01:19,167 Workers serving under Pharoah Djoser 22 00:01:19,292 --> 00:01:21,875 are nearing completion on one of the ancient world's 23 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,625 largest construction projects, a pyramid. 24 00:01:27,000 --> 00:01:28,333 MICAH: We can't definitively say 25 00:01:28,500 --> 00:01:30,625 which was the very first Egyptian pyramid, 26 00:01:30,750 --> 00:01:32,083 but Djoser's is certainly 27 00:01:32,208 --> 00:01:33,500 one of the first. 28 00:01:33,625 --> 00:01:35,042 It's 205 feet tall 29 00:01:35,208 --> 00:01:39,167 with a base of 358 by 397 feet, 30 00:01:39,250 --> 00:01:41,750 the size of two football fields side by side, 31 00:01:41,875 --> 00:01:45,333 and it's an amazing feat of engineering and technology. 32 00:01:46,500 --> 00:01:48,667 LAURENCE: Many others are built in the same area. 33 00:01:48,792 --> 00:01:50,167 JASON MARTELL: There are probably even more, 34 00:01:50,250 --> 00:01:52,667 but we know of at least 118 Egyptian pyramids 35 00:01:52,792 --> 00:01:54,208 that still exist today 36 00:01:54,333 --> 00:01:55,833 with extensive ruins. 37 00:01:55,917 --> 00:01:57,250 Most of them have been intact 38 00:01:57,375 --> 00:01:58,667 almost perfectly preserved 39 00:01:58,750 --> 00:02:00,167 over the millennia. 40 00:02:00,292 --> 00:02:02,000 LAURENCE: Including the largest ever built, 41 00:02:02,125 --> 00:02:04,500 the Great Pyramid of Giza. 42 00:02:04,667 --> 00:02:06,833 SAMI JARROUSH: The Great Pyramid is equivalent 43 00:02:06,958 --> 00:02:07,875 to the Empire State Building 44 00:02:08,042 --> 00:02:09,042 of its day. 45 00:02:09,167 --> 00:02:10,917 It reaches 480 feet tall, 46 00:02:11,042 --> 00:02:12,667 and for about 4,000 years, 47 00:02:12,792 --> 00:02:15,833 it is the tallest manmade structure on the planet, 48 00:02:15,958 --> 00:02:17,333 until it's finally dethroned 49 00:02:17,417 --> 00:02:20,083 by England's Lincoln Cathedral in the year 1311. 50 00:02:21,375 --> 00:02:23,083 JASON: It's composed of an estimated 51 00:02:23,208 --> 00:02:25,875 2.3 million blocks of stones, 52 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,833 weighing an estimated six million tons. 53 00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:30,750 And some of these stones individually 54 00:02:30,875 --> 00:02:33,458 are 50 to 80 tons each. 55 00:02:33,583 --> 00:02:36,000 The workforce that was needed to lift these stones 56 00:02:36,083 --> 00:02:38,417 must have been massive. 57 00:02:38,542 --> 00:02:41,167 According to ancient Greek and Roman historians, 58 00:02:41,292 --> 00:02:43,917 it is suggested that it was a labor workforce 59 00:02:44,042 --> 00:02:47,208 of around 100,000 enslaved people. 60 00:02:47,333 --> 00:02:51,042 LAURENCE: And it's not just the size that's impressive. 61 00:02:51,167 --> 00:02:52,833 CHRISTOPHER DUNN: The Great Pyramid is probably 62 00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:54,333 one of the most unique 63 00:02:54,417 --> 00:02:56,042 and most precise buildings 64 00:02:56,167 --> 00:02:57,792 that has ever been built. 65 00:02:57,917 --> 00:03:02,292 It is aligned to true north within 1/20th of a degree. 66 00:03:02,375 --> 00:03:05,042 That is remarkable when you consider 67 00:03:05,208 --> 00:03:07,458 the time period when the Great Pyramid was built. 68 00:03:07,542 --> 00:03:10,292 ROBERT CARGILL: The entire base of the Great Pyramid 69 00:03:10,375 --> 00:03:14,250 is nearly a perfect square, with the western side 70 00:03:14,375 --> 00:03:19,292 being only 5.5 inches longer than the eastern side. 71 00:03:19,375 --> 00:03:23,042 This is .01% difference. 72 00:03:23,167 --> 00:03:25,917 This is an amazing amount of accuracy 73 00:03:26,042 --> 00:03:29,292 for a structure this big this long ago. 74 00:03:30,917 --> 00:03:34,833 The Great Pyramid dates back to the year 2570 B.C. 75 00:03:34,917 --> 00:03:38,333 Within a span of 100 years, ancient Egyptians have gone 76 00:03:38,417 --> 00:03:40,750 from the seemingly modest Pyramid of Djoser 77 00:03:40,875 --> 00:03:44,333 to this stunning masterpiece. 78 00:03:44,458 --> 00:03:46,583 MICAH: But soon after, the period of pyramid building 79 00:03:46,708 --> 00:03:51,000 in ancient Egypt just stops right around 2500 B.C. 80 00:03:51,125 --> 00:03:53,833 And we're not sure really why that is. 81 00:03:53,917 --> 00:03:55,375 Eventually, the knowledge 82 00:03:55,542 --> 00:03:58,625 of how these buildings were built is lost. 83 00:03:58,708 --> 00:04:03,292 LAURENCE: Also lost, the reason why they were built. 84 00:04:03,417 --> 00:04:06,000 CAROLINE: Starting thousands of years ago, 85 00:04:06,125 --> 00:04:08,083 people were already trying to find out 86 00:04:08,208 --> 00:04:09,667 the purpose of the pyramids. 87 00:04:09,750 --> 00:04:11,750 You can imagine the first explorers 88 00:04:11,875 --> 00:04:13,667 crawling in by torchlight. 89 00:04:13,750 --> 00:04:18,000 The first thing they would see in these narrow chambers 90 00:04:18,125 --> 00:04:20,333 would be these thousands of lines 91 00:04:20,417 --> 00:04:23,875 of hieroglyphic inscriptions carved into the stone. 92 00:04:25,333 --> 00:04:26,792 SAMI: Can you imagine? 93 00:04:26,875 --> 00:04:29,833 You go in to solve the mystery, and all of a sudden, 94 00:04:29,917 --> 00:04:32,333 you're given a brand-new mystery that you have to work on. 95 00:04:32,458 --> 00:04:34,875 What is all of this? 96 00:04:35,875 --> 00:04:37,083 MICAH: At this point, no one understands 97 00:04:37,208 --> 00:04:38,625 what these hieroglyphics mean. 98 00:04:38,708 --> 00:04:40,792 But there's more than just writing inside. 99 00:04:41,958 --> 00:04:43,708 SAMI: There are these sarcophagus-shaped stones 100 00:04:43,833 --> 00:04:46,500 that are cut right into the central chambers, 101 00:04:46,625 --> 00:04:49,500 and they're also the right size to hold a human body. 102 00:04:49,625 --> 00:04:51,167 Now, the bodies are not there, 103 00:04:51,333 --> 00:04:54,000 and that's because maybe they were stolen 104 00:04:54,125 --> 00:04:55,667 at a certain point in time. 105 00:04:55,750 --> 00:04:57,333 MICAH: We do know that this evidence 106 00:04:57,417 --> 00:04:59,000 has been found by the 5th century B.C., 107 00:04:59,167 --> 00:05:00,583 because it's at this time 108 00:05:00,708 --> 00:05:03,000 that we get the very first written theory 109 00:05:03,083 --> 00:05:04,500 about the pyramids. 110 00:05:04,625 --> 00:05:07,458 Because in the 5th century B.C., Greek historian Herodotus 111 00:05:07,542 --> 00:05:10,167 describes the sarcophagi, and he writes 112 00:05:10,292 --> 00:05:11,667 that the pyramids are burial chambers. 113 00:05:16,375 --> 00:05:19,375 LAURENCE: Other pyramids provide more clues. 114 00:05:19,500 --> 00:05:21,167 JASON: Herodotus visits Egypt 115 00:05:21,250 --> 00:05:22,792 and speaks with many of the local guides 116 00:05:22,917 --> 00:05:25,458 who have been taking people to the pyramids for years. 117 00:05:25,542 --> 00:05:27,500 And they describe seeing mummified remains, 118 00:05:27,625 --> 00:05:29,958 sarcophagi, wooden coffins-- 119 00:05:30,083 --> 00:05:32,708 enough evidence to support the theories of Herodotus, 120 00:05:32,875 --> 00:05:34,417 that these are tombs. 121 00:05:34,542 --> 00:05:37,417 LAURENCE: For centuries, this remains the accepted theory 122 00:05:37,542 --> 00:05:40,000 on why the pyramids were built. 123 00:05:40,083 --> 00:05:43,083 But without understanding what the hieroglyphics say, 124 00:05:43,208 --> 00:05:44,792 this is all somewhat speculative, 125 00:05:44,917 --> 00:05:46,583 because they might describe these buildings 126 00:05:46,708 --> 00:05:49,167 as something totally different. 127 00:05:49,292 --> 00:05:51,083 LAURENCE: Then, a visit to Egypt 128 00:05:51,208 --> 00:05:54,250 by a famous emperor changes that. 129 00:05:54,375 --> 00:05:56,333 JASON: In a way, we have Napoleon Bonaparte to thank 130 00:05:56,500 --> 00:05:58,333 for our current knowledge of the pyramids. 131 00:05:58,500 --> 00:06:00,000 The emperor has a great appreciation 132 00:06:00,125 --> 00:06:01,667 for art and culture. 133 00:06:01,833 --> 00:06:04,750 During his campaign in Egypt, he orders a team of scholars 134 00:06:04,875 --> 00:06:07,167 to take possession of key artifacts 135 00:06:07,292 --> 00:06:08,917 for the glory of France. 136 00:06:09,042 --> 00:06:12,583 SAMI: In 1799, you've got Napoleon's soldiers 137 00:06:12,708 --> 00:06:14,708 that are digging out the foundation of a fort 138 00:06:14,833 --> 00:06:16,917 near the Egyptian town of Rosetta. 139 00:06:17,042 --> 00:06:23,375 And they come across this four-foot-long black stone 140 00:06:23,500 --> 00:06:26,000 that's just embedded right into the wall. 141 00:06:27,083 --> 00:06:28,792 JASON: It's completely smooth on one side 142 00:06:28,875 --> 00:06:30,833 and covered with three different languages-- 143 00:06:30,917 --> 00:06:32,250 ancient Greek, 144 00:06:32,375 --> 00:06:34,333 an ancient Egyptian Demotic script, 145 00:06:34,458 --> 00:06:36,542 and hieroglyphics. 146 00:06:36,708 --> 00:06:39,042 But this time, we have two accompanying languages 147 00:06:39,167 --> 00:06:40,792 telling the same story. 148 00:06:40,875 --> 00:06:44,083 LAURENCE: The Greek and Demotic texts are the same. 149 00:06:44,208 --> 00:06:46,333 Translations of a royal decree 150 00:06:46,417 --> 00:06:51,000 from Egyptian King Ptolemy V in 196 B.C. 151 00:06:51,125 --> 00:06:54,333 ROBERT: The message is essentially royal propaganda, 152 00:06:54,458 --> 00:06:58,375 and it's declaring how wonderful and how generous 153 00:06:58,500 --> 00:07:02,292 the newly coronated king was. 154 00:07:02,417 --> 00:07:05,042 But that's not the real importance. 155 00:07:06,292 --> 00:07:08,292 JASON: What is important is that we have the same story 156 00:07:08,417 --> 00:07:09,958 written in three different languages. 157 00:07:10,042 --> 00:07:12,333 All of a sudden, after thousands of years of wondering, 158 00:07:12,500 --> 00:07:14,500 we finally have the ability to translate 159 00:07:14,583 --> 00:07:15,833 Egyptian hieroglyphics. 160 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:17,833 We can use the ancient Greek inscription 161 00:07:18,000 --> 00:07:20,000 to finally understand what they had to say. 162 00:07:20,125 --> 00:07:21,958 SAMI: It is not an overstatement 163 00:07:22,042 --> 00:07:25,667 to say that this is probably one of the most important 164 00:07:25,792 --> 00:07:28,625 historical finds of all time. 165 00:07:28,750 --> 00:07:31,500 LAURENCE: The Rosetta Stone, as it's called, 166 00:07:31,625 --> 00:07:34,875 becomes the key to unlocking ancient Egypt, 167 00:07:35,000 --> 00:07:38,792 and perhaps the secrets of the pyramids. 168 00:07:38,875 --> 00:07:41,125 ROBERT: Jean-Francois Champollion 169 00:07:41,250 --> 00:07:44,167 is able to crack the code 170 00:07:44,292 --> 00:07:46,708 hidden within the hieroglyphs, 171 00:07:46,833 --> 00:07:50,333 and it took him 20 years to decipher 172 00:07:50,417 --> 00:07:52,792 what the Rosetta Stone actually said. 173 00:07:52,917 --> 00:07:56,042 Champollion published his findings in 1822, 174 00:07:56,208 --> 00:07:59,458 and he had actually created a decoder ring 175 00:07:59,583 --> 00:08:00,875 for Egyptian hieroglyphics. 176 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,167 LAURENCE: According to the hieroglyphic texts, 177 00:08:03,292 --> 00:08:06,208 the pyramids are indeed tombs. 178 00:08:06,333 --> 00:08:07,708 JASON: But we get a lot more insight 179 00:08:07,833 --> 00:08:09,167 into the nature of the tombs. 180 00:08:09,333 --> 00:08:10,792 Finally, for the first time, 181 00:08:10,875 --> 00:08:13,167 we know who the tombs were built for. 182 00:08:13,333 --> 00:08:15,750 As the hieroglyphics describe, these buildings are meant 183 00:08:15,875 --> 00:08:18,042 to be much more than just a burial place. 184 00:08:18,208 --> 00:08:20,167 They're massive monuments built to the power 185 00:08:20,292 --> 00:08:21,458 of the Egyptian kings. 186 00:08:23,792 --> 00:08:25,875 MICAH: The hieroglyphics identify each one 187 00:08:26,000 --> 00:08:28,208 of the pyramids with the pharaoh who commissioned it. 188 00:08:28,333 --> 00:08:29,792 And according to these hieroglyphics, 189 00:08:29,875 --> 00:08:31,792 each pyramid is given a boastful name 190 00:08:31,917 --> 00:08:34,542 like "Enduring are the Places of Nyuserre," 191 00:08:34,708 --> 00:08:38,667 "Great is Khafre," or "Menkaure is Divine." 192 00:08:38,833 --> 00:08:41,083 These were designed to be big boastful monuments 193 00:08:41,208 --> 00:08:44,167 to each of the pharaoh's power and permanence. 194 00:08:44,250 --> 00:08:47,750 LAURENCE: But could there be more to the pyramids? 195 00:08:47,875 --> 00:08:49,833 CAROLINE: Despite how much we've learned from the writings 196 00:08:49,958 --> 00:08:54,167 on the pyramids, it's not always very complete or specific. 197 00:08:54,250 --> 00:08:56,250 That's the reason why some suspect 198 00:08:56,375 --> 00:08:58,000 we don't really have the full picture. 199 00:08:59,208 --> 00:09:00,667 SAMI: This has been suspected 200 00:09:00,792 --> 00:09:02,917 since long before hieroglyphics were translated. 201 00:09:03,042 --> 00:09:05,000 In fact, during the 10th century A.D., 202 00:09:05,167 --> 00:09:08,667 the Arab historian al-Masudi theorizes that these pyramids 203 00:09:08,792 --> 00:09:10,000 are more than likely tombs. 204 00:09:10,125 --> 00:09:12,708 However, he also posits that they could contain 205 00:09:12,833 --> 00:09:15,667 a wealth of scientific, mathematical, 206 00:09:15,792 --> 00:09:18,000 and astrological knowledge. 207 00:09:18,083 --> 00:09:19,583 One of the greatest minds 208 00:09:19,708 --> 00:09:21,875 of the late 17th and early 18th century, 209 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:24,542 Sir Isaac Newton, also believes that the pyramids 210 00:09:24,667 --> 00:09:26,875 had additional secrets hidden within. 211 00:09:27,042 --> 00:09:29,667 MICAH: Newton was really only speculating in his day, 212 00:09:29,750 --> 00:09:32,542 but thanks to modern research and technological advances 213 00:09:32,667 --> 00:09:35,042 we now have available, we're still uncovering 214 00:09:35,208 --> 00:09:38,167 new information about these incredible buildings. 215 00:09:38,292 --> 00:09:41,375 And as it turns out, Newton may have been right. 216 00:09:41,542 --> 00:09:43,083 There's in fact a lot more to the pyramids 217 00:09:43,208 --> 00:09:44,292 than meets the eye. 218 00:09:48,500 --> 00:09:51,875 LAURENCE: When hieroglyphics are first translated in the 1820s, 219 00:09:52,042 --> 00:09:55,000 it unlocks a trove of new information 220 00:09:55,083 --> 00:09:59,292 about the pyramids of Egypt and why they were built. 221 00:09:59,375 --> 00:10:01,625 SAMI: They were long suspected to be tombs for pharaohs, 222 00:10:01,750 --> 00:10:03,292 and the hieroglyphics confirm this. 223 00:10:03,375 --> 00:10:05,667 But as more of these hieroglyphics are translated, 224 00:10:05,792 --> 00:10:08,167 we find out that maybe these pyramids 225 00:10:08,333 --> 00:10:09,792 had another function as well. 226 00:10:11,042 --> 00:10:12,500 JASON: There's a group of hieroglyphics 227 00:10:12,625 --> 00:10:14,292 that line the subterranean chambers 228 00:10:14,375 --> 00:10:15,833 of the pyramids at Saqqara, 229 00:10:16,000 --> 00:10:17,500 and these date to around 2300 230 00:10:17,667 --> 00:10:19,167 or 2400 B.C. 231 00:10:19,292 --> 00:10:22,750 And they've become known as the Pyramid Texts. 232 00:10:22,875 --> 00:10:25,667 SAMI: They're written in vertical lines, 233 00:10:25,750 --> 00:10:28,667 and they cover the walls of almost every single room 234 00:10:28,750 --> 00:10:30,000 of these pyramids. 235 00:10:30,083 --> 00:10:32,042 Most Egyptian hieroglyphics, even the ones 236 00:10:32,208 --> 00:10:34,458 inside the pyramids, they're offering you names, 237 00:10:34,583 --> 00:10:35,875 they're offering you dates. 238 00:10:36,000 --> 00:10:37,625 They're offering you legacies of the pharaohs, 239 00:10:37,750 --> 00:10:39,250 who the rulers were. 240 00:10:39,375 --> 00:10:41,167 They're talking about the afterlife a little bit. 241 00:10:41,250 --> 00:10:43,500 But in terms of why these pyramids were built, 242 00:10:43,667 --> 00:10:45,708 we don't seem to have that information. 243 00:10:45,875 --> 00:10:49,333 LAURENCE: But these particular texts are different. 244 00:10:49,417 --> 00:10:50,708 These hieroglyphics suggest 245 00:10:50,875 --> 00:10:52,208 a potential purpose 246 00:10:52,375 --> 00:10:53,833 for the pyramids, and it starts 247 00:10:53,917 --> 00:10:56,333 with a fundamental ancient Egyptian belief. 248 00:10:56,417 --> 00:10:58,333 Like many other world traditions, 249 00:10:58,500 --> 00:11:00,708 these texts reveal that they believe 250 00:11:00,833 --> 00:11:02,542 in an eternal soul, which the Egyptians 251 00:11:02,708 --> 00:11:04,500 call the ka. 252 00:11:04,583 --> 00:11:06,375 The hieroglyphics suggest that the Egyptians 253 00:11:06,500 --> 00:11:10,042 believe that the pharaoh's ka travels to the starry heavens, 254 00:11:10,167 --> 00:11:13,000 where he'll live in eternity amongst the gods. 255 00:11:13,125 --> 00:11:14,833 CAROLINE: To some, that means the pyramids 256 00:11:14,958 --> 00:11:16,333 could have been built to provide 257 00:11:16,500 --> 00:11:18,292 a roadmap to paradise. 258 00:11:22,000 --> 00:11:24,667 MICAH: In 1994, Belgian engineer Robert Bauval 259 00:11:24,833 --> 00:11:26,833 and British historian Adrian Gilbert 260 00:11:26,958 --> 00:11:28,875 publish their book "The Orion Mystery," 261 00:11:29,042 --> 00:11:31,708 which becomes an international bestseller. 262 00:11:31,875 --> 00:11:33,208 JASON: The central crux of the book 263 00:11:33,333 --> 00:11:36,208 is what is known as the Orion correlation theory. 264 00:11:36,333 --> 00:11:38,125 The authors propose that the pyramids of Giza 265 00:11:38,250 --> 00:11:40,333 are designed to match a star alignment 266 00:11:40,458 --> 00:11:43,000 in the belt constellation of Orion. 267 00:11:43,167 --> 00:11:45,792 If you look at an overlay of the Giza pyramids, 268 00:11:45,875 --> 00:11:48,625 and line them up with stars in Orion's belt, 269 00:11:48,750 --> 00:11:51,333 they almost line up. 270 00:11:51,417 --> 00:11:53,750 It's uncanny. 271 00:11:53,875 --> 00:11:56,000 LAURENCE: According to Bauval and Gilbert, 272 00:11:56,125 --> 00:11:59,167 this alignment isn't accidental. 273 00:11:59,292 --> 00:12:02,667 It could also help answer a long-running question 274 00:12:02,833 --> 00:12:05,167 about the pyramids' design. 275 00:12:05,250 --> 00:12:07,667 CAROLINE: Inside the Great Pyramid of Giza, 276 00:12:07,792 --> 00:12:10,000 there are four long, narrow shafts 277 00:12:10,083 --> 00:12:12,833 that lead out from the King's and the Queen's Chambers 278 00:12:12,958 --> 00:12:14,708 up towards the sky. 279 00:12:14,875 --> 00:12:16,833 Now, that's a strange design element, 280 00:12:16,958 --> 00:12:19,000 supposedly for ventilation. 281 00:12:19,125 --> 00:12:21,500 JASON: But why would the tomb need ventilation? 282 00:12:21,583 --> 00:12:24,333 If that was the goal, there are much easier ways to achieve it. 283 00:12:24,500 --> 00:12:27,458 These shafts required a much more intricate construction 284 00:12:27,583 --> 00:12:29,542 in engineering techniques. 285 00:12:29,667 --> 00:12:32,292 The Egyptians went to a lot of extra trouble to build them. 286 00:12:33,667 --> 00:12:36,000 SAMI: Bauval, Gilbert, and a few other authors propose the idea 287 00:12:36,083 --> 00:12:38,417 that these aren't ventilation shafts at all, 288 00:12:38,542 --> 00:12:40,000 and instead, that they're windows 289 00:12:40,125 --> 00:12:43,583 that align specifically with the stars in Orion's belt-- 290 00:12:43,708 --> 00:12:47,000 Sirius, Alnitak, and Kochab. 291 00:12:47,083 --> 00:12:49,958 According to references in ancient Egyptian texts, 292 00:12:50,083 --> 00:12:52,292 those stars are where the pharaoh's ka 293 00:12:52,375 --> 00:12:54,333 is supposed to join the father of the gods, 294 00:12:54,500 --> 00:12:57,167 known as Sah, in the afterlife. 295 00:12:57,333 --> 00:12:59,875 SAMI: In addition to being the home for the gods 296 00:13:00,000 --> 00:13:02,167 and for the pharaohs that make it to the afterlife, 297 00:13:02,292 --> 00:13:04,500 Orion's appearance in the night sky 298 00:13:04,625 --> 00:13:07,208 serves another very important purpose for Egyptians. 299 00:13:07,375 --> 00:13:10,375 Every year when the stars of Orion would appear in the sky, 300 00:13:10,542 --> 00:13:12,167 the Nile River would overflow, 301 00:13:12,292 --> 00:13:15,167 bringing life-renewing irrigation to the crops. 302 00:13:15,292 --> 00:13:16,917 So, through the hieroglyphics, we actually have 303 00:13:17,042 --> 00:13:18,792 a written record that the Egyptians 304 00:13:18,875 --> 00:13:21,500 believe their pharaoh is traveling to Orion 305 00:13:21,583 --> 00:13:23,125 after his death. 306 00:13:23,250 --> 00:13:24,917 And then, we also have a potential correlation 307 00:13:25,042 --> 00:13:26,833 between a pyramid's design 308 00:13:26,958 --> 00:13:28,833 and the stars in that constellation. 309 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:31,667 So, it's as if the pyramid was specifically built 310 00:13:31,833 --> 00:13:33,417 to aim to that region in the night sky. 311 00:13:34,958 --> 00:13:37,000 LAURENCE: However, some think it's more 312 00:13:37,125 --> 00:13:39,667 than just souls that travel. 313 00:13:39,750 --> 00:13:43,250 JASON: In 2012, Belgian author Philip Coppens takes the idea 314 00:13:43,375 --> 00:13:46,083 of the Orion correlation theory and expands on it. 315 00:13:46,208 --> 00:13:48,500 He supports the idea that the builders of the pyramids 316 00:13:48,667 --> 00:13:50,500 may have aimed their pyramid shafts 317 00:13:50,625 --> 00:13:52,458 directly at Orion. 318 00:13:52,583 --> 00:13:54,917 But rather than transport the ka of the pharaoh 319 00:13:55,042 --> 00:13:56,667 to the heavens, he suggested 320 00:13:56,750 --> 00:13:57,792 they could have actually been transporting 321 00:13:57,917 --> 00:13:59,500 the physical bodies. 322 00:13:59,625 --> 00:14:02,167 MICAH: I mean, it's a pretty fantastical interpretation. 323 00:14:02,333 --> 00:14:05,833 How do the bodies levitate and stay up there in the sky? 324 00:14:05,917 --> 00:14:07,875 Coppens doesn't explain that, but he does cite 325 00:14:08,000 --> 00:14:10,375 what he claims is evidence that the pharaohs' bodies 326 00:14:10,500 --> 00:14:12,042 were somehow transported. 327 00:14:12,208 --> 00:14:15,042 JASON: As Coppens describes, a great many of the sarcophagi 328 00:14:15,167 --> 00:14:17,458 inside the pyramids are found empty. 329 00:14:17,583 --> 00:14:19,292 This is true, and Egyptologists 330 00:14:19,417 --> 00:14:21,625 generally attribute that to graverobbers. 331 00:14:21,750 --> 00:14:24,167 SAMI: But Coppens cites multiple examples 332 00:14:24,250 --> 00:14:27,792 of completely untouched burial chambers inside pyramids. 333 00:14:27,917 --> 00:14:29,833 No graverobbers have accessed them, 334 00:14:29,917 --> 00:14:31,375 and yet, when modern archaeologists 335 00:14:31,500 --> 00:14:33,458 finally open these chambers, 336 00:14:33,583 --> 00:14:36,292 bodies are nowhere to be found. 337 00:14:36,417 --> 00:14:37,917 CAROLINE: Coppens states that after the pharaohs 338 00:14:38,042 --> 00:14:40,833 are laid to rest, their sarcophagi 339 00:14:40,958 --> 00:14:43,333 and burial chambers are sealed up, 340 00:14:43,417 --> 00:14:46,667 and then the pyramid somehow moves their actual bodies, 341 00:14:46,792 --> 00:14:48,375 and you're left with an empty tomb. 342 00:14:49,750 --> 00:14:51,375 LAURENCE: Coppens also points 343 00:14:51,500 --> 00:14:53,750 to another ancient Egyptian burial practice 344 00:14:53,875 --> 00:14:55,833 as further proof. 345 00:14:55,958 --> 00:14:58,000 MICAH: As we've seen inside many pyramids, 346 00:14:58,125 --> 00:15:00,167 along with the pharaoh's body, the ancient Egyptians 347 00:15:00,333 --> 00:15:03,000 often left thousands of physical objects as well. 348 00:15:03,167 --> 00:15:05,292 ROBERT: Egyptian burial chambers are large 349 00:15:05,417 --> 00:15:08,000 because they need to be able to hold quite a few things. 350 00:15:08,125 --> 00:15:09,833 Inside of these chambers 351 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:11,917 we have found all of the things 352 00:15:12,042 --> 00:15:13,500 that a pharaoh would need 353 00:15:13,625 --> 00:15:15,125 to be happy in the afterlife. 354 00:15:15,250 --> 00:15:17,375 His pets were often mummified. 355 00:15:17,542 --> 00:15:21,333 His slaves were often killed and mummified along with him, 356 00:15:21,500 --> 00:15:23,917 because he's gonna need servants in the afterlife. 357 00:15:24,042 --> 00:15:26,333 It's not uncommon to find large quantities 358 00:15:26,500 --> 00:15:29,542 of beer and bread so that the pharaoh 359 00:15:29,708 --> 00:15:30,875 can have something to eat and drink 360 00:15:31,000 --> 00:15:32,917 in the afterlife as well. 361 00:15:33,042 --> 00:15:35,708 MICAH: Coppens asks, if the journey to the afterlife 362 00:15:35,875 --> 00:15:38,500 is only a metaphorical trip by one's soul, 363 00:15:38,667 --> 00:15:40,292 then why pack up all this stuff? 364 00:15:40,375 --> 00:15:41,875 You know, why leave it there to be wasted? 365 00:15:42,042 --> 00:15:44,458 Again, to him, this could prove 366 00:15:44,542 --> 00:15:47,042 that the Egyptians intended the voyage to be literal. 367 00:15:47,208 --> 00:15:48,958 JASON: This of course fails to account 368 00:15:49,042 --> 00:15:50,542 for all the many mummies that we have found 369 00:15:50,708 --> 00:15:52,167 inside the pyramids. 370 00:15:53,167 --> 00:15:54,833 SAMI: Is it likely that physical bodies 371 00:15:54,958 --> 00:15:57,000 were actually being shot up to the stars? 372 00:15:57,125 --> 00:15:59,125 Probably not. But what we can see though, 373 00:15:59,250 --> 00:16:00,792 is that these pyramids were designed 374 00:16:00,917 --> 00:16:02,208 with the afterlife in mind, 375 00:16:02,375 --> 00:16:04,375 specifically a journey to the afterlife. 376 00:16:04,542 --> 00:16:07,333 Whether it's the ka or something else entirely, 377 00:16:07,458 --> 00:16:09,333 the Egyptians believed in the pharaoh's ability 378 00:16:09,500 --> 00:16:11,333 to make it to their place in the heavens 379 00:16:11,417 --> 00:16:13,083 with the help of these buildings. 380 00:16:17,417 --> 00:16:18,958 LAURENCE: For thousands of years scholars have debated 381 00:16:19,083 --> 00:16:21,417 why the pyramids were built. 382 00:16:21,542 --> 00:16:24,500 But few questioned how they were built, 383 00:16:24,625 --> 00:16:28,333 assuming vast numbers of slaves were forced to construct them. 384 00:16:28,417 --> 00:16:30,000 MICAH: The ancient Greeks estimated 385 00:16:30,083 --> 00:16:31,083 that the Egyptians had used 386 00:16:31,208 --> 00:16:33,708 a labor force of 100,000 slaves 387 00:16:33,833 --> 00:16:35,000 to build the Great Pyramid. 388 00:16:35,083 --> 00:16:37,542 LAURENCE: Then, in the late 1990s, 389 00:16:37,667 --> 00:16:40,375 a surprising archaeological find 390 00:16:40,500 --> 00:16:42,583 upends that notion. 391 00:16:42,708 --> 00:16:45,458 JASON: Egypt's chief archaeologist Zahi Hawass 392 00:16:45,542 --> 00:16:47,542 is responsible for countless amazing discoveries 393 00:16:47,708 --> 00:16:48,667 in the country. 394 00:16:48,833 --> 00:16:50,208 But starting in 1990, 395 00:16:50,333 --> 00:16:52,542 he embarks on a 20-year-long dig 396 00:16:52,667 --> 00:16:54,042 at the Great Pyramid. 397 00:16:54,167 --> 00:16:56,042 ROBERT: He makes an incredible discovery 398 00:16:56,208 --> 00:16:57,833 that makes us rethink 399 00:16:57,917 --> 00:17:00,500 how the pyramids were constructed. 400 00:17:02,042 --> 00:17:03,667 SAMI: He locates the tombs of the people 401 00:17:03,792 --> 00:17:07,000 who built the Great Pyramid, and he learns two things. 402 00:17:07,167 --> 00:17:08,958 First, they weren't enslaved people. 403 00:17:09,083 --> 00:17:10,167 And secondly, 404 00:17:10,250 --> 00:17:12,000 it wasn't 100,000 people. 405 00:17:12,125 --> 00:17:13,875 It was more around 10,000. 406 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:18,042 ROBERT: The evidence he finds is that these men were buried 407 00:17:18,208 --> 00:17:20,833 according to Egyptian religious burial customs-- 408 00:17:20,958 --> 00:17:23,208 meaning that the men who built the pyramids 409 00:17:23,375 --> 00:17:26,208 were from working-class Egyptian families. 410 00:17:26,375 --> 00:17:29,125 JASON: The tombs are built right next to the king's pyramid. 411 00:17:29,208 --> 00:17:31,083 Now, the workers are buried more modestly, 412 00:17:31,208 --> 00:17:34,000 but they're entombed with beer and bread for the afterlife, 413 00:17:34,125 --> 00:17:36,250 an honor not provided to slaves. 414 00:17:36,375 --> 00:17:38,333 The tombs also have graffiti on their walls 415 00:17:38,458 --> 00:17:40,833 calling them "friends of Khufu," the pharaoh. 416 00:17:40,958 --> 00:17:43,125 According to Hawass, there's no way 417 00:17:43,208 --> 00:17:45,500 that would have happened if these were slaves. 418 00:17:45,583 --> 00:17:48,500 SAMI: Hawass also finds evidence of how well these people lived. 419 00:17:48,667 --> 00:17:50,667 They were given a great quantity of food, 420 00:17:50,750 --> 00:17:53,000 and luxurious food like meat. 421 00:17:53,125 --> 00:17:56,167 So here, we have a labor force that is skilled, 422 00:17:56,250 --> 00:17:58,375 they're well taken care of, they're not enslaved, 423 00:17:58,500 --> 00:18:00,667 and there's only 10,000 of them. 424 00:18:00,750 --> 00:18:02,292 How does this make any sense? 425 00:18:03,542 --> 00:18:06,667 MICAH: How exactly do 2.3 million 426 00:18:06,750 --> 00:18:09,042 gargantuan stone blocks get cut, 427 00:18:09,167 --> 00:18:12,167 moved, and fit together so precisely 428 00:18:12,292 --> 00:18:13,958 that it's literally impossible 429 00:18:14,042 --> 00:18:16,167 to slide even a credit card between 'em, 430 00:18:16,292 --> 00:18:18,333 all by 10,000 people? 431 00:18:19,542 --> 00:18:21,208 JASON: Did the Egyptians use ramps? 432 00:18:21,333 --> 00:18:23,042 That seems implausible, since a ramp 433 00:18:23,208 --> 00:18:24,250 with a low enough slope 434 00:18:24,375 --> 00:18:26,708 would have to be over a mile long. 435 00:18:26,833 --> 00:18:29,417 It would be bigger than the Great Pyramid itself. 436 00:18:29,542 --> 00:18:32,542 Had the Egyptians built canals capable of raising water levels 437 00:18:32,667 --> 00:18:34,833 high enough to allow some of these massive stones 438 00:18:34,958 --> 00:18:36,375 to float to the top? 439 00:18:36,500 --> 00:18:38,125 Again, at the very least, that would take 440 00:18:38,208 --> 00:18:41,000 many more than 10,000 individuals. 441 00:18:41,167 --> 00:18:44,375 LAURENCE: According to author Erich von Daniken, 442 00:18:44,542 --> 00:18:47,458 there's only one possible explanation. 443 00:18:47,542 --> 00:18:50,042 JASON: In his bestselling 1968 book 444 00:18:50,167 --> 00:18:52,500 "Chariots of the Gods?", Erich von Daniken writes 445 00:18:52,625 --> 00:18:55,417 that the Egyptians didn't build the pyramids all on their own. 446 00:18:55,542 --> 00:18:58,583 They might have had help from extraterrestrials. 447 00:18:59,750 --> 00:19:02,333 MICAH: So, if we can't figure out how 100,000 Egyptians 448 00:19:02,458 --> 00:19:05,167 built the pyramids, then we certainly have an issue 449 00:19:05,292 --> 00:19:08,167 with trying to figure out how 10,000 could have done it. 450 00:19:08,292 --> 00:19:11,792 In that regard, maybe von Daniken has a point. 451 00:19:13,042 --> 00:19:16,875 SAMI: He calls it the Ancient Astronaut hypothesis. 452 00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:21,042 It states that extraterrestrials came to Earth in ancient times 453 00:19:21,167 --> 00:19:24,542 and helped human beings build these various 454 00:19:24,708 --> 00:19:26,542 architectural marvels. 455 00:19:26,667 --> 00:19:28,417 CAROLINE: In this case, they taught 456 00:19:28,542 --> 00:19:31,333 advanced engineering techniques to the ancient Egyptians 457 00:19:31,417 --> 00:19:33,583 and instructed them on how 458 00:19:33,708 --> 00:19:35,333 to build the pyramids. 459 00:19:35,417 --> 00:19:37,208 LAURENCE: According to this theory, 460 00:19:37,333 --> 00:19:40,042 the pyramids were built as a navigational tool, 461 00:19:40,208 --> 00:19:42,750 not to help the pharaohs reach heaven, 462 00:19:42,875 --> 00:19:46,417 but to help extraterrestrials reach Earth. 463 00:19:49,375 --> 00:19:51,167 MICAH: With the help of modern photography 464 00:19:51,292 --> 00:19:53,083 from satellites and the International Space Station, 465 00:19:53,208 --> 00:19:55,000 we know that the Pyramids of Giza 466 00:19:55,125 --> 00:19:56,958 are indeed visible from space. 467 00:19:57,042 --> 00:19:59,667 And if you look at the pyramids from that vantage point, 468 00:19:59,750 --> 00:20:01,167 I mean, you can't help but wonder if that's how 469 00:20:01,250 --> 00:20:03,292 they were intended to be seen. 470 00:20:03,417 --> 00:20:07,083 Could they be markers for aliens visiting from outer space? 471 00:20:07,208 --> 00:20:09,500 This could also explain why the pyramids 472 00:20:09,583 --> 00:20:12,208 may be aligned with certain stars. 473 00:20:12,333 --> 00:20:15,208 It's the final stop of a landmark-based 474 00:20:15,333 --> 00:20:18,042 navigational system helping aliens 475 00:20:18,167 --> 00:20:20,250 reach our planet from their home world 476 00:20:20,375 --> 00:20:23,583 somewhere beyond the constellation of Orion. 477 00:20:23,708 --> 00:20:27,667 LAURENCE: These theorists also point to alleged evidence 478 00:20:27,792 --> 00:20:29,667 of alien encounters. 479 00:20:29,833 --> 00:20:32,417 According to von Daniken and many other authors 480 00:20:32,542 --> 00:20:35,417 who followed this hypothesis, at the time of their arrival, 481 00:20:35,542 --> 00:20:38,042 extraterrestrial beings would have been considered gods 482 00:20:38,167 --> 00:20:39,625 by the ancient Egyptians. 483 00:20:39,708 --> 00:20:41,667 This notion actually mirrors what we see 484 00:20:41,792 --> 00:20:43,500 in the ancient hieroglyphic texts. 485 00:20:43,583 --> 00:20:46,167 Many hieroglyphic inscriptions do tell us 486 00:20:46,292 --> 00:20:48,875 that the ancient Egyptians believed that their gods 487 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:50,667 came from the stars. 488 00:20:50,792 --> 00:20:53,167 The story sounds a lot like what von Daniken 489 00:20:53,292 --> 00:20:54,458 is writing about. 490 00:20:54,542 --> 00:20:56,875 According to Egyptian mythology, 491 00:20:57,000 --> 00:20:59,167 the gods lived among them on Earth 492 00:20:59,292 --> 00:21:02,125 and had a great impact on their daily life. 493 00:21:02,250 --> 00:21:05,167 Then, after a time, the gods left Earth. 494 00:21:05,333 --> 00:21:07,000 SAMI: Where did they go? 495 00:21:07,125 --> 00:21:08,333 The hieroglyphics are pretty clear. 496 00:21:08,458 --> 00:21:11,625 They went back beyond the stars. 497 00:21:11,708 --> 00:21:14,375 LAURENCE: Some also believe this Egyptian encounter 498 00:21:14,500 --> 00:21:16,042 wasn't an isolated incident. 499 00:21:16,208 --> 00:21:18,833 CAROLINE: It may have been one of the first visits from aliens, 500 00:21:19,000 --> 00:21:20,958 but it wouldn't be the last, 501 00:21:21,042 --> 00:21:22,708 because Ancient Astronaut theorists 502 00:21:22,833 --> 00:21:25,667 believe this has happened all over our planet. 503 00:21:25,750 --> 00:21:28,458 SAMI: Now, to date, you have 118 pyramids 504 00:21:28,583 --> 00:21:31,167 that have been found all across Egypt. 505 00:21:31,333 --> 00:21:33,500 But you can double that number for Sudan. 506 00:21:33,667 --> 00:21:36,250 They've been found all across China, the Middle East. 507 00:21:36,375 --> 00:21:38,750 And the Americas contain more pyramids 508 00:21:38,875 --> 00:21:42,250 than all other parts of the world combined. 509 00:21:42,375 --> 00:21:43,958 JASON: There's another great pyramid complex 510 00:21:44,042 --> 00:21:45,625 at Teotihuacan in Mexico. 511 00:21:45,708 --> 00:21:47,625 Just like at Giza, these pyramids 512 00:21:47,708 --> 00:21:51,000 are astronomically aligned to certain stars. 513 00:21:51,125 --> 00:21:52,500 There are three main temples. 514 00:21:52,583 --> 00:21:54,417 You've got the Pyramid of the Sun, 515 00:21:54,542 --> 00:21:57,917 the Pyramid of the Moon, and the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl. 516 00:21:58,042 --> 00:21:59,583 LAURENCE: Just like at Giza, 517 00:21:59,708 --> 00:22:02,750 these pyramids appear to align with the stars 518 00:22:02,875 --> 00:22:05,042 in Orion's belt. 519 00:22:05,208 --> 00:22:07,333 And here again, just like Giza, 520 00:22:07,500 --> 00:22:09,583 the smallest temple, the Pyramid of Quetzalcoatl 521 00:22:09,708 --> 00:22:13,417 is offset from the others and aligned with Mintaka, 522 00:22:13,542 --> 00:22:15,667 the faintest star in Orion's belt. 523 00:22:15,833 --> 00:22:19,167 They're mapped according to the very same principles, 524 00:22:19,250 --> 00:22:21,500 and display the same astronomical message. 525 00:22:21,625 --> 00:22:25,042 So, it's easy to wonder, were these pyramids 526 00:22:25,167 --> 00:22:29,375 designed by the same beings, the same alien civilization 527 00:22:29,500 --> 00:22:32,417 based somewhere around the constellation Orion? 528 00:22:33,958 --> 00:22:36,833 If these structures were designed by extraterrestrials-- 529 00:22:36,917 --> 00:22:38,792 and of course, I'm not saying that they were-- 530 00:22:38,917 --> 00:22:41,625 but if so, it's easy to see the parallels. 531 00:22:41,750 --> 00:22:43,375 And you could see how some people 532 00:22:43,500 --> 00:22:45,083 might believe they are connected. 533 00:22:45,208 --> 00:22:49,208 LAURENCE: Most Egyptologists, however, reject this theory. 534 00:22:49,375 --> 00:22:52,042 There's simply no real proof. 535 00:22:52,167 --> 00:22:54,333 It is all speculation. 536 00:22:54,458 --> 00:22:56,500 See, for me, the alien theory 537 00:22:56,583 --> 00:23:00,000 detracts from something that's way more awe-inspiring. 538 00:23:00,083 --> 00:23:01,833 The ability of human beings, 539 00:23:01,917 --> 00:23:05,208 especially at such an early time in our history, 540 00:23:05,333 --> 00:23:07,667 to come together, and to design, 541 00:23:07,833 --> 00:23:10,625 and to build these architectural marvels, 542 00:23:10,708 --> 00:23:11,583 is a wonder. 543 00:23:15,583 --> 00:23:18,125 When it comes to solving the mysteries of the pyramids, 544 00:23:18,208 --> 00:23:19,833 the biggest challenge is the lack 545 00:23:19,958 --> 00:23:21,833 of recorded evidence. 546 00:23:21,958 --> 00:23:25,833 But in 1947, new writings are discovered 547 00:23:25,917 --> 00:23:29,375 that suggest a surprising purpose. 548 00:23:30,583 --> 00:23:31,833 JASON: There are two primary sources of information 549 00:23:31,958 --> 00:23:33,000 about the pyramids. 550 00:23:33,083 --> 00:23:34,375 First, there are the Greeks. 551 00:23:34,500 --> 00:23:36,458 But when you read their histories, 552 00:23:36,542 --> 00:23:38,208 you can see that they're just as mystified as we are. 553 00:23:38,375 --> 00:23:40,167 They're mostly guessing. 554 00:23:40,292 --> 00:23:41,708 MICAH: Then we have the hieroglyphics, 555 00:23:41,875 --> 00:23:43,667 which have taught us a tremendous amount 556 00:23:43,750 --> 00:23:46,792 about the ancient Egyptian cosmology and their myths. 557 00:23:46,875 --> 00:23:48,333 But there's nothing in these inscriptions, 558 00:23:48,500 --> 00:23:50,375 nowhere that says why 559 00:23:50,542 --> 00:23:51,958 they had to build the biggest 560 00:23:52,042 --> 00:23:54,750 and most durable structures anywhere on the planet. 561 00:23:54,875 --> 00:23:58,292 LAURENCE: There is, however, one ancient text 562 00:23:58,417 --> 00:24:00,458 that may provide an explanation. 563 00:24:00,583 --> 00:24:02,417 ROBERT: In the spring of 1947, 564 00:24:02,542 --> 00:24:05,833 an amazing trove of Hebrew scrolls 565 00:24:06,000 --> 00:24:07,958 is discovered on the northwest shore 566 00:24:08,083 --> 00:24:09,333 of the Dead Sea. 567 00:24:09,500 --> 00:24:12,750 A Bedouin shepherd boy is out tending his sheep, 568 00:24:12,875 --> 00:24:15,500 and one of his sheep walks up into a cave. 569 00:24:15,625 --> 00:24:17,875 And he's trying to get his sheep out of the cave, 570 00:24:18,042 --> 00:24:19,833 so he throws a rock. 571 00:24:19,958 --> 00:24:22,833 And instead of a sheep coming out, he hears a crash. 572 00:24:22,958 --> 00:24:24,875 SAMI: The noise scares him, and he runs away. 573 00:24:25,042 --> 00:24:26,708 But later, he comes back with a friend, 574 00:24:26,875 --> 00:24:28,833 and both of them enter the cave. 575 00:24:28,917 --> 00:24:30,125 They find a number 576 00:24:30,208 --> 00:24:32,042 of long clay jars. 577 00:24:32,167 --> 00:24:33,542 But then, they look inside, 578 00:24:33,708 --> 00:24:37,375 and they see this dark object. 579 00:24:37,542 --> 00:24:38,875 They bring the jars out into the light, 580 00:24:39,042 --> 00:24:40,625 and they see that the objects are wrapped 581 00:24:40,708 --> 00:24:43,875 in a layer of fine linen, and they're covered in wax. 582 00:24:44,042 --> 00:24:45,542 And when they start unrolling them, 583 00:24:45,667 --> 00:24:49,167 they find long pieces of parchment covered in writing 584 00:24:49,333 --> 00:24:50,583 that have been sewn together. 585 00:24:51,792 --> 00:24:53,417 LAURENCE: They have just stumbled upon 586 00:24:53,542 --> 00:24:55,792 the Dead Sea Scrolls. 587 00:24:55,875 --> 00:24:58,000 Dating back to the 3rd century B.C., 588 00:24:58,125 --> 00:25:01,667 they're the oldest surviving biblical texts. 589 00:25:01,792 --> 00:25:04,250 It's an archaeological and religious revelation 590 00:25:04,375 --> 00:25:05,667 beyond compare. 591 00:25:05,792 --> 00:25:07,417 Some would even say it's the most important 592 00:25:07,542 --> 00:25:10,500 archaeological find in history. 593 00:25:10,625 --> 00:25:12,667 JASON: The Dead Sea Scrolls expand our knowledge 594 00:25:12,792 --> 00:25:15,208 of the ancient world in countless ways. 595 00:25:15,375 --> 00:25:17,042 One of those ways has to do with Egypt. 596 00:25:17,208 --> 00:25:20,083 MICAH: Among these scrolls is a very old version 597 00:25:20,208 --> 00:25:21,500 of the Book of Genesis. 598 00:25:21,583 --> 00:25:23,333 This ends up, of course, being the first book 599 00:25:23,458 --> 00:25:25,667 of the Jewish Torah and the Christian Bible. 600 00:25:25,750 --> 00:25:29,167 And in it is the story of Jacob and his son Joseph. 601 00:25:31,042 --> 00:25:34,417 LAURENCE: According to Genesis, Jacob has 12 sons 602 00:25:34,542 --> 00:25:37,042 whose descendants eventually become 603 00:25:37,208 --> 00:25:39,333 the 12 Tribes of Israel. 604 00:25:39,417 --> 00:25:41,833 Jacob favors his most beloved son Joseph, 605 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:44,125 which causes tremendous friction with his brothers. 606 00:25:44,250 --> 00:25:47,375 In a fit of jealousy, they sell him into slavery. 607 00:25:47,542 --> 00:25:49,500 Where is he taken? To Egypt. 608 00:25:50,708 --> 00:25:52,542 MICAH: There in Egypt, Joseph is able 609 00:25:52,667 --> 00:25:54,708 to turn his luck around by interpreting a dream 610 00:25:54,833 --> 00:25:57,333 for the pharaoh about an approaching famine. 611 00:25:57,417 --> 00:26:00,000 And Joseph warns the pharaoh to start stockpiling grain 612 00:26:00,125 --> 00:26:01,708 as soon as possible. 613 00:26:01,875 --> 00:26:04,000 Some biblical scholars believe that this grain 614 00:26:04,083 --> 00:26:06,917 ends up being stored in the pyramids. 615 00:26:10,167 --> 00:26:11,542 JASON: There are two versions of this theory. 616 00:26:11,708 --> 00:26:13,667 Some theorists believe that the pyramids 617 00:26:13,792 --> 00:26:16,125 were always meant to be used for grain storage. 618 00:26:16,208 --> 00:26:18,417 That was one of the reasons why they were designed. 619 00:26:18,542 --> 00:26:21,208 Others believe that they weren't built for that purpose at all, 620 00:26:21,375 --> 00:26:24,583 but got enlisted to store grain because of the impending famine. 621 00:26:24,708 --> 00:26:27,250 LAURENCE: Religious historians have long proposed 622 00:26:27,375 --> 00:26:31,875 that the pyramids were built by Joseph as grain silos. 623 00:26:32,042 --> 00:26:34,083 MICAH: In the 5th century, Julius Honorius, 624 00:26:34,208 --> 00:26:36,333 a renowned Christian grammar and rhetoric teacher, 625 00:26:36,458 --> 00:26:38,167 creates a geographical manual 626 00:26:38,292 --> 00:26:40,292 to help his students understand the world. 627 00:26:40,375 --> 00:26:42,333 His research is compiled into a book 628 00:26:42,458 --> 00:26:44,042 called the "Cosmographia," 629 00:26:44,167 --> 00:26:46,917 and it explicitly references the pyramids of Egypt 630 00:26:47,042 --> 00:26:50,042 as the horrea Ioseph, or the granaries of Joseph. 631 00:26:50,167 --> 00:26:53,750 SAMI: In the 6th century, this theory pops up again, 632 00:26:53,875 --> 00:26:56,250 and this time it's found in the work of Gregory of Tours. 633 00:26:56,375 --> 00:26:57,708 He's a historian who also becomes 634 00:26:57,875 --> 00:26:59,917 a saint in the Catholic Church. 635 00:27:00,042 --> 00:27:02,500 CAROLINE: In the first volume of his master work, 636 00:27:02,583 --> 00:27:04,667 "Decem Libri Historiarum," 637 00:27:04,750 --> 00:27:07,500 Gregory of Tours explains, 638 00:27:07,625 --> 00:27:10,292 quote, "Joseph built granaries 639 00:27:10,375 --> 00:27:14,958 "of wonderful workmanship made of square stones and cement. 640 00:27:15,042 --> 00:27:17,375 "They're constructed in such a way 641 00:27:17,542 --> 00:27:19,417 "that they are very broad at the base 642 00:27:19,542 --> 00:27:20,875 "but narrow at the top, 643 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:23,417 "so that corn could be poured into them 644 00:27:23,542 --> 00:27:25,667 "through a small aperture. 645 00:27:25,833 --> 00:27:29,625 These granaries are still to be seen to this day." 646 00:27:30,833 --> 00:27:32,833 Gregory of Tours has to be talking about the pyramids. 647 00:27:32,958 --> 00:27:34,833 He's even referencing those enigmatic shafts 648 00:27:34,958 --> 00:27:36,875 that appear at the top of the Great Pyramid. 649 00:27:37,000 --> 00:27:38,750 Now, due to the degree of incline, 650 00:27:38,875 --> 00:27:40,958 it is plausible that these kernels of corn 651 00:27:41,083 --> 00:27:43,042 could have been poured in from above. 652 00:27:43,208 --> 00:27:44,875 JASON: You can see that this theory 653 00:27:45,000 --> 00:27:47,792 is represented visually in Christian artworks as well. 654 00:27:47,875 --> 00:27:50,833 The pyramids are very clearly depicted as grain silos 655 00:27:50,917 --> 00:27:52,792 in a prominent 12th century mosaic 656 00:27:52,917 --> 00:27:54,917 in St. Mark's Basilica in Venice. 657 00:27:56,208 --> 00:27:58,542 MICAH: What's more, the granary idea 658 00:27:58,708 --> 00:28:01,000 does not just exist in European circles. 659 00:28:01,083 --> 00:28:04,500 In fact, we find it both in Islamic and in Byzantine texts. 660 00:28:04,583 --> 00:28:06,625 The "Etymologicum Magnum," 661 00:28:06,708 --> 00:28:09,000 the Byzantine Empire's largest encyclopedia, 662 00:28:09,125 --> 00:28:10,875 explicitly references the pyramids 663 00:28:11,000 --> 00:28:14,042 as royal granaries constructed by Joseph. 664 00:28:15,208 --> 00:28:17,833 LAURENCE: As further proof of the alleged theory, 665 00:28:17,917 --> 00:28:20,667 some authors cite the fact that grain has been found 666 00:28:20,833 --> 00:28:23,417 inside Egyptian pyramids. 667 00:28:23,542 --> 00:28:24,792 SAMI: Now, to an outside observer, 668 00:28:24,875 --> 00:28:26,958 you can kinda see how this theory makes sense. 669 00:28:27,042 --> 00:28:29,208 Think about it, the pyramids sort of have a shape 670 00:28:29,333 --> 00:28:31,833 similar to, like the salt domes that you'll see 671 00:28:31,917 --> 00:28:33,583 on the side of the highway when you're driving, right? 672 00:28:33,708 --> 00:28:37,542 The idea is that these grains will be poured in from the top, 673 00:28:37,667 --> 00:28:39,167 and as they go in, they'll form 674 00:28:39,250 --> 00:28:41,000 like a mound-like shaped structure, 675 00:28:41,125 --> 00:28:42,958 similar to like sand in an hourglass. 676 00:28:44,208 --> 00:28:46,500 LAURENCE: Modern Egyptologists, however, 677 00:28:46,625 --> 00:28:49,708 find a glaring flaw in this argument. 678 00:28:49,875 --> 00:28:51,500 If the pyramids were hollow inside, 679 00:28:51,625 --> 00:28:53,042 this theory would fit like a glove. 680 00:28:53,167 --> 00:28:54,917 But unfortunately, they're not. 681 00:28:55,042 --> 00:28:56,833 They're mostly solid rock, 682 00:28:56,917 --> 00:28:59,250 so there's very little storage room inside. 683 00:29:00,542 --> 00:29:03,583 LAURENCE: But there is evidence that the pyramids were used 684 00:29:03,708 --> 00:29:06,208 to provide sustenance to the community, 685 00:29:06,333 --> 00:29:08,250 just in a different way. 686 00:29:08,375 --> 00:29:10,000 SAMI: The Nile River couldn't always be relied on 687 00:29:10,125 --> 00:29:11,667 to flood and irrigate crops. 688 00:29:11,750 --> 00:29:13,958 As it says in the Book of Genesis, 689 00:29:14,042 --> 00:29:17,375 it references times of both feast and famine. 690 00:29:17,500 --> 00:29:18,958 ROBERT: In times of famine, 691 00:29:19,083 --> 00:29:21,500 a pharaoh doesn't want his subjects to starve. 692 00:29:21,625 --> 00:29:23,333 But he also wants to keep them busy 693 00:29:23,500 --> 00:29:25,458 because they're not working out in the fields. 694 00:29:25,542 --> 00:29:28,667 So, in exchange for payment in the form of grain, 695 00:29:28,792 --> 00:29:30,875 he puts them to work on government projects. 696 00:29:31,042 --> 00:29:32,917 And one of these projects may have been 697 00:29:33,042 --> 00:29:34,250 building the pyramids. 698 00:29:35,875 --> 00:29:38,167 SAMI: So, the pyramids did provide grain, 699 00:29:38,333 --> 00:29:39,667 but in a different way 700 00:29:39,750 --> 00:29:41,375 than what early Christian theorists thought. 701 00:29:42,500 --> 00:29:44,042 MICAH: The fact that a theory is widely believed 702 00:29:44,208 --> 00:29:45,917 doesn't mean it's actually feasible. 703 00:29:46,042 --> 00:29:49,000 We assume the Egyptians had many better options 704 00:29:49,083 --> 00:29:50,708 for storing their grain than the pyramids, 705 00:29:50,833 --> 00:29:53,125 which included actual grain silos. 706 00:29:57,500 --> 00:29:59,333 LAURENCE: There is no more iconic representation 707 00:29:59,417 --> 00:30:03,500 of the might of ancient Egypt than its famed pyramids. 708 00:30:03,667 --> 00:30:05,583 The pyramids might be the most famous 709 00:30:05,708 --> 00:30:06,708 and remarkable aspect 710 00:30:06,875 --> 00:30:08,500 of the Kingdom of Egypt. 711 00:30:08,625 --> 00:30:10,792 But they were only being built 712 00:30:10,917 --> 00:30:12,167 for a relatively short time. 713 00:30:12,333 --> 00:30:13,708 You have a civilization that's around 714 00:30:13,875 --> 00:30:15,292 for about 2,000 years, 715 00:30:15,417 --> 00:30:17,625 yet they only spent about 300 to 400 years 716 00:30:17,708 --> 00:30:19,542 designing these magnificent structures. 717 00:30:19,708 --> 00:30:22,875 So, among the many mysteries surrounding the pyramids, 718 00:30:23,042 --> 00:30:28,083 one important question is, why did they stop being built? 719 00:30:28,208 --> 00:30:30,375 MICAH: In the late '90s and early 2000s, 720 00:30:30,542 --> 00:30:31,667 an all-new theory emerges 721 00:30:31,792 --> 00:30:32,917 that attempts to explain 722 00:30:33,042 --> 00:30:34,125 what might have happened. 723 00:30:34,250 --> 00:30:35,875 And according to this theory, 724 00:30:36,042 --> 00:30:39,292 the pyramids were built with a very specific purpose in mind. 725 00:30:39,417 --> 00:30:41,375 And once this purpose was fulfilled, 726 00:30:41,500 --> 00:30:43,542 the Egyptians didn't need to make any more. 727 00:30:43,708 --> 00:30:46,250 SAMI: In 1998, engineer Christopher Dunn 728 00:30:46,375 --> 00:30:48,250 publishes a book, and in that book, 729 00:30:48,375 --> 00:30:51,458 he posits that the pyramids really have nothing to do 730 00:30:51,583 --> 00:30:52,833 with the afterlife at all. 731 00:30:53,000 --> 00:30:55,083 They're there to serve the everyday life 732 00:30:55,208 --> 00:30:57,500 of the people of Egypt living throughout the kingdom 733 00:30:57,667 --> 00:30:59,875 by providing electrical power. 734 00:31:04,208 --> 00:31:07,500 LAURENCE: Dunn's theory starts with one significant word. 735 00:31:07,583 --> 00:31:10,167 CHRISTOPHER: When you consider the word "pyramid," 736 00:31:10,292 --> 00:31:12,792 you've got "pyra," which is fire, 737 00:31:12,917 --> 00:31:14,833 and then "mid," which is the middle. 738 00:31:14,917 --> 00:31:17,000 So, when you bring the two together, 739 00:31:17,125 --> 00:31:18,667 you got "fire in the middle," 740 00:31:18,792 --> 00:31:20,500 and that is essentially what I'm proposing 741 00:31:20,667 --> 00:31:22,167 for the Great Pyramid, 742 00:31:22,292 --> 00:31:25,000 except that it's not a fire of combustion, 743 00:31:25,125 --> 00:31:27,542 but it's an energetic environment. 744 00:31:27,667 --> 00:31:28,667 JASON: With that in mind, 745 00:31:28,833 --> 00:31:30,042 modern-day engineers like Dunn 746 00:31:30,167 --> 00:31:31,833 start to examine the layout 747 00:31:32,000 --> 00:31:33,667 of the pyramids' internal structures. 748 00:31:33,792 --> 00:31:35,667 SAMI: Inside of the Great Pyramid of Giza, 749 00:31:35,833 --> 00:31:36,958 you have three chambers. 750 00:31:37,083 --> 00:31:38,792 You have a subterranean chamber. 751 00:31:38,917 --> 00:31:40,333 You've got a chamber that's been named 752 00:31:40,458 --> 00:31:41,833 the Queen's Chamber, 753 00:31:41,958 --> 00:31:44,333 and one that's been called the King's Chamber. 754 00:31:44,500 --> 00:31:46,833 Traditional Egyptologists have been long focused 755 00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:48,167 on this building as a tomb. 756 00:31:48,333 --> 00:31:50,083 So, they've taken the conventional view 757 00:31:50,208 --> 00:31:52,333 that the pharaoh's body was placed in the King's Chamber, 758 00:31:52,458 --> 00:31:54,417 and the other two could have been used 759 00:31:54,542 --> 00:31:57,333 if the pharaoh died before the pyramid was finished. 760 00:31:57,417 --> 00:32:00,500 However, no human remains or funerary objects 761 00:32:00,667 --> 00:32:03,625 have ever been found inside of the Great Pyramid of Giza. 762 00:32:03,750 --> 00:32:05,333 But that might be the point. 763 00:32:06,708 --> 00:32:09,500 When you look at these chambers through the eyes of an engineer, 764 00:32:09,583 --> 00:32:12,458 you see that they might be serving a different function. 765 00:32:12,542 --> 00:32:14,542 LAURENCE: American engineer John Cadman 766 00:32:14,708 --> 00:32:16,958 also supports this theory. 767 00:32:17,083 --> 00:32:18,708 Cadman is looking into this problem 768 00:32:18,833 --> 00:32:21,667 at the same time as Dunn in the late 1990s, 769 00:32:21,750 --> 00:32:23,875 and he really seizes upon the idea 770 00:32:24,042 --> 00:32:26,333 that this building has a mechanical function 771 00:32:26,500 --> 00:32:28,250 as some kind of pump. 772 00:32:28,375 --> 00:32:30,417 JASON: Water would flow in via the tunnels 773 00:32:30,542 --> 00:32:33,042 from an ancient lake at a higher elevation. 774 00:32:33,208 --> 00:32:35,167 The water would then flow through a duct 775 00:32:35,292 --> 00:32:36,833 up into the Queen's Chamber, 776 00:32:36,958 --> 00:32:38,833 and then exit through an outflow tunnel 777 00:32:39,000 --> 00:32:40,833 to the Nile River. 778 00:32:40,958 --> 00:32:43,250 The next question is, why a water pump? 779 00:32:43,375 --> 00:32:46,375 LAURENCE: To find out, Cadman makes his own model 780 00:32:46,542 --> 00:32:50,000 of the pyramids' subterranean chambers. 781 00:32:50,167 --> 00:32:53,917 In the year 2000, Cadman uses a 500-pound block of cement 782 00:32:54,042 --> 00:32:56,667 to carve out a smaller replica of the Great Pyramid 783 00:32:56,750 --> 00:32:58,042 to study the fluid dynamics 784 00:32:58,167 --> 00:32:59,458 that were happening inside the chambers. 785 00:32:59,583 --> 00:33:02,125 MICAH: Incredibly, when he runs water through, 786 00:33:02,250 --> 00:33:03,833 the block actually starts shaking 787 00:33:03,958 --> 00:33:06,208 with long, and then short pulses. 788 00:33:06,375 --> 00:33:07,792 Now, if you scaled up this experiment 789 00:33:07,917 --> 00:33:09,833 to the full size of the pyramid, 790 00:33:10,000 --> 00:33:12,042 Cadman believes the system would have created 791 00:33:12,208 --> 00:33:16,000 a heartbeat-like vibration that shook the entire structure. 792 00:33:16,125 --> 00:33:19,833 LAURENCE: Eventually Dunn further expands on this idea. 793 00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:21,667 He outlines that the Great Pyramid 794 00:33:21,792 --> 00:33:24,000 is actually a coupled oscillator 795 00:33:24,083 --> 00:33:26,875 which transforms vibrations into energy, 796 00:33:27,000 --> 00:33:29,333 and that generates power. 797 00:33:29,458 --> 00:33:31,208 Dunn's hypothesis also could account 798 00:33:31,333 --> 00:33:32,792 for findings in the Queen's Chamber 799 00:33:32,917 --> 00:33:34,833 that have never been fully understood. 800 00:33:34,958 --> 00:33:37,292 Those twin shafts diagonally extending upwards 801 00:33:37,375 --> 00:33:40,167 from this chamber were once thought of as airducts. 802 00:33:40,292 --> 00:33:42,042 And others have hypothesized 803 00:33:42,208 --> 00:33:44,500 that they target certain stars in the night sky. 804 00:33:45,708 --> 00:33:48,208 SAMI: Now, early explorers reported that the walls 805 00:33:48,375 --> 00:33:50,917 and the ceilings of the Queen's Chamber 806 00:33:51,042 --> 00:33:54,167 were covered with up to about an inch of salt, 807 00:33:54,292 --> 00:33:56,000 and that there was gypsum coming out of the cracks 808 00:33:56,125 --> 00:33:57,833 in the limestone. 809 00:33:57,958 --> 00:34:00,083 Nobody knew what to make of this at the time. 810 00:34:00,208 --> 00:34:03,208 LAURENCE: According to Dunn, it's evidence that the pyramid 811 00:34:03,375 --> 00:34:06,000 served as a chemical reactor. 812 00:34:06,167 --> 00:34:09,458 My theory on the Queen's Chamber is that chemicals 813 00:34:09,583 --> 00:34:12,667 were delivered to the chamber through shafts. 814 00:34:12,792 --> 00:34:16,000 Those solutions were dilute hydrochloric acid 815 00:34:16,167 --> 00:34:18,292 and a hydrated zinc solution. 816 00:34:18,375 --> 00:34:20,417 Those two chemicals brought together 817 00:34:20,542 --> 00:34:22,083 would boil off hydrogen. 818 00:34:22,208 --> 00:34:24,667 JASON: This hydrogen would cause a chemical reaction 819 00:34:24,833 --> 00:34:27,625 with the chamber's limestone, which would explain the presence 820 00:34:27,750 --> 00:34:29,167 of salt and gypsum. 821 00:34:29,292 --> 00:34:31,000 The hydrogen reaction compounds 822 00:34:31,167 --> 00:34:33,167 the pyramid's vibrations exponentially. 823 00:34:33,292 --> 00:34:36,333 It's now really moving and can generate a lot of power. 824 00:34:36,417 --> 00:34:38,167 SAMI: Dunn believes all of these vibrations 825 00:34:38,333 --> 00:34:40,167 charge up the quartz and granite stones 826 00:34:40,292 --> 00:34:41,917 in the center of the pyramid. 827 00:34:42,042 --> 00:34:43,208 This is why they're putting these stones 828 00:34:43,375 --> 00:34:45,833 that weigh 50 to 80 tons in the center. 829 00:34:45,958 --> 00:34:47,292 They're almost like batteries. 830 00:34:47,417 --> 00:34:50,167 And with that, you have yourself an energy source. 831 00:34:50,292 --> 00:34:54,167 LAURENCE: Just how would the Egyptians use that energy? 832 00:34:54,333 --> 00:34:56,458 CAROLINE: According to a 1996 book 833 00:34:56,542 --> 00:35:00,292 by Austrian writers Peter Krassa and Reinhard Habeck, 834 00:35:00,417 --> 00:35:02,125 the ancient Egyptians may have 835 00:35:02,250 --> 00:35:04,333 actually had electric lights. 836 00:35:04,417 --> 00:35:06,375 SAMI: Their theory is based on a relief sculpture 837 00:35:06,542 --> 00:35:08,417 that was found in the 2,000-year-old 838 00:35:08,542 --> 00:35:11,167 Temple of Hathor in Dendera, Egypt. 839 00:35:11,292 --> 00:35:14,042 It shows what they believe to be a massive light bulb 840 00:35:14,167 --> 00:35:17,250 with a socket, a cable, and a filament. 841 00:35:17,375 --> 00:35:20,000 These so-called light fixtures appear prominently 842 00:35:20,167 --> 00:35:22,500 in several other Egyptian artworks as well. 843 00:35:22,625 --> 00:35:26,458 Krassa and Habeck also cite a 1982 experiment 844 00:35:26,542 --> 00:35:29,000 by Austrian engineer Walter Garn. 845 00:35:29,167 --> 00:35:31,208 He sees the so-called Dendera light 846 00:35:31,333 --> 00:35:33,917 and decides to test if such a device 847 00:35:34,042 --> 00:35:36,042 could have been built using the materials 848 00:35:36,208 --> 00:35:38,083 available to the ancient Egyptians. 849 00:35:38,208 --> 00:35:41,125 He was able to make a working model of the device, 850 00:35:41,208 --> 00:35:43,792 but his used traditional electricity, 851 00:35:43,917 --> 00:35:46,125 not pyramid power. 852 00:35:46,208 --> 00:35:48,792 Did the Egyptians actually have electricity? 853 00:35:48,917 --> 00:35:51,417 According to this theory, they did. 854 00:35:51,542 --> 00:35:53,000 And once they had built enough pyramids 855 00:35:53,167 --> 00:35:54,458 to light and power their civilization, 856 00:35:54,542 --> 00:35:55,667 they could stop. 857 00:35:55,833 --> 00:35:59,583 It's-- it's out there, but hey, it's a theory. 858 00:36:03,750 --> 00:36:06,667 LAURENCE: In the late 1990s, two American engineers 859 00:36:06,792 --> 00:36:10,458 make headlines when they suggest that the Egyptian pyramids 860 00:36:10,542 --> 00:36:12,625 were used to generate power. 861 00:36:12,708 --> 00:36:16,083 But they may not be the first to propose this. 862 00:36:16,208 --> 00:36:17,500 There are reports 863 00:36:17,625 --> 00:36:20,667 of a declassified KGB operation 864 00:36:20,792 --> 00:36:22,625 known as Project ISIS. 865 00:36:22,750 --> 00:36:25,500 It allegedly takes place in the 1960s, 866 00:36:25,583 --> 00:36:27,833 and the purpose was to take a look 867 00:36:27,958 --> 00:36:30,750 at these ancient Egyptian artifacts and knowledge 868 00:36:30,875 --> 00:36:34,167 to see if they would be of use to the Soviet Union militarily. 869 00:36:34,292 --> 00:36:36,417 MICAH: One alleged KGB report from scientists 870 00:36:36,542 --> 00:36:37,958 on the Giza plateau stated 871 00:36:38,042 --> 00:36:39,167 that, "during inspection 872 00:36:39,333 --> 00:36:40,625 "of the wall segment, we noted 873 00:36:40,750 --> 00:36:41,917 "an odd sensation. 874 00:36:42,042 --> 00:36:44,167 "A magnetic repulsive force 875 00:36:44,292 --> 00:36:46,292 "seemed to be emanating from the rock. 876 00:36:46,375 --> 00:36:49,167 We were unable to find any scientific explanation." 877 00:36:50,333 --> 00:36:52,125 CAROLINE: In the 1960s, 878 00:36:52,208 --> 00:36:54,000 you have the Cuban Missile Crisis happening. 879 00:36:54,125 --> 00:36:56,292 And right around the same time, 880 00:36:56,375 --> 00:36:58,833 the KGB scientists are walking around Giza. 881 00:36:58,958 --> 00:37:03,458 LAURENCE: In the late 1980s, as the Cold War rages on, 882 00:37:03,542 --> 00:37:05,750 the Russian Academy of Medical Scientists 883 00:37:05,875 --> 00:37:11,125 funds additional research into the power of the pyramids. 884 00:37:11,250 --> 00:37:14,125 These studies are performed by Ukrainian scientist 885 00:37:14,250 --> 00:37:17,250 and defense contractor Alexander Golod. 886 00:37:17,375 --> 00:37:19,375 According to his research, 887 00:37:19,500 --> 00:37:22,542 the pyramids do indeed have the ability to harness energy. 888 00:37:22,708 --> 00:37:25,292 But he doesn't think it's electrical power 889 00:37:25,375 --> 00:37:27,167 the Egyptians were trying to use. 890 00:37:27,250 --> 00:37:29,708 He thinks it was used for healing. 891 00:37:32,333 --> 00:37:34,000 LAURENCE: As part of his research, 892 00:37:34,125 --> 00:37:36,250 Golod builds a series of pyramids 893 00:37:36,375 --> 00:37:38,583 across the Soviet Union. 894 00:37:38,708 --> 00:37:41,125 MICAH: Golod builds over a dozen pyramids, 895 00:37:41,250 --> 00:37:42,667 each one is bigger than the last. 896 00:37:42,833 --> 00:37:44,458 And inside, he does various tasks 897 00:37:44,542 --> 00:37:46,333 measuring their vibration frequencies, 898 00:37:46,458 --> 00:37:49,542 and their ability to focus and direct energy. 899 00:37:49,708 --> 00:37:51,083 JASON: Golod finds that the shape 900 00:37:51,208 --> 00:37:52,375 and size of the pyramid 901 00:37:52,542 --> 00:37:54,083 dictates its energy field. 902 00:37:54,208 --> 00:37:56,417 He builds his 17th and largest pyramid 903 00:37:56,542 --> 00:37:58,917 25 miles north of Moscow. 904 00:37:59,042 --> 00:38:01,000 It's a whopping 144 feet tall 905 00:38:01,083 --> 00:38:04,167 and weighs about 55 tons. 906 00:38:04,292 --> 00:38:07,250 CAROLINE: Golod conducts a research experiment 907 00:38:07,375 --> 00:38:09,833 in conjunction with the Russian Air Force, 908 00:38:09,917 --> 00:38:13,333 which shows that the pyramid creates an energy field 909 00:38:13,458 --> 00:38:16,208 about a mile high, easily detected 910 00:38:16,333 --> 00:38:18,375 by the censors on the aircraft. 911 00:38:18,500 --> 00:38:20,583 LAURENCE: Golod next sets out to test 912 00:38:20,708 --> 00:38:23,542 the energy field's effect on humans. 913 00:38:24,875 --> 00:38:26,833 MICAH: Golod brings all sorts of test subjects 914 00:38:26,917 --> 00:38:29,208 into his pyramids, but he's not yet sure 915 00:38:29,333 --> 00:38:31,208 why the Egyptians built theirs, 916 00:38:31,333 --> 00:38:33,917 or what the pyramid energy is supposed to do. 917 00:38:34,042 --> 00:38:37,417 CAROLINE: What he finds is that after spending time 918 00:38:37,542 --> 00:38:40,500 at the center of the pyramid, people will actually have 919 00:38:40,583 --> 00:38:43,083 a marked improvement on their health. 920 00:38:43,208 --> 00:38:46,417 So, he publishes report after report 921 00:38:46,542 --> 00:38:50,208 about the pyramid's energy promoting growth, 922 00:38:50,333 --> 00:38:52,417 health, and longevity. 923 00:38:52,542 --> 00:38:55,000 He claims that the subjects' blood tests 924 00:38:55,125 --> 00:38:57,542 prove that standing at the center of the pyramid 925 00:38:57,667 --> 00:39:00,333 would actually boost the immune system. 926 00:39:00,417 --> 00:39:03,458 LAURENCE: Over the years Golod shares his research 927 00:39:03,542 --> 00:39:05,417 with a select few. 928 00:39:05,542 --> 00:39:07,500 Russian athletes are known to visit these pyramids 929 00:39:07,583 --> 00:39:09,125 prior to major competitions 930 00:39:09,250 --> 00:39:11,333 to boost their energy and endurance. 931 00:39:11,458 --> 00:39:13,292 Russian cosmonauts are even reported 932 00:39:13,417 --> 00:39:15,583 to have brought water from Golod's pyramids 933 00:39:15,708 --> 00:39:17,042 up with them to the International Space Station 934 00:39:17,208 --> 00:39:18,833 to maintain their health. 935 00:39:18,958 --> 00:39:21,667 Golod's pyramids still regularly draw visitors 936 00:39:21,792 --> 00:39:23,625 from across the country who are eager to experience 937 00:39:23,750 --> 00:39:25,250 their alleged healing energy. 938 00:39:25,375 --> 00:39:27,375 And Golod is happy to provide access 939 00:39:27,500 --> 00:39:29,167 to pyramid-charged water 940 00:39:29,292 --> 00:39:32,625 or healing pyramid trinkets for a small fee. 941 00:39:32,750 --> 00:39:35,083 LAURENCE: Could the very same health-inducing properties 942 00:39:35,208 --> 00:39:39,125 have also been sought by ancient Egypt's pharaohs? 943 00:39:39,250 --> 00:39:42,750 According to this theory, yes. 944 00:39:42,875 --> 00:39:44,833 CAROLINE: Golod believes that the Egyptian pyramids 945 00:39:44,958 --> 00:39:46,833 were used for much of the same reason 946 00:39:46,958 --> 00:39:49,500 that he's using his pyramids today. 947 00:39:49,583 --> 00:39:52,167 In fact, he thinks they could have been used 948 00:39:52,292 --> 00:39:54,542 while the pharaohs were still alive. 949 00:39:54,708 --> 00:39:57,167 SAMI: This could explain a few things, 950 00:39:57,292 --> 00:39:58,500 like why each pyramid was built 951 00:39:58,667 --> 00:40:00,250 as soon as the pharaoh was crowned. 952 00:40:00,375 --> 00:40:03,000 Perhaps the building was meant to be used during his lifetime, 953 00:40:03,125 --> 00:40:04,625 even before it was finished, 954 00:40:04,708 --> 00:40:07,167 to help grant him health and longevity. 955 00:40:07,292 --> 00:40:09,458 CAROLINE: It also potentially explains 956 00:40:09,583 --> 00:40:12,292 why there are a few other chambers in most pyramids. 957 00:40:12,417 --> 00:40:14,667 Like, why is there a Queen's Chamber 958 00:40:14,833 --> 00:40:17,292 while we don't actually have evidence 959 00:40:17,417 --> 00:40:19,625 that a queen was buried there? 960 00:40:19,750 --> 00:40:22,333 Maybe she was allowed to receive the pyramid's healing 961 00:40:22,458 --> 00:40:25,750 in her own chamber, but during her lifetime. 962 00:40:25,875 --> 00:40:28,167 But in death, all that power is reserved 963 00:40:28,292 --> 00:40:29,750 for the pharaoh himself. 964 00:40:29,875 --> 00:40:31,833 Everything focused on his mummified remains 965 00:40:32,000 --> 00:40:35,417 to protect and preserve him for all eternity. 966 00:40:35,542 --> 00:40:37,708 CAROLINE: Ultimately, that's the one thing 967 00:40:37,875 --> 00:40:40,333 we know for sure the pyramids represent-- 968 00:40:40,458 --> 00:40:43,042 permanence, strength. 969 00:40:43,167 --> 00:40:46,417 Whether they're actually sending immune-boosting energy, 970 00:40:46,542 --> 00:40:50,333 or electrical power, whether they're storing grain 971 00:40:50,458 --> 00:40:52,833 or serving as alien landmarks, 972 00:40:52,917 --> 00:40:55,083 none of this can be proven at the moment. 973 00:40:55,208 --> 00:40:57,667 But what we can say confidently 974 00:40:57,833 --> 00:41:01,292 is that the pyramids were built to last the test of time. 975 00:41:01,417 --> 00:41:03,042 And that, they have. 976 00:41:05,500 --> 00:41:06,958 Archaeologists in Egypt 977 00:41:07,042 --> 00:41:08,167 have no shortage of work 978 00:41:08,250 --> 00:41:09,333 ahead of them. 979 00:41:09,417 --> 00:41:11,333 Over 100 active dig sites 980 00:41:11,500 --> 00:41:13,292 are currently being investigated, 981 00:41:13,417 --> 00:41:15,667 with many more to come. 982 00:41:15,792 --> 00:41:18,750 As new evidence is pulled from the desert sands, 983 00:41:18,875 --> 00:41:21,542 new truths may be revealed. 984 00:41:21,667 --> 00:41:23,500 I'm Laurence Fishburne. 985 00:41:23,625 --> 00:41:24,792 Thank you for watching 986 00:41:24,875 --> 00:41:27,583 "History's Greatest Mysteries."