1 00:00:00,841 --> 00:00:04,091 (ominous exotic music) 2 00:00:06,840 --> 00:00:08,196 - Hundreds of tons of stone 3 00:00:08,196 --> 00:00:10,529 to portray a mighty pharaoh. 4 00:00:12,686 --> 00:00:16,103 Colossal testament to Egypt's golden age. 5 00:00:24,363 --> 00:00:25,850 I think it's probably here, 6 00:00:25,850 --> 00:00:27,656 at the feet of the Colossi of Memnon, 7 00:00:27,656 --> 00:00:31,406 we get a real sense of who Amenhotep III was. 8 00:00:33,111 --> 00:00:34,596 In my opinion, 9 00:00:34,596 --> 00:00:38,763 Amenhotep III was ancient Egypt's greatest pharaoh. 10 00:00:40,630 --> 00:00:42,504 He presided over the zenith 11 00:00:42,504 --> 00:00:44,998 of Egyptian culture and civilization. 12 00:00:44,998 --> 00:00:46,970 He is the golden age. 13 00:00:46,970 --> 00:00:49,124 He is the epitome of everything 14 00:00:49,124 --> 00:00:51,957 that made ancient Egypt brilliant. 15 00:00:55,616 --> 00:00:57,720 The rise of this great civilization 16 00:00:57,720 --> 00:01:01,637 was powered by its extraordinary belief system, 17 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:08,047 where the pursuit of the perfect afterlife was everything, 18 00:01:09,868 --> 00:01:13,868 capable of withstanding disasters and dark ages, 19 00:01:17,562 --> 00:01:20,992 to then reemerge as the most powerful empire 20 00:01:20,992 --> 00:01:22,742 in the ancient world. 21 00:01:29,578 --> 00:01:32,568 In this episode, I'm going to enter what I regard 22 00:01:32,568 --> 00:01:35,985 as Egypt's greatest era, the New Kingdom. 23 00:01:38,860 --> 00:01:41,360 Whoa, what an amazing chamber. 24 00:01:42,952 --> 00:01:45,846 A time of luxury, grand designs, 25 00:01:45,846 --> 00:01:48,013 and unparalleled splendor. 26 00:01:49,720 --> 00:01:52,387 Isn't this absolutely beautiful. 27 00:01:53,524 --> 00:01:57,756 But like all good things, it couldn't last forever. 28 00:01:57,756 --> 00:01:59,474 Egypt's powerful religion 29 00:01:59,474 --> 00:02:02,692 would prove to be its greatest weakness. 30 00:02:02,692 --> 00:02:05,436 And I'll discover how the priests became so rich 31 00:02:05,436 --> 00:02:07,340 their power struggle with the crown 32 00:02:07,340 --> 00:02:10,173 destroyed the very unity of Egypt. 33 00:02:12,895 --> 00:02:16,022 It was this very conflict that would transform 34 00:02:16,022 --> 00:02:20,189 this golden age into one of decadence and corruption 35 00:02:21,036 --> 00:02:24,203 and would eventually tear Egypt apart, 36 00:02:25,704 --> 00:02:28,736 and by looking again at Egypt's greatest superstars, 37 00:02:28,736 --> 00:02:31,386 I'm going to investigate what really happened 38 00:02:31,386 --> 00:02:34,219 during the glittering New Kingdom. 39 00:02:35,742 --> 00:02:38,825 Welcome to my story of ancient Egypt. 40 00:02:44,324 --> 00:02:48,241 (chanting in foreign language) 41 00:02:49,218 --> 00:02:52,968 The New Kingdom, nearly three and a half thousand years ago, 42 00:02:52,968 --> 00:02:55,468 and the time of Amenhotep III, 43 00:02:56,754 --> 00:02:59,170 when Egypt's expression of power and belief 44 00:02:59,170 --> 00:03:01,837 reached new heights of enormity. 45 00:03:05,815 --> 00:03:08,999 I've joined an international team of archeologists 46 00:03:08,999 --> 00:03:12,458 for excavating just one of the vast monuments 47 00:03:12,458 --> 00:03:15,708 Amenhotep created, his funerary temple. 48 00:03:19,736 --> 00:03:22,230 Now, being here, you really get a sense 49 00:03:22,230 --> 00:03:23,702 of what it must have been like 50 00:03:23,702 --> 00:03:25,430 three and a half thousand years ago, 51 00:03:25,430 --> 00:03:27,142 when this place was a building site, 52 00:03:27,142 --> 00:03:28,610 much as it is today. 53 00:03:28,610 --> 00:03:30,308 All these statues all around, 54 00:03:30,308 --> 00:03:35,273 Amenhotep III's image coming up in their hundreds. 55 00:03:35,273 --> 00:03:38,168 And yet, as the archeologists today assemble 56 00:03:38,168 --> 00:03:41,156 all these pieces, this is literally history 57 00:03:41,156 --> 00:03:44,489 coming out of the ground piece by piece. 58 00:03:46,274 --> 00:03:47,606 In the pyramid age, 59 00:03:47,606 --> 00:03:51,854 royal tombs and funerary temples were a single complex, 60 00:03:51,854 --> 00:03:55,842 but 1,300 years later, the two were built separately, 61 00:03:55,842 --> 00:03:58,454 reflecting a new era of opulence, 62 00:03:58,454 --> 00:04:01,654 epitomizing the greatest dynasty of all, 63 00:04:01,654 --> 00:04:04,654 the 18th, the time of Amenhotep III. 64 00:04:06,248 --> 00:04:09,180 (solemn music) 65 00:04:09,180 --> 00:04:12,032 For centuries, pretty much the only visible remains 66 00:04:12,032 --> 00:04:14,148 of Amenhotep's funerary temple 67 00:04:14,148 --> 00:04:16,648 were his two colossal statues. 68 00:04:18,015 --> 00:04:21,398 Now, archeologist Dr. Hourig Sourouzian and her team 69 00:04:21,398 --> 00:04:24,354 are finally uncovering the full splendor 70 00:04:24,354 --> 00:04:26,816 of this once mighty monument. 71 00:04:26,816 --> 00:04:29,338 - You touch, and it's... 72 00:04:29,338 --> 00:04:31,253 - It's like glass. - Yeah. 73 00:04:31,253 --> 00:04:33,744 - [Joann] Covering over 86 acres, 74 00:04:33,744 --> 00:04:35,698 this was not a tomb like the pyramids, 75 00:04:35,698 --> 00:04:37,494 but a huge complex, 76 00:04:37,494 --> 00:04:41,066 the largest funerary temple ever created. 77 00:04:41,066 --> 00:04:43,812 It's a massive, massive area. - It's unbelievable. 78 00:04:43,812 --> 00:04:46,976 You have to imagine, this is only the major temple, 79 00:04:46,976 --> 00:04:48,116 the main temple. 80 00:04:48,116 --> 00:04:49,800 You have to imagine other temples, 81 00:04:49,800 --> 00:04:52,508 processional ways, sphinx avenues, 82 00:04:52,508 --> 00:04:54,530 magazines, workshops, 83 00:04:54,530 --> 00:04:57,212 treasures, pools, gardens, 84 00:04:57,212 --> 00:04:59,850 priest house, administrative houses. 85 00:04:59,850 --> 00:05:01,938 All this was a big city 86 00:05:01,938 --> 00:05:05,734 in the capital. - Overwhelming in size. 87 00:05:05,734 --> 00:05:07,180 - Yeah, it is. 88 00:05:07,180 --> 00:05:10,184 - [Joann] This grand design was built as the place 89 00:05:10,184 --> 00:05:13,626 where his soul could be worshiped for eternity, 90 00:05:13,626 --> 00:05:15,792 while his mummified body was buried 91 00:05:15,792 --> 00:05:18,244 in the Valley of the Kings nearby, 92 00:05:18,244 --> 00:05:21,294 but during his lifetime, inside the temple, 93 00:05:21,294 --> 00:05:23,546 a permanent priesthood was employed, 94 00:05:23,546 --> 00:05:26,046 all ruled over by the pharaoh. 95 00:05:27,904 --> 00:05:29,740 Amenhotep's massive statues 96 00:05:29,740 --> 00:05:32,657 flanked the temple's main entrance. 97 00:05:34,544 --> 00:05:37,380 Beyond them lay a second pair, 98 00:05:37,380 --> 00:05:38,797 and then a third. 99 00:05:40,428 --> 00:05:44,595 Amenhotep's image repeated throughout the temple complex. 100 00:05:45,618 --> 00:05:48,118 (regal music) 101 00:05:51,326 --> 00:05:54,326 - I wish, one day, the find a time machine. 102 00:05:54,326 --> 00:05:56,104 I go back to one day. 103 00:05:56,104 --> 00:05:57,116 - Can I come? 104 00:05:57,116 --> 00:05:58,971 I'll come with you. 105 00:05:58,971 --> 00:06:01,146 We may not have a time machine, 106 00:06:01,146 --> 00:06:04,036 but 15 years of work have begun to reveal 107 00:06:04,036 --> 00:06:06,770 some of the temple's former glories. 108 00:06:06,770 --> 00:06:09,663 Normally, these would have been meters up in the air, 109 00:06:09,663 --> 00:06:13,413 but to actually engage, it's so very tactile. 110 00:06:14,606 --> 00:06:18,689 So very intimate, holding hands with the pharaoh. 111 00:06:20,181 --> 00:06:23,292 This colossus from the temple's second gateway 112 00:06:23,292 --> 00:06:26,362 is flanked by one of the best preserved statues 113 00:06:26,362 --> 00:06:30,362 of Amenhotep's principle consort, Queen Tiye, 114 00:06:30,362 --> 00:06:32,112 his great royal wife. 115 00:06:33,428 --> 00:06:36,036 - Here is standing, and by miracle, 116 00:06:36,036 --> 00:06:38,470 having been saved by all the catastrophes 117 00:06:38,470 --> 00:06:40,660 which struck this temple. 118 00:06:40,660 --> 00:06:45,599 - So he's protected her for centuries, really, hasn't he? 119 00:06:45,599 --> 00:06:48,584 Carved to be no bigger than Amenhotep's lower leg, 120 00:06:48,584 --> 00:06:51,264 Queen Tiye's size served to exaggerate 121 00:06:51,264 --> 00:06:53,931 the pharaoh's superhuman status. 122 00:06:56,858 --> 00:07:00,352 These massive statues were more than a memorial, 123 00:07:00,352 --> 00:07:02,148 each worshiped to guarantee 124 00:07:02,148 --> 00:07:06,552 the immortality of the king's soul, the pharaoh as god. 125 00:07:06,552 --> 00:07:07,552 - This is my 126 00:07:08,762 --> 00:07:11,074 great surprise to you. 127 00:07:11,074 --> 00:07:14,907 - And Hourig has saved the very best til last. 128 00:07:16,906 --> 00:07:21,073 (Hourig speaking foreign language) 129 00:07:22,528 --> 00:07:23,844 Oh. 130 00:07:23,844 --> 00:07:25,177 Oh, flipping it. 131 00:07:26,557 --> 00:07:30,222 (Hourig speaking foreign language) 132 00:07:30,222 --> 00:07:33,626 It's Amenhotep's head, at three meters tall, 133 00:07:33,626 --> 00:07:36,507 carved from the finest white alabaster. 134 00:07:36,507 --> 00:07:38,757 Oh, don't know what to say. 135 00:07:41,876 --> 00:07:45,146 Over the years, I've seen many of his portraits, 136 00:07:45,146 --> 00:07:48,154 but rarely one as stunning as this. 137 00:07:48,154 --> 00:07:49,027 Look at it. 138 00:07:49,027 --> 00:07:50,172 Look at his nose. 139 00:07:50,172 --> 00:07:51,172 - Yeah. 140 00:07:51,172 --> 00:07:52,314 - This is 141 00:07:52,314 --> 00:07:54,459 an absolutely amazing 142 00:07:54,459 --> 00:07:56,910 portrait, a sculpted face of Amenhotep himself. 143 00:07:56,910 --> 00:07:59,243 Never seen anything like it. 144 00:08:01,042 --> 00:08:03,244 With hundreds of statues like this, 145 00:08:03,244 --> 00:08:06,364 Amenhotep was multiplying the image of himself 146 00:08:06,364 --> 00:08:08,570 as Egypt's more powerful god, 147 00:08:08,570 --> 00:08:11,653 bringing light and life to the world, 148 00:08:19,122 --> 00:08:22,074 because whoever controlled Egypt's religion 149 00:08:22,074 --> 00:08:23,491 controlled Egypt, 150 00:08:24,834 --> 00:08:28,644 and with it, a vast amount of wealth. 151 00:08:28,644 --> 00:08:31,918 Now, Amenhotep wore gold from top to toe, 152 00:08:31,918 --> 00:08:34,888 and he handed it out to his courtiers as gifts, 153 00:08:34,888 --> 00:08:38,471 but he also used it as a diplomatic weapon. 154 00:08:42,550 --> 00:08:45,316 Amenhotep's clever use of Egyptian gold 155 00:08:45,316 --> 00:08:48,899 is recorded on stone scarabs like this one. 156 00:08:50,066 --> 00:08:53,004 They served as the pharaoh's news bulletins, 157 00:08:53,004 --> 00:08:55,023 which he circulated around his empire 158 00:08:55,023 --> 00:08:58,106 with updates inscribed on their base. 159 00:09:00,499 --> 00:09:03,881 In this case, it was a new marriage of the king. 160 00:09:03,881 --> 00:09:08,471 It effectively records his marriage to a Syrian princess, 161 00:09:08,471 --> 00:09:10,665 a princess from the land of Mitanni, 162 00:09:10,665 --> 00:09:12,259 and it recounts how, 163 00:09:12,259 --> 00:09:15,915 having sent gold to the princess' father, 164 00:09:15,915 --> 00:09:19,175 he then sent out one of his daughters 165 00:09:19,175 --> 00:09:20,821 for the pharaoh to marry, 166 00:09:20,821 --> 00:09:24,685 so a kind of mail order bride, if you like. 167 00:09:24,685 --> 00:09:27,935 It reports that her name was Gilukhipa, 168 00:09:30,233 --> 00:09:34,005 and that she arrived from Mitanni in Syria 169 00:09:34,005 --> 00:09:37,422 with no fewer than 317 ladies in waiting. 170 00:09:39,490 --> 00:09:43,588 Clearly impressed, Amenhotep added the comment, 171 00:09:43,588 --> 00:09:44,921 "It's a marvel." 172 00:09:49,035 --> 00:09:52,489 With this diplomatic marriage only one of many, 173 00:09:52,489 --> 00:09:56,656 they were an effective way of securing peace and prosperity. 174 00:09:59,515 --> 00:10:03,571 Amenhotep was able to utilize his key resource, 175 00:10:03,571 --> 00:10:07,371 his gold, to kind of get everything he wanted 176 00:10:07,371 --> 00:10:10,555 to maintain his status as the supreme monarch 177 00:10:10,555 --> 00:10:13,388 in the ancient world at that time. 178 00:10:15,587 --> 00:10:19,433 Gold brought Egypt peace with its neighbors, 179 00:10:19,433 --> 00:10:22,429 with Amenhotep III's empire stretching from 180 00:10:22,429 --> 00:10:25,929 what is now Syria, as far as modern Sudan. 181 00:10:28,337 --> 00:10:32,841 But within Egypt itself, gold had a different use, 182 00:10:32,841 --> 00:10:36,806 and could even guarantee a fast track to the afterlife, 183 00:10:36,806 --> 00:10:39,765 emphatically expressed by a great treasure 184 00:10:39,765 --> 00:10:41,682 in the Museum in Wigan, 185 00:10:43,177 --> 00:10:45,094 a stunning golden face. 186 00:10:48,655 --> 00:10:51,238 (solemn music) 187 00:10:57,581 --> 00:10:59,927 Originally part of a woman's coffin, 188 00:10:59,927 --> 00:11:02,193 her lifelike features were preserved 189 00:11:02,193 --> 00:11:06,867 to allow her soul to recognize her in the afterlife. 190 00:11:06,867 --> 00:11:09,542 Isn't this absolutely beautiful? 191 00:11:09,542 --> 00:11:12,621 Clearly, the gold suggests to us that this was someone 192 00:11:12,621 --> 00:11:16,621 of very special, very high status, very wealthy. 193 00:11:18,695 --> 00:11:20,919 Although we can never know her name, 194 00:11:20,919 --> 00:11:23,955 she had clearly spent a fortune in preparing 195 00:11:23,955 --> 00:11:26,122 for her perfect afterlife. 196 00:11:27,473 --> 00:11:28,867 Covered in gold leaf, 197 00:11:28,867 --> 00:11:31,931 she stares out at us with eyes of alabaster 198 00:11:31,931 --> 00:11:33,514 and black obsidian. 199 00:11:35,133 --> 00:11:37,561 We can really see into the world, 200 00:11:37,561 --> 00:11:40,147 into the thought patterns of the Egyptians themselves 201 00:11:40,147 --> 00:11:43,013 because, as stunning as this face is, 202 00:11:43,013 --> 00:11:45,199 it was simply buried in a tomb, 203 00:11:45,199 --> 00:11:47,316 literally buried in a hole in the ground, 204 00:11:47,316 --> 00:11:48,905 not for human eyes, 205 00:11:48,905 --> 00:11:51,823 but to be seen by the gods and the spirits of the dead, 206 00:11:51,823 --> 00:11:54,969 with whom this woman wanted to join, 207 00:11:54,969 --> 00:11:57,051 and that's why her skin is gold, 208 00:11:57,051 --> 00:11:59,703 because the gods had golden skin, 209 00:11:59,703 --> 00:12:02,801 and she wanted to be recognized by them 210 00:12:02,801 --> 00:12:04,085 as one of their own, 211 00:12:04,085 --> 00:12:06,639 taken into their eternal care. 212 00:12:06,639 --> 00:12:08,880 For the Egyptians, it was a special pact 213 00:12:08,880 --> 00:12:11,463 between themselves and the gods 214 00:12:12,303 --> 00:12:14,931 that made their country, made their empire 215 00:12:14,931 --> 00:12:18,325 so very powerful, so very special. 216 00:12:18,325 --> 00:12:21,897 In the golden age, this special pact shone more brightly 217 00:12:21,897 --> 00:12:24,657 than ever before, with Egypt's wealth 218 00:12:24,657 --> 00:12:28,074 poured into their faith in the afterlife, 219 00:12:29,193 --> 00:12:31,689 and with increasing amounts of gold accompanying 220 00:12:31,689 --> 00:12:34,461 the royal mummies, their tombs needed to be 221 00:12:34,461 --> 00:12:36,544 kept secure at all costs. 222 00:12:39,755 --> 00:12:42,185 So a secret burial place was established 223 00:12:42,185 --> 00:12:45,602 for Egypt's pharaohs on Thebes west bank, 224 00:12:46,704 --> 00:12:49,954 (ominous exotic music) 225 00:12:52,919 --> 00:12:54,919 the Valley of the Kings. 226 00:12:59,689 --> 00:13:01,831 It was essential that each royal mummy 227 00:13:01,831 --> 00:13:03,965 was buried safely in their tomb, 228 00:13:03,965 --> 00:13:06,959 in a custom dating back to the beginning of time, 229 00:13:06,959 --> 00:13:09,513 because each one became a royal ancestor 230 00:13:09,513 --> 00:13:13,680 whose cumulative souls form the very essence of Egypt. 231 00:13:20,741 --> 00:13:23,801 The royal tombs had been desecrated once before, 232 00:13:23,801 --> 00:13:27,884 breaking Egypt's spiritual link to its ancestors, 233 00:13:31,181 --> 00:13:33,795 so to prevent this happening again, 234 00:13:33,795 --> 00:13:36,613 the pharaohs of the New Kingdom chose burial 235 00:13:36,613 --> 00:13:38,863 deep in this remote valley, 236 00:13:39,757 --> 00:13:44,395 where they could lie undisturbed in rock cut tombs, 237 00:13:44,395 --> 00:13:47,895 and this became Egypt's most sacred place. 238 00:13:55,378 --> 00:13:58,569 Such elaborate preparations for the afterlife 239 00:13:58,569 --> 00:14:01,537 also fueled a growing economy, 240 00:14:01,537 --> 00:14:03,539 and just as in the pyramid age, 241 00:14:03,539 --> 00:14:05,957 the industry of death shaped the lives 242 00:14:05,957 --> 00:14:08,207 of many ordinary Egyptians, 243 00:14:10,601 --> 00:14:12,841 for not only were there tombs to cut 244 00:14:12,841 --> 00:14:15,299 and temples to build, but statues, 245 00:14:15,299 --> 00:14:17,557 shrines, coffins, sarcophagi, 246 00:14:17,557 --> 00:14:21,140 and all the paraphernalia of the afterlife. 247 00:14:24,369 --> 00:14:27,409 And with this came all the ingenuity 248 00:14:27,409 --> 00:14:29,709 of sourcing everything from alabaster 249 00:14:29,709 --> 00:14:31,292 to granite to gold. 250 00:14:33,947 --> 00:14:36,977 This is a copy of the world's earliest surviving 251 00:14:36,977 --> 00:14:41,309 geological map, dating from around 1150 B.C. 252 00:14:41,309 --> 00:14:43,559 and the reign of Ramses IV. 253 00:14:44,751 --> 00:14:47,827 This map is a guide to the stone quarries 254 00:14:47,827 --> 00:14:51,165 and gold mines of the 15 kilometer stretch 255 00:14:51,165 --> 00:14:53,332 of Egypt's eastern desert. 256 00:14:55,061 --> 00:14:59,677 It's almost as detailed as a modern geological map, 257 00:14:59,677 --> 00:15:03,333 with different colors for the different rock types. 258 00:15:03,333 --> 00:15:06,909 So over here, these large areas of black 259 00:15:06,909 --> 00:15:09,462 are the sedimentary rocks. 260 00:15:09,462 --> 00:15:11,853 Back here, where it turns pink, 261 00:15:11,853 --> 00:15:15,339 these are the igneous rocks, like granite. 262 00:15:15,339 --> 00:15:19,644 Other little features include areas of gold mining, 263 00:15:19,644 --> 00:15:23,625 and then throughout, you have this very subtle speckling, 264 00:15:23,625 --> 00:15:26,458 and these are the areas of gravel. 265 00:15:28,345 --> 00:15:30,279 Known to be very accurate, 266 00:15:30,279 --> 00:15:34,446 the map was made for one specific quarrying expedition, 267 00:15:35,441 --> 00:15:38,321 when 8,000 men were send into a desert valley 268 00:15:38,321 --> 00:15:41,197 130 kilometers from Thebes 269 00:15:41,197 --> 00:15:44,030 to mine stone for royal monuments. 270 00:15:49,874 --> 00:15:52,477 But what's special about this map 271 00:15:52,477 --> 00:15:55,033 is that it leads us to the ordinary people 272 00:15:55,033 --> 00:15:57,583 who were employed by the pharaoh to build the tombs 273 00:15:57,583 --> 00:15:59,833 in the Valley of the Kings. 274 00:16:01,637 --> 00:16:03,651 It was discovered by archeologists 275 00:16:03,651 --> 00:16:06,373 at the worker's village of Deir el-Medina, 276 00:16:06,373 --> 00:16:10,004 a purpose built settlement to house the tomb builders, 277 00:16:10,004 --> 00:16:12,964 architects, artists, and scribes, 278 00:16:12,964 --> 00:16:15,025 together with their families. 279 00:16:15,025 --> 00:16:17,241 This would have been a bustling place, 280 00:16:17,241 --> 00:16:19,621 its streets full of children playing, 281 00:16:19,621 --> 00:16:21,201 deliveries being made, 282 00:16:21,201 --> 00:16:25,368 and all the colors, sounds, and smells of everyday life. 283 00:16:27,133 --> 00:16:31,777 It's one of the workers who lived here who made the map. 284 00:16:31,777 --> 00:16:35,055 Now, we even know the identity of the map maker, 285 00:16:35,055 --> 00:16:37,103 the scribe Amennakhte. 286 00:16:37,103 --> 00:16:39,947 His distinctive handwriting is well known 287 00:16:39,947 --> 00:16:42,219 from a range of other literary works, 288 00:16:42,219 --> 00:16:45,401 from poems to prayers, maps to tomb plans, 289 00:16:45,401 --> 00:16:48,755 and it's thanks to one particular little inscription 290 00:16:48,755 --> 00:16:51,713 with his name on that we even know where he lived. 291 00:16:51,713 --> 00:16:53,546 Amennakhte lived here. 292 00:16:54,910 --> 00:16:57,160 This is the scribe's house. 293 00:17:02,779 --> 00:17:05,387 Amennakhte was one of the many skilled workers 294 00:17:05,387 --> 00:17:08,215 that rose through the ranks of society 295 00:17:08,215 --> 00:17:12,382 in the generations following the reign of Amenhotep III. 296 00:17:13,675 --> 00:17:16,765 He became the head scribe of this entire village, 297 00:17:16,765 --> 00:17:19,265 so a very, very important man. 298 00:17:20,459 --> 00:17:22,427 And yet, it's a very sad tale as well, 299 00:17:22,427 --> 00:17:23,839 because as he gets older, 300 00:17:23,839 --> 00:17:26,093 we know that his eyesight started to fail, 301 00:17:26,093 --> 00:17:28,757 because a prayer of his has survived, 302 00:17:28,757 --> 00:17:32,255 in which he makes this very personal address 303 00:17:32,255 --> 00:17:34,813 to the local goddess, Meretseger, 304 00:17:34,813 --> 00:17:37,451 who lived at the top of the mountain up there. 305 00:17:37,451 --> 00:17:38,967 He's imploring the goddess. 306 00:17:38,967 --> 00:17:41,067 He's saying my eyesight is failing. 307 00:17:41,067 --> 00:17:42,939 I see darkness by day, 308 00:17:42,939 --> 00:17:44,299 and for a scribe, 309 00:17:44,299 --> 00:17:47,083 for a consummate draftsman like Amennakhte, 310 00:17:47,083 --> 00:17:49,500 how sad that would have been. 311 00:17:51,755 --> 00:17:54,827 Here, Amennakhte prays to Meretseger, 312 00:17:54,827 --> 00:17:58,994 both of them symbolically portrayed without their eyes. 313 00:18:00,769 --> 00:18:03,320 It's hard not to resist this image that, 314 00:18:03,320 --> 00:18:05,555 as he got older and more infirm, 315 00:18:05,555 --> 00:18:08,225 he would have gone up the steps to the flat roof 316 00:18:08,225 --> 00:18:09,864 and, with failing eyesight, 317 00:18:09,864 --> 00:18:12,531 try to focus on the job in hand, 318 00:18:13,718 --> 00:18:15,307 trying to mix his paints, 319 00:18:15,307 --> 00:18:19,301 apply the lines and the words and so forth, 320 00:18:19,301 --> 00:18:22,520 and needing the full sun on a day like this 321 00:18:22,520 --> 00:18:25,520 just to get through the working day. 322 00:18:29,649 --> 00:18:32,843 But just like his predecessors who built the pyramids, 323 00:18:32,843 --> 00:18:37,010 Amennakhte would have felt a sense of greater purpose. 324 00:18:38,499 --> 00:18:41,656 We can imagine him and his neighbors in Deir el-Medina 325 00:18:41,656 --> 00:18:45,823 working towards a single aim, creating the royal tomb. 326 00:18:46,904 --> 00:18:49,487 (solemn music) 327 00:18:52,328 --> 00:18:54,552 The New Kingdom pharaohs had created 328 00:18:54,552 --> 00:18:56,572 a new image for themselves, 329 00:18:56,572 --> 00:18:59,924 elaborate building schemes requiring new towns 330 00:18:59,924 --> 00:19:01,392 full of workers, 331 00:19:01,392 --> 00:19:05,114 a strong economy supporting an ever grander vision 332 00:19:05,114 --> 00:19:07,781 both of this world and the next. 333 00:19:17,774 --> 00:19:20,862 But the spiritual convictions that had brought Egypt 334 00:19:20,862 --> 00:19:25,560 to its zenith had also created a serious threat. 335 00:19:25,560 --> 00:19:28,700 (ominous music) 336 00:19:28,700 --> 00:19:31,250 In the New Kingdom, much of the Egyptian state 337 00:19:31,250 --> 00:19:32,833 centered on Thebes. 338 00:19:34,202 --> 00:19:36,208 While its west bank was mainly dedicated 339 00:19:36,208 --> 00:19:38,520 to its city of the dead, 340 00:19:38,520 --> 00:19:41,534 the east bank was where most people lived, 341 00:19:41,534 --> 00:19:45,701 and the site of Egypt's main state temple, Karnak. 342 00:19:52,228 --> 00:19:55,616 As Karnak was rapidly becoming the largest religious complex 343 00:19:55,616 --> 00:19:59,783 of the ancient world, its influence grew exponentially, 344 00:20:04,560 --> 00:20:07,810 and likewise, the power of its priests. 345 00:20:09,212 --> 00:20:11,136 To get a real sense of what was going on, 346 00:20:11,136 --> 00:20:13,803 we need to go behind the scenes. 347 00:20:16,802 --> 00:20:19,632 (speaking foreign language) 348 00:20:19,632 --> 00:20:20,652 Thank you. 349 00:20:20,652 --> 00:20:23,186 I'm being allowed through an ancient passageway, 350 00:20:23,186 --> 00:20:26,883 once only accessible to Karnak's clergy. 351 00:20:26,883 --> 00:20:31,050 - It was a tall, more and more and more wonderful sight. 352 00:20:34,050 --> 00:20:37,488 - It leads to the top of the temple's main gateway 353 00:20:37,488 --> 00:20:42,129 and gives a view of Karnak not many get to see. 354 00:20:42,129 --> 00:20:45,212 (light exotic music) 355 00:20:48,370 --> 00:20:50,224 Just look at that. 356 00:20:50,224 --> 00:20:53,613 You could fit Notre Dame and Saint Paul's Cathedrals 357 00:20:53,613 --> 00:20:57,510 in here and still have acres to spare. 358 00:20:57,510 --> 00:20:58,677 It is immense. 359 00:21:02,704 --> 00:21:05,174 Within Karnak, a series of chapels, 360 00:21:05,174 --> 00:21:08,979 shrines, and sacred precincts covered a total area 361 00:21:08,979 --> 00:21:10,896 of more than 250 acres. 362 00:21:20,901 --> 00:21:25,068 This was Egypt's religious heart for almost 2,000 years. 363 00:21:30,682 --> 00:21:33,246 The reason why Karnak is so vast 364 00:21:33,246 --> 00:21:37,086 is that every pharaoh poured so much of their wealth 365 00:21:37,086 --> 00:21:38,503 into this temple. 366 00:21:39,612 --> 00:21:41,830 Their gold and their spoils of war 367 00:21:41,830 --> 00:21:44,080 all filled the temple's coffers, 368 00:21:44,080 --> 00:21:48,182 and each pharaoh also wanted to build their own halls, 369 00:21:48,182 --> 00:21:49,966 shrines, and obelisks 370 00:21:49,966 --> 00:21:52,402 in an attempt to outdo their predecessors, 371 00:21:52,402 --> 00:21:54,798 and yet all to the greater glory 372 00:21:54,798 --> 00:21:57,131 of Karnak's chief god, Amun. 373 00:21:59,852 --> 00:22:01,806 Over the course of centuries, 374 00:22:01,806 --> 00:22:04,490 Amun had risen from a local Theban god 375 00:22:04,490 --> 00:22:06,407 to Egypt's state deity, 376 00:22:08,384 --> 00:22:12,551 and his worship was the engine that fueled the nation, 377 00:22:14,826 --> 00:22:18,806 so every pharaoh had to keep Amun content, 378 00:22:18,806 --> 00:22:22,973 offering him their wealth and tending to his every need, 379 00:22:24,414 --> 00:22:27,766 and this privilege fell to Karnak's high priest, 380 00:22:27,766 --> 00:22:31,898 and was performed in the temple's inner sanctum, 381 00:22:31,898 --> 00:22:35,170 secret ceremonies at which the only others permitted 382 00:22:35,170 --> 00:22:36,503 were the royals. 383 00:22:37,872 --> 00:22:41,306 Here we are, in the very heart of Karnak temple. 384 00:22:41,306 --> 00:22:44,250 This is where the god lived. 385 00:22:44,250 --> 00:22:47,131 The god himself lived inside 386 00:22:47,131 --> 00:22:48,464 a sacred statue. 387 00:22:49,406 --> 00:22:52,468 The original wouldn't have been much bigger than this, 388 00:22:52,468 --> 00:22:54,126 would have been solid gold, 389 00:22:54,126 --> 00:22:56,698 and it would have lived inside a little golden shrine, 390 00:22:56,698 --> 00:22:59,365 sealed by a pair of small doors, 391 00:23:02,523 --> 00:23:05,566 and each morning, the high priest would come in. 392 00:23:05,566 --> 00:23:08,316 He would awaken the god's spirit. 393 00:23:09,208 --> 00:23:10,368 He would greet him, 394 00:23:10,368 --> 00:23:11,738 he would wash him, 395 00:23:11,738 --> 00:23:13,692 anoint him with perfume, 396 00:23:13,692 --> 00:23:15,646 apply his eye makeup, 397 00:23:15,646 --> 00:23:19,164 and then dress him in various linen outfits, 398 00:23:19,164 --> 00:23:23,076 apply the small pieces of jewelry to the god's statue, 399 00:23:23,076 --> 00:23:27,416 and then the god would proceed to enjoy his day. 400 00:23:27,416 --> 00:23:30,962 Amun received daily meals of the finest foods, 401 00:23:30,962 --> 00:23:34,379 roast meats, bread, fruit and vegetables, 402 00:23:35,228 --> 00:23:37,645 accompanied by wine and beer. 403 00:23:39,488 --> 00:23:43,390 Clouds of incense would drive away evil forces 404 00:23:43,390 --> 00:23:46,890 and musicians and dancers entertained him. 405 00:23:49,172 --> 00:23:52,770 And by keeping their most important deity content, 406 00:23:52,770 --> 00:23:55,502 it was believed that Amun would, in turn, 407 00:23:55,502 --> 00:23:57,999 make the Nile flood each year, 408 00:23:57,999 --> 00:24:00,971 make the sun rise each morning, 409 00:24:00,971 --> 00:24:03,971 and maintain Egypt's supreme status. 410 00:24:05,695 --> 00:24:08,945 (ominous exotic music) 411 00:24:11,356 --> 00:24:14,376 The high priests' direct access to Amun 412 00:24:14,376 --> 00:24:16,712 made them the greatest beneficiaries 413 00:24:16,712 --> 00:24:19,295 of Karnak's growing prosperity. 414 00:24:22,012 --> 00:24:23,928 This tranquil lake is where 415 00:24:23,928 --> 00:24:28,092 the male and female clergy bathed twice each day and night 416 00:24:28,092 --> 00:24:32,092 to maintain their ritual purity before the gods. 417 00:24:36,278 --> 00:24:40,249 Known as the Purer Ones, they set themselves apart 418 00:24:40,249 --> 00:24:42,238 from the rest of society 419 00:24:42,238 --> 00:24:44,282 with their distinctive appearance 420 00:24:44,282 --> 00:24:48,282 achieved through their own set of daily rituals. 421 00:24:50,346 --> 00:24:53,424 Parts of this process of ritual purity involved 422 00:24:53,424 --> 00:24:56,582 using an array of implements on a daily basis 423 00:24:56,582 --> 00:24:59,082 to transform their appearance, 424 00:25:00,658 --> 00:25:02,850 and one of the most important things they did, 425 00:25:02,850 --> 00:25:06,602 they had to remove all body hair, male and female clergy, 426 00:25:06,602 --> 00:25:08,328 using razors like this, 427 00:25:08,328 --> 00:25:10,968 so every day, having to shave their heads 428 00:25:10,968 --> 00:25:12,430 and their entire bodies, 429 00:25:12,430 --> 00:25:15,162 keep them free from lice and all these kind of things 430 00:25:15,162 --> 00:25:19,278 which would have inhibited their sense of cleanliness. 431 00:25:19,278 --> 00:25:23,060 It was essential that they also had a very clean mouth, 432 00:25:23,060 --> 00:25:27,254 because they'd be speaking the words before the god, 433 00:25:27,254 --> 00:25:31,435 and so they used something which is quite a modern thing. 434 00:25:31,435 --> 00:25:35,082 Basically, natron salt, a kind of bicarbonate, 435 00:25:35,082 --> 00:25:37,472 rather like a modern bicarbonate toothpaste, 436 00:25:37,472 --> 00:25:41,055 which would get their teeth nice and clean. 437 00:25:42,434 --> 00:25:45,324 Scrupulous not only with dental hygiene, 438 00:25:45,324 --> 00:25:49,491 they wore reed woven sandals and robes of pure white linen. 439 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:56,526 And having transformed themselves in this wonderful way, 440 00:25:56,526 --> 00:26:00,579 they also had access to these polished metal mirrors. 441 00:26:00,579 --> 00:26:04,590 They could then admire their transformed appearance, 442 00:26:04,590 --> 00:26:07,388 because it was important to distance themselves 443 00:26:07,388 --> 00:26:09,540 from the great unwashed. 444 00:26:09,540 --> 00:26:11,320 For the ancient priests, 445 00:26:11,320 --> 00:26:13,976 cleanliness really was next to godliness, 446 00:26:13,976 --> 00:26:17,143 and they were the gods' chosen people. 447 00:26:19,016 --> 00:26:22,099 (regal exotic music) 448 00:26:26,650 --> 00:26:30,070 As the wealth and power of Karnak's priest grew, 449 00:26:30,070 --> 00:26:34,237 their authority over Egypt began to rival that of the king. 450 00:26:38,304 --> 00:26:42,464 Karnak's priests had far-reaching influence, 451 00:26:42,464 --> 00:26:45,964 active not only by day, but also by night. 452 00:26:48,366 --> 00:26:50,650 One of these priests was called Nackt. 453 00:26:50,650 --> 00:26:53,300 He was a priest of the hours of Amun, 454 00:26:53,300 --> 00:26:55,484 which basically means he was an astronomer, 455 00:26:55,484 --> 00:26:58,910 and he would sit by night on the flat temple roof, 456 00:26:58,910 --> 00:27:01,462 which was effectively an ancient observatory, 457 00:27:01,462 --> 00:27:04,306 and he'd be able to chart the progress 458 00:27:04,306 --> 00:27:06,342 of the stars and planets in the sky, 459 00:27:06,342 --> 00:27:08,447 watch the movement of the heavens, 460 00:27:08,447 --> 00:27:10,474 and by doing so, 461 00:27:10,474 --> 00:27:12,920 the priests of Egypt were able to work out 462 00:27:12,920 --> 00:27:16,177 when to celebrate specific events. 463 00:27:16,177 --> 00:27:20,212 But of course, what this meant is that Karnak never closed. 464 00:27:20,212 --> 00:27:23,470 It was a 24 hour a day concern. 465 00:27:23,470 --> 00:27:26,158 It meant the priests were always there. 466 00:27:26,158 --> 00:27:29,658 It meant the priests were always watching. 467 00:27:35,197 --> 00:27:37,690 Fully aware of the potential threat posed 468 00:27:37,690 --> 00:27:39,580 by the Karnak clergy, 469 00:27:39,580 --> 00:27:43,102 Amenhotep III employed his own relatives in temple 470 00:27:43,102 --> 00:27:45,352 to guarantee their loyalty, 471 00:27:46,834 --> 00:27:51,638 but such subtle means of control were about to evaporate. 472 00:27:51,638 --> 00:27:54,388 Enter the new pharaoh, Akhenaten. 473 00:27:56,472 --> 00:27:59,898 (mysterious music) 474 00:27:59,898 --> 00:28:02,065 Son and heir of Amenhotep, 475 00:28:03,935 --> 00:28:08,018 but unlike his father, Akhenaten was no diplomat. 476 00:28:09,142 --> 00:28:12,206 His zealous ambitions would soon plunge Egypt 477 00:28:12,206 --> 00:28:16,289 into an age of political and religious extremism. 478 00:28:20,598 --> 00:28:21,650 Early in his reign, 479 00:28:21,650 --> 00:28:24,814 Akhenaten found a swift way to stamp his authority 480 00:28:24,814 --> 00:28:27,590 on the priests by building a controversial 481 00:28:27,590 --> 00:28:30,007 new temple complex at Karnak. 482 00:28:33,728 --> 00:28:35,458 Now, what we're looking at here 483 00:28:35,458 --> 00:28:38,080 is something very, very unusual. 484 00:28:38,080 --> 00:28:40,722 It's part of a wall from Karnak temple, 485 00:28:40,722 --> 00:28:43,704 but not the traditional part of Karnak temple. 486 00:28:43,704 --> 00:28:47,214 It's a section that was built a little way beyond, 487 00:28:47,214 --> 00:28:49,820 and it was a new revolutionary building. 488 00:28:49,820 --> 00:28:52,398 It wasn't built like the old style Karnak 489 00:28:52,398 --> 00:28:54,818 in huge, big, monolithic blocks of stone, 490 00:28:54,818 --> 00:28:57,294 but these small, easier to handle blocks, 491 00:28:57,294 --> 00:29:01,872 which meant, of course, it could almost spring up overnight. 492 00:29:01,872 --> 00:29:04,238 But most shocking of all were the images 493 00:29:04,238 --> 00:29:07,236 that this new temple portrayed. 494 00:29:07,236 --> 00:29:09,106 Akhenaten had begun to dismantle 495 00:29:09,106 --> 00:29:11,196 Egypt's traditional religion 496 00:29:11,196 --> 00:29:15,456 and replace its many deities with a single god. 497 00:29:15,456 --> 00:29:17,422 If you look very carefully, 498 00:29:17,422 --> 00:29:21,329 the images are very different to what went before. 499 00:29:21,329 --> 00:29:23,648 Amun is nowhere present. 500 00:29:23,648 --> 00:29:25,675 The god of Karnak himself 501 00:29:25,675 --> 00:29:28,078 isn't represented in his own temple, 502 00:29:28,078 --> 00:29:29,772 because the god shown here 503 00:29:29,772 --> 00:29:33,272 is a form of the sun god, called the Aten, 504 00:29:34,555 --> 00:29:37,676 and you can see the multiple rays coming down, 505 00:29:37,676 --> 00:29:40,872 ending in human hands, giving their blessings 506 00:29:40,872 --> 00:29:42,922 to the main figure here, 507 00:29:42,922 --> 00:29:46,005 and it isn't the high priest of Amun. 508 00:29:46,946 --> 00:29:51,113 For Amun's priests were no longer in control at Karnak, 509 00:29:54,786 --> 00:29:57,334 and Amun himself was now replaced 510 00:29:57,334 --> 00:29:59,001 by the Aten sun god. 511 00:30:01,144 --> 00:30:04,977 In fact, life in Egypt was turned on its head, 512 00:30:06,480 --> 00:30:07,950 and whereas, previously, 513 00:30:07,950 --> 00:30:11,680 courtiers would bow very low before their monarch, 514 00:30:11,680 --> 00:30:13,358 now times had changed. 515 00:30:13,358 --> 00:30:17,014 These people have their faces in the dirt before Pharaoh. 516 00:30:17,014 --> 00:30:19,474 They're lying prostrate before him. 517 00:30:19,474 --> 00:30:22,724 This marked the beginning of a new age. 518 00:30:25,878 --> 00:30:28,818 It was an age when the only way to reach god 519 00:30:28,818 --> 00:30:32,106 was through his intermediaries, twin monarchs, 520 00:30:32,106 --> 00:30:36,023 Akhenaten and his wife and co-ruler, Nefertiti, 521 00:30:38,222 --> 00:30:40,130 and when the priests objected, 522 00:30:40,130 --> 00:30:44,022 the royal couple closed Karnak, sacked its priests, 523 00:30:44,022 --> 00:30:46,022 and seized its treasury. 524 00:30:48,578 --> 00:30:50,702 They then moved their whole court 525 00:30:50,702 --> 00:30:53,806 400 kilometers down river from Thebes, 526 00:30:53,806 --> 00:30:57,973 and in less than 10 years, built a brand new city. 527 00:31:04,881 --> 00:31:09,048 Known today as Amarna, its palaces, temples, and tombs 528 00:31:09,970 --> 00:31:14,137 were filled with images of the Aten, the sun disk god. 529 00:31:15,224 --> 00:31:17,807 (exotic music) 530 00:31:19,043 --> 00:31:22,382 Gone were the multiplicity of gods to worship. 531 00:31:22,382 --> 00:31:25,554 Now it was the sun that was celebrated each day 532 00:31:25,554 --> 00:31:29,133 with hymns, prayers, and offerings presented 533 00:31:29,133 --> 00:31:31,133 on a truly lavish scale. 534 00:31:41,072 --> 00:31:45,690 But the couple's vision of utopia came at a price, 535 00:31:45,690 --> 00:31:49,012 and when Akhenaten died after a 17 year reign, 536 00:31:49,012 --> 00:31:50,595 Egypt was bankrupt. 537 00:31:53,684 --> 00:31:56,416 His son became king of Egypt, 538 00:31:56,416 --> 00:31:59,242 and although he reigned for less than 10 years, 539 00:31:59,242 --> 00:32:02,030 he still became the most famous pharaoh 540 00:32:02,030 --> 00:32:04,947 from the whole of Egyptian history, 541 00:32:07,926 --> 00:32:08,926 Tutankhamun. 542 00:32:12,300 --> 00:32:16,169 His treasure, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, 543 00:32:16,169 --> 00:32:20,336 was the most famous archeological find of all time. 544 00:32:21,405 --> 00:32:25,572 Tutankhamun's mask is the epitome of ancient Egypt, 545 00:32:26,708 --> 00:32:30,434 so very familiar, yet, like so many of his treasures, 546 00:32:30,434 --> 00:32:33,017 holding a long-standing secret. 547 00:32:39,824 --> 00:32:43,140 I've come to Oxford University's Griffith Institute 548 00:32:43,140 --> 00:32:47,307 to examine the most detailed records of his burial. 549 00:32:49,942 --> 00:32:52,025 - So, in this first stack 550 00:32:53,569 --> 00:32:56,340 is all Carter's notes, diaries, 551 00:32:56,340 --> 00:32:59,468 journals, and then right at the bottom down here 552 00:32:59,468 --> 00:33:03,298 we've got all Harry Burton's original glass negatives. 553 00:33:03,298 --> 00:33:05,482 - [Joann] Captured on delicate glass slides, 554 00:33:05,482 --> 00:33:07,528 these are the original negatives 555 00:33:07,528 --> 00:33:11,292 taken by Howard Carter's photographer at every stage 556 00:33:11,292 --> 00:33:13,864 of the 10 year excavation. 557 00:33:13,864 --> 00:33:18,031 - So, this shows the very first view they had of the mummy. 558 00:33:19,404 --> 00:33:21,448 - They reveal Tutankhamun's burial 559 00:33:21,448 --> 00:33:23,846 in a way not usually seen, 560 00:33:23,846 --> 00:33:25,846 for this is the linen shroud 561 00:33:25,846 --> 00:33:28,513 over his third innermost coffin. 562 00:33:31,734 --> 00:33:35,096 This is as if the embalmers have just finished. 563 00:33:35,096 --> 00:33:39,264 The family have laid their wreaths and floral tributes 564 00:33:39,264 --> 00:33:42,324 before the lid finally went on. 565 00:33:42,324 --> 00:33:46,792 What a privilege to actually see this in black and white. 566 00:33:46,792 --> 00:33:47,625 Wow. 567 00:33:49,108 --> 00:33:51,441 That's pretty profound, huh? 568 00:33:55,416 --> 00:33:59,428 For all his fabled wealth, Tutankhamun was, in life, 569 00:33:59,428 --> 00:34:02,236 a fairly insignificant pharaoh, 570 00:34:02,236 --> 00:34:06,134 but his premature death after only a decade as king 571 00:34:06,134 --> 00:34:10,058 offered Karnak's priests the perfect opportunity 572 00:34:10,058 --> 00:34:13,174 to obliterate all trace of Akhenaten, 573 00:34:13,174 --> 00:34:15,924 Nefertiti, and the Amarna period. 574 00:34:20,790 --> 00:34:23,895 And these wonderful photos of his burial treasure 575 00:34:23,895 --> 00:34:25,812 reveal how they did it. 576 00:34:27,154 --> 00:34:30,980 (ominous exotic music) 577 00:34:30,980 --> 00:34:33,092 On his famous golden throne, 578 00:34:33,092 --> 00:34:35,898 Tutankhamun and his wife, Ankhesenamun, 579 00:34:35,898 --> 00:34:37,731 are depicted together, 580 00:34:39,806 --> 00:34:42,102 but all is not what it seems, 581 00:34:42,102 --> 00:34:45,060 as recent research has discovered. 582 00:34:45,060 --> 00:34:47,012 We look at the back of the queen's head, 583 00:34:47,012 --> 00:34:49,738 where here wig originally was. 584 00:34:49,738 --> 00:34:51,908 It's been slightly cut down there, 585 00:34:51,908 --> 00:34:54,234 the same with Tutankhamun's crown. 586 00:34:54,234 --> 00:34:57,102 A new crown has been added here, 587 00:34:57,102 --> 00:34:58,796 so it's little things like this, 588 00:34:58,796 --> 00:35:01,356 because headgear regalia was crucial 589 00:35:01,356 --> 00:35:04,611 in identifying these royal individuals. 590 00:35:04,611 --> 00:35:06,296 By altering the images, 591 00:35:06,296 --> 00:35:10,213 the throne had been customized for Tutankhamun, 592 00:35:11,738 --> 00:35:15,016 but the biggest giveaway as to whom this once belonged 593 00:35:15,016 --> 00:35:19,872 is in the deity that looms large about the king and queen. 594 00:35:19,872 --> 00:35:23,362 So, although Amun is also named on this throne, 595 00:35:23,362 --> 00:35:27,200 it's the Aten sun disk that does take center stage 596 00:35:27,200 --> 00:35:29,430 and really does cement this piece 597 00:35:29,430 --> 00:35:32,164 as a royal throne from the Amarna age, 598 00:35:32,164 --> 00:35:35,212 so it seems that the two figures once believed 599 00:35:35,212 --> 00:35:37,532 to be Tutankhamun and his wife 600 00:35:37,532 --> 00:35:40,865 were originally Akhenaten and Nefertiti. 601 00:35:45,222 --> 00:35:48,860 Another clue comes from the most famous artifact 602 00:35:48,860 --> 00:35:53,677 from ancient history, the golden mask of Tutankhamun, 603 00:35:53,677 --> 00:35:54,510 or is it? 604 00:35:56,206 --> 00:36:00,138 Recent research has zoned in on one long overlooked feature, 605 00:36:00,138 --> 00:36:03,028 and that is the decidedly pierced ears, 606 00:36:03,028 --> 00:36:05,576 because it's been suggested 607 00:36:05,576 --> 00:36:09,790 that this mask was originally made for someone else. 608 00:36:09,790 --> 00:36:12,360 The research suggests that Tutankhamun 609 00:36:12,360 --> 00:36:15,684 would have worn earrings beyond childhood, 610 00:36:15,684 --> 00:36:18,474 so by the age of 20, when he died, 611 00:36:18,474 --> 00:36:22,104 he would not have been portrayed with pierced ears. 612 00:36:22,104 --> 00:36:26,149 This mask was not made for an adult male pharaoh. 613 00:36:26,149 --> 00:36:29,270 Indeed, when the gold has been compared, 614 00:36:29,270 --> 00:36:33,968 the face is made of completely different gold to the rest. 615 00:36:33,968 --> 00:36:38,546 Evidence of soldering is clearly visible on the mask. 616 00:36:38,546 --> 00:36:42,572 It now seems as if Tutankhamun's own face 617 00:36:42,572 --> 00:36:46,376 was effectively grafted on to the mask of a previous ruler, 618 00:36:46,376 --> 00:36:51,163 a previous ruler who had pierced ears for earrings, 619 00:36:51,163 --> 00:36:54,166 a previous ruler who may well have been a woman, 620 00:36:54,166 --> 00:36:56,916 who may well have been Nefertiti. 621 00:37:01,398 --> 00:37:04,936 In fact, it's estimated that around 80% of the objects 622 00:37:04,936 --> 00:37:08,496 found in Tutankhamun's tomb originally belonged 623 00:37:08,496 --> 00:37:11,246 to either Akhenaten or Nefertiti, 624 00:37:12,444 --> 00:37:14,960 and with all of it dumped together like this, 625 00:37:14,960 --> 00:37:18,293 it was a kind of spiritual decluttering. 626 00:37:19,864 --> 00:37:21,942 As far as the priests were concerned, 627 00:37:21,942 --> 00:37:24,032 all this was tainted gold, 628 00:37:24,032 --> 00:37:27,962 and so the burial of Tutankhamun was the perfect opportunity 629 00:37:27,962 --> 00:37:30,795 to bury the unwanted past forever. 630 00:37:32,196 --> 00:37:34,863 (intense music) 631 00:37:36,182 --> 00:37:38,758 While the city of Amarna had been abandoned, 632 00:37:38,758 --> 00:37:42,156 then demolished, the memory of everything it represented 633 00:37:42,156 --> 00:37:44,323 was likewise being erased. 634 00:37:46,426 --> 00:37:49,426 Egypt's state religion was restored. 635 00:37:51,579 --> 00:37:54,829 Karnak's priests were back in business, 636 00:37:57,768 --> 00:38:01,935 and Thebes was once again the seat of sacred power. 637 00:38:08,683 --> 00:38:10,796 And now, the next dynasty of the New Kingdom 638 00:38:10,796 --> 00:38:12,046 was in control. 639 00:38:13,992 --> 00:38:15,716 Having died without an heir, 640 00:38:15,716 --> 00:38:20,488 Tutankhamun was succeeded by a line of militaristic rulers, 641 00:38:20,488 --> 00:38:21,905 the 19th Dynasty. 642 00:38:27,048 --> 00:38:29,556 With no direct royal ancestry, 643 00:38:29,556 --> 00:38:31,956 the new dynasty needed to reconnect 644 00:38:31,956 --> 00:38:34,644 with Egypt's illustrious past, 645 00:38:34,644 --> 00:38:37,200 so it reinstated traditional beliefs 646 00:38:37,200 --> 00:38:41,367 in a renaissance led by one of its most influential rulers, 647 00:38:44,004 --> 00:38:44,837 Seti I. 648 00:38:46,838 --> 00:38:48,746 His tomb in the Valley of the Kings 649 00:38:48,746 --> 00:38:52,746 is the largest pharaoh's tomb ever created here. 650 00:38:55,496 --> 00:38:57,160 Currently closed to the public, 651 00:38:57,160 --> 00:38:59,716 I've been given special permission to explore 652 00:38:59,716 --> 00:39:01,966 this labyrinthine treasure. 653 00:39:04,496 --> 00:39:06,212 The tomb's inviting us down, 654 00:39:06,212 --> 00:39:07,964 further down into the underworld, 655 00:39:07,964 --> 00:39:10,060 and it's just drawing us into the darkness. 656 00:39:10,060 --> 00:39:13,543 It's a really, really deep tomb, this. 657 00:39:13,543 --> 00:39:15,733 (ominous music) 658 00:39:15,733 --> 00:39:19,354 It's 174 meters of corridors and chambers, 659 00:39:19,354 --> 00:39:21,354 all chiseled out by hand 660 00:39:23,556 --> 00:39:25,668 and covered from floor to ceiling 661 00:39:25,668 --> 00:39:28,418 in some truly spectacular scenes. 662 00:39:29,413 --> 00:39:30,246 Whoa, 663 00:39:31,150 --> 00:39:33,554 what an amazing chamber, 664 00:39:33,554 --> 00:39:37,721 absolutely filled with little golden twinkly stars. 665 00:39:38,606 --> 00:39:43,474 But the walls of Seti's tomb carry a clear message, 666 00:39:43,474 --> 00:39:47,062 demonstrating the return of Egypt's traditional deities 667 00:39:47,062 --> 00:39:48,229 in full force. 668 00:39:53,075 --> 00:39:56,492 And here we see him, Seti, with the gods. 669 00:40:04,668 --> 00:40:06,374 This is a brilliant chamber. 670 00:40:06,374 --> 00:40:10,632 It's repeated images of the pharaoh, Seti, with the gods. 671 00:40:10,632 --> 00:40:13,524 The gods are back, and he's keen to show that, 672 00:40:13,524 --> 00:40:15,357 and so we see him here 673 00:40:16,224 --> 00:40:19,641 with Anubis, the elegant black jackal god 674 00:40:20,597 --> 00:40:23,464 of embalming and the dead. 675 00:40:23,464 --> 00:40:26,648 Here, Seti is making offerings to Hathor, 676 00:40:26,648 --> 00:40:28,246 the maternal goddess of love 677 00:40:28,246 --> 00:40:31,496 who takes all dead souls into her care, 678 00:40:33,218 --> 00:40:35,328 and Horus, the god of kingship, 679 00:40:35,328 --> 00:40:39,495 wearing the joint crowns of upper and lower Egypt. 680 00:40:41,422 --> 00:40:43,704 Then, Seti makes the strongest connection 681 00:40:43,704 --> 00:40:47,499 with Egypt's past in the portrayal of the ultimate deity 682 00:40:47,499 --> 00:40:51,082 in the tomb, Osiris, god of the underworld. 683 00:40:53,048 --> 00:40:57,404 He represents every single pharaoh that's gone before Seti. 684 00:40:57,404 --> 00:41:01,678 He represents the accumulated powers of the royal ancestors, 685 00:41:01,678 --> 00:41:05,782 and Seti is keen to show himself in the company of Osiris. 686 00:41:05,782 --> 00:41:08,447 He's tapping into that greatness 687 00:41:08,447 --> 00:41:11,530 that made Egypt such a strong nation. 688 00:41:15,034 --> 00:41:18,596 Every image, every hieroglyph in Seti's tomb, 689 00:41:18,596 --> 00:41:22,429 harks back to the golden age of Amenhotep III, 690 00:41:23,577 --> 00:41:26,806 and continuing with this golden legacy, 691 00:41:26,806 --> 00:41:30,973 Seti's reign was a true renaissance of art and culture, 692 00:41:32,496 --> 00:41:36,663 with the ultimate jewel in his tomb, his burial chamber. 693 00:41:40,818 --> 00:41:42,985 That is absolutely superb. 694 00:41:47,228 --> 00:41:49,544 This is really incredible. 695 00:41:49,544 --> 00:41:52,140 He's taking that night time sky motif 696 00:41:52,140 --> 00:41:55,057 and really, really running with it. 697 00:41:58,606 --> 00:42:00,926 This is the night sky as seen through the eyes 698 00:42:00,926 --> 00:42:03,093 of the astronomer priests, 699 00:42:04,622 --> 00:42:07,784 and this is where the royal mummy would have lain, 700 00:42:07,784 --> 00:42:09,632 in its alabaster sarcophagus, 701 00:42:09,632 --> 00:42:11,990 allowing Seti's mummy, Seti's soul, 702 00:42:11,990 --> 00:42:15,240 to look up at this spectacular ceiling. 703 00:42:20,820 --> 00:42:23,644 Egypt's traditional belief system is here, 704 00:42:23,644 --> 00:42:26,561 writ large, covering every surface. 705 00:42:32,586 --> 00:42:33,836 Egypt was back. 706 00:42:35,478 --> 00:42:38,811 Seti had brought back the days of glory. 707 00:42:40,098 --> 00:42:42,792 It's as if the Amarna period had never been, 708 00:42:42,792 --> 00:42:45,240 and for the average man and woman in the street, 709 00:42:45,240 --> 00:42:46,696 that was a wonderful thing, 710 00:42:46,696 --> 00:42:50,006 because order had been restored. 711 00:42:50,006 --> 00:42:52,982 Chaos had been brushed away, 712 00:42:52,982 --> 00:42:56,815 and everything was all right with their world. 713 00:43:03,390 --> 00:43:06,140 The golden age had been restored, 714 00:43:07,248 --> 00:43:09,810 but not just for the larger than life pharaohs 715 00:43:09,810 --> 00:43:13,610 with their glorious tombs and vast monuments, 716 00:43:13,610 --> 00:43:17,610 but for the majority of Egypt's population, too. 717 00:43:19,408 --> 00:43:22,254 This included the inhabitants of Deir el-Medina, 718 00:43:22,254 --> 00:43:26,674 the tomb builder's village near the Valley of the Kings. 719 00:43:26,674 --> 00:43:29,542 At the edge of the village was a great pit, 720 00:43:29,542 --> 00:43:31,125 the community dump, 721 00:43:32,084 --> 00:43:34,684 inside which were discovered tens of thousands 722 00:43:34,684 --> 00:43:37,324 of pieces of pottery and stone, 723 00:43:37,324 --> 00:43:39,824 covered in pictures and words. 724 00:43:42,048 --> 00:43:43,852 Written in hieratic script, 725 00:43:43,852 --> 00:43:46,122 a kind of hieroglyphic shorthand, 726 00:43:46,122 --> 00:43:49,256 these are the ancient Egyptian equivalent of Post-It notes, 727 00:43:49,256 --> 00:43:52,089 shopping lists, and text messages. 728 00:43:55,086 --> 00:43:58,486 - This is the kind of stuff that speaks to everyday life. 729 00:43:58,486 --> 00:43:59,447 - Yeah, yeah. 730 00:43:59,447 --> 00:44:01,731 - What's going on underneath the surface. 731 00:44:01,731 --> 00:44:05,088 - With the help of hieratic expert, Dr. Glenn Godenho, 732 00:44:05,088 --> 00:44:07,964 we can catch a glimpse of this intimate world 733 00:44:07,964 --> 00:44:10,381 far away from kings and gods. 734 00:44:11,548 --> 00:44:13,640 Which is your favorite amongst these ones? 735 00:44:13,640 --> 00:44:15,114 - I always go to this one. 736 00:44:15,114 --> 00:44:17,675 This is really nice, because this one's basically 737 00:44:17,675 --> 00:44:19,245 a list of stuff you'd take to a party. 738 00:44:19,245 --> 00:44:21,692 What you've got is tabulated information, 739 00:44:21,692 --> 00:44:24,123 so you've got vertical and horizontal lines, 740 00:44:24,123 --> 00:44:25,585 and in each of those spaces, 741 00:44:25,585 --> 00:44:27,603 you've got a name and the stuff they brought 742 00:44:27,603 --> 00:44:28,875 to that particular event. 743 00:44:28,875 --> 00:44:31,421 I mean, this person here, the name's missing from this, 744 00:44:31,421 --> 00:44:33,965 but this person brought the most stuff, about 11 items. 745 00:44:33,965 --> 00:44:36,379 We've got bread, for example, being brought along. 746 00:44:36,379 --> 00:44:40,375 Next down, we've got some beer, so one jug of beer. 747 00:44:40,375 --> 00:44:42,887 - As well as beer and bread, 748 00:44:42,887 --> 00:44:45,853 it lists a veritable feast. 749 00:44:45,853 --> 00:44:47,270 Fruit, 20 pieces. 750 00:44:48,812 --> 00:44:50,479 Beans, one jar full. 751 00:44:53,699 --> 00:44:54,616 Fish, meat, 752 00:44:56,847 --> 00:44:58,180 and even a cake. 753 00:45:00,791 --> 00:45:03,125 The thing I like about this is the idea of 754 00:45:03,125 --> 00:45:04,921 a community coming together. 755 00:45:04,921 --> 00:45:07,187 It really does make the ancient Egyptians 756 00:45:07,187 --> 00:45:09,079 that more real, because we can relate to them. 757 00:45:09,079 --> 00:45:11,213 We all like a good party. 758 00:45:11,213 --> 00:45:14,145 But of course, life isn't always a party, 759 00:45:14,145 --> 00:45:16,645 and people fall on hard times. 760 00:45:18,059 --> 00:45:21,735 This fragment begins with a story of a breakup. 761 00:45:21,735 --> 00:45:24,735 Hesisunebeth divorced the Lady Hell, 762 00:45:26,323 --> 00:45:29,045 and then it goes on to record a heartwarming story 763 00:45:29,045 --> 00:45:32,499 of support from its anonymous author. 764 00:45:32,499 --> 00:45:34,967 - He seems to have wanted to look after this Lady Hell, 765 00:45:34,967 --> 00:45:36,827 and so the text goes on, 766 00:45:36,827 --> 00:45:41,823 and it says that the author of this spent three years 767 00:45:41,823 --> 00:45:45,990 giving one measure of emmer wheat to Hell every month, 768 00:45:47,010 --> 00:45:48,639 but it doesn't end there. 769 00:45:48,639 --> 00:45:51,793 So, she gives to the author here a sash, 770 00:45:51,793 --> 00:45:55,023 so a piece of clothing, and she says in this line here 771 00:45:55,023 --> 00:45:57,144 to offer it at the riverbank. 772 00:45:57,144 --> 00:46:00,159 The riverbank is where the market was, right? 773 00:46:00,159 --> 00:46:01,887 And she says that she'd like 774 00:46:01,887 --> 00:46:05,411 one measure of emmer wheat for it, 775 00:46:05,411 --> 00:46:06,707 but no one wanted it, 776 00:46:06,707 --> 00:46:10,289 so here, the text goes on to say that 777 00:46:10,289 --> 00:46:13,053 the author tried to offer it down at the riverbank, 778 00:46:13,053 --> 00:46:15,375 but he gives a customer review. 779 00:46:15,375 --> 00:46:16,837 It's right here, 780 00:46:16,837 --> 00:46:20,217 one word, bean, which means bad. 781 00:46:20,217 --> 00:46:21,405 Yeah, yeah. - Oh, that's really sad. 782 00:46:21,405 --> 00:46:24,187 - So it wasn't even worth one measure of emmer, 783 00:46:24,187 --> 00:46:27,467 so that is sad, but the author's such a good egg 784 00:46:27,467 --> 00:46:30,389 that he says that he buys it off of her 785 00:46:30,389 --> 00:46:33,147 for well over the market value of this thing that 786 00:46:33,147 --> 00:46:35,633 wasn't even worth one measure in the first place anyway. 787 00:46:35,633 --> 00:46:37,015 - Nice guy. 788 00:46:37,015 --> 00:46:38,339 Pity we don't know his name. 789 00:46:38,339 --> 00:46:39,511 - Yeah, it's a real shame. 790 00:46:39,511 --> 00:46:41,503 It's a real shame. 791 00:46:41,503 --> 00:46:43,835 - But at least we have his words, 792 00:46:43,835 --> 00:46:46,359 one of the many voices from Deir el-Medina 793 00:46:46,359 --> 00:46:50,526 which still speak to us across 3,000 years of history, 794 00:46:51,595 --> 00:46:54,161 telling us of the highs and lows of lives 795 00:46:54,161 --> 00:46:56,328 familiar to us even today. 796 00:46:57,513 --> 00:47:00,508 (exotic music) 797 00:47:00,508 --> 00:47:04,675 For most people, the New Kingdom had been an age of plenty, 798 00:47:06,069 --> 00:47:08,723 but it wasn't to last. 799 00:47:08,723 --> 00:47:11,889 The golden era of wealthy pharaohs was becoming 800 00:47:11,889 --> 00:47:13,722 ever more superficial. 801 00:47:18,709 --> 00:47:21,483 (solemn music) 802 00:47:21,483 --> 00:47:25,650 Seti's son, Ramses II, was Egypt's most prolific builder, 803 00:47:26,959 --> 00:47:30,379 overspending on ever more ostentatious monuments, 804 00:47:30,379 --> 00:47:35,107 the best known of which was his temple at Abu Simbel. 805 00:47:35,107 --> 00:47:37,217 But such over the top building projects 806 00:47:37,217 --> 00:47:38,969 emptied the royal coffers, 807 00:47:38,969 --> 00:47:42,219 as did a series of costly foreign wars, 808 00:47:43,200 --> 00:47:45,889 so by the time of Ramses III, 809 00:47:45,889 --> 00:47:49,306 the cracks had certainly begun to appear. 810 00:47:52,513 --> 00:47:54,019 As inflation increased, 811 00:47:54,019 --> 00:47:57,352 supplies in the state granaries ran low, 812 00:47:58,571 --> 00:48:00,945 so the grain which formed the monthly wage rations 813 00:48:00,945 --> 00:48:04,665 of state employees like tomb builders and artisans 814 00:48:04,665 --> 00:48:07,579 was no longer paid when due, 815 00:48:07,579 --> 00:48:11,761 and it sparked the first recorded labor strike in history. 816 00:48:11,761 --> 00:48:14,929 It happened in 1155 B.C., when the tomb builders 817 00:48:14,929 --> 00:48:17,551 began to complain that their food supplies 818 00:48:17,551 --> 00:48:19,041 hadn't been delivered, 819 00:48:19,041 --> 00:48:20,993 and when it happened again the following month, 820 00:48:20,993 --> 00:48:22,679 they simply downed tools, 821 00:48:22,679 --> 00:48:24,600 marched to the nearest temple, 822 00:48:24,600 --> 00:48:27,017 and shouted, "We are hungry." 823 00:48:28,651 --> 00:48:30,993 To make sure their grievances were heard, 824 00:48:30,993 --> 00:48:33,910 they staged a sit-in at the temple, 825 00:48:36,819 --> 00:48:40,986 but the state's response only added insult to injury. 826 00:48:43,729 --> 00:48:46,529 Local officials could only hand round 827 00:48:46,529 --> 00:48:50,891 a delivery of pastries, not much use to anyone. 828 00:48:50,891 --> 00:48:52,769 The indifference of the authorities 829 00:48:52,769 --> 00:48:55,769 provoked many more weeks of protest. 830 00:48:58,307 --> 00:49:00,339 Their grievances only increased, 831 00:49:00,339 --> 00:49:03,847 and soon, the striking workers had taken to shouting out 832 00:49:03,847 --> 00:49:08,014 at passing authority figures, including the mayor. 833 00:49:09,353 --> 00:49:12,507 The workers were finally fobbed off with enough supplies 834 00:49:12,507 --> 00:49:14,421 to shut them up in time for 835 00:49:14,421 --> 00:49:17,903 the pharaoh's jubilee celebration to pass by, 836 00:49:17,903 --> 00:49:19,736 unhindered by trouble. 837 00:49:21,989 --> 00:49:24,003 But the striking workers had highlighted 838 00:49:24,003 --> 00:49:26,929 the waning power of the monarchy. 839 00:49:26,929 --> 00:49:30,000 With the pharaoh now served by an increasingly inefficient 840 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:34,393 and corrupt bureaucracy, the glorious bubble 841 00:49:34,393 --> 00:49:37,393 of royal extravagance finally burst, 842 00:49:41,115 --> 00:49:46,037 and the pharaoh's rivals were waiting in the wings, 843 00:49:46,037 --> 00:49:47,870 the priests of Karnak. 844 00:49:49,543 --> 00:49:51,331 Having grown powerful through the revenues 845 00:49:51,331 --> 00:49:53,383 given to the gods they served, 846 00:49:53,383 --> 00:49:58,221 the writing for the royals was quite literally on the wall. 847 00:49:58,221 --> 00:49:59,619 And you can see what I mean 848 00:49:59,619 --> 00:50:03,872 in this little known part of Karnak temple, 849 00:50:03,872 --> 00:50:06,805 (ominous exotic music) 850 00:50:06,805 --> 00:50:10,675 Where the high priest is making a very bold statement, 851 00:50:10,675 --> 00:50:15,175 but only if you know how to read the footnotes. 852 00:50:15,175 --> 00:50:17,615 Now, this is a fascinating scene. 853 00:50:17,615 --> 00:50:20,105 We have the pharaoh, Ramses IX, 854 00:50:20,105 --> 00:50:22,711 and he's facing his high priest, shown here, 855 00:50:22,711 --> 00:50:26,141 but there's something extraordinary about this scene, 856 00:50:26,141 --> 00:50:27,735 because for the first time, 857 00:50:27,735 --> 00:50:30,455 the pharaoh and the priest are shown 858 00:50:30,455 --> 00:50:32,879 on exactly the same scale. 859 00:50:32,879 --> 00:50:34,135 They are the same height. 860 00:50:34,135 --> 00:50:36,141 That's why the priest is looking so pleased. 861 00:50:36,141 --> 00:50:38,147 He has his arms raised, as if in triumph. 862 00:50:38,147 --> 00:50:40,019 Because these guys are so clever, 863 00:50:40,019 --> 00:50:43,909 they've actually got the pharaoh standing on a box, 864 00:50:43,909 --> 00:50:46,261 so he's a fraction higher, 865 00:50:46,261 --> 00:50:49,417 and yet, in reality, they're the same height. 866 00:50:49,417 --> 00:50:53,087 This really shows that the priests are in power. 867 00:50:53,087 --> 00:50:54,915 They're basically saying to the king, 868 00:50:54,915 --> 00:50:56,827 we are the same size as you. 869 00:50:56,827 --> 00:51:00,674 Therefore, we are as important as you are. 870 00:51:00,674 --> 00:51:03,341 (ominous music) 871 00:51:05,881 --> 00:51:09,292 Priests had become full time politicians. 872 00:51:09,292 --> 00:51:11,681 Vying with the throne for power, 873 00:51:11,681 --> 00:51:15,019 the destabilized the balance between church and state, 874 00:51:15,019 --> 00:51:19,186 the relationship on which Egypt's entire culture depended. 875 00:51:20,835 --> 00:51:22,601 So great were their ambitions 876 00:51:22,601 --> 00:51:24,463 that by the end of the New Kingdom, 877 00:51:24,463 --> 00:51:28,213 the priests took control of the entire south, 878 00:51:29,137 --> 00:51:31,691 and with the pharaoh ruling only the north, 879 00:51:31,691 --> 00:51:35,858 the country was split into its two ancient halves. 880 00:51:39,459 --> 00:51:41,709 But even worse was to come. 881 00:51:45,543 --> 00:51:47,495 It's at Medinet Habu, 882 00:51:47,495 --> 00:51:50,461 Ramses III's funerary temple, 883 00:51:50,461 --> 00:51:53,089 that we can find out just how little interest 884 00:51:53,089 --> 00:51:57,919 these politician priests now had in the royal afterlife. 885 00:51:57,919 --> 00:52:00,387 They were only concerned with their own status 886 00:52:00,387 --> 00:52:02,137 and their own wealth. 887 00:52:04,267 --> 00:52:07,995 Now, this next disturbing part of Egypt's story 888 00:52:07,995 --> 00:52:10,840 not only spelt disaster for its core belief 889 00:52:10,840 --> 00:52:12,229 in the royal afterlife, 890 00:52:12,229 --> 00:52:15,298 it left a tortuous puzzle for Egyptologists, 891 00:52:15,298 --> 00:52:19,293 which we are still trying to piece together. 892 00:52:19,293 --> 00:52:21,453 (solemn music) 893 00:52:21,453 --> 00:52:23,339 It's an extraordinary story 894 00:52:23,339 --> 00:52:25,123 that begins not in the temple, 895 00:52:25,123 --> 00:52:29,290 but in a small house, built later within the grounds, 896 00:52:32,631 --> 00:52:34,437 because the priests' corrupt ambitions 897 00:52:34,437 --> 00:52:38,604 will be put into practice by the man who lived here. 898 00:52:43,651 --> 00:52:45,914 His name was Buthamun, 899 00:52:45,914 --> 00:52:47,659 and as a Necropolis scribe, 900 00:52:47,659 --> 00:52:51,275 he worked in the nearby Valley of the Kings. 901 00:52:51,275 --> 00:52:53,125 This is the man himself, Buthamun, 902 00:52:53,125 --> 00:52:54,533 with his shaven head, 903 00:52:54,533 --> 00:52:55,895 his starched kilt, 904 00:52:55,895 --> 00:52:58,195 and his arms raised in prayer. 905 00:52:58,195 --> 00:53:02,998 He's praying to the great god of Thebes, Amun himself. 906 00:53:02,998 --> 00:53:06,206 Although Buthamun's story doesn't quite live up to 907 00:53:06,206 --> 00:53:10,892 this image of piety, because it was here that he received 908 00:53:10,892 --> 00:53:13,541 a letter of instruction from his boss, 909 00:53:13,541 --> 00:53:15,708 the high priest of Karnak. 910 00:53:17,739 --> 00:53:19,895 This is a copy of that letter, 911 00:53:19,895 --> 00:53:22,113 and its contents are mind blowing, 912 00:53:22,113 --> 00:53:25,187 because the high priest is telling Buthamun, 913 00:53:25,187 --> 00:53:27,099 "Go and perform for me a task 914 00:53:27,099 --> 00:53:29,709 "on which you've never before embarked. 915 00:53:29,709 --> 00:53:32,877 "Uncover a tomb among the ancient tombs, 916 00:53:32,877 --> 00:53:36,710 "and preserve its sealed door until I return." 917 00:53:38,357 --> 00:53:42,309 And although this language is quite euphemistic and cryptic, 918 00:53:42,309 --> 00:53:46,615 both the sender and recipient knew exactly what it meant, 919 00:53:46,615 --> 00:53:50,365 and it would have a profound impact on Egypt. 920 00:53:52,521 --> 00:53:55,537 Buthamun had been promoted. 921 00:53:55,537 --> 00:54:00,323 His new title was Opener of the Gates of the Necropolis. 922 00:54:00,323 --> 00:54:04,027 (intense exotic music) 923 00:54:04,027 --> 00:54:07,040 So he and his men set out for the Valley of the Kings, 924 00:54:07,040 --> 00:54:10,707 taking with them tools and bundles of linen. 925 00:54:12,003 --> 00:54:15,845 Their mission, nothing less than the systematic dismantling 926 00:54:15,845 --> 00:54:19,178 of the royal cemetery in search of gold. 927 00:54:20,667 --> 00:54:23,750 It was an order to accumulate wealth. 928 00:54:29,954 --> 00:54:34,187 Tomb robbing itself was nothing new in ancient Egypt, 929 00:54:34,187 --> 00:54:36,379 but what's different about this looting 930 00:54:36,379 --> 00:54:39,345 is that it's an order from the ruler of upper Egypt, 931 00:54:39,345 --> 00:54:40,983 the high priest himself. 932 00:54:40,983 --> 00:54:44,316 This is looting sanctioned by the state. 933 00:54:45,528 --> 00:54:48,195 (ominous music) 934 00:54:51,939 --> 00:54:55,107 Knowing the secret location of the royal tombs, 935 00:54:55,107 --> 00:54:58,375 Buthamun began what was euphemistically referred to 936 00:54:58,375 --> 00:55:00,042 as restoration work. 937 00:55:01,739 --> 00:55:04,989 The final taboo was about to be broken. 938 00:55:08,035 --> 00:55:11,243 So, Buthamun and his men set to work. 939 00:55:11,243 --> 00:55:13,903 They break open the seal of every royal tomb. 940 00:55:13,903 --> 00:55:16,383 The move the lid of the sarcophagus, 941 00:55:16,383 --> 00:55:19,331 take out the royal mummy and its nest of gold coffins, 942 00:55:19,331 --> 00:55:21,914 and proceed to unwrap each one. 943 00:55:23,081 --> 00:55:26,237 Next, they stripped them of anything of value, 944 00:55:26,237 --> 00:55:29,255 gold masks, jewelry, and amulets, 945 00:55:29,255 --> 00:55:32,088 all taken for the temple treasury. 946 00:55:35,317 --> 00:55:38,505 As for the mummies, they're rewrapped in fresh linen 947 00:55:38,505 --> 00:55:40,505 and all buried together. 948 00:55:43,503 --> 00:55:45,824 For the cash strapped priests, 949 00:55:45,824 --> 00:55:49,743 these royal tombs were no longer enviable, 950 00:55:49,743 --> 00:55:52,195 but little more than a series of dead bodies 951 00:55:52,195 --> 00:55:54,691 resting amidst the gold they needed 952 00:55:54,691 --> 00:55:57,358 to achieve their political aims. 953 00:56:00,099 --> 00:56:02,721 So, for 20 years, this very tomb 954 00:56:02,721 --> 00:56:06,554 became one of Buthamun's rewrapping workshops, 955 00:56:08,059 --> 00:56:10,641 where archeologists found fragments of the gold 956 00:56:10,641 --> 00:56:14,625 prized from royal coffins, traces of the lost treasures 957 00:56:14,625 --> 00:56:16,375 of numerous pharaohs. 958 00:56:23,221 --> 00:56:26,790 (light exotic music) 959 00:56:26,790 --> 00:56:29,669 And Buthamun's handwriting was discovered 960 00:56:29,669 --> 00:56:32,752 on the rewrapped mummy of Ramses III. 961 00:56:37,724 --> 00:56:40,051 With no regard for the sacred, 962 00:56:40,051 --> 00:56:42,881 even the great Pharaoh Amenhotep III 963 00:56:42,881 --> 00:56:47,713 ended up repackaged in the coffin of Ramses III, 964 00:56:47,713 --> 00:56:51,380 covered with the ill fitting lid of Seti II. 965 00:56:57,735 --> 00:57:00,131 Only one tomb, hidden by rubble, 966 00:57:00,131 --> 00:57:02,631 escaped the wholesale plunder. 967 00:57:12,753 --> 00:57:16,161 Yet the ultimate violation of ancient Egypt's soul 968 00:57:16,161 --> 00:57:17,578 was now complete. 969 00:57:20,277 --> 00:57:22,385 Clearly, the priest kings of Karnak 970 00:57:22,385 --> 00:57:25,803 had got what they'd always wanted, absolute power. 971 00:57:25,803 --> 00:57:28,363 No longer interested in the royal ancestors, 972 00:57:28,363 --> 00:57:30,659 who were simply a source of revenue 973 00:57:30,659 --> 00:57:33,229 to be robbed and discarded, 974 00:57:33,229 --> 00:57:35,331 the devout had become cynical, 975 00:57:35,331 --> 00:57:40,173 and the royal afterlife, nothing more than an illusion. 976 00:57:40,173 --> 00:57:42,840 (intense music) 977 00:57:46,375 --> 00:57:49,963 From now on, Egypt's story would be written by invaders 978 00:57:49,963 --> 00:57:52,839 from far beyond the valley of the Nile. 979 00:57:52,839 --> 00:57:56,192 Cambyses was sending a very clear message to the Egyptians. 980 00:57:56,192 --> 00:57:57,775 I am now in charge. 981 00:57:59,883 --> 00:58:04,050 But Egypt's secret weapon was its captivating culture. 982 00:58:05,047 --> 00:58:06,379 Wow, look at that. 983 00:58:06,379 --> 00:58:07,449 Look at that. 984 00:58:07,449 --> 00:58:09,532 Oh, that is so beautiful. 985 00:58:12,711 --> 00:58:15,759 Seducing its new rulers from far flung parts 986 00:58:15,759 --> 00:58:17,509 of the ancient world, 987 00:58:18,803 --> 00:58:20,975 and ancient Egypt's final flowering 988 00:58:20,975 --> 00:58:24,989 lay in the hands of another great empire. 989 00:58:24,989 --> 00:58:27,547 Enter the Macedonian super man. 990 00:58:27,547 --> 00:58:29,714 Enter Alexander the Great. 991 00:58:34,843 --> 00:58:38,426 (adventurous exotic music)