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A hidden
cave that could hold the remains
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of an ancient civilization.
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An entire city
entombed in volcanic ash.
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And a royal grave
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guarded by thousands
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of silent warriors.
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Throughout history,
kings, emperors and pharaohs
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have been laid
to rest in sacred tombs.
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These burial grounds were meant
to protect the body,
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and to allow
the soul to transition
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into the afterlife.
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But is it possible that tombs
serve another purpose?
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Could they contain
not just human remains,
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but also surprising
secrets about our past?
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Well, that is what
we'll try and find out.
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Here in this rugged,
mountainous region
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bordering the Gobi Desert,
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two brothers begin digging
a well on their family farm.
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But instead of water,
their shovels reveal
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a life-sized
statue of a soldier.
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When archeologists
later excavate the site,
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they unearth thousands
of these sculptures,
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known as the Terra
Cotta Warriors,
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each with remarkably
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realistic facial expressions.
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Every now and then, there's
a game-changing moment
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in archaeological history.
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This is a discovery
of that magnitude,
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because as time went on,
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it became clear that
this wasn't just a few pots.
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It was actually a vast
underground army
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of 6,000 soldiers
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standing to attention.
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These
incredibly lifelike statues
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are actually part of a massive
underground tomb complex
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called the Mausoleum
of the First Qin Emperor.
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The mausoleum covers an area
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of nearly four
miles and contains
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numerous underground
palaces and chambers
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that surround a tomb mound
at the center of the complex.
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The tomb mound itself
is quite unassuming.
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It's sort of a pyramid
shape, but it's made of earth.
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And these days it's
covered with trees.
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So it's all very
green, but when it was
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originally built, it
would've supported
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some large structures,
some large temple structures.
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So the tomb complex is far away
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from the place
where they discovered
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the Terra Cotta Warriors.
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And everyone doesn't
really understand,
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initially, how they can
be part of the same thing.
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The sheer size of the
complex is unprecedented.
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It's an amazing sight.
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The scope of this
is hard to describe.
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There's chariots,
there's horses.
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There's an entire
labyrinthine complex that exits.
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And all of it intentionally kept
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underground in what is
literally an underworld.
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This vast tomb complex
was built in the 3rd century BC
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to the final resting
place for Qin Shi Huang,
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the first emperor
of a unified China.
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Mausoleums and tombs in China
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are statements of who you were.
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So what you get with this
tomb is a huge statement
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of how important this man was.
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The amazing thing
about his reign
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is it only lasted 11 years,
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but, in that time, he
completely transformed China
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by making it one unified whole.
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Even the name
China seems to derive
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from the name of his state, Qin.
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So this is a guy who
was unprecedented.
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He thought of himself as
the ruler of the known world.
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As soon as
he came to power he started building
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this tomb complex as a way of
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transporting what he had
acquired and what he had
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accomplished in the
living world into the afterlife,
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into the world of
immortals, and that included
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material things like treasures
and-and vast untold riches.
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The pyramid-shaped
artificial mound at the center
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of the complex is 250 feet tall.
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Archaeologists believe
that underneath this mound
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is a chamber containing
Emperor Qin's tomb.
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According to ancient
Chinese writings,
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every detail of this
chamber was designed
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to perfectly mirror the
emperor's kingdom.
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There's a very elaborate
passage that vividly describes
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how the tomb was designed
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from the records of
the grand historian,
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Szuma Chien.
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The main feature was a
small-scale representation
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of the Chinese
empire at the time.
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And so it had all the waterways
and the rivers and the oceans
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and geographical features
that were duplicated
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on a small scale.
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There is this sense
in Chinese society,
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going right back to pre-history,
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that when people
die, they kind of switch
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to another plane of existence
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and life goes on for them there.
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So the coffin of
the first emperor sits
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in the center of a map
of the known world.
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And so the towns are little
jewels and the roads are gold.
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And then above him,
you have a ceiling that has
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the constellations,
uh, in the sky because
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the constellations are
supposedly reflected
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by the world on the
ground, so you have
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heaven and earth and
the emperor in the middle.
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Um, and it's all picked
out in precious metals.
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To date,
the central burial mound
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has only been
partially excavated
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because archeologists
believe that,
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according to historical records,
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it may be too
hazardous to uncover.
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According
to the grand historian,
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the tomb itself is highly
contaminated with mercury.
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The rivers and oceans
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were represented
by flowing mercury.
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And this mercury was
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fed through a very
complex drainage system
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and was mechanically activated,
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so that it permanently
circulated.
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In ancient China,
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mercury was also believed to be,
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uh, one of the substances
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that could help somebody
achieve immortality.
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And it just so happens that,
since 1981, we've known
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that there are very high
concentrations of mercury
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in the soil, um, around
the grave mound.
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Because the soil around
the tomb has high levels of mercury,
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archaeologists are reticent
about opening up the tomb.
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There's a concern
they could expose
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the local populations
to mercury poisoning.
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And that it would lead to a
large amount of the artifacts
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being damaged
or lost irretrievably.
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Will archaeologists
ever be able to safely open
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the tomb of Emperor
Qin Shi Huang?
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No one is certain.
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But there are those who
believe the emperor's body
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was never located in
the tomb's burial chamber
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in the first place.
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In Chinese history
books, it says that the emperor was
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buried at Mount Li,
but it's not clear if that
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meant in the mountain or in a
grave mound near the mountain.
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And this is important,
because in the Middle Ages,
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there was an historian
who suggested that, actually,
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the emperor was
buried in a jade mine
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in a mountain nearby.
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So, it's very possible
that the tomb mound itself
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is a decoy, that
he's not there at all.
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And if they start digging there,
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they'll be digging
in the wrong place.
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One big, hanging
question that we're still
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left with is, of course,
what else is there?
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We've only uncovered
parts of this tomb.
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So much of it still
has not been revealed.
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And who knows if it
will ever be discovered.
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Is it possible
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that the tomb of China's
first emperor is a decoy,
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and his remains are actually
held somewhere else?
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Well, if that's true,
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then it could be quite
an elaborate ruse.
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In fact, there's
another massive tomb,
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located in Ireland, that has
an equally mysterious purpose.
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Because it was
designed to offer passage
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to the land of the dead.
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Rising above this
region's lush fields,
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not far from the banks
of the River Boyne,
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is one of the most
mysterious ancient tombs
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in the world.
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Newgrange.
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This massive stone structure
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has a diameter of 87 yards,
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or nearly the size
of a football field.
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Newgrange is the envy of
monuments all around the planet.
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The thing that people
say when they come here
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is they're surprised
how big it is.
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It is huge.
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It takes up over
an acre of ground.
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And there is an estimated
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200,000 tons of
stone in the monument.
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According
to archaeological findings,
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Newgrange was built
around the year 3200 BC,
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making it centuries older
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than both Stonehenge and
the Great Pyramid in Egypt.
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Because Newgrange is so ancient,
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there's still much that
we don't know about
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the people who built
this extraordinary tomb.
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Probably one
of the most fascinating
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things about
Newgrange is the fact
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that it was built
in pre-metal days,
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just as the Stone Age was
kind of sort of coming to a close.
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And it's difficult to imagine
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how ancient people
were able to assemble this
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massive monument, but
they managed to do so.
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A lot of work went into
the building of this monument,
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and it was all done
with extreme precision.
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Inside, there are carved stones.
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And then you come into a
chamber, which is quite roomy.
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So you have this cathedral-like
feeling when you walk inside.
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Newgrange is what
archaeologists refer to as a passage tomb.
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It has a passage leading
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into the interior.
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And in that interior,
human bones
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have generally been
found, in different quantities.
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There are human remains
in these places, but the most common
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um, burial practice around
this time was cremation.
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So we find multiple people
being cremated and then interred.
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00:11:53,750 --> 00:11:56,167
Then the traditional
Irish folklore
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that dates way, way back,
the other world of the dead,
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it sort of overlaps
with our own.
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So the idea is that these
sites would sort of allow
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00:12:05,875 --> 00:12:07,875
for this passage between
the realm of the dead
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00:12:08,000 --> 00:12:09,333
and the realm of the living.
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On the back
recess of the inner chamber
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there is a tri-spiral.
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The most common interpretation
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00:12:17,292 --> 00:12:20,125
that people come up
with is that it represents
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00:12:20,208 --> 00:12:24,042
this constant cycle of
renewal and regeneration.
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00:12:24,167 --> 00:12:27,500
On a spiritual level,
it may promise rebirth
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00:12:27,583 --> 00:12:29,500
for the spirits of the dead.
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00:12:29,625 --> 00:12:32,667
The tri-spiral is
unique to Newgrange.
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And it's also found
on the entrance stone
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and throughout the tomb.
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Archaeologists
who have studied Newgrange
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00:12:41,875 --> 00:12:44,833
have theorized that
this ancient tomb
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00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:48,958
was intended to serve a
profound and mystical purpose.
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00:12:49,083 --> 00:12:52,958
And as evidence, they
point to a curious element
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00:12:53,042 --> 00:12:55,625
of its design
that is only visible
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00:12:55,708 --> 00:12:58,125
one day a year.
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00:12:59,167 --> 00:13:02,833
Newgrange is
unusual in that it has
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00:13:02,917 --> 00:13:05,250
a very special aperture...
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00:13:07,167 --> 00:13:10,333
or opening above the entrance.
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On the day of winter solstice,
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this glimmering golden
beam of sunlight enters there,
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and pierces the darkness.
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00:13:21,375 --> 00:13:24,833
When the sun
rises at winter solstice,
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00:13:24,958 --> 00:13:27,417
light hits the chamber
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00:13:27,542 --> 00:13:30,917
for precisely 17 minutes.
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00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:34,792
And some even
speculate that the spirits
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00:13:34,875 --> 00:13:36,667
would have used the light
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to leave the burial chamber
and go and join the deities.
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Did the builders of Newgrange
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specifically design it to be
a gateway into the afterlife?
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00:13:49,583 --> 00:13:53,833
Some archaeologists
believe that the answer is yes.
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00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,458
And they also claim
that Newgrange was built
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00:13:56,542 --> 00:13:59,833
to allow those who stood
within its inner chamber
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00:13:59,917 --> 00:14:02,333
to communicate directly
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00:14:02,417 --> 00:14:05,000
with the dead.
250
00:14:05,167 --> 00:14:07,750
In the case of Newgrange,
the notion of the sunbeam
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00:14:07,875 --> 00:14:11,750
drawing out the
souls of the deceased,
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00:14:11,875 --> 00:14:13,667
and-and leading them
to that other world,
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00:14:13,792 --> 00:14:16,167
is not just a one-way ticket.
254
00:14:16,292 --> 00:14:18,750
It was a portal between worlds.
255
00:14:18,875 --> 00:14:20,833
Were the people inside there...
256
00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:22,559
The priests, for
instance, the Druids...
257
00:14:22,583 --> 00:14:26,208
Were they in contact with the
ancestors who'd gone before?
258
00:14:27,542 --> 00:14:31,125
The builders of the
monument have created a space
259
00:14:31,208 --> 00:14:34,208
which is separate, which
is a world of the dead.
260
00:14:35,292 --> 00:14:37,708
There was always
a feeling that this is
261
00:14:37,833 --> 00:14:39,667
a house for the spirits.
262
00:14:39,792 --> 00:14:42,542
Where consulting
with the ancestors,
263
00:14:42,667 --> 00:14:44,833
asking advice
from the ancestors,
264
00:14:44,958 --> 00:14:46,958
would have happened
5,000 years ago.
265
00:14:48,083 --> 00:14:49,833
Which is extraordinary.
266
00:14:51,542 --> 00:14:55,000
Was Newgrange
constructed to be not only a tomb,
267
00:14:55,125 --> 00:14:57,875
but also a place
where the living
268
00:14:58,000 --> 00:14:59,792
communicated with the dead?
269
00:14:59,875 --> 00:15:02,875
It's an intriguing theory.
270
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,333
Which is why
archaeologists continue
271
00:15:05,500 --> 00:15:08,667
to study Newgrange
in the hope of one day
272
00:15:08,792 --> 00:15:11,250
unraveling all of its mysteries.
273
00:15:13,333 --> 00:15:16,500
How people
choose to handle their remains
274
00:15:16,625 --> 00:15:18,125
always tells you a lot about
275
00:15:18,208 --> 00:15:20,000
what people think
about the afterlife.
276
00:15:20,125 --> 00:15:22,333
Where are they going?
277
00:15:22,458 --> 00:15:25,500
What is the relationship
between the soul and the body?
278
00:15:27,042 --> 00:15:29,167
And in Newgrange,
this had a lot to do
279
00:15:29,292 --> 00:15:32,333
with this notion that
the dead are still around.
280
00:15:32,417 --> 00:15:34,833
And perhaps can see you
even if you can't see them.
281
00:15:34,958 --> 00:15:38,042
So, in a sense, with Newgrange,
282
00:15:38,167 --> 00:15:40,583
we might even say that the dead
283
00:15:40,708 --> 00:15:43,042
did achieve immortality.
284
00:15:44,375 --> 00:15:47,167
The idea that Newgrange
was built to allow
285
00:15:47,292 --> 00:15:50,000
the soul to live
forever is fascinating.
286
00:15:50,125 --> 00:15:52,958
But on the other hand,
there are some tombs
287
00:15:53,042 --> 00:15:55,208
that seem frozen in time.
288
00:15:55,375 --> 00:15:57,958
For instance,
there's an entire city
289
00:15:58,042 --> 00:15:59,833
located near Mount Vesuvius
290
00:15:59,958 --> 00:16:02,000
that suddenly
became a mass grave
291
00:16:02,083 --> 00:16:06,208
when it was covered in
a blanket of volcanic ash.
292
00:16:14,875 --> 00:16:17,625
At approximately 1:00
p.m. on a peaceful late summer day,
293
00:16:17,750 --> 00:16:21,333
this ancient Roman city in
the shadow of Mt. Vesuvius
294
00:16:21,458 --> 00:16:25,958
is shaken by a massive
volcanic eruption.
295
00:16:27,417 --> 00:16:30,458
Within minutes,
superheated gas and lava
296
00:16:30,542 --> 00:16:33,333
engulf the city and
its surroundings.
297
00:16:34,542 --> 00:16:36,417
In an instant,
thousands of people are
298
00:16:36,542 --> 00:16:39,833
buried alive, as a city
that was once their home
299
00:16:39,958 --> 00:16:43,375
suddenly becomes their tomb.
300
00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:49,833
Nearly 2,000 years
after the eruption,
301
00:16:50,000 --> 00:16:52,333
Pompeii is a city that remains
302
00:16:52,417 --> 00:16:55,125
frozen in time.
303
00:16:55,208 --> 00:16:59,000
This eruption was what we
call a pyroclastic eruption.
304
00:16:59,167 --> 00:17:02,167
Where clouds
of-of ash and debris,
305
00:17:02,250 --> 00:17:06,000
hundreds of degrees hot,
came flowing down the mountain,
306
00:17:06,083 --> 00:17:08,958
flash-frying
everything in its path.
307
00:17:09,042 --> 00:17:13,750
And miraculously,
the heat of this cloud
308
00:17:13,875 --> 00:17:16,917
was enough to
carbonize and preserve,
309
00:17:17,042 --> 00:17:21,125
rather than destroy,
all kinds of information.
310
00:17:22,208 --> 00:17:24,792
We have well-preserved
architecture,
311
00:17:24,917 --> 00:17:27,042
wood and organic materials,
312
00:17:27,167 --> 00:17:29,417
foodstuffs,
313
00:17:29,542 --> 00:17:31,167
human remains,
314
00:17:31,292 --> 00:17:34,167
animal remains that
have been preserved
315
00:17:34,250 --> 00:17:36,083
for 2,000 years
316
00:17:36,208 --> 00:17:38,542
beneath, uh, this
volcanic debris.
317
00:17:40,625 --> 00:17:43,083
Today the
excavated ruins of Pompei
318
00:17:43,208 --> 00:17:45,667
offer archaeologists
and tourists
319
00:17:45,792 --> 00:17:49,542
a breathtaking look at
the doomed ancient city.
320
00:17:49,708 --> 00:17:53,833
Perhaps the most intriguing
discovery found beneath the ash
321
00:17:53,917 --> 00:17:56,167
from Mt. Vesuvius' eruption
322
00:17:56,292 --> 00:17:58,333
was an ancient Roman structure
323
00:17:58,417 --> 00:18:00,667
located not far from Pompeii
324
00:18:00,792 --> 00:18:03,042
known as the Villa dei Papiri.
325
00:18:05,208 --> 00:18:08,625
The Villa dei Papiri
was a Roman luxury villa
326
00:18:08,750 --> 00:18:11,625
that was full of sculpture
327
00:18:11,708 --> 00:18:14,833
and marble and bronze.
328
00:18:14,958 --> 00:18:19,167
The villa was discovered
by chance in 1750
329
00:18:19,250 --> 00:18:22,833
by well diggers, who,
tunneling about 75 feet
330
00:18:22,958 --> 00:18:24,667
through volcanic debris,
331
00:18:24,833 --> 00:18:27,625
first hit a colored marble floor
332
00:18:27,708 --> 00:18:29,167
with an amazing pattern
333
00:18:29,250 --> 00:18:33,083
made up of bright red
and yellow marbles.
334
00:18:34,542 --> 00:18:37,125
We think this was
once the vacation home
335
00:18:37,208 --> 00:18:39,750
of a Roman senator
of the highest rank
336
00:18:39,875 --> 00:18:41,833
of an old noble family
337
00:18:41,917 --> 00:18:44,208
named Lucius Calpurnius Piso.
338
00:18:45,542 --> 00:18:48,333
The volcanic
ash that buried Villa dei Papiri,
339
00:18:48,458 --> 00:18:51,292
did not only preserve
the physical structure.
340
00:18:51,417 --> 00:18:54,708
It also entombed a
library that contained
341
00:18:54,875 --> 00:18:58,333
more than 1,800 papyrus scrolls.
342
00:18:58,417 --> 00:19:01,375
These scrolls are an
extraordinary record
343
00:19:01,542 --> 00:19:04,333
of the thoughts and
writings of people
344
00:19:04,417 --> 00:19:07,792
who lived nearly
2,000 years ago.
345
00:19:09,042 --> 00:19:13,625
Those texts were discovered
when the city was excavated
346
00:19:13,708 --> 00:19:16,292
and some of the
artifacts were first found.
347
00:19:16,375 --> 00:19:20,167
The people who discovered
them didn't know what they were.
348
00:19:20,250 --> 00:19:22,792
They thought that maybe
they were pieces of branches
349
00:19:22,875 --> 00:19:26,333
or logs because they were
rolled up and carbonized.
350
00:19:26,458 --> 00:19:30,542
Until someone finally realized
these are texts on papyrus.
351
00:19:30,708 --> 00:19:35,208
The Villa dei Papiri
library is significant because
352
00:19:35,333 --> 00:19:37,333
it's the only surviving library
353
00:19:37,417 --> 00:19:39,792
from antiquity
with its contents.
354
00:19:39,875 --> 00:19:43,083
There were scrolls
found that date to the 3rd,
355
00:19:43,208 --> 00:19:45,583
2nd and 1st century BC
356
00:19:45,708 --> 00:19:47,208
and the 1st century AD.
357
00:19:47,333 --> 00:19:50,667
About 300 of them or
so have been un-scrolled.
358
00:19:50,792 --> 00:19:54,583
And they contain
mostly philosophic texts,
359
00:19:54,708 --> 00:19:57,958
some poetry, some
literary criticism,
360
00:19:58,042 --> 00:20:00,292
a little bit of history.
361
00:20:00,375 --> 00:20:04,125
But many of the scrolls
are so tightly bound together
362
00:20:04,208 --> 00:20:06,333
and carbonized that
there's been a moratorium
363
00:20:06,417 --> 00:20:07,917
on attempts to open them.
364
00:20:09,458 --> 00:20:12,083
Fear of damaging
the scrolls has left many of them
365
00:20:12,208 --> 00:20:16,375
virtually untouched
for over 100 years.
366
00:20:16,500 --> 00:20:20,500
But new technology has presented
an extraordinary opportunity
367
00:20:20,667 --> 00:20:24,458
to actually read these
mysterious ancient texts.
368
00:20:26,125 --> 00:20:28,667
Scientists in the computer
science department
369
00:20:28,833 --> 00:20:31,583
at the University of
Kentucky have developed
370
00:20:31,708 --> 00:20:35,667
a new method known
as "virtual unwrapping,"
371
00:20:35,833 --> 00:20:39,292
which uses a
sophisticated X-ray machine
372
00:20:39,375 --> 00:20:43,417
to scan the scrolls
without damaging them.
373
00:20:43,542 --> 00:20:46,250
The virtual unwrapping
that we innovated basically
374
00:20:46,375 --> 00:20:51,333
allows a 360-degree set
of views to be collected
375
00:20:51,458 --> 00:20:55,667
from an object that rotates
in front of an X-ray beam.
376
00:20:55,750 --> 00:20:59,333
This is a real scroll
that's 2,000 years old.
377
00:20:59,458 --> 00:21:03,333
And in cross section, we can see
378
00:21:03,500 --> 00:21:05,476
there-there's damage, there
are parts that are missing,
379
00:21:05,500 --> 00:21:06,917
sections that are broken.
380
00:21:07,042 --> 00:21:09,375
Now we're using our
software for the second step,
381
00:21:09,500 --> 00:21:12,708
which is to trace these
wraps all the way through,
382
00:21:12,833 --> 00:21:14,667
so that we can build
a 3D model that lets us
383
00:21:14,833 --> 00:21:17,667
flatten that out and then
read the text that's on it.
384
00:21:17,833 --> 00:21:20,750
And once we're
done, we've achieved
385
00:21:20,875 --> 00:21:23,292
this image that's on
the left, which is the final,
386
00:21:23,417 --> 00:21:25,833
completely unwrapped version.
387
00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:28,000
This is a quote from Democritus
388
00:21:28,167 --> 00:21:30,875
who was an early
Greek philosopher
389
00:21:31,042 --> 00:21:34,958
and is very well known for
having postulated with others
390
00:21:35,042 --> 00:21:37,792
that materials are
made of atoms.
391
00:21:39,917 --> 00:21:42,708
I think it's remarkable
that 2,000 years ago,
392
00:21:42,833 --> 00:21:45,333
Greek philosophers
were postulating
393
00:21:45,458 --> 00:21:47,833
what we now know
is true from science.
394
00:21:47,958 --> 00:21:51,417
Thus far, the team
has been able to digitally scan
395
00:21:51,542 --> 00:21:55,667
two complete scrolls and
a number of fragments.
396
00:21:55,792 --> 00:21:59,500
They hope that, in the
future, technology will advance
397
00:21:59,583 --> 00:22:01,792
and allow them to
reveal even more.
398
00:22:03,333 --> 00:22:06,083
But what secrets
might be contained
399
00:22:06,208 --> 00:22:08,333
in those 2,000-year-old scrolls?
400
00:22:08,417 --> 00:22:11,375
One exciting possibility
that has been suggested
401
00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:13,667
is that the original letters
402
00:22:13,792 --> 00:22:16,000
written by Jesus's apostle Paul
403
00:22:16,125 --> 00:22:19,792
could've been kept within
the library at Villa dei Papiri.
404
00:22:21,042 --> 00:22:23,417
The Villa of the
Papyri was entombed about
405
00:22:23,542 --> 00:22:26,458
40 to 50 years after
the death of Jesus.
406
00:22:26,542 --> 00:22:30,583
At this time, the original
apostles are now out doing
407
00:22:30,708 --> 00:22:34,667
their mission work in various
parts of the Mediterranean.
408
00:22:34,833 --> 00:22:38,208
So it's entirely likely
that the Villa of the Papyri,
409
00:22:38,333 --> 00:22:40,333
could have a collection
410
00:22:40,458 --> 00:22:43,417
of copies of Paul's letters.
411
00:22:44,708 --> 00:22:47,333
If the letters from
the Apostle Paul circulated
412
00:22:47,500 --> 00:22:49,583
and found its way
into the collection,
413
00:22:49,708 --> 00:22:52,708
such a discovery would
represent the earliest Christian
414
00:22:52,833 --> 00:22:55,375
material that we have,
almost dating back
415
00:22:55,542 --> 00:22:59,083
to the time of Christ
and the disciples.
416
00:22:59,208 --> 00:23:01,750
Being able to use
these techniques
417
00:23:01,875 --> 00:23:05,583
to understand history in a
way that's almost forensic
418
00:23:05,708 --> 00:23:08,500
is gonna bring
surprising things forward
419
00:23:08,583 --> 00:23:10,583
and we're gonna be
revealing more secrets
420
00:23:10,708 --> 00:23:12,875
than we'd ever imagined before.
421
00:23:14,583 --> 00:23:18,000
It's incredible to think
that the original writings
422
00:23:18,083 --> 00:23:21,333
of Paul the Apostle
might have been buried
423
00:23:21,417 --> 00:23:24,083
and preserved when
Mount Vesuvius erupted.
424
00:23:24,208 --> 00:23:26,708
And, also, it makes you wonder
425
00:23:26,875 --> 00:23:28,917
are there other tombs
that could be hiding
426
00:23:29,042 --> 00:23:30,958
forgotten knowledge?
427
00:23:31,083 --> 00:23:33,083
Well...
428
00:23:33,208 --> 00:23:36,417
there's one located in
Ecuador that might contain
429
00:23:36,542 --> 00:23:38,875
the ancient library
430
00:23:39,000 --> 00:23:42,042
of a lost civilization.
431
00:23:46,667 --> 00:23:49,083
The Andes Mountains.
432
00:23:49,208 --> 00:23:51,500
In the eastern part of Ecuador,
433
00:23:51,625 --> 00:23:53,625
not far from the border of Peru,
434
00:23:53,708 --> 00:23:56,542
is the entrance to a cave
435
00:23:56,667 --> 00:24:00,000
known as Cueva de los Tayos,
436
00:24:00,125 --> 00:24:03,042
or the Caves of Tayos.
437
00:24:04,042 --> 00:24:07,458
Located at an
elevation of 2,600 feet,
438
00:24:07,542 --> 00:24:11,625
this winding cave
system contains a network
439
00:24:11,750 --> 00:24:14,542
of tunnels approximately
three miles long
440
00:24:14,667 --> 00:24:16,792
and is considered sacred
441
00:24:16,875 --> 00:24:19,417
by the native Shuar
people of the region.
442
00:24:20,750 --> 00:24:24,333
But what's most remarkable
about these caves...
443
00:24:24,458 --> 00:24:26,875
is that somewhere
within its depths
444
00:24:27,000 --> 00:24:30,792
is believed to be a tomb
that was constructed
445
00:24:30,875 --> 00:24:34,708
by a mysterious
lost civilization.
446
00:24:36,542 --> 00:24:39,875
The Tayos Caves are
arguably one of the most
447
00:24:40,042 --> 00:24:42,708
enigmatic cave
systems in the world.
448
00:24:43,833 --> 00:24:48,417
They first came to
note in the 1960s,
449
00:24:48,542 --> 00:24:53,042
when an explorer by
the name of Juan Moricz
450
00:24:53,208 --> 00:24:55,375
came suddenly out of the jungle,
451
00:24:55,500 --> 00:24:58,500
claiming that he'd
descended hundreds of feet
452
00:24:58,625 --> 00:25:01,542
into the Tayos Caves,
453
00:25:01,667 --> 00:25:04,583
and had seen incredible things.
454
00:25:05,875 --> 00:25:08,500
This included this tomb chamber
455
00:25:08,625 --> 00:25:10,208
that is supposed to contain
456
00:25:10,375 --> 00:25:12,833
evidence of a lost civilization,
457
00:25:13,000 --> 00:25:17,083
most particularly what he
described as a metal library
458
00:25:17,208 --> 00:25:20,792
of these metal tablets,
459
00:25:20,917 --> 00:25:23,292
seemingly in gold, with these
460
00:25:23,417 --> 00:25:25,125
weird glyphs
written all over them,
461
00:25:25,208 --> 00:25:28,625
that were carved by
some kind of ancient race
462
00:25:28,708 --> 00:25:31,708
that has been
entirely lost to us.
463
00:25:31,833 --> 00:25:35,375
And Juan Moricz claimed
464
00:25:35,500 --> 00:25:38,500
that this is what he'd
seen and wanted to...
465
00:25:38,625 --> 00:25:40,500
tell the world about this.
466
00:25:42,083 --> 00:25:45,083
A metal library
containing gold tablets?
467
00:25:45,875 --> 00:25:48,292
Juan Moricz's
extraordinary account
468
00:25:48,375 --> 00:25:51,542
sparked worldwide curiosity.
469
00:25:51,667 --> 00:25:54,000
And many began to wonder
whether there really were
470
00:25:54,125 --> 00:25:57,667
ancient gold tablets
hidden somewhere
471
00:25:57,792 --> 00:25:59,667
in the Tayos Caves.
472
00:25:59,833 --> 00:26:02,042
Anybody reading that story
473
00:26:02,208 --> 00:26:04,917
would've been fascinated by
the mystery of the Tayos Caves.
474
00:26:05,042 --> 00:26:07,708
And this is indeed
what happened,
475
00:26:07,833 --> 00:26:10,292
because it attracted
the attention
476
00:26:10,375 --> 00:26:13,542
of a Scottish civil engineer
477
00:26:13,708 --> 00:26:16,458
by the name of Stan Hall,
478
00:26:16,583 --> 00:26:18,625
who decided that he would create
479
00:26:18,750 --> 00:26:21,458
an expedition to
explore the caves.
480
00:26:21,583 --> 00:26:23,875
In 1976, Stan Hall
481
00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:26,333
recruited a number of
people to join his expedition
482
00:26:26,458 --> 00:26:30,167
to the remote jungle of Ecuador
in search of the gold tablets,
483
00:26:30,292 --> 00:26:34,458
including American
astronaut Neil Armstrong,
484
00:26:34,542 --> 00:26:37,708
whose participation
helped to draw worldwide
485
00:26:37,833 --> 00:26:40,167
interest to Hall's efforts.
486
00:26:40,250 --> 00:26:44,458
My father became
very obsessed with this treasure story.
487
00:26:44,542 --> 00:26:47,417
The expedition that
he mounted is still today
488
00:26:47,542 --> 00:26:49,042
one of the largest of all time.
489
00:26:49,208 --> 00:26:52,167
And it's because it
involved over 100 personnel
490
00:26:52,250 --> 00:26:54,875
from both the British and
Ecuadorian government's
491
00:26:55,000 --> 00:26:58,375
special forces and
some universities
492
00:26:58,500 --> 00:27:00,458
sent their scientists.
493
00:27:00,542 --> 00:27:03,500
The main challenge
was entering the cave.
494
00:27:03,625 --> 00:27:06,000
Because the only way to get in
495
00:27:06,083 --> 00:27:09,000
is this very deep
hole in the ground.
496
00:27:10,375 --> 00:27:13,458
According to Stan
Hall's account of the expedition,
497
00:27:13,542 --> 00:27:16,542
the entrance to the
Tayos Caves was a hole
498
00:27:16,708 --> 00:27:20,333
that required the group
to descend one by one
499
00:27:20,458 --> 00:27:21,917
more than 200 feet.
500
00:27:22,042 --> 00:27:25,000
Soon after they
entered the cave,
501
00:27:25,125 --> 00:27:28,042
they made an
extraordinary discovery.
502
00:27:28,167 --> 00:27:30,333
They saw these walls
503
00:27:30,417 --> 00:27:31,833
leading from one
chamber to the next
504
00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:35,833
that looked smooth and
they looked like they're...
505
00:27:35,917 --> 00:27:37,833
cut at right angles, so...
506
00:27:37,917 --> 00:27:41,500
it looks like the ruins
of some lost civilization.
507
00:27:41,625 --> 00:27:45,875
The massive walls did
not appear to be formed naturally,
508
00:27:46,042 --> 00:27:49,750
but instead they looked like
they were carved and placed,
509
00:27:49,875 --> 00:27:52,000
as if they were man-made.
510
00:27:52,125 --> 00:27:54,875
Stan Hall and his team
believed this was evidence
511
00:27:55,000 --> 00:27:57,583
that a lost civilization
had inhabited
512
00:27:57,708 --> 00:27:59,667
the Tayos Caves.
513
00:27:59,750 --> 00:28:02,292
As they moved
deeper into the caves
514
00:28:02,417 --> 00:28:05,167
in search of the gold tablets,
515
00:28:05,292 --> 00:28:08,542
they made another remarkable
discovery inside a chamber
516
00:28:08,708 --> 00:28:11,833
they referred to
as the Altar of Light.
517
00:28:11,958 --> 00:28:15,208
Inside the Altar of Light,
518
00:28:15,333 --> 00:28:18,417
there was a ray of
sunlight that shone straight
519
00:28:18,542 --> 00:28:20,667
into the entrance
of that chamber
520
00:28:20,750 --> 00:28:22,458
and it made it
really significant.
521
00:28:22,583 --> 00:28:25,833
And within it, there's
a smaller chamber
522
00:28:25,958 --> 00:28:29,333
in which my father's expedition
found the remains of a person.
523
00:28:30,542 --> 00:28:33,500
They found this human skeleton
524
00:28:33,583 --> 00:28:36,708
and surrounding
it was pottery, um,
525
00:28:36,875 --> 00:28:42,042
various shell objects
and adornments.
526
00:28:45,042 --> 00:28:47,125
But, unfortunately,
when they reached out
527
00:28:47,250 --> 00:28:48,958
to touch this skeleton,
528
00:28:49,042 --> 00:28:51,667
it fell apart, it
just fragmented.
529
00:28:51,833 --> 00:28:53,833
Showing how old it was.
530
00:28:54,000 --> 00:28:56,792
But subsequent research
531
00:28:56,875 --> 00:29:02,167
would show that this was
around 3,500 years old,
532
00:29:02,333 --> 00:29:06,792
dating back to 1500 BC.
533
00:29:06,875 --> 00:29:08,833
And according
to the local Shuar,
534
00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:11,667
this was one of their ancestors,
535
00:29:11,833 --> 00:29:15,458
the race that had inhabited
the caves before them.
536
00:29:17,625 --> 00:29:20,292
The discovery of this
ancient tomb was an astonishing
537
00:29:20,375 --> 00:29:23,875
and unexpected find, one
that heightened the mystery
538
00:29:24,042 --> 00:29:26,208
of who inhabited the Tayos Caves
539
00:29:26,333 --> 00:29:29,333
and led many to wonder
what else might be hidden
540
00:29:29,458 --> 00:29:33,833
within this vast network
of underground passages.
541
00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:35,500
A few interesting
things happened
542
00:29:35,625 --> 00:29:37,500
during Stan Hall's expedition.
543
00:29:37,583 --> 00:29:39,375
They did not find
the metal library,
544
00:29:39,500 --> 00:29:41,167
but they did find other things.
545
00:29:41,333 --> 00:29:44,000
Number one, it had these
546
00:29:44,125 --> 00:29:46,417
walls that were
cut at right angles.
547
00:29:46,542 --> 00:29:50,583
And number two, they
found a corpse that was dated
548
00:29:50,708 --> 00:29:53,208
to go back to 1500 BC.
549
00:29:53,333 --> 00:29:57,292
So even though they
didn't find the metal library,
550
00:29:57,375 --> 00:30:01,083
Stan was still convinced
that it was there somewhere.
551
00:30:01,208 --> 00:30:03,208
Is there a collection
of metal tablets
552
00:30:03,375 --> 00:30:05,667
hidden somewhere
in the Tayos Caves?
553
00:30:05,792 --> 00:30:08,750
The search for
answers continues.
554
00:30:08,875 --> 00:30:11,375
Just like on the other
side of the world,
555
00:30:11,542 --> 00:30:13,833
in the mountains of Mongolia,
556
00:30:13,917 --> 00:30:16,833
where archaeologists are
looking for the lost tomb
557
00:30:16,958 --> 00:30:20,125
of the most notorious warlord
558
00:30:20,208 --> 00:30:22,042
in history.
559
00:30:29,083 --> 00:30:31,542
Towering
above the sparse landscape
560
00:30:31,667 --> 00:30:34,875
is a massive,
130-foot-tall statue
561
00:30:35,042 --> 00:30:36,667
made of stainless steel.
562
00:30:36,792 --> 00:30:40,042
This magnificent
monument is a depiction
563
00:30:40,167 --> 00:30:43,333
of Mongolia's most famous ruler,
564
00:30:43,417 --> 00:30:46,167
Genghis Khan.
565
00:30:46,250 --> 00:30:49,250
Genghis Khan is
one of the most prominent figures
566
00:30:49,375 --> 00:30:52,167
in all of history,
and he came up
567
00:30:52,250 --> 00:30:55,750
as a very small, minor player in
what was a small, minor country
568
00:30:55,875 --> 00:30:58,833
that most of the
world hadn't heard of.
569
00:30:58,958 --> 00:31:00,708
But by the time he had died,
570
00:31:00,833 --> 00:31:02,351
he had conquered
most of the known world.
571
00:31:02,375 --> 00:31:05,083
Genghis Khan is unquestionably
572
00:31:05,208 --> 00:31:07,500
Mongolia's
greatest, uh, cultural
573
00:31:07,625 --> 00:31:09,708
and historical
and national hero.
574
00:31:09,833 --> 00:31:12,833
He was at the head of one
575
00:31:12,958 --> 00:31:15,000
of the largest
empires in the world,
576
00:31:15,125 --> 00:31:17,458
second only to
the British Empire.
577
00:31:17,542 --> 00:31:20,000
And many people
578
00:31:20,083 --> 00:31:22,333
maybe outside of Mongolia
might remember Genghis Khan
579
00:31:22,458 --> 00:31:25,500
for, uh, the bloodshed
and conquests.
580
00:31:25,667 --> 00:31:29,000
But he was also at the origins
581
00:31:29,125 --> 00:31:32,000
of many
technological, scientific,
582
00:31:32,083 --> 00:31:35,833
astronomical developments
and advancements.
583
00:31:38,083 --> 00:31:41,000
After 20
years of empire-building,
584
00:31:41,167 --> 00:31:44,958
Genghis Khan died
in the year 1227 AD,
585
00:31:45,042 --> 00:31:48,667
while battling the
western Shi dynasty.
586
00:31:48,833 --> 00:31:52,625
Khan's exact cause
of death is a mystery.
587
00:31:52,750 --> 00:31:55,333
But before he passed,
he commanded
588
00:31:55,500 --> 00:31:58,333
that his final resting
place should be unmarked,
589
00:31:58,458 --> 00:32:02,333
so that his tomb would
be undisturbed forever.
590
00:32:03,542 --> 00:32:07,833
The circumstances
of his burial are quite mysterious.
591
00:32:07,917 --> 00:32:10,500
According to legend,
Genghis Khan's body
592
00:32:10,625 --> 00:32:12,667
was brought back to Mongolia
593
00:32:12,792 --> 00:32:15,375
by a group of,
uh, 2,000 servants
594
00:32:15,500 --> 00:32:20,042
who were guarded
by a group of soldiers.
595
00:32:20,167 --> 00:32:24,292
And once they finished
their work of burying the body,
596
00:32:24,417 --> 00:32:27,583
the servants were all
killed by the soldiers.
597
00:32:28,917 --> 00:32:31,875
Now the soldiers
themselves were then killed
598
00:32:32,000 --> 00:32:34,333
by a second group of soldiers,
599
00:32:34,500 --> 00:32:38,042
who then themselves
committed suicide,
600
00:32:38,208 --> 00:32:40,667
so that the burial
site would remain
601
00:32:40,792 --> 00:32:43,417
forever undisturbed and unknown.
602
00:32:43,542 --> 00:32:46,417
Many great
rulers in many parts of the world
603
00:32:46,542 --> 00:32:50,250
have wanted not to display
one's body, but rather to hide it.
604
00:32:50,375 --> 00:32:53,167
And that would have been
practiced by Genghis Khan.
605
00:32:53,333 --> 00:32:55,958
Because he knew that his
tomb, if it was ever uncovered,
606
00:32:56,083 --> 00:32:59,667
would be an
enormously political tool
607
00:32:59,833 --> 00:33:01,625
for whoever uncovered it.
608
00:33:01,708 --> 00:33:04,167
And he wanted to
control that legacy.
609
00:33:04,250 --> 00:33:07,667
In the eight centuries
since Genghis Khan's death,
610
00:33:07,750 --> 00:33:10,167
many have tried
to find his tomb.
611
00:33:10,292 --> 00:33:13,500
But thus far, no one
has been able to defeat
612
00:33:13,583 --> 00:33:17,708
Khan's drastic measures
to keep its location a secret.
613
00:33:17,833 --> 00:33:20,417
Which naturally
begs the question...
614
00:33:20,542 --> 00:33:23,208
where could it be?
615
00:33:25,125 --> 00:33:28,750
The Khentii Mountain
Range, 2016.
616
00:33:28,875 --> 00:33:31,583
A French
archaeological expedition
617
00:33:31,708 --> 00:33:35,250
ventures deep into this rugged
region of northern Mongolia
618
00:33:35,375 --> 00:33:38,500
to find Genghis
Khan's lost tomb.
619
00:33:38,667 --> 00:33:42,333
The team believes that
the tomb may be hidden
620
00:33:42,458 --> 00:33:45,458
near a particular mountain
peak that is known as...
621
00:33:45,542 --> 00:33:47,500
Burkhan Khaldun.
622
00:34:05,792 --> 00:34:08,958
Burkhan Khaldun
is almost 8,000 feet high
623
00:34:09,083 --> 00:34:11,833
and covers more
than 93 square miles.
624
00:34:11,958 --> 00:34:15,000
Exploring this
vast, rugged terrain
625
00:34:15,125 --> 00:34:19,375
is made even more
difficult because, in 2015,
626
00:34:19,542 --> 00:34:22,958
the mountain was designated
a UNESCO World Heritage Site,
627
00:34:23,083 --> 00:34:25,875
rendering if off-limits
to any excavations
628
00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:28,792
in search of
Genghis Khan's tomb.
629
00:34:28,917 --> 00:34:31,167
Mongolians in
general still desire
630
00:34:31,292 --> 00:34:33,333
to honor Genghis Kahn's wishes.
631
00:34:33,500 --> 00:34:35,917
They discourage
archaeological digs,
632
00:34:36,042 --> 00:34:38,250
uh, to try to find the tomb.
633
00:34:38,375 --> 00:34:42,167
He is still very, very
much a hero in Mongolia.
634
00:34:42,333 --> 00:34:45,333
And his wishes
are still respected.
635
00:34:45,458 --> 00:34:47,333
Because of the restrictions
636
00:34:47,500 --> 00:34:49,500
against searching
Burkhan Khaldun,
637
00:34:49,667 --> 00:34:52,833
members of the French
expedition decided that the key
638
00:34:52,958 --> 00:34:55,333
to finding Genghis Khan's tomb
639
00:34:55,417 --> 00:34:58,875
was to explore the
mountain from the sky.
640
00:34:59,042 --> 00:35:01,667
And in 2016, they used drones
641
00:35:01,792 --> 00:35:05,125
equipped with both
photographic and infrared cameras
642
00:35:05,250 --> 00:35:08,708
to do an unprecedented
survey of the area.
643
00:35:28,875 --> 00:35:31,417
After surveying
the mountain from above,
644
00:35:31,542 --> 00:35:34,333
the French team made
an extraordinary discovery.
645
00:35:34,458 --> 00:35:38,458
They identified a mound
that was 130 feet high
646
00:35:38,542 --> 00:35:41,125
and 820 feet wide
647
00:35:41,250 --> 00:35:45,083
that they believe
might be man-made.
648
00:35:56,875 --> 00:36:01,208
The French team that
accessed, uh, the mountain
649
00:36:01,333 --> 00:36:04,917
identified that the
pyramid-shaped elevation
650
00:36:05,042 --> 00:36:07,500
also had a little shrine
651
00:36:07,625 --> 00:36:10,208
and it sits atop of
this sacred mountain.
652
00:36:10,333 --> 00:36:14,083
So they speculate
that this would
653
00:36:14,208 --> 00:36:16,625
probably be where
Genghis Khan is buried.
654
00:36:17,875 --> 00:36:20,417
Is it possible
that the structure discovered
655
00:36:20,542 --> 00:36:23,458
by the French expedition
on Burkhan Khaldun
656
00:36:23,542 --> 00:36:26,375
is the tomb of Genghis Khan?
657
00:36:28,542 --> 00:36:31,333
For now, that question
is unanswered,
658
00:36:31,500 --> 00:36:34,125
because the Mongolian
people remain committed
659
00:36:34,208 --> 00:36:37,042
to honoring the revered
emperor's dying wish
660
00:36:37,167 --> 00:36:40,292
that his tomb should
never be found.
661
00:37:11,667 --> 00:37:15,500
Will Genghis Khan's final
resting place ever be found?
662
00:37:15,583 --> 00:37:18,167
It might seem impossible
after all this time,
663
00:37:18,250 --> 00:37:21,667
but new technology is
helping archaeologists
664
00:37:21,792 --> 00:37:25,083
discover tombs that
were lost for centuries,
665
00:37:25,208 --> 00:37:27,417
including a number
of Egyptian burial sites
666
00:37:27,542 --> 00:37:29,667
that weren't found by digging,
667
00:37:29,792 --> 00:37:32,042
but rather by satellites
668
00:37:32,167 --> 00:37:34,458
orbiting the Earth.
669
00:37:40,708 --> 00:37:43,708
Archaeologists
from the University of Alabama
670
00:37:43,833 --> 00:37:45,958
announce that they have
discovered thousands
671
00:37:46,042 --> 00:37:50,375
of ancient Egyptian sites by
analyzing satellite imagery.
672
00:37:51,833 --> 00:37:55,250
Photographs taken from
435 miles above the Earth
673
00:37:55,375 --> 00:37:58,000
showed that the
ancient city of Tanis,
674
00:37:58,167 --> 00:38:00,750
which is located in
northeastern Egypt,
675
00:38:00,875 --> 00:38:04,458
was much larger than
previously thought.
676
00:38:04,583 --> 00:38:07,292
The images of
Tanis also revealed
677
00:38:07,375 --> 00:38:09,708
over 1,000 lost tombs
678
00:38:09,833 --> 00:38:12,500
that had been hidden
beneath the sands
679
00:38:12,583 --> 00:38:14,792
for thousands of years.
680
00:38:16,542 --> 00:38:19,625
We've known for 300
years roughly where Tanis is.
681
00:38:19,708 --> 00:38:24,333
But digging up a couple of
sphinxes or a temple is not
682
00:38:24,417 --> 00:38:27,042
the same as being able
to look down from above
683
00:38:27,167 --> 00:38:29,417
at the entire area.
684
00:38:30,708 --> 00:38:32,667
And to see not only
that it's four times
685
00:38:32,750 --> 00:38:34,792
larger than we thought it was,
686
00:38:34,917 --> 00:38:37,833
but also, when you look
down on the satellite imagery,
687
00:38:37,917 --> 00:38:41,042
there's a little cluster of
huts which gets a bit bigger,
688
00:38:41,208 --> 00:38:43,792
and then there's a kind of
mansion phase where people get
689
00:38:43,875 --> 00:38:45,667
these bigger buildings.
690
00:38:45,792 --> 00:38:49,042
There's a temple district,
and suddenly it allows you
691
00:38:49,208 --> 00:38:51,958
to see tombs below the earth
that people have never suspected
692
00:38:52,042 --> 00:38:53,792
were there before.
693
00:38:53,917 --> 00:38:56,542
What's happened
is that satellite imagery
694
00:38:56,667 --> 00:38:59,625
has actually given
us the entire layout
695
00:38:59,750 --> 00:39:02,167
of that city for the first time.
696
00:39:02,333 --> 00:39:04,625
As we go into the future,
697
00:39:04,708 --> 00:39:08,833
the techniques of archaeology
are becoming better and better.
698
00:39:10,708 --> 00:39:12,708
Space
archaeology allows you to look
699
00:39:12,875 --> 00:39:15,125
from above.
700
00:39:15,208 --> 00:39:17,417
Beyond the human spectrum.
701
00:39:17,542 --> 00:39:18,958
It can look into the infrareds,
702
00:39:19,083 --> 00:39:21,792
so it can see tombs
and cities below the earth
703
00:39:21,917 --> 00:39:24,333
that people have never
suspected were there before.
704
00:39:25,708 --> 00:39:28,375
Thanks to
these technological tools,
705
00:39:28,542 --> 00:39:31,917
finding hidden tombs is
becoming much easier,
706
00:39:32,042 --> 00:39:36,833
including in areas that are
extremely difficult to excavate,
707
00:39:36,917 --> 00:39:40,583
such as under the shifting
sands of the Arabian desert.
708
00:39:40,708 --> 00:39:43,667
Which was where, in 2021,
709
00:39:43,792 --> 00:39:47,000
an incredible tomb
structure was discovered
710
00:39:47,125 --> 00:39:49,208
near the city of Al-'Ula
711
00:39:49,375 --> 00:39:52,500
in northwest Saudi Arabia.
712
00:39:54,042 --> 00:39:56,559
In the deserts
of Arabia, many round structure tombs
713
00:39:56,583 --> 00:39:59,333
have been discovered
using satellite technologies.
714
00:39:59,500 --> 00:40:02,625
These features are often
located in very remote places.
715
00:40:02,708 --> 00:40:04,333
But with such
technologies, we can
716
00:40:04,417 --> 00:40:06,083
locate them much more easily.
717
00:40:06,208 --> 00:40:09,458
What they worked
out was that, at some point,
718
00:40:09,542 --> 00:40:11,625
six and a half
thousand years ago,
719
00:40:11,708 --> 00:40:14,667
there had been a
monumental tomb structure
720
00:40:14,792 --> 00:40:17,500
in what is now
the Arabian desert.
721
00:40:17,625 --> 00:40:20,458
And so, suddenly, that
changes our perspective
722
00:40:20,583 --> 00:40:23,917
on the history of the
Arabian Peninsula.
723
00:40:24,042 --> 00:40:26,167
And we've worked that
all out because a satellite
724
00:40:26,292 --> 00:40:28,875
notices something
from way, way up.
725
00:40:30,042 --> 00:40:32,458
No matter what
tools we use to find them,
726
00:40:32,583 --> 00:40:36,625
the search for lost
tombs will continue.
727
00:40:36,708 --> 00:40:39,250
Because these
sacred burial places
728
00:40:39,375 --> 00:40:42,292
contain secrets about our past.
729
00:40:42,375 --> 00:40:45,417
Some tombs are elaborate,
730
00:40:45,542 --> 00:40:49,583
some are mystical
and some are hidden
731
00:40:49,708 --> 00:40:51,792
right beneath our feet.
732
00:40:53,750 --> 00:40:55,833
Human beings
have been burying their dead
733
00:40:56,000 --> 00:40:59,583
for millennia, and
we're often unaware
734
00:40:59,708 --> 00:41:02,333
that we're walking
around on cemeteries
735
00:41:02,458 --> 00:41:03,875
from the distant past.
736
00:41:04,042 --> 00:41:06,542
But sometimes a tomb is
the only way
737
00:41:06,667 --> 00:41:08,417
we can access the past.
738
00:41:09,500 --> 00:41:11,083
The further you go back
in history,
739
00:41:11,208 --> 00:41:12,917
the greater the likelihood
740
00:41:13,042 --> 00:41:15,375
that a tomb is the only way
you're gonna find out
741
00:41:15,542 --> 00:41:17,500
about life back then.
742
00:41:17,625 --> 00:41:20,500
The amazing thing
about archaeology
743
00:41:20,625 --> 00:41:22,542
is it repeatedly confronts us
744
00:41:22,667 --> 00:41:24,958
with what we never
even dreamed of.
745
00:41:25,958 --> 00:41:28,583
Could there be
thousands of lost tombs
746
00:41:28,708 --> 00:41:31,333
scattered around the world,
waiting to be found?
747
00:41:31,458 --> 00:41:34,042
It's a tantalizing prospect.
748
00:41:34,208 --> 00:41:37,417
But maybe we should remember
that our ancestors
749
00:41:37,542 --> 00:41:40,375
sometimes went to great lengths
750
00:41:40,500 --> 00:41:43,667
to build and hide
their sacred burial places.
751
00:41:43,750 --> 00:41:48,000
So while we're
exploring ancient tombs,
752
00:41:48,083 --> 00:41:52,125
we should also take care to let
the dead rest in peace
753
00:41:52,208 --> 00:41:55,667
and allow their journey
into the afterlife
754
00:41:55,750 --> 00:41:58,625
to remain undisturbed and...
755
00:42:00,208 --> 00:42:02,417
unexplained.
756
00:42:02,542 --> 00:42:04,600
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