All language subtitles for Secrets.in.the.Sand.S01E02.1080p.WEB.h264-BAWD_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR: A bizarre
discovery in Egypt,

along the banks of the Nile,
has experts stumped.

- They find ten bodies in total,
laid side by side.

But why were they buried here?

NARRATOR: A natural phenomenon

has gone unexplained for decades.

- These circles are
a hotly debated mystery

amongst botanists, biologists,
and ecologists alike.

- So what is creating them?

NARRATOR: And new discoveries
unearthed in the Nile River delta

could solve the mystery
of an ancient lost city.

- The more they dig,
the more the sands reveal,

and this is no casual build.

NARRATOR:
Astonishing discoveries unearthed

from the depths of the desert.

- (rattle snake hisses)
- (wind swirls)

NARRATOR: Ancient lost cities...

forgotten treasures...

mysterious structures...

extraordinary curiosities,

once lost to the sands of time,
are revealed.

As new technology uncovers

remarkable tales hidden
beneath the deserts of the world,

the Secrets in the Sand
will finally...

be exposed.

- (rocks crumbling)

- (wind whistling)

- (radar beeps)

NARRATOR: Around 700km
south of Cairo,

across the Nile River
from the town of Aswan,

is the ancient Egyptian site

of Qubbet al-Hawa.

- It's situated very close
to the western edge of the Nile

and looks like a huge sand dune
rising up from the riverbank.

- Perched on top of the hill is
a small domed shrine

that gives the site its name:
Qubbet al-Hawa,

which means "Dome of the Wind."

NARRATOR: The dome
dates back to 2500 BCE.

While conducting fieldwork nearby,

a team of archaeologists
discovered something incredible,

which dated back
to the Byzantine Era.

- They find the remains
of ancient crocodiles.

It's a bizarre sight.

- And it's not just a couple of
crocodiles. They find ten in total,

laid side by side.

- (archaeologists
chatter indistinctly)

HARIDY: Five are just heads,

but one is a nearly
complete specimen,

measuring about 2m long.

The others range from 1.8 to 3.5m

and are in various states
of preservation.

NARRATOR: After analysing
the shape of the skulls

and the arrangement of the bony
plates, called scutes,

the team determined
that there were not only one,

but two different species
of crocodile present.

- They found West African
and Nile crocodiles,

both of which were native
to the area.

They're very similar in appearance,
but West African crocodiles tend

to be smaller and less aggressive
than their Nile counterparts,

which are estimated
to be responsible

for up to 200 deaths each year.

- (crocodile growls, munches)

NARRATOR: On average,
Nile crocodiles are between

4 and 4.5m long,

weigh around 400kg,

and have a lifespan
of 50-60 years in the wild.

While West African crocodiles

are typically between
1.5 and 2.5m long

and have a slightly
shorter lifespan.

- Although West African crocodiles
can still be found throughout

Central and West Africa, they have
vanished from the Nile region.

This is probably because of climate
change or human activity.

- (wind swirls)

NARRATOR: The crocodiles were
remarkably well preserved

due to the extreme heat
and arid conditions of the desert,

which aids in preventing rot
and tissue damage over long periods.

Examination of the crocodile remains

revealed that some of them
had bone fractures and lesions:

evidence of traumatic injury.

- One of the crocodiles has
a healed fracture on its dorsal ribs

and two healed fractures
on its ventral ribs.

Another has a healed
fracture on its fibula

and lesions on its left metatarsal
and right metacarpal.

But these injuries wouldn't have
been severe enough to kill them.

They were likely
the result of territorial fights.

- None of the bodies show signs
that they suffered a violent death

at the hands of humans
or other animals.

So, what happened
to these crocodiles?

NARRATOR: Further investigation

found small fragments of linen
with the bodies,

mostly eaten away by insects.

- Egyptians were known
to wrap human bodies

in linen as part
of the burial process.

Its presence suggests
that someone buried

these crocodiles here for a reason.

NARRATOR: Ancient crocodile remains

have been found
in other parts of Egypt,

most famously at Kom Ombo.

Approximately 50km north
of Qubbet al-Hawa,

the town contains a temple
dedicated to the god Sobek,

who manifested as a crocodile.

- Thousands of crocodiles have been
excavated around Kom Ombo

and many were found
to be wrapped in linen as part

of the mummification process.

So it's logical to conclude that
the bodies found at Qubbet al-Hawa

aren't just regular crocodiles.

They're crocodile mummies.

NARRATOR: Animal
mummification practices

were widespread
throughout ancient Egypt.

Cats, baboons, cows,

hawks and even frogs

have all been discovered
within tombs.

- They actually had breeding
programmes that supplied a stream

of different animals, specifically
to be killed and mummified.

It's been estimated that some

70 million animal mummies
were produced over 1,200 years,

from around 800 BCE to 400 CE.

- And when animal supply was low,
some shrewd entrepreneurs

produced and sold fake mummies.

The linen wrappings were stuffed
with things like eggshells,

sticks and feathers.

NARRATOR: Along with the linen,

the team also discovered small
pieces of rope around the remains.

- The rope means that the crocodiles

could have been tied up
before death,

indicating that they could
have been captive animals.

In terms of how they were mummified,

they could have been
simply buried in the sand

in order to desiccate
or mummify naturally.

LEONARD: Further testing is needed
to determine their exact age,

but the bodies have
no traces of resin,

which was used
extensively in mummification,

starting around 300 BCE,
during the Ptolemaic period.

HARIDY: When
they investigate further,

the team notices that the croc
mummies are surrounded

by simple rock structures,

that it's actually
a rudimentary tomb

that's part of
a much bigger complex.

But why were they buried here?

NARRATOR: Below the domed shrine
and built into the hill

is one of the most densely packed
cemeteries of ancient Egypt,

with hundreds of tombs
dating as far back

as 2500 BCE.

- It's called the
"Tombs of the Nobles"

and it's a truly remarkable place,

with four storeys of burial sites

gouged into the sandstone.

WEGNER: Many of the tombs are
connected, most likely by family,

and although they aren't
as well preserved

as other Egyptian burial sites,

there are hieroglyphic texts
and painted scenes that tell stories

about the lives of their occupants.

NARRATOR: Most of the crypts
follow the same basic floor plan:

an entrance hall,
a room with pillars,

and a passage that leads
to a burial chamber.

- The ones in the top tiers
tend to be a bit more humble,

while the lower ones
can be quite lavish.

The crocodiles were found lower down
so maybe that means

they were mummified
and buried as status symbols

for their owners in the afterlife.

- For ancient Egyptians,
possessing exotic animals

showed wealth and influence.

At the ancient site
of Hierakonpolis,

just over 100km to the north,

excavations have unearthed
the remains

of elephants, leopards,
baboons and even hippos

near the tombs
of prominent citizens.

WEGNER: The Egyptians were known
to keep dogs, cats and other animals

and if in a few rare cases,
if a pet died before its owner,

it was mummified and placed
in a tomb to wait for its master,

to keep him or her company
in the afterlife.

But there is no evidence that the
Egyptians kept crocodiles as pets,

They were feared
as very dangerous creatures.

NARRATOR: One Egyptian ruler,
Prince Thutmose,

went to great lengths
to ensure his beloved cat

was afforded the kind
of lavish lifestyle in the afterlife

as it was accustomed to
whilst alive.

- The cat is buried in its own
limestone sarcophagus,

ornately decorated with various
scenes and hieroglyphics.

At the back, a cat is shown
at a table piled high

with offerings to the gods,
and a lotus flower,

the symbol of resurrection.

- But the crocodile mummies
are just buried in the ground,

so it doesn't appear that they were
treated like the pampered pets

of the upper echelon
of Egyptian society.

What is going on here?

NARRATOR: A tomb
of crocodile mummies

discovered beneath the domed shrine
at Qubbet al-Hawa

left experts baffled
and in search of answers.

Mummified animals
were often dedicated

to the gods with whom
they were associated

and could have acted
as intermediaries

to carry a dedicator's prayer
to that god.

- We think that such animals
were raised in temples

and sold to worshippers
for this purpose:

to serve as votive offerings.

So mummified crocodiles might
have carried prayers to Sobek,

the crocodile god.

NARRATOR: The ancient Egyptians
were known to worship Sobek,

a deity frequently depicted
as a human

with the head of a crocodile,

who has a temple
in his name at Kom Ombo.

- Sobek was a very important god.

The Egyptians were afraid
of crocodiles, so they offered him

various things
in an attempt to please him.

NARRATOR: People
who lived along the river

relied on its flooding
to fertilise their crops.

They believed their offerings
were necessary to satisfy Sobek,

so that he would create
an adequate flood.

- (crocodile growls)
- To give an idea

of how seriously the Egyptians
took these offerings,

there were crocodile priests
whose sole purpose was

to mummify crocodiles
and offer them to the gods.

They were treated
and prepared virtually

the same way as human mummies.

- One mummy excavated at Kom Ombo

was found to have the leg
of a cow in its stomach.

This suggests that
it was fed by humans,

because in the wild,
crocodiles mainly eat fish,

small mammals and small reptiles.

- This crocodile was also found
to have over 25 mummified hatchlings

on its back. It's likely
this was meant to symbolise

crocodile mothers in the wild,
in order to represent fertility.

- Taking into consideration
the meat found in its stomach,

as well as the hatchlings, this croc
was probably a manifestation

of Sobek and may even have lived
in the temple dedicated to him.

NARRATOR:
Some offerings were considered

physical manifestations of Sobek.

Sacred crocodiles were
raised in captivity

and respected
as living representations

of the crocodile god.

- It's likely that
the crocodile mummies

at Qubbet al-Hawa
were votive offerings.

This is because there's no evidence
to show that they were treated

with the reverence
of the crocodiles at Kom Ombo,

so they probably weren't
avatars for Sobek.

- Although the linen suggested these
crocodiles were mummies,

there's no indication on
their bodies that they underwent

an elaborate embalming process,

so they were likely naturally
mummified before being buried.

NARRATOR: Despite
their humble final resting place,

the crocodiles found
at Qubbet al-Hawa

embody just how important
these great beasts were

to the citizens of ancient Egypt.

It was a relationship based
on equal parts fear and admiration

for one of the most
awe-inspiring animals

on our planet.

- (radar beeps)

NARRATOR: The Namib Desert spans

more than 81,000 square kilometres

along Africa's western coast,

connecting the countries
of Angola, Namibia

and South Africa.

- In the local Nama language,
the word "Namib"

means "an area
where there is nothing".

- (wind swirls)

- (hooves thumping)

- It's one of the most remote
and inhospitable places

on the continent.

It has very low annual rainfall
and extreme temperatures

that can reach as high
as 45 degrees Celsius in the day

and fall well below freezing
at night.

NARRATOR: 160km
from the Atlantic Ocean,

a sliver of hyper-arid grassland
that borders the desert

is mysteriously dotted with millions

of unusual circles.

- Best viewed from above,
these strange,

oddly symmetrical
and evenly spaced circles

are a hotly debated mystery
amongst botanists,

biologists and ecologists alike.

- The Himba people of Namibia
believe them to be

the footprints of Mukuru,
the supreme creator.

NARRATOR: These rust-coloured spots

can range from 1.5m in diameter
in the central Namib desert,

while in the northwestern region,

they can grow up
to an enormous 25m across.

- Their uniformity
in both shape and spacing

makes them look almost man-made,

like the work of
a gardener gone wild.

However, the area is almost
completely uninhabited,

except for a few small settlements
and pastoral groups.

So, what are they?

- Because they look
quite similar to "fairy rings'',

an arc of mushroom growth often
found in forests and grasslands,

researchers have dubbed
this phenomenon "fairy circles."

- (wind whistles)

NARRATOR: Fairy circles
are barren spots of land

surrounded by tufts of healthy grass
that grow across a landscape,

creating a periodic, evenly spaced,

dotted growth pattern.

Fairy circles develop,
grow and die

as all plant life will,

depending on condition
and environmental circumstances.

Through long-term tracking
of their development,

and using mathematical calculation,

experts believe they have
an estimated life span

of 41 years.

- Researchers have observed
that some fairy circles

could be 75 years old.

It's even plausible that they've
been around for centuries.

So, what is creating them?

HARIDY: One hypothesis
stems from the notion

that decaying plants inhibit
the future growth of plant life,

resulting in a particular pattern
of barren land.

Is it possible a plant
could be so toxic,

that it would leave scars on
the landscape long after it's gone?

If so, the fairy circles,
could they be those scars?

- The Euphorbia damarana,
also known as Damara milk-bush,

is thought to be one of the most
toxic plants in Namibia.

NARRATOR: Euphorbia damarana
grows up to 3m tall

and between 3 and 5m wide.

Grey-green in colour,
this succulent shrub

contains a milky latex
that is not only toxic,

but capable of killing animals...

and humans.

NARRATOR: The Namibian
"fairy circles"

have puzzled scientists
for decades.

Could a deadly, toxic plant

be the evidence they were missing?

- Researchers found that
the residual latex in the soil

where this plant and its cousin
Euphorbia gummifera died,

resulted in faster
water-infiltration rates.

This leaves the soil unable
to hold water at the surface.

- Fairy circles appear
similarly hydrophobic,

with the top 20cm of earth
unable to hold water,

precisely where the grasses
with shallow roots would need it.

- These researchers even believe

they can predict the size
of future fairy circles

based on the relative size
of these toxic plants.

NARRATOR: Researchers
compared aerial imagery

taken over a period of 50 years,

to prove the euphorbia plants

were replaced with fairy circles
when they died.

- However,
a new research team returned

to the original area of study,

and using photographs,
drone imagery,

and historic satellite images,
they were able to prove

that new growth had in fact returned

to many of the locations
where these plants had died.

So, if not toxic plants,
what else could be the cause?

- Some researchers believe
that these circular patterns

could be the handiwork of insects.
And not just any insects.

The engineers
of the insect world: termites.

NARRATOR: The continent of Africa

has the richest diversity
of termites on the planet,

with over 1,000 species on record.

These subterranean insects
live in colonies ranging in size

from a few hundred individuals,

to societies of several million,

and their mounds can
measure up to 9m high

and 7m wide.

- Termites are integral
to the fertility

of the world's arid grasslands

and their colonies can even
directly influence landscapes.

- Savannas with a significant
number of termite mounds

are more likely to survive
with much less rainfall

than those without termites.

NARRATOR:
Termites clear out vegetation,

allowing rainfall to filter
deeper into the ground,

to hydrate a colony
for the entire year.

As a result,
these insect-rich grasslands

offer much-needed lifelines
to local plant and animal life,

by creating areas of comparative
biological abundance

in their immediate vicinity.

CANTOR: These industrious
insects have been known

to create patterns in a landscape.

Perhaps termites are eating
the roots of the grasses,

and systematically killing them.

Could this be what is creating
these circular designs?

- However,
termite mounds tend to result

in the mirror image
of fairy circles.

Where fairy circles are defined
by the absence of growth,

surrounded by vegetation,

a termite mound tends to feature
an island of growth

surrounded by dry land.

- While there are a few species
of termites living

in the area of the circles,
there does not appear to be

a sufficient food source
for the volume of termites

that would be necessary to create
patterns on such a large scale.

NARRATOR: In 2014,
near-identical fairy circles

were discovered over 10,000km away,

in the outback of Australia.

CANTOR: Research teams
converged on the area

and dug holes
inside the fairy circles

to assess the presence and influence

of Australian termites
on these patterns.

RESEARCHER:
And there's no sign of...

termite herbivory.

- Ultimately their findings
did not show a relationship

between the termites
and the patterns.

NARDI: By comparing aerial
footage of vegetation gaps

created by termites, researchers
found that the termite patterns

were much less organised
and smaller than the circles.

So clearly, insect activity
is not producing the fairy circles.

So, what is causing
this puzzling phenomenon?

- (wind swirls)

NARRATOR: Annual rainfall
across the Namib Desert

ranges from less than 2mm to 200mm,

but within this specific strip
of dotted grassland

the maximum rainfall is 120mm.

- With the incredible heat
of the Namib Desert,

water loss happens very quickly
due to absorption,

evaporation, and transpiration.

- New research suggests that
when under stress due to drought,

the grasslands have
to reorganise themselves.

- If this strip of the Namib
received

a few millimetres more of rainfall,

the grasslands would
show uniform growth,

like the hardier grasslands
to the west.

So, why are the grasses
dying off in this pattern?

- Immediately after the rains,

grass will grow in all areas,
filling in the circles.

But researchers noticed
that within the following 20 days,

young grasses
at the centre will die.

NARRATOR: The older,
more mature grass

appears to pull water away from
the centre, towards the edges,

creating a vacuum effect,
that can exist over great distances.

HARIDY: The grasses themselves
are engineering

the environment to their benefit.

They are maximising the rainfall
through the creation

of these fairy circles
and the result is

this beautiful, dotted landscape.

If proven to be true,
it's a stunning story

of survival under the harshest
of circumstances.

NARRATOR: In the end, the theories
behind the fairy circles

are still up for debate and
greater research is required

in the grasslands
of the Namib desert

to determine their ultimate origin.

Until then,

they remain an awe-inspiring
landscape to behold.

- (radar beeps)

- (insects chirp)

NARRATOR: 140km
north-east of Cairo,

in the province of Sharqia,

is an area of dry, rural land

that lies along the eastern
Nile River delta

and the town of Tell el-Dab'a.

- People have settled
this area for millennia.

Here, on the edge of the desert,

is one of the cradles
of human civilisation.

NARRATOR: Archaeologists interested
in the mysteries of ancient Egypt,

have visited
the Nile delta for years.

Through a combination
of persistence, determination

and advanced technology,
a team of researchers

uncovered something lost
to the world for millennia.

NARDI: Buried beneath layers
of earth and sand

are the remnants of
a large structure

constructed of sturdy
sandstone bricks.

WAKEFIELD:
It's a massive 7-8m wide

by 500m long white stone wall

buried along the town.

The more they dig,
the more the sands reveal.

And this is no casual build.

NARRATOR: The ancient
complex covers an area

of over 2 square kilometres

and appears to have been built up
over a long period of time.

- Excavation is difficult

given the number of local residents
and established farming communities

currently living and
working on the land.

NARRATOR: A combination
of traditional archaeology

and modern scientific techniques,

including core sampling
and geomagnetic surveying,

was used to ascertain
the full picture of the site.

ELLIS: It's a huge footprint.

There are courtyards,
residences, streets,

temples and so much more.

It appears to be an entire
settlement, or ancient city.

- In ancient times, the site
would have been connected

to the Mediterranean
and the Nile Valley,

offering clear strategic benefits

with access to the land,
river, and sea.

NARRATOR:
The Pelusiac branch of the Nile,

like many of the other
ancient Nile branches,

disappeared a long time ago,

due to a variety of human
and natural factors.

- The Nile River was critical
to the development of ancient Egypt,

and most of its villages, towns and
cities were built along its banks.

It was not only the main
mode of transportation,

but also the primary source
of clean drinking water

throughout the arid countryside.

- One would assume that this city
would be automatically

attributed to the ancient Egyptians,
but something here is off.

- Even though the structures
are made of traditional

Egyptian building materials,
this site has a more random,

disordered plan than one would
expect of Egyptian urban design.

That's kind of strange.
Who else could have built it?

NARRATOR: Continued excavation
and imaging of the enormous site

not only revealed
more of the layout,

but also exposed the timeline
of construction

through the differing
sedimentary layers.

Experts believe that this site

was continuously occupied
for thousands of years.

- This site is a historical puzzle.

There are foundations
on top of foundations,

newer, larger stone structures

built directly over top older ones.

It's mind-blowing!

One area of the site
features a structure,

likely a palace,
built directly on top

of a series of much
older foundations.

- This ancient village
or settlement includes

more than 342 four-roomed,

mud-brick residences.

They were very small,
even for that time.

NARRATOR: Archaeologists believe
this is the first and oldest

mud-brick settlement in the region,

and date the structure
to sometime between

1963 and 1934 BCE.

- The ceramic fragments discovered
in this layer of earth include

red-polished pottery
and simple clay vessels,

likely from Upper Egypt.
These findings indicate that

this early structure was from
a purely Egyptian settlement.

- Eventually,
these homes were abandoned,

and newer structures
were built on top.

And that's where things
begin to get weird.

They include a foundation
of a surprising,

clearly foreign building.

WEGNER: The plan of this structure
is reminiscent of a type of home

that would be found in northern
Syria, not here in Egypt.

The existence of this home signals
the presence of foreigners,

non-Egyptians
who settled in the area.

- Given the authentic style
of the home, the people who built it

and lived here likely came
from an area known as the Levant,

that's centred around what
is modern-day Palestine,

Syria and Jordan.

- The Levant was a region
encompassing the countries

surrounding
the eastern Mediterranean.

It extended from modern-day
Turkey to the north,

including the coastlines of Greece,
down to Egypt in the south.

The region was highly populated
and well-travelled for the time,

home to ancient trade centres
and routes.

So, perhaps this was
a Levantine outpost?

NARRATOR: At another site
within the compound,

archaeological teams
uncovered a much larger,

more palatial residence,
in keeping with Egyptian designs.

It is named "Palace Necropolis"

for the cemetery
within its walled enclosure.

Researchers examining
the cemetery concluded

the site spanned two entirely
different periods of time.

- The new tombs have been built
next to older tombs.

NARRATOR: The later tombs
have been built in a manner

that preserves the integrity
of the old tombs.

- The earlier graves are likely
from the 1900s BCE

and they are simple and shallow,
containing

few offerings for the afterlife.

Some also contain multiple people,
as well as animals.

- Dated approximately
350 years after the first

purely Egyptian settlement,
these newer tomb designs

and goods indicate both the economic
growth of the community,

as well as increased contact
with foreigners.

NARRATOR: Researchers analysed
the teeth of 75 of the remains

taken from the various
cemetery layers.

24 people were found to be

foreign-born residents
of the community,

indicating a distinct
diversity of peoples

living in direct proximity.

- The remains tell the story of
an increasingly diverse population

seemingly living
and dying in harmony.

So, what was happening here?

- Though most of Egypt's history
is well documented,

there is a period of about 100 years
that we know little about,

except for stories written 1500
years later by an Egyptian priest

named Manetho
in his book 'Aegyptiaca.'

- This one book told stories
of foreign invaders

taking over Egyptian cities
to rule the land.

These evocative accounts
took hold in the minds

of Egyptians and
Egyptologists alike.

- This history refers
to a capital city called Avaris,

and generations of Egyptologists
began looking for it

as far back as 1880.

So, could the modern site
of Tell el-Dab'a

actually be the lost city of Avaris?

NARRATOR: Exploring further,
archaeologists uncovered

what appeared to be another
large palace complex.

Within the grounds,
they found the remains

of a broken limestone door jamb

with carved impressions.

- The hieroglyphic impressions
on the door jamb connects

to the Hyksos,
of the Fifteenth Dynasty of Egypt.

The word Hyksos is Greek,
meaning "rulers of foreign lands."

- This palace is clearly not
Egyptian in style.

It appears to feature courtyards,

temples and multiple residences,

but it lacks that classic
Egyptian design balance.

NARRATOR: Ancient Egyptian
architecture often featured

ordered, structural symmetry

reflecting the concept
of balance and harmony

that they also sought in life.

The Luxor Temple,
The Temple of Ramesses III,

and the Temple of Isis

are all beautiful examples
of this design.

- This site shows
more similarities to palaces

built in Syria than it does
to local designs.

- Within this courtyard,
there are offering pits

with thousands of pieces
of broken pottery,

many from the Levant
and other foreign regions,

as well as animal bones.

This assemblage of objects
implies that it was the site

of great feasts and celebrations.

- Not only are there pits
with what appear to be

offerings from a ritual feast,

but other nearby pits contain
something that is entirely bizarre:

severed human hands!

NARRATOR: Near the modern city
of Tell el-Dab'a

along the ancient Nile River,
experts may have finally

identified the lost city of Avaris

and the mysteries
of its inner workings.

The discovery
of severed human hands

could be evidence of
an ancient Egyptian practice

known as "gold of valour."

This was a practice
where soldiers would exchange

the severed right hand
of their enemy,

proof of their victory in battle,
for gold from their leader.

- Discovered near the palace throne
room, likely used by King Khyan,

there are a total of 16 right hands.

- It's a truly gruesome find.

The hands have been dated
to around 3,500 years ago,

towards the end of the Hyksos reign.

WEGNER: To cut off
a dead enemy's hand

was an efficient way
of counting casualties,

and the hands were piled up
and counted by scribes

as the basis for awarding
the "gold of valour."

These 16 hands are the first
pieces of physical evidence

for a practice that, until now,
has only been documented

in Egyptian art and writing.

NARRATOR: Tell el-Dab'a
is now believed

to have once been
the city of Avaris,

the Hyksos capital
that flourished between 1650

and 1550 BCE.

It was eventually reclaimed
by the Egyptians

when the pharaohs
of the Eighteenth Dynasty

laid siege and took the city back.

- The most interesting part
of this discovery is not

that the city was foreign-ruled,
but that there are no signs

of forced invasion or
violent takeover by the Hyksos,

as told in the stories of Manetho.

Instead there are hundreds
of years of evidence

of cohabitation and collaboration
between immigrants and locals.

NARRATOR: This site may
never be entirely excavated,

nor will its finds ever be complete,

due to looting and continued
modern development in the area.

But the location is proof

that the Nile River delta
has always been a draw

for many people of the world.

- (wind swirls)

- (radar beeps)

NARRATOR: The Pisco Valley
on the Nazca Plateau

is situated near the southern
coast of Peru,

around 250km south of Lima,

the country's capital city.

- There are three basic
geographic regions in Peru:

the Selva,
which is Amazon rainforest,

the Sierra, which is the highlands
of the Andes mountains,

and the Costa,
which is the coastal region.

- The Nazca Plateau is in the Costa,

nestled between the Pacific Ocean
and the Andes.

It's mostly arid, rocky hills.

NARRATOR: A pilot conducting
an aerial survey of the valley

spotted something strange
on the ground below:

a long strip of
evenly spaced depressions,

weaving its way through
the jagged landscape.

- He can't figure out what it is.

It looks like a tyre track
from a huge bicycle

that someone rode through the hills.

It's enormous,
really a sight to behold.

NARRATOR: The band begins
at the mouth of the Pisco Valley

and ranges in width
from approximately

14 to 21m,

and snakes its way uphill

for almost a kilometre and a half.

ELLIS: It sticks out
like a sore thumb.

Clearly, this has to be man-made.

Formations like this
simply don't occur naturally.

But what is it?

NARRATOR: Ground-level
investigation at the site

revealed that the band was
made up of circular holes.

Thousands of them.

- It's estimated that there are
between 5,000-6,000 holes

measuring around 1m in diameter

and varying in depth
between 50 to 100cm.

- There are three
different types of holes:

some are raised
off the ground with rocks,

others appear to be dug
into the side of the hills

and some are standard holes
with soil lining the edges.

NARRATOR:
Locals call it "Monte Sierpe,"

which translates
to "Serpent Mountain,"

likely due to
its snakeskin-like appearance.

It's also known simply known
as the "Band of Holes."

Searching for answers,

researchers turned their attention
a couple of hundred kilometres south

to Peru's famous Nazca lines.

- The Nazca lines are one
of the world's largest geoglyphs,

spanning some 500 square kilometres.

There are more
than 800 straight lines,

300 geometric shapes,

and 70 plant and animal designs
called biomorphs.

- Given their relative proximity to
each other and because they're both

large-scale manipulations
of the earth,

some observers propose
that maybe the Band of Holes

is a form of ancient geoglyphic art.

- I suppose it's possible,

but the Nazca lines
clearly form images,

while the Band of Holes doesn't
appear to have any real order to it.

NARRATOR: Around
five kilometres from the site,

a huge 15th-century Inca complex

called Tambo Colorado can be found.

- Tambo Colorado was very
important to the Inca empire.

It was a regional centre
of economic,

cultural and
administrative activity.

- It's a pretty impressive place
with several large structures

surrounding a central plaza

And because of the hot,
dry environment,

it's remarkably well preserved.

- The complex is strategically
located on what was a main road

that connected the coast
to the inland region.

Here, the Inca could control
the flow of goods

and monitor access to water sources,

so it makes sense
that they may have wanted

to safeguard it against attack.

NARRATOR: Experts have proposed

that the Band of Holes was
built by the Incas

as a defensive structure
to protect this vital hub.

- They could've been foxholes —
pits dug into the ground for cover

against attacks or
used as firing positions.

Or maybe they were obstacles
designed to slow down the enemy.

NARRATOR: Doubters
are quick to point out

that if the Band of Holes was
a defensive structure,

then military artifacts would
have been discovered there,

yet none have been found.

- Strangely, no artifacts whatsoever

have been discovered
in or around the holes.

But researchers working nearby
recently found

small amounts of pottery
dating to the Late Horizon period,

which was between 1450 and 1533 CE,

a time when the Inca Empire grew to
dominate most of the Andean region.

- Given the dating of the pottery

and the proximity to Tambo Colorado,

it's safe to assume that the
Band of Holes was built by the Inca.

NARRATOR: The Inca were known
to use foot ploughs and stone picks,

and it's been estimated
that a healthy young man

could probably construct
one of these holes fairly easily,

within just a few hours.

- For projects like this,
they worked in teams of 10, 50,

100 or even 500 men.

And if you do the math,
a group of 100 men

could've completed the Band of Holes
in around a month.

- The Inca were famous,
very skilled engineers,

who constructed majestic sites
like Machu Picchu.

They also built and sustained

the longest road system
in pre-Columbian South America

through one of the most
challenging terrains on the planet.

So it's entirely reasonable
that they could have constructed

the Band of Holes
with relative ease.

- They had the skills,
they had the resources,

they had the manpower to build it,
but that still

doesn't answer the question
of what exactly it is?

NARRATOR:
Discoveries made at Inkawasi,

an Inca centre
similar to Tambo Colorado,

120km away,

may finally solve the riddle
of the Band of Holes.

- Archaeologists unearthed
a checkerboard pattern

built into the floor
of a huge open room.

There are 3,510 squares,

all measuring 23cm by 23cm,

and they were found
to contain traces of food.

- They also discovered quipus,
which are knotted string

counting devices
used by Inca state accountants.

- It's believed that the squares
on the floor were used by citizens

to measure out tributes
to the Inca state;

a form of taxation.

- People would fill up
their sections with produce;

beans, grains, peppers, squash,
whatever they had to offer,

and the accountants would record
whatever they had given.

NARRATOR: Researchers
can't help but notice

that despite
the difference in scale,

what was found at Inkawasi
does bear some resemblance

to the layout of the Band of Holes.

- It could be an improvised
regional adaptation

of the checkerboard system,
born out of necessity.

- Tax tributes were likely taken
to Tambo Colorado,

so the Band of Holes would
have been an ideal place

for people to stop
and measure their produce.

- There were no artifacts
in the holes,

meaning that they could have been
used to store perishable goods

or items that were
put there temporarily,

leaving no trace behind.

NARRATOR: Drone images
of the site also reveal something

that had previously
gone undetected:

distinct patterns
in the layout of the holes.

- When analysing the pictures,
they notice that the holes

seem to be divided into segments,

each one with a recognisable pattern

in terms of both orientation
and the number of holes in each row.

CANTOR: Some segments
have a diagonal arrangement

with a 1-3-5-7-9-11-11 pattern

in the number of holes per row.

Other segments contain
perpendicular east-west rows

in a 6-6-7-7-8-8 pattern.

- Each segment was probably
devoted to a tax-paying group,

maybe an extended family

or a regional association
of individuals.

NARRATOR: In order
to confirm their hypotheses,

the team hope to conduct future
thorough soil analysis.

- If the holes were used
to measure produce,

there will likely be remnants of
plant tissue or pollen left behind

which could be tested to determine
the dates when food was present.

- It could be a major step towards
broadening our knowledge

of the Inca taxation system

as well as Inca civilisation
as a whole.

NARRATOR: Should the Band of Holes
be proven a taxation site,

it will further illustrate
that even in the ancient world,

the only certain things in life

were death and taxes.

Subtitles by Sky Access Services