All language subtitles for Ancient Top 10 S01 E01_track3_[eng]

male narrator: This week on
"Ancient Top Ten"...

The secrets
of the Sphinx unveiled.

‐ Sometimes what you think you
know is called into question,

and the Sphinx is a perfect
example of that.

narrator: The spine‐chilling
secrets of mummification.

‐ They created
over 70 million mummies.

Absolutely amazing.

narrator: An ancient scroll
so controversial

it's been called the first
porn magazine in history.

‐ This sordid scroll has
given us more insight

into the ancient Egyptians
than any other discovery

I can think of.

narrator: And the most
incredible ancient treasure

of all time.

‐ In terms of history,

in terms of civilization,

this is priceless.

narrator:
Where will they be ranked

on the only top ten list

thousands of years
in the making?

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

narrator:
For 3,000 years,

until
Alexander the Great's armies

conquered it
in the 4th century B. C.,

ancient Egypt was the most

important civilization
in the world.

♪ ♪

‐ When you hear ancient Egypt,
you rightfully think of

the pyramids, the Sphinx,
the Nile river,

Cleopatra,
King Tut's tomb.

But with all that
body of knowledge we have,

there are secrets
we know nothing about.

narrator: This week's
"Ancient Top Ten."

♪ ♪

The list is ranked by
how each entry

has shaped our understanding
of ancient Egypt.

♪ ♪

At number 10,
the Great Sphinx.

‐ One of the most iconic
and yet mysterious figures

from ancient Egypt is the Sphinx
of the Giza Plateau.

narrator: The Great Sphinx
sits at the foot

of the pyramids near Cairo.

Some Egyptologists
believe it was carved

during the reign of
King Khafre in 2,500 B. C.

and in his likeness.

♪ ♪

One of the pyramids
to its rear is his tomb.

♪ ♪

With the head of a king
and the body of a lion,

the role of the Sphinx
may have been

to guard the pharaoh's
final resting place.

It is the largest statue ever
carved out of

a single piece of stone,

240 feet long,
60 feet high,

and wrapped in riddles.

For one thing,
the true size of the Sphinx

was a mystery
for millennia.

‐ Up to a century ago,
the Great Sphinx

was buried up to its neck
in sand.

narrator: These photos show
how the Sphinx looked

circa the 1920s,

its head
and upper body visible.

In 1925, an effort began
to see more.

‐ Then archaeologists decided
to dig and dig

and excavate until
the entire body was revealed.

♪ ♪

narrator: There are smaller
sphinxes all over Egypt,

and in the Temple
of Luxor alone,

there are over 1,300
statues of them,

underscoring
how important they were

to ancient Egyptian culture.

Beyond size, there is
a second, bigger mystery.

‐ If you look closely
at the surface of the Sphinx,

you'll see tiny traces of paint

where 3,500 years ago,

King Thutmose
had the surface restored.

Now, if you think about it,

3,500 years ago

it was in need
of restoration.

Just how old is this thing?

♪ ♪

narrator: In the 1950s,
new evidence

further put into question
the age of the Sphinx.

‐ There are water erosion marks
on the body

of the Sphinx
caused by rain.

But that level of rain
hasn't been around Egypt

for over 9,000 years.

♪ ♪

narrator: If these
erosion marks were made

9,000 years ago,
long before

this part of Africa
was a desert,

then Egyptian civilization
is far older

than previously thought.

Or perhaps the civilization
of the Pharaohs

was born from an even older
long lost civilization.

That would be the biggest
secret of them all.

♪ ♪

Number nine on our countdown

can't match
the wise Sphinx in age,

but in height,
there was no contest.

♪ ♪

It's the Pharos lighthouse.

‐ The Pharos lighthouse
of Alexandria

is one of the Seven Wonders
of the ancient world.

People would come
from all over the globe

to wonder at its splendor.

narrator:
This is Alexandria, Egypt.

In the third century B. C.,

it was one of
the greatest cities

of the ancient world.

It was built around
a deep natural harbor

where the Nile
enters the sea.

On an island in the harbor,

at the end
of a manmade causeway

3/4 of a mile long,

an incredible lighthouse
was constructed,

to guide ships safely in.

‐ Twice the height of America's
tallest lighthouse today.

The mighty Pharos.
Alexandria's great lighthouse.

♪ ♪

‐ The Pharos
was 400 feet high.

That is the height of
a 40‐story building.

Incredible.

♪ ♪

narrator:
At 400 feet high,

the Pharos may have
been taller

than the Statue of Liberty,

and just like its modern
counterpart,

it was designed to welcome
people and make a statement.

‐ It would be the first thing
that visitors would see,

this enormous,
awe‐inspiring monument

that tells them
that they have arrived.

narrator: The Pharos stood
for over 1,500 years.

For all that time,
there was nothing like it.

‐ The architectural
sophistication

of this thing would just
take your breath away.

narrator: The Pharos had
a huge square base

of granite blocks,

sealed together
with molten lead.

‐ Some of the blocks used to
build the Pharos lighthouse

were among the largest used
in ancient construction.

They were 20 feet by 8 feet.

They were massive.

The size of
shipping containers.

‐ Even today,
it would be thought of

as an amazing feat,
the size of a modern skyscraper.

narrator: Tourists could even
buy a ticket and go to the top,

where there was
an observation deck.

This was the Empire State
Building of its day.

♪ ♪

At night, a fire was lit to act
as a beacon for shipping.

‐ As a lighthouse,
it's incredibly effective.

That light could be seen
over 35 miles.

narrator: Amazingly,
the light from the Pharos

could be seen just as far
in the daytime.

This would have been impossible
with just the light of a fire.

‐ How did the Pharos lighthouse

possibly generate
that much light?

I mean, modern lighthouses
can generate light

to extend about 20 miles,
and that's because

they have these super powerful
electric bulbs.

The Pharos lighthouse
is essentially a mystery.

There must have been some
advanced engineering involved.

♪ ♪

‐ Well, this is one of
the things that's so mysterious

and amazing about this site.

What was making that light
2,000 years ago?

‐ We are told that
the lighthouse of Alexandria

had these specially designed
mirrors attached to the top,

and the purpose of
these mirrors was to

focus the rays of the sun.

narrator: Could there have been
one giant mirror

catching the sun's rays
and bouncing them

to another
that was the beacon?

They would each have had to
rotate and be aligned

and move together.

That's the kind of
sophistication we find today

in modern solar power plants.

Astonishingly, the lighthouse
holds an even greater secret.

The mysterious mirrors may have
been much more

than a beacon for
ships at sea.

‐ There are actually
ancient sources

that say the lighthouse
could focus

a lethal beam of light
and aim it at enemy ships,

burning them.

‐ This is the ancient equivalent
of a laser beam,

and considering this was
thousands of years ago,

it is a phenomenal
achievement.

narrator: And why did
the people of Alexandria

need such a super weapon?

Because they had
the greatest library,

and their enemies would do
anything to get a hold

of all the scientific knowledge
it contained.

♪ ♪

‐ Everything that was
written down was stored

in the Great Library
of Alexandria.

It was like a kind of
living Internet of its day.

♪ ♪

There were 550,000 volumes,

and if you read a new one
every day,

you would be sitting in that
library for over 1,500 years.

narrator: Alexandria would
want to stop anyone

from attacking its
precious library.

A super weapon would certainly
discourage any attempts.

‐ Stories of this ancient
laser beam may not be true,

but if your enemy
believes that it is,

then that is enough
of a deterrent.

♪ ♪

narrator: Just the idea
of a death ray

and complicated,
revolving mirrors

is enough to change our view
of the ancient Egyptians.

‐ It's incredible to think

that the mighty Pharos
stood at the harbor

in Alexandria
for 1,500 years.

It was so well built
that it actually took

a massive earthquake
to finally finish it off.

♪ ♪

‐ There's never been anything
like the Pharos before

or since,
for that matter.

2,000 years later,
it's still

the greatest lighthouse
ever built,

so much so, the word "pharos"
in many languages,

still means lighthouse.

narrator: This is
"Ancient Top Ten's"

top ten secrets of Egypt,

ranked by experts,
according to how

they've shaped our view
of this civilization.

♪ ♪

The fertile Nile valley
was a vibrant place,

teaming with life.

Egyptian society
was rich and colorful

and apparently,
not afraid to express itself.

Coming in at number eight

is a scandalous find.

♪ ♪

The Turin Erotic Papyrus.

♪ ♪

At the beginning
of the 19th century,

a local farmer
near the Valley of the Kings

stumbled across an intriguing
earthenware vessel.

It was on the site of where
the laborers lived

who worked on the tombs.

There was something
hidden inside.

♪ ♪

It was an ancient papyrus,

which shook the world
of Egyptology to the core.

‐ When it was uncovered,
it was described

as an image of
monstrous obscenity.

♪ ♪

narrator:
The papyrus was covered

in the most graphic,
intimate pictures.

♪ ♪

‐ The Turin Erotic Papyrus

was discovered in a workman's
village, Deir el‐Medina.

Now, it's possible
that these men were all

passing this thing
around to each other,

so it could have been one of
the first men's magazines.

♪ ♪

narrator:
And this is it.

These fragments
of ancient scroll,

over eight feet long,

are 3,000 years old.

It's called
The Turin Erotic Papyrus

because it's kept here
in a museum in Turin in Italy.

♪ ♪

And it's recommended
for adults only.

♪ ♪

Sex was often represented
by the Egyptians in art,

but in a very different way
than the papyrus.

‐ In ancient Egypt,
we see sex depicted

at the level of the gods
in private spaces like temples,

but these are more symbolic.

When we're talking about
the papyrus,

this much more closely
resembles human pornography.

♪ ♪

narrator: So if it wasn't
for religious purposes,

it really may have
been created

for much more erotic uses.

‐ The papyrus shows
12 raunchy scenes.

We're talking older men
with younger women.

Sex of all sorts.

It's quite shocking,
actually.

♪ ♪

narrator: This material
is considered so vulgar

that we can only
show snippets.

‐ I've seen quite a lot
of ancient erotic art

in my time,
but for me,

the Turin Erotic Papyrus

is quite frankly
jaw‐dropping.

Basically anything
that can happen

is happening.

narrator: And this is why
it makes it

to the "Ancient Top Ten" list.

It changes and humanizes
our view of ancient Egypt.

‐ This scroll has given us
more insight

into the ancient Egyptians
than any other discovery

I can think of.

With this perspective,
we now know

that as spiritual
as the Egyptians were,

they were also
as human as us,

with the same desires as us.

And I find that
kind of comforting.

♪ ♪

narrator: At number seven,

a more G‐rated secret.

♪ ♪

The unfinished obelisk,

one of the most amazing
engineering feats

from ancient Egypt.

‐ Obelisks were huge
stone structures.

They were monoliths
found all over Egypt.

They were absolutely
incredible.

♪ ♪

‐ In London, Paris
and in Rome,

we find these incredible
ancient Egyptian obelisks,

and each of them
is a testament

to the cult of the sun.

They are absolutely
mesmerizing,

and we remain in awe of them
and for very good reason.

narrator:
Obelisks were giant pillars

pointing upwards towards
the sun god, Ra.

♪ ♪

In a quarry here in Aswan,
in southern Egypt,

is the biggest obelisk
of all,

but it's still attached
to the bedrock.

If it had been finished
and erected,

it would have been nearly as
high as Niagara Falls.

♪ ♪

‐ The unfinished obelisk
is huge.

If it were finished, it would
have been over 140 feet tall.

This thing would have surpassed
any other obelisk made

in ancient Egypt
to this point.

♪ ♪

‐ It would have weighed in

at around 1,200 tons.

That's almost six times
the weight

of the Statue of Liberty.

♪ ♪

narrator: The modern world
has its own obelisk

inspired by ancient Egypt:

the Washington Monument.

It was built
in the 19th century,

but modern building
techniques were unable

to match those
of the ancient Egyptians.

‐ The Washington Monument
is bigger, but it cheats.

It's made with a steel frame
and 30,000 separate bricks.

But this‐‐this is
the real deal.

It's made out of one
solid piece of granite.

narrator: And there were
no metal tools back then.

This was the 15th century B. C.

They were hitting rock
with rock.

‐ 130 men
in cramped conditions,

all trying to carve this thing
out of the ground

with only a slighter harder rock
to cut it.

narrator: But the unfinished
obelisk was left in place.

Why was it abandoned
after so much work?

‐ Chipping it away,
day after day, week after week,

month after month,
possibly even for years.

Then they find the flaw.

A crack in the obelisk.

narrator: In their efforts
to separate it

from the bedrock,
the obelisk had split.

‐ All of that work,
all of that effort for nothing.

narrator: It earns its place on
the "Ancient Top Ten" list

because it would have been
the greatest

solid obelisk in history,

reinforcing our view
of ancient Egyptians

as master builders.

‐ It's just mind‐blowing
to think they achieved

some of the most incredibly
refined stonework

with some of
the simplest tools imaginable.

It's a feat
any modern day stonemason

would steer well away from.

narrator: This is Giza,

the site of the pyramids
near Cairo.

The pyramids themselves were
plundered in ancient times,

all their treasures stolen.

But in 1954 there was
an amazing find here.

An entire ship,
buried in the desert.

And it's our
number six secret.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

The Khufu Ship.

‐ A ship buried in the desert
outside the pyramid.

And this was a huge vessel,
bigger than the Mayflower,

and over 4,000 years ago.

Incredible.

narrator: The ancient ship
was buried around 2,500 B. C.,

in a pit carved
out of the solid bedrock.

♪ ♪

143 feet long,
and just under 20 feet wide,

now in a specially built museum
on the site at Giza,

it's the world's oldest
intact ship.

‐ The Khufu ship
is one of the largest

and best‐preserved boats
from antiquity.

It's incredible to think that
this boat made of wood

has survived 4,500 years.

narrator: The entire ship
had been dismantled.

Its wooden parts were stacked
neatly in the pit.

♪ ♪

In re‐assembling the ship,

ancient techniques
came to light.

‐ What was particularly amazing
about it

was how this ship
was built.

There were no fixtures
or fittings.

It was all held together

with beautifully
crafted joints

and tied together with rope.

♪ ♪

narrator: The rope was made
from grass.

In total,
there was over a mile of it.

‐ Before this, we believe
the Egyptians used reed boats.

But this is the first
significant wooden boat,

and it's also the first
construction of its kind

to be built without nails.

narrator: It was a sleek,
beautiful design,

and completely sea‐worthy.

But why was it buried
in the middle of the desert?

What was it for?

‐ The Khufu ship never actually
went to sea,

because it was
a funeral barge.

narrator: The ship was meant
to transport the dead pharaoh

up to his place
in the heavens.

‐ Clearly, assembling the boat
in the afterlife

wouldn't have been
such a great task for a pharaoh.

In fact, maybe he killed
a handyman or two

to go along with him.

narrator: The ship tells us
about the Egyptians'

deepest beliefs and
is a landmark in engineering.

It's so sophisticated,

this knowledge and skill
must have come

from many centuries
of ship building,

which means Egypt
must have been

a great seafaring nation
much earlier

than previously thought.

‐ It absolutely transformed
our understanding

of seafaring 4,500 years ago,

and that's why
it's in my top ten.

♪ ♪

narrator: Another buried ship
has now been found at the site.

And it's thought
there might have been

up to seven in total
at Giza.

All for the benefit of
the afterlife of the pharaohs.

♪ ♪

But at number five
on our list

is something that was
an underground secret

the size of a mountain.

♪ ♪

Early in the 19th century,

a young Egyptian boy
guided some archaeologists

to a rock‐face
near his village.

He had found
some unusual carvings,

exposed by
the moving sands.

♪ ♪

The archaeologists returned
and began to dig.

♪ ♪

What emerged
was one of the most

amazing buildings
in the world.

It was carved
straight into the rock‐face,

and it was the height
of a ten‐story building.

♪ ♪

‐ Imagine their excitement.

They're unearthing
this incredible

monument in a mountain.

It's the tip of the iceberg.

And as the full scale
of this discovery

is made clear to them,

you know, they must have been
just in awe.

♪ ♪

narrator:
Abu Simbel.

A huge temple from
the 13th century B. C.

‐ One of the greatest buildings
in ancient Egypt.

One of the greatest buildings
in the world, surely.

narrator:
It faced the River Nile

and was built to amaze
and intimidate

Egypt's southern neighbors,

and to show the authority
of the pharaoh.

♪ ♪

‐ Suitably,
it's one of the greatest

monuments in ancient Egypt,

because it's dedicated to
one of the greatest pharaohs.

narrator: The pharaoh
was Ramesses II,

also known as
Ramesses the Great.

He was the most powerful
pharaoh ever

and reigned for over
70 years.

And at the front
of the temple,

giant statues of Ramesses

a colossal 67 feet high.

‐ These figures at Abu Simbel
are absolutely enormous.

Each statue is taller than
the faces at Mount Rushmore.

♪ ♪

narrator: The giant carvings at
Mount Rushmore

were made with explosives.

♪ ♪

But that was in
the 20th century.

Abu Simbel was made
over 3,000 years ago.

♪ ♪

They didn't even
have iron tools.

‐ The whole thing was made
in just about 20 years,

and of course
this is long before

the age of
modern machinery.

We're still trying to figure out
just exactly how they did it.

narrator:
All the Egyptian workers had

were small copper chisels

to carve something
the size of a mountain.

Each workman
would wear through them

at the rate of about
three a day.

These weren't slaves,
but they weren't

paid workers either.

This was well before
the days of money.

In return for their work,

they received
something refreshing

and thirst‐quenching.

‐ Construction workers
in ancient Egypt

were compensated
with food,

but also with beer,
possibly even

a gallon and a half a day.

So can you imagine
hauling rocks around

in the hot sun all day?

Beer would definitely
lighten the load.

narrator: Once the construction
was finished,

the painting started.

‐ We see them only
as they are now,

as a dusty brown color.

But they would have been
brightly colored.

So when we look at surviving
Egyptian buildings,

they are nothing like
they used to have been.

narrator: They would have
looked like this.

♪ ♪

And inside:
a fabulous pillared hall.

With wall carvings to show
the glory of Ramesses.

But amazingly, none of this
is where it used to be.

‐ In the 1960s,
the Aswan Dam project

flooded a lot of
southern Egypt,

and all
the magnificent temples

that were in the way
of the dam had to be moved.

Some of these were sold off
to foreign governments

and museums.

But Abu Simbel,
the work of Ramesses II,

was so important
that it was just moved

690 feet away
and 200 feet up,

where it stands majestically
to this day.

narrator: Abu Simbel earns
its place on the list

for revealing the power
of ancient Egypt

and the power
of the pharaohs.

‐ It is simply
one of the greatest endeavors

of mankind, ever.

It's towering,
imposing, magnificent.

We're not even sure
what its true name is,

for Abu Simbel
refers to the name

of the boy
who discovered it.

And the fact that
it was hidden in the sand

for all those years,

that's just mind‐boggling.

[dramatic music]

Now we're into the top four,

and it's time
for a shocking secret

that's become a symbol
of ancient Egypt

and a staple of horror films.
[woman screams]

♪ ♪

‐ Ask anyone what comes to mind
when you say "ancient Egypt,"

and I would bet you
that they say "mummies."

narrator: Mummies are the
preserved bodies of the dead.

The ancient Egyptians believed
that preserving the body

meant it would live on
in the afterlife.

This was true of everyone,
not just pharaohs.

So everyone wanted to be
mummified after death.

‐ The ancient Egyptians
seemed to believe

that their physical body
would be reunited

with their soul
in the afterlife.

narrator:
Mummies are evidence of this.

And it sets ancient Egypt apart
from other civilizations.

They believed
that after death,

the soul left the body,

but that at night
it would return to it

to receive new life.

That's why the body
had to be preserved.

‐ For the ancient Egyptians,
life after death

is just as
if not more important

than life before death,
and that's why mummies

are a vital part
of our countdown.

♪ ♪

‐ The ancient Egyptians were
obsessed with mummification.

In fact, some estimates suggest
that they created

over 70 million mummies.

Absolutely amazing.

‐ There were so many mummies

being produced
in ancient Egypt,

they got it down
to an absolute art form.

It must have been like
a production line.

A modern factory.

A mummy factory.

narrator: In the Egyptian
Museum in Cairo,

you can see the mummies
of the pharaohs.

♪ ♪

The warrior king,
Amenhotep II.

♪ ♪

The great monument builder
Ramesses II.

♪ ♪

And his father, Seti I.

‐ Mummification was an
incredibly intricate procedure.

All of the organs were removed
with surgical precision,

including the brain,
which was extracted

through the nose.

‐ They would soak the bodies
in vats of chemicals

to dry them out
and preserve the flesh.

narrator: And the body
was packed with salt.

This was a key
to preserving it.

‐ Next, the Egyptians
would apply

layer and layer
of bandages.

And this is what allowed the
body to be perfectly preserved

for thousands of years.

narrator: And the Egyptians
didn't let

any part of themselves
go to waste.

‐ There's evidence
that the pharaohs and the queens

even had their sex organs
dried and wrapped.

♪ ♪

narrator: These incredibly
preserved mummies

have survived for millennia.

Of course, the pharaohs
were mummified

better than anyone else.

♪ ♪

The Egyptians believed that
all living things had souls,

so they wanted
their pets mummified too.

Then they could be together
in the afterlife.

Across Egypt,
there were vast cemeteries

filled with
the mummified bodies

of family cats and dogs.

And even the crocodiles
kept to guard the temples

around ancient Egypt
were mummified.

♪ ♪

Mummies have shaped our view
of Egyptian belief.

Because of mummies,
we know that the Egyptians

thought the afterlife
was a physical place,

as much for ordinary people
and even animals,

as for the pharaohs.

And as an icon
of ancient Egypt,

they've thrilled
generations

and kept Egyptology
very much alive and kicking.

‐ It's absolutely iconic.
The idea of these dead bodies

preserved forever,
wrapped in bandages.

All the gruesome stories
are true.

narrator: While mummies
have shaped our view

of how Egyptians
looked at the afterlife,

our next secret
helped to decode everything

about the land of the living
in ancient Egypt.

♪ ♪

The key that unlocked
ancient Egypt.

The Rosetta Stone.

‐ In the late 1700s,
Napoleon and his troops

are invading Egypt.

Now they stumble across
the Rosetta Stone

while digging up
fortifications.

Luckily for us,
they realize

that this stone
was going to be

incredibly important.

narrator: A piece of granite
just three feet high,

it's now
the most visited exhibit

inside the British Museum
in London.

‐ The importance of the Rosetta
Stone can't be understated.

Its discovery was the turning
point in Egyptology.

This unlikely chunk of rock
changed everything.

narrator: It was because
of this rock

that experts were able to
understand hieroglyphics.

Before the Rosetta Stone,
no one could understand them.

They were just strange shapes
and symbols.

The Rosetta Stone
has three bands of writing,

one above the other.

‐ The key thing about it
is that it has information

written in three languages:

ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs,

Greek, and another ancient
language called Demotic.

narrator: When it was found,
classical scholars

could read
the ancient Greek.

It translated as a list of good
works done by the pharaoh.

And it was the name
of the Pharaoh, Ptolemy,

that eventually provided
the breakthrough needed,

because his name was uncovered
in the hieroglyphs.

‐ The fact that the same
information is written

in all three languages
means that we could

work out what
the hieroglyphs say.

And from that,
you can understand

the whole of
ancient Egyptian history.

narrator: Suddenly,
all the hieroglyphs

in Egypt became readable.

‐ Imagine you can't read
hieroglyphs and suddenly

you can look at a temple wall
and say, "That's Ramesses II,"

or "That's Amenhotep III."

Now as an Egyptologist,
I can't even imagine

how we would have understood

the Egyptian civilization
without this.

Just missing out
on the top slot

is one of the greatest building
projects of all time.

Coming in at number two...

[dramatic music]

It's pyramids.

♪ ♪

Pyramids have defined our view

of ancient Egypt.

They are symbols
of a civilization.

‐ The pyramids
embody everything

we love about
ancient Egypt.

The mystery,
the lost technology,

the unfathomable effort
that must have

gone into their creation.

This is why they have to be
on our list.

♪ ♪

narrator: Ancient pyramids
are found all over the globe.

From Central
and South America,

to the Middle East,

even all the way to Asia.

♪ ♪

But no one built them
on the same scale

or sophistication
as the Egyptians.

As this map shows,

there's a lot more
pyramids in Egypt

than the three famous ones
at Giza.

In fact, there are over
a hundred ancient pyramids

still standing,
all over Egypt.

‐ These pyramids have enough
material in them to build a wall

ten feet high
and five feet wide

all the way
from New York to LA.

Just incredible.

[men shouting together]

narrator: Pyramid building
started over 4,500 years ago,

and they may have built
as huge tombs for the pharaohs.

The pharaohs believed
they lived on after death,

and it could be
that the pyramids

were lavish homes for them.

But it's also thought that they
might have been built to help

the dead pharaohs
up to the heavens.

‐ The earliest pyramids are
over 4,500 years old,

and they're stepped, supposedly,
so that the soul

of the pharaoh could rise
up to heaven.

narrator: The ancient Egyptians
were building with stone

when other civilizations
were just using mud bricks.

The oldest?

Here at Saqqara,
19 miles south of Cairo.

Building started
around 2,660 B. C.

It's the world's first
stone superstructure

and was originally
over 200 feet high.

‐ It may have started out
as a flat‐roofed tomb,

and then another
smaller tomb

built on top of that,

until hey, presto,
you've got a pyramid.

♪ ♪

narrator: The first pyramids
were built like this.

Layer upon layer.

But the pyramid builders
went underground, too.

Beneath the Saqqara pyramid,
shafts 100 feet deep,

and two tombs
carved from the rock.

One for the body
and one for the cleaned,

dried organs, carefully
removed and stacked in boxes.

♪ ♪

These were just part of
an amazing network of tunnels

that stretched out
for three and a half miles.

The original pyramid architect,
Imhotep,

was so important
to the Egyptians

they made him into a god.

♪ ♪

Later pyramids
had the stepped sides

filled in and smoothed over,

then coated
with polished limestone

and capped with solid gold.

These pyramids shone brightly,
beacons for miles around,

perhaps linking
the dead pharaoh

with the mighty sun god.

‐ Or were they ritual centers,
used to project

the pharaoh's soul into
the constellation of Orion?

As you can probably tell,
we're not entirely sure.

narrator: But building
the perfect pyramid

didn't come right away.

First, came
the collapsed pyramid,

abandoned halfway through,

but still over 200 feet high,

and at the time the tallest
structure in the world.

♪ ♪

The Bent Pyramid.

344 feet high.

Then the Red Pyramid.

Copper chisels were being
used now and bigger blocks.

The base?
The size of

ten football fields.

‐ And of course the greatest
pyramid of all,

The Great Pyramid of Giza.

Pyramid perfection.

♪ ♪

narrator: The tallest structure
in the world

for nearly 4,000 years.

This was the pinnacle
of pyramid building in Egypt.

To get to this point
took six generations

and six pharaohs.

‐ The remarkable thing is,
when the ancient Egyptians

were building the pyramids,
they were adding

one or two stone blocks
every few minutes.

I mean, that's incredible.

narrator:
These amazing structures

have stood the test of time

like nothing else on Earth.

The question is, why did the
Egyptians stop building them?

‐ The ancient pyramids of Egypt
were plundered in antiquity,

and that's why
it's theorized that

later pharaohs buried
themselves and their treasures

in the Valley of the Kings
in hidden tombs.

narrator: By 600 B. C.,
pyramid building in Egypt

was coming to an end.

The power and prestige
of the pharaohs was waning.

The Pyramids were
a truly incredible achievement

and the most iconic symbol
of ancient Egypt.

Even today,
pyramids are everywhere,

even on the dollar bill.

‐ The ancient Egyptians'
engineering prowess

was just astonishing

and way ahead of its time.

Buried in the mysterious
Valley of the Kings,

laid hidden and undiscovered
for 3,000 years

is the incredible treasure

of the most famous pharaoh
in history.

‐ Coming in at number one
are some of the treasures

discovered in one of
the most amazing

archaeological discoveries
in history.

It's the treasures of the tomb
of Tutankhamun.

[dramatic music]

♪ ♪

‐ The treasures of King
Tutankhamun are the single most

sensational find
in Egyptology.

That's why it just had to be
our number one.

♪ ♪

narrator: In the 1920s,
the British archaeologist

Howard Carter began
one of the most

incredible explorations
of ancient Egypt.

After years of searching

and on the verge
of giving up,

he discovered
a secret hidden tomb

which would change history.

When he finally broke open
the tomb in 1922,

the world for the first time
saw the real secrets of Egypt.

‐ For me, it doesn't get
any more exciting than this.

And Carter is the only
Egyptologist to have done this,

discovered the last resting
place of a pharaoh intact.

narrator: It was brimming
with treasure

and priceless artifacts.

‐ The Egyptians buried 5,000
treasures in this tomb,

many of which are pure gold.

‐ Gold wasn't all about
just showing off your wealth.

To the ancient Egyptians,
it was the key to immortality.

‐ Life and death in
ancient Egypt

were really closely
intertwined,

so the pharaohs
would take with them

things from life into death.

♪ ♪

narrator: The treasure was
beyond anyone's wildest dreams.

Jewelry,

two thrones,

six war chariots.

Everything the young
pharaoh would need

in the next life...
and even more.

‐ It had spare pairs
of underwear,

new clothes, it even had
a linen condom so that he could

enjoy safe sex
in the afterlife.

narrator: And for even
more protection,

King Tut's outer coffin
was covered in gold.

‐ Tutankhamun was buried
in a series of coffins,

one inside of another,
like a Russian doll.

And the last one,
the most precious one,

the amazing one
was made of solid gold,

weighing over 250 pounds.

narrator:
Inside this golden coffin

was an even
greater treasure.

It was the face of
a 3,000‐year‐old pharaoh.

It was an amazing secret
of Egypt, now revealed.

The incredible golden
death mask of Tutankhamun.

‐ It's rare that there's
genuine perfection in art,

but if anything comes close,
it's gotta be

the death mask
of Tutankhamun.

♪ ♪

‐ Even by modern standards,

this is an extraordinary
piece of sculpture.

As a piece of portraiture,
it is a beautiful portrait

of a young, Egyptian boy.

narrator: Tut's death mask
was surrounded

by precious stone.

The stunning blue is lapis
lazuli from Afghanistan.

Quartz and obsidian
in the eyes

that came across
the Mediterranean.

It weighs 24 pounds

and is an ancient masterpiece.

♪ ♪

‐ Can you imagine what
it must have been like

to hold up that mask
for the first time

and stare King Tutankhamun
square in the eyes?

‐ The moment I laid eyes

on King Tut's
golden death mask,

I fell in love with
the treasure of ancient Egypt.

‐ In terms of history,
in terms of civilization,

this is priceless.

narrator:
Imagine what the tombs

of the other,
greater pharaohs

might have contained
before they were robbed.

‐ It just makes
the mind boggle

when you think this was what
was left for the dead.

So just imagine what wealth
there was

in the land of the living.

♪ ♪

‐ Tutankhamun had vanished
from history.

Now, thanks to this treasure,
his face is immortal.

♪ ♪

narrator:
A fantastic treasure,

and a worthy and undisputed
number one.

Because of this undreamt of
secret find,

we can get a true feeling
for the might

of the pharaohs and the power
and the glory of ancient Egypt.

There has been no civilization
like Egypt before or since.

Its incredible buildings
and treasures can't be matched.

It's a land of mystery
and a land of secrets,

and it will continue
to amaze and astonish

for millennia to come.