All language subtitles for Science.Ch.Unearthed.Series.1.Dark.Secrets.of.the.Pyramid.720p.HDTV.x264.AAC.MVGroup.org.eng

¶¶

Narrator: THE GREAT PYRAMID,

A MONUMENT
BUILT 4,500 YEARS AGO,

THE LAST SURVIVING WONDER
OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
TOOK WHAT THEY HAD

AND USED IT INGENIOUSLY.

THEY COULDN'T HAVE
DONE IT ANY BETTER.

Narrator: FOR CENTURIES,

THE GREAT PYRAMID
HAS BEEN A SYMBOL OF MYSTERY,

A STRUCTURE WITH NO EQUAL.

THIS IS AN EXPERIMENT.
AND THIS IS A ONE-OFF DEAL.

Narrator:
HOW DID ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
CREATE THIS VAST EDIFICE,

AND WHY DID THEY BUILD IT?

THE ONLY WAY TO SOLVE
THESE MYSTERIES

IS TO BLOW THIS
COLOSSAL MONUMENT APART,

DIVE DEEP INSIDE IT,

AND, STONE BY STONE,

UNEARTH THE ASTONISHING SECRETS

HIDDEN WITHIN THIS
ANCIENT WONDER.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

ON THE OUTSKIRTS
OF THE EGYPTIAN CITY OF CAIRO...

...TOWER THE ANCIENT PYRAMIDS
OF GIZA,

BUILT BY A CIVILIZATION RENOWNED

FOR THEIR EXPERTISE
IN ARCHITECTURE AND ASTRONOMY,

AN ANCIENT PEOPLE
WITH BIZARRE DEATH RITUALS

WHO BUILT LAVISH TOMBS
FOR THEIR DEAD.

AND ON THE GIZA PLATEAU,

THE BIGGEST TOMB OF ALL
IS THE GREAT PYRAMID.

THIS EXTRAORDINARY MONUMENT

IS THE LEGACY
OF THE PHARAOH KHUFU.

IT REMAINED THE TALLEST
STRUCTURE ON EARTH

FOR MORE THAN 3,500 YEARS.

TODAY, TEAMS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS
AND SCIENTISTS

ARE USING NEW TECHNIQUES

IN THE HOPE OF
UNLOCKING ITS SECRETS.

BUT HOW DO YOU MAKE SENSE
OF A MONUMENT SO IMMENSE...

...A STRUCTURE MADE FROM OVER
2 MILLION SOLID STONE BLOCKS,

ASSEMBLED WITH
BREATHTAKING PRECISION,

MANY WEIGHING
MORE THAN A CAR?

A BUILDING WITH NARROW,
MYSTERIOUS TUNNELS

LEADING TO TWO MASSIVE CHAMBERS

DESIGNED TO WITHSTAND
HUGE WEIGHTS FROM ABOVE,

THE ULTIMATE RESTING PLACE
FOR A PHARAOH'S BODY.

HOW AND WHY DID THE ANCIENTS

BUILD THIS 6-MILLION-TON GOLIATH

IN THE SANDS
OF THE EGYPTIAN DESERT?

ARCHAEOLOGIST MARK LEHNER
HAS BEEN STUDYING THIS MONUMENT

FOR OVER 40 YEARS.

MARK KNOWS
THAT WHEN THE PHARAOH KHUFU

ORDERED ENGINEERS TO BUILD
THE LARGEST PYRAMID EVER,

HE SET THE ULTIMATE DEADLINE.

THEY HAD TO FINISH BEFORE
THE DEATH OF THE KING.

THE ENGINEER HAD HIS LIFE
AND REPUTATION ON THE LINE

IN ORDER TO COMPLETE THE PYRAMID

WITHIN THE KING'S LIFETIME.

IT WAS LONG THOUGHT
THAT KHUFU RULED FOR 23 YEARS.

RECENTLY, NEW FINDINGS
OF DATES SUGGEST

KHUFU MIGHT HAVE REIGNED
MAYBE 30 SOME YEARS, MAYBE 35.

SO THAT GIVES HIM
A LITTLE MORE LEEWAY.

HAVING SAID THAT, IT IS
A VERY AUDACIOUS ACT

THAT IMPLIES SUPREME
CONFIDENCE THAT,

WITHIN THE ALLOTTED TIME
FATE HAS GIVEN YOUR LIFETIME,

YOU WILL REACH THE PINNACLE.

KHUFU HAD SET THE CHALLENGE
AND THE DEADLINE.

THE BIG MYSTERY
IS HOW DID BUILDERS ENSURE

THAT THE MASSIVE MONUMENT
WOULD BE COMPLETE IN TIME?

TO SOLVE THIS RIDDLE,

EXPERTS NEED TO WORK OUT
EXACTLY HOW IT WAS BUILT.

-YEAH, RIGHT HERE.
-OKAY.

Dash: THE EGYPTIANS
LEFT CLUES EVERYWHERE

HOW THEY BUILT THE PYRAMIDS.

WE JUST HAVE TO FIGURE OUT
WHAT THE CLUES MEAN.

Narrator: GLEN DASH IS SEARCHING
FOR TINY CLUES

THAT PREVIOUS INVESTIGATIONS
MAY HAVE MISSED.

HIS WORK IS PART
OF THE MOST DETAILED MAPPING

OF THE GREAT PYRAMID SPACE
EVER UNDERTAKEN.

OUR FIRST TASK TODAY
IS TO MAP THE FIRST LINE

OF BUILDING STONES ON HERE,
THE WEST SIDE OF THE PYRAMID.

Narrator:
GLEN IS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

HOW THE ANCIENT BUILDERS
CHISELED OUT

THE MASSIVE LIMESTONE BLOCKS.

HERE, YOU GOT A SWEEP
OF CHISEL MARKS

-GOT IT.
-...RIGHT THERE ON THE SIDE.

YOU CAN SEE THAT THE GUY
HAD THE HAMMER AND WENT

CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH-CH!

AND SWEPT ALONG
AND WENT TO THE NEXT LAYER

AND WENT CH-CH-CH-CH-CH!

THE, UH, LIMESTONE IS A GOOD
BUILDING MATERIAL TO USE.

IT'S HARD. IT HAS GREAT
COMPRESSIVE STRENGTH,

BUT IT STILL CAN BE CUT
AND SHAPED TO WHATEVER SHAPE

YOU HAPPEN TO NEED.

Narrator:
THE PYRAMID BUILDERS DIDN'T HAVE
TO LOOK FAR TO FIND LIMESTONE.

IT'S THE BEDROCK
UNDER THE GIZA PLATEAU.

BUT HOW LONG WOULD IT
HAVE TAKEN TO CHISEL

ALL OF THE BLOCKS SO FINELY?

[ ALL CONVERSING
IN NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

QUARRYING EXPERT ADEL KELANY

AND A TEAM OF MASTER STONEMASONS

ARE TRYING TO ANSWER
THIS QUESTION.

THEY NEED TO SQUARE OFF
A LIMESTONE BLOCK

TO RESTORE A WALL
NEAR THE PYRAMID.

FIRST, THEY MUST SPLIT
A ROUGH LIMESTONE BRICK IN HALF

USING MODERN STEEL TOOLS.

STRIKING THE ROCK IN THE RIGHT
PLACE SHOULD MAKE IT CRACK.

Kelany: OOPS!

¶¶

Narrator: THE ROCK IS SPLIT, BUT
IT'S TOUGH GOING FOR THE TOOLS.

ADEL THINKS THAT BUILDERS
OF THE PYRAMID

NEEDED WHOLE TEAMS OF TOOL
REPAIRERS TO KEEP WORK ON TRACK.

THE PYRAMID BUILDERS
DIDN'T HAVE HARD STEEL.

THEY USED SOFTER COPPER TOOLS

WHICH NEEDED
FREQUENT SHARPENING.

SEEING HOW HARD IT IS
TO SQUARE OFF A BLOCK

WITH MODERN TOOLS
HIGHLIGHTS THE CHALLENGES.

EXPERTS THINK IT MIGHT HAVE
TAKEN FIVE WORKERS

UP TO HALF A DAY TO SQUARE OFF
AND SHAPE EACH BLOCK

SO IT FITTED PERFECTLY
NEXT TO ANOTHER.

MAKING EVERY SINGLE BLOCK
IN THE PYRAMID

THIS ACCURATE IN THE TIME
THEY HAD SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE.

SO HOW DID
THE EGYPTIANS DO IT?

MARK LEHNER BELIEVES
THE PYRAMID BUILDERS

FOUND A SHORTCUT
TO SPEED UP CONSTRUCTION.

OBVIOUSLY, THEY COULD DO
REALLY WELL SQUARED BLOCKS.

I THINK IT WOULD HAVE
BEEN WELL-NIGH IMPOSSIBLE

TO BUILD THE WHOLE PYRAMID
WITH REGULAR, SQUARED,

NICELY FITTED BLOCKS.

HIGHER UP THE PYRAMID,

THE OUTER STONES
HAVE FALLEN AWAY.

MARK EXPLORES THEM
TO REVEAL A CLUE.

THE BLOCKS INSIDE THE PYRAMID
LOOK VERY DIFFERENT

FROM THOSE THAT
MAKE UP THE OUTSIDE.

HIGHER UP ON THE PYRAMID
AND DEEPER IN,

LOOK AT THIS JOINT
BETWEEN TWO STONES.

NOW, IT'S A GOOD 6 INCHES
TO 8 INCHES WIDE

AND JUST STUFFED
WITH BIG GLOBS

OF MORTAR AND SMALLER
LIMESTONE PIECES.

Narrator: MARK THINKS THAT
THE PYRAMID BUILDERS

USED THIS TECHNIQUE
DELIBERATELY.

TO MEET THEIR DEADLINE,
THEY HAD TO CUT

AND LAY MORE THAN
200 BLOCKS A DAY,

WHICH IS WHY THEY CHEATED.

THEY CUT THE BLOCKS
ON THE OUTSIDE WITH PRECISION,

SO YOU COULD BARELY FIT
A HAIR IN BETWEEN THEM.

BUT JUST A FEW LAYERS
FURTHER IN, THINGS CHANGE.

HERE, THE BLOCKS
ARE MUCH LESS ACCURATE,

WITH BIG GAPS BETWEEN THEM.

PUTTING QUICK AND DIRTY BLOCKS
ON THE INSIDE

AND PRETTY ONES ON THE OUTSIDE

SAVED THE EGYPTIANS MANY
MILLIONS OF MAN-HOURS --

THE KEY TO BUILDING THE PYRAMID
AS FAST AS HUMANLY POSSIBLE.

SHAPING BLOCKS FOR CONSTRUCTION
WAS JUST THE START

OF THE PYRAMID BUILDER'S
CHALLENGE.

NOW, THEY HAD TO MOVE THEM.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK
THAT ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

HAULED STONES USING WOODEN
SLEDGES AND ROPE.

BUT THE BIG RIDDLE IS HOW
THEY COULD DRAG TONS OF STONE

AND SLEDGE ALL THE WAY
UP THE PYRAMID.

JUST 70 METERS FROM THE PYRAMID,

MARK LEHNER HAS FOUND EVIDENCE
THAT POINTS A SOLUTION.

SO HERE, JUST OFF THE SOUTHWEST
CORNER OF THE KHUFU PYRAMID,

WE HAVE THE FOUNDATIONS
OF A RAMP THAT STILL REMAINS

THAT THE EGYPTIANS USED TO MAKE
THIS LARGE, STONE TOMB.

Narrator: DRAGGING A LARGE BLOCK
UP A SHALLOW RAMP LIKE THIS

DOESN'T SEEM LIKE A PROBLEM.

Lehner: BUT THEN
TURN YOUR IMAGINATION

TO A STRAIGHT-ON RAMP
THAT SLOPED ALL THE WAY UP

TO THE TOP
OF THE GREAT PYRAMID OF KHUFU.

Narrator: COULD ANCIENT BUILDERS
HAVE USED RAMPS

SOARING UP TO SUCH A HEIGHT?

A RAMP WOULD WORK WELL
FOR THE LOWER LEVELS,

BUT AS THE PYRAMID RISES,

THE SLOPE GETS TOO STEEP.

TO KEEP THE RAMP SHALLOW,

IT WOULD HAVE TO BE
A KILOMETER LONG

AND NEED AS MUCH BUILDING
MATERIAL AS THE PYRAMID ITSELF.

SO ONE THEORY IS
THAT THE EGYPTIANS

USED A SHALLOW RAMP

UNTIL TWO-THIRDS OF ALL BLOCKS
WERE IN THE BASE.

THEN, THEY BUILT A NARROW,
SPIRAL RAMP

UP AROUND THE EDGE
OF THE PYRAMID

TO LIFT BLOCKS ALL THE WAY
TO THE TOP

WITHOUT MAKING THEIR RAMP
TOO STEEP.

Lehner: HOW DO YOU BUILD A RAMP?
THIS ANCIENT RAMP SHOWS US.

YOU BUILD TWO RETAINING
WALLS OF LARGER STONES,

AND THEN IN-FILL
WITH THE MATERIAL

THAT MUST HAVE BEEN
EVERYWHERE AT GIZA --

DEBRIS OF STONE CUTTING
AND QUARRYING,

LIMESTONE DEBRIS, AND EVEN SAND
AND GRAVEL OF THE DESERT.

Narrator: CUTTING AND MOVING
THE PYRAMID'S BUILDING STONES

TOOK BOTH INGENUITY
AND BRUTE FORCE.

TODAY, NEW EVIDENCE REVEALS WHY
IT WAS SO IMPORTANT FOR BUILDERS

TO MAKE THIS PYRAMID
IN THE FIRST PLACE.

¶¶

Narrator: THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
PHARAOH KHUFU

CONSTRUCTED THE GREAT PYRAMID
WITH ONE GOAL IN MIND --

HE WANTED AN IMPENETRABLE TOMB

TO PROTECT HIS BODY
WHEN HE DIED.

SCIENTISTS ARE REVEALING
WHY THIS WAS SO IMPORTANT

AT THE GRAND EGYPTIAN
MUSEUM CONSERVATION CENTER.

[ CONVERSING
IN NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

DR. MEDHAT ABDALLAH HEADS UP

THE WOOD CONSERVATION
LABORATORY.

TODAY, DR. ABDALLAH IS SET
TO EXAMINE A SARCOPHAGUS,

A 2,600-YEAR OLD ANCIENT COFFIN,

FOUND SOUTH OF GIZA.

HE HOPES IT WILL SHED LIGHT
ON WHY PRESERVING THE DEAD

WAS SO IMPORTANT
FOR THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS.

THE TEAM WANTS TO
CHECK ON THE CONDITION

OF THE MUMMY HIDDEN INSIDE.

[ SPEAKING IN NATIVE LANGUAGE ]

Narrator: ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
THOUGHT THAT FOR THE SOUL,

KNOWN AS THE BA,
TO LIVE ON AFTER DEATH,

IT MUST BE ABLE TO RECOGNIZE
THE DEAD BODY.

DR. ABDALLAH IS SURE

THAT THE GREAT PYRAMID
WAS THE ULTIMATE VAULT

IN WHICH TO KEEP
THE PHARAOH'S BODY SAFE.

TRADITIONALLY, ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

BURIED MUMMIES IN DEEP CHAMBERS
THEY CARVED INTO THE GROUND

UNDERNEATH STRUCTURES
LIKE THE PYRAMIDS.

BUT THE PHARAOH KHUFU WANTED
SOMETHING DIFFERENT.

FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME
IN HISTORY,

THE BURIAL CHAMBERS
WOULD BE ABOVE GROUND,

INSIDE THE PYRAMID,
AT ITS CORE.

DEEP INSIDE THE LIMESTONE BLOCKS

IS THE HEART AND SOUL
OF THE GREAT PYRAMID,

A WARREN OF TUNNELS
AND AIR SHAFTS

THAT LEAD TO THE SO-CALLED
QUEEN'S CHAMBER.

ABOVE IT, A HUGE GALLERY

3 STORIES TALL LEADS

TO A MUCH BIGGER CHAMBER

WITH A 5-METER WIDE CEILING:

THE PHARAOH'S TOMB.

THESE CHAMBERS FACED
A REAL DANGER OF COLLAPSE

FROM THE FORCE OF MILLIONS
OF TONS OF STONE BLOCKS

PILED ALL AROUND THEM.

INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID,

ARCHAEOLOGIST MARK LEHNER HUNTS

FOR CLUES TO HOW ENGINEERS

PROTECTED THE BURIAL CHAMBERS
FROM COLLAPSE.

HE NEEDS TO CRAWL THROUGH SOME
50 METERS OF TIGHT PASSAGEWAYS

TO REACH THE FIRST CHAMBER --
THE GRAND GALLERY.

Lehner: FOR ME, THIS IS
THE MOST IMPRESSIVE PLACE

IN THE PYRAMID --
THE GRAND GALLERY.

SUDDENLY, YOU GO FROM 1.2 METERS
TO MORE THAN 8 METERS IN HEIGHT.

THERE'S NO OTHER SPACE LIKE IT

IN THE ENTIRE HISTORY
OF ARCHITECTURE.

Narrator:
THE STONE BLOCKS THAT FORM
THE WALL HERE ARE LIMESTONE,

FITTED TOGETHER
WITH SUPER-FINE PRECISION.

Lehner:
YOU CAN SEE THEY NEVER SMOOTHED
THE WALLS OF THE GRAND GALLERY,

SO YOU CAN STILL SEE THE MARKS
OF THE INDIVIDUAL WORKER.

YOU CAN SEE THE WORKER'S HAND,

AND YOU CAN SEE WHERE THEY'RE
COMING IN WITH A LITTLE CHISEL

ABOUT THE WIDTH
OF YOUR PINKIE FINGER

TO VERY CAREFULLY DRESS
THE STONE AT THE CORNERS

WHERE THE SEAMS MATCH
SO THAT THEY DON'T BREAK.

AND, OOPS, THEY DID BREAK
A LITTLE BIT THERE.

Narrator: SOME 20 METERS ABOVE,

MARK REACHES
THE KING'S CHAMBER.

HE THINKS THAT THIS IS
THE FINAL RESTING PLACE

FOR THE MUMMIFIED PHARAOH.

WELL, THE WHOLE PYRAMID
WAS ABOUT THIS PLACE

AND THIS SARCOPHAGUS.

WHEN YOU TURN AND COME TO THE
WEST END OF THE KING'S CHAMBER

AND FIND HERE THE SARCOPHAGUS,

YOU'RE RIGHT ON THE CENTER AXIS
OF THE PYRAMID.

IT'S TOO BIG TO GET INTO THE
ENTRANCE OF THE KING'S CHAMBER,

THEREFORE THEY HAD
TO PUT IT INTO THE CHAMBER

WHEN THE CHAMBER WAS
STILL OPEN TO THE SKY.

Narrator:
THE EGYPTIANS NEEDED TO ENSURE

THAT THIS CHAMBER
REMAINED INTACT,

EVEN AS THEY BUILT THE REST
OF THE PYRAMID ON TOP OF IT.

IT'S THE FIRST TIME THAT THEY
CREATED A SPACE THIS WIDE

AND THIS HIGH
UP INSIDE A PYRAMID.

MORE THAN 5 METERS.

THEY WERE CLEARLY VERY WORRIED

ABOUT STRUCTURAL FAILURE.

THEY WANTED TO AVOID THE IRONY
THAT THE VERY PYRAMID

THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO PROTECT
THE KING'S BODY

WOULD BE THE FORCE THAT WOULD
COLLAPSE AND CRUSH IT.

Narrator: BUT THE ANCIENT
EGYPTIAN ENGINEERS

KNEW EXACTLY WHAT
THEY WERE DOING.

¶¶

Narrator: KHUFU HAD SET
THE CHALLENGE AND THE DEADLINE.

IF THEY HAD BUILT THE CHAMBERS
LIKE SIMPLE CAVITIES,

THE WEIGHT OF THE PYRAMID ABOVE

WOULD HAVE CRUSHED THEM.

SO THEY TOPPED
THE QUEEN'S CHAMBER

WITH HUGE SLABS
THAT FORMED A STRONG,

ANGLED ROOF TO DIVERT
THE PRESSURE SIDEWAYS

INTO THE BLOCKS AROUND IT.

FOR THE GRAND GALLERY,
THEY ASSEMBLED THE BLOCKS

IN A PRIMITIVE
ARCH-LIKE STRUCTURE,

FORMING AN EXTREMELY TALL
AND STABLE VAULT.

AND FOR THE KING'S CHAMBER,
THEY PULLED OUT ALL THE STOPS --

FIVE GIGANTIC, GRANITE
STRESS-RELIEVING CHAMBERS

AND A GABLED ROOF
TO TOP IT OFF.

Lehner: THIS INTERVENING STACK
OF STRESS-RELIEVING CHAMBERS

IS TOTALLY UNIQUE.

THEY'RE MAKING IT UP
AS THEY GO ALONG.

Narrator: THE RADICAL ROOF

WAS NOT THE ONLY SPECIAL FEATURE
THE PYRAMID'S ENGINEERS

USED TO PROTECT THE KING.

INSTEAD OF LIMESTONE,
THEY USED RED GRANITE.

THIS HARD ROCK GAVE AN ELEGANT
FINISH AND WAS MUCH STRONGER.

SO GRANITE IS MUCH HARDER
THAN LIMESTONE.

THEY SHAPED THESE BLOCKS
WITH DOLERITE HAMMERS,

DOLERITE BEING A STONE
AS HARD AS GRANITE.

THEY LITERALLY POUNDED
THEM INTO SHAPE

AND THEN SANDED
THE FINE SURFACES,

INCLUDING THOSE FINE JOINTS,

WITH SAND AND CLAY.

Narrator: SHAPING RED GRANITE

TOOK MORE THAN 100 TIMES LONGER
THAN LIMESTONE.

BUT THAT WAS EASY COMPARED

TO THE CHALLENGE
OF TRANSPORTING IT.

THIS STONE COMES FROM QUARRIES
OVER 900 KILOMETERS AWAY.

HOW DID THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
SHIFT THESE MASSIVE BLOCKS

RIGHT ACROSS THEIR KINGDOM?

THERE'S A CLUE HIDDEN AT
THE FOOT OF THE GREAT PYRAMID.

UNDER LIMESTONE SLABS,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS HAVE MADE
A STARTLING DISCOVERY:

A DEEP PIT FILLED WITH PIECES

OF ANCIENT LEBANESE CEDARWOOD.

SOME LOOK LIKE SIMPLE PLANKS.

OTHERS HAVE MORE
ELABORATE SHAPES.

WHAT ARE THESE
ANCIENT BITS OF WOOD?

AND WHAT ARE THEY DOING
UNDER THE PYRAMID?

SCIENTISTS THINK THEY'RE PARTS
OF A SACRED CONTRAPTION,

BURIED ALONGSIDE THE PHARAOH,

DESIGNED TO HELP HIM
IN THE AFTERLIFE.

AT THE NEARBY
CONSERVATION CENTER,

DIRECTOR OF RESTORATION
ESSA ZIDEN

HEADS UP A TEAM THAT STORES
THE WOODEN PIECES

AS THEY COME OUT OF THE PIT.

ESSA KEEPS
THE ANCIENT WOODEN PIECES

SAFELY LOCKED AND WRAPPED UP.

HE WAS THE FIRST PERSON
TO TOUCH THEM

SINCE THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS.

ESSA HOPES THIS FIND WILL BE AS
SPECTACULAR AS SIMILAR PIECES

FOUND IN A NEIGHBORING PIT
OVER 60 YEARS AGO.

IN A MUSEUM BUILT DIRECTLY
OVER THAT EARLIER PIT,

CRAFTSMEN HAVE ASSEMBLED
THE WOODEN PIECES.

THEY FORM A BOAT,

BURIED ALONGSIDE
THE PHARAOH KHUFU,

A VESSEL DESIGNED TO TRANSPORT
THE KING IN THE AFTERLIFE.

RESTORERS TOOK ALMOST 20 YEARS
TO CAREFULLY PRESERVE

AND THEN REBUILD
THIS ANCIENT VESSEL.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS
DISCOVERED THIS BOAT

HAS A VERY SPECIAL DESIGN,

A DESIGN THAT HELPED
THE PYRAMID BUILDERS

TRANSPORT GOODS FAR AND WIDE.

KHUFU'S ROYAL BOAT

COMES IN NEATLY LAID-OUT PIECES.

IT'S AN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN
FLAT-PACK DESIGN.

THE PIECES HAVE HOLES,

SO YOU CAN TIE THEM
TOGETHER INTO A SHIP

THAT YOU CAN EASILY
TAKE APART AND REBUILD.

ARCHAEOLOGISTS THINK
THAT SIMILAR FLAT-PACK BOATS

WERE CARRIED OVER LAND IN PIECES
TO THE RED SEA TO BE ASSEMBLED,

SO THEY COULD SHIP IN COPPER
FROM THE SINAI.

AND ON THE NILE,

THEY CARRIED
SERIOUSLY HEAVY CARGO,

PRECIOUS BUILDING BLOCKS
FOR THE GREAT PYRAMID.

BOATS TURNED EGYPT'S RIVER NILE

INTO A SUPER HIGHWAY
FOR CONSTRUCTION MATERIALS

AND SUPPLIES.

BUILDER COULD TRANSPORT

THE RED GRANITE
OF THE KING'S CHAMBER

900 KILOMETERS
IN LESS THAN A MONTH.

NOW THAT THE EGYPTIANS
HAD ACCESS TO THE MATERIAL

THEY NEEDED TO BUILD
A SUPER-SIZED PYRAMID,

THEY HAD TO MAKE
SURE THEIR DESIGN

AND EXECUTION WAS FLAWLESS.

¶¶

Narrator:
AT EGYPT'S GREAT PYRAMID,

GLEN DASH LEADS A MAPPING TEAM

TRYING TO UNLOCK
THE MONUMENT'S SECRETS.

THIS ONE IS GOING
TO BE RIGHT HERE.

DON'T WORRY ABOUT HITTING
ON THE, UH, BEDROCK.

Narrator:
HE USES A TOTAL STATION,

A DEVICE WHICH BOUNCES
A LASER BEAM OFF A REFLECTOR

TO RECORD THE EXACT POSITIONS

OF BLOCKS AT THE BASE
OF THE PYRAMID.

Dash: YOU CAN JUST PUT THE, UH,
ROD THERE IN THE CORNER.

UM, THEY SHOOT FROM THE,
UH, TOTAL STATION,

RELAY THE POINT NUMBER,
SHOOT A POINT.

WE MOVE TO THE NEXT CORNER,
SHOOT A POINT.

YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE
THAT THE ROD IS VERTICAL,

HAS A LITTLE BUBBLE HERE.

Narrator: BY TAKING
SUCH PRECISE MEASUREMENTS,

GLEN CAN INVESTIGATE
THE EXTRAORDINARY PRECISION

WITH WHICH THE PYRAMID
BUILDERS WORKED.

THE MORE THAT YOU RESEARCH IT,

THE MORE YOU REALIZE
HOW REMARKABLE THEY WERE.

I MEAN, THEY BUILT
THIS ENTIRE BUILDING.

THE ONLY TOOLS THEY HAD WERE
WOOD, ROPE, COPPER, AND STONE.

SO THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS,

WHAT THEY DID WAS
THEY TOOK WHAT THEY HAD

AND USED IT INGENIOUSLY.

THEY COULDN'T HAVE
DONE IT ANY BETTER.

Narrator:
THE MAPPING TEAM HAS REVEALED

THAT THE PRECISION OF
THE PYRAMID'S ANCIENT BUILDERS

WAS OUT OF THIS WORLD.

THE BASE OF THE PYRAMID
IS NEARLY PERFECTLY SQUARE.

THE CORNERS ARE NEARLY
PERFECT RIGHT ANGLES.

UM, THEY'RE PERFECT TO WITHIN
1/20 OF ONE DEGREE.

IF YOU TAKE A LOOK AT A COMPASS
THAT YOU WOULD USE FOR MAPPING

OR FOR HIKING, TAKE A LOOK
AT WHAT ONE DEGREE LOOKS LIKE

AND IMAGINE 1/20 OF THAT.

YOU SEE JUST HOW FINE
OF AN ANGLE THAT IS.

Narrator:
SO WHY DID THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

GO TO SO MUCH EFFORT
TO MAKE THE PERFECT PYRAMID?

WITH OVER 2 MILLION BLOCKS,

THERE'S A LOT THAT CAN GO WRONG.

IF THE PYRAMID'S FACES

WEREN'T EACH AT EXACTLY
THE SAME ANGLE,

THE APEX WOULD LEAN TO ONE SIDE.

IF THE CORNERS WEREN'T
PRECISELY AT RIGHT ANGLES,

THE PYRAMID WOULD SQUASH.

AND IF THE LAYERS
WENT OUT OF LINE,

YOU'D GET ONE VERY
TWISTED PYRAMID.

THE SHAPE HAD TO BE PERFECT,

THIS WAY THE BUILDERS
COULD FINISH THE PYRAMID OFF

WITH A FLAWLESS LAYER

OF GLEAMING WHITE LIMESTONE
CASING STONES.

TODAY, THERE'S HARDLY ANY TRACE
OF THE WHITE CASING STONES.

WHAT'S LEFT IS THE FRAMEWORK
OF BACKING STONES

THAT SAT BENEATH THEM.

ON THE NORTH SIDE
OF THE PYRAMID,

ARCHAEOLOGIST MARK LEHNER

IS INVESTIGATING WHAT
THE CASING STONES LOOKED LIKE.

IT'S ONLY HERE ON THE NORTH SIDE
THAT WE ACTUALLY GET A SAMPLE

OF THE FINISHED STATE
OF THE PYRAMID

AND THE FINEST JOINERY OF ALL.

HERE WE HAVE SOME OF THE
CASING BLOCKS STILL REMAINING.

AND THEY'RE MASSIVE HERE
AT THE BOTTOM.

THEY WEIGH FROM 15 TO 17 TONS.

Narrator: OVER THE YEARS,

PEOPLE HAVE STOLEN ALMOST ALL OF
THE HIGH-QUALITY CASING STONES

FOR CONSTRUCTION ELSEWHERE.

Lehner: WHEN THE WHOLE PYRAMID
WAS COVERED

WITH THESE WHITE CASING BLOCKS,

IT MUST HAVE BEEN DAZZLING,
BLINDING ALMOST.

IT MUST HAVE BEEN A REAL BEACON
IN THE SUNLIGHT, LIKE TODAY.

Narrator: THESE CASING STONES
WOULD ONLY FIT

IF THE BACKING STONES
FORMED A PERFECT PYRAMID.

BUT THE GREAT PYRAMID'S SCALE
WAS UNPRECEDENTED.

SO HOW DID ANCIENT ENGINEERS
LEARN THE SKILLS THEY NEEDED?

ARCHAEOLOGISTS
ARE UNEARTHING CLUES

20 KILOMETERS TO THE SOUTH.

THIS IS SAQQARA,

HOME TO EGYPT'S FIRST PYRAMID,

THE STEP PYRAMID
OF THE PHARAOH DJOSER.

THIS PYRAMID IS A PROTOTYPE.

IT'S WHERE THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

FIRST LEARNED THE ART
OF PYRAMID-BUILDING.

ENGINEER YASSER GADOU
OVERSEES RESTORATION WORK

ON THIS ANCIENT MONUMENT.

THE STEP PYRAMID IS 100 YEARS
OLDER THAN THE GREAT PYRAMID.

AND IN PLACES,
IT'S BEGINNING TO COLLAPSE.

WORKERS ARE REPLACING OLD,

WEATHERED LIMESTONE BLOCKS
WITH NEW ONES.

YASSER'S CONSERVATION
WORK HERE HELPS EXPERTS TO STUDY

HOW ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
BUILT THIS PYRAMID

AND WHAT GAVE THEM
THE IDEA FOR THE SHAPE.

DR. MOUSTAFA EL-GHAMRAWY
IS AN ENGINEER

WHO'S TRYING TO DECODE
THIS PYRAMID PROTOTYPE.

HE SEES EVIDENCE
THAT THIS PYRAMID

STARTED LIFE AS A MASTABA,

A SIMPLE RECTANGULAR STRUCTURE
THAT COVERS A TOMB.

THE FIRST SINGLE
MASTABA WAS TOO LOW,

SO THE ENGINEER BUILT A SERIES
OF MASTABAS ON TOP,

EACH SLIGHTLY SMALLER
THAN THE LAST.

NOW, THE TOMB WAS VISIBLE
FROM ALL AROUND.

THIS PYRAMID WASN'T MEANT
TO HAVE A SMOOTH SKIN

OF CASING STONES,

SO THE STEPS DIDN'T
HAVE TO BE PERFECT

AND PLANS COULD CHANGE.

BUT IMPERFECTION WAS A LUXURY

THE BUILDERS OF THE GREAT
PYRAMID COULD NOT AFFORD.

THEY WOULD HAVE TO PLAN AHEAD.

IN GIZA, GLEN AND THE MAPPING
TEAM SEARCH FOR CLUES

THAT COULD PROVE ANCIENT
ENGINEERS PLANNED FOR PERFECTION

BY FIRST PLOTTING
OUT A PERFECT SQUARE.

Dash: THIS ONE CAP WITH, UH,

MORTAR ON THE SIDE,
ANCIENT MORTAR.

SO WE KNOW
THAT'S AN ANCIENT CAP.

DISTINCTIVELY SQUARE ONE HERE.

Narrator: THEY THINK
THAT THESE CARVED HOLES

IN THE BEDROCK ARE THE KEY
TO PYRAMID PRECISION.

SO THIS FELLOW HERE

IS GOING TO BE 2656.

Narrator: THEY'VE MAPPED OVER
1,000 HOLES SO FAR.

WHAT WE HAVE HERE IS EVIDENCE
OF WHAT WE THINK IS

THE VERY EARLIEST STAGES
OF CONSTRUCTION AT THE PYRAMIDS.

IT'S CAPPED NOW, BUT ORIGINALLY,
IT WAS A HOLE.

Narrator: THE THEORY
IS THAT ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

DUG HOLES AT INTERVALS,

PUT IN WOODEN POSTS,

AND JOINED THEM WITH ROPE
TO MARK A STRAIGHT LINE.

THEN THEY USED SIMPLE TOOLS
TO CREATE A 90-DEGREE ANGLE

SO THEY COULD STAKE
OUT A PERFECT CORNER.

THIS WAY, THEY MARKED
OUT THE SQUARE BASE

AND THEN PAVED THE EDGES

WITH PERFECTLY LEVEL
LIMESTONE SLABS.

NOW, WHEN THEY PUT DOWN
EACH LAYER OF BLOCKS,

THEY COULD LINE UP THE CORNERS

AND SIDES TO CREATE
THE PERFECT PYRAMID.

THIS WAS THE CRUCIAL FIRST STEP
IN LAYING OUT THE GREAT PYRAMID,

IS COMING UP WITH A SQUARE,
RELATIVELY ACCURATE SQUARE,

WHICH GUIDED EVERYTHING ELSE.

IT WAS THE REFERENCE FOR
EVERYTHING ELSE THAT FOLLOWED.

Narrator:
WITH THE PYRAMID'S SIDES SQUARE,

BUILDERS COULD SET
THE CASING STONES,

SAFE IN THE KNOWLEDGE
THEY WOULD FIT.

EVERYTHING ABOUT THE GREAT
PYRAMID SHOWS PERFECTION,

RIGHT DOWN
TO THE DIRECTION IT FACES.

GLEN THINKS ENGINEERS
USED THE MOVEMENT OF THE SUN

TO ALIGN THE SIDES

TO THE EXACT POINTS
OF THE COMPASS.

IN THE END, THE GREAT PYRAMID'S
ALMOST FLAWLESS SHAPE

MAY HAVE BEEN JUST AS IMPORTANT
SPIRITUALLY AS STRUCTURALLY.

WHAT WE DO KNOW SPIRITUALLY

IS THAT THEY THOUGHT IT WAS
A RESURRECTION MACHINE.

IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO THEM.

AND IN ORDER TO ENSURE
THAT THEY WOULD BE ABLE

TO RESURRECT THE SPIRIT
OF THE DEAD KING,

I THINK THEY THOUGHT THEY HAD
TO MAKE THE PERFECT PYRAMID.

Narrator: THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
HAD BUILT THE PERFECT MONUMENT

FOR THE PHARAOH
AND HIS PRECIOUS POSSESSIONS.

BUT HOW COULD THEY PROTECT
THE KING'S BODY AND TREASURES

FROM TOMB-RAIDERS?

¶¶

Narrator:
THE GREAT PYRAMID, EGYPT --

A TITANIC TOMB
BUILT FOR THE PHARAOH KHUFU

4,500 YEARS AGO.

ITS PURPOSE WAS TO PRESERVE
THE KING FOR ALL ETERNITY,

A SUPER-SIZED SAFE FOR HIS
MUMMIFIED BODY AND TREASURES.

AT THE CONSERVATION LABS
OF THE GRAND EGYPTIAN MUSEUM,

DR. MEDHAT ABDALLAH
WANTS TO UNDERSTAND

THE IMPORTANCE OF TREASURES
IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TOMBS.

THESE GRAVE TREASURES
WOULD BE A GREAT REWARD

FOR ANY TOMB-ROBBER
DARING ENOUGH TO BREAK IN.

SO EMBALMERS DECORATED MUMMIES
WITH PRAYERS TO KEEP THEM SAFE.

AT THE GREAT PYRAMID,

ARCHAEOLOGIST MARK LEHNER
IS CHECKING OUT A CLUE

THAT SUGGESTS THE PHARAOH

RELIED ON MORE THAN PRAYERS
AND CURSES TO WARD OFF ROBBERS.

THIS IS A SMALL ROOM JUST
OUTSIDE THE KING'S CHAMBER.

HERE'S KHUFU'S BUILDERS
DESIGNED A LINE OF DEFENSE

AGAINST ANYONE WHO WOULD ENTER
THE KING'S CHAMBER,

HAD THEY GOT THIS FAR.

THESE GROOVES AND PROTRUSIONS
ARE NOT DECORATIVE.

THEY ARE PART OF
A VERY PRIMITIVE MACHINE.

Narrator: SOLID WALLS,
SOME 80 METERS THICK,

SURROUND THE CHAMBERS,

LEAVING THE PASSAGEWAYS
AS THE WEAK LINK.

SO AT THE KING'S CHAMBER,

WORKERS CARVED OUT
A SET OF GROOVES

JUST OUTSIDE THE ENTRANCE

AND FITTED THREE
MASSIVE GRANITE SLABS,

WHICH WORKERS WOULD DROP DOWN

ONCE THE KING'S MUMMY
WAS SAFELY INSIDE.

TO BLOCK THE ENTRANCE
TO THE PASSAGEWAYS BELOW,

THEY FITTED THREE EVEN
BIGGER GRANITE BLOCKS

TO CUT OFF ACCESS
TO THE INNER SANCTUM.

THEN, THEY COMPLETELY
CONCEALED THE ENTRANCE UNDER

A SEAMLESS LAYER OF LIMESTONE.

THE BUILDERS HOPED THAT THESE
THREE LAYERS OF DEFENSE

WOULD KEEP ROBBERS OUT.

OUTSIDE THE KING'S CHAMBER, THE
GRANITE SLABS ARE MISSING TODAY.

BUT MARK FINDS GROOVES

WHICH ONCE HELD ROPES
TO LOWER THE BLOCKS.

SO THE ROPES CAME UP AND DOWN

THROUGH THESE SEMI-CIRCULAR
GROOVES.

THE PORTCULLIS SLABS SLID DOWN
THROUGH THESE PANELS.

SO THE WHOLE THING WAS LIKE
A PRIMITIVE MACHINE

THAT THE BUILDERS
WHO CLOSED THE PYRAMID

COULD PUT INTO ACTION
FROM THE OTHER SIDE

AFTER THEY GOT OUT.

Narrator: THE SOLID GRANITE
PLUGS THAT SEAL OFF THE MOUTH

OF THE ASCENDING PASSAGEWAY
ARE STILL IN PLACE TODAY.

SO WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING AT HERE
IS THE BUTT-END

OF THE FIRST GRANITE PLUG

IN THE BOTTOM
OF THE ASCENDING PASSAGE.

ORIGINALLY, THE EGYPTIANS
PUT A LOG ACROSS HERE,

STUCK INTO THESE SOCKETS

THAT THEY CUT
INTO THE SIDE WALLS.

SO THE BUILDERS HOPED
THAT THIS WOULD PREVENT ANYONE

FROM GETTING UP
TO THE UPPER CHAMBERS,

ESPECIALLY THE KING'S CHAMBER.

UNFORTUNATELY FOR THE KING,

THESE FORMIDABLE DEFENSES
WEREN'T ENOUGH.

NO MUMMY OR TREASURES HAVE EVER
BEEN FOUND IN THE GREAT PYRAMID,

SO ROBBERS MUST HAVE BROKEN IN.

THE MYSTERY IS WHERE.

¶¶

Narrator: OUTSIDE,
MARK AND GLEN ARE JOINING FORCES

TO LOOK FOR EVIDENCE
ABOUT HOW THE RAIDERS

CARRIED OUT THE HEIST.

SO, GLEN, IF YOU'RE GONNA
GET INTO THE PYRAMID

WHEN IT WAS COMPLETE,

AND YOU WANT TO GET IN
FROM THE ORIGINAL ENTRANCE,

THIS IS IT.

THE CASING STONES THAT ONCE
HID THIS ENTRANCE ARE LONG GONE.

AND TODAY, A METAL
GRILLE SECURES IT.

IT'S REALLY INTERESTING
COMING UP HERE

BECAUSE YOU CAN SEE SOME OF
THE TREMENDOUS ENGINEERING

THAT IS PROBABLY HIDDEN
ELSEWHERE IN THE PYRAMID.

BUILDERS
MADE THE MAIN ENTRANCE SMALL.

BUT THEY SUPPORTED ITS ROOF WITH
GIANT, ANGLED LIMESTONE SLABS.

IS THIS WHERE ROBBERS
BROKE IN?

THEY WOULDN'T HAVE KNOWN
ABOUT ANY OF THIS

BECAUSE, PRESUMABLY,
THE CASING WAS ALL INTACT,

AND THE ENTRANCE
WAS CAMOUFLAGED.

AND THEY WOULD HAVE NO IDEA
OF ALL THIS MASSIVE MASONRY.

Dash: RIGHT. AND EVEN IF
THEY PULLED THE CASING AWAY,

THEY'RE GONNA FIND
THIS MASSIVE STONE.

AND THEY'RE GONNA SAY,
"LET'S DO IT SOMEPLACE ELSE."

I DO LIKE THE IDEA,
NOW THAT I THINK OF IT,

THAT PART OF
THE OVERBUILDING

WAS JUST TO DETER PEOPLE
WHO WERE POKIN' AROUND HERE.

THEY WOULD HAVE HAD TO HIT
THAT DESCENDING PASSAGEWAY

RIGHT ON TO KNOW
IT WAS THERE.

OTHERWISE, THEY'RE GOING UP
AGAINST THESE MASSIVE STONES.

THE PYRAMID BUILDERS' EFFORT
TO HIDE AND PERHAPS FORTIFY

THIS ENTRANCE
SEEMS TO HAVE WORKED

BECAUSE ROBBERS
INSTEAD BEGAN TUNNELING IN

FROM A LITTLE LOWER DOWN.

Lehner: SO THE STORY GOES

THAT THEY STARTED ON
THE CENTER AXIS OF THE PYRAMID,

THINKING THAT'S WHERE
THE PASSAGES WOULD BE.

AND THEY HEATED THE ROCK,
THE LIMESTONE,

AND THEN POURED COLD WATER OR
EVEN VINEGAR, AS THE STORY GOES,

TO CRACK IT
AND GRADUALLY FORCED THEIR WAY

INTO THE PYRAMID
ALONG THIS TUNNEL.

Narrator: ONLY 10 METERS BELOW
THE CONCEALED ENTRANCE,

THE RAIDERS BROKE THROUGH
THE CASING STONE

AND STARTED TUNNELING.

AFTER CARVING THROUGH ALMOST
30 METERS OF LIMESTONE BLOCKS,

THEY HIT THE FIRST
GRANITE BLOCKING SLABS

AND DUG AROUND THEM
TO REACH THE ASCENDING PASSAGE.

THEN, THEY HAD A CLEAN RUN
TO THE KING'S CHAMBER,

ONLY TO FACE THE FINAL HURDLE:

THE SECOND SET OF GRANITE
SLABS ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

HAD DROPPED IN YEARS BEFORE.

AS FAR AS WE CAN TELL,

THEY BROKE THROUGH THE BARRIER
TO REACH THE JACKPOT.

MARK THINKS THAT THE ACCURACY
OF THE ROBBER'S TUNNEL

IS ALMOST TOO GOOD
TO BE JUST A LUCKY BREAK.

IT ALWAYS SEEMED TO ME
THAT SOMEBODY --

WHOEVER MADE THIS TUNNEL --

KNEW EXACTLY WHERE TO TURN
TO GET AROUND THE BLOCKS,

THE GRANITE PLUGGING BLOCKS,

THAT BLOCKED THE WAY
FROM THE DESCENDING PASSAGE,

UP THE ASCENDING PASSAGE
INTO THE CHAMBERS.

WHOEVER DID THIS ALMOST
KNEW WHERE TO TURN.

Narrator: MARK AND GLEN
SUSPECT THAT THE RAIDERS

STRUCK NOT LONG AFTER
PHARAOH KHUFU'S DEATH

AND THAT IT COULD HAVE
BEEN AN INSIDE JOB.

ONE OF THE OPEN QUESTIONS
IS HOW MUCH OF THOSE PEOPLE

THAT TUNNELED IN THROUGH
TO THE ENTRANCE PASSAGE

THAT PEOPLE USE KNOW,

HOW MUCH DID THEY KNOW
BEFORE THEY STARTED TUNNELING

OF WHAT THE INTERNAL STRUCTURE
OF THE PYRAMID WAS?

WELL, THAT'S WHY I SUSPECT,
BUT I'M NOT SURE,

THAT WHOEVER DID THE FORCED
PASSAGE KNEW WHERE TO GO.

BUT THAT MEANS SOMEBODY
FAIRLY CLOSE IN TIME

TO KHUFU'S BUILDERS.

THAT'S RIGHT.

MAYBE HIS DESCENDANTS,
WORKERS?

MAYBE THE PEOPLE
THAT BUILT IT.

THE RAIDERS MAY HAVE CRACKED THE
DEFENSES OF THE GREAT PYRAMID,

BUT THE REAL TREASURE
WAS IMPOSSIBLE TO STEAL --

THE BUILDING ITSELF.

THE PYRAMID MAY NOT HAVE
FULFILLED ITS FUNCTION

ULTIMATELY TO KEEP THE ROYAL
BODY SAFE FOR ALL TIME.

BUT THE MEASURES THEY TOOK
TO PRESERVE THE KING

WAS, IN FACT,
THEIR REAL GIFT TO THE FUTURE.

THAT IS ALMOST MORE VALUABLE
FOR THEIR MEMORY

THAN PRESERVING
THE BODY OF THE KING.

AND WE'RE STILL TRYING
TO LEARN WHAT IT WAS

THAT THEY WERE TRYING TO TELL US
WITH ALL THIS STUFF.

EXACTLY, FOR US, THIS IS
MUCH MORE THE TREASURE.

THIS IS MUCH MORE
THE GREAT DISCOVERY.

AND THERE'S SO MUCH
MORE TO LEARN.

¶¶

TODAY, THE GREAT PYRAMID OFFERS
US AN EXTRAORDINARY GLIMPSE

INTO AN ANCIENT WORLD.

4,500 YEARS AFTER IT WAS BUILT,

THE MOST ENIGMATIC MONUMENT
ON EARTH

IS STILL GIVING UP ITS SECRETS.

THE MORE EXPERTS DISCOVER,

THE MORE INCREDIBLE
THIS ANCIENT EDIFICE APPEARS.

THE INGENIOUS TIME-SAVING TRICK
OF ITS ROUGHLY-CUT CORE,

THE CHAMBERS DEEPS INSIDE IT,

THE MYSTERIOUS BURIAL PITS
WITH FLAT-PACKED BOATS

AND THE REMARKABLE
SECURITY DEVICES

COME TOGETHER
TO MAKE THE GREAT PYRAMID

A MASTERPIECE
OF ANCIENT ENGINEERING.