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Narrator: meroe, sudan.

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Strange pyramids rise out
From the golden desert sands.

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Creasman: meroe is evocative.

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It's awe-inspiring.

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Narrator: this forgotten
Landscape is almost all

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That remains
Of a lost civilization:

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The kingdom of kush.

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Naunton: the kingdom of kush is
One of the great success stories

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Of ancient africa.

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Narrator: who are the mysterious
People of kush?

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Why did they build these
Strange pyramids

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In the desert 2,000 miles
From the heart of ancient egypt?

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Naunton: oh, wow.

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This is really amazing to see.

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Narrator: now, archaeologists
Use ancient technology

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To reconstruct the kushites'
Greatest monuments...

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...And explore the tombs
And temples of egypt

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To investigate their rise
To become pharaohs.

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Creasman: they did something
That no one else had.

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The kushites take control
Of egypt.

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Narrator:
To discover the secrets
Of this lost civilization,

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We'll deconstruct their
Mysterious desert pyramids,

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Explore hidden tombs,
Unearth their buried treasure

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And reveal how the lost kings of
Kush conquer and rule all egypt.

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--captions by vitac--
Www.Vitac.Com

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Captions paid for by
Discovery communications

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Meroe, sudan.

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The remains of a city
Lie abandoned

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For almost 2,000 years.

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Naunton: seeing the magical
Pyramids of meroe

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Emerging out
Of the desert nothingness

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Is an absolutely
Astonishing sight.

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Narrator: the mysterious
Pyramids seem to echo

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The ancient landscapes of egypt,

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But these steep-sided structures
Are built over 2,000 years

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After the great pyramids
At giza.

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They belong to the kings
Of a people

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Who lived
Thousands of miles from egypt:

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The kushites, an ancient
Black african civilization.

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Naunton: kush was a kingdom of
Huge achievements in which

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There were more pyramids
Built than there were in egypt.

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Narrator:
Standing tall at meroe,

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These elegant structures
Have steep sides

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Pitched up to 81 degrees.

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Though in ruins today,
In the 3rd century b.C.,

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They are perfect pyramids,

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Some towering 100 feet tall
With decorated gateways

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At the front
Depicting kings and queens.

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Painted with bold colors, over
200 spread across the landscape.

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Why do the kushites build
Pyramids 1,000 miles from egypt

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And 1,000 years after the
Egyptians stopped building them?

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Egyptologist chris naunton has
Studied meroe for over a decade.

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He thinks there's a connection

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Between
These striking structures

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And the birthplace
Of the pyramids, ancient egypt.

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Naunton: egypt is one of the
Richest countries in the world

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Archaeologically,
And it tells us a huge amount

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About the peoples
Who lived around egypt,

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How the egyptians
Interacted with them.

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Narrator:
His investigation starts
1,000 miles north of meroe

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At the ancient necropolis
Of deir el-medina.

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♪♪

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Here, chris believes he can
Trace links

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Between egypt and meroe.

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Naunton: oh, wow.

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This is really amazing to see.

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Narrator: small
Pyramid-shaped constructions

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Sit at the entrance
To the tombs.

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Though restored today,

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Their foundations date to 1,300
Years before the meroe pyramids.

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Naunton: what's really striking
About it is how similar

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It is to the pyramids of meroe
With these much steeper sides

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Than the ones that we see
Somewhere like giza

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And then this monumental doorway
Here,

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And we see those
In meroe as well.

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Narrator: chris thinks that
These kushite structures

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Share their function with
The pyramids of deir el-medina.

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They serve as gateways to tombs
Cut into the mountain.

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When meroe is first excavated,
Hidden sections below ground

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Are recorded
In the archaeological plans.

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Naunton: there's a descending
Staircase cut into the ground,

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And then underneath,
A set of burial compartments,

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So altogether the function
Of the pyramid

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And subterranean chamber
Is as a tomb.

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Narrator:
The pyramids at deir el-medina

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Are strikingly similar
To the kushite monuments.

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Could this just be
A coincidence?

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Clues could lie within these
Strange structures.

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Each pyramid at meroe starts
With an infill of earth

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And rubble

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Piling up around a wooden pole
Buried in the middle.

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Two layers of sandstone blocks
Make up the outer walls

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That stand 30 degrees steeper
Than any egyptian pyramid.

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A carved capstone
Finishes the top.

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Two layers of plaster
Give a smooth finish.

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Many are painted bold colors,

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And some decorated
With striking star designs.

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Can the techniques used
To build them

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Reveal a kushite connection
With egypt?

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Adel kelany is an expert
In kushite construction.

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He thinks the methods used to
Achieve the pyramids' tall,

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Thin design reveals a direct
Link with ancient egypt.

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At his sandstone-quarry
Workshop,

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He designs and builds a model
To investigate.

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To solve the problem,
Adel thinks the kushites used

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A piece
Of ancient egyptian technology

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That dates back thousands
Of years before meroe is built.

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If he's right, it could be proof
That the kushite engineers

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Have a direct connection
With egypt.

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A shaduf is a counterbalance
Crane-like device

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Used to haul water
For irrigation.

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The wooden shaft discovered
At meroe could be a clue

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That the kushites adapted
To build pyramids,

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But can this simple
Wooden device

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Lift huge blocks of sandstone?

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To investigate, adel's team
Loads his replica shaduf

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With a 90-pound rock.

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Using the counterbalance,

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The men lift the first stone
With ease...

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...And set it in position.

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But the capstones
That complete the pyramids

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Can weigh over 150 pounds.

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Can the wooden shaduf lift
A stone this heavy?

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The men pull down
On the counterbalance

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And lift the huge stone
Into the air.

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Kelany: higher, higher, higher.

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Yeah, yeah, perfect.
It's okay.

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A little bit --
A little bit -- perfect.

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Narrator: the stone is safely
Lowered into place.

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In just 10 minutes, adel's team
Lift three blocks

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Of heavy sandstone into place
At the top of the pyramid.

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Their modification
Of the shaduf design suggests

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The kushite engineers have
Direct links to ancient egypt.

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The kushite workers pile up
Rubble and sand

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And cover it
With sandstone blocks

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To build the bottom
Half of the pyramid.

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Then they use a shaduf
As a crane

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To haul the heavy stones
Up to the top

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And finish each pyramid
With ease.

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To hide the shaduf,
They cut off the tip

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And cover it with an ornate
Carved capstone.

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With this ingenious technique,

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The kushites build over 200
Steep-sided pyramids,

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More than the egyptians
In their entire history.

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The pyramids of meroe have
A striking design

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That has its roots
In ancient egypt,

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Evidence of links between these
Great african civilizations,

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But why do the kushites build
Pyramids at meroe 1,000 years

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After the egyptians stop
Building them?

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Is there more to their
Relationship than just

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An imitation
Of egyptian architecture?

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Treasures from inside
The meroe pyramids

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Could reveal a shocking
Period of violence

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When the two civilizations
Come face-to-face.

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Narrator: the pyramids of meroe:
Stunning remains of a lost

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African civilization,
The kushites.

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Built using ancient technology

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Pioneered 1,000 miles away
In egypt,

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They are evidence
Of a connection

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Between their builders
And the mighty egyptians.

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But where does
This relationship begin?

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Can its origins shed light

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On why the kushites build
Egyptian-style pyramids?

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Clues could lie with
An astonishing discovery

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Beneath the ruins of meroe.

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Hidden deep under the pyramid
Are two chambers

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Carved into the sandstone.

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In the back room
Is a burial chest.

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Inside, the treasures of kushite
Queen amanishakheto:

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Priceless gold jewelry,
Beautifully detailed bracelets

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And over a dozen gold signet
Rings with intricate images

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Reflecting the queen's power.

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Can the gold hoards of meroe

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Reveal a connection
Between kush and egypt?

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♪♪

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To hunt for clues,

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Chris naunton investigates
An ancient tomb in luxor.

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Naunton:
This incredibly beautiful scene
Shows a series of people,

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And they're identified
By their appearance,

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By the black color of the skin

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That some of them have
And also by the inscriptions,

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And these people include,
Here, chiefs of kush.

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Narrator: painted 1,000 years
Before meroe is built,

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This is one of the earliest
Images of kushites in egypt.

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Naunton:
All these people are bringing
Various different commodities

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Towards something
Further down the scene,

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So, for example,
We have cattle here.

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There's even a giraffe,
And this group here

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Is bringing something
Very special on these trays.

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These are rings of solid gold.

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Narrator:
Hundreds of gold bars and rings
Are painted in the scene.

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3,000 years ago,
Gold is one of the most

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Sought-after substances
In ancient egypt.

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Naunton:
It's pretty clear that there was
A huge quantity of gold

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Coming from the south
Into egypt.

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Narrator:
The gold trade helps fund

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The growth of
The kushite civilization.

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00:13:26,413 --> 00:13:28,448
Chris thinks egypt's greed
For gold

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Brings it closer to kush.

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00:13:30,551 --> 00:13:33,862
Naunton: control of gold,
Control of trade in gold,

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Was a key factor in
The expanding relationship

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Between egypt and kush.

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Narrator: through the gold
Trade, kush is introduced

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To the wonders
Of egyptian civilization

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Like the royal pyramid burial
Sites at giza and saqqara,

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But gold alone can't have
Inspired the kushites

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To build pyramids.

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00:13:59,310 --> 00:14:02,206
Countless civilizations
Trade with egypt,

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00:14:02,241 --> 00:14:05,448
But none copy
Their iconic structures,

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00:14:05,482 --> 00:14:07,275
And there are signs
That the relationship

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Between kush and egypt
Has a dark side.

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Naunton: all this gold is being
Brought to this figure,

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00:14:14,275 --> 00:14:16,862
Who stands inside this shrine

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00:14:16,896 --> 00:14:20,241
With a frieze of cobras
At the top.

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Narrator: the gold here is also
An offering to a higher power.

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00:14:26,310 --> 00:14:28,896
The image is badly damaged,
But this is one

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Of the most important
Figures of ancient egypt.

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Naunton: we in fact know from
Inscriptions

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Elsewhere in the tomb
That this is king tutankhamun.

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Narrator:
It's believed that tutankhamun's
Burial treasure is made

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From kushite gold
Used to make

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His sarcophagus
And funerary mask.

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Centuries before tutankhamun
Rules egypt,

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Kushites strike gold
In the banks of the nile.

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With its newfound wealth,

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Kush builds a powerful army
Of skilled archers.

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00:15:09,689 --> 00:15:13,896
Egypt builds 14 forts along
The kushite border on the nile

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To station troops
And control the gold trade.

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00:15:21,448 --> 00:15:24,103
And in the 16th century b.C.,

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Pharaoh thutmose I conquers the
Kush and takes all their gold.

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00:15:31,586 --> 00:15:33,620
In the years after he invades,

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Signs of an even more sinister
Side to egypt appear.

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00:15:39,586 --> 00:15:41,793
Kushite expert
Pearce paul creasman

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00:15:41,827 --> 00:15:45,448
Investigates the great temple
Of abu simbel in aswan.

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00:15:47,482 --> 00:15:50,000
He thinks there's evidence here
Of the true nature

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00:15:50,034 --> 00:15:53,586
Of kush's relationship
With egypt.

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Creasman: when you see this,
You can't help but be awestruck.

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00:15:56,793 --> 00:15:58,103
It's incredible.

239
00:15:58,137 --> 00:16:01,482
Ramesses the great choosing
To build a temple here,

240
00:16:01,517 --> 00:16:04,689
On the border with kush,
Is a statement piece.

241
00:16:07,172 --> 00:16:09,206
Narrator:
Among the lavish decorations

242
00:16:09,241 --> 00:16:12,172
Are images of kushites
Bound together.

243
00:16:16,344 --> 00:16:19,172
Inside the temple, the king
Himself is depicted

244
00:16:19,206 --> 00:16:23,379
Violently punishing
His kushite captives.

245
00:16:23,413 --> 00:16:26,241
Creasman:
Here, we have ramesses the great
Rearing back, holding a mace,

246
00:16:26,275 --> 00:16:30,448
Ready to strike his captives,
Holding them in his other hand.

247
00:16:30,482 --> 00:16:32,620
It's showing
The forthcoming action

248
00:16:32,655 --> 00:16:35,517
If people don't get in line.

249
00:16:35,551 --> 00:16:38,862
Narrator: but pearce paul thinks
Behind this show of strength,

250
00:16:38,896 --> 00:16:42,034
A very different message
Can be deciphered.

251
00:16:42,068 --> 00:16:44,689
Creasman: why does anybody
Intimidate anyone else?

252
00:16:44,724 --> 00:16:46,448
Maybe because there's
A little bit of fear,

253
00:16:46,482 --> 00:16:49,793
Concern about the rise
Of their southern neighbor.

254
00:16:49,827 --> 00:16:53,793
Narrator:
Abu simbel is designed to remind
Kush of egypt's dominance.

255
00:16:57,758 --> 00:17:03,241
But if kush is reduced
To an egyptian colony,

256
00:17:03,275 --> 00:17:04,793
Why do its people imitate

257
00:17:04,827 --> 00:17:08,793
The pyramids
Of their tyrannical overlords?

258
00:17:08,827 --> 00:17:11,724
Could mysterious artifacts
Unearthed at meroe

259
00:17:11,758 --> 00:17:15,551
Reveal how kushites go
From prisoners to invaders?

260
00:17:24,000 --> 00:17:29,137
Narrator: the ancient ruins of
The meroe pyramids in sudan:

261
00:17:29,172 --> 00:17:33,965
The spectacular architectural
Legacy of the kushites.

262
00:17:34,000 --> 00:17:37,551
To find out why they build them,
Experts are investigating links

263
00:17:37,586 --> 00:17:43,241
Between kush and the birthplace
Of ancient pyramids, egypt.

264
00:17:43,275 --> 00:17:45,793
But in the 13th century b.C.,

265
00:17:45,827 --> 00:17:48,862
Kush is a colony ruled
By the egyptian pharaoh.

266
00:17:51,103 --> 00:17:56,068
What changes make kush adopt the
Architecture of its overlords?

267
00:17:56,103 --> 00:18:01,379
A clue could lie inside
A pyramid at meroe.

268
00:18:01,413 --> 00:18:05,551
Near the entrance, investigators
Unearth a strange statue:

269
00:18:05,586 --> 00:18:09,793
A bird with a human head

270
00:18:09,827 --> 00:18:14,793
Believed to keep the spirit of
The dead alive in the afterlife,

271
00:18:14,827 --> 00:18:17,965
And deeper inside the chamber,

272
00:18:18,000 --> 00:18:20,896
A stone offering table
With mysterious symbols

273
00:18:20,931 --> 00:18:22,655
Carved around the edge.

274
00:18:27,379 --> 00:18:31,310
In the center, two gods of the
Dead pouring liquid offerings

275
00:18:31,344 --> 00:18:32,965
Into the earth...

276
00:18:37,793 --> 00:18:39,931
...A powerful symbol
Of kushite worship

277
00:18:39,965 --> 00:18:41,689
Of the natural environment.

278
00:18:46,000 --> 00:18:48,275
Creasman:
Offering tables in tombs,

279
00:18:48,310 --> 00:18:50,137
They're an essential aspect
Of this deal

280
00:18:50,172 --> 00:18:54,103
Between humanity
And the gods to maintain order.

281
00:18:54,137 --> 00:18:58,862
Narrator:
Evidence is emerging that the
Kushite prayers are answered.

282
00:18:58,896 --> 00:19:01,275
Pearce paul creasman thinks
That the natural world

283
00:19:01,310 --> 00:19:04,586
Helps kush flip
The power balance with egypt.

284
00:19:04,620 --> 00:19:07,517
Creasman:
The offerings were often
About ensuring fertility,

285
00:19:07,551 --> 00:19:10,689
Trying to ensure
That the annual floods came.

286
00:19:10,724 --> 00:19:13,103
The annual floods probably play
An important role

287
00:19:13,137 --> 00:19:15,689
In the rise of kush.

288
00:19:15,724 --> 00:19:19,344
Narrator: the nile is crucial
For kush and egypt.

289
00:19:19,379 --> 00:19:23,310
Their power and wealth
Depend on its annual flood.

290
00:19:23,344 --> 00:19:26,379
To investigate this life-giving
Resource,

291
00:19:26,413 --> 00:19:28,655
Pearce paul disembarks
At a riverbank

292
00:19:28,689 --> 00:19:32,310
Where the trees record
Fertility year after year.

293
00:19:32,344 --> 00:19:36,413
He uses an increment borer
To examine the growth of a tree.

294
00:19:36,448 --> 00:19:37,793
Creasman:
This is a core from the tree.

295
00:19:37,827 --> 00:19:40,413
It's very faint, but you can
Just see some darker

296
00:19:40,448 --> 00:19:41,827
And lighter bands.

297
00:19:41,862 --> 00:19:44,517
Narrator: pearce paul marks up
The different bands.

298
00:19:44,551 --> 00:19:47,172
Creasman: in the case of trees
Right by the edge of the nile,

299
00:19:47,206 --> 00:19:50,482
It's telling us about how much
Water was available to them.

300
00:19:50,517 --> 00:19:55,724
Narrator:
A ticker growth band means the
Tree has absorbed more water.

301
00:19:55,758 --> 00:19:57,172
In ancient egypt,

302
00:19:57,206 --> 00:20:00,931
The water supply is dictated
By the annual floods.

303
00:20:00,965 --> 00:20:02,517
Creasman: the annual floods
Were the lifeblood

304
00:20:02,551 --> 00:20:04,275
Of ancient egypt and kush.

305
00:20:04,310 --> 00:20:07,275
Each year, the floods came down
And redeposited

306
00:20:07,310 --> 00:20:08,931
New silt and water.

307
00:20:08,965 --> 00:20:10,758
They overflowed the banks
Of the nile

308
00:20:10,793 --> 00:20:14,344
And allowed people to plant
A much broader area of the land.

309
00:20:17,310 --> 00:20:21,000
Narrator:
To monitor the progress of this
Critical natural process,

310
00:20:21,034 --> 00:20:23,689
The ancient egyptians invent
An ingenious device

311
00:20:23,724 --> 00:20:27,172
Called a nilometer.

312
00:20:27,206 --> 00:20:30,344
At elephantine island
In the aswan region,

313
00:20:30,379 --> 00:20:32,827
Pearce paul investigates
A nilometer that dates

314
00:20:32,862 --> 00:20:36,034
Back over 3,000 years.

315
00:20:36,068 --> 00:20:39,000
Built into the riverbank,
It's a hidden staircase

316
00:20:39,034 --> 00:20:41,620
That disappears
Into the nile waters.

317
00:20:41,655 --> 00:20:44,517
Creasman:
So here, we're at the bottom
Of the nilometer right now.

318
00:20:44,551 --> 00:20:46,206
As the water is lapping
Against the wall,

319
00:20:46,241 --> 00:20:49,793
You can see exactly
Where it changes.

320
00:20:49,827 --> 00:20:51,310
Narrator:
Marks cut into the walls

321
00:20:51,344 --> 00:20:55,241
Are used to measure
The height of the river.

322
00:20:55,275 --> 00:20:56,586
Creasman: people could measure
Whether or not

323
00:20:56,620 --> 00:20:58,655
It was going to be
A good harvest,

324
00:20:58,689 --> 00:21:02,275
Hoping, praying
For the waters to rise.

325
00:21:02,310 --> 00:21:05,448
Narrator: when floodwaters in
Egypt are critically low,

326
00:21:05,482 --> 00:21:09,379
A bad harvest can hit
The economy hard,

327
00:21:09,413 --> 00:21:12,896
Giving kush a chance to strike
Back at their oppressors.

328
00:21:12,931 --> 00:21:15,793
Creasman: a series of lower
Floods would create a situation

329
00:21:15,827 --> 00:21:18,000
Like a chaos for the egyptians.

330
00:21:18,034 --> 00:21:20,275
If there isn't enough food
To feed everybody,

331
00:21:20,310 --> 00:21:22,206
Power structures
Start weakening,

332
00:21:22,241 --> 00:21:23,896
And we see that in the years
Leading up

333
00:21:23,931 --> 00:21:26,206
To the rise of the kush.

334
00:21:26,241 --> 00:21:28,551
Narrator:
In the 12th century b.C.,

335
00:21:28,586 --> 00:21:31,586
The waters of the nile
Are extremely low.

336
00:21:31,620 --> 00:21:34,068
Central egypt's power weakens.

337
00:21:36,275 --> 00:21:41,965
1,000 miles south,
Kush is unaffected by the chaos.

338
00:21:42,000 --> 00:21:43,793
Creasman: in kush, the
Floodplains are smaller,

339
00:21:43,827 --> 00:21:47,241
And there are fewer people,
So the level of the flood

340
00:21:47,275 --> 00:21:50,724
Is perhaps less critical
In any given year

341
00:21:50,758 --> 00:21:53,103
Than it would have
Been in egypt.

342
00:21:53,137 --> 00:21:55,620
It would have been a really
Golden opportunity for them

343
00:21:55,655 --> 00:21:59,551
To have a resurgence
And a rebirth.

344
00:21:59,586 --> 00:22:02,310
Narrator:
The forces of nature finally
Give kush an opportunity

345
00:22:02,344 --> 00:22:04,344
To break free of egyptian rule.

346
00:22:08,275 --> 00:22:11,758
But egypt is still a more
Powerful civilization than kush.

347
00:22:14,379 --> 00:22:19,655
How can the kushites take on
The imperial might of egypt?

348
00:22:19,689 --> 00:22:23,413
Pearce paul visits
The antiquities museum in cairo,

349
00:22:23,448 --> 00:22:25,275
The world's greatest collection
Of egyptian

350
00:22:25,310 --> 00:22:28,896
Archaeological treasures.

351
00:22:28,931 --> 00:22:32,827
He examines a stele carved
In honor of piankhi,

352
00:22:32,862 --> 00:22:34,310
A black african kushite

353
00:22:34,344 --> 00:22:37,689
Who wants to end
Egypt's rule over kush.

354
00:22:37,724 --> 00:22:39,482
Creasman:
This is an essential document.

355
00:22:39,517 --> 00:22:42,137
For hundreds of years,
Egypt had been fractured.

356
00:22:42,172 --> 00:22:44,482
This is the kushite resurgence.

357
00:22:44,517 --> 00:22:46,172
These were chieftains,

358
00:22:46,206 --> 00:22:49,620
But they are bowing down
At the feet of the king,

359
00:22:49,655 --> 00:22:52,413
Demonstrating his power.

360
00:22:52,448 --> 00:22:56,379
Narrator:
The hieroglyphic code reveals
A great kushite uprising

361
00:22:56,413 --> 00:22:59,931
And how the kush eventually
Conquer all of egypt.

362
00:22:59,965 --> 00:23:01,724
Creasman: it tells us that they
Were strong

363
00:23:01,758 --> 00:23:04,000
Because they conquered
Major cities and centers

364
00:23:04,034 --> 00:23:05,965
In the ancient capitals
Of egypt.

365
00:23:06,000 --> 00:23:09,379
This is the moment
That the kushite king

366
00:23:09,413 --> 00:23:11,172
Overtook the egyptians.

367
00:23:14,344 --> 00:23:19,103
Narrator:
In the 8th century b.C.,
Piankhi's archers marched north,

368
00:23:19,137 --> 00:23:21,137
Conquering much
Of the nile valley.

369
00:23:24,551 --> 00:23:27,689
Piankhi takes control of
Lower egypt

370
00:23:27,724 --> 00:23:31,551
Before leading his army
North to the capital, memphis.

371
00:23:31,586 --> 00:23:35,931
Victory here means rule
Over all egypt.

372
00:23:35,965 --> 00:23:38,034
Piankhi, a kushite king,

373
00:23:38,068 --> 00:23:41,206
Conquers the land
Of the pyramids,

374
00:23:41,241 --> 00:23:43,000
But victory alone can't explain

375
00:23:43,034 --> 00:23:47,000
Why kushites build similar
Structures at meroe.

376
00:23:47,034 --> 00:23:50,689
No other invaders
Of egypt build pyramids.

377
00:23:50,724 --> 00:23:53,137
Why do the kush do it?

378
00:23:53,172 --> 00:23:55,517
More clues could lie
In shocking events

379
00:23:55,551 --> 00:23:58,172
That happen after
The kushites invade.

380
00:24:06,275 --> 00:24:07,655
Narrator: the pyramids of meroe

381
00:24:07,689 --> 00:24:11,517
Have baffled archaeologists
For centuries.

382
00:24:11,551 --> 00:24:15,137
Why do the kushites build
Over 200 structures

383
00:24:15,172 --> 00:24:19,034
Modeled on some of the most
Iconic buildings on the planet,

384
00:24:19,068 --> 00:24:21,275
The pyramids of egypt?

385
00:24:21,310 --> 00:24:24,206
Could the answer lie in egypt
And kush's volatile

386
00:24:24,241 --> 00:24:27,000
History of conquest
And colonization?

387
00:24:30,103 --> 00:24:34,068
Chris naunton looks for clues
At the great temple of karnak.

388
00:24:34,103 --> 00:24:37,275
Naunton: the decoration and the
Inscriptions on these buildings

389
00:24:37,310 --> 00:24:39,827
Allows us to read something
Of egyptian history

390
00:24:39,862 --> 00:24:42,965
Into what we're
Looking at here.

391
00:24:43,000 --> 00:24:47,137
Narrator:
Chris thinks evidence of
A shocking kushite impact here

392
00:24:47,172 --> 00:24:52,551
Could provide clues to why they
Build the pyramids of meroe.

393
00:24:52,586 --> 00:24:56,068
Among the remains of a building
At the heart of the complex,

394
00:24:56,103 --> 00:24:57,965
He examines
The hieroglyphic sign

395
00:24:58,000 --> 00:25:01,793
Of one of egypt's
Most surprising rulers.

396
00:25:01,827 --> 00:25:05,896
Naunton: even in a small temple,
We can see royal names,

397
00:25:05,931 --> 00:25:07,344
And we can tell when
We've got a royal name

398
00:25:07,379 --> 00:25:10,586
Because the hieroglyphic signs
Are enclosed in a name ring

399
00:25:10,620 --> 00:25:12,379
Which we call a cartouche.

400
00:25:12,413 --> 00:25:14,034
That's exactly
What we've got here.

401
00:25:14,068 --> 00:25:16,034
This is a very interesting
Name though.

402
00:25:16,068 --> 00:25:21,620
This is the name taharqa,
And taharqa was a kushite.

403
00:25:21,655 --> 00:25:25,034
Narrator: 40 years after
Piankhi invades,

404
00:25:25,068 --> 00:25:28,862
The kushites consolidate
Their control of egypt,

405
00:25:28,896 --> 00:25:31,793
But taharqa
Is no ordinary kushite.

406
00:25:31,827 --> 00:25:34,137
He changes egypt forever.

407
00:25:34,172 --> 00:25:38,517
♪♪

408
00:25:38,551 --> 00:25:41,068
Taharqa leaves his mark
On karnak,

409
00:25:41,103 --> 00:25:43,310
The most important
Temple in egypt.

410
00:25:43,344 --> 00:25:48,586
♪♪

411
00:25:48,620 --> 00:25:51,241
He builds colossal pillars
At the entrance

412
00:25:51,275 --> 00:25:53,827
With his name
Inscribed all over them.

413
00:25:57,275 --> 00:26:01,275
Alongside a sacred lake,
He builds a grand new temple

414
00:26:01,310 --> 00:26:04,448
With carvings
Depicting his divine status.

415
00:26:07,068 --> 00:26:09,344
Inside, he erects a sculpture
Of himself

416
00:26:09,379 --> 00:26:13,344
Wearing two cobras
On his headdress.

417
00:26:13,379 --> 00:26:14,896
Could this be a clue to why

418
00:26:14,931 --> 00:26:18,137
Kush build egyptian-style
Pyramids at meroe?

419
00:26:18,172 --> 00:26:24,862
♪♪

420
00:26:24,896 --> 00:26:28,068
To find out, chris examines
The intricate carvings

421
00:26:28,103 --> 00:26:30,724
Of taharqa up close.

422
00:26:30,758 --> 00:26:37,896
Naunton:
This is taharqa, and he's
Wearing a cobra at his brow,

423
00:26:37,931 --> 00:26:42,137
But there's just the faint
Traces of a second one here.

424
00:26:42,172 --> 00:26:44,517
Narrator: the second cobra
Is badly damaged,

425
00:26:44,551 --> 00:26:46,827
But the headdress reveals
Taharqa's position

426
00:26:46,862 --> 00:26:49,517
Here in egypt.

427
00:26:49,551 --> 00:26:51,413
Naunton:
Only one person in the country

428
00:26:51,448 --> 00:26:56,034
Had the privilege of wearing
The cobra at the brow here.

429
00:26:56,068 --> 00:27:00,689
This is clearly the image
Of a pharaoh.

430
00:27:00,724 --> 00:27:04,896
Narrator: taharqa, a kushite,
Is a black pharaoh of egypt...

431
00:27:08,896 --> 00:27:11,172
...And wearing two cobras
Could be a clue

432
00:27:11,206 --> 00:27:15,517
That he is more powerful than
Any other pharaoh before him.

433
00:27:15,551 --> 00:27:19,448
Naunton:
It's possible each of these
Represents the idea of their

434
00:27:19,482 --> 00:27:25,379
Having ruled over two kingdoms,
Both kush and egypt.

435
00:27:25,413 --> 00:27:27,827
Narrator:
Ruling over both peoples,

436
00:27:27,862 --> 00:27:30,586
Taharqa combines
The two territories,

437
00:27:30,620 --> 00:27:33,206
Merging them
Into one huge kingdom.

438
00:27:36,689 --> 00:27:38,379
3,500 years ago,

439
00:27:38,413 --> 00:27:42,172
Kush is a small
Independent kingdom

440
00:27:42,206 --> 00:27:44,448
That sits along
The banks of the nile.

441
00:27:46,482 --> 00:27:48,448
By the time of taharqa,

442
00:27:48,482 --> 00:27:52,724
His two kingdoms stretch
Almost 2,000 miles,

443
00:27:52,758 --> 00:27:56,482
Ruling more of the great nile
Valley than anyone before him.

444
00:27:58,827 --> 00:28:01,655
Chris
Explores the temple complex.

445
00:28:01,689 --> 00:28:04,000
He finds evidence of other
Kushite pharaohs

446
00:28:04,034 --> 00:28:05,793
With the double cobra.

447
00:28:05,827 --> 00:28:09,827
It's proof that taharqa is not
The only kushite pharaoh.

448
00:28:09,862 --> 00:28:12,586
Naunton: in fact, there were
Five kushites

449
00:28:12,620 --> 00:28:14,241
Who became kings of egypt,

450
00:28:14,275 --> 00:28:17,827
So this was
An entire dynasty of kushites

451
00:28:17,862 --> 00:28:20,103
Ruling as pharaoh in egypt.

452
00:28:20,137 --> 00:28:25,724
It's an extraordinary reversal
Of fortunes for kush and egypt.

453
00:28:25,758 --> 00:28:27,827
Narrator: piankhi's invasion
Marks the beginning

454
00:28:27,862 --> 00:28:30,931
Of over a century
Of kushite rule.

455
00:28:30,965 --> 00:28:35,206
They become known as the kings
Of the 25th dynasty,

456
00:28:35,241 --> 00:28:37,655
The black pharaohs of egypt.

457
00:28:37,689 --> 00:28:40,586
Naunton: the kushites had
A constant, ever-changing

458
00:28:40,620 --> 00:28:44,034
And at times very dramatic
Relationship with egypt.

459
00:28:44,068 --> 00:28:46,310
By the time they became
Pharaohs themselves,

460
00:28:46,344 --> 00:28:50,137
They were already egyptianized.

461
00:28:50,172 --> 00:28:53,241
Narrator: the kush rule the land
Of the pyramids

462
00:28:53,275 --> 00:28:56,034
But don't build their pyramids
Then and there.

463
00:28:58,551 --> 00:29:01,275
Why do they build them
500 years later

464
00:29:01,310 --> 00:29:04,793
And 1,000 miles away in meroe?

465
00:29:04,827 --> 00:29:09,103
Their fate in egypt could
Finally reveal the answers.

466
00:29:09,137 --> 00:29:12,448
Shocking discoveries at
The heart of ancient luxor

467
00:29:12,482 --> 00:29:14,758
Could be evidence
Of a catastrophic change

468
00:29:14,793 --> 00:29:17,206
In fortunes
For the black pharaohs.

469
00:29:25,206 --> 00:29:27,379
Narrator:
In the 8th century b.C.,

470
00:29:27,413 --> 00:29:30,103
Kushite pharaohs rule
All of egypt.

471
00:29:32,137 --> 00:29:34,551
So why do they leave
To build pyramids

472
00:29:34,586 --> 00:29:38,137
1,000 miles away at meroe?

473
00:29:38,172 --> 00:29:40,344
Answers could lie
In the ultimate fate

474
00:29:40,379 --> 00:29:43,379
Of the kushite kings.

475
00:29:43,413 --> 00:29:45,689
To investigate,
Chris naunton has come

476
00:29:45,724 --> 00:29:49,448
To the great temple
Of karnak in egypt.

477
00:29:49,482 --> 00:29:53,965
Here, traces of the black
Pharaoh dynasty still remain.

478
00:29:54,000 --> 00:29:56,551
In a temple at the edge
Of the complex,

479
00:29:56,586 --> 00:29:59,586
He examines the carved
Image of shebitku,

480
00:29:59,620 --> 00:30:03,137
The second kushite pharaoh
To rule egypt.

481
00:30:03,172 --> 00:30:07,344
Naunton: this is an image of
Pharaoh, and again,

482
00:30:07,379 --> 00:30:10,896
It's an image of a king looking
Very distinctively kushite,

483
00:30:10,931 --> 00:30:13,379
A double cobra at the brow,

484
00:30:13,413 --> 00:30:16,206
And one of those cobras
Is quite well-preserved.

485
00:30:16,241 --> 00:30:18,034
The other one is not
Much more of a shadow,

486
00:30:18,068 --> 00:30:19,344
But what that tells us

487
00:30:19,379 --> 00:30:22,275
Is that that's been
Deliberately hacked away.

488
00:30:22,310 --> 00:30:23,655
Narrator:
Chris thinks this is evidence

489
00:30:23,689 --> 00:30:26,931
Of a turn
Against the kushite kings.

490
00:30:26,965 --> 00:30:28,137
Naunton:
They were not egyptians.

491
00:30:28,172 --> 00:30:30,310
They were outsiders
At this time.

492
00:30:30,344 --> 00:30:32,206
They'd lost control of egypt.

493
00:30:32,241 --> 00:30:34,620
They reverted to being egypt's
Enemy again,

494
00:30:34,655 --> 00:30:37,448
And that's perhaps why
Later pharaohs wanted to remove

495
00:30:37,482 --> 00:30:40,827
All memory of there ever having
Been kushite kings in egypt

496
00:30:40,862 --> 00:30:44,793
By removing this distinctive
Feature, this second cobra,

497
00:30:44,827 --> 00:30:48,103
And this is really a very,
Very striking moment

498
00:30:48,137 --> 00:30:49,965
In egyptian history.

499
00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:51,793
Narrator:
The destroyed cobra symbolizes

500
00:30:51,827 --> 00:30:56,241
The end of kushite rule
Over egypt,

501
00:30:56,275 --> 00:30:59,206
But it's not the egyptians
That strip them of the crown.

502
00:31:02,344 --> 00:31:05,448
The kushite pharaohs fall
At the hands of a powerful ruler

503
00:31:05,482 --> 00:31:10,344
From the east:
King esarhaddon of assyria.

504
00:31:12,965 --> 00:31:17,620
The assyrian king conquers
The kush with his huge army,

505
00:31:17,655 --> 00:31:20,448
Bringing kushite rule in egypt
To an end.

506
00:31:24,379 --> 00:31:27,620
The assyrians rule
For just 12 years,

507
00:31:27,655 --> 00:31:30,448
But they force
The kushites 800 miles south,

508
00:31:30,482 --> 00:31:33,034
Back out of egypt
Into kush territory,

509
00:31:35,413 --> 00:31:38,517
But even their homeland
Can't offer the kush safety.

510
00:31:41,793 --> 00:31:43,931
Pearce paul creasman thinks
A new force

511
00:31:43,965 --> 00:31:47,896
Pushes them
Further south to meroe.

512
00:31:47,931 --> 00:31:49,758
At the great temple
Of abu-simbel

513
00:31:49,793 --> 00:31:52,517
On the ancient border
With egypt,

514
00:31:52,551 --> 00:31:57,103
He tracks down the identity
Of kush's latest enemy.

515
00:31:57,137 --> 00:31:59,517
Creasman: just under the left
Knee of ramesses the great,

516
00:31:59,551 --> 00:32:02,034
You can see a greek inscription.

517
00:32:02,068 --> 00:32:03,655
It's actually a graffiti.

518
00:32:03,689 --> 00:32:06,379
It tells us about the exploits
Of mercenaries

519
00:32:06,413 --> 00:32:11,000
Sent down by the king,
Psamtik ii.

520
00:32:11,034 --> 00:32:13,103
Narrator:
Psamtik ii is a new pharaoh

521
00:32:13,137 --> 00:32:17,206
Who rules egypt after his father
Expels the assyrians.

522
00:32:19,379 --> 00:32:21,137
Pearce paul thinks
This graffiti

523
00:32:21,172 --> 00:32:24,241
Is evidence of a new
Egyptian invasion of kush.

524
00:32:27,275 --> 00:32:30,758
The proof is in the ancient name
The egyptians used to describe

525
00:32:30,793 --> 00:32:35,793
Enemies from the south:
The people of the nine bows.

526
00:32:35,827 --> 00:32:37,689
Creasman: the nine bows are
A representation,

527
00:32:37,724 --> 00:32:39,758
A way of talking
About the enemy.

528
00:32:39,793 --> 00:32:42,551
This graffiti specifically
Mentions the nine bows

529
00:32:42,586 --> 00:32:44,862
As the enemy
That needs to be tended.

530
00:32:44,896 --> 00:32:46,517
There's no question
That this talks

531
00:32:46,551 --> 00:32:49,034
About a combined egyptian
And mercenary army

532
00:32:49,068 --> 00:32:52,172
Being sent by the pharaoh
Into the land of the kush.

533
00:32:55,034 --> 00:32:58,275
Narrator: on the island of
Kalabsha near aswan,

534
00:32:58,310 --> 00:33:02,413
A record of the battle
Is preserved on a stone carving.

535
00:33:02,448 --> 00:33:04,758
Pearce paul decodes
The hieroglyphic story

536
00:33:04,793 --> 00:33:08,379
Cut into the granite.

537
00:33:08,413 --> 00:33:12,862
Creasman:
In this section, it's saying the
King is strong and successful,

538
00:33:12,896 --> 00:33:17,310
Strong of arm and he who smites
The people of the nine bows.

539
00:33:17,344 --> 00:33:20,551
It tells us that he brought back
4,200 captives,

540
00:33:20,586 --> 00:33:22,137
Not one of them escaping,

541
00:33:22,172 --> 00:33:24,896
And waded in their blood
As water.

542
00:33:27,068 --> 00:33:29,448
Narrator:
In the 6th century b.C.,

543
00:33:29,482 --> 00:33:33,310
Pharaoh psamtik ii's army
Descends on kush,

544
00:33:33,344 --> 00:33:36,482
Forcing its people
200 miles south to meroe.

545
00:33:38,827 --> 00:33:42,068
Here, the kush build a new
Capital,

546
00:33:42,103 --> 00:33:46,000
Complete with beautiful palaces,
Temples and pyramids.

547
00:33:49,655 --> 00:33:54,724
Kush's relationship with egypt
Develops over 3,000 years.

548
00:33:54,758 --> 00:33:56,931
They rise to rule egypt,

549
00:33:56,965 --> 00:34:02,620
Adopting the pharaonic way
Of life and way of death.

550
00:34:02,655 --> 00:34:07,068
The kushite pyramids at meroe
Can be seen as symbols

551
00:34:07,103 --> 00:34:09,620
Of their adaption
Of egyptian civilization.

552
00:34:12,482 --> 00:34:16,724
After egypt eventually
Collapses, meroe survives

553
00:34:16,758 --> 00:34:20,896
As the last bastion
Of this iconic ancient culture.

554
00:34:20,931 --> 00:34:26,862
Kushite civilization
Thrives at meroe for 650 years.

555
00:34:26,896 --> 00:34:32,413
By 350 a.D., the kingdom of kush
Disappears completely.

556
00:34:32,448 --> 00:34:34,034
What wipes it out?

557
00:34:36,275 --> 00:34:39,724
Mysterious artifacts unearthed
From an ancient chapel

558
00:34:39,758 --> 00:34:42,413
Could reveal
How kush meets its end.

559
00:34:51,379 --> 00:34:55,448
Narrator:
At their peak, the kushites rise
From the shadows of egypt

560
00:34:55,482 --> 00:34:59,827
To rule the greatest empire
In the ancient world.

561
00:34:59,862 --> 00:35:03,034
But 100 years
After their conquest,

562
00:35:03,068 --> 00:35:06,724
The kush are forced
Out of egypt.

563
00:35:06,758 --> 00:35:09,586
They construct a new capital
At meroe,

564
00:35:09,620 --> 00:35:15,034
Building over 200 iconic
Egypt-inspired pyramids,

565
00:35:15,068 --> 00:35:20,758
But by 350 a.D., the kushites
Vanish from history.

566
00:35:20,793 --> 00:35:24,206
What destroys
The once-powerful kushites?

567
00:35:24,241 --> 00:35:26,965
A clue could lie in a strange
Building nestling

568
00:35:27,000 --> 00:35:30,896
Among the kushite pyramids.

569
00:35:30,931 --> 00:35:33,551
Hidden in the ruins
Of a christian church,

570
00:35:33,586 --> 00:35:36,068
Archaeologists make
A surprising find.

571
00:35:39,931 --> 00:35:42,793
The stone slabs that line
The central aisle

572
00:35:42,827 --> 00:35:46,000
Have intriguing carvings.

573
00:35:46,034 --> 00:35:51,586
They depict kushite rulers
Making offerings to the gods

574
00:35:51,620 --> 00:35:57,000
With lines and lines of
A mysterious kushite language.

575
00:35:57,034 --> 00:36:01,965
These are sacred steles once
Belonging to a kushite pyramid.

576
00:36:04,758 --> 00:36:06,793
So what are these kushite
Artifacts

577
00:36:06,827 --> 00:36:09,344
Doing on the floor
Of a christian church?

578
00:36:09,379 --> 00:36:15,172
♪♪

579
00:36:15,206 --> 00:36:18,034
To investigate,
Pearce paul creasman explores

580
00:36:18,068 --> 00:36:22,517
A temple on the island
Of kalabsha in aswan.

581
00:36:22,551 --> 00:36:25,620
On a wall of the temple,
He finds a carving that

582
00:36:25,655 --> 00:36:30,206
Could explain
The end of the kingdom of kush.

583
00:36:30,241 --> 00:36:35,034
It depicts silko,
A king of what was kush.

584
00:36:35,068 --> 00:36:38,931
He wears roman armor
And sits astride a horse.

585
00:36:38,965 --> 00:36:42,275
Creasman: what we can see in
The iconography here is change.

586
00:36:42,310 --> 00:36:47,137
This is silko adopting something
Like roman-type regalia,

587
00:36:47,172 --> 00:36:48,724
And then looking up
In the corner,

588
00:36:48,758 --> 00:36:52,379
Anointing this king is something
That looks very familiar to us.

589
00:36:52,413 --> 00:36:54,448
Look at the wings on his back.

590
00:36:54,482 --> 00:36:56,413
We'd call that an angel.

591
00:36:56,448 --> 00:36:59,344
This is very early
Christian iconography.

592
00:36:59,379 --> 00:37:02,551
It's a major shift
From the kushite world

593
00:37:02,586 --> 00:37:04,206
To the christian world.

594
00:37:07,310 --> 00:37:11,379
Narrator: rome invades kush
In the 1st century a.D.

595
00:37:11,413 --> 00:37:14,724
The kush become romanized.

596
00:37:14,758 --> 00:37:16,827
When the roman empire
Becomes christian

597
00:37:16,862 --> 00:37:19,413
In the 4th century a.D.,

598
00:37:19,448 --> 00:37:23,793
Its client kings, like silko,
Become christian too.

599
00:37:23,827 --> 00:37:27,275
Creasman:
If silko represents the
Introduction of christianity

600
00:37:27,310 --> 00:37:30,931
After the fall of kush,
It helps to explain why we see

601
00:37:30,965 --> 00:37:34,517
At all of these kushite sites
Reuse of the kushite monuments

602
00:37:34,551 --> 00:37:39,034
And blocks being built
Into new christian churches.

603
00:37:39,068 --> 00:37:43,000
By the time that silko lived
And ruled, kush was no more.

604
00:37:45,482 --> 00:37:48,620
Narrator: as christianity sweeps
Through africa,

605
00:37:48,655 --> 00:37:53,655
The sacred pyramids of kush
Are ransacked and abandoned.

606
00:37:53,689 --> 00:37:57,620
Many of the iconic structures
Stand for thousands of years,

607
00:37:57,655 --> 00:38:00,137
Yet today, they lie in ruins.

608
00:38:02,551 --> 00:38:07,655
What finally destroys these
Once-proud monuments?

609
00:38:07,689 --> 00:38:09,344
Over thousands of years,

610
00:38:09,379 --> 00:38:14,172
Sandstorms erode
The weaker pyramids,

611
00:38:14,206 --> 00:38:16,482
But a hidden force
Must be responsible

612
00:38:16,517 --> 00:38:20,965
For the destruction
Of the remaining structures.

613
00:38:21,000 --> 00:38:24,344
At his quarry workshop,
Adel kelany looks for clues

614
00:38:24,379 --> 00:38:27,793
Among the photographic archives
Of meroe.

615
00:38:27,827 --> 00:38:32,068
Curious marks on sandstone
Blocks found among the pyramids

616
00:38:32,103 --> 00:38:34,896
Could be evidence
Of malicious human activity.

617
00:38:52,965 --> 00:38:55,344
The two rows of opposing
Holes suggest

618
00:38:55,379 --> 00:38:59,551
That this game
Is played for centuries.

619
00:38:59,586 --> 00:39:03,206
To investigate, adel chisels
Out a sandstone block.

620
00:39:14,517 --> 00:39:17,448
Mancala is a game known to be
Played by soldiers

621
00:39:17,482 --> 00:39:21,862
On expeditions to sudan
In the 19th century.

622
00:39:21,896 --> 00:39:23,413
Their presence could be proof

623
00:39:23,448 --> 00:39:26,034
That the pyramids of meroe
Are looted.

624
00:39:37,068 --> 00:39:40,000
On an expedition in 1834,

625
00:39:40,034 --> 00:39:42,551
Italian treasure hunter
Giuseppe ferlini

626
00:39:42,586 --> 00:39:47,379
Is known to have visited meroe
With a unit of soldiers.

627
00:39:47,413 --> 00:39:50,551
His excavation notes reveal
A scandal that many believe

628
00:39:50,586 --> 00:39:53,965
Leads to the obliteration
Of the final pyramids at meroe.

629
00:39:58,137 --> 00:39:59,620
In search of gold,

630
00:39:59,655 --> 00:40:05,482
Ferlini destroys the top of
Queen amanishakheto's pyramid

631
00:40:05,517 --> 00:40:09,068
And finds nothing.

632
00:40:09,103 --> 00:40:13,310
Then he discovers a tomb
Beneath the pyramid and,

633
00:40:13,344 --> 00:40:17,241
Inside it, the queen's body,
Covered in gold.

634
00:40:20,172 --> 00:40:24,448
After looting the treasure,
Ferlini sets up a false trail,

635
00:40:24,482 --> 00:40:27,965
Declaring that he found gold
In the pyramid itself.

636
00:40:30,689 --> 00:40:33,862
Treasure hunters rip down
The remaining pyramids,

637
00:40:33,896 --> 00:40:37,241
Destroying a 2,000-year-old
Necropolis.

638
00:40:42,034 --> 00:40:46,206
The pyramids of meroe
Are a window on their creators,

639
00:40:46,241 --> 00:40:48,862
A people who build
A great civilization

640
00:40:48,896 --> 00:40:51,000
And conquer all of egypt.

641
00:40:51,034 --> 00:40:54,172
Naunton: the kingdom of kush
Is a hugely powerful kingdom,

642
00:40:54,206 --> 00:40:56,931
Important politically,
Mighty militarily,

643
00:40:56,965 --> 00:40:58,517
Great in building achievements.

644
00:40:58,551 --> 00:41:00,896
It really deserves
To be much better known.

645
00:41:03,896 --> 00:41:07,896
Narrator: the people of kush
Are master engineers

646
00:41:07,931 --> 00:41:12,137
Who build a landscape
Of mysterious pyramids

647
00:41:12,172 --> 00:41:14,862
Funded by a pioneering
Gold trade.

648
00:41:16,896 --> 00:41:21,551
Through a dramatic relationship
With ancient egypt,

649
00:41:21,586 --> 00:41:24,206
They become rulers
Of the greatest civilization

650
00:41:24,241 --> 00:41:29,413
On the planet
As the black pharaohs of egypt.

651
00:41:29,448 --> 00:41:34,206
The kushites: africa's great
Lost civilization.

652
00:41:34,241 --> 00:41:43,896
♪♪

653
00:41:43,931 --> 00:41:53,551
♪♪

654
00:41:53,586 --> 00:42:03,310
♪♪