All language subtitles for Immortal Egypt With Joann Fletcher Series 1 3of4 Zenith

af Afrikaans
sq Albanian
am Amharic
ar Arabic
hy Armenian
az Azerbaijani
eu Basque
be Belarusian
bn Bengali
bs Bosnian
bg Bulgarian
ca Catalan
ceb Cebuano
ny Chichewa
zh-CN Chinese (Simplified)
zh-TW Chinese (Traditional)
co Corsican
hr Croatian
cs Czech
da Danish Download
nl Dutch
en English
eo Esperanto
et Estonian
tl Filipino
fi Finnish
fr French
fy Frisian
gl Galician
ka Georgian
de German
el Greek
gu Gujarati
ht Haitian Creole
ha Hausa
haw Hawaiian
iw Hebrew
hi Hindi
hmn Hmong
hu Hungarian
is Icelandic
ig Igbo
id Indonesian
ga Irish
it Italian
ja Japanese
jw Javanese
kn Kannada
kk Kazakh
km Khmer
ko Korean
ku Kurdish (Kurmanji)
ky Kyrgyz
lo Lao
la Latin
lv Latvian
lt Lithuanian
lb Luxembourgish
mk Macedonian
mg Malagasy
ms Malay
ml Malayalam
mt Maltese
mi Maori
mr Marathi
mn Mongolian
my Myanmar (Burmese)
ne Nepali
no Norwegian Download
ps Pashto
fa Persian
pl Polish
pt Portuguese
pa Punjabi
ro Romanian
ru Russian
sm Samoan
gd Scots Gaelic
sr Serbian
st Sesotho
sn Shona
sd Sindhi
si Sinhala
sk Slovak
sl Slovenian
so Somali
es Spanish
su Sundanese
sw Swahili
sv Swedish
tg Tajik
ta Tamil
te Telugu
th Thai
tr Turkish Download
uk Ukrainian
ur Urdu
uz Uzbek
vi Vietnamese
cy Welsh
xh Xhosa
yi Yiddish
yo Yoruba
zu Zulu
or Odia (Oriya)
rw Kinyarwanda
tk Turkmen
tt Tatar
ug Uyghur
Would you like to inspect the original subtitles? These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:09,920 Hundreds of tonnes of stone to portray a mighty pharaoh. 2 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:15,760 Colossal testament to Egypt's golden age. 3 00:00:23,600 --> 00:00:27,240 I think it's probably here at the feet of the Colossi of Memnon 4 00:00:27,240 --> 00:00:31,000 we get a real sense of who Amenhotep III was. 5 00:00:32,920 --> 00:00:38,000 In my opinion, Amenhotep III was ancient Egypt's greatest pharaoh. 6 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:44,960 He presided over the zenith of Egyptian culture and civilisation. 7 00:00:44,960 --> 00:00:46,920 He is the golden age. 8 00:00:46,920 --> 00:00:50,800 He is the epitome of everything that made ancient Egypt brilliant. 9 00:00:55,000 --> 00:00:57,480 The rise of this great civilisation 10 00:00:57,480 --> 00:01:00,760 was powered by its extraordinary belief system... 11 00:01:03,320 --> 00:01:07,560 ..where the pursuit of the perfect afterlife was everything. 12 00:01:09,360 --> 00:01:13,600 Capable of withstanding disasters and dark ages... 13 00:01:17,040 --> 00:01:22,080 ..to then re-emerge as the most powerful empire in the ancient world. 14 00:01:29,040 --> 00:01:31,240 In this episode, I'm going to enter 15 00:01:31,240 --> 00:01:36,160 what I regard as Egypt's greatest era - the New Kingdom. 16 00:01:38,200 --> 00:01:39,520 Whoa...! 17 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:41,560 What an amazing chamber. 18 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:45,960 A time of luxury, grand designs 19 00:01:45,960 --> 00:01:47,480 and unparalleled splendour. 20 00:01:49,280 --> 00:01:51,600 Isn't this absolutely beautiful? 21 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,160 But like all good things, it couldn't last forever. 22 00:01:57,200 --> 00:02:02,200 Egypt's powerful religion would prove to be its greatest weakness. 23 00:02:02,200 --> 00:02:05,400 And I'll discover how the priests became so rich, 24 00:02:05,400 --> 00:02:08,880 their power struggle with the crown destroyed the very unity of Egypt. 25 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:16,880 It was this very conflict that would transform this golden age 26 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,200 into one of decadence and corruption... 27 00:02:20,880 --> 00:02:23,760 ..and would eventually tear Egypt apart. 28 00:02:25,120 --> 00:02:28,560 And by looking again at Egypt's greatest superstars, 29 00:02:28,560 --> 00:02:30,880 I'm going to investigate what really happened 30 00:02:30,880 --> 00:02:33,280 during the glittering New Kingdom. 31 00:02:35,080 --> 00:02:39,000 Welcome to my story of ancient Egypt. 32 00:02:48,480 --> 00:02:52,720 The New Kingdom, nearly 3,500 years ago 33 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:55,040 and the time of Amenhotep III. 34 00:02:56,200 --> 00:02:59,320 When Egypt's expression of power and belief 35 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:01,320 reached new heights of enormity. 36 00:03:05,440 --> 00:03:08,160 I've joined an international team of archaeologists, 37 00:03:08,160 --> 00:03:13,560 who are excavating just one of the vast monuments Amenhotep created... 38 00:03:13,560 --> 00:03:15,200 his funerary temple. 39 00:03:19,360 --> 00:03:22,960 Now, being here, you really get a sense of what it must have been like 40 00:03:22,960 --> 00:03:24,960 3,500 years ago, 41 00:03:24,960 --> 00:03:28,200 when this place was a building site - much as it is today. 42 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:30,280 All these statues all around, 43 00:03:30,280 --> 00:03:33,360 Amenhotep III's image coming up in their hundreds. 44 00:03:35,240 --> 00:03:39,080 And yet, as the archaeologists today assemble all these pieces, 45 00:03:39,080 --> 00:03:44,840 this is, literally, history coming out of the ground piece by piece. 46 00:03:46,200 --> 00:03:47,520 In the pyramid age, 47 00:03:47,520 --> 00:03:51,400 royal tombs and funerary temples were a single complex, 48 00:03:51,400 --> 00:03:55,400 but 1,300 years later, the two were built separately, 49 00:03:55,400 --> 00:03:58,040 reflecting a new era of opulence, 50 00:03:58,040 --> 00:04:02,440 epitomising the greatest dynasty of all, the 18th. 51 00:04:02,440 --> 00:04:05,000 The time of Amenhotep III. 52 00:04:08,480 --> 00:04:11,520 For centuries, pretty much the only visible remains 53 00:04:11,520 --> 00:04:16,160 of Amenhotep's funerary temple were his two colossal statues. 54 00:04:17,680 --> 00:04:20,960 Now archaeologist Dr Hourig Sourouzian and her team 55 00:04:20,960 --> 00:04:23,920 are finally uncovering the full splendour 56 00:04:23,920 --> 00:04:26,240 of this once-mighty monument. 57 00:04:26,240 --> 00:04:28,800 You touch. And it's, it's... 58 00:04:28,800 --> 00:04:30,680 - It's like glass. - Yes. 59 00:04:30,680 --> 00:04:33,000 Covering over 86 acres, 60 00:04:33,000 --> 00:04:35,400 this was not a tomb like the pyramids, 61 00:04:35,400 --> 00:04:37,440 but a huge complex. 62 00:04:37,440 --> 00:04:41,160 The largest funerary temple ever created. 63 00:04:41,160 --> 00:04:43,480 - It's a massive, massive... - It's unbelievable. 64 00:04:43,480 --> 00:04:45,120 You have to imagine 65 00:04:45,120 --> 00:04:47,680 this is only the major temple, the main temple. 66 00:04:47,680 --> 00:04:50,640 You have to imagine other temples, processional ways, 67 00:04:50,640 --> 00:04:53,200 sphinx avenues, magazines, 68 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:57,320 workshops, treasures, pools, gardens, 69 00:04:57,320 --> 00:04:59,640 priests' houses, administrative houses... 70 00:04:59,640 --> 00:05:03,960 All this was a big city in the...in the capital. 71 00:05:03,960 --> 00:05:05,800 - Overwhelming in size. - Yeah. It is. 72 00:05:07,080 --> 00:05:10,040 This grand design was built as the place 73 00:05:10,040 --> 00:05:13,200 where his soul could be worshipped for eternity, 74 00:05:13,200 --> 00:05:17,840 while his mummified body was buried in the Valley of the Kings nearby. 75 00:05:17,840 --> 00:05:21,120 But during his lifetime, inside the temple, 76 00:05:21,120 --> 00:05:23,480 a permanent priesthood was employed, 77 00:05:23,480 --> 00:05:25,800 all ruled over by the pharaoh. 78 00:05:27,400 --> 00:05:32,000 Amenhotep's massive statues flanked the temple's main entrance. 79 00:05:34,080 --> 00:05:36,960 Beyond them lay a second pair, 80 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:38,480 and then a third. 81 00:05:40,000 --> 00:05:44,480 Amenhotep's image repeated throughout the temple complex. 82 00:05:50,720 --> 00:05:53,920 I wish one day they, they find a time machine. 83 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:55,400 I go back... 84 00:05:55,400 --> 00:05:57,440 Can I come? I'll come with you. 85 00:05:58,720 --> 00:06:02,680 We may not have a time machine, but 15 years of work 86 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,280 have begun to reveal some of the temple's former glories. 87 00:06:06,280 --> 00:06:09,320 Normally, these would have been metres up in the air. 88 00:06:09,320 --> 00:06:11,200 But to actually engage... 89 00:06:12,160 --> 00:06:14,760 It's so very tactile. 90 00:06:14,760 --> 00:06:16,240 So very intimate. 91 00:06:16,240 --> 00:06:18,200 Holding hands with the pharaoh. 92 00:06:20,280 --> 00:06:23,160 This colossus from the temple's second gateway 93 00:06:23,160 --> 00:06:26,280 is flanked by one of the best-preserved statues 94 00:06:26,280 --> 00:06:29,960 of Amenhotep's principal consort, Queen Tiye, 95 00:06:29,960 --> 00:06:31,880 his Great Royal Wife. 96 00:06:33,080 --> 00:06:34,720 Here she's standing. 97 00:06:34,720 --> 00:06:37,920 And by a miracle, having been saved by all the catastrophes 98 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:40,280 which struck this temple. 99 00:06:40,280 --> 00:06:44,840 So he's protected her for centuries, really, hasn't he? 100 00:06:44,840 --> 00:06:48,000 Carved to be no bigger than Amenhotep's lower leg, 101 00:06:48,000 --> 00:06:51,040 Queen Tiye's size served to exaggerate 102 00:06:51,040 --> 00:06:53,880 the pharaoh's superhuman status. 103 00:06:56,440 --> 00:06:59,960 These massive statues were more than a memorial. 104 00:06:59,960 --> 00:07:04,000 Each worship is to guarantee the immortality of the king's soul... 105 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,280 the pharaoh as god. 106 00:07:06,280 --> 00:07:09,560 This is my great surprise to you. 107 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:13,520 And Hourig has saved the very best until last. 108 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:18,120 Pull it now. 109 00:07:21,760 --> 00:07:23,000 Oh...! 110 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:25,240 Oh, flipping heck! 111 00:07:29,400 --> 00:07:31,200 It's Amenhotep's head, 112 00:07:31,200 --> 00:07:33,160 at three metres tall, 113 00:07:33,160 --> 00:07:35,960 carved from the finest white alabaster. 114 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:37,480 Oh... 115 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:39,080 I don't know what to say. 116 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:44,800 Over the years, I've seen many of his portraits, 117 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:47,600 but rarely one as stunning as this. 118 00:07:47,600 --> 00:07:49,280 Look at his nose. 119 00:07:49,280 --> 00:07:50,560 Yeah. 120 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:55,120 This is an absolutely amazing portrait...sculpted face 121 00:07:55,120 --> 00:07:56,600 of Amenhotep himself. 122 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:58,400 Never seen anything like it. 123 00:08:00,480 --> 00:08:02,840 With hundreds of statues like this, 124 00:08:02,840 --> 00:08:06,080 Amenhotep was multiplying the image of himself 125 00:08:06,080 --> 00:08:10,680 as Egypt's most powerful god, bringing light and life to the world. 126 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:23,000 Because whoever controlled Egypt's religion controlled Egypt. 127 00:08:24,400 --> 00:08:27,120 And with it, a vast amount of wealth. 128 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:31,520 Now, Amenhotep wore gold from top to toe 129 00:08:31,520 --> 00:08:34,720 and he handed it out to his courtiers as gifts. 130 00:08:34,720 --> 00:08:38,000 But he also used it as a diplomatic weapon. 131 00:08:42,080 --> 00:08:46,720 Amenhotep's clever use of Egyptian gold is recorded on stone scarabs, 132 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:48,080 like this one. 133 00:08:49,760 --> 00:08:52,480 They served as the pharaoh's news bulletins, 134 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:57,320 which he circulated around his empire with updates inscribed on their base. 135 00:09:00,040 --> 00:09:03,760 In this case, it was a new marriage of the king. 136 00:09:03,760 --> 00:09:08,240 It effectively records his marriage to a Syrian princess, 137 00:09:08,240 --> 00:09:10,600 a princess from the land of Mitanni, 138 00:09:10,600 --> 00:09:16,000 and it recounts how, having sent gold to the princess' father, 139 00:09:16,000 --> 00:09:20,600 he then sent out one of his daughters for the pharaoh to marry. 140 00:09:20,600 --> 00:09:22,960 So a kind of mail-order bride, if you like. 141 00:09:24,240 --> 00:09:27,480 It reports that her name was Kiluhepa... 142 00:09:29,800 --> 00:09:33,400 ..and that she arrived from Mitanni in Syria, 143 00:09:33,400 --> 00:09:37,880 with no fewer than 317 ladies in waiting. 144 00:09:39,320 --> 00:09:40,560 Clearly impressed, 145 00:09:40,560 --> 00:09:43,240 Amenhotep added the comment, 146 00:09:43,240 --> 00:09:45,200 "It's a marvel!" 147 00:09:48,480 --> 00:09:52,080 With this diplomatic marriage, only one of many, 148 00:09:52,080 --> 00:09:55,640 they were an effective way of securing peace and prosperity. 149 00:09:59,160 --> 00:10:03,280 Amenhotep was able to utilise his key resource, 150 00:10:03,280 --> 00:10:08,360 his gold, to kind of get everything he wanted to maintain his status 151 00:10:08,360 --> 00:10:11,840 as the supreme monarch in the ancient world at that time. 152 00:10:15,000 --> 00:10:18,120 Gold bought Egypt peace with its neighbours... 153 00:10:19,440 --> 00:10:23,560 ..with Amenhotep III's empire stretching from what is now Syria 154 00:10:23,560 --> 00:10:25,640 as far as modern Sudan. 155 00:10:27,880 --> 00:10:32,200 But within Egypt itself, gold had a different use 156 00:10:32,200 --> 00:10:35,440 and could even guarantee a fast track to the afterlife. 157 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:41,360 Emphatically expressed by a great treasure in the museum in Wigan. 158 00:10:42,800 --> 00:10:44,880 A stunning golden face. 159 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:57,440 Originally part of a woman's coffin, 160 00:10:57,440 --> 00:11:00,000 her life-like features were preserved 161 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,200 to allow her soul to recognise her in the afterlife. 162 00:11:04,240 --> 00:11:06,840 Isn't this absolutely beautiful? 163 00:11:06,840 --> 00:11:09,520 Clearly the gold suggests to us 164 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:11,640 that this was someone of very special, 165 00:11:11,640 --> 00:11:13,320 very high status, very wealthy. 166 00:11:16,320 --> 00:11:18,440 Although we can never know her name, 167 00:11:18,440 --> 00:11:23,800 she had clearly spent a fortune in preparing for her perfect afterlife. 168 00:11:25,080 --> 00:11:27,920 Covered in gold leaf, she stares out at us 169 00:11:27,920 --> 00:11:30,720 with eyes of alabaster and black obsidian. 170 00:11:32,680 --> 00:11:35,320 We can really see into the world, 171 00:11:35,320 --> 00:11:37,800 into the thought patterns of the Egyptians themselves 172 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:41,080 because, as stunning as this face is, 173 00:11:41,080 --> 00:11:42,960 it was simply buried in a tomb - 174 00:11:42,960 --> 00:11:45,440 literally, buried in a hole in the ground - 175 00:11:45,440 --> 00:11:46,680 not for human eyes, 176 00:11:46,680 --> 00:11:49,560 but to be seen by the gods and the spirits of the dead, 177 00:11:49,560 --> 00:11:52,440 with whom this woman wanted to join. 178 00:11:52,440 --> 00:11:54,680 And that's why her skin is gold, 179 00:11:54,680 --> 00:11:57,600 because the gods had golden skin 180 00:11:57,600 --> 00:12:01,480 and she wanted to be recognised by them as one of their own, 181 00:12:01,480 --> 00:12:03,640 taken into their eternal care. 182 00:12:03,640 --> 00:12:10,240 For the Egyptians, it was a special pact between themselves and the gods 183 00:12:10,240 --> 00:12:12,760 that made their country, made their empire, 184 00:12:12,760 --> 00:12:14,920 so very powerful, so very special. 185 00:12:15,960 --> 00:12:17,440 In the golden age, 186 00:12:17,440 --> 00:12:20,680 this special pact shone more brightly than ever before... 187 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:25,040 ..with Egypt's wealth poured into their faith in the afterlife. 188 00:12:26,760 --> 00:12:30,920 And with increasing amounts of gold accompanying the royal mummies, 189 00:12:30,920 --> 00:12:34,680 their tombs needed to be kept secure at all costs. 190 00:12:37,320 --> 00:12:41,320 So a secret burial place was established for Egypt's pharaohs, 191 00:12:41,320 --> 00:12:43,200 on Thebes' west bank. 192 00:12:50,480 --> 00:12:52,600 The Valley of the Kings. 193 00:12:57,280 --> 00:12:59,560 It was essential that each royal mummy 194 00:12:59,560 --> 00:13:01,640 was buried safely in their tomb, 195 00:13:01,640 --> 00:13:04,760 in a custom dating back to the beginning of time, 196 00:13:04,760 --> 00:13:07,640 because each one became a royal ancestor, 197 00:13:07,640 --> 00:13:11,080 whose cumulative souls formed the very essence of Egypt. 198 00:13:18,280 --> 00:13:21,640 The royal tombs had been desecrated once before, 199 00:13:21,640 --> 00:13:25,280 breaking Egypt's spiritual link to its ancestors. 200 00:13:29,080 --> 00:13:31,360 So to prevent this happening again, 201 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:35,840 the pharaohs of the New Kingdom chose burial deep in this remote valley... 202 00:13:37,320 --> 00:13:40,760 ..where they could lie undisturbed in rock-cut tombs. 203 00:13:42,240 --> 00:13:45,440 And this became Egypt's most sacred place. 204 00:13:52,960 --> 00:13:55,400 Such elaborate preparations for the afterlife 205 00:13:55,400 --> 00:13:58,800 also fuelled a growing economy. 206 00:13:58,800 --> 00:14:01,040 And just as in the pyramid age, 207 00:14:01,040 --> 00:14:05,800 the industry of death shaped the lives of many ordinary Egyptians. 208 00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:11,840 For not only were there tombs to cut and temples to build, 209 00:14:11,840 --> 00:14:15,320 but statues, shrines, coffins, sarcophagi 210 00:14:15,320 --> 00:14:17,600 and all the paraphernalia of the afterlife. 211 00:14:21,800 --> 00:14:24,840 And with this came all the ingenuity 212 00:14:24,840 --> 00:14:28,800 of sourcing everything from alabaster to granite to gold. 213 00:14:31,440 --> 00:14:36,040 This is a copy of the world's earliest surviving geological map, 214 00:14:36,040 --> 00:14:40,760 dating from around 1150BC and the reign of Ramses IV. 215 00:14:42,200 --> 00:14:46,600 This map is a guide to the stone quarries and gold mines 216 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,600 of a 15km stretch of Egypt's Eastern Desert. 217 00:14:52,520 --> 00:14:57,240 It's almost as detailed as a modern geological map, 218 00:14:57,240 --> 00:15:00,880 with different colours for the different rock types. 219 00:15:00,880 --> 00:15:06,560 So over here, these large areas of black are the sedimentary rocks. 220 00:15:07,640 --> 00:15:11,920 Back here, where it turns pink, these are the igneous rocks, like granite. 221 00:15:13,040 --> 00:15:16,880 Other little features include areas of gold mining. 222 00:15:16,880 --> 00:15:21,680 And then throughout, you have this very subtle speckling 223 00:15:21,680 --> 00:15:24,600 and these are the areas of gravel. 224 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:28,000 Known to be very accurate, 225 00:15:28,000 --> 00:15:31,440 the map was made for one specific quarrying expedition... 226 00:15:33,000 --> 00:15:39,280 ..when 8,000 men were sent into a desert valley 130km from Thebes, 227 00:15:39,280 --> 00:15:41,880 to mine stone for royal monuments. 228 00:15:47,920 --> 00:15:50,240 But what's special about this map 229 00:15:50,240 --> 00:15:52,720 is that it leads us to the ordinary people, 230 00:15:52,720 --> 00:15:54,440 who were employed by the pharaoh 231 00:15:54,440 --> 00:15:58,000 to build the tombs in the Valley of the Kings. 232 00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:01,000 It was discovered by archaeologists 233 00:16:01,000 --> 00:16:03,880 at the workers' village of Deir el-Medina, 234 00:16:03,880 --> 00:16:07,800 a purpose-built settlement to house the tomb builders, 235 00:16:07,800 --> 00:16:12,840 architects, artists and scribes, together with their families. 236 00:16:12,840 --> 00:16:14,880 This would have been a bustling place, 237 00:16:14,880 --> 00:16:17,320 its streets full of children playing, 238 00:16:17,320 --> 00:16:19,240 deliveries being made 239 00:16:19,240 --> 00:16:22,560 and all the colours, sounds and smells of everyday life. 240 00:16:24,520 --> 00:16:27,880 It's one of the workers who lived here who made the map. 241 00:16:29,400 --> 00:16:34,680 Now, we even know the identity of the mapmaker, the scribe Amennakhte. 242 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:36,560 His distinctive handwriting 243 00:16:36,560 --> 00:16:39,720 is well known from a range of other literary works, 244 00:16:39,720 --> 00:16:43,520 from poems to prayers, maps to tomb plans. 245 00:16:43,520 --> 00:16:46,360 And it's thanks to one particular little inscription, 246 00:16:46,360 --> 00:16:49,200 with his name on, that we even know where he lived. 247 00:16:49,200 --> 00:16:51,040 Amennakhte lived here. 248 00:16:52,920 --> 00:16:55,080 This is the scribe's house. 249 00:17:00,360 --> 00:17:03,240 Amennakhte was one of the many skilled workers 250 00:17:03,240 --> 00:17:05,800 that rose through the ranks of society 251 00:17:05,800 --> 00:17:09,000 in the generations following the reign of Amenhotep III. 252 00:17:11,120 --> 00:17:14,480 He became the head scribe of this entire village, 253 00:17:14,480 --> 00:17:16,720 so a very, very important man. 254 00:17:18,040 --> 00:17:20,040 And yet, it's a very sad tale, as well, 255 00:17:20,040 --> 00:17:21,560 because as he gets older, 256 00:17:21,560 --> 00:17:23,760 we know that his eyesight started to fail 257 00:17:23,760 --> 00:17:26,400 because a prayer of his has survived, 258 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:30,360 in which he makes this very personal address 259 00:17:30,360 --> 00:17:32,480 to the local goddess, Meretseger, 260 00:17:32,480 --> 00:17:35,040 who lived at the top of the mountain up there. 261 00:17:35,040 --> 00:17:36,440 And he's imploring the goddess. 262 00:17:36,440 --> 00:17:38,120 He's saying, "My eyesight is failing. 263 00:17:38,120 --> 00:17:40,120 "I see darkness by day." 264 00:17:40,120 --> 00:17:44,800 And for a scribe, for a consummate draughtsman like Amennakhte, 265 00:17:44,800 --> 00:17:46,920 how sad that would have been. 266 00:17:49,240 --> 00:17:52,600 Here, Amennakhte prays to Meretseger, 267 00:17:52,600 --> 00:17:56,560 both of them symbolically portrayed without their eyes. 268 00:17:58,280 --> 00:18:01,400 It's hard not to resist this image that, 269 00:18:01,400 --> 00:18:03,520 as he got older and more infirm, 270 00:18:03,520 --> 00:18:05,720 he would have gone up the steps to the flat roof 271 00:18:05,720 --> 00:18:07,360 and, with failing eyesight, 272 00:18:07,360 --> 00:18:11,440 try to focus on the job in hand... 273 00:18:11,440 --> 00:18:13,520 Trying to mix his paints, 274 00:18:13,520 --> 00:18:16,880 apply the lines and the words and so forth. 275 00:18:16,880 --> 00:18:20,520 And needing the full sun on a day like this, 276 00:18:20,520 --> 00:18:23,160 just to get through the working day. 277 00:18:27,120 --> 00:18:30,360 But just like his predecessors, who built the pyramids, 278 00:18:30,360 --> 00:18:34,000 Amennakte would have felt a sense of greater purpose. 279 00:18:36,040 --> 00:18:39,240 We can imagine him and his neighbours in Deir el-Medina 280 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:42,080 working towards a single aim... 281 00:18:42,080 --> 00:18:44,040 creating the royal tomb. 282 00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:52,600 The New Kingdom pharaohs had created a new image for themselves. 283 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:57,400 Elaborate building schemes, requiring new towns full of workers. 284 00:18:57,400 --> 00:19:00,800 A strong economy, supporting an ever-grander vision, 285 00:19:00,800 --> 00:19:03,320 both for this world and the next. 286 00:19:13,360 --> 00:19:17,680 But the spiritual convictions that had brought Egypt to its zenith 287 00:19:17,680 --> 00:19:20,480 had also created a serious threat. 288 00:19:24,080 --> 00:19:28,440 In the New Kingdom, much of the Egyptian state centred on Thebes. 289 00:19:29,760 --> 00:19:34,200 While its west bank was mainly dedicated to its city of the dead, 290 00:19:34,200 --> 00:19:37,120 the east bank was where most people lived 291 00:19:37,120 --> 00:19:40,840 and the site of Egypt's main state temple - Karnak. 292 00:19:47,560 --> 00:19:49,720 As Karnak was rapidly becoming 293 00:19:49,720 --> 00:19:52,920 the largest religious complex of the ancient world, 294 00:19:52,920 --> 00:19:55,360 its influence grew exponentially. 295 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:03,000 And likewise, the power of its priests. 296 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:08,720 To get a real sense of what's going on, we need to go behind the scenes. 297 00:20:12,360 --> 00:20:15,000 SHE SPEAKS IN ARABIC 298 00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:19,440 I'm being allowed through an ancient passageway, 299 00:20:19,440 --> 00:20:22,760 once only accessible to Karnak's clergy. 300 00:20:22,760 --> 00:20:25,760 More, more, more wonderful sign. 301 00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,960 It leads to the top of the temple's main gateway 302 00:20:32,960 --> 00:20:36,400 and gives a view of Karnak not many get to see. 303 00:20:43,800 --> 00:20:45,920 Just look at that... 304 00:20:45,920 --> 00:20:50,520 You could fit Notre Dame and St Paul's Cathedrals in here 305 00:20:50,520 --> 00:20:53,080 and still have acres to spare. 306 00:20:53,080 --> 00:20:54,960 It is immense. 307 00:20:58,280 --> 00:21:03,280 Within Karnak, a series of chapels, shrines and sacred precincts 308 00:21:03,280 --> 00:21:07,320 covered a total area of more than 250 acres. 309 00:21:16,760 --> 00:21:21,280 This was Egypt's religious heart for almost 2,000 years. 310 00:21:26,120 --> 00:21:29,080 The reason why Karnak is so vast 311 00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,640 is that every pharaoh poured so much of their wealth 312 00:21:32,640 --> 00:21:35,240 into this temple. 313 00:21:35,240 --> 00:21:39,720 Their gold and their spoils of war all filled the temple's coffers. 314 00:21:39,720 --> 00:21:42,520 And each pharaoh also wanted to build 315 00:21:42,520 --> 00:21:45,760 their own halls, shrines and obelisks 316 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:48,280 in an attempt to outdo their predecessors. 317 00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:53,000 And yet all to the greater glory of Karnak's chief god, Amun. 318 00:21:55,240 --> 00:21:57,560 Over the course of centuries, 319 00:21:57,560 --> 00:22:02,520 Amun had risen from a local Theban god to Egypt's state deity. 320 00:22:03,920 --> 00:22:07,280 And his worship was the engine that fuelled the nation. 321 00:22:10,400 --> 00:22:14,200 So every pharaoh had to keep Amun content, 322 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:17,960 offering him their wealth and tending to his every need. 323 00:22:19,840 --> 00:22:23,280 And this privilege fell to Karnak's high priest 324 00:22:23,280 --> 00:22:27,320 and was performed in the temple's inner sanctum. 325 00:22:27,320 --> 00:22:31,720 Secret ceremonies at which the only others permitted were the royals. 326 00:22:32,920 --> 00:22:36,960 Here we are in the very heart of Karnak temple. 327 00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:38,800 This is where the god lived. 328 00:22:38,800 --> 00:22:44,720 The god himself lived inside his sacred statue. 329 00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:47,920 The original wouldn't have been much bigger than this. 330 00:22:47,920 --> 00:22:49,840 It would have been solid gold. 331 00:22:49,840 --> 00:22:52,280 It would have lived inside a little golden shrine, 332 00:22:52,280 --> 00:22:55,080 sealed by a pair of small doors. 333 00:22:58,560 --> 00:23:01,120 And each morning, the high priest would come in. 334 00:23:01,120 --> 00:23:03,680 He would awaken the god's spirit. 335 00:23:04,720 --> 00:23:07,320 He would greet him. He would wash him. 336 00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:09,080 Anoint him with perfume. 337 00:23:09,080 --> 00:23:11,520 Apply his eye make-up. 338 00:23:11,520 --> 00:23:14,960 And then dress him in various linen outfits. 339 00:23:14,960 --> 00:23:19,120 Apply the small pieces of jewellery to the god's statue. 340 00:23:19,120 --> 00:23:22,160 And then the god would proceed to enjoy his day. 341 00:23:23,200 --> 00:23:26,800 Amun received daily meals of the finest foods... 342 00:23:26,800 --> 00:23:30,960 roast meats, bread, fruit and vegetables, 343 00:23:30,960 --> 00:23:33,240 accompanied by wine and beer. 344 00:23:35,040 --> 00:23:38,880 Clouds of incense would drive away evil forces 345 00:23:38,880 --> 00:23:42,000 and musicians and dancers entertained him. 346 00:23:44,800 --> 00:23:48,360 And by keeping their most important deity content, 347 00:23:48,360 --> 00:23:51,400 it was believed that Amun would, in turn, 348 00:23:51,400 --> 00:23:54,120 make the Nile flood each year, 349 00:23:54,120 --> 00:23:57,120 make the sun rise each morning 350 00:23:57,120 --> 00:24:00,480 and maintain Egypt's supreme status. 351 00:24:06,760 --> 00:24:10,000 The high priests' direct access to Amun 352 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:14,800 made them the greatest beneficiaries of Karnak's growing prosperity. 353 00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,960 This tranquil lake is where the male and female clergy bathed, 354 00:24:21,960 --> 00:24:27,440 twice each day and night, to maintain their ritual purity before the gods. 355 00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:34,360 Known as "the pure ones", 356 00:24:34,360 --> 00:24:37,800 they set themselves apart from the rest of society 357 00:24:37,800 --> 00:24:40,040 with their distinctive appearance, 358 00:24:40,040 --> 00:24:43,200 achieved through their own set of daily rituals. 359 00:24:45,840 --> 00:24:48,720 Part of this process of ritual purity 360 00:24:48,720 --> 00:24:51,920 involved using an array of implements on a daily basis 361 00:24:51,920 --> 00:24:54,280 to transform their appearance. 362 00:24:56,000 --> 00:24:58,680 And one of the most important things they did, 363 00:24:58,680 --> 00:25:01,880 they had to remove all body hair - male and female clergy - 364 00:25:01,880 --> 00:25:03,920 using razors like this. 365 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:08,320 So every day, having to shave their heads and their entire bodies. 366 00:25:08,320 --> 00:25:10,960 Keep them free from lice and all these kinds of things, 367 00:25:10,960 --> 00:25:13,640 which would have inhibited their sense of cleanliness. 368 00:25:14,840 --> 00:25:18,680 It was essential that they also had a very clean mouth, 369 00:25:18,680 --> 00:25:22,720 because they'd be speaking the words before the god. 370 00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:26,640 And so they used something which is quite a modern thing. 371 00:25:27,640 --> 00:25:29,680 Basically, natron salt. 372 00:25:29,680 --> 00:25:33,040 A kind of bicarbonate, rather like a modern bicarbonate toothpaste, 373 00:25:33,040 --> 00:25:36,080 which would get their teeth nice and clean. 374 00:25:38,080 --> 00:25:40,920 Scrupulous not only with dental hygiene, 375 00:25:40,920 --> 00:25:45,880 they wore reed-woven sandals and robes of pure white linen. 376 00:25:48,520 --> 00:25:52,120 And having transformed themselves in this wonderful way, 377 00:25:52,120 --> 00:25:55,240 they also had access to these polished metal mirrors. 378 00:25:56,680 --> 00:26:00,280 They could then admire their transformed appearance, 379 00:26:00,280 --> 00:26:05,320 because it was important to distance themselves from the great unwashed. 380 00:26:05,320 --> 00:26:09,320 For the ancient priests, cleanliness really was next to godliness 381 00:26:09,320 --> 00:26:12,680 and they were the gods' chosen people. 382 00:26:22,000 --> 00:26:25,680 As the wealth and power of Karnak's priests grew, 383 00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:29,880 their authority over Egypt began to rival that of the king. 384 00:26:33,760 --> 00:26:37,800 Karnak's priests had far-reaching influence, 385 00:26:37,800 --> 00:26:41,680 active not only by day, but also by night. 386 00:26:43,960 --> 00:26:46,440 One of these priests was called Nakht. 387 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:48,880 He was a priest of the Hours of Amun, 388 00:26:48,880 --> 00:26:51,480 which basically means he was an astronomer 389 00:26:51,480 --> 00:26:54,600 and he would sit by night on the flat temple roof, 390 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:57,400 which was effectively an ancient observatory, 391 00:26:57,400 --> 00:26:59,720 and he'd be able to chart 392 00:26:59,720 --> 00:27:02,120 the progress of the stars and planets in the sky, 393 00:27:02,120 --> 00:27:04,320 watch the movement of the heavens. 394 00:27:04,320 --> 00:27:08,560 And by doing so, the priests of Egypt were able to work out 395 00:27:08,560 --> 00:27:11,040 when to celebrate specific events. 396 00:27:12,240 --> 00:27:16,160 But of course, what this meant is that Karnak never closed. 397 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,480 It was a 24-hour-a-day concern. 398 00:27:19,480 --> 00:27:21,880 It meant the priests were always there. 399 00:27:21,880 --> 00:27:24,120 It meant the priests were always watching. 400 00:27:30,360 --> 00:27:34,640 Fully aware of the potential threat posed by the Karnak clergy, 401 00:27:34,640 --> 00:27:38,120 Amenhotep III employed his own relatives in the temple 402 00:27:38,120 --> 00:27:40,120 to guarantee their loyalty. 403 00:27:42,000 --> 00:27:45,720 But such subtle means of control were about to evaporate. 404 00:27:47,040 --> 00:27:48,520 Enter a new pharaoh... 405 00:27:49,600 --> 00:27:51,600 ..Akhenaten. 406 00:27:54,680 --> 00:27:57,120 Son and heir of Amenhotep. 407 00:27:59,240 --> 00:28:03,280 But unlike his father, Akhenaten was no diplomat. 408 00:28:04,480 --> 00:28:07,600 His zealous ambitions would soon plunge Egypt 409 00:28:07,600 --> 00:28:11,040 into an age of political and religious extremism. 410 00:28:15,280 --> 00:28:17,000 Early in his reign, 411 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:21,080 Akhenaten found a swift way to stamp his authority on the priests, 412 00:28:21,080 --> 00:28:24,760 by building a controversial new temple complex at Karnak. 413 00:28:28,720 --> 00:28:33,160 Now, what we're looking at here is something very, very unusual. 414 00:28:33,160 --> 00:28:36,240 It's part of a wall from Karnak temple, 415 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:39,320 but not the traditional part of Karnak temple. 416 00:28:39,320 --> 00:28:42,680 It's a section that was built a little way beyond 417 00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:45,120 and it was a new, revolutionary building. 418 00:28:45,120 --> 00:28:47,440 It wasn't built like the old-style Karnak 419 00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,080 in huge, big, monolithic blocks of stone, 420 00:28:50,080 --> 00:28:52,360 but these small easier-to-handle blocks, 421 00:28:52,360 --> 00:28:55,960 which meant, of course, it could almost spring up overnight. 422 00:28:57,040 --> 00:28:58,840 But most shocking of all 423 00:28:58,840 --> 00:29:02,320 were the images that this new temple portrayed. 424 00:29:02,320 --> 00:29:06,480 Akhenaten had begun to dismantle Egypt's traditional religion 425 00:29:06,480 --> 00:29:09,400 and replace its many deities with a single god. 426 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:12,520 If you look very carefully, 427 00:29:12,520 --> 00:29:16,120 the images are very different to what went before. 428 00:29:17,080 --> 00:29:19,040 Amun is nowhere present. 429 00:29:19,040 --> 00:29:23,360 The god of Karnak himself isn't represented in his own temple. 430 00:29:23,360 --> 00:29:27,840 Because the god shown here is a form of the sun god called the Aten. 431 00:29:29,800 --> 00:29:33,120 And you can see the multiple rays coming down, 432 00:29:33,120 --> 00:29:35,200 ending in human hands, 433 00:29:35,200 --> 00:29:38,520 giving their blessings to the main figure here. 434 00:29:38,520 --> 00:29:40,400 And it isn't the high priest of Amun. 435 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,760 For Amun's priests were no longer in control at Karnak. 436 00:29:49,680 --> 00:29:54,240 And Amun himself was now replaced by the Aten sun god. 437 00:29:56,080 --> 00:30:00,040 In fact, life in Egypt was turned on its head. 438 00:30:01,600 --> 00:30:03,360 And whereas previously, 439 00:30:03,360 --> 00:30:06,960 courtiers would bow very low before their monarch, 440 00:30:06,960 --> 00:30:09,240 now times had changed. 441 00:30:09,240 --> 00:30:12,560 These people have their faces in the dirt before pharaoh. 442 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:15,400 They're lying prostrate before him. 443 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:17,760 This marked the beginning of a new age. 444 00:30:21,000 --> 00:30:24,240 It was an age when the only way to reach God 445 00:30:24,240 --> 00:30:26,320 was through his intermediaries, 446 00:30:26,320 --> 00:30:31,280 twin monarchs Akhenaten and his wife and co-ruler Nefertiti. 447 00:30:33,320 --> 00:30:37,720 And when the priests objected, the royal couple closed Karnak, 448 00:30:37,720 --> 00:30:41,080 sacked its priests and seized its treasury. 449 00:30:43,640 --> 00:30:48,840 They then moved their whole court 400km downriver from Thebes 450 00:30:48,840 --> 00:30:52,320 and in less than ten years built a brand-new city. 451 00:30:59,920 --> 00:31:01,920 Known today as Amarna, 452 00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:04,960 its palaces, temples and tombs 453 00:31:04,960 --> 00:31:09,200 were filled with images of the Aten, the sun disk god. 454 00:31:13,840 --> 00:31:16,600 Gone were the multiplicity of gods to worship. 455 00:31:17,600 --> 00:31:20,920 Now it was the sun that was celebrated each day 456 00:31:20,920 --> 00:31:26,720 with hymns, prayers and offerings presented on a truly lavish scale. 457 00:31:36,160 --> 00:31:39,320 But the couple's vision of Utopia came at a price. 458 00:31:40,840 --> 00:31:44,160 And when Akhenaten died after a 17-year reign, 459 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:46,320 Egypt was bankrupt. 460 00:31:48,800 --> 00:31:51,920 His son became king of Egypt. 461 00:31:51,920 --> 00:31:54,440 And although he reigned for less than ten years, 462 00:31:54,440 --> 00:31:57,440 he still became the most famous pharaoh 463 00:31:57,440 --> 00:31:59,960 from the whole of Egyptian history. 464 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:04,560 Tutankhamen. 465 00:32:07,360 --> 00:32:11,920 His treasure, discovered by Howard Carter in 1922, 466 00:32:11,920 --> 00:32:15,320 was the most famous archaeological find of all time. 467 00:32:17,280 --> 00:32:21,040 Tutankhamen's mask is the epitome of ancient Egypt. 468 00:32:22,120 --> 00:32:23,760 So very familiar. 469 00:32:23,760 --> 00:32:28,040 Yet, like so many of his treasures, holding a long-standing secret. 470 00:32:34,920 --> 00:32:38,360 I've come to Oxford University's Griffith Institute 471 00:32:38,360 --> 00:32:41,920 to examine the most detailed records of his burial. 472 00:32:45,080 --> 00:32:46,760 So in this first stack... 473 00:32:48,960 --> 00:32:52,640 These are all Carter's notes and diaries, journals. 474 00:32:52,640 --> 00:32:54,800 And then, right at the bottom down here, 475 00:32:54,800 --> 00:32:58,000 we've got all Harry Burton's original glass negatives. 476 00:32:58,000 --> 00:33:03,120 Captured on delicate glass slides, these are the original negatives 477 00:33:03,120 --> 00:33:05,280 taken by Howard Carter's photographer 478 00:33:05,280 --> 00:33:08,400 at every stage of the ten-year excavation. 479 00:33:09,320 --> 00:33:13,400 So this shows the very first view they had of the mummy. 480 00:33:14,560 --> 00:33:19,080 They reveal Tutankhamen's burial in a way not usually seen, 481 00:33:19,080 --> 00:33:24,000 for this is the linen shroud over his third innermost coffin. 482 00:33:26,720 --> 00:33:30,400 This is as if the embalmers have just finished. 483 00:33:30,400 --> 00:33:34,680 The family have laid their wreaths and floral tributes, 484 00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:36,680 before the lid finally went on. 485 00:33:37,720 --> 00:33:40,760 What a privilege to actually see this in black and white. 486 00:33:42,400 --> 00:33:44,080 Wow... 487 00:33:44,080 --> 00:33:45,960 That's pretty profound, that. 488 00:33:50,440 --> 00:33:52,560 For all his fabled wealth, 489 00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:57,120 Tutankhamen was, in life, a fairly insignificant pharaoh. 490 00:33:57,120 --> 00:34:01,760 But his premature death, after only a decade as king, 491 00:34:01,760 --> 00:34:05,440 offered Karnak's priests the perfect opportunity 492 00:34:05,440 --> 00:34:11,040 to obliterate all trace of Akhenaten, Nefertiti and the Amarna period. 493 00:34:15,880 --> 00:34:19,240 And these wonderful photos of his burial treasure 494 00:34:19,240 --> 00:34:20,880 reveal how they did it. 495 00:34:25,960 --> 00:34:28,040 On his famous golden throne, 496 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:32,560 Tutankhamen and his wife Ankhesenamun are depicted together. 497 00:34:34,760 --> 00:34:39,240 But all is not what it seems, as recent research has discovered... 498 00:34:40,200 --> 00:34:42,560 If we look at the back of the queen's head, 499 00:34:42,560 --> 00:34:44,800 where her wig originally was, 500 00:34:44,800 --> 00:34:47,000 it's been slightly cut down there. 501 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:49,080 The same with Tutankhamen's crown. 502 00:34:49,080 --> 00:34:52,520 A new crown has been added here. 503 00:34:52,520 --> 00:34:55,760 So it's little things like this, because headgear regalia 504 00:34:55,760 --> 00:34:58,720 was crucial in identifying these royal individuals. 505 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:04,640 By altering the images, the throne had been customised for Tutankhamen. 506 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:10,200 But the biggest giveaway as to whom this once belonged 507 00:35:10,200 --> 00:35:13,200 is in the deity that looms large above the king and queen. 508 00:35:14,840 --> 00:35:18,680 So although Amun is also named on this throne, 509 00:35:18,680 --> 00:35:22,640 it's the Aten sun disk that does take centre stage 510 00:35:22,640 --> 00:35:27,320 and really does cement this piece as a royal throne from the Armana age. 511 00:35:27,320 --> 00:35:29,840 So it seems that the two figures 512 00:35:29,840 --> 00:35:32,840 once believed to be Tutankhamen and his wife 513 00:35:32,840 --> 00:35:35,840 were originally Akhenaten and Nefertiti. 514 00:35:40,640 --> 00:35:46,000 Another clue comes from the most famous artefact from ancient history, 515 00:35:46,000 --> 00:35:49,400 the golden mask of Tutankhamen. 516 00:35:49,400 --> 00:35:51,160 Or is it? 517 00:35:51,160 --> 00:35:55,720 Recent research has zoned in on one long-overlooked feature 518 00:35:55,720 --> 00:35:58,440 and that is the decidedly pierced ears. 519 00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:02,720 Because it's been suggested that this mask 520 00:36:02,720 --> 00:36:04,920 was originally made for someone else. 521 00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,960 The research suggests that Tutankhamen 522 00:36:07,960 --> 00:36:10,800 wouldn't have worn earrings beyond childhood. 523 00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,640 So by the age of 20, when he died, 524 00:36:13,640 --> 00:36:17,440 he would not have been portrayed with pierced ears. 525 00:36:17,440 --> 00:36:21,600 This mask was not made for an adult male pharaoh. 526 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:24,800 Indeed, when the gold has been compared, 527 00:36:24,800 --> 00:36:28,680 the face is made of completely different gold to the rest. 528 00:36:29,640 --> 00:36:32,760 Evidence of soldering is clearly visible on the mask. 529 00:36:33,800 --> 00:36:37,840 It now seems as if Tutankhamen's own face 530 00:36:37,840 --> 00:36:41,560 was effectively grafted onto the mask of a previous ruler. 531 00:36:41,560 --> 00:36:45,720 A previous ruler who had pierced ears for earrings. 532 00:36:45,720 --> 00:36:49,080 A previous ruler who may well have been a woman, 533 00:36:49,080 --> 00:36:51,600 who may well have been Nefertiti. 534 00:36:56,560 --> 00:37:00,520 In fact, it's estimated that around 80% of the objects 535 00:37:00,520 --> 00:37:02,640 found in Tutankhamen's tomb 536 00:37:02,640 --> 00:37:06,000 originally belonged to either Akhenaten or Nefertiti. 537 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,160 And with all of it dumped together like this, 538 00:37:10,160 --> 00:37:12,840 it was a kind of spiritual decluttering. 539 00:37:14,920 --> 00:37:17,240 As far as the priests were concerned, 540 00:37:17,240 --> 00:37:19,240 all this was tainted gold. 541 00:37:19,240 --> 00:37:23,680 And so the burial of Tutankhamen was the perfect opportunity 542 00:37:23,680 --> 00:37:26,200 to bury the unwanted past forever. 543 00:37:31,360 --> 00:37:35,360 While the city of Amarna had been abandoned, then demolished, 544 00:37:35,360 --> 00:37:37,520 the memory of everything it represented 545 00:37:37,520 --> 00:37:39,440 was likewise being erased. 546 00:37:41,840 --> 00:37:44,240 Egypt's state religion was restored. 547 00:37:47,040 --> 00:37:49,520 Karnak's priests were back in business. 548 00:37:52,800 --> 00:37:56,360 And Thebes was once again the seat of sacred power. 549 00:38:01,800 --> 00:38:05,160 And now, the next dynasty of the New Kingdom was in control. 550 00:38:07,080 --> 00:38:09,160 Having died without an heir, 551 00:38:09,160 --> 00:38:13,520 Tutankhamen was succeeded by a line of militaristic rulers, 552 00:38:13,520 --> 00:38:15,480 the 19th dynasty. 553 00:38:20,400 --> 00:38:22,880 With no direct royal ancestry, 554 00:38:22,880 --> 00:38:27,760 the new dynasty needed to reconnect with Egypt's illustrious past. 555 00:38:27,760 --> 00:38:30,720 So it reinstated traditional beliefs, 556 00:38:30,720 --> 00:38:34,520 in a renaissance led by one of its most influential rulers. 557 00:38:37,320 --> 00:38:38,720 Seti I. 558 00:38:40,000 --> 00:38:42,200 His tomb in the Valley of the Kings 559 00:38:42,200 --> 00:38:45,400 is the largest pharaoh's tomb ever created here. 560 00:38:48,920 --> 00:38:50,640 Currently closed to the public, 561 00:38:50,640 --> 00:38:54,400 I've been given special permission to explore this labyrinthine treasure. 562 00:38:57,720 --> 00:39:01,200 The tomb's inviting us down, further down into the underworld 563 00:39:01,200 --> 00:39:03,520 and it's just drawing us into the darkness. 564 00:39:03,520 --> 00:39:05,640 It's a really, really deep tomb, this. 565 00:39:08,600 --> 00:39:12,720 Its 174 metres of corridors and chambers 566 00:39:12,720 --> 00:39:14,640 all chiselled out by hand. 567 00:39:16,680 --> 00:39:21,440 And covered from floor to ceiling in some truly spectacular scenes. 568 00:39:22,800 --> 00:39:24,080 Whoa...! 569 00:39:24,080 --> 00:39:26,160 What an amazing chamber! 570 00:39:26,160 --> 00:39:30,520 Absolutely filled with little gold and twinkly stars. 571 00:39:31,880 --> 00:39:35,240 But the walls of Seti's tomb carry a clear message... 572 00:39:36,720 --> 00:39:41,800 ..demonstrating the return of Egypt's traditional deities in full force. 573 00:39:46,640 --> 00:39:50,360 And here we see him, Seti with the gods. 574 00:39:57,400 --> 00:39:59,520 This is a brilliant chamber. 575 00:39:59,520 --> 00:40:03,840 Its repeated images of the pharaoh Seti with the gods. 576 00:40:03,840 --> 00:40:06,680 The gods are back and he's keen to show that. 577 00:40:06,680 --> 00:40:08,360 And so we see him here... 578 00:40:09,680 --> 00:40:11,600 ..with Anubis, 579 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:15,560 the elegant black jackal god of embalming and the dead. 580 00:40:16,680 --> 00:40:19,840 Here Seti is making offerings to Hathor, 581 00:40:19,840 --> 00:40:24,240 the maternal goddess of love, who takes all dead souls into her care. 582 00:40:26,320 --> 00:40:28,520 And Horus, the god of kingship, 583 00:40:28,520 --> 00:40:31,680 wearing the joint crowns of Upper and Lower Egypt. 584 00:40:34,520 --> 00:40:38,120 Then Seti makes the strongest connection with Egypt's past 585 00:40:38,120 --> 00:40:42,160 in the portrayal of the ultimate deity in the tomb... 586 00:40:42,160 --> 00:40:45,000 Osiris, god of the underworld. 587 00:40:46,640 --> 00:40:51,080 He represents every single pharaoh that's gone before Seti. 588 00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:55,240 He represents the accumulated powers of the royal ancestors. 589 00:40:55,240 --> 00:40:59,080 And Seti is keen to show himself in the company of Osiris. 590 00:40:59,080 --> 00:41:04,680 He's tapping into that greatness that made Egypt such a strong nation. 591 00:41:08,160 --> 00:41:12,000 Every image, every hieroglyph in Seti's tomb 592 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:15,280 harks back to the golden age of Amenhotep III. 593 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:20,320 And continuing with this golden legacy, 594 00:41:20,320 --> 00:41:25,640 Seti's reign was a true renaissance of art and culture, 595 00:41:25,640 --> 00:41:28,040 with the ultimate jewel in his tomb... 596 00:41:28,040 --> 00:41:29,520 his burial chamber. 597 00:41:33,960 --> 00:41:36,560 That is absolutely superb. 598 00:41:41,120 --> 00:41:43,120 This is really incredible. 599 00:41:43,120 --> 00:41:47,080 It's taking that night-time sky motif and really, really running with it. 600 00:41:51,760 --> 00:41:53,520 This is the night sky, 601 00:41:53,520 --> 00:41:56,280 as seen through the eyes of the astronomer priests. 602 00:41:57,760 --> 00:42:01,080 And this is where the royal mummy would have lain, 603 00:42:01,080 --> 00:42:03,160 in its alabaster sarcophagus, 604 00:42:03,160 --> 00:42:05,360 allowing Seti's mummy, Seti's soul, 605 00:42:05,360 --> 00:42:08,200 to look up at this spectacular ceiling. 606 00:42:13,960 --> 00:42:17,720 Egypt's traditional belief system is here writ large, 607 00:42:17,720 --> 00:42:20,080 covering every surface. 608 00:42:26,000 --> 00:42:27,120 Egypt was back. 609 00:42:28,640 --> 00:42:31,560 Seti had brought back the days of glory. 610 00:42:33,000 --> 00:42:36,040 It's as if the Amarna period had never been. 611 00:42:36,040 --> 00:42:38,560 And for the average man and woman in the street, 612 00:42:38,560 --> 00:42:40,120 that was a wonderful thing, 613 00:42:40,120 --> 00:42:43,000 because order had been restored, 614 00:42:43,000 --> 00:42:46,120 chaos had been brushed away 615 00:42:46,120 --> 00:42:50,240 and everything was all right with their world. 616 00:42:56,440 --> 00:42:58,680 The golden age had been restored. 617 00:43:00,360 --> 00:43:02,880 But not just for the larger-than-life pharaohs, 618 00:43:02,880 --> 00:43:06,640 with their glorious tombs and vast monuments, 619 00:43:06,640 --> 00:43:09,600 but for the majority of Egypt's population, too. 620 00:43:12,520 --> 00:43:15,320 This included the inhabitants of Deir el-Medina, 621 00:43:15,320 --> 00:43:18,000 the tomb builders' village near the Valley of the Kings. 622 00:43:19,760 --> 00:43:22,720 At the edge of the village was a great pit, 623 00:43:22,720 --> 00:43:24,680 the community dump, 624 00:43:24,680 --> 00:43:26,960 inside which were discovered 625 00:43:26,960 --> 00:43:30,400 tens of thousands of pieces of pottery and stone 626 00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:32,880 covered in pictures and words. 627 00:43:35,120 --> 00:43:39,200 Written in hieratic script, a kind of hieroglyphic shorthand, 628 00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:42,840 these are the ancient Egyptian equivalent of Post-it Notes, 629 00:43:42,840 --> 00:43:44,960 shopping lists and text messages. 630 00:43:47,920 --> 00:43:50,480 This is the kind of stuff 631 00:43:50,480 --> 00:43:52,280 - that speaks to everyday life. - Yeah, yeah. 632 00:43:52,280 --> 00:43:54,040 What's going on underneath the surface. 633 00:43:54,040 --> 00:43:58,400 With the help of hieratic expert Dr Glenn Godenho, 634 00:43:58,400 --> 00:44:01,320 we can catch a glimpse of this intimate world, 635 00:44:01,320 --> 00:44:03,560 far away from kings and gods. 636 00:44:04,640 --> 00:44:06,560 Which is your favourite amongst these ones? 637 00:44:06,560 --> 00:44:08,440 I always go to this one. 638 00:44:08,440 --> 00:44:10,440 This is really nice because this one's 639 00:44:10,440 --> 00:44:12,640 basically a list of stuff you take to a party. 640 00:44:12,640 --> 00:44:15,120 What you've got is tabulated information. 641 00:44:15,120 --> 00:44:17,400 So you've vertical and horizontal lines 642 00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:20,080 and in each of those spaces you've got a name and the stuff 643 00:44:20,080 --> 00:44:22,000 they've brought to that particular event. 644 00:44:22,000 --> 00:44:24,520 I mean, this person here, the name's missing from this, 645 00:44:24,520 --> 00:44:27,200 but this person brought the most stuff - about 11 items. 646 00:44:27,200 --> 00:44:29,760 We've got bread, for example, being brought along. 647 00:44:29,760 --> 00:44:31,440 Next down, we've got some beer. 648 00:44:31,440 --> 00:44:33,080 So one jug of beer. 649 00:44:34,120 --> 00:44:38,160 As well as beer and bread, it lists a veritable feast. 650 00:44:39,720 --> 00:44:41,280 Fruit, 20 pieces. 651 00:44:42,760 --> 00:44:44,680 Beans, one jarful. 652 00:44:46,640 --> 00:44:48,520 Fish, meat. 653 00:44:50,440 --> 00:44:52,000 And even a cake. 654 00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:58,280 The thing I like about this is that idea of a community coming together. 655 00:44:58,280 --> 00:45:01,120 It really does make the ancient Egyptians that more real. 656 00:45:01,120 --> 00:45:03,680 Because we can relate to them. We all like a good party. 657 00:45:04,640 --> 00:45:09,080 But of course, life isn't always a party and people fall on hard times. 658 00:45:11,160 --> 00:45:14,280 This fragment begins with a story of a breakup. 659 00:45:15,280 --> 00:45:17,640 Hesysunebef divorced the lady Hel. 660 00:45:19,480 --> 00:45:22,200 And then it goes on to record a heart-warming story 661 00:45:22,200 --> 00:45:24,720 of support from its anonymous author. 662 00:45:25,960 --> 00:45:28,560 He seems to have wanted to look after this lady Hel. 663 00:45:28,560 --> 00:45:32,720 And so the text goes on and it says that the author of this 664 00:45:32,720 --> 00:45:39,840 spent three years giving one measure of emmer wheat to Hel every month. 665 00:45:39,840 --> 00:45:41,600 But it doesn't end there. 666 00:45:41,600 --> 00:45:44,920 So she gives to the author here a sash. 667 00:45:44,920 --> 00:45:46,720 So a piece of clothing. 668 00:45:46,720 --> 00:45:49,000 And she says in this line here, 669 00:45:49,000 --> 00:45:50,600 "To offer it at the river bank". 670 00:45:50,600 --> 00:45:53,440 The river bank is where the market was, right? 671 00:45:53,440 --> 00:45:58,200 And she says that she'd like one measure of emmer wheat for it. 672 00:45:58,200 --> 00:45:59,680 But no-one wanted it. 673 00:45:59,680 --> 00:46:00,840 Ah...! 674 00:46:00,840 --> 00:46:04,240 So the text goes on to say that the author 675 00:46:04,240 --> 00:46:07,040 tried to offer it down at the river bank, 676 00:46:07,040 --> 00:46:08,720 but he gives a customer review. 677 00:46:08,720 --> 00:46:13,400 It's right here, one word, "been", which means bad. 678 00:46:13,400 --> 00:46:15,080 Ah, that's really sad. 679 00:46:15,080 --> 00:46:17,600 Yeah, so it wasn't even worth one measure of emmer. 680 00:46:17,600 --> 00:46:20,640 So that is sad. But the author is such a good egg 681 00:46:20,640 --> 00:46:24,000 that he says that he buys it off of her 682 00:46:24,000 --> 00:46:26,160 for well over the market value of this thing 683 00:46:26,160 --> 00:46:29,120 that wasn't even worth one measure in the first place, anyway. 684 00:46:29,120 --> 00:46:31,440 Nice guy! Pity we don't know his name. 685 00:46:31,440 --> 00:46:33,320 Yeah, it's a real shame. It's a real shame. 686 00:46:34,640 --> 00:46:36,960 But at least we have his words. 687 00:46:36,960 --> 00:46:39,720 One of the many voices from Deir el-Medina 688 00:46:39,720 --> 00:46:43,520 which still speak to us across 3,000 years of history... 689 00:46:44,680 --> 00:46:49,520 ..telling us of the highs and lows of lives, familiar to us, even today. 690 00:46:53,360 --> 00:46:56,960 For most people, the New Kingdom had been an age of plenty. 691 00:46:58,840 --> 00:47:00,680 But it wasn't to last. 692 00:47:01,680 --> 00:47:06,760 The golden era of wealthy pharaohs was becoming ever more superficial. 693 00:47:13,120 --> 00:47:17,880 Seti's son Ramses II was Egypt's most prolific builder... 694 00:47:19,280 --> 00:47:22,680 ..overspending on ever more ostentatious monuments, 695 00:47:22,680 --> 00:47:26,040 the best known of which was his temple at Abu Simbel. 696 00:47:27,360 --> 00:47:31,360 But such over-the-top building projects emptied the royal coffers, 697 00:47:31,360 --> 00:47:34,280 as did a series of costly foreign wars. 698 00:47:35,880 --> 00:47:40,520 So by the time of Ramses III, the cracks had certainly begun to appear. 699 00:47:44,600 --> 00:47:48,920 As inflation increased, supplies in the state granaries ran low. 700 00:47:50,600 --> 00:47:53,440 So the grain, which formed the monthly wage rations 701 00:47:53,440 --> 00:47:56,920 of state employees, like tomb builders and artisans, 702 00:47:56,920 --> 00:47:59,800 was no longer paid when due. 703 00:47:59,800 --> 00:48:03,120 And it sparked the first recorded labour strike in history. 704 00:48:04,120 --> 00:48:05,760 It happened in 1155BC, 705 00:48:05,760 --> 00:48:08,920 when the tomb builders began to complain 706 00:48:08,920 --> 00:48:11,320 that their food supplies hadn't been delivered. 707 00:48:11,320 --> 00:48:13,640 And when it happened again the following month, 708 00:48:13,640 --> 00:48:17,360 they simply downed tools, marched to the nearest temple 709 00:48:17,360 --> 00:48:19,600 and shouted, "We are hungry!" 710 00:48:20,920 --> 00:48:23,400 To make sure their grievances were heard, 711 00:48:23,400 --> 00:48:25,640 they staged a sit-in at the temple. 712 00:48:29,360 --> 00:48:33,320 But the state's response only added insult to injury. 713 00:48:36,080 --> 00:48:40,720 Local officials could only hand round a delivery of pastries. 714 00:48:40,720 --> 00:48:43,240 Not much use to anyone. 715 00:48:43,240 --> 00:48:47,200 The indifference of the authorities provoked many more weeks of protest. 716 00:48:50,680 --> 00:48:52,720 Their grievances only increased. 717 00:48:52,720 --> 00:48:56,320 And soon, the striking workers had taken to shouting out 718 00:48:56,320 --> 00:48:59,120 at passing authority figures, including the mayor. 719 00:49:01,640 --> 00:49:06,040 The workers were finally fobbed off with enough supplies to shut them up 720 00:49:06,040 --> 00:49:08,960 in time for the pharaoh's jubilee celebration 721 00:49:08,960 --> 00:49:11,520 to pass by unhindered by trouble. 722 00:49:14,160 --> 00:49:15,920 But the striking workers 723 00:49:15,920 --> 00:49:19,200 had highlighted the waning power of the monarchy. 724 00:49:19,200 --> 00:49:21,000 With the pharaoh now served 725 00:49:21,000 --> 00:49:24,320 by an increasingly inefficient and corrupt bureaucracy... 726 00:49:25,480 --> 00:49:29,760 ..the glorious bubble of royal extravagance finally burst. 727 00:49:33,280 --> 00:49:37,400 And the pharaoh's rivals were waiting in the wings... 728 00:49:37,400 --> 00:49:39,840 the priests of Karnak. 729 00:49:41,520 --> 00:49:43,560 Having grown powerful through the revenues 730 00:49:43,560 --> 00:49:45,680 given to the gods they served, 731 00:49:45,680 --> 00:49:49,520 the writing for the royals was quite literally...on the wall. 732 00:49:50,720 --> 00:49:54,160 And you can see what I mean in this little-known part of Karnak temple. 733 00:49:59,000 --> 00:50:02,960 Where the high priest is making a very bold statement, 734 00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:05,480 but only if you know how to read the footnotes. 735 00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:10,040 Now this is a fascinating scene. 736 00:50:10,040 --> 00:50:12,560 We have the pharaoh Ramses IX 737 00:50:12,560 --> 00:50:15,720 and he's facing his high priest shown here. 738 00:50:15,720 --> 00:50:18,640 But there's something extraordinary about this scene 739 00:50:18,640 --> 00:50:20,600 because, for the first time, 740 00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:24,960 the pharaoh and the priest are shown on exactly the same scale. 741 00:50:24,960 --> 00:50:27,920 They are the same height. That's why the priest is looking so pleased. 742 00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:30,480 He has his arms raised as if in triumph. 743 00:50:30,480 --> 00:50:32,600 Because these guys are so clever, 744 00:50:32,600 --> 00:50:36,920 they've actually got the pharaoh standing on a box. 745 00:50:36,920 --> 00:50:39,040 So he's a fraction higher 746 00:50:39,040 --> 00:50:42,280 and yet, in reality, they're the same height. 747 00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:45,680 This really shows that the priests are in power. 748 00:50:45,680 --> 00:50:47,520 They're basically saying to the king, 749 00:50:47,520 --> 00:50:49,480 "We are the same size as you, 750 00:50:49,480 --> 00:50:52,080 "therefore we are as important as you are." 751 00:50:58,160 --> 00:51:01,600 Priests had become full-time politicians. 752 00:51:01,600 --> 00:51:03,760 Vying with the throne for power, 753 00:51:03,760 --> 00:51:06,960 they destabilised the balance between church and state, 754 00:51:06,960 --> 00:51:11,080 the relationship on which Egypt's entire culture depended. 755 00:51:13,160 --> 00:51:17,120 So great were their ambitions that, by the end of the New Kingdom, 756 00:51:17,120 --> 00:51:20,080 the priests took control of the entire south. 757 00:51:21,400 --> 00:51:23,880 And with the pharaoh ruling only the north, 758 00:51:23,880 --> 00:51:27,640 the country was split into its two ancient halves. 759 00:51:31,640 --> 00:51:33,600 But even worse was to come. 760 00:51:38,280 --> 00:51:42,720 It's at Medinet Habu, Ramses III's funerary temple, 761 00:51:42,720 --> 00:51:45,680 that we can find out just how little interest 762 00:51:45,680 --> 00:51:49,240 these politician-priests now had in the royal afterlife. 763 00:51:50,280 --> 00:51:53,600 They were only concerned with their own status and their own wealth. 764 00:51:56,600 --> 00:52:00,320 Now, this next disturbing part of Egypt's story 765 00:52:00,320 --> 00:52:04,480 not only spelt disaster for its core belief in the royal afterlife, 766 00:52:04,480 --> 00:52:07,920 it left a tortuous puzzle for Egyptologists, 767 00:52:07,920 --> 00:52:10,680 which we are still trying to piece together. 768 00:52:13,640 --> 00:52:18,040 It's an extraordinary story that begins not in the temple, 769 00:52:18,040 --> 00:52:21,080 but in a small house built later within the grounds. 770 00:52:24,680 --> 00:52:27,000 Because the priests' corrupt ambitions 771 00:52:27,000 --> 00:52:30,480 would be put into practice by the man who lived here. 772 00:52:36,000 --> 00:52:38,320 His name was Butehamun, 773 00:52:38,320 --> 00:52:39,960 and as a necropolis scribe, 774 00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:42,640 he worked in the nearby Valley of the Kings. 775 00:52:43,760 --> 00:52:46,920 This is the man himself, Butehamun, with his shaven head, 776 00:52:46,920 --> 00:52:48,600 his starched kilt 777 00:52:48,600 --> 00:52:50,760 and his arms raised in prayer. 778 00:52:50,760 --> 00:52:54,640 He's praying to the great god of Thebes, Amun himself. 779 00:52:55,840 --> 00:53:00,000 Although Butehamun's story doesn't quite live up to this image of piety. 780 00:53:01,240 --> 00:53:02,760 Because it was here 781 00:53:02,760 --> 00:53:05,720 that he received a letter of instruction from his boss, 782 00:53:05,720 --> 00:53:07,680 the high priest of Karnak. 783 00:53:10,080 --> 00:53:12,440 This is a copy of that letter, 784 00:53:12,440 --> 00:53:14,440 and its contents are mind-blowing, 785 00:53:14,440 --> 00:53:17,520 because the high priest is telling Butehamun, 786 00:53:17,520 --> 00:53:19,720 "Go and perform for me a task 787 00:53:19,720 --> 00:53:22,320 "on which you have never before embarked. 788 00:53:22,320 --> 00:53:25,560 "Uncover a tomb among the ancient tombs 789 00:53:25,560 --> 00:53:28,720 "and preserve its sealed door until I return." 790 00:53:30,600 --> 00:53:34,560 And although this language is quite euphemistic and cryptic, 791 00:53:34,560 --> 00:53:38,920 both the sender and recipient knew exactly what it meant 792 00:53:38,920 --> 00:53:41,960 and it would have a profound impact on Egypt. 793 00:53:44,680 --> 00:53:46,600 Butehamun had been promoted. 794 00:53:48,000 --> 00:53:49,440 His new title was... 795 00:53:49,440 --> 00:53:52,080 Opener of the Gates of the Necropolis. 796 00:53:55,600 --> 00:53:59,040 So he and his men set out for the Valley of the Kings, 797 00:53:59,040 --> 00:54:01,480 taking with them tools and bundles of linen. 798 00:54:03,800 --> 00:54:05,360 Their mission... 799 00:54:05,360 --> 00:54:10,040 nothing less than the systematic dismantling of the royal cemetery 800 00:54:10,040 --> 00:54:11,560 in search of gold. 801 00:54:13,000 --> 00:54:15,440 It was an order to accumulate wealth. 802 00:54:22,760 --> 00:54:26,440 Tomb robbing itself was nothing new in ancient Egypt. 803 00:54:26,440 --> 00:54:29,040 But what's different about this looting 804 00:54:29,040 --> 00:54:31,800 is that it's an order from the ruler of Upper Egypt, 805 00:54:31,800 --> 00:54:33,480 the high priest himself. 806 00:54:33,480 --> 00:54:36,240 This is looting sanctioned by the state. 807 00:54:44,160 --> 00:54:47,440 Knowing the secret location of the royal tombs, 808 00:54:47,440 --> 00:54:50,840 Butehamun began what was euphemistically referred to as... 809 00:54:50,840 --> 00:54:52,640 "restoration work". 810 00:54:54,200 --> 00:54:56,960 The final taboo was about to be broken. 811 00:55:00,480 --> 00:55:02,920 So Butehamun and his men set to work. 812 00:55:03,920 --> 00:55:06,760 They break open the seal of every royal tomb. 813 00:55:06,760 --> 00:55:08,800 They move the lid of the sarcophagus, 814 00:55:08,800 --> 00:55:11,880 take out the royal mummy in its nest of gold coffins 815 00:55:11,880 --> 00:55:14,480 and proceed to unwrap each one. 816 00:55:15,560 --> 00:55:18,520 Next, they strip them of anything of value... 817 00:55:18,520 --> 00:55:24,200 Gold masks, jewellery and amulets, all taken for the temple treasury. 818 00:55:27,680 --> 00:55:29,160 As for the mummies, 819 00:55:29,160 --> 00:55:32,360 they're re-wrapped in fresh linen and all buried together. 820 00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:38,520 For the cash-strapped priests, 821 00:55:38,520 --> 00:55:41,080 these royal tombs were no longer inviolable... 822 00:55:42,320 --> 00:55:44,880 ..but little more than a series of dead bodies 823 00:55:44,880 --> 00:55:48,920 resting amidst the gold they needed to achieve their political aims. 824 00:55:52,280 --> 00:55:54,000 So for 20 years, 825 00:55:54,000 --> 00:55:58,280 this very tomb became one of Butehamun's re-wrapping workshops... 826 00:56:00,240 --> 00:56:02,840 ..where archaeologists found fragments of the gold 827 00:56:02,840 --> 00:56:05,120 prized from royal coffins, 828 00:56:05,120 --> 00:56:08,400 traces of the lost treasures of numerous pharaohs. 829 00:56:19,200 --> 00:56:21,760 And Butehamun's handwriting was discovered 830 00:56:21,760 --> 00:56:24,560 on the re-wrapped mummy of Ramses III. 831 00:56:30,080 --> 00:56:32,360 With no regard for the sacred, 832 00:56:32,360 --> 00:56:35,440 even the great pharaoh Amenhotep III 833 00:56:35,440 --> 00:56:40,000 ended up repackaged in the coffin of Ramses III, 834 00:56:40,000 --> 00:56:43,360 covered with the ill-fitting lid of Seti II. 835 00:56:50,040 --> 00:56:52,680 Only one tomb, hidden by rubble, 836 00:56:52,680 --> 00:56:54,800 escaped the wholesale plunder. 837 00:57:05,040 --> 00:57:10,560 Yet the ultimate violation of ancient Egypt's soul was now complete. 838 00:57:12,600 --> 00:57:16,480 Clearly the priest-kings of Karnak had got what they'd always wanted - 839 00:57:16,480 --> 00:57:18,480 absolute power. 840 00:57:18,480 --> 00:57:20,920 No longer interested in the royal ancestors, 841 00:57:20,920 --> 00:57:25,480 who were simply a source of revenue to be robbed and discarded, 842 00:57:25,480 --> 00:57:27,680 the devout had become cynical 843 00:57:27,680 --> 00:57:31,480 and the royal afterlife nothing more than an illusion. 844 00:57:38,560 --> 00:57:42,400 From now on, Egypt's story would be written by invaders 845 00:57:42,400 --> 00:57:45,320 from far beyond the Valley of the Nile. 846 00:57:45,320 --> 00:57:48,760 Cambyses was sending a very clear message to the Egyptians... 847 00:57:48,760 --> 00:57:50,840 I am now in charge. 848 00:57:52,640 --> 00:57:56,560 But Egypt's secret weapon was its captivating culture... 849 00:57:57,760 --> 00:57:59,800 Wow, look at that! Look at that! 850 00:57:59,800 --> 00:58:02,040 Oh, that is... Oh, that is so beautiful. 851 00:58:04,720 --> 00:58:10,080 ..seducing its new rulers from far-flung parts of the ancient world. 852 00:58:11,120 --> 00:58:12,880 And ancient Egypt's final flowering 853 00:58:12,880 --> 00:58:16,040 lay in the hands of another great empire. 854 00:58:17,320 --> 00:58:19,760 Enter the Macedonian superman. 855 00:58:19,760 --> 00:58:22,640 Enter...Alexander the Great. 71200

Can't find what you're looking for?
Get subtitles in any language from opensubtitles.com, and translate them here.