All language subtitles for Nile BBC 1of3

It's the longest river on earth.

Flowing from the heart of a continent,

it has written a story across
the landscape as it forges its way north,

through mountain,

forest,

marsh

and desert.

For centuries

its waters have sustained life

in some of the harshest places on Earth.

Without it,

this corner of Africa
would be only rock and dust and sand.

Civilisations have risen
and fallen on its banks.

Without its gifts,
the pyramids would never have been built.

Mankind has looked on this river
and wondered at its mysteries -

where it comes from,

why it floods every year

and how,

flowing through the desert for thousands
of kilometres it never runs dry?

Many died attempting
to unravel its secrets.

In doing so they became
legends themselves,

their names forever bound
to the great river.

Doctor Livingstone I presume.

Journey along this river, through
the ages, into the heart of Africa -

a river that has shaped history;

a river with the power to change
the lives of all who encounter it...

the Nile

The Sahara.

Millions of square
kilometres of scorched desert...

and yet here flows a mighty river.

Since the dawn of history
this river has performed miracles.

Every year, the waters of the Nile rose
and transformed the desert.

This annual flood
created a fertile paradise.

Protected from the barren desert beyond,

people built their lives
on the promise of this flood.

Nature's miracle built
a great civilisation -

Ancient Egypt.

Fuelled by the Nile,

Egyptian society prospered.

But in truth their world
was balanced on a knife edge.

One year, their abundant crops might
attract plagues of biblical proportions...

While the next year they might
face drought and famine.

The Nile held them hostage.

Beyond their fields lay the desert,

life and death in stark contrast.

The pharaoh had to maintain
the balance of their world -

appeasing their gods and
ensuring the gift of the Nile.

They struggled to understand their world,

hoping to tame its dark forces.

If they failed they faced catastrophe.

Three and a half thousand years ago

Egyptian civilisation entered
a glorious stage in its story,

at its heart the city of Thebes.

This is the beginning of
the 'New Kingdom' -

the golden age of great pharaohs
like Rameses and Tutankhamun.

The pharaoh stands
at the pinnacle of the known world.

Each attempts to outdo his predecessor

with ever more dramatic displays
of power and prestige.

Throughout

this period the banks of
the Nile are a vast construction site.

The province of Thebes is home
to over fifty thousand people.

This is a time of prosperity.

In the small village of Djeme life
is good for the farmers, fishermen,

and temple builders.

The stores overflow
from the rich harvests.

There's time for leisure.

It's easy for the villagers to feel
the Gods have blessed them -

all this is thanks
to the miracle of the Nile.

Around them Egyptians

see a world of strange creatures which,

like them also depend on the river.

Some are admired.

Some are feared.

All are respected.

The natural world has a profound
influence on the Egyptians -

they see it as a world of magic.

It provides a potent source of symbolism.

The tilapia fish is a symbol of rebirth -

and this is why...

The fish broods its young
in the safety of its own mouth,

before ejecting them
in a cloud of new life.

The natural and the supernatural
are intimately connected.

Aware that they owe everything
to their river,

they imagine the Nile lies at the heart
of a cosmos composed of water.

Even the sky is made of water.

Each day across
the celestial ocean sails the sun.

The sun and the Nile form
a uniquely structured world.

The river running South to North,

and the sun crossing the sky
from East to West,

are the twin axes
that define their entire world.

They believe this precisely ordered
landscape was created by the gods,

and everything within has its
place in a supernatural story.

The pharaoh is not only their king

but also their direct link to the
supernatural. Through prayer and rituals

he must appease the gods
to keep the elements

of their watery world in balance.

The pharaoh is seen as the envoy of the

most powerful god in the Egyptian world.

Re the sun god.

Every morning Re magically comes to life,

starting a journey across
the sky in his solar boat.

As the sun rises from the water,

the villagers of Djeme wake
to the calls of Hamadryas baboons.

After enduring the cold desert night

baboons climb to the top of the temples
to bathe in the first rays of the sun.

Egyptians believe they are greeting Re,

and that baboons
are the children of the sun god,

worshipping their father
as he rises above the horizon.

They squabble for the warmest spots.

Despite their unruly behaviour

their relationship to the sun god

makes them cult animals
even given sacred burials.

The labours of the day begin
under the gaze of the sun god.

As Re sails higher through the sky

a creature appears from his heart:

a powerful predator -

the peregrine falcon.

Falcon is an ally of the farmers,

preying on crop-raiding pigeons.

The peregrine's commanding
eye scours the fields below.

Dark patches below the bird's eyes
help reduce the glare from the sun.

The falcon bursts out of the sun,

taking his prey by surprise.

The sun riding falcon is the manifestation

of one of the most important of all
Egyptian gods,

the all-seeing Horus.

Even the deadliest animals have

their place in the Egyptian world.

A man killer hunts among
the farms of Ancient Egypt.

The cobra is rightly feared.

Its lethal venom is injected
into prey or spat up to two metres.

When threatened

the cobra rears up
and swells its neck muscles -

an aggressive posture

to deter potential attackers.

The burning venom of the cobra

is seen to mimic the burning
rays of the midday sun.

Egyptians transform
this lethal creature into an ally:

that lethal power is re-directed

so that the cobra becomes
a protector of the pharaoh.

Even in the miniscule and the bizarre

the Egyptians see reflections of
the great mysteries of their world.

From the fertile banks
of the Nile to the desert

all around nothing
escapes their attention.

The strange life cycle
of the scarab beetle

seems to embody the sun's daily journey.

Like the rising sun,

the scarab beetle
appears to be born from the ground.

It then seeks out the material
to complete its life cycle.

Fortunately that material
is plentiful around the village.

The beetle laboriously sculpts
the dung into a perfect sphere -

this is where it will lay its eggs.

It's such hard work,

piracy is rife.

The best way to avoid being robbed
is to get the ball away

from the dung pile as fast as possible.

The beetle takes a direct route to safety
by following a bearing taken from the sun.

It uses polarised patterns detected
in the sky to keep it on track.

In the beetle's journey
the Egyptians see a tiny parallel

with the journey of
the sun across the sky.

The scarab's lifecycle also presents
a hopeful image of continuity.

As the beetle buries the dung ball
it returns to the earth.

The dung will become
a subterranean larder for its young.

In three months time they will emerge.

Meanwhile the setting sun too appears
to be returning to the earth.

Re is about to start a journey
through the mysterious Underworld -

the place of the dead.

It's a time of danger and uncertainty.

But Re has help on this difficult journey

from creatures of the Nile.

The Nile Catfish lives in the mud
on the bottom of the river

eating detritus that filters down
from above.

The long 'whiskers'

allow it to feel its way
through the darkness.

The Catfish helps guide the sun back to
the East to complete

its cycle of birth,
death and resurrection.

The sun's journey presents
the Egyptians with daily

proof of the triumph of Life
over the forces of Death.

By associating himself
with the sun god Re

the Pharaoh strengthens
and re-affirms his power.

The sun's unlimited power and the water

from the Nile create a paradise
in the heart of a desert.

Safe within their narrow green world,

the daily rhythms of life appear
to continue for the moment.

But of course the world does change.

This world is in constant flux.

The Egyptians know it, and fear it.

Their paradise could so easily be lost.

The people are aware
of the fragility of their world,

subject to forces they cannot control.

Now they are to face a critical time.

Despite the constancy
of the sun's daily cycle,

its yearly cycle creates massive change.

The seasons brought by the sun

will transform the other axis
of their world

the Nile.

The Nile is their only lifeline.

Every year they wait for the river

to burst its banks and flood.

Without it they cannot irrigate

the land and raise their crops.

Without it there would be no civilisation.

The Egyptians have already seen
the river fail them,

with catastrophic consequences.

A twenty year drought destroyed
the Old Kingdom

the age of the pyramids.

Much of the population had simply
starved to death

when the floodwaters failed.

As the seasons progress the balance

between order and chaos is about to shift.

They look to the one person with the
responsibility to maintain this balance -

the one who must ensure
the Nile will flood,

the pharaoh.

He must mediate between
his people and the gods.

He derives his power from
his father,

the god Osiris.

Osiris had taught his people
how to use the Nile to cultivate the land.

But Osiris had a brother,
Seth who was jealous of his power

and murdered him by cutting him
into pieces

and scattering them over the land.

But the broken body of Osiris was bound
back together and restored to life.

Osiris is depicted with a green face

to reflect the fertility
he brought to the country.

Egyptians think of him each time

the seasonal flood
brings their land back to life.

For his crime the murderous
Seth was banished to the desert,

the realm of chaos, from where

he forever threatens to return
and destroy the Egyptian world

with plague, drought and famine.

The future of Egypt rests on
the shoulders of the pharaoh.

He must keep Seth's chaos at bay.

The people of Egypt
look to him to protect them.

If he fails them now and
cannot ensure the flood

they will face the same catastrophe
that befell the Old Kingdom.

Each summer his kingship is tested.

It's mid June.

Egypt starts to heat up.

The threat to the cherished continuity

and consistency of
the villagers' lives begins.

The desert sands advance,
threatening to extinguish the river.

Without the Nile
the Egyptian world will cease.

Water is becoming an ever
more precious commodity.

Competition for the Nile's
dwindling pools becomes intense.

Pushed to the limits of endurance,

male hippos become extremely dangerous

as they fight over their
diminishing territory.

Often these bouts

are fought to the death.

The Nile's paradise is disappearing.

Caught up in the fighting, female hippos
aggressively defend their young.

The Egyptians respect their bravery

and worship them in the form of Tauert,

the goddess of young mothers.

As the temperature rises

the pressure mounts on the pharaoh.

But one of the Nile's creatures

actually welcomes the pitiless heat.

Crocodiles crave the heat of the sun
to maintain their own body temperature.

This brutal season presents
little challenge to them!

The river is becoming
a very dangerous place to be.

There is a stench of death.

A hippo carcass draws crocodiles
from miles around.

Some are over four metres long.

Even for crocodiles it is not easy
to bite through the thick hide,

but they've developed
a unique way of feeding.

Spinning enables them
to twist off chunks of flesh.

They can demolish anything.

The ability of crocodiles to thrive

while others suffer
inspires awe in the Egyptians.

They are honoured in special temples,

worshipped as the god Sobek.

While they are alive they are pampered.

When they die, they are embalmed

and buried in sacred tombs.

As the ground bakes

and the Nile dwindles,

the Egyptians pray
for the return of the flood.

An entire civilisation holds its breath.

The pharaoh's position is now precarious.

He must prove he can influence the gods.

His people demand
that he delivers the flood.

They know the Nile has risen
before to replenish their world,

and they yearn for its arrival again

but has the pharaoh been able to
appease the gods this year?

All along the valley,

people are looking
to nature for signs of hope.

Then, at last, one appears.

Flocks of sacred ibis
arrive from the south.

Egyptians have learned
that the flood will surely follow.

Despite its critical importance Egyptians

don't understand the nature of the flood.

They believe the Nile
bubbles up far to the south

from the depths of an underground sea.

Over a few weeks the water level
rises by nearly ten metres.

The sun-baked land is transformed

into a flooded plain covering
thousands of square kilometres.

Although welcome,

the arrival of this much water
is potentially dangerous.

To tame the water

the Pharaoh oversees dam building

and irrigation to channel
it safely over the land.

The Pharaoh has not failed his people.

The rebirth of the Nile marks
the Egyptian New Year.

As heralds of the flood,

the sacred ibis that now populate
the river are held in high esteem.

As they probe for snails they resemble
scribes dipping pens into ink

so are also credited with
the power of knowledge.

But in reality they are important
for a more practical reason:

evidence from autopsies
on mummies has shown

that Egyptians suffered from bilharzia,
a liver parasite carried by water snails.

As the ibis eat the snails they make
pools safe for the villagers to bathe.

The sacred ibis symbolise the god Thoth,

god of wisdom and master of time.

Before long Thoth will play
a pivotal role in the Pharaoh's destiny.

The rising waters bring
the Nile valley back to life.

It becomes a refuge
in the heart of the desert,

attracting thousands of different birds
on their migration across Africa.

As the flood reaches
its height in late summer,

the parched swamps

of papyrus at the
margins of the Nile are rejuvenated.

These swamps are full of creatures
attracted by an abundance of fish.

Fishing is big business

for the villagers of Djeme

fish are the currency by
which even temple builders are paid.

The secret of the Nile's gift
is not the water itself,

but the load it has carried into Egypt...

...millions of tonnes of rich silt.

When the waters begin
to recede in the autumn,

the black silt that remains is so rich

that it appears
to create life spontaneously.

Frogs and toads seem to born
directly from the black mud.

Frog amulets are given as gifts
to celebrate the Egyptian New year,

symbols of the resurrection of the land.

This is the busiest time
of the year for the farmers.

The formless mud is transformed
into an ordered grid of fields.

The Nile's gifts are harnessed.

Now, the myth of Osiris and his jealous

brother Seth will be played out...

the sowing of the new crops
is a reminder of Osiris -

murdered and 'buried' in the soil.

The Nile's water irrigates
the silt-rich land it has created,

and over the next few months

these perfect growing conditions

fulfil the river's promise to restore life.

As the crops grow,

Osiris rises again from the dead.

When the Nile keeps its promise
the desert is transformed

and Egypt becomes a paradise once more.

The forces of order and chaos
are perfectly in balance.

But for how long?

Now is the spring harvest.

The crops are abundant but
even this brings a new danger.

The curse of Seth might yet
throw their world into chaos.

This year,

the villages will face a new threat,

one they are powerless to avert.

When locust populations
reach a critical density,

they radically alter their behaviour -

massing into terrifying swarms
that devour everything in their path.

The swarms appear from nowhere,
swept along by desert winds.

One square kilometre can contain
fifty million locusts.

A swarm advances
at four metres every second.

Locusts destroy not only crops,

but also food stores.

Their droppings contaminate
what little food they leave behind.

Those who eat it are poisoned.

The balance of Egypt is broken.

The plague has decimated the population.

Cemeteries overflow with the dead.

The stench of death attracts scavengers.

But even in such desperate times,

the people seek signs of hope.

Their imagination transforms
the wild dogs and jackals

that scavenge around
the cemeteries into Anubis,

a God who escorts the souls
of the dead into the underworld.

Following the devastation
by the locust plague

the pharaoh must take
control of the crisis.

He must organise the redistribution
of the nation's reserves

from other parts of his kingdom.

The villagers of Djeme
can now start to rebuild their lives.

But just as order returns to their world,

terrible news arrives
from the city of Thebes.

The Pharaoh,
the man they believe to be a God,

proves to be as mortal as themselves.

The Pharaoh is dead.

Not only does he leave a political vacuum,

but now there is no-one
to intercede with the gods.

The Egyptian's ordered world is in danger

of descending into permanent chaos.

For the Egyptians, death is not the end.

They believe that as long as the body
is intact,

the spirit can be kept alive.

The pharaoh is prepared for mummification:

The organs are removed
and stored in canopic jars -

All except for the heart,

upon which is placed a scarab amulet.

This will be crucially important later.

The body is dried out with salt
before being wrapped

in hundreds of metres of bandages.

Even in death,

the pharaoh's responsibility
to his people is not over.

But it will take seventy days
until he is ready to perform

the most important test of his kingship

and deliver them from chaos.

Summer is approaching,

and they face
the threat of drought once more.

Without their pharaoh
the villagers fear for their future.

As the season of
hardship intensifies

Egyptian vultures are
drawn closer

to the shrinking river
in the hope of finding a meal.

A column of vultures riding
the thermal currents is a sign of death.

The villagers cattle are dying.

A vulture's hooked bill
cuts easily into the hide,

and its bald head and neck
saves prolonged feather-cleaning.

It uses its bulk and outstretched wings
to try and dominate the carcass.

It's midsummer.

The Nile is now so low
it's possible to walk across it.

The flood is very late.

The words of an ancient
prophesy are becoming a reality:

'What will become of this land?...

The river of Egypt is dry...

Let me show you the land in turmoil'.

All the villagers can do now is wait.

In the midst of drought,

the entire kingdom faces catastrophe.

Have the gods deserted their world?

At last, the moment has come:

the pharaoh is ready
for his final journey.

On the day of the his burial

an extraordinary ceremony is played out in

secrecy through the Valley of the Kings.

Food from the dwindling reserves
becomes sacred offerings.

The pharaoh's spirit must be nourished.

Inside the coffin,

his body has been preserved

and bound together
in imitation of his father Osiris.

The mummy and the provisions for his
final journey

are carried to the tomb -

carved fifty metres inside the mountain.

As the sun dies on the horizon,

the Pharaoh enters the underworld.

The mummy is left in the tomb,

the entrance sealed

and hidden for eternity.

Their fate is in the hands
of the dead pharaoh.

Can the chaos of Seth be lifted?

Will the flood come?

The Pharaoh is now traveling
through the underworld,

a distorted reflection of the Nile valley.

Here he encounters familiar
Nile creatures again.

This time they play a pivotal role

in Egypt's destiny.

The Pharaoh finds himself
in the presence of the gods.

This is the Hall of Judgement.

It's time for the ultimate test

the weighing of the heart.

The pharaoh's heart is
to be weighed against a feather -

symbol of order and justice -

principles by which the Pharaoh
should have ruled his people.

The jackal-headed god Anubis

places the heart on the scales.

The ibis-headed god Thoth
stands by to record the result.

The ceremony is overseen by Osiris.

If the Pharaoh's heart
is too heavy with sin

it faces annihilation by the Devourer,

a crocodile-headed monster.

The Egyptian world will be
doomed to remain in chaos.

The scarab amulet
that was placed on the pharaoh's chest

ensures his heart will not betray him.

'I have not committed crimes
against my people...

I have not done what the gods hate...

I have not obstructed water
when it should run...*

At last the Nile rises again,

and its miracle is performed once more.

The valley is revitalised.

Egyptians have proof
the scales have balanced.

The pharaoh has earned
his place alongside the gods.

From here he can help maintain the balance
of their world

and keep chaos at bay.

The Ancient Egyptians developed
a sophisticated culture.

Where the world of the natural

and the supernatural were
intimately bound together.

Never before or since has there been
such a close bond with the Natural world.

The age of the Pharaohs prospered
for over three thousand years.

Their civilisation would inspire
all those that followed.

But for all that the Egyptians
never understood

the truth behind the miracle

that provided them with life.

The gifts of a great river - The Nile.

Next Week.

Why do the Nile's waters
rise and flood each year?

Where does its cargo of
fertile soil come from?

Journey far upstream,

to swamps
and mountains in the heart of Africa.

Witness the creation of a force powerful

enough to bring life to a desert
four thousand kilometres away.