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There's always been
one part of human history
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that's really captured
my imagination.
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00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:14,600
I'm talking about Ancient Egypt.
4
00:00:18,400 --> 00:00:23,920
Almost 100 years ago, Howard Carter
and his discovery of Tutankhamun
5
00:00:24,080 --> 00:00:27,080
crowned a golden age
of tomb exploration.
6
00:00:28,480 --> 00:00:32,600
But right now,
the archaeologists are back....
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MAN: It's going down very deep.
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..and the world of Egyptian tombs...
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MAN: It's full of snake holes!
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..is more exciting than ever.
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And I'm joining them...
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I've got a bone here.
13
00:00:49,360 --> 00:00:52,200
..on the hunt for new tombs...
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00:00:52,360 --> 00:00:54,760
Oh, yes! There's hieroglyphics here.
15
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..and awesome discoveries.
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It's the blood of the mummy!
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00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,760
If there's one thing we know
about the Ancient Egyptians,
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it's that they did death
better than anyone else.
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From mighty pyramids
to tombs cut in hillsides,
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00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:13,000
they come in all shapes and sizes
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and give us an intriguing glimpse
into their extraordinary world.
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I'm heading across Egypt...
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Oh, God!
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..on a tomb adventure...
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Arrgh!
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..which has been 4,000 years
in the making.
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This is just like the movies,
isn't it?
(MAN LAUGHS)
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Welcome to southern Egypt.
Below me is the mighty River Nile.
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On the far bank is the city of Aswan.
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But my focus for this program
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is going to be right here
under my feet.
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4,000 years ago,
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this was ancient Aswan's
most important burial ground.
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It might look like
any other old rocky, sandy slope
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00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:05,960
rolling down to the river,
but this is much, much more.
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This is a necropolis -
a city of the dead.
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00:02:11,000 --> 00:02:14,360
And today,
it's a hive of activity once more,
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with archaeologists
coming from all over the world
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00:02:17,520 --> 00:02:20,840
and making the most amazing
tomb discoveries,
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and one of them has said
that I can join him.
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00:02:26,360 --> 00:02:28,320
Archaeologist Dr Martin Bommas
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has been digging in southern Egypt
for nearly 30 years.
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More than anyone, he knows that,
beneath the sand and rubble here,
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there are still many tombs to find.
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This is your first day here?
It is.
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Congratulations.
Yeah.
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Martin's starting
a new three-week dig season,
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00:02:47,160 --> 00:02:50,400
and he's brought
his biggest team ever,
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00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:52,840
including archaeology students,
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00:02:53,000 --> 00:02:55,680
trainee lecturers,
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00:02:55,840 --> 00:02:58,640
a leading pottery expert...
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00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:03,320
Boys, boys, boys!
..and 22 all-important diggers.
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00:03:04,600 --> 00:03:09,120
You've got hundreds of tonnes of sand
in a great arc round here.
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How on Earth did you decide
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where you wanted to put your energy
for the next few weeks?
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00:03:14,520 --> 00:03:17,000
So, our focus
for our excavation period this time
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is just the hill in front of us -
you know, the big mound of rubble.
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00:03:22,480 --> 00:03:27,160
High up this slope are some of
the biggest tombs in southern Egypt.
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Many were found over a century ago
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00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:32,640
with the help of
a young Howard Carter,
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00:03:32,800 --> 00:03:37,240
long before he found fame
discovering Tutankhamun.
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00:03:37,400 --> 00:03:40,400
But there are large parts
of this site
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that have never been touched.
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00:03:42,600 --> 00:03:46,120
So, here's the River Nile here,
which is down in that direction.
Yes.
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00:03:46,280 --> 00:03:49,080
We're currently standing here...
Right.
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00:03:49,240 --> 00:03:51,840
..looking up the hill,
which, from the Nile,
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00:03:52,000 --> 00:03:54,960
looks like a massive sand dune
falling into the Nile.
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00:03:56,520 --> 00:03:58,440
So, have all these
been discovered, then?
Yes.
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00:03:58,600 --> 00:04:01,440
So, these are all tombs
that have already been excavated.
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00:04:01,600 --> 00:04:04,320
Mm-hm. And where's your site
on this map?
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00:04:04,480 --> 00:04:07,480
So, this is the area
we are going to work on.
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00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:12,840
Martin's team
will now be working a six-day week
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00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:17,680
to try and prove that
there are undiscovered tombs here,
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00:04:17,840 --> 00:04:20,000
but they've only got
three weeks to do it.
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00:04:20,160 --> 00:04:23,920
After that, the temperature
will get so ridiculously hot
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00:04:24,080 --> 00:04:27,560
that the whole digging season
in Egypt comes to an end.
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And in addition, this year,
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they've got me and a camera team
to contend with,
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so no pressure!
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00:04:37,320 --> 00:04:40,640
While they get started,
I've been given special access
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to a tomb
that's already been excavated
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here at the city of the dead...
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00:04:46,760 --> 00:04:49,760
..but it's a heck of a climb
to get there.
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Our necropolis is tied together
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by a series of causeways,
like this one.
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They're sort of ancient staircases
that ascend from the river.
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00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:05,680
The dead would have
been processed up here
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as part of their funeral.
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00:05:07,800 --> 00:05:10,160
At least, if they weren't dead
at the bottom,
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00:05:10,320 --> 00:05:12,440
they would have been
by the time they got to the top.
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00:05:16,520 --> 00:05:18,000
To be fair, though,
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00:05:18,160 --> 00:05:21,640
climbing the causeways
is well worth the effort.
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Who wouldn't want
to be buried up here?
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00:05:31,320 --> 00:05:33,080
For at least 500 years,
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the most important people
in southern Egypt
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were buried at this necropolis.
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00:05:38,920 --> 00:05:44,360
The pharaoh himself gave permission
for new tombs to be built,
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00:05:44,520 --> 00:05:48,200
and right now, I'm looking
for one of the very grandest.
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This extraordinary courtyard
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00:05:51,240 --> 00:05:55,440
dominates the whole
of this side of the cliff,
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swinging all the way round here
as well.
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00:05:58,320 --> 00:06:01,480
Imagine what this
would have looked like originally,
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00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:04,400
when it was beautifully polished
and sanded.
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00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:06,080
And this was just the place
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00:06:06,240 --> 00:06:08,800
where people gossiped about you
after you'd died.
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00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,360
The tomb itself is in here.
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00:06:16,600 --> 00:06:20,880
Wow! Isn't this magnificent?
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00:06:21,040 --> 00:06:23,360
It's a privilege just to stand here.
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This is the tomb
of a guy called Sarenput II,
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who was governor here
a mere 3,860-odd years ago.
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00:06:35,200 --> 00:06:38,040
And look at these stone columns,
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all of them hewn
out of the solid rock.
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They haven't been painted.
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This, what appears to be decoration,
is just the lines in the rock itself.
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The governor Sarenput
was one of Egypt's local rulers
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controlling regions
on behalf of the pharaoh.
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Here on the southern border,
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Sarenput protected the gateway
to the rest of Africa.
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00:07:08,120 --> 00:07:15,080
And now we come to a corridor
where there's a statue of him.
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He's lost his head,
but apart from that, he's great.
121
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Here's one
with its head still intact.
122
00:07:24,040 --> 00:07:27,800
And I think, yeah, another one here.
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So, we've got one, two, three,
four, five, six statues.
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Look at the eyes on that one,
staring at us across time.
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So, where's Sarenput?
126
00:07:42,640 --> 00:07:45,840
Well, I'm told that
his mummy was never found.
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It was robbed, I suppose, hundreds,
even thousands of years ago,
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because of all the jewels
that would probably have been on it.
129
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So, as for the man himself,
all that's left now
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is a painting in a little cupboard.
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Back outside, the team are looking
for the next big tomb...
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..but already,
Martin's discovered something else -
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the sort of find
that could only happen in Egypt.
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There's your first mummy.
What?
Look at that.
135
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This is a mummy?
136
00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:39,040
Well, that's the upper part
of a mummy only...
How extraordinary.
137
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..because the pelvis
is just around your back.
Ah!
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(LAUGHS) Look at that.
That's the pelvis.
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Tapping me on the shoulder.
Yes!
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This remarkable find -
a headless mummy -
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simply appeared this morning
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as the wind blew
just enough sand away to reveal it.
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Do you think that this would
originally have been in a stone tomb?
144
00:08:59,240 --> 00:09:01,520
Yes, but perhaps
the dogs pulled it out.
145
00:09:01,680 --> 00:09:06,080
Is there anything that we can say
about this mummified body?
146
00:09:06,240 --> 00:09:08,880
So, what we're looking at here
is just the torso.
147
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The legs are missing.
148
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It's lying on its tummy.
You can see the arm here.
149
00:09:13,680 --> 00:09:15,640
This is its arm?
Exactly, yes.
150
00:09:15,800 --> 00:09:17,800
This seems to be the elbow.
Just here? Yeah.
151
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Yes. Leading up to the shoulder
where your finger is.
The shoulder.
152
00:09:21,240 --> 00:09:23,960
And it must have been burned as well
because it's rather black here.
153
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But look at the mummy bindings -
they're such a good quality.
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Look at the quality
of the linen here.
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That's really nicely done indeed.
156
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Such a wonderful quality.
It's just...great stuff.
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Must have been a very rich person.
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Am I allowed to touch it?
Yes, of course.
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Ooh, it's quite snake-like, isn't it?
Alright. (CHUCKLES)
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And although it's...it's hard,
it's not solid.
161
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You feel as though
you could press it in.
162
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Mm. Well, it's hollow inside.
Why's that?
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Because they took out
the internal organs,
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which were preserved separately,
according to Egyptian custom.
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How old do you think it is?
166
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Well, I believe it's a Roman mummy.
167
00:10:00,160 --> 00:10:03,800
I didn't know there were
such things as Roman mummies.
Well, they adopted it, you know.
168
00:10:03,960 --> 00:10:06,720
The Romans had a very strong
presence here in Aswan.
169
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So, this mummy
is about 2,000 years old.
It is.
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And the tombs we're looking for
are about 4,500 years old.
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So, there's more time
between our tombs and this mummy
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than there is between
this mummy and us.
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That's correct, yes.
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My first mummy discovery
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is proof of how much
waits to be discovered here
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just beneath the surface.
177
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Elsewhere around the dig,
the finds are less grisly,
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but more likely
to point to new tombs.
179
00:10:38,160 --> 00:10:41,520
The sandy slopes of Martin's dig site
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are littered with ancient bricks
made out of mud.
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That is not rock, is it?
182
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It's clearly man-made.
183
00:10:53,160 --> 00:10:57,680
But at the end of day one,
the most definite find so far...
184
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So, one, two, three levels,
and perhaps a fourth level.
185
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..is what's running
straight up the hill.
186
00:11:08,240 --> 00:11:12,440
Look. Can you see how, here,
this is all loose sand?
187
00:11:12,600 --> 00:11:14,640
Well, that's what
this whole area was like
188
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at the beginning of the day.
189
00:11:16,440 --> 00:11:18,480
But now,
since they've done all the work,
190
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can you see how hard that is,
how impacted?
191
00:11:21,520 --> 00:11:25,120
All of this is a man-made surface.
192
00:11:25,280 --> 00:11:30,760
And what we think it is
is the pavement of a causeway
193
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that once went from here, whoosh,
right the way up to there.
194
00:11:36,040 --> 00:11:38,000
And at this city of the dead,
195
00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:43,760
previous causeway discoveries
have lead the way to big tombs.
196
00:11:49,120 --> 00:11:52,760
If Martin's right,
and he is digging in the right place,
197
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then we could be about to reveal
a brand-new chapter
198
00:11:56,960 --> 00:11:59,600
in the story of the city of the dead.
199
00:11:59,760 --> 00:12:01,240
How cool would that be -
200
00:12:01,400 --> 00:12:06,840
to be the first people to uncover
and enter a great Egyptian tomb?
201
00:12:07,000 --> 00:12:08,640
Which reminds me that,
202
00:12:08,800 --> 00:12:13,160
when Howard Carter was excavating
the tomb of Tutankhamen,
203
00:12:13,320 --> 00:12:16,960
he chiselled a little hole
in the door of the tomb,
204
00:12:17,120 --> 00:12:18,600
and he peered in.
205
00:12:18,760 --> 00:12:22,920
And behind him was his sponsor,
Lord Carnarvon,
206
00:12:23,080 --> 00:12:27,160
and Carnarvon was going,
"Carter, can you see anything?"
207
00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:33,820
And Howard Carter said,
"Yes, wonderful things."
208
00:12:34,880 --> 00:12:36,400
I've been looking for tombs
209
00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:40,240
at ancient Aswan's
greatest burial ground.
210
00:12:40,400 --> 00:12:44,320
This site rose to prominence
over 4,000 years ago,
211
00:12:44,480 --> 00:12:46,320
whilst elsewhere in Egypt,
212
00:12:46,480 --> 00:12:50,800
the pharaohs were busy
building pyramids.
213
00:12:53,800 --> 00:12:56,720
I've travelled
over 400 miles north of Aswan...
214
00:12:56,880 --> 00:12:58,480
Oh, God!
215
00:12:58,640 --> 00:13:01,320
..but this is no sightseeing tour.
216
00:13:01,480 --> 00:13:03,440
I thought we were going
to go over the edge there!
217
00:13:03,600 --> 00:13:08,000
Dr Vasko Dobrev has been working
in the desert outside Cairo
218
00:13:08,160 --> 00:13:10,320
for the past 30 years,
219
00:13:10,480 --> 00:13:14,400
and he's on the hunt
for a new pyramid.
220
00:13:14,560 --> 00:13:17,000
What is a pyramid?
DR DOBREV: Um, a pyramid?
221
00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:20,480
The pyramid is the tomb of the king,
but there is something more.
222
00:13:20,640 --> 00:13:25,200
In the pyramid, he will resurrect.
He can go up to the sky.
223
00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:30,080
The pyramid points
towards the heavens,
224
00:13:30,240 --> 00:13:34,840
helping a deceased pharaoh
to take their place among the gods.
225
00:13:35,000 --> 00:13:39,080
How many of these pyramids are there?
About 120.
226
00:13:39,240 --> 00:13:42,760
Wow.
About 120 all around Egypt.
227
00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:48,960
Often, we only think
of the famous pyramids of Giza,
228
00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:51,440
but this site, called Saqqara,
229
00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:57,040
boasts the first pyramid
and a great many more.
230
00:13:57,200 --> 00:14:01,680
Why Saqqara, Vasko? Why did so many
pharaohs build their pyramids here?
231
00:14:01,840 --> 00:14:03,920
Well, for a very simple reason.
232
00:14:04,080 --> 00:14:08,720
Saqqara is exactly in front of
the capital of Egypt - Memphis.
233
00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:11,200
And where's Memphis now?
Just behind there.
234
00:14:11,360 --> 00:14:13,960
Behind the hill.
You see the green palm trees?
Yeah.
235
00:14:14,120 --> 00:14:17,800
This is Memphis
from the time of the pyramids.
236
00:14:17,960 --> 00:14:22,080
Pyramids here span six centuries
of Egyptian history,
237
00:14:22,240 --> 00:14:25,840
but one dynasty of pharaohs
in particular
238
00:14:26,000 --> 00:14:30,240
chose to build
their magnificent tombs in Saqqara.
239
00:14:30,400 --> 00:14:33,400
You see the small pyramid?
This is Pepi II.
240
00:14:33,560 --> 00:14:35,240
His father is here.
241
00:14:35,400 --> 00:14:37,120
His great-grandfather
is just behind.
242
00:14:37,280 --> 00:14:38,880
All the family's around.
243
00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,800
Some of the pyramids
are in a sorry state.
244
00:14:44,960 --> 00:14:48,960
Over centuries, their beautiful
outer layer of stone has been stolen.
245
00:14:52,200 --> 00:14:54,960
But the key to Vasko's thinking
246
00:14:55,120 --> 00:14:59,000
is that some pyramids
may never have been completed.
247
00:14:59,160 --> 00:15:03,880
We're climbing up the plateau.
I have to accelerate a little bit
not to get stuck, huh?
248
00:15:04,040 --> 00:15:06,680
I have a feeling you really enjoy
driving this vehicle.
249
00:15:06,840 --> 00:15:08,320
Well, yeah!
250
00:15:09,640 --> 00:15:12,320
We're heading to
a flat plateau top...
251
00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:18,120
..the site, Vasko believes,
of an undiscovered pyramid.
252
00:15:22,440 --> 00:15:24,800
Which pharaoh do we think
we're talking about here?
253
00:15:24,960 --> 00:15:28,200
So, maybe we have here
the pharaoh Userkare.
254
00:15:28,360 --> 00:15:30,200
And how long did he last?
That's the problem.
255
00:15:30,360 --> 00:15:32,960
He didn't reign for a long time.
Maybe three, four years.
256
00:15:33,120 --> 00:15:35,880
He cannot finish a 52m-high pyramid
in three years.
257
00:15:36,040 --> 00:15:41,160
Userkare may only have had time
to create his pyramid's base
258
00:15:41,320 --> 00:15:44,760
and construct his burial chambers
beneath it.
259
00:15:44,920 --> 00:15:47,480
OK. So, this is the big question.
260
00:15:47,640 --> 00:15:50,160
We've got activity
all over the place,
261
00:15:50,320 --> 00:15:53,160
so why do you think
the pyramid is right here?
262
00:15:53,320 --> 00:15:55,960
First of all,
we are on the good height.
Yeah.
263
00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:59,160
We discovered that all
these pyramids that are in Saqqara,
264
00:15:59,320 --> 00:16:00,800
they are on the same level.
265
00:16:00,960 --> 00:16:04,160
So, there is
a kind of pyramid level.
266
00:16:04,320 --> 00:16:07,520
And here, we have
his father to the north.
267
00:16:07,680 --> 00:16:12,080
His son is just there.
His grandson, Pepi II, is behind.
268
00:16:12,240 --> 00:16:14,000
So, you see, from north to south,
269
00:16:14,160 --> 00:16:16,680
this family is following
one after the other.
270
00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,840
And we have something else -
new technology.
271
00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:21,680
Geophysics.
Geophys!
272
00:16:21,840 --> 00:16:23,960
Electromagnetic waves.
273
00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:28,840
We have something with right angles.
This is not naturally made.
274
00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:32,400
We have a kind of square here -
80m by 80m -
275
00:16:32,560 --> 00:16:36,080
which is exactly the size
of the pyramid of that period.
276
00:16:37,800 --> 00:16:40,720
But Vasko's
most telling evidence by far...
277
00:16:42,320 --> 00:16:46,600
..is just 50 yards from where
he believes the pyramid to be.
278
00:16:46,760 --> 00:16:50,840
Here we are.
(LAUGHS)
279
00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,360
You don't see something like this
every day, do you?
280
00:16:53,520 --> 00:16:57,440
Wow! Look at all this!
281
00:16:59,160 --> 00:17:00,840
Over the last few years,
282
00:17:01,000 --> 00:17:04,200
Vasko has unearthed
tomb after tomb...
283
00:17:04,360 --> 00:17:07,680
We have more than 60 tombs
on the surface already.
284
00:17:07,840 --> 00:17:12,640
..and these are sizeable tombs
for important Egyptians.
285
00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:16,920
They must have had good reason
to be here.
286
00:17:19,560 --> 00:17:22,320
If you have people here,
they don't come just by chance.
287
00:17:22,480 --> 00:17:24,760
It's because there is
somebody important just behind.
288
00:17:24,920 --> 00:17:26,400
So, this isn't only
289
00:17:26,560 --> 00:17:28,600
fantastic archaeology
in its own right.
290
00:17:28,760 --> 00:17:31,640
This is cast-iron evidence
that people came here
291
00:17:31,800 --> 00:17:34,000
because there's a king
buried somewhere around here.
292
00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:35,680
Exactly.
293
00:17:35,840 --> 00:17:40,080
And Vasko's keen to show me
his latest discovery.
294
00:17:40,240 --> 00:17:41,840
On the edge of his site
295
00:17:42,000 --> 00:17:45,120
is an unusual
chessboard-like structure,
296
00:17:45,280 --> 00:17:49,280
dating from just after the time
of our missing pharaoh.
297
00:17:49,440 --> 00:17:52,280
This is huge,
this area here, isn't it?
298
00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:55,440
Yeah, it's an enormous structure -
12m by 12m.
299
00:17:55,600 --> 00:17:58,680
And you have 23 shafts.
300
00:17:58,840 --> 00:18:01,640
Each of these shafts
should lead to a tomb...
301
00:18:03,840 --> 00:18:07,320
..and there's one
that Vasko's started to explore.
302
00:18:11,760 --> 00:18:14,160
Look at it.
Oh, my goodness! Yeah.
303
00:18:15,400 --> 00:18:17,040
(LAUGHS) That is deep!
304
00:18:18,280 --> 00:18:21,160
And there's no way
Vasko's letting me leave
305
00:18:21,320 --> 00:18:24,880
without joining him
on a little adventure.
306
00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:31,520
Right, just popping back 4,000 years.
307
00:18:33,560 --> 00:18:38,040
Not more than a handful of people
have ever been down this shaft,
308
00:18:38,200 --> 00:18:40,640
at least not for
a few thousand years.
309
00:18:44,840 --> 00:18:46,640
Just catch the handle.
310
00:18:46,800 --> 00:18:50,160
Yeah. I'm holding on
to the handle like crazy!
That's it.
311
00:18:56,680 --> 00:18:58,320
At 15 metres,
312
00:18:58,480 --> 00:19:02,320
this shaft is deeper than
three double-decker buses are tall.
313
00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:09,760
What are these depressions
in the side of it here?
314
00:19:09,920 --> 00:19:12,080
That's how the Egyptians
were going down.
315
00:19:12,240 --> 00:19:14,200
They didn't use, like us, ropes.
316
00:19:14,360 --> 00:19:17,080
They were going
attached to the mountain itself.
317
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:19,960
Oh, no! That's extraordinary.
318
00:19:20,120 --> 00:19:22,440
These little rudimentary steps?
Yes, yes, yes.
319
00:19:22,600 --> 00:19:24,320
With bare feet, you can do it.
320
00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:26,640
That would be absolutely terrifying,
wouldn't it?
321
00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:34,840
When you started digging,
had you any idea
322
00:19:35,000 --> 00:19:37,080
that you would go down
as far as you actually did?
323
00:19:37,240 --> 00:19:38,720
Absolutely not.
324
00:19:38,880 --> 00:19:42,000
I was expecting to go
not more than four, six metres.
325
00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:45,920
Yeah. And what happened
when you got down that far?
326
00:19:46,080 --> 00:19:48,640
Then I was expecting to find
the chamber - the funerary chamber.
327
00:19:48,800 --> 00:19:50,840
Yeah.
Nothing. So, I had to continue.
328
00:19:51,000 --> 00:19:53,680
Seven, eight, nine, 10 - nothing.
Yeah.
329
00:19:53,840 --> 00:19:55,760
So, I didn't know where to go.
330
00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:03,640
Have we any idea what the name was
of the man who was buried down here?
331
00:20:03,800 --> 00:20:07,000
His name is Ankh Ti,
which means 'I am alive'.
332
00:20:07,160 --> 00:20:11,000
I hope he's not alive now.
(BOTH LAUGH)
333
00:20:11,160 --> 00:20:13,880
Welcome to the bottom of the shaft.
Thank you.
334
00:20:14,040 --> 00:20:16,160
OK, I'm down!
335
00:20:16,320 --> 00:20:18,440
Like many of his neighbours here,
336
00:20:18,600 --> 00:20:22,960
our tomb owner Ankh Ti
was a priest...
337
00:20:23,120 --> 00:20:25,320
Let's take out the lights.
Here we go.
338
00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:29,640
..a priest laid to rest
over 4,200 years ago.
339
00:20:29,800 --> 00:20:32,280
So, Tony, you can go first.
OK.
340
00:20:37,560 --> 00:20:40,360
Well, this does feel
a bit Indiana Jones.
341
00:20:40,520 --> 00:20:42,880
Oh, yes! There's hieroglyphics here.
342
00:20:49,520 --> 00:20:54,480
Do you know, I thought
it would just be an empty cave.
343
00:20:54,640 --> 00:20:58,000
I didn't realise that
it would be decorated like this.
344
00:20:58,160 --> 00:20:59,760
This is beautiful.
345
00:21:04,400 --> 00:21:08,680
These are the oldest paintings
and hieroglyphics I've ever seen.
346
00:21:14,200 --> 00:21:16,200
Was it filled with sand
when you came?
347
00:21:16,360 --> 00:21:18,960
It was filled with sand until here.
You can see the trace. You see?
348
00:21:19,120 --> 00:21:21,920
Just down there?
Yes, like this.
Not completely filled.
349
00:21:22,080 --> 00:21:25,520
And down there,
we found the body of the priest.
350
00:21:25,680 --> 00:21:28,120
Down here?
Exactly. On this place.
Where I am now?
351
00:21:30,000 --> 00:21:33,360
The body of Ankh Ti
was not in a good state.
352
00:21:36,280 --> 00:21:41,000
At this time,
over 2,000 years before Cleopatra,
353
00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:44,960
mummification wasn't far advanced.
354
00:21:45,120 --> 00:21:48,120
The body tissue had rotted away,
355
00:21:48,280 --> 00:21:51,760
and Ankh Ti's bones
are about all that survive.
356
00:21:53,160 --> 00:21:54,640
They've been removed
357
00:21:54,800 --> 00:21:57,560
and will be studied and X-rayed
in due course.
358
00:22:00,600 --> 00:22:03,520
Still here, though,
are the fantastic images
359
00:22:03,680 --> 00:22:07,040
of offerings to sustain Ankh Ti
in the afterlife.
360
00:22:07,200 --> 00:22:09,520
Here, the food offerings.
361
00:22:09,680 --> 00:22:11,480
The best choices of meat.
362
00:22:12,880 --> 00:22:17,800
Some salads. Also, to drink,
maybe milk or even wine.
363
00:22:17,960 --> 00:22:19,960
In the antiquity,
they had a lot of nice wine.
364
00:22:20,120 --> 00:22:23,000
And you've got
this big sand line again down here.
Exactly. The same.
365
00:22:23,160 --> 00:22:25,680
And then you've got
this red rectangle at the bottom.
Yes, yes.
366
00:22:25,840 --> 00:22:27,880
Here, we come into
the most important part
367
00:22:28,040 --> 00:22:29,800
of the tomb - the door.
368
00:22:29,960 --> 00:22:31,840
This is a door.
369
00:22:32,000 --> 00:22:35,040
'Cause when he'll resurrect,
he has to go out.
370
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:36,680
He wouldn't stay here.
371
00:22:36,840 --> 00:22:39,320
That's not where he imagined
his life after death.
372
00:22:39,480 --> 00:22:43,400
Through this door,
he will go out to the light.
373
00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:48,720
This beautiful art
was painted over 4,000 years ago,
374
00:22:48,880 --> 00:22:51,120
and 15 metres underground.
375
00:22:53,360 --> 00:22:55,920
Tomb decoration like this
was fashionable
376
00:22:56,080 --> 00:23:00,000
during the reign
of Ankh Ti's pharaoh, Pepi II,
377
00:23:00,160 --> 00:23:03,840
whose name appears inside the tomb.
378
00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:07,160
So, perhaps Ankh Ti's job as a priest
379
00:23:07,320 --> 00:23:10,240
was to service the tomb
of Pepi's grandfather -
380
00:23:10,400 --> 00:23:12,720
the missing pharaoh Userkare.
381
00:23:12,880 --> 00:23:14,360
I'm coming up, lads!
382
00:23:14,520 --> 00:23:16,080
Hold on to that rope!
383
00:23:17,400 --> 00:23:22,240
But is Userkare's tomb
hiding in the sand just yards away?
384
00:23:22,400 --> 00:23:25,320
It's a spine-tingling thought.
385
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:28,280
And between here and there,
386
00:23:28,440 --> 00:23:32,400
there's already
a great many more tombs to find.
387
00:23:32,560 --> 00:23:39,840
(PANTS) Ah! It's extraordinary
to get out into the fresh air again.
388
00:23:40,000 --> 00:23:46,120
You know...down there,
what we saw was so stunning,
389
00:23:46,280 --> 00:23:48,920
and up here, there must be -
390
00:23:49,080 --> 00:23:52,280
I don't know -
the possibility of 50, 60,
391
00:23:52,440 --> 00:23:55,800
100 more shafts just like that one.
392
00:23:55,960 --> 00:23:58,280
Now, if we found that down there,
393
00:23:58,440 --> 00:24:03,920
imagine what people might find
at some time in the future.
394
00:24:04,080 --> 00:24:05,760
Sorry, I'm so out of breath!
395
00:24:13,480 --> 00:24:16,120
Looks pretty good
in the morning light, doesn't it?
396
00:24:17,520 --> 00:24:21,760
Dr Martin Bommas and his team
are on the hunt for new tombs...
397
00:24:23,200 --> 00:24:27,160
..and while I've been away,
there's been some progress.
398
00:24:27,320 --> 00:24:30,240
Archaeology student Dominika Czop
399
00:24:30,400 --> 00:24:33,480
is busy revealing
a whole new structure.
400
00:24:33,640 --> 00:24:35,120
Dominika!
Ooh! Hello.
401
00:24:35,280 --> 00:24:36,760
Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you.
402
00:24:36,920 --> 00:24:39,480
But this is looking really promising,
isn't it?
Yes. Yes.
403
00:24:39,640 --> 00:24:42,560
What do you think it is?
It's a tomb.
A tomb!
404
00:24:42,720 --> 00:24:45,600
Yes.
Yay! We've got a tomb.
This is what we came here to find.
405
00:24:45,760 --> 00:24:48,480
I know.
It's a very little tomb,
or at least it looks it from here.
406
00:24:48,640 --> 00:24:52,440
Oh, it's not the entrance to it.
There is an entrance there.
407
00:24:52,600 --> 00:24:54,960
That does look more like something
408
00:24:55,120 --> 00:24:58,640
you'd see in a movie
if you were looking for a tomb.
409
00:24:58,800 --> 00:25:01,920
Wow! So, why aren't you ploughing
ahead with this straightaway?
410
00:25:02,080 --> 00:25:08,200
We're very keen to. However, we have
to first assess how big it is.
411
00:25:08,360 --> 00:25:10,840
So, with a bit of patience,
412
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,240
our city of the dead
is going to have a new tomb.
413
00:25:14,400 --> 00:25:18,600
What's more,
there appears to be more than one.
414
00:25:18,760 --> 00:25:21,640
And if I look behind me,
I can see some little blocks here.
415
00:25:21,800 --> 00:25:23,680
Yes, and right behind you.
416
00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:25,760
Just here? This is another one?
Yes. Yes.
417
00:25:25,920 --> 00:25:27,800
Wow. So, there's a whole load
of them here.
418
00:25:27,960 --> 00:25:30,080
It looks like there might be
streets of them going...
419
00:25:30,240 --> 00:25:32,600
And do you think
they would go right up the hill?
Yeah, yeah.
420
00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:36,440
But to properly reveal
even one of them,
421
00:25:36,600 --> 00:25:39,360
there's a heck of a lot of sand
to be shifted.
422
00:25:40,520 --> 00:25:44,480
So, before I get roped in
to any serious work,
423
00:25:44,640 --> 00:25:48,240
I thought you and I could take
a little trip down the Nile.
424
00:25:48,400 --> 00:25:50,120
Hi, Mohammed.
How are you?
425
00:25:50,280 --> 00:25:52,120
Thank you very much.
You're welcome.
426
00:25:56,960 --> 00:25:58,800
If Martin does find a mummy,
427
00:25:58,960 --> 00:26:01,680
the question, of course,
is going to be whose was it,
428
00:26:01,840 --> 00:26:05,440
and what did they do
before they ended up on the hillside?
429
00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:09,640
Well, I'm told there are some clues
which might answer that
430
00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:12,200
just on the far end of that island.
431
00:26:13,440 --> 00:26:16,360
4,000 years ago, just like today,
432
00:26:16,520 --> 00:26:20,600
the vast majority of Egyptians
lived very close to the Nile.
433
00:26:23,200 --> 00:26:27,440
And you don't get much closer
than Elephantine Island,
434
00:26:27,600 --> 00:26:32,280
where the people buried
at the city of the dead once lived.
435
00:26:35,480 --> 00:26:38,680
For centuries,
the town here at Elephantine Island
436
00:26:38,840 --> 00:26:40,880
was the hub of southern Egypt.
437
00:26:41,040 --> 00:26:44,080
It was so well protected,
with the Nile on all sides.
438
00:26:44,240 --> 00:26:48,480
This was a street
with a lot of houses along here,
439
00:26:48,640 --> 00:26:50,920
and houses on this side too.
440
00:26:52,960 --> 00:26:56,960
Some of these buildings have been
reconstructed in recent years...
441
00:26:58,560 --> 00:27:01,640
..but there's one
that definitely hasn't...
442
00:27:02,880 --> 00:27:09,760
This is like going into the back room
of a really big museum. Ooh!
443
00:27:09,920 --> 00:27:14,880
..and in theory, it should be
the grandest building in town.
444
00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:19,160
This, believe it or not,
is the governor's palace -
445
00:27:19,320 --> 00:27:22,880
the place where the elite
of Elephantine Island lived.
446
00:27:23,040 --> 00:27:27,000
And when they died, there'd have been
a funeral procession starting here,
447
00:27:27,160 --> 00:27:29,880
and then they would have gone
down to the Nile,
448
00:27:30,040 --> 00:27:31,640
sailed all the way round,
449
00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:36,720
and then been buried
in their beautifully carved tombs.
450
00:27:36,880 --> 00:27:40,760
But what really gets me is this wall.
Look at it.
451
00:27:40,920 --> 00:27:45,080
Frankly, it's rubbish, isn't it?
It's mud brick.
452
00:27:45,240 --> 00:27:49,720
It's dotted with little chips
and bits of shell.
453
00:27:49,880 --> 00:27:52,280
They appear to have spent
far more money
454
00:27:52,440 --> 00:27:55,960
on what happened when they were dead
than when they were alive,
455
00:27:56,120 --> 00:28:00,040
which I suppose does make sense
in a strange kind of way.
456
00:28:00,200 --> 00:28:02,720
After all, you are a long time dead.
457
00:28:08,280 --> 00:28:12,200
On the other side of the river
at the city of the dead,
458
00:28:12,360 --> 00:28:17,920
the governors of Elephantine picked
the very best spots for their tombs
459
00:28:18,080 --> 00:28:22,000
and built grand causeways
to access them from the river.
460
00:28:23,800 --> 00:28:26,520
But at the top
of his newly discovered causeway,
461
00:28:26,680 --> 00:28:29,040
Martin hasn't found a tomb...
462
00:28:30,200 --> 00:28:32,320
..but a mysterious stone wall.
463
00:28:32,480 --> 00:28:35,840
What we have here now
is perhaps the end of the causeway,
464
00:28:36,000 --> 00:28:41,440
so we want to find out more
by digging deeper with the trowel.
465
00:28:42,520 --> 00:28:47,280
The end of the causeway
should point the way to a large tomb,
466
00:28:47,440 --> 00:28:50,960
but excavating anything this old
on such a steep slope
467
00:28:51,120 --> 00:28:53,520
is a dangerous operation.
468
00:28:54,800 --> 00:28:57,480
We cannot go too far,
so the whole thing doesn't crumble.
469
00:28:59,160 --> 00:29:02,240
Arrgh!
MAN: (BLEEP)!
The whole thing's moving!
470
00:29:05,160 --> 00:29:06,640
The whole thing's moving.
Yeah.
471
00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:09,000
I really suggest you get out
of the path of that.
472
00:29:09,160 --> 00:29:12,280
Sand is coming out from behind.
OK.
473
00:29:16,320 --> 00:29:19,480
One of the giant blocks
holding up the wall
474
00:29:19,640 --> 00:29:22,000
has shifted a good six inches.
475
00:29:23,720 --> 00:29:27,080
The rest of the wall
hasn't budged yet,
476
00:29:27,240 --> 00:29:30,360
but there's a real risk
it could collapse.
477
00:29:33,680 --> 00:29:35,680
We cannot go any further.
478
00:29:35,840 --> 00:29:39,640
The tombs must be behind
the retention wall.
479
00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,800
We have to think very carefully
whether, next year or so,
480
00:29:42,960 --> 00:29:45,840
we will remove the wall
in order to follow the causeway.
481
00:29:46,000 --> 00:29:48,040
But not this year.
482
00:29:48,200 --> 00:29:51,120
Otherwise, we risk the lives
of our workmen.
483
00:29:52,120 --> 00:29:55,800
The hunt for tombs
is rarely straightforward,
484
00:29:55,960 --> 00:30:00,000
and here in particular,
there are risks and dangers.
485
00:30:03,560 --> 00:30:05,640
But luckily, Martin and the team
486
00:30:05,800 --> 00:30:08,640
have already found
at least one new tomb.
487
00:30:10,920 --> 00:30:12,560
So, a few days later,
488
00:30:12,720 --> 00:30:15,640
I'm returning to
the lower part of the causeway
489
00:30:15,800 --> 00:30:17,480
to check on progress.
490
00:30:18,960 --> 00:30:21,360
Martin!
Oh, hello, Tony.
491
00:30:21,520 --> 00:30:23,600
This has come on fantastically,
hasn't it?
492
00:30:23,760 --> 00:30:26,120
Yeah.
What a lot of work you've put in.
493
00:30:26,280 --> 00:30:29,280
You can really see that
it is a proper road now, can't you?
Yes, exactly.
494
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:32,800
It's three metres wide
and 92 metres long.
495
00:30:32,960 --> 00:30:34,440
And, of course,
496
00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:37,280
where there are causeways,
there are tombs.
497
00:30:37,440 --> 00:30:40,120
How's that panned out?
Well, just look behind you.
498
00:30:40,280 --> 00:30:42,280
Hey-hey!
It looks very different, right?
499
00:30:42,440 --> 00:30:43,920
That's come on too, hasn't it?
500
00:30:44,080 --> 00:30:47,520
Goodness! That really is
an entrance, isn't it?
501
00:30:47,680 --> 00:30:49,160
Yes, it is.
That's great.
502
00:30:50,480 --> 00:30:52,200
So, what's this bit here?
503
00:30:52,360 --> 00:30:54,160
Well, we believe
this is the offering niche.
504
00:30:54,320 --> 00:30:58,080
Sorry, 'offering niche' is not
a phrase I've ever heard before!
505
00:30:58,240 --> 00:31:01,320
Well, a tomb in ancient Egypt
needs to have two things
506
00:31:01,480 --> 00:31:04,120
in order to be operational -
a burial chamber
507
00:31:04,280 --> 00:31:08,440
and a place where the living can
donate offerings to the deceased.
508
00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:11,360
And that's that thing here?
Exactly.
509
00:31:11,520 --> 00:31:14,720
Have you got any idea yet
how old this tomb is?
510
00:31:14,880 --> 00:31:16,400
Oh, we were so lucky, Tony.
511
00:31:16,560 --> 00:31:18,360
The offering niche
I was just talking about -
512
00:31:18,520 --> 00:31:21,040
we found an intact pot
513
00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:24,280
that people left there
for the deceased, untouched.
514
00:31:24,440 --> 00:31:30,760
Oh, result! Perfect dating evidence.
Exactly. The pot dates to 2430 BC.
515
00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:32,760
We can date it rather precisely.
516
00:31:32,920 --> 00:31:36,200
So, that is round about
4,500 years old.
517
00:31:36,360 --> 00:31:39,240
It's also the oldest tomb
that we have found so far.
518
00:31:39,400 --> 00:31:41,200
It's almost a little bit older
519
00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:43,440
than the pyramids in Giza,
so it's the pyramid age.
520
00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:46,040
Oh, wow.
Just the beginning of it.
Really, really old.
521
00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:50,720
So, what happens here now,
at the big-money end?
522
00:31:50,880 --> 00:31:52,680
Well, actually,
we are looking for someone
523
00:31:52,840 --> 00:31:55,880
who is going to volunteer
to go down that shaft
524
00:31:56,040 --> 00:31:58,120
and look into the burial chamber.
525
00:31:58,280 --> 00:32:00,840
So, this is the same kind of age
as the pyramid at Giza.
526
00:32:01,000 --> 00:32:02,840
It is indeed.
And I'm going in it.
527
00:32:03,000 --> 00:32:06,160
Yes, if you want to!
That's so cool.
528
00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:12,520
4,000 years ago,
529
00:32:12,680 --> 00:32:16,560
this hillside of rock and sand
overlooking the River Nile
530
00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:20,240
was the most important burial ground
in southern Egypt.
531
00:32:21,440 --> 00:32:22,920
In the past fortnight,
532
00:32:23,080 --> 00:32:25,520
it's been the focus of attention
once again.
533
00:32:27,280 --> 00:32:29,160
Dr Bommas and his team
534
00:32:29,320 --> 00:32:31,440
are in the last week
of their dig season.
535
00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:33,200
They've already discovered a tomb
536
00:32:33,360 --> 00:32:36,560
which has lain hidden
for thousands of years.
537
00:32:36,720 --> 00:32:41,800
It may be the oldest tomb found
so far in the city of the dead.
538
00:32:41,960 --> 00:32:47,200
And Martin has invited me
to be the first person to go inside.
539
00:32:50,640 --> 00:32:52,280
But as soon as I arrive on site...
540
00:32:52,440 --> 00:32:54,280
(SPEAKS ARABIC)
541
00:32:54,440 --> 00:32:57,160
..it's clear
things aren't going to plan.
542
00:32:57,320 --> 00:32:59,960
(BOTH CONVERSE IN ARABIC)
543
00:33:01,440 --> 00:33:03,320
Martin!
Hey, Tony.
544
00:33:03,480 --> 00:33:06,000
Do we have a problem?
Um, I don't know as yet.
545
00:33:06,160 --> 00:33:07,720
There seems to be a hole,
546
00:33:07,880 --> 00:33:09,800
and through this hole,
sand trickles in.
547
00:33:09,960 --> 00:33:11,440
How did it appear?
548
00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:13,600
Did it just slump in?
Yeah, it just slumped in.
549
00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:15,720
There must be some void
underneath here.
550
00:33:15,880 --> 00:33:17,640
There might be another tomb,
551
00:33:17,800 --> 00:33:20,680
or it's part of the tomb
we are currently working on.
552
00:33:20,840 --> 00:33:22,920
It's so difficult -
excavating in sand.
553
00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:25,760
If we were in English clay,
554
00:33:25,920 --> 00:33:28,080
everything would stay where it was
for 24 hours.
555
00:33:28,240 --> 00:33:31,360
Exactly.
Here, you dig something,
five minutes later, it's just gone.
556
00:33:31,520 --> 00:33:34,040
Yes, it seems that
there's something underneath
557
00:33:34,200 --> 00:33:37,520
that sucks all the sand
into one place,
558
00:33:37,680 --> 00:33:39,200
which we have to assess first.
559
00:33:39,360 --> 00:33:41,160
Perhaps the entire area is too weak.
560
00:33:42,600 --> 00:33:46,000
Events like this show
just how unpredictable and dangerous
561
00:33:46,160 --> 00:33:48,640
Egyptian archaeology can be.
562
00:33:49,920 --> 00:33:52,680
But while Martin decides
if it's safe to enter,
563
00:33:52,840 --> 00:33:54,800
I'm going to see
a remarkable discovery
564
00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:56,680
made by the dig team...
565
00:33:58,400 --> 00:34:01,080
..the beautifully preserved pot
566
00:34:01,240 --> 00:34:04,840
left as an offering
for our tomb's owner.
567
00:34:07,560 --> 00:34:12,240
It's now being examined
by pottery expert Dr Eman Khalifa.
568
00:34:14,240 --> 00:34:18,760
It is actually the sort of find that
archaeologists dream of, isn't it?
DR KHALIFA: It is.
569
00:34:18,920 --> 00:34:21,440
We don't come across
complete pots here very easily.
570
00:34:21,600 --> 00:34:25,000
It's in situ, which means that
it was exactly where they left it.
571
00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:27,960
What's so special about it
is the way it was manufactured.
572
00:34:28,120 --> 00:34:30,400
The top part is wheel-thrown,
573
00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:33,160
and you can see the marks
and the lines of the wheel,
574
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:35,120
but the bottom part is made by hand,
575
00:34:35,280 --> 00:34:39,200
and you can see the fingers
of the potter who modelled it.
576
00:34:39,360 --> 00:34:42,240
Can I touch it?
Yes, please.
I've got my gloves on. Thanks.
577
00:34:42,400 --> 00:34:45,920
So, what does that tell you
about the dating of it?
578
00:34:46,080 --> 00:34:48,480
It tells us that
this was actually made
579
00:34:48,640 --> 00:34:51,400
at a certain period
when they were using two techniques.
580
00:34:51,560 --> 00:34:54,320
So, what is the date
that you're pretty confident of?
581
00:34:54,480 --> 00:34:57,680
4,430 years.
582
00:34:57,840 --> 00:35:01,920
4,430 years.
583
00:35:02,080 --> 00:35:04,080
That is massively old, isn't it?
Yeah.
584
00:35:04,240 --> 00:35:06,200
Look at this.
585
00:35:06,360 --> 00:35:11,240
Over the years, I must have held up
hundreds of pots towards the camera,
586
00:35:11,400 --> 00:35:13,160
but I don't think I've ever held one
587
00:35:13,320 --> 00:35:17,000
that has been such clear
dating evidence from so long ago.
588
00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:19,640
I'll give it back
before I squeeze it too hard.
589
00:35:19,800 --> 00:35:21,760
(LAUGHS) Oh, please don't!
590
00:35:21,920 --> 00:35:24,120
500 feet away,
591
00:35:24,280 --> 00:35:28,280
the mysterious landslip
has stabilised,
592
00:35:28,440 --> 00:35:32,560
and Martin has agreed
to let me be the first person
593
00:35:32,720 --> 00:35:34,240
to look inside our tomb.
594
00:35:36,000 --> 00:35:38,480
I don't think Howard Carter
had to cope with all this rubbish!
595
00:35:41,720 --> 00:35:43,480
I'm ready, Martin!
596
00:35:43,640 --> 00:35:46,320
Hi, Tony.
Hi.
597
00:35:46,480 --> 00:35:47,960
Just turn everything on.
598
00:35:49,760 --> 00:35:53,440
You look very prepared,
so let's get inside. You first.
599
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:58,240
It's...it's very steep
and it feels quite precarious.
600
00:36:02,320 --> 00:36:07,040
There is something rather eerie about
going in to a 4,000-year-old tomb.
That's true.
601
00:36:10,800 --> 00:36:13,040
This may be the last time
you'll ever see me.
Take care.
602
00:36:13,200 --> 00:36:16,400
Be sure that you only do
what you're really comfortable with.
Sure. Sure.
603
00:36:21,320 --> 00:36:23,440
Alright?
Yeah.
604
00:36:25,520 --> 00:36:27,000
(GROANS)
605
00:36:27,160 --> 00:36:31,720
Well, the first thing that I can see
606
00:36:31,880 --> 00:36:36,320
is that the ground itself
at the bottom of the slope
607
00:36:36,480 --> 00:36:38,680
appears to be hard rock,
608
00:36:38,840 --> 00:36:43,040
and the actual tomb
is hacked out of that.
609
00:36:43,200 --> 00:36:46,400
So, it's not mud brick or anything.
610
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:48,080
Hold on. Um...
611
00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:53,440
To my left, there's a niche,
a little recess.
612
00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:57,360
Well, that's good news.
That's what we would expect.
613
00:36:57,520 --> 00:37:00,600
A space like this
would have stored pots,
614
00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:05,240
plates and food offerings to help
our owner reach the afterlife.
615
00:37:05,400 --> 00:37:06,920
Is there anything left there?
616
00:37:07,080 --> 00:37:10,280
No. Were you hoping
it would be full of something?
617
00:37:10,440 --> 00:37:13,000
It might be the case
that someone's been in there,
618
00:37:13,160 --> 00:37:15,440
but it doesn't mean
that they went any further.
619
00:37:15,600 --> 00:37:19,000
Alright. Well, I'll go on a bit now.
620
00:37:20,560 --> 00:37:24,440
Can you tell me whether
you're facing a corridor right now?
I am.
621
00:37:26,240 --> 00:37:27,920
And does it go left or right?
622
00:37:28,080 --> 00:37:30,960
That's important for me to know.
Well, it certainly doesn't go right.
623
00:37:32,880 --> 00:37:39,480
It's curving round to the left,
but...there's a load of sand here.
624
00:37:44,040 --> 00:37:49,680
(GROANS) Yeah, there's definitely
a tunnel to the left,
625
00:37:49,840 --> 00:37:54,760
but it's...it's completely
blocked off.
626
00:37:54,920 --> 00:37:59,320
Perhaps the sand comes from the hole
that emerged today morning.
627
00:37:59,480 --> 00:38:03,320
Well, I'm no sand expert,
but some of it does seem quite fresh,
628
00:38:03,480 --> 00:38:05,080
I must admit.
629
00:38:05,240 --> 00:38:07,040
I can't really go
any further than this.
630
00:38:07,200 --> 00:38:10,120
Well, then don't.
You know, you have to be safe.
Yeah.
631
00:38:10,280 --> 00:38:12,400
Because if it is indeed connected
with the hole,
632
00:38:12,560 --> 00:38:14,960
then even more sand
would come down on you.
633
00:38:15,120 --> 00:38:16,800
Yeah.
634
00:38:16,960 --> 00:38:21,240
But, you see, the left turn would
have led us to the burial chamber.
635
00:38:21,400 --> 00:38:22,960
So, the burial chamber's there,
636
00:38:23,120 --> 00:38:24,800
but we just can't get at it
right now?
637
00:38:24,960 --> 00:38:26,440
Yes, I'm afraid so.
638
00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:30,120
Hey! In the sand, I've got a bone!
639
00:38:31,440 --> 00:38:35,360
Just above it, there's some pottery.
640
00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:37,000
Oh, good.
641
00:38:37,160 --> 00:38:39,080
And just below it,
642
00:38:39,240 --> 00:38:42,120
there is not only some pottery,
but I've got a bead!
643
00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:45,600
Yay! I've got two beads!
Oh, that's great, Tony.
644
00:38:45,760 --> 00:38:47,800
I'll come and join you.
OK.
Just hang on.
645
00:38:47,960 --> 00:38:49,560
(GROANS)
646
00:38:49,720 --> 00:38:52,400
Oh, it's nicely cool down here.
It is.
647
00:38:52,560 --> 00:38:55,160
Alright.
Come over here.
648
00:38:56,520 --> 00:38:59,080
There's the bone.
Yeah, I'll show you the bone.
Here we go.
649
00:39:01,440 --> 00:39:03,080
Seems to be the end of a pelvis.
650
00:39:03,240 --> 00:39:04,720
Now...
651
00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:08,120
And what about the beads
you were promising?
OK, ready?
652
00:39:08,280 --> 00:39:10,000
One...
653
00:39:12,040 --> 00:39:13,520
..two.
654
00:39:13,680 --> 00:39:15,600
Oh, look at that! Look at that.
655
00:39:15,760 --> 00:39:17,240
There we are.
Wonderful!
656
00:39:17,400 --> 00:39:21,400
Like little eggs, aren't they?
Yeah. Two round faience beads.
657
00:39:21,560 --> 00:39:23,120
What does 'faience' mean?
658
00:39:23,280 --> 00:39:27,040
Faience was a certain type
of quartzite-made jewellery
659
00:39:27,200 --> 00:39:30,360
glazed with cover that turns blue.
660
00:39:30,520 --> 00:39:33,320
The colour Egyptian blue
comes from that.
661
00:39:33,480 --> 00:39:35,280
And you reckon
it would have been a necklace?
662
00:39:35,440 --> 00:39:36,920
Yes. Absolutely, yes.
663
00:39:37,080 --> 00:39:39,400
It must have been a necklace.
These are expensive.
664
00:39:39,560 --> 00:39:42,160
And what a privilege it is
665
00:39:42,320 --> 00:39:45,720
to hold something so personal
to our tomb's owner.
666
00:39:45,880 --> 00:39:51,040
Well, this clearly hasn't got
all the shiny pillars and statues
667
00:39:51,200 --> 00:39:53,800
associated with
the tomb of a governor,
668
00:39:53,960 --> 00:39:56,760
but there's a lot of work here,
isn't there?
669
00:39:56,920 --> 00:39:59,880
Well, you know, he was probably
the second man in line.
670
00:40:00,040 --> 00:40:02,520
He had access to
a fantastic burial site,
671
00:40:02,680 --> 00:40:06,320
had engineers excavating
out of the standing rock.
672
00:40:08,320 --> 00:40:11,680
This may not be the grandest tomb
at the city of the dead,
673
00:40:11,840 --> 00:40:13,600
but it might be one of the oldest.
674
00:40:13,760 --> 00:40:18,640
It could mark the moment,
almost 4,500 years ago,
675
00:40:18,800 --> 00:40:21,360
when this important burial ground
676
00:40:21,520 --> 00:40:25,120
was established
on Egypt's southern border.
677
00:40:26,440 --> 00:40:30,520
Given what we've found here,
what might you expect to find
678
00:40:30,680 --> 00:40:34,320
when you eventually do manage
to shift all that sand?
679
00:40:34,480 --> 00:40:36,560
Well, we probably have
two metres of work here,
680
00:40:36,720 --> 00:40:38,480
and then we might face
a burial chamber
681
00:40:38,640 --> 00:40:40,280
that includes a sarcophagus -
682
00:40:40,440 --> 00:40:43,920
a wooden sarcophagus, hopefully,
or perhaps two sarcophagi.
683
00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:45,680
We still have to solve the question
684
00:40:45,840 --> 00:40:48,840
of whether these beads
belong to a man or a woman.
685
00:40:49,000 --> 00:40:52,240
Or a man AND a woman
being buried here.
Oh, I see.
686
00:40:52,400 --> 00:40:54,440
But unfortunately,
687
00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:59,200
that work will have to wait
until Martin's next digging season.
688
00:41:00,760 --> 00:41:05,080
Thanks. Right, here we go.
One, two, three, yay! Up we go.
689
00:41:05,240 --> 00:41:07,440
Well done.
You can see these
in the clear light of day.
690
00:41:07,600 --> 00:41:09,200
Ah, wonderful. Look at those.
691
00:41:09,360 --> 00:41:10,840
Oh, beautiful.
Yes.
692
00:41:12,400 --> 00:41:14,280
Great find.
Well, thanks for all that.
693
00:41:15,520 --> 00:41:18,440
We now know
where the tomb chamber is.
694
00:41:18,600 --> 00:41:21,680
We got our lovely find.
695
00:41:21,840 --> 00:41:24,040
To be continued.
Hopefully see you next year.
696
00:41:24,200 --> 00:41:27,320
(LAUGHS)
See you. See you, mate.
697
00:41:27,480 --> 00:41:29,720
Bye, Tony. Thanks for coming.
698
00:41:30,920 --> 00:41:35,760
For me, the fascination of Egypt
lies in its unending mysteries.
699
00:41:38,160 --> 00:41:40,880
We're still looking
for a pharaoh's missing pyramid...
700
00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:45,000
..we're just beginning
to know the thousands
701
00:41:45,160 --> 00:41:47,640
who built Ancient Egypt,
702
00:41:47,800 --> 00:41:52,480
and tombs we've known for a century
are still throwing up surprises.
703
00:41:52,640 --> 00:41:54,640
It's the blood of the mummy!
704
00:41:57,640 --> 00:41:59,600
But what really strikes me
705
00:41:59,760 --> 00:42:03,840
is the sheer scale
of what's still left to be found.
706
00:42:04,000 --> 00:42:08,080
Aswan's city of the dead certainly
hasn't given up all of its tombs.
707
00:42:08,240 --> 00:42:10,000
Not by a long chalk.
708
00:42:10,160 --> 00:42:13,680
And for archaeologists like Martin,
it's a real privilege
709
00:42:13,840 --> 00:42:17,480
and just plain exciting
to be uncovering new tombs,
710
00:42:17,640 --> 00:42:19,400
unveiling new secrets,
711
00:42:19,560 --> 00:42:25,080
and adding just a small chapter
to the story of this incredible land.
712
00:42:50,520 --> 00:42:53,520
Captions by Red Bee Media
(c) SBS Australia 2019
59274
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