Original subtitles

Narrator: ANCIENT EGYPT.

LAND OF GREAT PYRAMIDS...

STUNNING ARTWORK...

COMMANDING PHARAOHS...

AND POWERFUL EMPIRES.

EGYPT, ABOVE ALL ANCIENT CIVILIZATIONS,

HAS CAPTURED OUR FANCY

WITH ITS SPECTACULAR ICONOGRAPHY AND CULTURAL CHARISMA.

BUT EVEN AS THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

PROCLAIMED THEIR POWER TO THE WORLD,

THEY BURIED A SHOCKING SECRET ABOUT THEIR REIGN.

THEY ERASED FROM HISTORY

THE STORY OF A SUBORDINATE KINGDOM FROM THE SOUTH

THAT ROSE UP...

OVERTHREW THEIR MASTERS...

AND RULED AS PHARAOHS OF EGYPT THEMSELVES.

THESE CONQUERORS WERE THE KUSHITES--

A CIVILIZATION OF BUILDERS, GOLD WORKERS, AND WARRIORS

FROM WHAT IS NOW SUDAN.

Man: THE FACT THAT KUSH WAS ABLE TO CONQUER EGYPT,

IT'S REALLY A DAVID AND GOLIATH STORY.

Narrator: YET TODAY, KUSHITES HAVE BEEN ALL BUT FORGOTTEN.

WHY?

BECAUSE OF THE COLOR OF THEIR SKIN.

THESE WERE DARK-SKINNED AFRICANS,

VILIFIED BY THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

AND SLANDERED AS SAVAGES BY COLONIAL-ERA ARCHAEOLOGISTS.

Man: THEY SHOW THEM AS PEOPLE TIED AND BOUND

ON THE BOTTOM OF THE KING'S SHOES.

Man: SO IT REALLY WAS A KIND OF A RACIAL PROFILING.

Narrator: NOW, AFTER CENTURIES OF DERISION,

THE INCREDIBLE STORY OF THE KUSHITE UPRISING

IS FINALLY COMING TO LIGHT.

MORE ENLIGHTENED ARCHAEOLOGISTS

ARE DIGGING THEIR HISTORY FROM THE SAND...

AND THE SKY.

Man: HOW DOES IT LOOK? STILL INTACT?

Woman: IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF SCARY.

Woman: DON'T DRAG THAT ROPE!

Narrator: SCIENCE IS REVEALING THE INSIDE STORY

OF THE BLACK PHARAOHS WHO BROUGHT EGYPT TO ITS KNEES.

Announcer: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART

BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION

FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.

Narrator: THIS IS THE ROYAL KUSH CEMETERY OF EL KURRU

IN NORTHERN SUDAN.

THE KUSH ANSWER TO EGYPT'S VALLEY OF THE KINGS.

MANY RULERS OF KUSH WERE BURIED HERE,

MAKING IT ONE OF THE FEW PLACES TO LEARN ABOUT THEIR LIVES

AND HOW THEY MANAGED TO CONQUER EGYPT.

THAT'S WHAT ATTRACTED ARCHAEOLOGIST GEOFF EMBERLING.

AT A PYRAMID CALLED KU-1,

GEOFF'S TEAM IS MOVING 50 TONS OF EARTH

TO EXPOSE A ROYAL TOMB BENEATH.

INSIDE THEY HOPE TO DISCOVER THE IDENTITY

OF THE KING WHO BUILT THE PYRAMID

AND HIS PLACE IN THE KUSHITE WORLD.

Geoff Emberling: WE WANT FIRST OF ALL

TO FIND OUT THE NAME OF THE KING,

AND SECOND OF ALL

WE WOULD HOPE THAT THERE WOULD BE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

IN MATERIAL LEFT IN THE PYRAMID

ABOUT WHERE THEY FIT IN HISTORY...

OVER 2,000 YEARS AGO.

Narrator: THE KUSHITES LEFT FEW WRITTEN RECORDS,

AND MOST OF THEIR TOMBS AND TEMPLES HAVE BEEN DESTROYED.

KU-1 IS NO EXCEPTION...

BEFORE HARSH WEATHER AND STONE THIEVES GOT TO IT,

THE PYRAMID STOOD NEARLY FOUR TIMES ITS CURRENT HEIGHT.

THIS WORN-DOWN GIANT COMES WITH A CHECKERED PAST.

ABOUT A HUNDRED YEARS AGO,

AMERICAN ARCHAEOLOGIST GEORGE REISNER

EXCAVATED MANY KUSH MONUMENTS

AND DISCOVERED THE TOMBS OF ITS MOST IMPORTANT KINGS.

Geoff: GEORGE REISNER WAS AN AMAZING PIONEER

OF ARCHAEOLOGY IN KUSH.

HE STARTED IN 1908.

HE WORKED INTO THE 1930s, VERY DIFFICULT CONDITIONS,

AND YET HE MANAGED TO ESTABLISH A BASIC CHRONOLOGY,

NOT ONLY OF THE BROAD ARCHAEOLOGICAL PERIODS,

BUT OF ALL THE KINGS OF KUSH, HE PUT THEM ALL INTO ORDER,

AND IT'S AN ORDER THAT WE STILL BASICALLY USE TODAY.

Narrator: AT EL KURRU,

REISNER GOT TO THE BOTTOM OF EVERY PYRAMID...

EXCEPT KU-1.

THERE, FEAR GOT THE BETTER OF HIM.

THE CEILING OF THE PYRAMID HAD COLLAPSED,

LOCKING ITS SECRETS INSIDE.

HAVING JUST LOST FIVE MEN IN A CAVE-IN NEARBY,

REISNER WENT HOME.

SOMETIMES GEOFF EMBERLING HAS THOUGHT OF DOING THE SAME.

Geoff: WHEN YOU READ REISNER'S NOTES

FROM HIS EXCAVATIONS AT EL KURRU,

AT THE END OF THE SEASON HE TOOK ABOUT TWO WEEKS OFF,

AND HE HAS A LITTLE NOTE THAT THE DOCTOR TOLD HIM

HE HAD TO STOP WORRYING SO MUCH,

AND I CAN KIND OF APPRECIATE THIS NOW

EVEN JUST EXCAVATING ONE OF THE PYRAMIDS

BECAUSE THERE'S INHERENT RISK.

THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS NO RISK.

Narrator: OF COURSE, WITHOUT RISK, THERE'S NO REWARD.

AND AS REISNER DISCOVERED AT OTHER ROYAL BURIAL SITES...

THE PAYOFF CAN BE STAGGERING.

REISNER RECOVERED TROVES OF GOLD JEWELRY

AND STUNNING ARTIFACTS...

INTRICATE MASTERPIECES BURIED WITH THE KUSHITE KINGS

TO ENRICH THEM IN THE AFTERLIFE.

Geoff: AS AN ARCHAEOLOGIST,

YOUR DREAMS ARE OFTEN QUITE VIVID

ABOUT WHAT YOU CAN FIND IN A PLACE.

AND SO OBVIOUSLY THESE KINGS' BURIALS

WERE ONCE EXTREMELY RICH WITH GOLD AND SILVER OBJECTS

AND FINELY CRAFTED, BEAUTIFUL EXPRESSIONS

OF THEIR RELIGIOUS SENTIMENTS

AS WELL AS THEIR, THEIR STATUS AND PRESTIGE.

SO WE CAN IMAGINE FINDING ALL OF THOSE THINGS.

Narrator: GEOFF'S FIRST BIG REVELATION IS NOT GOLD TREASURE,

BUT A GIANT STAIRCASE,

ONE FIT FOR A KING-SIZE FUNERAL PROCESSION.

BUT IT'S A SMALLER FEATURE THAT GRABS HIS ATTENTION.

Geoff: YOU CAN SEE THAT THE STAIRCASE IS REALLY MONUMENTAL.

THEY'VE DUG DOWN THROUGH THE SOLID ROCK

TO A DEPTH OF OVER 25 FEET,

AND YOU CAN SEE JUST AT THE BOTTOM THERE

THE ORIGINAL DOORWAY.

AND ABOVE IT AN IRREGULAR HOLE THAT'S ALMOST THE SAME HEIGHT.

THAT IRREGULAR HOLE WAS DUG BY LOOTERS.

Narrator: GEOFF BELIEVES IT WAS AN INSIDE JOB.

Geoff: MOST PEOPLE WOULD NOT KNOW

THAT IF YOU DUG THROUGH THE ROCK

THAT THERE WOULD BE AN OPEN CHAMBER THAT HIGH UP.

IT'S OVER 15 FEET OFF THE ORIGINAL GROUND SURFACE.

BUT UNUSUALLY IN THIS PYRAMID

THE INNER CHAMBER IS HUGE AND HIGH,

AND SO IT WAS ONLY THE PEOPLE WHO BUILT THAT

THAT WOULD HAVE KNOWN THAT DIGGING OVER THE DOORWAY,

THEY WOULD BREAK INTO THE OPEN SPACE OF THE CHAMBER ITSELF.

Narrator: THE QUESTION IS: HOW FAR IN DID THE LOOTERS GET

AND WHAT DID THEY LEAVE BEHIND?

GEOFF WILL SOON FIND OUT.

ALREADY, HE'S EXCAVATED TO THE SITE OF THE CAVE-IN

THAT HAD BLOCKED REISNER'S PATH.

Geoff: WE'RE IN THE SECOND ROOM OF THE, OF THE PYRAMID,

BUT ACTUALLY WE'RE NOT IN THE ROOM

BECAUSE ITS CEILING HAS ENTIRELY COLLAPSED,

AND SO WE'RE STANDING IN THE HOLE

COVERING WHATEVER WAS BELOW.

I HAVE A SECRET THEORY THAT REALLY WHAT HAPPENED

IS THE LOOTERS BURROWED IN HERE,

AND AS THEY WERE DIGGING, THE CEILING COLLAPSED ON THEM.

Narrator: GEOFF'S TAKING PRECAUTIONS

TO ENSURE HE AND HIS TEAM DON'T BECOME THE TOMB'S NEXT VICTIMS.

AT A MAKESHIFT WORKSHOP,

HIS COLLEAGUE, ARCHITECT IGNACIO FORCADELL,

BUILDS LIFE-SAVING IRON SUPPORTS.

Ignacio Forcadell: IN THE SECOND CHAMBER,

WHICH IS THE DEEPEST ONE,

THERE IS SOME PROBLEMS IN THE CEILING.

ROCKS ARE FALLING DOWN FROM THERE.

AND THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL COLLAPSES

DURING HISTORY.

THERE WAS ONE SMALL COLLAPSE LIKE TWO WEEKS AGO.

Narrator: ONCE INSTALLED, IGNACIO'S IRON ARCHES

SHOULD PREVENT THE ROOF FROM FALLING

AS GEOFF AND THE TEAM DIG FOR THE DEAD KING.

IF IT WORKS, THEY JUST MIGHT SUCCEED WHERE REISNER DID NOT

AND HELP RIGHT THE GREAT WRONG

PERPETRATED BY THE FAMOUS COLONIAL ARCHAEOLOGIST.

[POWER TOOL WHIRRING]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

[SINGING]

THROUGHOUT HIS TIME IN SUDAN, GEORGE REISNER EXCAVATED

AMID THE RICH LOCAL CULTURE OF HIS AFRICAN HOSTS.

HE WAS PULLING AFRICAN HISTORY FROM THE GROUND...

BUT HE WAS DOING IT AT A TIME

WHEN COLONIAL DELUSIONS OF RACIAL SUPERIORITY

CRIPPLED HIS SCIENTIFIC JUDGMENT.

EVEN AS HE WAS AWED BY THE PYRAMIDS HE EXCAVATED,

HE REFUSED TO BELIEVE THEY COULD HAVE BEEN BUILT BY THE ANCESTORS

OF THE BLACK AFRICANS HE SAW ALL AROUND HIM.

HIS PREJUDICES EVEN SEEM TO HAVE CLOUDED HIS EYESIGHT.

IN 1916, WHEN HE DISCOVERED BEAUTIFUL BLACK GRANITE STATUES

OF THE GREAT KUSHITE KINGS,

HE ARGUED THEY WERE NOT REAL LIKENESSES.

INSTEAD, HE PROPOSED THAT THE KINGS--

AND THE BUILDERS OF ALL THE KUSHITE MONUMENTS--

HAD ACTUALLY BEEN LIGHT-SKINNED FOREIGNERS.

Rachael Dann: I THINK IT JUST CHALLENGES SO FUNDAMENTALLY

SOME OF HIS PERSONAL VIEWS

ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE IN THE SUDAN WERE CAPABLE OF

AND THAT HE FINDS IT REALLY DIFFICULT

TO SUDDENLY READ THE EVIDENCE.

IT'S SUCH A HUGE CHALLENGE THAT HE CAN'T GET OVER IT.

Narrator: REISNER'S WRITINGS ABOUT THE KUSHITES

ARE A WINDOW INTO HIS WARPED RACIAL BELIEFS:

George Reisner: "ITS VERY RACE APPEARS TO BE A PRODUCT

OF ITS POVERTY AND ITS ISOLATION--

A NEGROID-EGYPTIAN MIXTURE FUSED TOGETHER ON A DESERT RIVER BANK

TOO FAR AWAY AND TOO POOR

TO ATTRACT A STRONGER AND BETTER RACE."

Narrator: REISNER WASN'T THE LAST, OR THE FIRST,

TO DISPARAGE THE KUSHITES.

UNTIL RECENTLY, MOST ARCHAEOLOGISTS THOUGHT KUSH--

OFTEN CALLED NUBIA--

WAS NOTHING MORE THAN A SUBJECT STATE

WITHIN EGYPT'S EMPIRE...

A SOURCE FOR GOLD IN PEACETIME...

AND SLAVES DURING WAR.

IT WAS AN IMAGE FIRST CULTIVATED BY THE EGYPTIANS THEMSELVES,

WHO HAD AN OFTEN VOLATILE RELATIONSHIP

WITH THE KUSHITES...

A RELATIONSHIP THAT DATES BACK TO THE BIRTH OF BOTH NATIONS.

KERMA, SUDAN, LIES ABOUT 170 MILES DOWN THE NILE

FROM EL KURRU.

AT ITS HEART IS A DEFFUFA, WHICH MEANS BRICK MONOLITH.

A TEMPLE FOR SUN WORSHIP, IT HAS BEEN DATED TO ABOUT 2500 B.C.--

AROUND THE SAME TIME EGYPTIANS

WERE BUILDING THEIR FIRST PYRAMIDS,

AND THE BRITONS, STONEHENGE.

ACCORDING TO ARCHAEOLOGIST SALAH EL-DIN MOHAMMED AHMED,

THAT MAKES IT ONE OF AFRICA'S OLDEST SURVIVING BUILDINGS.

Narrator: THE DEFFUFA IS ALSO ONE OF AFRICA'S OLDEST EXAMPLES

OF MANUFACTURED BRICK,

INDICATING A SOPHISTICATION IN CONSTRUCTION

COMPARABLE TO THE EGYPTIANS.

ALSO AROUND KERMA

ARE SOME OF THE CONTINENT'S MOST ANCIENT BURIALS.

TAKEN TOGETHER, THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL EVIDENCE

POINTS TO A CIVILIZATION THAT WAS ALREADY WELL DEVELOPED

IN 2000 B.C.,

WHEN ITS BETTER-KNOWN NEIGHBOR-- EGYPT--

UNITED INTO A PHARAOH-LED EMPIRE.

AT FIRST THE TWO UP-AND-COMING NATIONS WERE PEERS

AND FORGED A MUTUALLY BENEFICIAL RELATIONSHIP.

Rachael: IT WAS OFTEN A RELATIONSHIP BASED ON TRADE.

EVIDENCE FROM EGYPTIAN TOMBS

SHOWS DEPICTIONS OF PEOPLE FROM THE SUDAN BRINGING TRIBUTE,

AS IT'S ALWAYS CHARACTERIZED, INTO EGYPT.

SO ITEMS LIKE, LEOPARD SKINS, MONKEYS, PRECIOUS STONES.

Narrator: BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION ON THE NILE,

KERMA GREW INTO A THRIVING TRADE HUB

BETWEEN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA AND EGYPT...

FUNNELING EBONY, IVORY, AND EXOTIC ANIMALS NORTH.

BUT IT WAS GOLD THAT FUELED THE KUSH'S RISE TO POWER.

THEY MINED IT FROM THE NILE RIVER VALLEY

AND SOLD IT TO EGYPT.

THE EGYPTIANS HAD AN INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR JEWELRY...

NOT TO MENTION THE GOLD LEAF COFFINS AND FUNERARY MASKS

MADE FAMOUS BY KING TUT.

Narrator: THE EGYPTIANS ALSO DOCUMENTED

THE KUSHITES' SKILL AS ARCHERS, CALLING THEM THE "BOW PEOPLE,"

AND EMPLOYING THEM AS MERCENARIES.

[MEN SHOUTING IN BATTLE]

AND EGYPTIAN INSTRUCTIONS ON FIGHTING

RECORD THE KUSHITES' PROWESS AS WRESTLERS...

[BLOWS WHISTLE]

A TRADITION THAT STILL THRIVES IN SUDAN TODAY.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

WHAT THE EGYPTIANS DIDN'T KNOW

WAS THAT THE FULL FORCE OF THE KUSHITE MILITARY

WOULD ONE DAY BE TURNED ON THEM.

THE KUSHITES STARTED SMALL,

WITH INCURSIONS ACROSS THE BORDER

TO EXPAND THEIR TERRITORY.

THE EGYPTIANS RESPONDED WITH ANTI-KUSHITE PROPAGANDA...

AND THEN WAR.

Timothy Kendall: THEY WOULD DESCRIBE KUSH

AS WRETCHED KUSH OR VILE KUSH.

EGYPTIAN IMAGES OF KUSHITES FROM THAT PERIOD,

THEY SHOW THEM AS PEOPLE BOUND UP, YOU KNOW,

TIED AND BOUND ON THE BOTTOM OF THE KING'S SHOES.

Rachael: KUSHITES ARE DEPICTED IN EGYPTIAN ART

USUALLY IN VERY HIGHLY STEREOTYPICAL WAYS.

SO WE VERY FREQUENTLY SEE DEPICTIONS OF THE PHARAOH

GRASPING PRISONERS BY THE HAIR,

AND EXECUTING THEM

BY HITTING THEM OVER THE HEAD WITH HIS MACE.

AND THIS IS A CLASSIC DEPICTION AS PEOPLES THAT ARE DOWNTRODDEN

AND ARE WORTHY ONLY REALLY TO KILL.

Geoff: THE EGYPTIAN REPRESENTATIONS OF KUSH,

AT LEAST AT AN OFFICIAL LEVEL,

TENDED TO PORTRAY THEM AS MORE TRIBAL, MORE SAVAGE--

SO IT REALLY WAS A KIND OF A...

ALMOST A RACIAL PROFILING.

Narrator: RACIAL PROFILING THAT PROBABLY MADE IT EASIER

FOR THE EGYPTIANS TO JUSTIFY TAKING OVER THE COUNTRY.

[WHISTLE BLOWS]

IN ABOUT 1500 B.C.,

EGYPTIAN PHARAOH THUTMOSE I INVADED KUSH

TO ELIMINATE THE GROWING THREAT

AND GET DIRECT ACCESS TO THE GOLD HE COVETED.

HIS ARMY PLUNGED SOUTH

UNTIL THEY REACHED A SACRED BUTTE

CALLED JEBEL BARKAL, OR "PURE MOUNTAIN."

ON ITS SOUTHWEST FACE

A NEARLY 250-FOOT PINNACLE PIERCES THE SKY.

FOR KUSHITES, ITS UNMISTAKABLY PHALLIC SHAPE

MADE IT A SYMBOL OF CREATION AND FERTILITY.

BUT ACCORDING TO ARCHAEOLOGIST TIM KENDALL,

THE EGYPTIANS SAW A MORE IMPORTANT MEANING

IN THE MOUNTAIN.

Tim: WHAT MADE THIS MOUNTAIN SO POWERFUL AND MEANINGFUL

TO THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS

WAS THE FACT THAT IT HAD THIS GIGANTIC SPIRE-LIKE PINNACLE

ON ITS SOUTH FACE

THAT REMINDED THEM OF MULTIPLE THINGS

THAT HAD GREAT RELIGIOUS MEANING.

ON THE ONE HAND IT LOOKED LIKE A REARING COBRA.

ON THE OTHER HAND, IT LOOKED LIKE A STANDING KING, OSIRIS,

THE MYTHICAL FIRST KING OF EGYPT.

Narrator: THE COBRA IS THE KEY.

IN EGYPTIAN MYTHOLOGY,

COBRAS HAVE A POWERFUL CONNECTION TO KINGSHIP.

GODDESSES TAKE THE SHAPE OF A COBRA TO PROTECT THE KING.

THAT'S WHY THEY APPEAR ON THE CROWNS OF PHARAOHS...

INCLUDING KING TUT'S.

KENDALL BELIEVES IT WAS PROBABLY

A HIGH PRIEST ACCOMPANYING THE INVASION

WHO FIRST SAW THE CONNECTION.

LIKE A GIANT RELIGIOUS RORSCHACH TEST,

THE MOUNTAIN REVEALED ITS IMPORTANCE BEFORE HIS VERY EYES.

JEBEL BARKAL WAS DEEMED MAGNIFICENT ENOUGH

TO BE THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE GOD OF GODS...

AMUN.

Tim: IT CONFIRMED THE KING'S FEELING

THAT HE WAS THE RIGHTFUL RULER OF THIS PLACE.

HERE WAS THE CENTER OF THE PRIMEVAL GOD

WHO HAD GIVEN... THAT HAD STARTED KINGSHIP HERE,

AND HE WAS THE HEIR OF THIS KINGSHIP,

AND HE HAD AN ABSOLUTE RIGHT TO RULE KUSH.

Narrator: ONCE ANOINTED,

JEBEL BARKAL QUICKLY FOUND ITS WAY INTO SACRED EGYPTIAN ART.

HERE PHARAOH RAMSES II MAKES AN OFFERING TO THE GOD AMUN.

AMUN SITS ON A THRONE INSIDE A MOUNTAIN

THAT CAN ONLY BE JEBEL BARKAL.

THE PINNACLE IS REPRESENTED BY A GIANT COBRA

WEARING THE WHITE CROWN OF EGYPT.

THIS ARTWORK WAS DISCOVERED INSIDE ABU SIMBEL,

A TEMPLE RAMSES II BUILT NEAR THE KUSHITE BORDER.

RAMSES HAD VISITED JEBEL BARKAL...

AND TIM KENDALL THINKS

THE MOUNTAIN INSPIRED THE PHARAOH

TO DECORATE ABU SIMBEL WITH FOUR STATUES OF HIMSELF.

Tim: ABU SIMBEL IS FAMOUS

BECAUSE IT HAS FOUR COLOSSAL STATUES IN FRONT OF IT,

AND I THINK THAT WHEN RAMSES WAS HERE,

HE SAW FOUR COLOSSAL STATUES ON THE FRONT OF THE MOUNTAIN.

AND FOR A LONG TIME PEOPLE HAVE ASSUMED

THAT THERE WERE FOUR FIGURES CARVED

IN THE FACE OF THE MOUNTAIN.

BUT ACTUALLY THESE ARE JUST NATURAL FORMATIONS.

THEY NEVER WERE CARVED.

Narrator: RAMSES AND OTHER PHARAOHS

ALSO HONORED JEBEL BARKAL BY BUILDING TEMPLES IN ITS SHADOW.

AND THE EGYPTIANS SOUGHT

TO CAPTURE THE MOUNTAIN'S DIVINE MAGIC

BY COMING HERE TO BE CROWNED.

Tim: WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HAPPENED IN THIS TEMPLE.

BUT WE THINK THAT THE KING CAME IN HERE DURING HIS CORONATION,

CAME INTO THIS INNER CHAMBER WITH THE GOD AMUN--

IN AN EFFIGY, OF COURSE.

HERE THE TWO OF THEM, FATHER AND SON,

UNITED WITH THE GOD OSIRIS.

OSIRIS WAS THE MYTHICAL FIRST KING OF EGYPT.

AND THEN HE WENT FORTH FROM THE TEMPLE,

CLIMBED UP THE STEPS,

SAT DOWN ON THE THRONE AND BECAME KING,

AND GOT UP AND STOOD ON THE PORCH

AND WAS GREETED BY THE MOB OUTSIDE AS THE NEW LIVING GOD.

Narrator: OVER THE GENERATIONS THE LEGEND OF JEBEL BARKAL GREW,

AND THE EGYPTIAN INFLUENCE ON KUSH DID, TOO.

KUSHITES EMBRACED EGYPT'S RELIGION,

WORSHIPPED AMUN,

AND EVEN BEGAN BUILDING PYRAMIDS LIKE THEIR IMPERIAL MASTERS.

Tim: I ONCE WROTE THAT THE KUSHITES

BECAME THE FIRST EGYPTOPHILES,

BUT I THINK IT'S MORE COMPLICATED THAN THAT

BECAUSE THEY WERE ADOPTING A WORLD VIEW

THAT HAD BEEN LONG ESTABLISHED,

AND THEY SAW THEMSELVES FITTING INTO IT PERFECTLY.

Geoff: WELL, I THINK YOU HAVE TO LOOK AT THIS

FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE IMPERIAL OPPRESSION,

SO AT FIRST KUSH WAS CONQUERED BY EGYPT,

BUT TO SURVIVE,

KUSHITES HAD TO ADAPT THEMSELVES TO EGYPTIAN CULTURE,

SO REALLY TO PUT THIS IN THE PARLANCE OF MODERN AMERICA,

THEY HAD TO PASS AS EGYPTIAN.

Narrator: FOR 300 YEARS THE EGYPTIANS OCCUPIED KUSH

AND IMPOSED UPON THEM THE CULT OF AMUN.

AT JEBEL BARKAL A FUNDAMENTALIST FERVOR TOOK ROOT.

THE MOUNTAIN KINDLED THE RELIGIOUS SPARK

THAT IN TIME WOULD SET EGYPT ABLAZE

AND TURN KUSHITES INTO PHARAOHS.

[MEN TALKING]

[POWER TOOL WHIRRING]

AT EL KURRU'S KU-1 TOMB, GEOFF EMBERLING AND HIS TEAM

HAVE PUSHED BEYOND THE ROCK FALL

THAT STOPPED GEORGE REISNER 100 YEARS AGO.

THEY'RE AT THE VERY END OF THEIR DIG SEASON,

AND GEOFF'S FUNDS ARE RUNNING LOW.

BUT SUDDENLY THEY ARE REWARDED WITH AN UNEXPECTED FIND.

Geoff: WE'VE DONE A HUGE AMOUNT OF WORK

TO REMOVE THE SOIL THAT REISNER HAD ALREADY FOUND,

AND WE WERE WONDERING ALL ALONG

WHETHER THERE WAS GOING TO BE TWO BURIAL CHAMBERS

OR POSSIBLY A THIRD,

AND WE DISCOVERED A DOORWAY TO THE INNER THIRD BURIAL CHAMBER.

IT'S EXTREMELY EXCITING.

YOU CAN JUST SEE THE OUTLINE OF THIS PERFECTLY PRESERVED DOORWAY

THAT GOES INTO THE-- WHAT WILL HAVE BEEN

THE FINAL BURIAL CHAMBER OF THIS PYRAMID.

Narrator: A FINAL CHAMBER THAT COULD CONTAIN A TREASURE TROVE

OF BURIAL OBJECTS...

OR THE BONES OF A KING.

FOR FOREMAN MONSOUR MOHAMMED AHMED,

THE NEARNESS OF THEIR GOAL FUELS ONE LAST PUSH.

Narrator: ALREADY THE TEAM HAS LEARNED ONE IMPORTANT CLUE

ABOUT THE KING WHO BUILT KU-1.

HE CHOSE ITS LOCATION CAREFULLY.

HE'S TUCKED IN NEXT TO ANOTHER, MORE HUMBLE ONE-CHAMBERED TOMB

THAT ONCE CONTAINED PERHAPS THE GREATEST OF ALL KUSHITE KINGS.

ON THIS PLATFORM ONCE LAY THE BODY OF PIANKHY,

THE BLACK AFRICAN KING WHO CONQUERED EGYPT.

BY 700 B.C., SOME 800 YEARS AFTER THEIR INVASION,

EGYPT HAD WITHDRAWN FROM KUSH.

THE NEW KINGDOM EMPIRES OF TUTANKHAMEN AND RAMSES II

HAD FALLEN INTO CHAOS.

WARLORDS FROM LIBYA FOUGHT FOR CONTROL OF THE NORTH...

WHILE PRIESTS OF AMUN TRIED TO HOLD THE SOUTH TOGETHER.

THE PRIESTS FEARED THE CULT OF AMUN WOULD BE DESTROYED.

THEY KNEW THEIR SURVIVAL

DEPENDED ON REUNITING THE TORN NATION.

SO THEY TURNED TO THE MOST UNLIKELY RESCUER IMAGINABLE--

THEIR ASSIMILATED BUT MUCH-DERIDED FORMER COLONY,

KUSH.

THERE, THE YOUNG KING PIANKHY, A ZEALOT FOR AMUN,

WAS MORE THAN READY TO HEED THE CALL.

HE PLEDGED TO TAKE ON THE LIBYAN KINGS,

BOLSTERED BY THE BELIEF THAT AMUN WAS ON HIS SIDE.

PIANKHY CLAIMED, "GODS MAKE KINGS.

PEOPLE MAKE KINGS.

BUT AMUN MADE ME KING."

HIS FORCES MOVED NORTH ON THE NILE TO THEBES.

HE TOLD HIS ARMY,

"STRING THE BOW, AND LET LOOSE THE ARROW.

LET THE PEOPLE OF THE NORTHLAND TASTE MY FINGERS!"

[MEN SHOUTING, WEAPONS CLASHING]

IT WASN'T LONG BEFORE PIANKHY'S ENEMIES BEGGED FOR PEACE.

"BE MERCIFUL!" CRIED ONE LIBYAN KING.

"I CANNOT SEE YOUR FACE FOR SHAME;

I CANNOT STAND BEFORE YOUR FLAME,

I TREMBLE AT YOUR STRENGTH."

Geoff: THE FACT THAT KUSH WAS ABLE TO CONQUER EGYPT,

IT'S REALLY A DAVID AND GOLIATH STORY.

EGYPT HAS THESE HUGE CITIES, HUGE TEMPLES,

LOTS AND LOTS OF PEOPLE,

AND KUSH, THE SETTLEMENTS ARE MORE DISPERSED,

SO WE'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT

EXACTLY HOW KUSH WAS ABLE TO AMASS THAT MILITARY POWER.

Narrator: HOWEVER UNLIKELY HIS VICTORY,

PIANKHY AND HIS SUCCESSORS BECAME EGYPT'S 25th DYNASTY.

THEY CONTROLLED THE WEALTH OF AN AREA

STRETCHING FROM MODERN-DAY KHARTOUM

TO THE MEDITERRANEAN,

BECOMING RIVALS OF MIGHTY ASSYRIA AND GREECE.

PIANKHY CREDITED AMUN FOR HIS SUCCESS.

IN AN ENGRAVING OF HIS CORONATION,

AMUN HIMSELF CROWNS THE NEW PHARAOH.

THE GODDESS MUT, CALLED MOTHER OF ALL GODS,

LOOKS ON AS PIANKHY BOWS BEFORE AMUN.

HE OFFERS A SIMPLE GIFT TO THE GOD OF GODS.

THE RAM-HEADED AMUN TELLS HIM...

"I SAID WHILE YOU WERE STILL IN YOUR MOTHER'S WOMB

THAT YOU WOULD BE RULER OF EGYPT."

THEN AMUN PRESENTS PIANKHY WITH THE RED CROWN OF LOWER EGYPT

AND THE WHITE CROWN OF UPPER EGYPT...

UNITING THE SHATTERED LAND.

PIANKHY'S CORONATION STELE

SENT A POWERFUL MESSAGE TO A DEVOUT NATION.

PROPAGANDA AT ITS BEST.

Narrator: PIANKHY RULED FROM KUSH FOR ABOUT A DOZEN YEARS

BEFORE HANDING THE CROWN OVER TO HIS YOUNGER BROTHER, SHABAKA.

SHABAKA MOVED NORTH TO TAKE OVER THE EGYPTIAN CAPITAL, MEMPHIS,

AND SETTLE UNREST IN THE NILE DELTA.

HE LAUNCHED A RENAISSANCE OF BUILDING

ON A SCALE NOT SEEN SINCE EGYPT'S NEW KINGDOM HEYDAY.

SHABAKA, AND HIS BROTHER BEFORE HIM,

EARNED REPUTATIONS AS STRONG, MERCIFUL LEADERS.

Tim: THEY WERE FAMOUS FOR THEIR,

FOR THEIR PIETY AND THEIR MAGNANIMITY.

FOR EXAMPLE, THEY DIDN'T SLAUGHTER THEIR PRISONERS.

THEY FORGAVE THEM.

THEY PUT THEM TO WORK DIGGING CANALS.

THESE ARE COMPLETELY UNCHARACTERISTIC FEATURES

OF ANCIENT KINGS.

Narrator: PIANKHY AND SHABAKA'S TRIUMPHANT REIGNS

PAVED THE WAY FOR PHARAOH TAHARQA,

WHO BATTLED EGYPT'S FOES FAR BEYOND THE EMPIRE'S BORDERS.

AROUND 700 B.C., HE EVEN SAVED JERUSALEM,

AND KING SOLOMON'S TEMPLE, FROM AN ASSAULT BY THE ASSYRIANS.

FOR THIS ACT, RECORDED IN THE OLD TESTAMENT,

HEBREW HISTORIANS HAIL TAHARQA AS A SAVIOR OF THE PEOPLE.

BUT THE ASSYRIANS WOULD HAVE THEIR REVENGE.

THEY DOGGED TAHARQA'S REIGN WITH INVASIONS,

AND ULTIMATELY ROLLED HIS BORDERS

ALL THE WAY BACK TO THEBES.

WHEN PHARAOH TAHARQA DIED,

HE WASN'T BURIED AT EL KURRU, LIKE HIS PREDECESSORS.

INSTEAD HE HAD HIS PYRAMID BUILT IN NEARBY NURI.

TIM KENDALL THINKS HIS REASONS FOR DOING SO WERE SUPERNATURAL.

ON THE ANCIENT EGYPTIAN NEW YEAR,

SEEN FROM JEBEL BARKAL,

THE SUN RISES BEHIND THE TOP OF TAHARQA'S PYRAMID.

IT SYMBOLIZES NEW LIFE AND RESURRECTION.

Tim: THREE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER

IF YOU'RE STANDING ON THE SUMMIT OF TAHARQA'S PYRAMID

LOOKING TO JEBEL BARKAL,

THE SUN SETS RIGHT OVER THE PINNACLE,

AND THE PINNACLE LOOKS LIKE THE GOD OSIRIS.

THE SETTING SUN SYMBOLIZES THE GOD'S DEATH.

IT'S EXACTLY THIS TIME WHEN THE NILE FALLS,

WHEN FERTILITY ENDS.

AND THE GOD IS THOUGHT TO DIE,

SO HE, HE IS BORN ON NEW YEAR'S DAY,

HE DIES THREE AND A HALF MONTHS LATER WHEN THE NILE FALLS,

HE'S RESURRECTED EVERY YEAR,

AND HE'S REBORN MILLIONS OF TIMES YEAR BY YEAR.

Narrator: TAHARQA, SAYS KENDALL, BUILT HIS PYRAMID HERE

TO FORM A BOND WITH JEBEL BARKAL

THAT WOULD LAST FOR ALL ETERNITY.

AND EVEN DURING LIFE,

TAHARQA TIED HIMSELF TO THE SACRED MOUNTAIN.

HE COMMISSIONED A MONUMENTAL ENGRAVING

ON THE PINNACLE OF THE SPIRE.

IN 1987, TIM KENDALL WAS THE FIRST TO SEE IT UP CLOSE.

Tim: IN THE 1930s, SOME BRITISH OFFICIALS

STUDYING THE MOUNTAIN FACE WITH BINOCULARS

HAD SEEN THAT THERE WAS SOME TRACES OF ANCIENT WORKMANSHIP

UP AT THE TOP OF THIS ROCK SPIRE

THAT WAS COMPLETELY INACCESSIBLE.

WELL, I WASN'T A CLIMBER, YOU KNOW.

I JUST HAD THIS DRIVE

TO FIND OUT WHAT THIS THING WAS, YOU KNOW.

SO I BECAME A CLIMBER IN ORDER TO SOLVE THIS MYSTERY,

AND I'M NOT SURE I'D DO IT AGAIN.

Narrator: TIM MADE REPEATED DARING ASCENTS.

BUT CLIMBING THE CRUMBLING 250-FOOT SPIRE--

WHILE PHOTOGRAPHING IT-- WAS NO EASY FEAT.

FOR HIS FINAL REPORT ON THE SUMMIT,

HE NEEDS BETTER PHOTOGRAPHS.

Tim: WHEN WE DID THIS EXERCISE IN 1987,

OUR RESULTS, FROM TODAY'S PERSPECTIVE,

ARE FAIRLY PRIMITIVE.

Woman: YEAH, WE SHOULD BRING THAT DOWN, MADDIE.

Tim: FORTUNATELY I CONNECTED WITH TWO PROFESSIONAL CLIMBERS,

AND I ASKED THEM IF THEY COULD CLIMB UP AND FINISH THE JOB.

AND THAT'S THE WAY WE WENT UP IN 1987.

Narrator: HAZEL FINDLAY AND MADELEINE COPE

HAVE BAGGED BIG WALLS ON SEVERAL CONTINENTS,

BUT THIS WILL BE THEIR FIRST ATTEMPTED SUMMIT IN SUDAN.

Tim: THE FOOTING HERE IS REALLY UNSTABLE...

SO IF YOU CAN HOLD ON...

Hazel Findlay: CAN WE GEAR UP?

COOL.

Tim: WHEN WE WENT UP IN 1987 AND '89,

WE ONLY HAD SLIDES-- BEFORE THE DIGITAL AGE.

OUR CAPABILITIES ARE SO MUCH BETTER NOWADAYS,

SO IT'S GREAT TO BE ABLE TO DO THIS AGAIN

AND HAVE GOOD PHOTOGRAPHS.

Hazel: WHERE THERE ANY SORT OF BIG,

DID YOU SEE QUITE A LOT OF BIG CRACKS WHEN YOU WERE UP THERE?

Tim: I THINK THERE ARE ENOUGH;

I THINK YOU'LL FIND ENOUGH TO GET ALONG.

BUT THERE'S A STRETCH UP THERE WHERE'S THERE'S NOT MUCH.

Madeleine Cope: YEAH?

Hazel: DON'T DRAG THAT ROPE ACROSS TO THE RIGHT

BECAUSE THERE'S A BIG BOULDER PERCHED ON THE LEDGE THERE.

Madeleine: OH, OK, I'LL PULL ON THE OTHER ONE.

Narrator: HAZEL PICKS THE ROUTE, WHILE MADDIE BELAYS FROM BELOW.

Hazel: I'M JUST GOING SLOW BECAUSE I DON'T HAVE ANY GRIP.

IT'S ACTUALLY LIKE KIND OF SCARY.

Narrator: THERE'S 200 FEET OF FRAGILE ROCK

BETWEEN HAZEL AND THEIR PRIZE--

AN INSCRIPTION LEFT BY ONE OF KUSH'S MOST POWERFUL KINGS.

Hazel: OK, JUST WATCH OUT HERE, MADS.

[KNOCKING]

Narrator: SPRING-LOADED CAMS JAMMED INTO CRACKS

KEEP HER ROPED TO THE WALL...

BUT THERE AREN'T ENOUGH CRACKS.

Hazel: IT LOOKS, OK, IT JUST LOOKS

LIKE THERE'S NO PROTECTION, YOU KNOW?

Narrator: ALREADY HAZEL SEES SIGNS

OF MASSIVE ANCIENT CONSTRUCTION...

HUGE HOLES BORED INTO SOLID SANDSTONE.

ONCE, THOSE HOLES HELD THE WOODEN BEAMS

OF A SUPER-SIZED SCAFFOLDING.

WORKERS WOULD HAVE BUILT THE FRAME FROM THE GROUND UP,

USING A CRANE TO HOIST EACH BEAM INTO PLACE.

LIKE HAZEL, THEIR GOAL WAS THE SUMMIT.

Tim: NOW THEY'RE ON THE TRICKY PART.

IT'S STRAIGHT UP FROM THERE.

THERE'S NOT MUCH TO HOLD ON TO.

I HOPE THEY KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING.

Narrator: HAZEL'S REACHED THE SECTION THE CLIMBERS FEAR MOST--

30 FEET OF SMOOTH LIMESTONE

WITH ONLY HOLES LEFT BY KUSHITE BUILDERS TO HANG ON TO.

Tim: OOOH.

OH, GOD. OH, MY GOD.

Narrator: FINALLY HAZEL REACHES THE SUMMIT.

Hazel: OK, MADDIE, I'M SAFE.

CLIMB WHEN YOU'RE READY!

Tim: CONGRATULATIONS, YOU MADE IT!

Narrator: NOW IT'S MADDIE'S TURN TO START UP,

WHILE HAZEL BELAYS FROM ABOVE.

Madeleine: I'M DEFINITELY CAREFULLY GOING

TO ALL OF THESE HOLDS.

ALL RIGHT. I'VE DONE IT.

YEAH!

[LAUGHS]

WHEN I DID IT THERE WERE LIKE...

Narrator: NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE REAL WORK TO BEGIN.

RAPPELLING DOWN THE CLIFF FACE,

HAZEL LOOKS FOR THE ENGRAVING THAT FEW HAVE SEEN UP CLOSE

SINCE THE KUSHITES CREATED IT MORE THAN 2,600 YEARS AGO...

A BOLD DECLARATION PROCLAIMING THE TRIUMPHS OF PHARAOH TAHARQA.

Hazel: JUST BE CAREFUL

THAT YOU'RE GOING TO BE STEPPING ONTO THE WALL, AND TO YOUR LEFT.

Tim: A LITTLE BIT FARTHER DOWN.

GREAT, NOW MOVE AROUND TO THE FRONT.

YOU SEE THE INSCRIPTION UP THERE?

Hazel: OH, YEAH.

Tim: HOW DOES IT LOOK?

Madeleine: THEY'RE CRUMBLING.

Hazel: IT LOOKS LIKE THE LEFT EDGE OF THE INSCRIPTION

HAS CRUMBLED AWAY.

Tim: CAN YOU SEE THE LITTLE NAIL HOLES?

Hazel: YEAH, I CAN SEE THE NAIL HOLES.

YEAH, I SEE THEM.

Narrator: KENDALL BELIEVES THAT NAILED ON TOP OF THE ENGRAVING

WERE THIN SHEETS OF GOLD,

MAKING A BOLD, SHINING BILLBOARD

TO DRAW THE EYE OF ALL WHO PASSED BY.

Hazel: OOH.

Tim: HEY, BRAVO! CAN I GIVE YOU A HUG?

Madeleine: HELL, YEAH. THAT WAS REALLY GOOD.

Tim: WOW, NICE. NICE WORK.

Hazel: THANK YOU. THANKS A LOT.

Tim: SUPER. TRIUMPHANT.

Hazel: YEAH, IT WAS COOL TO SEE THE ENGRAVING.

I FELT REALLY LUCKY TO BE ABLE TO SEE THEM.

AND QUITE HONORED, I SUPPOSED, TO GET A CHANCE TO, LIKE, SEE

A TINY PART OF SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED SO LONG AGO.

Tim: IT'LL BE SO GREAT TO SEE YOUR FILMS

AND SEE WHAT WE MISSED THE FIRST TIME.

I DON'T EVEN HAVE A PICTURE OF THAT, SO THAT'S GREAT.

OH, THAT'S A WONDERFUL SHOT.

THAT'S NEW. I'VE NEVER SEEN THAT BEFORE.

Hazel: WE WEREN'T SURE WHETHER THIS WAS NATURAL OR NOT,

IT WAS REALLY DEEP, LONG.

Tim: SO THEY WERE REALLY HAULING UP STONES AND CEMENT.

Hazel: YEAH.

Tim: WELL, THIS WILL BE REALLY GREAT

TO ADD TO THE FINAL REPORT... 28 YEARS LATER?

28 YEARS LATER.

Narrator: AT LAST IT ALL COMES TOGETHER.

WHAT TIM CAN READ IN THE DAMAGED PLAQUE

IS TAHARQA'S DECLARATION OF HIS OWN DIVINITY...

AND A DEFIANT JAB AT THE ASSYRIANS

WHO DROVE HIM FROM EGYPT.

HE CALLS THEM BEDOUIN.

"I, TAHARQA, THE GOOD GOD,

THE KING OF UPPER AND LOWER EGYPT,

WHO LIVES FOREVER...

I HAVE DESTROYED THE BEDOUIN OF ASIA...

AND I HAVE CUT DOWN THE DESERT DWELLERS OF LIBYA."

THOUGH TAHARQA WAS AN UNREPENTANT WARRIOR,

BY THE TIME HE DIED,

HE HAD VERY LITTLE OF EGYPT LEFT UNDER HIS CONTROL.

HIS SUCCESSORS DIDN'T SEEM TO NOTICE

AND PERSISTED IN DECLARING

THEY WERE THE PHARAOHS OF BOTH NATIONS.

IN 593 B.C., FED UP WITH THEIR BOMBASTIC PROCLAMATIONS,

EGYPTIAN PHARAOH PSAMTIK II LED AN ARMY INTO KUSH.

PSAMTIK ALSO HAD AN OLD SCORE TO SETTLE.

YEARS BEFORE, A KUSHITE PHARAOH

HAD EXECUTED HIS GREAT-GRANDFATHER.

PSAMTIK'S GOAL?

TO ERASE THE 25th DYNASTY FROM HISTORY...

BY DESTROYING EVERY STATUE HIS ARMY COULD FIND...

AND CHISELING KUSH PHARAONIC NAMES OFF EVERY MONUMENT.

IN THE ULTIMATE INSULT TO KUSH,

SOLDIERS EVEN CHOPPED THE SACRED EGYPTIAN COBRA

FROM KUSHITE CROWNS.

THE REWRITING OF HISTORY PERSISTS TO THIS DAY.

Tim: FOR EXAMPLE, JUST BY LOOKING AT THE FACADE

OF THE CAIRO MUSEUM

WHERE ALL THE GREAT DYNASTIES OF EGYPT

ARE INSCRIBED ON THE, ON PANELS, MARBLE PANELS.

THE ONLY DYNASTY THAT'S OMITTED IS THE 25th.

Narrator: BACK AT EL KURRU,

THE DISCOVERY OF THE THIRD ROOM--

THE BURIAL CHAMBER-- HAS GOTTEN EVERYONE EXCITED.

BUT GEOFF'S LICENSE TO EXCAVATE HAS EXPIRED.

IN TWO DAYS HE'LL BE HEADING HOME.

THE KING'S BONES, JEWELS AND IDENTITY

COULD BE LYING MERE FEET AWAY,

BUT THE TEAM WILL HAVE TO WAIT UNTIL NEXT YEAR TO DIG THEM UP.

Geoff: SO THIS IS A VERY EXCITING MOMENT,

BUT IT'S ALSO A DISAPPOINTING MOMENT.

AND UNFORTUNATELY WITH THE TIME AND THE RESOURCES

THAT WE HAVE AVAILABLE TO US,

WE SIMPLY CAN'T EXCAVATE THIS

SAFELY AND RESPONSIBLY THIS YEAR.

SO IT'S VERY DISAPPOINTING TO GET THIS FAR,

TO HAVE MOVED A HUNDRED TONS OF SAND AND DIRT,

BUT WE KNOW THAT IT WILL BE HERE FOR US NEXT YEAR,

AND WE'LL RETURN AND HOPE TO FIND WONDERFUL THINGS.

Narrator: BUT GEOFF'S NOT GOING HOME ENTIRELY EMPTY-HANDED.

HE'S BEEN INVITED TO HELP OUT AT A NEARBY DIG SITE

AND TO BRING ALONG SOME HIGH-TECH FRIENDS.

THIS IS ZUMA VILLAGE, THE SITE OF A NOBLE BURIAL MOUND

BUILT AROUND A THOUSAND YEARS AFTER TAHARQA DIED.

IT WAS THE TWILIGHT OF THE EMPIRE.

A RIVAL AFRICAN NATION

WAS ABOUT TO WIPE OUT THE KUSHITES FOR GOOD.

AND CHRISTIANITY WOULD SOON TRANSFORM THE REGION.

[HORN HONKING]

Man: HI, GEOFF. Geoff: YEAH, MAHMOUD.

Mahmoud: HELLO, GEOFF.

Geoff: HOW ARE YOU?

NICE TO SEE YOU.

[SPEAKING ARABIC]

Mahmoud: I HAVE SOMETHING HERE FOR YOU TO SEE.

COME ALONG.

Narrator: AT ZUMA, GEOFF'S COLLEAGUE MAHMOUD EL-TAYEB

HAS STRUCK ARCHAEOLOGY GOLD.

Mahmoud El-Tayeb: GEOFF, NOW WE ARE APPROACHING

THE BURIAL CHAMBER.

I WILL SHOW YOU.

Narrator: THE LAYOUT OF THIS WHITE SANDSTONE TOMB

IS DIFFERENT FROM KU-1.

HERE A TUNNEL LEADS BACK TO A SHAFT,

WITH BURIAL CHAMBERS BELOW.

GEOFF PUTS ONE OF HIS ROBOTS TO WORK.

BROKEN BURIAL OBJECTS INDICATE THIS TOMB,

LIKE ALL KUSHITE TOMBS, HAS BEEN HIT BY LOOTERS.

BUT FOR THE ARCHAEOLOGISTS, IT'S STILL A TREASURE TROVE OF CLUES.

Mahmoud: AMAZING.

Geoff: ISN'T THAT INCREDIBLE?

OK, SO THERE IS A LONG-NECKED JAR IN THE BACK.

IS THAT ANOTHER VARIETY OF BEER JAR?

LET'S...WE'LL PAN OVER TO THE RIGHT.

IT'S A POT STAND WITH A CUP.

AND WHAT'S THAT INSIDE THE CUP THERE?

Mahmoud: IT'S A STONE.

Geoff: JUST FALLEN PERFECTLY INTO THE...

Mahmoud: YES.

Geoff: INTO THE CUP. WOW.

Narrator: ANOTHER ODDITY-- A BRICK WALL

THAT LOOKS LIKE IT COULD HAVE BEEN BUILT YESTERDAY.

Geoff: I'M GONNA JUST SEE IF WE CAN GET A GOOD VIEW

OF THE BURIAL ITSELF.

Narrator: AT LAST, GEOFF LAYS EYES ON THE BONES OF A KING,

OR AT LEAST A NOBLEMAN, LAID TO REST IN THIS TOMB.

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING.

IT WILL TAKE YEARS OF ANALYSIS

TO DISCOVER HIS PLACE IN SUDAN'S HISTORY.

Mahmoud: I REALLY DREAMED TO FIND SOMETHING EXTRAORDINARY,

AND THAT WAS GREAT, REALLY, TO HAVE SUCH A FIND...

OF BURIALS FOR KINGS.

IF I COULD TALK TO HIM, I WOULD ASK HIM WHO ARE YOU

AND WHAT IS THE IMPORTANCE OF THIS PLACE

IN WHICH YOU ARE BURIED NOW?

MOREOVER I WOULD LIKE TO ASK HIM

WHERE ARE THESE RED BRICKS CAME FROM?

Geoff: IT'S A FIND OF A QUALITY THAT WE DREAM OF,

SO, YOU KNOW, I WAS REALLY GLAD

THAT MAHMOUD WAS SHARING IT WITH US,

AND OF COURSE I WANTED IT MYSELF.

SO, IT PROVIDED A GREAT MODEL

FOR WHAT WE COULD HOPE TO FIND HERE AT EL KURRU.

Narrator: BY THE TIME ZUMA WAS CREATED,

THE INFLUENCE OF EGYPT HAD WANED,

AND THE KINGS OF KUSH NO LONGER BUILT GRAND PYRAMID TOMBS.

THEIR ZENITH AS PHARAOHS HAD LASTED JUST A CENTURY...

BUT IN THAT SHORT TIME THESE AFRICAN UNDERDOGS

HAD TOPPLED A GIANT

AND SEIZED THEIR PLACE

AMONG THE GREAT EMPIRES OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

AND NOW, THANKS TO THE SCIENCE UNDER WAY IN SUDAN,

THE KINGDOM OF THE BLACK PHARAOHS

IS STEPPING OUT OF THE SHADOWS FOREVER.

Announcer: THIS PROGRAM WAS MADE POSSIBLE IN PART

BY CONTRIBUTIONS TO YOUR PBS STATION

FROM VIEWERS LIKE YOU.

THANK YOU.