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(dramatic music)
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Mastrelli: He was the most
powerful pharaoh
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00:00:04,201 --> 00:00:05,719
Ever to rule egypt.
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00:00:05,794 --> 00:00:07,792
A battle-hardened general
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00:00:07,801 --> 00:00:12,119
Who oversaw the biggest building
program since the pyramids.
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00:00:13,394 --> 00:00:16,119
He was ramesses the great,
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00:00:16,194 --> 00:00:18,752
And his crowning glory
was the construction
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00:00:18,761 --> 00:00:22,519
Of a magnificent new
capital city, pi-ramesses.
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00:00:24,521 --> 00:00:27,159
A city that vanished
from history.
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00:00:28,841 --> 00:00:32,679
This is the hunt for the lost
city of ramesses the great.
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00:00:38,761 --> 00:00:41,159
For centuries, the mysteries
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00:00:41,234 --> 00:00:44,719
Of the past have
kept their secrets.
13
00:00:45,794 --> 00:00:49,479
But there are
clues cast in gold,
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Etched in stone,
written in blood.
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We can unlock them.
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(mysterious music)
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Egypt, a land once home
to a great civilization,
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Whose secrets are still being
uncovered 3,000 years later.
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00:01:28,594 --> 00:01:30,512
And one way we're able
to uncover them is
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00:01:30,521 --> 00:01:32,839
By finding clues
like cartouches.
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00:01:33,721 --> 00:01:36,359
A cartouche is a royal stamp
bearing the name of a pharaoh,
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Like here, tutankhamen,
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The ruler of lower
and upper egypt.
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Cartouches etched into
monuments reveal the identity
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Of their builder.
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00:01:50,601 --> 00:01:52,352
And there was no greater builder
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00:01:52,361 --> 00:01:55,639
In egypt's new kingdom
than ramesses the great.
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00:01:55,714 --> 00:01:57,472
So how did his prized capital
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In the nile delta simply vanish?
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What happened to the
temples, the obelisks?
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It can get pretty hot in egypt,
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00:02:04,681 --> 00:02:07,072
But not hot enough
to melt stone.
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00:02:07,081 --> 00:02:09,559
The lost city of pi
-ramesses is a mystery
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That's confounded
egyptologists for centuries.
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00:02:16,201 --> 00:02:20,839
Ramesses ii, better known
as ramesses the great.
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He ascended to the
throne in 1279 bce
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And his 67 year reign
would be the longest
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In the history of ancient egypt.
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He would become egypt's
greatest pharaoh.
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00:02:34,274 --> 00:02:37,632
And throughout the land,
on every temple and statue,
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Masons carved his cartouche,
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The set of hieroglyphs
that form his royal name.
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Ramesses, beloved
of the god amun.
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Ramesses believed
the countless statues
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And inscriptions in his honor
would bring him immortality.
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Many of his finest
monuments were said
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To be at his new capital
city, pi-ramesses,
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The house of ramesses.
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00:03:09,961 --> 00:03:12,512
Like egypt's modern
capital, cairo,
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00:03:12,521 --> 00:03:13,959
Ancient texts reveal
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00:03:14,034 --> 00:03:16,832
That pi-ramesses was
a bustling metropolis,
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Vibrant and full of life.
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Bietak: According to the texts,
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Pi-ramesses must have
been a splendid city
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Full of dazzling houses.
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There were palaces.
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There were gardens.
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00:03:31,794 --> 00:03:33,639
Pusch: The splendor of
the city is described
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00:03:33,714 --> 00:03:35,312
In the most marvelous way,
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Everybody was dressed in
the most beautiful gowns,
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Everybody wanted to
live inside the city.
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00:03:43,154 --> 00:03:44,599
Mastrelli: But pi
-ramesses was a city
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00:03:44,674 --> 00:03:46,639
That would become
shrouded in mystery.
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00:03:47,721 --> 00:03:51,792
Because somehow, 200 years
after ramesses' reign
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Around 1,000 bce, this
magnificent city disappeared.
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00:04:00,594 --> 00:04:02,272
The only surviving evidence
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00:04:02,281 --> 00:04:05,952
About the lost city
comes from ancient texts.
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00:04:05,961 --> 00:04:09,392
Egyptologist chris naunton
examines a transcript
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00:04:09,401 --> 00:04:12,679
Of the key source that
was written at the time,
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A papyrus manuscript known
as the "hymn to pi-ramesses."
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Naunton: It says something like:
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Its western part was
as the house of amun
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00:04:22,201 --> 00:04:25,872
And its southern part
was as the house of seth.
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00:04:25,881 --> 00:04:28,512
Suggesting that these
two temples dedicated
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00:04:28,521 --> 00:04:31,159
To these two crucially
important gods, amun and seth,
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Were at the very
heart of the city.
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00:04:33,954 --> 00:04:35,319
And there's a passage here,
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It seems to be suggesting
that the city is
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The marshaling place
of the chariotry,
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00:04:40,921 --> 00:04:42,679
To use one translation.
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00:04:42,754 --> 00:04:45,239
The mustering place of the army.
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This is a city that
is ready to go to war.
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00:04:49,401 --> 00:04:51,479
Mastrelli: A city decorated
with great temples,
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Housing a powerful
military garrison.
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00:04:56,114 --> 00:04:59,072
For ramesses, a
proud warrior king,
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00:04:59,081 --> 00:05:01,199
It was the crowning
glory of his reign.
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00:05:03,154 --> 00:05:04,119
But where was it?
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Frustratingly, on
the crucial subject
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Of the city's location, the
"hymn to pi-ramesses" is silent.
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00:05:13,154 --> 00:05:14,752
But fragments of evidence
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00:05:14,761 --> 00:05:17,799
From other sources do
suggest a possible location.
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00:05:19,394 --> 00:05:22,439
Naunton: There are obscure
references in various texts,
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And taken all together,
our best estimate would be
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That the city was located
on the easternmost branch
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Of the river nile,
in the nile delta.
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00:05:33,394 --> 00:05:36,672
Mastrelli: The nile delta is
the area of northern egypt
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00:05:36,681 --> 00:05:39,312
Where the river nile splits
into separate branches
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Before reaching the sea.
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00:05:41,474 --> 00:05:44,112
Zeroing in on the
easternmost branch
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Should have been an easy
task for the archeologists.
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Except for one thing.
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Over the millennia,
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Many branches of the nile
delta have silted up,
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Where there used to
be seven branches,
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Now there are only two.
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So today, the easternmost branch
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Of the nile isn't where
it was 3,000 years ago.
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00:06:07,961 --> 00:06:09,952
Undaunted by this riddle,
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Austrian egyptologist professor
manfred bietak believed
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He could find the lost city
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00:06:15,634 --> 00:06:17,719
By reading into
the river's past.
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00:06:19,154 --> 00:06:20,752
Bietak: Our task was
to reconstruct
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The historical landscape
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Of the second millennium bc.
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We had to search for
the minute traces
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Of the ancient landscape,
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Particularly, the
rivers of the nile delta
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And the drainage systems.
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00:06:36,754 --> 00:06:39,079
Mastrelli: Bietak knew
that even though
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00:06:39,154 --> 00:06:41,159
The ancient rivers had vanished,
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00:06:41,234 --> 00:06:44,279
They had left behind tell-tale
features in the landscape.
122
00:06:46,034 --> 00:06:49,232
Over the centuries, river
sediment had formed ridges,
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00:06:49,241 --> 00:06:51,519
Which could be seen on
contour maps of the area.
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00:06:53,241 --> 00:06:56,039
And from these ridges,
bietak could work out
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Where the lost channels of the
nile delta had once flowed.
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Bietak: We were able to extract
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00:07:02,754 --> 00:07:06,439
From these contour
maps the main features
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00:07:06,514 --> 00:07:07,999
Of the ancient landscape.
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00:07:09,634 --> 00:07:12,192
Mastrelli: Bietak was able
to map the ancient branches
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Of the nile delta.
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00:07:14,441 --> 00:07:17,559
He then matched them against
archeological sites known
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To be from the reign
of ramesses the great.
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One site stood out.
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00:07:23,801 --> 00:07:26,352
Bietak: After the study of
these contour maps
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We were able to pinpoint
pi-ramesses, here.
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00:07:32,681 --> 00:07:35,472
Mastrelli: Bietak concluded
that pi-ramesses lay
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Near the modern
egyptian town of qantir.
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00:07:38,841 --> 00:07:41,479
This was a difficult hunch
to sell colleagues on
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00:07:42,674 --> 00:07:44,519
Because at qantir,
there appeared
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00:07:44,594 --> 00:07:47,712
To be nothing but empty fields.
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00:07:47,721 --> 00:07:50,279
(upbeat music)
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Today, archeologist dr.
Henning franzmeier is
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In charge of the site.
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There are so many pottery shards
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From the time of
ramesses the great,
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00:08:05,234 --> 00:08:08,359
That they litter the
fields and paths.
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00:08:08,434 --> 00:08:10,512
Franzmeier: So here we have
a piece of pottery
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00:08:10,521 --> 00:08:12,839
That is clearly from
the ramesside period.
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00:08:12,914 --> 00:08:15,072
I can tell by the way it is made
150
00:08:15,081 --> 00:08:17,239
And by the clay that
was used for that.
151
00:08:18,121 --> 00:08:20,832
Finds like this you
come across in an area
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00:08:20,841 --> 00:08:22,992
Of up to 20 square kilometers,
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00:08:23,001 --> 00:08:25,712
All around the modern
village of qantir,
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00:08:25,721 --> 00:08:27,232
All around this area.
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00:08:27,241 --> 00:08:30,832
In every field, you
find sherds like this.
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00:08:30,841 --> 00:08:33,312
Mastrelli: The 3,000-year-old
sherds are scattered
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00:08:33,321 --> 00:08:36,439
Across a vast area of
eight square miles,
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00:08:36,514 --> 00:08:39,232
Revealing that the ancient
settlement was much larger
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00:08:39,241 --> 00:08:41,319
Than the modern town of qantir.
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00:08:42,361 --> 00:08:44,759
And as farmers
clear their fields,
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New evidence is turning
up, all the time.
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00:08:47,961 --> 00:08:50,512
Franzmeier: Here we
have quite something.
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00:08:50,521 --> 00:08:53,152
It's a piece of limestone
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00:08:53,161 --> 00:08:55,952
But what we can see here
is traces of hieroglyphs.
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It's pretty much weathered
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00:08:57,554 --> 00:09:01,399
But we can really see
here two hieroglyphs,
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00:09:01,474 --> 00:09:03,999
And this is the
hieroglyph for the sun,
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00:09:05,401 --> 00:09:08,399
A hieroglyph that could be part
of the name of ramesses ii.
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00:09:12,921 --> 00:09:14,272
Mastrelli: But if
this was the site
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00:09:14,281 --> 00:09:16,432
Of the ancient capital
of pi-ramesses,
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00:09:16,441 --> 00:09:20,439
As professor bietak believed,
something didn't quite fit.
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00:09:22,601 --> 00:09:24,919
According to the
"hymn to pi-ramesses,"
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The capital city was full
of awe-inspiring monuments.
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And other major cities from the
time of ramesses are covered
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00:09:33,001 --> 00:09:35,839
In the ruins of giant
statues and temples.
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But at qantir, there's just
one tantalizing remnant,
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In the corner of
a farmer's field.
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00:09:45,234 --> 00:09:46,992
Franzmeier: So all
around these fields,
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00:09:47,001 --> 00:09:49,952
Even though we have all these
little finds in the ground,
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We never found anything on
the surface except for this.
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00:09:58,594 --> 00:10:00,432
This is a part of a statue.
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00:10:00,441 --> 00:10:04,512
The feet of a statue that
stood about 33 feet tall
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00:10:04,521 --> 00:10:07,152
When it was complete,
of a seated king,
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00:10:07,161 --> 00:10:10,199
Which we know because the feet
are right next to each other
185
00:10:10,274 --> 00:10:13,079
In this way and not in
a striding position.
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00:10:13,154 --> 00:10:14,752
Here we even have
the hieroglyphs
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To tell us the name of
the owner of this statue,
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00:10:17,874 --> 00:10:20,839
It is ramesses ii, we
have here, the god amun
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00:10:20,914 --> 00:10:22,352
And here, the god ra,
190
00:10:22,361 --> 00:10:24,832
And so this is (speaking
in foreign language)
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00:10:24,841 --> 00:10:26,559
That is the name of ramesses ii.
192
00:10:28,114 --> 00:10:30,279
Mastrelli: But where is the
rest of the statue?
193
00:10:30,354 --> 00:10:33,079
And, why is it the only
one they've found here?
194
00:10:33,154 --> 00:10:35,399
Was the site of
qantir a dead end
195
00:10:35,474 --> 00:10:38,079
Or could the answers
lie below ground?
196
00:10:41,634 --> 00:10:43,559
Mastrelli: The modern day city
of qantir appears
197
00:10:43,634 --> 00:10:44,912
To be an intriguing candidate
198
00:10:44,921 --> 00:10:46,759
For the lost city
of pi-ramesses.
199
00:10:46,834 --> 00:10:48,599
It's in the right spot,
200
00:10:48,674 --> 00:10:51,792
And pottery from that period
litters the surrounding fields.
201
00:10:51,801 --> 00:10:54,199
But, unlike other
sites in egypt,
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00:10:54,274 --> 00:10:57,159
There's virtually nothing
left above ground.
203
00:10:57,234 --> 00:10:59,632
It was time to start digging.
204
00:10:59,641 --> 00:11:01,799
(dramatic music)
205
00:11:01,874 --> 00:11:05,959
The first major excavations
at qantir began in 1980.
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00:11:06,034 --> 00:11:08,352
Just a few inches
below the fields,
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00:11:08,361 --> 00:11:12,679
Archeologists detected the
foundations of a giant building.
208
00:11:12,754 --> 00:11:13,719
But what was it?
209
00:11:15,234 --> 00:11:18,592
At the roemer and pelizaeus
museum in germany,
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00:11:18,601 --> 00:11:21,392
Dr. Edgar pusch,
who led the dig,
211
00:11:21,401 --> 00:11:24,599
Is investigating precise
replicas of the finds.
212
00:11:25,794 --> 00:11:28,599
Pusch: One of the first
objects we found
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00:11:28,674 --> 00:11:33,312
In this area was a fully
functioning horse-bit,
214
00:11:33,321 --> 00:11:34,912
Like this.
215
00:11:34,921 --> 00:11:39,072
We found the equipment
for war chariots
216
00:11:39,081 --> 00:11:41,959
Or hunting chariots,
two-wheeled.
217
00:11:42,034 --> 00:11:45,319
We were absolutely sure
we do have a chariotry
218
00:11:46,761 --> 00:11:49,712
In connection with
horse stables,
219
00:11:49,721 --> 00:11:52,519
Housing about 460, as a minimum.
220
00:11:54,354 --> 00:11:56,439
Mastrelli: Enough to pull 230
221
00:11:56,514 --> 00:11:59,839
Of the 2,000 chariots ramesses
was thought to command.
222
00:12:01,954 --> 00:12:04,432
These stables were the
largest chariot stables
223
00:12:04,441 --> 00:12:06,879
Ever discovered in the
eastern mediterranean.
224
00:12:07,794 --> 00:12:10,519
And they exactly matched
ancient descriptions
225
00:12:10,594 --> 00:12:13,479
Of chariot stables at
ramesses' lost city.
226
00:12:15,641 --> 00:12:18,359
Ancient texts reveal
that pi-ramesses,
227
00:12:18,434 --> 00:12:21,079
Had been an important
military base,
228
00:12:21,154 --> 00:12:24,039
Built to counter a
specific strategic threat.
229
00:12:25,881 --> 00:12:28,512
Ramesses' empire stretched
from modern sudan
230
00:12:28,521 --> 00:12:31,319
In the south to
syria in the north,
231
00:12:31,394 --> 00:12:33,799
Where it met the
might hittite empire,
232
00:12:33,874 --> 00:12:36,279
Egypt's greatest rival.
233
00:12:36,354 --> 00:12:39,479
At the beginning of his reign,
ramesses met this threat
234
00:12:39,554 --> 00:12:44,439
By moving his capital from
memphis to pi-ramesses,
235
00:12:44,994 --> 00:12:46,679
In the eastern nile delta.
236
00:12:47,881 --> 00:12:51,312
The new city was to be
a defensive bastion,
237
00:12:51,321 --> 00:12:54,079
And a launch-pad for
his own campaigns.
238
00:12:56,594 --> 00:13:01,079
At qantir, further excavations
turned up masses of weapons,
239
00:13:01,154 --> 00:13:05,472
More evidence that this was
an important military site
240
00:13:05,481 --> 00:13:09,879
Pusch: We found arrow heads of
all different kinds and shapes.
241
00:13:11,641 --> 00:13:16,439
We found also within
the chariotry, daggers.
242
00:13:19,154 --> 00:13:22,352
Mastrelli: What they discovered
next was unprecedented
243
00:13:22,361 --> 00:13:24,559
In the history of egyptology.
244
00:13:26,514 --> 00:13:28,039
Pusch: I detected something
245
00:13:28,114 --> 00:13:30,992
Which was never excavated
before at that time,
246
00:13:31,001 --> 00:13:33,759
And I, myself didn't know
what to make from it.
247
00:13:34,841 --> 00:13:36,759
Mastrelli: Alongside
more arrowheads,
248
00:13:36,834 --> 00:13:40,319
They uncovered broken
crucibles, charcoal and ash.
249
00:13:42,514 --> 00:13:47,159
They had discovered a
metal-working site, a foundry.
250
00:13:47,234 --> 00:13:50,039
Pusch: It is a huge foundry
251
00:13:50,114 --> 00:13:54,112
For producing bronze and
casting bronze objects.
252
00:13:54,121 --> 00:13:56,272
(dramatic music)
253
00:13:56,281 --> 00:13:59,472
Mastrelli: Bronze was harder
than any metal at the time
254
00:13:59,481 --> 00:14:01,559
And ideal for making weapons.
255
00:14:04,121 --> 00:14:06,599
What was so extraordinary
about the bronze foundry
256
00:14:06,674 --> 00:14:08,752
At qantir was that it was part
257
00:14:08,761 --> 00:14:11,319
Of the biggest metal
working site ever found
258
00:14:11,394 --> 00:14:12,719
In the ancient world.
259
00:14:13,961 --> 00:14:15,319
And would have been capable
260
00:14:15,394 --> 00:14:17,639
Of turning out
thousands of weapons,
261
00:14:17,714 --> 00:14:22,639
For an egyptian army that may
have numbered up to 100,000.
262
00:14:23,074 --> 00:14:24,672
Franzmeier: We have nowhere,
evidence of
263
00:14:24,681 --> 00:14:26,279
Such a large installation
264
00:14:26,354 --> 00:14:28,832
Of this kind anywhere in
the whole middle east,
265
00:14:28,841 --> 00:14:31,152
From this period to
the late bronze age.
266
00:14:31,161 --> 00:14:33,079
It does not exist anywhere else.
267
00:14:33,154 --> 00:14:35,959
Mastrelli: Chariots,
swords, arrowheads,
268
00:14:36,034 --> 00:14:39,232
A giant foundry to
forge bronze weapons,
269
00:14:39,241 --> 00:14:40,832
All of it fits
270
00:14:40,841 --> 00:14:43,879
What the ancient texts
tell us about pi-ramesses.
271
00:14:43,954 --> 00:14:46,832
Could the farmland of qantir
be covering the remains
272
00:14:46,841 --> 00:14:48,159
Of this once great city?
273
00:14:49,714 --> 00:14:52,199
A ground-breaking new
technology would be the key
274
00:14:52,274 --> 00:14:55,359
To revealing what lay
beneath these empty fields.
275
00:14:56,921 --> 00:15:00,672
In 1996, dr. Pusch and his
team began a magnetic scan
276
00:15:00,681 --> 00:15:04,479
Of the area, to
see below the soil.
277
00:15:05,874 --> 00:15:09,079
Pusch: We scanned with
the magnetic devices
278
00:15:09,154 --> 00:15:11,439
About two square kilometers.
279
00:15:13,874 --> 00:15:16,992
A magnetic scan has
two major advantages.
280
00:15:17,001 --> 00:15:19,079
Number one, it is
non-destructive
281
00:15:19,154 --> 00:15:21,072
In comparison to archeology
282
00:15:21,081 --> 00:15:26,039
And number two, what you
measure within one day as area,
283
00:15:26,114 --> 00:15:30,279
You need a minimum from eight
to 12 years for excavation.
284
00:15:32,441 --> 00:15:36,199
Mastrelli: The results
would astonish them all.
285
00:15:39,881 --> 00:15:41,712
(people chattering)
(dramatic music)
286
00:15:41,721 --> 00:15:44,192
Mastrelli: At qantir in egypt,
287
00:15:44,201 --> 00:15:47,632
Excavations have uncovered
an important military base
288
00:15:47,641 --> 00:15:50,359
From the reign of
ramesses the great.
289
00:15:50,434 --> 00:15:54,192
But could it be his fabled
capital city, pi-ramesses,
290
00:15:54,201 --> 00:15:56,839
Which disappeared
3,000 years ago?
291
00:15:59,081 --> 00:16:00,679
Dr pusch and his team brought
292
00:16:00,754 --> 00:16:02,759
In magnetic scanning equipment,
293
00:16:02,834 --> 00:16:07,399
To look for signs of a lost
city hidden beneath the soil.
294
00:16:10,434 --> 00:16:12,559
The results blew them away.
295
00:16:14,434 --> 00:16:17,232
The scan revealed
street after street,
296
00:16:17,241 --> 00:16:19,152
Building after building.
297
00:16:19,161 --> 00:16:22,752
A great city lay hidden
beneath the fields.
298
00:16:22,761 --> 00:16:26,912
Pusch: I was jumping, I really
and truly was jumping
299
00:16:26,921 --> 00:16:29,959
Because we had the lay
out of the buildings,
300
00:16:30,034 --> 00:16:34,679
We had pits for pillars, we
had walls of different sizes,
301
00:16:34,754 --> 00:16:36,672
Of different lengths,
302
00:16:36,681 --> 00:16:41,079
And it was just an unbelievable
and incredible thing.
303
00:16:46,201 --> 00:16:48,759
Mastrelli: It became the
largest magnetic scan
304
00:16:48,834 --> 00:16:50,639
In the history of egyptology.
305
00:16:53,241 --> 00:16:57,159
And what it detected were the
foundations of a major city.
306
00:16:59,801 --> 00:17:01,079
Franzmeier: This city
is one of the
307
00:17:01,154 --> 00:17:04,112
Largest settlement
sites anywhere
308
00:17:04,121 --> 00:17:06,352
In the whole middle east.
309
00:17:06,361 --> 00:17:09,879
We have to imagine where
it is now, just flat land,
310
00:17:09,954 --> 00:17:13,392
Temples and palaces, and
houses for, most probably,
311
00:17:13,401 --> 00:17:14,719
Tens of thousands of people.
312
00:17:15,801 --> 00:17:17,799
Mastrelli: The evidence
was overwhelming,
313
00:17:17,874 --> 00:17:20,679
And there was only
one conclusion.
314
00:17:20,754 --> 00:17:24,992
This was the site of the lost
city of ramesses the great.
315
00:17:25,001 --> 00:17:28,039
Pusch: The hugeness of it,
the finds we make,
316
00:17:28,114 --> 00:17:30,992
All together make
it absolutely sure
317
00:17:31,001 --> 00:17:34,039
That this area is pi-ramesses.
318
00:17:35,394 --> 00:17:38,639
Mastrelli: A 3000-year-old
mystery had finally been solved.
319
00:17:40,281 --> 00:17:43,159
But now the archeologists
faced a new challenge,
320
00:17:44,034 --> 00:17:45,919
To explain what
had happened here,
321
00:17:47,634 --> 00:17:50,599
And why there was nothing
to see above ground level
322
00:17:50,674 --> 00:17:53,199
Except for a giant
pair of stone feet.
323
00:17:54,601 --> 00:17:56,839
The answer lay not in qantir,
324
00:17:56,914 --> 00:18:01,079
But 12 miles to the north in
the ancient site of tanis.
325
00:18:01,154 --> 00:18:04,439
200 years after the
death of ramesses ii,
326
00:18:04,514 --> 00:18:07,072
Tanis became the new
capital of egypt,
327
00:18:07,081 --> 00:18:09,872
And in need of stone,
they recycled it
328
00:18:09,881 --> 00:18:12,999
From neighboring and now
abandoned pi-ramesses.
329
00:18:14,434 --> 00:18:18,192
Oddly, two centuries
after his death,
330
00:18:18,201 --> 00:18:20,752
Countless monuments in
this city bear the name
331
00:18:20,761 --> 00:18:22,359
Of ramesses the great.
332
00:18:25,394 --> 00:18:27,472
Although the magnificent
super-structure
333
00:18:27,481 --> 00:18:30,119
Of this city was
likely shipped away,
334
00:18:30,194 --> 00:18:33,152
The magnetic scan reveals
that much still remains
335
00:18:33,161 --> 00:18:36,039
Beneath the fields of qantir.
336
00:18:36,114 --> 00:18:38,112
Pusch: Of course, this is
not the complete city,
337
00:18:38,121 --> 00:18:42,599
But we do have palaces,
temples, villas,
338
00:18:42,674 --> 00:18:47,319
Houses, streets,
alleys, everything.
339
00:18:48,761 --> 00:18:50,759
Mastrelli: At the
city's very center is
340
00:18:50,834 --> 00:18:53,599
The unmistakable outline
of a giant temple.
341
00:18:56,601 --> 00:19:01,152
This is the next area of
interest for archeologists,
342
00:19:01,161 --> 00:19:04,352
And where they plan
future excavations.
343
00:19:04,361 --> 00:19:07,799
Gps and the magnetic scan
have already revealed
344
00:19:07,874 --> 00:19:10,112
Its enormous size.
345
00:19:10,121 --> 00:19:11,319
Franzmeier: So we are
now in south
346
00:19:11,394 --> 00:19:13,552
Of the modern
village of qantir.
347
00:19:13,561 --> 00:19:15,559
Here we see massive walls
348
00:19:15,634 --> 00:19:18,679
Which mark the limits
of a big precinct,
349
00:19:18,754 --> 00:19:20,439
Of a temple or a palace.
350
00:19:20,514 --> 00:19:24,039
Here in the center we
have the central building
351
00:19:24,114 --> 00:19:26,359
Of this temple or palace,
352
00:19:26,434 --> 00:19:30,352
Which is 30 meters wide
and around 100 meters long.
353
00:19:30,361 --> 00:19:34,359
(suspenseful music)
354
00:19:34,434 --> 00:19:36,752
Mastrelli: Dr. Franzmeier
marks out the foundations
355
00:19:36,761 --> 00:19:39,199
With flag poles to
illustrate its scale.
356
00:19:46,274 --> 00:19:47,399
Franzmeier: So we
have now reached
357
00:19:47,474 --> 00:19:49,639
The central part
of the temple.
358
00:19:49,714 --> 00:19:53,072
And, if you have a look
here along this line,
359
00:19:53,081 --> 00:19:55,879
Approximately where now,
there is the modern houses,
360
00:19:55,954 --> 00:19:59,559
That is the end, the limit of
this central temple building
361
00:19:59,634 --> 00:20:01,959
Which seems so tiny on the plan.
362
00:20:02,034 --> 00:20:05,719
If we take into consideration,
the whole precinct,
363
00:20:05,794 --> 00:20:07,952
Then we end up far
under the modern
364
00:20:07,961 --> 00:20:12,672
And the recent buildings in
the distance, all around here,
365
00:20:12,681 --> 00:20:16,752
And it extends definitely
for another 100 meters,
366
00:20:16,761 --> 00:20:18,199
Underneath the buildings.
367
00:20:21,154 --> 00:20:22,839
Mastrelli: From the
magnetic scan and evidence
368
00:20:22,914 --> 00:20:24,992
From other sites, it's possible
369
00:20:25,001 --> 00:20:27,679
To reconstruct the great
temple of pi-ramesses.
370
00:20:31,721 --> 00:20:33,719
The great temple was
the spectacular
371
00:20:33,794 --> 00:20:36,679
Heart of pi-ramesses.
372
00:20:36,754 --> 00:20:39,072
Rising around it
were other temples
373
00:20:39,081 --> 00:20:43,159
And a vast palace complex,
where ramesses himself lived.
374
00:20:44,194 --> 00:20:48,039
In its heyday, this was one
of the most magnificent cities
375
00:20:48,114 --> 00:20:49,199
Of ancient egypt.
376
00:20:50,681 --> 00:20:53,679
And much more remains
to be discovered.
377
00:20:55,241 --> 00:20:56,679
And for dr. Pusch,
378
00:20:56,754 --> 00:20:59,552
Helping to solve the
3,000 year-old mystery
379
00:20:59,561 --> 00:21:04,199
Of ramesses' lost city still
holds special significance.
380
00:21:04,274 --> 00:21:07,399
Pusch: This is the
highlight of my career.
381
00:21:07,474 --> 00:21:12,112
We have really proved, yes,
this is not just poetry,
382
00:21:12,121 --> 00:21:15,239
Not just fiction,
this is reality.
383
00:21:17,241 --> 00:21:18,839
Mastrelli: A 50
-year investigation
384
00:21:18,914 --> 00:21:20,352
Has finally revealed
385
00:21:20,361 --> 00:21:23,792
How pi-ramesses, despite
all its fame and glory,
386
00:21:23,801 --> 00:21:26,839
Vanished from the
face of the earth.
387
00:21:26,914 --> 00:21:30,112
(dramatic music)
388
00:21:30,121 --> 00:21:32,839
And all the credit has to
go to the incredible team
389
00:21:32,914 --> 00:21:36,832
That made locating this
lost city their life's work.
390
00:21:36,841 --> 00:21:39,879
Despite all of the
breathtaking sites in egypt,
391
00:21:39,954 --> 00:21:42,919
It takes a special kind of
determined archeologist,
392
00:21:42,994 --> 00:21:45,559
With lots of patience
and perseverance,
393
00:21:45,634 --> 00:21:48,679
To find what appeared
to be lost to history.
394
00:21:48,754 --> 00:21:50,352
It's the archeological
equivalent
395
00:21:50,361 --> 00:21:53,392
Of finding a needle
in a stack of needles
396
00:21:53,401 --> 00:21:55,072
And proving yet again,
397
00:21:55,081 --> 00:21:57,392
That ancient egypt still
has many secrets waiting
398
00:21:57,401 --> 00:21:58,799
To be discovered.
35164
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