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Announcer:
The following program
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contains disturbing
subject matter and images.
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Viewer discretion is advised.
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William shatner:
A pharaoh's tomb
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with a deadly curse.
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A dictator
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who gets younger with time.
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And life-sized dolls
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made from human remains.
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For thousands of years,
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people around the world
have practiced mummification
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in the belief that one day...
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...The dead will rise again.
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Today we consider such views
to be preposterous.
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Irrational. Unbelievable.
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But what if we're wrong?
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What if the ancient art
of mummification
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could somehow, someday...
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Bring back the dead?
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Well...
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That is what
we'll try and find out.
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♪ ♪
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a young boy working for
a british excavation team
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led by archaeologist
howard carter
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is riding his donkey home
one night,
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when suddenly
the animal's hoof slips
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into a hole below the sand.
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Carter and his team
later excavate the site
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and discover
a mysterious chamber
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hidden deep beneath
the shifting sands.
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Peering inside,
they lay their eyes
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upon one of the most incredible
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archaeological finds in history.
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A massive treasure trove
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of gold and ebony artifacts,
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all laid out
before another chamber
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guarded by two imposing statues
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and sealed shut
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with an intricate combination
of rope knots and clay.
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The long-lost tomb
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of king tutankhamen.
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It was absolutely
a magnificent discovery,
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made headline news
all over the world,
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and really sort of captured
public imagination
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at-at just the right time.
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Unlike most of the other tombs
that had been discovered
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of the ancient
egyptian pharaohs,
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king tut's tomb was untouched.
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It had not been plundered,
it had not been destroyed,
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and so there was a tremendous
wealth of archaeological data
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as well as just
a stunning display of artifacts.
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Shatner:
After spending nearly
three months cataloguing
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the more than 5,000 relics
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found within
the tomb's antechamber...
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...On February 16, 1923,
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at just after
2:00 in the afternoon,
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members of the press gathered
to watch howard carter
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finally break the seal
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protecting king tut's
burial chamber,
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which had lain undisturbed
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for more than 3,000 years.
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Nicholas brown: Carter started
excavation of the burial chamber
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within tutankhamen's tomb
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and he found the intact
burial of tutankhamen,
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which was contained,
essentially,
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within nine protective layers.
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The sarcophagus
is very elaborate.
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It's got gold, it's inlaid
with precious stones,
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and there's
several layers of it
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before you get down
to the central layer,
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which is, of course, the mummy
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of king tutankhamen himself.
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Brown:
Once carter began unwrapping
the mummy of tutankhamen
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and removed
the funerary death mask
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and made his way through
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the different mummy bandages
and the bundle itself,
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he was able to see
the face of tutankhamen,
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which hadn't been seen
by any living person
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for nearly 3,500 years.
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So in a way, the opening
of the tomb of tutankhamen
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is a kind of a resurrection.
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Shatner:
The discovery
of king tut's mummy
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launched
an international media frenzy,
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making headlines in every major
newspaper around the world.
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But howard carter and his team
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had barely begun enjoying
their success
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when several strange things
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started happening to them.
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That evening howard carter
is having his dinner
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and hears a commotion
in the next room.
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Goes in, and his pet canary
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is being attacked
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inside its cage by a king cobra.
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Now, the king cobra
is a symbol for the pharaoh.
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And a canary, the symbolism.
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The canary is the first to go.
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The canary is
the weakest and a warning.
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After that, lord carnarvon,
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the financier
of the whole expedition,
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was there on site.
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And then, while they're
inventorying the treasures,
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he gets a mosquito bite.
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A few days later, accidentally
nicks the bump with his razor.
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The bump gets infected.
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It leads to blood poisoning,
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and he dies of it.
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A prominent british radiologist
came out to the site
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to x-ray king tut,
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and shortly after
handling the mummy,
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he catches a mysterious disease
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that cannot be diagnosed,
cannot be treated,
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and it kills him.
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Shatner:
All told, the deaths of no fewer
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than seven members
of howard carter's expedition
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took place shortly after
the reopening
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of tutankhamen's burial chamber.
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While it was certainly possible
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their untimely deaths were
nothing more than coincidences,
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many believed that
by disturbing king tut's mummy,
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the archaeologists
had somehow triggered
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a deadly curse.
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To the ancient egyptians,
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death was not the end.
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But in order to guarantee
yourself eternal life,
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you actually had
to preserve your earthly body
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for the spirit to be able
to function properly.
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The idea of a mummy curse
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is to keep those people
out of the tombs.
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The egyptians said
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if you bothered these mummies,
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you would have a problem.
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And people who have discovered
those tombs
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actually ended up
dying weird ways.
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If that's not a curse,
what would be?
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The ancient egyptians prepared
the body for mummification by
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removing the internal organs.
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They would remove the brain
through the nose
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with a metal hook
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and clean out all of the organs
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and put them in jars,
except for the heart,
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because for them the heart
was the key to the afterlife.
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And then, at that point,
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they'd wrap the body in linen,
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and then they'd put them
in sarcophagi
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that looked like human beings
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and they were made
to resemble the deceased.
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The egyptians thought
the soul had multiple parts.
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Upon death,
certain parts of the soul
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went down into the earth,
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certain parts
went up into the sky,
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and then other parts remained
with the actual body.
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If you want that person
perpetuated for eternity,
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you need to maintain
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all aspects of the soul
together.
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That can happen
if the body is preserved.
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Thompson:
The idea was that at some point
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you will face the gods
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and those who are unworthy
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would be obliterated
for all time.
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So these tombs
were meant to be there
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until the day of judgment.
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You were not supposed
to open these.
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Shatern:
Is it possible
that the ancient egyptians
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were able to preserve
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the soul of king tut
within his mummified remains,
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effectively keeping his spirit
alive for thousands of years?
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And if so, could the pharaoh's
spirit have unleashed a curse
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upon the men
responsible for disturbing
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his sacred burial chamber?
Perhaps.
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But there are some researchers
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who claim that even before
king tut's tomb was disturbed,
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there was already
a pharaoh's curse in place.
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A curse that was associated
not with king tut
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but with his father, akhenaten.
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Young:
Akhenaten was controversial
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because he used his
considerable power as pharaoh
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to change the religious system.
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Ancient egypt had
always been polytheistic,
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many gods,
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and then there is a new pharaoh
with a new idea.
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Akhenaten announces
there will be one god,
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they will be
a monotheistic people.
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Aten, the sun god,
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would be the one divinity
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they all worshipped.
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The sun disc.
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It shook the empire
in really terrible ways.
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Brown:
Part of this
religious revolution
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included purposely erasing
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the names of older gods,
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closing down their temples,
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erasing their names
from monuments,
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and trying to obliterate
these other deities
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that the egyptians
used to worship.
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Shatner:
Before the reign of akhenaten,
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the most sacred deity
of the ancient egyptians
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was known as amun-ra,
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the chief of all egyptian gods.
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According to legend,
amun-ra was angered
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by akhenaten's acts of heresy
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and took vengeance
upon the pharaoh.
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00:10:17,659 --> 00:10:21,703
For his offense, akhenaten was
cursed by amun-ra,
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a curse unique
to religious views in egypt.
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He would be cursed
after death to wander endlessly.
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His soul would never be reunited
with his body,
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which was the point of
all those funerary practices.
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He would be disconnected
and dislodged forever.
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Shatner:
If akhenaten's soul was doomed
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to never reach the afterlife,
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00:10:49,316 --> 00:10:51,358
was king tut's body mummified
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and placed within a sealed
burial chamber
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so that he could escape
the fate of his father?
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00:10:59,534 --> 00:11:03,286
And is that why breaking the
seals on the tomb of king tut
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00:11:03,372 --> 00:11:06,956
brought a curse upon
howard carter and his team?
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00:11:07,042 --> 00:11:09,793
If the ancient egyptians were
right about the power
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00:11:09,878 --> 00:11:12,337
of mummification,
then it might be possible.
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00:11:12,381 --> 00:11:15,298
But the egyptians weren't
the only ancient civilization
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00:11:15,384 --> 00:11:19,219
that believed mummies held
the secret of eternal life.
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00:11:19,304 --> 00:11:22,472
Some were so convinced
of the power of mummification,
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00:11:22,516 --> 00:11:25,350
they didn't even bother
to wait...
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Until death.
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00:11:36,196 --> 00:11:38,029
Shatner:
Every three years, the villagers
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00:11:38,115 --> 00:11:39,698
in this mountainous region
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00:11:39,783 --> 00:11:42,534
gather to celebrate
with members of their families.
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00:11:42,577 --> 00:11:46,913
But what's odd about this party
is that the guests of honor
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00:11:46,998 --> 00:11:48,998
are all dead.
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00:11:50,877 --> 00:11:54,295
Thompson:
We look at these corpses
and say that's a dead person.
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00:11:54,381 --> 00:11:55,880
They look at that same corpse
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00:11:55,924 --> 00:11:58,174
and say, "no, no,
that spirit's still there."
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00:11:58,218 --> 00:11:59,884
and if the spirit's
still there, well, then that's
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00:11:59,928 --> 00:12:02,095
the person, that--
the person is still there.
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00:12:02,180 --> 00:12:05,265
Shatner:
While the idea
of having a get-together
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00:12:05,350 --> 00:12:08,184
with your dead relatives
might sound unnerving,
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00:12:08,270 --> 00:12:11,771
the truth is
ritual preservation and
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00:12:11,857 --> 00:12:14,315
personification
of the dead is actually
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00:12:14,401 --> 00:12:16,568
very common around the world.
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00:12:18,113 --> 00:12:20,029
When we think of mummies,
we often go
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00:12:20,115 --> 00:12:21,406
directly to ancient egypt.
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00:12:21,450 --> 00:12:23,408
But we find mummies
in other cultures
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00:12:23,452 --> 00:12:25,660
around the world
in various forms.
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00:12:25,746 --> 00:12:29,038
So we find this sort of very
elaborate mummification
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00:12:29,082 --> 00:12:31,708
preparals in the aztec empire
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00:12:31,752 --> 00:12:34,043
and the incan empire.
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00:12:34,129 --> 00:12:35,879
And in asia,
there is an interesting
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00:12:35,964 --> 00:12:37,714
history of mummification.
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00:12:39,134 --> 00:12:40,967
Shatner:
But of all the forms
of mummification
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00:12:41,052 --> 00:12:42,761
that have been practiced,
248
00:12:42,846 --> 00:12:44,888
the one that is perhaps
the most extraordinary
249
00:12:44,973 --> 00:12:47,432
and the most unsettling
250
00:12:47,476 --> 00:12:50,268
involves turning people
into mummies
251
00:12:50,353 --> 00:12:54,189
while they're still alive.
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00:12:59,738 --> 00:13:02,864
Just outside
the tsuruoka city limits,
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00:13:02,949 --> 00:13:04,783
sits churen-ji temple.
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00:13:04,826 --> 00:13:08,119
Surrounded by 200-year-old
cherry blossom trees,
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00:13:08,205 --> 00:13:11,080
churen-ji
is similar to many other
256
00:13:11,166 --> 00:13:12,916
rural temples
throughout the region,
257
00:13:13,001 --> 00:13:15,585
with one notable exception.
258
00:13:15,670 --> 00:13:17,587
The monk who presides here
259
00:13:17,672 --> 00:13:20,048
has been seated
in meditative prayer
260
00:13:20,133 --> 00:13:23,426
for almost 200 years.
261
00:13:23,512 --> 00:13:25,303
Jeremiah:
Among the mummified monks
262
00:13:25,347 --> 00:13:29,140
of yamagata, japan, sunada tetsu
is perhaps the most famous.
263
00:13:29,184 --> 00:13:33,228
And his body is currently
located at churen temple,
264
00:13:33,313 --> 00:13:35,647
in northern yamagata prefecture.
265
00:13:35,690 --> 00:13:39,108
Sunada tetsu is
an 18th-century buddhist monk,
266
00:13:39,194 --> 00:13:41,569
who wasn't
a religious person at all.
267
00:13:41,655 --> 00:13:44,656
He didn't plan on
entering religion.
268
00:13:44,699 --> 00:13:47,325
However, he ended up
killing two samurai.
269
00:13:52,624 --> 00:13:54,624
And at the time,
270
00:13:54,709 --> 00:13:57,502
19th-century japan,
if you kill two samurai
271
00:13:57,546 --> 00:14:01,506
and you're a commoner,
you're gonna be killed.
272
00:14:01,550 --> 00:14:04,801
But local temples were
exempt from that law.
273
00:14:04,886 --> 00:14:06,970
So he joined churen temple,
274
00:14:07,055 --> 00:14:08,972
and over time became a believer
275
00:14:09,057 --> 00:14:11,808
and one of the most holy people
276
00:14:11,852 --> 00:14:13,852
in japan, traveling throughout
277
00:14:13,895 --> 00:14:16,354
the japanese countryside,
repairing bridges,
278
00:14:16,439 --> 00:14:18,147
doing anything he could
to help people.
279
00:14:18,233 --> 00:14:20,525
Shatner:
Sunada tetsu
280
00:14:20,610 --> 00:14:23,152
was so dedicated
to serving the japanese people
281
00:14:23,238 --> 00:14:25,530
that the onetime outlaw
earned a reputation
282
00:14:25,574 --> 00:14:26,948
as a miracle worker.
283
00:14:27,951 --> 00:14:30,159
But as old age
began approaching,
284
00:14:30,245 --> 00:14:32,871
sunada tetsu realized
there was only one way
285
00:14:32,956 --> 00:14:36,207
for him to continue his good
works well into the future.
286
00:14:36,293 --> 00:14:40,253
The ancient art
of self-mummification,
287
00:14:40,338 --> 00:14:42,881
known as sokushinbutsu.
288
00:14:43,925 --> 00:14:45,884
In this particular tradition
289
00:14:45,969 --> 00:14:48,887
of, uh, buddhism
that we find in japan,
290
00:14:48,972 --> 00:14:52,015
there's this practice
of sokushinbutsu,
291
00:14:52,100 --> 00:14:55,226
which is basically
a mummification practice
292
00:14:55,312 --> 00:14:58,646
the practitioner undertakes
when they're still alive.
293
00:14:59,941 --> 00:15:03,359
People who engaged in the
process of self-mummification,
294
00:15:03,403 --> 00:15:05,403
they wanted
to preserve the flesh
295
00:15:05,447 --> 00:15:07,697
because they thought
there was a divine merit
296
00:15:07,741 --> 00:15:11,034
that could be of use
of people who are still alive.
297
00:15:11,119 --> 00:15:14,245
Shatner:
In order for a monk's soul
to shed his body
298
00:15:14,289 --> 00:15:18,082
in the proper manner, the
practitioners of sokushinbutsu
299
00:15:18,126 --> 00:15:21,085
were required to undergo
a very specific process.
300
00:15:21,171 --> 00:15:23,254
A process which,
301
00:15:23,298 --> 00:15:25,089
as one can imagine,
302
00:15:25,133 --> 00:15:27,091
isn't exactly pleasant.
303
00:15:29,471 --> 00:15:31,095
Jeremiah:
The process
of self-mummification
304
00:15:31,181 --> 00:15:34,098
is to gradually decrease
the amount of food
305
00:15:34,142 --> 00:15:36,726
you're ingesting, and in place,
306
00:15:36,811 --> 00:15:40,104
start ingesting things that
are preservative in nature.
307
00:15:40,148 --> 00:15:41,606
And in the case of
the self-mummified monks,
308
00:15:41,691 --> 00:15:43,107
they were pine bark,
309
00:15:43,193 --> 00:15:44,734
pine resin...
310
00:15:44,819 --> 00:15:47,278
And urushi tea.
311
00:15:47,322 --> 00:15:49,948
Urushi tea, which comes
from the lacquer tree,
312
00:15:49,991 --> 00:15:52,784
is considered
to be extremely toxic,
313
00:15:52,869 --> 00:15:57,455
but it also lacquers the body
from inside out, and it removes
314
00:15:57,499 --> 00:15:59,916
moisture at the same time
from the organs
315
00:16:00,001 --> 00:16:02,961
and presents some kind
of embalming faculties.
316
00:16:03,004 --> 00:16:06,923
When the monks have completed
their pre-mummification diet,
317
00:16:07,008 --> 00:16:11,260
they would be placed
into a box made of pinewood
318
00:16:11,304 --> 00:16:13,638
and buried underground
319
00:16:13,682 --> 00:16:15,974
with a little bell.
320
00:16:17,727 --> 00:16:19,602
Once the bell stopped ringing,
321
00:16:19,646 --> 00:16:23,356
the other monks would know
that the self-mummifying
322
00:16:23,441 --> 00:16:26,943
practitioner had, uh,
deceased inside the box.
323
00:16:27,028 --> 00:16:29,737
Shatner:
According to
historical accounts,
324
00:16:29,823 --> 00:16:32,949
sunada tetsu spent 3,000 days,
325
00:16:33,034 --> 00:16:34,993
which is more than eight years,
326
00:16:35,078 --> 00:16:38,496
starving himself in preparation
for his living burial.
327
00:16:38,540 --> 00:16:41,749
After his body was
eventually unearthed,
328
00:16:41,835 --> 00:16:44,919
it showed no decay whatsoever,
329
00:16:45,005 --> 00:16:47,714
signifying that his spirit
was indeed pure.
330
00:16:47,799 --> 00:16:51,467
But as morbid
as sunada tetsu's tale may be,
331
00:16:51,553 --> 00:16:53,803
he was not the first to attempt
332
00:16:53,847 --> 00:16:56,347
the extreme ritual
of sokushinbutsu.
333
00:16:56,433 --> 00:16:58,683
Nor the last.
334
00:16:58,768 --> 00:17:00,893
The founder of esoteric
buddhism in japan
335
00:17:00,979 --> 00:17:03,438
was believed to have,
uh, studied in china,
336
00:17:03,523 --> 00:17:06,149
and, uh, learned about
this practice there.
337
00:17:06,234 --> 00:17:09,235
And subsequently
brought it to japan,
338
00:17:09,320 --> 00:17:11,863
upon which some japanese monks,
the most intrepid amongst them,
339
00:17:11,948 --> 00:17:14,907
would have picked it up
and applied it.
340
00:17:14,993 --> 00:17:17,326
But the self-mummification
practice
341
00:17:17,370 --> 00:17:19,328
was outlawed in the 19th century
342
00:17:19,414 --> 00:17:21,914
because it was
rarely successful.
343
00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:25,960
Shatner:
Today, the mummies of only
24 monks who underwent
344
00:17:26,046 --> 00:17:29,714
the ritual of sokushinbutsu
remain known,
345
00:17:29,799 --> 00:17:32,759
although historians estimate
that hundreds
346
00:17:32,844 --> 00:17:36,179
underwent the journey
before it was declared illegal.
347
00:17:36,264 --> 00:17:41,142
But why would so many willingly
attempt what was essentially
348
00:17:41,227 --> 00:17:43,728
a slow and agonizing suicide?
349
00:17:43,772 --> 00:17:46,856
As it turns out,
there was a very good reason.
350
00:17:46,941 --> 00:17:50,985
They wanted to become
what are referred to as...
351
00:17:51,071 --> 00:17:53,654
"living buddhas."
352
00:17:53,740 --> 00:17:56,074
jeremiah:
They actually wanted
to cause their own death
353
00:17:56,159 --> 00:17:58,534
so they could be
in meditative posture
354
00:17:58,620 --> 00:18:00,078
so they could direct their soul
355
00:18:00,163 --> 00:18:01,746
where they wanted it
to go afterwards.
356
00:18:01,790 --> 00:18:04,415
That's why they're considered
living buddha.
357
00:18:04,501 --> 00:18:07,418
These mummies
are still alive because
358
00:18:07,504 --> 00:18:10,254
they are in between
the realm of life and death
359
00:18:10,298 --> 00:18:12,423
and perhaps they can
influence the two of them.
360
00:18:13,802 --> 00:18:17,095
Shatner:
Could dying
by self-mummification
361
00:18:17,138 --> 00:18:20,848
actually be the secret
to living forever?
362
00:18:20,934 --> 00:18:23,226
Gauging by the number
of visitors who come
363
00:18:23,269 --> 00:18:25,561
to seek his blessing every year,
364
00:18:25,605 --> 00:18:28,022
it would appear sunada tetsu
certainly has achieved
365
00:18:28,108 --> 00:18:30,316
a form of eternal life.
366
00:18:30,401 --> 00:18:33,945
Just like another mummy who
was also put on display.
367
00:18:33,988 --> 00:18:36,656
One who achieved immortality
368
00:18:36,741 --> 00:18:39,117
not by ending his own life,
369
00:18:39,160 --> 00:18:41,452
but someone else's.
370
00:18:52,799 --> 00:18:57,093
Shatner:
The st. Louis world's fair
opens to packed crowds.
371
00:18:57,178 --> 00:18:59,428
Over the course
of the next six months,
372
00:18:59,514 --> 00:19:02,181
more than 19 million people
stroll down
373
00:19:02,267 --> 00:19:05,643
a mile-long midway
lined with exhibitions
374
00:19:05,687 --> 00:19:08,646
showcasing the world's
most advanced science,
375
00:19:08,690 --> 00:19:10,273
technology, art...
376
00:19:10,316 --> 00:19:13,860
And one rather
bizarre attraction:
377
00:19:13,945 --> 00:19:17,989
The alleged mummy
of john wilkes booth,
378
00:19:18,074 --> 00:19:21,617
the man who assassinated
president abraham lincoln.
379
00:19:22,745 --> 00:19:24,954
Nate orlowek: Encountering
a mummy that is being
380
00:19:24,998 --> 00:19:26,497
claimed to be john wilkes booth,
381
00:19:26,541 --> 00:19:29,792
the man who killed
who I think most people think
382
00:19:29,836 --> 00:19:33,004
was our greatest president,
would be pretty mind-boggling.
383
00:19:33,089 --> 00:19:37,550
Young:
So it was a high point of
many people's lives to see
384
00:19:37,635 --> 00:19:41,012
the mummy of the dark figure
of american history,
385
00:19:41,055 --> 00:19:43,222
john wilkes booth.
386
00:19:43,308 --> 00:19:46,017
To see some part of that story,
387
00:19:46,102 --> 00:19:47,894
even the horrific part of it,
388
00:19:47,979 --> 00:19:50,271
is still an expression of grief
389
00:19:50,356 --> 00:19:52,690
and attachment
to abraham lincoln.
390
00:19:52,734 --> 00:19:57,528
Shatner:
For nearly three decades,
the mummy of john wilkes booth,
391
00:19:57,614 --> 00:20:00,573
america's most infamous
assassin,
392
00:20:00,658 --> 00:20:03,409
drew eager crowds
around the world.
393
00:20:03,494 --> 00:20:06,037
Which was extraordinary,
394
00:20:06,122 --> 00:20:08,372
because according
to the united states government,
395
00:20:08,458 --> 00:20:10,208
the body of john wilkes booth
396
00:20:10,251 --> 00:20:12,376
had been buried in
a baltimore cemetery
397
00:20:12,462 --> 00:20:14,378
since 1865.
398
00:20:16,674 --> 00:20:20,218
According to most
historical accounts,
399
00:20:20,261 --> 00:20:22,845
after john wilkes booth shot
400
00:20:22,931 --> 00:20:25,097
president lincoln during
a performance at ford's theatre
401
00:20:25,183 --> 00:20:29,727
in washington, d.C.
On April 14, 1865...
402
00:20:29,771 --> 00:20:31,562
(gunshot)
403
00:20:31,648 --> 00:20:34,315
...Booth fled on horseback
to virginia,
404
00:20:34,400 --> 00:20:37,068
eluding union soldiers
that were stationed
405
00:20:37,153 --> 00:20:40,071
at the city exits by
vice president andrew johnson
406
00:20:40,114 --> 00:20:42,698
with orders to kill anyone
attempting to leave.
407
00:20:42,784 --> 00:20:45,534
Booth was eventually cornered
inside a barn
408
00:20:45,620 --> 00:20:48,579
just south of
port royal, virginia,
409
00:20:48,665 --> 00:20:51,082
where-- after he
refused to surrender--
410
00:20:51,167 --> 00:20:56,087
union troops shot and killed him
on April 26, 1865.
411
00:20:59,133 --> 00:21:00,591
Orlowek:
The barn was set on fire.
412
00:21:00,635 --> 00:21:04,971
The traditional version is that
the body was identified
413
00:21:05,056 --> 00:21:07,306
and eventually the government
released the body
414
00:21:07,392 --> 00:21:08,849
to the booth family.
415
00:21:08,935 --> 00:21:11,102
Shatner:
After receiving the body,
416
00:21:11,187 --> 00:21:15,147
booth's family supposedly
buried him in the family plot
417
00:21:15,233 --> 00:21:17,650
at a baltimore cemetery.
418
00:21:17,735 --> 00:21:19,610
But if that's the case,
419
00:21:19,654 --> 00:21:21,946
how did his preserved remains
end up
420
00:21:22,031 --> 00:21:24,615
as a traveling
sideshow attraction?
421
00:21:24,659 --> 00:21:27,118
According to some researchers,
it was all due
422
00:21:27,161 --> 00:21:32,039
to a chance encounter involving
a man named finis l. Bates
423
00:21:32,125 --> 00:21:35,876
that occurred 12 years
after booth's supposed death
424
00:21:35,962 --> 00:21:38,337
in 1865.
425
00:21:38,423 --> 00:21:42,800
Mark ebner:
Bates was this lawyer
slash carney barker,
426
00:21:42,885 --> 00:21:45,970
slash showman.
427
00:21:46,055 --> 00:21:49,557
He was living in a town called
granbury, texas,
428
00:21:49,642 --> 00:21:53,102
and befriended a guy named
john st. Helen.
429
00:21:53,146 --> 00:21:57,815
Orlowek:
One night,
st. Helen became very ill
430
00:21:57,900 --> 00:21:59,525
and called bates to his bedside.
431
00:21:59,610 --> 00:22:03,487
And he gasped out to bates
that in fact,
432
00:22:03,573 --> 00:22:06,073
he was really john wilkes booth.
433
00:22:06,159 --> 00:22:09,035
Bates, of course, thought
the man was hallucinating,
434
00:22:09,120 --> 00:22:10,828
because everybody had been told
that john wilkes booth
435
00:22:10,913 --> 00:22:13,581
had been killed
12 years earlier.
436
00:22:13,666 --> 00:22:16,042
Booth slash st. Helens,
437
00:22:16,127 --> 00:22:19,670
he recovers from this illness
and he skips town.
438
00:22:19,714 --> 00:22:24,133
Years later, in enid, oklahoma,
439
00:22:24,177 --> 00:22:26,677
there is a guy, david george.
440
00:22:26,763 --> 00:22:30,681
George had enough of this world
and he killed himself.
441
00:22:30,767 --> 00:22:33,142
And there was no next of kin,
442
00:22:33,186 --> 00:22:34,852
but he did leave word,
443
00:22:34,896 --> 00:22:39,357
"please call finis l. Bates,"
and that they did.
444
00:22:41,069 --> 00:22:42,693
Shatner:
As the story goes,
445
00:22:42,779 --> 00:22:45,821
when finis l. Bates arrived
in enid, oklahoma
446
00:22:45,907 --> 00:22:48,532
and viewed the dead body
of david george,
447
00:22:48,576 --> 00:22:51,369
he made two startling
observations.
448
00:22:51,454 --> 00:22:53,913
The first was that
david george's appearance
449
00:22:53,998 --> 00:22:56,707
closely matched that
of john st. Helen's,
450
00:22:56,793 --> 00:23:00,878
the man who had claimed
to be john wilkes booth.
451
00:23:00,922 --> 00:23:03,756
And the second was
that george's body
452
00:23:03,841 --> 00:23:07,051
had been strangely preserved.
453
00:23:09,847 --> 00:23:12,056
Young:
The undertaker,
454
00:23:12,141 --> 00:23:14,558
having no money for a burial,
455
00:23:14,602 --> 00:23:17,561
puts arsenic in the veins
to preserve the body,
456
00:23:17,647 --> 00:23:19,146
mummified the body,
457
00:23:19,232 --> 00:23:21,732
and then puts it
in a store window as a gag
458
00:23:21,818 --> 00:23:23,067
holding a newspaper.
459
00:23:23,111 --> 00:23:24,902
So they get ahold of bates,
460
00:23:24,987 --> 00:23:26,737
who puts two and two together,
461
00:23:26,781 --> 00:23:31,117
realizes it's the man who
claimed to be john wilkes booth,
462
00:23:31,202 --> 00:23:33,994
takes possession of this mummy,
463
00:23:34,080 --> 00:23:37,123
he goes into
the sideshow business
464
00:23:37,208 --> 00:23:38,916
and for a small price,
465
00:23:39,001 --> 00:23:43,796
you could see the mummy
of john wilkes booth.
466
00:23:43,881 --> 00:23:48,217
Shatner:
If finis l. Bates's story
is true,
467
00:23:48,261 --> 00:23:50,970
and john wilkes booth
lived under
468
00:23:51,055 --> 00:23:53,764
at least two other identities
before dying
469
00:23:53,850 --> 00:23:56,934
in enid, oklahoma in 1903,
470
00:23:57,019 --> 00:24:01,105
the question is:
How did booth escape the barn
471
00:24:01,149 --> 00:24:05,025
where he was supposedly killed
by union troops?
472
00:24:05,111 --> 00:24:07,945
Orlowek:
In 1919, the granddaughter
of one of the soldiers
473
00:24:08,030 --> 00:24:09,613
who was at the barn
474
00:24:09,699 --> 00:24:11,407
gave a sworn affidavit
475
00:24:11,451 --> 00:24:13,159
saying that man was not
john wilkes booth
476
00:24:13,244 --> 00:24:14,493
who was killed in the barn.
477
00:24:14,579 --> 00:24:15,953
That man had red hair
and ruddy features.
478
00:24:16,038 --> 00:24:17,496
John wilkes booth had black hair
479
00:24:17,582 --> 00:24:19,081
and smooth features.
480
00:24:19,167 --> 00:24:20,749
Ebner:
If revisionist history
481
00:24:20,793 --> 00:24:24,503
is to be believed,
john wilkes booth
482
00:24:24,589 --> 00:24:29,133
was given a password to freedom
483
00:24:29,218 --> 00:24:34,013
and this was done
by the original conspirator
484
00:24:34,098 --> 00:24:36,640
in abraham lincoln's death,
485
00:24:36,726 --> 00:24:38,976
supposedly...
486
00:24:39,061 --> 00:24:42,938
Vice president andrew johnson.
487
00:24:42,982 --> 00:24:45,191
Young:
John st. Helen is apparently
488
00:24:45,276 --> 00:24:48,986
on his deathbed and he made
kind of a deathbed confession.
489
00:24:49,071 --> 00:24:50,654
He tells the whole story
490
00:24:50,698 --> 00:24:53,199
of how it was plotted
not by himself,
491
00:24:53,284 --> 00:24:55,784
but by the vice president,
andrew johnson,
492
00:24:55,870 --> 00:24:57,495
who was, of course,
the beneficiary,
493
00:24:57,580 --> 00:24:59,163
became president
because of the death.
494
00:24:59,248 --> 00:25:02,124
Shatner:
Is it possible
john wilkes booth
495
00:25:02,210 --> 00:25:04,376
lived as john st. Helen
496
00:25:04,462 --> 00:25:08,339
before dying
as david george in 1903,
497
00:25:08,424 --> 00:25:12,176
only to be reborn
as a mummified curiosity?
498
00:25:12,261 --> 00:25:15,888
While this may seem
like a far-fetched notion,
499
00:25:15,973 --> 00:25:18,974
according to researchers,
we may never know
500
00:25:19,018 --> 00:25:20,935
what really happened,
501
00:25:21,020 --> 00:25:23,521
because authorities
are preventing anyone
502
00:25:23,606 --> 00:25:26,357
from finding out the truth.
503
00:25:26,442 --> 00:25:29,818
In the 1990s,
the booth family was
504
00:25:29,904 --> 00:25:32,571
convinced that john wilkes booth
really got away
505
00:25:32,657 --> 00:25:36,367
and they agreed to authorize
the excavation of the body.
506
00:25:36,452 --> 00:25:38,577
There are all sorts of tests
that would compare it
507
00:25:38,663 --> 00:25:41,330
with dna from anyone
of john wilkes booth's
508
00:25:41,415 --> 00:25:42,498
immediate family members.
509
00:25:42,583 --> 00:25:45,459
Unfortunately,
the cemetery fought it
510
00:25:45,545 --> 00:25:47,670
and the booth family
was denied permission.
511
00:25:47,713 --> 00:25:50,381
Shatner:
Now you might be thinking,
512
00:25:50,466 --> 00:25:53,217
if officials at the cemetery
are preventing booth's grave
513
00:25:53,261 --> 00:25:55,636
from being exhumed,
514
00:25:55,721 --> 00:25:59,348
why not simply do a dna test
on his supposed mummy?
515
00:25:59,433 --> 00:26:03,269
Not surprisingly, researchers
agree that a dna test
516
00:26:03,354 --> 00:26:05,312
would solve the mystery,
517
00:26:05,398 --> 00:26:10,276
if only they knew where
to find the mummy.
518
00:26:10,361 --> 00:26:12,570
Orlowek:
So unfortunately,
it's uncertain where it is.
519
00:26:12,655 --> 00:26:15,197
So unless we can either
find the mummy
520
00:26:15,283 --> 00:26:18,742
or dig up the body
in the booth plot,
521
00:26:18,786 --> 00:26:21,620
this will forever be a mystery.
522
00:26:21,706 --> 00:26:24,873
Does john wilkes booth
really lie buried
523
00:26:24,917 --> 00:26:27,293
in a baltimore cemetery?
524
00:26:27,378 --> 00:26:31,589
Or did he somehow escape death
at the hands of union soldiers
525
00:26:31,674 --> 00:26:36,051
and his mummified remains
are out there somewhere,
526
00:26:36,137 --> 00:26:39,096
collecting dust
in someone's attic?
527
00:26:39,181 --> 00:26:43,225
Either way, it seems that
mummies do, in a sense,
528
00:26:43,269 --> 00:26:46,437
keep the memory
of the dead alive.
529
00:26:46,522 --> 00:26:50,232
But there are some mummies
whose place in history
530
00:26:50,318 --> 00:26:53,611
is preserved,
not just in our minds,
531
00:26:53,696 --> 00:26:57,615
but right before our eyes.
532
00:27:08,669 --> 00:27:11,253
Shatner:
Near the center
of this ancient city
533
00:27:11,339 --> 00:27:15,049
rise the soaring twin spires
of the cologne cathedral.
534
00:27:15,134 --> 00:27:17,593
Every day,
more than 20,000 people
535
00:27:17,637 --> 00:27:19,762
flock through its arched doors
536
00:27:19,847 --> 00:27:23,641
to visit one of catholicism's
most important sites,
537
00:27:23,684 --> 00:27:26,101
the tomb of the three kings.
538
00:27:26,187 --> 00:27:28,312
Those who pray
at this ancient shrine
539
00:27:28,356 --> 00:27:30,648
believe that they
will be divinely favored,
540
00:27:30,691 --> 00:27:34,985
because it contains the bones
of the three biblical wise men
541
00:27:35,071 --> 00:27:38,280
who visited jesus shortly
after his birth,
542
00:27:38,366 --> 00:27:42,409
and whom the catholic church
considers to be saints.
543
00:27:44,664 --> 00:27:47,956
Jeremiah: After death,
a lot of the so-called
544
00:27:48,000 --> 00:27:50,668
saints in catholic christianity,
545
00:27:50,753 --> 00:27:54,129
their body parts
were distributed.
546
00:27:54,215 --> 00:27:56,298
And the reason for that was
547
00:27:56,384 --> 00:27:58,759
there was this idea
that they were a source
548
00:27:58,844 --> 00:28:00,969
of divine power
549
00:28:01,055 --> 00:28:04,473
that could affect people,
that could affect miracles.
550
00:28:04,558 --> 00:28:07,851
Shatner:
For the faithful,
being in the presence
551
00:28:07,937 --> 00:28:11,689
of even a tiny portion
of a holy figure's body
552
00:28:11,732 --> 00:28:14,274
is a powerful reminder
of god's promise
553
00:28:14,360 --> 00:28:16,235
of eternal life in heaven.
554
00:28:16,320 --> 00:28:19,530
So imagine how they must feel
when in the presence
555
00:28:19,615 --> 00:28:22,991
of not merely the body parts
of a saint,
556
00:28:23,077 --> 00:28:25,536
but the entire body of one,
557
00:28:25,621 --> 00:28:29,665
like in the case of the remains
of st. Bernadette of lourdes,
558
00:28:29,750 --> 00:28:33,669
which lie perfectly preserved
in a chapel in France,
559
00:28:33,754 --> 00:28:37,297
more than a century
after her death.
560
00:28:37,383 --> 00:28:42,344
St. Bernadette
was born in France in 1844,
561
00:28:42,430 --> 00:28:49,017
and she saw an apparition
of the virgin mary 18 times.
562
00:28:49,103 --> 00:28:51,895
And it started when she was 14.
563
00:28:53,190 --> 00:28:56,900
The spring that st. Bernadette
saw the virgin mary in
564
00:28:56,944 --> 00:29:00,070
is now a point of healing
for many people,
565
00:29:00,114 --> 00:29:04,450
and many people go to lourdes
just to obtain the water.
566
00:29:04,535 --> 00:29:08,078
Jeremiah:
St. Bernadette ended up dying
567
00:29:08,122 --> 00:29:10,414
in 1879 of tuberculosis
568
00:29:10,499 --> 00:29:12,583
and the church decided
569
00:29:12,668 --> 00:29:15,544
that her claim that she visited
with the virgin mary
570
00:29:15,588 --> 00:29:18,881
in lourdes, France
was trustworthy
571
00:29:18,924 --> 00:29:21,717
and decided to make her a saint.
572
00:29:21,802 --> 00:29:26,805
And as such, they had to remove
her body from the current tomb,
573
00:29:26,891 --> 00:29:29,600
identify it,
and then relocate it
574
00:29:29,685 --> 00:29:31,101
closer to the church.
575
00:29:31,187 --> 00:29:33,395
And when they were doing that,
576
00:29:33,439 --> 00:29:36,440
they found out that she was in
a perfect state of preservation.
577
00:29:36,484 --> 00:29:38,776
She looked as though
she was still alive.
578
00:29:38,819 --> 00:29:41,278
Shatner:
To this day, st. Bernadette
579
00:29:41,363 --> 00:29:45,741
appears as youthful in death
as she did in life.
580
00:29:45,826 --> 00:29:49,745
Could it be possible that
st. Bernadette's lack of decay
581
00:29:49,830 --> 00:29:53,457
is actually the result
of divine intervention?
582
00:29:53,542 --> 00:29:56,376
An incorruptible saint
583
00:29:56,462 --> 00:30:02,132
symbolizes that god has blessed
that particular saintly person
584
00:30:02,176 --> 00:30:05,969
so that their body that so many
people have loved in life
585
00:30:06,013 --> 00:30:11,642
is still recognizable and
becomes a focus for devotion.
586
00:30:11,685 --> 00:30:14,019
Shatner:
Despite the symbolic miracle
587
00:30:14,104 --> 00:30:16,480
such incorruptible bodies
represent
588
00:30:16,565 --> 00:30:19,817
for the faithful,
according to many researchers,
589
00:30:19,902 --> 00:30:22,986
there's nothing miraculous
about them.
590
00:30:23,072 --> 00:30:26,281
Jeremiah: A lot of
the so-called incorruptibles
591
00:30:26,367 --> 00:30:29,785
were blatantly mummified.
592
00:30:29,829 --> 00:30:32,788
St. Bernadette
was enclosed in two
593
00:30:32,873 --> 00:30:34,873
hermetically sealed caskets.
594
00:30:34,959 --> 00:30:39,002
Once exposed to air,
she started to decay,
595
00:30:39,088 --> 00:30:41,338
so they covered her face
and hands with wax.
596
00:30:41,423 --> 00:30:46,009
Shatner:
To the millions of faithful
who visit the small chapel
597
00:30:46,053 --> 00:30:48,345
where st. Bernadette's body
now lies,
598
00:30:48,430 --> 00:30:52,808
her uncanny appearance remains
proof of the power of faith.
599
00:30:52,852 --> 00:30:55,936
Unlike another
incorruptible mummy
600
00:30:56,021 --> 00:30:58,021
which many consider
to be evidence
601
00:30:58,107 --> 00:30:59,773
of a much different power,
602
00:30:59,859 --> 00:31:03,277
the power of the state.
603
00:31:12,246 --> 00:31:14,329
More than one million mourners
stand for hours
604
00:31:14,373 --> 00:31:16,206
in below-freezing temperatures
605
00:31:16,250 --> 00:31:19,209
to pay their final respects
to vladimir lenin,
606
00:31:19,295 --> 00:31:23,380
the bolshevik leader who ushered
in the communist revolution.
607
00:31:23,424 --> 00:31:25,841
Alexei yurchak:
When lenin died in 1924,
608
00:31:25,926 --> 00:31:29,177
he was associated in the minds
of millions of people--
609
00:31:29,221 --> 00:31:31,388
not everyone, but the majority--
610
00:31:31,432 --> 00:31:34,683
with a radical transformation
of human history.
611
00:31:36,729 --> 00:31:40,063
Lenin and, uh,
especially his family,
612
00:31:40,149 --> 00:31:41,773
wanted him to be buried,
613
00:31:41,859 --> 00:31:45,402
but stalin decided
to create a symbolism
614
00:31:45,487 --> 00:31:49,656
of an utopia that was created.
615
00:31:49,742 --> 00:31:52,451
So the idea
was to keep him preserved
616
00:31:52,536 --> 00:31:54,870
for future generations.
617
00:31:54,955 --> 00:31:58,749
Shatner:
According to reports,
soviet scientists devised
618
00:31:58,834 --> 00:32:02,169
an entirely new method
for creating lenin's mummy,
619
00:32:02,254 --> 00:32:05,505
one intended to preserve
his body for eternity,
620
00:32:05,591 --> 00:32:09,301
as though he were
frozen in time.
621
00:32:09,386 --> 00:32:12,220
It had to be the exact
likeness of lenin.
622
00:32:12,306 --> 00:32:14,389
It also had to feel like lenin.
623
00:32:14,475 --> 00:32:16,308
The so-called presence
had to be there.
624
00:32:16,393 --> 00:32:18,769
Shatner:
Almost 100 years later,
625
00:32:18,854 --> 00:32:22,189
lenin's mummy still remains
on display in his mausoleum
626
00:32:22,274 --> 00:32:24,608
near red square in moscow,
627
00:32:24,652 --> 00:32:27,069
and it appears as though
his body hasn't decayed
628
00:32:27,154 --> 00:32:30,197
in the slightest.
629
00:32:30,282 --> 00:32:33,408
Every few months, they give him
a recharge, you know,
630
00:32:33,452 --> 00:32:35,243
they hydrate him a little bit.
631
00:32:35,329 --> 00:32:38,080
They put fake eyelashes on him.
632
00:32:38,123 --> 00:32:44,795
As the art of mummification
advances, so, too, does lenin.
633
00:32:44,838 --> 00:32:47,589
He's looking better every year.
634
00:32:47,675 --> 00:32:49,132
Stonehill:
For many people,
635
00:32:49,218 --> 00:32:52,260
it was more than just a mere
body that was being preserved,
636
00:32:52,304 --> 00:32:54,137
it was the spirit of the era.
637
00:32:54,181 --> 00:32:56,473
And stalin was gone,
638
00:32:56,558 --> 00:32:59,309
khrushchev was gone,
but lenin was always there.
639
00:32:59,395 --> 00:33:02,896
Is it really possible
for a dead body
640
00:33:02,982 --> 00:33:04,898
to remain perfectly preserved,
641
00:33:04,984 --> 00:33:09,277
untouched by decay,
ageless for all eternity?
642
00:33:09,321 --> 00:33:13,448
In any case, the very
public fate of some corpses
643
00:33:13,492 --> 00:33:17,995
reminds us that, regardless
of what arrangements we make,
644
00:33:18,080 --> 00:33:22,416
the fate of our remains
is no longer ours to control.
645
00:33:22,501 --> 00:33:24,209
There's even a chance
we could end up becoming
646
00:33:24,294 --> 00:33:29,423
unwitting participants
in someone's bizarre attempt
647
00:33:29,508 --> 00:33:32,175
to bring us back to life.
648
00:33:43,564 --> 00:33:47,024
Shatner:
Police investigating
a series of grave desecrations
649
00:33:47,109 --> 00:33:50,068
trace them back to the home
of local history professor
650
00:33:50,154 --> 00:33:55,157
anatoly moskvin, where they make
a gruesome discovery.
651
00:33:56,910 --> 00:33:59,995
A collection of eerie,
life-sized dolls
652
00:34:00,039 --> 00:34:03,206
that upon closer examination
turn out to be
653
00:34:03,292 --> 00:34:07,711
the mummified remains
of young girls.
654
00:34:09,923 --> 00:34:13,884
Moskvin was
a very intelligent person
655
00:34:13,927 --> 00:34:19,931
who had phenomenal memory,
who could speak 13 languages.
656
00:34:20,017 --> 00:34:22,559
His colleagues said
he was mild-mannered,
657
00:34:22,644 --> 00:34:28,315
kind and loved cemeteries
and anything related to death.
658
00:34:28,400 --> 00:34:30,400
He was commissioned,
at some point,
659
00:34:30,486 --> 00:34:32,861
to research, uh, cemeteries
660
00:34:32,946 --> 00:34:37,282
in a very large area
of nizhny novgorod,
661
00:34:37,367 --> 00:34:41,369
when he started digging up
the graves of young girls.
662
00:34:41,455 --> 00:34:43,413
Ebner:
His poor parents,
663
00:34:43,499 --> 00:34:45,582
they thought he was
a little craftsman
664
00:34:45,626 --> 00:34:47,876
sewing together
these little dolls.
665
00:34:47,961 --> 00:34:51,588
They honestly had no idea
666
00:34:51,632 --> 00:34:55,592
what was going on behind the
closed door of this guy's room.
667
00:34:58,680 --> 00:35:01,264
Hickey:
He spent some serious time
668
00:35:01,350 --> 00:35:03,850
in mummification
of these corpses.
669
00:35:03,936 --> 00:35:07,104
To preserve them,
he used fragrances
670
00:35:07,189 --> 00:35:08,688
to make them smell better.
671
00:35:08,774 --> 00:35:10,774
He clothed them.
672
00:35:10,859 --> 00:35:14,444
He inserted things inside them
so they wouldn't shrink.
673
00:35:14,488 --> 00:35:16,446
And he took
very good care of them.
674
00:35:16,490 --> 00:35:19,282
Shatner:
All in all,
moskvin collected the bodies
675
00:35:19,368 --> 00:35:21,576
of 29 young girls,
676
00:35:21,620 --> 00:35:25,372
earning him the nickname
"lord of the mummies."
677
00:35:25,457 --> 00:35:28,333
but when authorities
asked moskvin
678
00:35:28,418 --> 00:35:31,294
why he assembled
his ghoulish collection,
679
00:35:31,338 --> 00:35:34,798
his motive was more disturbing
than they ever imagined.
680
00:35:36,802 --> 00:35:39,469
Moskvin was a firm believer
that he actually was able
681
00:35:39,513 --> 00:35:41,304
to speak to the dead
and that the dead
682
00:35:41,390 --> 00:35:42,806
were able to speak back.
683
00:35:44,518 --> 00:35:47,185
Picknett:
He claimed that he only
ever dug them up
684
00:35:47,271 --> 00:35:53,150
when they'd given him permission
to do so, in some spiritual way.
685
00:35:53,235 --> 00:35:56,653
And some of them were crying
out, he said, to be rescued.
686
00:35:58,198 --> 00:36:00,532
Ebner:
So at one point,
he said to himself,
687
00:36:00,617 --> 00:36:02,993
"well, it's cold out here
in these cemeteries.
688
00:36:03,078 --> 00:36:05,495
"why don't I take
these kids home
689
00:36:05,581 --> 00:36:11,459
and they can keep me company
in the comfort of my own home?"
690
00:36:11,545 --> 00:36:15,172
he actually treated them like
they were living human beings.
691
00:36:15,215 --> 00:36:17,507
Uh, he would have parties
for them.
692
00:36:18,594 --> 00:36:20,010
He had birthday parties.
693
00:36:20,095 --> 00:36:21,845
He watched television with them.
694
00:36:21,930 --> 00:36:23,847
He talked to them.
695
00:36:23,932 --> 00:36:26,516
He interacted with them
like they were alive.
696
00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:29,311
And to anybody else,
that would be crazy, but to him,
697
00:36:29,354 --> 00:36:30,854
it made perfect sense.
698
00:36:30,898 --> 00:36:32,230
(bell tolls)
699
00:36:32,316 --> 00:36:34,482
so moskvin has indicated
700
00:36:34,526 --> 00:36:36,067
if he's ever released
from prison,
701
00:36:36,153 --> 00:36:37,652
he's going to go back to
those specific corpses
702
00:36:37,738 --> 00:36:40,989
and dig them up again,
because he truly believes
703
00:36:41,074 --> 00:36:43,033
that these girls
can be brought back to life.
704
00:36:44,369 --> 00:36:46,119
Shatner:
Anatoly moskvin's belief
705
00:36:46,205 --> 00:36:48,872
that he can bring dead people
back to life
706
00:36:48,916 --> 00:36:51,499
certainly seems
like a misguided fantasy.
707
00:36:51,585 --> 00:36:55,962
But on the other hand, who knows
what might happen in the future?
708
00:36:56,048 --> 00:36:59,382
What if scientific breakthroughs
actually make it possible
709
00:36:59,426 --> 00:37:04,221
for us to resurrect dead bodies
that have been preserved?
710
00:37:04,306 --> 00:37:06,348
So, you don't believe
in miracles,
711
00:37:06,391 --> 00:37:08,350
uh, but what you can,
uh, hope for
712
00:37:08,435 --> 00:37:10,560
is a scientific breakthrough,
a scientific miracle.
713
00:37:11,647 --> 00:37:13,313
Like, the idea of cryogenics.
714
00:37:13,398 --> 00:37:15,607
You can freeze yourself
and maybe someday
715
00:37:15,692 --> 00:37:18,944
science will be able
to get you back alive.
716
00:37:19,029 --> 00:37:20,820
Picknett:
A lot of people
have had the idea
717
00:37:20,906 --> 00:37:24,407
that one day advanced science
can reanimate them.
718
00:37:24,451 --> 00:37:26,952
But that presupposes
many things.
719
00:37:27,037 --> 00:37:28,828
It presupposes that there
isn't an afterlife
720
00:37:28,914 --> 00:37:30,664
that you don't
automatically go to.
721
00:37:30,749 --> 00:37:34,376
Or they could bring you back,
but you could have lost
722
00:37:34,419 --> 00:37:36,253
everything that made you you.
723
00:37:37,547 --> 00:37:39,297
So it's the idea
of-of preserving the body
724
00:37:39,383 --> 00:37:42,592
for reanimation through science.
725
00:37:42,678 --> 00:37:45,553
It still gets us right back
to that elemental question
726
00:37:45,639 --> 00:37:47,055
that so many people have:
727
00:37:47,099 --> 00:37:49,266
If there is a soul,
if there is an afterlife,
728
00:37:49,351 --> 00:37:51,476
what is the relationship
between that soul
729
00:37:51,561 --> 00:37:53,186
and the physical body?
730
00:37:53,272 --> 00:37:57,524
If the body is still
somehow connected to the soul,
731
00:37:57,609 --> 00:38:01,278
maybe someday science
will be able to save all of us.
732
00:38:03,115 --> 00:38:06,408
Shatner:
Could new technology
offer us the ability
733
00:38:06,451 --> 00:38:09,953
to revive our bodies
after we die?
734
00:38:10,038 --> 00:38:12,289
It's a fascinating notion.
735
00:38:12,374 --> 00:38:15,166
One that raises an even more
profound question:
736
00:38:15,252 --> 00:38:18,128
If science can bring
a recently mummified body
737
00:38:18,213 --> 00:38:19,963
back from the dead,
738
00:38:20,007 --> 00:38:22,549
might there also be a way
for modern technology
739
00:38:22,634 --> 00:38:26,303
to bring ancient mummies
back to life as well?
740
00:38:39,443 --> 00:38:43,987
Shatner:
Scientists publish the results
of an extraordinary study.
741
00:38:44,031 --> 00:38:48,325
By ct-scanning the mummy
of an ancient egyptian priest
742
00:38:48,368 --> 00:38:51,202
known as nesyamun,
and using this information
743
00:38:51,288 --> 00:38:55,999
to recreate his vocal tract
using a 3d printer,
744
00:38:56,043 --> 00:38:59,127
the scientists were able
to engineer an approximation
745
00:38:59,212 --> 00:39:01,379
of the dead priest's voice
746
00:39:01,465 --> 00:39:04,758
which hadn't been heard
for 3,000 years.
747
00:39:04,843 --> 00:39:08,094
(low groaning)
748
00:39:08,180 --> 00:39:09,888
michio kaku:
"hear dead people speak."
749
00:39:09,973 --> 00:39:12,265
that was the headline.
750
00:39:12,351 --> 00:39:14,351
Because it was such
an interesting concept,
751
00:39:14,436 --> 00:39:17,020
using modern technology
to understand
752
00:39:17,064 --> 00:39:18,688
what the person
may have sounded like.
753
00:39:18,774 --> 00:39:20,690
(low groaning)
754
00:39:22,903 --> 00:39:27,405
as a priest of amun,
nesyamun was responsible
755
00:39:27,491 --> 00:39:30,408
for guiding the mummy
from the realm of the living
756
00:39:30,494 --> 00:39:32,118
into the realm of the dead.
757
00:39:32,204 --> 00:39:34,079
(low groaning)
758
00:39:34,164 --> 00:39:37,540
and the very fact that his voice
seems to echo
759
00:39:37,584 --> 00:39:40,210
through the centuries
perhaps is proof
760
00:39:40,295 --> 00:39:42,462
of the egyptian belief
761
00:39:42,547 --> 00:39:46,216
that the soul remains
connected to the body
762
00:39:46,301 --> 00:39:49,219
for eternity
through the afterlife.
763
00:39:49,304 --> 00:39:52,889
Shatner:
Thus far, the team working
to restore nesyamun's voice
764
00:39:52,933 --> 00:39:55,809
has only managed
to reproduce a single sound.
765
00:39:55,894 --> 00:39:58,770
(low groaning)
766
00:39:58,855 --> 00:40:01,064
in time, it is believed
they may be able
767
00:40:01,108 --> 00:40:04,526
to make him speak words,
or even entire sentences.
768
00:40:04,611 --> 00:40:07,195
And if some researchers
are correct,
769
00:40:07,280 --> 00:40:10,407
scientists may even
soon be able to recreate
770
00:40:10,492 --> 00:40:12,784
his entire body.
771
00:40:12,869 --> 00:40:15,412
Steavu:
We could technically
772
00:40:15,455 --> 00:40:18,331
extract dna from a mummy
and then clone it,
773
00:40:18,417 --> 00:40:22,293
and reanimate
the deceased person.
774
00:40:22,379 --> 00:40:26,089
So we could grow
king tut once more.
775
00:40:27,259 --> 00:40:29,717
Shatner:
Regrow king tut?
776
00:40:29,803 --> 00:40:33,096
While the possibility of
reviving 3,000-year-old mummies
777
00:40:33,181 --> 00:40:35,056
may in fact be within our reach,
778
00:40:35,142 --> 00:40:38,601
there are those who believe
that just because we can
779
00:40:38,687 --> 00:40:43,148
doesn't necessarily mean
we should.
780
00:40:43,233 --> 00:40:45,775
The ancient egyptians,
it was really important for them
781
00:40:45,819 --> 00:40:49,279
to have a peaceful, uh, burial
and existence.
782
00:40:49,364 --> 00:40:52,949
So they might perceive
these scientific investigations
783
00:40:53,034 --> 00:40:56,953
to try to clone a mummy or try
to recreate a mummy's voice
784
00:40:57,038 --> 00:40:59,080
as perhaps invasive, uh,
785
00:40:59,166 --> 00:41:02,125
to their actual
religious afterlife beliefs.
786
00:41:02,210 --> 00:41:05,503
Jeremiah:
We have two major
mysteries in life,
787
00:41:05,589 --> 00:41:08,298
and one is the nature of
life itself, the other is death.
788
00:41:08,341 --> 00:41:13,011
And mummified bodies serve kind
of as a conduit between the two.
789
00:41:13,096 --> 00:41:17,974
And the truth is maybe they
still are influencing reality.
790
00:41:19,269 --> 00:41:22,353
So, uh, what do you think?
791
00:41:22,439 --> 00:41:24,481
Would you like to try getting
yourself mummified
792
00:41:24,566 --> 00:41:27,484
after you die, and then
be brought back to life?
793
00:41:27,569 --> 00:41:29,277
It's a tantalizing concept.
794
00:41:29,362 --> 00:41:32,447
But then again,
maybe we should heed
795
00:41:32,491 --> 00:41:35,492
the lesson of king tut's tomb,
and remember
796
00:41:35,577 --> 00:41:40,163
that it might be better
to let mummies rest in peace,
797
00:41:40,207 --> 00:41:43,500
leaving the question of whether
they will ever rise again
798
00:41:43,585 --> 00:41:49,506
to remain,
at least for now... Unexplained.
799
00:41:49,591 --> 00:41:52,842
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