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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:04,571 --> 00:00:07,406 NARRATOR: An Egyptian pyramid 2 00:00:07,507 --> 00:00:09,141 that's like no other. 3 00:00:09,242 --> 00:00:12,878 This makes you understand what a pyramid is all about. 4 00:00:12,979 --> 00:00:15,881 NARRATOR: Surrounded by a strange trench, 5 00:00:15,982 --> 00:00:19,184 this is the only pyramid ever built 6 00:00:19,285 --> 00:00:21,420 to look like it floats on water. 7 00:00:23,089 --> 00:00:25,591 Wow, that is amazing. 8 00:00:27,060 --> 00:00:29,862 Now, our cameras have exclusive access 9 00:00:29,963 --> 00:00:33,699 to venture inside this bizarre megastructure 10 00:00:33,800 --> 00:00:35,634 for the very first time, 11 00:00:35,735 --> 00:00:38,771 exploring tunnels hidden deep below ground. 12 00:00:40,640 --> 00:00:43,442 We follow investigators using pioneering 13 00:00:43,543 --> 00:00:47,479 drone scanning technology and forensic analysis. 14 00:00:47,580 --> 00:00:50,315 Wow! [indistinct] 15 00:00:50,417 --> 00:00:51,917 NARRATOR: To decode the secrets of 16 00:00:52,018 --> 00:00:56,255 a pharaoh locked away inside for 4,000 years. 17 00:00:56,356 --> 00:00:58,357 This is the real burial chamber. 18 00:01:00,827 --> 00:01:03,662 NARRATOR: We will digitally deconstruct the pyramid's 19 00:01:03,763 --> 00:01:05,431 star-shaped inner skeleton, 20 00:01:07,667 --> 00:01:09,735 reveal its hidden tunnels, 21 00:01:10,970 --> 00:01:14,573 unearth its unique, astonishing engineering secrets, 22 00:01:15,975 --> 00:01:18,510 and uncover long-lost treasures 23 00:01:19,979 --> 00:01:23,682 to solve the mystery of the strangest pyramid of all. 24 00:01:35,261 --> 00:01:38,130 Over 100 pyramids rise from the sands 25 00:01:38,231 --> 00:01:39,531 of the Egyptian desert. 26 00:01:41,134 --> 00:01:42,868 All are huge tombs for 27 00:01:42,969 --> 00:01:45,671 the pharaohs who once ruled this ancient kingdom. 28 00:01:49,142 --> 00:01:52,177 The Great Pyramid of Giza is the most famous, 29 00:01:55,448 --> 00:01:57,883 one of the seven wonders of the ancient world. 30 00:02:01,221 --> 00:02:03,889 But 50 miles south, 31 00:02:03,990 --> 00:02:07,226 there's a more recent and much stranger monument, 32 00:02:09,195 --> 00:02:13,432 the Pyramid of Lahun, dating from Egypt's Middle Kingdom, 33 00:02:13,533 --> 00:02:15,601 an era consumed by war. 34 00:02:17,370 --> 00:02:19,671 This is a tomb like no other. 35 00:02:21,074 --> 00:02:22,674 Oh, wow. 36 00:02:22,775 --> 00:02:26,378 This makes you understand what a pyramid is all about. 37 00:02:27,881 --> 00:02:30,449 It dominates the landscape. 38 00:02:30,550 --> 00:02:33,485 There's nothing else for kilometers around, 39 00:02:33,586 --> 00:02:37,189 but here it stands in its full grandeur. 40 00:02:41,461 --> 00:02:42,995 NARRATOR: This is the brainchild of 41 00:02:43,096 --> 00:02:46,365 a pharaoh called Senusret II. 42 00:02:46,466 --> 00:02:50,469 Built around 1870 B.C., it's a mighty monument 43 00:02:50,570 --> 00:02:55,841 clad in gleaming limestone that rises 160 feet above 44 00:02:55,942 --> 00:02:57,709 the desert... at the top, 45 00:02:57,810 --> 00:03:01,313 a black granite capstone makes a connection to the heavens. 46 00:03:02,815 --> 00:03:06,718 Next to it, a smaller pyramid for the Pharaoh's queen, 47 00:03:06,819 --> 00:03:10,422 and eight stone mastaba memorials, 48 00:03:10,523 --> 00:03:13,225 all enclosed by a huge mud brick wall. 49 00:03:14,928 --> 00:03:16,995 Senusret's grand funerary complex 50 00:03:17,096 --> 00:03:19,431 is said to be surrounded by water, 51 00:03:19,532 --> 00:03:21,700 seemingly floating in the desert. 52 00:03:21,801 --> 00:03:26,972 ♪♪ 53 00:03:27,073 --> 00:03:30,209 Why is the pyramid built in this extraordinary way? 54 00:03:33,780 --> 00:03:35,981 Now our cameras have been granted 55 00:03:36,082 --> 00:03:39,618 exclusive access to explore this remarkable complex 56 00:03:39,719 --> 00:03:40,786 for the first time. 57 00:03:46,392 --> 00:03:49,428 Salima Ikram has been investigating the mysteries 58 00:03:49,529 --> 00:03:51,930 of ancient Egypt for over 30 years. 59 00:03:56,035 --> 00:03:58,036 IKRAM: What a sight that must have been for people, 60 00:03:58,137 --> 00:04:01,039 to look at something like that, 61 00:04:01,140 --> 00:04:04,142 this mountain of a pyramid encircled by water. 62 00:04:05,812 --> 00:04:09,114 NARRATOR: The pyramid stands in Egypt's vast western desert. 63 00:04:11,084 --> 00:04:13,352 So why is it surrounded by water? 64 00:04:14,721 --> 00:04:17,155 We're in the middle of a desert, but in the distance, 65 00:04:17,257 --> 00:04:18,223 you can see that there is 66 00:04:18,324 --> 00:04:21,159 actually lots of greenery and vegetation, 67 00:04:21,261 --> 00:04:23,629 so there is water out there. 68 00:04:23,730 --> 00:04:26,632 NARRATOR: This is a fertile area of the desert, 69 00:04:26,733 --> 00:04:30,335 known as the Fayoum Oasis. 70 00:04:30,436 --> 00:04:32,738 So the fact that there's a lush oasis here 71 00:04:32,839 --> 00:04:36,341 means that there is a constant supply of water. 72 00:04:36,442 --> 00:04:38,277 NARRATOR: Salima wants to find out if this 73 00:04:38,378 --> 00:04:41,546 explains the water that once encircles the monument. 74 00:04:44,484 --> 00:04:45,751 Oh, my God. 75 00:04:45,852 --> 00:04:47,919 NARRATOR: She uses a high-resolution drone 76 00:04:48,021 --> 00:04:50,188 to survey the landscape from above. 77 00:04:52,792 --> 00:04:55,627 Oh, wow! You can see that 78 00:04:55,728 --> 00:04:58,897 this vegetation stretches for miles and miles. 79 00:04:58,998 --> 00:05:02,567 It's amazing, and beyond that, there's this channel of water. 80 00:05:02,669 --> 00:05:05,037 And then there's the Nile. 81 00:05:07,106 --> 00:05:08,340 NARRATOR: The pyramid is built 82 00:05:08,441 --> 00:05:10,542 about 10 miles from the River Nile. 83 00:05:12,145 --> 00:05:15,013 In ancient times, the annual Nile floods inundate 84 00:05:15,114 --> 00:05:18,417 the barren land with life-giving water and minerals. 85 00:05:18,518 --> 00:05:22,421 A huge canal, constructed by an earlier pharaoh, 86 00:05:22,522 --> 00:05:24,589 also channels water from the mighty river 87 00:05:24,691 --> 00:05:25,791 to the Fayoum. 88 00:05:27,293 --> 00:05:31,430 This large water channel that connects to the Nile is one of 89 00:05:31,531 --> 00:05:35,000 the main sources of water for this whole area near 90 00:05:35,101 --> 00:05:36,134 the pyramids. 91 00:05:37,704 --> 00:05:39,938 NARRATOR: Salima thinks the Nile and the canal 92 00:05:40,039 --> 00:05:41,940 are not the only sources of water. 93 00:05:44,477 --> 00:05:46,278 The weather in ancient times 94 00:05:46,379 --> 00:05:48,480 is also very different from today. 95 00:05:50,983 --> 00:05:53,852 I wonder what it would have been like 4,000 years ago 96 00:05:53,953 --> 00:05:56,655 when it was much wetter, it rained much more, 97 00:05:56,756 --> 00:05:59,191 and there were even more powerful floods. 98 00:06:00,760 --> 00:06:04,062 NARRATOR: Back then, this whole area is much wetter. 99 00:06:06,232 --> 00:06:08,666 The amount of water here makes it a bit curious 100 00:06:08,735 --> 00:06:11,737 that someone should choose this site to build a pyramid. 101 00:06:13,906 --> 00:06:16,274 Senusret II could have bean buried 102 00:06:16,376 --> 00:06:19,611 with his father several miles to the north of here. 103 00:06:19,712 --> 00:06:23,382 But he actively came and sought out and chose this place. 104 00:06:23,483 --> 00:06:26,118 So he must have had a very good reason to do that. 105 00:06:29,322 --> 00:06:32,424 NARRATOR: Salima thinks a reason may be found nearby 106 00:06:34,293 --> 00:06:36,228 in a centuries-old dam. 107 00:06:37,797 --> 00:06:41,433 What's really interesting is, if you go all the way down, 108 00:06:41,501 --> 00:06:45,470 this dam is built on the foundation of Senusret II's dam. 109 00:06:47,073 --> 00:06:49,608 This is the first dam ever built in the Fayoum, 110 00:06:49,709 --> 00:06:53,311 and that he used, really, to tame this region 111 00:06:53,413 --> 00:06:56,481 and turned it into an agricultural sort of 112 00:06:56,582 --> 00:06:57,482 treasure trove. 113 00:07:00,353 --> 00:07:02,320 NARRATOR: The pharaohs before Senusret 114 00:07:02,422 --> 00:07:05,257 dig out a waterway from the Nile to the Fayoum, 115 00:07:06,626 --> 00:07:09,127 creating a massive lake and oasis. 116 00:07:11,931 --> 00:07:15,634 Senusret himself builds dikes and irrigation channels 117 00:07:17,403 --> 00:07:19,738 to distribute water to the surrounding desert. 118 00:07:22,809 --> 00:07:25,277 Drawing water from the oasis, 119 00:07:25,378 --> 00:07:28,079 Senusret creates 17,000 acres 120 00:07:28,181 --> 00:07:31,016 of new farmland near Lahun, 121 00:07:33,786 --> 00:07:36,121 and he builds his pyramid right next to it, 122 00:07:38,624 --> 00:07:41,326 to commemorate his achievement and life's work. 123 00:07:44,030 --> 00:07:50,669 ♪♪ 124 00:07:50,770 --> 00:07:53,405 IKRAM: What makes the positioning of this pyramid 125 00:07:53,506 --> 00:07:56,475 particularly poignant is that Senusret II 126 00:07:56,576 --> 00:07:58,710 is the one who is responsible for all of this 127 00:07:58,811 --> 00:08:00,278 agricultural work. 128 00:08:00,379 --> 00:08:03,148 With this pyramid, you can clearly see the land of 129 00:08:03,249 --> 00:08:05,217 the living, all of that vegetation. 130 00:08:05,318 --> 00:08:07,586 And then here, the king is in the land of the dead, 131 00:08:07,687 --> 00:08:10,755 looking over for eternity, all of this greenery 132 00:08:10,857 --> 00:08:11,957 and all of this life. 133 00:08:13,526 --> 00:08:15,460 NARRATOR: The pharaoh wants his tomb next 134 00:08:15,528 --> 00:08:17,262 to the paradise he creates. 135 00:08:18,731 --> 00:08:22,100 Water gives life, but it's also a threat. 136 00:08:22,201 --> 00:08:24,436 How does the pharaoh prevent water 137 00:08:24,537 --> 00:08:26,137 from damaging his pyramid? 138 00:08:30,009 --> 00:08:31,643 There are clues hidden in 139 00:08:31,744 --> 00:08:34,312 a trench that runs around the pyramid. 140 00:08:34,413 --> 00:08:38,116 Carved 10 feet deep into the limestone bedrock, 141 00:08:38,217 --> 00:08:41,419 it's filled with tons of crushed stones 142 00:08:41,521 --> 00:08:45,023 and a thick layer of sand. 143 00:08:48,594 --> 00:08:51,530 It looks like the moat around a medieval castle. 144 00:08:54,567 --> 00:08:57,402 In 1870 B.C., it sits right at 145 00:08:57,503 --> 00:08:59,070 the bottom edge of the pyramid. 146 00:09:02,675 --> 00:09:04,809 This mega trench is unique. 147 00:09:04,911 --> 00:09:07,145 No other pyramid has anything like it. 148 00:09:08,748 --> 00:09:10,148 What is it used for? 149 00:09:13,653 --> 00:09:16,388 Ezzeldin Yazeed has been solving the puzzles 150 00:09:16,489 --> 00:09:20,058 of ancient Egyptian engineering for three decades. 151 00:09:28,501 --> 00:09:31,403 Ezz uses a hydrology simulator to measure 152 00:09:31,504 --> 00:09:33,772 the amount of water the trench absorbs. 153 00:09:33,873 --> 00:09:35,206 He thinks the trench stops 154 00:09:35,308 --> 00:09:37,976 water from damaging the pyramid's foundations. 155 00:09:39,879 --> 00:09:43,114 The simulator releases 25 gallons of water over half 156 00:09:43,215 --> 00:09:46,251 an hour onto a bed of sand and gravel 157 00:09:46,352 --> 00:09:48,820 that matches the materials lining the trench. 158 00:10:04,070 --> 00:10:05,537 NARRATOR: Two inches of rainwater 159 00:10:05,638 --> 00:10:07,806 falling in just 30 minutes is enough to 160 00:10:07,907 --> 00:10:10,942 cause devastating flooding around the base of the pyramid. 161 00:10:14,013 --> 00:10:17,449 Ezz fits drainage pipes beneath the simulator. 162 00:10:17,550 --> 00:10:19,985 If the sand and gravel don't absorb the water, 163 00:10:20,086 --> 00:10:22,087 it will run through and fill the pipes. 164 00:10:25,291 --> 00:10:28,893 30 minutes later, it's time to check the result. 165 00:10:28,995 --> 00:10:30,528 The drainage pipes are empty. 166 00:10:32,365 --> 00:10:34,633 The sand and gravel absorb the water. 167 00:10:53,653 --> 00:10:56,488 NARRATOR: Scaled up, the trench will easily contain 168 00:10:56,589 --> 00:10:59,190 the worst of Egypt's winter storms and flooding. 169 00:11:10,336 --> 00:11:13,438 NARRATOR: Ancient engineers create an extraordinary-looking 170 00:11:13,539 --> 00:11:16,908 pyramid and also find a way to keep 171 00:11:17,009 --> 00:11:19,844 it safe from floodwaters for thousands of years. 172 00:11:21,981 --> 00:11:25,383 But what are the strange stone structures inside? 173 00:11:25,484 --> 00:11:27,285 Can they explain how the monument 174 00:11:27,386 --> 00:11:29,220 seems to float on water? 175 00:11:40,232 --> 00:11:42,000 NARRATOR: The Pyramid of Lahun, 176 00:11:42,101 --> 00:11:45,003 an extraordinary ancient megastructure from Egypt's 177 00:11:45,104 --> 00:11:48,907 mysterious Middle Kingdom that appears to float on water. 178 00:11:50,910 --> 00:11:53,778 Pharaoh Senusret II builds his tomb in 179 00:11:53,879 --> 00:11:57,716 an area of Egypt called the Fayoum Oasis, 180 00:11:57,817 --> 00:12:00,752 complete with 500 square miles of waterways, 181 00:12:00,853 --> 00:12:03,888 lush palm trees, and agricultural pastures. 182 00:12:06,459 --> 00:12:08,827 It's like new land is being conquered 183 00:12:08,928 --> 00:12:11,763 and opened up by the Great King. 184 00:12:11,864 --> 00:12:14,265 NARRATOR: How does the pharaoh construct 185 00:12:14,366 --> 00:12:17,736 this huge structure on such wet, marshy ground? 186 00:12:21,741 --> 00:12:23,942 Salima Ikram investigates. 187 00:12:25,845 --> 00:12:29,948 Before this pyramid is erected around 1870 B.C., 188 00:12:31,450 --> 00:12:34,152 all Egyptian monuments are built from limestone, 189 00:12:37,022 --> 00:12:38,857 including the most famous of all, 190 00:12:41,327 --> 00:12:43,828 the Great Pyramid of Giza. 191 00:12:43,929 --> 00:12:46,731 Its foundations sit on solid bedrock, 192 00:12:48,901 --> 00:12:51,803 but its Lahun cousin is very different. 193 00:12:51,904 --> 00:12:55,874 Salima thinks that traditional building techniques inspire 194 00:12:55,975 --> 00:13:00,111 the pharaoh to create a new kind of lightweight structure. 195 00:13:00,212 --> 00:13:03,481 Mud brick is one of the basic building materials in 196 00:13:03,582 --> 00:13:05,650 ancient Egypt, but they tended to use these 197 00:13:05,751 --> 00:13:08,987 and houses rather than in their tombs. 198 00:13:13,058 --> 00:13:15,093 NARRATOR: Workers blend mud, straw, 199 00:13:15,194 --> 00:13:17,462 and sand to make mud bricks. 200 00:13:17,563 --> 00:13:21,166 They're dried in the sun or fired in a kiln. 201 00:13:21,267 --> 00:13:24,269 This building method dates back millennia. 202 00:13:27,239 --> 00:13:29,407 The pharaoh's engineers used these traditional 203 00:13:29,508 --> 00:13:32,277 methods to devise a technological breakthrough. 204 00:13:34,847 --> 00:13:37,982 So here I am, sitting on and absolutely surrounded 205 00:13:38,083 --> 00:13:39,984 by mud brick, and this is 206 00:13:40,085 --> 00:13:43,321 all what the pyramid is basically made of. 207 00:13:43,422 --> 00:13:46,324 NARRATOR: Senusret's pyramid is the first 208 00:13:46,425 --> 00:13:47,992 to be built from mud brick. 209 00:13:49,728 --> 00:13:51,229 IKRAM: If he was worried about weight 210 00:13:51,330 --> 00:13:52,997 and subsidence of the site, 211 00:13:53,098 --> 00:13:55,733 then the mud brick would have been lighter than stone, 212 00:13:55,835 --> 00:13:57,335 and therefore, you can make 213 00:13:57,436 --> 00:13:59,838 this impressive, monumental pyramid, 214 00:13:59,939 --> 00:14:03,374 but it's less dangerous for your foundations. 215 00:14:08,147 --> 00:14:10,315 NARRATOR: Using mud brick, it's now possible 216 00:14:10,416 --> 00:14:12,851 to build on the marshy Fayoum Oasis, 217 00:14:14,987 --> 00:14:16,688 but that's not the only challenge 218 00:14:16,789 --> 00:14:18,089 the pharaoh must overcome. 219 00:14:20,860 --> 00:14:23,127 IKRAM: The big problem with the mud brick is no matter 220 00:14:23,229 --> 00:14:25,563 how well made it is, when it rains, 221 00:14:25,664 --> 00:14:28,433 and if they are torrential rain, it starts to melt. 222 00:14:28,534 --> 00:14:31,135 And that's why you have this wash where 223 00:14:31,237 --> 00:14:34,305 the thing is eroded over and over again. 224 00:14:37,743 --> 00:14:40,979 NARRATOR: Can clues found inside the monument shed 225 00:14:41,080 --> 00:14:43,848 light on how the pharaoh solves this problem? 226 00:14:47,953 --> 00:14:49,754 Blowing away the mud bricks 227 00:14:51,123 --> 00:14:53,758 reveals a structure hidden inside. 228 00:14:56,028 --> 00:14:58,396 A star-shaped set of limestone walls 229 00:14:58,497 --> 00:15:00,131 radiate out from the center. 230 00:15:04,370 --> 00:15:06,104 In the time of Senusret, 231 00:15:06,205 --> 00:15:08,873 this limestone backbone stretches all the way 232 00:15:08,974 --> 00:15:10,875 through the pyramid. 233 00:15:10,976 --> 00:15:13,111 The skeleton is designed to hold 234 00:15:13,212 --> 00:15:15,313 the mud bricks in place during construction 235 00:15:17,816 --> 00:15:20,885 and make sure the shape of the pyramid is perfect. 236 00:15:22,955 --> 00:15:25,189 But how does the pharaoh protect the mud bricks 237 00:15:25,324 --> 00:15:27,625 from the elements when the building is finished? 238 00:15:31,931 --> 00:15:34,432 Salima believes fragments of limestone 239 00:15:34,533 --> 00:15:36,267 found here offer clues. 240 00:15:39,238 --> 00:15:41,539 Although there's not much of this left, 241 00:15:41,674 --> 00:15:43,274 it's probable that this was part of 242 00:15:43,375 --> 00:15:45,643 the casing of this pyramid, 243 00:15:45,744 --> 00:15:49,881 so you wouldn't see the mud brick or the stone skeleton. 244 00:15:51,450 --> 00:15:54,218 NARRATOR: Ancient engineers cover the exterior 245 00:15:54,320 --> 00:15:58,222 in a layer of tough, high-quality limestone. 246 00:15:58,324 --> 00:16:00,124 Workers transport it here from 247 00:16:00,225 --> 00:16:03,828 the pharaoh's quarries at Tura, near Cairo. 248 00:16:05,064 --> 00:16:08,466 This limestone is the finest limestone in Egypt, 249 00:16:08,567 --> 00:16:13,071 so the pyramid looked like a white shining monument, 250 00:16:13,172 --> 00:16:17,241 just like the Giza pyramids used to. 251 00:16:17,343 --> 00:16:21,079 NARRATOR: But even the finest limestone is not foolproof. 252 00:16:21,180 --> 00:16:23,281 How can the builders prevent water from 253 00:16:23,382 --> 00:16:26,117 seeping through any gaps between the blocks? 254 00:16:30,356 --> 00:16:33,524 It takes hundreds of huge white limestone blocks 255 00:16:33,625 --> 00:16:36,194 to fully encase Senusret's pyramid. 256 00:16:41,333 --> 00:16:44,569 Butterfly connectors inscribed with the king's name 257 00:16:46,939 --> 00:16:48,673 pull the blocks tightly together. 258 00:16:52,845 --> 00:16:56,280 A socket cut into the bedrock locks in the bottom 259 00:16:56,382 --> 00:16:59,684 row of blocks and provides a solid foundation 260 00:16:59,785 --> 00:17:01,019 for the cladding. 261 00:17:03,188 --> 00:17:05,289 When it rains, the water runs off 262 00:17:05,391 --> 00:17:08,593 the slick limestone skin into the trench, 263 00:17:08,694 --> 00:17:10,928 keeping the mud brick interior dry. 264 00:17:15,267 --> 00:17:17,568 This marvel of ancient engineering 265 00:17:17,669 --> 00:17:19,137 can withstand water, 266 00:17:20,973 --> 00:17:24,208 allowing the pharaoh to build an oasis. 267 00:17:27,079 --> 00:17:29,947 But the greatest challenge that faces all pharaohs 268 00:17:30,049 --> 00:17:34,085 is how to prevent their tombs from being raided. 269 00:17:36,655 --> 00:17:40,024 What ingenious technology does the pyramid conceal 270 00:17:40,125 --> 00:17:42,960 to safeguard the pharaoh's body for eternity? 271 00:17:53,906 --> 00:17:55,873 NARRATOR: Investigators want to find out 272 00:17:55,974 --> 00:17:58,876 how Senusret II's engineers 273 00:17:58,977 --> 00:18:01,746 apply their technological know-how 274 00:18:01,847 --> 00:18:05,149 to prevent grave robbers from looting the pharaoh's tomb, 275 00:18:05,250 --> 00:18:08,619 deep inside the floating pyramid of Lahun. 276 00:18:11,156 --> 00:18:12,824 IKRAM: This is a really puzzling pyramid. 277 00:18:16,962 --> 00:18:19,864 NARRATOR: Archaeologists unearth a chapel on the monument's 278 00:18:19,965 --> 00:18:21,032 north side, 279 00:18:23,335 --> 00:18:24,569 the traditional way in, 280 00:18:26,038 --> 00:18:28,840 but it's a dead end that leads nowhere. 281 00:18:30,242 --> 00:18:31,409 On the east face, 282 00:18:31,510 --> 00:18:33,044 they find a second chapel, 283 00:18:34,746 --> 00:18:37,348 but its walls are also solid. 284 00:18:37,449 --> 00:18:39,150 There's no way in here either. 285 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:43,421 Finally, on the south face, 286 00:18:44,890 --> 00:18:47,391 they discover a buried narrow shaft 287 00:18:48,827 --> 00:18:50,461 that leads deep underground. 288 00:18:53,132 --> 00:18:55,166 Is this the entrance to the tomb? 289 00:19:01,140 --> 00:19:05,476 Salima Ikram examines the southern end of the pyramid, 290 00:19:05,577 --> 00:19:08,379 where investigators discover the strange shaft. 291 00:19:10,582 --> 00:19:12,483 Now that is more like it. 292 00:19:12,584 --> 00:19:15,319 Here's a shaft right near the pyramid, 293 00:19:15,420 --> 00:19:17,288 and this is more likely to be the entrance 294 00:19:17,389 --> 00:19:19,690 even if it is the south face of the pyramid. 295 00:19:22,427 --> 00:19:24,362 NARRATOR: She measures the shaft to see 296 00:19:24,463 --> 00:19:25,997 if it's a possible way in. 297 00:19:28,233 --> 00:19:31,068 IKRAM: It's really hard to tell how deep this is, 298 00:19:31,170 --> 00:19:34,939 so we're using a very traditional way of finding out. 299 00:19:35,040 --> 00:19:36,374 There's rope that's knotted at 300 00:19:36,475 --> 00:19:39,143 every meter, and there's a weight at the bottom, 301 00:19:41,046 --> 00:19:43,014 and it just keeps on going. 302 00:19:44,449 --> 00:19:45,650 Still a bit more. 303 00:19:47,519 --> 00:19:48,786 No, I think that's it. 304 00:19:49,821 --> 00:19:52,390 NARRATOR: The shaft is 50 feet deep. 305 00:19:52,491 --> 00:19:54,992 It's also extremely narrow. 306 00:19:55,093 --> 00:19:57,495 It's possible that it was something that the workers who 307 00:19:57,596 --> 00:19:59,797 were building the subterranean structure did, 308 00:19:59,898 --> 00:20:02,800 because there really is no way you can get a king's 309 00:20:02,901 --> 00:20:06,504 sarcophagus down something this narrow. 310 00:20:06,605 --> 00:20:09,507 So obviously, this is not the official entryway. 311 00:20:09,608 --> 00:20:11,242 There must be another entry. 312 00:20:13,312 --> 00:20:15,813 NARRATOR: Investigators unearth the entrance beneath 313 00:20:15,914 --> 00:20:18,316 the tomb of one of the royal children. 314 00:20:18,417 --> 00:20:20,084 Salima has rare access to 315 00:20:20,185 --> 00:20:22,820 explore this labyrinth of underground tunnels. 316 00:20:24,890 --> 00:20:27,792 They've only recently been excavated by archaeologists. 317 00:20:31,096 --> 00:20:33,998 Wow, this is amazing. 318 00:20:34,099 --> 00:20:36,334 NARRATOR: It's the very first time that cameras 319 00:20:36,435 --> 00:20:39,704 have been allowed inside this astonishing megastructure. 320 00:20:40,973 --> 00:20:43,674 It's amazing to be in these tunnels. 321 00:20:43,775 --> 00:20:48,212 Up to about almost a year ago, they were filled until here 322 00:20:48,313 --> 00:20:50,982 with sand and rubble and dirt. 323 00:20:51,083 --> 00:20:53,351 NARRATOR: The pyramid is built six centuries 324 00:20:53,452 --> 00:20:56,754 before the invention of iron tools. 325 00:20:56,855 --> 00:20:59,490 Workers use soft copper chisels to 326 00:20:59,591 --> 00:21:01,659 carve the tunnels out of the bedrock. 327 00:21:04,329 --> 00:21:06,097 IKRAM: It's really quite spectacular. 328 00:21:06,198 --> 00:21:11,202 You can see the chisel marks cut into the bedrock over here. 329 00:21:11,303 --> 00:21:13,137 It's fantastic, because these tunnels go 330 00:21:13,238 --> 00:21:15,439 on for ages, and they're so deep. 331 00:21:19,111 --> 00:21:20,411 Oh, wow. 332 00:21:21,713 --> 00:21:24,415 So this... ha! 333 00:21:24,516 --> 00:21:28,185 NARRATOR: A few yards in, Salima stumbles on 334 00:21:28,287 --> 00:21:31,122 the bottom of the shaft she was measuring. 335 00:21:31,223 --> 00:21:36,193 It comes all the way down here, and it does lead to what 336 00:21:36,295 --> 00:21:38,863 was made to look like a burial chamber, 337 00:21:38,964 --> 00:21:41,465 because it's got this arch roof over here, 338 00:21:41,566 --> 00:21:43,200 which is typical of burial chambers. 339 00:21:43,302 --> 00:21:45,336 So if robbers had come in here, 340 00:21:45,437 --> 00:21:48,105 they would have thought, "Oh, wow. Great. This is it." 341 00:21:49,574 --> 00:21:52,343 The chamber is designed to throw tomb raiders 342 00:21:52,444 --> 00:21:53,444 off the scent. 343 00:21:56,081 --> 00:21:57,848 But they wouldn't have found anything. 344 00:21:57,949 --> 00:22:00,117 Though it's so cleverly done... 345 00:22:00,218 --> 00:22:02,219 There's even a niche here, 346 00:22:02,321 --> 00:22:05,356 as if this is where the canopic chest that had 347 00:22:05,457 --> 00:22:07,124 the internal organs would have 348 00:22:07,225 --> 00:22:09,460 been placed, so they really would have bean fooled. 349 00:22:11,129 --> 00:22:13,931 Pharaoh Senusret goes to extraordinary lengths 350 00:22:14,032 --> 00:22:16,133 to protect his final resting place. 351 00:22:18,303 --> 00:22:21,172 Clearly, Senusret's architect's and Senusret 352 00:22:21,273 --> 00:22:24,241 were trying to make sure that robbers didn't get into 353 00:22:24,343 --> 00:22:25,943 his tomb and loot it the way 354 00:22:26,044 --> 00:22:28,112 they'd done for everyone else before him. 355 00:22:33,385 --> 00:22:37,021 NARRATOR: This decoy chamber lies at the edge of the pyramid. 356 00:22:39,791 --> 00:22:40,925 But beyond it, 357 00:22:43,195 --> 00:22:47,098 there's a hidden passage that leads to a second chamber 358 00:22:47,199 --> 00:22:50,301 with shafts that stretch deep below ground. 359 00:22:52,771 --> 00:22:54,205 The tunnel continues, 360 00:22:57,442 --> 00:22:58,909 looping through the pyramid, 361 00:23:01,847 --> 00:23:05,149 and finally leads to a majestic room... 362 00:23:05,250 --> 00:23:07,151 The pharaoh's burial chamber. 363 00:23:08,854 --> 00:23:10,988 Do Senusret's many decoys 364 00:23:11,089 --> 00:23:14,658 keep his body and treasures safe from intruders? 365 00:23:18,096 --> 00:23:21,432 [gasps] It's the burial chamber, 366 00:23:21,533 --> 00:23:24,135 and this is the real burial chamber. 367 00:23:24,236 --> 00:23:25,469 It's got a vaulted roof, 368 00:23:25,570 --> 00:23:28,606 and it is, though, made out of pink granite 369 00:23:28,707 --> 00:23:31,108 brought from Aswan all the way from the south. 370 00:23:33,211 --> 00:23:34,545 This is fabulous. 371 00:23:34,646 --> 00:23:36,947 Here, you've got the true burial chamber 372 00:23:37,048 --> 00:23:38,916 with the sarcophagus still here, 373 00:23:40,819 --> 00:23:42,019 and it's been polished. 374 00:23:42,120 --> 00:23:45,456 You can see this wonderful sheen on it. 375 00:23:45,557 --> 00:23:49,393 NARRATOR: But the body of the pharaoh is no longer here. 376 00:23:49,494 --> 00:23:52,096 So what happens to it? 377 00:23:52,197 --> 00:23:54,532 A clue comes from a priceless 378 00:23:54,633 --> 00:23:56,500 object that belongs to the pharaoh. 379 00:23:58,970 --> 00:24:02,206 When archaeologists unearth Senusret's tomb, 380 00:24:02,307 --> 00:24:03,507 they find it looted. 381 00:24:05,143 --> 00:24:07,411 But in a corner buried in sand, 382 00:24:07,512 --> 00:24:09,246 they discover one treasure 383 00:24:09,347 --> 00:24:11,749 the robbers leave behind... 384 00:24:11,850 --> 00:24:15,319 A solid gold figure of an Egyptian cobra. 385 00:24:15,420 --> 00:24:19,223 It's a uraeus, a precious ornament that identifies 386 00:24:19,324 --> 00:24:22,560 the wearer as the pharaoh. 387 00:24:25,864 --> 00:24:29,433 The uraeus represents the snake goddess Wadjet, 388 00:24:29,534 --> 00:24:33,137 the divine protector of Egypt and the River Nile. 389 00:24:36,842 --> 00:24:38,943 It adorns the pharaoh's headwear. 390 00:24:41,813 --> 00:24:43,314 Only he can wear it. 391 00:24:46,785 --> 00:24:48,419 Do the tomb raiders leave 392 00:24:48,520 --> 00:24:51,722 the uraeus is behind by accident or design? 393 00:24:53,925 --> 00:24:56,160 I'm sure the robbers didn't notice, because 394 00:24:56,261 --> 00:25:00,097 they had so much other loot with them, no doubt. 395 00:25:01,900 --> 00:25:04,201 NARRATOR: The uraeus remains undisturbed 396 00:25:04,302 --> 00:25:05,769 in the pharaoh's mighty pyramid 397 00:25:05,871 --> 00:25:07,638 for almost four millennia. 398 00:25:10,642 --> 00:25:12,977 All that remains on the sarcophagus are 399 00:25:13,078 --> 00:25:16,847 a few haunting reminders of where the pharaoh once lay. 400 00:25:19,050 --> 00:25:21,418 IKRAM: Uneven marks. 401 00:25:21,520 --> 00:25:24,355 Like to imagine these are smears left over from the body. 402 00:25:26,458 --> 00:25:29,226 NARRATOR: Senusret's body has long gone from his final 403 00:25:29,327 --> 00:25:32,663 resting place, violated in the search for treasure. 404 00:25:36,101 --> 00:25:39,236 Now can clues hidden in a mysterious desert 405 00:25:39,337 --> 00:25:42,573 structure reveal more about the secrets of Egypt's 406 00:25:42,674 --> 00:25:43,774 strangest pyramid? 407 00:25:56,655 --> 00:26:01,125 NARRATOR: 4,000 years ago, Pharaoh Senusret II 408 00:26:01,226 --> 00:26:04,161 builds his pyramid in the Fayoum Oasis. 409 00:26:05,931 --> 00:26:09,934 Nearby, archaeologists unearth a mysterious find... 410 00:26:11,403 --> 00:26:13,304 A second massive construction. 411 00:26:16,308 --> 00:26:18,409 Are the pharaoh's final resting place 412 00:26:18,510 --> 00:26:21,111 and these strange ruins somehow linked? 413 00:26:23,582 --> 00:26:26,183 It's an insight into life, into work, 414 00:26:26,318 --> 00:26:28,385 into religion, into play that 415 00:26:28,486 --> 00:26:30,821 we simply don't get from other states from Egypt. 416 00:26:33,291 --> 00:26:35,593 NARRATOR: To the east of Senusret's pyramid, 417 00:26:35,694 --> 00:26:38,896 investigators discover the remains of a walled 418 00:26:38,997 --> 00:26:42,700 settlement over a million square feet in size. 419 00:26:44,469 --> 00:26:48,672 The western part is crammed full of small, narrow houses. 420 00:26:48,773 --> 00:26:50,741 To the north, 421 00:26:50,809 --> 00:26:52,977 a larger building towers over them. 422 00:26:54,379 --> 00:26:56,847 Nearby are more big houses, 423 00:26:56,948 --> 00:27:00,050 some measuring over 20,000 square feet. 424 00:27:04,022 --> 00:27:05,422 PRICE: When we think of ancient Egypt, 425 00:27:05,523 --> 00:27:08,025 we think off pharaohs, we think of gold. 426 00:27:08,126 --> 00:27:09,193 We think of death. 427 00:27:09,294 --> 00:27:11,295 Lahun is none of those things. 428 00:27:11,396 --> 00:27:14,765 It is about living people. 429 00:27:15,800 --> 00:27:18,335 NARRATOR: Campbell Price investigates 430 00:27:18,436 --> 00:27:19,870 the purpose of this enormous site, 431 00:27:19,971 --> 00:27:23,007 hidden by the desert sands for millennia. 432 00:27:23,108 --> 00:27:25,943 He believes answers may be found here, 433 00:27:26,044 --> 00:27:29,279 at the Manchester Museum in England 434 00:27:29,381 --> 00:27:31,749 in this 19th century map, 435 00:27:31,850 --> 00:27:34,251 drawn up by the first archaeologists 436 00:27:34,352 --> 00:27:35,719 to explore at Lahun. 437 00:27:36,788 --> 00:27:41,892 It shows the breakdown of houses in the town, 438 00:27:41,993 --> 00:27:43,994 which were planned, which were mapped, 439 00:27:44,062 --> 00:27:46,930 and which were reproduced on this document. 440 00:27:49,467 --> 00:27:52,036 NARRATOR: The streets are laid out in a regular pattern. 441 00:27:53,438 --> 00:27:55,806 Most of the buildings are made from mud brick. 442 00:27:57,375 --> 00:27:59,777 It's a fair assumption that these are the smallest 443 00:27:59,878 --> 00:28:01,845 dwellings in the entire town, 444 00:28:01,946 --> 00:28:05,082 and they belong to the least important people, 445 00:28:05,183 --> 00:28:06,650 the ordinary workers. 446 00:28:06,751 --> 00:28:10,320 NARRATOR: The pyramid and town date to the Middle Kingdom, 447 00:28:10,422 --> 00:28:13,824 a little-studied era of Egyptian history. 448 00:28:13,925 --> 00:28:16,326 The central section contains larger buildings, 449 00:28:16,428 --> 00:28:18,295 possibly for commercial purposes. 450 00:28:20,031 --> 00:28:22,433 The third and final area is perhaps 451 00:28:22,534 --> 00:28:25,002 the most intriguing of all. 452 00:28:25,103 --> 00:28:27,471 Up here, what the archaeologists first called 453 00:28:27,572 --> 00:28:29,373 the Acropolis, a raised area, 454 00:28:29,474 --> 00:28:32,109 there seem to be larger, more impressive 455 00:28:32,210 --> 00:28:34,912 villa-type dwellings. 456 00:28:35,013 --> 00:28:37,281 NARRATOR: Campbell suspects that the biggest villa 457 00:28:37,382 --> 00:28:40,184 is reserved for a very special visitor... 458 00:28:40,285 --> 00:28:42,219 The pharaoh, Senusret. 459 00:28:45,290 --> 00:28:47,991 Campbell wants to know if the pharaoh's 460 00:28:48,093 --> 00:28:51,695 visits help explain why he builds this town. 461 00:28:51,796 --> 00:28:54,631 An object found at the site may offer clues. 462 00:28:56,468 --> 00:29:01,538 This small stone weight is known as a plumb bob, 463 00:29:01,639 --> 00:29:05,109 which would be attached on the end of a string, 464 00:29:05,210 --> 00:29:07,077 tight and straight. 465 00:29:07,178 --> 00:29:09,947 This would allow precision in architecture, 466 00:29:10,048 --> 00:29:14,651 and it allows straight lines to be followed 467 00:29:14,753 --> 00:29:17,921 in the building of a major monument. 468 00:29:19,524 --> 00:29:21,458 NARRATOR: Campbell believes that this major 469 00:29:21,559 --> 00:29:24,528 monument is the pharaoh's pyramid, 470 00:29:24,629 --> 00:29:30,400 which is being constructed just 800 yards from the town. 471 00:29:30,502 --> 00:29:35,305 It throws light on why the town is built. 472 00:29:35,406 --> 00:29:37,941 It wasn't something that grew gradually. 473 00:29:38,042 --> 00:29:41,111 It was planned in advance by the state 474 00:29:41,212 --> 00:29:44,715 to be occupied by people involved in the building 475 00:29:44,816 --> 00:29:45,816 of the pyramid. 476 00:29:50,889 --> 00:29:54,691 The town is called Hat-Hetep-Senusret, 477 00:29:54,793 --> 00:29:57,394 or "King Senusret is at peace." 478 00:30:01,466 --> 00:30:04,868 The pharaoh fills it with workers and engineers 479 00:30:04,969 --> 00:30:07,371 and gives them the latest tools to complete 480 00:30:07,505 --> 00:30:08,806 his grand project. 481 00:30:12,377 --> 00:30:15,913 But the discovery of a strange statue leads investigators to 482 00:30:16,014 --> 00:30:18,715 wonder if this is more than just a place 483 00:30:18,817 --> 00:30:21,451 for the pharaoh's builders to live. 484 00:30:21,553 --> 00:30:23,620 It's made of limestone, and it 485 00:30:23,721 --> 00:30:27,357 depicts a very distinctive divine entity. 486 00:30:27,458 --> 00:30:33,230 She is one part hippo. One part lion, 487 00:30:33,331 --> 00:30:35,065 one part crocodile. 488 00:30:36,734 --> 00:30:40,137 The statue is of a goddess called Taweret. 489 00:30:40,271 --> 00:30:43,941 She's associated with fertility and childbirth. 490 00:30:44,042 --> 00:30:47,644 PRICE: She comes from a village, probably from a house, 491 00:30:47,745 --> 00:30:50,147 so she's probably not set up in a temple. 492 00:30:50,248 --> 00:30:52,249 She comes from a domestic setting. 493 00:30:55,119 --> 00:30:57,721 NARRATOR: Campbell believes that the houses on the map 494 00:30:57,822 --> 00:31:01,792 provide clues to help explain the mysterious statue. 495 00:31:01,893 --> 00:31:04,328 I think when we look at these houses, 496 00:31:04,429 --> 00:31:07,431 they don't indicate the dwellings of slaves. 497 00:31:07,532 --> 00:31:09,666 So these are simply the houses of 498 00:31:09,767 --> 00:31:13,871 the less well off members of the free community. 499 00:31:13,972 --> 00:31:16,773 NARRATOR: Pyramid builders are paid workmen, 500 00:31:16,875 --> 00:31:20,143 and they bring their wives and children with them, too. 501 00:31:20,245 --> 00:31:23,146 The town was not just a town of builders, 502 00:31:23,248 --> 00:31:26,283 but was a fully fledged family community. 503 00:31:27,452 --> 00:31:30,020 NARRATOR: Investigators believe that the pharaoh plans 504 00:31:30,121 --> 00:31:32,589 the town to have a life 505 00:31:32,690 --> 00:31:34,358 long after his death. 506 00:31:36,261 --> 00:31:40,397 Now, can the discovery of a huge cache of papyrus texts 507 00:31:40,498 --> 00:31:44,668 in the town reveal the extent of his plans for eternal life? 508 00:31:55,079 --> 00:31:56,813 NARRATOR: The Pyramid of Lahun, 509 00:31:58,383 --> 00:32:02,085 built 4,000 years ago during Egypt's Middle Kingdom. 510 00:32:03,755 --> 00:32:05,589 Now, investigators want to know if 511 00:32:05,690 --> 00:32:08,458 a remarkable discovery in the nearby town 512 00:32:09,961 --> 00:32:13,363 can shed light on the pharaoh's plans for immortality. 513 00:32:17,535 --> 00:32:19,403 Buried among the ruins of the town, 514 00:32:19,504 --> 00:32:22,172 archaeologists unearth a treasure trove of 515 00:32:22,273 --> 00:32:23,941 papyrus scrolls. 516 00:32:24,042 --> 00:32:26,643 It's one of the largest 517 00:32:26,744 --> 00:32:29,613 collections of ancient texts ever found. 518 00:32:29,714 --> 00:32:32,349 What can they reveal of the pharaoh's 519 00:32:32,450 --> 00:32:34,251 plans for eternal life? 520 00:32:38,423 --> 00:32:40,624 Glenn Godenho has been deciphering 521 00:32:40,725 --> 00:32:43,827 the Lahun papyri for a decade. 522 00:32:43,928 --> 00:32:45,495 GODENHO: We haven't just got one or two fragments 523 00:32:45,596 --> 00:32:46,830 of these Lahun papyri. 524 00:32:46,931 --> 00:32:48,865 We've got hundreds of them. 525 00:32:48,967 --> 00:32:50,834 They're more like letters or emails that we might 526 00:32:50,935 --> 00:32:53,070 send to each other, the unofficial stuff. 527 00:32:53,171 --> 00:32:54,905 We've got communications between people, 528 00:32:55,006 --> 00:32:57,507 maybe over business, maybe private matters, 529 00:32:57,608 --> 00:33:00,210 and they comment on absolutely everything you can imagine. 530 00:33:01,245 --> 00:33:03,246 NARRATOR: The letters are written onto papyrus 531 00:33:03,348 --> 00:33:05,549 using a reed pen. 532 00:33:05,650 --> 00:33:07,317 They're not written in hieroglyphs. 533 00:33:07,418 --> 00:33:09,920 Instead, what we use is a cursive handwritten 534 00:33:10,021 --> 00:33:12,889 form of hieroglyphs, and this is called hieratic. 535 00:33:12,991 --> 00:33:15,192 It's the way people would communicate with each other. 536 00:33:16,260 --> 00:33:18,628 NARRATOR: Glenn believes the papyri offer clues 537 00:33:18,730 --> 00:33:21,031 to Senusret's long-term plans. 538 00:33:24,035 --> 00:33:26,770 The only way for a dead pharaoh to survive 539 00:33:26,871 --> 00:33:29,873 in the afterlife is to be remembered by the living. 540 00:33:30,942 --> 00:33:33,243 You can't survive in the afterlife just by 541 00:33:33,344 --> 00:33:35,645 slowly decaying in a hole in the ground. 542 00:33:37,515 --> 00:33:39,449 NARRATOR: One of the ancient texts found in 543 00:33:39,550 --> 00:33:42,352 the town throws light on why it's built. 544 00:33:43,821 --> 00:33:45,889 GODENHO: A document like this reminds us 545 00:33:45,990 --> 00:33:47,858 what the Lahun was set up to do, 546 00:33:49,527 --> 00:33:52,062 to look after the cult of Senusret II, 547 00:33:52,163 --> 00:33:55,699 and they're continuing to do that even after he's dead. 548 00:33:57,802 --> 00:34:00,137 NARRATOR: It is the job of the town's priests 549 00:34:00,238 --> 00:34:02,672 to keep the memory of Senusret alive. 550 00:34:05,576 --> 00:34:08,779 Glenn believes one of the papyri offers clues to 551 00:34:08,880 --> 00:34:11,982 the extent of the pharaoh's ambitions for eternal life. 552 00:34:13,551 --> 00:34:16,420 This is a transfer deed or a will from Lahun. 553 00:34:16,521 --> 00:34:17,954 This one survived really well. 554 00:34:18,056 --> 00:34:20,657 The ink has survived really, really clearly on this, 555 00:34:20,758 --> 00:34:23,360 so it's a really nice example. 556 00:34:23,461 --> 00:34:25,762 NARRATOR: The document is written by a man called 557 00:34:25,863 --> 00:34:29,332 Mery, who is transferring property to his son. 558 00:34:29,434 --> 00:34:32,102 This is the oldest legal manuscript 559 00:34:32,203 --> 00:34:35,505 on papyrus ever discovered in Egypt. 560 00:34:35,606 --> 00:34:38,075 The property that he's transferring is his office. 561 00:34:38,176 --> 00:34:39,309 It's his job. 562 00:34:39,410 --> 00:34:41,478 So it's kind of like his retirement plan, he's coming up 563 00:34:41,579 --> 00:34:45,215 for retirement, and his role will be passed on to his son, 564 00:34:45,316 --> 00:34:49,219 and his son will be able to look after him in his old age. 565 00:34:49,320 --> 00:34:51,621 NARRATOR: The job that Mery is passing on 566 00:34:51,722 --> 00:34:55,125 is controller of a group of priests. 567 00:34:55,226 --> 00:34:57,994 The document reveals part of Senusret's 568 00:34:58,096 --> 00:35:00,897 elaborate plans to achieve eternal life. 569 00:35:06,571 --> 00:35:10,006 To make sure his soul lives on after his death, 570 00:35:11,642 --> 00:35:14,010 Senusret builds a temple in the town. 571 00:35:17,148 --> 00:35:19,983 This is where the priests come to worship the pharaoh 572 00:35:22,153 --> 00:35:25,689 and service his cult so that he remains eternal. 573 00:35:27,859 --> 00:35:31,094 Groups of priests take turns, 574 00:35:31,195 --> 00:35:36,333 each spending a month in the service of the dead king. 575 00:35:39,003 --> 00:35:41,938 They hold festivals with dancers and music, 576 00:35:42,039 --> 00:35:44,608 keeping the pharaoh's memory alive, 577 00:35:44,709 --> 00:35:47,244 ensuring he lives in the afterlife. 578 00:35:50,615 --> 00:35:53,650 But Glenn believes that's not how it works out. 579 00:35:55,720 --> 00:35:56,987 GODENHO: After a certain amount of time, 580 00:35:57,088 --> 00:35:59,823 things move on, memory starts to wane. 581 00:35:59,924 --> 00:36:01,658 New pharaohs have come into place 582 00:36:01,759 --> 00:36:04,127 and died and are being buried. 583 00:36:04,228 --> 00:36:06,930 And so it's quite natural that after a period of time, 584 00:36:07,031 --> 00:36:10,267 a pharaoh's cult will stop being serviced. 585 00:36:12,270 --> 00:36:15,172 NARRATOR: The cult of Senusret slips into oblivion. 586 00:36:17,141 --> 00:36:19,910 GODENHO: After about 100 years, Lahun is abandoned, 587 00:36:20,011 --> 00:36:23,380 and these documents stop referencing Senusret II, 588 00:36:23,481 --> 00:36:24,948 So it looks like that's the point 589 00:36:25,049 --> 00:36:27,184 at which his memory's starting to fade. 590 00:36:28,853 --> 00:36:30,887 NARRATOR: Can the end of the pharaoh's cult 591 00:36:30,988 --> 00:36:34,658 also explain why his pyramid lies in ruins? 592 00:36:45,770 --> 00:36:48,605 NARRATOR: The Pyramid of Lahun, built by 593 00:36:48,706 --> 00:36:50,307 Pharaoh Senusret II, 594 00:36:52,076 --> 00:36:55,212 a megastructure like no other in ancient Egypt. 595 00:36:58,082 --> 00:37:01,218 Its exterior is once gleaming and white, 596 00:37:01,319 --> 00:37:03,320 made from the finest limestone. 597 00:37:03,421 --> 00:37:06,523 What you see here is not what was originally built. 598 00:37:06,624 --> 00:37:09,259 So although it's still very impressive, 599 00:37:09,360 --> 00:37:11,228 this is not the magnificent monument 600 00:37:11,329 --> 00:37:14,064 that Senusret II had intended. 601 00:37:14,165 --> 00:37:18,235 NARRATOR: Surrounded by water, it seems to float above the desert. 602 00:37:21,906 --> 00:37:25,775 The pyramid's original limestone casing has long gone, 603 00:37:25,876 --> 00:37:28,812 exposing its mud brick interior to the elements. 604 00:37:30,514 --> 00:37:33,450 Salima Ikram investigates what happens to it. 605 00:37:36,687 --> 00:37:39,322 IKRAM: If there'd been a major disaster like an earthquake, 606 00:37:39,423 --> 00:37:41,057 and it had a lot fallen off, 607 00:37:41,158 --> 00:37:45,028 you would see large blocks of it everywhere, but you don't. 608 00:37:45,129 --> 00:37:47,030 Instead, we've got these teeny weeny shards 609 00:37:47,131 --> 00:37:48,331 scattered over the place. 610 00:37:49,867 --> 00:37:53,336 Salima wants to know why. 611 00:37:55,172 --> 00:37:56,573 So it looks as if the pyramid 612 00:37:56,674 --> 00:37:59,476 must have been very skillfully robbed 613 00:37:59,577 --> 00:38:02,445 for all of this limestone to vanish. 614 00:38:04,148 --> 00:38:07,717 NARRATOR: The limestone has been deliberately removed 615 00:38:07,818 --> 00:38:11,054 not by robbers, but by officials. 616 00:38:12,723 --> 00:38:15,892 It was really taken away deliberately, the skilled 617 00:38:15,993 --> 00:38:18,228 workmen systematically stripped 618 00:38:18,329 --> 00:38:20,363 this pyramid of its limestone 619 00:38:20,464 --> 00:38:22,932 and carted it off somewhere to use it for something else. 620 00:38:24,201 --> 00:38:27,404 Who orders such an act of vandalism? 621 00:38:27,505 --> 00:38:30,373 For answers, Salima examines accounts 622 00:38:30,474 --> 00:38:32,842 of the first explorers. 623 00:38:32,943 --> 00:38:35,945 She finds an intriguing piece of evidence... 624 00:38:36,047 --> 00:38:39,049 A cartouche, an oval-shaped hieroglyph 625 00:38:39,150 --> 00:38:41,885 that contains the name of a pharaoh. 626 00:38:41,986 --> 00:38:45,955 In this account, over 100 years old, it says that 627 00:38:46,057 --> 00:38:47,924 the cartouche of Ramesses II 628 00:38:48,025 --> 00:38:51,227 was found scrawled across the surface of a joint. 629 00:38:54,031 --> 00:38:56,700 NARRATOR: Ramesses II... one of 630 00:38:56,801 --> 00:38:59,636 the greatest pharaohs in Egyptian history. 631 00:38:59,737 --> 00:39:02,372 He rules Egypt in its golden age, 632 00:39:02,473 --> 00:39:06,676 500 years after the death of Senusret. 633 00:39:08,045 --> 00:39:10,680 Ramesses glorifies his rule by building 634 00:39:10,781 --> 00:39:13,149 a huge number of astonishing monuments. 635 00:39:14,819 --> 00:39:15,652 Luxor, 636 00:39:18,622 --> 00:39:19,723 Karnak, 637 00:39:23,828 --> 00:39:24,794 Abu Simbel. 638 00:39:30,701 --> 00:39:32,902 But for these, 639 00:39:33,003 --> 00:39:34,704 he needs a lot of stone. 640 00:39:37,007 --> 00:39:40,610 IKRAM: Ramesses II was one of the most prolific builders of 641 00:39:40,711 --> 00:39:42,011 all the pharaohs, 642 00:39:42,113 --> 00:39:44,013 and one of the reasons he could do this was because 643 00:39:44,115 --> 00:39:46,616 he stole material from his predecessors 644 00:39:46,717 --> 00:39:48,685 and also usurped their monuments. 645 00:39:50,087 --> 00:39:53,456 NARRATOR: Ramesses makes no attempt to hide his theft. 646 00:39:55,593 --> 00:39:58,461 IKRAM: Ramesses II probably just put his cartouche there so 647 00:39:58,562 --> 00:40:01,231 everyone would know who had taken the material, because he 648 00:40:01,332 --> 00:40:03,767 didn't think he was doing anything wrong, and because, 649 00:40:03,868 --> 00:40:07,871 in fact, what he was doing was linking himself with Senusret II 650 00:40:07,972 --> 00:40:09,305 as his ancestor. 651 00:40:15,212 --> 00:40:18,281 NARRATOR: And yet the legacy of Senusret does live on. 652 00:40:21,452 --> 00:40:24,287 Farmers still grow huge amounts of crops 653 00:40:24,388 --> 00:40:26,156 in the Fayoum today, 654 00:40:26,257 --> 00:40:28,958 the area the Pharaoh irrigates. 655 00:40:29,059 --> 00:40:31,161 IKRAM: His reign was marked 656 00:40:31,262 --> 00:40:35,465 by wonderful innovations that really turned Egypt 657 00:40:35,566 --> 00:40:38,701 into an even more agriculturally rich area. 658 00:40:40,037 --> 00:40:42,439 And he leaves us with a stunning memorial... 659 00:40:44,041 --> 00:40:48,344 His pyramid, built 4,000 years ago, 660 00:40:48,446 --> 00:40:50,613 still overlooking the Fayoum. 661 00:40:50,714 --> 00:40:54,217 It still towers above us and dominates 662 00:40:54,318 --> 00:40:55,752 the surrounding landscape. 663 00:40:57,721 --> 00:41:01,224 NARRATOR: The pyramid at Lahun is Egypt's strangest, 664 00:41:02,393 --> 00:41:05,495 once encircled by water, so it appears to float. 665 00:41:07,798 --> 00:41:09,933 And deep inside, a maze of 666 00:41:10,034 --> 00:41:13,203 tunnels and decoys to deter tomb robbers. 667 00:41:17,174 --> 00:41:20,143 This ancient engineering marvel of mud brick 668 00:41:20,244 --> 00:41:23,046 and gleaming white limestone 669 00:41:23,147 --> 00:41:26,983 is an everlasting memorial to Pharaoh Senusret II. 670 00:41:27,084 --> 00:41:34,157 ♪♪ 671 00:41:34,258 --> 00:41:42,258 ♪♪ 672 00:41:44,168 --> 00:41:52,168 ♪♪ 673 00:41:54,178 --> 00:42:02,085 ♪♪ 53343

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