All language subtitles for Lost.Treasures.of.Egypt.S02E06.WEBRip.x264-ION10.en

NARRATOR: Egypt.

The richest
source of archaeological
treasures on the planet.

MAN: Oh, whoa!
Look at that!

NARRATOR: Hidden beneath
this desert landscape

lie the secrets of this
ancient civilization.

ALEJANDRO: Ooh. I'’ve never
seen something like this.

NARRATOR: Now, for a full
season of excavations,

our cameras have been
given unprecedented

access to follow
teams on the front
line of archaeology.

MYRIAM: This is the
most critical moment.

NARRATOR: Revealing
buried secrets.

SALIMA: Oh!
AHMED: We are lucky today.

NOZUMO: Wow! Lots
of mummies.

KATHLEEN: The smell
is horrible.

NARRATOR: And making
discoveries that could
rewrite ancient history.

PROF. JOHN: We'’ve never
had the proof until now!

DR COLLEEN: This is
where it all started.

ALEJANDRO: My goodness,
I never expected this.

NARRATOR: This time,
archaeologists unlock the
secrets of one of Egypt'’s

most legendary Pharaohs,
Ramses the Great.

DR ISKANDER: This must
have been used by
probably Ramses himself.

NARRATOR: John and Colleen
search the desert for
clues to Ramses'’ success.

DR COLLEEN: This is
like the greatest hits
of Ramses'’ victories.

NARRATOR: Aliaa races
to save one of Egypt'’s
greatest treasures.

ALIAA: If it tips over it
would definitely damage
the surface of the tomb.

NARRATOR: And Fathi
excavates deep into
the earth to uncover

the mysteries of an
ancient necropolis.

NARRATOR: In over
3,000 years of ancient
Egyptian history,

no Pharaoh comes close
to rivalling Ramses
the Great.

During his 66 years
on the throne,

Ramses raised
the Egyptian empire

to the zenith of
its wealth, culture
and power.

He created a vast legacy,

and was so revered that
nine further pharaohs
would take his name.

He would build more statues,
monuments and temples
than any other pharaoh,

forever changing
the face of Egypt.

Now archaeologists
across the country
are searching

for the secrets of
his success.

In the ancient
city of Abydos,

Dr Sameh Iskander
leads a team on a
mission to excavate

what some archaeologists
believe is the first temple
built during Ramses reign.

DR ISKANDER: Egypt after
Ramses is a completely
different country.

This is his beginning.

There'’s something
personal about this.

And that'’s what really
got me into interested
in this temple.

NARRATOR: He hopes
clues found in
Ramses early reign

can unlock the mystery
of what fueled his
future success.

But first, Sameh must
settle an age old debate
over whether this is truly

the first monument
built by Ramses.

DR ISKANDER: Well,
what we'’re looking
here is any clues

as to when this
temple was built.

NARRATOR: The team digs for
foundation deposits deep
beneath the temple walls,

offerings buried at the
start of construction,

which they hope will
provide vital information
about the temple'’s origins.

Instead of foundation
deposits, worker unearth
something incredible.

DR ISKANDER: Cartouches!
Extremely unusual
cartouches.

Unprecedented in
any Egyptian temple.

NARRATOR: These oval
markings were used to stamp
the names of pharaohs

onto their monuments.

The hidden cartouches
spell out two names.

DR ISKANDER: The
one on the left is
Ramses Meri Amun,

that'’s the name given to
him when he was born.

And the other one is
the throne name that
the one given to him

when he became the
pharaoh, Ramses II.

NARRATOR: Ramses throne
name would not have
been inscribed

on the foundations unless
he began its construction.

DR ISKANDER: This temple
was built during the reign
of Ramses II, period.

No more argument
about that.

NARRATOR: Ramses would go
on to build more monuments
than any other pharaoh,

but the cartouche
proves this temple is
where it all began.

DR ISKANDER: This is his
beginning and was starting
to build a legacy.

NARRATOR: Ramses began
his prolific campaign

of monument building
with this temple.

At its entrance, an
imposing granite doorway
led to a courtyard

surrounded by figures
of Osiris, the god of
this temple.

In each corner of
the temple, buried
in the foundations,

golden cartouches
spelling his name, Ramses II,
the chosen of Ra.

On the south-western
wall of the temple,

Sameh investigates a
recently sealed doorway,

which appears to lead
away from the building.

DR ISKANDER: This door
was left open for
almost 3,000 years.

What is the reason?

Something must have gone
on through this door.

NARRATOR: Sameh'’s team
begin excavating around
the doorway for clues

about where it might lead.

50 miles south in the
Valley of the Kings

is the magnificently
decorated tomb of
Ramses'’ father,

Seti the First, who
ruled for 11 years before
Ramses came to the throne.

Aliaa Ismail has come here
to study the decorations

for clues about what
legacy Ramses inherited
from his father.

ALIAA: You can see
that the pigments have
survived all this time.

NARRATOR: A detail in
the stunning mural
catches her eye.

ALIAA: Here you can
see the blueness
here in the hair.

NARRATOR: This blue
pigmentation reveals
incredible evidence

about Seti'’s reign.

ALIAA: We have, here, lapis,
and lapis was brought
from Afghanistan.

NARRATOR: The pigment was
brought over 2,000 miles
to be used in this tomb.

It'’s a clue that
Egypt could have
entered a golden era

before Ramses ever
came to the throne.

ALIAA: We can see
strong trade relations,

in terms of wealth,
power and politics.

It'’s like China and
America put together.

NARRATOR: Ramses success
may have been built on the
back of the achievements

of his father.

But discoveries like
this are at risk of
disappearing.

ALIAA: Tombs were made
to be closed forever and
once we have opened them,

the presence of air
and moisture keeps
degrading the tomb.

NARRATOR: Aliaa is
training a team of
young conservationists

to help preserve the
tomb through cutting edge
3D scanning.

ALIAA: For thousands of
years, the locals have been
the guardians of this place

and now they'’re doing
it just with modern
technology.

NARRATOR: For team member,
Mina Fahim Rezk,

it'’s a welcome chance
to protect his Egyptian
heritage.

NARRATOR: Tomorrow, they
will use their training
to create a 3D record

of Seti the First'’s
tomb before it
vanishes forever.

South of the Valley of
the Kings in Luxor is
the Asasif necropolis.

This sprawling graveyard
covers over 1,000 years of
ancient Egyptian history,

with burials from 800 years
before Ramses time to many
centuries after his death.

Project director, Fathi
Yaseen, and his team,

are excavating a newly
discovered shaft.

NARRATOR: The size of the
shaft means it could lead
to an undiscovered tomb.

But, after two weeks
excavation, their dig
hasn'’t produced any finds.

NARRATOR: Just feet from
the mouth of the shaft,

Fathi spots something
in the ground. It'’s
rare pottery.

Fathi examines it closely
to determine its age.

NARRATOR: The find is from
the time of Ramses'’ rule.

It'’s a promising sign
the shaft also leads to
a tomb from this period.

NARRATOR: Just north
of the shaft,

one of the team
unearths a hole leading
deep into the ground.

NARRATOR: It looks
promising, but the
entrance is unstable.

NARRATOR: It'’s a
tantalizing, but
risky new lead.

In Abydos, at the first
temple constructed by
Ramses,

Sameh discovers a walkway
of limestone blocks

leading away from the
sealed up temple doorway.

At the end of the path
is something incredible.

DR ISKANDER: Low and behold,
we come across a palace.

NARRATOR: This is the
find of a lifetime.

Ramses the Great'’s
private palace.

DR ISKANDER: We were
shocked.

We really did not
expect this here.

NARRATOR: Sameh and
his team immediately
begin excavating

this magnificent discovery.

DR ISKANDER: The entire
site was covered for up
to 4 meters.

NARRATOR: Ramses path
to greatness began
here in Abydos,

but he wasn'’t the first
pharaoh to build here.

Just 950 feet south
of Ramses'’ palace

is the temple of his
father, Seti the First.

Sameh has come here
looking for clues
about why both Ramses

and his father chose
to build in Abydos,

a site which had fallen out
of favor and been abandoned
by previous rulers.

DR ISKANDER: Here is
Seti the First, his
son, Prince Ramses,

who later will become
Ramses the Great.

NARRATOR: A relief known
as the King'’s List,

records the pharaohs from
the first dynasty up to
the time of Ramses.

Within it, hidden clues
may reveal why Seti and
Ramses returned to Abydos,

and if it played a
part in Ramses'’ success.

DR ISKANDER: Obviously,
there is something
missing here.

NARRATOR: Multiple
kings have been
erased from history.

DR ISKANDER: Why
they were missing?

Because they are
horrific kings.

NARRATOR: These pharaohs
ruled before Ramses
and Seti came to power.

During this period,
the old religions and
gods were abandoned.

DR ISKANDER: What Ramses is
trying to do is to restore
the old Egyptian religion.

NARRATOR: Abydos is where
early Egyptians believed
the god, Osiris was buried.

They considered it a
sacred site, and from
the first dynasty,

chose to build
their tombs here.

Archaeologists unearthed
a tomb dating to 2,000
years before Ramses'’ rule.

Inside it, a
treasure hoard with
over 400 wine jars.

An ivory scepter.

An ancient obsidian bowl.

And the oldest examples
of Egyptian writing.

Priceless ivory tags
bearing the names of
regions of ancient Egypt.

This tomb is believed
to belong to a man
called Scorpion,

one of Egypt'’s very
first kings.

By building in Abydos,
Ramses and Seti

hope to ensure
the success of
their dynasty.

Forever associating it
with the first kings,
such as Scorpion,

and one of the most revered
ancient gods, Osiris, ruler
of the underworld.

DR ISKANDER: That'’s what
this temple is all about.

Build this temple in
the domain of Osiris,
which is Abydos.

NARRATOR: Ramses built his
power through a connection
to the old ways.

But, could developments
made during King
Scorpion'’s reign

have been what allowed
Ramses to spread that
power through his empire?

In the town of El-Khawy.

Hieroglyphics experts,
John and Coleen Darnell
are on a mission

to unravel the mystery of
Ramses'’ path to greatness.

Above an historic
trade route,

they have discovered
ancient inscriptions.

PROF. JOHN: I think what
we'’ve got here is one

of the earliest
hieroglyphic inscriptions.

NARRATOR: Carved
into the mountain are
depictions of animals,

but these are more
than just drawings.

PROF. JOHN: This is
someone actually
writing these signs.

They'’re letters,
not pictures.

NARRATOR: These carvings
mark a huge moment
in human civilization.

They show an ibis with
two storks on either side
and form something new.

A picture representing
a word.

This is an early version
of a hieroglyph akhet,

the ancient Egyptian
word for horizon.

This could be one of the
oldest examples of written
language ever found.

To confirm the age
of the inscriptions,

John and Colleen compare
them with records

of the ancient texts found
in the tomb of one of
Egypt'’s first kings.

Scorpion.

DR COLLEEN: These are
the same signs as in the
early tomb at Abydos.

NARRATOR: They are
a perfect match.

At over 5,000 years old,
these are the first

monumental hieroglyphics
ever discovered.

And one of the
earliest examples of
written language.

DR COLLEEN: This is the
first time we can read a
hieroglyphic inscription.

NARRATOR: John
deciphers the symbols.

The akhet hieroglyph,
along with the symbol
of a bull,

reveals a remarkable
connection between

this early writing
and Ramses'’ success
2,000 years later.

PROF. JOHN: We have royal
power equals solar power.

The king on earth is
as the sun in the sky.

NARRATOR: The texts are
an early example of
Pharaonic propaganda.

DR COLLEEN: This
absolutely is an
ancient billboard.

NARRATOR: Ramses not
only associated himself
with the old king

by building in Abydos,
he used the power of
written language

developed during
Scorpion'’s reign to spread
the success of his empire.

PROF. JOHN: This is
exactly the statement of
the basis of authority

on which Ramses II
himself ruled.

DR COLLEEN: This is
where it all started.

NARRATOR: To further
unlock the secrets
of Ramses success.

DR COLLEEN: Shukran!

NARRATOR: John and
Colleen must look
for more clues

in the monuments he
left behind.

In Luxor, at the
Necropolis of Asasif,

Fathi'’s team is excavating
the infilled shaft

in the area dating to
the time of Ramses.

They have now reached
a depth of 30 ft.

The workers must move
thousands of tons of
earth without machinery.

NARRATOR: Sayed Al
Qurnay oversees the
site'’s safety.

NARRATOR: He must
constantly monitor the dig'’s
progress for any danger.

NARRATOR: So far,
nothing has been
discovered inside.

But, they are now
approaching the
bottom of the shaft

and the signs are
promising.

NARRATOR: Suddenly, one
of Fathi'’s sharp eyed
workers spots something

in the ancient debris.

NARRATOR: This is the
first discovery made
in the shaft at Asasif.

NARRATOR: Buried in
the debris is an
exquisitely carved

miniature statue
known as a shabti.

NARRATOR: Ancient Egyptians
believed these tiny figures
would come to life

and serve the
tomb'’s occupant
in the afterlife.

As they dig further,
a treasure trove of
shabtis begins to emerge.

NARRATOR: In total, they
discover 30 beautifully
carved shabtis.

As Fathi excavates
further,

he spots something
else in the debris.

NARRATOR: Tools like
this were used to
excavate chambers

deep beneath the ground.

NARRATOR: The team
could be just inches

from discovering a
burial chamber.

In Luxor, close to the
Valley of the Kings,

Ramses built his
mortuary temple.

The Rammeseum.

Colleen has come here
hoping to unravel the
mystery of Ramses'’ success

through clues in
the monuments he
left behind.

DR COLLEEN: This is where
he set up one of the most
colossal statues

ever created in
ancient Egypt.

NARRATOR: Started in
just the second year
of his reign,

this huge shrine was
built for worshippers

to pray for Ramses'’
immortal soul.

From his very beginnings,

Ramses was already focused
on being remembered long
after his death.

But, Colleen believes
this temple might
reveal Ramses'’ success

was due to more than
building monuments
of remembrance.

DR COLLEEN: If you don'’t
have the backing of an
amazingly wealthy country,

you can'’t commission
a colossal statue
like this one.

NARRATOR: Neighboring
the temple are vast
vaulted chambers

more suited to storage
than worship.

DR COLLEEN: These
storage rooms dwarf
the stone temple.

NARRATOR: Inside,
Colleen finds a clue to
what was stored here.

DR COLLEEN: The
hole is in the roof.

So this entire giant
room would have been
filled with grain.

NARRATOR: These huge silos
reveal there was as much
an economic function

to the temple
as a religious one.

DR COLLEEN: It'’s
16,500 cubic meters
of grain storage.

That'’s a phenomenal
amount of wealth.

These grain stores
could feed a significant
portion of Ramses'’ army.

NARRATOR: Ramses had both
the wealth to build
monuments for his worship

and the resources to
feed a standing army
of around 20,000 men.

DR COLLEEN: Without these
economic resources,

Egypt'’s military
victories would have
never happened.

NARRATOR: Ramses may
have had a huge army
at his disposal,

but to understand how
he put it to use,

Colleen will have
to search more of the
monuments he left behind.

In Abydos, in the
newly discovered
palace of Ramses II,

Sameh pieces together
fragments of buried
pottery.

DR ISKANDER: Very fine
material, has nice rim.

NARRATOR: Next to where the
pottery was discovered,

workers unearth a
mysterious pit.

DR ISKANDER: We have
some surprise here.

NARRATOR: The original
stones have been
warped by heat.

DR ISKANDER: This is all
melted sandstone all
around here.

NARRATOR: Within the pit
are molds which perfectly
match the pottery.

DR ISKANDER: This is like
a frozen moment in time.

NARRATOR: The molds
are clues to the pit'’s
original purpose.

DR ISKANDER: We realize
we are now coming
across a furnace.

NARRATOR: Sameh
believes this
furnace was a kiln

used to make bowls for
Ramses'’ private palace.

DR ISKANDER: This must
have been used by
probably Ramses himself.

And we'’re getting close and
close to him as a person,

as a pharaoh,
as a human being.

NARRATOR: Just feet
from the furnace,

Sameh discovers a
mysterious niche.

This alcove was cut into
the walls of the palace

and sealed up with
ancient bricks.

DR ISKANDER: Inside
there was a large object.

NARRATOR: Nearby, they
discover more niches,
but these are also empty.

DR ISKANDER: A lot
of interesting, but
confusing data.

NARRATOR: To reveal
the purpose of these
strange niches,

Sameh'’s team must continue
their painstaking search.

NARRATOR: On the border
with ancient Nubia,

Ramses built another
massive monument.

The mountain temple
of Abu Simbel.

Colleen has come here
searching for clues about
how Ramses'’ military skill

contributed to the
success of his empire.

DR COLLEEN: This is
like the greatest hits
of Ramses'’ victories.

NARRATOR: Ramses
consolidated his
empire in the south,

and pushed north to
confront his powerful
enemies, the Hittites.

DR COLLEEN: In temples
all over Egypt,

he recorded his victory
against the Hittites.

Or so he wanted
us to think.

NARRATOR: Around 1300 BC,
the Egyptians fought
their arch rivals,

the Hittites, at the
fortress city of Kadesh,

in possibly the largest
chariot battle in history.

The light Egyptian chariots
had the edge of the heavy
Hittite war machines.

Ramses recorded the
victory as a massacre,

but in reality it was
more of a draw.

The two kings
agreed a truce

resulting in the
world'’s first recorded
peace treaty.

DR COLLEEN: It enabled
the Egyptians to spend
all of their resources

on peacetime pursuits,
building massive
constructions like this,

and usher in a golden
age for Egypt.

NARRATOR: Instead
of waging costly
military campaigns,

Ramses built his
success through a
mastery of diplomacy.

But, to win the hearts
of his citizens,

he still needed to
depict himself as
a mighty warrior.

DR COLLEEN: He'’s on his
chariot alone with the
reins tied behind his back

so that he'’s free to
shoot his bow.

We knew that this is a
little bit of propaganda,

because even the
hieroglyphic text says
that his shield bearer,

Mena, was riding in
the chariot with him.

NARRATOR: Ramses was
a master of ancient
public relations.

Happy to bend the truth
to promote an image which
would appeal to his people.

In the temple'’s
inner sanctum,

Colleen discovers another
secret of Ramses'’ success.

Here, by placing
his statue between the
greatest gods of Egypt,

Ramses used a clever
trick of the light to
engineer his own divinity.

DR COLLEEN: Twice a
year, the sun rays reach
all the way through

the temple illuminating
these figures in the
sanctuary.

NARRATOR: Colleen believes
Ramses used this solar
alignment to convey

a powerful message that he
was the living embodiment
of the sun god.

DR COLLEEN: Truly, here
at Abu Simbel, Ramses II
is not just a king,

he is a god!

NARRATOR: At Ramses'’ palace
in Abydos, Sameh has
discovered another niche,

but this one hasn'’t
been emptied.

DR ISKANDER: Look at
this, another hole.
WORKER: Yes.

DR ISKANDER: Another
hole here. So, it'’s one
on top of the other.

NARRATOR: It'’s crammed
full with an astonishing
number of skeletons.

It'’s impossible
to tell how many.

DR ISKANDER: Two heads
here at least, so far.

NARRATOR: They search
for other niches, and
find more bones

sealed all around the
walls of the palace.

DR ISKANDER: We have
something very interesting
that'’s now emerging.

NARRATOR: The remains
aren'’t human, but
include bull skeletons.

This discovery might be
evidence Ramses controlled
a mysterious religious cult.

One of the most popular
cults of ancient Egypt
thrived under Ramses.

The cult of Apis.

Priests chose a
bull to embody the
creator-god, Ptah.

The Egyptians worshipped
the bull as an oracle,

and interpreted his
movements as prophecies.

When an Apis bull died, it
was ceremoniously buried
and a new bull chosen.

Ramses heavily
promoted bull worship
during his reign,

reinforcing his
divinity through
this powerful cult.

Ramses may have
built a connection
to the bull cult,

but Sameh can'’t be sure
this palace was a
sacred cult site.

Unlike the Apis cult,
which ceremoniously
buried its bulls,

these remains have been
crammed into the walls
without ceremony.

DR ISKANDER: So far,
there'’s really no pattern.

They'’re scattered and
they are almost in a
random way.

NARRATOR: Was this
truly a sacred site?

Or could Ramses'’
private palace had
become a dumping ground

for the carcasses
of livestock?

DR ISKANDER: It'’s a
mystery that we
have to resolve.

NARRATOR: In the Valley
of the Kings,

today, Aliaa and their team
attempt to record history,

creating a 3D scan of Ramses'’
father Seti'’s tomb

in the hope
of preserving it for
future generations.

They carefully load the
precious scanning equipment

and make their way
to the tomb.

ALIAA: The work today'’s
going to be very scary

because we'’re
really worried.

We don'’t want to
touch anything.

NARRATOR: The towering
ceilings in Seti'’s tomb
are 20 feet high.

To capture their secrets,
the team must build a huge
scaffold just inches

from the priceless walls.

ALIAA: Can we start
by assembling the
legs, please?

Please be careful.

NARRATOR: Any mistake would
cause irreparable damage

to one of the most
precious tombs in Egypt.

ALIAA: Guys, could we
start putting it up?

[foreign dialogue]

NARRATOR: On the north side
of the Valley of the Kings,

Colleen is exploring
the inscriptions in
Ramses II'’s tomb.

In 1213 BC, after 66 years
on the throne,

Ramses died aged 96 and his
mummy was sealed here.

In life, Ramses declared
himself a god, but Colleen
has come here to discover

if Ramses was as
successful in death.

DR COLLEEN: There'’s
Apep! So, Apep is
the chaos serpent.

He'’s the one that tries
to stop the sun god.

NARRATOR: The
hieroglyphics show Ramses
slaying the serpent,

a role normally reserved
for the sun god.

DR COLLEEN: That'’s the
power that Ramses is trying
to harness in his tomb,

that he wants to become
like the sun god.

NARRATOR: In death, Ramses
intends to take on the
god'’s cosmic duties.

Deep inside the tomb,
scaffolding supports
Ramses'’ burial chamber.

It was heavily damaged
by ancient flooding.

But, when archaeologists
discovered the tomb,

Ramses'’ mummy and nearly
all his riches were gone.

DR COLLEEN: His mummy
would have been placed
here in the coffin,

but now it'’s no
longer here.

NARRATOR: Ramses'’ story
doesn'’t end here.

In search of his final
resting place,

John and Colleen
follow a trail high
into the cliffs.

Hidden in the rock face
is a secret shaft, which
is normally sealed.

Today, it has been
opened especially for
their investigation.

But it'’s a long way down.

DR COLLEEN: Can'’t see
the bottom from here.

PROF. JOHN: Well, it'’s
sufficiently deep shaft.

DR COLLEEN: Wow!

NARRATOR: In Luxor'’s
necropolis of Asasif,

the team has excavated
the shaft to a depth
of 45 feet.

Fathi thinks he is on
the verge of a huge
breakthrough.

NARRATOR: The excavation
has uncovered what
may be a burial chamber.

The chamber is filled
with debris nearly up
to its ceiling,

but there'’s enough room
for Fathi to measure
the space.

NARRATOR: It'’s a
promising sign that
an important mummy

could be buried deep under
the compacted debris.

But Fathi is concerned
about the chamber'’s
safety.

NARRATOR: Ancient geological
disasters could have
compromised its integrity.

Fathi clears his
team out and meets with
Sayed for an assessment.

NARRATOR: Part of the
chamber'’s ceiling has
collapsed.

NARRATOR: Work cannot
continue in the chamber

until a specialist
arrives to make it safe.

The team will have to
wait to find out what
is buried inside.

NARRATOR: In the
Valley of the Kings,

in the tomb of Ramses
father, Seti the First,

Aliaa'’s team assembles a
huge scaffold just inches

from one of ancient
Egypt'’s most perfectly
preserved murals.

Any damage would
be catastrophic.

ALIAA: If it tips over,
it would definitely damage
the surface of the tomb.

ALIAA: I was just
informing one of
my colleagues

that she is getting
too close to the wall.

NARRATOR: The
scaffold is up.

Now, they must calibrate
the 3D laser scanner,

which will allow them
to model the surface of
the tomb'’s paintwork

in microscopic detail.

ALIAA: The dust
is a huge problem.

No matter how much
you wipe it clean,
it never gets clean.

NARRATOR: The equipment
is set up and they are
ready to start.

ALIAA: So exciting!

NARRATOR: It is now
the moment of truth.

Will Aliaa'’s hard
work bring results?

Or will all her efforts
have been for nothing?

ALIAA: Now we'’re going
to see what happens when
we press the magic button.

NARRATOR: Aliaa and her
team begin scanning.

Each pass of the scanner
takes three minutes,

so they have a nerve-racking
wait to see if their
operation is a success.

ALIAA: It'’s almost like
we'’re making history.

NARRATOR: The scan
is complete and the team
rush to check their data.

ALIAA: Yay! [applause]

Finally, it seems like all
the hard work has paid off.

NARRATOR: The scan has
worked perfectly, capturing

the surface of the tomb
in microscopic detail.

ALIAA: It'’s only through
understanding the complex

biographies of these
surface layers

that we can
understand and preserve
and protect this tomb.

NARRATOR: These
records will help save
the tomb'’s decorations,

and could reveal more
secrets about the
life of Ramses

and his father, Seti.

ALIAA: Only about ten
percent of what is out
there has been discovered

and there'’s much more, much
more for us to see and for
future generations to see.

NARRATOR: At Ramses'’
palace in Abydos,

Sameh'’s team is on the
brink of a new discovery.

Unlike the random
skeletons scattered
around the palace,

this bull has been
ceremoniously buried.

DR ISKANDER: This is an
entire bull skeleton
completely intact.

NARRATOR: This matches the
practices of the Apis cult.

Sameh believes this is
proof Ramses'’ palace was
a sacred cult location.

DR ISKANDER: People
revered Ramses and
they want to bury

the bulls right here
in his palace.

NARRATOR: To learn more
about the cult, Sameh
searches for clues

to date the skeleton.

Buried around the bones
are fragments of pottery,

which reveal incredible
new evidence.

DR ISKANDER: With the
pottery that we have all
over the place here,

we are certain this is
Ptolemaic period,

a thousand years
after Ramses.

NARRATOR: It'’s an
amazing revelation.

The Ptolemaic period
was ancient Egypt'’s
last dynasty,

meaning this sacrifice
is from a millennium
after Ramses'’ rule.

DR ISKANDER: Ramses'’ cult
lasted for a thousand
years after his time.

Thousand years
after Ramses died

This place is still
a divine place, a
sacred place,

where offerings are
being made.

NARRATOR: Sameh'’s discoveries
show that by instilling his
worship in the hearts

and minds of his people,
Ramses engineered his
own path to greatness.

DR ISKANDER: It'’s a
history. It'’s the
history of Egypt.

It'’s the history of
humanity here and that'’s
what we go through.

It is so exciting.

NARRATOR: Near the
Valley of the Kings,
through his cult,

Ramses'’ legacy lived on.

But to discover
his mummy'’s final
resting place,

John and Colleen hunt deep
beneath the mountains.

At the bottom of the
shaft, John discovers an
ancient painted message.

PROF. JOHN: The text
describes activities
related to the reburials

that went on here
in this tomb.

NARRATOR: It'’s an
ancient record of
mummies being moved

to this tomb 3,000
years ago.

DR COLLEEN: It'’s as
if the ancient Egyptians
wanted to leave us clues.

NARRATOR: 150 years
after Ramses'’ death,

Egypt suffered a period
of civil unrest.

State officials could no
longer guard the Valley
of the Kings,

so they stripped the tombs
of their treasure, taking
it for themselves.

But they still revered
the royal mummies
buried there.

In secret, they moved
nearly 50 ancient kings
to a hidden location.

To investigate the
fate of Ramses'’ mummy,

John and Colleen must go
deeper into the pitch- black,
crumbling tomb.

PROF. JOHN: Look
at all of this.

It'’s a bit unstable.
DR COLLEEN: Wow!

The hard hats were
a good idea.

NARRATOR: Explorers
discovered the royal
mummies in 1881,

and sketched a plan
of where each pharaoh
was buried.

Deep in the labyrinth,
John and Colleen
discover a small chamber

which could have
been Ramses'’ tomb.

PROF. JOHN: I
didn'’t expect this.

DR COLLEEN: Wow!

PROF. JOHN: The body of
Ramses II was probably over
in here, in this chamber.

Ramses II spent about 28
centuries resting here...

and it'’s quite
extraordinary.

NARRATOR: This is
where Ramses'’ mummy
was discovered.

His story continues
to this day.

His mummy was moved to
the Cairo museum where
it'’s still on display.

DR COLLEEN: So, for Ramses II
to still exist today
is somewhat of a miracle.

NARRATOR: Ramses may
not have lived forever
in his intended tomb,

but he did achieve a
kind of immortality.

His name still lives
on today as the
greatest pharaoh

of this ancient
civilization.

And it is through
the secrets and
clues he left behind

that we can reveal the
key to his success.

DR COLLEEN: It'’s here
that we can fill in

the story that we
know what happened.

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