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These are the user uploaded subtitles that are being translated: 1 00:00:00,462 --> 00:00:02,270 (dramatic orchestral music) 2 00:00:02,270 --> 00:00:04,830 The Great Pyramids of Egypt. 3 00:00:04,830 --> 00:00:07,743 The sheer size of these monuments is fascinating. 4 00:00:08,920 --> 00:00:11,030 The two highest and biggest 5 00:00:11,030 --> 00:00:13,553 were built for Pharaoh Khufu and his son, Khafra. 6 00:00:14,980 --> 00:00:18,550 The Khufu pyramid is 480 feet high, 7 00:00:18,550 --> 00:00:22,660 and each pyramid contains about 2.5 million blocks. 8 00:00:22,660 --> 00:00:23,903 How were they built? 9 00:00:26,090 --> 00:00:29,210 Over the past few decades, significant discoveries 10 00:00:29,210 --> 00:00:32,010 have been made on the very site where they were erected. 11 00:00:33,240 --> 00:00:36,000 But now, far from the Giza plateau, 12 00:00:36,000 --> 00:00:38,800 and miles from the pyramids themselves, 13 00:00:38,800 --> 00:00:42,530 we are gaining more insight into just how they were built. 14 00:00:42,530 --> 00:00:45,320 How these huge work sites were created, 15 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,883 cementing the strength and power of Egypt. 16 00:00:50,920 --> 00:00:52,850 Two teams of egyptologists, 17 00:00:52,850 --> 00:00:54,920 one based in the middle of the desert, 18 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,270 the other located on the Red Sea coast, 19 00:00:57,270 --> 00:00:58,710 are currently discovering more 20 00:00:58,710 --> 00:01:00,680 about the Egypt of Khufu's time, 21 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:02,413 than at the foot of the pyramids. 22 00:01:03,540 --> 00:01:05,290 What have they found? 23 00:01:05,290 --> 00:01:07,910 How can these new discoveries help them figure out 24 00:01:07,910 --> 00:01:09,723 how ancient Egyptians worked? 25 00:01:11,690 --> 00:01:14,640 By reconstructing their techniques and methods, 26 00:01:14,640 --> 00:01:17,910 will these teams manage to unlock certain secrets 27 00:01:17,910 --> 00:01:20,230 of these great builders? 28 00:01:20,230 --> 00:01:22,980 (dramatic music) 29 00:01:30,490 --> 00:01:33,670 The Khufu pyramid, and those constructed after it, 30 00:01:33,670 --> 00:01:36,110 were built on the Giza Plateau. 31 00:01:36,110 --> 00:01:40,100 This exceptional site was a huge necropolis for centuries, 32 00:01:40,100 --> 00:01:43,263 before being practically forgotten under the sand. 33 00:01:44,870 --> 00:01:47,030 When Napoleon and his troops arrived 34 00:01:47,030 --> 00:01:49,140 at the end of the 18th century, 35 00:01:49,140 --> 00:01:51,670 the bottoms of the pyramids were not visible, 36 00:01:51,670 --> 00:01:53,633 and the Sphinx was half-buried. 37 00:01:56,700 --> 00:01:58,290 For the next century and a half, 38 00:01:58,290 --> 00:02:00,510 after this memorable expedition, 39 00:02:00,510 --> 00:02:03,260 monumental excavation work was carried out 40 00:02:03,260 --> 00:02:05,780 to remove the sand from the Giza Plateau. 41 00:02:11,290 --> 00:02:15,050 In the 1980's, a major new development. 42 00:02:15,050 --> 00:02:18,010 Egyptologist Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner 43 00:02:18,010 --> 00:02:20,230 discover the village and cemetery 44 00:02:20,230 --> 00:02:23,873 of the workers who built the pyramid of Khafra, Khufu's son. 45 00:02:27,510 --> 00:02:29,490 The vibes of the pyramid builders 46 00:02:29,490 --> 00:02:31,620 began to emerge from the shadows, 47 00:02:31,620 --> 00:02:34,453 and contradict the cliches written in the Bible. 48 00:02:35,550 --> 00:02:38,280 The Pharaoh's workers were not slaves. 49 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,580 They were treated and fed well. 50 00:02:40,580 --> 00:02:43,700 They were organized into 40-person teams. 51 00:02:43,700 --> 00:02:46,663 These men were proud to be buried next to their king. 52 00:02:48,760 --> 00:02:51,670 These excavations have continued for 30 years. 53 00:02:51,670 --> 00:02:54,460 But the occupation and the looting of the site for centuries 54 00:02:54,460 --> 00:02:56,770 and centuries after Khufu's death, 55 00:02:56,770 --> 00:02:59,710 have obscured a great number of clues. 56 00:02:59,710 --> 00:03:03,850 No papyrus, no written document dating from his reign 57 00:03:03,850 --> 00:03:06,323 have ever been found on the Giza Plateau. 58 00:03:07,540 --> 00:03:09,840 The ravages of time have also destroyed 59 00:03:09,840 --> 00:03:12,410 all the large-scale statues of him. 60 00:03:12,410 --> 00:03:14,120 The only likeness of Khufu 61 00:03:14,120 --> 00:03:16,770 that has miraculously survived the ages, 62 00:03:16,770 --> 00:03:18,870 is a tine ivory figurine, 63 00:03:18,870 --> 00:03:21,113 currently housed at the Cairo Museum. 64 00:03:27,710 --> 00:03:31,920 Ironically, today, it's necessary to leave the Giza Plateau 65 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:34,880 in order to move the investigation forward. 66 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:38,050 More than 120 miles from the pyramids, 67 00:03:38,050 --> 00:03:41,230 on the Red Sea coast, at Wadi El Jarf, 68 00:03:41,230 --> 00:03:43,920 new discoveries are changing the situation, 69 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:46,563 and bringing new insight into Khufu's world. 70 00:03:52,310 --> 00:03:55,200 Egyptologist Pierre Tallet and his team 71 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,433 come here every year to excavate for two months. 72 00:04:04,420 --> 00:04:05,660 During their mission, 73 00:04:05,660 --> 00:04:06,980 around 60 workers, 74 00:04:06,980 --> 00:04:10,810 supervised by about 10 egyptologists and archeologists, 75 00:04:10,810 --> 00:04:13,280 live here, self-sufficiently. 76 00:04:13,280 --> 00:04:15,390 Their camp in the middle of the desert 77 00:04:15,390 --> 00:04:18,080 is just a few yards from this ancient site, 78 00:04:18,080 --> 00:04:19,510 that hasn't been occupied 79 00:04:19,510 --> 00:04:23,300 since it was abandoned 4,500 years ago. 80 00:04:23,300 --> 00:04:25,620 What has Pierre Tallet found here 81 00:04:25,620 --> 00:04:27,070 that could not have been discovered 82 00:04:27,070 --> 00:04:28,653 at the foot of the pyramids? 83 00:04:30,540 --> 00:04:32,650 What was the purpose of these galleries 84 00:04:32,650 --> 00:04:34,113 carved into the rock? 85 00:04:39,340 --> 00:04:41,990 We're in a gallery that is typical of Wadi El Jarf, 86 00:04:43,010 --> 00:04:45,230 these galleries had several functions, 87 00:04:45,230 --> 00:04:48,330 but their main function was to house dismantled boats, 88 00:04:48,330 --> 00:04:51,100 that were stored inside these chambers, 89 00:04:51,100 --> 00:04:53,073 between two Red Sea expeditions. 90 00:05:00,420 --> 00:05:01,500 But so far, 91 00:05:01,500 --> 00:05:04,540 after eight years of excavating these galleries, 92 00:05:04,540 --> 00:05:07,200 an entire boat has not been found, 93 00:05:07,200 --> 00:05:10,513 just a few fragments that sometimes bear inscriptions. 94 00:05:15,316 --> 00:05:17,960 Pierre Tallet has not found the boats he's looking for, 95 00:05:17,960 --> 00:05:21,493 but he has discovered traces of Khufu all over his site. 96 00:05:27,430 --> 00:05:29,790 You can see Khufu's cartouche very well. 97 00:05:29,790 --> 00:05:31,070 You have to imagine it. 98 00:05:31,070 --> 00:05:32,830 In fact, it is written vertically, 99 00:05:32,830 --> 00:05:34,460 even if the block is horizontal. 100 00:05:34,460 --> 00:05:37,110 Here you can read King Khufu's full name very clearly, 101 00:05:37,110 --> 00:05:38,210 Khnum Khufu, 102 00:05:38,210 --> 00:05:41,800 which literally means, may the God Khnum protect me. 103 00:05:41,800 --> 00:05:43,270 Here, ascribed through 104 00:05:43,270 --> 00:05:46,300 Khufu's name and cursive, with a brush. 105 00:05:46,300 --> 00:05:48,750 But in the official version in hieroglyphs, 106 00:05:48,750 --> 00:05:50,920 you can see that the sign of the ram, 107 00:05:50,920 --> 00:05:54,000 representing the god Khnum, is clearer. 108 00:05:54,000 --> 00:05:56,700 Pharaoh's names were often linked with a deity, 109 00:05:56,700 --> 00:06:00,043 because they themselves were considered to be like gods. 110 00:06:02,940 --> 00:06:04,750 Pierre has found traces of Khufu 111 00:06:04,750 --> 00:06:06,650 almost everywhere on this site, 112 00:06:06,650 --> 00:06:10,250 which has been untouched by men for 45 centuries. 113 00:06:10,250 --> 00:06:11,450 But the real game-changer 114 00:06:11,450 --> 00:06:13,690 was a totally unexpected discovery, 115 00:06:13,690 --> 00:06:16,130 that any archeologist who has ever excavated 116 00:06:16,130 --> 00:06:19,023 at the foot of the pyramids would have loved to find. 117 00:06:19,870 --> 00:06:22,983 Well, here it is, in this very ordinary hole. 118 00:06:25,470 --> 00:06:28,567 In 2013, between these two blocks, 119 00:06:28,567 --> 00:06:32,000 Pierre Tallet's team found papyrus fragments, 120 00:06:32,000 --> 00:06:33,440 thousands of fragments, 121 00:06:33,440 --> 00:06:36,813 which proved to be the oldest ever discovered in Egypt. 122 00:06:38,250 --> 00:06:40,330 We absolutely did not expect to find 123 00:06:40,330 --> 00:06:41,980 this kind of documentation, 124 00:06:41,980 --> 00:06:43,600 at such a faraway site. 125 00:06:43,600 --> 00:06:45,940 At the beginning we were searching for a Pharaonic carver, 126 00:06:45,940 --> 00:06:48,400 since we had already discovered several. 127 00:06:48,400 --> 00:06:50,230 Very quickly, Pierre was able 128 00:06:50,230 --> 00:06:52,060 to translate a few pieces, 129 00:06:52,060 --> 00:06:54,390 and he realized that they had just found 130 00:06:54,390 --> 00:06:56,650 the detailed reports of a foreman 131 00:06:56,650 --> 00:06:59,203 who worked for Pharaoh Khufu. 132 00:07:01,870 --> 00:07:03,780 You can see that these were logbooks 133 00:07:03,780 --> 00:07:06,960 kept by a lower level supervisor named Merer, 134 00:07:06,960 --> 00:07:09,773 who recounted a part of the Giza pyramid's construction. 135 00:07:14,870 --> 00:07:16,200 This priceless treasure 136 00:07:16,200 --> 00:07:18,823 is now protected in the Cairo museum. 137 00:07:20,960 --> 00:07:24,240 What they found is so fragile and voluminous, 138 00:07:24,240 --> 00:07:25,830 that six years later, 139 00:07:25,830 --> 00:07:27,870 there are still many papyrus fragments 140 00:07:27,870 --> 00:07:29,863 to restore and reassemble. 141 00:07:31,560 --> 00:07:34,100 For this extremely delicate task, 142 00:07:34,100 --> 00:07:36,890 Pierre asked one of the world's foremost specialists 143 00:07:36,890 --> 00:07:39,350 in ancient papyrus restoration 144 00:07:39,350 --> 00:07:41,623 to take care of his precious discovery. 145 00:07:47,040 --> 00:07:48,750 So that's really fantastic. 146 00:07:48,750 --> 00:07:51,650 I don't think anyone's ever seen papyrus like this before. 147 00:07:53,370 --> 00:07:56,350 This papyrus is an administrative report 148 00:07:56,350 --> 00:07:59,580 written by a scribe official called Merer. 149 00:07:59,580 --> 00:08:03,553 It's a bit like an Excel sheet that's 45 centuries old. 150 00:08:04,400 --> 00:08:05,990 It scrupulously records 151 00:08:05,990 --> 00:08:08,240 the movements of a team of workers, 152 00:08:08,240 --> 00:08:11,963 what they do every day, and what they receive in exchange. 153 00:08:15,650 --> 00:08:16,510 Everything in black 154 00:08:16,510 --> 00:08:18,150 is what the team does for the king. 155 00:08:18,150 --> 00:08:21,100 Everything is red is what the government does for the team. 156 00:08:21,100 --> 00:08:23,330 Notice in red, you can see the bread deliveries, 157 00:08:23,330 --> 00:08:25,363 which keep the workers fed for a month. 158 00:08:27,660 --> 00:08:29,870 But what truly new information, 159 00:08:29,870 --> 00:08:32,773 what scoop have these papyri revealed? 160 00:08:33,950 --> 00:08:35,710 This document is very important, 161 00:08:35,710 --> 00:08:38,020 because it allowed us to date all of the archives 162 00:08:38,020 --> 00:08:41,243 that were found on this Wadi El Jarf site in 2013. 163 00:08:42,590 --> 00:08:44,800 We have here the date that corresponds to the year 164 00:08:44,800 --> 00:08:47,970 after the 13th census of large and small livestock 165 00:08:47,970 --> 00:08:49,123 in the reign of Khufu. 166 00:08:52,390 --> 00:08:53,530 During the ancient kingdom, 167 00:08:53,530 --> 00:08:55,910 the accounting of time is done biannually, 168 00:08:55,910 --> 00:08:58,680 according to an inventory of the wealth of the territory 169 00:08:58,680 --> 00:09:01,340 that takes place every two years. 170 00:09:01,340 --> 00:09:03,280 Thy papyrus proves that Khufu's reign 171 00:09:03,280 --> 00:09:06,080 lasted longer than previously thought. 172 00:09:06,080 --> 00:09:09,823 He ruled for at least 27 years, not 20. 173 00:09:12,500 --> 00:09:15,730 That gave him much more time to build his pyramid, 174 00:09:15,730 --> 00:09:17,730 almost a third more time, 175 00:09:17,730 --> 00:09:21,100 which changes the estimations egyptologists have made 176 00:09:21,100 --> 00:09:23,993 to unlock the secrets of this immense monument. 177 00:09:27,400 --> 00:09:30,760 But what were Merer and his team of 40 boatmen doing? 178 00:09:30,760 --> 00:09:32,760 Where where they going? 179 00:09:32,760 --> 00:09:36,503 One clue can still be found atop the Khafra pyramid. 180 00:09:37,810 --> 00:09:40,200 These white and shining facing stones 181 00:09:40,200 --> 00:09:42,573 once covered these gigantic monuments. 182 00:09:47,130 --> 00:09:48,960 There are also a few left at the foot 183 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:51,263 of the north side of Khufu's pyramid. 184 00:09:52,440 --> 00:09:54,640 These blocks of fine limestone, 185 00:09:54,640 --> 00:09:56,120 different from those that make up 186 00:09:56,120 --> 00:09:58,960 95% of the volume of the pyramids, 187 00:09:58,960 --> 00:10:01,740 come from a quarry located about 12 miles 188 00:10:01,740 --> 00:10:03,193 from the Giza Plateau. 189 00:10:04,850 --> 00:10:06,760 In the Wadi El Jarf papyri, 190 00:10:06,760 --> 00:10:08,590 supervisor Merer explains 191 00:10:08,590 --> 00:10:10,600 how it took him two or three days 192 00:10:10,600 --> 00:10:12,800 to transport these blocks from Tura 193 00:10:12,800 --> 00:10:14,430 to the foot of the pyramids 194 00:10:14,430 --> 00:10:16,763 with his team of about 40 boatmen. 195 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:28,290 A port had been constructed next to the construction site, 196 00:10:28,290 --> 00:10:31,040 allowing heavy materials to be transported 197 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:33,150 when the Nile was at its highest level 198 00:10:33,150 --> 00:10:34,673 during the annual flooding. 199 00:10:36,510 --> 00:10:37,883 But that's not all. 200 00:10:40,110 --> 00:10:41,230 It seems that our fragments 201 00:10:41,230 --> 00:10:43,860 indicated an area called (foreign word) Khufu, 202 00:10:43,860 --> 00:10:45,980 literally, "long live Khufu," 203 00:10:45,980 --> 00:10:48,980 which is supposed to be at the foot of the pyramid of Khufu. 204 00:10:49,950 --> 00:10:51,380 Pierre thinks that the Pharaoh 205 00:10:51,380 --> 00:10:53,260 built his palace in this area, 206 00:10:53,260 --> 00:10:55,823 to have a clear view of the construction site. 207 00:10:57,730 --> 00:11:00,440 After discovering the length of Khufu's reign, 208 00:11:00,440 --> 00:11:02,090 this is the second big scoop 209 00:11:02,090 --> 00:11:04,080 that Merer's papyri have revealed. 210 00:11:04,080 --> 00:11:07,220 Khufu's palace is probably currently located 211 00:11:07,220 --> 00:11:08,420 under the modern city, 212 00:11:08,420 --> 00:11:10,940 and is undoubtedly waiting to be discovered. 213 00:11:10,940 --> 00:11:12,070 Merer recounts 214 00:11:12,070 --> 00:11:14,340 that he stopped in this particular place, 215 00:11:14,340 --> 00:11:16,080 because the royal archives, 216 00:11:16,080 --> 00:11:19,390 containing all the important papyri in Khufu's government 217 00:11:19,390 --> 00:11:20,793 was near the palace. 218 00:11:25,440 --> 00:11:27,800 A real gold mine of information 219 00:11:27,800 --> 00:11:31,063 that could be buried under the modern city of Cairo. 220 00:11:35,800 --> 00:11:38,730 One person in particular is extremely happy 221 00:11:38,730 --> 00:11:40,630 about the discovery of Merer's papyri. 222 00:11:41,567 --> 00:11:43,730 It is the egyptologist Mark Lehner, 223 00:11:43,730 --> 00:11:47,710 who has been excavating the Giza Plateau for over 30 years. 224 00:11:47,710 --> 00:11:49,330 Ah, Pierre. 225 00:11:49,330 --> 00:11:50,400 Hello Mark. 226 00:11:50,400 --> 00:11:51,350 So good to see you. 227 00:11:51,350 --> 00:11:53,530 I am very pleased to meet you again. 228 00:11:53,530 --> 00:11:55,200 Good to see you. 229 00:11:55,200 --> 00:11:57,160 Our lab, it looks small, 230 00:11:57,160 --> 00:11:59,080 but it's actually much bigger inside. 231 00:11:59,080 --> 00:12:01,260 Come inside and have a look. 232 00:12:01,260 --> 00:12:04,470 Here, carefully organized and cataloged, 233 00:12:04,470 --> 00:12:06,590 there are millions and millions of objects 234 00:12:06,590 --> 00:12:08,180 from the village of the workers 235 00:12:08,180 --> 00:12:11,683 who built the pyramid of Khafra. 236 00:12:14,030 --> 00:12:17,380 They are both excited to discuss their mutual finds, 237 00:12:17,380 --> 00:12:19,530 and check if their discoveries match. 238 00:12:19,530 --> 00:12:21,370 This one's unfinished. 239 00:12:21,370 --> 00:12:24,420 All of this, I think is like a detective 240 00:12:24,420 --> 00:12:26,730 at a crime scene, it's making an inference. 241 00:12:26,730 --> 00:12:30,630 When you find texts, then they speak to you directly. 242 00:12:30,630 --> 00:12:32,703 And it's like that opening that window. 243 00:12:34,740 --> 00:12:36,913 We have all the signs, 244 00:12:37,780 --> 00:12:40,850 naming the different files of the gang, 245 00:12:40,850 --> 00:12:42,910 the smaller ones, the bigger one. 246 00:12:42,910 --> 00:12:45,143 You have the crooks for the bigger one. 247 00:12:46,100 --> 00:12:48,920 The four strokes for the smaller one, and so on. 248 00:12:48,920 --> 00:12:51,140 It's almost every time it's scraped. 249 00:12:51,140 --> 00:12:52,960 Oh, that one's broken. 250 00:12:52,960 --> 00:12:54,540 It's okay. But it's perfect. 251 00:12:54,540 --> 00:12:55,373 So this is what you have. 252 00:12:55,373 --> 00:12:56,893 Yeah, exactly. 253 00:12:56,893 --> 00:12:57,726 That's amazing. 254 00:12:57,726 --> 00:13:00,790 We have got I think about 50 of them. 255 00:13:00,790 --> 00:13:04,570 You know there's a huge, huge irony here. 256 00:13:04,570 --> 00:13:07,050 So you are in the periphery. 257 00:13:07,050 --> 00:13:10,370 You're out there in an expeditionary force, 258 00:13:10,370 --> 00:13:13,290 at the edge of the frontier of Egypt. 259 00:13:13,290 --> 00:13:16,450 And you have all these inscriptions and texts. 260 00:13:16,450 --> 00:13:18,970 We are at the center of the bureaucracy 261 00:13:18,970 --> 00:13:20,340 in the Egyptian state, 262 00:13:20,340 --> 00:13:22,230 and all our material culture, 263 00:13:22,230 --> 00:13:24,470 many of which is the same, 264 00:13:24,470 --> 00:13:26,447 is blank, is anonymous. 265 00:13:26,447 --> 00:13:27,650 It's strange. 266 00:13:27,650 --> 00:13:30,820 We certainly are keeping our eyes open. 267 00:13:30,820 --> 00:13:33,470 It'd be great to find the house that Merer stayed in. 268 00:13:34,650 --> 00:13:35,483 How we would know? 269 00:13:35,483 --> 00:13:36,353 Really great. 270 00:13:37,424 --> 00:13:38,908 His name might be on the door. 271 00:13:38,908 --> 00:13:39,748 The name on the room. 272 00:13:39,748 --> 00:13:41,331 Merer lives here. 273 00:13:43,620 --> 00:13:45,900 But why was Merer's diary found 274 00:13:45,900 --> 00:13:50,250 at Wadi El Jarf, and not on the Giza Plateau? 275 00:13:50,250 --> 00:13:53,400 What was Merer doing with his team of 40 boatmen 276 00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:55,003 on the Red Sea coast? 277 00:14:00,120 --> 00:14:03,900 After several years of intensive work at Wadi El Jarf site, 278 00:14:03,900 --> 00:14:05,880 Pierre Tallet and his team 279 00:14:05,880 --> 00:14:08,623 are able to reconstruct part of the story. 280 00:14:10,870 --> 00:14:14,330 A few kilometers from the galleries cut into the mountains, 281 00:14:14,330 --> 00:14:17,370 they excavated a building and port facilities, 282 00:14:17,370 --> 00:14:19,763 where hundreds of men could work and sleep. 283 00:14:22,137 --> 00:14:24,720 (solemn music) 284 00:14:27,300 --> 00:14:29,970 And at the seaside, they found a jetty 285 00:14:29,970 --> 00:14:32,933 from which Khufu's ships set sail for Sinai. 286 00:14:35,450 --> 00:14:37,400 Another important clue, 287 00:14:37,400 --> 00:14:40,360 while searching underwater and in the port buildings, 288 00:14:40,360 --> 00:14:43,260 they found about a hundred boat anchors. 289 00:14:43,260 --> 00:14:46,640 At that time, anchors were simple limestone blocks 290 00:14:46,640 --> 00:14:48,883 with a hole for a rope to pass through. 291 00:14:53,490 --> 00:14:55,000 But what were they looking for 292 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,993 on the other side of the Red Sea? 293 00:14:58,200 --> 00:15:01,743 It's certain that they were going to the Sinai peninsula. 294 00:15:01,743 --> 00:15:03,120 That was certainly one of the major reasons 295 00:15:03,120 --> 00:15:04,680 for building this port, 296 00:15:04,680 --> 00:15:07,140 because Sinai had the largest copper deposits 297 00:15:07,140 --> 00:15:09,090 that the Egyptians could mine directly. 298 00:15:10,570 --> 00:15:13,550 Several copper mines dating from Khufu's era, 299 00:15:13,550 --> 00:15:15,410 and even before his reign, 300 00:15:15,410 --> 00:15:17,103 have been found in Sinai. 301 00:15:18,200 --> 00:15:20,640 At that time, there was no iron, 302 00:15:20,640 --> 00:15:22,750 so the tools that cut the Great Pyramids' 303 00:15:22,750 --> 00:15:25,670 2.5 million blocks of limestone 304 00:15:25,670 --> 00:15:27,373 were made of copper ore. 305 00:15:35,960 --> 00:15:38,080 Starting at Wadi El Jarf, 306 00:15:38,080 --> 00:15:40,960 donkeys must have transported tons of copper 307 00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,093 across the desert to the pyramid construction site. 308 00:15:46,960 --> 00:15:48,660 Using this desert road, 309 00:15:48,660 --> 00:15:52,233 Merer and his team may have made several round trips. 310 00:15:57,470 --> 00:15:59,510 Before returning to the pyramid site 311 00:15:59,510 --> 00:16:01,230 with their copper cargo, 312 00:16:01,230 --> 00:16:03,860 they would have first arrived in Wadi El Jarf 313 00:16:03,860 --> 00:16:06,243 with the pieces of their dismantled boats. 314 00:16:09,556 --> 00:16:13,890 (dramatic orchestral music) 315 00:16:13,890 --> 00:16:16,260 From there, they would also have been part 316 00:16:16,260 --> 00:16:18,410 of the expeditions to Sinai, 317 00:16:18,410 --> 00:16:21,563 an adventure that was apparently not without risk. 318 00:16:23,790 --> 00:16:26,670 Local populations didn't really welcome the Egyptians. 319 00:16:26,670 --> 00:16:29,520 We found a veritable fortress that the Egyptians had built 320 00:16:29,520 --> 00:16:31,970 at exactly the same time as a landing area, 321 00:16:31,970 --> 00:16:33,763 so they protected themselves. 322 00:16:35,940 --> 00:16:38,270 The ancient camp at Wadi El Jarf, 323 00:16:38,270 --> 00:16:40,340 that Pierre has yet to excavate 324 00:16:40,340 --> 00:16:42,300 is also higher up. 325 00:16:42,300 --> 00:16:44,920 This allowed them to monitor their surroundings, 326 00:16:44,920 --> 00:16:46,370 and prevent any attacks 327 00:16:46,370 --> 00:16:48,463 that could threaten their expeditions. 328 00:16:52,400 --> 00:16:54,340 In this hostile context, 329 00:16:54,340 --> 00:16:56,310 ancient Egyptians tried to protect 330 00:16:56,310 --> 00:16:58,980 their installations at all costs. 331 00:16:58,980 --> 00:17:00,750 Sometimes several years passed 332 00:17:00,750 --> 00:17:02,993 between two expeditions to Sinai. 333 00:17:03,900 --> 00:17:07,560 Before leaving, to avoid having their equipment stolen, 334 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,740 they stored the dismantled boats in these galleries, 335 00:17:10,740 --> 00:17:13,640 and they carefully closed them with limestone blocks, 336 00:17:13,640 --> 00:17:15,743 cut especially for that purpose. 337 00:17:22,340 --> 00:17:23,853 Bedouins living in the desert 338 00:17:23,853 --> 00:17:27,283 may have been curious about what was inside the galleries. 339 00:17:28,230 --> 00:17:30,840 Using these large blocks as a locking system 340 00:17:30,840 --> 00:17:33,273 was a way to protect what was stored inside. 341 00:17:34,790 --> 00:17:37,760 So these galleries were like safes. 342 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:42,070 At that time quality wood was extremely rare and precious. 343 00:17:42,070 --> 00:17:44,070 There was none in Egypt. 344 00:17:44,070 --> 00:17:46,360 They had to go and get it from Lebanon, 345 00:17:46,360 --> 00:17:49,463 a land then covered with huge cedar forests. 346 00:17:55,980 --> 00:17:59,850 But how were these huge blocks used to seal the galleries, 347 00:17:59,850 --> 00:18:01,733 cut and transported here? 348 00:18:06,575 --> 00:18:09,742 (in foreign language) 349 00:18:11,230 --> 00:18:14,620 Today, we would really like to know how long it took, 350 00:18:14,620 --> 00:18:18,053 and what techniques were used to create this locking system. 351 00:18:20,910 --> 00:18:21,910 This is a major 352 00:18:21,910 --> 00:18:24,470 experimental archeological project, 353 00:18:24,470 --> 00:18:26,530 that Pierre Tallet wants to carry out 354 00:18:26,530 --> 00:18:28,760 on the Wade El Jarf site. 355 00:18:28,760 --> 00:18:30,230 He asked Franck Burgos, 356 00:18:30,230 --> 00:18:33,770 a stonemason, and a specialist in ancient architecture, 357 00:18:33,770 --> 00:18:35,323 to help him with the project. 358 00:18:36,340 --> 00:18:39,030 Their experiment's goal is to better interpret 359 00:18:39,030 --> 00:18:42,230 all the archeological data they can see on the site, 360 00:18:42,230 --> 00:18:45,520 but also to understand how the pyramid of Khufu 361 00:18:45,520 --> 00:18:46,803 might have been built. 362 00:18:53,460 --> 00:18:55,240 This experiment will take place 363 00:18:55,240 --> 00:18:57,620 about 300 yards from the camp, 364 00:18:57,620 --> 00:19:00,410 just next to the quarry where the ancient Egyptians 365 00:19:00,410 --> 00:19:03,633 carved the blocks used to seal Wadi El Jarf's galleries. 366 00:19:05,660 --> 00:19:09,180 An unfinished block, abandoned before it was finished, 367 00:19:09,180 --> 00:19:11,020 has allowed Franck to understand 368 00:19:11,020 --> 00:19:12,863 some of the techniques they used. 369 00:19:15,020 --> 00:19:17,040 The block is surrounded by trenches 370 00:19:17,040 --> 00:19:19,070 that go all the way around it, 371 00:19:19,070 --> 00:19:21,113 and are used to extract the block. 372 00:19:23,260 --> 00:19:25,590 We realized that there are work stations 373 00:19:25,590 --> 00:19:28,530 that are approximately one meter long. 374 00:19:28,530 --> 00:19:31,260 So every meter, there was a worker, 375 00:19:31,260 --> 00:19:32,560 but then when he entered the trench, 376 00:19:32,560 --> 00:19:35,100 he was in a crouched position. 377 00:19:35,100 --> 00:19:36,960 Then he would cut the stone, 378 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:39,050 and once he had finished cutting in front of him, 379 00:19:39,050 --> 00:19:42,290 he would turn around and cut behind. 380 00:19:42,290 --> 00:19:44,710 Using this ancient block as a model, 381 00:19:44,710 --> 00:19:46,870 Franck and his team of four workers 382 00:19:46,870 --> 00:19:50,060 will extract a 1.5 cubic meter block 383 00:19:50,060 --> 00:19:51,473 with copper tools. 384 00:19:53,450 --> 00:19:55,610 Now we're going to do an experiment, 385 00:19:55,610 --> 00:19:58,273 to time how long it takes to extract the block. 386 00:19:59,980 --> 00:20:02,140 Franck starts by drawing the trenches 387 00:20:02,140 --> 00:20:04,150 that will define their work area, 388 00:20:04,150 --> 00:20:06,573 and the size of the block they want to extract. 389 00:20:07,620 --> 00:20:09,240 You have to stay at the same angle, 390 00:20:09,240 --> 00:20:10,850 or you'll damage the chisel. 391 00:20:10,850 --> 00:20:13,600 Copper is a soft metal that wears down quickly 392 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:14,900 when cutting stone. 393 00:20:14,900 --> 00:20:17,630 So the technique is different working with these tools, 394 00:20:17,630 --> 00:20:19,503 than working with steel chisels. 395 00:20:23,650 --> 00:20:25,480 But with the copper chisels, 396 00:20:25,480 --> 00:20:28,700 the work is extremely long and tedious. 397 00:20:28,700 --> 00:20:30,210 How did the ancient Egyptians 398 00:20:30,210 --> 00:20:32,803 manage to produce more efficient results? 399 00:20:34,890 --> 00:20:37,470 Last year, I had the idea to wet the stone, 400 00:20:37,470 --> 00:20:39,220 because I encountered big problems 401 00:20:39,220 --> 00:20:41,180 in my experiment with copper tools. 402 00:20:41,180 --> 00:20:43,760 I realized that there was a lot of salt in the stone, 403 00:20:43,760 --> 00:20:45,140 because salt is soluble, 404 00:20:45,140 --> 00:20:46,730 I had the idea of wetting the stone 405 00:20:46,730 --> 00:20:48,330 to see if it would soften it up. 406 00:20:50,940 --> 00:20:54,133 We made five times more progress when we wet the stone. 407 00:20:56,240 --> 00:20:59,030 We realized that the stone is really crumbly. 408 00:20:59,030 --> 00:21:01,150 You can crumble it with your fingers. 409 00:21:01,150 --> 00:21:03,940 It is less solid than it was before. 410 00:21:03,940 --> 00:21:05,770 So far, no one has carried out 411 00:21:05,770 --> 00:21:09,180 this type of archeological experiment using water. 412 00:21:09,180 --> 00:21:11,200 And this technique is not mentioned 413 00:21:11,200 --> 00:21:14,560 in any ancient documents or bas-reliefs. 414 00:21:14,560 --> 00:21:16,500 If his intuition is right, 415 00:21:16,500 --> 00:21:18,123 it's a real discovery. 416 00:21:25,860 --> 00:21:28,510 All five of them will work eight hours a day, 417 00:21:28,510 --> 00:21:30,050 to carve out this block, 418 00:21:30,050 --> 00:21:32,610 which is about the same size as the average block 419 00:21:32,610 --> 00:21:34,063 in the pyramid of Khufu. 420 00:21:35,210 --> 00:21:37,210 And every half hour they have to sharpen 421 00:21:37,210 --> 00:21:38,763 their copper tools again. 422 00:21:43,670 --> 00:21:47,220 This archeological experiment, using copper tools, 423 00:21:47,220 --> 00:21:48,900 and not steel tools, 424 00:21:48,900 --> 00:21:51,750 has never been done properly before. 425 00:21:51,750 --> 00:21:53,170 The result of this test, 426 00:21:53,170 --> 00:21:56,340 will reveal a lot about the ancient techniques used 427 00:21:56,340 --> 00:21:57,883 during Khufu's time. 428 00:21:59,215 --> 00:22:02,048 (slow rock music) 429 00:22:10,430 --> 00:22:11,484 Wow, I hadn't seen this, 430 00:22:11,484 --> 00:22:13,760 you've made a lot of progress. 431 00:22:13,760 --> 00:22:15,040 With one quart of water, 432 00:22:15,040 --> 00:22:16,890 you can remove about three inches 433 00:22:16,890 --> 00:22:19,410 from an area that's 20 inches squared. 434 00:22:19,410 --> 00:22:20,930 If we hadn't wet the stone, 435 00:22:20,930 --> 00:22:24,020 we'd still be at four inches from the surface all around. 436 00:22:24,020 --> 00:22:25,620 That's a huge discovery. 437 00:22:43,050 --> 00:22:46,340 What's surprising is that it broke at the bottom. 438 00:22:46,340 --> 00:22:48,570 You can see the crack that goes down there. 439 00:22:48,570 --> 00:22:50,183 It split at the lowest point. 440 00:22:55,045 --> 00:22:58,212 (in foreign language) 441 00:23:00,260 --> 00:23:01,660 Thanks to you guys. 442 00:23:01,660 --> 00:23:02,893 Thanks to all of us. 443 00:23:05,090 --> 00:23:06,560 It took us about eight days 444 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:08,270 to finish this experiment. 445 00:23:08,270 --> 00:23:10,340 Now we just have to transport it. 446 00:23:10,340 --> 00:23:12,080 The tools didn't wear down too much, 447 00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:15,200 and we used about three quarts of water for the experiment. 448 00:23:15,200 --> 00:23:17,060 Without the water, it would have taken us 449 00:23:17,060 --> 00:23:18,520 two or three times longer. 450 00:23:18,520 --> 00:23:20,810 Franck believes that by using water, 451 00:23:20,810 --> 00:23:23,450 ancient Egyptians, who were more experienced 452 00:23:23,450 --> 00:23:24,760 than the men on his team, 453 00:23:24,760 --> 00:23:28,260 could have cut a block in four to five days at the most. 454 00:23:28,260 --> 00:23:30,750 But what did they do with all the rubble? 455 00:23:31,597 --> 00:23:33,930 The extraction waste was used to make ramps, 456 00:23:33,930 --> 00:23:37,270 but also at the entrance of quarries to load the blocks, 457 00:23:37,270 --> 00:23:38,603 to handle them easily. 458 00:23:40,650 --> 00:23:41,970 If it took two million, 459 00:23:41,970 --> 00:23:44,240 or two and a half million cubic meters of stone 460 00:23:44,240 --> 00:23:46,360 to build the Khufu pyramid, 461 00:23:46,360 --> 00:23:47,723 that would mean that there were about 462 00:23:47,723 --> 00:23:51,523 two, 2.5 million cubic meters of gravel. 463 00:23:52,480 --> 00:23:54,480 So according to Franck Burgos, 464 00:23:54,480 --> 00:23:58,150 ancient Egyptians would most probably have also used water 465 00:23:58,150 --> 00:24:00,120 to cut the millions of stone blocks 466 00:24:00,120 --> 00:24:02,863 needed to build the pyramids more rapidly. 467 00:24:05,690 --> 00:24:07,850 At the foot of the pyramid of Khufu, 468 00:24:07,850 --> 00:24:09,590 we can still see the quarries 469 00:24:09,590 --> 00:24:11,983 from which most of the blocks were extracted. 470 00:24:14,590 --> 00:24:16,410 By building the pyramids, 471 00:24:16,410 --> 00:24:19,370 the ancient Egyptians transformed the landscape, 472 00:24:19,370 --> 00:24:21,490 changed the geography of the place. 473 00:24:21,490 --> 00:24:24,020 They literally tore off much of the rocky base 474 00:24:24,020 --> 00:24:25,403 of the Giza Plateau. 475 00:24:27,370 --> 00:24:28,750 The Sphinx itself, 476 00:24:28,750 --> 00:24:31,520 is a remnant of this hard limestone plateau, 477 00:24:31,520 --> 00:24:33,440 an immense area of which was used 478 00:24:33,440 --> 00:24:35,953 to cut the stones needed for the pyramids. 479 00:24:43,260 --> 00:24:47,150 And all the gravel and excess stone this method produced, 480 00:24:47,150 --> 00:24:49,743 would have been reused to build ramps. 481 00:24:52,470 --> 00:24:56,530 But what type of ramp did they use 4,500 years ago 482 00:24:56,530 --> 00:25:01,280 to transport blocks to a height of 480 feet. 483 00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:05,560 The debate is raging between egyptologists and specialists, 484 00:25:05,560 --> 00:25:07,953 and so, many models have been proposed. 485 00:25:10,220 --> 00:25:13,480 A single ramp is either too steep or too long 486 00:25:13,480 --> 00:25:17,643 to maintain a realistic slope of no more than 12%. 487 00:25:18,620 --> 00:25:21,860 Several ramps seem to be a very costly solution, 488 00:25:21,860 --> 00:25:23,783 in terms of time and effort. 489 00:25:24,750 --> 00:25:27,590 Is it an external wraparound ramp, 490 00:25:27,590 --> 00:25:29,410 or the kind of internal ramp 491 00:25:29,410 --> 00:25:33,163 proposed by architect Jean-Pierre Houdin in the 2000's? 492 00:25:39,740 --> 00:25:42,670 For now, there is no definitive evidence 493 00:25:42,670 --> 00:25:44,800 that would settle this debate. 494 00:25:44,800 --> 00:25:48,070 Again, it may be necessary to distance ourselves 495 00:25:48,070 --> 00:25:50,753 from the pyramids to find some answers. 496 00:26:00,480 --> 00:26:04,230 185 miles south of the Giza pyramids, 497 00:26:04,230 --> 00:26:06,510 a Franco-British archeological mission, 498 00:26:06,510 --> 00:26:09,600 with the help of 100 Egyptian workers 499 00:26:09,600 --> 00:26:12,473 is possibly about to make a major discovery. 500 00:26:24,452 --> 00:26:25,600 We are at Hatnub, 501 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:28,840 one of the oldest calcite quarries in the world. 502 00:26:28,840 --> 00:26:30,830 This is where the great Pharaohs went to look 503 00:26:30,830 --> 00:26:33,160 for a hard and crystalline stone, 504 00:26:33,160 --> 00:26:36,223 that is also called, Egyptian alabaster. 505 00:26:41,800 --> 00:26:45,080 Today, there is no alabaster left in this quarry, 506 00:26:45,080 --> 00:26:48,923 which was totally depleted and abandoned in ancient times. 507 00:26:50,776 --> 00:26:54,443 (dramatic orchestral music) 508 00:26:56,040 --> 00:26:57,920 Clearing all the rubble and sand 509 00:26:57,920 --> 00:27:01,080 accumulated over the past 2,000 years, 510 00:27:01,080 --> 00:27:03,400 is a gargantuan task. 511 00:27:03,400 --> 00:27:07,433 And here, there is no tomb or funerary treasure to find. 512 00:27:08,470 --> 00:27:10,623 So why put so much effort into it? 513 00:27:14,780 --> 00:27:18,580 What Yannis Gourdon's team has begun to find on the site 514 00:27:18,580 --> 00:27:21,080 could revolutionize our understanding 515 00:27:21,080 --> 00:27:24,030 of the major Pharaonic construction sites, 516 00:27:24,030 --> 00:27:26,623 particularly that of the Khufu pyramid. 517 00:27:27,670 --> 00:27:30,640 Because here we know that they extracted and hauled 518 00:27:30,640 --> 00:27:32,740 a huge alabaster block, 519 00:27:32,740 --> 00:27:36,213 to make a 58-ton statue for a Pharaoh. 520 00:27:40,720 --> 00:27:42,310 While they were clearing the quarry 521 00:27:42,310 --> 00:27:44,470 in search of new inscriptions, 522 00:27:44,470 --> 00:27:47,320 egyptologists found steps and holes 523 00:27:47,320 --> 00:27:49,350 carved into the ramp. 524 00:27:49,350 --> 00:27:51,150 They think that these holes were used 525 00:27:51,150 --> 00:27:53,280 to wedge huge wooden poles, 526 00:27:53,280 --> 00:27:56,243 that were part of a very ingenious towing system. 527 00:27:58,160 --> 00:28:01,480 They have one month to clear as much gravel as possible, 528 00:28:01,480 --> 00:28:03,440 around 6,000 tons, 529 00:28:03,440 --> 00:28:05,160 to see if there are similar holes 530 00:28:05,160 --> 00:28:06,790 on the right side of the ramp, 531 00:28:06,790 --> 00:28:08,543 and lower down in the quarry. 532 00:28:10,860 --> 00:28:12,690 But how can we date this ramp, 533 00:28:12,690 --> 00:28:15,080 carved into the rock inside a quarry, 534 00:28:15,080 --> 00:28:18,610 that was used for almost 3,000 years? 535 00:28:18,610 --> 00:28:22,250 How can we be sure that it was used in Khufu's era? 536 00:28:22,250 --> 00:28:24,810 What helps them are the hundreds and hundreds 537 00:28:24,810 --> 00:28:28,120 of inscriptions left there by expedition leaders, 538 00:28:28,120 --> 00:28:32,883 who came all the way here to extract the sacred alabaster. 539 00:28:35,860 --> 00:28:37,250 So let's have a look. 540 00:28:37,250 --> 00:28:39,990 On Khufu's inscriptions. 541 00:28:39,990 --> 00:28:42,150 Roland Enmarch and Yannis Gourdon 542 00:28:42,150 --> 00:28:44,760 are experts in hieroglyphics. 543 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:47,580 By lifting all the inscriptions in the quarry, 544 00:28:47,580 --> 00:28:51,253 they have identified two cartouches from Pharaoh Khufu. 545 00:28:52,690 --> 00:28:55,640 Even if some of the hieroglyphs have been destroyed, 546 00:28:55,640 --> 00:28:58,293 they can still decipher Khufu's royal name. 547 00:28:59,470 --> 00:29:00,500 Yeah, there's definitely a vase there. 548 00:29:00,500 --> 00:29:01,470 And the quail? 549 00:29:01,470 --> 00:29:03,270 Yes, the quail chick, 550 00:29:03,270 --> 00:29:04,733 and the viper. 551 00:29:04,733 --> 00:29:05,566 Yes. 552 00:29:06,880 --> 00:29:09,390 It is the same signature that has been found 553 00:29:09,390 --> 00:29:11,950 all around the Wadi El Jarf site, 554 00:29:11,950 --> 00:29:14,077 and in Merer's papyri. 555 00:29:18,510 --> 00:29:20,820 Yannis Gourdon, and Roland Enmarch, 556 00:29:20,820 --> 00:29:24,400 decided to dig a trench under a second Khufu cartouche 557 00:29:24,400 --> 00:29:28,870 that's also damaged, to access the bottom of the tow path, 558 00:29:28,870 --> 00:29:30,800 to see if it's possible to link 559 00:29:30,800 --> 00:29:32,733 the Khufu cartouche with the ramp. 560 00:29:35,199 --> 00:29:38,866 (dramatic orchestral music) 561 00:29:52,730 --> 00:29:55,520 A month later, the team has been able to clear 562 00:29:55,520 --> 00:29:57,660 the top of the ramp entirely, 563 00:29:57,660 --> 00:30:00,240 and a large part of the bottom of the quarry, 564 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:02,353 where the Khufu cartouche is located. 565 00:30:04,550 --> 00:30:06,110 Were they able to find the clues 566 00:30:06,110 --> 00:30:08,053 and information they were looking for? 567 00:30:09,440 --> 00:30:12,140 The amount of rubble and sand deposited here 568 00:30:12,140 --> 00:30:14,460 over the past 2,000 years, 569 00:30:14,460 --> 00:30:16,793 is much greater than they had estimated. 570 00:30:17,900 --> 00:30:22,010 After digging down about 30 feet under the Khufu cartouche, 571 00:30:22,010 --> 00:30:24,360 they have finally reached the base of the ramp. 572 00:30:29,830 --> 00:30:32,290 Yannis and Olivier Lavigne are happy 573 00:30:32,290 --> 00:30:34,820 to find another hole carved into the rock, 574 00:30:34,820 --> 00:30:37,793 that's similar to the one found at the top of the ramp. 575 00:30:39,000 --> 00:30:41,250 Yes, we've got a new structure, here. 576 00:30:41,250 --> 00:30:43,093 Here there are some nice tool marks. 577 00:30:44,370 --> 00:30:47,010 So this means that everything was cut in one go, 578 00:30:47,010 --> 00:30:49,770 in one piece, the wall, then the steps, 579 00:30:49,770 --> 00:30:52,680 and then after, the holes for the poles. 580 00:30:52,680 --> 00:30:55,690 So now the oldest inscriptions on these walls. 581 00:30:55,690 --> 00:30:57,390 Yeah, that's Khufu. 582 00:30:57,390 --> 00:30:59,210 Which means that the whole thing was made 583 00:30:59,210 --> 00:31:01,383 at the latest, during Khufu's era. 584 00:31:02,650 --> 00:31:04,450 Thanks to these discoveries, 585 00:31:04,450 --> 00:31:06,830 they believe that the ramp must have been created 586 00:31:06,830 --> 00:31:09,473 during Khufu's time, or even before. 587 00:31:10,658 --> 00:31:13,991 (soft orchestral music) 588 00:31:17,650 --> 00:31:21,070 And at the top of the ramp, just as they had hoped, 589 00:31:21,070 --> 00:31:23,240 they uncovered more pole holes, 590 00:31:23,240 --> 00:31:24,913 and lots of tool marks. 591 00:31:26,470 --> 00:31:30,720 (softly dramatic orchestral music) 592 00:31:42,290 --> 00:31:44,240 Olivier measured all the tool marks 593 00:31:44,240 --> 00:31:46,190 the workers left in the quarry, 594 00:31:46,190 --> 00:31:47,960 especially on the ramp, 595 00:31:47,960 --> 00:31:50,550 and the holes in walls next to it. 596 00:31:50,550 --> 00:31:52,743 He found the same arcs everywhere. 597 00:31:54,000 --> 00:31:56,680 Here apparently the same teams that arrived on the site 598 00:31:56,680 --> 00:31:59,110 and cut this wall, also carved the steps, 599 00:31:59,110 --> 00:32:01,393 and the holes for the poles, in that order. 600 00:32:03,430 --> 00:32:05,010 In no other quarry 601 00:32:05,010 --> 00:32:07,410 have these types of elements been found. 602 00:32:07,410 --> 00:32:11,290 A ramp at a 20 or 25% grade, or even more, 603 00:32:11,290 --> 00:32:13,330 depending on the location, 604 00:32:13,330 --> 00:32:16,290 and on the sides there are stairs with holes 605 00:32:16,290 --> 00:32:17,453 cut into the rock. 606 00:32:18,380 --> 00:32:20,930 What were these holes used for? 607 00:32:20,930 --> 00:32:23,000 How did this ramp work? 608 00:32:23,000 --> 00:32:24,550 Can it provide new clues 609 00:32:24,550 --> 00:32:26,570 about the construction of the pyramids, 610 00:32:26,570 --> 00:32:28,903 and the ramp system used at the time? 611 00:32:30,600 --> 00:32:33,860 Olivier Lavigne has analyzed all these clues, 612 00:32:33,860 --> 00:32:36,240 and developed a hypothesis. 613 00:32:36,240 --> 00:32:38,420 So here we have a pole hole. 614 00:32:38,420 --> 00:32:39,940 The wall in front of me is vertical, 615 00:32:39,940 --> 00:32:43,880 so the pole was placed here, a large circular pole. 616 00:32:43,880 --> 00:32:46,330 You have to imagine it because it's rather large. 617 00:32:48,070 --> 00:32:50,550 And here we really have a structure that enables, 618 00:32:50,550 --> 00:32:53,190 when a big block gets to the towing path, 619 00:32:53,190 --> 00:32:55,603 to have teams above pulling the block, 620 00:32:56,480 --> 00:33:00,560 and others below with ropes wrapped around the poles here, 621 00:33:00,560 --> 00:33:03,510 and who are able, pulling like this, 622 00:33:03,510 --> 00:33:05,313 to make the block go up again. 623 00:33:07,580 --> 00:33:10,420 They take the ropes and pull towards the bottom, 624 00:33:10,420 --> 00:33:12,893 and that's what actually makes the block move up. 625 00:33:15,990 --> 00:33:18,380 Behind here there's a big structure, 626 00:33:18,380 --> 00:33:20,360 a crossbar that goes here, 627 00:33:20,360 --> 00:33:22,630 that ties, that dovetails the pole 628 00:33:22,630 --> 00:33:25,400 to wedge it just behind, because behind here, 629 00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:27,023 the hole is a little slanted. 630 00:33:28,510 --> 00:33:30,040 It's not easy to make a vertical hole 631 00:33:30,040 --> 00:33:31,160 with this kind of tool, 632 00:33:31,160 --> 00:33:33,950 and there's another hole here that makes a strut, 633 00:33:33,950 --> 00:33:35,860 and arrives here in the upper part, 634 00:33:35,860 --> 00:33:37,700 which supports the upper part of the pole 635 00:33:37,700 --> 00:33:39,163 to prevent it from tilting. 636 00:33:42,330 --> 00:33:45,520 Here you need a log, a tree trunk that's very smooth, 637 00:33:45,520 --> 00:33:46,910 and quite circular, 638 00:33:46,910 --> 00:33:49,403 so that the rope can easily slide around it. 639 00:33:50,686 --> 00:33:53,330 The would have used mud, silt from the Nile, 640 00:33:53,330 --> 00:33:55,900 to lubricate the ramp and slide the block, 641 00:33:55,900 --> 00:33:58,433 eliminating friction as much as possible. 642 00:34:00,060 --> 00:34:01,560 They could move very large blocks 643 00:34:01,560 --> 00:34:02,833 up this tow path. 644 00:34:03,770 --> 00:34:05,950 There's a story about a 58 ton colossus 645 00:34:05,950 --> 00:34:09,060 that came out of an alabaster quarry like this one, 646 00:34:09,060 --> 00:34:11,010 and that could have been possible here. 647 00:34:11,900 --> 00:34:13,840 So as the block advanced, 648 00:34:13,840 --> 00:34:16,000 the teams above would have positioned 649 00:34:16,000 --> 00:34:18,980 the ropes ahead of time, on the next poles, 650 00:34:18,980 --> 00:34:20,840 so that the block would have moved forward 651 00:34:20,840 --> 00:34:22,423 as smoothly as possible. 652 00:34:23,525 --> 00:34:27,192 (dramatic orchestral music) 653 00:34:35,410 --> 00:34:37,900 According to Olivier, this ramp system 654 00:34:37,900 --> 00:34:40,403 could have been adapted to the pyramid of Khufu. 655 00:34:42,511 --> 00:34:46,730 (dramatic orchestral music) 656 00:34:46,730 --> 00:34:49,520 But a ramp on a pyramid was not rock, 657 00:34:49,520 --> 00:34:51,723 it was built with gravel and bricks. 658 00:34:56,820 --> 00:34:59,400 So they had to secure and stabilize the space 659 00:34:59,400 --> 00:35:03,520 between the poles, using wooden crossbars inside the ramp, 660 00:35:03,520 --> 00:35:04,823 and also above it. 661 00:35:06,776 --> 00:35:09,093 But is this system feasible? 662 00:35:11,650 --> 00:35:15,720 This hypothesis needs to be tested under real conditions, 663 00:35:15,720 --> 00:35:16,783 to know for sure. 664 00:35:25,737 --> 00:35:27,060 Of all the pyramids, 665 00:35:27,060 --> 00:35:29,810 Khufu's is the most difficult to decipher, 666 00:35:29,810 --> 00:35:32,910 because its interior architecture is unique. 667 00:35:32,910 --> 00:35:36,183 It raises questions that can't be found anywhere else. 668 00:35:45,080 --> 00:35:48,210 The immensity and ceiling height of the grand gallery 669 00:35:48,210 --> 00:35:50,623 is a mystery in and of itself. 670 00:35:55,350 --> 00:35:58,730 But the most surprising of all, is the King's Chamber, 671 00:35:58,730 --> 00:36:00,960 built with huge granite blocks, 672 00:36:00,960 --> 00:36:03,663 some of which weigh up to 70 tons. 673 00:36:07,340 --> 00:36:09,310 It is the only pyramid that has 674 00:36:09,310 --> 00:36:11,790 this kind of interior burial chamber, 675 00:36:11,790 --> 00:36:16,453 that's located so high up, at 140 feet from the ground. 676 00:36:18,430 --> 00:36:20,200 How did they manage to extract 677 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:22,763 and cut these blocks so perfectly? 678 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:26,540 Can you see the chisel marks of the stonemasons 679 00:36:26,540 --> 00:36:27,913 who made the sarcophagus? 680 00:36:29,840 --> 00:36:32,460 Yes, of course, there are several there. 681 00:36:32,460 --> 00:36:34,620 Look here, you can really see them. 682 00:36:34,620 --> 00:36:37,130 What tools and techniques did they use 683 00:36:37,130 --> 00:36:40,793 to shape these angles that are so geometrically perfect? 684 00:36:42,960 --> 00:36:47,670 Part of the answer can be found 620 miles from the pyramids, 685 00:36:47,670 --> 00:36:50,493 in southern Egypt, in the city of Aswan. 686 00:36:54,830 --> 00:36:58,370 The old granite quarries used during the Pharaonic period 687 00:36:58,370 --> 00:37:00,793 are located here on the banks of the Nile. 688 00:37:05,570 --> 00:37:07,320 Some blocks were never finished 689 00:37:07,320 --> 00:37:09,100 and extracted from the quarry, 690 00:37:09,100 --> 00:37:11,053 because they were so gigantic. 691 00:37:13,290 --> 00:37:15,460 The most famous of these monuments 692 00:37:15,460 --> 00:37:17,963 is the unfinished obelisk in Aswan. 693 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:23,710 This giant stone is 137 feet long, 694 00:37:23,710 --> 00:37:26,133 and weighs about 1,200 tons. 695 00:37:27,340 --> 00:37:29,740 It is believed that they stopped working on it, 696 00:37:29,740 --> 00:37:33,390 because a crack appeared during the extraction process. 697 00:37:33,390 --> 00:37:37,010 These unfinished monuments give astonishing testimony 698 00:37:37,010 --> 00:37:40,780 about ancient Egyptians' stone carving techniques. 699 00:37:40,780 --> 00:37:43,450 They reveal some secrets, like how the masons 700 00:37:43,450 --> 00:37:46,440 were able to work the stone using other stones, 701 00:37:46,440 --> 00:37:48,253 that are even harder than granite. 702 00:37:49,799 --> 00:37:52,049 It's so amazing, the work that's been done. 703 00:37:53,260 --> 00:37:54,890 To extract the obelisk, 704 00:37:54,890 --> 00:37:56,820 you can see the trench that they had to create 705 00:37:56,820 --> 00:38:00,680 with balls of dolerite, which is a relatively hard stone. 706 00:38:00,680 --> 00:38:02,400 It is magmatic rock, 707 00:38:02,400 --> 00:38:04,190 and it is the only tool they had 708 00:38:04,190 --> 00:38:05,973 at their disposal to cut granite. 709 00:38:10,200 --> 00:38:11,670 It's really incredible. 710 00:38:11,670 --> 00:38:14,160 Here, there are the same vertical trenches 711 00:38:14,160 --> 00:38:15,590 as for the obelisk, 712 00:38:15,590 --> 00:38:18,780 but what we have in addition are horizontal trenches 713 00:38:18,780 --> 00:38:21,563 that were used to remove the block, visible here. 714 00:38:24,090 --> 00:38:24,923 It's crazy. 715 00:38:32,890 --> 00:38:35,360 It's very, very uncomfortable. 716 00:38:35,360 --> 00:38:37,710 I think they must have sat down instead. 717 00:38:37,710 --> 00:38:40,573 They were flexible, flexible and small, I think. 718 00:38:42,322 --> 00:38:43,370 So the dolerite balls 719 00:38:43,370 --> 00:38:45,840 were used to extract the granite. 720 00:38:45,840 --> 00:38:47,030 But how did they manage 721 00:38:47,030 --> 00:38:49,740 to make right angles and perfect edges? 722 00:38:49,740 --> 00:38:52,820 Since it is impossible to do experimental archeology 723 00:38:52,820 --> 00:38:54,210 on this historic site, 724 00:38:54,210 --> 00:38:57,753 Franck has decided to launch a new experiment in Cairo. 725 00:39:03,446 --> 00:39:05,613 (tapping) 726 00:39:08,700 --> 00:39:12,660 Sculptor Nathan Doss, and his student, Islam El Sharqawi, 727 00:39:12,660 --> 00:39:15,963 are used to sculpting granite, using modern techniques. 728 00:39:17,300 --> 00:39:19,820 But they have always wondered how their ancestors 729 00:39:19,820 --> 00:39:22,793 carved this hard rock without iron tools. 730 00:39:24,730 --> 00:39:27,253 This test is a challenge for them. 731 00:39:28,190 --> 00:39:30,240 After a few minutes striking the stone 732 00:39:30,240 --> 00:39:31,830 with the dolerite balls, 733 00:39:31,830 --> 00:39:35,093 they have already loosened a large amount of granite dust. 734 00:39:41,590 --> 00:39:43,920 But for Franck, the real challenge 735 00:39:43,920 --> 00:39:46,770 is not to prove the dolerite's effectiveness. 736 00:39:46,770 --> 00:39:49,160 He has no doubt about that. 737 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:50,830 What he would like to test, 738 00:39:50,830 --> 00:39:52,690 is how to make perfect angles, 739 00:39:52,690 --> 00:39:56,093 like in the King's Chamber, without steel tools. 740 00:39:57,300 --> 00:39:58,890 If we hit the edge of the ridge 741 00:39:58,890 --> 00:40:01,060 with dolerite balls like this, 742 00:40:01,060 --> 00:40:02,160 we'll break the ridge. 743 00:40:03,652 --> 00:40:06,485 (soft jazz music) 744 00:40:07,430 --> 00:40:09,740 According to Franck and other researchers, 745 00:40:09,740 --> 00:40:11,850 who experimented before him, 746 00:40:11,850 --> 00:40:15,470 the perfect recipe is to use an abrasive paste, 747 00:40:15,470 --> 00:40:18,830 composed of Nile silt and emery powder. 748 00:40:18,830 --> 00:40:20,630 Emery is one of the only rocks 749 00:40:20,630 --> 00:40:22,870 that is much harder than granite. 750 00:40:22,870 --> 00:40:26,223 When emery powder is applied with a single copper blade, 751 00:40:27,830 --> 00:40:30,260 it can actually saw the granite. 752 00:40:35,704 --> 00:40:37,787 Okay, do you hear that? 753 00:40:40,190 --> 00:40:41,573 That sound means it's good. 754 00:40:45,210 --> 00:40:46,627 Okay, needs to switch? 755 00:40:47,970 --> 00:40:49,130 You just have to be 756 00:40:49,130 --> 00:40:51,900 very, very, very patient. 757 00:41:07,828 --> 00:41:09,030 Five millimeters. 758 00:41:09,030 --> 00:41:09,863 Really? 759 00:41:13,930 --> 00:41:14,763 Not bad. 760 00:41:15,620 --> 00:41:17,650 We got to a fifth of an inch. 761 00:41:17,650 --> 00:41:19,360 I think we sawed for 25 minutes 762 00:41:19,360 --> 00:41:21,450 to get to a fifth of an inch depth, 763 00:41:21,450 --> 00:41:22,793 but over a short length. 764 00:41:25,349 --> 00:41:28,349 With a longer length, I think it would take a little longer. 765 00:41:32,510 --> 00:41:34,750 For three days, Nathan, Islam, 766 00:41:34,750 --> 00:41:37,520 and two workers, will level two sides of the block, 767 00:41:37,520 --> 00:41:41,500 removing between 1.5 and two inches of their surfaces, 768 00:41:41,500 --> 00:41:42,920 with dolerite balls. 769 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:45,700 Then, they will start sawing on two sides, 770 00:41:45,700 --> 00:41:48,143 to prepare the cutting of a perfect edge. 771 00:41:51,475 --> 00:41:53,892 (dark music) 772 00:41:57,853 --> 00:41:58,780 In Wadi El Jarf, the mission is coming to a close, 773 00:42:01,450 --> 00:42:04,280 but Franck would like to try to move the limestone block 774 00:42:04,280 --> 00:42:06,853 he cut the year before, to the camp. 775 00:42:09,740 --> 00:42:11,900 To best prepare the experiment, 776 00:42:11,900 --> 00:42:15,650 the workers remove the stones, level the surface, 777 00:42:15,650 --> 00:42:18,423 and smooth the tow path as much as possible. 778 00:42:25,030 --> 00:42:26,770 In a symbolic gesture, 779 00:42:26,770 --> 00:42:28,760 Pierre draws the Khufu cartouche, 780 00:42:28,760 --> 00:42:31,250 and the name of a team similar to Merer's, 781 00:42:31,250 --> 00:42:33,700 whose marks he found on several blocks, 782 00:42:33,700 --> 00:42:34,800 walking the galleries. 783 00:42:37,873 --> 00:42:40,560 Darn, we're not enough, we need more guys. 784 00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:41,890 Under the old blocks, 785 00:42:41,890 --> 00:42:44,810 locking the galleries at Wadi El Jarf, 786 00:42:44,810 --> 00:42:49,200 archeologists found only timber, but no sleds. 787 00:42:49,200 --> 00:42:52,110 Franck therefore, starts with this technique. 788 00:42:52,110 --> 00:42:55,170 His method is to go from the simplest technique, 789 00:42:55,170 --> 00:42:56,743 to the most complicated. 790 00:43:09,960 --> 00:43:11,160 Come on, all together! 791 00:43:13,906 --> 00:43:15,990 (in foreign language) 792 00:43:15,990 --> 00:43:17,380 Look at the path. 793 00:43:17,380 --> 00:43:19,713 It's not good, the wood is slowing us down. 794 00:43:22,770 --> 00:43:24,560 The sand between the stone and the wood 795 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:26,530 serves to make the stone slide, 796 00:43:26,530 --> 00:43:27,650 to reduce the friction 797 00:43:27,650 --> 00:43:29,850 between the stone and the wood a little bit. 798 00:43:32,830 --> 00:43:34,080 All together, yes! 799 00:43:35,207 --> 00:43:36,040 Yes! 800 00:43:40,200 --> 00:43:41,370 Stop, stop, stop. 801 00:43:41,370 --> 00:43:42,323 Wait, wait. 802 00:43:44,490 --> 00:43:45,950 It's not doing what we want, 803 00:43:45,950 --> 00:43:47,720 and I'm really annoyed. 804 00:43:47,720 --> 00:43:50,300 We don't have the right method, it's not smooth. 805 00:43:50,300 --> 00:43:52,830 And yet, we're on the steepest slope. 806 00:43:52,830 --> 00:43:54,430 We've got to got several hundred yards 807 00:43:54,430 --> 00:43:56,490 to get it where we want it. 808 00:43:56,490 --> 00:43:58,840 Several hundred yards wetting the clay, 809 00:43:58,840 --> 00:44:02,230 all for a fairly mediocre block for a mediocre structure, 810 00:44:02,230 --> 00:44:03,980 I don't think they did it this way. 811 00:44:06,840 --> 00:44:09,790 Maybe we should try moving it with a sled. 812 00:44:09,790 --> 00:44:12,740 Even a rudimentary one, because for the moment, 813 00:44:12,740 --> 00:44:15,040 the block looks like it's stuck to the planks. 814 00:44:18,210 --> 00:44:20,300 I don't know, I just see 815 00:44:20,300 --> 00:44:22,700 that it's a lot of effort for too little return. 816 00:44:26,410 --> 00:44:27,513 We'll see tomorrow. 817 00:44:30,360 --> 00:44:31,910 We'll think about it, together. 818 00:44:32,960 --> 00:44:33,793 And we'll see. 819 00:44:39,156 --> 00:44:42,489 (dark electronic music) 820 00:44:46,350 --> 00:44:49,210 In one day, with 33 workers, 821 00:44:49,210 --> 00:44:51,740 the block only moved 50 yards, 822 00:44:51,740 --> 00:44:54,203 on a 25% downward slope. 823 00:44:57,620 --> 00:45:00,400 Franck has only one more day. 824 00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:02,493 How can he save the situation? 825 00:45:03,857 --> 00:45:05,940 (sawing) 826 00:45:14,810 --> 00:45:18,163 The decision is made to quickly build a makeshift sled. 827 00:45:23,000 --> 00:45:24,680 Wood against wood, 828 00:45:24,680 --> 00:45:27,093 the block suddenly moves much faster. 829 00:45:30,880 --> 00:45:32,603 It's moving much better now. 830 00:45:34,370 --> 00:45:36,470 We just started from there 10 minutes ago. 831 00:45:40,150 --> 00:45:42,240 New test, they try to replace 832 00:45:42,240 --> 00:45:44,220 the sand with wet clay. 833 00:45:44,220 --> 00:45:45,053 So? 834 00:45:46,257 --> 00:45:48,840 (men chanting) 835 00:45:49,808 --> 00:45:51,208 Look, the sled's not moving. 836 00:45:52,150 --> 00:45:53,194 And so? 837 00:45:53,194 --> 00:45:54,144 Well, it's stuck. 838 00:45:55,870 --> 00:45:57,120 When you put a little wet clay 839 00:45:57,120 --> 00:45:58,980 that is supposed to lubricate the system, 840 00:45:58,980 --> 00:46:00,153 the block stops moving. 841 00:46:04,346 --> 00:46:07,513 (in foreign language) 842 00:46:11,182 --> 00:46:15,349 So they go back to the sand solution. 843 00:46:16,480 --> 00:46:18,690 As the experience progresses, 844 00:46:18,690 --> 00:46:20,297 workers learn to work together, 845 00:46:20,297 --> 00:46:22,363 and are more and more efficient. 846 00:46:23,372 --> 00:46:25,955 (men chanting) 847 00:46:31,280 --> 00:46:33,910 They reach the camp at the end of the afternoon, 848 00:46:33,910 --> 00:46:36,203 300 yards from their starting point. 849 00:46:37,988 --> 00:46:41,571 (men yelling and chanting) 850 00:47:02,822 --> 00:47:04,870 Next year, Franck wants to come back 851 00:47:04,870 --> 00:47:08,680 with a real sled and do more tests with purer clay, 852 00:47:08,680 --> 00:47:11,800 and also try to pave the path with some pebbles, 853 00:47:11,800 --> 00:47:14,523 whose marks they spotted near the ancient quarry. 854 00:47:19,090 --> 00:47:20,830 He would also like to do tests 855 00:47:20,830 --> 00:47:23,433 where the block has to go up a slope. 856 00:47:26,975 --> 00:47:28,870 But what can we understand from this first 857 00:47:28,870 --> 00:47:30,520 archeological experiment, 858 00:47:30,520 --> 00:47:33,373 concerning the construction of the Khufu pyramid? 859 00:47:35,290 --> 00:47:38,170 To make a connection with the Great Pyramid, 860 00:47:38,170 --> 00:47:40,900 I think we can expect 35 yards per hour, 861 00:47:40,900 --> 00:47:42,333 for a block of this size. 862 00:47:43,839 --> 00:47:46,139 That might be the most pessimistic estimation. 863 00:47:47,450 --> 00:47:49,300 I think they were more experienced, 864 00:47:49,300 --> 00:47:51,180 they had a much more functional technique 865 00:47:51,180 --> 00:47:53,730 that certainly allowed them to go faster than that. 866 00:47:58,830 --> 00:48:00,700 Before leaving for France, 867 00:48:00,700 --> 00:48:02,300 Franck returns to Cairo, 868 00:48:02,300 --> 00:48:05,000 to the workshop of the Egyptian sculptors, 869 00:48:05,000 --> 00:48:08,123 just as the edge begins to emerge from the block. 870 00:48:10,140 --> 00:48:12,160 For this delicate operation, 871 00:48:12,160 --> 00:48:14,340 Nathan decided to use flint tools, 872 00:48:14,340 --> 00:48:16,840 rather than dolerite balls that are too big, 873 00:48:16,840 --> 00:48:20,163 and therefore, less precise for this finishing work. 874 00:48:30,620 --> 00:48:32,930 They manage to make a perfect angle 875 00:48:32,930 --> 00:48:35,930 with the tools available in Khufu's era. 876 00:48:35,930 --> 00:48:38,550 Dolerite balls, a copper blade, 877 00:48:38,550 --> 00:48:41,013 an abrasive emery paste, and flint. 878 00:48:47,337 --> 00:48:49,587 (laughing) 879 00:48:54,336 --> 00:48:57,503 (in foreign language) 880 00:49:00,209 --> 00:49:02,450 I always read about the ancient techniques, 881 00:49:02,450 --> 00:49:04,860 something that worried me a lot, 882 00:49:04,860 --> 00:49:07,600 since I'm a sculptor so, 883 00:49:07,600 --> 00:49:09,150 to be able to do with yourself, 884 00:49:10,810 --> 00:49:11,977 that's something. 885 00:49:14,890 --> 00:49:16,930 Experimental archeology 886 00:49:16,930 --> 00:49:19,050 really allows us to better understand 887 00:49:19,050 --> 00:49:23,780 the movements and techniques used by ancient Egyptians. 888 00:49:23,780 --> 00:49:27,330 Franck's experiments showed that they probably used water 889 00:49:27,330 --> 00:49:30,000 to cut the two million blocks of limestone 890 00:49:30,000 --> 00:49:33,100 that make up the Great Pyramid of Khufu. 891 00:49:33,100 --> 00:49:35,250 Otherwise, they would not have been able 892 00:49:35,250 --> 00:49:38,920 to cut so many blocks in less than 27 years, 893 00:49:38,920 --> 00:49:40,423 with copper tools. 894 00:49:43,410 --> 00:49:45,930 With this method, they would have extracted 895 00:49:45,930 --> 00:49:48,700 as much rubble and unusable material 896 00:49:48,700 --> 00:49:50,530 as they did cut stones, 897 00:49:50,530 --> 00:49:53,220 which would have allowed them to build ramps easily, 898 00:49:53,220 --> 00:49:55,320 and be able to transport the blocks 899 00:49:55,320 --> 00:49:58,013 up to a height of 480 feet. 900 00:50:02,010 --> 00:50:04,360 Hatnub's ramp indicates that they could pull 901 00:50:04,360 --> 00:50:08,540 large blocks on ramps at grades over 20%, 902 00:50:08,540 --> 00:50:12,183 not just 12% maximum, as previously thought. 903 00:50:16,360 --> 00:50:18,720 They used wood, wooden sleds, 904 00:50:18,720 --> 00:50:22,723 perhaps moistened silt, and maybe sand, to reduce friction. 905 00:50:26,830 --> 00:50:29,440 Many major archeological experiments 906 00:50:29,440 --> 00:50:31,110 still need to be carried out 907 00:50:31,110 --> 00:50:33,600 to try to get a clearer picture. 908 00:50:33,600 --> 00:50:36,760 These tests require long preparation and training 909 00:50:36,760 --> 00:50:38,203 for the teams involved, 910 00:50:39,410 --> 00:50:43,193 because again, the devil is always in the details. 911 00:50:50,910 --> 00:50:53,390 Thanks to decades of archeological work 912 00:50:53,390 --> 00:50:55,220 done on the Giza Plateau, 913 00:50:55,220 --> 00:50:57,950 confirmed by Pierre Tallet's discoveries, 914 00:50:57,950 --> 00:51:01,410 it has become possible to reconstruct the Giza Plateau, 915 00:51:01,410 --> 00:51:03,310 and the workers' daily lives, 916 00:51:03,310 --> 00:51:05,953 during the construction of the Khufu pyramid. 917 00:51:07,320 --> 00:51:09,580 We know where the pools and canals, 918 00:51:09,580 --> 00:51:13,340 specially built to carry the materials, were located. 919 00:51:13,340 --> 00:51:14,840 And where the Khufu palace, 920 00:51:14,840 --> 00:51:17,323 and the royal archives, probably stood. 921 00:51:19,210 --> 00:51:20,700 To build the pyramids, 922 00:51:20,700 --> 00:51:22,160 these exceptional builders 923 00:51:22,160 --> 00:51:25,340 also had to create a strong centralized state, 924 00:51:25,340 --> 00:51:27,690 where everything was planned and organized 925 00:51:27,690 --> 00:51:29,493 down to the smallest detail. 926 00:51:30,480 --> 00:51:32,920 The wood that was essential to construct boats 927 00:51:32,920 --> 00:51:34,510 was brought from Lebanon. 928 00:51:34,510 --> 00:51:37,720 The copper ore to build the tools came from Sinai. 929 00:51:37,720 --> 00:51:40,010 The granite was carved in Aswan, 930 00:51:40,010 --> 00:51:41,860 and transported along the Nile 931 00:51:41,860 --> 00:51:44,650 to the construction site on the Giza Plateau, 932 00:51:44,650 --> 00:51:46,340 as were the stones from Tura. 933 00:51:50,420 --> 00:51:51,930 Without the pyramids, 934 00:51:51,930 --> 00:51:54,030 perhaps ancient Egypt would not have become 935 00:51:54,030 --> 00:51:56,490 the great civilization it was, 936 00:51:56,490 --> 00:51:58,930 a reference, an inspiration, 937 00:51:58,930 --> 00:52:00,800 that has spanned the centuries 938 00:52:00,800 --> 00:52:03,543 and that still challenges our thinking today. 939 00:52:05,181 --> 00:52:08,931 (dramatic orchestral music) 71654

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