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An ancient desert covered in hundreds of
pyramids.
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A massive earthen hill hiding a sacred
and deadly spring.
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And a controversial discovery hidden
deep beneath the Alaskan wilderness.
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For thousands of years, civilizations
around the world built monumental
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structures made of stone and brick that
we call pyramids. In Africa, Asia,
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Europe, and the Americas, ancient
engineers created surprisingly similar
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constructions while having no knowledge
of what other cultures were crafting.
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How is this possible?
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Were pyramids meant to be tombs or
temples?
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Or was there a greater purpose to some
of these incredible works?
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Well, that is what we'll try and find
out.
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Cairo, Egypt.
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Towering over the limestone desert sands
of the Giza Plateau stands the oldest of
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the seven wonders of the ancient world.
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It is called the Great Pyramid of Giza.
Built in 2600 BC, the monolith
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is flanked by two smaller but equally
colossal pyramid structures.
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The Giza complex is a monumental
achievement in ancient engineering and a
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marvel that has confounded scientists
and researchers for centuries.
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The Great Pyramid on the Giza Plateau is
an astonishing construction.
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There's 2.3 million blocks of limestone
in the structure itself.
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I mean, it takes an hour to walk around
it, at least.
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But it's also the fact that you have
these giant platforms, megalithic
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blocks, perfectly created.
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Inevitably, people want to ask how on
earth a civilization thousands of years
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ago could have achieved this.
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The right angles of the corner are
almost absolutely bang-on 90-degree
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angles. The length of the sides are
almost perfectly equal on all four of
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them.
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They are closer to perfect than would be
required for modern buildings. It is
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an unparalleled achievement.
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It's possible we'll never completely
understand how the great pyramids were
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constructed with such remarkable
precision.
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But perhaps an even greater mystery is
why were they built in the first place?
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The Great Pyramids of Giza are one of
the great untold mysteries.
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We're not quite sure how they were used,
but what we see today in the Pyramids of
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Giza are sort of the bones of these
buildings in Egyptian antiquity.
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Pyramids of Giza were encased in white
limestone and presumably
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polished.
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And so during the daytime, you would
have seen these sort of white mirror
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-like surfaces.
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What we're missing is a limestone
covering and a golden top piece.
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But the pyramids themselves don't have
any particular explanation of why they
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were built or the symbolic purposes of
it. So part of the mystery is trying to
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figure out what is this thing.
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Ultimately...
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There are more questions than answers
when it comes to the pyramids on the
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Giza Plateau.
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Some of them were used as tombs, but in
my own opinion, that was a secondary
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function for many of them.
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If the Great Pyramids weren't strictly
used as tombs, as most mainstream
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Egyptologists maintain, then what was
their fundamental purpose?
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The Egyptian Museum, Cairo, Egypt.
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This massive building houses the largest
collection of ancient Egyptian
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antiquities in the world.
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Among the many treasures is a
3,800-year-old capstone from the pyramid
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of King Amenemhat III that some believe
is connected to a mythical
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Egyptian object known as the Benben
Stone.
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In the Cairo Museum, there is a
pyramidion, which is made of a beautiful
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black basaltic type of rock from a
pyramid that seems to be
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our best representation of what the Ben
Ben Stone was like, according to the
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ancient Egyptians. That Ben Ben Stone
goes back to maybe 1850 or so BC, so
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it's not the original one, but it
represents...
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what the original one was in ancient
dynastic egypt there was a literal
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ben ben stone that ben ben stone has
long been lost unfortunately but some
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people have suggested maybe it was a
meteorite that was pyramidally shaped
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and by the ancient egyptians it has
sacred power
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While some believe the original Benben
stone was a meteorite, legends from
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ancient Egypt suggest it was a place of
divine creation.
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Egyptian mythology says that there were
once just waters of chaos.
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And then what broke through the waters
of chaos was an island in the shape of a
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pyramid called the Benben.
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And it was here.
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that the sun god Ra came to Earth and
began life.
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When they built the first pyramids, it
seems that they were trying to recreate
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this Benben stone.
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Interestingly, on top of many of the
early pyramids, they actually had a
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recreation of the Benben stone on top of
them, a capstone, which was covered in
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electrum, which is a...
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alloy of gold and silver, so that it
shone in the sunlight.
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All this showing that the pyramids are
connected with the sun, and gaining the
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power of the sun, or the sun god, Ra.
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There's also these ideas that these
Benben stars were actually some kind of
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power collector.
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Some people suggest they attract
lightning.
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There's different ideas about this, but
it has been suggested in Egyptian
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tradition that placing such a thing on
top of a pyramid would almost be like
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connecting with the solar energy, but
also connecting with the cosmos.
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Could the Great Pyramids have been some
type of ancient power plant?
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Perhaps clues can be found in the 21st
century research that presents an
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extraordinary plan.
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March 2025.
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After analyzing satellite data, a team
of Italian scientists make an
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extraordinary, yet controversial
announcement.
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They claim to have identified a vast
underground complex extending
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beneath the Great Pyramids of Giza.
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One of the most fascinating...
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discoveries that could potentially
rewrite the history of egypt and the
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world are the discoveries that have been
made beneath the pyramids on the giza
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platter now this is the work of the
kafre research project using satellites
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to actually penetrate into the ground
with a mix of other technologies what
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they claim to have found is a series of
shafts going over 600 meters down into
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the ground Then there's these giant
square chambers and many other chambers
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and many other systems across the entire
Giza plateau, underneath all the
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pyramids and even underneath the Sphinx
as well.
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They're now claiming that there's a
whole veritable underground city beneath
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Giza. But then the question becomes, why
did they do this?
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And we can't obviously tell exactly
what's down there until we fully
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investigate.
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But it would seem that this influenced
the positioning of the pyramids actually
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on the surface.
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Could there be an entire city hiding
beneath the great pyramids of Giza?
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Only time will tell.
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And while Egypt's colossal creations are
awe-inspiring, these remarkable
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structures represent a mere fraction of
all the enigmatic pyramids found.
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on nearly every continent on Earth.
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Pyramids have captured our imagination
just because of their sheer
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monumentality. The biggest of them are
among the biggest buildings human beings
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have ever built.
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They are monumental, serious
achievements.
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Very, very beautiful. That, to me, is
absolutely awe-inspiring.
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Pyramids were built by different
cultures.
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at different times with the earliest
pyramids probably going back to the
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beginning of the third millennium BC.
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But I suppose the bigger question is why
build pyramids?
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Was there some reason different cultures
have done this all over the world for
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many thousands of years?
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We need to know. Why?
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Among the ever-shifting fans of the Nile
Valley stands a remarkable achievement.
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Hundreds of ancient pyramids that
stretch about 150 miles across the
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desert.
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These UNESCO World Heritage Sites
contain what are known as the Nubian
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Pyramids.
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What often surprises people is that
there are more pyramids in Sudan than
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there are in Egypt.
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more than 200 known structures.
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Most of them are clustered around El
Kourou, Nouri, and Meroe. A few are
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found at Jebel Barkal, near the sacred
mountain.
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These pyramids functioned as tombs for
the dead, but also a statement
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of authority and continuity in ancient
Sudan.
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Often there was an offering chapel
placed At the front of these pyramids,
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they had a distinct Nubian character to
them.
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What's really interesting about them is
the fact that they're like solid stone
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constructions. They don't have any
chambers within them, but they have
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chambers deep underneath them where the
kings and queens are said to have been
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buried with staircases around the side
of them leading down into them.
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Construction on the Nubian pyramids
began around 750 B.C. and continued for
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about 1,100 years.
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These steep structures range from 20 to
100 feet tall and are made from a
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combination of sandstone, rubble, and
mud bricks.
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And the mysterious lost civilization
that made them is known as the Kingdom
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of Kush.
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Kush was a kingdom to the south of
Egypt. They seem to have been very much
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influenced by the Egyptians.
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It flourished from around the 8th
century BC down to the 3rd or 4th
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century AD.
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In that very early time, 8th century
into the 7th century, Kush became
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powerful enough to invade Egypt and take
it over.
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A Kushite king took control of Egypt and
made himself recognized as the
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pharaoh. He was able to maintain control
of Egypt, and in fact his successors
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were as well.
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And this line of Nubian kings came to
rule Egypt as the Egyptian 25th dynasty,
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and they remained in control for the
best part of a century.
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But we don't understand in all the
details exactly how this happened.
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As powerful as the kingdom of Kush once
was, Much of their story remains
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unknown, because scholars have yet to
decipher their puzzling system of
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writing, known as Meroitic.
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But some believe the key to
understanding this mysterious kingdom
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could still be hiding beneath one of its
pyramids.
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Nuri, Sudan, 2018.
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A team of scientists begin an
unprecedented investigation of the
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ancient necropolis that consists of
around 20 Nubian pyramids, including the
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pyramid of King Nastassin, the last
Kushite king to be buried here in 315
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BC.
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King Nastassin reigned during a very
interesting time of political
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transition. The fact that he was the
last to be buried at Nuri And then the
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Kushite capital was moved deeper in the
desert. That makes his tomb an
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interesting capsule of maybe what was
happening during this time.
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The Nuri Archaeological Expedition began
work in 2018 to start excavations
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at this massive 170-acre site.
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We had a possibility that there was an
intact tomb for Nastassin.
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And so I was brought on to work with the
skeletal remains that may be found on
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site.
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Over the centuries, rising groundwater
has left the three burial chambers of
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King Nastassin's pyramid completely
flooded.
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To access the tomb, an experienced dive
team was needed to explore the pristine
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and unpredictable environment.
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The tomb of Nastassin has remained
untouched from looters.
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Due to it being flooded, the water has
acted like a protector for the tomb.
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No one's going to be able to swim and
hold their breath and swim all the way
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into Chamber 3 and retrieve these
objects.
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So it's kept them safe over the last
2,500 years.
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What wonders could the flooded pyramid
of King Nastassin still hide below?
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In 2019, Justin Schneider became one of
the first people in thousands of years
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to enter its unknown depth.
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The water in the front of the tomb is a
brownish sand color from all of the
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outside sediment and all the rock
falling into it.
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You come in through chamber one, which
is a long hallway. Water goes all the
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way to the top.
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Once you go into chamber two, you can
actually put your face out of the water.
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You can see inside this tomb.
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It was a little scary to see how much of
the ceiling had collapsed.
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That chamber was pretty chaotic, but you
could still make out the size and shape
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of that chamber. And we were finding
shabtis, these small figures that have
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hieroglyphics on them.
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These little shakti figurines, they're
these tiny doll-like carved statues.
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They are five to six inches.
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They're made of clay. They're beautiful.
They're ornate. Just touching the stuff,
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to touch history is incredible.
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While the team discovered a number of
small artifacts, the real prize was
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believed to be inside the pyramid's
third and final chamber.
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Within the third burial chamber, while
it was difficult to see, there was a
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large rectangular slab that was about in
the middle of the chamber that we
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would estimate to be either a
sarcophagus or a burial bed.
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They're swimming through this water,
this murkiness, and then finally getting
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to chamber three, the burial chamber.
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It was breathtaking to see what you know
is a king's burial.
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There is a pharaoh, there is a king
buried inside of this.
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It's a time capsule that's just waiting
to be opened.
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We just can't blatantly go in there and
start digging. We have to figure out how
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to take that out in order to be
preserved.
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Unfortunately, before the team could
enact a plan to safely open King
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Nastassian's sarcophagus, civil war.
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broke out in Sudan, and all excavations
have since been halted.
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It is my hope that the political
situation can be resolved.
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The Nubian pyramids are tantalizing
clues to understand a path in the Nile
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00:18:20,790 --> 00:18:25,009
Valley that has typically been
overlooked when studying the ancient
227
00:18:25,010 --> 00:18:28,890
world. There is so much more to be
discovered.
228
00:18:31,660 --> 00:18:36,219
It's fascinating to imagine the kingdom
of Kush covered in more than 200
229
00:18:36,220 --> 00:18:37,270
pyramids.
230
00:18:37,960 --> 00:18:44,500
But halfway across the globe, there is a
massive structure that stands alone.
231
00:18:44,660 --> 00:18:47,280
It's the largest pyramid in the world.
232
00:18:47,500 --> 00:18:53,460
And for centuries, it was hidden in
plain sight.
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00:18:56,580 --> 00:18:57,880
Cholula, Mexico.
234
00:18:59,020 --> 00:19:03,679
In the shadow of an active volcano
stands a massive grass-covered hill
235
00:19:03,680 --> 00:19:08,060
crowned by an impressive 16th century
Spanish church.
236
00:19:09,140 --> 00:19:15,579
And buried below hides something few
would expect, the Great Pyramid of
237
00:19:15,580 --> 00:19:16,630
Cholula.
238
00:19:17,000 --> 00:19:22,299
This is an interesting one. The Pyramid
of Cholula, its name in Nahuatl means
239
00:19:22,300 --> 00:19:23,860
man-made mountain.
240
00:19:24,520 --> 00:19:29,659
So there's already an acknowledgment
that this thing is big, and this thing
241
00:19:29,660 --> 00:19:30,619
is really big.
242
00:19:30,620 --> 00:19:35,279
It is, in fact, contrary to many
people's expectations, the largest
243
00:19:35,280 --> 00:19:38,560
pyramid in the world. It's not the
tallest.
244
00:19:39,200 --> 00:19:45,499
The Great Pyramid of Giza is, in fact,
taller, but by volume. The Pyramid of
245
00:19:45,500 --> 00:19:52,100
Tallulah is the largest pyramid that
humans have ever constructed.
246
00:19:53,290 --> 00:19:59,989
Scientific archaeology really began in
the late 1920s with the
247
00:19:59,990 --> 00:20:06,409
Proyecto Cholula, a project that was
directed by Ignacio Marquina. And
248
00:20:06,410 --> 00:20:10,929
Marquina explored the pyramid through
eight kilometers of tunnels that the
249
00:20:10,930 --> 00:20:16,669
archaeologists dug. These tunnels
uncovered murals, and archaeologists
250
00:20:16,670 --> 00:20:20,890
discovered that there were actually
multiple construction phases.
251
00:20:21,550 --> 00:20:26,449
So the pyramid is sort of a layer cake
with platform that come out from the
252
00:20:26,450 --> 00:20:28,890
sides, all largely unexcavated.
253
00:20:30,110 --> 00:20:35,349
Today, walking through the tunnel, you
absolutely get a sense of the weight of
254
00:20:35,350 --> 00:20:38,450
the pyramid above you because it is
massive.
255
00:20:40,390 --> 00:20:43,530
The pyramid sorted out as a smaller
pyramid.
256
00:20:43,810 --> 00:20:48,330
Later on, that got covered over by just
sort of putting a new one on top of it.
257
00:20:48,560 --> 00:20:52,399
And then that got covered over there,
like eight or nine layers to this. And
258
00:20:52,400 --> 00:20:54,579
over time, it got bigger and bigger and
bigger.
259
00:20:54,580 --> 00:21:00,239
And then when the Aztecs took over, they
had no idea how it got this big. And it
260
00:21:00,240 --> 00:21:03,140
was just as much a mystery to the Aztecs
as it was to us.
261
00:21:04,140 --> 00:21:07,760
Well, it's believed the pyramid was
first constructed about 200 B.C.
262
00:21:08,140 --> 00:21:12,839
and later built upon by Mesoamerican
cultures like the Olmecs and the
263
00:21:12,840 --> 00:21:14,820
Toltecs, local legends.
264
00:21:15,690 --> 00:21:20,170
Describe the original builders as
monumental in stature.
265
00:21:20,530 --> 00:21:25,269
One of the most fascinating traditions
relating to the Pyramid of Cholula is
266
00:21:25,270 --> 00:21:27,510
that of the Quinomethian giant.
267
00:21:28,410 --> 00:21:33,950
This was this very ancient era going
back potentially thousands of years.
268
00:21:34,350 --> 00:21:39,789
These giants, who were said to be up to
12 feet tall, constructed the Cholula
269
00:21:39,790 --> 00:21:43,010
Pyramid because it's so vast, so big.
270
00:21:43,870 --> 00:21:47,600
No one could imagine how any humans
could have constructed it themselves.
271
00:21:48,070 --> 00:21:52,789
While it's intriguing to think that
giants built the first iteration of the
272
00:21:52,790 --> 00:21:57,510
Great Pyramid of Cholula, the legend
itself suggests that even centuries ago,
273
00:21:57,810 --> 00:22:04,789
the structure was only hard to explain,
but also a place of profound ancient
274
00:22:04,790 --> 00:22:05,840
reverence.
275
00:22:06,570 --> 00:22:10,949
This has been a temple at every stage,
so I think one of the things we see
276
00:22:10,950 --> 00:22:15,620
here... It's a recognition of the
holiness or the sanctity of this place.
277
00:22:16,120 --> 00:22:21,659
That a temple followed by another temple
followed by another temple being topped
278
00:22:21,660 --> 00:22:23,000
with a church.
279
00:22:23,440 --> 00:22:30,239
In Cholula we see this unintentional
collaborative process that builds upon
280
00:22:30,240 --> 00:22:34,460
the sanctity of this unbelievably holy
place.
281
00:22:35,200 --> 00:22:38,180
Cholula's importance to many
Mesoamerican cultures.
282
00:22:38,830 --> 00:22:41,030
has led to another fundamental mystery.
283
00:22:41,990 --> 00:22:47,990
Why was the largest pyramid ever
constructed hidden under piles of dirt?
284
00:22:48,270 --> 00:22:53,190
Some people suggest that it wasn't
necessarily just abandoned.
285
00:22:53,900 --> 00:22:58,739
But the Aztecs and the indigenous
people, knowing that the Spanish were
286
00:22:58,740 --> 00:23:03,719
coming to conquer them, they wanted to
cover it up. So there's some suggestions
287
00:23:03,720 --> 00:23:10,279
that they may have tried to plant plants
on it, hide it, disguise it. By the time
288
00:23:10,280 --> 00:23:14,659
the Spanish came, apparently they
thought it was a natural hill. They did
289
00:23:14,660 --> 00:23:17,120
not recognize it as a pyramid.
290
00:23:19,080 --> 00:23:23,240
Was the Great Pyramid of Choluda
deliberately disguised to hide it?
291
00:23:23,520 --> 00:23:25,260
from Spanish invaders?
292
00:23:25,480 --> 00:23:30,460
And if so, what were its guardians
compelled to protect?
293
00:23:31,780 --> 00:23:38,479
According to legend, right at the base
of the Cholula Great Pyramid, there was
294
00:23:38,480 --> 00:23:45,099
a natural spring, and it is seen as the
waters of life emerging from the
295
00:23:45,100 --> 00:23:46,540
place of first creation.
296
00:23:47,260 --> 00:23:51,180
It was said that Cholula was built.
297
00:23:52,490 --> 00:23:58,749
Shortly after the time of a great flood,
a deluge that had ended a previous world
298
00:23:58,750 --> 00:23:59,800
age.
299
00:23:59,910 --> 00:24:04,489
So, did this really happen? Is this a
memory of some of the first people to
300
00:24:04,490 --> 00:24:08,030
create the earliest stages of this
pyramid?
301
00:24:08,290 --> 00:24:09,530
Very possibly.
302
00:24:10,550 --> 00:24:14,970
Could the Great Pyramid of Cholula be
built atop a powerful sacred spring?
303
00:24:16,050 --> 00:24:19,090
It's a belief that was still in
existence in 1519.
304
00:24:20,170 --> 00:24:26,889
when Spanish invaders led by Hernan
Cortes first reached the ancient city
305
00:24:26,890 --> 00:24:27,940
of Cholula.
306
00:24:29,170 --> 00:24:36,069
One of the myths from the time of the
conquest was that the indigenous allies
307
00:24:36,070 --> 00:24:42,049
that were accompanying Cortes on the
attack on Cholula were afraid of
308
00:24:42,050 --> 00:24:48,809
entering the city because they believed
that anybody attacking Cholula would be
309
00:24:48,810 --> 00:24:52,650
washed away, when the pyramid burst
forth with earthly waters.
310
00:24:53,190 --> 00:24:56,250
But we don't know. Chalk it up to a
mystery.
311
00:24:57,230 --> 00:25:01,989
We don't know who built it. We don't
know the details of their mythology or
312
00:25:01,990 --> 00:25:07,569
their cosmology. But we see this
recognition of sacredness in this
313
00:25:07,570 --> 00:25:08,620
location.
314
00:25:09,530 --> 00:25:16,070
It's significant that what was built
here at every stage was a temple.
315
00:25:17,960 --> 00:25:23,419
It's common knowledge that the Cholula
Pyramid was built to be a sacred
316
00:25:23,420 --> 00:25:27,719
religious site and it successfully
served that purpose for over a thousand
317
00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:28,770
years.
318
00:25:28,860 --> 00:25:33,179
But the same cannot be said for a
collection of rectangular pyramid-shaped
319
00:25:33,180 --> 00:25:39,499
structures found in the remote Canary
Islands, whose very existence has
320
00:25:39,500 --> 00:25:42,160
baffled scientists for decades.
321
00:25:46,350 --> 00:25:48,050
Tenerife, the Canary Islands.
322
00:25:48,650 --> 00:25:53,629
More than 200 miles off the northwest
coast of Africa, this remote island
323
00:25:53,630 --> 00:25:55,570
rises from the Atlantic Ocean.
324
00:25:56,230 --> 00:26:02,869
And here stand six enigmatic structures
made of stacked volcanic stone
325
00:26:02,870 --> 00:26:06,650
known as the Steppe Pyramids of Guimar.
326
00:26:07,550 --> 00:26:11,630
These are pyramids that there's a lot of
controversy about.
327
00:26:11,980 --> 00:26:16,899
People have suggested that these are
very ancient pyramids, a very ancient
328
00:26:16,900 --> 00:26:17,950
site.
329
00:26:18,140 --> 00:26:22,940
So there's been a lot of mythology and
speculation about them.
330
00:26:23,300 --> 00:26:26,340
Modern legends have developed about
these pyramids.
331
00:26:26,740 --> 00:26:32,859
But these pyramids may only go back to
the 19th century. They may be nothing
332
00:26:32,860 --> 00:26:38,639
more than the result of people clearing
their fields and stacking them up and
333
00:26:38,640 --> 00:26:40,140
making pyramids out of them.
334
00:26:41,100 --> 00:26:43,800
So just how old are these mysterious
structures?
335
00:26:44,260 --> 00:26:48,519
Well, some believe the most compelling
clue could be their connection to the
336
00:26:48,520 --> 00:26:52,280
summer solstice, the longest day of the
year.
337
00:26:52,660 --> 00:26:59,659
These pyramids are perfectly aligned
towards sunset at the time of
338
00:26:59,660 --> 00:27:01,100
the summer solstice.
339
00:27:01,480 --> 00:27:07,999
And this was actually confirmed by
archaeoastronomers under the leadership
340
00:27:08,000 --> 00:27:09,760
of Juan Belmonte.
341
00:27:10,620 --> 00:27:12,800
who actually lived on the Canary
Islands.
342
00:27:13,360 --> 00:27:19,719
So this is a very special phenomena, and
it could be behind why these
343
00:27:19,720 --> 00:27:22,360
pyramids were constructed in the first
place.
344
00:27:23,480 --> 00:27:27,360
Were the Guimar pyramids built to mark
the summer solstice?
345
00:27:27,820 --> 00:27:32,419
If so, the theory that they were simply
stacked by 19th century farmers after
346
00:27:32,420 --> 00:27:36,840
clearing their fields seems too simple
an explanation.
347
00:27:37,760 --> 00:27:43,539
And more intriguingly, Some claim the
pyramids on Tenerife share striking
348
00:27:43,540 --> 00:27:47,380
similarities to other pyramids around
the world.
349
00:27:47,880 --> 00:27:54,319
There are other alignments to stars,
exactly as we find in the Egyptian
350
00:27:54,320 --> 00:27:59,200
pyramids, and we also find in the
pyramids of Central America.
351
00:27:59,480 --> 00:28:04,999
The native people who lived on Tenerife
before the Spanish arrived in the 1500s
352
00:28:05,000 --> 00:28:08,820
had seemingly been living in isolation
for thousands of years.
353
00:28:09,500 --> 00:28:14,819
How could they possibly be building the
same kind of things as people either
354
00:28:14,820 --> 00:28:18,370
side of the Atlantic, unless there was
some connection between them?
355
00:28:19,140 --> 00:28:23,880
Are the pyramids of Guimar connected to
other pyramids around the world?
356
00:28:24,780 --> 00:28:30,179
Well, according to one world-famous
explorer, the link could be more
357
00:28:30,180 --> 00:28:32,840
significant than we've imagined.
358
00:28:35,200 --> 00:28:40,979
Thor Heyerdahl was a Norwegian explorer
who was most famous for his Contiki
359
00:28:40,980 --> 00:28:47,799
voyage, which aimed to show that people
could use quite simple rafts to conduct
360
00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:49,760
long-distance sea travel.
361
00:28:50,440 --> 00:28:55,499
Heyerdahl travelled to Tenerife in the
1990s and was particularly intrigued by
362
00:28:55,500 --> 00:29:02,219
the idea that ancient navigators would
have had a very good understanding of
363
00:29:02,220 --> 00:29:04,120
the stars to help them navigate.
364
00:29:04,880 --> 00:29:10,820
and that as they travel, ideas would be
spread around geographically.
365
00:29:11,640 --> 00:29:16,639
So mapping that theory onto the pyramids
of Weimar, Heyerdahl thought, well, if
366
00:29:16,640 --> 00:29:21,240
there are pyramids here in the Canary
Islands, which is between Europe,
367
00:29:21,420 --> 00:29:26,919
Africa, and the Atlantic Ocean, why
can't there have been this sort of cross
368
00:29:26,920 --> 00:29:29,700
-pollination of ideas around the world?
369
00:29:32,920 --> 00:29:37,180
share their knowledge throughout the
ancient world, across vast oceans?
370
00:29:38,120 --> 00:29:43,119
It's a fascinating theory that may
suggest that the pyramids of Guamar
371
00:29:43,120 --> 00:29:49,019
really were constructed in antiquity by
the original inhabitants of the Canary
372
00:29:49,020 --> 00:29:53,380
Islands, a now extinct culture known as
the Guanche.
373
00:29:55,100 --> 00:29:59,700
The Guanche are indigenous people to the
Canary Islands.
374
00:30:00,350 --> 00:30:02,750
They're very mysterious on many levels.
375
00:30:03,250 --> 00:30:08,869
Modern scholarship suggests that they
actually are an offshoot from North
376
00:30:08,870 --> 00:30:15,289
Africa that got to the islands in the
first millennium BCE, living there
377
00:30:15,290 --> 00:30:21,510
until the Spanish ultimately conquered
the Canary Islands in the 15th century.
378
00:30:22,290 --> 00:30:24,610
The Guanche had...
379
00:30:24,830 --> 00:30:28,609
A lot of what appears to have been
advanced knowledge in terms of
380
00:30:28,610 --> 00:30:32,250
mummification and the rituals they
carried out.
381
00:30:32,590 --> 00:30:39,169
They lived in caves and stone huts. But
there's this whole modern, should we
382
00:30:39,170 --> 00:30:45,189
say, hypotheses and legends and
suggestions that somehow they were
383
00:30:45,190 --> 00:30:52,069
descendants of Atlantis, a legendary
civilization that was decimated
384
00:30:52,070 --> 00:30:53,250
by natural events.
385
00:30:54,280 --> 00:30:57,860
Bottom line is the Guanche are a real
mystery.
386
00:30:58,060 --> 00:31:00,170
There is something that needs more
study.
387
00:31:01,000 --> 00:31:02,340
Absolutely fascinating.
388
00:31:03,520 --> 00:31:07,899
Could the early inhabitants of the
Canary Islands have some connection to
389
00:31:07,900 --> 00:31:09,580
the mythical island of Atlantis?
390
00:31:09,960 --> 00:31:15,839
It's fantastic to consider. But more
importantly, were the Guanche people
391
00:31:15,840 --> 00:31:21,799
once part of a network responsible for
the proliferation of pyramids around the
392
00:31:21,800 --> 00:31:22,850
world?
393
00:31:23,440 --> 00:31:27,680
The builders of these pyramids on
Tenerife were pretty sophisticated.
394
00:31:28,340 --> 00:31:33,599
They were building these quite elaborate
blackstone constructions. They were
395
00:31:33,600 --> 00:31:37,880
aligning them to specific movements of
the sun and the stars as well.
396
00:31:38,260 --> 00:31:42,779
It does appear that there was a common
architectural language being spread
397
00:31:42,780 --> 00:31:45,000
across the world in ancient times.
398
00:31:45,840 --> 00:31:51,839
We find very similar pyramid styles in
all these different places, often step
399
00:31:51,840 --> 00:31:57,439
pyramids. It was almost like an ancient
code being embedded within these
400
00:31:57,440 --> 00:32:01,360
permanent structures in all these
different parts of the world.
401
00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:08,639
So this gets into the argument of, was
there knowledge being passed around? We
402
00:32:08,640 --> 00:32:12,379
don't know. There's just a lot of
mysteries about pyramids when it comes
403
00:32:12,380 --> 00:32:13,430
right down to it.
404
00:32:14,820 --> 00:32:18,920
Could the astrological alignments found
at the Canary Island structures
405
00:32:19,680 --> 00:32:24,060
be evidence of a universal pyramid code
spread around the world?
406
00:32:24,720 --> 00:32:26,540
Perhaps time will tell.
407
00:32:26,800 --> 00:32:30,899
Which may also be the case for a
controversial claim that a powerful
408
00:32:30,900 --> 00:32:36,740
pyramid lies hundreds of feet below the
Alaskan tundra.
409
00:32:39,580 --> 00:32:40,630
Alaska.
410
00:32:41,060 --> 00:32:47,239
With over 57 million acres of designated
wilderness, which is more than all other
411
00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:48,290
U.S. states combined,
412
00:32:49,200 --> 00:32:55,219
And with civilization found in less than
1% of its total landmass, there have
413
00:32:55,220 --> 00:32:59,680
been many claims as to what's hiding in
this remote frontier.
414
00:32:59,980 --> 00:33:05,440
But perhaps one of the strangest tales
revolves around an alleged dark pyramid,
415
00:33:05,800 --> 00:33:09,760
obscured beneath Alaska's frozen
wasteland.
416
00:33:10,570 --> 00:33:16,849
The Dark Pyramid is a presumed pyramid
that is hidden under the
417
00:33:16,850 --> 00:33:20,510
ice and tundra of remote areas of
Alaska.
418
00:33:21,030 --> 00:33:26,769
This pyramid is near Mount Denali in the
heart of what's known as the Alaska
419
00:33:26,770 --> 00:33:32,629
Triangle. The Alaska Triangle is a very
anomalous area which stretches from
420
00:33:32,630 --> 00:33:37,389
Juneau in the south to Anchorage in the
middle and Yukiovic at the top, formerly
421
00:33:37,390 --> 00:33:42,529
Barrow. And it's much like its namesake,
the Bermuda Triangle, in which there's a
422
00:33:42,530 --> 00:33:47,889
lot of strange activity that happens in
this area with the dark pyramid right at
423
00:33:47,890 --> 00:33:48,940
the heart of it.
424
00:33:50,010 --> 00:33:54,829
If a pyramid is hiding beneath the ice
in one of the most remote regions of
425
00:33:54,830 --> 00:33:58,830
Alaska, how would we even know about it
in the first place?
426
00:34:00,010 --> 00:34:04,730
Well, according to the story, it was
detected in 1992.
427
00:34:05,450 --> 00:34:11,149
when China was testing weapons of mass
destruction beneath a dry lake bed known
428
00:34:11,150 --> 00:34:12,449
as Lop Nur.
429
00:34:14,510 --> 00:34:21,070
In 1992, the Chinese government
initiated underground nuclear testing.
430
00:34:21,409 --> 00:34:27,789
The United States knew about this. Our
geologists set up a bunch of seismic
431
00:34:27,790 --> 00:34:28,840
equipment.
432
00:34:29,320 --> 00:34:33,460
to be able to detect the shock waves
from this explosion.
433
00:34:33,679 --> 00:34:39,119
And when that explosion occurred and the
seismic equipment was going off, they
434
00:34:39,120 --> 00:34:45,219
discovered this strange pyramidal shape
near Mount Denali in Alaska.
435
00:34:47,440 --> 00:34:51,999
To this day, no public record has
confirmed the discovery of a buried
436
00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:53,200
pyramid beneath Alaska.
437
00:34:53,920 --> 00:34:57,700
But some are convinced that the lack of
evidence...
438
00:34:58,010 --> 00:34:59,150
is purely intentional.
439
00:35:00,410 --> 00:35:05,649
Because it's said that when news of the
Dark Pyramid was released, it was
440
00:35:05,650 --> 00:35:07,370
immediately covered up.
441
00:35:07,890 --> 00:35:12,809
It was broadcast on the local news,
Anchorage Channel 13, that this had been
442
00:35:12,810 --> 00:35:18,109
discovered. And there was a young
service member, Doug Butchler, in the
443
00:35:18,110 --> 00:35:21,090
Army who saw this particular broadcast.
444
00:35:22,190 --> 00:35:24,130
And he was so fascinated by this.
445
00:35:25,420 --> 00:35:31,519
Doug Mutchler worked in
counterintelligence for the Army in Fort
446
00:35:31,520 --> 00:35:32,940
Richardson in Anchorage.
447
00:35:33,220 --> 00:35:38,900
That particular night, there were 40
guys, and they're watching Channel 13,
448
00:35:38,960 --> 00:35:44,980
and it shows a pyramid structure
underneath the ground in Alaska.
449
00:35:45,720 --> 00:35:52,339
So he approaches the general manager at
Channel 13. The general manager said, I
450
00:35:52,340 --> 00:35:54,200
don't know what you're talking about.
451
00:35:54,920 --> 00:35:59,599
And Doug said he started arguing with
the general manager. I was with 39 other
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00:35:59,600 --> 00:36:03,959
guys, 40 of us. We watched this. And the
general manager said, well, you are
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00:36:03,960 --> 00:36:05,010
mistaken.
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00:36:05,200 --> 00:36:11,779
Doug turns around to leave, and coming
around a corner is a man who took hold
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00:36:11,780 --> 00:36:14,660
of his arm and says, I know what you're
talking about.
456
00:36:14,900 --> 00:36:21,220
Yes, we have that film, but we have been
told that we are not.
457
00:36:21,690 --> 00:36:24,230
to broadcast it or talk about it
anymore.
458
00:36:26,210 --> 00:36:30,330
Was the story of the dark pyramid
deliberately buried?
459
00:36:30,790 --> 00:36:32,930
And if so, why?
460
00:36:33,950 --> 00:36:39,310
For some, the answer is simple. The dark
pyramid isn't really a structure at all,
461
00:36:39,370 --> 00:36:44,970
but a 550-foot-tall, top-secret machine.
462
00:36:46,050 --> 00:36:49,000
There are a few different theories about
the dark pyramid.
463
00:36:49,390 --> 00:36:55,189
One is that it was some sort of ancient
power plant that has been hidden under
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00:36:55,190 --> 00:36:56,570
the surface of Alaska.
465
00:36:58,370 --> 00:37:04,609
When we look at the Great Pyramid of
Giza, one of the suggested ideas of what
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00:37:04,610 --> 00:37:07,930
it was was a possible ancient power
plant.
467
00:37:08,150 --> 00:37:12,670
Now, the Dark Pyramid is supposed to be
taller than the Great Pyramid of Giza,
468
00:37:12,830 --> 00:37:17,510
so how much more energy than the Great
Pyramid of Giza?
469
00:37:17,930 --> 00:37:19,910
Could this dark pyramid be harnessing?
470
00:37:20,950 --> 00:37:27,830
Why would a 550-foot solid black pyramid
be underground?
471
00:37:28,810 --> 00:37:34,370
What is it doing in the backcountry of
Alaska, and how long has it been there?
472
00:37:35,470 --> 00:37:39,329
I think there's no question the
government of the United States didn't
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00:37:39,330 --> 00:37:44,429
want anybody to know anything about this
dark pyramid. Did they know about the
474
00:37:44,430 --> 00:37:49,390
pyramid before the 1992 Lop Nor bomb
test?
475
00:37:49,770 --> 00:37:51,230
Oh, I think so.
476
00:37:55,390 --> 00:37:57,170
Mars, 1972.
477
00:37:58,490 --> 00:38:03,250
As NASA's Mariner 9 spacecraft
photographs the red planet,
478
00:38:04,330 --> 00:38:08,870
It captures something unusual in a
region called Elysium.
479
00:38:10,030 --> 00:38:15,250
Formations that appear at least from
orbit to resemble pyramids.
480
00:38:16,090 --> 00:38:20,769
One of the images that they took in the
Elysium area of Mars actually showed
481
00:38:20,770 --> 00:38:23,290
what appeared to be three-sided
pyramids.
482
00:38:23,890 --> 00:38:28,830
They were noticed by a scientist by the
name of Mac Gibson.
483
00:38:29,490 --> 00:38:33,110
He actually had a science paper
published in Icarus Journal.
484
00:38:33,500 --> 00:38:35,960
titled Pyramidal Structures on Mars.
485
00:38:36,260 --> 00:38:39,200
So early on, there was a lot of
scientific investigation.
486
00:38:39,201 --> 00:38:43,079
Real scientists were looking at Mars,
saying, oh, possibly there's structures
487
00:38:43,080 --> 00:38:45,060
here, structures that look artificial.
488
00:38:45,600 --> 00:38:49,180
Could there actually be artificial
pyramids on Mars?
489
00:38:50,000 --> 00:38:56,399
Well, it sounds far-fetched. In 1976,
NASA's Viking 1 orbiter photographed yet
490
00:38:56,400 --> 00:39:00,340
another strange formation that
researchers named...
491
00:39:01,120 --> 00:39:03,200
The D&M Pyramid.
492
00:39:03,780 --> 00:39:09,980
The D&M Pyramid looks like a five-sided
pyramid, which is unusual unto itself.
493
00:39:10,140 --> 00:39:15,499
Other pyramids in Martian photographs
look like they have three sides. But
494
00:39:15,500 --> 00:39:20,199
people made claims these must be
artificial structures that came from
495
00:39:20,200 --> 00:39:23,420
some, you know, civilization on Mars.
496
00:39:23,720 --> 00:39:27,420
And I'm not opposed to the possibility
of there being...
497
00:39:27,720 --> 00:39:32,899
extraterrestrial sophisticated
civilizations, but we have to be very
498
00:39:32,900 --> 00:39:36,240
careful when we think we see artificial
pyramids.
499
00:39:37,740 --> 00:39:44,379
Nature also forms pyramids and
pyramidal-type structures. You can
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00:39:44,380 --> 00:39:51,159
have symmetry in nature. As a geologist,
I see symmetry all the time. What are
501
00:39:51,160 --> 00:39:53,020
some of the most symmetrical things?
502
00:39:53,140 --> 00:39:54,190
A pyramid.
503
00:39:55,120 --> 00:39:59,199
Without visiting the red planet
ourselves for a closer look, it's
504
00:39:59,200 --> 00:40:03,659
impossible to know whether the alleged
pyramids on Mars are just natural
505
00:40:03,660 --> 00:40:06,720
formations or artificial constructions.
506
00:40:07,460 --> 00:40:12,699
But with so many mysterious pyramids
that continue to fascinate us right here
507
00:40:12,700 --> 00:40:18,139
on Earth, perhaps it's simply part of
human nature to become enamored with
508
00:40:18,140 --> 00:40:21,840
these iconic, awe-inspiring structures.
509
00:40:21,841 --> 00:40:26,339
Humans have always wanted to build the
biggest thing that lasts for the
510
00:40:26,340 --> 00:40:32,359
longest. So if you're an ancient
culture, this is a pyramid because you
511
00:40:32,360 --> 00:40:35,610
have the stable structure, which allows
you to build quite high.
512
00:40:36,620 --> 00:40:42,119
I therefore think that the fact you have
pyramids in Mesoamerica, in the Canary
513
00:40:42,120 --> 00:40:47,099
Islands, and in Egypt, is just a
reflection of how different cultures
514
00:40:47,100 --> 00:40:50,540
come up with similar solutions to
similar problems.
515
00:40:51,100 --> 00:40:54,520
How do we build high? How do we build
big? A pyramid is your answer.
516
00:40:56,080 --> 00:40:59,060
Each of these things that we call
pyramids has a code.
517
00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:03,919
Whether we understand that code or not,
that's part of what scholarship is
518
00:41:03,920 --> 00:41:05,300
trying to sort of figure out.
519
00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:09,720
How were these places used? And that's
the stuff that scholarship is made of.
520
00:41:10,480 --> 00:41:15,600
But whether we know the code or not,
that's another question.
521
00:41:18,190 --> 00:41:21,090
Could pyramids really exist on other
planets?
522
00:41:22,230 --> 00:41:23,390
Who knows?
523
00:41:24,030 --> 00:41:29,549
For now, it's the remarkable structures
we have here on Earth that continue to
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00:41:29,550 --> 00:41:33,430
captivate us and challenge our
understanding of human history.
525
00:41:33,630 --> 00:41:39,509
The Giza Plateau may be the best-known
pyramid complex, but it's only one
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00:41:39,510 --> 00:41:42,070
example of this extraordinary
engineering.
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00:41:42,860 --> 00:41:49,599
found all around the world. Will we ever
know how and why some pyramids were
528
00:41:49,600 --> 00:41:54,559
built? The secrets surrounding these
mysterious structures are innumerable
529
00:41:54,560 --> 00:41:59,160
and may forever remain unexplained.
530
00:41:59,210 --> 00:42:03,760
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