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¶ ¶
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NARRATOR: Buried deep underground,
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an ancient Egyptian tomb from the time of
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Ramses the Great.
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This bricked up entrance has been undisturbed for
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nearly 3,000 years, until now.
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OLA: Are we going
to be able to get in, yes?
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Oh, my god.
It is dark.
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It looks very, very deep.
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NARRATOR: What's revealed is a surprise to even
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the most experienced archaeologist.
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OLA: Oh, la, la. Yes.
Ooh, beautiful. My god.
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NARRATOR: Ramses the Second,
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known as Ramses the Great was one of the most
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powerful and successful rulers of the ancient world.
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He reigned for 66 years,
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expanded Egypt's borders and built more monuments and
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temples than any other Pharaoh.
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How did he become such a mighty king,
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and build a legacy that has lasted three millennia?
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Today across Egypt,
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archaeologists are digging up evidence as they
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attempt to uncover the secrets of Ramses
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rise to power.
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Most ancient Egyptians never saw
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Ramses the Great in the flesh,
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but his image was everywhere.
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To investigate how Ramses made his presence
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felt across his Empire,
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American hieroglyphs expert and vintage clothes collector,
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Colleen Darnell,
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ventures to one of his most impressive achievements,
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Karnak Temple.
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COLLEEN: The sheer
scale of this temple
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is just overwhelming.
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This is one of the
most impressive spaces
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in the world.
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You can read all the numbers,
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how high the columns are,
how many there are,
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and I especially love
the color on the ceilings.
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You have to stand here
in order to appreciate
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its magnificence.
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NARRATOR: When Ramses came to power,
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Karnak was already a temple complex the size of
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75 football fields,
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and held a sacred lake larger than seven
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Olympic swimming pools.
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One temple, called the Temple of Amun-Re,
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was big enough to hold ten Gothic cathedrals
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within its walls, but Ramses wanted more,
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so he completed a masterpiece begun by his father:
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a great Hypostyle hall.
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It's one of the largest religious rooms ever built.
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So what can this sacred temple reveal about what made
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Ramses such a powerful and memorable leader?
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Around 30 different Pharaohs helped build Karnak,
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over one and a half thousand years.
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But the writing on the temple walls tells a different story.
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COLLEEN: There's one name
I see more than any other,
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and that is Ramses.
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This is the cartouche
of Ramses II.
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We see it again all
around this column.
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We see it on this column,
pretty confidently nearly
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every column in this side
of the Hypo-style Hall has
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multiple examples of
the name of Ramses II.
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NARRATOR: 134 sandstone columns tower up to
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66 feet high.
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Recent analysis shows every single one is inscribed with
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Ramses name and stories of his life.
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He didn't just help build themost iconic room in the temple,
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he made sure everybody knew it.
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But many of Egypt's kings built big monuments.
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Colleen wants to see what else Ramses did to make
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his reign so special.
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Clues to his epic achievements are carved
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into the temple walls.
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COLLEEN:
This wall's just amazing.
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It's filled with the military
victories of Ramses II.
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We have him fighting
in a chariot,
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then he's bringing his
captives in and presenting
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them to the god Amun, the
god here at Karnak temple.
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And over here he's
smiting foes from the
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four corners of the world.
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He truly wanted to be
known as a warrior Pharaoh.
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NARRATOR: As a young Prince,
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Ramses accompanied his father Seti the First
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on military campaigns,
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gaining experience of leadership and war.
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He became king while still a teenager,
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and took command of the Egyptian military,
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an army of 100,000 men.
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He personally led them onto the battlefield against the
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Hittite Empire of Kadesh,
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and returned home proclaiming victory.
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But his campaigns continued throughout
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his long reign,
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as he expanded and strengthened Egypt's control,
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earning a fearsome reputation as a
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mighty warrior king.
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COLLEEN:
This is an incredible scene.
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We see Ramses in his chariot
and he's pulling an enemy off
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of his own chariot,
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and is about to pierce
him with a spear.
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And all this is taking place
outside of the Syrian city,
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so this shows Ramses extending
the boundaries of Egypt.
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Ramses, like other Pharaohs,
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put his military
victories on temple walls,
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because it was a way of
showing the triumph of Egypt,
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the triumph of order over
chaos represented by foreigners.
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NARRATOR: These scenes,
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together with other ancient evidence,
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suggest Ramses really did fight alongside his men,
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unlike many Pharaohs who made similar boasts.
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His bravery and tactical skill were central to his rise to power,
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but is there more to Ramses rule than
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just military might?
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In Luxor's Deir El-Bahari, where Ramses buried many of
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his nobles at the sprawling tomb complex of Asasif,
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Egyptian archaeologist Fathi Yaseen wants to find out
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why they chose this specific location for their necropolis,
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and what it can reveal about Ramses long reign.
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FATHI: We have here a lot
of temples, thousand of tombs.
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NARRATOR: Fathi doesn't just run this dig,
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he oversees every antiquity site on Luxor's west bank,
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and has done for 30 years.
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NARRATOR: The location of these burials is very
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unusual and mysterious.
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On Luxor's west bank, ancient Egyptian elites mostly
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buried their dead high up on hillsides,
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so people would look up to them,
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even in death.
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But here, the tombs are right on the valley floor.
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FATHI: Why choose to locate
the tombs in this area?
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What's importance
of this area?
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NARRATOR: Last season, Fathi and his team discovered
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the beautifully decorated cartinage of an elite.
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He thinks there's an important undiscovered tomb nearby.
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It could contain priceless treasure and inscriptions
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about the tomb owner that might help explain the tomb's
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strange location.
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Starting from a simple mud brick wall in the sand,
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Fathi's excavations reveal the outline of a huge tomb.
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Now Fathi and his team need to find the
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tomb's underground doorway.
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NARRATOR: Workers painstakingly remove debris
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from the tomb's mud-brick outline on ground level.
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NARRATOR: Despite the 104 degree Fahrenheit conditions,
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they work quickly to reveal a 65-foot long corridor,
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but have no idea how deep it is.
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It could take weeks to reach bedrock and the tomb's
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underground entrance.
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NARRATOR: Fathi and his team have many tons of sand to shift,
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but they keep an eye out for any clues hidden in the dust.
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NARRATOR: At the Saqqara Necropolis on the outskirts
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of Cairo, in front of the world's oldest pyramid,
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Egyptian archaeologist Ola El Aguizy,
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is exploring the tombs of Ramses generals.
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OLA: I love my work I'm doing.
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I really love it.
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NARRATOR: To rule an expanding empire,
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you need loyal soldiers and Ola hopes to find out how
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Ramses rewarded those who supported his rise to power.
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OLA: This is a family burial,
the whole area.
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It's clear that
they're all related.
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It's just a real puzzle.
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NARRATOR: Grandmother Ola came to archaeology
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50 years ago through her love of hieroglyphics.
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She spent the last 15 years exploring these ancient tombs,
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mostly with the same trusty team of workers.
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OLA: Every day we come
here we have a surprise.
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We have something new to find.
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NARRATOR: This season Ola's excavating an
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impressive temple tomb.
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It belongs to a senior general called Iwrkhy.
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OLA: Iwrkhy was known to
be a very important general
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in the army of Ramses II.
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That's why I'm very
keen on this excavation of
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this tomb this year.
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NARRATOR: Archaeologists believe Iwrkhy and his family came from Syria,
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traveling to Egypt for a better life.
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Iwrkhy was quickly accepted into Egyptian society,
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serving as a general to Ramses father Seti the First,
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then later as right-hand man to Ramses himself,
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fighting at the Pharaoh's side and leading the army.
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When Iwrkhy died, he was buried in a large tomb of
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classically Egyptian design.
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So how did Ramses reward those who contributed most
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to his success?
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To find out, Ola's team searches an area on the south
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of the site in the hope of uncovering more about Ramses
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generals and the mysterious foreigner Iwrkhy,
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who Ramses trusted enough to let him lead his army.
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On the dig, Ola's hard work eventually pays off.
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As the team excavates Iwrkhy's tomb,
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they discover a shaft carved 26-feet deep into the rocks.
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It leads to a small antechamber from which another
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shaft drops 39-feet down to what must be
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Iwrkhy's burial chamber.
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The team finds it empty, no sign of grave goods,
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coffins or mummies.
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But then, they discover something extremely
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promising higher up.
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The wall of the first antechamber looks like it's
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been ripped up in ancient times.
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What could lie hidden behind it?
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NARRATOR: Today, Ola will go inside the antechamber
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for the first time.
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She must descend a perilous 26-foot deep shaft,
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the old fashioned way,
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with a wooden winch operated by hand.
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NARRATOR: The workers must carefully lower her down
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in a bucket.
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OLA: I'm, I'm used
to that and I like it.
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Oh la la.
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NARRATOR: Ola descends down the long dark shaft into a
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partly unexplored tomb.
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If anything goes wrong with the hand winch supporting the bucket,
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the fall could kill her.
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OLA: Oh la la.
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(speaking in native language)
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Fantastic.
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NARRATOR: The tomb belongs to one of Ramses most senior generals,
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a man named Iwrkhy.
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Ola wants to investigate how this foreigner became
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Ramses' head general.
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She thinks this could reveal how the generals helped Ramses
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to become the most powerful Pharaoh of all time,
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and how Ramses rewarded them in return.
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Today, she hopes to enter a new part of the tomb
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for the first time in nearly three millennia,
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but its entrance is blocked up.
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Ola believes ancient workers left the loose bricks simply
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to hold up the fragile ceiling.
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Her team must remove the blocks carefully.
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The ancient ceiling above them could easily collapse.
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OLA: Are we going
to be able to get in, yes?
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NARRATOR: With a small space clear,
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Ola can finally look inside.
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OLA: Oh, my God.
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Oh la la.
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There are lots and lots
of other galleries inside.
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It's a maze.
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It looks very, very deep.
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NARRATOR: Behind the wall is a tomb.
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It's much bigger than they first thought,
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and it's full of debris.
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It's a potential treasure trove of items that could
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reveal vital information about General Iwrkhy.
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OLA: With my
tabs on burials hidden inside,
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I'm optimistic I will
find lots of things.
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NARRATOR: But, it's pitch black and dangerous shafts
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could lie hidden below the sand.
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OLA: They are getting the lamp,
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which is in the other
shaft so that we can take
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00:16:06,316 --> 00:16:08,016
it with us inside.
256
00:16:11,688 --> 00:16:13,688
That's Nadar my assistant.
257
00:16:13,923 --> 00:16:18,059
He's just checking to see
because this the first time.
258
00:16:18,094 --> 00:16:21,062
He, he wants to be sure
that we can go in safely.
259
00:16:24,701 --> 00:16:26,134
Okay?
260
00:16:26,369 --> 00:16:28,970
It is, it is
safe, yeah, Nadar?
261
00:16:29,439 --> 00:16:31,039
Okay.
262
00:16:31,074 --> 00:16:34,342
So, I am going to enter now.
263
00:16:39,115 --> 00:16:42,250
NARRATOR: Once inside, Ola discovers an astonishing
264
00:16:42,285 --> 00:16:45,253
number of funerary alabaster jars.
265
00:16:47,190 --> 00:16:50,491
These contain mummified food and wine for the deceased to
266
00:16:50,527 --> 00:16:52,994
live on in the afterlife.
267
00:16:54,531 --> 00:16:56,164
OLA: That's fantastic.
268
00:16:56,199 --> 00:16:59,300
That shows that this
is a rich burial, yes.
269
00:17:00,603 --> 00:17:01,969
(speaking in native language).
270
00:17:02,005 --> 00:17:04,172
OLA: Oh, yes, show me.
271
00:17:04,507 --> 00:17:07,475
NARRATOR: More tunnels lead off from the main chamber.
272
00:17:10,313 --> 00:17:13,581
OLA: Woo, you see,
look, look inside.
273
00:17:13,616 --> 00:17:16,184
There is still
another passage here.
274
00:17:20,457 --> 00:17:22,457
NARRATOR: It is not just a tomb.
275
00:17:22,492 --> 00:17:26,461
It's a catacomb with half a dozen tombs connected together.
276
00:17:28,164 --> 00:17:30,365
OLA: Come, come, come.
277
00:17:30,567 --> 00:17:33,434
NARRATOR: A once in a decade find.
278
00:17:33,470 --> 00:17:35,203
OLA: My God.
279
00:17:35,238 --> 00:17:37,372
Remains of skeleton
with a skull.
280
00:17:38,341 --> 00:17:39,974
Oh my God.
281
00:17:42,445 --> 00:17:46,080
NARRATOR: In Luxor's Deir EL-Bahari at the Asasif Acropolis,
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00:17:47,016 --> 00:17:50,418
Fathi's excavating a 66-foot-long entrance
283
00:17:50,787 --> 00:17:53,721
corridor of an ancient tomb.
284
00:17:53,923 --> 00:17:57,725
The area is rich with the burials of Ramses' nobles,
285
00:17:57,927 --> 00:18:01,396
and Fathi wants to know what these tombs reveal about
286
00:18:01,431 --> 00:18:03,564
Ramses reign as Pharaoh.
287
00:18:04,467 --> 00:18:08,569
To find out, Fathi hopes to solve the mystery of why tomb
288
00:18:08,605 --> 00:18:11,472
owners chose this site on the valley floor.
289
00:18:12,409 --> 00:18:16,010
They've now reached nearly ten feet below ground level
290
00:18:16,045 --> 00:18:18,312
at the end of the corridor.
291
00:18:19,482 --> 00:18:22,116
As he searches for the tomb's entrance,
292
00:18:22,152 --> 00:18:24,585
he uncovers clues in the debris.
293
00:18:26,055 --> 00:18:29,490
(speaking in native language)
294
00:18:29,526 --> 00:18:30,558
FATHI: Wow.
295
00:18:39,202 --> 00:18:42,503
NARRATOR: As Fathi's team gets close to what they hope is the tomb entrance,
296
00:18:43,239 --> 00:18:45,673
they discover funerary treasures that prove they
297
00:18:45,708 --> 00:18:47,108
are on the right track.
298
00:18:58,054 --> 00:19:00,588
NARRATOR: Ancient Egyptians believe these tiny figures,
299
00:19:00,623 --> 00:19:04,158
called ushabtis would come to life and serve the tomb's
300
00:19:04,194 --> 00:19:06,194
occupant in the afterlife.
301
00:19:06,563 --> 00:19:08,379
FATHI: It is very good,
nice one.
302
00:19:09,599 --> 00:19:11,299
NARRATOR: As the team excavates,
303
00:19:11,334 --> 00:19:15,403
the sandy rock debris changes to smooth white limestone.
304
00:19:17,106 --> 00:19:18,406
FATHI: Wow.
305
00:19:18,975 --> 00:19:21,642
NARRATOR: The top of the tomb's entrance door.
306
00:19:22,545 --> 00:19:25,146
FATHI: It's a very
exciting moment for us.
307
00:19:25,348 --> 00:19:27,548
NARRATOR: Fathi hopes the tomb will hold clues,
308
00:19:27,584 --> 00:19:30,651
such as inscriptions that reveal why the tomb owner
309
00:19:30,687 --> 00:19:34,589
chose such a low-lying site, when most tombs for the elite
310
00:19:34,624 --> 00:19:37,692
are in the hillsides that surround a necropolis.
311
00:19:38,228 --> 00:19:41,295
The team must work quickly in the scorching heat
312
00:19:41,331 --> 00:19:43,998
to remove the rocks blocking the entrance.
313
00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:45,700
FATHI: Very hot.
314
00:19:45,735 --> 00:19:47,668
NARRATOR: In this low-lying valley,
315
00:19:47,704 --> 00:19:52,039
temperatures can reach up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit.
316
00:19:53,710 --> 00:19:56,077
Luckily for Fathi, there's not long to go.
317
00:20:04,354 --> 00:20:07,121
NARRATOR: With the first limestone blocks removed,
318
00:20:07,156 --> 00:20:09,590
Fathi can finally look inside.
319
00:20:09,626 --> 00:20:11,292
FATHI: Wow.
320
00:20:17,183 --> 00:20:19,350
NARRATOR: In Luxor's Karnak temple,
321
00:20:19,385 --> 00:20:22,386
Colleen is hunting for clues that explain Ramses
322
00:20:22,422 --> 00:20:24,188
rise to power.
323
00:20:24,691 --> 00:20:28,159
Ramses was a mighty warrior and general who fought in many
324
00:20:28,194 --> 00:20:31,529
campaigns and expanded Egypt's borders to the
325
00:20:31,564 --> 00:20:33,231
east and south.
326
00:20:34,234 --> 00:20:37,501
But the temple walls suggest that's not the only reason he
327
00:20:37,537 --> 00:20:39,337
became so powerful.
328
00:20:39,906 --> 00:20:41,405
COLLEEN: This is a
remarkable document.
329
00:20:41,441 --> 00:20:45,142
It's the actual
text to a Peace Treaty.
330
00:20:45,178 --> 00:20:49,680
NARRATOR: This 3,300 year old wall holds 38 lines of
331
00:20:49,716 --> 00:20:52,883
hieroglyphic inscriptions that lay out in detail
332
00:20:52,919 --> 00:20:55,286
the world's first Peace Treaty,
333
00:20:55,655 --> 00:20:57,288
an unprecedented promise of
334
00:20:57,323 --> 00:21:00,825
alliance between Ramses and his mortal enemies,
335
00:21:00,860 --> 00:21:02,460
the Hittites.
336
00:21:02,795 --> 00:21:05,429
COLLEEN: It's amazing to see
the text of an actual Treaty.
337
00:21:05,465 --> 00:21:08,399
This is the document that
two great powers signed.
338
00:21:08,434 --> 00:21:11,369
Egypt on one hand and the
Hittites on the other.
339
00:21:12,005 --> 00:21:15,539
NARRATOR: This proves that Ramses didn't just fight wars,
340
00:21:15,575 --> 00:21:17,541
he ended them too.
341
00:21:17,577 --> 00:21:20,811
Peace allowed Egypt to prosper and for Ramses
342
00:21:20,847 --> 00:21:23,114
to get richer and more powerful.
343
00:21:23,383 --> 00:21:25,816
COLLEEN: This tells us how
neither the Hittites nor the
344
00:21:25,852 --> 00:21:27,818
Egyptians could
attack one another,
345
00:21:27,854 --> 00:21:30,288
and if they were attacked
by a third party,
346
00:21:30,323 --> 00:21:33,491
they would come to
their allies' aid.
347
00:21:33,526 --> 00:21:35,526
NARRATOR: The Egyptian-Hittite Peace Treaty,
348
00:21:35,561 --> 00:21:38,696
or the Treaty of Kadesh, meant Ramses could finally
349
00:21:38,731 --> 00:21:41,565
end his 20-year war with the Hittites.
350
00:21:42,068 --> 00:21:45,236
COLLEEN: Wars are quite costly,
so by having peace,
351
00:21:45,271 --> 00:21:49,240
Ramses is guaranteeing stability
and prosperity in his reign.
352
00:21:49,709 --> 00:21:52,910
NARRATOR: This allowed Ramses to focus on gathering wealth
353
00:21:52,945 --> 00:21:55,813
and building temples and monuments that celebrated his
354
00:21:55,848 --> 00:21:57,748
mighty achievements.
355
00:21:57,784 --> 00:21:59,684
COLLEEN: A lot
of Pharaohs, including Ramses,
356
00:21:59,719 --> 00:22:02,720
used propaganda, but in the
case of the Peace Treaty,
357
00:22:02,755 --> 00:22:06,424
these are real terms
with a real foreign king,
358
00:22:06,459 --> 00:22:09,760
so this shows Ramses wanted
everyone to know that he
359
00:22:09,796 --> 00:22:11,696
was a great diplomat.
360
00:22:11,731 --> 00:22:15,566
NARRATOR: Ramses demonstrated himself to be the ultimate king,
361
00:22:15,601 --> 00:22:18,502
and his choice of Karnak to proclaim as such
362
00:22:18,538 --> 00:22:20,371
was no accident.
363
00:22:20,707 --> 00:22:22,740
COLLEEN: I think Ramses is
showing the Peace Treaty here
364
00:22:22,775 --> 00:22:25,743
at Karnak precisely
to contrast with
365
00:22:25,778 --> 00:22:27,478
his military exploits.
366
00:22:27,513 --> 00:22:30,614
He does what he needs
to do to preserve order
367
00:22:30,650 --> 00:22:32,616
on behalf of Egypt's gods.
368
00:22:32,885 --> 00:22:36,220
NARRATOR: Ramses was a warrior king and a diplomat who ruled
369
00:22:36,255 --> 00:22:39,690
over an extraordinary period of peace and prosperity.
370
00:22:39,926 --> 00:22:43,260
But that still doesn't explain how he became so
371
00:22:43,296 --> 00:22:47,732
powerful that we're still repeating his name 3,000 years later.
372
00:22:49,669 --> 00:22:52,536
At the historic Egyptian museum in Cairo,
373
00:22:52,572 --> 00:22:53,871
French archaeologist,
374
00:22:53,906 --> 00:22:56,574
Simon Connor and Egyptian conservator,
375
00:22:56,609 --> 00:22:59,810
Eid Mertah, are investigating how he wielded
376
00:22:59,846 --> 00:23:03,547
power across his kingdom, using ancient propaganda.
377
00:23:05,184 --> 00:23:08,552
SIMON: Here Ramses,
here also Ramses.
378
00:23:08,888 --> 00:23:11,422
NARRATOR: Ramses built thousands of statues and
379
00:23:11,457 --> 00:23:13,891
placed them strategically across Egypt.
380
00:23:14,260 --> 00:23:17,495
Most are now in museums, and around 90 of them are
381
00:23:17,530 --> 00:23:19,130
here in Cairo.
382
00:23:21,300 --> 00:23:24,268
Some of them have never been studied up close.
383
00:23:32,478 --> 00:23:34,545
NARRATOR: Simon and Eid think they might be hiding
384
00:23:34,580 --> 00:23:36,747
secrets in plain sight.
385
00:23:36,783 --> 00:23:39,450
By studying the details of the stone work,
386
00:23:39,485 --> 00:23:43,354
they hope to discover how Ramses used his statues to
387
00:23:43,389 --> 00:23:46,090
increase his power.
388
00:23:46,426 --> 00:23:49,360
Colossal statues of Pharaohs were a common sight
389
00:23:49,395 --> 00:23:51,529
for ancient Egyptians, with temples,
390
00:23:52,031 --> 00:23:55,633
cities and palaces guarded by these giant granite figures.
391
00:23:57,437 --> 00:24:00,671
Master sculptors worked on them for months with stone tools,
392
00:24:01,474 --> 00:24:03,808
refining the detail with copper chisels,
393
00:24:04,577 --> 00:24:08,345
and finally polishing them to a smooth finish with sand.
394
00:24:10,850 --> 00:24:13,551
They were more than just works of art.
395
00:24:13,853 --> 00:24:16,720
They were magical avatars that allowed the Pharaoh's
396
00:24:16,756 --> 00:24:20,191
to connect with their subjects.
397
00:24:21,427 --> 00:24:23,661
Once the Pharaoh's name was carved onto it,
398
00:24:23,696 --> 00:24:26,664
the statue was activated and became a bearer
399
00:24:26,699 --> 00:24:28,432
of the king's soul.
400
00:24:30,236 --> 00:24:33,337
The team immediately spot some surprising evidence
401
00:24:33,372 --> 00:24:36,307
that this Ramses statue was altered after
402
00:24:36,342 --> 00:24:38,275
it was first carved.
403
00:24:38,544 --> 00:24:40,711
SIMON: So here, we
can see very quickly the
404
00:24:40,746 --> 00:24:42,613
traces of modification.
405
00:24:42,815 --> 00:24:44,381
You see it around the ears,
406
00:24:44,417 --> 00:24:47,685
here under the arches of
the eyebrows and the eyes.
407
00:24:47,987 --> 00:24:49,587
Here the mouth
has been modified,
408
00:24:49,622 --> 00:24:51,288
the corners have been dug.
409
00:24:51,324 --> 00:24:52,923
The ears have been changed.
410
00:24:52,959 --> 00:24:57,328
There is very clear traces
of modification or re-carving.
411
00:24:57,363 --> 00:25:00,731
NARRATOR: Although the name on the statue is Ramses the Second,
412
00:25:00,766 --> 00:25:04,168
could it have started out as someone else's name?
413
00:25:04,203 --> 00:25:07,638
To find out Simon and Eid need to compare the details
414
00:25:07,673 --> 00:25:11,475
with an original unaltered Ramses statue,
415
00:25:11,511 --> 00:25:14,545
to see what his statues really looked like.
416
00:25:20,903 --> 00:25:23,838
the
Egyptian museum in Cairo,
417
00:25:23,873 --> 00:25:27,875
Simon and Eid spot a stunning statue carved from granite.
418
00:25:28,611 --> 00:25:31,745
They search for clues that it's a genuine statue of
419
00:25:31,781 --> 00:25:33,514
Ramses the Great.
420
00:25:40,022 --> 00:25:41,989
EID: Clearly this
statue was made during his
421
00:25:42,024 --> 00:25:43,824
own reign for himself.
422
00:25:44,393 --> 00:25:48,295
NARRATOR: This statue seems to be looking right at them.
423
00:25:48,497 --> 00:25:50,264
SIMON: The eyes
are looking down.
424
00:25:50,299 --> 00:25:51,966
Ramses looked at the people.
425
00:25:52,001 --> 00:25:53,868
NARRATOR: Unlike Pharaohs gone before,
426
00:25:53,903 --> 00:25:56,237
whose eyes looked to the horizon,
427
00:25:56,272 --> 00:26:00,274
Ramses used his statues to connect with his people.
428
00:26:00,309 --> 00:26:03,978
His direct eye contact is a powerful way to instill awe.
429
00:26:04,780 --> 00:26:08,849
Simon and Eid return to inside the museum to compare their
430
00:26:08,885 --> 00:26:11,952
findings with the seemingly modified Ramses statue.
431
00:26:13,589 --> 00:26:16,457
Sure enough it has Ramses' eye-line.
432
00:26:16,726 --> 00:26:19,260
SIMON: The sculptors
get under the eye,
433
00:26:19,295 --> 00:26:22,229
they cut here on the eyelid.
434
00:26:22,531 --> 00:26:25,432
The idea was to produce
a heavy upper eyelid.
435
00:26:25,468 --> 00:26:27,601
NARRATOR: The eyelid and downward eye-line is
436
00:26:27,637 --> 00:26:29,403
a later modification.
437
00:26:29,438 --> 00:26:32,973
Incredibly, an unmodified version of this exact same
438
00:26:33,009 --> 00:26:36,176
statue exists in another museum.
439
00:26:36,612 --> 00:26:39,280
This clearly shows that the eyes would have looked
440
00:26:39,315 --> 00:26:41,215
straight ahead when first carved.
441
00:26:42,518 --> 00:26:45,519
Simon and Eid spot more evidence.
442
00:26:45,755 --> 00:26:47,454
SIMON: Here we see
traces of modification of
443
00:26:47,490 --> 00:26:48,989
the feature of the eyebrows,
444
00:26:49,025 --> 00:26:51,692
enough to create the
arches of the eyebrows.
445
00:26:52,194 --> 00:26:55,462
So here the sculptor
wanted this part to protrude.
446
00:26:56,399 --> 00:26:58,899
NARRATOR: Even the cobra on the crown was re-cut
447
00:26:58,935 --> 00:27:02,002
to the style of Ramses' 19th Dynasty snake.
448
00:27:02,905 --> 00:27:06,006
SIMON: They wanted the snake
to have this double loop on
449
00:27:06,042 --> 00:27:09,610
either side of the hook,
so when statues have to be
450
00:27:09,645 --> 00:27:14,648
Ramesized, we have to produce
these little features.
451
00:27:15,084 --> 00:27:17,685
NARRATOR: It's powerful evidence that Ramses altered
452
00:27:17,720 --> 00:27:20,521
an older statue to look like one of his.
453
00:27:20,723 --> 00:27:22,890
SIMON: This statue clearly
was not Ramses originally.
454
00:27:22,925 --> 00:27:24,558
It was another King.
455
00:27:24,593 --> 00:27:27,494
NARRATOR: So if this isn't Ramses, who is it?
456
00:27:28,664 --> 00:27:30,664
SIMON: We have
an alternation between one
457
00:27:30,700 --> 00:27:32,967
thick stripes and two thin.
458
00:27:33,002 --> 00:27:35,336
One thick, two thin,
one thick, two thin.
459
00:27:35,371 --> 00:27:37,571
These detail is typical
of the 12th Dynasty,
460
00:27:38,107 --> 00:27:40,541
so around 600 years before
the reign of Ramses.
461
00:27:41,010 --> 00:27:43,210
NARRATOR: They can't tell exactly which Pharaoh the
462
00:27:43,245 --> 00:27:45,379
statue was made for originally,
463
00:27:45,414 --> 00:27:48,983
but it's clear evidence that Ramses modified older statues
464
00:27:49,018 --> 00:27:51,819
to proclaim his power across Egypt quickly.
465
00:27:52,488 --> 00:27:55,456
SIMON: The intention was really
to choose specific statues,
466
00:27:55,491 --> 00:27:58,492
beautiful ones, big
ones of prestigious ancestors,
467
00:27:58,527 --> 00:28:00,227
to re-embody them.
468
00:28:00,262 --> 00:28:02,629
NARRATOR: Ramses deliberately left evidence of the former
469
00:28:02,665 --> 00:28:04,365
Kings in the statues.
470
00:28:04,400 --> 00:28:06,500
He wasn't trying to steal their identities.
471
00:28:06,535 --> 00:28:09,036
He was using the reputation of his most illustrious
472
00:28:09,071 --> 00:28:12,573
ancestors to exert and increase his own power.
473
00:28:13,209 --> 00:28:15,642
SIMON: They had an aura,
they had a prestige,
474
00:28:15,678 --> 00:28:18,312
and the idea was to show
that they were ancient,
475
00:28:18,347 --> 00:28:20,881
but that he was the new them.
476
00:28:20,916 --> 00:28:22,783
NARRATOR: Recent evidence reveals that nearly
477
00:28:22,818 --> 00:28:25,252
one-quarter of Ramses statues,
478
00:28:25,287 --> 00:28:27,855
originally belonged to other Pharaohs.
479
00:28:27,890 --> 00:28:30,024
Ramses simply re-carved them,
480
00:28:30,059 --> 00:28:32,226
claiming them as his own.
481
00:28:32,261 --> 00:28:35,696
But further investigation of some statues proves tricky,
482
00:28:35,731 --> 00:28:38,465
because of ancient damage done to them.
483
00:28:38,501 --> 00:28:39,933
SIMON: Two things
mostly missing.
484
00:28:39,969 --> 00:28:43,404
The head of the uraeus
and here the nose.
485
00:28:43,806 --> 00:28:46,974
It has been completely erased,
really carefully chipped off.
486
00:28:47,009 --> 00:28:48,842
So the statue is broken,
487
00:28:48,878 --> 00:28:51,345
and it's 90% of cases
in Egyptian statues,
488
00:28:51,380 --> 00:28:54,214
all of them were intentionally
chipped off, cut off.
489
00:28:54,250 --> 00:28:56,784
NARRATOR: Ramses used this statue and others as his
490
00:28:56,819 --> 00:29:00,954
magical avatar, but once no longer ruler,
491
00:29:00,990 --> 00:29:03,490
his statues needed to be deactivated.
492
00:29:12,268 --> 00:29:15,302
NARRATOR: Today Ramses' statues help piece together
493
00:29:15,337 --> 00:29:16,770
the mighty Pharaoh's rule,
494
00:29:16,806 --> 00:29:19,807
and act as vital evidence for how he used them to
495
00:29:19,842 --> 00:29:22,776
become the greatest ruler of ancient Egypt.
496
00:29:24,947 --> 00:29:26,947
In Luxor's Deir El-Bahari,
497
00:29:26,982 --> 00:29:31,552
in a vast necropolis full of Ramses' nobles' tombs,
498
00:29:32,421 --> 00:29:35,222
Fathi's on the brink of a new discovery:
499
00:29:35,257 --> 00:29:38,926
an unopened tomb hidden for thousands of years.
500
00:29:48,404 --> 00:29:50,337
NARRATOR: Fathi believes this tomb will provide clues
501
00:29:50,372 --> 00:29:52,940
as to why tomb owners chose this site,
502
00:29:53,275 --> 00:29:56,210
and reveal information about Ramses' prosperous
503
00:29:56,245 --> 00:29:57,978
reign as Pharaoh.
504
00:29:58,214 --> 00:29:59,880
But the debris is blocking the entrance.
505
00:30:21,003 --> 00:30:23,403
NARRATOR: For several days,
506
00:30:23,439 --> 00:30:25,839
the team hauls tons of sand and soil
507
00:30:25,875 --> 00:30:28,275
under the burning sun.
508
00:30:32,681 --> 00:30:35,983
But finally, they uncover the full entrance.
509
00:30:36,719 --> 00:30:39,219
FATHI: I'm waiting
one month to enter,
510
00:30:39,255 --> 00:30:41,722
so it is a very
special moment.
511
00:30:41,757 --> 00:30:43,857
Now I can go inside.
512
00:30:49,565 --> 00:30:50,931
Wow.
513
00:30:58,991 --> 00:31:03,460
¶ ¶
514
00:31:04,463 --> 00:31:07,364
FATHI:
Wait, there's a huge
tomb full of debris.
515
00:31:08,601 --> 00:31:11,501
Okay, the ceiling is
not in good condition.
516
00:31:11,704 --> 00:31:13,770
NARRATOR: In Luxor's Deir El-Bahari,
517
00:31:13,806 --> 00:31:16,557
in a necropolis used by Ramses' nobles,
518
00:31:17,009 --> 00:31:19,843
Fathi enters a new tomb for the first time.
519
00:31:20,112 --> 00:31:23,981
He wants to know why elites chose this low-lying site for
520
00:31:24,016 --> 00:31:26,683
their necropolis, and what that might reveal
521
00:31:26,719 --> 00:31:28,585
about Ramses' reign.
522
00:31:28,954 --> 00:31:30,754
He's looking for inscriptions,
523
00:31:30,789 --> 00:31:34,825
but the room's 25 by 12-foot walls are bare.
524
00:31:35,361 --> 00:31:37,995
FATHI: I cannot
see an inscription.
525
00:31:38,030 --> 00:31:40,664
NARRATOR: Now he must launch a painstaking search of the debris,
526
00:31:40,699 --> 00:31:43,033
to look for other kinds of evidence that could provide
527
00:31:43,068 --> 00:31:45,769
clues as to why the nobles of Ramses the Great
528
00:31:45,804 --> 00:31:47,871
chose to bury their dead here.
529
00:31:52,678 --> 00:31:54,311
FATHI: Wow.
530
00:31:55,848 --> 00:32:00,384
FATHI: It is so beautiful
because it is not common to
531
00:32:00,419 --> 00:32:01,919
find a complete jar.
532
00:32:13,365 --> 00:32:14,431
FATHI: Wow.
533
00:32:23,375 --> 00:32:26,009
NARRATOR: The ancient items are perfectly preserved,
534
00:32:26,045 --> 00:32:28,679
but they will start to degrade in the open air.
535
00:32:29,148 --> 00:32:32,449
Fathi takes them straight to the conservation lab for
536
00:32:32,484 --> 00:32:33,884
further study.
537
00:32:34,219 --> 00:32:35,452
(speaking in native language)
538
00:32:47,733 --> 00:32:51,001
NARRATOR: The stunning basket and pot are in such great condition,
539
00:32:51,036 --> 00:32:53,870
it's unlikely these are burial goods placed next
540
00:32:53,906 --> 00:32:55,872
to the deceased in the burial chamber.
541
00:32:56,408 --> 00:32:59,343
They're rather offerings by family members,
542
00:32:59,378 --> 00:33:01,678
placed in mourning at the tomb's entrance,
543
00:33:02,081 --> 00:33:05,215
as part of an ancient festival specific to this area.
544
00:33:14,693 --> 00:33:17,828
NARRATOR: Every year on the first new moon of May,
545
00:33:17,863 --> 00:33:22,332
crowds gathered at Karnak temple with offerings of food
546
00:33:22,368 --> 00:33:23,834
and masses of flowers.
547
00:33:26,472 --> 00:33:29,306
They processed behind a boat carrying the image of
548
00:33:29,341 --> 00:33:33,810
the god, Amun, and crossed the Nile to the west bank,
549
00:33:33,846 --> 00:33:35,545
land of the dead.
550
00:33:38,650 --> 00:33:41,852
The procession passed the temples of the Kings,
551
00:33:42,154 --> 00:33:45,622
and then they made their way to the Temple of Hatshepsut.
552
00:33:48,027 --> 00:33:52,295
Families broke away to visit the tombs of their relatives,
553
00:33:52,331 --> 00:33:55,565
where they made offerings of food and flowers,
554
00:33:55,601 --> 00:33:58,802
and feasted through the night with the dead.
555
00:33:59,338 --> 00:34:03,840
Fathi's finds suggest that nobles chose this site for
556
00:34:03,876 --> 00:34:07,244
their burial because of its excellent location
557
00:34:07,279 --> 00:34:09,913
for the Beautiful Festival of the Valley.
558
00:34:10,182 --> 00:34:13,383
These tombs would have been the last stop before the
559
00:34:13,419 --> 00:34:17,320
Hatshepstut Temple, so it was prime real estate
560
00:34:17,356 --> 00:34:18,822
to receive offerings.
561
00:34:37,676 --> 00:34:42,279
NARRATOR: Ramses' 66-year reign was incredibly prosperous,
562
00:34:42,314 --> 00:34:45,449
so he could afford to be generous with his subjects.
563
00:34:45,951 --> 00:34:49,286
He continues the Beautiful Festival of the Valley,
564
00:34:49,321 --> 00:34:51,721
along with dozens of other festivals,
565
00:34:51,757 --> 00:34:56,259
even organizing an annual 24-day feast,
566
00:34:56,295 --> 00:34:58,595
making him popular with the masses and
567
00:34:58,630 --> 00:35:00,497
increasing his power.
568
00:35:00,999 --> 00:35:02,599
For Fathi and his team,
569
00:35:02,634 --> 00:35:05,402
it's been a very successful dig,
570
00:35:05,437 --> 00:35:09,039
and they hope this will just be the start of their
571
00:35:09,074 --> 00:35:10,574
discoveries here.
572
00:35:19,751 --> 00:35:20,984
NARRATOR: In Saqqara,
573
00:35:21,019 --> 00:35:24,754
Ola is exploring a hidden chamber in the tomb of one of
574
00:35:24,790 --> 00:35:28,492
Ramses military commanders, General Iwrkhy.
575
00:35:28,861 --> 00:35:33,330
She hopes to uncover how these generals helped his rise to power,
576
00:35:33,365 --> 00:35:35,932
and how he rewarded them in return.
577
00:35:36,702 --> 00:35:40,537
But the tomb is a mess of artifacts buried under rubble
578
00:35:40,572 --> 00:35:42,839
with skeletons scattered throughout.
579
00:35:43,275 --> 00:35:47,277
It's a clear sign to Ola that robbers looted this tomb
580
00:35:47,312 --> 00:35:49,212
thousands of years ago.
581
00:35:49,748 --> 00:35:52,782
Ola makes a start on the funerary items the robbers
582
00:35:52,818 --> 00:35:54,217
left behind.
583
00:35:54,987 --> 00:35:56,820
OLA: We have a
puzzle everywhere.
584
00:35:56,855 --> 00:35:59,656
Sometimes you find many
fragments of the same jar,
585
00:35:59,691 --> 00:36:01,324
we have to put them together.
586
00:36:01,360 --> 00:36:03,827
NARRATOR: One jar in particular stands out.
587
00:36:14,473 --> 00:36:16,473
NARRATOR: The stunning pot shows Hathor,
588
00:36:16,508 --> 00:36:19,743
the goddess of love, who takes the form of a cow,
589
00:36:20,045 --> 00:36:22,379
but no information about Iwrkhy.
590
00:36:22,781 --> 00:36:24,948
Something else catches Ola's eye.
591
00:36:26,084 --> 00:36:31,821
OLA: Oo-oo-oo-ooh.
Beautiful, my God!
592
00:36:39,848 --> 00:36:42,716
NARRATOR: Ola has made a major discovery.
593
00:36:42,985 --> 00:36:46,019
She hopes it will provide clues as to how Ramses'
594
00:36:46,054 --> 00:36:49,089
generals helped his rise to power,
595
00:36:49,525 --> 00:36:51,825
and how he rewarded them in return.
596
00:36:53,529 --> 00:36:56,429
OLA: This is the first time
we have something so clear.
597
00:36:56,899 --> 00:37:00,000
This is the head of one
of the canopic jars.
598
00:37:00,769 --> 00:37:04,704
It's beautiful, you can
see the wig, the ears.
599
00:37:06,942 --> 00:37:08,375
Oh my god.
600
00:37:08,610 --> 00:37:11,044
NARRATOR: This canopic jar head is part of the funerary
601
00:37:11,079 --> 00:37:13,947
goods buried in the tomb of Ramses' head general
602
00:37:13,982 --> 00:37:15,815
named Iwrkhy.
603
00:37:15,851 --> 00:37:18,018
They hold the mummy's vital organs,
604
00:37:18,053 --> 00:37:22,489
so they can live again and reuse them in the afterlife.
605
00:37:22,524 --> 00:37:24,691
OLA: So beautiful.
606
00:37:24,726 --> 00:37:27,894
And the cheek is so smooth.
607
00:37:29,598 --> 00:37:32,032
Finding this is like
a treasure also,
608
00:37:32,501 --> 00:37:36,136
because it's very indicative
of lots of other things.
609
00:37:36,638 --> 00:37:39,873
NARRATOR: If these decorative items belong to Iwrkhy,
610
00:37:39,908 --> 00:37:42,776
it proves he and his family were highly rewarded
611
00:37:42,811 --> 00:37:44,611
by Ramses the Great.
612
00:37:44,646 --> 00:37:46,846
Alabaster was a prized material,
613
00:37:46,882 --> 00:37:49,449
thought of as desirable by the gods.
614
00:37:49,785 --> 00:37:52,519
If this was Iwrkhy's it's evidence he had a
615
00:37:52,554 --> 00:37:54,721
very luxurious burial.
616
00:37:55,123 --> 00:37:57,557
But there's more treasure beneath the debris.
617
00:37:57,859 --> 00:37:59,993
OLA: Okay, now
we have a block coming out.
618
00:38:00,228 --> 00:38:01,061
Let's see.
619
00:38:01,096 --> 00:38:02,662
Oh my God!
620
00:38:02,698 --> 00:38:03,897
(laughs).
621
00:38:03,932 --> 00:38:06,733
NARRATOR: Hidden under the sand for thousands of years,
622
00:38:06,768 --> 00:38:08,902
the block is covered in inscriptions.
623
00:38:09,438 --> 00:38:11,438
OLA: They're
all kneeling on the ground and
624
00:38:11,473 --> 00:38:13,406
weeping and mourning.
625
00:38:14,409 --> 00:38:17,010
NARRATOR: Beautiful carvings on the blocks' underside,
626
00:38:17,045 --> 00:38:20,580
reveal distraught funeral mourners convulsed in grief.
627
00:38:21,583 --> 00:38:22,916
It's a religious scene,
628
00:38:22,951 --> 00:38:25,752
depicting the sacred funerary rites for the
629
00:38:25,787 --> 00:38:27,554
tomb owner's burial.
630
00:38:28,657 --> 00:38:31,725
OLA: It's not every day
that we find something
as big as that.
631
00:38:32,394 --> 00:38:34,861
We cannot find the
name of the owner.
632
00:38:35,097 --> 00:38:38,565
It needs to be taken into
the magazine and put together
633
00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:40,667
again by the specialists.
634
00:38:41,470 --> 00:38:45,038
NARRATOR: If they can find the name of the tomb owner in the inscriptions,
635
00:38:45,057 --> 00:38:49,075
the block could prove that Ramses' generals, like Iwrkhy,
636
00:38:49,111 --> 00:38:51,811
were so important they received elaborate
637
00:38:51,847 --> 00:38:55,982
funerary processions as part of Egypt's high society.
638
00:38:57,052 --> 00:38:58,618
OLA: You'll find
a lot of things,
639
00:38:58,654 --> 00:39:00,487
significant thing
that could help find
640
00:39:00,522 --> 00:39:02,889
information about Iwrkhy.
641
00:39:03,091 --> 00:39:05,992
NARRATOR: But Ola can't see Iwrkhy's name yet,
642
00:39:06,028 --> 00:39:07,527
nor any others.
643
00:39:07,562 --> 00:39:11,631
She needs to find more of the block to piece together their names.
644
00:39:11,933 --> 00:39:14,668
OLA: Well, it's a lot of
work still to be done,
645
00:39:14,703 --> 00:39:16,503
but it is promising.
646
00:39:16,538 --> 00:39:19,706
But, I might tell you
I have to go out before it
647
00:39:19,741 --> 00:39:21,341
falls on our heads.
648
00:39:21,743 --> 00:39:23,076
(laughs).
649
00:39:23,278 --> 00:39:26,413
NARRATOR: With so many finds inside the tomb,
650
00:39:26,448 --> 00:39:30,050
and with so many rooms still to excavate, for Ola,
651
00:39:30,085 --> 00:39:32,419
this is simply the beginning.
652
00:39:32,954 --> 00:39:34,854
OLA: Of course,
it is part of the puzzle,
653
00:39:34,890 --> 00:39:37,991
and it is part
of the suspense.
654
00:39:38,026 --> 00:39:40,927
Any block we find
we are expecting to
655
00:39:40,962 --> 00:39:42,595
find something important.
656
00:39:44,900 --> 00:39:47,967
Fantastic,
fantastic, fantastic.
657
00:39:48,003 --> 00:39:49,602
Three times fantastic.
658
00:39:49,638 --> 00:39:51,004
(laughs).
659
00:39:52,607 --> 00:39:54,674
NARRATOR: In Egypt's far south,
660
00:39:54,693 --> 00:39:57,944
Colleen investigates Ramses the Great's legacy.
661
00:39:59,848 --> 00:40:02,849
She wants to understand how he became the most powerful
662
00:40:02,884 --> 00:40:05,185
Pharaoh of ancient Egypt,
663
00:40:05,220 --> 00:40:08,988
and why we still know his name three millennia
664
00:40:09,024 --> 00:40:10,690
after his death.
665
00:40:11,259 --> 00:40:12,926
COLLEEN: This is Lake Nabta.
666
00:40:12,961 --> 00:40:15,829
I'm at the southern border
of modern day Egypt and
667
00:40:15,864 --> 00:40:17,797
just a few miles
upstream is Sudan.
668
00:40:19,634 --> 00:40:21,935
But this is ancient Nubia.
669
00:40:22,804 --> 00:40:26,840
This is where Ramses's armies
and his bureaucracy maintained
670
00:40:26,875 --> 00:40:30,443
control over the
all-important gold resources
671
00:40:30,479 --> 00:40:31,711
of ancient Egypt.
672
00:40:34,216 --> 00:40:36,883
NARRATOR: Ramses and other Pharaohs sourced vast
673
00:40:36,918 --> 00:40:40,353
quantities of their precious gold from Nubia.
674
00:40:40,622 --> 00:40:43,456
Control of this area allowed Ramses to trade the
675
00:40:43,492 --> 00:40:46,926
gold and other goods with the rest of Africa,
676
00:40:46,962 --> 00:40:49,929
and over the Red Sea with Asia.
677
00:40:49,965 --> 00:40:53,633
And it is here that Ramses chose to build one of his most
678
00:40:53,668 --> 00:40:56,803
impressive temples, Abu Simbel.
679
00:40:58,073 --> 00:41:00,373
COLLEEN: Incredible.
680
00:41:00,642 --> 00:41:03,777
No matter how many times
I see this monument,
681
00:41:04,112 --> 00:41:07,013
I'm overwhelmed by
how massive it is.
682
00:41:10,452 --> 00:41:14,921
The four colossal statues of
Ramses face the Nile River.
683
00:41:15,924 --> 00:41:19,392
They would have been
visible at great distance,
684
00:41:19,427 --> 00:41:22,862
making a statement of
Ramses' divine authority.
685
00:41:24,833 --> 00:41:26,733
NARRATOR: Here, in ancient Nubia,
686
00:41:26,768 --> 00:41:31,104
Ramses wanted everyone to know he was King and this
687
00:41:31,139 --> 00:41:33,072
was his Empire.
688
00:41:33,642 --> 00:41:35,708
Inside the temple walls,
689
00:41:35,744 --> 00:41:39,779
Colleen finds a vast record of Ramses' rule.
690
00:41:40,415 --> 00:41:44,818
COLLEEN: This temple
is simply filled with
Ramses military victories.
691
00:41:45,287 --> 00:41:47,987
Battles are everywhere.
692
00:41:49,491 --> 00:41:51,691
NARRATOR: But in a side chamber,
693
00:41:51,726 --> 00:41:54,394
Colleen spots something more intriguing
694
00:41:54,429 --> 00:41:56,729
than military propaganda.
695
00:41:57,065 --> 00:41:59,432
COLLEEN: This is such
a peculiar image.
696
00:41:59,467 --> 00:42:03,369
So Ramses is offering
two jars of water,
697
00:42:04,172 --> 00:42:07,106
and then there's an offering
table in front with two
698
00:42:07,142 --> 00:42:10,810
baskets of fruit, topped
off with a lotus flower,
699
00:42:10,846 --> 00:42:13,012
and below are two
loaves of bread.
700
00:42:13,281 --> 00:42:15,748
These are the sorts of
offerings that Kings would
701
00:42:15,784 --> 00:42:19,452
present to deities, and the
Coronation name of Ramses is
702
00:42:19,487 --> 00:42:23,456
labelling the god who
the king worships.
703
00:42:24,426 --> 00:42:29,729
This is not the king
offering to just any god,
704
00:42:29,764 --> 00:42:32,732
but to his own deified self.
705
00:42:32,968 --> 00:42:37,537
This is Ramses as King
offering to Ramses as a god.
706
00:42:37,906 --> 00:42:41,674
Meaning that this temple
was a place where Ramses
707
00:42:41,710 --> 00:42:44,077
could be worshipped for
generations to come.
708
00:42:45,480 --> 00:42:46,913
NARRATOR: Throughout his reign,
709
00:42:46,948 --> 00:42:50,416
Ramses increased his power through military glory and by
710
00:42:50,452 --> 00:42:52,819
ultimately securing peace.
711
00:42:52,854 --> 00:42:55,722
But it was by making himself a god,
712
00:42:55,757 --> 00:42:59,692
that he was able to securehis legacy as Ramses the Great.
713
00:43:01,529 --> 00:43:04,397
All Pharaohs deify themselves before they die,
714
00:43:04,833 --> 00:43:08,568
but Ramses did it bigger and better,
715
00:43:08,603 --> 00:43:11,871
building grander temples to be worshipped from,
716
00:43:11,907 --> 00:43:15,141
and proclaiming hisdivine right to rule more times
717
00:43:15,176 --> 00:43:17,410
than any other.
718
00:43:17,712 --> 00:43:22,916
COLLEEN: Abu Simbel and
Karnak Temple are among the
greatest wonders of the world,
719
00:43:23,852 --> 00:43:25,385
but in ancient Egypt,
720
00:43:25,420 --> 00:43:26,920
to have your name repeated,
721
00:43:26,955 --> 00:43:29,722
granted you immortality
in the afterlife.
722
00:43:29,758 --> 00:43:32,458
We know that nine more
Pharaohs were named Ramses,
723
00:43:32,494 --> 00:43:34,827
and we're still
repeating his name today.
724
00:43:34,863 --> 00:43:37,997
He truly lives forever.
725
00:43:38,199 --> 00:43:40,633
NARRATOR: Every season, ongoing excavations are
726
00:43:40,669 --> 00:43:44,404
uncovering new evidence about what made Ramses the
727
00:43:44,439 --> 00:43:48,341
most powerful and successful ruler of ancient Egypt.
728
00:43:49,277 --> 00:43:51,878
Hundreds of temples and monuments show his
729
00:43:51,913 --> 00:43:54,380
skill at propaganda.
730
00:43:54,416 --> 00:43:57,650
His repurposing of statues linked him to Egypt's
731
00:43:57,686 --> 00:43:59,786
illustrious past rulers.
732
00:44:00,622 --> 00:44:04,524
A mighty warrior, his peace treaty reveals that he was an
733
00:44:04,542 --> 00:44:06,559
outstanding diplomat.
734
00:44:06,928 --> 00:44:10,830
He held expensive burials for those loyal to him and
735
00:44:10,865 --> 00:44:14,934
his lavish festivals show that he shared the prosperity
736
00:44:14,970 --> 00:44:16,869
of his long reign.
737
00:44:16,905 --> 00:44:20,907
He truly was the greatest of all Egypt's kings.
738
00:44:20,925 --> 00:44:22,542
Captioned by
Cotter Media Group.
71255
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