All language subtitles for Unearthed.(2016).S02E01.Tuts.Buried.Secrets.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-Cinefeel_track3_[eng]

*

Narrator:
THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS,

AN UNDERGROUND MAZE
OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN TOMBS

CARVED OUT OVER 3,000 YEARS AGO

AND THE FINAL RESTING PLACE

OF THE FAMED BOY KING,

TUTANKHAMEN.

WHEN HE FOUND THE TOMB
OF THE KING OF TUT,

IT WAS FANTASTIC.

AND NO DISCOVERY THEN OR SINCE

HAS EVER HAD THE EXCITEMENT

THAT KING TUT'S DID.

Narrator:
TODAY, TEAMS ARE WORKING

INSIDE TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

TO UNEARTH ITS MYSTERIES.

EVEN TODAY,
EVERY TIME WE TURN AROUND

WE FIND MORE QUESTIONS TO ASK.

Narrator: WHY IS THE TOMB
OF TUTANKHAMEN SO UNIQUE,

AND HOW DID IT STAY HIDDEN
FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS?

TO FIND OUT...

WE WILL VENTURE INSIDE
THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS.

BLOWING IT APART,

WE'LL EXPLORE
ITS HIDDEN CHAMBERS...

AND GOLDEN COFFINS...

TO REVEAL THE SECRETS

AT THE HEART
OF THIS ANCIENT WONDER.

-- Captions by VITAC --
www.vitac.com

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

Narrator: BY THE BANKS
OF THE RIVER NILE,

HIDDEN IN A LABYRINTH OF ROCK,

LIES A MONUMENTAL
ANCIENT BURIAL SITE...

...THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS.

*

EXTENDING DEEP BEYOND
GIANT STONE ENTRANCES,

DOZENS OF SUBTERRANEAN TOMBS

BECAME THE FINAL RESTING PLACE

FOR POWERFUL EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS.

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS
WAS IN USE

AS A ROYAL BURIAL PLACE
FOR ABOUT 500 YEARS.

THE PRIMARY CONCERN

WAS THAT THE PHARAOH'S BODY

BE PROTECTED,

THAT IT COULD SURVIVE,
COULD ENDURE FOR AN ETERNITY.

Narrator: TODAY,
TEAMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD USE

THE LATEST SCANNING
AND FORENSIC TECHNOLOGY

TO UNEARTH THE SECRETS

OF THESE SUBTERRANEAN CHAMBERS.

BENEATH THIS VALLEY

LIE MORE THAN 60 HIDDEN TOMBS

CARVED DEEP INTO THE ROCK.

MOST ARE SIMILAR IN DESIGN,

THEIR SNAKING TUNNELS DESCENDING

TOWARDS THE UNDERWORLD,

CREATING A RABBIT WARREN

OF HUNDREDS OF PAINTED CHAMBERS

FILLED WITH HIEROGLYPHS

AND PAINTINGS OF THE AFTERLIFE.

HIDDEN NEAR THE CENTER
LIES THE TOMB

OF THE MOST FAMOUS PHARAOH
OF ALL --

KING TUTANKHAMEN.

THIS MYSTERIOUS CHAMBER

IS UNLIKE ANY ROYAL TOMB
IN THE VALLEY

AND PUZZLES ARCHAEOLOGISTS
TO THIS DAY.

TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB LIES
AT THE HEART OF THE VALLEY,

SURROUNDED BY THE TOMBS
OF THE GREAT PHARAOHS

THAT CAME BEFORE AND AFTER HIM.

TODAY, TUTANKHAMEN
IS THE MOST FAMOUS NAME

OF ALL THESE ANCIENT KINGS,

BUT DURING HIS LIFETIME,

HISTORIANS BELIEVE
HE WAS INSIGNIFICANT.

HE WAS A KID --

9, 10, 11 YEARS OLD.

THE LITTLE-KNOWN
RELATIVELY MINOR PHARAOH.

Narrator: YET,
TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

TRANSFORMED HIS FATE.

THIS YOUNG BOY KING BECAME

ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL SYMBOLS

IN EGYPTOLOGICAL HISTORY.

Narrator: KENT WEEKS
HAS SPENT 40 YEARS STUDYING

THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS.

KENT AND TEAMS OF ARCHAEOLOGISTS

ARE WORKING
TO RESOLVE A CRUCIAL MYSTERY.

*

HOW DID TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB
TRANSFORM THE BOY KING

FROM A MINOR PHARAOH

TO ONE OF THE MOST
CELEBRATED MEN IN HISTORY?

KENT BELIEVES
THE FIRST CLUE LIES

IN HOW THE TOMBS IN THE VALLEY

ARE DECORATED.

HE WANTS TO UNDERSTAND
WHY THE IMAGERY IN TUT'S TOMB

IS SO DIFFERENT
TO THOSE BELONGING

TO MORE POWERFUL PHARAOHS.

Weeks: ROYAL TOMBS
IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS,

THEY ALL FOLLOW PRETTY MUCH
THE SAME STANDARD RULES,

CONTAIN THE SAME
STANDARDS SCENES,

BUT THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN

IS UNUSUAL.

Narrator: KENT HEADS
TO A DIFFERENT TOMB BELONGING

TO THE GREAT KING SETI II

TO INVESTIGATE HOW ROYAL TOMBS

ARE TRADITIONALLY DECORATED.

OKAY,
LET'S DO THE OTHER SIDE.

*

INSIDE, HE FORENSICALLY RECORDS

EVERY SQUARE INCH

OF THE CARVINGS
ADORNING THE WALLS.

MANY OF THESE ARTWORKS
SHOW SCENES

FROM THE IMPORTANT
RELIGIOUS TEXT,

"THE BOOK OF THE DEAD."

Weeks: THEIR PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

WAS TO ENSURE THE SAFE PASSAGE
OF THE PHARAOH

FROM THIS LIFE INTO THE NEXT.

THIS WAS A MAJOR CONCERN
TO EGYPTIANS.

WHEN A PHARAOH DIED,
CAN WE BE SURE THE PHARAOH

IS GOING TO HAVE A SAFE JOURNEY

INTO THE AFTERLIFE?

ALL OF THE TEXTS,

ALL OF THE SCENES
IN THESE TOMBS

ARE DESIGNED TO SERVE
THOSE SIMPLE FUNCTIONS.

*

Narrator:
IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN BELIEFS,

THE JOURNEY TO THE AFTERLIFE
BEGINS AS THE SUN SETS.

THE PHARAOH TAKES
THE ROUTE OF THE SUN

AS IT PASSES DOWN
INTO THE UNDERWORLD.

ARMED WITH SPELLS
FROM THE WALLS OF THE TOMB,

HE FACES MANY CHALLENGES,

INCLUDING A LAKE OF FIRE

AND GIANT SERPENT.

MOST EGYPTIANS WOULD THEN FACE
THE MOST RIGOROUS TEST --

TO HAVE THEIR HEART WEIGHED
AGAINST THE FEATHER OF TRUTH,

BUT THE PHARAOH WAS
THOUGHT TO BE EXEMPT.

WHEN HE REACHES THE END,

A PARADE OF GODS WELCOMES HIM
TO THE AFTERLIFE.

HE IS TRANSFORMED
INTO THE SUN GOD

AND THE SUN CAN RISE AGAIN.

WITH THE SPELLS AND PRAYERS
ON THE WALLS OF THE TOMBS

ACTING LIKE A GUIDEBOOK
FOR THE PHARAOH,

THE ANCIENT ENGRAVERS COULDN'T
MAKE A SINGLE MISTAKE.

Weeks: WHEN YOU LOOK
AT THESE RELIEF CARVINGS,

EVEN SOMETHING
AS STRAIGHTFORWARD

AS COLUMNS OF HIEROGLYPHIC TEXT,

THE FIRST THING I THINK
THAT STRIKES A PERSON

IS THE CARE,

THE ATTENTION TO DETAIL.

THE BIRDS ARE
METICULOUSLY SHOWN.

YOU CAN IDENTIFY SPECIES
OF BIRDS

FROM THE WAY THEY'RE DEPICTED.

THE CARE IS IMPORTANT

BECAUSE THESE TEXTS
ARE IMPORTANT.

Narrator: MOST ROYAL TOMBS ARE

JUST AS EXTENSIVELY DECORATED

WITH INCREDIBLE ATTENTION
TO DETAIL,

BUT SURPRISINGLY,
THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN,

THE MOST FAMOUS TOMB
IN THE VALLEY,

IS FAR LESS IMPRESSIVE.

TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB IS JUST
FOUR SMALL CHAMBERS,

EACH NO MORE THAN 14 FEET WIDE.

AT THE HEART OF THE TOMB

IS A SPARSELY DECORATED
BURIAL ROOM

MODESTLY PAINTED
AND WITH NO CARVINGS.

HIDDEN IN THE WALLS,

MYSTERIOUS NICHES
ONCE HELD SACRED STATUES,

USHABTI TO COME TO LIFE
AS THE PHARAOH'S SERVANT

AND THE JACKAL GOD
OF THE DEAD, ANUBIS.

TUTANKHAMEN'S BURIAL CHAMBER

IS FILLED
WITH MAGICAL DECORATION,

BUT BESIDE IT,

THE REST OF THE TOMB
IS LEFT BARE.

THIS SIMPLE TOMB IS UNLIKE

ANY OTHER ROYAL TOMB
IN THE VALLEY.

Weeks: ALL OF THESE THINGS

CONSPIRE TO MAKE
TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

UNLIKE ANY OTHER
IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS,

AND WE CAN'T BE SURE WHY.

*

Narrator: TODAY,
KENT HAS A RARE OPPORTUNITY

TO STUDY THE RELIGIOUS TEXT

INSIDE TUTANKHAMEN'S
BURIAL CHAMBER

UP CLOSE.

HE SEARCHES FOR CLUES
THAT MIGHT EXPLAIN

WHY THEY'RE NOT AS ELABORATE
AS OTHER PHARAOHS'.

KENT WORKS WITH A TEAM
CAREFULLY CONSERVING

THE DELICATE DECORATION.

LORI WONG HAS FOUND
MYSTERIOUS ANOMALIES

IN THE WAY THE ANCIENT WALLS
HAVE BEEN PAINTED.

Wong: IF WE NOTICE HERE,
THE VERY BASE OF THE WALL,

YOU CAN SEE THAT
THERE'S DRIPS RUNNING DOWN.

THROUGHOUT THIS TOMB,
WE HAVE DRIP MARKS,

SO IT SUGGESTS THIS
VERY FAST FLUID ACTION

IN TERMS OF THE APPLICATION
OF THE PAINTING MATERIALS.

ALSO, WHAT'S REALLY UNUSUAL

IS THAT
IN THIS SMALL BURIAL CHAMBER,

EACH WALL HAS A SLIGHTLY
DIFFERENT PAINTING TECHNIQUE.

IT'S UNUSUAL BECAUSE
ONE WOULD EXPECT,

IN A SMALL CHAMBER,

THAT THE PAINTING TECHNOLOGY
WOULD BE THE SAME

FROM WALL-TO-WALL.

Narrator: KENT HAS FOUND
SOMETHING ELSE STRANGE

ABOUT THE IMAGERY
IN THE CHAMBER.

Weeks: IN OTHER TOMBS,
LONG CORRIDORS WERE FILLED

WITH COLUMN
AFTER COLUMN AFTER COLUMN

OF RELIGIOUS TEXTS.

HERE, WE HAVE JUST A FEW
HIGHLY ABBREVIATED SCENES.

Narrator: KENT HAS
SPOTTED AN ILLUSTRATION

OF THE PHARAOH'S JOURNEY
THROUGH THE UNDERWORLD,

BUT IT'S BEEN
DRAMATICALLY SIMPLIFIED.

Weeks:
WE HAVE 12 BABOONS SHOWN HERE,

EACH IN A RECTANGLE,

EACH OF THE REPRESENTING
ONE OF THE 12 HOURS OF THE NIGHT

THROUGH WHICH
THE DECEASED PHARAOH

HAS TO PASS
TO ACHIEVE IMMORTALITY.

Narrator:
THE KEY SCENES ARE ALL THERE,

BUT THE ARTWORK IS
NOWHERE NEAR AS ELABORATE

AS THE CARVINGS FOUND
IN SETI'S TOMB.

Weeks: THE ABSENCE OF DETAIL
IN THE RELIGIOUS TEXTS

IS UNUSUAL BY ANY STANDARD.

Narrator: KENT BELIEVES
THE DRIP MARKS

AND ABBREVIATED
RELIGIOUS DECORATION

CAN ONLY MEAN ONE THING.

PEOPLE WERE OPERATING
UNDER A TIME CONSTRAINT HERE,

AND THAT ACCOUNTS
FOR A LOT OF THE PAINTING,

THE ABSENCE OF DETAIL

IN THE RELIGIOUS TEXTS
ON THE WALL,

THE HIGHLY ABBREVIATED FORM

OF THE "BOOK OF THE DEAD."

TIME WAS OF THE ESSENCE

FOR WHATEVER REASONS --

POLITICAL, RELIGIOUS,
OR WHAT HAVE YOU.

THEY DID WANT
TO GET IT DONE QUICKLY.

Narrator: SO WHY WERE
THE PAINTERS IN SUCH A RUSH?

TO FIND ANSWERS,
EGYPTOLOGIST BELIEVE

A CLUE LIES IN THE ABNORMAL SIZE

OF TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB.

CAVERNOUS CHAMBERS
AND LONG-SNAKING TUNNELS

ARE THE HALLMARKS OF ALMOST

ALL OF THE TOMBS IN THE VALLEY,

YET THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN IS

THE SMALLEST OF ALL THE KINGS.

WHY?

*

Narrator:
KING TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB --

A MAGICAL MACHINE DESIGNED

TO TRANSPORT TUT
INTO THE AFTERLIFE.

BUT IT'S A DWARF

IN A VALLEY FULL OF GIANTS.

MOST PHARAOHS OF EGYPT
HAS COLOSSAL TOMBS

TO MATCH THEIR POWER AND WEALTH.

ONE EXAMPLE
IS THE GRAND TOMB OF SETI I.

A POLISHED MASTERPIECE,

ITS CHAMBERS ARE
INCREDIBLY PRECISE

WITH PERFECTLY ALIGNED
PILLARED HALLS

AND RAISED RELIEF PAINTINGS
CARVED ONTO THE WALLS.

HIDDEN BENEATH KING SETI'S
BURIAL CHAMBER --

A ROCKY CORRIDOR EXTENDS
OVER 300 FEET DOWN

INTO THE BEDROCK,

AS DEEP AS THE GREAT PYRAMID
IS HIGH.

WITH 17 IMMACULATELY
DECORATED CHAMBERS,

THIS VAST BURIAL
IS SIX TIMES LARGER

THAN THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN.

WHY IS TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB
SO SMALL

WHEN SETI'S COLOSSAL CHAMBERS

ARE SO LARGE?

COULD IT BE THE WORKERS

DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME
TO BUILD SOMETHING BIGGER?

EGYPTOLOGIST CATHARINE ROEHRIG

BELIEVES THE SHORT LIFE
OF TUTANKHAMEN

MIGHT HOLD THE KEY.

Roehrig: HE WAS
ABOUT 18 WHEN HE DIED,

AND I SUSPECT NO ONE EXPECTED
HIM TO DIE AS A TEENAGER.

Narrator: CATHARINE
AND A TEAM OF STONEMASONS

HAVE JOURNEYED INTO THE DESERT

TO CARVE A TOMB INTO THE CLIFFS.

THEY WANT TO DISCOVER WHETHER
TUTANKHAMEN'S SUDDEN DEATH

MEANT THERE WASN'T ENOUGH TIME
TO BUILD A LARGER TOMB.

Roehrig: IT'S ASSUMED THAT
THEY START BUILDING ROYAL TOMBS

WHEN THE PHARAOH
TAKES THE THORN.

WE THINK TUTANKHAMEN
CAME TO POWER

WHEN HE WAS ABOUT 9 YEARS OLD,

AND WE KNOW HE RULED
FOR ABOUT NINE YEARS.

Narrator: TO TEST THE THEORY,

THE TEAM WANTS TO CARVE
A TOMB INTO THE ROCK.

THEY WILL INVESTIGATE HOW FAR
WORK CAN PROGRESS IN A DAY

TO REVEAL HOW BIG
A TOMB COULD BE

AFTER NINE YEARS
OF CONTINUOUS DIGGING.

THEY LINE UP THE ENTRANCE,

THEN BEGIN TO CARVE.

*

THE WORK IS HARD AND SLOW.

Roehrig: THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
COULDN'T HAVE BEEN

MUCH FASTER THAN THIS.

THEY MIGHT HAVE STARTED
WITH BIG STONE HAMMERS.

THEY ALSO,
BY THIS TIME OF TUTANKHAMEN,

HAD BRONZE CHISELS.

Narrator:
CATHARINE ASSESS THE PROGRESS

AFTER A SHIFT OF WORK.

THE WORKMEN HAVE BEEN WORKING

FOR ABOUT THREE HOURS.

THEY'VE MADE A FAIR AMOUNT
OF PROGRESS.

THIS IS ABOUT
WHERE THE CORNER WAS.

YOU CAN SEE THE RED THERE,

AND IN HERE IS, WHAT?

ABOUT 8 INCHES OR SO?

CATHARINE BELIEVES THAT
AT THIS RATE,

KING TUT'S BUILDERS WOULD HAVE
HAD MORE THAN ENOUGH TIME

TO CONSTRUCT A BIGGER TOMB.

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN WORKMEN
PROBABLY WORKED ON THE TOMB

EVERY SINGLE DAY

BECAUSE YOU'D WORK FOR 10 DAYS,

AND THEN ANOTHER CREW
WOULD COME IN.

IT'S NOT LIKE THEY HAD A WEEKEND

WHEN NOBODY DID ANYTHING,

SO SKILLED
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN WORKMEN

ATTACKING A WALL LIKE THIS

COULD HAVE MADE
A GREAT DEAL OF PROGRESS

IN JUST A YEAR.

Narrator: THIS PROGRESS,
SCALED OVER TIME,

WOULD RESULT IN SOMETHING
FAR LARGER THAN TUT'S TOMB

IN JUST A FEW YEARS.

Roehrig: TUTANKHAMEN
REIGNED FOR NINE YEARS,

SO BY RIGHTS,

IF THEY BEGAN THE TOMB
WHEN HE WAS YOUNG,

WHEN HE WAS FIRST ON THE THRONE,

HE COULD HAVE HAD A TOMB
THE SAME SIZE

AS ANY OF HIS PREDECESSORS.

HE SHOULD HAVE HAD A MORE
SPECTACULAR TOMB THAN THAT.

Narrator: IF CONSTRUCTION TIME
ISN'T THE ANSWER,

THEN WHY IS TUT'S TOMB SO SMALL?

IT'S POSSIBLE
THEY HADN'T BEGUN HIS TOMB

BECAUSE HE WAS SO YOUNG.

HE WAS ONLY 9 OR 10
WHEN HE COMES TO THE THRONE,

SO WHY WOULD YOU START A TOMB
FOR SOMEBODY THAT YOUNG?

Narrator: WHEN THE BOY KING
DIED UNEXPECTEDLY,

THE WORKERS MAY HAVE
RUSHED TO CREATE

A MAKESHIFT BURIAL CHAMBER.

ONE THEORY IS,
WHEN TUTANKHAMEN DIED,

HIS TOMB WAS JUST A CORRIDOR.

IT WAS THEN A RACE
AGAINST THE CLOCK TO FINISH IT.

THE CORRIDOR WAS HASTILY
EXTENDED JUST 14 FEET WIDE.

IT WAS THE BARE MINIMUM
TO HOUSE HIS SARCOPHAGUS.

ARTISTS MOVED IN TO PAINT

THE RESURRECTION INSTRUCTIONS.

ONE DREW THE ROUGH
OUTLINES IN RED,

ANOTHER CORRECTED THEM IN BLACK

AND PAINTED THEM WITH COLOR.

WORKERS LOWER TUTANKHAMEN'S
SARCOPHAGUS INTO POSITION

AND THEN SEAL THE TOMB FOREVER.

THE WORKERS HAD
A DEADLINE TO MEET,

ONE THAT COULD NOT BE MISSED.

THEY WOULD HAVE HAD
70 TO 80 DAYS

BETWEEN THE TIME HE DIED

AND THE TIME HIS MUMMIFICATION
WAS FINISHED.

AND WHATEVER THEY WERE DOING...

THEY HAD TO FINISH WHAT
THEY WANTED TO BURY HIM IN

IN THAT AMOUNT OF TIME.

Narrator: WAS THE TINY TOMB
OF TUTANKHAMEN

A POSTPONED RUSH JOB?

IT'S POSSIBLE,

BUT SOME ARCHAEOLOGISTS BELIEVE

THERE'S ANOTHER EXPLANATION.

COULD IT BE
THAT TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

WAS BUILT FOR SOMEONE ELSE?

Narrator:
THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS --

THIS ROCKY LANDSCAPE WAS

THE BURIAL PLACE
OF EGYPTIAN PHARAOHS

FOR OVER 500 YEARS,

BUT ENTRANCE
TO THIS VAST GRAVEYARD

WASN'T ONLY RESERVED FOR KINGS.

NON-ROYALS, PRIESTS,
EVEN PETS WERE BURIED HERE,

TOO, IN SMALLER, SIMPLER TOMBS.

COULD TUTANKHAMEN HAVE
ACTUALLY BEEN BURIED IN ONE

OF THESE SO-CALLED
PRIVATE TOMBS,

AND IF HE WAS, WHY?

TODAY, ARCHAEOLOGIST DONALD RYAN

IS DIGGING IN
THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS

TO FIND ANSWERS.

HE THINKS THAT
TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

LOOKS SUSPICIOUSLY LIKE
THE PRIVATE TOMBS

THAT HE HAS RECENTLY UNEARTHED.

SO FAR, THESE INAUSPICIOUS TOMBS

HAVE REVEALED SOME
STRIKING SECRETS.

ONE TOMB,
JUST A SHAFT AND A CHAMBER,

WE HAVE 13 SETS OF HUMAN
REMAINS IN IT.

ANOTHER ONE,
WE FOUND MUMMIES OF ANIMALS

INCLUDING A DOG,
MONKEYS, BABOONS.

EVERY ONE OF THEM IS DIFFERENT.

EVERY ONE IS INTERESTING.

Narrator: BUT DON BELIEVES
THERE ARE STRIKING SIMILARITIES

BETWEEN THE SMALL SCALE
OF TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

AND THESE SIMPLER
PRIVATE TOMBS.

THERE ARE SEVERAL
DIFFERENT PLANS FOR THEM,

THE SIMPLEST BEING A SHAFT

THAT LEADS TO A SINGLE ROOM.

THERE ARE OTHERS
A LITTLE MORE ELABORATE

WITH ROOMS OFF TO THE SIDE
AND STAIRS.

SOME OF THE LARGER ONES MIGHT
HAVE A PILLAR ON THE INSIDE.

Narrator: BUT TUT'S TOMB
HAS ONE GIANT DIFFERENCE --

HIS HUGE ELABORATE SARCOPHAGUS.

INSIDE THE TOMB STANDS

THE RARE QUARTZITE SARCOPHAGUS
OF TUTANKHAMEN.

WITHIN IT LIES THE 7-FOOT COFFIN

WEIGHING OVER A TON

AND GILDED WITH GOLD LEAF.

BUT NESTED INSIDE
TWO RUSSIAN DOLL LAYERS...

...IS A COFFIN OF SOLID GOLD,

DECORATED WITH GEMS.

FINALLY, AT ITS CORE --

THE MUMMY OF THE BOY KING,

WEARING A GOLDEN DEATH MASK

FOR RECOGNITION
IN THE AFTERLIFE.

THIS ROYAL ENTOMBMENT...

...PROTECTED THE BOY KING'S BODY
FOR MILLENNIA.

DON EXPLORES INSIDE
AN UNDECORATED PRIVATE TOMB.

HE'S NEVER FOUND
A LARGE STONE SARCOPHAGUS

IN ONE OF THESE TOMBS.

Ryan: THE TOMBS OF RULERS
HAVE GREAT SARCOPHAGUS,

BUT THESE SMALLER TOMBS,

THE COFFINS CAN BE VERY,
VERY NICE,

BUT THEY'RE NOT
IN LARGE STONE BOXES

WITH HEAVY STONE LIDS ON THEM.

Narrator: DON IS CONVINCED
THAT A SMALL PRIVATE TOMB,

JUST LIKE THIS ONE,

WAS HIJACKED TO HOUSE
THE SARCOPHAGUS OF TUTANKHAMEN.

THE TOMB ITSELF WAS PROBABLY
NOT INTENDED FOR HIM.

Narrator:
INSIDE THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN,

ARCHAEOLOGISTS FIND
ANOTHER CLUE.

THEY BELIEVE THAT
THIS CHUNK OF ROCK,

CUT FROM ONE OF THE WALLS,

IS EVIDENCE
OF A STRING OF BLUNDERS

CAUSED BY CONDUCTING
A ROYAL BURIAL

IN A TINY TOMB.

GIANT GILDED PANELS NEEDED
TO BE LOWERED INTO THE TOMB

TO FORM A SHRINE,

BUT ARCHAEOLOGISTS SUSPECT
THEY WERE TOO BIG,

AND WORKERS HAD TO CUT CHUNKS

OUT OF THE WALL
TO SQUEEZE THEM IN.

THERE IS ALSO EVIDENCE
THE SARCOPHAGUS LID CRACKED

RIGHT DOWN THE MIDDLE

AND WORKERS HAD
TO FILL THE CRACK

WITH GYPSUM PLASTER
AND PAINT OVER THE DAMAGE.

THEN, WHEN THE WOODEN COFFIN
WAS LAID INSIDE,

IT APPEARS THE LID
WOULDN'T CLOSE,

AS WORKERS HAD
TO CHOP OFF THE TOES

TO SEAL THE MUMMY INSIDE,

AND FINALLY,
WHEN THE TIGHT-FITTING

FLAT PACK PANELS
WERE PLACED AROUND THE BODY,

THEY WOULD ONLY HAVE LEFT
A FEW INCHES TO SPARE

FOR THE WORKERS TO BACK OUT.

Ryan: MANY PEOPLE BELIEVE THAT
THERE'S ANOTHER TOMB

THAT WAS PROBABLY
BEING PREPARED FOR HIM,

BUT IT WASN'T READY.
IT WASN'T FINISHED,

BUT HERE WAS A TOMB
THAT COULD BE PUT TO USE

FOR THE UNEXPECTED BURIAL
OF TUTANKHAMEN.

Narrator: IF TUT'S TOMB
WASN'T BUILT FOR HIM,

WHO WAS IT BUILT FOR?

IT FITS THE PROFILE

OF A HIGH-STATUS
PRIVATE INDIVIDUAL

THAT IS SOMEONE OTHER
THAN THE RULER,

MAYBE IT'S A QUEEN.

MAYBE IT'S A PRINCE, PRINCESS,

SOMEONE OBVIOUSLY VERY SPECIAL

BUT NOT THE RULER.

Narrator: WHOEVER
THE INTENDED OCCUPANT,

THE TOMB TRANSFORMED
THE FATE OF TUTANKHAMEN.

THAT'S BECAUSE SOMETHING ELSE
MADE TUT'S TOMB UNIQUE.

IT WAS FOUND
IN NEAR-PERFECT CONDITION.

Ryan: ALMOST EVERY ONE
OF THESE TOMBS,

WITH A COUPLE
OF NOTABLE EXCEPTIONS,

WAS ROBBED IN ANCIENT TIMES,

BUT THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN,

IT WAS FOUND VIRTUALLY INTACT.

ANCIENT LOOTERS STRIPPED
MOST OF THESE TOMBS

BARE LONG BEFORE THEY WERE
UNCOVERED BY ARCHAEOLOGISTS.

HOW DID TUT'S TOMB ELUDE ROBBERS

FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS?

*

TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB --

A SMALL AND MAKESHIFT

BURIAL BUILT FOR A NOBLEMAN,

NOT A KING,

YET, IT REMAINED
HIDDEN FOR MILLENNIA.

THE TOMB PROTECTED
THE BODY OF TUTANKHAMEN

FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS.

IT EVEN MANAGED TO DEFEND
HIS GOLDEN TREASURES

FROM THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS'
BIGGEST THREAT --

GRAVE ROBBERS.

ARCHAEOLOGIST ESSAM SHIHAB
UNDERSTANDS THE THREAT

POSED BY THIEVES
BETTER THAN MOST.

ESSAM HAS EXPLORED
MANY TOMBS IN THE REGION,

BUT THE MUMMIES HE RECOVERS
ARE ALWAYS BADLY DAMAGED

AND THEIR TREASURES STOLEN.

THE EGYPTIANS WENT
TO GREAT LENGTHS

TO PROTECT THE TOMBS
OF THEIR RULERS.

THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN
WAS NO DIFFERENT.

A FALSE WALL BLOCKED OFF
THE BURIAL CHAMBER,

AND A PLASTERED DOORWAY
SEALED THE TOMB ENTRANCE.

IN FRONT OF IT, 40 TONS
OF RUBBLE PACKED THE CORRIDOR

FROM FLOOR TO CEILING
CREATING A SOLID

25-FOOT BARRICADE.

A THIRD DOORWAY PLUGGED
THE ENTRANCE SECURELY SHUT,

STAMPED WITH THE PHARAOH'S SEAL.

THESE THREE SOLID LAYERS
OF PROTECTION

WERE THEN BURIED
BENEATH CHIPPINGS

TO CAMOUFLAGE THE TOMB
IN BARREN VALLEY LANDSCAPE.

WERE THESE DEFENSES THE REASON

THAT TUTANKHAMEN
WAS LEFT INTACT?

ESSAM ISN'T SO SURE.

TODAY, HE'S INVESTIGATING
OTHER TOMBS

FROM THE ERA OF TUTANKHAMEN

IN THE NEARBY
VALLEY OF THE NOBLES.

MOST OF THESE TOMBS
HAD SIMILAR DEFENSES

TO TUT'S CHAMBER,

BUT ALL SUFFERED
MULTIPLE BREAK-INS.

ESSAM WANTS TO INVESTIGATE

WHY THE LAYERS
OF SECURITY FAILED

TO PROTECT THIS TOMB.

HE ALREADY KNOWS
THE MOST COMMON WAYS

THIEVES USED TO BREAK IN.

THROUGHOUT THE VALLEY,

THE NECROPOLIS POLICE
STOOD GUARD,

BUT AT NIGHT,
VISIBILITY WAS POOR,

AND THE TOMBS WERE VULNERABLE.

ROBBERS OFTEN BRIBED THE GUARDS

TO TELL THEM
WHERE TO FIND THE ENTRANCES.

THEY COULD THEN TUNNEL
THROUGH THE RUBBLE

AND BREAK THE PLASTERED DOORWAYS

TO GET INTO THE TOMB.

LATER TOMBS FEATURED
50-FOOT-DEEP PITS,

BUT THE ROBBERS
SMASHED THE FALSE WALLS

AND CLIMBED THROUGH WITH ROPES.

THEY ROBBED ALL THE TREASURES
THEY COULD CARRY,

THEN SET FIRE TO THE TOMB

USING THE INFERNO TO EXTRACT
THE VALUABLE GOLD LEAF,

BUT AT THE TOMB ESSAM
IS EXPLORING,

THINGS WERE A LITTLE DIFFERENT.

HERE, THE MAIN ENTRANCE
REMAINED SEALED,

YET THIEVES MANAGED TO STEAL

ALL THE TREASURES HIDDEN INSIDE.

ESSAM IS SEARCHING FOR CLUES

AS TO HOW THE ROBBERS BROKE IN.

EVEN IF THEY COULDN'T
FIND THE ENTRANCE,

THE TOMB RAIDERS KNEW

THEY COULD JUST DIG DOWN
INTO THE EARTH

AND HOPE TO STRIKE IT RICH.

ESSAM HEAD INSIDE
AND FINDS ANOTHER CLUE.

ONCE THEY'D FOUND THE TOMB,

THIEVES SMASHED
THROUGH THE WALLS

TO FIND EVERY PIECE
OF HIDDEN TREASURE.

IT SEEMS THAT GRAVE ROBBERS

WERE SO GREEDY AND DESPERATE
TO GET INSIDE,

NO DEFENSES COULD
HOLD THEM BACK.

IT WAS EVEN COMMON
FOR TOMB RAIDERS

TO SMASH UP MUMMIES IN THE HOPE
OF FINDING VALUABLE JEWELRY.

BROKEN LIMBS, FRACTURED SKULLS,

AND FIRE DAMAGE SHOW HOW FAR

LOOTERS WENT
IN THEIR PURSUIT OF TREASURE.

WHATEVER THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
DID TO PROTECT THEIR TOMBS,

THIEVES WOULD FIND A WAY IN.

SO HOW DID TUTANKHAMEN MANAGE

TO AVOID SUCH BRUTAL TREATMENT

WITH IDENTICAL DEFENSES?

IF THE SEALED DOORS

AND HIDDEN ENTRANCE
OF TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

DIDN'T KEEP ROBBERS AWAY...

WHAT DID?

NOW NEW DISCOVERIES SUGGEST

THAT A TERRIFYING
FORCE OF NATURE

MAY HAVE PROVIDED
THE GREATEST DEFENSE OF ALL.

Narrator: THE TOMBS
OF THE ANCIENT PHARAOHS

ONCE HELD FORTUNES IN GOLD,

BUT THESE RICHES
DIDN'T LAST FOR LONG.

TOMB RAIDERS SMASHED THEIR WAY

INTO NEARLY EVERY CHAMBER
IN THE VALLEY,

STRIPPING THEM BARE,

WITH ONE NOTABLE EXCEPTION.

Weeks: THERE ARE 62 TOMBS
IN THE EAST VALLEY OF THE KINGS.

TUTANKHAMEN'S IS CERTAINLY
THE MOST FAMOUS OF THE BUNCH.

IT WAS ONE
OF THE VERY FEW TOMBS,

NOT JUST IN THE VALLEY
BUT ANYWHERE IN EGYPT,

THAT WAS INTACT
WHEN IT WAS FOUND.

Narrator:
EGYPTOLOGIST KENT WEEKS

IS ON THE HUNT FOR CLUES

AS TO WHY TUT'S TOMB
REMAINED INTACT.

HE SPOTTED SOMETHING INTERESTING
IN PHOTOGRAPHS TAKEN

WHEN THE TOMB WAS
FIRST DISCOVERED

BY ARCHAEOLOGIST HOWARD CARTER.

CARTER HAD WORKED FOR MANY YEARS

IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS
BEFORE BECOMING,

I WOULD SAY, ALMOST FIXATED,

ON THE POSSIBILITY
OF THERE BEING A TOMB

BELONGING TO TUTANKHAMEN,

WHO AT THAT TIME,
WAS LARGELY UNKNOWN,

EVEN TO EGYPTOLOGISTS.

Narrator: WHEN CARTER'S MEN
UNEARTHED THE TOMB,

THEY FOUND IT CRAMMED
WITH EARTHLY TREASURE

AND ITEMS THE KING WOULD NEED
IN THE AFTERLIFE.

SIX DISMANTLED CHARIOTS,

HIS CHILDHOOD THRONE

AND PROVISIONS OF FOOD AND WINE.

TWO STATUES OF THE BOY KING

STOOD GUARD
BY HIS BURIAL CHAMBER.

BEYOND THE FALSE WALL...

A MASSIVE SHRINE FILLED THE ROOM

FROM WALL-TO-WALL
WITH THE GLIMMER OF GOLD.

HIDDEN IN THE TREASURY,

THE KING'S INTERNAL ORGANS

LAY MUMMIFIED
IN A GOLDEN SHRINE.

THIS TROVE OF GRAVE GOODS
WAS LEFT UNTOUCHED

FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS,

ONE OF THE FEW TOMBS
IN THE VALLEY TO SURVIVE.

KENT BELIEVES THAT
PHOTOS OF CARTER'S EXCAVATION

HOLD A CLUE TO HOW TUTANKHAMEN'S
TREASURE WAS KEPT SAFE.

Weeks: THIS IS A PHOTOGRAPH
OF CARTER'S WORKMEN.

IT WAS HERE, EVENTUALLY,

THEY WOULD UNCOVER THE TOMB
OF TUTANKHAMEN.

IT WAS IN AN AREA WHERE NOBODY
HAD EXPECTED ANYTHING,

BUT THAT'S BECAUSE
SO MUCH MATERIAL

HAD OBSCURED THE ENTRANCE
TO WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE

THE MOST EXCITING DISCOVERY
IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS.

LOOK AT THE SIZE
OF THESE BOULDERS,

THE SIZE OF BASKETBALLS,

SOME OF THEM WEIGHING
50 TO 60 KILOS EACH.

Narrator: KENT BELIEVES
THESE BOULDERS WEREN'T

PUT THERE BY THE EGYPTIANS.

TODAY, HE'S LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE
OF A NATURAL EVENT

THAT MAY HAVE BURIED TUT'S TOMB

MUCH DEEPER THAN ITS NEIGHBORS.

KENT THINKS A CLUE LIES
IN THE GRAFFITI

ON THIS TOWERING CLIFF FACE.

Weeks: WE KNOW
OF ABOUT 2,000 GRAFFITI HERE

ON THE HILLSIDE
IN THE VALLEY OF THE KINGS,

AND THEY RECORD LITTLE
BITS OF EVERYTHING,

AND THESE ARE BRIEF GLIMPSES

OF WHAT LIFE
MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIKE

BACK IN ANCIENT DAYS.

Narrator: KENT SCOURS THE CLIFF
FOR THE FAINT INSCRIPTION.

MY GOD, IT'S DIFFICULT.

YEAH, THIS IS IT.

JUST...
IT LOOKS LIKE NOTHING,

BUT IT IS, IN FACT,
A PROPER INSCRIPTION.

THIS IS THE RECORD OF A SCRIBE

WHO BROUGHT THREE
OF HIS SONS HERE

TO OBSERVE THE RESULTS
OF A FLASH FLOOD.

Narrator: KENT BELIEVES
THAT A BIG FLOOD

WOULD HAVE DRAGGED
TONS OF BOULDERS

ALONG FOR THE RIDE.

Weeks: PRESUMABLY, THE WATERS
WASHED OFF THIS CLIFF,

BRINGING WITH IT,
TONS OF FLOOD DEBRIS,

SAND, GRAVEL, LIMESTONE BLOCKS,

SOME OF WHICH YOU CAN SEE
DOWN HERE,

WEIGHING A 100 KILOS OR MORE

AND DEPOSITING A VAST AMOUNT
OF WATER RIGHT HERE.

AN UNUSUAL ENOUGH EVENT

THAT HE WANTED
TO BRING HIS CHILDREN

TO COME AND SEE IT.

Narrator: KENT THINKS
THAT A DESERT STORM

MAY HAVE TRIGGERED
A FLASH FLOOD,

CASCADING WATER INTO THE VALLEY

AND OVER TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB.

THE RIVER DUMPED LAYERS OF ROCKS

AND SEDIMENT OVER
THE CLOSED ENTRANCE.

WHEN THE HOT EGYPTIAN SUN
BAKED THE MUD,

IT SET LIKE CONCRETE,
SEALING THE TOMB BENEATH.

YEARS LATER, TOMB BUILDERS

UNWITTINGLY COVERED THE AREA

WITH STONE CHIPPINGS

AND BUILD WORK HUTS ON TOP.

OVER 3,000 YEARS,
MORE EARTH PILED OVER,

MAKING TUTANKHAMEN'S TOMB

THE SAFEST IN EGYPT'S HISTORY.

KENT IS CURIOUS TO DISCOVER

WHAT EFFECT A FLASH FLOOD
MAY HAVE HAD.

Weeks: WE'VE BEEN TRYING
TO FIGURE OUT THE FLOOD PATTERNS

THAT OCCURRED IN DYNASTIC TIMES,

WHERE THE WATER WOULD GO,

HOW MUCH OF IT
IS LIKELY TO HIT

IN THE AREA OF TUTANKHAMEN,

BURYING THE ENTRANCE
OF THAT TOMB

AND CONCEALING IT.

Narrator: HE MAPS THE VALLEY

TO FIGURE OUT
WHERE WATER WOULD FLOW.

Weeks: RIGHT IN THE HEART
OF THE VALLEY IS KV-62,

THE TOMB OF TUTANKHAMEN.

IT'S LOCATED
IN A VERY CENTRAL POSITION.

IF THERE IS RAINFALL
ALMOST ANYWHERE,

THAT WATER IS GOING TO WASH DOWN

INTO THE VALLEY
AT CONSIDERABLE SPEED

AND BURYING
A LOT OF FLOOD DEBRIS

RIGHT INTO THE ENTRANCE
OF THE TOMB.

Narrator: BURIED BENEATH
SO MUCH RUBBLE,

TUT'S TOMB WOULD HAVE BEEN
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND.

Weeks: WHEN HOWARD CARTER
CAME ALONG

TO EXCAVATE THAT AREA,

HE SAW THE WORKMEN'S HUTS,

HE SAW FLOOD DEBRIS BELOW IT

AND DECIDED, INITIALLY,
"THERE'S PROBABLY NOTHING HERE,"

BUT HE PERSISTED
IN HIS EXCAVATIONS.

HE DUG THROUGH
A WORKMEN'S VILLAGE,

THROUGH FLOOD DEBRIS,

UNTIL FINALLY,
HE DISCOVERED THE TOMB

HE REALLY HAD BEEN
LOOKING FOR ALL ALONG.

Narrator: TUTANKHAMEN'S TREASURE
WAS PROTECTED BY A FLOOD,

BUT THAT STROKE OF LUCK

STILL DOESN'T ANSWER
ALL THE QUESTIONS.

IF EGYPTIANS KNEW THERE WAS
A PHARAOH'S FORTUNE HIDDEN

IN THE FLOOD-DAMAGED VALLEY,

WHY DIDN'T THE ANCIENT THIEVES
GO LOOKING FOR IT,

JUST LIKE CARTER DID
IN THE '20s?

TODAY,
NEW RESEARCH IS UNRAVELING

A SORDID TALE OF HIGH POLITICS

AND INTRIGUE

THAT COULD HAVE SAFEGUARDED
THE BOY KING'S TOMB

BY ERASING HIM FROM HISTORY.

*

Narrator: THE TOMB
OF KING TUTANKHAMEN --

A FLASH FLOOD CONCEALED

AN UNPRECEDENTED HOARD

OF EGYPTIAN TREASURE
THAT MADE TUT WORLD FAMOUS,

BUT A FLOOD MIGHT NOT HAVE
BEEN THE ONLY REASON

THAT THE TOMB LAID UNTOUCHED
FOR OVER 3,000 YEARS.

TODAY, KENT WEEKS
IS CROSSING THE NILE

TO FIND CLUES
FOR ANOTHER POSSIBILITY

THAT PERHAPS NOBODY
KNEW THE TOMB EXISTED.

HE BELIEVES THE NAME TUTANKHAMEN

COULD HAVE BEEN DELIBERATELY
SCRUBBED FROM ANCIENT RECORDS.

NOBODY HAD BEEN LOOKING
FOR THE TOMB OF THIS PERSON.

HIS NAME PROBABLY
DIDN'T EVEN REGISTER

ON THE LIST OF PHARAOHS

THAT EARLIER EXCAVATORS
WERE LOOKING FOR.

BY MOST CRITERION,
TUTANKHAMEN WOULD BE

AN UNREMARKABLE,

UNIMPORTANT,
ALMOST UNKNOWN PHARAOH.

Narrator: KENT WANTS
TO INVESTIGATE INSCRIPTIONS

IN THE VAST TEMPLE COMPLEX
AT LUXOR.

ANCIENT LUXOR WAS THE RELIGIOUS

AND POLITICAL CENTER
OF THE EGYPTIAN EMPIRE

FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS.

THE ART ON THE WALLS

REPRESENTS EGYPT'S
GREATEST RULERS.

TUTANKHAMEN'S NAME SHOULD
BE EVERYWHERE,

BUT IT'S NOT,

AND KENT BELIEVES
TUTANKHAMEN'S FATHER,

AKHENATEN, IS TO BLAME.

Weeks: AKHENATEN'S MAJOR CHANGES
WERE CLOSING THE TEMPLES

OF VIRTUALLY
ALL EGYPTIAN DEITIES.

THE TEMPLES PLAYED
A VERY ACTIVE ROLE

IN THE ECONOMY OF EGYPT

AND SO BY CLOSING THE TEMPLES,

HE WAS, IN EFFECT,

GUTTING THE WHOLE FOUNDATION

OF THE EGYPTIAN
ECONOMIC STRUCTURE,

SO THIS AFFECTED ALMOST
ALL ASPECTS OF EGYPTIAN SOCIETY.

IT ALSO PRESUMABLY PUT A LOT
OF PEOPLE OUT OF WORK.

IT WAS A TRAUMATIC TIME.

Narrator: KENT BELIEVES
AKHENATEN WAS SO UNPOPULAR

THAT HIS SON, TUTANKHAMEN,

WAS TARRED WITH THE SAME BRUSH

AND HIS NAME WIPED
FROM THE TEMPLE.

KENT FINDS EVIDENCE IN A CARVING

OF A FRESH-FACED YOUNG PHARAOH.

Weeks: THIS IS THE BEGINNING
OF THE PROCESSION,

UP AT THE TOP,
REPRESENTATION OF THE KING.

Narrator:
HE BELIEVES THIS FIGURE

CAN ONLY BE KING TUT,

BUT SURPRISINGLY,
THE HIEROGLYPHS NEXT

TO THE PICTURE
READ A DIFFERENT NAME.

Weeks: HERE HIS NAME,
TUTANKHAMEN,

HAS BEEN ERASED AND REPLACED
BY HIS SUCCESSOR.

THE NAME IS NOW HOREMHEB.

Narrator: THE CARVING
ON THE RIGHT APPEARS

TO BE DEEPER
THAN THOSE AROUND IT.

KENT SEES THIS AS EVIDENCE

THAT THE ORIGINAL NAME
WAS CHISELED OUT,

AND HOREMHEB'S NAME
WAS CARVED IN THE SPACE.

ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS
THAT HOREMHEB DID

WHEN HE TOOK OVER THE THRONE
FROM YOUNG TUTANKHAMEN

WAS TO TRY TO EXPUNGE
FROM THE RECORD

ANY EVIDENCE OF THIS
HERETICAL PERIOD.

AKHENATEN AND TUTANKHAMEN
WERE SO DISLIKED

THAT HOREMHEB TRIED TO REMOVE
ALL TRACE OF THEM.

LATER RULERS,
INCLUDING RAMESSES II,

WENT AFTER THIS KIND
OF WORK BIG TIME,

ERASING THE NAME
OF AKHENATEN AND TUTANKHAMEN

WHENEVER HE FOUND IT.

Narrator: TUTANKHAMEN WAS
SCRUBBED FROM THE HISTORY BOOKS,

SO UNTIL HOWARD CARTER
CAME ALONG,

NOBODY THOUGHT TO LOOK
FOR THE FORGOTTEN

TOMB OF THE FORGOTTEN PHARAOH.

Weeks: IT'S IRONIC IN A WAY
THAT THIS YOUNG BOY KING

WHO DIDN'T HAVE ANY AUTHORITY,

WHO PROBABLY WAS SITTING AT HOME
PLAYING WITH HIS TOYS,

BECAME ONE OF THE MOST POWERFUL
SYMBOLS OF ANCIENT EGYPT.

Narrator: BECAUSE HIS TOMB
SURVIVED INTACT,

TUTANKHAMEN WAS RISEN
FROM MINOR PHARAOH

TO THE MOST THE MOST
FAMOUS OF THEM ALL.

ON TOMB INSCRIPTIONS
FROM THE OLD KINGDOM ONWARD,

THERE ARE OFTEN TEXTS THAT SAY,
"O, YE TRAVEL,

IF YOU PASS BY THIS TOMB
AND SPEAK MY NAME,

I WILL RICHLY REWARD YOU."
WHY?

BECAUSE YOU COULD ENSURE

THE ETERNAL LIFE
OF AN INDIVIDUAL

SIMPLY BY REPEATING HIS NAME

AND WHO OF ALL
THE PHARAOHS IN EGYPT,

HAS HIS NAME REPEATED MORE OFTEN

EVERYDAY BY MILLIONS OF PEOPLE

AROUND THE WORLD
THAN TUTANKHAMEN?

TUTANKHAMEN, TUTANKHAMEN.

HE, ABOVE ALL OTHER PHARAOHS,

I THINK,
IS GUARANTEED ETERNAL LIFE.

Narrator:
WHEN THE BOY KING DIED,

HIS MUMMY WAS RUSHED INTO A TOMB

NEVER MEANT FOR A PHARAOH.

THIS RUSHED JOB, A FLASH FLOOD

AND A FINAL ACT
OF TREACHERY TRANSFORMED

A MINOR KING FROM OBSCURITY

INTO A MODERN-DAY LEGEND.

FOR 3,000 YEARS,

HIS MUMMY LAY UNDISTURBED

INSIDE HIS GOLDEN COFFIN,

SURROUNDED BY HOARDS

OF SHIMMERING TREASURES.

HE ALONE HAS STEPPED
OVER HIS GREATEST RIVALS

TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL

OF ALL PHARAOHS --

IMMORTALITY.

*