All language subtitles for Unearthed.(2016).S03E03.Forbidden.City.of.the.Pharaohs.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DD+2.0.H.264-Cinefeel_track3_[eng]

Narrator: THEBES --
THE HEART OF ANCIENT EGYPT.

3,400 YEARS AGO, THIS WAS THE
LARGEST CITY IN THE WORLD.

FOR THE PHARAOHS, NOWHERE
WAS MORE IMPORTANT.

Harvey: IT'S THE CENTER OF
THE EGYPTIAN RELIGION.

IT'S THE MOST HOLY PLACE.

Narrator: WHAT SECRETS DOES THIS
ANCIENT CITY CONCEAL?

CAN THEBES EXPLAIN THE RISE
AND FALL OF THE PHARAOHS?

NOW, NEW TECHNOLOGY...

THERE.

...AND GROUNDBREAKING
INVESTIGATIONS...

[ SPEAKING FRENCH ]
C'EST TRES BIEN.

...MAY FINALLY SOLVE THE MYSTERY

BEHIND THE SPECTACULAR GROWTH
OF THIS ANCIENT METROPOLIS.

TO UNEARTH THEBES'
DEEPEST SECRETS

WE'LL EXPLORE ITS EXTRAORDINARY
STRUCTURES BLOCK BY BLOCK.

WE'LL DIVE INSIDE
ITS MASSIVE TEMPLES

AND UNCOVER ITS HIDDEN STATUES

TO REVEAL HOW IT SHAPED
THE DESTINY OF AN EMPIRE.

WAS THIS MIGHTY CITY BOTH THE
SOURCE OF THE PHARAOH'S POWER

AND THE CAUSE OF THEIR DOWNFALL?

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

CAPTIONS PAID FOR BY
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS

NORTHERN EGYPT --

FOR OVER 1,000 YEARS,

THIS WAS THE POWER
BASE OF THE PHARAOHS.

HERE THEY LIVED AND DIED IN THE
SHADOW OF THE GREAT PYRAMIDS.

BUT AROUND 1500 B.C., THE
PHARAOHS SET UP A NEW CAPITAL,

300 MILES SOUTH OF THE
PYRAMIDS...

AT THEBES,

NOW THE MODERN CITY OF LUXOR.

WHAT EXPLAINS THIS
DRAMATIC SHIFT OF POWER?

AND WHY WAS THEBES SO
IMPORTANT TO THE PHARAOHS?

TODAY, ARCHEOLOGISTS USE
THE LATEST TECHNOLOGY

TO PROBE THE INNER SECRETS
OF THIS ANCIENT CITY.

AT THE CENTER OF THEBES,

THEY'RE INVESTIGATING
ANCIENT EGYPT'S

MOST INTRIGUING STRUCTURE --

THE VAST TEMPLE
COMPLEX OF KARNAK.

Narrator:
THIS PLACE WAS BIGGER, HOLIER,

AND MORE IMPORTANT
TO THE GREAT PHARAOHS

THAN ANY OTHER SITE
ALONG THE NILE.

CAN THIS MIGHTY TEMPLE
AND THE RUINS AROUND IT

EXPLAIN THE EXTRAORDINARY
RISE OF THEBES?

IN ITS PRIME, KARNAK WAS A
MARVEL OF THE ANCIENT WORLD.

MOST AWE-INSPIRING WAS
THE GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL.

BEYOND THIS SOARED
EXTRAORDINARY TOWERING OBELISKS,

BUILT OUT OF SINGLE
BLOCKS OF GRANITE.

ONLY PRIESTS AND
PHARAOHS COULD PASS

DEEPER INTO THE TEMPLE COMPLEX
TO THE SACRED INNER SANCTUM

CONTAINING THE STATUE
OF THE TEMPLE'S GOD.

WHY DID THIS SACRED COMPLEX
AND THE CITY SURROUNDING IT

REPLACE THE REGION
OF THE PYRAMIDS?

AMERICAN ARCHEOLOGIST
STEPHEN HARVEY WANTS TO KNOW

WHAT MADE THE PHARAOHS
MOVE THEIR RELIGIOUS CENTER

AND CAPITAL TO THEBES.

HE BELIEVES THE KEY
TO SOLVING THE MYSTERY

IS TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED
IN ITS GREAT TEMPLE COMPLEX.

Harvey: INITIALLY KARNAK WAS
NOT LARGE AT ALL,

REALLY JUST THE AREA
WE'RE STANDING IN

WITH THESE COLUMNS AND LOW
WALLS THAT ARE PRESERVED,

WAS ALL THAT EXISTED.

Narrator: AT THAT TIME, KARNAK
WAS A REGIONAL TEMPLE

DEDICATED TO A GOD CALLED AMUN.

Harvey:
AMUN, WHO'S THE LOCAL GOD OF
THEBES

AND AS A RESULT, AMUN'S TEMPLE,
AS KARNAK WAS AT THAT TIME,

WAS REALLY NOT IMPRESSIVE
TO ANY VISITOR.

IT WOULD HAVE BEEN A VERY
MINOR KIND OF AFFAIR.

Narrator: BUT AT SOME POINT,
THIS ORDINARY TEMPLE

EXPERIENCED A REMARKABLE
TRANSFORMATION.

FROM THE REMAINS STILL VISIBLE,

IT'S CLEAR THAT KARNAK
BECAME VITAL TO THE PHARAOHS.

NOWHERE IN THE ANCIENT WORLD
WERE SO MANY MONUMENTS,

TEMPLES, AND STATUES
BUILT IN ONE PLACE.

COVERING AN AREA OF OVER
8 MILLION-SQUARE FEET,

THIS WAS THE LARGEST RELIGIOUS
SITE THE WORLD HAD EVER SEEN.

WHAT MOMENTOUS EVENT
MOTIVATED THE PHARAOHS

TO BUILD THIS EXTRAORDINARY
TEMPLE COMPLEX

RIGHT IN THE HEART OF THEBES?

♪♪

♪♪

TO FIND ANSWERS, STEPHEN
TRAVELS 40 MILES SOUTH

TO A COLLECTION OF ANCIENT
TOMBS IN THE DESERT AT EL QAB.

♪♪

IN ONE TOMB HE FINDS
A SHOCKING ACCOUNT

OF EVENTS THAT COULD EXPLAIN

WHY THEBES SUDDENLY
BECAME SO SIGNIFICANT.

Harvey: THIS TOMB IS OF A
MAN FROM THIS AREA

WHO ROSE TO GREAT IMPORTANCE.

HIS NAME IS AHMOSE AND HE
TELLS US ABOUT WHAT HE DID.

AND WHAT HE DID WAS FIGHT
VALIANTLY AGAINST THE ENEMIES.

Narrator:
AHMOSE TOOK PART IN A BATTLE

AGAINST A FOREIGN PEOPLE WHO
HAD OCCUPIED NORTHERN EGYPT.

HERE HE'S TALKING
ABOUT TAKING PRISONERS

AND SAYING THAT
HE TOOK A HAND,

WHICH MEANS THAT
HE CUT OFF THE HAND

OF ONE OF THESE CAPTIVES

AND TOOK IT AS A
TROPHY FOR THE KING.

Narrator:
STEPHEN THINKS THIS BATTLE

WAS PART OF A CHAIN OF EVENTS
THAT LEAD TO THE RISE OF THEBES.

AROUND 100 YEARS BEFORE THE
PHARAOHS EXPANDED THIS CITY,

A FOREIGN PEOPLE
CALLED THE HYKSOS

INVADED AND OCCUPIED
NORTHERN EGYPT.

THEY BROUGHT NEW
WEAPONS WITH THEM,

CHARIOTS, AND COMPOSITE BOWS.

TO FIGHT BACK, THE EGYPTIANS

HAD TO MAKE THEIR
WEAPONS EVEN BETTER.

THE PHARAOH'S ARMY QUICKLY
DEVELOPED ITS OWN CHARIOTS

BUT TO MAKE THESE
REALLY EFFECTIVE,

IT NEEDED A BETTER WEAPON

THAN THE LONGBOWS
IT HAD BEEN USING.

♪♪

MIKE LOADES IS A SPECIALIST
IN ANCIENT WARFARE.

HE'S COMMISSIONED A REPLICA
OF THE EGYPTIAN CHARIOT

TO FIND OUT HOW THE
PHARAOH'S ARMY FOUGHT BACK

AGAINST THE HYKSOS.

THE TYPE OF BOWS THAT THE
EGYPTIANS HAD BEEN USING

WERE LONGBOWS, AND THAT
IS DIFFICULT TO MANAGE

IN THIS CONFINED SPACE.

YOU CAN SEE IT STARTS TO BANG

AND GET IN THE
WAY OF THE WHEELS.

WHAT YOU NEEDED WAS
A MUCH SHORTER BOW.

AS YOU CAN SEE, I'VE
GOT MUCH MORE ABILITY

TO MOVE AROUND WITH IT,

AND I CAN SHOOT OVER THERE,
I CAN SHOOT IN THIS CORNER,

YOU SEE IT CLEARS THE WHEEL.

I CAN SHOOT ANY
WHICH WAY I LIKE.

Narrator: ALTHOUGH THE CHARIOT
AND SHORT COMPOSITE BOW

WERE ORIGINALLY
INTRODUCED BY THE HYKSOS,

THE EGYPTIANS DEPLOYED
THEM MORE EFFECTIVELY.

THE EGYPTIANS USED THE NEW
WEAPONS AND SUPERIOR TACTICS

TO DRIVE THE HYKSOS
OUT OF THE COUNTRY,

REUNITING THEIR ANCIENT LAND.

THE PHARAOHS GAVE THE
CREDIT FOR THEIR VICTORY

TO THE LOCAL GOD THEY
WORSHIPED AT KARNAK -- AMUN.

FROM THIS TIME ON, AMUN
WOULD RISE IN FAVOR

TO BECOME THE CHIEF GOD
OF THE REUNIFIED EGYPT.

IN HIS HONOR, THE PHARAOHS
EXPANDED HIS TEMPLE AT KARNAK

AND THE GREAT CITY OF
THEBES GREW AROUND IT.

BY DEFEATING THE HYKSOS,

THE EGYPTIANS KICK STARTED THE
RENEWAL OF THEIR GREAT EMPIRE

AND THE ERA KNOWN
AS THE NEW KINGDOM.

BUT THERE REMAIN MANY
UNSOLVED MYSTERIES --

WHO BUILT THE ASTONISHING
TEMPLE COMPLEX OF KARNAK

THAT GAVE RISE TO THE
GREAT CITY OF THEBES?

AND CAN THIS EXTRAORDINARY
AVENUE OF SPHINXES

REVEAL HOW THE PHARAOHS
HELD ON TO POWER?

♪♪

Narrator: THEBES, THE CAPITAL
OF ANCIENT EGYPT

IN THE TIME OF THE NEW KINGDOM.

AT ITS CENTER, A SMALL TEMPLE
TO A MINOR LOCAL GOD, AMUN,

GREW TO BECOME THE
LARGEST RELIGIOUS SITE

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD...

...KARNAK.

AS KARNAK EXPANDED,
SO DID ANCIENT THEBES.

BUT WHY DID A PHARAOH
FIRST START BUILDING HERE,

LONG BEFORE IT
ROSE TO PROMINENCE?

AND WHO BUILT ITS MAJOR TEMPLES?

CHARLIE LABARTA IS PART OF A
FRENCH TEAM OF ARCHEOLOGISTS

THAT HAS BEEN EXCAVATING AND
REBUILDING KARNAK FOR 50 YEARS.

Narrator:
TO FIND THE ORIGINS OF
THIS RELIGIOUS COMPLEX,

ARCHEOLOGISTS MUST STUDY THE
CLUES CARVED INTO ITS WALLS,

ANCIENT HIEROGLYPHS.

LIKE GRAFFITI ARTISTS,

THE PHARAOHS COVERED THESE
NEW BUILDINGS WITH THEIR TAGS,

CALLED CARTOUCHES.

Narrator: TO FIND OUT HOW THIS
TEMPLE COMPLEX BEGAN,

CHARLIE NEEDS TO TRACK DOWN

THE EARLIEST
CARTOUCHE ON THE SITE.

WITHIN THE REMAINS OF A
HALF-DESTROYED GATEWAY,

ARCHEOLOGISTS FIND
DOZENS OF ANCIENT BLOCKS.

WHEN THEY REASSEMBLE THEM...

...THEY DISCOVER THEY FORM
A SMALL WHITE CHAPEL.

BECAUSE THESE STONES WERE
BURIED IN A LATER BUILDING,

IT MUST BE ONE OF THE
EARLIEST TEMPLES ON THE SITE.

BUT HOW OLD IS IT?

AND WHY WAS IT BUILT?

♪♪

A VITAL CLUE COMES
FROM THE CARVINGS

ON THE REASSEMBLED WHITE CHAPEL.

Narrator:
THE FINE PRESERVATION

MEANS CHARLIE CAN EASILY DECODE
THESE ANCIENT INSCRIPTIONS.

Narrator: THE WHITE CHAPEL

IS THE MOST ANCIENT
REMAINING BUILDING AT KARNAK,

AND SHOWS THERE HAS
BEEN A TEMPLE HERE

FOR ABOUT 4,000 YEARS.

OF CRITICAL IMPORTANCE,
THE CARVINGS ALSO EXPLAIN

WHY THIS CHAPEL WAS CONSTRUCTED.

THEY SHOW THE PHARAOH
WHO BUILT IT, SENUSRET I,

GIVING OFFERINGS TO A GOD
OF FERTILITY CALLED AMUN.

FOR REASONS UNKNOWN TO US TODAY,

THE PEOPLE OF THEBES
HAD CHOSEN THIS GOD

TO BE THE PATRON OF THEIR CITY.

FROM THIS TIME ON,
AMUN'S IMAGE,

WITH HIS DISTINCTIVE HEADDRESS
OF A PAIR OF TALL FEATHERS,

WOULD APPEAR ON ITS WALLS.

LATER, PHARAOHS WOULD TRANSFORM
SENUSRET'S SMALL CHAPEL

INTO THE VAST TEMPLE
COMPLEX OF KARNAK.

BUT WHICH PHARAOHS AND WHEN?

TO FIND OUT WHO REALLY
STARTED DEVELOPING KARNAK,

ARCHEOLOGISTS NEED TO
HUNT DOWN AND IDENTIFY

THE CARTOUCHE OF EVERY
KING WHO BUILT HERE.

BUT THAT'S A CHALLENGE.

ON SOME STONES, THE INSCRIPTIONS
ARE ALMOST INVISIBLE.

SO CHARLIE AND HER TEAM
USE MODERN TECHNOLOGY

IN AN ATTEMPT TO
MAKE THEM REAPPEAR.

Narrator:
CHARLIE HOPES DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY

WILL REVEAL THE HIDDEN
NAME OF A PHARAOH.

IN THE WORKROOM, CHARLIE
ANALYZES THE IMAGES.

Narrator:
SPECIALIST SOFTWARE CREATES
WHAT IS KNOWN AS A DEPTH MAP.

THIS HIGHLIGHTS
SMALL INDENTATIONS

INVISIBLE TO THE HUMAN EYE.

FADED INSCRIPTIONS LOST
FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS

SUDDENLY REAPPEAR.

Narrator: IN TOTAL, CHARLIE'S
TEAM HAS IDENTIFIED

THE NAMES OF 89
DIFFERENT PHARAOHS

ON KARNAK'S WALLS AND STATUES.

THEY ENABLE HER TO PIECE
TOGETHER THE RISE OF THEBES.

AROUND 2000 B.C., 300 MILES
SOUTH OF THE GREAT PYRAMIDS,

SENUSRET I BUILT HIS WHITE
CHAPEL ON THE BANKS OF THE NILE.

IT WAS A SMALL TEMPLE DEDICATED
TO THE LOCAL GOD AMUN.

500 YEARS LATER, AFTER
DEFEATING THE HYKSOS,

THE PHARAOHS OF THE NEW KINGDOM
BEGAN EXPANDING THE SITE.

OVER THE NEXT 500 YEARS,
IT GREW DRAMATICALLY.

AROUND IT, THE PHARAOHS
BUILT MORE TEMPLES

UNTIL THEBES BECAME THE MOST
POPULATED CITY ON EARTH.

♪♪

IT'S CLEAR THAT THEBES
WAS OF HUGE IMPORTANCE

TO GENERATIONS OF PHARAOHS.

BUT WHY DID EGYPT'S RULERS
STOP BUILDING PYRAMIDS

AND START BUILDING
COLOSSAL NEW TEMPLES HERE?

AND COULD THE DISCOVERY
OF HUNDREDS OF SPHINXES

IN THE CENTER OF THEBES

EXPLAIN HOW EGYPT'S GREATEST
PHARAOHS HELD ON TO POWER?

♪♪

Narrator: AFTER THE PHARAOHS
REUNIFIED EGYPT,

THEBES BECAME THEIR CAPITAL.

ALL THE FAMOUS RULERS FROM
TUTANKHAMUN TO RAMESSES II

CONTRIBUTED TO ITS VAST
TEMPLE COMPLEX OF KARNAK.

BUT WHY DID THEY LAVISH
SO MUCH ATTENTION

ON THIS SACRED SITE OF AMUN-RA?

DID THEY DEPEND ON
HIM AND THIS CITY

FOR THEIR HOLD ON POWER?

EGYPTIAN ARCHEOLOGIST
MOSTAFA ALSAGHIR

THINKS A GIANT CLUE LIES
RIGHT IN THE HEART

OF THE ANCIENT TOWN.

HERE HE IS EXCAVATING A VAST
1 1/2-MILE LONG PLOT OF LAND

THAT RUNS SOUTH FROM KARNAK.

Narrator: MOSTAFA'S HUGE DIG
UNEARTHS A MAJOR DISCOVERY --

DOZENS OF ANCIENT
STONE SPHINXES.

♪♪

IN THE TIME OF THE PHARAOHS,

EACH SPHINX WAS CARVED
IN EXQUISITE DETAIL.

ITS LION'S BODY AND HUMAN
HEAD WERE BRIGHTLY COLORED.

ALONGSIDE IT, THERE WERE
OVER 1,300 SPHINXES.

THEY LINED AN
AVENUE 100-FEET WIDE

THAT LINKED KARNAK WITH ANOTHER
SACRED SITE -- LUXOR TEMPLE.

BUT WHAT WAS THIS AVENUE FOR?

AND COULD IT EXPLAIN WHY
THEBES WAS SO IMPORTANT

TO THE PHARAOHS
HOLDING ON TO POWER?

TODAY, AS MOSTAFA'S
EXCAVATORS CLEAR THE GROUND,

THEY DISCOVER YET ANOTHER
ANCIENT STONE SPHINX.

Narrator:
IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN CULTURE,

THE SPHINX HAD A
SPECIAL SIGNIFICANCE.

Narrator: MOSTAFA THINKS THE
AVENUE WAS BUILT

FOR ANCIENT EGYPT'S MOST
IMPORTANT EVENT OF THE YEAR --

A CEREMONY THAT WAS KEY TO
THE PHARAOH'S GRIP ON POWER.

IT BEGAN AT ONE END OF THE
ROUTE IN KARNAK TEMPLE.

AT THE HEART OF KARNAK STOOD
A SACRED STATUE OF AMUN-RA.

THE PHARAOH VISITED IT FOR
COMMANDS ON HOW TO RUN THE LAND.

THEIR RELATIONSHIP WAS PERSONAL.

THE PHARAOH WAS BELIEVED
TO BE THE GOD'S SON.

AS THE OFFSPRING OF AMUN-RA,

THE PHARAOH WAS
SEEN AS A DEMI GOD --

HALF MORTAL, HALF DIVINE.

THIS GAVE HIM THE
RIGHT TO RULE EGYPT.

BUT EACH YEAR THAT
RIGHT HAD TO BE RENEWED

IN A SPECIAL CEREMONY
KNOWN AS THE OPET FESTIVAL.

Narrator:
DURING THE OPET FESTIVAL,
THE PHARAOH LED A PROCESSION

ALONG THE AVENUE
OF THE SPHINXES,

CARRYING AMUN-RA'S SHRINE
FROM KARNAK TO LUXOR TEMPLE.

HERE THE PHARAOH WAS
CEREMONIALLY REBORN,

GIVING HIM THE POWER TO
RULE FOR ANOTHER YEAR.

INSIDE LUXOR TEMPLE,

INSCRIPTIONS FROM THE
REIGN OF TUTANKHAMUN

REVEAL THE DETAILS OF
THE OPET PROCESSION.

Narrator: ONCE AT LUXOR TEMPLE,
PEOPLE SACRIFICED OXEN

AND MADE OFFERINGS TO THE GOD.

Narrator:
IN RETURN FOR AMUN'S SUPPORT

THE KING WAS EXPECTED TO
COMMISSION NEW BUILDINGS

FOR THE GREAT TEMPLE
COMPLEX OF KARNAK.

Narrator:
THE BIGGER AND MORE
SPECTACULAR THEBES

AND ITS PLACES OF
WORSHIP BECAME,

THE GREATER AND MORE POWERFUL
THE PHARAOH WOULD APPEAR.

AT ITS HEIGHT, OVER
100,000 PEOPLE LIVED HERE,

MAKING IT THE
WORLD'S LARGEST CITY.

BUT AS WELL AS THE GREAT TEMPLES

ON THE EAST BANK OF THE NILE,

THE PHARAOHS CONSTRUCTED
OVER A DOZEN OTHERS

ON THE WEST SIDE OF THE RIVER.

WHAT WERE ALL THESE TEMPLES FOR?

AND WHAT IS THE SECRET

BEHIND THEBES' MOST
EXTRAORDINARY STRUCTURE?

HOW DID WORKERS BUILD

THE LARGEST COVERED
SPACE IN ANCIENT EGYPT?

♪♪

Narrator:
AFTER THE PHARAOHS FROM THEBES

DEFEATED THE INVADING
HYKSOS AND REUNITED EGYPT,

THEY FOUNDED A GOLDEN AGE
KNOWN AS THE NEW KINGDOM.

DURING THIS TIME,
ALMOST EVERY PHARAOH

WHO BUILT IN THEBES' GREAT
RELIGIOUS COMPLEX OF KARNAK

ALSO CONSTRUCTED A TEMPLE
ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THEBES,

WEST OF THE NILE.

WHAT WAS THIS SECOND
SET OF BUILDINGS FOR?

WAS IT ANOTHER WAY OF INCREASING
THE POWER OF THE PHARAOHS?

TO FIND OUT, ARCHEOLOGIST
STEPHEN HARVEY

INVESTIGATES ONE OF
THE MOST SPECTACULAR

WEST BANK STRUCTURES.

Harvey:
WE'RE UP HIGH LOOKING DOWN
ON THE TEMPLE OF HATSHEPSUT,

THE FEMALE PHARAOH WHO
WAS ONE OF THE FIRST WOMEN

TO TAKE THE THRONE OF EGYPT.

IT'S A REALLY IMPRESSIVE TEMPLE,

ONE OF THE FIRST OF THE
LARGE ONES ON THE WEST BANK.

Narrator: HATSHEPSUT WAS ONE
OF THE FIRST PHARAOHS

TO RULE AFTER THE DEFEAT
OF THE HYKSOS INVADERS.

THE LOCATION OF HER TEMPLE
IS STEPHEN'S INITIAL CLUE

TO SOLVING THE MYSTERY OF
WHY THESE TEMPLES WERE BUILT.

IT'S IN THE WEST, WHICH
IS THE SACRED PLACE

WHERE THE SUN SETS
AND WHERE THE DEAD RESIDE.

IT'S UP AGAINST THE
CLIFFS IN THE DESERT ZONE,

WHICH IS OUTSIDE OF THE
ZONE OF THE LIVING.

THIS IS REALLY THE
ZONE OF THE DEAD.

Narrator: BUT TO UNCOVER

THIS SPECTACULAR
BUILDING'S TRUE PURPOSE,

STEPHEN NEEDS TO
EXPLORE IT CLOSE UP.

DEEP INSIDE ON ONE OF
THE INNERMOST WALLS,

HE DISCOVERS A VITAL CLUE.

Harvey: WHAT I'VE FOUND
ARE THE HIEROGLYPHS

THAT READ "GREAT TEMPLE
OF MILLIONS OF YEARS,"

AND IN ANCIENT EGYPTIAN,
THAT'S THE PHRASE

THAT LETS US KNOW THAT
THIS IS A MORTUARY TEMPLE,

BUILT TO LAST FOREVER.

Narrator: A MORTUARY TEMPLE,
LIKE THIS ONE,

WAS THOUGHT ESSENTIAL FOR
REACHING THE AFTERLIFE.

Harvey:
BEFORE A PHARAOH DIES,

IT'S NECESSARY THAT THEY
HAVE A MORTUARY TEMPLE

THAT CAN BE THE PLACE

THAT WILL ALLOW THEIR
SPIRIT TO LIVE FOREVER.

Narrator: IN THE TEMPLE'S
INNERMOST CHAPEL,

STEPHEN FINDS ILLUSTRATIONS

THAT REVEAL HOW THIS
BUILDING WAS USED.

IN THIS ROOM,
PRIESTS WOULD COME IN

BRINGING FOOD OFFERINGS --
MEAT, VEGETABLES, FRUIT.

THEY WOULD BURN INCENSE AND
THEY WOULD RECITE PRAYERS

IN HONOR OF THE SOUL
OF THE DECEASED QUEEN --

THE PHARAOH HATSHEPSUT.

AND BY DOING THAT, THEY WOULD
CAUSE HER SOUL TO LIVE FOREVER

AND ACHIEVE THE MYSTICAL UNION

OF THE PHARAOH WITH
THE GOD AMUN-RA.

Narrator:
AROUND THEBES, THERE WERE
TWO TYPES OF TEMPLE.

SOME, LIKE KARNAK,
DEDICATED TO GODS,

AND OTHERS LIKE THIS,

DESIGNED TO HELP THE PHARAOH
FLOURISH IN THE AFTERLIFE.

THE TEMPLES ON THIS SIDE
WERE REALLY FOCUSED ON ENSURING

THE PHARAOH WOULD LIVE
FOR MILLIONS OF YEARS.

Narrator: THESE STANDALONE
MORTUARY TEMPLES

GREATLY ADDED TO THE
IMPORTANCE OF THEBES

IN THE EGYPTIAN WORLD.

BEFORE THIS TIME,

THE EGYPTIANS ENTOMBED
THE PHARAOH IN A PYRAMID

AND CONSTRUCTED A SMALL
MORTUARY TEMPLE AT ITS BASE.

INSIDE THIS TEMPLE,

PRIESTS SAID PRAYERS AND
GAVE OFFERINGS TO THE PHARAOH

TO SUSTAIN HIM IN THE AFTERLIFE.

THEY BELIEVED THAT
THE PHARAOH'S SOUL

ROSE EACH DAY TO
USE THE OFFERINGS,

THEN RETURNED TO HIS BODY
IN THE PYRAMID AT NIGHT.

WHEN THE PHARAOHS
STOPPED BUILDING PYRAMIDS,

THEY KEPT THE IDEA OF
THE MORTUARY TEMPLE

BUT TRANSFORMED IT INTO A
VAST AND IMPRESSIVE BUILDING.

Harvey:
ALTHOUGH THERE'S NO VISUAL
PYRAMID ATOP THIS MONUMENT,

THERE ARE ELEMENTS FROM
THE PYRAMID COMPLEX

SUCH AS THIS ROOM.

SO THIS IS A LITTLE
BIT OF PYRAMID

HIDDEN INSIDE A MORTUARY TEMPLE.

Narrator:
THE PHARAOHS WERE NOW BURIED

IN A HIDDEN TOMB IN THE
VALLEY OF THE KINGS.

INSTEAD OF DAZZLING THE
PEOPLE WITH A PYRAMID,

EACH RULER NOW ASTONISHED THEM

WITH A LARGE AND
SPECTACULAR MORTUARY TEMPLE.

IT PROCLAIMED THEIR
GOD-LIKE STATUS

AND REINFORCED
THEIR HOLD ON POWER.

♪♪

BUT OF ALL THE
BUILDINGS IN THEBES,

NONE WAS MORE IMPORTANT
TO THE PHARAOHS

THAN THE GREAT TEMPLE
COMPLEX OF AMUN-RA -- KARNAK.

HOW COULD ITS BUILDERS MAKE THIS

THE MOST IMPRESSIVE TEMPLE
EGYPT HAD EVER SEEN?

AND WHY DID THE PHARAOHS

COVER KARNAK'S WALLS AND COLUMNS
WITH SO MANY HIEROGLYPHS?

COULD DECODING THESE
MYSTERIOUS INSCRIPTIONS

REVEAL AN EXTRAORDINARY
NEW REASON

FOR THE PHARAOHS TO
KEEP BUILDING HERE?

♪♪

Narrator: ANCIENT EGYPT COVERED
A VAST AREA OF LAND,

STRETCHING FOR OVER 700
MILES ALONG THE NILE.

TO KEEP CONTROL OF
THIS HUGE NATION,

THE COUNTRY'S RULING
ELITE DEPENDED

ON THE GREAT RELIGIOUS
CITY OF THEBES,

HOME OF THEIR
CHIEF GOD -- AMUN-RA.

EACH PHARAOH FELT HE HAD TO SHOW

HIS POWER AND
IMPORTANCE BY BUILDING

AN IMPRESSIVE STRUCTURE HERE.

IDEALLY, ONE MORE
MAGNIFICENT THAN ANY

THAT HAD COME BEFORE.

BUT HOW DID ANCIENT STONEMASONS
MEET THIS PHENOMENAL CHALLENGE?

AT THE HEART OF THEBES IN
THE TEMPLE COMPLEX OF KARNAK,

STANDS THE GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL.

WHEN FIRST CONSTRUCTED,
THIS WAS THE LARGEST

COVERED SPACE IN ANCIENT EGYPT.

Narrator:
WHAT DID IT TAKE TO BUILD THIS
ON SUCH A COLOSSAL SCALE?

♪♪

THEBES' GREAT TEMPLE
NEEDED A LARGE ROOF

TO PROTECT ITS PRIESTS FROM
THE BEATING MID-DAY SUN.

ENORMOUS BEAMS HAD TO
SPAN THE VAST DISTANCES

BETWEEN THE COLUMNS
AND SUPPORT HUNDREDS

OF SOLID STONE CROSS STRUTS.

IN THE CENTRAL AISLE,
EVEN LARGER BLOCKS

WERE USED TO BRIDGE THE GAP.

HOW DID THEY CARVE AND RAISE
THIS EXTRAORDINARY TEMPLE,

AND WHAT CAN IT TELL US
ABOUT THE PHARAOHS' AMBITION

FOR THIS PLACE?

♪♪

ANTOINE GARRIC IS
THE MASTER STONEMASON

RECONSTRUCTING KARNAK.

[ SPEAKING ARABIC ]

Narrator: HE REBUILDS A WALL
THAT WAS DECORATED

BY TUTANKHAMUN 600 YEARS AFTER
SENUSRET BUILT THE WHITE CHAPEL.

ANTOINE HOPES THIS
WORK WILL REVEAL

HOW FAR THE PHARAOHS WOULD
GO TO CEMENT THEIR POWER.

WHAT EXTRAORDINARY
FEATS OF ENGINEERING

DID IT TAKE TO BUILD
THE HYPOSTYLE HALL?

[ SPEAKING ARABIC ]

Narrator: BUT IN A TIME
BEFORE THE IRON AGE,

HOW DID THE ANCIENT EGYPTIANS
BUILD SO ACCURATELY?

UNABLE TO SMELT IRON,
WORKERS HAD TO USE TOOLS

MADE OF SOFTER METALS --
BRONZE OR COPPER.

ANTOINE WANTS TO FIND
OUT HOW DIFFICULT IT WAS

TO BUILD THE GREAT
HYPOSTYLE HALL

WITH THESE LESS THAN
IDEAL IMPLEMENTS.

Narrator: AT FIRST, IT APPEARS

THAT THE COPPER CHISEL
IS UP TO THE JOB.

Narrator: BUT OVER TIME,
EVEN SOFT SANDSTONE

DAMAGES THE TIP.

Narrator: WITH THE MASONS
MAKING REGULAR STOPS

TO RESHARPEN THEIR
TOOLS, CARVING EACH BLOCK

WOULD HAVE BEEN SLOW WORK.

Narrator: AND WITH HUNDREDS
OF BLOCKS TO CARVE,

THE JOB WOULD HAVE
REQUIRED A HUGE WORKFORCE.

BUT THIS WAS JUST A SMALL
PART OF THIS GIANT PROJECT.

TO DEMONSTRATE THE
PHARAOH'S POWER,

THE HYPOSTYLE HALL HAD
TO BE MORE IMPRESSIVE

THAN ANY TEMPLE BUILT BEFORE.

TO ACHIEVE THIS,
WORKERS NEEDED TO RAISE

134 IMMENSE COLUMNS,
SOME OVER 60 FEET HIGH,

THEN COVER THEM WITH A VAST ROOF
OF HEAVY 70-TON BLOCKS.

IN A NEARBY COURTYARD,
ANTOINE FINDS A CLUE

TO HOW THEY DID IT.

Narrator: SCAFFOLDING LIKE THIS

WAS THE INGENIOUS
SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM

OF BUILDING THE HYPOSTYLE HALL.

FIRST, THE EGYPTIANS
LAID OUT THE COLUMNS,

PLACING ROUGH BLOCKS IN A
GRID PATTERN ACROSS THE HALL.

♪♪

THEN, THEY FILLED THE ENTIRE
AREA IN BETWEEN THE BLOCKS

WITH EARTH, REPEATING
THIS PROCESS

TO BUILD UP THE
COLUMNS LAYER BY LAYER.

WHEN ALL THE BLOCKS
WERE IN POSITION,

WORKERS USED MUD
BRICK RAMPS TO DRAG

THE MAMMOTH ROOF BEAMS
INTO POSITION 70-FEET HIGH.

FINALLY, THEY REMOVE THE EARTH

AND CARVE THE PILLARS
SMOOTH TO CREATE

THE MOST IMPRESSIVE TEMPLE
EGYPT HAD EVER SEEN.

THE ENORMOUS HYPOSTYLE HALL
WAS AN ACHIEVEMENT

WORTHY OF EGYPT'S
GREATEST GOD -- AMUN-RA,

AND A DEMONSTRATION OF THE
PHARAOH'S IMMENSE POWER.

IT APPEARS EGYPT'S
RULERS WERE NOW OBSESSED

WITH KARNAK, AMUN-RA'S
TEMPLE COMPLEX AT THEBES.

THEIR HIEROGLYPHS ARE
CARVED INTO NEARLY

EVERY STRUCTURE HERE.

WHAT PURPOSE DID THESE
INSCRIPTIONS SERVE?

WERE THEY ANOTHER
INGENIOUS DEVICE

IN THE PHARAOH'S BID
FOR MORE AND MORE POWER?

♪♪

Narrator: AS EGYPT'S PHARAOHS
BUILT UP THEBES,

THEY COVERED THE WALLS OF
ITS VAST TEMPLE COMPLEX

OF KARNAK WITH THOUSANDS
OF INSCRIPTIONS,

BUT WHAT WERE THEY FOR?

WERE THESE MYSTERIOUS
HIEROGLYPHS

THE FINAL MISSING PIECE
THE PHARAOHS NEEDED

TO COMPLETE THEIR HOLD ON POWER?

♪♪

A CLUE LIES IN THE
GREAT HYPOSTYLE HALL.

ALL 134 COLUMNS
WERE ONCE ADORNED

WITH INSCRIPTIONS
FROM TOP TO BOTTOM.

EVERY INCH OF STONE TOLD
A STORY IN VIVID COLOR,

BUT THE MARKINGS BOAST OF THE
GOD-LIKE STATUS OF ONE MAN.

PLASTERED ALL ALONG
THE MAIN AVENUE

IS THE CARTOUCHE OF RAMESSES II,

KNOWN AS "THE GREAT."

WHY IS HIS NAME
FOUND HERE SO OFTEN?

♪♪

RAMESSES II CAME TO
THE THRONE IN 1279 B.C.

DURING HIS 66-YEAR REIGN,
IT IS THOUGHT

HE CONSTRUCTED MORE BUILDINGS
THAN ANY OTHER PHARAOH.

BUT ALTHOUGH HIS SYMBOL
COVERS THE HYPOSTYLE HALL,

EGYPTOLOGIST CHARLIE LABARTA
SUSPECTS

THAT RAMESSES COULD
BE TAKING CREDIT

FOR THE WORK OF ONE
OF HIS PREDECESSORS.

Narrator:
CHARLIE DISCOVERS THE CARTOUCHE

OF ANOTHER PHARAOH
CARVED IN THE SAME PLACE.

Narrator:
THE MARKS ARE IDENTICAL

TO A CARTOUCHE CHARLIE
SPOTS ON ANOTHER PILLAR.

Narrator:
THE DISCOVERY REVEALS

THAT THE HYPOSTYLE HALL
MAY ACTUALLY

HAVE BEEN BUILT BY RAMESSES II's
FATHER -- SETI I.

IT'S NOT THE ONLY EXAMPLE OF
A STOLEN BUILDING AT KARNAK.

OTHER PHARAOHS CARVE
THEIR CARTOUCHES

ON TOP OF OLDER INSCRIPTIONS.

WHY WERE THE PHARAOHS
SO DETERMINED

TO CLAIM THESE
BUILDINGS AS THEIR OWN?

TO ACHIEVE ETERNAL LIFE,
IT WASN'T ONLY NECESSARY

FOR A PHARAOH TO BUILD
A MORTUARY TEMPLE,

PEOPLE HAD TO REMEMBER AND
REPEAT HIS NAME EVER AFTER.

Narrator: BY INSCRIBING THESE
GREAT MONUMENTS

WITH THEIR OWN IDENTITY,
EGYPT'S NEW PHARAOHS

COMPLETED ALL THE STAGES OF
THEIR QUEST FOR IMMORTALITY.

IT SHOWED THEY WERE
POWERFUL RULERS

WORTHY OF REIGNING
OVER THEIR NEW KINGDOM.

♪♪

AFTER THE EGYPTIANS DEFEATED
THE HYKSOS INVADERS,

THE SACRED TEMPLES
AT THEBES GAVE

A NEW DYNASTY OF PHARAOHS
THEIR RIGHT TO RULE.

BY TRANSFORMING A
SHRINE TO A LOCAL GOD

INTO THE GREATEST
RELIGIOUS CENTER

OF THE ANCIENT WORLD,

THEY WON POWER AND
IMMORTALITY FOR THEMSELVES.

♪♪

ARCHEOLOGISTS PROBING
THEBES' DEEPEST MYSTERIES

HAVE UNEARTHED
AMAZING DISCOVERIES

ABOUT THE PEOPLE
WHO BUILT THIS CITY.

FROM THIS HOLY SITE
SPRANG THE GREAT ERA

OF THE NEW KINGDOM...

A 500-YEAR GOLDEN AGE
THAT WAS THE MOST PROSPEROUS

IN ANCIENT EGYPT'S HISTORY.

♪♪

THE PHARAOHS WERE NOW AT
THE PEAK OF THEIR POWER.

AS THEY CARVED OUT AN
EVEN BIGGER EMPIRE,

THEY USED THEIR WEALTH TO
BUILD NEW TEMPLES AT THEBES.

FROM THIS MAGNIFICENT CITY,

THEY BREATHED NEW LIFE INTO
THE GREATEST CIVILIZATION

THE EARTH HAD EVER SEEN.

♪♪

♪♪

♪♪