All language subtitles for Unearthed.2016.S10E02.1080p.WEB.h264-REALiTYTV_track2_[eng]

NARRATOR:
The mighty red pyramid,

towering over the Egyptian
desert at Dahshur,

a mega structure that helps
define a civilization.

This is
a one-of-a-kind monument.

Who kick starts a revolution

and builds this first
true pyramid?

KELANY: It is really amazing,
because it is the first time

that use this kind of technique

to receive
a million tons of stone.

NARRATOR: Now, investigators
have unique access

to venture inside
this mysterious structure,

to uncover why one pharaoh
builds this incredible icon.

BRAND: This is a huge,
huge feat of work,

effort, and labor for
the ancient Egyptians.

NARRATOR:
To solve these mysteries,

we blow apart
its strange interior.

We hunt for the mummy of
the pharaoh who builds it,

decode how he learns
from his mistakes,

and digitally reconstruct
this wonder in its prime

to reveal the secrets of

Egypt's trailblazing
first true pyramid.

Egypt -- land of pharaohs
who build monumental

pyramids for their journey
into the afterlife.

Each one is
a pivotal clue to

unlocking the mysterious world
of the ancient Egyptians.

There are more than 100 pyramids
across the Egyptian desert,

constructed over
1,000 years from

the middle of
the third millennium BCE.

Some of the first pyramids are
built in Dahshur,

a 4,500-year-old necropolis.

BRAND: Dahshur is
an incredible area for studying

ancient Egyptian mysteries.

There's very few places
on earth like this where I

can see a history of
a millennia of pyramid building.

NARRATOR:
Seven huge stepped structures

loom over the desert here.

Their design is inspired by
the flat

Mastaba tombs of
the earliest Egyptian rulers.

And one pyramid
at Dahshur makes

a pivotal turning point in
Egyptian civilization...

the Red Pyramid.

Soaring over 344 feet into
the sky over Dahshur,

this six-million-ton colossus

hides an elaborate
internal structure.

On its northern side,

a 200-foot passageway leads to
three soaring chambers,

each one over 40 feet high.

A labyrinth hidden under 160
layers of stone,

this is an epic tomb fit
for a king.

It is the first true pyramid

in the world,
with flat external sides,

a revolution in
pyramid design,

the prototype
for all to follow.

Meredith Brand devotes her
life to

decoding the secrets of
Egyptian monuments.

BRAND:
This is the Red Pyramid.

I look up,
and I can see

a mound of red limestone that
gives this pyramid its name.

But when I look closer,
it's evident

that this is not
a finished pyramid.

There's something more going
on here.

These blocks are rough,
they're unfinished.

There's something missing.

NARRATOR: To understand
the Red Pyramid's place

in pyramid evolution,

Meredith must piece together
what it looks like

4,500 years ago.

This is red limestone,
and just looking at it now,

I can see it's weathered,
there's cracks, there's holes.

This has been exposed to
the air for a long time,

but the ancient Egyptians,
they had a sense of

style, aesthetic.

They would have wanted
something beautiful

that would have gleamed in
the desert.

NARRATOR: Meredith looks for
clues to the pyramid's

original appearance.

BRAND: Over here, I can see
there's something different.

The color is different.

So this is a red stone,
and over here,

there's something gleaming,

white and bright,
but it's only a small fragment.

This shows a clue that there
was something else here.

NARRATOR: She makes her way to
the eastern side of

the pyramid to hunt for more
evidence of this material.

BRAND: This is a smooth,
white color,

and it looks different
from the rough,

coarse red limestone
that I saw

on the other side
of the pyramid.

NARRATOR:
This is white Tura limestone.

It originates
from a quarry 12 miles away,

on the other side of
the Nile.

It is a highly prized material
in ancient Egypt.

This rock holds a clue.

I can see all of
these fine marks.

These look like chisel marks.

So this side
would have been worked,

but over here,
it's smooth.

I mean, of course the surface
is weathered from being exposed

to the desert wind and sand,

but this was left smooth,

and this side
was a work face.

NARRATOR: This discovery reveals
that the pyramid

is once totally covered in
this stone.

BRAND: This is
the only spot with fine

Tura limestone, which shows,
sometime in antiquity,

people came and removed,
robbed and stripped all

of the fine Tura limestone
from this pyramid.

NARRATOR:
In its prime,

the pyramid's red core
is clad in

a layer of gleaming white
casing stones.

A shining capstone crowns
the top of this perfect pyramid,

surrounded by a perimeter wall.

On its eastern side,
a temple, where

offerings are made
to the dead pharaoh.

Mysterious hieroglyphs
are carved on

the internal surface of
the pyramid.

Can they reveal who is

the mastermind behind
the world's first true pyramid?

Meredith translates
the hieroglyphs to

reveal the name of
the pharaoh

behind this
pioneering structure.

BRAND: This is an image of
ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

There's a folded cloth here,
and that's an S sound.

And then this sign next to it
is the lungs and esophagus of

an animal,
and that sound is

"nefer," and to complement
the sound,

you have a small horned viper,
which is an F

and an open mouth, an R.

And below that is a quail
chick that sounds like "ooh,"

so when you put it together,
it reads Sneferu.

This royal name, Sneferu,

is clear evidence
of both the builder

and the date
of the Red Pyramid.

It is thought Sneferu's

reign begins in 2613 BCE.

He is the first pharaoh
in Egypt's 4th Dynasty.

Sneferu ascends
the throne by

marrying the royal heiress,
Hetepheres,

and sets to work putting
his own stamp on Egypt.

Before his reign,

a pharaoh was believed to be

the reincarnation of
the falcon God, Horus.

But Sneferu is a devout
follower of the sun cult

and sees himself as the living
embodiment of Ra, the sun god,

the supreme divinity.

Sneferu wants
his final tomb to assist

his resurrection to join Ra
after death.

BRAND:
This is why Sneferu

started to build pyramids
in a different way.

It was to pursue his belief in
the sun god, Ra.

NARRATOR: Meredith wants
to decode how Sneferu

proves his devotion to Ra
through his pyramids.

She examines the Red Pyramid's
relationship to the sun.

BRAND: I'm gonna look and see
the direction of the sunrise in

the east, and then I'm gonna
follow it to the west.

So when I look over here,

I can see that the sun
would have

risen in the east,
and then if I move

and go to the west,
it's perfectly

aligned for when
the sun would set.

NARRATOR: Sneferu's pyramid
is orientated to

match the sun's movement
across the sky.

The sides face north,
south, east, and west.

BRAND: So this shows that
the ancient Egyptians,

they use the sun as
an important indicator of

the cardinal directions,
and they built the pyramid in

line with the sunrise
and the sunset.

NARRATOR: Sneferu revolutionizes
pyramid design.

He builds the Red Pyramid
with smooth sides

and aligns them perfectly
with the sun's movement

across the sky.

How does Sneferu build
his flawless pyramid?

And is it achieved
in its first attempt?

NARRATOR:
The Red Pyramid,

built by the revolutionary
pharaoh, Sneferu.

It is Egypt's first
smooth-sided true pyramid.

30 miles south in Meidum,

Meredith Brand
investigates if this

unusual structure was
Sneferu's prototype.

Most of this pyramid was
plundered over the years,

but its temple has
remained intact.

BRAND: Oh wow!
There's an inscription.

This inscription
is quite faded now,

but I've got a copy from when
it was originally discovered,

and it lines up, so I can see
that someone came here to this

temple and visited in the reign
of Thutmose III.

So that's the 18th Dynasty,

almost 1,000 years after
the structure should have

been built.

I can see that this person is

a priest who's come
to visit this place,

and then he says he's here

because this is
the pyramid of Sneferu.

NARRATOR: The temple inscription
reveals that the Meidum Pyramid

is also built
by Sneferu.

But it is a traditional
step pyramid,

unlike his iconic
Red Pyramid.

Sneferu built this pyramid
as well as the Red Pyramid.

So that means
he made two pyramids.

It's quite unusual
for a pharaoh.

NARRATOR: Sneferu designs
his first pyramid to

surpass any Egyptian tomb
that came before him.

He builds a pioneering style
of burial chamber above ground

and closer to the sun,

fully encased within
the stonework of the pyramid's

first layer.

Seven more giant steps
rise up above it,

taller than any of
its predecessors.

The entire monument is
finished off

with a casing of fine
white limestone.

What can Sneferu's
Meidum pyramid

tell us about his quest
for the perfect pyramid?

It's so exciting to go
inside of a pyramid.

There's always
a bit of a mystery.

NARRATOR: Meredith climbs to
the entrance on the north side

of the pyramid,
66 feet above the ground.

So I'm going down
190 feet,

into the base
of this pyramid.

This pyramid,
when it's sealed,

it was never meant
to be re-entered again,

which means you just don't
know what you're gonna find.

NARRATOR: She descends down
the steep passage

to the heart of the pyramid,

but she isn't the only one
inside these tunnels.

Oh, gahhhh...

Ooh!
[laughs]

So, I'm having a bit of
a standoff with a bat at

the moment --
it doesn't want to leave.

[laughs]

[blows heavily]

[claps]

Move, bat.

NARRATOR: Meredith finally
emerges into

the burial chamber of
the pyramid.

So this seems to be it.

This seems to be
the burial chamber,

and I can see
this corbelled ceiling.

It's the first of its kind,
and it sort of elevates

the chamber up.

NARRATOR: The ceiling of the
chamber is built from stones

stacked vertically to form
an arc toward its apex.

It's a revolutionary technique,

known as corbelling, not seen
in pyramids before Sneferu.

Adel Kelany investigates
how Sneferu builds

this new style of
burial chamber

and begins the process of
creating the perfect pyramid.

In traditional tombs,
burial chambers are built

with flat roofs
and cut into the bedrock.

Adel constructs
a replica to compare

the two styles of
burial chambers.

[Kelany speaking]

NARRATOR: First, Adel builds
a model to replicate

a burial chamber
with a flat roof.

NARRATOR:
He adds blocks to the top

to recreate the force of
the thousands of tons of

stone in the pyramid's core
and waits to see

if the flat roof
can bear the load.

Next, Adel overlaps
the blocks,

like steps, to create
a corbelled ceiling.

[Kelany speaking]

NARRATOR: The corbelled ceiling
withstands more than

twice the force
of the flat top roof.

Each block acts
as a counterweight.

If Sneferu builds
his chamber at

the base of the pyramid
with a flat roof,

it will collapse.

So he pioneers
a new corbelled ceiling.

Now he can be buried inside
his pyramid, closer to the sun.

NARRATOR: Sneferu's Meidum
pyramid is revolutionary,

but it doesn't satisfy
the pharaoh's grand ambitions.

Meredith investigates why.

BRAND: Looking up,
it doesn't seem right.

It seems...

unfinished.

All the walls are rough,
there's pitting here and there.

I can see this wooden beam
bracing the top of

the ceiling, and it's --
it's like this burial chamber

is unfinished.

It's like the construction
workers in ancient times

are working here, and then
they just got up and left.

It doesn't seem to be that
Sneferu was buried here.

NARRATOR: If Sneferu is never
buried here at Meidum,

it could explain why
he builds the Red Pyramid

as his final resting place.

He wants a straight-sided
pyramid to align with the sun.

Sneferu made a break from
the past view of the afterlife

and shifts his focus to
the cult of the sun,

making him abandon
the pyramid at Meidum.

NARRATOR: Before Sneferu,
stepped pyramids

like the one at Djoser

represent the king's stairway
to ascend to the stars.

But this isn't enough
for Sneferu.

He wants to build
taller pyramids

that reach closer to the sun.

He transfers his cult temple
from the north side

of his pyramid to the east,

so it faces
the rising of the sun.

He dreams of a smooth-sided
pyramid to reflect

the sun's rays

and to symbolize a shaft of
sunlight rendered in stone.

How does Sneferu perfect
his new pyramid design?

Could a third pyramid

help explain his pursuit
of perfection?

NARRATOR:
The Red Pyramid,

a marvel of
ancient engineering,

the first true smooth-sided
pyramid ever constructed,

built by the pharaoh
Sneferu.

Egyptologist Meredith Brand
investigates how Sneferu

advances
this completely new design

and executes it
so perfectly.

She heads one mile south
of the Red Pyramid.

A curious structure

towers over the desert here.

BRAND: Normally, a pharaoh
builds one pyramid, but Sneferu,

he does something
no one did before.

He builds his first pyramid
in Meidum,

then his second pyramid,

the Bent pyramid,
and then makes a third,

the Red Pyramid.

NARRATOR: Sneferu's
second attempt is known

as the Bent Pyramid.

It is one of the most
unusual structures

that stands in the desert
at Dahshur.

BRAND: The Bent Pyramid is in
a remarkable condition.

There is
this beautiful, fine

white limestone outer casing
still preserved.

NARRATOR: Deep in the heart
of the Bent Pyramid,

Sneferu changes the design
of the Meidum Pyramid.

Now, a passageway leads to
a corbelled burial chamber,

reaching up higher into
the stonework of the pyramid.

On the outside, Sneferu
makes another radical change.

He builds smooth sides at
a daring 54-degree angle,

then at a more gentle incline,

giving the Bent Pyramid
its name.

He clads the exterior in
precision-cut

white limestone to make
a smooth-sided pyramid,

a shaft of sunlight
rendered in stone.

But the Bent Pyramid
is far from perfect.

Meredith investigates
what goes wrong.

So this is different
from most pyramids.

I can see here there's a big
gap between the blocks

used to build this pyramid,

and when I look closely,
the ancient Egyptians filled

this gap with small pieces
of stone.

This would have been incredibly
destabilizing on the pyramid.

The blocks don't touch.
They're not strong.

This gap between them
filled with debris

and rubble only serves
to destabilize

this pyramid further.

NARRATOR: Meredith makes
her way to the entrance

of the pyramid
on its northern face.

I've just stepped in,
and already,

I can see something
quite astounding.

There's a huge crack running
from outside all the way in.

It's a massive,
massive fissure.

NARRATOR: She descends
the narrow 260-foot-long tunnel.

Oh,
this is quite something.

I'm down in the descending
passage of the Bent Pyramid,

and I see just crack after
crack forming in the ceiling.

Civil engineers have studied
this and have shown that

the whole of the inside of
this pyramid is

shifting slightly.

NARRATOR:
Halfway through construction,

the outer layers of
the Bent Pyramid crack,

a grave warning of
engineering mistakes.

The site that Sneferu
chooses isn't

rock but loose
and shaley sand.

Workers lay the stone blocks
inwards instead of lying

them flat,

increasing the internal stress
on the pyramid.

If Sneferu's men continue
with the original design,

the entire structure
may collapse.

The workers building this
pyramid had already built

another one at Meidum,
so this was their second try.

And I can't imagine
being down this deep,

scary passageway
in the heat and the dust.

Must have been terrifying.

Also, I can't imagine
having to come back and tell

the pharaoh, "Your second
pyramid isn't gonna work."

NARRATOR:
Halfway up the pyramid,

the builders are terrified
it could collapse.

So they change the angle to
make it less steep.

Meredith uses a clinometer

to examine
this dramatic intervention.

So, when I hold it up

and I align with my sight,

the angle
or the point of inflection

where the angle changes,

I can tell
that this pyramid

changes suddenly
to around 43 degrees.

This is a completely
different slope

than the base of the pyramid.

NARRATOR:
The radical change in angle

saves the Bent Pyramid
from collapse

but leaves Sneferu's dream
of a smooth-sided pyramid,

built like a shaft of sunlight
rendered in stone, in ruins.

He abandons the Bent Pyramid,
just like his pyramid

at Meidum, and tries again
with the Red Pyramid.

BRAND: What's so interesting
is that the Red Pyramid has

a slope of 43 degrees from
the base all the way up.

NARRATOR: Sneferu learns
from his mistakes here

at the Bent Pyramid --
building too steeply

and on unstable ground
with angled stones.

He discovers 43 degrees
is the perfect angle to create

his ultimate pyramid.

The Bent Pyramid shows me that
Sneferu's a true innovator.

He realizes that
doing something

remarkable requires trial
and error.

And the Bent Pyramid is
the way that

snafu learns the route to
building a true pyramid.

NARRATOR: His quest for the
perfect resting place continues.

BRAND: Ancient Egyptians
believed that it's crucial for

the pharaoh to have
a perfect burial

in order for
the eternal cosmos to function

and their society to flourish.

The pharaoh has to have
a perfect pyramid.

NARRATOR: Can clues in
the casing of the Red Pyramid

tell us how quickly
Sneferu builds it?

And how does he afford to

raise so many structures in
the desert?

NARRATOR:
4,500 years ago,

a mysterious pharaoh,
Sneferu,

builds not one,
but three gigantic pyramids.

The Meidum Pyramid,

his first step towards
a sun-cult inspired tomb.

The Bent Pyramid,

an overly ambitious project
that almost ends in disaster.

And his final perfection,
the Red Pyramid.

Egyptologist Meredith Brand
explores how he builds so many.

BRAND: Sneferu managed to move
130 million cubic feet

of stone to build
three pyramids.

It's a phenomenal feat of
engineering, architecture,

and just
sheer human effort.

It's mind-boggling.

NARRATOR:
Investigators unearth clues to

how long each takes to build.

In the outer casing of
the Red Pyramid,

inscriptions of a cattle count

that occurs every two years
in ancient Egypt.

Like a logbook,

the markings are mapped out
across the pyramid's 160 layers.

Higher up, an inscription
of the 16th count.

And near the top,
one for the 24th count.

By looking at the distance
and time between the markings,

investigators work out
how long it takes

to build the pyramid.

These inscriptions make it
clear that's Sneferu

built one-fifth of
the pyramid in two years.

That means it would have taken
at least 10 years

to build this entire pyramid,

which is remarkably fast.

For Sneferu to get
this much work done,

he would have needed around
40,000 men.

NARRATOR: Meredith wants to know
how Sneferu amasses

the resources to pull off this
incredible feat of engineering

so quickly.

She examines an ancient text

for evidence of Sneferu's rule.

This is the Palermo Stone.

It's a small fragment of
a larger royal annal that

tells us what all the kings of
the Old Kingdom did.

And I can see,
looking at it,

there's a cartouche with
the name Sneferu, telling us

this is the king
we're looking for.

The Palermo Stone has
a tantalizing amount of

information about Sneferu --
this section here tells us

that Sneferu made
an expedition to Lebanon to get

cedar wood to build
a 100-cubit ship.

That's about 170 feet.

And this ship would have been
used to collect numerous

luxury goods
that he could use

to bolster the economy
and build the pyramids.

NARRATOR:
In his quest for resources,

Sneferu ventures
far into the deserts

beyond the Nile Valley.

He builds a fleet
of 40 ships used to

trade with Phoenicia,
modern-day Lebanon,

for their prized cedar wood.

He conquers neighboring Libya,
Nubia, and Sinai,

and captures 7,000 prisoners

and 20,000 cattle
to bring back to Egypt.

He likely puts the captive to
work in the quarries and mines

of lower Egypt to prepare vast
quantities of stone

for his building projects.

Building three pyramids is
a massive economic challenge

and Sneferu met that challenge
by setting up

agricultural states,

dedicating cattle, and even
using prisoners of war to

expand the Egyptian labor force.

NARRATOR:
Backed by these resources,

the Red Pyramid is
a masterpiece of construction.

It satisfies all
of Sneferu's wishes,

but it isn't just the outside

of the pyramid that
is revolutionary.

Sneferu rewrites
the rule book to create vaulted

chambers taller than any seen
before in Egypt.

What is the purpose of these
rarely seen hidden chambers?

And what lies
undiscovered inside

the labyrinth of this
ancient tomb?

NARRATOR:
The Pyramids of Sneferu.

The largest is
the Red Pyramid,

a wonder of engineering
on the exterior.

Meredith Brand
begins her ascent to

the entrance to explore its
groundbreaking design inside.

It is 94 feet up on the north
side of the pyramid,

higher than any other
pyramid Sneferu builds.

Even with modern steps,
the climb is tough,

but the entrance tunnel
reveals that

her journey will only
get harder.

This is the entrance of
the pyramid.

It plunges straight down into

the middle of the core of
the pyramid.

Without the modern steps,

this passage
would be treacherous.

NARRATOR: In an opening
on its northern side,

a hidden entrance leads
to a 206-foot passageway,

diving down at
an angle of 27 degrees

into the heart of the pyramid.

A first chamber connects by
a short, narrow corridor to

a second identical chamber,

both with corbelled ceilings.

They link 30 feet up via

a final corridor to
a third great chamber,

the inner sanctum
of the Red Pyramid.

Is this elaborate
labyrinth designed

to conceal Sneferu's mummy?

Meredith climbs down hundreds
of feet of dark tunnels.

The mere fact that I have
to crouch down like this

shows me that this wasn't
meant to be accessed by people.

NARRATOR: They lead
into a secret chamber.

BRAND:
I made it to the first chamber.

It's stunning.
It's huge.

The stones are big,
beautiful blocks.

It's all finished nicely,
and the ceiling is so high.

NARRATOR: This chamber appears
different to those

in Sneferu's other pyramids.

I can tell that the ancient
stonemasons took time

and effort to --
to finish them

and sort of polish them off.

This looks like a complete
interior of a pyramid.

NARRATOR: Sneferu finishes
the inside of his Red Pyramid.

This makes it more likely that
Sneferu's mummy is buried

here than in the Meidum

and Bent Pyramids,
which remain unfinished.

This passage leads from
the first chamber through

a tunnel to something else,
and it's a bit

to the side, and it's perfectly
wide enough for a big block to

completely hide this passage.

NARRATOR: Meredith searches for
where Sneferu's mummy might be.

BRAND: I made it into
the second chamber,

and I'm here in
the center of the pyramid.

There's 200 tons of stones
on either side of me,

and the ceiling goes up and up
and up and up and up.

NARRATOR: She searches
the second chamber

for a route through
the labyrinth.

All three sides of this
chamber have solid walls,

and then I look, and I can see
a huge, modern staircase

constructed, going up and up
and up and up to the top,

and it shows me
that there's something up there.

I'm excited to go
take a look.

NARRATOR: Meredith climbs
the modern staircase to

the top of
the corbelled ceiling.

Up here, she can see signs
that Sneferu

tries to hide the entrance
to a third chamber.

BRAND: These holes
high up on the wall are

a clue that there could have
been a suspended ceiling.

NARRATOR: A false ceiling here
would have hidden

the entrance to the third
chamber from unwelcome robbers.

BRAND: Any ancient robber
would have to search very

hard to find the entrance
to a secret chamber.

NARRATOR: Sneferu perfects
his pyramid design here,

inside the Red Pyramid.

He creates a labyrinth worthy
of his final resting place,

with a burial chamber
high up and close

to the sun, hiding his tomb
from robbers.

Does Sneferu's perfect pyramid
pay off, or do

tomb robbers discover his
final chamber and his mummy?

NARRATOR:
The Red Pyramid, built with

corbelled vaulted chambers
and concealed tunnels

to stop tomb robbers from
finding Sneferu's tomb.

Meredith Brand explores
the tunnels of

the pyramid to see
if his plan works.

She ascends
the modern staircase

and makes her way into
the upper chamber

of the Red Pyramid.

I've crawled through a passage,

and I've reached
this massive ceiling chamber.

It's 48 feet above me,

and looking around,

I can't see another doorway.

This seems to be the end.

There doesn't seem to be

another chamber
or anything else beyond this.

NARRATOR:
Marks on the ceiling

catch her eye.

It's remarkable.
I can see on

the roof that there's
this dark black soot.

It shows me that people have
been in here, lighting

candles that has emitted smoke,
staining the walls and the roof.

NARRATOR: Meredith hunts for
evidence that this is a sign

tomb robbers reach
this chamber.

The floor of this chamber is
completely dug up, and I can't

think of any reason why
an ancient Egyptian would want

to do this, unless it's to find
hidden treasure.

So it seems that robbers have
come in here,

digging this entire area up,

ripping out the original floor,
and leaving a big hole in

the ground,
almost 14 feet deep.

NARRATOR: Like all pharaohs,
Sneferu is buried

with unimaginable treasure

and a collection of funerary
goods for the afterlife.

But tomb robbers break in
and empty the chamber

of its riches.

They widen the passageway
so they can take

their bulky plunder
out of the chamber

to the pyramid's entrance.

Finally, they make off
with the loot across

the Egyptian desert,
never to be seen again.

When archaeologists first
enter the burial chamber,

nothing of Sneferu is left.

Meredith makes one final sweep
of the chamber.

She spots an unusual feature.

It suggests Sneferu
may have one last trick.

Looking around, all of
the stones are the same color,

and they look really similar,

except for over here on this
wall, there's a stone that's

darker than the stones

around it -- could there be
another chamber behind it?

NARRATOR: The tomb robbers
likely stripped this chamber of

great riches,

but whether they removed
Sneferu's mummy, or if he lies

undisturbed beyond these walls
is yet to be discovered.

His body has never been found.

I wonder if Sneferu's mummy is
still in the Red Pyramid.

NARRATOR:
Sneferu's mummy is lost,

but his perfect pyramid
is his lasting legacy.

BRAND: Sneferu
finally achieves his dream,

and he builds
his smooth-sided pyramid.

He makes a beacon of the sun
in the middle of the desert.

He finally achieves his goal,
and he's able to

join the Sun God, Ra,
on his eternal journey.

NARRATOR: Sneferu designs
the first true pyramid

and changes the way they are
built forever.

Ancient Egyptian kings were
inspired by the past, and what

Sneferu did was inspire

future kings of Egypt to
build bigger,

greater,
and grander pyramids,

NARRATOR: Sneferu builds more
pyramids than any other pharaoh

and revolutionizes
their design.

The Meidum Pyramid,

the first pyramid with
a corbelled

burial chamber
to reach to the sun.

The Bent Pyramid,
the first pyramid to

attempt smooth sides to
represent the sun's rays.

And the Red Pyramid,
Sneferu's perfect

third masterpiece,

the final resting place for
his body to journey to

the afterlife.

Sneferu's son, Khufu,
follows in his father's

footsteps, constructing
the Great Pyramid of Giza.

It has become the iconic
pyramid of ancient Egypt,

but it is the Red Pyramid
that changes the course

of pyramid building forever.