All language subtitles for Unearthed.2016.S10E05.1080p.WEB.h264-REALiTYTV_track2_[eng]

NARRATOR: Abusir,

an ancient necropolis in
the heart of Egypt,

where a dynasty of
mysterious pharaohs,

the Sun Kings, turn Egyptian
society on its head

and reimagine its iconic
mega structures.

CéDRIC: This was the place
where creation started.

This is the place
where the world was born.

NARRATOR:
Strange structures

stand alongside
the pyramids here.

Now a team of experts
has special

access to investigate
this little known burial site.

We are on top of
the Sun Temple of Niuserre,

and from here,
we touch the sky and the sun.

NARRATOR:
Who are the Sun Kings?

And why do they create
these new structures

not seen in
Egypt before?

This place is
absolutely massive.

NARRATOR: And what can
Abusir reveal about

the radical changes sweeping
ancient Egypt

at the time of
their construction?

To solve the mysteries of
this extraordinary necropolis,

we blow Abusir apart.

We explore astonishing tombs,

investigate forgotten rituals,

decode ancient inscriptions,

and digitally reconstruct
this lost wonder in its prime

to reveal the rise
of the Sun Kings.

Abusir,

10 miles south of Cairo,

a mysterious necropolis
between Giza and Saqqara.

It is one of ancient Egypt's
great royal sites,

but one that is currently
closed to the public.

Archaeologists only begin
excavations at

this extraordinary cemetery
in the 1900s.

Now, our cameras have been
granted rare access

to follow teams as
they investigate this site.

Much remains here
to be uncovered.

The Abusir necropolis
covers more than 400 acres.

Four millennia ago,

the ancient Egyptians build
three huge pyramids here,

along with a host
of smaller pyramids

and tombs scattered
around them.

Each is a tomb designed to

Each is a tomb designed to

help the deceased journey
into the afterlife.

In the north sit
two mysterious

mega structures unlike
anything else in Egypt.

These unique complexes
feature enormous obelisks that

soar over 180 feet
into the sky.

What are these mysterious
monuments, and who builds them?

Max Nuzzolo has excavated
here for most of his career.

This is really
an impressive, huge site.

NARRATOR:
He investigates the remains of

one of
these mysterious structures.

You can see
the rectangular-like shape

with a big enclosure wall,

paved area, and the kind of
pyramid, which, in fact, was

probably not a pyramid,

but the trunk of pyramid
with a huge obelisk on top.

NARRATOR: In the center
of the enclosure,

an unusual feature
stands out.

an unusual feature
stands out.

And something even more
interesting, before the obelisk,

which is the altar.

These are all features
that look like temple.

NARRATOR: Max wants to know
who builds this strange temple.

An impressive block of
decorated stone

catches his eye.

This is a very interesting
element of the site.

It's a door frame
composed of two door jambs.

As you can see here, they are
shaped to host a door.

As you can see here, they are
shaped to host a door.

NARRATOR: Strange inscriptions
are carved into the doorframe.

What is very interesting here
is that one of these two

door jambs has
a hieroglyphic inscription

with the name
of King Niuserre.

NARRATOR: Niuserre
rules ancient Egypt

in the 25th century BCE,

81 years after Pharaoh Khufu
is entombed in Egypt's

famous great pyramid of Giza.

Max wants to
know why Niuserre

builds this curious temple.

He examines the pharaoh's
cartouche, an oval

box that contains
his name, for clues.

This cartouche is associated
with a specific element,

which is called
Golden Horus name.

The Golden Horus is

one of
the Sun God Ra's titles.

Niuse adopts
the divine title

and becomes Niuserre.

Niuserre wanted to be presented
as the direct son

of the Sun God Ra.

The ancient Egyptians
believe the falcon-headed Ra

The ancient Egyptians
believe the falcon-headed Ra

is the supreme divinity.

He creates every aspect of
the living world.

From his own tears,

he creates humans.

Ra is one with the sun.

He crosses the heavens in
the day and descends into

the underworld at night
to rise again in the morning.

Ra also directs
the three seasons

of the Egyptian calendar.

He makes the Nile flood
every year

and is the energy
that grows the crops.

and is the energy
that grows the crops.

Ra is all powerful.

Niuserre claims to be
his incarnation on earth,

allowing him to rule
with absolute power.

Niuserre is
a self-declared Sun King,

ruling with the power of Ra
behind him.

Max believes Niuserre's
association with

the all-powerful Sun God

could be the key to why
he builds

this pioneering monument.

He searches for evidence
among the ruins

He searches for evidence
among the ruins

and finds hieroglyphic clues.

In this hieroglyphic
inscription,

we have the original name of
the monument, described as

Shesep-ib-re --

that means something like
"the place of

the joy of Ra," the Sun God.

NARRATOR: The inscription
is proof that this mysterious

ruin is the sun temple
of Niuserre.

MAX: So here, we really find
a confirmation that this is

a sun temple,

the center of the sun culture
during the Sun King time.

the center of the sun culture
during the Sun King time.

Niuserre builds his sun temple
in 2400 BCE.

He constructs
a four-pillar portico

and an entrance sheathed
in gleaming white limestone.

Beyond it,
a 400-foot causeway ascends

to an impressive terrace.

Here, an imposing gateway
leads into a vast enclosure,

dominated by a 65-foot
truncated pyramid

and cased in lavish
red granite.

Sitting on top
is a monumental 118-foot-tall

obelisk made of
solid white limestone.

What is the purpose
of this strange temple?

Max investigates a key feature
of the temple to find out.

This is an altar composed of
four huge alabaster slabs.

This is an altar composed of
four huge alabaster slabs.

NARRATOR: He thinks
the choice of this rare

and precious stone
and the altar's shape

are both significant.

Alabaster is the main symbol
of purity, the symbol of

the Sun God, and these slabs are
done in a peculiar shape,

with this rounded edge
and elongated side,

which is a so-called
hetep sign --

means offer --
offer to whom?

Offer to the Sun God,
who is

represented in the center with
this impressive and huge disk.

represented in the center with
this impressive and huge disk.

NARRATOR: This alabaster altar
at the heart of the temple

is where priests make
offerings to Ra, the Sun God.

Max believes the temple
marks a turning point in

ancient Egypt,
the rise of the Sun Kings.

MAX: Here,
we really see the apex of

the solar cult
for the first time.

Here, we see the manifestation
of the direct association

of the cult of the sun
with the king.

Here we have, really, the center
of the Sun King era.

Here we have, really, the center
of the Sun King era.

NARRATOR: The Sun Kings
put themselves at

the center of the cult
and transform ancient Egypt.

We are actually on top of
the obelisk of the sun temple

of Niuserre, and from here,

we really touch the sky
and the sun.

For ancient Egyptians,
afterlife was at the core

of their religious system
and of their beliefs.

But here in the sun temple,

what is in the center of
attention is everyday life, is

what is in the center of
attention is everyday life, is

everyday cult of the sun, and
the king connected to the sun.

NARRATOR: The pharaohs of
previous dynasties are revered

as supreme leaders
during their rule

and become gods
in the afterlife.

But with
the sun cult of Ra,

the pharaohs are now worshiped
as gods in their lifetime.

What can a buried tomb reveal
about this radical 5th dynasty?

And can a mysterious
mummy help

And can a mysterious
mummy help

identify more of
these powerful god kings?

NARRATOR: Abusir --
a mysterious necropolis where

a pharaoh elevates himself
to god status

and transforms ancient
Egyptian civilization.

Cédric Gobeil wants to find
out if these tombs

are connected to the cult

and if this entire necropolis
is filled with Sun Kings.

He explores
a vast stone structure

hidden in the sand here.

From above, he can see
the interior layout

of a burial chamber,

along with the remains of
a makeshift roof.

Very strangely,
the top was capped

by pebbles, stone, and sand,

and the outside of the structure
was cased with limestones.

NARRATOR: This is a mastaba,
a single-story tomb.

NARRATOR: This is a mastaba,
a single-story tomb.

They are built by
the ancient Egyptians

throughout
their civilization.

When archaeologists
excavate here,

they make
a remarkable discovery.

20 feet below ground,

deep inside the tomb,

they unearth pieces of
a red granite sarcophagus,

fragments of four travertine
canopic jars,

and pieces of a mummy,
including a complete left hand.

and pieces of a mummy,
including a complete left hand.

Hidden with these finds,
buried in the heart of

the tomb, is a limestone block
painted with

a mysterious
black inscription.

Can these markings
reveal the identity

of the pharaoh
who is entombed here?

Cédric examines
the evidence

discovered in
the original excavation.

CéDRIC: The first one,
really striking,

CéDRIC: The first one,
really striking,

is a mummified hand,

and anthropological analysis
have shown that this is

the left hand of
a male individual

that died between the age 20,
23 years old.

NARRATOR: This is
likely the hand of

the tomb's original occupant.

The excavators unearth
a clue to his identity.

CéDRIC: In another picture,
I see hieroglyphs.

It's painted with black ink.

It clearly shows the name of

It clearly shows the name of

a king,
because we see the cartouche.

There's the design Ra,
nefer, and F,

so three signs.

This is the name of
the king, Neferefre.

So this is it.

We are in the mastaba
of Neferefre.

This royal name,
Neferefre,

features the same
distinctive ending as Niuserre.

This pharaoh makes
the same statement of

his divine link to Ra,
the Sun God,

his divine link to Ra,
the Sun God,

and asserts his claim that
he is also a living god.

This quarry mark is proof
that the pharaoh buried

here is also part of
the pioneering Sun Cult.

Neferefre is a pharaoh
of the 5th Dynasty.

He rules for just two years

and dies prematurely
at the age of 23.

Cédric suspects this whole
necropolis could be filled

with the rulers of
this mysterious Sun Cult.

with the rulers of
this mysterious Sun Cult.

He hunts for more evidence in

the ruins of a once
grand mortuary temple.

Oh, wow!
There it is.

You see,
this block actually is

giving me the name of
another king.

So we clearly see
the cartouche inside,

which you have then
the hieroglyph signs,

giving the name
of Sa-hu-re.

So the king, Sahure.

NARRATOR: Sahure is now
the third king

NARRATOR: Sahure is now
the third king

identified here, alongside
Neferefre and his mastaba

and Niuserre
with his sun temple.

Cédric investigates
the connection between

these pharaohs.

He examines a huge inscription
known as the King List,

discovered inside the temple
of Abydos in southern Egypt.

Created by Pharaoh Seti I,
it lists

the succession of kings
throughout ancient Egypt.

It gives us the names of
the king in chronological order,

It gives us the names of
the king in chronological order,

and what I can see
when I zoom in

is two names
that catch my attention.

So Neferefre
in a cartouche,

and in another cartouche,
we see Sahure.

The list reveals
a close connection.

There's only one king
between those two.

So the impression
I have is that they --

they could be part of
the same family,

knowing that kings would
succeed from father to son.

The king list enables Cédric
to trace the line of Sahure.

The king list enables Cédric
to trace the line of Sahure.

It reveals that Neferefre
and Niuserre follow in

succession and are likely to
be his grandsons, two brothers.

They are all in
one same family.

Therefore, the Abusir site,
the necropolis,

could be a necropolis
of a royal family.

NARRATOR: Sahure is the second
ruler of Egypt's 5th Dynasty.

He is father to Neferirkare

He is father to Neferirkare

and grandfather to
Neferefre and Niuserre.

All Sun Kings,

they are buried beside one
another in

Abusir, along with
their wives and Children.

Abusir is the Sun King's
family cemetery.

These radical pharaohs
declare a new era for Egypt

with their Sun Cult
at its heart.

They elevate themselves
to a higher status

in life than any pharaoh
before them.

in life than any pharaoh
before them.

Their people worship them
as Sun Gods

during their reign.

Their Sun Cult thrives for
more than a century.

And the Sun Kings rule

over their people with
divine authority.

Can discoveries beneath
the sand reveal macabre new

rituals in the name
of their Sun Cult,

and can evidence of
an uprising expose why these

pharaohs go to such extreme
lengths in pursuit of power?

pharaohs go to such extreme
lengths in pursuit of power?

NARRATOR:
At Abusir, Max Nuzzolo

investigates
the mysterious pyramids

and mortuary temples

of the 5th Dynasty
Sun Kings.

What we can see here
is the remains of

the hypostyle hall of
the pyramid complex

of King Neferefre.

Neferefre, a fourth generation
Sun King, builds

this structure at the foot of
his pyramid.

It is built largely
from mud brick

It is built largely
from mud brick

and has eroded
over the millennia.

But the remains reveal

it is once an extraordinary
feat of engineering.

In its prime,

this is a grand,
columned hall,

the first of its kind
discovered in ancient Egypt.

Twenty beautifully crafted
wooden columns are set on solid

limestone bases and are painted
in striking color.

In the main hall
stands a life-size

statue of the pharaoh,
seated on a golden throne.

Many more adorn the hall,
made from wood

and polished limestone.

But beneath them are small
wooden statuettes of

Egypt's enemies,

Nubians and Libyans, kneeling
with their hands tied.

What can this sacred space
reveal about

how the Sun Kings run
their cult?

The hypostyle hall is at

the heart of Neferefre's
mortuary temple.

A mortuary temple in ancient
Egypt is a highly sacred space.

It is a place to worship
the reign of the pharaoh,

as well as to celebrate
his journey into the afterlife.

The mortuary temple of
a king in the 5th Dynasty

was a kind of
the resurrection machine,

made through several steps.

First of all,
specific rituals to be

carried out in individual
part of the complex.

carried out in individual
part of the complex.

Secondly, with a huge decoration
showing the king as

the legitimate son
of the Sun God

accomplishing all
these tasks on Earth.

NARRATOR:
The 5th Dynasty Sun Kings

make their pyramids smaller

than the massive
mega structures

of the earlier pharaohs.

But they build their mortuary
temples much bigger.

They fill them with
powerful iconography of

conquered enemies,

so they are remembered
as successful rulers.

so they are remembered
as successful rulers.

Max visits
a remote corner of

this vast pyramid complex
to investigate further.

When we look at this site,
the first impression is void,

emptiness, but, in fact,
this is

only appearance, because here,
below our feet,

once there was
the Sanctuary of the Knife,

a very important monument

connected to the mortuary
complex of King Neferefre.

NARRATOR: When archaeologists
excavate the site,

NARRATOR: When archaeologists
excavate the site,

they unearth the ruins of
a mud brick building

over 65 feet long,

the Sanctuary of the Knife.

Near the entrance of
one chamber,

they find sharp flint knives
scattered in the sand.

In a neighboring chamber,
they discover fragments of

a jar.

Close analysis reveals
traces of beef fat inside.

In a final room,
they unearth cattle horns

and part of
an animal skull.

and part of
an animal skull.

Are these macabre discoveries

evidence of extravagant
rituals

invented by the Sun Kings?

This was a slaughterhouse,
a big

area for slaughtering
and production of meat.

NARRATOR:
The size of the slaughterhouse

discovered here
suggests it's used

for large-scale events,
where huge numbers

of animals are sacrificed.

Extravagant rituals
like these allow the Sun Kings

to demonstrate their divine
status and political power.

This was, in the end,
an important means to create

a social consensus
and a political stability among

the people supporting the king.

NARRATOR: The Sun Kings
live as self-proclaimed

divine rulers,
descended from the Sun God,

and keep their memory alive
through ritual

and keep their memory alive
through ritual

sacrifices, offerings,

and worship with sprawling
temple complexes bigger

than any before them.

Why do they introduce
this radical new era of

pharaoh adulation?

Can an extraordinary
buried tomb reveal

a threat to their power?

NARRATOR: Abusir,
a necropolis spanning

more than 400 acres,
packed with pyramids

and temples that honor
the 5th Dynasty Sun Kings.

But in the heart of
the royal cemetery,

one revolutionary structure
reveals an existential threat

to their rule.

This is
an exquisitely built tomb.

This is
an exquisitely built tomb.

The entrance features
a monumental portico held

by two 20-foot-tall,
lotus-shaped columns.

This gateway leads
to a large-scale

pillared courtyard, with
20 decorated limestone columns.

And deep underground
lies a burial chamber

with two enormous
red granite sarcophagi,

protected
by a gabled ceiling of

monolithic limestone blocks.

Who is this extensive
tomb built for?

And how do they threaten
the Sun Kings?

Kimberley Watt is on
a mission to find out.

She has been granted special
access to explore this tomb.

This place is
absolutely massive.

NARRATOR: The tomb is
grand and imposing.

NARRATOR: The tomb is
grand and imposing.

It includes royal
architectural features

and extensive reliefs.

KIMBERLEY: This courtyard is
filled with around 20 pillars,

and all of them are covered
with the same figure.

It's a relief of a man.

NARRATOR: Kimberley spots
an inscription above the relief.

It spells out his name
in hieroglyphs.

His name up there
is Ptahshepses.

Ptahshepses lives in the reign
of the Pharaoh Niuserre,

the sixth Sun King.

This is at a scale that we
normally see for royal people,

However, we don't know
any royal by the name of

Ptahshepses --
this individual is not

a royal person, because
he has a staff here,

which you can see
in his left hand.

It's a sign that
he's an official.

So this huge complex of
nearly 40 rooms

belonged to an official
that must have

belonged to an official
that must have

been so high up in
the administration, that he was

able to organize for himself

a tomb to this scale.

NARRATOR:
It's a lavish tomb.

Ptahshepses clearly
accumulates vast wealth in

his service of the Sun Kings.

He's represented
on all the walls,

and actually, the courtyards,
they go into this direction.

NARRATOR: Kimberley follows
the direction indicated by

the reliefs and heads
to the heart of the tomb.

the reliefs and heads
to the heart of the tomb.

KIMBERLEY: This is the burial
chamber of Ptahshepses.

We see the huge sarcophagus
in red granite.

Just next to it,
there's a smaller one.

NARRATOR:
The smaller sarcophagus

is an intriguing discovery.

Kimberley heads deeper into
the tomb to

hunt for clues to
Ptahshepses' companion.

They could reveal more
about this unique

official and how he becomes
so powerful.

Here, we see him again in
the entrance hall of

Here, we see him again in
the entrance hall of

the funerary chapel,

and, as you can see,
the colors are extremely

well preserved.

We can see here that
he is seated, and we may

have found the identity of
the person

who has a second sarcophagus.

NARRATOR: Kimberley decodes
the hieroglyphs to decipher

their identity.

This is his wife,
Khamerernebty,

and she is not just his wife,
she is also,

and we can see it here in
the inscription,

and we can see it here in
the inscription,

in the second column here,

she is a princess.

She is a daughter
of a king.

NARRATOR: It's
an incredible revelation.

It's one of the first times
in the history

of ancient Egypt that
a princess marries a commoner.

Kimberley wants to find out
how Ptahshepses rises to

this remarkable position
and what it means

for the Sun Kings.

She hunts for further
hieroglyphic clues.

So here,
we find Ptahshepses.

You can see his name just here,
and then we have a very

interesting title --
he is a iry nfr .

Iry nfr means that he is
the keeper of the hairdress,

so the wig of the king,
and that gives him

very close proximity
to the king.

NARRATOR: Kimberley uncovers
a series of hieroglyphs

that reveal Ptahshepses's
final status.

Two of the titles that
we see here are very important.

He's a judge,
and he's a vizier,

He's a judge,
and he's a vizier,

so the highest official in
the entire government in Egypt.

NARRATOR: Ptahshepses starts
his career as

the Pharaoh Niuserre's
hairdresser and manicurist.

The role gives him special
access to the pharaoh

and smoothes the path
to ever-higher offices

of the royal court.

He rises through
the ranks to become

overseer of all royal
construction projects in Egypt,

including those in Abusir.

Finally, Ptahshepses becomes
vizier to the king,

the equivalent to a modern-day
prime minister.

He only answers
to the pharaoh himself.

Ptahshepses becomes
so influential in the royal

court that Niuserre has him
marry his daughter,

Khamerernebty,

to guarantee his allegiance
and loyalty.

The rise of Ptahshepses reveals
a power shift taking

place where even a god king
finds himself compromised.

place where even a god king
finds himself compromised.

When all the kings built
their pyramids and their temple,

every time, they use
the resource of the country.

The resource
were overstretched.

What happened after this
overstretching resource of

the kings,
they relied

on the loyalty of
their officials, and that's how

we see it in
Ptahshepses's tomb, that he

made sure that this very high
official actually was loyal to

him by marrying
his daughter to him.

NARRATOR: The 5th Dynasty
pharaohs suffer

NARRATOR: The 5th Dynasty
pharaohs suffer

the consequences
of centuries of excess.

In Egypt's 1st and 2nd
Dynasties, the pharaohs build

simple single-story mastabas,

but by the 3rd Dynasty,
the pharaohs start to build

elaborate step pyramids.

By the 4th Dynasty,
the construction of

the giant pyramids at Giza
nearly bankrupts the state.

So the Abusir pyramids
are much smaller.

To combat
their waning authority,

the 5th Dynasty pharaohs
claim they are Sun Kings,

and they secure
the loyalty of

powerful officials
like Ptahshepses

through royal marriage.

Their Sun Cult revolution
is a desperate

attempt to cling on
to their rule.

Do these god kings manage
to hold onto their power,

or is the Sun Cult
destined to fall?

or is the Sun Cult
destined to fall?

NARRATOR: Abusir, a royal
necropolis and power base

to a family of
self-appointed god kings.

Their rule relies on an elite
class of royal courtiers.

Max Nuzzolo investigates
how the sun finally

sets on the rule
of the Sun Kings.

He heads two miles south
of Abusir

to Saqqara to examine
the tomb of Ty,

one of the most spectacular
tombs from the 5th Dynasty.

Ty is a powerful official.

He rises to high priest
under the rule of

the Pharaoh Niuserre,
the 6th Sun King.

MAX: The outstanding quality
of the decoration

and architecture of his tomb
demonstrated Ty

was really
a very powerful man,

even competing somehow with
the king, because he had inside

even competing somehow with
the king, because he had inside

elements of royal architecture.

The tomb of Ty is as lavish
as that of Ptahshepses.

It is evidence of yet another

radical shift in ancient
Egyptian society.

Max ventures deeper into
the very heart of the tomb.

He examines the walls for
reference to the Sun God Ra,

but can't see any.

MAX: We are now in
the inner chamber,

inner offering chamber
of the tomb of Ty.

Here on the first door,

we have the entire career
of the life of Ty.

On the top of the first door,
on the [indistinct],

we have the very,
very first mention

known so far of
the god Osiris.

NARRATOR: Osiris is
a new and powerful god

in Egyptian belief.

Ancient Egyptian mythology
describes Osiris

Ancient Egyptian mythology
describes Osiris

as a king who brings

the Egyptian people new laws
and teaches them about

agriculture and civilization.

His brother, Seth,
grows jealous of his power.

He cruelly murders
and dismembers

Osiris and scatters his body
across Egypt.

The wife of Osiris,
Isis,

sews the pieces of his body
back together.

She wraps them in linen
and uses

a powerful spell
to bring him back to life.

a powerful spell
to bring him back to life.

Osiris is unable to stay in
the world of the living.

He travels to the underworld
to become king of

the afterlife.

In a way,
we can say that this is

the beginning of the end of
the Sun Kings.

NARRATOR: The promotion of
Osiris over Ra in Ty's tomb

marks the end of
the 5th Dynasty Sun Cult

and heralds a revolution in
ancient Egypt.

and heralds a revolution in
ancient Egypt.

Ty is not just worshiping
a new god.

He plans to join Osiris
in the afterlife.

In this moment in the middle of
the 5th Dynasty,

one private individual is able
to take over royal prerogatives

and the cult of a very important

god like the god Osiris,
to whom

you want to be assimilated in
the afterlife,

exactly as kings wanted to do.

Resurrection --
once the gift of Ra

and the preserve of royalty --
is now for commoners, too.

and the preserve of royalty --
is now for commoners, too.

Ty and Ptahshepses can now
rise in life and in death.

The pharaohs, the Sun Kings,
are losing their unique

authority and their grip
on the levers of power.

Saqqara has more to reveal
about the end of the Sun Kings.

Max ventures
inside the pyramid of

the last pharaoh of
the 5th Dynasty, Unas.

the last pharaoh of
the 5th Dynasty, Unas.

Unas is buried here in
Saqqara, not in

the family necropolis
in Abusir.

Clues here could reveal

the Sun King's ultimate
fall from power.

Oh, wow.

This is astonishing,
incredibly amazing.

The room looks like a small one,
but it's full of

funerary offering formula.

funerary offering formula.

Every single space of this
room is packed with inscription,

because this is about funerary
formulas for the afterlife.

In the end,
the purpose of all of

this was to allow
the resurrection of the king.

Here, you can see
the name of the king

and Osiris, to whom the king
wants to be assimilated.

NARRATOR: It's evidence Unas
puts his faith in Osiris, too.

What we have here
on this wall

is the final assimilation
of King Unas.

is the final assimilation
of King Unas.

You see here the cartouche
and the god Osiris.

So Unas has now become
the god Osiris.

NARRATOR:
Unas now embraces Osiris,

the god of the afterlife.

He never builds
a sun temple.

The 5th Dynasty Sun Cult
is over,

and with it,
the era of the Sun Kings.

This is definitely the turning
point of Egyptian history

and the end of the solar time
and the Sun King's era.

Now the dominant god
is Osiris,

Now the dominant god
is Osiris,

and the king wanted to be
assimilated to Osiris.

This is evidently
the beginning of

a new phase of
Egyptian history.

NARRATOR: Unas dies
without a male heir,

and the 5th dynasty ends,

now only remembered through
its family necropolis.

Egypt's great dynasties come
and go over the millennia,

Egypt's great dynasties come
and go over the millennia,

but the pyramids
they build remain.

They are ancient
engineering wonders.

Cédric believes the ruins at
Abusir hold one final mystery

that could unlock secrets of
all the pyramids in Egypt.

Why is the necropolis built
here, in this exact location?

Can an aerial investigation
shine new light

on Egypt's underlying
obsession with the sun?

Abusir -- this ancient
necropolis charts

the rise and fall
of Egypt's Sun Kings.

Cédric Gobeil
believes one final

mystery remains
to be solved here,

more than 4,000 years after
this site is abandoned.

He's on a mission to
investigate why the pharaohs of

the 5th Dynasty build
their eternal homes

in this exact location.

He thinks Abusir
could be linked to

the wider landscape of
Egypt's most famous pyramids.

CéDRIC: The site of Abusir
covers many acres.

Walking through the pyramids
doesn't give us that many clue

and understanding

of why this site has been
built here, right between Giza

and Saqqara.

NARRATOR:
Abusir sits between Giza,

home of the great pyramids,
and Saqqara, where the first

step pyramids are built.

All three sites are on
the Nile's west bank,

All three sites are on
the Nile's west bank,

where the sun sets.

The ancient Egyptians
believe this is

where the dead can enter
the underworld

as the sun goes down.

Cédric hunts
for more clues about

the precise position
of each pyramid.

I'm looking at a satellite
image of the Cairo area, and we

can see clearly the pyramids of
Giza and the pyramids of

Abusir, and when we look at
the pyramids of Giza,

Abusir, and when we look at
the pyramids of Giza,

we know that they are facing
in a particular direction,

and the pyramids of Abusir

are also facing
in that same direction.

NARRATOR: The aerial evidence
reveals that the northeast

corners of the pyramids

at Giza and Abusir
all aligned in one

particular direction.

So when you take
these two lines,

you see that
they are converging

in one particular spot.

NARRATOR: Cédric heads 17 miles
northeast to examine

what lies at the point

on the map where all the sight
lines of the pyramids converge.

He hopes to find ancient
clues here that could reveal

why the Sun Kings align
their tombs to this point.

This is remarkable,
absolutely.

This is remarkable,
absolutely.

A huge obelisk,

standing there
since millennia.

Wow.

All the pyramid sides are
pointing to that very spot.

NARRATOR: The pyramids
at Abusir and Giza

are all orientated
to face this obelisk.

Cédric scours
the ruins around its base

Cédric scours
the ruins around its base

for clues to this iconic
monument's purpose.

Sitting right in front of
the obelisk, we have here

the depiction of
the god Ra himself,

easily recognizable with his
falcon head carrying

the sun disk
above his head.

NARRATOR: The evidence suggests
this location has

special meaning for the Sun
Kings and the Sun God Ra.

Looking at the inscriptions,
it was built roughly around

Looking at the inscriptions,
it was built roughly around

1950 BC -- clearly,
this is an ancient place,

and the name of this
place is Heliopolis,

the City of the Sun.

NARRATOR:
Heliopolis, the Sun City,

is the birthplace
of the world.

It's one of Egypt's
oldest cities,

the old capital of
lower Egypt.

It's also ancient Egypt's
great religious center,

and this granite colossus
at its heart

and this granite colossus
at its heart

is the oldest surviving
obelisk in the world.

CéDRIC:
The sun was born here,

and an obelisk is the perfect
symbol of this sun.

Like when you're a child,
you draw a sun right?

You have a circle
with all the rays around.

Well actually, the obelisk is
just a petrified ray

of sunlight --
this is what it symbolizes.

Clearly, there was a temple
of the sun right here.

So Ra,
the god Ra,

So Ra,
the god Ra,

one of the most important of
ancient Egypt, he was worshiped

here, and this place must have
been unique to the ancient

Egyptians,
because in their mind,

this was the place
where creation started.

This is the place
where the world was born.

NARRATOR: The Sun Kings
of the 5th Dynasty

hold Heliopolis in
especially high regard.

What links these kings to
this place is actually this

What links these kings to
this place is actually this

is the place where the sun was
being reborn every day.

So these kings were also being
reborn like the sun forever.

NARRATOR: Abusir --
an enigmatic necropolis

filled with pyramids,

elaborate mortuary temples,
and sun temples.

An ancient site that sees
the rise of the Sun Kings,

where the pharaohs rule
as gods with the cult of Ra,

where the pharaohs rule
as gods with the cult of Ra,

until its collapse
and fall to

the cult of Osiris,
god of the underworld.

A site of amazing discoveries
and home to a dynasty of

kings who promote themselves

with extravagant events
and costly rituals,

at the expense of
the state.

A site where an emerging class
of elite officials attain high

status and compete with
the pharaohs for wealth,

power, and a place in eternity
and transform

power, and a place in eternity
and transform

ancient Egypt forever.