All language subtitles for Ancient.Aliens.S19E04.1080p.WEB.h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

NARRATOR:
Incredible stone monuments

erected thousands of years ago.

The precision engineering
of the obelisks in Egypt

is absolutely ingenious.

NARRATOR:
These ancient monoliths
display mysterious

electromagnetic power.

They were like
lightning rods

that absorbed electrical
energy from the heavens.

NARRATOR:
And ancient traditions

connect them
to interstellar travel.

CHILDRESS:
This obelisk was thought of

as being a stargate,

through this
inter-dimensional portal.

NARRATOR:
Were megalithic obelisks

simply created to memorialize

the pharaohs
and kings of ancient Egypt?

Or did they serve
a far more profound purpose?

TSOUKALOS:
These standing stones are

pointing to the stars.

Why? Because that is
where we came from.

NARRATOR:
There is a doorway

in the universe.

Beyond it is
the promise of truth.

It demands
we question everything

we have ever been taught.

The evidence is all around us.

The future is
right before our eyes.

We are not alone.

We have never been alone.

Standing in
the most honored locations

of the greatest cities on Earth

are massive stone obelisks
pointing to the sky.

WILLIAM HENRY:
When you look at true
power cities around the world--

Paris, London,

New York,
Washington, D.C.--

they all have one thing
in common: obelisks.

JONATHAN YOUNG:
There are obelisks
at key locations

in some of the most important
cities on the planet.

In a key square in Istanbul,

there is an ancient obelisk

from Egypt with hieroglyphics.

Another is in Paris,

at the Place de la Concorde,

which is in
the largest square in Paris.

NARRATOR:
Although they are found
across the globe,

the vast majority
of the world’s obelisks

have a single point of origin:
ancient Egypt.

In fact, most obelisks
that adorn major cities

were originally part
of Egypt’s ancient landscape.

In ancient Egypt,
there were over 100 obelisks

that were sculpted and erected.

Only nine or ten of them
remain in Egypt,

but a lot, actually,
are outside of Egypt.

Obelisks have literally become
the spoils of war,

where a country invades Egypt,

or a country overtakes Egypt.

And this goes back
to Roman times.

And they would
take obelisks away

to erect
in their own capital city,

whether it was Rome,
under Roman times,

or, later, Constantinople.

NARRATOR:
The removal of obelisks
from Egypt

continued right into
the 19th century.

The Paris obelisk was carried
from Luxor in 1833.

London purchased its obelisk
from Egypt in 1878.

Cleopatra’s Needle was
given to New York

as a gift from
the Egyptian government in 1881.

ANDREW COLLINS:
Why would you want
to move them around

and take them
to foreign countries?

And I think the answer
must lie in the fact

that they were seen to have
an inherent power within them.

ROMANY:
The Egyptian obelisk
is one of the most unique

pieces of architecture
in ancient Egypt.

Every obelisk you look at,

it is a perfect
mathematical equation.

Geometrically perfect,
physics-wise perfect.

They were always
made of granite,

and they were four-sided,

and towered upwards

and eventually ended
in this perfect pyramid.

Most obelisks are found
in pairs,

often at the entrance
to certain temples.

And most of the obelisks

have beautiful hieroglyphs
carved into them.

Most hieroglyphs
that are on the obelisks

are always the king
asking the gods

to be there for him

on his journey
through the afterlife,

so that he can arrive
to the afterlife

and live for immortality.

And the top was always

dedicated to the sun god Ra,

one of the most powerful gods
in ancient Egypt.

NARRATOR:
The pyramid-shaped stone

on top of each obelisk,

called the Benben stone,

was a design
rooted in Egyptian mythology.

The Benben was a vehicle

which Atum,
the god of all creation,

used to travel back and forth

between the heavens and Earth.

HENRY:
We think of the Benben
as a craft, because

it is believed to have come
from the stars, originally.

When the god Atum arrived
on Earth,

he arrived in the Benben.

When the god Atum left
the Earth,

he rose in the Benben

and presumably went
back to the stars.

NARRATOR: Curiously,
the ancient Egyptian gods

were often depicted
as human-like figures

who came from the stars
and possessed incredible powers.

And as far as ancient astronaut
theorists are concerned,

accounts of gods traveling
in the Benben

could be a case
of misunderstood technology.

We always have to remember

that the technological
frame of reference

that our ancestors had
cannot be compared

to the technological frame
of reference that we have today.

Our ancestors
perhaps witnessed

some type of a craft

descending from the sky,

out of which
these extraterrestrials came

and jump-started civilization.

And they tried
to replicate the vehicles

which those gods arrived in.

NARRATOR:
Could it be true

that the top of every obelisk

commemorates
an alien visitation?

Ancient astronaut
theorists say yes,

and they suggest
the obelisks hold

far more profound secrets.

The ancient city, located more
than 500 miles south of Cairo

on the eastern bank
of the Nile River,

was the southern center of trade
for the Egyptian empire

more than 3,000 years ago.

It was also the home
of a sacred stone quarry

rich in red granite.

HENRY:
At Aswan, at the first
cataract of the Nile,

you find this
immense red granite quarry.

This is where almost all
the red granite

that’s used in the temples

and even the pyramids
of Egypt originates.

And here is
where you find the quarry

that the obelisks came from.

NARRATOR:
Many of the obelisks

that were carved out of
the Aswan quarry

were then transported
hundreds of miles

to their final destinations.

But how people living
thousands of years ago

were able to move and erect
such massive monuments

continues to baffle
modern engineers.

ROMANY:
We have inscriptions
on the walls in ancient Egypt

that shows us
how the process happened,

with multiple ropes

and people dragging it
on tree trunks

all the way
to the port on the Nile,

where they then
have to put it on

sometimes 27, 30,
35 ships attached together

to carry this
one massive obelisk,

and then sailing it on the Nile,

all the way to the port
that is closest to the temple,

and then arriving to the spot

where you have
to erect an obelisk

that is 400 tons or more.

That is 130 feet or more

up into a 90-degrees angle
without modern machinery.

But years and years later,

people tried
to replicate the process

and have failed miserably.

Transporting an obelisk

and putting it in place,

let alone sculpting it
in a quarry,

is still a big mystery
to us today.

NARRATOR:
While researchers agree

that the rope and pulley method

can explain the transport
of some obelisks,

ancient astronaut
theorists point to

another, more profound method,

that was documented as well.

We have some references
in ancient Egyptian texts

that also speak of

some of these obelisks
being levitated.

And the way that worked

is that a magical white powder

had to be strewn
across the stones

and then water was added

and through some
"magical incantations,"

then those rocks
lifted themselves

and they could
levitate into place.

CHILDRESS:
Were the Egyptians using
some kind of alien technology?

Not just to quarry the obelisk,
but to lift it up?

To move it, and then
to ultimately stand it up?

NARRATOR: Although
mainstream archeologists

dismiss the idea
that such advanced technology

could have been available
to the ancient Egyptians,

there is one obelisk
that still lies unfinished

in the Aswan quarry
that defies explanation

as to how it would
have been moved

to its final destination
using mere ropes and pulleys.

The unfinished obelisk
of Queen Hatshepsut.

It was actually
the biggest obelisk,

the tallest obelisk ever made,

never completely finished.

It would have stood
over 130 feet into the air.

It would have weighed maybe
1,200 tons, it’s estimated.

ROMANY:
The unfinished obelisk
was abandoned

because, as they were
sculpting the obelisk,

it had a crack
that started showing.

Every obelisk had to survive

for the rest of time
and even more.

So, one little crack,
it was not acceptable

and they had to abandon it.

NARRATOR:
Considering the immense amount
of work it took to quarry,

carve, and transport obelisks,

could these monuments have
had some practical purpose

beyond mere adornment?

According to
ancient astronaut theorists,

there is evidence that these
incredible stone structures

may have been used
for the transmission

of energy.

NARRATOR:
One of the many mysteries

surrounding
Egypt’s ancient obelisks

is why the original builders

chose to use stone
from the Aswan quarry

when, in most cases, other stone

was more easily available.

It was very important
to the ancient Egyptians

that when they erected
an obelisk,

that it be all
one piece of stone

and that they be carved
from the "correct rock,"

which was this
very high-quality granite

found in Aswan
in southern Egypt.

KAKU:
These monoliths were made
out of granite.

And there’s some quartz
inside the granite.

And quartz has some
rather interesting properties.

Like the piezoelectric effect.

If I take quartz crystal
and I squeeze it,

I can generate electricity.

Now, some people believe
that the obelisks

were like lightning rods

that absorbed electrical energy
from the heavens.

NARRATOR:
Could the Egyptian obelisks
have been designed

to attract energy?

In addition to the conductivity
of quartz stone,

it has been found that when
the obelisks were first erected,

they were capped with

a naturally occurring
metal alloy called electrum.

We know that they were covered
or capped, in many cases,

with electrum, which is a
combination of gold and silver,

and they may have been

meant to attract plasma,

electrically charged particles.

NARRATOR:
As far as ancient astronaut
theorists are concerned,

the obelisks were almost
certainly intended

to conduct energy.

And they suggest that
the source of this energy

may not have been from
the heavens, but instead

from the world’s most
extraordinary ancient structure.

On the western bank
of the Nile River

stands a marvel
of ancient engineering:

The Great Pyramid.

The largest structure
in the Giza pyramid complex

stands roughly 450 feet tall

and consists of over
two million stone blocks,

some of which are made
from the same red granite

that was used
to create the obelisks

throughout the country.

While Egyptologists believe

that it was built around 2570 BC

with earthen ramps,
ropes and pulleys,

definitive proof
of how it was constructed

and how old
the giant structure is

remains a mystery.

ROMANY:
The Great Pyramid of Giza
is a marvel of architecture.

Every block was five tons

and there is about
two million of them

to create a perfect
pyramid shape

that is one of the Seven
Ancient Wonders of the World.

The most ancient one
of them all and--

and the only one standing.

CHRISTOPHER DUNN:
The Great Pyramid at Giza
covers 13 acres.

It’s a very remarkable building.

The precision of this building,

uh, exceeds anything that
we require of builders today.

For instance, the area--
over 13 acres--

was leveled within
seven-eighths of an inch.

That’s about
the thickness of a thumbnail.

The casing stones
are joined line to line,

to within 10/1000 of an inch.

And their joints are

filled with some kind of
mysterious cement.

But nobody’s been able
to figure out

what the formula is.

This is not the work
of primitive people

who have copper chisels.

Inside the Great Pyramid are
a number of fascinating

chambers and corridors,

like the Grand Gallery,

this towering stairway

that goes up into
the so-called King’s Chamber.

NARRATOR:
Mainstream scholars theorize

that the Great Pyramid
was built as a tomb

for the Pharaoh Khufu,

who reigned
from 2589 to 2566 BC.

But archaeologists have yet
to find any human remains

or authentic grave markers
within the structure.

The design of the tunnel system

and chamber rooms
within the Great Pyramid

have convinced
engineering expert Chris Dunn

that the true purpose
of the massive structure

was to act as a power plant,

distributing energy
through obelisks.

DUNN:
We’re taught in school

that the Great Pyramid
is a tomb.

But if you look at

the complexity
of these buildings,

the precision
with which they were built,

the features
that you see on the inside,

these various shafts
and passageways...

For me, it looks like a machine.

NARRATOR:
With more than 50 years
of experience

in the aerospace industry,

Dunn believes that
chemical reactions took place

within the Great Pyramid

that generated
electromagnetic waves.

DUNN:
You have two shafts leading

into the Queen’s Chamber.

And these shafts delivered
the chemicals to the chamber

that they would mix
and boil off hydrogen

and then hydrogen
would pass through

another passageway
to the Grand Gallery,

and then into
the King’s Chamber.

NARRATOR:
Dunn speculates

that once the hydrogen gas
reached the King’s Chamber,

vibrations energized and
converted the hydrogen atoms

into microwaves.

You have evidence to support

the, uh, theory that

hydrogen was being fed
down the northern shaft

which leads
to the King’s Chamber,

and then it enters the chamber

and collects the energy that has
accumulated in that chamber

and then directs it
through the southern shaft

for the microwaves
to spread out.

So, that energy, uh,
would reach large distances.

And I think
if you had an obelisk

at any distance,
it could actually affect

that particular structure.

The great pyramid is itself
a power generator.

And that energy, it is
broadcast from the pyramid,

it’s picked up
by the transmitters,

which are the obelisks,
placed at key sites,

made of red granite,
that are able to be tuned

to the specific frequencies
coming from the pyramid.

NARRATOR:
Could it be true--

as some researchers and experts
like Chris Dunn believe--

that the Great Pyramid of Giza

was actually a power plant?

And that obelisks were used
as receiver towers

designed to distribute
the generated power?

While such a sensational notion

may sound like science fiction,

Egypt’s pyramids and obelisks

served as inspiration
for the first person

to wirelessly transmit
electricity

in the modern world:

Nikola Tesla.

NARRATOR: When
engineering expert Chris Dunn

first presented his theory

that the Great Pyramid was
used to generate electricity

in his 1998 book
The Giza Power Plant,

it ignited
a firestorm of controversy.

But he was not the first

to propose
this audacious notion.

A century earlier,
in the 1890s,

Nikola Tesla,
the famed engineer and inventor

of the first alternating current
motor and power system,

studied the ancient
structures of Egypt

while working
to develop a system

for transmitting electricity

without the use of wires.

SEIFER: Tesla studied
the ancient Egyptians.

He was fascinated
by the ancients

and their understanding
that quartz produced

electrical frequencies.

He thought that they understood
what quartz was all about.

Tesla used crystals.
He used quartz.

And all of that can be found
in the ancient obelisks.

NARRATOR: According
to Chris Dunn’s theory,

chemical reactions took place
inside the Great Pyramid

to create microwave energy

and transmit it to the obelisks

through the air.

But Tesla believed
the ancient Egyptians may

have instead been amplifying

the natural energy currents
present in the Earth.

In 1898,

he began building an electrical
tower in Colorado Springs

based on this hypothesis,

and, three years later,

announced that he had succeeded

in creating
the modern world’s first

wireless energy transmitter.

It’s really interesting to me

that when Nikola Tesla was
putting together

his Colorado experiments,

he was getting information
from an expedition

that J.P. Morgan was
paying for in Egypt.

And he was getting information

about the size of the pyramids
and the obelisks

and Tesla was talking
about using these towers

to send power
that he takes from the Earth

around the world
to people wirelessly.

It was a large tower

that has a ray conductor
on top of it

and then a large conducting
pipe that went way deep

into the granite basin
underneath it.

He was grounding
his system into the Earth,

electrically connecting it
to the Earth,

and then he would
tune this system

until it reached
a certain frequency.

He drives the energy
into the ground.

He then put light bulbs
all along the mountains

and all these light bulbs lit.

That was his proof that he could
send electrical energy

through a wireless system.

NARRATOR:
After the success of
his initial experiment,

Tesla began devising
a much more ambitious plan

for wirelessly
transmitting electricity.

In March of 1901,

after relocating
to Long Island, New York,

Tesla began construction on
a nearly 200-foot-tall structure

known as Wardenclyffe Tower.

The larger structure
would allow him

to generate more energy
to send into the Earth.

Tesla’s Wardenclyffe Tower

was supposed to be
his crowning achievement.

A lasting monument
that would generate energy,

and send energy
over hundreds of miles.

Tesla thought he could
energize entire cities.

Unfortunately,
it was never tested

because he ran out of money.

NARRATOR:
Although Nikola Tesla was unable

to realize his grand vision

for wirelessly
transmitting energy

with Wardenclyffe Tower,

is it possible
that he was on the brink

of recreating a technology

that the ancient
Egyptians possessed

nearly 4,000 years before him?

TAYLOR:
Tesla’s original designs

for the Wardenclyffe Tower

was to be the same height
as the King’s Pyramid in Giza.

I find it really interesting.

Was he thinking that
the ancient Egyptians

were actually sending power,

collecting it
from the Earth somehow,

and transmitting it
with these obelisks?

If Nikola Tesla was onto
something like that,

perhaps that was

what the ancient Egyptians
were doing.

NARRATOR:
But if Egypt’s obelisks

were designed to conduct energy,

the question remains:

what purpose did this serve?

Was it to create a source of
electricity for the community?

Or could the power
of the obelisks

have served
an otherworldly purpose?

Perhaps clues can be found
at the Temple of Edfu,

which contains thousands
of hieroglyphs

detailing the customs
and mythology of ancient Egypt.

According to
the so-called Edfu Texts,

a 160-foot-tall obelisk
once stood

at the sun temple
of Abu Gorab in Memphis,

where the people could
commune with the gods.

TSOUKALOS: According
to the ancient Egyptian

building texts from Edfu,

Abu Gorab was known as
"the Place of the Gods."

And what’s so interesting
is that

most mainstream Egyptologists

are actually saying that

we know it as a place

where the ancients connected
with "divine energies."

YOUNG:
The obelisk itself was
the point of contact

between humans and the gods.

We communicated with the gods
through that stone.

HENRY:
I think it’s quite possible that

where you find
these obelisks were

places of communion
or communication

with the sky gods,

with extraterrestrials.

NARRATOR:
Could it be that the obelisks

were alien
communication devices,

allowing the ancient
Egyptians to make contact

with their
extraterrestrial gods?

Ancient astronaut
theorists say yes,

and suggest
further evidence can be found

by examining the story
of Egypt’s most famous son:

the prophet Moses.

NARRATOR:
Cairo, Egypt.

Roughly 20 miles northeast of
the Giza pyramids and the Sphinx

is a site
that was of great significance

to the ancient Egyptians:

the sacred city of Heliopolis.

Here, at the site of
a 70-foot-tall obelisk,

the pharaohs were said
to commune

with a council of nine gods
called the "Ennead,"

who brought technology
and knowledge to mankind.

One of the oldest obelisks
we have today

is one that was of
a pair of obelisks

that stood in Heliopolis,

the city of the sun god Ra,
so close to Cairo today.

In Heliopolis,
the pharaoh of Egypt

would have to consult
with the nine gods, the Ennead,

with every aspect in life

to make sure
he is doing the right thing.

Every ancient Egyptian would
have their full trust

that anything coming out
from the mouth of the king

is the word of the nine gods.

And the obelisk is there

to receive the messages

and deliver it to its people.

COLLINS:
So, once more,

we have the idea of the obelisk

associated with

communication with some kind
of higher intelligence.

NARRATOR:
What makes Heliopolis
of particular interest

to ancient astronaut
theorists is the fact

that it is associated
with a famous biblical figure

who also created a device for
communicating with the heavens:

the prophet Moses.

According to the Book of Exodus,

Moses was born in Egypt
to Hebrew parents,

who set him afloat on the Nile
in a reed basket

to save him from an edict

calling for the death
of all newborn Hebrew males.

Found by the pharaoh’s daughter,

he was raised
in the Egyptian court,

and educated in Heliopolis.

We know from the Bible

that Moses was raised
in the house of Pharaoh.

He was raised
amongst the priests

of the Egyptian religion.

They had knowledge

of the ancient wisdoms

and the ancient technologies.

Moses learned many of
these things from them.

So, years later,
when God speaks to Moses

and commands Moses to bring

the children of Israel
out of Egypt,

Moses brought with him
many of these secrets.

NARRATOR:
In the Book of Exodus,

Moses frees the Israelites
from enslavement

and leads them out of Egypt.

COLLINS:
The Israelites were taken out

into the wilderness of Sinai.

And they came
to Mount Sinai itself.

And Moses went up
the top of the mountain

and he saw Yahweh

in the form of
an incredibly bright light.

And during this time,

God gives him
the Ten Commandments.

But what he also does

is give him the instructions

on how to make
the Ark of the Covenant.

NARRATOR:
The Ark of the Covenant
is described in the Bible

as the sacred wooden box

that would hold
the Ten Commandments.

It was also said to enable

direct communication with God.

Is it possible that
Moses’s education in Egypt

influenced the construction
of the Ark of the Covenant,

a sacred vessel believed
to be a communication device

and possessing the same powers

attributed to the obelisks?

Curiously, within the
ancient Egyptian Temple of Seti

in Abydos,
there is a mural

that depicts an object which,
to some researchers,

looks strikingly similar
to the Ark of the Covenant:

the so-called Osiris Device.

HENRY:
At the Temple of Seti at Abydos

is a depiction of a very
technological-looking apparatus.

That is the Osiris Device.

Now, when we look
at the platform

upon which the pillar portion
of the Osiris Device rests,

that platform looks
exactly like depictions

of the biblical
Ark of the Covenant.

This is no coincidence.

This is
a continuity of tradition.

Now, if this is
a real communications device,

it actually, honestly,
must have worked

with some form of a technology.

NARRATOR:
According to some researchers,

not only was the Ark of
the Covenant based on technology

that Moses learned about
in Heliopolis,

but the fact
that it was described

as a communication device

points to a connection
with the obelisks.

COLLINS:
This is a box that’s covered
over in gold in layers.

And then it has a lid,

the so-called "Mercy Seat,"

with the two cherubim
facing each other

and God would appear

between those two cherubim
as this blinding light.

We have elements here
in connection with the obelisks.

They, too,
would seem to have had

gold placed at their apexes.

And we also know
that the pyramids

had capstones made of gold

and that gold is an incredible
conductor of electricity.

CHILDRESS:
So here we have the obelisks
as, perhaps, electrical devices

and also communication devices.

And then you have
the Ark of the Covenant.

And they seem to have
the same function.

And you have to ask yourself,

could it be the same technology

coming from the Egyptian gods?

NARRATOR:
Was the Ark of the Covenant

a portable version
of an obelisk?

An energetic device
that provided

a direct communication link

to otherworldly beings?

Ancient astronaut
theorists say yes,

and suggest that
further evidence can be found

in a place where tradition holds
that the Ark of the Covenant

has remained hidden
for centuries--

a place that also happens
to be home

to the largest collection
of obelisks on Earth.

NARRATOR:
Aksum, Ethiopia.

This ancient city

was once the heart
of the Kingdom of Aksum,

a powerful empire that thrived
for nearly 900 years

starting in
the first century AD.

It is also home to more than
a dozen ancient obelisks.

HENRY:
What’s curious about Aksum is

the large number of obelisks
that are there.

It’s a city of obelisks.

It’s practically
a forest of obelisks.

NEWMAN:
There, the obelisks are
a whole different thing.

These aren’t just
perfectly smooth.

These have got almost, like,
windows going up in levels.

One of them even has, like,
a doorway carved on the bottom

with a small handle,
just carved out of solid rock.

NARRATOR:
The obelisks of Aksum were not
topped with a pyramidion

or carved from the Aswan quarry
like those in Egypt,

but they were equally as massive

and were each made
from a single stone.

CHILDRESS:
The largest obelisk that we know
that was ever erected

was not erected in Egypt
but in Aksum.

There were over 100 obelisks
at one time.

And the biggest
is a huge obelisk

that weighed
well over 1,000 tons.

NARRATOR:
But why did the people
of Aksum make so many obelisks?

Could they have
learned the secrets

of the ancient Egyptians?

According to some researchers,

these obelisks may have been
erected to indicate

that Aksum has a profound
connection to the heavens.

A connection that may combine
two ancient technologies:

the obelisks

and the Ark of the Covenant.

The Ark of the Covenant.

The great mystery: where is it?

The Bible, of course,
has its own traditions

and teachings on this.

But out of the Ethiopian culture

we have an alternate teaching,

an alternate lesson
about where is the Ark.

They believe that
the Ark of the Covenant

is there residing with them.

NARRATOR:
The mystery of what happened
to the Ark of the Covenant

began in 587 BC,

when the Babylonians
conquered Jerusalem

and looted Solomon’s Temple,

where the Ark had been housed
for 350 years.

After this event,

the Ark of the Covenant
disappears

from the historical record,

but, curiously,
there is also no record

of the Babylonians
having taken it.

While there are many theories
as where the Ark went,

one of the most prominent
claims can be found

in ancient Ethiopian history.

One version of the fate
of the Ark of the Covenant

is contained within
a Ethiopian holy book

known as the Kebra Nagast.

It’s a story involving
King Solomon,

who had the Ark,

and his meeting
with the Queen of Sheba.

And it was said
that they had a liaison,

and that a son was born
to the Queen of Sheba

by the name of Menelik.

And that, eventually,
Menelik traveled

from his homeland of Ethiopia

to visit his father Solomon
in Israel.

NARRATOR:
According to the story,

when Menelik left Israel,

he and his men secretly took
the Ark with them back to Aksum.

Devoted followers believe

it still resides there today.

REVEREND MICHAEL J.S. CARTER:
Many believe,

especially Ethiopian
Orthodox Christians,

that the Ark of the Covenant

is in a small chapel

called Our Lady Mary
of Zion Church.

And monks are there
who guard this day and night.

On pain of death,
they cannot leave the grounds.

So, something is there that is

worth these monks saying,

"I will die
before I leave this compound."

HENRY:
You wonder, why are there
so many obelisks

in this place,
at the very same place

where the Ark of the Covenant
is said to have been located?

Is there a connection?

CARTER:
Aksum, at one time,

was a center of power
and prestige

in the ancient world.

It was the trading route

between Persia and Rome.

And so they were connected to...

to other parts
of the ancient world.

And now you have
the Ark of the Covenant,

and you have the obelisks.

If you connect the dots,

it’s very difficult
not to think

that civilization got
its knowledge from Egypt.

CHILDRESS:
In Aksum, they believe
that the Ark of the Covenant

and the obelisks
are all connected.

So we have to ask ourselves,

were the ancient people using
some kind of super technology?

It remains a mystery
to this day.

NARRATOR:
Could the obelisks
of ancient Egypt,

which still mystify
modern engineers,

have been highly advanced tools
of otherworldly technology?

While the truth may
remain hidden in the past,

ancient astronaut
theorists believe

that, today, obelisks may
still provide a connection

to our alien ancestors.

NARRATOR:
Washington, D.C.

December 6, 1884.

The final stone is placed

at the top of
the Washington Monument,

an Egyptian-style obelisk

dedicated to the first president
of the United States:

George Washington.

HENRY:
The Washington Monument

is considered the tallest
obelisk in the world.

It’s 555 feet tall.

TSOUKALOS:
It’s fascinating
that the largest obelisk

currently exists
in Washington, D.C.

And you have to ask
the question, why?

Because, worldwide,
there has been a fascination

that goes back
into deep antiquity

about these standing stones.

The Vatican, ancient Egypt,

in New York City,

Aksum, in Ethiopia,

all over the world
you have these obelisks,

these markers
that point to the sky.

NARRATOR:
Since the decline
of the Egyptian empire

approximately 2,000 years ago,

nearly 30 obelisks
have been moved

from their original locations
to sites across the globe.

But why?

NEWMAN: There may have been
something more magical at play.

Because I believe
these ancient cultures

had mastered things we are only
just starting to understand.

And perhaps the power of
these obelisks has been kept

for multiple generations
in secret.

In fact,
the symbol of the obelisk

became part
of many secret societies.

It became part of the Masonic
founding of Washington, D.C.

And where they’re placed
around the world

is also very interesting,

because they’re not placed
in just random positions.

They’re placed geodetically,

often linked with ancient Egypt.

CARTER:
What is it about the obelisks

that attracts us,
that resonates with us?

Well, number one is

humanity’s always striving.

We’re always reaching up
to the stars.

Because, I think,
in some cellular memory,

we get it: that that’s really
where we come from.

Even if we don’t realize

that what
we’re probably doing is

commemorating
our extraterrestrial origins.

TSOUKALOS:
I think the evidence is right
in front of our eyes.

These standing stones
are pointing to the stars.

Why? Because that
is where we came from.

HENRY:
In Washington, D.C.,
they put the reflecting pool

beside the obelisk.

This draws our eye
into the heavens,

because we see
the reflections of the stars

and the heavens
in that reflecting pool.

And we instantly connect that
the obelisk and the heavens--

and D.C., in fact--
are all connected.

NARRATOR:
Could the towering
stone obelisks

of ancient Egypt represent
an advanced technology

that existed on Earth
thousands of years ago?

Have we placed them
in important locations

all around the world

because of our innate awareness
of their profound power?

While the original function

of the obelisks
may be lost to time,

perhaps they now serve
a new purpose:

to stand as a testament

to the enduring connection

between humanity
and our alien creators.

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