All language subtitles for Ancient.Powers.S01E01.Origins.1080p.AMZN.WEB-DL.DDP2.0.H.264-FLUX_track4_[eng]

Thousands of years ago,

ancient powers ruled
our world--

Egypt, China, India,
Greece, and Rome,

players in a high-stakes game
of strategy and luck.

Success will bring them wealth
and immortality...

failure, oblivion and death.

In their battle for survival,
each civilisation

will face the same challenges.

How they respond
will shape their destiny.

In this episode, "Origins,"

in a brutal world where nature
is both friend and foe,

our ancient powers
are just beginning.

They must use all their skill
and ingenuity

to shape their territory
and establish their cultures.

So who will tame the land
and claim their future?

10,000 years ago,
the kingdom of ancient Egypt

does not yet exist,
but bands of hunter-gatherers

are drawn to the banks
of the River Nile.

At the water'’s edge
they live hand to mouth.

They forage, fish, hunt
wild cattle and even hippos.

These wandering people
have just enough to eat,

but to set down roots,
they need more than this.

How can they make
this landscape

work harder for them?

Egypt'’s geography is key
to how this country developed

because the Nile
is what makes Egypt.

Through endless miles
of scorched desert,

the Nile creates a narrow strip
of life-giving fertility.

But it'’s this river'’s
unique geography

that gives early Egyptian
settlers a head start.

Once a year, heavy rains
at its source far to the south

send an enormous torrent

rushing towards
the Nile'’s river valley,

flooding the riverbanks
and bringing abundant life.

Floods in Egypt came annually
for over four months,

starting at the end of June,

and a large part
of the country was submerged,

and the waters flowed out,

depositing huge,
rich amounts of silt,

so they never needed
any fertiliser here.

So really, it was
an amazingly rich, fertile soil