1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:07,320 Tonight, my exclusive access to an ancient Egyptian necropolis continues. 2 00:00:07,320 --> 00:00:12,040 Do you know that you are the only foreigner to come here to my site? 3 00:00:12,040 --> 00:00:17,760 Beneath the sands of Sakara, I'm on the hunt to unravel the secrets of Egypt's old kingdom. 4 00:00:17,760 --> 00:00:21,320 Everywhere you dig here, you have no idea what you're going to find. 5 00:00:21,320 --> 00:00:21,960 Muhammad? 6 00:00:21,960 --> 00:00:22,400 Yes. 7 00:00:22,400 --> 00:00:23,760 Hold on, I got something. 8 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:24,960 I think it's a face. 9 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:30,040 Can cutting-edge technology help solve a 4,000-year-old mystery? 10 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:33,960 This mummy we scanned is unbelievably historic. 11 00:00:33,960 --> 00:00:40,200 As we put together the clues of how one of the greatest civilizations of the ancient world fell into chaos. 12 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:44,160 The entirety of Upper Egypt was dying of hunger. 13 00:00:44,160 --> 00:00:47,960 There's no telling what secrets these tombs hold. 14 00:00:47,960 --> 00:00:51,800 This is the first tomb to be decorated underground. 15 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:52,640 Ever found in Egypt? 16 00:00:52,640 --> 00:00:54,000 Ever found. 17 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:56,720 It's an exhibition unknown right now. 18 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:58,320 Look at this beautiful color, Josh! 19 00:00:58,320 --> 00:01:00,680 Amazing, look at it! 20 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:01,760 Are those bones? 21 00:01:01,760 --> 00:01:02,640 Yes. 22 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:03,880 Oh, yes. 23 00:01:03,880 --> 00:01:05,320 We got a skull right here. 24 00:01:07,320 --> 00:01:09,320 My name is Josh Gates. 25 00:01:09,320 --> 00:01:10,520 Hello! 26 00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:12,360 Explorer. 27 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:13,400 Adventurer. 28 00:01:13,400 --> 00:01:14,520 Amazing. 29 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:15,280 Woo! 30 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:18,320 And a guy who ends up in some very strange situations. 31 00:01:18,320 --> 00:01:19,200 Oh, s***. 32 00:01:19,200 --> 00:01:20,880 Woo, that was exciting. 33 00:01:20,880 --> 00:01:24,760 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained, 34 00:01:24,760 --> 00:01:26,600 I travel to the ends of the Earth, 35 00:01:26,600 --> 00:01:29,560 investigating the greatest legends in history. 36 00:01:29,560 --> 00:01:31,120 Okay, let's punch it! 37 00:01:31,120 --> 00:01:33,560 This is Expedition Unknown. 38 00:01:37,560 --> 00:01:41,120 Egypt's Old Kingdom, the Age of Pyramids. 39 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:46,160 Stretching from about 2700 BCE to 2200 BCE, 40 00:01:46,160 --> 00:01:50,480 it was a flourishing culture where dynasties of all powerful pharaohs, 41 00:01:50,560 --> 00:01:52,400 acting as gods on Earth, 42 00:01:52,400 --> 00:01:55,520 commissioned many of Egypt's grandest monuments. 43 00:01:55,520 --> 00:02:00,000 And then, suddenly, it all came crashing down. 44 00:02:00,000 --> 00:02:02,880 Egypt mysteriously fell into a dark time 45 00:02:02,880 --> 00:02:05,680 known as the First Intermediate Period. 46 00:02:05,680 --> 00:02:07,080 But why? 47 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:09,200 Now, after 4,000 years, 48 00:02:09,200 --> 00:02:12,200 the Old Kingdom is finally giving up its secrets 49 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,760 in a desert cemetery called Sakara. 50 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:18,080 In the shadow of the sixth dynasty pharaoh, 51 00:02:18,080 --> 00:02:19,840 Meran-Raz Pyramid, 52 00:02:19,840 --> 00:02:22,720 archaeologists are excavating a necropolis 53 00:02:22,720 --> 00:02:24,840 where nobles of Meran-Raz time 54 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,080 were entombed for their eternal afterlife. 55 00:02:28,080 --> 00:02:31,920 And I have an all-access pass to explore the dead. 56 00:02:31,920 --> 00:02:33,680 In a couple of minutes of working, 57 00:02:33,680 --> 00:02:36,440 we can find the entrance of this tomb. 58 00:02:36,440 --> 00:02:39,080 Dr. Mustafa Waziri is Secretary-General 59 00:02:39,080 --> 00:02:41,840 of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities. 60 00:02:41,840 --> 00:02:45,440 He's invited me to help excavate some of the site's burial shafts 61 00:02:45,440 --> 00:02:47,640 for the very first time. 62 00:02:48,200 --> 00:02:50,200 Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, here. 63 00:02:50,200 --> 00:02:51,560 We got an opening! 64 00:02:51,560 --> 00:02:53,960 Our hope is that these tombs can help explain 65 00:02:53,960 --> 00:02:56,280 the fall of the Old Kingdom. 66 00:02:56,280 --> 00:02:59,200 We've already found a perfectly preserved offering 67 00:02:59,200 --> 00:03:01,600 of more than 40 intact vessels 68 00:03:01,600 --> 00:03:04,960 that showed us how rich these elite citizens were. 69 00:03:04,960 --> 00:03:07,760 And the badly damaged mummy of a child 70 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:09,960 interred here in a simple coffin, 71 00:03:09,960 --> 00:03:12,240 reminding us of the disparity of wealth 72 00:03:12,240 --> 00:03:13,760 in this ancient society. 73 00:03:14,680 --> 00:03:17,200 And there are other mysteries as well. 74 00:03:17,200 --> 00:03:20,760 Because the Old Kingdom descended into chaos and civil war, 75 00:03:20,760 --> 00:03:24,040 all of the great pyramids from this period were looted, 76 00:03:24,040 --> 00:03:26,520 and no mummy of an Old Kingdom pharaoh 77 00:03:26,520 --> 00:03:29,200 has ever been found, or has one. 78 00:03:30,360 --> 00:03:33,880 I climbed into the collapsed pyramid of the pharaoh Meran-Raz, 79 00:03:33,880 --> 00:03:36,480 where, at the end of a long-sealed corridor, 80 00:03:36,480 --> 00:03:39,680 a controversial mummy was found over a century ago. 81 00:03:39,680 --> 00:03:42,240 My scroll found the mummy inside the sarcophagus here. 82 00:03:42,240 --> 00:03:45,040 It may be the remains of the young king. 83 00:03:45,040 --> 00:03:47,840 If it could be proven, it would be historic, 84 00:03:47,840 --> 00:03:51,560 and the oldest royal mummy ever discovered in Egypt. 85 00:03:51,560 --> 00:03:53,360 To help confirm its identity, 86 00:03:53,360 --> 00:03:56,640 we performed the first ever 3D digital scan 87 00:03:56,640 --> 00:03:58,000 of the would-be pharaoh. 88 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:00,120 It's unbelievable. It's perfect. 89 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:02,360 Now, while the scan is being processed, 90 00:04:02,360 --> 00:04:04,440 I've returned to the Sakara dig site 91 00:04:04,440 --> 00:04:07,560 where we had previously discovered a large burial shaft. 92 00:04:08,680 --> 00:04:10,680 After repairing a collapsing wall 93 00:04:10,680 --> 00:04:13,120 and moving literally tons of sand, 94 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,960 I, along with Dr. Waziri and his colleagues, 95 00:04:15,960 --> 00:04:18,760 Dr. Muhammad Al-Saidi and Muhammad Yusuf, 96 00:04:18,760 --> 00:04:20,680 have descended into the pit, 97 00:04:20,680 --> 00:04:23,320 where we make a remarkable discovery. 98 00:04:23,320 --> 00:04:24,920 We got a vault. 99 00:04:24,920 --> 00:04:27,720 Oh, no, Josh! 100 00:04:27,720 --> 00:04:29,600 Oh, my God! 101 00:04:29,600 --> 00:04:31,240 It's a tomb! 102 00:04:32,440 --> 00:04:34,360 It's fully decorated! 103 00:04:34,360 --> 00:04:36,360 Look at this! 104 00:04:38,080 --> 00:04:40,320 Holy s***! 105 00:04:40,320 --> 00:04:42,320 Oh, my God! 106 00:04:44,040 --> 00:04:46,720 The crew sings in celebration of the find, 107 00:04:46,720 --> 00:04:50,760 and Dr. Waziri wastes zero time in exploring the new chamber. 108 00:04:50,760 --> 00:04:52,080 I can't wait. I can't wait. 109 00:04:52,080 --> 00:04:53,560 It's beautiful colors! 110 00:04:53,560 --> 00:04:55,800 No, my dear! Why? 111 00:04:55,800 --> 00:04:57,800 Dr. Al-Saidi and I follow. 112 00:04:59,240 --> 00:05:01,040 Coming in? 113 00:05:01,040 --> 00:05:02,040 Josh. 114 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:05,240 Josh! Josh! 115 00:05:05,240 --> 00:05:07,320 Look at this beautiful color, Josh! 116 00:05:07,320 --> 00:05:08,960 Oh, this is insane. 117 00:05:08,960 --> 00:05:12,080 Oh, amazing. Look at it. 118 00:05:12,120 --> 00:05:13,400 Look at this place. 119 00:05:13,400 --> 00:05:17,760 Every inch of every wall is covered in stunning decoration, 120 00:05:17,760 --> 00:05:21,080 scenes of offerings, and hundreds of hieroglyphs, 121 00:05:21,080 --> 00:05:25,760 all painted by hand, and all unseen for thousands of years. 122 00:05:25,760 --> 00:05:28,760 Look at those beautiful, beautiful colors. 123 00:05:28,760 --> 00:05:31,960 We can see red, we can see white, we can see black. 124 00:05:31,960 --> 00:05:33,520 If we start looking at the top here, 125 00:05:33,520 --> 00:05:34,960 we can see hieroglyphic inscriptions. 126 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:38,760 All of them, they are talking about the titles of the guy himself. 127 00:05:38,760 --> 00:05:40,680 His name is there! 128 00:05:40,680 --> 00:05:42,000 His name is Hino. 129 00:05:42,920 --> 00:05:44,760 Here, he was a mayor. 130 00:05:44,760 --> 00:05:45,760 He's the mayor. 131 00:05:45,760 --> 00:05:46,760 Oh, yes. 132 00:05:46,760 --> 00:05:50,760 And also, he was a soul friend to the king. 133 00:05:50,760 --> 00:05:52,720 This is something typical, 134 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:56,320 one famous title of those guys of the old kingdom. 135 00:05:56,320 --> 00:05:57,720 Like, I'm your soul friend. 136 00:05:57,720 --> 00:05:59,680 You are, my close friends. 137 00:05:59,680 --> 00:06:00,680 Soul friend. 138 00:06:00,680 --> 00:06:01,680 Okay, soul friend. 139 00:06:01,680 --> 00:06:02,680 Look. 140 00:06:02,680 --> 00:06:06,200 Waziri and I have been so focused on looking up at the walls 141 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:08,960 that we almost miss something lower down. 142 00:06:08,960 --> 00:06:11,400 Wait, wait, wait! Josh! Josh! Josh! Josh! 143 00:06:11,400 --> 00:06:13,560 Oh, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow, wow. 144 00:06:13,560 --> 00:06:14,560 Look at that. 145 00:06:14,560 --> 00:06:18,080 The seven sacred oils! 146 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:19,080 Ha-ha! 147 00:06:19,080 --> 00:06:21,680 This is something really, very important. 148 00:06:21,680 --> 00:06:23,880 Known to the Egyptians as merhet, 149 00:06:23,880 --> 00:06:26,200 or sometimes the eye of Horus, 150 00:06:26,200 --> 00:06:28,160 seven different scented oils 151 00:06:28,160 --> 00:06:31,000 were considered the divine breath of the gods, 152 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,080 used to anoint the deceased for the afterlife. 153 00:06:34,080 --> 00:06:41,000 If we start counting here, this is one, two, three, four, five, six, and seven. 154 00:06:41,360 --> 00:06:43,400 Used in mummification rituals, 155 00:06:43,400 --> 00:06:48,440 the refinement of these oils is the ancient prototype for modern perfumes. 156 00:06:48,440 --> 00:06:50,920 The oils were offered up in tombs like this 157 00:06:50,920 --> 00:06:54,520 in precious stone and crystal-carved vessels. 158 00:06:54,520 --> 00:06:55,520 Look. 159 00:06:55,520 --> 00:06:56,520 Look at this one. 160 00:06:56,520 --> 00:06:57,520 Absolutely. 161 00:06:57,520 --> 00:06:58,520 Look how beautiful. 162 00:06:58,520 --> 00:06:59,520 Beautiful. 163 00:06:59,520 --> 00:07:00,520 I like it, Josh. 164 00:07:00,520 --> 00:07:01,520 Stunning. 165 00:07:01,520 --> 00:07:02,520 Yes, it is. 166 00:07:02,520 --> 00:07:03,520 It's really stunning. 167 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:04,520 Wow. 168 00:07:04,520 --> 00:07:06,240 We know that these belong to Hennu, 169 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,640 because, well, the receipt is literally on the wall. 170 00:07:09,640 --> 00:07:10,640 Look at that. 171 00:07:10,640 --> 00:07:12,640 Those are the seven sacred oils right there. 172 00:07:12,640 --> 00:07:13,640 Unbelievable. 173 00:07:13,640 --> 00:07:14,640 This is really perfect. 174 00:07:14,640 --> 00:07:18,440 Ah, we can see here is the facade of the palace, 175 00:07:18,440 --> 00:07:19,520 what you call it like this. 176 00:07:19,520 --> 00:07:21,920 So a symbolic representation of the palace. 177 00:07:21,920 --> 00:07:22,920 It's true. 178 00:07:22,920 --> 00:07:26,720 Just like the tomb of the noble named Iarit that we saw earlier, 179 00:07:26,720 --> 00:07:29,720 this is meant to imitate the tomb of a pharaoh, 180 00:07:29,720 --> 00:07:33,240 the symbolic representation of the palace on the walls, 181 00:07:33,240 --> 00:07:35,960 the ceiling painted to resemble granite. 182 00:07:35,960 --> 00:07:37,400 By going to these lengths, 183 00:07:37,400 --> 00:07:40,920 Hennu was taking some of the power that only a pharaoh had, 184 00:07:40,920 --> 00:07:45,400 which even for a mayor took some big stones, literally. 185 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:47,000 This is Old Kingdom, yes? 186 00:07:47,000 --> 00:07:48,000 No question. 187 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:49,000 This is for sure. 188 00:07:49,000 --> 00:07:50,000 No question. 189 00:07:50,000 --> 00:07:53,680 It's Old Kingdom, and we believe that it's Six Dynasties. 190 00:07:53,680 --> 00:07:56,640 The Six Dynasties, this is the Pharaoh Meranra, 191 00:07:56,640 --> 00:07:58,880 which the pyramid is right next door to us here. 192 00:07:58,880 --> 00:08:04,160 After our excavations, so we believe that we may find connections 193 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,080 between this guy and the king Lira. 194 00:08:07,280 --> 00:08:09,600 Because if he's a mayor, soul friend of the king, 195 00:08:09,600 --> 00:08:13,520 he would have been someone who was an elite under Meranra. 196 00:08:13,520 --> 00:08:14,520 Right. 197 00:08:14,520 --> 00:08:17,640 Have you ever seen something like this in all of your life, 198 00:08:17,640 --> 00:08:19,280 just a boondiscovery? 199 00:08:19,280 --> 00:08:23,040 What a sensation to come into this tomb 200 00:08:23,040 --> 00:08:24,800 to be the first people in here. 201 00:08:24,800 --> 00:08:26,880 After 4,000 years, 202 00:08:26,880 --> 00:08:28,080 I know. 203 00:08:28,080 --> 00:08:30,760 it's a feeling that you will never, ever 204 00:08:30,760 --> 00:08:31,800 gonna forget for the rest of your life. 205 00:08:31,800 --> 00:08:33,160 I know. I'm trying not to cry. 206 00:08:33,160 --> 00:08:34,360 It's unbelievable. 207 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:37,800 I'm shaking with excitement here in the tomb, 208 00:08:37,800 --> 00:08:39,880 but there's much more left to do. 209 00:08:39,880 --> 00:08:42,400 We're on top of about five feet of sand 210 00:08:42,400 --> 00:08:44,080 and much of the painted walls 211 00:08:44,080 --> 00:08:47,200 and perhaps Henu himself lie beneath us. 212 00:08:47,200 --> 00:08:49,000 We'll need to vacate the chamber 213 00:08:49,000 --> 00:08:51,360 in order for the workers to continue. 214 00:08:51,360 --> 00:08:53,800 Okay. Shall we? 215 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:55,520 We'll let them start sifting the sand 216 00:08:55,520 --> 00:08:57,200 and we'll investigate the other side of the site, yeah? 217 00:08:57,200 --> 00:08:58,200 Yes. 218 00:08:58,200 --> 00:08:59,280 Okay. We'll be back. 219 00:08:59,280 --> 00:09:00,280 Okay. 220 00:09:00,880 --> 00:09:02,880 This is unbelievable. 221 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:06,800 Henu's tomb is a major discovery 222 00:09:06,800 --> 00:09:09,280 and we've only begun to dig it out. 223 00:09:09,280 --> 00:09:13,160 I ascend by bucket and head over to the other corner of the site 224 00:09:13,160 --> 00:09:16,040 to explore progress on a smaller burial shaft 225 00:09:16,040 --> 00:09:18,360 being excavated by the team. 226 00:09:18,360 --> 00:09:19,600 Mohammed. Yes. 227 00:09:19,600 --> 00:09:20,800 You fall down there? No. 228 00:09:20,800 --> 00:09:22,280 You okay? Yes, I'm okay. 229 00:09:22,280 --> 00:09:23,280 Okay. 230 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:26,040 Thank you. Protect that for me, will you? 231 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:30,000 A few days ago, this area was simply a low hill of sand. 232 00:09:30,000 --> 00:09:33,600 Then digging revealed a huge collection of beer vessels 233 00:09:33,720 --> 00:09:35,120 next to a burial shaft. 234 00:09:35,120 --> 00:09:37,320 So I count more than 40 vessels now. 235 00:09:37,320 --> 00:09:38,920 This is huge. 236 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:42,000 Now, we're ready to see what's at the bottom. 237 00:09:42,000 --> 00:09:44,320 Not enough space for both of us. 238 00:09:44,320 --> 00:09:45,720 How much is enough space for one of us? 239 00:09:45,720 --> 00:09:46,720 Yes. 240 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:48,880 Burial shafts were constructed 241 00:09:48,880 --> 00:09:52,680 with a smaller vaulted upper chamber where we are now. 242 00:09:52,680 --> 00:09:55,720 This space would often house offerings for the deceased 243 00:09:55,720 --> 00:09:58,600 who was interred in a burial chamber below. 244 00:09:59,720 --> 00:10:00,720 Okay. 245 00:10:04,600 --> 00:10:07,600 All right. 246 00:10:07,600 --> 00:10:08,600 Back in my hole. 247 00:10:16,600 --> 00:10:18,600 Mohammed. Yes. 248 00:10:18,600 --> 00:10:19,600 Hold on. I got something. 249 00:10:19,600 --> 00:10:20,600 Oh, good. 250 00:10:20,600 --> 00:10:21,600 Come here. 251 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:22,600 Here, the edge of something. 252 00:10:22,600 --> 00:10:23,600 Show it to me. 253 00:10:23,600 --> 00:10:24,600 It has paint on it? 254 00:10:24,600 --> 00:10:25,600 Good. 255 00:10:25,600 --> 00:10:26,600 It's ceramic? 256 00:10:26,600 --> 00:10:27,600 I don't think so. 257 00:10:27,600 --> 00:10:29,600 I think it's a face. 258 00:10:30,600 --> 00:10:31,600 Face of what? 259 00:10:31,600 --> 00:10:32,600 A face of a person. 260 00:10:32,600 --> 00:10:33,600 You mean a statue? 261 00:10:33,600 --> 00:10:34,600 Yes. I think it's a statue. 262 00:10:34,600 --> 00:10:35,600 Good. 263 00:10:35,600 --> 00:10:36,600 Yes. 264 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:37,600 Good one. 265 00:10:37,600 --> 00:10:38,600 There's more here. 266 00:10:38,600 --> 00:10:39,600 Look. 267 00:10:39,600 --> 00:10:40,600 I think there's a leg. 268 00:10:40,600 --> 00:10:41,600 There's a leg? 269 00:10:41,600 --> 00:10:42,600 Leg. 270 00:10:44,600 --> 00:10:45,600 Oh, my word. 271 00:10:45,600 --> 00:10:47,600 This is unbelievable. 272 00:10:47,600 --> 00:10:51,600 We have this wooden offering here. 273 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:55,600 This does not represent the owner of this tomb, right? 274 00:10:55,600 --> 00:10:56,600 No. 275 00:10:56,600 --> 00:10:57,600 Who is this? 276 00:10:57,600 --> 00:10:58,600 One of his servants. 277 00:10:58,600 --> 00:11:00,600 So that he has someone to serve him in the afterlife? 278 00:11:00,600 --> 00:11:01,600 Yes. 279 00:11:01,600 --> 00:11:08,600 This doll is known as a Shabti and is actually here to serve the God of the dead Osiris in 280 00:11:08,600 --> 00:11:13,600 place of the deceased, releasing him from having to work in the afterlife. 281 00:11:13,600 --> 00:11:18,600 A wooden statue that has survived for four millennia down here. 282 00:11:18,600 --> 00:11:19,600 Still painted. 283 00:11:19,600 --> 00:11:20,600 Look at the detail. 284 00:11:20,600 --> 00:11:22,600 Look at the eyes and the eyebrows and the hair. 285 00:11:22,600 --> 00:11:24,600 Really careful of that arm. 286 00:11:24,600 --> 00:11:25,600 Yeah. 287 00:11:25,600 --> 00:11:26,600 Yeah. 288 00:11:26,600 --> 00:11:27,600 Yeah. 289 00:11:27,600 --> 00:11:28,600 Yeah. 290 00:11:28,600 --> 00:11:29,600 Yeah. 291 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:30,600 Look at that. 292 00:11:30,600 --> 00:11:31,600 Unbelievable. 293 00:11:31,600 --> 00:11:32,600 Okay. 294 00:11:32,600 --> 00:11:33,600 I'm going to pass him to you. 295 00:11:33,600 --> 00:11:34,600 Yes. 296 00:11:34,600 --> 00:11:35,600 You got it? 297 00:11:35,600 --> 00:11:36,600 Yes. 298 00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:37,600 You got that arm? 299 00:11:37,600 --> 00:11:38,600 Yes. 300 00:11:38,600 --> 00:11:39,600 Okay. 301 00:11:39,600 --> 00:11:40,600 He's yours? 302 00:11:40,600 --> 00:11:41,600 I have it. 303 00:11:41,600 --> 00:11:42,600 Let's get a look at it in the light. 304 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:43,600 Woo. 305 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:44,600 Awesome. 306 00:11:44,600 --> 00:11:45,600 Come on. 307 00:11:45,600 --> 00:11:46,600 Oh, it's beautiful. 308 00:11:46,600 --> 00:11:47,600 Look at the details still. 309 00:11:47,600 --> 00:11:49,600 The details and the color white and the black. 310 00:11:49,600 --> 00:11:51,600 Look at the color still painted. 311 00:11:51,600 --> 00:11:53,600 Look at these wooden nails. 312 00:11:53,600 --> 00:11:55,600 So that the arms actually articulate. 313 00:11:55,600 --> 00:11:56,600 Yes. 314 00:11:56,600 --> 00:11:57,600 Look at that. 315 00:11:57,600 --> 00:11:58,600 The arms. 316 00:11:58,600 --> 00:11:59,600 Okay. 317 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:00,600 He is ready for serving. 318 00:12:00,600 --> 00:12:01,600 Right. 319 00:12:01,600 --> 00:12:02,600 Yes. 320 00:12:02,600 --> 00:12:03,600 He's ready to serve. 321 00:12:03,600 --> 00:12:04,600 Wow. 322 00:12:04,600 --> 00:12:07,600 This is a 4,000 year old action figure. 323 00:12:07,600 --> 00:12:09,600 It's amazing. 324 00:12:09,600 --> 00:12:13,600 This wooden statue in this condition is an exceedingly rare find. 325 00:12:13,600 --> 00:12:17,600 A true treasure in this archeological gold mine. 326 00:12:17,600 --> 00:12:18,600 Okay. 327 00:12:18,600 --> 00:12:19,600 Let's get him up to safety. 328 00:12:19,600 --> 00:12:20,600 Yes. 329 00:12:20,600 --> 00:12:21,600 You got it? 330 00:12:21,600 --> 00:12:22,600 Sure. 331 00:12:22,600 --> 00:12:23,600 Okay. 332 00:12:23,600 --> 00:12:25,600 Another find and a lot more to dig. 333 00:12:25,600 --> 00:12:26,600 And dig they do. 334 00:12:26,600 --> 00:12:31,600 Moving sand until they expose the main burial chamber below the vault. 335 00:12:31,600 --> 00:12:33,600 After what we found in the last shaft, 336 00:12:33,600 --> 00:12:37,600 Dr. Waziri wants to be here to see firsthand. 337 00:12:37,600 --> 00:12:40,600 This is where we found the wooden statue here. 338 00:12:40,600 --> 00:12:41,600 Yes. 339 00:12:41,600 --> 00:12:43,600 And now it's all been cleaned out. 340 00:12:43,600 --> 00:12:45,600 Nothing else found in this upper vault. 341 00:12:45,600 --> 00:12:48,600 So we're going to try to take this down this layer. 342 00:12:48,600 --> 00:12:49,600 Yes. 343 00:12:57,600 --> 00:13:02,600 We are about to discover something. 344 00:13:04,600 --> 00:13:05,600 Oh. 345 00:13:05,600 --> 00:13:06,600 Yes. 346 00:13:06,600 --> 00:13:07,600 Yes. 347 00:13:07,600 --> 00:13:08,600 Yes. 348 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:09,600 Yes. 349 00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:10,600 Yes. 350 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:11,600 We have paint. 351 00:13:11,600 --> 00:13:12,600 There's a cavity behind it. 352 00:13:12,600 --> 00:13:13,600 Oh no. 353 00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:14,600 Oh no. 354 00:13:14,600 --> 00:13:16,600 Oh my word. 355 00:13:16,600 --> 00:13:18,600 Another tomb. 356 00:13:27,600 --> 00:13:28,600 Okay. 357 00:13:28,600 --> 00:13:30,600 Let's see what's going on in here. 358 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:31,600 Okay. 359 00:13:31,600 --> 00:13:32,600 Coming in. 360 00:13:32,600 --> 00:13:34,600 Oh my word. 361 00:13:34,600 --> 00:13:37,600 Like Henu's tomb, this chamber is ornately painted. 362 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:41,600 The deceased's biography on the walls like a morbid book jacket. 363 00:13:41,600 --> 00:13:44,600 And here is the name of the guy. 364 00:13:44,600 --> 00:13:45,600 Pippin Nefer. 365 00:13:45,600 --> 00:13:46,600 Pippin Nefer. 366 00:13:46,600 --> 00:13:47,600 Pippin Nefer. 367 00:13:47,600 --> 00:13:49,600 It can be a book jacket. 368 00:13:49,600 --> 00:13:51,600 It can be a book jacket. 369 00:13:51,600 --> 00:13:53,600 It can be a book jacket. 370 00:13:53,600 --> 00:13:54,600 Pippin Nefer. 371 00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:55,600 Pippin Nefer. 372 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:56,600 Pippin Nefer. 373 00:13:56,600 --> 00:14:00,600 He got the title that he was also a prince of Muhammad and the supervisor. 374 00:14:00,600 --> 00:14:03,600 So, oh, look at this. 375 00:14:08,600 --> 00:14:10,600 Oh, look at this. 376 00:14:10,600 --> 00:14:12,600 His foot is right in front of me. 377 00:14:12,600 --> 00:14:13,600 I didn't even see that. 378 00:14:13,600 --> 00:14:19,600 We are in a newly excavated chamber in the necropolis of Sakara and we're not alone. 379 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:20,600 Oh my word. 380 00:14:20,600 --> 00:14:21,600 This is his skeleton. 381 00:14:21,600 --> 00:14:24,600 This is a tomb and this is its owner. 382 00:14:24,600 --> 00:14:26,600 Look at the nails on his toes. 383 00:14:26,600 --> 00:14:29,600 So, we've got his foot, his fema, his leg and then where's the other foot? 384 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:30,600 Here it is. 385 00:14:30,600 --> 00:14:31,600 Oh, look at that. 386 00:14:31,600 --> 00:14:32,600 It's all the way down there. 387 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:34,600 Yeah, we can see linen. 388 00:14:34,600 --> 00:14:36,600 Unbelievable. 389 00:14:36,600 --> 00:14:42,600 The position of the body suggests that this tomb was likely robbed with the mummy dislocated in the process. 390 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:45,600 Clearly, this is a disturbed burial. 391 00:14:45,600 --> 00:14:46,600 It is. 392 00:14:46,600 --> 00:14:50,600 It is, but it was disturbed 50 or 100 years after his death. 393 00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:53,600 Maybe robbed, but robbed in ancient times. 394 00:14:53,600 --> 00:15:00,600 This tomb was likely looted in the first intermediate period, the chaotic time that followed the collapse of the Old Kingdom. 395 00:15:00,600 --> 00:15:07,600 It is perhaps a clue that despite the prosperity of the upper class, not everyone at this time was thriving. 396 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:12,600 And though this mummy's burial was disturbed, it is still a remarkable find. 397 00:15:12,600 --> 00:15:19,600 You know, to read his titles, to hear his name and then to have him here with us, it's... 398 00:15:20,600 --> 00:15:21,600 something. 399 00:15:21,600 --> 00:15:24,600 So, a lot of very careful work to do in here with these remains. 400 00:15:24,600 --> 00:15:25,600 Okay. 401 00:15:25,600 --> 00:15:27,600 Another tomb. 402 00:15:27,600 --> 00:15:40,600 There's far more work to be done here at the site in Sakara, but while the workers continue to dig, I'm off to continue my work on another Old Kingdom mystery, a cold case involving a missing pharaoh. 403 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:52,600 Earlier, I had joined renowned archaeologist Dr. Muhammad Megahed inside the nearby, partially collapsed pyramid of the Old Kingdom pharaoh, Maran Ra. 404 00:15:52,600 --> 00:15:59,600 The interior was first explored in 1881 and an unusual mummy was found in the tomb's inner chamber. 405 00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:07,600 Unusual because all Old Kingdom royal tombs were looted and no mummies of pharaohs from the Old Kingdom have ever been found. 406 00:16:08,600 --> 00:16:15,600 For this reason, many assumed that the mummy found here was some interloper who poached the tomb much later in history. 407 00:16:15,600 --> 00:16:23,600 The mummy was moved to a nearby museum where we were given unprecedented access to scan it using state-of-the-art equipment. 408 00:16:23,600 --> 00:16:29,600 The scans are now complete and I'm hoping to use them to unravel the mummy's identity. 409 00:16:29,600 --> 00:16:34,600 To do that, I'm headed to a place that isn't just off-site, it's off-road. 410 00:16:34,600 --> 00:16:44,600 A positive idea of the supposed mummy of Maran Ra would be huge, but there's this ongoing debate that an Old Kingdom mummy shouldn't look so sophisticated. 411 00:16:44,600 --> 00:16:56,600 The mummy we scanned in the museum is incredibly lifelike thanks to the application of layers of resin, a substance used by master embalmers in ancient Egypt to preserve the dead. 412 00:16:56,600 --> 00:17:03,600 But scholars long believed that it wasn't used until the New Kingdom, a thousand years after the reign of Maran Ra. 413 00:17:03,600 --> 00:17:08,600 It's the main reason that our mystery mummy was discounted as being from the Old Kingdom. 414 00:17:08,600 --> 00:17:16,600 So what's an Old Kingdom mummy supposed to look like? To find out, I've been granted special access to another tomb in northern Sakara. 415 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:42,600 So this is the Tomb of Nefer and it is an absolute stunner. 416 00:17:45,600 --> 00:17:54,600 Nefer lived about 4500 years ago during the 5th dynasty, so this is just before the reign of the Pharaoh Maran Ra. 417 00:17:54,600 --> 00:18:03,600 But Nefer here, he wasn't a Pharaoh, but he was a high official. This is him on the wall of the tomb and here's his name. This is Nefer. 418 00:18:03,600 --> 00:18:12,600 His titles over here say that he was a chief of the palace and a supervisor of artisans. 419 00:18:12,600 --> 00:18:21,600 The walls of this tomb are covered in scenes from Nefer's life, drinking, fishing, sacrificing goats, all the good stuff. 420 00:18:21,600 --> 00:18:29,600 The really remarkable thing about this tomb, other than its preservation, is that Nefer himself is still here. 421 00:18:29,600 --> 00:18:32,600 Actually, he's down there. Let's go. 422 00:18:35,600 --> 00:18:36,600 Okay. 423 00:18:41,600 --> 00:18:47,600 And here, underneath this glass, this is the man himself. 424 00:18:47,600 --> 00:18:50,600 Look at this mummy! 425 00:18:52,600 --> 00:18:56,600 This is the mummy of Nefer and he is absolutely incredible. 426 00:18:56,600 --> 00:19:06,600 You can see he has this false beard, this necklace that he's wearing, these beautiful blue green stones, and just remarkably lifelike. 427 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:13,600 So this is a true old kingdom mummy, something for us to compare to the mummy that was found in the Pyramid of Maran Ra. 428 00:19:13,600 --> 00:19:19,600 And we have our scans back from the museum so we can compare them with this confirmed old kingdom mummy. 429 00:19:19,600 --> 00:19:25,600 Time for us and the world to get our first look at a detailed scan of our mummy. 430 00:19:25,600 --> 00:19:28,600 This is unbelievable! 431 00:19:28,600 --> 00:19:34,600 Outrageous detail here. We can see every millimeter of this mummy at the museum. 432 00:19:34,600 --> 00:19:40,600 At face value, no pun intended, they do look really similar in a lot of ways. 433 00:19:40,600 --> 00:19:44,600 We have this appearance of preservation, but it is kind of just an appearance. 434 00:19:44,600 --> 00:19:50,600 It's a bit of an illusion because our mummy in the museum, it actually is really well preserved. 435 00:19:50,600 --> 00:19:57,600 We can see that these features, his nose, his eyes, his bone structure, it's really him. 436 00:19:57,600 --> 00:20:00,600 Here with Nefer, we have something that's more cosmetic. 437 00:20:00,600 --> 00:20:03,600 We can see it almost plastering on him. Look at his chest. 438 00:20:03,600 --> 00:20:06,600 We see this layer and we see it on his face as well. 439 00:20:06,600 --> 00:20:13,600 So what we have here is the appearance of real life and our mummy in the museum is real life. 440 00:20:13,600 --> 00:20:20,600 So I have to say this is kind of a serious knock on the idea that our mummy in the museum is Maren-Rah. 441 00:20:20,600 --> 00:20:26,600 Those that have dismissed this mummy because of this difference in sophistication, well, they have a point. 442 00:20:26,600 --> 00:20:30,600 Which means we have more work to do. Thanks Nefer. 443 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:36,600 Our suspect in the museum does look more sophisticated than this confirmed old kingdom mummy. 444 00:20:36,600 --> 00:20:40,600 So things aren't looking good for him being the Pharaoh Maren-Rah. 445 00:20:40,600 --> 00:20:44,600 But that may change as I get a call from Dr. Megahed. 446 00:20:46,600 --> 00:20:50,600 Hello, hello, how are you? Good morning. Look at you, hard at work. 447 00:20:50,600 --> 00:20:55,600 Dr. Megahed recently discovered and excavated this old kingdom tomb. 448 00:20:55,600 --> 00:20:59,600 He believes the mummy found inside may help settle our mystery. 449 00:20:59,600 --> 00:21:04,600 Look at this tomb. I mean, this looks like something for a king. This is like the side of a pyramid. Look at this. 450 00:21:04,600 --> 00:21:06,600 Josh, you have a very good eye. 451 00:21:06,600 --> 00:21:10,600 Those stones are made of white limestone which were only preserved for kings and queens. 452 00:21:10,600 --> 00:21:13,600 Right, but this is not a king. No, no, no, this is a high official. 453 00:21:14,600 --> 00:21:24,600 Like the phenomenon we observed at our dig site, high officials in the old kingdom are becoming so powerful they're acting like pharaohs themselves when it comes to their burials. 454 00:21:24,600 --> 00:21:33,600 In this case, the owner of this tomb even tried to emulate a pyramid-like exterior with an entrance door to the north just like a royal tomb. 455 00:21:34,600 --> 00:21:38,600 Josh, I have good news and bad news. Good news, we can enter the tomb. 456 00:21:38,600 --> 00:21:41,600 The bad news, I'm not sure that the air is safe. 457 00:21:41,600 --> 00:21:44,600 Great. What about the snakes and scorpions? 458 00:21:44,600 --> 00:21:47,600 Well, it depends if you are good or bad as a person. 459 00:21:49,600 --> 00:21:51,600 That's what depends on whether I get attacked? 460 00:21:51,600 --> 00:21:55,600 If you are sure you are a good person, it's fine. Are you sure? 461 00:21:55,600 --> 00:21:57,600 I don't think that's how snake safety works. 462 00:21:57,600 --> 00:21:58,600 Are you a good person? 463 00:21:58,600 --> 00:21:59,600 Yes. 464 00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:01,600 No snakes, no scorpions. 465 00:22:01,600 --> 00:22:04,600 Oh boy. Ready? I'm ready. 466 00:22:07,600 --> 00:22:08,600 Oh boy. 467 00:22:08,600 --> 00:22:09,600 Yes. 468 00:22:09,600 --> 00:22:10,600 Here we go. 469 00:22:12,600 --> 00:22:13,600 Who's going first? 470 00:22:14,600 --> 00:22:15,600 I think me. 471 00:22:15,600 --> 00:22:19,600 Yeah. It's a great answer. Feels like that's appropriate. 472 00:22:20,600 --> 00:22:21,600 Hope you're a good person. 473 00:22:22,600 --> 00:22:23,600 I'm a good person. 474 00:22:23,600 --> 00:22:24,600 We'll see. 475 00:22:24,600 --> 00:22:25,600 Yeah. 476 00:22:26,600 --> 00:22:27,600 Alright, here we go. 477 00:22:32,600 --> 00:22:35,600 This passage is known as a descending corridor. 478 00:22:36,600 --> 00:22:37,600 Try and guess why. 479 00:22:38,600 --> 00:22:39,600 How deep is this? 480 00:22:41,600 --> 00:22:44,600 The lower we go, the thinner the air feels. 481 00:22:44,600 --> 00:22:46,600 Turns out there's a reason for that. 482 00:22:47,600 --> 00:22:48,600 Oh, and here we are. 483 00:22:48,600 --> 00:22:49,600 Wow. 484 00:22:50,600 --> 00:22:52,600 So, we got a little room here now. 485 00:22:52,600 --> 00:22:54,600 Yeah, it's like a pyramid exactly. 486 00:22:54,600 --> 00:22:57,600 Through a descending corridor, you come to a vestibule, 487 00:22:57,600 --> 00:22:59,600 but we'll have to check the air. 488 00:22:59,600 --> 00:23:00,600 Yeah. 489 00:23:00,600 --> 00:23:02,600 The tombs often lack sufficient breathable air 490 00:23:02,600 --> 00:23:05,600 and can be filled with ancient toxins. 491 00:23:05,600 --> 00:23:08,600 A portable gas meter like this takes precise measurements 492 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:11,600 to let us know if it's safe to proceed. 493 00:23:12,600 --> 00:23:15,600 Attention, please. Object low concentration. 494 00:23:16,600 --> 00:23:18,600 That's good. That's a good sign. 495 00:23:18,600 --> 00:23:20,600 19.1%. 496 00:23:21,600 --> 00:23:23,600 19.5%. 19.7%. 497 00:23:23,600 --> 00:23:25,600 So, we're going to live a little under normal, 498 00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:27,600 but I think we'll make it. 499 00:23:27,600 --> 00:23:28,600 What can go? 500 00:23:28,600 --> 00:23:29,600 It doesn't look for snakes though. 501 00:23:29,600 --> 00:23:30,600 Yeah. 502 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:31,600 Here we go. 503 00:23:31,600 --> 00:23:32,600 Okay. 504 00:23:32,600 --> 00:23:33,600 All right. Nobody breath too much. 505 00:23:36,600 --> 00:23:39,600 Oh, my God. 506 00:23:39,600 --> 00:23:40,600 What are you doing? 507 00:23:41,600 --> 00:23:42,600 Are you kidding me? 508 00:23:47,600 --> 00:23:48,600 Look at this. 509 00:23:49,600 --> 00:23:50,600 Are you kidding me? 510 00:23:51,600 --> 00:23:53,600 To pinpoint the identity of a mystery mummy, 511 00:23:53,600 --> 00:23:56,600 which could be the only old kingdom pharaoh ever found, 512 00:23:56,600 --> 00:24:00,600 Dr. Muhammad Megahed has brought me to a recently discovered tomb 513 00:24:00,600 --> 00:24:03,600 that is unlike any I've ever seen. 514 00:24:03,600 --> 00:24:05,600 I mean, this is insane. 515 00:24:06,600 --> 00:24:08,600 Look at the details. 516 00:24:08,600 --> 00:24:10,600 Different veins, different colors. 517 00:24:10,600 --> 00:24:12,600 It's fantastic. 518 00:24:12,600 --> 00:24:15,600 This is absolutely unbelievable. 519 00:24:15,600 --> 00:24:17,600 Would you like to see a fingerprint of ancient Egyptian 520 00:24:17,600 --> 00:24:20,600 who lived 4,400 years ago? 521 00:24:20,600 --> 00:24:21,600 Like a real fingerprint? 522 00:24:21,600 --> 00:24:22,600 A real fingerprint. 523 00:24:22,600 --> 00:24:23,600 Where? Come here. 524 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:24,600 Look. 525 00:24:27,600 --> 00:24:29,600 Oh, my word. It's an actual fingerprint. 526 00:24:29,600 --> 00:24:30,600 Yes. 527 00:24:30,600 --> 00:24:34,600 I have chills looking at that because suddenly it's human. 528 00:24:34,600 --> 00:24:38,600 This accidental signature reminds us that an individual, 529 00:24:38,600 --> 00:24:40,600 no different than you or I, 530 00:24:40,600 --> 00:24:44,600 stood here 4 millennia ago to decorate this tomb, 531 00:24:44,600 --> 00:24:47,600 and those decorations are extraordinary. 532 00:24:47,600 --> 00:24:49,600 Delicately painted owls, 533 00:24:49,600 --> 00:24:51,600 finely speckled fish, 534 00:24:51,600 --> 00:24:55,600 and scenes of sacrifice complete with splattering blood. 535 00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:58,600 There's a real artistry here. This is an animal slaughter? 536 00:24:58,600 --> 00:25:01,600 It's an offering scene showing that they are slaughtering animals 537 00:25:01,600 --> 00:25:05,600 and to give the best pieces in the animal to the tomb owner. 538 00:25:05,600 --> 00:25:08,600 Even here, there is a very nice scene showing them 539 00:25:08,600 --> 00:25:11,600 removing the heart of the animal to give it to the tomb owner 540 00:25:11,600 --> 00:25:13,600 who's sitting in front of the offering table. 541 00:25:13,600 --> 00:25:14,600 He's pictured? 542 00:25:14,600 --> 00:25:15,600 Yes. 543 00:25:15,600 --> 00:25:17,600 This is him. This is the owner of the tomb. 544 00:25:17,600 --> 00:25:18,600 And do we know his name? 545 00:25:18,600 --> 00:25:19,600 His name was Huy. 546 00:25:19,600 --> 00:25:21,600 And do we have his titles? 547 00:25:21,600 --> 00:25:24,600 So he was working in the royal palace and he was a judge. 548 00:25:24,600 --> 00:25:26,600 But he's not like the top man. 549 00:25:26,600 --> 00:25:28,600 No, he's not a vizier. 550 00:25:28,600 --> 00:25:31,600 Viziers were the underbosses of the ancient Egyptian pharaohs 551 00:25:31,600 --> 00:25:34,600 right below the king in the social hierarchy. 552 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:39,600 You'd think a tomb this luxurious would be for someone at least at that level. 553 00:25:39,600 --> 00:25:40,600 It isn't. 554 00:25:40,600 --> 00:25:43,600 So hold on a second, but all of this, 555 00:25:43,600 --> 00:25:45,600 all of this imagery, this decoration, 556 00:25:45,600 --> 00:25:47,600 and even him being depicted here, 557 00:25:47,600 --> 00:25:49,600 like at this time in the Old Kingdom, 558 00:25:49,600 --> 00:25:51,600 you don't see this underground in people's tombs. 559 00:25:51,600 --> 00:25:53,600 Never before him. Never. 560 00:25:53,600 --> 00:25:57,600 This is the fairest tomb to be decorated underground. 561 00:25:57,600 --> 00:25:58,600 Ever found in Egypt? 562 00:25:58,600 --> 00:25:59,600 Ever found. 563 00:25:59,600 --> 00:26:02,600 And so he served under which pharaoh? 564 00:26:02,600 --> 00:26:05,600 He was working under King Jedh-Kara. 565 00:26:05,600 --> 00:26:07,600 Huy, the owner of this tomb, 566 00:26:07,600 --> 00:26:11,600 was a judge during the reign of 5th dynasty pharaoh Jedh-Kara, 567 00:26:11,600 --> 00:26:14,600 who ruled less than a century before Maron Ra. 568 00:26:14,600 --> 00:26:17,600 And in Jedh-Kara's pyramid in his tomb, 569 00:26:17,600 --> 00:26:18,600 is it decorated like this? 570 00:26:18,600 --> 00:26:19,600 No. 571 00:26:19,600 --> 00:26:20,600 So hold on a second. 572 00:26:20,600 --> 00:26:21,600 No. 573 00:26:21,600 --> 00:26:24,600 The pharaoh's tomb isn't decorated, but this is. 574 00:26:24,600 --> 00:26:25,600 Exactly. 575 00:26:25,600 --> 00:26:29,600 So the pharaohs are taking their cues from officials? 576 00:26:29,600 --> 00:26:30,600 It's supposed to work the other way around. 577 00:26:30,600 --> 00:26:34,600 Yes, we used to know that the change comes from the king to the people. 578 00:26:34,600 --> 00:26:37,600 So the pyramid text that we saw in the pyramid of Maron Ra, 579 00:26:37,600 --> 00:26:41,600 that whole idea is starting here. 580 00:26:41,600 --> 00:26:43,600 The seed is here. 581 00:26:43,600 --> 00:26:44,600 Right. 582 00:26:44,600 --> 00:26:47,600 And what's so crazy about this is that this isn't just decoration. 583 00:26:47,600 --> 00:26:49,600 This is religion. 584 00:26:49,600 --> 00:26:51,600 This is your connection to the afterlife, 585 00:26:51,600 --> 00:26:53,600 how you get to the afterlife. 586 00:26:53,600 --> 00:26:57,600 Josh, it's a revolution. 587 00:26:57,600 --> 00:27:00,600 We've already seen that toward the end of the Old Kingdom, 588 00:27:00,600 --> 00:27:03,600 wealthy bureaucrats have been flexing their power in their tombs 589 00:27:03,600 --> 00:27:05,600 by copying the pharaohs. 590 00:27:05,600 --> 00:27:07,600 But this is something else entirely. 591 00:27:07,600 --> 00:27:10,600 It now seems that these high-ranking government officials 592 00:27:10,600 --> 00:27:15,600 are so bold that later pharaohs begin copying them. 593 00:27:15,600 --> 00:27:19,600 So these officials, they're not just getting more power. 594 00:27:19,600 --> 00:27:24,600 They're rewriting the playbook on how to die and transition. 595 00:27:24,600 --> 00:27:27,600 They are changing their afterlife forever. 596 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:32,600 After Hui, every king starts to decorate his underground. 597 00:27:32,600 --> 00:27:34,600 This is a huge find. 598 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:35,600 It's fantastic. 599 00:27:35,600 --> 00:27:37,600 And so in terms of our man, Hui here, 600 00:27:37,600 --> 00:27:39,600 is his burial chamber behind us? 601 00:27:39,600 --> 00:27:40,600 Yes. 602 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:41,600 Let's see. 603 00:27:41,600 --> 00:27:42,600 It's cool. 604 00:27:46,600 --> 00:27:47,600 Wow. 605 00:27:47,600 --> 00:27:48,600 Look at this. 606 00:27:48,600 --> 00:27:51,600 And just all limestone, lined all of it. 607 00:27:51,600 --> 00:27:53,600 So his sarcophagus is where? 608 00:27:53,600 --> 00:27:54,600 Was here? 609 00:27:54,600 --> 00:27:55,600 Was here. 610 00:27:55,600 --> 00:27:56,600 Was right here? 611 00:27:56,600 --> 00:27:57,600 Was right here. 612 00:27:57,600 --> 00:28:00,600 And this is remains of the sarcophagus. 613 00:28:00,600 --> 00:28:02,600 And this tomb had been looted? 614 00:28:02,600 --> 00:28:03,600 It was looted, yes. 615 00:28:03,600 --> 00:28:05,600 And what about Hui himself? 616 00:28:05,600 --> 00:28:09,600 Well, his remains of his human body was found scattered here. 617 00:28:09,600 --> 00:28:11,600 So you did find his remains? 618 00:28:11,600 --> 00:28:12,600 Yes. 619 00:28:12,600 --> 00:28:13,600 And where are they? 620 00:28:13,600 --> 00:28:15,600 Well, our storeroom here on the side. 621 00:28:15,600 --> 00:28:16,600 He's still here? 622 00:28:16,600 --> 00:28:17,600 Yes. 623 00:28:17,600 --> 00:28:18,600 Can we see him? 624 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:19,600 Absolutely. 625 00:28:19,600 --> 00:28:20,600 Come on, let's go. 626 00:28:20,600 --> 00:28:22,600 I gotta meet this guy. 627 00:28:22,600 --> 00:28:26,600 In my continuing search for whether the mummy in the museum 628 00:28:26,600 --> 00:28:29,600 could be the old kingdom pharaoh, Meron Ra, 629 00:28:29,600 --> 00:28:31,600 I now have a chance to view another mummy 630 00:28:31,600 --> 00:28:33,600 that's even older than his. 631 00:28:33,600 --> 00:28:37,600 We go to the nearby storeroom where artifacts from Dr. Mega-Head's dig 632 00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:38,600 are being preserved. 633 00:28:38,600 --> 00:28:39,600 Oh. 634 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,600 You got the Ark of the Covenant in here? 635 00:28:42,600 --> 00:28:43,600 Yes. 636 00:28:43,600 --> 00:28:45,600 This is amazing. 637 00:28:45,600 --> 00:28:48,600 It's where we keep all our materials to study them 638 00:28:48,600 --> 00:28:51,600 and to go on with our work. 639 00:28:51,600 --> 00:28:53,600 And Hui. 640 00:28:53,600 --> 00:28:54,600 What's left of Hui? 641 00:28:54,600 --> 00:28:55,600 What's left of Hui? 642 00:28:55,600 --> 00:28:56,600 You are right. 643 00:28:56,600 --> 00:28:57,600 Yeah? 644 00:28:57,600 --> 00:28:58,600 Yes, but... 645 00:28:58,600 --> 00:28:59,600 Close. 646 00:29:06,600 --> 00:29:08,600 Oh, wow. 647 00:29:08,600 --> 00:29:10,600 There he is. 648 00:29:10,600 --> 00:29:13,600 This is what we collect from his burial chamber. 649 00:29:13,600 --> 00:29:15,600 Wow, so I mean really quite destroyed. 650 00:29:15,600 --> 00:29:17,600 So we've got bits of the spine here. 651 00:29:17,600 --> 00:29:18,600 Breaks, yeah. 652 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:19,600 The chest cavity here, ribs. 653 00:29:19,600 --> 00:29:21,600 The spine part of the leg. 654 00:29:21,600 --> 00:29:22,600 Part of the leg. 655 00:29:22,600 --> 00:29:24,600 He really was scattered around the tomb. 656 00:29:24,600 --> 00:29:26,600 But we collected it, we brought it here, 657 00:29:26,600 --> 00:29:28,600 and we found out that he was mummified. 658 00:29:28,600 --> 00:29:29,600 He was mummified. 659 00:29:29,600 --> 00:29:31,600 He was mummified. 660 00:29:31,600 --> 00:29:34,600 Carbon-14 dating has confirmed that Hui's mummy 661 00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,600 is one of the oldest ever discovered, 662 00:29:37,600 --> 00:29:39,600 older than our friend from Meron Ra's tomb. 663 00:29:39,600 --> 00:29:41,600 The supposed mummy of Meron Ra would be 664 00:29:41,600 --> 00:29:43,600 a hundred years later than this. 665 00:29:43,600 --> 00:29:44,600 Absolutely, yes. 666 00:29:44,600 --> 00:29:45,600 Right? 667 00:29:45,600 --> 00:29:46,600 So, okay, what do we see? 668 00:29:46,600 --> 00:29:49,600 We have our scans of the mummy from the Meron Ra pyramid. 669 00:29:50,600 --> 00:29:52,600 So the first thing we see here is linen, 670 00:29:52,600 --> 00:29:55,600 and actually it looks like quite a few layers of linen. 671 00:29:55,600 --> 00:29:59,600 It's more than one layer, and it's a very fine linen. 672 00:29:59,600 --> 00:30:00,600 Mm-hmm. 673 00:30:00,600 --> 00:30:02,600 Similarly wrapped as the mummy in Meron Ra? 674 00:30:02,600 --> 00:30:03,600 Yes, yes, similar. 675 00:30:03,600 --> 00:30:06,600 Another big similarity is the use of resin. 676 00:30:06,600 --> 00:30:07,600 Resin. 677 00:30:07,600 --> 00:30:09,600 This resin on the mummy from Meron Ra's pyramid, 678 00:30:09,600 --> 00:30:11,600 this is one of the big points of contention, right? 679 00:30:11,600 --> 00:30:12,600 Yes. 680 00:30:12,600 --> 00:30:14,600 Because the idea was we shouldn't be seeing this resin 681 00:30:14,600 --> 00:30:15,600 in the Old Kingdom. 682 00:30:15,600 --> 00:30:16,600 They weren't using it back then. 683 00:30:16,600 --> 00:30:18,600 We see it a thousand years later. 684 00:30:18,600 --> 00:30:19,600 Right, but it's here. 685 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:20,600 It's here. 686 00:30:20,600 --> 00:30:22,600 So this dark material. 687 00:30:22,600 --> 00:30:25,600 This dark material everywhere, it's resin. 688 00:30:25,600 --> 00:30:28,600 All in here, like we see on our scan. 689 00:30:29,600 --> 00:30:32,600 So that's kind of a smoking gun in and of itself. 690 00:30:32,600 --> 00:30:35,600 Ancient Egyptians knew the technique of mummification. 691 00:30:35,600 --> 00:30:39,600 At least a thousand years earlier than what we thought. 692 00:30:39,600 --> 00:30:41,600 Detractors of the mummy in Meron Ra's pyramid 693 00:30:41,600 --> 00:30:45,600 argue that the mummification techniques were far too modern 694 00:30:45,600 --> 00:30:47,600 to be from the Old Kingdom. 695 00:30:47,600 --> 00:30:50,600 But I'm looking at an Old Kingdom mummy that says otherwise. 696 00:30:50,600 --> 00:30:52,600 Dramatically so. 697 00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,600 So let's bring this back around to the mystery mummy of Meron Ra. 698 00:30:56,600 --> 00:31:01,600 Doesn't this put a lot of heat on the fire that in fact it is Meron Ra? 699 00:31:01,600 --> 00:31:05,600 Josh, I'm confident that this scan belongs to King Meron Ra. 700 00:31:05,600 --> 00:31:08,600 That would mean that this is the only complete pharaoh 701 00:31:08,600 --> 00:31:10,600 that we have from the Old Kingdom. 702 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:11,600 Yes. 703 00:31:11,600 --> 00:31:16,600 It also means that this mummy we scanned is unbelievably historic. 704 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:18,600 We are rewriting history. 705 00:31:18,600 --> 00:31:22,600 Dr. Megahead is convinced that the mummy in the Imhotep Museum 706 00:31:22,600 --> 00:31:24,600 belongs to Meron Ra. 707 00:31:24,600 --> 00:31:27,600 It seems all but certain now that we met an Egyptian pharaoh 708 00:31:27,600 --> 00:31:30,600 more than 4,000 years old. 709 00:31:30,600 --> 00:31:34,600 A king who led Egypt during the Age of Pyramids. 710 00:31:34,600 --> 00:31:38,600 Josh, I think you met the oldest royal mummy ever found in Egypt. 711 00:31:38,600 --> 00:31:39,600 You met the king? 712 00:31:39,600 --> 00:31:40,600 I met the king. 713 00:31:40,600 --> 00:31:41,600 This is awesome. 714 00:31:41,600 --> 00:31:42,600 All right. 715 00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:43,600 Should we let Huy rest here? 716 00:31:43,600 --> 00:31:46,600 I think we should let him in peace as he always wanted. 717 00:31:46,600 --> 00:31:47,600 That's right. 718 00:31:47,600 --> 00:31:48,600 All right. 719 00:31:48,600 --> 00:31:49,600 Thank you, Huy. 720 00:31:49,600 --> 00:31:51,600 Nice to meet you. 721 00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,600 The case of the mystery mummy seems all but solved. 722 00:31:54,600 --> 00:31:57,600 It was the recently discovered tomb of Huy 723 00:31:57,600 --> 00:31:59,600 that gave us the final puzzle piece. 724 00:31:59,600 --> 00:32:02,600 It also showed us that high ranking officials like him 725 00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:07,600 were becoming incredibly bold in the decoration of their tombs. 726 00:32:07,600 --> 00:32:11,600 As the Old Kingdom expanded and as the population grew, 727 00:32:11,600 --> 00:32:14,600 so did the power of these high officials. 728 00:32:14,600 --> 00:32:18,600 But it turns out there may be other reasons why the Old Kingdom collapsed. 729 00:32:18,600 --> 00:32:23,600 To see just how the Old Kingdom descended into a century of discord, 730 00:32:23,600 --> 00:32:27,600 I'm headed south to another of Egypt's great cities. 731 00:32:27,600 --> 00:32:31,600 I travel 400 miles south to the city on the banks of the Nile 732 00:32:31,600 --> 00:32:34,600 that's synonymous with ancient Egypt. 733 00:32:44,600 --> 00:32:46,600 All of this was once part of Thebes, 734 00:32:46,600 --> 00:32:50,600 one of the most powerful and richest cities in ancient Egypt. 735 00:32:50,600 --> 00:32:53,600 On the west bank of the Nile, the world of the dead, 736 00:32:53,600 --> 00:32:54,600 and the valley of the kings, 737 00:32:54,600 --> 00:32:57,600 the final resting place for some of Egypt's greatest pharaohs. 738 00:32:57,600 --> 00:33:00,600 And here on the east bank, the world of the living, 739 00:33:00,600 --> 00:33:04,600 and massive temples like Luxor and Karnak. 740 00:33:04,600 --> 00:33:07,600 Back at the end of the Old Kingdom, this was a trade-out post 741 00:33:07,600 --> 00:33:11,600 ruled for a time by a regional governor named Anctifi. 742 00:33:11,600 --> 00:33:14,600 I head south of the ruins to see his tomb 743 00:33:14,600 --> 00:33:17,600 and to meet with Egyptologist Dr. Inez Torres. 744 00:33:17,600 --> 00:33:19,600 This is the tomb of Anctifi. 745 00:33:19,600 --> 00:33:21,600 Yes, it is. 746 00:33:21,600 --> 00:33:24,600 Anctifi lived in the period right after the Old Kingdom, 747 00:33:24,600 --> 00:33:27,600 and by that time we see that these regional rulers 748 00:33:27,600 --> 00:33:29,600 become more and more powerful. 749 00:33:29,600 --> 00:33:32,600 Right, so this is the first intermediate period? 750 00:33:32,600 --> 00:33:33,600 Exactly. 751 00:33:33,600 --> 00:33:36,600 Historically, this has been thought of as a time of some chaos 752 00:33:36,600 --> 00:33:38,600 and strife and change. 753 00:33:38,600 --> 00:33:41,600 There is a major shift in the centers of power, 754 00:33:41,600 --> 00:33:44,600 and there are some really interesting examples of this in this tomb 755 00:33:44,600 --> 00:33:45,600 if you'd like to have a look. 756 00:33:45,600 --> 00:33:46,600 Yes. 757 00:33:52,600 --> 00:33:54,600 So, Josh. 758 00:33:54,600 --> 00:33:57,600 Welcome to the tomb of Anctifi. 759 00:33:57,600 --> 00:33:59,600 This is awesome. Look at this place. 760 00:33:59,600 --> 00:34:00,600 Isn't it amazing? 761 00:34:00,600 --> 00:34:03,600 First of all, I can't believe this is not a royal tomb. 762 00:34:03,600 --> 00:34:04,600 I know, it's massive. 763 00:34:04,600 --> 00:34:06,600 Right, this is bigger than where I live. 764 00:34:06,600 --> 00:34:09,600 And let's talk about all of this beautiful imagery. 765 00:34:09,600 --> 00:34:10,600 Is this our guy? 766 00:34:10,600 --> 00:34:12,600 That's him. That's our guy, Anctifi. 767 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:13,600 Wow. 768 00:34:13,600 --> 00:34:16,600 And what about all these inscriptions we see on the columns? 769 00:34:16,600 --> 00:34:20,600 So Anctifi inscribed is so-called autobiography. 770 00:34:20,600 --> 00:34:22,600 In every single one of these columns, 771 00:34:22,600 --> 00:34:24,600 and if you want to learn more about him, 772 00:34:24,600 --> 00:34:26,600 we can let him tell us. 773 00:34:26,600 --> 00:34:29,600 The walls of this tomb are filled with clues, 774 00:34:29,600 --> 00:34:32,600 and Anctifi himself may be able to tell us 775 00:34:32,600 --> 00:34:34,600 why the Old Kingdom fell apart. 776 00:34:34,600 --> 00:34:35,600 I love this. 777 00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:37,600 Okay, what does he have to say? 778 00:34:44,600 --> 00:34:47,600 Let's start here, because in here he lists all of his titles. 779 00:34:47,600 --> 00:34:48,600 This is his resume? 780 00:34:48,600 --> 00:34:49,600 Yes, absolutely. 781 00:34:49,600 --> 00:34:50,600 Okay. 782 00:34:50,600 --> 00:34:51,600 At a tomb near Luxor, 783 00:34:51,600 --> 00:34:54,600 dated from Egypt's chaotic first intermediate period, 784 00:34:54,600 --> 00:34:57,600 Dr. Inez Torres is helping me understand 785 00:34:57,600 --> 00:35:01,600 how the ancient Old Kingdom descended into a dark age. 786 00:35:01,600 --> 00:35:02,600 Okay, who is he? 787 00:35:02,600 --> 00:35:04,600 So he tells us that he is a dignitary. 788 00:35:04,600 --> 00:35:05,600 Sure. 789 00:35:05,600 --> 00:35:06,600 A governor. 790 00:35:06,600 --> 00:35:07,600 Okay. 791 00:35:07,600 --> 00:35:08,600 A royal seal-bearer. 792 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:09,600 And that's important. 793 00:35:09,600 --> 00:35:13,600 And he also tells us he is the regional ruler. 794 00:35:13,600 --> 00:35:14,600 And a bit of a braggart. 795 00:35:14,600 --> 00:35:17,600 He is, and in fact, next to his titles, 796 00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:20,600 he tells us that he is the beginning of man 797 00:35:20,600 --> 00:35:22,600 and the end of man, 798 00:35:22,600 --> 00:35:25,600 and that no one like him was ever born, 799 00:35:25,600 --> 00:35:26,600 nor will he be. 800 00:35:26,600 --> 00:35:28,600 I say that, though, sometimes. 801 00:35:28,600 --> 00:35:30,600 That's on my business card, actually. 802 00:35:30,600 --> 00:35:31,600 Is that inappropriate? 803 00:35:31,600 --> 00:35:33,600 Do I not have that on her? 804 00:35:33,600 --> 00:35:35,600 It's incredible to think that we go from this, 805 00:35:35,600 --> 00:35:37,600 like, iron grip on power 806 00:35:37,600 --> 00:35:40,600 that the pharaohs seem to have in the Old Kingdom 807 00:35:40,600 --> 00:35:44,600 to people building these, like, lavish tombs for themselves. 808 00:35:44,600 --> 00:35:46,600 It's a huge shift. 809 00:35:46,600 --> 00:35:47,600 Absolutely. 810 00:35:47,600 --> 00:35:50,600 But the decline in the pharaoh's absolute authority 811 00:35:50,600 --> 00:35:52,600 is only part of the story. 812 00:35:52,600 --> 00:35:55,600 The walls of Ankhtifi's tomb reveal another reason 813 00:35:55,600 --> 00:35:57,600 the Old Kingdom fell apart. 814 00:35:57,600 --> 00:36:00,600 So when we get to this column, 815 00:36:00,600 --> 00:36:03,600 we see Ankhtifi telling us a little bit 816 00:36:03,600 --> 00:36:05,600 about possible historical events. 817 00:36:05,600 --> 00:36:07,600 He's highlighting a period of crisis. 818 00:36:07,600 --> 00:36:10,600 He tells us that the entirety of Upper Egypt 819 00:36:10,600 --> 00:36:13,600 was dying of hunger, 820 00:36:13,600 --> 00:36:16,600 and every man was eating his child. 821 00:36:16,600 --> 00:36:19,600 And probably saying that metaphorically, 822 00:36:19,600 --> 00:36:20,600 like they have no food. 823 00:36:20,600 --> 00:36:21,600 Absolutely. 824 00:36:21,600 --> 00:36:23,600 References to this famine 825 00:36:23,600 --> 00:36:25,600 appear in multiple tombs from this period. 826 00:36:25,600 --> 00:36:29,600 In addition, scientists have conducted sediment tests, 827 00:36:29,600 --> 00:36:31,600 showing that around 2200 BCE, 828 00:36:31,600 --> 00:36:34,600 at the time of the collapse of the Old Kingdom, 829 00:36:34,600 --> 00:36:37,600 certain lands around the Nile were bone dry, 830 00:36:37,600 --> 00:36:40,600 the start of a decades-long drought. 831 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:42,600 Add to that, governors like Ankhtifi 832 00:36:42,600 --> 00:36:45,600 with growing power and a need to feed people 833 00:36:45,600 --> 00:36:48,600 in their own region, and things get dangerous. 834 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:50,600 So this kind of feels like a powder keg, 835 00:36:50,600 --> 00:36:53,600 because now you've got power in the hands 836 00:36:53,600 --> 00:36:55,600 of lots of different people, 837 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:57,600 you've got a scarcity of food, 838 00:36:57,600 --> 00:36:58,600 you've got a drought, 839 00:36:58,600 --> 00:37:02,600 and these regional rulers are controlling resources. 840 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:03,600 Yes, absolutely. 841 00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:07,600 Those are typically historically the conditions for war. 842 00:37:07,600 --> 00:37:10,600 Yes, and in fact elsewhere in this tomb, 843 00:37:10,600 --> 00:37:13,600 Ankhtifi tells us how he's been at war 844 00:37:13,600 --> 00:37:16,600 against enemy coalitions of different regions, 845 00:37:16,600 --> 00:37:19,600 and it shows that there were fights for power 846 00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:23,600 within Egypt among these regional leaders. 847 00:37:23,600 --> 00:37:24,600 Right. 848 00:37:24,600 --> 00:37:27,600 The tombs we've explored in Sakara, 849 00:37:27,600 --> 00:37:30,600 those belonging to Iaret, Hrui, and Hennu, 850 00:37:30,600 --> 00:37:33,600 show the road to Ankhtifi's time, 851 00:37:33,600 --> 00:37:37,600 a time when the pharaoh is no longer in control of his kingdom, 852 00:37:37,600 --> 00:37:40,600 and a kingdom in dire need of food, water, 853 00:37:40,600 --> 00:37:42,600 and security for its people. 854 00:37:42,600 --> 00:37:45,600 To see how those puzzle pieces fit into the tombs 855 00:37:45,600 --> 00:37:47,600 we're continuing to explore, 856 00:37:47,600 --> 00:37:49,600 I head from Luxor back to Sakara 857 00:37:49,600 --> 00:37:51,600 for one last trip to our dig site 858 00:37:51,600 --> 00:37:55,600 to excavate the final layers of this mystery. 859 00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:58,600 I descend down into the impressively painted tomb 860 00:37:58,600 --> 00:38:00,600 that belonged to Hennu, 861 00:38:00,600 --> 00:38:03,600 a mayor in the time of the pharaoh Meranrha. 862 00:38:03,600 --> 00:38:05,600 The excavations have progressed further down, 863 00:38:05,600 --> 00:38:08,600 so that the finer archaeological work can continue. 864 00:38:08,600 --> 00:38:09,600 Okay. 865 00:38:09,600 --> 00:38:11,600 I'm alive. 866 00:38:11,600 --> 00:38:12,600 I'm alive. 867 00:38:12,600 --> 00:38:14,600 Okay, so some real progress here. 868 00:38:14,600 --> 00:38:16,600 This is not what I expected to see here. 869 00:38:16,600 --> 00:38:19,600 Blocking half the tomb here, we have this mud brick wall. 870 00:38:19,600 --> 00:38:22,600 And have any of the tombs here had this? 871 00:38:22,600 --> 00:38:23,600 No, in this side. 872 00:38:23,600 --> 00:38:24,600 It's a very rare feature here. 873 00:38:24,600 --> 00:38:26,600 It's not common to find something like this. 874 00:38:26,600 --> 00:38:29,600 Is this feature part of the original tomb, do we think, 875 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:30,600 or is it later? 876 00:38:30,600 --> 00:38:32,600 I think it's later, but not much later. 877 00:38:32,600 --> 00:38:33,600 So still in antiquity? 878 00:38:33,600 --> 00:38:34,600 Yes. 879 00:38:34,600 --> 00:38:36,600 So it's added to shortly after the tomb? 880 00:38:36,600 --> 00:38:37,600 Yes. 881 00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:39,600 So does that mean this tomb has been reused? 882 00:38:39,600 --> 00:38:40,600 Maybe. 883 00:38:40,600 --> 00:38:41,600 All right, the mystery continues. 884 00:38:41,600 --> 00:38:42,600 More digging? 885 00:38:42,600 --> 00:38:43,600 Yes. 886 00:38:43,600 --> 00:38:46,600 For this kind of excavation in tight, dusty spaces, 887 00:38:46,600 --> 00:38:50,600 we need to use respirator masks to protect our lungs. 888 00:38:50,600 --> 00:38:53,600 So this is kind of the tedious part of the process. 889 00:38:53,600 --> 00:38:56,600 We're literally going to scrape sand from the back of the vault 890 00:38:56,600 --> 00:39:00,600 toward the front and just take it down like an inch at a time. 891 00:39:00,600 --> 00:39:02,600 Oh. 892 00:39:02,600 --> 00:39:03,600 Josh. 893 00:39:03,600 --> 00:39:04,600 Got something? 894 00:39:04,600 --> 00:39:07,600 Yes. 895 00:39:07,600 --> 00:39:11,600 Hold on, he's got something here. 896 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:12,600 Something painted? 897 00:39:12,600 --> 00:39:15,600 Yes. 898 00:39:15,600 --> 00:39:16,600 It's an offering. 899 00:39:16,600 --> 00:39:17,600 An offering? 900 00:39:17,600 --> 00:39:18,600 Yes, it's a goose. 901 00:39:18,600 --> 00:39:19,600 It's a goose? 902 00:39:19,600 --> 00:39:20,600 Yes, look at the wing. 903 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:21,600 And this is the neck. 904 00:39:21,600 --> 00:39:22,600 Yes. 905 00:39:22,600 --> 00:39:23,600 Kind of offering. 906 00:39:23,600 --> 00:39:24,600 It's a kind of offering. 907 00:39:24,600 --> 00:39:25,600 Yes. 908 00:39:25,600 --> 00:39:27,600 So this would have been a small carved limestone statue, 909 00:39:27,600 --> 00:39:29,600 carved into the shape of a goose. 910 00:39:29,600 --> 00:39:30,600 Yes. 911 00:39:30,600 --> 00:39:31,600 And left as an offering. 912 00:39:31,600 --> 00:39:33,600 Wow. 913 00:39:33,600 --> 00:39:36,600 And you can imagine he tried to imitate the unicolor 914 00:39:36,600 --> 00:39:38,600 with the skin of the goose. 915 00:39:38,600 --> 00:39:39,600 Right. 916 00:39:39,600 --> 00:39:41,600 And so this is the neck and the head of the goose, 917 00:39:41,600 --> 00:39:42,600 bent backwards. 918 00:39:42,600 --> 00:39:43,600 Yes. 919 00:39:43,600 --> 00:39:44,600 This offering brings for Hinoop. 920 00:39:44,600 --> 00:39:45,600 Right. 921 00:39:45,600 --> 00:39:48,600 So this is matching with the original tomb. 922 00:39:48,600 --> 00:39:49,600 Right. 923 00:39:49,600 --> 00:39:50,600 OK. 924 00:39:50,600 --> 00:39:53,600 Let's start again. 925 00:39:53,600 --> 00:39:56,600 Remember when you were a kid and used to play in the sand 926 00:39:56,600 --> 00:39:57,600 at the beach? 927 00:39:57,600 --> 00:40:00,600 It's just like that, except there might be a human. 928 00:40:00,600 --> 00:40:04,600 A human corpse under here. 929 00:40:04,600 --> 00:40:08,600 It's a lot of sand. 930 00:40:08,600 --> 00:40:11,600 I could almost sit up, which is an improvement. 931 00:40:11,600 --> 00:40:12,600 Yes. 932 00:40:12,600 --> 00:40:15,600 And then I find something that makes me sit up. 933 00:40:15,600 --> 00:40:16,600 Here, here, here, here. 934 00:40:16,600 --> 00:40:20,600 Is it wood or a bone? 935 00:40:20,600 --> 00:40:21,600 Bone. 936 00:40:21,600 --> 00:40:22,600 Piece of bone. 937 00:40:22,600 --> 00:40:23,600 Piece of bone. 938 00:40:23,600 --> 00:40:24,600 Long bone, yeah? 939 00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:25,600 Long bone. 940 00:40:25,600 --> 00:40:26,600 OK. 941 00:40:26,600 --> 00:40:29,600 Human remains here. 942 00:40:29,600 --> 00:40:31,600 I think we've got another long bone here. 943 00:40:31,600 --> 00:40:32,600 Another long bone here. 944 00:40:32,600 --> 00:40:35,600 So we've got a burial up against this wall here. 945 00:40:35,600 --> 00:40:37,600 This is a foot. 946 00:40:37,600 --> 00:40:38,600 Is that a foot? 947 00:40:38,600 --> 00:40:39,600 Foot. 948 00:40:39,600 --> 00:40:40,600 We've got part of the foot here. 949 00:40:40,600 --> 00:40:42,600 It looks like both feet. 950 00:40:42,600 --> 00:40:43,600 Both feet. 951 00:40:43,600 --> 00:40:44,600 Oh, my word. 952 00:40:44,600 --> 00:40:45,600 Oh, man. 953 00:40:45,600 --> 00:40:46,600 Look at this. 954 00:40:46,600 --> 00:40:49,600 So we've got a body that's laid out this way along the edge 955 00:40:49,600 --> 00:40:50,600 of the tomb. 956 00:40:50,600 --> 00:40:53,600 So this is definitely an intrusive burial, yeah? 957 00:40:53,600 --> 00:40:54,600 Yes. 958 00:40:54,600 --> 00:40:58,600 Intrusive burials were a common practice in ancient Egypt. 959 00:40:58,600 --> 00:41:02,600 The people would break into tombs, discard the original resident, 960 00:41:02,600 --> 00:41:05,600 and reuse the space for their loved ones. 961 00:41:05,600 --> 00:41:08,600 By surrounding them with offerings and spells, 962 00:41:08,600 --> 00:41:11,600 even from someone else's tomb, the belief was that this might 963 00:41:11,600 --> 00:41:14,600 have ensured a journey to the afterlife. 964 00:41:14,600 --> 00:41:17,600 We've got somebody that was laid here in the tomb after the 965 00:41:17,600 --> 00:41:20,600 owner and no sign of a coffin, yeah? 966 00:41:20,600 --> 00:41:21,600 Yes. 967 00:41:21,600 --> 00:41:23,600 This skeleton looks like it's going to a down angle. 968 00:41:23,600 --> 00:41:27,600 So it may be that the rest of him is laid out right under here. 969 00:41:27,600 --> 00:41:30,600 We can see traces of linen on the leg bones. 970 00:41:30,600 --> 00:41:36,600 So this is a mummy, obviously, in a really, really bad state of preservation. 971 00:41:36,600 --> 00:41:41,600 He was mummified and placed here, but definitely after the owner of our tomb. 972 00:41:41,600 --> 00:41:43,600 This is one of the ribs. 973 00:41:43,600 --> 00:41:44,600 Uh-huh. 974 00:41:44,600 --> 00:41:45,600 Uh-huh. 975 00:41:45,600 --> 00:41:48,600 Got a whole body here except for a head. 976 00:41:48,600 --> 00:41:50,600 Where's his head? 977 00:41:50,600 --> 00:41:53,600 Hold on. 978 00:41:53,600 --> 00:41:54,600 Oh, yes. 979 00:41:54,600 --> 00:41:56,600 We got a skull right here. 980 00:41:57,600 --> 00:42:03,600 It may seem obvious, but it's also easy to forget. 981 00:42:03,600 --> 00:42:06,600 If you can see me, it means I'm not alone. 982 00:42:06,600 --> 00:42:08,600 Mack, you coming to work today or what? 983 00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:11,600 My crew is with me every step of the way, 984 00:42:11,600 --> 00:42:14,600 even when that step is a long way down. 985 00:42:14,600 --> 00:42:15,600 All right, guys. 986 00:42:15,600 --> 00:42:16,600 Hi. 987 00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:17,600 Perfect. 988 00:42:17,600 --> 00:42:18,600 Welcome to the office. 989 00:42:18,600 --> 00:42:21,600 But there are times when I have to toughen these guys up. 990 00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:22,600 Mack, this guy's working. 991 00:42:22,600 --> 00:42:23,600 You're not working. 992 00:42:23,600 --> 00:42:24,600 Okay? 993 00:42:24,600 --> 00:42:25,600 This is not work. 994 00:42:25,600 --> 00:42:26,600 It's easy. 995 00:42:26,600 --> 00:42:28,600 This is easy, what's happening. 996 00:42:28,600 --> 00:42:30,600 So I engineer a little trade. 997 00:42:30,600 --> 00:42:31,600 Here we go. 998 00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:34,600 This is more like it. 999 00:42:34,600 --> 00:42:36,600 That's right, Mack. 1000 00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:39,600 Not so easy now, is it? 1001 00:42:39,600 --> 00:42:40,600 That's good. 1002 00:42:40,600 --> 00:42:41,600 That's good. 1003 00:42:41,600 --> 00:42:42,600 I'm done. 1004 00:42:42,600 --> 00:42:43,600 I'm done. 1005 00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:44,600 I'm done. 1006 00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:45,600 I'm done. 1007 00:42:45,600 --> 00:42:46,600 I'm done. 1008 00:42:46,600 --> 00:42:47,600 I'm done. 1009 00:42:47,600 --> 00:42:48,600 I'm done. 1010 00:42:48,600 --> 00:42:49,600 I'm done. 1011 00:42:49,600 --> 00:42:50,600 I'm done. 1012 00:42:50,600 --> 00:42:51,600 I'm done. 1013 00:42:51,600 --> 00:42:52,600 I'm done. 1014 00:42:52,600 --> 00:42:53,600 I'm done. 1015 00:42:53,600 --> 00:42:54,600 I'm done. 1016 00:42:54,600 --> 00:42:55,600 I'm done. 1017 00:42:55,600 --> 00:42:57,600 This is an old LOL. 1018 00:42:57,600 --> 00:43:00,600 In the burial shaft of a 6th dynasty Egyptian noble named Henu. 1019 00:43:00,600 --> 00:43:02,600 We've discovered an uninvited guest. 1020 00:43:02,600 --> 00:43:06,600 An intrusive burial laid to rest after the tomb's owner. 1021 00:43:06,600 --> 00:43:08,600 Top of the skull here. 1022 00:43:08,600 --> 00:43:09,600 Coming into view. 1023 00:43:09,600 --> 00:43:10,600 Look at his mouth. 1024 00:43:10,600 --> 00:43:11,600 Look at the preservation. 1025 00:43:11,600 --> 00:43:17,600 Nose is coming into view here. 1026 00:43:17,600 --> 00:43:19,600 This body shows the mummification techniques that were the norm for the old kingdom. 1027 00:43:19,600 --> 00:43:20,600 This really is an old kingdom mummy here. 1028 00:43:20,600 --> 00:43:21,600 We have a life-like appearance. 1029 00:43:21,600 --> 00:43:22,600 But it's not a real wreck. 1030 00:43:22,600 --> 00:43:23,600 So they're like, look at that. 1031 00:43:23,600 --> 00:43:24,600 It's in the video. 1032 00:43:24,600 --> 00:43:26,300 but it's almost molded on. 1033 00:43:26,400 --> 00:43:28,900 You can see the way his lips are, 1034 00:43:29,000 --> 00:43:30,800 the way his nose is preserved. 1035 00:43:30,900 --> 00:43:32,700 We don't see any of those resins, 1036 00:43:32,800 --> 00:43:34,600 any of those advanced techniques we would see later. 1037 00:43:34,700 --> 00:43:37,800 So very much like the mummy of Nefer that we saw. 1038 00:43:40,600 --> 00:43:43,900 There's something just overwhelming 1039 00:43:44,000 --> 00:43:47,300 about digging down through this sand and just coming, 1040 00:43:47,400 --> 00:43:51,100 literally coming face to face with a person. 1041 00:43:51,200 --> 00:43:54,000 It's meeting someone from the past. 1042 00:43:54,500 --> 00:43:58,800 So we'll dig this out a bit more and then photograph it. 1043 00:43:58,900 --> 00:43:59,300 Yeah? 1044 00:43:59,400 --> 00:44:00,000 Yes. 1045 00:44:00,100 --> 00:44:03,000 The remains are quickly and carefully removed 1046 00:44:03,100 --> 00:44:07,000 so we can continue digging down toward Hennu's burial layer. 1047 00:44:18,100 --> 00:44:20,000 Oh, hold on. 1048 00:44:20,100 --> 00:44:22,000 Got some wood here. 1049 00:44:23,000 --> 00:44:24,500 Could this be from the coffin? 1050 00:44:24,600 --> 00:44:26,500 From the original coffin of Hennu. 1051 00:44:26,600 --> 00:44:27,200 You think so? 1052 00:44:27,300 --> 00:44:29,000 Yes. 1053 00:44:29,100 --> 00:44:31,800 Now we are in the layer down the burial. 1054 00:44:31,900 --> 00:44:32,400 Right. 1055 00:44:32,500 --> 00:44:33,700 So we're at the burial layer now. 1056 00:44:33,800 --> 00:44:36,400 So his burial is definitely disturbed then. 1057 00:44:36,500 --> 00:44:37,400 Yes. 1058 00:44:37,500 --> 00:44:41,400 You see, that man who came after Hennu, his poor man, 1059 00:44:41,500 --> 00:44:44,400 he just put his body above the sand. 1060 00:44:44,500 --> 00:44:45,400 Right. 1061 00:44:45,500 --> 00:44:47,600 So if we have a wooden coffin, 1062 00:44:47,700 --> 00:44:49,600 we must find something around his mummy. 1063 00:44:49,700 --> 00:44:50,100 Right. 1064 00:44:50,200 --> 00:44:51,000 But we have nothing. 1065 00:44:51,000 --> 00:44:54,000 So the mummy we found earlier, the later mummy, 1066 00:44:54,100 --> 00:44:56,900 he came in here and what, destroyed this coffin? 1067 00:44:57,000 --> 00:44:57,700 Yes. 1068 00:44:57,800 --> 00:45:00,900 We think of these tombs as such sacred places 1069 00:45:01,000 --> 00:45:04,700 as the ancient Egyptians clearly had such respect 1070 00:45:04,800 --> 00:45:07,500 for the afterlife, for their religion, for their gods, 1071 00:45:07,600 --> 00:45:10,900 yet they were willing to come in and desecrate a tomb 1072 00:45:11,000 --> 00:45:13,800 like this for themselves. 1073 00:45:13,900 --> 00:45:16,600 This is the end of the old kingdom in a nutshell. 1074 00:45:16,700 --> 00:45:20,600 Traditions thrown aside as chaos reigns. 1075 00:45:20,700 --> 00:45:23,400 But you can imagine if this man was desperate. 1076 00:45:23,500 --> 00:45:24,000 Right. 1077 00:45:24,100 --> 00:45:24,700 He's desperate. 1078 00:45:24,800 --> 00:45:27,300 He comes here, destroys the original burial 1079 00:45:27,400 --> 00:45:29,000 to make an afterlife for himself. 1080 00:45:29,100 --> 00:45:30,200 Yes. 1081 00:45:30,300 --> 00:45:31,200 The great Hennu. 1082 00:45:31,300 --> 00:45:31,900 Yes. 1083 00:45:32,000 --> 00:45:32,700 He was the mayor. 1084 00:45:32,800 --> 00:45:34,000 He was the sole friend of the king. 1085 00:45:34,100 --> 00:45:36,800 He was this powerful guy in the palace. 1086 00:45:36,900 --> 00:45:38,300 And it all comes to this. 1087 00:45:41,500 --> 00:45:44,100 We step out as the very last layers of sand 1088 00:45:44,200 --> 00:45:46,000 are swept out of the tomb. 1089 00:45:46,100 --> 00:45:50,300 This is likely as clean as it was on the day Hennu first occupied it. 1090 00:45:51,300 --> 00:45:52,600 All done. 1091 00:45:52,700 --> 00:45:53,400 Nice work. 1092 00:45:53,500 --> 00:45:54,200 Thank you. 1093 00:45:54,300 --> 00:45:54,700 All right. 1094 00:45:54,800 --> 00:45:55,400 Look at this place. 1095 00:45:55,500 --> 00:45:56,200 It's beautiful. 1096 00:45:56,300 --> 00:45:57,000 Yes. 1097 00:45:57,100 --> 00:46:01,200 A tomb fit for not a king, a mayor, 1098 00:46:01,300 --> 00:46:03,200 and for someone else who came after. 1099 00:46:03,300 --> 00:46:03,700 Yes. 1100 00:46:03,800 --> 00:46:04,400 Yes. 1101 00:46:04,500 --> 00:46:05,200 All right. 1102 00:46:05,300 --> 00:46:05,700 Come on. 1103 00:46:05,800 --> 00:46:06,200 Let's walk out. 1104 00:46:06,300 --> 00:46:07,200 Here we go. 1105 00:46:10,300 --> 00:46:11,900 Look how far we've come. 1106 00:46:12,000 --> 00:46:13,900 This is maybe 25 feet deep. 1107 00:46:14,000 --> 00:46:16,200 And in the beginning, it was just sand all the way to the top. 1108 00:46:16,300 --> 00:46:19,200 So how much sand do you figure removed out of here? 1109 00:46:19,200 --> 00:46:21,100 2,000 cubic feet of sand. 1110 00:46:21,200 --> 00:46:25,100 You can imagine its weight, 200,000 pounds. 1111 00:46:25,200 --> 00:46:27,600 We moved 200,000 pounds of sand. 1112 00:46:27,700 --> 00:46:28,600 And look at that. 1113 00:46:28,700 --> 00:46:32,100 At the bottom of all this, there are incredible things to find. 1114 00:46:32,200 --> 00:46:33,100 Yes. 1115 00:46:33,200 --> 00:46:33,600 All right. 1116 00:46:33,700 --> 00:46:34,600 Can we get out of this shaft now? 1117 00:46:34,700 --> 00:46:35,100 Yes. 1118 00:46:35,200 --> 00:46:37,600 Just say for them, Reha. 1119 00:46:37,700 --> 00:46:40,100 Reha! 1120 00:46:40,200 --> 00:46:42,600 The mystery and allure of ancient Egypt 1121 00:46:42,700 --> 00:46:46,800 has kept archaeologists digging through its sands for centuries. 1122 00:46:46,900 --> 00:46:48,600 Well, in my brief time here, 1123 00:46:48,600 --> 00:46:51,000 I've helped move my share of that sand. 1124 00:46:51,100 --> 00:46:53,500 And I can tell you that the necropolis at Sakara 1125 00:46:53,600 --> 00:46:57,500 is worth all of that effort and more. 1126 00:46:57,600 --> 00:47:00,500 I've never been at a dig site where so much history 1127 00:47:00,600 --> 00:47:04,500 felt so immediate and urgent, asking to be unearthed. 1128 00:47:04,600 --> 00:47:07,500 Got a burial up against this wall here. 1129 00:47:07,600 --> 00:47:10,500 The discoveries here show that powerful officials 1130 00:47:10,600 --> 00:47:14,000 undermined the absolute authority of the pharaoh. 1131 00:47:14,100 --> 00:47:16,500 That, combined with famine, drought, 1132 00:47:16,500 --> 00:47:22,400 and rising regional governments, all conspired to bring the Old Kingdom to its knees. 1133 00:47:22,500 --> 00:47:26,400 At the same time, we may well have put a face on one of its rulers, 1134 00:47:26,500 --> 00:47:31,400 scanning and identifying the only Old Kingdom pharaoh ever found. 1135 00:47:31,500 --> 00:47:34,400 I know the discoveries will only continue 1136 00:47:34,500 --> 00:47:38,400 as intrepid archaeologists across Sakara and beyond, 1137 00:47:38,500 --> 00:47:43,400 along with their tireless teams, continue to dig. 1138 00:47:43,400 --> 00:47:47,800 After all, the sands of Egypt have many more stories to tell 1139 00:47:47,900 --> 00:47:50,300 and many more mysteries to reveal. 1140 00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:53,300 Listen carefully, because the past calls out 1141 00:47:53,400 --> 00:47:57,300 from just below our feet, waiting patiently to be heard.