1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:04,000 Welcome to the pyramid and tomb of the King Nostosin. 2 00:00:04,000 --> 00:00:05,500 What's in the third chamber? 3 00:00:05,500 --> 00:00:08,000 Theoretically, it should be the king. 4 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,000 It's completely flooded. 5 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:11,000 So we've decided to dive it. 6 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:12,000 You interested? 7 00:00:12,000 --> 00:00:13,000 Huh. 8 00:00:15,000 --> 00:00:18,000 This is like the most dangerous diving that you could do. 9 00:00:18,000 --> 00:00:19,000 I am nervous. 10 00:00:19,000 --> 00:00:20,000 That's not true. I'm scared. 11 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,000 That's more accurate. 12 00:00:22,000 --> 00:00:24,000 Any words of wisdom for our first time right here? 13 00:00:24,000 --> 00:00:26,000 Don't let go of the light. Don't forget. 14 00:00:26,000 --> 00:00:27,000 Yep. 15 00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:28,000 Don't panic. 16 00:00:28,000 --> 00:00:29,000 Let's go dive a tomb. 17 00:00:29,000 --> 00:00:30,000 Let's go dive a tomb. 18 00:00:38,000 --> 00:00:40,000 That silt just follows you in. 19 00:00:40,000 --> 00:00:42,000 Moving forward. 20 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:49,000 Okay, I'm letting go. 21 00:00:51,000 --> 00:00:53,000 I am not feeling that block this time. 22 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:54,000 I'm off the line. 23 00:00:54,000 --> 00:00:57,000 I don't know where I am here in chamber two. 24 00:00:57,000 --> 00:01:00,000 Alright, Josh, can you repeat that you're off the line? 25 00:01:00,000 --> 00:01:02,000 I've lost the line in chamber two. 26 00:01:02,000 --> 00:01:05,000 I should be in front of you, but I cannot feel it. 27 00:01:05,000 --> 00:01:07,000 Josh is off the line. Repeat. 28 00:01:07,000 --> 00:01:08,000 I can't get my bearings. 29 00:01:08,000 --> 00:01:10,000 Guys, I need some help here. 30 00:01:10,000 --> 00:01:12,000 Okay, just don't panic. 31 00:01:12,000 --> 00:01:15,000 Reach around and see if you can find the line. 32 00:01:15,000 --> 00:01:17,000 He doesn't have any kind of tactile reference, 33 00:01:17,000 --> 00:01:20,000 so he has no idea where he is in the tomb. 34 00:01:20,000 --> 00:01:22,000 I can't see a f***ing thing. 35 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,000 Josh, is there any chance you can chamber into surface 36 00:01:25,000 --> 00:01:26,000 into chamber two? 37 00:01:26,000 --> 00:01:30,000 If I could find that block at the front of chamber two, 38 00:01:30,000 --> 00:01:35,000 I could surface there, but I am in outer space right now. 39 00:01:35,000 --> 00:01:37,000 Josh, listen to me. 40 00:01:37,000 --> 00:01:39,000 Stay calm and stay focused. 41 00:01:39,000 --> 00:01:41,000 Look around for that cinder block. 42 00:01:41,000 --> 00:01:43,000 If you can feel the two temperatures in the water, 43 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:45,000 that cinder block should be your next best guest 44 00:01:45,000 --> 00:01:47,000 to get on that line. 45 00:01:47,000 --> 00:01:57,000 I got it. I got the cave line. 46 00:01:57,000 --> 00:01:59,000 Outstanding. Great news. 47 00:01:59,000 --> 00:02:01,000 You good? You doing all right? 48 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:02,000 I'm good, man. 49 00:02:02,000 --> 00:02:06,000 That was intense, but I'm good. 50 00:02:06,000 --> 00:02:07,000 Extrap? 51 00:02:07,000 --> 00:02:10,000 Further into the darkness, deeper into the tomb. 52 00:02:10,000 --> 00:02:12,000 Let's see what's in here. 53 00:02:14,000 --> 00:02:16,000 My name is Josh Gates. 54 00:02:16,000 --> 00:02:17,000 Hello. 55 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:18,000 Explorer. 56 00:02:18,000 --> 00:02:19,000 Here goes nothing. 57 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:20,000 Adventurer. 58 00:02:20,000 --> 00:02:21,000 Woo-hoo-hoo. 59 00:02:21,000 --> 00:02:22,000 Oh, that's a long way down. 60 00:02:22,000 --> 00:02:26,000 And a guy who ends up in some very strange situations. 61 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:28,000 I'm alive for now. 62 00:02:28,000 --> 00:02:32,000 With a degree in archaeology and a passion for the unexplained, 63 00:02:32,000 --> 00:02:34,000 I travel to the ends of the earth, 64 00:02:34,000 --> 00:02:37,000 investigating the greatest legends in history. 65 00:02:37,000 --> 00:02:38,000 Ready to rock and roll. 66 00:02:38,000 --> 00:02:41,000 This is Expedition Unknown. 67 00:02:42,000 --> 00:02:46,000 Okay, so good news is I haven't drowned, 68 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:48,000 and I am back on the line. 69 00:02:48,000 --> 00:02:51,000 To say that I'm relieved is a grotesque understatement. 70 00:02:51,000 --> 00:02:55,000 In fact, my life is flashing before my eyes, 71 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,000 particularly the last few days. 72 00:02:59,000 --> 00:03:01,000 I came to Sudan to investigate the mysteries 73 00:03:01,000 --> 00:03:03,000 of the great kingdom of Kush, 74 00:03:03,000 --> 00:03:06,000 the southern neighbors of ancient Egypt. 75 00:03:06,000 --> 00:03:08,000 Once, Egypt was able to conquer and occupy 76 00:03:08,000 --> 00:03:10,000 this gold-rich region. 77 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,000 But after 500 years, they withdrew. 78 00:03:13,000 --> 00:03:16,000 And then something extraordinary happened. 79 00:03:16,000 --> 00:03:20,000 The Kushites rose to become Africa's superpower. 80 00:03:20,000 --> 00:03:22,000 This was the largest city on the continent. 81 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:23,000 Yes, of course. 82 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:24,000 Wow. 83 00:03:24,000 --> 00:03:27,000 The Kushites invade Egypt, 84 00:03:27,000 --> 00:03:30,000 ruling over the 25th dynasty as pharaohs 85 00:03:30,000 --> 00:03:34,000 and presiding over a renaissance of Egyptian culture, 86 00:03:34,000 --> 00:03:36,000 religion, and architecture. 87 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:40,000 But what made the Kushites powerful enough to take control? 88 00:03:40,000 --> 00:03:43,000 And what happened to the Kush kings who ruled Egypt? 89 00:03:43,000 --> 00:03:46,000 A century of archaeology has yet to find the remains 90 00:03:46,000 --> 00:03:49,000 of a Kush king in his own tomb. 91 00:03:49,000 --> 00:03:51,000 To help locate one for the first time, 92 00:03:51,000 --> 00:03:54,000 I've come to the Necropolis of Nuri, 93 00:03:54,000 --> 00:03:57,000 where 80 pyramids lie buried in the sand. 94 00:03:57,000 --> 00:04:01,000 This is just a mind-blowing collection of ancient structures. 95 00:04:01,000 --> 00:04:05,000 The first tomb built here was built in the 18th century 96 00:04:05,000 --> 00:04:09,000 and the tomb built here was that of the greatest hero of the Kush, 97 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:13,000 T'Harkah, and the last belonged to the king, Nistassan. 98 00:04:13,000 --> 00:04:16,000 It is Nistassan's tomb that has drawn the attention 99 00:04:16,000 --> 00:04:18,000 of archaeologist Pierce Paul Kreisman. 100 00:04:18,000 --> 00:04:21,000 Along with his team, we are exploring the interior 101 00:04:21,000 --> 00:04:24,000 in the hopes of finding the king's mummy. 102 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:27,000 If we're able to recover any mummified remains of Nistassan, 103 00:04:27,000 --> 00:04:30,000 his DNA could advance our knowledge of the Kush 104 00:04:30,000 --> 00:04:34,000 by leaps and bounds, and it has not been easy. 105 00:04:34,000 --> 00:04:37,000 The tomb, flooded by water from the Nile, 106 00:04:37,000 --> 00:04:41,000 consists of a staircase leading through a reinforced passageway 107 00:04:41,000 --> 00:04:44,000 into three pitch-black chambers, 108 00:04:44,000 --> 00:04:48,000 a large first chamber with a guideline, 109 00:04:48,000 --> 00:04:52,000 a collapsed second chamber with a small air pocket. 110 00:04:52,000 --> 00:04:55,000 And then, what we hope is the very same thing 111 00:04:55,000 --> 00:04:58,000 that the Nile has found in the past. 112 00:04:58,000 --> 00:05:01,000 The tomb, flooded by water from the Nile, 113 00:05:01,000 --> 00:05:05,000 and then, what we hope is the burial chamber of the king. 114 00:05:09,000 --> 00:05:12,000 Okay, let's get back to work. Let's do this. 115 00:05:12,000 --> 00:05:14,000 Is that what I like to hear? 116 00:05:16,000 --> 00:05:19,000 All right, I'm back in the third chamber. 117 00:05:19,000 --> 00:05:20,000 Ready? 118 00:05:20,000 --> 00:05:21,000 Yep. 119 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:23,000 And working away. 120 00:05:23,000 --> 00:05:26,000 We've discovered that a large slab in chamber three 121 00:05:26,000 --> 00:05:29,000 appears to be the lid of Nistassan's sarcophagus, 122 00:05:29,000 --> 00:05:32,000 cracked open by falling rock from above. 123 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:35,000 To recover any material inside, 124 00:05:35,000 --> 00:05:37,000 we'll therefore need to work quickly, 125 00:05:37,000 --> 00:05:40,000 so we don't end up entombed here as well. 126 00:05:41,000 --> 00:05:44,000 Are you currently under the slab? Where are you? 127 00:05:44,000 --> 00:05:48,000 Yeah, so, there's a diagonal crack in the slab. 128 00:05:48,000 --> 00:05:50,000 I cleared off some of the clay, 129 00:05:50,000 --> 00:05:53,000 and I'm working down one of the edges. 130 00:05:55,000 --> 00:05:58,000 All right, I'm parking the doorway to chamber three. 131 00:06:00,000 --> 00:06:03,000 All right, I'm bringing a bucket up. 132 00:06:03,000 --> 00:06:05,000 There's no visibility, 133 00:06:05,000 --> 00:06:09,000 so we work together by forming a blind bucket brigade. 134 00:06:09,000 --> 00:06:12,000 Pierce Paul scoops material from under the lid 135 00:06:12,000 --> 00:06:14,000 that could contain artifacts, 136 00:06:14,000 --> 00:06:17,000 and hands it off to me in the doorway. 137 00:06:17,000 --> 00:06:20,000 I'm waiting for it. Can you see my light? 138 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:25,000 I have the bucket, and I'm adding you one here. 139 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:27,000 Got it. Good exchange. 140 00:06:28,000 --> 00:06:31,000 I pass over the collapsed ceiling in this room 141 00:06:31,000 --> 00:06:34,000 and clutch around for a set of waiting hands 142 00:06:34,000 --> 00:06:36,000 in the doorway to chamber one. 143 00:06:36,000 --> 00:06:38,000 Okay, I've just handed the bucket off. 144 00:06:38,000 --> 00:06:40,000 I think Ryan has joined the relay here. 145 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:42,000 Excellent. 146 00:06:42,000 --> 00:06:44,000 Ryan uses the guide wire 147 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,000 and ferries the bucket through the large first chamber. 148 00:06:47,000 --> 00:06:49,000 Finally, Justin will bring it to the surface 149 00:06:49,000 --> 00:06:51,000 to the topside team. 150 00:06:53,000 --> 00:06:56,000 Today, that just happens to be John T. Godfrey, 151 00:06:56,000 --> 00:06:58,000 the U.S. ambassador to Sudan, 152 00:06:58,000 --> 00:07:01,000 who traveled to the dig for an official site visit. 153 00:07:01,000 --> 00:07:04,000 Now he's volunteering to haul the heavy buckets 154 00:07:04,000 --> 00:07:06,000 to the sifting tent, 155 00:07:06,000 --> 00:07:09,000 bringing new meaning to the term public servant. 156 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:13,000 Together, we work efficiently and carefully. 157 00:07:13,000 --> 00:07:16,000 I have to be really careful where I'm working right now. 158 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:19,000 I don't want these larger rocks that I can't pick up to fall. 159 00:07:19,000 --> 00:07:21,000 Right. 160 00:07:21,000 --> 00:07:23,000 Along with the rocks, I start to imagine 161 00:07:23,000 --> 00:07:26,000 what else we might be disturbing in here. 162 00:07:26,000 --> 00:07:29,000 Here's Paul, what are your feelings of the movie The Mummy? 163 00:07:29,000 --> 00:07:32,000 I love a good-branded Fraser. 164 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:37,000 That's not possible though, right? 165 00:07:37,000 --> 00:07:39,000 It's not going to happen here. 166 00:07:39,000 --> 00:07:41,000 Never say never. 167 00:07:43,000 --> 00:07:46,000 The full buckets go up and out. 168 00:07:46,000 --> 00:07:48,000 The empty ones back in and down, 169 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,000 passed from man to man in total darkness. 170 00:07:51,000 --> 00:07:54,000 I have the bucket heading back through chamber two. 171 00:07:54,000 --> 00:07:57,000 I think we should make this an Olympic event. 172 00:07:57,000 --> 00:08:00,000 That exchange was beautiful. 173 00:08:00,000 --> 00:08:02,000 A perfect handoff. 174 00:08:02,000 --> 00:08:04,000 We keep it up for more than two hours, 175 00:08:04,000 --> 00:08:08,000 when I learn that not all of the buckets we're filling are equal. 176 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,000 I got some interesting things going on here. 177 00:08:13,000 --> 00:08:15,000 What have you got? 178 00:08:15,000 --> 00:08:19,000 I don't know yet. Let me fill this bucket a little more. 179 00:08:19,000 --> 00:08:21,000 There's something in here. 180 00:08:21,000 --> 00:08:23,000 It's going to take me a minute to work around it. 181 00:08:23,000 --> 00:08:25,000 So we can't just go and pull it. 182 00:08:25,000 --> 00:08:28,000 I got to get the layers off of it. 183 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:33,000 All right. I got something of interest here. 184 00:08:33,000 --> 00:08:35,000 Smooth around the edges. 185 00:08:35,000 --> 00:08:37,000 Does it feel like natural rock? 186 00:08:37,000 --> 00:08:39,000 No, it does not feel natural. 187 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:42,000 I think we need to get out and take a look at it. 188 00:08:42,000 --> 00:08:45,000 The item, whatever it is, is placed inside a hard container 189 00:08:45,000 --> 00:08:48,000 Pierce Paul has clipped to his belt. 190 00:08:48,000 --> 00:08:51,000 Then we carefully ferry it out into the light. 191 00:08:51,000 --> 00:08:54,000 Josh and Pierce are coming out. 192 00:08:57,000 --> 00:09:00,000 So we've been digging around, pulled some buckets out. 193 00:09:00,000 --> 00:09:02,000 What do we got? 194 00:09:03,000 --> 00:09:05,000 Oh, f***, yes! 195 00:09:05,000 --> 00:09:06,000 It's Shobti. 196 00:09:06,000 --> 00:09:08,000 So this is Nostas and Shobti. 197 00:09:08,000 --> 00:09:11,000 That is great. Just from that from down there. 198 00:09:11,000 --> 00:09:14,000 We just got him down out of the burial chamber. 199 00:09:14,000 --> 00:09:17,000 A Shobti is a figurine that would be buried with a royal 200 00:09:17,000 --> 00:09:20,000 to attend to them in the afterlife. 201 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:22,000 And this wasn't a metaphor. 202 00:09:22,000 --> 00:09:25,000 This doll was supposed to physically spring to life 203 00:09:25,000 --> 00:09:27,000 to serve Nostas in eternity. 204 00:09:28,000 --> 00:09:31,000 This that we see on here, this black, this is paint? 205 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,000 This is paint that was put on it probably during the firing process. 206 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:36,000 You can see the circle going around here. 207 00:09:36,000 --> 00:09:40,000 This is almost certainly the edge of the cartouche to keep the paint. 208 00:09:40,000 --> 00:09:43,000 So we have Kushite hieroglyphs on here. 209 00:09:43,000 --> 00:09:44,000 Yes. 210 00:09:44,000 --> 00:09:47,000 A cartouche is an oval shape surrounding hieroglyphs, 211 00:09:47,000 --> 00:09:51,000 typically displaying the name of an important individual. 212 00:09:51,000 --> 00:09:55,000 It finds the information so we can see the name of Nostas. 213 00:09:55,000 --> 00:09:58,000 This is unbelievable! 214 00:09:58,000 --> 00:10:03,000 Even though these are meant to be servants to wait on him in the afterlife, 215 00:10:03,000 --> 00:10:05,000 the representation, the face, is it meant to be him? 216 00:10:05,000 --> 00:10:06,000 Yeah. 217 00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:08,000 This is intended to be him. 218 00:10:08,000 --> 00:10:10,000 You need to have representations of your image 219 00:10:10,000 --> 00:10:13,000 in order to ensure you live in perpetuity. 220 00:10:13,000 --> 00:10:17,000 As a magical object, the Shabti is covered with spells, 221 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:22,000 intended to keep the king's name alive, granting him immortality. 222 00:10:22,000 --> 00:10:25,000 All I can say is, so far so good. 223 00:10:25,000 --> 00:10:30,000 I mean, the idea that this has been waiting for, you know, nearly 2,500 years, 224 00:10:30,000 --> 00:10:31,000 how about that? 225 00:10:31,000 --> 00:10:32,000 That's fantastic. 226 00:10:32,000 --> 00:10:33,000 What a fine thing. 227 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,000 This is a precious discovery. 228 00:10:35,000 --> 00:10:38,000 This figure now serves his king once more, 229 00:10:38,000 --> 00:10:42,000 not by waiting on him, but by preserving his memory. 230 00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,000 It's an honor to have helped bring him to the surface. 231 00:10:45,000 --> 00:10:48,000 An ambassador for you to give this to me as a gift? 232 00:10:48,000 --> 00:10:50,000 It's so kind of you, you didn't need to do that. 233 00:10:50,000 --> 00:10:52,000 He was following his team. 234 00:10:52,000 --> 00:10:53,000 Almost. 235 00:10:53,000 --> 00:10:55,000 I thought I had the state department behind me. 236 00:10:55,000 --> 00:10:57,000 I thought I had him. 237 00:10:57,000 --> 00:11:00,000 The team needs to catalog this remarkable find, 238 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:03,000 and we've reached our daily time limit in the tomb, 239 00:11:03,000 --> 00:11:06,000 which is carefully controlled to prevent fatigue. 240 00:11:06,000 --> 00:11:09,000 Soon, we'll mount one last push inside 241 00:11:09,000 --> 00:11:12,000 in search of King Nostasen himself. 242 00:11:12,000 --> 00:11:16,000 In the meantime, the shabti we found raises some important questions. 243 00:11:16,000 --> 00:11:20,000 These objects, which are so iconically Egyptian, 244 00:11:20,000 --> 00:11:23,000 are also being used in tombs here in Kush, 245 00:11:23,000 --> 00:11:26,000 along with pyramids, mummies, and more. 246 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:27,000 Why? 247 00:11:27,000 --> 00:11:29,000 And even more mysterious, 248 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:33,000 what made this kingdom powerful enough to conquer Egypt? 249 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:44,000 I am up before the sun, 250 00:11:44,000 --> 00:11:47,000 and rolling out to meet an archaeologist named Jeff Emberling. 251 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:51,000 Now, Jeff has asked me to meet him at a site known as Jebel Barkle. 252 00:11:51,000 --> 00:11:54,000 I have coordinates, but there's a lot of sand out here, 253 00:11:54,000 --> 00:11:56,000 so hopefully we can find him. 254 00:12:00,000 --> 00:12:02,000 I'm guessing this is my guy here. 255 00:12:02,000 --> 00:12:06,000 At the base of the holy mountain known as Jebel Barkle, 256 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:09,000 I meet archaeologist Jeff Emberling. 257 00:12:10,000 --> 00:12:11,000 Jeff! 258 00:12:11,000 --> 00:12:12,000 Good morning. 259 00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:14,000 Welcome to Jebel Barkle. 260 00:12:14,000 --> 00:12:15,000 Thank you. 261 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,000 I normally don't like to meet strangers out in the desert 262 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,000 in the middle of the night, 263 00:12:18,000 --> 00:12:20,000 but for you, I'm making an exception. 264 00:12:20,000 --> 00:12:23,000 Okay, so this big feature here is Jebel Barkle, 265 00:12:23,000 --> 00:12:24,000 so what does that mean? 266 00:12:24,000 --> 00:12:26,000 For the ancient Egyptians, ancient Kushites, 267 00:12:26,000 --> 00:12:29,000 this is the pure mountain, the holy mountain. 268 00:12:29,000 --> 00:12:31,000 The holy mountain, okay? 269 00:12:31,000 --> 00:12:33,000 And so, why? Why is it holy? 270 00:12:33,000 --> 00:12:34,000 To understand that, 271 00:12:34,000 --> 00:12:36,000 you're gonna have to walk up to the top, 272 00:12:36,000 --> 00:12:37,000 and I'll take you there. 273 00:12:37,000 --> 00:12:38,000 We're going up. 274 00:12:38,000 --> 00:12:39,000 We're going up. 275 00:12:39,000 --> 00:12:40,000 That is how tall? 276 00:12:40,000 --> 00:12:41,000 It's over 300 feet high. 277 00:12:41,000 --> 00:12:42,000 And it looks real steep. 278 00:12:42,000 --> 00:12:43,000 Is there a path up there? 279 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:44,000 There is. 280 00:12:44,000 --> 00:12:45,000 Sort of? 281 00:12:45,000 --> 00:12:46,000 We're gonna go find it. 282 00:12:46,000 --> 00:12:47,000 Oh, boy. 283 00:12:47,000 --> 00:12:48,000 Okay, come on. 284 00:12:48,000 --> 00:12:50,000 Let's get our morning steps in, huh? 285 00:12:55,000 --> 00:12:58,000 We race the sun to the top of Jebel Barkle, 286 00:12:58,000 --> 00:13:01,000 but with the ground slipping away under our feet as we walk, 287 00:13:01,000 --> 00:13:03,000 I put my money on the sun. 288 00:13:05,000 --> 00:13:07,000 It's like walking up a sand dune for... 289 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:11,000 A sand dune is filled with razor blade sharp rocks. 290 00:13:19,000 --> 00:13:21,000 There's a more way down. 291 00:13:24,000 --> 00:13:25,000 It's tough. 292 00:13:25,000 --> 00:13:26,000 This is tough. 293 00:13:27,000 --> 00:13:29,000 There's not nothing climbing up here, is there? 294 00:13:29,000 --> 00:13:30,000 No, it's not. 295 00:13:30,000 --> 00:13:32,000 There's kind of no one path to the top. 296 00:13:32,000 --> 00:13:33,000 It's just... 297 00:13:33,000 --> 00:13:35,000 Yeah, choose your own adventure. 298 00:13:41,000 --> 00:13:42,000 Oh, look at that. 299 00:13:42,000 --> 00:13:43,000 There it is. 300 00:13:49,000 --> 00:13:50,000 Greeting the dawn. 301 00:13:51,000 --> 00:13:52,000 Oh, that is something. 302 00:13:52,000 --> 00:13:53,000 What a view. 303 00:13:54,000 --> 00:13:56,000 But it's not just a nice view. 304 00:13:56,000 --> 00:13:58,000 From the top of Jebel Barkle, 305 00:13:58,000 --> 00:14:02,000 I'll finally glimpse the source of the cush's power. 306 00:14:03,000 --> 00:14:04,000 Beautiful. 307 00:14:09,000 --> 00:14:12,000 That is the most spectacular thing. 308 00:14:12,000 --> 00:14:14,000 Water, green, desert. 309 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,000 Just life right there. 310 00:14:17,000 --> 00:14:20,000 It's really not hard to see why somebody would find this place holy. 311 00:14:20,000 --> 00:14:21,000 Absolutely. 312 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:27,000 This picture is exactly how life has been in the Nile for thousands of years. 313 00:14:27,000 --> 00:14:28,000 It's awesome. 314 00:14:29,000 --> 00:14:32,000 I've climbed to the top of Jebel Barkle, 315 00:14:32,000 --> 00:14:35,000 the holiest mountain in the ancient kingdom of Kush, 316 00:14:35,000 --> 00:14:39,000 to learn how the Kushites were able to conquer their one-time conquerors 317 00:14:39,000 --> 00:14:41,000 to the north, the Egyptians. 318 00:14:42,000 --> 00:14:45,000 The thing you need to really see is this pinnacle down here. 319 00:14:45,000 --> 00:14:46,000 Let's go take a look. 320 00:14:49,000 --> 00:14:54,000 This pinnacle of rock is what makes Jebel Barkle a holy place. 321 00:14:54,000 --> 00:14:55,000 Unbelievable. 322 00:14:55,000 --> 00:14:56,000 Look at this. 323 00:14:57,000 --> 00:14:59,000 So why does this pinnacle make this a holy place? 324 00:14:59,000 --> 00:15:01,000 Just because it's such a unique feature? 325 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:03,000 No, it's much more than that. 326 00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:05,000 I'm going to back you up just a little bit. 327 00:15:05,000 --> 00:15:06,000 Okay. 328 00:15:06,000 --> 00:15:08,000 So the Kushites were here first, 329 00:15:08,000 --> 00:15:10,000 and they had this idea that gods lived in the rock. 330 00:15:10,000 --> 00:15:13,000 So already they saw this as a sacred place? 331 00:15:13,000 --> 00:15:14,000 That's right. 332 00:15:14,000 --> 00:15:16,000 But of course the Egyptians were their neighbors. 333 00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:17,000 They conquered Kush. 334 00:15:17,000 --> 00:15:20,000 And in understanding why this is a sacred place, 335 00:15:20,000 --> 00:15:23,000 you have to go to the Egyptians. 336 00:15:23,000 --> 00:15:27,000 When the Egyptians first conquered Kush and came into these lands, 337 00:15:27,000 --> 00:15:32,000 they were astonished at the sight of the rock formation at Jebel Barkle. 338 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,000 So for the Egyptians, this became a holy place 339 00:15:35,000 --> 00:15:37,000 because of this pinnacle of rock. 340 00:15:38,000 --> 00:15:42,000 They are the ones who really recognize this as a very specific symbol. 341 00:15:43,000 --> 00:15:45,000 A symbol of a Ureas. 342 00:15:46,000 --> 00:15:51,000 A Ureas is a goddess in the form of a cobra, 343 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:56,000 poiled on your head, spitting fire and poison at the eyes of your enemies. 344 00:15:56,000 --> 00:15:57,000 Protecting you. 345 00:15:57,000 --> 00:15:58,000 Yes, exactly. 346 00:15:58,000 --> 00:16:04,000 This is something that people would maybe most recognize from Tuts death mask, for instance. 347 00:16:04,000 --> 00:16:08,000 This was a big deal symbol to the ancient Egyptians. 348 00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:09,000 Absolutely. 349 00:16:09,000 --> 00:16:14,000 And so for them, it was the combination of the Ureas with the rest of the Jebel, 350 00:16:14,000 --> 00:16:16,000 which was like a crown. 351 00:16:16,000 --> 00:16:21,000 It became almost a hieroglyph in nature for kingship. 352 00:16:21,000 --> 00:16:23,000 Absolutely beautiful. 353 00:16:23,000 --> 00:16:24,000 Yeah. 354 00:16:24,000 --> 00:16:29,000 The Egyptians saw one of their holiest symbols emerging from the natural landscape. 355 00:16:29,000 --> 00:16:34,000 They called this land Napata and immediately built a temple here 356 00:16:34,000 --> 00:16:38,000 to their most important deity, the creator god Amun. 357 00:16:38,000 --> 00:16:44,000 So when they came here, the Kushites had been worshipping, we think, a ram-headed god. 358 00:16:44,000 --> 00:16:47,000 And when the Egyptians came down, their god was Amun. 359 00:16:47,000 --> 00:16:51,000 Amun is like the main Egyptian deity, yes. 360 00:16:51,000 --> 00:16:53,000 He's the god of the Egyptian empire. 361 00:16:53,000 --> 00:16:59,000 And so the form of Amun that appeared here in Jebel Barcl was a ram-headed Amun. 362 00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,000 It was sort of a mixture of the two, the Egyptian and the Kushite gods. 363 00:17:02,000 --> 00:17:03,000 Right. 364 00:17:03,000 --> 00:17:05,000 This became the birthplace of Amun. 365 00:17:05,000 --> 00:17:10,000 This is kind of wild because it means that ancient Egypt, they're putting their whole origin 366 00:17:10,000 --> 00:17:14,000 in this other area where there's this other kingdom, this other civilization. 367 00:17:14,000 --> 00:17:16,000 They're saying, we came from here. 368 00:17:16,000 --> 00:17:21,000 Egypt wouldn't be what it was without Kush and Kush wouldn't be what it was without Egypt. 369 00:17:21,000 --> 00:17:22,000 There's no question. 370 00:17:22,000 --> 00:17:29,000 During their occupation by Egypt, the Kushites latched on to their conqueror's religion and traditions 371 00:17:29,000 --> 00:17:33,000 and then surpassed their teachers even after they left. 372 00:17:33,000 --> 00:17:36,000 The Kush became more Egyptian than the Egyptians. 373 00:17:36,000 --> 00:17:38,000 So what happens? 374 00:17:38,000 --> 00:17:43,000 Well, the people that they introduced the worship of Amun to, the Kushites, 375 00:17:43,000 --> 00:17:48,000 completely take this on as their god and their story. 376 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,000 And they're not giving up on that myth at all. 377 00:17:50,000 --> 00:17:51,000 It gets stronger and stronger. 378 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:52,000 Absolutely. 379 00:17:52,000 --> 00:17:58,000 In fact, it gets stronger and stronger here when the cult of Amun was weaker and weaker in Egypt. 380 00:18:00,000 --> 00:18:05,000 When the Kush see that Egyptian faith is in decline, they seize their chance. 381 00:18:05,000 --> 00:18:12,000 There's this mystery, right, about how do these kings of Kush get so successful that they push up into ancient Egypt 382 00:18:12,000 --> 00:18:16,000 and rule this 25th dynasty in Egypt, these Kush kings? 383 00:18:16,000 --> 00:18:20,000 And I always sort of thought of them as, oh, they're outsiders, they're invaders. 384 00:18:20,000 --> 00:18:26,000 But in fact, they're coming from one of the most sacred parts of the ancient Egyptian world in a way. 385 00:18:26,000 --> 00:18:29,000 They're coming from this Genesis place. 386 00:18:29,000 --> 00:18:32,000 So to the ancient Egyptians, they must have looked at these guys and said, 387 00:18:32,000 --> 00:18:35,000 they're from some place incredibly holy. 388 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:36,000 That's right. 389 00:18:36,000 --> 00:18:37,000 That's right. 390 00:18:37,000 --> 00:18:38,000 And that's how they position themselves too. 391 00:18:38,000 --> 00:18:39,000 Right. 392 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:44,000 And they're very much as the restores of proper worship of the gods. 393 00:18:44,000 --> 00:18:48,000 In fact, it was the priests of Amun in Egypt who invited them in. 394 00:18:48,000 --> 00:18:51,000 So they are completely intertwined. 395 00:18:51,000 --> 00:18:52,000 Right. 396 00:18:53,000 --> 00:18:58,000 At the base of the mountain is evidence of the merged Kushite Egyptian faith, 397 00:18:58,000 --> 00:19:02,000 which means to see it, we're climbing back down Jebel Barkel. 398 00:19:02,000 --> 00:19:06,000 But while Jeff is comfortable going the long way around, I find a shortcut. 399 00:19:07,000 --> 00:19:08,000 Okay. 400 00:19:08,000 --> 00:19:09,000 Here goes nothing. 401 00:19:12,000 --> 00:19:15,000 There's this definitely faster. 402 00:19:29,000 --> 00:19:30,000 Too fast. Too fast. 403 00:19:38,000 --> 00:19:39,000 I'm down. 404 00:19:42,000 --> 00:19:50,000 I dust myself off and limp around the mountain to reconnect with Jeff at a majestic ruin first built by the Egyptians. 405 00:19:56,000 --> 00:19:57,000 Oh my word. 406 00:19:58,000 --> 00:19:59,000 Are we in a temple? 407 00:19:59,000 --> 00:20:00,000 Yeah. 408 00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:06,000 This is the temple of Amun of Napata built right here at the base of Jebel Barkel. 409 00:20:06,000 --> 00:20:08,000 We have our holy mountain here behind us. 410 00:20:08,000 --> 00:20:09,000 Yeah. 411 00:20:09,000 --> 00:20:12,000 And now a temple to commemorate Amun, to commemorate the god of the mountain. 412 00:20:12,000 --> 00:20:13,000 That's right. 413 00:20:13,000 --> 00:20:18,000 So then the Kushites began to gather their power and when they conquered Egypt, 414 00:20:18,000 --> 00:20:20,000 they tripled the size of this temple. 415 00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:21,000 Tripled it. 416 00:20:21,000 --> 00:20:22,000 Tripled it. 417 00:20:22,000 --> 00:20:23,000 Okay. 418 00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:26,000 So they saw this as a supremely important place. 419 00:20:26,000 --> 00:20:27,000 Yeah, they did. 420 00:20:27,000 --> 00:20:28,000 Yeah. 421 00:20:28,000 --> 00:20:30,000 And so at its maximum, how big is this place? 422 00:20:30,000 --> 00:20:32,000 It's 150 yards long. 423 00:20:32,000 --> 00:20:34,000 So it's like a football field and a half. 424 00:20:34,000 --> 00:20:35,000 Wow. 425 00:20:35,000 --> 00:20:39,000 Today, time and the elements have reclaimed much of the structure. 426 00:20:39,000 --> 00:20:44,000 But a few thousand years ago, these columns would have soared 50 feet high. 427 00:20:44,000 --> 00:20:47,000 The columns were wrapped in copper. 428 00:20:47,000 --> 00:20:49,000 The bases were wrapped in gold. 429 00:20:49,000 --> 00:20:51,000 Oh, so this was blinged out. 430 00:20:51,000 --> 00:20:59,000 This was completely blinged out and the whole thing around the sides was covered with reliefs that depicted the Kushite conquest of Egypt. 431 00:20:59,000 --> 00:21:01,000 And what would have happened in this temple? 432 00:21:01,000 --> 00:21:03,000 Kings would have been crowned here. 433 00:21:03,000 --> 00:21:12,000 We would have had huge processions of all the court, all the palace, priests dressed in their fancy leopard skin garments. 434 00:21:12,000 --> 00:21:15,000 This is the Westminster Abbey of Kush. 435 00:21:15,000 --> 00:21:16,000 That's right. 436 00:21:16,000 --> 00:21:22,000 And to think, kings and queens and high priests stood like right here. 437 00:21:22,000 --> 00:21:23,000 Right here. 438 00:21:23,000 --> 00:21:25,000 Yeah, it would have been quite a spectacle. 439 00:21:25,000 --> 00:21:26,000 Yeah. 440 00:21:26,000 --> 00:21:32,000 The temple shows that the Kushites merged their religion with that of the Egyptians in a monumental way. 441 00:21:32,000 --> 00:21:38,000 But it must have taken more than that for the Kushites to actually conquer their northern neighbor. 442 00:21:38,000 --> 00:21:45,000 Just outside the temple, a colleague of Jeff's is overseeing an active dig, and they've just found something very telling. 443 00:21:45,000 --> 00:21:46,000 Wow. 444 00:21:46,000 --> 00:21:47,000 What is that? 445 00:21:47,000 --> 00:21:48,000 I didn't know that. 446 00:21:48,000 --> 00:21:50,000 Is it a point of something? 447 00:21:50,000 --> 00:21:51,000 This is another head. 448 00:21:51,000 --> 00:21:52,000 It's an arrow head? 449 00:21:52,000 --> 00:21:53,000 Yeah. 450 00:21:53,000 --> 00:21:55,000 Whoa. 451 00:21:55,000 --> 00:21:57,000 That is incredible. 452 00:21:58,000 --> 00:22:02,000 Coming up. 453 00:22:02,000 --> 00:22:04,000 Ready to do this, Josh? 454 00:22:04,000 --> 00:22:05,000 I'm ready. 455 00:22:05,000 --> 00:22:06,000 Let's do it. 456 00:22:08,000 --> 00:22:10,000 Can you feel the bottom of it? 457 00:22:10,000 --> 00:22:12,000 I'm not coming out until I get this. 458 00:22:13,000 --> 00:22:14,000 Whoa. 459 00:22:14,000 --> 00:22:15,000 What is that? 460 00:22:15,000 --> 00:22:16,000 Wait, what is this? 461 00:22:23,000 --> 00:22:26,000 You can see the notch in the back of it there, and it's clearly an arrow head. 462 00:22:26,000 --> 00:22:28,000 Another head made of quartz. 463 00:22:28,000 --> 00:22:29,000 A quartz arrow head. 464 00:22:29,000 --> 00:22:36,000 At the kingdom of Kush's holiest mountain, I've learned how this place was written into ancient Egypt's creation story. 465 00:22:36,000 --> 00:22:41,000 The Kushites used this religious connection to get a foothold within Egypt. 466 00:22:41,000 --> 00:22:46,000 And now this arrow head offers a clue on how they may have conquered them. 467 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:47,000 This would not be for hunting, right? 468 00:22:47,000 --> 00:22:48,000 No, no, no. 469 00:22:48,000 --> 00:22:49,000 It's ceremonial. 470 00:22:49,000 --> 00:22:50,000 It's ceremonial? 471 00:22:50,000 --> 00:22:51,000 Yeah. 472 00:22:51,000 --> 00:22:53,000 This is a classic symbol of Kushite kingship. 473 00:22:53,000 --> 00:22:54,000 A kingship? 474 00:22:54,000 --> 00:22:55,000 Yeah. 475 00:22:55,000 --> 00:23:02,000 In the very earliest tombs, just as the Kushite dynasty was coming to power, the burials all had these arrow heads in them. 476 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:03,000 In the royal burials? 477 00:23:03,000 --> 00:23:04,000 In the royal burials. 478 00:23:04,000 --> 00:23:08,000 And all made of the same colored stone, sort of reddish-orange. 479 00:23:08,000 --> 00:23:15,000 So the earliest Egyptian term for this region was Ta-seti, land of the bow. 480 00:23:15,000 --> 00:23:17,000 They had a reputation for archery. 481 00:23:17,000 --> 00:23:18,000 They did. 482 00:23:18,000 --> 00:23:22,000 So this is part of the secret of Kushite's success in warfare. 483 00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,000 Kushite mercenaries are being hired in Egypt, and they're all archers. 484 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:27,000 Wait a minute. 485 00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:30,000 The Egyptians are hiring Kushites? 486 00:23:30,000 --> 00:23:32,000 Yes, they were such excellent archers. 487 00:23:32,000 --> 00:23:34,000 That's why the Egyptians used them in the army. 488 00:23:34,000 --> 00:23:35,000 Incredible. 489 00:23:35,000 --> 00:23:37,000 And there are depictions of this or writings of this? 490 00:23:37,000 --> 00:23:38,000 Both. 491 00:23:38,000 --> 00:23:41,000 So we have the name of Kush being Ta-seti. 492 00:23:41,000 --> 00:23:48,000 We have Kushite kings, or sometimes represented with thumb rings that they used to pull back very powerful bows. 493 00:23:48,000 --> 00:23:54,000 The Kush were so proficient with a bow and arrow, Arabians of the time called them eye smiders, 494 00:23:54,000 --> 00:23:58,000 meaning they could unfailingly hit the eyes of their targets. 495 00:23:58,000 --> 00:24:04,000 In some ways, this one object feels like it kind of unlocks the secrets of the success of this civilization. 496 00:24:04,000 --> 00:24:09,000 They could be dangerous, but this is also filled with beauty, sophistication, craftsmanship. 497 00:24:09,000 --> 00:24:10,000 Yeah. 498 00:24:10,000 --> 00:24:11,000 That's Kush. 499 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:12,000 It's got everything. 500 00:24:12,000 --> 00:24:13,000 Don't mess with the Kushites. 501 00:24:13,000 --> 00:24:16,000 Don't mess with the Kushites, ever. 502 00:24:17,000 --> 00:24:25,000 So here at Jebel Barkal, I've seen two of the keys to the Kushites' power, their spiritual authority, and military might. 503 00:24:25,000 --> 00:24:32,000 The result of this mastery was a century of Kushites ruling as the pharaohs of Egypt's 25th dynasty. 504 00:24:32,000 --> 00:24:37,000 And after that, centuries more of Kush kings dominating this region. 505 00:24:37,000 --> 00:24:44,000 As we know, a Kush king has never before been found in his own tomb, but that may be about to change. 506 00:24:45,000 --> 00:24:52,000 As I receive word that back at Nuri, Pierce Paul is ready to resume diving at the flooded pyramid of King Nostasin. 507 00:24:52,000 --> 00:24:59,000 During the drive, however, I get a walkie-call from the back of my convoy that might make me a little late. 508 00:24:59,000 --> 00:25:00,000 Josh, we've got a table on. 509 00:25:00,000 --> 00:25:03,000 I think you have something to pull over. 510 00:25:03,000 --> 00:25:04,000 Copy that. 511 00:25:04,000 --> 00:25:05,000 Okay, pull it over. 512 00:25:05,000 --> 00:25:10,000 Well, that's pretty much the number one thing you don't want to have happen in the desert. 513 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:15,000 A flat tire on a remote desert road in Sudan is a nightmare scenario. 514 00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:20,000 And as I learned from my cameraman Danny, this is no ordinary flat tire. 515 00:25:20,000 --> 00:25:21,000 What'd you do Danny? 516 00:25:21,000 --> 00:25:22,000 What'd you do? 517 00:25:22,000 --> 00:25:24,000 Oh boy, no. 518 00:25:24,000 --> 00:25:26,000 It's like the ultimate flat tire. 519 00:25:26,000 --> 00:25:27,000 So what happened? 520 00:25:27,000 --> 00:25:32,000 I was just in there getting Arabic lessons from the driver and the tire exploded. 521 00:25:32,000 --> 00:25:33,000 You know, we were fortunate. 522 00:25:33,000 --> 00:25:35,000 We pulled over to the Ramla. 523 00:25:35,000 --> 00:25:36,000 And Sam? 524 00:25:36,000 --> 00:25:37,000 Yeah, I'm the Sam. 525 00:25:37,000 --> 00:25:38,000 Yeah. 526 00:25:38,000 --> 00:25:41,000 Just make sure to stay out of this zellop. 527 00:25:41,000 --> 00:25:42,000 Okay. 528 00:25:42,000 --> 00:25:43,000 This road. 529 00:25:43,000 --> 00:25:44,000 Oh boy. 530 00:25:44,000 --> 00:25:49,000 But all Yamza, or joking aside, this is a real problem. 531 00:25:49,000 --> 00:25:52,000 Okay, well, that looks terrible. 532 00:25:52,000 --> 00:25:55,000 The rubber is literally wrapped around the rim. 533 00:25:55,000 --> 00:25:56,000 It's gonna be fun. 534 00:25:56,000 --> 00:25:57,000 Okay. 535 00:25:57,000 --> 00:26:01,000 The local team has raised the truck enough to remove the tire. 536 00:26:01,000 --> 00:26:03,000 But the bolts don't want to budge. 537 00:26:03,000 --> 00:26:06,000 Those do not want to come off. 538 00:26:06,000 --> 00:26:08,000 Come on. 539 00:26:11,000 --> 00:26:13,000 There we go. 540 00:26:13,000 --> 00:26:15,000 Now we're talking. 541 00:26:15,000 --> 00:26:19,000 Finally, we make progress, only to discover new problems. 542 00:26:19,000 --> 00:26:23,000 The good news is we've loosened the flat tire. 543 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:25,000 The bad news is they cannot loosen the spare. 544 00:26:25,000 --> 00:26:31,000 So it's like the old saying goes, you win some, you lose some, and then you die in the desert. 545 00:26:31,000 --> 00:26:39,000 We think we've got things handled when a military truck full of heavily armed men pulls up next to us. 546 00:26:39,000 --> 00:26:43,000 Okay, time to see what a camera and a smile gets me. 547 00:26:43,000 --> 00:26:44,000 Hello. 548 00:26:44,000 --> 00:26:46,000 How are you? 549 00:26:46,000 --> 00:26:47,000 What's going on? 550 00:26:47,000 --> 00:26:49,000 Can we borrow your truck? 551 00:26:49,000 --> 00:26:50,000 Check it out. 552 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:54,000 Okay, thank you. 553 00:26:54,000 --> 00:26:55,000 See you later. 554 00:26:55,000 --> 00:27:00,000 Turns out they're just curious about what's going on and not really anxious to help. 555 00:27:00,000 --> 00:27:03,000 Look at all fit in the back. 556 00:27:03,000 --> 00:27:09,000 They leave and we eventually free the spare tire so we get back on the road to Nuri. 557 00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:16,000 Where I hurry to reconnect with Pierce Paul, who's been preparing for our final dive into Nistassan's tomb. 558 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,000 Pierce Paul, you in there? 559 00:27:18,000 --> 00:27:20,000 Oh yeah, John, she's back. 560 00:27:20,000 --> 00:27:21,000 Hey, hey. 561 00:27:21,000 --> 00:27:22,000 Good to see you. 562 00:27:22,000 --> 00:27:23,000 Good to see you, man. 563 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:24,000 Welcome back. 564 00:27:24,000 --> 00:27:25,000 You ready to get to this? 565 00:27:25,000 --> 00:27:26,000 You guys ready to dive? 566 00:27:26,000 --> 00:27:27,000 Guys are all kitted up and ready. 567 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:32,000 You know we got a lot to move out from underneath this slab now, so time's a-time's a-burning. 568 00:27:32,000 --> 00:27:33,000 Yeah, let's see what's under there. 569 00:27:33,000 --> 00:27:34,000 Yeah. 570 00:27:34,000 --> 00:27:35,000 Let's do it. 571 00:27:35,000 --> 00:27:36,000 All right. 572 00:27:36,000 --> 00:27:51,000 We suit up so quickly I don't even have time to get nervous before diving one more time into the entrance of the tomb. 573 00:27:51,000 --> 00:27:52,000 Ready to do this, John? 574 00:27:52,000 --> 00:27:53,000 Ready, let's do it. 575 00:27:53,000 --> 00:27:54,000 Let's get after it. 576 00:28:00,000 --> 00:28:01,000 Ready to do this, John? 577 00:28:01,000 --> 00:28:02,000 Ready, let's do it. 578 00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,000 Let's get after it. 579 00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:13,000 All right, I am headed into the chute. 580 00:28:13,000 --> 00:28:15,000 Dive team, this is topside. 581 00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:16,000 No copy. 582 00:28:16,000 --> 00:28:17,000 This is Josh. 583 00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:19,000 I read you loud and clear topside. 584 00:28:19,000 --> 00:28:21,000 Confirmed, I hear you. 585 00:28:21,000 --> 00:28:23,000 I got a little bit of visibility in here today. 586 00:28:23,000 --> 00:28:26,000 It's not great, but it's better than usual. 587 00:28:26,000 --> 00:28:28,000 Oh, that's surprising. 588 00:28:28,000 --> 00:28:29,000 Make the most of it. 589 00:28:29,000 --> 00:28:30,000 All right, John, it's good luck. 590 00:28:30,000 --> 00:28:31,000 Stay safe. 591 00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,000 All right, through the chute, it looks like. 592 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:40,000 I'm sweeping up to find the cave line. 593 00:28:41,000 --> 00:28:43,000 I have it in my hand. 594 00:28:44,000 --> 00:28:47,000 I am making my way through chamber one. 595 00:28:50,000 --> 00:28:52,000 I can see your light. 596 00:28:52,000 --> 00:28:53,000 You're coming in the right direction. 597 00:28:53,000 --> 00:28:54,000 OK, great. 598 00:28:55,000 --> 00:28:57,000 Moving forward. 599 00:29:00,000 --> 00:29:03,000 Go another body length, and then you can come up in surface. 600 00:29:03,000 --> 00:29:04,000 OK, hold on. 601 00:29:04,000 --> 00:29:06,000 And I'm coming in and I'm coming up. 602 00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:07,000 Surface. 603 00:29:07,000 --> 00:29:10,000 OK, so we're ready to head back into the burial chamber. 604 00:29:10,000 --> 00:29:11,000 What's the plan? 605 00:29:11,000 --> 00:29:13,000 It's all about the king's burial today, Josh. 606 00:29:13,000 --> 00:29:16,000 We're going to really get in there and see what's inside. 607 00:29:16,000 --> 00:29:19,000 Our first dive in the tomb revealed that the slab here 608 00:29:19,000 --> 00:29:21,000 is really a sarcophagus lid. 609 00:29:21,000 --> 00:29:24,000 But the lid was also cracked open as a result 610 00:29:24,000 --> 00:29:26,000 of a partial ceiling collapse. 611 00:29:26,000 --> 00:29:28,000 And the lid was also cracked open. 612 00:29:28,000 --> 00:29:30,000 And the lid was also cracked open. 613 00:29:30,000 --> 00:29:32,000 And the lid was also cracked open. 614 00:29:32,000 --> 00:29:34,000 And the lid was also cracked open. 615 00:29:34,000 --> 00:29:37,000 And the lid was also cracked open as a result 616 00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:39,000 of a partial ceiling collapse. 617 00:29:39,000 --> 00:29:42,000 This terrifying development has given us the unprecedented 618 00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:45,000 opportunity to look inside Nostocan's sarcophagus. 619 00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:48,000 The whole container is full of silt, just like the rest 620 00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,000 of the room from the collapses earlier. 621 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:53,000 So our goal today is to move enough of it to get down 622 00:29:53,000 --> 00:29:55,000 to the bottom and see what's in there. 623 00:29:55,000 --> 00:29:56,000 Right. 624 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:58,000 Because if Nostocan is still in there, 625 00:29:58,000 --> 00:30:00,000 it's likely he's at the bottom. 626 00:30:00,000 --> 00:30:01,000 He very well could be. 627 00:30:01,000 --> 00:30:03,000 So let's get the guys ready and start moving 628 00:30:03,000 --> 00:30:05,000 and touch and bump into the walls as much as possible. 629 00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:07,000 This thing has collapsed in the past. 630 00:30:07,000 --> 00:30:10,000 And so we don't want to encourage another one. 631 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:11,000 OK. 632 00:30:11,000 --> 00:30:13,000 I'm going in. 633 00:30:13,000 --> 00:30:15,000 Right behind you. 634 00:30:20,000 --> 00:30:24,000 I can see the edge of the third chamber. 635 00:30:26,000 --> 00:30:29,000 It's a bit cooler in the third chamber today. 636 00:30:30,000 --> 00:30:33,000 The cracked stone lid is a reminder that this room is 637 00:30:33,000 --> 00:30:35,000 incredibly unsafe to be in. 638 00:30:35,000 --> 00:30:38,000 But Pierce Paul doesn't slow down for a second. 639 00:30:38,000 --> 00:30:41,000 He dives right in, literally. 640 00:30:43,000 --> 00:30:46,000 I now have my head, neck, and shoulders 641 00:30:46,000 --> 00:30:48,000 entirely underneath this slab. 642 00:30:48,000 --> 00:30:50,000 Unbelievable. 643 00:30:50,000 --> 00:30:51,000 All right. 644 00:30:51,000 --> 00:30:52,000 All right. 645 00:30:52,000 --> 00:30:54,000 That's going to give me some purchase. 646 00:30:54,000 --> 00:30:58,000 Give me a place to work under here. 647 00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:04,000 Pierce Paul wastes no time and starts filling buckets 648 00:31:04,000 --> 00:31:07,000 with silt from inside the sarcophagus. 649 00:31:07,000 --> 00:31:10,000 Dive team, all divers are in the water. 650 00:31:10,000 --> 00:31:13,000 The rest of us have taken up our familiar positions 651 00:31:13,000 --> 00:31:15,000 in the second and first chambers 652 00:31:15,000 --> 00:31:18,000 to restart the bucket brigade. 653 00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:21,000 Can you feel the bottom of it? 654 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:23,000 Maybe. 655 00:31:23,000 --> 00:31:26,000 It's tough to feel the difference between the floor 656 00:31:26,000 --> 00:31:28,000 and broken rock. 657 00:31:28,000 --> 00:31:32,000 And this Dawson does not give up his secrets easily. 658 00:31:33,000 --> 00:31:34,000 All right. 659 00:31:34,000 --> 00:31:35,000 Take that bucket. 660 00:31:35,000 --> 00:31:36,000 You got it. 661 00:31:36,000 --> 00:31:38,000 I'm taking it all the way out. 662 00:31:38,000 --> 00:31:40,000 Pierce Paul passes another bucket to me, 663 00:31:40,000 --> 00:31:42,000 which I hand down the line. 664 00:31:42,000 --> 00:31:43,000 OK. 665 00:31:43,000 --> 00:31:45,000 Bucket is headed your way, Justin. 666 00:31:57,000 --> 00:32:00,000 Over the next couple of hours, we work relentlessly, 667 00:32:00,000 --> 00:32:04,000 filling buckets and mesh bags again and again. 668 00:32:04,000 --> 00:32:06,000 I want to move on from this bucket. 669 00:32:06,000 --> 00:32:07,000 All right. 670 00:32:07,000 --> 00:32:09,000 I got both Justin and Fred outside. 671 00:32:09,000 --> 00:32:13,000 Well, they need to come back because we got another bucket. 672 00:32:13,000 --> 00:32:15,000 What do you do there, Pierce Paul? 673 00:32:15,000 --> 00:32:18,000 I'm working on a layer that pulls right nicely off. 674 00:32:18,000 --> 00:32:21,000 I just need to do it methodically. 675 00:32:21,000 --> 00:32:22,000 Copy that. 676 00:32:22,000 --> 00:32:24,000 Gentlemen, we have 22 minutes left. 677 00:32:24,000 --> 00:32:26,000 22 minutes left. 678 00:32:26,000 --> 00:32:27,000 I understand. 679 00:32:27,000 --> 00:32:28,000 Check the gas. 680 00:32:28,000 --> 00:32:30,000 I'm not coming out until I get this. 681 00:32:31,000 --> 00:32:33,000 I have another bucket here as well if you need it. 682 00:32:34,000 --> 00:32:38,000 The gas is running low in the generator that is supplying our air. 683 00:32:38,000 --> 00:32:43,000 But Pierce Paul is determined to dig his way to the bottom of this sarcophagus. 684 00:32:46,000 --> 00:32:48,000 I got a bucket coming out now. 685 00:32:48,000 --> 00:32:51,000 So I'm hopeful that this will have some artifacts in it. 686 00:32:51,000 --> 00:32:53,000 It'll be of interest to us. 687 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:55,000 I'm determined if you have two minutes left, two minutes left. 688 00:32:55,000 --> 00:32:57,000 I'm heading back out through chamber one. 689 00:32:59,000 --> 00:33:03,000 We return to the surface with the last set of buckets before our air runs out. 690 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:07,000 It's time to see if we hauled anything out of there other than sand. 691 00:33:08,000 --> 00:33:09,000 All right. 692 00:33:09,000 --> 00:33:12,000 So this is pretty much the deepest area underneath this lid. 693 00:33:12,000 --> 00:33:14,000 So let's see what's in it. 694 00:33:14,000 --> 00:33:16,000 There's like gold right there. 695 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,000 Look at that right there. 696 00:33:19,000 --> 00:33:22,000 So here we've got something. 697 00:33:23,000 --> 00:33:25,000 This looks like the sandstone. 698 00:33:25,000 --> 00:33:28,000 So what the heck is this rock? 699 00:33:28,000 --> 00:33:29,000 Right. 700 00:33:29,000 --> 00:33:31,000 Doing inside underneath this lab. 701 00:33:31,000 --> 00:33:37,000 The more that comes out of here, the more you start to feel like offerings, ceremonial, burial. 702 00:33:37,000 --> 00:33:39,000 I mean it just all starts to fit together. 703 00:33:39,000 --> 00:33:41,000 In our mesh bag, what do we got there? 704 00:33:41,000 --> 00:33:43,000 Oh my god, we got something here. 705 00:33:43,000 --> 00:33:44,000 More gold leaf? 706 00:33:44,000 --> 00:33:45,000 No. 707 00:33:45,000 --> 00:33:47,000 Oh, what is that? 708 00:33:47,000 --> 00:33:49,000 Wait, what is this? 709 00:33:54,000 --> 00:33:58,000 America may run on Duncan, but Sudan runs on this. 710 00:33:58,000 --> 00:33:59,000 Assalamu alaikum. 711 00:33:59,000 --> 00:34:00,000 Waalaikum assalam. 712 00:34:00,000 --> 00:34:01,000 How are you? 713 00:34:01,000 --> 00:34:02,000 I'm fine, I'm good. 714 00:34:02,000 --> 00:34:03,000 I'm good. 715 00:34:03,000 --> 00:34:04,000 Coffee, yeah? 716 00:34:04,000 --> 00:34:05,000 Yeah, it's coffee. 717 00:34:05,000 --> 00:34:06,000 One, please. 718 00:34:06,000 --> 00:34:07,000 One coffee. 719 00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:10,000 This is one of my favorite things about this country. 720 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:17,000 They make a roadside cup of joe that not only tastes smooth and delicious, but can also be used to power an orbital rocket. 721 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:24,000 Basically, they take these beans, they grind them down right here, add in a little ginger, pour the whole thing in water and just boil it into a delicious caffeinated sludge. 722 00:34:24,000 --> 00:34:25,000 Sugar is good? 723 00:34:25,000 --> 00:34:26,000 Sugar is very good. 724 00:34:26,000 --> 00:34:27,000 Sugar is very good. 725 00:34:27,000 --> 00:34:28,000 Okay. 726 00:34:28,000 --> 00:34:32,000 Then filter, and serve. 727 00:34:32,000 --> 00:34:34,000 Oh, so good. 728 00:34:34,000 --> 00:34:35,000 So good. 729 00:34:35,000 --> 00:34:37,000 Sorry, Starbucks. 730 00:34:37,000 --> 00:34:38,000 You got nothing on this. 731 00:34:38,000 --> 00:34:39,000 Oh, five more cups. 732 00:34:39,000 --> 00:34:42,000 Oh my god, we got something here. 733 00:34:42,000 --> 00:34:43,000 More gold leaf? 734 00:34:43,000 --> 00:34:45,000 Oh, that's a lot of sugar. 735 00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:46,000 I know, I know, I know. 736 00:34:46,000 --> 00:34:47,000 I know, I know. 737 00:34:47,000 --> 00:34:48,000 I know. 738 00:34:48,000 --> 00:34:49,000 I know, I know, I know. 739 00:34:49,000 --> 00:34:50,000 I know, I know. 740 00:34:50,000 --> 00:34:51,000 I know. 741 00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:52,000 I know. 742 00:34:52,000 --> 00:34:53,000 I know. 743 00:34:53,000 --> 00:34:54,000 I know. 744 00:34:54,000 --> 00:34:55,000 I know. 745 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:56,000 I know. 746 00:34:56,000 --> 00:34:57,000 I know. 747 00:34:57,000 --> 00:34:58,000 I know. 748 00:34:58,000 --> 00:34:59,000 I know. 749 00:34:59,000 --> 00:35:00,000 I know. 750 00:35:00,000 --> 00:35:01,000 I know. 751 00:35:01,000 --> 00:35:03,000 Oh, what is that? 752 00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:05,000 Wait, what is this? 753 00:35:05,000 --> 00:35:06,000 That is not gold leaf. 754 00:35:06,000 --> 00:35:07,000 It's like thimble shaped? 755 00:35:07,000 --> 00:35:08,000 Yeah. 756 00:35:08,000 --> 00:35:09,000 What is this? 757 00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:12,000 I think I know exactly what this is. 758 00:35:12,000 --> 00:35:17,000 This would have been one of the finger or toe caps of the king that they put on him when they buried it. 759 00:35:17,000 --> 00:35:21,000 Wait, this is a finger or toe cap that was on the king? 760 00:35:21,000 --> 00:35:22,000 Yeah, it's pretty great. 761 00:35:22,000 --> 00:35:24,000 This is insane. 762 00:35:24,000 --> 00:35:30,000 This item may look small, but make no mistake, this appears to be a monumental find. 763 00:35:30,000 --> 00:35:35,000 We may have our first confirmation that the king has not left the building. 764 00:35:35,000 --> 00:35:37,000 This has to have been on him, right? 765 00:35:37,000 --> 00:35:38,000 There's no question. 766 00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:40,000 There's no other way this gets in there. 767 00:35:40,000 --> 00:35:42,000 It's a major clue. 768 00:35:42,000 --> 00:35:49,000 These gold caps, also called stalls, were used only in royal burials to protect the king's extremities in death. 769 00:35:49,000 --> 00:35:53,000 The feet of King Tut had them when his sarcophagus was opened. 770 00:35:53,000 --> 00:35:57,000 And apparently, King Nostasen was sporting a set as well. 771 00:35:57,000 --> 00:35:59,000 That is a true smoking gun. 772 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,000 It is a true smoking gun, and even better, look at it. 773 00:36:03,000 --> 00:36:04,000 Is there something in it? 774 00:36:04,000 --> 00:36:05,000 There's something in it. 775 00:36:05,000 --> 00:36:06,000 Could there be bone in there? 776 00:36:06,000 --> 00:36:09,000 There should be bone in there. 777 00:36:09,000 --> 00:36:16,000 So we need to get this up, we need to clean it up, and then we need to see if we can't just pry this open a little bit and see if there's not some bone in there. 778 00:36:16,000 --> 00:36:18,000 So the king is here? 779 00:36:18,000 --> 00:36:20,000 The king is in the tomb. 780 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,000 Dude, this is incredible. 781 00:36:22,000 --> 00:36:23,000 That's pretty great. 782 00:36:23,000 --> 00:36:24,000 Should we get out of the tent? 783 00:36:24,000 --> 00:36:25,000 Let's go. 784 00:36:25,000 --> 00:36:27,000 One mystery is definitely solved. 785 00:36:27,000 --> 00:36:30,000 Nostasen is in this tomb. 786 00:36:30,000 --> 00:36:35,000 Now, the only question is, is it possible that we have a piece of him? 787 00:36:35,000 --> 00:36:40,000 We get changed in record time and race to the sifting tent to find out. 788 00:36:40,000 --> 00:36:42,000 Look what we found in the mesh bag. 789 00:36:42,000 --> 00:36:44,000 That's wonderful. 790 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:46,000 So finger cap, toe cap. 791 00:36:46,000 --> 00:36:47,000 Something like that. 792 00:36:47,000 --> 00:36:48,000 Look, out here. 793 00:36:48,000 --> 00:36:53,000 Do you think any traces of bones remains inside this cup? 794 00:36:53,000 --> 00:36:54,000 I think so. 795 00:36:54,000 --> 00:36:55,000 Look at that. 796 00:36:55,000 --> 00:36:56,000 It looks like it's still in there. 797 00:36:56,000 --> 00:36:57,000 It's possible, right? 798 00:36:57,000 --> 00:37:00,000 It looks like you can see the edge of the cuticle and the fingernail. 799 00:37:00,000 --> 00:37:01,000 Amazing. 800 00:37:01,000 --> 00:37:02,000 Right? 801 00:37:02,000 --> 00:37:03,000 It really does actually. 802 00:37:03,000 --> 00:37:09,000 It does almost seem like you can see the edge of the nail, like the actual cuticle. 803 00:37:09,000 --> 00:37:11,000 Okay, there we go. 804 00:37:11,000 --> 00:37:12,000 So that bone may be in there. 805 00:37:12,000 --> 00:37:13,000 We got a good chance. 806 00:37:13,000 --> 00:37:16,000 There's something in here that's heavier than this gold. 807 00:37:16,000 --> 00:37:17,000 That's amazing. 808 00:37:17,000 --> 00:37:19,000 Stephanie, you want to hand me the... 809 00:37:19,000 --> 00:37:20,000 All right. 810 00:37:21,000 --> 00:37:23,000 Can I have some water? 811 00:37:29,000 --> 00:37:30,000 Oh, my word. 812 00:37:32,000 --> 00:37:33,000 Oh! 813 00:37:33,000 --> 00:37:34,000 It's bone. 814 00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:35,000 It's bone. 815 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:36,000 It is. 816 00:37:36,000 --> 00:37:38,000 That's the tip of a toe. 817 00:37:38,000 --> 00:37:39,000 Absolutely. 818 00:37:39,000 --> 00:37:41,000 That's the tip of a toe for sure. 819 00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:42,000 No question. 820 00:37:42,000 --> 00:37:48,000 This is a human bone that came out of this cap, which was designed to go on the king when he was buried. 821 00:37:48,000 --> 00:37:49,000 And nobody else. 822 00:37:49,000 --> 00:37:51,000 This is Nostas and himself. 823 00:37:51,000 --> 00:37:52,000 There's the king. 824 00:37:52,000 --> 00:37:54,000 Part of him. 825 00:37:56,000 --> 00:37:58,000 The burst of the tears here. 826 00:37:58,000 --> 00:38:00,000 This is unbelievable. 827 00:38:00,000 --> 00:38:04,000 If you think tears are an overreaction, think again. 828 00:38:04,000 --> 00:38:10,000 These are the first remains of a king of Kush confirmed to be found in his own tomb. 829 00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:11,000 Ever. 830 00:38:11,000 --> 00:38:14,000 This is a moment for the history books. 831 00:38:14,000 --> 00:38:17,000 We rarely get those Eureka aha moments. 832 00:38:17,000 --> 00:38:19,000 Archaeology is a much slower process. 833 00:38:19,000 --> 00:38:20,000 Yeah. 834 00:38:20,000 --> 00:38:23,000 But this tells us with absolute certainty Nostasin was here. 835 00:38:23,000 --> 00:38:25,000 He's buried there. 836 00:38:25,000 --> 00:38:28,000 And this can give us a lot of potential future data. 837 00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:29,000 Yeah. 838 00:38:29,000 --> 00:38:33,000 And if DNA could be found in there, you could start to build a family tree of sorts. 839 00:38:33,000 --> 00:38:36,000 At least learn more genetically about where this person came from. 840 00:38:36,000 --> 00:38:39,000 And about the environment in which they lived and all kinds of things. 841 00:38:41,000 --> 00:38:44,000 Can we get some gloves to take a better look at this? 842 00:38:47,000 --> 00:38:57,000 I mean, I'm not often speechless. 843 00:38:57,000 --> 00:39:00,000 What can you say? 844 00:39:00,000 --> 00:39:02,000 What will happen to this bone now? 845 00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:04,000 So first thing we're going to do is put it right back in water. 846 00:39:04,000 --> 00:39:05,000 Yep. 847 00:39:05,000 --> 00:39:06,000 Keep it preserved in the state that it's in. 848 00:39:06,000 --> 00:39:07,000 Yes. 849 00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:08,000 We'll photograph it. 850 00:39:08,000 --> 00:39:09,000 We'll measure it. 851 00:39:09,000 --> 00:39:11,000 We'll make sure it's taken care of and continued to be in this shape. 852 00:39:11,000 --> 00:39:16,000 Then we'll consult with the government and the antiquities authorities and make sure that we all have a plan. 853 00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:20,000 We agree on how to learn more from it. 854 00:39:20,000 --> 00:39:25,000 And one would assume, considering everything that's coming out of this tomb, there may be more of him there. 855 00:39:25,000 --> 00:39:26,000 I think it's a safe bet. 856 00:39:26,000 --> 00:39:27,000 Yeah? 857 00:39:27,000 --> 00:39:28,000 Yeah. 858 00:39:28,000 --> 00:39:29,000 Wow. 859 00:39:29,000 --> 00:39:30,000 It's a big deal. 860 00:39:30,000 --> 00:39:31,000 It's a big deal. 861 00:39:31,000 --> 00:39:33,000 It's a really big deal. 862 00:39:33,000 --> 00:39:39,000 A truly remarkable moment with a truly remarkable group of archaeologists. 863 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:40,000 Incredible. 864 00:39:40,000 --> 00:39:43,000 I mean, a king of Kush. 865 00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:45,000 What more do you want? 866 00:39:45,000 --> 00:39:47,000 Well, mission accomplished. 867 00:39:47,000 --> 00:39:48,000 Nailed it. 868 00:39:48,000 --> 00:39:49,000 Oh, that's good. 869 00:39:49,000 --> 00:39:53,000 That was good. 870 00:39:53,000 --> 00:40:04,000 As I prepare to leave Sudan, I look back and gaze once more upon the kingdom of Kush and its pyramids, temples, tombs and treasures. 871 00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:10,000 For far too long, these magnificent accomplishments have been overshadowed by those of Egypt. 872 00:40:10,000 --> 00:40:20,000 A grave injustice to history and to the people who conjured miracles like Kerma, Maroway and Nuri. 873 00:40:20,000 --> 00:40:24,000 And maybe it's the thrill of groundbreaking discovery. 874 00:40:24,000 --> 00:40:26,000 What is that? 875 00:40:26,000 --> 00:40:30,000 Maybe it's the adrenaline rush of real danger. 876 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:38,000 Or maybe it's just the joy of learning how a civilization was able to overpower Egypt by beating them at their own game. 877 00:40:38,000 --> 00:40:42,000 But I've learned that the Kush should take a backseat to nobody. 878 00:40:42,000 --> 00:40:52,000 And thanks to the hard work of the dedicated archaeologists here, a tangible and historic human connection to the kings of Kush has been revealed. 879 00:40:52,000 --> 00:40:57,000 It's bone. 880 00:40:57,000 --> 00:41:03,000 Since our expedition, Sudan's political future has become more uncertain than ever. 881 00:41:03,000 --> 00:41:11,000 It's a tragedy for the millions of Sudanese people who, in my estimation, are some of the most proud and hospitable on Earth. 882 00:41:11,000 --> 00:41:19,000 But it's also a shame because it means that archaeologists and tourists won't have the opportunity to work and visit here 883 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:25,000 and discover more secrets of one of the greatest civilizations in history.