- 6/6/2025
Category
📚
LearningTranscript
00:01The mysteries of ancient Egypt and its hidden secrets.
00:06These tombs represent the technology of resurrection.
00:12They created monuments that make the mind boggling.
00:15Some of their greatest achievements lost beneath the sand and water of the Nile Valley.
00:22Until now.
00:26Imagine if we could empty oceans.
00:30Or drain the desert.
00:32And reveal the secrets beneath.
00:36Now we can.
00:38Using the latest imaging technology to pierce sea and sand.
00:45And turn accurate data into 3D images.
00:50Can scientists solve the mystery of Alexandria's lighthouse.
00:55And recreate one of the ancient wonders of the world.
01:00Why did a pharaoh build 15 megaforts when none of them saw a major battle?
01:06This is a forgotten age in Egyptian history because we have lost access to these monuments.
01:11And what does a fleet of boats buried 6 miles from the Nile reveal about Egypt's original Valley of the Kings?
01:20Ancient Egypt, one of the greatest civilizations on Earth.
01:39It lasts for 3,000 years.
01:44Its people develop a remarkable written language using pictures and symbols.
01:51They worship strange gods.
01:53And they build two of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
02:04The first, the Great Pyramids of Giza.
02:07The ancients determined the seven wonders because they met certain criteria.
02:16It is the ingenuity of the design.
02:18But it had to be built on a super colossal over-the-top scale.
02:23The Egyptians' second ancient wonder is the lighthouse of Alexandria, known as the Pharos.
02:30It is built on a grand scale like the other wonders, the Hanging Gardens of Babylon and the Colossus of Rhodes.
02:38Of the seven wonders, only the pyramids now survive.
02:48But as the waters of the Nile Delta drain away, can the architectural marvel of the Pharos be brought back to life from the seas around Alexandria Harbor
03:00and recreated accurately for the first time a site that once dazzled the world?
03:08The Pharos ranked as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world because it was something that had never been seen before.
03:16Some people say the beacon could be seen 30 miles out to sea.
03:24Alexandria's lighthouse is a technological and architectural masterpiece.
03:28Built in the third century B.C., it's the crowning glory of a new capital city founded by the conqueror of ancient Egypt, Alexander the Great.
03:42Alexandria was the be-all and end-all.
03:45You might think of the Champs-Elysees in Paris or Times Square in New York.
03:49Alexandria was all of those things and more.
03:51It was the most beautiful city that the world had ever seen.
03:58Egypt's new rulers want the Pharos to send a big and simple message.
04:04He wanted to show how powerful is the city.
04:09So you need a sign, a big, a huge banner that says, welcome to Alexandria.
04:14The Pharos was created mainly as a landmark.
04:18But once Egypt's power has faded, Alexandria's famous lighthouse falls into disrepair.
04:28The land beneath it slowly subsides into the sea.
04:32And in the 14th century, it finally collapses after it's struck by an earthquake.
04:37The Pharos is thought to be lost here, beneath 23 feet of water, at the entrance of Alexandria Harbor.
04:47Now, a French team of archaeologists is trying to rediscover its true magnificence.
05:02Using the latest undersea imaging technology, they're scouring the seabed for clues.
05:09Their aim is to digitally rebuild this lost ancient wonder of the world for the first time.
05:15Leading the investigation is architect and archaeologist, Isabel Harry.
05:22She's been searching for the truth about Alexandria's lighthouse for more than 20 years.
05:29It's always very rewarding to work on one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
05:34I'd be lying if I said otherwise.
05:37Isabel's team is working in one of the largest underwater archaeological sites in the world.
05:43They investigate some mysterious granite blocks.
05:48These remarkable remains are clearly man-made.
05:52Could they be from the missing ancient wonder?
05:57Isabel's task is to unlock the true dimensions and design of the Pharos.
06:02But her job is made harder by the wildly conflicting accounts of what it actually looked like.
06:13We came across these quite extraordinary images of the lighthouse.
06:17Different impressions from past travelers and artists shroud the true appearance of the lighthouse in mystery.
06:24It's depicted here as the Tower of Babylon.
06:29Here, a very classical building with floors one above the other, with doors opening into mysterious rooms.
06:37Over time, ideas about the Pharos grew even more fantastic.
06:42One of the authors who was speaking about the Pharos being so tall and so extensively high,
06:48if a stone was thrown from the top of the lighthouse, it would reach land in two days or three days.
06:54It's not true, but it is saying something about how those people sow the lighthouse.
06:59Where does the truth lie?
07:01Will the underwater granite blocks provide answers?
07:11To find out, Isabel's team uses a technique called photogrammetry,
07:17capturing thousands of detailed images across the enormous site.
07:22We have a closer view here on the map.
07:26This is block 1003.
07:27We can go further, we can go more on the north.
07:33After 28 weeks of diving, and with 50,000 photographs,
07:38Isabel has the data she needs to finally unlock the secrets of the Pharos.
07:48Combining this unique data with cutting-edge computer graphics
07:52means that, for the first time,
07:54the waters around Alexandria Harbor can be drained away.
08:02As the Mediterranean begins to empty,
08:05surprising shapes come into view.
08:11Nearly 3,000 granite blocks
08:14scattered across three acres of the seabed.
08:17These are not natural rock formations,
08:23but clearly the work of human hands.
08:26Statue bases,
08:28chunks of pillars,
08:29all from a building of monumental proportions.
08:34The drowned ruins of a genuine ancient wonder.
08:38The Pharos Lighthouse,
08:41brought back into the light of day
08:43for the first time in 600 years.
08:46Already Isabel's work has delivered one revelation.
08:53Some of the blocks from the drained landscape
08:55are a crucial clue to the shape of the Pharos.
09:00Draining the site has enabled us to see the lighthouse.
09:03We've even found blocks that might have formed the cornerstones,
09:07but no blocks found underwater
09:08indicated the walls sloped.
09:11The walls were straight.
09:13This is the first physical proof of the lighthouse's design.
09:18A huge advance on all previous knowledge.
09:22But piecing together the rest of the underwater jigsaw
09:25remains an enormous challenge.
09:28What you have here is a puzzle.
09:30Basically, it's a 3,000 pieces puzzle
09:32that you have to try to fit things together.
09:35And will it fit or would it not fit?
09:38And what's more,
09:39some crucial parts of the puzzle are missing,
09:42taken to museums by previous excavations.
09:48But one important piece lies nearby,
09:51abandoned on the quayside.
09:53This was probably the greatest discovery found on the site.
10:02But what is it?
10:05So here, we have a side part of a door frame.
10:09We know because this is the place
10:11where the door would have been fixed.
10:12This groove is carefully carved
10:16as the frame for a gigantic door.
10:20And incredibly,
10:22Isabel can match the frame's distinctive shape
10:24to other stones lying underwater.
10:28They must all be pieces from the same doorway.
10:32By joining this huge fragment,
10:38almost 12 meters long,
10:40together with all the other fragments,
10:41we can reconstruct a door.
10:43It's one of the most important pieces of this site.
10:47Now, for the first time,
10:49it's possible to recreate the door to the Pharos,
10:53the entrance to a wonder of the ancient world.
10:57So now we are able to connect it
10:59with the landl and the upright.
11:02Ah, perfect.
11:03Okay.
11:03That's great.
11:06The drained site reveals the lost fragments
11:09of the giant door frame.
11:12Using the scanned images of the seabed,
11:15its huge blocks come into view.
11:19Computer graphic technology reverses the centuries.
11:24The pieces of the door frame fit together perfectly.
11:29And within the granite frame
11:31a vast wooden door was once fastened.
11:36All of it reaching 41 feet high
11:39and weighing more than 200 tons.
11:44The Pharos entrance is restored in the place where it fell.
11:48A monumental piece of architecture dwarfing anyone who enters.
11:57For the first time,
11:58a part of Alexandria's lighthouse is accurately reconstructed.
12:04But what does the rest of the Pharos look like?
12:07And does it truly deserve its title as a wonder of the ancient world?
12:21Archaeologist Isabel Harry continues to search for the truth about the Pharos lighthouse.
12:27Historical reports are conflicting, but most agree on one thing,
12:36that the Pharos has three distinct levels, each shaped differently.
12:41Isabel heads to the place where the lighthouse is thought to have stood,
12:48now the site of another grand building,
12:51Kite Bay Fort.
12:53Built in 1477,
12:56just 42 years after the ruins of the Pharos are last reported visible.
13:00Inside, an intriguing clue.
13:07Isabel believes that its mosque is a small-scale replica of the Pharos.
13:14You really get the impression of being in the ancient lighthouse,
13:18even though the scale isn't the same.
13:20But there's this sense of space still present,
13:24which we can feel all around us.
13:26The main tower is square.
13:29Above, it's topped by an octagonal and then a circular section.
13:34Isabel's theory is that the mosque's architects intended this to be a tribute
13:39to Alexandria's most famous building.
13:43So, is the Pharos shaped like this?
13:47To solve this mystery,
13:50Isabel needs to compare her 3D data with historical reports
13:54and discover the true scale of the Pharos.
13:59Some dimensions were recorded by medieval travelers.
14:04In 1166,
14:06Al-Balawi from Spain
14:08penned a precise description of the lighthouse,
14:11reporting it to be 300 cubits high.
14:14Over a century later,
14:18Moroccan scholar Ibn Battuta
14:19recorded the thickness of the Pharos walls as 10 spans.
14:26The problem is,
14:28these units are lost to history.
14:33Until now.
14:34The breakthrough comes from the Pharos' reconstructed doorframe.
14:42Its outside edge reveals the exact thickness of the lighthouse's exterior wall.
14:48The dimension also recorded by Ibn Battuta centuries earlier.
14:55His 10 spans is equal to 6 feet 10 inches.
14:59It's a discovery that's incredibly rewarding.
15:05We are now able to decipher the text of Ibn Battuta
15:08and the text of Al-Balawi.
15:13It's a huge leap forward.
15:17Converting medieval units into accurate modern measurement
15:21unlocks the true scale of the Pharos for the first time.
15:25Combining all the underwater evidence
15:30with Al-Balawi's descriptions
15:31solves a centuries-old puzzle,
15:35revealing three towers that match the design of the mosque,
15:39making it possible to reconstruct a lost ancient wonder
15:43in exact detail.
15:48Statues from Alexandria's museums
15:50return to their original homes.
15:52Believed to be clad in limestone,
15:57the Pharos reaches almost 330 feet into the sky.
16:01The size of a 32-story building,
16:04it's one of the tallest structures in the ancient world.
16:11And all of it is thought to be crowned
16:13by a wonder of ancient technology.
16:15It could have looked like the first skyscrapers
16:27built in Chicago at the end of the 19th century.
16:31It's really a fabulous structure.
16:33The ancients determined the Seven Wonders
16:41because they met certain criterias.
16:44And so the Pharos satisfies all of those ancient criteria
16:48of innovative design that was actually built,
16:51that was actually towering.
16:53Most importantly, the Pharos marks the gateway
17:03to ancient Egypt and the mighty River Nile.
17:10More than 4,000 miles long,
17:13the Nile is the longest river in the world.
17:16The Nile was absolutely central to ancient Egypt.
17:24It was the seasonal flood
17:27that brought this rich black mineral mud
17:29and deposited it on the fields and made it fertile.
17:32It was actually that that drove ancient Egyptian civilization.
17:35Without the Nile, it wouldn't have happened.
17:38Six and a half thousand years ago,
17:41farmers make these riverbanks their home.
17:43And a civilization is born.
17:49Six miles west of the Nile,
17:52draining not water but sand,
17:55reveals an ancient mystery
17:57known as the Abydos boats.
18:01It was completely unexpected
18:03to find a phantom flotilla in the middle of nowhere.
18:07Why is there a fleet of boats
18:11beneath the sands of the Egyptian desert?
18:17Egyptologist Matthew Adams
18:19has excavated Abydos' mysterious boats for 30 years.
18:25One would never know
18:27by looking at this flat patch of desert
18:31that underneath the sand
18:33is one of the most remarkable discoveries ever made
18:37in Egyptian archaeology.
18:40The boats he excavated
18:41have been reburied in the sand
18:44to help preserve them for the future.
18:46Before then,
18:47they'd been lying undisturbed
18:49for 5,000 years.
18:51Was this the result
18:55of some great flood of the river
18:57that they sailed here
18:58and were left stranded?
19:00It's a very strange setting
19:02for a group of boats like this.
19:05You would think perhaps
19:06it was a dried up key
19:07or it was perhaps an area
19:08where the Nile once ran.
19:12Throughout its history,
19:13the Nile has shifted course.
19:16But it never ran here.
19:17Abydos lies on a desert plateau
19:21out of the river's reach.
19:23So if the Nile didn't bring these boats here,
19:27what did?
19:29To find out,
19:30Matthew's team surveys the location of the boats
19:33and the surrounding terrain.
19:37Accurate satellite mapping
19:39can reveal the extraordinary world beneath.
19:44Combining this data
19:45with the latest computer imaging
19:47allows the Egyptian desert
19:49to be drained of sand,
19:52grain by grain,
19:53to solve an ancient mystery.
20:01The desert begins to reveal its secrets.
20:06Not one boat,
20:08not two,
20:10but 14.
20:12The surviving fragments of timber
20:16reveal they are 60 feet long.
20:20All carefully lined up in parallel.
20:28It's the oldest buried fleet ever discovered.
20:35But who does it belong to?
20:37Reconstructing the boats
20:40immediately reveals a clue.
20:44These are not simple dugout canoes,
20:47nor are they boats made from reeds.
20:50They're substantial rowing vessels
20:52with space for up to 30 oarsmen.
20:57More revealing still
20:58is the way they're made
21:00from carefully crafted wooden planks
21:03all stitched together with rope.
21:07These are the earliest plank boats
21:09that we have in this area
21:10and there are status symbols
21:12that are important.
21:145,000 years ago,
21:15this is cutting-edge nautical technology.
21:19It's almost like taking a sports car today
21:21and burying it in the desert somewhere.
21:26And in ancient Egypt,
21:28only one person can afford
21:30such an immense investment.
21:32Only the king could expend resources
21:36at this level
21:37and was in a position
21:39to dispose of a fleet,
21:43a royal fleet, in this way.
21:47The 14 boats belong to a pharaoh.
21:51But what are they doing
21:52abandoned in the desert?
21:55To unravel the mystery
22:06of the Abydos boats,
22:08Egyptologist Matthew Adams
22:10hunts for clues above the sand.
22:15Next to the buried fleet
22:17stands a huge mud-brick ruin.
22:19Here, Matthew finds evidence
22:24of an ancient belief system
22:26that could help explain
22:28this desert secret.
22:31These massive walls
22:34created a kind of religious space
22:38where one of Egypt's first kings
22:42was worshipped.
22:43Excavations here uncover ancient pots
22:48that once contained food and beer.
22:51Ceremonies took place in here
22:53focused on this king
22:55as a kind of divine figure.
22:57Somehow, these boats
22:58are part of this religious expression
23:02and they're connected
23:04to the activities of these early kings.
23:08This enclosure is built
23:10for the ancient Egyptians
23:11to worship their pharaoh
23:13as a god
23:14as long ago
23:15as 2700 B.C.
23:19200 years before
23:21the Great Pyramids
23:23and more than 1,000
23:25before Tutankhamun.
23:34But what is the connection
23:35between this early worship
23:37of a pharaoh
23:38and the mystery fleet?
23:39A closer examination
23:44of the drained boats
23:45reveals the answer.
23:49Surrounding each one
23:50is a curious mud brick casing.
23:54The brick walls
23:56follow the curve of the boats
23:57completely covering them
23:59from stern to bow.
24:03Returning them
24:04to their original state
24:05reveals more.
24:07built on the desert surface
24:10each brick case
24:12completely encloses
24:14a single boat
24:16and all are covered
24:19in a layer of white plaster
24:20creating 14 boat graves.
24:25When the boats
24:30were newly put in place
24:32you wouldn't have seen
24:34the boats themselves
24:34the wooden boat hulls
24:36you would have seen
24:37these brick grave structures.
24:39The boat tombs
24:41are designed
24:41to be highly visible.
24:43This plaster would have
24:44caught the light of the sun
24:45when they were first built.
24:49Seen from a distance
24:50they would have been
24:52glowing
24:53in the desert
24:54and all
24:56to honor a pharaoh.
24:59Like the offerings
25:00that were delivered
25:02for his benefit
25:03inside the monument
25:04bread and beer
25:06and wine
25:07the boats
25:08must represent
25:09a kind of offering
25:10to him.
25:16What beliefs
25:17inspire the ancient Egyptians
25:19to create all of this
25:20and to place it
25:22so far away
25:23from the Nile
25:24where they actually live?
25:28Just a mile away
25:29there's another clue.
25:33This strange
25:34subterranean architecture
25:36is built around
25:37the same time
25:38the boats are left
25:39in the desert.
25:41It's the last resting place
25:43of one of Egypt's
25:44earliest pharaohs.
25:49This is the spot
25:52where the king
25:53ended his life
25:54in this world
25:55and made the transition
25:57from here
25:57to the other world
25:59where he would have
26:00his eternal life.
26:01The tomb is designed
26:03to ensure
26:04the dead pharaoh
26:05passes into another realm
26:06known as the afterlife
26:08provided with all
26:10the essential possessions
26:11he needs
26:12food, drink
26:14even his servants
26:15to serve their master
26:19beyond the grave.
26:21These are the chambers
26:22in which the courtiers
26:24and retainers
26:25who were sacrificed
26:26to accompany the king
26:27into the next world
26:28were buried
26:29and the whole assemblage
26:32king in his burial chamber
26:33his funerary enclosure
26:36and the boats
26:37that were buried
26:37next to it
26:38the whole assemblage
26:40is being translated
26:41from this world
26:42to the next
26:42to be available
26:44to him there.
26:46Just like the dead courtiers
26:48the royal fleet
26:50is there
26:50to serve the pharaoh
26:51in the afterlife
26:52so he can navigate
26:55the celestial Nile
26:56for all eternity.
27:01The Abydos boats
27:02mark the beginning
27:03of a belief
27:04in the afterlife
27:05that eventually
27:06creates the pyramids
27:08and the valley
27:09of the kings
27:09and more signs
27:11of that connection
27:11still lie hidden
27:13beneath the sand
27:14so Matthew's team
27:16carries out
27:17what's called
27:18a magnetometry survey
27:19it detects variations
27:21in the soil's magnetic field
27:23to reveal structures
27:25underground
27:25not seen
27:27for thousands of years.
27:29We walk over it every day
27:30what we don't see
27:31is all of this.
27:33The data reveal
27:34the origin
27:35of Egypt's obsession
27:37with the afterlife.
27:38all of these dark lines
27:42that we can see here
27:44these are all walls
27:45from buried structures
27:47big ones
27:49small ones
27:50we can identify
27:51these as tombs
27:52which makes this
27:54a gigantic
27:55vast desert cemetery.
27:59It's an astonishing discovery
28:01draining the sand
28:05from the rest
28:05of the plateau
28:06exposes ancient Egypt's
28:08oldest royal burial ground
28:10a landscape
28:12designed for one purpose
28:15resurrection
28:16combining data
28:20from the surveys
28:21and excavations
28:22with computer generated
28:24imagery
28:24reveals the pharaoh's tomb
28:26from below
28:27but now
28:30drained of sand
28:32another nine
28:33huge underground
28:35complexes appear
28:36at least
28:37ten royal tombs
28:39fill the valley floor
28:41built more than
28:45a thousand years
28:46before the valley
28:47of the kings
28:47this is ancient
28:49Egypt's
28:50original
28:50city of the dead
28:52and nearby
28:55more ritual enclosures
28:57where pharaohs
28:58are worshipped
28:58and the tombs
29:01of the royal boats
29:02it's the landscape
29:06at Abydos
29:07that reveals
29:08the ultimate reason
29:09why all these structures
29:11are built so far
29:12from the Nile
29:13it all sits
29:14at the entrance
29:15of a narrow gorge
29:17the gateway
29:19to the afterlife
29:21I think it's very likely
29:25that the ancient Egyptians
29:26viewed this canyon
29:28as the road
29:29that led
29:30to the land
29:31of the dead
29:31the sun set
29:32in the west
29:33the west was
29:34where the dead were
29:35that was the other world
29:37and this canyon
29:38leads directly
29:40in that direction
29:41the people
29:43who built
29:44this sacred site
29:45believe that
29:46everything placed here
29:47is destined
29:48to join the pharaoh
29:49in the afterlife
29:50Abydos
29:52is vital
29:53because it's
29:53the first area
29:54where we see
29:55pharaohs being
29:57deposited into graves
29:58and treated
29:59in this specialized way
30:01with gifts
30:02for the afterlife
30:03and that carries on
30:05for millennia
30:06the tradition
30:09that began
30:10with the Abydos boats
30:11can be seen
30:12200 years later
30:13at the pyramid tomb
30:15of King Khufu
30:16his mummified body
30:19accompanied
30:20by a ceremonial boat
30:22around 1200 years later
30:26the boy king
30:27Tutankhamen
30:28is entombed
30:30with 35 model boats
30:32ensuring that
30:34in the afterlife
30:35each pharaoh
30:37can navigate
30:37the all-important Nile
30:40the ancient Egyptians
30:48are master builders
30:50their spectacular tombs
30:52and temples
30:53populate more than
30:54900 miles
30:55of the Nile Valley
30:57but draining the waters
30:58behind the Aswan Dam
31:00reveals something
31:02very different
31:03one of the largest
31:04state building projects
31:05after the pyramids
31:07a series
31:08of 15 massive forts
31:11when we think
31:12about ancient Egypt
31:13we think of a peaceful society
31:15we think about temples
31:16and tombs
31:16and we don't think
31:17about the military
31:18and the forts
31:20that the Egyptian military
31:21build here
31:22are immense
31:23as technologically advanced
31:25as the castles
31:26of medieval Europe
31:27that weren't built
31:28for another
31:293,000 years
31:31and yet
31:32there is little evidence
31:33that any of them
31:35saw a battle
31:36can draining the Nile
31:37reveal the true purpose
31:40of the mystery forts
31:42for more than 50 years
31:50ancient Egypt's forts
31:52are lost beneath
31:54the waters
31:54of Lake Nasser
31:55their exact purpose
31:57a mystery
31:58to archaeologists
31:59viewing them
32:01on the lake bed
32:02is impossible
32:03sediment makes
32:06the waters
32:06impenetrable
32:07to cameras
32:08and diving here
32:10can be fatal
32:11but there is
32:14one clue
32:15archaeologist
32:23Laurel Bestock
32:24is traveling
32:25to its remote location
32:26deep in Sudan
32:28near the southern end
32:29of Lake Nasser
32:30Fort Oronati
32:33one of the last
32:35surviving strong points
32:36from ancient Egypt's
32:38southern frontier
32:39Laurel is fascinated
32:42by these forgotten forts
32:44and has been excavating
32:46Oronati
32:46for six years
32:47I had thought
32:49that I would never
32:50be able to see
32:51let alone study
32:52personally
32:53such a place
32:53and that I could
32:55potentially come here
32:56was a really
32:57a personally profound
32:59and a career
33:00changing discovery
33:01Laurel is searching
33:05for evidence
33:06to help her reveal
33:07the secrets
33:07of the forts
33:08that lie beneath
33:09the waters
33:10of Lake Nasser
33:11Fort Oronati
33:15itself
33:16is built
33:16around 1850 B.C.
33:19during an era
33:20known as
33:20the Middle Kingdom
33:21it stands
33:23200 miles
33:24south of
33:25ancient Egyptian
33:26territory
33:26in what was once
33:28no man's land
33:30this represents
33:34the edge
33:35of the known world
33:36to the Egyptians
33:37Egypt is behind me
33:39up the Nile
33:39that's the familiar world
33:41the world where
33:41the Egyptians felt at home
33:42they knew
33:43how to behave
33:44in this place
33:45it's a culture
33:45and a landscape
33:46together
33:46out there
33:48is the rest
33:50of ancient Africa
33:51and that's very much
33:52a place
33:53that the Egyptians
33:53conceive of
33:54as terrifying
33:55it's where they
33:56view the people
33:57and even the landscape
33:58itself
33:58as a threat
33:59to their order
34:00beyond Egypt
34:05lies the land
34:07of Nubia
34:07and the kingdom
34:09of the Kushites
34:11their fearsome warriors
34:14raid Egypt
34:15from the south
34:16so the pharaohs
34:18need to secure
34:19their territory
34:20clues as to how
34:22they do it
34:23can be found
34:24at Oronarti
34:25Oronarti
34:26Oronarti is really
34:26built for defense
34:27it's hard to imagine
34:28a space that would be
34:29more difficult to attack
34:31and you come up
34:31this steep hill
34:32and you're met
34:33with this massive
34:34fortified gateway
34:35we're standing
34:36in between
34:36the remains
34:37of what was
34:38two towers
34:39even thicker
34:40than the walls
34:41of Oronarti itself
34:41you can see how
34:42massive the brickwork
34:44is here
34:44it's even reinforced
34:45you can see there
34:46are the remains
34:47of beams
34:47coming through
34:48the walls
34:49that would have
34:49acted like
34:50rebar
34:51in reinforced
34:51concrete here
34:52Fort Oronarti
34:57is a powerful
34:58deterrent
34:58to the hostile
34:59Kushites
35:00but it's barely
35:01a fraction
35:02of the military
35:03might
35:03ancient Egypt
35:04is about to
35:05unleash
35:06on its enemy
35:06most of that
35:09military machine
35:10now lies
35:11beneath Lake Nasser
35:12one of the
35:13largest reservoirs
35:14in the world
35:15the forts
35:18are lost forever
35:19when Egypt
35:20builds the
35:21Aswan High
35:22Dam
35:22in the 1960s
35:24to produce
35:24hydroelectric power
35:26and control
35:27irrigation
35:27the rising waters
35:31threaten some
35:32of Egypt's
35:32greatest monuments
35:33so one of the
35:35world's largest
35:36archaeological salvage
35:38operations
35:38begins
35:39involving 15
35:41countries
35:42and more than
35:4372 million
35:44dollars
35:44monuments
35:46that can't
35:47be moved
35:47are excavated
35:49and recorded
35:49including
35:52ancient Egypt's
35:53lost fortresses
35:55one of the
35:59most complete
36:00sets of
36:00archaeological
36:01reports
36:02from that
36:02time
36:02is kept
36:03at the
36:04Egypt
36:04Exploration
36:05Society
36:06so first
36:08of all
36:08you see
36:08how huge
36:09these forts
36:09were
36:10and reveals
36:11some tantalizing
36:13clues
36:14and yet since
36:15this was taken
36:16all of this
36:17is gone
36:17completely flooded
36:19yes unfortunately
36:20incredible
36:20so this is why
36:21we're all so
36:22thankful to
36:23the mission
36:23that has
36:24excavated
36:25and recorded
36:25all these
36:27forts
36:27today
36:29investigators
36:30are analyzing
36:31the evidence
36:32to discover
36:33why the
36:33Egyptians
36:34need as
36:34many
36:35as
36:3515
36:36forts
36:37using this
36:41data
36:42and the
36:42latest
36:43computer
36:43graphic
36:44technology
36:44it's possible
36:46to drain
36:46the waters
36:47from Lake
36:48Nasser
36:4844 trillion
36:53gallons
36:54of water
36:54are unleashed
36:55into the Nile
36:56slowly revealing
37:00a world
37:01that's
37:024,000 years
37:03old
37:04traveling south
37:07beyond
37:07ancient
37:08Egypt
37:08Fort Iken
37:10appears
37:10then
37:15Fort Ascot
37:16furthest
37:19south
37:19two more
37:20Forts
37:21Kuma
37:21and Semna
37:22all together
37:25a total
37:25of 15
37:27forts
37:27spanning
37:30200 miles
37:31it's the
37:32longest
37:32fortified
37:33frontier
37:34in the
37:34world
37:35along
37:35this
37:36strategically
37:36important
37:37stretch
37:37of the
37:38Nile
37:38because
37:39the
37:39Nile
37:39river
37:40was
37:40the
37:41principal
37:41thoroughfare
37:42up
37:42the
37:43forts
37:43were
37:43arranged
37:44north
37:44to
37:45south
37:45stopping
37:46any
37:46invasion
37:46from
37:47the
37:47south
37:47into
37:47the
37:48north
37:48the
37:49wall
37:50of
37:50forts
37:50transforms
37:51the
37:52Nile
37:52into
37:52a
37:52formidable
37:53barrier
37:53against
37:54the
37:54Kushites
37:55but why
38:02do the
38:02ancient
38:02Egyptians
38:03need
38:03to
38:03dominate
38:04territory
38:05so
38:05far
38:06beyond
38:06their
38:06heartlands
38:07a clue
38:09comes
38:10from
38:10a fort
38:11inscription
38:11it
38:12reveals
38:12that
38:13much
38:13of
38:13frontier
38:14is
38:14created
38:15to
38:15satisfy
38:15one
38:16pharaoh's
38:17military
38:18ambition
38:18I have
38:20made
38:20my
38:20boundary
38:21further
38:21south
38:22than
38:22my
38:23father's
38:23and
38:25how
38:25he
38:25boasts
38:26about
38:26crushing
38:27the
38:27Kushite
38:27enemy
38:28they
38:29are
38:29not
38:29people
38:30one
38:30respects
38:31they
38:32are
38:32wretches
38:33I
38:34have
38:34captured
38:35their
38:35women
38:35gone
38:36to
38:36their
38:37wells
38:37killed
38:38their
38:38cattle
38:39cut
38:40down
38:41their
38:41grain
38:41set
38:42fire
38:43to
38:43it
38:43they
38:47definitely
38:48claimed
38:48this
38:48territory
38:49for their
38:49own
38:49by
38:49building
38:50these
38:50fortresses
38:50and said
38:51this is
38:51Egypt's
38:52now
38:52these
38:53forts
38:53are
38:53representing
38:54a
38:54sort
38:54of
38:55consolidation
38:55of
38:55the
38:56power
38:56of
38:56the
38:56pharaoh
38:57but
38:58why
38:59does
38:59ancient
38:59Egypt
39:00need
39:00so
39:01many
39:01forts
39:01constructed
39:02on
39:03such
39:03a
39:03massive
39:04scale
39:04could
39:08they
39:08have
39:08been
39:08built
39:09to
39:09protect
39:10something
39:10even
39:11more
39:11valuable
39:12than
39:12a
39:13pharaoh's
39:13power
39:14when
39:22Egypt's
39:22Aswan
39:23Dam
39:23is
39:23built
39:24in
39:24the
39:241960s
39:25the
39:25largest
39:26fort
39:26to
39:26disappear
39:27beneath
39:27Lake
39:28Nasser
39:28is
39:29Fort
39:29Buen
39:29hidden
39:31inside
39:32it
39:32is
39:32evidence
39:33of
39:33ancient
39:34Egypt's
39:34military
39:35secrets
39:36draining
39:37the water
39:38from
39:38Lake
39:38Nasser
39:39reveals
39:39traces
39:40of
39:40Fort
39:40Buen
39:41not
39:41seen
39:42for
39:42more
39:43than
39:4350
39:43years
39:44by
39:46combining
39:47the
39:47archaeological
39:48data
39:48with
39:493D
39:50computer
39:50graphics
39:51Fort
39:52Buen
39:52is
39:52reconstructed
39:53revealing
39:55the nerve
39:55center
39:56of
39:56ancient
39:56Egypt's
39:57frontier
39:58for the
39:58first
39:59time
39:59and
40:03it's
40:03colossal
40:04Buen's
40:07vast footprint
40:08covers an
40:08area 20
40:09times larger
40:10than
40:10Fort
40:11Uranati
40:11its perimeter
40:14wall
40:15almost a
40:16mile
40:16circuit
40:17the
40:1936
40:20foot
40:20high
40:20walls
40:21dominate
40:22the
40:22riverfront
40:22this
40:26is
40:27Fort
40:27Buen
40:27in
40:28all
40:29its
40:29original
40:29glory
40:30and
40:32everything
40:32about
40:33it
40:33is
40:34designed
40:34to
40:35intimidate
40:36it
40:40really
40:40shows
40:40the
40:41state
40:41power
40:41it
40:42puts
40:42it
40:42outside
40:43so
40:43it's
40:43not
40:43just
40:44a
40:44symbol
40:44to
40:44the
40:44Egyptians
40:45it's
40:45a
40:45symbol
40:45to
40:45other
40:46people
40:46these
40:46forts
40:47were
40:47clearly
40:47about
40:48military
40:48power
40:49they
40:49were
40:49about
40:49domination
40:50one
40:50of
40:51the
40:51purposes
40:51of
40:51this
40:51monument
40:52is
40:52to
40:52be
40:52imposing
40:53the
40:55monumental
40:55scale
40:56of
40:56Buen
40:57is
40:57designed
40:57to
40:58terrify
40:58the
40:59Kushite
40:59enemy
40:59and
41:00proudly
41:01display
41:01military
41:02architecture
41:03so
41:03advanced
41:04that
41:04it
41:05makes
41:05any
41:05raid
41:06on
41:06it
41:06futile
41:07what's
41:08unbelievable
41:09is
41:09if I
41:10told you
41:10that
41:10all
41:11of
41:11the
41:11features
41:12that
41:13you
41:13find
41:13in
41:14medieval
41:14European
41:15forts
41:16were
41:16already
41:17in
41:18place
41:18in
41:19these
41:19mud
41:19brick
41:20forts
41:202000
41:21to
41:221800
41:22BC
41:23in
41:23Egypt
41:24you
41:24would
41:24say
41:25no
41:25you're
41:25wrong
41:263,000
41:28years
41:28before
41:29the
41:29famous
41:30castles
41:30of
41:30Europe
41:31are
41:31built
41:31Fort
41:32Buen
41:32has
41:33a
41:33dry
41:33moat
41:33a
41:35fortified
41:36gateway
41:37defensive
41:39battlements
41:40and
41:41sophisticated
41:42arrow loops
41:43with a
41:43firing arc
41:44of
41:44180
41:45degrees
41:46basically
41:48basically
41:48everything
41:49that you
41:50come to
41:50love
41:51about
41:52a
41:52medieval
41:52fort
41:53is
41:53already
41:54there
41:55in
41:55the
41:56middle
41:56kingdom
41:56forts
41:56in
41:57Egypt
41:57it
42:02seems
42:03the
42:03intimidating
42:04power
42:04of the
42:05forts
42:05achieves
42:06its
42:06aim
42:07archaeological
42:08investigations
42:09here
42:10uncover
42:11almost
42:12no
42:12evidence
42:12of
42:13fighting
42:13is
42:15this
42:15lack
42:15of
42:15violence
42:16a
42:16clue
42:17that
42:17the
42:17Nile
42:18frontier
42:18has
42:19another
42:19entirely
42:20different
42:21purpose
42:21evidence
42:23lies
42:24deep
42:24inside
42:25Fort
42:25Buen
42:25archaeologists
42:28believe
42:28that
42:28within
42:29the
42:29citadel
42:29lies
42:30a
42:30complex
42:31of
42:31enormous
42:32silos
42:32for
42:33storing
42:34precious
42:34grain
42:35the
42:38size
42:38of
42:38those
42:39granaries
42:39means
42:39that
42:39they
42:40could
42:40hold
42:40way
42:40more
42:41food
42:41than
42:41is
42:41necessary
42:42for
42:42the
42:42number
42:42of
42:43people
42:43who
42:43would
42:43have
42:43lived
42:44at
42:44Buen
42:44and
42:45that's
42:45an
42:45important
42:45clue
42:46for
42:46us
42:46in
42:46terms
42:47of
42:47the
42:47economic
42:47activity
42:48that's
42:48going
42:48on
42:49Egypt
42:51is
42:51trading
42:52grain
42:52for
42:53gold
42:54the
42:55forts
42:55not only
42:56dominate
42:56ancient
42:57Egypt's
42:57southern
42:57neighbors
42:58they
42:59also
42:59guard
43:00the
43:00trade
43:00routes
43:01from
43:01the
43:01gold
43:01mines
43:02of
43:02Nubia
43:02to
43:05the
43:05Egyptians
43:05gold
43:06is
43:07all
43:07important
43:07and
43:08Nubia
43:09is
43:09the
43:09main
43:10source
43:10the
43:11pharaohs
43:12and
43:12their
43:12wealthiest
43:13subjects
43:13wear gold
43:15and cover
43:15their coffins
43:16with it
43:16as the
43:17ultimate
43:17symbol
43:18of
43:18power
43:19the
43:20building
43:21of the
43:21fortresses
43:22was an
43:22attempt
43:22to impose
43:23a trading
43:23monopoly
43:24on gold
43:24coming up
43:25from the
43:25south
43:26and to
43:26make sure
43:26that this
43:27is all
43:27happening
43:27through the
43:28Egyptian
43:28state
43:28no
43:30one
43:31can
43:31pass
43:31through
43:31this
43:32200
43:32mile
43:33stretch
43:33of
43:33territory
43:34undetected
43:35filled
43:36with
43:36soldiers
43:37the
43:37forts
43:38form
43:38an
43:38effective
43:39surveillance
43:39system
43:40designed
43:40to
43:40trap
43:41thieves
43:42smugglers
43:43and
43:43raiders
43:44by
43:45ensuring
43:45all
43:46trade
43:46happens
43:46inside
43:47the
43:47forts
43:48Egypt
43:49secures
43:49the
43:49best
43:50of
43:50the
43:50deals
43:50for
43:51itself
43:51these
43:56are
43:56the
43:56fort
43:57noxes
43:57of
43:58the
43:58ancient
43:58Egyptian
43:58world
43:59trading
44:00gold
44:00and
44:01defending
44:02it
44:02from
44:02attack
44:02inside
44:04both
44:05fort
44:05oronati
44:06and
44:06fort
44:06buen
44:07there
44:07are
44:07clues
44:08to
44:08the
44:08scale
44:09of
44:09that
44:09operation
44:09this
44:13space
44:13was
44:14a
44:14barracks
44:15house
44:15and
44:15this
44:16is
44:16a
44:16pattern
44:16we
44:16see
44:16repeated
44:17throughout
44:17the
44:18fortress
44:18buen
44:19reveals
44:20many
44:20similar
44:21barracks
44:21divided
44:22into
44:22larger
44:23communal
44:23areas
44:24and
44:27smaller
44:27rooms
44:27that
44:28archaeologists
44:29identify
44:29as
44:30sleeping
44:30quarters
44:31we
44:33can
44:33calculate
44:34how
44:34many
44:34people
44:35might
44:35have
44:35been
44:36able
44:36to
44:36sleep
44:36in
44:36the
44:36fortress
44:37at
44:37any
44:37given
44:37time
44:38from
44:38the
44:38space
44:39that's
44:39here
44:39it's
44:40a
44:40fairly
44:40decent
44:41space
44:41but
44:41if
44:41you
44:41think
44:41of
44:42soldiers
44:42lying
44:42close
44:43next
44:43to
44:43one
44:43another
44:43this
44:44could
44:44pack
44:44ten
44:44people
44:45in
44:45this
44:45room
44:45with
44:45no
44:45problem
44:46and
44:46if
44:46you
44:46think
44:46I'm
44:47relatively
44:47tall
44:47for
44:48an
44:48ancient
44:48Egyptian
44:49but
44:49if
44:50I
44:50lie
44:50here
44:50with
44:51my
44:51companions
44:52next
44:52to
44:52me
44:52you
44:52can
44:53get
44:5310
44:53of
44:53us
44:53in
44:53this
44:53room
44:54with
44:54no
44:54problem
44:54scaling
44:56up
44:57it's
44:57estimated
44:58that
44:58Uronarti
44:59could
44:59house
44:59400
45:00soldiers
45:01and
45:02Buen
45:03thousands
45:04more
45:04so
45:08you're
45:08looking
45:08at
45:09a
45:09multifunctional
45:10multipurpose
45:11facility
45:12that
45:12was
45:13vibrant
45:13and
45:13alive
45:14and
45:14was
45:14like
45:15a
45:15little
45:15city
45:15contained
45:16within
45:17itself
45:17at
45:18full
45:18capacity
45:19the
45:20whole
45:20fortress
45:20system
45:21could
45:22be
45:22packed
45:22with
45:2210,000
45:23soldiers
45:24scribes
45:25and
45:25officials
45:26operating
45:28such
45:28an
45:29advanced
45:29frontier
45:30in
45:30far
45:31flung
45:31lands
45:31is
45:32the
45:32pinnacle
45:33of
45:33ancient
45:33Egypt's
45:34military
45:35achievement
45:35an
45:38organizational
45:39feat
45:40on a
45:40scale
45:41that's
45:41similar
45:41to
45:42the
45:42building
45:42of
45:42the
45:43great
45:43pyramids
45:44you
45:46can
45:46see
45:46how
45:46all
45:46of
45:47this
45:47architecture
45:47enables
45:48this
45:48activity
45:49and
45:49really
45:50this
45:50bustling
45:51city
45:52on the
45:52edge
45:52of
45:53the
45:53Nile
45:53here
45:53at
45:54the
45:54edge
45:54of
45:54the
45:54world
45:54ancient
46:01Egypt's
46:01forts
46:02protect
46:02its
46:02unique
46:03civilization
46:04from
46:04invasion
46:04and
46:06enable
46:07it
46:07to
46:07control
46:08the
46:08gold
46:08trade
46:09bringing
46:11glorification
46:11to
46:12its
46:12pharaohs
46:13for
46:13centuries
46:14to
46:14come
46:14by
46:23the
46:23first
46:24century
46:24BC
46:24the
46:26ancient
46:26Egyptians
46:27are
46:27no
46:28more
46:28but
46:30the
46:30mysteries
46:31they
46:31leave
46:31behind
46:32beneath
46:33the
46:33Nile
46:33Valley
46:34are
46:34a
46:34permanent
46:34reminder
46:35of
46:36their
46:36extraordinary
46:37culture
46:38the
46:40legacy
46:40of
46:40ancient
46:41Egypt
46:41lives
46:42on
46:42its
46:43architectural
46:44treasures
46:45remarkable
46:47beliefs
46:48formidable
46:51state
46:51power
46:52and
46:53its
46:54golden
46:54voyages
46:55between
46:55the
46:56worlds
46:56of
46:56the
46:57living
46:57and
46:59the
46:59dead
47:08earth
47:09one
47:10one
47:11one
47:11one
47:13two
47:15and
47:17one
47:18one
47:21two
47:21one
47:22two
47:23one
Recommended
44:29
|
Up next
55:08
1:29
45:12