(MULTI) 4,000-Year-Old Sealed Pyramid Opened for the First Time

Bright Side

Archaeologists have opened a 4,000-year-old sealed pyramid in Egypt — and what they discovered inside has left the world in awe. This ancient structure, untouched for millennia, contains secrets that could change our understanding of Egypt's past.  In this video, we take you inside the sealed pyramid, explore what was found, and dive into what it all means for archaeologists and historians.  💬 What do YOU think was hidden for 4,000 years? Let us know in the comments!   Animation is created by Bright Side.  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Music from TheSoul Sound: https://thesoul-sound.com/   Check our Bright Side podcast on Spotify and leave a positive review! https://open.spotify.com/show/0hUkPxD34jRLrMrJux4VxV  Subscribe to Bright Side: https://goo.gl/rQTJZz  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  Our Social Media:  Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/brightplanet/  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brightside.official  TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@brightside.official?lang=en   Stock materials (photos, footages and other):  https://www.depositphotos.com  https://www.shutterstock.com  https://www.eastnews.ru  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  For more videos and articles visit: http://www.brightside.me  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------  This video is made for entertainment purposes. We do not make any warranties about the completeness, safety and reliability. Any action you take upon the information in this video is strictly at your own risk, and we will not be liable for any damages or losses. It is the viewer's responsibility to use judgement, care and precaution if you plan to replicate.

Transcript

00:00Beneath the sands of Luxor, scientists found something that was, perhaps, never meant to

00:06be found. Over a thousand decorated stone blocks that belonged to the ruined temple of a woman

00:12pharaoh. It got us thinking, why was this temple so brutally destroyed, and who was this woman?

00:19Her name is Hatshepsut, and she is now considered one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs,

00:24but for a long time, history almost forgot her. She ruled during the 18th dynasty,

00:30from around 1479 to 1458 BCE. She's remembered for her ambitious building projects,

00:37successful military campaigns, and flourishing trade expeditions. It turns out she was one

00:43out of four women to take the title of pharaoh in Egyptian history. The next woman would have

00:48to wait for 1,500 years to reign, and that woman we know as Cleopatra.

00:53The story of how Hatshepsut got to be a pharaoh is the most colorful part of this tale. As far as

01:02most dynastic rules go, it's usually men that are first in line for royal thrones. In Egypt,

01:08that was the same. That's why, when Pharaoh Thutmose I had a daughter as his firstborn,

01:14that was a big no-no as far as his succession line went. A few years later, Pharaoh Thutmose I

01:20passes away. The crown passed to Thutmose II, who ruled briefly, only to leave the throne to his

01:27infant son, Thutmose III. In this scenario, Hatshepsut was this pharaoh's stepmother.

01:33So what happened was that Hatshepsut served as advisor to her stepson, since he was too young

01:39to rule on his own. But after seven years, she made an unprecedented move. She decided to seize power

01:46and declared herself pharaoh of Egypt. This was not a simple power grab. Hatshepsut understood

01:53that if she wanted to rule, she had to present herself as a legitimate king. In a bold move,

01:59she adopted the full royal regalia, including the false beard, traditionally worn by male pharaohs.

02:06She was often depicted in statues and hieroglyphs as a man, wearing the pharaoh's kilt and headdress.

02:12But this wasn't about disguising herself. Experts believe she never tried to hide her identity.

02:19Inscriptions on her statues often included feminine titles, like Daughter of Ri, or grammatical

02:25structures that combined male and female terms, such as His Majesty Herself. This showed that while

02:31she adopted traditional symbols of kings, she still acknowledged her true gender. But she needed to

02:38go even further. To legitimize her rule, she crafted an elaborate origin story. She claimed that the

02:44deity Amun himself had visited her mother in the form of her father, Thutmose I, and that she was his

02:52divine daughter. Now this was no small claim. Since pharaohs were seen as deities on Earth, by aligning

02:59herself with Amun, she strengthened her right to the throne. In temple carvings, she depicted this divine

03:06birth with Amun, presenting her as his rightful heir. These narratives weren't just mythology.

03:12They were tools, ensuring her position remained unchallenged. Achepsut also took a new name,

03:18Ma'at Kari, which translates roughly to Truth is the Soul of the Sun God. The word Ma'at was central to

03:26Egyptian beliefs. It represented order, justice, and divine balance. Pharaohs were expected to uphold

03:32Ma'at to ensure Egypt's stability. By calling herself Ma'at Kari, Achepsut was likely reinforcing

03:40that she was a legitimate and rightful ruler. Her reign was truly great. She led Egypt into an era of

03:47peace and prosperity, launching massive building projects and restoring temples across the kingdom.

03:53Her most famous achievement was the construction of her temple, Adir el-Bahari, a pretty impressive

03:59architectural masterpiece carved into the cliffs of Luxor. Achepsut initiated one of the most ambitious

04:05construction projects in ancient Egyptian history, commissioning monuments, temples, and obelisks to

04:11immortalize her reign. It's argued that she continued with the construction of the Avenue of the Sphinxes,

04:17a grand road lined with statues leading to the Karnak temple. For many, her shining architectural

04:23achievement was the towering obelisks she had carved from single pieces of granite. One of these,

04:29weighing over 320 tons, still stands today. Now, beyond building, she expanded Egypt's influence

04:37through trade. She sent an expedition to the mysterious land of Punt, believed to be modern-day

04:42Somalia or Eritrea, bringing back riches like gold, ivory, and exotic animals. Her fleet of ships sailing the

04:50Red Sea marked the first recorded trade mission of its kind, establishing economic ties that would

04:56benefit Egypt for generations. Yet, for all of her success, something strange happened after

05:03Hapshatsat passed away. Her successor, a.k.a. her stepson, Thutmose III, who had been overshadowed by

05:11her rule, took a drastic step. He ordered her name to be erased from history. Her statues were defaced,

05:18her inscriptions chiseled away, and her achievements credited to other rulers. It was as if she had

05:24never existed. Some believe Thutmose III wanted to reclaim his rightful place as pharaoh, while others

05:31suggest that later rulers, uncomfortable with the idea of a female pharaoh, sought to restore

05:37traditional male dominance. The story gets even more tragic. The power struggle between stepmother and

05:43stepson continues. Since, even after her passing away, Thutmose III built his own temple right next

05:51to Hapshatsats at the Valley of the Kings. But he built his temple with one deliberate modification.

05:57His monument was built 11 feet higher than hers. Mind you that this was no accident. It was a symbolic

06:04statement. He wanted to overshadow her legacy. But history had other plans. Hapshatsats' legacy

06:11started to be rediscovered in the 19th century. And it was only through careful archaeological

06:17investigation that her reign was properly recognized. Today, Hapshatsats is remembered

06:24as one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs. Her reign, once erased, has been reconstructed through constant

06:30archaeological discoveries, proving that her power and influence could not be so easily forgotten.

06:36Her resting place had been hidden in plain sight, her body removed from its original chamber in an

06:42effort to erase her from history. This final piece of evidence cemented her legacy, proving that even

06:48attempts to erase a pharaoh could not really do it. Hapshatsats' grand temple, Jezer Jezeru, was a

06:55stunning architectural feat, designed to immortalize her reign and solidify her divine connection to Amun.

07:02But after her death, her successor, Thutmose III, launched that calculated effort to erase her

07:08legacy, and parts of her temple were dismantled. Historians still debate why. Was it a dynastic

07:14power move, an attempt to restore traditional male rule, or a bid to strengthen Thutmose III's claim to

07:21the throne? Maybe he was just a jerk. Whatever the reason, the destruction wasn't immediate. It happened

07:27decades after her death, suggesting it might not have been a personal revenge, but a broader

07:33political strategy. Yet despite these efforts, her temple endures, and so does her story,

07:39a defiant echo of Egypt's first great female pharaoh.

07:45Let's travel through space and time to another place. Dashur, Egypt, is known to be home to several

07:51resting places of people from ancient Egypt. In the year 2017, scientists uncovered a long-lost

07:58pyramid. They quickly called the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities, because they suspected

08:04it was going to be a big deal. Unlike most pyramids that were found in the area, this one was completely

08:10sealed. Lifting the capstone was a delicate process. When they finally managed to open the pyramid,

08:16they expected to find an undisturbed chamber. Instead, it was chaos. The place had been looted,

08:22and the personal items of the person that had passed away were scattered all over. But in the

08:28middle of the wreckage, they found a chest. Using the latest scanning technology, they managed to read

08:34the damaged hieroglyphs on its surface. What they found was unbelievable. The name inscribed there was

08:41as clear as day. Princess Hapshatsut. The discovery made in 2017 also opened up a lot of questions.

08:50After further analysis, scientists discovered the remains belonged to another Hapshatsut.

08:56It belonged to a princess that lived during Egypt's 13th dynasty. The fact that a resting place had been

09:02looted before it was sealed made scientists wonder. Were these ancient people trying to hide something

09:08about this public figure? And why is there almost no record about her in ancient Egyptian history?

09:14Ooh, stay tuned!

09:18That's it for today! So hey, if you pacified your curiosity, then give the video a like and share

09:23it with your friends. Or if you want more, just click on these videos and stay on the Bright Side!

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