00:00Egyptian archaeologists have recently made an extraordinary discovery near Cairo.
00:05Drum roll please.
00:07The oldest and most complete mummy ever discovered in the country.
00:12This mummy, 4,300 years old,
00:15was found in a set of tombs near the pyramid at the level of Geyser,
00:19dating from the ancient Egyptian empire.
00:21It was covered with a layer of gold.
00:23The team also discovered several other tombs,
00:27including one belonging to an Egyptian dignitary
00:29and another to a guardian of secrets who presided over the ceremony.
00:33Another interesting tomb was that of Inscribe,
00:36which contained the largest statues ever discovered in the region.
00:39This vast funerary site also houses more than a dozen pyramids and burial sites.
00:44One of the most famous mummies in the world is probably that of Hatshepsut.
00:48It ruled Egypt for about 20 years,
00:51erected many impressive buildings and created new commercial routes.
00:55However, when archaeologist Howard Carter discovered his tomb in the Valley of Kings,
01:00his sarcophagus was empty.
01:02Carter nevertheless found two coffins in another tomb,
01:05one of which belonged to the nurse Hatshepsut and the other to an unknown woman.
01:10In 2006, a team of specialists decided to investigate
01:13to determine whether this mysterious woman was the queen in person.
01:17They discovered a molar in a wooden box called Hatshepsut,
01:21and when they compared it to the jaw of the mummy, it corresponded perfectly.
01:25Ramses II was one of the most remarkable rulers,
01:28but it was his mummy, even more so than his accomplishments,
01:31that ultimately marked history.
01:33Ramses is considered the most powerful pharaoh in all of Egypt,
01:37having reigned for no less than six decades.
01:39He also lived until the canonical age of 90,
01:42which was quite remarkable given the time he lived in.
01:47Ramses II would have had more than 100 descendants,
01:49speaking of a large family.
01:51At his death, his body was initially buried in the Valley of Kings,
01:55but pillagers attempted to rob the treasures of his tomb.
01:58His successors, unable to tolerate such acts,
02:01therefore moved his body to a secret place to protect it.
02:05Fast progress until the 19th century,
02:08when Ramses II's mummy was discovered with that of other sovereigns and dignitaries.
02:13However, it was not in very good condition.
02:16Archaeologists therefore decided to send it to Paris for appropriate care.
02:20The problem was that it simply could not be shipped to another country.
02:25The only solution was to give Ramses II a passport.
02:28His profession was indicated as a king, and the document even contained his photo.
02:33Most mummies are not necessarily famous for having a very hydrated skin,
02:37but that of a woman from China and nicknamed Lady Dai proves otherwise.
02:42No, we are not talking about this Lady Dai,
02:45but of a marquise dating back to the Han dynasty,
02:48discovered in a tomb richly decorated in 1971.
02:51Thanks to the special conditions of her grave, humidity and lack of oxygen,
02:56her body was almost perfectly preserved.
02:59Her skin was soft, her hair impeccable, and she was still flexible.
03:03The museum that now exhibits her mummy
03:06also shows a multitude of luxurious objects buried with her,
03:09such as dishes and musical instruments.
03:12Archaeologists, by examining the mummy more closely,
03:15will discover that she died of a heart attack at the age of 50.
03:19Although she has left this world for more than 2,000 years,
03:22Lady Dai continues to fascinate.
03:24Ötzi's mummy, the Ice Man, was discovered in the Alps in 1991.
03:29The Austrian authorities first thought it was a modern alpinist,
03:33as long as it was well preserved.
03:35It turned out that it actually came from the age of copper.
03:38Thanks to the study of her mummy,
03:40found in a mountain pass at more than 3,000 meters above sea level,
03:44we have learned a lot about life in Europe during the Colitis period.
03:48For example, we know that he was originally from Central Europe
03:52and that he regularly consumed meat.
03:54He also suffered from arthritis,
03:56a shrinking of the arteries and intestinal disorders.
03:59But he probably used acupuncture and medicinal herbs
04:03to treat his ailments.
04:05Apparently, he was also very skilled with his tools.
04:08He had sharpened them just a few days before his premature death.
04:12Perhaps he was anticipating trouble
04:14or was he simply preparing for a routine task?
04:17The King Tutankhamun and his story
04:19are among the most famous of all the mummies in Egypt.
04:23This pharaoh died at the early age of 19,
04:26more than three millennia ago,
04:28but his mummy remains one of the most emblematic in the world.
04:32When his tomb was opened in 1922,
04:35the excitement was at its peak
04:37because it was still intact,
04:39unlike many other royal tombs.
04:41It contained sumptuously ornate sarcophagi,
04:44one of them in massive gold.
04:46Not only the tomb of Tutankhamun
04:48gave us a glimpse of the history of ancient Egypt,
04:51but his mummy also taught us a lot
04:53about the era in which he lived.
04:55The analysis of his DNA allowed us to identify his parents
04:58and revealed that the pharaoh suffered from a rare bone disease
05:01that could have made him invalid.
05:03Ginger is probably one of the most fascinating mummies
05:06you will ever hear of.
05:08He looks like a time traveler from 5,000 years ago,
05:12still with his golden hair and perfectly preserved nails.
05:16Ginger was discovered in Egypt
05:18and is considered the oldest mummified body ever discovered.
05:23Before the Egyptians mastered the art of mummification,
05:26they placed all the bodies in shallow graves
05:29in hot and dry sand.
05:31As the latter absorbed all the water,
05:33bacteria could not reproduce
05:36and the body was thus naturally preserved.
05:39Today, scientists are not sure
05:42that the preservation of Ginger was intentional,
05:45but since his grave was made of pottery,
05:49it is likely that those who buried him
05:51knew advanced preservation techniques.
05:54If you want to meet Ginger in person,
05:57he is currently exhibited at the British Museum.
06:00A Dutch art collector acquired a Buddha statue in China
06:04and made a surprising discovery.
06:07It contained a mummy hidden inside.
06:10Alas, the body was too fragile to be moved,
06:13so it had to be left there.
06:16The most impressive part is that this mummy is over 1,000 years old
06:19and that it had been exhibited for 200 years
06:22before being buried in this statue.
06:24When they made the tomography,
06:26scientists discovered that the mummy
06:28was filled with pieces of paper covered with writing.
06:32Experts think that he would have practiced self-mummification,
06:35a radical process involving a particular diet
06:39and a tea that makes the body less susceptible to bacteria.
06:43Only a few people could perform this ritual
06:46and those who succeeded were deeply respected.
06:49Few Egyptian queens have intrigued scientists and historians
06:52as much as the sublime Nefertiti.
06:55If you believe her effigies,
06:57she was renowned for her arched neck,
06:59her big eyes and her shining cheeks.
07:02Her name translates as
07:04the Beauty is here,
07:06if that is not predestination.
07:09Although she was not a pharaoh herself,
07:11Nefertiti still managed to leave a lasting mark.
07:14Archives suggest that as a royal wife,
07:17she was extremely influential.
07:19Because of her power,
07:21she was certainly admired,
07:23but she had also made many enemies throughout her life.
07:26She was also linked to Tutankhamun,
07:28but not by blood.
07:30It was her mother.
07:32Until now, her mummy has still not been identified,
07:35but this could soon change.
07:37An Egyptologist who searched tombs in the Valley of Kings
07:40discovered two mummies
07:42that he thinks are those of Nefertiti and his daughter.
07:45According to specialists,
07:47we could soon get a definitive answer
07:49as to the identity of these two remains.
07:51If one of them turns out to be Nefertiti,
07:54we could be in the presence of a major discovery.
07:57DNA analysis and tomography of the mummy
08:00could offer us the most complete and precise image
08:03of the queen we have ever seen.
08:05It is incredible to think that we have only
08:07blurred the surface of what is hidden
08:09below modern Egypt.
08:11Nefertiti reigned over Egypt
08:13during a period of great power and prosperity,
08:16but unfortunately died during a period of turmoil
08:19that led to the loss of her funerary site.
08:22Who can really predict where she is today?
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