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00:00In November 1925, in Egypt's Valley of the Kings,
00:06one of the greatest moments in archaeological history occurred.
00:11Over six nail-biting days, Egyptologist Howard Carter
00:16set out to unwrap the world's most famous mummy, Tutankhamun.
00:23I'm Dr Zand van Tullikam, and now I'm winding the clock back 100 years,
00:27examining the extraordinary events that unfolded over those six groundbreaking days.
00:34And amazingly, using the power of new technology,
00:39I'll be taking myself back to 1925,
00:43following Howard Carter as he came face-to-face with the Faroes' remains.
00:54I'll reveal the incredible discoveries,
00:57and shocking surprises Carter made as he unwrapped the Boy King.
01:03His flesh was completely blackened and burnt.
01:09Since handling Tut's fragile skeleton is forbidden,
01:13for the very first time,
01:15we'll digitally reconstruct his body in 3D.
01:19Oh, this is incredible.
01:20This is what Carter and his team were looking at.
01:24We'll get right under Tut's skin to conduct a virtual autopsy,
01:29exposing secrets that Carter couldn't see
01:32as he unwrapped Tut.
01:34There's a pretty big fracture in his knee,
01:38and he didn't live long after it.
01:40Six days, one body,
01:43countless mysteries to be revealed.
01:45Well, this is the incredible story
01:47of the unwrapping of Tutankhamun.
01:58In 1972,
02:00Tutankhamun's incredible treasures
02:03headed to Britain for the first time
02:05in their 3,500-year history.
02:08Those priceless objects were exhibited here
02:13in the heart of London
02:14at the British Museum,
02:17and they caused an overnight sensation.
02:21Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
02:23herself opened the show.
02:25I have great pleasure
02:27in declaring open this exhibition.
02:29More than one and a half million people
02:34queued to see that exhibition.
02:37This was Tutmania,
02:39and Britain was at the heart of it.
02:43That obsession hasn't gone away.
02:45Half a century later,
02:46Tutankhamun is still
02:48the most famous pharaoh in the world.
02:51But to understand why,
02:53we have to travel back 100 years.
02:55Using the power of technology,
02:57I'll be heading to the Valley of the Kings
03:00in Egypt in 1925.
03:04I'm arriving in the heart of the action
03:07on day one of the unwrapping of Tut.
03:13That first morning,
03:14Egyptologist Howard Carter and his team
03:17arrived early in the valley
03:18preparing for an unprecedented challenge.
03:22This was the first time ever
03:24that archaeologists were attempting
03:26to unwrap a totally undisturbed royal mummy.
03:31The team's own photo from the time
03:33captures them as they huddled
03:35over Tut's coffin, ready to begin.
03:38We've brought that moment to life.
03:42Carter had no idea
03:44how long it was going to take,
03:46or even if he'd be able
03:48to unpeel all the layers of bandages.
03:50And if he could,
03:52would the mummy beneath be intact?
03:54Why he was desperately hoping
03:56is that if everything went to plan,
03:59this would be the climax
04:01to the greatest archaeological discovery
04:03in history.
04:09Getting to this point hadn't been easy.
04:12Carter and his sponsor, Lord Carnarvon,
04:14had spent six years
04:15and six million pounds in today's money,
04:18shifting 200,000 tons of sand
04:21to find the tomb in November 1922.
04:26Carter had spent the next three years
04:28uncovering endless treasures.
04:32And now,
04:33it was finally time
04:35to tackle the greatest prize of all,
04:38Tut's mummified body.
04:40Can you imagine the intensity
04:44of the excitement,
04:45the anxiety,
04:46the trepidation
04:47as Carter's team
04:49huddled over the mummy?
04:51Not least because
04:52this was going to be
04:54no easy unwrapping.
04:56Before they could unpeel
04:58a single bandage,
05:00there was a problem.
05:02Worryingly,
05:03the mummy of Tutankhamun
05:05had become almost glued
05:07to its coffin
05:08with a black resin
05:09used in the mummification process.
05:12There was no way
05:14Carter could remove it
05:15without damaging
05:16the pharaoh's body.
05:18As a doctor,
05:19I can really relate
05:20to Carter's frustration here.
05:22He'd hoped to lift the body out,
05:24transport it to a lab,
05:25and examine it
05:27in a controlled,
05:28sterile environment,
05:29just the way we do
05:30a medical autopsy today.
05:33Instead,
05:33he was now being forced
05:35to carry out
05:35the whole delicate operation
05:37of unwrapping Tutankhamun
05:39in the confined space
05:40of the coffin,
05:41in the heat,
05:42the dust,
05:43and the dirt
05:44of the desert valley.
05:48It was a nightmarish challenge.
05:51So to create
05:52a little more space to work,
05:53Carter moved Tut's whole coffin
05:55to the entrance
05:56of a nearby tomb,
05:57set up as a makeshift lab.
06:00But after 3,500 years
06:03in his tomb,
06:04the bandages wrapped
06:05around Tut's body
06:06were incredibly fragile.
06:09How could Carter remove them
06:11without everything
06:12crumbling to dust?
06:14He'd need to come up
06:15with a plan.
06:18I'm heading to York Archaeology
06:20to meet conservator
06:21Scarlet Crowe
06:22to see what Carter did next.
06:25What's Carter's solution?
06:27So he decides
06:28to consolidate
06:29the top layer
06:30of the wrappings
06:31with paraffin wax,
06:33which he's melted down
06:34and then poured over.
06:35Can we have a go
06:36doing what Carter did?
06:38Yes, of course.
06:39If I just hand you
06:40some safety glasses.
06:42Great.
06:44And let's have a crack.
06:49Okay, okay.
06:49Very slowly.
06:51Oh, it's not.
06:53It's sort of,
06:53you think it's going
06:54to be easy to pour
06:55and then,
06:55oh, I'm already
06:56putting on too much.
06:57It's absolutely fine.
06:59Okay, here we go.
06:59So I'm going to try
07:00and get that last little...
07:02Oh, so actually,
07:03that's amazing there.
07:04So you can see
07:05really nicely in here,
07:08those individual threads
07:10are now sealed in wax.
07:11Exactly.
07:12And they're going
07:12to be a bit stronger.
07:13They're a lot more stable now.
07:15So I think it's hardened.
07:17I've got to get myself
07:18in the headspace
07:19of Howard Carter.
07:20I'm in the Valley
07:21of the Kings.
07:22The world is watching
07:23and I'm about to unpeel
07:24a piece of linen
07:26that is over 3,000 years old
07:27that is incredibly fragile.
07:30Do you think I can do it, Scarlett?
07:32Yeah, I think you can.
07:34Wow.
07:35I'd have liked
07:35a little more confidence.
07:36No, I don't have confidence in you.
07:37I think you can have a go.
07:38Okay, here we go.
07:40So start at the edges.
07:43Oh, it's...
07:44Oh, this is...
07:44Oh.
07:46Very carefully.
07:47Tease the edges.
07:49Oh, this is...
07:50Oh, my goodness.
07:52This would be
07:52an absolute nightmare.
07:54I mean, look,
07:54I think if I was Carter,
07:56people would be
07:56very unhappy at this.
07:57But still,
08:00that's pretty good.
08:02That looks all right.
08:02I've got it off.
08:04And what you can see,
08:05if this was a 3,000-year-old
08:08piece of Egyptian linen,
08:09all that would be
08:10very fragile and floppy
08:11and sort of already
08:12cascading off.
08:13And instead,
08:15it's firm to the touch.
08:15It's solidified and hardened.
08:17Okay, so this
08:18is what Carter's
08:20about to do.
08:21He's got to consolidate
08:22this ancient fabric
08:24and somehow
08:25get it
08:26off the bones
08:28delicately enough.
08:29And he's got to
08:29repeatedly do this
08:30over and over again.
08:32And these wrappings
08:32are thick.
08:33They are going through
08:34quite a few layers.
08:36Back in the Valley
08:40of the Kings,
08:41Carter and his team
08:42were about to try
08:44what I've just done
08:45and finally begin
08:47unwrapping
08:47Toon Kar-moon.
08:49First,
08:50they carefully
08:51poured the wax on
08:52and waited
08:53for it to harden.
08:55And then,
08:57with bated breath,
08:58they made
08:59the first cut.
09:01And the wax
09:02was working.
09:03Amazingly,
09:04they were able
09:05to peel off
09:05the first bandage
09:06and then the next
09:08and then the next.
09:09Gradually,
09:10the team
09:10moved up the mummy,
09:12painstakingly
09:13cutting away
09:13the outer layer
09:14of bandages
09:15piece by piece.
09:18Their meticulous
09:19approach
09:19was paying off
09:21and within a few
09:22hours,
09:22Carter had managed
09:23to remove
09:24the whole first layer
09:25completely.
09:29Tut's flesh
09:29was still covered
09:30in further layers
09:32of bandages.
09:33But as that
09:33first layer
09:34was removed,
09:35they spotted
09:36something.
09:37And it was
09:39extraordinary.
09:42Hooten Kar-moon's
09:43mummy was filled
09:44with treasure
09:45and lots of it.
09:53But there was more
09:55and as the unwrapping
09:56continued,
09:58Carter was in
09:59for an even
09:59bigger shock.
10:11By the afternoon
10:14and end
10:15of the first day
10:15unwrapping
10:16Tutankhamun,
10:17Carter and his team
10:18had made
10:19great progress.
10:21They'd now removed
10:22the entire
10:23outer layer
10:24of bandages
10:24and beneath
10:27they found
10:28something incredible.
10:30There were golden
10:31treasures hidden
10:33beneath the
10:33rapids.
10:37I've come here
10:38to Dorchester
10:39to see some of them.
10:41This museum
10:42is home
10:43to a permanent
10:44replica of
10:45Tutankhamun's tomb
10:46and even features
10:47the world's
10:48only anatomically
10:49accurate model
10:50of Tut's remains
10:52as well as housing
10:53a replica collection
10:54of his treasures.
10:59These extraordinary
11:00replicas
11:01are accurate
11:02down to the
11:02finest details
11:03and they give us
11:04a really clear sense
11:06of just how
11:07astounding
11:08Tut's treasures
11:08were.
11:09But unlike the
11:10originals in Egypt,
11:12I can actually
11:12pick these up
11:14and hold them
11:15and touch them.
11:18Just imagine
11:19how Howard Carter
11:20must have felt
11:21when he peeled
11:23back the bandages
11:24and saw this
11:25for the first time.
11:30Carter's team
11:31were back at work
11:32early the next morning
11:33itching to get
11:35started on the
11:35second day
11:36of unwrapping.
11:39With the outer
11:40layer of bandages
11:41gone,
11:42they now focused
11:43on removing
11:44further layers
11:45from Tut's pelvis
11:46down to his legs
11:47and feet.
11:49What would they
11:51find next?
11:53Gradually,
11:54they removed
11:54layer after layer.
11:56Slowly,
11:57Tut looked less
11:58like a mummified
11:59cocoon
11:59and they began
12:00to see a human
12:02figure
12:02wrapped tightly
12:04in bandages.
12:06But as the day
12:07progressed,
12:08the work
12:09was becoming
12:10more and more
12:11difficult.
12:13The embalming
12:14resin that had
12:15glued Tut's mummy
12:16to his coffin
12:17was causing
12:18a very big problem.
12:20As he worked
12:21his way down
12:22through the layers
12:23of bandages
12:24surrounding
12:25Tutankhamen's legs
12:26and torso,
12:27there was more
12:28and more
12:29that thick,
12:30gluey resin.
12:32It was as if
12:33Tutankhamen had been
12:35bathed in buckets
12:36of the stuff.
12:39How was Carter
12:39ever going to
12:41unwrap the rest
12:42of the mummy
12:42without damaging
12:43it forever?
12:45Once again,
12:46he would have
12:47to come up
12:48with a plan.
12:51Conservator
12:51Scarlet Crowe
12:52is showing me
12:53what Carter
12:54came up with.
12:55One of his first
12:56ideas was to
12:57drag this coffin
12:58and body
12:59into the sun
13:00in the sort of
13:0040-degree heat
13:01of Egypt
13:02and leave it
13:03for a few days
13:04hoping that
13:05maybe it'll
13:05melt it for him.
13:06So did it work?
13:08No.
13:08Not at all?
13:09Nothing.
13:10Not at all.
13:11It didn't even
13:11soften.
13:12Okay.
13:13So instead,
13:14his next thought
13:15was to heat up
13:16blades
13:16and sort of
13:18chip away
13:19at this
13:19concrete-like
13:21resin
13:21and pry
13:22the body out.
13:23It's a bit
13:23like a knife
13:24through hot butter.
13:24That is the
13:25obvious comparison.
13:26Very much so,
13:27yes.
13:27Is this what
13:28we're going to do?
13:28We're going to
13:29have a go.
13:34Okay.
13:37Oh, wow.
13:38Look at that.
13:39Quite literally
13:39like butter,
13:40as he said.
13:41This is great.
13:42So if you're
13:42Carter,
13:43you're suddenly
13:44through this
13:45kind of
13:46impenetrable
13:47layer
13:47and right down
13:49potentially to the bone.
13:50It would have been
13:50a lot thicker,
13:51I would have thought,
13:52so he could
13:53constantly have been
13:54heating up his blade
13:55and just going in
13:56and at it
13:57again and again.
13:58Very slowly,
14:01using heated knives,
14:02they began attempting
14:03to cut through
14:04the goo
14:05covering the bandages.
14:07It required
14:08surgical precision
14:09to make sure
14:10they didn't hack through
14:11and damage
14:12the mummy itself.
14:14It must have been
14:15a tense moment,
14:16but thankfully
14:16the hot knives
14:17began to melt
14:18through the resin
14:19and what had been
14:20stuck completely solid
14:22began finally
14:23to come away.
14:25Well,
14:26they worked on
14:26until they reached
14:28the critical moment,
14:29that final layer
14:30of bandages
14:31surrounding Tut's legs.
14:33They were about
14:34to expose
14:35a part of Tut's body
14:37for the first time
14:38in over
14:393,000 years,
14:41but nobody was prepared
14:43for what they would
14:44see next.
14:48Tut's legs
14:49were fully intact,
14:51but as you can see
14:52here in this replica,
14:55his flesh
14:56was completely
14:57blackened
14:58and burnt.
15:01It looked like
15:02Tut's mummification
15:03had gone
15:04very badly wrong.
15:06Carter wanted
15:07to know why.
15:12To find out,
15:13I'm about to get
15:14a lesson in the
15:15ancient art
15:16of mummifying.
15:19Egypt-ologist
15:20Dr Stephen Buckley
15:21is the only person
15:22in the world
15:23who's actually
15:23scientifically mummified
15:25a human
15:26in modern times,
15:27though today
15:28he's demonstrating
15:29on animals
15:30bought from local
15:31butchers.
15:32Now, you've got
15:33a hair here.
15:34Yeah.
15:35Is that what we're
15:36going to be mummifying
15:37today?
15:38Yes.
15:39Yes.
15:40Starting with
15:41the removal
15:42of the internal organs.
15:43The incision
15:44doesn't have to be
15:45too big necessarily.
15:47They clearly
15:47were able to remove
15:48the internal organs
15:49through a fairly
15:51small incision
15:52because the idea
15:53was to do as little
15:54damage as possible
15:55but to remove
15:56the internal organs.
15:57Do you think
15:58the Egyptians
15:58knew what these
15:59organs did
16:00or understood
16:00them the way
16:00that we do?
16:02Um, no,
16:04not necessarily.
16:05I think they were
16:06aware that there
16:06was something
16:07that was causing
16:08decay.
16:09What's next?
16:10The next part
16:11of the process
16:11is to dry the body.
16:13OK.
16:13How did the Egyptians
16:15do that?
16:16Well, yeah,
16:16the Egyptian
16:17embalmers,
16:17they had a naturally
16:19occurring salt of
16:20sodium carbonate,
16:21sodium bicarbonate,
16:23sodium chloride,
16:24and sodium sulphate.
16:25So it's a mixture
16:26of table salt,
16:28baking soda,
16:29washing soda.
16:31It's kind of
16:31lots of different
16:32sodium salts,
16:33basically.
16:34And all of these
16:35are very hungry
16:36for water.
16:38Yes,
16:38that's the key thing.
16:39So what do I do
16:40with this?
16:41You pile it on top
16:42of the individual.
16:44So just kind of
16:45scattering it on,
16:46like just covering
16:46them completely?
16:47Yeah.
16:48OK.
16:49Yeah.
16:49OK.
16:50There we go.
16:51And so the idea
16:52was to completely
16:52cover the body
16:53so that the salt
16:55could remove
16:56the water
16:58that remained
16:58in the body
16:59over a period
17:00of time.
17:01This stuff,
17:01does it get
17:02packed inside
17:03the body?
17:03Yes,
17:04some of it
17:04to help
17:05preserve it
17:06and also
17:06maintain the
17:08shape of the body.
17:10What happens now?
17:11It's then a question
17:12of leaving it
17:13for an appropriate
17:14amount of time
17:15for the salt
17:15to do its job.
17:16And so this
17:17has been
17:19in for
17:20just over
17:2120 days.
17:21OK.
17:22It's normally
17:23in for
17:2335 to 40 days
17:25is the idea.
17:26OK,
17:27so this is still
17:27not quite done.
17:29That's right.
17:30And not looking
17:31too bad,
17:32really.
17:32So that's,
17:33but that's
17:34extremely impressive.
17:35So we have
17:35a pig's
17:36foot there
17:37that was
17:38sort of raw
17:39and fresh
17:39when you put it
17:40in,
17:40presumably.
17:41Yes,
17:42that's right,
17:42yes.
17:4220 days later
17:43and it looks
17:45pretty stable.
17:46So that
17:46combination
17:47of the sort
17:47of antibacterial
17:49effect of the salt
17:50and drying it out
17:51have been
17:52very effective.
17:54So the next
17:55thing we need
17:55to do
17:56is applying
17:56the resinous
17:57material.
17:58So it's actually
17:59a mixture
18:00of conifer resin,
18:01pine resin
18:02mixed with
18:03svesamura
18:03and beeswax.
18:05It can smell,
18:05it does smell
18:06sort of like
18:07pine trees,
18:08conifer forests,
18:08it's got a bit
18:09of that.
18:09It smells a bit
18:10like a scented
18:10candle.
18:11Yes.
18:11God,
18:12that's great.
18:13Okay,
18:14so how do
18:14you apply it?
18:15So you're really
18:16just dipping the
18:17brush in
18:17and applying it
18:18as though you
18:19were doing
18:19a varnish,
18:20I suppose.
18:21How many coats
18:21do I need to
18:22apply?
18:23Well,
18:23we don't know
18:24whether they
18:24apply two or
18:25three,
18:26but certainly
18:26a thin coating
18:27is enough
18:27to do the job.
18:29So this is
18:29a very skilful
18:30process that's
18:31quite high pressure
18:32because if you
18:33get it wrong,
18:34the pharaoh
18:35isn't going to
18:36do as well
18:36in the afterlife
18:37as he might.
18:38Yeah,
18:39that's an excellent
18:39point.
18:40It was crucial
18:41that,
18:41the pharaoh
18:42in particular
18:43was mummified
18:46and as like
18:46life as possible.
18:48So all the
18:48pharaohs
18:49collectively,
18:50the well-being
18:51of Egypt
18:52was dependent
18:53on the
18:54preservation
18:54of the
18:55pharaohs.
18:56So what
18:56happens with
18:57tin coming?
18:59Well,
18:59that's a very
19:00good question.
19:01I think
19:01perhaps several
19:02factors that
19:03are happening
19:04there.
19:04Carter talks
19:06about both
19:08humidity from
19:09his perspective
19:09but also
19:10spontaneous
19:11combustion.
19:12He deals
19:13with both
19:13in some detail.
19:14The humidity
19:15I understand.
19:17The spontaneous
19:17combustion,
19:18tell me about
19:19that.
19:19So in terms of
19:22an oil that
19:22might cause
19:23this,
19:24we can think
19:24of linseed
19:25oil.
19:25You know,
19:26linseed oil
19:26on rags,
19:27they can
19:27ignite
19:28spontaneously.
19:29Really?
19:30Yeah,
19:30so that's
19:31where the
19:31idea is
19:32coming from.
19:33But we
19:33don't at the
19:34moment have
19:34evidence for
19:35linseed oil
19:35having been
19:36used.
19:37It sounds
19:38like you're
19:38quite sceptical
19:39about the
19:39spontaneous
19:40combustion
19:41idea,
19:42but something
19:44has gone
19:44wrong where
19:45perhaps the
19:45combination of
19:46high humidity
19:46and perhaps
19:47insufficiently
19:48drying out
19:48the body
19:48has led
19:49to the
19:50chemical
19:50reactions
19:51that give
19:51a kind
19:52of charred,
19:53carbonised
19:54effect.
19:55Absolutely,
19:55yes.
19:56It's something
19:57we should keep
19:58in mind,
19:58but for me,
19:59more science
20:00needs to be
20:01done on his
20:02mummified body
20:03to try to
20:03answer those
20:04questions.
20:05And Carter
20:06suggested
20:07that it
20:08might have
20:08been a
20:08bit of
20:09a rushed
20:09burial.
20:09That was
20:10one of
20:10his
20:10suspicions.
20:11It sounds
20:11like that
20:12is consistent
20:12with what
20:13you're saying.
20:14Yes,
20:14I agree
20:14with that.
20:16Stephen
20:17and Carter
20:17might disagree
20:18on the
20:19cause,
20:19but it's
20:20clear there's
20:20consensus
20:21that Tut
20:22had been
20:22mummified
20:23badly
20:23and in
20:24a rush.
20:27But there
20:28were even
20:28more surprises
20:29to come,
20:30and what
20:30Carter
20:31uncovered
20:31next was
20:32an astonishing
20:33revelation
20:33that no
20:35one had
20:35seen
20:35coming.
20:50Carter
20:51was two
20:51days into
20:52the
20:52unwrapping
20:53of Tut,
20:54and he
20:55now believed
20:55the mummification
20:56had been
20:57botched
20:57and done
20:58in a hurry.
21:00But as he
21:01continued removing
21:02the bandages,
21:03there was
21:04another
21:04surprise.
21:07When Carter
21:08first lifted
21:09the lid
21:10on this
21:11coffin,
21:12it was
21:13filled with
21:14a mummy
21:14that looked
21:15like a
21:15giant cocoon.
21:17Now that
21:18coffin is
21:19six foot
21:19three inches
21:20long,
21:21and the
21:21cocoon
21:21completely
21:23filled it.
21:25Carter
21:25and everyone
21:26else assumed
21:27that Tut
21:28was a
21:28huge,
21:29powerful
21:29giant
21:30of a
21:30man.
21:31But then
21:32they started
21:33unwrapping
21:34him.
21:35On closer
21:36inspection
21:37of the
21:38unwrapped,
21:39blackened,
21:39and burnt
21:40legs they
21:41had just
21:41revealed on
21:42day two,
21:43they realized
21:44a shocking
21:45truth.
21:46Tutankhamun
21:47wasn't a
21:48giant.
21:49In fact,
21:50he appeared
21:51to have a
21:51slight build,
21:52and looked
21:53more like a
21:54boy than
21:54a man.
21:56So just
21:57how old
21:58was he
21:58when he
21:59died?
22:02Carter
22:02was desperate
22:03to find
22:04out,
22:04but first
22:05he needed
22:05to uncover
22:06more of
22:07the pharaoh's
22:07body.
22:09For the
22:09whole of
22:10day three,
22:11into day
22:11four,
22:12the team
22:12slowly and
22:13delicately
22:14continued to
22:15peel the
22:15bandages back
22:16on his
22:17upper half.
22:19Eventually,
22:20with arms
22:20and legs
22:21exposed,
22:22they had
22:22the evidence
22:23they needed.
22:24I've come
22:29to the
22:30Institute of
22:30Archaeology
22:31to look
22:32over X-rays
22:33of Tut's
22:33bones to
22:34find out
22:34exactly how
22:35old he
22:35was when
22:36he died.
22:38So what
22:39I have
22:39here is
22:40an X-ray
22:41of Totankhamun's
22:43thigh bone.
22:45Now,
22:45this X-ray
22:46was taken
22:46in 1968
22:47by a team
22:48from Liverpool
22:49University
22:49who flew
22:50out to
22:51Egypt
22:51to take
22:52it.
22:52I'm used
22:53to looking
22:54at X-rays
22:54as a doctor,
22:55but I'm
22:56not used
22:56to looking
22:57at X-rays
22:57of 3,000-year-old
22:59pharaohs
23:00who are
23:00already dead,
23:01but still,
23:03the same
23:03principles apply
23:04when I'm
23:04examining it.
23:05Now,
23:05Carter didn't
23:06have access
23:06to X-rays,
23:07but he did
23:08have a doctor
23:08on his team,
23:10and his doctor
23:10was looking
23:11for the same
23:12thing that I
23:13can see
23:13on the X-rays.
23:14The difference
23:14is that he
23:15was looking
23:16at the
23:16skeletal remains,
23:17at dried bone.
23:19But what he
23:19was looking
23:20for was at
23:20the ends
23:21of the long
23:22bones.
23:23You can see
23:23what are called
23:24growth plates,
23:25where if you're
23:26a child or an
23:27adolescent,
23:27your bones are
23:28still developing
23:29and growing.
23:29You can see
23:30signs of that
23:31growth,
23:32and that's
23:32clear on the
23:32X-ray.
23:34And these X-rays
23:34have been studied
23:35by forensic
23:36anthropologists
23:36over the years,
23:37and there is
23:38consensus that
23:39he was around
23:4019 years old
23:41when he died,
23:42and amazingly,
23:43Carter's doctor
23:44came to
23:45exactly the
23:46same conclusion.
23:47From some
23:49lines on an
23:50X-ray,
23:51we're suddenly
23:51transported back
23:523,000 years
23:53in history to
23:54get this image
23:55of all that
23:55power,
23:56all that
23:56responsibility
23:57being put
23:58onto the
23:59shoulders of
24:00a child.
24:01In life and
24:01in death,
24:02he truly was
24:03the boy
24:04king.
24:06By now,
24:07Carter's team
24:08had unwrapped
24:09nearly all of
24:10Tutankhamen's
24:11body,
24:12his legs
24:12and his
24:13arms,
24:14and they'd
24:14cut through
24:15all of that
24:16black,
24:17sticky resin
24:18they'd found
24:19on him.
24:19They'd discovered
24:20that he'd been
24:21mummified with
24:22over a hundred
24:23treasures which
24:24were concealed
24:25within the
24:26bandages that
24:27were wrapped
24:27around his
24:28body,
24:28but they still
24:29had no idea
24:31how he died.
24:34Day five.
24:37Just like the
24:38previous days,
24:39Carter and the
24:40team arrived
24:41early,
24:41ready to unwrap
24:42the rest of
24:43Tut's chest
24:44and torso.
24:45If that went
24:47well,
24:48they could
24:48then tackle
24:49the final
24:49stage,
24:51lifting the
24:52extraordinary
24:53golden mask
24:54that still
24:55hid the
24:55pharaoh's
24:56face.
24:58For the
24:58whole day,
24:59they laboured
25:00away,
25:01slowly cutting
25:01through bandages,
25:03lifting piece
25:04by piece,
25:04each one stuck
25:06fast with
25:06hardened resin,
25:08until at last,
25:10finally,
25:11they caught a
25:11glimpse of the
25:12chest and then
25:13all of it.
25:16Now, just like
25:17his legs,
25:18the flesh was
25:19blackened and
25:20burned, but the
25:21moon was still
25:23buoyant.
25:24Even if the
25:25body wasn't quite
25:26as well preserved
25:27as he would have
25:28hoped, it had
25:29still revealed the
25:30most extraordinary
25:32secrets.
25:34They'd managed to
25:36unwrap Tut,
25:37discovered treasures
25:38on his body,
25:39and worked out
25:41his real age
25:42when he died.
25:43But one mystery
25:45still remained
25:46unsolved.
25:48What had caused
25:49the boy king's
25:49premature death?
25:51Carter couldn't
25:52find a single
25:53clue.
25:55But today,
25:56thanks to new
25:56technology,
25:57we can.
26:00Tut's actual
26:01skeleton is
26:01carefully protected
26:02in his tomb,
26:03and no one can
26:04touch it.
26:05But now,
26:06using a precise
26:07model of his
26:08skeleton, we're
26:09creating a 3D
26:10digital scan to
26:12give him a 21st
26:13century medical
26:14examination.
26:17Carolyn, this is
26:18extraordinary.
26:19In a way, you've
26:20got an autopsy
26:21table here, but
26:22rather than having
26:23to lift things up
26:24and move them
26:24around, we can
26:25simply zoom in
26:26and get these
26:26high-resolution
26:27images.
26:28Yeah, you can
26:29really zoom in
26:29very close and
26:30see the very fine
26:30detail of the
26:31skin on this.
26:32Professor Carolyn
26:33Rando is a
26:34forensic
26:34anthropologist and
26:36a world expert in
26:37analysing ancient
26:38bones.
26:39So what we're
26:40seeing here is
26:41what Carter and
26:42his team were
26:42looking at.
26:43Essentially, we're
26:44seeing the sort
26:45of black and
26:45charred skin from
26:46the mummification
26:47process.
26:48We're seeing this
26:48sort of overall
26:49anatomy.
26:50What are you
26:51seeing with your
26:52kind of expert
26:52eye from here?
26:54So just from the
26:54skin on the
26:55external surface,
26:56there isn't a lot
26:56I can tell.
26:57Just like Carter
26:58wouldn't have been
26:58able to tell quite
26:59a lot from the
27:00mummy of Tut,
27:01but we actually
27:01can look inside.
27:03So if we zoom in
27:04and actually look at
27:05the real X-rays,
27:06we might be able
27:07to tell a bit more
27:07about his life.
27:08Let's have a look
27:09at his left leg.
27:10The tibia and the
27:12fibula look normal
27:13and straight,
27:14but as we come
27:14down to the ankle,
27:15the foot,
27:16well we can't see
27:16the end of it,
27:17is slightly twisted
27:18off to the side.
27:20So this suggests
27:21that perhaps he had
27:22some sort of foot
27:23deformity known as
27:25talipes.
27:26Okay, so what is
27:27often called a
27:28club foot?
27:28That's correct.
27:29So he may have
27:29had some trouble
27:30walking and may have
27:32needed to walk
27:32assisted, for example,
27:34with the use of a cane.
27:35My understanding
27:36of a club foot is
27:37that you have a foot
27:38that the anatomy
27:39is different and
27:40it's sort of curved
27:41in and twisted in
27:43so you're often just
27:44walking on one side
27:45of the foot,
27:46which would have
27:46potentially been a
27:47source of pain,
27:48potentially a source
27:49of disability,
27:50increased his
27:50vulnerability to
27:51perhaps falls or
27:52tripping, something
27:53like that.
27:53I think we can be
27:54confident about that
27:55and we also have a
27:56CT scan that was
27:57taken in 2005,
27:58which I have reviewed,
27:59and it looks like he
28:00may have had some
28:01sort of infection in
28:02his foot.
28:02The bone is going
28:03what we call necrotic
28:04so that it's actually
28:05dying.
28:05So that's very
28:06interesting.
28:06So bone infection,
28:08very hard to treat
28:09even today with
28:10antibiotics.
28:11So back then,
28:12once a bone
28:13infection had set in,
28:14that's potentially
28:15a significant source
28:17of pain and
28:17vulnerability and may
28:19well have made him
28:20much more fragile.
28:21Absolutely, and
28:22maybe he would have
28:23been a bit unsteady
28:23on that foot.
28:24It's not a cause
28:25of death.
28:26You can live for a
28:27long time definitely
28:28with a club foot.
28:28You can lead a full
28:29and happy life.
28:30With infected bone
28:32in your feet,
28:33that is more limiting.
28:34It's terrible having
28:35a bone infection in
28:36your foot.
28:37Although Tut's foot
28:38conditions wouldn't
28:39have led directly to
28:41his death, there are
28:42other intriguing clues
28:43hidden in his bones.
28:45From the x-ray and
28:47from the CT scan,
28:49there's what looks like
28:49a pretty big fracture
28:51or break in his knee.
28:54And it's this little bit
28:55right over here.
28:57What kind of fracture
28:57is it?
28:58So it's an avulsion
28:59fracture.
29:00Okay, so an avulsion
29:01fracture is when a
29:02tendon attaches muscle
29:05to bone and a tendon
29:06is yanked hard and it
29:08pulls some bone away.
29:10Yes.
29:10This is not from just
29:11tripping on a curb,
29:13missing a step.
29:14This is a bigger injury
29:15than that.
29:15No, we're talking
29:16about quite high energy
29:17and I think we can say
29:18that this fracture
29:19happened around the
29:21time of his death and
29:22that he didn't live long
29:23after it because there's
29:24no signs of healing.
29:25Do we have any idea
29:26what might have caused it?
29:27So we know that Tut
29:29rode chariots during
29:31his life, so some
29:33Egyptologists think
29:34that it's possible
29:35this injury would have
29:36happened in a chariot
29:37or as a result of a
29:39fall from a chariot.
29:40Maybe the leg got
29:41trapped or twisted
29:42somehow.
29:42It could have caused a
29:44fracture like this.
29:45If a chariot accident
29:47caused this break,
29:48perhaps because he was
29:49unstable, could it have
29:51led to his death?
29:52He was clearly vulnerable
29:53and recent DNA evidence
29:56shows that Tut was also
29:58infected with malaria,
30:00which could have
30:00weakened him further.
30:02So you're building a
30:03picture of a kind of
30:03package of problems for Tut.
30:06Someone dying at Tut's age,
30:07he's a young man,
30:09should be at his peak
30:10health.
30:11Yes.
30:11There is a mystery
30:12here.
30:14While Carter had none
30:16of these modern medical
30:17insights, he could
30:19examine Tut's treasures
30:21for clues, which he
30:22catalogued and
30:23photographed meticulously.
30:25Today, that
30:27incredible archive is held
30:29in the Griffith
30:29Institute in Oxford.
30:31I'm meeting Dr.
30:32Aidan Dodson to find out
30:34how this archive can
30:35provide more information
30:36about how Tutankhamun
30:38lived and possibly how
30:40he died.
30:41Oh, wow.
30:42So this is it?
30:43This is the Carter
30:44archive?
30:45Well, this and basically
30:46this whole room.
30:47Oh.
30:48So, and is TAA,
30:50is that Tutankhamun?
30:52Indeed, that is the
30:53abbreviation for that,
30:54yes.
30:54Amazing.
30:55So this is letters,
30:57photos...
30:58Record cards, yeah,
30:59everything which was
31:00produced during the
31:01excavation, yeah.
31:03One of the things
31:05Carter recorded in the
31:06tomb was a vast
31:07collection of walking
31:09canes.
31:10I think the point to
31:11make when we're looking
31:12at the canes, there's
31:13130 of them actually
31:14found in the tomb,
31:15there's just a selection
31:16of them here, is that
31:19sticks, canes, were an
31:21important symbol of
31:23being an important
31:24person in Egypt.
31:26So interesting.
31:26OK, so he may have
31:28had a disability, but
31:30even if he didn't, he
31:31probably would have had
31:32sticks, so the sticks
31:33aren't conclusive proof
31:34of anything.
31:35What about the idea
31:36that he might have had
31:37a chariot accident?
31:38Well, certainly the
31:39idea that he was a
31:40charioteer is supported
31:41by the fact they found
31:42actual chariots in the
31:43tomb.
31:44There's also a further
31:46little bit of evidence
31:46here.
31:47This is a fan, an
31:49ostrich feather fan
31:50found in the tomb,
31:51and it actually shows
31:53Tutankhamun on a
31:53chariot.
31:54So you can just see
31:55them protruding there,
31:56but these would have
31:57been feathers sticking
31:58out in, presumably,
31:59enormous spray.
32:01Yeah, and on the back
32:02of it, it even states
32:03that the feathers,
32:04which unfortunately
32:04have now decayed
32:05away, were actually
32:06shot by the king
32:07himself.
32:08So there's clearly
32:09evidence that he was
32:11involved in hunting
32:11with a chariot, all
32:13of which makes it
32:14pretty clear, I think,
32:15that he was a
32:16charioteer.
32:17Things can go wrong.
32:18I mean, chariot
32:19riding seems to me to...
32:21I mean, it looks
32:21dangerous in this
32:22picture.
32:22I mean, he's got a
32:23bow and arrow, he's
32:24firing at an ostrich.
32:25Ostriches run about
32:2640 miles an hour,
32:27don't they?
32:27Something like that.
32:28So when we look at
32:29this, we can imagine
32:30he's engaged in
32:32dangerous pursuits,
32:33he's a young man.
32:35It's not improbable
32:36that a chariot
32:37either injured him
32:38or killed him.
32:39It's certainly not
32:40impossible at all.
32:41If you think about it,
32:4218-year-old lad
32:43out in a sports car
32:45on a Friday night.
32:47Things happen.
32:49And this is the
32:49equivalent.
32:50For five days,
32:54Carter had been
32:55unwrapping the boy
32:56king, working
32:57towards his head.
32:58We've seen trauma,
33:00treasures, we even
33:01know his age, but
33:02one mystery still
33:03remains, hidden
33:05behind that
33:06incredible golden
33:07mask.
33:09And what Carter
33:10saw when that mask
33:11was lifted would
33:13send shockwaves
33:14through the world.
33:15In this program,
33:30we're using the
33:31latest technology
33:32to help us step
33:33back a hundred years
33:34to those six
33:36nail-biting days
33:38unwrapping
33:39Tutankhamun's
33:40money.
33:41Now, on the
33:47final day,
33:48only one
33:49challenge remained.
33:52Unmasking
33:52Tutankhamun.
33:57Carter had tried
33:58to remove the
33:59mask when he first
34:00discovered the
34:00mummy weeks before,
34:02but it had been
34:02stuck fast with
34:04resin.
34:06Carter knew that
34:07removing the mask
34:08was going to be
34:09difficult, but now
34:10with the rest of
34:11Tut uncovered, he
34:13couldn't put it
34:13off any longer.
34:16Using the hot
34:17knives that had
34:18worked so well
34:19over the last few
34:20days, Carter's
34:21team gently tried
34:23to press their
34:23blades through
34:24the resin, sticking
34:26the mask to
34:27Tut's body.
34:29Hours passed.
34:32There was no
34:33movement.
34:36Still no
34:38movement.
34:38Then, finally, the
34:42mask slowly seemed
34:43to be shifting.
34:45The face of
34:46Tutankhamun was
34:47almost free.
34:50This was it, the
34:52moment that everything
34:53had been building
34:54towards.
34:56But what would they
34:57find beneath the
34:58mask?
34:59It was time to meet
35:00the boy king.
35:01The atmosphere had
35:04never been so
35:05tense.
35:08This mask is
35:09solid gold, weighing
35:10over 10 kilograms.
35:12If it dropped
35:13now, Tutankhamun's
35:14head would be
35:15completely crushed.
35:18Slowly, they lifted
35:19off the mask inch
35:21by inch until, at
35:24last, it was
35:25off.
35:26Tutankhamun was
35:27unmasked.
35:31Tut's head was
35:32still covered,
35:34wrapped in linen
35:34bandages, but
35:36thankfully, there
35:37wasn't too much of
35:38that gluey resin.
35:41Piece by piece, they
35:43removed the
35:44wrappings, and
35:45finally, they were
35:46face to face with
35:48the pharaoh himself.
35:49And what they saw
35:53beneath was more
35:54extraordinary than
35:55they could possibly
35:56have imagined.
36:00Because after so
36:01many years of hunting
36:02for the young king,
36:04scouring through his
36:05treasures, and trying
36:06to unlock his
36:07secrets, now, as
36:09Carter looked into
36:10that face, he noticed
36:12something totally
36:13unexpected.
36:15He thought he'd
36:16seen this face
36:18before.
36:19The features
36:20were identical
36:21to the most
36:23hated pharaoh
36:24in all of
36:25ancient Egypt's
36:26history.
36:27He was called
36:29Akhenaten, and
36:30he was a brutal
36:31dictator.
36:34Carter wondered,
36:35could Tut have
36:37been related to
36:38him?
36:39With the help
36:40of forensic
36:41anthropologist
36:41Professor
36:42Carolyn Rando,
36:43I want to
36:43find out if
36:44they were
36:45connected.
36:46So here we
36:47have an x-ray
36:48of the side of
36:49Tut's skull.
36:51Wow, okay.
36:52The main thing
36:53that strikes me
36:53about this is
36:54that it is quite
36:55an elongated skull.
36:57Yeah, so if we
36:58look here, we can
36:58see that it is
36:59quite long, it is
37:00a bit squished, but
37:02this fits within
37:03that kind of realm
37:04of normal
37:04variation.
37:05So it's just he
37:07happens to have
37:08a long skull.
37:09Is that the kind
37:10of thing that
37:11Carter's recognising
37:12as going, I think
37:13I've seen this
37:13before in
37:14Akhenaten.
37:15The shape and
37:16size of his skull
37:17probably was
37:17something that
37:18Carter recognised
37:19and we actually
37:20have an image of
37:22Akhenaten's skull
37:23that we can compare
37:24to Tut's x-ray.
37:25This is Akhenaten's
37:26skull?
37:27Yeah, so this is a
37:28plate image of the
37:29skull of Akhenaten's
37:30mummy.
37:31Wow.
37:32It has that same
37:33elongated shape.
37:34Okay, so they have
37:35similar shaped skulls.
37:37Do we know their
37:38relationship?
37:39Yeah, so if we only
37:40had the skulls, we
37:41couldn't say for sure,
37:42but we actually have
37:43DNA from both Tut and
37:45Akhenaten.
37:46And what does it
37:47tell us?
37:48It says that Akhenaten
37:49was the father of
37:50King Tut.
37:51Whoa.
37:53So Carter, just using
37:56his eyes, looking at
37:57the face, is completely
37:59right?
38:00He got it spot on
38:00right away.
38:01Do we know anything
38:02about his mum?
38:03So actually there was
38:04another mummy, a
38:05female mummy, that
38:05was found in the
38:06Valley of the Kings
38:07and they've done DNA
38:08testing on her and
38:09they figured out that
38:10that was actually
38:11Tut's mother.
38:12So we are building a
38:14family tree here.
38:15Yeah, but that's not
38:15the best part.
38:17His mother and his
38:19father were brother
38:19and sister.
38:21Oh.
38:25That's a big deal.
38:26It is indeed.
38:27So Akhenaten, whose
38:30skull we're looking
38:30at here, married his
38:32own sister.
38:33Yes.
38:33And their child was King
38:36Tut.
38:36Yes.
38:37So his mother was also
38:38his aunt.
38:39That, to me, completely
38:41changes the story.
38:42We know that the
38:44children of siblings have
38:46massive health problems.
38:49So that actually puts
38:50Tut's kind of whole life
38:52in a different perspective
38:53for me.
38:54You typically get one gene
38:56from your mother and one
38:57gene from your father.
38:58And if any of those genes
39:00are defected, you just
39:01use the good one.
39:02So we may all be carrying
39:04some bad genes, but we
39:05can still choose the
39:06better copy of the two.
39:08Tut and Carmen is getting
39:09the same genes from his
39:10mum and his dad.
39:11So it may be the cause of
39:13his club foot or his
39:14different anatomy in his
39:15left leg.
39:16His fracture on his knee
39:18could be caused by
39:19neurological problems,
39:21difficulty with balance,
39:22or perhaps seizures.
39:23It could be he had weaker
39:25bones or difficulties using
39:27his muscles.
39:27There are all kinds of
39:28things that look different.
39:30His malaria, which in a
39:3120-year-old in Egypt at
39:33that time, I wouldn't
39:35expect to be fatal.
39:37Actually, his immune system
39:38may not have been
39:38functioning very well at
39:40all, and that could have
39:41really, really damaged his
39:42health.
39:43Yeah, it is painting a
39:44picture of a young man
39:45who's somewhat vulnerable,
39:47so has things wrong with
39:48him across his body, things
39:49that we can't even see.
39:50And then if you add on top
39:51of that malaria, you're
39:53creating a chain of events
39:55that could have led up to
39:56his death.
39:57So I think this mystery of
39:59why would this young man,
40:00at the absolute peak of
40:02his health, be kind of
40:03struck down, we suddenly
40:05say, oh no, this is not a
40:07typical young man with all
40:09that robust health.
40:11When you understand more
40:12about his genetics, you go,
40:14oh, the clock was ticking
40:16for Tut from the beginning.
40:18I don't believe that he was
40:19a particularly healthy
40:20young man, no.
40:21Wow.
40:21Wow.
40:24Tut's incestuous parentage is
40:26an incredible revelation.
40:29His bad genes could explain
40:31his poor health, and why that
40:32fracture in his knee could
40:34have been fatal.
40:37But some think his death could
40:39have been down to something
40:40else.
40:42The fact that Akhenaten was
40:44his father may have made
40:46someone want to murder him.
40:48maybe Tut didn't fall from a
40:50chariot.
40:52Maybe he was pushed.
40:57At the British Museum, Dr. Aidan
40:59Dodson is showing me some
41:01evidence which might point to a
41:03rather more sinister end to
41:04Tut's life.
41:05So this is a statue of Tutankhamun?
41:08Yeah, we can tell basically by the face.
41:11There is a Tutankhamun face which you can't really mistake for any other pharaoh.
41:16What's interesting and important about this statue?
41:18Okay, what it is, is Tutankhamun making an offering.
41:22So this is where an offering table would have been and there's various goodies all hanging
41:26down there.
41:27And what he's doing is offering these things to the god Amun-Ra.
41:31And what's really interesting is that Tutankhamun's father, Akhenaten, basically banned Amun-Ra.
41:39So we're seeing Tutankhamun offering to the gods, making amends for what his dad's done.
41:47His dad's upended everything and he's sort of bringing back a bit of sanity.
41:50He's bringing back the old gods.
41:52Yeah, or at least that's what his advisors are doing.
41:54He was bearing in mind for most of this time Tutankhamun as a kid.
41:57Okay, so there's a bit of palace intrigue, there's a lot of court action going on.
42:02It feels like this would kind of ensure his place in history.
42:06Yeah, but it didn't.
42:08Come round here.
42:13So what we've got here is a column of text on the back of it.
42:17And on that is the name of a king.
42:19It's not Tutankhamun.
42:21It's actually Horam-Hit, who is Tutankhamun's second successor as pharaoh.
42:26What's happened is that the whole back of the statue has been sort of skimmed away and
42:31a completely new text has been added.
42:34And why have they done that?
42:35Basically because it was decided at some point after his death that Tutankhamun never existed.
42:42He's erased from the record?
42:45Yeah.
42:45And I don't think it had anything to do with him himself.
42:47What it is, is who his father was.
42:50Because when Horam-Hit becomes king, it becomes official policy that everything which happened
42:56over the previous couple of decades never happened.
42:58It's an amazing reveal that you're there at the front looking at this very recognisable,
43:03very famous face.
43:04And then you come round here and you see this very clear attempt to change the story and
43:10erase him.
43:11Yeah.
43:11If I was Hercule Poirot, I'd be thinking, there's something very odd about this, that
43:17he, just as he's about to take power, he dies unexpectedly, mysteriously.
43:24It's certainly suspicious.
43:26It's the point where he would have started to be, to come into his own as ruler.
43:31It was up until that point, he would have had a regent doing all the ruling for him.
43:37But 1819 seemed to be the point where a king can take full power.
43:48It took Howard Carter and his team just six days to unwrap Tutankhamun.
43:53And reveal what had lain hidden for over 3,000 years.
44:00Layer by layer, they revealed the boy behind the mask.
44:05Not the towering warrior king the world had imagined, but a fragile teenager.
44:13In life, Tut clearly enjoyed all the riches of a powerful pharaoh.
44:18But his body was broken, perhaps the result of his incestuous parentage and his brutal injuries.
44:28Was his death illness, an accident, or even murder?
44:34Modern science has brought us closer to the truth than ever before.
44:38And yet, still some part of Tutankhamun refuses to be unwrapped.
44:43And perhaps that's why, a century later, we're all still so fascinated.
44:47Tutmania lives on.
44:49Well, from ancient Egypt to the ruins of Pompeii, Dan Snow is the man in the know.
44:56Stream more of his discoveries on 5.
45:00And from mysteries of the desert to an underwater enigma, next, we're hunting for the monster of Loch Ness.
45:05The Sodom
45:27照花
45:29The Sodom
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