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00:00Since the dawn of human history, civilizations have gazed up to the stars to make sense of
00:16our existence. The cyclic patterns of celestial bodies guiding our understanding of ourselves
00:22and the world around us. The intricate carvings etched into the sandstone structure of Angkor
00:29Watt tell us a story written in the skies. Every inch of this ancient complex is coordinated
00:36with the cosmic realm. Angkor Wat is basically a three-dimensional reflection of the Hindu
00:42universe and cosmology. In Mexico, the ancient Mayan building, a ladder to the heavens. The
00:51Pyramid of Cul Culkin is a wonder of the world, shimmering with solar alignments. It's actually
00:57a pyramid built on a pyramid built on a pyramid. What secrets contained within potentially
01:03unlock a gateway to other dimensions? A strange earthen mound in Ireland curiously captures the
01:10inaugural rays of solstice sunlight. On the day of the winter solstice, the sun
01:16would penetrate to the very back chamber of the passage tomb. What were the motives of its
01:24mysterious architects? And how exactly did they forge this link between earth and sky?
01:29Earth and sky?
01:59It probabilistic Countlesså·» Asco
02:01look. This Long Asco
02:02ãã㯠a endangered fancy crook which he who people publicly wrestled up. In the light of
02:02Cambodia's rising sun stands a temple unlike any other, its sandstone spires seemingly reaching
02:08the heavens above. Sprawling over 400 acres, Angkor Wat is the largest religious monument ever
02:15built. It is truly a wonder of the ancient world.
02:20One of the things that is so striking is how massive the actual site is.
02:28So there is, like, the Angkor Wat temple, but then there's all the other temples that
02:32are part of the whole cultural site.
02:34Angkor Wat, without question, is one of the great marvels of human engineering.
02:43But it's also a stunning work of art decorated with innumerable bas-relief sculptures.
02:50It is surrounded by an enormous moat in a beautiful landscape.
02:55It is one of the great contributions to human engineering.
03:00Built by the rulers of the Khmer Empire, Angkor Wat is a relic of the 12th century, a mighty
03:07monument to a civilization largely reclaimed by the jungle.
03:12It stands as a keeper of ancient stories etched in stone and serves as a cosmic blueprint with
03:19divine symbolism intricately woven into its very foundations.
03:24The purpose behind its construction was to have it embody the cosmos.
03:30Angkor Wat is basically a three-dimensional reflection of the Hindu universe and cosmology.
03:45From its foundation to its peak, every element of this temple symbolizes the higher realm.
03:57How were its ancient architects able to achieve such detail and precision?
04:04And why was Angkor Wat ultimately left to be reclaimed by nature?
04:12In the mid-19th century, while traversing the dense landscapes of Southeast Asia in search
04:17of natural specimens, French explorer Henri Mouot stumbles upon a remarkable discovery.
04:27A massive 3.6-kilometer stone wall guarding a series of raised galleries and a quintet of
04:34tall towers, the tallest of which stretches 65 meters into the sky.
04:41In his writings, Mouot declares the temple a rival to that of Solomon, erected by some ancient
04:48Michelangelo, and proclaims it grander than anything left to us by Greece or Rome.
04:53He's simply awestruck by the complex.
04:57It affects him so profoundly.
05:00He compares it to the pyramids.
05:02ANGOR WAT is quite magical in a sense that it's very intertwined with the nature around it.
05:11Over time, they have sort of become one and the same.
05:16There's still parts of the complex today, so not Angkor Wat proper, but the surrounding
05:20complex that give people the same vision as the French explorer coming across the temple
05:28for the first time.
05:30So it's almost like you're discovering parts of this complex yourself when you're walking
05:35to some of the more remote areas.
05:37Though this age-old structure had been known to local peoples and other foreign visitors
05:42for centuries, the nature of its true origins and purpose long remained a source of speculation.
05:51Legends spoke of divine architects constructing the temple in a single night, or giants raising
05:57it from the earth.
05:59However, we've since pieced together a more comprehensive picture, tracing the building's
06:04foundation to the mighty Khmer Empire of the 12th century CE.
06:11The Khmer Empire was one of the most advanced civilizations of the ancient world.
06:16They were incredibly sophisticated builders and craftsmen, and they profoundly shaped the
06:21history of Southeast Asia.
06:25They ruled for six centuries over a vast empire, stretching from southern China to southern Vietnam,
06:32from Burma to the Mekong River.
06:35At its heart lies the capital of Angkor, a metropolis unrivaled in its time.
06:42Home to nearly a million citizens at its peak, it was once the largest pre-industrial city
06:47on earth.
06:48Angkor Wat stands as one of the few remaining architectural marvels of this people.
06:54One of the reasons why there's so few architectural remains of the Khmer Empire is because of
07:01the fact that they dedicated stone constructions to deities and gods, versus common people which
07:09would live in wooden structures and haven't survived the test of time.
07:14The Khmer left few written records, but their story is carved in stone.
07:20Through these detailed bas-reliefs and inscriptions, historians and architects have begun to piece
07:26together the rise and fall of this formidable empire.
07:32In the early 12th century, King Suryaverman II ascends to the throne, commanding what had
07:38grown to become a powerful empire.
07:42His reign marked the end of decades of civil war and unrest.
07:46He's an incredibly capable ruler.
07:48He not only expands the empire through a mixture of warfare and diplomacy, but he also fosters
07:54art and culture within its borders.
07:59By 1122 CE, at the King's Order, work begins on Angkor Wat, a stone compound destined to become
08:07the spiritual epicenter of the empire, carved from a sandstone canvas.
08:13Sandstone has been used to build everything from tools to shelters since prehistoric times.
08:21It's an incredibly durable material, making it naturally resistant to harsh weather.
08:28If we think about Cambodia and its climate, it's very susceptible to droughts, but also
08:32torrential monsoons.
08:33So you're going to need a material that's able to withstand both extremes.
08:37What makes Angkor Wat Angkor Wat is we're able to move 5 to 10 million shaped sandstone blocks
08:44into place.
08:45They're each about 1.5 tonnes, so they're big, but not too big to slide around using
08:51inclined planes and rolling on logs.
08:54The magnitude of the material used had puzzled researchers, as there are no quarries within
09:00the immediate vicinity of the site.
09:02Where did this stone come from?
09:05If not sourced locally, how did the 12th century workforce transport such heavy materials from
09:11distant areas?
09:13Angkor Wat is lightly supplied by quarries at the base of Mount Kulin, located 40 kilometres
09:23northeast of the temple.
09:25It initially hypothesized that these mammoth stones were transported via a circuitous route
09:31along roads and rivers.
09:34However, in recent decades, satellite images and LiDAR technology have revealed a vast network
09:41of ancient canals, some of which trace a direct path from Kulin to the temple grounds.
09:50The discovery of these canals indicates that they may have used them for the transport of
09:53their building materials.
09:55Even with a canal enabling direct delivery from the quarry to the job site, construction remained
10:01a massive undertaking.
10:04Some estimates say that there was around 300,000 people supported by 1,000 elephants working
10:10on the construction of this project.
10:12The full structure takes over three decades to complete.
10:16And although that might seem like a long time by today's standards, it's speculated that
10:21it would have taken their European counterparts of the same period centuries.
10:30Among the myriad of architectural wonders scattered across Asia, Angkor Wat stands out in more ways
10:36than one, starting with its unique orientation.
10:41Most Khmer temples face the east, because Hindu deities normally sit facing the rising
10:46sun, which is seen as a symbol of renewal and growth.
10:51But Angkor Wat is oriented to the west, and this has puzzled researchers for centuries.
10:57Though unconventional, the precise position of the temple facilitates a stunning celestial
11:05event that occurs twice a year.
11:08During the spring and autumn equinoxes, times when night and day reach equilibrium, the temple's
11:15central tower aligns perfectly with the rising sun.
11:21In any culture that is building spaces that's based on celestial events, the solstice, the
11:26equinox, what we're seeing is that they're looking upwards.
11:29When they're looking upwards, that's where you're dreaming, where you're creative.
11:33When you're actually operating or getting things done, you're looking downwards.
11:37That's when you're working with your hands.
11:40When you manipulate the world, you look down.
11:43You look up when you're imagining how the world is being manipulated.
11:47The Khmer understanding of the cosmos seems to be embedded in nearly every element of Angkor
11:52Wat, and this spiritual journey begins at its perimeter.
11:57The moats around Angkor Wat are really quite impressive.
12:01They're about a kilometer long on each side and about two football pitches in width.
12:06When we look back at ancient civilizations and their success, it actually has a lot to do
12:12with control of water.
12:14The most successful societies developed canals and water control systems, not only to irrigate
12:21their fields, but also so that any structures that they built remain stable over long periods
12:27of time and weren't essentially sinking into the mud or sinking into the ground.
12:33Given the immense height of the temple and the region's volatile climate, this moat is
12:38a careful design choice.
12:41Khmer engineers construct the aquatic perimeter to counterbalance the outward pressure of the
12:46shifting soils beneath the temple's foundation.
12:51The moat was a crucial engineering decision to ensure the temple's structural resilience.
12:58Without this imposing waterway, the 900-year-old structure would likely have collapsed long ago.
13:05Yet Angkor Wat's moat transcends mere practicality.
13:09It also carries a profound spiritual significance.
13:15The moat surrounding Angkor Wat represents the cosmic ocean.
13:19A mythical body of water that marks the edge of the universe in Hindu cosmology.
13:28Once across the threshold into this symbolic realm, visitors are greeted by an immense enclosure
13:34wall towering 4.5 meters and stretching over 3 kilometers.
13:41Once through the gate, visitors enter the outer enclosure, an area that is vast and open, designed to make you feel small and humble in the face of something far greater than yourself.
13:53As you continue along the central path, the journey becomes progressively more focused on the divine.
14:04The main tower of Angkor Wat rises at the heart of the temple complex, symbolizing Mount Meru.
14:11In Hindu cosmology, Mount Meru is considered the mythical mountain where the gods reside.
14:18It serves as the central axes of both the spiritual and physical universes.
14:24The temple comprises three ascending terraces of galleries, each rising higher than the last, mimicking the arduous trek towards the heavens.
14:37The labyrinth of galleries guides visitors into the center of a sacred shrine.
14:43Here, the walls come alive with vibrant tales from Hindu mythology, offering a first glimpse into the kings and deities that inspired this grand design.
14:58Everywhere you look is an absolute masterpiece of ancient Khmer sculpting.
15:04We know that there's hundreds and thousands of different craftsmen working to carve these reliefs.
15:15But at the end of the day, it almost looks like it was done by one master, just the uniformity of it.
15:22The ba reliefs are extraordinary.
15:24They are vivid.
15:26They come out of the walls.
15:28And one can imagine that as one enters the temple during the height of the power of the Khmer people, the ba relief moving in the shimmering light from the candles.
15:39It would have been very, very powerful and mysterious.
15:45Perhaps the most intriguing and significant of the ba relief is the enormous relief that depicts the churning of the ocean of milk.
15:55Now, this is one of the most important stories in Hindu religion, and it speaks to the forces of good and evil collaborating in pursuit of the elixir of eternity.
16:08And it's dedicated to the god Vishnu, the god who provided order and the restoring of balance in society.
16:16King Suryavaman II fostered a devotion to the Hindu god Vishnu.
16:27This was a departure from popular Hindu sects at the time, who predominantly worshipped Shiva as their primary deity.
16:35Angkor Wat was dedicated to Vishnu.
16:38Now, there are reasons for it that make sense, given the king.
16:41First of all, he was the god of order and protection.
16:47Secondly, the anchoring, the westward facing orientation, is intended to convey that idea of order.
16:53Because at two times of a year, during the equinox, it fills up with light.
16:59Now, why is the equinox perhaps spiritually significant?
17:03Well, the moment of equinox is when night and day are equally long.
17:07It's a time of balance and cosmic order.
17:11During the equinoxes, the shadow cast by a pillar marks the opposing end points of this bas-relief.
17:18During the summer and winter solstices, the longest and shortest days of the year,
17:23the same shadow highlights the center of this divine carving.
17:27Over the course of a year, the shadow moves across the entire bas-relief, essentially functioning as a calendar.
17:35The movement of this shadow mimics the encrypted tug-of-war, pendulating from side to side throughout the year.
17:44The cosmology is played out through the westward orientation of the temple.
17:50Many civilizations have drawn connections between astronomical observations and their religious beliefs,
17:56believing that, in part, their lives were governed by the celestial.
18:01This stems from a basic human need to understand the universe and our place in it.
18:08Some scholars suggest that Angkor Wat is not only a temple dedicated to Vishnu and cosmic order,
18:15but was also intended to be a tomb for its commissioner and ruler, King Suryavarman II.
18:22What was the king's true intention for this structure?
18:25Was it merely a temple or was it a mausoleum?
18:32As far as we know, the king was never buried there.
18:35We believe that he was killed on a battle site far away.
18:43Although King Suryavarman II's temple still stands,
18:47his death precipitated the decline of his dynasty and the Khmer empire.
18:54So not long after Angkor Wat was built and the king died in battle, we think,
18:59the Khmer regime fell and the new power in place was Buddhist.
19:04And so it was converted into a Buddhist structure.
19:10This is a rare example of religious conversion in monumental architecture.
19:20About 300 years later, after it was built, Angkor Wat would be abandoned.
19:25Now, a lot of this had to do with catastrophic flooding, which was in many ways a legacy of the intricate
19:33and sophisticated water system that had been developed by the people during the 12th century.
19:39The extreme weather events that occurred at Angkor Wat overwhelmed that system.
19:44When we design buildings, we base our designs on climactic data, historic data that our structures
19:50will experience. It's probability. Angkor Wat was designed at a certain period in time for a particular experience.
19:58In the 15th century, there would be these extreme monsoon seasons,
20:02followed by these extreme droughts, and the system couldn't keep up.
20:05Ironically, this city's connection to water would be one of the reasons for its monumental downfall.
20:16Angkor itself was destroyed by flooding.
20:20Though the temple is visited and preserved by local monks and Khmer people through time,
20:25its full splendor is not understood by the modern western world
20:29until Henry Muo's fortuitous encounter in 1860, which sparks a new era of intense study on the
20:37structural design. By the 1990s, evidence of an astral motive grows stronger as a series of researchers
20:45identify calculations that reflect the cosmic clock. Using the Khmer unit of measurement known as the
20:54Cambodian cubit or hut, experts have postulated that the temple's dimensions further encode an advanced
21:02understanding of time and space. For example, the dimensions of the temple's highest terrace are
21:09believed to equal 365 hut, corresponding to the number of days in a year. The base of the central tower
21:17measures 91 hut, aligning with the 91 days that separate a solstice from an equinox.
21:27Additionally, within the temple's central structure, the distance between each step
21:33is 12 hut, reflecting the 12 lunar cycles that make up a year.
21:38These are only a few of the dozens of dimensions that seem to correlate with celestial cycles. And no doubt,
21:48there are many more still to be discovered. Despite centuries of studies, Angawatt continues to guard its
21:57many secrets. The Khmer are not the only nor even the first civilization to achieve this celestial union with
22:07architecture. On the other side of the globe, nearly 16,000 kilometers away, another ancient structure
22:15with hidden secrets is similarly imbued with solar significance. This pyramid appears relatively simple
22:23at first glance, but in actuality, it's been found to harbor hidden chambers, human remains,
22:31and possibly an intended portal to another realm. Nestled in the lush heart of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula,
22:42is a city that offers a glimpse into a world long past.
22:49Chichen Itza was a thriving metropolis. It was famous at the time that it was first encountered by Europeans
22:57for being this sophisticated urban culture. It was the center of Mayan culture at the time.
23:04This ruinous site is one of the seven wonders of the modern world, and its centerpiece is the Pyramid of
23:11Khulkulcan, otherwise known as El Castillo. Its simple facade guards secrets that date back for over a millennia.
23:21Not unlike the pyramids of Egypt, historians, archaeologists are still puzzling to this day
23:26about the particular function of this pyramid. Researchers have discovered strange numerical,
23:33visual, and even acoustic features within the pyramid's architecture that seemingly link the structure
23:39to the Maya calendar. Could this have been an observatory or a site of celestial ceremonies?
23:47How do the skies above facilitate its mystical purposes? And what other mysteries lie beneath its stone exterior?
24:09Often referred to as the Greeks of American civilization,
24:14the Mayans were an incredibly diverse and advanced civilization.
24:21They left behind an extraordinary legacy in terms of monumental architecture,
24:25but at the time they were also a large, thriving economic, social, and political empire.
24:33These famous Mesoamerican ruins were once home to a lively city founded by Maya settlers as early
24:40as the 5th century CE. By the 10th century, Chichen Itza had grown to be one of the biggest cities in Mayan history.
24:49During this era, somewhere between the 10th and 12th centuries, construction began on a grand,
24:55four-sided pyramid dedicated to their feathered serpent god, Khulkulcan.
25:00The pyramid is dedicated to the most powerful of the Mayan gods. He was a feathered serpent kind of creature.
25:07He embodied the cosmos. He could move between the realms of existence from this world to the world of the deities down to the underworld.
25:17Khulkulcan was one of the most revered deities in the Maya pantheon, which included over 200 gods and goddesses.
25:27Khulkulcan was believed to govern the cycles of the cosmos and oversee the seasonal rhythms of growth and decay.
25:34We can see that with Khulkulcan being the feathered serpent, that there was a great reverence on flight, on the air and the space above.
25:43This is that divine space, the space that they would reach up to, that they could build up to,
25:49but could not engage in themselves because as men, we don't fly.
25:55At a soaring 30 meters, the temple of Khulkulcan attempted to close the gap between humans and the heavens.
26:03Having been to El Castillo and Chichen Itza, it's really quite an impressive pyramid.
26:11It's situated by itself on a plain, so it looks very impressive and imposing.
26:19When the Spanish arrived in the New World and saw this towering fortress-like structure,
26:25they called it El Castillo, which means the castle.
26:28When the Spanish got there, this would have been something that's really out of context for them.
26:37There wouldn't be anything in Spain or the rest of the world that they've been to that would really compare to these types of structures.
26:44While this monument may appear unassuming, you have to consider at what time it was being constructed and what materials were available to them.
26:54The structures themselves are made of the local limestone.
26:56There is no other material in the Yucatan to use to construct.
27:02So all of their buildings are actually constructed of a relatively porous limestone material.
27:07El Castillo's simple design is striking. The square base measures over 55 meters on each symmetrical side.
27:16Four uniform staircases meet at the pinnacle, a rectangular sanctuary with a flat stone roof that contains four entrances and three inner rooms.
27:26The structure is impressively well proportioned from its foundation to its temple.
27:33So how did they achieve such a masterful feat with incredibly limited tools?
27:39El Castillo is a stepped pyramid where we've actually built terraces of rock up to produce the pyramid shape.
27:49That's a very stable structure. It's a very easy construction methodology.
27:54Again, you can use simple inclined planes to push rocks up ramps and place them and then continue to build your pyramid as you place layer and layer and layer.
28:04This temple, dedicated to Kulkulcan, dominates the landscape.
28:10However, many believe this structure to be more than just a massive monument of worship.
28:16The Mayans developed a very sophisticated approach to astronomy that led to the development of these multiple calendrical systems,
28:25which were used to help them not only with their religious observances, but with organizing the rotation of crops,
28:32crops, harvesting, and other economic activities.
28:35The Mayan calendar has similarities to our modern calendar, a 365-day year, for example.
28:42But it was also a lot more complex, combining multiple cycles to track time with remarkable accuracy.
28:53This profound comprehension of cosmic cycles is physically embodied in many Maya structures, including the Pyramid of Kulkulcan.
29:01This monument has 91 steps on all four sides, and when added together with the temple landing on top,
29:10these equal 365, one step for each day of the year.
29:1791 is also the number of days between each annual quarter, marked by the equinoxes and solstices.
29:25And each side of the structure has 52 decorative panels, which is the exact number of years in the Mayan calendar cycle.
29:34In essence, this pyramid embodies the Mayan calendar itself.
29:43But what was the ultimate purpose for this cosmic coordination?
29:47Could aligning their architecture with the eternal coil of time facilitate a deeper connection with their deities?
29:58The meticulous design, matched with the porous properties of the site's limestone slabs,
30:03give rise to a fascinating occurrence at the foot of the pyramid.
30:07When you clap your hands at the base of the pyramid, the sound bounces off different stone surfaces.
30:15And it almost mimics the chirp of a bird.
30:20This fleeting echo strikingly resembles the warble of the Quetzal Bird.
30:25This is a sacred bird that still exists to this day.
30:30It's distinctive look of green feathers with a red body.
30:35It evoked for them similar elements to the image of the feathered serpent deity, Kukulkan.
30:43Was this effect intentional?
30:45How could the Maya have engineered such an acoustic marvel?
30:49I would find it very surprising if the echo sounds produced by El Castillo were intentional.
30:58I think it would have been very difficult or almost impossible for the people of that time
31:03to be able to recognize these audio effects.
31:07I think it probably arose simply as a result of the technology used to build the structure and not a direct intent.
31:15When we think about the marvels of this engineering, we do have to wonder what is intentional and what is not.
31:24But another interesting effect is actually the use of light.
31:30During the equinoxes, when day and night stand in perfect balance,
31:35a mysterious shadow seems to slither down the balustrade.
31:39The way the light shines in at midday, it can look like a serpent slowly coming down the walls.
31:47As the sun moves through the sky, the undulating shadow seems to align perfectly with the serpent's skull
31:54at the base of the steps. It's as if Kukulkan himself is descending from the higher realm to bless his worshippers.
32:03While the pyramid's exterior dazzles with divine symbolism, its interior guards an age-old secret.
32:13In the early 1900s, the ruins of Chichen Itza were largely covered by dense jungle, much of its architecture obscured.
32:22In the 1920s and 30s, explorers began clearing the vegetation, slowly revealing its grandeur and intricate design,
32:31including a hidden passage leading to a sealed chamber.
32:38As the door to this room creaks open, rare artefacts are revealed.
32:43One of the most interesting discoveries was a red jaguar throne.
32:48The jaguar itself is associated with power and authority.
32:52The colour red is associated with birth and sacrifice and death in the Mayan tradition.
32:58Beyond the treasures found in what has become known as the Hall of Offerings,
33:03in an adjoining chamber, archaeologists make a startling discovery.
33:09There's a room that's now been named the Chamber of Sacrifice,
33:12because they discovered in it the presence of human bones.
33:17Could they have been sacrificial offerings?
33:22And what prompted their concealment deep within this ancient structure?
33:29Further investigation reveals that these hidden chambers are part of a much older pyramid
33:35that lies beneath the current structure.
33:37The ancient temple dates to between 800 CE and 1000 CE,
33:42and is approximately 17 metres high, about half the size of El Castillo.
33:47The Maya often built new temples over older ones, creating layers of history.
33:55It's not until 2016, however, that technological advancements adds yet another fascinating layer
34:02to this tale, when digital mapping detects the presence of a third building at the site's core,
34:07a 10-metre-tall pyramid nestled inside the other two. Analysis has since dated this interior pyramid
34:16to as early as 550 CE, approximately half a millennia older than the exterior we see today.
34:24It's actually a pyramid built on a pyramid built on a pyramid.
34:27So essentially, it's like a Russian doll of pyramids.
34:29In capturing the skeleton of this building, digital mapping has also revealed the earthen foundations
34:36upon which it's built. This thousand-year-old stone shrine rests on a layer of limestone bedrock
34:44around five metres thick, below which is not compact earth, but a cavernous 20-metre-deep well,
34:52believed to be a cenote.
34:59The Yucatan is really interesting because it doesn't have above-ground water flow,
35:06and all the water actually flows through underground cave systems.
35:10Periodically in the Yucatan, some of the caves collapse and they produce these basically very
35:18large holes in the ground called cenotes.
35:24Today, the Yucatan Peninsula is known as the cenote capital of the world.
35:28There are over 6,000 there, and this helps us reflect on the Itza people who once lived there
35:34and built the pyramid. These cenotes were critical reservoirs that they relied upon for daily use,
35:42but they were also critical to the performance of rituals.
35:49The city of Chichen Itza is built in the proximity of four cenotes.
35:53The most northern of these is known as the sacred cenote, used by the Mayan as a site of ritual and sacrifice to the gods.
36:02Over the centuries, valuables such as jade, ceramics, gold, and even human remains,
36:09have been recovered from the depths of this revered site.
36:11Any kind of crevice like this can be a gateway to another reality. So these are portals,
36:20and for the Itza, these were portals that led to Chibalba, which is their underworld.
36:29To grasp the significance of this discovery and whether the Maya knew of the cenote's existence,
36:35researchers must uncover an entryway connecting the pyramid to the cavern below. If they succeed,
36:42it may reveal that Kulkulkun is not merely a path of ascension to the heavens,
36:47but also a portal to the cross-section of dimensions, or, in other words, the Axis Mundi.
36:54The Axis Mundi is a concept we find in a lot of ancient cultures. It's Latin for the axis of the world,
37:07the center place of the world where different elements of the cosmos come together. Often that's
37:14sky and earth. Sometimes it's sky, earth, and underworld, but it's the nexus that joins the universe.
37:22Could it be that the Pyramid of Kulkulkun, designed in dimensions guided by the stars,
37:28serves as the Maya's Axis Mundi?
37:38Today, over a millennia after its original construction, the Pyramid of Kulkulkun and the
37:44surrounding city of Chichen Itza have become one of the most visited destinations in the world.
37:51I think the Pyramid teaches us that there's still so much we don't understand about previous societies.
38:00Many wonder what secrets remain enshrined in this limestone sanctuary.
38:05And do the waters below hold the answers previously thought to be lost to time?
38:10Guarding yet another cosmic enigma on the opposite edge of the Atlantic, an unassuming artificial mound rises
38:22from the earth, its form standing strong for over 5,000 years.
38:27This amazing structure predates Stonehenge, the temples of ancient Greece, and even the pyramids of Giza.
38:36Known today as Newgrange, this monument retains an air of mystery in modern times.
38:42The construction of Newgrange required a sophisticated understanding of both astronomy and architecture,
38:50making it one of the most remarkable feats of the ancient world.
38:56The architectural elements of this ancient edifice seem centuries ahead of their time,
39:02yet so much remains unknown about the Neolithic visionaries who created it.
39:07Who were the architects behind this ancient wonder? How did they make such accurate astronomical alignments
39:15with prehistoric tools? And what inspired them to forge a connection with the patterns of the sun?
39:22Situated along the bend in Ireland's River Boyne is the UNESCO Heritage Complex of Brune Bonnier.
39:41Here, a collection of at least 90 monuments, spread across eight square kilometres,
39:47hold the largest collection of megalithic art in all of Europe.
39:52Dominating this stone-spectacled landscape is Newgrange, a large passage tomb sheathed by a cairn.
40:00A passage tomb is a burial chamber covered by earth, which can be accessed by a narrow passageway.
40:08Some are covered by cairns, which are piles of stones usually erected as a memorial or marker.
40:15These are quite common in Neolithic times and are typically found across Western Europe.
40:20There are many examples of this type of construction, but few rival Newgrange.
40:26Comprised of an astounding 200,000 tonnes of material,
40:30the mound measures 13 metres high and 85 metres in diameter.
40:37Although Newgrange is not large to us in comparison to modern structures,
40:43to our Neolithic ancestors, it was likely enormous.
40:50It's massive, and it does make you wonder, who built this?
40:56How did they build this?
40:58And most importantly, why did they build it?
41:03Using radiocarbon dating, researchers have determined that Newgrange was erected in or around
41:093200 BCE.
41:12We don't actually know a lot about the people who constructed this complex.
41:18They were likely farmers who raised livestock and grew crops in the surrounding region.
41:24We think they were an advanced society that had a refined knowledge of stonework and architectural design.
41:35From a bird's eye view,
41:36Newgrange camouflages itself, its roof sewed with green grass.
41:42From the ground, however, its imposing exterior is difficult to miss,
41:47faced with contrasting cobblestones of white quartz and black granite.
41:51Were these ancient planners trying to illuminate certain parts of the building?
41:59The answer to this question might never be known.
42:03The facade we see at Newgrange today is the result of a 20th century restoration.
42:08While the cobblestones used were discovered on site,
42:11and there is evidence that contrasting stones were part of the original design,
42:15the accuracy of their placement remains a topic of debate.
42:19The challenge in reconstruction is how do we recreate the facade of a Neolithic structure
42:25when we're not even entirely sure what it might have looked like in its original form?
42:30The dome itself is a pile of thousands of water rolled pebbles pulled from the depths of a nearby pond,
42:37each measuring up to 22 centimeters in length.
42:41The hundreds of larger slabs that form the structure's bones and perimeter
42:46are predominantly crafted from greywacky, a type of sandstone,
42:50some pieces measuring upwards of four meters in length.
42:56Yet these formidable boulders are not so easily sourced as the pebbles.
43:02The megaliths, the large stones that were used to build Newgrange,
43:07were hauled from maybe 50 kilometers away.
43:15Some theories suggest the stones may have been transported over land using wooden rollers or a sled.
43:22Then there are other theories that they may have been floated down the coastline
43:27and transported by water up the river.
43:29Either way, this would have been a monumental task.
43:32This incredible task suggests that the ancient architects could have had a labor pool numbering in the hundreds.
43:40Even with so many hands, it would have been a task that took decades to complete.
43:45This was a time when metal hadn't been fully developed.
43:50So the workforce's tools were made entirely of wood, stone and bone.
43:59Building of it must have taken the estimate as long as 70 years or more to build,
44:03which would have been more than one lifetime for many of the people who were involved in this building.
44:09It meant that society had to organize over the generations to continue its work.
44:15So clearly its purpose from the start resonated long-term in the culture and was considered important to complete.
44:24The prehistoric prestige of this site may have been etched into the very stones that support its walls.
44:31Among the hundreds of grey, wacky rocks that line the building's edge and interior,
44:3575 are arranged with some of the most cohesive artistic compositions of Neolithic times,
44:42the most prominent of which can be seen on the tomb's entry stone,
44:46boldly marked with a large triple spiral design.
44:52What do these carvings signify?
44:55Do they mark a boundary between two realms?
44:57Are they an abstract representation of ancient beliefs?
45:01Or could they be the mark of a dynasty?
45:06Since we don't really have any written records of this society, we have to rely on artifacts.
45:12Venturing inward, cryptic carvings mark the narrow walls.
45:18The passage into the structure is long and claustrophobic.
45:23And when you get to the center of the tomb, you're confronted by three chambers.
45:29The entire floor plan mimics the shape of a cruciform, its most inner region protected by a vaulted ceiling that has remarkably stood the test of time.
45:43In some ways, the passage and the chambers within the building are a bit rough.
45:50But it's amazing the technology that went into constructing this thing.
45:55In the very back of the passage, where the burial chambers are, if you look up, there's a high,
46:02corbelled dome.
46:07And that dome has not leaked in 5,000 years, more than 5,000 years.
46:14It's beneath these corbelled stones, in the tomb's quiet chambers, where the mysteries of Newgrange begin to unfold.
46:27After thousands of years in ruin beneath layers of earth and vegetation,
46:31Newgrange becomes a site of intense intrigue when a local farmer rediscovers its concealed entrance in 1699.
46:42It will be another two and a half centuries before the first thorough archaeological excavation is
46:48conducted by Michael J. O'Kelly in the 1960s and 70s.
46:54As his team clears the corridor and chambers, they uncover large stone basins,
46:59believed to once cradle the ashes of the dead.
47:05Beneath the floor, a large pit is dug in the central chamber, and a discovery is made that
47:11confirms Newgrange is not just a site of ceremony, but also a tomb.
47:17They discovered 23 components of human remains, which likely belonged to five people.
47:24It's likely that his parents were siblings, or we're looking at a parent and a child.
47:55This man may have been part of a dynasty that was concerned with preserving the royal bloodline.
48:02This practice has been observed in other dynastic societies, including the pharaohs of ancient Egypt.
48:08The earthly importance of those buried, and the ingenuity of the ancient architects,
48:14were further highlighted in December 1967.
48:20While working in the chamber, O'Kelly bore witness to a surprising spectacle firsthand.
48:26A magical glimmer of natural light, streaming from a crevice above the tomb's entrance.
48:32There was a roof box, which was carved out above the entrance to the passageway,
48:39which allowed the sun on the winter solstice to enter right into the very back chamber.
48:46This unique display occurs only once annually, on the shortest day of the year.
48:53The winter solstice.
48:55This is the longest period of time that the sun is absent.
48:59Once a year, at the dawn of the winter solstice, for 17 minutes, the sun illuminates the heart of Newgrange,
49:08flooding the central alcove of ancestral ashes, before retreating to the vast skies above.
49:14The greatest spectacle was for the people inside, deep inside the chamber.
49:21But there was another spectacle outside.
49:23In Newgrange, the entranceway was covered with white stones that would reflect
49:29the pink of the rising sun on the winter solstice.
49:36It's astonishing to imagine prehistoric people planning and building such a structure
49:43that aligns with the stars.
49:47With the advent of the Bronze Age, Newgrange largely falls out of use
49:52as a wave of settlers overtake the native population.
49:56Yet, its celestial significance lingers on.
50:00The new communities erect additional menhires around the mound,
50:04forming what is now known as the Great Circle.
50:08Continuing the interplay of structure and sun, it casts shadows across the site.
50:14The shade of its tallest pillar touching the middle of the famously carved entry curve
50:19on the day of the winter solstice.
50:26In Britain, we're famous for our stone circles, and Stonehenge is always the number one visited site.
50:33But it's not just about Stonehenge. There are so many other sites that predate it,
50:38and Newgrange is a fantastic example.
50:42Due to the gradual shifting of Earth's axis,
50:45our astronomical clock runs four minutes faster than that of Newgrange's Neolithic engineers.
50:51Yet still, people visit every year to watch the solstice sunrise herald the dawn of a new phase.
50:58From the haunting Neolithic stone monuments of Ireland, to the awe-inspiring Mesoamerican pyramids of Mexico,
51:10and the breathtakingly ornate temples of Cambodia,
51:13these ancient wonders stand through time as architectural reflections of the cosmos.
51:22Though modern investigations have begun to unravel their mysteries,
51:26countless secrets remain veiled in the mists of time,
51:29just waiting for the bold and curious to uncover even more of the hidden secrets of these ancient structures.
51:59That is good.
52:01In the distant past, it is a great future.
52:01We may also see a new world of the ancient ancient traditions of the world.
52:03We may as well be so fixed to theèsten,
52:06we may as well be as a Christian.
52:08The place of the dark, all the sands,
52:10and the resonance.
52:14The sound of the dark, all the sands,
52:17the light of the core, all the sands.
52:18The world of the earth's of time,
52:19the earth's of time, all the sands for its own protect,
52:20all the paint, all the sands for its own is the ancient space.
52:21What we do to do is the environment to protect the ocean.
52:22And then we will look forward to the outlook of the ocean.
52:23All of the sands of the sea with the nation,
52:25the, all the sandsman,
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