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00:02Abusir, an ancient necropolis in the heart of Egypt, where a dynasty of mysterious pharaohs,
00:10the Sun Kings, turn Egyptian society on its head and reimagine its iconic megastructures.
00:18This was the place where creation started. This is the place where the world was born.
00:26Strange structures stand alongside the pyramids here.
00:30Now a team of experts has special access to investigate this little-known burial site.
00:37We are on top of the Sun Temple of Nusra, and from here we touch the sky and the sun.
00:42Who are the Sun Kings? And why do they create these new structures not seen in Egypt before?
00:48This place is absolutely massive.
00:52And what can Abusir reveal about the radical changes sweeping ancient Egypt at the time of their construction?
01:00To solve the mysteries of this extraordinary necropolis, we blow Abusir apart.
01:07We explore astonishing tombs, investigate forgotten rituals, decode ancient inscriptions,
01:19and digitally reconstruct this lost wonder in its prime, to reveal the rise of the Sun Kings.
01:36Abusir, ten miles south of Cairo, a mysterious necropolis between Giza and Saqqara.
01:45It is one of ancient Egypt's great royal sites, but one that is currently closed to the public.
01:53Archaeologists only begin excavations at this extraordinary cemetery in the 1900s.
02:00Now, our cameras have been granted rare access to follow teams as they investigate this site.
02:07Much remains here to be uncovered.
02:13The Abusir necropolis covers more than 400 acres.
02:18Four millennia ago, the ancient Egyptians built three huge pyramids here,
02:23along with a host of smaller pyramids and tombs scattered around them.
02:29Each is a tomb designed to help the deceased journey into the afterlife.
02:36In the north sit two mysterious megastructures, unlike anything else in Egypt.
02:43These unique complexes feature enormous obelisks that soar over 180 feet into the sky.
02:51What are these mysterious monuments, and who builds them?
03:00Max Nuttzolo has excavated here for most of his career.
03:06This is really an impressive, huge site.
03:10He investigates the remains of one of these mysterious structures.
03:15You can see the rectangular-like shape with the big enclosure wall,
03:20paved area, and the kind of pyramid, which in fact was probably not a pyramid,
03:24but a trunk of pyramid with a huge obelisk on top.
03:27In the center of the enclosure, an unusual feature stands out.
03:32It's something even more interesting before the obelisk, which is the altar.
03:37These are all features that look like a temple.
03:42Max wants to know who builds this strange temple.
03:46An impressive block of decorated stone catches his eye.
03:50This is a very interesting element of this site.
03:53It's a door frame composed of two door gems.
03:56As you can see here, they are shaped to host a door.
04:01Strange inscriptions are carved into the door frame.
04:06What is very interesting here is that one of these two door gems
04:09has a hieroglyphic inscription with the name of King Nusra.
04:14Nusra rules ancient Egypt in the 25th century BCE,
04:1981 years after Pharaoh Khufu is entombed in Egypt's famous Great Pyramid of Giza.
04:26Max wants to know why Nusra builds this curious temple.
04:31He examines the Pharaoh's cartouche,
04:33an oval box that contains his name for clues.
04:37His cartouche is associated with a specific element,
04:40which is called Golden Horus' name.
04:42The Golden Horus is one of the sun god Ra's titles.
04:47Nusra adopts the divine title and becomes Nusra.
04:51Nusra wanted to be presented as the direct son of the sun god Ra.
04:57The ancient Egyptians believe the falcon-headed Ra is the supreme divinity.
05:02He creates every aspect of the living world.
05:06From his own tears, he creates humans.
05:10Ra is one with the sun.
05:12He crosses the heavens in the day
05:14and descends into the underworld at night
05:17to rise again in the morning.
05:21Ra also directs the three seasons of the Egyptian calendar.
05:25He makes the Nile flood every year
05:27and is the energy that grows the crops.
05:32Ra is all-powerful.
05:35Nusra claims to be his incarnation on Earth,
05:38allowing him to rule with absolute power.
05:43Nusra is a self-declared sun king,
05:46ruling with the power of Ra behind him.
05:50Max believes Nusra's association with the all-powerful sun god
05:55could be the key to why he builds this pioneering monument.
05:58He searches for evidence among the ruins
06:02and finds hieroglyphic clues.
06:05In this hieroglyphic inscription,
06:07we have the original name of the monument,
06:10described as Shesep Ib Ra.
06:13That means something like the place of the joy of Ra, the sun god.
06:18The inscription is proof that this mysterious ruin
06:22is the sun temple of Nusra.
06:24So here we really find a confirmation
06:26that this is a sun temple,
06:28the center of the sun cult during the sun king time.
06:35Nusra builds his sun temple in 2400 BCE.
06:40He constructs a four-pillared cortico
06:43and an entrance sheathed in gleaming white limestone.
06:48Beyond it,
06:49a 400-foot causeway ascends to an impressive terrace.
06:55Here, an imposing gateway leads into a vast enclosure,
07:00dominated by a 65-foot truncated pyramid
07:03and cased in lavish red granite.
07:07Sitting on top is a monumental 118-foot-tall obelisk
07:12made of solid white limestone.
07:15What is the purpose of this strange temple?
07:22Max investigates a key feature of the temple to find out.
07:27This is an altar composed of four huge alabaster slabs.
07:33He thinks the choice of this rare and precious stone
07:36and the altar's shape are both significant.
07:41Alabaster is the main symbol of purity,
07:43the symbol of the sun god,
07:44and these slabs are done in a peculiar shape
07:48with this rounded edge and elongated side,
07:51which is the so-called hetep sign,
07:53means offer.
07:54Offer to whom?
07:55Offer to the sun god,
07:56who is represented in the center
07:58with this impressive and huge disc.
08:02This alabaster altar at the heart of the temple
08:05is where priests make offerings to Ra, the sun god.
08:11Max believes the temple marks a turning point in ancient Egypt,
08:15the rise of the sun kings.
08:19Here we really see the apex of the solar cult.
08:22For the first time,
08:23here we see the manifestation of the direct association
08:26of the cult of the sun with the king.
08:28Here we have really the center of the sun king era.
08:33The sun kings put themselves at the center of the cult
08:37and transform ancient Egypt.
08:41We are actually on top of the obelisk
08:43of the sun temple of Nusra,
08:44and from here we really touch the sky and the sun.
08:50For ancient Egyptians,
08:52afterlife was at the core of their religious system
08:54and of their beliefs.
08:56But here, in the sun temple,
08:58what is in the center of attention is everyday life,
09:01is everyday cult of the sun,
09:02and the king connected to the sun.
09:04The pharaohs of previous dynasties
09:07are revered as supreme leaders during their rule
09:10and become gods in the afterlife.
09:13But with the sun cult of Ra,
09:15the pharaohs are now worshipped as gods in their lifetime.
09:22What can a buried tomb reveal
09:24about this radical fifth dynasty?
09:28And can a mysterious mummy help identify
09:31more of these powerful god kings?
09:43Abusir, a mysterious necropolis
09:46where a pharaoh elevates himself to god's status
09:49and transforms ancient Egyptian civilization.
09:57Cedric Gobe wants to find out
09:59if these tombs are connected to the cult
10:01and if this entire necropolis is filled with sun kings.
10:08He explores a vast stone structure
10:11hidden in the sand here.
10:16From above, he can see the interior layout
10:19of a burial chamber,
10:21along with the remains of a makeshift roof.
10:25Very strangely, the top was capped
10:28by pebbles, stone, and sand,
10:30and the outside of the structure
10:32was cased with limestones.
10:35This is a mastaba,
10:38a single-story tomb.
10:40They are built by the ancient Egyptians
10:42throughout their civilization.
10:47When archaeologists excavate here,
10:50they make a remarkable discovery.
10:5320 feet below ground,
10:55deep inside the tomb,
10:57they unearth pieces of a red granite sarcophagus,
11:02fragments of four travertine canopic jars,
11:07and pieces of a mummy,
11:09including a complete left hand.
11:12Hidden with these spines,
11:14buried in the heart of the tomb,
11:16is a limestone block
11:18painted with a mysterious black inscription.
11:21Can these markings reveal the identity of the pharaoh
11:25who is entombed here?
11:33Cedric examines the evidence discovered
11:35in the original excavation.
11:37The first one really striking is a mummified hand.
11:42And anthropological analysis
11:44have shown that this is the left hand
11:46of a male individual
11:48that died between the age 20, 23 years old.
11:53This is likely the hand
11:55of the tomb's original occupant.
11:57The excavators unearth a clue to his identity.
12:00In another picture,
12:02I see a hieroglyphs.
12:03It's painted with black ink.
12:06It clearly shows the name of the king
12:09because we see the cartouche.
12:12There's the sign Ra,
12:15Nefer,
12:16and F,
12:17so three signs.
12:18This is the name of the king,
12:20Nefer of Ra.
12:23So this is it.
12:24We are in the mastaba of Nefer of Ra.
12:28This royal name,
12:30Nefer of Ra,
12:31features the same distinctive ending
12:33as Nusra.
12:35This pharaoh makes the same statement
12:37of his divine link to Ra,
12:39the sun god,
12:41and asserts his claim
12:43that he is also a living god.
12:46This quarry mark is proof
12:48that the pharaoh buried here
12:50is also part of the pioneering sun god.
12:52cult.
12:54Nefer of Ra is a pharaoh
12:55of the fifth dynasty.
12:57He rules for just two years
12:59and dies prematurely
13:01at the age of 23.
13:04Cedric suspects
13:05this whole necropolis
13:06could be filled with the rulers
13:08of this mysterious sun cult.
13:11He hunts for more evidence
13:13in the ruins of a once grand
13:15mortuary temple.
13:17Oh wow,
13:18there it is.
13:21You see this block
13:22actually is giving me
13:24the name of another king.
13:26So we clearly see the cartouche
13:28inside which you have then
13:30the harglyph signs
13:31giving the name of
13:32Sa-u-Rai.
13:34So the king,
13:35Sa-u-Rai.
13:37Sa-u-Rai is now
13:38the third king
13:39identified here
13:40alongside Nefer of Ra
13:42in his mastaba
13:43and Nusra
13:44with his sun temple.
13:47Cedric investigates
13:49the connection
13:49between these pharaohs.
13:51He examines a huge inscription
13:53known as the King List
13:54discovered inside
13:56the temple of Abydos
13:57in southern Egypt.
13:59Created by Pharaoh
14:00Seti I,
14:01it lists the succession
14:02of kings
14:03throughout ancient Egypt.
14:05It gives us
14:06the names of the king
14:07in chronological order.
14:10And what I can see
14:11when I zoom in
14:12is two names
14:13that catch my attention.
14:14So Nefer of Ra
14:16in a cartouche
14:17and another cartouche
14:18we see Sa-u-Rai.
14:20The list reveals
14:21a close connection.
14:23There's only one king
14:25between those two.
14:26So the impression I have
14:29is that they carry,
14:30they could be part
14:31of the same family
14:32knowing that kings
14:34would succeed
14:35from father to son.
14:37The King List
14:38enables Cedric
14:39to trace the line
14:40of Sa-u-Rai.
14:42It reveals that
14:43Nefer of Ra
14:44and Nusra
14:45follow in succession
14:46and are likely
14:47to be his grandsons,
14:49two brothers.
14:50They are all
14:51in one same family.
14:53Therefore,
14:54the Abu-Zir site,
14:55the necropolis,
14:56could be a necropolis
14:57of a royal family.
15:02Sa-u-Rai
15:03is the second ruler
15:04of Egypt's
15:05fifth dynasty.
15:06He is father
15:07father to Nefer-Kare
15:08and grandfather
15:10to Nefer-Ef-Ra
15:11and Nusra.
15:14All sun kings.
15:16They are buried
15:17beside one another
15:18in Abu-Zir,
15:19along with their wives
15:20and children.
15:24Abu-Zir is the sun king's
15:27family cemetery.
15:28These radical pharaohs
15:30declare a new era
15:31for Egypt
15:32with their sun cult
15:33at its heart.
15:34They elevate themselves
15:36to a higher status
15:37in life
15:38than any pharaoh
15:39before them.
15:40Their people
15:41worship them
15:42as sun gods
15:43during their reign.
15:45Their sun cult
15:46thrives
15:47for more than
15:47a century.
15:51And the sun kings
15:52rule over their people
15:53with divine authority.
15:56Can discoveries
15:57beneath the sand
15:58reveal macabre
16:00new rituals
16:00in the name
16:01of their sun cult?
16:02And can evidence
16:04of an uprising
16:05expose why
16:06these pharaohs
16:07go to such extreme lengths
16:08in pursuit of power?
16:20At Abu-Zir,
16:22Max Nudzolo
16:23investigates
16:24the mysterious pyramids
16:25and mortuary temples
16:27of the 5th dynasty
16:28sun kings.
16:30What we can see here
16:31is the remains
16:32of the hypostyle hole
16:33of the pyramid complex
16:35of King Ra-Neferef.
16:37Neferef Ra,
16:39a 4th generation
16:40sun king,
16:41builds this structure
16:42at the foot
16:43of his pyramid.
16:44It is built
16:45largely from mud brick
16:47and has eroded
16:48over the millennia.
16:50But the remains
16:51reveal it is once
16:52an extraordinary
16:53feat of engineering.
16:58In its prime,
17:00this is a grand
17:02columned hall,
17:03the first of its kind
17:05discovered in ancient Egypt.
17:07Twenty beautifully crafted
17:08wooden columns
17:09are set on solid
17:10limestone bases
17:11and are painted
17:13in striking color.
17:15In the main hall
17:16stands a life-size statue
17:18of the pharaoh
17:19seated on a golden throne.
17:21Many more adorn the hall,
17:23made from wood
17:24and polished limestone.
17:27But beneath them
17:29are small wooden statuettes
17:31of Egypt's enemies,
17:33Nubians and Libyans,
17:34kneeling with their hands tied.
17:37What can this sacred space
17:39reveal about how
17:40the sun kings
17:41run their cult?
17:45The hypostyle hall
17:47is at the heart
17:47of Neferef Ra's
17:49mortuary temple.
17:51A mortuary temple
17:53in ancient Egypt
17:54is a highly sacred space.
17:57It is a place
17:58to worship
17:59the reign of the pharaoh
18:00as well as to celebrate
18:02his journey
18:03into the afterlife.
18:05The mortuary temple
18:06of a king
18:07in the 5th dynasty
18:08was a kind of
18:09resurrection machine
18:10made through
18:11several steps.
18:12First of all,
18:13specific rituals
18:14to be carried out
18:15in individual parts
18:16of the complex.
18:17Secondly,
18:18with a huge decoration
18:20showing the king
18:21as the legitimate son
18:22of the sun god,
18:23accomplishing all his tasks
18:25on earth.
18:27The 5th dynasty sun kings
18:30make their pyramids
18:31smaller than the massive
18:32megastructures
18:33of the earlier pharaohs.
18:35But they build
18:36their mortuary temples
18:37much bigger.
18:40They fill them
18:41with powerful iconography
18:42of conquered enemies,
18:43so they are remembered
18:45as successful rulers.
18:49Max visits
18:50a remote corner
18:51of this vast pyramid complex
18:53to investigate further.
18:56When we look at this site,
18:58the first impression
18:58is void, emptiness.
19:00But in fact,
19:01this is only apparent
19:02because here,
19:03below our feet,
19:04once there was
19:05the sanctuary of the knife,
19:06a very important monument
19:08connected to the mortuary complex
19:09of King Ranefref.
19:15When archaeologists
19:16excavate the site,
19:18they unearth the ruins
19:19of a mudbrick building
19:20over 65 feet long,
19:22the sanctuary of the knife.
19:25Near the entrance
19:26of one chamber,
19:27they find sharp flint knives
19:29scattered in the sand.
19:33In a neighboring chamber,
19:34they discover fragments
19:36of a jar.
19:37Close analysis reveals
19:39traces of beef fat
19:40inside.
19:42In a final room,
19:43they unearth cattle horns
19:45and part of an animal skull.
19:47Are these macabre discoveries
19:49evidence of extravagant rituals
19:51invented by the sun kings?
20:00This was a slaughterhouse,
20:02a big area for slaughtering
20:04and production of meat.
20:06The size of the slaughterhouse
20:08discovered here
20:09suggests it's used
20:11for large-scale events
20:12where huge numbers
20:13of animals are sacrificed.
20:18Extravagant rituals
20:19like these
20:20allow the sun kings
20:21to demonstrate
20:22their divine status
20:23and political power.
20:26This was in the end
20:27an important means
20:28to create
20:29a social consensus
20:30and a political
20:31stability
20:32among the people
20:33supporting the king.
20:36The sun kings
20:37live as self-proclaimed
20:39divine rulers
20:40descended from the sun god
20:42and keep their memory alive
20:44through ritual sacrifices,
20:46offerings,
20:47and worship
20:48with sprawling temple complexes
20:50bigger than any before them.
20:57Why do they introduce
20:59this radical new era
21:01of pharaoh adulation?
21:04Can an extraordinary
21:05buried tomb
21:06reveal a threat
21:07to their power?
21:21Abusir,
21:22a necropolis
21:22spanning more than
21:23400 acres
21:25packed with pyramids
21:26and temples
21:27that honor
21:27the 5th dynasty
21:28sun kings.
21:30But in the heart
21:31of the royal cemetery,
21:33one revolutionary structure
21:34reveals an existential threat
21:37to their rule.
21:42This is an exquisitely
21:44built tomb.
21:45The entrance features
21:47a monumental portico
21:48held by two 20-foot-tall
21:51lotus-shaped columns.
21:53This gateway leads
21:55to a large-scale
21:56pillared courtyard
21:57with 20 decorated
21:58limestone columns.
22:04And deep underground
22:06lies a burial chamber
22:08with two enormous
22:09red granite sarcophagi
22:11protected by a gabled ceiling
22:13of monolithic limestone blocks.
22:17Who is this extensive tomb
22:19built for
22:20and how do they threaten
22:22the sun kings?
22:28Kimberly Watt
22:29is on a mission
22:30to find out.
22:31She has been granted
22:32special access
22:33to explore this tomb.
22:39This place
22:40is absolutely massive.
22:42The tomb
22:43is grand
22:44and imposing.
22:45It includes
22:47royal architectural features
22:48and extensive reliefs.
22:51This courtyard
22:53is filled
22:55with around 20 pillars
22:57and all of them
22:58are covered
22:59with this same figure.
23:01It's a relief
23:02of a man.
23:04Kimberly spots
23:06an inscription
23:06above the relief.
23:08It spells out
23:09his name
23:10in hieroglyphs.
23:11His name
23:12up there
23:13is Tashepsis.
23:16Tashepsis lives
23:17in the reign
23:18of the pharaoh
23:18Nusra,
23:19the sixth sun king.
23:22This is at a scale
23:24that we normally see
23:24for royal people.
23:26However,
23:27we don't know
23:27any royal
23:28by the name
23:28of Tashepsis.
23:30This individual
23:30is not a royal person
23:32because he has
23:34a staff here
23:35which you can see
23:36in his left hand.
23:37It's a sign
23:38that he's an official.
23:39So this huge complex
23:42of nearly 40 rooms
23:44belonged to an official
23:46that must have been
23:47so high up
23:48in the administration
23:49that he was able
23:51to organize
23:52for himself
23:53a tomb
23:53to this scale.
23:56It's a lavish tomb.
23:58Tashepsis clearly
23:59accumulates vast wealth
24:01in his service
24:01of the sun kings.
24:04He's represented
24:05on all the walls
24:06and actually
24:06the courtyards
24:08they go into
24:08this direction.
24:11Kimberly follows
24:12the direction
24:13indicated by the reliefs
24:14and heads
24:15to the heart
24:16of the tomb.
24:17This is the burial
24:19chamber of Tashepsis.
24:20We see the huge
24:22sarcophagus
24:22in red granite.
24:25Just next to it
24:26there's a smaller one.
24:28The smaller sarcophagus
24:30is an intriguing discovery.
24:33Kimberly heads
24:34deeper into the tomb
24:35to hunt for clues
24:36to Tashepsis' companion.
24:38They could reveal more
24:40about this unique official
24:41and how he becomes
24:42so powerful.
24:44Here we see him again
24:46in the entrance hall
24:47of the funerary chapel
24:49and as you can see
24:51the colors
24:51are extremely well preserved.
24:53We can see here
24:54that he is seated
24:56and we may have found
24:58the identity
24:58of the person
24:59who has a second sarcophagus.
25:02Kimberly decodes
25:04the hieroglyphs
25:04to decipher
25:05their identity.
25:07This is his wife
25:09Kha-rem-ne-ptit
25:11and she is
25:12not just his wife
25:14she is also
25:14and we can see it here
25:15in the inscription
25:17in the second column here
25:19she is
25:20a princess
25:21she is a daughter
25:23of a king.
25:25It's an incredible revelation
25:26it's one of the first times
25:28in the history
25:29of ancient Egypt
25:30that a princess
25:31marries a commoner.
25:33Kimberly wants to find out
25:35how Tashepsis rises
25:36to this remarkable position
25:37and what it means
25:39for the sun kings.
25:42She hunts
25:42for further hieroglyphic clues.
25:45So here we find Tashepsis
25:47you can see his name
25:49just here
25:49and then we have
25:51a very interesting title
25:52he is a Hiriad Nefer
25:54Hiriad Nefer
25:55means that he is
25:56the keeper of the hairdress
25:58so the wig of the king
25:59and that gives him
26:00very close proximity
26:02to the king.
26:06Kimberly uncovers
26:07a series of hieroglyphs
26:09that reveal
26:09Tashepsis' final status.
26:12Two of the titles
26:13that we see here
26:14are very important
26:15he is a judge
26:16and he is a vizier
26:17so the highest official
26:19in the entire government
26:20in Egypt.
26:24Tashepsis starts his career
26:25as the pharaoh Nusra's
26:27hairdresser and manicurist.
26:28The role gives him
26:29special access
26:30to the pharaoh
26:31and smooths a path
26:33to ever higher offices
26:34of the royal court.
26:36He rises through the ranks
26:38to become overseer
26:40of all royal construction projects
26:42in Egypt
26:43including those in Abusir.
26:47Finally Tashepsis
26:48becomes vizier to the king.
26:50The equivalent
26:51to a modern day
26:52prime minister
26:53he only answers
26:54to the pharaoh himself.
26:58Tashepsis becomes
26:59so influential
27:00in the royal court
27:01that Nusra has him
27:02marry his daughter
27:03Khakharnebti
27:04to guarantee
27:06his allegiance
27:06and loyalty.
27:09The rise of Tashepsis
27:11reveals a power shift
27:13taking place
27:13where even a god king
27:15finds himself compromised.
27:18When all the kings
27:19built their
27:20pyramids
27:21and their temple
27:22every time
27:23they used the resource
27:23of the country
27:24the resource
27:25were overstretched.
27:27What happened
27:28after this
27:29overstretching resource
27:30of the kings
27:31they relied on
27:32the loyalty
27:33of their officials
27:34and that's how we see it
27:35in Tashepsis
27:36assume
27:37that he made sure
27:39that this very high official
27:40actually was loyal to him
27:42by marrying his daughter
27:43to him.
27:43The fifth dynasty pharaohs
27:46suffer the consequences
27:47of centuries of excess.
27:51In Egypt's first
27:53and second dynasties
27:54the pharaohs build
27:55simple single-story
27:57mastabas.
27:58But by the third dynasty
27:59the pharaohs start to build
28:01elaborate step pyramids.
28:03By the fourth dynasty
28:05the construction
28:06of the giant pyramids
28:07at Giza
28:08nearly bankrupts the state
28:09so the Abusir pyramids
28:11are much smaller.
28:15To combat
28:16their waning authority
28:18the fifth dynasty pharaohs
28:20claim they are sun kings
28:23and they secure
28:24the loyalty
28:25of powerful officials
28:26like Tashepsis
28:27through royal marriage.
28:29Their sun cult revolution
28:31is a desperate attempt
28:32to cling on
28:33to their rule.
28:39Do these god kings
28:40manage to hold on
28:42to their power?
28:43Or is the sun cult
28:45destined to fall?
28:56Abusir
28:57a royal necropolis
28:58and power base
28:59to a family
29:00of self-appointed
29:01god kings.
29:04Their rule relies
29:06on an elite class
29:07of royal courtiers.
29:15Max Nuzzolo
29:16investigates how
29:17the sun finally sets
29:19on the rule
29:20of the sun kings.
29:22He heads two miles
29:23south of Abusir
29:24to Saqqara
29:25to examine
29:26the tomb of Ti
29:27one of the most
29:29spectacular tombs
29:30from the fifth dynasty.
29:33Ti is a powerful official.
29:36He rises to high priest
29:38under the rule
29:38of the pharaoh Nusra
29:39the sixth sun king.
29:43The outstanding quality
29:45of the decoration
29:46and architecture
29:46of this tomb
29:47demonstrate that Ti
29:48was really a very powerful man
29:50even competing
29:51somehow with the king
29:53because he had inside
29:54elements of royal architecture.
29:57The tomb of Ti
29:58is as lavish
29:59as that of Tashepsis.
30:01It is evidence
30:02of yet another radical shift
30:04in ancient Egyptian society.
30:09Max ventures deeper
30:11into the very heart
30:12of the tomb.
30:15He examines the walls
30:17for reference
30:18to the sun god Ra
30:19but can't see any.
30:23We are now
30:24in the inner chamber
30:25inner offering chamber
30:27of the tomb of Ti.
30:28Here on the first door
30:29we have the entire career
30:30of the life of Ti.
30:33On the top
30:33of the first door
30:34on the architrave
30:35we have the very
30:36very first mention
30:38known so far
30:39of the god Osiris.
30:42Osiris is a new
30:43and powerful god
30:44in Egyptian belief.
30:49Ancient Egyptian mythology
30:51describes Osiris
30:52as a king
30:53who brings
30:54the Egyptian people
30:55new laws
30:56and teaches them
30:57about agriculture
30:58and civilization.
31:01His brother Seth
31:03grows jealous
31:04of his power.
31:05He cruelly murders
31:06and dismembers Osiris
31:08and scatters his body
31:09across Egypt.
31:12The wife of Osiris
31:13Isis
31:14sews the pieces
31:15of his body
31:16back together.
31:17She wraps them
31:18in linen
31:19and uses a powerful spell
31:21to bring him
31:22back to life.
31:24Osiris is unable
31:26to stay
31:26in the world
31:27of the living.
31:28He travels
31:28to the underworld
31:29to become king
31:30of the afterlife.
31:37In a way
31:38we can say
31:38that this is
31:39the beginning
31:39of the end
31:40of the Sun Kings.
31:42The promotion
31:43of Osiris
31:44over Ra
31:44in T's tomb
31:45marks the end
31:46of the 5th dynasty
31:47sun cult
31:49and heralds
31:50a revolution
31:51in ancient Egypt.
31:53T is not just
31:54worshipping
31:55a new god
31:55he plans
31:57to join Osiris
31:58in the afterlife.
31:59In this moment
32:01in the middle
32:01of the 5th dynasty
32:02one private individual
32:04is able
32:04to take over
32:05royal prerogatives
32:06and the cult
32:07of a very important god
32:09like the god Osiris
32:10to whom he want
32:11to be assimilated
32:12in the afterlife
32:13exactly as
32:14the kings
32:15wanted to do.
32:18Resurrection
32:19once the gift
32:20of Ra and the preserve
32:21of royalty
32:22is now
32:23for commoners too.
32:26T and Tashepsis
32:28can now rise
32:29in life
32:30and in death.
32:32The pharaohs
32:33the Sun Kings
32:34are losing
32:35their unique authority
32:37and their grip
32:38on the levers
32:38of power.
32:42Saqqara has more
32:44to reveal
32:44about the end
32:45of the Sun Kings.
32:48Max ventures
32:49inside the pyramid
32:50of the last pharaoh
32:52of the 5th dynasty
32:53Unas.
32:58Unas is buried
32:59here in Saqqara
33:00not in the family
33:01necropolis
33:02in Abusir.
33:05Clues here
33:06could reveal
33:07the Sun King's
33:08ultimate fall
33:09from power.
33:12Oh wow
33:13this is astonishingly
33:15incredibly amazing
33:16the room
33:18looks like
33:18a small one
33:19but it's full
33:20of funeral offering
33:21formula
33:23every single
33:24space of this room
33:25is packed
33:25with inscription
33:26because this is
33:27about
33:27funeral formulas
33:29for the afterlife
33:30in the end
33:31the purpose
33:31of all of this
33:32was to
33:33allow the resurrection
33:34of the king
33:36here you see
33:37the name
33:37of the king
33:38and Osiris
33:40to whom the king
33:40wants to be
33:41assimilated.
33:43It's evidence
33:44Unas puts his
33:45faith in Osiris
33:46too.
33:47What we have here
33:48on this wall
33:49is the final
33:50assimilation
33:51of King Unis
33:52you see here
33:53the cartouche
33:53and the god Osiris
33:55so Unis has now
33:56become the god Osiris.
33:59Unas now
34:00embraces Osiris
34:01the god
34:01of the afterlife
34:03he never builds
34:05as a sun temple
34:06the fifth dynasty
34:07sun cult
34:08is over
34:10and with it
34:11the era
34:12of the sun kings.
34:14This is definitely
34:15the turning point
34:17of Egyptian history
34:17and the end
34:18of the solar time
34:19and the sun king's era
34:20now the dominant god
34:22is Osiris
34:23and the king
34:24wants to be
34:24assimilated to Osiris
34:25this is evidently
34:27the beginning
34:27of a new phase
34:28of Egyptian history.
34:35Unis dies
34:35without a male
34:36heir
34:37and the fifth
34:38dynasty ends
34:39now only
34:41remembered
34:41through its
34:42family necropolis.
34:49Egypt's great
34:50dynasties
34:51come and go
34:51over the millennia
34:52but the pyramids
34:54they build
34:54remain.
34:55They are ancient
34:56engineering wonders.
34:59Cedric believes
35:00the ruins
35:01at Abu Sir
35:01hold one
35:02final mystery
35:03that could
35:04unlock secrets
35:05of all
35:06the pyramids
35:07in Egypt.
35:08Why is the necropolis
35:09built here
35:10in this exact location?
35:13Can an aerial
35:14investigation
35:14shine new light
35:16on Egypt's
35:16underlying obsession
35:18with the sun?
35:28Abu Sir
35:30this ancient
35:31necropolis
35:32charts the rise
35:33and fall
35:34of Egypt's
35:35sun kings.
35:37Cedric Gobet
35:38believes
35:39one final mystery
35:40remains to be
35:41solved here
35:41more than
35:424,000 years
35:43after this site
35:45is abandoned.
35:46He's on a mission
35:47to investigate
35:48why the pharaohs
35:49of the 5th dynasty
35:50build their
35:51eternal homes
35:52in this exact
35:53location.
35:55He thinks
35:55Abu Sir
35:56could be linked
35:57to the wider
35:58landscape
35:58of Egypt's
35:59most famous
36:00pyramids.
36:00The site of
36:01Abu Sir
36:02covers many acres.
36:04Walking through
36:05the pyramids
36:05doesn't give us
36:07that many clue
36:08and understanding
36:09of why this site
36:11has been built
36:11here, right?
36:12Between Giza
36:13and Saqqara.
36:14Abu Sir
36:15sits between
36:15Giza,
36:16home of the
36:17great pyramids,
36:18and Saqqara,
36:19where the first
36:20step pyramids
36:21are built.
36:24All three sites
36:25are on the Nile's
36:26west bank,
36:27where the sun
36:27sets.
36:29The ancient
36:30Egyptians
36:30believe this
36:31is where the
36:32dead can enter
36:32the underworld
36:33as the sun
36:34goes down.
36:37Cedric hunts
36:38for more clues
36:39about the precise
36:40position of each
36:41pyramid.
36:42I'm looking at
36:43a satellite image
36:45of the Cairo area
36:46and we can see
36:49clearly the pyramids
36:50of Giza
36:50and the pyramids
36:51of Abu Sir.
36:52And when we look
36:53at the pyramids
36:54of Giza,
36:55we know that they
36:55are facing
36:56in a particular
36:57direction,
36:58and the pyramids
36:59of Abu Sir
36:59are also facing
37:00in that same
37:01direction.
37:03The aerial evidence
37:05reveals that the
37:06northeast corners
37:07of the pyramids
37:08at Giza
37:08and Abu Sir
37:09all align
37:10in one particular
37:11direction.
37:13When you take
37:14these two lines,
37:15you see that
37:16they are converging
37:17in one particular
37:18spot.
37:25Cedric heads
37:2617 miles northeast
37:27to examine
37:28what lies
37:29at the point
37:30on the map
37:30where all the
37:31sight lines
37:32of the pyramids
37:33converge.
37:40He hopes to find
37:42ancient clues here
37:43that could reveal
37:44why the sun kings
37:45align their tombs
37:46to this point.
37:52This is remarkable,
37:54absolutely.
37:56Huge obelisk
37:58standing there
38:00since millennia.
38:02Wow.
38:05All the pyramid
38:06sides
38:07are pointing
38:08to that very spot.
38:12The pyramids
38:13at Abu Sir
38:14and Giza
38:14are all orientated
38:16to face
38:16this obelisk.
38:21Cedric scours
38:23the ruins
38:23around its base
38:24for clues
38:25to this iconic
38:26monument's purpose.
38:30Sitting right
38:31in front
38:31of the obelisk,
38:32we have here
38:33the depiction
38:33of the god
38:34Ra himself,
38:35easily recognizable
38:37with his falcon head
38:38carrying the sun
38:39disc above his head.
38:42The evidence
38:43suggests this location
38:45has special meaning
38:46for the sun kings
38:47and the sun god Ra.
38:50Looking at
38:51the inscriptions,
38:52it was built
38:53roughly around
38:541950 B.C.
38:56Clearly,
38:56this is an ancient
38:57place,
38:59and the name
39:00of this place
39:01is Heliopolis,
39:02the city of the sun.
39:05Heliopolis,
39:06the sun city,
39:08is the birthplace
39:09of the world.
39:10It's one of Egypt's
39:12oldest cities,
39:13the old capital
39:14of Lower Egypt.
39:16It's also ancient Egypt's
39:18great religious center.
39:21And this granite colossus
39:23at its heart
39:24is the oldest surviving
39:26obelisk in the world.
39:29The sun was born here,
39:31and an obelisk
39:33is the perfect symbol
39:34of this sun.
39:36Like when you're a child,
39:38you draw a sun, right?
39:39You have a circle
39:40with all the rays around.
39:42Well, actually,
39:43the obelisk
39:43is just a petrified
39:45ray of sunlight.
39:46This is what
39:47it symbolizes.
39:50Clearly,
39:51there was a temple
39:52of the sun
39:53right here.
39:54So,
39:54Ra,
39:55the god Ra,
39:56one of the most important
39:57of ancient Egypt,
39:59he was worshipped here.
40:00And this place
40:02must have been
40:03unique to the ancient Egyptians,
40:05because in their minds,
40:06this was the place
40:07where creation started.
40:10This is the place
40:11where the world
40:12was born.
40:14The sun kings
40:16of the 5th dynasty
40:17hold Heliopolis
40:18in especially high regard.
40:20What links
40:21these kings
40:22to this place
40:23is actually
40:24this is the place
40:25where the sun
40:27was being reborn
40:28every day.
40:29So,
40:30these kings
40:30were also being reborn
40:32like the sun
40:33forever.
40:39Abu Sir,
40:40an enigmatic
40:41necropolis filled
40:43with pyramids,
40:44elaborate mortuary
40:45temples,
40:46and sun temples.
40:48An ancient site
40:50that sees the rise
40:51of the sun kings,
40:53where the pharaohs
40:54rule as gods
40:55with the cult of Ra.
40:57Until its collapse
40:59and fall
40:59to the cult
41:00of Osiris,
41:01god of the underworld.
41:04A site
41:05of amazing discoveries
41:06and home
41:07to a dynasty
41:08of kings
41:09who promote
41:09themselves
41:10with extravagant
41:11events
41:11and costly rituals
41:13at the expense
41:14of the state.
41:16A site
41:17where an emerging
41:18class of elite officials
41:19attain high status
41:21and compete
41:22with the pharaohs
41:22for wealth,
41:23power,
41:24and a place
41:25in eternity
41:25and transform
41:27ancient Egypt
41:28forever.
41:29evermore.
41:31The modern
42:00We'll be back.
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