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00:02Meroe, Sudan.
00:04Strange pyramids rise out from the golden desert sands.
00:09Meroe is evocative. It's awe-inspiring.
00:12This forgotten landscape is almost all that remains of a lost civilization.
00:19The Kingdom of Kush.
00:21The Kingdom of Kush is one of the great success stories of ancient Africa.
00:26Who are the mysterious people of Kush?
00:30Why do they build these strange pyramids in the desert?
00:342,000 miles from the heart of ancient Egypt.
00:40Oh, wow. This is really amazing to see.
00:44Now, archaeologists use ancient technology to reconstruct the Kushites' greatest monuments.
00:50This is a serious test. Hopefully it will work.
00:52And explore the tombs and temples of Egypt to investigate their rise to become pharaohs.
01:00Something that no one else had.
01:01The Kushites take control of Egypt.
01:03To discover the secrets of this lost civilization,
01:07we'll deconstruct their mysterious desert pyramids,
01:11explore hidden tombs,
01:14unearth their buried treasure,
01:15and reveal how the lost kings of Kush conquer and rule all Egypt.
01:30Meroe, Sudan.
01:33The remains of a city lie abandoned for almost 2,000 years.
01:41Seeing the magical pyramids of Meroe emerging out of the desert nothingness is an absolutely astonishing sight.
01:48The mysterious pyramids seem to echo the ancient landscapes of Egypt.
01:56But these steep sided structures are built over 2,000 years after the great pyramids at Giza.
02:04They belong to the kings of a people who live thousands of miles from Egypt.
02:11The Kushites, an ancient black African civilization.
02:15Kush was a kingdom of huge achievements in which there were more pyramids built than there were in Egypt.
02:26Standing tall at Meroe,
02:29these elegant structures have steep sides pitched up to 81 degrees.
02:39Though in ruins today, in the 3rd century BC, they are perfect pyramids.
02:46Some towering 100 feet tall,
02:48with decorated gateways at the front depicting kings and queens.
02:54Painted with bold colors, over 200 spread across the landscape.
03:00Why do the Kushites build pyramids 1,000 miles from Egypt
03:03and 1,000 years after the Egyptians stopped building them?
03:10Egyptologist Chris Naughton has studied Meroe for over a decade.
03:15He thinks there's a connection between these striking structures
03:20and the birthplace of the pyramids, ancient Egypt.
03:24Egypt is one of the richest countries in the world, archaeologically.
03:28And it tells us huge amounts about the peoples who lived around Egypt,
03:32how the Egyptians interacted with them.
03:37His investigation starts 1,000 miles north of Meroe,
03:41at the ancient necropolis of Deir el-Medina.
03:50Here, Chris believes he can trace links between Egypt and Meroe.
03:57Oh, wow.
04:03This is really amazing to see.
04:07Small pyramid-shaped constructions sit at the entrance to the tombs.
04:14Though restored today, their foundations date to 1,300 years before the Meroe pyramids.
04:22What's really striking about it is how similar it is to the pyramids of Meroe,
04:27with these much steeper sides than the ones that we see somewhere like Giza.
04:32And then this monumental doorway here, and we see those in Meroe as well.
04:39Chris thinks that these Kushite structures share their function with the pyramids of Deir el-Medina.
04:49They serve as gateways to tombs cut into the mountain.
04:55When Meroe is first excavated, hidden sections below ground are recorded in the archaeological plans.
05:02There's a descending staircase cut into the ground,
05:06and then underneath, a set of burial compartments.
05:10So all together, the function of the pyramid and subterranean chamber is as a tomb.
05:17The pyramids at Deir el-Medina are strikingly similar to the Kushite monuments.
05:23Could this just be a coincidence?
05:30Clues could lie within these strange structures.
05:36Each pyramid at Meroe starts with an infill of earth and rubble,
05:41piling up around a wooden pole buried in the middle.
05:45Two layers of sandstone blocks make up the outer walls
05:50that stand 30 degrees steeper than any Egyptian pyramid.
05:55A carved capstone finishes the top.
06:00Two layers of plaster give a smooth finish.
06:03Many are painted bold colors.
06:06And some decorated with striking star designs.
06:13Can the techniques used to build them reveal a Kushite connection with Egypt?
06:20Adol Kalani is an expert in Kushite construction.
06:25He thinks the methods used to achieve the pyramid's tall, thin design
06:30reveals a direct link with ancient Egypt.
06:35At his sandstone quarry workshop, he designs and builds a model to investigate.
06:42This is the pyramid.
06:43And as you can see, it is very steep sides.
06:46It's easy to build the lower part.
06:49The lower part, they can put courses after courses until to reach this elevation.
06:53This is very difficult for them actually to reach the upper part of the pyramid.
06:58To solve the problem, Adol thinks the Kushites use a piece of ancient Egyptian technology
07:03that dates back thousands of years before Meroe is built.
07:09If he's right, it could be proof that the Kushite engineers have a direct connection with Egypt.
07:15I think the solution was building a Shadoof.
07:19A Shadoof is a counter-balanced crane-like device used to haul water for irrigation.
07:28The wooden shaft discovered at Meroe could be a clue that the Kushites adapted to build pyramids.
07:37But can this simple wooden device lift huge blocks of sandstone?
07:42To investigate, Adol's team loads his replica Shadoof with a 90-pound rock.
07:48Using the counterbalance, the men lift the first stone with ease.
07:53Good. Perfect.
07:55And set it in position.
07:59But the capstones that complete the pyramids can weigh over 150 pounds.
08:05Can the wooden Shadoof lift a stone this heavy?
08:08This is a serious test for the Shadoof now with the heavy stone.
08:12So the worst thing that can happen, one of the wooden beams might be broken.
08:18And that Shadoof might collapse.
08:21Hopefully it will work.
08:25The men pull down on the counterbalance and lift the huge stone into the air.
08:32Higher, higher, higher. Yeah, yeah. Perfect.
08:36It's okay, a little bit, a little bit. Perfect.
08:40The stone is safely lowered into place.
08:45In just 10 minutes, Adol's team lift three blocks of heavy sandstone into place at the top of the pyramid.
08:54Their modification of the Shadoof design suggests the Kushite engineers have direct links to ancient Egypt.
09:01There are workmen moving from place to another place.
09:04They transfer their knowledge and techniques to the Kushite culture.
09:13The Kushite workers pile up rubble and sand and cover it with sandstone blocks
09:19to build the bottom half of the pyramid.
09:24Then they use a Shadoof as a crane to haul the heavy stones up to the top and finish each
09:31pyramid with ease.
09:35To hide the Shadoof, they cut off the tip and cover it with an ornate carved capstone.
09:45With this ingenious technique, the Kushites build over 200 steep-sided pyramids, more than the Egyptians in their entire history.
09:56The pyramids of Meroe have a striking design that has its roots in ancient Egypt.
10:03Evidence of links between these great African civilizations.
10:08But why do the Kushites build pyramids at Meroe 1,000 years after the Egyptians stopped building them?
10:16Is there more to their relationship than just an imitation of Egyptian architecture?
10:21Treasures from inside the Meroe pyramids could reveal a shocking period of violence when the two civilizations come face to
10:29face.
10:43The pyramids of Meroe.
10:46Stunning remains of a lost African civilization.
10:51The Kushites.
10:54Built using ancient technology pioneered 1,000 miles away in Egypt.
10:59They are evidence of a connection between their builders and the mighty Egyptians.
11:06But where does this relationship begin?
11:10Can its origins shed light on why the Kushites build Egyptian-style pyramids?
11:16Clues could lie with an astonishing discovery beneath the ruins of Meroe.
11:26Hidden deep under the pyramid are two chambers.
11:31Carved into the sandstone.
11:36In the back room is a burial chest.
11:40Inside, the treasures of Kushite queen Amani Shaketo.
11:46Priceless gold jewelry.
11:48Beautifully detailed bracelets.
11:51And over a dozen gold signet rings.
11:55With intricate images reflecting the queen's power.
12:01Can the gold hordes of Meroe reveal a connection between Kush and Egypt?
12:13To hunt for clues, Chris Naughton investigates an ancient tomb in Luxor.
12:25This incredibly beautiful scene shows a series of people, and they're identified by their appearance, by the black color of
12:34the skin that some of them have, and also by the inscriptions.
12:37And these people include here chiefs of Kush.
12:42Painted 1,000 years before Meroe is built, this is one of the earliest images of Kushites in Egypt.
12:49All these people are bringing various different commodities towards something further down the scene.
12:55So, for example, we have cattle here, there's even a giraffe, and this group here is bringing something very special
13:03on these trays.
13:04These are rings of solid gold.
13:08Hundreds of gold bars and rings are painted in the scene.
13:133,000 years ago, gold is one of the most sought after substances in ancient Egypt.
13:18It's pretty clear that there was a huge quantity of gold coming from the south into Egypt.
13:26The gold trade helps fund the growth of the Kushite civilization.
13:31Chris thinks Egypt's greed for gold brings it closer to Kush.
13:35Control of gold, control of trade in gold, was a key factor in the expanding relationship between Egypt and Kush.
13:44Through the gold trade, Kush is introduced to the wonders of Egyptian civilization.
13:50Like the royal pyramid burial sites at Giza and Saqqara.
13:58But gold alone can't have inspired the Kushites to build pyramids.
14:04Countless civilizations trade with Egypt, but none copy their iconic structures.
14:09And there are signs that the relationship between Kush and Egypt has a dark side.
14:15All this gold is being brought to this figure who stands inside this shrine with a frieze of cobras at
14:23the top.
14:24The gold here is also an offering to a higher power.
14:30The image is badly damaged, but this is one of the most important figures of ancient Egypt.
14:36We in fact know from inscriptions elsewhere in the tomb that this is King Tutankhamun.
14:42It's believed Tutankhamun's burial treasure is made from Kushite gold used to make his sarcophagus and funerary mask.
14:52Centuries before Tutankhamun rules Egypt, Kushites strike gold in the banks of the Nile.
15:03With its new found wealth, Kush builds a powerful army of skilled archers.
15:14Egypt builds 14 forts along the Kushite border on the Nile to station troops and control the gold trade.
15:25And in the 16th century BC, Pharaoh Thutmose I conquers the Kush and takes all their gold.
15:36In the years after he invades, signs of an even more sinister side to Egypt appear.
15:44Kushite expert Pierce Paul Creasman investigates the great temple of Abu Simbel in Aswan.
15:52He thinks there's evidence here of the true nature of Kush's relationship with Egypt.
15:58When you see this, you can't help but be awestruck.
16:01It's incredible.
16:03Ramses the great choosing to build a temple here on the border with Kush is a statement piece.
16:11Among the lavish decorations are images of Kushites bound together.
16:20Inside the temple, the king himself is depicted violently punishing his Kushite captives.
16:28Here we have Ramses the great, rearing back, holding a mace, ready to strike his captives, holding them in his
16:34other hand.
16:35It's showing the forthcoming action if people don't get in line.
16:40But Pierce Paul thinks behind this show of strength, a very different message can be deciphered.
16:46Why does anybody intimidate anyone else?
16:49Maybe because there's a little bit of fear, concern about the rise of their southern neighbor.
16:54Abu Simbel is designed to remind Kush of Egypt's dominance.
17:02But if Kush is reduced to an Egyptian colony, why do its people imitate the pyramids of their tyrannical overlords?
17:13Could mysterious artifacts on Earth at Meroe reveal how Kushites go from prisoners to invaders?
17:33The ancient ruins of the Meroe pyramids in Sudan.
17:38The spectacular architectural legacy of the Kushites.
17:43To find out why they build them, experts are investigating links between Kush and the birthplace of ancient pyramids, Egypt.
17:52But in the 13th century BC, Kush is a colony ruled by the Egyptian pharaoh.
18:00What changes make Kush adopt the architecture of its overlords?
18:05A clue could lie inside a pyramid at Meroe.
18:10Near the entrance, investigators unearth a strange statue, a bird with a human head.
18:19believed to keep the spirit of the dead alive in the afterlife.
18:24And deeper inside the chamber, a stone offering table with mysterious symbols carved around the edge.
18:36In the center, two gods of the dead pouring liquid offerings into the Earth.
18:47A powerful symbol of Kushite worship of the natural environment.
18:55Offering tables lay in the tombs.
18:58They're an essential aspect of this deal between humanity and the gods to maintain order.
19:03Evidence is emerging that the Kushite prayers are answered.
19:08Pierce Paul Creaseman thinks that the natural world helps Kush flip the power balance with Egypt.
19:14Offerings were often about ensuring fertility.
19:17Trying to ensure that the annual floods came.
19:20The annual floods probably play an important role in the rising Kush.
19:25The Nile is crucial for Kush and Egypt.
19:28Their power and wealth depend on its annual flood.
19:32To investigate this life-giving resource, Pierce Paul disembarks at a riverbank where the trees record fertility year after year.
19:41He uses an increment borer to examine the growth of a tree.
19:46This is a core from the tree.
19:47It's very faint, but you can just see some darker and lighter bands.
19:51Pierce Paul marks up the different bands.
19:54In the case of trees right by the edge of the Nile, it's telling us about how much water is
19:58available to them.
20:00A thicker growth band means the tree has absorbed more water.
20:05In ancient Egypt, the water supply is dictated by the annual floods.
20:10The annual floods were the lifeblood of ancient Egypt and Kush.
20:14Each year, the floods came down and redeposited new silt and water.
20:18They overflowed the banks of the Nile and allowed people to plant a much broader area of the land.
20:26To monitor the progress of this critical natural process, the ancient Egyptians invent an ingenious device called a nilometer.
20:36At Elephantine Island in the Aswan region, Pierce Paul investigates a nilometer that dates back over 3,000 years.
20:45Built into the riverbank, it's a hidden staircase that disappears into the Nile waters.
20:51So here we're at the bottom of the nilometer right now.
20:54As the water is lapping against the wall, you can see exactly where it changes.
20:59Marks cut into the walls are used to measure the height of the river.
21:05People could measure whether or not it was going to be a good harvest, hoping, praying for the waters to
21:10rise.
21:12When flood waters in Egypt are critically low, a bad harvest can hit the economy hard, giving Kush a chance
21:20to strike back at their oppressors.
21:22A series of lower floods would create a situation like a chaos for the Egyptians.
21:27If there isn't enough food to feed everybody, power structures start weakening.
21:32And we see that in the years leading up to the rise of the Kush.
21:35In the 12th century BC, the waters of the Nile are extremely low.
21:41Central Egypt's power weakens.
21:461,000 miles south, Kush is unaffected by the chaos.
21:51In Kush, the floodplains are smaller and there are fewer people.
21:55So the level of the flood is perhaps less critical in any given year than it would have been in
22:01Egypt.
22:02It would have been a really golden opportunity for them to have a resurgence and a rebirth.
22:09The forces of nature finally give Kush an opportunity to break free of Egyptian rule.
22:17But Egypt is still a more powerful civilization than Kush.
22:24How can the Kushites take on the imperial might of Egypt?
22:29Pierce Paul visits the Antiquities Museum in Cairo, the world's greatest collection of Egyptian archaeological treasures.
22:38He examines a stele carved in honor of Pianki, a black African Kushite who wants to end Egypt's rule over
22:46Kush.
22:47This is an essential document.
22:49For hundreds of years, Egypt had been fractured.
22:51This is the Kushite resurgence.
22:54These were chieftains.
22:56But they are bowing down at the feet of the king, demonstrating his power.
23:02The hieroglyphic code reveals a great Kushite uprising and how the Kush eventually conquer all of Egypt.
23:09It tells us that they were strong because they conquered major cities and centers in the ancient capitals of Egypt.
23:15This is the moment that the Kushite king overtook the Egyptians.
23:24In the 8th century BC, Pianki's archers march north, conquering much of the Nile Valley.
23:34Pianki takes control of Lower Egypt before leading his army north to the capital Memphis.
23:41Victory here means rule over all Egypt.
23:45Pianki, a Kushite king, conquers the land of the pyramids.
23:50But victory alone can't explain why Kushites build similar structures at Meroe.
23:56No other invaders of Egypt build pyramids.
24:00Why do the Kush do it?
24:02More clues could lie in shocking events that happen after the Kushites invade.
24:20The pyramids of Meroe have baffled archaeologists for centuries.
24:26Why do the Kushites build over 200 structures modeled on some of the most iconic buildings on the planet?
24:33The pyramids of Egypt.
24:35Could the answer lie in Egypt and Kush's volatile history of conquest and colonization?
24:44Chris Naunton looks for clues at the great temple of Karnak.
24:48The decoration in the inscriptions on these buildings allows us to read something of Egyptian history into what we're looking
24:55at here.
24:57Chris thinks evidence of a shocking Kushite impact here could provide clues to why they build the pyramids of Meroe.
25:07Among the remains of a building at the heart of the complex, he examines the hieroglyphic sign of one of
25:13Egypt's most surprising rulers.
25:16Even in a small temple, we can see royal names.
25:20And we can tell when we've got a royal name because hieroglyphic signs are enclosed in a name ring which
25:25we call a cartouche.
25:27That's exactly what we've got here.
25:29This is a very interesting name though.
25:30This is the name Taharqa.
25:32And Taharqa was a Kushite.
25:36Forty years after Piyanki invades, the Kushites consolidate their control of Egypt.
25:43But Taharqa is no ordinary Kushite.
25:46He changes Egypt forever.
25:53Taharqa leaves his mark on Karnak, the most important temple in Egypt.
26:03He builds colossal pillars at the entrance, with his name inscribed all over them.
26:12Alongside a sacred lake, he builds a grand new temple, with carvings depicting his divine status.
26:21Inside, he erects a sculpture of himself wearing two cobras on his headdress.
26:27Could this be a clue to why Kush built Egyptian-style pyramids at Meroe?
26:39To find out, Chris examines the intricate carvings of Taharqa up close.
26:44This is Taharqa, and he's wearing a cobra at his brow.
26:52But there's just the faint traces of a second one here.
26:56The second cobra is badly damaged, but the headdress reveals Taharqa's position here in Egypt.
27:04Only one person in the country had the privilege of wearing the cobra at the brow here.
27:10This is clearly the image of a pharaoh.
27:15Taharqa, a Kushite, is a black pharaoh of Egypt.
27:23And wearing two cobras could be a clue that he is more powerful than any other pharaoh before him.
27:29It's possible each of these represents the idea of their having ruled over two kingdoms, both Kush and Egypt.
27:40Ruling over both peoples, Taharqa combines the two territories, merging them into one huge kingdom.
27:513,500 years ago, Kush is a small independent kingdom that sits along the banks of the Nile.
28:01By the time of Taharqa, his two kingdoms stretch almost 2,000 miles, ruling more of the Great Nile Valley
28:09than anyone before him.
28:13Chris explores the temple complex.
28:16He finds evidence of other Kushite pharaohs with the double cobra.
28:20It's proof that Taharqa is not the only Kushite pharaoh.
28:24In fact, there were five Kushites who became kings of Egypt.
28:29So this was an entire dynasty of Kushites ruling as pharaoh in Egypt.
28:35It's an extraordinary reversal of fortunes for Kush and Egypt.
28:40Pionki's invasion marks the beginning of over a century of Kushite rule.
28:45They become known as the kings of the 25th dynasty, the black pharaohs of Egypt.
28:52The Kushites had a constant, ever-changing, and at times very dramatic relationship with Egypt.
28:58By the time they became pharaohs themselves, they were already Egyptianized.
29:04The Kush rule the land of the pyramids, but don't build their pyramids then and there.
29:13Why do they build them 500 years later and 1,000 miles away in Meroe?
29:19Their fate in Egypt could finally reveal the answers.
29:24Shocking discoveries at the heart of ancient Luxor could be evidence of a catastrophic change in fortunes for the black
29:31pharaohs.
29:45In the 8th century BC, Kushite pharaohs rule all of Egypt.
29:51So why did they leave to build pyramids 1,000 miles away at Meroe?
29:58Answers could lie in the ultimate fate of the Kushite kings.
30:03To investigate, Chris Naunton has come to the great temple of Karnak in Egypt.
30:09Here, traces of the black pharaoh dynasty still remain.
30:13In a temple at the edge of the complex, he examines the carved image of Shabitko, the second Kushite pharaoh
30:21to rule Egypt.
30:22This is an image of pharaoh, and again, it's an image of a king looking very distinctively Kushite.
30:30A double cobra at the brow, and one of those cobras is quite well preserved.
30:36The other one's not much more of a shadow, but what that tells us is that that's been deliberately hacked
30:40away.
30:42Chris thinks this is evidence of a turn against the Kushite kings.
30:46They were not Egyptians. They were outsiders at this time.
30:50They'd lost control of Egypt. They reverted to being Egypt's enemy again,
30:54and that's perhaps why later pharaohs wanted to remove all memory of there ever having been Kushite kings in Egypt,
31:00by removing this distinctive feature, this second cobra.
31:04And this is really a very, very striking moment in Egyptian history.
31:09The destroyed cobra symbolizes the end of Kushite rule over Egypt.
31:15But it's not the Egyptians that stripped them of the crown.
31:21The Kushite pharaohs fall at the hands of a powerful ruler from the east,
31:27King Esarhaddon of Assyria.
31:32The Assyrian king conquers the Kush with his huge army,
31:37bringing Kushite rule in Egypt to an end.
31:44The Assyrians rule for just 12 years,
31:46but they force the Kushites 800 miles south back out of Egypt into Kush territory.
31:55But even their homeland can't offer the Kush safety.
32:01Pierce Paul Creaseman thinks a new force pushes them further south to Meroe.
32:07At the great temple of Abu Simbel on the ancient border with Egypt,
32:12he tracks down the identity of Kush's latest enemy.
32:16Just under the left knee of Ramses the Great,
32:19you can see a Greek inscription.
32:21It's actually a graffiti.
32:23It tells us about the exploits of mercenaries sent down by the king, Samtech II.
32:31Samtech II is a new pharaoh who rules Egypt after his father expels the Assyrians.
32:39Pierce Paul thinks this graffiti is evidence of a new Egyptian invasion of Kush.
32:46The proof is in the ancient name the Egyptians used to describe enemies from the south.
32:52The people of the Ninebos.
32:55The Ninebos are a representation, a way of talking about the enemy.
32:59This graffiti specifically mentions the Ninebos as the enemy that needs to be tended.
33:05There's no question that this talks about a combined Egyptian and mercenary army being sent by the pharaoh into the
33:11land of the Kush.
33:14On the island of Kalabshad near Aswan, a record of the battle is preserved on a stone carving.
33:22Pierce Paul decodes the hieroglyphic story cut into the granite.
33:28In this section, it's saying the king is strong and successful, strong of arm, and he who smites the people
33:36of the Ninebos.
33:37It tells us that he brought back 4,200 captives, not one of them escaping, and waited in their blood
33:43as water.
33:46In the 6th century BC, Pharaoh Samtec II's army descends on Kush, forcing its people 200 miles south to Meroe.
33:58Here, the Kush build a new capital, complete with beautiful palaces, temples, and pyramids.
34:09Kush's relationship with Egypt develops over 3,000 years.
34:14They rise to rule Egypt, adopting the pharaohonic way of life and way of death.
34:22The Kushite pyramids at Meroe can be seen as symbols of their adaption of Egyptian civilization.
34:32After Egypt eventually collapses, Meroe survives as the last bastion of this iconic ancient culture.
34:40Kushite civilization thrives at Meroe for 650 years.
34:46By 350 AD, the kingdom of Kush disappears completely.
34:51What wipes it out?
34:56Mysterious artifacts unearthed from an ancient chapel could reveal how Kush meets its end.
35:16The Kushites are forced out of Egypt to rule the greatest empire in the ancient world.
35:16At their peak, the Kushites rise from the shadows of Egypt to rule the greatest empire in the ancient world.
35:24But 100 years after their conquest, the Kush are forced out of Egypt.
35:30They construct a new capital at Meroe, building over 200 iconic Egypt-inspired pyramids.
35:39But by 350 AD, the Kushites vanish from history.
35:45What destroys the once powerful Kushites?
35:48A clue could lie in a strange building nestling among the Kushite pyramids.
35:55Hidden in the ruins of a Christian church, archaeologists make a surprising find.
36:04The stone slabs that line the central aisle have intriguing carvings.
36:10They depict Kushite rulers making offerings to the gods.
36:16With lines and lines of a mysterious Kushite language.
36:22These are sacred steles, once belonging to a Kushite pyramid.
36:29So what are these Kushite artifacts doing on the floor of a Christian church?
36:39To investigate, Pierce Paul Creaseman explores a temple on the island of Kalabshah in Aswan.
36:47On a wall of the temple, he finds a carving that could explain the end of the kingdom of Kush.
36:54It depicts Silco, a king of what was Kush.
36:59He wears Roman armor and sits astride a horse.
37:03What we can see in the iconography here is change.
37:07This is Silco adopting something like Roman-type regalia.
37:11And then looking up in the corner, anointing this king is something that looks very familiar to us.
37:17Look at the wings on his back.
37:19We'd call that an angel.
37:21This is very early Christian iconography.
37:24It's a major shift from the Kushite world to the Christian world.
37:32Rome invades Kush in the first century AD.
37:35The Kush become Romanized.
37:39When the Roman Empire becomes Christian in the fourth century AD,
37:43its client kings, like Silco, become Christian too.
37:48If Silco represents the introduction of Christianity after the fall of Kush,
37:53it helps to explain why we see, at all of these Kushite sites,
37:58reuse of the Kushite monuments and blocks being built into new Christian churches.
38:03By the time that Silco lived and ruled, Kush was no more.
38:10As Christianity sweeps through Africa, the sacred pyramids of Kush are ransacked and abandoned.
38:18Many of the iconic structures stand for thousands of years.
38:22Yet today, they lie in ruins.
38:26What finally destroys these once proud monuments?
38:32Over thousands of years, sandstorms erode the weaker pyramids.
38:38But a hidden force must be responsible for the destruction of the remaining structures.
38:45At his quarry workshop, Adil Kaleni looks for clues among the photographic archives of Meroe.
38:52Curious marks on sandstone blocks found among the pyramids could be evidence of malicious human activity.
38:59In Meroe sites, they found many blocks like that, bearing very interesting evidence showing two lines of twelve holes.
39:10And the main interpretation for this feature is our game board for a playing game.
39:17The two rows of opposing holes suggest that this game is played for centuries.
39:24To investigate, Adil chisels out a sandstone block.
39:27You just put stones in these holes to play a strategy game between two persons sitting in front of each
39:36other.
39:36And they call it Mangala.
39:39Mangala is a game known to be played by soldiers on expeditions to Sudan in the 19th century.
39:46Their presence could be proof that the pyramids of Meroe are looted.
39:51Playing games, that means they're staying a long time there.
39:54And staying a long time, that means they are working there.
39:57Could be looking for a treasure there.
40:01On an expedition in 1834, Italian treasure hunter Giuseppe Ferlini is known to have visited Meroe with a unit of
40:10soldiers.
40:12His excavation notes reveal a scandal that many believe leads to the obliteration of the final pyramids at Meroe.
40:22In search of gold, Ferlini destroys the top of Queen Amani Shiketo's pyramid.
40:30And finds nothing.
40:33Then he discovers a tomb beneath the pyramid.
40:37And inside it, the queen's body covered in gold.
40:44After looting the treasure, Ferlini sets up a false trail, declaring that he found gold in the pyramid itself.
40:55Treasure hunters rip down the remaining pyramids, destroying a 2,000-year-old necropolis.
41:06The pyramids of Meroe are a window on their creators.
41:10A people who build a great civilization and conquer all of Egypt.
41:15The kingdom of Kush is a hugely powerful kingdom, important politically, mighty militarily, great in building achievements.
41:23It really deserves to be much better known.
41:28The people of Kush are master engineers, who build a landscape of mysterious pyramids, funded by a pioneering gold trade.
41:41Through a dramatic relationship with ancient Egypt, they become rulers of the greatest civilization on the planet.
41:50As the black pharaohs of Egypt.
41:53The Kushites.
41:56Africa's great lost civilization.
41:59So, you can come change.
42:00For the lack of vision.
42:03We can be inactive divisions.
42:03Theエンジacağımigs or texts?
42:03On its own.
42:10For the lack ofrition.
42:20The firstcher.
42:21For the law, Zelda's richrei.
42:23The Naism acum.
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