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00:03This week, join me as I explore one of archaeology's most enduring mysteries.
00:08Who built these incredible structures?
00:11Was it really the ancient Egyptians?
00:13Or could these be the legacy of a lost civilization?
00:16To get to the truth, I'll go deep inside the greatest pyramid on Earth,
00:20then descend far below the first pyramid ever built.
00:24I'll explore evidence some say proves the Sphinx is twice as old as previously thought.
00:30We're digging for the truth, and we're going to extremes to do it.
00:46Hi, I'm Josh Bernstein, and this is Cairo.
00:52With over 20 million people, it's one of the largest cities in the world.
00:58And for over 1,000 years, it's also been one of the greatest.
01:04It's easy to see why.
01:06With this beautiful architecture and bustling market, people have been drawn here for centuries.
01:12Walking around the market, the city feels ancient.
01:15But it's not.
01:17When Cairo was founded in 970 A.D., civilization had already existed in Egypt for over 4,000 years.
01:28And the greatest evidence of this is pretty hard to miss.
01:37The pyramids are the last remaining wonder of the ancient world.
01:41Today, they rise out of the desert literally on the very edge of Cairo,
01:45smack up against the encroaching sprawl of suburban Giza.
01:51To get to the pyramids, I decide to make the trip the old-fashioned way,
01:54through the desert on the back of a camel.
01:59I've seen thousands of pictures of the pyramids,
02:01but you really don't get a sense of how huge they are until you're actually here in person.
02:05I think to get the best view, though, you've got to get up close.
02:09It's up close that I hope to get to the bottom of where these incredible monuments came from.
02:17Archaeologists say the Egyptian pharaohs used thousands of workers
02:20over several decades to build these monuments as giant mausoleums around 2550 B.C.
02:27But not everyone agrees.
02:29There are some who claim that they're actually far older
02:32and that the pharaohs aren't the ones who built them at all.
02:40You're going to see the Great Pyramids.
02:41This is definitely the best way to do it.
02:43Thanks, Abibi.
02:49John Van Auken of the Association for Research and Enlightenment
02:53is definitely not an archaeologist.
02:55His theories of who built the pyramids
02:57are very different from the mainstream archaeological view.
03:01This is it.
03:02This is it.
03:03The Great Pyramid.
03:04The Great Pyramid of Giza.
03:06Can we go up?
03:06John insists that the origins of the pyramids
03:09go back over 12,000 years to 10,500 B.C.
03:15His beliefs are rooted in the work
03:17of the renowned American theorist Edgar Cayce,
03:20who early in the 20th century reinvigorated interest
03:23in the mythical lost civilization of Atlantis.
03:26It was his belief that not only did this highly sophisticated
03:30civilization once exist,
03:32but that the pyramids are its legacy.
03:38According to John,
03:39the continent of Atlantis sank in a cataclysm
03:42of violent earthquakes and floods
03:43over 12,000 years ago.
03:49Refugees fleeing from the destruction
03:50settled in Egypt,
03:52carrying with them the technical skills
03:53and wisdom of their advanced civilization.
03:57Mourning their vanished land,
03:59they constructed the pyramids
04:00as a grand monument to commemorate its loss.
04:04You're telling me this is built 10,500 B.C.?
04:07Yeah.
04:07What's your proof?
04:08Much of what we have is myth, legend,
04:11and some circumstantial evidence.
04:13Some of the circumstantial evidence we have, though,
04:16is pretty powerful
04:18and has to be considered
04:19in the overall thought about the dating of this place.
04:22Okay, give me some circumstantial evidence.
04:24Well, just, we're sitting on the...
04:27Mountain of evidence.
04:27A mountain of evidence
04:28of high technology and skill
04:31to build something this amazing.
04:34Could the Egyptians have built this?
04:36No.
04:37The stones are too large.
04:39They're too perfectly cut,
04:41too perfectly put together.
04:43Aspects of this pyramid
04:45are just too phenomenal
04:46to leave to a primitive group
04:48of that period of time.
04:50Whereas the archaeological community...
04:51the technical skills necessary
04:53to build the pyramids
04:54were beyond the abilities
04:55of the ancient Egyptians at the time.
04:57To him,
04:58an achievement this grand
05:00required a knowledge and expertise
05:02that only the sophisticated Atlanteans
05:04could have possessed
05:05and that it had been lost
05:06by the time of the pharaohs.
05:09What else?
05:09What other things
05:10about the way these pyramids
05:11have been built
05:12indicate that it was
05:13a highly advanced culture?
05:14The star alignment
05:15with constellation Orion,
05:17you'll notice they're built one
05:19and then the second one
05:20directly in line with this one
05:22and then the third one offline.
05:24Exactly how the star
05:25and the belt of Orion is arranged.
05:27The two stars in direct alignment
05:29and the third one off.
05:31Many other monuments
05:33throughout the world
05:33are aligned with the stars.
05:36But what John says
05:37is that the orientation
05:38of the pyramids
05:39last matched Orion's belt
05:41perfectly in 10,500 B.C.,
05:45precisely the time
05:46the Atlanteans
05:47would have been building at Giza.
05:50Archaeologists, however,
05:51have carbon dated
05:52the pyramid's mortar
05:53to a much later period of time,
05:55the reign of the pharaoh Khufu,
05:57around 2550 B.C.
06:00John, what about physical proof?
06:02Archaeologists say
06:02that these dates
06:03are pretty fixed.
06:04One of the hardest pieces
06:05of evidence they have
06:06is the carbon dating.
06:08We, however, believe
06:09that when Khufu came here,
06:11this was already
06:12an ancient monument
06:14and he was repairing it.
06:16So the carbon dating
06:17is accurate,
06:18but they didn't actually
06:19build the pyramid then,
06:20they just fixed it up.
06:21They were repairing
06:22what was even to them
06:23a very ancient monument.
06:26Many archaeologists
06:28take offense
06:28at the suggestion
06:29that the ancient Egyptians
06:30were too primitive
06:31to have built the pyramids.
06:33Chief among them
06:34is Dr. Zahi Hawass,
06:36the Secretary General
06:37of Egypt's
06:37Supreme Council of Antiquities.
06:39Dr. Hawass has been
06:41excavating the Giza Plateau
06:42for over 25 years,
06:44and if anyone can tell me
06:45the archaeological story
06:46of the pyramids,
06:47it'll be him.
06:49I've just heard
06:50some interesting
06:51and some compelling theories
06:52about who built the pyramids
06:53and when.
06:54People like to make
06:55a speculation.
06:56They like to dream.
06:57Dr. Hawass has heard
06:59these theories before,
07:00and it soon becomes clear
07:01that he has little patience
07:02for them.
07:03That the archaeological evidence
07:05is enough to prove
07:06that the builders
07:07of the pyramids
07:08were the Egyptians.
07:10In his mind,
07:11archaeology leaves
07:12no doubts at all
07:12that it's the ancient Egyptians
07:14who deserve credit
07:15for building the pyramids.
07:16We never discovered
07:17any evidence
07:19about lost civilization.
07:21Nothing.
07:22Zero.
07:23Not far from his office,
07:25in the shadow of the pyramids
07:26is a series of tombs
07:28that he says
07:28was built for the workmen.
07:30Discovery of the tombs
07:32of the pyramid builders
07:33For archaeologists,
07:34this ancient cemetery
07:35is a critical piece
07:36of evidence linking
07:37the construction
07:38of the pyramids
07:39to Egyptian civilization.
07:40Look,
07:41they built their tombs
07:43from what's left over
07:44in building the pyramids.
07:45They saved chunks
07:47of limestone
07:47to save
07:48when they built
07:49the pyramid.
07:50And their parents,
07:51look at these tombs.
07:53These are the tombs
07:55of the workmen
07:55who actually
07:56moved the stones.
07:58The workmen...
07:59Zahi tells me
08:00that the workers
08:00who built the pyramids
08:01weren't slaves,
08:02as is commonly believed.
08:04Instead of paying taxes,
08:06Egypt's noble families
08:07provided laborers
08:08to the building projects
08:09in three-month shifts.
08:11If you look at
08:12all these tombs,
08:13from the study
08:14of every stone,
08:16we can really
08:16understand a lot.
08:18A lot about the workmen
08:20who built the pyramids.
08:21That can prove
08:21one important thing
08:22that they always say,
08:23that the pyramid
08:24was a national project.
08:26One of the difficulties
08:28in studying the pyramids
08:29is the general lack
08:30of inscriptions inside.
08:31Exactly.
08:32With no written clues
08:33about who built them
08:34and when,
08:35drawing definitive conclusions
08:37can be problematic.
08:39These tombs, however,
08:41helped to answer
08:42some of these questions.
08:43This man is...
08:44The people who were buried here
08:46did inscribe their tombs,
08:48leaving a record
08:49of their lives
08:50for archaeologists
08:51to piece together.
08:54You know,
08:54if you look at this hieroglyphic,
08:56it's called
08:57Sahaj Siru,
08:59like the inspector
08:59of the officials.
09:01Look.
09:01Look, Josh.
09:03That's his name
09:04in hieroglyphs.
09:07Wesser Ninesut.
09:09All these tombs
09:10that I will show you,
09:10it has titles
09:11of people like
09:12the overseer
09:13of the workmen
09:14who dragged the stones,
09:15the overseer
09:16of the sculptors,
09:17or the draftsmen,
09:19or the craftsmen.
09:19All of these are evidence
09:21to tell us
09:22that the builders
09:23of the pyramids
09:24were actually people
09:25like me and you.
09:27But their names
09:28aren't the only things
09:29they left behind.
09:30Josh,
09:30do you believe in the curse?
09:32I've heard about it.
09:33What, do you believe in it?
09:35I'd like not
09:36to get cursed,
09:37so sure.
09:37And that's exactly
09:38what I'm going to show you,
09:39a curse description
09:40that this man left her
09:42and is saying here,
09:44listen, all of you,
09:45if anyone will touch
09:46my tomb,
09:47he will be eaten
09:48by the crocodile,
09:51the hippo,
09:53and the lion.
09:55That's a curse.
09:56It's a curse.
09:58Now, the person
09:59who exhumed the body
10:00and studied the bones,
10:01was he eaten
10:02by a crocodile?
10:03No.
10:05Crocodiles can eat
10:06only those
10:07who believe
10:09in lost civilization.
10:10Okay.
10:12The base of the pyramid...
10:14Tomb inscriptions
10:15aren't the only things
10:16Zahi has to show me.
10:18He tells me
10:19there's even more evidence
10:20deep inside
10:21the Great Pyramid.
10:22It's hidden in a chamber
10:24that almost no one
10:25ever gets to see.
10:30Is this the original entrance?
10:32No.
10:32This entrance opened
10:34in the 9th century 18th
10:36when Ma'amun
10:37from the Arabian Nights
10:39came with his soldiers.
10:40They tried to enter
10:41the pyramid.
10:42They could not find
10:42the main entrance.
10:43Then they dug
10:44this entrance
10:45and they entered
10:47like us now.
10:48I feel like I'm traveling
10:49back in time,
10:50deep into the beginnings
10:51of human civilization.
10:53It's an amazing feeling.
10:55We still call this today
10:56the entrance of Ma'amun.
10:59Ma'amun.
11:00Ma'amun
11:00from the Arabian Nights.
11:02I'd always thought
11:03that the Arabian Nights
11:04was just a book
11:05of fairy tales.
11:06But if the hero
11:07of these stories
11:07was a real person,
11:09perhaps John Van Auken's
11:10theories are more
11:11than just mythology too.
11:17Zahi is leading me
11:18deep inside Khufu's pyramid
11:21through steep, narrow shafts
11:23literally built
11:23into the rock around him.
11:26with each step,
11:27the air gets more stifling
11:28and the stone walls
11:29more confiding.
11:35Ah, it's nice to stand up.
11:37Look at it,
11:38how it's dangerous to go up.
11:40Wow.
11:41Yeah.
11:41But it's an adventure.
11:43And we're going to see
11:44lots of evidence
11:45that the Egyptians
11:46were the pyramid builders.
11:50We're 200 feet
11:52into the pyramid
11:52and counting.
11:53on the trail
11:54of who really built it.
11:55Come here, look at this.
11:56Look at how perfectly
11:57cut that is.
11:57Oh, shh.
11:58Dr. Zahi Hawass
12:00is taking me
12:00to see evidence
12:01he says will put
12:02the question to rest
12:03once and for all.
12:10You're watching
12:10Digging for the Truth
12:11on the History Channel.
12:15I'm on a quest
12:16to find out
12:16who really built
12:17the mysterious pyramids
12:18of Giza.
12:19John Van Auken
12:20told me they're
12:21the legacy of Atlantis.
12:23Zahi Hawass
12:24says the evidence points
12:25to an Egyptian pharaoh.
12:28What's the real story?
12:30Dr. Hawass
12:31is taking me
12:31deep inside the pyramid
12:32looking for clues.
12:40We're now over
12:41450 feet
12:42into the pyramid
12:43and we've come
12:44to a tiny passage
12:45called the antechamber.
12:47When the pyramid
12:48was first built
12:49the antechamber
12:50was blocked off
12:51by three huge
12:52granite portcullises
12:53which were dropped
12:54into place
12:54to protect
12:55the pyramid's prize.
12:58The main burial chamber.
13:01The portcullises
13:03are now gone
13:03and simply
13:04by stooping over again
13:05Zahi and I
13:06are able to enter
13:07the king's chamber.
13:10Josh,
13:11this is actually
13:12the third burial chamber
13:15in the pyramid.
13:16It is built
13:17of granite.
13:18This whole room
13:19was carved.
13:20Each block
13:20is about
13:2116 tons weight.
13:23Can you imagine?
13:24Can you imagine
13:25just getting this stuff
13:25up here?
13:27From the ground level
13:29all the way up here.
13:30Look at that.
13:31Come here.
13:31Look at this.
13:33Look at the joints.
13:34Look at how perfectly
13:35cut that is.
13:36One thing is certain.
13:37Whoever did build this
13:39was incredibly skilled.
13:42But our goal
13:43is actually even higher
13:44than this burial chamber.
13:48Zahi is taking me
13:49to a closed off area
13:50of the pyramid
13:51that almost no one
13:52gets to see.
13:53Above the main
13:54burial chamber
13:55are a series of five rooms
13:57called the relieving chambers.
13:59It's here
14:00that he's going
14:01to show me graffiti
14:02he says
14:02was left
14:03by the pyramid builders
14:04themselves.
14:07To get to them,
14:08we have to crawl
14:09through a tiny shaft
14:10the workers cut
14:11to allow themselves
14:12a way out
14:12after their work
14:13was done.
14:15The shaft
14:16has been closed
14:16to visitors
14:17for many years
14:18and it's only
14:18with Zahi's
14:19special permission
14:20that we're able
14:21to enter.
14:29So people don't
14:29usually go up there?
14:30Never.
14:31I haven't been
14:32up there nine years now.
14:34Wow.
14:35The going isn't easy
14:37and I can see why
14:38visits here
14:38are so rare.
14:40Were the Egyptians
14:40small people?
14:41You need more training.
14:44Were they small?
14:45Were they little people?
14:45No, they were like us.
14:47One feet tall.
14:53March 30th, 1837.
14:56Wellington's chamber.
14:58These chambers
14:59were first entered
15:00by archaeologists
15:01in 1837
15:02when English explorers
15:03used gunpowder
15:04to blast their way in.
15:08Ah!
15:15Ah, much better.
15:31Are you all right?
15:33Yeah, I just, you know.
15:34Oh, this is Nelson's chamber.
15:36Yeah.
15:36Each chamber
15:37was called
15:38by an English explorer.
15:40Over the years,
15:42other visitors
15:42covered the walls
15:43and ceilings
15:44with their own marks
15:45until Egyptian authorities
15:47finally closed
15:48this part of the pyramid.
15:50But it isn't
15:5119th century graffiti
15:53that we're here to see.
15:55You know, Josh,
15:56we are in a place
15:57that no one else
15:59can enter.
16:00Really?
16:00You suffered, of course.
16:02That's a real adventure.
16:04That's a great adventure.
16:04But I want you to remember
16:06that pyramids
16:08of Dynasty 4
16:08were not inscribed
16:10because the trend
16:11of this period
16:12is to build
16:15massive...
16:15Other Egyptian tombs
16:17are elaborately decorated
16:18with hieroglyphs.
16:19But the pyramids of Giza
16:20have no artwork
16:21inside them
16:22to tell their story.
16:23The only writing
16:24to be found here
16:25is graffiti.
16:26You know,
16:27the ancient Egyptian
16:28divided the workmen
16:29to a crew
16:30consist of 2,000 workmen.
16:33Okay.
16:34And they divide the crew
16:35to two gangs.
16:37Each gang has a name
16:38and each gang
16:39has an overseer.
16:41And each gang...
16:42If some of the graffiti
16:43here was actually
16:44left behind
16:44by the workers
16:45who built the pyramids,
16:46this would be
16:47a huge clue
16:48about when they were
16:49really constructed
16:50and by whom.
16:52Lead on.
16:59This is where
17:00archaeology happens.
17:02Does it help
17:03if he grunts?
17:04Yeah.
17:05My fear.
17:07Ah!
17:12This is fun.
17:14Okay, show me.
17:14Give me, give me this.
17:15Here you go.
17:18If you see,
17:19this is the word
17:20for wa-o-hufu.
17:23You know,
17:23I will tell you something.
17:24People always say
17:25this could be written
17:27by the people
17:27who came here
17:28in the last two centuries.
17:30But you know,
17:30for me as an archaeologist,
17:32I can smell history.
17:35I can know
17:37that actually,
17:37if this has been written
17:39by a workman or not.
17:41And one other thing,
17:42in many stones,
17:43if we bring a mirror,
17:45you'll find
17:45that a graffiti
17:46like this
17:47has been left
17:48behind all the stones
17:50in the five chambers.
17:51Can I put this in here?
17:53You can.
17:53Now I don't have
17:54the necessary equipment
17:55to see all the way
17:56behind this stone.
17:57I can make out
17:58some markings
17:59with the small mirror
18:00I do have.
18:00This graffiti
18:02can be shown
18:03behind the stones,
18:04in front of the stones,
18:05but I will show you
18:06a big graffiti
18:07in the fifth chamber
18:08with the name
18:09of the gangs
18:10who built the pyramids.
18:11Upstairs.
18:13More attention.
18:16This could be
18:17the best evidence yet
18:18that ancient Egyptians
18:19were the ones
18:20who built the pyramid.
18:22If there's graffiti
18:23behind the stones,
18:25that means it could
18:25only have been written
18:26before the stones
18:27were put into place
18:28by the work gate.
18:30It's an exciting connection
18:32tying the pyramid
18:33to the reign of Khufu,
18:34circa 2550 B.C.
18:39Here in the uppermost
18:41relieving chamber,
18:42we're as high as anyone
18:43has ever been
18:44inside the pyramid.
18:46And could I really
18:47be about to see
18:48the equivalent
18:49of an artist
18:49signing his work?
18:51Look.
18:52That is the cartouche
18:55of Khufu.
18:56Khufu, the king.
18:57And this is the word
18:58in hieroglyphic means
19:00the gang
19:01who are the follower
19:03of Khufu.
19:04That was the name
19:05of the gang
19:06who built the pyramid.
19:07Then that name
19:10of the gang,
19:10it is written
19:11somewhere else.
19:12Where?
19:13In many graffitis
19:14around,
19:15not only inside
19:16the pyramid,
19:17but also outside
19:18that Egyptologists
19:19were able to reconstruct
19:20the administration
19:22of building the pyramid.
19:23But in my opinion,
19:24this is the most
19:25important thing,
19:27that the workmen
19:27who brought this
19:28story here actually
19:30are the gang,
19:31the followers
19:32of Khufu.
19:33And they signed it.
19:34And they signed it.
19:35That's great.
19:36Okay?
19:36Yeah.
19:37Okay.
19:37I will see you
19:38and we'll talk
19:39about more evidence
19:40about the ancient Egyptian.
19:42I'll see myself out?
19:43Yes.
19:43Okay.
19:43Okay, goodbye.
19:44No problem.
19:46Ah.
19:49Just five levels down
19:50and three ropes?
19:51Yeah.
19:52Okay.
19:52No problem.
19:53I'll just hang up here.
19:55Don't mind me.
19:57I can't believe my luck.
19:59Zahi has left me alone
20:00in the highest chamber
20:01of the pyramid,
20:02in a place no one's
20:03allowed to enter.
20:05Look at that.
20:06Around, I continue
20:07to be amazed
20:07by how incredible
20:08an achievement
20:09the pyramid is.
20:11This scene
20:11was so perfectly joined
20:13that it's shifted
20:14barely an inch
20:15over thousands of years.
20:17The whole pyramid
20:18is coming together
20:19around us
20:21and just creating
20:21this little chamber.
20:25It's a privilege
20:26to be here,
20:26to see the original
20:28hieroglyphs
20:28that the workers
20:29left their mark
20:29saying,
20:30we built this
20:31in a moment of pride.
20:32To see all the graffiti
20:33that was left here
20:34over the years.
20:38I'm amazed
20:40at the rough
20:42quality of the work here.
20:43Some of the joints
20:44that we saw coming up
20:46are perfect.
20:48Laser etched,
20:49just perfectly seen.
20:51And here,
20:51it's a lot more
20:52rough and ready.
20:53You can see the work here
20:54hasn't been finished.
20:56There's a lot of cut marks.
20:58These red lines
20:59showing where the architect
21:01wanted the rock
21:01to be cut,
21:02but it wasn't.
21:02So this is
21:04a much more intimate
21:06look at the making
21:07of the pyramid.
21:09And this intimate look
21:11provides some pretty
21:12compelling evidence.
21:13Seeing the workers' names
21:14written on the walls
21:15next to Khufus
21:16is really powerful.
21:18But could they have
21:19actually accomplished
21:20such amazing work
21:214,500 years ago?
21:32I've inspected
21:33the Great Pyramid of Giza
21:34both inside and out,
21:36searching for clues
21:37about who built it
21:38and when.
21:39Dr. Zahi Hawass
21:40took me deep inside
21:41to show me evidence
21:42of Egyptian workers.
21:44But John Van Auken
21:45says only refugees
21:47from Atlantis
21:47had the skill
21:48to design and build
21:49the pyramid.
21:52I want to understand
21:53exactly what's involved
21:54in cutting and moving
21:55the millions of stones
21:57that went into the pyramids.
21:58And the only way
21:59to do that
21:59is by taking a turn
22:01in a quarry myself.
22:02I'm now deep
22:03in the south of Cairo,
22:04and if I follow
22:05my directions properly,
22:06there should be a quarry
22:07at the end of this street.
22:09I'm here to meet
22:10Danny Roy,
22:11a specialist
22:12in Egyptian stone masonry,
22:13and I'm hoping
22:14that he can show me
22:14how the Egyptians
22:15were able to quarry
22:16such massive rocks
22:17and move them
22:18to build the pyramids.
22:20I still haven't
22:21quite figured out
22:22how the right-of-way
22:23system works here.
22:24Okay, hold on.
22:31Egyptians have been
22:32quarrying limestone here
22:34for thousands of years.
22:35The area is pocked
22:36with quarries cut
22:37deep into the ground
22:38that have been worked
22:39for generations.
22:42Driving around
22:43decades' worth of rubble,
22:44it's as though
22:45I'm traveling on a road
22:46back through time.
22:49In a way,
22:50that's exactly
22:50what I'm doing.
22:52Stonework in Egypt
22:52is an unbroken tradition
22:54that goes back
22:55to pharaonic times,
22:56and methods haven't changed
22:57much over the centuries.
22:59The rock that's harvested
23:00in this quarry
23:01is the same limestone
23:03that was used
23:03in building the pyramid,
23:04so I'm in a perfect place
23:06to see if all that work
23:07is humanly possible.
23:09This quarry still does things
23:10the old-fashioned way.
23:12Pretty much, yeah.
23:13The tools might differ
23:14a little bit
23:14from what they used
23:15to use in pharaonic time,
23:17but basically the techniques
23:18are the same, yes.
23:19How are the tools different?
23:20The stones these workers
23:22are cutting
23:22are destined for villas
23:23or bridges
23:24rather than pyramids,
23:25and the tools they're using
23:27are made of hardened steel
23:28instead of the much softer
23:29copper or bronze
23:30that the ancient Egyptians
23:32had available.
23:32This man is,
23:32what he's doing right now,
23:33he's going to crack the stone.
23:35His goal is to split this rock.
23:36Yes.
23:37And how long does it take him
23:38to do something like this?
23:39To crack a block like this?
23:40A few minutes.
23:41Really?
23:41It's very quickly.
23:43Now what he's doing
23:44is making a wave of shock
23:45all along the block
23:48to make sure
23:49that the block
23:50cracks in the good direction.
23:57I should move.
24:00This stone is a fraction
24:01of the size
24:02of the ones used
24:02in the pyramids,
24:03and it took a lot of work
24:04to split with the swing
24:05of a sledgehammer.
24:07But the sharpness of the cut
24:08reminds me
24:09of the precision joints
24:10I saw in the pyramid.
24:11If the rock splits
24:12this perfectly,
24:14maybe it was possible
24:15for ancient Egyptians
24:16to have done
24:17such perfect work.
24:18Try one.
24:19Okay.
24:20It's very hard to go wrong.
24:22You just have to hit
24:23as hard as you can
24:24on this with this.
24:26Does it matter
24:27how I swing?
24:28No.
24:28Not over the shoulder.
24:29As long as it's right
24:30on the wedge.
24:30Like this?
24:30Well, it might take you
24:32a few more strikes
24:33because this guy
24:33has been doing this
24:34for 40 years.
24:35How many strikes?
24:36It's not one shot.
24:37I don't know.
24:38I don't know.
24:39Less than 10.
24:43That's one's watching.
24:45Okay.
24:46All right.
24:47Strongly.
24:49Yeah?
24:49Oh, yeah.
24:55More.
24:55Yeah, you have it.
24:56Yay!
24:57One more?
24:58That's good.
24:59That's good?
25:00That's good.
25:03My first rock splitting experience.
25:06How much?
25:06Do you pay me now?
25:08All right.
25:09Shukran.
25:10But now,
25:11one thing you have to know
25:12is that those wedges
25:13and fins were not used
25:14during pharaonic time.
25:16So it turns out
25:17I broke that rock
25:18using the latest
25:19in Egyptian stoneworking
25:20technology.
25:22If the modern way
25:23is that tedious,
25:24the techniques available
25:25to the ancient Egyptians
25:26must have made
25:27the task near impossible.
25:29Danny takes me nearby
25:31to show me
25:31some other workers
25:32using more traditional methods.
25:34Sure.
25:35Those are trenches
25:36that they make
25:36to separate the blocks
25:38from the mast,
25:39from the mountain.
25:40And all these trenches
25:41here are made by hand?
25:42Uh-huh.
25:47Danny describes
25:48how gangs of workers
25:49used chisels
25:50made of copper or bronze
25:52to carve trenches
25:53into the limestone rock pit.
25:56The stones would then
25:57be lifted out
25:58and transported
25:59to the building site.
26:01It was backbreaking work.
26:06Today,
26:06the basic technique
26:07is the same,
26:08with barefooted quarrymen
26:09toiling away
26:10in the same harsh
26:11Egyptian sun.
26:13The only real change
26:14over these thousands
26:15of years
26:16is the use of steel
26:17tools and wedges.
26:18A lot of work.
26:203,000 years ago
26:21or today,
26:21it's just a lot of work.
26:22Yes, and often here also,
26:24this trade was passed on
26:26from father to son.
26:27Their fathers may have
26:28brought him as kids
26:29to this site.
26:29Exactly.
26:30So it's really a tradition
26:31that never died
26:32since Fahrenheit time.
26:34And the tools
26:35might be a little better,
26:36which just means
26:36it was that much harder
26:37back then.
26:41Catch it again, lower.
26:43The weight of the pyramid stones
26:44ranged from less than a ton
26:46to 20 tons,
26:47with the average weight
26:48being two and a half tons.
26:49Other side.
26:50Oh!
26:51Okay.
26:52So after they were quarried,
26:53how could they possibly
26:55have been moved?
26:57Danny's brought with him
26:58a sled like one
26:59the Egyptians would have
27:00used to haul the stones,
27:01and we give it a shot.
27:03So now what?
27:04So now we're going to
27:05drag the sled
27:06across the surface here.
27:07The ancient Egyptians
27:08would have built
27:09a special ramp
27:10covered in clay
27:11or stone dust
27:12for the sled
27:13to be pulled over.
27:15Once it was doused
27:16with water,
27:17the wet clay
27:17made it possible
27:18to drag the sled
27:19over the ramp.
27:21Here in this modern quarry,
27:23we don't have a clay roadway
27:24to work with.
27:25But the wet stone dust
27:26should work well enough
27:28to give us an idea
27:29of just how difficult
27:30a task this would have been.
27:31It's supposed to be
27:32totally flat.
27:33Okay.
27:33So maybe you and I
27:34can give it a shot.
27:36Do it.
27:36Okay.
27:36Yeah, maybe.
27:37I'm feeling strong.
27:38Is there a technique?
27:40No.
27:40Just pull.
27:45No, I think we need
27:46more people.
27:47Darn.
27:48Okay.
27:48This is too heavy.
27:49Yeah, well.
27:51More people.
27:52No, no.
27:53I guess I wasn't feeling
27:55quite strong enough.
27:56But Danny estimates
27:57the weight of this stone
27:58to be about two tons.
28:00So I don't feel too bad.
28:02Oh, I moved.
28:03Okay.
28:04There we go.
28:05Once we added
28:06some more guys,
28:07we're able to move the sled
28:08without too much trouble.
28:14Okay.
28:14We're dry.
28:16We're dry.
28:17We're dry.
28:17We're running out of water.
28:19But I think we've come
28:2130 feet, right?
28:22And so that proves
28:23that it can be done.
28:24It's just a question
28:24of how many men,
28:25how much water,
28:26and how far you need to go.
28:26Now, taking consideration
28:28also, the surface
28:29we're sliding on here.
28:30It's not perfectly flat.
28:32Yes.
28:32So do we need
28:33to push this back?
28:34No, we'll roll it back.
28:35Okay, good.
28:36Thank God.
28:37I'm out of mind.
28:40Working in the quarries
28:41is hard, punishing work,
28:43but it's not totally impossible.
28:46With enough people
28:47and the right motivation,
28:49ancient workmen
28:50may have been able
28:50to harvest all those stones
28:52within the 30 or so years
28:53archaeologists estimate
28:55it took to build
28:55the Great Pyramid.
28:58After looking at traces
28:59archaeologists say
29:00were left by Egyptian
29:01pyramid workers
29:02and then taking a turn
29:03as one myself,
29:04the evidence is stacking
29:05up pretty high
29:06in favor of the Egyptians
29:07as the builders
29:08of the pyramids.
29:10But it's not settled yet.
29:12John Van Auken
29:13says that the ancient
29:14Egyptians were just
29:15doing repair work
29:16at the already ancient
29:17Giza pyramids.
29:19Could it be possible
29:20that the archaeologist's
29:21evidence is solid,
29:22but their timeline
29:23is 6,000 years late?
29:27Let's do it!
29:32You're watching
29:33Digging for the Truth
29:33on the History Channel.
29:37I've seen evidence
29:39that archaeologists say
29:40proves it was
29:41the ancient Egyptians
29:42who built the pyramids.
29:44And after trying my hand
29:45working in a quarry,
29:46I believe that it could
29:48have been done.
29:49John Van Auken, however,
29:50does not.
29:51He's adamant that it was
29:53only the advanced knowledge
29:54and skills of Atlantis
29:56that made building
29:57such incredible monuments
29:58possible.
29:59And the debate
30:00isn't confined to Giza.
30:02Just across the desert
30:03is another mysterious monument,
30:06the Step Pyramid of Saqqara.
30:08Archaeologists say
30:09it was the first pyramid
30:10ever built,
30:11but John couldn't disagree more.
30:13Uniquely, we believe
30:15the three pyramids
30:16on the Giza Plateau
30:17are the oldest,
30:19whereas the archaeologists
30:20believe those pyramids
30:21over in Saqqara
30:22are older
30:23and are an example
30:24of learning
30:26how to build pyramids.
30:27We actually believe
30:28they were forgetting
30:29how to build them.
30:31I need to go to Saqqara
30:33to check out the evidence,
30:34and there's two ways
30:35to get there,
30:36on a bus with some tourists
30:37or on horseback
30:38with my friend Marat.
30:40That's an easy decision.
30:41Come on.
30:46According to archaeologists,
30:48the Step Pyramid at Saqqara
30:50dates back to 2630 B.C.,
30:53almost 100 years
30:54before the Great Pyramid of Giza.
30:56Come on.
30:56I'll open it up.
30:59Woo-hoo-hoo!
31:02Woo-hoo!
31:06Oh, man!
31:14Pyramid building actually evolved
31:16within a relatively short
31:17period of time.
31:18In fact,
31:19it was a family affair.
31:22Archaeologists say
31:23that the Step Pyramid
31:24was built as a tomb
31:26for Khufu's grandfather,
31:27King Djoser.
31:31Josh,
31:32this is the Saqqara Pyramid.
31:33All right.
31:34Thanks for the ride, Marat.
31:35You're very welcome, Josh.
31:37My guide to the Step Pyramid
31:39is Dr. Salima Ikram,
31:40a specialist
31:41in the evolution
31:42of Egyptian tomb building.
31:43She's going to explain to me
31:45how pyramid building
31:46developed here at Saqqara
31:47and progressed to Giza.
31:50So this is the first pyramid
31:51in the world?
31:52Yep.
31:52It is the first pyramid
31:53in the world,
31:54and it was the largest
31:55stone monument
31:55when it was first constructed.
31:57It was built as a tomb
31:58for the king,
31:59but it's groundbreaking
32:01in terms of the architecture
32:02because nothing like this
32:03had ever been seen before.
32:05In fact,
32:05nothing in stone
32:06on a significant scale
32:08had ever been seen before.
32:10If a king had a tomb
32:11before this,
32:12what did it look like?
32:13It tended to be
32:14somewhat similar
32:15in terms of a flat,
32:17low mound,
32:17but it was not
32:18very made of stone.
32:19It was just a bunch of mud
32:21and mud brick
32:21and sand and rubble
32:23that was piled up
32:24to make a sort of mound.
32:27Salima tells me
32:28that this new pyramid shape
32:30was born when
32:31the royal architect Imhotep
32:32stacked these mounds
32:34called mustabas
32:35to create the grand tomb
32:36that's here today.
32:37His innovation
32:38was so groundbreaking
32:40that Imhotep
32:41came to be revered
32:42as a god
32:42and continued to be worshipped
32:44long after his death.
32:55Inside the pyramid,
32:56Salima shows me features
32:57she says were begun here
32:59and later perfected
33:00at Giza.
33:07Wow.
33:09That's huge.
33:10It's amazing.
33:12So there's a doorway.
33:13Yep.
33:14That hole over there
33:14is a doorway,
33:15which was one of the access ways
33:17into the original tomb.
33:18You can't really see
33:19where he's buried right now
33:21because there's this huge
33:22granite plug
33:23which basically blocked off
33:25the tomb
33:25so that after the king
33:26was buried,
33:27the tomb was sealed,
33:28no one ever went in.
33:30You've been to Giza, right?
33:31Mm-hmm.
33:31Yeah.
33:32Do you remember
33:32those portcullises,
33:33the granite portcullises?
33:34They're a development
33:35from this tomb.
33:37So over here,
33:38you just have a big giant plug
33:39to stop people
33:40from going in.
33:41So this is the prototype?
33:42Mm-hmm.
33:42This is the prototype
33:43and then you see
33:44the evolution of the tomb
33:45when you get to Giza
33:46and see how far it's progressed.
33:48That's interesting.
33:49Salima explains
33:50that the granite plug below us
33:52which blocked
33:53the burial chamber
33:53of King Joseph
33:55evolved into
33:55the three granite portcullises
33:57Zahi and I passed through
33:58in the Great Pyramid.
34:00It's another clue
34:01that the Giza pyramids
34:02fit into the timeline
34:03of Egyptian history.
34:07Now, if I wanted
34:08to go down there
34:08and take a look,
34:09is it possible?
34:10No, unfortunately not.
34:11It's really unstable
34:12because of earthquakes.
34:13But if we go
34:14to the southern tomb,
34:15you can see some
34:16of the decoration
34:16which is stupendous.
34:18Oh, let's go check it out.
34:19Absolutely.
34:20Come this way.
34:21The southern tomb
34:22served as a cenotaph
34:24or symbolic tomb
34:25for the king.
34:26The decorations inside,
34:28according to archaeology,
34:29are nearly 5,000 years old.
34:31Oh, my God.
34:32It's a rare treat
34:33that we're allowed entrance.
34:34It's the most amazing thing
34:35you've ever seen.
34:36It's stunning.
34:37See these walls?
34:39They all had these blue tiles
34:42and it's supposed to look
34:43like mats that have been unrolled.
34:45So this is the rope.
34:46So that's the...
34:48...isn't just a prototype
34:50for later pyramid development.
34:51It's also an evolution
34:53of earlier Egyptian
34:54architectural forms.
34:56These tiles represent
34:59stylized reed mats,
35:00making the step pyramid complex
35:02a version in stone
35:04of traditional Egyptian
35:05building styles.
35:06This place, therefore,
35:08isn't even a beginning
35:09so much as a progression.
35:11...draw a connection
35:11that this came before Giza.
35:12Yeah, absolutely.
35:16The case Zahi presented
35:17to me at Giza
35:18was compelling.
35:19Now, here at Saqqara,
35:21Salima showed me
35:22how the step pyramid
35:23fits into a timeline
35:24of Egyptian cultural evolution.
35:27The archaeological evidence
35:28is lining up
35:29to make a pretty powerful argument
35:31that the pyramids
35:31are distinctly Egyptian.
35:35John, I think the biggest hurdle
35:37that an archaeologist...
35:37So where does this leave
35:38John Van Auken?
35:39Is that there's not much...
35:40With all this evidence,
35:41it seems he doesn't have
35:42much of a case left.
35:43That's true.
35:44So what's your response?
35:45When we come back,
35:46John presents
35:47his best evidence yet.
35:59Archaeologists Zahi Hawass
36:00and Salima Ikram
36:01have poked some pretty large holes
36:03in the theory that the pyramids
36:05were built by immigrants
36:06from Atlantis.
36:08But that hasn't shaken
36:09John Van Auken's faith.
36:11He strongly believes
36:12that the ancient Egyptians
36:13were only repairing monuments
36:16that preceded them
36:17by millennia.
36:18And that mountain of evidence,
36:20the Great Pyramid,
36:21he says he's got something
36:22even older to show me.
36:24Well, the archaeologists
36:25want evidence,
36:27not just theories
36:28and ancient Akashic myths.
36:32And there is some evidence here
36:35that seems to be inconsistent
36:37with the archaeological dates.
36:39John maintains that the Sphinx
36:41is actually the oldest monument
36:43at Giza
36:43and that he's got
36:44the hard evidence to prove it.
36:47What's more,
36:48he links the enigmatic sculpture
36:49directly to a lost library
36:51housing the wisdom
36:52of Giza's Atlantean architects.
36:56Geologists say
36:57this type of erosion...
36:59John takes me to erosion marks
37:01on the walls surrounding the Sphinx.
37:02See the ripple pattern
37:03on these rocks?
37:04Yeah.
37:05This is caused by
37:06tropical rain runoff
37:09eroding the rocks
37:10in this manner.
37:11Well, in order for that to happen,
37:13this has to be a lot older.
37:15Because there wasn't enough water here?
37:17John explains that
37:18geological studies
37:19show these erosion marks
37:20could have been caused
37:21only by torrential rain,
37:23which hasn't fallen
37:24on the Giza Plateau
37:25since around 7,000 B.C.
37:27So these marks...
37:30Yes.
37:30...the way the water
37:31just channels down
37:33into these sort of rounded shapes?
37:34Exactly, yes.
37:36Because originally...
37:36If this is true,
37:37John has himself
37:38a strong piece of evidence.
37:40Could the Sphinx
37:41really be the oldest monument
37:43here at Giza?
37:44If that's the case,
37:45it is possible
37:46that this wall was here
37:47and the Sphinx wasn't.
37:48Well, yes.
37:49But if you turn around and look,
37:50you'll see rainwater erosion up there.
37:53So that may have happened
37:54at the same time
37:55that this happened?
37:55Yes.
37:56So the erosion marks
37:56are consistent.
37:57That's what we believe.
38:01Egyptologists say
38:02the Sphinx was carved
38:03as a guardian
38:04over the tombs of the pharaohs.
38:05But if the Atlanteans
38:07really built it long before,
38:09why?
38:11Did it guard something
38:12very different?
38:14So if it's watching
38:16the horizon
38:16and keeping time,
38:18guarding some secret,
38:18I guess the question is,
38:19what is the secret?
38:20Let's take a look
38:21at this stela
38:21and I think you'll see...
38:22John believes the answer
38:23can be found
38:24in the dream stela,
38:25a hieroglyphic tablet
38:26which stands between
38:27the paws of the Sphinx.
38:28Look at the picture
38:29that they carved.
38:30Looks like a house.
38:31Yes.
38:32A subterranean chamber
38:33beneath the Sphinx.
38:34He says
38:35that important clues
38:36about the legacy
38:37of the Atlanteans
38:38are contained
38:39in the stela's inscriptions.
38:42John claims
38:43that as Atlantis
38:44finally disappeared
38:45beneath the waves,
38:46a band of refugees
38:48rescued the archives
38:49of the vanishing civilization.
38:51They brought them here,
38:53hiding them away
38:54in a subterranean
38:55hall of records.
38:56The inscriptions
38:58of the dream stela
38:59serve as a treasure map
39:00carved in stone.
39:02There's actually something
39:03under the Sphinx?
39:04Yes.
39:05Why are there two?
39:06The Sphinx on the left
39:07is the Sphinx
39:08of the ancient time
39:10when it was first built
39:11and the records
39:12were buried and sealed.
39:13And that's the Sphinx
39:14of yesterday.
39:15When you look to this side,
39:17you're actually seeing
39:18the Sphinx of tomorrow
39:19when it is opened
39:20and the records...
39:21Unveiling its secrets.
39:22Yeah.
39:23John, I can see
39:23looking at this Sphinx.
39:24Could the Sphinx
39:25be sheltering a treasure map
39:26between its paws?
39:28Could it be the guardian
39:29not of royal tombs
39:30but of the forgotten knowledge
39:32of an ancient people?
39:34I decide to bring Zahi
39:36to the same place
39:37to hear his take
39:38on John's evidence.
39:40I think you'll like this
39:41because you keep saying,
39:42show me some real evidence.
39:43And I know,
39:43I could say there's a chamber there
39:44and you can't see it
39:45and we'll never know.
39:46But here's something
39:47that is actually physical.
39:48The erosion patterns
39:49on these rocks.
39:50Don't geologists say
39:51that this erosion
39:52was caused by water
39:53which had to be
39:53at least 9,000,
39:5410,000 years ago?
39:55What?
39:56This has been stated
39:58by only one geologist.
40:00One person?
40:01Yeah.
40:02But he could be
40:02like the Galileo
40:03who's trying to convince everyone.
40:05Yeah, he tried
40:05but I believe
40:06he is wrong.
40:07He did.
40:08But he could be right.
40:10No.
40:10No?
40:11Zahi tells me
40:12that the erosion here
40:12has a simpler explanation.
40:15He says that the Sphinx
40:16was carved
40:17from a single outcropping
40:18of limestone.
40:19That the marks we see
40:20are natural fissures
40:21in the rock
40:22accentuated by centuries
40:24of sand erosion.
40:25But what will we make
40:26of the dream steeler
40:27with its image
40:28of the Sphinx
40:28perched above
40:29what appears to be
40:30an underground room?
40:31This water erosied.
40:33I'm curious
40:33what the archaeologists
40:34make of these inscriptions.
40:36The inscriptions
40:37are very clear.
40:38Okay.
40:39It shows the fourth
40:41in front of the Sphinx
40:42laying upon a pedestal.
40:45Then all this hieroglyphic
40:46is telling us
40:47about this story.
40:48I don't understand
40:48how this story
40:49has to do with Atlantis
40:51or anything like that.
40:52So that doesn't look like
40:54a house?
40:55No.
40:55Every Egyptian god
40:56stands upon a pedestal.
40:59This is just any pedestal.
41:01It has to have a chair.
41:03It has to have something
41:04like this.
41:05The story that Zahi
41:06reads from this stela
41:07is very different
41:08from the one that John told.
41:10He says it tells
41:11of an Egyptian pharaoh
41:12named Thutmose IV
41:13who rose to power
41:14after dreaming
41:15that the Sphinx
41:16spoke to him.
41:16To commemorate
41:18this dream
41:19and his subsequent
41:20ascension to the throne
41:21of Egypt
41:21he erected this stela.
41:23What we've discovered
41:24are workmen,
41:25inscriptions,
41:27tombs,
41:28temples.
41:28To Zahi
41:29the pyramids
41:30and the Sphinx
41:30are without a doubt
41:31Egyptian creations
41:32and his archaeological evidence
41:34trumps John's theories
41:35every time.
41:36But there is no evidence
41:37about anything
41:39connected with Atlantis.
41:41It is a myth.
41:43Archaeology proves
41:44everything.
41:46To underscore his point
41:48Zahi has one more thing
41:49to show me.
41:50A subterranean chamber
41:51has been found
41:52beneath the causeway
41:53that links the Sphinx
41:54to its pyramid.
41:57But it's no lost library.
41:59He's taking me
42:00to see the flooded tomb
42:01of an Egyptian god.
42:03Then watch out
42:04because we are going
42:05three stages.
42:06This is level one.
42:08Watch out.
42:10Right.
42:15It's slippery.
42:16How would they get up
42:17and down here
42:17without these ladders?
42:24This ladder's
42:25a little bit wobbly.
42:27Yeah, you can come down now.
42:31Deep below the ground
42:32lies the tomb of Osiris,
42:34the Egyptian god
42:35of the underworld.
42:36I want you to look
42:37at this.
42:39The only thing I can see
42:40is the top
42:40of a giant coffin.
42:42Oh, we're standing
42:43on a sarcophagus.
42:44This is the lid
42:45above the sarcophagus.
42:47Before that,
42:48I discovered
42:48the hieroglyphic word
42:50called bir,
42:51means house.
42:52Where was that?
42:53It's, you cannot see,
42:55it's under the water now.
42:56Zahi explains
42:57that the Giza plateau
42:58was once called
42:59the place
43:00or house of Osiris.
43:02As the god
43:03who watches
43:04over the tombs
43:05of the pharaohs,
43:06the presence
43:07of Osiris' tomb here
43:08means that the monuments
43:09on the plateau above
43:11are under his protection.
43:13So while John van Auken
43:15is right
43:15and there are
43:16underground chambers here,
43:18he's only partially correct.
43:20Be careful
43:20because it's dangerous.
43:22Everything that's
43:23been discovered
43:24at Giza,
43:24the mythological world
43:26underground
43:26and the monumental world
43:28on the surface,
43:29complete a picture
43:30not of Atlantean
43:31but of Egyptian mythology.
43:33It still can continue
43:35as a myth
43:36because he's the lord
43:38of the underground tunnels
43:40at Giza.
43:41He's the god
43:42who's protecting
43:43all of them.
43:44And we're standing
43:45on his tomb.
43:45Exactly.
43:47Should probably
43:47move out of it.
43:49Okay.
43:52I've climbed
43:53as high inside
43:54the pyramid
43:55as anyone has ever gone
43:56and I've descended
43:57as far below
43:58the Giza plateau
43:59as possible.
44:01From top to bottom,
44:02what I've seen
44:03points to the glories
44:04of an ancient civilization,
44:06Egypt.
44:09Some believe
44:10that the great monuments
44:11of the Giza plateau,
44:13the massive pyramids
44:14and the enigmatic sphinx
44:15can only be explained
44:17as the work
44:17of a superhuman
44:18master race.
44:20But according
44:21to Zahi Hawass,
44:22they were really built
44:23by people
44:24just like you and me
44:25and that isn't
44:26any less fantastic.
44:28Today,
44:29tomorrow,
44:30and for the next
44:315,000 years,
44:32it's the incredible
44:33achievement they represent
44:35that's the most amazing
44:36truth of all.
45:05We'll see you next time.
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