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00:12where you see the passing of time
00:18where moments refuse to die
00:21this is a momentous hour in world history
00:24this is the invasion of Hitler's Europe
00:27and where victory lives on
00:29plenty of girls are being kissed by plenty of boys
00:32they don't know and they do not care
00:35you can love it, hate it
00:37embrace it or turn away
00:39Lennon was shot to death late last night
00:42outside his apartment building
00:43but it is a past we all share
00:46come on out here and give me a salute
00:48take Davey's salute
00:49this is where yesterday has a home
00:52where we wonder what it was like back then
00:55go forward knights in safety
00:58and not too long ago
00:59his spirit must live on
01:02it's where history has its place
01:05and where the past comes alive
01:07the history channel
01:10also
01:21and
01:51Transcription by CastingWords
01:58Sunrise in the modern month of June, 1279 B.C.
02:02This was the day that a dynamic young prince, 25 years old, was crowned pharaoh of Egypt.
02:10This was Ramses II.
02:13It was the beginning of an extraordinary time for this ancient land.
02:21During his long reign, which spanned some 67 years, everything was accomplished on a grand scale.
02:31No other pharaoh constructed as many temples and monuments as he did.
02:35No other pharaoh fathered more children.
02:39So inspiring was the reign of Ramses II that the kings that followed in his footsteps called him the great
02:46ancestor.
02:48But history recalls this pharaoh as Ramses the Great.
03:03When Ramses II came to the throne, he was prepared for kingship as perhaps no other prince before him.
03:11His father, Seti I, had commanded victorious military campaigns and guided Egypt through a period that was unsurpassed in building
03:20and art.
03:22He was determined that his son would possess the education and military skills to ensure these traditions would continue once
03:31he had become pharaoh.
03:36As a boy, Prince Ramses rode alongside his experienced father in military campaigns in Libya and Syria.
03:46And because the hope of the new dynasty rested with him, the importance of producing heirs to perpetuate the royal
03:53family line was also impressed upon the prince.
03:59This was a royal task that Ramses took on with a passion.
04:05It has been estimated that even before he became pharaoh, his two principal wives in the royal harem had already
04:12bore him more than 20 children.
04:17Egyptians married young, and so royal princes, before they came to the throne, would probably be married more or less
04:25as soon as it was feasible.
04:27And the idea would be that they would start producing children very soon.
04:31And there's really two reasons for that.
04:32One is, you know, it's no good having one prince.
04:35That prince simply may not survive long enough to become the next ruler, so you've got to have a number.
04:40But the other thing is, the royal house was a kind of image of fertility and productivity for the Egyptians.
04:46And so, pharaohs and princes tried to produce a lot of children.
04:53Ramses recounted the details of his early life in an inscription at his father's temple at Abidos.
05:00The all-powerful Seti himself made me great while I was a child.
05:05He equipped me with women, a royal harem, and placed those of the north and the south under my feet.
05:19At the rock quarry of Arsuan, Ramses had supervised the cutting of stone required to build his father's temples.
05:27Now that he was pharaoh, Ramses wasted no time in using the lessons he had learned then to erect monuments
05:34of his own.
05:37Ramses was probably the first great master builder of the world.
05:43And he really built more probably than almost any other monarch in ancient history.
05:52In the southern frontier of the country, we have the temple at Luxor, which is a state temple to the
05:59god Amun.
06:00And he is the major builder in that temple.
06:07It was here, at the temple of Luxor, that a huge festival was mounted in his honor, two months after
06:14his coronation.
06:15As a symbol of his gratitude, he commissioned a new gateway, obelisks, and the first of many colossal statues of
06:22himself.
06:26This is the upper part of an enormous statue of Ramses II that comes from a temple that he built
06:33at Abydos in southern Egypt.
06:36This is a very fine example of the traditional representation of the pharaoh in ancient Egypt as a kind of
06:42powerful adult male.
06:44And in this case, because the statue had been buried in the desert sand, it still retains a lot of
06:49its color and shows us how brightly colored Egyptian statuary and temples were,
06:54so that they really looked more like living entities than simply just stone carved images.
07:04Under Ramses, the so-called Hypo-style Hall, started by Amenhotep III at the Temple of Karnak, was expanded and
07:12completed.
07:13Like all of the building projects of Ramses the Great, it is a marvel of ancient architecture.
07:19Its 134 columns form a veritable forest of stone, which once raised a ceiling to a height of 75 feet.
07:33But the building projects of Ramses II did not stop with the temples of Karnak and Luxor, which are located
07:40on the east bank of the Nile, at Thebes.
07:45In accordance with Egyptian religious dictates, Ramses erected his mortuary temple on the side of the river where the sun
07:53sets, along the west bank.
07:56It was called the Ramassium.
07:59It was a massive complex.
08:01Its construction required the labor of 3,000 stone cutters.
08:06Although today much of it lies in ruin, an ancient traveler, Diodorus of Sicily, described it as surpassing all other
08:14temples of its time.
08:19To protect his temple, two 60-foot-high granite statues of the pharaoh once stood here.
08:27The remains of one statue's upper torso and head still guards the site today.
08:38But it was at Egypt's southern border near modern Sudan that the pharaoh Ramses' grandest monument to himself is found.
08:46It dominates the landscape along the Nile and is called the Temple of Abu Simbul.
08:54Carved out of the sight of a mountain, the grandeur of this great temple must have led ancient river travelers
09:00to believe they truly had entered a land ruled by gods.
09:07Experts believe that the construction of Abu Simbul began during the tenth year of Ramses II's reign in 1269 BC
09:15and took 13 years to complete.
09:21Although it was dedicated to the Egyptian gods Amen-Ra and Puta, the enormous sandstone monument glorified the god-king
09:30Ramses himself more than anything else.
09:36Four colossal likenesses of the pharaoh gaze out across the Nile from a facade that appears to have grown right
09:42out of the earth.
09:46They are commanding figures that reach a height of 65 feet.
09:51If they could stand, these giants would be nearly 100 feet tall.
09:57By comparison, religious symbols and representations of his queens, children, and relatives are dwarfed.
10:07Abu Simbul is a miracle of engineering.
10:10It is oriented so that on only two days of the year, during the spring and fall equinoxes,
10:16the rays of the rising sun will pierce the entranceway.
10:20The light then makes its way past eight 33-foot-high statues of the king portrayed as the god Osiris.
10:30Continuing along the 215-foot corridor, the sun's rays finally enter the most secret sanctuary of the temple.
10:39Here, the light illuminates the statues of three gods seated within.
10:44Not surprisingly, Ramses himself is among them.
10:49A fourth god, Puta, is also represented but not entirely in the light.
10:56Evidently, this is because Puta is the lord of shadows.
11:03Adjacent to the site of Abu Simbul, Ramses the Great built a temple to honor his favorite wife, Nefertari.
11:12Its rock face features six statues of the king and queen,
11:16and has been interpreted as an amazing display of the king's affection.
11:22This was a great honor to be so closely associated with the pharaoh,
11:25and it is likely Queen Nefertari witnessed the dedication of her own temple at Abu Simbul.
11:38Nefertari died in 1254 BC,
11:41and as the principal wife of the pharaoh,
11:44Ramses had a tomb prepared for her in the Valley of the Queens,
11:47on the west side of the Nile near Thebes.
11:54The tomb lies some 25 feet below ground level.
12:00Recently restored and open to the public,
12:03it represents one of the most beautiful examples
12:05of an ancient Egyptian royal tomb known to exist.
12:12Inside, Nefertari is portrayed on the walls in symbolic poses with the gods.
12:23Around the same time as the temple of Abu Simbul was being built,
12:27Ramses the Great began work on the new city called Per Ambusu,
12:32a name that means Domain of Ramses.
12:35Located in the northeast part of the Nile Delta,
12:38it has special significance.
12:43Hebrews had lived peacefully around the Nile Delta for 400 years,
12:47but concerned over their numbers,
12:50Ramses and his father before him
12:52may have forced them into the hard labor of constructing this new city.
12:59It is from here, around the year 1263 BC,
13:03that the story of the exodus in the Bible probably took place.
13:09Ramses II is often associated with the exodus.
13:13The details that are given about Egypt at the time,
13:16including naming a specific city,
13:19fit in with the later New Kingdom,
13:21and the general period of Ramses II.
13:24And we know that there were many, many peoples brought in
13:27for various reasons during that time.
13:30So I would say that it's basically a true story.
13:33It's recorded only in the Bible
13:35because it was an extremely important event
13:37in the history of the Hebrews.
13:39It would have been a minor event to the Egyptians of the day.
13:45Whether or not he was the great pharaoh of the Bible,
13:48there is little question that Ramses' vast building projects
13:52left no corner of Egypt without a reminder of his omnipotence.
13:58By erecting so many monuments to himself,
14:01Ramses raised his image to the status of a god.
14:10But Ramses the Great's fame
14:12was not based solely on the monuments he built.
14:15He is also remembered of the enemies he crushed.
14:26Ancient Egypt.
14:28In a civilization that endured longer than any other,
14:32one man stands out among its leaders.
14:35He fathered more children
14:37and erected more monuments than any other pharaoh.
14:42Even his accomplishments on the field of battle
14:45remained some of Egypt's most celebrated.
14:50During his 67-year reign,
14:53Ramses II led foreign conquests
14:56that brought a flood of riches into Egypt
14:58and spurred a cultural boom.
15:00New monuments and additions to temples
15:03were paid for with tributes to Ramses
15:06and by the spoils of war.
15:09The labor was provided by slaves
15:11he captured in battle.
15:24Northeast of ancient Egypt
15:26lay a vast desert frontier
15:28that is now modern Syria.
15:32Ramses' father, Seti I,
15:34had maintained control
15:36over the southern coastal regions of this land.
15:39However, a people known as the Hittites
15:41held sway in the outer areas
15:43and in a strategic city called Kadesh.
15:50During the fourth year of the reign of Ramses the Great,
15:54a revolt took place in the Egyptian-occupied area.
15:58Ramses was determined to retain the land
16:00his father had won for Egypt
16:02and used the opportunity
16:04to oust his enemies, the Hittites,
16:06from their stronghold once and for all.
16:14To accomplish this,
16:16Ramses would face his greatest test.
16:18It is remembered as the Battle of Kadesh.
16:24The ancient inscriptions tell us
16:26that in 1275 B.C.,
16:29Ramses assembled one of the greatest forces
16:31of Egyptian troops ever seen.
16:34He led his army of 20,000 men
16:37up the Gaza Strip toward Kadesh.
16:43Close to his destination,
16:46two Hittite spies were captured,
16:48but they misled Ramses
16:50by saying the enemy was fearful
16:51and 100 miles to the north.
16:56Confident, Ramses moved ahead
16:58with only one quarter of his force
17:00and then set up camp to wait
17:02for the remainder of his army.
17:04By the time he learned
17:06the formidable Hittites
17:07were actually lying in ambush,
17:08it was too late.
17:12Miraculously, Ramses did manage
17:14to hold off the enemy long enough
17:16to allow Egyptian reinforcements
17:18to arrive.
17:20A complete rout was avoided,
17:22but most experts believe
17:24the Battle of Kadesh
17:25ended in stalemate.
17:28It is apparent, however,
17:30the pharaoh didn't see it that way.
17:38Ramsey's tales of his triumphs
17:40at Kadesh are inscribed
17:42on the walls of the temples
17:43at Karnak, Luxor, Abydos,
17:45the Ramassiam,
17:46and inside Abu Simbel.
17:51It is celebrated
17:53as one of the greatest military victories
17:55in ancient Egyptian history.
17:57But did it really happen that way?
18:00One of the most interesting sets
18:02of historical documents
18:03we have from the reign of Ramses II
18:05is the series of representations
18:07and inscriptions
18:08describing the Battle of Kadesh,
18:11this great battle
18:12in which Ramses portrays himself
18:14as defeating the Hittites
18:17at the site of Kadesh in Syria.
18:20The actual outcome of the battle,
18:22however, appears to have been
18:23more of a stalemate,
18:24and it's one in which
18:25the Egyptians did not come out
18:27looking very victorious.
18:31Campaigns against the Hittites
18:33continued in later years.
18:35Ramses finally realized
18:36he could not hold
18:37the far reaches of Syria.
18:42In what some believe
18:44is the first peace treaty
18:46in history,
18:47the two countries agreed
18:48in 1259 B.C.
18:50to a non-aggression pact
18:52of mutual support.
18:53Carved in clay and stone,
18:56both Hittite and Egyptian
18:57versions of the documents
18:58survive to this day.
19:05Once peace had been secured,
19:08Ramses II married a Hittite princess
19:10to cement the treaty.
19:12His harem eventually grew
19:13to include royal ladies
19:15from Syria and Babylon.
19:22Ramses II died in 1212 B.C.
19:26Records tell us
19:27he was 92 years old.
19:32After the mummification process,
19:34his body was wrapped in golden shrouds
19:36and fine linen,
19:37placed in a stone sarcophagus,
19:39and entombed near his ancestors
19:42in the Valley of the Kings.
19:51Despite all the provisions
19:53to ensure an everlasting afterlife,
19:56over the next 200 years,
19:57his burial site was repeatedly
19:59plundered by tomb robbers.
20:04Priests had to re-wrap
20:05and move his mummy
20:06to other tombs
20:07to keep it whole.
20:08His final resting place
20:10was a simple cedar coffin.
20:15In 1881 A.D.,
20:18Ramses' mummy was found
20:19hidden away
20:20with the other mummies
20:21of the royal cache
20:22at Dar el-Bahari
20:23near Queen Hatshepsut's temple.
20:31Analysis of his mummified remains
20:33revealed him to have had red hair
20:35and a height of about 5 foot 6.
20:38His aquiline nose
20:40had been well preserved
20:41because his embalmer stuffed it
20:43with peppercorns.
20:50The inability for Ramses
20:52to find peace after death
20:53was symbolic of what lay ahead
20:55for Egypt.
20:56The country was beginning
20:57a long and fitful decline.
21:04It is believed
21:06Ramses the Great sired
21:08over 200 children
21:09of which more than 100
21:11reached adulthood.
21:12The first 12 sons
21:14in the line of succession
21:15died before their father.
21:17The 13th would become pharaoh.
21:20His name was Mer-Neptah.
21:24Because his father had reached
21:26the astounding age of 92,
21:28Mer-Neptah was in his 60s
21:30by the time he became ruler.
21:34Although he did wage
21:35successful military campaigns
21:37against the Libyans and Nubians,
21:39his 10-year reign was too short
21:41for him to equal Ramses' achievements.
21:48Still, the discovery of a portion
21:50of Mer-Neptah's palace
21:51at Memphis
21:51was a great archaeological find.
21:54No other remains
21:55of a pharaoh's residence
21:57have ever been unearthed.
21:59Pieces from the complex
22:00and a scale model
22:01of a section
22:02of the ancient residence
22:03can be seen
22:04at the University of Pennsylvania
22:06Museum of Archaeology.
22:09They reveal the grace and beauty
22:11of the colorful surroundings
22:12that the great Egyptian rulers
22:14called home.
22:24The incised carvings
22:26on these actual fragments
22:27from the palace
22:28depict the pharaoh
22:29in symbolic royal poses.
22:32On this fragment,
22:34we have depicted
22:35Mer-Neptah standing in front
22:37of the creator god, Atum,
22:39this figure on the right,
22:40and Atum is conferring
22:42the crook and flail,
22:43the symbols of kingship,
22:44upon Mer-Neptah,
22:46who's represented here
22:47with the Atef crown
22:49and holding this Reh-Yet bird,
22:52a lap-winged bird,
22:52which symbolizes
22:53the people of Egypt.
22:58Hieroglyphic inscriptions
22:59on the palace gateway
23:01describe accompanying scenes
23:03depicting Mer-Neptah's link
23:05to the gods and power
23:06as pharaoh.
23:09The text reads,
23:10granting to you
23:11the crook and flail
23:12and millions of years
23:14of rule.
23:15So this is a very condensed
23:17and very nice statement
23:18on the divine interaction
23:21of the king
23:21and the way
23:22his kingship
23:23was conferred upon him
23:25by the gods.
23:30The glorious high-water marks
23:32of the 19th dynasty pharaohs
23:34were history
23:34by the time
23:35Mer-Neptah died
23:36in 1202 BC.
23:38But the story
23:39of the greatest pharaohs
23:40did not end there.
23:42Before it would draw
23:43to a close,
23:44the name Ramses
23:45was heard across nations
23:47and represented
23:48the might of Egypt
23:49one more time.
23:51and a queen
23:52called Cleopatra
23:54became the center
23:55of a drama
23:55that captivated the world.
24:02Below the foothills
24:03of the mountains
24:04which conceal
24:05the valley of the kings
24:06stands a mortuary temple
24:08at a site called
24:09Medinet-Habu.
24:12It is the best preserved
24:14of all the temples
24:15at the ancient city
24:16of Thebes
24:16and the only one
24:17in Egypt
24:18where the existing hieroglyphs,
24:20reliefs,
24:20and architectural layout
24:22have been completely
24:23documented
24:24and translated.
24:27Its builder
24:28was Ramses III,
24:29the second pharaoh
24:30of the 20th dynasty
24:32who took power
24:33in the year
24:341182 BC.
24:35His connection
24:36to Ramses the Great
24:37was in name only.
24:40They did not descend
24:40from the same bloodline.
24:46Ramses III
24:47inherited a stable Egypt,
24:49a nation at relative peace.
24:51But eight years
24:52into his reign,
24:54he would be compelled
24:55to face an enemy
24:56that would put
24:57his world in turmoil.
25:11Around the year
25:131176 BC,
25:15the ancient nations
25:16along the eastern Mediterranean
25:17in areas known today
25:19as Turkey,
25:20Syria,
25:21and Israel
25:21were threatened
25:22by a wave of humanity,
25:24armed and aggressive.
25:26These invaders
25:27were collectively
25:28and curiously known
25:30as the Sea Peoples.
25:34During the reign
25:35of Ramses III,
25:37from his mortuary temple
25:38at Medinet-Habu,
25:40we have one
25:40of the longest
25:41historical texts
25:42from Pharaonic history,
25:44which is the depiction
25:45of the invasion
25:47and defeat
25:47of the Sea Peoples.
25:49This invasion
25:50appears to have been
25:52not only a sea invasion,
25:54but also to have
25:54taken place on land.
25:57The Sea Peoples
25:59were not just armies.
26:00They were nations
26:01on the move,
26:02including women
26:03and children
26:04seeking lands
26:05to settle.
26:08The gravity
26:09of the threat
26:10to Egypt
26:11was magnified
26:12by the fact
26:12the Sea Peoples
26:13were even able
26:14to overrun
26:15Egypt's traditionally
26:16powerful rivals,
26:17the Hittites.
26:20Ramses III
26:21realized the urgency
26:22of his situation.
26:23He ordered his outposts
26:25to stand firm
26:26at all costs
26:27while he rapidly
26:28mobilized
26:29and marched
26:29an army northeast
26:30to turn back
26:31the invaders.
26:35The first
26:36of two battles
26:37with the Sea Peoples
26:38took place
26:38on land
26:39near the Syrian
26:40border of Egypt.
26:42Ramses' victory
26:42was decisive,
26:43but he still
26:44had to confront
26:45their navy.
26:48Evidence suggests
26:49the navy
26:50of the Sea Peoples
26:51was formidable.
26:53Still,
26:53paintings on the walls
26:54of Ramses' temples
26:56depict his archers
26:57bravely firing
26:58countless arrows
26:59from the shore
27:00and from ships
27:01into the enemy's ranks.
27:04It was clearly
27:05a major effort
27:06involving a lot
27:07of very exotic people
27:08with whom the Egyptians
27:09were not very familiar
27:10in terms of their
27:11military organization
27:12or their fighting
27:13capabilities,
27:14so it was really
27:15one of the great
27:15military success stories
27:17of ancient Egypt.
27:19Despite his glorious
27:21victory,
27:22Ramses III
27:23was forced to put down
27:24yet another invasion
27:25three years later.
27:27This time,
27:28it was staged
27:29on Egypt's
27:29western border
27:30by an alliance
27:31of different tribes,
27:33including the Libyans.
27:37After winning
27:38the battles here,
27:39scribes proceeded
27:40to count the enemy dead.
27:42This was accomplished
27:43by cutting off
27:44their right hands,
27:45which were brought
27:46before the pharaoh
27:47and tallied.
27:48In one case,
27:50Ramses III
27:51ordered a recount.
27:52This time,
27:53in a gruesome display
27:54of spite,
27:55the enemy's phalluses
27:56were severed.
28:03Ramses III
28:04had once again
28:05saved the nation,
28:06but then,
28:07in an ironic twist
28:08of fate,
28:09an assassination attempt
28:10was made upon his life.
28:14We actually have
28:16the records
28:16of the official inquiry
28:18which was set up
28:19to inquire
28:21into his assassination.
28:22And there's
28:23a certain amount
28:23of debate
28:24as to whether
28:24it was an attempt
28:25at assassination
28:26and he survived
28:27or whether it was
28:28successful
28:29and this is
28:30the aftermath.
28:32The instigator
28:34of the plot
28:34to kill the king
28:35was a secondary queen
28:37named Ty.
28:39Some believe
28:40that the motive
28:41for the crime
28:41was Ty's disappointment
28:43that her son
28:43would never ascend
28:44to the throne.
28:45There were simply
28:46too many others
28:47in line before him.
28:50Her plan
28:51may have been
28:52to kill Ramses
28:53so that her side
28:54of the family
28:55could usurp
28:55the normal line
28:56of succession
28:57and seize control
28:58of Egypt.
29:00But it seems
29:01one of the conspirators
29:02had second thoughts
29:03and let the secret out.
29:10The trials involved
29:12more than 40 conspirators.
29:14After being found guilty,
29:16six of the condemned
29:17committed suicide
29:18in the court.
29:20They died in sight
29:21of all those present.
29:23Their alternative
29:24would have been
29:24a slow and painful
29:26public death
29:26on a sharp impaling rod.
29:32Others found guilty
29:33of lesser involvement
29:34had their ears
29:35and noses cut off.
29:40Whether or not
29:41the assassination attempt
29:42was successful,
29:43it is certain
29:43Ramses died
29:44before the verdicts
29:45were handed down.
29:50The shameful end
29:51to his 31-year reign
29:53foreshadowed troubled
29:54and chaotic times
29:55for Egypt.
29:58After Ramses III
29:59and his successes,
30:01you get this period
30:02of political breakup
30:03and social stress.
30:05There are still
30:06Egyptian pharaohs,
30:07but they seem
30:08to be much less
30:09in control
30:09of the situation.
30:11You have the country
30:12itself dividing up
30:13into several kingdoms
30:14with several pharaohs
30:15ruling at the same time.
30:18Scholars suggest
30:19that Egypt was failing
30:20for yet another reason.
30:23Egypt is no longer
30:25confined to the narrow,
30:27safe valley of the Nile.
30:29There are other
30:30great empires rising,
30:32not least, of course,
30:33over in Assyria,
30:33and we're into
30:35the last 1,000 years
30:36BC,
30:37so the whole thing
30:38is a state of flux.
30:39So Egypt is no longer
30:41top of the pile,
30:43top dog,
30:44and she is suffering.
30:48Over the next 800 years,
30:51nearly 70 rulers
30:52from 11 new dynasties
30:54would govern Egypt.
30:55They included Libyan,
30:57Nubian, Syrian,
30:58and Persian conquerors.
31:03Egypt was under
31:04the domination
31:04of the Persians
31:05when in the year
31:06333 BC,
31:08they were compelled
31:09to face one of the
31:10most formidable
31:11military commanders
31:12in history,
31:13Alexander the Great.
31:28Alexander the Great
31:29was the son of
31:30King Philip II
31:31of Macedonia,
31:32who had become
31:33the dominant power
31:34in Greece at the time.
31:37Educated by the
31:38Greek philosopher
31:39Aristotle,
31:41young Alexander
31:41rose to power
31:42in 336 BC,
31:44after his father
31:45was assassinated.
31:47He immediately
31:48turned his attention
31:49to the task
31:50of defeating
31:50the Persians
31:51who had threatened
31:52Greece for over
31:53200 years.
31:57The Greeks
31:58fought their way
31:59southward until
32:00finally at the age
32:01of 25,
32:02Alexander decisively
32:03defeated the king
32:04of Persia,
32:05coercing the king's
32:06forces to flee
32:07occupied Egypt.
32:13Shortly thereafter,
32:15Alexander entered
32:16Egypt as its
32:17liberator.
32:18He met no resistance
32:19and was promptly
32:20crowned pharaoh
32:21and became a god.
32:25Alexander was a
32:27highly intelligent
32:28individual,
32:30and in no country
32:32is his political
32:33acumen more concretely
32:35displayed than in Egypt.
32:38Certainly to his
32:39troops,
32:40while he was,
32:41of course,
32:42king and a great
32:43warrior,
32:44a great man,
32:44he was not a god.
32:46However,
32:47he and his advisors
32:48were intelligent
32:49enough to see
32:50that if he was
32:51going to be able
32:52to control Egypt,
32:53he would have to
32:54assume the mantle
32:55of the Egyptian kings
32:57and be worshipped
32:58as a divinity.
33:00Although Alexander
33:01was now pharaoh
33:02of Egypt,
33:03his destiny
33:04lay elsewhere.
33:07shortly after
33:08founding the city
33:08of Alexandria
33:09and naming it
33:11the capital of Egypt,
33:12he continued to
33:13conquer foreign lands
33:14as far away
33:15as India.
33:22In 323 BC,
33:25however,
33:26Alexander,
33:26the survivor
33:27of many wounds,
33:28died of fever
33:29in Babylon.
33:30His empire,
33:31the largest the world
33:32had ever seen,
33:33was divided
33:33amongst his generals.
33:36Chief among them
33:37was his boyhood friend,
33:38Ptolemy.
33:41When Ptolemy laid claim
33:42to Egypt,
33:43it marked the beginning
33:44of the last
33:44Egyptian dynasty,
33:46a dynasty that would
33:48found the greatest
33:49institution of learning
33:50ever seen,
33:51build one of the
33:52seven wonders
33:53of the world,
33:53and produce the most
33:55famous queen in history.
34:00hidden beneath the harbor
34:02of the ancient city
34:03of Alexandria
34:04are clues to mysteries
34:06that have gone unsolved
34:08for over 2,000 years.
34:12Rulers of empires
34:13once strolled
34:14along these paths.
34:18Submerged by an earthquake
34:20and only recently uncovered,
34:22these ruins provide us
34:23with a glimpse
34:24into the world
34:24of ancient Egyptian royalty.
34:27Here lie the remains
34:29of the palace
34:30of Cleopatra.
34:42The final chapter
34:43in the story
34:44of the greatest pharaohs
34:45began in the year
34:46323 B.C.
34:50It was in that year
34:52Alexander the Great's
34:54general,
34:54Ptolemy I,
34:56laid claim to Egypt.
34:57Later he crowned
34:59himself pharaoh
35:00and became the first
35:01king of the 32nd dynasty,
35:03the Egyptian dynasty
35:04of the Ptolemies.
35:08The Ptolemies were
35:10a fairly successful line
35:11of Egyptian pharaohs,
35:13in the sense
35:14that they maintained
35:15a prosperous country
35:17through most
35:18of the period
35:18of their rule.
35:19They maintained
35:20a traditional religion
35:21as well as practicing
35:22Greek religion.
35:24There are lots
35:25of temples
35:25in which the walls
35:26are covered
35:27with traditional images
35:28of Ptolemaic rulers.
35:29So it is
35:30the last great phase
35:31of Egyptian kingship,
35:32actually,
35:33and it's not
35:33an inglorious ending.
35:38Like the great pharaohs
35:39before them,
35:40the Ptolemies
35:41were builders.
35:42They are best remembered
35:43for their monumental learning,
35:45the Alexandria Library.
35:51Hundreds of thousands
35:53of written works
35:54were stored there,
35:55but it was more
35:56than a library.
35:57It was the literary
35:58and scientific seat
36:00of its time.
36:01The first place
36:02in history
36:03where scholars
36:04from every corner
36:05of the known world
36:06and every field of study
36:07congregated
36:08for the sole purpose
36:09of seeking knowledge.
36:16the Ptolemies
36:18also built
36:18the lighthouse
36:19of Alexandria,
36:20similar in design
36:21to the smaller lighthouse
36:22which they also built.
36:24It was the last
36:25of the seven wonders
36:26of the ancient world.
36:34The great lighthouse
36:36once stood
36:36at the site
36:37of this citadel
36:38and rose 400 feet
36:40above the harbor.
36:44its beacon
36:45was created
36:46by huge fires
36:47that were visible
36:48to sailors
36:48more than 100 miles
36:50out to sea.
36:56Despite early successes,
36:58family rivalries,
36:59political strife
37:00and economic decline
37:01began to weaken
37:02the Ptolemies.
37:03Eventually,
37:04the ever-increasing
37:05power of Rome
37:06determined the fortunes
37:07of Egypt.
37:14By the middle
37:15of the last century
37:16B.C.,
37:17the Ptolemies
37:18were rulers
37:19of Egypt
37:19in name only.
37:21Julius Caesar
37:22held the real power
37:23over the land
37:24of the Nile.
37:27In the year 51 B.C.,
37:29Ptolemy XII
37:31willed the throne
37:32of Egypt
37:32to his 18-year-old daughter,
37:35the seventh Ptolemy,
37:36to be named Cleopatra.
37:39But she was forced
37:40to share the throne
37:41equally
37:41with her 10-year-old brother,
37:43Ptolemy XIII.
37:50Cleopatra was born
37:51in 69 B.C.
37:53She spoke seven languages
37:54and was the only one
37:55of the Greek pharaohs
37:56capable of speaking Egyptian.
38:01Contrary to popular mythology,
38:04Cleopatra was not
38:05physically beautiful.
38:06It is said, however,
38:08that she possessed
38:08exceptional intelligence,
38:10charm,
38:11and a beautiful voice.
38:14The great philosopher
38:16Plutarch once wrote,
38:18It was a delight
38:20merely to hear
38:20the sound of her voice,
38:22with which,
38:22like an instrument
38:23of many strings,
38:24she could pass
38:25from one language
38:26to another,
38:27so that in her interviews
38:28with barbarians,
38:29she seldom required
38:31an interpreter.
38:36Cleopatra used
38:38and needed
38:38all of her talents
38:39to maintain control
38:41of her beloved Egypt.
38:43Not long after
38:44taking the throne,
38:46differences between
38:47Cleopatra and her brother
38:48resulted in outright
38:49civil war.
38:51Some experts argue
38:53that the Alexandria library
38:54was destroyed
38:55in the conflict.
38:59Cleopatra was forced
39:00to flee briefly
39:01to Syria,
39:02but returned to Alexandria
39:03upon hearing
39:04that Julius Caesar
39:05had arrived there
39:06from Rome.
39:11She realized
39:12with the growing power
39:14of Rome
39:15in the Mediterranean world
39:16that there was
39:16very little hope
39:18of her maintaining
39:19her status
39:20as Queen of Egypt.
39:22So much so,
39:23when Julius Caesar
39:24came to Egypt,
39:25as we all well know
39:27from the many plays
39:28and scenarios
39:29written subsequently,
39:31she beguiled him.
39:35Wrapped in a carpet,
39:36Cleopatra's servants
39:37smuggled the Queen
39:38into Alexandria
39:39and carried her up
39:40to Caesar's quarters.
39:44The carpet was presented
39:45as a gift
39:46and when it was rolled out,
39:48the Queen of Egypt
39:49was revealed.
39:51Caesar was enchanted
39:53and Cleopatra gained
39:54the ally she needed.
39:56Defeated,
39:56her brother Ptolemne XIII
39:58mysteriously drowned.
40:05Caesar returned to Rome
40:07only weeks later,
40:08leaving Cleopatra pregnant
40:09with his son Caesarian.
40:15But after a year had passed,
40:17he requested her presence.
40:21Cleopatra's appearance
40:22in Rome was an outrage
40:23and combined with Caesar's
40:25feuds with the Roman Senate
40:27led to his assassination
40:28in 44 B.C.
40:39Cleopatra returned to Egypt
40:40while the power vacuum
40:42left by Caesar's death
40:43was being filled
40:44by his great-grand-nephew Octavian
40:47and one of Caesar's
40:49former consuls,
40:50Mark Antony.
40:53But their joint rule
40:54proved to be unworkable
40:56and Mark Antony
40:57began to look to Egypt
40:58and Cleopatra for support.
41:04When Antony and Cleopatra met,
41:06her charm and ability
41:08to discuss subjects
41:09reserved for men
41:10captivated yet another
41:11Roman general.
41:17It was the beginning
41:18of a love affair
41:19and a political alliance
41:21that would determine
41:22both of their fates
41:23and the fate of Egypt.
41:28Although Antony did return
41:30to Rome
41:30in an attempt
41:31to mend his differences
41:32with Octavian,
41:33the trip was unsuccessful
41:35and he rejoined Cleopatra
41:37for good.
41:41Whatever he may have wanted
41:43from her,
41:44personally and emotionally,
41:45he also wanted money,
41:47timber for his ships,
41:49and she wanted
41:50further grants of territory,
41:52further political guarantees.
41:54They were always allies
41:56as much as they were lovers.
42:01Mark Antony was committed
42:02to Cleopatra
42:03and the two children
42:04she had bore him.
42:05He proclaimed that Caesarian,
42:07her son by Julius Caesar,
42:09was the legitimate heir
42:10to the leadership of Rome
42:11and presented Cleopatra
42:13with gifts of Roman land.
42:19We have the situation
42:20of a noble Roman,
42:21a great Roman general,
42:22at one point,
42:23giving away parts
42:24of the Roman Empire
42:26to an eastern queen
42:27and that was not
42:28to be tolerated
42:29by the Senate in Rome.
42:30That's why Mark Antony
42:31was declared
42:32public enemy number one.
42:36Manipulating these feelings
42:37to his benefit,
42:38Octavian obtained
42:39the backing
42:40of the Roman army
42:41and declared war
42:42on Antony and Cleopatra.
42:49The forces of Octavian
42:51met the navy
42:52of Antony and Cleopatra
42:53at the Sea Battle
42:54of Actium
42:55in 31 BC.
42:57The Romans succeeded
42:59in surrounding
43:00the Egyptian fleet
43:01and the day
43:02belonged to Octavian.
43:04Seeing defeat,
43:05Cleopatra and Antony
43:07made their escape.
43:13Within a year,
43:14the Roman fleet
43:15entered Alexandria's harbor
43:16and the Egyptian forces
43:18surrendered.
43:22Mark Antony knew
43:24what his fate would be
43:25and he took
43:25the noble Roman way out.
43:28He fell upon his sword
43:29and committed suicide.
43:31Cleopatra knew
43:32what her fate would be.
43:33Golden chains
43:34on her wrists
43:35and anchors
43:36in a great triumph
43:38in Rome.
43:39She couldn't
43:40beguile Octavian
43:42as she had been
43:42so successful
43:43with Mark Antony
43:45and with Julius Caesar.
43:46Octavian intended
43:47to be master
43:48of the Roman world.
43:52Ancient sources
43:53tell us
43:53Antony died
43:55in Cleopatra's arms.
43:56She too
43:57was prepared
43:58to die
43:58by her own hand.
44:03Cleopatra gave orders
44:05to have a poisonous snake
44:06brought secretly to her.
44:07With her servants
44:09in attendance,
44:10the serpent coiled
44:11around her arm
44:12and executed
44:12a fatal bite.
44:14Cleopatra was 39 years old.
44:19It may not have been
44:20such a bad kind of death.
44:22It was actually
44:23a fairly normal form
44:25of capital punishment
44:26in Egypt at the time.
44:27So Cleopatra would have
44:30known
44:30what it was like
44:32to die this way.
44:34The moment Cleopatra
44:36took her last breath,
44:38the age of the pharaohs
44:39was over.
44:40It was a fitting end
44:41to one of the greatest
44:42love stories
44:43of all time
44:44and for the ancient
44:45Egypt civilization
44:46that lasted longer
44:48than any other.
44:54It is true
44:55that Egyptian Roman overlords
44:57continued Egyptian ritual
44:59appeared as pharaohs
45:01and built temples
45:01to the gods.
45:04But these actions
45:05were purely
45:06for the purpose
45:07of maintaining control
45:08over the population.
45:10In reality,
45:11Egypt was just
45:12another territory,
45:14a rich land
45:15to be drained
45:15of its resources
45:16for the benefit of Rome.
45:18a rich land
45:20of the gods.
45:22Unattended,
45:23the shrines
45:24and monuments
45:25built over a period
45:26of three millennia
45:27were forgotten.
45:29What wasn't
45:30defaced or looted
45:31lay helpless
45:32against the relentless
45:33wind and sand.
45:35Their colors
45:36were erased
45:36and their forms
45:37buried beneath
45:38the surface
45:39of the desert.
45:45Now the voices
45:46of the god-kings
45:47were silent.
45:48The Egypt
45:49of the pharaohs,
45:50the old civilization,
45:51the great empire
45:53of the Nile
45:53had come to an end.
46:00But after all attempts
46:02by man and nature
46:03to destroy
46:03what the ancients
46:04had built,
46:05the legacy
46:06of the kings
46:07and queens
46:07of Egypt
46:08has survived.
46:12Their faces
46:13testify
46:13to the ageless glory
46:15of human nature
46:16and reveal
46:17how little
46:17it has changed
46:18since the time
46:19of the god-kings,
46:21the giants,
46:22the greatest pharaohs.
46:35The heroic
46:37of the king
46:37is to try
46:37to survive.
46:37To be in
46:44the lion
46:53and the or
46:53is to escape.
46:54The prince
46:54This is true,
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