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From hidden lies in our history books to strange plasma bubbles over the pyramids, new findings challenge what we thought we knew. Are we ready for the truth?
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00:00Imagine you were chosen to answer one of history's most important questions.
00:04What was the first civilization on Earth?
00:07The job description is simple, yet the task is extremely challenging.
00:11You need to unearth the proof of the world's first official civilization.
00:16Was it the Sumerians in Old Mesopotamia?
00:18Or was it the ancient Egyptians spread out along the Nile River?
00:23Not to make you nervous or anything, but history is quite literally in your hands.
00:27Good luck!
00:29Since you can't turn back the clock and visit Old Mesopotamia to get the answers to your questions,
00:34you'll need to research museum databases in order to get some clues.
00:38First things first, we need a definition of what is considered a civilization.
00:44It's not just thousands of people grouped together and living harmoniously.
00:49There are some key elements that together make a group of people a civilization.
00:53Like, for example, the domain of urbanism, aka city building, irrigation systems, and writing.
01:01You decide to begin your search by diving deep into the history of the Sumerians,
01:06which today hold the position of the world's first civilization.
01:09Now, imagine being the first of your kind.
01:13This means having no external examples.
01:16Rather, it means starting from scratch.
01:18First thing you'll need?
01:20A piece of land.
01:21And since there were no active water companies in the world at that time,
01:25you'll need a piece of land with easy access to water.
01:29So, the Sumerians settled between two major rivers,
01:32known as the Euphrates and the Tigris, in southern Mesopotamia around 5000 BCE.
01:38Fun fact, Mesopotamia translates to the land between two rivers.
01:43On a modern-day map, it's more or less where Iraq is situated today.
01:49Together with land, a civilization needs ways to get food.
01:52The Sumer civilization had to face a dry and hot climate,
01:57but they managed to make agriculture thrive in the region.
02:00By diverting river waters and creating reservoirs and dams,
02:04the Sumerians allowed for a series of settlements to emerge across Mesopotamian plains.
02:10The famous city of Babylon was one of them.
02:13You know, the city that supposedly had those hanging gardens?
02:17I say supposedly because no definitive proof of the real existence of this monument
02:22has ever been found.
02:23However, it was considered one of the seven wonders of the ancient world
02:27and cited as a remarkable feat of engineering in an ancient book published around 290 BCE.
02:35Although no record was found of the gardens of Babylon,
02:38the Sumerians were recognized as extremely skilled builders.
02:42Their cities were filled with mud-brick constructions,
02:45and the most impressive ones were known as ziggurats,
02:48stepped pyramids that were built for spiritual purposes.
02:52The Sumerians built a trade network to supplement scarce resources
02:56and started to exchange goods with civilizations rising nearby,
03:00like Anatolia and Egypt.
03:02The beginning of trade was what drove the Sumerians to develop
03:06what is believed to be the world's first writing system.
03:09It began as a simple system, likely dating back to 3400 BCE.
03:14In this system, each syllable was represented with a drawing.
03:18Later, it gradually evolved into a fully formed cursive writing system.
03:23Don't believe me?
03:24Take a look at this piece from the Babylonian times.
03:28This huge basalt plaque is called the Hammurabi Code.
03:32It's known to be humanity's first collection of written laws.
03:36As far as the story goes,
03:38it was carved in volcanic stone around year 1760 BCE.
03:44Look at the precision of these carvings.
03:46It's quite astonishing.
03:47But the content is also surprising,
03:50since these 282 rules vary from commercial regulations
03:55to strict laws of justice.
03:57The thing is,
03:59historians don't have a consensus
04:01on whether the Sumerians were really the first ones to invent writing.
04:04Some think it might have been old Egyptians.
04:08Let's pause here.
04:10Ancient Egyptian settlements are believed to have started
04:12around the year 5500 BCE,
04:16which is earlier than the Sumer civilization.
04:18But remember I said a civilization needed a few things
04:22before it was considered as such.
04:24Ancient Egypt consisted of several smaller city-states,
04:28such as Memphis, Abydos, and Thebes,
04:31spreading out along the Nile River.
04:32It wasn't until 3000 BCE
04:35that Egypt was unified under one kingdom
04:38and lasted as an empire
04:40until nearly 1000 BCE.
04:44Although there is no consensus on this,
04:46some Egypt experts believed
04:48that it could have been Sumerian immigrants
04:50that founded early Egyptian settlements.
04:52The proof could be the presence of cylinder seals
04:55made of hard stone,
04:57something that was widely used in Sumer.
04:59These seals were used to guarantee authenticity
05:03in legal transactions,
05:04but it's hard to say whether this method
05:06was introduced by Sumerian immigrants
05:08or simply by trade.
05:11Since the time period is not one of the criteria
05:14we can use to determine who came first,
05:16we'll have to turn to something else.
05:19But what?
05:20Like the Sumerians,
05:21the Egyptians were also highly skilled builders.
05:24Duh, they built the famous Giza Pyramids
05:27and many others all over their territory.
05:30In order to enhance their building techniques,
05:32they delved into developing
05:34a more profound understanding of mathematics.
05:37They developed a new form of measurement
05:39called the cubit,
05:41which was the equivalent of an arm's length.
05:43The Great Pyramid, for instance,
05:45is 440 cubits per 440 cubits.
05:49They were also innovative astronomers,
05:52combining their mathematical skills
05:54with attentive astronomical observation.
05:57They were the first civilization
05:59to use a 24-hour division of the day.
06:02And they even created a solar calendar,
06:04which was the first dating system in history
06:07to feature 365 days in one year.
06:11Okay, it's undeniable how impressive they were,
06:14but some experts say
06:15that the dispute has to be settled
06:17through the comparison of their writing systems.
06:20Hieroglyphic writing,
06:21the first Egyptian style of writing,
06:23is said to date back to 3000 BCE.
06:26It was a composition of over 700 symbols,
06:29which were carved in stone.
06:31For a long time,
06:33researchers believed
06:34that the Sumerian writing
06:35had come before Egyptian,
06:37but in a recent discovery
06:38made by Yale researchers,
06:40claims otherwise.
06:42Archaeologists have discovered
06:44a panel of four signs
06:45that are believed to have been written
06:47around 3,250 BCE.
06:50Oh, and they've also found
06:52another rock drawing
06:54depicting a pregnant elephant
06:55that can date back to 4000 BCE.
06:59Now, there's also a third possibility
07:02that fewer people seem to mention.
07:04The Indus Valley Civilization,
07:06also known as Ancient India,
07:08located around the area
07:10of modern-day Pakistan and India.
07:12The Indus Valley Civilization
07:14is also a contender
07:16for the oldest civilization
07:17due to the uncertain historical origins
07:20of the Hindu collection of texts
07:22known as the Upanishads.
07:24The Indus Valley Civilization
07:26flourished around 3000 BCE,
07:28but records show that people
07:31in the Indus Valley
07:32were trading with Mesopotamians
07:34as early as 3,500 BCE.
07:37Now, wait a minute.
07:39How is it possible?
07:41No, they weren't time travelers.
07:43This isn't a sci-fi movie.
07:45There already were agricultural settlements
07:47in the area
07:48that were slowly growing
07:49into bigger cities,
07:51such as Harappa
07:52and Mohenjo-daro.
07:53Ancient Indian cities
07:55were sophisticated,
07:55filled with baked-bricked homes
07:58built in a grid system.
07:59These ancient cities
08:01even had draining and sewage systems
08:03that connected most homes
08:04and used gravity
08:05to carry waste
08:06outside of the city.
08:07They were pretty advanced.
08:10They were also
08:11an extremely religious civilization,
08:13and Hindu beliefs
08:14were at the center
08:15of their practices.
08:16Despite that,
08:17their cities weren't filled
08:18with spiritual buildings.
08:20Actually,
08:21Mohenjo-daro's
08:21most important building
08:22was a public bath.
08:24Interesting, huh?
08:26Now,
08:27why can't we know
08:27if they were
08:28the oldest civilization on Earth?
08:30Even if some historians suspect
08:32that the origins
08:33of the Indus Valley people
08:34can be traced back
08:35to 5000 BCE,
08:37there is no concrete evidence
08:38of this,
08:39only speculation.
08:40The best proof we have
08:42is the Upanishads.
08:43The Upanishads are texts
08:45filled with philosophy,
08:47mantras,
08:48and ceremonies.
08:49The thing is,
08:50part of Hindu practices
08:51included memorizing
08:52and passing down
08:53the wisdom
08:54of the Upanishads
08:55in oral form.
08:56So,
08:57it took a while
08:57before it appeared
08:58as a written script.
09:00Well,
09:00I'd say historians
09:02aren't really sure
09:03what was the world's
09:04first civilization.
09:05We can only guess
09:06at this point,
09:07but who knows
09:08what new discoveries
09:09might reveal.
09:11There are mysterious
09:12plasma bubbles
09:13floating around
09:14the pyramids of Giza.
09:16As bizarre as that
09:17might sound,
09:18let's get one thing clear
09:19right off the bat.
09:20There's nothing
09:21extraterrestrial
09:22going on here.
09:25Plasma bubbles
09:26are those weather anomalies
09:27that form in a layer
09:28of Earth's atmosphere
09:29called the ionosphere.
09:31This is an invisible layer
09:32surrounding our planet
09:33that stretches roughly
09:34from 50 to 400 miles
09:36above Earth's surface,
09:38right at the edge
09:39of space.
09:40In this layer,
09:42the sun,
09:43being the giant
09:43hot power that it is,
09:45basically cooks gases,
09:46splitting them
09:47into electrically charged
09:48particles
09:49called plasma.
09:50Here's where
09:51it gets interesting.
09:52At night,
09:53especially near the equator,
09:55these charged particles
09:56get disturbed,
09:57and when a bunch of them
09:58suddenly vanish
09:59at the same time,
10:00it forms what we call
10:02a plasma bubble.
10:04Imagine it like
10:05a big empty pocket
10:06where the plasma
10:07is missing
10:08or its quantity
10:09is lowered,
10:10but it's only considered
10:11a plasma bubble
10:12if this phenomenon
10:13occurs on a large scale,
10:15typically around
10:1662 miles in size.
10:18If you're already
10:19packing your suitcase
10:20for Egypt
10:21and have put binoculars
10:22to look at the tips
10:23of the pyramids,
10:24I'm sorry to say
10:25that we can't see
10:26these plasma bubbles
10:27with the unaided eye.
10:28It's all happening
10:29way above our heads,
10:31completely invisible to us.
10:33Scientists need to use
10:34special equipment
10:35like the Latitude
10:37Long Range Ionosphere Radar
10:39or LARID
10:40to detect these bubbles.
10:42This advanced technology
10:43helps researchers
10:44track and observe
10:45the movement
10:46and formation
10:47of plasma bubbles
10:48in real time.
10:50This formation,
10:51by the way,
10:51can be triggered
10:52by solar storms.
10:54That brings us
10:55to November 2023
10:56when an impressive
10:58solar storm occurred.
10:59On a scale
11:00from 1 to 5,
11:01this one was classified
11:02as a G3,
11:04which is considered
11:05a strong event.
11:07Solar storms occur
11:08when sunspots
11:09are basically cooler,
11:10darker areas
11:11on the sun's surface
11:12release bursts
11:13of energy into space.
11:15These flares
11:16triggered several
11:17geomagnetic storms
11:18on Earth.
11:19While this might sound
11:20like doomsday stuff,
11:21it didn't disrupt
11:22our daily lives
11:23too much.
11:24In fact,
11:25it was great news
11:26for sky watchers,
11:27since the solar storm
11:28created stunning auroras.
11:29with the northern lights
11:31visible as far south
11:32as Greece and Turkey.
11:34But this particular storm
11:36in 2023
11:37also had another
11:38interesting consequence.
11:40It caused the largest
11:41plasma bubble
11:42ever recorded
11:43by the Chinese radar.
11:45This phenomenon
11:46was so massive
11:47that it covered regions
11:49as far apart
11:50as the Egyptian pyramids
11:51and the Midway Islands
11:52in the Pacific Ocean.
11:54Now that's
11:55a huge distance,
11:56and it is a big deal
11:58for science.
11:59And that's because
12:00plasma bubbles
12:01are a growing threat
12:02to modern technology.
12:04Experts say
12:05they can disrupt
12:06satellite communications
12:07and GPS systems.
12:09So,
12:09if you're using
12:10Google Maps
12:10or Waze
12:11and suddenly
12:12it can't figure out
12:13where you are,
12:14a plasma bubble
12:15might be to blame.
12:18Great.
12:19We now know
12:20what's going on
12:20with those bubbles
12:21detected above
12:22the pyramids of Giza.
12:24But things get even
12:25weirder
12:25inside this
12:26ancient construction.
12:28Apparently,
12:29the Great Pyramid of Giza
12:30has the ability
12:31to concentrate
12:32electromagnetic energy
12:33within its interior.
12:35A couple of years ago,
12:37a group of researchers
12:38decided to see
12:39what would happen
12:39if they took
12:40this ancient architecture
12:41and hit it
12:42with radio waves.
12:43I mean,
12:44waves that are similar
12:45to the kind
12:46your phone uses,
12:47but on a much larger scale,
12:49up to 1,900 feet long.
12:51But since they couldn't
12:53just start blasting
12:54radio waves
12:55at the actual pyramid,
12:57they did the next best thing,
12:59computer modeling.
13:01Using these simulations,
13:02the researchers discovered
13:03something incredible.
13:05The Great Pyramid
13:06can actually concentrate
13:08electromagnetic energy
13:09within its internal chambers
13:10as well as
13:11underneath its base,
13:13where an unfinished
13:14chamber is located.
13:16By concentrate,
13:18I mean something
13:19like trap it.
13:20For example,
13:21when you shout
13:22into a cave,
13:23you hear your voice
13:24echo back, right?
13:26The sound waves
13:27don't just disappear,
13:28they bounce around
13:29and get focused.
13:31Similarly,
13:32when radio waves
13:32hit the pyramid,
13:33they don't just
13:34pass through
13:35or around it.
13:36Instead,
13:37they get absorbed,
13:38bounce around,
13:39and focus inside
13:40and underneath
13:41the pyramid.
13:43Our list of
13:44mysterious phenomena
13:45surrounding the
13:46Egyptian pyramids
13:47doesn't end there.
13:49Inside the pyramid,
13:50there's a long,
13:50narrow passage
13:51that leads to
13:52what's known
13:53as the King's Chamber.
13:54This room sits
13:55at the center
13:56of the pyramid
13:57and it's believed
13:57to have been
13:58the final resting place
13:59of Pharaoh Khufu,
14:01the ancient
14:01Egyptian leader
14:02who commissioned
14:03the entire thing
14:04over 4,000 years ago.
14:07When visitors
14:08step into
14:08the King's Chamber,
14:09two things
14:10normally strike them.
14:11The room's
14:12incredible acoustics
14:14and its heavy,
14:15imposing structure,
14:16which is entirely
14:18lined with red granite.
14:20Recently,
14:21scientists have started
14:22to connect
14:23these two facts.
14:24Some researchers
14:25now believe
14:25that the King's Chamber
14:26might be able
14:27to catch
14:28or pick up
14:29sound energy
14:30generated from
14:31other parts
14:31of the pyramid.
14:32In other words,
14:34this room
14:34might have been designed
14:35to amplify sound
14:36in a way
14:37that no other chamber
14:38in the pyramid can.
14:40To test this theory,
14:42researchers conducted
14:43an experiment
14:44where they sang
14:45in the Queen's Chamber,
14:46which is located
14:47directly below
14:48the King's Chamber.
14:50Here's where it gets wild.
14:51The music
14:52couldn't be heard
14:53in the lower underground
14:54rooms of the pyramid,
14:55but it sounded loud
14:56and clear
14:57in the King's Chamber.
14:59One possible explanation
15:01for this
15:01is the type of stone
15:02used in the King's Chamber,
15:04pink granite.
15:05Granite is known
15:07for its piezoelectric properties,
15:09meaning it can absorb energy
15:11from its surroundings,
15:12like sound vibrations,
15:14and convert it
15:14into electrical energy.
15:16This suggests
15:18that the Chamber's
15:19unique acoustics
15:20might be due
15:20to more than just
15:21the shape of the room.
15:23It could be
15:24that the granite itself
15:25plays a role
15:26in amplifying
15:27and concentrating
15:28sound waves.
15:31According to scientists,
15:32these discoveries
15:33open up
15:34a whole new field
15:35of research
15:36into the pyramid's potential.
15:38Could the ancient pyramids
15:39have somehow
15:40harnessed the energy
15:41created by sound waves
15:42or even Earth's
15:44natural vibrations?
15:45It might sound far-fetched,
15:48but considering
15:48the granite's
15:49piezoelectric properties
15:50are well-documented
15:52in modern science,
15:53it's not entirely impossible.
15:56Who knows?
15:57Maybe we've only
15:58just scratched the surface
15:59of what the pyramids
16:01were truly capable of.
16:03Speaking of just
16:04scratching the surface,
16:05there's even more
16:06to think about,
16:07like how the pyramids
16:08ended up
16:09in such a perfect location.
16:11It seems the builders
16:12lined up the Great Pyramid
16:14with the cardinal points,
16:15meaning its sides
16:16are almost perfectly aligned
16:18with the four main directions
16:19north, south,
16:21east, and west.
16:23There are many theories
16:25about how they did it,
16:26but one study suggests
16:27that Egyptians
16:28might have used
16:29the fall equinox
16:30to achieve
16:31this perfect alignment.
16:33During the equinox,
16:35the sun rises
16:35and sets directly
16:36in the east and west.
16:38It probably made it easier
16:40for builders
16:40to use the sun's position
16:42as a guide.
16:43By watching the sun
16:44during this time,
16:45they could make sure
16:46the pyramids
16:47were positioned
16:47just right.
16:49If we think about
16:51all these strange things
16:52about the pyramids,
16:53I mean,
16:54their perfect alignment,
16:55the ability
16:56to concentrate radio waves,
16:57and the materials
16:58used in the chambers
16:59that might generate
17:00electrical energy.
17:02Could the real purpose
17:03of the pyramids
17:04actually be much more complex
17:06than just being tombs?
17:09Well,
17:10Nikola Tesla thought so.
17:12It is said
17:12that the famous inventor
17:13and engineer
17:14was kind of obsessed
17:15with the Egyptian pyramids,
17:17and he wondered
17:18if they might actually be
17:19giant energy transmitters.
17:21He believed
17:22the shape and position
17:23of the pyramids
17:24could help them function
17:25as huge generators,
17:27capable of producing
17:28free, limitless energy.
17:31Some researchers
17:33agree with Tesla
17:33and believe
17:34that these massive monuments
17:35might have been designed
17:36as giant power plants.
17:39According to their theory,
17:41builders could have figured out
17:42how to move ions,
17:43those electrically charged particles,
17:45in the atmosphere
17:46by placing materials
17:47like copper, gold,
17:49and silver
17:50around the pyramids.
17:51So,
17:52it is definitely possible
17:53that the ancient Egyptians
17:54created a sustainable,
17:56renewable power source.
17:58Although,
17:59this is a very interesting thought.
18:01We haven't been able
18:02to confirm this theory,
18:03and the true purpose
18:04of the pyramids
18:05remain one of humanity's
18:07biggest mysteries.
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