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00:04A vast pyramid with an unusual form dominates the Nile Valley.
00:09It is the tomb of the Pharaoh Djoser in the necropolis of Saqqara, south of Cairo.
00:24An architectural revolution took place under the reign of this Pharaoh
00:27with the construction of the high monument built entirely in stone.
00:33It was an explosion of building in stone.
00:37Surrounded by a vast wall, the pyramid is at the center of an immense burial complex
00:42with kilometers of secret tunnels running beneath it.
00:47They were not only putting 15 hectares on the surface,
00:52they were also creating a whole netherworld below the steppe pyramid complex.
00:57To achieve this, a whole population was mobilized.
01:02These are not slaves who built the pyramids.
01:04These are people who believed in the power of the solar god.
01:08For almost two centuries now, archaeologists have been trying to solve the mystery of the pyramids
01:13and find answers to their many questions.
01:15How did they build such tall structures without modern tools?
01:20Where did the millions of blocks used for their construction come from?
01:24How did the Egyptians manage to reach a height of 60 meters?
01:29And was the world's first pyramid built according to a clear plan, or was it the result of chance?
01:36For the first time, archaeologists in the field have benefited from new technologies like laser scanners and photogrammetry
01:43to uncover fresh clues in this investigation that began 200 years ago.
01:49Photogrammetry proves very useful because now you can think about it, look at it, look at it again and again,
01:55from a god's eye point of view, we're right here at Ardesta.
01:59Most of the great discoveries happened when we look first from above down.
02:05Welcome to Archaeology 2.0.
03:00Egypt.
03:01For the past five millennia,
03:03these monuments have stood the test of time.
03:06The giant pyramids have fascinated successive generations.
03:11But you have to look beyond the most celebrated examples
03:15to unveil the mystery of their origins.
03:18An hour from Cairo, far from the bustle of the tourists,
03:22on a deserted track on the Saqqara Plateau,
03:25sand stretches as far as the eye can see.
03:28Then, suddenly, a strange mountain looms on the horizon.
03:33It is the Pyramid of Djoser,
03:35which has dominated the Nile Valley for 4,600 years.
03:44This pyramid is the first pyramid of history.
03:47It is the first monument built entirely in stone in ancient Egypt.
03:52It heralded the age of the giants,
03:54which spanned more than 1,000 years
03:56and bears testimony to the pinnacle of the Egyptian civilization
03:59which dominated the world.
04:01This was the time of the pharaoh Djoser.
04:03the first king of Egypt's third dynasty.
04:06He is thought to have reigned from 2,691 to 2,625 B.C.
04:13His kingdom was so mighty
04:14that the pharaoh embarked on an architectural project
04:17unprecedented in the history of humanity.
04:20The monument that made his predecessors,
04:23it did not go up more than 10, 12 meters,
04:27while it goes from 10 meters to 60 meters.
04:30And that is a revolution.
04:34Its dimensions are spectacular.
04:36The rectangular base measures 121 meters by 109 meters,
04:42and it peaks at 60 meters.
04:45At this level of the desert plateau,
04:47everything was flat.
04:48The fact that he raised a kind of artificial mountain
04:50would be something very impressive,
04:52and very impressive in the eyes of the Egyptians.
04:55This was the skyscraper of its age.
04:58Destined to receive the mortal remains of Djoser after his death,
05:02its unique shape made it immediately recognizable.
05:05We don't yet have the smooth-sided pyramid of Cheops,
05:09which appeared a century later,
05:10but a step pyramid,
05:11as Egyptologists call this design.
05:17The tombs of previous dynasties were made of earthen bricks,
05:20which are easy to produce and light to transport.
05:24But they had a major disadvantage.
05:27La brique se désagrèche facilement.
05:29Elle est soumise au vent, elle va s'user,
05:31elle va, voilà, au bout de quelques centaines d'années,
05:33elle va disparaître.
05:34La pierre aide aux yeux des Égyptiens éternels.
05:38Elle représente cette possibilité
05:40de croissant une demeure d'éternité pour le pharaon.
05:44Stone may be internal,
05:46but it's also much heavier.
05:48It requires technical skills
05:50for cutting, transport, and installation.
05:54Nonetheless,
05:56the Egyptians embarked on this challenge
05:57on a huge scale.
05:59And suddenly,
06:00they're building in stone
06:01on a scale of 15 hectares,
06:04the size of a large town
06:07in the 3rd millennium B.C.
06:09An enclosure wall
06:11that's 1,645 metres long.
06:17It was an explosion
06:19of building in stone.
06:22On the plateau of Saqqara,
06:24Djoser built in stone
06:26not only his future tomb,
06:27but also a vast burial complex.
06:30And this mammoth project
06:32was completed in record time.
06:33It was all achieved
06:34within this reign of Djoser
06:36is amazing
06:37because they think
06:38Djoser reigned 19 years.
06:41For a prototype,
06:43it was a work of genius.
06:45So exactly,
06:46how did the Egyptians
06:47accomplish this technological
06:48and architectural revolution?
06:55There are no texts
06:56that recount the construction
06:57of the pyramids.
06:58So researchers like Bruno Delande
07:00have no choice.
07:02To reveal the secret of Djoser,
07:04they must make the stone talk.
07:07Fortunately for them,
07:09there has been spectacular progress
07:11in recent years
07:12in terms of scientific imagery.
07:26These technologies today
07:27allow us to measure the pyramid
07:29and its surroundings
07:30with great precision
07:31and visualize it
07:32from angles
07:33that would be impossible
07:34for an archaeologist
07:35on the ground,
07:36allowing us to discover
07:37unsuspected new locations.
07:42To reveal the mystery
07:43of the pyramids,
07:44photogrammetry
07:45is one of the most
07:45promising new technologies.
07:52In 2018,
07:54a major scientific expedition
07:56carried out
07:56the first full scan
07:58of Egypt's
07:58eight biggest pyramids.
08:01Photogrammetry
08:01is a technique
08:02that allows a 3D
08:04to build a site
08:05or a monument.
08:06We make a 3D model
08:07of the visible model.
08:09We will have
08:10a very precise model
08:11of the pyramids
08:11to achieve this level
08:15of detail,
08:16the team of specialists
08:17equipped with imaging
08:18equipment and a drone
08:20cover each square centimeter
08:22of the site,
08:25taking tens of thousands
08:27of photos.
08:31The drone has
08:32the huge advantage
08:32of height,
08:34offering an unprecedented
08:35vision of the pyramid.
08:38It allows the pyramid
08:40but with the terrain
08:42that is all around.
08:43We will then
08:43approach the pyramid
08:44and be able to distinguish
08:46each stone
08:46and measure it very precisely.
08:49So we can have
08:49several details.
08:51We can have
08:52small fissures
08:52that will be in the same
08:543D model
08:54that the whole
08:56of the dunes
08:56that are all around.
08:58Thanks to this model
09:00generated by powerful computers,
09:02archaeologists can study it
09:03for the first time
09:04from new angles
09:05and go in a single click
09:07from the tiniest detail
09:08to an aerial view.
09:11Photogrammetry
09:11proves very useful
09:12because now you can
09:14think about it,
09:15look at it,
09:15look at it again
09:16and again
09:16from a God's eye
09:18point of view.
09:19We're right here
09:20at our desktop.
09:22They hope to unearth
09:23fresh clues
09:24like anomalies
09:25in the ground
09:26that might provide
09:27the key to the
09:27construction methods
09:28used for the pyramid.
09:31For 200 years,
09:32researchers have
09:33roamed this huge site
09:35but its exceptional size
09:36makes it impossible
09:37to fully grasp
09:38from the ground level.
09:40What do you do,
09:41a balloon
09:41or you climb up?
09:43It's an examination
09:44of the pyramid
09:45that has not been possible
09:46until photogrammetry,
09:47until drones.
09:48We can see great things
09:50from above.
09:51Most of the great discoveries
09:53happened when we look first
09:55from above down.
10:00Seeing the site from above
10:01is then essential.
10:03Photogrammetry allows us
10:05to see with precision
10:06the boundary of the complex
10:07now buried under the sand
10:09and to easily carry out
10:11precise measurements.
10:14The first thing we can see
10:16is that the pyramid of Saqqara
10:17is located in the exact
10:19center of the site.
10:20The pyramid was therefore
10:21not conceived in isolation.
10:25The whole site covers 15 hectares,
10:28the equivalent of 20 football pitches.
10:31But to understand the pyramid,
10:33one first has to understand
10:34the burial complex
10:35in its entirety.
10:50The photogrammetric model
10:52allows us to measure
10:53the exact size of the town
10:54that stood around
10:55the pyramid of Djoser.
10:59To the south,
11:00an entrance with colonnades
11:01and a tomb.
11:02To the east,
11:03two palaces,
11:04one to the south,
11:05one to the north
11:06and a series of small temples.
11:08To the north,
11:10butting against the pyramid,
11:11another funereal temple.
11:13And all these buildings
11:15lay within a protective wall.
11:17All the architecture components
11:19were within,
11:21beside the pyramid.
11:22The pyramid is nearly
11:23in the center of it,
11:24moved a little bit
11:25to the northwest corner.
11:27And it's surrounded
11:28by dummy buildings.
11:30Buildings that aren't real,
11:31don't have, you know,
11:32interior rooms and so on.
11:33They're basically facades
11:35filled with debris.
11:36A whole town
11:38without inhabitants or life.
11:39A city dedicated
11:40to the afterlife.
11:42This whole complex
11:43is almost like
11:44a Disneyland,
11:45you know,
11:45a movie set.
11:48Creating the simulacrum
11:50of a royal complex,
11:52it has a magical effect.
11:55The site today
11:56may seem immense,
11:57but this is just
11:58a small part
11:59of what Djoser had built.
12:01There is another city,
12:03more secret and more holy.
12:05A city that was invisible
12:06to its contemporaries.
12:11For Mark Lennar,
12:13an archaeologist
12:14who has devoted his life
12:15to the study of the pyramids,
12:16the most extraordinary part
12:18of the vast Djoser site
12:19lies beneath the surface.
12:21It's an exceptional thing
12:22to be going down under
12:24the steppe pyramid
12:25of Djoser
12:26because for many years,
12:28decades,
12:29nobody could go underneath.
12:34The archaeologists
12:35who have ventured
12:36under this pyramid
12:37since the start
12:37of the 19th century
12:39discovered an underground city
12:41made up of countless tunnels.
12:46Since 1992
12:47and the major earthquake
12:48which damaged the pyramid,
12:50it has been strictly forbidden
12:51to come down here.
12:56In 2010,
12:57the Egyptians launched
12:58an ambitious restoration project
12:59to save the edifice
13:00with a view to reopening it
13:02to the public.
13:06In the meantime,
13:07we have had the exceptional privilege
13:09of being allowed to visit
13:10this subterranean world.
13:14It's a tunnel
13:15in the bedrock
13:17underneath the pyramid
13:18but it's really
13:19in the form of a tunnel
13:20carved right into
13:21the natural rock.
13:23This maze of tunnels
13:24stretches almost
13:25six kilometers
13:26on three levels
13:27and goes down
13:28to an incredible depth
13:29of 40 meters,
13:30the equivalent
13:31of a 15-story building.
13:35Even for an experienced archaeologist,
13:38these tunnels
13:39tunnels are a labyrinth.
13:41There is a genuine risk
13:42of becoming lost.
13:47I have to say frankly,
13:49it's so complicated
13:50down here,
13:51I'm kind of playing it
13:52by ear as we say in English
13:53because I don't know it
13:55by heart.
14:00But why did the Egyptians
14:01risk their lives
14:02to dig down so deep
14:04and so far?
14:05They thought that they
14:06began to make the corridors
14:08to save the thieves.
14:09I don't really believe in this.
14:11These corridors
14:12are the vision
14:13of the ancient Egyptian
14:15for the afterlife.
14:16Then the king
14:17has to go through
14:18these tunnels
14:18and having knives
14:20in his hand
14:21killing the wild creatures
14:23until he can actually
14:25go and meet Uziahres.
14:32So we have to realize
14:34that when they built
14:36the Steppe Pyramid Complex,
14:37they were not only putting
14:3915 hectares of architecture
14:42for the first time in stone
14:44on the surface,
14:46but they had 5.7 kilometers
14:49of underground tunnels
14:51and passageways
14:52and chambers.
14:53They were also creating
14:55a whole netherworld
14:56below the Steppe Pyramid Complex.
14:58But it was only
14:59in recent years
15:00with the restoration
15:01that Bruno Dallonde
15:03has actually mapped
15:05everything in 3D
15:06using laser scanning.
15:11Starting in 2004,
15:13a scientific mission
15:14scanned the whole
15:15of the pyramid.
15:17Carried out in particularly
15:19difficult conditions,
15:20the work lasted
15:21three years.
15:25The aim was to produce
15:27a model of the pyramid
15:28and its tunnels
15:29in three dimensions.
15:36This would allow analysis
15:37of the pyramid structure,
15:38which had been weakened
15:39by the earthquake in 1992.
15:46A 3D scanner projects
15:47a laser beam
15:48over the nearby walls
15:49and thereby establishes
15:51the volume of the space.
15:54It's a head
15:55on a trépied
15:56that in a few minutes
15:57turns and collects
15:58hundreds of millions
16:00of measurements.
16:00And these are measurements
16:01of a very large precision
16:03in the middle of the
16:04inch of the millimeter.
16:06The immediate result
16:06is a point of a
16:08large, very dense
16:10of hundreds of millions
16:12of points.
16:12So it's a model
16:13that we can manipulate
16:14on a computer screen.
16:16We notice
16:16the deformations,
16:17the structural pathologies.
16:19The laser is stopped
16:21by the surfaces
16:22it encounters.
16:23But its extreme fineness
16:24and precision
16:25allow it to penetrate
16:26the smallest of gaps.
16:28It can thus detect
16:29fissures that would
16:30be invisible
16:31to the naked eye.
16:45The full scan
16:47of the underground structures
16:48revealed the existence
16:49of previously unknown tunnels
16:51that traditional
16:51archaeological techniques
16:53had not found.
17:01This discovery revealed
17:03an extra kilometer
17:04of underground city
17:06and the scan
17:07confirmed the intuitions
17:08of the first archaeologists
17:10who worked on this site.
17:13This network of tunnels
17:15is centered
17:15around the pharaoh's tomb.
17:20After 30 minutes
17:21of arduous progress
17:22Mark Lenner finally reaches
17:24the funeral chamber
17:25where the remains
17:25of the pharaoh Djoser
17:26were laid.
17:31His tomb
17:32is an imposing
17:33mausoleum of granite
17:34four meters high
17:35and more than
17:36three meters long
17:37and two meters wide.
17:41The tomb is surrounded
17:42by scaffolding
17:43for restoration purposes
17:44temporarily hiding it
17:46from the archaeologist's view.
17:55One can only reach
17:57the tomb from above
17:58and it's quite a struggle.
18:00Just a little light brushing.
18:03You still can, see?
18:06By removing the sand
18:08that has accumulated
18:09over time
18:09they find the stone stels
18:11which cover the tomb.
18:13Each is engraved
18:14with an inscription.
18:16There they are.
18:17I think that might be them.
18:18There were numbers
18:20indicating the order
18:22that the blocks
18:23were supposed
18:23to be put into place.
18:25This must be
18:26the first time
18:28that the royal body
18:29was put into
18:30a granite vault.
18:31So it wasn't
18:32at all common
18:33at this time.
18:35Granite is a
18:36resistant hard stone.
18:38It is the ideal material
18:39to conserve
18:40the pharaoh's mummy
18:41and its magic powers
18:42for eternity.
18:45This granite vault
18:46is like a battery
18:47and when they put
18:48the king's body in
18:49the battery was packed
18:51and the pyramid
18:53was energized
18:54and full of magical
18:56spiritual power
18:57for those who came after.
19:00Yeah, in a way
19:01this is
19:02this is the core
19:03of the pyramid.
19:07The pharaoh's tomb
19:08is positioned
19:09at the center
19:10of the edifice.
19:11But it is not
19:12in the actual heart
19:13of the pyramid
19:14but instead
19:15is located beneath it.
19:18The 3D scan
19:19shows the precise dimensions
19:20of the funeral chamber.
19:22It's a square
19:23with 7 meter long sides
19:25located at the bottom
19:26of a shaft
19:27some 22 meters deep.
19:30This is totally unique.
19:31In all of the pyramids
19:33that were subsequently built
19:34the arrangement
19:35is radically different.
19:36There is no
19:37subterranean network
19:38and the king's tomb
19:39is inside the edifice.
19:42So how do we explain
19:43why Djoser's pyramid
19:44was an exception
19:45to this construction plan
19:46that would rule
19:47for the next 1,000 years?
19:53Jaromir Krečí
19:54thinks he has found
19:55the answer
19:55by examining the pyramid.
19:59He was surprised
20:00to find that
20:00what we see today
20:01is not the original
20:02outside of the structure.
20:18The polished stones
20:20which once covered
20:21the pyramid
20:22have practically disappeared.
20:24Only a few at the base
20:25allowed the first archaeologists
20:27to measure the distance
20:28between the surface
20:29at the time
20:29and the surface today.
20:34In Djoser's day
20:35the pyramid
20:36was five meters thicker.
20:38That means
20:39thousands of stones
20:40have disappeared.
20:41The cause was not
20:42erosion over time.
20:43And why can we see
20:46this?
20:46Thank you
20:47or because of it
20:47that the soldiers
20:49of the stone
20:50took away
20:51the damage
20:52between the stone
20:54and the formation
20:55and the formation
20:56took away
20:57over the last 1,000 years
20:59and used
21:00the stone
21:02to use
21:02on other buildings.
21:07Archaeologists
21:08believe that the pyramid
21:08at Saqqara
21:09was made of stone
21:10all the way
21:11to its center.
21:14This theory
21:15was confirmed
21:15in 2007
21:16when a scan
21:17of the entire
21:18edifice was done.
21:19Some 320 million
21:21laser measurements
21:22enabled precise
21:23internal mapping
21:24of the monument.
21:25The verdict
21:26was unequivocal.
21:27This wall
21:27is completely full.
21:29At this time
21:30we didn't build
21:30any furniture
21:31inside the pyramid.
21:33But it is still
21:34unknown why
21:35the pyramid
21:35was built like this.
21:37We didn't have
21:37the techniques yet.
21:38We waited.
21:39It was the first time
21:40that we built
21:41a building
21:41so high.
21:42So to support
21:4360 meters
21:44of maçonnery
21:44at the top
21:45of a room
21:45in the funeral
21:46was a risk.
21:47There was a risk
21:48that the pyramid
21:49would collapse
21:50under its own weight
21:51and destroy
21:51the royal tomb.
21:52So the Egyptians
21:53chose to protect it
21:55by putting it
21:55underground.
21:58They embarked
21:59on this unprecedented
22:00project while keeping
22:01risks to a minimum.
22:05But how did Djoser
22:07manage to build
22:07his pyramids so high?
22:10At the time
22:11traditional techniques
22:13only permitted
22:13the construction
22:14of mastabas,
22:15burial structures
22:16that only stand
22:17a few meters tall.
22:18Mastaba,
22:19simplement,
22:20signifie
22:20banh
22:21ou banquette
22:22in Arabic
22:22egyptian.
22:23The shape
22:24of the pyramid
22:24with its steps
22:25might lead one
22:26to the wrong
22:26conclusion
22:27regarding its
22:28construction.
22:30You would think
22:31and it's been said
22:32that Djoser
22:33or his genius
22:35architect
22:35had the idea
22:36that one mastaba
22:37on top of another
22:38and voila,
22:39there you have
22:40the step pyramid
22:41but it's not built
22:42like that.
22:43That method of construction
22:44would have been disastrous
22:45for a very simple reason.
22:57The higher a building
22:58rises,
22:59the more it is
22:59subjected to horizontal
23:00forces and the greater
23:02the risk of collapse.
23:04Which means that
23:05piling up mastabas
23:07would not be a viable
23:08method to erect a monument
23:0960 meters high.
23:17The technique
23:18of sloping courses
23:24consists of inclining
23:25blocks of stone
23:26towards the center
23:27of the monument
23:27at an angle
23:28of around 15 degrees.
23:31Arranged this way,
23:32the blocks
23:32press towards
23:33the middle
23:34of the structure
23:34ensuring its
23:35overall stability.
23:37L'intérêt
23:38est simple.
23:39Ici,
23:39tous les éléments
23:40s'appuient
23:40contre le centre
23:41contre le noyau
23:42du monument
23:43donc il n'y a aucun
23:43risque d'avoir
23:44de mouvement
23:45donc défendre en main.
23:46It's actually built
23:46like a core
23:48that's like a tower
23:49and then accretion
23:52each step
23:52is made of accretions
23:54like the skins
23:55of an onion
23:55leaning against it.
23:58Sloping courses
23:59discovered by the
24:00first archaeologists
24:01to study the site
24:02was the revolutionary
24:03technique which
24:04allowed the Egyptians
24:05to dare to think big.
24:12The photogrammetric survey
24:14which produced
24:14the 3D model
24:15from 15,000 photos
24:17of the site
24:17has enabled
24:18a more precise calculation
24:19of the height
24:20of the monument.
24:23But the final result
24:24was not the expected
24:2660 meters.
24:27The highest point
24:29was less than 58 meters.
24:33But if one adds
24:34the stones
24:34that have disappeared
24:35in successive pillaging
24:37specialists agree
24:38that the pyramid
24:39did indeed measure
24:4060 meters
24:41when first built.
24:44And in 2010
24:45science unveiled
24:47another secret
24:47about the pyramid
24:48of Sakara
24:49the exact date
24:50of its construction.
25:15Located at the
25:15monument's first level
25:17inserted at the
25:18heart of the construction
25:19carbon-14 dating
25:20has revealed
25:21the precise date
25:22of this architectural
25:23revolution
25:262570 B.C.
25:30The Egyptians
25:31accomplished an exploit
25:32and with that
25:33humanity entered
25:34a new era
25:35as important
25:36as the advent
25:37of printing
25:37or electricity
25:38or sending
25:39the first man
25:40into space.
25:42We may know
25:43how Djoser
25:44built his pyramid
25:45so high
25:45but we have yet
25:46to understand
25:47why the pharaoh
25:48wanted such a monument?
25:51Was it really
25:52to access the afterlife
25:53and guarantee
25:54eternal life
25:55or was it simply
25:56to assert his power
25:57over the people?
25:59The pyramid
26:00was propaganda
26:01and you know
26:03like modern
26:04dictators
26:05modern rulers
26:06will make
26:07large monuments
26:08in order to
26:11influence
26:12the people
26:13that they rule.
26:14Now were they
26:15consciously doing
26:17that
26:17or did they
26:19also really believe?
26:24All the texts
26:25found by archaeologists
26:26confirmed that
26:27the pharaohs
26:28considered themselves
26:28as living gods.
26:32By ensuring
26:33eternal life
26:34for their kings
26:35the pyramids
26:36offered protection
26:36from wars
26:37epidemics
26:38and famines.
26:39For Egyptian society
26:41at the time
26:41they promised
26:42prosperity
26:43and peace.
26:44You have to
26:45understand
26:45that the pyramid
26:47was the national
26:48project of the whole nation.
26:50Therefore the whole country
26:51helped the king.
26:53I do believe
26:54that population
26:55in that time
26:56were only three millions
26:58and those three millions
27:00all of them
27:01participated
27:02in building the pyramid.
27:04It's not the slaves
27:05who built
27:06the pyramids
27:06but people
27:07believed
27:07in this religion
27:08and believed
27:09in the power
27:09of the solar
27:11power.
27:11Therefore it's
27:13honorful
27:13to work
27:14for these monuments.
27:41We know
27:42that a cathedral
27:43for example
27:44could have lasted
27:44more than 200 years.
27:46So when we compare
27:47the volume
27:47of materials
27:48and the energy
27:49deployed
27:49there's something
27:50quite extreme
27:52to the ancient Egyptians.
27:56But religious fervor
27:58and general mobilization
27:59are not enough
27:59to explain
28:00how Djoser
28:01completed
28:01his grand design.
28:05What technical
28:06and logistical resources
28:07did the pharaoh
28:08have at his disposal
28:09to build
28:09such a town?
28:16Vassil Dobrev
28:17thinks that studying
28:18the burial complex
28:19reveals that the Egyptians
28:20already knew
28:21the secrets of stone.
28:22We realize
28:23that it's perfectly
28:24cut
28:24even with little
28:25details.
28:26So we see
28:27that these people
28:29don't learn
28:30to cut
28:31the stone.
28:32It's been
28:32for centuries
28:33and centuries
28:33that Egyptians
28:34cut
28:34the stone
28:35to another
28:35scale.
28:36For the
28:36stone
28:37for the
28:38ground,
28:38for the
28:38dalach,
28:39for the
28:39certain
28:40pieces,
28:41for the
28:41doors,
28:42for the
28:42doors.
28:50The scale
28:51may have been
28:51grand,
28:52but the
28:52equipment
28:52was limited.
28:53The Egyptians
28:54didn't have
28:55any trucks
28:55or cranes
28:56or jackhammers.
29:07excavations
29:08carried out
29:08on the site
29:09since 1924
29:10have found
29:10many tools,
29:11most common
29:12being the
29:13wooden mallet
29:13and copper
29:14chisels.
29:16Their dimensions
29:17vary depending
29:17on the rock
29:18to be cut
29:19and the
29:19motifs
29:20being carved.
29:21The problem
29:22was that copper
29:23is too soft
29:24to be used
29:24on harder
29:25stones.
29:25But Joseph's
29:28craftsmen
29:28found a way
29:29around this
29:29obstacle.
29:47The Egyptians
29:49acquired
29:50extensive
29:50knowledge
29:50about stone
29:51and achieved
29:52miracles
29:52which still
29:53inspire
29:54incredulity
29:54today.
29:56The Egyptians
29:56know the
29:57anatomy
29:58of any
29:59stone.
30:00The stone
30:00is like
30:01us.
30:01It's like
30:02a human being.
30:03It has
30:03weak parts
30:05and strong
30:05parts.
30:06I can bring
30:07you a man
30:07and I did
30:08that in front
30:09of a man
30:10who used
30:10to attack
30:10me all the
30:11time
30:11that the
30:12Egyptians
30:12cannot cut
30:13stones
30:13and move
30:13stones.
30:14I brought
30:15a man
30:15on the
30:15age of 70.
30:16He stood
30:17in the
30:17top of
30:17the stone.
30:18He made
30:18a line
30:19on the
30:20weak
30:21parts of
30:21the stone.
30:22In the
30:22middle
30:23a piece
30:23of iron
30:23bomb
30:24bomb
30:25bomb
30:25bomb
30:26He cut it.
30:29They were able to
30:29take the best part
30:31of what they had
30:31at their disposal.
30:32They were able to
30:33get extraordinary results.
30:35This site was a great
30:37opportunity to experiment
30:38and to hone
30:39some new techniques
30:40which would be used
30:41on other pyramids.
31:09In just two
31:11decades,
31:11progress
31:12had been
31:12so rapid
31:13that it
31:13was visible
31:14to the
31:14naked eye.
31:15We observe
31:15an evolution
31:16in the
31:17use of
31:17materials.
31:18The first
31:19stone used
31:20for construction
31:21are relatively
31:22small,
31:23while the
31:23last
31:24are already
31:24much larger.
31:25We go from
31:26a hundred
31:27to a hundred
31:28to a hundred
31:28to a hundred
31:28to a hundred
31:29to a hundred
31:31stone.
31:32Because the
31:33bigger the stone,
31:34the more efficient
31:34it is,
31:35the Egyptians
31:36understood the
31:37advantage
31:37of using
31:37bigger
31:38blocks.
31:39There is a way
31:40to rationalize
31:41everything
31:41to
31:42economize
31:42on the
31:43materials.
31:44The more
31:44we use
31:45the
31:45stone
31:46voluminous
31:46or
31:47large,
31:47the less
31:48we have
31:48to do
31:49and the less
31:49of the
31:50size.
32:15photogrammetry is a
32:15powerful tool for
32:16archaeologists.
32:18it finally
32:19allows them
32:20to accurately
32:20calculate the
32:21mass of stone
32:22necessary for
32:23the construction
32:23of the
32:24pyramid of
32:24Djoser.
32:26They arrived
32:27at the
32:27figure of
32:28271,900
32:30cubic meters,
32:31a phenomenal
32:32volume to
32:33which must be
32:34added the
32:34volume of
32:35stones that
32:35have been
32:35stolen.
32:37Transporting
32:37them would
32:37have required
32:38the equivalent
32:38of 30,000
32:39heavy trucks.
32:43But where
32:44did all this
32:44stone come
32:45from?
32:53That is one
32:53of the most
32:54challenging
32:55questions which
32:55has puzzled
32:56generations of
32:57archaeologists.
32:58The burial
32:59complex is
33:00located in the
33:01middle of the
33:02desert.
33:02There is just
33:03sand for
33:04kilometers all
33:05around.
33:09So where
33:10did the
33:10millions of
33:10blocks required
33:11for the
33:12construction of
33:12the complex
33:13come from?
33:15one of the
33:16things is to
33:16identify where
33:17the quarry is
33:18associated with
33:18these pyramids.
33:20The first two
33:21decades that I
33:21was working in
33:22Egypt, I often
33:23wondered, well,
33:24what about the
33:24steppe pyramid?
33:25Where did they
33:25quarry all that
33:26stone?
33:29Surprisingly, the
33:30answer lay
33:31beneath the
33:31archaeologists' feet,
33:32on the plateau of
33:33Saqqara itself.
33:36An aerial photo gave
33:37the specialists a
33:38first clue.
33:40Closer inspection
33:41indicated the
33:42presence of a
33:42significant anomaly
33:43in the terrain that
33:44is invisible from
33:45ground level.
33:47Excavations to the
33:48south of the
33:48complex, immediately
33:49below the
33:50perimeter wall,
33:51revealed the
33:52presence of a
33:52huge ditch dug in
33:54the rock of the
33:54Saqqara plateau.
34:07The burial complex
34:08is thought to have
34:09been surrounded by
34:10a huge ditch, like
34:11a moat of a
34:12castle.
34:20Not only is the
34:21steppe pyramid
34:22complex the size of
34:23a large town,
34:25for the third
34:26millennium, but
34:27it's on this
34:27pedestal, surrounded
34:30like a castle, by
34:31this moat, you
34:32see?
34:34These discoveries
34:35fired the
34:36imagination of the
34:37researchers and
34:38posed numerous
34:39questions.
34:40Is that moat the
34:41quarry?
34:41What about the
34:42volume of stone
34:43missing from it?
34:44Does it equal the
34:44volume of stone in
34:45the steppe pyramid
34:46complex?
34:50Egyptologists are
34:50now pinning their
34:51hopes on
34:52archaeology 2.0.
34:54thousands of
34:55photos have
34:56produced a
34:56digital model
34:57with amazing
34:58precision.
35:00Mark Linner
35:01closely studies
35:02this 3D model
35:03of the whole
35:03site, from the
35:04aerial view down
35:05to the smallest
35:06detail.
35:11And his
35:12attention is
35:13drawn to the
35:14ditch.
35:15You know,
35:15moving about the
35:17point cloud of
35:18Saqqara, you can
35:20see the moat.
35:23This aerial
35:24photograph is a
35:24one-time still
35:26frame.
35:26Here we can look
35:27at it in
35:28different perspectives.
35:29It follows the
35:30line of the
35:31enclosure wall.
35:32There seems to be
35:33a depression, a
35:34linear depression,
35:35all around.
35:37And it even looks
35:38sort of like a
35:38paperclip.
35:39So, you know, this
35:41allows you to take
35:42that kind of
35:42landscape analysis.
35:47Photogrammetry helps
35:47to establish the
35:48dimensions of this
35:49giant ditch, 28
35:51meters deep, 40
35:53meters wide, and
35:542 kilometers long.
35:55You know, it's a
35:56feature of the
35:58Step Pyramid and
35:59the Step Pyramid
36:00complex that we're
36:01still trying to
36:01comprehend.
36:02I think we still
36:03don't fully understand
36:05the scale and the
36:07significance of this
36:09moat.
36:11The figures are
36:12dizzying.
36:14The excavation of
36:15this ditch beneath
36:16the perimeter wall
36:17could have provided
36:18one million cubic
36:19meters of stone.
36:21This would easily
36:22have been enough
36:23to build the
36:23pyramid, requiring
36:24300,000 square meters
36:26along with the
36:26burial complex.
36:29This big
36:30basement has
36:31undoubtedly
36:32delivered the
36:33majority of the
36:34construction materials
36:35of the Pyramid
36:35de Gré de Djoser.
36:36So there were
36:37some analysis
36:37that were made
36:38and we were able
36:38to compare it.
36:39In fact, some
36:39elements of construction
36:40come from this
36:41basement.
36:42The ditch was
36:43primarily a quarry
36:45which provided an
36:45abundant source of
36:46materials for this
36:47pharaonic project.
36:50The quarry and
36:52pyramid were so
36:52close for practical
36:53reasons.
36:54The most simple
36:55is to pile and
36:57move the blocks
36:58that we find on
36:58place, to avoid
36:59having to move
37:00on a long distance.
37:02Building the future
37:03pyramid alongside the
37:05source of the
37:05construction material
37:06was a stroke of
37:07genius.
37:08The Egyptians
37:09eliminated the main
37:10problem of the age
37:11transport.
37:21What bright mind
37:23lay behind such
37:24inventiveness?
37:29The name of Djoser
37:30will forever be
37:31associated with the
37:32first pyramid in the
37:33history of humanity,
37:34but there is another
37:35name that features
37:36large in this story.
37:39A name that
37:40archaeologists found
37:41alongside that of the
37:42pharaoh in hieroglyphics.
37:46Imhotep, the architect
37:48of the pyramid.
37:49This is the only known
37:51occurrence in the history
37:52of ancient Egypt of a
37:53living God being
37:54associated with a mortal,
37:55which underlines
37:56Imhotep's importance.
38:15This man was a scholar
38:16as illustrated by his
38:18many other titles,
38:19scribe, physician, high
38:21priest.
38:22And long after his death,
38:24the Egyptians worshipped
38:25Imhotep as they would a
38:26divinity.
38:30Imhotep was considered
38:32by the ancient
38:32Egyptians to be the
38:34god of writing,
38:37the god of architecture,
38:38the god of stones.
38:41But where did this
38:42brilliant architect
38:43get the idea of a
38:44pyramid?
38:47Archaeologists have
38:48looked in vain for
38:49any clues that would
38:50tell the story of
38:50this architectural
38:51revolution.
38:53Zai Hawass thinks
38:54that some information
38:55might lie within
38:56Imhotep's tomb.
38:58But so far,
38:59this has never been
39:00found.
39:02Walter Emery,
39:03an English archaeologist,
39:06dedicated his life
39:07to the search of
39:09Imhotep.
39:09He stayed years
39:10excavating.
39:13He died before he
39:14found the tomb of
39:16Imhotep.
39:17And therefore,
39:18it is my dream to
39:20search for the tomb
39:21of Imhotep at Zaka.
39:25It is the dream of all
39:27Egyptologists,
39:29since Imhotep's tomb
39:30could well contain
39:31key elements that
39:32might help solve the
39:33final mysteries of the
39:34construction of the
39:35pyramid.
39:37Bruno de Londe has a
39:39hunch as to where
39:40Imhotep may be buried.
39:42As the architect in
39:43charge of archaeological
39:44heritage for the United
39:45Nations, he led a
39:47scientific mission
39:48between 2004 and 2007,
39:51the aim of which was to
39:52x-ray the inside of the
39:53Pyramid of Djoser.
39:58During this survey, he came
39:59across a particular type of
40:01wall inscription, a seal
40:03which put him on the trail
40:04of Imhotep.
40:05On retrouve dans les galeries
40:07souvent des empreintes de
40:08sceaux qui faisaient acte de
40:10réception de travaux pour
40:11l'architecte qui venait
40:13superviser le chantier.
40:15Imhotep certifiait que le
40:16travail a été bien fait.
40:18In the deepest part of the
40:19underground city, one tunnel
40:21and its contents, located
40:23just 1.5 meters below
40:25Djoser's tomb, attracted
40:26his attention.
40:28Cette galerie est beaucoup
40:29plus prestigieuse.
40:31Il y avait un sarcophage
40:32qui se trouvait, des murs
40:33appareillés avec des blocs
40:34de pierre, il n'y en avait
40:36dans aucune des autres
40:36galeries.
40:37Et entre ces blocs, sur les
40:38joints, des déroulés de
40:40seaux cylindriques qui
40:42associent Imhotep et Djoser.
40:45Et là, on n'est plus dans
40:46l'ordre de la réception de
40:47travaux, on est dans l'ordre
40:49de la décoration.
40:50This mural inscription
40:52suggests that the tomb
40:53found here was indeed that
40:54of the great architect who
40:55designed the first ever
40:57pyramid.
40:58L'hypothèse que je formule
40:59est que Imhotep, le proche
41:03de Djoser, aurait très bien
41:06pu être inhumé dans cette
41:07galerie.
41:11Delon will not find the seal
41:13there today, because since
41:15his earlier mission, the tunnel
41:16has undergone some major
41:17changes.
41:20Consolidation work started in
41:212010 to save the pyramid
41:23from collapse, required that
41:24the stone lining and the
41:26joints bearing the
41:26inscriptions be removed.
41:28Sur des joints verticaux,
41:30horizontaux, sur de grandes
41:31distances, on avait les deux
41:32noms associés.
41:33Et on se trouve à 1m50 de la
41:36chambre funéraire de Djoser.
41:37Aucun autre membre de la
41:39famille royale n'est aussi
41:41proche du caveau de Djoser.
41:44Fortunately, the seals had
41:46been carefully documented
41:47using a digital imprint.
41:50Technology once again proving a
41:52valuable aid to the
41:53researchers.
41:55Meanwhile, the identity of
41:57the tomb's owner remains
41:58unclear.
41:59The quest to solve the
42:00secrets of construction
42:01continues.
42:07Archaeologists are meanwhile
42:08trying to establish whether
42:09Imhotep had envisioned the
42:11construction of a pyramid
42:12right from the laying of the
42:13first stones.
42:16To answer this key question,
42:18they are once again going to
42:19rely on Technology 2.0.
42:23Thanks to their amazing
42:25precision, photogrammetric
42:26images allow the various
42:28elements of the building to
42:29be identified.
42:31The Pyramid of Saqqara was
42:33not built in one go.
42:36Evidence of some very
42:37distinct ruptures are
42:38clearly visible on the 3D
42:39model.
42:41These signs have led
42:42archaeologists to think there
42:44may have been an initial
42:45square-shaped construction
42:46like a traditional tomb
42:48called a mastaba.
42:58This initial success no doubt
43:00incited Imhotep to be more
43:01ambitious.
43:02By observing the pyramid on the
43:04ground, the different stages of
43:06construction can be seen.
43:08The second stage
43:10is to increase
43:11the four sides of the mastaba
43:14because the one in the middle
43:18until here is the first mastaba
43:20and the increase happened here
43:22in the four sides.
43:24Then what happened
43:25on the east side
43:27only
43:28the engineer thought
43:30to make another addition.
43:33The following stages consisted in
43:35enlarging the mastaba, which
43:38goes from a square to a
43:39rectangular shape.
43:45This base is the starting point
43:47of an ascension in four stages
43:49and it would be further enlarged to
43:51receive two additional stages.
44:10For a prototype, it was a stroke of genius.
44:14We now have evidence which shows
44:16that Imhotep proceeded in stages,
44:18but was he following a pre-established
44:21plan?
44:22Study of the underground city
44:24surprisingly suggests
44:25that Imhotep changed his plan
44:27several times.
44:30The 3D scan reveals that many
44:33access shafts had been covered
44:34over during the construction
44:36and a fresh one dug in the rock
44:38nearby.
44:41The labor must have been
44:42colossal, but they did those
44:44things and it's just you see
44:46again and again how they designed
44:47as they built and changed their
44:49mind.
44:50I really think that this
44:52increase came to his mind while
44:55he was building the idea of the
44:57steppe pera.
45:06Five thousand years ago,
45:08the pharaoh Djoser and his
45:09brilliant architect Imhotep
45:11engineered an architectural
45:12revolution which changed the world
45:14forever.
45:17A colossal project that was accomplished
45:20in just 19 years.
45:24Archaeologists are beginning to
45:25understand how this exploit was
45:26achieved, but the Saqqara site is far
45:29from having revealed all its secrets.
45:39new technologies are powerful tools, helping to solve the mysteries of the construction of these stone giants.
45:48The best way to understand the pyramids is not to focus only on the pyramid itself, but to turn your
45:56back to the pyramid and look at the surrounding landscape.
46:00It's still 70 percent that us and other archaeologists in the future needs to reveal.
46:10And I always say that you never know when the stones at the pyramids may hide secrets.
46:17Einsatz infinitely near the Laura
46:21Don't forget to study this
46:22Quite quickly.
46:23Don't forget to come from the
46:41Just do it with your own
46:42You never know when that
46:43This pandemic starts with
46:43You never know why
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