Five thousand years ago, when
Greece and Rome did not pass ...
of distant dreams, a civilization
conceived the impossible ...
and built the unimaginable.
For millennia, the Egyptians
built in dimensions ...
much larger than all the others.
Enriched by his conquests
and strengthened by their gods ...
the indomitable pharaohs erected the first
monolith stone of the ancient world.
The tallest building.
The oldest dam.
The most impregnable fortress.
The largest city.
And the supreme monument
the ego of a ruler.
The message is clear:
Do not mess with Egypt.
The Egyptian engineers
redefined the boundaries ...
of architectural possibility.
But his path to eternal glory
was permeated with blood ...
betrayal and disaster.
Summer 3000 year. C. ..
Rain clouds were forming
above the Ethiopian ...
1.280km south of the Egyptian border.
Before long, a drizzle
became torrent ...
streams and awakened dormant
with a furious flurry ...
red as blood, due to sludge
darkened by the sun of East Africa.
Downhill, these currents were
joined to form the Blue Nile ...
that sped before 1.360km
colliding with his brother ...
the White Nile in Sudan
States, both advancing northward,
Egypt inside, like the Nile ...
a central river
ascending civilization.
If the flood did not occur
that year, there would be famine.
No one would eat.
All Egyptians would be hungry.
If the flood was very strong,
could destroy everything.
In late July, the Nile
overflowed its banks ...
and consumed the whole valley,
leveling everything in its path.
Over 960km south of Egypt ...
to the Mediterranean Sea,
villages were flooded ...
and thousands were homeless.
In Egypt, the flood
is an annual event ...
but the effects of the devastation
could last a lifetime.
Excess water caused disasters
of unimaginable proportions.
Fields were submerged
and rotted.
Children surely die ...
there was no possibility
feeding families ...
and even, as we know
by some literary texts ...
the worst times of hunger
Cannibalism was ...
and other terrible disasters.
While the flood swallowed
every corner of Egypt ...
his new capital, Memphis,
remained dry ...
thanks to the dam 16m
that surrounded her.
It was the first dam
recorded by history.
The force behind the
dam and the city that protected ...
Menes was the first pharaoh
the first Egyptian dynasty.
He was a warrior
passionate about building ...
and his army recently unify
Upper and Lower Egypt ...
into one great kingdom.
The first king of Egypt was
much more powerful than ...
because previous leaders had
all Egypt under control.
The king was placed
on earth by the gods ...
to help maintain order ...
and operation
correct universe.
And he gives the Egyptians
not only this life ...
but also the afterlife.
In Memphis, Menes imposed his will
on mother nature ...
with the aid of an innovative
building technology.
Hello, I'm Peter Weller.
The flood that describe
happened several times .
in 5000 years
history of Egypt.
There are few archaeological records
the reign of Menes ...
but we know that he gave
very important steps ...
prevention of major floods.
His engineers built
a set of barriers ...
to protect Memphis
floods.
And this dam should be firm
enough to change the course of the Nile ...
and ensure the safety of Memphis.
The idea that a civilization
of 5000 years ago ...
has achieved this effect
is simply outstanding.
Today, the dam built by Menes
lost in the dust of ages ...
but another old dam
survives east of Memphis.
Known as El Sadd Kafara
and dated 2700 BC, this ruin ...
gives us an idea of the techniques
Egyptian construction of dams.
Consisted of two massive walls
stone with 11m height ...
5m unless the dam Menes.
The width of each wall ...
was 24m at the base
and 12m at the top.
Earth and boulders
filled the space between them.
100 tons of stone
and gravel were extracted ...
and transported to
build this dam ...
and even more so
that Menes built.
Five thousand years ago,
a project of such magnitude
required work
and effort incalculable.
Today, if you say
someone to carry ...
a block of ten tons,
this person ...
will immediately hire a crane.
200 years ago,
this was not necessary.
Three thousand years ago,
it was also not necessary.
People did not think
in machinery ...
but in terms of skilled manpower.
The dam Menes lasted millennia but
second archaeological evidence ...
Sadd El Kafara was
monumental failure.
There is a range of 35m
at its center ...
This suggests that broke under the
water pressure should dam.
May have occurred a flood
in some crucial ...
dam construction.
The water entered ...
and ruined absolutely everything.
For the ancient
Egyptian engineers ...
pioneering projects
never designed ...
disasters were part
the learning process.
There was no precedent for the kind ...
Construction they created.
They knew they wanted
represent the power of the pharaohs and ...
to look at the world around,
had only nature as a guide.
It was necessary to use your imagination ...
and use many natural materials.
The mysterious pharaoh Menes was
fundamental transition in Egypt ...
a coalition
of tribal farmers ...
for a regional superpower.
They say that his reign lasted 62 years.
ended abruptly
when it was ...
injured by a hippo
during a hunt.
But the dam
he built still standing ...
long after the last pharaoh
returned to the gods.
She was the cornerstone
the legacy builder of Egypt ...
a feat that would inspire generations
pharaohs to undertake ...
works increasing
and bolder.
Egypt is on the way
between Africa and the Middle East.
It is the presence of this river, the Nile,
making it the only country ...
the Sahara desert
a nature reserve with water.
Since when humans
began to walk upright ...
there are hundreds of thousands of years,
they were attracted here ...
for the river.
nitially, the nomadic tribes
migrating from sub-Saharan Africa ...
to the Middle East,
following the course of the Nile.
Later, with the
emergence of agriculture ...
in 9000 BC,
the tribes ...
settled permanently
on its banks.
When Menes finally united all
under one flag ...
more or less 3,000 B.C.
was born the Egyptian Empire.
Since then, several human dramas
permeated the history of Egypt.
But the Nile remains
the only constant presence.
And despite the occasional
catastrophic floods ...
he is the reason why the first
empire of the world came here ...
and not elsewhere.
At the dawn of the third millennium BC,
with the consolidation ...
the Egyptian city-states
By means of achievement ...
the river that has long represented
basic survival ...
assumed a new role,
The expansion engine ...
territorial and economic
unprecedented.
A network of ports and channels
was constructed to approximate ...
distant regions and irrigate a
desert landscape.
Barges have become huge
trucks of the time ...
and channels formed equivalent
an interstate highway system.
The Egyptians did not need
worry about roads and wheels ...
because they had the Nile
because the river runs from south to north ...
and it was possible to use the wind
to go from north to south.
After the Egyptians made
channels for walking ...
in east-west directions
and go elsewhere.
They were great
builders channels.
And engineers built canals
with miles long.
And they were used
to carry all ...
want to be a
large number of people ...
they were grains,
food or stones.
Almost 2000 years before the Romans
build the first huts ...
the pharaohs were building
on an unprecedented scale.
And for the first time in history,
technology revolutionizing ...
not only the way people lived,
but also as a die.
Nowhere in the ingenuity of
Ancient Egyptians was more apparent ...
than their
superb tombs.
The concept of life
after the death of Ancient Egypt ...
is very different
the Judeo-Christian concept.
For example, it is much more palpable.
The dead need us.
Their survival is
somehow important ...
for everything to work properly.
Tombs are stone houses,
underground homes ...
because you will live there
after death.
It is your home after death.
Initially, the tombs of the Pharaohs ...
were simple brick structures
called "Mastabas."
They consisted of
two main elements.
a superstructure
rectangular surface ...
that could be visited
by priests and loved ones ...
and a sub-chamber
sealed and underground.
These chambers housed
the sarcophagus of King ...
and all he could
need in eternity.
and all he Could
need in eternity.
They clearly believed
who would live ...
the underground parts of the tombs.
As their graves
became more sophisticated ...
pharaohs began building
separate altars ...
so that the priests
worship their spirits.
It was the first step in the evolution
the royal tombs ...
mere mastabas
the colossal complex that still ...
dominate the Egyptian desert:
The Pyramids.
In total, the ancient Egyptians
erected over a hundred.
Eighty still standing and contain stone
and mortar sufficient to ...
build a wall of 3m high
by 1.5 m thick ...
New York to Los Angeles.
The volume of rock that was brought
from quarries all over Egypt ...
placed, neat and
positioned at the construction site ...
and the whole organization was
required for this ...
is in my opinion,
awesome for us.
Today, the pyramids remain
the biggest attraction of antiquity.
But there were successes sudden.
It took six Pharaohs
four generations of builders ...
and many engineering disasters
to achieve such perfect proportions.
The pyramid builders
began their search ...
the architectural perfection
in a place called Saqqara.
It was there, in the year of 2667 A.C. ...
that Zoser, a pharaoh
young entrepreneur ...
first ordered superstructure
Stone world.
Your project tomb solidify
the position of Egypt ...
how civilization
world's most advanced ...
and raise his pioneering architect
the status of a god.
2667 a. C...
In Egypt a new king was crowned.
Zoser was the second ruler
the period of the Old Empire.
Zoser earned reputation
of wise and pious ruler.
Two millennia after his death ...
he remained a model
to be imitated by the pharaohs.
During his reign,
was so popular ...
which ceased to be a mere mortal
in the minds of his subjects ...
and became the first pharaoh
to be worshiped as God.
He was worshiped later
the 19th Dynasty as ...
"He who Opens the Stone"
which is quite significant.
They made a connection between
Zoser and the discovery of the stone.
One of the first acts of Zoser
when he took power ...
was ordering the construction
his tomb complex ...
last resting place
that would have vital importance ...
in their eternal destiny.
It was a traditional concept,
because the kings of Egypt built ...
sumptuous tombs for centuries.
But the result of this time
would be revolutionary.
In addition to its unprecedented scale,
the tomb complex of Zoser ...
would be different from their
predecessors in something fundamental ...
would not be built
brick, but stone.
Much of the rest of the world,
as the Americas and Europe ...
was not far from
simply stacking stones.
There was activity in Mesopotamia.
There was no large-scale architecture,
made with adobe bricks.
But Egypt is a special case,
it is simply unique ...
the use of stone at that time.
To extract the stone
the grave of his dreams ...
Zoser turned to his right arm.
An architect of humble
named Imhotep.
Imhotep was not only
the real architect ...
was also treasurer
High Priest and Grand Vizier ...
equivalent position
the Prime Minister.
But it was his pioneering work
the funerary complex of Zoser ...
that gave him immortality.
Even the Romans themselves,
great engineers ...
come to worship him as a god.
But the architectural revolution
Imhotep ...
that would culminate in the building
the first pyramid in the world ...
did not begin with
a sudden revelation.
Initially, he intended only
build the largest mastaba of Egypt.
The first step of the process
was to select a ...
location for the pharaoh's tomb.
Choosing a place for the tomb
was a complicated matter.
The sun rose in the east and
went down in the west, died in the west.
And if you're like the sun god,
would be buried in the west.
But the graves should be
facing east ...
facing the rising sun ...
with the promise of
rebirth and resurrection.
Chose Zoser Saqqara,
a national cemetery ...
dating back to the time of King Menes.
It is on the west side of the Nile ...
adjacent to the Egyptian capital, Memphis.
With the chosen location, the task
Next was to gather hand labor.
The portal of the pharaoh to the afterlife ...
would have to be built with
the sweat of his subjects.
When we talk about
slavery, normal ...
is thinking about what happened
with blacks in the past.
It is clear that in Egypt there was
this kind of slavery.
But the idea that ordinary Egyptians ...
went to work on the pyramid of Pharaoh ...
imbued with a sense of love
also is probably an exaggeration.
The workers would be awarded
with food ...
beers, clothes
and exemption from taxes.
Were organized into divisions
20 men each.
Altogether, these 500
divisions totaling 10,000 men ...
were employed to build
the funerary complex of Zoser.
In addition, thousands
women had the task of ...
to maintain men
clothed and fed.
What is important
the construction of the pyramids ...
are not only engineering techniques,
but administration.
how to organize
more than ten thousand workers?
They lived in barracks,
55 workers each.
they worked
cutting the stones in the quarry ...
then took a day off ...
to hunt or fish in the Nile.
With his team work to put ...
Imhotep began construction of
first stone structure in the world.
But before building up,
needed to build down.
He began digging a vertical shaft
7m wide ...
by 28m deep,
to house the sarcophagus of the pharaoh.
Then the workers of Imhotep
dug a second well ...
where would be taken
the body of the pharaoh.
Across the burial chamber
had underground chambers ...
which serve as
royal palace in the afterlife.
Approximately 304m south ...
the second tomb complex
was opened in bedrock.
How many pharaohs before
and after him ...
Zoser had two tombs.
Each serve a
essential spiritual purpose.
In the tomb of the north, his body
mummified would be buried.
In the south, their internal organs
be preserved ...
in canopic jars.
During mummification
was one of the important parts ...
emptying the body cavity
and take all the internal organs.
If they were left there,
the body rot and ...
basically explode.
Thus, the lungs and the liver ...
the stomach and intestines were
were then removed and dried ...
the use of a combination
salt and sodium bicarbonate.
Then, after drying by,
I do not know, a few weeks ...
they were cleaned, greased,
wrapped in bandages ...
and placed into boxes.
The mummified body
Zoser is buried ...
this labyrinth of tunnels under his
Step Pyramid in Saqqara here.
Nearly 7km
secret passages here ...
they are completely banned
for tourists ...
since it tends to collapse the ceiling,
from time to time.
At the time
Moses left Egypt ...
it was here
over a thousand years.
The purpose of the
tunnels is still a mystery.
Some may have served to
confuse grave robbers.
Others may have been
own work of thieves.
But since hardly anyone comes here ...
nobody knows what we'll find
turning a corner.
As a secret passage
or a staircase.
It is very easy to get confused here.
For example, if you arrive ...
at an intersection
and go right ...
which should have gone to
left, are lost.
I'm getting very close to the
room where Zoser was buried ...
but rather there are several rooms ...
which will serve as a
kind of memorial palace.
Here, these rooms are the luxuries
Zoser that would ...
in life after death,
or the mummies of their relatives.
It is remarkable that I
has fallen this pyramid ...
hundreds of meters and give face
with this room perfect.
Here are ...
the bones of relatives
Zoser ...
as well.
Engineers Zoser
built dozens of rooms ...
like this, for your
palace mortuary.
Down here, we find
this ...
a bandage mummy.
Or pottery 5000 years.
Or this wall
ornate ...
with this beautiful inlay
seawater.
Or these hieroglyphs
so well preserved ...
they seem
carved yesterday.
I'm sitting on the camera
Zoser's main mortuary.
Above me, there's a will,
as you can see.
The body was lowered
and deposited here.
This room is the center
the funerary complex of Zoser.
Before, it was sustained
by these beams of Phoenicia ...
what is now Lebanon, and should have
4600 years.
Are as close as possible
Zoser's tomb ...
and some people say
that precedes this area.
Well here is the sarcophagus
made of alabaster massive ...
which is perhaps the sarcophagus
a relative of Zoser.
above
is the Step Pyramid.
Perhaps, the first construction
stone on the planet.
But that's only half the story,
what we see on earth ...
is only half
because it is down here that is ...
the real palace funeral
Zoser.
And sure enough was done to
a pharaoh very powerful ...
and working with the best
engineers of Egypt.
With the construction of the substructure
the funerary complex of Zoser ...
ongoing, Imhotep Minded
superstructure above ...
that would protect
against the outside world.
With limestone mountains and a
extensive hand labor at their disposal ...
Imhotep proceeded
with fingers crossed ...
towards an unknown frontier.
2659 a.c.
Centuries before Stonehenge
the Egyptians were building the first ...
stone structure in the world.
A colossal tomb complex
for the pharaoh Zoser.
Ahead project was Imhotep ...
real architect of Zoser.
On a hill of limestone near
of Saqqara, thousands of workers ...
inaugurated a new industry,
"quarrying".
They perfected the system
cutting, extracting ...
and transporting huge blocks
construction.
His first challenge was to carve
the surface of the hill ...
symmetrical slabs.
The mining was done
grinding the rock ...
em sulcos com martelos de pedra.
And it was only with the effort,
digging ditches ...
and stacking the blocks
and then cutting them down ...
to roll them out of the quarry.
Once extracted, the stones were
swept deserts tortuous ...
the quarry to the construction site,
using nothing but ropes ...
sleds, muscles and sweat.
Everything indicates that they
knew the wheel.
But for dragging
heavy objects on the sand ...
the wheel was not very appropriate.
Sleds were much more appropriate ...
and that was what they used.
With the design of your
tomb in safe hands ...
Zoser turned his attention
the strengthening of the empire.
He was a pioneer in mining
in the Sinai Peninsula ...
fattening the coffers of the nation ...
with regular supplies
turquoise and copper.
He also extended the
southern border of Egypt to Aswan ...
the first call
cataract of the Nile ...
would remain the limit
Southern nation.
After 10 years of reign
Pharaoh still felt strong ...
and sent the Egyptian tradition that
works in his grave ...
continue until his death.
With the ground floor finished
and plenty of time ...
to build more and better
Imhotep started ...
a series of expansions
to revolutionize architecture.
About his mastaba, he
added a second smaller ...
a third of this then
a fourth ...
stacking them as
layers of a wedding cake.
E le, then wanted to make it even bigger ...
extending the four layers
to the west ...
about them and adding two more.
The tomb of Zoser assumed
gradually a different format ...
all that the Egyptians
had seen.
This new structure would be
known as the Step Pyramid.
It's almost like Imhotep worked ...
in architectural form
this simple structure ...
whole evolution of the hills
that existed ...
before that big construction ...
that set the standard for
all the pyramids that came after.
After nearly two
decades of work ...
the Step Pyramid of Zoser ...
stayed with the height of 20 floors.
Around her, a complex ...
under construction establish a new
standard for real burial mounds.
To the north, a small
palace was built.
Adjacent to it,
two houses ceremonial ...
represented the high and lower Egypt.
Surrounding the entire complex higher
a football stadium ...
a robust wall of limestone
reached a height of three storeys.
Today, as in priscas eras, the only
way into the complex ...
is through a gate torreante
colonnades that contains ...
the first forty stone columns
already raised on the ground.
Each of 10m and measuring
its finish testifies ...
amateurism engineering
at the time of Imhotep.
Fearing that its columns
tombassem, architect ...
each coupled to a
wall to support them.
They built this way
because they knew it was possible ...
erect a stone pillar
sustain that.
They were in a
the steps of the architecture ...
it was trial and error.
Zoser died in the 2648 a.c ...
His reign of 19 years
was a time ...
innovation edifying
unprecedented.
When word got out
his death ...
people from the cantons
Egypt's most remote ...
came mourn him.
There was a grand procession
who left the Valley ...
with priests,
professional mourners ...
they were shouting,
tearing their hair ...
and crying the death of the king.
Maybe a boy named Seneferu ...
were present
the last farewell of Zoser.
Seneferu grow in the shade
Step Pyramid of ...
and one day rule Egypt.
As pharaoh, would be obsessed with
achieve perfection in engineering.
But his relentless desire
build a pyramid better ...
Pharaonic cause disasters.
2613 a.c. ...
35 years after the death of Zoser ...
a pharaoh called Seneferu
ascended the throne ...
and founded the 4th Dynasty of Egypt.
He was the son of
a pharaoh previous Huni ...
but his mother was
a queen secondary.
Thus, to consolidate its
claim to the throne ...
Seneferu married
his half-sister Hetepheres ...
whose royal blood was purer.
In the royalty of ancient Egypt ...
these incestuous alliances
were almost routine.
Forget the "half-sister".
Egyptian pharaohs often ...
intermarried with blood sisters.
And the reason for this
dates back to Egyptian mythology.
The gods were married.
Iris and Osiris are brother and sister.
To marry his own sister ...
King behaves like a god.
Craving divine status ...
Seneferu sought to raise
sympathy of his subjects.
He drove to the peasants
as "my friend" or "my brother."
In order to transcend the shadow cast
the opulent reign of Zoser ...
Seneferu embarked
in a relentless search ...
the perfect engineering
that would make him a legend.
According to the Greeks, there were seven
wonders in the ancient world ...
the Hanging Gardens
of Babylon, the Colossus of Rhodes ...
the Temple of Diana at Ephesus,
and the Pyramids of Egypt.
But all these
wonders ...
only survived the pyramids
time and man.
It is the realm of Seneferu
that provides the essential link ...
between the step pyramid,
innovative but primitive ...
and the Great Pyramid
of Cheops at Giza ...
three generations later
which is considered the pinnacle ...
Construction of pyramids.
Was Seneferu who corrected the flaws
during a hard ...
process of trial and error,
and became the engineering of the pyramids ...
in an art.
Seneferu managed funds
these projects ...
defeating their neighbors.
He sacked the Nubia, Libya,
the Sinai Peninsula ...
and among his subjects, received
the title "Destroyer of Barbarians".
It consolidated its reputation
as one of ...
the history of the greatest pharaohs Egito.
The first challenge Seneferu
appeared in Meidum ...
cemetery south of Saqqara.
Ali, the ruins of
his pyramid collapsed ...
today dominate
the desert landscape.
The pyramid is a Meidum
puzzles. She collapsed?
The stone was simply stolen?
Remained unfinished? There are several questions.
Meidum represents a decisive step
the construction of the pyramids.
The core consisted of the pyramid
eight stone floors ...
high at a sharp angle.
Seneferu ordered the decks
were filled ...
up and down with stones.
Then coated the frame with a
layer of polished white limestone ...
giving you the
smooth sides he wanted.
It's as if he did not want to use Seneferu
the stairs: He wanted a lift.
He had an abstract
that drove ...
straight to heaven,
that is what makes the pyramid.
It represents, concretely,
the immaterial thing of all ...
the rays of the sun light.
Apparently, the new version
Pyramid was a success ...
but beneath his
bright facade had a problem.
If you look at a pyramid
today, it seems to have stripes.
These stripes represent
smooth outer face ...
of two pyramids
of internal steps.
They clearly do not have much friction,
then to build something ...
beside them, if it starts
to slide, there is not much ...
to hold in place.
Today, 4600 years after the construction
Pyramid Meidum ...
are clearly visible
the signs of their destruction.
Only 3 of the original floor 8
remain intact ...
and the shell
added later ...
lies on a huge lot at the base.
Should be evidence of
catastrophic collapse?
I do not believe the theory that
the pyramid collapsed Meidum ...
is true, because we have evidence
that in the New Kingdom ...
there was a man who came
visit the pyramid.
He spoke of his glory.
If she had fallen
during the Old Kingdom ...
he would not talk about her glory.
But what did next seems Seneferu
confirm the theory of collapse.
In its second decade as pharaoh,
he abandoned the pyramid Meidum ...
and started another at Dahshur ...
a desert region
very close to Saqqara.
Ali, his engineers began
the construction of the first pyramid ...
itself.
But as the work progressed ...
they turn
on the brink of another disaster.
When she was about halfway ...
seems to have been
some difficulty ...
which generated some kind
structural damage.
In the inner apartments of the pyramid,
no cracks ...
cracks in structures.
And one of the arguments is that ...
the pyramid was built
on shaky ground.
as they
climbed the pyramid ...
the inner apartments
began to show cracks ...
and they had to reduce weight.
Seneferu was determined not
abandon his second pyramid ...
despite its flaws.
The builders rushed to
shore structure problematic ...
increasing its founding in more
15m on all sides.
Then to build vertically
did something even more drastic:
Abruptly changed the angle
inclination of 54 to 43 .
Today, the building is awkward
known as Pyramid Curve.
The Pyramid Romboidal
is one of my favorites.
It shows the man ...
trying to fix.
Although Seneferu insisted on complete
your Pyramid Curve ...
archaeological evidence
suggests ...
the king was not satisfied.
Another pyramid, only
1.5 km to the north.
Registration nearby
indicates that ...
known as Red Pyramid,
also belonged to Seneferu.
After failing twice
in its mission to build ...
the first pyramid
perfect story ...
Seneferu risked all
the remaining resources of Egypt:
Hand labor, money,
and the best engineers ...
in a last
attempt to glory.
What we see at this time
determination is a fantastic ...
in creating the ideal shape of the pyramid.
It must have been so great a will
worth spending exorbitant ...
emptying the state coffers ...
and an enormous amount of
workers, we imagine ...
to extract stones and build
these grand monuments.
Build a third pyramid
for the same pharaoh ...
mean drain
the resources of the nation ...
but Seneferu,
astute politician who was ...
could sell their fish and
finance his obsession edifying.
Seneferu was a genius
public relations.
He was the first king to use
his personal name ...
and not a special name for the throne.
He debased to win,
so to speak.
It has become more accessible ...
to become larger,
most famous and most divine.
In order to avoid structural problems
that had plagued earlier ...
engineers
of Seneferu chose ...
an inclination angle more gradual
the Red Pyramid ...
and also strengthened its foundation ...
using large blocks
Best limestone.
These new blocks were
much larger in size.
And builders
were confident ...
to move and position correctly
huge blocks of stone ...
weighing several tons,
instead of small blocks ...
which were used
the Step Pyramid.
To drag each stone
to their final destination ...
20 men pulled on a sled
wood on a ramp ...
made of clay, stone and gravel.
Water was poured in front of the sled
to reduce friction.
4600 years later,
there is no consensus ...
regarding the configuration of the ramps.
Three theories prevail:
The 1st is a huge ramp and straight
was erected on a side of the pyramid.
The theory says that there were two systems
of spiral ramps around her.
And the 3rd theory advocates a
combining the first two.
Never find evidence
these ramps around the pyramids.
Everyone has a theory,
but we can not be completely sure ...
how they were real
After all stones
were stacked ...
stone ridge and put on top ...
a coating of fine
white limestone overlaid abroad.
The builders worked
from top to bottom ...
polishing the coating
with copper chisels.
The finish of the cover
exterior of the pyramids ...
must have been a labor
highly specialized.
Can you have a good idea
what must have happened ...
at Dahshur, the pyramid Romboidal.
You can stand under
and look straight up ...
you can see it is still smooth.
The covering is kept smooth so far.
It's like looking at a glass surface.
It took three attempts
and many decades, but in the end ...
the search for perfection Seneferu
had huge success.
Behind me is
Red Pyramid, the first ...
true pyramid ever built.
Engineers Seneferu
found not only ...
the secret to building
a monument smooth and symmetrical ...
but also dominated
the process of building ...
open saloon inside.
The chambers within the
Red Pyramid ...
can be accessed through an opening
to 28m high at its northern side.
At the end of a long corridor
it falls back to the ground floor ...
space opens in
first three quarters ...
built to house the remains of
Seneferu and its immortal treasures.
Build a camera
huge, like this ...
within the superstructure
a pyramid ...
was a unique challenge
to an engineer old ...
because of the pressure that was
top of tons ...
stones forcing down.
And to distribute this pressure,
builders Seneferu ...
created an ingenious innovation:
The vaulted ceiling.
They made steps on the sides,
about 10cm ...
in each step, and then
built a kind of ...
form of an inverted pyramid
the ceiling of the burial chamber.
Then we come to a
narrow point at the top ...
that sustains easily.
The innermost chamber in
Red Pyramid is the burial chamber.
whose roof rises to 15m.
It was here in 50, which were discovered
the bones of a middle-aged ...
but there were no entries
to identify it ...
then we have no idea who it was.
Some Egyptologists think
were the bones of Seneferu own.
Others say no,
that the pharaoh was buried ...
the Pyramid Romboidal,
because she has ...
a complex funerary
more complete.
In any case, we do not know
what happened to Seneferu.
It is a mystery that perhaps
never be unraveled.
The reign of three decades of Seneferu
ended around 2589 a. C. ..
But its monuments
assured him immortality.
Excavations at Dahshur
revealed ...
2000 years after
the death of Seneferu ...
offerings of incense were still
made in his memory.
The son and successor
of Seneferu, Cheops ...
would build on the foundation
left by his father ...
and create a greater and more perfect
pyramid ever built.
The great pyramid of Giza.
Each of the four sides of the Great Pyramid
is almost perfectly symmetrical ...
rising at an angle
need 51.
When Khufu raised his
torreante monument ...
the period of the Old Empire was
at the height of his wealth and power.
But in the space of four centuries,
the great empire of the pyramids ...
submerged in darkness.
In XXII and XXI centuries. A.c. ..
drought, famine and chaos
consumed the country.
Until a new strain
pharaohs emerged from the South ..
willing to restore
the lost glory of Egypt.
his relentless
military campaigns would expand ...
the borders of the empire more
than ever, leaving behind ...
a trail of blood, fear and
impenetrable fortifications ...
renew the stranglehold of
Egypt and its absolute power.
1864 a.c. ..
A warrior pharaoh
spread terror by Nubia ...
in a devastating
campaign of conquest.
It was the Egyptian period
Empire of the Middle ...
remembered by later generations ...
as "The Golden Age" of Egypt.
Pharaoh was Sesostris III ...
and its purpose was threefold
guard the southern border ...
control the routes
Nubia and commercial ...
plunder the most gold Nubian
that his troops could carry.
Nubia, to begin with, was very
important to the Egyptians ...
because it was a source of gold.
And gold was
paramount importance to them.
The path to the gold spent
by a group of warriors Nubians ...
known as quermanos.
Sesostris had a great
and well organized army ...
but had quermanos
a deadly weapon.
The Nubians were known,
even in the early Middle Ages ...
for being excellent archers.
The Arab invaders called them
of "shooters pupils" ...
they could set eyes
Riders who attacked.
The quermanos were a
formidable obstacle ...
but Sesostris, pensive figure,
towering ...
and commanding presence,
was not an opponent whatsoever.
In many cases,
we can not say anything ...
On the personality of a king,
or about its nature.
On the personality of a king,
or about its nature.
However, Sesostris is an exception,
because we have it ...
a series of portraits
who survived ...
and do not resemble anything that
was produced for the previous kings.
In the portraits,
Sesostris appears sometimes ...
arrogant, sad. He's thrilled,
this is very, very human.
The experience did something to him.
It is a pharaoh
that has personality ...
has depth in his face ...
he shows sadness,
concern and age.
His face reflects his
concern for the people of Egypt.
As quermanos discover,
the love of his people by Pharaoh ...
did not extend to his enemies.
His army swept Nubia
taking treasures and territories ...
leaving a trail
death and destruction.
In a monument to the kingdom
horror at its southern border ...
Sesostris boasted of having burnt
plantations of the enemy ...
killed their men, enslaved
their wives and children ...
and poisoned their wells.
It comes as a Roman general.
He goes on to say: "He who protects
my borders is my son.
He descended from me. but that
not protect my boundary ...
than advocates
this is not my son.
He is not descended from me. "
It is quite surprising and direct.
As his army advancing
southward Sesostris rose ...
in the Nile Valley, a series
of imposing fortresses ...
would guard the border Nubia
and exhibit the power ...
Egyptians and superiority.
This was built
for more than 3700 years ago ...
at a time when the architecture
military was not known.
Maybe just huts.
In the army of antiquity,
they lived in huts.
But for the Egyptians, have thought
it was very clever ...
because they knew
Nubia was very important.
And they knew the danger
that could come from there.
The ruins of fortresses
constructed by Sesostris ...
stood still
in the twentieth century ...
stood still
in the twentieth century ......
And still here.
But there's just one little problem ...
making visits
a bit complicated ...
they are all at the bottom
This lake of crocodiles.
This is Nassar
an artificial lake formed ...
the construction of the dam
Aswan, in the 60s.
He has more than 600km wide
and 120m deep.
And all traces
fortresses of the Middle Kingdom ...
are lost in its depths.
One of the greatest strengths of
Sesostris was built in Buhen ...
mercantile center
since the former empire.
The fortress had Buhen extension
two soccer fields and ...
employed technology used by
strongholds of the European Middle Ages.
Had never been built
nothing like the Fortress Buhen ...
in the ancient Mediterranean world.
One reason to be so important
from the point of view of engineering ...
is that it had layers of defense
and positioning points ...
for archers, where they
could shoot arrows ...
in all directions
against an invading army.
Even outside these walls
there was a gap ...
and after the pit wall.
So any enemy army
who tried to attack the fortress ...
had to climb this wall,
pass through the gap ...
expose yourself to archers
outer walls ...
and there were still two walls
fortified ...
before reaching the interior
the fortress.
The fortress could Buhen
accommodate thousand soldiers ...
including captive Nubians
required to serve for six years ...
in Pharaoh's army.
At the end of his reign,
the network of forts Sesostris .
stretched over 320km
south of Aswan ...
Sudan of today, and solidified
Egyptian dominance in the region.
Sesostris reigned for 39 years.
For centuries after his death,
in 1831 a. C. ..
their garrisons protected
the border Nubia.
But they were not always
composed of Egyptians.
Over the next two centuries,
his achievements were abandoned ...
as the Middle Kingdom
be dismantled.
He became brittle, weakened.
Kerma emerged as a power in
Nubia and fortresses ...
just passing
for control of Kerma ...
apparently with no sign
of great conflict and destruction.
While quermanos
resurfaced in the south, the ...
warrior tribe of the Middle East,
known as the Hyksos ...
conquered the north.
The once glorious
Egyptian Empire disintegrated.
Egypt remained surrounded
during the next 100 years.
But in the sixteenth century BC,
a new empire of native pharaohs ...
would rise and reinstate
the preeminence of Egypt.
Among these monarchs,
There was a queen opportunistic ...
that exceed the barrier between
sexes and obtain absolute power ...
14 centuries before
Birth of Cleopatra.
1479 a.c.
Death of the Pharaoh Thutmose II left a
power vacuum in the royal palace.
Your child with a woman from his harem
was proclaimed king Thutmose III ...
but he was a child
and could not govern alone.
Ento a rainha viva, Hatchepsut,
decidiu preencher o vcuo de poder.
She became co-regent of the boy,
but reigned as pharaoh legitimate.
Hatshepsut began to reach
political power and increasing ...
by the seventh year of the reign
set of Hatshepsut and Thutmose III ...
she began to call
herself "king".
Hatshepsut should not reign
because in Ancient Egypt ...
only men ruled.
Women, no.
For her sex did not constitute
obstacle, she changed.
Your body has acquired
contours male ...
and she wore as accessory
Traditional Egyptian beard.
Your body no longer possessed
female characteristics.
To be taken seriously
as pharaoh, Hatshepsut knew ...
I needed to build
as a.
Thus, to immortalize his reign,
she ordered a huge ...
mortuary temple on the bank
west of Thebes, hometown ...
and power base of the Pharaohs
new empire.
It would serve as an altar for
her spirit after death ...
and perpetuate their
association with the gods.
To build it, she enlisted
his royal architect, Senemut.
He was a commoner who had a relationship
very special woman pharaoh.
Many feel that the relationship
between Hatshepsut and Senemut was ...
more than professional.
And it is true that ...
well there are some obscene graffiti,
with their names ...
show the positions
compromising ...
and this feeds the rumor.
independently
loving your talent ...
Senemut demonstrated
be an excellent engineer.
The Temple of Hatshepsut in
Deir el-Bahari is a proof perennial ...
of his genius and a testament
his undying dedication.
He did this with
the feeling of love ...
not as a service
for the queen. No.
He did it for his beloved,
Hatshepsut.
And for this reason,
the temple is special.
It is different from all other
temples of Egypt.
Today, the temple is surrounded by desert.
But in ancient times,
gardens and lakes made ??him ...
one of the superb
monuments in the world.
It stands on three levels
terraces built ...
the slope of a
limestone hill.
The terraces are linked by
a wide central staircase.
The upper levels are suspended
for long colonnaded porticoes.
The inner walls of one of them ...
there are reliefs depicting
the divine origin of Hatshepsut.
The mortuary temple
Hatshepsut was ...
in fact, a great
propaganda vehicle.
There is a scene showing the god Amon
approaching their mother.
Then there are a species of
intimate moment ...
after which is designed Hatshepsut
with the help of various goddesses.
And in the next scene, she appears
being hailed ...
with a great ovation
various gods, and proclaimed ...
Pharaoh by divine right.
In Deir el-Bahari, the architect
Senemut managed to create ...
a temple unmatched
for a pharaoh without equal.
The project took 15 years to complete,
during which the stepson ...
Hatshepsut, Thutmose, the young pharaoh
heir came of age.
Soon he would claim
his rightful throne.
To stay in power, Hatshepsut
launched an advertising campaign ...
to remind his subjects that
she was descended from a god.
She designed a series
sumptuous monuments ...
to convey this message,
obelisks propagandizing ...
his bond with Amon-Ra.
The format of the obelisk
is quite simple.
It is a high tower and solid
four side ...
with a pyramid-shaped tip,
carved from a whole piece ...
and decorated in relief.
At first glance, an obelisk can not
seem a great feat of engineering.
But if you think about it, is one of
buildings more artistic ...
and impressive of all time.
The history of obelisks began
the former granite quarry in Aswan.
The 184km south of Thebes.
Was left where the majority ...
the Egyptian obelisks, and where a
still lies unfinished ...
carved on three sides.
With 42m tall and weighing
over 1100 tons ...
I stand on what should
have been the largest obelisk in the world ...
if it had been completed.
It was abandoned when cracked.
But, nowadays, this obelisk
still gives us a good idea ...
how they were carved.
workers
entalhavam granite ...
Ball diabase,
like this one.
The diabase is harder than granite,
so if you slam ...
for a long time, will form chips.
For carving an obelisk
this size ...
were the experts think
required 130 men ...
for an entire year.
So, imagine yourself beating ...
and hammering a stone for a
year of your life ...
and then see what you
was working crack ...
and you have to leave.
Well, in one respect, they were lucky:
They did not need transport.
Once the needle is thought
free from its bed of granite ...
the next challenge was to carry it,
often for hundreds of miles,
to its final destination.
To do this, engineers
Egyptians resorted ...
the old and trusted Nile
and used the annual flood ...
to their advantage.
The problem of transporting
blocks of stone statues ...
and obelisks, it was moved
a huge amount of water and ...
the hulls of the boats touched the bottom
Nile and sometimes washed up onto.
So, it was better
try to carry ...
these huge pieces of stone
during flood ...
when the waters rose and
left the bed of the Nile ...
much deeper.
After the obelisk was sent
downstream, engineers ...
faced its last
and biggest obstacle:
Lift it.
How exactly ...
they did it was a mystery,
but there is a current theory ...
about the process.
First, builders settled
a base granite ...
strong enough to withstand
the weight of the obelisk.
Then surrounding this base
a wall of bricks ...
and this enclosure was filled with sand.
On both sides of the wall
towered brick ramps.
Using ropes and sleds
beneath the obelisk ...
workers pulled the cart up a ramp,
as they went down by another ...
until it aprumasse in the sand.
The sand was then removed
gradually, with the obelisk ...
held vertically
to sit on its base.
Unfortunately for Hatshepsut,
his reign did not end smoothly.
Around 1459 a. C, her beloved
Architect Senemut ...
disappeared without a trace.
The following year, the Queen herself
perished under mysterious circumstances.
The most powerful woman in Egypt
patroness of the most modern ...
architectural feat of empire
waned in history.
Do not know much
about how she died.
His body was never found.
We find the grave, but
did not find the body.
And this is another mystery
we are investigating.
35 centuries later
there are no clues.
But there is a prime suspect,
Hatshepsut's stepson ...
Thutmose III.
So long stifled by stepmother
perhaps the rightful heir ...
got rid of it.
After he took over, the statues
and monuments of Hatshepsut ...
were destroyed and her name,
erased from official records.
Tuthmose shaft becoming
a great conqueror ...
extending the frontiers of the empire
more than any other pharaoh ...
from Syria to central Sudan.
After Thutmose III ruled Egypt
first of these territories.
They were vassals of the Egyptian king.
In this sense, he was a conqueror.
1200 years after the construction
the first pyramid ...
Egypt was the
height of its power.
But just when he seemed invincible
emerged a pharaoh revolutionary ...
to shake
the foundations of the empire.
His worship of a single god would generate
the construction of a new capital ...
designed to position itself
as the center of the universe.
Thebes, the 1352. A.c. ...
The temple of Karnak
epicenter of the Egyptian society ...
was in great expectation.
The beloved pharaoh Amenhotep III
had died and his son ...
Amenhotep IV was
about to become ...
the most powerful man on earth.
The new Pharaoh did not take long to show signs
that his reign would be quite different.
The name Amenhotep means
"Amun is satisfied".
With the rise of the new empire
and the prominence of Thebes ...
as the main city of Egypt,
Amon was elevated to king of the gods.
The priests of Amun were
concentrated here, in the temple of Karnak.
These priests controlled
one-third of wealth throughout Egypt.
And when it comes to religion,
which they were sent.
But the new pharaoh, Amenhotep IV,
had no intention ...
to let someone else
send in anything.
Thus began the struggle
classic between church and state.
There were several gods associated
Ammon and one was Ra ...
spiritual strength
invisible behind the sun.
The shape and the rays of the sun,
or what we can see ...
was a God named Aton,
Amenhotep and developed ...
one entire religion around Aten,
less than a god until then ...
had secondary role.
But thanks to the new Pharaoh ...
he was elevated to a new status.
On a trip north
in the fifth year of his reign ...
Amenhotep encountered
an excerpt protected desert ...
torreantes by limestone hills.
Ali, Aton told him, saying that
one where the creation began.
deeply moved
by this spiritual encounter ...
Pharaoh changed his name to Akhenaten,
which means the server Aton.
He decided to abandon the capital
Egypt, Thebes, modern Luxor ...
and build a new city
this virgin site, the 288km.
Imagine if President
U.S. closed the Capitol ...
change everything
to Texas and said ...
"The new Capitol will be here."
Imagine what would happen
people in Washington.
It was the same
with people of Luxor ...
suddenly, everyone loses their job,
the center of power is shifted ...
and they have to follow Akhenaton
to a new place.
The rebel pharaoh called
their new city of Akhetaten ...
meaning horizon of Aten.
Is now known as Amarna ...
and retains little of the enormous
structures that made ??her ...
the most thriving metropolis Egyptian
for more than 3300 years.
Akhenaten wanted your city
built immediately ...
to be able to move soon.
His impatience stimulated
its engineers ...
to invent a new
how to build fast.
Their response was
a technological innovation ...
small blocks of limestone
cut into standard size ...
to be easily
loaded and stacked.
The blocks called "talatat"
by archaeologists ...
were precursors of the modern old
Materials prefabricated building.
The "talatat" were very useful because
become very fast ...
the construction of buildings.
Were not needed ...
those huge groups of workers
pulling blocks.
It is much easier
have several people loading ...
each block
and using them as bricks.
The city's project
was equally innovative.
Amarna covering 61.44 km , 12.8 km
along the east bank of the Nile ...
and 4.8 km inland.
Its design was irradiated ...
the royal tomb as sunlight
emanating from the spirit of the king.
A royal road ran parallel
the river, connecting the city center ...
the palaces and temples of Pharaoh.
He went to a place untouched.
A place completely clean ...
and there established a city.
That is why it is special.
Akhetaten was perhaps the first
planned city in the world ...
and the most important.
The new city of Akhenaton
sprouted with unprecedented speed.
Within two years of its founding
was home to 20,000 people ...
and had all the necessary facilities
to meet a growing population.
The city limits were demarcated
by great monuments ...
called boundary stelae.
Several of these have survived ...
and their applications transmit
in a very accurate ...
that land was
consecrated to the god Aton.
In Amarna, Pharaoh had created
their own universe ...
placing oneself
and his family at the center of it.
In all representations of Amarna
all who are not part ...
the royal family appear bent,
always bowing ...
Akhenaten and the royal family.
He appears to have required ...
people bowed
in his presence in a way ...
never seen
between the earlier pharaohs.
The Sun King had four major
palaces in your city.
Each serving
a personal purpose and spiritual.
The only surviving mode
discernible is the palace of the north.
Traces of stables and fabulous
frescoed with wild birds ...
found here, indicating
this is the private retreat of the pharaoh.
But there is also evidence
a garden paradise ...
and a throne room with colonnades
where Akhenaten may have received ...
important visits.
Obsession by Pharaoh
magnitudes stretched ...
the sacred sites of Amarna.
Three miles south of
palace of the north lie the ruins ...
a complex known
how small temple of Aton.
The word "small" is inappropriate.
The complex covers almost 6.503m ...
an area twice
the White House.
The entire temple was once
surrounded by a brick wall.
Inside were three courtyards,
separated by Cyclopean walled gates ...
called pylons.
Religious belief of Egypt
The pylons are associated ...
the two mountains on the horizon.
So when a god ...
enters or leaves the temple by
these pylons, it's like the sun ...
was rising or setting
in the mountains on the horizon.
Within the first pylon of the temple,
had a courtyard with rows of tables ...
offerings and a ramp rising
the high altar of bricks.
Then there was another courtyard, which contained
the home of the resident priest.
In the third pylon,
was the heart of the temple ...
the holy of holies inhabited
the spirit of Aton.
Some archaeologists believe
the small temple of Aton ...
may serve as a sanctuary
permanent spirit of Akhenaten.
Increasingly turned
for religion ...
Pharaoh neglected
government affairs.
In the second decade of his reign,
he began to lose control ...
about the Egyptian empire.
Everything indicates that Akhenaten began
to take their religion ...
increasingly serious and avoid the
responsibilities as head of state.
He did not know what was happening
beyond the city's borders.
The empire of Egypt began to sink
because several other powerful people ...
Near Eastern
began to dominate territory.
Many details about the last few years
Akhenaten are unknown.
But one thing is undeniable:
His mysterious death in 1336 a.c. ..
unleashed the vengeful fury
the priests of Amon.
Their statues were broken,
buried and destroyed.
Inside the tomb Meryre,
high priest of Pharaoh ...
the walls are covered with scenes
life under the reign of Akhenaten.
The most shocking of all is the King
driving a chariot ...
with his head and body deleted.
Although it was too late
to avenge him in life ...
had time to destroy it
after death.
Destroy the statue of a
dead person was a terrible act ...
the imaginary Egyptian
why kill the chance ...
that person had
returning to his eternal abode.
So we know that was the thing
more brutal than could be done ...
someone after his death.
After Akhenaten's enemies
crippled her spirit ...
his city was abandoned.
A few years after the death of Pharaoh,
Amarna seemed ...
a ghost town of Western.
The government soon passed to his son
Akhenaten, Tutankhamun, 9 years.
Eager to distance himself from his father,
he returned the supreme power ...
the god Amon, changed
his name to Tutankhamun ...
and brought the capital back to Thebes.
Ali Pharaohs who succeeded
would build the most sumptuous ...
tombs of Egyptian history,
filling them with treasures ...
most precious ever assembled.
These tombs are still
nested silently ...
among the hills of the cemetery
world's most famous, the Valley of the Kings.
1280 a.c. ...
When the sun rises,
on the western border of Thebes ...
begins another week in the service of Pharaoh
for a team of workers ...
who lived here,
in the village of Dier el-Medina.
Every morning, these workers
kissed their wives and children ...
and began a journey
an hour walk to work ...
across these mountains ...
in a place that today
known as the "Valley of the Kings'.
Today, we associate the Valley of the Kings
the Tutankhamun ...
popularly known as King Tut,
whose body was found ...
intact in 1922.
Mas, taking the gold and artifacts,
the tomb of Tut is actually ...
um minors
and most simple of the whole valley.
Construction of the tomb engrenou same
So after 40 years of burial of Tut ...
during the reign of Seti I.
Quando Seti I came to the throne, in 1294
had inherited an empire fragile.
In the six previous decades,
Egypt faltered ...
after the chaotic reign of Akhenaten.
There was a real need for
strengthen the Egyptian power ...
in its traditional form
and return to the heights that the Empire ...
was known under Thutmose III.
Seti I was a real challenge ...
before him: His goal was
recreate the empire again.
Seti was an experienced soldier,
who had served as ...
supreme commander of Egypt.
With discipline and determination that
expected of a military veteran ...
he would return order to the realm
and absolute power of the pharaoh.
His strategy was based
two time-tested tactics ...
conquest and construction.
In the temple of Karnak Seti leave
your brand when ordering ...
the legendary hypostyle hall, one
the wonders of ancient architecture.
It is a forest with
134 torreantes columns ...
some height
a building of 7 floors.
The columns are as wide
which can only be embraced ...
ten men holding hands.
The ancient Egyptians were
trying to create a large room.
Unfortunately, they did not dominate
building interior spaces.
So, if you want a large room,
had to fill her column.
Hidden in a remote corner of Karnak
there is a column unfinished ...
that reveals how
builders Seti ...
created these gigantic pillars
polished stone.
First, the area around the base of the
column was covered with mud and debris.
Then circular slabs
stone were dragged ...
over a ramp clay
and stacked.
When they reached the ceiling level,
began to take the rubbish ...
and lined the surfaces
the columns and walls.
And then, when all the debris
had been removed ...
and the coating removed,
had a column perfect.
If the columns in the lobby
Hypostyle cemented ...
the legacy builder Seti,
the carvings on the walls ...
extol his tough guy image.
Pharaoh was determined to claim
lost territory ...
during the Amarna.
Launched a series of offensives
Syria and Palestine ...
where Phoenicians controlled ports
and trade routes.
The reliefs at Karnak Seti show
capturing and killing ...
prisoners of war
during these campaigns.
While the soldiers of the King
terrorizing neighbors ...
northeastern Egypt
builders tomb ...
preparing your home
eternal in the Valley of the Kings.
Ali worked with the works
efficiency of an assembly line.
First, a team of masons
curdled the tomb of solid rock ...
using simple copper chisels.
They received oil lamps,
and knew how long ...
and lasted oil wick.
So if they used the lamp ...
was not known whether they
were working ...
the right amount of time.
But if the fuse did not end ...
I could see that they
were misleading.
Tugs came after of Bricklayers
covering the rustic walls ...
with a layer of plaster
and lime to make them smooth.
When the walls were ready,
various artists came to ...
draft to the artisans. the
drafts were made ??in black ink.
Then came the master
correct in red ink.
And in some places there are still patches.
You can see where people were wrong.
Drafts identify
Pharaoh with the sun god Ra ...
and depict his journey
the underworld at night.
In the burial chamber, behind the tomb,
this trip would culminate ...
with the rise of the king to the skies
the following morning ...
to start your journey
the firmament.
After these scenes
were drafted ...
the walls were delivered
the sculptors ...
that cinzelavam meticulously
surface around each drawing ...
to create three-dimensional reliefs.
Some were specialized in hand,
others only made ??faces.
There were various types of workers,
at different times ...
in several parts of the walls.
When the wall was already fully
carved, painted them.
As the work progressed
inland mountain ...
became clear that the tomb of Seti
would be different from all the others.
It began with a long corridor
input, followed by two stairs ...
before reaching a well designed
capture floodwater and thieves.
The grave robbing
was a constant danger.
And we know, from
Documents from Deir el-Medina ...
What is the city in which
thieves lived ...
that from time to time,
people involved ...
in thefts tombs were found
and brought to trial.
If the thieves were able to cross
Well, find ...
an elaborate ruse on the other hand,
a false burial chamber.
It was large enough for a tomb
Pharaonic, but empty and unfinished ...
conveying the message that
no one was buried there.
However, below ground,
left chamber of the false ...
lurked a secret staircase.
It led to another long hallway
leading to the true ...
burial chamber.
Seti I was buried here.
The tomb of Seti
was the most fantastic.
Before, there was nothing like it ...
and, although there are several other
tombs beautiful ...
in the Valley of the Kings, the Seti was
the most beautifully decorated of all.
Seti I, whose triumphs in building
and war had restored ...
the ancient glory of Egypt
died unexpectedly in 1279 a. C. ..
An examination of his mummy suggests
he had less than 40 years.
After the death of the king, the scepter passed
to his son, Ramses II.
Ramses would have more than a hundred children,
survive the most legendary ...
battle of ancient Egypt and cover
every corner of the empire ...
with colossal monuments
to his own ego.
His reign of 67 years mark
the height of glory Egyptian ...
and also lie
the seeds of its bankruptcy.
1964 d.c. ..
An international army
engineers and archaeologists ...
ran to save from annihilation
one of the monuments ...
most precious of Egypt.
The place is Abu Simbel,
in southern Egypt ...
where colossal temples built
during the reign of Ramses the Great
ran the risk of submerging
under the waters of Lake Nassar.
The new lake was formed
because of the construction ...
Dam Assuam,
124km downstream.
Contractors of five nations
raced against the clock ...
to deconstruct the temples
and transport them, stone by stone ...
to higher ground.
First, the engineers cut
temples blocks transportable ...
and led them to a new location,
60m higher and 182m inland.
Here, the blocks were mounted
two artificial mountains ...
reinforced cement. after
four years of steady work ...
and 3200 of existence, the temples
Abu Simbel earned a new home.
It was a miracle.
A sign of cooperation.
It was a work of genius, a combination
engineering old ...
with modern engineering.
The temples at Abu Simbel Ramses II
and his queen Nefertari ...
were magnificent buildings,
made the greatest pharaoh ...
Egypt's history.
They were carved ....
directly on the slope of the gorge.
Imagine Mount Rushmore ...
with a huge church
inside the mountain ...
behind the heads of the presidents.
Ramses ruled in the thirteenth century. C.
At this point ...
Egyptians were already cutting
stones 1500 years ago ...
and they've dominated
the technique as a science.
But if someone questioned
as a science could become art ...
this is the answer. This temple,
actually ...
is a monumental sculpture,
that shows what is possible ...
when art and engineering come together
with a little ego.
With his reign of nearly seven decades,
Ramses II was the Pharaoh of Pharaohs.
Since childhood, all hopes
for his dynasty fell in it ...
which was treated with reverence
usually reserved for gods.
Its status as golden boy
Egypt made ??him ...
the most eligible bachelor in the country.
He had about 21 children,
at age 21 ...
and at least 17 ??wives.
Throughout his life,
he would have 110 kids ...
and perhaps an equal number of daughters.
Why so many children?
Well, that's part of the manhood.
The pharaoh was considered a bull,
and the bull is a kind ...
large symbol
male virility.
The blood of Ramses probably
expanded to a percentage ...
so incredible that, a thousand years later ...
there were thousands of people ...
which probably had
the blood of Ramses the Great.
Ramses distinguished himself not only in love,
but also in the war.
For centuries, Egypt had been
involved in struggles for control ...
ports and trade routes
Middle East.
Seti, the father of Rameses, had
inroads there recently ...
but the dominant tribe
the region, the Hittites ...
remained
formidable an adversary.
Like his father, Ramses wield weapons
to expand the borders of Egypt.
He would attack the Hittite kingdom,
Syria, with 20,000 men ...
greater strength Egyptian
that history knows.
They had, by this time,
discovered the chariot, the double arrow ...
several other weapons
and instruments of war.
Certainly, in the ancient world, they
were among the greatest warriors.
Although the forces of Pharaoh
were formidable ...
the Hittites were still
more soldiers.
Even fewer,
Ramses fought to a bloody stalemate ...
and returned home a hero.
Bas-reliefs were carved
to commemorate the bravery of the pharaoh ...
walls
numerous buildings ...
including his great temple
Abu Simbel.
The construction of began
around 1269 a.C. ..
in the 10th year of the reign of Ramses.
Their engineers used
similar process ...
the construction of graves
in the Valley of the Kings.
All colossal sculptures
were carved ...
by a set of people
working together ...
built all these pieces colossal.
And we know ...
by representations
the tomb of Rekhmire ...
showing the workshops of the temples,
the sculptors worked ...
with statues of proportions
huge, three-dimensional ...
appear and carving
the face, shoulders, arms ...
the body and legs.
And all this
huge community effort ...
they created a work of art
with perfect proportions.
they created a work of art
with perfect proportions....
are the largest and
already carved in Egypt.
Inside a complex
Templar was cut ...
within a colossal rock.
Only the first lobby has more
eight majestic statues of the pharaoh.
Besides them, there are a number
other quarters.
In the second hall, a shrine
and lower chambers that can ...
have served as deposits
for sacred offerings.
Every facet of the temple was designed
to send a clear message ...
to all who entered. Ramses the Great
was a god among men.
Ramses II appears not only
worshiping the gods ...
but also worshiping
deified his own image.
So we Pharaoh Ramses II
Ramses II worshiping God.
And all this
happened throughout his life.
The heart of the temple
is your sanctuary ...
lying 60m inside the mountain.
Inside are four statues
the most powerful gods of Egypt:
Ptah, the creator god,
Amon, the supreme god ...
Ramses the living god
and Ra-Harakhty, the sun god.
Twice a year,
on February 22 and October ...
the rays of the rising sun reach
busts of three gods ...
associated with it, Rameses,
Amon-Ra and Harakhty.
Some Egyptologists attribute
significance of these dates ...
as Pharaoh's birthday
and his coronation.
Others, attribute to mere chance.
This is very normal. If you look
in your home, anywhere ...
the sun hits certain
place twice a year.
This is very natural.
Beside the great temple
is another, built ...
in honor of the beloved Queen
Ramses, Nefertari.
Pharaoh could have any woman he wanted,
but his heart belonged only to her.
Nefertari is absolutely beautiful
in their representations.
She must have been really
stunning and actually ...
no inscriptions say
she was a woman ...
by whom the north wind blew.
At the outside of the
her temple, there are six statues.
Four of Ramesses and two of Nefertari,
each with a height of 10m.
This is the oldest Egyptian temple
in which the statues of Queen ...
are as high as those of the King, which
demonstrates the high prestige of it.
As is deified Ramses
in his temple ...
Nefertari also is
in your own temple.
Nefertari, in fact, it was shown
as the goddess Hathor.
She became a deity,
equal to her husband.
During the reign of Ramses the Great
The Abu-Simbel temples in ...
rose like stately
reminders for travelers from the north ...
that a powerful empire
amounted to just over the horizon.
That empire built
in nearly two millenniums ...
would spend a thousand years
following declining.
In a few centuries after the death
Ramses the Great in 1212 a.c. ..
New Empire had fallen,
victim of the same circumstances ...
which had destroyed previous:
Leaders increasingly weak ...
and economic depression.
Through the centuries, strong attacks
of foreign conquerors ...
Nubians, Libyans, Assyrians, Persians and
by Alexander the Great and the Greeks ...
took Egypt. Finally, the
suicide of legendary Cleopatra VII ...
Octavian and the legions of Rome
invaded their land ...
and that was the end of ancient Egypt.
Through the centuries, the temples were
buried by the sands of the desert ...
lost in history as
the civilization that built them.
But in our time, they were reborn
and again stand ...
to proclaim
power and ingenuity ...
the first world empire.
The Egyptians built
foundations of engineering.
It was they who
invented engineering.
Without the help of computers or cranes,
Egyptian engineers have created ...
monumental masterpieces.
Witnesses not only ...
sophisticated understanding of their
of architectural principles ...
but also their ability
gather in large quantities ...
of men and materials to execute it.
The Egyptians built
in much larger ...
than all others for millennia.
They must have had
an immense confidence in themselves ...
and capacity building.
But the imposing structures left
Egyptians are the result ...
much more than granite,
limestone and workers.
They represent the unrivaled genius,
technology unmatched ...
and the beginning of the eternal struggle of mankind
to build a bridge ...
between the human and the divine.