Dahshur, es un antiguo yacimiento piramidal situado justo al sur de Saqqara, en el norte de Egipto. Dos de las cinco pirámides que se conservan datan de la IV dinastía (c. 2575–c. 2465 a. C.) y fueron construidas por el rey Snefru (que reinó entre 2575 y 2551 a. C.). La anterior, debido a su peculiar doble pendiente, recibe diversos nombres: pirámide roma, curva, falsa, acodada o romboidal. Esta pirámide representa un intento temprano de construir una pirámide verdadera, pero se descubrió que el ángulo inicial de la pendiente (52°) era demasiado pronunciado; la parte superior de la pirámide se redujo a 43,5°. Es la mejor conservada de las cinco y la única pirámide del Imperio Antiguo (c. 2575–c. 2130 a. C.) con dos entradas.
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00:00In the heart of the Egyptian desert, there is an extraordinary monument, the Pyramid of Giza.
00:08An enigmatic building that has lasted in time like no other.
00:13It is the first construction in the world to exceed 100 meters high.
00:17Never before had a pyramid of such dimensions been built.
00:21To emphasize his power, the pharaoh ordered to build an immense structure.
00:26Accustomed to the appearance of the famous pyramids of Giza,
00:30seeing this pyramid we soon noticed something different.
00:33It is the only one on the planet that adopts this strange shape.
00:38This stone giant is the work of one of the most powerful pharaohs in Egyptian history, Snefrou.
00:44But the silhouette of his tomb could be the result of an accident,
00:48as there is still visible evidence inside.
00:51There began to be major cracks in the structure, something was not going well.
00:55I think what Snefrou wanted was to build a real pyramid with smooth faces.
01:00To reveal the secrets of the pyramid, we have decided to look for answers in the heart of its structure.
01:06Will they allow us to discover more things in their fascinating galleries?
01:10What are hidden in their different chambers, as immense as cathedrals?
01:14With the aim of solving all these mysteries,
01:17our scientists have obtained an authorization to enter the most emblematic pyramids of ancient Egypt
01:22with a last-generation laser scanner.
01:25It's a little narrow, let's see if we can get through here.
01:30With this method we can obtain a digital copy of the interior of the construction with millimetric precision.
01:36With a few clicks you can take measures that would be very difficult to achieve on the ground.
01:41These new tools will provide our experts with new clues in this scientific research
01:46that began 200 years ago.
02:17NILO RIVER
02:22Descending the Nilo River from Cairo,
02:25it takes an hour by car to reach the southern limits of the pharaoh's necropolis,
02:30a place that still hides many mysteries, the Dasur plateau.
02:37That's where the pyramid is built.
02:41For centuries, everyone who sees it wonders about its enigmatic shape.
02:46But what did the ancient Egyptians want to do here?
02:50It is very difficult to understand this pyramid, it is very different from the others.
02:54Why was it built in that way? Was it deliberate? Was it an accident?
02:59Does it have any ideological or religious meaning?
03:02Actually, the pyramid is one of the most mysterious buildings in Egypt.
03:10Frank Monnier is an engineer specializing in ancient Egypt,
03:14one of the greatest experts in the construction of pyramids.
03:17He has been intrigued by the enigmas of the pyramid for a long time.
03:22Closed to the public for decades, people have been able to access it for a few years.
03:27It is the first time that Frank will be able to enter.
03:31It is very exciting for me to finally enter the heart of this pyramid.
03:35When we think of the pyramid, it is surrounded by mystery.
03:38There are still many unanswered questions.
03:40And now I will finally be able to evaluate for myself what is inside.
03:44Although entering is not easy at all.
03:47On the north face of the pyramid, you have to climb a dozen meters to reach the entrance,
03:52as high as a four-story building.
03:55From there we enter the descending corridor,
03:58a corridor of 80 meters long and barely a meter high,
04:01in which advancing is especially complicated.
04:04Currently, a small staircase helps visitors to go down this steep corridor.
04:11But this did not exist in the time of the pharaohs.
04:16The pyramids were not conceived so that ordinary people like us,
04:20or today's tourists, would visit them.
04:23The walls of these inclined corridors were smooth.
04:27It was very difficult to enter without a rope or a railing.
04:33At the bottom of the descending corridor,
04:36the first chamber of the pyramid, called the antechamber, finally appears.
04:45Wow!
04:47How wonderful!
04:49A cathedral inside a pyramid.
04:54It is incredible that it reaches this height.
04:57And that it is so well preserved.
05:00It's amazing.
05:03Almost 4,600 years after its construction,
05:06the state of conservation of this chamber is spectacular.
05:10The walls are smooth, the stone joints are made very meticulously,
05:14but above all it is the height that impresses.
05:17It is truly incredible to contemplate such a high chamber,
05:20the highest of all chambers within a pyramid.
05:23We are talking about more than 17 meters high.
05:26It's amazing.
05:29But how did the Egyptians manage to build such a large space?
05:34What technique allowed them to reach that height?
05:44The internal structure of the pyramid has intrigued Egyptologists for a long time.
05:50For a simple reason.
05:52It is the key to deciphering the enigma of its strange appearance.
05:56The interior of the anchored pyramid is as interesting as the exterior,
06:01because it has two entrances or exits, depending on how you look at it.
06:05Therefore, there are two different ways of circling.
06:10It is the first time that cameras are built that happen like this, one after another.
06:15When compared to later pyramids,
06:17the anchored pyramid seems like a kind of experiment.
06:20The complexity of its interior raises many questions.
06:24The complex distribution of the cameras is not common.
06:29It is evident that there must have been changes in the project during its construction.
06:36But why?
06:37Why did the builders have to rectify?
06:40What challenges did they have to overcome?
06:43There are still many questions to answer.
06:47EGYPT
06:52The Egyptian and Engineer Frank Monnier knows the planes of the pyramid perfectly.
07:02In this tracing I have drawn the funeral chambers of the anchored pyramid.
07:06I have represented them in the same section view.
07:09That is, we have the lower chambers that start from the north entrance
07:12and the upper chambers that start from the west entrance.
07:15It would be very interesting to scan the camera of the lower chambers with the laser.
07:23To try to see it more clearly,
07:25he has decided to undertake the most ambitious mission carried out so far in the pyramid.
07:33To do this, he has called Alban Brice Pampou,
07:37an archaeologist specializing in digital imagery,
07:41to use a LIDAR, a laser scanner,
07:43which records hundreds of thousands of measurements per second at 360 degrees.
07:53This high-performance device is capable of generating measurements of distance and volume
07:58of an absolutely unparalleled precision.
08:05It is the first time that this cutting-edge technology is going to be used in the anchored pyramid.
08:11It will scan the entire interior of the monument,
08:15even the unvisited spaces, with an unprecedented level of detail.
08:24The objective of my mission today will be to scan the interior spaces of the anchored pyramid,
08:29try to document as much as possible,
08:32look for detailed information in geometric terms.
08:36The anchored pyramid presents two different projects in terms of structure,
08:41which will probably be appreciated in the interior spaces,
08:44so it would be interesting to document it with the scanner.
08:48This digital scanner is so small that we can introduce it in all corners of the pyramid,
08:53but too narrow spaces obstruct the mission.
08:57In passages so narrow, it is always difficult to take data because there are angle changes,
09:02which poses problems since they are difficult spaces to digitize.
09:11After having digitized the descending corridor,
09:14Alban Brispampu arrives at the antechamber.
09:18In this open space, he can deploy his scanner without problems.
09:23The results should allow him to better understand
09:26how such a high room could be built in such a distant time,
09:294,600 years before our era.
09:36At the helm of this unusual project is one of the greatest builders in history,
09:42Pharaoh Snefru.
09:51Although his name is still unknown to many people,
09:54Snefru was a true legend in Pharaonic Egypt.
09:59Snefru is the one who built the first great pyramids.
10:02He is a very well-known king in ancient Egypt.
10:05He is a reference king.
10:07It was not Cheops, it was Snefru.
10:12In folk tales, he is called the well-made king.
10:16The image that the later literature gives him
10:20seems to be that of a very simple and jovial king.
10:25Snefru is the founder of the fourth dynasty,
10:28the most famous in Egypt.
10:30He is the father of the famous Cheops
10:32and lives around 2600 BC.
10:35We are in the middle of the Old Empire,
10:37the golden age in which the giant pyramids are built.
10:41The reign of Snefru will last many years,
10:44possibly more than 40.
10:46Years that will transform his country deeply.
10:49Egypt is in its maximum splendor.
10:53King Snefru gives way to a new era in Egyptian history.
10:57The world changes completely with him.
10:59To have the economic and human resources
11:02to carry out this project,
11:04Egypt must be going through a prosperous stage
11:08during the reign of Snefru.
11:17His reign was a time marked by power and prosperity.
11:21He expanded the commercial networks,
11:24developed the economy, improved the administration.
11:27All of this provided him with the organization
11:30and the necessary resources to build his gigantic pyramids.
11:41After several weeks of digital analysis,
11:44the results of the scanner are finally ready.
11:49They provide a very clear vision of the first chamber.
11:54The Egyptologist Basil Dobrev discovers the images.
11:58Before we had the section views,
12:01so the three dimensions were not appreciated.
12:04Now this allows us to turn in all directions
12:07and try to understand everything.
12:11This way it is much easier to study it.
12:15First observation.
12:16The architecture of the chamber is incredibly technical.
12:20The first thing I have noticed
12:22is that there is a perfect application of brackets.
12:25The blocks are placed on top of each other
12:28and protrude 10 centimeters inwards.
12:30Little by little they close
12:32and in this way they reach approximately 17 meters.
12:35That they stacked the blocks in the form of an inverted staircase
12:38is not a coincidence.
12:40Rather, it reveals how ingenious the architects of Snefru were.
12:44It was the first time they wanted to build inside a pyramid
12:48and to protect the funeral chambers
12:50they had to innovate and invent a structure
12:52that would allow the forces to deviate.
13:00Using brackets to roof a room
13:03consists of gradually climbing each row of masonry
13:07as it gains height.
13:09In the end, a kind of staircase triangle is obtained
13:13that reaches the ceiling.
13:15It seems that it was an architectural innovation
13:17by the engineers of Snefru.
13:19In this ceiling, the quality of the work of the great builders
13:22is impressive.
13:24The state of conservation of the brackets
13:26that we have in this antechamber is extraordinary.
13:28Think that they are about 4,500 years old.
13:31We are talking about about 104 meters of masonry accumulated on top.
13:34Can you imagine it? 104 meters of masonry.
13:37Thousands of tons rest on this chamber
13:40and the bracket vault continues to hold perfectly.
13:44Although the antechamber seems perfect,
13:46if we look at it more closely
13:48there is something that does not fit.
13:52It is evident that the builders of Snefru
13:54encountered problems building.
13:57In this wall, important fractures are appreciated
13:59and here it gives the impression that a block has moved a little.
14:03The rest is held perfectly.
14:06But these small displacements in the structure
14:09show that there is a fracture
14:11that has actually been reinforced and covered recently.
14:15The restorations carried out
14:17so that the pyramid could open to the public
14:19have partially concealed
14:21this ancient crack with cement.
14:26But the analysis with the LiDAR scanner
14:28allows us to see it better.
14:31The technology offers us a vision
14:33of the rooms in negative,
14:35revealing invisible details in plain sight.
14:37The scanner confirms
14:39that there were some small displacements,
14:41some small scratches
14:44that finally left scars on the walls of the antechamber.
14:49Here you can see a fairly clear crack.
14:54It is as if an external pressure
14:56had cracked part of the wall.
14:59How can we explain this crack of several meters high
15:02right in the heart of the pyramid?
15:05And if these imperfections inside
15:07are related to the very design of the building?
15:11The answer could be in the context of its construction.
15:19Although it may seem unthinkable,
15:21this pyramid is actually the second
15:23conceived by the pharaoh.
15:27Sneferu began to build his pyramid in Meidum
15:30and in principle it was going to be a stepped pyramid.
15:34The Meidum Pyramid,
15:3645 km further south.
15:38It is the first pyramid that Sneferu built.
15:41It currently looks quite strange.
15:46Although in its origins it was intended to be stepped,
15:49like all the pyramids built until then in Egypt.
15:54Until the day when the father of Cheops
15:56suddenly decides to change everything.
16:00Mark Lehner is one of the most famous pyramids specialists in the world.
16:04After 40 years studying them,
16:06he is still fascinated by the stepped pyramid
16:08and the history of Sneferu.
16:11He builds a giant stepped pyramid in Meidum.
16:14This is important to understand the monument.
16:17He starts by building it with six steps,
16:19then he expands it to seven,
16:21and suddenly he stops,
16:23approximately when he has been governing for 15 years,
16:26and he comes to Dasur to build the stepped pyramid.
16:31But why all that effort to then start again from scratch
16:34a project of such dimensions?
16:37What pushed the pharaoh to make such a radical decision?
16:42I think what Sneferu wanted
16:44was to build a real pyramid with smooth faces.
16:47Sneferu no longer wanted to continue building
16:49a stepped pyramid like a tomb.
16:52So the pharaoh looked for a new place
16:55to launch his innovative project.
16:59A true architectural revolution,
17:02the first real pyramid in the history of mankind,
17:05a perfect triangle.
17:08It seems that this decision was based on religious reasons.
17:15It seems that they change the idea that it is a staircase to heaven
17:18by the idea that the king is buried
17:20under a petrified version of the rays of the sun.
17:24At that moment they are developing their worship of the sun.
17:26The pyramid-shaped monuments
17:28go hand in hand with this solarization of the monarchy.
17:32He believed that he and his tomb were merging with the rays of the sun.
17:40The perfect pyramid of Sneferu, with its smooth walls,
17:43must reflect the light of the sun
17:45and allow the pharaoh to ascend to heaven after his death.
17:49A way to reunite with Ra, the god of the sun.
17:53He demanded from his architects a technical feat
17:55never achieved until then.
17:58However, as is evident, his plan did not work.
18:03At 47 meters high,
18:05the pyramid changes drastically in inclination.
18:08But what happened?
18:13To find answers,
18:15Franck Monnier must undo his steps and climb the descending corridor.
18:21It is then that he discovers something amazing.
18:2412 meters after the entrance,
18:26there are some strange empty spaces on the sides.
18:30They can be better appreciated thanks to the digitization of the lidar.
18:35It is quite strange,
18:37because they are about 12 meters from the entrance of the pyramid.
18:39And what do we find?
18:41The characteristics of an entrance to a pyramid.
18:43An exterior wall
18:45and the famous notches that covered again
18:47and that were always located next to the entrance.
18:50We see the opposite in front.
18:52The notches,
18:54surely they had the function of holding a beam
18:57that facilitated the descent and ascent to the workers.
19:01The notches covered them in the recent restoration.
19:06But they are usually at the entrance of the pyramids.
19:09So how can this distribution be explained?
19:12Why do we find signs of an entrance in the middle of the corridor?
19:16It is an extremely important clue
19:18that leads us to think
19:20that right here was the original entrance of the pyramid,
19:23of the first project of the pyramid.
19:26The first project of the pyramid.
19:28In other words,
19:30another monument is hidden inside the current pyramid.
19:34The discovery is fascinating.
19:36To know more information,
19:38Fran takes measurements of the wall.
19:40However, it has deteriorated over time
19:42and is not completely straight.
19:44I am using an inclinometer
19:46to allow us to accurately determine
19:48the inclination of this wall, of this face.
19:51If I place the device here,
19:53it will tell me that it is inclined exactly ...
19:5662.74 degrees.
19:59If I move it, it tells me that it is 62.
20:01And here, how much? 58, 59 ...
20:04It is not totally flat.
20:06If we do the average, it stays around 60 degrees.
20:09We are definitely facing the wall of the first project of the pyramid,
20:14a pyramid that should have its faces approximately at 60 degrees.
20:21A very different inclination
20:23from that of the exterior wall of the current pyramid.
20:27Thanks to Fran Monnier's measurements,
20:29the hidden pyramid can be seen.
20:32But what did it look like?
20:34Was it different from what we see today?
20:38According to the calculations of the Egyptologists,
20:41it was a base 157 meters wide,
20:43the largest ever built in Egypt.
20:47With the wall at 60 degrees, extremely inclined,
20:50the pyramid should have reached
20:52the incredible height of 136 meters,
20:55like a skyscraper of 40 floors.
21:00Twice the pyramid of Zoser,
21:02which was already the tallest building in the world.
21:06To emphasize his power over his people,
21:09the pharaoh ordered to build a huge building.
21:12He knew that in the future it would be very difficult to destroy it,
21:15so, thanks to him, he hoped to live forever.
21:19Sneferu said it was a real pyramid like the rays of the sun,
21:23but nobody knew what it was like.
21:25It must have been 43 degrees, 50, 60 ...
21:28They chose 60, a fairly inclined slope.
21:30They didn't know what a real pyramid was like
21:32or how much they had to tilt it.
21:34Until then, all the pyramids were stepped on,
21:37they were not pyramids as such.
21:41But when the interior of the pyramid is finished,
21:45they suddenly modify the project.
21:49The reason remains a mystery.
21:52Maybe at some point they realized that with the ramps,
21:55whatever they were,
21:57erecting a 60-degree pyramid and reaching the top
22:00was being especially complicated
22:02or was consuming a lot of energy.
22:04In my opinion, they were having problems with the 60-degree pyramid
22:08and that's why they reduced the slope and put a blanket on it.
22:12Everything indicates that there was a change of plans in the construction,
22:16something typical for the builders of ancient Egypt.
22:21The pharaoh's architects therefore decide to modify their project.
22:25They add a thick layer of masonry
22:27on the four sides of the pyramid to reinforce it.
22:30The base increases by 20% in volume
22:33and exceeds 189 meters on each side.
22:36In this way, the angle of inclination is significantly reduced to 54 degrees.
22:44It is this decision that triggers this new form of the pyramid
22:48as we know it today.
22:51Of course, this expansion will have unexpected and catastrophic consequences.
22:58The Egyptians had not anticipated the difference in behavior
23:01between this wrapping and the internal mass.
23:03That is, when they were gradually raising the wrapping layer,
23:07they realized that this layer was sinking,
23:09while the internal mass was still with the same characteristics.
23:14They were major fissures in the structure
23:18and blocks fell from above,
23:21which suggests that something was not going well.
23:25The huge layer of masonry that the Egyptians added
23:28meant too much weight for the initial pyramid.
23:31The more weight is added, the more compression increases.
23:36Inside the building is where the remains of this problem are most noticeable.
23:41In the descending corridor to the north,
23:43we find fascinating remains,
23:45just at the same height as the entrance of the first project of the pyramid.
23:49Wow, here there are literally whole slabs of rocks
23:52falling off ready to fall on us.
23:54It's pretty scary.
23:57Here we have an important fracture
23:59that allows us to look into the bowels of the monument.
24:03There are thin slabs of rock that have fallen off the blocks,
24:07these blocks and the following ones.
24:10And it's all basically because the wrapping moved,
24:13sank and detached important pieces of the pyramid.
24:17Sinking over the heart of the pyramid,
24:20the layer of masonry caused major fractures throughout the monument.
24:27We also find them on the exterior layer.
24:31Here you can see important cracks
24:34making their way through the different layers of limestone.
24:39The biggest crack is this one here.
24:42It's cracking, it's breaking,
24:44and they're trying to cover them and to put patches as they go.
24:50When they see all these cracks coming out,
24:52the architects of Snefru realize their mistake.
24:56The structure of their perfect pyramid is in danger.
25:02They have to find an urgent solution
25:04and adapt it to the conditions of the pyramid.
25:08The architects will come up with a brilliant and simple idea
25:12to try and save the pyramid.
25:15The change from a real pyramid with flat faces
25:18to a rhomboidal pyramid
25:20was probably due to the fact that they tried to reduce
25:23all the weight they had dropped on the construction site.
25:27They decided that they were going to reduce the weight
25:30so that they could save the pyramid.
25:33The Egyptians realized that by radically reducing
25:36the slope of the pyramid to a 43-degree angle,
25:39it would be easier to finish the construction.
25:43Above all, they realized that in this way
25:45they would also reduce the weight on the foundations,
25:48giving the building more stability.
25:51They decided to reduce the height of the pyramid
25:54to a 43-degree angle,
25:56so that it would be easier to finish the construction.
25:59They reduced the weight on the foundations,
26:01giving the building a better base.
26:04This is how the pyramid of Esnefrú,
26:06which was supposed to be triangular,
26:08ended up adopting this peculiar shape.
26:11A demonstration of the ingenuity
26:13and the great adaptability of the pyramid builders.
26:18They were adapting, trying things, overcoming challenges,
26:21what we would now call research and development.
26:24They are responding to problems and finding solutions.
26:29Once finished, the pyramid reaches
26:31the impressive height of 104 meters,
26:3410 meters more than the Big Ben in London.
26:38It becomes the tallest building in the world at that time.
26:42It is estimated that the pyramid of Esnefrú
26:45has 1,300,000 cubic meters of stone.
26:49We are talking about approximately 3,300,000 tons.
26:52It is not a small thing.
26:54A pyramid of such dimensions had never been built.
26:59Despite this achievement,
27:01the father of Cheops is not satisfied with the result.
27:05He wanted a pyramid with smooth walls,
27:08and he will have it.
27:15The powerful pharaoh orders a third pyramid to be built,
27:18the Red Pyramid,
27:20less than two kilometers from the Pyramid of Acodada.
27:24This time, the result is perfect.
27:30There, Esnefrú successfully builds
27:33a true right-angled pyramid for the first time.
27:37The pyramid he had been trying to achieve for so long.
27:41Finally, he had his pyramid that represented the sun's rays.
27:46When you look at it, it seems to be trying to follow
27:49all the lessons learned during the construction
27:52of the Pyramid of Acodada.
27:56The architects of Esnefrú have finally achieved this incredible feat,
28:00to build the first pyramid of smooth faces
28:03in the history of mankind.
28:09They learned from the mistakes made in the Pyramid of Acodada.
28:14In order not to take any risks,
28:16they chose from the beginning the angle of 43 degrees,
28:19the one they used to finish the Acodada.
28:23It guarantees much greater stability.
28:35However, some Egyptologists are not convinced
28:38of the theory of the accident of the construction of the Pyramid of Acodada.
28:44Among them, the archaeologist Basil Dobrev,
28:46one of the great experts of the ancient empire.
28:49In his opinion, the building was conceived from the beginning
28:52with this particular shape.
28:55The Egyptians wanted to imitate the initial mound
28:58on which Egypt was created.
29:00They believed that at first there was only the ocean,
29:03and that from this ocean a first mound was raised,
29:06which they called Benben, because it has two shapes.
29:10Ben, Ben.
29:12I think the Egyptians wanted to represent that emergence
29:15in the same way, so the structure is totally deliberate.
29:24Maybe the goal, from the beginning,
29:27was to get this obelisk shape.
29:31Benben is, in fact, a stone that is supposedly the place
29:34where the sun was placed at the time of the creation of the world.
29:37So it is loaded with a strong solar symbolism
29:40that inspired the shape of the Egyptian pyramids.
29:43The Red Pyramid would have been erected
29:45at the same time as the Acodada Pyramid.
29:47The two monuments should work together
29:49as a kind of incredible resurrection machine.
29:52There is a theory that the Red Pyramid
29:54and the Acodada Pyramid are complementary.
29:58I think they worked as a couple.
30:00One allowed the resurrected king to ascend to heaven
30:03and the other to descend using the rays of the sun.
30:06The proof that the two are complementary
30:08is that they have the same height.
30:11Therefore, it is a solar monument
30:13that allows the pharaoh to return to earth,
30:16becoming an eternal circle.
30:31Whether they were designed at the same time or consecutively,
30:34the interior of the Red Pyramid
30:36reminds us of the interior of the Acodada Pyramid.
30:39There are similarities between the internal structures
30:41of the two pyramids.
30:43In both we find imposing chambers
30:45lined with corbels,
30:47but the chambers of the Red Pyramid
30:49are a little more beautiful.
30:51Possibly we are in front of the most fascinating chambers
30:53ever built in a pyramid.
30:55I would say that the maximum expression
30:57of the ceiling of corbels.
31:00Under the Red Pyramid,
31:02three magnificent chambers with corbels
31:04happen in harmony,
31:06as if they had followed
31:08each other before.
31:10Here there is no trace of problems,
31:12testing or doubts.
31:17Nothing to do with the interior of the Acodada Pyramid,
31:20where the leader denounces a large number
31:22of construction errors.
31:25Although under the pyramid of two slopes
31:27there is an architectural element
31:29still enigmatic.
31:32A kind of chimney
31:34that we have decided to digitize
31:36to guess its secrets.
31:38This vertical well is a problem
31:40because we do not know where it leads.
31:42It is not known for sure
31:44why there are no texts
31:46or obvious structural reasons
31:48indicating its function.
31:50So currently
31:52it continues to intrigue everyone.
31:56It is the first time that this passage
31:58is recorded and digitized from the inside.
32:02At a height of 15 meters,
32:04two large blocks of limestone
32:06abruptly close the passage.
32:08It is a dead-end alley
32:10without any explanation.
32:12How can we interpret this arrangement?
32:14The analysis of the leader
32:16could provide us with a more precise image,
32:18but for Albán Brispampú
32:20the operation is complex
32:22as it needs to deploy an extensive vertigo
32:24in a very small space
32:26and invaded by bats.
32:28Right now I'm going more or less
32:30through the middle of the chimney.
32:32The chimney will measure about 15 meters
32:34and the vertigo reaches about 6 meters high.
32:38I think this is going well.
32:40Let's see how the images come out on the computer.
32:42I'm bothering the bats.
32:44There's a lot up there.
32:48The device
32:50takes 400,000 measurements per second.
32:54What you hear is the scanner.
32:56It goes fast because the processor heats up.
32:58It has to calculate many different points
33:00in a too narrow space
33:02that is difficult to detect.
33:04It has to do more calculations
33:06and therefore it heats up more.
33:08Let's lower it.
33:10It should be worth it.
33:12Thanks to the scanner
33:14we have for the first time
33:16a full view of the chimney
33:18with a level of precision
33:20never seen before in this place.
33:22When you visit this site
33:24it is normal to wonder
33:26what we have on top.
33:28This laser scanner
33:30reveals even the smallest detail
33:32of the chimney.
33:34The results of the LIDAR
33:36show us valuable clues.
33:38Here you can clearly see compartments
33:40with lock blocks.
33:42There are two lock systems,
33:44two blocks, whose function is to wait
33:46for them to be turned to block the passage.
33:48But they are still in their waiting position.
33:50In the pyramids, they turn these blocks
33:52to seal the entrance to a funeral chamber.
33:54Thus,
33:56their presence implies that this chimney
33:58must have led somewhere.
34:00But for some unknown reason
34:02the blocks have remained standing.
34:04The blocks were left in a waiting position.
34:06They were never closed.
34:08This makes me think that they planned
34:10the construction of a funeral chamber
34:12at the top of the chimney,
34:14but they did not continue with the project.
34:16It is evident that an important change
34:18of plans took place here.
34:21To try to shed light
34:23on this dark area,
34:25the Egyptologists came up with the idea
34:27of comparing this layout
34:29with that of the other pyramids.
34:31And we could get the answer
34:33from Snefru himself,
34:35from his first pyramid.
34:38We return to Meidum,
34:4045 km south.
34:42In Meidum, we find a chimney
34:44that leads to a small funeral chamber.
34:46Everything tells us
34:48that we see the same thing
34:50in the pyramid next door,
34:52with an antechamber and a chimney.
34:54Except that in the next door,
34:56in principle, the chamber was never built.
34:58In conclusion,
35:00probably the chimney
35:02of the next door pyramid
35:04must have led to a funeral chamber.
35:06But the Snefru builders
35:08abandoned their original idea,
35:10perhaps due to the technical difficulties
35:12of the initial project.
35:15Vertically, it is very difficult
35:17to explain things,
35:19and it is not that it is very wide.
35:21Let's not forget that it is the first great pyramid.
35:23You have to investigate
35:25and adapt.
35:27Celebrating a funeral
35:29by a chimney 15 meters high
35:31is to introduce the body of the pharaoh,
35:33his sarcophagus and all the funerary arrangement,
35:35making almost acrobatics.
35:37So they would not see it feasible.
35:39As in any architectural project
35:41that extends for several decades,
35:43inevitably there comes a point
35:45when the wishes change.
35:53The Egyptians
35:55abandon this chimney
35:57and decide to radically change
35:59their plans.
36:01They design a second distribution
36:03completely independent.
36:05But while the entrances
36:07to the pyramids are always
36:09oriented north,
36:11this new descending corridor
36:13is another enigmatic decision.
36:17The western entrance
36:19to the pyramid is a real mystery.
36:21There is no other pyramid
36:23in the ancient empire
36:25with an entrance like this.
36:27The best explanation
36:29is that it could have been
36:31a funerary complex
36:33for the burial of the king.
36:35Maybe it had to do with their beliefs.
36:37The west was where the dead lived,
36:39so maybe it was another path
36:41that the king could take
36:43in the beyond,
36:45to go to the west
36:47and enjoy life after death,
36:49the same as the rest of the people
36:51who went to the west.
36:55This corridor
36:57could have been used
36:59for Osiris to meet
37:01King Snefru,
37:03who had just been resurrected
37:05on the west side,
37:07and for him to go to the world of Osiris,
37:09the world of death.
37:13Osiris is the god of the underworld.
37:15All the deceased
37:17of ancient Egypt
37:19passed before him.
37:23Access to this new descending corridor
37:25is located at almost
37:2733 meters above the ground,
37:29as high as
37:31an 11-story building.
37:33It is the highest entrance
37:35of all the pyramids in Egypt.
37:37There are two possible explanations.
37:39One is to dissuade the thieves
37:41from entering and looting.
37:43And the other reason
37:45is to elevate the king
37:47even closer to heaven,
37:49where his spirit wants to fly.
37:51The exit was not visible.
37:53It was perfectly hidden
37:55by a covering block.
37:57At the end of the second descending corridor,
37:59almost 70 meters long,
38:01a 20-meter horizontal corridor
38:03leads to the funeral chamber.
38:07Here we have the Sancta Sanctorum,
38:09the funeral chamber.
38:11What is striking
38:13when we enter this chamber
38:15is to see the state
38:17in which it is located.
38:19It gives the impression
38:21that we are in a natural cave.
38:23The walls have deteriorated a lot.
38:29This is the chamber
38:31that should house the remains of the pharaoh.
38:33However, the state of degradation
38:35of the vault is impressive.
38:37The corbels of the ceiling
38:39are barely distinguished
38:41and it gives the impression
38:43that we are in a cave.
38:45They saw those problems
38:47in the funeral chamber.
38:49There's evidence of serious cracks
38:51in all that chamber.
38:53What happened?
38:55What triggered such chaos?
38:57Did the architects of Sneferu
38:59make a mistake?
39:01Seeing the state of the chamber
39:03and the results of the Lidar,
39:05Frank Monnier draws a first conclusion.
39:07These damages are not
39:09simply structural damages.
39:11They were caused by the Egyptians
39:13re-carving the corbels
39:15and the walls.
39:17Although the funeral chamber
39:19is already finished
39:21and topped off by corbel vaults
39:23that reach 14 meters high,
39:25the Egyptians suddenly decide
39:27to raise the floor of the chamber,
39:29filling it with masonry,
39:31not just once, but twice.
39:33It's a complete mystery
39:35because we have no idea
39:37why they decided to do this.
39:39We have never seen anything like it.
39:41We have not found a modification
39:43like this in any other pyramid.
39:45Modifications that are no longer visible today.
39:47There was a mass of masonry
39:49that reached here.
39:51But the explorers
39:53and archaeologists of the 20th century
39:55knocked it down,
39:57as they hoped to come across
39:59something that was still intact.
40:01In the last century,
40:03the archaeologists who worked
40:05on this pyramid removed
40:07almost all the stones,
40:09hoping to discover
40:11a possible secret passage
40:13or something even better,
40:15the sarcophagus of Es-Nefru.
40:17But they were disappointed.
40:19There was no trace of the pharaoh
40:21or the secret passage,
40:23just a big void.
40:25Although their effort was not in vain,
40:27there were modifications
40:29made by the Egyptians.
40:31Here you can still clearly see
40:33the stones of the side walls
40:35of this first masonry wall
40:37that the archaeologists removed.
40:39Look how well you can see
40:41that above the cedar beams
40:43there are remains of the first wall.
40:45They protrude a little,
40:47so this is the first wall
40:49they knocked down.
40:51But in spite of everything,
40:53thanks to their perseverance,
40:55they built this ancient structure.
40:57All the beams that are there
40:59are more than 4,600 years old.
41:01They are the original ones.
41:03It is wood that we can touch,
41:05which is still solid
41:07and has not been damaged
41:09over time.
41:11It is absolutely extraordinary.
41:13It is like going back in time.
41:15If we buried wood in Europe,
41:17by general rule,
41:19it would not last more than a few years.
41:21But in Egypt, the climate is so dry,
41:23that the wood has been preserved
41:25for more than 4,500 years.
41:27We believe that this structure
41:29was going to be a provisional support,
41:31that is, a support element
41:33to help sustain the walls
41:35during the construction of the chamber.
41:37The wood is cedar from Lebanon,
41:39which they had to bring
41:41from the coast of the Middle East.
41:43In Egypt there is no wood
41:45that can be used to build,
41:47which is a big problem
41:49to erect the pyramids.
41:51So they had to leave Egypt
41:53to look for wood.
41:55The Egyptians traded
41:57with the area of Lebanon.
41:59They had to cut the cedar
42:01in the mountains,
42:03take it to the sea
42:05and then transport it to Egypt.
42:07It is incredible that this happened.
42:09As far as construction is concerned,
42:11this type of wood
42:13was much more solid and resistant.
42:15However,
42:17this wood structure
42:19has nothing to do
42:21with the degradation of the chamber.
42:23After having raised the floor,
42:25the builders of Estefru
42:27decide to re-carve the corbels
42:29to smooth the walls.
42:31Surely the idea is that the room
42:33retains the appearance
42:35of a true funeral chamber.
42:37But it is a serious architectural error.
42:39We can clearly see
42:41the flat surfaces,
42:43so they re-carved
42:45the corbels to a certain height.
42:47But what consequences
42:49did this decision,
42:51an unequal distribution
42:53of the tensions,
42:55have taken away
42:57all its meaning,
42:59all its function?
43:01The vault can no longer
43:03support the loads properly
43:05and the ceiling begins to deteriorate.
43:07The blocks protruded
43:09too much from the walls
43:11and ended up giving way,
43:13cracking and falling.
43:15I would say that the stones
43:17began to crack and fall
43:19when they were building the pyramid.
43:21To examine in more detail
43:23the state of the chamber,
43:25Fran has asked Vambrisch
43:27to scan the entire room.
43:29But this task is not so easy.
43:31The conditions of access to a pyramid
43:33are always somewhat particular.
43:35It is not always easy to circulate
43:37and, after all,
43:39the environment is a bit hot
43:41and you can get tired very quickly,
43:43so it is not always easy
43:45to compile data quickly.
43:47Only the use of a miniature
43:49and portable scanner
43:51makes this operation possible.
43:53The data we are going to compile
43:55are unique and unprecedented.
43:57Once finished,
43:59Vambrisch can verify directly
44:01from his phone
44:03that the scanner has done its job well.
44:05It is only a fairly quick preview
44:07to check that everything is in order.
44:09In principle, it is fine,
44:11because it will facilitate
44:13many more details with a little color.
44:15Vambrisch needs several days
44:17to recreate a 3D model of the chamber.
44:21The precision is extraordinary.
44:23When seeing the images,
44:25especially thanks to the negative view
44:27of the camera,
44:29Fran Monnier warns
44:31something really worrying.
44:33It is very well appreciated.
44:35The scanner reveals
44:37completely open joints.
44:39The process is prolonged
44:41behind the blocks of the brackets,
44:43either an open joint or a crack.
44:45Part of a block is about to fall.
44:47Basically, we have detected
44:49a block that will fall at some point.
44:53The LiDAR warns us
44:55that the structure may not be
44:57completely stabilized.
44:59In fact, there are many elements
45:01that have a delicate balance.
45:03The cracks will remain there
45:05for centuries
45:07and we do not worry
45:09about preserving and reinforcing this chamber.
45:13We already know how this magnificent
45:15vault of brackets that should crown
45:17the funeral chamber has been
45:19collapsing little by little
45:21until it reached this deteriorated appearance.
45:27Probably because of these structural
45:29problems inside the pyramid,
45:31which only made it worse,
45:33the Egyptians finally made
45:35the decision to seal
45:37the entire western descending corridor,
45:39the second they had built.
45:43The structural problems
45:45forced them to seal
45:47the western descending corridor
45:49and completely block it
45:51with limestone blocks.
45:53To do this, they had to install
45:55a platform that would allow them
45:57to lift the large limestone blocks
45:59that would serve as plugs.
46:01Imagine how difficult it had to be
46:03to build a descending corridor
46:05about 67 meters long.
46:07They had to insert blocks
46:09of several tons and throw them
46:11quickly, one by one,
46:13to completely block it.
46:15But the builders
46:17have to come up with a solution
46:19to guarantee access
46:21to the funeral chamber.
46:23Basically, they decide to dig
46:25a tunnel directly into the
46:27masonry of the building.
46:29They did it during the construction
46:31to facilitate the passage
46:33of the workers from one chamber
46:35to another.
46:37Ironically, the northern entrance
46:39became the entrance to the
46:41western funeral chamber
46:43due to all these structural problems.
46:45At every step they take,
46:47we observe that they adapt
46:49to the challenges they encounter.
46:51We have asked Fran
46:53to take us inside this tunnel.
46:57With a little more than
46:5920 meters of length
47:01and fully excavated limestone blocks,
47:03this sinuous corridor
47:05is especially narrow and complicated.
47:13Imagine the difficulties
47:15the Egyptians had to face
47:17digging this tunnel.
47:19The mere fact of passing here
47:21crouched is already a torture.
47:23So imagine the workers
47:25who had to dig and transport
47:27all their belongings.
47:31The LIDAR scanner could reveal
47:33how the workers managed
47:35to dig this blind passage
47:37in the heart of the stone massif.
47:41Alvan Brice needs almost an hour
47:43to scan the entire corridor.
47:45But the result is spectacular.
47:49The details of the masonry,
47:51the millimetric measurements,
47:53the volumes,
47:55and the digital equipment
47:57reveal a fabulous engineering technique
47:59developed more than 4,500 years ago.
48:03At first glance,
48:05we might think they dug blindly,
48:07that the workers on this side
48:09started a tunnel,
48:11while those on the other side
48:13started another tunnel
48:15and that at some point
48:17they expected to meet.
48:19But they didn't.
48:21The Egyptians, to make sure
48:23they didn't deviate to that side,
48:25and the others too,
48:27had to meet at some point.
48:29The precise layout of this passage
48:31shows that it could only be
48:33excavated by the builders themselves
48:35and not by looters
48:37long after their construction.
48:39The fact that it goes
48:41directly from one chamber to another
48:43suggests that people knew
48:45exactly where it was going.
48:47It shows skill.
48:49I mean, you have to know
48:51how to control the inclination
48:53and the direction of the tunnel.
48:55And this was only possible
48:57with the help of the existing plans.
48:59From now on,
49:01this narrow passage
49:03is where Esnefrú's
49:05funeral procession
49:07to transport the Pharaoh's mummy
49:09to his grave in the funeral chamber
49:11has to pass.
49:17But there is still a mystery
49:19about the use of this passage
49:21to transport the remains of
49:23the father of Cheops.
49:25And this is the big question
49:27that still worries the Egyptologists.
49:29Did the Pharaoh use it?
49:31In which of the three pyramids
49:33did he decide to bury him?
49:35To this day,
49:37no sarcophagus has been discovered,
49:39neither in Meidum,
49:41nor in the Pyramid of Acodada,
49:43nor in the Red Pyramid.
49:45But some clues suggest
49:47that the Pharaoh buried him
49:49in the Red Pyramid
49:51to get further.
49:53I think it's obvious
49:55that Esnefrú was buried
49:57in the Red Pyramid,
49:59the royal pyramid
50:01that took him so long to build.
50:03There they could bury him
50:05under the reflected light
50:07of the very god of the sun.
50:09He managed to build the vision
50:11he wanted.
50:13He had all the things
50:15he needed during his reign.
50:17He offered all the guarantees
50:19of security and stability
50:21that he could expect
50:23from his home for eternity.
50:25However, some disturbing details
50:27mix with the clues.
50:29What if Esnefrú's body
50:31was buried at the end
50:33in the most mysterious
50:35pyramid of all,
50:37the Acodada?
50:39This is where the cult was celebrated.
50:41This is where the priests came
50:43and buried the king.
50:45And it's from this pyramid
50:47that he ascended to heaven.
50:49Whatever the case,
50:51the name of the pharaoh Esnefrú,
50:53although little known by the people,
50:55goes down in history
50:57as the greatest builder
50:59of all ancient Egypt.
51:01Esnefrú built more pyramids
51:03than any other pharaoh in ancient Egypt
51:05in terms of cubic meters.
51:07So he's the greatest stone builder
51:09of ancient Egypt
51:11if not of the whole ancient world.
51:17The three pyramids together
51:19weigh around 8,300,000 tons of stone,
51:21that is,
51:23the weight of 820 Eiffel Towers.
51:25These figures seem unimaginable
51:27given the outrageous amount
51:29of material and work
51:31invested 2,600 years
51:33before our era.
51:37Despite the construction problems,
51:39the Pyramid of Giza
51:41survived the passage of time
51:43like no other building in Egypt
51:45and perhaps in the world.
51:47And it was the lessons
51:49learned by Esnefrú's architects
51:51when building the Pyramid of Giza
51:53that allowed the construction
51:55of the masterpieces of antiquity,
51:57one of the most famous monuments
51:59in the world,
52:01the Pyramids of Giza.