1 00:00:02,000 --> 00:00:03,458 NARRATOR: High above the Giza Plateau 2 00:00:03,625 --> 00:00:07,250 stands one of Egypt's most enigmatic ancient sites. 3 00:00:07,375 --> 00:00:10,750 ANDREW COLLINS: There is a mystery here, a huge mystery 4 00:00:10,917 --> 00:00:14,333 to unravel within the ruins of Abu Rawash. 5 00:00:14,500 --> 00:00:17,292 NARRATOR: Some say these stone blocks once belonged 6 00:00:17,500 --> 00:00:21,208 to one of the world's greatest architectural wonders. 7 00:00:21,375 --> 00:00:23,333 SALIMA IKRAM: Abu Rawash would have been encased 8 00:00:23,542 --> 00:00:24,667 in electrum or gold. 9 00:00:24,833 --> 00:00:26,208 So, when the sun hit it, 10 00:00:26,375 --> 00:00:27,958 it would really be quite a dramatic sight. 11 00:00:28,125 --> 00:00:29,667 NARRATOR: And many believe 12 00:00:29,875 --> 00:00:34,542 this lost pyramid was built more than 12,000 years ago. 13 00:00:34,708 --> 00:00:37,125 GIORGIO A. TSOUKALOS: This corresponds to a time 14 00:00:37,292 --> 00:00:40,417 in ancient Egypt called Zep Tepi, 15 00:00:40,542 --> 00:00:45,458 when the so-called gods were living amongst us mortals. 16 00:00:45,625 --> 00:00:48,167 NARRATOR: Do the ruins of Abu Rawash 17 00:00:48,375 --> 00:00:51,667 have a connection to extraterrestrials? 18 00:00:51,875 --> 00:00:55,417 DAVID CHILDRESS: This mystery of the Abu Rawash pyramid 19 00:00:55,625 --> 00:00:58,833 could indicate that the entire Giza Plateau was built 20 00:00:59,000 --> 00:01:00,917 before the history of mankind. 21 00:01:01,083 --> 00:01:03,208 ♪ ♪ 22 00:01:19,875 --> 00:01:23,042 NARRATOR: On the outskirts of this bustling metropolis, 23 00:01:23,208 --> 00:01:27,542 rising from a plateau on the west bank of the Nile River 24 00:01:27,708 --> 00:01:29,417 stand what many consider 25 00:01:29,542 --> 00:01:32,042 to be the three most sophisticated 26 00:01:32,208 --> 00:01:35,042 and mysterious monuments ever built. 27 00:01:35,208 --> 00:01:37,417 They are the Pyramids of Giza. 28 00:01:38,417 --> 00:01:40,583 There are so many ancient Egyptian pyramids in Egypt, 29 00:01:40,750 --> 00:01:43,333 but some of them have always really puzzled us. 30 00:01:43,542 --> 00:01:46,042 When you think of ancient Egypt today, 31 00:01:46,208 --> 00:01:48,500 you think of the three Pyramids of Giza, 32 00:01:48,667 --> 00:01:51,583 that iconic picture. 33 00:01:51,708 --> 00:01:57,083 Every pyramid is a perfect mathematical equation. 34 00:01:58,167 --> 00:02:00,374 Geometrically perfect, 35 00:02:00,375 --> 00:02:03,167 physics-wise perfect. 36 00:02:04,375 --> 00:02:07,208 Till today, we are so puzzled 37 00:02:07,375 --> 00:02:10,083 by how they built the great Pyramids of Giza. 38 00:02:11,083 --> 00:02:12,833 COLLINS: Egyptologists say 39 00:02:13,042 --> 00:02:17,125 the Great Pyramid and the other pyramids on the plateau at Giza 40 00:02:17,250 --> 00:02:23,292 were created around 2500 to 2600 BC 41 00:02:23,500 --> 00:02:26,000 for the kings of the fourth dynasty. 42 00:02:26,208 --> 00:02:31,083 This was Khufu, Khafre and Menkaure, 43 00:02:31,292 --> 00:02:33,333 and it was their innovation 44 00:02:33,500 --> 00:02:35,707 that built these incredible monuments 45 00:02:35,708 --> 00:02:37,667 that remain to this day. 46 00:02:38,708 --> 00:02:41,667 NARRATOR: The Giza Pyramids are slightly smaller today 47 00:02:41,833 --> 00:02:43,458 due to erosion, 48 00:02:43,625 --> 00:02:47,167 but when it was built, the smallest of the pyramids, 49 00:02:47,292 --> 00:02:51,875 the Pyramid of Menkaure, measured 335 feet long, 50 00:02:52,042 --> 00:02:54,500 343 feet wide 51 00:02:54,708 --> 00:02:58,208 and stood 213 feet high. 52 00:02:59,250 --> 00:03:01,208 In the middle of the complex, 53 00:03:01,375 --> 00:03:05,708 the magnificent Pyramid of Khafre rose 448 feet 54 00:03:05,875 --> 00:03:08,750 above the plateau, and is the only structure 55 00:03:08,875 --> 00:03:12,500 to retain some of its original limestone casing. 56 00:03:14,667 --> 00:03:19,542 And the Great Pyramid stood an astounding 480 feet tall 57 00:03:19,708 --> 00:03:24,500 and covered 13 acres, or nearly ten football fields. 58 00:03:25,542 --> 00:03:28,875 The Great Pyramid of Giza is, uh, a magnificent structure 59 00:03:29,083 --> 00:03:30,792 that took about 30 years to be built 60 00:03:31,000 --> 00:03:35,417 and is a marvel of architecture. 61 00:03:35,583 --> 00:03:37,875 Every block was five tons, 62 00:03:38,042 --> 00:03:39,917 and there is about one million of them 63 00:03:40,083 --> 00:03:43,167 to create a perfect pyramid shape 64 00:03:43,375 --> 00:03:46,750 that stood for over 4,000 years, 65 00:03:46,917 --> 00:03:48,958 and we believe that 66 00:03:49,083 --> 00:03:51,042 with all the technology we have today, 67 00:03:51,208 --> 00:03:53,542 we still wouldn't be able to recreate it. 68 00:03:54,708 --> 00:03:57,292 Inside the Great Pyramid are a number 69 00:03:57,417 --> 00:04:01,292 of fascinating chambers and corridors, 70 00:04:01,458 --> 00:04:03,292 like the Grand Gallery, 71 00:04:03,458 --> 00:04:06,333 this towering stairway 72 00:04:06,458 --> 00:04:10,667 that goes up into the so-called King's Chamber. 73 00:04:10,833 --> 00:04:15,667 It is incredibly sophisticated in every respect. 74 00:04:18,292 --> 00:04:20,167 NARRATOR: The three pyramids are part 75 00:04:20,375 --> 00:04:24,000 of the sprawling 400-acre Giza Necropolis 76 00:04:24,167 --> 00:04:26,792 that also includes the Great Sphinx, 77 00:04:26,958 --> 00:04:30,375 a number of cemeteries and a workers' village. 78 00:04:30,542 --> 00:04:33,458 While the Giza Necropolis is considered 79 00:04:33,583 --> 00:04:36,042 by many to be the most spectacular 80 00:04:36,208 --> 00:04:38,500 archaeological site in the world, 81 00:04:38,625 --> 00:04:42,042 there are hundreds of incredible structures-- 82 00:04:42,208 --> 00:04:45,333 including more than 130 pyramids-- 83 00:04:45,500 --> 00:04:49,542 that were built during Egypt's 3,000-year civilization. 84 00:04:49,708 --> 00:04:53,583 IKRAM: Egypt has an incredibly long and rich history. 85 00:04:53,750 --> 00:04:57,917 I mean, even when, say by the time Cleopatra lived, 86 00:04:58,042 --> 00:04:59,833 Egyptian history was already 87 00:05:00,000 --> 00:05:01,500 3,000 years old. 88 00:05:03,500 --> 00:05:06,207 Egypt has persisted in its popularity 89 00:05:06,208 --> 00:05:09,082 through ancient times into the modern era 90 00:05:09,083 --> 00:05:11,833 because they used stone to build. 91 00:05:12,875 --> 00:05:15,958 The Mesopotamians generally just used mud brick, 92 00:05:16,125 --> 00:05:18,375 even for their temples. 93 00:05:18,542 --> 00:05:21,167 But Egyptian pyramids were made out of stone, 94 00:05:21,375 --> 00:05:23,500 which was for eternity. 95 00:05:24,542 --> 00:05:28,875 The ancient Egyptians knew exactly about their history. 96 00:05:29,042 --> 00:05:30,042 And they documented it. 97 00:05:30,208 --> 00:05:31,667 For example, 98 00:05:31,875 --> 00:05:36,333 when King Tut showed up to look at the pyramids, 99 00:05:36,458 --> 00:05:39,167 he was a tourist. 100 00:05:39,333 --> 00:05:42,208 And the pyramids were standing already 101 00:05:42,375 --> 00:05:46,708 for at least 1,000 years. 102 00:05:48,958 --> 00:05:51,333 NARRATOR: According to mainstream historians, 103 00:05:51,500 --> 00:05:56,542 ancient Egyptian civilization began over 5,000 years ago 104 00:05:56,708 --> 00:05:59,667 and flourished until 30 BC, 105 00:05:59,875 --> 00:06:03,125 when the forces of Queen Cleopatra and Mark Antony 106 00:06:03,333 --> 00:06:05,792 were defeated by the Roman military. 107 00:06:05,917 --> 00:06:09,333 By the time European explorers arrived in Egypt 108 00:06:09,500 --> 00:06:11,417 in the late 1700s, 109 00:06:11,542 --> 00:06:14,833 many of its monuments had literally been overcome 110 00:06:15,042 --> 00:06:17,167 by the sands of time. 111 00:06:17,375 --> 00:06:19,250 WILLIAM HENRY: In 1798, 112 00:06:19,375 --> 00:06:22,500 Napoléon Bonaparte, along with his army of savants, 113 00:06:22,708 --> 00:06:24,958 documented the wonders of ancient Egypt. 114 00:06:25,125 --> 00:06:28,208 They published a book called The Description of Egypt 115 00:06:28,375 --> 00:06:33,125 that became massively popular and ignited interest in Egypt. 116 00:06:34,125 --> 00:06:35,875 KATHLEEN McGOWAN: Napoléon had come into Egypt 117 00:06:36,042 --> 00:06:39,417 and had publicized how spectacular it was. 118 00:06:39,542 --> 00:06:43,542 And when we cut to the year 1850, 119 00:06:43,708 --> 00:06:47,500 the world is going through a huge explosion 120 00:06:47,667 --> 00:06:49,375 of obsession with Egypt. 121 00:06:50,417 --> 00:06:53,667 French artists had come and drawn the monuments. 122 00:06:53,833 --> 00:06:57,708 Engravings of Egypt were being sold all across Europe. 123 00:06:57,875 --> 00:07:03,000 People were fascinated with what was happening in Egypt. 124 00:07:03,208 --> 00:07:06,333 IKRAM: There were people increasingly interested 125 00:07:06,500 --> 00:07:08,833 in the culture of the ancient Egyptians. 126 00:07:09,000 --> 00:07:10,625 This was a time 127 00:07:10,833 --> 00:07:14,583 when Egyptology really started to come into being. 128 00:07:14,750 --> 00:07:17,458 And in fact, in about 1850, 1851, 129 00:07:17,667 --> 00:07:20,750 that's when the word "Egyptology" was coined. 130 00:07:21,875 --> 00:07:25,500 HENRY: Champollion had just translated the hieroglyphics 131 00:07:25,667 --> 00:07:28,333 from the Rosetta stone just 30 years before. 132 00:07:28,542 --> 00:07:30,375 And people have high expectations 133 00:07:30,542 --> 00:07:32,750 that new discoveries are going to be made, 134 00:07:32,917 --> 00:07:34,708 that reputations are gonna be made. 135 00:07:35,750 --> 00:07:38,625 NARRATOR: Once Western archaeologists became aware 136 00:07:38,750 --> 00:07:41,458 of the treasures waiting to be found in Egypt, 137 00:07:41,583 --> 00:07:44,250 they descended upon the Giza Plateau. 138 00:07:44,417 --> 00:07:46,167 It was soon declared 139 00:07:46,292 --> 00:07:50,167 that the three pyramids were built more than 4,000 years ago, 140 00:07:50,333 --> 00:07:54,125 as tombs for the pharaohs of Egypt's fourth dynasty. 141 00:07:55,375 --> 00:07:57,042 And archaeologists concluded 142 00:07:57,208 --> 00:07:59,417 that the ancient Egyptians built the enormous structures 143 00:07:59,583 --> 00:08:02,208 by sheer manpower, 144 00:08:02,375 --> 00:08:03,875 moving huge stones from a quarry, 145 00:08:04,042 --> 00:08:07,250 and dragging and lifting them into place. 146 00:08:07,458 --> 00:08:09,833 But ancient astronaut theorists contend 147 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:13,667 that this explanation seems highly unlikely, 148 00:08:13,833 --> 00:08:17,917 and is contradicted by the Egyptians' own writings. 149 00:08:18,125 --> 00:08:19,667 TSOUKALOS: According to 150 00:08:19,792 --> 00:08:22,667 the great majority of mainstream archaeologists, 151 00:08:22,875 --> 00:08:25,708 pyramids are not a mystery. 152 00:08:25,917 --> 00:08:29,458 Because they say, "Oh, how hard is it 153 00:08:29,625 --> 00:08:34,333 for people to stack rocks on top of each other?" 154 00:08:34,458 --> 00:08:37,750 But there are more questions than answers, 155 00:08:37,917 --> 00:08:41,125 because the pyramids are not just rocks 156 00:08:41,292 --> 00:08:42,833 piled on top of each other. 157 00:08:43,042 --> 00:08:46,667 They're highly sophisticated engineering feats 158 00:08:46,833 --> 00:08:50,667 that, from an engineering standpoint, 159 00:08:50,792 --> 00:08:53,625 our ancestors at that time 160 00:08:53,750 --> 00:08:57,000 should have not been able to do that, yet they did. 161 00:08:58,208 --> 00:09:01,042 The ancient Egyptians say 162 00:09:01,208 --> 00:09:05,458 that the knowledge with which to build the pyramids 163 00:09:05,625 --> 00:09:08,833 was given to them by our celestial teachers, 164 00:09:09,042 --> 00:09:11,167 the so-called guardians of the sky. 165 00:09:12,708 --> 00:09:14,708 NARRATOR: Could it be 166 00:09:14,875 --> 00:09:17,625 that the Pyramids of Giza are physical evidence 167 00:09:17,792 --> 00:09:20,667 of an extraterrestrial presence on Earth? 168 00:09:20,875 --> 00:09:25,000 And if so, what purpose did they serve? 169 00:09:25,208 --> 00:09:26,917 Perhaps clues can be found 170 00:09:27,083 --> 00:09:30,500 by examining mysterious megalithic ruins 171 00:09:30,667 --> 00:09:33,667 that stand on a hill just north of Giza 172 00:09:33,792 --> 00:09:36,667 and mark the location of a pyramid 173 00:09:36,833 --> 00:09:40,625 that may have been the most spectacular in all of Egypt. 174 00:09:49,875 --> 00:09:53,667 NARRATOR: Just north of Giza, on a rocky outcrop 175 00:09:53,875 --> 00:09:57,667 that rises almost 500 feet above the Nile River, 176 00:09:57,875 --> 00:10:00,375 British archaeologist Flinders Petrie 177 00:10:00,542 --> 00:10:03,292 comes upon an extraordinary ruin. 178 00:10:03,458 --> 00:10:08,167 Carved into the bedrock of a hill are several strange pits 179 00:10:08,375 --> 00:10:11,000 that are surrounded by a wall of limestone blocks. 180 00:10:11,208 --> 00:10:15,292 It is the ancient site of Abu Rawash. 181 00:10:16,708 --> 00:10:19,708 HUGH NEWMAN: Abu Rawash is a very intriguing site 182 00:10:19,875 --> 00:10:22,208 thought to be an actual pyramid structure 183 00:10:22,375 --> 00:10:23,750 because of its square base 184 00:10:23,875 --> 00:10:26,333 and the angled stones that were found within it. 185 00:10:27,375 --> 00:10:31,750 But the problem is, is that most of it's missing completely. 186 00:10:31,917 --> 00:10:35,583 IKRAM: In the early 19th century when Egyptologists started 187 00:10:35,708 --> 00:10:37,875 to look at this pyramid at Abu Rawash, 188 00:10:38,042 --> 00:10:39,667 they thought it must not have been finished, 189 00:10:39,875 --> 00:10:42,249 because it was in such a shambolic state. 190 00:10:42,250 --> 00:10:44,917 However, since that time, 191 00:10:45,083 --> 00:10:48,625 archaeological work has shown that, in fact, 192 00:10:48,792 --> 00:10:50,792 the pyramid was probably completed. 193 00:10:52,250 --> 00:10:54,708 NARRATOR: In the years since Petrie's discovery, 194 00:10:54,875 --> 00:10:58,458 further structures at Abu Rawash have been discovered, 195 00:10:58,583 --> 00:11:01,333 including a mortuary temple, 196 00:11:01,500 --> 00:11:03,000 a boat pit 197 00:11:03,208 --> 00:11:05,333 and a workshop. 198 00:11:05,458 --> 00:11:09,000 At the center of the complex stands the main pyramid, 199 00:11:09,208 --> 00:11:11,750 which was built out of massive limestone blocks 200 00:11:11,958 --> 00:11:13,833 and encased in granite. 201 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:18,125 It spans 348 feet on each side, 202 00:11:18,250 --> 00:11:20,125 and when completed, it is believed 203 00:11:20,250 --> 00:11:23,667 to have stood over 220 feet tall. 204 00:11:23,875 --> 00:11:25,333 IKRAM: Abu Rawash 205 00:11:25,500 --> 00:11:27,417 probably looked very impressive 206 00:11:27,583 --> 00:11:29,167 as a pyramid when it was finished. 207 00:11:29,333 --> 00:11:32,750 The top might have been covered with a smaller pyramidion, 208 00:11:32,917 --> 00:11:35,500 which would have been encased in electrum or gold. 209 00:11:35,667 --> 00:11:37,125 So, when the sun hit it, 210 00:11:37,333 --> 00:11:39,833 it would reflect off, shining very brightly, 211 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:41,958 and, because it was high on a hill, 212 00:11:42,167 --> 00:11:44,000 it would gleam from a distance 213 00:11:44,208 --> 00:11:46,708 and really be quite a dramatic sight. 214 00:11:46,875 --> 00:11:49,167 AIDAN DODSON: The choice of this site, 215 00:11:49,333 --> 00:11:51,500 on top of a mountain, seems very likely 216 00:11:51,667 --> 00:11:53,083 to have been intended 217 00:11:53,208 --> 00:11:55,083 to make the pyramid as visible as possible. 218 00:11:55,250 --> 00:11:56,542 Indeed, 219 00:11:56,708 --> 00:11:58,625 anywhere within, like, a ten-mile radius, 220 00:11:58,750 --> 00:12:00,167 you could see this thing. 221 00:12:01,875 --> 00:12:03,833 NARRATOR: Exactly what the lost pyramid 222 00:12:04,000 --> 00:12:07,333 of Abu Rawash looked like is completely unknown, 223 00:12:07,500 --> 00:12:11,042 but equally mysterious are the massive pathways 224 00:12:11,208 --> 00:12:13,125 and chambers that remain at the site, 225 00:12:13,292 --> 00:12:16,375 which have been hewn out of solid rock. 226 00:12:16,583 --> 00:12:18,875 SCHOCH: Not only do we have the base 227 00:12:19,042 --> 00:12:23,417 of the pyramid, but what we have is a substructure 228 00:12:23,583 --> 00:12:26,917 that's carved into the bedrock. 229 00:12:27,083 --> 00:12:33,416 It goes down 65 feet or so below the bedrock surface, 230 00:12:33,417 --> 00:12:38,333 ends in this huge chamber, which is open to the sky. 231 00:12:41,958 --> 00:12:44,458 NARRATOR: But if these mysterious chambers were part 232 00:12:44,583 --> 00:12:48,417 of the base of a great pyramid, the questions remain: 233 00:12:48,542 --> 00:12:51,000 who built it and when? 234 00:12:51,125 --> 00:12:53,958 While the answers are uncertain, 235 00:12:54,125 --> 00:12:56,792 the consensus among Egyptologists is 236 00:12:56,958 --> 00:12:59,167 that the lost pyramid at Abu Rawash 237 00:12:59,375 --> 00:13:02,750 was originally constructed in 2550 BC 238 00:13:02,875 --> 00:13:04,917 by the pharaoh Djedefre. 239 00:13:05,958 --> 00:13:07,833 COLLINS: Djedefre was 240 00:13:08,042 --> 00:13:12,167 the son of Khufu, the builder of the Great Pyramid. 241 00:13:12,333 --> 00:13:14,708 And for some reason, 242 00:13:14,875 --> 00:13:17,625 he decided to move away 243 00:13:17,750 --> 00:13:20,667 from his father's pyramid at Giza 244 00:13:20,833 --> 00:13:23,500 and build it five miles to the north. 245 00:13:24,542 --> 00:13:28,042 SCHOCH: Egyptologists see it all as part of the same family. 246 00:13:28,167 --> 00:13:31,750 Khufu built the Great Pyramid. 247 00:13:32,208 --> 00:13:36,875 His son, Djedefre, built the pyramid at Abu Rawash. 248 00:13:37,833 --> 00:13:42,375 And then, Khafre built the second pyramid. 249 00:13:42,542 --> 00:13:46,000 And then, the third pyramid was built by Menkaure, 250 00:13:46,167 --> 00:13:49,208 all part of the same dynasty, 251 00:13:49,375 --> 00:13:56,083 all going back to the 26th, 25th centuries BCE. 252 00:13:57,125 --> 00:14:00,167 NARRATOR: The dating of all four pyramids is based largely 253 00:14:00,333 --> 00:14:02,167 on the notion that the Great Pyramid, 254 00:14:02,375 --> 00:14:04,500 which is believed to be the oldest, 255 00:14:04,667 --> 00:14:07,000 was built by the pharaoh Khufu. 256 00:14:07,167 --> 00:14:10,875 The evidence for this was presented in 1837 257 00:14:11,042 --> 00:14:14,708 by British explorer Richard Howard Vyse. 258 00:14:14,875 --> 00:14:17,250 Vyse claimed to have found the name of Khufu 259 00:14:17,375 --> 00:14:21,500 written in paint inside a chamber of the Great Pyramid. 260 00:14:21,708 --> 00:14:26,000 But this discovery has been the source of much controversy. 261 00:14:26,167 --> 00:14:28,250 TSOUKALOS: What was strange was 262 00:14:28,417 --> 00:14:33,000 that the name Khufu inside the pyramid was misspelled. 263 00:14:33,208 --> 00:14:35,000 And it was later discovered 264 00:14:35,208 --> 00:14:39,583 that Vyse had the same spelling mistake inside his journal. 265 00:14:40,750 --> 00:14:42,542 So, was it perhaps Vyse 266 00:14:42,708 --> 00:14:46,417 who wrote the name of Khufu inside the Great Pyramid? 267 00:14:46,583 --> 00:14:48,167 Because 268 00:14:48,292 --> 00:14:49,833 there is not a single inscription 269 00:14:49,958 --> 00:14:51,667 in the entire pyramid. 270 00:14:51,875 --> 00:14:54,082 And then later, they find one, 271 00:14:54,083 --> 00:14:57,250 and it's a spelling mistake? 272 00:14:57,375 --> 00:14:59,208 NEWMAN: There's little evidence 273 00:14:59,375 --> 00:15:00,833 that these pharaohs really did this. 274 00:15:01,000 --> 00:15:04,000 And some dating has been challenged. 275 00:15:04,167 --> 00:15:08,000 A lot of people believe it's older than 2500 or so BC. 276 00:15:09,000 --> 00:15:10,958 NARRATOR: Ancient astronaut theorists 277 00:15:11,125 --> 00:15:13,333 also challenge the mainstream theory 278 00:15:13,458 --> 00:15:17,000 that people living roughly 4,500 years ago 279 00:15:17,208 --> 00:15:19,417 could have built the Giza pyramids 280 00:15:19,583 --> 00:15:23,250 without the help of any advanced technology. 281 00:15:23,375 --> 00:15:25,500 TSOUKALOS: The entire Giza Plateau, 282 00:15:25,708 --> 00:15:27,667 with its megalithic structures, 283 00:15:27,833 --> 00:15:30,917 requires advanced engineering methods. 284 00:15:32,000 --> 00:15:35,042 Our modern-day machinery would be very limited 285 00:15:35,208 --> 00:15:37,625 in being able to recreate 286 00:15:37,750 --> 00:15:42,708 what the ancient Egyptians achieved thousands of years ago. 287 00:15:42,875 --> 00:15:44,875 So, you have to wonder 288 00:15:45,042 --> 00:15:49,208 what type of technology did they have access to? 289 00:15:50,333 --> 00:15:52,625 ERICH VON DÄNIKEN: Inside the Great Pyramid, 290 00:15:52,750 --> 00:15:55,667 you have different rooms, you have different halls, 291 00:15:55,792 --> 00:15:57,500 you have different passageways. 292 00:15:57,667 --> 00:16:01,667 This is all a question of planning, engineering. 293 00:16:01,875 --> 00:16:04,167 In old writing, especially in the Hitat, 294 00:16:04,375 --> 00:16:07,292 which is a book from an Arabian writer, they say 295 00:16:07,417 --> 00:16:09,542 the Great Pyramid was constructed 296 00:16:09,708 --> 00:16:11,667 before the great flood, 297 00:16:11,875 --> 00:16:14,625 by a pharaoh with the name of Saurid. 298 00:16:15,833 --> 00:16:18,083 NARRATOR: In the 14th century AD, 299 00:16:18,208 --> 00:16:21,917 prominent Egyptian historian Al-Maqrizi wrote 300 00:16:22,042 --> 00:16:23,375 that in the far distant past, 301 00:16:23,542 --> 00:16:26,667 a king named Saurid built the Giza pyramids 302 00:16:26,833 --> 00:16:30,875 after he was visited by beings who descended from heaven. 303 00:16:31,042 --> 00:16:33,375 According to Al-Maqrizi, 304 00:16:33,542 --> 00:16:36,417 King Saurid and his men placed the giant blocks 305 00:16:36,542 --> 00:16:38,750 on sheets covered with special writing 306 00:16:38,917 --> 00:16:43,582 that somehow allowed them to move the stones with ease. 307 00:16:43,583 --> 00:16:46,083 VON DÄNIKEN: Saurid was educated by the extraterrestrials. 308 00:16:46,250 --> 00:16:49,583 So, the Great Pyramid, in my opinion, 309 00:16:49,750 --> 00:16:51,125 was made by humans, 310 00:16:51,250 --> 00:16:54,042 but under the guidance of extraterrestrials, 311 00:16:54,208 --> 00:16:56,792 and under the planning of extraterrestrials, 312 00:16:56,958 --> 00:16:59,042 and with some of the help, the tools, 313 00:16:59,208 --> 00:17:01,208 the technology of extraterrestrials. 314 00:17:01,750 --> 00:17:03,167 NARRATOR: Could it be 315 00:17:03,333 --> 00:17:05,000 that the incredible ancient structures 316 00:17:05,208 --> 00:17:07,083 that stand on the Giza Plateau 317 00:17:07,250 --> 00:17:11,625 were built thousands of years before Egyptologists suggest, 318 00:17:11,792 --> 00:17:16,042 and with the help of extraterrestrial visitors? 319 00:17:16,250 --> 00:17:18,458 Perhaps further clues can be found 320 00:17:18,625 --> 00:17:23,125 by more closely examining the lost pyramid of Abu Rawash 321 00:17:23,292 --> 00:17:25,750 and how it ended up in ruins. 322 00:17:32,875 --> 00:17:34,500 NARRATOR: The mysterious structure 323 00:17:34,625 --> 00:17:37,708 at Abu Rawash, Egypt has baffled archaeologists 324 00:17:37,917 --> 00:17:40,958 since its discovery in the mid-1800s. 325 00:17:41,083 --> 00:17:42,875 It is believed 326 00:17:43,042 --> 00:17:44,792 that the massive limestone blocks 327 00:17:44,917 --> 00:17:46,708 at the site are all that remains 328 00:17:46,875 --> 00:17:51,250 of an ancient pyramid that stood over 200 feet tall. 329 00:17:51,458 --> 00:17:53,458 But much about the pyramid-- 330 00:17:53,583 --> 00:17:56,042 including what was behind its destruction-- 331 00:17:56,208 --> 00:17:58,917 remains shrouded in mystery. 332 00:17:59,042 --> 00:18:02,625 CHILDRESS: Mainstream Egyptologists say that 333 00:18:02,750 --> 00:18:05,500 the Abu Rawash pyramid was basically dismantled 334 00:18:05,667 --> 00:18:07,833 to build other pyramids 335 00:18:08,042 --> 00:18:11,250 and that the stones were then taken away 336 00:18:11,417 --> 00:18:13,542 and put in some other structure. 337 00:18:13,708 --> 00:18:17,250 We know that some of the stones were used 338 00:18:17,375 --> 00:18:21,000 in other structures, but 339 00:18:21,208 --> 00:18:23,167 to dismantle the entire pyramid 340 00:18:23,292 --> 00:18:26,333 for that seems incredibly difficult. 341 00:18:26,458 --> 00:18:27,833 Dismantling a pyramid is actually 342 00:18:28,042 --> 00:18:30,250 much, much more difficult 343 00:18:30,417 --> 00:18:32,000 and trickier than it seems. 344 00:18:32,208 --> 00:18:36,542 They are four-to-five-ton blocks put perfectly together 345 00:18:36,708 --> 00:18:39,125 to create a pyramid shape that lasted 4,000 years. 346 00:18:39,333 --> 00:18:41,500 They're not easy to dismantle. 347 00:18:42,583 --> 00:18:44,458 NARRATOR: The only recorded attempt 348 00:18:44,625 --> 00:18:48,000 to deconstruct a pyramid took place in the 12th century, 349 00:18:48,208 --> 00:18:52,042 when Egypt was part of the Islamic Empire. 350 00:18:52,208 --> 00:18:55,042 Egyptian sultan Al-Aziz Uthman ordered the pyramids 351 00:18:55,208 --> 00:18:56,875 to be destroyed, 352 00:18:57,042 --> 00:19:00,667 because they were an affront to his religious beliefs. 353 00:19:00,875 --> 00:19:04,667 He began with the smallest of the three pyramids, 354 00:19:04,875 --> 00:19:06,417 but soon learned 355 00:19:06,542 --> 00:19:09,500 that removing the stone blocks was far more difficult 356 00:19:09,708 --> 00:19:11,917 than he had anticipated. 357 00:19:12,083 --> 00:19:16,667 COLLINS: They could only remove about one, maybe two a day. 358 00:19:16,833 --> 00:19:20,750 And as soon as they pry them off the side of the structure, 359 00:19:20,917 --> 00:19:24,042 these huge blocks would just fall down into the sand 360 00:19:24,208 --> 00:19:27,542 and be lost and be almost irretrievable. 361 00:19:27,708 --> 00:19:32,500 So, after they'd been doing this for around eight months, 362 00:19:32,667 --> 00:19:34,917 Al-Aziz said, "Look, enough is enough. 363 00:19:35,125 --> 00:19:36,792 We're just gonna have to just stop this." 364 00:19:36,958 --> 00:19:40,500 The result of this reckless work 365 00:19:40,708 --> 00:19:44,500 that was done at this time has left this huge gash 366 00:19:44,708 --> 00:19:48,167 on the northern side of the third pyramid, 367 00:19:48,292 --> 00:19:50,667 which is visible to this day. 368 00:19:53,708 --> 00:19:55,625 NARRATOR: While more than eight centuries have passed 369 00:19:55,792 --> 00:19:58,708 since Sultan Al-Aziz abandoned his attempt 370 00:19:58,875 --> 00:20:00,458 to destroy the pyramids, 371 00:20:00,667 --> 00:20:02,500 experts suggest 372 00:20:02,708 --> 00:20:05,958 that even today, using modern machinery, 373 00:20:06,125 --> 00:20:07,792 it would take more than 23 years-- 374 00:20:07,958 --> 00:20:09,208 working around the clock-- 375 00:20:09,375 --> 00:20:13,208 to dismantle the Abu Rawash pyramid. 376 00:20:13,375 --> 00:20:17,167 So, if the pyramid wasn't taken apart on purpose, 377 00:20:17,292 --> 00:20:19,458 what happened to it? 378 00:20:22,083 --> 00:20:24,208 Some researchers believe 379 00:20:24,375 --> 00:20:28,167 the stone blocks themselves provide an important clue, 380 00:20:28,292 --> 00:20:33,292 because, curiously, many of them are severely burned. 381 00:20:33,417 --> 00:20:35,000 NEWMAN: What's really strange about it is 382 00:20:35,125 --> 00:20:36,583 some of the limestone at the site 383 00:20:36,708 --> 00:20:38,750 and some of the granite, in fact, 384 00:20:38,875 --> 00:20:40,167 that have been... 385 00:20:40,375 --> 00:20:42,000 kind of almost look like they've been superheated. 386 00:20:43,042 --> 00:20:46,125 SCHOCH: We have what looks like charring of the rock. 387 00:20:46,333 --> 00:20:47,667 There may have been vitrification 388 00:20:47,792 --> 00:20:50,167 where the rock was hit by intense heat 389 00:20:50,333 --> 00:20:51,625 and turned to glass, 390 00:20:51,792 --> 00:20:54,875 and then basically fragmented away. 391 00:20:55,875 --> 00:20:59,500 One speculation I have is that Abu Rawash 392 00:20:59,625 --> 00:21:02,917 was hit by major solar flares 393 00:21:03,083 --> 00:21:05,208 that happened around the time 394 00:21:05,333 --> 00:21:07,875 of the end of the last ice age. 395 00:21:09,125 --> 00:21:11,000 NARRATOR: A solar flare? 396 00:21:11,167 --> 00:21:13,000 While it's a sensational notion, 397 00:21:13,208 --> 00:21:16,792 many researchers believe a cataclysmic event, 398 00:21:16,958 --> 00:21:18,500 like a solar flare, 399 00:21:18,708 --> 00:21:23,667 triggered a global climate change 12,000 years ago. 400 00:21:26,458 --> 00:21:28,458 And what's even more remarkable is 401 00:21:28,625 --> 00:21:30,333 that geologist Robert Schoch claims 402 00:21:30,542 --> 00:21:31,833 to have found evidence 403 00:21:32,042 --> 00:21:34,333 that the pyramid of Abu Rawash 404 00:21:34,500 --> 00:21:37,292 and structures on the Giza Plateau 405 00:21:37,458 --> 00:21:40,708 were all standing before this event occurred. 406 00:21:40,875 --> 00:21:44,458 SCHOCH: I've suggested that the structures 407 00:21:44,625 --> 00:21:49,542 on the Giza Plateau actually have their origins much earlier. 408 00:21:49,708 --> 00:21:51,417 I'm not denying 409 00:21:51,542 --> 00:21:53,458 that the dynastic Egyptians were there, 410 00:21:53,667 --> 00:21:56,792 but they reappropriated these structures. 411 00:21:56,958 --> 00:22:00,583 This began with my work on the origins of the Sphinx. 412 00:22:00,750 --> 00:22:03,458 When we look at the Great Sphinx of Giza, 413 00:22:03,625 --> 00:22:06,667 what we find is that the core body 414 00:22:06,875 --> 00:22:11,333 and the walls of the Sphinx enclosure were weathered 415 00:22:11,500 --> 00:22:14,250 and eroded by rainfall, 416 00:22:14,417 --> 00:22:17,000 by water runoff, 417 00:22:17,208 --> 00:22:20,375 not by wind and sand, 418 00:22:20,542 --> 00:22:26,167 as you get in a hyperarid desert Sahara condition. 419 00:22:26,292 --> 00:22:29,042 What this indicates to me is that 420 00:22:29,167 --> 00:22:33,958 the origins of the Sphinx go back to pre-Sahara times. 421 00:22:34,083 --> 00:22:36,625 The Sahara Desert is about 5,000 years old, 422 00:22:36,792 --> 00:22:40,667 and the level of erosion indicates 423 00:22:40,875 --> 00:22:45,833 it goes back significantly earlier than 5,000 years ago. 424 00:22:46,000 --> 00:22:49,292 Putting everything together indicates to me 425 00:22:49,458 --> 00:22:51,458 that the origins of the Sphinx 426 00:22:51,625 --> 00:22:55,042 and the three major pyramids on the Giza Plateau go back 427 00:22:55,208 --> 00:22:57,582 to the end of the last ice age, 428 00:22:57,583 --> 00:23:00,167 back about 12,000 years ago, 429 00:23:00,375 --> 00:23:03,500 or about 10,000 BCE. 430 00:23:05,125 --> 00:23:08,833 NARRATOR: The findings of Robert Schoch remain controversial. 431 00:23:09,042 --> 00:23:10,583 Archaeologists maintain 432 00:23:10,750 --> 00:23:13,167 that the Egyptian civilization didn't begin 433 00:23:13,375 --> 00:23:16,375 until around 3000 BC. 434 00:23:16,542 --> 00:23:18,667 So, who could have built the pyramids 435 00:23:18,792 --> 00:23:22,292 7,000 years before the rise of the pharaohs? 436 00:23:22,458 --> 00:23:24,792 For ancient astronaut theorists, 437 00:23:24,958 --> 00:23:28,333 the findings of Robert Schoch lend support for the idea 438 00:23:28,542 --> 00:23:30,917 that these towering monuments were built 439 00:23:31,083 --> 00:23:34,667 with the help of extraterrestrial visitors. 440 00:23:34,833 --> 00:23:36,708 They don't even have the wheel. 441 00:23:36,875 --> 00:23:39,667 They're not even supposed to have really advanced language, 442 00:23:39,833 --> 00:23:42,375 but somehow, somebody did this. 443 00:23:42,500 --> 00:23:45,292 And the ultimate question is, who? 444 00:23:45,458 --> 00:23:47,167 And it's just more support material 445 00:23:47,333 --> 00:23:49,417 that there's an extraterrestrial component 446 00:23:49,583 --> 00:23:52,042 to what is happening in Egypt. 447 00:23:53,167 --> 00:23:54,542 NARRATOR: Could it be true 448 00:23:54,750 --> 00:23:57,207 that the Pyramids of Giza were built 449 00:23:57,208 --> 00:23:59,417 as much as 12,000 years ago 450 00:23:59,542 --> 00:24:02,792 with the help of an advanced alien race? 451 00:24:02,958 --> 00:24:05,875 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, 452 00:24:06,042 --> 00:24:08,208 and suggest further clues 453 00:24:08,375 --> 00:24:10,750 about what function they served can be found 454 00:24:10,875 --> 00:24:14,750 by looking once again to the ruins of Abu Rawash 455 00:24:14,917 --> 00:24:17,167 and examining the possibility 456 00:24:17,333 --> 00:24:21,125 that this structure was not destroyed by a solar flare, 457 00:24:21,292 --> 00:24:25,000 but by an explosion... 458 00:24:25,208 --> 00:24:27,708 from within. 459 00:24:31,667 --> 00:24:33,042 NARRATOR: For hundreds of years, 460 00:24:33,208 --> 00:24:35,542 the destruction of the pyramid of Abu Rawash 461 00:24:35,750 --> 00:24:37,792 has mystified researchers. 462 00:24:38,833 --> 00:24:41,875 Was the massive stone structure simply taken apart, 463 00:24:42,042 --> 00:24:43,875 block by block? 464 00:24:44,042 --> 00:24:48,125 Might it have been destroyed by a solar flare? 465 00:24:49,292 --> 00:24:51,833 Ancient astronaut theorists believe 466 00:24:51,958 --> 00:24:55,042 there could be a more profound explanation, 467 00:24:55,208 --> 00:24:56,750 and point to the research 468 00:24:56,917 --> 00:24:59,750 of aerospace engineer Christopher Dunn. 469 00:25:02,250 --> 00:25:05,083 In 1995, Dunn traveled to Giza 470 00:25:05,250 --> 00:25:08,750 to conduct his own personal survey of the Great Pyramid. 471 00:25:08,875 --> 00:25:12,000 While exploring deep within the structure, 472 00:25:12,208 --> 00:25:14,750 he made a curious observation. 473 00:25:15,792 --> 00:25:18,583 DUNN: Inside the Great Pyramid, you have all these 474 00:25:18,792 --> 00:25:23,208 various shafts and, uh, passageways 475 00:25:23,375 --> 00:25:26,042 and chambers 476 00:25:26,167 --> 00:25:28,708 that are on various angles, 477 00:25:28,875 --> 00:25:31,667 and some of them are so small 478 00:25:31,833 --> 00:25:34,750 that a human being couldn't pass through them. 479 00:25:34,875 --> 00:25:36,917 And when you look at it, 480 00:25:37,083 --> 00:25:40,792 as a schematic, for me, it looks like a machine. 481 00:25:40,958 --> 00:25:43,250 And so, then the question becomes, 482 00:25:43,417 --> 00:25:46,042 well, if that's the case, 483 00:25:46,250 --> 00:25:48,083 what did this machine do? 484 00:25:49,292 --> 00:25:50,792 NARRATOR: After years of research, 485 00:25:51,000 --> 00:25:53,375 Dunn came to the remarkable conclusion 486 00:25:53,500 --> 00:25:55,500 that the Great Pyramid was designed 487 00:25:55,708 --> 00:25:59,333 to generate massive amounts of energy. 488 00:25:59,500 --> 00:26:02,374 In 1998, he published his theory 489 00:26:02,375 --> 00:26:05,083 in his book, The Giza Power Plant. 490 00:26:06,125 --> 00:26:08,750 NEWMAN: He proposes that the Great Pyramid 491 00:26:08,917 --> 00:26:11,292 would actually harness energy from the earth, 492 00:26:11,458 --> 00:26:12,750 and there would be chemicals 493 00:26:12,917 --> 00:26:14,917 and other reactions taking place in it. 494 00:26:15,083 --> 00:26:18,250 And this would actually produce energy. 495 00:26:18,458 --> 00:26:19,917 NARRATOR: In his book, 496 00:26:20,083 --> 00:26:22,083 Dunn proposed the Great Pyramid 497 00:26:22,292 --> 00:26:24,792 was connected to other pyramids and obelisks 498 00:26:24,958 --> 00:26:28,583 to create a massive power grid. 499 00:26:28,708 --> 00:26:31,042 It produced a tremendous amount of energy 500 00:26:31,208 --> 00:26:34,667 until a malfunction caused it to fail. 501 00:26:34,833 --> 00:26:36,667 CHILDRESS: Christopher Dunn suggests that 502 00:26:36,833 --> 00:26:39,417 at one point, there was an explosion 503 00:26:39,583 --> 00:26:42,917 inside the Great Pyramid in the Grand Gallery, 504 00:26:43,083 --> 00:26:47,208 and that disabled the Giza power plant. 505 00:26:48,250 --> 00:26:52,167 NARRATOR: Could it be true, as experts like Chris Dunn suggest, 506 00:26:52,292 --> 00:26:55,208 that the Pyramids of Giza were power plants? 507 00:26:55,417 --> 00:26:59,542 While such a possibility may sound like science fiction, 508 00:26:59,708 --> 00:27:01,375 some researchers believe 509 00:27:01,542 --> 00:27:04,333 evidence of this can be found by examining the ruins 510 00:27:04,500 --> 00:27:07,458 of the lost pyramid of Abu Rawash. 511 00:27:07,583 --> 00:27:09,083 TAYLOR: This pyramid 512 00:27:09,250 --> 00:27:11,500 appears to have actually blown up from the inside, 513 00:27:11,625 --> 00:27:13,708 and there's only parts of the base left of it. 514 00:27:13,875 --> 00:27:15,500 Now, is this evidence 515 00:27:15,708 --> 00:27:17,208 that the pyramids were being used 516 00:27:17,375 --> 00:27:20,500 for something very powerful, maybe as a power plant? 517 00:27:20,667 --> 00:27:22,250 CHILDRESS: We have to wonder 518 00:27:22,375 --> 00:27:28,042 if Abu Rawash wasn't also some kind of pyramid power plant 519 00:27:28,208 --> 00:27:31,917 that destroyed itself in an explosion 520 00:27:32,042 --> 00:27:34,917 in the inner core of the pyramid, 521 00:27:35,083 --> 00:27:39,667 and then blew the blocks out and scattered them around the site. 522 00:27:41,125 --> 00:27:44,083 NARRATOR: Aerospace engineer Dr. Travis Taylor believes 523 00:27:44,292 --> 00:27:46,625 there is merit to Christopher Dunn's theory 524 00:27:46,750 --> 00:27:51,500 that the Pyramids of Giza could have functioned as power plants. 525 00:27:51,667 --> 00:27:53,667 But he proposes 526 00:27:53,875 --> 00:27:56,667 that these massive structures generated electricity 527 00:27:56,833 --> 00:27:58,875 in a different manner-- 528 00:27:59,042 --> 00:28:02,667 by harnessing the electromagnetic frequencies 529 00:28:02,833 --> 00:28:04,750 naturally occurring in the Earth's atmosphere. 530 00:28:04,875 --> 00:28:07,667 TAYLOR: To me, 531 00:28:07,875 --> 00:28:12,042 more likely, is that the pyramids are much more like 532 00:28:12,208 --> 00:28:16,833 Nikola Tesla's idea of wireless power transmission. 533 00:28:16,958 --> 00:28:19,042 Now, the reason I say this is 534 00:28:19,208 --> 00:28:22,750 because when Nikola Tesla was building Wardenclyffe Tower 535 00:28:22,875 --> 00:28:25,000 to experiment with wireless power, 536 00:28:25,167 --> 00:28:28,583 it was originally supposed to be the height of the Great Pyramid. 537 00:28:28,708 --> 00:28:32,208 And I think he believed that the pyramids were being used 538 00:28:32,375 --> 00:28:35,458 to gather electromagnetic energy from the earth, 539 00:28:35,583 --> 00:28:38,083 and then wirelessly transmit it 540 00:28:38,250 --> 00:28:40,500 to other places, maybe obelisks or other pyramids. 541 00:28:40,667 --> 00:28:42,958 (zapping) 542 00:28:43,875 --> 00:28:45,917 NARRATOR: According to Dr. Taylor, 543 00:28:46,083 --> 00:28:49,000 a resonant frequency could be powerful enough 544 00:28:49,167 --> 00:28:52,042 to cause a structure as massive as the pyramid 545 00:28:52,208 --> 00:28:54,333 at Abu Rawash to explode. 546 00:28:55,333 --> 00:28:59,375 This reminds me of a device known as the Jericho device 547 00:28:59,583 --> 00:29:01,167 that was used in the Apollo era, 548 00:29:01,375 --> 00:29:04,667 and they used this big sound wave generator 549 00:29:04,833 --> 00:29:07,083 to shake the rocket. 550 00:29:07,250 --> 00:29:10,000 And one day, they hit a resonant frequency of this 551 00:29:10,208 --> 00:29:14,667 that ripped the entire first stage off of the test platform. 552 00:29:14,792 --> 00:29:16,875 They hit the right resonant frequency. 553 00:29:17,083 --> 00:29:19,167 It's just like when the opera singer hits 554 00:29:19,333 --> 00:29:21,792 the right resonant frequency, and the glass shatters. 555 00:29:23,042 --> 00:29:24,958 If this pyramid was being used 556 00:29:25,125 --> 00:29:28,667 for acoustic energy collection or creation, 557 00:29:28,875 --> 00:29:31,583 if they hit the wrong resonant frequency, 558 00:29:31,750 --> 00:29:33,833 it could have been a crystal glass 559 00:29:34,042 --> 00:29:36,500 shattering from the opera singer's song. 560 00:29:36,708 --> 00:29:38,792 CHILDRESS: It has been suggested 561 00:29:38,958 --> 00:29:43,000 that the pyramids at Giza were energy devices. 562 00:29:43,167 --> 00:29:45,917 And this is very high-tech kind of stuff. 563 00:29:46,083 --> 00:29:49,667 And so, to build that thousands of years ago 564 00:29:49,792 --> 00:29:51,667 other than some advanced race? 565 00:29:51,875 --> 00:29:54,542 Was it extraterrestrials? 566 00:29:55,708 --> 00:29:57,667 NARRATOR: Could it be that the ruins 567 00:29:57,833 --> 00:30:00,417 of the lost pyramid at Abu Rawash 568 00:30:00,542 --> 00:30:04,375 are all that remains of a powerful technological device? 569 00:30:05,375 --> 00:30:08,958 One that was designed by otherworldly beings? 570 00:30:09,125 --> 00:30:11,417 Ancient astronaut theorists suggest 571 00:30:11,583 --> 00:30:15,875 further clues may be found by examining Egyptian writings 572 00:30:16,042 --> 00:30:18,875 about an age before the pharaohs, 573 00:30:19,042 --> 00:30:23,000 when Earth was inhabited by the gods. 574 00:30:30,875 --> 00:30:36,250 NARRATOR: Egyptian archaeologist Zahi Hawass begins an excavation 575 00:30:36,375 --> 00:30:38,958 of a subterranean chamber near the Sphinx. 576 00:30:39,125 --> 00:30:43,292 To his astonishment, he uncovers a network of tunnels 577 00:30:43,458 --> 00:30:45,500 that descends deep into the earth, 578 00:30:45,625 --> 00:30:50,375 and finds artifacts within them connected to the god Osiris. 579 00:30:50,542 --> 00:30:54,292 Dr. Hawass names the mysterious underground structure 580 00:30:54,458 --> 00:30:57,042 the Osiris Shaft. 581 00:30:57,208 --> 00:30:59,000 IKRAM: The Osiris Shaft consists of not one shaft, 582 00:30:59,167 --> 00:31:01,000 but three shafts. 583 00:31:01,167 --> 00:31:03,708 So you have a shaft, a chamber, 584 00:31:03,875 --> 00:31:06,417 a shaft, another chamber complex, 585 00:31:06,625 --> 00:31:09,333 and a third shaft that ends in one big chamber, 586 00:31:09,542 --> 00:31:12,083 which is where you have a massive sarcophagus. 587 00:31:12,250 --> 00:31:14,583 This has been called 588 00:31:14,750 --> 00:31:15,958 the Osiris Shaft because a lot 589 00:31:16,125 --> 00:31:18,292 of Osiris figurines were found here. 590 00:31:19,458 --> 00:31:22,125 NARRATOR: Osiris was one of the ancient Egyptians' 591 00:31:22,333 --> 00:31:25,833 most important deities, associated with fertility, 592 00:31:26,042 --> 00:31:28,792 agriculture, death and resurrection. 593 00:31:28,958 --> 00:31:32,333 And in addition to discovering Osiris figurines 594 00:31:32,500 --> 00:31:35,292 within the tunnels, Dr. Hawass found 595 00:31:35,417 --> 00:31:37,667 that the nine-foot-long sarcophagus, 596 00:31:37,833 --> 00:31:40,458 surrounded by water and four pillars, 597 00:31:40,625 --> 00:31:44,958 matches Osiris's tomb as described in ancient texts. 598 00:31:46,167 --> 00:31:47,667 ROMANY: Why does a god need a tomb? 599 00:31:47,792 --> 00:31:52,625 There's no other places in ancient Egypt where we have 600 00:31:52,792 --> 00:31:54,333 a tomb for a god. 601 00:31:55,375 --> 00:31:57,667 And as the scripture would say, 602 00:31:57,792 --> 00:32:02,875 this is how Osiris transports between the underworld, 603 00:32:03,042 --> 00:32:05,708 to this world we're in. 604 00:32:05,875 --> 00:32:08,542 NARRATOR: Perhaps the most curious aspect 605 00:32:08,708 --> 00:32:11,167 of the Osiris Shaft is the fact 606 00:32:11,375 --> 00:32:14,541 that the giant sarcophagus that lies at the bottom 607 00:32:14,542 --> 00:32:19,167 is far too large to fit through the narrow opening at the top, 608 00:32:19,375 --> 00:32:22,125 or be maneuvered through the Osiris Shaft's 609 00:32:22,250 --> 00:32:24,375 multiple tunnels and chambers. 610 00:32:24,542 --> 00:32:26,792 ROMANY: There's a massive sarcophagus, 611 00:32:26,958 --> 00:32:31,000 about 15 to 20 ton in weight, 612 00:32:31,208 --> 00:32:33,542 made from one piece of stone, 613 00:32:33,708 --> 00:32:38,167 too big to fit within the entrance of the shaft. 614 00:32:38,375 --> 00:32:40,125 I've been down there before, and I was 615 00:32:40,333 --> 00:32:42,000 struggling to get all the way down, 616 00:32:42,167 --> 00:32:45,874 uh, to the lowest level, uh, 617 00:32:45,875 --> 00:32:49,500 let alone try to take 20 tons with me 618 00:32:49,625 --> 00:32:53,417 down four football fields under the ground. 619 00:32:54,708 --> 00:32:59,708 How do you drag a nine-foot sarcophagus down a shaft 620 00:32:59,875 --> 00:33:01,500 that's, you know, two feet wide? 621 00:33:01,708 --> 00:33:06,042 There are more questions than answers about the Osiris Shaft. 622 00:33:07,042 --> 00:33:08,792 NARRATOR: According to Egyptian writings, 623 00:33:08,958 --> 00:33:11,625 Osiris and his wife Isis came to Egypt 624 00:33:11,833 --> 00:33:13,917 from the belt stars of Orion. 625 00:33:14,958 --> 00:33:18,000 And as far as ancient astronaut theorists are concerned, 626 00:33:18,167 --> 00:33:20,458 this is not mythology, 627 00:33:20,583 --> 00:33:24,667 but a historical account of extraterrestrial visitation. 628 00:33:24,792 --> 00:33:29,500 Osiris is claimed to have been here on Earth with his wife. 629 00:33:29,667 --> 00:33:30,958 Now how did he get here? 630 00:33:31,083 --> 00:33:32,917 It's very possible that we're looking 631 00:33:33,042 --> 00:33:35,417 at some type of misunderstood technology 632 00:33:35,583 --> 00:33:39,042 with this Osiris Shaft and the sarcophagi. 633 00:33:39,208 --> 00:33:42,958 Is it a type of stargate that actually brought them here? 634 00:33:43,125 --> 00:33:45,958 And this could have been thousands of years 635 00:33:46,125 --> 00:33:49,417 before civilizations like the Egyptian culture. 636 00:33:50,458 --> 00:33:52,958 HENRY: When we look at the three Pyramids of Giza, 637 00:33:53,125 --> 00:33:56,208 they are almost precise mirror images 638 00:33:56,375 --> 00:33:58,667 of the three belt stars of Orion. 639 00:33:58,875 --> 00:34:00,458 I say that it's almost precise, 640 00:34:00,583 --> 00:34:03,167 because it really is a little bit off today, 641 00:34:03,333 --> 00:34:06,625 due to what's called the precession of the equinoxes. 642 00:34:06,750 --> 00:34:09,625 Through time, Earth gently starts to wobble 643 00:34:09,750 --> 00:34:12,167 and puts us out of alignment with the stars, 644 00:34:12,333 --> 00:34:14,792 but utilizing computer software, 645 00:34:14,958 --> 00:34:17,792 researchers have discovered 646 00:34:17,958 --> 00:34:20,083 that the three belt stars of Orion 647 00:34:20,250 --> 00:34:23,542 and the three pyramids of Egypt precisely match 648 00:34:23,708 --> 00:34:26,375 12,500 years ago. 649 00:34:28,375 --> 00:34:31,000 NARRATOR: Is it possible that the Pyramids of Giza, 650 00:34:31,208 --> 00:34:34,167 as well as the lost pyramid of Abu Rawash, 651 00:34:34,375 --> 00:34:37,500 are more than 12,000 years old? 652 00:34:37,667 --> 00:34:40,833 And could the builders of these massive structures 653 00:34:40,958 --> 00:34:43,625 have been directed by extraterrestrial visitors 654 00:34:43,792 --> 00:34:46,042 to position them so that they aligned 655 00:34:46,208 --> 00:34:48,417 with the stars that they came from? 656 00:34:49,583 --> 00:34:51,583 Ancient astronaut theorists say yes, 657 00:34:51,750 --> 00:34:54,917 and suggest further evidence can be found 658 00:34:55,083 --> 00:34:57,417 by examining a mysterious chapter 659 00:34:57,542 --> 00:35:01,667 of Egyptian history known as Zep Tepi. 660 00:35:01,875 --> 00:35:03,917 IKRAM: The Egyptians talk about Zep Tepi, 661 00:35:04,083 --> 00:35:08,333 which is this golden era when the gods ruled the Earth. 662 00:35:08,458 --> 00:35:11,333 And that was when, of course, everything was perfection. 663 00:35:12,375 --> 00:35:15,000 NARRATOR: During this so-called golden age, 664 00:35:15,208 --> 00:35:19,167 Egypt was ruled by the God-king Horus. 665 00:35:19,333 --> 00:35:21,167 PAMELA SMITH: In Egyptian mythology, 666 00:35:21,333 --> 00:35:24,917 Horus is the son of Isis and Osiris. 667 00:35:25,083 --> 00:35:29,208 Horus was one of the gods who was seen often as a guardian 668 00:35:29,375 --> 00:35:31,250 and also as a protector 669 00:35:31,417 --> 00:35:36,417 to keep the evil gods from hurting humans. 670 00:35:37,583 --> 00:35:41,000 One of the crucial parts of that mythology 671 00:35:41,208 --> 00:35:46,333 is that Horus is the god of every pharaoh. 672 00:35:46,458 --> 00:35:51,958 So, in a way, Osiris and Isis were the father and mother 673 00:35:52,125 --> 00:35:54,875 of every pharaoh of ancient Egypt. 674 00:35:56,292 --> 00:35:58,833 NARRATOR: Most historians suggest 675 00:35:59,000 --> 00:36:03,042 that the era known as Zep Tepi is little more than a myth. 676 00:36:03,208 --> 00:36:06,250 But ancient astronaut theorists believe 677 00:36:06,458 --> 00:36:08,583 evidence it existed can be found 678 00:36:08,750 --> 00:36:12,583 in an ancient document known as the Turin Kings List. 679 00:36:13,792 --> 00:36:16,542 HENRY: It's an astounding list of pharaohs 680 00:36:16,708 --> 00:36:20,500 who have extremely long reigns, thousands of years, 681 00:36:20,667 --> 00:36:23,000 and it accounts for all of the kings, 682 00:36:23,208 --> 00:36:26,333 all the way up into the time of Ramses II. 683 00:36:26,500 --> 00:36:29,833 So, more and more, we have to look at this idea 684 00:36:30,042 --> 00:36:32,583 that this golden age existed 685 00:36:32,792 --> 00:36:34,417 and is actually their true history. 686 00:36:35,458 --> 00:36:37,500 TSOUKALOS: What's so interesting about this idea 687 00:36:37,708 --> 00:36:41,458 of Zep Tepi is that ancient Egypt is not the only place 688 00:36:41,667 --> 00:36:45,000 that talks about a deeper antiquity 689 00:36:45,208 --> 00:36:47,667 to humankind than what we're being told. 690 00:36:48,667 --> 00:36:50,542 NARRATOR: The concept of a golden age 691 00:36:50,708 --> 00:36:53,167 where the gods lived amongst humans can be found 692 00:36:53,375 --> 00:36:56,042 in ancient mythologies across the globe. 693 00:36:57,292 --> 00:36:59,333 It's even written about in the Hebrew Bible 694 00:36:59,542 --> 00:37:02,167 where fallen angels, known as the Watchers, 695 00:37:02,375 --> 00:37:06,541 existed alongside humans before the great flood. 696 00:37:06,542 --> 00:37:10,167 HENRY: If these legends are, in fact, the actual history, 697 00:37:10,333 --> 00:37:13,042 this might tell us that the great pyramids 698 00:37:13,208 --> 00:37:14,583 are thousands of years older 699 00:37:14,792 --> 00:37:16,917 than we've previously understood. 700 00:37:17,958 --> 00:37:21,250 NARRATOR: Might Egypt's most extraordinary monuments-- 701 00:37:21,375 --> 00:37:24,500 including the pyramids of the Giza Plateau 702 00:37:24,708 --> 00:37:27,000 and the lost pyramid of Abu Rawash-- 703 00:37:27,167 --> 00:37:28,792 be remnants from an era 704 00:37:28,917 --> 00:37:32,333 when extraterrestrials coexisted with humankind 705 00:37:32,500 --> 00:37:35,333 more than 12,000 years ago? 706 00:37:35,500 --> 00:37:38,083 Ancient astronaut theorists believe 707 00:37:38,292 --> 00:37:40,417 further clues may be found 708 00:37:40,583 --> 00:37:44,250 by examining a recently discovered underground complex, 709 00:37:44,417 --> 00:37:47,708 hidden beneath the Giza Plateau. 710 00:37:56,708 --> 00:38:00,625 NARRATOR: Researchers from the University of Pisa in Italy 711 00:38:00,833 --> 00:38:04,083 and the University of Strathclyde in Scotland 712 00:38:04,250 --> 00:38:07,333 are surveying the Giza Plateau with a new technology 713 00:38:07,458 --> 00:38:10,667 known as synthetic aperture radar. 714 00:38:10,833 --> 00:38:14,458 This groundbreaking instrument sends successive pulses 715 00:38:14,583 --> 00:38:16,833 of radio waves from a satellite 716 00:38:17,042 --> 00:38:18,750 to create a 3D image 717 00:38:18,875 --> 00:38:22,000 of what lies below the surface of the Earth. 718 00:38:22,208 --> 00:38:24,458 In the course of their survey, 719 00:38:24,625 --> 00:38:27,375 the research team finds something truly astonishing 720 00:38:27,542 --> 00:38:31,417 hidden beneath the sands of the Giza Plateau. 721 00:38:31,542 --> 00:38:33,374 CHILDRESS: Archaeologists discovered a network 722 00:38:33,375 --> 00:38:36,583 of tunnels and passageways 723 00:38:36,750 --> 00:38:39,542 and structures, including five structures 724 00:38:39,708 --> 00:38:43,333 beneath the pyramids inside the Giza Plateau, 725 00:38:43,542 --> 00:38:45,833 including cylindrical objects 726 00:38:45,958 --> 00:38:50,458 that seem to be part of some mechanical device. 727 00:38:51,875 --> 00:38:54,500 NARRATOR: Images taken by the synthetic aperture radar 728 00:38:54,708 --> 00:38:58,333 show what appears to be eight massive cylindrical shafts 729 00:38:58,500 --> 00:39:00,833 surrounded by spiral pathways, 730 00:39:01,000 --> 00:39:05,542 reaching as deep as 2,000 feet beneath the Giza Plateau. 731 00:39:06,875 --> 00:39:09,500 This has caused a sensation. It's gone viral. 732 00:39:09,625 --> 00:39:11,458 Everyone's talking about it. 733 00:39:12,500 --> 00:39:14,625 So they've recreated what it would have looked like, 734 00:39:14,792 --> 00:39:17,792 and it is absolutely mind-blowing. 735 00:39:18,000 --> 00:39:20,000 But really, we have to kind of get down there 736 00:39:20,208 --> 00:39:21,583 and take a look now. 737 00:39:21,750 --> 00:39:24,250 CHILDRESS: Egyptologists now are describing it 738 00:39:24,417 --> 00:39:28,208 as a huge city beneath the pyramids. 739 00:39:28,375 --> 00:39:30,207 How did it get there? 740 00:39:30,208 --> 00:39:32,000 And how did they build this? 741 00:39:32,208 --> 00:39:34,917 It would seem to be beyond the technology 742 00:39:35,083 --> 00:39:37,917 that the dynastic Egyptians would have had. 743 00:39:39,000 --> 00:39:40,625 NARRATOR: While there is much excitement 744 00:39:40,792 --> 00:39:43,000 about what might lie hidden beneath the pyramids 745 00:39:43,125 --> 00:39:45,667 of the Giza Plateau, it could be years 746 00:39:45,792 --> 00:39:49,542 before archaeologists are able to excavate. 747 00:39:50,542 --> 00:39:52,500 DODSON: Even now, after 200 years or so 748 00:39:52,708 --> 00:39:55,333 of archaeological excavation, 749 00:39:55,500 --> 00:39:57,167 only a tiny proportion of the sites 750 00:39:57,292 --> 00:39:59,208 have actually been investigated. 751 00:40:00,417 --> 00:40:02,417 ROMANY: It is estimated that 752 00:40:02,583 --> 00:40:04,583 everything you see from ancient Egypt 753 00:40:04,792 --> 00:40:06,542 that we have above the sand today-- 754 00:40:06,708 --> 00:40:10,167 all the pyramids, all the tombs, all the pharaohs' mummies, 755 00:40:10,375 --> 00:40:13,333 all the gold, all the treasure-- 756 00:40:13,500 --> 00:40:18,500 is about one-third of ancient Egypt. 757 00:40:18,667 --> 00:40:21,667 It is believed that nearly 70% 758 00:40:21,833 --> 00:40:26,625 of ancient Egypt is still under the sand. 759 00:40:27,708 --> 00:40:29,833 The sand of Egypt will carry many secrets 760 00:40:30,000 --> 00:40:34,292 for the rest of our lifetime and our kids' lifetime 761 00:40:34,417 --> 00:40:37,167 and our grandkids' lifetime. 762 00:40:40,042 --> 00:40:41,417 We are now in the time 763 00:40:41,583 --> 00:40:44,042 of uncovering the most amazing things. 764 00:40:45,458 --> 00:40:48,458 For the very first time, we now have access 765 00:40:48,625 --> 00:40:51,500 to military-grade technology 766 00:40:51,708 --> 00:40:54,333 that is being used for archaeology. 767 00:40:54,458 --> 00:40:57,250 I think with this new technology, 768 00:40:57,417 --> 00:41:00,333 we will also uncover that our past 769 00:41:00,500 --> 00:41:05,917 is way, way, way more ancient than we've ever even dreamed of. 770 00:41:06,958 --> 00:41:09,375 CHILDRESS: If we can really solve this mystery 771 00:41:09,542 --> 00:41:11,833 of the Abu Rawash pyramid, 772 00:41:12,000 --> 00:41:16,500 this would go a long way to proving 773 00:41:16,625 --> 00:41:18,500 that the civilization of Egypt is much older 774 00:41:18,708 --> 00:41:22,083 than what mainstream Egyptologists are saying, 775 00:41:22,250 --> 00:41:25,917 and goes back tens of thousands of years. 776 00:41:26,958 --> 00:41:30,792 NARRATOR: More than 150 years after its discovery, 777 00:41:30,917 --> 00:41:34,333 the lost pyramid of Abu Rawash remains one 778 00:41:34,542 --> 00:41:36,833 of the ancient world's greatest mysteries. 779 00:41:37,000 --> 00:41:40,167 Could it have been built thousands of years 780 00:41:40,375 --> 00:41:42,875 before the rise of ancient Egypt? 781 00:41:43,042 --> 00:41:47,000 Was it part of an advanced alien technology? 782 00:41:47,208 --> 00:41:51,333 And might there be even more astounding revelations 783 00:41:51,500 --> 00:41:55,000 buried beneath the desert sands? 784 00:41:55,208 --> 00:41:59,625 Perhaps the answers lie hidden among the ruins of Abu Rawash, 785 00:41:59,792 --> 00:42:02,750 and when they are found, they will reveal the truth 786 00:42:02,958 --> 00:42:05,833 about our extraterrestrial past. 787 00:42:05,958 --> 00:42:08,125 CAPTIONING PROVIDED BY A+E NETWORKS