"In a tube deep underground, archaeologists carefully remove the lid from a stone sarcophagus. Inside lie the mummified remains of an Egyptian priest, hidden for the past two and a half thousand years. Oh my God, this is beautiful. Closer inspection, though, the mummy isn't what it seems, no way. And the investigation takes a surprise turn. There is something quite mind-blowing, forcing the team to question all that it's found so far."

"I might belong, but I would be very surprised if there are no more surprises in this complex.

[Music]

[Music] Thank you.

[Music]

Renowned Egyptologist Dr. Ramadan Hussein and his team of archaeologists are excavating a remarkable new site. When I started archaeology, I never thought I would be discovering something on that magnitude."

"Extensive 3D scans reveal a unique ancient Egyptian funeral complex from around 600 BC where the dead were brought to be mummified and buried in an assortment of chambers deep underground. This tomb complex dates to the 26th Dynasty, about 700 years after Tutankhamun and about 600 years before Cleopatra and the end of Egyptian history as we knew it. This time period is interesting because this is when Egypt had a huge renaissance in religion and burial ideas, so this find is really a snapshot in time and crucial to our understanding of mummification.

Thank you. Today, Ramadan and his team are investigating a pair of stone sarcophagi. They lie in a small chamber almost 100 feet below the surface.

"We have two sealed sarcophagi, one in what we call an anthropoid sarcophagus, which means it takes the human form, and another one that is a rectangular sarcophagus. What makes them so special is that, unlike the other sarcophagi in this complex, they're both inscribed with text. Once we discovered this writing, we understood how valuable this is, so we have put protective paper here. This is our means of communication with the ancients."

The inscriptions are carved on one sarcophagus and painted on the other, and they provide fascinating clues about the people buried inside.

"For me, it is a moment that I can read the minds of these two persons, to be able to know what they wanted to convey to us, what they wanted to tell us. The ancient Egyptians believed that remembering the name of the deceased by writing it down would lead to their immortality. The text on the caskets reveals a pair of male names, Chanamit and Yiput."

But the text also contains another vital piece of information: their jobs, and interestingly, they both match.

"So far from the text material we have collected, we have two priests. This is Chanamit. Right behind me here is another priest, and his name is Yiput."

While this is priceless information, it raises an important question.

"Why do you have two priests right next to one another? This is a question to be answered when we lift up this lid."

To learn more about the two priests, Ramadan must open up the sarcophagi and investigate their contents in forensic detail. Led by their foreman, Amar, the team is starting with the rectangular sarcophagus of Chanamit.

"The first task is to break open the thick layer of mortar running around the edge of the lid, intended as a seal to deter grave robbers. Its presence can mean only one thing. This sarcophagus is 2,600 years old and hasn't been touched since Chanamit was buried inside it."

"I know this is a three-man job, so we'll see how successful this is going to be. It is a very intense moment for me. What is inside this circle, let me know."

"It seems to be working."

"Hello."

Now the casket is partway open. Ramadan uses an inspection camera to take a preliminary peek."

"This is unbelievable. What it reveals is like nothing else from the complex."

"Glittering stuff... a 2,600-year-old mummy, adorned in an elaborate beaded burial shroud, amazingly still in one piece."

"Beautiful beaded net. It is so elegant. This is so beautiful. Not as pristine as you would see at the museums, but this is a long mummy that carries the dust and aging of 2,600 years. This is a remarkably decorated mummy. This definitely stands out as one of the most remarkable sarcophagi that I've ever opened."

"I have a job to bring the mummy back to life. We want his story to be told, and I think I'm going to tell the story of Chanamit from now until I die. I have so much to do."

Beneath the ancient pyramids of Saqqara, the task of opening Chanamit's stone sarcophagus is well underway. After glimpsing a beaded shroud lying on the mummy, Project Director Ramadan is keen to learn more about this mysterious priest.

Lauren and his team just lifted up the lid. It's a difficult job, a lot of labor, a lot of sweat. Come on, come on.

Before we roll it out, we need to make sure that nothing will fall on this beautiful mummy. So we're spreading a cloth underneath the lid. We're good to go.

Carved from solid limestone, it weighs almost 2,000 pounds, and the team will slide it out on steel rollers. When you move a large piece of stone like this lid, you don't want this stone to smash somebody's bones. That's first. Second is not to damage and destroy any object inside the sarcophagus. So those are the two main concerns: safety of the living and also the safety of the dead.

Now, I think we're going to have a full look at the mummy of Chanamit.

"Just unbelievable. It is as if actually it was made yesterday. Beautiful."

Made from hundreds of glazed clay beads, Chanamit's perfectly preserved burial shroud was intended to protect him in the afterlife. Its quality and craftsmanship are a clear sign that Chanamit was a wealthy individual.

"This is the work of an artist that was done 2,600 years ago, and now we're getting a first look at it, a bit for a bit. The collar is coming out, it is so beautiful. Also, beaded right here."

"The head of the mummy."

"It's still wrapped. You can see his eyes, the nose, and the eyebrows, and even the mouth drawn on these linen bandages."

"This is one of the most beautiful mummies I have ever seen in my life. What is so amazing is the preservation of the beaded net and the necklace after 2,600 years. Unbelievable."

"But now, the question that is on my mind: Who is this person to have deserved such an elaborate burial?"

To shed light on why a priest like Chanamit was able to afford such luxuries, Project Consultant Salima Ikram has come to one of the most iconic sites in all of Egypt, the historic city of Luxor on the banks of the River Nile.

"Among the many nearby tombs is a vast mausoleum belonging to a priest called Parianopet. It was always, in ancient Egypt, good to be a priest because religion was of the utmost importance, and you entered into this hierarchy of the temples and the religion. So, it's sort of like a brotherhood."

"Of the many Egyptian gods and goddesses, Moot was a full-time job. But for an elite few like Parianopet, it was a career that brought wealth and status."

"One of the most striking things about Parianopet's tomb is the fact that it is huge. It's the largest non-royal tomb in all of Luxor. The workmanship is exquisite, and it's lavishly decorated. It would have originally been painted, and you can still see some of the vestiges of paint, which means that he must have been one of the richest and most influential men when he died."

"Almost every wall of this enormous 22-room tomb is covered in either paintings or inscriptions, and they contain important information about Parianopet's life, including how he was able to amass such wealth."

"Priests were very important in Egyptian society, and Parianopet here, you can see, for his title of priest, a priest, someone who reads. But he was also a royal scribe. He was known to the king. He was a courtier, and he, like many other priests, had lots of jobs. So priests weren't just religious beings; they were political; they were industrial; some of them were even in the military. They really had their fingers in all kinds of pies. And so you wind up with people who have enormous wealth that they can amass from a huge number of different sources."

"So, could Chanamit's elaborate burial be a clue to the sort of life he led as a priest?"

Ramadan is hoping to find some answers in the painted text on Chanamit's sarcophagus, now that it's protective covering is being removed.

"The text is so valuable for every archaeologist. It is that joy to be able to read the minds of the ancients."

"What we're reading here is, if we can draw any analogy, an identification card of this person. And right here, for example, we see the name of the deceased, Chanamit, which literally means 'the little child of the cat.' The worship of the cat among Egyptians was very, very common and notably common among a segment of the Egyptian society, mostly Libyan immigrants. So, the name Chanamit could be an indication that we're dealing with a Libyan descent of some sort."

"In terms of heritage, we see, from the tax material we've collected, two priests. This is Chanamit, right behind me. Here is another priest."

"While this is priceless information, it raises an important question: Why do we have two priests right next to one another? This is a question to be answered when we lift up this lid."

"To learn more about the two priests, Ramadan must open up the sarcophagi and investigate their contents in forensic detail."

"Led by their foreman Amar, the team is starting with the rectangular sarcophagus of Chanamit."

"The first task is to break open the thick layer of mortar running around the edge of the lid, intended as a seal to deter grave robbers. Its presence can mean only one thing: this sarcophagus is 2,600 years old and it hasn't been touched since Chanamit was buried inside it."

"I know this is a three-man job, so we'll see how successful this is going to be."

"It is a very intense moment for me. What is inside this circle, let me know. It seems to be working."

"Now, the casket is partway open. Ramadan uses an inspection camera to take a preliminary peek."

"This is unbelievable."

"What it reveals is like nothing else from the complex."

"Glittering stuff... a 2,600-year-old mummy, adorned in an elaborate beaded burial shroud, amazingly still in one piece."

"Beautiful beaded net. It is so elegant. This is so beautiful."

"Not as pristine as you would see at the museums, but this is a long mummy that carries the dust and aging of 2,600 years."

"This is a remarkably decorated mummy. This definitely stands out as one of the most remarkable sarcophagi that I've ever opened."

"I have a job to bring the mummy back to life. We want his story to be told, and I think I'm going to tell the story of Chanamit from now until I die. I have so much to do."

Beneath the ancient pyramids of Saqqara, the task of opening Chanamit's stone sarcophagus is well underway. After glimpsing a beaded shroud lying on the mummy, Project Director Ramadan is keen to learn more about this mysterious priest.

Lauren and his team just lifted up the lid. It's a difficult job, a lot of labor, a lot of sweat. Come on, come on."

"Before we roll it out, we need to make sure that nothing will fall on this beautiful mummy. So we're spreading a cloth underneath the lid. We're good to go."

"Carved from solid limestone, it weighs almost 2,000 pounds, and the team will slide it out on steel rollers. When you move a large piece of stone like this lid, you don't want this stone to smash somebody's bones. That's first. Second is not to damage and destroy any object inside the sarcophagus. So those are the two main concerns: safety of the living and also the safety of the dead."

"Now, I think we're going to have a full look at the mummy of Chanamit."

"Just unbelievable. It is as if actually it was made yesterday. Beautiful."

"Made from hundreds of glazed clay beads, Chanamit's perfectly preserved burial shroud was intended to protect him in the afterlife. Its quality and craftsmanship are a clear sign that Chanamit was a wealthy individual."

"This is the work of an artist that was done 2,600 years ago, and now we're getting a first look at it, a bit for a bit. The collar is coming out, it is so beautiful. Also, beaded right here."

"The head of the mummy."

"It's still wrapped. You can see his eyes, the nose, and the eyebrows, and even the mouth drawn on these linen bandages."

"This is one of the most beautiful mummies I have ever seen in my life. What is so amazing is the preservation of the beaded net and the necklace after 2,600 years. Unbelievable."

"But now, the question that is on my mind: Who is this person to have deserved such an elaborate burial?"

To shed light on why a priest like Chanamit was able to afford such luxuries, Project Consultant Salima Ikram has come to one of the most iconic sites in all of Egypt, the historic city of Luxor on the banks of the River Nile.

"Among the many nearby tombs is a vast mausoleum belonging to a priest called Parianopet. It was always, in ancient Egypt, good to be a priest because religion was of the utmost importance, and you entered into this hierarchy of the temples and the religion. So, it's sort of like a brotherhood."

"Of the many Egyptian gods and goddesses, Moot was a full-time job. But for an elite few like Parianopet, it was a career that brought wealth and status."

"One of the most striking things about Parianopet's tomb is the fact that it is huge. It's the largest non-royal tomb in all of Luxor. The workmanship is exquisite, and it's lavishly decorated. It would have originally been painted, and you can still see some of the vestiges of paint, which means that he must have been one of the richest and most influential men when he died."

"Almost every wall of this enormous 22-room tomb is covered in either paintings or inscriptions, and they contain important information about Parianopet's life, including how he was able to amass such wealth."

"Priests were very important in Egyptian society, and Parianopet here, you can see, for his title of priest, a priest, someone who reads. But he was also a royal scribe. He was known to the king. He was a courtier, and he, like many other priests, had lots of jobs. So priests weren't just religious beings; they were political; they were industrial; some of them were even in the military. They really had their fingers in all kinds of pies. And so you wind up with people who have enormous wealth that they can amass from a huge number of different sources."

"So, could Chanamit's elaborate burial be a clue to the sort of life he led as a priest?"

Ramadan is hoping to find some answers in the painted text on Chanamit's sarcophagus, now that it's protective covering is being removed.

"The team's painstaking efforts have now revealed all four sides of Chanamit's sarcophagus."

"Chanamit's sarcophagus has hieroglyphs that indicate that this man is a priest. We also have the image of the god, Ptah, which is so crucial in this context, the god of creation and rebirth. On the reverse side, you also have hieroglyphs that talk about offerings and offerings to the gods and the goddesses."

"These hieroglyphs tell us a lot. The way these offerings are being listed is the priest's role to ensure the offering for Chanamit. Then we have two priests in this context."

"What is the real meaning of these offerings and the two priests?"

"Every day for 2,600 years, the team's presence has transformed this ancient site. Project geologist Sahar Talaat is on hand to look after the safety of the team. When rocks have been in the same position for thousands of years, they can be unpredictable when moved. One small mistake could cost someone their life."

"Safety of the workers is the most important thing. The last thing I want to see is the workers get injured. The integrity of the site is also critical. It's important for the people, for history, and for Egypt."

"Among the hieroglyphs is a name that is linked to that offering, it's called 'Ka,' but that doesn't help me a lot."

"Religious texts reveal that the 'Ka' is an aspect of the soul. To the ancient Egyptians, death wasn't an end; it was a gateway to an afterlife in which your 'Ka' would live on."

"The 'Ka' is sort of an ethereal aspect of the individual. It was said that it left the body after death. And that 'Ka' is usually represented as a little bird with a human head, and it's all over the texts in the tomb and all over the tomb itself, and they had to ensure that the 'Ka' was happy, as if the 'Ka' was content, they would live forever in the afterlife."

"A lot of the dead would have associated 'Ka' figures in their tombs, so that the 'Ka' would be able to eat and drink and be taken care of properly in the afterlife."

"As a royal sculptor, Hapi carries on working for the king in death, and he has numerous copies of himself, and all of these will carry on working for the king in the afterlife, making statues, making jewelry, making metal objects."

"Hapi's tomb was a very important statement to himself and to other people. He wanted them to know what a great person he was, and his list of accomplishments goes on for over 50 columns. He lists things he did for the king, his artistry, his skills, and he emphasizes his skills over and over again."

"The multiple representations of Hapi emphasize his importance and all the things he was able to do."

"These statues are usually in the front of the tomb, and this was what would have been seen by anyone who visited the tomb. So, the dead wanted people to see their good side. They wanted people to see how rich they were, how skilled they were, how important they were."

The team's work at the Saqqara site is also providing rare insights into the elite community that built the tomb complex. Some of the hieroglyphs indicate a high-ranking elite group.

"In Luxor, Professor Salima Ikram continues her work on the mummies discovered in the Saqqara complex."

"In the case of China meet, he's well preserved. His arms are extended down by his sides, and they are covered with beautiful beadwork, and the most impressive thing is the way his face is covered, and it's almost realistic. His nose and mouth are all shown in the beadwork."

"Now there are these linen strips that are laid on him and he's encased in them, but those strips are put over the top of the netting. Now the netting would have taken an enormous amount of time and effort to create. We don't see this quality of beadwork very often."

"In fact, it's highly unusual to see beadwork on a mummy in Egypt. I've been working on mummies for nearly 40 years, and I haven't seen anything like this."

"China meet's mummy is one of the most remarkable sarcophagi that I have ever opened. That beadwork is some of the best beadwork that I've seen in a very, very long time."

"The remarkable state of preservation suggests that China meet held a very high status within the community at Saqqara."

"From the context of the mummy, the richness of the beadwork, the quality of the jewelry, we can tell that China meet was a person of some wealth."

"What you do with the corpse is very important because you are aiding that person to the afterlife, and that person will be born into the next world, and their spirit will live in the afterlife. But the main thing you need to do is ensure their survival in the afterlife, that they have all the skills, all the objects, that they need to survive."

"Burial artifacts play a key role in the afterlife. The gifts given to the deceased in life accompany them to the afterlife."

"The idea of the afterlife is just central to Egyptian thought. The person who had died, their physical body was no longer there, but the 'Ka' or soul was still there, still wanting to eat, drink, and be merry in the afterlife."

"The intricate beadwork was probably designed to be much more than just decoration. Its primary purpose would have been to help the mummy as it made its way through the dangerous underworld."

"In the ancient Egyptian culture, there is a serpent goddess. The reason that I've been pushing so hard to try to get more information about her is because she's very unusual. She's not very common."

"The ancient Egyptians worshiped many gods and goddesses, but the cult of this particular serpent goddess was largely unknown until the discovery of Chanamit's tomb."

"Very few mentions of her were in texts or in chapels or temples or tomb scenes, and so she is not well-known. But here we have China meet as a priest, and he's shown to be a priest of the goddess, Newchis."

"These Egyptian words were hieroglyphs, and they needed to be written correctly. And in that written form, they were etched into stone, wood, and more. This was one of the key jobs of the priest, to say these incantations and be sure they are written correctly."

"This is a god who was certainly worshipped in Egypt, but this is a rare depiction of her. A goddess, Newchis, was worshipped by a few individuals who had her own cult, her own temple. The presence of Newchis is very important for us in understanding the pantheon of the time."

"The statue is beautiful. It is a marvelous example of what a statue can be. When this was carved and made for the tomb, there was a lot of attention to detail."

"Returning to Luxor, Professor Salima Ikram explores further the city's temples and tombs, seeking any connection with the cult of Newchis."

"The thing that I'm curious about is the way that Newchis is represented. If she has her own temple, it's really interesting to try to discover how widespread the cult of Newchis was, how much was devoted to her in terms of attention, and whether or not the presence of the cult was localized."

"This is a special area that is not normally open to the public, but it contains a set of tombs and the temples and an avenue with a sphinx road that connects them all together."

"There are lots of references to the Sphinx Road of Amenhotep III and also the great Temple of Luxor."

"This temple is one of the biggest in the area, but the cult of Newchis was very unusual, and I don't think she would have had a temple here."

"In terms of scale, it was certainly nowhere near as large or as significant as the Temples of Luxor or Karnak."

"It is unclear whether a temple dedicated to the goddess Newchis was part of this complex. The cult of Newchis was not one of the mainstream cults of ancient Egypt, and understanding the reach of her worship is a crucial piece of the puzzle."

"It is believed that there were temples all over Egypt, and there were often satellite temples that were connected to the larger ones. They often served a wider area."

"So, I think that people would have local associations with Newchis. Local people might worship her if she was part of the pantheon."

"This goddess is not that well-known, so this is a great find. The cults are so specialized, and so you really need to go around to see how widespread this is."

"Each time we come back, each time we go to a new area, it's like being an explorer, an adventurer, and a detective."

"The more we dig, the more we learn, and the more questions we have, and that's the really cool thing about it. We learn something, and then we realize, 'Oh, we don't know this.' And so, we go looking for the answer."

"The temple of Luxor and the associated tombs represent another piece of the puzzle in understanding the community of Saqqara and the prominence of the cult of Newchis."

"While there are no clear signs of Newchis within the Luxor complex, the investigation continues in an effort to uncover more about this mysterious goddess."

‍