- [Narrator] Egyptology. From the name alone, can
you guess what that is? No, I'm not trying to trick you. As the name obviously indicates, it's the scientific
study of ancient Egypt. A historic and rich culture
spanning from 3100 BCE to around 332 BCE, almost 3,000 years. It was a culture so vast that the first documented Egyptologists were ancient Egyptians themselves. So, considering how long
experts have been studying it, you'd expect them to
know almost everything about the ancient treasures
found here, right? Well, no. Despite researching for centuries, there are discoveries
Egyptologists have made that defy even their understandings. And worse, that scare them. From brutal burial practices
to mathematical miracles, it's time to take a look
at discoveries in Egypt that have terrified Egyptologists. (light suspenseful music) - Whoa. (bell dings) - [Narrator] Well, hello there, cutie. Oh, sorry, I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to him. He's soft, cuddly, and irresistible. He's my perfect real-life copy,
and you can take him home. Bartholomew Eggbert
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and look cool while doing it. A bone to pick. If there's one thing ancient Egypt is frighteningly famous
for, it's their mummies. Mummies, not mommies. Though you may want your
mommy once we're done here. Now, mummification is a burial process by which all moisture
is removed from a body, leaving dried forms
that don't easily decay. Egyptians damn near
perfected this process, and as such, it's estimated
more than 70 million mummies were created during the
ancient Egyptian's time. However, back in 2021,
a newly discovered mummy stood out from all the others. It was a 4,000-year-old mummy
found inside a tomb in Aswan, once known as the ancient city of Swenett. Though it wasn't the mummy the
archeologists were expecting. They were investigating the reign of Egyptian queen Hatshepsut, but a series of bad omens struck the team, almost like they were being warned away from the burial site. A violent sandstorm had
practically blinded them, delaying their journey,
along with all the elements of the desert environment
working against them. And once the team finally
made the mere 650-foot journey to the site hidden in the cliffs, Hatshepsut was nowhere to be
found, but someone else was. However, this 4,000-year-old
mummy wasn't a real mummy. Once the lid of the terracotta
sarcophagus was removed, what they found was little
more than a skeleton wrapped in black shroud, which, despite not having
been buried properly, was still immaculately preserved. But who the skeleton belonged
to was an even bigger shock. Bone experts revealed the
remains were that of a woman who was around 70 years old. In ancient Egypt, the
average life expectancy was a mere 25 to 35 years of age. Women's life expectancy was usually lower, due to the risks of childbirth, so making it to 70 was almost unheard of. Who this woman is and how
she lived as long as she did is still a mystery to this day. Well, that's just fine. Nothing unnerving about
a black-shrouded skeleton nobody can identify or explain at all. Someone hold me. Tunnels to the tomb. The Great Pyramid of Giza is classed as one of the Seven
Wonders of the Ancient World with very, very good reason. At 454 feet tall, this thing has a volume
of 92 million cubic feet, which is made up of
limestone, granite, mortar. Within these blocks,
passages, and chambers have been carved out and built in, which served as tombs for the
pharaoh Khufu and his queen. It is undeniably glorious,
having been explored, researched, and studied by Egyptologists relentlessly for some 4,000 years. However, in February 2023, scientists around the world were shocked when infrared scans of
the great stone structure revealed several voids
along with a 30-foot passage hidden, of all places, right
above the main entrance. Scientists used an endoscope, a sort of small camera on a
stick only six millimeters wide, to move between the stones
without disturbing them and get a clearer idea of
what the passage looked like. However, what lies beyond, at the time I'm making
this video, no one knows. It could be a burial chamber, but scientists have pointed out that its entrance shouldn't be
sealed up if that's the case. As it is, the room is
completely inaccessible. Many of its underground
passageways are also a puzzle, as no one has any concrete evidence proving what purpose they truly served. This new corridor is also, strangely, the only entrance tunnel
built high above ground level, which adds another spanner to
the scientists' understanding of what might be hiding inside
the chamber it leads to. For now, at least, the mystery perseveres, keeping scientists on edge. After all, if it took thousands of years for us to discover this secret chamber, who knows what else might be in there, waiting for us to let it out? What secrets do you think
the Great Pyramid is hiding? Could it be another burial chamber? Or perhaps something forgotten that was left to guard the king and his queen in their eternal slumber? Let me know down in the comments. And while you're there, be sure to hit those like
and subscribe buttons. All done? All right, what dark
discovery have we got next? Puzzling pyramids. I've already told you how big at least one of the Pyramids of Giza is, but you really need to
see all of them together to appreciate just how
magnificent they are. However, what's most amazing
isn't their size or age, but their accuracy. Whether it's an extremely
weird coincidence, a genius understanding of geometry, or a supernatural intervention, these pyramids are all
geometrically perfect. By that, I mean beyond their bases being practically identical
lengths to each other, they also adhere to two
universal mathematical principles known as the golden ratio and pi. Scientists discovered that
if you divided the perimeter of one of the pyramids by its height, the result only differs 0.1%
from the calculation of pi, which is the ratio of the
circumference of a circle to its diameter. The golden ratio, on the other hand, is where the ratio of two quantities is the same as the ratio of their sum to the larger of the two quantities. And the ratio of the slant
height of the pyramids to half their base dimension almost achieves this number exactly. Okay, that's a lot of math lingo, suffice to say, the fact that
the basic math of the pyramids adheres to one of these
equations is amazing. Two? That's insane! Why? Well, because these
mathematical principles wouldn't exist for thousands
of years when they were built. To add even more fuel to the mathematical fire we've started, the very position of the
pyramids has been analyzed, and theories have emerged
claiming the location of the three largest lines up with the stars in
the Orion constellation, specifically the three
that make up the belt. Why? Well, these stars were associated with the Egyptian god Osiris, god of rebirth and the afterlife. So, building mathematically
perfect, giant stone structures to both house the dead and honor a god is totally normal, right? Right? Well, the idea alone is intimidating, but it would mean ancient
Egyptian civilization was much smarter than scientists are really prepared to admit. So what did they know then
that we don't know now? While the star set theory
has been hotly debated, there's another part of the pyramids that simply can't be debunked,
and that's their size. With each block making up the pyramids weighing at least two tons, the largest of the monuments
is made from almost 9,000 tons of granite, over 550,000 tons of mortar, and more than six million
tons of limestone, put together before any kind of modern machinery was invented. What's more, what we see today is only what remains of the pyramids. 4,500 years ago, it's
believed each one was finished in a coat of white limestone, topped with a cap of pure gold. But, how? How was building this
Great Pyramid possible? Well, workers would
travel southeast of Giza to the Tura quarries over the Nile and hammer wooden wedges into the stone. Then, they'd soak the stone in water. The wedges would absorb
this water, expand, and in doing so, crack
the rock into neat blocks. These blocks were pulled
by people from the quarries and ferried across the Nile
before being dragged on sleds, again by people and
probably some animals too, all the way to the site of the pyramid. That's when the real work began. A ramp and pulley system was utilized so that the heavy blocks could
be hauled up the pyramid, all 454 feet of it, where they were finally
smoothed down into shape. That is a beastly amount of work which was completed not once, but at least three times over
for each adjacent pyramid. Which is why their purpose
is so hotly debated. Surely, they didn't do all that to line up with some stars, right? Well, after that, I think I understand why the very existence of these monuments is as baffling as it is terrifying. Alien evidence. No matter how hard Egyptologists try, they just can't beat
the alien allegations. Any weird artifact, tomb, or new discovery will instantly set the
conspiracy community off, claiming the ancient Egyptians
weren't actually that smart, and that they only achieved these amazing feats of
engineering and construction with the help of aliens. Take this set of Egyptian
jewelry, for example. Those stone beads were
actually made from meteorites. And that's not all! King Tut's most treasured dagger was also found to be
made from meteoric iron. While the most logical conclusion is that ancient Egyptians
recognized the worth of the metallic space rocks and treasured them for
their unique properties, conspiracy theorists believe
they were alien gifts. Oh, boy. And the crazy claims don't stop there. Back in 2017, during a house
renovation in southern Egypt, it was reported some
ancient coins were found with images of alien creatures
and UFOs etched on them. This immediately sent the
conspiracy theorists into a craze, finally, they had proof that aliens were in contact with
the ancient Egyptians. Unfortunately, despite
making headlines in some, let's say, less reputable news outlets, the coins weren't verified with any official archeological study. In fact, the entire "discovery"
was a complete hoax. I think I might die of not surprise. It turns out digital artist Kryptomaniacle entered a Photoshop
competition back in 2011 by manipulating a portrait
image on an old Greek coin. The UFOs, on the other hand, just turned out to be French tokens depicting clouds and a shield
descending from the sky, which those news outlets
would have realized if they'd done any research, at all. Well, that figures. But what I really wanna know is what the conspiracy theorists thought aliens needed with coins. Like, these guys have
conquered the technology behind space travel, surely they had the tech
for a cashless society? Under wraps. Crocodiles are scary enough, but this next discovery takes that fear to a whole new level. Back in January 2023, archeologists excavating
an undisturbed tomb on the western bank of the River Nile uncovered something unexpected. Laid out before them were 10 mummies more than 2,500 years old. But they weren't humans,
they were crocodiles. Some small, some more
than seven feet long, all preserved in time. And terrifyingly well preserved at that. As it turned out their
mummification process had been very unconventional. Usually, mummifications
involve removing the organs, before filling the body with
sweet-smelling aromas and salt. They were then covered in
resin and wrapped in linen. But these crocodiles were
buried without resin or linen. Traces of rope on the croco-mummies hint that they were tied up
until they became dehydrated, and, well, you get the idea. But why would anyone do this
to one croc, let alone 10? Well, crocodiles were typically associated with the crocodile-headed god Sobek and were often bred solely for sacrifice. Yikes! These sacrifices were used
to ask help from Sobek, who they believed symbolized
fertile soil for crops and protection from deadly reptiles. Oh, the irony. Previous tombs excavated by archeologists have revealed similar
crocodile mummy hordes, many of which are now
on display in museums around the world, but what's unnerving is that none discovered before have been preserved like this. Could it be these were some of the first animal mummies ever made? Is that why the process was so incomplete? The exact answer still eludes
researchers to this day, which, somehow, is more unnerving the more you think about it. A handy trade. The ancient city of Avaris was once home to Egyptian royalty, specifically the kings of
the 15th dynasty of Egypt, known as Hyksos. Though these kings did
not rule all of Egypt. Writings reveal the Hyksos were feared above all others at the time. Archeologists have tried to uncover exactly what it was that
made them so feared, and back in 2012, they found out why. These archeologists were excavating a Hyksos palace in Avaris when they discovered a series of pits that would have been the
entrance to the throne room. As they dug further down,
they suddenly realized that they weren't moving aside rocks, but bones, hand bones. The more they dug, the
more bones were revealed, until they saw that in three pits there were some 18 human hands dating back some 3,600 years ago. What sick obsession did Egyptian royalty have with hacked-off hands? Well, as with most things, it's believed it was all down to a ritual. A soldier would present
the hand of an enemy in exchange for gold. Each pit represents a ceremony, most likely a celebration
of their enemy's defeat. Or, considering their placement, they might have been placed in
the pits to intimidate anyone walking into the throne room. I feel intimidated just
learning about them, never mind seeing them. While incredibly gruesome, what's really thrown Egyptologists
is the size of the hands. They're unusually large. What the significance of that
is, researchers don't know, but it's believed the
hands all belonged to men and possibly one woman. Even creepier, the hands were likely kept and collected for 24 to 48 hours before being placed in the pits. I really don't envy the archeologists who had to uncover them. Thanks to this discovery, these hands have successfully
traumatized a new generation. A message from the grave. What's the scariest book you've ever read? Was it a Stephen King
classic, like "The Shining?" Or something so horrific it's scarred you, like "Fifty Shades of Grey?" (gasps) Whatever it was, I can tell you now it was nowhere near as terrifying
as the Books of the Dead. Each written around 1550 to 50 BC by ancient Egyptian priests, these artifacts are some
of the most incredible and terrifying ancient
discoveries ever found. The scrolls, made of papyrus,
include funerary texts, which are made up of magic spells, each one written to help a
person through the afterlife. But it's not a finite text,
like the Bible, for example. Each scroll was filled with
spells tailored to the person set to travel the afterlife,
like a will, but magic, and creepy, with many scrolls even
illustrated with the journey the person would take
through the afterlife. Creepiness aside, what it
has done is given scientists an incredibly generous understanding of their religious
beliefs, afterlife rituals, and of course, their beloved gods. A very recent discovery
of a particular book was unearthed in Saqqara
back in February 2023. This scroll is a huge 52-foot long, and the text is more than 2,000 years old. Researchers believe that it
was owned by a man and his wife since they feature quite
a few times in the book. Books of the Dead continue
to astound scientists when they're found because it shows just how
obsessed the culture was with death itself. It's a trap! Could you think of
anything that sounds worse than disturbing an ancient,
slumbering god of death? While it might sound like a scene you'd only find in a fantasy book, this is exactly what archeologists did when they stumbled upon
the tomb of Osiris. Now, Osiris is an ancient Egyptian deity responsible for ruling the afterlife and overseeing the judgment of all souls who enter his realm. But being a god, you wouldn't think he had a
physical presence on Earth. However, back in 2015, when scientists first
fully uncovered the tomb on the bank of the Nile in Abydos, they had to wonder if these
gods had once been real. Reliefs on the wall show
demons brandishing knives, a statue of Osiris guards the
funerary chamber of the tomb, and a huge 11-foot staircase
leads further down, apparently guiding
anyone unfortunate enough to step foot here down to the underworld. Like that wasn't spine-chilling enough, the tomb's layout continues
down vents and channels that keep going down and
down, almost 50 feet, until anyone there feels
like they've been buried too. As haunting as this discovery
was though, no god lies here. It's believed that this
multi-level structure is actually an ancient
replica of the Osireion, a complex dedicated to Osiris built at the Temple of Seti in Abydos. But that only begs the question, why would Osiris need two tombs? Unless they're not tombs and are in fact entrances
to underworld itself, which are merely guarded
by Osiris? (shivers) Ironically, the feeling
of being down there is starting to creep up on me. Mummy mayhem. Okay, I don't want to exaggerate, but the next discovery
we're about to uncover might just be the most heartbreaking
thing you'll ever hear, depending on how much you love animals. Back in 2015, archeologists
explored a mysterious catacomb in North Saqqara, which was found to hold
over eight million mummies. Yeah, eight million! That's enough mummies to fill the biggest stadium in
the world 53 times over. The ancient Egyptians
built this giant catacomb some 2,500 years ago in
the fourth century BC. And the mummies themselves, well, tragically, most of
them were dogs and cats. They were placed right next
to the Temple of Anubis, a building dedicated to the
hound-headed god of death. It's fitting, but that doesn't
make me hate it any less. Sadly, many of them would've been put in the tomb from birth, or from when they were
just puppies and kittens, as sacrifices to the gods. So, much like the crocodiles from before, these little canines and
kitties were used solely as an intermediary between
humans and deities. I know if I was one of the team that uncovered this catacomb,
I'd have been left shaking. Food, feasts, and falcons. When you think of a shrine, you tend to imagine statues, offerings, maybe some crazy photographic
display that looks a little, overzealous, shall we say. Well, here's a brain teaser for you: In the port city of Berenike,
archeologists have discovered a 1,700-year-old falcon shrine. Yep, a falcon shrine, as
in a shrine to the birds, which contains the mummified remains of 15 falcons on a pedestal. Except, they're all headless. Why on earth? Who hates falcons that much? But that's not all. A stone monument was
found in a separate room depicting four deities, two of
which are completely unknown. One of them, however, does
have a falcon for a head, leading researchers to
believe it could be Horus, the falcon-headed god of kingship. But things get even weirder because the remains of fish,
mammals, and bird eggshells were also found littered
around the shrine, along with a very alarming message. An inscription on a stone slab reads, "It is improper to boil a head in here." I'm sorry. "Boil a head?" Were ancient Egyptians boiling
falcon heads in secret here? Was it part of some sacrificial ritual? Some suggest that feasting may
have happened at this shrine, hence the "no boiling heads" instruction, assumedly so people didn't
lose their appetites. But then, why cut off the heads? It's all a very unnerving
and unique mystery. Some believe that the shrine
was the site of some dark and twisted cult practice,
which, for all the head boiling, sounds like the most plausible explanation we have right now. Have you got any idea what this shrine might have been used for? Let me know down in the comments. (cell phone keyboard clicking) Sarcopha-curse. When you're explicitly
told not to do something, don't you find that you
want to do it even more? Well, for scientists in Alexandria, that feeling became all too real when they uncovered
this impossibly ominous, black granite sarcophagus back in 2018. At some 2,000 years old,
it dated back to the time Alexander the Great conquered the area, and it was even rumored the
granite casket held his remains. This fueled local speculations
that it was cursed and opening it would surely unleash a terrible fate upon the world. But instead of listening to local legends, archeologists did what archeologists do, they cracked it open and
took a good look inside. While the crusader was
nowhere to be found, they did discover the skeletons
of two men and a woman. One of them even had a hole in its skull from what seemed to be some
form of ancient brain surgery. But that's nothing
compared to the mysterious red liquid they also found inside. No, it wasn't blood, it was liquid sewage. Ugh! While it's not clear
how sewage got in there, it must have leaked in at some point. Or perhaps the sewage and
wretched bacteria therein is the curse itself? Many believe that the
nine-foot-long, 30-ton coffin was never, ever supposed to be opened, as it would inevitably doom
us all in the long run, and after learning
about that nasty liquid, I sure as heck feel cursed. For better or worse, it
did give the internet plenty of meme material, though, with many obsessing
over its "mummy juice." There was even a petition put
to the Egyptian government to allow people to drink it so they could "assume its powers." Yeah, there's no doubt
that opening this thing was definitely a mistake. From scheme to scream. In a tomb, no one can hear you scream, but it turns out we can see you scream if one particular mummy
discovered back in 1881 is anything to go by. It was part of a Royal Cache
at Deir El Bahari in Thebes, so, being royalty, excavators were expecting
immaculately preserved bodies, however, what they found
was truly terrifying. The mummy looked like it
was in complete agony. Its mouth frozen open as if it had been eternally
screaming into the darkness for centuries. But for the excavators,
this frightful discovery was nothing compared to the mummy's story. You see, these remains are
likely to have once been a prince of Egypt. With such high status, you'd think he'd have the best
sarcophagus, the best burial, and the best items for the rituals to carry him into the afterlife, however, this mummy had
all its organs intact, was crudely wrapped in a goatskin, and had no offerings left at its side. Well, it turns out, you don't get the
privileges of a royal burial if you plan to usurp your father. Yeah, it's believed
this is Prince Pentawer, an heir who got involved
in a high-stakes conspiracy to dethrone his father, Ramses III, back in 1155 BCE and take the kingship for himself. After everything came to light, instead of facing a public punishment, he, um, voluntarily decided
to visit the afterlife, if you get my meaning. When you commit high treason in 1155 BCE, it means that you're not going to get the majestic Egyptian burial you wanted. And as a result, he's been
left screaming his last moments for thousands of years. Scientists are still unsure
of the exact cause of death or why he was part of a
plot to remove the pharaoh. What's worse, is that we don't know if he's screaming in pain
or begging for mercy. (shudders) Which of these
discoveries did you fear the most? And which ones would you actually
like to see for yourself? Let me know down in the comments below, and thanks for watching. (gentle thoughtful music)
