1 00:00:06,550 --> 00:00:12,550 Ancient Egypt, a rich history that lasted for over 6,000 years. 2 00:00:15,670 --> 00:00:19,790 The lives and deaths of its leading characters still fascinate us today. 3 00:00:24,830 --> 00:00:26,710 We come to museums like this one 4 00:00:26,710 --> 00:00:30,150 to get a real sense of the grandeur of Ancient Egypt. 5 00:00:30,150 --> 00:00:33,190 Monumental statues to monumental men. 6 00:00:33,190 --> 00:00:36,030 But when we start to look around at the faces here, 7 00:00:36,030 --> 00:00:38,470 they are just that...men, 8 00:00:38,470 --> 00:00:40,910 so where are all the women of Ancient Egypt? 9 00:00:40,910 --> 00:00:45,350 Well, of course, the most famous is Cleopatra The Great. 10 00:00:45,350 --> 00:00:47,990 But then we have to go from the sublime to the ridiculous, 11 00:00:47,990 --> 00:00:49,910 from the monumental to the tiny 12 00:00:49,910 --> 00:00:54,510 because most of the images we have of the great women are in coin form, 13 00:00:54,510 --> 00:00:57,950 but what about all the great women who came before Cleopatra? 14 00:00:57,950 --> 00:00:59,950 I want to find out who they were. 15 00:01:01,430 --> 00:01:03,150 If you know where to look, 16 00:01:03,150 --> 00:01:08,310 the story of Ancient Egypt is also the story of extraordinary women, 17 00:01:08,310 --> 00:01:12,350 who left behind an extraordinary legacy. 18 00:01:12,350 --> 00:01:14,230 There she is, 19 00:01:14,230 --> 00:01:18,910 Arsinoe, pharaoh, the goddess. 20 00:01:18,910 --> 00:01:20,510 Ancient Egypt was a society 21 00:01:20,510 --> 00:01:24,550 in which women had more rights than anywhere else in the ancient world. 22 00:01:27,030 --> 00:01:31,070 And I'm going to be looking at four of my favourite women of power. 23 00:01:31,070 --> 00:01:33,110 Each one, a trailblazer, 24 00:01:33,110 --> 00:01:36,390 who, in different ways, paved the way for the rest. 25 00:01:39,190 --> 00:01:41,110 The Venerated mother. 26 00:01:41,110 --> 00:01:43,270 It might look like a hole in the ground, 27 00:01:43,270 --> 00:01:44,870 but this is where it all began. 28 00:01:46,750 --> 00:01:48,950 The powerful leader. 29 00:01:48,950 --> 00:01:51,150 Look at me. I am a pharaoh. 30 00:01:53,590 --> 00:01:55,670 The perfect diplomat. 31 00:01:55,670 --> 00:02:00,510 Not only beautiful, this woman was pretty clever too. 32 00:02:00,510 --> 00:02:04,270 And Cleopatra's globally-minded role model. 33 00:02:04,270 --> 00:02:07,630 She knew that knowledge really was power. 34 00:02:07,630 --> 00:02:11,710 Together, they created a legacy of female authority 35 00:02:11,710 --> 00:02:14,150 that would influence not only Cleopatra, 36 00:02:14,150 --> 00:02:16,390 but generations to come. 37 00:02:16,390 --> 00:02:19,390 These women were incredible role models to all of us, 38 00:02:19,390 --> 00:02:20,750 even in the modern world. 39 00:02:23,070 --> 00:02:24,830 And by telling their story, 40 00:02:24,830 --> 00:02:28,830 I'll be taking a fresh look at this great civilisation 41 00:02:28,830 --> 00:02:32,110 through the eyes of the 'other' half of Ancient Egypt... 42 00:02:32,110 --> 00:02:33,110 its women. 43 00:02:47,070 --> 00:02:49,670 Now to understand the women of Ancient Egypt, 44 00:02:49,670 --> 00:02:52,310 we need to go right back to the beginning. 45 00:02:52,310 --> 00:02:54,750 To the Egyptians own story of creation. 46 00:02:56,550 --> 00:02:59,030 A story that gave its female characters 47 00:02:59,030 --> 00:03:02,670 unparalleled powers and status. 48 00:03:02,670 --> 00:03:05,350 Powers inherited from the very gods themselves. 49 00:03:21,470 --> 00:03:24,510 Now the ancient Egyptians had countless versions 50 00:03:24,510 --> 00:03:26,430 of the creation story, 51 00:03:26,430 --> 00:03:29,870 but most of them centred on their very distinctive environment 52 00:03:29,870 --> 00:03:33,350 and the life-giving waters of the wonderful River Nile. 53 00:03:33,350 --> 00:03:38,430 Now, in essence, what these creation myths tried to suggest 54 00:03:38,430 --> 00:03:42,910 was that all life had started from these waters of creation 55 00:03:42,910 --> 00:03:46,950 from which the great sun, the source of all life, had first emerged 56 00:03:46,950 --> 00:03:52,230 to create the deities. The multitude of Egyptian deities male and female, 57 00:03:52,230 --> 00:03:55,270 no less important and just as numerous as each other. 58 00:03:55,270 --> 00:04:02,510 The most famous of these was the great goddess Isis and Osiris, 59 00:04:02,510 --> 00:04:06,550 brother-sister gods, who were also husband and wife. 60 00:04:06,550 --> 00:04:09,750 Now, according to the ancient Egyptians, 61 00:04:09,750 --> 00:04:11,550 unlike most ancient cultures, 62 00:04:11,550 --> 00:04:14,670 it was Isis who was the active, dominant partner 63 00:04:14,670 --> 00:04:18,230 whereas Osiris was a rather passive fellow. 64 00:04:18,230 --> 00:04:21,310 In fact, he was killed off early on in the story. 65 00:04:21,310 --> 00:04:23,310 Poor Osiris. 66 00:04:23,310 --> 00:04:25,870 The only power in the universe strong enough 67 00:04:25,870 --> 00:04:28,270 to bring him back to life and resurrect him 68 00:04:28,270 --> 00:04:30,030 was his great sister Isis, 69 00:04:30,030 --> 00:04:34,510 who brought to bear all her great magic to resurrect him from the dead 70 00:04:34,510 --> 00:04:38,750 and from this pair, so began all human kind. 71 00:04:44,230 --> 00:04:47,310 Such stories of Isis, this powerful mythical woman, 72 00:04:47,310 --> 00:04:50,550 are in many ways key to understanding 73 00:04:50,550 --> 00:04:54,590 how women had such prominence in Egyptian life. 74 00:04:54,590 --> 00:04:57,870 For Isis was venerated as a divine mother figure. 75 00:05:01,150 --> 00:05:05,230 And the first real woman I'm going in search of gained her own power 76 00:05:05,230 --> 00:05:06,830 and prestige as a mother. 77 00:05:10,710 --> 00:05:14,830 She lived in the early time of the pharaohs, known as the Old Kingdom, 78 00:05:14,830 --> 00:05:17,110 more than 4,500 years ago... 79 00:05:19,590 --> 00:05:22,230 ..and her name was Hetepheres. 80 00:05:44,990 --> 00:05:46,710 For the ancient Egyptians, 81 00:05:46,710 --> 00:05:50,350 death was simply a transition to the afterlife 82 00:05:50,350 --> 00:05:52,710 into which the soul would need to be reborn. 83 00:05:55,710 --> 00:05:58,350 And to house their souls as well as their bodies, 84 00:05:58,350 --> 00:06:01,630 the Egyptian elite built ever-more elaborate tombs. 85 00:06:03,150 --> 00:06:07,310 The most spectacular such tomb is the Great Pyramid of Giza, 86 00:06:07,310 --> 00:06:10,990 final resting place of the powerful Old Kingdom leader... 87 00:06:10,990 --> 00:06:11,990 Pharaoh Khufu. 88 00:06:14,870 --> 00:06:17,470 Everybody comes to Egypt to see these. 89 00:06:17,470 --> 00:06:21,510 And they are very big. They are very grand and they are very imposing, 90 00:06:21,510 --> 00:06:25,310 but I am here today to see something even more interesting, 91 00:06:25,310 --> 00:06:26,430 just over there. 92 00:06:32,270 --> 00:06:37,790 I'm looking for the tomb of Khufu's mother, Queen Hetepheres. 93 00:06:37,790 --> 00:06:39,230 For as mother of the King, 94 00:06:39,230 --> 00:06:42,870 it seems that Khufu wanted her to be buried close by 95 00:06:42,870 --> 00:06:45,350 to ensure his rebirth into the next world. 96 00:06:48,870 --> 00:06:51,230 So, I have come here to find the source, 97 00:06:51,230 --> 00:06:55,270 to find the origins of this whole entire site 98 00:06:55,270 --> 00:06:57,670 and it all started here. 99 00:06:57,670 --> 00:06:59,750 It might look like a hole in the ground, 100 00:06:59,750 --> 00:07:01,350 but this is where it all began. 101 00:07:04,430 --> 00:07:07,030 This is the entrance to the tomb of Hetepheres 102 00:07:07,030 --> 00:07:10,510 and I believe it was this mother's life-giving force 103 00:07:10,510 --> 00:07:13,550 that shaped this entire plateau forever. 104 00:07:16,390 --> 00:07:18,030 Now in Hetepheres' day, 105 00:07:18,030 --> 00:07:21,430 this landscape was a very special landscape. 106 00:07:21,430 --> 00:07:23,110 It was on the edge of the desert 107 00:07:23,110 --> 00:07:25,950 where the Egyptians traditionally buried their dead, 108 00:07:25,950 --> 00:07:28,590 in the land of the west, the land where the sun set. 109 00:07:28,590 --> 00:07:34,470 And yet, at her time, this entire plateau had nothing on it. 110 00:07:34,470 --> 00:07:39,550 The rest of this necropolis unfolded as a result of her tomb being here 111 00:07:39,550 --> 00:07:42,990 and it was filled with the most spectacular golden treasures. 112 00:07:42,990 --> 00:07:48,910 Because 20 metres down this steep shaft at the very bottom 113 00:07:48,910 --> 00:07:53,750 is the burial chamber and Hetepheres personal belongings covered in gold 114 00:07:53,750 --> 00:07:55,990 were found there in 1925. 115 00:08:05,190 --> 00:08:11,510 Hetepheres' tomb is the oldest, intact royal burial ever found, 116 00:08:11,510 --> 00:08:15,390 predating the tomb of Tutankhamen by 1,300 years. 117 00:08:19,870 --> 00:08:22,950 And all the contents of that tiny little tomb came here 118 00:08:22,950 --> 00:08:25,030 to this quiet corner of Cairo Museum. 119 00:08:30,990 --> 00:08:34,350 This is surely the ultimate in flat pack furniture. 120 00:08:34,350 --> 00:08:37,390 This is the bedroom suite, if you like, 121 00:08:37,390 --> 00:08:41,710 of the great Queen Hetepheres. It is absolutely stunning. 122 00:08:41,710 --> 00:08:46,590 We've got her bed, her silver headrest, one of her gold thrones 123 00:08:46,590 --> 00:08:48,630 and all manner of gold covered boxes. 124 00:08:52,750 --> 00:08:56,510 And among these boxes, a unique collection of jewellery was found. 125 00:08:57,750 --> 00:08:59,950 These spectacular silver bangles, 126 00:08:59,950 --> 00:09:02,830 which she would have worn up each arm. 127 00:09:02,830 --> 00:09:05,470 These are bespoke, and if you look very carefully, 128 00:09:05,470 --> 00:09:08,230 you can see they're all slightly different sizes. 129 00:09:08,230 --> 00:09:10,150 They start off quite large 130 00:09:10,150 --> 00:09:14,310 and then they get increasingly smaller towards the wrist. 131 00:09:14,310 --> 00:09:16,110 They would have fitted no-one else 132 00:09:16,110 --> 00:09:19,070 and these are kind of made to measure just to fit her, 133 00:09:19,070 --> 00:09:21,190 just to fit the great queen. 134 00:09:21,190 --> 00:09:23,310 It's absolutely extraordinary to think 135 00:09:23,310 --> 00:09:25,670 that this is 4,500 years old. 136 00:09:32,910 --> 00:09:34,910 As King Khufu's mother, 137 00:09:34,910 --> 00:09:40,150 Hetepheres was the most important woman in his life. 138 00:09:40,150 --> 00:09:43,870 So, he made sure that her tomb was filled with all the luxuries 139 00:09:43,870 --> 00:09:46,950 she would need in the afterlife. 140 00:09:46,950 --> 00:09:49,350 This fabulous gold carrying chair, 141 00:09:49,350 --> 00:09:52,390 which was given to queen Hetepheres by her son 142 00:09:52,390 --> 00:09:55,030 is a fantastic work of art. 143 00:09:55,030 --> 00:09:58,470 Her titles are inlaid in these fine, gold hieroglyphs 144 00:09:58,470 --> 00:10:02,030 down the back of the chair inlaid in this dark ebony wood. 145 00:10:05,590 --> 00:10:08,790 You can see the little figure of the bee and the plant 146 00:10:08,790 --> 00:10:13,310 and right immediately below that is the vulture and that means mother. 147 00:10:13,310 --> 00:10:16,750 'Mother of the King of upper and lower Egypt.' 148 00:10:16,750 --> 00:10:20,390 The next sign is a golden falcon. 149 00:10:20,390 --> 00:10:22,430 'Follower of Horus.' 150 00:10:24,070 --> 00:10:27,750 And then scroll right down through all these wonderful titles 151 00:10:27,750 --> 00:10:30,190 that Hetepheres held in her lifetime. 152 00:10:30,190 --> 00:10:33,190 'Overseer of the affairs of the palace. 153 00:10:33,190 --> 00:10:37,070 'She whose every command is carried out. 154 00:10:37,070 --> 00:10:38,910 'Daughter of the Gods body.' 155 00:10:41,430 --> 00:10:45,190 And the last 6 hieroglyphs gives the names Hetepheres, 156 00:10:45,190 --> 00:10:48,470 the woman herself and in the very final hieroglyph 157 00:10:48,470 --> 00:10:51,310 that's the so-called determinative, 158 00:10:51,310 --> 00:10:54,950 which shows her enthroned 159 00:10:54,950 --> 00:10:57,390 and we come face to face with the woman herself. 160 00:11:08,230 --> 00:11:12,190 Being the mother of the king certainly had its perks 161 00:11:12,190 --> 00:11:14,710 and being carried around was one of them. 162 00:11:14,710 --> 00:11:17,110 For a slightly less royal ride in the desert, 163 00:11:17,110 --> 00:11:19,110 I have asked Faith and Ibrahim for help. 164 00:11:20,950 --> 00:11:22,510 Now, this wonderful thing 165 00:11:22,510 --> 00:11:26,630 is a replica of Hetepheres' carrying chair and I am going to try out now. 166 00:11:26,630 --> 00:11:30,110 It really symbolises how precious this royal woman was 167 00:11:30,110 --> 00:11:33,350 that like the goddesses, she was carried around. 168 00:11:33,350 --> 00:11:37,230 She was far, far too important to merely walk across the ground. 169 00:11:37,230 --> 00:11:40,830 So, she was carried everywhere in the chair like this one. 170 00:11:40,830 --> 00:11:44,510 SHE SPEAKS IN ARABIC 171 00:11:45,630 --> 00:11:50,510 SHE GIVES INSTRUCTIONS IN ARABIC 172 00:11:50,510 --> 00:11:53,030 SHE SQUEALS AND GIGGLES 173 00:11:53,030 --> 00:11:55,310 This is so good. This is really good. 174 00:11:55,310 --> 00:11:57,750 I wouldn't like to go very far in it though. 175 00:12:24,950 --> 00:12:26,950 Now, although in many ways, 176 00:12:26,950 --> 00:12:29,790 Hetepheres was the source of everything here. 177 00:12:29,790 --> 00:12:32,470 She was only ever the king's mother. 178 00:12:32,470 --> 00:12:36,470 She may have given birth to him, guided him throughout his life 179 00:12:36,470 --> 00:12:39,670 and enabled him to enter the next world, 180 00:12:39,670 --> 00:12:42,710 but she was only ever royal mother 181 00:12:42,710 --> 00:12:45,630 unlike my next mighty woman of power, 182 00:12:45,630 --> 00:12:47,990 the ultimate Egyptian pharaoh. 183 00:12:52,790 --> 00:12:56,030 Move forward over 1,000 years to my next choice. 184 00:12:56,030 --> 00:12:58,670 Another great royal woman destined to become 185 00:12:58,670 --> 00:13:00,670 one of Egypt's greatest pharaohs. 186 00:13:03,310 --> 00:13:04,990 Her name was Hatshepsut. 187 00:13:11,950 --> 00:13:14,070 And although at least 15 women 188 00:13:14,070 --> 00:13:16,710 are now known to have ruled Egypt as pharaoh... 189 00:13:18,910 --> 00:13:20,990 ..Hatshepsut would really make history... 190 00:13:22,590 --> 00:13:25,470 ..as both the monumental builder and a royal warrior. 191 00:13:37,110 --> 00:13:40,270 Although Hatshepsut was of direct royal descent, 192 00:13:40,270 --> 00:13:43,750 becoming pharaoh wasn't so straightforward 193 00:13:43,750 --> 00:13:46,270 and required some skilful, political manoeuvring. 194 00:13:51,150 --> 00:13:54,110 At the death of her husband, the reigning pharaoh, 195 00:13:54,110 --> 00:13:57,150 her stepson and heir to the throne was too young to rule. 196 00:13:57,150 --> 00:14:01,630 So, Hatshepsut ruled on his behalf and was eventually crowned king. 197 00:14:05,470 --> 00:14:07,350 But how did she hold on to her power? 198 00:14:15,510 --> 00:14:18,470 Staring down on visitors to Cairo Museum, 199 00:14:18,470 --> 00:14:21,270 her intimidating presence can still be felt. 200 00:14:25,190 --> 00:14:28,190 All pharaohs had to look the part, 201 00:14:28,190 --> 00:14:31,870 but it was especially important for a woman 202 00:14:31,870 --> 00:14:34,230 to project herself as the perfect leader. 203 00:14:36,470 --> 00:14:38,430 It's all about how you looked. 204 00:14:38,430 --> 00:14:41,230 If you looked like a pharaoh, you were a pharaoh. 205 00:14:41,230 --> 00:14:43,670 You took on the attributes of a pharaoh 206 00:14:43,670 --> 00:14:46,550 and that's exactly what Hatshepsut is doing here. 207 00:14:46,550 --> 00:14:49,430 The correct crown, the tie on false-beard 208 00:14:49,430 --> 00:14:51,430 and other parts of the regalia 209 00:14:51,430 --> 00:14:53,830 were all meant to emphasise to her subjects 210 00:14:53,830 --> 00:14:58,710 because you are looking at 95, 99% illiterate subjects. 211 00:14:58,710 --> 00:15:00,710 They couldn't read royal edicts. 212 00:15:00,710 --> 00:15:02,950 They couldn't read any sacred inscription. 213 00:15:02,950 --> 00:15:04,870 It was all about the visual 214 00:15:04,870 --> 00:15:08,470 and that is what Hatshepsut was so brilliant at doing. 215 00:15:08,470 --> 00:15:11,110 This ultimate in propaganda. 216 00:15:11,110 --> 00:15:13,950 Look at me. I am a pharaoh. 217 00:15:19,030 --> 00:15:21,270 Wearing a tie-on false beard 218 00:15:21,270 --> 00:15:24,670 was considered a divine attribute of the gods. 219 00:15:24,670 --> 00:15:28,390 All pharaohs had one and Hatshepsut was no exception. 220 00:15:32,030 --> 00:15:35,990 But she didn't confine such visually dazzling statements of power 221 00:15:35,990 --> 00:15:37,270 to her own appearance. 222 00:15:39,910 --> 00:15:43,510 I'm travelling to Hatshepsut's power base 223 00:15:43,510 --> 00:15:45,230 500km south of Cairo... 224 00:15:47,630 --> 00:15:50,910 ..to Thebes, modern day Luxor. 225 00:15:57,790 --> 00:16:00,830 For here, Hatshepsut remodelled the landscape 226 00:16:00,830 --> 00:16:03,350 with a whole series of monumental buildings. 227 00:16:03,350 --> 00:16:06,350 The most famous, her sublime funerary temple 228 00:16:06,350 --> 00:16:07,350 at Deir el-Bahari. 229 00:16:10,030 --> 00:16:14,070 Known by its most ancient name 'the most sacred of sacred places', 230 00:16:14,070 --> 00:16:17,510 the temple is one of Egypt's most spectacular buildings. 231 00:16:17,510 --> 00:16:19,590 The ultimate eternal monument. 232 00:16:20,990 --> 00:16:24,390 Now seeming to emerge from the foot of the Theban hills, 233 00:16:24,390 --> 00:16:28,470 Hatshepsut's temple is a brilliant piece of architecture. 234 00:16:28,470 --> 00:16:32,750 It's clean, geometric lines contrast stunningly well 235 00:16:32,750 --> 00:16:35,550 against the rugged rocks behind them. 236 00:16:35,550 --> 00:16:38,830 It's surely one of the most beautiful temples in Egypt 237 00:16:38,830 --> 00:16:42,150 and the most fitting place to commemorate the life 238 00:16:42,150 --> 00:16:44,390 of the great female pharaoh Hatshepsut. 239 00:16:51,550 --> 00:16:54,470 The setting of the temple is indeed awe-inspiring. 240 00:16:59,590 --> 00:17:01,710 But the reasons behind its construction 241 00:17:01,710 --> 00:17:03,710 go far beyond the aesthetic. 242 00:17:07,870 --> 00:17:11,150 Now, Hatshepsut built here for three specific reasons. 243 00:17:11,150 --> 00:17:14,390 Firstly, it lay directly across 244 00:17:14,390 --> 00:17:17,870 from the great temple of the state god Amun-Ra. 245 00:17:17,870 --> 00:17:21,670 Secondly, offerings could be left for her soul for eternity 246 00:17:21,670 --> 00:17:24,350 rather than disturbing the peace of her tomb 247 00:17:24,350 --> 00:17:29,190 and thirdly, this place was filled with scenes personally selected 248 00:17:29,190 --> 00:17:33,670 by Hatshepsut illustrating and emphasising 249 00:17:33,670 --> 00:17:35,750 her right to the throne. 250 00:17:35,750 --> 00:17:40,630 In short, this was a piece of permanent political propaganda. 251 00:17:47,270 --> 00:17:50,950 But Hatshepsut wasn't just a builder. 252 00:17:50,950 --> 00:17:53,270 She was also a military commander, 253 00:17:53,270 --> 00:17:57,230 twice leading campaigns herself against Egypt's enemies in Nubia. 254 00:17:59,670 --> 00:18:02,870 And some of the offerings discovered at Deir el-Bahari 255 00:18:02,870 --> 00:18:05,590 hint at Hatshepsut's military capabilities. 256 00:18:10,190 --> 00:18:13,510 She lead her troupes into battle on at least two occasions. 257 00:18:13,510 --> 00:18:15,550 Texts describe her as a conqueror. 258 00:18:15,550 --> 00:18:18,470 "She who will be a conqueror, flaming against her enemies." 259 00:18:21,870 --> 00:18:24,350 This very special thing. 260 00:18:24,350 --> 00:18:29,550 It's a votive offering, presentative of an axe blade, a copper alloy 261 00:18:29,550 --> 00:18:32,590 and it's inscribed with Hatshepsut's names and titles. 262 00:18:32,590 --> 00:18:35,030 And I think, in a single object. 263 00:18:35,030 --> 00:18:40,310 it encapsulates this female pharaoh, this woman warrior. 264 00:18:40,310 --> 00:18:41,630 It's a wonderful thing. 265 00:18:50,270 --> 00:18:52,470 Having proved her military skills, 266 00:18:52,470 --> 00:18:54,750 Hatshepsut turned her attention 267 00:18:54,750 --> 00:18:57,270 to securing the nation's peaceful prosperity. 268 00:19:05,390 --> 00:19:07,150 She formed economic alliances 269 00:19:07,150 --> 00:19:09,390 that brought wealth into her country. 270 00:19:09,390 --> 00:19:13,190 Trading with kingdoms like Punt to the south on the Red Sea coast. 271 00:19:20,470 --> 00:19:23,990 Now, Hatshepsut certainly expanded Egypt's trade routes 272 00:19:23,990 --> 00:19:26,910 and initiated commerce on a large scale. 273 00:19:26,910 --> 00:19:30,790 She also reopened the very lucrative trading routes with the land of Punt 274 00:19:30,790 --> 00:19:32,510 down the Red Sea coast. 275 00:19:32,510 --> 00:19:36,150 And we can see exactly this scene behind us now. 276 00:19:36,150 --> 00:19:38,830 These are the Egyptians arriving in Punt. 277 00:19:38,830 --> 00:19:41,510 These are the Puntites coming out to meet them 278 00:19:41,510 --> 00:19:44,510 and this is the place where the commerce occurred. 279 00:19:44,510 --> 00:19:48,710 It's a small low chest on which the Egyptians have placed 280 00:19:48,710 --> 00:19:52,830 all the valuable goods, the beads, the bangles, 281 00:19:52,830 --> 00:19:56,510 the metal weaponry with which they're then going to trade 282 00:19:56,510 --> 00:19:59,950 with the Puntites for this most precious of commodities, 283 00:19:59,950 --> 00:20:02,790 that kind of red dome-shape. 284 00:20:02,790 --> 00:20:07,510 That's actually a huge pile of myrrh resin. 285 00:20:07,510 --> 00:20:10,310 Myrrh and other resins were traditionally used 286 00:20:10,310 --> 00:20:12,950 in temple rituals, in mummification 287 00:20:12,950 --> 00:20:16,030 and were also key ingredients in perfume production. 288 00:20:18,630 --> 00:20:22,270 And Hatshepsut herself is known to have used fragrant myrrh oil 289 00:20:22,270 --> 00:20:25,550 rubbed into her skin to, as she puts it herself, 290 00:20:25,550 --> 00:20:28,670 "Gleam like the stars before the whole land." 291 00:20:28,670 --> 00:20:31,590 So, in the days before the modern celebrity, 292 00:20:31,590 --> 00:20:34,910 Hatshepsut also had her own signature fragrance. 293 00:20:41,110 --> 00:20:44,710 The details in such scenes certainly help piece together 294 00:20:44,710 --> 00:20:48,470 how Hatshepsut managed to hold on to power for over 20 years. 295 00:20:52,950 --> 00:20:55,190 But through one intriguing object, 296 00:20:55,190 --> 00:20:58,150 I can even experience a little bit of time travel. 297 00:21:01,310 --> 00:21:02,990 That's quite amazing. 298 00:21:02,990 --> 00:21:06,990 This small alabaster vessel still has its original contents 299 00:21:06,990 --> 00:21:10,230 after almost 3,500 years. 300 00:21:10,230 --> 00:21:13,470 And her names and titles are again inscribed on the front, 301 00:21:13,470 --> 00:21:15,310 but look inside. 302 00:21:15,310 --> 00:21:17,910 It's the actual imported resin. 303 00:21:17,910 --> 00:21:21,990 This is the stuff that is referred to on the walls at Deir el-Bahari 304 00:21:21,990 --> 00:21:23,230 and here it is. 305 00:21:23,230 --> 00:21:25,070 It's amazing. 306 00:21:25,070 --> 00:21:26,470 It's as if we can smell the past. 307 00:21:26,470 --> 00:21:28,910 We can't just see it, we can't just read the words. 308 00:21:28,910 --> 00:21:30,950 It's contained in this very vessel. 309 00:21:48,190 --> 00:21:53,150 Maintaining power for over two decades of peace and prosperity, 310 00:21:53,150 --> 00:21:57,750 Hatshepsut was the most successful female monarch Egypt had yet seen. 311 00:22:02,030 --> 00:22:03,830 And she had proved beyond doubt 312 00:22:03,830 --> 00:22:06,710 that an effective leader didn't have to be a man. 313 00:22:25,790 --> 00:22:29,030 As part of Hatshepsut's master plan for posterity, 314 00:22:29,030 --> 00:22:33,710 she commissioned two pairs of pink granite obelisks at Karnak Temple. 315 00:22:39,910 --> 00:22:42,230 At almost 30 metres high, 316 00:22:42,230 --> 00:22:46,270 this one is the tallest still standing, anywhere in Egypt. 317 00:22:49,550 --> 00:22:52,830 In her own words, she tells us why she wanted to set up 318 00:22:52,830 --> 00:22:57,270 such striking monuments as a tribute to her father, 319 00:22:57,270 --> 00:22:59,110 to "the one who made me," she says. 320 00:23:02,030 --> 00:23:06,230 And by father she didn't mean her natural parent, but Amun, 321 00:23:06,230 --> 00:23:09,950 the king of the gods, to whom this whole temple is dedicated. 322 00:23:12,110 --> 00:23:15,270 Their tops would have been capped with electrum, 323 00:23:15,270 --> 00:23:17,390 which is a blend of gold and silver 324 00:23:17,390 --> 00:23:21,110 and the idea is they acted as a kind of esoteric lightning rod 325 00:23:21,110 --> 00:23:24,270 to catch the very first rays of the sun at dawn 326 00:23:24,270 --> 00:23:26,350 to transmit that solar power down here, 327 00:23:26,350 --> 00:23:28,550 into the heart of Karnak Temple... 328 00:23:31,390 --> 00:23:33,430 ..where it could then be re-distributed 329 00:23:33,430 --> 00:23:34,950 for the good of Egypt. 330 00:23:43,430 --> 00:23:47,150 Karnak Temple is the place where the god Amun was worshipped. 331 00:23:50,310 --> 00:23:55,150 This huge religious complex was continually expanded and embellished 332 00:23:55,150 --> 00:23:56,790 by successive rulers. 333 00:23:59,430 --> 00:24:04,110 And Hatshepsut made sure that she paid tribute to the king of the gods 334 00:24:04,110 --> 00:24:05,950 in the grandest of styles. 335 00:24:10,390 --> 00:24:13,430 This is the Red Chapel of Hatshepsut. 336 00:24:13,430 --> 00:24:18,310 This shrine was known as the 'place of the heart of Amun', the state god 337 00:24:18,310 --> 00:24:22,590 and lay at the very centre of his great temple at Karnak. 338 00:24:22,590 --> 00:24:25,430 It was kind of like a sacred garage, 339 00:24:25,430 --> 00:24:28,670 which housed the sacred barque, or boat, 340 00:24:28,670 --> 00:24:31,190 on which the god's statue stood 341 00:24:31,190 --> 00:24:35,270 and would have been paraded around in procession as we can see here 342 00:24:35,270 --> 00:24:37,390 on these wall scenes behind me. 343 00:24:37,390 --> 00:24:39,910 We can see the rows of shaven-headed priests 344 00:24:39,910 --> 00:24:42,390 bringing in the sacred barque 345 00:24:42,390 --> 00:24:45,550 on which the statue of the god is housed. 346 00:24:45,550 --> 00:24:49,790 Hidden behind these little curtains to keep him from profane eyes. 347 00:24:52,630 --> 00:24:56,710 And the barque itself has been greeted by the two co-rulers, 348 00:24:56,710 --> 00:25:00,790 the young male pharaoh - Tutmosis. 349 00:25:00,790 --> 00:25:02,670 Bringing up the ceremonial rear, 350 00:25:02,670 --> 00:25:06,030 as a kind of glorified magician's assistant, 351 00:25:06,030 --> 00:25:11,030 he's burning incense to welcome the god's arrival 352 00:25:11,030 --> 00:25:14,990 and yet, centre-stage is Hatshepsut herself. 353 00:25:14,990 --> 00:25:18,230 Make no mistake, she's the most important figure here. 354 00:25:18,230 --> 00:25:20,110 She is the senior partner. 355 00:25:20,110 --> 00:25:22,070 SHE is the child of god. 356 00:25:27,470 --> 00:25:29,430 Through such lavish endowments, 357 00:25:29,430 --> 00:25:34,470 Hatshepsut was demonstrating her veneration to Amun. 358 00:25:34,470 --> 00:25:36,670 And assisted by the priests, 359 00:25:36,670 --> 00:25:38,750 the pharaoh had to personally perform 360 00:25:38,750 --> 00:25:43,310 the necessary religious ceremonies to maintain cosmic order. 361 00:25:44,430 --> 00:25:47,710 And this is where Hatshepsut herself would have stood 362 00:25:47,710 --> 00:25:50,790 to perform the sacred rites before the god, 363 00:25:50,790 --> 00:25:55,230 presenting the offerings and pouring the sacred water 364 00:25:55,230 --> 00:25:58,190 all around the god statue. 365 00:25:58,190 --> 00:26:01,350 Of course, Hatshepsut would have used a golden vessel 366 00:26:01,350 --> 00:26:03,110 and we have a rusty, old bucket, 367 00:26:03,110 --> 00:26:05,950 but it gives you an idea of what would have occurred. 368 00:26:10,430 --> 00:26:13,870 With the sacred water channelled out and beyond the chapel, 369 00:26:13,870 --> 00:26:17,550 the god's protection spread throughout the entire land 370 00:26:17,550 --> 00:26:19,150 and beyond. 371 00:26:20,790 --> 00:26:25,790 For Hatshepsut wished to be "eternal like an undying star" 372 00:26:25,790 --> 00:26:29,350 and she certainly gained a unique place in history. 373 00:26:32,350 --> 00:26:35,830 The feelings aroused by the notion of a female pharaoh 374 00:26:35,830 --> 00:26:38,270 remained so strong that, for some, 375 00:26:38,270 --> 00:26:41,910 Hatshepsut's been cast as a kind of wicked step-mother figure. 376 00:26:41,910 --> 00:26:44,550 Kind of a woman who dared to masquerade as a man, 377 00:26:44,550 --> 00:26:47,430 dressing up with a false beard of kingship 378 00:26:47,430 --> 00:26:50,870 and usurping the right to the throne. 379 00:26:50,870 --> 00:26:54,150 For others, however, she's a huge inspiration. 380 00:26:54,150 --> 00:26:59,190 An amazing woman, who kind of led the way for generations to come. 381 00:27:04,910 --> 00:27:08,350 Hatshepsut's reign had been a triumph 382 00:27:08,350 --> 00:27:12,830 and yet, at her death, her stepson took sole power 383 00:27:12,830 --> 00:27:16,790 and for now, female rule was over. 384 00:27:37,550 --> 00:27:40,630 Leaders like Hatshepsut reveal Ancient Egypt 385 00:27:40,630 --> 00:27:44,510 as one of the most egalitarian societies of the ancient world, 386 00:27:44,510 --> 00:27:48,670 where women could achieve high-powered roles, own property, 387 00:27:48,670 --> 00:27:54,030 make business deals, earn equal pay and go to court. 388 00:27:54,030 --> 00:27:57,910 It may all sound reasonable now, but it was highly unusual back then. 389 00:28:03,590 --> 00:28:06,830 I have arranged to have tea with the academic Sahar El Mougy, 390 00:28:06,830 --> 00:28:09,270 who's written extensively about the legacy 391 00:28:09,270 --> 00:28:12,550 of these incredible ancient role models. 392 00:28:12,550 --> 00:28:17,910 Tell me, Sahar, in terms of the female rulers of Ancient Egypt, 393 00:28:17,910 --> 00:28:19,430 when you were growing up, 394 00:28:19,430 --> 00:28:22,390 was it easy to find out about them, about their legacy? 395 00:28:22,390 --> 00:28:24,310 Because I know there's very little 396 00:28:24,310 --> 00:28:26,950 in the Egyptological literature about them. 397 00:28:26,950 --> 00:28:30,430 They seemed to have been swept very much under the academic carpet. 398 00:28:30,430 --> 00:28:33,270 But what's the situation in Egypt, was it different for you? 399 00:28:33,270 --> 00:28:37,390 I grew up not knowing about those women, 400 00:28:37,390 --> 00:28:41,550 except in bits and pieces in boring history books at school. 401 00:28:41,550 --> 00:28:43,830 In the process of writing, 402 00:28:43,830 --> 00:28:47,750 I was like getting to know my mothers and grandmothers 403 00:28:47,750 --> 00:28:50,510 and that's why in my writings 404 00:28:50,510 --> 00:28:55,390 those female goddesses come back to life as inspiring figures. 405 00:28:55,390 --> 00:29:00,630 The amount of power that I received from knowing about them 406 00:29:00,630 --> 00:29:04,110 through my own eyes, it was immense. 407 00:29:04,110 --> 00:29:09,230 It was magical. It was like, "Wow! This is where I come from." 408 00:29:22,070 --> 00:29:25,630 It must be said female pharaohs were quite a rarity 409 00:29:25,630 --> 00:29:27,550 and by the 19th dynasty, 410 00:29:27,550 --> 00:29:32,590 a new regime of ex-military men from the north had taken power in Egypt. 411 00:29:32,590 --> 00:29:35,750 Men were now very much in control 412 00:29:35,750 --> 00:29:38,870 and the royal women had to find other tactics. 413 00:29:44,950 --> 00:29:48,070 Around 150 years after the death of Hatshepsut, 414 00:29:48,070 --> 00:29:51,590 my next woman used diplomatic skills to assert herself 415 00:29:51,590 --> 00:29:53,470 at the heart of Egyptian politics. 416 00:29:57,430 --> 00:29:59,350 Her name was Nefertari. 417 00:30:04,030 --> 00:30:05,910 Meaning 'the loveliest one of all', 418 00:30:05,910 --> 00:30:08,510 Nefertari was not only beautiful, 419 00:30:08,510 --> 00:30:12,390 she was also one of Egypt's most gifted queen consorts. 420 00:30:19,670 --> 00:30:23,390 As a very young woman, Nefertari had married a prince, 421 00:30:23,390 --> 00:30:27,390 who would become one of Egypt's most famous pharaohs... 422 00:30:29,630 --> 00:30:31,230 ..Ramses II. 423 00:30:37,750 --> 00:30:40,190 And it's quite impossible to go anywhere in Egypt 424 00:30:40,190 --> 00:30:42,550 without bumping into him. 425 00:30:42,550 --> 00:30:45,470 For he ruled longer, built bigger 426 00:30:45,470 --> 00:30:49,150 and certainly boasted more than almost any other pharaoh. 427 00:30:52,190 --> 00:30:55,230 In ancient Egypt, size is everything. 428 00:30:55,230 --> 00:30:58,670 And Ramses himself has accurately been described 429 00:30:58,670 --> 00:31:00,670 as the giant planet Jupiter, 430 00:31:00,670 --> 00:31:04,270 Brilliant at a distance, but essentially a ball of gas. 431 00:31:09,670 --> 00:31:11,870 And this really cuts to the heart of his policy 432 00:31:11,870 --> 00:31:15,350 of quantity over quality, the bigger the better 433 00:31:15,350 --> 00:31:17,790 and this is wonderfully expressed by this statue here. 434 00:31:17,790 --> 00:31:21,630 We can see Ramses' on a colossal scale 435 00:31:21,630 --> 00:31:24,110 while even his favourite wife, Nefertari, 436 00:31:24,110 --> 00:31:27,950 clutches at the back of his leg not even as high as his knee! 437 00:31:30,230 --> 00:31:32,950 So, in order to find out more about her, 438 00:31:32,950 --> 00:31:35,630 we have to travel beyond Egypt's traditional boundaries. 439 00:31:47,110 --> 00:31:52,110 So I'm going 400km south to tell a different side of this story. 440 00:31:52,110 --> 00:31:54,190 To the temple of Abu Simbel. 441 00:32:00,110 --> 00:32:03,790 As one of the most monumental examples of pharaonic might, 442 00:32:03,790 --> 00:32:06,510 it was built on the border with volatile Nubia 443 00:32:06,510 --> 00:32:09,990 and was designed to strike fear and respect into all 444 00:32:09,990 --> 00:32:12,910 who sailed past along the Nile toward Egypt. 445 00:32:20,670 --> 00:32:23,390 This is the temple of Abu Simbel 446 00:32:23,390 --> 00:32:26,030 built by Ramses II during his 67th year reign. 447 00:32:26,030 --> 00:32:28,150 And it's typical of the man. 448 00:32:28,150 --> 00:32:30,910 It's massive, 449 00:32:30,910 --> 00:32:34,230 it's monumental 450 00:32:34,230 --> 00:32:36,990 and yet, it's only one of the temples at Abu Simbel. 451 00:32:36,990 --> 00:32:38,830 In short, it's only half the story. 452 00:32:43,910 --> 00:32:46,950 The story I'm really interested in is next door... 453 00:32:49,390 --> 00:32:54,270 ..within a temple dedicated, for once, not to Ramses, 454 00:32:54,270 --> 00:32:55,590 but to his wife. 455 00:33:40,150 --> 00:33:43,190 And here she is, the great Queen Nefertari 456 00:33:43,190 --> 00:33:47,070 standing a colossal 33 feet tall. 457 00:33:47,070 --> 00:33:48,510 If you look very carefully, 458 00:33:48,510 --> 00:33:51,150 you'll see she is just that little bit taller 459 00:33:51,150 --> 00:33:53,190 than her famous husband Ramses II 460 00:33:53,190 --> 00:33:55,790 because of the tall, feather crown she is wearing. 461 00:33:59,150 --> 00:34:01,270 Built to make a statement, 462 00:34:01,270 --> 00:34:05,790 the temples towering size, conveyed a strategic, political message 463 00:34:05,790 --> 00:34:07,990 that puts Nefertari at the heart of power. 464 00:34:09,630 --> 00:34:13,070 And so, for Ramses to erect these massive statues of his wife, 465 00:34:13,070 --> 00:34:18,030 he's really bringing into play every force at his disposal, 466 00:34:18,030 --> 00:34:20,950 including the good lady wife, 467 00:34:20,950 --> 00:34:23,830 the little woman at home, quite literally, 468 00:34:23,830 --> 00:34:28,110 but out here in Nubia, in the wiles of this desert landscape, 469 00:34:28,110 --> 00:34:30,830 these volatile tribes people, 470 00:34:30,830 --> 00:34:34,790 he needed her help and she was a very potent force. 471 00:34:34,790 --> 00:34:36,430 Her colossal, striking image 472 00:34:36,430 --> 00:34:39,790 reveals that Nefertari was the ultimate trophy wife. 473 00:34:39,790 --> 00:34:43,150 THEY SPEAK IN ARABIC 474 00:34:48,430 --> 00:34:50,470 In the interior of her temple, 475 00:34:50,470 --> 00:34:52,990 Nefertari appears in a variety of scenes, 476 00:34:52,990 --> 00:34:55,710 performing a series of sacred rights. 477 00:34:55,710 --> 00:34:58,350 Taking an active role next to her husband. 478 00:35:03,310 --> 00:35:04,950 She's got her arms raised. 479 00:35:04,950 --> 00:35:07,590 She's encouraging her royal husband Ramses, 480 00:35:07,590 --> 00:35:10,950 who's in that classic pose of an Egyptian pharaoh, 481 00:35:10,950 --> 00:35:12,590 smiting the enemy. 482 00:35:12,590 --> 00:35:14,830 Basically, this is a state execution. 483 00:35:17,670 --> 00:35:19,310 They cower at his feet. 484 00:35:19,310 --> 00:35:22,750 He holds them by the top of the head with the hair 485 00:35:22,750 --> 00:35:24,790 and once they're in that position, 486 00:35:24,790 --> 00:35:27,430 he brings the weapon down on their head, 487 00:35:27,430 --> 00:35:28,910 literally bashes out their brains. 488 00:35:32,310 --> 00:35:35,230 And all the while, Nefertari on the sidelines 489 00:35:35,230 --> 00:35:38,110 as a kind of royal cheerleader, if you like. 490 00:35:40,990 --> 00:35:43,070 Two sides of the same coin, 491 00:35:43,070 --> 00:35:45,990 but of no less value than a husband. 492 00:35:45,990 --> 00:35:47,710 It's a very, very potent scene. 493 00:35:52,030 --> 00:35:56,270 There is definitely no doubt that this was a royal double act. 494 00:36:01,550 --> 00:36:05,430 Egyptologist and Abu Simbel director Dr Ahmed Saleh 495 00:36:05,430 --> 00:36:09,470 has spent many years studying the images within both these temples. 496 00:36:10,870 --> 00:36:14,150 Is there enough information in the evidence we have 497 00:36:14,150 --> 00:36:18,190 to try and get an understanding of what they were like as a couple? 498 00:36:18,190 --> 00:36:20,710 He loved her very much. 499 00:36:20,710 --> 00:36:23,910 He married her before he ascended to the throne. 500 00:36:23,910 --> 00:36:27,870 That means he had fallen in love with Nefertari. 501 00:36:27,870 --> 00:36:30,310 She accompanied him like a deputy. 502 00:36:32,630 --> 00:36:36,270 Yet, it seems that when Nefertari sailed this far south, 503 00:36:36,270 --> 00:36:38,190 her health was fading fast. 504 00:36:40,310 --> 00:36:44,430 The sad story here is Nefertari didn't see her temple. 505 00:36:44,430 --> 00:36:47,990 She was sick. She stayed in the boat, 506 00:36:47,990 --> 00:36:51,590 maybe she can see the statues of her outside, 507 00:36:51,590 --> 00:36:54,590 but she didn't come inside her temple. 508 00:36:54,590 --> 00:36:57,590 What a shame she could only view the exterior, 509 00:36:57,590 --> 00:36:59,550 at least she saw her statues. 510 00:36:59,550 --> 00:37:01,910 This is a sad story. It is a sad story. 511 00:37:01,910 --> 00:37:04,910 I think this is the last time of Nefertari. 512 00:37:04,910 --> 00:37:08,990 This is... We're talking about the 24th year of his reign. 513 00:37:08,990 --> 00:37:12,750 This is the last year of Nefertari, 514 00:37:12,750 --> 00:37:14,910 because when she goes back to Thebes, 515 00:37:14,910 --> 00:37:17,070 I think, she died and she buried there. 516 00:37:36,830 --> 00:37:40,470 I'm travelling back north to get inside Nefertari's tomb. 517 00:37:40,470 --> 00:37:44,230 The place where I can find more evidence of the woman herself. 518 00:37:53,150 --> 00:37:55,430 Located in the Valley of the Queens, 519 00:37:55,430 --> 00:37:59,150 its scenes are so delicate that access is limited. 520 00:38:00,550 --> 00:38:02,590 I have just been given permission 521 00:38:02,590 --> 00:38:04,870 to personally unlock the tomb of Nefertari, 522 00:38:04,870 --> 00:38:08,390 the great royal wife of Ramses II and I am really excited 523 00:38:08,390 --> 00:38:11,350 cos this is an absolute gem of a tomb. 524 00:38:11,350 --> 00:38:14,590 I have only ever seen it once before when I was much younger, 525 00:38:14,590 --> 00:38:16,430 so this is going to be a rare treat. 526 00:38:17,630 --> 00:38:19,870 That is a big key. 527 00:38:19,870 --> 00:38:21,070 SHE GASPS 528 00:38:22,510 --> 00:38:24,310 Oh, my word! 529 00:38:27,790 --> 00:38:28,790 Wow! 530 00:38:30,150 --> 00:38:31,750 Oh, wow! Oh, wow! 531 00:38:36,310 --> 00:38:38,950 Covering 520 square metres, 532 00:38:38,950 --> 00:38:42,830 its brilliant jewel-like images vividly depict her journey 533 00:38:42,830 --> 00:38:44,470 into the hereafter. 534 00:38:48,830 --> 00:38:52,590 The scenes just continue one after another, after another. 535 00:38:52,590 --> 00:38:54,630 There's nothing here left to chance. 536 00:38:54,630 --> 00:38:58,750 Nothing's thrown in simply as a little bit of pretty decoration. 537 00:38:58,750 --> 00:39:00,790 It's like a machine functioning 538 00:39:00,790 --> 00:39:03,550 to keep Nefertari's soul alive in the next world. 539 00:39:09,830 --> 00:39:12,630 Great attention was given to her appearance. 540 00:39:12,630 --> 00:39:15,350 Her eyes and eyebrows outlined in black, 541 00:39:15,350 --> 00:39:18,750 a subtle, red colour on her cheeks and lips 542 00:39:18,750 --> 00:39:22,030 and the most exquisite golden jewellery adorning her. 543 00:39:22,030 --> 00:39:25,590 Nefertari, the loveliest of all. 544 00:39:25,590 --> 00:39:31,590 Her name implies incredible beauty and she really lives up to this... 545 00:39:31,590 --> 00:39:33,390 this name that she has. 546 00:39:33,390 --> 00:39:35,830 She is the ultimate high-maintenance woman. 547 00:39:39,390 --> 00:39:42,350 She was certainly beautiful, 548 00:39:42,350 --> 00:39:48,430 but one particular wall scene shows Nefertari in the company of Thoth, 549 00:39:48,430 --> 00:39:52,110 the god of knowledge and literacy, who was selected for a reason. 550 00:39:54,390 --> 00:39:57,150 We come to this wonderful scene, 551 00:39:57,150 --> 00:40:02,670 which really ties in to what we know about Nefertari in life. 552 00:40:02,670 --> 00:40:05,910 Nefertari's chosen to have the weighing of the heart, 553 00:40:05,910 --> 00:40:07,950 the judgment of the dead scene, 554 00:40:07,950 --> 00:40:10,950 from the Book Of The Dead, written out, 555 00:40:10,950 --> 00:40:13,630 but illustrated in a rather unique manner 556 00:40:13,630 --> 00:40:15,230 because here she is. 557 00:40:16,470 --> 00:40:21,230 She's having herself in the guise of the deity of Thoth, 558 00:40:21,230 --> 00:40:25,110 the ibis-headed god of literacy and writing. 559 00:40:25,110 --> 00:40:28,910 And the emphasis on writing can be seen on the scribble palette, 560 00:40:28,910 --> 00:40:32,950 which stands between Nefertari and the god Thoth 561 00:40:32,950 --> 00:40:35,310 and there she's presenting herself before Thoth. 562 00:40:35,310 --> 00:40:39,190 She says, "I am a scribe. I am a scribe." 563 00:40:39,190 --> 00:40:41,270 That's quite an emphatic statement. 564 00:40:41,270 --> 00:40:45,310 Not only beautiful, this woman was pretty clever too. 565 00:40:48,350 --> 00:40:49,990 As a royal wife, 566 00:40:49,990 --> 00:40:53,430 she would, of course, have had scribes to write on her behalf, 567 00:40:53,430 --> 00:40:56,270 but being able to read and write hieroglyphs 568 00:40:56,270 --> 00:41:00,910 was then regarded as the ultimate in academic achievement. 569 00:41:00,910 --> 00:41:03,470 And Nefertari made sure that her credentials 570 00:41:03,470 --> 00:41:06,270 would be clearly portrayed for posterity. 571 00:41:24,310 --> 00:41:27,350 Being the wife of such a domineering husband 572 00:41:27,350 --> 00:41:30,390 would also have required a considerable amount 573 00:41:30,390 --> 00:41:32,950 of gentle persuasion and soft power. 574 00:41:34,270 --> 00:41:38,430 Skills best shown in diplomatic correspondence exchanged 575 00:41:38,430 --> 00:41:41,990 with Egypt's great rivals, the Hittites of Anatolia, 576 00:41:41,990 --> 00:41:43,830 in modern Turkey. 577 00:41:43,830 --> 00:41:46,270 Nefertari is known to have corresponded 578 00:41:46,270 --> 00:41:49,470 with her opposite number in the Hittites heartland, 579 00:41:49,470 --> 00:41:52,150 the great Queen Puduhepa 580 00:41:52,150 --> 00:41:57,110 and it's amazing that one of these very letters has actually survived. 581 00:41:57,110 --> 00:42:02,110 Nefertari would have composed her own letter in the Egyptian language 582 00:42:02,110 --> 00:42:07,150 and then a bilingual scribe would have translated it into cuneiform, 583 00:42:07,150 --> 00:42:11,870 and then embossed it on small clay tablets. 584 00:42:11,870 --> 00:42:17,430 This is the exact letter that Nefertari wrote to Puduhepa. 585 00:42:17,430 --> 00:42:22,390 It's obviously a replica, but it really gives a flavour 586 00:42:22,390 --> 00:42:25,230 of the very words of our great royal wife Nefertari. 587 00:42:25,230 --> 00:42:28,830 It's full of warmth, full of sisterly felicitations. 588 00:42:31,350 --> 00:42:37,190 "To my sister Puduhepa, Great Queen of the Hittites, 589 00:42:37,190 --> 00:42:40,590 "May the Sun god of Egypt and the Storm god of the Hittites 590 00:42:40,590 --> 00:42:43,350 "bring you joy 591 00:42:43,350 --> 00:42:46,590 "and may the Sun god make the peace good forever." 592 00:42:48,910 --> 00:42:52,550 And at the very end, there's this very touching reference 593 00:42:52,550 --> 00:42:56,030 to the greetings gift she is sending the Hittite Queen. 594 00:42:57,350 --> 00:43:01,390 "I've sent you a greeting gift, my sister, 595 00:43:01,390 --> 00:43:05,350 "for your neck a necklace of pure gold, 596 00:43:05,350 --> 00:43:07,950 "and some coloured linen to make a royal robe 597 00:43:07,950 --> 00:43:09,470 "for your husband, the king." 598 00:43:13,750 --> 00:43:17,670 Sending such greeting gifts to the monarchs with whom you corresponded 599 00:43:17,670 --> 00:43:21,510 played a crucial role in the diplomacy of the ancient world. 600 00:43:23,550 --> 00:43:28,190 If we actually look at Nefertari's ear, 601 00:43:28,190 --> 00:43:31,110 we can see something which encapsulates this idea. 602 00:43:31,110 --> 00:43:33,390 Because regardless of all the gold, 603 00:43:33,390 --> 00:43:36,150 all the Egyptian royals were dripping in gold. 604 00:43:36,150 --> 00:43:38,590 Everybody knew that gold was as common as dust in Egypt, 605 00:43:38,590 --> 00:43:42,550 'you only have to pick it up,' wrote the ancient correspondents, 606 00:43:42,550 --> 00:43:47,230 but in Nefertari's ear is a silver earring of far more value. 607 00:43:47,230 --> 00:43:49,790 Not only that, it isn't even an Egyptian earring. 608 00:43:49,790 --> 00:43:52,270 It's a style of Greek earring 609 00:43:52,270 --> 00:43:56,950 because these silver pieces of jewellery were sent to Nefertari 610 00:43:56,950 --> 00:44:02,030 from the Aegean area, so in faraway Greece they knew about Nefertari 611 00:44:02,030 --> 00:44:03,790 and these earrings were sent to her 612 00:44:03,790 --> 00:44:06,630 and she wore them with great pride throughout her life. 613 00:44:06,630 --> 00:44:10,270 So there is rather more to this jewellery and frocks business 614 00:44:10,270 --> 00:44:11,670 than at first meets the eye. 615 00:44:18,070 --> 00:44:20,230 Amidst such jewelled splendour, 616 00:44:20,230 --> 00:44:23,070 Nefertari was finally laid to rest in the manner 617 00:44:23,070 --> 00:44:25,030 in which she had lived, 618 00:44:25,030 --> 00:44:28,350 in the most spectacular tomb in the whole of Egypt. 619 00:44:31,430 --> 00:44:33,990 I think one of the things that strikes you more emphatically 620 00:44:33,990 --> 00:44:37,470 when you catch your breath and calm down 621 00:44:37,470 --> 00:44:40,030 and start looking at these scenes in a more logical 622 00:44:40,030 --> 00:44:42,470 rather than emotional way, 623 00:44:42,470 --> 00:44:46,510 you suddenly realise that Nefertari's husband's not here - 624 00:44:46,510 --> 00:44:50,710 the great Ramses is nowhere present. 625 00:44:50,710 --> 00:44:55,150 He's on every temple throughout Egypt. He's everywhere 626 00:44:55,150 --> 00:44:59,230 and yet, here, in his wife's last resting place, 627 00:44:59,230 --> 00:45:01,630 there isn't a single image of him. 628 00:45:03,070 --> 00:45:07,950 Now, of course, Egyptologists have postulated many theories 629 00:45:07,950 --> 00:45:11,910 about why the great Ramses wasn't actually portrayed 630 00:45:11,910 --> 00:45:13,430 in his wife's tomb. 631 00:45:13,430 --> 00:45:17,390 I, personally, prefer to think that she herself thought, 632 00:45:17,390 --> 00:45:20,110 "Well, I've lived with him for so many years and... 633 00:45:20,110 --> 00:45:22,310 "in the next world, it'd be wonderful 634 00:45:22,310 --> 00:45:24,390 "not to have to listen to him forever." 635 00:45:27,670 --> 00:45:29,070 But whatever the real reason, 636 00:45:29,070 --> 00:45:33,150 there's no doubting the importance and influence of Nefertari 637 00:45:33,150 --> 00:45:36,310 as queen of one of Egypt's best known pharaohs. 638 00:45:42,070 --> 00:45:45,470 Yet, despite Nefertari's best diplomatic efforts, 639 00:45:45,470 --> 00:45:49,150 Egypt's political fortunes were soon in sharp decline. 640 00:45:49,150 --> 00:45:51,950 Amidst rampant inflation and official corruption, 641 00:45:51,950 --> 00:45:54,430 a long series of ephemeral rulers 642 00:45:54,430 --> 00:45:58,550 proved completely incapable of defending Egypt's borders 643 00:45:58,550 --> 00:46:00,590 from wave after wave of foreign invaders 644 00:46:00,590 --> 00:46:03,430 throughout the first millennium BC. 645 00:46:03,430 --> 00:46:07,430 And the most successful of these were the Macedonian Ptolemies, 646 00:46:07,430 --> 00:46:09,510 who would change Egypt's fortunes forever. 647 00:46:19,270 --> 00:46:21,710 900 years after Nefertari, 648 00:46:21,710 --> 00:46:24,150 a new era in Egypt's history 649 00:46:24,150 --> 00:46:27,590 produced the first female pharaoh of the Ptolemies - 650 00:46:27,590 --> 00:46:28,830 Arsinoe. 651 00:46:35,070 --> 00:46:37,950 She capitalised on the success of the women rulers 652 00:46:37,950 --> 00:46:39,150 who'd gone before her. 653 00:46:46,870 --> 00:46:50,510 Arsinoe was able to bring together two worlds, 654 00:46:50,510 --> 00:46:52,910 the Egyptian and the Greek, 655 00:46:52,910 --> 00:46:58,430 building on a legacy inherited from the most famous Greek of them all - 656 00:46:58,430 --> 00:47:00,070 Alexander the Great. 657 00:47:07,990 --> 00:47:11,110 Everybody has heard of Alexander the Great, 658 00:47:11,110 --> 00:47:13,910 who invaded Egypt in 332 BC 659 00:47:13,910 --> 00:47:17,670 and was crowned pharaoh as shown in repeated scenes here. 660 00:47:19,670 --> 00:47:24,270 Alexander was then succeeded by his rumoured half-brother Ptolemy, 661 00:47:24,270 --> 00:47:26,470 whose dynasty then went on to rule Egypt 662 00:47:26,470 --> 00:47:29,230 for the last three centuries BC. 663 00:47:29,230 --> 00:47:34,710 Ptolemy, in turn, was succeeded by his extraordinary daughter Arsinoe, 664 00:47:34,710 --> 00:47:38,270 whose spectacular achievements were very consciously modelled 665 00:47:38,270 --> 00:47:39,910 on those of uncle Alexander. 666 00:47:42,750 --> 00:47:46,430 Born in Egypt, the teenage Arsinoe was sent to Greece 667 00:47:46,430 --> 00:47:48,310 for an arranged royal marriage. 668 00:47:54,830 --> 00:47:57,070 Then, at the death of her husband, the king 669 00:47:57,070 --> 00:48:01,790 and a second disastrous marriage, she fled for her life back to Egypt. 670 00:48:04,750 --> 00:48:07,310 But having acquired a taste for power, 671 00:48:07,310 --> 00:48:11,910 Arsinoe persuaded her younger brother, the pharaoh, to marry her. 672 00:48:11,910 --> 00:48:14,310 He would be her route to the crown. 673 00:48:16,270 --> 00:48:20,350 In one move, Arsinoe became ruler of two worlds - 674 00:48:20,350 --> 00:48:22,430 Egypt and the Greek Mediterranean. 675 00:48:30,870 --> 00:48:33,270 Through her international connections, 676 00:48:33,270 --> 00:48:37,150 Arsinoe brought more prosperity, knowledge and wealth 677 00:48:37,150 --> 00:48:40,630 into Egypt than almost any other ruler before her. 678 00:48:44,630 --> 00:48:46,910 The bronze figure is all very interesting 679 00:48:46,910 --> 00:48:48,150 because you have Arsinoe 680 00:48:48,150 --> 00:48:50,670 almost giving the queenly wave, if you like, 681 00:48:50,670 --> 00:48:52,630 a very regal posture she's striking, 682 00:48:52,630 --> 00:48:55,190 but look what she's carrying in her left arm. 683 00:48:55,190 --> 00:48:56,910 It's a cornucopia, 684 00:48:56,910 --> 00:49:00,030 which is a kind of Greek-pointed vessel, 685 00:49:00,030 --> 00:49:03,350 but within it, all the bounty, the fruits, the flowers, 686 00:49:03,350 --> 00:49:05,670 the wealth of Egypt 687 00:49:05,670 --> 00:49:08,630 and there isn't just one cornucopia, but two. 688 00:49:08,630 --> 00:49:10,350 She is bringing double the amount 689 00:49:10,350 --> 00:49:12,510 that anyone else can possibly bring. 690 00:49:26,710 --> 00:49:31,990 Arsinoe spent much of this fortune in the new royal capital Alexandria, 691 00:49:31,990 --> 00:49:34,750 where her opulent lifestyle was sustained 692 00:49:34,750 --> 00:49:37,510 by a continuous flow of exotic imports 693 00:49:37,510 --> 00:49:40,870 from as far afield as India and even further east. 694 00:49:42,590 --> 00:49:47,470 And as goods like ivory, silk and jewels poured into the country, 695 00:49:47,470 --> 00:49:49,950 the rest of the population thrived too, 696 00:49:49,950 --> 00:49:53,750 as Egypt became the greatest marketplace on earth. 697 00:49:53,750 --> 00:49:55,990 SHE SPEAKS IN ARABIC 698 00:49:55,990 --> 00:49:57,630 Yeah, hello. 699 00:50:16,230 --> 00:50:17,310 Let's try this one. 700 00:50:18,510 --> 00:50:20,990 SHE SPEAKS IN ARABIC 701 00:50:20,990 --> 00:50:23,230 I'm looking for some fabric. 702 00:50:23,230 --> 00:50:24,550 Oh, that's beautiful. 703 00:50:26,470 --> 00:50:28,070 How much? 704 00:50:28,070 --> 00:50:29,990 HE SPEAKS IN ARABIC 705 00:50:29,990 --> 00:50:33,470 Fixed price. OK! Well, that's good. 706 00:50:33,470 --> 00:50:37,030 So, with commerce operating on such a vast scale, 707 00:50:37,030 --> 00:50:41,110 Arsinoe and her brother set up a sophisticated bureaucracy 708 00:50:41,110 --> 00:50:45,310 to manage the staggering wealth circulating within their empire. 709 00:50:47,390 --> 00:50:52,870 Now, coinage, finance, plays a huge part in Arsinoe's story. 710 00:50:52,870 --> 00:50:55,110 She was an extraordinary woman. 711 00:50:55,110 --> 00:50:58,550 She had huge personal fortune 712 00:50:58,550 --> 00:51:01,230 and her financial acumen was very much focused 713 00:51:01,230 --> 00:51:03,110 on Egypt's own finances. 714 00:51:03,110 --> 00:51:05,670 She and her brother-husband Ptolemy 715 00:51:05,670 --> 00:51:10,830 created a kind of doomsday style inventory of all Egypt's assets. 716 00:51:10,830 --> 00:51:14,070 She created royal monopolies on absolutely everything 717 00:51:14,070 --> 00:51:17,870 making sure that finance flowed directly into the royal house 718 00:51:17,870 --> 00:51:20,870 and in Ancient Egypt previously barter economy, 719 00:51:20,870 --> 00:51:23,790 coinage played a crucial role. 720 00:51:23,790 --> 00:51:29,310 It became increasingly common as a means of financial transactions. 721 00:51:29,310 --> 00:51:32,070 Pretty much, it was the beginning of capitalism. 722 00:51:37,870 --> 00:51:42,430 Under Arsinoe, Egypt was once again a land of plenty and wealth. 723 00:51:43,830 --> 00:51:46,870 And yet, her coins had another very useful purpose 724 00:51:46,870 --> 00:51:50,510 as a means of circulating her agenda. 725 00:51:50,510 --> 00:51:53,790 This coin shows Arsinoe wearing the Greek diadem crown 726 00:51:53,790 --> 00:51:58,150 and a veil over carefully styled hair pulled back into a bun. 727 00:51:58,150 --> 00:52:01,830 At first appearance the epitome of a standard Greek queen. 728 00:52:05,030 --> 00:52:09,350 This is the perfect portrait of an elite Greek matron. 729 00:52:09,350 --> 00:52:13,310 Very respectable looking, very well coifed, very well dressed 730 00:52:13,310 --> 00:52:16,070 and yet, if you look really, really closely 731 00:52:16,070 --> 00:52:18,350 just poking out in front of her ear, 732 00:52:18,350 --> 00:52:21,430 just looks like a very tasteful little earring, 733 00:52:21,430 --> 00:52:23,870 but it's actually a ram's horn. 734 00:52:23,870 --> 00:52:26,470 It's the ram's horns of Alexander The Great. 735 00:52:26,470 --> 00:52:29,350 Arsinoe is using this very, very subtle device to say, 736 00:52:29,350 --> 00:52:32,990 "I am the successor of the Great Alexander." 737 00:52:38,270 --> 00:52:42,150 As his successor, Arsinoe built on the legacy of Alexander, 738 00:52:42,150 --> 00:52:46,630 whose emblems were the ram's horns of Egypt's state god Amun. 739 00:52:50,070 --> 00:52:52,710 And so, by adopting this symbol herself, 740 00:52:52,710 --> 00:52:55,830 Arsinoe was tapping into an ancient force. 741 00:52:55,830 --> 00:52:59,430 This single, subtle image confirming her place 742 00:52:59,430 --> 00:53:01,430 as the ruler of two worlds. 743 00:53:14,550 --> 00:53:19,110 Almost 200km south of Luxor, a remarkable site 744 00:53:19,110 --> 00:53:21,150 on an island in the middle of the Nile 745 00:53:21,150 --> 00:53:24,710 gives a real sense of the power at Arsinoe's disposal. 746 00:53:38,390 --> 00:53:42,430 Now, we know that every temple in Egypt house statues of Arsinoe 747 00:53:42,430 --> 00:53:46,150 as the resident goddess alongside their traditional deities. 748 00:53:56,910 --> 00:53:58,230 But at Philae, 749 00:53:58,230 --> 00:54:02,790 she was also worshipped as the equivalent of Isis herself, 750 00:54:02,790 --> 00:54:04,430 the mother of all gods. 751 00:54:09,910 --> 00:54:13,630 Philae Temple has rightly been dubbed the pearl of the Nile. 752 00:54:13,630 --> 00:54:16,790 It was the cult centre of the great goddess Isis, 753 00:54:16,790 --> 00:54:20,030 and in many ways, it was kind of an outpost 754 00:54:20,030 --> 00:54:23,990 both in terms of its southerly geographical location 755 00:54:23,990 --> 00:54:26,550 and that this was the very last place in Egypt 756 00:54:26,550 --> 00:54:28,310 where the ancient gods were worshipped 757 00:54:28,310 --> 00:54:31,030 as late as the 6th century AD, 758 00:54:31,030 --> 00:54:34,070 but not only was Isis worshipped here, 759 00:54:34,070 --> 00:54:37,950 Arsinoe, too, was the resident goddess. 760 00:54:37,950 --> 00:54:42,190 In fact, it was through the international influence of Arsinoe 761 00:54:42,190 --> 00:54:44,230 that Isis goes global. 762 00:54:49,110 --> 00:54:52,950 Arsinoe's desire to be seen as the active goddess Isis 763 00:54:52,950 --> 00:54:55,630 sent a very clear message to her subjects. 764 00:55:02,110 --> 00:55:05,070 She had certainly played a fundamental role in shaping Egypt 765 00:55:05,070 --> 00:55:08,190 both at home and abroad. 766 00:55:08,190 --> 00:55:11,670 But Arsinoe's many achievements were only possible 767 00:55:11,670 --> 00:55:14,910 because of the countless generations of incredible women 768 00:55:14,910 --> 00:55:16,670 who had gone before her. 769 00:55:16,670 --> 00:55:18,550 And it's in one specific image, 770 00:55:18,550 --> 00:55:21,030 she paid permanent tribute to all of them. 771 00:55:22,630 --> 00:55:24,870 Follow me, this way. 772 00:55:24,870 --> 00:55:30,750 There she is, Arsinoe, Pharaoh, the goddess. 773 00:55:30,750 --> 00:55:33,070 She's got all her regalia on, 774 00:55:33,070 --> 00:55:36,630 that emphasises just how much power this woman has. 775 00:55:36,630 --> 00:55:40,510 And it's the crown, the focus of so much recent research, 776 00:55:40,510 --> 00:55:42,190 that can tell us so much. 777 00:55:42,190 --> 00:55:46,190 We can even deconstruct it to tell Arsinoe's full story. 778 00:55:46,190 --> 00:55:49,110 If we start with this crown. 779 00:55:49,110 --> 00:55:50,870 This is the red crown. 780 00:55:50,870 --> 00:55:54,110 It represents northern Egypt and very much embodies the idea 781 00:55:54,110 --> 00:55:57,350 that Arsinoe ruled form the royal capital Alexandria 782 00:55:57,350 --> 00:56:00,830 on Egypt's northern coastline. 783 00:56:00,830 --> 00:56:05,070 Next of all, we have the two tall feathers at the top 784 00:56:05,070 --> 00:56:10,550 and the cow's horns as worn by the great royal wife Nefertari, 785 00:56:10,550 --> 00:56:12,190 wife of Ramses II. 786 00:56:12,190 --> 00:56:15,630 And then we move on to the twisted ram's horns, 787 00:56:15,630 --> 00:56:18,590 of course, various forms of ram's horns are associated 788 00:56:18,590 --> 00:56:21,550 with the great state god Amun-Ra, 789 00:56:21,550 --> 00:56:24,670 a favourite deity of Hatshepsut. 790 00:56:24,670 --> 00:56:29,230 And finally, at the very heart of this very special crown, 791 00:56:29,230 --> 00:56:34,110 the sun disk, the great creator of all life. 792 00:56:34,110 --> 00:56:37,670 Takes us right back to the pyramid age and Hetepheres, 793 00:56:37,670 --> 00:56:39,590 the queen mother. 794 00:56:39,590 --> 00:56:44,030 So, by taking on this crown, Arsinoe is telling us 795 00:56:44,030 --> 00:56:49,550 she's taking on the accumulated powers of all these great women, 796 00:56:49,550 --> 00:56:53,630 who were in power in Egypt from so many centuries before her. 797 00:56:53,630 --> 00:56:55,270 It's a wonderful thing. 798 00:57:09,630 --> 00:57:13,910 With this crown later adopted by the great Cleopatra herself, 799 00:57:13,910 --> 00:57:16,750 these incredible women had been her guides 800 00:57:16,750 --> 00:57:20,910 as she extended Egypt's power across so much of the ancient world. 801 00:57:39,310 --> 00:57:43,390 Now, I must say, this journey for me has been an incredibly opportunity 802 00:57:43,390 --> 00:57:48,070 to engage with Ancient Egypt in a new and very fresh way. 803 00:57:48,070 --> 00:57:52,910 It's allowed me to investigate the lives of some incredible people, 804 00:57:52,910 --> 00:57:54,870 four amazing women. 805 00:57:57,430 --> 00:58:00,670 These women were incredible role models to all of us 806 00:58:00,670 --> 00:58:01,910 even in the modern world. 807 00:58:07,110 --> 00:58:13,710 They were lovers, mothers, queens, goddesses and pharaohs. 808 00:58:13,710 --> 00:58:16,750 They were incredibly strong. They were incredibly capable 809 00:58:16,750 --> 00:58:21,590 and they underpinned the whole of this fantastic ancient civilisation.