NARRATOR: On the 16th of October, 1817,
this man discovered one of the most extraordinary tombs ever seen.
Giovanni Belzoni has a claim to be the greatest explorer of Egypt
in all history.
And this was just one of his incredible discoveries.
The largest pharaoh's tomb in the Valley of the Kings.
From end to end, it was almost the length of St Paul's Cathedral.
A series of pillared halls led to a magnificent burial chamber.
BELZONl: What we found in the centre of the saloon merits the most particular attention,
not having its equal in the world.
A sarcophagus of the finest oriental alabaster.
I cannot give an adequate idea of this beautiful piece of antiquity.
NARRATOR: Had this been Belzoni's only discovery,
it would have been enough to make him famous.
Pull!
But there was much, much more.
(Men yelling)
He brought back to Europe colossal works of ancient art.
This is beautiful.
At Giza, he discovered the hidden entrance to the pyramid of Khafre.
And in the remote south, he unearthed Egypt's most extraordinary temple.
Hewn out of the mountainside,
it had lain buried in sand for hundreds of years.
A place that remains one of the archaeological wonders of the world.
And everywhere he went,
Belzoni found himself walking in the footsteps of one man,
Ramesses the Great.
But perhaps the biggest surprise in this, a history full of surprises,
was the character of Belzoni himself,
the most unlikely Egyptologist the world has ever seen.
(Thunder rumbling)
(Carnival music playing)
(Grunting)
Belzoni was born in Padua, Italy.
He dabbled in many things,
he even studied engineering for a time
before coming to England where he sought his fortune as a strongman.
You're hurting my bloody hand.
And you are hurting my heart.
MAN: What's going on?
- You okay, Mr B? - No more.
Giovanni, please.
I am finished here.
I am not a piece of...
- I'm Belzoni. - I know.
- But we have to... - No, we do not.
- Mr B, if we leave here, then what? - We leave.
These people here don't want us.
So we must find people who do.
So, in 1814,
The Great Belzoni left Britain in search of new horizons,
to see what the world could offer an eccentric showman down on his luck.
Eventually, Belzoni wound up in Cairo
with his wife Sarah and servant James Curtin.
There he tried work as an irrigation engineer.
But, not for the first time, a career ended in failure.
Belzoni found himself far from home, with no money,
in one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
I think they want our worldly goods, Mr B.
No! No! No!
(Sarah screaming)
(Yelling in Arabic)
- Are you all right? - Yes.
Just a little shocked.
I'm only sorry I wasn't here sooner. These gangs are a menace.
Thanks for your help.
John Lewis Burckhardt.
The man who had come to Belzoni's rescue was another eccentric.
An intrepid explorer, Burckhardt had adopted Muslim dress and customs
to be more readily accepted in the Middle East.
BURCKHARDT: Sorry to burst in, but I think I've found our man.
"The Great Belzoni, Sadler's Wells.
"The Patagonian Samson."
John, we're not looking for a clown, are we?
I know that. But among his other credits is engineering.
But surely a theatrical strongman isn't what we're looking for, is it?
Even with engineering qualifications on the side.
Besides, now's not a good time.
I haven't the funds available.
And I really can't ask the Treasury. I've only just got here.
- Maybe next month. - This fellow will be cheap.
Next month will be too late. You know Drovetti's planning another trip south.
He'll grab anything he can at Luxor.
We have to do something now or we're going to lose this.
(Knocking at door)
- Mr Belzoni. - Mr Burckhardt.
May I come in? I wondered if I might have a word.
SARAH: About what?
Lifting something.
At present, it's lying in the sand in a temple at Thebes.
These are some drawings I made the last time I was there.
It's known as the head of Memnon.
Why don't you go and get it yourself?
I advise on the collection of antiquities, Mr Belzoni,
I wouldn't know how to move this.
It looks big. Is it?
About half as tall again as you.
SARAH: And how much does it weigh?
No idea.
Now, it's solid granite so I suppose the answer is heavy, very.
And how near to the river?
It's about four miles.
I'm sure it is possible.
Why don't I go and take a look for you? Then I can give you a full report.
There's just no time.
You see, it's two months there and back on the Nile,
and even as we speak,
the treasures of ancient Egypt are being ransacked at Thebes.
Further south, the temples of Nubia
are extraordinary and untouched, so far.
But it won't be long before the dealers move in there, too.
These artefacts are priceless and, as a civilised people, we must preserve them.
Now, the British Consul and myself wish to make a gift of this head to the British Museum
as the start of a national collection.
At this time, no one knew that the so-called Younger Memnon
was actually the statue of Ramesses the Great
who lived and reigned over 3,000 years ago.
A man who would influence the life of Giovanni Belzoni
more than the Italian adventurer could possibly have imagined.
Like Belzoni, Ramesses had the instincts of a showman.
And with his red hair, he had a memorable presence.
From the very moment of his father's death,
Ramesses made a dramatic impact on Egypt.
He began by flouting tradition.
Previously, Egyptian kings had postponed all important decisions
until 70 days after the death of their predecessors.
But barely had his father's body gone cold
before Ramesses issued a string of decrees.
He now dreamt of becoming Egypt's most formidable warrior.
The creator of a massive empire.
But above all,
Ramesses wanted to leave his mark by being Egypt's greatest builder.
And it was to be through his temples, monuments and statues
that Giovanni Belzoni would discover him.
SARAH: Shukran.
Morning.
SALT: Henry Salt, June 28th, 1816.
Mr Belzoni is requested to prepare the necessary implements
for the purpose of raising the head of the statue of the Younger Memnon
and carrying it down the Nile.
Mr Belzoni will spare no expense or trouble in getting it
as speedily conveyed to the banks of the river as possible.
Mr Belzoni will have the goodness to keep a separate account of the expenses incurred.
NARRATOR: Belzoni's destination was on the Nile, 300 miles south of Cairo.
Luxor was a town built on the ancient city of Thebes,
once the religious centre of Egypt.
Ahead of Belzoni lay a land which contained the rich legacy
of generations of pharaohs.
By the time Belzoni arrived in 1816,
Luxor had the air of a town caught in the grip of a gold rush.
Thanks to Europe's newly found fascination with Egypt,
its antiquities were rapidly finding their way
into the hands of the fashionable in Paris and Turin.
The treasure hunters and dealers jealously guarded their territory
and Belzoni was not welcome here.
BELZONl: They said the head is in a temple across the river,
in a place they call the City of the Dead
where the land turns to desert.
That way they said.
Long way, ain't it?
BELZONl: It appeared to me like entering a city of giants,
who, after a long conflict, were all destroyed,
leaving the ruins of their various temples
as the only proof of their former existence.
NARRATOR: This was Ramesses' memorial temple,
known as The Mansion of Millions of Years,
it was the largest of its kind.
The temple was all part of Ramesses'plan
to create a legend that would last for all eternity.
At its entrance were two huge towers or pylons.
Like billboards, they proclaimed Ramesses'great works.
There were many colossal statues of Ramesses,
the biggest of them 60 foot high,
weighing over 1,000 tons, now lying shattered on its back.
The pillared hall represented the very moment of creation.
Its columns, the swamp from which the first primeval mound of land emerged.
BELZONl: It's good, uh?
Must have been something.
Sure must.
Belzoni now stood on one of the most sacred spots in Ramesses' kingdom.
Here, the king forged a new relationship with his gods.
Ramesses decided that Egypt's three greatest gods
would be much more than just stone statues.
They would be partners in his grand design.
(Rumbling)
There was Ra, the sun god,
sometimes shown as a falcon,
creator of the world.
From him, Ramesses would claim the power of the sun.
(Rumbling)
Ptah, god of the underworld,
sometimes also seen as a bull or a mummy.
Ramesses'guide to eternity and the afterlife.
(Rumbling)
And the greatest of all the gods, Amun.
His name meant hidden, powerful and mysterious.
God of the wind, of Thebes and Upper Egypt.
And in his most audacious claim of all,
Ramesses declared that Amun had appeared
in his father, Seti, at the moment of his conception,
making Ramesses himself divine.
1,200 years before Christ,
Ramesses claimed he was the son of a god.
Astonishing even for a pharaoh.
Look, there it is.
Unbelievable.
It's magnificent.
Have you ever seen such a thing?
He's smiling at me.
(Sarah laughing)
No, he's smiling at me.
Hmm.
Can it be done?
You're going to need a lot of men. That's for sure.
BELZONl: We could get it out through there.
Don't tell me. It can't be done, can it?
We could do it.
With what? This isn't circus magic.
You see the way the head is leaning? All the weight is on this side.
But, we can push it over.
We make a platform, we put wheels, trees underneath and we pull.
Well, how would you get the men?
I go to the Caimakan, the local chief, and give him our permit.
And that's it?
That's it.
What are you smiling at?
Ah. At last you arrive.
Signore Belzoni, how nice to see you.
(Speaking Arabic)
They said you were a strong man. They were right.
You are a colossus.
You are the Caimakan?
No. I am Bernardino Drovetti.
Pleased to meet you.
This is the Caimakan.
My friend Ibrahim Howada, Belzoni.
So, you come to move the head of Memnon?
Yes. This is my permit.
Good luck to you.
You'll never move it, you know. The thing weighs tons.
And it's impossible to get labour round here. God knows I've tried.
That remains to be seen. My permit says that...
(Speaking Arabic)
He says you ask for 80 men.
He says it's not possible. What did I tell you?
But the permit allows...
Mr Belzoni, I know what the permit says.
But these men are not available, they're busy.
Perhaps you should wait until the Nile floods are over.
That will be too late.
When the floods come, it will be impossible to drag the head to the river.
I need the men now. I must get the head to Cairo this year.
I'm sorry.
There are many men around the town who do nothing. Why can't they work for me?
You are mistaken.
These men would rather starve than undertake so difficult a task.
To remove that stone, they must be helped by Allah.
After the floods, many men will be free to help you.
No, don't forget Ramadan is just beginning.
The men cannot work in these times.
Very well.
Then perhaps you will allow me to offer money to any man
I see tomorrow who is idle.
I am sure the money of the British Consul
is appreciated just as much as that of the French.
That is what the Pasha believes.
Mr Belzoni, no need for money.
Perhaps some men are free.
I shall try to help and send them to you.
Bernardino Drovetti was a dandy,
almost a pantomime figure.
But his appearance was deceptive.
He was one of the most powerful and dangerous men in Egypt.
With his army of thugs he made a fortune by stripping Egyptian monuments.
He worked for the French
and was all too well aware that Belzoni worked for the British.
In Drovetti, Belzoni had found a formidable rival.
How do you like our new lodgings?
This looks good.
Very good.
Sarah, look at these.
I think it's the same man.
Do you think he was married?
Ramesses had received his first harem when he was just 15.
The women came from Egypt and beyond,
from dark Nubians to fair-skinned Babylonians and Libyans.
This wasn't just royal decadence.
In ancient Egypt, pharaohs were expected to demonstrate their virility,
a sign of approval from the gods.
The majority of the women were concubines,
chosen for the pharaoh's pleasure.
But their children would not become heirs to the throne.
To produce his successor, the king needed a highborn woman.
Nefertari, an aristocrat,
reputedly of great beauty,
appears to have been the genuine love of Ramesses' life.
By bearing his first son, she became his great royal wife.
By the time he came to the throne, aged 25,
Ramesses had produced ten sons and two daughters.
His father and the gods would have been pleased.
The pharaoh's responsibility for fertility went far beyond the royal family.
It was his first task to please the gods and protect the harvest.
In a land virtually without rain,
the only lifeline for its people and their crops
was provided by the annual flooding of the Nile.
Once a year the waters would rise,
covering the fields and nourishing the crops with a rich black silt,
making Egypt one of the most fertile places on earth.
If the floods failed, it was disastrous.
But the gods smiled on Ramesses.
In the first years of his reign, he recorded bountiful floods.
The silos were full,
proof that Ramesses was indeed Egypt's rightful and divine ruler.
But what was a blessing for Ramesses was to prove a curse for Belzoni.
The flood season of 1816 was advancing rapidly.
In a month's time, the whole area up to Ramesses' temple would be underwater,
making it impossible to move the head.
Plotting his route to the loading point on the riverbank,
Belzoni had to choose between the safety of a longer path on high ground
or the more risky route across a dip.
The whole of Giovanni Belzoni's future in Egypt
depended upon his successful completion of this mammoth task.
A challenge that had already defeated his French rivals.
And up to now, Belzoni had failed at all the major challenges in his life.
It's almost noon.
Come on, Jim, he promised to send me men.
What are you going to do?
I'm going to tell that lying snake... Catch!
...he does not cheat Belzoni.
Giovanni!
Now, it is possible they got lost on their way, but somehow I don't think so.
And if they don't turn up this afternoon, I shall have to write to the Pasha
and tell him people do not do as he says in Luxor.
I don't suppose you'd want that.
It will not help you, my friend.
The letter to Cairo will take four weeks there and...
Four weeks back, by which time the floods will have come.
So, maybe you would like a little present.
Here is a bag of the finest coffee.
Helps clear the mind. Helps a man think clearly.
And also here, a bag of gunpowder.
That's very kind of you, but I'm not sure that...
What would make you sure?
These are very beautiful guns.
Worth, what shall we say?
40 men...
each?
Do you think we can trust him?
No, but I'll break his neck if he does anything.
He could use those guns against you.
He could try.
Mr B, look.
I think we're in business.
One, two, three, pull!
(Men exclaiming)
Pull!
And pull!
Pull!
Yes, and pull!
BELZONl: At last, on the 27th of July,
I moved the head.
Pull! Pull!
Pull! And pull!
And pull!
NARRATOR: Belzoni was a practical engineer.
The technique he devised for moving Ramesses' bust
was identical to that used by the pharaoh's own builders
when they first hauled it to the temple 3,000 years before.
Pull! Pull!
Come on.
(Yelling)
Move along, move it here. Here.
Move it! Come on, faster!
BELZONl: On the 1 st of August, we still improved in our success
as we this day proceeded about 300 yards.
But being in the hottest season, the air was inflamed.
I am at a loss to conceive how these Arabs existed
as they undertook this task.
An exertion of such extremity amid heat and dust
that would be far more than any European could have withstood.
- SARAH: Why don't you stop? Wait till it's cooler. - We can't.
We're still three days behind since we waited for the men.
Where's Jim?
That's what I came to tell you. Some more bad news.
What?
He's sick, Giovanni.
Sorry, Mr B.
I don't know what came over me.
It's a fever.
But you can't stay here.
You must go back to Cairo.
No, please, it's just the heat. I'll be better soon.
It's not that, I need you to go back.
- What for? - I want you to go and see Salt.
Get him to send us a bigger boat as soon as possible.
Tell him that the head is on its way,
but with a bigger boat
there'll be many more treasures in Thebes that we can acquire.
But nobody else must know.
This way people will think you're only going back because you're sick.
I don't want to leave you.
I know, Jim.
I know.
See you in Cairo.
In Cairo.
Here's your water bottle.
SARAH: Bye.
The illness of his servant was just one of a host of problems
that now confronted Belzoni.
We'll have to go across the dip through there.
I thought you said we couldn't. It was too deep, we'd have to go round it.
I did, but we're not going fast enough.
We have maybe only three weeks before the floods come.
It will take more than that to go round the dip.
Our only chance is to go straight through...
and hope we can get out the other side.
And what if the floods come early?
(Men chanting)
BELZONl: On the 5th of August, we entered the land
I was so anxious to pass over
for fear the water should reach it and arrest our cause.
Whoa, whoa!
Wait, wait!
Steady, steady.
Whoa, whoa, whoa!
DROVETTl: At this rate he'll have the head out before the floods.
He must be stopped, now.
BELZONl: The spot where the head lay
was expected to be underwater in a few days.
Any delay then the risk would be incurred of having it sunk in the earth
so that it could not have been taken out till the following year.
Where is everyone?
You know whose work this is, don't you?
He knows that when the floods come, all this will be water.
The head'll be stuck here.
Giovanni, wait!
(Groaning)
Mr Belzoni!
Listen to me, Mr Caimakan.
No one breaks an agreement with Belzoni.
- Where are my workers, huh? - I don't know what you mean.
What I mean is, unless I get my workers that I have paid for,
I will shoot you through the head and send your body to the Pasha in Cairo.
- Do you understand me? - Yes.
I'll be waiting by the head in an hour.
Make sure the men are there.
BELZONl: The Caimakan could give me no reason for his proceeding,
but only saucy answers.
My patience was great
but in this country respect is paid only to the strongest.
(Men chanting)
BELZONl: Early on the morning of the 7th of August,
the bust advanced considerably more than usual,
owing to the men having rested on the preceding day.
NARRATOR: Ramesses' memorial temple, from which the bust came,
was just the start of the king's obsession for building.
In the third year of his reign,
Ramesses embarked on the most ambitious construction programme
since the pyramids, 1,500 years before.
The population would be put to work changing the face of Egypt.
In Thebes, the great temples were to be transformed.
Each would become a tribute to Ramesses, a recognition of his divinity.
Determined to immortalise himself in stone,
Ramesses decreed a change to the style in which it was cut.
Previous pharaohs were notorious
for chiselling over the words of those that had come before them.
And the elegant raised reliefs were easy to re-cut.
So Ramesses insisted on a different style
where images were instead cut deep into the stone.
They would show up more clearly in the strong Egyptian sun
and therefore underline his bond to the sun god Ra.
But, perhaps, far more importantly for him,
they were difficult to remove.
No successor of Ramesses would erase his name from history.
(Men chanting)
BELZONl: On the 8th of August, I had the pleasure of seeing the bust
out of danger of being overtaken by the water.
On the 12th, thank God, the Young Memnon arrived
on the bank of the Nile.
Give the men a half day's extra pay, Hamet,
and put a guard on the head, yes?
Yes, sir.
Well done.
NARRATOR: From having been a failure, as both an engineer and a showman,
Belzoni had now succeeded in something unique.
And he hoped that once the bust was installed in the British Museum,
he would achieve the recognition he had long sought
in his adopted home of England.
What are you doing?
Packing. We are leaving.
To go where?
The river won't be high enough to load the head for at least two weeks.
I know, but we are not going to load the head, not yet.
We are not going to Cairo.
Then where?
South.
- To Nubia. - Nubia?
Oh, Giovanni, please!
Look, once the river has risen
and we've loaded the head, we depart for Cairo.
Four weeks later, our job is over.
Salt will pay us our money and then what?
I don't know.
- Go home? - To do what?
We have no job, no booking.
Something will turn up.
It always does, you said so yourself.
But why leave this country?
Come with me.
Look at these things.
Drovetti is stealing all this just to make money.
In London or Paris or Rome, they're worth hundreds of pounds.
Soon all these beautiful works will be lost
just as if the sand had covered them.
Well, what can we do?
They're Drovetti's now.
He's taken everything.
From here, but what about other places?
Don't you see? This is our chance to save them and to put food in our bellies.
Giovanni, all we know about Nubia is what Burckhardt has told us.
Nobody knows what's there.
We know enough.
Look, it worked for us here. Why not try there?
If nothing else, we can claim somewhere as ours
for the British Museum.
We can do some good.
It's too much of a risk.
What if Drovetti steals the head?
Drovetti can't steal the head. No one can until the floods come
and we get a bigger boat.
Besides, I placed a guard on it.
How can we be sure we'll be back in time?
It's a risk, Sarah, I know that, but we must take it.
We can be in Nubia in a week or ten days. We'll be back within the month.
Burckhardt said it was the most wonderful palace in all antiquity.
Imagine, this can be our dream.
Oh, Giovanni,
your dreams.
This time they will come true...
I promise.
Where are they?
Belzoni and Sarah set sail from Luxor heading south.
Ajourney fraught with danger.
They had little idea what to expect
as few European men and no Western women
had ever ventured so far up the Nile.
Here, according to Burckhardt, there are many more ruins.
In another week we shall be there.
And after that?
Who knows?
We're off the chart.
Along the banks of the river,
they passed vast abandoned temples
lying buried like sunken galleons in an ocean of sand.
BELZONl: On the 19th, we arrived at Esna,
the beautiful variety and fine shaped capitals of the columns,
as well as the zodiacal figures on the ceiling,
announced that it was one of the principal temples...
On the 20th, we arrived at Edfu.
The propylaeum is the largest and most perfect of any in Egypt.
It is covered on all sides with colossal figures and contains several...
On the 22nd, we arrived at Ombos.
The columns of the portico form one of the richest groups of architecture
I have ever seen.
NARRATOR: They travelled deeper into Africa
to a land untouched by the 19th century.
Before they left Egypt for the mysterious and uncharted land of Nubia,
there was one stupendous jewel that Belzoni was determined to see.
BELZONl: On the 27th of August, I first saw that goodly sight
of the Temple of Philae.
My anxiety to see the ruins was as great as my expectations,
but when I beheld them, they surpassed everything
that imagination could anticipate.
A few natives came to watch us armed with spears and shields of crocodile skins.
Their appearance was rather alarming and I thought it was time to be on our guard.
SARAH: What about the natives?
Just stay close.
They seemed indifferent to all we said or did.
I observed several blocks of stones with hieroglyphs on them in great perfection.
What did I tell you?
I could fill ten boats from this place.
And an obelisk of granite.
This is beautiful.
Don't you wonder what it means?
I shall collect this and give it to Mr Salt.
A present to the British Consul and the British nation from Giovanni Belzoni.
Giovanni, we can't just take everything.
The deck's already half full and we're not even at Nubia.
I know, but we should collect everything we can and put our name on it,
then we get another boat.
Remember what Burckhardt said.
They'll use these to build houses.
Either that or Drovetti will steal them.
NARRATOR: Belzoni now headed off the map towards his final destination,
the temples of Abu Simbel.
Local legend had it that one of them was full of gold.
Look.
Oh, my God!
Did you ever see such a thing?
Burckhardt was right.
It's the same man.
Ramesses built two temples at Abu Simbel.
Each celebrated one of the most important elements of his life,
carved out of the rock.
The smaller one was dedicated jointly to Hathor,
the mother goddess, patroness of love, music and joy,
and to Queen Nefertari,
Ramesses'great royal wife.
An inscription reads,
"Ramesses, he has made a temple for Nefertari
"for whose sake the very sun does shine."
On its facade are six colossal figures,
two of Nefertari and four of Ramesses.
Not only was Ramesses showing his wife on the front of the temple,
but her statue was the same size as the pharaoh's.
As an expression of love, it is unique in ancient Egypt.
The larger temple celebrated an entirely different side of the pharaoh.
His prowess at war, and his first great military achievement.
Ramesses began his military career as pharaoh in the fourth year of his reign.
So confident was he of success that before he even set off
the young king named the operation the First Victorious Campaign.
Ramesses first target was the Hittite city of Kadesh.
It had long been a thorn in Egyptian pride.
His father, Seti, a great general,
had already tried and failed to take it.
Ramesses swept aside all opposition on the way
and positioned himself to attack Kadesh.
Ramesses believed that if he could succeed where his father had failed,
he would be immortalised.
See that?
There's a gap in the middle.
The entrance to the temple must be there. Come on.
Wait.
Giovanni!
Giovanni, wait!
(Sarah exclaiming)
What is it? What's the matter?
The entrance, look at it, covered in sand.
So we dig a way through.
Not through that, it must be 20 feet deep or more.
It would take an army of men to clear that away.
Well, then that's what we shall get.
- What? - Oh, not now.
Now we leave and say nothing, tell nobody.
And you come back next year with more men and dig a way through to the entrance.
No. If we wait till then, it's too dangerous. And we have no money.
We shall find more money.
Giovanni, look at this!
Is it not the finest building the world has ever seen?
Think of the treasure inside it.
This is what you wanted.
All your life you say I want to be remembered for something.
Well, here it is.
Save this, clear the sand away and bring this temple back to the world
and they will never forget you.
Either that, or leave it and let Drovetti steal everything.
Well, you said so yourself.
I think he is smiling at me.
No, at me.
(Chuckling)
(Sarah screaming)