Now you can listen to and read along, with Simon's "Time Adventure" Part Three!
(When you see C: that is Chloe the computer speaking)
Oh wow, that did make me feel a little bit wibbly-wobbly Chloe.
For a few seconds there, the whole world was spinning around us, like we were in the middle of a tornado.
Now it's stopped, everything looks completely different, and I mean different, with a capital D!
Oh man, I hope you like sand, because we're in the middle of the desert, for sure.
The air is still quite cool, probably because the sun hasn't quite come up over the horizon yet.
We're also standing in another valley, but this is nothing like the French valley we were in a minute ago.
There's no plants or animals here, just sand, and piles of rocks and then more rocks and more sand.
We're surrounded by really tall cliffs, and we're near the bottom of one of them.
This reminds me a lot of our Mars adventure, when we had a little chat with Curiosity the rover.
This can’t be Mars though, because Mars doesn’t have any buildings on it, and about 10 steps away from us there’s a tiny little hut made of limestone and mud.
There's also quite a few tracks winding their way through the middle of the valley.
One of them goes right past us, up the hill a bit, and it stops at what looks like a cave entrance.
This is all starting to make sense to me now, and that absolutely awesome music I'm grooving to, is a perfect clue.
Chloe, have we jumped forward in time so that now, we're only about three and a half thousand years in the past instead of 17,000 years?
C:
Yes
Are we in Ancient Egypt?
C:
Yes
OK, ok, I know what you're thinking.
If we're in ancient Egypt, where are the Pyramids?
If we're where I think we are, those Pyramids are at least 700 kilometres away.
I reckon this is going to be much more interesting.
Chloe, are we in the Valley Of The Kings?
C:
Yes Simon, this is the Valley Of The Kings, located in southern Egypt, in the year 1324, BCE.
I knew it!
This whole valley is full of kings alright, the only problem is, they're all dead.
Yep, these cliffs are chocka-block full of fantastically famous Pharaohs, all sealed away in their tombs, deep in the mountainside, completely hidden from the outside world.
Those guys were playing the ultimate game of hide and seek, except without the seek bit, they didn't want anyone looking for them.
Remember those enormous pyramids that I said are 700 kilometres away?
The Pharaohs used to get buried inside those pyramids.
The only problem was, everybody knew where they were, and everybody also knew that the Pharaoh’s tombs were overflowing with more gold and jewels than you could shake a stick at.
So who do you think turned up to the Pharaohs jewellery party, even though they weren’t invited?
Yep, you guessed it, the tomb raiders, the grave robbers, the pyramid pirates.
They broke into almost every pyramid and took off with the gold.
They even stole the Pharaohs themselves, yeah, they even took the mummies out of the coffins!
Eventually someone really clever must have said, "I know. If we put the tombs inside a mountain in the middle of the desert, no-one will ever find them."
And that’s why they’re buried here in the valley of the kings, trying to hide from the robbers.
Chloe is there anyone in that little hut?
C:
No Simon.
There is no one in the hut.
It is used by the workers who build the tombs for the Pharaohs.
They will be arriving here to commence work in approximately 45 minutes.
Perfect, that gives us plenty of time to check it out.
Sometimes, these little huts had something that is totally O.G on the wall that faces South.
OK, so it’s not this wall, it’s the one all the way around the other side.
Here we are, and Good Golly Miss Molly, there it is!
Right where I was hoping it would be.
Can you see in your imagination, right in front of us on the wall, is a flat piece of yellow limestone.
It’s shaped like a semi-circle, about the same size as your dinner plate if you cut it in half.
The flat edge is on the top and the curved edge is underneath.
It has a little wooden stick poking out of a hole in the top centre, but here’s the best bit.
Someone has drawn a semi-circle on it with black ink.
They’ve also drawn 11 more lines, starting from the centre stick, going out to the edge of the semi circle.
If you didn’t know what this was, you might think it’s instructions for how to cut half of a pizza into 12 pieces, but it’s not.
We’re looking at the oldest, most original sundial in the world, like three and a half thousand years old.
I knew it had to be on this wall, because Egypt is in the northern hemisphere, and that means the south wall gets the most sunlight during the day.
When the sun shines on that little stick at the the top, it casts a shadow onto the lines underneath.
That would tell these workers if it was lunchtime yet, or maybe time to pack up for the day.
That also tells us, that they divided the day up into 12 hours.
Score one for the Ancient Egyptians, inventors of the sundial!
Let me tell you something not many people know about sundials.
There are 3 of them on Mars right now.
I’m serious.
There’s a sundial on all three of the mars rovers.
That’s Curiosity, Opportunity and Spirit.
The base of those little sundials are a very special colour.
That helps the operators back on earth make sure the cameras on the rovers are recording colours correctly.
The shadow on the dial also helps them to check the rovers are going in the right direction.
Remember I said this desert reminds me of Mars?
Well I would have to call that an “out of this world crazy coincidence! “
We’re standing in the desert, looking at one of the first sundials ever invented, and right this very second, there are 3 of them driving around in a desert that looks just like this one, over
200 million kilometres away, on a completely different planet.
That is Spooky man, very spooky!
Do you know, what's the best thing to take with you into a desert?
A thirst-aid kit!
What's brown and hairy, lives in the desert, has four legs, two humps and is full of cement?
A camel……I put in the cement just to make it harder!
It's easy for camels to hide out here in the desert you know, they just camel-flage themselves!
Eh Chloe, you know that cave entrance above us where the path stops, well that's not really a cave entrance is it?
C:
You are correct Simon, it is not a cave entrance, it is the entrance to the tomb of the recently deceased Pharaoh Tutankhamun.
Tutankhamun!
Holy Superstar batman, that guy is the most famous Pharaoh, like ever, no worries.
Does that mean he’s actually in there?
C:
Yes Simon, the mummy of Tutankhamun is in there.
Is the tomb still open?
C:
Yes, it is still open.
Come on, while we’re here, this is our chance to check out the coolest tomb on the whole planet.
It's about 20 steps away up the side of the cliff, but it's not too steep.
The hardest bit is keeping your balance in this desert sand, because it's so soft, every time you take a step you sink into it.
Oh, yeah, I forgot to check the new clue on our tickets.
It says "Be on the lookout for a 28 million year old insect from outer space, that is believed to have magical powers.
You may also find a weapon, manufactured from extra-terrestrial material.
Extra-terrestrial!
That's not what I expected to hear when we're just about to go into an ancient Egyptian tomb.
How excellent!
Let me know if you see any really old bugs from space carrying a laser!
Righto, we're at the entrance.
Chloe, did I hear you say before that the workers were coming back soon?
C:
The tomb workers will be here in approximately 35 minutes to commence the sealing off all the interior doorways in the tomb, and also this entrance.
We better get a move on, we need to be gone before they show up.
I'm 100% into checking out this tomb, but I don't want to be accidently sealed in there!
Looks like there's some steps leading down, but that's all I can make out.
It's darker than the inside of Batman's wardrobe down there.
C:
Simon, there were no lights in these tombs.
The workers would bring candles or hand held lamps with them.
Allow me to raise the level of the ambient illumination to a safe level for you.
Oh, nice one Chloe, perfecto!
I thought there was only a couple of stone steps, but there's at least 12.
Okey Dokey, let's boogie on down these steps, and see what we can see.
They’re quite steep, so you can think about resting your hand against the wall if you like, for balance.
They feel a little bit rough don't they, they've been plastered over but they're not super smooth.
Can you can feel how the the is air getting cooler and cooler the further down we go.
Once they seal it off, the temperature in here will stay around 18 degrees Celsius for thousands of years, oh that's 65 degrees Fahrenheit for all my American friends.
You definitely won't need an air conditioner down here.
OK, we're at the bottom of the steps.
We can just keep moving because, there's a plain white corridor straight ahead of us, and it slopes downwards a bit.
This passageway is only 10 steps long.
That seems a bit odd for a pharaoh's tomb, they're usually 3 times as long as this one.
Something else doesn't feel right either, I know what it is!
Those Pharaohs, were the exact opposite of the cave painters in our last adventure in France.
If anything even looked like a wall, they'd draw pictures of themselves, and their gods, and themselves with their gods, and their favourite animals.
Can you see in your mind that these walls are completely blank, there isn't even a single hieroglyphic symbol or a drawing on them, anywhere.
You can bet that all the other tombs in this valley have walls that are covered with pictures.
Well so far, I wouldn't say it feels like the tomb of the most famous Pharaoh ever.
Something tells me the whole thing was made in a bit of a hurry.
C:
Once again Simon, you are absolutely correct.
Your detective skills appear to be improving with every adventure.
Oh thanks Chloe.
C:
According to the most recent archaeological research, this tomb was originally intended for someone else.
When Tutankhamun died unexpectedly, this was the only one available at such short notice and had to be finished off very quickly.
There was insufficient time for any of the pharaoh's royal artists, to decorate the entrance to the tomb properly.
Of course, when a Pharaoh died, they had to be mummified ASAP, and then popped straight into their royal tomb.
It would have taken them 70 days to turn Tutankhamun into a mummy, so that means they only had a couple of months to find a good spot in this valley, and get it ready for him.
They didn't have time to start a brand new one, so it looks like they just pinched one that was already started, and used that instead.
Mind you, the Royal Dudes who wrapped up the dead Pharaohs were very good at their job.
They had a sign over their door that said, "Satisfaction guaranteed, or double your mummy back!"
What would you get if you crossed a yellow mummy with a green mummy?
A golden moldy.
Do you know why mummies never go on holiday?
They’re scared they might relax and unwind!
How do mummies hide?
They wear masking tape!
What kind of coffee does a mummy drink?
De-coffin-ated!
Oh look, we're almost at the end of the corridor.
That means we're 7 metres lower than the top of the stairs.
Oh, can you imagine being one of the workers who had to hollow this out, remember, these aren't caves.
They had to bring picks and shovels and baskets, and actually dig into the side of these mountains, by hand, and then carry it all back outside up those steps.
It could have taken them 10 years to build a tomb, but now, we could probably do it in a couple of weeks with bulldozers and excavators and power tools.
I hope you're ready for your first sneaky peek, because we're at the open doorway to what I'll call, The First Room In The Tomb!
Come on, in we go.
(APPROX 22 MINUTES TO HERE)
Oh wowsa, wowsa and triple wowsa!
Flashback City Baby, it's definitely Deja-vu-Ville in here.
This place reminds me of the spare room at my mum and dad's house where they stored all of their old junk.
There's so much stuff in here, you can hardly move.
The main difference is we didn't have any furniture made of gold, and there seems to be quite a lot of that in here.
You better tell your imagination to strap in because the only 2 words I can use to describe this room are Totes-Weird man.
The first wacky thing you’d never see anywhere else, is over in the left hand corner.
It’s 3 golden chariots, you heard that right, 3 chariots and they’re gold plated.
Someone has pulled them apart and stacked the pieces along the wall.
That's the only way they'd fit them into a tomb like this.
Man, a gold chariot would have been their version of a gold plated convertible sports car, wicked!
Straight ahead of us, against the long wall, there are 3 funeral beds.
The mummy of Tutankhamun would have had a little lie down on each one of those as part of a ceremony to help get him to the afterlife.
The sides of these beds are different animal shapes.
The one on the left is a hippopotamus, the middle one is a cow and the one on the right is a lion.
Just like the chariots they’re completely covered in gold.
I’m going to need my sunglasses in a minute if things get any shinier in here!
Don’t bother trying to have a lie down on the beds though, there’s no room.
Every square centimetre on the top, and underneath them, is covered with boxes and chests and statues and ornaments.
I told you, it looks like my junk room at home, except my old stuff wouldn’t be worth a gazillion dollars!
Speaking of downright positively priceless, can you see in your imagination that under that first bed, there’s a very shiny chair?
That’s Tutankhamun’s royal throne and what a shock, it’s covered in gold too!
I’m going to guess if he had a dog it’d be a Golden retriever, and his favourite bedtime story would be Goldilocks!
Do you know what’s worth it’s weight in gold?
Gold!
Oh man, is it just me, or is it gold in here?
Have you ever tasted pure Gold?
I have and it’s a bit crunchy, probably because it’s made of 24 carrots!
I pulled a muscle when I was digging up some gold.
My doctor said well don’t worry Simon, it’s just a miner injury!
In Ancient Egypt, the Pharaohs were no questions asked, the top dogs, the head honchos, the biggest cheeses, basically the most important peeps on the planet.
Because they were the only one who could speak directly to the gods and when they died, they would go to a very hip and happening afterlife, and become a god themselves.
Once they got there though, they still wanted to have all the cool stuff they had collected during their lifetime as a king.
Even the toys they had when they were little.
So don’t try to tell an Ancient Egyptian that “You can’t take it with you”
They’d think you were nuts!
They even wanted to take their favourite snacks with them.
That’s why it smells a bit like the corner delicatessen in here.
We are surrounded by more food and drink than you’d buy in your weekly groceries, all to feed the Pharaoh’s spirit, not his tummy, on his trip to the afterlife.
There’s more than 100 baskets in here, overflowing with fruit, seeds, nuts, spices, bread and have a look underneath the middle couch, can you see that enormous pile of egg shaped, white wooden
containers.
There’s 48 of them and they’re all full of meat.
Sounds like Tutankhamun’s spirit wanted to rustle up a ham sandwich on his way to the afterlife!
Oh excellente!
There’s 5 chests down here on the floor on the left hand side, they look a bit like pirate treasure chests, but there’s something crazy cool I want to show you inside the first one.
Would you give me a hand with the lid?
Aaah, that’s got it, thanks.
Bingo baby, now that is what I am talking about!
This chest is jam packed full of Tutankhamun’s royal jewellery, and how’s this for a stroke of luck.
The piece I want to show you is sitting right on top.
It’s a pendant covered with gold, and silver and jewels, but the middle is the very groovy bit.
Can you see that it’s the shape of an ordinary old dung beetle, you know, like the one we met in our African Elephant adventure?
They’re also called scarab beetles, and The Ancient Egyptians worshipped them, because they liked the way the beetle babies came out of a ball of poo.
They thought it was an excellent symbol of coming back to life, and that’s just what every good Pharaoh wanted.
There are 2 insanely interesting things about the body of the beetle in this pendant.
Number one, It’s 28 million years old, and number two, it came from outer space.
I am not making that up.
It’s made from the rarest green glass in the world.
It’s so rare, the only place on the planet you can find it, is way out in the Libyan desert.
That’s because 28 million years ago a meteorite rocketed through our atmosphere, and exploded into the desert sand.
That explosion created temperatures hotter than the inside of a volcano, totally melted the sand and turned it into green glass.
Now that is nature doing some mind blowing magic, right there!
Hang on a minute
That was one of the clues on out ticket.
It said "Be on the lookout for a 28 million year old insect from outer space, that is believed to have magical powers.
It meant this green glass scarab beetle.
It was made 28 million years ago by an asteroid from outer space, and the Egyptians thought it had magical powers that could bring the Pharaoh back to life.
Excellent, one more clue done!
OK, time to see if we can get a bit closer to Tutankhamun himself, or at least, the mummified version of him.
Now I reckon Chloe’s been keeping the best for last in here.
Can you see in your imagination, there’s a big open doorway on the wall on our right hand side?
On each side of that opening is a life size statue of a guard carrying a golden spear.
It’s pretty obvious that they’re supposed to be guarding whatever is in that next room, but Chloe hasn’t turned up the lights in there yet, so we can’t see anything.
Come on, lets get over there and get a closer look.
C:
I apologize Simon.
I was performing a detailed inter network scan of the latest archaeological transcripts for this time period, to refresh and maximize the accuracy of the ongoing inter-dimensional projection I
am providing you with.
Say what?
C:
I was updating and forgot to turn on the light in the other room.
No worries Chloe, we’re at the doorway, and ready whenever you are.
C:
Illumination in three, two and one.
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