In ancient Egypt a series of legendary pharaohs have constructed some of history’s most iconic monuments. Generations of builders have toiled on these giant pyramids transforming the country and uniting its people in the hope of guaranteeing eternal life for their pharaoh. But cracks in the country’s unity are beginning to appear: religious transformation, natural disasters and a weak pharaoh bring the age of the pyramids to a crushing end. Legends of the Pharaohs s1e6: Downfall of a Dynasty
The harvest had been poor for several years. The people were hungry and revolution was brewing. The ageing Pepi II would be the last pharaoh of the old kingdom. ibid.
There are more pyramids here than there are in Egypt. Gus Casely-Hayford, Lost Kingdoms of Africa s1e1: Nubia, BBC 2010
The magnificent Aztec empire: one of the most powerful civilisations the world has ever seen. 700 years ago the Aztecs dominated Mexico. They were ruthless warriors and ingenious engineers. But after just 200 years their vast empire was wiped out by Spanish invaders. Lost Pyramids of the Aztecs, Channel 4 2021
600 years ago this was a brightly coloured pyramid towering over 60 metres high. One of the most magnificent temples in the Americas – Templo Mayor was the centre of a huge sacred complex. ibid.
The Aztecs had no metal tools or wheeled vehicles. There were no horses in the Americas at the time. ibid.
In the fifteenth century the Aztecs built the most formidable empire in the Americas. And ruled over one of the largest cities in the entire world. At its heart they built astonishing pyramids to worship their gods, and drew on resources from all over their sprawling empire to do so. Lost Pyramids of the Aztecs II
A giant stone monument rising from the sands of Egypt. A labyrinth of long forgotten tunnels beneath the German countryside. And the remains of an ancient pyramid located in heart of the United States. Ancient ruins fascinate us because they often reveal how much or how little we know about the past. The UnXplained with William Shatner s3e8, History 2022
Impressive and mysterious they are among the wonders of the ancient world. But to this day no-one fully understands how they were built or why. History’s Greatest Mysteries s4e10: The Puzzling Pyramids of Egypt, History 2023
‘We know of at least 118 Egyptian pyramids that still exist today.’ ibid. Jason Martell
From the dense jungles of South American across the globe to the arid deserts of Sudan pyramids stand as mysterious monuments to ancient civilisations. Mysteries of the Pyramids with Dara O’Briain, Channel 5 2024
There are over 5,000 pyramids on our planet. ibid.
Giza: I’m starting at the biggest and most puzzling pyramid of them all. ibid.
‘We found almost no human remains in any of these pyramids.’ ibid. Chris, Egyptologist
Why did they go to so much effort to build a tomb? ibid.
People have rushed to fill the gaps with all sorts of outlandish ideas. ibid.
The Nazca lines in Peru are the biggest drawings in the world. So big we can only view them complete from the air. Etched in the desert at least 2,000 years ago, they must be the work of a civilisation of astronomers. Quest for the Lost Civilisation II: Lost Knowledge, Grahan Hancock Reporting, Channel 4 1998
There are ruined pyramids at Nazca. They were blown out of recognition by the wind. ibid.
The subject that I’m investigating is human pre-history. Ancient Apocalypse s1e1: Once There Was a Flood, Graham Hancock reporting, Netflix 2022
My suspicion is humans are a species with amnesia. We have forgotten something incredibly important in our own past. And I think that that incredibly important forgotten thing is a lost, advanced civilisation of the Ice Age. ibid.
I’ve spent decades searching for proof of this lost civilisation at site around the globe. ibid.
An advanced human civilisation much older than our own, lost to history … New discoveries keep on pushing that horizon back. One such discovery has been made here in Indonesia. On the most populated island, Java, about four hours south of Jakarta, near the village of Karyamukti. ibid.
What if an advanced civilisation flourished here in Indonesia during the Ice Age? ibid.
Because Gunung Padang is like no place on Earth … You see these blocks scattered across the mountain. Oddly hexagonal stone slabs strewn about everywhere. Thousands of them. It’s quite a spectacle. ibid.
These rocks have been cut, repurposed as building materials and placed by human hands. ibid.
Traces of structures show up all over the hill … on carefully laid out terraces. ibid.
‘This site consists of two cultural layers.’ ibid. Archaeologist
The entire hill is ringed by retaining walls of columnar basalt. ibid.
At least three large rectangular chambers. One around 10 metres down, perhaps an entrance hall of some kind … A third chamber between 20 and 30 metres deep. ibid.
Core drilling: Those sections had been laid out 11,500 years ago. ibid.
Around 100 feet or so he [Dr Hillman] hit the earliest layer of construction … as far back as 24,000 years ago. ibid.
What happened was a literal great flood. ibid.
One of the most mysterious and revealing mythologies in prehistory comes down to us through the ancient cultures of Mexico. Ancient Apocalypse s1e2: Survivor in a Time of Chaos
A land of fertile valleys and simmering volcanoes. This is the Puebla region, east of Mexico City. ibid.
This hill isn’t the natural feature it’s often mistaken for. It’s the most massive monument ever built anywhere in the world … This is the Great Pyramid of Cholula … [and] rose to at least 213 feet, 65 metres … 400 x 400 metres at its base. ibid.
They were stunned at what they discovered inside … 8 kilometres of tunnels … The Pyramid of Cholula is simply the latest in a whole series of more ancient pyramids hidden beneath. ibid.
You start off with a place that for one reason or another is regarded as sacred. ibid.
According to myth, the Great Pyramid of Cholula was built by a race of giants. ibid.