Decoding the Great Pyramid | Full Documentary | NOVA | PBS

New archeological evidence sheds light on the stunning engineering of the Great Pyramid of Giza. (Aired February 6, 2019)

The 6 million-ton Great Pyramid of Giza is the last surviving wonder of the ancient world. How did the Egyptians engineer the mighty pharaoh Khufu’s tomb so precisely, with none of today’s surveying and power tools? And who were the thousands of laborers who raised the stones? Were they slaves or volunteers, and how were they housed, fed, and organized? "Decoding the Great Pyramid" presents the latest evidence from groundbreaking archaeological research that has transformed our understanding of the ancient world’s most ambitious engineering project, revealing a “lost city" and intimate details of the lives of the laborers and officials who toiled on the vast construction. Amazingly, French archaeologists recently found the logbook of a labor team that delivered limestone blocks to build the Great Pyramid, yielding crucial insights into the planning and logistics behind the operation. Beyond these construction secrets, "Decoding the Great Pyramid" traces how mobilizing the colossal labor and resources invested in the monument transformed ancient Egypt, uniting a nation behind the common goal of ensuring eternity for the pharaoh and continuing prosperity for everyone in this life and the next.

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
04:29 Who Was the Great Pyramid Built For?
07:46 Ancient Lost City Uncovered Outiside of Cairo
16:48 The First Egyptian Pyramids
19:18 Significance of the Pyramids in Egypt
30:42 How Was the Great Pyramid Built?
50:49 Conclusion

© 2019 WGBH Educational Foundation

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This program was produced by GBH, which is solely responsible for its content.

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Khufu, great pyramid of giza, sneferu, bent pyramid, cartouche, pharoh

[shawnblohm]

I visited the pyramids in May of 2023 and they are very, very impressive to see in person. I went inside of Khafre pyramid to the burial chamber. It was a fantastic experience and I highly recommend visiting the pyramids, if you ever get the chance to.

[SharpAssKnittingNeedles]

Love that they show the original year that this aired! Very important to know with any subject so one can place it in the timeline of discoveries

[Tenmilepimp]

Need to see the pyramids in my lifetime

[DavidScott-oqyp]

At long last, an Egypt documentary almost entirely void of Zahi Hawass. Very refreshing. (Although they did have one obligatory mention of his name. But still...)

[dancingwiththedogsdj]

This is what I needed... Just pure enjoyment and I love it! Always really informative and well presented... Never fails to be an hour or so VERY well spent with PBS Nova! 😊🌎❤️🕺🏻🐶

[chefscorner]

As usual, NOVA comes through with flying colors with another great Documentary that has more information than several other poorly done documentaries put together! Thanks NOVA...

[k.z]

Those Egyptians were geniuses. Creating a work force during the seasonal downtime and using the flooded Nile to transport materials to the site. Plus keeping written records on papyrus. It was so long ago but they were so resourceful. Imagine what they could have gotten done with our technology.

[dan]

This documentary is far better than anything Ancient Aliens has ever done on the topic of the pyramids.

[Htt.ps-Chaos]

we're so lucky for this channel. in a world where new channels are more likely to be ai generated misinformation than not, pbs feels so safe ❤

[suzannef]

I went to Egypt in 2004! For 2 weeks and it was amazing!
I love PBS

[yoyo-jcqg]

Giza is such an amazing complex, we couldn't have asked for a better monument on this planet that marked the start of civilization and the beginning of technology, freaking unreal

[carolyndavison]

One of the most awesome sights in the world. I’ve always been fascinated with Egyptian cultur and history. Great video. Thank you so much NOVA.

[Dharmaku]

Amazing accomplishment... amazing civilization.

[margaretanncarno]

Having visited the great pyramid and other parts of Egypt. All
I can say it was surreal.

[Gwaithmir]

"Men fear time. Time fears The Pyramids." (Egyptian Proverb)

[deefacebook]

Great. Still many mysteries. We are looking at such small shreds of such a huge and long lived history. So much dedicated work being done. As amazing as the work that went into building them. 🤪🥴😊❤

[matthewgooch]

Man the part where they're talking about the Pharoah and Ra going into the underworld was wild. Great documentary

[mikeyoung]

Amazing video and I love seeing how the pyramids were built and how it was a nation working together for a common goal. If nations today could work together there is nothign we couldn't do.

[jbird]

As a retired construction engineering,
My theory of the building of the pyramids is using counter weight method. Pulleys at the top would transfer the load to workers walking downhill. We use similar method for elevators. The pyramids are just indicators of a highly advanced civilization.

[EyeofAhnrie]

I am always excited when Salima Ikmar shows up. This was, as expected, a fabulous look at Egyptian history.