[CRUNCH] 10 Egyptian Pharaoh Discoveries That SCARED Archaeologists
Egyptian Pharaohs were considered gods and rulers at the same time,
and some incredible discoveries have been made about them. Today, we’ll be going through some
of the most iconic Pharaohs from ancient Egypt, as well as the various discoveries made about them.
10. Khufu
Khufu was the second pharaoh of the fourth Egyptian dynasty and he reigned from 2589 BC
to 2566 BC. We’re starting off with a bang, because King Khufu was responsible for one
discovery that has haunted archaeologists and conspiracy theorists for millennia,
in fact, it's one of the most famous historical discoveries of all time,
the Great Pyramids. Well, Khufu built just one of the pyramids, but he was the trendsetter,
the person who actually built the first pyramid in the Giza complex. For thousands of years,
the pyramids have been confusing us all as we try to figure out what their true purpose was,
and how they even made such an impressive structure that wouldn’t be surpassed in height for
thousands of years after it was built. King Khufu was mummified in the very pyramid that
seems to have been commissioned by him, however, the pyramids have completely overshadowed some
of the other progress he made in his reign, and today, we don’t know much else about him.
9. Djoser
Djoser is considered the founder of the Old Kingdom of Egypt, and was a pharaoh of the 9th
Egyptian dynasty as he reigned from 2630 BC and 2611 BC. Not much is known about Djoser, but he
is considered to have revolutionized construction methods for the coming thousands of years. One of
his greatest contributions to Egypt is something that archaeologists still can’t get enough of,
and that is the Step Pyramid at Saqqara. The pyramid, made of limestone, is considered one of
the most stable structures of its time, and it was built in order to protect king Djoser, although
it wouldn’t be completed until after he died, under the supervision of his official, Imhotep.
8. Xerxes I
Xerxes the first, or just Xerxes The Great, was actually a king from the Persian Achaemenid
dynasty who ended up ruling over Egypt as well. His reign is thought to have lasted from around
486 BC to 465 BC. What scared most historians and archaeologists about Xerxes was how brutal
of a ruler he was, wherever there were signs of his rule, there would also be mass graves found,
especially near towns he had conquered along his way. He is seen as one of the most tyrannical
rulers of all time, taking Egypt by force, torturing the local population, and also trying
to take over Greece. Had he completely taken over Greece, he would’ve successfully been the king
of three cradles of civilization, Egypt, Greece, and Persia. His rule, however,
was cut short as he was assassinated by his own commander who was leading the bodyguard forces.
7. Thutmose III
Thutmose III was a king from the 18th Egyptian dynasty, and while he was supposed to take over
Egypt as a 2 year old when his father died, his stepmother ended up fulfilling that role
before him because of his young age. Later on, he ended up co-ruling Egypt with his stepmother,
and his contributions to the great civilization cannot be understated. He was perhaps the greatest
military leader Egypt has ever seen, and he’s often referred to as the Napoleon of Egypt,
and due to the stability he brought to Egypt, he was able to construct some crazy monuments.
The most famous monument from his rule would have to be the temple of Karnak,
an extremely important site in Egyptian mythology. Archaeologists were even more shocked when he was
one of the many Pharaohs to be discovered in the Valley of the Kings in a mummified state.
6. Amenhotep III
Amenhotep III was the ninth pharaoh of the 18th Egyptian dynasty, and his rule lasted from 1391
BC to 1353 BC. He is often considered one of the greatest economic minds of the ancient world,
as well as one of the most cultured men in history. He has a profound impact on Egyptian
art and archaeologists continue to be amazed by some of the art that was made during his time.
He built thousands of monuments, and most of them were to praise himself. Clearly, humbleness was
of no value to Amenhotep III, as he commissioned more statues of himself to be built than any other
Egyptian ruler in history, if not any ruler in history overall. He is considered one of the most
commonly depicted historical figures and is the reason we have such great knowledge of his time.
5. Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun, otherwise known simply as King Tut, is one of Egypt’s most well-known Pharaohs.
Although this has been observed with other members of Egyptian royalty as well,
King Tut and his family were known to have been buried with their own treasure,
which has put their tombs at great risk for theft, which is why the Egyptian government has more
security around his tomb than any other ancient site in Egypt. King Tut’s treasure hasn’t been
found yet, but it’s believed that it’s buried somewhere deep within the sand near his tomb,
and it may be worth more than all of the other treasures found in Egypt put together.
For hundreds of years, King Tut’s lost treasure has been a topic of great discussion among
Egyptian archaeologists, but only time will tell if it’ll ever even be found.
4. Cleopatra
Cleopatra is not only one of the most famous historical figures of all time, but she remains a
pop culture icon to this day. She is often blamed for the downfall of the later Egyptian empire,
she is considered the last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt. Cleopatra’s life story is
one that has intrigued historians more than any other ruler before, whether it was her various
affairs or the lifestyle she lived, but there was always one aspect about her that has intrigued us,
and scared archaeologists, the most, and that was the circumstance around her death, as well as the
location of it. As Octavian forced were taking over Egypt, Cleopatra, who was in a shelter with
his children, had no choice but to commit suicide to save herself from the humiliation and torture
she would face if she was caught, so according to popular belief, she grabbed a highly venomous
Egyptian cobra and forced it to bite her, quickly killing her. Her body has never been found,
even as archaeologists have collectively spent millions of man-hours trying to look for her.
Until she’s found, we might never know the full story.
3. Hatshepsut
While Cleopatra may or may not have caused the downfall of the Egyptian civilization,
that doesn’t mean women can’t be great pharaohs. Hatshepsut was only the second
woman to ever become a pharaoh, she was the fifth ruler of the 18th Egyptian dynasty,
and is thought to be ancient Egypt’s most successful female ruler.
During her rule, Egypt was more peaceful than ever, and there was a lot of money to spend on
various infrastructure and trade projects rather than spending it all on the military and war.
Hatshepsut’s body was rediscovered from the Valley of the Kings in 1902,
and to date, she is the only pharaoh to have her body removed from the valley. Her mummy was quite
a shock to the archaeologists as well, as she was a very obese woman who had horrendous teeth.
2. Akhenaten
Akhenaten is an interesting figure as, for the longest time, we didn’t even know he existed. It
was a discovery made in 1907 in which his remains were found that we finally started to understand
his era and timeline. Apparently, he was a ruler from the 18th dynasty, and was quite unique among
Egyptians for his monotheism. He completely reformed the Egyptian religion in order to make
the empire worship just one god, known as Aten. He ended up destroying or converting a lot of old
Egyptian temples, but his rule was considered so blasphemous to the other Egyptian rulers
that after he died, all traces of Akhenaten’s existence were erased by subsequent rulers,
and nothing about him would ever be known again, until he was rediscovered.
1. Ramesses II
Ramesses II was a great ruler in his own right and is sometimes considered to be “the Great Ancestor”
to Egyptians. Under his rule, Egypt saw its might grow beyond its borders, and many monuments and
infrastructural projects were built. But it was the panic that was caused by the discovery of his
body that really gives him a spot on our list. His mummy was discovered in 1881 by French explorers
and was in a rapidly deteriorating state. He was later sent to France to be treated for a major
fungal infection, and he actually had to be issued a passport, thousands of years after his death,
in order to travel to France. Not only that but when his body arrived at France,
he was given a military salute since he was a king. Talk about building a long-lasting legacy.
If you enjoyed this video make sure to give it a like and subscribe to our
channel for more videos like this, and we’ll see you in the next one!