Episode Guide
Season 1
Episode Guide
Egypt's First Pyramid
S1
E1
Feb 22, 2021
The legend of the world's first pyramid involves a powerful pharaoh and a righthand man whose innovative idea to immortalize him would change the course of history. Discover the story of Djoser, who achieved god-like status after leading his country of one million citizens through a seven-year period of drought and famine. Then see how his adviser, Imhotep, set out to build a tomb worthy of his legacy--a construction project that would call for the mobilization of the entire country and influence the very fate of Egypt.
Curse of the Pyramids
S1
E2
Mar 01, 2021
In Dahshur, Egypt, a stone structure rises almost 350 feet from the sand--a massive monument built for the powerful pharaoh, Snefru. Remarkably, this pyramid was just one of three built for the king during his reign--and at one point, all were under construction at once. Join a team of Egyptologists as they travel back 4,600 years to determine why so many pyramids were ordered, who was in charge of building them, and how these colossal engineering challenges would bring cultural revolution to Egypt and influence the nation for millennia.
The Tyrant King
S1
E3
Mar 08, 2021
The Great Pyramid of Giza is the only wonder of the ancient world still standing. Pharaoh Khufu commanded his people to build him this colossal monument some 4,500 years ago as a resurrection machine that would propel him to the afterlife. According to legend, he was a megalomaniac ready to sacrifice his workers in his pursuit of perfection, but how much of this story is based on reality? Follow archaeologists as they hunt to find out if the success of the Great Pyramid really lied on forced labor and tyranny.
Mystery of the Great Pyramid
S1
E4
Mar 15, 2021
In ancient Egypt, workers are racing to finish the largest pyramid on the planet for their pharaoh, Khufu. But time is running out. The purpose of this giant tomb is to transport the king to the afterlife; if it's not completed when he dies, his dreams of immortality could be dashed. Witness the final construction phase of the Great Pyramid of Giza and what it looked like 4,500 years ago. Then see how the recent discovery of an ancient papyrus has rewritten history and changed our understanding of just how this massive monument was built.
Secrets of the Sphinx
S1
E5
Mar 22, 2021
After a nearly three-decade reign, the legendary Pharaoh Khufu is dead. Which of his many sons will succeed the builder of the largest pyramid in history? Today, Egyptologists believe the turmoil of succession after the king's death may help solve Egypt's most enduring mysteries: the riddle of the Sphinx. Join us as we attempt to answer who built one of the ancient world's greatest icons by examining the lives of Khufu's sons, Djedefre and Khafre, and sifting through stories of murder and power worthy of Shakespeare.
Downfall of a Dynasty
S1
E6
Mar 29, 2021
Guided by legendary pharaohs, visionary engineers, and thousands upon thousands of skilled workers, the "Pyramid Age" helped transform ancient Egypt, its people, and the world forever. But cracks in the country's unity eventually began to show, and religious transformation, climate change, and a weak pharaoh signaled the end of an era. Witness the final years of a dynasty that created monuments that still astound today and see how the incredible advances made during this period helped a new age of pharaohs reinvent and reunite the nation.