0:00:16.020,0:00:18.569 (Applause) 0:00:19.009,0:00:23.543 Look, I'll start with a quote that says:[br]"Egypt is a gift of the Nile" 0:00:23.543,0:00:26.243 Herodotus set it down in writing.[br]He is a Greek historian 0:00:26.243,0:00:29.023 who visited the country on the[br]fifth century before Christ. 0:00:29.023,0:00:30.383 And how right Herodotus was![br] 0:00:30.383,0:00:32.738 Because without the existence [br]of fresh water, 0:00:32.738,0:00:35.349 [br]in this case without the Nile's existence, 0:00:35.349,0:00:39.209 no culture or civilization[br]could have developed. 0:00:39.789,0:00:42.918 The Nile was a resource[br]of endless sources. 0:00:42.918,0:00:45.670 And what does that mean? [br]It provided the Egyptian people 0:00:45.670,0:00:50.770 with everything they needed:[br]water, plants, fish, 0:00:50.770,0:00:54.420 also all the aquatic birds...[br]Not only that, but also 0:00:54.420,0:00:58.420 it was the perfect habitat for[br]a great diversity of flora and fauna. 0:00:59.172,0:01:03.809 Actually, if we pay attention, to some[br]frescoes and paintings that appear 0:01:03.809,0:01:07.184 in some Egyptian tombs'[br]indoor walls 0:01:07.184,0:01:12.775 we can notice the deceased that appears[br]represented standing over a boat. 0:01:12.775,0:01:16.139 They are always very light boats,[br]made out of light materials, 0:01:16.139,0:01:20.190 many of them are rushes or papyrus[br]and we see that they are over the Nile. 0:01:20.190,0:01:24.047 Also, they are really beautiful images[br]because we can see, for example, 0:01:24.050,0:01:26.650 that they always go together[br]with their family, 0:01:26.652,0:01:30.841 and the family is usually the wife[br]and the possible children. 0:01:30.841,0:01:34.668 Always seeing the wife in the background[br]is a very curious fact. 0:01:34.668,0:01:40.096 Pay attention, in this case she is wearing[br]a linen dress, suggesting transparencies. 0:01:40.096,0:01:43.588 She is perfumed,[br]with the scent on her head, 0:01:43.588,0:01:48.259 always holding a flower in her hands,[br]well, they always appear with... 0:01:49.165,0:01:52.578 they have a very passive attitude,[br]they are secondary. 0:01:52.578,0:01:57.780 But the deceased, the males, [br]are always in a very active attitude. 0:01:57.780,0:02:01.854 In this case we see, for example,[br]that they are holding, in their hands, 0:02:01.854,0:02:06.455 a kind of boomerang to hunt[br]the aquatic birds that they find 0:02:06.455,0:02:09.589 around the region. But some other time[br]we could see them carrying 0:02:09.589,0:02:14.486 a kind of spear for fishing[br]the fish that the Nile provided them with. 0:02:14.773,0:02:18.729 Therefore, it was an ideal habit for[br]this flora, for this fauna, 0:02:18.739,0:02:22.682 but do not be led astray by these[br]idyllic images because there were also 0:02:22.682,0:02:27.215 very dangerous animals like,[br]crocodiles or hippopotamus, 0:02:27.215,0:02:28.595 which they feared. 0:02:29.035,0:02:33.681 The truth is that the Nile[br]was not just that, it also was 0:02:33.681,0:02:38.137 the main way of communicating.[br]That was a kind of highway 0:02:38.157,0:02:42.102 or road that carried[br]people and goods 0:02:42.102,0:02:45.259 from one side of the country[br]to the other. 0:02:45.259,0:02:49.879 The Nile is the longest river in Africa, 0:02:50.439,0:02:57.619 probably the longest river in the world,[br]because its length is over 6,650km. 0:02:58.188,0:03:02.196 It has two main tributaries:[br]the White Nile and the Blue Nile. 0:03:02.740,0:03:06.648 The White Nile originates in the Region[br]of the Big Lakes, in central Africa, 0:03:06.808,0:03:13.068 and the Blue Nile starts in Lake Tana[br]in Ethiopia, more or less near Khartum 0:03:13.198,0:03:17.580 the capital city of North Sudan,[br]these rivers join creating an only river, 0:03:17.838,0:03:22.487 they go through the remaining desert,[br]they entry through Egypt and, finally, 0:03:22.487,0:03:28.210 it disgorges in the Mediterranean sea[br]in a vast river delta. 0:03:28.750,0:03:35.530 What is also true is that, Egyptians,[br]named their country Kemet. 0:03:35.610,0:03:40.952 Kemet means "black"[br]or "the black land", and it refers back to 0:03:40.972,0:03:45.089 the slime's black color that remained[br]over the Nile's margins 0:03:45.089,0:03:48.407 in flooding periods.[br]These periods happened 0:03:48.671,0:03:53.031 during the warmest months of the year.[br]It happened from the end of June 0:03:53.221,0:03:57.960 till September, when the Nile had[br]an overflow. These overflows happened 0:03:57.960,0:04:01.587 due to the monsoon that occurs,[br]basically, in the Ethiopian massif. 0:04:02.262,0:04:06.740 So, was Kemet such big deal?[br]Kemet was just a living space 0:04:06.740,0:04:10.932 and also a cultivable area, because[br]the moment when the river overflew 0:04:10.932,0:04:14.964 the water flooded a whole region,[br]and after some days 0:04:14.964,0:04:19.487 when the water receded,[br]it left a soft soil, perfect for 0:04:19.487,0:04:25.991 working on it and also rich in minerals.[br]Cultivation was very important. 0:04:26.161,0:04:32.222 The Egyptians were agriculturalists,[br]because, appart from the Pharaoh and some 0:04:32.232,0:04:36.842 privileged people like, let's call them[br]priests, the royal family, 0:04:36.842,0:04:42.252 a part from those, the vast majority[br]of the population were illiterate farmers 0:04:42.259,0:04:48.230 who worked on the land. And, from[br]the very beginning, those farmers 0:04:48.230,0:04:52.049 noticed that they were able[br]to control the overflows 0:04:52.120,0:04:56.478 because they built dikes and canals[br]to improve it. 0:04:56.758,0:05:01.080 With everything that I said, we can say[br]that the Nile was the main 0:05:01.101,0:05:06.070 responsible for Egypt's life, for[br]the land's fertility and without any doubt 0:05:06.070,0:05:12.098 also for its historic destiny. So,[br]hence the saying, or the quote 0:05:12.098,0:05:15.431 that Herodotus said:[br]"Egypt is a gift of the Nile". 0:05:15.451,0:05:19.261 What I explained to you until now[br]is very beautiful, but I will be honest, 0:05:19.261,0:05:21.881 you can find it all[br]in any history manual 0:05:21.881,0:05:25.344 but it was important[br]to introduce some background information. 0:05:25.354,0:05:32.867 My point is this,[br]to ask ourselves the origin of everything. 0:05:32.897,0:05:38.061 I mean, in which momentum,[br]how did the civilization appear? 0:05:38.061,0:05:41.941 The Egyptian civilization,[br]how was it born? Because, obviously 0:05:41.941,0:05:46.708 it can not appear like a mushroom,[br]no one could just put them there. 0:05:46.768,0:05:53.012 Could it be someone's crazy idea[br]that, together with a group of friends, 0:05:53.012,0:05:57.229 saw that beautiful place and left,[br]running back to some friends, 0:05:57.229,0:06:00.023 and told them: Hey! I have just seen[br]something wonderful, 0:06:00.023,0:06:04.602 why don't we stay here, and we[br]build some pyramids, 0:06:04.602,0:06:08.302 and listen, do not worry because five,[br]four or three thousand years from now 0:06:08.302,0:06:11.018 people will still talk about us,[br]so what, should we do it? 0:06:11.234,0:06:15.055 When I said "someone",[br]did you imagine a woman? 0:06:15.224,0:06:18.604 I would say that almost anyone[br]could imagine a woman, 0:06:18.604,0:06:21.808 and that you thought it was a man,[br]when I said "someone". 0:06:22.148,0:06:26.488 The ancient Egyptians had it very clear.[br]Everything that was there, 0:06:26.488,0:06:30.570 was their God's creation.[br]They created some myths, 0:06:30.570,0:06:34.680 very beautiful ones, that spread orally[br]from generation to generation, 0:06:34.680,0:06:38.826 and they show how[br]Egyptian Gods created the cosmos, 0:06:38.826,0:06:44.091 they also created the Earth, the Nile and[br]humans appeared from a divinity's tears. 0:06:44.091,0:06:48.096 Do not tell me it is not nice![br]If we had asked an Egyptian, 0:06:48.106,0:06:52.212 from Ramses era, from Keb,[br]Hatxepsut or Tuthmosis, who created 0:06:52.212,0:06:56.337 this world, what would they answer?[br]Who put the Nile there, what 0:06:56.337,0:07:00.438 would they answer? The deities. But,[br]if we had told the same Egyptian that 0:07:00.438,0:07:03.239 in some centuries their divinities [br]would no longer exist, 0:07:04.249,0:07:06.239 they would have been horrified. 0:07:06.239,0:07:10.332 How can you live without gods?[br]How can we live in this world, 0:07:10.332,0:07:12.624 they who created us[br]who protect us, 0:07:12.624,0:07:14.545 they who give meaning to life. 0:07:14.545,0:07:17.728 Even if in the same Egypt[br]we had told them that, in some time 0:07:17.728,0:07:21.341 the Pharaoh will not exist,[br]then I think that, directly, 0:07:21.341,0:07:23.681 a heart attack is little to say. 0:07:23.681,0:07:27.553 And why so? Because by no means[br]the Egyptians could understand a life 0:07:27.553,0:07:31.513 without a Pharaoh. Because the Pharaoh[br]is the figure of an intermediary 0:07:31.523,0:07:34.583 between the divine world and[br]the land-world. 0:07:35.813,0:07:42.198 Well, let's go back to the question:[br]How does a civilization appear? 0:07:42.948,0:07:47.688 Is it the crazy idea of an individual?[br]Is it, maybe, a divine will? 0:07:48.148,0:07:52.394 Or maybe, does mother nature with its[br]powerful strength have something to do? 0:07:53.460,0:07:57.490 I will be honest with you, all three[br]things scare me. 0:07:58.270,0:08:02.046 I will also tell you, that[br]if the idea of the crazy person, 0:08:02.206,0:08:05.136 or the one of the divinities[br]do not persuade you, 0:08:05.136,0:08:11.479 maybe we should start to study a bit more[br]the Sahara's climatic history. 0:08:11.713,0:08:18.661 Look, the Sahara desert is huge[br]and it covers most of North Africa's 0:08:18.661,0:08:24.201 It is as big as USA or Europe.[br]And I will tell you something 0:08:24.201,0:08:32.181 I know that you all like taking[br]pictures in those red, 0:08:32.181,0:08:34.654 yellow dunes, they are[br]very nice pictures. 0:08:34.654,0:08:38.234 But you should be scared,[br]because there is nothing in that spot, 0:08:38.234,0:08:43.714 there is no life. It scares me,[br]I am really telling you. 0:08:43.714,0:08:48.064 Furthermore, it has a very harsh climate,[br]the Sahara. It is the warmest part 0:08:48.064,0:08:53.247 of the Earth, and it is the most extensive[br]non-polar desert in our planet. 0:08:53.247,0:08:58.517 Nevertheless, the Sahara has never[br]had that arid aspect 0:08:58.517,0:09:03.582 that it has nowadays. And if we study[br]and analyze its climatic history, 0:09:03.582,0:09:08.097 we will realize that at the beginning[br]of the Holocene, more or less around 0:09:08.097,0:09:12.788 10,000 before Christ, all the Saharan[br]plateaus were populated, 0:09:12.788,0:09:16.971 full of flora and fauna, [br]there were even lakes, 0:09:17.831,0:09:20.431 some of them seasonal,[br]but many others permanent, 0:09:20.431,0:09:25.981 [br]that were filled thanks to the[br]monsoon that fell over this Sahara. 0:09:25.991,0:09:29.893 The human beings who lived in this region,[br]that obviously you have to imagine it 0:09:29.893,0:09:33.992 all green, full of forests,[br]full of vegetation. 0:09:33.992,0:09:39.162 The humans who lived in this region[br]even developed a culture 0:09:39.162,0:09:46.053 based on hunting, collecting and even[br]in the use of the aquatic resources 0:09:46.053,0:09:48.382 because they had those lakes. 0:09:49.212,0:09:52.037 We have to insist, once again,[br]that the Sahara in that era, 0:09:52.037,0:09:56.217 ten thousand years before Christ,[br]is very humid and it rains, therefore 0:09:56.267,0:10:01.348 this was a real paradise. And why do I[br]tell you this? Because humans lived 0:10:01.368,0:10:07.522 in small groups, they were nomads, [br]they had everything they needed. 0:10:07.662,0:10:11.018 They were walking, and suddenly,[br]they found a fig tree, 0:10:11.018,0:10:14.995 they saw it full of fruit and they ate[br]the figs, or they saw a herbivore 0:10:14.995,0:10:19.327 and they went behind it,[br]trying to hunt it to eat it afterwards. 0:10:19.397,0:10:24.305 We have many proofs of all this,[br]but we can not forget that 0:10:24.305,0:10:30.955 mankind, humans, to the contrary of what[br]people say that we come from the apes, 0:10:30.955,0:10:35.335 that is a lie. Why?[br]Because humans are apes. 0:10:35.335,0:10:41.282 And if you do not like the word ape,[br]call it primate. And we are omnivorous. 0:10:41.282,0:10:46.922 And we are very opportunists, and what[br]does it mean? It means we can eat many 0:10:46.922,0:10:51.292 different types of food. Now you'll be hungry.[br]And why? Because if we were hungry, 0:10:51.292,0:10:55.689 imagine all the people in this room[br]live in this region, and suddenly 0:10:55.689,0:11:02.419 we get hungry. If in that moment a frog [br]or a worm, or a snail passes by, 0:11:02.419,0:11:06.424 Mmmm, isn't it tasty? But, what is more[br]we are also able to eat 0:11:06.424,0:11:10.234 an elephant steak, [br]and we also like vegetables, 0:11:10.234,0:11:14.322 and we like fruit and we like root[br]vegetables, and we can also eat mushrooms 0:11:14.422,0:11:20.513 and thanks to the mastery of fire, we can[br]also cook the food. What does this mean? 0:11:20.513,0:11:24.843 It means that foods like cereals,[br]that if we eat them raw they are 0:11:24.843,0:11:28.144 indigestible, when we cook them[br]they become great nutrients. 0:11:28.422,0:11:38.022 So we are great opportunists. Which proofs[br]do we have from that life in the Sahara? 0:11:38.082,0:11:43.812 There are many. To start with there are[br]remains such as gazelle jaws 0:11:43.812,0:11:46.896 and next to it we find an[br]arrowhead. And what is an arrowhead? 0:11:46.896,0:11:51.216 It is a litic tool, I mean,[br]a piece of stone that someone 0:11:51.216,0:11:55.468 broke, refined and, therefore[br]it demonstrates that in that place 0:11:55.468,0:11:59.188 people used to hunt. There were also[br]settlement remains. 0:11:59.188,0:12:03.953 Sometimes people tell me that[br]they just see a bunch of stones 0:12:03.953,0:12:07.369 but I always tell them: listen,[br]stones can speak, these stones 0:12:07.369,0:12:10.729 are telling you that in that place, that[br]is a hut, a shelter. 0:12:10.729,0:12:14.405 I usually say a house, but everybody[br]laughs. So, a shelter, if you want. 0:12:14.405,0:12:18.351 The thing is that, next to it, you'll[br]also find human burial remains, 0:12:18.351,0:12:24.775 we will also find in these settlements,[br]strings made out of ostrich eggs 0:12:24.775,0:12:28.297 that they used to create bracelets, [br]necklaces, and thanks to the carbon-14 0:12:28.297,0:12:33.151 it indicates us that they are between[br]eight and seven thousand years old. 0:12:33.511,0:12:37.910 What do we mean by all this? That they are[br]irrefutable proofs that show us that, 0:12:37.910,0:12:44.044 there was plenty of life in this Sahara.[br]There's another proof that people like. 0:12:44.044,0:12:48.622 When we see these desserts [br]we are not aware, 0:12:48.622,0:12:51.517 but it is what I was telling you before [br]about the stones: 0:12:51.517,0:12:54.557 we have to listen to them, [br]the sand in the dessert speaks too. 0:12:54.557,0:13:00.170 For example, in the Libyan[br]dessert, among all the sand and stones 0:13:00.170,0:13:06.591 we can find Saharan art, and the paintings[br]and the cave paintings are wonderful. 0:13:07.071,0:13:11.997 What can we find? For example,[br]we can see some giraffs in muted colors 0:13:11.997,0:13:15.268 that are surrounded by some beasts,[br]we even see humans. 0:13:15.388,0:13:19.390 But what does it all indicate? That those[br]animals lived in this region. 0:13:19.630,0:13:24.395 There are some great cave paintings, [br]for example this elephant, that also 0:13:24.395,0:13:27.028 shows that in the North of Africa[br]there were elephants 0:13:27.028,0:13:29.784 to make those steaks that we[br]were saying before. 0:13:29.864,0:13:32.974 We could take the whole Sahara,[br]because all its parts speaks. 0:13:33.140,0:13:36.363 What else can we find?[br]If we go further South, 0:13:36.363,0:13:41.163 to the Occidental Egyptian desert,[br]in a region known as Gilf Kebir, 0:13:41.163,0:13:45.755 that is almost in the border[br]with Libya and Sudan, we can also find 0:13:45.755,0:13:50.811 some very interesting paintings and [br]engraves. There is a great one 0:13:50.811,0:13:56.215 in which we can see some human figures[br]around a lake and, 0:13:56.215,0:14:00.613 we also see that they are not alone, [br]there are some animals. 0:14:00.693,0:14:04.253 Do you know what probably happened?[br]They hid and waited for the animals, 0:14:04.253,0:14:07.695 that were provably herbivore,[br]to go to the lake to drink water 0:14:07.695,0:14:09.450 and then they would hunt them. 0:14:10.140,0:14:13.200 It is showing us that there was[br]also water in there. 0:14:13.200,0:14:18.436 Even a well known cave, a cave[br]known as the Cave of Swimmers, 0:14:18.436,0:14:21.833 we can see that there are[br]some humans that seem to be 0:14:21.833,0:14:24.469 swimming in that water. 0:14:25.171,0:14:30.241 Look at that paradise, wasn't it [br]an idyllic place to live? The Eden. 0:14:31.001,0:14:34.109 This paradise broke,[br]because there was a change: 0:14:34.109,0:14:39.679 a variation in the Earth Orbit.[br]What does this mean? 0:14:39.869,0:14:45.600 It means there was a slight displacement[br]in the Earth's axis, and when 0:14:45.600,0:14:50.181 this displacement occurred,[br]it stopped raining in the Sahara. 0:14:51.460,0:14:58.153 What does it imply? It implied a radical[br]and dramatic change. Why radical? 0:14:58.373,0:15:04.070 Because in only two centuries,[br]all that area in the Sahara that 0:15:04.070,0:15:10.016 we were looking at, that was green [br]due to the fertility of its vegetation, 0:15:10.016,0:15:16.666 it will become red, a totally infertile[br]desert. What will it produce? 0:15:16.666,0:15:20.926 Hence comes the dramatic change.[br]All that flora and fauna 0:15:20.926,0:15:25.756 that was living in this region[br]will disappear, for example, 0:15:25.756,0:15:29.515 what will happen to the lakes? They[br]will dry, and all the life 0:15:29.515,0:15:32.455 that was living within those lakes,[br]within the fresh water, 0:15:32.455,0:15:35.610 those shellfish,[br]those fish will die. 0:15:35.610,0:15:38.698 In the desert's sand,[br]we can find proof of all that. 0:15:38.698,0:15:41.975 That is why I say that the sand talks,[br]that you have to listen to it. 0:15:42.085,0:15:46.255 What happened with the trees?[br]Exactly the same. They could not 0:15:46.255,0:15:51.005 resist, and they disappeared.[br]And what about the human beings? 0:15:51.555,0:15:55.335 Those who could, moved East.[br]They were so lucky 0:15:55.335,0:16:00.329 that they found the endless water source[br]that was the Nile, 0:16:00.329,0:16:04.353 and they quickly settled themselves there.[br]They settled down and they started to 0:16:04.353,0:16:08.511 take advantage of the Nile's overflows, [br]exploiting everything the Nile gave them. 0:16:08.981,0:16:13.798 Of course it is dramatic, because[br]the hunter's culture died, 0:16:13.798,0:16:18.125 it will cease to exist. And why?[br]Because they will become farmers. 0:16:18.125,0:16:21.233 It is necessary to become a farmer,[br]because in the moment when 0:16:21.233,0:16:25.423 the environment does not provide you[br]with the food sources you need to survive, 0:16:25.423,0:16:30.353 you will have to do it artificially[br]and the longer we spend tilling the land, 0:16:30.353,0:16:35.155 the fewer time we will have to go[br]hunting and harvesting. 0:16:35.405,0:16:38.151 But this does not have to be [br]a problem, really. 0:16:38.151,0:16:43.545 Seen from the outside, we can notice that[br]thanks to the Sahara's desertification 0:16:43.545,0:16:47.945 The Egyptian Pharaonic [br]civilization was born. 0:16:47.945,0:16:50.735 One of the most shocking[br]in humanity's history. 0:16:50.735,0:16:54.311 In other words, Ancient Egypt[br]is the result of the drought. 0:16:54.681,0:16:57.662 We could formulate another question:[br]Could another civilization 0:16:57.662,0:17:01.972 develop alongside the Nile?[br]Of course, it could. 0:17:01.972,0:17:05.126 There are many variables,[br]and appart from the Pharaonic, 0:17:05.126,0:17:08.022 there are other civilizations[br]that settled alongside the Nile 0:17:08.022,0:17:10.080 and nowadays they are still settled there. 0:17:10.080,0:17:12.570 But, probably, their kings[br]were not called Pharaohs, 0:17:12.570,0:17:14.942 or maybe they were not depicted[br]with a false beard 0:17:14.942,0:17:17.132 or with a skirt, [br]and their gods didn't have, 0:17:17.132,0:17:19.672 I don't know, a falcon-like head,[br]or cow ears. 0:17:20.012,0:17:24.792 But what we know for sure is that[br]they would have learnt to tame the Nile. 0:17:25.142,0:17:28.943 I will tell you one thing,[br]we are all afraid of change, 0:17:28.943,0:17:32.177 and we are afraid of it because[br]we fear the unknown. 0:17:32.567,0:17:37.138 But along history if there is [br]something recurring, you know what it is? 0:17:37.138,0:17:40.036 That everything changes. [br]Thank you so much. 0:17:40.096,0:17:42.926 (Applause)