Okay, now for a different documentary. I was a little bit nervous about doing this documentary, especially this documentary series because it was Germany produced with English subtitles. Happily, I found a channel with this series and it was translated into an English Narration. The series is called Women Who Made History and the subject of today’s documentary is Cleopatra. The run time is 49:02.
Cleopatra was the Queen of Egypt. However, her brother disputed her claim to the throne. A fight broke out between the siblings. Rome invaded Egypt to settle the dispute between Cleopatra and her brother. Julius Caesar wanted influence in Egypt, so he would invade to get it. Cleopatra recognized he would be an ally to her in regaining her throne. Who would win in the fight for Egypt? Would Cleopatra’s brother rule or would Cleopatra? Julius Caesar invaded Egypt and settled in a palace in Alexandria. The Egyptians rose against Caesar and trapped him in the palace. Cleopatra smuggled herself into the palace. She wanted to get ahead of her brother in negotiation and remind Caesar of the promise he made her father. So she met with Cesar in her palace. Cleopatra had raised an army and offered to ally herself with Caesar. The Roman Army and Roman Navy arrived to rescue Caesar in time. Cleopatra’s brother was defeated, and Cleopatra was declared Queen. Egypt would not be a province of Rome, they would remain independent for now. However, they had to supply the Roman legions with food. Cleopatra guaranteed that she would supply the Roman legions with grain. Together, Cleopatra and Caesar ruled Egypt. Here Cleopatra would give birth to their son. Afterward, Caesar brought Cleopatra and their son to Rome. She lived in a villa. Caesar’s enemies mocked them. However, everyone was curious about them. If Cleopatra invited the nobles to the villa, they came. They gossiped behind her back at these parties. The Roman Republic was coming apart. Julius Caesar had made enemies and there were Romans who viewed him as a threat to the republic. He wanted to be king, and as a result, he was assassinated in the Senate. A civil war was coming to Rome. This crushed Cleopatra who then returned to Egypt. Octavian and Marc Anthony worked to hunt down Caesar’s murderers. Octavian and Marc Anthony agreed to divide the empire once Caesar’s murderers were found. Egypt would have to find a new arrangement with Rome. Would the new Roman leaders recognize Cleopatra as Queen? Marc Anthony wanted to know more about Cleopatra. He summed her seven times and she did not come. As a result, he had to go to her. Marc Anthony had a reputation for being a drunk and uneducated Man. For the most part, Marc Anthony was warned about her. So, he came to Cleopatra and she prepared a reception fit for a king. She appeared for him as the goddess Isis. The rest they say is history and they became lovers. According to the docudrama she fell in love with Marc Anthony. After this meeting, they parted and they were apart for three years. Marc Anthony had to return to Rome to defend his power. Cleopatra provided him with the funds he needed to defend his power. During this time, his first wife died. Cleopatra hoped that he would return to her, but Marc Anthony married his rival’s sister. She also bore Anthony’s twins: Alexander Helios and Cleopatra Selene. Eventually, Marc Anthony returned to Egypt, to Cleopatra, to Alexandria. The Romans were unhappy with Marc Anthony’s choices. They started to turn against Marc Anthony. Octavian also started to turn against Marc Anthony, especially for his relationship with Cleopatra. No Roman would be a slave to a woman, especially a foreign-born woman. Would this relationship divide the empire? Soon there would be open conflict between Octavian and Marc Anthony. Who would emerge from this conflict? Tune into the rest of this documentary to find out. Cleopatra was an interesting documentary, there was some minor nudity in this documentary. Still, this was a fascinating look at the life of Cleopatra. It would have been interesting to see how Cleopatra’s father worked out a deal with Julius Caesar to protect Egypt. This would be a good documentary to pull clips from and not show the full episode in class.
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Today we are going to look at a mystery involving Cleopatra and her sister Arsinoe. Neil Oliver investigates the story of the two sisters to answer the question did Cleopatra murder her sister? Oliver uncovers the dark history of Cleopatra. A tomb two thousand years old may hold the key to Cleopatra’s story. The run time for this documentary is 58:51.
The story begins in Ephesus. In 1920, archeologists have discovered a tomb. Inside the tomb, they have discovered human remains. The skeleton was small and of a slight frame. It appeared to be a young woman. However, the tradition held that people were buried outside. Only men of importance were buried in the city. So why was this young woman buried in the city? Who was she? The archeologists had no idea who they found so the sarcophagus was resealed. A modern-day archeologist Hilke Thur looked into the mystery of the tomb. This tomb was octantal shaped and was buried on the Street of the Heroes. She enters the tomb with Neil Oliver. What they find is a barrel-vaulted chamber. When the archeologists originally entered the chamber, they saw the bones of the individual. What was the story of this person? Hilke wanted to discover that story and to do so, she turned to the historical record. Hilke looked to the story of Arsinoe. Arsinoe was living in the Temple of Artemis when she was murdered on orders of Cleopatra. Was this a legend or was it the truth? Was the young woman in the tomb Arsinoe? If it was, then these would be the first remains discovered that were tied to Cleopatra. Niel then makes a trip to Egypt to learn more about Cleopatra and her family. Cleopatra’s father had four children and when he died Cleopatra was supposed to share the throne with her brother. According to Egyptian custom, Cleopatra married her brother. However, it was a family where tensions simmered behind the scenes. Egypt was going to come face to face with the Roman Empire. Roman troops were already in Egypt. The Dynasty had a choice: rebel against Rome or ally with Rome. Cleopatra wanted to ally with Rome. Cleopatra’s brother and Arsinoe wanted to rebel against Rome. The siblings fought against each other, and Cleopatra was driven from the palace. She was banished from Alexandria and was in exile. However, she was not finished and she wanted to get revenge on her brother. Cleopatra’s father was friends with Julius Caesar and he had written in his will that Julius Caesar should decide the succession in the Egyptian empire. Cleopatra would use Julius Caesar’s and Rome’s help to get back at her brother. Julius Caesar arrived in Alexandria and would mediate the family feud. Cleopatra would use her beauty and charms to seduce Caesar into siding with her in the succession dispute. As Neil tells the story of the family feud, he talks with scientists who are examining the bones to see what the bones can tell the world. The bones indicate that she was a younger person and a woman from the period when Cleopatra lived. The bones are the right age and sex to be Arsinoe. With computer technology, the skull of the alleged Arsinoe is recreated and this would lead to a facial reconstruction of Arsinoe. Flashback to the succession dispute and Cleopatra has smuggled herself into the palace in a bedroll. She would have to meet Caesar in his bed and she was a woman who would do what it took to secure her place on the throne. When her brother discovered Cleopatra in Caesar’s bed the next day. The Egyptians would rise against Rome. Caesar would take Cleopatra’s brother hostage and so it fell to Arsinoe to lead the rebellion. Cleopatra and Caesar set fire to Alexandria and this drew the Egyptians away from the palace. Caesar and his bodyguard fled to the Alexandria Lighthouse for safety. However it was here that Arsinoe would lead her troops against Caesar and would claim victory over him. To continue to learn about Arsinoe’s and Cleopatra’s stories continue to watch the rest of this episode. I would show this documentary to a history classroom and science classroom. I also found Arsinoe’s stories fascinating and something that should be shared with a history classroom. Her story is a good break from the history of Cleopatra! Good morning, we will continue with our exploration into the Ancient World with a documentary about Nefertari. The run time for this documentary is 1:00.
Nefertari: The Life of an Egyptian Queen, she was known as one of the most beautiful queens in the world. Her name even means “Beauty of the Beauties.” She was the favorite wife of Ramses II. She came from a noble family. She was educated and a clever woman. Eventually, Ramses II would name her a goddess and had a temple built in her honor. So, who was this extraordinary woman? This is an independently produced documentary by an Egyptian enthusiast. The first part of the documentary talks about the genealogy of the Egyptian royal family and the challenges of family lines ending. So who would become Pharoah amongst this chaos? Ramses was an ordinary man who rose in the ranks. He rose in the ranks of the army as well as in the Pharaoh’s court. He became an advisor to Pharaoh and this pharaoh would name Ramses co-Pharoah. Ramses had Seti, a son, and Ramses, a grandson, so the succession to the Egyptian throne would be secure. Seti would become Pharoah and Nefertari was a child when this happened. Nefertari would meet Ramses and would eventually become his wife. It was clear from the start of their relationship that Ramses adored Nefertari. The record goes further and hints that Ramses worshiped his wife. She would give birth to the first male heir and would become the Great Royal Wife. She was Ramses’ favorite wife and would remain so all her life. She was from a noble family and this would have given legitimacy to the new dynasty. After Nefertari married Ramses, Ramses’ mother took Nefertari under her wing and taught her all she needed to know about how to be a queen. Nefertari gave Ramses six and possibly eight children. She was one of the original women who entered the palace when Ramses was a prince. When Ramses became Pharoah, she always appeared by his side. He gave her many titles including “Great Royal Wife” and “god’s wife of Amun.” She ran the court and would select women who would serve the Pharoah. She took care of the religious duties in the temple. She wore the vulture-feathered crown and dressed in fine white linen. Ramses’ other wives and women did not have this privilege. Both she and Ramses lead temple rituals. Ramses made sure she was portrayed in all his statuary. She was sculpted at standing at his knee. She would use her intellect to help her husband. Nefertari would receive diplomats and would receive gifts from the different ambassadors. A silver pair of earrings was a treasured possession passed to her oldest daughter. Nefertari acted as co-regent, especially when Ramses was away fighting. Despite this, Nefertari would have found her life in danger. A group made their way to Egypt and this group of men wanted to kidnap Nefertari. However, she was able to escape and a lady in waiting alerted the guards. Nefertari was saved. Unfortunately, kidnapping attempts continued and Ramses would take her on a campaign where she would be protected by special guards. Nefertari was the consummate politician and wrote to other queens. There was a letter from the Hittite queen that has been preserved. She was a true partner and a true equal to Ramses and was the only queen who corresponded with other dignitaries. Her correspondence would lead to peace treaties and everyone in Egypt would have admired Nefertari for her skills. The Hittite King would send a daughter to Ramses for him to marry to preserve peace. It was a challenge to get used to the narration because it was choppy from the start to finish. To me, it seems that a robot was narrating the documentary. There was no flow to the documentary and it made it strange to follow. Joann Fletcher’s section on Nefertari in Egypt’s Lost Queens was better, it is a shame that she could not have taken on this subject. I was left disappointed with this documentary. Its choppiness made it a challenge to review and the volume was really low! This documentary should only be used for research only and not in the classroom setting. |
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The purpose of this blog is to share information on what can be used in a classroom, private school, or home school setting as well as serve as a portfolio of my personal and professional work. The reviews are my opinions and should be treated as such. I just want to provide a tool for teachers to select documentaries for their classrooms. |