Good afternoon, good evening, or good morning, depending on when you are reading this.  I hope that things are going well for you.  Summer is approaching rapidly, and I hope that you will get some well-deserved rest.  I am going to go back to Ancient Egypt.  Today is a documentary on the Red Pyramid.  The run time for this documentary is 52:07.  It is called Menkaure: The Last Pyramid of Giza.

Pharaoh Menkaure would build the Red Pyramid on the Giza plateau.  However, he would die before it was completed.  It is the smallest pyramid of the three on the Giza plateau.  He created an innovative pyramid.  However, the story of the Pharaoh is equally as intriguing.  His sarcophagus ended up at the bottom of the sea.  He did not create many monuments during his reign.  Who was Pharoah Menkaure?  Why did he build the smallest pyramid?

The story begins with Pharaoh Menkaure and his reasons for building a smaller pyramid.  There were different theories as to why Menkaure’s pyramid was smaller.  Did Egypt have enough resources to keep building these massive pyramids?  Was the Giza plateau running out of room?  Or did Pharaoh Menkaure have less power in comparison to his predecessors?  Or did he just want to build a smaller pyramid?

Although not as big as the Great Pyramid, Menkaure’s pyramid is a unique study.  Menkaure would have had the example of his ancestors to look to.  Then the story continues with the materials that were used to build the pyramid: granite.  Granite would have had to have been shipped from other places to Egypt to help build the pyramid.  Granite was also a challenge to work with, however, the Egyptians developed the technology to cut the granite.  This episode reminds me of the Silver Pharaoh episode from the Secrets of the Dead and how silver was a challenge to work with. However, the Egyptians have developed ways to work with granite.  The first rows of the Menkaure pyramid are made of granite.  Perhaps the pharaoh wanted to have granite granite-covered pyramid.  Or was he thinking that he wanted a two-color pyramid?  Why were there areas of the pyramid unfinished?

Franck Monnier draws a picture of the underground chambers.  The pyramid is then scanned with the latest technology.  Much of the burial chamber is underground.  What will the results of the scan show?  Then the documentary talks about the history of Menkaure and his motivations for building the pyramid.  The narrator also talks about the Pharaoh himself and the times in which he ruled.

Monnier goes to the pyramid that he has been studying.  Over the years, there were threats of destruction, however, it is much easier to build a pyramid in comparison to destroying it.  Menkaure’s pyramid has a scar on it, and it shows how it was constructed.  It has also been looted over the years and eventually covered by the sands. 

When the Europeans came to Egypt, explorations of Egypt, particularly the pyramids, started.  A British general looked at the pyramid of Menkaure and determined to find a way inside it.  The general would have used dynamite to blast their way in.  This is now considered shocking to discover.  However, inside the general and his partner in crime did not find anything.  After thinking about it (which I think the narrator had to hide his sarcasm when he said it) the general and his partner in crime decided to find the bottom of the pyramid, and they found the entrance.  Too bad they did not think of that before they decided to dynamite the pyramid.  What other secrets are revealed about the pyramid?  Why did Menkaure build so small?  Why was an abandoned chamber the pyramid?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

This documentary was much better in comparison to the first episode I reviewed of the series.  It was very well organized with a clear beginning, middle, and end.  I could not help but hear Tony Robinson in my head when the narrator mentioned that dynamite was used, and I wish Tony had narrated this episode.  Over all this was a good effort, and I would show this to a history class.

Greetings!  I hope that things are going well.  It is March, so I am sure some schools are going to be on spring break soon.  Today I am going to do a documentary on Cleopatra.  This documentary is called The Hunt for Cleopatra’s Secret Tomb.  It has a runtime of 51:43. 

The most famous and most powerful woman in history was Cleopatra.  She was pharaoh of Egypt.  However, despite this fame and power, there are some details of her life that are not well known.  She would have been a skilled politician who worked to eliminate her rivals.  She died young after reigning for twenty years.  Over the past few years, more and more details of Cleopatra’s reign have been discovered.  Using the latest finds and technology, more information will be revealed about this Pharaoh. 

She was a woman described as scandalous and domineering, however, she was a noted politician.  Her name was Cleopatra and she was a woman who was more legend than flesh.  A group of archeologists is leading an excavation in the north of Egypt to help this legend become flesh.  It is said that this site was the final burial place of Cleopatra.  There was no description of where she was buried and if her final resting place is discovered it would send shockwaves throughout the archeological world.

The story begins with Cleopatra’s birth.  Even the circumstances of her birth are obscure.  She descended from the Macedonia-Greek Ptolemy’s.  Her mother was unknown.  Perhaps her mother was an Egyptian.  Her father educated her very well.  She was growing up to be a political warrior.  The story transitions to Kathleen Martinez, who has explored Taposiris Magna.  She has spent fifteen years at the time of the documentary looking for Cleopatra’s Tomb.  She believes the tomb is located at Taposiris Magna, contrary to the beliefs of Zahi Hawass.  However, he admires Kathleen’s determination.

Martinez is following the trail of Cleopatra here because of the way Cleopatra tried herself to the goddess Isis.  On the Taposiris Magna site, there is a destroyed temple dedicated to Isis on the site.  The Martinez team has gone over the site with a fine-toothed tomb and may have discovered such a temple on the site.  Growing up Cleopatra may have visited the site.

Then the documentary talks about how she rose to power, and Cleopatra would have killed her way to the top.  Cleopatra was the eldest of five children and rose to power at the age of eighteen.  She married her little brother Ptolemy and they had to tolerate each other, but this marriage could only last for so long.  A discovery sheds light on the early years of her reign: a document that she signed herself.  Cleopatra tried to absolute power, however, she had to navigate the terms of her father’s will and her brother’s counselors.  There were too many cooks in the kitchen and Cleopatra would flee Alexandria.  Her life was in danger, which would make a good topic for an alternative history.  Cleopatra was determined to make her way back.  She would build up her supporters and her army.

Back to the Taposiris Magna, the site is home to massive tunnels.  Over the years sand has filled the tunnels but Kathleen and her team have uncovered them.  The tunnels would have carried water to a long-lost town.  Martinez believes that the tunnels would have also provided a hidden place for people to move around.

The power plays between Cleopatra and Ptolemy continued and young Ptolemy would overplay his hand.  Cleopatra would capitalize on this mistake.  What was Ptolemy’s mistake?  How does Cleopatra return to power?  What does she do when she returns to power?  What about Kathleen Martinez’s expedition?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

I am so glad that I found this updated documentary, as I have done the Secrets of the Dead documentary on Cleopatra.  This was very fast-moving.  The information was very good and it was nice to see an update on Kathleen’s expeditions.  I liked the recreations and the portrayal of Cleopatra.  This would be a good documentary to show to a history class and I would use this for research purposes.

Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening depending on when you are reading this.  I hope that things are going well for you.  Going through some of these documentaries I am always struck by the length of the documentaries between American producers and European Producers.  American documentaries tend to be shorter whereas European documentaries are longer.  This time I am going back to Ancient Egypt and exploring the life of Hatshepsut.  The documentary is part of the Lost Treasures of Egypt Series and it is called Warrior Pharaoh Queen.  The run time for this documentary is 44:24.

Egypt has the most archeological treasures on the planet.  Archeologists and historians spend many a season in Egypt to reveal the buried secrets of Egypt.  For a full season, National Geographic has been granted access to film these digs.  Pharaoh Hatshepsut was a woman leader of Egypt and although history tried to erase her, there have been many new discoveries made.  This documentary follows the archeologists as they make discoveries to help further understand Hatshepsut.

The documentary begins with the Temple of Hatshepsut and the progress that is being made on restoring it.  Dr. Zbigniew Szafranski is an archeologist on the hunt for the history of Hatshepsut.  It is an impressive feature on the landscape and was constructed to remember her as a Pharaoh.  The temple is undergoing restoration and had been discovered by Howard Carter.  Then the story transitions into Hatshepsut’s story.  She was the second female pharaoh.  She oversaw military campaigns and built a navy.  She helped reestablish a trade network and built many monuments.

The temple was one of ten megastructures that Hatshepsut had built during her rule.  She expanded the temples at Karnak and built an obelisk.  Even though she went on a building spree, not much is known about her.  Another expedition is learning how one woman could arrange such a building spree.  The expedition is looking at a quarry that was from the time of Hatshepsut.  The quarry had the remains of an unfished statue.  What else do the quarries reveal?  Tune into the episode to find out.

In Aswan, another site that has ties to Hatshepsut.  There was a necropolis on the site and there was a team making their way to learn more about the necropolis.  There was an unopened tomb on site, and the entrance was covered with sand.  The team will have to work on cleaning the sand before they enter the tomb.  However, as the sand is cleared there is a discovery made that may delay opening the tomb.  There is a burial on the site outside of the tomb.  Why was this body buried outside the tomb?  Who was this body?

The story transitions into the story of Hatshepsut and the power struggle in her family.  It was primarily between the queen herself and her stepson and nephew Thutmose III.  She had depicted herself as a man.  A husband-and-wife team of archeologists is exploring the depictions of Hatshepsut as a ruler.  She was shown as wearing a beard and using a male kit.  There was a description announcing that she was a woman.  The wife looks like she has stepped out of the 1920s.  What else do the descriptions reveal about Hatshepsut?

Why did Hatshepsut do so much building?  What small finds will be made?  What about the power struggles between her and Thutmose III?  What other finds will be made during the season?  Will there be discoveries made to help further our understanding of Hatshepsut?  What happened after her death?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out more.

It always impresses me how far documentaries have come in terms of information and quality.  On top of that, discoveries have been made over the years which tends to change what you have learned in the past.  The documentary goes back and forth between four teams of archeologists as they explore more and more about Hatshepsut.  I wish National Geographic would have time-stamped each section because it would have made following the documentary easier.  This was a very well-done documentary in the end.  This would be a documentary that I would show to a history class and I would use it for research purposes.

Good morning!  Now let’s throw it back and go to Ancient Egypt.  Ancient Egypt is famous for its mummies however there is a body of evidence that the Egyptians did not invent mummification.  So who were the first people who mummified their dead?  This documentary is called the Black Mummy Mystery and it has a run time of 48:07.

It was thought that ancient Egyptians invented mummification.  However, there is new evidence that suggests that mummification was not invented in Ancient Egypt.  A discovery in the Libyan desert has shattered this belief.  A small mummified child was discovered.  A new theory was developed as to where mummification began.  Who were these people?  Why did they mummify their dead?  This child may be the key to discovering more about a long-lost African culture.

The Saraha Desert is one of the hottest and most remote places on earth.  It would seem impossible for people to survive in this place.  However, a discovery in a tiny rock shelter challenges this theory. It also challenges the theory that Ancient Egyptians invented mummification.  An archeologist makes his way through the desert to the Acacus Mountains in Libya.  A handful of modern-day nomads continue to make their lives in this environment.

Long ago, the desert was home to another group of people.  This unknown desert people had mummified their dead.  A mummified child was discovered in a rock shelter.  Who would have put this child in this shelter?  How would they have mummified him with such high quality?  Modern-day Libyans are Middle Eastern in origin, however, the mummy discovery proved that Africans had inhabited the desert long before the Middle Eastern people came in.  This mummy pointed to a lost African culture.

The rock shelter that this child was discovered in is a simple place.  Local tribes witnessed the mummy’s discovery.  The mummy was revealed by natural erosion.  A small sack came to light which shocked the world.  The mummified child was discovered in the sack.  He had been carefully buried and the remains were protected for 5,000 years until its discovery.  This discovery was earth-shattering and would rewrite the history of mummification.

The mummy was carefully examined and it was discovered that he was an African boy who was mummified before Ancient Egypt and was one of the oldest mummies in the world.  It was also discovered that the child was eviscerated, which helped with the mummification process.  Who would have mummified the child thousands of years before the Egyptians?  Where did these people come from?  How did they achieve a high degree of preservation before the Egyptians? 

The documentary then transitions to the people who preserved the child.  They would have herded animals.  So how could they have herded animals in the desert?  The climate would have been very different in the Sahara Desert.  Could the Sahara Desert have been covered in lush greenery?  Satellite images may hint at a system of ancient river channels that would have gone into large lakes.  The lakes and the rivers are gone and the desert landscape started to form.  Would this landscape support the people who have buried the child?

What about the times that the people would have lived?  What were they like?  Would they have grown crops as well as raised cattle?  There is a continued exploration of the environment and the climate that the child mummy would have grown up in. This would be a good section to show for an earth science classroom because of the demonstration of how the climate has changed as well as the climate models that were presented.  To learn more about this mummy and the world it lived in continue to watch the rest of the episode.

Just based on the footage this does feel like an older documentary.  It was also very nice to see Joann Fletcher take part in this documentary.  It is easy to see how Ancient Egypt overshadowed the early history of mummification.  I also liked that this documentary was divided into chapters which makes things easy to pull out for a lecture.  I would show this to a history class  and pull parts out such as the climate part to show in a science class.

Hello!  How about a documentary on Ancient Egypt today?  I am going to do a documentary from the Odyssey Ancient History channel.  I know I have been doing some real stinkers lately from that channel, but I have a list that I have been going through.  This looks like it is part of the History Makers Series and is about Ramses II.  It has a run time of 47:38.

Over the years, Ancient Egypt has been ruled by many strong and terrible leaders.  However, there is one ruler that stands above the rest: Ramesses II.  He was a warrior Pharoah.  He would become known as Ramesses the Great.  He would have ruled an empire.  Why was he such a strong leader?  What was his impact on Egypt?  How did he impact the nation abroad?  Why do his monuments endure?  This documentary discusses one of Egypt’s greatest pharaohs.

The Nile River was the source of Egypt's power and would allow Pharaohs to rule.  It would have fed the many peasants who scratched a living off the banks of the Nile.  The Nile River kept the land fertile.  Eventually, the discussion transitions to the court officials and nobles who would have served in the Pharaoh’s court.  The Pharoah would have stood above all of these people.  There was a very long discussion on the Nile before the narrator actually got to talk about Ramesses.

Pharaoh translates as “Palace” before it started to mean the leader who lived in the palace.  The Pharaoh would have been venerated by all.  When Ramesses became pharaoh, he would have been the leader of Upper and Lower Egypt, wearing the double crown of both kingdoms.  He chose his name as the “Justice of Rey,” and this was for the sun god Rey.  He was born the son of Seti the First and was born during the 19th Dynasty.  It would have been the golden age of Egypt.  It would have been the first time Egypt would have been transformed into an international power.

Egypt was opening up and it would have been shocking to a closed-off culture to learn about the wider world around them.  It was a time of great monuments and the pharaohs would have established these monuments as tributes to themselves and the power.  There would have been the first military expeditions.  Seti and Ramesses I were generals and would be known as military pharaohs.  Ramesses II would have had the backing of his family and the military.  Then this documentary transitions to a short discussion of the monuments that Ramesses II built.

Suddenly the documentary transitions into how he would become the heir apparent.  Seti’s other son would have died and Ramesses would have become heir apparent.  Ramesses would have learned directly from his father.  Seti was a passionate monument builder and this was a passion that Ramesses would have shared.  Ramesses would have overseen his father’s constructions and would order one of his own as heir apparent.  This was jarring and felt really disjointed until it talks about how even as an heir apparent Ramesses would have overseen the construction of these monuments.

As Seti aged, Ramesses would have been named co-regent with his father.  This new power and riches thrilled Ramesses.  Then there was a discussion on the harem, which Ramesses would have had access to now as co-regent.  At least that is how I am interpreting the narrator’s words.  Anyway, then the documentary talks about his skill on the battlefield and how he become known as the Warrior Pharaoh.  Ramesses would have accompanied his father on military expeditions.  To learn more about Ramesses II continue to watch the rest of this documentary.

First things first, this is a very dated documentary in terms of style and presentation.  I wonder how a documentary would go nowadays with updated graphics and newly discovered information.  This documentary was not bad, but it was not great either.  A new documentary on Ramesses II would be needed, especially considering there may been new discoveries made about Ancient Egypt.  Anyway, the content was good, and could be put on a potential to show to a class documentary list.  I would use this documentary as a starting point for research.

Well, I am stuck in the ancient world again as I search for documentaries on the Renaissance and the Reformation.  Today, I am going to blog about Mummy Forensic and the Mystery of the Misfit Mummy.  The run time for this episode is 48:35.

Mummy Forensics: is a group of mummy experts who try to solve the mysteries of the world’s most mysterious mummies.  The team applies modern forensics and looks to the historical record to learn more about Ancient Egyptian Mummies.  Joann Fletcher, Stephen Buckley an archeological chemist, Duncan Lees a forensic archeologist, and Jill Scott an Egyptologist make up the Mummy Forensic Team.  Each brings their particular set of skills to help tell the mummy’s story.  They bring both history and science together to help explore history to help explore how these mummies died.

Today, this mummy forensic team is on the case of a mummy of a temple dancer.  The mummy is found in the Bolton Museum.  She is partially unwrapped but her cause of death remains a mystery.  This mummy is one of the most popular attractions in the museum.  Her coffin is beautifully painted and demonstrates her high status.  The coffin is an incredibly tight fit for the body.  Her shoulders are bashing against the edges of the coffin.  How would this lady fit after being wrapped? 

Joann Fletcher wants to solve the mystery of this mummy and why she was put in a coffin too small for her body.  She sets to work inspecting the mummy and taking photographs.  She is looking for even the smallest of clues to crack the case.  This case is going to be a challenge for the Mummy Forensic Team.  Joann talks about her initial examination.  The coffin has been studied over the years by academics and has been written about.  The mummy was a priestess, but Joann points out that there was no way the body could have fit.

Jill concurs with this explanation and points out how the paint was scraped off as the lady was put into the coffin.  However, the team will need more information.  Joann then focuses on the teeth; the lady would have had the modern equivalent of “buck teeth” in her mouth.  The Pharaohs of the New Kingdom shared this distinct characteristic.  Was this a royal mummy?  Stephen Buckley talks about the marks on this mummy’s face.  It was hinted that Ramses II had smallpox and this was evidenced by his mummy, but that is disputed.  The team makes a plan to examine the mummy further.  The mummy is delicate so the team will have to be careful when they examine the mummy further.

Stephen Buckley takes his samples first.  The chemical analysis of the mummy will take weeks to process.  Joann Fletcher reaches out for help to learn more about the pictograms on the coffin.  Alan Fiddles, the pictograms expert carefully examines the paintings on the coffin.  The pictograms reveal that she was a singer and participated in the sacred rituals at the Karnak Temple.  Jobs in the temple were few and were generally reserved for the elite in society.  These women would have spent one month in three serving in the temple.  Professor Don Brothwell is also brought in and the mummy is x-rayed.  These x-rays will help move the investigation forward…or does it?

The results reveal that the skeleton in the coffin is a MAN!  The man had a slender build.  His mouth would have given him trouble eating and speaking.  This throws the whole investigation into doubt.  This means that coffin was not originally built for him.  So who was this young man?  Due to his mouth condition, there could be a connection to the royal family.  However, there would have to be a facial reconstruction and a deeper investigation into the mummy.  Who was this man?  Why was he put into a woman’s coffin?  Did this man have a connection to the Royal Family?  Continue to watch this episode to find out!

Even though we are talking about ancient history in this documentary, Mummy Forensic would be an excellent series to show in a science classroom because of the elements of experimental history in this show.  If the high school offers a forensic science class, then this is appropriate for the teacher’s list of documentaries to show in the classroom. 

The Family of Tutankhamun is a documentary about the Tutankhamun family and their fall.  They were one of Egypt’s greatest families, so why did they disappear?  Was there a hereditary disease in the family?  How did the family fall?  The answers to those questions lie in the tomb of Tutankhamun and the genetic studies that have been done.  This story beings with the discovery by Howard Carter of the tomb.  The Tomb’s discovery would change history.  The runtime for this documentary is 49:09.
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Howard Carter was struggling to find the tomb of Tutankhamen.  He hoped that this tomb would have been so unimportant the tomb was not raided by grave robbers.  Carter had one last chance to find the tomb.  After two days, a step was found.  It might have been nothing, however as Carter’s team dug, they continued to go deeper and deeper.  Sixteen flights later, at the end of those steps there was a horde of treasures was discovered.  For the first time, Tutankhamun became a worldwide figure.  His tomb was the most complete in Egyptian history.

Additional to the treasures in the tomb there were two other bodies discovered, they were in two miniature coffins.  They were two unborn children.  Were these the unborn children of Tutankhamun?  Would these children hold the key to the sudden end of the family?  The questions have never been answered until now. 
Tutankhamun’s treasure takes off half of the Cairo Museum.  His treasures give a glimpse of the life he lived.  So why did this family die out?  They were a powerful family that carved out an empire for over two hundred years.  They left behind many monuments that proclaimed their achievements.  Unfortunately, the family came to an abrupt end.  Why was this?  How could a family vanish so suddenly?

The 18th Dynasty began with a brother and sister marrying and in each successive generation, a brother continued with this tradition?  Was this inter-sibling marriage the cause of the collapse of the 18th Dynasty?  Was this family so inbred they could no longer sustain themselves?  How inbred was this family?  The Egyptian Museum is providing answers.

The Pharaohs are on the move and this is the first time the museum directors will have access to the pharaohs themselves.  This will allow them to collect DNA samples from the pharaohs.  After the pharaohs are sealed in their climate-controlled boxes, they will be protected for generations.  Two genetic scientists from America are helping the Egyptians with their testing.  These genetic scientists have experience in DNA as well as in genealogy.  As well as testing the pharaoh’s DNA they hope to test the DNA from the two babies found in the tomb.  What will these DNA tests reveal about the pharaohs?

One by one the Pharaohs were tested as they were moved into their climate-controlled cases.  Additionally, these two scientists went on a search for the two babies.  The coffins were found on-site, but where are the bodies?  So while the Egyptian authorities look for the babies, the two scientists work on the Pharaohs to build a genetic profile of the family.  The DNA of Thutmose III is going to be tested.  He is the only mummy properly identified so his DNA will be important to provide a baseline for the rest of the family.

Would these DNA tests prove in-breeding?  Would these DNA tests show a genetic disease in the family?  Researchers seem to think that there was a genetic disease in the family and the Pharoah Akhenaten may have had it.  He was a man who overthrew the traditional gods of the Egyptians and created a new god.  Art changed under the king as well.  Images of Akhenaten show him with wide hips and elongated limbs.  Was this a result of a genetic disease or artistic license?  Other researchers studied the skulls of the pharaohs to see if there are similarities.  Would the evidence show that there was a disorder in the Egyptian dynasty?  Tune into the rest of the episode to find out.

This sounded like a Secrets of the Dead Episode that was repackaged for Odyssey.  Additionally, there was some glitching at 17:00 minutes and that lasted until 18:00.  Periodically there were additional glitches throughout the rest of this episode.  Other than the glitches, this would be a good episode to show in a classroom.

Good morning everyone, today I will share another YouTube video perfect for a class on Ancient Egypt and Ancient Rome.  The video is from the Secrets of the Dead series: Cleopatra’s Lost Tomb.  It tells the story of Cleopatra as a historical figure, not focusing on the myth.

Kathleen Martinez leads an expedition to find Cleopatra’s lost tomb.  She is a criminal defense lawyer and approaches the search for Cleopatra’s tomb as a potential client.  She came up with a new theory as to where Cleopatra was buried.  Her search starts in a temple complex known as Taposiris Magna Necropolis.  The Taposiris Magna Necropolis was seen as an unfinished temple.  The bare walls did not hint at any period in history.  These empty walls caused scholars to write off the site.  However, Martinez disagrees with that and that it was a functioning temple and that it was the burial site of Cleopatra.  She was greeted with skepticism; however, she was undeterred. 

Cleopatra was a controversial figure as well as a mystery.  Lately, scholars are finding new interpretations of Cleopatra.  She is seen as a scholar.  She is seen as politically astute.  Cleopatra made sure that her people were fed.  She is aware of the problems of her kingdom and wants to do something about them.  Cleopatra worked to gain allies in Rome.  A document cited that Cleopatra wanted to give tax concessions to a Roman.  Cleopatra’s death is even poorly documented.  The story goes she was poisoned with the bite of an asp.  After her death, what happened to her body is unknown.

In the meantime, Kathleen received permission to dig at the site and for eight weeks did not find anything.  She was confident that she would find something at the site, but they were disappointed.  However, on the final day before the permit was to expire, the team found a hidden shaft.  With the discovery of the shaft, they were allowed to continue with the excavation.  Would they find more secret shafts?  Would one of these shafts contain the tomb of Cleopatra?  This shaft was not found by professional archeologists. 

As the expedition moved forward, the team discovered fragile tablets.  They were from the temple’s foundation.  Ptolemy IV laid the original foundation for the temple.  This also proved the link between the temple and the Ptolemies.  It was a shocking find that shook the archeological community.  When the trench was extended they found another building, another temple in the Taposiris Magna complex.  It was a temple that was dedicated to the goddess Isis.

Cleopatra, as queen, aligned herself with Isis.  She also presented herself as Isis.  It was the way she identified herself as Egyptian.  Perhaps, Cleopatra decided to be buried in the Taposiris Magna complex because of her identity as Isis.  Inside the Isis Temple, the team found coins with Cleopatra’s image on it.  Martinez theorized that the temple was still in use during Cleopatra’s reign.  The fact that Cleopatra put her image on bronze coins showed that the Queen wanted to be seen by the public.  Older rulers put their images on silver coins.  Silver coins were used by the rich, but by putting her image on bronze coins, Cleopatra made sure everyone knew her.

Just outside the temple, another shaft was discovered by Kathleen’s team.  Kathleen goes underground to explore the shaft discovering two tunnels.  There were additional vertical shafts in the tunnel.  On top of discovering shafts and passageways, they found pieces of the Isis Temple.  Additionally, they also found human remains.

To continue to learn more about Cleopatra’s Lost Tomb, continue to watch the documentary.

You can access the YouTube video here.

You can follow Kathleen Martinez's work here.

Joann Fletcher continues to the story of Ancient Egypt.  She introduces the audience to Amenhotep III.  She views him as the greatest Egyptian Pharoah.  The Egyptian civilization had survived its dark ages.  The Golden Age of Egypt began.  However, all good things come at a price, the priests became even more powerful than the pharaoh and corruption reigned.

Archaeologists are working on uncovering the funerary temple of Amenhotep III.  It was the largest funerary temple created by a Pharoah.  It was the Temple where the Pharoah could be worshiped for future generations.  This temple was to guarantee the immortality of the Pharoah’s soul.  Giant statues adorned the temple and the archeologist uncovered a three-meter statue head.

Amenhotep III had the empire firmly in his hand.  He had plenty of gold.  He used it to make marriages.  He used it to send messages.  Gold brought Egypt peace.  Gold could help the Pharoah in the afterlife as well.  Gold allowed the gods to recognize the dead.  The gods' skin was made out of gold and by using masks of gold, wealthy Egyptians could demonstrate that they too would be welcomed by the gods.

The Valley of the Kings was established during this time.  It was seen as a safe place where the Pharaohs could lie in peace.  After the desecration of the ancestors' tombs, the Pharaohs did not want that to happen again.  It was also a way for ordinary people to help their Pharoah’s have a peaceful afterlife.  The tomb builders carefully surveyed the area.

However, even with the strong religious influence on the Egyptian Civilization, the religious influence hid a threat.  Karnack was the largest religious complex in Egypt.  It was 250 acres at its height and was Egypt’s religious heart for 2,000 years.  This caused the priest’s influence to grow exponentially.  The Pharoah expanded Karnack and poured gold into the temple complex.  The temple and the priests grew rich as a result.  They were set apart from the rest of Egyptian society.  They shaved every day, bathed four times a day, wore white linen robes, and took care of their teeth.

Amon was the Egyptian state god and every Pharoah needed to keep him content.  The priests took care of the statue of Amon like was a human.  Only the Royal Family was aware of the secret rituals that took place in the temple.  However, this power of Amon was going to break.  Pharoah Akhenaten built a new temple complex for a single god, the Aten.  It was unlike the other temples in Karnack, it was a temple made of bricks which meant these buildings be constructed quickly.  Akhenaten stamped his control on the Karnack temple, turning Egyptian civilization on its head.  When the priest objected to the changes, Karnack was closed and the royal court moved to a different area of Egypt.

In Amarna, Akhenaten and Nefertiti could put their stamp on Egypt in peace.  They built the city with the newly seized wealth from the priests.  The sun was worshiped every day and to get the blessing from the Aten, the people had to go to the Pharoah.  They had to bow and scrape before Pharoah and his wife Nefertiti.  After Akhenaten died, religious order was restored.  The priests dumped the old burial goods of Akhenaten and Nefertiti were thrown into Tutankhamun's tomb.

Seti took over Egypt kicking off the 19th Dynasty.  He completely restored the old gods of Egypt.  The images he created in his burial looked back to the golden age.  Seti had brought back the days of glory and it was a relief to the ordinary people. 

To continue to learn more about Ancient Egypt, continue to watch the documentary

You can access that YouTube video here.

The pyramid building Ancient Egyptian civilization could not last.  Ancient Egyptian's confidence was soon shattered.  Economic collapse put a pause on the Egyptian Civilization.  The Ancient Egyptian people were soon filled with dread as the society collapsed around them.  Egpyt was soon thrown into chaos, signifying a new era in Ancient Egypt.  The military took over and they ruled by fear and intimidation.

Saqqara not only shows the Egyptian’s confidence in their civilization but also the collapse of that civilization.  A funeral causeway reveals the collapse of Ancient Egypt.  An image from that causeway shows people suffering from famine.  This famine is slowly closing in on Ancient Egypt.  The images of plenty were replaced by images of skeletons.  Such images were never created before but now reality hit ancient Egyptians in the face.  They tried to keep the forces of reality at bay but the images Fletcher refers to were an omen of the future.

The Nile and its flood allowed Ancient Egyptians to thrive.  Unfortunately for them, the Nile’s flood ceased.  This led to suffering, starvation, and in some cases cannibalism.  The Ancient Egyptians believed strongly in their kings.  The Pharoah was soon seen to be weak during their time of need.  Pharoah Pepi II, in his old age, tried to show off his physical prowess in the Jubilee celebrations.  However, the image of a vital Pharoah was shattered.

The Egyptian Dark Ages was an age where its people turned to magic to sort out their problems.  They thought that by reaching out to magic, they would be able to control the world.  The Egyptians also started writing out curses on pots or wax figures.  They would burn the figure or smash the pot to activate the curse.  It was informal religious, it showed how suspicious the Eqyptians had gotten.  Chaos meant that the Egyptians’ worldview had changed.

A once united Egypt fractured into smaller kingdoms.  Each of these kingdoms had a strong warlord leader.  These leaders believed themselves above the previous Pharoah.  They used the language and the images that the previous Pharaohs used to describe themselves.  They were the heroes without a peer.  These leaders did what they could to take care of their people: they gave bread, they gave sandals, they gave money.  There may have been cases of exaggerations of how bad it was.  This helped them claim that they were gods. 

However as the power of the warlords grew, more and more conflicts happened.  Some warlords created alliances with other warlords or they fought each other.  They ended up turning on the remains of the old pharaohs and destroyed the old tombs of the pharaohs in the valley of the Kings.  This violation of the old burying places appalled the people.  The destruction of the tombs broke the line of history.  After the destruction, ordinary Egyptians made atonement, bitterly regretting the tomb destruction.

After this destruction, one warlord decided to unite Egypt.  This king would end Egypt’s dark age.  The Egyptian Civil War was violent.  The bodies of these warriors bore witness to the violence of their death.  The Pharoah made sure to bury his warriors in a prominent tomb with great ceremony.  After the civil war, the people started to feel safe.  The economy was rebuilt.  However, the trauma of the civil war remained.  Their tombs changed, funerary art reflected the wish for a peaceful afterlife.  If the people could not feel secure in the present life, they could feel secure in the afterlife.  The Pharoah’s concerned themselves with National Security.  They built castles to maintain order and goods between Nubia and Egypt. 

To continue to learn more about Ancient Egypt, continue to watch the documentary.

You can access the documentary here.