Customer Reviews

National Geographic's Egypt - Secrets of the Pharaohs

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This video has been watched in deadly silent fascination by hundreds of students in my Art History classes. I am ordering it again because sombody liked it so much he borrowed it and never returned it. Not only does if give welcome relief from the artifacts and dynasties as it attempts to explain how average Egyptians lived, it gives plausable explanations for age old mysteries--like how the pyramids were really built. But what interested many of the students most is the sequence on mummification using a recently deceased body donor. You can compare him to Ramses the Great.

Both the hour-long SECRETS OF THE PHAROAHS and its bonus 30-minute companion MUMMIES OF GOLD extensively feature Dr. Zahi Hawass, Director General of the Center for Pyramids. Zahi, as he is called here, appears on many Egypt-related documentaries. He seems a good-natured man who loves the time-consuming work of desert exploration and excavation of archaeological sites.

In "Mummies of Gold" we see work on a Late-Greek and Roman-era cemetery. Zahi estimates it covers two miles and he expects that over 20 years about 500 mummies will be found. His joy over shards of painted death masks is unmistakable and Zahi is not afraid to speculate on the meaning of partially uncovered mummies and groups of remains.

This short film is more engaging than the title piece, "Secrets of the Pharoahs," which poses several questions and offers at best, speculation. Covered are the pyramids' construction and how life was for the tens of thousands of workers engaged in their construction.

We see an area being cleared just beyond the pyramids that Zahi believes to be a village or "downtown Egypt," as characterized by narration.

Of particular interest is an ancient intact Egyptian boat, now on display in Cairo. This over 150-foot-long wooden vessel is said to have deteriorated more in the past twenty years since its recovery and reassembly than it had in the thousands of years before being removed from a tomb. A smaller ship near to where it was found is looked at through a miniature TV camera fed into its chamber via a tiny wall opening. This boat will stay where it is to better preserve it, thus the room is resealed after a good look-see.

The segment on mummification is incrediby sketchy and the modern re-enactment disappointingly brief.

Those who've studied ancient Egypt will find little new here, but for the interested newcomer "Secrets" will surely be an hour well-spent.

This is the best video I have ever seen for high school use about Egypt. My ninth grade class was riveted and could not wait to see what happened when the archaeologists drilled into the second chamber (you'll understand when you watch it). I know my seniors would have loved it as well. I am very critical of such videos, reserving five stars only for those I think are universally excellent, and I could not recommend this one more highly. Way to go National Geo!

I purchased this DVD as part of a presentation in my Anthropology class because it was described and reviewed as containing a detailed re-enactment of the mummification process. I was very disappointed. Other than salting the cadaver, very little was shown, and camera angles interfered with what was briefly touched on. If this was a segment that you are interested in, this DVD is not for you.