A new series exploring the life of Tutankhamun begins this week on UK TV channel Five. The four-part documentary Tutankhamun: The Mystery Revealed begins this Wednesday 19th May.
Fronted by Dr Zahi Hawass, the series sees a team of researchers apply new forensic techniques to the study of Tutankhamuns remains. For the first time ever, archaeologists employed DNA testing on the pharaohs mummy and on his family.
Tutankhamun:The Mystery Revealed
Originally shown on the Discovery Channel under the title King Tut Unwrapped, the series capitalises on a whole string of unanswered questions that continue to cloud our understanding of this most famous of pharaohs.
Tutankhamun is one of the worlds icons, but beyond the golden fortune, what is known about this shadowy figure? Who were his mother and father? Why have their bodies never been found? Can historians piece together the details of his life and death and explain why his mummification is so strange?
Episode one in the series focuses on the first-ever DNA extraction from King Tuts mummy. Using the results of the DNA sample, the second instalment follows the team as they attempt to identify and locate the Tut’s parents. Part three examines the fate of Tutankhamuns wife. Where was she buried, and did she have any children? The final episode probes the circumstances surrounding the boy kings death.
Five have a good track record in history programming and their series Secrets of Egypt picked up good ratings for the channel at the start of last year. This investigation on Tutankhamun is one of the most thorough yet and Five’s screening will help bring the results to a wider audience. It will be interesting to hear what HK users make of it.
Tutankhamun: The Mystery Revealed, previously called King Tut Unwrapped, begins this Wednesday 19th May at 8.00pm.