As well as being the second most famous brown fedora-sporting archaeologist of all time, Dr Zahi Hawass could also run Indiana Jones close in the screen-time stakes. The Director General of the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities is yet to star in his own movie (although we suspect he would like to), but on the web at least, his appearances are prolific, and always informative and entertaining.
Here we pick out ten of our favourite online video clips starring Dr Hawass. They range from tours of the Great Pyramid together with the leader of the free world, to revelations on the life and death of King Tut, and nostalgic tales of early archaeological digs way back in the days when denim shirts were actually fashionable. If you like these, you can find loads more films featuring Indy – ahem, sorry, Zahi – on the Heritage Key videos page.
No Christmas would be the same without many a wasted hour spent buried in the couch – wiped-out on a bellyful of turkey and stuffing, or nursing a hangover after a Herculean night’s mulled wine consumption – flicking the channels in a dozy haze. It's a Christmas tradition (although we can't guarentee that it dates back as far as some other ancient seasonal rituals)
This year you can spare yourself all those awful festive films and Christmas music videos you’ve seen a million times, by keeping Heritage Key’s handy guide to ancient world-themed Christmas TV close at hand.
All the old-school three-hours plus historical epics are being dusted down again for the season of good will – among them many of the biggest ancient world blockbusters of all time – as well as a raft of comedy and family-orientated ancient world-related movies, and even a few interesting-sounding documentaries.
Hark! As you’ll have spotted from the preponderance of tacky lights in your local high street and abundance of dodgy perfume adverts on your TV screens, Christmas is approaching. Deck the whatchmacallit with that stuff, and tra la la la la etc.
You may be wracking your brains trying to come up with suitable stocking fillers for youngsters right now. Forget X-Boxes, selection boxes and, um, other types of boxes – here at Heritage Key, we would naturally recommend presents of an ancient world or archaeological theme – there are plenty of great ones out there, from Lego Indiana Jones, to Valley of the Kings board games, beginners metal detectors and dig-your-own-dinosaur kits.
One of the most popular stories around the discovery of King Tutankhamun is that of the Curse of King Tut. The story was popularised after the death of the discovery's funder Lord Carnarvon, who was believed to have succumbed to a mosquito or cobra bite, just 6 weeks after the tomb was opened. Fuelled by a mistranslation of the Anubis statue which threatened death on all those who entered the tomb, a media frenzy took over, even though the vast majority of the team, including explorer Howard Carter, went on to live long lives.
Dr Zahi Hawass recounts these tales and tells us that he had never believed in such a curse upon the Tomb of King Tutankhamun. That is, until he faces his own mysterious set of circumstances after examining the boy king's mummy.
The official story about the Taos Pueblo, in Taos, New Mexico, USA, is that it dates back at least one thousand years. But Pueblo Governor Ruben Romero, and Tribal Secretary Luis Zamora see it differently. The officials from the Taos Pueblo, which has sovereignty (even the State Police can't interfere with their affairs), say that the Tiwa culture, which finds its expression in the Taos Pueblo in arguably a purer form than elsewhere in the region, goes back "at least another thousand years."
Certainly it is confirmed that the dry, high plains around Taos (which sits at 7,000 feet above sea level), played host to a nomadic people, some of whom eventually settled at the Pueblo and began to defend themselves against incursion by their still-nomadic fellows. But no-one really knows how far back that thread of culture and race goes back.
Submitted by Sean Williams on Fri, 09/04/2009 - 13:24
There are only five day left if you want to see the mysteries of the mummies come to life on the big screen - Mummies: The Secrets of the Pharaohs ends its two-year run at IMAX cinemas across the world next Monday. But you won't just want to see it for the breath-taking sights, epic storyline and endless line of experts - the film stars none other than our favourite Egyptologist, Dr Zahi Hawass! The antiquities chief gives his best Indiana Jones impression, as the illustrious movie takes viewers on a technicolour tale through in time. First they can see the methods, techniques and beliefs which made a civilization preserve their dead as time capsules; frozen for thousands of years. Then the film leaps ahead to the late 19th century and the earth-shattering discoveries of the mummies of Ramesses the Great, Seti I and his son.
Thomas Schneider is exploring a subject that has never been studied before. The University of British Columbia professor is examining the history of German Egyptology during the Nazi era. The period that lasted from when Hitler became chancellor of Germany in 1933 - until he committed suicide in his bunker in 1945.
The research is a work in progress and Professor Schneider continues to receive new archival documents and information. He plans to turn his work into a book length manuscript.
While popular fiction, such as the Indiana Jones trilogy, depicts action packed films about this topic, the real story is far more complex.
Professor Schneider generously took the time to talk about his research with me. He also provided me with detailed written notes, that outline his research, to help me write this story.
Hitler Comes to Power
Highlighted Quote:
"Germany had basically sacrificed, through the NS regime, its academic standing."
In an adventurous and decidedly tall tale swarming with giant bats and poison spiders and strewn with places called exotic things like “The Well of the Soul” and the “Hidden Realm of Sokar” (the words “Jones”, “Indiana” and “too much” spring to mind), British explorer Andrew Collins will next month tell the full story of what he claims to be his discovery of the long lost subterranean realm of the Egyptian pharaohs. How much hard fact will be contained in his new book Beneath the Pyramids: Egypt’s Great Secret Uncovered (due for release in September) seems dubious, but it should certainly make for amusing bedtime reading nonetheless.
The Festival of British Archaeology takes place across the UK throughout the summer. North of the border, it has a separate incarnation in the shape of Scottish Archaeology Month, which runs from August through September. Scotland is, after all, home to many of Britain’s finest archeaological treasures – from Skara Brae to the Antonine Wall – so it seems only appropriate.
Submitted by Intertexty on Wed, 05/06/2009 - 14:40
Think Ancient World movies and the usual suspects will spring to mind. Ben Hur. Spartacus. Anthony and Cleopatra. But dig a little deeper into celuloid portrayals of archaeology and you will unearth some hidden gems. Here is my top 5.
No Christmas would be the same without many a wasted hour spent buried in the couch – wiped-out on a bellyful of turkey and stuffing, or nursing a hangover after a Herculean night’s mulled wine consumption – flicking the channels in a dozy haze. It's a Christmas tradition (although we can't guarentee that it dates back as far as some other 
The official story about the 
