Tag: TV

TV: Psusennes I, the Silver Pharaoh (who ursurped Merenptah’s sarcophagus)

Dr. Fawzy Gaballah, who reopened the research on Psusennes I for the documentary. - Image credit Andy Webb, PBS The royal tomb of Pharaoh Psusennes I is said to be one of the most spectacular discoveries ever made in Egypt. So, why hasn’t the world heard about it? And what does it reveal about Ancient Egypt? Find out in ‘Secrets of the Dead:The Silver Pharoah’, premiering this Wednesday.

Tanis, Egypt, circa 1939. An excavation team led by French archaeologist Pierre Montet unearthed an intact royal burial chamber (NRT III), which containedtreasures that (almost) rivals the riches found in Tutankhamuns tomb almost two decades before.

One of the most spectacular discoveries inside the crypt was the exquisite silver sarcophagus of Pharaoh Psusennes I, an, up till now, obscure ruler who governed Egypt more than 3000 years ago during one of its most difficult periods.

But while the 1922 Tut discovery created an international sensation, the opening of the tomb in Tanis made barely a ripple in a world focused on the impending war.

After Montet made his discovery, he raced to get his family back to Europe before the outbreak of war and the treasures he found – including Psusennes I’s golden burial mask (currently on tour) – were transported to Cairo for safe-keeping. There, the Silver Pharaoh’s treasures remained vaulted and unstudied.

It is hard to imagine a worse time to make such a spectacular discovery,says Egyptologist Salima Ikram.

Now, a team ofscientists- including Dr Salima Ikram, Dr Fawzy Gaballah and Dr Peter Lacovara -has taken a second look at the pharaoh’s 3,000-year-old remains, his treasures and Montet’s excavation notes. This research is the topic of a one-hour documentary ‘The Silver Pharaoh‘ (part of Secrets of the Dead), which premieres in the US this Wednesday.

PBS, Andy WebbReconstruction portrait of Psusennes I by Melissa Dring - Image credit PBS, Andy Webb

Secrets of the Dead: The Silver Pharaoh

Psusennes ruled at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, about 300 years after King Tut.

At that time, Egypt was a fractured kingdom divided between rival rulers of north and south. High priests seized power to command the southern region from Thebes while deposed pharaohs were exiled north to Tanis.

From Tanis, Psusennes ruled for animpressive 46 years;the study of Psusennes skeleton showed a hard-working man who suffered a debilitating rheumatic disease but lived well into his eighties.

‘Cumul des mandats’

The pharaoh’s cartouche offered the archaeologists clues as to how Psusennes amassed his fortune.

The first one was found on an ordinary silver dish, marked with Psusennes signature along with a series of hieroglyphic inscriptions citing his titles the king was not only a pharaoh but also a high priest.

Additional investigation showed that he had his daughter marry his brother, a high priest in the south. In doing so, he cemented his family power and united the country.

Ursurping Merenptah’s Sarcophagus

Psusennes’ sarcophagus held another clue to Third Intermediate Period Egyptian politics. On it, the egyptologists found a cartouche belonging to Merenptah, son of Ramesses the Great. Merenptah died 150 years before Psusennes came into power.

Research showed Psusennes was given Merenptahs sarcophagus as a gift and had his signature added on it. This strategic act solidified his familys association with historical greats for eternity.

Moving Pi-Ramesses to Tanis

The team also discovered more about the relocation of the metropolis of Pi-Ramesses, the riverside capital built by Ramesses II, to Tanis. Montet discovered its ruins in Tanis, however, archaeologists began questioning Montets assumption since the river Nile often changed course.

Using radar scans along a previously discounted delta settlement 12 miles from Tanis, they discovered the foundation of Ramesses lost city. Pi-Ramesses became unlivable when the Nile became too silted at this location. Around the same time, Psusennes took the throne and ordered part of the city be moved stone by stone to Tanis.

‘Secrets of the Dead: The Silver Pharaoh’ airs nationally Wednesday, November 3, 2010 on PBS.

Pavlopetri, ‘the city beneath the waves’ to surface in BBC Two documentary

The curvature of the sea surface and the nearby walls is of course caused by the "fish-eye" lens Discovered over 40 years ago just off the coast of Greece, Pavlopetri is the oldest submerged city in the world and the only sunken city in Greece that predates the writing of Plato’s Atlantis myth.

Now, for ‘Pavlopetri, The City Beneath the Waves’, BBC Two is to follow the team of experts excavating the submerged site.

“The future of archaeology is under the water and we are now armed with the technology to unlock the countless fascinating secrets the sea is yet to yield up to us, says BBCTwo’s Janice Hadlow.

The documentary is planned to air next year, and will make extensiveuse of CGI (3D computer generated images) to show for the first time in 3,500 years, how the mighty city of Pavlopetri now five metres below the sea level must have once looked.

The underwater city of Pavlopetriwas discovered in 1967, off the coast of southern Laconia in Greece. It is about 5000 years old.

It is believed that the ancient town sank around 1000 BC yet it remains unknown what caused this. Possibilities include sea level changes, earthquakes, or a tsunami.

So far, evidence for inhabitation during the late Bronze Age, middle Minoan and Mycenaean periods has been found at the 30,000 square meters archaeological site.

Pavlopetri is unique in having an almost complete town plan, including streets, courtyards, more than 15 buildings, two chamber tombs and at least 37 cist graves.

Although eroded over the centuries, the town layout never built over or disrupted by agriculture is as it was thousands of years ago.

It is believed that the ancient town sank at the end of the Mycenaean period, around 1000 BC yet it remains unknown what caused this. Possibilities include sea level changes, earthquakes, or a tsunami.

‘Pavlopetri The City Beneath the Waves’ will show the archaeology team using the latest in cutting-edge science and technology to prise age-old secrets from the complex of streets and stone buildingsthat wasmapped in last year’s survey. (Video from the 2009 Pavlopetri Expedition.)

The team is led by the University of Nottingham’s Dr Jon Henderson. Working alongside the underwater archaeologist on this ground-breaking project will be Nic Flemming, the man whose hunch led to the intriguing discovery of Pavlopetri in 1967, and teams from the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and the Australian Centre for Field Robotics.

Chasing Mummies: History Channel and Zahi Hawass Bringing Hell to the Pyramids

Zahi Hawass has a new television show coming out on History Channel tomorrow, called “Chasing Mummies“. We had a look at the trailer and it seems like they are going for a highly pop-culture adventure-like, make-the-big-finds angle to attract the thrill-seekers. You had Ice Road Truckers, now get ready for Sand Dead Diggers starring the High Plains Sifter?

It all has to be good for making archeology more exciting and discovering history more fun. But at the same time, you have to wonder if the History Channel, on the heels of Discovery Channel’s King Tut Unwrapped, is mixing up the medium too much and overshadowing the message. Or in other words, as you can see in the action-figure type trailer below — are they taking the piss in the pyramids?

Zahi Hawass‘s reputation is already legendary, global and seems to be growing. Could this sensational format put him into a new level of celebrity? He has made fantastic strides to protect and share the amazing Egyptian heritage (check some of our HKZahi Hawass videos here, including his plan to discover Seti I tomb that recently was concluded). Sure he rules the Supreme Council of Antiquites (SCA) with an iron hand — but it also seems to need that.

Chasing Mummies or Hell’s Pyramids?

Yet, can the likes of Zahi keep pace with tomb raiders like sexy shooter Lara Croft? With whom would you rather slide through hidden passages in dark burial grounds? Is fantasy the more popular window on the past?

Or more importantly, should personalities cater to what is popular at the expense of missing the opportunity to do more? Do you get the audience first and then deliver the message inside the package in a unexpected way?

At least LaraCroft is taking us on an adventure together in an interactive, 3D way. But History Channel would rather put Zahi above us on the untouchable celeb stage.The intro to the third episode of the series called “Lost” reads: “Most people experience something rare or exceptional once or twice in a lifetime, but Zahi Hawass, unimpeded by his tireless lust for adventure, lives many lifetimes in a single day.”

All the aggression in the trailer suggest the show will have the world’s best known archeologist more like the irate, Gordon Ramsay screaming at the moronic chefs that are about to poision their customers. Is “Hell’s Pyramid” the best they could think up? You can almost hear the screams about King Tut’s missing penis.

They did an open casting call for people to participate in the series.

You can see some of the posts up on YouTube like this one from Casey Fitchner, who is probably really glad not to be getting blasted at point blank range by the “daddy of all mummies.”

It will be interesting to see what is really on offer beyond the hype of the trailer.

I hope there are some of the great moments where Zahi, set in a breathtaking Nile setting, looks into the camera and shares his passion and his unique insights, but leaves the lust for the american docu-makers in the dust of the desert.

I guess if it takes a little sizzle to set that scene, then it might be worth waiting and watching.

On the left, my avatar has a virtual Zahi Hawass hat that you can try to win in one of our quests at the Heritage Key virtual experience.

There are a lot of events and contests running so check here to see what is going on now.

King Tut TV: New Tutankhamun Series Starts on Channel Five

A mummy featured in Tutankhamun: The Mystery Revealed 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.

The Spartacus Effect: Why we all Want to be Sexy, Blood-thirsty Romans

So despite objections from campaign groups such as MediaWatch UK, it now looks as though British viewers will be able to watch the new TV series Spartacus: Blood and Sandafter all.

Pay-TV channel Bravo, owned by Virgin Media, has bought the rights to the first two series and is planning to air the 13-part series this summer the dates are still to be confirmed.

The show, which was broadcast by Starz Network in the US, has raised a few eyebrows with its graphic violence, scenes of orgies and ‘full-frontal’ nudity.

So British viewers are certainly in for an eye-full this summer. You only need to see the trailer (below) to see that Starz (also the series’ producers) have got that blood-squirting special effect down to a very fine art.

The Gore Factor

But there’s been some debate about the wisdom of screening something so explicit on television particularly since, even if it’s screened after the 9pm watershed, there are concerns it could be watched on digital boxes after the screening, and that children will be able to see it easily.

The gore and explicit sex is probably aimed solely at scoring high viewer ratings rather than an attempt at historical authenticity. And for all our protests and qualms about sensationalist soft-porn creeping onto our screens, it’s likely that viewing figures for Spartacus: Blood and Sand will be high. Similar shows, such as HBO’s Rome, broadcast in the UK on BBC2, had viewing figures (when it was first broadcast in 2005) of 3 million or 13 per cent of the population, according to Broadcast magazine. While the sexy historical drama The Tudors (on BBC2 in the UK) was also netting an audience of well over 2 million in 2009. Spartacus, with the hype surrounding its high blood and sex content, could reel in even higher figures.

Were Romans Really That Sex-Mad?

But while these historical dramas are liberal with the historical facts as well as with their characters’ love affairs, perhaps they manage to sum up the spirit of the ages they portray far better than more straight-laced (but factual) productions. According to one academic, Roman contemporary writers made a lot of references to sexual exploits and violence and they are known for having a far more open attitude to sex than modern audiences. A classics professor at Birkbeck, University of London, Catherine Edwards, told the Telegraph: We do find Roman writers going on at great length about the terrible sexual excesses of their peers, or else castigating the Roman plebs for spending too much time watching gladiator fights.

The Romans during the first century BC (Spartacus’s rebellion lasted from 73-71 BC and the first two series of Rome span 49-31 BC) were beyond doubt far more liberal, physical and violent than we are today. Between 18-17 BC, Augustus tried to calm what he saw as the immoral behaviour in Rome by issuing his pro-family and anti-adultery laws, part of his Lex Julia. It was also a pagan age, before Christianity took hold and spread its message of virtue and restraint. So it’s quite likely that the Romans of the first century BC felt far fewer constraints or inhibitions when it came to physical conflict or sex.

Where is the Gore (and ‘Phwoar’) Factor Today?

Perhaps in watching the Romans frolicking in Spartacus: Sand and Blood, we realise how many inhibitions and constraints we have these days. There are endless good reasons why we’d choose not to fight or sleep around: diseases, guns, the police, disapproval, preference or some might say even a lack of opportunity. Some of these existed in Roman times, some didn’t.

It’s a dark, animal side to human nature that we might like to think we’ve evolved away from. The viewing figures for Spartacus might suggest otherwise.

So do we wish we were back in that state of ‘freedom’, able to settle disagreements with a battle rather than in court, and free to be as promiscuous as we like without having to think about the consequences, condoms, paternity tests, STDS or the huge social upset that affairs cause these days (you don’t have to scratch your head too hard to think of a celebrity castigated for having a fling or two there’s John Terry, Tiger Woods and now shock horror Mark Owen from Take That).

Adulterous ancient Romans before 18 BC certainly weren’t subject to the same level of social disapproval (perhaps the prevalence of marriages made for power and status, not love, had something to do with this). Maybe this is a more natural state of things for human beings and one we have hankerings for. It might be no wonder we want some escapism from the high-pressured lives we lead where marriages that don’t last forever are branded failures and celebrities who cheat on their partners are demonized by the press.

Our Animal Instinct

Apart from the free and open attitude to sex, Spartacus is a production based heavily on combat scenes inside and outside the arena. With the afore-mentioned blood-squirting special effects, these scenes aren’t pretty and could make even a professional butcher feel slightly sick.

It’s true that the ancients led far gorier and bloodier lives than we do. They killed their own animals for eating, and would have been used to deaths by childbirth, fighting, execution and injury. In contrast, people in the west today live a step removed from most of this we have hospitals to deal with the sick and with birth, supermarkets to prepare and pre-package our (pre-washed) food and police or law courts to settle disputes.

Perhaps it’s the sanitation, order and lack of risk in most people’s lives that means they are titillated by the blood and sex of shows like Spartacus or Rome. These shows, very much like the mixture of stories on grizzly crimes and celebrity love lives found in tabloids, pander to what seems to be an insatiable public thirst for images of sex and violence together if at all possible. It’s a dark, animal side to human nature that we might like to think we’ve evolved away from. The viewing figures for Spartacus might suggest otherwise.

Bettany Hughes’ TV Tour of the Ancient World Starts on More4

Bettany Hughes will be presenting a series of documentaries as part of More4's Ancient World season. Image Copyright - Channel 4. Channel 4’s digital channel More4 has kicked off a juicy seven-week series of documentaries fronted by historian Bettany Hughes. The Ancient World began on Wednesday 24 March with a new film about Alexandria, the city founded by Alexander the Great in 332BC. Hughes travelled to Egypt in search of the city’s ancient origins, delved beneath the streets and explored the sunken ruins that are all that remain of what was once the largest city in the world.

Alexandria is one of the world’s greatest ancient cities. It’s a hugely fascinating place and a topic ripe for exploration. For centuries it was a centre of science and learning. Its lighthouse was once one of the SevenWonders of the World (see if you can pinpoint where the others are in this fun online game), and was even taller than the Great Pyramid.

As Hughes explains in her film, Alexandrian scientists were the first to accurately chart the movements of the planets and suggest that the Earth travelled around the sun. They measured the circumference of the Earth using nothing more than pure mathematical theory and a bunch of sticks, and developed the astrolabe, which interpreted the movements of the stars for navigation.

The cast of characters in the documentary reads like a whos who of the ancient world, from famous figures such as Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, to the Greek general Ptolemy and the female mathematician and philosopher Hypatia played by Rachel Weisz in the upcoming feature film Agora, which also charts the rise of St Cyril and the eventual downfall of Alexandria, culminating in the destruction of its legendary library.

Bettany Hughes – The Face of TV History

The<br /> Minoans is a 2004 series also presented by Bettany Hughes. Image<br /> Copyright - Channel 4.

Channel 4/More4 excel at these types of documentaries and Bettany Hughes has emerged in recent years as the face of ancient world programming. Previous credits include The Seven Ages of Britain, which screened on Channel 4 in 2003.

Oxford-educated Hughes is currently a research fellow at Kings College London. Her enthusiastic and thoughtful presenting style makes her an ideal tour guide to the ancient world (her brother, incidentally, is TV cricket pundit Simon Hughes who brings a similarly insightful perspective to his field of interest).

The Ancient World is more a season, rather than a series. If you havent caught Bettany Hughess programmes before, it helpfully brings them together for the first time. The run includes her 2004 series The Minoans, charting the history of Bronze Age society on Crete, and her 2005 film Helen of Troy, which accompanied her critically acclaimed book of the same name.

Fans of the bloody sword-and-sandals caper 300, starring Gerard Butler, might also want to check out Hughess three-part film The Spartans. Director Zack Snyder has cited this documentary as a key inspiration for 300, and Hughes was interviewed for the making of feature on the 300 DVD.

Other programmes in the Ancient World Season include Athens: The Truth about Democracy and When the Moors Ruled in Europe, covering Islamic rule in Spain and Portugal.

In total, the seven-week season spans around 3,000 years of history no mean feat for one historian and constitutes pretty much required viewed for anyone with a passing interest in the ancient world. Which, if youre reading this, is probably you…

The Ancient World Episodes and Broadcast Dates:

24 March – Alexandria: The Greatest City
31 March – Engineering Ancient Egypt
7 April – The Minoans
14 April – Helen of Troy
21 April – The Spartans (three-part series)
28 April – Athens: The Truth About Democracy (two-part series)
5 May – When the Moors Ruled in Europe

Let us know in the comment box below what you think of the series as it progresses, and check our publications section for more books and DVDs about the ancient world. If you’d like to review these programmes or any books or films for us, contact us and let us know.

You can also join our debate about edutainment, and take part in our Bloggers Challenge on the subject of sex, guns and education (do you need the first two to persuade kids to engage in the latter?)

Egyptology Idol – Want to be Super and Star next to Dr Zahi?

Now, this must be the dream of every starting archaeologist: no longer hot – or worse, rainy – dig seasons, no more spending ages meticulously noting down every find’s smallest detail and never again being send to locations where they won’t even serve you a decent chilled pint. This is your chance to escape them all, as History Channel is looking for the next Top Archaeologist (or an anthropologist will do too). Regardless if you crawl out of a dig somewhere in Egypt, toss aside those recently finished final papers or want a break away from your students, this is your opportunity to kick-start your media career, guided by the legendary Dr. Zahi Hawass. From the Past Preservers website:

ARCHAEOLOGISTS or ANTHROPOLOGISTS WANTED!

A new television series for the History Channel is seeking an Archaeology or Anthropology Expert/Professor AND several student Archaeology or Anthropology majors or recent graduates! (Please do NOT submit if you are only an enthusiast.)

This expert and the students will be a part of a small team that will travel to several digs in Egypt with the legendary Dr. Zahi Hawass. (If the expert and/or the students have experience in Egyptology even better, but this is not a requirement.)

This series will be the adventure of a lifetime! There is also pay to be negotiated. And the time commitment is roughly October 2009 through February 2010. We understand this may seem like a long time frame for some professionals and students, but it is an opportunity unlike any other!

If this sounds like you, please email Nigel for the auditioning instructions and if you are not currently on the Past Preservers talent database, please send a current CV, including your date of birth, nationality, and mention of any previous experience working in the media, along with a photograph of you, to nigel@pastpreservers.com

Please note if you have applied previously to this appeal, you can reapply and your application will be considered again.

(And yeah, we’re serious. Check out this entry on the Past Preservers’ blog. In case you’re not 100% sure if you’ll make it through the selections, you can always apply for the job of ‘Witch’ at the Wooky Holes as a backup plan. ;;)

Bert & Ernie explore an Egyptian Pyramid

I’ve always been a fan of Bert and Ernie, but – wrongfully – assumed I’m a bit to old to enjoy them now.But apparently we still share the same interest: Bert and Ernie visit Egypt and explore an ancient pyramid.Which pyramid isn’t mentioned – I’m sure it’s one they did not discover yet – but it surely holds some interesting artefacts, replicas, of course.The best?Two Egyptian statues, very much alike to Bert and Ernie, with talking and dancing skills.Enjoy!

‘Rubber Ducky, you’re the one. You make bath time lots of fun Rubber Ducky, I’m awfully fond of you. Rubber Ducky, joys of joys When I squeak you, you make noise Rubber Ducky, you’re my very best friend, it’s true!’

via Antigo Egipto