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Tutankhamun The Mystery Revealed

Barbara and Colin at Tutankhamun's Tomb, the Valley Of The KingsChannel Five are repeating the excellent 4 part series, “Tutankhamun: The Mystery Revealed” tomorrow, Tuesday 22nd March.  If you havent’ already seen it I can certainly recommend it.  Especially if you are thinking of taking a Nile cruise in the near future.

Here’s more about the series itself as described by Jonathan Yeomans on the excellent www.heritage-key.com website:

“Fronted by Dr Zahi Hawass, the series sees a team of researchers apply new forensic techniques to the study of Tutankhamun’s remains. For the first time ever, archaeologists employed DNA testing on the pharaoh’s 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.

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The Pharaoh Who Conquered The Sea

Just in case you havent’ spotted this:
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Tonight BBC4 are broadcasting what looks like a fascinating programme for anyone who’s interested in Ancient Egypt.Â
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Entitled “The Pharaoh Who Conquered The Sea“, here is the programme’s description:
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Hatshepsut
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“Hatshepsut was the first female pharaoh. During her reign 3500 years ago, she supposedly dispatched five huge ships across the Red Sea to other countries, as depicted in a vast relief at Luxor.  Some, however, believe this is a mere myth.
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To test whether it would have been feasible, a team of archaeologists attempts to reconstruct the voyage, building replica vessels using only period technology.  It’s part insight into the enigma of a very early feminist icon, part watching people build a giant model kit”.
 
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The Pharaoh’s…

Ramesses III was reading a fascinating article in the Guardian on Saturday about The Pharaohs which explained that the word “pharaoh” is derived from the Greek word for “great house”.  The word originally described the royal court or state but it is now used to describe the ancient Egyptian kings.

It also went on to explain that the pharaohs were not all one continuous family any more than British kings and queens are all one continuous family.

The most famous Egyptian dynasty was the 19th which was established by Paramessu, who ruled as Ramesses I.  But Paramessu was not of royal blood – he was a high priest and a soldier appointed pharaoh by his predecessor, Horemheb, who was also a soldier and had no heir.  His reign lasted for barely a year before he died and was succeeded by his son, Sety I, in turn succeeded by Ramesses II, known also as “Ramesses the Great“, the so-called “Greatest Pharaoh of All“.

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