Go back in time to ancient Egypt and its people: an old lady with a pet monkey, a scribe who wrote love poetry. Hosted by Egyptologist John Romer, this intriguing series spotlights ordinary Egyptiansthe stonemasons, painters, sculptors, quarrymen, wives and children who lived in the Valley of the Kings, building the tombs of the pharaohs. Seen on PBS and A&E. “A loving look at the minutiae of daily life in ancient Egypt”
Courier-Mail(Australia). SDH subtitles; 4 episodes plus bonus program; approx. 205 min. on 2 DVDs plus viewer’s guide.
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Disc 1
Episode 1
Adjacent to ancient Thebes, the tomb-makers’ village elucidates some mysteries of this long-buried culture: the role of the gods in everyday life, the Egyptians’ vision of the afterlife, the significance of a king’s burial, and the general design of the royal tombs.
Episode 2
The stories of two ordinary workersKenhirkhopeshef, a dedicated scribe, and Paneb, a volatile foremanreveal how religious beliefs informed the everyday lives of the Egyptians. When Ramses III moved the royal court from Thebes to the delta, the close-knit tomb-makers’ community began to split along class lines.
Disc 2
Episode 3
As evidenced by the subtleties of their architecture and decoration, the royal tombs experienced an artistic renaissance under scribe Amennakht. But under his son, scribe Harshire, the plundering beganinstigated by none other than the trusted tomb makers themselves.
Episode 4
Tomb raiding escalated dramatically after a great famine. And, as scribes Djutmose and Butehamun discovered, thieves invaded even the remote tombs of the kings from the old dynasty. Romer scouts some of these long-buried sites and offers clues to unearthing new ones.
Packaging:Thinpak
Run Time:205 minutes, plus 23 minutes bonus programming
Format:Full screen
Number of discs:2
Language:English
Subtitles:N/A
Color or B&W:Color
CC:No
SDH:Yes
Region Code:1
Aspect Ratio:4:3
Rating:N/A
"A loving look at the minutiae of daily life in ancient Egypt"Courier-Mail(Australia)