Raiders of the Lost Pharaohs
Description:
Tutankhamun, Ramses the Great, Cleopatra, Khufu…these legendary pharaohs built the wonders of Karnak, Luxor and the pyramids of Giza before their civilisation faded into obscurity. But in 1798, Napoleon Bonaparte's expedition to Egypt reopened the doors to a forgotten world and ignited a fascination with Ancient Egypt that continues to this day. Bold explorers, such as Jean-François Champollion and Giovanni Battista Belzoni, risked everything to unearth these wonders. Archaeology became a conquest, and Egypt's heritage was plundered by tomb raiders - until Auguste Mariette laid the foundations of modern Egyptology. This immersive series reveals the splendour of the pharaohs and the feats of the explorers.
Network: Sky History
Country: United Kingdom
Cast
Episodes
In 1851, Auguste Mariette discovers the Serapeum of Saqqara, burial place of the sacred Apis bulls, finding sarcophagi intact since antiquity. Turning away from plunder, he founds the Egyptian…
In 1837, Englishman Howard Vyse explores Giza's pyramids using explosives, destroying irreplaceable heritage. Frenchman Prisse d'Avennes opposes this approach, documenting monuments rather than…
In 1828, Champollion finally sets foot in Egypt, leading the Franco-Tuscan expedition up the Nile. At Memphis, Karnak, Philae, and Abu Simbel, he tests his decipherment in the field, reading names that resurrect forgotten rulers. But the triumph is short-lived, exhausted and ill, he returns to France in 1829 and dies three years later at 41, leaving his life's work to his brother and disciples.
As explorers compete for Egypt's treasures, Champollion races to decipher hieroglyphs and unlock a civilisation's lost voice.
From the Rosetta Stone to colossal statues, a fierce rivalry unfolds as competing explorers and collectors race to uncover the wonders of ancient Egypt.
Documentary following 19th-century archaeology in Egypt, beginning with the arrival of Napoleon's army in the country, while artists and scholars explored ancient wonders and uncover clues to a lost language.