Egyptology
Time laughs at all things, but the Pyramids laugh at Time.
Although not strictly within my field of historical study, which is post-17th century North America, I have always been fascinated with archeology and ancient cultures, especially of Egypt and the Mediterranean. As a child I traveled through Greece, seeing Mycenae, Athens and Rhodes. Later I studied Michael Woods' In Search of the Trojan War and have since collected every program that cable TV had to offer on the Pyramids, the Sphinx, Tutankhamun and the secrets of mummification. I have followed the research of Dr. David Rohl into possible changes in the timeline and the excavations of Dr. Kent Weeks at KV5. I have also studied the discovery of the various Iron Age bodies preserved in northern Europe's peat bogs and the marvels of the Ice Man who rose from an alpine glacier to confound current notions of metallurgy.
Popular films have used the ancient world as an evocative backdrop for tales from The Mummy to Stargate to The Scorpion King. Most have been escapist entertainment, but a few contain a kernel of truth. At least, the Pyramids are real.
There is still so much we don't know about ancient cultures and new information awaits us, whether frozen in the glaciers of the Alps or buried under the sands of the Sahara.
Books, Films & Documentaries
This is a list of books, films and television documentaries on the subject of ancient Egypt. Most can be easily obtained at:
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In Search of the Trojan War by Michael Wood
Not actually Egyptology, of course, but related in period and geography. The six part television documentary was one of the best ever made, but this program is not available on VHS or DVD.
The Murder of Tutankhamun by Bob Brier, Ph.D.
An excellent book, but appears to be out-of-print at present. Detailed and absorbing, it is an ancient mystery -- was the young pharoah murdered by an ambitious court official? Briers presents forensic and archeological evidence that Tutankhamun's death was no accident.
Pharaohs and Kings : A Biblical Quest by David M. Rohl
Currently out-of-print, but well worth the read, so look for a used copy or one from the library. Dr. Rohl also hosted a television documentary made about his theories. This program is not available on VHS or DVD.
Egypt Beyond the Pyramids, a television documentary hosted by Peter Woodward on The History Channel, covered recent discoveries in KV5 and Deir el Medina. This has been released in both VHS and DVD formats.
Great Egyptians, a television documentary hosted by Prof. Bob Brier on The Discovery Channel, covered the lives of Ramses the Great, Queen Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Tutankamun, Snefru, and Cleopatra. This has been released on VHS.
Hidden History of Egypt, a television documentary hosted by Terry Jones on The Discovery Channel, is one of two delightful and informative programs from the former Python comedian (the other is Hidden History of Rome). The two program set has been released on VHS.
Mummies: Tales from the Egyptian Crypts, a television documentary hosted by Frank Langella on The History Channel, showed how modern science is being used to explore the ancient dead. This program is not available on VHS or DVD.
Who Built The Sphinx?, a television documentary hosted by John Rees-Davies on The Learning Channel. This program is not available on VHS or DVD.
Valley of the Kings, a television documentary hosted by John Romer on PBS, explored the damage being done to Egypt's monuments and tombs -- much of it because of the intrusion of archeologists. This program is not available on VHS or DVD.
Mysteries of the Pyramids and the Sphinx, a television documentary, explored the idea that the pyramids and other monuments are far older than currently believed. This program is not available on VHS or DVD.
Under a similar title, Mysteries of the Sphinx, a television documentary hosted by Charleton Heston, explored a similar area. This program is not available on VHS or DVD.
Another similar title, Mysteries of the Pyramids, a television documentary hosted by Omar Sharif in 1989, is available on VHS, but is woefully out-of-date considering recent discoveries.
Secrets of the Great Pyramid, a television documentary, covered research into the configuration of the Pyramids as an Earthly map of the constellation Orion. This program is not available on VHS or DVD.
The Real Scorpion King, a television documentary hosted by Dwayne Johnson
(aka the Rock) in conjunction with his appearance in a feature film The Scorpion King, highlighted discoveries reaching further back into Eygpt's past to one of its earliest kings. Refreshing scholarship in light of the historically confused and highly inaccurate film. The documentary has been released to video by The History Channel.
Dover Publications produces an inexpensive line of classic books on ancient Egypt, early archeology, and the reading of heiroglyphs -- mostly the works of E. A. Wallis Budge. They have also produced a book of Egyptian themed art (with CD) and a book of Egyptian dressed paper dolls. Two simple charts of heiroglyphs are included here.
Feature films are what they are -- creations of Hollywood and not of historians. Still, I find them entertaining -- in particular, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Stargate, The Mummy (1999), The Mummy Returns, and even The Scorpion King had its moments. All are available from Amazon.com on either VHS or DVD.
Internet Sites
The Manchester Ancient Egypt Society is a lively and easy to use site with a lot of information, plus links to related sites for both the novice and the academic.
Charles N. Pope maintains a site called The Domain of Man. While I have no particular interest in proving the Holy Bible true or false, I find the theories of Dr. David Rohl provocative and exciting.
Rohl's New Chronology is covered in some detail, but I recommend that interested parties not limit themselves to the online essay. Get the book listed above for a full interpretation of what his findings mean.
Virtual Egypt has a lot of exciting material and interactive items.
I have a collection of artifact images available on this site.
