Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3581 in DVD
• Released on: 2006-02-06
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 3
• Running time: 360 minutes

DVD Description
Focusing on three of the most important discoveries from the world of the ancient Egyptians, this series journeys back in time to explore Howard Carter's discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamun, the Great Belzoni's finds from the reign of Ramesses II and Champollion's deciphering of the hieroglyphs. Join Carter, Belzoni and Champollion as they overcome immense obstacles to unlock the secrets of an as-yet undiscovered world and reveal their seminal finds. Then travel even further back, to the amazing period of Egyptian history unveiled by their astounding work.

Customer Reviews

Very Enjoyable
We found this DVD set very enjoyable - well worth the money! History is brought to life by focusing on pivotal characters, and the events unfold through their eyes. This is great, especially for children, as it turns what they would normally describe as 'dusty-old-history' into an enjoyable and memorable experience.

Worth it for Mathew Kelley alone
A very interesting and well filmed series. The episodes dealing with the discovery of Abu Simbel is easily worth the price of the whole set. With King Tut-Ank-Amun being in the news again at the moment the back story of Howard Carter is very interesting.

Informative and exciting.

Carter/Belzoni/Champollion/Great Pyramid
This is an excellent set for Egytology enthusiasts, offering on the first two discs
1. a two-show account of Howard Carter's discovery of Tutankhamun's tomb,
2. a two-show account of the work of Belzoni (about whom there is little attention elsewhere) and
3. a two-show account of the discovery of the meaning hieroglyphs by Champollion (dramatically, the high point).
It is easy to criticise the woeful acting and the cliched script, but actually these shows are probably better than previous docu-drama efforts on the same subjects. However, the shows are beautifully filmed, special effects are excellent and the BBC clearly spent a few bob on reconstructing means of transport, housing, and others bits and pieces. These shows are also excellent for education purposes - students in secondary education would be interested, even captivated, and amused by these programmes.
4. There is also the BBC's account of the building of Khufu's pyramid at Giza from the perspective of a fictional ancient Egyptian. I hated this show when I first saw it, but warmed to it when watching the DVD recently. It explains a lot, the special effects are excellent and the twee acting, and indulgent scripting, are less detracting.
The other bits and pieces (the extras) don't add to much, but overall the 3-disc set is excellent value for money.