EGYPT'S GOLDEN EMPIRE: THE LAST GREAT PHARAOH {PART 3 OF 3} (TV)
Summary
Continued from T:75396. Part three in this three-part series, narrated by Keith David, about the rulers, events and culture of Egypt's Golden Age, the era that ranges from the re-unification of Egypt under the Theban king Ahmos around 1560 B.C. to the death of the Pharaoh Ramses II in 1212 B.C. and the eventual division of Egypt in 1079 B.C. This episode begins in 1327 B.C., following the death of the Pharaoh Tutankhamen, who died without an heir. Nicole Daouk describes the power vacuum in Egypt after the dynasty that had ruled Egypt for centuries suddenly died out, and its effects on the Empire: she describes the pressure felt from the Hittites Empire at the Empire's northern borders; the Hittites' takeover of the strategically important city of Kadesh; and the determination of the new Pharaoh -- Ramses II -- to take back Kadesh. Antonio Loprieno discusses the Hittites' technological advantages, and the relative importance of the upcoming battle's outcome. John Ray and Kent Weeks describe Ramses II as a man and military leader, detailing and shifting through the historical facts and Ramses II's propaganda about the war and the new era Ramses's victory ushered in. Daouk discusses Ramses II's marriage to Nefertari in 1312 and the tomb he built for her at the Valley of the Kings.
Weeks, Ray and Daouk discuss the builders at Der El Medina, responsible for the construction of royal tombs, and the discovery of the workers' village. Ray and Daouk discuss the scale and scope of Ramses II's building projects; Loprieno describes the House of Life, Egypt's "ministry of propaganda," responsible for the building funds, texts and building designs that went into creating and maintaining Ramses II's image. Daouk describes the confusion and panic brought on by the 93-year-old Pharaoh's death in 1213 B.C.; the subsequent dwindling of the wealth and power of the empire under his successors' reigns; the coming of the "sea people," who invaded and destroyed much of the Hittite and Egyptian empires; the erosion of quality in Egyptian craftsmanship due to lack of funds; and the social and financial conditions that led to workers' strikes and plundering of the royal tombs' treasures by unpaid workers. Loprieno, Weeks and Daouk discuss the end of the New Kingdom with the death of Ramses XI in 1079 B.C.; they also discuss the ways in which the spirit and culture of Egypt's Golden Empire has lived on through imitation by the Syrians, Persians, Greeks and Romans.
Cataloging of the program was made possible by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, 2003.
Details
- NETWORK: PBS
- DATE: February 27, 2002 10:40 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:48:46
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: T:75397
- GENRE: Public affairs/Documentaries
- SUBJECT HEADING: Egypt - Civilization
- SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 2002
- COMMERCIALS:
- TV - Commercials - "Egypts Golden Empire" (home video of this series)
CREDITS
- Ron Devillier … Executive Producer
- Brian Donegan … Executive Producer
- Greg Diefenbach … Supervising Producer
- Ciara Byrne … Producer, Director
- Richard Bradley … Series Producer, Director
- James Hawes … Director
- Justin Pollard … Writer
- Debbie Wiseman … Music by
- Keith David … Narrator
- Nicole Douek
- Zahi Hawass
- Antonio Loprieno
- John Ray
- Nefertari, Queen of Egypt
- Tutankhamen, Pharaoh of Egypt
- Ramses II, Pharaoh of Egypt
- Ramses XI, Pharaoh of Egypt
- Kent Weeks