Product Description

It is a tantalizing idea: a shriveled mummy that has lain neglected on a dusty museum shelf at Niagara Falls could be the remnants of a long-lost Egyptian pharaoh. While a trail of clues hints at how the looted mummy made its way to North America a century and a half ago, archaeologists go to Emory University to employ the latest imaging and DNA techniques in hopes of confirming the body’s hidden identity. Their results provide compelling evidence that the mummy may indeed be that of Ramesses I, founder of ancient Egypt’s most illustrious dynasty. This amazing story of historical intrigue and forensic science concludes as the mummy takes its rightful place alongside royal relatives in an Egyptian museum, a fitting solution to a 3,000 year-old puzzle.

Special DVD features include: materials and activities for educators; a link to the NOVA Web site; scene selections; closed captions; and described video for the visually impaired.

On one DVD5 disc. Region coding: All regions. Audio: Dolby stereo. Screen format: Letterboxed.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #89314 in DVD
• Brand: WGBH HOME VIDEO
• Released on: 2006-05-02
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .20 pounds
• Running time: 56 minutes

Features

• It is a tantalizing idea: could a shriveled mummy that has lain neglected on a dusty shelf in a museum at Niagara Falls be none other than the remnants of a long-lost Egyptian pharaoh? A trail of clues hints at how the looted mummy may have made its way to North America a century and a half ago. A team of archeologists from Emory University attempts to confirm its identity with the help of the lat

Customer Reviews

Mummies and Detective Work
If you love "The New Detectives," "Forensic Files," and all those other shows where they use biological, technological, and molecular evidence to solve crimes, then you will love this. From crossed arms, to the placement of genitalia, to a diary, Egyptologists determine that a mummy that wound up near Niagara Falls was a pharaoh.

It's easy to assume that all ancient artifacts move from excavation site to well-maintained museum. This documentary, however, shows that certain artifacts have fascinating modern stories to tell. The work says old museums were freak shows. Earlier audiences wanted to see two-headed calves more than Egyptian mummies. I am actually surprised that the mummy survived its first decades in North America after so much mishandling. This work implies that a pharaoh's mummy is important, but an Egyptian nobleman's mummy is useless. I'd think any 3000 year-old relic would be important.

My alma mater (Brown University) is the only American school with an Egyptology undergraduate major. One of the requirements for the degree is to study some German. This documentary helps explain why. The bust of Nefertiti rests in Berlin and many Germans are excited Egyptologists. Here's this symbol that I associate with African-American feminists being embraced by the Claudia Schiffers and Helmut Kohls of the world.

There is one scene where actors pretend to be Egyptian undertakers. However, I wouldn't say this documentary had a ton of cheesy reenactments. Well, of the old kind. When the documentary says, "Person A contacted Person B," they film the real Person A pretending to contact the real Person B: a bit cheesy, but easy on the eyes.

The work shows that Egyptologists are diverse in terms of gender, race, nationality, and linguistic background. Still, the ending is an essentialist letdown in that when an Egyptian official says, "I can smell a pharaoh!" and that concludes the controversy.