Planet Egypt
Egypt... one of the world's oldest
civilizations that still contains a wealth of knowledge yet to be
undiscovered. With that said, every year, Egyptologists uncover new
evidence, answering more mysteries about this powerful civilization that
lasted for three thousand years. Even though the documentary genre is
filled with hundreds of releases on ancient Egypt, this German produced
4-part series still contains enough new facts to keep even the most
amateur Egyptologist entertained and more importantly informed. Yes,
some of the information is a rehash of things before, however the
Discovery Channel ensure that this collection finds a place among the
better documentaries.
This documentary takes the viewer on a
wondrous journey through the 3000 year rich history of ancient Egypt
that commences from Dynasty Zero, a small farming village that lead to
the birth of "Planet Egypt". Mixing expert interviews with re-enactments
and computer generated images, this documentary takes the viewer on an
interesting expedition that begins with King Narmer who may have been
Egypt's very first Pharaoh. The key to this Pharaoh is a 5,000 year old
tablet that depicts Narmer with two crowns, suggesting that he was ruler
of both upper and lower Egypt. Although there is much debate on how King
Narmer usurped power in Egypt, the theories by the experts included in
this episode gives the viewer a considerable amount of information to
contemplate.
Episode 2 of Planet Egypt focuses on
Thutmose the Third, a Pharaoh who used war to secure his power and
expand the empire. This episode uses some great computer generated
effects for the viewer to visualise what ancient Egypt may have looked
like thousands of years ago, especially their giant forts used to not
only protect its citizens but also it's valuable trade routes. The reign
of Thutmose lasted 54-years who lead to this Pharaoh becoming one of
Egypt's most famed generals and politicians.
The third episode of this series entitled
Temples of Power involves one of Egypt's most controversial Pharaohs,
Akhenaten. Akhenaten was responsible for replacing all the Egyptian gods
with one called Amun which caused civil unrest within Egyptian society.
The episode also highlighted how strong tradition was in ancient Egypt
and not even this god who walked the lands could change 1500 years of
religious beliefs. His name and face was stricken from Egyptian history,
however many items of his reign still remained.
Quest of Eternity is the final episode of
this series which focuses on the power of the afterlife in ancient
Egypt. The Pharaoh for this episode is Ramses the Great who reigned
Egypt for an outstanding 66 years and although he was one of the
greatest Pharaohs, he would also be the last great king of Egypt.
Nonetheless, death was a very important facet to Egyptian civilization
and the afterlife continued to live on, even after the Romans conquered
the deserts that lead to facets of their religion being adopted by
Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
In conclusion, Planet Egypt succeeds in
giving the viewer a very insightful documentary that is a must have for
history buffs!
Episode Listing
Episode 1: Birth of an Empire
Episode 2: Pharaohs at War
Episode 3: Temples of Power
Episode 4: Quest of Eternity
