The Greatest Pharaohs
Encyclopedia
The Greatest Pharaohs is a 1997 American educational
documentary film
about Ancient Egypt
distributed by A&E and narrated by Frank Langella
with commentary by experts in the field. It is 200 minutes long and split into four parts, with each part explaining the lives of four Egyptian pharaohs.
through computer CGI
, location footage, and archaeological and scientific evidence to tell the story of these Egyptian monarchs. It has been made available for instructional use by A&E, and is now being used in anthropology
and archaeology
courses at colleges and universities, such as the University of Vermont
, San Francisco State University
, Oriental Institute of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania
, and University of California, Berkeley
, as well as smaller colleges such as Blue Ridge Community College. It is available in public libraries across the United States
, and in archives such as La Bibliographie nationale française.
Snefru
and the rarely-seen ancient burial ground of Abydos
.
Part 1
Follows the birth of Egyptian
civilization and the origins of the pharaohs and their legacy of the pyramids. It begins with the story of how the first pharaoh, the warrior Narmer
, united Upper and Lower Egypt
and began the first dynasty. Covers Narmer
, Hor-Aha
, Sneferu
, and Khafra
.
Part 2
By 2180 BCE, almost 1,000 years after the first pharaoh, the Egyptians had made advances in science, art, and technology and had built what was arguably the most advanced culture at that time in civilized history. However, the Old Kingdom
started to decay when a child became Pharaoh
. There were centuries of chaos before Egypt was reborn under a series of militarily-inclined pharaohs who established the New Kingdom
. Covers Menkaura
, Pepi II, Mentuhotep I
, and Ahmose I
.
Part 3
By 1353 BCE, Egypt was again stable, with much of the prosperity of the Old Kingdom
. However, the ascension of Akhenaten
brought a new crisis. Akhenaten was branded a heretic by history because of his attempts to transform Egypt's religion, but he was also considered remarkable by the way he shared power with Nefertiti
. Covers Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten
), Tutankhamun
, Ay
, and Seti I
.
Part 4
Considered by historians to be the greatest era of the New Kingdom
began in 1279 BCE, when Ramses II assumed the throne. Ramses II is remembered by history as Ramses the Great. The Great Pharaohs of Egypt series concludes with an in-depth look at his 67-year reign . He led foreign conquests and embarked on what is considered the most ambitious building program since the Great Pyramids, restoring old monuments and erecting countless new ones. The program concludes with the life and death of Cleopatra as the last pharaoh. Covers Ramses II, Ramses III, and Cleopatra VII.
and distributed in the U.S.
by New Video Group (1997
).
Educational film
An educational film is a film or movie whose primary purpose is to educate. Educational films have been used in classrooms as an alternative to other teaching methods.-Cultural significance:...
documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
distributed by A&E and narrated by Frank Langella
Frank Langella
-Early life:Langella, an Italian American, was born in Bayonne, New Jersey, the son of Angelina and Frank A. Langella Sr., a business executive who was the president of the Bayonne Barrel and Drum Company. Langella attended Washington Elementary School and Bayonne High School in Bayonne...
with commentary by experts in the field. It is 200 minutes long and split into four parts, with each part explaining the lives of four Egyptian pharaohs.
In education
The film uses interviews of historians, re-creationsHistorical reenactment
Historical reenactment is an educational activity in which participants attempt torecreate some aspects of a historical event or period. This may be as narrow as a specific moment from a battle, such as the reenactment of Pickett's Charge at the Great Reunion of 1913, or as broad as an entire...
through computer CGI
Computer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
, location footage, and archaeological and scientific evidence to tell the story of these Egyptian monarchs. It has been made available for instructional use by A&E, and is now being used in anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and archaeology
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
courses at colleges and universities, such as the University of Vermont
University of Vermont
The University of Vermont comprises seven undergraduate schools, an honors college, a graduate college, and a college of medicine. The Honors College does not offer its own degrees; students in the Honors College concurrently enroll in one of the university's seven undergraduate colleges or...
, San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University
San Francisco State University is a public university located in San Francisco, California. As part of the 23-campus California State University system, the university offers over 100 areas of study from nine academic colleges...
, Oriental Institute of Chicago, University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, and University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, as well as smaller colleges such as Blue Ridge Community College. It is available in public libraries across the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and in archives such as La Bibliographie nationale française.
4-part series
The documentary series The Greatest Pharaohs chronicles the lives of the men and women who built and maintained the Egyptian dynasties and the resources and power of ancient Egypt. Footage is included of the recently opened pyramid complex of the PharaohPharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
Snefru
Snefru
Snefru is a cryptographic hash function invented by Ralph Merklein 1990which supports 128-bit and 256-bit output. It was named after the Egyptian Pharaoh Sneferu, continuing the tradition of the Khufu and Khafre block ciphers....
and the rarely-seen ancient burial ground of Abydos
Abydos, Egypt
Abydos is one of the most ancient cities of Upper Egypt, and also of the eight Upper Nome, of which it was the capital city. It is located about 11 kilometres west of the Nile at latitude 26° 10' N, near the modern Egyptian towns of el-'Araba el Madfuna and al-Balyana...
.
Part 1
Follows the birth of Egyptian
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
civilization and the origins of the pharaohs and their legacy of the pyramids. It begins with the story of how the first pharaoh, the warrior Narmer
Narmer
Narmer was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period . He is thought to be the successor to the Protodynastic pharaohs Scorpion and/or Ka, and he is considered by some to be the unifier of Egypt and founder of the First Dynasty, and therefore the first pharaoh of unified Egypt.The...
, united Upper and Lower Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
and began the first dynasty. Covers Narmer
Narmer
Narmer was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh of the Early Dynastic Period . He is thought to be the successor to the Protodynastic pharaohs Scorpion and/or Ka, and he is considered by some to be the unifier of Egypt and founder of the First Dynasty, and therefore the first pharaoh of unified Egypt.The...
, Hor-Aha
Hor-Aha
Hor-Aha is considered the second pharaoh of the first dynasty of ancient Egypt in current Egyptology. He lived around the thirty-first century BC.- Name :...
, Sneferu
Sneferu
Sneferu, also spelled as Snephru, Snefru or Snofru , was the founder of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt. Estimates of his reign vary, with for instance The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt suggesting a reign from around 2613 BC to 2589 BC, a reign of 24 years, while Rolf Krauss suggests a 30-year reign...
, and Khafra
Khafra
Khafra — also Khafre — was an Egyptian pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty, who had his capital at Memphis. According to some authors he was the son and successor of Khufu, but it is more commonly accepted that Djedefre was Khufu's successor and Khafra was Djedefre's...
.
Part 2
By 2180 BCE, almost 1,000 years after the first pharaoh, the Egyptians had made advances in science, art, and technology and had built what was arguably the most advanced culture at that time in civilized history. However, the Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...
started to decay when a child became Pharaoh
Pharaoh
Pharaoh is a title used in many modern discussions of the ancient Egyptian rulers of all periods. The title originates in the term "pr-aa" which means "great house" and describes the royal palace...
. There were centuries of chaos before Egypt was reborn under a series of militarily-inclined pharaohs who established the New Kingdom
New Kingdom
The New Kingdom of Egypt, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt....
. Covers Menkaura
Menkaura
Menkaure was a pharaoh of the Fourth dynasty of Egypt who ordered the construction of the third and smallest of the Pyramids of Giza. His name means "Eternal like the Souls of Re"...
, Pepi II, Mentuhotep I
Mentuhotep I
Mentuhotep I was a local Egyptian prince at Thebes during the First Intermediate Period. He became the first openly acknowledged ruler of the Eleventh dynasty by assuming the title of first "supreme chief of Upper Egypt" and, later, declaring himself king over all Egypt. He is named as a nomarch in...
, and Ahmose I
Ahmose I
Ahmose I was a pharaoh of ancient Egypt and the founder of the Eighteenth dynasty. He was a member of the Theban royal house, the son of pharaoh Tao II Seqenenre and brother of the last pharaoh of the Seventeenth dynasty, King Kamose...
.
Part 3
By 1353 BCE, Egypt was again stable, with much of the prosperity of the Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...
. However, the ascension of Akhenaten
Akhenaten
Akhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
brought a new crisis. Akhenaten was branded a heretic by history because of his attempts to transform Egypt's religion, but he was also considered remarkable by the way he shared power with Nefertiti
Nefertiti
Nefertiti was the Great Royal Wife of the Egyptian Pharaoh Akhenaten. Nefertiti and her husband were known for a religious revolution, in which they started to worship one god only...
. Covers Amenhotep IV (Akhenaten
Akhenaten
Akhenaten also spelled Echnaton,Ikhnaton,and Khuenaten;meaning "living spirit of Aten") known before the fifth year of his reign as Amenhotep IV , was a Pharaoh of the Eighteenth dynasty of Egypt who ruled for 17 years and died perhaps in 1336 BC or 1334 BC...
), Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun
Tutankhamun , Egyptian , ; approx. 1341 BC – 1323 BC) was an Egyptian pharaoh of the 18th dynasty , during the period of Egyptian history known as the New Kingdom...
, Ay
Ay
Ay was the penultimate Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt's 18th dynasty. He held the throne of Egypt for a brief four-year period , although he was a close advisor to two and perhaps three of the pharaohs who ruled before him and was the power behind the throne during Tutankhamun's reign...
, and Seti I
Seti I
Menmaatre Seti I was a Pharaoh of Ancient Egypt , the son of Ramesses I and Queen Sitre, and the father of Ramesses II...
.
Part 4
Considered by historians to be the greatest era of the New Kingdom
New Kingdom
The New Kingdom of Egypt, also referred to as the Egyptian Empire is the period in ancient Egyptian history between the 16th century BC and the 11th century BC, covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth Dynasties of Egypt....
began in 1279 BCE, when Ramses II assumed the throne. Ramses II is remembered by history as Ramses the Great. The Great Pharaohs of Egypt series concludes with an in-depth look at his 67-year reign . He led foreign conquests and embarked on what is considered the most ambitious building program since the Great Pyramids, restoring old monuments and erecting countless new ones. The program concludes with the life and death of Cleopatra as the last pharaoh. Covers Ramses II, Ramses III, and Cleopatra VII.
Video release
It was released by A&E Home VideoA&E Television Networks
A&E Television Networks is a U.S. media company that owns a group of television channels available via cable & satellite in the US and abroad...
and distributed in the U.S.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
by New Video Group (1997
1997 in film
-Events:* The original Star Wars trilogy's Special Editions are released.* Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.* Titanic becomes the first film to gross US$1,000,000,000 at the box office making it the highest grossing film in history until Avatar broke the record in 2010.*...
).
Additional sources
- The AdvocateThe AdvocateThe Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
(July 6, 1997), "Tidbits in A&E's "Pharaohs" worth the effort"
External links
- The Greatest Pharohs at Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...