Synopsis
This documentary takes viewers on a journey through the fascinating history of ancient Egypt's most beautiful archaeological finds. We also follow Kha, an architect and builder of tombs for pharaohs, on his perilous journey to the Underworld where eternal life is at stake, but the risk is being dissolved into cosmic nothingness. The story is narrated by Jeremy Irons, who takes us inside the secret world of Egyptian mythology, religion, and funerary culture. Irons expertly interweaves Kha's journey with the history of the oldest museum in the world, the Museo Egizio in Turin. Founded in 1824, it is soon to celebrate its 200th anniversary and is home to Kha's own Tomb, along with the most complete and valuable private collection of grave goods outside of Egypt. As we journey along the Nile, we explore the magnificent monuments of Giza, Luxor, Karnak, the Valley of the Kings, and the workers' village of Deir el-Medina. Irons follows in the footsteps of Italian explorers and archaeologists, who collected the most important pieces that make up the Turin collection. Their itineraries also lead to the exhibition halls of the Cairo Museum, the Ägyptischen Museum, the British Museum, and the Louvre. From Ramesses II in Turin to the treasures of Tutankhamun, the bust of Nefertiti, the Red Scribe in the Louvre, and the Rosetta Stone in London, this documentary is a journey through the most beautiful and significant archaeological finds Egypt has left us. Contributions from experts in the field such as Christian Greco - Director of Museo Egizio, Sabah Abd el-Razek - Director of Cairo Museum, Friederike Seyfried - Director of Ägyptischen Museum Berlin, Vincent Rondot - Director of The Department of Egyptian Antiquities, the Louvre, Daniel Antoine - Director of The Department of Egyptian Antiquities, the British Museum, and Professor Pieter ter Keurs - Anthropologist, University of Leiden.