Ancient Lives is a documentary unlike any other I’ve watched. Viewing this passionately presented 200 plus minute voyage through the lives of a village of Egyptian tomb-makers living in the small village of Deir al Medina from approximately 1275 – 1080 B.C. is comparable to indulging in a vibrantly written biography as opposed to a committee-compiled, dry textbook.
John Romer is the driving force behind the series, his desire to conserve the great archeological sites in the Valley of the Kings leading him to present these Egyptians as people with rich thriving lives. Their love lives, family dramas, occupations, and so much more are explored with Romer as an expert guide. Watching Ancient Lives is like having a legitimate Egyptologist guiding you through museum exhibits, on-site hieroglyphics and tomb art, ruins, tombs, and so much more.
Part of the great charm of the series is seeing a man deeply immersed in his element and sharing his deep love for the subject matter with us as he moves through on-site explorations. We get to see Romer crawling up toppled statuary and searching through the Valley of the Kings for burial chambers that have yet to be discovered for example. Where else can you watch an Egyptologist finding himself stuck in possible tomb openings? (There are some occasional mild epithets in the series.)
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
DVD Reviews Ancient Lives
Blog Critics (Jennifer Bogart)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
I saw this series many years ago when it appeared in the US on public broadcasting. I loved this show and wish more shows were made of this quality. Most of the shows now being don't have nearly the content. Roehmer brings you closer to the people by including their letters and poetry
This DVD is only available in the US.Unfortunately Acorn UK have no plans to issue this in UK.
Post a Comment