How Recent TV Shows Could Change Our View of Ancient Egypt

TV shows and movies often reinforce our ideas of ancient civilizations, so it’s good to see something new that challenges our view of the past. What are some of the recent shows that cause us to reconsider what we know about this empire?

The Popularity of Egypt in Mainstream Culture

It’s fair to say that a lot of what we know about Ancient Egypt comes from movies and TV shows. 1899’s Cléopâtre by Georges Méliès is considered to be the first film based on this culture, with a horror twist based on the mummy of Cleopatra being attacked, but all copies of it have been lost, so we have no idea how good or bad it would look to a modern audience. Since then, movies like 1963’s Cleopatra, 1999’s The Mummy, and 2002’s The Scorpion King have helped to shape our view of Ancient Egypt and its characters.

This has led to the culture filtering into other areas of popular culture, with numerous documentaries such as the BBC’s Immortal Egypt and songs like Walk Like an Egyptian by The Bangles keeping it in our sights over the years. Ancient cultures like this are also commonly used as a gaming theme, as we can see by looking at the versions of the game on this UK bingo site. Age of the Gods Bingo is based on Greek mythology and deities, while Clover Rollover has an epic Irish feel. If we look at other gambling games on the site, we find Egypt represented in Oink Oink Oink Pharaohs and Eye of Horus, with classic images from the culture used as symbols.

The Variety of TV Shows and Documentaries Now Available

Away from fiction and looking at real-life situations, Netflix currently lists shows such as Unknown: The Lost Pyramid. This documentary follows a team of archaeologists searching for discoveries that change our view of the past. Dr. Zahi Hawass and Dr. Mostafa Waziri are the experts who race against the clock in Saqqara to try and find lost tombs that throw light on the past.

Lost Treasures of Egypt and Egypt’s Unexplained Files are among other recent shows that have looked to explain some of the civilization’s biggest mysteries and reveal some of its secrets. Meanwhile, Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb shares an amazing discovery, as we see how researchers analyze the contents of a tomb that had been sealed for 4,400 years.

How This Changes Our View

By adding documentaries with serious research to our entertainment options, we can get a different view of the Pharaohs and their lives. A new Cleopatra movie starring Gal Gadot should be released in the next year or so. While the actress has promised to show the real, human side of the Egyptian Queen, movies like this tend to run the risk of presenting an overly simplified version of history.

The shows mentioned earlier help to give us a more realistic sense of what Ancient Egypt was like. This means that we can then enjoy the lighter type of entertainment offered by movies and games while having a deeper understanding of the facts that inspired them.