Egypt

If you're interested in the history of the exploration of Egypt there's an excellent mini-series from the BBC available on Netflix Streaming.

It's called simply: Egypt

The first two episodes are about Champollion and his truly remarkable work on translating the Rosetta Stone.

The next two episodes cover Belzoni, the sideshow strong man turned archeologist, who discovered some of the most important sites in Egypt.  Belzoni was significant not only for what he found, but also for the fact that unlike so many others at the time, he was interested in preserving and studying rather than looting.

And last but not least, episodes 5 and 6 cover Howard Carter and the discovery of King Tut's tomb.

The series is really well produced, it is a beautiful blend of drama and documentary.  Unlike many re-enactments, the dramatic scenes are compelling with some top-notch performances.  If nothing else: it's beautiful to look at.

It makes a great companion piece to the King Tut exhibit currently at the Grand Rapids Public Museum, too.  Go see that too.