On the mythical site of Saqqara, the Apis bulls were buried for more than a thousand years in the immense underground necropolis of the Serapheum. Discovered in 1850 by the French Egyptologist Auguste Mariette, this place shelters a treasure of which a part is preserved in the Louvre. The collapse of the ceiling of one of the galleries had however prevented the archaeologist from venturing into the entire necropolis. More than 170 years later, the museum's Egyptologists are continuing the work of their famous predecessor. Investigating the cult of the Apis bull and the mysterious rituals that surrounded it, the team is especially looking for access to the unexplored parts, which have at least eight burial chambers, with the hope of finding intact tombs.
The National Library of France is the guardian of priceless treasures that tell our history, our illustrious thinkers, writers, scholars and artists. Telling the story of the exceptional treasures of the National Library of France is like opening a great history book rich in many twists and turns. Without the love of the kings of France for books and precious objects, this institution would never have seen the light of day. The story begins in the 14th century under the reign of a passionate writer, Charles V, who set up a library in his apartments in the Louvre. But it was not until the 17th century, and the reign of Louis XIV, a lover of the arts and letters, that the royal library took over its historic quarters in the rue Vivienne in Paris, which it still occupies.
Thanks to new excavations in Mauritius and Madagascar, as well as archival and museum research in France, Spain, England and Canada, a group of international scholars paint a new portrait of the world of piracy in the Indian Ocean.
This documentary follows a team of local archaeologists excavating never before explored passageways, shafts, and tombs, piecing together the secrets of Egypt’s most significant find in almost 50 years in Saqqara.
Explores the Pyramids of Giza as Egyptologists try to unravel the mysteries and decipher the clues behind these stone giants built over 4,500 years ago.
It is one of Egypt's enduring mysteries. What happened to Nefertiti and her husband, Akhenaten - the radical king, and likely father of King Tut? In a dark and mysterious tomb located in the Valley of the Kings, there is a small chamber with two mummies without sarcophagi or wrappings. At times, both have been identified as Queen Nefertiti by scholars, filmmakers and historians. But the evidence has been circumstantial at best.
3,200 years ago, Egypt is living the final hours of its golden age under the reign of Ramesses II. After ruling the country for 67 years, the great pharaoh dies at the old age of 92. His mummy is burried in the heart of the Valley of the Kings. This is the beginning of his great journey towards the afterlife but only under one condition: that his tomb remains off limits forever. However, in the 19th century, many European adventurers explore the tomb of the king searching for the burial chamber. Then begins an archeological investigation, which reveals the story of Ramesses II after-life.
In this special follow-up programme, the only television team with access to the dig and the scientific tests on the skeleton uses unseen footage and conducts two days of additional interviews to tell this extraordinary forensic detective story in even greater scientific and archaeological detail.
For over 4000 years, the Sphinx has puzzled all who have laid eyes on it. What is this crouching lion, human-headed creature? Who built it and why? To unlock its secrets, two teams of scientists and sculptors immerse themselves in the world of ancient Egypt — a land of pharaohs and pyramids, animal gods and mummies, sun worship and human sacrifice.
As part of a high-tech forensic probe into the demise of Egyptian Pharaoh Tutankhamun, scientists use X-rays and CT scans as they attempt to reach a conclusion about just how this famed king died. In addition, they explore the mysterious curse on explorers linked to Tut's tomb excavation.
The adventurous life of Natacha Rambova (1897-1966), an American artist, born Winifred Kimball Shaughnessy, who reincarnated herself countless times: false Russian dancer, silent film actress, scenographer and costume designer, writer, spiritist, Egyptologist, indefatigable traveler, mysterious and curious; an amazing 20th century woman who created the myth of Rudolph Valentino.
The first meeting of a U.S. president and a Mexican president took place when William Howard Taft met Porfirio Díaz on 16 October 1909, in El Paso. The meeting was celebrated in both El Paso and Juárez with parades, elaborate receptions, lavish gifts and large crowds. Shot by the pioneers of Mexican Cinema the brothers Alva. This is a typical example of newsreel material prior to the Mexican revolution. By hemerographical references we know that this footage was presented to the then president of Mexico General Porfirio Díaz in the Castle of Chapultepec, then residence of the president.
The Richardson Olmsted Campus, a former psychiatric center and National Historic Landmark, is seeing new life as it undergoes restoration and adaptation to a modern use.
Berlin’s Museum Island, the cultural center of the German capital on the Spree river, houses a large number of art pieces from all over the globe, from the Stone Age to the present day. A walk through their great institutions to marvel at their masterpieces.
This documentary follows a team of archaeologists, mandated by the Louvre Museum, as they pick up where Egyptologist Auguste Mariette left-off with his discovery of the Serapeum tomb of the bull of Apis - one of the most sacred places in Saqqara, Egypt, in 1850. Mariette also managed to map out a network of underground tunnels leading to other burial sites that he did not have time to uncover. With exclusive access, we follow a team of archaeologists continue the research of Mariette.