Building
Pharaoh’s Chariot is a documentary film about science and technology in
ancient Egypt. It was shown on US television (PBS) in 2013. It is an episode of
the long-running program NOVA, which focuses on the history of science and
technology (season 40, episode 10). Here is some basic information about it:
** Directed by
Martin O’Collins
** Run time: 52
minutes
Several experts
were involved in this program. Here are their names in alphabetical order:
** Kathryn M.
Hansen – horse and chariot expert
** Steven Harvey –
Egyptologist
** Robert Hurford
– carriage maker
** Mike Loades –
military historian
** Bela Sandor –
engineer, professor emeritus, University of Wisconsin
The experts meet
in Egypt. The project is to build a modern copy of an ancient chariot that is
actually working. In this film we see the experts as they try to complete the
project. There are several stages:
# 1. Study ancient
tombs and monuments with drawings of chariots – and study archaeological
remains in the Cairo Museum – or order to collect as much evidence as possible
# 2. Build a
chariot – in the end they build two copies
# 3. Construct the
harness for the horses
# 4. Select and
train two horses – they select and train four horses
# 5. Put
everything together
# 6. Test the
chariot and the harness with the horses
Not everything
goes according to plan. Sometimes there is a setback, but when this happens,
they sit back, think for a moment, and then they try once more. Without
revealing too much I can tell you that in the end the team of experts manages
to build a modern copy of an ancient chariot that works very well. When they
test the top speed of the chariot, the result is 24 miles per hour or 38 km per
hour, which is quite good.
Building
Pharaoh’s Chariot is an interesting program. We follow the experts as they are
working on solutions to the practical problems. We also follow them into some
of the ancient tombs where they find the evidence that they need to begin the
project.
What do reviewers
say about this film? On IMDb it has a rating of 71 per cent, which corresponds
to three and a half stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too
low. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves
a rating of five stars.
If you are
interested in the history of the ancient world - in particular the history of
science and technology – this program is definitely something for you.
PS. Building
Pharaoh’s Ship is a somewhat similar program that was produced by NOVA in
2010.
*****
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