Egypt Doings

Curly sheep at Meroe

In case you don't know, I'm crazy for ancient Egypt. If I can read it, watch it, play it, I'm there.

The Mummy? Yes.

Amelia Peabody?! Absolutment.

Stargate? Yes!

Joann Fletcher escapades? Yes!

What about that book in Gail Carriger's series where they finally go to Egypt?! YES.

Gods of Egypt?! EVEN THAT.

Immortal? Yes. (A French film from 2004, based on a 1980 graphic novel, that involves Egyptian gods sometimes playing Monopoly, and Horus gets really rapey, and just UGH. Was it worse than Gods of Egypt? Good question.)

Assassin's Creed, Origins?! Eventually -- I'm not made of money.

Tomb Raider? Duh.

The Pyramid? Yes, chiefly because it involves Anubis, which...well. The entire thing is hilarious.

What about that episode of Highlander where Duncan walks around with a naked Nefertiri? Give it to me!

Naturally when I saw a show on Netflix called Egypt, I clicked on through. Feed my hunger, Netflix!

Egypt is a series produced by the BBC--apparently there are only six episodes (?!), of which I've seen two now. And it's a strange, strange thing. The episodes recreate historical events in Egypt, namely white-centered historical events, like Carter and his search for Tut's tomb. They're also going to cover Belzoni, who was really a jerk (yet somehow also brings in my love of carnivals, as he was a circus strongman before he started raiding Egypt for its treasures), and then the Rosetta Stone discovery/translation.

The Carter episodes were almost hilarious, because they centered Carter as the hero (I mean, of course they did), and how he'd been screwed over by those he worked for, but also by the dude who was in charge of being sure Egypt got to keep Egypt's treasures. And are we supposed to be outraged that the white archaeologists couldn't haul anything and everything out of the country, thanks to the Department of Antiquities? I just wasn't. Howard Carter, that burial tomb isn't yours, no matter what digging permit you've been given. Back UP, sir.

What's fun about the show is watching them recreate the tombs and the nature of that entire world. It's so easy to lose yourself there, to put yourself in Carter's shoes as he hammers through a wall and shines a light through. Also, when he finds the intact tomb seal. Just... Ahhhhhhh. What a moment that must have been.

This is the intact seal Carter found on Tutankhamun's tomb. *screams*

I'm 20k into the writing of the last planned Folley & Mallory book, but I guarantee, my Egypt love won't stop there. I've loved that world too long to let it go. Excited also to read K. Tempest Bradford's steampunk Egypt book, too, and vicariously take part in her upcoming Egypt journey.

Ahhhhhhhh EGYPT.