Egypt's Golden EmpireEgypt's Golden Empire presents the most extraordinary period in Egyptian history: from 1560 BC to 1080 BC, when the Egyptian Empire reached its zenith. In 1560 BC, when Rome was still a marsh and the Acropolis was an empty rock, Egypt was already 1,000 years old. Although the period of the pyramid-builders was long over, Egypt lay on the threshold of its greatest age. The New Kingdom would be an empire forged by conquest, maintained by intimidation and diplomacy, and remembered long after its demise. Egypt's Golden Empire reveals with startling clarity the hopes and dreams of the Pharaohs and ordinary citizens who created the first great empire in history.
Episode 1 ~ Warrior PharaohsAlready 1,000 years old, Egypt is a shadow of its former self. By 1560 BC the kingdom lies divided among foreign rulers. But Ahmose, one of the last Egyptian princes, rises to defeat the Hyksos and the Nubians. The New Kingdom is born, uniting Egypt once again. After Ahmose dies, Hatshepsut becomes the first female Pharaoh. She embarks on an ambitious building program and opens new trade routes. Her son and successor, Thutmosis III campaigns extensively in the near east and brings much of the ancient world under Egyptian rule. The concept of "empire" is born.
Episode 2 ~ Pharaohs of the SunBy 1400 BC the Egyptian empire stretches from Northern Syria to the Sudan in Africa. Led by Amenhotep III, it is a golden age of wealth, power and prosperity. Remarkable diplomacy is used to keep the empire's rivals at bay. Art, technology and new ideas flourish and Egyptian rulers are seen as gods. After the death of Amenhotep III, his son Akhenaton initiates drastic changes. Consumed by a monotheist belief, he orders a new capital built in the desert, marries the beauty Nefertiti, and embarks on a campaign of religious repression. When he dies, the new capital is abandoned. The death of his son-in-law, the boy-king Tutankhamen, marks the end of the Ahmose dynasty.
Episode 3 ~
Title: Empires - Egypt's Golden Empire
Format: DVD
Release Date: 20 May 2009
Actor(s): Keith David
Sku: 1169419
Catalogue No: SBS1002
Category: SBS
Disc Count: 1
OFLC Rating: G
Run Time: 165
Transfer Format: 16:9 Enhanced, Full Height Anamorphic, Widescreen
Video Format: PAL
Language: English,
Subtitles: English for the Hearing Impaired
Region Code: 4
OFLC Advice: General Exhibition
Production Studio: SBS Television
Dubbed Languages: English,
Director(s): Richard Bradley, Ciara Byrne, James Hawes
Genre: Special Interest, Documentary