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in IMAX 3D
In the late 18th
century, with the discovery of the Rosetta Stone and the
subsequent code-cracking that allowed researchers to understand
hieroglyphs, the popularity of Egypt and its hidden secrets
exploded. Egypt-mania hit the high societies of Paris, New
York and London.
But when a few curious antiquities suddenly appeared on the black
market in the 1870s, a handful of people in the world who could
decipher hieroglyphs knew that these were no ordinary relics, for
they bore the marks of kings. These were different. In spite of
all of the energy and money spent to unearth ancient treasures, no
one had found the tomb of a Pharaoh. Until now.
What is it about mummies? These preserved human time capsules from
ancient Egypt fascinate and intrigue us, but why? Is it because
they blur the line between the living and the dead? Or is it
because they provide such a powerfully visual window to our
ancient past? Whatever the reason, there is little doubt that
mummies are some of the world’s most spellbinding subjects. And
Egypt is one of the most fascinating civilizations, in large part
because of the great mummies that have been discovered there in
modern times.
Narrated by actor Christopher Lee (The Lord
Of The Rings, Star Wars, and the
original 1959 film The Mummy), Mummies:
Secrets of the Pharaohs explores the mysterious world of
ancient Egypt through the fabric of its ancient mummies. The
Egyptians’ mummy-making culture was not the first, the last, or
even the longest. But to many, it was the greatest. The Egyptians
believed their destinies were the wishes of gods, whose wills
their dead ancestors might influence. By revering their ancestors
through mummification, they hoped to gain better control of their
destiny.
In previous eras, mummies were ground to powder as medicinal cures
for wealthy Europeans, and destroyed by damaging unwrapping
techniques employed by scientists in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Today, however, scientists use non-invasive CAT scans to examine
mummies. In addition to increasing our understanding of the
distant past, scientists are reconstructing mummy DNA and
deciphering ancient texts to gain insight into modern human
genetics and possibly improve medical treatments. Mummies
follows the exploits of prominent Egyptologist and mummy
specialist Dr. Bob Brier, who in the ancient Egyptian tradition
mummified a modern body donated to science, as well as Dr.
Angelique Corthals, a DNA expert who is attempting to extract key
genetic information from ancient mummies in an effort to advance
modern medicine.
Part historic journey and part forensic adventure, Mummies:
Secrets of the Pharaohs follows researchers and explorers as
they piece together the archaeological and genetic clues of
Egyptian mummies. Through ambitious computer graphics and dramatic
reconstructions, the film tells the story of one of the greatest
finds in modern history: the late 19th century discovery of a
cache of forty mummies, including twelve Kings of Egypt, among
them the legendary Rameses the Great.
Mummies: Secrets of the Pharaohs is a
walk back thousands of years to the wonders of ancient Egypt, a
real-life Indiana Jones adventure complete with thieves and hidden
treasure, and a modern day scientific journey to extract clues
about our past. The film covers topics of grand proportions,
making it ideal for the high-impact experience in IMAX®.
Link
to "Mummies 3D:
Secrets of the Pharaohs"
Click
here to download the Mummies 3D Educator's guide.
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