Mysteries of Egypt Page #4

and the canary | represents those who | had entered the tomb.

So the cobra ate | the canary

because of | The Mummy's Curse?

More likely, he ate it | because he was hungry.

I like The Curse | idea better.

Well, certainly the workmen | believed it was the curse.

The death of the golden bird | was a bad omen to them.

It meant that someone close | to the project would die

within the year.

Rumors of a curse | mattered little to Carter.

He hoped his dig | would uncover a tomb

like this one

the tomb of a pharaoh | named Ramses Vl

who ruled long | after King Tut

Carter wanted to find treasure

but if not, something | just as precious

pictures

hieroglyphs that would reveal | priceless knowledge of how

the ancients lived | and what they believed.

These images are from | the Egyptian Books of the Dead

passbooks to eternity

which were buried | with the mummy.

To help a dead king | reach the afterlife

they supplied answers

to questions he | would be asked

spells to deflect | dangers along the way.

But preparation | for the afterlife began

long before death.

In grand temples once supported | by these pillars

among the largest places | of worship ever built

the living pharaohs gave | offerings

as a way of communicating with | the gods and the world beyond

and courting their favor.

Both immense and colorful

temples like the great structure | called Madinat Habu

were the setting | for magnificent rituals

that proclaimed to all | not only the Pharaoh's power

and wealth, but his devotion | to the gods

he would one day join | on a journey through eternity.

They sure seem preoccupied | with life after death.

Yes- and probably because | not ancient people enjoyed life

as much as they did.

There are picture stories | of invention and adventure

of board games and ball games, | of dance and music

of acrobats | and mechanical toys

of the affection beyween | husbands and wives

and of family unity and love.

It was the most advanced | civilization of its time

and it went on | for 3,000 years

but the empire they amassed | attracted invaders.

Among the stories | on temple walls

are accounts of battles | against outsiders

who tried to conquer | the kingdom of the pharaohs.

But the invading empires | became more powerful

Even more determined...

and so, gradually, inevitably

the kingdom of Egypt | began to crumble.

Well, how could a place | as powerful as Egypt

just clooapse?

Actually, many things happened

but mostly it was the weakening | of the pharaoh's power

through civil turmoil

making Egypt vulnerable | to invaders.

Little by little, much of the | Pharaoh's great empire

along with its secrets, | was reclaimed by the desert

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