From Tut’s tomb to Cleopatra’s downfall are explored in season 3 of Lost Treasures of Egypt on National Geographic.

by Thinus Ferreira

There are more lost treasures in Egypt covered in the third season of Lost Treasures of Egypt on National Geographic (DStv 181 / StarSat 220) that starts tonight at 19:00 on the channel for 8 new episodes, ranging from Tutankhamun's tomb and the rise of Ramses to Cleopatra as Egypt's last pharaoh.

In the series, National Geographic's cameras follow top international archaeologists during their various excavations across Egypt as these modern-day explorers on the frontline of archaeology battle searing hear and inhospitable terrain to make the discoveries of a lifetime.

Lost Treasures of Egypt combines cutting-edge technology to bring the digs and discoveries up close like never before, combined with personal testimonies from the archaeologists on the ground.

In the new third season Dr Mohamed Megahed enters the largest pyramid of any queen of ancient Egypt and is able to reach her burial chamber – something nobody has done since it was first built over 4 000 years ago.

 

Elsewhere in the series Dr Kathleen Martinez is in the temple of Taposiris Magna, where she explores a secret tunnel network beneath the temple for the first time. The temple dates back to Cleopatra's era and inside the tunnels she finds a hidden doorway that she believes could lead her to the lost tomb of Egypt’s beguiling last pharaoh.

 

Archaeologists also hunt for clues to explain one of Ancient Egypt’s great mysteries – the rise of mummification. 

They investigate what could be one of the oldest mummies ever found, and break into an intact tomb to learn how mummification endured beyond the end of Egyptian civilisation. Meanwhile, an unexpected tomb packed with bodies reveals how ordinary Egyptians tried to reach the afterlife.

Lost Treasures of Egypt is produced for National Geographic by Windfall Films with Tom Cook as series producer and Dan Kendall and John Fothergill as executive producers. 

Here's a rundown of the third season's 8 episodes:

1. Mystery of Tut's Tomb

Archaeologists investigate the mystery of Tutankhamun’s small and poorly decorated tomb. Tutankhamun’s reign was shaped by the life of his father, a pharaoh who led the greatest revolution in Egyptian religious history. Was this revolution, and the political intrigue that followed, the cause of Tutankhamun’s banishment to a tomb unfit for a Pharaoh?

2. Legend of the Pyramid Kings

Archaeologists hunt for clues to the mysterious kings of Egypt's "Pyramid Age". They search the tunnels of the Great Pyramid; unearth a new tomb among the pyramids of three later kings; find evidence of a Pharaoh's temple lost for more than 4 000 years; and shed new light on the legacy of the most powerful rulers in the history of Ancient Egypt.

3. Ramses' Rise to Power

Archaeologists investigate Egypt's most powerful king, Ramses the Great. In front of the world's oldest pyramid at Saqqara they unearth a labyrinth of tombs and treasures belonging to one of Ramses'  generals. In a necropolis where Ramses' Nobles are buried, they enter a new tomb and they investigate his most impressive temples to find out how Ramses became the most celebrated pharaoh of all time.

4. Rise of the Mummies

Archaeologists hunt for clues to explain one of Ancient Egypt's great mysteries – the rise of mummification. They investigate what could be one of the oldest mummies ever found, and break into an intact tomb to learn how mummification endured beyond the end of Egyptian civilisation. Meanwhile, an unexpected tomb packed with bodies reveals how ordinary Egyptians tried to reach the afterlife.

5. Secrets of Egypt's Queens

Archaeologists hunt for clues to how the queens of ancient Egypt ruled in a society dominated by men. They enter an unexplored pyramid in search of the burial chamber of a mysterious queen who lived 4 500 years ago. They investigate how one of the few women to ever rule as a Pharaoh rose to power and uncover the surprising role queen Nefertari played in the reign of Ramses the Great.

6. Pyramid Tomb Raiders

Archaeologists reveal how robbers looted the pyramids and tombs of ancient Egypt, and the clues they left behind. In a necropolis for the elite, they investigate a lavish sunken tomb, raided and reused for centuries. They explore one of the ancient world's most audacious robberies, a daring heist on a giant and heavily protected mastaba tomb. And at Egypt's oldest pyramid, they reveal how builders constructed elaborate defences to protect the treasures within.

7. Tutankhamun's Unsolved Secrets

Archaeologists are on the trail of Tutankhamun. To piece together his story, they search his tomb for secrets missed by the first explorers. Near the site of his quarry, they find evidence of a temple he restored to worship the crocodile god, Sobek. And beneath a mysterious fortress in the Eastern Desert, they unearth clues to how he amassed enough gold to fill his tomb with unimaginable treasures.

8. Cleopatra, Egypt's Last Pharaoh

Archaeologists hunt for clues to the dramatic downfall of Egypt's enigmatic last pharaoh: Cleopatra. They unravel the true story behind Cleopatra's famous relationships with Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony. They discover a 2 000-year-old painting in the heart of the desert dating from her reign. And they hunt for her lost tomb in a secret tunnel beneath an ancient temple near Alexandria.