Programme 2: Following the Pharaoh

Programme Outline

This programme follows the journeys of Belzoni as he goes in search of further treasures. His route takes him south to Abu Simbel where he makes the astonishing discovery of a temple. From here he travels north to the Pyramids, this time with Sarah. Together they find the hidden entrance to the second Pyramid, only to find the tomb void of its treasures. Disappointed, Belzoni writes his name on the tomb walls.

Back in London, it’s the year 1862. Sarah takes Antonia to the British Museum to see some of the riches that Giovanni had transported back. She draws Antonia’s attention to the significance of another artefact, the Rosetta Stone, inscribed with hieroglyphs, demotic script and Greek. It wasn’t until 1822 that a Frenchman, Jean François Champollion, translated the Rosetta Stone and led the way to decipher hieroglyphic writing. But this was after the work of the Belzonis who could only guess at what the strange symbols meant.