The Great Egyptians: Volume 2

Excellent series reveals the true-life stories of the kings and queens of ancient Egypt, through the tales of their battles, loves, obsessions, preoccupations and deaths. "Ramses The Great" - Ramses II claimed to have single-handedly won the battle of Kadesh and his ego was so great that he bricked up the doorways of his father's mortuary temple so he would have additional surfaces to boast of his achievements. In modern times he was thought of so highly that his was the only mummy sent to France for treatment when it was discovered the royal mummies in the Egyptian museum were decaying. His was the only mummy to ever leave Egypt. "The Queen Who Would Be King" - The daughter and also the wife of a king, Hatshepsut wanted to be king, not queen and she succeeded. She pushed aside her nephew and rightful heir to the throne, Tuthmoses III, and for 22 years ruled as King of Upper and Lower Egypt. She wore the Pharaoh's false beard of authority and is shown in her statues wearing male garb. "The Rebel Pharaoh" -Throughout Akhenaten's reign, Egypt was growing weak. Akhenaten's fascination with religion and art excluded the traditional military exploits and the army dwindled. Egyptologist James Henry Breasted called Akhenaten "the first individual in history". This episode will probe the uniqueness of the mystic Pharaoh.