Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb

It's a Netflix show so we should probably expect entertainment over rigorous archaeology, however.... this show was problematic.

To start with, it's a highly interesting discovery and site. Theres a lot of interesting finds that are significant for history of Egypt especially in the tomb of Wahtye. As another reviewer said, the excavators seem very enthusiastic and keen- and as Egyptians, so they should be. I liked that Egyptians were involved in this dig, and that it was filmed largely in Arabic. This is their nations history, so that's important and refreshing.

However!

There were so many elements that were questionable in terms of history and archaeology.

* the forced 'conspiracy' theory is a stretch. Trying not to add a spoiler- the 'conspiracy' around the scene of the man and woman at the offering table- their conclusions are weird. The logical conclusion is it is his dad? But their first and second conclusion seem very unfounded. it made me question their credentials, their logical capability, and/or the highly constructed nature of the doco. Are they playing up conspiracy for viewers?

* they kept touching things without gloves. Like what? Archaeology 101 is wear gloves - our hands have oils which can be destructive to artefacts. My high school archaeology students know this....

* they opened a sarcophagus /exposed a mummy, in the middle of the desert / sunlight, compromising preservation. Oh and its 'discovery' seemed highly staged along with the nicely placed ushabtis in the background.

* there appeared to be little record keeping and site photography. I know they were filming, but archaeological records and reports require mappings, site surveys, diagrams and photos. I can concede some of this *may* have been edited for audience 'interest', but given everything else, I'm not betting a lot on it.

The narrative and conclusions of a conspiracy are dodgy, or at least, not well formed in the doco. The structure, 'script'/dialogue and editing is highly popularised for the non academic.

The final WTH, was at the end, when archaeologists were thanking Wahtye for a lifetime discovery, and saying he'd be happy you dug him up and made him famous? Um no.

Wahtye and his fellow citizens spent a long time putting effort into their tombs and burials for a reason. They needed to be well stocked, appropriately decorated, mummy contained and preserved, in order for their spirits (ka,ba,akh) to survive. Archaeology disrupts that. Wahtye would probably be furious. You disturbed his tomb. You dug up and dumped his, and his families bones in crates, before playing with them to assemble them. I find it interesting an Egyptologist would claim he'd be happy with it.

In all, it's an interesting discovery, and if you aren't an historian/archaeologist/or interested in those professions, you'll probably find this fabulous. If you have any knowledge or experience in these fields, you'll probably be face palming a lot.

But still, you should probably watch it for the fabulous footage of the tomb and some amazing finds there (no spoilers!).

.....just finished watching a highly anticipated Netflix documentary related to the 2019 archaeological excavations in the Saqqara necropolis. Saqqara is renowned as the site of the step pyramid and is surrounded by a virtual city of the dead dedicated to human and animal burials. The depth of digging and conservation to be done will take at least another two centuries to get anywhere near knowing the sheer scale of the buried sites.

This documentary is perhaps the most arousing cinematic communication of the true grit and wonderment of archaeology since John Romer's Ancient lives. The music was subtle and complimented the scenes beautifully. The reverence of the Egyptian archaeologists for their heritage was palpable however I saw a little rough handling here and there that could have been avoided. Time was a luxury the huge state funded team did not have.

A certain unique animal mummy could have had the dignity of a plastic crate large enough to hold him. They cut that scene the moment it was plonked into an ill fitting crate. I guess I'm just dreaming of what I would do in that situation as handling my own mummified cat on the rare times she is moved is something of special significance to me.

Watch this documentary and be patient. It takes time to excavate and the extra time this doco takes to tell the story lets the story lap at your feet like a tide of intrigue until you are totally immersed in an ancient world.

I've looked forward to this film for a while now. Unfortunately, this suffers from a few major things that stop it from being epic.

Recently, I've thought that Netflix multi episodes shows/documentaries could be trimmed down into less episodes or just a 2hr film. This is totally opposite. There is a ton of information here, but the director has unfortunately placed it all over the place. It is very sporadic in its editing and jumps all over the place. Leaving the viewer asking more questions than are being answered. Multi episodes broken into more condensed/direct and specific areas of the "dig" would be much better serving for the audience.

With that being said, I've never wished for a narrator more in any documentary I've ever seen. A narrator would help with tying all of the vast information presented here. Also, to explain what, where and why we are seeing some of the things as well as more explanation of why the Egyptians did some of the thing they did. There is some explanation, but again, it's sporadic and all over the place.

I won't even get into the anxiety I was feeling watching the archaeologists jump around and seem to randomly dig and kinda just toss around (without fully documenting, at least what we see) artifacts and mummies. Again, this may be the bad editing/directing.

Bottom line, the whole thing seems extremely rushed and disjointed.

Now the good, I STILL RECCOMEND that you watch this if you are at all interested in this kind of thing. It's is beautifully shot and shows some amazing things that you do really feel like you are seeing for the first time with the archaeologists. Some images/items that you will never forget. I just wish it was put together better.

Some parts about the discovery of the tomb and the artefacts inside were absolutely fascinating!

However I feel that for the run time, it doesn't ever actually explain or tell you all that much... There's nothing about the history of the area, what they are doing at the site, nothing to create context.

However some genuine archaeological firsts are made and that's very interesting, as is just physically being able to see "live" new discoveries being made / unearthed.

I enjoyed it because I love ancient history, but if you're new to it, you'll find this pretty boring!

This is a great documentary that shows not only the progressive uncovering of an astounding discovery but also some of the lives of people who are working on it. These are not foreigners going there with a big budget. These are egyptian folk who have been working on the site for generations and who have something to tell. Beautifully documented and portrayed, and impressive camera work on such dark and dusty conditions.