The Silver Pharaoh

Gr 6 Up—Narrated by Liev Schreiber, this film explores the royal tomb of Pharaoh Psusennes I, who ruled Egypt over 3000 years ago. Although it was one of the most lavish and unusual crypts ever found, with the only known sepulcher cast in silver, its artifacts were left, until recently, unprocessed in Cairo since its discovery in 1939 due to the mounting of World War II. The tomb ultimately contained important information about a little-known era called the Third Intermediate Period. The producers worked with a team of Egyptologists to decode the forensic evidence and social history uncovered in the necropolis, revealing a fascinating story of a great leader and his lost city. The film employs a variety of techniques such as live-action recreations and radar scans to make the narrative come alive. Through an interdisciplinary approach, it is revealed that Psusennes (who ruled for 46 years as both a pharaoh and a high priest) relocated the metropolis of Pi-Ramesse to Tanis piece by piece. In direct opposition to the previously assumed upheaval of the era, evidence of a creative, revered, and skilled ruler emerges. This profile not only fills some gaps in Egyptian history, but also repositions contemporary notions of the Egyptian empire. For middle and high school curricula focusing on ancient civilizations.—Vincent M. Livoti, Sherrill Library, Lesley University, Cambridge, MA