Dreams and Rituals

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Description

The dreams of the ancient Egyptian villagers have been recorded, together with their interpretations - giving us a firsthand portrait of the fears, frustrations, and joys of ancient life. The program discusses the erotic papyrus of Turin (mild by the standards of American prime-time television), showing normal and topsy-turvy life, the village oracle and his shrine; the village magician; Amanakt the scribe, whose daughter was found to be a thief; the tomb of Prince Montukerkoposhef, who had been in charge of the royal chariots; how the artists made their brushes and ground their colors; and the sophistication and skillful craftsmanship of the artist. Montukerkoposhef's tomb is dated precisely at 1140 B.C., by which time tomb-robbing was widespread. At the conclusion of this program, we learn the fate of the thieves, caught red-handed: how they spent their loot and how, after they were tortured, they were tied to wooden stakes and left to die in the desert. The village itself was humiliated, starved - and finally ordered back to work.