Life and Death in Ancient Egypt
Ten years ago, Chronicle filmed Dr Rosalie David and her team as they unwrapped an Egyptian mummy. Soon their researches extended to the rest of the Manchester Museum collection and beyond - to Egypt itself.
In a skull-filled hut in the shadow of the Pyramids, dentist Frank Leek , who once examined the teeth of Tutankhamun, investigates the problem of pharaonic toothache.
Near the Valley of the Kings at Luxor, Dr David analyses the wall paintings of scenes of everyday life and discovers that some tools and techniques are still in use today.
Back in Manchester, pottery and metal objects are subject to multi-element analysis using a nuclear reactor to determine their date and composition; radiologists try to establish the age and cause of death of a young mummified child and Dr Eddie Tapp , Consultant
Histo-Pathologist, diagnoses the illnesses of a Priestess of Amon by use of an industrial endoscope to look inside the mummy's lungs and brain. By using these most up-to-date scientific techniques the team are discovering both the pleasant and the not-so-pleasant realities of life and death in Ancient Egypt. Written and produced by JOHN SELWYN GILBERT
Editor BRUCE NORMAN (R)