Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen (2007)

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Even amid a culture as unusual and provocative as that of Ancient Egypt, the life story of Hatshepsut qualifies as one of history's most bizarre. A woman bound and determined to lead the country despite the gender restrictions that seemingly prevented her from doing so, Hatshepsut stole the… More Even amid a culture as unusual and provocative as that of Ancient Egypt, the life story of Hatshepsut qualifies as one of history's most bizarre. A woman bound and determined to lead the country despite the gender restrictions that seemingly prevented her from doing so, Hatshepsut stole the nation's throne from her stepson, then disguised herself in full drag and led the country as a man. Even more astonishingly, she succeeded triumphantly in deceiving the nation, and attained wealth and power that outstripped the resources of either Nefertiti or Cleopatra. Yet for some reason (perhaps because the truth about her gender was finally unveiled to the world?), Hatshepsut suddenly and inexplicably lost her throne; the related records were destroyed, monuments toppled and history erased. Hatshepsut's death is completely ensconced in mystery. Now, in the documentary release Secrets of Egypt's Lost Queen, a team of archaeologists led by Dr. Zahi Hawass, secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, use minute scientific evidence to hone in on the location of Hatshepsut's tomb for the first time - an investigation that will involve using the known physical traits of the pharoah's family members identified via CT scans, plus a recently discovered tooth that perfectly fits a gap in the mouth of one of the mummies, and the translation of coffin inscriptions. In documenting the search, Secrets details what has been described as the most important Egyptian archaeological find since the discovery of King Tut's tomb. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi