Great Women of Ancient Egypt

**Great Women of Ancient Egypt** is the 7th episode in Season 4 of Expedition Unknown.

## Plot Synopsis

Josh Gates strives to uncover the buried secrets of three of the most powerful and elusive women in ancient Egypt -- Hatshepsut, Nefertiti and Cleopatra; a facial reconstruction project is commissioned to reveal the face of King Tut's mother.

## Historical Context

"Egypt. It was the richest, grandest empire in ancient history and thousands of years later, we still marvel at its weathered monuments and depictions of iconic pharaohs. But many people overlook the fact that some of Egypt's greatest rulers were women. Hatshepsut, Nefertiti, and Cleopatra. Three of the most powerful women who ever lived and yet their fates are shrouded in mystery or lost to the sands of time. But now a new generation of archaeologists may change all that."

~ Josh Gates

## Summary

Josh goes to Giza, Egypt and to the Giza Necropolis and then heads to Luxor and to Karnak which was partially built by Queen Hatshepsut. He meets Bahaa Gaber, the director of the site, who tells him about Hatshepsut and shows him what she built around the site. Bahaa and Josh go by felucca to the Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut. The temple shows her achievements as pharaoh but Hatshepsut started to be purposefully erased from history when her stepson Thutmose III assumed power.

Josh goes to meet Maria Nilsson and John Ward, archaeologists, along with their 3-year-old daughter Freya aboard a dahabeah and they head to Silsila, an archaeological site. Silsila was a quarry used to build many Egyptian monuments and was originally thought to be Thutmose III's. However, Maria and John have found scenes depicting events from Hatshepsut's reign that have been drawn over by later kings including Thutmose. This means the site originally dates back to Hatshepsut.

Josh goes back to Luxor and to the Valley of the Kings where he sees King Tut's mummy and in the tomb next door King Tut's mother's mummy, called The Younger Lady, was found and sent to the Egyptian Museum and it may be Queen Nefertiti's. King Tut's father was Nefertiti's husband which signifies Nefertiti as possibly being Tut's biological mother. Josh visits Cairo and goes to the Khan el-Khalili bazaar and then the Egyptian Museum where he meets Aidan Dodson, an egyptologist. They receive permission to do a CT scan of the Younger Lady's mummy and they will be able to build a face structure and compare it to King Tut's.

## Notes & Trivia

* *This is where you can put notes and trivia, anything that is interesting or strange can be included here*

## Quotes

* "These are the famed ruins of Luxor, which was, of course, the world's first hotel and casino. Sadly, nothing survives today of the original buffet area, which was famous throughout Ancient Egypt for its all-you-can-eat crab claws. I may need to read up on this place. I could be wrong."
* "I mean if I put a temple of 36 statues of Josh here, it would be beautiful, it would be tasteful."
* "This is like the world's first emoji."
* "To get there, I have rented a pretty serious four-by-four, which has in the glove compartment - and I swear to you this is true - a huge bag of pita. We're all set for snacks."
* "It is the very first time I've seen a kids playhouse and a skull in the same place."
* "This is like the world's first Ikea."
* "This is like the Home Depot of history."
* "You could literally be killed by a falling sarcophagus in here."

## References

1. ↑ https://travel.home.sndimg.com/content/dam/images/travel/fullset/2018/1/26/TEXU410H\_EXU\_Josh-Gates\_Giza-Egypt\_Great-Sphinx\_TC\_\_102017067.jpg.rend.hgtvcom.1280.853.suffix/1516980040199.jpeg