Building Pharaoh's Chariot (2013)

Building Pharaoh’s Chariot is a documentary film about science and technology in ancient Egypt. It was shown on US television (PBS) in 2013. It is an episode of the long-running program NOVA, which focuses on the history of science and technology (season 40, episode 10). Here is some basic information about it:

** Directed by Martin O’Collins

** Run time: 52 minutes

Several experts were involved in this program. Here are their names in alphabetical order:

** Kathryn M. Hansen – horse and chariot expert

** Steven Harvey – Egyptologist

** Robert Hurford – carriage maker

** Mike Loades – military historian

** Bela Sandor – engineer, professor emeritus, University of Wisconsin

The experts meet in Egypt. The project is to build a modern copy of an ancient chariot that is actually working. In this film we see the experts as they try to complete the project. There are several stages:

# 1. Study ancient tombs and monuments with drawings of chariots – and study archaeological remains in the Cairo Museum – or order to collect as much evidence as possible

# 2. Build a chariot – in the end they build two copies

# 3. Construct the harness for the horses

# 4. Select and train two horses – they select and train four horses

# 5. Put everything together

# 6. Test the chariot and the harness with the horses

Not everything goes according to plan. Sometimes there is a setback, but when this happens, they sit back, think for a moment, and then they try once more. Without revealing too much I can tell you that in the end the team of experts manages to build a modern copy of an ancient chariot that works very well. When they test the top speed of the chariot, the result is 24 miles per hour or 38 km per hour, which is quite good.

Building Pharaoh’s Chariot is an interesting program. We follow the experts as they are working on solutions to the practical problems. We also follow them into some of the ancient tombs where they find the evidence that they need to begin the project.

What do reviewers say about this film? On IMDb it has a rating of 71 per cent, which corresponds to three and a half stars on Amazon. If you ask me, this average rating is too low. I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars.

If you are interested in the history of the ancient world - in particular the history of science and technology – this program is definitely something for you.

PS. Building Pharaoh’s Ship is a somewhat similar program that was produced by NOVA in 2010.

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