First Aired: October 31st, 2005

Status: Ended

Genre: Documentary

Network: Discovery

Summary: What did the Egyptians do when they weren't building pyramids, and just what are hieroglyphics about? Terry Jones - of Monty Python fame - learns that Egyptian women were on equal footing with men in all aspects of society, including wages and property ownership. Paper, papyrus, originated in Egypt, allowing for the development of the sciences, art and literature. These discoveries establish how attached to life the ancient Egyptians were and discards the supposition that because of their elaborate tombs, they were more focused on death and the afterlife. On this subject, and about this documentary in general, Jones said - "I'm not interested in this stuff; these are just the funeral arrangements of a megalomaniac who lived three and a half thousand years ago before they thought of cryogenic freezers. I want to know how ordinary people lived in ancient Egypt." And so the previously un-heralded life of the ancient craftsmen, traders and layman of ancient Egypt is explored in The Hidden History of Egypt.