Egypt4u

Just watched first episode of the new series on BBC Ancient Invisible Cities which was about Cairo. Very interesting indeed, a lot new to me with great camera work. I look forward to the next episode.

I have it recorded MD

I must go and have a look on i-player

Thank you so much MD for bringing that program to our attention, it was fascinating. I always consider myself pretty knowledgeable on Egyptology but found many new interesting snippets in this program and the 3D scanning images of the Great Pyramid and Sphinx were amazing and so revealing. I would love to own that imagery and be able to use it myself, they do give a link at the end of the program as if you can actually interact with it, but try as I may I could not find any link on the site to the 3D scan, if anyone knows where it is I would be grateful to know the link.

Presenters are often a problem and when the ‘Man in the hat’ turned up I thought to myself “Oh no!” but he actually sounded quite pleasant for the short time he was involved. One comment did make me shout at the TV set, it was when the presenter passing through the Grand Gallery in the Khufu pyramid said “note how the builders have sloped the walls to accentuate the passageway” I wanted to shout out “they did not do it to accentuate the passageway, they did it as a practical way to build a roofed passageway within the structure”.

I especially liked the way that the 3D imagery showed in much better detail the more remote places such as the underground chamber which is usually filmed in poor light conditions. This also applied to the well shaft under the Saladin Mosque in Cairo, I have visited the Citadel several times, but never got to see it for myself as its out of bounds although I have previously seen a program about it. In that particular program the presenter actually slipped on some loose rubble on the steps and was lucky not to have gone down the well shaft. Of particular interest was the little bits of information such as bringing the oxen that drive the waterwheel down the steps when they are still small and the fact that Saladin used captured Crusaders as slave labour to dig the well, I could have watched much more about the well and the Citadel.

Saqquara also held a few surprises and I was interested to see the fragmentary remains of those green glazed tiles in the small room that the female Egyptologist took the presenter into. Whilst watching that part I kept thinking to myself “I am sure those tiles have a slight curve to them”. It was only when she showed him a beautiful panel of tiles in the Cairo museum, (a place I have often visited but could not recall that panel) when she explained that these were the same tiles as used at Saqquara and then pointed out that it was a relief scene of a reed bed, now the curved tiles made sense, brilliant.

I could go on and on it was a really interesting program, nothing really new, but lots of little interesting facts that I never knew about before, I can’t wait for the next one about Greece.

Great program & really interesting to see in 3D

I hope you all notice the program was on FRIDAY 7TH September..............Saturday's one was

a repeat of Friday.

Looking forward to seeing Athens next Friday

Thanks for that Kiya

Am I behind the times? What's all this 3D Kiya???

Wish I got this program here ......

Grandad, it is when they use one of those laser scanners and they build up a real interactive computer view that is accurate to 0.5 of a millimetre. They can then enter inside of the scanned item or roam about outside and investigate the most inacessible features.

Similar to this Grandad which looks like they laser scanned an old mine of some kind

Totally marvelous what we have the technological capabilities of doing.

This video is a bit lengthy, but it does explain the technology and show some good examples, best watched in Full Screen

Grandad, As you can see above Horus has explained the 3D program, but, I'm sure you'll

know once you see his videos ...................... Thanks Horus

Grandad make sure you don't miss the next one ANCIENT INVISIBLE CITIES-----ATHENS.

Friday 14th Sept BBC 2 6.30pm

You can catch the first one on BBC i-player

Sorry folks, a Sunday senior moment. I read Kiyas post as inferring that she watched the program in 3D....Doh!

thought it was strange you had not seen it on TV