Unknown: The Lost Pyramid (2023) Review: An insight into Egyptology and Archaeology like never before

Netflix has come up with a perfect new treat for history buffs – an action-packed documentary on the pyramids. However, this isn’t the same old story about how the pyramids were built but more about what unknown objects and pieces of history they possess, especially the ones which have still not been discovered despite several decades of excavations.

Dr Mostafa Waziri (left) and Dr Zahi Hawass (right) Credit: Netflix

In this documentary, Egyptian archaeologists delve into the past, finding tombs and relics that are more than 4,000 years old while looking for a pyramid that has been buried. What makes it even more interesting is that two of the most renowned Egyptologists in the world, Dr. Zahi Hawass and his protégé and opponent, Dr. Mostafa Waziri, compete in a race in the sands of Saqqara against the clock to see whose team can make the biggest discovery. The documentary also highlights the importance for Egyptians to dig and discover their own origins rather than foreigners who have long looted the burial sites. The main example was given of Howard Carter, a British archaeologist and Egyptologist who discovered the intact tomb of the 18th Dynasty Pharaoh Tutankhamun in November 1922, the best-preserved pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings.

(Image credit: Griffith Institute, University of Oxford; colourised by Dynamichrome)

The documentary successfully showcases the efforts, teamwork and battles archaeologists have to face to unearth history from land. Though according to ancient Egyptians, death was a sacred act and priests conducted several enchantments to keep the tombs hidden ensuring a safe passage for the dead to the afterlife, the documentary justifies why it is important to dig up the mummified bodies for historical purposes.

Max Salomon manages to enrapture your attention from the moment the documentary begins and it is through his direction that you truly get immersed in the experience of excavating the buried past. This documentary deserves its own TV series but I think that wouldn’t still be enough for the history buffs.

I highly recommend this for anyone interested in Egyptian history.

My Rating: