Netflix documentary reveals secrets of Saqqara tomb

Netflix's documentary "I segreti della tomba di Saqqara" (Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb) chronicles the discovery of an intact 4,000-year-old tomb in the Saqqara necropolis west of Cairo. The tomb belongs to Wahtye, a high-ranking priest who served among the royal elite. Remarkably preserved, the tomb features vibrant bas-reliefs and hieroglyphs that archaeologists decipher on camera. The excavation team is entirely Egyptian, including specialists like Amira, a rheumatology professor who reconstructs the lives of deceased children from their bones, and Salima, a funerary archaeologist who identifies a mummified lion cub. Directed by English filmmaker James Tovell, the documentary emphasizes the camaraderie and synergy of the team, which includes the director general living on-site with his family, a supervisor who was once a history teacher, and a low-ranking excavator who brings his son to work. The film is praised for its immersive cinematography, capturing the dusty tunnels and the painstaking work of brushing away millennia of debris. The discovery is hailed as one of the most significant in the last fifty years.