Raiders of the Lost Pharaohs: Season 1, Episode 4

1 - 4: Champollion in the Land of the Pharaohs

In 1828, Champollion finally sets foot in Egypt, leading the Franco-Tuscan expedition up the Nile. At Memphis, Karnak, Philae, and Abu Simbel, he tests his decipherment in the field, reading names that resurrect forgotten rulers. But the triumph is short-lived, exhausted and ill, he returns to France in 1829 and dies three years later at 41, leaving his life's work to his brother and disciples.