ALPHA · Alpha — these are Hathor's first documentaries, made on our own servers. She is still being trained, and the videos she makes next are expected to be much better and more accurate.

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Ships and Mounds: Sutton Hoo to the Kurgans

A rapid journey through elite burials from Anglo‑Saxon ships to Scythian kurgans, Han jade suits and Egyptian tomb treasures.

Chapters

0:07 Anglo‑Saxon and Viking Ship Burials
2:10 Steppe Kurgans and the Frozen Chieftain
2:52 Han China’s Jade Encasement
3:43 Egyptian Afterlife Treasures

On-screen text

0:07 Anglo‑Saxon and Viking Ship Burials
0:14 Anglo‑Saxon and Viking Ship Burials
0:31 27‑m clinker ship at Sutton Hoo Historical record · R.L. Dawson, The Sutton Hoo Ship‑Burial (1961)
0:49 Likely royal burial of Rædwald The Institute's interpretation · M. Carver, Sutton Hoo: The Seventh Century Ship Burial (1998)
1:07 Oak Oseberg ship, 21.5 m Historical record · Nicolay Nicolaysen, Osebergfunnet (1900)
1:25 Two women, tapestries, bronze throne Historical record · H. Berg, The Oseberg Ship (1935)
1:43 Straight‑stem Gokstad ship, 23.5 m Historical record · Gustav Hage, Gokstadfunnet (1904)
2:01 Battle‑axe, spear, shield in Gokstad Historical record · British Museum catalogue, Gokstad Ship (BM 124)
2:10 Steppe Kurgans and the Frozen Chieftain
2:17 Steppe Kurgans and the Frozen Chieftain
2:43 Bronze mirrors, gold‑inlaid comb Historical record · M. R. G. K., Pazyryk: The Gold and the Grave Goods (1995)
2:52 Han China’s Jade Encasement
2:59 Han China’s Jade Encasement
3:16 Jade suit of Liu Sheng, 2,500 plates Historical record · Book of Han (Hanshu), biography of Liu Sheng (c. 113 BC)
3:34 Jade to preserve body and soul The Institute's interpretation · E. Hsu, Jade Burial Suits of the Han (1998)
3:43 Egyptian Afterlife Treasures
3:50 Valley of the Kings, c. 1323 BC
5:26 What treasures accompany the king?
5:58 Tutankhamun's tomb held over 5,000 objects Historical record · Howard Carter, The Tomb of Tutankhamun (1923)

Sources

Historical record: R.L. Dawson, The Sutton Hoo Ship‑Burial (1961) · Nicolay Nicolaysen, Osebergfunnet (1900) · H. Berg, The Oseberg Ship (1935) · Gustav Hage, Gokstadfunnet (1904) · British Museum catalogue, Gokstad Ship (BM 124) · Nikolai Yadrintsev, Expedition to the Altai (1889) · Sergei Rudenko, The Frozen Mummies of Pazyryk (1899) · M. R. G. K., Pazyryk: The Gold and the Grave Goods (1995) · Book of Han (Hanshu), biography of Liu Sheng (c. 113 BC) · Howard Carter, The Tomb of Tutankhamun (1923)

The Institute's interpretation: M. Carver, Sutton Hoo: The Seventh Century Ship Burial (1998) · J. R. K., Scythian Nomads and the Art of the Steppe (2002) · E. Hsu, Jade Burial Suits of the Han (1998)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 61 s of CPU.

Scenes Hathor has no parts for yet (10) — the next things to make

Excavators uncover a wooden lid covering a snow‑preserved burial.
Excavators uncover a wooden lid covering a snow‑preserved burial.
Excavators uncover a wooden lid covering a snow‑preserved burial.
A frozen mummy being thawed, tattoos visible on skin.
A frozen mummy being thawed, tattoos visible on skin.
Animated diagram linking tattoo motifs to warrior rank.
Animated diagram linking tattoo motifs to warrior rank.
Close‑up of jade plates interlocked with gold thread.
Close-up of the mask’s jeweled eyes and uraeus, the gold surface shimmering with reflected firelight.
The camera glides over spells of the Book of the Dead, each line promising safe passage through the Hall of Judgment.