The Pyramid Code

Although most Egyptologists would dismiss this series of five hour-long made-for-TV programs, it will likely appeal to viewers who love extravagant speculative history—especially with a New Age spiritual twist. The brainchild of Dr. Carmen Boulter of Calgary University (whose field is education, not Egyptology), The Pyramid Code features interviews with geologists, archaeologists, engineers, physicists, and others, who argue that the generally accepted chronology of ancient Egypt is wrong, that Egyptian society was far more technologically advanced than is recognized, and that the pyramids were constructed not as tombs for the pharaohs but as devices for harnessing energy from the cosmos. All of that is mere prelude, however, to a much broader assertion: namely, that the age in which the pyramids were built was marked by matriarchy, peacefulness, expanded consciousness, magic, and sensitivity to the universe as a whole, in contrast to the current epoch, which is characterized by nationalism, patriarchy, conflict, and scientific immaturity. Happily, the final episode informs us, our benighted era is coming to a close—in 2012, as the Mayan calendar prophesies—not with the destruction unleashed in Roland Emmerich's popcorn flick 2012, but rather the beginning of a golden age. Nice location footage can't make up for Boulter's doubtful expertise or the fact that two other supposedly authoritative interviewees are identified as “independent” (read: “unemployed”) Egyptologist and “indigenous wisdom keeper.” Not a necessary purchase. Aud: P. (F. Swietek)