its...EGYPT!!!

[RobertScorpio]

The Fifth Element, Raiders of the Lost Arc, oldBSG, Stargate, The Mummy...and others...but why is it do you think that so many SCIF movies (fantasy as well) use Egypt, and its associated lore as a jumping off point for their stories? Do you think there is some truth to the 'fantasy' mystery of that time? Or, is it because, hey, its cool!!! ITS Egypt man!!!

Rob

 

[Mistral]

Egypt had an advanced society with many tech. innovations, a complex medical capability and a very rich mythos. Lots to draw on for unimaginative writers, I guess.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Egypt had an advanced society with many tech. innovations, a complex medical capability and a very rich mythos. Lots to draw on for unimaginative writers, I guess.

yep...but I think Egypt, with all those Pyramids and hirogliphics, has always retained some kind of coolness to it. I mean, watching Indiana Jones get lowered into the well of souls (with R2D2 drawings no less in the background) was cool...

Even the Fifth Element, as weird as it was, was, i think, cool the way they handed those aliens that looked like walking tires, landing in egypt like that..it was...cool...

Rob

 

[Kegg]

Ancient Egypt is just a popular place in general, and the rise of Egyptology from the 19th century onwards the discoveries this has made (particularly in the Valley of the Kings) has just solidifed this pop cultural iconography. This has something to do with the striking architectural style and statues, many of which are surprisingly well intact, and also with, well, mummification, as intricate, strange and iconic a method of dealing with death as that is. It's understandable that it's become ripe fodder for undead stories up there with zombies and vampires, really.

The role of Egypt in sci-fi tends to be influenced by Van Daaniken's Chariots of the Gods, and similar nonsense theories about the pyramids being built by aliens, or maybe the Egyptians holding some hidden truths or whatever. Stargate basically builds its premise on this, and the old BSG had strong elements of it as well. The Fifth Element goes the tack that the Egyptians had hidden knowledge, and everyone loves this vaguely gnostic idea (the Nag Hammadi Codex has certainly helped this notion, I'd expect).

Fantasy is a tad more varied in how it appropriates Egypt and Egyptian imagery. Sometimes it just appropriates the stuff for a made-up culture or race, and while that'd be an easy role for sci-fi shows too it's less oftenly seen then I'd expect.

 

[RobertScorpio]

Ancient Egypt is just a popular place in general, and the rise of Egyptology from the 19th century onwards the discoveries this has made (particularly in the Valley of the Kings) has just solidifed this pop cultural iconography. This has something to do with the striking architectural style and statues, many of which are surprisingly well intact, and also with, well, mummification, as intricate, strange and iconic a method of dealing with death as that is. It's understandable that it's become ripe fodder for undead stories up there with zombies and vampires, really.

The role of Egypt in sci-fi tends to be influenced by Van Daaniken's Chariots of the Gods, and similar nonsense theories about the pyramids being built by aliens, or maybe the Egyptians holding some hidden truths or whatever. Stargate basically builds its premise on, and the old BSG had strong elements of it as well. The Fifth Element goes the tack that the Egyptians had hidden knowledge, and everyone loves this vaguely gnostic idea (the Nag Hammadi Codex has certainly helped this notion, I'd expect).

Fantasy is a tad more varied in how it appropriates Egypt and Egyptian imagery. Sometimes it just appropriates the stuff for a made-up culture or race, and while that'd be an easy role for sci-fi shows too it's less oftenly seen then I'd expect.

Kegg...you're too smart for this board!!! cool answer

Rob

 

[Nowhere Man]

Egypt and Babylon are first two major civilizations for humanity, more people are familiar with Egypt rather than Banylon,so it stands to reason Egypt would be used since they were pretty advanced and there still mysteries that surround ancient Egypt. Egypt was even used in Transformers, so people still buy into the idea that maybe there is a secret alien origin to humanity.

 

[Kegg]

Kegg...you're too smart for this board!!! cool answer

Rob

Aw, shucks.

Egypt and Babylon are first two major civilizations for humanity, more people are familiar with Egypt rather than Banylon,so it stands to reason Egypt would be used since they were pretty advanced and there still mysteries that surround ancient Egypt. Egypt was even used in Transformers, so people still buy into the idea that maybe there is a secret alien origin to humanity.

Interestingly the main examples I can think of offhand of Babylon being mentioned in sci-fi media tend to be as, well, based on the biblical tower of Babel story: Metropolis, where it's featured prominently, and Babylon 5, where that seems to be the inspiration for the titular space station's name.

Babylon has some pretty cool surviving architecture also (ziggurats are neat), but nothing as intact or as iconic as Egypt, nor was it ever as stable a civilization - there were a dozen Mesopotamian civilizations, and it was the Sumerians, not the Babylonians, who were the first (and the Akkadians were the first to conquer the area, and so on and so forth). Then there's the Assyrians, and then the Babylonians again... it's a mess out there in the cradle of civilization, no? Not that Egypt is without its dynastic collapses, invasions from the sea and from the Sudan.

Eh. Look, the pyramids and the Sphinx, everybody likes those, 'kay?

 

[Gaith]

Ancient Egypt was not only one of humanity's oldest civilizations, it became indispensable to Judaic (and thus later Christian) mythology, thus keeping it fresh in the minds of every generation of Western culture right down to today.

The fact that it's within sailing distance of Europe, and that its ruins remain some of the best-preserved for its time, certainly doesn't hurt either. Neither does the fact that it was colonized by Alexander's successors, and became a key source of food for the Roman Empire.

 

[Cutter John]

Plus the fact that their artwork and architecture just look 'cool'.

Same with ancient Aztec design to a lesser extent.

 

[Australis]

Plus Egypt is much better documented than most other real ancient civilisations.

 

[Saul]

It's a mysterious old civilisation that was advanced for it's time.

I remember even some concept borg designs for "First Contact" were based on Egypt.

 

[Greylock Crescent]

Variation is always a good thing. But the mystique of Ancient Egypt still holds a powerful hold over popular culture. Because many of its mysteries remain ambiguous (or, at least, open to interpretation), those ambiguities lend themselves to plenty of story ideas. I get the fact that a lot of stories rely on Egyptology for inspiration, but it ain't a bad thing.

 

[BrotherBenny]

Andy McDermott's new book The Cult of Osiris uses Egyptian mythology. The Sphinx, the Pyramid of Osiris, etc.

 

[ancientone51]

Don't forget that there is all that open desert space where things can be hidde, landings made and few people in close proximity. All of that gives it practical aspacts for story telling as well.

Kegg i agree, good info and theory work.

 

[Spiderpope]

Interest in Ancient Egypt can be traced back into antiquity and its understandable. Egypt had a fairly continuous civilisation for around seven thousand years, so even for the Ancient Greeks and Romans it was a region of mystery and legend. The fact
that Egypt was largely an introverted culture that didnt take an active role in the Hellenic world only added to that mystique.

Even the science fiction aspects can be traced back into antiquity.Classical texts are filled with references to areas in Egypt that would grant power and knowledge if visited.All that has happened in modern fiction is that we have replaced Gods with Aliens.

 

[Australis]

Of course, there's always the possibility that the writers, of any of this stuff, weren't original enough to come up with something complex, iconic and kewl.

Just sayin'.