My First Adventure - Egypt
[Originally a portion of Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal - the pilot episode of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles - debuting on ABC on March 4, 1992 - along with additional footage that was shot later in 1996/97]
Born and raised in Princeton, New Jersey, to Henry and Anne Jones, at nine years of age Henry Walton Jones Jr. accompanies his family on a world expedition. Henry Sr. is a renowned archaeologist and a professor of medieval literature, who has been scheduled to speak at lectures around the globe, thus Henry Jr. (already calling himself “Indiana” on behalf of his beloved Alaskan Malamute) is removed from school and subsequently tutored by Governess and Oxford Alumnus Helen Margaret Seymour.
Indiana’s first adventure takes place in Egypt in May, 1908, where after embarking from Ms. Seymour’s hometown of England, the family crossed the Mediterranean Sea and landed in Alexandria before finally resting in Cairo.
As Henry Sr. is lecturing at a nearby (unknown) university, Indiana and Ms. Seymour take a tour of the Great Pyramids, only to be stranded by their guides not long before nightfall. Thankfully they find out they are not alone, as to their great fortune they are soon joined by a man on a bicycle named T.E. Lawrence, whom is already an acquaintance of Ms. Seymour due to his upbringing in Oxford.
The three camp overnight at the base of the pyramids and Lawrence tells a story of opening an ancient tomb, leaving Indiana fascinated by all the ‘fortune and glory’ that comes with being an archaeologist. Although this is known to be the first time Indiana ever considers the profession, he’s soon admonished by Lawrence for his selfish and ego driven motives, and is instead encouraged to see archaeology as “something to be shared with the world.”
Lawrence then invites the two on a journey to the Valley of Kings, a famous Egyptian location of archaeological interest, where his friend is working closely with another archaeologist named Howard Carter; [who later becomes world famous after discovering the in-tact tomb of Tutankhamun aka King Tut in November 1922 (KV62) - a discovery that is still considered the most preserved pharaonic tomb ever found in the Valley of the Kings]
Upon receiving Henry Sr.’s permission, Indiana is given a thick journal to chronicle his experiences, and along with Ms. Seymour they soon travel up the Nile River to the Valley of Kings. Along their way Lawrence teaches Indiana another valuable lesson that stays with him the rest of his life; the importance of learning every language from every country that he visits.
Upon arrival Indiana and company arrive at the recently discovered tomb of Kha (today labeled as TT8 - along with his wife Merit) - a foreman who had been responsible for projects construction at Deir El-Medina during the reign of Kings Amenhotep II, Thutmose IV and Amenhotep III dated approximately within the 14th century.
Upon inspection of the tomb, they see the foreman was gifted the headpiece of a Jackal from his pharaoh, and according to the hieroglyphs found on the wall of a secret chamber, it’s revealed that the headpiece possesses “eyes of fire,” indicating its eyes were made of precious stones. This headpiece is later stolen by a man working for Carter, who escapes with the artifact despite efforts from Indiana and Lawrence to track him down. Lawrence creates a sketch of the Jackal, once again illustrating a lesson for Indiana to hold on to.
By the completion of his first time in Egypt, Indiana Jones had met notable historical figures and contributed to the history itself, interacting and working with archaeologists Howard Carter and T.E. Lawrence - the latter of whom became world famous for his role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire during WWI - depicted most notably in Lawrence of Arabia.
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