Web Smarts

www.thirteen.org/pharaohs

What: "Secrets of the Pharaohs" is a website accompaniment to a three-part public television series on ancient Egypt.

BEST POINTS: This is a highly visual, interactive site including maps that rotate to reveal the anatomy of pyramids, depictions of tombs and their treasures, and actual photographs. There's also an in-depth timeline of ancient Egyptian history from 4000 BC to AD 100. A page about the science of studying pharaohs offers a peek into the dirty work of archaeologists, including the latest on extracting DNA from mummies. There are links throughout for those who want more on anything from the role of women during the Pharaonic dynasties to the first international Egyptian Mummy Tissue Bank, in Manchester, England.

What YOU NEED TO KNOW: "Secrets of the Pharaohs" is the most recent in a set of PBS programs called "Secrets of the Dead." The shows present scientist-guided tours of some of the world's oldest mysteries. Among the six series scheduled for this summer are "Murder at Stonehenge," "Tomb of Christ," and "Death at Jamestown."

(c) Copyright 2001. The Christian Science Publishing Society