The History of Egypt Podcast

Amunhotep III (Part 14): The End. In his last regnal years, Neb-ma'at-Re Amunhotep III experienced victories and defeats. While his health declined, the pharaoh got into a serious argument with the King of Babylon, inspected his magnificent tomb, and celebrated one last Sed-Festival. Finally, after 38 years on the throne, the inevitable moment arrived... Time period: c.1362 BCE Kings: Amunhotep III, Kadashman-Enlil (I) of Babylon. Notable sites: Kingdom of Babylon, Waset...

Bonus Episode! Lesser-known Monuments of Amunhotep III. By the last years of his reign, c.1365 BCE, King Amunhotep had dozens of important monuments going up throughout Egypt and Nubia. But some of these have been overlooked. In this bonus episode, we explore some of the King's lesser-known structures. We also take a guided tour of Luxor Temple, now almost finished... Time period: c.1365 BCE (year 35). King: Amunhotep III (Neb-ma'at-Re). Notable sites: Memphis (Hwt-ka-Ptah), Thebes...

Amunhotep III (Part 13): Foreign Wives and Magnificent Tiye By 1366 BCE, Amunhotep was on top of the world: foreign kings begged his friendship and they were willing to pay (beautifully) to get it. Meanwhile, Queen Tiye enjoyed an unprecedented level of parity with her husband, expressed quite publicly in grand monuments... Time period: c.1366 BCE Kings: Amunhotep III, Tushratta of Mitanni Notable sites: Kingdom of Mitanni, Waset (Thebes), Bubastis Episode images and bibliography at...

Remaster: Great King Sneferu King Sneferu was one of the greatest rulers in the Old Kingdom. From 2615 - 2570 BCE he built three magnificent pyramids, inaugurating a new era of monumental construction and achievement. Meanwhile, royal family members and foreign neighbours experienced the various aspects of royal power. This is a big tale with wars, monuments, royal family politics and even some old fashioned ship-building... Time period: circa 2615 - 2570 BCE. Kings: Sneferu, Dynasty...

Amunhotep III (Part 12): Pharaoh as a God. By 1366 BCE, Amunhotep III was ready to celebrate a second sed-festival. However, the King's pretensions had begun to reach celestial heights - in regnal year 34 he appeared to be an equal to the gods themselves... Episode images and bibliography at www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com The Podcast is on Patreon! Enjoy early access and exclusive perks at patreon.com/egyptpodcast Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com

Daily Life in New Kingdom Egypt. Around 1370 BCE, wealthy Egyptians enjoyed a comfortable and well-furnished lifestyle. From their tombs, houses and scattered texts, we can get a sense of daily life for ancient aristocrats... Episode images and Bibliography at www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com The podcast is on Patreon! Enjoy exclusive perks and support the show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast

Visiting a forgotten place. Limited time release. Music by Brandon Feichter (Bandcamp) The Podcast is on Patreon! Support the show and get rewards at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast

Amunhotep III (Part 11): The Royal Palace and a King's Life. By 1370 BCE, King Amunhotep III was living in a sumptuous palace at Thebes. Built for the first sed-festival (ep.100), the "House of Rejoicing" was a magnificent structure with many beautiful elements. Today, we start to explore how a pharaoh lived and the lifestyle they enjoyed... Episode images at www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com The History of Egypt Podcast is on Patreon! Enjoy perks and exclusives at...

The Minoans Fade Away. In 1370 BCE, an Egyptian embassy visited the Aegean. As part of their journey, they came to Crete, visiting the Keftiu (Minoans) who had ruled the island for 1000 years. Until now.... Images and More at www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com Music by Michael Levy www.ancientlyre.com Music by Derek & Brandon Fiechter www.dbfiechter.bandcamp.com/ Support the show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast or make a donation via Paypal

Ancient Egypt and the Greeks of Mycenae. It's time to set sail! We journey far from Egypt to visit lands only whispered about until now. We are visiting Greece and the lands of Mycenae, who in 1370 BCE were beginning to make their mark on the international scene. This episode was originally a "double feature" of Mycenae and Minoan Crete. At the final edit, I opted to remove Crete in order to streamline the story. Not to worry, an "Episode 102b" will follow in due course... Episode images...

Private Worship and Images in New Kingdom Egypt. Here is the full discussion with Dr Campbell Price! It's a wonderful chat about all kinds of questions relating to Egypt and private worship. (If you want to skip ahead to the "new" content, it begins at 31:00). 00:00 - 32:00 18th Dynasty (see episode 101b). 32:00 - 90:00 Private Worship and Images in New Kingdom Egypt. Check out Campbell's new book Pocket Museum: Ancient Egypt, available at all good retailers (Amazon Affiliate...

The Man Who Became a God. In this episode we look at the divine statues of Amunhotep son of Hapu(c.1370 BCE) and how they helped him become a god. With me for this episode is Dr. Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan at the Manchester Museum, University of Manchester. Dr. Price is an expert on non-royal statues and religion and he generously agreed to discuss these topics with me. The result was a wonderful interview, that I think you'll really enjoy! Chapter Times: 00:00...

Success After Fifty. In 1470 BCE, King Amunhotep III's closest advisor was already eighty years old. The scribe, overseer and wise man Amunhotep Son of Hapu achieved prominence quite late in life, but he did not waste the opportunity. From a small town in the Delta, to the vast construction sites of Thebes, a royal scribe went to work for his pharaoh, and gained immortality... Chapter Times: 00:00 History of the Copts intro, 01:08 Episode Intro, 02:25 The Statues of Amunhotep son of...

An Egyptian couple relax in a garden, and share a moment of love... Four poems of romance, exploring the courtship of an ancient couple. Translations by John L. Foster, Ancient Egyptian Literature: An Anthology (Amazon) Website: egyptianhistorypodcast.com Twitter: @EgyptianPodcast Instragram: @EgyptPodcast Facebook: @EgyptPodcast Patreon: EgyptPodcast

A Father Begs His Son to Return Home. Late in the New Kingdom (c.1250 BCE), an Egyptian father wrote a letter to his son. The son had gone to sea, sailing on a ship; he had not sent any word of his wellbeing. Worried, the father writes a letter, begging his son to return home. The letter is possibly based off real events, for it involves people who were genuine figures in their community. The father, Menna, and the son Pay-Iry were inhabitants of the village of Deir el-Medina (Set-Ma'at,...

A former pupil goes off the rails and gets lost in drink; his teacher tries to bring him back. After completing his education, a young scribe might take a job in a temple, government office, or work team. But this time, the student went off into some wayward behaviours. Writing a stern letter, a schoolmaster tries to bring his former pupil back to sobriety and good living. Translations by John L. Foster, Ancient Egyptian Literature: An Anthology (Amazon) Website:...

Three Poems of Love from 18th Dynasty Egypt. Around 1400 BCE, scribes and composers put together delightful works exploring themes of love, longing, lust and courtship. They told tales from both male and female perspectives, describing the emotions and sensations of their desires and affections. In this mini episode, we explore three short poems. Translations by John L. Foster, Ancient Egyptian Literature: An Anthology (Amazon) Website: egyptianhistorypodcast.com Twitter:...

An interview with composer Jeffrey Goodman. Jeff Goodman has composed some wonderful pieces evoking the world of ancient Egypt. Taking inspiration from mythology, art and literature, he crafts lovely songs with a focus on authenticity in instrumentation. As part of the larger investigation of music, I invited him onto the show for a discussion about composition, ancient musicality, and how to evoke the past when we have no written notation left. This is the first time I've interviewed...

Instruments, Musicians, and Songs. In this mini episode, we explore the traces of ancient Egyptian songs and music. Although the melodies and rhythms are lost, we still have lyrics, instruments and artwork detailing some of these arts. From this, we can understand how certain instruments were played, and what different artists tried to achieve. Plus, modern reconstructions can give us a hint at the soundscape of ancient Egypt. Musical Interludes (by...

To celebrate 100 episodes, I took your questions on all things ancient Egypt. Pictures on topics (particularly Egyptian revival architecture of the 1800s) at the website If you didn't hear your question, I have sent out written responses. Some questions covered material already in the show, or on topics that don't have enough evidence to discuss in detail. Thanks for submitting!