Afterlives of Ancient Egypt with Kara Cooney

EPISODE 36 | In this month's Patreon Q&A Kara and Jordan answer questions ranging from their favorite Egyptian tale (and the most difficult ones to understand) to temple orientation and ancient Egyptian atheism. Keep the questions coming!  --- Like and leave us a comment!  If you want knowledgable hot takes on headlines about archaeology, Egyptology, and antiquity in general delivered to your inbo...

EPISODE 35 | And we're back with our first episode of Season 3!! Kara and Jordan tackle the topic of body shaming (and positivity) in ancient Egypt. What were the "ideal" body types? How were people viewed who were outside those norms? What were their thoughts on aging, disability, thinness, thickness, etc? How do these differ from a modern Western ideal and what can we learn from the ancient Egyp...

EPISODE 34 | In this month's Patreon Q&A, Kara and Jordan discuss how the Egyptian's relaxed in their free-time, the "true" effect Alexander the Great had on Egyptian culture, what life was like for the occupied under the Egyptian empire, and we give our recommendations on how to study hieroglyphs. --- Like and leave us a comment!  If you want knowledgable hot takes on headlines about archaeology,...

EPISODE 33 | In Part II of Eric's episode, we talk all things alt-ac-- his academic story; his transition from dissertation writing to the university administration; and his advice to others looking at a similar path. Kara and Jordan picked Eric's brain about using your PhD to succeed in the "real" world.  -- Dr. Eric Wells (he/him) received his PhD from UCLA in Egyptology and is currently an adju...

EPISODE 32 | In this week's episode Kara and Jordan interview Dr. Eric Wells of Eric's Guide to Ancient Egypt fame. We address the elephant in the room-- whether of not Eric has plans to restart his podcast, his dissertation research on personal piety, and get into some Egyptological debates.  -- Dr. Eric Wells (he/him) received his PhD from UCLA in Egyptology and is currently an adjunct professor...

CW// alcohol, adult themes, violence and assault EPISODE 31 | Kara and Jordan answer this month's Patreon Q&A's covering topics from alcohol use and drunkenness to leisure and play, sex workers, and allergies and health. Like and leave us a comment!  If you want knowledgable hot takes on headlines about archaeology, Egyptology, and antiquity in general delivered to your inbox, subscribe to our Sub...

EPISODE 30 | In this week's episode Kara and Jordan discuss the God's Wife of Amun position and their relationship to Egyptian politics at the time. Who held this position? What responsibilities came with it? What powers were instilled in the office? We had a great time recording this one!  CW// sexual themes  Like and leave us a comment!  If you want knowledgable hot takes on headlines about arch...

EPISODE 29 | Kara and Jordan answer the Patron’s questions from the month of July spanning from queen’s ruling in the temporary absence of the king; evidence for mental illness; managing reading for work versus pleasure; and much more! Like and leave us a comment!  If you want knowledgable hot takes on headlines about archaeology, Egyptology, and antiquity in general delivered to your inbox, subsc...

EPISODE 28 | In the part two, Kara and Jordan discuss evidence for climatic events in the ancient past, how Egyptian culture was affected, and occasions where the Egyptians negatively affected their environment, as well. Hope you enjoy!  Like and leave us a comment!  If you want knowledgable hot takes on headlines about archaeology, Egyptology, and antiquity in general delivered to your inbox, sub...

EPISODE 27 | In this two-part episode, Kara and Jordan tackle the topic of environment and geography. Inspired by the tumult our current Earth is facing with human-induced climate change, we look at how the Egyptians were impacted and influenced by their environment. What was the Egyptian landscape like in the past?  How do we see this reflected in their ideology? We cover these topics and more. S...

EPISODE 26 | Our first Patreon Q&A!! Patrons submitted questions via the Discord or Patreon app and we answer them. This episode covers questions from  the roots of Christianity in Egypt, travel to Egypt, and the new coffin cache found in Saqqara.  If you would like to join our Patreon for as little as 3$ a month, click here . Get full access to Ancient/Now at ancientnow.substack.com/subscribe

EPISODE 25 | In part two of the "Family and Kinship" episode, Kara and Jordan focus in on early childhood (and infant mortality), marriage customs, intergenerational wealth, and *INCEST*. Enjoy!  Check out Amber's companion post to this episode via our Substack.  Show notes Listen on  Apple Podcasts ,  Spotify ,  Stitcher , and  iHeartRadio . If you like what you hear don't forget to subscribe, dr...

EPISODE 24 | From the cradle to the tomb, Kara and Jordan explore families and kinship in ancient Egypt in this week's episode. What do we know about childhood, marriage, divorce, and how family bonds were formed? Are we unique in our modern desire to understand our family origins and genealogy?  Show notes If you want knowledgable hot takes on headlines about archaeology, Egyptology, and antiquit...

EPISODE 23 | In this week's episode Kara and Jordan look at ancient Egypt in Hollywood. How accurate are Hollywood depictions of the ancient world? Should we even care? How are “bad” representations harmful? Kara and Jordan dive deep into the top three offenders: orientalism, the portrayal of women, and race. Of course, we also discuss our favorite movie (The Mummy, (1999) and our love of Brendan...

EPISODE 22 | In the second part of digging into Egyptological debates, we focus on three burning questions related to the Amarna period: Did Akhenaten invent monotheism? Who was the infamous Smenkhare? And what's up with Tut's tomb? Hope you enjoy the debate! Who do you agree with? What other debates would you like us to cover?  Show notes If you want knowledgable hot takes on headlines about arch...

EPISODE 21 | On today's episode we are digging into Egyptological debates: How were the pyramids built and who built them? Did Akhenaten invent monotheism? Who was the infamous Smenkhare? We chose our top five questions to discuss and debate! Who do you agree with? What other debates would you like us to cover? We hope you enjoy this episode! Show notes If you want knowledgable hot takes on headli...

EPISODE 20 | In Part II of our guest interview with Amber, the-wind-beneath-Kara's-wings, we continue our conversation about academic adjacent careers. We talk about the ever changing academic climate, the emotional toil of "leaving" the field, and work-life balance. Remember to listen to Part I first if you haven't already. We hope you enjoy! Show notes If you want knowledgable hot takes on headl...

EPISODE 19 | Amber steps out from behind-the-scenes this episode as our second guest for the season. We are talking all things academic-adjacent, sometimes also referred to as alt-ac. These are career paths that many of us take post graduate work that is not the traditional route, i.e. becoming a professor. Stay tuned to hear Amber's story from a young girl in the Midwest with an interest in ancie...

CW// Adult content EPISODE 18 | In the second part of our Valentine's Day themed episode, Kara and Jordan delve farther into the *sexy* creation myths, gender-bending in coffins, other examples of homosexual relationships (no they weren't conjoined-twins!), and lastly some reading of "love" poetry ('she's a brick house'). Enjoy!! [all views are our own] Show notes If you want knowledgable hot take...

CW// adult content  EPISODE 17 | For the month of February, we have two love, sex, and gender focused episodes for everyone. In Part 1, Kara and Jordan explore how the Egyptians defined sex and gender; what were the gender norms; where we can see gender queer or intersex individuals; and what role 'love' played. Lastly, we end on the *sexy* creation myth stories- how Atum created the world (hint-...

CW// human remains; violence EPISODE 16 | In Part 2 of our very first guest interview, we conclude our discussion on human sacrifice in ancient Egypt with UCLA's own Dr. Rose Campbell. We talk more with her about her research on human sacrifice, how she is helping to advance the study of  cancer in antiquity , and why the practice of human sacrifice in ancient Egypt did not last.  Stay tuned for P...

CW// human remains; violence  EPISODE 15 | In our very first guest interview, we have UCLA's own Dr. Rose Campbell in to talk about how she became a bioarchaeologist and her work on human sacrifice in early dynastic Egypt. What evidence do we have for this practice? How are we to understand violence in the past? Stay tuned for Part I of a fantastic conversation! Show notes More information about D...

EPISODE 14 | In this listener-suggested episode, Kara and Jordan talk everything Bronze Age Collapse. How are we to understand this so-termed collapse and what were its causes? How can we muddy the typical narrative? What are our sources? And of course- what role did the Egyptians play at the end of the Bronze Age? Listen to find out more!  Show notes If you want knowledgable hot takes on headline...

BONUS | We have a mid-season update! We will be taking a short break for the holiday season, continuing in the new year with all brand-new episodes. Listen to hear our other exciting plans! Thanks everyone for your continuing support. -Kara and Jordan   Follow and review on your favorite podcasting service. More info at karacooneyegyptologist.com   Get full access to Ancient/Now at ancientnow.subs...

EPISODE 13 | In this Crash Course episode, Kara and Jordan discuss Kara's earlier exploration of the relationship between success of a leader and the economy. How are monuments used to interpret the legacy of a leader? How do economic systems uphold inequalities? All of these questions and more will be discussed using examples from the ancient world and today. #ancientegypt #history #podcast #Afte...