The History of Egypt Podcast

Senuseret III (Part 5). Family matters. Around 1845 BCE, the Heka-nakht Papyri tell us of daily life and business in Middle Kingdom Egypt. Also, King Senuseret III reaches the end of his reign. His successor, Amenemhat, strikes up an uncommon balance of power, with his daughter Neferu-Ptah... Date: c. 1845 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/e...

Kha-kau-re Senuseret III (Part 4): Decimations. Around 1864 BCE, King Senuseret III launched a new campaign into Nubia. Along the way, he built new fortresses and took many captives. Meanwhile, Egyptians begin practising a rather novel way of destroying their enemies... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via...

Kha-kau-re Senuseret III (Part 3): The Coffin Texts. Around 1867 BCE, the nobles were taking a greater share in the economy than ever before. This "flowering" of elite culture produced some wonderful works: ornately decorated coffins, painted with spells, hymns, and even stories connected with the underworld of Osiris... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.pat...

A Story of the Sea. Sometime during the Twelfth Dynasty, a folk-tale was composed (or became popular) that would echo through the ages as one of Egypt’s most enduring tales... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Select Bibliography: W.K. Simpson (e...

Society and Death. Around 1872 BCE, King Senuseret III (Kha-Kau-Re) was powerful and secure. The wealthy nobles of the kingdom began to respond to this power... Date c. 1880 - 1870 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Select Bibliography: Janet...

Senuseret III (Part 1): A Secret Tomb. Around 1880 BCE, one of Egypt's most successful rulers took the throne. Sen-Useret III was a mighty and influential King, who would enjoy a lasting legacy of power, justice, and splendour... Date c.1880 - 1860 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. ...

The Lake Pyramid. Around 1892 BCE, a new ruler came to power. His name was Senuseret II, and while he did not rule long, this king had a big impact on his dynasty... Date c. 1890 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Select Bibliography: Wolfram...

Interlude: How the Egyptians Celebrated. From beer halls to temples to cemeteries, this episode explores Egyptian revelry. We focus on two major festivals: the raucous celebrations for Hathor, and the sombre re-enactment of the Osiris story... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by...

Amenemhat II (Part 2): Fabulous Wealth. From 1927 – 1910 BCE, Nub-Kau-Re Amenemhat II launches expeditions to lands outside Egypt. Trade missions to and from the Levant bring wealth and exotic goods into Egypt. Treasures even come from southern Turkey and the Aegean Sea, finding their way into the temples being built or renovated by the king. Nubkaure’s reign is remarkable for the archaeological f...

Amenemhat II (Part 1): International Fame. Around 1927 BCE, King Nub-kau-Re Amenemhat II came to power. His reign was peaceful and prosperous, and many treasures emerge from this period... Date c. 1927 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Selec...

Senuseret I (Part 4): Money Money Honey. Gold drives empires today, and the ancient Egyptians were no different. Senuseret I sends warriors into Nubia, the Sinai Peninsula and the Eastern Desert. They go in search of precious metals, resources needed for the King's monuments... Date c. 1960 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Mak...

Senuseret I (Part 3): Creating Karnak Temple. The temple of Karnak is a wonder of the world; but its origins are mostly lost, beneath generations of re-modelling and re-building. Nevertheless, a few traces survive of the earliest days; among them, a magnificent monument of King Senuseret I... Date c.1950 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egy...

Senuseret I (Part 2): Teachings from the Father. Around 1962 BCE, King Sen-Useret I came to power. His father was dead, assassinated by his own royal guards. Now, the new ruler had to figure things out. Fortunately, Senuseret had some "teachings" from his father. What a coincidence, right? Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a on...

Senuseret I (Part 1): Sinuhe's Fear and Flight. Around 1962 BCE, conspirators broke into the royal bedchamber and attacked King Amenemhat in his bed. The result was panic. The king's son Senuseret was far from home, and the situation was incredibly perilous. In the midst of this, a minor official named Sinuhe got caught up in the storm, and decided to flee for his life. Thereby hangs a tale... Web...

Amenemhat I (Part 2): Father and Son. Around 1985 BCE, King Amenemhat I ruled with skill and sense. His reign was a time of new developments, epitomised in the foundation of a new capital city. Strangely, the King decided to name his new capital "Seizing the Two Lands." Date c. 1985 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-...

Amenemhat I (Part 1): A Self-Made King. Around 1990 BCE, a new King took power. His name was Amun-em-Hat ("Amun in the Forefront"). First things first, he had to justify his unusual accession... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Select Bibliograp...

Montuhotep IV: A Forgotten King. At the end of Dynasty 11, there is a "gap" in the royal king list. The Turin Canon records the seven years of Montuhotep IV as a time when "no king reigned." On top of this, no royal images or records survive from his reign. Who is this man, and why is he lost?... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Ma...

Montuhotep III: A short but successful reign. This new king only ruled a few years but he achieved some noteworthy things, including a return to Punt... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Select Bibliography: Pierre Tallet, “Ayn Sukhna and Wadi al...

Montuhotep II (Part 3): Victorious Lords. King Montuhotep was secure in his power. He could now lead military campaigns in Wawat and Kush, the region historians call Nubia or Sudan. He also went east into the deserts, and north to Canaan, pushing Egyptian authority abroad... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation...

Montuhotep II (Part 2): A King and His Court. Montu-Hotep II had established himself as King of Upper and Lower Egypt. But would he be able to keep his power, in the wake of challenges? Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Select Bibliography: Herbe...

Montuhotep II (Part 1): Mighty in Thebes. To celebrate his victory, the new ruler commissioned beautiful monuments, in the city of his ancestors... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Select Bibliography: Dorothea Arnold, “Amenemhat I and the Early...

A tomb revisited. In 1923 CE, excavations at Luxor revealed the graves of ancient Egyptian soldiers. They bore scars of battle on their bones and flesh; and their story may belong to one of several major conflicts within the Nile Valley, around 2000—1900 BCE. In this episode, we revisit an old topic, and describe the tale anew… Note: This episode has an extended version on Patreon (link below). Da...

Newly researched and updated in 2024. These violent delights have violent ends. Between 1992 BCE and 1941 BCE, King Montu-Hotep (“Montu is Content”) ruled the southern kingdom. And he led efforts to expand Theban power, and ultimately reunify the Two Lands… Logo image: Montu, in a chapel of Ramesses III at Karnak (Kairoinfo4u). Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon...

Newly researched and updated in 2024. Ta-Wer howled. Around 2000 BCE, the southern kingdom was rising quickly. But the north was not out of the fight. Not by a long shot… Episode chapters: Prologue – A Royal Inspection (00:30). The Fall of Tjeni / Thinis (07:25). The Long Reign of Intef II (11:58). Intef’s Dogs (20:58). Khety Merykara (34:03). Making Ta-Wer Howl (47:25). Conclusion (01:06:37). Epi...

Newly researched and updated in 2024. Intef the Great, Part 2. The war for Ta-Wer. The Thebans had seized the sacred city of Abdju (Abydos) in the district of Ta-Wer. The northern rulers, from the House of Khety, contested this violently. Inscriptions and art reveal the movements of armies, the clashes on field and river, and the sieging of major towns. Soon, things going downright apocalyptic. Al...