The History of Egypt Podcast

Quick Successions. After the death of Sahure, multiple kings came and went in a short span of time. In this episode, we follow the reigns of Nefer-ir-ka-Re ("Making the Soul of Re Beautiful") and Ra-nefer-ef. This period is murky, but we will get through it. Oh, and another powerful queen shows up to manage affairs... Date c.2570 - 2555 BCE Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show...

The Great Fleet. Around 2485 BCE, King Userkaf died and passed the throne to his son, Sahure ("One Who is Close to Re"). At this point, Egyptians launched the first (recorded) expedition to Punt. This mysterious land, somewhere near Ethiopia, Somalia or Yemen, was a major destination for trade. Sahure commemorated the event lavishly... Date c.2480 BCE Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Suppo...

New Dynasty, New Me. Around 2490 BCE, a new lineage held royal power. Khentykaus I and her son, Userkaf, had established a new household. Now, the next generations of rulers had some interesting innovations in religion and monuments... Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net. Website at www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via P...

Khenty-kaus, the Lady Ruler. Around 2500 BCE, Menkaure died without an heir. His sister Khenty-Kau-es ("She is Foremost") stepped into the vacuum and governed the state on behalf of her young sons. This was an interesting period, with a lasting impact on royal power... Date c. 2500 - 2490 BCE Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a...

A tale of terror and tombs. In 1924, Weird Tales magazine published "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" (aka "Under the Pyramids"). A short story in which Harry Houdini, world-famous escape-artist, illusionist, and advocate of rationalism, came face-to-face with horrors beyond his comprehension. The tale is work of horror, ghost-written by H.P. Lovecraft. It is a fun story, worthy of the genre. Logo im...

Updated in 2024. Around 2520 BCE, King Men-kau-ra (or Menkaure) ruled Egypt. In his time, royal artists produced high-quality sculpture, and builders constructed another pyramid at Giza. But Menkaura has a complicated legacy. Although his pyramid is the smallest of the three "Great Pyramids of Giza," this King's legacy proved far more positive than his predecessors. Likewise his treasures, includi...

Around 2520 BCE, King Khaf-Re died and his son Men-Kau-Re took power. Menkaure ("The Spirit of Re Endures") oversaw a more modest phase of pyramid building. His monument at Giza was the smallest pyramid yet. Were all of these pyramids straining the economy? We investigate a social structure very different from our own... Date c.2520 - 2500 BCE Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the s...

A forgotten heir and The Great Sphinx. Following the death of King Khufu, the throne passed to one of his sons, Djed-ef-Ra. Then, it passed to Khafra ("He Appears Like Ra"). These kings are important, but only Khafra is remembered thanks to his enormous pyramid and the Great Sphinx of Giza... Date c.2550 - 2520 BCE Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.c...

A crime scene with no crime? In 1925, archaeologists working at Giza uncovered a remarkable monument. The tomb chamber of Queen Hetep-Heres (c.2630-2580 BCE) contained a wealth of beautiful, high-quality items. But the monument itself was strange, the excavation was a serious challenge, and the results were baffling in many ways. In this episode, we explore the discovery, revelation, the life, and...

How archaeology can increase your life expectancy by 40%! For centuries, popular perceptions of the Great Pyramid’s construction have hinged on Herodotos reference to “twenty years.” While historians have debated that, hard evidence on the reign of Khufu (and its length) has always been fragmentary. In the past ten years, though, things have changed substantially. We now have strong evidence that...

Magic and Prophecy. In this mini episode, we recount stories that the Egyptians told. Stories set in the reign of Khufu and his father Sneferu. Date c.2620 - 2550 BCE Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Facebook www.facebook.com/egyptpodcast Twitter www.twitter.com/egyptianpodcast Music by...

Building the Giza monuments. In the last years of Khufu’s reign, work on the Great Pyramid was nearing completion. From this period, the Diary of Merer provides unexpected testimony: a record of workers contributing to the Giza project… Date: c. 2600 BCE. The Diary of Merer: English translation and commentary by Prof. Pierre Tallet available in Open Access. Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net....

The Ram God Protects Him. Around 2580 BCE, King Khnum-Khufu ("Khnum Protects Me") came to power. His reign lasted more than 25 years, and over this quarter century, Egyptians would build the largest pyramid in history... Date c. 2580 - 2550 BCE, www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the Show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www....

Magical mystery cruise. King Sneferu was a legendary ruler. His three pyramids at Meidum and Dahshur mark the transition from Step Pyramids to True Pyramids. But his legacy is more than stone. The King left other records and hints of his personality. We go in search of the ruler who loved beauty... Re-written and re-recorded in 2022. Date: c. 2650 BCE.  Texts: The Westcar Papyrus (translation by M...

The wondrous monuments of King Sneferu. Around 2650 BCE, Egypt's Fouth Dynasty began. King Sneferu kick-started a golden age of pyramid building. Over thirty-plus years, the King's architects and labourers designed three magnificent monuments, eventually culminating in the first "true" pyramid. Date c.2620 - 2580 BCE www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the Show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast....

Ambitious failures. Following the reign of Netjerykhet Djoser, the next generation would attempt to surpass his monuments. King Sekhem-khet tried, but failed, to achieve this. In this episode, we fill a lesser-known gap in the history of ancient Egypt's pyramids. At the same time, we tell the tale of a renowned archaeologist, Mohamed Zakariah Goneim, whose work and influence deserve greater recogn...

As Egypt's "Third Dynasty" began, a new monument took shape. King Netjerykhet Djoser and his architect, Imhotep, created something unusual. The Step Pyramid rose on the western horizon, ushering in a new era of monument building... Time Period: circa 2700 – 2650 BCE Kings: Netjerykhet (Djoser) Notable sites: Saqqara, Iunu (Heliopolis) Episode Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. The History of...

Interlude: Atum Creates the Universe. The stories of how ancient Egypt (and the world) came into existence are beautiful. In this episode, we explore three Creation myths: the tale of Atum and the primeval Ocean; the tale of Ptah and the divine word; and the story of the Ogdoad, the Council of Eight Gods. Each tale gives its own spin on the origins of life, the universe, and everything... Date c.4...

Warring gods, divided dynasties. Following the First Dynasty of rulers, the Egyptian royal family seems to divide. Shadowy records hint at civil conflicts, and archaeological information reveals climate change and economic decay. These troubles shattered royal unity, but they may have had a larger legacy: inspiring tales of the gods Horus and Seth, who waged a decades-long battle for the kingship...

The First Dynasty. Egypt's earliest monarchs are a curious bunch. Powerful figures like Aha and Merneith left their mark on this period, with lavish tombs and extensive records. Egyptians led campaigns and trading expeditions to foreign lands. Along the way, they achieved a form of immortality... Time period: circa 3000-2900 BCE Kings: Aha, Djer, Wadjet, Mer-Neith, Den. Notable sites: Abdju (Abydo...

Out of many... two. Five thousand years ago, a kingdom emerged on the banks of the Nile. The "Two Lands" of Southern and Northern Egypt slowly unified, and rulers like Narmer established their authority. The origins of the kingdom are murky, but archaeology can uncover secrets. In this episode, we meet the first ruler of the land, get a sense of Egypt and its people, and introduce the podcast as a...

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