The History of Egypt Podcast

Child labour, plague, and dark deeds at Amarna. By regnal year 14 (c.1349 BCE) Akhenaten's capital city had grown to almost thirty thousand people. This massive growth carried a price, one that archaeologists are finding in the city's vast cemeteries... Date c.1349 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via...

Royal Tombs, Amarna, Egyptology. Prof. Aidan Dodson has been in the game many years, and has published widely on a variety of topics. From his best-selling Amarna Sunset, Amarna Sunrise and The Royal Tombs of Ancient Egypt, Prof. Dodson is familiar to many who are interested in ancient Egypt. In this interview, he sat down to discuss the Amarna Period, royal tombs, and the science of history in Eg...

The Mysterious Mummy. In this episode, we visit the historical crime scene known as Valley of the Kings tomb number 55. KV55 is easily the most analysed, debated, and confounding find in all of Egyptology... Date: c.1350 BCE and 1907 CE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Z...

Two Funerals and a Wedding, Part 2. In 1350 BCE the royal house of Egypt was in crisis. The princess Meket-Aten, just eight years old, was the second prominent person to die in a short span of time. Soon after, Akhenaten seems to have appointed a new co-ruler. His name was Smenkh-ka-Re. Date c.1350 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodc...

Two Funerals and a Wedding, Part 1. Around year 12 of Akhenaten, the Queen Mother Tiye died. She journeyed to the West at the age of 60, having been a powerful influence for more than fifty years. Tiye is a monumental figure, literally, in the history of ancient Egypt. In this episode, we do her honour, and explore her legacy following her death. Date c.1351 BCE Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast...

A Princess of Egypt. By 1351 BCE, princess Meritaten was approximately ten years old. The pharaoh's eldest daughter was front and centre of propaganda. But what was her life like? Today, we explore the life of an Egyptian princess... Date c. 1451 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Mu...

Diplomacy, Betrayal, Murder. Around 1350 BCE, the sons of Abdi-Ashirta inherited his power and began to pursue further conquests. Along the way, they committed several heinous crimes... Date c.1355-1350 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. Music...

Abdi-Ashirta and the Rise of Amurru. In the later years of Amunhotep III (father of Akhenaten) and the early years of Akhenaten himself, events in the north began to trouble the royal court. The Egyptian empire, long established in Canaan and Syria, was under threat. Great powers were rising, and regional vassals were starting to fight amongst themselves. Into this milieu, a man named Abdi-Ashirta...

A Man Living Alone. In the midst of Akhenaten's whirlwind reforms, and his radical decisions, it's easy to forget the impact this probably had on ordinary people. How did the folks who followed Akhenaten adjust to life in a completely new city? A few letters and texts, excavated in the old capital, give us a glimpse... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patre...

Part 1: Egypt, Canaan, Babylon, Assyria. In the 14th Century BCE, travellers criss-crossed the world. Many came to Egypt for diplomacy, trade, and to live. In this episode, we explore three short stories relating to Egypt and its neighbours... Part 2: Mediterranean, Aegean, Pirates. In the 14th Century BCE, records from Egypt hint at piracy and raiding across the sea. And artistic images even show...

Akhenaten (Part 11). By 1351 BCE, Akhenaten had achieved many of his early goals. His city, Akhet-Aten, was established, his religious ideas were reaching maturity, and the King could begin to express his vision of Aten in a new way. Finally, pharaoh could celebrate his mastery over foreign populations. Thus, in 1351 BCE, Egypt played host to a grand celebration of tribute… Website: www.egyptianhi...

Akhenaten (Part 10): Queen Tiye's Retirement. For the first decade of Akhenaten's rule, his mother Tiye was a background figure. But we have more evidence for her later years than you'd expect, including magnificent art and objects. Plus, the Queen herself returned to public life when she made a splendid visit to pharaoh's new city... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via P...

Ancient Fairytales (Part 2). Sometime in the 18th Dynasty, perhaps around the time of Akhenaten, a fairy-tale became popular in Egypt. The story spoke of a prince, forced to flee his home after a prophecy foretold that he would die from one of three fates - a dog, a snake, or a crocodile. Leaving Egypt, the prince went on many adventures - some quite familiar from our own fairy tales. Inevitably,...

Ancient Fairytales (Part 1). In the late 18th or early 19th Dynasties, a story developed in Egypt. It told of two siblings, Anubis and Bata, who contended with injustice and misfortune. Facing treachery, divine intervention and even the pharaoh himself, the two brothers overcame obstacles and sought to restore justice, against those who did them wrong. In this fairytale, we see how two (divine) be...

Akhenaten (Part 9): A Royal Son. By 1352 BCE, Akhenaten and his family were well ensconced in the palaces of Amarna. The pharaoh could enjoy the company of his Great Wife, Nefertiti, and his three elder daughters. He could also enjoy the pleasures afforded by his second wife and look forward to the eventual birth of his son, a prince who would become one of the most famous names in Egyptian histor...

Amarna (Part 5): Great Temples. When he established his new residence-city, Akhenaten made special provision for his god’s house. Two great temples, dedicated to the solar disc, rose on the east bank of the Nile River. Searching the archaeological remains, and scouring the artistic record of these temples, we can get a sense of how Akhenaten worshipped his god; and some of the symbols and meanings...

In 1983, Philip Glass debuted his opera Akhnaten, a bold musical exploration of the pharaoh, his reign and his legacy. Now, Akhnaten returns in a new run. Akhnaten by The Metropolitan Opera, in New York, is running from November 8th to December 7th, 2019 and will be broadcast worldwide in cinemas; find tickets here Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.c...

Precursors to Atenism. The god Aten has a long history; and in the 18th Dynasty, many Egyptians were praising the sun god in a variety of forms (Ra, Atum, Horakhty, Aten, Khepri etc). Akhenaten's reforms were radical, but they have some obvious roots. Looking at several religious texts, side by side, we can see how the sun god became a major, universal deity at this time... Date = 1400-1360 BCE Ki...

Akhenaten (Part 7): The Great Hymn to Aten. In 1356 BCE, Egypt sweltered under the heat of Aten's rays; the god's servant, King Akhenaten, glorified the deity above all. We see this in some remarkable prayers and hymns which survive in the hidden tombs of Akhenaten's city. In these sepulchres, we find glimpses of the King's beliefs and how he expressed them... Date = c.1356 BCE King = Akhenaten Qu...

Amarna Tales (Part 1). East of Akhet-Aten (Amarna), a walled-village hides among the hills. This "East Village" is a well-ordered, secluded community. It seems to be the new home of pharaoh's tomb builders. Originally, they lived at Deir el-Medina in west Luxor. But when Akhenaten founded his new royal city, the tomb-builders left their homes and came here. Today, archaeologists have uncovered a v...

Amarna (Part 4): Raising a City in Haste. When Akhenaten demanded a new royal residence (Akhet-Aten), it fell to countless labourers, overseers and donkeys to gather the material needed for the city. Archaeologists scouring the landscape of Akhet-Aten and its neighbourhood have found a great deal of evidence for stone quarrying, ancient road networks, and even the rudimentary concrete used to stre...

Building Quickly. When Akhenaten demanded a new royal residence (Akhet-Aten), it fell to countless labourers, overseers and donkeys to gather the material needed for the city. Archaeologists scouring the landscape of Akhet-Aten and its neighbourhood have found a great deal of evidence for stone quarrying, ancient road networks, and even the rudimentary concrete used to strengthen buildings... Part...

Amarna (Part 2): Akhenaten's Priorities and Mindset. A short side episode, concerning Akhenaten's mind-set around the time he moved to Amarna. Did the King always plan this city? Did he want to live here forever and never leave? And how did he think about the community he was developing? We explore these questions... Date: c.1357 BCE (Regnal Year 6). King: Akhenaten (Nefer-kheperu-Re Wa-en-Re). Qu...

Establishing Amarna. Pharaoh was at a crossroads. Having declared his intentions to build a new royal residence, away from Thebes, Akhenaten now needed to develop it... Part 1: The new city of Akhet-Aten would grow outwards from a central quarter, focussed on pharaoh and his government's needs. Grand palaces, lavish homes and secret gardens characterise the heart of Akhenaten's famous city... Part...

Akhenaten (Part 6): New Name, Who Dis? In regnal year 5, Amunhotep IV reached the conclusion of his early ideological development. His views had crystallized and he was ready to express them more explicitly than before. Soon, pharaoh issued a public declaration; he would now be called Akh-en-Aten... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast....