The History of Egypt Podcast

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....

Akhenaten (Part 5): Amarna Art. Around the time of his Sed-Festival, Amunhotep IV introduced a whole new form of artistic representation. Royal imagery was reworked from the ground up, including new proportions, displays and themes. In this episode, we explore the changes to relief and sculpture, and meet the artisans who put pharaoh's vision into practice... Time Period: c.1359 BCE (regnal year 4...

Akhenaten (Part 4). In 1360 BCE, regnal year 3, King Nefer-kheperu-Re Amunhotep IV made some of his most startling decisions yet. Promoting the sun disc, Aten, even further, Amunhotep began to give the god royal accessories (cartouches, uraei etc) and present it as a being tied intimately with the pharaoh. This culminated in an unprecedented event: a Sed-Festival, celebrated at Karnak, and shared...

Akhenaten (Part 3): Revelation of a Religion. Soon after he came to power, Amunhotep IV (later Akhenaten) began to reveal his unique vision of god and the world. A remarkable amount of evidence survives for this crucial period: from a royal speech, magnificent temples at Karnak and a massive artistic shift, the King revealed his strange and fascinating ideas... Time period: c.1361 BCE (regnal year...

Who were the Amarna Queens? Dr. Joyce Tyldesley speaks to us about Tiye and Nefertiti, their roles in royal society, and how Egyptologists know of them. Learn more about Dr. Joyce Tyldesley at Manchester University and Watson Little, Ltd. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Or, the Life Aquatic with Gold Scarabs... Around 1325 BCE (estimates vary) a vessel sank near the cape of Uluburun, Turkey. The cargo was immense: twenty tonnes of goods, including copper, ivory, ornamental objects, spices, and more. Amid the finds, a curious item came to light: a gold scarab, bearing the name Neferneferuaten Nefertiti... What was a Nefertiti scarab doing on a trade ship, far from...

Akhenaten (Part 2): The Great Queen(s)... In 1361 BCE, Amunhotep IV was settled into his power. It was time to find a queen - his choice would be one of Egypt's most famous women... 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...

Akhenaten (Part 1): Conventional Start. Around 1362 BCE, the reign of Amunhotep IV began. Although destined to shake the Egyptian state, this King began with some surprisingly conventional choices. His monuments and art are a far cry from what he would become... Time period: c.1362 BCE (regnal year 1) King: Amunhotep IV (Nefer-kheperu-Re Wa-en-Re). Notable sites: Karnak (Ipet-Sut); West Bank of Th...

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... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Su...

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 Notabl...

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... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal paymen...

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... 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 Černý, J. (2001). A C...