logo
episode-header-image
May 2024
1h 2m

Grave of the Unknown Soldiers

DOMINIC PERRY
About this episode

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).

Select Bibliography:

  • H. E. Winlock, The Slain Soldiers of Neb-Hepet-Re Mentu-Hotpe (1945). Available in Open Access via MMA.
  • C. Vogel, ‘Fallen Heroes? Winlock’s “Slain Soldiers” Reconsidered’, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 89 (2003), 239—245. Access via Academia.edu and JSTOR.org.
  • P. Chudzik, ‘Middle Kingdom tombs in the North Asasif Necropolis: Field Seasons 2018/2019 and 2020’, Polish Archaeology in the Mediterranean (2020), 177—202. Open Access via Academia.edu.
  • Wikipedia, ‘MMA 507,’ https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MMA_507&oldid=1151562120.
  • J. Heath, ‘The Slain Soldiers of Tomb 507: An Egyptological Mystery’, Ancient Egypt: The History, People and Culture of the Nile Valley 118 (2020), 28-33. Note: I became aware of this article after publication of this episode, but I include it here as the author reaches similar conclusions to mine.

Artefacts from the tomb at the Metropolitan Museum of Art:

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Up next
Aug 22
Update: Autocrat interview and Vintage Egyptologist online classes
Howdy folks. In lieu of a narrative episode this week (while I recover from the quadruple-length Battle of Kadesh), I wanted to alert you to an interview I did for the Autocrat podcast (available on Spotify, YouTube, and the Autocrat website). In a lengthy conversation, we explor ... Show More
16m 2s
Aug 15
214: Ramesses II The Battle of Kadesh
In June of 1287 BCE (approximately), one of antiquity’s great conflicts unfolded in southern Syria. Meeting near Kadesh (Qidsha), the armies of Egypt and Hatti fought each other in a spectacular engagement. The events of that battle are recorded, somewhat grandiosely, by Ramesses ... Show More
1h 59m
Aug 8
213: Ramesses II Seven Nation Army
Ramesses, Muwattalli, and the Trojans(?). In June of 1287 BCE, the Great Kings of Hatti and Egypt were on the verge of a major confrontation. Ramesses, marching across Sinai and into Canaan, made careful preparations for his assault on Kadesh. Alas, even the best-planned campaign ... Show More
50m 9s
Recommended Episodes
Jun 2023
El descubrimiento de la tumba y la maldición de Tutankamón
En especial para este verano les presentamos un episodio muy solicitado: la historia del descubrimiento de la tumba y la maldición de Tutankamón. Todo comenzó en 1892 cuando, el británico Howard Carter llegó a Egipto para trabajar como dibujante de los artefactos que con frecuenc ... Show More
25m 45s
Feb 2024
Life and Death in Greco-Roman Egypt
In its final centuries, Ancient Egypt was conquered by the Persians, the Greeks and the Romans, beginning with the invasion of Alexander the Great in 332 BC. But these new arrivals didn't squash the Egyptian way of life - the invaders blended their customs, practices and style wi ... Show More
34m 2s
Jul 2023
Herostratus: Burning Ambition
The fire that destroyed the second Temple of Artemis - one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world - was supposedly set on the day Alexander the Great was born: 21st July, 356 BC. The story goes that the arsonist, Herosratus, was simply seeking notoriety. Herostratus was captur ... Show More
11m 5s
Aug 2022
Tutankhamun | 1. Unearthing the boy king’s lost tomb
One hundred years ago, in 1922, Egyptologist Howard Carter made one of the most spectacular discoveries in the history of archaeology, when he unearthed the tomb of Tutankhamun in Egypt’s Valley of the Kings. In the first episode in our new series on the life, death and legacy of ... Show More
47m 30s
Jan 2023
Uncovering Tutankhamun
January 3, 1924. Archeologists crowd into an ancient Egyptian tomb to uncover what awaits them in the unopened burial chamber. The world is waiting to find out. That’s because two years before, the discovery of the tomb of the pharaoh Tutankhamun revealed antiquities so dazzling ... Show More
38m 41s
Dec 2020
Ancient Egypt & Geopolitics
One of the luxuries of living in Ancient Egypt was that you were surrounded by massive deserts, protecting you from people who wanted to cut your head off. Well, at some point between 1650 – 1550 BC (who knows really), the Kingdom is invaded by barbarian hill people. The occupati ... Show More
1h 39m
Nov 2023
The Known Unknown [rebroadcast]
Roman note: This is one of my favorite episodes of all time. Should be a movie. Enjoy!The tradition of the Tomb of the Unknowns goes back only about a century, but it has become one of the most solemn and reverential monuments. When President Reagan added the remains of an unknow ... Show More
45m 21s
May 2022
The Terracotta Army
After its initial discovery in 1974, the Terracotta Army became the unofficial eighth wonder of the world. Comprising an estimated 8,000 statue warriors buried as part of the First Emperor of China’s tomb complex, experts are still unearthing its secrets. But what was the purpose ... Show More
41m 7s
May 2024
The battle of Meggido: ancient Egypt at war
Nicky Nielsen traces the progress of a brutal 15th-century BC battle that saw supercharged the rise of Egypt's greatest warrior pharaoh Recovering the stories of ancient battles that happened thousands of years ago can be very difficult. But as one of the first battles to have be ... Show More
17m 14s