Why did the Old Kingdom disappear? Was it an overnight "collapse," or something more long term? In this episode, and the next, we explore the question in overview. This chapter focusses on the historical sources including King Lists, Classical authors like Herodotos and Manetho, and the fragmentary evidence for some of the "shadow kings" of this period…
Chr ... Show More
May 25
234: Destroying Amarna / Splitting Heirs
Sometime in Ramesses II's reign, royal artisans dismantled the city of Akhet-Aten (Amarna). Carefully, methodically, they removed the talatat blocks and carted them away to the nearby town Hemenu (Hermopolis) for reuse in a temple. This demolition of the Horizon of Aten remains a ... Show More
28m 20s
May 18
233: Friendship in Dark Times (The Bronze Age Collapse Begins?)
Ramesses and Hattusili (Part 2). After the marriage to a Hittite princess in Year 34, Ramesses II had much to offer his northern family. A visit from the King of Hatti's son, seeking food supplies, may relate to repeated hunger crises in Syria and Hatti. Pharaoh's support brought ... Show More
34m 51s
Apr 27
The 100 Children of Ramesses II with Prof. Peter Brand
Ramesses is famous for fathering 100+ children. But what did all these princes and princesses do? Prof. Peter Brand joins us once more to explain the lives and roles of these children, how we know about them (or don't), what's up with those "Daughter Wives," and where all the 100 ... Show More
42m 39s
Feb 2021
Egypt Before the Pharaohs
<p>Pyramids, mummies, and pharaohs define our understanding of ancient Egypt, a timeless and eternal land. But the Nile wasn't always ruled by god-like kings, and long before they emerged, Egypt was home to other peoples and other ways of life. As Egyptian civilization emerged, t ... Show More
44m 39s
Jul 2022
The Rise of Egypt's New Kingdom
<p>Most of what we think we know about ancient Egypt is actually things we know about the New Kingdom, the last of Egypt's three classical golden ages: an empire stretching into the Near East and Nubia, warrior kings leading armies of chariots, the lavish tombs of the Valley of t ... Show More
40m 9s
Mar 2021
Jason Thompson, "Wonderful Things: A History of Egyptology" (AU of Cairo, 2018)
When asked what he saw after reverently peering into the freshly opened tomb of Pharaoh Tutankhamun, Egyptologist Howard Carter could only find the words the say “Wonderful Things.” These words have become legend in Egyptology; whether they were actually spoken by Carter or were ... Show More
49m 48s
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 38m