Explicit content. There's a factoid floating around on the internet. It claims that, to ensure fertility and good harvest, pharaohs would annually masturbate into the River Nile. This claim is total bubkis, but where did it come from? Which deities and myths were most closely associated with such concepts? In this mini episode, we explore the factoid and its ... Show More
Jun 27
Hapi Days (or, Ramesses in DeNile)
Hapi was Egypt. The life-giving waters of the annual flood (inundation) were his work; and thanks to these waters, Egypt flourished, its people were fed, the gods received their offerings, and the social order was maintained. From the New Kingdom, papyrus and ostraca record songs ... Show More
20m 15s
Jun 20
Scent of a Mummy: Smells and Pleasure in ancient Egypt, with Dora Goldsmith
What did ancient Egyptians like to smell? Did they use any narcotics in their day to day lives? And what do mummified bodies smell like? Today, I'm pleased to welcome Dora Goldsmith to the podcast. Dora Goldsmith is a PhD-candidate at the Freie Universitat in Berlin, Germany. Spe ... Show More
40m 50s
Apr 2019
A Lady's Life in Ancient Egypt, Part 1
Season 2, Episode 1. Of all the civilizations in the ancient world, Egypt was perhaps the most prone to the miraculous. They invented many wonders: the 365-day calendar, breath mints, paper, the ramp and lever. And then there’s this particular wonder: ancient Egyptian women had m ... Show More
46m 16s
Sep 2024
Origins of the Egyptian Gods
The legends of Ra and Hathor, of Osiris and Isis, of Anubis and Set have been passed from mouth to ear in Egypt for millennia. They were painted on temple walls, etched on delicate papyrus and discovered at the heart of the pyramids. But who were the Gods of Egypt? How did their ... Show More
46m 14s
Mar 2025
Pourquoi dit-on que les Pharaons se masturbaient dans le Nil ?
Dans l’Égypte antique, la fertilité du Nil était essentielle à la survie du royaume. Le fleuve, qui irriguait les terres et permettait l’agriculture, était perçu comme une manifestation divine. Selon certains récits historiques et mythologiques, les pharaons auraient pratiqué un ... Show More
2m 20s