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Episode 1: The Geography of Ancient Egypt

The Nile, the Two Lands, and the World Around Them

Before we explore Egypt’s rulers, temples, and pyramids, we begin with the landscape that shaped their world. Follow the Nile from its distant African headwaters to the Mediterranean, and discover how its annual inundation sustained life in a remarkably dry region.

We’ll travel through Upper and Lower Egypt, the Nile Delta, the deserts and oases, Sinai, and the Mediterranean and Red Seas. Along the way, we’ll see how rivers, routes, resources, and natural barriers created opportunities for connection and growth—without determining what people would do with them.

This opening episode of The DW World History Podcast offers a clear geographical foundation for the history ahead, with careful scholarship and thoughtful storytelling. Follow the show for the next episode, “Before the Pharaohs: Life Along the Green Sahara and the First Egyptians.”

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This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
https://www.dwworldhistory.com

Outlines, Maps, and Podcast Companion Guides for this series are available for download at:
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We complete our survey of the Ancient Egyptian timeline in this episode!

In the last episode we discussed Egypt's 26th Dynasty. We ended with the Persian threat facing Ahmose II. His son and successor, Psammetichus III, came to the throne in 526 BC. Within a year, he had to face a Persian army at Pelusium, the Eastern gateway into Egypt. 

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This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
https://www.dwworldhistory.com

Outlines, Maps, and Episode Guides for this series are available for download at:
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In the last episode, Assyria sacked Thebes, the jewel of Amun and the ancient world. They looted the temples and laid waste to the treasury. The Assyrians nominally held Egypt, but Tanutamun was secure in Napata. His death in 656 B.C. ended the Nubian domination of Egypt. This episode focuses on the 26th Dynasty, the Saite Period of Egypt. 

Checkout the video version at:
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This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
https://www.dwworldhistory.com

Outlines, Maps, and Episode Guides for this series are available for download at:
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We begin this episode with the rise of Nubia, who strengthened themselves and prepared for an invasion of Egypt. We follow the Nubian Pharaohs of the 25th Dynasty!

Checkout the video version at:
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This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
https://www.dwworldhistory.com

Outlines, Maps, and Episode Guides for this series are available for download at:
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In the last episode we discussed the final kings of the New Kingdom. During the reign of Ramesses XI, the priests of Amun at Thebes broke away and began their own rule of Egypt, thus splitting the country in half. This began the Third Intermediate Period.

The topics of this episode include the 21st - 24th Dynasties of Egypt during the Third Intermediate Period.

Checkout the video version at:
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This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
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Outlines, Maps, and Episode Guides for this series are available for download at:
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In the last episode, we focused on Ramesses III, Egypt's final monarch to wield any substantial power over the kingdom. With his assassination and the failure of the conspirators to gain control, the rule passed to his rightful heir, Ramesses IV. 

In this episode, we include the end of the 20th Dynasty and the close of the New Kingdom. We focus on pharaohs Ramesses IV through Ramesses XI and end with the final tomb constructions in the Valley of the Kings with the rise of the priests of Amun. 

Checkout the video version at:
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This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
https://www.dwworldhistory.com

Outlines, Maps, and Episode Guides for this series are available for download at:
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In the last episode we discussed the end of the 19th Dynasty and left off with Queen Twosret. Her death ended in confusion and civil war. This biography highlights Ramesses III. His long reign would see the decline of Egyptian political and economic power, linked to a series of invasions and internal economic problems.

Checkout the video version at:
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This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
https://www.dwworldhistory.com

Outlines, Maps, and Episode Guides for this series are available for download at:
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In the last episode, we discussed the reign of Ramesses II and noted how he would outlive most of his sons before dying at the age of around 92 years old. This biography highlights the successors to Ramesses II as Egypt experiences an end to the 19th Dynasty. 

Checkout the video version at:
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Support the show

This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
https://www.dwworldhistory.com

Outlines, Maps, and Episode Guides for this series are available for download at:
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In the last episode we discussed the rise of the 19th Dynasty and left off with Pharaoh Seti I. His son, Ramesses II, would lead Egypt into one of its most glorious periods of Egyptian History. This biography highlights Ramesses II, his campaigns against the Hittites, and his incredible building projects.

Checkout the video version at:
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This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
https://www.dwworldhistory.com

Outlines, Maps, and Episode Guides for this series are available for download at:
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In the last episode, we focused on Tutankhamun and the turbulent times after his death. We left off with the death of Horemheb and the succession of his vizier, Ramesses I. We’ll focus on the first two kings of the 19th Dynasty and one of the most mysterious structures in the world, the Osireion.

Checkout the video version at:
https://www.youtube.com/@DWAncientEgypt

Support the show

This Podcast series is available on all major platforms.

See more resources, maps, and information at:
https://www.dwworldhistory.com

Outlines, Maps, and Episode Guides for this series are available for download at:
https://www.patreon.com/DWWorldHistory