What is the true name of god? Once upon a time, Ra ruled the earth directly. But the great goddess Iset/Isis desired to know his private name, the one hidden from all outsiders. A name that, if known, would grant the knower magical power over the sun god. To gain the knowledge she desired, Iset concocted a daring plan...

The Story of Iset and the Secret Name of Ra

University College London. Isis and the Name of Ra. ⁠https://www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt//literature/isisandra.html⁠

Hieroglyph version: Museo Egizio Turin. Papyrus Turin 1993. https://collezionepapiri.museoegizio.it/en-GB/document/185/ (recto).

Borghouts, J. F. (1978). Ancient Egyptian Magical Texts, pp. 51—55.

Ritner, R. K. (2003). The Legend of Isis and the Name of Re (P. Turin 1993). In W. W. Hallo & K. L. Younger (Eds.), The Context of Scripture (pp. 33--34).

Rowe, A. (1996). The Secret Name of Ra.

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The tomb of Queen Nefertari is one of the masterpieces of New Kingdom funerary monuments. The tomb is stunningly preserved, with an array of exquisite images, evocative texts (from the Book of the Dead), and traces of her burial goods. In this episode we explore the sepulchre, its decoration, and its conservation in the modern era.

Music: Ihab Mahna and Luke Chaos.

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Around 1300 BCE, King Sety I selected a group of "beauties" for his son, to marry and produce children. One of these was Nefertari (Nefret-Iry, "She Has Become Beautiful"). A girl of unknown origins (but some tantalising possibilites) who would rise to the rank of King's Chief/Great Wife. Nefertari is world-famous, especially for her monuments. But the Queen herself is remarkably shadowy. We go in search of her tale...

Music: Ancient Lyric (intro) & Keith Zizza (outro).

Logo image: Nefertari and Ise/Isis, from the Queen's tomb QV66. Photo by Edward Hutt.

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Livestream recording about the Abu Simbel Temples, with a particular focus on Nefertari's monument (Part 1) and the political-religious context of Ramesses' Nubian monuments (Part 2). We also have a fun epilogue about some Greek mercenaries...

Video versions available on the History of Egypt Podcast YouTube channel.

Part 1 (Nefertari) https://youtu.be/B5FLkAtPpdM

Part 2 (Religious/Political Context) https://youtu.be/D7ZTYFOtrA4

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In the Cretaceous Period (c.100 million years ago) Egypt and North Africa were radically different environments. With vast tidal flats and mangroves, and a shallow sea, the continent fostered numerous animal and plant species. Creatures like Paralititan (sauropods); the sprinting Deltadromeus; the infamous Spinosaurus; and the newcomer Tameryraptor. These have been preserved in the fossil record from Egypt and other countries in North Africa. Today, we meet some of the inhabitants of this ancient landscape…

Logo image: Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, by Paleogeeksquared, via Wikimedia.

Animals mentioned in this episode:

Select references:

Dal Sasso, C., Maganuco, S., & Iurino, D. (2014). Update on the internal structure of the snout of Spinosaurus aegyptiacus. Second North African Vertebrate Palaeontology Congress, Ouarzazate.

Darwish, M. H., & Attia, Y. (2007). Plant impressions from the mangrove-dinosaur Unit of the Upper Cretaceous Bahariya Formation of Egypt. Taeckholmia, 27, 105--125.

Hone, D., & Holtz Jr, T. R. (2021). Evaluating the ecology of Spinosaurus: Shoreline generalist or aquatic pursuit specialist? Palaeontologia Electronica, 24(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.26879/1110

Hone, D., & Witton, M. P. (2025). Spinosaur Tales: The Biology and Ecology of the Spinosaurs.

Ibrahim, N., Sereno, P. C., Dal Sasso, C., Maganuco, S., Fabbri, M., Martill, D. M., Zouhri, S., Myhrvold, N., & Iurino, D. A. (2014). Semiaquatic adaptations in a giant predatory dinosaur. Science, 345(6204), 1613--1616. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1258750

Roach, J. (2001, May 31). “Tidal Giant” Roamed Coastal Swamps of Ancient Africa. National Geographic News. https://web.archive.org/web/20010605022420/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2001/05/0531_tidaldinosaur.html

Sereno, P. C., Myhrvold, N., Henderson, D. M., Fish, F. E., Vidal, D., Baumgart, S. L., Keillor, T. M., Formoso, K. K., & Conroy, L. L. (2022). Spinosaurus is not an aquatic dinosaur. eLife, 11, e80092. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.80092

Smith, J. B., Lamanna, M. C., Lacovara, K. J., Dodson, P., Smith, J. R., Poole, J. C., Giegengack, R., & Attia, Y. (2001). A Giant Sauropod Dinosaur from an Upper Cretaceous Mangrove Deposit in Egypt. Science, 292(5522), 1704--1706. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1060561

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The New Kingdom "Book of Gates" explores Ra's journey through the Duat (Underworld). Passing the western horizon at sunset, Ra sails through the land of the dead. His journey is beset by dangerous creatures, and Ra himself experiences a kind of death at the darkest time of night. Fortunately, Heis not alone. Guided and assisted by friends, the lord of light journeys deep into the night. Hour by hour, he traverses the realm of Osiris, moving towards his own rebirth...

This is a compilation of previously released material (episodes 175 & 176).

First known appearance: KV57 the royal tomb of Horemheb (c.1305 BCE). 

Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.

Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast.

Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. 

Source: KV57, the tomb of Horemheb; KV17, tomb of Sety I, and others.

Music intro, interludes, and outro: Luke Chaos. Adapted from original compositions by Gorillaz, from the album "Demon Days." 

Modern Book of Gates Translations:

J. C. Darnell and C. Manassa Darnell, The Ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books (2018).

E. Hornung, The Egyptian Book of Gates, trans. T. Abt (2014).

DON'T use Budge. His version is over 100 years out-of-date on language and scholarly understanding of Egyptian religion.

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The winter 2025/26 excavation season is underway, and lots of news is coming forth already. Let's explore the major finds!

Chapters:

The GEM is open 00:30.

Scans at Menkaura's pyramid: 04:12.

Discovery at Tanis: 07:31.

Alexandria ship: 08:49.

Amarna Plague? 10:39.

Thera Tempest? 12:41.

Karnak Re-Dated: 14:43.

New Temple Discovery: 16:05.

Sources:

Menkaura pyramid scans: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S096386952500012X

Tanis discovery: https://english.ahram.org.eg/NewsContent/9/40/557221/Antiquities/Ancient-Egypt/-royal-ushabti-figurines-unearthed-in-Nile-Delta-T.aspx

Alexandria ship:

Amarna plague:

Thera Eruption and Tempest Stela:

Karnak re-dated:

Niuserra Valley Temple:

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A quick message to say thanks for listening in 2025, and what's coming up on the podcast...

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I recently did an interview with the Science Factory YouTube channel. This is a short preview of the conversation. Find the full video at the Science Factory on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_K731D4bfMw and on their podcast

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Howdy folks, it's time for another Livestream lecture! This time, I want to take you on a tour of Abu Simbel. To explain the design, decoration, and history of the monument. Along the way, we'll introduce Nefertari and her special temple, and the myriad royal children whom Ramesses displayed on his monuments.

Livestream will be on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/@dominicperryae

The lecture should last approx. 60 minutes, with time at the end for questions etc. Hope to see you there!

Timezone conversions:

Los Angeles, USA: Sat, 20 Dec 2025 at 11:30 PST

Chicago, USA: Sat, 20 Dec 2025 at 13:30 CST

New York, USA: Sat, 20 Dec 2025 at 14:30 EST

London, United Kingdom: Sat, 20 Dec 2025 at 19:30 GMT

Cairo, Egypt: Sat, 20 Dec 2025 at 21:30 EET

Seoul, South Korea: Sun, 21 Dec 2025 at 04:30 KST

Auckland, New Zealand: Sun, 21 Dec 2025 at 08:30 NZDT

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