Elizabeth Frood is Associate Professor of Egyptology and Director of the Griffith Institute at the University of Oxford, UK. In a lively discussion, Dr. Frood shares her insights into ancient lives and how people living in the non-royal sphere approached their immortality. Statues, texts and graffiti show us the minds of these people and how they depicted their concerns, beliefs and ideas. It's a great conversation and I think you'll really enjoy it!

Prof. Frood's book: Biographical Texts from Ramessid Egypt, 2007.

Academic pages:

Prof. Frood's story:

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The Place of Beauties (Ta-Set-Neferu). In the reigns of Ramesses I and Sety I (c.1304—1292 BCE), the Valley of the Queens finally earned its moniker. Having been a burial ground for royal children and courtiers, the wadi south of Deir el-Medina now began to host ruling women. In the days of Sety I, the Queen Mother Sitra and the Queen Tuya both received new tomb constructions in this site. Their monuments include evocative passages from the Book of the Dead (Chapter 17), and hints of the wonders to come in future generations…

Tombs discussed in this episode:

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Understanding the deities requires us to move beyond inherited preconceptions and prejudices. Fortunately, there are many gods worthy of the effort. From the deified Sphinx Horemakhet, to the meme-lord Medjed, to the deified lover-boy Antinous, the pantheon is rich in variety and personalities. It is a subject that today’s guest, Dr. Tamara L. Siuda, has devoted a great deal of time. Her new book, The Complete Encyclopedia of Egyptian Deities (2024) is a comprehensive guide to many of these figures…

Dr. Tamara Siuda’s website: https://tamarasiuda.com/ 

For a limited time, 20% off the purchase of The Complete Encyclopedia of Egyptian Deities at Llewellyn.com. Code: CEED20. Valid: 1/23/25 – 2/28/25. Offer cannot be combined with other discounts. Must be logged in to your Llewellyn account for coupon to apply to cart.

Dr. Siuda has generously offered a permanent discount code on any item in her bookstore. Visit http://tamarasiuda.com/shop and use the coupon code historical to receive 20% off any order. Valid for one order per customer.

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The Book of the Sky Cow. In the waning years of the 18th Dynasty (the reign of Tut’ankhamun) royal artisans began decorating tombs and funerary equipment with a new text. Sometimes known as “The Destruction of Mankind,” the book tells of a distant age, when Ra ruled on earth. But as the sun-god aged, a group of humans perceived his weakness, and plotted rebellion. Faced with an uprising, Ra marshalled his supporters and sent forth an enforcer. The goddess Hat-Hor (and her alter ego Sakhmet) began to wreak havoc upon the lowly, wayward humans…

The Book of the Sky Cow:

The History of Egypt Podcast:

Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.

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Music and interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.

Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.

Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.

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Hathor's temple at Dendera is one of the best in Egypt. Constructed in the late 1st Millennium BCE (but with roots stretching back to the Old Kingdom), Hathor’s house preserves amazing art, hieroglyphs, and secrets. It is a temple that today’s guest, José M. Barrera, devoted a great deal of energy to documenting. The result is a wonderful study of Hathor’s celestial realm…

See José's amazing photography of Dendera's ceiling and learn more about his book Dendera: The Temple of Time (2024) at his website: https://josemariabarrera.com/dendera/

See the video version of this interview at https://youtu.be/7xjUzTcRMH0

Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.

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

Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.

Music and interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.

Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.

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Livestream recording. The tombs of Deir el-Medina are some of the most vibrant and beautiful in Waset (Thebes). How did they build them, which artists decorated them, and how did folk like Sennedjem pay for the construction and furnishing?

Video version available at Patreon, with extended artistic discussion.

Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.

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Intro music by Bettina Joy de Guzman www.bettinajoydeguzman.com. 

Music and interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.

Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.

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New Year, New Home. My wife and I are moving to the UK in February 2025. How will this improve / affect the podcast? Details inside.

Next livestream: “How to Make Your Own Tomb,” based on the artists’ tombs at Deir el-Medina. Held on YouTube live: https://youtube.com/live/500MMqMUlH8. 

Date and time zone conversion:

Auckland: Sun, 29 Dec 2024 at 9:00 a.m. NZDT

Sydney: Sun, 29 Dec 2024 at 7:00 a.m. AEDT

Cairo: Sat, 28 Dec 2024 at 10:00 p.m. EET

Berlin: Sat, 28 Dec 2024 at 9:00 p.m. CET

London: Sat, 28 Dec 2024 at 8:00 p.m. GMT

New York: Sat, 28 Dec 2024 at 3:00 p.m. EST

Chicago: Sat, 28 Dec 2024 at 2:00 p.m. CST

Los Angeles: Sat, 28 Dec 2024 at 12:00 Noon PST

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Sety’s final campaign. In winter of year 8 (approx. December 1296 BCE), the King of Egypt Sety I received news: rebellion in the south. In a land called Irem, now in modern Sudan, locals were resisting Egypt’s monarch. Sety gathered an army of infantry and chariots and set off to war. The story is told by Egyptians participating in the event, and by monuments erected to commemorate it…

See the temple of Beit el-Wali at https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Temple_of_Beit_el-Wali

Music by Bettina Joy de Guzman www.bettinajoydeguzman.com.

Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.

Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.

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

Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.

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Livestream recording. The village of Deir el-Medina first arose in the 18th Dynasty (c.1550—1310 BCE), but the historical records really multiply in the 19th and 20th Dynasties (c.1310—1070 BCE). In this livestream recording, I set the scene for the village and introduce you to some of its inhabitants. We explore houses and families, and a couple of intact tombs that shed light on the inhabitants…

Video version available at https://www.patreon.com/posts/livestream-deir-117598390.

Deir el-Medina Village

TT1 Sennedjem and Family

TT8 Tomb of Kha & Merit

The History of Egypt Podcast:

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Deir el-Medina’s Golden Age (Part 1). In the age of Sety I, the village of the tomb-builders expanded significantly. Likewise, our evidence for daily life, families, households, and business begins to proliferate. Historians can identify individuals from tombs and connect them with specific houses. We can track their movements, as they form relationships, get married, have children, and pass things to their descendants. Written records tell us about the village’s operations, including their funding from the pharaoh’s government. Around 1300 BCE, we stand on the threshold of some truly detailed stories…

DEIR EL-MEDINA LIVESTREAM, open to the public, see details here: https://www.patreon.com/posts/116333133.

See photos of Deir el-Medina by:

For personal items, including food discovered in tombs, see the collection of the Museo Egizio, Turin (English database).

People and families of Deir el-Medina: Davies, B. G. (1999). Who’s Who at Deir el-Medina: A Prosopographic Study of the Royal Workmen’s Community. Available free from the publisher and author at https://www.nino-leiden.nl/publication/whos-who-at-deir-el-medina and https://www.academia.edu/10955578/Whos_Who_at_Deir_el_Medina.

Music and interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.

Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.

Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.

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Logo image: The Workman Sennedjem and his wife Iy-Nefret worship the sky goddess Nut, who emerges from a sycamore tree (Photo Chris Ward).

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