The History of Egypt Podcast

By Dominic Perry

Ancient Egypt, from Creation to Cleopatra. This podcast tells the story of ancient Egypt, "in their own words." Using texts, art, and archaeology, we uncover the world of the Nile Valley and its peopl... more

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How many episodes does The History of Egypt Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 397 episodes available.

The History of Egypt Podcast episodes:

November 15, 2024 196: The Golden Path
The plan of an honest ruler. Around 1300 BCE, as today, gold was big business. King Sety I personally led an expedition into the eastern desert, to establish a new mining operation. Back in the Nile Valley, high-ranking officials leave monuments testifying to their work delivering, securing, and recording that gold. And thanks to art and artefacts, we can reconstruct the items these gold-workers produced. From the Red Sea Mountains to the Temple of Abydos, we follow the paths of gold…
Logo image: Silver and gold statuette of a New Kingdom pharaoh, possibly Sety I (Louvre).
For records of Sety and his contemporaries, see Kenneth Kitchen. Ramesside Inscriptions, Volume I. Versions: Hieroglyphs; English translations; References and Commentary.
Photos of Sety’s Temple at Kanais in the Wadi Barramiya.
Sety’s monuments including the Abydos and Kanais temples, in P. J. Brand, The Monuments of Seti I: Epigraphic, Historical and Art Historical Analysis (2000). Available free online at Academia.edu.
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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52min
November 08, 2024195: A Quest for Gold
Sety in the Desert. Around 1300 BCE, King Sety led an expedition into the Red Sea hills. His purpose? Gold. The King brought soldiers and charioteers out to mine precious metals for his treasuries. The journey was difficult, traversing a dry and rocky landscape far from the comforts of home. Fortunately, Sety left detailed descriptions of the event; and art and artefacts from this era allow us to reconstruct the journey...
Episode details:
Logo image: Soldiers make camp, setting up tents for commanders. Tomb of Horemheb at Saqqara (Martin 2016).
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.
The Wadi Barramiya, in which Sety’s expedition travelled, by Hakatani Tenfu at Flickr.com.
The Kanais Temple of Sety I, in the Wadi Barramiya, by Mutnedjmet at Flickr.com.
Select bibliography:
A. Dodson, Sethy I King of Egypt: His Life and Afterlife (Cairo, 2019).
H. Gauthier, ‘Le temple de l’Ouâdi Mîyah (el Knaïs)’, Bulletin de l’Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale 17 (1920), 1--38. Available online.
K. A. Kitchen, Ramesside Inscriptions Historical and Biographical, I (Oxford, 1975).
R. Klemm and D. Klemm, Gold and Gold Mining in Ancient Egypt and Nubia: Geoarchaeology of the Ancient Gold Mining Sites in the Egyptian and Sudanese Eastern Deserts (Berlin, 2013).
G. T. Martin, Tutankhamun’s Regent: Scenes and Texts from the Memphite Tomb of Horemheb (EES Excavation Memoir 111; London, 2016).
C. D. Reader, A Gift of Geology: Ancient Egyptian Landscapes and Monuments (Cairo, 2022).
R. D. Rothe et al., Pharaonic Inscriptions from the Southern Eastern Desert of Egypt (Winona Lake, 2008).
B. M. Sampsell, The Geology of Egypt: A Traveler’s Handbook (Cairo, 2014).
See website for complete listing.

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38min
November 01, 2024194: A Prince of Egypt (feat. Prof. Peter Brand)
Ramesses Rising. Traditionally, Egyptian princes are almost invisible. The pharaohs downplayed the presence of their sons, to reduce political competition and maintain religious order. Sety I (c.1300 BCE) changed this habit. In art and monuments, he promoted young Ramesses II to a position of prominence and power. The exact nature of this promotion is slightly controversial among Egyptologists. In this episode, we explore Ramesses’ rise and some of the thorny issues. Additionally, Prof. Peter Brand joins us to discuss some of the harder questions on these period.
Peter Brand, The Monuments of Sety I (2000), available free at Academia.edu.
Peter Brand, Ramesses II: Egypt’s Ultimate Pharaoh (2023) available from Lockwood Press.
Music and interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.
Music and interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.
Outro music: “River Lullaby” from The Prince of Egypt (1998) – Harp cover by The Knitting Harpist (YouTube).
The History of Egypt Podcast:
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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1h 14min
October 28, 2024Next Livestream: The Two Tombs of Horemheb
I’ll be doing another Livestream Lecture this weekend. The topic will be the Two Tombs of Horemheb, at Saqqara and the Valley of the Kings (KV57). I'll be talking about:
Horemheb's career progression and how it affected the development of his tombs.
The art and decoration of these monuments and trends in Egyptian funerary culture.
Evidence for burials in the tombs and what we know of Horemheb's physical legacy.
Date: Sunday, 03rd November at 09:00 (New Zealand time). Find your time zone conversions here.
Once again, the Livestream will be open to all members of my Patreon (both free and paid). Find the link to the lecture here: Livestream 03rd November LINK. The recorded version will be exclusive to paid members at Scribe tier and higher.

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3min
October 25, 2024193: Slaying the Bull of Seth (Ramesses’ First Rodeo)
In the Temple of Sety I at Abydos, an out-of-the-way corridor preserves a unique image. The King of Egypt, and his eldest son, wrangle and subdue a bull. This scene appears simple, at first glance. But it has a wealth of deeper symbolism and meanings. In this episode, we explore the idea of Bulls as images of power and violence, and their relationship with gods like Osiris and Seth…
Episode logo: Ramesses and the Bull, by artist Brenna Baines (commissioned by The History of Egypt Podcast). Full version available on my Patreon (link below).
The Bull Hall photos by Heidi Kontkanen at Flickr.com.
The Bull Hall in Peter Brand, Monuments of Sety I (2000) available free online.
The History of Egypt Podcast:
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.
Sound effects purchased from Pond5.
Select Bibliography:
M. Abuel-Yazid, ‘Architecture of the Slaughterhouse of the Seti Temple at Abydos’, in I. Regulski (ed.), Abydos: The Sacred Land at the Western Horizon (2019), 7—24.
L. Baqué, ‘“On that Day When the Long-Horned Bull was Lassoed...” (PT [254] 286). A Scene in the “Corridor of the Bull” of the Cenotaph of Sethos I in Abydos: An Iconologic Approach’, Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur 30 (2002), 43—51.
P. J. Brand, The Monuments of Seti I: Epigraphic, Historical and Art Historical Analysis (2000). Available free online.
R. H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (2003).
J. M. Galán, ‘Bullfight Scenes in Ancient Egyptian Tombs’, Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 80 (1994), 81—96.
See website for complete reference list.

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46min
October 17, 2024192b: Seth's Lore
Warrior, protector, murderer. By 1300 BCE, the Egyptian god Seth had become a complex and multi-faceted deity. Chaotic and destructive, but not "evil," Seth played an important role in the gods' realm and our own. This legend developed and evolved over centuries, from the earliest religious literature to the imperial age. In this episode, we explore Seth's role, appearances, and descriptions in the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts, Book of the Dead, Amduat, and Book of Gates. And we try to get to grips with a god who was (quite literally) two-faced...
Episode details:
Date: c. 2400 - 1300 BCE (Old, Middle, and New Kingdoms up to the reign of Sety I).
Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.
Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast.
Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.
Music intro and outro by Michael Levy.
Music interludes by Luke Chaos and Keith Zizza.
Logo image: The hybrid deity Herfy ("Two-Face"), combining the powers of Horus and Seth. Hour 10 of the Book of Gates, from the tomb of Tausret in the Valley of the Kings (Line drawing by Dominic Perry, based on photo by Erik Hornung).
General studies: Erik Hornung, The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife (1999) at Internet Archive. John Darnell and Colleen Manassa Darnell, The Ancient Egyptian Netherworld Books at JSTOR.org and the Society of Biblical Literature.
Pyramid Texts in English translation and Egyptian hieroglyphs (Pyramid Texts Online by Vincent Brown).
Coffin Texts in English translation by Raymond Faulkner (1973—1978): Volume I, Volume III. I have been unable to find a copy of Volume II online; if you are aware of one, please let me know. Egyptian Hieroglyphs available in Open Access via the University of Chicago.
Book of the Dead in English translation by Raymond Faulkner (1982 edition) at Internet Archive. Edited volume of scholarly articles available at The University of Chicago (2017, edited by Foy Scalf). Additional English translation, transliteration, and commentary by Stephen Quirke (2013).
The Amduat (Book of the Hidden Chamber) in English translation, transliteration, and Egyptian hieroglyphs by Erik Hornung (2007).
The Book of Gates in English translation, transliteration, and Egyptian hieroglyphs by Erik Hornung (2013).

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1h 19min
October 11, 2024192: The Trouble With Seth
Identity crisis. Seth (aka Sutekh / Setekh / Suty) is a complicated deity. A master of storms, winds, deserts and seas, Seth dominates foreigners and the world outside Egypt. However, he is also treacherous, violent, and aggressive; a god who slew his own brother and tried to seize the throne for himself. As a result, Seth has a complicated relationship with the Egyptian kingship. Part defender and source of legitimacy, but also a threat to the stable order of the world (ma’at). Most kings navigated this relationship fairly easily. But then, most kings weren’t named after the god himself. As a pharaoh of Egypt, a living Horus, and the son of Osiris, King Sety I had to work hard to reconcile his personal identity with his divine. The results are visible on his monuments…
Date: Reign of Sety I (c.1300 BCE).
Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.
Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast.
Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.
Music intro, outro, and interludes: Michael Levy.
Music interludes: Keith Zizza and Luke Chaos.
Logo image: A Seth-headed-Sphinx, on an obelisk of Sety I, originally from Heliopolis but now in Alexandria (Line drawing by Dominic Perry, based on a photo by Heidi Kontkanen).
Select Bibliography:
J. P. Allen, The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts (2nd edn, 2015).
P. J. Brand, The Monuments of Seti I: Epigraphic, Historical and Art Historical Analysis (2000).
E. Cruz-Uribe, ‘The Father of Ramses I: OI 11456’, Journal of Near Eastern Studies 37 (1978), 237—244.
E. Cruz-Uribe, ‘Stḫ ꜥꜣ pḥty “Seth, God of Power and Might”’, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 45 (2009), 201—26.
A. el-Sawi, ‘Some Variations of Writing of the Names of Sety I at Abydos’, Annales du Services des Antiquités de l’Egypte 70 Supplement (1987), 53—63.
J. G. Griffith, The Conflict of Horus and Seth from Egyptian and Classical Sources (1960).
C. A. Hope, ‘Reconstructing the Image of Seth, Lord of the Oasis, in his Temple at Mut el-Kharab in Dakhleh Oasis’, Rich and Great: Studies in Honour of Anthony J. Spalinger on the Occasion of his 70th Feast of Thoth (2016), 123—145.
K. A. Kitchen, Ramesside Inscriptions Translated and Annotated: Translations Volume I: Ramesses I, Sethos I and Contemporaries (Second Publication edn, 2017).
W. M. F. Petrie and J. E. Quibell, Naqada and Ballas 1895 (1896).
D. Schorsch and M. T. Wypyski, ‘Seth, “Figure of Mystery”’, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 45 (2009), 177—200.
D. Stewart, ‘The Myth of Osiris in the Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, Monash University (2014).
I. R. Taylor, ‘Deconstructing the Iconography of Seth’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, University of Birmingham (2016).
H. te Velde, ‘The Egyptian God Seth as a Trickster’, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 7 (1968), 37—40.
H. te Velde, Seth, God of Confusion (1967).
H. te Velde, ‘Seth’, in D. B. Redford (ed.), The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt, 3 (2001), 269—271.
P. J. Turner, ‘Seth – A Misrepresented God in the Ancient Egyptian Pantheon?’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, The University of Manchester (2012).
R. H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt (2003).
H. E. Winlock, The Temple of Ramesses I at Abydos (1937).
‘Stèle Cintrée E26017’, Musée du Louvre, <https://collections.louvre.fr/ark:/53355/cl010004210> accessed 2.2.2024.

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41min
October 04, 2024 Interlude: Sety I Phase One (Summary)
Sety I reigned (approx.) 1303--1292 BCE. In the first half of his reign, the King's followers achieved significant and splendid deeds. We explore these achievements in aggregate, and what they all mean for the Egyptian people. Plus, what 19th Dynasty "expansion" means for our story of pharaohs, ordinary people, and the gods...
Logo image: Sety I, a painted panel from his tomb (Louvre Museum).
Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com.
Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast.
Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.
Music by Jeffrey Goodman www.jeffreygoodman.com.
Interludes by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net.
Interludes by Luke Chaos www.chaosmusick.com.

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24min
September 27, 2024The Sword of Ramesses (News from the Field)
Blade of Frontiers (not Wyll). In September 2024, the Ministry of Tourism & Antiquities announced new discoveries including a sword inscribed with the names of Ramesses II, King of Egypt. In this episode, we discuss the weapon and its origins, as well as the larger significance of the fortress in which this discovery occurred. Who did the sword belong to? What was this fortress guarding against?
Egyptian swords in museum collections:
https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/545558
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA5425
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA52850
https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA36769
The Egyptian army and fortifications:
Video lecture series, "Perspectives on the Ramesside Military System" on YouTube.
The Old Kingdom (c.2500—2200 BCE): Spotify and Website.
Grave of the Unknown Warriors (c.2000 BCE): Spotify.
The Army of Sety I (c.1300 BCE), Part 1: Spotify.
The Army of Sety I (c.1300 BCE), Part 2: Spotify.
The New Kingdom (c.1500—1150 BCE): Spotify and YouTube.
Ian Shaw, Ancient Egyptian Warfare (Oxford, 2019).
C. Vogel, The Fortifications of Ancient Egypt 3000-1780 BC (Botley, 2010).
E. F. Morris, The Architecture of Imperialism: Military Bases and the Evolution of Foreign Policy in Egypt’s New Kingdom (Leiden, 2005).
B. McDermott, Warfare in Ancient Egypt (Stroud, 2004).

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21min
September 26, 2024 Some upcoming things: Livestream, Return to New Kingdom, and the 2025 Tour
Return to the New Kingdom. Livestream of First Intermediate Period history. Update on the 2025 Tour.
Quick update on Egyptology news and what's coming up on the podcast.
Mini episode about "the sword of Ramesses II" coming in a few days.
Livestream on First Intermediate Period monuments/tombs/stories this weekend, see blog post on Patreon.
Update for people interested in the 2025 (February) Tour to Egypt with Ancient World Tours.

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5min

FAQs about The History of Egypt Podcast:

How many episodes does The History of Egypt Podcast have?

The podcast currently has 397 episodes available.

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