Society and Death. Around 1872 BCE, King Senuseret III (Kha-Kau-Re) was powerful and secure. The wealthy nobles of the kingdom began to respond to this power...

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Janet Richards, Society and Death in Ancient Egypt: Mortuary Landscapes of the Middle Kingdom, 2005 (Google Books Preview).

The History Blog, “Met Saves Treasures of Harageh from Auction Sale,” 2014 (Blog post). Original Auction.

A. Illin-Tomich, “A Twelfth Dynasty Stela Workshop Possibly from Saqqara,” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology volume 97, 2011 (Academia.edu).

Reshafim.org: “The Ikher-nefret Stela,” and “The Loyalist Instruction of Sehetepibre” and “The Teaching of a Man for his Son.”

Wolfram Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, 2006.

W.K. Simpson (editor), The Literature of Ancient Egypt, 2003.

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Senuseret III (Part 1): A Secret Tomb. Around 1880 BCE, one of Egypt's most successful rulers took the throne. Sen-Useret III was a mighty and influential King, who would enjoy a lasting legacy of power, justice, and splendour...

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Josef Wegner, “The Tomb of Senwosret III at Abydos: Considerations on the Origin and Development of the Royal Amduat-Tomb,” in Archaism and Innovation, 2009 (Free Download).

Josef Wegner and Mary-Ann Pouls Wegner, “Seat of Eternity” in Archaeology Magazine, July/August 2001 (JSTOR).

Vanessa E. Smith, “An Investigation of the Shena of Divine Offerings Adjacent to the Mortuary Temple of Senwosret III at Abydos, Egypt,” PhD. Dissertation, University of Pennsylvania, 2010.

Wolfram Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, 2006.

Penn Museum Website – Abydos.

Ancient Egypt Online – Senwosret III at Dahshur.

Metropolitan Museum of Art Website – Senwosret III’s Pyramid at Dahshur.

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The Lake Pyramid. Around 1892 BCE, a new ruler came to power. His name was Senuseret II, and while he did not rule long, this king had a big impact on his dynasty...

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Wolfram Grajetzki – The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, 2006.

Nicolas Grimal – A History of Egypt, 1994.

Aidan Dodson and Dyan Hilton – The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2010.

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Interlude: How the Egyptians Celebrated. From beer halls to temples to cemeteries, this episode explores Egyptian revelry. We focus on two major festivals: the raucous celebrations for Hathor, and the sombre re-enactment of the Osiris story...

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John C. Darnell, “The Opet Festival.” UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology.

LA Times interview with Prof. Betsy M. Bryan, Johns Hopkins University.

E.F. Morris, “Sacred and Obscene Laughter in the Contendings of Horus and Seth,” in Egyptian Stories, 2007.

Plutarch, Isis and Osiris (1st Century CE).

The Ikher-nefret Stela (12th Dynasty).

Additional Music by Vangelis – Alexander (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack).

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Amenemhat II (Part 2): Fabulous Wealth. From 1927 – 1910 BCE, Nub-Kau-Re Amenemhat II launches expeditions to lands outside Egypt. Trade missions to and from the Levant bring wealth and exotic goods into Egypt. Treasures even come from southern Turkey and the Aegean Sea, finding their way into the temples being built or renovated by the king.

Nubkaure’s reign is remarkable for the archaeological finds of al-Tod that give testament to the foreign wealth entering the kingdom. This wealth goes to fund a number of building projects…

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Wolfram Grajetzki – The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. 2006.

Nicolas Grimal – A History of Egypt. 1994.

Ezra S. Marcus – “Amenemhet II and the Sea: Maritime Aspects of the Mit Rahina (Memphis) Expedition.” Egypt and the Levant vol. 17 (2007) . Free Download (Academia.edu)

K.R. Maxwell-Hyslop – “A Note on the Anatolian Connections of the Tod Treasure” Anatolian Studies vol. 45 (1995) – Read Free Online (JSTOR)

Lawrence E. Stager – “Port Power in the Early and the Middle Bronze Age: The Organization of Maritime Trade and Hinterland Production.” Studies in the Archaeology of Israel and Neighboring Lands in Memory of Douglas L. Esse. 2001. Free Download (Oriental Institute, University of Chicago)

Metropolitan Museum News – the Colossal Statue of Amenemhat II.

Reshafim.org – the biography of Thoth-Hotep.

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Amenemhat II (Part 1): International Fame. Around 1927 BCE, King Nub-kau-Re Amenemhat II came to power. His reign was peaceful and prosperous, and many treasures emerge from this period...

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Jacques de Morgan, Fouilles a Dachour 1894-1895, 1903 (Free Download).

The New York Times, 1899 – Jacques de Morgan speaks to the American Archaeological and Numismatic Society on his discovery.

Reshafim.org – the Biography of Khnumhotep II, of Beni Hassan (Menat Khufu).

Wolfram Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, 2006.

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Senuseret I (Part 4): Money Money Honey. Gold drives empires today, and the ancient Egyptians were no different. Senuseret I sends warriors into Nubia, the Sinai Peninsula and the Eastern Desert. They go in search of precious metals, resources needed for the King's monuments...

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Wolfram Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, 2006.

Henriette Hafsas-Talkos,  “Between Kush and Egypt: the C-Group People of Lower Nubia,” in Between the Cataracts: Proceedings of the 11th International Conference for Nubian Studies, 2006.

Morris, E. F. (2005). The Architecture of Imperialism: Military Bases and the Evolution of Foreign Policy in Egypt’s New Kingdom.

Török, L. (2009). Between Two Worlds: The Frontier Region Between Ancient Nubia and Egypt, 3700 BC-AD 500.

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Senuseret I (Part 3): Creating Karnak Temple. The temple of Karnak is a wonder of the world; but its origins are mostly lost, beneath generations of re-modelling and re-building. Nevertheless, a few traces survive of the earliest days; among them, a magnificent monument of King Senuseret I...

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Wolfram Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt, 2006.

James H. Breasted, A History of Egypt, 1905 (1959 Edition).

UCLA Digital Karnak Project.

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Senuseret I (Part 2): Teachings from the Father. Around 1962 BCE, King Sen-Useret I came to power. His father was dead, assassinated by his own royal guards. Now, the new ruler had to figure things out. Fortunately, Senuseret had some "teachings" from his father. What a coincidence, right?

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Dorothea Arnold, “Amenemhat I and the Early Twelfth Dynasty at Thebes,” Metropolitan Museum of Art Journal 1991.

Wolfram Grajetzki, Court Officials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom, 2009.

Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2008.

William C. Hayes, The Scepter of Egypt, 1976.

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Senuseret I (Part 1): Sinuhe's Fear and Flight. Around 1962 BCE, conspirators broke into the royal bedchamber and attacked King Amenemhat in his bed. The result was panic. The king's son Senuseret was far from home, and the situation was incredibly perilous. In the midst of this, a minor official named Sinuhe got caught up in the storm, and decided to flee for his life. Thereby hangs a tale...

Other podcasts:

The Tale of Sinuhe, discussed on BBC Radio 4 "In Our Time" with Melvyn Bragg. A nice (and very British) discussion of the tale. Enjoy!

A new reading! Barbara Ewing (actress) and Richard M. Parkinson (Professor of Egyptology, Oxford) have produced a new version of Sinuhe’s tale.

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Miriam Lichtheimm Ancient Egyptian Literature, 2006.

W.K. Simpson (editor), The Literature of Ancient Egypt, 2003.

Scott Morschauser, “What made Sinuhe run?” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt 37 (2000).

Hans Goedicke, “Sinuhe’s Duel.” JARCE 21 (1984): 197-201.

Anthony Spalinger, “Orientations on Sinuhe,” Studien zur Altägypischen Kultur 25 (1998).

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