The History of Egypt

Splendour and Ceremony. On April 3rd, 2021, Egypt hosted a magnificent celebration. Royal mummies, including Kings and Queens, departed their old home and made for a new one. In future, these rulers will reside in the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. Moving the royal mummies was a complex, grandiose event. I report on the parade, and the historical background of these famous mummies… Recordings of the parade on YouTube Musical performance by Amira Salim and Ahmed Mounib Cairo residents cheer the parade, by Rania Atef on Twitter Details of the performance by Heba Abd el Gawad on Twitter Photos at Ahram. Further details, links, images, and references at The History of Egypt Podcast website. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Select Bibliography:  The Pharaohs’ Golden Parade: Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities YouTube stream (Arabic). Experience Egypt YouTube stream (Arabic and English). Reuters YouTube stream (Arabic and English). Performance by Amira Selim with “violin” music by Ahmed Mounib. Twitter thread by Heba abd el Gawad. The Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities on Facebook. Maspero, “Les Momies Royales de Déir el-Bahari,” Mémoires publiés par les membres de la mission archéologique française du Caire, vol. 1 (1889): 511–790. Available online. Reeves and R. H. Wilkinson, The Complete Valley of the Kings (London, 1996). Romer, Valley of the Kings (London, 1981). Thompson, Wonderful Things, A History of Egyptology, II: The Golden Age: 1881–1914 (Cairo, 2015). Wilson, “Finding Pharaoh,” The Century: Illustrated Monthly Magazine 34 (May 1887): 3–10. Winlock, “The Tomb of Queen Meryetamun: I The Discovery.” The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin33, no. 2 (1975): 77–89. Web Archive: Theban Tomb 320 (TT320) also known as Deir el-Bahari 320 (DB320) “The Cachette of the Royal Mummies” Available online. KV35 (Amunhotep II tomb) at pl. Video: Cairo residents cheer the parade on Twitter. Video: A trip to the Royal Cache (TT320 / DB320) on YouTube. Mummies: The mummies found in TT320 / DB320 at Wikimedia and The Theban Royal Mummy Project. The mummies found in KV35 (Amunhotep II) at Wikimedia and SLU. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A complicated career. In the reigns of Akhenaten and Tut'ankhamun, one of Egypt's top religious officials was Mery-Neith ("Beloved of Neith"). This man served in the temples, first as a Steward, then as the High Priest of Aten in Amarna. Along the way, Meryneith had to navigate the difficult political waters. To survive in Akhenaten's court, he even had to change his name... Date c.1360 – 1340 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Zizza. Music by Ancient Lyric. See other shows from the Agora Podcast Network. The History of Egypt Podcast endorses RA EGYPTIAN, the clean, natural skincare line with products derived from ancient Egyptian sources. Use the checkout code EGYPT to enjoy 30% off your order! Select Bibliography:  The Tomb of Meryneith: Summary of excavations at Saqqara.nl High-quality photos by merja attia at Flickr N. Kawai, ‘Studies in the Reign of Tutankhamun’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, Johns Hopkins University (2005). M. J. Raven and R. van Walsem, The Tomb of Meryneith at Saqqara (Turnhout, 2014). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I'm bringing ma'at back. One of Tutankhamun's famous projects is the Restoration, a country-wide program of repairs and gifts for major temples. After the excesses of Akhenaten, the boy king and his government invested massive amounts of resources. Their goal? Renew the temples, replenish the priesthood, and curry favour with both the gods and the elites of Egyptian society...   Date c.1341 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. The History of Egypt Podcast is supported by RA EGYPTIAN, the natural skincare line with products derived from ancient Egypt. Visit www.ra-egyptian.com and use the checkout code EGYPT to receive a massive 30% discount on your order.  Select Bibliography:  J. Bennett, ‘The Restoration Inscription of Tut’ankhamūn’, The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 25 (1939), 8–15. JSTOR. A. Dodson, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation (2nd Edition edn, Cairo, 2017). M. Eaton-Krauss, The Unknown Tutankhamun (London, 2016). N. Kawai, ‘Studies in the Reign of Tutankhamun’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, Johns Hopkins University (2005). W.J. Murnane, Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt (Atlanta, 1995). N. Reeves, The Complete Tutankhamun (Cairo, 1990). M. van Nederhof, “Restoration Stela of Tutankhamun,” Transliteration and translation online. M. Eaton-Krauss, The Unknown Tutankhamun (London, 2016). The Epigraphic Survey, Reliefs and Inscriptions at Luxor Temple – Volume I: The Festival Procession of Opet in the Colonnade Hall (Chicago, 1994). The Epigraphic Survey, Reliefs and Inscriptions at Luxor Temple – Volume II: The Facade, Portals, Upper Register Scenes, Columns, Marginalia, and Statuary in the Colonnade Hall (Chicago, 1998). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Tut-Ankh-Amun. Early in his reign, the young pharaoh Tut-ankh-Aten changed his name to Tut-ankh-Amun. Why did he do this? What did it mean? And how much control did this young ruler have over his own identity? Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Zizza https://www.keithzizza.net/. Music by Ancient Lyric http://www.bettinajoydeguzman.com/. Music by Jeffrey Goodman http://www.jeffreygoodmanmusic.com/. Sound Interludes by Luke Chaos https://twitter.com/Luke_Chaos. Audio mixing/editing by Vincent Cavanagh. The History of Egypt Podcast endorses RA EGYPTIAN, the clean, natural skincare line with products derived from ancient Egyptian sources. Use the checkout code EGYPT to enjoy 30% off your order!  Select Bibliography: The House of Ranefer The Amarna Project Website: with separate pages for background and excavations in 1921, 2002, 2003, 2004. Bronze plaques from the House of Ranefer at Wikimedia. Kemp, “Tell el-Amarna, 2004,” The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology 90 (2004), 14–26. Kemp, The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and Its People (London, 2014). J. Murnane, Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt (Atlanta, 1995). E. Peet and C. L. Woolley, The City of Akhenaten, Volume I (London, 1923). Schulman, “Military Rank, Title, and Organization in the Egyptian New Kingdom,” Unpublished PhD. Thesis, University of Pennsylvania (1962). Spalinger, “Review of Robert Hari, Répertoire onomastique amarnien, 1976,” Journal of Near Eastern studies 39 (1980), 230–1. Tutankhamun Dodson, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation (2nd Edition edn, Cairo, 2017). Eaton-Krauss, The Unknown Tutankhamun (London, 2016). Gabolde, D’Akhenaton à Toutânkhamon (Paris, 1998). Kawai, ‘Studies in the Reign of Tutankhamun’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, Johns Hopkins University (2005). J. Leprohon, The Great Name: Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary (Wilson, 2013). J. Murnane, Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt (Atlanta, 1995). Reeves, The Complete Tutankhamun (Cairo, 1990). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A famous reign. Following the death of Nefer-neferu-aten, a new ruler came to the throne. Tut-ankh-Aten was young, perhaps nine years old. He inherited power at a tumultuous point in history... Date c. 1343 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Zizza. Additional music by Jeffrey Goodman. Audio mixing/editing by Vincent Cavanagh. Written by Dominic Perry. The History of Egypt Podcast endorses RA EGYPTIAN, the clean, natural skincare line with products derived from ancient Egyptian sources. Use the checkout code EGYPT to enjoy 30% off your order!  Select Bibliography: A. Dodson, Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation (2nd Edition, Cairo, 2017). A. Dodson and D. Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt (London, 2004). M. Eaton-Krauss, ‘King Tutankhaten’, Orientalia 80 (2011), 300–4. M. Eaton-Krauss, The Unknown Tutankhamun (London, 2016). M. Gabolde, D’Akhenaton à Toutânkhamon (Paris, 1998). N. Kawai, ‘Studies in the Reign of Tutankhamun’, Unpublished PhD. Thesis, Johns Hopkins University (2005). W. J. Murnane, Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt (Atlanta, 1995). N. Reeves, The Complete Tutankhamun (Cairo, 1990). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What does a mummy smell like? Prof. Ann Rosalie David is a pioneering researcher in mummies and ancient pathology. Having led many studies on Egyptian bodies, Prof. David helps reconstruct the lifestyles of the past. In this interview, she helpfully answers questions about ancient diseases, the Amarna royal mummies, and some left-field topics as well. Learn more about Ann Rosalie David and her work at Manchester University. Purchase "A Year in the Life of Ancient Egypt," by Rosalie David at Pen & Sword Publishing (Kindle, Hardcover, and ePub).  Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Ancient Lyric www.bettinajoydeguzman.com Sound effects by Keith Zizza keithzizza.com and Hathor Systrum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Powerful, but vanished. Following the death of Akhenaten, several prominent women disappear from history. Meritaten, the King’s Eldest Daughter; Kiya, one of his wives; and two mysterious daughters, the “Tasherits” present unresolved questions. What happened to them? We explore this question… Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net. Select Bibliography: Nile Magazine: “The Maia-Meritaten Mystery,” Online. Allen, James P. “The Amarna Succession,” in P. Brand and L. Cooper (eds) Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane (2009): 9–20. Dodson, Aidan. Amarna Sunrise: Egypt From Golden Age to Age of Heresy (2014). Dodson, Aidan. Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation. 2nd Edition (2017). Gabolde, Marc. “Under a Deep Blue Starry Sky,” in P. Brand and L. Cooper (eds) Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane (2009): 109–120. Murnane, William J. Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt (1995). Redford, Donald B. “Studies on Akhenaten at Thebes, Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt12 (1975): 11. JSTOR. Zivie, Alain P. “From Maia to Meritaten,” Saqqara Newsletter 17 (2019). edu Zivie, Alain P. La tombe de Maïa, mère nourricière du roi Toutânkhamon et grande du harem (Bub. I 20). Les tombes du Bubasteion à Saqqara 1 (2009). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Hidden Monument? In recent years, the public has thrilled to reports that hidden chambers, in the tomb of Tutankhamun, might contain the burial of Nefertiti. But the question of Nefertiti's tomb is complicated. In fact, it's possible she never even received a kingly/royal burial. In this episode, we explore the results of many studies... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com Music by Ancient Lyric www.bettinajoydeguzman.com Audio mixing/editing by Vincent Cavanagh Select Bibliography: Nature: “Radar clues reignite debate over hidden chambers” https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00465-y Dodson, Aidan. Nefertiti: Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt, Her Life and Afterlife. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2020. Dodson, Aidan. Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation. 2nd Edition. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2017. Reeves, Nicholas. ‘The Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62): Supplementary Notes (The Burial of Nefertiti? III).’ Amarna Royal Tombs Project, Valley of the Kings, Occasional Paper No. 5 (2020). Academia Reeves, Nicholas. “The Decorated North Wall in the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) (The Burial of Nefertiti? II).’ Amarna Royal Tombs Project, Valley of the Kings, Occasional Paper No. 3 (2019). Academia Reeves, Nicholas. ‘The Burial of Nefertiti?’ Amarna Royal Tombs Project, Valley of the Kings, Occasional Paper No. 1 (2015). Academia Reeves, Nicholas. ‘The Gold Mask of Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten’. Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections 7 (2015): 77–79. Reeves, Nicholas. ‘Tutankhamun’s Mask Reconsidered’. Bulletin of the Egyptological Seminar: The Art and Culture of Ancient Egypt: Studies in Honor of Dorothea Arnold 19 (2015): 511–26. Smith, Grafton Elliot. The Royal Mummies. London: Duckworth, 1912. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Short-Lived Reign. By 1344 BCE, Nefer-neferu-Aten (Nefertiti) was in her mid-thirties. She did not have long to live. In her third regnal year, the King of Egypt died. Her death is mysterious: was it natural, an accident, or murder? Studying Nefertiti's last years, and the mummy that might belong to her, we go in search of answers. How did Nefertiti die? Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Music by Ancient Lyric www.bettinajoydeguzman.com. Music by Jeffrey Goodman www.jeffreygoodmanmusic.com Select Bibliography: Dodson, Aidan. Amarna Sunrise: Egypt From Golden Age to Age of Heresy. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2014. Dodson, Aidan. Nefertiti: Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt, Her Life and Afterlife. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2020. Dodson, Aidan. Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation. 2nd Edition. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2017. Hawass, Zahi, Yehia Z. Gad, Somaia Ismail, Rabab Khairat, Dina Fathalla, Naglaa Hasan, Amal Ahmed, et al. ‘Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun’s Family’. JAMA 303, no. 7 (17 February 2010): 638–47. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2010.121. Hawass, Zahi, and Sahar N. Saleem. Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging in the New Kingdom Royal Mummies. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2016. Murnane, William J. Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995. Paulshock, Bernadine Z. ‘Tutankhamun’s Mother’. JAMA 249, no. 16 (22 April 1983): 2178–2178. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1983.03330400030014. Reeves, Nicholas. ‘The Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62): Supplementary Notes (The Burial of Nefertiti? III).’ Amarna Royal Tombs Project, Valley of the Kings, Occasional Paper No. 5 (2020). Academia Reeves, Nicholas. “The Decorated North Wall in the Tomb of Tutankhamun (KV62) (The Burial of Nefertiti? II).’ Amarna Royal Tombs Project, Valley of the Kings, Occasional Paper No. 3 (2019). Academia Reeves, Nicholas. ‘The Burial of Nefertiti?’ Amarna Royal Tombs Project, Valley of the Kings, Occasional Paper No. 1 (2015). Academia Reeves, Nicholas. ‘The Gold Mask of Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten’. Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections 7 (2015): 77–79. Reeves, Nicholas. ‘Tutankhamun’s Mask Reconsidered’. Bulletin of the Egyptological Seminar: The Art and Culture of Ancient Egypt: Studies in Honor of Dorothea Arnold 19 (2015): 511–26. Smith, Grafton Elliot. The Royal Mummies. London: Duckworth, 1912. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Nefertiti, King of Egypt. Following the death of Akhenaten, Queen Nefertiti may have become a King. Modern research suggests that, following her husband's death, Nefertiti became the new pharaoh. Her reign, and policies, are a shadowy but fascinating chapter in the royal history... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com Music by Ancient Lyric www.bettinajoydeguzman.com. Select Bibliography: Coregency Stela: UCL online Graffito of Pairy TT139: Semataui Dodson, Aidan. Amarna Sunrise: Egypt From Golden Age to Age of Heresy. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2014. Dodson, Aidan. Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian Counter-Reformation. 2nd Edition. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2017. Gabolde, Marc. ‘L’ADN de La Famille Royale Amarnienne et Les Sources Égyptiennes’. Égypte Nilotique et Méditerranéenne 6 (2013): 177–203. Gabolde, Marc. ‘Under a Deep Blue Starry Sky’. In Causing His Name to Live: Studies in Egyptian Epigraphy and History in Memory of William J. Murnane, edited by Peter J. Brand and Louise Cooper. Leiden: Brill, 2009. Hawass, Zahi, Yehia Z. Gad, Somaia Ismail, Rabab Khairat, Dina Fathalla, Naglaa Hasan, Amal Ahmed, et al. ‘Ancestry and Pathology in King Tutankhamun’s Family’. JAMA 303, no. 7 (17 February 2010): 638–47. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2010.121. Hawass, Zahi, and Sahar N. Saleem. Scanning the Pharaohs: CT Imaging in the New Kingdom Royal Mummies. Cairo: American University in Cairo Press, 2016. Kemp, Barry J. The City of Akhenaten and Nefertiti: Amarna and Its People. First paperback edition. London: Thames & Hudson, 2014. Miller, William Max. ‘The Theban Royal Mummy Project’. The Theban Royal Mummy Project, n.d. http://anubis4_2000.tripod.com/mummypages1/18B.htm. Murnane, William J. Texts from the Amarna Period in Egypt. Atlanta: Scholars Press, 1995. O’Neill, Megan C. “The Decorative Program of the Eighteenth-Dynasty Tomb of Pairy (TT 139).” MA Thesis, Georgia State University, 2015. https://scholarworks.gsu.edu/art_design_theses/173 Paulshock, Bernadine Z. ‘Tutankhamun’s Mother’. JAMA 249, no. 16 (22 April 1983): 2178–2178. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.1983.03330400030014. Redford, Donald. ‘Akhenaten: New Theories and Old Facts’. Bulletin of the American School of Oriental Research 369 (2013): 9. Reeves, Nicholas. ‘The Gold Mask of Ankhkheperure Neferneferuaten’. Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections 7 (2015): 77–79. Reeves, Nicholas. ‘Tutankhamun’s Mask Reconsidered’. Bulletin of the Egyptological Seminar: The Art and Culture of Ancient Egypt: Studies in Honor of Dorothea Arnold 19 (2015): 511–26. Tyldesley, Joyce. Nefertiti’s Face: The Creation of an Icon. London: Profile Books, 2018. Van Der Perre, Athena. ‘The Year 16 Graffito of Akhenaten in Dayr Abū Ḥinnis. A Contribution to the Study of the Later Years of Nefertiti’. Journal of Egyptian History 7, no. 1 (2014): 67–108. https://doi.org/10.1163/18741665-12340014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices