The History of Egypt

Amunhotep III (Part 1): The Birth of a God.Amunhotep III (Neb-maat-Re) came to power in mid-1400 BCE. He was twelve-years old, but already he had spent years being groomed for power. Today we explore the birthing myth and the childhood of one of the greatest pharaohs in 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 Harp Music by Michael Levy www.ancientlyre.com Select Bibliography: Hellmut Brunner, Die Geburt des Gottkönigs, 1964. Aidan Dodson, Amarna Sunrise, 2014. Charles Cornell van Siclen III, “The Accession Date of Amenhotep III and the Jubilee,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 1973. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interlude: Nebi and the Guardians of the Sinai.Around 1414 BCE, a man and his comrades were marching into the unrelenting heat of the Sinai Peninsula. We follow Nebi of Tjaru and his men, as they undertake the grueling work of protecting Egypt's frontiers... 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 Additional Music by Michael Levy www.ancientlyre.com Map at https://i.imgur.com/ufZgO4U.jpg Select Bibliography: Gun Björkman, “Neby the Mayor of Tjaru,” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 1974. Betsy M. Bryan, The Reign of Thutmose IV, 1991. Andrea M. Gnirs, “Coping with the Army: the Military and the State in the New Kingdom,” in Ancient Egyptian Administration, 2013. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Queen of the Faiyum Oasis. Before she became queen of Egypt, the lady Tia'a spent her days at the royal harem of the Faiyum. This was a mysterious institution, devoted to serving queens, concubines and all the children of a pharaoh. We explore the Queen's background, the harem as an institution and the people who led the Faiyum's communities... 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. Additional music by Michael Levy www.ancientlyre.com. Select bibliography: Betsy M. Bryan, The Reign of Thutmose IV, 1991. Aidan Dodson, Amarna Sunrise, 2014. Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2010. Eberhard Dziobek et al., Das Grab des Sobekhotep Theben Nr. 63, 1990. The Gurob Palace Project (Website). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Egyptian Religious Year (12/12): Birthdays of the Gods.The end of the year in ancient Egypt was a surprisingly unlucky time. With summer heat at unbearable levels, the Nile at its lowest ebb, and people suffering from physical or spiritual malaise, the final days of the religious year were not so happy. Fortunately, the ancients had some tools to ward off disaster. 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 http://www.keithzizza.com/ Additional music by Michael Levy www.ancientlyre.com Select Bibliography: Tamas A. Bacs, “Two Calendars of Lucky and Unlucky Days,” Studien zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 1990. J.F. Borghouts, Ancient Egyptian Magical Texts, 1978. Peter Der Manuelian, “An Essay in Document Transmission: Nj-k-anx and the Earliest hriw-rnpt,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1986. Richard A. Parker, The Calendars of Ancient Egypt, 1950. Anthony Spalinger, “Some Remarks on the Epagomenal Days in Ancient Egypt,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1995. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thutmose IV (Part 2): The Entire Reign at Once. For ten years, maybe more, Thutmose IV ruled Egypt. It was a successful reign and the treasures that emerge from this period are testament to a prosperous realm. The royal court is more visible than ever, with intriguing tales to tell... 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. Additional music by Michael Levy www.ancientlyre.com. Select bibliography: Betsy M. Bryan, The Reign of Thutmose IV, 1991. Gun Björkman, “Neby, the Mayor of Tjaru in the Reign of Thutmosis IV,” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 1974. Howard Carter & Theodore M. Davis, The Tomb of Thoutmosis IV, 1904 & 2002. Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2010. Aidan Dodson, Amarna Sunrise, 2014. Raphael Giveon, “Thutmose IV in Asia,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 1969. Arielle P. Kozloff, Amenhotep III: Egypt’s Radiant Pharaoh, 2012. Nicholas Reeves & Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Valley of the Kings, 2010. Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Temples of Ancient Egypt, 2017. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Thutmose IV (Part 1): Old Enemies Become New Friends.1418 - 1416 BCE. The new pharaoh spends his first two years involved in political reprisals and military actions. He removes rivals, but also makes friends with some longstanding enemies... 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 Derek and Brandon Fiechter https://dbfiechter.bandcamp.com/ Select Bibliography: Betsy M. Bryan, The Reign of Thutmose IV, 1991. Raphael Giveon, “Thutmosis IV and Asia,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 1969 (JSTOR). Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, 1994. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interlude: Two Princes Clash.In 1418 BCE, Egypt momentarily lacks a pharaoh. Two sons of the crown go head to head, in a duel to be the next ruler. Who wins? Only the Sphinx knows... 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. Select Bibliography: Hutan Ashrafian, “Familial epilepsy in the pharaohs of ancient Egypt’s eighteenth dynasty,” 2012. Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, 1994. James E. Harris, “The Identification of the Eighteenth Dynasty Royal Mummies: A Biological Perspective,” 1991. Peter der Manuelian, Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II, 1987. Ian Shaw (ed.), The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, 2000. J.J. Shirley, The Culture of Officialdom, 2005. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Religious Year (Parts 10-11): the Egyptian Day of the Dead.In the 10th month of the year, Egyptians celebrated the "Beautiful Festival of the Valley," a grand affair similar to today's Day of the Dead or Qingming celebrations. 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. Additional Music by Michael Levy www.ancientlyre.com. Select Bibliography: Anthony J. Spalinger, “Ancient Egyptian Calendars,” in Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, 2015. Emily Teeter, Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt, 2011. Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, 2003. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Assassin's Creed Origins sees video-game players visiting ancient Egypt (c.50 BCE). From the desert oases to the city of Alexandria, the Faiyum to the Pyramids, you can now explore a fully-realised version of ancient Egypt.But how does the game play, and is it historical enough? Today I explore some of the history behind it, and what the game does right. 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 Brandon and Derek Fiechter https://dbfiechter.bandcamp.com/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amunhotep II (Part 7): Remarkable Discoveries in a Royal Tomb.Around 1440 BCE, Egyptians were carving the burial monument of Amunhotep II in the Valley of the Kings. In 1898 CE, a group of excavators were uncovering the edifice once more. In a dual narrative, we explore the design, construction and discovery of a most remarkable tomb... 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 Additional Music by Michael Levy www.ancientlyre.com Select Bibliography: Erik Hornung, The Valley of the Kings, 1990. Erik Hornung, The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife, 1999. C.N. Reeves, Richard Wilkinson, The Complete Valley of the Kings, 1996. Peter der Manuelian, Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II, 1989. Elliot Smith, The Royal Mummies, 1912. Online Resources: Theban Mapping Project – Tomb of Amunhotep II Narmer.pl – The Royal Cache Egypt, Land of Eternity – The Royal Cache Theban Royal Mummy Project – The Mummies of Dynasty 18 Egyptian Monuments – Tomb of Amunhotep II Saint Louis University – The KV35 Cache Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices