The History of Egypt

Amunhotep II (Part 6): Finding an Heir. Around 1420 BCE, Amunhotep II comes to the end of his days. We explore his family life, what we know about the man himself, and try to get a handle on his legacy... 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: Alexandra von Lieven, “Mortuary Ritual in the Valley of the Kings,” in Richard H. Wilkinson and Kent R. Weeks, The Oxford Handbook of the Valley of the Kings, 2016. Peter der Manuelian, Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II, 1987. Barbara A. Richter, “The Amduat and Its Relationship to the Architecture of Early 18th Dynasty Royal Burial Chambers,” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt (2008). G. Elliot Smith, The Royal Mummies, 2000. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amunhotep II (Part 5): How to Make Friends and Rule the Nile Valley.The pharaoh Amunhotep II has a reputation for cronyism: he put his childhood friends into positions of power, and removed trusted officials from office at a whim. Does he deserve this reputation? We go in search of an answer, exploring the lives of some noteworthy men who rose to prominence in this time... 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: Peter der Manuelian, Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II, 1987. M. Eaton-Krauss, “The Fate of Sennefer and Senetnay at Karnak and in the Valley of the Kings,” Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 1999. JJ Shirley, “Crisis and Restructuring of the State: From the End of the Middle Kingdom to the Advent of the Ramesses,” in Ancient Egyptian Administration, 2013. JJ Shirley, The Culture of Officialdom: An examination of the acquisition of offices during the mid-18th Dynasty, PhD Thesis, 2005. Osiris.net – the Tomb of Sen-nefer (TT96). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Religious Year (Parts 8-9): Onions for Bastet.Months 8 and 9 were big on drinking and eating, with some strange rituals to go along with them. We meet Bastet (the cat) and Renen-utet (the snake), two goddesses who were friends to farmers. As the harvest season began, all looked towards the growth of the fields... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Select Bibliography: Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, 2003. Anthony J. Spalinger, “Ancient Egyptian Calendars,” in C.L.N. Ruggles (ed.) Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, 2015. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interlude: A Royal Journey Through the UnderworldRulers of the 18th Dynasty decorated their tombs with lavish images of the underworld, which we know as the Duat. These scenes, and texts, reveal a complex story of Re's journey beneath the western horizon, through the nether, and ultimately into a cosmic re-birth. Along the way he crossed waters and deserts, faced demons and monsters, and even met with his own corpse... 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: Erik Hornung, The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife, 1999. Erik Hornung, Texte zum Amduat, 1987. Erik Hornung, Valley of the Kings: Horizon of Eternity, 1990. Emily Teeter, Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt, 2011. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Ultimate Underworld Story. The Book of the Dead might be the most famous piece of writing from ancient Egypt. It is also one of the most misunderstood... Around 1420 BCE, a royal architect commissioned a book for his tomb. This text is one of the best preserved Books of the Dead from the mid-18th Dynasty. From its unrolled pages, we can explore the journey into the underworld, as experienced by a non-royal Egyptian. Note: This episode functions as an introduction to the Book of the Dead. As we move forward through the centuries, we will revisit the text to see new developments and additions. 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.shelterofclearlight.com/. Select Bibliography: Francoise Dunand and Christiane Zivie-Coche, Gods and Men in Egypt: 3000 BCE to 395 CE. Richard Faulkner, The Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, 1985. Dennis C. Forbes, Tombs. Treasures. Mummies. Book Two: The Tombs of Maiherpri (KV36) & Kha & Merit (TT8), 2015. Erik Hornung, The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife, 1999. Ernesto Schiaperelli, Relazione sui lavori della Missione Archeologica Italiana in Egitto (anni 1903-1920) (Volume 2): La tomba intatta dell’architetto “Cha” nella necropoli di Tebe, 1927. Available online via the University of Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.55349#0046 John H. Taylor, Journey Through the Afterlife: Ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead, 2013. Emily Teeter, Religion and Ritual in Ancient Egypt, 2011. E. Vassilika, The Tomb of Kha, 2010. Toby Wilkinson, Writings from Ancient Egypt, 2016. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Religious Year (Parts 6-7): The False Summer.In the months of "Great Heat" and "Small Heat," Egyptians celebrated some very important festivals. Mid-winter had passed, and it was time to bring life back to the cosmos. Along the way, the Egyptians celebrated the gods Anubis, Amun-Re, and a deified Pharaoh... 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:Richard Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, 2003.Anthony Spalinger, “Ancient Egyptian Calendars,” Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, 2015.G.S. Hawkins, “Astronomical Alignments in Britan, Egypt and Peru,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, 1974.J. Norman Lockyer, “The Dawn of Astronomy,” Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, 1894. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amunhotep II (Part 4): Worshiping the Sphinx.Before he became king, Amunhotep II made a promise to embellish and restore monuments on the Giza Plateau. Once Pharaoh, he fulfilled his promise beautifully. As he did so, he introduced a new chapter in Egypt's religious 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. Select Bibliography: Aidan Dodson, Amarna Sunrise, 2014. Selim Hassan, The Great Sphinx and Its Secrets, 1953. Stéphane Pasquali, “Baraize Excavations 1933 – 1934 at Giza,” Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt, 2009. William Kelly Simpson, “Reshep in Egypt,” Orientalia, 1960. Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, 2003. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amunhotep II (Part 3): Slavery and the Bible. In 1435 BCE, King Amunhotep II led a devastating war in Syria. He took thousands of captives and transported them to Egypt by force. Once there, they became captive workers of the Egyptian elite. Was this the historical inspiration for the Biblical "Captivity"? We go in search of answers... 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: Osiris.net – Tomb of Nakht (website) Yohanan Aharoni, “Some Geographical Remarks Concerning the Geography of the Campaigns of Amenhotep II,” Journal of Near Eastern Studies, 1960. Manfred Bietak, “Peru-Nefer: The Principle New Kingdom Naval Base,” Egyptian Archaeology, 2009. Edwin C.M. van den Brink, Tombs and Burial Customs at Tell el-Dab’a, 1982. Barbara Cummings, Egyptian Historical Records of the Later Eighteenth Dynasty, 1982. Norman de Garis Davies, The Tomb of Ken-Amun at Thebes, 1917. Norman de Garis Davies, The Tomb of Rekh-mi-Re at Thebes, 1944. James K. Hoffmeier, “Out of Egypt,” Ancient Israel and the Exodus, 2012. A. Lucas, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Industries, 4th Edition 1989. Peter der Manuelian, Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II, 1987. Patrick E. McGovern, Ancient Wine: The Search for the Origins of Viniculture, 2013. Google Books. Ellen Fowles Morris, The Architecture of Imperialism, 2005. Ellen Morris, “Mitanni Enslaved: Prisoners of War, Pride, and Productivity in a New Imperial Regime,” Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of Hatshepsut, 2014. Paul T. Nicholson & Ian Shaw, Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology, 2003. Google Books. William H. Peck, The Material World of Ancient Egypt, 2013. James B. Pritchard, “Syrians as Pictured in the Paintings of the Theban Tombs,” Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research, 1951. Anson F. Rainey, “Whence Came the Israelites and Their Language?” Israel Exploration Journal, 2007. Anson F. Rainey, “Unruly Elements in Late Bronze Canaanite Society,” Pomegranates and Golden Bells: Studies in Biblical, Jewish, and Near Eastern Ritual, Law, and Literature in Honor of Jacob Milgrom 1995. Catharine A. Roehrig, Life Along the Nile: Three Egyptians of Ancient Thebes, 2002. J.J. Shirley, “Kenamun/Qenamun,” The Encyclopedia of Ancient History, 2013. William Kelly Simpson (editor), The Literature of Ancient Egypt, 2003. Barbara J. Sivertsen, The Parting of the Sea, 2009. Rachael Thyrza Sparks, “Canaan in Egypt: Archaeological Evidence for a Social Phenomenon,” Invention and Innovation: Social Context of Technological Change (2), 2004. B.G. Trigger et al., Ancient Egypt: A Social History, 1983. William A. Ward, “The Shasu ‘Bedouin’: Notes on a Recent Publication,” Journal of the Economic and Social History of the Orient, 1972. William A. Ward, “Foreigners Living in the Village,” Pharaoh’s Workers: The Villagers of Deir el-Medina, 1994. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Amunhotep II (Part 2): The Pharaoh's Aide.In 1440 BCE, a servant of Pharaoh inscribed his tomb with a remarkable text detailing every aspect of his job. What was life like, for one of Egypt's most important officials? Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Select Bibliography: G.P.F. van den Boorn, The Duties of the Vizier, 1988. Peter der Manuelian, Studies in the Reign of Amenophis II, 1987. B.G. Trigger et al., Ancient Egypt: A Social History, 1983. Aidan Dodson, Amarna Sunrise, 2014. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Religious Year (Part 5): Worshipping Snakes and Cats.The fifth month was an interesting one, involving worship of snakes, and cats sailing down the Nile. Major gods of this month include Neheb-Kau, Bastet, Shesmet-et, Wadjet and Mut. We meet a few of these strange deities and see why snakes and cats went hand-in-hand... Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Select Bibliography: Richard H. Wilkinson, The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt, 2003. Anthony Spalinger, “Ancient Egyptian Calendars,” in C.L.N. Ruggles (ed.),  Handbook of Archaeoastronomy and Ethnoastronomy, 2015. Alan W. Shorter, “The God Nehebkau,” The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology (1935). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices