The History of Egypt

Assassins! Around 2355 BCE, King Teti died. Legend tells us that the king was murdered by members of his own family. If this is true, it is the first time in Egyptian history that we hear about royal assassination. Of course, there are many questions about what happened... Date c.2350 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. Select Bibliography: Nicolas Grimal, A History of Egypt, 1994. Naguib Kanawati, Conspiracies in the Egyptian Palace, 2011. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Sixth Dynasty, and its wisdom. Around 2380 BCE, King Teti inaugurated the Sixth Dynasty of Egyptian rulers. Teti married into the royal family and began a new (male) bloodline. This period was creatively fertile, producing famous works like the Wisdom Texts of Ptah-Hotep and Kagemni... Date c.2380 - 2360 BCE. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. The Teaching of Ptah-Hotep in English translation and Egyptian transliteration at UCL.ac.uk. The Teaching of Kagemni, translated by Miriam Lichtheim, at Academia.edu. Egyptian hieroglyphs at Rutgers.edu. Support the Show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com. Select Bibliography: Naguib Kanawait (et al.) The Teti Cemetery at Saqqara, Multiple Volumes. Naguib Kanawati, Conspiracies in the Egyptian Palace, 2011. Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms, 1973 (2006 paperback edition). Nigel Strudwick, Texts from the Pyramid Age, 2005 (Google Books). William Kelly Simpson (editor), The Literature of Ancient Egypt, 2003. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Beer, Bread and Pharaoh's Power. Recorded 2019. My guest today is Prof. Leslie Anne Warden, Associate Professor of art history and archaeology at Roanoke College in Virginia, USA. An insightful scholar, Prof. Warden is here to share her investigations into the world of ancient economics, particularly how beer and bread can reveal the inner-workings of Egyptian society. From ceramics to experiments in brewing, Prof. Warden provides a detailed and thoughtful view on the world of the Nile Valley. Look: Pottery and Economy in Old Kingdom Egypt, 2013; University profile, Academia.edu. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Follow the show on social media www.facebook.com/egyptpodcast and www.twitter.com/egyptianpodcast. Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.com Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Exploring the deep meanings of Pyramid Texts, Unas' journey to the sky, empowering rituals, Unas's divine authority, decoding the enigmatic texts, upcoming episodes on Egyptian religious texts.

The Osiris achieves his apotheosis. Having awakened from death and received his offerings (or taken them by force), Unas now prepares to enter the sky at last. We add more protections and defeat more enemies (including a dramatic appearance from the fearsome Mafdet). Then, Unas meets the oldest of primeval gods, sails the milky way, and hears the lamentations of his enemies’ women…Includes passages in English translation and ancient Egyptian. Date: c.2320 BCE. 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.  Pyramid Texts in translation: https://pyramidtextsonline.com/translation.html. Intro music by Jeffrey Goodman, “Lament of Isis and Nephthys,” Ancient Egyptian Music II. Interludes by Keith Zizza, Children of the Nile. The Pyramid Texts publications: J. P. Allen, The Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts (2nd edn, 2015). First edition (2005) available in Open Access via Archive.org. J. P. Allen, A Grammar of the Ancient Egyptian Pyramid Texts Volume I: Unis (2017). Available via the publisher, and major online retailers. R. Bertrand, Las Textes de la Pyramid d’Ounas (2004). Available via the publisher. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We leave the Duat and enter the horizon. On the walls of the antechamber, Unas’ Pyramid Texts describe the king’s entry to the sky. The ruler establishes and affirms his power. And, in a famous passage, Unas engages in some ritual cannibalism…Includes passages in English translation and ancient Egyptian. Date: c.2320 BCE. 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.  Pyramid Texts in translation: https://pyramidtextsonline.com/translation.html. Intro music by Jeffrey Goodman, “Lament of Isis and Nephthys,” Ancient Egyptian Music II. Interludes by Keith Zizza, Children of the Nile. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Explore the Pyramid Texts of King Unas and their protections against serpents. Learn about offerings to sustain the King's soul and nourish the gods. Delve into ancient Egyptian beliefs surrounding serpents and magical incantations for safeguarding the journey to the afterlife. Discover the intricate offering rituals and divine magic activation in the Pyramid Texts. Witness the invocation of deities like Horus, Seth, and Thoth for purification and renewal of King Unas, with offerings like cakes, bread, beer, and the eye of Horus. Experience the transition of duties to the gods in the East Gable texts and the divine blessings bestowed upon Unas as he embarks on his celestial journey.

Explore the ancient significance of Pyramid Texts in King Unas' tomb, his transition to a divine entity, the journey to imperishable stars, and the intricate relationships among Egyptian gods. Dive into rituals, transformation into a divine being, and the symbolic representation of body parts for immortality in this intriguing episode.

The Pyramid Texts appear. Around 2410 BCE, a new trend began in royal pyramid building. King Unas initiated something unusual when he introduced hieroglyph texts to the burial chamber of his pyramid. These "Pyramid Texts" are a vast and fascinating body of work. In this episode, we dip our toes into this material, and even see evidence for divine cannibalism... The Cannibal Hymn: Spoken reconstruction by Orlando Mezzabotta on YouTube. The Pyramid Texts of Unas in English translation and hieroglyph transcription via Pyramid Texts Online. Date c.2410 - 2380 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. Select Bibliography: Miriam Lichtheim, Ancient Egyptian Literature Volume I: The Old and Middle Kingdoms, 1973 (2006 paperback edition). Nigel Strudwick, Texts from the Pyramid Age, 2005 (Google Books). Vincent Brown – Pyramid Texts Online. Gaston Maspero, The History of Egypt (Gutenberg.org). Ancient Egypt Online – Unas. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Interview recorded 2021. Dr. Martin Odler is a researcher at the Czech Institute of Egyptology, at Charles University in Prague. He studies the tools and objects that Egyptians used to build their famous monuments. Martin has worked on many excavations, and his research has added greatly to our knowledge of technology. He sat down with me to discuss this work, and the insights we can gain from ancient tools and metals. Learn more about Dr. Odler on Academia.edu, on Twitter, and buy his book Old Kingdom Copper Tools and Model Tools (2016) available from Archaeopress and all good booksellers. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices