The History of Egypt

Quick Successions. After the death of Sahure, multiple kings came and went in a short span of time. In this episode, we follow the reigns of Nefer-ir-ka-Re ("Making the Soul of Re Beautiful") and Ra-nefer-ef. This period is murky, but we will get through it. Oh, and another powerful queen shows up to manage affairs... Date c.2570 - 2555 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: Miroslav Verner, Abusir III: the Pyramid Complex of Khentkaus, 2001. Paule Posener-Kriéger, Les Archives du Temple Funéraire de Neferirkare Kakai – Les Papyrous d’Abousir, 1976. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Great Fleet. Around 2485 BCE, King Userkaf died and passed the throne to his son, Sahure ("One Who is Close to Re"). At this point, Egyptians launched the first (recorded) expedition to Punt. This mysterious land, somewhere near Ethiopia, Somalia or Yemen, was a major destination for trade. Sahure commemorated the event lavishly... Date c.2480 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: Tarek el-Awady, Abusir XVI: Sahure – the Pyramid Causeway, 2009. Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2008. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

New Dynasty, New Me. Around 2490 BCE, a new lineage held royal power. Khentykaus I and her son, Userkaf, had established a new household. Now, the next generations of rulers had some interesting innovations in religion and monuments... Music by Keith Zizza www.keithzizza.net. Website at www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.  Select Bibliography: Miroslav Verner, Abusir: Realm of Osiris, 2004. Mark Lehner, The Complete Pyramids, 2008. Ian Shaw (editor), The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt, 2004. Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2008. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Khenty-kaus, the Lady Ruler. Around 2500 BCE, Menkaure died without an heir. His sister Khenty-Kau-es ("She is Foremost") stepped into the vacuum and governed the state on behalf of her young sons. This was an interesting period, with a lasting impact on royal power... Date c. 2500 - 2490 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: Vivienne Gae Callender, In Hathor’s Image: the Wives and Mothers of Egyptian Kings from Dynasties I-VI, 2012 (Amazon). Aidan Dodson & Dyan Hilton, The Complete Royal Families of Ancient Egypt, 2010 (Amazon). Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, 1994 (Amazon). Erik Hornung, Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: the One and the Many, 1996 (Amazon). Barry Kemp, Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization, 2005 (Amazon). Mark Lehner, The Complete Pyramids, 2008 (Amazon). Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2008 (Amazon). John Romer, A History of Egypt: from the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid, 2013 (Amazon). Robert Wenke, The Ancient Egyptian State, 2009 (Amazon). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Updated in 2024. A tale of terror and tombs. In 1924, Weird Tales magazine published "Imprisoned with the Pharaohs" (aka "Under the Pyramids"). A short story in which Harry Houdini, world-famous escape-artist, illusionist, and advocate of rationalism, came face-to-face with horrors beyond his comprehension. The tale is work of horror, ghost-written by H.P. Lovecraft. It is a fun story, worthy of the genre. Logo image: The statue of Khafra / Khephren in Cairo's old museum (Photo Dominic Perry). Timecodes: Story Part One: 00:01:40. Story Part Two: 00:38:39. Commentary: 01:18:50. 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. Select Bibliography: H.P. Lovecraft, “Imprisoned with the Pharaohs,” Weird Tales magazine at WikiSource. R. Emrys and A. M. Pillsworth, ‘Harry Houdini Versus Cosmic Horror: “Under the Pyramids”’, TOR.com, <https://www.tor.com/2015/02/24/harry-houdini-versus-cosmic-horror-under-the-pyramids/> accessed 12.27.2023. D. Harms, Cthulu Mythos Encyclopedia: A Guide to the Horrors Created and Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft (3rd edn, Chelsea, 2012). S. T. Joshi and D. E. Schultz, An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia (2001). H. P. (Howard P. Lovecraft, The New Annotated H.P. Lovecraft (2014). D. Norris, ‘Lovecraft and Egypt: A Closer Examination’, Lovecraft Annual (2016), 3–45. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Updated in 2024. Around 2520 BCE, King Men-kau-ra (or Menkaure) ruled Egypt. In his time, royal artists produced high-quality sculpture, and builders constructed another pyramid at Giza. But Menkaura has a complicated legacy. Although his pyramid is the smallest of the three "Great Pyramids of Giza," this King's legacy proved far more positive than his predecessors. Likewise his treasures, including his beautiful sarcophagus, have gone through a difficult journey over the past 4500 years... Further information: Photos of Menkaure’s pyramid by Aidan McRae Thomson on Flickr. Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments. Music and interludes by Luke Chaos. Select Bibliography: M. Baud, Famille royale et pouvoir sous l’Ancien Empire égyptien (1999). P. Boughton, ‘The Lost Sarcophagus’, Egyptology News Network, https://egyptologynewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2011/01/lost-sarcophagus.html. P. Boughton, ‘Who Owns Menkaure’s Sarcophagus?’, Nile Magazine (2016), 60—66. Digital Giza, ‘Menkaure Pyramid’, http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/sites/2796/full/. D. Gibbins, ‘PHARAOH: The Sarcophagus of Menkaure and the Wreck of the Beatrice’, http://davidgibbins.com/journal/2013/8/28/pharaoh-the-sarcophagus-of-menkaure-and-the-wreck-of-the-beatrice. R. Gundacker, ‘Die Inschrift an der Nordseite der Mykerinospyramide’, Sokar 19 (2009), 18—25. J. Leclant, ‘Fouilles et travaux en Égypte et au Soudan 1967—1968,’ Orientalia 38 (1969), 240—307. M. Lehner and Z. A. Hawass, Giza and the Pyramids (2017). É. Prisse d’Avennes, Histoire de l’art égyptien: d’après les monuments; depuis les temps les plus reculés jusqu’à la domination romaine, 2 vols (1879). U. C. Ringuer, ‘The Story of the Lost Sarcophage’, Archaeology Mysteries, https://archaeologymysteries.com/2019/02/09/the-lost-sarcophage/. A. M. D. Roveri, I sarcofagi egizi dalle origini alla fine dell’antico regno (1969). J. Thompson, Wonderful Things, A History of Egyptology, I: From Antiquity to 1881 (2015). M. Verner, The Pyramids: The Archaeology and History of Egypt’s Iconic Monuments (Updated edn, 2020). H. Vyse, Operations Carried on at the Pyramids of Gizeh in 1837: With an Account of a Voyage into Upper Egypt and an Appendix, 2 (1840). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Third Giza Pyramid. Around 2520 BCE, King Khaf-Re died and his son Men-Kau-Re took power. Menkaure ("The Spirit of Re Endures") oversaw a more modest phase of pyramid building. His monument at Giza was the smallest pyramid yet. Were all of these pyramids straining the economy? We investigate a social structure very different from our own... Date c.2520 - 2500 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 Ancient Egypt, 1994 (Amazon). Erik Hornung, Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: the One and the Many, 1996 (Amazon). Barry Kemp, Ancient Egypt: Anatomy of a Civilization, 2005 (Amazon). Mark Lehner, The Complete Pyramids, 2008 (Amazon). Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2008 (Amazon). John Romer, A History of Egypt: from the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid, 2013 (Amazon). Robert Wenke, The Ancient Egyptian State, 2009 (Amazon). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A forgotten heir; a Great Sphinx. Following the death of King Khufu, the throne passed to one of his sons, Djed-ef-Ra. Then, it passed to Khafra ("He Appears Like Ra"). These kings are important, but only Khafra is remembered thanks to his enormous pyramid and the Great Sphinx of Giza... Date c.2550 - 2520 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 Ancient Egypt, 1994 (Amazon). Erik Hornung, Conceptions of God in Ancient Egypt: the One and the Many, 1996 (Amazon). Mark Lehner, The Complete Pyramids, 2008 (Amazon). Gay Robins, The Art of Ancient Egypt, 2008 (Amazon). John Romer, A History of Egypt: from the First Farmers to the Great Pyramid, 2013 (Amazon). Robert Wenke, The Ancient Egyptian State, 2009 (Amazon). Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Updated in 2024. A crime scene with no crime? In 1925, archaeologists working at Giza uncovered a remarkable monument. The tomb chamber of Queen Hetep-Heres (c.2630-2580 BCE) contained a wealth of beautiful, high-quality items. But the monument itself was strange, the excavation was a serious challenge, and the results were baffling in many ways. In this episode, we explore the discovery, revelation, the life, and the legacy of Queen Hetep-Heres... Extended version of this episode and digital booklet available at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. The Tomb of Queen Hetep-Heres: Digital Giza http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/sites/1509/full/. G. A. Reisner and W. S. Smith, A History of the Giza Necropolis Volume II: The Tomb of Hetep-Heres the Mother of Cheops (1955). Available online. M. Lehner, The Pyramid Tomb of Hetep-Heres and the Satellite Pyramid of Khufu (1985). Available online. The treasures of Hetep-Heres: Ancient objects at Digital Giza. Furniture of Hetep-Heres in the Cairo Museum at Wikimedia. Exact replicas at Boston Museum of Fine Arts. Modern reconstruction and replica of a throne at Harvard University. The bracelets of Hetep-Heres – Aegean silver? SCIMEX, ‘Queen Hetepheres’ bracelets reveal new information on trade networks in Old Kingdom Egypt, c 2600 BC’, Scimex, Available online. See also K. Sowada et al., ‘Analyses of Queen Hetepheres’ bracelets from her celebrated tomb in Giza reveals new information on silver, metallurgy and trade in Old Kingdom Egypt, c. 2600 BC’, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports 49 (2023), 1—9. Available online. 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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Updated in 2024. How archaeology can increase your life expectancy by 40%! For centuries, popular perceptions of the Great Pyramid’s construction have hinged on Herodotos reference to “twenty years.” While historians have debated that, hard evidence on the reign of Khufu (and its length) has always been fragmentary. In the past ten years, though, things have changed substantially. We now have strong evidence that Khufu reigned much longer than the “twenty years” story. This fundamentally changes our understanding of the period, and the Great Pyramid project… More information: Episode image: Khufu, small ivory statuette from Abydos (Egyptian Exploration Society archives). Website: www.egyptianhistorypodcast.com. Support the show via Patreon www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. Make a one-time donation via PayPal payments.   Select Bibliography: The Memorial/Mortuary Temple of Khufu at Wikimedia Commons. Digital Giza, ‘Khufu Pyramid’, http://giza.fas.harvard.edu/sites/1782/full/. H. Goedicke, Re-Used Blocks from the Pyramid of Amenemhat I at Lisht, 20 (1971) free download. Z. A. Hawass et al., ‘The Great Pyramid Temple Project’, AERAGram 21 (2020), 10—17 (free download). J.-P. Lauer, Note Complémentaire sur le Temple Funéraire de Khéops (1949). M. Lehner and Z. A. Hawass, Giza and the Pyramids (2017). F. Monnier and D. Lightbody, The Great Pyramid 2590 BC Onwards: Operations Manual (2019). K. Ryholt, ‘The Turin King-List’, Egypt and the Levant 14 (2004), 135—55. K. Ryholt, ‘The Turin King-List or So-Called Turin Canon (TC) as a Source for Chronology’, in E. Hornung et al. (eds), Ancient Egyptian Chronology (2006), 26—32. P. Tallet, Les Papyrus de la Mer Rouge I: Le ‘Journal de Merer’ (Papyrus Jarf A et B) (2017). P. Tallet and M. Lehner, The Red Sea Scrolls: How Ancient Papyri Reveal the Secrets of the Pyramids (2021). M. Verner, The Pyramids: The Archaeology and History of Egypt’s Iconic Monuments (Updated edn, 2020). Waseda University Institute of Egyptology, ‘Khufu’s Second Boat’, https://www.egyptpro.sci.waseda.ac.jp/e-khufu.html. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices