122: Letters from Akhet-Aten

Ramesses goes back to school. Luxor Temple is a magnificent monument, in a city full of them. The sanctuary you visit today is, in large part, the work of Ramesses' early reign. New pylons, colossal s...

30 Touko 202529min

Delta raiders. Decades before their famous migrations, the "Sea Peoples" were already active and visible in the eastern Mediterranean; and Ramesses II had his own dealings with these groups. In year 2...

16 Touko 202524min

The new royal tomb, and how two 18th Dynasty rulers defined the "New Kingdom" as we know it. Prof. Aidan Dodson is a dedicated and prolific scholar, whose research covers many facets of ancient Egypti...

9 Touko 20251h 30min

A death at Karnak, and a lion amongst men. In regnal year 1 (c.1292 BCE), Ramesses II was at Abdju / Abydos. While there, he appointed a new First Priest of Amun (Hem Netjer Tepy en Imen). He chose hi...

2 Touko 202529min

Ramesses had a lot to plan for, in his first year of rule (c.1292 BCE). Staying in Waset / Luxor, the new pharaoh began building work on his tomb (KV7) and his memorial temple (The Ramesseum). Archaeo...

25 Huhti 202543min

In the annals of Egyptian history there is no one quite like Ramesses II. He is arguably the most famous, or infamous, of Egypt’s pharaohs. His reign would be long (67 years!) and his influence would ...

18 Huhti 202547min

The coffin of Sety I (now in the NMEC) was probably reworked from an earlier piece, during the reburials in DB320 (the royal cache). But how can we tell? Dr. Peter Lacovara explains. Dr. Lacovara's w...

11 Huhti 202512min

Sety’s royal burial. Valley of the Kings tomb 17 (KV17) came to light in October 1817. Discovered by a team of Egyptian workers, employed by Giovanni Belzoni, the tomb is the most beautiful, and one o...

4 Huhti 20251h 33min