71: Thirty-Two Years Old, Thirty Years of Rule

The Place of Beauties (Ta-Set-Neferu). In the reigns of Ramesses I and Sety I (c.1304—1292 BCE), the Valley of the Queens finally earned its moniker. Having been a burial ground for royal children and...

31 Jan 202536min

Understanding the deities requires us to move beyond inherited preconceptions and prejudices. Fortunately, there are many gods worthy of the effort. From the deified Sphinx Horemakhet, to the meme-lor...

24 Jan 20251h 34min

The Book of the Sky Cow. In the waning years of the 18th Dynasty (the reign of Tut’ankhamun) royal artisans began decorating tombs and funerary equipment with a new text. Sometimes known as “The Destr...

17 Jan 202551min

Hathor's temple at Dendera is one of the best in Egypt. Constructed in the late 1st Millennium BCE (but with roots stretching back to the Old Kingdom), Hathor’s house preserves amazing art, hieroglyph...

10 Jan 20251h 12min

Livestream recording. The tombs of Deir el-Medina are some of the most vibrant and beautiful in Waset (Thebes). How did they build them, which artists decorated them, and how did folk like Sennedjem p...

2 Jan 202535min

New Year, New Home. My wife and I are moving to the UK in February 2025. How will this improve / affect the podcast? Details inside. Next livestream: “How to Make Your Own Tomb,” based on the artists’...

27 Des 20246min

Sety’s final campaign. In winter of year 8 (approx. December 1296 BCE), the King of Egypt Sety I received news: rebellion in the south. In a land called Irem, now in modern Sudan, locals were resistin...

20 Des 202436min

Livestream recording. The village of Deir el-Medina first arose in the 18th Dynasty (c.1550—1310 BCE), but the historical records really multiply in the 19th and 20th Dynasties (c.1310—1070 BCE). In t...

13 Des 20241h 13min