Podcast
The History of Egypt Podcast
Episodes
Egyptology Today (with Ask Historians Podcast)In 2025 I did an interview with the AskHistorians podcast, a reddit-based show where specialists discuss history and major questions about their fields. In this interview, we discu…
245: Revenge of the Seth (The 19th Dynasty Falls)Siptah, Tausret, Setnakht. Between 1205--1202 BCE, the royal house of Ramesses II crumbled into illegitimacy. After Siptah, the queen Tausret declared herself pharaoh. Her reign le…
244: B(a)y Your CommandSiptah & Chancellor Bay. The last years of Dynasty 19 are murky, with hints of disorder and violence. At the centre of affairs, the courtier Bay directed policy and controlled acce…
243: Kingmakers & CriminalsExplicitTausret, Siptah, Bay, and the case of Paneb. By 1210 BCE, the southern rebellion was dying down, but trouble was far from over. The courtier Bay appears on the scene, first as an a…
242: The Year of Two Pharaohs (Sety II vs Amenmesse)Between 1215 and 1211 BCE, Egypt was divided. A rebellion in the south, launched by Amen-messe "Born of Amun" disrupted the succession of Sety II, son of Merneptah. Records from th…
The Egyptian Crusade with Dr. Thomas SmithFrom 1217 to 1221 CE, Egypt faced an invasion in the Delta. A bizarre tale of D-Day-esque beach landings, improvised nun-chucks, and the vengeance of Hapi ensued. Today's guest Dr.…
241: Annihilation of the WickedMerneptah's Nubian War, the Book of Caverns, and his Legacy. The later years of Merneptah's reign were eventful. Just as the Libu war wound down, another conflict started in Nubia.…
240: Merneptah vs the Sea Peoples (and Odysseus, and the Hittites)As the Libu war wound down, Merneptah's troops took captives and plundered the bodies of fallen warriors. Along the way, we also hear of "foreign peoples of the Sea," who were invo…
239: A Pyramid of CorpsesMerneptah vs the Libyans. In 1221 BCE, Egypt faced a crisis. Tribal coalitions from the west, and some "Peoples of the Sea" were marching on the Nile Valley. They came in their tho…
238: Merneptah Seizes Canaan (feat. A Tribe Called Israel)Merneptah started his reign aggressively, striking a belligerent tone in his royal names and launching an expedition to Canaan in the first few years. In the process, his troops ca…
The Odyssey (2026) First ImpressionsA few slightly rambling thoughts (NOT A FULL REVIEW) Video version available free on Patreon and YouTube https://youtu.be/5GYyfqFq__E Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaph…
Preserving Howard Carter & Tutankhamun (An Appeal from The Griffith Institute)The Griffith Institute preserves thousands of documents, plate photographs, and records of Howard Carter's excavation in the tomb of Tutankhamun. But funding cuts are threatening t…
237: Drinking with Khonsu / The Dream BookRamessid Daily Life (Part 2). Why did a tomb-builder skip work for “drinking with Khonsu”? Why was Parahotep never invited to parties? And what did it mean if you dreamed about dri…
Was Pharaoh literally a god? Listener Questions 1Bonus episode. I took some listener questions in a livestream, and here they are. We cover topics like: Was pharaoh literally a god? How common was tattooing? Was there an ancient…
Ramesses Eternal with Prof. Peter BrandProf. Peter Brand joins us for one final conversation about Ramesses II: Egypt's "Ultimate Pharaoh." If you haven't read it, I highly recommend Peter's book Ramesses II: Egypt’s Ul…
236: Legends of Ramesses "the Great"How does Ramesses II stack up to his predecessors? Why did ancient writers connect him with the Trojan War? In this episode we explore tales of Ramesses, told in antiquity, and con…
235: Ramesses the Great GodIn 1226 BCE, his sixty-seventh year of rule, the long life of Ramesses II finally ended. We explore his final decades, the difficult life revealed by his mummy, his ascent to statu…
234: Destroying Amarna / Splitting HeirsSometime in Ramesses II's reign, royal artisans dismantled the city of Akhet-Aten (Amarna). Carefully, methodically, they removed the talatat blocks and carted them away to the nea…
233: Friendship in Dark Times (The Bronze Age Collapse Begins?)Ramesses and Hattusili (Part 2). After the marriage to a Hittite princess in Year 34, Ramesses II had much to offer his northern family. A visit from the King of Hatti's son, seeki…
The 100 Children of Ramesses II with Prof. Peter BrandRamesses is famous for fathering 100+ children. But what did all these princes and princesses do? Prof. Peter Brand joins us once more to explain the lives and roles of these child…
