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Episode 16: An Indestructible Spirit

July 28, 2013, 10:59 pm
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Djedkare II & Unas the Cannibal.

The last kings of Dynasty V, Djedkare and his son Unas, rule Egypt one after another. In the reign of Unas, we see the appearance of a new form of religious text.

These texts, carved on the walls of the king's tombs, are known as the Pyramid Texts and for Unas, they reveal a complex mythology of union with the gods. 

This could be achieved by many means, including cannibalism...

For a vocalisation of the Pyramid Texts of Unas, you can now listen on Youtube! Orlando Mezzabotta, Historian and Youtube poster, has made these works available for free. Thank you, Orlando!

 

The starving Bedouin of the causeway of Unas' pyramid. Evidence for famine on the frontier?

The Vizier Senedjemib, from his tomb at Giza. Reign of Djedkare. Photo by Dominic Perry.

 

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Episode 17: A New Era

August 17, 2013, 12:01 am
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Morality for a New Era.

A new king, Teti, has ascended the throne after marrying Iput, a daughter of Unas. For historians, this is a good point to mark the beginning of the Sixth Dynasty.

Concurrently, we see the rise of a new literary genre: Didactic (Instructional) Literature emerges. The classic author of the period, a Vizier named Ptah-Hotep, dictates his thoughts on moral behaviour and a good life.

 

The father of Kagemni, also a Vizier, does the same.

 

Photos below by the author, taken in early February 2013.

From the cemetery around Teti's pyramid, the cenotaph of a Sole Companion, Revered One named Ihy. 

Goose, an ox leg and several palm fronds adorn the offering table before him.

The antechamber of Teti's pyramid tomb. Adorning the walls are the Pyramid Texts, lengthy columns of prayers, hymns and offering formulae for the King's venerated soul.

Teti's enormous sarcophagus; it's tall enough that even I (5'10") had to stand on the limestone block at left to see inside.

 

Bibliography

Miriam Lichtheim. Ma'at in Egyptian Autbiographies and Related Studies. 1992.

William Kelly Simpson (editor). The Literature of Ancient Egypt. 2003.

Jan Assmann. Ma'at: Gereghtigkeit und Unsterblichkeit im alten Ägypten. 1995. 

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Episode 18: The Guards Themselves

August 27, 2013, 10:02 pm
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The Assassination of King Teti

The Sixth Dynasty has begun, and King Teti has succeeded Unas by marrying into the royal family.  

But all is not well with the court. According to legend, and the Greek historian Manetho (c. 280 BCE) Teti was murdered, in a palace conspiracy.

Whether the conspiracy succeeded or not is a matter of debate; we go in search of an answer.

 

Bibliography

Naguib Kanawati. Conspiracies in the Egyptian Palace. 2011.

Nicolas Grimal. A History of Ancient Egypt. 1994.

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Episode 19: The Beloved of Re - Pepy

September 22, 2013, 12:05 am
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Episode 20: Expeditions and Explorers

October 12, 2013, 6:00 pm
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Weni the Elder (Part II).

His work is not done yet, and Weni the Elder is now sent southward to act as Overseer of Upper Egypt. 

His king, Merenre son of Pepy I, soon dispatches him to Nubia in search of a sarcophagus for his tomb.

In the south,Weni builds ships and canals on behalf of his king, expanding royal influence in these lands. 

 

The Ship Ra II, with which Thor Heyerdhal crossed the Atlantic in 1970.

 

Bibliography

William K. Simpson (editor). The Literature of Ancient Egypt. 2003.

Ian Shaw. The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. 2004.

Renée Friedman. Egypt and Nubia, Gifts of the Desert. 2002.

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Episode 21: The Excited Child

October 29, 2013, 8:56 pm
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Pepy II (Part I).

At just six years old, the new King of Upper and Lower Egypt, Pepy II cannot rule on his own. His mother, Ankh-enes-Pepy oversees the kingdom on behalf of her child. 

In a short retreat to the countryside, we meet Qar, who handles livestock raising and pastoral administration in Upper Egypt.

Finally, an expedition is returning from the deserts west and south of Egypt. Led by Harkhuf, a royal companion, this expedition is bringing back a special gift for the excited Pepy...

 

Bibliography

W.K. Simpson (editor). The Literature of Ancient Egypt. 2003.

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Episode 22: Pepy Lives

November 27, 2013, 11:49 am
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Pepy II (Part II).

Twenty-five years into his reign, Pepy II is only thirty. Almost his entirely life has been spent at the head of a mighty kingdom, but can he rule effectively without guidance?

To assert his power abroad, Pepy sends officials as far afield as Nubia, Sinai and Lebanon.

These expeditions are commanded by members of two distinct families.

Pepynakht Heryib and his son, Sabni son of Pepynakht. The elder travels to Palestine, to retrieve the body of a fallen comrade; the younger journeys to Wawat (Nubia) to commission obelisks for Pepy II.

The family of Sabni (II) and Mekhu also travel into Nubia. Sabni II must retrieve the body of his father, while Mekhu must retrieve Sabni's body after he dies at Elephantine.

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Episode 23: Children of Pepy

January 4, 2014, 11:58 pm
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Pepy II (Part III).

The longest lived ruler of Egypt, Pepy II, has now reached his final years. The economic situation is worsening, as climate change brings drought and famine to the Nile Valley. 

The end of the Old Kingdom is approaching, and the change will be bumpy.

Bibliography

Juan Carlos Moreno Garcia. Ancient Egyptian Administration. Brill Publishing, 2013.

Fekri A. Hassan. "Droughts, Famine and the Collapse of the Old Kingdom: Re-reading Ipuwer." The Archaeology of Ancient Egypt - Essays in Honor of David B. O'Connor. 2007.

Toby H. Wilkinson. The Egyptian World. 2007.

Kerma - http://www.kerma.ch/index.php/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=11&Itemid=52

 

Saqqara - http://www.saqqara.nl/saqqara/landmarks/pyramid-of-pepi-ii

 

Funding Drive!
Help an Egyptology student go on her first dig! Leah Bender, of the University of Toronto, Canada, is in need of financial assistance.

She hopes to join a field school at Mendes in the Egyptian Delta. Donate directly, or through the podcast! 100% OF DONATIONS made through the Podcast Paypal button will go to Leah!

(make sure to put "Leah" as the reference when you donate).

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/send-me-to-mendes

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Episode 24: Lamentations

January 25, 2014, 9:00 pm
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The First Intermediate Period (Part I): a Collapse.

Pepy II is gone, and with him the last well-documented reign of the Old Kingdom. 

Egypt is now disunited; in the North, the House of Khety has taken power and rule from Herakleopolis.

Although not necessarily a period of chaos, or tragedy, it is remembered negatively by later Egyptians. Ipuwer, a New Kingdom writer, describes the "memory" of the F.I.P. in his literary text, The Lamentations.

Bibliography

Nicolas Grimal. A History of Ancient Egypt. 1994.

W. K. Simpson (editor). The Literature of Ancient Egypt. 2003.

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Episode 25: A Fire in the South

February 11, 2014, 9:00 pm
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The First Intermediate Period (Part II): A Kingdom Divided.

The House of Khety continues to rule Lower Egypt. Its current ruler, Khety III, is guided by the Teachings of his father, Merykare. An eloquent and informative piece, the Teachings of Merykare stand as one of the finer pieces of didactic literature.

But trouble is brewing...

At Thebes, the House of Intef has arisen to challenge their northern rivals. Displacing local princes, such as Ankh-tyfy, the Thebans begin to confederate and assert their power against the Northerners.

 

Bibliography

Wolfram Grajetzki. The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. 2006.

Nicolas Grimal. The History of Ancient Egypt. 1994.

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Episode 26: The Fire Rises

March 24, 2014, 3:52 pm
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First Intermediate Period (Part III): Khety vs. Intef.

After years of intermittent conflict, and attempts at conquest, the time has come for a final showdown between Egypt's two royal factions.

The House of Intef (at Thebes) are pushing northward; in the North, the House of Khety stands firm. 

Local rulers at Asyut fight for the North, battering their opponents violently.

 

Bibliography 

Nicolas Grimal, A History of Ancient Egypt, 1988, pp.102-36.

Kathryn A. Bard, Encyclopedia of the Archaeology of Ancient Egypt, 1999.

Marcel Zitman, The Necropolis of Assiut, 2010.

 

Extra music

Taken (for educational purposes) from Vangelis' work for Alexander, this small piece can be found at 21:10 in the podcast. Buy the soundtrack on Amazon, here: Vangelis - Alexander OST [Amazon]

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Episode 27: A Walk in the Desert

April 18, 2014, 4:46 pm
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Montuhotep II (Part I) at Thebes.

The First Intermediate Period is drawing to a close; the Thebans have conquered the North, at last. 

Now, Montuhotep II, King of Upper and Lower Egypt, must take a thought for the afterlife. To celebrate his victory, and ensure his immortality, the King expands his Mortuary Temple, now under construction west of Thebes.

The temple at Deir al-Bahari is a fascinating structure, which will influence tomb-builders right up to the legendary Hatshepsut of Dynasty 18. 

A stela of King Montuhotep II. The elongated proportions and bright eyes bear all the hallmarks of First Intermediate Period artwork. Louvre Museum of Art.

 

Queen Kawit. FineArtAmerica.

From "Amenemhat I and the Early Twelfth Dynasty at Thebes." Dorothea Arnold (1991).

A stela of Intef II, king of Thebes. Met. Museum of Fine Art.

 

The Deir el-Bahari monument. AncientEgyptOnline.

Queen Khemsit. Edouard Naville, The XIth Dynasty Temple... Vol. 3, plate 3.

The burial chamber of Montuhotep II.

 

Bibliography.

Wolfram Grajetzki, The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. London, 2006.

Gay Robins. The Art of Ancient Egypt. 1997/2008.

Ian Shaw (ed.) The Oxford History of Ancient Egypt. Oxford, 2000/2004. 

Dorothea Arnold. "Amenemhat I and the Early Twelfth Dynasty at Thebes." Metropolitan Museum of Art Journal. 1991.

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Episode 28: The King in the North

May 6, 2014, 4:56 pm
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Montuhotep II (Part II) and His Court.

The Thebans have finally conquered the North, and defeated their rivals - the Herakleopolitan kings.

Now they must deal with an expanded domain and population, with all the administrative headaches those bring. Monuthotep II, the Victorious, begins to re-organise his government and curb the power of provincial officials.

At Deir el-Bahari, the funerary temple is expanded with beautiful statues. Meanwhile, preparations for the war in Nubia continue, aided by the Vizier Dagi and the royal bodyguard, Horus-Hotep.

 

A colossal statue of Montuhotep II, from Deir el-Bahari. Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Two sons (?) of the Vizier Dagi; from his tomb, near Deir el-Bahari.

Cliff-tombs of the XIth Dynasty at Thebes, near Deir el-Bahari (click for larger image).

In the foreground are the remains of a Saite Period (mid-1st Millennium BCE) temple/tomb.

Red arrows indicate the tomb entrances.

At left can be seen Hatshepsut's mortuary temple of Dynasty XVIII.

 

Bibliography

Herbert E. Winlock. "The Theban Necropolis in the Middle Kingdom." The American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures. Vol. 32 (1915).

Wolfram Grajetzki. The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. London, 2006.

Wolfram Grajetzki. Court Officials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom. London, 2009.

Gay Robins. The Art of Ancient Egypt. London, 1997/2008.

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Episode 29: The War God

May 22, 2014, 4:49 am
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Montuhotep II (Part III) and Nubia.

 

His rule secured, and Egypt united under one ruler, Nebhepetre Montuhotep II is ready for war once more. 

Into Nubia, the Eastern Desert, and Palestine, Egyptian troops advance their king's agenda. These wars will bring plunder and captives back into the kingdom, perhaps stimulating greater productivity in a Nile Valley still recovering from the Long Drought and the conflicts between Thebes and Herakleopolis.

 

Montuhotep II.

The imy-rah mesha "overseer of troops" Intef. Servant of Montuhotep II.

The King is embraced by Montu. British Museum.

 

Fragments of the decoration at Deir el-Bahari. Navile, The XIth Dynasty Temple, Vol. 1.

(G) a soldier grasps the leg of his foe, ready to strike.

Egyptian soldiers attack a fortified town, from the tomb of Intef at Thebes. 11th Dynasty (Brown.edu).

 

Other fragments of the temple, with scenes of fighting. Navile, Vol. 1.

Nubian warriors of the XIth Dynasty. National Geographic.

Montuhotep's Egyptian kingdom.

 

Bibliography

Wolfram Grajetzki. The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. 2006.

Richard H. Wilkinson. The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. 2003.

Dorothea Arnold. "Amenemhat I and the Early Twelfth Dynasty at Thebes." Metropolitan Museum of Art Journal. 1991 (Free Download).

Lazlo Török. Between Two Worlds. 2009.

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Sisi heading for landslide victory

May 29, 2014, 1:11 am
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Episode 30: Smooth Sailing on the Red Sea

June 7, 2014, 4:59 pm
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Sankhkare Montuhotep III and Punt.


In his eighth year on the throne, Sankhkare Montuhotep III now feels secure enough to dispatch a royal expedition.

Led by Henenu, Steward and Chief of the Six Courts of Justice, the expedition's destination is none other than the legendary Punt.

They will trade for myrrh, incense, and gum arabic, and return home victorious.

 

A head from Thebes, possibly Montuhotep III. From Dorothea Arnold (1991)

Montuhotep III, from the Louvre.

Montuhotep's kingdom and the reach of Henenu's expedition.

Gum Arabic. Wikipedia.

Senegalese traders exchanging gum arabic. 

Egyptian papyrus rope, discovered in the Mersa Gawasis. Discover Magazine.

An Egyptian anchor, discovered on the Red Sea coast. Limestone.

 

Bbiliography

Dorothea Arnold. "Amenemhat I and the Early Twelfth Dynasty at Thebes." Metropolitan Museum of Art Journal. 1991 (Free Download).

Pierre Tallet. "Ayn Sukhna and Wadi el-Jarf: Two newly discovered pharaonic harbours on the Suez Gulf." British Museum Studies in Ancient Egypt and Sudan. 2012.

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Episode 31: Seven Empty Years

June 25, 2014, 12:41 pm
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Nebtawyre Montuhotep IV the Invisible.

 

"A period in which no king reigned." This was the legacy of Nebtawyre Montuhotep IV, a king doomed to be forgotten.

 

Why was this king shunted to the side?

 

We explore the reasons, journeying out into the Wadi Hammamat once more, and then back to a kingdom experiencing the turbulence of a civil war.

 

Bibliography

Dorothea Arnold. "Amenemhat I and the Early Twelfth Dynasty at Thebes." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Journal 26 (1991).

Wolfram Grajetzki. The Middle Kingdom of Ancient Egypt. 2006. 

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Episode 32: The Repeating of Births

July 27, 2014, 11:58 pm
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Amenemhat I (Part I) and Neferty's Prophecy.

 

Amenemhat I, the new ruler of Upper and Lower Egypt, must secure his legitimacy. After his predecessor died without heir, Amenemhat has seized power in a short conflict with two rivals.

To assert his claim to power, he commissions an audacious work of propaganda: The Prophecy of Neferty.

Neferty - a fictional sage of the Fourth Dynasty - prophesieses that Egypt will fall to wrack and ruin. Chaos will reign until a saviour emerges, born in Upper Egypt. His name? Yep, Amenemhat (or "Ameny").

Amenemhat's servant, Khnumhotep I, takes over governorship of Beni Hassan. Here he establishes a local ruling dynasty that will last for many years...

 

A seated statue of Amenemhat I.

 

A wall painting from the tomb of Khnumhotep II, son of Khnumhotep I. Beni Hassan, Middle Egypt.

 

Bibliography

Wolfram Grajetzki. Court Officials of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom. 2009.

Gay Robins. The Art of Ancient Egypt. 2008.

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Episode 33: Revivals and Regencies

August 12, 2014, 2:37 am
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Amenemhat I (Part II) and Son.

Amenemhat is a man of innovation and change. Having secured his rule over the Two Lands, he establishes a new capital city: Itj-tawy Amenemhat, a.k.a. "Amenemhat seizes the Two Lands." Talk about aggressive branding!

To complement his new city, he commissions a pyramid, the first built in Egypt for nearly two hundred years! 

Then, to cap off a career of firsts, Amenemhat appoints his son, Senuseret I, as his co-ruler. This unprecedented position brings with it all the military and administrative power of a King (though perhaps not the spiritual authority). They will rule together, father and son, for nearly ten years!

A statue of Senuseret I, from the Neues Museum in Berlin.

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Episode 34: Night of the Long Knives

September 2, 2014, 1:28 am
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Senuseret I (Part I) and the Flight of Sinuhe.

 

Egypt is in disarray. King Amenemhat I has been murdered in his bed, slain by his own guards.

Hearing the news, a royal soldier and attendant named Sinuhe panics - with Amenemhat dead, his livelihood has disappeared and his connection to Egyptian society severed.

Sinuhe flees to Byblos, in modern Lebanon. Venturing inland, he meets a chieftain of Yam, and is taken into his service. He prospers, and builds a new life.

But Sinuhe has not escaped trouble, and must face a local warlord in single combat, and then deal with the fallout when Senuseret learns where Sinuhe has fled.

The Tale of Sinuhe, discussed on BBC Radio 4 with Melvyn Bragg. A nice (and very British) discussion of the tale. Enjoy!

 

The Egyptian [1954]; now available on Youtube (link)

A papyrus version of Sinuhe's tale, now in the Berlin Museum.

A 19th Dynasty ostracon (decorated shard of limestone or pottery) with a segment of the Tale of Sinuhe.

The journeys of Sinuhe (approximate).

 

Bibliography:

Miriam Lichtheim. Ancient Egyptian Literature. Vol. I.

W.K. Simpson. The Literature of Ancient Egypt.

Reshafim.org

Scott Morschauser. "What made Sinuhe run?" Journal of the American Research Center in Egypt. Vol. 37 (2000): 187-98.

Hans Goedicke. "Sinuhe's Duel." JARCE Vol. 21 (1984): 197-201.

Anthony Spalinger. "Orientations on Sinuhe." Studien zur Altägypischen Kultur. Vol. 25 (1998): 311-39.

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