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Episode 16: An Indestructible Spirit
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....
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Episode 17: A New Era
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,...
View ArticleEpisode 18: The Guards Themselves
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...
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Episode 19: The Beloved of Re - Pepy
Pepy I and Weni the Elder. The early years of Pepy I are a dififcult period, as the king struggles to assert himself. He must battle a usurper, Userkare, and a conspiracy against his life. Egyptian...
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Episode 20: Expeditions and Explorers
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...
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Episode 21: The Excited Child
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...
View ArticleEpisode 22: Pepy Lives
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...
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Episode 23: Children of Pepy
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...
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Episode 24: Lamentations
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...
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Episode 25: A Fire in the South
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...
View ArticleEpisode 26: The Fire Rises
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...
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Episode 27: A Walk in the Desert
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...
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Episode 28: The King in the North
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,...
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Episode 29: The War God
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...
View ArticleSisi heading for landslide victory
After only 45% of voters turned out for elections, Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, Egypt's interim military leader, is heading for a landslide victory. Many groups boycotted the election, citing a lack of faith...
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Episode 30: Smooth Sailing on the Red Sea
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...
View ArticleEpisode 31: Seven Empty Years
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?...
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Episode 32: The Repeating of Births
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...
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Episode 33: Revivals and Regencies
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...
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Episode 34: Night of the Long Knives
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...
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