The History of Egypt Podcast

A few slightly rambling thoughts (NOT A FULL REVIEW)

Video version available free on Patreon and YouTube

https://youtu.be/5GYyfqFq__E
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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 their work to digitise and preserve this archive for future generations. Please consider supporting the Griffith Institute today

Donate at https://tutankhamun.griffith.ox.ac.uk/support-us

Explore the Tutankhamun Spatial Archive at https://tutankhamun.griffith.ox.ac.uk/
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Ramessid 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 drinking wine? Records from Deir el-Medina, in the reign of Ramesses II, illuminate aspects of daily life and the concerns of ordinary folks.

In this episode, we explore the Absentee List (Ostracon EA 5634) and the Dream Book of Qen-her-khopeshef (Papyrus Chester Beatty III).

Support the show at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast to get extended episodes, bonus video content, and much more.

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Episode References

Černý, J. (2001). A Community of Workmen at Thebes in the Ramesside Period (2nd edn).

Davies, B. G. (1999). Who’s Who at Deir el-Medina: A Prosopographic Study of the Royal Workmen’s Community. https://www.nino-leiden.nl/publication/whos-who-at-deir-el-medina

Davies, B. G. (2018). Life Within the Five Walls: A Handbook to Deir el-Medina.

Donker van Heel, K. (2016). Mrs. Naunakhte & Family: The Women of Ramesside Deir el-Medina.

Edwards, I. E. S. (1968). Ḳenḥikhopshef’s Prophylactic Charm. The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 54, 155--160. https://doi.org/10.2307/3855919

Gardiner, A. H. (1935). Hieratic Papyri in the British Museum, Third Series: Chester Beatty Gift (Vols. 1–2).

Janssen, Jac. J. (1980). Absence from work by the necropolis workmen of Thebes. Studien Zur Altägyptischen Kultur, 8, 127--152. https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/25150069.pdf

Szpakowska, K. M. (2003). Behind Closed Eyes: Dreams and Nightmares in Ancient Egypt.

Wente, E. F. (1990). Letters from Ancient Egypt.
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Bonus 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 canal between the Nile and Red Sea? What are my recommended Egyptology books? And much more...

If you'd like to join future Q-and-A sessions you can find them at www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast. If you would like to submit a question, drop it in the comments!

There is a (shorter) video version of this QnA available at https://www.patreon.com/egyptpodcast/posts/qna-ask-me-june-162481450

Questions

Top 3 Egyptology books: 00:55

Royal family tombs (like KV5): 06:50

Tattooing? 09:55

Was Pharaoh literally a god? 13:21

Linen - who made it and how? 18:50

What is the biggest misconception people have about ancient Egypt? 20:44

Perfumes: What do we know about them? 23:58

How long do you need at the GEM? 27:01

Best book about gods/mythology? 29:38

How do you pronounce Ra (or Re?) 30:56

What happened to Mortuary Temples after their owner died? 31:46

What role did dwarfs / little people play in ancient Egyptian society? 34:01

What role did foreigners play? Could they reach high status? 35:14

Could Beketaten be the mother of Tutankhamun? 39:05

Did Canaanite religion influence Egypt more, or vice versa? 39:52

Did Egyptian solar religion influence the Roman cult of Sol Invictus? 42:34

Gods and Goddesses: how prominent are the LOCAL deities in different regions? 44:20

When was the "Canal of the Pharaohs" connecting the Nile and Red Sea? 47:34

What are the most common biases in Egyptology? 49:01

The Oxford Encyclopedia

The Oxford Encyclopedia of Ancient Egypt on Internet Archive: Vol.1 (A-F); Vol. 2 (G-O); Vol. 3 (P-Z).

Tattooing

Booth, C. (2001). Possible tattooing instruments in the Petrie Museum. Journal of Egyptian Archaeology, 87, 172--175. http://www.jstor.org/stable/pdfplus/3822379.pdf

Fletcher, J. (2005). The decorated body in ancient Egypt: Hairstyles, cosmetics and tattoos. In L. Cleland, M. Harlow, & L. Llewellyn-Jones (Eds.), The clothed body in the ancient world (pp. 3--13). Oxbow.

Also, researcher Anne Austin has done some work on tattooing in ancient Egypt, and has uploaded some of it to YouTube (link) and her website: http://www.anneeaustin.com/tattooing-in-ancient-egypt/

Perfumes

Perfumes: I recommend the work of Dora Goldsmith: Academia.edu and Instagram
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Prof. 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 Ultimate Pharaoh (2023). It covers everything I discussed, and much more, in exceptional detail.
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