Afterlives of Ancient Egypt with Kara Cooney
History isn’t repeating itself; history is now ancientnow.substack.com
Episodes
Anya and I had so much fun in our recent Substack Live with Classical Wisdom. Anya was in Greece, I in California, and the topic was ancient Egypt. One of our main points of discussion was the newly conserved hypostyle hall at Karnak, which Anya had just seen in person. Enthusiastic as I am about this extraordinary space, I expressed a teeny tiny bit of concern about fresh paint colors being newly revealed. Don’t get me wrong: the ...
In this episode, Kara and Jordan tackle supporter questions from the month of April, ranging from tomb decoration, Egyptian concepts of fate and destiny, religious texts, and our craziest theories—as well as some rabbit holes. If you would like to submit a question, consider becoming a paid subscriber. Paid subscribers join our live Q&A and get all their questions answered!
The show notes below support our conversation, and there is...
There is this strange and confusing text about a pissed off goddess sent off to destroy the world and gobble up all of humanity. The sun god Re sends her out on a mission of destruction. She’s called the Eye of Re, meaning she’s a part of her father, the god, but also somehow separate, a goddess in her own right named Hathor. The Egyptians seem to be telling us that when you have a problem that needs immediate solving, you send a w...
Summary
Join Kara and Jordan on a thrilling, hair-tingling journey through ancient Egypt's wild dynastic power shifts! From the dramatic reign of Tutankhamun to the strategic brilliance of Hatshepsut, explore how these rulers navigated assassinations, epic battles, and family drama to seize the throne. Discover the parallels between ancient power struggles and today’s political landscape, and dive into the ultimate royal showdowns f...
This episode’s conversation delves into the role of music and rituals in ancient Egypt, the mysterious artifacts held by Egyptian statues, and the evidence for ancient Egyptian coups compared to modern political tensions.
Awakening of the Gods - Mythvison
* Galczynski & Price (2023). “Fashioning Sensescapes through Ancient Egyptian Dress” in Textiles in Motion. Dress for Dance in the Ancient World
What does sun worship mean? The sun is the giant ball of fire in the sky. It warms us, embraces us. It lights up the air all around us, and its absence creates coldness, an implicit threat of non-return, something we must placate with entreaties, offerings, brave deeds. The sun is the most powerful element in our sky, heroically returning to us every morning, helping us start our daily labors of farming or carpentry or war, and as ...
The concept of monotheism often hijacks the history of ancient Egyptian king Akhenaten because he funneled all his attention to one, previously little-known god, the Aten, the visible sun in the sky. Many scholars ask: Was Akhenaten, ancient Egypt’s so-called “heretic king,” the world’s first known monotheist? Did he say that other gods did not exist? Did he impose the belief that the Aten was superior to all other gods? In this ep...
This episode is a recording from our quarterly live event series where supporters are invited to chat with us live over Zoom and ask all their burning questions—if you would like to support our work, consider becoming a paid subscriber:
Show Notes
Thutmose II (?) Tomb Discovered?!
*
Who should inherit the throne when the ancient Egyptian king is killed? The strong brother of the king or the younger son who needs serious time to mature? This was a vital question that the Egyptians solved through mythology.
Egypt found itself in a power vacuum; it was the first political crisis the land had ever experienced. The primary god-king was dead, killed by his own brother. Who should become king next? Should Seth, the m...
What, exactly, is the was scepter? Essentially, it’s a stick with the head of a long-snouted, big eared animal, held by divinities in their hands to demonstrate their power. This familiar symbol of power and dominion held by kings and deities, usually masculine, in artistic representations throughout ancient Egyptian history appears often in art motifs. Images of was scepters are even pictured holding up the sky in Book of the Dead...
In this episode of 'Afterlives of Ancient Egypt,' we answer this month’s supporter questions about the Old Kingdom, debating the logistical and artefactual impacts of Egypt's unification on surrounding regions, the linguistic continuity from the Old to the New Kingdom, and much more.
Los Angeles Fire Relief
For a limited time Kara’s online course, “Ancient Egyptian Cosmogony and Cosmology: Secrets of the Primordial Waters” is on sale—don’t miss it! Scroll down to the bottom of the page, tick the “Have a coupon?” box in the bottom left corner and enter the coupon code CREATION10 (valid through January 29th) to save $10 at checkout.
Time is of the essence so you can join Kara in a live Q&A Zoom event for course participants at 5pm PST on...
Journey into the Duat with Kara and Amber as they explore the collection of funerary spells known to Egyptologists as the Coffin Texts. They discuss their historical context, conception of the landscape of the underworld, and the religious-magical spells of transformation and protection that were meant to aid the deceased on their afterlife journey. Kara provides a Coffin Girl’s Guide to the Coffin Texts, focusing on spells that me...
In this episode of Afterlives of Ancient Egypt, we discuss the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Sudan, and its impact on cultural heritage with our guest, Dr. Rennan Lemos. Dr. Lemos shares his personal experiences of being trapped in Khartoum during the conflict, witnessing destruction, and eventually being rescued. We delve into the historical context of colonialism in Sudan and Egypt, emphasizing the importance of preserving cultu...
Kara and Jordan answer supporters’ questions on the theme of “How do we study what we study?”
Show Notes
How do you study coffins?
* Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Egyptian Royal Caches
How do we understand historicity in a literary text, like The Tale of Setne?
* Great overview article by The Past
* Golverdingen, Joost 2009. Khaemwaset: Demotic legend or the world's first Egyptologist? Saqqara Newsletter 7, 2...
Kara and Jordan talk with Professor Anne Austin (University of Missouri - St. Louis) about her book Healthmaking in Ancient Egypt: The Social Determinants of Health at Deir el-Medina, how she uses data from ancient Egyptian human remains to understand health care practices, disease, and illness in the past, and her work on tattooing in ancient Egypt.
Introducing Prof. Anne Austin
Dr. Anne Austin is an Assistant Professor of History ...
Kara and Amber take a deep dive into the so-called “Cannibal Hymn” (Utterances 273–274) of the Pyramid Texts, which date to the late Old Kingdom and First Intermediate Period (ca. 2375–2055 BCE) and are the oldest funerary texts from ancient Egypt. They do some reading, some interpreting, and talk about the great power the ancient Egyptians believed these texts held, and how they're a part of the restricted knowledge and magical po...
In month’s Q&A we have questions concerning kingship & the gods, turtles (!!), and the Book of the Dead. Kara also answers some frequently asked questions about her new online course on ancient Egyptian cosmogony and cosmology.
Ancient Egyptian Cosmogony and Cosmology: Secrets of the Primordial Waters
An eight-part lecture series by Dr. Kara Cooney
SHOW NOTES
Kingship & Religion
* Overview of the King’s role in state religion
* Dunand, F...
Kara’s latest book, Recycling for Death: Coffin Reuse in Ancient Egypt and the Theban Royal Caches, is now available! In this episode UCLA PhD candidate Kylie Thomsen joins the Afterlives crew to talk about the years of research and preparation behind the publication of this meticulous study of the social, economic, and religious significance of coffin reuse and development during the Ramesside and early Third Intermediate periods.
In this episode Kara and Jordan talk to Egyptologist Melinda Nelson-Hurst about her online Egyptology platform, Voices of Ancient Egypt, which teaches you how to read the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs that you’ll see in museums, online, and on your next trip to Egypt – in less time and without the overwhelm.
About our Guest:
Melinda Nelson-Hurst is an Egyptologist (Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania), specializing in the social history...
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