Podcast Episodes

Feeding the Aten: Akhenaten's Offering Obsession

Akhenaten physically manifested his cult to the sun, building a capital city at a break in the cliffs that created the perfect sunrise hieroglyph on the east bank, a city filled with open air temples…

Published on 8 hours ago

Sex and Succession: Interpreting an Amarna Royal Family Scene

CW: This episode includes discussion of sexual themes, including incest and child sexual abuse. Listener discretion advised.

In this episode, Kara and Amber take on one of Amarna’s most famous images—…

Published on 1 week, 5 days ago

Being a Priest in ancient Egypt: Power, Ritual, and the Divine

Egyptian priests didn’t just waft incense and mutter incantations; they had to run the cosmic machine, make sure the sun rose and set, the Nile rose and receded as appropriate. From feeding the gods …

Published on 3 weeks, 1 day ago

Tutankhamun, Nefertem, and the Lotus of Rebirth

[Content Warning: This episode includes discussions of sexual themes(!), power(!!), and the exploitation of bodies(!!!).]

Join Kara Cooney and Amber Myers Wells for a deep dive into one of the most pe…

Published on 1 month, 1 week ago

Pregnancy and Childbirth in Ancient Egypt

Content Warning: Adult themes of sex and sexuality; death and trauma

In this podcast episode, we take a deep dive into pregnancy and giving birth in ancient Egypt. How were fertility issues dealt with…

Published on 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Ancient Tactical Magic

How was magic/ritual practice used in the lives of ancient Egyptians to resist and gain a sense of agency? In this episode of Afterlives of Ancient Egypt, Kara, Jordan, and extra special guest Dr. Jo…

Published on 1 month, 3 weeks ago

The "Younger Memnon": A Colossal Case of Ancient Reuse and Modern Empire

What happens when an ancient Egyptian king recycles a statue—and then an empire steals it more than 3,000 years later? In this episode of Afterlives of Ancient Egypt, Kara Cooney and Amber Myers Well…

Published on 3 months ago

Understanding Ancient Egypt with Kara Cooney

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 …

Published on 3 months, 2 weeks ago

Listener Q&A – Texts, Tombs, and Destiny

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…

Published on 4 months ago

The Destruction of Mankind

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…

Published on 4 months, 2 weeks ago