Podcast Episodes

Using the Corpses of Dead Kings as Power Talismen: A Case Study of the Coffin of Thutmose III

Kara and Amber unpack what Kara has described as perhaps the most consequential object of her career: the coffin used to (re)bury Thutmose III. The s…

7 months, 2 weeks ago

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 …

8 months, 1 week 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…

8 months, 2 weeks 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 …

8 months, 4 weeks 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 and Amber for a de…

9 months, 2 weeks 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 a…

9 months, 3 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 E…

10 months 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 …

11 months, 1 week 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. O…

11 months, 3 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 dest…

1 year ago