Away with the Pharaohs

Spotlight | Who really made ancient Egypt’s masterpieces?

Step inside Deir el-Medina, the home of the artisans who built and decorated some of ancient Egypt’s most famous royal tombs with special guest Meg Gundlach and host Charlotte Jordan. Discover how painters, sculptors, and craftsmen worked together in a thriving creative community, and why the identities of individual artists remain a mystery. Hear how collaboration—not just individual talent—shaped some of history’s most iconic artefacts. Want to hear more about funerary texts in ancient Egypt and how people prepared for the afterlife? Tune in to our full episode with Meg Gundlach entitled: Can we trace the hands behind Egyptian artefacts—or just the systems that produced them? Learn more at https://www.ees.ac.uk/ [https://www.ees.ac.uk/] or follow us on Social Media: @TheEES or @egyptexplorationsociety or #AwayWithThePharaohs.

Can we trace the hands behind Egyptian artefacts—or just the systems that produced them?

Specialist on artisanship and EES Publications Manager, Dr Meg Gundlach, joins our host Charlotte Jordan at the Egypt Exploration Society. Explore how we understand authorship, craftsmanship, and creativity in ancient Egypt. First, Art in ancient Egypt is contextualised, as objects were shaped by tradition, function and cultural norms rather than individual expression. We discuss how artisans were not necessarily creative geniuses but trained specialists, and so their identities were typically anonymous. The episode then turns to the evidence found in the archaeological record, including what the study of maker’s marks, often mistaken for signatures, instead reveals about administrative control. The difference between palaeography and orthography in the study of written inscriptions is also explored, showing how artisans still exercised choice in execution and detail. This, alongside discussions of scientific analyses such as fingerprint analysis and digital scanning, offers ways to trace specific methods and patterns of production. Focusing on the inhabitants of Deir el-Medina, the episode highlights how artistic production was highly collaborative. Ultimately, while identifying individual makers remains challenging, these examinations allow us to better understand the broader society that shaped ancient Egyptian artefacts. Learn more at https://www.ees.ac.uk/ [https://www.ees.ac.uk/] or follow us on Social Media: @TheEES or @egyptexplorationsociety or #AwayWithThePharaohs.

Untold | Tracing the Egyptian Timeline and Textual Sources

Listen to unheard clips from our early podcast content, and reflect on the first six months of our podcast: Away with the Pharaohs! Starting with a focus on the historical timeline of ancient Egypt, including how chronology could be understood through kingship with Aidan Dodson, and how the latest periods under Roman rule still looked traditionally Egyptian with Kelly Accetta Crowe. Another common theme mentioned throughout episodes was textual sources, including inscribed objects often seen in museums with Anna Garnett, different sources that reveal Egyptian mythological stories by Edward Scrivens, and how scribes could make mistakes just like us with Christina Geisen! Want to hear more? Check out our first six episodes and spotlights now! Don’t forget to send in the questions that you want answered by our host, Charlotte Jordan, in future. Learn more at https://www.ees.ac.uk/ [https://www.ees.ac.uk/] or follow us on Social Media: @TheEES or @egyptexplorationsociety or #AwayWithThePharaohs.

Spotlight | Could your heart survive ancient Egypt’s final judgment?

Hear about the Book of the Dead and its magical collection of spells to guide people through the ancient Egyptian afterlife with special guest Christina Geisen and host Charlotte Jordan at the Egypt Exploration Society. There is a focus upon the famous ‘weighing of the heart’ scene, and we discuss whether your heart really had to balance against the Ma’at feather, symbolising truth and balance… or whether our own biases cloud this ancient belief. Want to hear more about funerary texts in ancient Egypt and how people prepared for the afterlife? Tune in to our full episode with Christina Geisen entitled: Are ancient Egyptian funerary texts sacred guides to the afterlife—or practical manuals for navigating death? Learn more at https://www.ees.ac.uk/ [https://www.ees.ac.uk/] or follow us on Social Media: @TheEES or @egyptexplorationsociety or #AwayWithThePharaohs.

Are ancient Egyptian funerary texts sacred guides to the afterlife—or practical manuals for navigating death?

Specialist on funerary texts, Dr Christina Geisen, joins our host Charlotte Jordan at the Egypt Exploration Society. Trace the 2,000-year evolution of ancient Egyptian funerary texts, including the Pyramid Texts, Coffin Texts and Book of the Dead. The episode highlights that these were never ‘books’, but unique sets of spells drawn from a shared but developing tradition. Explore how these examples shifted from royal to private spheres, even though belief in the afterlife was attested from very early Pharaonic history. Focus turns to examples from arguably the most famous text corpora: the Book of the Dead, including spells isolated for specific amulets. We touch upon the magical power of these documents, as their presence alone was enough to prepare the deceased for the journey to the afterlife. Finally, these texts link to actions of the gods and goddesses, commenting on the wider spirituality of these texts and providing an understanding towards broader Egyptian religious belief. Learn more at https://www.ees.ac.uk/ [https://www.ees.ac.uk/] or follow us on Social Media: @TheEES or @egyptexplorationsociety or #AwayWithThePharaohs.