Age of the Pharaohs
Course ResourcesDear Age of the Pharaohs course students,
The history of Egypt is endlessly fascinating. In this course, we rapidly survey 2000 years of Pharaonic history. To enrich your understanding and carry you further on your learning journey, we are happy to provide links to some wonderful additional online resources.
Beyond the bibliography provided, please immerse yourself in these online documentaries and article links.
1. Predynastic and Old Kingdom
- University of Chicago – Predynastic Egypt – Before the Pyramids (Dr. Emily Teeter)
- Treasures of the Pyramids – reading download Harvard
- Predynastic – Dr. John Romer’s amazing Ancient Lives Egypt Series part 1 – all facets of human society fashion their notion of death based on the landscape they inhabited
- Saqqara Step Pyramid – saving Egypt’s pyramids
- The Bent Pyramid Reopening
- Great Video on King Sneferu, father of Khufu and the Greatest Pyramid Builder of all
- Another Sneferu video with Bob Brier: The Great Egyptians – King of the Pyramids – Episode 1/6 – History Documentary
- Great Pyramid – New discoveries 2017 – Oldest Papyrus, Port & Boat…
- Lehner & Hawass Treasures of The Pyramids – Harvard download
- Decoding the Great Pyramid Documentary 2019
- Building of the Pyramids
- Link to 2017 news on the tunnel discovery inside the Great Pyramid
- Digital Giza – a great website for more resources: Now that we have covered the Giza plateau, you may wish to dig deeper to enrich your understanding. Harvard University has made available this great website where you can see 3D reconstructions – and access a wealth of resources.
- Unfinished Pyramids of the 4th Dynasty – Great articles
- Latest Discoveries at Abu Sir South: Here is the link to a scholarly lecture by esteemed Czech archaeologist Dr. Miroslav Barta. He is the “Mark Lehner” of the Abu Sir area, site of the 5th Dynasty pyramids and sun temples. He talks about recent finds in the area.
- Credible source on the Pyramid Texts: By way of a quick search I see there is a mountain of sensationalist and misleading videos and writings on the meaning and history of the pyramid texts. Thankfully, I also found this excellent downloadable book by the Egyptian text expert Dr. James Allen. It will tell you all you need to know about the Pyramid Texts. Please check all your sources carefully to be sure they are Egyptian Egyptologists/archaeologists. Here is the link to James Allen’s downloadable book on the pyramid text.
- Decline of Egypt after the Pyramid Age: Two scholarly articles, Both by Dr. Fekri Hassan
- A rich academic piece on the Old Kingdom fall: Droughts, Famine and the Collapse of the Old Kingdom: Re-Reading lpuwer
First and Second Intermediate Periods and Middle Kingdom
- Admonitions of Ipuwer: Important Hieratic Text that is Believed to Describe conditions of the First Intermediate Period
- Full scholarly text of the papyrus by Alan Gardiner
2. Middle Kingdom of Egypt
Welcome to The Second Intermediate Period – and the Beginning of the New Kingdom. Here are some resources:
- Middle Kingdom Literature Read the Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor in translation https://www.storynory.com/the-tale-of-the-shipwrecked-sailor/
- Read the Story of Sinuhe https://ancientegyptonline.co.uk/storysinuhe/
- A good 30 minute video about the 2nd Intermediate Period
- 2017 discovery of the pyramid of a princess: Follow Dr. Chris Naunton as he investigates the opening of a Princess’s pyramid in 2017 – the burial chamber of which seems not to have been penetrated!
- A wonderful resource for you with downloadable assets on the pyramids and tombs of the Middle Kingdom!
- An article on the somewhat recent find of the lost Abydos King of the Hyksos Period
- Ancient Egypt Transformed: The Middle Kingdom – A link to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s publication – which can be purchased. Also dig deeper for access to other online materials here
3. New Kingdom
- Two excellent videos (although older) by Dr. John Romer, called the “Beethoven” of historical documentaries (and my personal fave Egyptologist presenter)
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Excellent general Egypt documentary by National Geographic (Valley of the Kings)
- Valley of the Kings – video with (popular red-headed English doc maker presenter) Dr. Joanne Fletcher
- Authoritative website on Valley of the Kings
- Great Kings (including Seti I)
- Hatshepsut
- Hatshepsut: The Queen who would be King, excellent Smithsonian article
- Read: The Woman who would be King – recent book by Dr. Kara Cooney
Amarna Period
- People at Amarna – Excellent history of archaeology lecture by Dr. Chris Naunton
- For Amarna period, see Barry Kemp. The city of Akhenaten and Nefertiti. And the Amarna Project website
- Tutankhamun in Colour – Excellent documentary with Dr. Elizabeth Frood
- Amarna 3D website
- Ramses I — Our Niagara Pharaoh – Great Nova Doc
- Here is an Egyptologist lecture/debate that took place at Oriental Institute, Chicago about who won the battle. Dr. Robert Rittner a great speaker,
- Here is a history channel doc on Ramses II Battle of Kadesh
- And a documentary on the last great King of Pharaonic Egypt Ramses III- and his murder mystery – where our story pretty much ends for this course!
- Harvard video – breaking the noses of Egyptian statues