S2E01: Ethiopia's Civilizational Stage

I hope you enjoy this week's episode of the History of Africa. This week, we're starting a new season, one that finally leaves the Nile Valley and moves on to the Highlands of Ethiopia.

So, to help you along while listening to the geography portion of the show here's a map showing the general placement of the different biomes in Eastern Africa

This Egyptian mural depicts the so-called king and queen of Punt. As we discussed in the podcast, these people were most likely rulers of a specific Puntite city-state, rather than rulers of a unified Puntite kingdom. Looking at the king, you may notice some trappings of Egyptian fashion, specifically, the elongated, artificial beard.

 

The queen of Punt is possibly depicted as having severe health issues, most likely elephantiasis, a disease that can cause major swelling of limbs. But it might also indicate that beauty standards in Ancient Punt were focused on fertility, with rotund women possessing especially large hips being considered the ideal female form. This resembles depictions of fertility goddesses in other hunter-gatherer and neolithic societies, so it's not a stretch to attribute this view to neolithic East Africans.

Anyways, if you'd like to support the show, click support show at the top of the page. Your help is needed to keep the show running, and it's much appreciated. 

S01E10: Collapse of the Old Kingdom

After all these weeks spent exploring the early years of Egyptian civilization, the Old Kingdom, encompassing more than 500 years and four dynasties of Egyptian history, has come to an end. However, if you'd like to learn about the lives of Egypt's lower and middle classes during the Old Kingdom, or if you would just like to ensure that we can keep providing free education on African History, you can support the show on Patreon and receive access to premium episodes for just $1.99.

Part of the reason for the collapse of the Old Kingdom was the expansion of the power of bureaucrats and local nomarchs. This problem was especially hard to deal with because trying to limit the power of one of these groups would often increase the power of the other. For example, when the fifth dynasty king tried to lessen the influence of royal bureaucrats, he inadvertently surrendered power to the local nomarchs. Reforms to limit the influence of nomarchs often achieved the opposite, surrendering power to the bureaucracy. By the time of the sixth dynasty period, the power of these groups each superseded the pharaoh in real influence. While nomarchs and high-level bureaucrats often received luxurious tombs of their own, by the sixth dynasty their tombs exceeded the tombs of the pharaohs in terms of opulence.

This tomb, for example, was built at Saqqara for Mereruka, an advisor of the pharaoh Teti. With over 30 distinct rooms and passages, it surpasses even many royal tombs in terms of size and splendor, including that of his advisee. This evidences that bureaucrats from this era possessed a lot of wealth, even more wealth than the pharaoh at points.

Photo By Manmeet Kaur

Another example of this is the tomb of Mehu, the vizier and manager of the royal treasury under Pepi I. The tomb, also built in Saqqara, is not only impressive in its external structure, but also for its internal decor. The tomb contains some of the most intact and intricate stonework from the Old Kingdom. 

So, after the slow decline of the power of the pharaoh throughout the Sixth Dynasty period, local nomarchs assumed the powers once covered by the royal government. Next week, we'll reflect on the achievements of the Old Kingdom, and also learn what happens to Egypt in the immediate aftermath of the Old Kingdom's fall. After that, I'm not sure where next season will focus on, but make sure to keep your eyes open for updates.

S01 E09: The Rise and Fall of the Cult of Ra

Hello everyone, I hope you enjoy this week's episode. In order to continue to keep the show hosted, we rely on the support of listeners like you. If you'd like to support the show, you may do so here and gain access to premium content for just $1.99 per month, just the price of a couple gumballs. Click here to support the show. Unfortunately, there is no premium episode this week, but you can still listen to all previous premium episodes. I have to wrap up my semester and have thus been busy. The semester is ending soon though, and premium content will return soon.

Part of the reason why the Fifth Dynasty is so unknown in popular consciousness compared to its successors is that most of their monuments have no stood the test of time. Above, for example, is Userkaf's pyramid, which lies in ruins at Saqqara (you can see Djoser's pyramid on the right side of the image.) This would become a trend among fifth dynasty Pharaohs, with all of their pyramids either collapsing or remaining unfinished.

Neferirekare's pyramid is the closest to being intact, but even then the rushed structural integrity led to structural problems, and much of the base of the pyramid has collapsed.

During the episode, we talked a bit about the city of Iunu, the origin of the worship of Ra. This city, more commonly known as Heliopolis, remained a religious center long after the solar cult's decline from prominence during the late 5th dynasty. As a token of loyalty, the Egyptian kings of the fifth dynasty routinely offered the Cult huge tracts of valuable land to be used for the cultivation of plants used in rituals. The priests did grow these plants, but they also became incredibly rich as agricultural landowners. Part of Djedkare's motivation in disempowering the Cult of Ra may have been in an effort to reclaim this valuable land from the clutches of the priestly class. 

Another thing we mentioned during the episode was Ash, the god of Oases. Ash was a minor deity in Egyptian religion, and was believed to be responsible for the creation of oases  Like in many other polytheistic cultures, Egyptian religion usually followed the structure of having major gods that covered a large overarching topic, like Ra, Seth, Neith, as well as minor gods to cover more specific things. Ash, as the god of oases, was associated with Seth, the god of the desert. As the nomadic tribes and city-states of ancient Libya largely focused around the oases that dotted the arid landscape, Ash also became associated with the people of Libya. Ash may even be an Egyptian reimagination of a god worshipped by the people of Libya, or perhaps just another name for Seth himself, meant to represent a more benign aspect of Seth's character. Unlike most Egyptian gods, Ash was portrayed with multiple different animals as his head in artwork from the time, including the head of hawk, vulture, and mythological Seth animal. In the episode, we hear Ash grant the pharaoh Sahure domain over Libya. Like is common throughout the world, Egyptian kings used religion to justify their conquests.

Thank you to friend of the show @loogatwo on Instagram. He provided an excellent voiceover for Ash. 

S01 E08: The Old Kingdom's Peak

I hope everyone enjoyed this week's episode about Egypt's fourth dynasty. In order to continue to keep the show hosted, we rely on the support of listeners like you. If you'd like to support the show, you may do so here and gain access to premium content for just $1.99 per month, just the price of a couple gumballs. Click here to support the show.

Anyways, this week's episode I mention the pyramid at Meidum, one of Egypt's most haunting monuments. This pyramid was built by Sneferu on behalf of his father in-law, Huni.

That inner, more intact section of the structure is the remains of the step pyramid base, while the collapsed rubble around it is what remains of the once beautiful limestone shell.

Here is a picture of the first pyramid of Sneferu, known colloquially as the Bent Pyramid because, well, just look at it. Interestingly, this pyramid is one of the few structures that retains most of its limestone casing. Most pyramids had a casing of smooth limestone that surrounded the inner-structure. However, thieves often stole this limestone to resell, and later pharaohs would sometimes reincorporate it for later building projects. This, in addition to the thousands of years of natural erosion, led this limestone to break down over time. Why it remains more on the Bent Pyramid is something of a mystery. Archaeologists long believed that the Bent Pyramid was a mistake, and many mainstream sources continue to share this view today. I personally held this view before my preliminary research for this episode, but a study by Giulio Magli and Juan Antonio Belmonte, published in the Journal for the History of Astronomy, convinced me otherwise during my research.

They pointed out some of the flaws with the mainstream theory that caught my attention. For one, there is no serious sign of imminent collapse within the Bent Pyramid. The fact that the structure was completed at all and not merely abandoned partially through construction like other poorly constructed pyramids also indicates that, if problems occurred during construction, it wasn't serious enough to cancel the project. These problems, combined with the symmetrical nature of the Bent Pyramid's and Red Pyramid's designs when the pyramidions are taken into account, makes the case that these pyramids were built together as one combined project, rather than constructed separately. Like much of the symbology in protodynastic and Old Kingdom Egypt, the Red and Bent Pyramids were meant to symbolize Sneferu's dual authority over Upper and Lower Egypt. 

Next week I'll elaborate more on the sun cult that rose to prominence during this era. In short, you may have noticed that, in our discussions on Egyptian religion, the sun god Ra has never made an appearance. Ra and a cult surrounding worship of the sun rose to prominence during the late Third and Fourth Dynasty periods, but I chose to leave this out until now because the Fifth Dynasty will empower the cult of Ra to a whole new level, with temples to the immaculate god of the sun eventually surpassing the tombs of the pharaohs in terms of significance and legacy. Tune in next week to learn more.

S01 E07: Egypt's First Age of Gold

Hello everyone. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of the History of Africa Podcast. This week, we focus on the Third Dynasty, the first line of kings of Egypt's "Old Kingdom." This period was the first peak of civilizational advancement in Ancient Egypt, and would last until 2181 B.C.

Anyways, here's some visual aids for this week's episode. Firstly, here is Djoser's step pyramid today. Notice how the structure is essentially composed of five mastabas stacked on top of each other?

Attribution: http://sonyaandtravis.com

Here is a picture of the funerary complex outside of the step pyramid, where priests conducted the funerary rights for Djoser. 

Djoser-Ty is more commonly known as Sekhemkhet. I chose to call him Djoser-Ty, however, because that was his birth name. While I generally prefer using the pharaohs Horus name, a more regal title used on serekhs, but because I used a birth name for Djoser, I thought it would be more consistent to refer to Sekhemkhet as Djoser-Ty throughout the duration of the episode. Anyways, here are the ruins of his pyramid. All this was buried under a layer of sand, so it remained undiscovered for a long period of time. 

If you'd like to learn about the brilliant archaeologist who discovered this pyramid, and the tragic fate that befell him afterward, you can listen to this week's premium episode by supporting the show on our Patreon page. We really need the support to continue making this podcast, as each episode requires several hours of work and it costs money to host the podcast. By supporting the show through Patreon for just $1.99 per month, you ensure that the show can continue.

    Anyways, here's the pyramid of Huni. Like Djoser-Ty's pyramid, it less resembles a monument and more resembles a pile of rubble. 

Huni was actually not buried at the "Layer Pyramid" as it has been nicknamed, but rather at a different site. You'll learn about how this new site was constructed by his son-in-law, Sneferu, next episode. Until then, enjoy the show. 

 

S01 E06: Egypt Shatters

Hello everyone. I hope you enjoy this week's episode of the History of Africa Podcast. Anyways, there will be no premium episode for patrons this week (sorry!), but the posting of premium content will resume again next week. Anyways, we would really appreciate it if we could get your help in supporting the show, as we're currently 1/4 of the way to completing our current goal and to pay for hosting of the show. Here is the link if you'd like to support the show and receive access to premium content. The donations help keep the show alive, and I work really hard on the episodes, so your support is appreciated very much.

Anyways, here's a quick correction or comment on the episodes so far. I've been using the term "pharaoh" to describe Egyptian monarchs throughout our episodes. However, I feel like I should point out that the term pharaoh did not come into use until the New Kingdom period of Egypt, so I'm pushing a little too far into the future with my use of it here. Regardless, the term is so integrated into our cultural conception of Egypt that I feel like I would be pushing against hundreds of years of established Egyptology and confusing viewers in the process by refusing to use the term pharaoh.

So, in this week's episode, we learned about Seth-Peribsen, an upper Egyptian pharaoh who demoted Horus in the Egyptian pantheon and instead worshipped Seth, the god of the desert, chaos, and foreigners, as his primary deity.

Here you can see the symbol of Seth prominently featured atop Peribsen's serekh, or royal seal. Seth's symbol was a mythological creature, referred to by Egyptologists as the Seth animal. For comparison, here is a more standard Serekh (in this case, Hotepsekhemwy's) featuring the falcon, symbol of Horus. 

And finally, the Serekh of Khasekhemwy, who unites the symbols of the gods atop his serekh. 

Some egyptology enthusiasts might be surprised to see the worship of Seth in such a mainstream sense. Seth is usually depicted as a god of chaos and evil deeds, an enemy of the god Horus. His most famous story involves him mutilating Osiris and stealing the throne. So how could worship of such a negative god be so mainstream? Well, Seth was not always seen as an evil force in the Egyptian religion. As we learned in episode 3, Seth's origins come from the protector deity of Nekaterion. He was viewed as an important and integral part of the Egyptian pantheon throughout most of Egyptian history, and most myths from this time depict him positively. For example, it is Seth who protects the sun god Ra from the killer snake Apop. So, when did Seth's depictions turn so negative?

Well, Seth's image took a turn specifically due to his status as the god of foreigners. With the migration of the Hyksos into Upper Egypt, it is said that their ruler exclusively worshipped Seth, tarnishing the image of this god in the minds of the indigenous Egyptians. However, worship of Seth continued after the expulsion of the Hyksos, and it wasn't until the conquest of Egypt by the Assyrians, and later the Persians under king Cambyses that Seth's image as the god of these foreign conquerers truly became one of a demon. This is when Seth, the demon of chaos and disorder, emerges in mythology, and where many of the myths we know of him come into being.

Anyways, again, please help support the show so we can pay for hosting. Thanks for reading, and I hope you'll listen next week. 

S01 E05: The Best Pharaoh You've Never Heard Of

Hello everyone. I hope you enjoyed this week's episode about the pharaohs of Egypt's mysterious first dynasty. Anyways, I'm gonna post a map I created in Photoshop to help people not get lost, as I know that it can be kinda hard to keep up with my constant spewing of new cities and regions. I'll be updating this map for use in later episodes.

Anyways, included here is a map of the tomb complex in Abydos, Egypt. Here is where you can find the graves of two predynastic nomarchs (Iry Hor and Ka), the entirety of the First Dynasty, and the two pharaohs of the Second Dynasty. The fact to note about these tombs is how they allow you to roughly track the prosperity experienced during the rules of the pharaoh entombed. Generally, larger tombs mean that the pharaoh had more resources at their disposal at the end of their rule, indicating that Egypt was undergoing a period of economic prosperity at the time of construction.

(Note: Kaa is an alternative name for Qebeh. I chose to refer to him as Qebeh to avoid confusion with the predynastic ruler, Ka.)

In this week's episode, I briefly touched on the methods of burial and construction used to build mastabas. Here's a picture of one so you can really visualize the "pyramid with its top sliced off" comparison.

As mentioned in the episode, many of the royal attendants were buried with the First Dynasty pharaohs in an act of human sacrifice. If you'd like to learn more about the conduction of human sacrifice in Ancient Egypt, and how the practice came to eventually be abandoned, you can access it by supporting the show on Patreon. For just $1.99 a month, you'll receive access to all of our premium uploads. We rely entirely on supporters like you to ensure that our main series stays free and independent, and to pay for hosting. Thank you.