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.

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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/ or follow us on Social Media: @TheEES or @egyptexplorationsociety or #AwayWithThePharaohs.

Specialist on Egyptian religion and EES Development Manager, Dr Edward Scrivens, joins our host Charlotte Jordan at the Egypt Exploration Society. The episode opens with a brief overview of religion in ancient Egypt, before exploring the complex, fluid nature of its gods and goddesses and the rituals that empowered them. It introduces key deities, including many forms of the sun god, Amun-Ra as king of the gods, and the family of Osiris, Isis, Horus, and Seth, before examining the pharaoh’s divine role and responsibility to uphold Ma’at or cosmic order. The focus then shifts to non-royal individuals who could be deified and to acts of personal devotion, ending with local and domestic deities that reveal a more intimate, personalised form of worship beyond state control.

Learn more at https://www.ees.ac.uk/ or follow us on Social Media: @TheEES or @egyptexplorationsociety or #AwayWithThePharaohs.