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PODCAST

Voices of Ancient Egypt

Melinda Nelson-Hurst, Ph.D. (Voices of Ancient Egypt)

Welcome to Voices of Ancient Egypt — the podcast for people who don’t just want to learn about ancient Egypt, but want to understand it at a deeper, more meaningful level.Your podcast host, Melinda Nelson-Hurst, Ph.D., is an Egyptologist with years of experience teaching at the university level, working in Egypt, and training students around the world to read real ancient Egyptian texts. She’s spent decades studying this civilization in a traditional academic setting so you don’t have to — and so

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All Episodes

12:27

044: The Ancient Egyptians Had a Word for This...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/09/27

It's the fourth quarter of the year. And if you're like most people who love ancient Egypt and have been thinking about learning hieroglyphs, there's a voice in your head that says wait until January. This episode is a direct, honest, and genuinely inspiring challenge to that voice. Whether you're considering enrolling in a program right now or you're listening to this six months from now wondering if it's too late to start, this episode will change how you think about timing, self-investment...

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32:46

043: The "Matrix Moment" at the Met: How this Lawyer...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/09/24

In this inspiring episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, Melinda welcomes her student John to share his journey from childhood Egyptology enthusiast to reading real museum hieroglyphs with confidence. After decades of struggling with impenetrable academic manuals and frustrating correspondence courses, John discovered a revolutionary approach to learning ancient Egyptian. In this conversation, he breaks down how shifting from traditional, grammar-heavy language methods to a formulaic, brain-base...

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17:26

042: Co-Rule or Coup? The Truth Behind Hatshepsut &...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/09/22

In this episode, dive into the captivating life and reign of Hatshepsut, one of ancient Egypt's rare female pharaohs. Trace her journey from a royal daughter and Great Royal Wife to stepping in as regent for her young stepson and nephew, Thutmose III – and then stepping completely into the role of pharaoh. Learn how she uniquely elevated her status to full king, adopting masculine regalia and royal titles while maintaining a prosperous co-regency that allowed Egyptian art, architecture, and t...

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94:21

041: Master Scribes Open House Replay

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/09/18

In this episode, Melinda gives you a full behind-the-scenes breakdown of her next-level group program, Master Scribes. [Watch the replay for a limited time right here] She reveals how to switch from a transactional learning approach that creates only minimal, surface learning over to transformational learning – the type of learning that creates deep understanding, fluency, and the ability to walk up to ancient artifacts and read the hieroglyphs on them. Master Scribes is a customi...

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16:44

040: Royal Propaganda or Ancient Romance? The Scarabs...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/09/15

In this episode of the Voices of Ancient Egypt podcast, we explore how Pharaoh Amenhotep III used unique, large stone commemorative scarabs as a public medium to record historical events and honor his Chief Royal Wife, Queen Tiye. While typical Egyptian scarabs were small amulets or heart scarabs placed in mummies, Amenhotep III commissioned scarabs detailing lion and bull hunts, foreign princess arrivals, and royal engineering projects. Uncover the mysteries surrounding Queen Tiye's unpreced...

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24:41

039: The Espresso Method: How to Build a Low-Lift,...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/09/08

Have you ever said to yourself, "I love hieroglyphs and I want to learn them so badly, but I just can't stay consistent"? Perhaps you study hard for a few weeks, get busy, put it down for months, and then feel like you have to start all over again. When that happens, it’s easy to ask those painful five words: "What is wrong with me?" In this episode of the Voices of Ancient Egypt podcast, we are busting the myth that inconsistency is a personal failing. The truth is, there is absolutely nothi...

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21:44

038: Unmasking the Real Book of the Dead

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/09/03

Have you ever watched a Hollywood movie like the 1999 The Mummy and wondered if reading the Book of the Dead aloud could actually awaken a cursed spirit? In this episode, we separate cinematic myth from ancient reality. We take a deep dive into what the ancient Egyptians actually called this text, how it was used, who owned it, and how it was created. Whether you are fascinated by the golden mask of Tutankhamun, the mysterious weighing of the heart ceremony, or how ancient Egyptian scribes pr...

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11:53

037: Does One Give Water to a Goose to be...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/08/25

What do you do when a high-stakes mission completely falls apart, and you’re terrified of facing the ultimate authority? In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, we dive deep into one of the most famous, fascinating, and downright bizarre literary masterpieces of the Middle Kingdom: The Tale of the Shipwrecked Sailor. This isn't just a story about surviving a storm at sea; it is a brilliantly engineered nested narrative – a story within a story, within yet another story – that explores hum...

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20:34

036: A Window into the Ancient Egyptian Family

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/08/18

Have you ever wondered what was truly important to the average ancient Egyptian? Beyond the grand pyramids of kings and the massive temples of the state, how did people commemorate their lives, express their deepest beliefs, and show love for their families? In this episode, we dive deep into a unique and deeply personal class of artifact: the stelae of the Middle Kingdom. These decorated stone and wooden slabs are often mistaken for being like modern, western tombstones, but their real purpo...

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14:40

035: The Voice of the Heart & Ancient Egyptian Medicine

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/08/12

Have you ever wondered how the pyramid builders dealt with illness, injury, and disease? In this episode, we dive deep into the fascinating, often misunderstood world of ancient Egyptian medicine. While modern minds often separate the physical science of "medicine" from the spiritual rituals of "magic," the ancient Egyptians saw them as two halves of a single, powerful cure. We explore how these ancient healers understood the body, why they went to extraordinary lengths to protect its physic...

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13:29

034: Ancient “Recycling” (Or: Why My Son Hates Ramses...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/08/04

Have you ever looked at a statue of a famous Pharaoh and felt like something was just… off? In this episode, Egyptologist Dr. Melinda Nelson-Hurst takes us to the Grand Egyptian Museum to investigate a statue of Ramses II that isn't quite what it seems. While the hieroglyphs clearly claim the monument for Ramses the Great, the physical clues – from unusually large ears to a strangely narrow throne – tell a different story. We dive deep into the practice behind this bewildering statue. From th...

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9:19

033: Egyptologists Feel Stupid

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/07/28

In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, we pull back the curtain on the "highlight reel" of scholarship to reveal the messy, challenging, and often frustrating reality of deciphering ancient texts. Have you ever felt like something was wrong because a particular hieroglyph, word, or passage seemed impossible? You aren't alone – even experts with decades of experience encounter simple texts that leave them stumped for hours. Tune in to discover why the struggle isn't a sign of failure, but...

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37:03

032: Do Egyptologists Believe in Curses? (AMA)

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/07/21

In this first-ever Ask Me Anything (AMA) episode, Egyptologist and host Melinda dives into the vault of listener questions to separate fact from fiction in the world of Egyptology. From the legendary "Mummy’s Curse" to the sacred creative forces of the universe, this episode explores the deep-seated beliefs of the ancient Egyptians and the technical mysteries of their writing. Whether you are a curious history buff or a student struggling to master hieroglyphs, this episode offers a rare, beh...

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15:16

031: The 50% Hieroglyphs Rule

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/07/14

Have you ever felt like you can’t move on to the next chapter or lesson until you’ve mastered every single hieroglyph in the current one? You aren’t alone, but you might be accidentally slowing down your own progress. In this episode, Dr. Melinda Nelson-Hurst introduces her signature 50% Rule, a counterintuitive strategy designed to help you break through what keeps so many students stuck. By leveraging the way your brain actually processes new information, you’ll learn how to stop repeating ...

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12:51

030: The Ancient Egyptians in Their Own Words: What...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/07/07

In this episode, we step beyond the cold stone of monuments to hear the intimate, living voices of the ancient Egyptians through their own letters, poetry, and songs. From a son "bribing" his deceased mother with memories of quail to a husband defending his track record to his late wife’s ghost, these texts reveal a people grappling with the same universal experiences we face today: the intensity of new love, the sting of grief, the bite of professional satire, and the humble plea for mercy ...

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20:34

029: The Question Changes Everything

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/06/30

In this episode, we dive into the transformative power of questions and how they serve as the ultimate tool for mastering ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Whether you are a beginner struggling to identify a "funky" looking sign or an advanced student grappling with complex verb structures, asking questions is the key to breaking through mental blocks. We explore the psychological barriers that keep learners stuck, the technical nuances that differentiate Egyptian from English, and why a communit...

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20:29

028: The person who wrote those hieroglyphs had a...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/06/23

In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, we go behind the brush to discover the real people who recorded history. While we often marvel at the texts themselves, this deep dive explores the identity, training, and status of the ancient Egyptian scribe. You will hear how literacy (a rare gift held by less than 5% of the population) opened doors to the highest offices in the land, from managing local contracts to supervising the construction of massive royal monuments. From the "school of ha...

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23:02

027: The Ancient Egyptians' Own Version of Their History

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/06/17

In this episode, we dive deep into the evolution of Egyptian timekeeping, revealing the stark differences between how the ancient Egyptians viewed their own history and the modern systems used in museums today. You will discover how the Egyptians balanced linear and cyclical time, the origins of the dynasty system through the historian Manetho, and how the concepts of ma'at and isfet—divine order and chaos—were used to color historical records and royal propaganda. Finally, the episode chal...

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17:37

026: How the Rosetta Stone Actually Works — And What...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/06/09

After nearly 1,500 years of silence, how did we finally learn to read the "sacred carvings" of the Pharaohs? In this episode of the Voices of Ancient Egypt podcast, we dive into the high-stakes race to crack the code of Egyptian hieroglyphs. From the accidental discovery of a stone hidden in a military fortress wall to the obsessive linguistic rivalry between an English polymath and a French prodigy, we explore the breakthroughs that turned a dead script into a living history. Discover how a ...

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19:30

025: Three Seasons, No Winter: How the Ancient...

Voices of Ancient Egypt ·

2026/06/02

In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, we dive into the rhythmic cycle of life along the Nile, exploring why the ancient Egyptians organized their world into three distinct seasons rather than the four we recognize today. We’ll journey from the letters of a disgruntled Middle Kingdom landowner to the bustling construction sites of the Great Pyramid to see how the rising and falling of the river dictated everything from farming and taxes to massive engineering projects. Whether you are lo...

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