Akhenaten and Nefertiti: religious revolution in ancient Egypt
You're Dead to Me
08/21/26
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Greg Jenner is joined in ancient Egypt by historian and curator Dr Campbell Price and comedian Sikisa to learn all about Tutankhamun’s parents, Nefertiti and Akhenaten. As well as their famous son, this ancient Egyptian power couple are best known in the modern age for two reasons. Firstly, Nefertiti’s legendary beauty – her portrait bust is instantly recognisable around the world. Secondly, Akhenaten’s religious radicalism, which saw him reorient Egyptian belief towards the sun god Aten and build an entirely new capital away from the traditional seat of power at Thebes. This episode traces their lives as members of the 18th dynasty, often regarded as the ‘Golden Age’ of pharaonic Egypt. We look at Akhenaten’s murky childhood and Nefertiti’s even murkier origins, exploring their family life and the children they had, the religious revolution that Akhenaten drove, the unique architecture and art styles developed during their reign, and the fate of Aten worship after Akhenaten’s death. Along the way, we dig into the archaeological evidence and the many uncertainties surrounding their lives, and ask whether they really were Tutankhamun’s parents after all.
If you’re a fan of pharaohs and their follies, the history of religion, and unravelling the mysteries of ancient Egypt, you’ll love our episode on Nefertiti and Akhenaten. If you want more ancient Egyptian history with Dr Campbell Price, listen to our episodes on Hatshepsut or Ramesses the Great. And for more power-hungry monarchs, check out episodes on Emperor Nero or Frederick the Great. You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Siobhan-Michelle Smith Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
Previous Episode
Greg Jenner is joined in the eighteenth-century Caribbean by historian and curator Hannah Cusworth and comedian Kemah Bob to learn about the swashbuckling lives of pirates Anne Bonny and Mary Read. These women and their adventures on the high seas have become the stuff of legend, helped along by the sensational account of their lives written shortly after their capture. Though they are famous for the short period they spent together on a pirate ship, dressed as men to hide their true identities, the two had very different backgrounds. Anne was the well-off and rebellious daughter of a merchant and plantation owner in Carolina, while the working-class Mary already had experience dressing in men’s clothing and working as a sailor and soldier. This episode traces their biographies, exploring their upbringings, romantic entanglements (with men and each other), and time aboard the pirate ship captained by the infamous Captain 'Calico Jack' Rackham, as well as their ultimate fate. And it looks at the wider context of the Caribbean, the transatlantic trade in enslaved Africans and the Golden Age of piracy which shaped their lives and choices, and asks what place they have in queer and trans histories of the period.
If you’re a fan of swashbuckling pirates, women in male professions, and the complicated history of slavery and colonialism in the Caribbean, you’ll love our episode on Anne Bonny and Mary Read. If you want more from Kemah Bob, listen to our episodes on Hatshepsut or Prohibition in the USA. And for more swashbuckling women, check out our episodes on duellist and opera singer Julie d’Aubigny, Chinese pirate queen Zheng Yi Sao, or Irish pirate Grainne O’Malley. You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Naomi Weaver Written by: Naomi Weaver, Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
Next Episode
Greg Jenner is joined in western Europe by historian Dr Serena Dyer and comedian and actor Vic Michaelis to learn all about the hidden history of underwear. For as long as people have been wearing clothes, they have been wearing garments under them – Romans at Hadrian’s Wall were sent underpants, and even Ötzi the Iceman was discovered wearing a form of undergarment. But what were people wearing before the invention of underwires and elastic, so essential to our modern conceptions of underwear? This episode traces the history of our underthings in western Europe and the USA from the medieval period, through the Tudor, Regency and Victorian eras, and into the modern day. Moving around the body, it takes in the linen shifts and shirts that were the universal undergarment for much of history, the development of drawers and stockings, and the shockingly recent invention of knickers and briefs. It also tackles stays and corsets, asking whether they were really as painful as film and TV depictions suggest, and looking at the reliability of on-screen underwear in programmes like ‘Bridgerton’.
If you’re a fan of fashion trends of the past, evolving views on beauty and the body, and debunking historical myths, you’ll love our episode on the history of underwear. If you want more historical fashion and beauty trends, check out our episodes on the History of High Heels, Renaissance Beauty and haircare entrepreneur Madam CJ Walker. You’re Dead To Me is the comedy podcast that takes history seriously. Every episode, Greg Jenner brings together the best names in history and comedy to learn and laugh about the past. Hosted by: Greg Jenner Research by: Lily Tidman Written by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Dr Emma Nagouse, and Greg Jenner Produced by: Dr Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Gill Huggett Senior Producer: Dr Emma Nagouse Executive Editor: Philip Sellars
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