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Egypt through the Ages: The Rise and Fall

From the first unification to Roman annexation, Egypt’s dynasties, foreign rulers and cultural achievements are traced across three millennia.

Chapters

• 0:07 From Unification to the Pyramids
• 1:34 Middle Kingdom Revival and Hyksos Interlude
• 2:43 Empire of the New Kingdom
• 3:52 Foreign Rule to Roman Egypt

On-screen text

• 0:07 From Unification to the Pyramids
• 0:14 From Unification to the Pyramids
• 0:31 Narmer unifies Egypt (c.3100 BCE) Historical record · Narmer Palette (Egyptian Museum, Cairo)
• 0:49 Palermo Stone chronicles early dynasties Historical record · Palermo Stone (Museo Archeologico Regionale, Palermo)
• 1:07 Djoser’s Step Pyramid, first stone monument Historical record · Step Pyramid of Djoser (Saqqara, excavated by Jean‑Philippe Lauer)
• 1:25 Pyramid Texts – earliest Egyptian religion Historical record · Pyramid Texts (c. 2400 BCE, Pyramid of Unas, Saqqara)
• 1:34 Middle Kingdom Revival and Hyksos Interlude
• 1:41 Middle Kingdom Revival and Hyksos Interlude
• 1:58 Tale of Sinuhe – Middle Kingdom literature Historical record · The Tale of Sinuhe (Papyrus Leiden I 344, Leiden University Library)
• 2:16 Hyksos bronze swords in the Delta Historical record · Hyksos weapons and scarabs (Tell el‑Dab‘a, excavated by Flinders Petrie)
• 2:34 Ahmose drives out Hyksos (c.1550 BCE) The Institute's interpretation · Ahmose I’s victory stela (Louvre, CG 34079)
• 2:43 Empire of the New Kingdom
• 2:50 Empire of the New Kingdom
• 3:07 Hatshepsut’s temple celebrates Punt expedition Historical record · Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el‑Bahri (inscriptions, 1479–1458 BCE)
• 3:25 Amarna Letters – diplomatic clay tablets Historical record · Amarna Letters (c. 1350 BCE, tablets in the British Museum, BM 29879)
• 3:43 Ramesses III’s tomb shows afterlife judgment Historical record · Tomb of Ramesses III (Valley of the Kings, KV11, painted scenes)
• 3:52 Foreign Rule to Roman Egypt
• 3:59 Foreign Rule to Roman Egypt
• 4:16 Cyrus Cylinder announces Persian conquest (525 BCE) Historical record · Cyrus Cylinder (British Museum, BM 351)
• 4:34 Piankhi’s Theban victory stela (c.730 BCE) Historical record · Inscriptions of Piankhi at Thebes (Temple of Amun, c. 730 BCE)
• 4:52 Alexander founds Alexandria (331 BCE) Historical record · Alexander the Great’s foundation inscription at Alexandria (stone slab, 331 BCE, reported by Strabo)
• 5:10 Ptolemaic coin merges Greek and Egyptian motifs Historical record · Ptolemaic silver tetradrachm of Ptolemy I (British Museum, BM 125)
• 5:28 Augustus makes Egypt a Roman province (30 BCE) The Institute's interpretation · Res Gestae Divi Augusti (inscription, Rome, 14 CE)
• 5:46 Library of Alexandria famed in tradition Tradition / scripture · Tradition (ancient writers such as Strabo, Plutarch)

Sources

Historical record: Narmer Palette (Egyptian Museum, Cairo) · Palermo Stone (Museo Archeologico Regionale, Palermo) · Step Pyramid of Djoser (Saqqara, excavated by Jean‑Philippe Lauer) · Pyramid Texts (c. 2400 BCE, Pyramid of Unas, Saqqara) · The Tale of Sinuhe (Papyrus Leiden I 344, Leiden University Library) · Hyksos weapons and scarabs (Tell el‑Dab‘a, excavated by Flinders Petrie) · Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el‑Bahri (inscriptions, 1479–1458 BCE) · Amarna Letters (c. 1350 BCE, tablets in the British Museum, BM 29879) · Tomb of Ramesses III (Valley of the Kings, KV11, painted scenes) · Cyrus Cylinder (British Museum, BM 351) · Inscriptions of Piankhi at Thebes (Temple of Amun, c. 730 BCE) · Alexander the Great’s foundation inscription at Alexandria (stone slab, 331 BCE, reported by Strabo) · Ptolemaic silver tetradrachm of Ptolemy I (British Museum, BM 125)

Tradition / scripture: Tradition (ancient writers such as Strabo, Plutarch)

The Institute's interpretation: Ahmose I’s victory stela (Louvre, CG 34079) · Res Gestae Divi Augusti (inscription, Rome, 14 CE)

Sound: synthesized ambient (wind, drone, water) (CC0 — made by SoapBox). Made in 73 s of CPU.