170: Horemheb and Ramesses

How does Ramesses II stack up to his predecessors? Why did ancient writers connect him with the Trojan War? In this episode we explore tales of Ramesses, told in antiquity, and consider his legacy in the modern world. Music: Keith Zizza and Luke Chaos. Bibliography Brand, P. (201 ...  Show more

In 1226 BCE, his sixty-seventh year of rule, the long life of Ramesses II finally ended. We explore his final decades, the difficult life revealed by his mummy, his ascent to status of "living god," and the aftermath of his reign. Music: Luke Chaos. Support the History of Egypt a ...  Show more

A blind oud player from humble beginnings, Sheikh Imam's destiny changed drastically when he met a dissident poet called Ahmed Fouad Negm, and they formed a duo. Together, they would go on start a new era in Egyptian popular music. Their songs would shake regimes, travel the worl ...  Show more

On the show today... Our teenage dreams have come true with Delta Goodrem announcing a 20-year anniversary tour for her Innocent Eyes album. Here’s everything you need to know. Plus, Emma Thompson's done an in-depth interview with The New Yorker reflecting on her life, but the ma ...  Show more

Sold as a slave to the great Abbasid Caliph, al-Khayzuran quickly rose to the very top of the pyramid. Through marriage and motherhood, she became wife of the caliph and then Queen Mother and in both instances she wielded extraordinary power. In the court at Baghdad - the very he ...  Show more

When we last left Kosem Sultan, she was already super powerful, but with the death of her eldest son, Murad IV, she's now about to start a life of a new kind of power under her unwell son, Ibrahim. Ibrahim, Sultan of the Ottoman Empire has gone down in history as Ibrahim the Mad, ...  Show more