Campbell Price On The Women Who Assassinated A Pharaoh

We often think of Egyptian Pharaohs as glamorous god-king of Ancient times, yet the truth of these people is a lot, lot darker. Millenia ago, a plot was hatched within the highest echelons of Egyptian society which ended with royal blood being spilt. This assassination, known as the Harem Conspiracy, and the following trial would fascinate historians for the next three thousand years... Who was behind the plot? How close did they come to seizing the throne? And what can archaeology tell us about Egyptian society as a whole? Our guest today is Dr. Campbell Price, Curator of Egypt and Sudan at Manchester Museum and honorary research fellow at University of Liverpool. He’s our go-to Ancient Egypt expert and the author of his newest book ‘Brief Histories: Ancient Egypt.’ 00:00 Introduction 02:34 Who was Ramesses III? 04:54 Egypt in the Late Bronze Age 05:49 The legacy of Ramesses the Great 08:51 Succession and uncertainty in ancient Egypt 10:15 The divine role of the pharaoh 12:32 The architectural legacy of Ramesses III 16:30 Socio-economic struggles and the first recorded strike 21:00 The truth behind the harem conspiracy 23:59 Motives of the queen and the rival heir 33:00 The court officials involved in the coup 35:16 Black magic and the physical assassination 36:58 CT scans and the physical evidence of murder 40:55 The judicial papyrus and punishments for regicide 48:44 Mummification, modern exploration, and cultural legacy This episode was edited by Hannah Feodorov. Produced by Stuart Beckwith and McKenna Fernandez. The senior producer was Freddy Chick. After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast. Sign up to History Hit for hundreds of hours of original documentaries, with a new release every week and ad-free podcasts. Sign up at https://www.historyhit.com/subscribe. All music from Epidemic Sounds. #HistoryHitPodcast #AfterDark #Egypt #AncientEgypt