Afterlives of Ancient Egypt with Kara Cooney Podcast Por Kara Cooney arte de portada

Afterlives of Ancient Egypt with Kara Cooney

Afterlives of Ancient Egypt with Kara Cooney

De: Kara Cooney
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History isn’t repeating itself; history is now

ancientnow.substack.comPatina Productions Mundial
Episodios
  • Pregnancy and Childbirth in Ancient Egypt

    Pregnancy and Childbirth in Ancient Egypt
    Aug 12 2025
    Content Warning: Adult themes of sex and sexuality; death and traumaIn this podcast episode, we take a deep dive into pregnancy and giving birth in ancient Egypt. How were fertility issues dealt with? How was conception conceptualized? What was the childbirth process like? What role did magical rituals and belief in the gods play? What role did midwives, doctors, wet nurses, and others play in the process? And what can we gain from the experiences of these ancient people today? We ultimately come to understand that ancient Egyptian birth was a private matter that took place in the home, that the baby and mother received the support of intimate and extended family, that the new mother was welcomed back into society with celebrations of her beauty and fecundity, a rite of passage in which community was integral. Indeed, all of this is exactly what pregnant individuals and new parents are missing and seeking out in 2025. We might assume that it is better to be pregnant now than in the ancient world. And in some ways it is— antibiotics, anesthesia, and sonograms save lives everyday. But we also know healthcare access is not equal across race and socio-economic status, governments are defunding care facilities, and a woman’s right to choose are all under threat. To make matters worse, as of a 2023 JAMA study, U.S. pregnancy-related deaths are on a steep uptake since 1999, especially amongst Indigenous and Black communities. The defunding of pregnancy and childbirth-related services, like Planned Parenthood, is one contributing factor. Given that cuts to abortion access are meant to push women back into traditional, shut-in, patriarchal roles, please don’t expect a glorification of the ancient world here. But we can’t laud the modern situation either. Let’s just say that we can learn useful lessons from both sides of our human selves. It’s complicated.All of our current medical possibilities have created their own unintended overmedicalized consequences that no one in the ancient world had to suffer. Today’s drug-induced births, often chosen for the convenience of medical staff, create contractions that are ten times more painful than normal contractions. The high number of chemically induced births demands that modern American mothers labor for hours under epidural spinal pain blocking, accompanied by heavy opioids. The inability to feel anything during the birth process takes agency away from the mother entirely. She cannot move; she pushes from her back. No squatting and birth bricks for her. No gravity to assist the descent of the baby in the birth canal. Instead, very long labor can result in traumatized mothers with ripped tissue, babies squeezed and pulled out of the birth canal. Many modern births result in overmedicalized interventions, thus the high rate of cesarean sections, which are 5x more likely to cause complications than vaginal births. The COVID-19 pandemic hit pregnant and post-childbirth individuals particularly hard. Even celebrities— people we would assume would have the best medical treatment available— have had near-death experiences (Read about Serena Williams’ ordeal). In many ways, the modern (American) birth process is a system perfected to create trauma and loneliness. I think if we had the choice presented to us with clarity, most of us would want to give birth the ancient way—with community and agency—but with modern aids like surgical ways of dealing with a cord wrapped around the baby’s neck, or a stuck shoulder, or a placenta blocking the birth canal, or means of stopping hemorrhaging, or antibiotics to stop infection. Somehow our discussions about childbirth have become very black and white, such that anyone demanding a midwife is putting their baby in mortal danger to the level of Oh-You-Would-Have-Wanted-The-Nazis-to-Win-World-War-II kind of rhetoric. But the ancient world can provide some much-needed nuance in our perspective of maternal agency, healthy outcomes, and community involvement.One of the most shocking findings of a recent study was the prevalence of mental health-related death in the 4th trimester (the time between birth and 12-week post-partum). Modern childbirth usually places the mother in charge of her baby alone. New parents are not getting the support and care they need. Instead of the embrace of the community in the ancient world, women today experience loneliness, anxiety, and isolation. But we are still those same people, in many ways, with the same desires, emotions, and bodies. And we don’t like being cut off from care. We want human connection during this essential rite of passage. It is no surprise that we are seeing a rise in midwifery and doulas as a way for pregnant individuals to take back the process. A doula is like a claim of emotional support, direct from the ancient world. Midwives are not just women taking care of women in the old ways, but a rejection of the formal doctor-knows-all over patient relationship....
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    1 h y 7 m
  • Ancient Tactical Magic

    Ancient Tactical Magic
    Aug 2 2025
    How was magic/ritual practice used in the lives of ancient Egyptians to resist and gain a sense of agency? In this episode of Afterlives of Ancient Egypt, Kara, Jordan, and extra special guest Dr. Jonathan Winnerman delve into the concept of 'magical resistance,' exploring how ancient Egyptians and people today use magic and rituals to gain a sense of power and agency. They discuss broad definitions of magic, because yeah scholars really fight about what magic is and what it isn’t, its role in the assassination of Ramses III, and the fine line between state–sanctioned and subversive magical practices. The inspiration for this episode was a Substack article from Ancient Rome, Modern Witch which looked at how ancient Romans used magic as a form of resistance. And also please remember HBO’s Rome when Servilla curses Attia with all the elite witchcraft in her ancient Roman toolkit.With everything that is going on in the world—wild gesture—people are seeking different methods of resistance, including modern forms of magic. Now we aren’t telling you to go out and curse anybody, because that shit always comes back at you (!), but please use this podcast and the plentiful show notes below as inspiration to create some some good, magical, ancient defensive tactics for the days to come….Show Notes* FREE DOWNLOAD – Robert Ritner, SAOC 54. The Mechanics of Ancient Egyptian Magical Practice. (Fourth Printing, 2008).* Frazer’s Golden Bough (1890) – a seminal (read masculine AF) work on comparative mythology and religion* Magic → religion → science and rational materialism (!!)Harem Conspiracy * Papyrus Rollins“It happened because writings were made for enchanting, for banishing, for confusing, because some gods were made into wax and some men also– and furthermore for enfeebling the limbs of men and which writing were placed in the hand of Pay-bak-kamen…” (P. Rollins)* Goedicke, Hans (December 1963). "Was Magic Used in the Harem Conspiracy against Ramesses III? (P.Rollin and P.Lee)". The Journal of Egyptian Archaeology. 49: 71–92. doi:10.2307/3855702. JSTOR 3855702.Protection* Isis Knot and other amulets“Spell for a knot amulet of red jasper. “You have your blood, O Isis; you have your power, O Isis; you have your magic, O Isis.” As for him for whom this is done, the power of Isis will be the protection of his body, and Horus son of Isis will rejoice over him when he sees him; no path will be hidden from him, and one side of him will be towards the sky and the other towards the earth. A true matter; you shall not let anyone see it in your hand, for there is nothing equal to it.” (Formula 156, Book of Coming Forth by Day)* Killed Captives at boundary markers* Mut Precinct (unpublished)* Mirgissa Deposit CursesSpell against an Enemy - “You will stop, whoever comes! I am the one who enters the sleeping place and comes from upon the ground. A man who fights. You will stop! Where are you with regard to me? I will enter your belly as a fly, and I will see your belly from the inside. I will turn your face into the back of your head; the front of your foot into your heel. Your speech is no use; it will not be heard. Your body will be weak and your knee will be feeble. You will stop! I am Horus, the son of Isis, I will leave on my feet.” (McDowell, 117)Tomb Fragment (National Museum of Scotland)“It is to you that I speak; all people who will find this tomb passage! Watch out not to take (even) a pebble from within it outside. If you find this stone you shall transgress against it. Indeed, the gods since (the time of) Pre, those who rest in [the midst] of the mountains gain strength every day (even though) their pebbles are dragged away. ’Look for a place worthy of yourselves and rest in it, and do not constrict gods in their own houses, as every man is happy in his place and every man is glad in his house. As for he who will be sound, beware of forcefully removing this stone from its place. As for he who covers it in its place, great lords of the west will reproach him very very very very very very very very much.”Execration Ritual(s) “Every rebel of this land, all people, all patricians, all commoners, all males, all eunuchs, all women, every chieftain, every Nubian, ever Strongman, every messenger, every confederate, every ally of every land who will revel in Wawat, Zatju, Yam, Ianeh, Masit, and Kauw, who will rebel or who will plot by saying plots, or speaking anything evil against Upper or Lower Egypt forever.”“spit on him four times . . . trample on him with the left foot . . . smite him with a spear . . . slaughter him with a knife . . . place him on the fire . . . spit on him in the fire many times”* Breaking of the Red Pots RitualLetters to the DeadCairo Bowl (CG 25375)“Given by Dedi to the priest Antef, born of Iwnakht. As for this serving-maid Imiu who is sick, you do not fight for her night and day with every man who is doing her harm and every woman ...
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    59 m
  • The "Younger Memnon": A Colossal Case of Ancient Reuse and Modern Empire

    The "Younger Memnon": A Colossal Case of Ancient Reuse and Modern Empire
    Jun 23 2025

    What happens when an ancient Egyptian king recycles a statue—and then an empire steals it more than 3,000 years later? In this episode of Afterlives of Ancient Egypt, Kara Cooney and Amber Myers Wells take you on a deep dive into the life, reuse, and relocation of the colossal statue fragment known as the “Younger Memnon” (British Museum, EA 19). Once a towering monument to Amenhotep III, then reused by Ramses II, and finally carted off to London as a result of 19th-century colonialism, this statue has lived many lives—and it still looms large in the British Museum. It’s the first thing you see when you turn the corner to the Egyptian galleries…

    Tune into learn how a two-toned block of granite became a symbol of solar kingship, modern colonial power, and the politics of museum display. From Shelley’s Ozymandias to the ethics of repatriation, it’s a conversation about ownership, ideology, and the stories we choose to tell. What a magnificently complicated piece.

    Don’t miss Kara’s written companion post to this episode, “The ‘Younger Memnon’: A Colossal Lesson in Power, Reuse, and Colonial Trophy Hunting,” on the Ancient/Now Substack.

    Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelley

    The Younger Memnon, British Museum EA 19



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    1 h y 31 m
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I started listening to this podcast after a re-read/re-listen to “The Good Kings.” I just love how the podcast is accessible to non-academics while still being deep, thought provoking and informative. I’m a middle school history teacher, and this podcast helps fuel my historian fire! Also, I love that this is ancient history by smart women for smart women.

Obsessed

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Absolutely love this podcast. I’ve learned so much. The depth and the freedom around every subject. It’s an adhd woman’s (like me) dream. Thank you!

Love

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March 2023 REVIEW: I started listening to this podcast over a year ago and have kept up with it ever since. Episodes are released about twice a month and either answer submitted audience questions or host a quest speaker from the Egyptology or wider Humanities field. There has even been a book club discussion on the Amelia Peabody series! Dr. Kara Cooney does a great job of connecting her Ancient Egypt expertise to our modern realities, and this podcast highlights topics that might not be possible in traditionally academic spaces.

This podcast is for enthusiasts of Ancient Egypt, members of academia or with Humanities backgrounds, and readers of Cooney's body of work. So glad to be re-reviewing this in celebration of Women's History Month, March 2023.

Feb 2022 REVIEW: I loved Kara Cooney’s nonfiction trade book “When Women Ruled the World” and am so glad I found her podcast “Afterlives with Kara Cooney”. Kara and her host, PhD candidate Jordan, have a healthy medley of discussions about academic life and expectations, modern US politics, and of course Egyptology! Founded during the pandemic as a way to spice up virtual learning for their students, this podcast is topical and engaging.

I am a woman in STEM, so it was refreshing to witness academia from a humanities perspective. Episodes are an hour or two long, so this was great to have on while completing hands-on laboratory and workshop tasks. I don’t agree with all of their opinions, but I don’t see our differences as a bad thing. This is exactly the type of podcast I needed; these intelligent women are informative, approachable, and chill.

This is also great hype for Kara’s new book “The Good Kings”, which is high on my To Read List. I recommend Kara’s work to those interested in Egyptology, coffin reuse, power in Ancient Egypt, Ancient Egypt kingship, archaeology, anthropology, ancient history, strong female authors, feminism, US politics, and history trade books.

Excellent History Academia Feminist Podcast

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