Overview

Unearth the mysteries of ancient Egypt in this tour of its treasures of art, stunning monuments, mythic cosmology, and fabulous history.

Course No. 80020

The glories of ancient Egypt have lured tourists for thousands of years, imprinting western art, decorative art, literature, and popular culture, and have enthralled millions of people across the globe for centuries.

In these 24 richly detailed lessons, Egyptologist and curator Melinda Hartwig walks you through an extraordinary range of the most stunning sites, taking you deep inside the pyramids, tombs, temples, palaces, and homes of the ancient Egyptians. In discovering the world of ancient Egypt, you’ll study features of its culture, such as:

• Pharaohs and Pyramids: Across six lessons, uncover the origins of the Egyptian pyramid, the symbolism of its form, how the pyramids were built, and by whom.

• Wondrous and Mysterious Texts: Delve into ancient Egyptian funerary beliefs and cosmology by studying the Amduat, which richly illustrates the journey of the sun god through the 12 hours of the night.

• Mystical Rituals and Festivals: Among key religious rites that you’ll study, relive the events of the royal Opet festival, where elaborate temple rituals regenerated the pharaoh and the god Amun.

• Majestic Temples and Tombs: Explore the Great Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak, with its towering pylons, obelisks, and temples; the vast memorial temple of Amenhotep III, with its colossal statues of the pharaoh; and witness the discovery of the golden treasures of Tutankhamun’s tomb.

• Astonishing Glimpses of Ancient Life: Learn in detail how the ancient Egyptians lived, prayed, and died, at sites such as the workmen’s village of Deir-el-Medina and in the tombs of New Kingdom officials that have superlative painted scenes of family life, hunting, and agriculture.

In The Great Tours: A Guided Tour of Ancient Egypt, you’ll discover a complex and powerful people whose spellbinding monuments, brilliant ingenuity, religious cosmology, and vision of the afterlife continue to intrigue and dazzle the world.

Course Structure

01: Exploring the Gift of the Nile

For the ancient Egyptians, the Nile was the source of all life. Grasp the Nile’s integral role in ancient Egyptian culture and trace the path the course will take along this vital river, visiting Egypt’s ancient cities and monuments. Discover the rich pantheon of Egyptian gods; the role of Egyptian kings as divine intermediaries; and the fascinating symbolism of Egyptian architecture, art, and ritual.

Duration: 30 min

02: The Major Museums of Cairo

Using objects from Cairo’s three great museums, trace 5,000 years of Egyptian history and culture, and the 31 dynasties that comprised ancient Egypt. Observe how the famous Narmer Palette set the conventions for Egyptian art, and see what a statue of King Khafre, the sphinx of Amenemhet III, Tutankhamun’s golden throne, and Seti I’s mummy tell us about Egypt from the Early Dynastic Period to the Late Period.

Duration: 28 min

03: How to Build a Pyramid

Investigate the origins of the Egyptian pyramids and the symbolism of their architectural form. Delve into the complex methods of pyramid building, the pyramid’s orientation to the cardinal points, how the work was organized, and the techniques of construction, and visualize the funerary rituals that accompanied royal interments.

Duration: 31 min

04: The Great Pyramid: The Last Ancient Wonder

Take the measure of Khufu, builder of the Great Pyramid, and marvel at the engineering and administrative feat of the pyramid’s construction. Travel the pyramid’s network of internal passages and funerary chambers, examine their ingenious architectural features, and observe how the burial chambers were sealed. Learn also about the royal necropolis complex that adjoins the pyramid.

Duration: 30 min

05: The Great Sphinx and the Giza Plateau

Continue your visit to the stunning monuments of the Giza Plateau. Explore the pyramid complex of Khafre and its remarkable necropolis. Then study the legendary Sphinx and its symbolism, as well as the Sphinx Temple and the richly adorned tomb of Queen Meresankh. Conclude with the pyramid complex of Menkaure and its innovative architecture, and the recently discovered Lost City of the Pyramid Builders.

Duration: 32 min

06: The Step Pyramid: Djoser’s Stairway to Heaven

King Djoser’s Step Pyramid complex at Saqqara was a milestone in the development of monumental architecture. Learn how a traditional mastaba tomb was transformed into the famous Step Pyramid. Then travel the astonishing 37-acre complex, with its courtyards, chapels, palaces, temples, and underground tombs and galleries, highlighting their extraordinary architectural features and decor.

Duration: 30 min

07: The Capital at Memphis and the Saqqara Tombs

Here, encounter Memphis, ancient Egypt’s great capital, an epicenter of trade, religion, and education. Make an in-depth visit to the massive Temple of Ptah, taking stock of its remarkable statuary, shrines, and cult structures. Then proceed to the Necropolis of Saqqara and study the artistic riches of the Pyramid of King Unas, the Tomb of the Two Brothers, and the Tomb of Nefer and Kahay.

Duration: 31 min

08: Old, New, and Late Saqqara

Delve further into the extraordinary treasures of Saqqara. First, explore the New Kingdom cemetery, containing mastaba tombs with unparalleled relief carvings. Then visit the Pyramid of King Teti and the spectacular tombs of his officials, Mereruka and Kagemni, with their exquisitely carved decoration. Finish with a visit to the Serapeum, the sacred burial ground of the Apis bulls.

Duration: 29 min

09: Saqqara’s Famous Fifth-Dynasty Tombs

Now visit what many consider to be the Old Kingdom’s finest mastaba tombs. Begin at the 5th-Dynasty mastabas of Akhethotep and Ptahhotep II, father and son viziers, focusing on the magnificent painted reliefs of daily life. Continue with the elaborate mastaba of Ti, an important 5th-Dynasty official, taking account of the superlative artistry, symbolism, and detail of the painted reliefs.

Duration: 27 min

10: King Sneferu and the First True Pyramid

Learn how builders under the ambitious King Sneferu, through trial and error, constructed the first smooth-sided pyramids. At the pyramid complex of Meidum, view its masterpieces of decoration, and investigate the structural issues which led to the pyramid’s collapse. Study the many architectural innovations that produced the Bent Pyramid and Sneferu’s final achievement of the Red Pyramid.

Duration: 28 min

11: Power and Revolution: Beni Hasan and Amarna

Over two lectures, learn about the spiritual revolution of King Akhenaten, and the majestic monuments that bear witness to it. Begin with a look back at an earlier necropolis that influenced Akhenaten, that of Beni Hasan, containing some of the most beautiful painted tombs in Egypt. Continue to the vast capital city of Amarna, the splendorous setting for Akhenaten’s religious reformation that focused on the sole worship of the sun god Aten.

Duration: 29 min

12: Akhenaten’s City at Amarna and Hermopolis

Look deeper into the history of Amarna, stopping first at the northern tombs, with their extraordinary wall decoration. Then visit the enigmatic Royal Tomb, with its numerous burial chambers. Walk Amarna’s Royal Road to the Central City and view the buildings that served as a stage for Akhenaten’s political and religious agenda. Finish at the Greco-Roman necropolis of Tuna el-Gebel.

Duration: 29 min

13: Abydos: The Religious Center of Osiris

Abydos, the ancient center for the worship of Osiris, is your next stop. Learn about the importance of Osiris in Egyptian cosmology as you visit the vast site, highlighting the Commemorative Temple of Seti I, with its breathtaking painted reliefs and mysterious interior rooms; the dramatic Funerary Temple of Ramesses II; and the site of Um el Qu’ab, burial place of the earliest Egyptian kings.

Duration: 29 min

14: The Temple of Hathor at Dendera

Learn about gods’ temples in ancient Egypt, as they served as a model of the cosmos and a home for the deities. Then explore the Temple of Hathor at Dendera, one of the most spectacular gods’ temples in Egypt. Study the imposing features of the temple interior, their symbolism, and the temple rituals aimed at satisfying the gods. Also, view the massive relief of Cleopatra VII, among the few in Egypt.

Duration: 28 min

15: The Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak

The resplendent Temple of Amun-Re at Karnak stands as one of the world’s greatest religious monuments. Trace how successive kings, over 1,500 years, built structures here to celebrate their relationship with the god. Take in the splendor of the Hypostyle Hall and its massive columns with varied capitals, the Festival Temple, and other buildings within this truly awe-inspiring complex.

Duration: 30 min

16: Luxor Temple and the Opet Festival

Follow the events of the ancient Opet festival, the spectacular royal procession of bark shrines from Karnak to Luxor, that regenerated the pharaoh, the god Amun, and the cosmos itself. Visualize the temple rituals, whereby the pharaoh and Amun were mystically joined and recharged. Then explore the setting for the rites of divine kingship and view the sublime artworks in the Luxor Museum.

Duration: 29 min

17: Royal Tombs in the Valley of the Kings

As insight into the Egyptian conception of the afterlife, study the Amduat, which illustrates the sun god’s voyage through the 12 hours of the night, through which both the sun god and the pharaoh are reborn. See the stunning paintings of the Amduat within the tombs of the King’s Valley. Also, relive the legendary 1922 discovery of the tomb of Tutankhamen and study the tomb’s unusual decor.

Duration: 29 min

18: Valley of the Queens and Workmen’s Village

Take an in-depth look at the superlative tomb of Nefertari, beloved queen of Ramesses II. View the exquisite artwork that adorns the antechamber and burial chamber walls, known as the Sistine Chapel of ancient Egypt. From there, visit the workmen’s village of Deir el-Medina, and witness life as it was for those who decorated the royal tombs 3,000 years ago.

Duration: 28 min

19: The Colossi of Memnon and Hatshepsut’s Temple

In this visit, see ancient Egypt’s memorial temples, the “Houses of a Million Years,” and begin at the cult temple of Amenhotep III, the largest of its kind, with its majestic colossal statues of the king. Then encounter Hatshepsut, the famous woman who declared herself the pharaoh, and marvel at the phenomenal temple whose decoration portrayed her as male and elaborately legitimized her right to rule.

Duration: 28 min

20: Theban Tombs: The Necropolis of Nobles

Study the cultural functions and symbolic meaning of the tombs of the Nobles’ Necropolis on the Nile’s west bank, a tomb complex that bustled with activity. Observe how a noble’s tomb was a ritual complex ensuring the owner’s transfiguration and eternal well-being and witness the intimate and moving humanity of the decoration in the standout tombs of Menna and the viziers Rekhmire and Ramose.

Duration: 28 min

21: Ptolemaic Temples of Edfu and Kom Ombo

The Greek Ptolemies, foreign rulers of Egypt, built Egyptian temples to win the peoples’ hearts and minds and legitimize their rule. As a prime example, explore the monumental Temple of Horus at Edfu, and the major festivals that honored Egypt’s traditional religious beliefs. Also, visit the temple at Kom Ombo, with its hybrid decoration, a rare double temple to the gods Sobek and Haroeris.

Duration: 26 min

22: The Ancient Egyptian Frontier: Aswan

In the area surrounding Aswan, discover ancient Egypt’s southern frontier. Begin on the island of Elephantine, one of the only preserved urban settlements from ancient Egypt, and explore its remarkable temples, shrines, and mudbrick houses. Then visit the tombs of Aswan’s ancient governors, cut into the hill of Qubbet el-Hawa, and view objects from all Nubian periods in the Nubian Museum.

Duration: 28 min

23: The Temples at Philae and Abu Simbel

Travel the magnificent complex of the goddess Isis on the island of Philae. Visit the Temple of Isis, and learn about the rituals surrounding her cult. Continue to one of Egypt’s most famous monuments, the Temple of Ramesses II at Abu Simbel. Take in the spellbinding grandeur of the temple and that of the small temple to Queen Nefertari and learn the amazing story of their rescue and relocation.

Duration: 28 min

24: Alexandria and the Lost City of Tanis

Conclude your tour with a visit to Alexandria, the intellectual and cultural capital of the Hellenistic world. Reconstruct the great city of antiquity, highlighting its famous lighthouse, library, and magnificent Roman-era structures. Finally, tour the “lost city” of Tanis, and grasp how the fabulous tomb treasures found there rivaled those of the tomb of Tutankhamun.

Duration: 32 min