Pick the Next Extra History Series! "Ancient Egypt" OPEN until 7/7

It's time for our Extra History poll! Where you get to vote on what our next "Extra History Series" is about!

These four topics were selected from our "Ancient Egypt" Patreon Suggestions and are listed in no particular order below.

Wonders of Egypt: A Monumental History

When we think of ancient Egypt, we almost immediately picture its massive architectural achievements. So let's learn about them—how they were made, what they mean and what we know about the people who built them. This anthology series will pick three different Egyptian monuments—examples could include the Great Pyramid of Giza, the Sphinx, Karnak, Luxor or the Library of Alexandria—and discuss their design and building. The idea is architectural history that doesn't forget the people who did the work, or were honored therein

Tutankhamun: Boy King to Cursed Corpse

Tutankhamun reigned for only a short time—he died at the age of 18—but he changed Egypt forever. Gaining power after the heretic pharaoh Akhenaten (who may or may not have been his father) he led a restoration of traditional Egyptian religion, reestablished diplomatic ties that his predecessors had neglected, fought in (or at least ordered) several military campaigns, and was venerated as a god during his lifetime. However, his mysterious early death cut short his reign, and with his royal tomb not yet ready, he was buried in a lesser tomb. Yet this boy king would wind up defining Egypt when his tomb was unearthed largely intact in 1922, leading to a revelation in how the modern world saw Egypt—while also unleashing strange popular culture forces such as the idea of "the Mummy's Curse." Strangely, a man who ruled Egypt for only a few years as a teenager would become the definitive vision of thousands of years of its history.

Alexander the Great's Egypt: The Ptolemies

When Alexander the Great died, one of his closest generals and advisors brought his body back to Egypt, put it in an elaborate tomb, then declared himself Pharaoh Ptolemy I. What followed was a fascinating period of Egyptian history, where the Ptolemies remained culturally Greek but adopted Egyptian practices, while Hellenizing aspects of Egypt in areas such as education, worship, and philosophy. In that exchange, the Ptolemies and Egypt would both shape and change each other, creating a new and distinct fusion culture where mummies had Greek-style funerary portraits on them, and Alexandria displaced Athens as the center of Mediterranean learning. This series charts not just the politics of Hellenic Egypt, and the rise and fall of the Ptolemies, but the changes it went through at every level.

Development of Pyramids: No, It's Not Aliens!

Here's a fact of physics: if you're going to build a big monument with stone, the most stable shape to build is a wide base with a narrow top. That explains the prevalence of pyramids and mounds worldwide, but the intricacies of Egyptian pyramids run far deeper. This series will chart the transformation of the pyramid, from the earliest examples, through the crooked pyramid, to the more polished examples seen at Giza. In doing so we'll discuss their significance, how they were designed, who built them, and why it definitely wasn't aliens (if so, they trapped a lot of straw between the stone blocks). Also Rob might get salty about Ancient Aliens. Have we ever mentioned how much Rob hates Ancient Aliens? We'll also go into the fall of the pyramid, how they became magnets for tomb robbers, and how our obsession with Egypt has caused us to build them in the modern day—from Victorian tombs to the Luxor in Las Vegas.

Mummies!: From Pharaohs to Paint

You probably know, roughly, how mummies were made—but how did this practice start, how did it change over time? We'll look at mummification in this series, why people did it, how they did it, who was doing it at various times, and how culture shaped the expression of preserving and venerating the dead. Then we'll take a wild swing to the early modern era, where a craze for Egyptian archaeology made mummies a commodity to grind up for medicine, for fertilizer, to make into paint, and even became entertainment at Mummy Unwrapping Parties. However, this fascination was combined with a sense of threat as "The Mummy's Curse" began to take popular culture by storm. This is a story about how culture shapes history, how we yearn to beat mortality, and how history is often very, very gross.

Our Current Schedule is:

William McKinley: American Empire, Starts 7/11 -> Rob's Secret Pick -> Your Pick!

***Friendly reminder: The poll will end at 11:59 PM PT on Monday, July 7th. You can vote for as many choices as you want! This style of voting helps us see what people are most interested in without having to make tough decisions between a couple of close favorites. ***