Voices of Ancient Egypt
Welcome to Voices of Ancient Egypt — the podcast for people who don’t just want to learn about ancient Egypt, but want to understand it at a deeper, more meaningful level.
Your podcast host, Melinda Nelson-Hurst, Ph.D., is an Egyptologist with years of experience teaching at the university level, working in Egypt, and training students around the world to read real ancient Egyptian texts. She’s spent decades studying this civilization in a traditional academic setting so you don’t have to — and so you can access knowledge that’s usually locked behind academic walls.
With a blend of solo deep-dives and conversations with experts and everyday Egyptophiles, this podcast brings ancient Egyptian history, beliefs, and language to life — and shows you how learning hieroglyphs is possible, no matter your age, background, or schedule.
Whether you want to read hieroglyphs in museums, on social media, or on your next trip to Egypt, you’ll find the tools, stories, and encouragement to make it real.
Let’s hear the voices of the ancient world — together.
Voices of Ancient Egypt
005: Your Ticket to the Afterlife - Heart Scarabs
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In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, we go beyond the museum glass to uncover the mysteries of the heart scarab, one of the most iconic objects found in ancient Egyptian burials.
These large, beetle-shaped amulets were far more than simple ornaments; they served as a sophisticated form of "afterlife insurance," designed to protect the deceased during their most vulnerable moment: the final judgment before the gods.
We’ll explore the physical craftsmanship of these objects, the terrifying consequences of failing the "Weighing of the Heart" ceremony, and the specific hieroglyphic spells used to command the heart to remain silent about one's past misdeeds.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
• The Silent Witness: Discover why ancient Egyptians feared their own hearts might "tattle" on them during judgment and how the heart scarab was used to forbid the heart from testifying against its owner.
• The Devourer: Learn about the high-stakes "Weighing of the Heart" ceremony and the fearsome creature Amemet -- part crocodile, part lion, and part hippo -- who waited to swallow those who didn't measure up to the concept of ma’at.
• The Green Stone: Find out how actual heart scarabs sometimes were made out of materials other than the ideal outlined in the Book of the Dead.
• Ancient "Ready-to-Wear" Magic: Explore evidence that these powerful amulets were often produced in advance, allowing people to “shop” for one, similar to how we shop in stores today. And hear how, in their haste, the deceased’s name was sometimes left out.
• Decoding Spell 30B: Get a deep-dive translation of the actual hieroglyphic text found on the bottom of these scarabs, including the ancient idiom for "joy" and desperate pleas for one's name not to "stink" in the presence of the gods.
• A Divine Beetle: Discover why a scarab beetle is actually the perfect shape for an amulet that helps you get to the afterlife.
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I’m hosting a FREE class called Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs Fast-Track!
In this class, you’ll learn the 4 steps you need to take to learn to read the most common hieroglyphs you'll see in museums and on trips to Egypt!
We meet on Zoom on Tuesday, May 12 at 1:00pm EDT | 10:00am PDT.
(If you can't make it live, a limited-time replay will be available.)
Save your spot in the free class right here: https://voicesofancientegypt.com/freeclass