Voices of Ancient Egypt

Melinda Nelson-Hurst, Ph.D. (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.

  1. 4d ago

    026: How the Rosetta Stone Actually Works — And What It Really Took to Crack Hieroglyphs

    After nearly 1,500 years of silence, how did we finally learn to read the "sacred carvings" of the Pharaohs? In this episode of the Voices of Ancient Egypt podcast, we dive into the high-stakes race to crack the code of Egyptian hieroglyphs. From the accidental discovery of a stone hidden in a military fortress wall to the obsessive linguistic rivalry between an English polymath and a French prodigy, we explore the breakthroughs that turned a dead script into a living history. Discover how a single realization about sounds and symbols shattered centuries of misconceptions and reopened the door to the ancient world. In this episode, you will learn: • The Fortuitous Discovery: How a "peculiar stone" reused as building material in a military fort became the most famous key in archaeological history. • The Symbolic Trap: Why scholars were stuck for over a millennium believing hieroglyphs were purely symbolic, and the specific names that finally proved them wrong. • The Battle of the Geniuses: The controversial rivalry between Thomas Young and Jean-François Champollion—did the Frenchman truly work alone, or did he "borrow" the key to his success? • The Secret Weapon: How Champollion’s teenage obsession with Coptic provided the final, missing bridge to the language of the Pharaohs. • The "I’ve Done It!" Moment: The incredible true story of the man who worked himself into a five-day coma the moment he finally solved the puzzle. • Decoding History: How a name found at the Temple of Abu Simbel proved that hieroglyphs weren't used for sounds just for foreign kings’ names, but were the phonetic heartbeat of an entire civilization. • Unlocking the Code for Yourself: Why the decipherment of hieroglyphs wasn't just a win for 19th-century academics, but an open invitation for you to read the ancient texts today. _________________________________________ Download my free guide, Half-Hour Hieroglyphs to get started with hieroglyphs now. Learning hieroglyphs is a challenge if you don’t have a tried and true system to follow. This free guide will teach you how hieroglyphs work and how to use them to write names the way the ancient Egyptians did. Grab the free guide at https://voicesofancientegypt.com/guide

    18 min

  2. Jun 2

    025: Three Seasons, No Winter: How the Ancient Egyptian Calendar Divided the Year (And Why It Actually Makes Perfect Sense)

    In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, we dive into the rhythmic cycle of life along the Nile, exploring why the ancient Egyptians organized their world into three distinct seasons rather than the four we recognize today. We’ll journey from the letters of a disgruntled Middle Kingdom landowner to the bustling construction sites of the Great Pyramid to see how the rising and falling of the river dictated everything from farming and taxes to massive engineering projects. Whether you are looking for a sense of historical renewal or want to understand the logistics of moving massive stones, this episode reveals how the Nile’s flood was the ultimate heartbeat of a civilization. In this episode, you will learn: • The Secret of the Three Seasons: Why the Egyptians didn’t follow temperature-based seasons or solar divisions based on equinoxes and solstices, instead adopting an agricultural calendar focused on the Nile’s water levels. • The Mystery of the Five Extra Days: How the Egyptians accounted for a 365-day year using intercalary days, conceptualized as the birthdays of five major gods. • The Drifting Calendar: Why the "Flood Season" eventually ended up happening in the middle of winter and how the lack of a leap year caused their calendar to slowly shift through the solar year. • Ancient Office Drama: What the surviving letters of Hekanakht, a Middle Kingdom priest and landowner, tell us about how seasonal pay and food rations were managed during tough times. • Pyramid Building Logistics: Why the flood season was actually the prime time for transporting massive limestone blocks from Tura to Giza, as confirmed by the groundbreaking discovery of the Wadi al-Jarf papyri. • The Copper Connection: How King Khufu’s massive demand for copper tools led to unprecedented mining expeditions in the Sinai Peninsula during the construction of the Great Pyramid. • A Different Kind of New Year: Why the Egyptian New Year offers a unique perspective on renewal and hope tied to the return of the river's life-giving waters – a renewal that you can still tap into today. _________________________________________ Download my free guide, Half-Hour Hieroglyphs to get started with hieroglyphs now. Learning hieroglyphs is a challenge if you don’t have a tried and true system to follow. This free guide will teach you how hieroglyphs work and how to use them to write names the way the ancient Egyptians did. Grab the free guide at https://voicesofancientegypt.com/guide

    20 min

  3. May 17

    024: "I Almost Didn't Sign Up" — What Held Students Back and What Changed

    In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, Dr. Melinda Nelson-Hurst addresses the common doubts and hesitations that keep many people from pursuing their passion for hieroglyphs. Drawing on her decades of experience as an Egyptologist, she explains why feeling unsure is not a "stop sign" but often a sign that you will be a diligent, detail-oriented student. Listeners will hear inspiring stories of students who, despite having no prior language experience or very little free time, transitioned from feeling intimidated to confidently reading monuments and artifacts. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: •  Why your doubts are a secret weapon: Discover why the most discerning and hesitant students often become the most successful masters of hieroglyphs. •  The Broken Method vs. The Right Way: Learn why traditional textbooks and university courses often fail, and how a brain-friendly, incremental approach makes reading ancient texts achievable for anyone. •  Mastery in minutes, not hours: Hear how you can "sight read" hieroglyphs by committing as little as one hour per week or using short, 15-minute lessons that fit into your morning coffee break. •  Decoding the real world: Find out how to move past obscure textbook quotes to start reading the actual texts found in museums, on social media, and on monuments in Egypt. •  The "Yes” Door vs. the "No” Door: Understand which one leads to a "buzz of achievement and cleverness." •  Why age and experience are just numbers: Hear from student stories why you are never too old and don't need a background in foreign languages to successfully learn this "visually poetic" script. _________________________________________ Download my free guide, Half-Hour Hieroglyphs to get started with hieroglyphs now. Learning hieroglyphs is a challenge if you don’t have a tried and true system to follow. This free guide will teach you how hieroglyphs work and how to use them to write names the way the ancient Egyptians did. Grab the free guide at https://voicesofancientegypt.com/guide

    14 min

  4. May 13

    023: Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs Fast-Track: Class Replay

    Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs Fast-Track: 4 Steps to Learning to Read in Museums or on Trips (WITHOUT overwhelm) [Watch the replay for a limited time: https://scribalschool.com] In the free class, you'll learn my Scribal System: S.E.S.H. With S.E.S.H., learning hieroglyphs is as simple as: 1️⃣ Saving tons of time by skipping the dense grammar books that make your eyes glaze over (I will help you identify what to do instead) 2️⃣ Establishing the simple roadmap will have you reading hieroglyphs in a matter of a few weeks (I’ll show you how) 3️⃣ Shrewdly executing your plan with the roadmap that fits your life (no huge chunks of time needed) 4️⃣ Harnessing your inner scribe to keep up the momentum and walk up to ancient artifacts and read the hieroglyphs there Seriously – it’s that simple, and it can be done, start to finish, in the time you already have. _________________________________________ Download my free guide, Half-Hour Hieroglyphs to get started with hieroglyphs now. Learning hieroglyphs is a challenge if you don’t have a tried and true system to follow. This free guide will teach you how hieroglyphs work and how to use them to write names the way the ancient Egyptians did. Grab the free guide at https://voicesofancientegypt.com/guide

    2h 2m

  5. May 11

    022: Exactly How You’ll Learn Hieroglyphs in 10 Weeks

    In this episode, Dr. Melinda Nelson-Hurst gives you a full, behind-the-scenes breakdown of her signature program, Scribal School. And she addresses the common question many Egyptophiles have: "How and what exactly can I learn to read in hieroglyphs?" In this episode, you will discover the step-by-step roadmap to mastering Egyptian hieroglyphs in just 10 weeks in Scribal School. Scribal School is the robust program that gives you everything you need to walk into a museum or up to tomb and temple walls and read the hieroglyphic texts there. It’s a one-stop-shop for fast-tracking your learning of hieroglyphs. This program is for Egyptophiles who want to read the real Egyptian texts that they see in museums, online, in books, and on trips to Egypt. If you’ve ever wondered whether this program is right for you – or what really makes it different from every other hieroglyphs book or program out there – listen in. What You Will Learn in This Episode: • Real Results: the results that real students with busy, unpredictable lives are getting (we’re taking 3x the results in only 10% of the time). • Who this program is truly for. • The Foundation of the Pharaohs: Master the basics of the writing system and start reading the names of Pharaohs by the end of your first week. • Beyond the Textbook: Discover the secret to recognizing hieroglyphs in the real world – such as Princess Sit-Hathoriunet’s bracelets or female Pharaoh Hatshepsut’s ointment jar. • Decoding the Classics: How to identify the most common texts you will ever encounter. • Secrets of the Afterlife: The key to reading a massive number of Egyptian texts in museums and gaining a deeper understanding of what ancient Egyptians wanted for their afterlife. • The Personal Touch: How to unlock a deeper level of understanding and connection with the ancient Egyptians through reading particular hieroglyphic words and phrases that are rarely taught in books or courses. • Decoding Temples & Tombs: What you’ll learn to read on tomb and temple walls discover what people and gods on the walls are doing, from tending cattle to offering prayers. • The "Tour Guide" Effect: How this 10-week journey can equip you to read massive columns at Karnak and maybe even be mistaken for a professional guide by your fellow travelers (yes, this really happened to multiple people in Scribal School before!). _________________________________________ Download my free guide, Half-Hour Hieroglyphs to get started with hieroglyphs now. Learning hieroglyphs is a challenge if you don’t have a tried and true system to follow. This free guide will teach you how hieroglyphs work and how to use them to write names the way the ancient Egyptians did. Grab the free guide at https://voicesofancientegypt.com/guide

    23 min

  6. May 7

    021: How Marc Learned Hieroglyphs in 1 Hour a Week

    In this episode, Dr. Melinda sits down with her student, Marc, to discuss his journey from a childhood fascination with King Tutankhamun to sight-reading ancient hieroglyphs in world-class museums. Marc shares his frustrations with traditional, confusing textbooks and explains how a structured, pattern-based approach allowed him to unlock the secrets of ancient texts even with a demanding career and busy schedule. Whether you are a curious beginner or have struggled with self-study in the past, this conversation reveals how ancient scripts can become accessible and rewarding through the right community and curriculum. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: • The Museum Gap: Discover why even advanced university students often struggle to read what they see in a gallery – and how to focus your study on the formulaic patterns actually found on museum walls. • The Power of 1 Hour: Learn how a busy professional with family and hobbies can make incredible progress using spaced repetition and just one hour of study per week. • Beyond Emojis and Symbols: Uncover the truth about whether hieroglyphs are just symbols or a complex language, and how to demystify the script by focusing on its foundational building blocks. • The "Cartouche Moment": Hear the serendipitous story of how Marc was able to spot and read a Ramses II necklace in the wild, without ever specifically memorizing that Pharaoh’s name. • Textbooks vs. Structure: Find out why many popular books leave students feeling pull-your-hair-out frustrated and how a curated curriculum differentiates between core concepts and niche details to keep you moving forward. • Community over Solitude: Explore the benefits of an online community where you can get answers in real-time and join a guided study plan that fits any time zone or schedule. • Investing in Yourself: A look at why Marc believes that it’s important to invest in yourself and that learning an ancient language is a worthwhile and rewarding personal journey. _________________________________________ Download my free guide, Half-Hour Hieroglyphs to get started with hieroglyphs now. Learning hieroglyphs is a challenge if you don’t have a tried and true system to follow. This free guide will teach you how hieroglyphs work and how to use them to write names the way the ancient Egyptians did. Grab the free guide at https://voicesofancientegypt.com/guide

    21 min

  7. May 5

    020: How to Bring Egypt to You: Unlock the Magic and Wonder of Hieroglyphs from Home

    In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, Egyptologist Dr. Melinda Nelson-Hurst reveals that the magic of the ancient world isn't tied to a specific GPS coordinate or a plane ticket to Cairo. Instead, the deepest connection to this ancient civilization happens in the moment of comprehension—whether you are at your kitchen table, in a local library, or browsing a thrift shop. You will discover how to bring the wonders of Egypt into your daily life by unlocking the hidden layer of meaning that hieroglyphs provide, transforming how you view everything from museum artifacts to home decor. What you will learn in this episode: • The Secret "Subtitles" to Ancient History: Why viewing Egyptian art without reading the text is like watching a movie without subtitles, and how to add a profound new depth to the things you already love. • How to Find Ancient Egypt in Unexpected Places: Remarkable stories of students who successfully read hieroglyphs on thrift store finds and even on a friend's necklace at a party. • The Truth About Expertise: Why the world's leading scholars don't necessarily spend the most time in Egypt, but instead build their mastery through small, consistent blocks of time at their own desks. • Your Advantage Over 1970s Archaeologists: How modern technology and high-resolution digital archives now give you more access to ancient texts from your living room than professionals had just 50 years ago. • The Scribe’s Home-Study Method: Discover how ancient Egyptians traditionally trained their scribes in a home setting, proving you don't need a massive life change to master this ancient skill. _________________________________________ Download my free guide, Half-Hour Hieroglyphs to get started with hieroglyphs now. Learning hieroglyphs is a challenge if you don’t have a tried and true system to follow. This free guide will teach you how hieroglyphs work and how to use them to write names the way the ancient Egyptians did. Grab the free guide at https://voicesofancientegypt.com/guide

    11 min

  8. Apr 30

    019: From Beginner to Unofficial Tour Guide at an Egyptian Temple: Juan's Story

    In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, host Dr. Melinda sits down with Juan Jimenez, a retired systems engineer who turned a lifelong fascination with history into a practical skill that had his tourmates buying him beers. After surviving a life-altering plane crash, Juan decided to dive deep into learning hieroglyphs, eventually moving beyond dense, confusing books to find success in the Scribal School. Join us as Juan shares how he gained the confidence to walk into world-class museums and ancient temples and actually read the stories written on the walls. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: • Why Traditional Textbooks Often Fail: Discover why even "beginner" books can feel tedious or overwhelming and how a visual, lecture-based approach with expert support can make complex grammar finally "click." • The Power of Blocking It Out: Learn Juan's strategy for tackling overwhelming temple walls by identifying small, manageable sections to translate instead of getting lost in every square inch of text. • Deciphering the Names of the Pharaohs: Find out how Juan learned to spot famous names like Ramesses II and Hatshepsut within the intricate forest of hieroglyphs found at sites like Karnak. • The "Superstar" Skill: Hear Juan’s story of how he became the unofficial guide for his tour group in Egypt, translating symbols for curious fellow tour members and even impressing the professional guides. • Small Steps to Big Mastery: Understand the importance of a guided curriculum that doesn't "throw you in the deep end," but instead builds your knowledge through interactive support and a community of fellow learners. • Sharing the Legacy: Listen to a heartwarming moment where Juan uses his knowledge to bond with his grandson, proving that hieroglyphs are a "resume of knowledge" that can be shared across generations. • Overcoming Hesitation: Get Juan’s take on why it's a perfect time to invest in knowledge and why waiting six months to start is simply six months lost. _________________________________________ Download my free guide, Half-Hour Hieroglyphs to get started with hieroglyphs now. Learning hieroglyphs is a challenge if you don’t have a tried and true system to follow. This free guide will teach you how hieroglyphs work and how to use them to write names the way the ancient Egyptians did. Grab the free guide at https://voicesofancientegypt.com/guide

    23 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
5 Ratings

About

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.

Information

  • Creator
    Melinda Nelson-Hurst, Ph.D. (Voices of Ancient Egypt)
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    26
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Voices of Ancient Egypt
  • Show Website
    Voices of Ancient Egypt

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