4: Ancient Egyptian Afterlife

This episode takes on the Ancient Egyptian conception of the afterlife; while the burial practices of the Egyptians are well-known to many of us from school, what they believed happened after mummification is less well-understood. Here we discuss mummification, the pyramid texts, and the mysterious Field of Reeds. We also draw comparisons between the classless afterlife of Mesopotamia and the more stratified vision of the Egyptians, as well as noting that, for perhaps the first time, in this mythology the afterlife is envisioned as a potential paradise. This episode was originally recorded in August 2025 as part of The End of the World with Michael and Stu.