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
002: This Podcast Will Change How You See Ancient Egypt
In this episode of the Voices of Ancient Egypt podcast, Egyptologist Dr. Melinda Nelson-Hurst pulls back the curtain on why she founded Voices of Ancient Egypt and what it means to truly understand ancient civilization on a deeper, more meaningful level.
After years of teaching at the university level and working in the field, Dr. Nelson-Hurst recognized a massive "canyon" between sensationalized, repetitive media and the dense, jargon-filled academic world.
This episode explores the mission to bridge that gap, making the ancient world accessible to everyone—regardless of their background or schedule. You will hear how this podcast aims to bring the actual voices of the ancient Egyptians into the modern world, offering you the tools to transform from a casual observer into someone who can read and interpret the past for yourself.
What You Will Learn in This Episode:
• The "Canyon" of Knowledge: Discover why most information about Egypt is either too basic and repetitive or locked behind inaccessible academic walls, and how you can finally access the "middle ground" of expertise.
• Why You Don’t Need Graduate School (if you don’t want to): Learn how the mission of this podcast is to provide a pathway to learning hieroglyphs that previously only existed in expensive, decade-long Ph.D. programs.
• The Secret to Being a "Genius" at the Museum: Hear the inspiring stories of everyday students—like Steve, who was hailed as a genius in Rome for reading obelisks, and a veteran tour guide who finally deciphered hieroglyphic texts in the Luxor Museum like a morning newspaper.
• More Than Just Language: Understand how the "Voices" of the past are found not just in text, but in house sites, burials, and rituals, revealing the motivations, feelings, and daily lives of the people who built the pyramids.
• A Prescription for Joy: Explore why pursuing a passion for Egyptology is more than just a hobby—it’s a way to improve your health and bring much-needed joy into your busy modern life.
• Your Roadmap for the Future: Get a sneak peek into upcoming episodes, including expert interviews, student success strategies, and deep dives into ancient Egyptian beliefs and experiences in the field.
My 6-month, next-level hieroglyph reading program, Master Scribes, is opening for enrollment very soon. In this program you'll go from reading the basics to reading next-level texts, like literature, letters, and the Book of the Dead with confidence.
Space is very limited due to the high level support with me, so jump on the waitlist now to be ready for applications to open: www.masterscribes.com