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
011: They Made an (Ancient) Mistake! with Bob Mathas
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In this episode of Voices of Ancient Egypt, host Melinda sits down with Bob Mathas, a retiree and student of hieroglyphs who turned a pre-trip curiosity into a deep, multi-year mastery of Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Bob shares his journey from learning basic symbols to confidently deciphering artifacts in museums around the world, proving that you don't need a Ph.D. to "be your own archaeologist."
Whether you are worried about the time commitment, the difficulty of the script, or just staying focused, this conversation reveals the practical strategies and support that Bob has used to make learning an ancient language both achievable and addictive.
What you will learn in this episode:
• How to transform any museum visit into a discovery mission: Learn how Bob uses his skills to bypass the museum placards and uncover the ancient stories for himself, whether he's in a world-class institution or a tiny one-room exhibit.
• The "Fire Hose" workaround: Discover why trying to learn everything at once is a recipe for burnout and how focusing on "one little chunk of grammar" at a time allows for steady, stress-free progress.
• Secrets to studying on the move: Hear Bob’s tactical advice for keeping up with hieroglyphs while traveling through places like Japan and Egypt, ensuring you never lose your momentum.
• Why the group experience beats solo study: Find out how a community of fellow learners provides "double support," helping you spot elusive glyphs and offering different perspectives that make complex translations click.
• Spotting ancient "typos": Hear about the thrilling moment when Bob realized he’d figured out an ancient mistake on 3,000-year-old canopic jars in the British Museum – and how he knew they were wrong.
• Moving beyond the basics: Learn how Bob transitioned from formulaic offering formulas to reading a diverse range of texts, including literature, medical papyri, and even the Book of the Dead.
• The puzzle-solving high: Understand the unique gratification of fitting the pieces of a linguistic puzzle together and how that "little thrill" keeps you motivated to find the next piece of the story.
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Scribal School is now open! 🎉
Scribal School is my robust program that gives you everything you need to walk into a museum or up to tomb and temple walls and read the texts there.
Be a part of the 2026 Guided Study Plan for extra support and accountability (only one of 2026!).
Enrollment closes at 11:59pm ET on Thursday (May 21)!
Learn more and register for Scribal School here: https://scribalschool.com