About this episode

This episode explores the complexities of Ramesses' royal family and features an interview with Prof. Peter Brand about life in pharaonic palaces.

Hybrid episode (narrative & interivew). The Hittite Queen, Maat-Hor-Neferura, may have been surprised to find she wasn't the only King's Great Wife. In fact, Ramesses had already turned to other women to be his Queens. Notably, his eldest daughter Bint-Anat ("Daughter of Anat") became King's Great Wife, along with several of her younger siblings. Why did Ramesses "marry" his own offspring, and what does that mean for the royal family? Also, we meet Ramesses' oft-forgotten sister, Tia. In Part 2, we are joined by Prof. Peter Brand to discuss life in the pharaonic palaces. How did they organise their royal households, what terms survive to illuminate this world? And how can Egyptologists understand life in Ramesses' great family? Music by Luke Chaos & Keith Zizza, used with permission. Logo image: Bint-Anat as King's Great Wife, from Ramesses' colossal statue now in the Grand Egyptian Museum. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Dominic Perry

Guest: Prof. Peter Brand

Topics covered

• Hittite Queen
• royal family
• pharaonic palaces
• King's Great Wife
• Egyptology

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Grand Egyptian Museum

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• Introducing Voices of Ancient Egypt with Dr. Melinda Nelson-Hurst · April 10, 2026 · 27 min
• The Grand Egyptian Museum is Open... Now What? · March 30, 2026 · 17 min
• Khaemwaset Forever with Dr. Campbell Price · March 23, 2026 · 57 min

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