Season 4· 3100 BC - 30 BC

Pharaohs of EgyptThree thousand years of pharaohs, pyramids and gods

God-kings, wonders of the world and a river that made it all possible: experience ancient Egypt from the first pyramids to Cleopatra. The people, places and secrets of a civilization that still fascinates us today.

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Chapter 01

Gold, sun and eternity

The desert sand forgets nothing.

We take you into the heart of eternity: From the golden peaks of the pyramids to the deepest shadows of the burial chambers. Power here means defeating death itself. Do you dare to look beyond the veil?

Chapter 02

Six paths through the land of the Nile

Workers haul a giant limestone block up a ramp at the half-built Great Pyramid of Giza at sunset

Pyramids and the Sphinx

Around 2560 BC, Pharaoh Khufu built the Great Pyramid of Giza, originally about 146 meters tall. Thousands of workers moved millions of stone blocks, and the wonder of the world still stands today.

A priest in an Anubis mask stands over a mummy in a royal tomb, torchlight glowing on golden painted walls

Gods and the afterlife

Mummification took around 70 days. In the judgment of the dead, the heart was weighed against the feather of the goddess Maat, and only a pure heart led to eternal life.

Egyptian chariot archers charge with drawn bows through an orange desert sandstorm

War on the Nile

In 1274 BC, Ramses II and the Hittites clashed at Kadesh in one of history's largest chariot battles. Years later, the two empires signed one of the oldest known peace treaties.

Pharaoh Akhenaten raises offerings to the sun in an open-air temple at Amarna as golden sunbeams stream down

Akhenaten and the sun revolution

Akhenaten banished the old gods and worshipped only the sun disk Aten, with Nefertiti at his side and a new capital at Amarna. After his death, Egypt returned to the old gods under Tutankhamun.

Egyptian fishermen cast their nets from papyrus boats in the Nile marshes as flocks of birds take off in the morning light

Life on the Nile

The yearly Nile flood made the land fertile and shaped the calendar. Fishermen, farmers and craftsmen lived by the river, and at Deir el-Medina workers staged the first recorded strike in history.

The fire of the Lighthouse of Alexandria blazes at dusk as Roman warships sail into the harbor

Cleopatra and the end of the pharaohs

After Alexander the Great, the Ptolemies ruled from Alexandria, city of the lighthouse and the great library. With Cleopatra's death in 30 BC, Egypt became a Roman province.

Chapter 03

These and many more treasures await you

A pharaoh in a blue war crown raises his spear from his chariot, sending his army against a desert fortress — The pharaoh orders the attack

A temple with towering pylons and colossal statues stands among canals, palm trees and sailboats in the morning light — A temple among Nile canals and palms

A pharaoh holding a crook stands on scaffolding as workers raise a giant temple column with ropes and wooden cranes — The pharaoh oversees the raising of a temple column

Queen Nefertiti in her blue crown and colorful broad collar sits in a pillared hall lit softly from above — Nefertiti – "The Beautiful One Has Come"

A pharaoh places a golden collar of honor around a kneeling Egyptian warrior before a temple as soldiers stand in line — The pharaoh honors a warrior with the Gold of Valor

Crocodiles rest among papyrus on the banks of the Nile, with sailboats, a mud-brick village and desert dunes beyond — Crocodiles lurk on the banks of the Nile

A pharaoh in a blue crown kneels beside a boy, pointing at hieroglyphs on a temple wall by torchlight — A pharaoh teaches his son the hieroglyphs

Egyptians lead a giraffe, a baboon and a caged leopard across a stone quay beside a temple onto a ship at sunset — The animals of Punt travel up the Nile to Thebes

A priestess kneels at the edge of a temple pool, offering a bowl of food to an adorned sacred crocodile — A priestess feeds the sacred crocodile of Sobek

An Egyptian queen addresses an elderly couple in a dim pillared hall as servants bow along the columns — A queen holds court

Scholars with scrolls stand on a terrace in Alexandria overlooking the harbor and the towering Lighthouse of Pharos — Alexandria and the Lighthouse of Pharos

A woman in a crocodile headdress gazes across the Nile at temple complexes and pyramids at sunset — Sunset over temples and pyramids

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Chapter 04

What's inside the season

10h+of playtime

205lessonseach with its own collectible card

The whole picture · 205 entries across five categories

36 people49 places50 events35 ideas35 objects

Chapter 05

Ancient Egypt: what you need to know

Ancient Egypt was one of the longest-lasting civilizations in history. For around three thousand years, pharaohs ruled the land of the Nile, from its unification around 3100 BC to the death of Cleopatra in 30 BC.

Who were the pharaohs?

The pharaohs were the kings of Egypt. They were seen as mediators between gods and people and were meant to uphold Maat, the order of the world. Among the most famous are Khufu, Hatshepsut, Akhenaten, Tutankhamun and Ramses II.

How were the pyramids built?

The Great Pyramid of Giza was built around 2560 BC for Pharaoh Khufu. Thousands of workers, not slaves as was long believed, moved millions of stone blocks using ramps, sledges and the Nile. For almost 4,000 years it was the tallest structure in the world.

Why did the Egyptians make mummies?

The Egyptians believed in a life after death for which the body had to be preserved. Mummification took around 70 days. Afterwards, in the judgment of the dead, the heart was weighed against the feather of Maat.

What are hieroglyphs?

Hieroglyphs are the picture script of ancient Egypt, with signs for sounds, words and ideas. Only in 1822 did Jean-François Champollion decipher them again, with the help of the Rosetta Stone.

Who was Cleopatra?

Cleopatra VII was the last ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt. She allied herself with Julius Caesar and later with Mark Antony. After her death in 30 BC, Egypt became a province of the Roman Empire.

How was Tutankhamun's tomb discovered?

In 1922, Howard Carter found the almost intact tomb of the young pharaoh in the Valley of the Kings, with thousands of treasures and the famous golden death mask. It remains one of the most important archaeological finds ever made.

In HistoryBytes, you experience ancient Egypt in short episodes: the people, places, events, ideas and objects of the era. Piece by piece, you build the whole picture, from the first pyramids to Cleopatra.