Egypt’s Oldest History

A weekend away from Dahab took us to the Archaeological Museum in Palermo, Sicily, and to a black basalt stone we never expected to find: the Palermo Stone, part of the oldest history book in stone from ancient Egypt. Every little block on it is one year. It records the Following of Horus, the height of the Nile flood measured in cubits, and the year the first turquoise came back from Sinai, the “land of turquoise.” In this episode we follow the stone from Palermo to Cairo to a mosque in Minya, look at the 2021 imaging research that revealed what the old chalk photographs hid, and then walk it back to the places in Sinai where these kings left their names: Wadi Maghara, Wadi Kharig and Wadi Amira. If you’ve ever wondered how people moved between Africa, Europe and Asia thousands of years ago, the answer is: constantly. In this episode 0:00 Welcome to Dahab (and the rain) 1:07 A weekend in Palermo, Sicily 2:21 The Mediterranean was a highway, not a border 3:18 The black stone in the museum 4:04 The Palermo Stone: Egypt’s history book in stone 4:46 One block, one year 5:24 The Following of Horus 6:12 The Sinai connection: turquoise and copper 7:04 Serabit el-Khadim and the expedition stelae 8:01 Measuring the Nile flood in cubits 8:51 The first turquoise from the “land of turquoise” 9:44 How did it get to Palermo? 10:16 Seven pieces, five in Cairo 12:27 The glass case and the chalk photograph 13:59 2021: RTI imaging reveals the hidden text 14:46 Not all the fragments belong together 15:12 A fragment found inside a mosque in Minya 17:38 The Palermo Stone project and the Minya basalt 19:12 Why it matters for Sinai 19:54 The kings of Sinai: Wadi Maghara and Wadi Kharig 21:52 Oldest book? Stone versus papyrus 23:19 More early kings: Wadi Amira and Wadi Nasb 24:12 Coincidence, a museum bookshop, and going back 26:00 Wadi Maghara: the ledge, the two panels, the right guide 27:55 Wadi Amira and its recent discovery 29:23 Turquoise still in the mine ceiling 29:37 See you next time We run small, unhurried trips into the Sinai Desert from Dahab. Come and see these places with us. Every week: one episode, one PDF. Follow along for more. The views and information shared on Desert and River are for entertainment and informational purposes only. While we do our best to get it right, some details may be imperfect — we’re storytellers, not academics! If you spot anything, drop it in the comments. For full terms, disclaimers and copyright information please visit desertandriver.com #PalermoStone #AncientEgypt #Sinai #Dahab #SinaiDesert #Turquoise #WadiMaghara #WadiAmira #Egyptology #Hieroglyphs #Archaeology #Palermo #HistoryPodcast #DesertAndRiver #SouthSinai