The History of Ancient Egypt by Bob Brier | Lectures 1–10

The History of Ancient Egypt by Bob Brier, produced by The Teaching Company in 1999, is a comprehensive chronological survey of more than 3,000 years of Egyptian civilization. Bob Brier, an Egyptologist and Senior Research Fellow at Long Island University, presents the full arc of ancient Egyptian history — from the earliest dynasties and pyramid builders to the fall of the pharaohs under foreign rule. Unlike short documentaries that focus only on the pyramids or famous rulers, this course explores the entire civilization in depth. It covers: 00:00 Lecture 1 – Introduction 00:30:15 Lecture 2 – Prehistoric Egypt 01:00:59 Lecture 3 – Ancient Egyptian Thought 01:31:29 Lecture 4 – Napoleon and The Beginning of Egyptology 02:01:27 Lecture 5 – The Rosetta Stone 02:31:45 Lecture 6 – The First Nation in History 03:01:15 Lecture 7 – The Rise of the Old Kingdom 03:31:05 Lecture 8 – Sneferu 04:00:40 Lecture 9 – The Great Pyramid of Giza 04:30:35 Lecture 10 – The End of the Old Kingdom What makes this work significant is its chronological clarity. Rather than jumping between famous names, it builds the story step by step — showing how geography, religion, politics, and economy shaped one of the longest-lasting civilizations in human history. It remains one of the most widely recognized introductory lecture series on Ancient Egypt.