The Past Macabre

Join Egyptologist Stephanie Rice as she delves into topics such as the elaborate tombs built to immortalize the dead, ancient guardians of the afterlife, and the tales of heroes who defied and often triumphed over deities of death. The Past Macabre explores the diverse ways in which cultures throughout history have sought to understand, confront, and transcend death.
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Ancient True Crime: The Assassination of Ramesses III - Ep 35
Rachel Roden Rachel Roden

Ancient True Crime: The Assassination of Ramesses III - Ep 35

In this episode of The Past Macabre, step into the chaotic period of the Late Bronze Age Collapse to investigate one of history's oldest recorded high-profile murder cases. Egypt was already struggling from years of crop failures, famine, and the world's first recorded labor strike when a highly coordinated network of conspirators chose to exploit the chaos of a sacred celebration to assassinate the pharaoh Ramesses III.

Through a detailed examination of ancient legal records and archaeological excavations at the scene of the murder we'll explore the ancient investigation, trial, and sentences of those found guilty.

We'll also look at the modern CT scans of Ramesses III’s mummy that confirmed his cause of death after modern researchers were left unsure for over 130 years. Join host Stephanie Rice as we explore how this ancient crime reveals deep community fears, fracturing social responsibilities, and what the breakdown of cosmic balance, or Maat, meant to the living.

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Welcome to The Past Macabre! Where we dive into humanity’s enduring obsession with death—and what lies beyond it!