Frequently asked questions
An electronic invoice will be sent to your e-mail address 1–3 working days after you have completed our registration form. Payment can be made online using AMEX, Apple Pay, Google Pay, MasterCard or Visa.
North Side of the West Wall of Nakht's Offering Chapel; Metropolitan Museum of Art
'The Tale of the Two Brothers': a story to unlock Ancient Egypt - five online talks by Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Tickets from
£65
31st July 2025
Ancient Egypt, a civilisation of deep antiquity with a profoundly complex history and culture, continues to hold huge appeal for academic and popular audiences alike. But unlocking the rich world of these ancient peoples – with their animal-headed gods, arcane funerary beliefs and complex ideas of rulership and state – can seem overwhelming – even baffling. This series examines the lives and mindset of the ancient Egyptians via a popular folktale created during the New Kingdom (c. 1570-1069 BCE). The Tale of the Two Brothers has all the traditional elements of a good story (talking animals, a heroic quest, a wicked stepmother, and a land far, far away), which allow us to investigate the realities of life at this time, as well as the belief systems and religious thinking that underpinned them. In these carefully illustrated talks, we will discuss Egyptian religion, the body, conceptions of justice and order, attitudes to foreigners, feasting and drinking, and love and sexuality.
They take place every Thursday from 31st May to 28th August 2025 at 4.30pm (London) and, including Q&A, will last just under an hour. They are available for viewing for eight weeks after the last episode is streamed (23rd October 2025).
Talks
After hearing the Two Brothers story itself, the basis for the series, we will focus on certain folkloric themes and motifs that emerge from the story. Particular attention will be given to the ‘Potiphar’s Wife’ motif.
This talk explores the types of places referenced in the story – from the homes of villagers and the ploughed fields of Egypt, to the mysterious Valley of the Pine. Inevitably, we will also look at the space of the living and of the dead.
Represented as a teenage girl, Ma’at was the personification of the most important theological and cultural ideals of the ancient Egyptian – ‘truth’ and ‘justice’ and ‘order.’ Here we examine the role of Ma’at in Egyptian society and how it is reflected in the Tale of the Two Brothers.
The body plays an important role in the story. Handsome bodies, deformed bodies and changeable bodies are all represented in The Tale of the Two Brothers. We will also look at the image of the royal body in ancient Egyptian thought and what it means in The Tale of the Two Brothers.
Our final talk explores Egyptian conceptions of sex and sexuality and the use of eroticism in The Tale of the Two Brothers. We will also look at the notion of feasting and celebrations for the dead in the ‘Beautiful Festival’.
Expert speaker
Reverend Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Chair of Ancient History at Cardiff University and a specialist in the history and culture of the ancient Near East and Greece. Lloyd has published widely on the history of Iran, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and other times and cultures in global history. His books include Creating a Hellenistic World, King and Court in Ancient Persia, The Hellenistic Court, Persians: the Age of the Great Kings, Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther, and The Cleopatras: the Forgotten Queens of Egypt. His next publication is about the great city of Babylon and he is currently engaged in a research project on the royal harem in ancient Egypt and the Near East. Lloyd has contributed to TV documentaries for the BBC, Netflix and others and is a regular guest on podcasts including ‘The Ancients and Empires’ Podcast. He is an ordained minister in the Church in Wales.
More tours led by Reverend Professor Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones
Dates & prices
2025
Date
Speaker
Price
Sign up to our e-newsletter
e-newsletter recipients are the first to hear about our future plans and our tours as they come on sale. By signing up you agree to our Privacy policy.
Or join our mailing list for a printed brochure
