This episode is brought to you by Pepsi Max. Christmas is great, but there's loads of ways to make it better.

Like sneaking some chili into the gravy for some extra oint, or building a playlist that will even get your

none up on the table or just cracking open an ice cold Pepsi Max.

Christmas.

Better with Pepsi Max. Hello everyone. Dominic here. For those of you just joining the

podcast or people who've been here all along, I thought I might take a minute to

introduce our next historical phase.

Where we've been, where we are going, what is in store over the coming episodes.

It's been approximately 1,000 years since our story began with the first known rulers of the

Nile Valley.

Over 25 episodes or so, we've seen the first foundations of the Egyptian kingdom, the flourishing of their political and artistic culture, and of course, the construction of massive pyramids up and down the Nile Valley.

From great rulers to humble workers and everyone in between, we've met Egyptians who left a

mark on their society and on history. We've introduced gods, explored the landscape, and seen how the earliest society seems to have functioned.

Now we begin the second of our historical phases.

The pyramid age, sometimes called the old kingdom, is gone.

Now we are entering the period known as the middle kingdom.

This isn't quite as famous as other parts of Egyptian history,

and I would forgive you if you were thinking, hmm, maybe I should skip ahead. If you were thinking that, fair enough. But I beg you, stick around. There's a great deal more going on in the middle kingdom than most people generally know.

For one thing, we are entering the time when many of Egypt's most famous literature was composed.

Tales of runaway servants fleeing the assassination of kings, tales of mysterious islands and sailors who speak with

gods, tales of great sadness as humans grapple with despair and the ennwe of living.

Stories you may be familiar with, stories you may not, but all of

...