Betwixt The Sheets: The History of Sex, Scandal & Society
Episode: Sex & Scandal in Ancient Egypt
Host: Dr Kate Lister
Guest: Dr Campbell Price, Egyptologist
Date: December 5, 2025
Episode Overview
In this episode, sex historian Dr Kate Lister is joined by Egyptologist Dr Campbell Price to explore the complexities of sex, scandal, and societal attitudes in Ancient Egypt. The conversation delves into the biases of Victorian-era scholarship, debunks modern misconceptions, and investigates ancient Egyptian attitudes toward sexuality, sex work, gender, and scandal. Dr Price shares insights drawn from artifacts, literature, and art, offering a nuanced look at what sex, sexuality, and power really meant along the Nile.
Main Discussion Points & Insights
1. Clouded Legacies: Victorian Egyptology and Sexuality
[05:01–11:54]
- Dr Lister and Dr Price introduce “Victorians it up” – a term for the way Victorian scholars projected their own anxieties and morals onto ancient civilizations, especially Egypt.
- Victorian Egyptologists heavily controlled access to “naughty” artifacts (e.g., wooden penises, explicit papyri), often hiding them in locked cabinets or translating lewd texts into Latin to restrict access.
- Dr Price [09:37]: “There were definitely objects in museums in the 19th century that were in locked cabinets… Naughty things like wooden penises.”
- The British colonial mindset both admired Egyptian achievements and dismissed Egyptians as “lazy and not caring about their own history.”
- Egypt was cast in a feminized, eroticized light, while the West positioned itself as masculine and rational.
2. Artistic Evidence and Its Pitfalls
[16:06–21:45]
- Most archaeological records come from tombs of the wealthy, skewing our understanding.
- Dr Price [18:00]: “You're not seeing a cross section of society, you're seeing the rich people, the dead people... So you have this double bias.”
- Ancient Egyptian art is highly standardized and symbolic rather than literal; what we find erotic or shocking (like prominent penises or nude forms) may have been normal or had other meanings for them.
- Victorian/modern reactions to the explicit—like museums covering up a god’s erect penis—reflect our own discomfort, not ancient views.
- Dr Price [21:43]: “There's a big relief with a God with a stonking big penis and they've put the label over the erect penis.”
3. Shifts in Decorum: Public and Royal Sexuality
[25:19–28:20]
- Despite consistency in Egyptian art, there were changes in public displays of affection.
- Akhenaten and Nefertiti are shown kissing in temple art (unprecedented for royalty), breaking taboos about physical contact in official depictions.
- Dr Price [26:12]: “The king is shown kissing his wife. Oh my God... The Egyptian pharaoh is never shown eating, drinking, or in physical contact with anyone.”
4. Sex Work and Harems: Myths versus Evidence
[28:21–35:34]
- No “copper bottomed evidence” of professional sex work exists from pharaonic Egypt. While literature references transactional sex, a monetary economy to support sex work as a “profession” didn’t exist.
- Harems were real but complex—far from mere centers of sensuality, they were places of industry and economic activity, especially in textile manufacture, managed by royal women.
- Dr Price [35:23]: “The royal women... are entrepreneurs in a sense. They are managing a major textile industry.”
- Diplomatic marriages were common—pharaohs had multiple wives and many children, but daughters of Pharaoh did not marry foreign princes.
5. The Case of Hatshepsut, Scandal, and Gender Dynamics
[36:34–42:11]
- Queen Hatshepsut, a female pharaoh, held unprecedented power.
- Dr Price has focused on her close relationship with Senenmut, an unmarried and powerful official; speculation abounds about the nature of their connection.
- Graffiti from Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple shows two people having sex—identities remain hotly debated.
- Dr Price [39:41]: “All we can say is it's two people having sex. That's it.”
- Victorian scholars (often male) disparaged Hatshepsut, projecting anxieties about female power and sexual autonomy.
- Graffiti from Hatshepsut’s mortuary temple shows two people having sex—identities remain hotly debated.
- Modern efforts try to move past these gendered narratives, challenging the idea that power for women in ancient Egypt had to be sexualized.
6. Same-Sex Behavior, Incest, and Myth
[42:35–47:17]
- Homosexuality and incest appear in ancient Egyptian texts, but always framed within heteronormative expectations.
- Notably, the first recorded “chat up line” in history is from an uncle to his nephew: “Nephew, how beautiful are your buttocks?” [42:56]
- Royal incest was normalized for dynastic reasons; same-sex acts are attested but often depicted as transgressive or disruptive rather than normative.
- Mythological references (e.g., Seth attempting to dominate Horus) serve as allegories for power rather than straightforward celebrations or condemnations of same-sex relationships.
7. The Turin Erotic Papyrus and Ancient Humor
[47:45–50:40]
- The “erotic papyrus” is unique—depicts exaggerated sexual acts in a satirical and humorous context, not simply pornographic.
- Scenes show balding men and made-up women in improbable scenarios; accompanying texts are filled with jokes.
- May have lampooned the aristocracy or paid homage to the goddess Hathor, associated with sex and drunkenness.
- Dr Price [49:38]: “It's not the ancient Egyptian Karma Sutra… seems to be a way of satirizing the aristocracy maybe.”
- Historical humor is hard to parse, relying on context and shared references lost to time.
8. Recap & Contemporary Relevance
[50:57–52:40]
- Dr Price would travel back to meet Hatshepsut and Senenmut to answer unresolved questions about their lives and relationship.
- Ancient Egypt’s sexual attitudes were complex and shifting, shaped by political, economic, and artistic factors—not simply “opulent” or “decadent.”
- The episode closes with Dr Price’s upcoming biography of Senenmut and an open invitation to return for future discussions.
Notable Quotes and Moments
- Dr Lister [10:28]: “They seem to be trying to sanitize it completely… but they're also obsessed with the sexuality of these groups of people.”
- Dr Price [13:44]: “Egypt itself is seen as threatening, exotic, lazy… There’s a real historical feminization of Egypt.”
- Dr Price [28:41]: “I would struggle to say definitively this is like copper bottomed evidence of sex work.”
- Dr Lister [31:49]: “It's interesting because…sex work is the oldest form of work in the world. And it's not.”
- Dr Price [35:23]: “The royal women, the senior royal women are entrepreneurs in a sense. They are managing a major textile industry.”
- Dr Price [42:56]: “The first chat up line recorded in history is an incestuous Come on. From an uncle to his nephew. Nephew, how beautiful are your buttocks?”
- Dr Price [49:38]: “It's not the ancient Egyptian Karma Sutra… seems to be a way of satirizing the aristocracy maybe.”
- Dr Price [52:03]: “If you're a living goddess and you don't happen to have a living human husband… you could just have sex with anyone you wanted.”
Key Timestamps
- [05:01] – Victorian views and their enduring impact
- [13:44] – The feminization of Egypt in colonial imagination
- [18:00] – Elite bias in archaeological artifacts
- [21:43] – Modern discomfort with ancient erotic art
- [25:19] – Shifts in royal sexual decorum (Akhenaten & Nefertiti)
- [28:41] – Search for evidence of sex work in Egypt
- [31:49] – Bartering and the myth of “oldest profession”
- [35:23] – The business of harems
- [39:41] – The Hatshepsut-Senenmut temple graffiti
- [42:56] – Incestuous chat-up line
- [47:45] – Turin Erotic Papyrus and historical humor
- [50:57] – Where Dr Price would travel in time
- [52:03] – Hatshepsut’s power and sexual agency
Tone & Style
- Lively, irreverent, and incisive; Dr Lister and Dr Price blend academic insight with wit and skepticism toward both modern and historical prejudices.
- Both are conscious of the difficulties in reconstructing ancient eroticism and eager to challenge easy stereotypes.
For Further Exploration
- Dr Campbell Price’s book: “Ancient Egypt: Brief Histories”
- Upcoming biography of Senenmut (American University in Cairo Press, 2026)
- For more, follow Dr Price on social media: @EgyptMCR
This episode is a must-listen for anyone intrigued by the mysteries, misconceptions, and realities of sex and power in Ancient Egypt—and a sharp reminder to look past our own cultural baggage when peering into the past.