Beekeeping begins -- The delight of Re: beekeeping during the Old Kingdom -- Instability and reunification: beekeeping during the Middle Kingdom -- The age of empire: beekeeping during the New Kingdom -- The Saite period -- The Greco-Roman period -- The honey bee hieroglyph -- The administration and economics of Egyptian beekeeping -- Bees and food -- Honey and healing -- Bees, gods, and feasts -- The magic of beeswax -- The afterlife of ancient Egyptian beekeeping.