Undergraduate Course: Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs: The Basics and Beyond (ARCA10091)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course introduces students to the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script, focusing on Middle Egyptian which was in use from c. 2000 BCE until the end of Egyptian history. It assumes no prior knowledge and begins with the basics of sign function and word formation. By the end of the course, students will be able to read a variety of funerary inscriptions and have a firm grounding in their cultural context. There will be a special focus on hieroglyphic inscriptions in Scottish Museum collections. |
| Course description |
This course applies a context-based approach. Each week, students will build their knowledge of aspects of ancient Egyptian grammar and vocabulary until they are able to read full inscriptions. They will ground this experience with an exploration of the underlying cultural context of the texts they are learning to read. We will explore creation myths, beliefs about death and the afterlife, and the social and divine hierarchies that governed Egyptian life.
The course is designed to provide a mixed approach as it is conceived (currently) for online delivery. There are taught components, delivered through lectures that students will listen to, and they can post questions relating to these. These questions can be addressed within the live seminars and/or answered online. There are more interactive activities, where students will have to respond to questions or translate elements.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | The course is available to honours students on degrees in Archaeology, Classics and Divinity or by permission of the course organiser. |
| Additional Costs | For the study of Egyptian language, it may be beneficial for the student to purchase their own copy of the main text book for the course to work through. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students must have 3 Archaeology courses at grade B or above. We will only consider University/College level courses. Enrolments for this course are managed by the CAHSS Visiting Student Office, in line with the quotas allocated by the department. All enquiries to enrol must be made through the CAHSS Visiting Student Office. It is not appropriate for students to contact the department directly to request additional spaces. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 20 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 11,
Online Activities 11,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
80 %,
Practical Exam
20 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
2 translation exercises with commentary notes and a 500 word introductory essay (80%);
1000 word essay focusing on an Egyptian text both for its content and its cultural significance (20%)
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| Feedback |
Students will be set a formative translation and commentary exercise to prepare for the summative translation exercises. They will receive written feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organisers via email and/or the e-learning platform. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the basic principles of the ancient Egyptian script and recognise a wide variety of key signs
- Identify and translate Offering Formulae, praising formulae and inscriptions with regnal dates, and identify and comment on significant features of Egyptian inscriptions, from grammatical and orthographic idiosyncrasies to broader features of artefacts' composition that speak to cultural characteristics
- Demonstrate knowledge of contextualisation of the texts in relation to important aspects of ancient Egyptian society, especially those evident in funerary inscriptions
- Critically analyse translations in secondary sources in order to reflect on their own translation skills and improve them
- Engage in discussions with tutor and peers, clearly elucidating their own opinions and considering those of others
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Reading List
Text Book: Collier, M. and B. Manley. 1998 (2007, 2nd edition). How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs. London: British Museum Press.
Allen, J. P. 2010. Middle Egyptian, Second Edition. An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Faulkner, R.O. 1962. A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian. Oxford: Griffith Institute.
Parkinson, R. 1999. Cracking Codes. The Rosetta Stone and Decipherment. London: British Museum Press.
Parkinson, R. 1991 (2006, 2nd edition). Voices from Ancient Egypt. An Anthology of Middle Kingdom Writings. London: British Museum Press.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Learning a script which is characterised by variability and adaptability, will sharpen evaluative skills.
Students will both be critiquing the ancient texts read, and scholarly interpretations in translations, with an aim to providing their own translations and commentaries, thus demonstrating skills of critical analysis and practical application of those skills.
Students will have to be self-motivating, as much of the work will be done on their own; but there are also group activities in which they are going to be participating. |
| Keywords | Hieroglyphs,ancient Egyptian language,Ancient Egypt,funerary inscriptions,Middle Egyptian |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Zsuzsanna Vegh
Tel: (0131 6)50 4620
Email: zvegh@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Katherine Shaw
Tel: (0131 6)50 8349
Email: K.Shaw@ed.ac.uk |
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