Product Description

A practical teach-yourself course on ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs for the general reader. In this text, the grammar of ancient Egypt is introduced using the inscriptions found on monuments, with an emphasis on learning to read and translate accurately. A series of 43 exercises accompanies an easy to follow ten-step guide and is supported by a reference section of sign-lists and a short dictionary at the end of the text. Background notes on general topics including gods, royal dynasties and principal sites aim to help the reader to understand the historical concept.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5426 in Books
• Published on: 1998-03-30
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 179 pages

Customer Reviews

An excellent book!!
A brilliant book which is clear, easy to understand, and simple enough for anyone who is dedicated and has an open mind to learn from. I am only 16 years old, so if I can already read simple offering formulas and descriptions of ethical behaviour, most people can. It gets harder as the book progresses but not too hard that I get stuck, and if I am desperate, there are answers to the exercises in the back to help me work out what I have done wrong so I can learn from my mistakes. I am already on chapter 7 and have already had no problems with it, because the teaching is step-by-step until the end of every chapter when there are exercises to do, which are accompanied by vocabulary lists to help transliterate and translate, and in the back of the book there are sign lists with info and even a short dictionary. There is enough in this small book to be able to go to museums or even Egypt itself and impress those around you by the skills you have learnt from this book! This is a perfect start to my career in Egyptology!

Excellent starting point,whets the appetite for more.
After various false starts, I came across this book and love it. Paced just right for the self-taught beginner and Egytian enthusiast ( like me ), it gives you samples of real text to work with from the word go. Quite apart from giving an excellent introduction to hieroglyphs themselves, it also equips you to get to grips with Egyptian grammar, language and thus Ancient Egyptian thought. The emphasis throughout is on understanding structure and meaning in Egyptian inscriptions. I can't wait to get back to the British Museum and try out my new-found knowledge on actual artefacts. It certainly whets the appetite for more. Wonderful.

An excellent introduction
This is a first-rate introduction to the study of Egyptian hieroglyphs. It introduces the reader systematically and at a measured pace to the major signs, and has clearly written grammatical explanations. It also uses real texts - photographs of stelae inscriptions - from a very early stage so that you feel you are dealing with the real thing. A very good book.