Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs : How to Read the Sacred Language of the Pharaohs - Softcover

McDERMOTT Bridget

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1903296803 ISBN 13: 9781903296806

Publisher: Duncan Baird Publishers, 2002

Synopsis

The first fully illustrated guide to deciphering hieroglyphs and unravelling the fascinating secrets of the ancient Egyptians. Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs assumes no previous knowledge and no special languages skills. It equips the reader to grasp the basic hieroglyphic alphabet to decode script, magic texts and the names of goods. With unparalleled clarity and by using ingenious learning signposts, including helpful vocabulary panels, the book highlights the most commonly used signs so that their meaning and context can be understood. Decoding this symbolic language is the key to unlocking many of Ancient Egypt's secrets, including fascinating anecdotal information on Egyptian gods, pharaohs, family life and society in general.

About this title

About the Author:

Bridget McDermott is at work on her doctoral thesis on the ancient Egyptian military and is a media consultant on Egyptian archaeology. She lives in England.

Joann Fletcher is director of the NILE educational organization, as well as a frequent university lecturer. She divides her time between Egypt and England.

From Library Journal:

A media consultant on Egyptian archaeology currently working on her doctoral thesis, McDermott offers the reader a delightfully illustrated introduction to ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. Egyptian hieroglyphs are not simple pictographs; they form a phonetic writing system, so some knowledge of grammar and vocabulary is essential to deciphering the texts. The author introduces common signs and words in the context of various aspects of Egyptian culture, treating first their origin and then their use as either sounds or determinatives for meaning. The book concludes with a brief overview of the basic grammar of Middle Egyptian (the classical stage of the language), along with a selection of sample translations, a sign index, and a select bibliography. This treatment may be sufficient for those who simply want to understand how hieroglyphics work, but for readers who wish to learn Middle Egyptian, Mark Collier and Bill Manley's How To Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A Step-by-Step Guide To Teach Yourself (LJ 9/1/98) provides a more succinct and practical introduction. For a more intensive approach, J.P. Allen's Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language & Culture of Hieroglyphs (Cambridge Univ., 2000) will prove useful. Edward K. Werner, St. Lucie Cty. Lib. Syst., Ft. Pierce, FL
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Duncan Baird Publishers
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 1903296803
• ISBN 13: 9781903296806
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 176