Guide to the Writing Systems of Ancient Egypt
Edited by Stephane Polis
What do we know about the writings of ancient Egypt, two hundred years after Jean-Francois Champollion deciphered hieroglyphs? This Guide answers the question in an easily accessible format, presenting the current state of knowledge on the different scripts that were used in the Land of Pharaohs. The reader will find over fifty artic
What do we know about the writings of ancient Egypt, two hundred years after Jean-Francois Champollion deciphered hieroglyphs? This Guide answers the question in an easily accessible format, presenting the current state of knowledge on the different scripts that were used in the Land of Pharaohs. The reader will find over fifty articles written by specialists, presenting the diversity of scripts in time and space, explaining their main organizational principles, and describing the main contexts in which they were used. The Guide begins by offering an overview of the scripts of Egypt, from the appearance of hieroglyphs up to the introduction of Arabic writing. It then explores the multiple aspects of hieroglyphic writing: the number of glyphs and their classification; the relationship between written glyphs and figurative representations; the organization in space and the materiality of hieroglyphs; the relationship of hieroglyphic writing to spoken language; as well as the play on symbols and other so-called enigmatic uses. Finally, the Guide focuses on the main uses of writing in ancient Egypt. Learning how to write, the use of movable and monumental material, inscriptions on objects and graffiti, the destruction of writing and systems of symbols are all practices that are considered. The use of writing for specific purposes-such as administrative, funerary or magical-or in specific socio-historical contexts is also adressed.
- Edited by Stephane Polis
Other Titles in this Series
Similar Books
Archaeological Discoveries at the Temple of Ramesses II in Abydos
Vol. 2: Old Kingdom Wall, Papyri, Ostraca, and Leather Remains
Punning in Odd or Elegant Constructions in Jeremiah
The Convergence of Linguistics, Rhetoric, and Textuality in the Hebrew Text of Jeremiah
Ancient Egypt in 50 Discoveries
Highlights from the first century of the Egypt Exploration Society
Volume 8
Archaeological Discoveries at the Temple of Ramesses II in Abydos
Vol. 1: Magazines, Animal Burials, and Miscellanea
Conceptualisation as a Biocognitive Phenomenon and Part of the Faculty of Language
Cross-linguistic Evidence from the Preposition Category
Current Research in Egyptology 2024
Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Symposium, Jointly Organised by the University of Liverpool, Swansea University, University of Birmingham, University of Oxford, and University of Wales Trinity Saint David, 2–6 September 2024
From Egypt to the Levant and Beyond
African Individuals and Groupsain Cuneiform Texts from the Late Bronze Age
Volume 133
Kom al-Ahmer — Kom Wasit III
The Archaeology of Two Ptolemaic Districts in the Western Nile Delta, Egypt
Language Assessment Across Cultures
From Intercultural Communicative Competence to Artificial Intelligence
Language, Semantics, and Cognition in Ancient Egypt and Beyond
Proceedings of the International Conference, Yale University, April 16-18, 2021
Volume 14