Online Course: Foundation Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Recordings will be made available for those unable to attend the live sessions!

Have you always wanted to learn ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs but never knew where to start? Then, this is the course for you!

Join this course to understand how the ancient Egyptian language first developed and changed over time, how each hieroglyphic sign can be read (spoiler alert: they’re not like emojis), and how to recognise names, dates and common formulas written in Egyptian hieroglyphs. By the end of this three-week course, you will be able to write your name in hieroglyphs and recognise basic texts and hieroglyphs found on ancient Egyptian monuments and artefacts!

These classes will not teach you how to translate ancient hieroglyphs but provide you with a solid foundation in the basics of Egyptian language, its history, and the conventions used in its translation. This course is the perfect introduction for further studies in Egyptian language or for those wishing to learn a little more about ancient Egyptian culture (without the pressure of any tests!). This course is set within our Apprentice category, meaning that anyone can participate with no prior knowledge. You can attend this course without even seeing an ancient Egyptian hieroglyph before!

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Tutor

Charlotte Jordan is the Engagement Manager for the Egypt Exploration Society. She undertook her Egyptology BA and MA at the University of Liverpool, and it was during her MA studies that she found her passion for public engagement. During her studies she learnt Egyptian language in a view to combine linguistics with archaeological investigation of Egyptian tomb owners, and explored Hieratic – a form of handwritten hieroglyphs in her Masters degree.

Course Dates

Thursday 27th April, 18:00-19:30 (UK) time
Week one - History and Development of Ancient Egyptian Writing
In this first class, we will look at the historical development of ancient Egyptian language from its earliest appearance on traded commodities through classic Middle Egyptian into Coptic texts written in the Greek alphabet.

Thursday 4th May, 18:00-19:30 (UK) time
Week two - Hieroglyphic Signs and Transliteration
This week we will dive into examining the individual signs. What do they present? How are they read and written? We will also cover the process of translation from hieroglyphs to English using transliteration. 

Thursday 11th May, 18:00-19:30 (UK) time
Week three - Names and Formulas in Ancient Egypt
Our final session will look at recognising common signs and phrases in Egyptian texts. For example, you will learn how to pick out a pharaoh’s name and dates. We will also learn how to recognise the Offering Formula, one of the most important phrases for an ancient Egyptian to remain satisfied in the afterlife.  

Recordings of the live sessions will be made available to attendees following the weekly session for those unable to attend in person. 

Tickets

Members of the Egypt Exploration Society can book at a heavily discounted rate. If you’re not yet a member but would like to join in order to receive this discount, we are offering up to five months free for new members signing up with this course (your subscription would last until March 2024)! Please ensure that you have joined here, and purchase your EES subscription and course tickets on the same day for this promotion to be valid. If you are a Cairo Associate, then please contact our Cairo Office to reserve your discounted tickets: [email protected] 

Register for your place in advance using the links below. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the course. Links for joining the event will be sent by email. If you do not receive your email, then please check your junk folders before contacting the Egypt Exploration Society. The course will be held on our Zoom platform and attendees will be able to interact by asking questions, using the chat and polls. It is not necessary to have a working webcam or microphone for this course. The online course will be complemented by Google Drive, where resources will be uploaded.

Please ensure that you have read our guide to attending EES online events before the course begins.