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SAES Fundraiser for EES Fest
The Appeal to the Living
Recordings will be made available for those unable to attend the live sessions!
The Appeal to the Living is a type of inscription in which a deceased person addresses a living one and asks for offerings or other forms of recognition useful to them in the afterlife. They appear in a variety of locations, ranging from tomb chapels, in which they usually form part of a longer funerary text, to quarry walls. Although they have a variety of intended audiences and requests, they all follow a similar pattern. This course will concentrate on translating the Appeals to the Living from the original hieroglyphs, but the historical and archaeological background will also be covered. The grammar will be thoroughly explained as we come across it, and phrases peculiar to this type of text will be discussed.
We will start by familiarising ourselves with the language of the Appeal to the Living by looking at two fairly basic stelae from Abydos whose owners ask only for offerings from passers-by (Userwer and Minnefer) and another from Wadi Hammamat whose writer asks only to be acknowledged (Nehri). We will then move on to a more complicated appeal that not only contains a list of possible audiences but also predicts what people will say about him in the future (Montuwoser).
Stela of Minnefer (British Museum EA829)
We will then read a text that contains both requests for offerings and threats of retribution for those who may damage their tombs (Djefaihapi), as well as two variations on the Appeal: one whose potential audience is presented in an interesting tabular format (Montuhotep) and another from the Old Kingdom (Henqu).
Students will be able to refresh or improve their knowledge of Middle Egyptian and gain some experience in the process of translating more advanced texts.
This course is suitable for those who have completed our Online Course: Beyond Intermediate Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs, or who have studied the Egyptian language to the level where they are able to read, with or without help, the easier passages of Middle Egyptian literature.
Tutor
Dr Joseph Clayton
Course Outline
Please note that main content will be delivered between 11:00-13:00 and 14:00-15:00. There will be a one-hour lunch break between 13:00-14:00. Note that some optional participation (quizzes, Q&A, social session, etc.) may continue beyond that time.
Saturday 18 July 2026, 11:00-15:00 (UK time)
Week One - The Appeals to the Living of Minnefer, Userwer, Nehri and Montuwoser
Saturday 25 July 2026, 11:00-15:00 (UK time)
Week Two - The Appeals to the Living of Djefaihapi, vizier Montuhotep, and Henqu
Stela of Userwer (British Museum EA579)
Booking and information
Register for your place in advance using the link below. Here, you can select to pay for optional add-ons. You can buy a personalised certificate for £5.99, featuring your name, the event name and start date, which will be signed by the EES Engagement Manager to confirm your attendance at this online course.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about your booking. 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.
