How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs, Revised

Can you imagine yourself visiting a vast Egyptian monument and puzzling over the hieroglyphs on its walls? Have you stood awestruck before an ancient tablet in a museum case, wishing you could read the inscription for yourself? With the help of this practical step-by-step guide, museum goes, tourists and armchair travelers can learn the language and culture of ancient Egypt. Mark Collier and Bill Manley's novel and straightforward approach is informed by years of experience teaching Egyptian hieroglyphs to non-specialists. They use clear and attractive drawings of actual inscriptions displayed in the British Museum and concentrate on the kinds of monuments readers might encounter in other museum collections–especially funerary inscriptions, coffins and tomb scenes. Each chapter introduces a new aspect of hieroglyphic script and Middle Egyptian grammar and provides exercises to improve reading skills. The supporting notes lend insight into the concerns, rituals, and daily experiences of the authors of the ancient texts. The material touches on topics ranging from the pharaonic administration to family life in ancient Egypt to Egyptian way of death. With this book as your guide, you will be able to confidently translate hieroglyphs found on Egyptian art and artifacts in museums around the world.