Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs: How to Read the Secret Language of the Pharaohs

Front Cover
Chronicle Books, 2001 - Art - 171 pages
For beginners and Egyptologists alike, reading hieroglyphs provides fascinating insights into the land and lore of the pyramids. Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs is the only fully illustrated, easy-to-use guide to the meaning and mystery behind this ancient language. A history of hieroglyphs and instructions for how to read them are complemented by vocabulary lists and photographs of real inscriptions. In each chapter, skill-building exercises weave together with details of Egyptian life. Who could have imagined that the sign for the word "millions" is a lizard because Egypt was once overrun with reptiles? Hieroglyphs literally paint portraits of the ancients, depicting everyone from the pharaoh in his court to the farmer along the flooded Nile. Decoding Egyptian Hieroglyphs reveals the beauty and hidden marvels of one of the world's most intriguing cultures.
 

Selected pages

Contents

FIRST STEPS
9
Discovery and Decipherment
11
The History of the Language
12
The Scribal Legacy
15
How Hieroglyphs Work
19
Spelling and Pronunciation
20
The Alphabet
22
Determinatives
24
Gods and Goddesses
88
Reading a Temple Inscription
92
REALMS OF MEANING
95
A Healthy Life
96
The Healing Arts
98
Death and the Afterlife
100
Relationships
106
Expressing Emotions
108

ORIGINS OF THE SIGNS
27
Signs from Nature
28
Bodies Human and Divine
30
The Animal World
34
Hosts of the Air
36
Reeds and Flowers
38
The Divine Elements of Life
43
Life on Earth
47
The Harvest of the Fields
52
Eating and Drinking
55
Recreation and Sport
58
THE SACRED ART OF WRITING
61
The Magical Dimension
62
The Art of Magic
66
Tomb Inscriptions
68
Reading a Tomb Inscription
71
The Pyramid Texts
72
Coffin Texts
74
The Book of the Dead
76
How to Read Objects
78
Jewelry
80
Weapons of War
82
The Power of Names
84
Trades and Skills
113
Servants of the Gods
114
Servants of the State
117
A Life of Work
120
Soldiers
122
Weapons and War
124
Military Records
126
Egypt and Beyond
128
The FortyTwo Names
130
Sacred Sites
132
Peoples Beyond the Black Land
136
Calculation and Measurement
140
The Seasons of the Year
142
Mathematics
144
Celestial Worlds
147
Day and Night
148
The Waters of Heaven
150
REFERENCE FILE
153
The Grammar of Hieroglyphs
154
Sample Translations
162
Sign Index
168
Index

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About the author (2001)

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

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