Basic ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs for postgraduates CLASSIC5094

  • Academic Session: 2025-26
  • School: School of Humanities
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: No
  • Taught Wholly by Distance Learning: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

From the simple recognition of key hieroglyphic signs to the intricacies of word formation (orthography) and grammar, this course serves as a basic introduction to the Middle Egyptian hieroglyphic script. Our aim is to learn to read a variety of funerary and royal inscriptions, setting examples from these genres within their broader cultural context.

Timetable

10x 2hr lectures 10x 1hr seminars over 11 weeks

Requirements of Entry

Standard entry to Masters at College level.

Excluded Courses

CLASSIC4089

CLASSIC5126

Co-requisites

None.

Assessment

Best 3 out of 5 moodle quizzes (vocabulary, grammar): 20%

800-word unseen translation and commentary exercise: 60%

1000-word reflective report using two primary sources to explore a key cultural topic: 20%

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ Introduce students to the principles of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script, building skills in interpreting orthography and grammar

■ Enable students to read a variety of funerary and royal inscriptions in Middle Egyptian

■ Contextualise primary sources read in the original against their cultural background.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Display a reflective knowledge of the Egyptian hieroglyphic script and the Middle Egyptian language through translation and commentary skills

■ Contextualise funerary and royal texts studied within the broader ancient Egyptian culture, comparing and contrasting different examples

■ Critically analyse key topics in religion and royal culture pertaining to the textual material studied within the course

■ Engage with primary sources and use them to argue opinions.

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.