Ancient History MA
Basic ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs for Honours CLASSIC4089
- Academic Session: 2026-27
- School: School of Humanities
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
- Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
- Available to Visiting Students: 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 2 hour lectures and 10x 1 hour seminars as scheduled in MyCampus. This is one of the honours options in Classics and may not run every year. The options that are running this year are available on MyCampus.
Excluded Courses
None.
Co-requisites
None.
Assessment
The standard assessments for this course are:
■ 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%
If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:
■ There are no alternatives to the assessments, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions).
Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor. 
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.