Fascinated by ancient civilisations?
We offer anyone with any level of knowledge, inspiring short courses on ancient Egypt and other areas of the ancient world.
2020-2023 COURSES AVAILABLE ON VIDEO
Ancient Americas
ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF MESOAMERICA IN 100 OBJECTS
Dr Elizabeth Baquedano (University College London)
GODS, TEMPLES, AND PALACES: AN OVERVIEW OF MESOAMERICAN ARCHITECTURE
Dr Elizabeth Baquedano (University College London)
VISUAL CULTURE OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS: FROM ROCK ART TO QUIPUS AND CODICES
Dr Elizabeth Baquedano (University College London)
Ancient Egyptian writing and language
Middle Egyptian Step 1:
A TASTE OF HIEROGLYPHS
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
BEGINNING HIEROGLYPHS
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
Middle Egyptian Step 2:
HIEROGLYPHS: THE NEXT STEP
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
Middle Egyptian Step 3:
READING HIEROGLYPHS: 'ALL THAT IS WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK'
Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid) and
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
READING HIEROGLYPHS: KHUFU AND THE MAGICIANS
Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid) and
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
READING HIEROGLYPHS: SONGS FOR ALL TIME
Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid) and
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
READING HIEROGLYPHS: SPIRITS IN CONTEXT
Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid) and
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
Late Egyptian
CLEOPATRA’S HIEROGLYPHS: READING HIEROGLYPHIC TEXTS FROM THE PTOLEMAIC AND ROMAN PERIODS
Dr Luigi Prada (University of Uppsala)
THE OBELISKS OF THE CAESARS: A READING CLASS OF ROMAN HIEROGLYPHS
Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)
UNLOCKING LATE EGYPTIAN: AN INTRODUCTORY CLASS TO THE LANGUAGE OF NEW KINGDOM EGYPT
Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)
Hieratic
HIERATIC: AN INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT EGYPT'S CURSIVE SCRIPT
Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)
Demotic
A TASTE OF DEMOTIC
Dr Franziska Naether (University of Leipzig)
Coptic Step 1:
COPTIC: A COURSE FOR BEGINNERS
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
Coptic Step 2:
READING COPTIC: APOCRYPHA AND APOCRYPHAL
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
READING COPTIC: EXEMPLARY LIVES
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
READING COPTIC: ON THE MARGINS OF COPTIC CULTURE
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
READING COPTIC: WORDS OF WORLDLY WISDOM
Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
Ancient Egyptian art and archaeology
20,000 YEARS OF AGRICULTURAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN NORTH AFRICA AND THE LEVANT
Dr Claire Malleson (American University of Beirut)
AN A–Z OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN STATUES
Dr Campbell Price (University of Manchester)
DEATH AND DIVINITY IN GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT
Dr Campbell Price (University of Manchester)
EGYPT REINVENTED: DISCOVERING GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT
Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)
FIFTH DYNASTY SOLAR RELIGION AND THE SUN KINGS
Dr Massimiliano Nuzzolo (Charles University, Prague)
GODS AND GODDESSES OF ANCIENT EGYPT
Ms Lucia Gahlin (University College London)
GREATER NUBIA: EXPLORING THE LAND AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE NILE VALLEY
Dr Robert Morkot (Friends of the Petrie Museum) and
Dr Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin (University of Exeter)
HATSHEPSUT AND SENENMUT: POWER AND PERSONALITY IN EGYPT’S 18TH DYNASTY
Dr Campbell Price (University of Manchester)
LOVE SPELLS, ORACLES, AMULETS: ANCIENT EGYPTIAN RITUALS OF MAGIC AND DIVINATION
Dr Franziska Naether (University of Leipzig / Stellenbosch University)
THE GREAT CIVILISATIONS OF THE NILE VALLEY: THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE
Dr Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin (University of Manchester) and
Dr Lidija McKnight (University of Manchester)
THE LORD OF ALL: THE MULTIFACETED NATURE OF PHARAOH
Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid)
THE ROYAL TOMBS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
Prof. Aidan Dodson (University of Bristol)
TUTANKHAMUN: HIS LIFE AND AFTERLIVES
Prof. Aidan Dodson (University of Bristol)
Ancient Near East writing and language
INTRODUCTION TO OLD PERSIAN: THE LANGUAGE AND SCRIPT OF THE ACHAEMENIDS
Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University) and
Mr Jack Neighbour (Cardiff University)
ANCIENT PERSIA AND THE HEBREW BIBLE
Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE: HYMNS AND WORSHIP IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST AND THE HEBREW BIBLE
Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)
PROPHETS AND PROPHECY IN THE HEBREW BIBLE AND THE NEAR EAST
Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)
Ancient Near East art and archaeology
ANCIENT PERSIA: NEW PERSPECTIVES
Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)
Ancient Americas
Originally delivered on Saturday 13 to Sunday 14 and Saturday 20 to Sunday 21 March 2021
ART AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF MESOAMERICA IN 100 OBJECTS
Course Director: Dr Elizabeth Baquedano (University College London)
This is a 4-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
We are pleased to welcome back Elizabeth Baquedano, this time to explore the cultures of the Olmecs, Mayas, Toltecs, and Aztecs through key objects from the period of c.2000 BCE to the arrival of the Spanish in 1519 CE. Jewellery, masks, coffins, and figurines fashioned from jade, gold, and other precious materials provide unique insights into daily life, religious belief, creation myths, and concepts of death and the afterlife. You will become familiar with elaborate vessel types from Teotihuacan and the symbolic meanings their iconography reveals. Elizabeth will also introduce you (virtually) to the extensive collection of ancient Mexican turquoise mosaics held in the British Museum, as well as trace the curious case of an obsidian mirror once used for divination and prognostication, that made its way to England during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Also, drawing on the rich collections of the British Museum you will have the unique opportunity to examine, through high-resolution images, codices made of bark paper and deerskin, dealing with administrative, religious, and historical matters.
Recommended reading
Berdan, F. F. (2014) Aztec Archaeology and Ethnohistory. Cambridge University Press.
Cowgill, G. (2015) Ancient Teotihuacan: Early urbanism in Central Mexico. Cambridge University Press.
Evans, S. T. (2013) Ancient Mexico and Central America. Thames and Hudson. It is recommended that all students obtain a copy of this book.
Originally delivered Saturday 19 to Sunday 20 and Saturday 26 to Sunday 27 March 2022
GODS, TEMPLES, AND PALACES: AN OVERVIEW OF MESOAMERICAN ARCHITECTURE
Course Director: Dr Elizabeth Baquedano (University College London)
This is a 4-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
We are pleased to welcome back Elizabeth Baquedano who will guide you on an exploration of the extraordinary temple and palace architecture of Mesoamerica. Learn about the pantheon of deities worshipped, for example in Templo Mayor of Tenochtitlan - the axis mundi of the city - dedicated to the gods of rain (Tlaloc) and war (Huitzilopochtli). You will explore evidence for daily life in royal palace contexts as well as the elaborate art and memorial architecture commissioned by Maya kings and queens.
This course offers the rare opportunity to study religious and residential Mesoamerican architecture alongside important archaeological finds including painting and sculpture ranging from the Formative Period (c.500–350 BCE) to the destruction of the most important temple of the Aztecs, the Templo Mayor in 1521 CE.
Recommended reading
Miller, M. and Taube. K. (1993) An Illustrated Dictionary of The Gods and Symbols of Ancient Mexico and the Maya. Thames and Hudson.
Miller, M. (2014) Maya Art and Architecture. Thames and Hudson.
Carballo, D. M. (2007) Effigy Vessels, Religious Integration, and the Origins of the Central Mexican Pantheon. Ancient Mesoamerica 18: 53–67.
Evans, S. T. (2013) Ancient Mexico and Central America. Thames and Hudson.
Evans, S. T. and Pillsbury, J. (2004) Palaces of the Ancient New World. Harvard University Press.
López Austin, A., López Luján, L., and Sugiyama, S. (1991) The Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan: Its possible ideological significance. Ancient Mesoamerica 2(1): 93–105.
Originally delivered on Monday 3 to Friday 7 July 2023
VISUAL CULTURE OF THE ANCIENT AMERICAS: FROM ROCK ART TO QUIPUS AND CODICES
Course Director: Dr Elizabeth Baquedano (University College London)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
This course looks at the indigenous cultures of the Americas through the lens of visual culture from 500 BCE to the 16th century CE and beyond. Join us for a fascinating journey through the rich artefactual evidence, including materials of manufacture, stylistic changes, and elaborate iconography and symbolism. Examine with Elizabeth multimedia objects that combine different materials and different techniques and the reasons behind these artistic choices and the multiplicity of ideas they signified. This course will be approached from an array of disciplines: archaeology, archeoastronomy, art, and anthropology. Together with your Course Director and special guest lecturers, you will enjoy learning about the wealth of visual culture from North America, Mesoamerica, and South America.
Recommended reading
Boone, E. H. (2000)
Stories in Red and Black: Pictorial histories of the Aztecs and Mixtecs. University of Texas.
D’Altroy, T. (2014)
The Incas.. Blackwell.
Miller, M. E. (2001)
The Art of Mesoamerica: From Olmec to Aztec. Thames and Hudson.
Pillsbury, J., Potts, T. F., and Richter, K. N. (2017)
Golden Kingdoms: Luxury arts in the Americas. The Paul Getty Museum and the Getty Research Institute.
Rampley, M. (ed.) (2005)
Exploring Visual Culture: Definitions, concepts, contexts. Edinburgh University Press.
Ancient Egypt
Originally delivered on Saturday 25 March 2023
A TASTE OF HIEROGLYPHS
Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 1-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
For those of you intrigued by learning how to read hieroglyphs and perhaps wondering whether to take the plunge, this 1-day course will show you the basics behind reading ancient Egyptian and also give you a taste of the way we do things at Bloomsbury Summer School.
A TASTE OF HIEROGLYPHS assumes you have no prior experience in the subject but, through a series of presentations and reading sessions, we will show you how to read some pharaonic monuments on display in world-famous museums by the end of the day.
Recommended reading
It would be a good idea on the day (but not essential) to have with you a copy of:
Collier, M. and Manley, B. (ideally the 2003 revised edition but the earlier edition is fine)
How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs. British Museum Press.
If you are interested to go on to take our 1-week course HIEROGLYPHS FOR BEGINNERS (this ran in 2022 and is available on video recording here) or to continue with our second stage course 'Hieroglyphs: The Next Step' (which will be held in person in July), then you should be aware that this book is essential for both those courses.
Originally delivered Monday 20 to Friday 24 June 2022
BEGINNING HIEROGLYPHS
Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
We are excited to bring back our popular beginning hieroglyphs course this year. Our Course Director has vast experience of the subject and is regarded as one of the best hieroglyphs teachers around. The course itself is a unique introduction to the world of Egyptian hieroglyphs specially written for BSS and requires no prior experience of the subject. Through a series of presentations and practical sessions, you will progress from the basics of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing to learning the language of the ancient Egyptians — and do so from day one by reading ancient monuments available online or on display in world-famous museum collections.
This course is specifically intended for complete beginners but may well appeal to anyone wishing to refresh their knowledge of hieroglyphs, too. It has always proved to be an intense and rewarding experience.
Recommended reading
NB: It is essential that you bring with you, right from the start, a copy of;
Collier, M. and Manley, B. How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs. British Museum Press (ideally the 2003 revised edition, but the earlier edition is fine).
Originally delivered on Monday 28 June to Friday 2 July 2021
HIEROGLYPHS: THE NEXT STEP
Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
We are delighted once again to offer our second-stage course in Egyptian hieroglyphs. Bill Manley returns to show you The Next Step, which builds on the knowledge and skills you acquired on the course Hieroglyphs for Beginners. In a series of practical sessions, you will be introduced to increasingly elaborate monuments, including monuments made for kings as well as officials. In this way, you will develop a more sophisticated appreciation of hieroglyphic writing and the language, including: ways of talking about the king and the gods; talking about the past, present, and future; and making negative statements. Through the week you will enrich your understanding of different kinds of monuments and expand your knowledge of Middle Egyptian.
Recommended reading
Collier, M. and Manley, B. (2003) How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs (revised edition). British Museum Press.
This is the required course book, so do ensure you have a copy with you at each class (the first or second edition are equally as useful.)
The following books are not essential, but you may find it helpful to bring a copy with you, if you happen to have one.
Faulkner, R. O. (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian. Griffith Institute.
Manley, B. (2012) Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners. Thames and Hudson.
Originally delivered on Monday 24 to Friday 28 July 2023
READING HIEROGLYPHS: 'ALL THAT IS WRITTEN IN THIS BOOK'
Course Co-Directors: Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid) and Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
As usual we are bringing you a brand new course for those of you who love to experience the culture of pharaonic Egypt first hand by reading the ancient texts. This time, to celebrate the publication of Bill’s new book, we will be exploring the language and ideas of some of the earliest literature that has come down to us, including the wisdom of The Loyalist Teaching and The Teaching of Kagemni.
Happily, this year’s Reading Hieroglyphs course makes a return to our London classrooms. In response to ever-increasing demand for “Reading Hieroglyphs”, however, we are going to run the same course online, two weeks later on 24–28 July. The content will be the same for each iteration of the course.
Our READING HIEROGLYPHS courses assume you already have a good reading knowledge of Egyptian hieroglyphic texts. Normally we expect you to have taken both of the BSS courses HIEROGLYPHS FOR BEGINNERS (first stage) and HIEROGLYPHS: THE NEXT STEP (second stage) beforehand. As a rule of thumb, before you come along you should be comfortable reading all of the texts in How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs (see Recommended reading). Nevertheless, do not worry about the intensity of this course: throughout the week there will be plenty of time for your own work and for questions and answers with your tutors.
Recommended reading
Collier, M. and Manley, B. (2003)
How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs (revised edition). British Museum Press.
This is the required course book, and you must bring a copy to each class (the first or second edition is equally useful.) The following book is not essential but you may find it helpful to bring a copy with you, if you happen to have one.
Faulkner, R. O. (1962)
A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian. Griffith Institute.
Originally delivered Monday 6 July to Friday 10 July 2020
READING HIEROGLYPHS: KHUFU AND THE MAGICIANS
Course Co-Directors: Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (University of Madrid) and Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
As usual, we have set aside a course for those of you who love to discover pharaonic Egypt by reading the ancient texts. This year we are delighted to offer a brand-new course based on the Tales of Khufu and the Magicians, recorded on Papyrus Westcar (Berlin 3033) and featuring the royal family of the 4th Dynasty. We will also read some New Kingdom funerary inscriptions which illuminate the Tales’ engaging beliefs about this world and the meaning of death.
Note, in response to ever-increasing demand and your recent feedback, Khufu and the Magicians will be run in two groups to allow for smaller class-sizes and increased enrollment—though the content will be the same for each group.
Our Reading Hieroglyphs courses presume you already have good experience of reading Middle Egyptian hieroglyphic texts. Normally, we would expect you to have taken both of the BSS courses Hieroglyphs for Beginners (first stage) and Hieroglyphs: The next step (second stage) beforehand, though this is not mandatory. As a guide, before you come along you should have worked through How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs (see below) to the end and be comfortable reading any of the texts in it. At the same time, do not worry about the intensity of this course: during the week, there will be plenty of time for your own supervised work and for contact with your tutors.
Recommended reading
This course is based on handouts specially prepared for BSS. However, we recommend that you bring a copy of the following with you:
Collier, M. and Manley, B. (1998 or 2003) How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs. British Museum Press.
If you happen to have a copy of the following, you will find it useful at BSS or, indeed, whenever you read ancient Egyptian texts:
Faulkner, R. O. (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian. Griffith Institute.
Originally delivered Monday 27 June to Friday 1 July 2022
READING HIEROGLYPHS: SONGS FOR ALL TIME
Course Co-Directors: Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid) and Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.
As usual we have set aside a course for those of you who love to experience the culture of pharaonic Egypt up close — by reading the ancient texts. Once again, we are delighted to offer a brand-new course, this time exploring the language of various songs and lyrics. In particular, we will look at the celebrated collection of love songs found among the Chester Beatty archive from Deir el-Medina, as well as hymns and lyrics from other archaeological contexts, including the 'Songs of the Harper'.
NB: In response to ever-increasing demand for our 'Reading Hieroglyphs' courses, 'Songs for all time' will run in two parallel groups to allow for smaller class sizes. One group will run online but we hope the other group can run in person in our London classrooms. Nevertheless, the content of the course will be the same for each group.
Our 'Reading Hieroglyphs' courses assume you already have a good reading knowledge of Egyptian hieroglyphic texts. Normally we expect you to have taken both of the BSS courses 'Hieroglyphs for Beginners' (first stage) and 'Hieroglyphs: The next step' (second stage) beforehand. As a rule of thumb, before you come along you should be comfortable reading all the texts in How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs (see Recommended reading). However, do not worry about the intensity of this course: throughout the week there will be plenty of time for your own work and for questions and answers with your tutors.
Recommended reading
The course is based on handouts specially prepared for BSS. However, we prefer that you bring a copy of the following with you:
Collier, M. and Manley, B. (1998 or 2003 edition) How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs. British Museum Press.
If you have a copy of an ancient Egyptian dictionary, you will find it useful at BSS but not essential. We recommend:
Faulkner, R. O. (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian. Griffith Institute.
Originally delivered on Monday 5 to Friday 9 July 2021
READING HIEROGLYPHS: SPIRITS IN CONTEXT
Course Co-Directors: Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid) and Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
As ever, we have set aside a course for those of you who love to discover pharaonic Egypt by reading the ancient texts. In response to feedback in previous years, we are delighted to offer a brand-new course exploring the layout and decoration of specific tombs in order to understand the place of tomb biographies within them. In particular, we will look at the tomb inscriptions of Metjen – perhaps the earliest account of a human life in history – and Puyemra, a priest at Karnak during the reign of Thutmose III (18th Dynasty).
NB: In response to ever-increasing demand for our Reading Hieroglyphs courses, Spirits in Context will be run in two parallel groups to allow for smaller class-sizes and increased enrolment – but the content will be the same for each group. Our Reading Hieroglyphs courses assume you already have good knowledge of reading hieroglyphic Middle Egyptian. Normally, we would expect you to have taken both of the BSS courses Beginning Hieroglyphs and Hieroglyphs: The next step (second stage) beforehand. As a rule of thumb, before you come along you should be comfortable reading all of the texts in How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs (see Recommended Reading). Do not worry about the intensity of this course: during the week, there will be plenty of time for your own work and for questions and answers with your tutors.
Recommended reading
This course is based on handouts specially prepared for BSS. However, we recommend that you bring a copy of the following with you:
Collier, M. and Manley, B. (1998 or 2003) How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs. British Museum Press.
If you happen to have a copy of the following, you will find it useful at BSS or, indeed, whenever you read ancient Egyptian texts:
Faulkner, R. O. (1962) A Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian. Griffith Institute.
Originally delivered on Monday 21 to Friday 25 June 2021
CLEOPATRA'S HIEROGLYPHS: READING HIEROGLYPHIC TEXTS FROM THE PTOLEMAIC AND ROMAN PERIODS
Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (University of Uppsala)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
This course offers you the unique opportunity to delve into Graeco-Roman hieroglyphic texts – a fascinating subject rarely offered, even at the university level. You will gain access to a rich corpus of texts dating from the time of the Ptolemies and the Roman Emperors, learning gradually to read from a wide selection of original material. From inscriptions on temples and tombs to obelisks and stelae, Luigi will guide you in reading texts spanning the entire Graeco-Roman Period, including those contemporary with Alexander the Great, Cleopatra and Julius Caesar, and the Emperor Hadrian, amongst others. This class also includes sessions taught on high-resolution images of written artefacts from the British Museum and the UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, offering students a chance to read directly from the originals and thus best appreciate their epigraphic subtleties.
NB: This class is not intended for beginners in the study of the ancient Egyptian writing system and language. Participants will be expected to have a knowledge – at least one year’s study – of hieroglyphic Middle Egyptian. Should you be uncertain as to your knowledge level, please feel free to contact BSS.
Recommended reading
There is no complete English reference grammar or sign-list for Graeco-Roman hieroglyphic texts. All the necessary teaching material will be provided by the Course Director. If you so choose, you can begin familiarising yourself with the topic through the following titles.
NB: These also include studies relevant to the wider context of written culture in Graeco-Roman Egypt, and not specifically focussed on linguistic / philological problems:
Bowman, A. K. (1986 and following re-editions) Egypt after the Pharaohs: 332 BC – AD 642: From Alexander to the Arab Conquest. British Museum.
Engshade, A. (2016) Traditional Egyptian II (Ptolemaic, Roman). In UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, UCLA. URL: digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002k6stb (click on “View PDF Content”).
Fairman, H.W. (1943) An Introduction to the Study of Ptolemaic Signs and Their Values. In BIFAO 43: 51-138. URL: www.ifao.egnet.net/bifao/043/02
Hill, M. (2016) Egypt in the Ptolemaic Period. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Met. URL: www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/ptol/hd_ptol.htm
Prada, L. (2018) Multilingualism Along the Nile. In The Getty Iris Blog, J. Paul Getty Trust. URL: blogs.getty.edu/iris/multilingualism-along-the-nile
Riggs, C. (ed.) (2012) The Oxford Handbook of Roman Egypt. Oxford University Press.
Wilson, P. (1997) A Ptolemaic Lexikon. Peeters.
Originally delivered Saturday 28 to Sunday 29 May 2022
THE OBELISKS OF THE CAESARS: A READING CLASS OF ROMAN HIEROGLYPHS
Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)
This is a 2-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Last year, BSS offered its first online course on Graeco-Roman hieroglyphic texts. Following its success, this weekend course will offer participants the opportunity to continue exploring a selection of fascinating texts from the period. Namely, we will read in extenso the inscriptions of a group of obelisks erected by order of a number of Roman emperors, which contain some of the latest and arguably most original hieroglyphic inscriptions from Egyptian antiquity, dating to the first and second centuries CE. The inscriptions will be analysed in detail in terms of their grammar, palaeography, as well as their content, placing them into the historical context of the interaction between ancient Egypt and imperial Rome.
NB: This class is not intended for beginners. Participants will be expected to have a knowledge of hieroglyphic Middle Egyptian to the level of the BSS "Reading Hieroglyphs” course, though they are not necessarily expected to have attended last year’s “Cleopatra’s Hieroglyphs” course.
Recommended reading
There is no complete English reference grammar or sign-list for Graeco-Roman hieroglyphic texts. All the necessary teaching material will be provided by the Course Director.
If they so choose, students can familiarise themselves with the topic through the following titles (NB: these also include studies relevant to the wider context of written culture in Graeco-Roman Egypt, and not specifically focused on linguistic / philological problems):
Bowman, A. K. (1986 and following re-editions) Egypt after the Pharaohs: 332 BC–AD 642: From Alexander to the Arab conquest. British Museum.
Engsheden, A. (2016) Traditional Egyptian II (Ptolemaic, Roman). In Stauder-Porchet, J., Stauder, A., and Wendrich, W. (eds), UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology. UCLA.
– Freely available online here.
Fairman, H. W. (1945) An Introduction to the Study of Ptolemaic Signs and Their Values. Le Bulletin de l’Institut français d’archéologie orientale 43: 51–138.
– Freely available online here.
Hill, M. (2016) Egypt in the Ptolemaic Period. In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
– Freely available online here.
Kurth, D. (2010) A Ptolemaic Sign-list: Hieroglyphs used in the temples of the Graeco-Roman Period of Egypt. Backe-Verlag.
Prada, L. (2018) Multilingualism Along the Nile. In The Getty Iris Blog. J. Paul Getty Trust.
– Freely available online here.
Riggs, C. (ed.) (2012) The Oxford Handbook of Roman Egypt. Oxford University Press.
Wilson, P. (1997) A Ptolemaic Lexikon: A lexicographical study of the Ptolemaic texts in the temple of Edfu. Peeters.
Originally delivered Monday 13 July to Friday 17 July 2020
UNLOCKING LATE EGYPTIAN: AN INTRODUCTORY CLASS TO THE LANGUAGE OF NEW KINGDOM EGYPT
Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
When we approach the study of the ancient Egyptian language normally begin by tackling Middle Egyptian. This language phase and its literary production were regarded by the ancient Egyptians themselves as embodying the classical period of their cultural production, and as such have always figured prominently in modern Egyptological training, too. However, there is much more to ancient Egypt’s written records and literary production, which is expressed in a later phase of the language – Late Egyptian. Closer to what was the spoken language of the time, Late Egyptian was first embraced as a written language in the Amarna Period, and later on, during the Ramessid Period, it gained an increasingly high status, replacing Middle Egyptian (or coexisting with it) in several literary genres.
This course will provide you with the unique opportunity to read directly the literary masterworks and daily-life documents from the New Kingdom (and later periods). All texts will be read in hieroglyphic transcription. The first day will be spent on an overview of Late Egyptian grammar, focusing on its main features and differences from Middle Egyptian. The rest of the week will see us read a selection of original texts – some in full, some as long excerpts – to give the participants a comprehensive experience of the treasures of Late Egyptian textual production. These will include several narrative compositions (e.g. Horus and Seth and the Report of Wenamun), samples of love poetry, religious compositions, and daily-life documents such as private letters.
This class includes sessions taught on high-resolution images of written artefacts from the British Museum and UCL’s Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology, offering students a chance to read Late Egyptian – remotely – from original manuscripts. Please note: this class is not intended for complete beginners in the study of the ancient Egyptian language. Participants will be expected to have a good knowledge of Middle Egyptian, so as to enable the language instruction in Late Egyptian to be given by comparison and contrast with the grammar of Middle Egyptian, and not from scratch. Should you be uncertain as to your knowledge level of Middle Egyptian, please feel free to contact the Course Director to discuss your case (luigi.prada[at]orinst.ox.ac.uk).
Recommended reading
The necessary teaching material will be provided by the Course Director. Students can familiarise themselves with the topic through the following titles (Winand is freely available online):
Lichtheim, M. (2006 or any other edition / reprint) Ancient Egyptian Literature. Volume 2: The New Kingdom. University of California Press.
Simpson, W. K. et al. (2003 or any other edition) The Literature of Ancient Egypt. Yale University Press.
Wilkinson, T. (2016) Writings from Ancient Egypt. Penguin Classics.
Winand, M. (2018) Late Egyptian. In UCLA Encyclopedia of Egyptology, Los Angeles. http://digital2.library.ucla.edu/viewItem.do?ark=21198/zz002kdgjj (click on “View Content”).
Students are not expected to purchase any books for this course. Should they choose, however, to do so, an English reference grammar for Late Egyptian is:
Neveu, F. (2015) The Language of Ramesses: Late Egyptian grammar. Oxbow Books.
Originally delivered Monday 20 to Friday 24 June 2022
HIERATIC: AN INTRODUCTION TO ANCIENT EGYPT'S CURSIVE SCRIPT
Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)
This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.
As surprising as it may seem to us, the scribes of ancient Egypt first learned to write and read their language not in the hieroglyphic script, but in its cursive kindred: hieratic. Knowledge of hieroglyphs would come only at a more advanced stage. However, for the modern student the opposite is true; all of us typically start learning ancient Egyptian through the hieroglyphic script.
This course thus provides you with the unique opportunity to read ancient Egypt's literary masterworks and daily-life documents in their original hieratic version, written on papyri, ostraca, and other materials. Following an introduction to hieratic and its essential elements, a selection of texts will be read in class, offering you an overview of the diachronic evolution of the hieratic script from early Pharaonic to Graeco-Roman times. This course includes sessions taught with original artefacts at the British Museum and the UCL Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology.
NB: Participants will be expected to have knowledge of hieroglyphic Middle Egyptian to the level of the BSS 'Reading Hieroglyphs' course. Should you be uncertain as to your knowledge level, contact the Course Director by email to discuss your case.
Recommended reading
This course is based on handouts specially prepared for BSS. The Course Director will provide the necessary teaching material. The standard reference for hieratic signs is:
Möller, G. (1909–1936) Hieratische Paläographie. Bd. I–IV. Hinrichs. Online PDFs are available here.
Originally delivered on Saturday 6 May 2023
A TASTE OF DEMOTIC
Course Director: Dr Franziska Naether (University of Leipzig)
This is a 1-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Come delve into the Demotic script! This 1-day course offers a brief introduction to this cursive form of Egyptian writing, starting with the Rosetta Stone. For roughly 1200 years (between the 7th century BCE and 5th century CE), Demotic was used to write a late phase of the Egyptian language often referred to as “the language of Cleopatra”. Although the script is challenging to read, Franziska will take you through step by step. Your efforts will be rewarded with glimpses into daily life, from temple documents and shopping lists to literary and magical texts. You will become familiar with the alphabetic signs, basic grammar, and syntax, and soon be reading simple but important words. The day will conclude with a reading of Demotic on Egyptian papyri.
Note: A TASTE OF DEMOTIC assumes you have no prior experience in the subject. However, the script is challenging and you will glean more from the class if you have a basic familiarity with Egyptian hieroglyphs. We recommend our 'Taste Of Hieroglyphs' course (running on 25 March). Should you have any questions about your knowledge level, contact the Course Director by email (naether@uni-leipzig.de) to discuss your case.
Recommended reading
Johnson, J. H. (2000, third edition)
Thus Wrote ‘Onchsheshonqy: An introductory grammar of Demotic. Chicago.
https://oi.uchicago.edu/research/publications/saoc/saoc-45-thus-wrote-onchsheshonqy-introductory-grammar-demotic
This is an Open Access / freely downloadable publication. Ensure you have downloaded the PDF prior to the start of class.
Further reading
Johnson, J. H. (2004)
The Demotic Verbal System.
https://oi.uchicago.edu/research/publications/saoc/saoc-38-demotic-verbal-system
Johnson, J. H. (ed.) (2001)
The Demotic Dictionary of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.
Files of individual letters / signs available at: https://oi.uchicago.edu/research/publications/demotic-dictionary-oriental-institute-university-chicago
Depauw, M. (1997)
A Companion to Demotic Studies. Fondation égyptologique reine Elisabeth.
PDF: http://sites.dlib.nyu.edu/viewer/books/isaw_pbrx000028/1
Originally delivered on Monday 12 to Friday 16 April 2021
COPTIC: A COURSE FOR BEGINNERS
Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
We are delighted to bring our unique introduction to Coptic back in a springtime slot after the pandemic frustrated our first attempt last year. Coptic was the language of the early Christians of Egypt, and the final phase of the ancient language of the pharaohs. Our specially written course offers you both the knowledge and the practice required to begin reading important groups of ancient texts, highlighting the wisdom of the fourth-century desert fathers, and the lives of monks and wealthy villagers at Thebes in the aftermath of the Arab invasion.
NB: This is an introduction to the Coptic language and Coptic texts, and does not presuppose knowledge of Coptic or any other language. You will be invited to study various features of the language and apply them from day one to reading ancient Coptic texts, using notes specially written for BSS. Do not worry about the intensity: there will be plenty of time for supervised reading practice and for questions and answers with your tutor.
Recommended reading
Cannuyer, C. (2001) Coptic Egypt: The Christians of the Nile. Thames and Hudson.
Originally delivered on Monday 17 to Friday 21 July
READING COPTIC: APOCRYPHA AND APOCRYPHAL
Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Our brand new course for old friends and newcomers alike is designed to build on your skills in reading Sahidic Coptic and so enhance your understanding and appreciation of Egyptian culture. As ever, you will be invited to study different aspects of the language and apply them in reading, using notes specially written for BSS. This time we will concentrate on two collections of less familiar texts linked to The Bible but with strong connections also to Egypt: the Apocrypha, and the apocryphal gospels, including an impressive 7th century edition of The Sayings of Jesus Ben Sirach in The British Library and a slightly later edition of The Life of Joseph the Carpenter from the celebrated library of Shenoute’s White Monastery.
Please note: You need not have taken the introductory course COPTIC: A COURSE FOR BEGINNERS at BSS, but READING COPTIC assumes you do have some experience in reading Coptic texts—as a rule of thumb you should be comfortable reading a short narrative including the past tense and circumstantial forms. However, do not worry about the intensity: there will be plenty of time for supervised practice and for questions and answers with your tutor. If you have taken READING COPTIC with us previously, you will find all-new content in this latest course.
Recommended reading
The following books are not essential but you may find it helpful to bring a copy with you, if you happen to have one.
Cannuyer, C. (2001)
Coptic Egypt: The Christians of the Nile. Thames and Hudson.
Smith, R. (1993)
A Concise Coptic-English Lexicon. Scholars Press.
Originally delivered on Monday 21 to Friday 25 June 2021
READING COPTIC: EXEMPLARY LIVES
Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Our brand-new course for old friends and newcomers is designed to build on your skills in reading Coptic and develop your appreciation of Egyptian culture. This time we will concentrate on the biographies of exemplary figures in the Coptic tradition, including the monastic rule-giver Pachomius, and Archellites, a Roman noble whose romantic lifestory was set down in Coptic in the seventh century. You will be invited to study different aspects of the language and apply them in reading the ancient texts using notes specially written for BSS.
Recommended reading
The following books are not essential, but you may find it helpful to bring a copy with you, if you happen to have one.
Cannuyer, C. (2001) Coptic Egypt: The Christians of the Nile. Thames and Hudson.
Smith, R. (1993) A Concise Coptic-English Lexicon. Scholars Press.
Yanney, R. (2020) Life of St Pachomius. St Shenouda Press.
Originally delivered Monday 29 June to Friday 3 July 2020
READING COPTIC: ON THE MARGINS OF COPTIC CULTURE
Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Once again Bill Manley will be here with a course for old friends and newcomers, designed to build on your elementary skills in reading Coptic. This brand new course concentrates on exemplary groups of Coptic texts from the 4th century to the decades following the Arab invasion, including letters, narratives, biographies, legal papers, sermons and spells. You will be invited to study different points of grammar and apply them from day one in reading ancient texts, using notes specially written for BSS.
Note: You need not have taken the course Coptic: A Course for Beginners at BSS, but Reading Coptic assumes you do have some experience in reading Sahidic Coptic texts (as a rule of thumb you should be able to read a short narrative including the Past Tense and Circumstantial forms.) However, do not worry about the intensity: there will be plenty of time for supervised practice and for questions and answers with your tutor. On the other hand, if you have taken Reading Coptic with us previously, you will find all-new content in this latest course.
Recommended reading
Cannuyer, C. (2001) Coptic Egypt: The Christians of the Nile. Thames and Hudson.
This course is based on handouts specially prepared for BSS. However, if you have this book, you might find it helpful to bring it along to classes with you:
Smith, R. (1993) A Concise Coptic-English Lexicon. Scholars Press.
Originally delivered Monday 13 to Friday 17 June 2022
READING COPTIC: WORDS OF WORLDLY WISDOM
Course Director: Dr Bill Manley (Egiptología Complutense)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Our brand-new course for old friends and newcomers alike is designed to build on your skills in reading Coptic and develop your appreciation of Egyptian culture. As ever, you will be invited to study different aspects of the language and apply them in reading ancient texts using notes specially written for BSS. This time we will concentrate on two collections of texts which may seem like old friends themselves. The sermons of Apa Shenoute and the sayings of the Desert Fathers, written down at the end of Roman rule, are part of the foundations for understanding the history and culture of the early Copts as well as appreciating the standard Sahidic form of their language.
NB: You need not have taken the introductory course 'Coptic: A course for beginners' at BSS, but 'Reading Coptic' assumes you do have some experience in reading Coptic texts. As a rule of thumb, you should be able to read a short narrative including the past tense and circumstantial forms. However, do not worry about the intensity: there will be plenty of time for supervised practice and for questions and answers with your tutor.
If you have taken 'Reading Coptic' with us previously, you will find all-new content in this latest course.
Recommended reading
The following books are not essential, but you may find it helpful to bring a copy with you, if you happen to have one.
Cannuyer, C. (2001) Coptic Egypt: The Christians of the Nile. Thames and Hudson.
Smith, R. (1993) A Concise Coptic-English Lexicon. Scholars Press.
Ward, B. (2003) The Desert Fathers: Sayings of the early Christian monks. Penguin Classics.
Originally delivered Monday 20 to Friday 24 June
20,000 YEARS OF AGRICULTURAL AND CLIMATE CHANGE IN NORTH AFRICA AND THE LEVANT
Course Director: Dr Claire Malleson (American University of Beirut)
This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.
This course will explore the most important aspect of life for the survival of the human species – farming, and its relationship to the environment and climate change. Starting with current ideas about ‘hunter gatherer' lifestyles in northeast Africa and western Asia, we will then examine evidence for the process of the gradual shift to formal farming lifestyles across the region.
The course will also cover specific case studies for the Bronze Age agricultural systems that supported the rise of the 'Great Civilisations' in Egypt and the Levant. You will gain unique insight into this topic through discussions and activities based on traditional sources (art, architecture, and texts), as well as the natural sciences (botany, zoology, climatology, and geology).
Recommended reading
Malleson, C. (2020) Flora of Ancient Egypt. In Shaw, I. and Bloxam, E. (eds), The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology. Oxford University Press, 125–150.
Miller, N. (2018) Adaptation and Change: The development of agriculture in the ancient Middle East. Expedition: The magazine of the University of Pennsylvania. 60(1): 36–41.
What was the Neolithic Agricultural Revolution? National Geographic (April 2019).
Evidence of Ancient Farming in Iran Discovered. Live Science (July 2013).
Let's Go Wild: How ancient communities resisted new farming practices. University of Cambridge News (January 2016).
Online resources
Sickles and farming in Egypt.Funerary models.
Farming scenes in the tomb of Menna.
Originally delivered Monday 27 July to Friday 31 July 2020
AN A–Z OF ANCIENT EGYPTIAN STATUES
Course Director: Dr Campbell Price (University of Manchester)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
In response to all the positive feedback following Dr Campbell Price’s well-attended course Ancient Egypt in 100 People for us last year, we are staging this new course by popular demand. Campbell will now take us into the rich and fascinating world of ancient Egyptian statuary – one of the most ubiquitous products of ancient Egyptian material culture. Lectures will examine the materials, quarrying techniques, transport, installation, activation, use, reuse, and later reception of this type of Egyptian sculpture. The course will also interrogate forms and contexts for sculpture over time, provide translation and analysis of the rich body of statue inscriptions (some previously untranslated into English), and offer a practical guide to recognising the dating and meanings of a range of statue types.
Recommended reading
Berman, L. (2014) The Priest, the Prince and the Pasha: The life and afterlife of an ancient Egyptian sculpture. MFA Publications.
Price, C. (2018) Pocket Museum: Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson.
Riggs, C. (2017) Egypt: Lost civilizations. Reaktion.
Robins, G. (2001) Egyptian Statues. Shire Egyptology.
Tyldesley, J. (2018). Nefertiti’s Face: The creation of an icon. Profile.
Originally delivered on Monday 12 to Friday 16 April 2021
DEATH AND DIVINITY IN GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT
Course Director: Dr Campbell Price (University of Manchester)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Often overlooked in popular Egyptology studies, the Graeco-Roman Period (c.300 BCE – 300 CE) offers rich insight into the diversity of funerary practices among the elite in Egypt. Ancient motifs are reinterpreted and combined with innovative forms in order to transform the body into something everlasting and divine. For the wealthiest, this was achieved with the lustre of gold. On this course, you will overview religious conceptions behind responses to death, focussing on the collections of Manchester Museum, with lectures drawing on readings from the new book: Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting identities from the Graeco-Roman Period.
Recommended reading
APPEAR (Ancient Panel Paintings: Examination, analysis, and research) Project: www.getty.edu/museum/research/appear_project/
Picton, J., Quirke, S., and Roberts, P. C. (eds) (2003). Living Images: Egyptian funerary portraits in the Petrie Museum. Left Coast Press.
Price, C. (2020) “While skulls bobbed on the waves”: Flinders Petrie (& others) at Hawara, KMT. A Modern Journal of Ancient Egypt 31(2): 16–29. PDF: www.academia.edu/43997805/_While_skulls_bobbed_on_the_waves_Flinders_Petrie_and_others_at_Hawara
Price, C. (2020) Golden Mummies of Egypt: Interpreting identities from the Graeco-Roman Period. Nomad Exhibitions / Manchester Museum. Order a copy for £25 incl. UK P&P: cprice@liv.ac.uk
Riggs, C. (2002) Facing the Dead: Recent research on the funerary art of Ptolemaic and Roman Egypt. American Journal of Archaeology 106(1): 85–101. PDF: www.academia.edu/12440030/_Facing_the_dead_Recent_research_on_the_funerary_art_of_Ptolemaic_and_Roman_Egypt_American_Journal_of_Archaeology_106_1_2002_85_101
Originally delivered on Saturday and Sunday 10 – 11 and Sundays 18 and 25 June
EGYPT REINVENTED: DISCOVERING GRAECO-ROMAN EGYPT
Course Director: Dr Luigi Prada (Uppsala University)
This is a 4-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
It is often through the rich heritage of the Graeco–Roman Period that many of us become captivated by Egypt’s ancient civilisation: think of the best-preserved temples, such as those at Edfu or Philae, or great historical figures, such as Alexander the Great or Cleopatra. Yet, many of us often know relatively little about this fascinating period. This course—which is intended for both students of ancient Egypt and of the classical world—offers a full introduction to this period. Join Luigi in exploring the manifold identities and aspects of Greco-Roman Egypt, spanning its archaeology, art history, textual culture, religion, and much more. You will discover its complex reality, where century-old Egyptian traditions and ways of life were reinvented through contact with the civilisations of the Greeks and Romans.
Recommended reading
Bagnall, R. S. and Rathbone, D. W. (2004)
Egypt from Alexander to the Copts: An archaeological and historical guide. British Museum Press.
Bowman, A. K. (1986 and following re-editions)
Egypt After the Pharaohs: 332 BC–AD 642: From Alexander to the Arab Conquest. British Museum Press.
Fluck, C., Helmecke, G., and O’Connell, E. R. (eds) (2015)
Egypt: Faith after the Pharaohs. British Museum Press.
Manning, J. G. (2010)
The Last Pharaohs: Egypt under the Ptolemies, 305–30 BC. Princeton University Press.
Parsons, P. (2007)
The City of the Sharp-nosed Fish: Greek lives in Roman Egypt. Weidenfeld and Nicolson.
Prada, L. (2016) Questions of Identity: A multicultural and multilingual Egypt.
In Picchi, D. and Giovetti, P. (eds)
Egypt: Millenary splendour(pp 412-419). Skira.
PDF: https://www.academia.edu/27624265/Questions_of_Identity_A_Multicultural_and_Multilingual_Egypt
Riggs, C. (ed.) (2012)
The Oxford Handbook of Roman Egypt. Oxford University Press.
Originally delivered Monday 20 July to Friday 24 July 2020
FIFTH DYNASTY SOLAR RELIGION AND THE SUN KINGS
Course Director: Dr Massimiliano Nuzzolo (Charles University, Prague)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Bringing the latest research from the field, Dr Massimiliano Nuzzolo will explore with you one of the most fundamental symbols of ancient Egyptian belief and practice – the sun. Early symbolic expression is associated with pyramid building, such as the great pyramid of Khufu at Giza. There is a specific period, however, when we see the development of a coherent vision of the sun cult, with a fully-formed system of belief in the afterlife and the introduction of new deities. The celebration of solar-related festivals becomes more common, along with the construction of unparalleled monuments for the joint cult of the Egyptian king and the sun god, especially sun temples. In this course, we will delve into this pivotal period religious innovation and coherence – namely, the Fifth Dynasty (c.2494 BCE–c.2345 BCE). We will examine textual, artistic, and architectural evidence, including material kept in both the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology and the British Museum. Dr Nuzzolo will present the latest findings from the archaeological fieldwork he has been conducting over the past 10 years at the sun temple of Niuserra at Abu Ghurab, the most intact surviving sun temple.
Recommended reading
Bárta, M. (2011) Journey to the West: The world of the Old Kingdom tombs in ancient Egypt. Charles University.
Nuzzolo, M. (2018) The Fifth Dynasty Sun Temples: Kingship, architecture and religion in third millennium BC Egypt. Charles University.
Quirke, S. (2001) The Cult of Ra: Sun-worship in ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson.
Verner, M. (2014) Sons of the Sun: Rise and decline of the Fifth Dynasty. Charles University.
Originally delivered on Monday 21 to Friday 25 June 2021
GODS AND GODDESSES OF ANCIENT EGYPT
Course Director: Ms Lucia Gahlin (University College London)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
The aim of this online course is to introduce you to the world of the ancient Egyptians through their pantheon of gods and goddesses. Join Lucia Gahlin as she opens a window on to ancient Egyptian history, culture, and society through her explanations of the iconography, attributes, and worship of each deity, and how each relates to others within a rich tapestry of mythology and religion. This exploration of ancient Egyptian belief will help shed light on the life experience of the ancient Egyptians and their view of the cosmos. Each session will focus on a different deity, and by the end of the course you will have examined a wealth of varied material – archaeological, architectural, visual, and textual – covering some 3000 years of pharaonic Egyptian history. Expect a lively course, packed with vivid images and fascinating material presented in richly illustrated lectures designed to provoke thought, questions, and discussion.
Recommended reading
Hart, G. (2005) The Routledge Dictionary of Egyptian Gods and Goddesses. Routledge.
Mark, Joshua J. (2016) Egyptian Gods – The Complete List. In Ancient History Encyclopedia. URL: www.ancient.eu/article/885
Pinch, G. (2002) Egyptian Mythology: A guide to the gods, goddesses and traditions of ancient Egypt. Oxford University Press.
Quirke, S. et al. (2003) Ideology and Belief in Ancient Egypt. In Digital Egypt for Universities. URL: www.ucl.ac.uk/museums-static/digitalegypt/themes/beliefae.html
Shaw, G. (2014) The Egyptian Myths: A guide to the ancient gods and legends. Thames and Hudson.
Wilkinson, R. H. (2003) The Complete Gods and Goddesses of Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson.
UCLA Online Encyclopedia of Egyptology: Articles on many of the ancient Egyptian gods, myths and temples, e.g. Wilkinson, R. H. (2008) Anthropomorphic Deities. URL: escholarship.org/uc/item/5s54w4tc
Originally delivered Monday 11 to Friday 15 July
GREATER NUBIA: EXPLORING THE LAND AND ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE MIDDLE NILE VALLEY
Course Co-Directors: Dr Robert Morkot (Friends of the Petrie Museum) and Dr Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin (University of Exeter)
This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.
Nubia – the land stretching between the southern part of Egypt and the confluence of the White and Blue Niles in central Sudan – encompasses environmentally-diverse and culturally-rich regions. In the past and despite being a birthplace to one of the greatest African civilisations – Kerma culture and Kush – Nubia was seen by archaeologists merely as a conduit, a ‘corridor' connecting Egypt to ‘sub-Saharan' Africa.
This course will present new research that re-evaluates previous ideas concerning Nubia, its role and importance in antiquity, with the focus on the extent of its cultural connections (north-south and east-west) and changing landscapes that impacted on the animals, peoples, and cultures.
Recommended reading
Edwards, D. (2004) The Nubian Past: An archaeology of Sudan. Routledge.
El-Tayeb, M. and Czyżewska-Zalewska, E. (eds) (2021) Early Makuria Research Project: El-Zuma cemetery. 3 vols. Brill.
Emberling, G. and Williams, B. (eds) (2021) The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Nubia. Oxford University Press.
Fisher, M. M., Lacovara, P., Ikram, S., and D'Auria, S. (eds) (2012) Ancient Nubia: African kingdoms on the Nile. AUC Press.
Morkot, R. G. (2000) The Black Pharaohs: Egypt's Nubian rulers. Rubicon Press.
Raue, D. (ed.) (2019) Handbook of Ancient Nubia. De Gruyter.
Spencer, N., Stevens, A., and Binder, M. (2012) Amara West: Living in Egyptian Nubia. The Trustees of the British Museum.
Smith, S. T. (2003) Wretched Kush: Ethnic identities and boundaries in Egypt's Nubian empire. Routledge.
Online resources
Sudan & Nubia (Issues 1–24), the periodical of the Sudan Archaeological Research Society (SARS) are available online. The articles cover aspects of archaeology and current excavations, and are well-illustrated.
Older volumes of excavation memoirs in English and French and the journal Kush are available online via the French Archaeological Unit in Khartoum.
Hamadab 3D. A pdf booklet about the site and research is available in the Downloads section.
Amara West.
Musawwarat Es-Sufra.
Meroë Pyramids.
The Jebel Moya Project.
Originally delivered on Monday 17 to Friday 21 July
HATSHEPSUT AND SENENMUT: POWER AND PERSONALITY IN EGYPT’S 18TH DYNASTY
Course Director: Dr Campbell Price (University of Manchester)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Hatshepsut's reign of two decades in the 15th century BCE was in some ways the most unconventional in pharaonic history. Her high official Senenmut played an important role in presenting her kingship, while he and her other officials commemorated themselves in both traditional and innovative ways. Join Campbell to explore his new research on the interaction of sculpture, sacred landscapes, and the historical memory of the ancient Egyptians themselves on this fascinating course. Students will be able to take an in-depth and uniquely insightful examination of the textual and artefactual evidence for monumental expression of royal and entrepreneurial power during this extraordinary period.
Recommended reading
Cooney, K. (2014)
The Woman Who Would Be King: Hatshepsut's rise to power in ancient Egypt. Crown Publishing Group.
Galán, J. M., Bryan, B. M., and Dorman, P. F. (eds) (2014)
Creativity and Innovation in the Reign of Hatshepsut: Occasional proceedings of the Theban workshop. Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.
Dorman, P. (1988)
The Monuments of Senenmut: Problems in historical methodology. Kegan Paul International Egyptology.
Roehrig, C. H., Dreyfus, R., and Keller, C. A. (eds) (2005)
Hatshepsut: From queen to Pharaoh. Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Originally delivered on Monday 5 to Friday 9 July 2021
LOVE SPELLS, ORACLES, AMULETS: ANCIENT EGYPTIAN RITUALS OF MAGIC AND DIVINATION
Course Director: Dr Franziska Naether (University of Leipzig / Stellenbosch University)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
We are thrilled to introduce Franziska Naether, a newcomer to the BSS programme. In this course, she will take you on a deep dive into ancient Egyptian magic – and back again! You will explore what magic meant for the ancient Egyptians compared with our views today. Lectures will examine sources dating from c.1500 BCE to 600 CE and involving all kinds of magical spells, medical magic, amulets for protection (including a practical session), and magic for communicating with the gods (including reading from oracle books). Finally, Franziska will explore with you the influence of ancient cult practices on early modern and current spiritual life, including the work of Aleister Crowley, and Napoléon Bonaparte and his “secret” book of fate.
Recommended reading
The Coptic Magical Papyri: Vernacular religion in Late Roman and Early Islamic Egypt (a useful website and blog with entries on Late Antique magic and magic in general): www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de
For complete list to databases of magical text and objects online: www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/online-resources
For a bibliography with links to additional scholarly works: www.coptic-magic.phil.uni-wuerzburg.de/index.php/bibliography/#general
Originally delivered on Monday 19 to Friday 21 July 2021
THE GREAT CIVILISATIONS OF THE NILE VALLEY: THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE
Course Co-Directors: Dr Iwona Kozieradzka-Ogunmakin and Dr Lidija McKnight (both University of Manchester)
This is a 3-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
After nearly two centuries of excavating and studying the archaeology of the Nile Valley, it may seem we know it all. But do we? Recent discoveries and multidisciplinary approaches to the past deliver new evidence and opportunities for fresh interpretation. Iwona and Lidija return to co-direct this short course examining the people and the land that shaped the great ancient civilisations that once flourished in Egypt and the Sudan. You will enjoy lectures on the environment, natural resources, animal life, and artefactual evidence, as well as examine how these informed and transformed past society through time. This exciting course presents a variety of approaches combined with modern methods of investigation that will challenge some of our long-held views and enrich your understanding of the ancient Nile Valley and its people.
Recommended reading
Hays, J. (2018) Disease and Health Problems in Ancient Egypt. In Facts and Details. URL: factsanddetails.com/world/cat56/sub404/entry-6405.html
Janssen, R. and Janssen, J. (2007) Growing Up and Getting Old in Ancient Egypt (2nd edition). Golden House Publications.
McKnight, L. M., Atherton-Woolham, S. D., and Adams, J. E. (2015) Clinical Imaging of Ancient Egyptian Animal Mummies. RadioGraphics, 35(3): 2108–2120.
Ray, J. D. (1976) The Archive of Hor. Egypt Exploration Society.
Strouhal, E. (1992) Life in Ancient Egypt. Cambridge University Press.
Szpakowska, K. (2007) Daily life in Ancient Egypt: Recreating Lahun. Blackwell Publishing.
Yletyinen, J. (2009) Holocene Climate Variability and Cultural Changes at River Nile and its Saharan Surroundings. PDF: www.diva-portal.org/smash/get/diva2:400169/FULLTEXT01.pdf
Wasef, S., Subramanian, S., O’Rorke, R., Huynen, L., El-Marghani, S., Curtis, C., Popinga, A., Holland, B., Ikram, S., Millar, C., Willerslev, E., and Lambert, D. (2019) Mitogenomic Diversity in Sacred Ibis Mummies Sheds Light on Early Egyptian Practices. PLoS ONE 14(11): e0223964.
Originally delivered on Monday 19 to Friday 21 July 2021
THE LORD OF ALL: THE MULTIFACETED NATURE OF PHARAOH
Course Director: Dr José-Ramón Pérez-Accino (Complutense University of Madrid)
This is a 3-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Like a diamond with many polished faces that sparkle in the rays of the sun, Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, is a multifaceted and complex figure. Over this 3-day course, you will explore, compare, and contrast the various facets that construct the Egyptian ruler. Drawing on a wide range of artistic, literary, and other archaeological sources, you will come to understand how Pharaoh’s actions encompassed all the realms of the Egyptian world. As the material embodiment of perfection, Pharaoh provided a model for the ancient Egyptians to follow, informing their lived experience in diverse ways. From divine entity and political leader to soldier, family man and more, you will become familiar with the different faces of Pharaoh – ’The Lord of All’.
Recommended reading
Clayton, P. A. (1994) Chronicle of the Pharaohs: The reign by reign record of the rulers and dynasties of ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson.
Dodson, A. (1995) Monarchs of the Nile. Rubicon.
Maitland, M. (2012) Pharaoh: King of Egypt. British Museum Press.
Shaw, G. J. (2012) The Pharaoh, Life at Court and on Campaign. Thames and Hudson.
Originally delivered on Monday 28 June to Friday 2 July 2021
THE ROYAL TOMBS OF ANCIENT EGYPT
Course Director: Prof. Aidan Dodson (University of Bristol)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
We are thrilled to welcome back Prof. Aidan Dodson with an exciting course on the royal tombs of ancient Egypt. These include some of the most stupendous monuments of all time, containing some of the greatest treasures to survive from the ancient world. During this week, you will explore the history and archaeology of the funerary complexes of Egypt’s kings, queens, and the wider royal family, from the very dawn of history down to, and beyond, the country’s absorption into the Roman Empire, three millennia later. We will also make some short detours into the royal tombs of other nations, to compare and contrast the ways in which human beings have dealt with the posthumous destinies of their rulers.
Recommended reading
Dodson, A. (2016) The Royal Tombs of Ancient Egypt. Pen and Sword.
It is recommended that all students obtain a copy of this book.
Dodson, A. M. and Ikram, S. (2004) The Tomb in Ancient Egypt. Thames and Hudson.
Hornung, E. (1999) The Ancient Egyptian Books of the Afterlife (translated by D. Lorton). Cornell University Press.
Reeves, C. N. and Wilkinson, R. H. (1996) The Complete Valley of the Kings. Thames and Hudson.
Wilkinson, R. H. and Weeks, K. R. (eds) (2016) The Oxford Handbook to the Valley of the Kings. Oxford University Press.
Originally delivered Monday 4 to Friday 8 July
TUTANKHAMUN: HIS LIFE AND AFTERLIVES
Course Director: Prof. Aidan Dodson (University of Bristol)
This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.
Despite its short duration, Tutankhamun's life witnessed key parts of one of the most momentous events in ancient Egyptian history: the religious and artistic revolution of Akhenaten, and the onset of the counter-reformation that brought it to an end. Then, after millennia of oblivion, his existence was once again noticed at the end of the 1820s and ideas developed as to his role in history – before bursting forth onto the international scene through the discovery of his tomb in 1922. This course will explore all these aspects of his career(s).
Recommended reading
Carter, H. and Mace, A. C. (1923–1933) The Tomb of Tut∙ankh∙Amen. 3 vols. Cassell.
Darnell, J. C. and Manassa, C. (2007) Tutankhamun's Armies: Battle and conquest during ancient Egypt's late 18th Dynasty. John Wiley & Sons.
Dodson, A. (2016 [1989]) Amarna Sunrise: Egypt from Golden Age to age of heresy. AUC Press.
Dodson, A. (2018 [2010]) Amarna Sunset: Nefertiti, Tutankhamun, Ay, Horemheb, and the Egyptian counter-reformation. AUC Press.
Dodson, A. (2020) Nefertiti, Queen and Pharaoh of Egypt: Her life and afterlife. AUC Press.
Eaton-Krauss, M. (2016) The Unknown Tutankhamun. Bloomsbury.
Online resources
Tutankhamun: Anatomy of an Excavation. The Griffith Institute.
Ancient Near East
Originally delivered Saturday 28 to Sunday 29 May 2022
INTRODUCTION TO OLD PERSIAN: THE LANGUAGE AND SCRIPT OF THE ACHAEMENIDS
Course Co-Directors: Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones and Mr Jack Neighbour (both Cardiff University)
This is a 2-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
In 522 BCE, Darius I usurped the Persian throne and enacted a bureaucratic overhaul of his empire that was epitomised in grandiose building projects like those seen at Persepolis and Bisotun. Such extravagancies pertained to the Achaemenid wealth and power, and signified a Persian rebranding of near eastern imperial administration. An empire woven of Persian cloth would need a language to match, and so Darius employed a new monumental script – Old Persian.
Join us in exploring the historical and linguistic context of Old Persian, learning the basics of Old Persian grammar and translation with assisted reading of original Achaemenid texts and more.
This course assumes you have no prior experience in the subject.
Recommended reading
Briant, P. (2002) From Cyrus to Alexander: A history of the Persian Empire. Eisenbrauns.
– Chapters 3 and 5 provide some historical contexts to Darius and his inscriptions.
Root, M. C. (1979) The King and Kingship in Achaemenid Art: Essays on the creation of an iconography of empire. Brill.
Skjærvø, P. O. (2002) An Introduction to Old Persian. Self-published.
– Lesson 1 contains a useful glossary of common Old Persian words.
Vaan, M. A. C. de and Lubotsky, A. M. (2011) Old Persian. In Gzella, H. (ed.) Languages from the World of the Bible, 194–208.
– pages 194–195 provide introduction to language and sources.
Originally delivered on Monday 17 to Friday 21 July
ANCIENT PERSIA AND THE HEBREW BIBLE
Course Director: Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
In this exciting historical-archaeological study, we will explore ancient Persian history and culture in the context of biblical accounts, enlarging upon this connection in discussions of numerous topics surrounding Persian rulers, seats of government, cultural norms, and religion. The course offers a broad survey of the Hebrew biblical literature and recent archaeological findings in Iran, Israel, and beyond. Focus will be given to several key Biblical texts, including Isaiah, Ezra and Nehemiah, and Esther, as well as to the Jewish community of Persian Egypt. Attention will also be drawn to the way in which much of the Hebrew bible received its editing in the Persian period and how ‘Persianisms’ found their way into many of its books. This course will also include a visit to the British Museum’s new exhibition, Luxury and Power: From Persia to Greece, led by the Course Director.
Recommended reading
Davies, W. D. and Finkelstein, L. (eds) (1984)
The Cambridge History of Judaism: Volume 1: The Persian Period. Cambridge.
Llewellyn-Jones, L. (2022)
Ancient Persia and the Book of Esther: Achaemenid court culture. London.
Llewellyn-Jones, L. (2022)
Persians: The age of the great kings. London and New York.
Houman Sarshar (2014)
The Jews of Iran. London.
Silverman, J. (2012)
Persepolis and Jerusalem: Iranian Influence on the Apocalyptic Hermeneutic. Atlanta.
Yamauchi, E. (1996)
Persia and the Bible.. Michigan.
Originally delivered Monday 11 to Friday 15 July
MAKE A JOYFUL NOISE: HYMNS AND WORSHIP IN THE ANCIENT NEAR EAST
AND THE HEBREW BIBLE
Course Director: Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
Our term ‘hymn’ stems from the Greek ‘hymnos’, referring to songs sung in ritual contexts. Hymns are well attested in Ancient Near Eastern religious literature and are primarily characterised by their effusive praise for either a human sovereign or a deity, though hymns written in honour of even non-anthropomorphic subjects, such as cities and temples are known. As "songs to the gods", hymns were the prime vehicle through which ancient peoples eternalised and transmitted their thoughts. These could be solo expressions of faith or communal outpourings of devotion, but what links them together is the performative aspect inherent in the genre. This fascinating and lively course looks at the hymnic traditions of antiquity and explores such themes as music, dance, singing, theology, ritual, and compositions. Hymns of praise, of lamentation, of celebration, and of war will be encountered and special attention will be given to the richest surviving collection of hymns from antiquity: the Hebrew psalms.
Recommended reading
Alter, R. (2009) The Book of Psalms: A translation with commentary. New York.
Brueggemann, W. (2014) Psalms. Cambridge.
Forster, B. (2005) Before the Muses: An anthology of Akkadian literature. Yale.
Foster, J. (1995) Hymns, Prayers, and Songs: An anthology of ancient Egyptian lyric poetry. Atlanta.
Gunkel, H. (1998) Introduction to Psalms: The genres of the religious lyric of Israel. Eugene.
Keel, O. (2018) Symbolism of the Biblical World: Ancient Near Eastern iconography and the Book of Psalms. Winona Lake.
Lenzi, A. (2011) Akkadian Prayers and Hymns: A reader. Atlanta.
Powell, B. (2021) Greek Poems to the Gods: Hymns from Homer to Proclus. London.
Smith, A. R. (2020) Music in Religious Cults of the Ancient Near East. London.
Originally delivered Monday 4 to Friday 8 July
PROPHETS AND PROPHECY IN THE HEBREW BIBLE AND THE NEAR EAST
Course Director: Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)
This is a 5-day course that was held both in person and online via Zoom, and is now available via video.
Prophecy was a widespread phenomenon, not only in ancient Israel but throughout the ancient Near East as a whole. This fascinating and lively course explores ancient Near Eastern and biblical notions of prophets, prophetic words, and prophetic activities. The oracles and prophets from ancient Mesopotamia, the Levant, and the Iranian world from the second and first millennia BCE will be our focus, although special attention will be given to the prophecies of Isaiah — one of the most remarkable books of the Hebrew Bible, covering a period of around 300 years and dealing with three successive empires: Assyria, Babylon, and Persia.
All texts are studied in English translation.
Recommended reading
Abernethy, A. T. (2021) Discovering Isaiah: Content, interpretation, reception. William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.
Kriwaczek, P. (2002) In Search of Zarathustra: The first Prophet and the ideas that changed the world. Weidenfeld & Nicolson.
McEntire, M. (2015) A Chorus of Prophetic Voices: Introducing the prophetic literature of ancient Israel. Westminster John Knox Press.
Oswalt, J. N. (2014) The Holy One of Israel: Studies in the Book of Isaiah. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Nissinen, M. (2003) Prophets and Prophecy in the Ancient Near East. Society of Biblical Literature.
Nissinen, M. (2017) Ancient Prophecy: Near Eastern, biblical, and Greek perspectives. Oxford University Press.
Online resources
Originally delivered on Monday 12 to Friday 16 July 2021
ANCIENT PERSIA: NEW PERSPECTIVES
Prof. Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones (Cardiff University)
This is a 5-day course that was held online via Zoom and is now available via video.
We are thrilled to welcome back Lloyd Llewellyn-Jones to deliver a course on the Persian Empire. You will learn about the Achaemenids (559–330 BCE), one of the great dysfunctional families of history, and their story – a saga of naked ambition, betrayal, revenge, and murder. To understand the Persian Empire, we must focus on the dynasty that controlled it. This course will thus explore the Achaemenid Empire from its humble beginnings under the brilliant leadership of Cyrus the Great to its fall to Alexander of Macedon under the dashing but unlucky Darius III. You will trace the story of the world’s first superpower – an empire built, unusually for imperial ambition, on cooperation and respect for others. Bypassing the pejorative ’histories’ created by Classical authors, this course draws on genuine Persian sources. Ancient Persia: New Perspectives is the inside history of the Achaemenid dynasty and its Empire – it is the definitive Persian Version.
Recommended reading
Allen, L. (2005) The Persian Empire. University of Chicago Press.
Kuhrt, A. (2007) The Persian Empire: A corpus of sources from the Achaemenid Period. Routledge.
Llewellyn-Jones, L. (2013) King and Court in Ancient Persia, 559 to 331 BCE. Edinburgh University Press.
Potts, D. T. (ed.) (2013) The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran. Oxford University Press.
Wiesehöfer, J. (1996) Ancient Persia: From 550 BC to 650 AD. I. B. Tauris.
Online resources:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=R9Umfeb4VEg&t=2591s
www.livius.org/category/persia/
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pykby-lD9yg&t=30s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=ies4CHHQhxY
www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7S2eyAgnyw
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6mo09hdfng&t=2239s
More generally on the Near East, visit: www.aakkl.helsinki.fi/melammu/home/home.php
An amazing selection of Persian-related books and materials for downloading is available at: oi.uchicago.edu/research/pubs/catalog/persia.html