Egyptian Grammar Or General Principles Of Egyptian Sacred Writing

For the first time in history, the most important work ever published in Egyptology is now available in English.

Middle Egyptian introduces the reader to the writing system of ancient Egypt and the language of hieroglyphic texts. It contains twenty-six lessons, exercises (with answers), a list of hieroglyphic signs, and a dictionary. It also includes a series of twenty-six essays on the most important aspects of ancient Egyptian history, society, religion, literature, and language. Grammar lessons and cultural essays allows users not only to read hieroglyphic texts but also to understand them, providing the foundation for understanding texts on monuments and reading great works of ancient Egyptian literature. This third edition is revised and reorganized, particularly in its approach to the verbal system, based on recent advances in understanding the language. Illustrations enhance the discussions, and an index of references has been added. These changes and additions provide a complete and up-to-date grammatical description of the classical language of ancient Egypt for specialists in linguistics and other fields.

Sir E. A. Wallis Budge (1857-1934) was Keeper of the British Museum’s department of oriental antiquities from 1894 until his retirement in 1924. Carrying out many missions to Egypt in search of ancient objects, Budge was hugely successful in collecting papyri, statues and other artefacts for the trustees of the British Museum: numbering into the thousands and of great cultural and historical significance. Budge published well over 100 monographs, which shaped the development of future scholarship and are still of great academic value today, dealing with subjects such as Egyptian religion, history and literature. The ancient Egyptians expressed their ideas in writing by means of hieroglyphics, which they used uninterruptedly until the end of the rule of the Ptolemies. Evidence indicates that the hieroglyphic system of writing was brought to Egypt by invaders from north-east or central Asia; they settled somewhere between Memphis on the north and Thebes on the south, and gradually established their civilization, religion and methods of communication. First published in 1910, Egyptian Language provides a simple introduction to the study of Egyptian hieroglyphic inscriptions. Including an account of the decipherment of the hieroglyphic system and the general principles which underlie it, as well as the main facts of ancient Egyptian grammar and illustrative extracts, the book will be of value to students and academics of ancient Egyptian language and culture.

Written and spoken for about 4,000 years, Egyptian is no longer a living language (Arabic is the major language of modern Egypt); however, ancient Egyptian is still studied by Egyptologists, historians, archaeologists, and students interested in the age-old civilization along the Nile. Typically, students of ancient Egyptian begin with Middle, or Classical, Egyptian, which was written in hieroglyphic script. Middle Egyptian is especially important because it is the language in which many important literary works were written. Moreover, when it was no longer spoken, Middle Egyptian continued to be taught in temples and schools as a vehicle of literary and liturgical expression. This compact handbook, by a noted German Egyptologist, was specially designed for beginning students who wish to acquire enough basic knowledge to enable them to read the easier hieroglyphic texts. Toward that end, the author begins with a general discussion of Middle Egyptian and its script, followed by concise, accessible lessons in phonology, formation and usage of nouns and other parts of speech, and syntax. With careful study, the student should be able, even after the first lesson, to translate simple sentences independently. A list of hieroglyphs, a vocabulary section, and reading exercises complete this handy manual that offers students quick and easy access to the language and culture of ancient Egypt.

Provides never before known corrections to translating Egyptian hieroglyphs.