One of the most remarkable inventions of ancient Egypt was the making of "paper" from the papyrus plant. As early as 3000 B.C. sheets and rolls of papyrus provided an ideal surface for writing with a reed pen and pigments of carbon and red ocher. Egyptian scribes used papyrus for legal and administrative records, letters about business and personal life, as well as for literary texts and compendia of knowledge. Religious hymns and litanies were recorded, as were the great collections of formulae to secure life after death, the Books of the Dead. The authors examine the methods of making and conserving papyrus, the various scripts written on it, the writing practices of the scribes, and the different uses of papyrus under the Pharaohs and their successors, the Ptolemies and the Roman emperors. Egypt has preserved much Greek literature and administrative writings, and papyrus remained the writing material of the Mediterranean world until it was eclipsed in the ninth century A.D. by cloth paper from the Orient, ending a tradition that had lasted four thousand years.

Papyrus (Egyptian Bookshelf)

Politics & Social Sciences

Quirke, Stephen

Parkinson, Richard

Social Sciences

University of Texas Press

Publication to accompany a major 1999 exhibition at the British Museum celebrating the bicentenary of the Stone's discovery, and including a selective catalogue of the exhibits. It also examines the wider issues of script and writing in ancient Egypt and beyond, for example, the relationship between hieroglyphs and art, the social prestige of literacy, and the practical aspects of writing (scibal exquipment and training). Other issues in decipherment are also discussed, such as Linear B and Meroitic, a language which still remains to be read.

Cracking Codes: The Rosetta Stone and Decipherment

Arts & Photography

University of California Press

Napoleon's troops discovered a granitoid slab in the village of Rosetta in the western Delta in 1799. The Rosetta Stone was to become one of the most famous Egyptian antiquities in the world as well as an instantly recognizable icon of script and decipherment. In this exciting, beautifully illustrated work, Richard Parkinson tells the story of the Stone's discovery and the so-called battle of the decipherers that it inspired. Published to accompany a major exhibition at the British Museum celebrating the bicentenary of the Stone's discovery, and including a selective catalog of the exhibits, this book also examines the wider issues of script and writing in ancient Egypt and beyond. The Rosetta Stone is a fragment of a stela inscribed with a priestly decree in honor of Ptolemy V. The main significance of the text lies not in its content, however, but in the fact that it is written in three scripts—hieroglyphic, demotic, and ancient Greek. Early Orientalists recognized immediately the potential of the Stone for the decipherment of Egyptian hieroglyphs. Thomas Young made great advances, especially with the demotic text, but it was Jean-François Champollion who made the final breakthrough in 1822. In so doing he cracked much more than two Egyptian scripts: He opened up Egyptian culture as a whole to historians. Among the subjects discussed in Cracking Codes are the relationship between hieroglyphs and art, the social prestige of literacy, and the power of writing and its practical aspects (scribal equipment and training). A brief description of other decipherments is also given, drawing on examples such as Linear B and Meroitic—a language which remains to be read. A selection of the History Book Club, the Book-of-the-Month Club, and the Quality Paperback Book Club

Egyptian Bookshelf: Papyrus /anglais

History

Africa

BRITISH MUSEUM

Oxbow says: Among the finest treasures of the British Museum are eleven fragments of paintings from the tomb-chapel of the Egyptian official Nebamun, c.1350BC. Since 1997, a programme of conservation and research has focused on these paintings, making possible their publication in this superbly illustrated book. Richard Parkinson includes all the known background history to the paintings, from Luxor to London, along with detailed descriptions of the paintings accompanied by stunning colour photographs. Some of the scenes include funerary offerings, a banquet, Nebamun viewing the produce of the estate, agricultural scenes, fishing and fowling in the marshes and Nebamun's garden, providing insights not just into the life of an Egyptian official, but also more generally into Egyptian culture and society.

The Painted Tomb Chapel of Nebamun

Reference

British Museum Press

The Complete Book of The Dead of Hunefer /anglais

The hieroglyphic writing of ancient Egypt fascinated people for centuries until it was deciphered by Jean-Francois Champollion in the 19th century. This complex script still appeals strongly to children and adults alike. This title shows children how to recognise and read hieroglyphics.

Pocket Guide to Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs /anglais

Ancient Civilizations

The Rosetta Stone is one of the most popular artefacts in the British Museum. Containing a decree written in Greek, Demotic and hieroglyphics, it proved to be the key to deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics. This concise study traces the history of `the most famous piece of rock in the world' to become a modern icon and tells the story of the race to use it to decipher Egypt's ancient script by Jean-François Champollion and Thomas Young. Also includes a translation of the text.

The Rosetta Stone (Objects in Focus)

A Little Gay History /anglais

Thirty years in the South Seas: Land and people, customs and traditions in the Bismarck Archipelago and on the German Solomon Islands

This account of life in the Bismarck Archipelago in the late 19th century should be useful for ethnographers and historians of the South Pacific. Parkinson's travels took him to New Britain, New Ireland, New Hanover, Manus, Buka and Bougainville. He observed religion, artefacts and language.

Thirty Years in the South Seas: Land and People, Customs and Traditions in the Bismarck Archipelago and on the German Solomon Islands

Americas

Univ of Hawaii Pr

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Parkinson, Richard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Parkinson, Richard

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Parkinson, Richard. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Papyrus (Egyptian Bookshelf)

Cracking Codes: The Rosetta Stone and Decipherment

Cracking Codes: The Rosetta Stone and Decipherment

Egyptian Bookshelf: Papyrus /anglais

The Painted Tomb Chapel of Nebamun

The Complete Book of The Dead of Hunefer /anglais

Pocket Guide to Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs /anglais

The Rosetta Stone (Objects in Focus)

A Little Gay History /anglais

Thirty Years in the South Seas: Land and People, Customs and Traditions in the Bismarck Archipelago and on the German Solomon Islands