The hieroglyphs of ancient Egypt have fascinated people for over three thousand years. In this engaging new study, Penelope Wilson offers a wide ranging look at this ancient form of writing, touching on everything from basic principles of translation to its broader function in Egyptian culture. Sacred Signs illuminates the cultural significance of hieroglyphs, showing how it was used in monumental art and as the rarified language of the gods. Wilson points out that the Egyptian word for pictorial writing was "medu-netjer," which means "words of god." Hieroglyphs were an exalted mode of communication, used to speak with the gods or to guide rulers in the afterlife (for instance, hieroglyphs might describe a set of spells, rituals, and the route to the afterlife for use by the king or queen). Indeed, hieroglyphs differed from everyday writing and the average Egyptian was unable to read them--only the elite were taught the pictorial signs. Throughout the book, Wilson illuminates the writing system itself. We learn that hieroglyphs can be read either left-to-right or right-to-left and that animals, birds, people, serpents, and fish were drawn in profile, all facing the same way, so that readers would know which way to read the line. Also, individual signs derived from everyday objects in the Egyptian world, so that learning hieroglyphs is not only a linguistic exercise, but also an insightful introduction to Egyptian culture and daily life. Written by an authority on hieroglyphics, Sacred Signs is the only book available that presents up-to-date evidence in an accessible way, illuminating the function and importance of hieroglyphs within the framework of ancient Egyptian culture.

Sacred Signs: Hieroglyphs in Ancient Egypt

Wilson, Penelope

Religion & Spirituality

Oxford University Press

Hieroglyphs were far more than a language. They were an omnipresent and all-powerful force in communicating the messages of ancient Egyptian culture for over three thousand years. This ancient form of expression was used as art, as a means of identifying Egyptian-ness, even for communication with the gods. In this exciting new study, Penelope Wilson explores the cultural significance of hieroglyphs with an emphasis on previously neglected areas such as cryptography and the continuing deciphering of the script in modern times. She covers topics like the origins of writing in Egypt, hieroglyphic script and the Egyptian language, hieroglyphs and art, scribes and everyday writing. She also examines the powerful fascination hieroglyphs still hold for us today. This book is the ideal reference for anyone with an interest in the fascinating civilization of Ancient Egypt.

Hieroglyphs: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Sais was Egypt's capital in the 26th Dynasty, but it also had an earlier history, unknown before the EES/Durham University/SCA work at the site. This volume is the final excavation report for work carried out in the Northern Enclosure area of the site at Kom Rebwa, funded by the British Academy through the Egypt Exploration Society and the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Excavations between 2000 and 2004 uncovered levels dating between the 20th Dynasty and the Third Intermediate Period. The best preserved levels consisted of part of a house, whose roof had collapsed and an earlier kiln, used for firing faience beads as well as pottery. Lower, buried layers also included Old Kingdom material, hinting at the earlier history of the area. The report contains invaluable information about everyday rural life in the Delta, with anlayses of the different layers, the pottery and the small finds, as well as plant remains and animal bones.

Sais 1: The Ramesside-Third Intermediate Period at Kom Rebwa (Excavation Memoirs, 98)

History

Ancient Civilizations

Egypt Exploration Society

Sais II: The Prehistoric Period is the final publication of the EES/Durham/SCA excavations carried out in 2007 in the 'Great Pit' at Sa el-Hagar, ancient Sais. It contains a full discussion of the layers dating to the Neolithic and Buto-Maadi Periods, with specialist reports on the chipped and ground stone tools, small finds, pottery, animal bones and flora. As the only Neolithic site so far excavated on the Nile floodplain in Egypt, the site has important implications for understanding the Neolithisation of the Delta and the development of Predynastic settlements in the north of Egypt.

Sais II: The Prehistoric Period at Sa el-Hagar (Excavation Memoir, 107)

Gilbert, Gregory

Tassie, Geoffrey

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

Books by Wilson, Penelope

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

Sacred Signs: Hieroglyphs in Ancient Egypt

Hieroglyphs: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)

Sais 1: The Ramesside-Third Intermediate Period at Kom Rebwa (Excavation Memoirs, 98)

Sais II: The Prehistoric Period at Sa el-Hagar (Excavation Memoir, 107)