Short Course: Introduction to Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Hieroglyphs were used for well over 3000 years to write the Egyptian language in monumental settings and was the script some of the most important texts were written in. In this course we will look at the basics of how to read real hieroglyph inscriptions, using real texts from monumental settings in Egypt as well as texts from the collections at World Museum Liverpool. No prior knowledge of hieroglyphs is needed and although no knowledge of Ancient Egypt is required, a basic understanding of the culture and history will be beneficial to participants.

The fee for this course is £80 per participant. This includes four facilitator-led sessions at World Museum Liverpool. The course will run across 4 Sunday afternoons, 1-3pm on - 

5th, 12th, 19th & 26th January 2025

Week One

This week you will learn the basics including which direction to read hieroglyphs, how each of the individual signs work and more. By the end of the session you will be reading basic royal names and titles from real ancient inscriptions.

Week Two

In our second week we will build on our knowledge as we become more familiar with hieroglyphs. We will focus on how to write the plural, identify familial relationships and work out who is related to who in real 4000-year-old texts.

Week Three

This week we will learn more about the Egyptians belief in the magical power of texts and begin reading offering formulae, designed to magically sustain the dead in the next life. These common inscriptions follow a regular pattern, allowing you to read literally hundreds of museum objects. 

Week Four

In our final week together we are going to put everything we have learned to the test and start on gallery reading a real Ancient Egyptian stela from nearly 4000 years ago. By now you will have the skills available to read the spell, names, and familial relationships of those it is dedicated to.

We aim to make our courses as accessible as possible and if there is anything we can put into place to help you attend please get in contact with the course facilitator, Matt Exley, on Matt.Exley@liverpoolmuseums.org.uk.