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2021/2022

Egyptian Epigraphy and Paleography

Code: 44499 ECTS Credits: 10
Degree Type Year Semester
4315555 Egyptology OB 1 A
The proposed teaching and assessment methodology that appear in the guide may be subject to changes as a result of the restrictions to face-to-face class attendance imposed by the health authorities.

Contact

Name:
Josep Cervelló Autuori
Email:
Josep.Cervello@uab.cat

Use of Languages

Principal working language:
spanish (spa)

Teachers

Marc Orriols Llonch
Jose Lull Garcia
Daniel González León

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites.

Objectives and Contextualisation

The general objective of this module is for the student to become familiar with the hieroglyphic and hieratic scripts, their operation and their particularities, so that they will be able to read Middle Egyptian funerary, court, and literary texts, on different supports, in both writing systems.

Competences

  • Act in a creative and original way with solidarity and spirit of scientific collaboration.
  • Assess the quality, self-imposed, rigor, responsibility and social commitment, both in training and in the scientific and informative work.
  • Critically analyze a given scientific problem based on historical and cultural sources.
  • Critically interpret texts as historical and cultural sources.
  • Identify the different systems of Egyptian writing (hieroglyphic, hieratic, demotic and Coptic) and their uses and timelines, and in the case of hieroglyphic, hieratic and Coptic, also its paleography, its signs and its operation.
  • Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
  • Read, translate, parse, interpret texts critically and edit antiguoegipcios, medioegipcios, neoegipcios and Copts of different genres and on different media.
  • Teaming up with special sensitivity interdisciplinarity.
  • That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Act in a creative and original way with solidarity and spirit of scientific collaboration.
  2. Assess the quality, self-imposed, rigor, responsibility and social commitment, both in training and in the scientific and informative work.
  3. Critically analyze a given scientific problem based on historical and cultural sources.
  4. Demonstrate basic knowledge of hieratic overlooking the reading of texts.
  5. Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
  6. Medioegipcias critically interpret textual sources of medium-high difficulty.
  7. Medioegipcios translate and interpret texts of medium-high difficulty in hieroglyphics and hieratic
  8. Read, translate, parse and interpret epigraphic texts medioegipcios (Middle and New Kingdoms).
  9. Teaming up with special sensitivity interdisciplinarity.
  10. That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.

Content

A. PALEOGRAPHY

A. THEORETICAL CLASSES

This part of the module takes up the analysis of hieroglyphic and hieratic scripts started in the subject "Initiation to hieroglyphic script and the Middle Egyptian language" of the module Egyptian Language I.

1. Hieroglyphic paleography: definition and diachrony

2. Hieratic paleography: definition and diachrony

3. Hieroglyphic script: peculiarities of signs and spellings; evolution of some signs

4. Hieratic script: signs and functioning

B. PRACTICAL CLASSES

1. Exercises for reading words and sentences in hieratic

2. Paleography, both hieroglyphic and hieratic, is practiced by reading sentences and texts in the modules Egyptian Language I and Egyptian Texts I

NOTE: The knowledge of paleography is evaluated in the papers, tests, and exams of the modules Egyptian Language I and Egyptian Texts I, as well as in the epigraphy papers and exams of this module.

B. EPIGRAPHY

A. THEORETICAL CLASSES

1. Introduction to Egyptian epigraphy

2. Supports and epigraphic techniques. Digital epigraphy

3. The prosopography

4. The pharaonic titulary

5. The cursus honorum and titles of the officials

6. First royal and private epigraphic texts

7. The offering formula and menu

8. Main epigraphic formulas

9. Royal stelae and inscriptions from the Old Kingdom

10. The royal and private funerary epigraphy of the Old Kingdom

11. Royal stelae and inscriptions from the Middle and New Kingdoms

12. The royal and private funerary epigraphy of the Middle and New Kingdoms

B. PRACTICAL CLASSES AND CONTINUOUS EVALUATION

1.Reading, translation, grammatical analysis, and interpretation of epigraphic texts on various supports, paying special attention to their spatial (location, related iconography) and historical context

2. Group work: translation and comment of epigraphic texts (DELIVERY DATES: 01/17/2022, 06/13/2022)

C. EXAMS

02/28/2022, 06/13/2022

Methodology

Specification of what the STUDENT'S AUTONOMOUS ACTIVITY consists of

a) Study (study is that process or set of personal or group activities that leads to knowing things and being able to explain them in a coherent and orderly manner, orally or in writing).

b) Personal work: consulting grammars, dictionaries, text editions, and reference works in the field of Egyptian philology; translating, analyzing, and interpreting texts; preparing group papers; preparing interventions and presentations in class; keeping the student's portfolio up to date; preparing exams ans tests.

Important: The teaching methodology and the evaluation proposed in the guide may undergo some modification subject to the onsite teaching restrictions imposed by health authorities.

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.

Activities

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Exams 10 0.4 3, 4, 6, 8, 5, 10, 7
Theoretical and practical classroom lessons with the support of ICT 80 3.2 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 5, 10, 7, 9, 2
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials and class interventions and presentations 10 0.4 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 5, 10, 7, 9, 2
Type: Autonomous      
Study and personal or group work by the student 150 6 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 5, 10, 7, 9, 2

Assessment

Module evaluation system

In the table, the hours of dedication to each activity are not specified because they may vary from one student to another. The approximate total hours of personal work of the student are specified in the table in the "Methodology" section.

The evaluation will consist of four types of activities:

1) Exams of epigraphy (see "Contents" section). Knowledge of paleography is assessed in the papers, the tests, and the exams of the modules Egyptian Language I and Egyptian Texts I, as well as in the epigraphy papers and exams of this module. Except for justified reasons, the students of the virtual modality will take the exams in synchrony with the students of the face-to-face modality, in connection with Microsoft Teams and with the camera activated. When this is not possible, they will agree with the professor the day and time of the exam, which will be as close as possible to those of the original exam.

2) Interventions, correction of exercises, and presentations in class. Delivery of exercises for correction.

3) Two group papers. The groups will be of two or three people. The mark of a group paper will be the same for the two or three people who make up the group.

4) Follow-up tutorials and student portfolio.

In the event that some of these activities cannot be taken onsite for sanitary reasons, they will be adapted to an online format made available through the UAB's virtual tools (original weighting will be maintained). Homework, activities, and class participation will be carried out through forums, wikis and/or discussion on Teams. Lecturers will ensure that students are able to access these virtual tools, or will offer them feasible alternatives.

Regarding the mark review procedure, lecturers will inform the students about it at the time of each evaluation activity.

Regarding the make-up tests and exams, the lecturer will agree with the students thedates, which must be withinthe month following the original testor exam. Students who have passed a test or exam but wish to improve their markmay also take the make-upexam. In principle, the work and activities that the student performs autonomously are not subject to recovery.

Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
2 exams 60% 0 0 3, 4, 6, 8, 5, 10, 7
2 group papers 25% 0 0 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 5, 10, 7, 9, 2
Class attendance and participation 10% 0 0 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 5, 10, 7, 9, 2
Follow-up tutorials and student portfolio 5% 0 0 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 5, 10, 7, 9, 2

Bibliography

A. EPIGRAPHY AND PALEOGRAPHY

Caminos, R.A.; Fischer, H.G. 1976. Ancient Egyptian Epigraphy and Paleography. The Recording of Inscriptions and Scenes in Tombs and Temples. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Davies, V.; Laboury, D. (eds) 2020. The Oxford Handbook of Egyptian Epigraphy and Palaeography. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Fischer, H.G. 1986. L'écriture et l'art de I'Égypte ancienne. Quatre leçons sur la paléographie et l'epigraphie pharaoniques. Paris: PUF.

B. EPIGRAPHY

Basic bibliography

Al-Ayedi, A.R. 2006. Index of Egyptian Administrative, Religious and Military Titles of the New Kingdom. Ismailia: Obelisk Publications.

Beckerath, J. von 1999. Handbuch der altägyptischen Königsnamen. Münchner Ägyptologische Studien 49. Mainz: Philipp von Zabern.

Collier, M.; Manley, B. 1998. How to Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs. London: The British Museum Press (Spanish transl. 2000. Introducción a los jeroglíficos egipcios. Madrid: Alianza).

Fischer, H.G. 1985. Egyptian titles of the Middle Kingdom. New York: Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Jones, D. 2000. An Index of Ancient Egyptian Titles, Epithets and Phrases of the Old Kingdom. BAR International Series 866. 2 vols. Oxford: Archaeopress.

Quirke, S. 2004. Titles and Bureaux of Egypt 1850-1700 BC. Egyptology 1. London: Golden House Publications.

Ranke, H. 1952. Die ägyptischen Personennamen. 2 vols. Glückstadt-Hambourg: J.J. Augustin.

Scheele-Schweitzer, K. 2014. Die Personennamen des Alten Reiches. Philippika. Marburger altertumskundliche Abhandlungen 28. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.

Taylor, J.A. 2001. An index of Male Non-Royal Egyptian Titles, Epithets & Phrases of the 18th Dynasty. London: Museum Bookshop Publications.

Ward, W.A. 1982. lndex of Egyptian administrative and religious titles of the Middle Kingdom. Beirut: American University of Beirut.

Further reading

The Australian Centre for Egyptology Reports (series)

Bowman, A.; Crowther, C. (eds) 2020. The Epigraphy of Ptolemaic Egypt. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Doxey, D.M. 1998. Egyptian non-royal Epithets in the Middle Kingdom. A Social and Historical Analysis. Probleme der Ägyptologie 12. Leiden: E.J. Brill.

Fischer, H.G. 1996. Varia Nova. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Galán, J.M. 2002. El imperio egipcio. Inscripciones, ca.1550-1300 a.C.. Madrid: Trotta /Barcelona: Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona.

Landgráfová, R. 2011. It is my good name that you should remember. Egyptian Biographical Texts on Middle Kingdom Stelae. Prague: Czech Institute of Egyptology.

Lapp, G. 1986. Die Opferformel des Alten Reiches. DAIK-Sonderschrift 21. Mainz: Philipp von Zabern.

Leprohon, R. J. 2013. The Great Name. Ancient Egyptian Royal Titulary. Writings from the Ancient World 29. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.

Moreno García, J.M. (ed.) 2013. Ancient Egyptian Administration. Handbuch der Orientalistik 104. Leiden-Boston: Brill.

Stauder-Porchet, J. 2017. Les autobiographies de l’Ancien Empire égyptien: étude sur la naissance d’un genre. Orientalia lovaniensia analecta 255. Louvain: Peeters.

Strudwick, N. 1985. The Administration of Egypt in the Old Kingdom. The Highest Titles and their Holders. Studies in Egyptology. London: KPI.

Strudwick, N.C. 2005. Texts from the Pyramid Age. Writings from the Ancient World 16. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature.

Vértes, K. 2017. Digital Epigraphy. Chicago: Oriental Institute, University of Chicago. https://oi.uchicago.edu/sites/oi.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/shared/docs/Digital-Epigraphy.pdf / https://www.digital-epigraphy.com/publications/digital-epigraphy-second-edition-by-krisztian-vertes-and-the-epigraphic-survey

Ziegler, C. 1990. Catalogue des stèles, peintureset reliefs égyptiens de l'Ancien Empire et de la Première Période Intermédiaire. Vers 2686-2040 avant J.-C. (Musée du Louvre, Département des Antiquités Egyptiennes). Paris: Editions de la Réunion des musées nationaux.

C. PALEOGRAPHY

Paléographie hiéroglyphique (series; IFAO)

Gosline, Sh.L. 1999. Writing Late Egyptian Hieratic. A Beginner's Primer. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.

Möller, G. 1927-1945. Hieratische Lesestücke für den akademischen Gebrauch. 3vols. Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs.

Möller, G. 1909-1927. Hieratische Paläographie. Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs.

Regulski, I. 2010. A Palaeographic Study of Early Writing in Egypt. Orientalia Lovaniensia Analecta 195. Leuven-Paris-Walpole: Peeters.

Schrauder, J.; Laudenklos, F. 2011. Neue Paläografie des Mittelägyptischen Hieratisch. Berlin: Epubli.

Software

JSesh, software for writing hieroglyphs.
It can be downloaded free of charge from: https://jsesh.qenherkhopeshef.org/