Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs [Hardcover]

James P. Allen (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0521653126 | ISBN-13: 978-0521653121 | Publication Date: November 28, 1999

This is an introduction 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, as well as twenty-five essays on the most important aspects of ancient Egyptian history, society, religion and literature. It also offers scholars of linguistics a complete grammatical description of the classical language of ancient Egypt.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, by James P. Allen, is a much needed addition to the meager literture available to Egyptologists, scholars and amateurs today interested studing the basic of ancient Egyptian...Middle Egyptian will always remain a difficult language to tackle, and much of the success of gaining a good grasp of the language depends on the effort of the student. Allen's book, however, will make the task a much easier, and an enjoyable one for students who have a serious interest in taking up the language." Nora Shalaby, Cario Times Vol. 4, no.32

"One particularly happy feature of Allen's volume is that the abundance of exercises that follow every lesson is accompanied, in the back of the book, with the answers to them all... Allen's textbook should now be the first text of choice for teaching Egyptian." William J. Fulco, Ancient History Bulletin

"Allen, a leading scholar of ancient Egyptian grammar and syntax, has drwan upon his own extensive teaching experience to provide an up-to-date and accessible grammar that could well become the standard textbook in English." Religious Studies Review

Book Description

This introduction to the writing system of ancient Egypt and the language of hieroglyphic texts is designed as a textbook for university and college classes, and is also suitable for individuals learning ancient Egyptian on their own. It contains 26 lessons, exercises (with answers), a list of hieroglyphic signs, and a dictionary, as well as 25 essays on the most important aspects of ancient Egyptian history, society, religion and literature. It also offers scholars of linguistics a complete grammatical description of the classical language of ancient Egypt.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 524 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press (November 28, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521653126
• ISBN-13: 978-0521653121
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,804,114 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

65 of 66 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sets the standard for textbooks on ancient languages, May 28, 2001

By 

Richard A. Weaver (lawrenceville, GA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs (Paperback)

First, a couple of admissions. #1: I'm not an expert on Egypt, nor am I an academic, so I have no professional qualifications to judge this book. But I enjoy learning languages, and I know what works for me. #2: I'm only on lesson 7; I have not worked through the whole book.

This is one of the finest teaching grammars I have ever seen. It consists of 26 lessons, with exercises at the end of each. (The answers to the exercises are given in the back of the book.) The early lessons cover the sounds and the script, and Professor Allen moves on to the grammar beginning with lesson 4. The author does not assume ANY grammatical knowledge on the part of the learner; before getting into the Egyptian forms he explains, for example, what an adjective or an adverb is, and how they are used in English.

Each lesson introduces several related points of grammar, and there are plenty of examples given (Almost all the examples are given in hieroglyphs, with the transcription and a translation.). The short sample sentences at the end of each lesson illustrate and reinforce the grammar from the current lesson, as well as previous ones. And as I said, the answers to the exercises, and translations of all sample sentences are given so you can gauge your progress and understanding. Each lesson ends with a short essay about one aspect or another of the culture of Ancient Egypt. At the rear of the book there is a sign list modelled after Gardiner, and a dictionary of most of the words introduced in the lessons.

This is not "Hieroglyphs for Dummies"; you're going to need a lot of stamina and determination to work through this entire book. (It's a large book; I figure it's going to take me over six months of hard work to get through it, and I'm no slouch.) But if you're seriously interested in the language and culture of Ancient Egypt, and are willing to invest the time and energy, this is the textbook you want.

52 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Excellent Reference And Textbook, September 9, 2000

By 

Michael Gunther (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs (Paperback)

Allen's grammar of Middle Egyptian is greatly to be commended. Based on a life of scholarship and teaching, his book has much to offer to students, specialists, and anyone who is fascinated -as I am - by the language and culture of Ancient Egypt.

Beginning students will appreciate his explanation of basic grammar, which is much more understandable and thorough than most other textbooks. The exercises, at the end of each chapter, are the best that I have ever seen. Scholars, and advanced students, will be grateful for the detail and completeness of Allen's work.

As one who has read through the book and worked all the exercises, I can recommend it without hesitation as a reference book for scholars, and as a textbook for university students. My only reservation is that the information presented is very detailed and complex, and likely to be overwhelming to a beginner. So, if you are a beginner, I would recommend that you read through an easier book, such as Collier and Manley ("How To Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs"), before you tackle Allen.

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The new standard for teaching and learning Middle Egyptian, March 23, 2000

By 

Kasia Szpakowska (UK) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs (Paperback)

Finally, here is a book to replace Gardiner's Grammar as a teaching resource. Dr. Allen presents the current grammatical theories on Egyptian grammar in a logical fashion. His explanations are easy to follow, and he not only includes exercises, but also the answers at the back, a dictionary, and the all-important sign-list. Each chapter features an essay on one facet of the culture of Ancient Egypt which sets the language in context. The importance of this should not be underestimated, for attempting to read another culture's literature, without having a background in their religion, politics, and general world-view is generally futile.

This is however for the serious student of Egyptian, which is not an easy language to learn, particularly on one's own. There are other works available for those who just wish to be able to recognize common expressions on monuments while visiting Egypt. But this will quite likely prove to be the new standard in teaching and learning Middle Egyptian for the specialist and non-specialist alike. The tone is friendly and inviting, and will hopefully introduce many new readers to the wealth of Egyptian texts.