Understanding Hieroglyphs (Paperback)

~ Hilary Wilson (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

Hieroglyphs depict a vivid picture of everyday Egyptian life of long ago. Readers can decode these hieroglyphs on their own with the help of this easy-to-follow, fully illustrated book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill/Contemporary Books (January 11, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844246042
• ISBN-13: 978-0844246048
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.7 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #2,256,602 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

39 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars This book is not what it claims to be!, December 15, 1998

By A Customer

I'm really in two minds about this book.

The title suggests that it is a book about hieroglyphs, and a quick look through it seems to confirm that impression. On reading the book, however, it turns out that only the 1-consonant form is covered, there's nothing about determinatives (really?), there is no grammar to speak of, and that the illustrations from Egyptian inscriptions, although translated, are seldom if ever described in the detail I think a student needs (such as the variant writing Djedju for Djedu, which had me puzzled until I read Collier and Manley's book `How to read Egyptian', which may be more suited to a reader who wants to get involved with the language rather than the letters or symbols it is written with).

Most chapters have tables with common words or terms in hieroglyphs (usually related to the topics covered in that chapter): a very dedicated reader may be able to use these to "translate" some of inscriptions by matching the words in the tables with the hieroglyphs in the inscriptions. It takes a lot of searching, though -- and in a way that does help learning to recognize the various "chunks" of hieroglyphs. But as there is no clear reference to books for further study of hieroglyphs (a must, really), I can't quite make out how this book can be described as a complete introductory guide to hieroglyphs.

However ...

... there's another book here that must be reviewed as well. It's a book almost entirely about Ancient Egyptian society, a book that doesn't go into hieroglyphs more than necessary. This book starts off by describing the power inherent in names, why removing or defacing the name of your enemy is such an effective form of revenge, and why Tutankhamon had the last laugh on his enemies who wanted to obliterate him from history. It goes on with much and diverse information on Egyptian royalty, social geography, the duties of scribes, priests, and tomb workers, and ends by covering how the Egyptians counted things as well as time. The part on Egyptian names contains many thought-provoking parallels with ancient and modern society -- it seems a bit odd with all these "Gift-of-Amen" and "Beloved-of-Re" names until you're reminded of the meaning of names like Theodor and Christopher, Holly and Pascal, and the use of throne names seems equally weird until the similar name changes of popes and the odd British king is observed.

*This* book is a much easier-to-read book, and can be recommended to anyone who needs a first guide to Egyptian culture and society. The only things I miss so far is notes on trade, crafts, farming etc. But if that was included the book would probably be at least twice its size, and no longer quite as light and enjoyable read as it actually is. That is also the reason why I don't bother to complain about the index: it's unusable, true, but this is really not the kind of book that needs an index very badly. The understanding-hieroglyphs book, though, does need a better index.

I *am* in two minds about this book, as I said. The book suggested by the title doesn't seem to deserve much of a rating, I'm sorry to say, unless your language-learning style involves jumping in at the deep end. My rating reflects this, as I suspect other readers may judge the book from its title. The "other" book, however, is well worth excavating from where it is hidden among the Egyptian hieroglyphs. I did not expect this kind of contents when I bought the book, but I'm glad I found it. I think I can promise you, too, a few treasures.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent for beginners!, June 22, 1998

By A Customer

This is an excellent book for people just starting to learn about Egyptian hieroglyphs. The author teaches the basic vocabulary that occurs over and over in most inscriptions, and she gives lots of examples of authentic inscriptions so you can practice what you're learning. This is NOT a grammar of the ancient language... but it's a great place to start.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good, but limited, August 21, 1998

By A Customer

I rate this book "five stars" as far as it goes. It is an excellent introductory treatment of names, naming practices, titles, gods,and geographic names in Ancient Egyptian, complete with copies of actual inscriptions from obelisks and other monuments. It is fascinating to read, but very difficult to use due to a lack of indexing of the Ancient Egyptian terms. The book is small enough to take to a museum with you, but you would waste a lot of time thumbing through the pages trying to find the particular list you want.