Registered students will receive:

• Each week, there will be a live videoconference of approximately 120 minutes. Each session will cover:

  • a brief lesson in the Middle Egyptian language (grammar, vocabulary, and signs) utilizing How to Read Egyptian and including suggested (optional) homework for the week;

  • an introduction to and review of important hieroglyphic signs along with their phonetic values and additional uses as ideograms, semantic determinatives, and so on;

  • the additional introduction of an important Egyptian cultural topic and related vocabulary (in hieroglyphs and transliteration), covering technical magical vocabulary, the parts of the self, epithets of the gods, creation myths, priesthoods, the nature of divine language, and other topics;

  • a thorough review of the week’s ritual translation project (see below);

  • some notes on the historical context of the week’s ritual, with a special emphasis on the continuity of traditions from the New Kingdom to the Greco-Roman period, including the Greco-Egyptian magical papyri (PGM);

  • opportunities to ask questions about any of the material.

  • All registered students will receive access to the recordings of the videoconferences.

• Each week, I will release a new interlinear version (in Egyptian hieroglyphs, transliteration, and English translation) of a ritual text from ancient Egypt. These include original translations that pay close attention to the meaning of the individual Egyptian words and related cultural concepts. In some cases, glossaries of important vocabulary will be provided.

• These ritual texts will be drawn from a number of ancient sources, including (but not limited to): New Kingdom magical and medical papyri, hymns to the gods from Egyptian temple inscriptions, the Metternich Stela and other magical artifacts, the Pyramid Texts, the Coffin Texts, and the Book of the Dead.

• Each week, I will release an original audio recording of the week’s ritual to aid in (conventional) pronunciation.

• Even before the class starts (February 5, 2022), you will receive access to a private Discord server that will serve as a virtual classroom between the weekly videoconferences. (If you are not familiar with Discord, it is free and easy to use.) Some course materials will be released in advance and you are encouraged to begin working through How to Read Egyptian with the community and instructor.

• You will become familiar with the best online and offline tools for help with translating ancient Egyptian.

• Answer keys for the (optional) homework assignments will be provided.

To get the most out of the course, it is recommended that you acquire a copy of How to Read Egyptian before the course begins.

About the Instructor:

On the internet, I go by Phainolis. (I place a high value on personal privacy, but don’t worry: my legal name will be on your registration invoice.) I hold a master’s degree in Classics (ancient Greek and Latin) and a PhD in Religious Studies (with a PhD minor in Egyptology). My professional research focuses on the intersections of Egyptian and Greek religion, culture, philosophy, and magic in the Greco-Roman period. I have been studying, reading, and translating ancient Egyptian for 12 years and have been teaching courses and seminars on the history of philosophy, religion, magic, and mythology since 2006.

Seats are Limited!

In order to maintain a small classroom conducive to language learning, I have limited the number of registrations for this course. The registration page will have a live update of the number of seats remaining.