Decoding the Secrets of Egyptian Hieroglyphs

Understanding why Ancient Egypt has to invent some form of writing; central to this introduction is a study of the Narmer Palette; its writing sets standards and conventions that would be followed for 3,000 years.

Learning the hieroglyphic alphabet; how to write and position each hieroglyph, including a stylized hand, a horned viper and two hieroglyphs for which English does not have a letter; transcribing one's name from English to ancient Egyptian.

Wondering how it is possible for a language used by the world's greatest civilization to become lost; charting the rise and fall of Ancient Egypt's kingdoms; investigating the ways Christianity replaces hieroglyphs with Greek letters.

Exploring how hieroglyphs and the ability to read them are rediscovered during Napoleon's invasion of Egypt; considering the birth of Egyptology; the role of ushabtis, statues of servants that are buried with prominent Egyptians.

With the discovery of the Rosetta Stone, the process of deciphering hieroglyphs begins; early attempts are thrown off by what Professor Brier calls the "Big Mistake"; why so many scholars make the error of treating hieroglyphs like picture writing.

How several key discoveries show how to decipher hieroglyphs the right way; how they shape an understanding of ancient Egypt; a bilingual obelisk that extends the Egyptian alphabet; the "Hall of Ancients", which contains a long list of pharaohs.

Meeting Jean-Francois Champollion, the first man in 2,000 years to read hieroglyphs and correct the "Big Mistake"; studying Champollion's contribution to the field; learning how to read and write biliterals.

Learning how to work with suffix pronouns which, unlike in English, are the same for possessive and nominative; what hieroglyphs reveal about the role of the creator god Ptah in Egyptian religion; Ptah's close connection with writing and words.

Several English-to-hieroglyph sentence translations; the hidden meaning of the scarab beetle hieroglyph; learning about the scribes responsible for writing everything from cattle inventories to Books of the Dead; learning about papyrus.

A few more pointers on suffix pronouns; Professor Brier invites one to do a little applied hieroglyph; how a little knowledge of hieroglyphs helps answer some biblical questions about iconic events from the book of Exodus.

Dependent pronouns do not have to be added onto any other word; they stand alone and are usually the object of the verb; the first expedition to copy hieroglyphs; learning about a current program designed to save inscriptions on fragile temple walls.

Working with the past tense in hieroglyphic sentences; expanding one's Egyptian vocabulary to include new biliterals, as well as adjectives like "evil" and "excellent"; learning how to use adjectives as modifiers, predicates and nouns.

Learning what the hieroglyphs of gods reveal about ancient Egyptian thought and belief, from suns and pillars to flagpoles and scepters; flagpoles are the ideogram for "god"; ram-headed scepters are representations of power inspired by the god Amun.

How the kings of Egypt write their names; using the Sneferu stela as a guide to examine the development of a pharaoh's five royal titles; these include "Horus", "King of Upper and Lower Egypt", "Two Ladies", "Golden Horus" and "Son of Re".

Learning the Egyptian way of writing whole numbers and fractions, which are used to keep track of various things; visiting the mortuary temple of Ramses III; a pile of hands reveals how many enemy soldiers are killed in battle.

Why the calendar is crucial to Egypt's success as a nation; how the civilization divides a year into months and seasons based on the activity of the Nile; how Egyptologists use ancient Egyptian calendars to pinpoint dates.

One can read stories told on temple walls by understanding hieroglyphic names of gods and goddesses; learning to recognize a pantheon of deities that includes Isis, Osiris, Atum and the earth and sky gods Geb and Nut.

How to say "no" in ancient Egyptian; the answer involves knowing how to use and draw one's arms; practicing one's skills at negation; Professor Brier goes on a study tour of amulets as "three-dimensional" hieroglyphs.

Deciphering what several pieces of ancient jewelry say using knowledge of hieroglyphs; why they are more than just pretty, decorative baubles; examining jewels such as a pectoral worn by Queen Meret and one worn by Princess Sat-Hathor.

Exploring the topic of palimpsests; what happens when a scribe makes a mistake; a hieroglyph is carved in stone; how modern archeologists recognize errors; inscriptions on the Pyramid of Unas and at Abydos Temple; the writing of a text over another.

The temples and tombs of the ancient Egyptians; hieroglyphic prayers that are inscribed on their walls; a standard prayer for the dead in the Old Kingdom; the Hotep-di-nesu asks the king to grant an offering to Osiris.

The Tomb of Perneb's hieroglyphs; those in its chapel or mastaba; what lies behind the false door which is common to chapels like this; why ka-priests are so important to the afterlife of the wealthy.

The excavation of King Tut's tomb; translating some of the inscriptions on the gilded shrines in the Egyptian ruler's burial chamber; messages by carpenters for use in construction.

The inscriptions on two artifacts; a magic mirror from Tutankhamen's lifetime; the lid of the pharaoh's sarcophagus; suggestions on how to continue studying hieroglyphs; scholarly resources and translation tips.