Corso di laurea in Beni Culturali

The course aims at providing the basic knowledge of Middle Egyptian grammar as well as the fundamental elements for the understanding of the Egyptian writing and literature.

At the end of the course students are expected to know the basic elements of Middle Egyptian grammar and be able to read, translate and understnad a Middle Egyptian text. Students will also have to know the main features of the hieroglyphic writing system as well as the main productions of Egyptian literature.

- The ancient Egyptian writing throughout the centuries

- Introduction to the ancient Egyptian language and its history

- Resources for learning the ancient Egyptian language: grammars, dictionaries, sign lists

- Fundamentals of ancient Egyptian grammar

- Reading ancient Egyptian texts

The course will consist in frontal lessons with the active participation of the students who will be guided in the learning of the Egyptian language, writing and literature through reading and translation exercises, as well as in the study of primary sources (royal inscriptions, private funeral inscriptions, papyri and other inscribed objects).

All the students registered for the course will be guaranteed with the opportunity to receive teaching material aside the main text book(s) and, in case, to replace the attendance of frontal lessons with the study of additional (to those compulsory for everyone) volumes indicated below.

Students knowledge will be verified through a written and oral (final vote will be on a 30/30 base).

The written exam will consist in the translation and commentary of a hieroglyphic text (written in Middle Egyptian) which will be agreed upon during the lesson and will be presented to the professor on the day of the exam.

This written exam will be supplemented by an oral test with questions concerning:

- the structure of Middle Egyptian grammar (e.g. analysis of verb forms)
- the translation of simple sentences from Middle Egyptian into Italian
- the commentary of an Egyptian literary or religious text dealt with during the classes

The lessons will also be supplemented by a writing and reading laboratory of ancient Egyptian language (Middle Egyptian), to be activated within the framework of the BA course and open to all students. This writing and reading lab will take place in the second semester side by side with the basic one of "Language and Literature of Ancient Egypt", and will aimed at deepen the grammar and literature topics covered during the basic course. In particular, there will be exercises in writing and reading hieroglyphic texts as well as in-depth grammar exercises related to the topics covered by the basic course.

The professor is always available to help students by providing them with additional clarifications, information, and teaching materials upon request and provides support for study and exam preparation to the students through face-to-face and/or online meetings (dates to be established with the teacher according to the specific needs and requests of the students)

Students with SLD or any other type of disabilities are requested to inform the teacher at the beginning of the course, to agree on a personalized learning path which is suitable to their needs, even beyond the compensatory and dispensatory measures envisaged for the exam.

Students with DSA or disabilities are also encouraged to read the support procedures of the University, and in particular the procedures necessary for support during the exam

(https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-con-disabilita)

(https://www.unito.it/accoglienza-studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa)

(https://www.unito.it/servizi/lo-studio/studenti-e-studentesse-con-disabilita/supporto-studenti-e-studentesse-con)

The study of Middle Egyptian grammar will be integrated with specific parts (of which pdf will be provided on the moodle platform) taken from the volume:

James P. Allen, Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs, 3rd Edition. Cambridge University Press 2014

The list of Gardiner's signs will also be provided in class (and uploaded to moodle in pdf format) to be integrated with the use of the following dictionary:

RO Faulkner, Concise Dictionary of Middle Egyptian, Griffith Institute 1962.

Additional reading and teaching material will be assigned during the course (and uploaded on moodle platform).

As the course requires the active participation of students and because of the complexity of learning Egyptian language and writing system on one's own, students are highly encouraged to attend the course in person.  

For foreign students who wish to do so, it is also possible to do the exam in English. In this case, the mandatory bibliography for the exam will have to be agreed with the teacher in order to replace the one in Italian indicated in the course description.