This is the first synthesis on Egyptian enigmatic writing (also referred to as “cryptography”) in the New Kingdom (c.1550–1070 BCE). Enigmatic writing is an extended practice of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, set against immediate decoding and towards revealing additional levels of meaning. This first volume consists of studies by the main specialists in the field. The second volume is a lexicon of all attested enigmatic signs and values.

This is the first synthesis on Egyptian enigmatic writing (also referred to as “cryptography”) in the New Kingdom (c.1550–1070 BCE). Enigmatic writing is an extended practice of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, set against immediate decoding and towards revealing additional levels of meaning. This first volume consists of studies by the main specialists in the field. The second volume is a lexicon of all attested enigmatic signs and values.

This volume offers the first comprehensive overview of the evolution over time of a foundational concept of the Egyptian afterlife beliefs, the Duat, or netherworld. The Duat is a complicated, multifaceted notion, which was never canonized into a single version of the beyond, but offered instead a variety of alternatives attempting to describe the metaphysical realms beyond the visible world, and beyond life. Theological speculations gave rise to a rich textual and visual repertoire, which underwent a process of evolution over thousands of years, during which newer ideas and images were constantly introduced. Through the analysis of royal and non-royal funerary texts from the late Old Kingdom to the end of the New Kingdom, this book traces the development of the conceptualization of the notion of Duat, outlining what it encompassed and where it was imagined to be located. In addition to the translation and discussion of the most significant passages of the texts analyzed, each chapter also provides an overview of the individual compositions and of the relevant theological, cosmological, and astronomical notions complementing the conceptual framework, of which the Duat formed but a part. Additionally, discussions of concurrent changes in Egyptian culture, society, and ideology are included in order to clarify the context in which afterlife beliefs and related texts evolved. An analysis of the correlation between funerary compositions and their material supports complements the study, emphasizing the Egyptians' belief in a magical synergy between texts, images, and their contexts in the activation of a suitable, effective afterlife for the recipients of the texts.

Introduces the workings and uses of Egyptian hieroglyphs, the various degrees of cultural knowledge of their makers and – most importantly – the influence hieroglyphs had on other scripts and notations in antiquity.

A free ebook version of this title is available through Luminos, University of California Press's Open Access publishing program. Visit www.luminosoa.org to learn more. After the deaths of Antony and Cleopatra, Rome finally took control of Egypt. This occupation simultaneously facilitated and circumscribed the exchange of goods, people, and ideas along the paths carved across Rome's burgeoning empire. In this book, Edward Kelting sets out to recapture one of these systems of exchange: the vibrant literary tradition known as Aegyptiaca--or "Egyptian things"--in which culturally mixed authors wrote about Egypt for a Greek and Roman audience. These authors have been dismissed as not really "Egyptian," and their contemporary popularity has been ignored. But as Kelting powerfully argues, this genre in fact constitutes a vibrant intellectual tradition, developed from heterogeneous influences but deeply engaged with Egypt's pharaonic past. In contrast to usual narratives of Roman domination, Kelting uncovers a complex project of political engagement and cultural translation in which Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans all participated.

Warrior, mighty builder, and statesman, over the course of his 67-year-long reign (1279-1212 BCE), Ramesses II achieved more than any other pharaoh in the three millennia of ancient Egyptian civilization. Drawing on the latest research, Peter Brand reveals Ramesses the Great as a gifted politician, canny elder statesman, and tenacious warrior. With restless energy, he fully restored the office of Pharaoh to unquestioned levels of prestige and authority, thereby bringing stability to Egypt. He ended almost seven decades of warfare between Egypt and the Hittite Empire by signing the earliest international peace treaty in recorded history. In his later years, even as he outlived many of his own children and grandchildren, Ramesses II became a living god and finally, an immortal legend. With authoritative knowledge and colorful details Brand paints a compelling portrait of this legendary Pharaoh who ruled over Imperial Egypt during its Golden Age.

What do we know about the writings of ancient Egypt, two hundred years after Jean-Francois Champollion deciphered hieroglyphs? This Guide answers the question in an easily accessible format, presenting the current state of knowledge on the different scripts that were used in the Land of Pharaohs. The reader will find over fifty articles written by specialists, presenting the diversity of scripts in time and space, explaining their main organizational principles, and describing the main contexts in which they were used. The Guide begins by offering an overview of the scripts of Egypt, from the appearance of hieroglyphs up to the introduction of Arabic writing. It then explores the multiple aspects of hieroglyphic writing: the number of glyphs and their classification; the relationship between written glyphs and figurative representations; the organization in space and the materiality of hieroglyphs; the relationship of hieroglyphic writing to spoken language; as well as the play on symbols and other so-called enigmatic uses. Finally, the Guide focuses on the main uses of writing in ancient Egypt. Learning how to write, the use of movable and monumental material, inscriptions on objects and graffiti, the destruction of writing and systems of symbols are all practices that are considered. The use of writing for specific purposes-such as administrative, funerary or magical-or in specific socio-historical contexts is also adressed.