A Certificate of Completion
At the end of this course you will be able to download a personalised certificate of completion from the classroom. A great way to keep track of your learning and celebrate your Egyptological journey.
Ancient Egyptian Symbols
with Dr Penny Wilson
6x Monday Evenings 4th November - 9th December 2024
Times: 7.30-9pm (UK Times to join live)
We love to see you for the live lectures, but if you have to miss one, don't worry, you can of course catch up (or watch again) at your leisure via the recordings. You will have access to the recorded lectures for a whole month after the last live lecture. Recordings will be available until 9th January 2025.
We are all used to seeing Egyptian objects and scenes with a range of hieroglyphs and signs, but some of the motifs are repeated again and again, to the point that they become ‘symbolic’ rather than part of the text or scene in which they are used. Other signs are encountered in the form of amulets or occur within scenes as paraphernalia of the gods. The short series of talks will investigate some of the commonly occurring ‘symbols’ or signs used in Egyptian scenes and rituals. We will look at the origins of the symbols and follow the development of their rich areas of use and meaning, their links to ideology and myths and their relationship with the king and the gods.
The signs chosen for this course include the wedjat-eye, the tyet-knot, the djed-column symbols of protection such as the shen- and sa-signs, and the ankh-sign including its animate form. The meanings range from the basic use of knots, trees, powerfacts and how the ideas are extended into the cosmic sphere, linking human anxieties and needs with supranatural solutions.
Join us for this six week course of lectures exploring the magic and meaning behind these enigmatic symbols.
Dr Penny Wilson
Penny Wilson is an Associate Professor in Egyptian Archaeology in the Dept. Archaeology at Durham University, where she has worked for the last 20 years and before then, she was Assistant Keeper in the Dept. Antiquities, Fitzwilliam Museum, Cambridge. She studied at Liverpool University, where she completed her PhD, now published as ‘A Ptolemaic Lexikon’. She is currently the Director of the Delta Survey Project for the Egypt Exploration Society and field director of the Royal City of Sais Project. Her interests include religious life in Ancient Egypt, settlement archaeology and the Late period to Late Antique Nile Delta. Her publications include field reports on the Sais excavations and Delta survey work as well as ‘Sacred Signs’ an introduction to the role of hieroglyphs in ancient Egypt.
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Session links will be available in the course Classroom. Room opens 30 minutes before the lecture begins. If you do not have the course link or have any other queries please get in touch.