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.
The Problem of Ancient Egyptian Literature: what's it all about?
with Dr William Manley
4 lectures delivered over 2 afternoons. Saturday 27th & Sunday 28th September 2025
2- 5 pm UK time
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 28th October.
Ancient literature has played a crucial role in shaping our modern perception of pharaonic Egypt—its beliefs, its history, its patterns of life and its language. Bawdy satires seem to humanise even the figures of kings on the walls of monuments; smart people pick over the bones of ambition and success; and melancholy laments strike a chord with our moments of angst and self-doubt.
Yet, what we have from across three-thousand years of pharaohs is a surprisingly small collection of maybe two dozen well-preserved texts. Our principal manuscripts derive from just a handful of ancient collections, and all were purchased in the nineteenth century or found in tombs at Thebes.
In other words, pharaonic books turn out to be a very specific phenomenon, and the role they played in ancient life is far from certain. Essentially, what we find are three types of texts: philosophy or ‘teaching’ ascribed to named authors, accounts of ‘fine speaking’, and episodic narratives about leaving Egypt. Across this weekend, we can take a good look at one example of each of these three, and explore how they relate to one another and to ancient Egyptian culture more generally. What are these scant remains really all about?
Please note, this is not a hieroglyph reading class so there is no need for students to be able to understand hieroglyphs. We will be discussing the texts and students will have access to translations for several of the main documents we will be exploring, to read ahead of the class if they wish. Join Dr Bill Manley for Saturday and Sunday afternoon lectures as we enjoy a weekend set of 4 sessions exploring these pre-eminent sources.
Dr William Manley
Bill Manley is the author of several best-selling books about Ancient Egypt, and currently works with the Wadi C2 Project in Luxor. His book with Mark Collier, How To Read Egyptian Hieroglyphs, is the British Museum’s best-selling title ever, and other popular textbooks include Egyptian Hieroglyphs for Complete Beginners (Thames & Hudson), Egyptian Art in the prestigious World of Art Series (Thames & Hudson) and The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Egypt (Swanston), which has been in print for three decades. He also contributed the chapter ‘Literary Texts’ to the encyclopaedic The Oxford Handbook of Egyptology (OUP, 2020). Bill’s last book, The Oldest Book in the World (Thames & Hudson), garnered a five-star review from the Wall Street Journal among others, while his latest, Sahidic Coptic: An Introductory Textbook (UCL Press) will be published later this year. Bill was formerly Senior Curator for Ancient Egypt at National Museums Scotland, and taught Egyptology and Coptic at the Universities of Glasgow, Liverpool and London. He has spoken at several international book festivals, including The Sunday Times Literary Festival, and these days is Co-director of Complutense Egyptology, a contributor to the Coptic Magical Papyri Project, and Honorary President of Egyptology Scotland.
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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.