Greek was used as a written language in Egypt from the third century BCE until the eighth century CE and more than 80.000 Greek papyri survive from this period. We look at the materiality of papyri, the history of the field, text editions and digital tools, but the main focus will be on learning how to read (or decipher) Greek papyri. We will read from original objects in the collection of the Leiden Papyrological Institute. By reading the texts in chronological order, we can observe how the Greek language and palaeography develop from the Hellenistic period until Byzantine times.

• Level: A basic knowledge of ancient Greek is expected for this course.
• Requirements: The texts read during classes can be finished as homework for extra practice, but this is not mandatory. Some introductory readings will be sent to the participants two weeks before the start of the Summer School.
• Materials: No textbook is required. Images of the texts and other course documents will be provided during class.

Coptic represents the final stage of the Egyptian language (Afro-Asiatic). It is written in the Greek alphabet with heavy borrowing of Greek vocabulary. As the most accessible form of Egyptian, it is essential for a better understanding of the earlier stages of the language. Knowledge of Coptic gives access to a wealth of late-ancient sources.

This course offers an intensive introduction to the grammar of Sahidic, the most important variety of Coptic, used in southern Egypt between the fourth and eleventh centuries. It is aimed at learning to read Coptic texts independently in a short period of time.

• Level: No previous knowledge is required.
• Requirements: Every chapter in the textbook is accompanied by useful exercises. Making the exercises (or a selection thereof) on a daily basis is strongly recommended, but not mandatory. A schedule and introductory material will be circulated two weeks before the start of the classes
• Materials: We will be following the textbook by C.H. Reintges, Coptic Egyptian (Sahidic Dialect): A Learner’s Grammar, Cologne 2004/2018. It is currently unavailable, but all essential material will be provided in class.

This course is an introduction to demotic papyrology. The demotic script is a very cursive version of the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic script, It first emerged during the 7th century BCE, and developed through early, Ptolemaic, and Roman forms. Demotic papyri are particularly informative about the daily and socioeconomic life of the middle social classes, because many contracts, accounts and private legal documents have been preserved.

This course aims to teach the basics of the script and language, and provide the transliteration and translation tools students need to start tackling Demotic texts and text publications.

• Level: No previous knowledge is required.
• Requirements: There will be short homework assignments during the course, predominantly preparing text that will be read in class. Homework assignments are optional, but recommended to make the most of the course. Introductory readings will be sent to the participants two weeks before the start of the Summer School.
• Materials: No textbook is required. Images of texts and other course materials will be provided before and during the course.

This course will give an introduction to the field of Papyrology in the broadest sense, covering almost all papyrological languages, taught by specialists in the respective subdisciplines. From papyri written in Egyptian (Hieratic, Demotic and Coptic scripts) and Aramaic to papyri written in Greek, Latin, Persian and Arabic. From the Pharaonic period until the early Islamic Empire. The course includes a visit to the papyrus collections of the National Museum of Antiquities and the Leiden Papyrological Institute [excursions for only campus students only].

For a detailed course description, see here.

• Level: No previous knowledge of the languages in question is required; all texts will be read in translation.
• Requirements: There is no homework required for this course. For an extra assignment for additional ECTS points please contact the teacher of the topic of your choice.
• Materials: No textbook is required; all course documents are provided in class or sent to the students two weeks before the start of the Summer School.