Reading Hieroglyphs: An introductory course to ancient Egyptian language

Have you always been curious about how to read the hieroglyphic inscriptions you see on objects in museums and on the walls of tombs and temples in Egypt? This introductory course to the ancient Egyptian language is designed to get you started without any prior experience required. We will begin with the basics, exploring hieroglyphic signs and their sound values, vocabulary, and grammar essentials. By the end of the course, you will be able to understand many common phrases carved into ancient Egyptian monuments, read several royal names, and understand the basics of the Egyptian language behind the signs on the wall. Not only will we have in-class practice, but the program will include two excursions, one to the Egyptian Museum in Tahrir and one to the tombs at Saqqara, where you can try your hand at reading the original texts.

Practical information

This course is offered in Fall 2026 (9-28 Nov). It consists of six 2-hour lectures and two excursions as follows:

Class schedule

6 classes, each 2 hours long, Monday & Wednesday 18.00-20.00h

Monday, Nov. 9: Introduction to hieroglyphs I
Wednesday, Nov. 11: Introduction to hieroglyphs II; kings’ names and dates
Monday, Nov. 16: Nouns and the genitive; offering formulae
Wednesday, Nov. 18: Adjectives and prepositions; names and titles
Monday, Nov. 23: Pronouns and non-verbal sentences I
Wednesday, Nov. 25: Non-verbal sentences II and intro to verbs

Excursions

Saturday, Nov. 21: Morning at the Egyptian Museum, Cairo (Tahrir)
Saturday, Nov. 28: Full day at Saqqara

*Dates may be subject to change

Costs

A minimum of 5 (and a maximum of 15) participants is required for this course.

5-9 participants: € 280 p.p. (Egyptians: € 220 p.p.)
10-15 participants: € 240 p.p. (Egyptians: € 180 p.p.)

Prices include course materials (handouts) and excursions (entrance tickets for Saqqara and the Egyptian Museum, transportation to Saqqara, lunch at Saqqara)

To register, please submit this Google Form.

Deadline for registration is Thursday 15 October, 2026.

For more info, please email a.w.k.singer@gmail.com

Instructor

Dr. Ariel Singer
Assistant Director for Egyptology and Archaeology at NVIC