Introduction to Demotic

4 credits · Graduate

Demotic (derived from the Greek word demos, meaning "people") is the spoken and written language used by the people of Egypt during the Saite, Persian, Ptolemaic, and Roman periods (664 BCE–452 CE). Knowledge of this stage and script of the ancient language is essential for a proper understanding of Egypt during the later periods. After an introduction to the script and grammar (including non-verbal sentences and simple verbal forms), we will read and translate texts chosen from a wide variety of sources: mummy labels, inscribed votive stelae, liturgical, funerary, and magical texts, and oracles.