NEAR EASTERN STUDIES, BERKELEY, SPRING 2021

Learn to read and write like an ancient

Egyptian scribe!

Exquisite handwriting in Demotic Annuity Contract, OIM 17481

DEMOTIC TEXTS (EGYPT 204B)

M/W | 12:00-1:30 PM Pacific Time | Fully Remote, Online | 4 Units

Learn how to read and write Demotic, the stage and script of the ancient Egyptian
language used extensively by scribes during the Saite, Persian, Ptolemaic, and
Roman Periods (664 BCE – 452 CE). Demotic appears in magical, funerary, and
liturgical texts, as well as business and legal documents, private letters, and literary
works. Knowledge of Demotic is essential for a proper understanding of Egypt
during the later periods. This course builds upon the skills learned in Egyptian
204A, which introduced the script and basic grammar. We will begin by reading
some oaths, marriage contracts, and sales of property; students will write their own
short Demotic texts in these genres--a particularly enjoyable class activity. We will
then do close readings of well-known literary, mythological, and magical texts,
such as The First Tale of Setne Khaemwas, the Myth of the Sun Eye, and the
famous London-Leiden Magical Papyrus. By the end of this semester, you will
have a solid foundation in Demotic and its grammatical system, with the ability to
read texts on your own and do research in primary documents written in Demotic.

Prerequisite: one year of another stage of the ancient Egyptian language;

preferably also one semester of a course in beginning Demotic, or permission of
the instructor. This course is open to undergraduate and graduate students.

Instructor: Barbara Richter, PhD in Egyptology, UC Berkeley

(richter@berkeley.edu)
Join us for the first class at 12pm Pacific Time, Wed., January 20, 2021!