Hieroglyphics: The Writings of Ancient Egypt

By Maria Carmelo Betro, Maria Carmelo Bertro, Maria Carmela Betro

Both literal and highly lyrical, hieroglyphics bring alive a distant world, with descriptions of the natural environment, the art, the society, the religious beliefs, and even the philosophical basis of a culture that flourished 5,000 years ago. Presenting and explaining almost 600 of the figures used in the classic phase of Egypt's "sacred writing," this fascinating volume traces the origins and the meaning of each sign, as well as its graphic stylization. An opening essay reveals the secrets of the hieroglyphic system, including its development and its structural characteristics, and emphasizes the sacred, evocative, even magical power of the form, which -- unlike our own abstract alphabet -- is immediate and expressive. Concluding the book are a complete glossary, a bibliography, and an index, designed to make this book invaluable to the casual reader as well as the student and specialist.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0789202328
• ISBN13: 9780789202321
• Release Date: October 1996
• Publisher: Abbeville Press
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 4.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 7.0" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Good view of determinatives

This book, while not covering the actual text of the language, covers a very important component of Middle Egyptian: The Determinatives. A lot of words in Middle Egyptian were spelled the same, and the only thing that told them apart was the picture that said what they were. This was also important for showing if something was a statement or a proper name. Very good addition to any hieroglyph book collection!

A handbook to the hieroglyphic writing of the Nile Valley

Maria Carmela Betro's Hieroglyphics provides a handbook to the hieroglyphic writing of the Nile Valley, using an organization by symbol to lend to a dictionary of history and explanation. An amazing guide to a written language that blends phonic symbols with pictograms.

A very interesting book!

This is a very interesting book if you are interested in the background and history of each individual hieroglyphic sign. It's a great supplement to introductory books about the ancient Egyptian language - most books only arrange the signs into families or types and don't tell you much about individual signs. If other books about hieroglyphs leave you hungry for more, then this may be the book for you.