Ancient Egyptian Forum

[Neb-Ma'at-Re]

Ramsekh, are you aware that the hieroglyphs in your signature flash do not match the english text that flashes? In fact the hieroglyphs do not really translate to anything. They are just random.
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[Google]

[Ankhesenamun3]

Most do not really say anything.

[Ramsekh]

I used a hieroglyph font so they're not correct. Hieroglyphs were written by the sounds. They say in the font, I am aliv, I am strong, My bdy wil not b... destryed n this... etrnl lnd. I mainly just did that so that they were visible and didn't run off the canvas.
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[Neb-Ma'at-Re]

Actually that's not what they say. Those are the signs the english letters are assigned to on that particular font but the phonetic values do not correspond to the actual glyphs.

I suppose you know that but why not use the correct glyphs? It is easy to fool those that do not know how to read hieroglyphs but it looks kinda silly to someone who can read them..

Let me know if you need help.
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[Ramsekh]

Well now I can't even find the font now so I haven't bothered with it.
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[Psusennes I]

Neb Maat Re,

I can't help noticing the fact that your border at the bottom doesn't seem to make sense either- I appreciate that you are very learned and respected in this forum so I don't mean to be rude, but does it actually make any sense?

I transliterated it as:

"Ankh-ir-sa-ha-hen-kheper"

[Neb-Ma'at-Re]

I didn't make it, just borrowed it (...wink...wink) however, I did not attempt to provide a false translation from english to heiroglyphs.

Dang it, I knew after I posted on Ramsekh's scrolling image someone was gonna call me out on that silly bar..ha.

Actually because it is symetric, you should start from the inner most sign (kheper)and work your way out. Remember, you always read against the direction the symbols are facing. Good catch and nice try on the transliteration though Psusennes!
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[Psusennes I]

You didn't expect me to interrupt did you.

You seem quite good at hieroglyphs though Neb-Maat-Re and I am ok, so why don't we have a go at putting Ransekh's message into hieroglyphs (or at least try).

"I am alive, I am strong, My body will not be destroyed in this eternal land"

I could probably do the first bit, but the second bit I would find very difficult.

"hr-ankh-(i)" (does specific present take the suffix pronoun?)
"hr-wsr-(i)"

Oh I can't do it! As I say all of these books about learning hieroglyphs don't actually deal with grammar, but just teach you silly but useful little phrases. Can you do any better, and if you can, how did you learn to?!
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[Senetseshat]

I have added a few tutorials and a complete list of signs to my site

www.ancientegyptonline.co.uk/hieroglyphs.html

They should get you started.

The best book for beginners (imho) is "How to read Hieroglyphs" by Collier and Manley.
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iw m hotep
welcome in peace

Kemet Design
Ancient Egypt Online

[Hatshepsut76]

interesting site, senet!

I read Collier and Manley's book: I find that it's a good book for beginners, don't you think so?
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L'anima è una luce flebile. Quando si trascura, si oscura e si spegne... Ma quando vi si versa l'olio santo dell'amore, allora si illumina come la luce perpetua.

(iniziazione dei Sacerdoti di Osiride)

[Senetseshat]

I personally like the Collier and Manley book alot, but the dictionary is quite restricted and some people find the grammer offputting at first.

"Understanding hieroglyphs" by H Wilson is great if you just want to be able to recognise the names of places, gods and pharaohs. It ignores grammer, but is a good gentle intro.

What are your favourites?
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iw m hotep
welcome in peace

Kemet Design
Ancient Egypt Online

[Neb-Ma'at-Re]

My first was Hieroglyphs without Mystery: An Introduction to Ancient Egyptian Writing by Karl Zauzich (translated by Ann Macy Roth). It is a very basic introduction to hieroglyphs and provides the reader with enough knowledge to read some common formulae of royal inscription. This book does not get too extensively into grammar.

The next book I used was The Handbook of Egyptian Hieroglyphs: A Study of the Ancient Language by Samuel A. Mercer. This book is a little more advanced than the first and moves more into the grammar of the ancient language . There are actual extensive inscriptions in the back to parctice on once you've completed all the exercises and there is quite a nice little dictionary in the back (english to egyptian as well as egyptian to english).

Then I moved on to the BIG BLUE BOOK. For those of you who don't know what I am refering to, it is James P. Allen's Middle Egyptian: An Introduction to the Language and Culture of Hieroglyphs. With 26 lessons, exercises (with answers), a dictionary, and 25 essays on various aspects of the Ancient Egyptian history, society, religion, and literature, it is of course today's prefered text for hieroglyph courses around the world.
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[rich]

Online Hieroglyphics Translator
http://www.quizland.com/hiero.mv

[Nefertiti92]

[egyptianscribe]

HieroNote is an awsome Hieroglyphic Tutorial program that can be down loaded for free at 3D2F.com
I can read and translate popular signs and text and I can type in Hieroglyphic text.
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egyptianscribe
To speak the name of the dead is to make them live again.