Why Reading Egyptian Hieroglyphics Is Easier Than You Think

WeÔÇÖve fea┬ştured Egyp┬ştol┬şo┬şgist Ilona Regul┬şs┬şki here on Open Cul┬şture a few times before. Once, she explained how to read ancient Egypt┬şian hiero┬şglyphs; anoth┬şer time, she told us what the Roset┬şta Stone actu┬şal┬şly says. It was, per┬şhaps, inevitable that she would cross paths with Rob Watts, cre┬şator of the YouTube chan┬şnel Rob┬şWords, whose videos we often post. When he made the jour┬şney to BerlinÔÇÖs Neues Muse┬şum, and specif┬şi┬şcal┬şly to its Egypt┬şian Muse┬şum, Regul┬şs┬şki was the expert he sought out to tell him ÔÇö and us ÔÇö all about how hiero┬şglyphs, lit┬şer┬şal┬şly ÔÇťsacred carv┬şings,ÔÇŁ actu┬şal┬şly make words. Faced with a stone chis┬şeled full of hiero┬şglyphs, where do we start? Ancient Egypt┬şian texts are all read from top to bot┬ştom, but some go left to right, and oth┬şers right to left. To know which way, Regul┬şs┬şki says, we must first look for sym┬şbols with a clear front and back, such as those in human or ani┬şmal shapes. Some names are writ┬şten in blocks, them┬şselves read from top to bot┬ştom ÔÇö unless they con┬ştain a sign refer┬şring to a god, which, of course, gets cus┬ştom┬şar┬şi┬şly ele┬şvat┬şed to the top. But even if we under┬şstand the exact order in which we should read a giv┬şen string of hiero┬şglyphs, the ques┬ştion remains: how do we actu┬şal┬şly do that read┬şing? Though many hiero┬şglyphs do appear to be fig┬şu┬şra┬ştive, with their rec┬şog┬şniz┬şable forms of birds, bugs, arms, legs, and such, only some┬ştimes are they meant to rep┬şre┬şsent what they look like. Regul┬şs┬şki explains that some of these signs are let┬şters, and can be pro┬şnounced in much the same way as our own alpha┬şbet. What looks like a mouth sounds like an r; a high┬şly abstract┬şed bread loaf, t; a horned viper, ph; an owl, m. There is, of course, more to it. Signs can be com┬şbined not just to indi┬şcate sound, but also to dis┬şam┬şbiguate mean┬şing. As you may have noticed, hiero┬şglyph┬şic writ┬şing is also what Watts calls a ÔÇťvow┬şel-free zone.ÔÇŁ Exact┬şly which of those sounds go where is, like cer┬ştain oth┬şer unre┬şsolved aspects of hiero┬şglyphs, a mat┬şter of ongo┬şing expert inquiry. But Egyp┬ştol┬şo┬şgists, as see┬şing Regul┬şs┬şki in action reminds us, are a ded┬şi┬şcat┬şed bunch. Relat┬şed con┬ştent: How to Read Ancient Egypt┬şian Hiero┬şglyphs: A British Muse┬şum Cura┬ştor Explains How to Carve Hiero┬şglyphs Just Like the Ancient Egyp┬ştians Did You Could Soon Be Able to Text with 2,000 Ancient Egypt┬şian Hiero┬şglyphs What the Roset┬şta Stone Actu┬şal┬şly Says What Ancient Egypt┬şian Sound┬şed Like & How We Know It Based in Seoul, Col┬şin Marshall writes and broad┬şcasts on cities, lan┬şguage, and cul┬şture. HeÔÇÖs the author of the newslet┬şter Books on Cities as well as the books ÝĽťŕÁş ýÜöýĽŻ ળýžÇ (No Sum┬şma┬şriz┬şing Korea) and Kore┬şan Newtro. Fol┬şlow him on the social net┬şwork for┬şmer┬şly known as Twit┬şter at @colinmarshall. Your arti┬şcle popped up on my phone this morn┬şing and I read it imme┬şdi┬şate┬şly. I am researcher and author Leg┬şesse Allyn (https://jallynconsulting.com/TheDigitalDivine). After iden┬şti┬şfy┬şing the spo┬şken lan┬şguage of the hiero┬şglyphs in 1991, between 2009 and 2026 IÔÇÖve pub┬şlished 27 books con┬ştain┬şing over 3000 word match┬şes between the hiero┬şglyphs and the lan┬şguage I iden┬şti┬şfied. Need┬şless to say, Egyp┬ştol┬şo┬şgists donÔÇÖt like me very much, espe┬şcial┬şly the PhDs who spent over $100,000 on their edu┬şca┬ştion that says the ancient Egypt┬şian hiero┬şglyph┬şic lan┬şguage is a ÔÇťdeadÔÇŁ one. Then I come along in 2009 and give them the spo┬şken lan┬şguage, mean┬şing they have to spend more time and mon┬şey learn┬şing the lan┬şguage ancient Greek his┬şto┬şri┬şan Diodor┬şus had already writ┬şten was the lan┬şguage of both the Egypt founders and their let┬şters ÔÇö Ethiopi┬şans. Your arti┬şcle is right about how to read ancient Egypt┬şian hiero┬şglyphs. And if your read┬şers know Amhar┬şic and Tigrigna, know some┬şbody who does, or learns the two lan┬şguages, they can eas┬şi┬şly not only learn the words, but actu┬şal┬şly SPEAK the ancient Egypt┬şian lan┬şguage, even as it is still spo┬şken today in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Not PhD Egyp┬ştol┬şo┬şgist gib┬şber┬şish. No, the real lan┬şguage spo┬şken still by near┬şly 100 mil┬şlion peo┬şple. If you want some dirt on me, just go over to the Hall of Maat forum for some laughs, as the Egyp┬ştol┬şo┬şgists there try to do an inter┬şven┬ştion with me, and get me to see the fool┬şish┬şness of my ways, in two week-long threads eachÔÇŽ https://www.maatforum.com/forum/read.php?6,514543,514661 https://www.maatforum.com/forum/read.php?6,514543,516038#msg-516038 YouÔÇÖll be hap┬şpy that the inter┬şven┬ştion did┬şnÔÇÖt work, and since that time after they post┬şed my first book (the forum own┬şer post┬şed that my book was┬şnÔÇÖt worth wast┬şing her mon┬şey on), I went on to pub┬şlish 26 more books, which in 2018 began, com┬şplete┬şly by acci┬şdent, weed┬şing out misog┬şy┬şnis┬ştic male Egyp┬ştol┬şo┬şgistsÔÇÖ 19th cen┬ştu┬şry lies about ancient women. Start┬şing in 2018, I began see┬şing that begin┬şning with Cham┬şpol┬şlion, the French┬şman dur┬şing the time of the Trans-Atlantic African slav┬şery (yes, the French kid┬şnapped and sold Africans into slav┬şery), were inten┬ştion┬şal┬şly mis┬şchar┬şac┬şter┬şiz┬şing Africans as inhu┬şman mon┬şkeys. This was sole┬şly to fur┬şther their enslave┬şment and forced labor of African slav┬şery, because at the time the best farm┬şers in the world who could sin┬şgle-hand┬şed┬şly alle┬şvi┬şate the Euro┬şpean and Jamestown famines (that includ┬şed can┬şni┬şbal┬şism) were the African farm┬şers they kid┬şnapped. Not only that, but for women, I began more accu┬şrate┬şly retrans┬şlat┬şing ancient text that sup┬şpos┬şed┬şly sup┬şport┬şed menÔÇÖs misog┬şy┬şny sur┬şround┬şing ancient women, sup┬şpos┬şed┬şly that women were weak, the fall of mankind, and weÔÇÖre not ALLOWED to own land. Well, that was true begin┬şning in ancient Greece after the 400-year ancient Greek ÔÇťDark Greek AgeÔÇŁ, when the ancient Greek men slammed the women for the famine, star┬şva┬ştion and suf┬şfer┬şing (actu┬şal┬şly caused by drought), which end┬şed 850BC (2800 years ago). The ancient texts I began rein┬şter┬şpret┬şing based on the REAL lan┬şguage of the hiero┬şglyphs (both Egypt┬şian and ancient writ┬şten Greek) revealed that for these near┬şly 3000 years, women were vil┬şi┬şfied in ancient writ┬şings around the world in mis┬ştrans┬şlat┬şed ancient texts that have hid┬şden the true pow┬şer of ancient women, and today lies being rein┬şforced by misog┬şy┬şnis┬ştic PhD Egyp┬ştol┬şo┬şgist men (and their unsus┬şpect┬şing female PhD coun┬şter┬şparts). I start┬şed rein┬şter┬şpret┬şing these ancient texts across the ancient world that revealed women owned EVERYTHING ÔÇö all land, farms and mar┬şkets were owned by women, pow┬şer┬şful queens with the same title across the ancient world: MOTHER, OWNER, COMMANDER. ThatÔÇÖs right. Ancient men owned noth┬şing. They cer┬ştain┬şly werenÔÇÖt allowed to dis┬ştrib┬şute food. But start┬şing 2800 years ago, the ancient Greek men stripped their moth┬şers and grand┬şmoth┬şers of their land, for┬şbid women from gov┬şer┬şnance, and began con┬şfin┬şing women to the house. Then in their answer to famine and star┬şva┬ştion, the ancient Greek men went around the ancient world plun┬şder┬şing wom┬şenÔÇÖs farms from Greece to India and to Egypt, sup┬şport┬şed by their so-called PHILOSOPHY, which says itÔÇÖs okay to plun┬şder your neigh┬şboursÔÇÖ farms if youÔÇÖre hun┬şgry. And today you can see how devi┬şsive men can be, con┬ştin┬şu┬şing to hold women back, all based on the lie that women have nev┬şer had rights and there┬şfore should┬şnÔÇÖt expect it now. What hap┬şpened to me, a male in West┬şern soci┬şety to betray the very West┬şern misog┬şy┬şny IÔÇÖve be endowed? I grew up with only sis┬şters. Yup, I have no broth┬şers. So, grow┬şing up, I already learned what I am today reveal┬şing from ancient texts today: if thereÔÇÖs a woman in the room, I know IÔÇÖm not the boss! Very sim┬şple. All men would do good to learn this, else learn it in divorce. So, all my books since and includ┬şing 2018, are focused on bring┬şing out the truth thatÔÇÖs revealed when retrans┬şlat┬şing ancient texts with REAL LANGUAGE. And this is why Egyp┬ştol┬şo┬şgists hate me, because IÔÇÖm break┬şing the near┬şly 3000 years of misog┬şy┬şnis┬ştic hold West┬şern men have had on women ÔÇö the real tar┬şget of West┬şern menÔÇÖs hatred. Yes, they even hate the pow┬şer of their own moth┬şers. So when you vis┬şit the Hall of Maat forum and read the dis┬şgust┬şing way they treat┬şed me, notice they nev┬şer exam┬şined my words, decod┬şed my method, nor showed me the errors of my ways. They could only express shock, scorn, and ret┬şri┬şbu┬ştion. But they could┬şnÔÇÖt stop me. And their inter┬şven┬ştion had no teeth. At my web┬şsite https://jallynconsulting.com/TheDigitalDivine you can down┬şload my books in PDF for free, and read for your┬şself the who, what, when, how and why men have betrayed women after 4.4 mil┬şlion years of our fos┬şsil record of women nur┬ştur┬şing chil┬şdren, fam┬şi┬şlies, the Earth┬şÔÇÖs envi┬şron┬şmentÔÇŽ and yes, even these misog┬şy┬şnis┬ştic men. Thank you for the arti┬şcle!