More than a decade ago, I visited Egypt as part of a tour group. My tour guide at the time was an Egyptologist named Paul, and I will never forget our mornings in the museum in Cairo. One of the highlights was the Socratic Lectures, where Paul would teach us how to read hieroglyphics. The lectures were extremely inspirational and still remain amongst my top five favorite learning experiences. As I neared the end of my studies and began to contemplate a career change, one of the main things I thought about was becoming an Egyptologist.
The more I learned about the field, the more I realized how much of an impact it could have on my life. It wasn’t just the subject matter that was interesting—the chance to learn how to read ancient Egyptian was something that I found captivating. After a few inquiries, I discovered that there was no formal course available for an interested student. So, I decided to create one myself. This is how I arrived at the Socratic Method of Learning Egyptian.
What is the Socratic Method of Learning Egyptian?
The Socratic Method of Learning Egyptian is a course designed to help students learn to read hieroglyphics and ancient Egyptian language. It was inspired by the Socratic Method of Learning Latin, which is widely used in academia. In the early fourteenth century, Socrates conducted classes of inquiry with his students. For those who didn’t know Latin, he would ask questions and engage in dialogue with the students. During these sessions, the students would discover the answers on their own, through reasoning and critical thinking. This is known as inductive learning, which makes it distinct from the more commonly used deductive method. Because it focuses on the process of discovery, the Socratic Method is often employed in education to this day.
Most students who have taken the Socratic Method of Learning Egyptian report that it was both effective and inspiring. It is a highly recommended method because it helps people of all ages and backgrounds discover knowledge, rather than memorize facts and formulas. Additionally, it fosters an environment of inquiry and curiosity, which are both necessary for a well-rounded education.
How Did I Learn to Read Egyptian?
It was during my second year of university, and like most students, I found myself struggling to keep up with my academic workload. As well as studying a full course load, I was also taking a heavy course load in Greek and Roman culture, which was offered at a local community college. On the weekends, I would work on my schoolwork and manage to fit in some studying on the sly. One day, I signed up for a study group session with one of my professors, and he asked if I wanted to participate in a project that he was working on. I said yes, and he introduced me to the Socratic Method of Learning Egyptian.
The professor had set up a series of rooms, each containing several display cases. The displays were made up of different artifacts that he believed could be linked to the civilization of Ancient Egypt. The room had a variety of fascinating items, such as mummies, animal mummies, Egyptian art, and even a few sarcophagi. My initial reaction was that this was going to be way too much work, but I agreed to help out anyway.
When we began our study of the artifacts, our professor asked us to identify the items that we thought could be linked to Ancient Egypt. We spent about an hour going through the room and discussing what we saw. One of the items that I remembered seeing was a sarcophagus, and I pointed it out to the group. While the professor was familiar with the item and had seen it before, he had never actually studied it in-depth. He told us that this was because, for the most part, sarcophagi were not considered to be very valuable, and it was uncommon to find any in good condition.
This is when the light bulb went off in my head. It was the first time that I had ever considered the value that scholars placed on different types of items, and it made me realize how much I did not know about the field of Egyptology—even the name itself sounded fascinating! After identifying the sarcophagus, I remembered that there was a famous sarcophagus dance that was performed at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. This is a ritualistic display that features dancers in elaborate costumes, often depicting Egyptian gods and pharaohs. I had seen it once, many years earlier (I was a kid then…), but had never given it much thought beyond that. As soon as I mentioned it, I could see the spark of interest in the eyes of my classmates, and even my professor seemed interested as well.
At the end of that first session, we went through a list of the most important aspects of an artifact that we felt needed to be considered before dating it. One of the aspects that we discussed was the material from which it was made. While all of the items in the room were made of some type of hard, shiny material, many of the sarcophagi were made of wood. My professor mentioned that the wood had rotted away over time, and it was difficult to know how old some of the items were.
After that first session, I decided to take a closer look at the Socratic Method of Learning Egyptian, and I began reading as much as I could about it. I was particularly intrigued by how the method dealt with the issue of old versus new materials. In the early stages of our project, our professor informed us that many items in the room had been there for a very long time and were not authentic. He cautioned us not to put too much stock in the dating of the items because this could cause us to be deceived. The Socratic Method of Learning Egyptian addresses this issue by questioning whether an item is old or new, and not assuming any sort of definitive answer. This is why it is considered a more advanced method of learning. In the end, we agreed that some of the items were very old and some were quite new.
Why Is It Important to Study Egyptology?
One of the most significant contributions that Egyptology has made to date is in opening up new information to historians and researchers. By dating ancient Egyptian artifacts, we are able to glean important details about the lives of the people who created and used them. It is through studying these artifacts that we can get a clearer picture of how the world worked in the past. This is why it is important to study Egyptology—the chance to explore history through the eyes of the people who lived it is something that we should all take advantage of.
Another significant contribution that Egyptology has made to date is in cataloguing and storing data about ancient civilizations. It used to be that scholars would rely on their personal observations and the memories of those who witnessed events firsthand to write their findings. However, with the advancement of technology, much of this data has been preserved and can be accessed through the internet. Through collaboration and the establishment of a common language, scholars working in Egyptology are able to access this data and use it to answer important questions about Egyptian history and culture. Ultimately, this research is helping to educate people about the lives of those who lived in the Past, which is something that everyone can benefit from.
There is much more that can be said about the importance of studying Egyptology. It is a fascinating field that has the potential to change the way that we view history itself. As well as this, it has the potential to enrich our cultural backgrounds and make us more receptive to different ways of thinking and new ideas. If you are passionate about history, it is well worth your time to study Egyptology.