Question 1: Which of the following might be a Gardiner code?
- U+13260
- 493.15
- Aa1
- 90125
Answer 1
“Aa1” is a Gardiner code. A Gardiner code is always a single letter, or the pair of letters “Aa”, followed by a number.
- U+13260 is the Unicode value for the hieroglyph 𓉠.
- 493.15 is the Dewey Decimal Code number for books on the Egyptian language such as Allen’s Middle Egyptian and Gardiner’s Egyptian Grammar. (But it’s a Dewey code for Gardiner, not a Gardiner code. I couldn’t resist using it.)
- 90125 is the title of an album by Yes. It just seemed like a fun wrong answer.
Question 2: The Egyptian language evolved over its history. Which of the following is the form of Egyptian that students begin with, and these lessons will focus on?
- Coptic Egyptian
- Archaic Egyptian
- Middle Egyptian
- Old Egyptian
Answer 2
Middle Egyptian.
Question 3: Why is that period of Egyptian worth studying first? Give a short explanation.
Answer 3
Because it was used for centuries, even after everyday Egyptian had changed a great deal, in tombs and temples and monuments intended to last forever, so by learning Middle Egyptian we are able to read a great many inscriptions.