Egyptology

Egyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history and culture through texts, art, and remains dating from the Early Dynastic Period (c. 3150 BCE) to the end of late antiquity. It encompasses language and literature, religion, daily life, politics, and material culture.

Historically, modern Egyptology began in the early 19th century after the decipherment of hieroglyphs by Jean-François Champollion, following the discovery of the Rosetta Stone. Earlier travelers and antiquarians collected artifacts, but systematic excavation and interpretation emerged with scholars such as Flinders Petrie and the establishment of museums and universities in Europe and North America.

Researchers use philology, epigraphy, archaeology, and conservation, employing modern methods like typology, stratigraphy, radiocarbon dating, imaging technologies, and archaeobotany to reconstruct chronology and culture. The field relies on inscriptions, monuments, burials, and artifacts housed in museums and archives worldwide.

Key sites include Giza, Karnak, Luxor, Hierakonpolis, and the Valley of the Kings, with evidence drawn from temples, tombs, and settlements across the Nile valley and delta. Scripts include hieroglyphs, hieratic, and demotic, and the study extends to religious texts, such as pyramid texts and the Book of the Dead.

Contemporary Egyptology stresses ethical considerations, collaboration with Egyptian authorities, site preservation, and debates over repatriation of artifacts and the colonial history of exploration, while integrating new technologies and interdisciplinary approaches to interpretation.

Notable figures include Champollion, Petrie, and other archaeologists, linguists, and museum scientists who contribute to the discipline through fieldwork, decipherment, and curation.