Loupe Copy
Chevron Left
Back to Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization

Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization, University of Pennsylvania

4.6
961 ratings
•
277 reviews

About this Course

Colossal pyramids, imposing temples, golden treasures, enigmatic hieroglyphs, powerful pharaohs, strange gods, and mysterious mummies are features of Ancient Egyptian culture that have fascinated people over the millennia. The Bible refers to its gods, rulers, and pyramids. Neighboring cultures in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean wrote about its god-like kings and its seemingly endless supply of gold. The Greeks and Romans describe aspects of Egypt's culture and history. As the 19th century began, the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt highlighted the wonders of this ancient land, and public interest soared. Not long after, Champollion deciphered Egypt's hieroglyphs and paved the way for other scholars to reveal that Egyptian texts dealt with medicine, dentistry, veterinary practices, mathematics, literature, and accounting, and many other topics. Then, early in the 20th century, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun and its fabulous contents. Exhibitions of this treasure a few decades later resulted in the world's first blockbuster, and its revival in the 21st century has kept interest alive. Join Dr. David Silverman, Professor of Egyptology at Penn, Curator in Charge of the Egyptian Section of the Penn Museum, and curator of the Tutankhamun exhibitions on a guided tour of the mysteries and wonders of this ancient land. He has developed this online course and set it in the galleries of the world famous Penn Museum. He uses many original Egyptian artifacts to illustrate his lectures as he guides students as they make their own discovery of this fascinating culture....

Top reviews

By SD

•

May 28, 2018

This is indeed a great course. It is very simply put and very easy to follow up.\n\nDo join without any hesitancy if you have a genuine interest in learning about the history of ancient Egypt!

By GP

•

Mar 21, 2018

Learned more then I could have wished for, this is the best course I have had on Ancient Egypt. Thank you Professor David P. Silverman, you made this class very interesting.

Filter by:

273 Reviews

By Emily Hendricks-Bramley

•

Apr 19, 2019

Enjoyed thoroughly! Thank you Dr. Silverman.

By Joyce Underwood

•

Apr 14, 2019

I'm learning so much.

By Thom Tribble

•

Apr 11, 2019

While the subject matter is very interesting I don't think it was told well or in an exciting way.

By Peta Archer

•

Apr 09, 2019

Thank you 🙏

Most enjoyable course, well presented and the material was A1.

By Eline

•

Apr 06, 2019

I've loved this entire course but have noticed that on the English subtitles not every name matches what's been said by Silverman. Other than that it's been a fun ride and I'd definitely recommend this course.

By Julio Rubio

•

Apr 06, 2019

A WONDERFULL INTRODUCCION TO A MARVELOUS CIVILIZATION

By Alexis Chateau

•

Mar 31, 2019

This course provided valuable information I needed for book research. The lecturing was delivered pretty deadpan and the transcript was not always correct, but otherwise it was good. I learned a lot. Would highly recommend the class!

By Sophia Axiotis

•

Mar 29, 2019

Wonderful course! It was very insightful and interesting, and I can't wait to take it's sister course, "Wonders of Ancient Egypt"!

By Saloni Lodha

•

Mar 24, 2019

Couldn't have found a better course than this to get started on the Egyptian civilization. Very well taught by Mr. David.

By Caitlin Ogilvie

•

Mar 24, 2019

Fantastic course! Absolutely loved it and it was very easy to follow. I learnt a lot and it has increased my desire to learn more about Ancient Egypt.

Coursera provides universal access to the world’s best education, partnering with top universities and organizations to offer courses online.
© 2019 Coursera Inc. All rights reserved.
Download on the App StoreGet it on Google Play