Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization

This course illustrates unique features of Ancient Egyptian culture including its gods, rulers, and pyramids. It is offered by the University of Pennsylvania through Coursera, an online education platform.

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 subjects such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary practices, mathematics, literature, and accounting. Then, early in the 20th century, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun. Taught by 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, this course is set in the galleries of the world famous Penn Museum.

Some of the course contents are:

• History and chronology
• The Pharaoh and kingship
• Gods and Goddesses