Introduction to Demotic (8 Weeks)

Tuesdays, May 7-June 25 (8 weeks), 7-9pm Central (Chicago) Time on Zoom and recorded

Cost: Non-members ($392), Members ($314), Docents/Volunteers/ISAC Travellers ($157), UChicago Lab/Charter, Students, Faculty, and Staff ($98). Not yet a member? Become a member today and save! https://isac.uchicago.edu/Join%20and%20Give/friends-isac or add on a membership when you register for this class

Bundle with the other Ancient Egyptian language classes (Late Egyptian and Demotic) and save 15%: Non-members ($1000), Members ($800), Docents/Volunteers/ISACI Travellers ($400), UChicago Lab/Charter, Students, Faculty, and Staff ($250).

Instructor: Foy Scalf, PhD, Head of the ISAC Research Archives and Research Associate

Explore the mysteries of the Book of Thoth and the secret scriptorium of the priesthood! Demotic refers the language and cursive script used in ancient Egypt from ca. 700 BCE–300 CE. During this dynamic, multicultural period, a wealth of famous Demotic literature developed, including the Book of Thoth, the Epics of Setna Khamwas and Inaros, tales of Imhotep, the Instruction of Ankhsheshonqy, the Demotic Book of Breathing, and many others. Parts of the Demotic tales known as the Dream of Nectanebo and the Myth of the Sun’s eye were translated into Greek and found their way into Medieval literature, making the seemingly esoteric Demotic studies relevant to global history and literature. Over this eight-week course, students will begin their journey in Demotic studies by learning Demotic signs, the mechanics of the script, words, and grammatical constructions coupled with guided readings of Demotic texts, supplemented by manuscripts from the museum collections of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures. Students can expect to learn over 100 signs, 200 words, the most important grammatical constructions fundamental to Demotic, and the strategies for independent study to continue their learning journey after the class. There are no prerequisites for this course. Previous experience studying Egyptian hieroglyphs, hieratic, or Late Egyptian will be helpful, but it is not a requirement. his is a rare opportunity to gain in-depth experience at one of the world-leading centers for Demotic studies, with a phase of the language rarely studied outside of the university classroom. All class sessions will be recorded and available to students to pursue at their own pace.

Foy Scalf received his PhD in Egyptology with honors from the University of Chicago with a dissertation examining religious literature from Roman Egypt and identifying its origins in the oral traditions attested in graffiti. He has published widely on ancient Egypt within its North African and Mediterranean context, making contributions to the understanding of its intellectual culture, textual transmission, and history of the book. In 2017, he curated a special exhibit for the ISAC Museum called “Book of the Dead: Becoming God in Ancient Egypt” and assembled a group of internationally-acclaimed scholars as editor of the accompanying catalog. Since 2006, he has regularly taught classes for the ISAC adult education program. He also lectures in the NELC department at UChicago and SOIS department at Dominican University, where he received the 2022 College of Applied Social Sciences Excellence in Teaching award for part-time faculty. At ISAC, Foy is Head of the Research Archives and Integrated Database project, for which he received the Archival Innovator award from the Society of American Archivists in 2016.

Event Venue

Online