JK
5.0Reviewed May 8, 2020
The best and most comprehensive course I have ever attended. Thumbs up! Many Thanks to the University of Penn for such and opportunity and coursera for the access. Humbly grateful
Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization
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.
Status: Social Studies
Status: Liberal Arts
IntermediateCourse8 hours
Featured reviews
DL
5.0Reviewed Jun 12, 2023
Very informative and interesting, this course gives a good background on a variety of topics regarding ancient Egypt and does not require preliminary knowledge. Strongly Recommend !
AM
5.0Reviewed Aug 27, 2021
I absolutely loved this course and the overall demonstration by Mr. David Silverman. This will certainly help me in my future and I recommend everyone to take this wonderful course.
JM
5.0Reviewed Oct 17, 2022
This course offers a comprehensive introduction to Ancient Egypt and its civilization. By taking this course, you gain a understanding of basic concepts of the Anicent Egyptian life and afterlife.
RR
5.0Reviewed Mar 24, 2020
First online course and I loved every moment of it! It felt really refreshing to hear some old names that I used to study as a child. Well done and thanks again for the amazing opportunity!
ML
5.0Reviewed Mar 25, 2020
What a wonderful experience and professor. I've had an interest in Ancient Egypt since I was a child and feel so much more informed and eager to learn more in his following courses.
RR
5.0Reviewed Feb 17, 2025
It was amazing to delve in the glorious history of Ancient Egypt . I loved to learn about the kings, queens and the monuments which defined the definite past. I will rate it 100/100!
SZ
5.0Reviewed May 1, 2023
It's a great introduction course about ancient Egyptian civilization! I would recommend to anyone who doesn't know anything about Egypt and those who wants to refresh its knowledge.
MC
5.0Reviewed Feb 16, 2020
This is a great course about Ancient Egypt. I went right into the next course "Wonders of Egypt". I also love the Penn Museum in Philadelphia which inspired me to take this course!
MO
4.0Reviewed Oct 13, 2022
I found it to be a basic course for people who are new to the fascinating world of Egyptian civilization. I hope that in the future there will be the possibility to go much deeper into the topics.
GS
5.0Reviewed May 20, 2023
The course was very interactive and offers a tons of activities. The teacher was very nice and the teaching was very easy to understand. The assignments were a bit challenging but very interesting.
AB
5.0Reviewed Apr 25, 2020
The pacing is well done! I would like to see some more up-to-date research, like Wilfred/a the mummy resolution, f.e. This course could easily be longer and I would love to take that!