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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization by University of Pennsylvania

4.6
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2,682 ratings

About the 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

SE

Oct 6, 2022

This was an excellent course in the history of ancient Egypt. I have always been fascinated by their culture & this course taught me many things that i was not aware of. I really enjoyed this course.

AR

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.

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76 - 100 of 817 Reviews for Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization

By Huma W

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Apr 13, 2020

Great as an introduction to the world of ancient Egypt. I enjoyed every session massively and the simplicity in the running order of the information flow. There is so much more to learn and the sources to further research and information are provided throughout the course. Doctor Silverman is very sympathetic and knowledgeable.

By Tudor C

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Nov 12, 2017

Really enjoyed this class. I recommend reading the suggested books (majority are free of charge) but also purchasing Dr. Silverman's book Ancient Egypt which is a staple in Egyptology classes. I only wish there would be more classes such as this one that would go in more detail and depth (a bit like level 2, 3 and so on).

By Fernando G G

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Dec 6, 2016

Great course for introduction to Ancient Egypt! An extensive amount of information pertaining to the the ancient civilization, and Dr. Silverman explain everything with great understanding! One of the best courses I have ever taken! Will definitely be recommending to all my colleagues! Thank you for the great course!

By Shelley

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Jan 29, 2017

Wonderful course! I loved Dr. Silverman's lectures and the photos of artifacts from the museum. It was well presented and I hope I can revisit this course to watch it again just for the pleasure of doing so. There were many links for more information made available as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the entire course.

By Eileen D

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Dec 5, 2016

I had fun while completing this course. It was interesting getting an inside look into the Egyptian Collection at Penn University, and Silverman's lectures were on the point and sharp. My lifelong interest in Ancient Egypt has been rekindled and I look forward to learning more! Thanks for letting me participate.

By Arwa S

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Aug 12, 2020

The course was excellent and it can be very useful for non-Egyptians who wish to discover ancient Egyptian history and although I'm Egyptian and although I know much about the history of my country, I really benefited from this course and had the opuurtunity to discover more facts about Ancient Egyptian history

By gina d

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Jul 27, 2020

I really enjoyed this course.I learned so much. I would like to know the correct answers to the quiz questions that I answered incorrectly.Maybe that can be added in future courses.Professor Silverman was a wealth of knowledge .The quizzes were great and the chapters were so informative.Arelly great course.

By SURABHI B

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Sep 20, 2020

This is an amazing course for anyone who is passionate to know more about the ancient Egypt civilization. You also have reading material and links that provide you with more detailed information. The course has a lot of visual and symbols and by the end you start to recognize certain symbols by your know.

By John R

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Aug 14, 2017

Usually when I take a "history" course, I expect a chronological listing of facts. Instead, I found an very interesting presentation centering around different cultural aspects of the ancient Egyptian history. I was stimulated by the course, and really enjoyed it. Thank you for the quality presentation.

By Lisa G

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Jan 24, 2023

Anyone interested in Ancient Egypt and it's people, dieties, culture, and beliefs will enjoy this course. Dr. Silverman is clearly very knowledgeable. I encourage you to purchase his book and read the supplemental readings which go even more in depth to broaden your understanding of this unique culture.

By Panchali M

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Nov 27, 2018

It is an extremely good course from which I have benefitted immensely. I have been introduced to the idea of Egyptology. It is easy to understand and assimilate. I am certainly better equipped in Egyptology as a result of this course and it has also generated my interest for further studies in this area.

By David H

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Jun 30, 2017

This course was very enlightening. It stayed with the main Kings and more historically important times and stayed away from minor, unimportant times and dynastys. Very well done and interesting all the way through it. The course instructor was relaxed, knowledgeable and knes when to get the point across.

By Nancy A

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May 5, 2020

That was outstanding. Learned so very much. Loved being able to see the artifacts, etc. Explanation and the delivery of information was at a perfect pace. Would highly recommend this course to anyone wanting an excellent overview of Ancient Egypt. Loved the mummy stuff as well as the visit the lab!

By Irene m

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Jan 18, 2017

The skills that someone can aquire in brief:

approaching a vast time period critically through keystones

identifying the most important pharaohs and the monuments connected to them

realising and respecting the significance of different opinions -perceptions in order to decipher the code called "Egypt"

By Doina M

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Jun 23, 2023

An exceptionally well-documented and interesting course,well-organised and examplified with tons of artifacts.

Penn Museum is a worth-visiting place - I think you need a lifetime and the expertise of the renowned professor to understand the wonders the museums hosts. Congratulations on the course!

By 王若寒

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Dec 6, 2016

Knowing nothing about ancient Egypt except for pure words like "mummies, pyramids, sphinx, curses, pharaohs...", I took this course out of curiosity. And every word have become concrete when I progress in this course under Prof. Silverman's instruction and tour in the Penn museum. This has been a

By Stacey G

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Sep 21, 2020

Highly recommended course. Dr Silverman is a great teacher of this. If you have an interest in history you should take this. I liked the many shorter videos instead of 1 or 2 long ones. It broke up the lecture so all the information given could sink in before moving on to the next subject.

By ali g

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Nov 2, 2021

I learned a lot about the Egyptian civilization, especially about their religious beliefs and their connection with their building of the pyramids, about the complex of ancient Egyptian gods, and a lot about their kings and what distinguishes them, especially with regard to mummification.

By ANDREA C T

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Jan 10, 2021

El curso es bastante interesante. Me hubiera gustado que abordaran con mayor profundidad la parte de los jeroglíficos, pero realmente lo que aprendí fue muy interesante y relevante para mi próximo viaje a Egipto. La parte de los links y la bibliografía ayudan a profundizar en los temas.

By Dana F

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May 10, 2020

This course is a dynamic and detailed introduction to Egyptology, aided by examples from artifacts in the Penn Museum. It's delicately and appropriately paced and I came out of it having learned immensely about this civilization and aspects of its culture and legacy. Highly recommend!

By Avi D

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May 22, 2017

I had a lot of fun learning this course. As a student of Art and also being a museum geek, it will help me a lot in future to explain others regarding the Ancient Egyptians.

Thank you so much Coursera for existing and bringing in universities like Penn into the online learning forum.

By sunshinesmile018

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Aug 1, 2022

Loved the course! It is full of rich materials and information. Learned tons. I especially like the teaching site was picked at Pen Museum, felt that I was there observing the artifacts while learning... I am going to enroll the other course lectured by Professor David P. Silverman.

By Partho P U

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Apr 11, 2020

Wonderful Introduction from Professor David Silverman. Beautifully structured course with distinctive sections covering Kingdoms, Pharaohs, God and Goddesses, Mummy's and Mummification. Strongly recommend this course as a stepping stone in Egyptology. Thank You Professor Silverman.

By Gabrielle M

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Oct 27, 2020

As someone who really loves ancient Egypt, this was a perfect crash course on the basics and essential knowledge. The video clips were not too short nor too long so was able to breeze through it in a couple of days. It's just like how it would be presented in a classroom setting.

By Marina J S

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Dec 8, 2016

This was a fantastic course, taught by a very experienced professor. The videos and script, which followed with images and parts of the museum, really helped in making come together with concept and context. It was an excellent course and I would highly recommend it to anyone.