Scholar discovers new meaning in ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics
The Pyramid Texts are hieroglyphics that were found in Egypt in 1881, carved on the wall of the pyramids at Saqqara. Dating back approximately 4000 years, they are considered the world's earliest sacred texts.
Previous translators interpreted them as primitive spells, incantations and chants, used primarily to protect the pharaoh's remains and to help him transition to the afterlife.
"This is why my book is quite a radical book because I'm saying no, no, these are poetic verses..." - Susan Brind Morrow
In her latest book, The Dawning Moon of the Mind: Unlocking the Pyramid Texts, Susan Brind Morrow presents a radically different interpretation. Brind Morrow believes them to be a coherent work of poetry, a religious and philosophical text that is deeply rooted in nature. She says the Pyramid Texts reveal much about how the ancient Egyptians viewed life and death, and have influenced many subsequent spiritual traditions.
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"It should be more widely known that hieroglyphs are a grammatical language with an alphabet that is very much like our own and a sentence structure. A word will end with a picture that defines the meaning of the word. For example, the word for 'red' is ended with a flamingo." - Susan Brind Morrow
Susan Brind Morrow is a poet and a writer who has spent many years studying hieroglyphics. She was just 16 years old when she enrolled at Barnard College to study Greek and Egyptian hieroglyphs. She went on to study Classics, Arabic and Egyptology at Columbia University. She has spent time travelling in Egypt, Sudan and Central Africa as an archeologist and linguist. Brind Morrow was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2006 for her work on the Pyramid Texts.
Win a copy of Susan Brind Morrow's book
We have a copy of Susan Brind Morrow's book, The Dawning Moon of the Mind: Unlocking the Pyramid Texts, to give away.
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