Hieroglyphs at the heart of Egyptian culture (summary)
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At a very early time in history, and extending up to its gradual abandonment in Greco-Roman times, the hieroglyphic system combined ideographic and phonetic codes. This complex approach allowed Egyptians to transcribe not only their language but also their iconic perception of reality. In two books, Jean Winand, Professor of Egyptology at the University of Liège, gives us a panoramic vision of Egypt through an examination of the evolution of one of humanity’s most ancient writing systems. Professor Winand places hieroglyphic writing in a historical perspective, searches out its origins, functioning, its constraints, richness and its limits, as well as its reception in Western cultures and the role it played in the origin of other writing systems. He concludes by presenting a surprising historical itinerary that leads up to our own alphabet.
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![Hieroglyphes resume]( "Hieroglyphes resume.")
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Jean Winand, Les Hiéroglyphes Egyptiens, Presses Universitaires de Frances, collection Que sais-je ?, Paris, 2013.
Jean Winand, Les origines de l’écriture, Académie Royale de Belgique, L’Académie en poche, Bruxelles, 2013
