The Ancient Egyptian writing, images, and practices in between - John Baines - #Invitations | ILARA
Channel: ILARA
Date: 2021-04-09

Ancient Egyptian writing was invented in a context of intense development of pictorial forms, and the two constituted an integrated system. While writing also developed for mundane purposes, primarily in cursive script, its hieroglyphic form continued to be elaborated in tandem with images. An intermediate, emblematic mode of representation linked and at the same time separated the other two, principal modes. Conventions of decorum constrained what could be shown in all three modes. Writing notated language, which was also the main basis of the emblematic mode, but neither of these modes had the prestige of images, so that the most important content was presented pictorially, with mainly hieroglyphic captions. The aim of this lecture is to explore connections and interactions between these three modes. 

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https://www.orinst.ox.ac.uk/people/john-baines#/.

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English/French description below (Description en français/anglais ci-dessous)
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(English)

John Baines is Professor of Egyptology emeritus at the University of Oxford. He has held visiting appointments in Africa, East Asia, Europe, and North America. Among other works, he is author of Visual and written culture in ancient Egypt (2007) and High culture and experience in ancient Egypt (2013), as well as co-editing Historical consciousness and the use of the past in the ancient world (2019). He has published articles on the comparison of early civilizations in journals and in interdisciplinary collections. In addition to comparative analysis, his main research interests are in Egyptian archaeology, art, writing, biography, religion, and social issues.

(français)
John Baines est professeur émérite d’égyptologie à l’Université d’Oxford. Il a été professeur et chercheur invité en Afrique, Asie de l’Est, Europe et Amérique du Nord. Il est l’auteur, notamment, de Visual and written culture in ancient Egypt (2007) et de High culture and experience in ancient Egypt (2013), et co-éditeur de Historical consciousness and the use of the past in the ancient world (2019). Il a publié des articles portant sur le comparatisme entre civilisations anciennes dans des revues et dans des collections interdisciplinaires. Outre l’analyse comparative, ses principaux intérêts de recherche portent sur l'archéologie, l'art, l'écriture, la biographie, la religion et la société égyptiennes anciennes.