Think French is hard? Try hieroglyphics.
Learning to write and transcribe the language of the pharaohswill be just one of the activities at Saturday's Ancient EgyptFamily Day, sponsored by The University of Memphis' Institute ofEgyptian Art and Archaeology. Those who attend the event can alsolearn about jewelry design and story telling. Family Day will be atThe U of M Art Museum, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
"The mission of the institute is public outreach," said PatriciaV. Podzorski, curator of Egyptian art at The U of M. "We areproviding opportunities to learn with our Family Day."
Family Day is an annual event that started in 2001.
The School for Scribes, added to Family Day this year, is anintensive 45-minute session on the ancient Egyptian language,Podzorski said. Participants must be at least 10 years old. Theywill begin by learning to write and translate a hieroglyphicsentence, said event volunteer Doris Layne, and learn thefundamentals of the language, which is the linguistic ancestor ofHebrew and Arabic.
"Hieroglyphics is mostly thought of as art because most peopledon't realize that it was an alphabet," Layne said.
Although most of the activities are aimed at children betweenthe ages of 4 and 12, the School for Scribes and another activitycalled Draw Like an Egyptian are for all ages.
"It is an event perfect for U of M students with children,"Podzorski said.
Because the museum is a Tennessee Center of Excellence, itreceives state funding for free events like Ancient Egypt FamilyDay.
Those who attend will also be able to view the museum'scollection, which includes pieces on loan from institutions such asthe Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Although the Memphismuseum has 1,300 Egyptian pieces, only 150 of them are on publicdisplay.
"We just don't have the space to display all the pieces wehave," Podzorski said.
