Review by Choice Review
In this nontraditional catalog for the bicentennial exhibition of the Rosetta Stone's discovery, Parkinson (Assistant Keeper of Egyptian Antiquities, British Museum), the main author, introduces Egyptian writing systems, placing Egyptian language (Afro-Asiatic) and writing within the context of the "culture" of human writing and language. He explains the creation and evolution of Hieroglyphic, Hieratic, Demotic, and Coptic scripts, emphasizing writing's part in an entire "cultural code," and compares medieval and modern writing systems to elucidate complexities that must be overcome to understand an Egyptian text. The history leading up to Champollion's "imperfect" but "brilliant" decipherment and the history of the Egyptian systems' uses are well illustrated by the intelligent organization of the catalog, which places the Rosetta Stone firmly in its cultural and historical context: an arcane, religious display inscription. The catalog is also used to illustrate various other subjects: decorative, metaphorical, and amuletic Hieroglyphs; literacy; the power of writing and the written word; associated gods and saints; text typologies; and the future of the field. Richard Wilkinson's Reading Egyptian Art (CH, Sep'92) is a good companion for a beginner, but Parkinson's book goes far beyond it with explanation and illustration. General readers; upper-division undergraduates and above. S. M. Paley SUNY at Buffalo
Copyright American Library Association, used with permission.
Review by Choice Review
