Long before printing presses and touchscreens, scribes of the ancient Near East developed writing systems that transformed human history. This course explores how cuneiform, Egyptian hieroglyphs, and the earliest alphabets emerged as powerful tools for administration, religion, diplomacy, and storytelling. Together, we will meet the people behind the scripts—scribes, artisans, and innovators—who shaped cultures and connected kingdoms across thousands of years. During each session, we will examine ancient inscriptions and discuss their crafting and functions.

Have questions about the program? Send an email to Peter Megginson (Travel Study Director) at [email protected] or call 800-221-4644, ext. 424 (Toll-free).

Topics We’ll Cover

1. Introduction: The Ancient Script of the Near East
2. Cuneiform: A Wedge-Shaped Script with a Global Reach
3. Egyptian Writing: Art, Administration, and the People Who Wrote the Pharaohs’ Words
4. The Alphabet Emerges: Innovation, Identity, and New Ways of Writing

When Is the Course?

Live classes on October 4, 11, 18 and 25, 2026 (8:00 – 9:30pm EST)
Classes will be recorded

This Course Includes

• 4 live classes, with a live Q&A session following each lecture
• Link to download the class recordings

Lecture Overview

1. Introduction: The Ancient Script of the Near East

In our opening session, we will travel back to the dawn of writing to uncover how symbols first captured language. We’ll explore clay tablets, carved monuments, and inked papyri to understand why writing emerged—and why it mattered. From royal decrees to personal letters, we will see how early scripts supported the rise of cities and empires, and documented the lives of ancient cultures.

2. Cuneiform: A Wedge-Shaped Script with a Global Reach

Cuneiform is first attested in administrative contexts in ancient Mesopotamia—but it grew into an international script used across the ancient Near East. In this lecture, we will follow its evolution across more than 3,000 years as it was adapted to new languages and used by diverse scribal communities. We will also discuss the history of the decipherment of this script.

3. Egyptian Writing: Art, Administration, and the People Who Wrote the Pharaohs’ Words

In this session, we will look at the long history of Egyptian writing, with a focus on the hieroglyphic, hieratic, and demotic scripts. We will look beyond temples and tombs to see how writing functioned in everyday administration, religious life, and artistic workshops in ancient Egypt. Special attention will be paid to the New Kingdom, when scribes experimented with new forms of literature—especially during the culturally vibrant Amarna Period. We will also discuss the decipherment of this ancient writing system.

4. The Alphabet Emerges: Innovation, Identity, and New Ways of Writing

In this lecture, we will explore the mysterious origins of the proto-alphabet and look at new inscriptional evidence from the Levant that has the potential to reshape the history of this script. We will also examine different scholarly proposals for how this script may have developed from Egyptian influence. We will move forward in time into the first millennium BCE, when the alphabet became the dominant script of the ancient Near East and Mediterranean. As Iron Age kingdoms rose across the Levant, alphabetic writing diversified and spread, leaving a legacy that continues in the letters we use today.

Your Instructor

Alice Mandell is the William Foxwell Albright Chair of Biblical and Ancient Near Eastern Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Alice is currently completing her first book, Cuneiform Culture and the Ancestors of Hebrew, which focuses on the Canaanite Amarna Letters, a corpus of cuneiform diplomatic letters between the Egyptian royal court and Levantine polities (mid-14th century BCE). [More Bio]

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