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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization by University of Pennsylvania

4.6
stars
2,686 ratings

About the Course

Colossal pyramids, imposing temples, golden treasures, enigmatic hieroglyphs, powerful pharaohs, strange gods, and mysterious mummies are features of Ancient Egyptian culture that have fascinated people over the millennia. The Bible refers to its gods, rulers, and pyramids. Neighboring cultures in the ancient Near East and Mediterranean wrote about its god-like kings and its seemingly endless supply of gold. The Greeks and Romans describe aspects of Egypt's culture and history. As the 19th century began, the Napoleonic campaign in Egypt highlighted the wonders of this ancient land, and public interest soared. Not long after, Champollion deciphered Egypt's hieroglyphs and paved the way for other scholars to reveal that Egyptian texts dealt with medicine, dentistry, veterinary practices, mathematics, literature, and accounting, and many other topics. Then, early in the 20th century, Howard Carter discovered the tomb of Tutankhamun and its fabulous contents. Exhibitions of this treasure a few decades later resulted in the world's first blockbuster, and its revival in the 21st century has kept interest alive. Join Dr. David Silverman, Professor of Egyptology at Penn, Curator in Charge of the Egyptian Section of the Penn Museum, and curator of the Tutankhamun exhibitions on a guided tour of the mysteries and wonders of this ancient land. He has developed this online course and set it in the galleries of the world famous Penn Museum. He uses many original Egyptian artifacts to illustrate his lectures as he guides students as they make their own discovery of this fascinating culture....

Top reviews

SE

Oct 6, 2022

This was an excellent course in the history of ancient Egypt. I have always been fascinated by their culture & this course taught me many things that i was not aware of. I really enjoyed this course.

AR

May 20, 2023

The course was very interactive and offers a tons of activities. The teacher was very nice and the teaching was very easy to understand. The assignments were a bit challenging but very interesting.

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126 - 150 of 817 Reviews for Introduction to Ancient Egypt and Its Civilization

By Chaerunnisa M

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Mar 20, 2021

I like this course so much. The material very well-made and Mr. Silverman also explained it very clearly. This course gained my knowledge about Ancient Egypt. Also, the picture about mummy and another things are very amazing. Love it!

By laura k

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May 24, 2020

I liked the video's very much, especially seeing all the artifacts that were tied to the subject matter, it helped give the information more perspective. I also loved the additional readings. Thank you for such an informative class.

By Eduardo P

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Mar 30, 2020

Great introductory course, with a wide vision of the ancient Egyptian culture. A delighful walk through the misteries and wonders of Pharaohs and his ancient country. Recommended for beginners who want to inmmerse in Egyptian culture.

By Theocharis G

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Apr 13, 2020

This is an amazing and excellent course. Many thanks to Prof. Silverman and his team for this wonderful experience. I definitely want to attend more courses in Egyptology. Grateful for this unique opportunity to attend a Penn course.

By malka g

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Nov 10, 2019

still remember things from the course over a year after I completed it! I did not know I could leave a review then, so doing so now. I visited the Egyptian part of the British Museum and was able to understand it all much better!

By Tessina G M

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Mar 31, 2019

This course provided valuable information I needed for book research. The lecturing was delivered pretty deadpan and the transcript was not always correct, but otherwise it was good. I learned a lot. Would highly recommend the class!

By Lee B

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Mar 9, 2023

Having studied ancient Egypt more than 30 years ago, I was delighted to learn so much! This course motivated me to dive right back into this old 'first love.' Thank you, Prof. Silverman - I especially liked your very subtle humor!

By MR M M

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May 27, 2022

Excellent. Thoroughly enjoyed it. I am history hobbyist who has focussed my reading on Republican Roame and the early empire, so taking this course was a great way for me to begin to learn about a different culture's history.

By Siddhant J

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Mar 24, 2022

Prof. David Silverman does an excellent job from his museum at UPenn to bring to life the ancient Egyptian civilization, myth, history, and culture. I would highly recommend this terse course to anyone interested in the subject.

By Al L

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Mar 28, 2020

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. The lectures were informative, with a slight bit of humour thrown in. Great phots that synced well with the lecture. The extra reading was informative. I plan on continuing to the next course.

By Deleted A

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Feb 28, 2019

Very informative and professional in the way the information was presented. Additional reading materials after each week's videos were helpful! I definitely learned a lot more about Ancient Egypt with the help of this course.

By Taylor

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Jul 23, 2017

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. Dr. David Silverman was an excellent instructor. So knowledgeable and put the information in understandable terms. I loved the extra resources, and the Penn artifacts. Thank you so very much.

By Isaiah A J M

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Apr 29, 2021

Very in-depth without being overbearing. The most visually stimulating and appealing course I have seen to date. The ability of the course to draw on the artifacts in their possession gives this course a bump on the others.

By Meyling L

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Mar 23, 2021

I highly recommend this course. It has everything you need to know for introduction to Ancient Egypt. Moreover, the setting is fabulous and Professor Silverman is absolutely great. Interesting, informative and captivating!

By Вера Г

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Oct 29, 2017

Very interesting course. I think it's a great place to start your journey through human history. The course is not too fast paced, provides subtitles and is generally easy to understand. Try it, you won't be disappointed.

By Dhanwanti

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Feb 12, 2019

I am very happy to get my certificate from the University of Pennsylvania in this course. This course has many important topics that can help me in my further education.

Thanks you sir

Thank you University of Pennsylvania

By Gretchen A

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Jul 28, 2020

This class interesting and not too difficult. Learned much about the Ancient Egypt basics. I would be interested in taking more classes about Egypt if they were to come available, like what was their daily life like.

By Yasmin F R N

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Dec 2, 2020

So educational and interesting. I love the idea that it is chunked in different aspects---geography, mythology, politics and culture. I loved every minute of learning about history, especially that of Ancient Egypt!

By Tieysha A C

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May 3, 2020

It was a very informative course> I have always been interested in Ancient Egypt and it was a class not available to me while in college. The videos and exhibits along the way made it easy to understand the content.

By Jessica G

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Apr 13, 2020

I found this course fascinating, I first became interested in Ancient Egypt when I was younger and this course was perfect for me to do at home. I look forward to following on with the other courses in this series.

By Kevin F

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Apr 3, 2020

A very good basic overview. Good intro level content for someone coming to the subject for the first time. Certainly I am not an Egyptologist now but I am certainly more knowledgeable of Egypt than when I started.

By Jim M

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Jun 11, 2020

This course is a terrific introduction to study of Ancient Egypt. Having traveled to Egypt twice, the information in this course allowed me to remember those trips with a renewed enthusiasm to return a third time.

By Azajul I N

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May 29, 2020

Egyptian civilization always seems like a mystery to me. I always feel an interest towards this culture. Thanks to the University of Pennsylvania for launching this awesome course. I am really impressed. Just WOW.

By Liu x

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Oct 25, 2019

I learned a lot about the mysterious pyramids, mummies, deities and how the ancient society worked under the lead of their kings and gods. I think it is really useful if someone wants to know about this country.

By Charlotte F

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Jun 12, 2022

AMAZING! Although it's demanding, especially if you are a full time student as I am, it is very rewarding and very very good for beginners. Did not take much time out of my week and I liked it alot. Thank you!!