Coptic Language & Culture
In this course, you will be introduced to the Coptic language, the final phase of Africa’s oldest written language, engaging Sahidic texts to explore Late Egyptian society, culture, and spirituality.
DR. MARIO BEATTY, INstructor
Associate Professor of Africana Studies at Howard University.
About this Course
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Coptic language and culture is an important part of the historical continuity and consciousness of Ancient Egypt. Coptic marks the final phase of the oldest known written language on the African continent, Medu Netcher, commonly referred to as Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Coptic used the Greek alphabet (plus some additional signs) to record the language spoken by indigenous Egyptians in the late Roman, Byzantine, and early Arab periods. The course primarily focuses on a particular dialect of the Coptic language, referred to as Sahidic Coptic.
The course provides a unique and innovative examination of Egypt in Late Antiquity by utilizing a systematic knowledge of the Coptic language to critically engage a range of primary texts (i.e. personal and business letters, magical spells, legal contracts, Biblical works, monastic works, apocryphal gospels found in the Nag Hammadi codices, etc.). Coptic continues to be used in the liturgy of the Egyptian Christian Church.
The course will acquaint you with the fundamental elements of Coptic grammar, vocabulary, transliteration, and translation. Equipped with this background knowledge of the language, we will embark on an examination that will reveal important features of Late Egyptian society, culture, and spirituality.
Coptic used the Greek alphabet (plus some additional signs) to record the language spoken by indigenous Egyptians in the late Roman, Byzantine, and early Arab periods. The course primarily focuses on a particular dialect of the Coptic language, referred to as Sahidic Coptic.
The course provides a unique and innovative examination of Egypt in Late Antiquity by utilizing a systematic knowledge of the Coptic language to critically engage a range of primary texts (i.e. personal and business letters, magical spells, legal contracts, Biblical works, monastic works, apocryphal gospels found in the Nag Hammadi codices, etc.). Coptic continues to be used in the liturgy of the Egyptian Christian Church.
The course will acquaint you with the fundamental elements of Coptic grammar, vocabulary, transliteration, and translation. Equipped with this background knowledge of the language, we will embark on an examination that will reveal important features of Late Egyptian society, culture, and spirituality.
Dr. Mario Beatty
Mario Beatty, Associate Professor of Africana Studies, received his B.A. degree in Black World Studies at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, his M.A. degree in Black Studies at The Ohio State University, and his Ph.D. degree in African-American Studies at Temple University. He has taught at Morris Brown College, Bowie State University, and he served as Chairperson of the Department of African-American Studies at Chicago State University from 2007 to 2010. From 2004 to 2007, he served as an educational consultant for the School District of Philadelphia where he helped to write curriculum and to train teachers in the novel, district-wide mandatory course in African-American history. He currently serves as President of The Association for the Study of Classical African Civilizations (ASCAC). His research interests include the Ancient Egyptian language, history, wisdom literature, astronomy in Ancient Egyptian religious texts, comparative analyses of African cultures, the image and use of ancient Africa in the African-American historical imagination, the theory and practice of African-American Studies, and Pan-Africanism.
Lesson 1: Learning Sahidic Coptic: On Historical Orientation and Method
Coptic marks the last phase of Medu Netcher (i.e. Egyptian Hieroglyphs), with its early beginnings situated sometime during the late 1st century AD while most texts were produced after 300 AD. Without an intimate knowledge of Coptic, neither Jean Francois-Champollion nor any scholar would have been successful in effectively making great strides in pointing towards a clearer direction for optimal decipherment efforts. You do not have to learn Medu Netcher to learn Coptic, but learning Coptic will fortify your knowledge of Medu Netcher in terms of both vocabulary and grammar. Learning Coptic is also going to provide us with an entry point to discuss Kemet as it becomes culturally entangled within the Greco-Roman world post 332 BCE with the coming of Alexander and the following Ptolemaic empire.
This course will focus on a particular Upper Egyptian dialect of Coptic known as Sahidic which is the dialect that is normally taught in academic settings due to the vast amount of texts written in this dialect in comparison to other dialects. In this first lesson, I discuss the etymology of the word "Copt" which ultimately derives from a Kemetic word Hut ka Ptah "The Enclosure of the ka of Ptah," which referred to a vast Temple complex in Memphis which, along with Alexandria, functioned as the administrative capitols during the Greek control of Kemet. I highlight the importance of Memphis in this lesson by referring to the text known as "the Memphite Theology" on the monument of the 25th Dynasty Nubian/Kushite Ruler commonly known as the "Shabaka stone."
This course will be much more than a language course and will attempt to contextualize major features of Kemetic culture as it interacted with Greco-Roman culture before and after the rise of Coptic. We will deeply discuss many texts in this course, especially dealing with issues of religion and spirituality (i.e. translations of Biblical texts, Gnostic texts, the Hermetic corpus, etc.)
The main book that will be used for this course is Thomas Lambdin, Introduction to Sahidic Coptic which will be supplemented by reference to other Coptic grammars as needed. I have attached this book for you in this lesson. This is going to be a long journey, so I also spend some time in this lesson focusing on what I think is an effective method to approach learning this language, with or without note cards, that simply requires very small efforts at daily engagement, preferably immediately before you go to bed to allow the information to slowly but surely consolidate in your mind over time.
1. Jacob Carruthers- Memphite Theology in Mdw Ntr
2. Memphite Theology
Click Here for Attachments
1. Jacob Carruthers- Memphite Theology in Mdw Ntr
2. Memphite Theology
Click Here for Attachments
Lesson 2: The Coptic and Greek Alphabet
This lesson focuses on introducing both the Coptic and Greek alphabets. The dialect of Sahidic Coptic is written with Greek capital letters plus 6 letters added that were not part of the Greek alphabet. I think it is very useful to introduce them at the same time for two reasons. First, so that you can see the similarities and differences between the alphabets and second, to lay a solid foundation for you to acquire the skill of looking up words in both Egyptian-Coptic and Greek dictionaries. I use our main textbook by Thomas Lambdin for the Coptic alphabet. For the Greek alphabet, I use the book by Hardy Hansen and Gerald Quinn entitled Greek: An Intensive Course. In preparation for the next class, review both alphabets one time right before you go to bed. In addition, just look over the brief first chapter in Lambdin's book one time. In the next lesson, I will focus on teaching you how to both write and pronounce Egyptian-Coptic and Greek words.
1. Greek Alphabet in Hardy Hansen and Gerald Quinn- Greek- An Intensive Course
2. Sahidic Coptic Alphapet
Click Here for Attachments
1. Greek Alphabet in Hardy Hansen and Gerald Quinn- Greek- An Intensive Course
2. Sahidic Coptic Alphapet
Click Here for Attachments
Lesson 3: On Ancient Greek Pronunciation and Philosophy
This lesson focuses on providing you with the ability to both pronounce and look up words in a Greek-English lexicon. Although this is not a course on the Greek language, there are many Greek loanwords in Coptic texts so it is very useful for you to have the ability to check the meaning of these words for yourself. To help you to approximate the pronunciation of words in Ancient Greek, I cover the following topics: rough and smooth breathing; diphthongs; iota subscript and adscript; the sound gamma combined with certain consonants; accents (i.e. acute, grave, and circumflex). This information is contained in the Introduction of Hardy Hansen and Gerald Quinn's Greek: An Intensive Course which I have attached for a fuller, more detailed discussion. I have attached the major standard Coptic dictionary by Walter Crum and I have also attached the major Greek-English Lexicon by Henry Liddell and Robert Scott. In the future, I will figure out a way to provide you with Frederick Danker's A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (3rd Edition).
In the latter part of this lesson, I introduce some key vocabulary in Greek for the names of Egypt (i.e. Aiguptos), Memphis, and philosophy. I narratively discuss the importance of Theophile Obenga's linguistic intervention on the etymology of the word sophos (i.e. skilled in sciences, learned, profound, wise). Obenga argues that since this word has no known etymology in the Greek language, it is logical to look for one in Egypt since many Greek scholars went to study in Egypt under Egyptian priests, most notably Thales, Pythagoras, and Plato. Obenga offers the Kemetic word seba "to teach, to learn" as the etymology for the word sophos and provides a rich discussion on the historical background of Egyptian-Greek intellectual interaction. I have attached the chapter entitled "The African Origins of Philosophy" from Obenga's book entitled Ancient Egypt and Black Africa (1992). I have also attached a more technical discussion of this etymology in French from his work entitled L'Egypte, La Grece et L'Ecole D'Alexandrie.
1. Theophile Obenga- The African Origin of Philosophy in Ancient Egypt and Black Africa
2. Hardy Hansen and Gerald Quinn- Introduction in Greek- An Intensive Course
3. Theophile Obenga- Seba as the Kemetic Origin of Greek Sophos in Egypt, Greece, and the Alexandrian School
4. Henry Liddell and Robert Scott- Greek-English Lexicon
5. Walter Crum- Coptic Dictionary
Click Here for Attachments
1. Theophile Obenga- The African Origin of Philosophy in Ancient Egypt and Black Africa
2. Hardy Hansen and Gerald Quinn- Introduction in Greek- An Intensive Course
3. Theophile Obenga- Seba as the Kemetic Origin of Greek Sophos in Egypt, Greece, and the Alexandrian School
4. Henry Liddell and Robert Scott- Greek-English Lexicon
5. Walter Crum- Coptic Dictionary
Click Here for Attachments
Lesson 4: Basic Features of Coptic Pronunciation and Grammar
I begin this lesson with highlighting the simple vowels in the Coptic language and providing illustrative vocabulary principally extracted from the Introduction of Lambdin's grammar book. I particularly focus on the semivowels ei = i and ou = “oo” as in food and demonstrate how these semivowels can combine with a preceding simple vowel to form various diphthongs (i.e. pairs of vowels pronounced together to produce one continuous sound).
I then shift to explain that the presence of double vowels in a word generally indicates the presence of a glottal stop, i.e. the complete but brief stoppage of airflow in the glottis. I have already introduced the explanation superlinear strokes, but in this lesson I emphasize the following consonants that can commonly show this feature:
b l m n r
These are known as the "blemner" consonants as an easy way to help you to remember them. I conclude the lesson by explaining a very important grammatical feature of Coptic referred to as "Assimilation," i.e. the alteration of a sound due to its proximity to another sound. In the Coptic language, the final N of prefixal elements (i.e. prepositions, particles, articles) is regularly assimilated to (i.e. changes to) M before p and m
All of the above information is taken from the Introduction to Lambdin’s grammar book. For the next lesson, please review my vocabulary note cards for the Introduction one time each night right before you go to bed. As I indicated in class, I will provide the Answer Key to all exercises in Lambdin’s book for you, but I would like for you to try to acquire as much vocabulary and grammar as possible before you attempt each exercise to test yourself on how much you are able to retain and take note of areas that you need to strengthen. This will be a slow process so take your time.
1. Herbert Smyth- Greek Grammar- Ancient Greek Pronunciation- Diphthongs
Click Here for Attachments
1. Herbert Smyth- Greek Grammar- Ancient Greek Pronunciation- Diphthongs
Click Here for Attachments
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Reading Material
Coptic Language Cards
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Dictionaries
1. Walter Crum- Coptic Dictionary - Download PDF
2. Henry Liddell and Robert Scott- Greek-English Lexicon - Download PDF
2. Henry Liddell and Robert Scott- Greek-English Lexicon - Download PDF
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Ancient Egyptian Materials and Technology (Excerpt)
by Paul T. Nicholson and Ian Shaw (Editors)
Aimed primarily at Egyptologists and archaeologists, this book covers all aspects of craftwork in ancient Egypt, from the construction of the pyramids and the carving of statues to techniques of mummification, boat-building, jewelery making, ancient brewing, carpentry, hairstyling, tailoring and basket weaving. Drawing on archaeological, experimental, ethnographic and laboratory work, it is the first book since the 1920s to describe current research into the actual basics of life in Pharaonic Egypt
The Birds of Ancient Egypt (Excerpt)
by Patrick F Houlihan
The aim of this book is to provide a systematic survey of all the species represented in ancient Egyptian art and hieroglyphs. In addition the birds' role in secular and religious life is examined and an attempt is made to compare present day range with that of antiquity.
Celestial Sphere in Ancient Egypt
by Dr. Mario Beatty
In reading the introductory hymn to the sun-god Ra in the Papyrus of Ani, attention of authors was immediately attracted by the Egyptian word psdw. Neither of the major dictionaries of the ancient Egyptian language (LESKO, 1982; FAULKNER, 1991; Woterbuch de ERMAN et GRAPOW (1926) have this word with the determinative of the sun. In this paper, they show that it is an astronomical term which means the celestial sphere. (ANKH ARTICLE: N°4-5, 1995-1996 (PP. 215 - 221)
The Nine Petitions of the Farmer Whose Speech is Good
Excerpt by Jacob Carruthers
“Does the Word in Africa have a proper meaning? Could a diachronic study of the Word in Africa be undertaken? What is the meaningful particularity of the African Word since the Egyptian Mdw Ntr (hieroglyphs) to Nommo, the Spoken Word of the Dogon of Mali? All these questions pertaining to History and Philosophy are carefully and thoroughly examined in this book. It is a great honor to recommend this book not only to the specialist but to all those interested in conducting research in African and African American studies.” –Prof. Theophile Obenga
The Eloquent Peasant
Excerpt by Miriam Lichtheim
First published in 1973, this anthology has assumed classic status in the field of Egyptology and portrays the remarkable evolution of the literary forms of one of the world’s earliest civilizations. Beginning with the early and gradual evolution of Egyptian genres, it includes biographical and historical inscriptions carved on stone, the various classes of works written with pen on papyrus, and the mortuary literature that focuses on life after death. It then shows the culmination of these literary genres within the single period known as the New Kingdom (1550–1080 B.C.) and ends in the last millennium of Pharaonic civilization, from the tenth century B.C. to the beginning of the Christian era.
Translating Wordplay in the Eighth Petition of The Eloquent Peasant: A New Interpretation
by Dr. Mario Beatty
A close philological examination of wordplay in line B I, 337/B2, 72 in eighth petition of The Tale of the Eloquent Peasant yielded a variety of different and plausible translations. This paper seeks to explain the state of ambiguity that hovers over translating this line, examine major existing translations, and provide a new translation and interpretation of this line. The paper attempts to prove that the elaborate wordplay in this line actually refers to Thoth. As a result, the sequential narrative mode of exposition that invokes the role of Maat is rendered more intelligible as juxtaposed against and distinguished from Thoth. The paper will conclude by discussing the implications of this new interpretation in the context of the eigth petition and the broader context of the narrative.
On the Source of the Moon's Light in Ancient Egypt
by Dr. Mario Beatty
In this article, the author shows that the Ancient Egyptians seem to have discovered that the moon shines, but it does not shine from light of its own. It is borrowed light from the sun. In revealing this observation in Ancient Egypt, the author focuses on the Great Hymn to Thoth on the statue of Horemheb and selects passages from the Book of Coming Forth By Day. Based on Ancient Egyptian astronomical observations in these texts, there is significant evidence to conclude that they definitively observed during the New Kingdom (1600 B.C. - 1080 B.C.) that the source of the moon's light derived from the sun. In concluding, he briefly highlights the importance of this discovery relative to the history of astronomy. (ANKH ARTICLE: N°4-5, 1995-1996 (PP. 163 - 177)


