As we head into the next semester and the registration deadline approaches, everyone is in a frenzy to solidify their schedules. Sorting through the hundreds of classes trying to narrow down what to take can be a daunting and fairly exhausting process. Balancing concentration requirements with choosing interesting elective courses is intimidating. As you scroll through the course list, one department, often overlooked, remains somewhat of a hidden gem on Brown’s Campus that most students don’t take advantage of: Egyptology.
It’s one of Brown’s smallest and most unique departments, holding some of the most fascinating classes, ancient concepts, and professors on campus. Brown is one of the very few universities to dedicate a department to Egyptian studies. It gives the opportunity to learn about one of the oldest and longest living civilizations to exist. Their lives, belief systems, and interactions with the world around them are unmatched, and create endless studies and history to analyze from their unique religious beliefs, infrastructure, political systems, and so much more.
The courses are anything from archaeology to ancient myths and religions to hieroglyphs and early literature all dating back thousands of years. You can choose to study Egyptian art and architecture, learn to understand hieroglyphs, or explore the myths that shaped their cultural and societal values long before our existence. The department has classes such as “Ancient Egyptian Religion and Magic,” “The Egyptian Language,” and “The Archaeology of Egypt and the Near East,” which are only a few examples of the opportunities the program offers. What makes it even more impressive is the ability to study not only Egyptology but also Assyriology, meaning you can learn about not only Egypt, but also the ancient cultures of Mesopotamia, such as the Babylonian and Assyrian empires.
No matter your concentration, there is plenty to take away and enjoy from these courses. It’s perfect for anyone interested in mythology, history, or just looking for something completely different from the usual college class. My freshman spring, I chose to take EGYT1050: Gods, Mummies and Myths. I personally always found the Egyptians fascinating in their way of life and the title was very enticing. I wanted to branch out from my typical curriculum courses and delve into a completely new world. Through this, I found by far one of my favorite and most uniquely fascinating courses I’ve taken during my time here at Brown.
The course explored how ancient Egyptians viewed life, death, and the afterlife and how their gods, myths, and rituals reflected those beliefs. We studied some of key Egyptian deities, Ra, Isis, and Osiris, read ancient hymns and stories, and examined the importance of mummification not just as a burial practice but as a deeply spiritual process. Every lecture offered a new concept or way of thinking about their world, but not just theirs, but ours, as well. How do societies view meaning in mortality, life, death, and the afterlife? How did they view and interpret the unknown? There are infinitely many questions that could be asked, and in the classroom, those types of ancient questions felt relevant and worth grasping an understanding.
Egyptology at Brown isn’t restricted to the classroom but integrated into Providence itself. Even here, you can find direct connections to the ancient world through the RISD Museum and the museum’s impressive collection of Egyptian artifacts. They range from jewelry and pottery to sculptures and even contain real mummies and coffins. This allows students to interact and see firsthand the details learned in lecture and study as real physical depictions of history. Learning about the burial rituals and art in class, and then seeing those objects in person made it feel like stepping into their world and entering a new realm of understanding without leaving College Hill.
Another amazing aspect of Brown’s Egyptology & Assyriology department is its impressive faculty. Professor Emeritus James P. Allen is one of the leading experts in the world on the Egyptian language and their religious identities. His book, Middle Egyptian, has been considered to be a guide for learning hieroglyphs. Another amazing faculty member, Professor Laurel Bestock, teaches at Brown as well as through fieldwork in Egypt, leading excavations at Abydos and working to understand how art and architecture expressed roles of power and identified belief systems in early Egyptian history. Finally, Brown Professor John Steele brings another fascinating perspective as he explores ancient astronomy and the methods of timekeeping across many early civilizations. Together, these renowned individuals make the Egyptology department not only an ideal place to gain an understanding of their history, but a place where history is continuing to be actively discovered.
At a school where most students get caught up focusing on the modern innovations of computer science or the endless stocks and charts of the economy courses, the Egyptology department offers something different in content and perspective that I believe many students would benefit from. It allows for the opportunity to slow down and look backward for once rather than focusing on the future.
“Understanding how the ancient Egyptian people thought about life, love, creation, and religion brings an entirely new perspective as to how our society evolved into what it is today. It’s a helpful reminder that progress often comes from perspective.”
So as you plan your next semester and pick through the C@B course lists, take a second to look into something other than your usual. You might find a course about mummies, myths, or magic that piques your interest: that’s what happened for me and I could not be happier with my choice. Who knows, maybe it will become one of the most unforgettable classes you take at Brown.
After all, what other time in your life will you have an opportunity to learn from professionals in one of the most unique fields and learn about the most powerful empire in our world’s history?
For freshman recommendations, check out the best classes to take your first year at Brown!