Teaching - Egittologia Pisa

Studying Egyptology in Pisa

The University of Pisa offers the largest learning program in Egyptology in Italy. The university courses are organized as lectures, seminars and workshops. Their aim is the education, both basic and specialized, in the field of history, culture, language, writing and archaeology of ancient Egypt.
The educational path begins with courses in the Bachelor’s degree in “Scienze dei Beni Culturali” (Cultural Heritage) and continues with the specialized Master’s degree in “Orientalistica: Egitto, Vicino e Medio Oriente” (Oriental Studies: Egypt, Near and Middle East).
Educational workshops, training courses at museums and “Sovrintendenze” (regional boards of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Environmental Conservation) and archaeological excavations in Egypt allow a practical approach to the subject. Summer schools on specific topics are periodically organized and offer further training opportunities for more advanced theoretical and methodological skills.
In addition, it is possible to pursue one’s own research interests in Egyptology via PhD opportunities, which are assigned through competition.

Studying Egyptology in BA degree

Egittologia (Egyptology)

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 1st Semester
Teacher: Prof. Marilina Betrò

2023-24

The Egyptology class is included in the curriculum “Egitto e Vicino Oriente antico” of the degree in “Scienze dei Beni Culturali”. It provides the basic elements of history and culture of ancient Egypt and the methodological tools that allow a critical approach to the subject.

The course will be taught in Italian.

Archeologia Egiziana (Egyptian Archaeology)

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 2nd Semester
Teacher: Prof. Gianluca Miniaci

2023-24

The teaching of “Egyptian Archaeology”, held by Prof. Miniaci, is included in the “Egitto e Vicino Oriente antico” curriculum of the three-year degree in “Scienze dei Beni Culturali”. The course focuses on the study of the history of Egyptian archeology, of the monuments and material culture of ancient Egypt.

The course will be taught in Italian.

Cultura e materiali dell’antico Egitto (Culture and Materials of ancient Egypt)

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 2nd Semester
Teacher: Prof. Flora Silvano

2023-24

The teaching of “Culture and materials of ancient Egypt” is included within the three-year degree of “Scienze dei Beni Culturali”. At the end of the course, the student will have acquired knowledge about particular practices and artefacts from the funerary and cultural sphere of Pharaonic Egypt. In particular, the following topics will be addressed: the evolution of body preservation from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period; the typological evolution of internal and external sarcophagi from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period; and the typological evolution of canopic jars and canopic caskets from the Old Kingdom to the Late Period.

The course will be taught in Italian.

Studying Egyptology in MA degree

Ancient Egypian Epigraphy

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 2nd Semester
Teacher: Prof. Marilina Betrò

2023-24

The Egyptian Epigraphy class is included in the degree of “Orientalistica: Egitto, Vicino e Medio Oriente”. It aims to study hieroglyphic epigraphic texts directly on the original monuments and the rudiments of the epigraphic relief are also provided. During the class there will be a series of lectures off-site at the Egyptian Museum in Florence, followed by classroom discussions on the epigraphic and archaeological issues presented by the selected objects. The class will be held in English.

Ancient Egyptian Language and Texts

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 1st Semester
Teacher: Dr. Silvia Zago

2023-24

The class provides the basics to read, understand and analyze hieroglyphic texts in classical Egyptian (Middle Egyptian) through the study of the most common hieroglyphs, the main grammatical structures and the learning of basic tools. The class will be held in English.

Egittologia II (Advanced Egyptology)

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 2nd Semester
Teacher: Dr. Angelo Colonna

2023-24

The Egyptology (advanced) class is included in the degree of “Orientalistica: Egitto, Vicino e Medio Oriente”. Through a monographic theme, it provides advanced knowledge of linguistic, historical and cultural aspects of certain periods of ancient Egyptian, relating sources of different kinds to each other. The class tackles the most recent scientific-methodological issues concerning specific themes in Egyptology, from the interpretation of texts to archaeological and historical debates.

The course will be taught in Italian.

Egiziano antico: lingua, scrittura e testi (Ancient Egyptian: language, writing and texts)

72 hours – 12 ECTS, Yearly
Teachers: Prof. Gianluca Miniaci and Dr. Elena Tiribilli

2023-24

The class helds through two parts by Prof. Miniaci in the 1st semester e by Dr. Tiribilli in the 2nd semester. The course of the first semester offers a thorough introduction to hieroglyphic writing and to the linguistic system of Middle Egyptian, the classical phase of the ancient Egyptian language. By the end of the entire course, students will be able to analyze aspects of the ancient Egyptian language and culture through the reading and analysis of textual sources in hieroglyphic writing.

The course will be held in Italian.

Egyptian Archaeology

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 1st Semester
Teacher: Dr. Elena Tiribilli

2023-24

The course focuses on the study of the history of Egyptian archeology, of the monuments and material culture of ancient Egypt. The class will be held in English.

Filologia egiziana (Egyptian Philology)

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 2nd Semester
Teacher: Prof. Marilina Betrò

2023-24

The class offers a monographic theme approached through the analysis of complex textual sources (study and reading of ancient Egyptian texts) inserted in their cultural, historical and political context, in order to allow a detailed study of specific problems concerning the history of ancient Egypt.

The course will be held in Italian.

Demotic Language and Literature

Teacher: Prof. Marilina Betrò

Inactive

The “Demotic language and literature” class is included in the degree of “Orientalistica: Egitto, Vicino e Medio Oriente”. This class gives the basic elements of Demotic writing and grammar and enables students to read, translate and analyze simple Demotic texts.

Hieratic

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 2nd Semester
Teacher: Dr. Susanne Toepfer (curator of Museo Egizio in Turin)

2023-24

The teaching of “Hieratic” is undertaken within the Master’s degree in ”Orientalistica: Egitto, Vicino e Medio Oriente“. The course teaches the basic elements of hieratic writing and enables you to read, translate and analyze simple hieratic texts. The class will be held in English.

Hieratic II

Teacher: Dr. Susanne Toepfer (curator in Museo Egizio in Turin)

Inactive

The class will be held in English.

Museological aspects of Egyptology

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 2nd Semester
Teacher: Dr. Christian Greco (Director of Museo Egizio in Turin)

2023-24

The class will be held in English.

Reading Egyptian texts

3 ECTS, Laboratory, 1st Semester
Teacher: Dr. Angelo Colonna

2023-24

Social History and Material Culture of Ancient Egypt

36 hours – 6 ECTS, 2nd Semester
Teacher: Prof. Gianluca Miniaci

2023-24

The aim of the course is to develp students’ abilities to hold in-depth discussions of problems inherent in the social history of ancient Egypt and practical aspects related to the material culture of Ancient Egypt. Students will be able to independently integrate archaeological, iconographic and textual sources. The class will be held in English.

Coptic language and literature

Teacher: –

Inactive

Il corso impartisce gli elementi basilari della scrittura e della grammatica copta e mette in grado di leggere, tradurre e analizzare testi copti semplici.

Stages

In the study plan of some degree courses, the entry “Stage e Tirocini” includes periods of training experience at various institutions (e.g. museums, libraries, archives, publishing houses, etc.) or participation in archaeological excavations. In Egyptology, it is possible to carry out such stages in some Italian museums which have agreements with the University of Pisa (e.g. Egyptian Museum in Florence, Egyptian Museum in Turin, Biblioteca Universitaria di Pisa, etc.). If circumstances permit, the students of Oriental Studies can take an active part in the archaeological excavations in Egypt: at the moment the one in Dra Abu el-Naga – Luxor, directed by Prof. Marilina Betrò, and the one in Zawyet Sultan / Zawyet el-Maiyitin (Middle Egypt) directed by Prof. Gianluca Miniaci.
The stage hours to be carried out depending on the number of course credits to be obtained (3 or 6 ECTS)

Summer Schools

International Summer Schools and intensive courses on specific Egyptological themes are organized at the University of Pisa, in collaboration with institutions and external teachers, in order to develop new knowledge and promote internationalization.

• Summer school 2019 “Egyptologists as museum curators: an immersive training” (with Museo Egizio di Torino)
• Hieratic Summer School 2019

Master’s degree in English: “Ancient Egypt and Western Asia: archaeology, history and languages”

Programme