A conversation with Jennifer Westerfeld (University of Louisville) on the scripts that were used to write ancient Egyptian, especially hieroglyphs. Their last attested use was in the 390s AD, putting the end of their long history in our period. Meanwhile, Greek, Roman, and Christian observers were developing their own theories about how the script worked, often quite fantastic, and reacted to texts that were inscribed in public spaces. The conversation is based on Jennifer's fascinating book Egyptian Hieroglyphs in the Late Antique Imagination (University of Pennsylvania Press 2019). For more on Coptic in this period, see episode 13.
116. Africa and Byzantium, with Andrea Myers Achi
115. Imaginary Byzantiums in modern Russia, with Eugene Smelyansky
114. Byzantium and the early Rus’, with Monica White
113. The emperor’s clothing and public appearances, with Maria Parani
112. Crisis and resilience in late antique Rome, with Michele Salzman
111. Inheriting the mantle of the Roman empire, with Nathan Aschenbrenner
110. Justinian: statecraft, law, and self-glorification, with Peter Sarris
109. The discovery of Constantinople, with Sarah Bassett
108. Who is ‘Islamic History’ about?, with Christian Sahner
107. Shifty Greeks, Arrogant Latins: Polemical authors and the schism of the Churches, with Alessandra Bucossi
106. Medieval Europe without a “core”, with Christian Raffensperger
105. So you’re the Roman emperor... now what?, with Olivier Hekster
104. Byzantine law, its experts, and its languages, with Daphne Penna
103. About time, with Jesse Torgerson
102. Byzantium and Balkan national identities, with Diana Mishkova
101. How to de-colonize Byzantine Studies, with Ben Anderson and Mirela Ivanova
100. Our new book on the armies, and on revisionism in history, with Marion Kruse
99. A new history of medieval Christianity, with Peter Heather
97. The remarkable world of hospitals, orphanages, and leprosaria, with Tim Miller
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