Egyptology

/ˌiː.dʒɪp.ˈtɑː.lə.dʒi/ noun

Definition

The scientific and scholarly study of the history, culture, language, artifacts, and civilization of ancient Egypt.

Etymology

From Egypt (the country) plus -ology (a suffix from Greek -logia meaning 'study of' or 'science of'). The suffix -ology combines logos (word/science) and comes from over 100 English words following this pattern.

Kelly Says

Egyptology began as a treasure-hunting adventure but became a rigorous science after the Rosetta Stone was deciphered in 1822, finally allowing scholars to read hieroglyphics instead of just guessing what they meant.

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