wwwjosephh asked: I love you.

Hahahaha thank you so much :) Glad you like my blog, and sorry it hasn’t been updated in awhile—hopefully I’ll be able to pick back up again at the end of the semester!

Writing a thesis seems similar to having a child. It takes forever to develop, causes odd food cravings in wee hours of the night, may result in illness, makes you frustrated with something you normally love, and when it’s all over I can only imagine it’s one of the best feelings in the world. Hopefully.

But really…staring at either (1) a computer screen or (2) all of the plates is making me go partially blind.

Especially with all of these mysterious inscriptions and erasure >.<

I suppose I do in some ways…but the world of theses and research seems like a separate planet sometimes.
 

archyproblems asked: I just read your whole blog. I love you. What Middle Egyptian grammar books do you use?

Hahahaha thank you :D And I love all of my followers! I primarily use James Hoch’s Middle Egyptian Grammar.

Bordering on the line of terrified and incredibly amused.

I’m out.

King Taharqo’s plead after the Assyrians under Esarhaddon sacked Memphis and captured the royal family in 671 BCE:

“O Amun…Let my children live. Turn death away from them for me.” --from the peristyle court north of Pylon VI of the Amun Temple, Karnak.

As many of you already know, Taharqo is amongst my favorite historical figures…so I have a tendency to empathize with him no matter what. But this excerpt is particularly striking. Each time I come across this line, I am reminded of the humanity residing within these ancient pharaohs. Amongst the grandiose inscriptions and titles, it is easy to lose oneself in the greatness of this amazing empire. But as I’m sure any of you historians out there understand—it is sources like these that truly allow you to connect with the people whom you study. And that is one of the greatest feelings, at least for me :)

[And that was my deep post for the time being].