Meeting in an express format for seven weeks only, this course deals specifically with the life of the common man and woman in Egyptian society from the Old Kingdom through the Ptolemaic Period (c. 2600-30 BC). Topics are arranged conceptually (not chronologically) to provide insight into Egyptian social institutions and the solutions that the Egyptians devised to cope with life and its uncertainties. Subjects includelanguage and writing (including elementary lessons in reading and writing Egyptian hieroglyphs), the decipherment of hieroglyphs, the educational system and issue of literacy, structure of society, the role of social initiation, economic structures and institutions, types of occupations and labor conditions, social advancement, function and practice of religion, medicine and medical magic, role and status of women in society (motherhood, marriage), love and sex, games and recreation, and conceptions of drama.