This book is above all a course material developed within the framework of the teaching of African History and Egyptology, initiated by the Khepera Association. It is therefore not intended to replace a grammar of the Pharaonic Egyptian language. However, care has been taken to present, in a simple and concise manner, the basic elements of Middle Egyptian writing and grammar. It is intended for all audiences, with no prior level required.

 Like any language, ancient or modern, Pharaonic Egyptian was the fruit of an extraordinary culture and civilization, but human, which deserves to be better known. This knowledge cannot, however, be achieved seriously without direct access to the language which, in turn, sheds light on the culture which produced and carried it.

 Contrary to what many books on this artificially delicate subject sometimes suggest, Pharaonic civilization is not suspended between heaven and earth, above Africa and - even less - in the East. It is, like any other civilization, a product of its country and this country is a portion of Africa, with its inhabitants, its fauna, its flora and its way of being and of thinking. This manual thus refers, by examples, to the African cultural context of this language. It is with this in mind that at the end of the book, a comparative lexicon of ancient Egyptian and a few present-day Negro-African languages is presented.