Expert: Ralph Salier - 3/1/2010

Question
hey!!im from india and im persuing my engeering,i wanna be a egyptologist.i want to take up the correspondence courses.can you suggest wat courses to take up here in india so as 2 persue my goal.im interested in dirt archeology and its obvious its in the african region.
thank you.

Answer
Hi Rakshith,

Taking correspondence courses in archaeology is a little like taking surgery courses by correspondence.  You can only learn so much.  Since you are living in India, which is a commonwealth nation, you have the option of enrolling in Oxford or Cambridge in the UK or their affiliates in India.  This is the first step.  Both have excellent programs in Egyptology  and both have reasonable relationships with the University in Cairo.  

I would first study those subject materials that can be done by "correspondence or virtual computer based education" such as:

1) Hyroglyphics and their evolution through time, reading and interpretation.
2) buildings technologies and how they developed
3) Egyptian mathematics
4) Egyptian technologies (ceramics, glass, metal working etc...)
5) The history of ancient Egypt (Its wars, Food production, power center shifts, kingdoms etc...)

Then, apply to go to school there and get your hands dirty.  They have many excavations, many sponsored by the government/universities and learn what it takes to unearth the story.

Of course, there is so much more to African Archaeology then just Egypt.  Great Zimbabwae, Early Man in Ethiopia and South Africa, the early modern humans of the Sahara, Timbuctu and its evolution, etc.....

So, there are many opportunities to study African Archaeologically.

I hope that this has helped.  If you have more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.