Pyramids of Giza: Ancient Egyptian Art and Archaeology
Learn about ancient Egypt’s most famous archaeological site
Join Harvard Professor Peter Der Manuelian in exploring the archaeology, history, art, and hieroglyphs surrounding the famous Egyptian Pyramids at Giza.
2–4 hours a week
What You'll Learn
Where is Giza? How were the Pyramids built? How did the cemeteries and hundreds of decorated tombs around them develop? What was Giza’s contribution to this first great age of ancient Egyptian civilization, the Old Kingdom?
The Giza Plateau and its cemeteries — including the majestic Pyramids and the Great Sphinx — are stirring examples of ancient Egyptian architecture and culture. They provide windows into ancient Egyptian society, but also contain mysteries waiting to be solved. The Egyptian Pyramids at Giza provide an opportunity to explore the history of archaeology and to learn about some of the modern methods shaping the discipline today.
This introductory course will explore the art, archaeology, and history surrounding the Giza Pyramids. We will learn about Egyptian pharaohs and high officials of the Pyramid Age, follow in the footsteps of the great 20th-century expeditions, and discover how cutting-edge digital tools like 3D-modeling are reshaping the discipline of Egyptology.
Join us on this online journey to ancient Egypt’s most famous archaeological site as we uncover the history and significance of Giza, and use new digital techniques to unravel the mysteries of its ancient tombs and temples.
The course will be delivered via edX and connect learners around the world. By the end of the course, participants will understand:
- The history and significance of the Giza Pyramids and surrounding cemeteries
- Who explored the Pyramids and how they documented their discoveries
- The cultural and religious significance of the Giza Pyramids, tombs, and temples
- The role of hieroglyphic inscriptions in the tombs at Giza
- An appreciation for Egyptian art of the Old Kingdom, or Pyramid Age
- How digital technologies allow us to visualize ancient monuments in new ways
- What the future holds for our understanding and experience of Giza
Your Instructor
Peter Der Manuelian received his Ph.D. in Egyptology from the University of Chicago in 1990. In 2009, he was appointed the “Philip J. King Professor of Egyptology” at Harvard University (Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, and Department of Anthropology). This is the first Egyptology chair at Harvard since the time of George Reisner (1867-1942), more than 75 years ago. He is director of the Harvard Semitic Museum, and also directs the Giza Project at Harvard, and the MA Program in Museum Studies at the Harvard Extension School. He joined the curatorial staff at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, in 1987, and was Giza Archives Project Director there from 2000–2011, in addition to teaching at Tufts University for ten years. His primary research interests include ancient Egyptian history, archaeology, digital epigraphy and visualization, the development of mortuary architecture, and the (icono)graphic nature of Egyptian language and culture in general.
Ways to take this course
When you enroll in this course, you will have the option of pursuing a Verified Certificate or Auditing the Course.
A Verified Certificate costs $219 and provides unlimited access to full course materials, activities, tests, and forums. At the end of the course, learners who earn a passing grade can receive a certificate.
Alternatively, learners can Audit the course for free and have access to select course material, activities, tests, and forums. Please note that this track does not offer a certificate for learners who earn a passing grade.