A Quick Update: Coffins, Moving, and Site Improvements

Mummy Lid of Nesytanebettawy - Third Intermediate Period
Mummy Lid of Nesytanebettawy – Third Intermediate Period – National Museum of National History, Smithsoninan Institution

And we’re back!

It has been a while since I’ve been able to update the site–sorry for the lack of activity. Now that I’m done with my thesis, I have enough free time to update the site consistently. I want to write a quick blog post to share a little about what I have been up to and some of future plans for Egyptian Hieroglyphs.

M.A.: Complete.

This last semester has been a whirlwind of crazy. In late January, I changed thesis topics and flew halfway across the U.S. to photograph a Third Intermediate Period coffin (inner coffin and mummy lid)  that would form the subject of my thesis. All of this happened within the span of about three days. Was it all worth it? Definitely. I was given the opportunity to study an unpublished coffin, a challenging, but rewarding experience.

There is still a lot of work to be done on this coffin, as my thesis could only cover so much. I won’t bore you with all the details, but much of the coffin has been restored in modern times and most of the restorations are incorrect.

Onward to the land of Dunkin’ Donuts…err Boston.

The Magical Land of Dunkin' Donuts (AP Photo/John Bazemore).
The Magical Land of Dunkin’ Donuts (AP Photo/John Bazemore).

Never again will I have to prepare an application for graduate school, and it feels amazing. If you have ever been through the process, you know that it is stressful, time-consuming, stressful, and stressful.

After applying to a wide range of schools the first time around, and getting handily rejected by all but three, I decided to focus on the few schools that I knew fit my interests like a glove. I applied to two schools: UCLA and Harvard.  I was accepted at my top choice, Harvard, and accepted as soon I read the formal offer. I still haven’t heard from UCLA, but I think it’s safe to say, I didn’t make the cut.

I’m excited to head back to the east coast, begin work in a fantastic program, and have my fill of Dunkin’ Donuts (isn’t that why people apply to Harvard?). It’s been a crazy journey, but all of the pieces are slowly falling into place.

The Future of Egyptian Hieroglyphs.

I recently revamped the design of the website, and hopefully. There are still a few display issues for users using mobile devices, but fixing them is a slow process because of my minimal experience with web design.

Here are a few of the features I would like to implement in the near future.

  • Youtube Video Lessons
  • Interviews with Egyptologists/Egyptology Graduate students
  • Subscriber Giveaways
  • Add more lessons to the site

Here’s where you come in. Is there something that you would like to see that is missing from the site right now? Let me know in the comments, email me (alec[at]egyptianhieroglyphs.net), or send me a message on twitter or facebook. My main interest is producing helpful content for you, so your feedback is important.