Vol. I - The Coptic Orthodox Church

Introduction. xxxv
were to form parts of the fifth volume, were not completed when
Bunsen died on November 28th, 1860. The unfinished translation
of the comparative vocabularies was completed by Birch and
Dr. Rieu, Assistant Keeper of Oriental Manuscripts in the British The
Museum, who also inserted '
Bunsen's additions and corrections, vocabularies
Birch's translation of the Book of the Dead, together with his completed by
Introduction, fills 209 pages (pp. 125-333), the Egyptian Dictionary Ricu
fills 250 pages (pp. 337-586), and the Hieroglyphic Grammar and
Chrestomathy fill 153 pages (pp. 589-741). Thus the original
matter .supplied by him to the fifth volume fills 612 pages, or nearly
three-quarters of the whole volume. The number of entries on a Birch's
page of the Egyptian Dictionary averages eighteen,
and the total
number of entries is therefore about 4,500. volume.
" The Dictionary," Birch says in his Preface, " is phonetic
in its arrangement, the words being placed under the phonetic
value[s] of the signs at the time of compilation. It is important
to remember this, as Egyptologists give a different power to a
few signs, or regard others as polyphone[s].
The ideographic and
determinative hieroglyphics, having been already given
in the
first volume, 1 have not been repeated in this, and the student
must seek them in their appropriate places. It is also to be borne
in mind that the meaning of all Egyptian words has not yet been
determined, and that the researches of Egyptologists continue to
enrich the number of interpreted words. A reference to the place
where it is found is given with each word, but it was not possible,
without exceeding the limits of this work, to give in every instance
the name of the scholar who discovered its meaning [here follows
1
Bunsen says (" Egypt's Place," Vol. I, p. 503),
" I have, together with
Mr. Birch, submitted to the test of accurate criticism all the hieroglyphical signs
hitherto collected and explained, and have classified each of them in its proper
place, according to that arrangement. [The general arrangement is laid down in
the text.] At the same time I have requested that gentleman to add his own
valuable remarks to this collection, so as to complete and correct it. ...
Through his assistance I am enabled to give, not only a more critical, but also a
than has hitherto been
more complete exposition of the hieroglyphical signs,
embodied in previous works, all of which are very expensive, and some very
rare. Where the Grammar or Dictionary of Champollion is not quoted, the
signs and interpretations are supplied by Mr. Birch from other authorities or his
own researches. . . . The arrangement is the natural one, proposed and
adopted by Champollion, in the early stages of the study of hieroglyphics : viz.,
signs of astronomical or geographical objects ; human
forms, animals from the
quadruped down to the worm plants, stones, instruments, etc., and signs as
yet undeciphered." The List contains : A. IDEOGRAPHICS, 890 characters.
B. DETERMINATIVES, 201 characters. C. PHONETICS, C. I, 153 characters ;
C. II, 135 characters. D. MIXED CHARACTERS, 70 characters.
C 2
'