Welcome! I’m Dr. Colleen Darnell.
I am an Egyptologist, author and educator. I bring the rich history and culture of ancient Egypt to world-wide audiences.
Did you know that we are closer in time to Cleopatra than Cleopatra was to the pyramids of Giza?
Only two thousand years separate us from Cleopatra VII, the final ruler of the Ptolemaic dynasty, but over two thousand five hundred years separated her from the burial of Khufu in the Great Pyramid.
Ancient Egyptian civilization spanned over four thousand years and produced breathtaking art and architecture, fascinating writing systems, and complex religious beliefs–all of which still capture our imagination today.
If you are fascinated by ancient civilizations and want to explore the language and history of ancient Egypt, you are in the right place!
Photo by Hassan Mohamed
I bring the wonders of ancient Egypt to the modern world through my interactive live lectures on diverse topics, including these and much more:
Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs
Learn how to translate texts written thousands of years ago. By reading ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, we bring the past to life.
Ancient Egyptian Religion
Meet the gods and goddesses of the ancient Egyptians, learn about their beliefs in the afterlife, and discover how magic and ritual permeated everyday life in the ancient Nile Valley.
Life in Ancient Egypt
From common jobs to iconic fashion, put yourself in the sandals of the ancient Egyptians and explore what life was like thousands of years ago.
Upcoming Live Class Series: How to Cast a Spell
The five-part class HOW TO CAST A SPELL will provide an overview of what magic represents (especially its relationship to religion and medicine). Then, I will guide you through a close reading of several magical texts in translation, illustrated with objects that relate to rituals.
Upcoming Live Class Series: How to Read Hieroglyphs: Unit 1
In HOW TO READ HIEROGLYPHS UNIT 1, we devote five hours to understanding how hieroglyphs work and learning the main phonetic signs, culminating in reading an ancient Egyptian offering formula. This introductory class does not assume any previous knowledge, and once you complete this unit, you can continue on to many more classes about ancient Egyptian grammar and ultimately reading actual hieroglyphic texts from temple and tomb walls.
Ancient Egypt at the MET October 5, 1-3PM
Join me for a two-hour tour of the Ancient Egyptian art galleries in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. I will lead you through the highlights of the permanent collection, from the Predynastic Period through the Middle Kingdom. You will learn about the invention and use of hieroglyphs and the principles of ancient Egyptian art. Tour price includes admission to the museum, and the tour is limited to fifteen people.
Meet Colleen
Since receiving my PhD in Egyptology from the Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Yale University in 2005, I have authored and co-authored six books, my most recent being Egypt’s Golden Couple, with Prof. John Darnell. I am a regular contributor to documentaries, especially Nat Geo’s “Lost Treasures of Egypt” (streaming on Disney+), and I have taught hundreds of students through my live Zoom lectures and thousands on my Instagram accounts, @howtoreadhieroglyphs and @vintage_egyptologist.
As featured in:
Egypt’s Golden Couple
Each ancient Egyptian pharaoh sought to leave their mark during the course of their reign. But King Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti, the parents of King Tutankhamun, left an indelible one. Even after they died, and many of their monuments were destroyed, the impact of these enigmatic rulers remained. Try as they might, their descendants could not erase them.
Separate fact from fiction and learn about the controversial reign of Akhenaten and Nefertiti, who ruled as gods on earth.
Based on hieroglyphic sources and ancient artifacts, EGYPT’S GOLDEN COUPLE reconstructs the lives of these oft-misunderstood rulers in illuminating detail.
By John Coleman Darnell and Colleen Darnell
From the Blog
Enroll in a live Egyptology class series and discover ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, art history, religion, famous pharaohs, and much more.
Read my published academic works for a deep dive into subjects such as ancient Egyptian literature—including ancient historical fiction, religious texts—especially the Netherworld Books, and military history.
Follow me on Instagram @vintage_egyptologist for all things ancient Egypt and vintage fashion.
Photo by Jen Schulten