ヒエログリフは言語以上の機能を果たしていました。古代エジプト文明に3000年以上にわたり偏在し、メッセージを伝える手段として使われた、象徴的なツールでした。本書は古代エジプトの象形文字の文化的意義を探り、長いこと見過ごされてきた暗号や、今日も続く解読の努力にも触れ、私たちをとりこにするヒエログリフの魅力に迫ります。
   

• Discusses the function and importance of hieroglyphs within the framework of Ancient Egyptian culture, and looks at the importance of hieroglyphs today

Hieroglyphs were far more than a language. They were an omnipresent and all-powerful force in communicating the messages of ancient Egyptian culture for over three thousand years; used as monumental art, as a means of identifying Egyptianness, and for rarefied communication with the gods.
  
In this exciting new study, Penelope Wilson explores the cultural significance of the script with an emphasis on previously neglected areas such as cryptography, the continuing decipherment into modern times, and examines the powerful fascination hieroglyphs still hold for us today.