This discussion happened at the breakfast table, with no reference works to hand, apropos of nothing.
Michael: Dad, the Coptic capital letter hori looks just like a backwards S. And so does the little hori. Actually, they don't have capitals.
Marcus: [scathingly] None of the hieroglyphics have capitals.
Michael: Coptic isn't heiroglyphics. There is, uh, ... demodit ...
Me: Demotic?
Michael: Yeah, demotic and hieratic.
Marcus: Demotic was the one that everyone had to know.
Michael: No - it was just scribes and stuff.
[After a break to get dressed and argue a bit about other things]
Michael: Look - it says here that demotic was used for legal texts and mummy inscriptions.
Marcus: Yeah, but you smell.
Your boys constantly amaze me. What planet are they from again?
ReplyDeleteI have since found out that is in fact another boy in Michael's class who is leading the drive to master the Coptic alphabet. Why, I do not know. It is kind of cool-looking.
ReplyDelete