Publishers’ Note

In the year 1894 Dr. Wallis Budge prepared for Messrs. Kegan Paul, Trench, Trubner & Co., Ltd., an elementary work on the Egyptian language, entitled “First Steps in Egyptian,” and two years later the companion volume, “An Egyptian Reading Book,” with transliterations of all the texts printed in it, and a full vocabulary. The success of these works proved that they had helped to satisfy a want long felt by students of the Egyptian language, and as a similar want existed among students of the languages written in the cuneiform character, Mr. L. W. King, of the British Museum, prepared, on the same lines as tbe two books mentioned above, an elementary work on the Assyrian and Babylonian languages (“First Steps in Assyrian”), which appeared in 1898.

These works, however, dealt mainly with the philological branch of Egyptology and Assyriology, and it was impossible in the space allowed to explain much that needed explanation in the other branches of these subjects—that is to say, matters relating to the archaeology, history, religion, etc., of the Egyptians, Assyrians, and Babylonians. In answer to the numerous requests which have been made, a series of short, popular handbooks, on the most important branches of Egyptology and Assyriology has been prepared, and it is hoped that these will serve as introductions to the larger works on these subjects. The present is the fourth volume of the series, and the succeeding volumes will be published at short intervals, and at moderate prices.