Ge’ez is an ancient African language of world-historical significance. With a history spanning centuries, its writings offer a unique vantage point on the interconnected histories of African, Middle Eastern, and Indian Ocean societies. It lives on in the cultural and religious life of many East African communities, and their global diasporas, and through its many linguistic descendants, including Amharic with 57 million speakers. This course will teach you how to read, understand, and translate Ge’ez texts, including from manuscripts housed at Princeton, one of the largest collections in the world. There are no prerequisites.
