The Nedj Nedj Databases: Introduction: 1.2 Purpose / 1.3 Computer

1.2 PURPOSE

The purpose of the Nedj Nedj databases is to try to get some kind of grip on the hieroglyphs of Ancient Egyptian. At first sight they seem simple: pictures of recognisable things. A leg 

, 

which is found to have the sound b. Perhaps only 26 or so would be needed, easily learnt. But it soon becomes apparent that it is more complicated. There might be 1000 glyphs, which might be combined in many ways. The words are not separated. There is no punctuation. The only people who could make sense of it all seemed to be the scholars. This database is intended to give the non-scholar a chance to undertake some real investigations of his or her own without having to have completed years of specialised study beforehand. So, for any inscription, correctly identify several glyphs in a sequence, type these as a ‘search’ (i.e. ‘find’) into the pink {identity JS} field, hit enter/return and just see what emerges. (See ‘6.2 Other searches’ below.)

1.3 COMPUTER

The language databases of your compiler began in a Macintosh user world, with the application Filemaker. Filemaker’s increasing sophistication enabled these databases gradually to do more. The development was undertaken by someone with no knowledge at the outset and without instruction other than that provided by the database itself. A particular advance made by Filemaker was to become ‘relational’, to make it possible to look into another database. In 2013 this is how the Nedj Nedj Databases are:

Fig. 1.31 Summary of links within the Nedj Nedj databases

The graphic illustrates the interrelationships operating for the main databases. At 2013 these included:

The main database

—HIEROLEX: this is the tag for the hieroglyphic lexicon that the database represents.

Auxiliary

—HIERO JS NAMES: a comprehensive listing of the hieroglyphs

—CAROL VOCAB DETAILS: includes all the reference details for the sources

—VOCABS PIX: includes any pictures that might be used repeatedly

—MAC CHT: includes the Gardiner reference categories, such as:

F Parts of Mammals

—and lines such as:

¬ a / 3 A / ỉ /d dj / ḥ Ḥ H / ẖ kh / ḫ KH / ḳ q / š sh / ṭ tj / ⋅ 

that might occur on every page. Such repeated elements are in fact written only once, and are referred to by means of the linked relational databases, ensuring accuracy and saving endlessly reproducing the data concerned on every entry.