Lost Voices of Egypt

A compact, scholarly linguistic study that sets out to prove the connection between modern Nigerian dialects and the language of ancient Egypt.

Debut author Edie, a native of Nigeria’s Niger Delta region, first came upon the connection between ancient Egyptian and the Nigerian Efik language while attending Texas Southern University. For this comparative linguistics study, the result of more than 20 years of research, Edie focused on the dialects of the Efik—and those of the related Anang and Ibibio peoples—and compared them to the most ancient recorded form of the Egyptian language. He found the languages remarkably similar and concluded that the earliest ancient Greek translators must have misunderstood basic rules of the symbolic Egyptian language. In tables and appendices, he shows how these corrupted translations occurred, using well-known terms and deity names as examples. For instance, he asserts that the word “alchemy,” from which “chemistry” stems, originated not from Arabic, but from the ancient Egyptian/Efik word “ekim.” Many chapters include dense discussions of linguistic variations that may mystify readers without linguistics or anthropology backgrounds. However, history buffs may be intrigued by other similarities the author found between ancient Egyptian and modern Nigerian cultures, including similar laws and taboos, home layouts, music, children’s games and ideas of women’s equality. Edie also boldly concludes that the Greek’s systemic mistranslation was part of an effort to obscure the Egyptian civilization’s accomplishments in mathematics, sciences and the arts and that the Greeks “stealthily claimed many Egyptian cultural and intellectual legacies”—a challenging assertion in the field of ancient studies.

A useful academic work for students of Egyptology and linguistics that may have limited appeal for average readers.