During recent years, interest in Egyptology has steadily grown, and as a result, the amount of sites on the World Wide Web is enormous. It is easy to spend a great deal of time online without finding anything that might be relevant. I have attempted to narrow down the amount of material that is on the Web by listing here only those sites which have been useful to my own studies, or those which would be particularly valuable or interesting to those generally interested in Egyptology.

The Egyptology resources page at Cambridge University  is by far one of the best sites for Egyptology resources on the Web. It has all the latest Egyptological news, gossip and announcements, and also includes a Bulletin Board, where any student can post their questions. It also has links to online publications, archaeological digs in Egypt with their own websites, museums, museums, societies, the personal web pages of Egyptologists, and so on. It collects all the information that is out there on the Web on one site, under different headings so that a student can access the area of particular interest to them.

The Centre for Computer-aided Egyptological Research  at Utrecht University specialises in matters related to the application of computers in Egyptology. The demonstration version of a computer programme which enables a user to type and print hieroglyphic script and transliteration, called WinGlyph/MacScribe, is available for download from this site, and the full version is available to purchase. There are also other teaching/learning aids available. For example, Egyptian objects can be viewed using QuickTime, and the temple of Abu Simbel can be visited by the click of a mouse button.

The Griffith Institute at Oxford University includes various articles on the subject of New Kingdom Saqqara, and two databases, the first concerning the objects found inside Tutankhamun’s tomb, the second concerning New Kingdom reliefs from Saqqara. As well as a section for young people, there is also much more to interest the serious student of Egyptology, such as a topographical bibliography of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, statuary, reliefs and paintings, and a list of records in the archive of the Griffith Institute. There is also access to the library catalogue, the library of the Institute being one of the most important with respect to Egyptology in Britain.

The ABZU research archives at the Oriental Institute in Chicago is an index of Egyptology resources on the Internet. It groups resources under different headings, for example, archaeological site, art, Egyptological institutions, museums, texts and so on. This index would be useful for a student who is looking from something specific in these areas.

The Annual Egyptological Bibliography is the online version of the publication of the same name, which has been published yearly since the late 1940’s and lists all the publications relevant to Egyptology for each year. However, this online version covers only the years 1992 – 1996, although more will be added each year as it becomes available.

The Theban Mapping Project is headed by Dr. Kent Weeks, who has become more famous in recent years for the rediscovery and excavation of King’s Valley tomb 5, the resting place of a number of sons of Ramesses II, but whose organization has been mapping the Thebes area and its monuments for many years. This site is divided into five main sections. The first looks at the Theban necropolis, where many of the main sites can be visited and examined. The second looks at the Valley of the Kings, and again, many of the main sites are available to be visited. There is also a family tree of the nineteenth dynasty, and personal profiles of some of those buried in the Valley. The third section is concerned with KV5 itself, and includes a full tour of the tomb, a current excavation report, and some of the finds made there. The fourth section concerns the study of Egyptology. There is a very full bibliography – which is particularly useful - divided into sections under headings and sub-headings, profiles of famous Egyptologists, and a list of museums and places to study Egyptology all over the world. The fifth section looks at publications concerned with KV5.

Encounters with Ancient Egypt  is a site detailing a recent conference held at the University College London. Papers, covering a wide range of subjects, which were presented at this conference, are available in full online here. Many are authored by respected Egyptologists, such as Professor Kenneth Kitchen, and most students will find something of interest at this site.

The best Egyptology discussion lists on the Web are the Ancient Egyptian Language list and its sister site, the Egyptologists Electronic Forum. The AEL confines itself to the subject of the Egyptian language in all its phases, while the EEF is for the discussion of all things concerned with ancient Egypt. However, both are more than just discussion lists conducted by e-mail. The AEL website contains hieroglyphic texts, plus transliterations and translations which students can download and use for practice, and these cover a wide range of abilities, which is a very valuable resource as hieroglyphic texts are very difficult to find in print. There are also many other aids for students of the Egyptian language that can be found on this site. The EEF website also publishes a weekly electronic newsletter, and has an online library of papers by both professional Egyptologists and students (although students must have the permission of their tutor/supervisor in order for their work to be included here). Both discussion lists are also particularly welcoming to the beginner.

Guardian’s Egypt set up by Andrew Bayuk is mainly of interest for its cyber journey through various monuments of Egypt, such as the Step Pyramid at Saqqara, and the Red Pyramid at Dashur. These monuments can be extensively viewed both inside and out in a way which would not usually be possible without personally visiting the monument itself. There is also a discussion board and a bibliography presented in alphabetical order, but most of the rest of the site consists of links to other sites.

Ancient Egypt and World Prehistory is a site set up by Mikey Brass, an archaeologist who has written various articles for journals such as KMT and InScription. These articles by him can be viewed online, together with other articles authored by some of his associates. As the title of the site would suggest, it is split into two sections, one which has articles covering the development of early man, the other covering the only the very beginnings of Egyptian history.

Finally, there is the Ancient Egypt site by Jacques Kinnear. This is one of the best personal websites on the Internet. It has a timeline with fairly extensive articles and illustrations for each phase of Egyptian history, a quick reference to the most important monuments, tombs and temples at Saqqara, a guide to the ancient Egyptian language, including its evolution, different aspects of writing, and pharaoh’s names in hieroglyphs. There is also an A to Z collection of 175 keywords which can be used to search for different topics covered on the site, and bibliography aimed at the general student. In addition, there are the usual links to other web sites, which include museums, universities, and even movies!

Many of the thousands of sites on Egyptology that can be found on the World Wide Web are personal sites of debateable value, or are aimed at those who wish to gain only a brief knowledge of ancient Egypt. There are also some sites which have as their subject so-called "alternative Egyptology", and I have not covered those sites here, as the theories they present are outside the practice of serious Egyptology. However, I have attempted to present here a range of some of the best resources that can be found on the Web for both the beginning student who wished to gain more knowledge, and those who are more advanced and seeking something specific.

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