Horapollon’s Hieroglyphica: A New Translation with Commentary

I’m delighted to announce that my new translation and full length study of Horapollon’s Hieroglyphica is now available for pre-order from the publisher.

About the book

This new English translation directly from the original Greek opens a door for both curious readers and scholars alike, balancing rich context with a sharp, reliable rendering. This replaces the flawed earlier editions by George Boas (1950, indirect translation from the Latin); and Alexander Turner Cory (1840, incomplete and inaccurate).

In this full length scholarly study, Sasha Chaitow makes three key contributions to modern scholarship that reshape our grasp of the Hieroglyphica:

Compelling evidence points to the roots of the Hieroglyphica in oral tradition, likely penned by a student of Horapollon. The text is a vivid blend of Alexandrian syncretism, Greek Neoplatonism, Hermetic currents; while she provides textual evidence for late antique alchemical hermeneutics woven between its lines.

These revelations demand a fresh, urgent look at this remarkable manuscript.

Details: 140 x 215cm, Hardcover, approx. 500 pages.

Publisher: Black Letter Press, Obernkirchen, Germany

ISBN: Limited Edition

Publication Date: Summer 2025

Pre-order open here

Endorsements

This book is far more than the definitive treatment of Horapollon’s Hieroglyphica and its reception history (which it is). As Dr. Chaitow navigates the complexities of translating and interpreting a document that has passed through countless filters since it was dictated to a scribe in the 5th century CE, she provides a master class in contextual sensitivity and hermeneutic nuance. This text is essential reading for anyone who cares about how we understand—and misunderstand—the past.

Leonard George, Ph.D., Faculty Emeritus of Psychology, Capilano University

The Hieroglyphica is a literary enigma that belongs beside the Hermetica and the Orphic Hymns. Like them it claims to be a transmission of ancient wisdom but was actually written down much later. Allegedly a dictionary of the meaning of hieroglyphics, each entry is a little poetic masterpiece, especially in Sasha Chaitow’s splendid new translation, now the standard for this work.

At the nexus of the beauty of poetry and of the observation of human nature and of the patterns of life, in which it resembles the Yi Jing, the Hieroglyphica is a course in the understanding of symbology and folklore. Sasha provides deep insights and fascinating details in a wonderful display of scholarly skills that spans disciplines. Her writing sparkles with wit and elegant turns of phrase, and like the Hieroglyphica itself, with an uncommon common sense.

Ronnie Pontiac, Author of American Metaphysical Religion: Esoteric and Mystical Traditions of the New World

With this English translation directly from the Greek original, Sasha Chaitow breathes new life into the Hieroglyphica. Praise should be given not just for the translation but also for Sasha’s dismantling of long-standing biases that have obscured our understanding of the Hieroglyphica and, more broadly, the intellectual and religious complexities of late antique Greco-Egyptian thought.

Sasha confronts the rigid boundaries within classical, Byzantine, and modern Greek studies, showing how these artificial divisions have confused the understanding of the Hieroglyphica, a work that resists reductive categorisation. By breaking down these barriers, Sasha contributes to understanding Greco-Egyptian intellectual and religious history during Late Antiquity. Thus the Hieroglyphica can be studied in the full richness of its historical and intellectual context.

Angelo Nasios, Historian and Host of Hearth of Hellenism Podcast

For modern readers to make sense of the Hieroglyphica, a text written for and consumed within a culture far removed from our own, a guide is essential. This richly annotated translation, brimming with erudition, opens the door to a foreign and fascinating world.

Olav Hammer, Professor Emeritus, University of Southern Denmark

Sasha Chaitow has provided a much-needed, modern English translation of Horapollon’s Hieroglyphica direct from the original Greek, accompanied by extensive notes, fascinating commentary, and refreshing postcolonial critique. The new translation is welcome and very helpful for English readers otherwise reliant on Boas, but it was really the commentary that I was impressed by. I feel like it’s the only book anyone will need (along with Sbordone) on the topic of Horapollon’s Hieroglyphica. This impressive study is a valuable contribution to the history of the reception of ancient Egypt, particularly its intersection with Renaissance Hermetism.

Caroline J. Tully, University of Melbourne

Click to enlarge and view (Uncorrected proofs)