egyptian writing systems. hieroglyphs meaning=divine speech or god’s words used by priests for...
TRANSCRIPT
Egyptian Writing Systems
Hieroglyphs Meaning=Divine speech or god’s words
Used by priests for religious writing-written on papyrus or wood
Hieroglyphs is an abjad, a writing system where each symbol stands for a consonant-the reader must think of the correct vowel
Scholars were confused for centuries because they thought hieroglyphs were all pictographs
Hieratic Developed alongside hieroglyphs as a quicker way to write
Used by scribes for government business
Written in ink with a brush on papyrus
Demotic Similar to hieratic
Also used by scribes for government business
Began to be used in the Nile Delta region later in Egyptian civilization.
Comparison
The Rosetta Stone Stone with three texts-hieroglyphs, hieratic, and ancient Greek
Discovered by Napoleon and the French when they invaded Egypt
Seized by the British when they defeated the French in Egypt
The Rosetta Stone
Jean Francois Champillion Child prodigy, spoke 11 languages by age 20
Was obsessed with discovering the true age of the world, thought hieroglyphs might hold the key
Working for 20 years, he was able to decipher the stone
The Problem with Hieroglyphs Try to decipher the writing on the back.
Hint: There are 5 sentences.
AnswerFor nearly 3000 years ancient Egypt was one of the world’s greatest civilizations. Very few Egyptians could read or write. The ones who could were usually scribes or priests. Egyptians had a form of writing called hieroglyphs. The key to understanding hieroglyphs was lost for centuries until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.