Egyptian Hieroglyphic

Egyptian Hieroglyphic

Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic

Egyptian Hieroglyphic are a pictorial writing system used by Egyptian football to record different types of events and stories. It can be read as a picture, as a symbol for an image, or as a symbol for the sound in the picture. Of course The word hieroglyph means “sacred sculpture” and was used by the Greeks to describe the books found on monuments and relics. However, in the 19th century, the term was expanded to include other books.

Hieroglyphs

Development of Egyptian hieroglyphics

The first egyptian hieroglyphs writing made of ceramics dates back to around the fourth millennium BC. In the Early Dynastic Period (2920-2575 BC), hieroglyphic writing began to conform to certain standards.

Also

Hieroglyphs were written on monuments, temple walls, tombs, gravestones, statues and coffins. They usually related historical events, such as battle records. They were also used to write music and some documents, although they were also used for religious purposes, in rituals, hymns and prayers.

Certainly, egyptian hieroglyphs were not suitable for everyday use, and were used only as decorative writing, as they took a long time to create.

Egyption hyroglifics were still used in the Macedonian and Roman period in Egypt, but the circle of people who wrote them became smaller. In this period, only priests studied hieroglyphics, but everything changed when the Egyptians converted to Christianity, between the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD.

Deciphering Egyptian Hieroglyphics

The original number of hieroglyphs was around 700, but more were added over time. The writings were written from right to left, but when decorating certain surfaces such as doors or walls, they could also be written vertically.

In 1799, members of Napoleon’s expedition to Egypt found a stone near Rosetta on the Mediterranean coast, which contained three different scripts: hieroglyphic, Greek and demotic.

The translation was certainly the same in all three texts, so the so-called Rosetta Stone became a key piece for deciphering hieroglyphs.

Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone is one of the most famous pieces in the British Museum.

In Arabic it is called Rashid (Rashid). The stone is a broken part of a larger stone tablet. It contains a recorded message, written in three types of writing (called scripts). It was an important piece of evidence that helped experts learn to read egyptian hieroglyphss.

Champollion decided that hieroglyphic writing did not represent a system of symbols, but a phonetic writing. He established the phonetic values ​​of the signs and his achievements were a major advance in the final understanding of hieroglyphics.

Why is it important?

The decree was copied onto large stone tablets called stelae, which were placed in all the temples of Egypt. The priests of a temple in Memphis (in Egypt) are said to have supported the king. The Rosetta Stone is one such copy.

Of course the decree is written three times, in hieroglyphics (appropriate for a priestly decree), in demotic (the original Egyptian script used for everyday purposes, meaning “the language of the people”) and in ancient Greek (the language of the people).

The Rosetta Stone was found broken and incomplete. It consists of 14 lines of hieroglyphics alphabet writing, 32 lines of demotic writing, and 53 lines of ancient Greek.

When was it found?

Although accounts of the discovery of the stone in July 1799 are now quite obscure, the most widely accepted story is that it was found by chance by soldiers in Napoleon’s army.
While digging the foundations of a fortress near the city of Rosetta in the Nile Delta.
After Napoleon’s defeat, the stone became the property of the British under the terms of the Treaty of Alexandria (1801) along with other antiquities found by the French. The stone was sent to England.

Who cracked the code?

Thomas Young (1773-1829), an English physicist, was the first to show that some of the hieroglyphs on the Rosetta Stone wrote the sounds of a real name, that of the pharaoh Ptolemy.

Where is the Rosetta Stone now?

The Rosetta Stone and other sculptures have been placed in temporary structures on the grounds of the British Museum in England.

Egyptian hieroglyphic numbers

How Egyptians represent ones, tens, hundreds, etc.

You should repeat the drawing as many times as necessary to indicate the number of units, tens, etc.

You can create a series of numbers using hieroglyphs.
Put the numbers in columns or from left to right as we normally write.

What is hieroglyphics?

eEgyptian Hieroglyphs is a writing system developed in ancient Egypt over 5,000 years ago, The word “hieroglyph” comes from the Greek words “hieros” (sacred) and “glyphein” (to inscribe).

This writing system uses a combination of signs, symbols, and pictures to represent words, sounds, and concepts. Egyption Hyroglifics were written in columns from top to bottom or from right to left.

Hieroglyphs are divided into three main categories:

  • Logographic hieroglyphs
  • Phonetic hieroglyphs
  • Determinants

Egyptian hieroglyphics in everyday life

Egyptian hieroglyphs were used in ancient Egyptian daily life. Here are some of the ways they were used:

  1. Inscriptions on monuments such as obelisks and temples.
  2. Religious texts: such as the Book of the Dead, which provides guidance and instructions to the deceased on their journey to the afterlife.
  3. Papyrus for writing letters and recording business transactions.
  4. Seals and amulets: for protection, luck and as jewelry.
  5. Cursive Hieroglyphic Writing: The Egyptians also developed a faster, simplified form of writing called hieratic.

Certainly, Egyptian hieroglyphics are a unique writing system that played a fundamental role in ancient Egyptian daily life, religion, and history.

Secrets of hieroglyphic writing

1- How many Egyptian hieroglyphs are there?

It includes 743 different hieroglyphs classified into 26 subgroups (gods, body parts, humans and their professions, animals…) found on the walls of pharaonic temples and tombs.

2.-How is it pronounced?

Despite attempts to reconstruct the phonetics of hieroglyphs from Coptic sounds, we do not know what the language of the ancient Egyptians really sounded like. We can read it, but we cannot speak it.

3.- Where do I start?

Hieroglyphs can be written in any direction: horizontally, from left to right or right to left, or vertically, also in both directions. The direction of the numbers indicates the direction of reading.

One way to know where a word begins or ends is to locate the determiner, a marker that indicates its semantic function, such as one that indicates movement.

4.- Is there a hieroglyphic alphabet?

Yes, but without vowels. The Egyptian alphabet consists of 28 consonants. Such as Aleph, the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, which roughly corresponds to the letter A, represented by the shape of an Egyptian eagle.

Cultural and Religious Significance

Hieroglyphics were central to the religious and cultural life of ancient Egypt. These symbols were believed to be sacred and had the power to give life to the objects they represented. For this reason, they were essential in the decoration of tombs and temples.

Only priests and scribes were trained to write and read hieroglyphs, which gave them a special status in society.

Impact on Modern Culture

Influence on art, literature, and popular culture. Films, books, and video games often feature hieroglyphs to create an atmosphere of mystery and antiquity.
In addition, technological advances have allowed researchers to use new tools to study and preserve hieroglyphs. The use of digital imaging, augmented reality, and other technologies has made it possible to explore Egyptian monuments and tombs with an unprecedented level of detail.

Conclusion

Egyptian Hieroglyphss were not only a communication tool for the ancient Egyptians, but also a powerful symbol of their culture and religion. Deciphering them has allowed humanity to better understand one of the most influential civilizations in history. Today, hieroglyphics remain a testament to human creativity and ingenuity.

Frequently Asked Questions
What are the three types of Egyptian writing?
Egyptian hieroglyphics is a writing system invented by the ancient Egyptians. It was used from predynastic times until the 4th century. The ancient Egyptians used three basic types of writing: hieroglyphics, hieratic, and demotic.
Who invented Egyptian hieroglyphics?
It is almost certain that he was an Egyptian who lived in the south of the country and wrote the original text in Coptic (the language used in Egypt since the 2nd century AD).
How many Egyptian hieroglyphs are there?
Hieroglyphs are drawings used as signs for writing. In the classical era, the Egyptians used about 700 different signs.
How were Egyptian hieroglyphs deciphered?
Egyptian hieroglyphs can be deciphered thanks to the Rosetta Stone.
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