Hieroglyphs
Hieroglyphics
Hieroglyphics was a form of writing used by Ancient Egyptian priests and scholars to convey a written message. It was considered to be one of the most elegant writing systems of all time. The letters in hieroglyphs consisted of symbols instead of letters that either symbolise an item (a boat) or an idea (love, motion etc.). The term hieroglyph is a compound of two Greek words hieros and glyphien. When put together they mean sacred writing. Discoveries made by archaeologists suggest that hieroglyphics may be the oldest form of writing. The earliest evidence of hieroglyphic evidence is believed to be from 3200 BCE or 3300 BCE and other evidence suggests Egyptians used hieroglyphics for another 3500 years. Hieroglyphics were most common when it was written and spoken in the Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom time periods (3000 BCE – 1300 BCE) See Appendix 1 for the timeline.
The hieroglyphic system has between 700 to 800 individual symbols known as glyphs. Hieroglyphics were written from right to left, left to right and in long columns from top to bottom. They could be written in any orientation as the writing needed to cope with decorative requirements. To tell which way they needed to be read the reader needs to look at which way the animals are facing. If they face to the left the text needs to read from right to left.
Egyptian hieroglyphics can be split into two main groups. Phonograms are the first main group. Phonograms are hieroglyphics that represent sounds. They can either produce the sound of one, two or three consonants. The hieroglyphics that produce two consonants are known as ‘bilateral’ (see Appendix 3 for some) and the ones that produce three consonants are known as ‘trilateral’ (see Appendix 4 for some). The hieroglyphics that only make the sound of one letter may be labelled as an alphabet. This ‘alphabet’ consists of 24 consonants (see Appendix 2). As the hieroglyphics did not have vowels the Egyptians had to come up with ways to
Hieroglyphics was a form of writing used by Ancient Egyptian priests and scholars to convey a written message. It was considered to be one of the most elegant writing systems of all time. The letters in hieroglyphs consisted of symbols instead of letters that either symbolise an item (a boat) or an idea (love, motion etc.). The term hieroglyph is a compound of two Greek words hieros and glyphien. When put together they mean sacred writing. Discoveries made by archaeologists suggest that hieroglyphics may be the oldest form of writing. The earliest evidence of hieroglyphic evidence is believed to be from 3200 BCE or 3300 BCE and other evidence suggests Egyptians used hieroglyphics for another 3500 years. Hieroglyphics were most common when it was written and spoken in the Old Kingdom and Middle Kingdom time periods (3000 BCE – 1300 BCE) See Appendix 1 for the timeline.
The hieroglyphic system has between 700 to 800 individual symbols known as glyphs. Hieroglyphics were written from right to left, left to right and in long columns from top to bottom. They could be written in any orientation as the writing needed to cope with decorative requirements. To tell which way they needed to be read the reader needs to look at which way the animals are facing. If they face to the left the text needs to read from right to left.
Egyptian hieroglyphics can be split into two main groups. Phonograms are the first main group. Phonograms are hieroglyphics that represent sounds. They can either produce the sound of one, two or three consonants. The hieroglyphics that produce two consonants are known as ‘bilateral’ (see Appendix 3 for some) and the ones that produce three consonants are known as ‘trilateral’ (see Appendix 4 for some). The hieroglyphics that only make the sound of one letter may be labelled as an alphabet. This ‘alphabet’ consists of 24 consonants (see Appendix 2). As the hieroglyphics did not have vowels the Egyptians had to come up with ways to
Bibliography: An Explanation of Hieroglyphics. [Online]. (2008). At: http://history-world.org/hieroglyphics.htm Accessed: 18/09/12 Dodson, Aidan. (2001). The Hieroglyphs of Ancient Egypt. UK: New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd. Griffin, Brian (2012). What are hieroglyphics? [Online]. At: http://www.whyzz.com/what-are-hieroglyphics Accessed: 16/09/12 Hieroglyphics. [Online]. (2003). Oracle Think Quest. At: http://library.thinkquest.org/J002046F/hieroglyphics.htm Accessed: 16/09/12 Kamrin, Janice. (2004). Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics. New York: Harry N. Abrams, Incorporated. Sandison, David. (1997). The Art of Egyptian Hieroglyphics. London: Hamlyn