Egyptian hieroglyphic writing is a writing system that developed at the turn of the 4th and 3rd millennia BC. e., during the formation of the first dynasty. The oldest hieroglyphic texts are found in the royal tombs at Abydos. The signs in them were inscribed on small bone tablets attached to the cloth bags found in the tomb, and indicated the number, origin and belonging of the objects lying in them. Since at first only names and titles were recorded with the help of hieroglyphs, it is obvious that initially they were used only by officials.
Writing in Ancient Egypt
The word “papyrus” comes from the name of the reed that grows on the banks of the Nile River. To make papyrus (paper), the Egyptians removed the top layer from the reed trunks. The core was cut into strips, soaked in water, and then laid in layers crosswise. They were crushed with a hammer until they formed a homogeneous mass. After that, the surface of the papyrus was polished with a wooden instrument. Other writing materials included pottery shards, leather or plaster boards.
It is believed that only about four out of a thousand Egyptians could read or write. Scribes were professional scribes who rewrote official documents and decrees, letters, poems and stories. The training of the young scribes was distinguished by thoroughness, rigor and rigor. One of the mentors, Amenemope, addressed his disciples in this way: “Do not spend a day in laziness, otherwise you will be beaten.” However, most of the working people envied the easy life of the scribes. They were well rewarded for their work.
Writing methods
We know so much about the ancient Egyptians because of the written language they left behind. Inscriptions detailing their lives are found on everything from obelisks to tombs. Starting from about 3100 BC e. they used pictograms called hieroglyphs. Each pictogram could represent an object, idea or sound. The original version consisted of about 100 hieroglyphic symbols. Hieroglyphs have been used for millennia, but from 1780 BC. e. hieratic writing was also popular. In the late period of Ancient Egypt, along with hieroglyphs, another letter was used – demotic.
However, by 600 AD. e., when the last pharaoh has long since sunk into history, no one understood the hieroglyphs. The secrets of Ancient Egypt were lost for 1200 years, until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.
A little later, on the basis of hieroglyphic writing, a kind of cursive script was formed, known as hieratic writing: the characters that made it up were much easier and faster to depict on papyrus. By the middle of the VII century. BC e. hieratic writing grew into demotic (these signs were even simpler). Hieroglyphs used a rebus system, thanks to which it was possible to depict sounds using pictures. Words written phonetically were accompanied by symbols that helped the reader to understand the essence of the word. During the Christian period, speakers of the Coptic language, which grew out of hieratic writing, began to use Greek letters.
