W is for Writing


The ancient Egyptians were one of the first civilisations to use written language to record information.

Taken from here
- The most famous is the Egyptian hieroglyphic, though they also used other scripts. Hieroglyphics use pictures to represent different objects, actions, sounds or ideas.

- Ancient Egyptians would write in temples and on the walls of tombs, as well as on papyrus scrolls. This writing has helped us to understand a lot about ancient Egyptian beliefs, history and ideas.

- Hieroglyphics were deciphered with the help of the Rosetta Stone, which had three different types of writing on it; hieroglyphic, demotic and Greek.

- Hieroglyphics can be read left to right or right to left, or sometimes even from top to bottom. The trick is to see which way people or animal hieroglyphs are facing; if an animal faces left, you read from the left.

- Ancient Egyptians would write with thin, sharp reeds, which were dipped in ink which came from plants crushed and mixed with water.

- It was believed that writing in ancient Egypt was invented by the god Thoth.

Comments

  1. Sophie Duncan26 April 2014 at 10:43

    Hieroglyphs are incredible and thank heavens for the Rosetta stone, deciphering hieroglyphics opened up parts of Egyptian history to us in a way we could only guess at before.
    Sophie
    Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles - A to Z Ghosts
    Fantasy Boys XXX - A to Z Drabblerotic

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  2. Frankie Miller26 April 2014 at 10:49

    Hieroglyphics have always fascinated me - they look like symbols, and it must be quite painstaking to write in that form. I'm trying to imagine a keyboard with all those letters!
    Laura, you're doing well - only three to go!

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  3. Rob Z Tobor26 April 2014 at 15:02

    I just hope they could spell better than me back then.

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  4. Alex J. Cavanaugh26 April 2014 at 15:21

    It was actually quite complex if you think about it.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Chrys Fey26 April 2014 at 17:15

    I always loved the look of Egyptian hieroglyphics. When I was younger I would try to write my name with the symbols. I just wasn't very good at it. haha

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  6. L.G. Keltner26 April 2014 at 17:18

    I love learning about ancient writings! Thank you for another wonderful post!

    ReplyDelete
  7. cleemckenzie26 April 2014 at 18:16

    Who finally understood the way to determine the direction hieroglyphics should be written. Very interesting.

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  8. Li27 April 2014 at 00:17

    I remember learning about hieroglyphics in elementary school - my best friend and I used to pass notes messages written in "our own" hieroglyphics. Wish I had kept one, would probably be insanely funny now. :-)

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  9. Colin Smith28 April 2014 at 02:26

    Some years ago, a friend bought me a game called "Tut Tut." It's a card game developed--I think--by the British Museum to help people learn hieroglyphics. I haven't played it much, but I ought to since it would be fun to learn them. :)

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  10. Tasha Duncan-Drake28 April 2014 at 09:58

    I didn't realise they believed that Thoth invented writing *tucks that titbit away to pluck out at dinner parties* :) I always find it amazing how people can translate languages even with things like the Rosetta stone. Boggles my mind.
    Tasha
    Tasha's Thinkings - AtoZ (Vampires)
    FB3X - AtoZ (Erotic Drabbles)

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