Hieroglyphs as a Major Invention of the Ancient Egyptians - Research Paper Example

EGYPTIAN HIEROGLYPHS Introduction The Egyptian hieroglyphs were an ancient writing system that was formally employedin writing by the Egyptians. It made use of both pictures and letters elements. The Egyptians used this form of writing for religious writings. The writing was done majorly on papyrus, as well as on wood. A similar but different form of writing to this is the Sumerian script which some scholars believe motivated the creation of the Egyptian hieroglyphs. This is subject to debate. It has been refuted strongly by other scholars who have postulated strong evidence to prove that the Egyptian hieroglyphs came as a result of independent development. Hieroglyph is a word coined from a Greek vocabulary “hieroglyphikos”. This is a compound word that is made up of the words hieros meaning 'sacred' and glypho meaning '? carve or engrave'. The compound word hieroglyphikos, therefore, stands for 'the sacred engraved letters'. Over the years, hieroglyph has officially become a recognized noun that is used in the English language. In English it stands for a single hieroglyphic letter or character. Grammatically speaking, hieroglyphic is an English adjective although every very often, it is mistakenly used as an English noun. Discussion The Egyptians were very artistic people. Even before adopting literacy, they were very artistic. This is attributed to the creation of the Hieroglyphs. They for instance engraved artistic symbols on pottery. These engraved symbols resemble the Hieroglyphs very closely. Excavations in Egypt culminated in the discovery of the Narmer Palette. This was in the late 19th Century. The Narmer Palette was for a long time over the years the only known hieroglyphic inscription. It was scientifically traced back to 3200 BC. In recent years, around 1998, another major discovery was made. Gunter Dreyer, a German archaeologist uncovered a tomb in which he found three hundred clay labels that had hieroglyphs. These were unbelievably traced back to the 33d century BC. Some scientists have a strong hunch that the Egyptian hieroglyphs were invented a short while after the invention of the Sumerian script. They believe that the Sumerian script directly led to their invention. For instance, some scholars have postulated that it is likely that the technique where by expression of words of a language is done through writing was taken to Egypt hailing from the Sumerian Mesopotamia. Contrary to this, other scholars have postulated that the substantiation of the fact that there was direct manipulation remains rather vague. They remain firm a very plausible argument can be brought forth which supports the independent innovation of writing as a form of communication in Egypt. Owing to the fact that there is still limbo as far as the influence of the two writing methods on each other is concerned, the exact origin of hieroglyphics has not been conclusively determined. Hieroglyphs are made up of three sorts of glyphs. The first one is the phonetic glyphs which include the characters with a single-consonant and function as a distinct alphabet. The second one is the logographs which stand for morphemes. The last one is the determinatives which serves the purpose of streamlining the meaning of words. With the development and extensive spread of the art of writing in the midst of the Egyptian community, easy glyph versions came into being. This led to the establishment of the priestly and popular scripts. These distinct variants became more appropriate than hieroglyphs when used on papyrus. The Hieroglyphic writing nevertheless was never eclipsed. It existed in conjunction with the other forms. This was particularly so in monumental writing as well as other formal writing. During the Persian rule which reigned in the 6th and 5th centuries BC, Hieroglyphs was continuously used. This kept on even during the reign as well as after Alexander the Great. Alexander had conquered Egypt, in the subsequent Macedonian and Roman times. It seems that the deceptive worth of remarks from the Greek and the Roman writers concerning hieroglyphs was postulated, at minimum in portion, as a reaction to the altered political state. A number of people accept as true that hieroglyphs might have acted as a means to differentiate the right Egyptians from a few of the alien conquerors. An added reason may be the denial to undertake an overseas civilization on its own provisions which was typical of the Greco-Roman approaches towards the Egyptian culture. On learning that hieroglyphs were actually holy writing, the Greco-Roman writers imagined the intricate but lucid structure as a figurative, even supernatural, structure that transmits hush-hush, spiritual knowledge. On arriving at the 4th century, a small number of Egyptians were able to read hieroglyphs. This led to the increased fable of symbolic hieroglyphs. The use of hieroglyphs in inscribing monuments ceased following the closure of the entire non-Christian temples which came in 391 AD as a direct order from the Roman Emperor Theodosius I. As a result of the disappearing of active knowledge of hieroglyphs, several attempts were made in an effort to decode the concealed meaning of the omnipresent inscriptions. Kircher's elucidation of the hieroglyphs is perhaps the most excellent early contemporary European effort directed towards 'decipherment'. This could very well be attributed to the incredible temperament of his claims. There is another early effort that was directed at translation which was put forth by Johannes Becanus. This was in the 16th century. Just Like the other interpretations that came before it, the Kircher's 'translations' also faced hindrance by the basic belief that hieroglyphs kept record of only ideas and not precisely the pronounced sounds of a language in question. This was linked to the fact that there are no texts which were found that were bilingual in nature. It is common knowledge that symbolic 'translation' of that kind can be postulated devoid of the chance of verification. Kircher additionally developed the view that the final phase of Egyptian might be connected to the previous Egyptian stages. The authentic turning point in decipherment commenced after the Rosetta stone was excavated by Napoleon in the year 1799. This was when Napoleon invaded Egyptian. This stone brought forth a unique version of text which was in parallel with the well known Greek translation. Following this, ample material for proper studies and translation was unexpectedly available. In the years following this, around 1800s, several scholars were able to make out the meaning of the inscriptions in the stone. The stone in fact led to the final and conclusive definition of Hieroglyphics which was a milestone to Egyptology. Conclusion Hieroglyphs were a major invention of the ancient Egyptians. It shaped the phase of formal communication. It was used extensively in religious literature. It survives in the modern day and age in two distinct forms. These are the direct form, as the glyphs that were added to Greek in the form of the additional six alphabets used in writing Coptic. The other form is indirectly. This is where it is used as an inspiration. It is used more as a symbol of the development and civilization of mankind over the years since the dawn of the world. It is preserved in museums as a token of appreciation for our heritage. Illustrations Typical Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics Hieroglyphs during the Greco-Roman Hieroglyphs from Egyptian tomb The Rosetta Stone Works Cited Gordon Rodwell. Trunk of the Tree: Linguistic Introduction, Cambridge University Press, 1991. Print. Henry, A. Egypt Writing Systems: A Modern Analysis of Ancient Egypt. Algora Publishing, 2004. Print. Simson Liddell, and Jonathan Ruthford. A Greek Egyptian Culture. Namorikata University Press, 2004. Print. Najovits, Henry, and Robert Scott. The Persian Empire. Perseus Digital Library. n.d. Web. Scott, Henry. The Ancient Egypt. Alexandria Library. n.d. Print. Read More