Content - Part 2
Ancient Egypt

Egyptian Writing

Egyptian hieroglyphics

Egyptians used hieroglyphics as their form of writing. Hieroglyphics are made of symbols that indicate sounds, objects, or concepts. Ancient Egyptians used this form of writing to record important economic, administrative, and royal information. Priests and scribes often carved hieroglyphics on tall stone columns called obelisks. Moreover, hieroglyphics were the more formal version of Egyptian written language, and were used for religious purposes.

Take a moment to examine the individual elements, or hieroglyphs, shown in this image. Do any of the designs look familiar to you?

While many of the items in the image may seem easy to interpret, depending on the way in which it was presented, a hieroglyph may have had multiple meanings to the Egyptians.

In addition to hieroglyphics, Egyptians also used simpler forms of script for everyday writing, called demotic or hieratic. How is this similar to written communication today? Like the Egyptians, most peoples use a written script for daily purposes, and a cursive alphabet for more formal purposes.

The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone
The Rosetta Stone
During the construction of a fort in the Nile River Delta in 1799, a French soldier discovered the Rosetta Stone. This artifact became the key to understanding the ancient Egyptians' hieroglyphics. The Rosetta Stone is a stone slab that contains text information in three languages: hieroglyphics, demotic, and ancient Greek. Using what was known about ancient Greek writing, scientists decoded the hieroglyphics, and thus could understand this ancient form of communication. The Rosetta Stone is one of the most important archaeological artifacts of all time. It is currently displayed in the British Museum in London; however, many Egyptians feel that the stone should be returned to its native land.

Egyptian Religion and Afterlife

Egyptian Religion and Afterlife Interactivity

Religion was a major part of ancient Egyptian life. Egyptians believed in many gods, and thus were polytheistic. In fact, they used gods to explain many natural phenomena, and pharaohs were considered sons of the sun god. Evidence exists that Egyptians believed in an existence beyond death. For example, pyramids were tombs and gateways to the afterlife, and the deceased were preserved through mummification. In this interactivity, you will explore more about Egyptian religion and afterlife. Click the player button to begin.

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Ancient Egypt Review - Part 2

Ancient Egypt Review - Part 2

review iconNow that you have examined ancient Egypt's writing system, religion and afterlife, review your knowledge in this interactivity. Click the player button to get started.