Writing+in+Ancient+Egypt

=Writing in Ancient Egypt (SS7)=

Why, How, and When Was Egyptian Writing Invented
At first Egyptian scribes used [|hieroglyphics], picture like symbols, because they needed to record the kingdom's wealth. This was the first form of writing Egyptian scribes used. As the kingdom grew, they had to create more hieroglyphic symbols due to more complication in ideas. This is why and how hieroglyphics, the first Egyptian form of writing, was invented. The first hieroglyphics found were on labels and pottery objects that dated back to about 3100 BC(E).

The Egyptian Writing Materials
The first things Egyptians used to write on was clay and stone. They carved their writing into these materials to keep their records. Later on the Egyptians found something better to write on. They found papyrus, which is an early form of paper made from reed found around the Nile River. Both the plant to make this paper and the paper itself were both named papyrus(puh py ruhs). To make the papyrus into paper the Egyptians cut the inner stalks of the papyrus into narrow strips. These strips were the same length. They were placed side by side by side in a layer. A different layer was also placed side by side by side except in the opposite direction as the first layer, and was placed on top of the first layer. This formed a sheet. The sheet then got dampened, got flattened, and dried in the sun. The sap from the papyrus acts as a glue, sticking the strips together. Now the sheets were a long strip which was able to be written on and could be rolled up like a scroll. To write on this papyrus paper, the Egyptians used an old-fashioned kind of pen. The pen was a simple reed, and it gets its ink from a palette. The ink is black and indestructible and was made by mixing water, soot, and vegetable gum. To watch a video about what you have read, [|click here](user name is buttocat password is buttoca Click on the window under Paper, Writing, and Numbers to watch video) (Papyrus plant used to make papyrus paper) (Ancient Egyptian pens and palette)

A Mystery Unlocked: The Rosetta Stone
Egytian hieroglyphics were lost at around 400 AD (CE), and because of this loss, no one could read the ancient language. Around 200 years ago, in 1799, a soldier found the Rosetta Stone. It was named the Rosetta Stone because it was found near the city of Rosetta, which is in the Nile delta. The delta is near the Mediterranean Sea. This stone contains three types of writing. The top part of the stone contains Egyptian hieroglyphics. The middle section contains the later Egyptian writing called demotic. The lower part of the writing contains Greek writing. The weird thing is, all of the writing on this stone means the same thing.

(The Rosetta Stone)

To go to PowerPoint click,