Egyptian Heiroglyphics

  Heiroglyphics were the ancient Egyptian form of writing. It began around 3000 b.c. or so the legend has it, when the god Thoth gave it to the Egyptians as a gift. It consists of about 750 different charachters, each one representing a different consonant, sound, word, or phrase. The vowels were left out.Most symbols are pictures of people, animals, and objects. After Egypt became a Roman Province (circa 30 b.c.), the language of the Egyptians was lost for many centuries until 1799, when a group of French explorers discovered the Rosetta Stone. This was a tablet that dated back to 196 b.c It was inscribed in three forms, Greek, Heiroglyphics, and a cursive form of heiroglyphics. This enabled Frenchman, Jean Champollion to decipher Egyptian writing and unlock the secrets of Egypt's past.

The names of pharaohs and other royalty or Holiness were enclosed in a symbol called a cartouche (right) to focus on the importance of the script within and make sure the script be protected. Cartouches can be seen in the detailed example of Heiroglyphics above.