Julia Skelton
ARTH1100
Nov 1. 2018
Egyptian Hieroglyphs
Perhaps one of the most impactful but least understood forms of writing in human history is that of the Egyptian hieroglyph. Despite being instantly recognizable to a vast population, there is much still to learn about what purpose hieroglyphs served in Egyptian society. There are several writing systems that branched off from hieroglyphs, such as hieratic, demotic, and coptic. These are but a few of the methods that ancient Egyptians used in order to protect and preserve their history and culture through the passage of time. Egyptian hieroglyphs, which consisted of hundreds of symbols, represented an extremely diverse selection of both words and sounds. Although simple in nature, their simplicity was also a positive as it allowed them to be used in a variety of ways. The Ancient Egyptians used hieroglyphs to document important historical events so that they endured the passage of time, in order to mark the tombs of Pharaohs to guide safe passage in the afterlife, and ultimately to pay their respects to the Gods that dictated so much of ancient Egyptian society. It’s through this careful documenting that further generations have been able to learn about the past from the most reliable source, the Egyptians themselves.
The most common scribes of hieroglyphs were priests and wealthy families who mainly used them for religious purposes. They were also used in a variety of other ways, one of which was to tell the history and accomplishments of various pharaohs and kings. One such king was Ptolemy V Epiphanes, whose story is told through the Rosetta Stone. While Egyptians wrote down much of their history, it was almost for naught, as the skill necessary to translate hieroglyphics was lost for almost 2000 years after the Roman Empire closed the temples all across ancient Egypt. It wasn’t until the end of the 18th century that the Rosetta Stone was discovered, which allowed the world to finally translate the long dead language of hieroglyphs. The stone contained an ancient decree by Egyptian clergy on behalf of Ptolemy V, which was conveyed in three different forms. This allowed a French linguist by the name of Jean-Francois Champollion to eventually crack the code to translating hieroglyphs in the year 1822.
Arguably the most well known use of hieroglyphs is as part of the engraving on the walls of the tombs of pharaohs which lie inside massive pyramids. The decorative writings in the tombs were thought to lead pharaohs smoothly into the afterlife. While pyramids were built by the servants and slaves of Ancient Egypt, this form of burial was typically reserved for those at the peak of Egyptian society. Ancient Egypt’s social structure was vastly similar to what is now known as a caste system. The pharaohs resided at the top of the food chain, followed by nobles and those associated with divinity such as priests, and at the bottom lied the slaves and servants. This societal structure was also represented in the size of the grave that one was laid to rest in. Pharaohs were afforded the greatest luxury in death, while those who were poorer were put into shallow graves after the most basic of mummifications. This is also the reason why hieroglyphs are most known for being inside of the tombs of pharaohs. Priests would inscribe and paint the sarcophagus of a pharaoh with hieroglyphs to guide them and to contain their Ka. Ka, in ancient Egyptian religion, was believed to be the soul of a human being or of a god. It was imperative to the Egyptian people to protect the ka of a deceased person, as they believed that when someone died their Ka left the physical body and could move freely. Many sarcophagus contained a hieroglyph which represented a false door of sorts, which allowed the Ka to pass through.
II. Major Point: Important events were recorded with hieroglyphs, so new generations would be able to learn from their history.
A. Support major point: Rosetta Stone re-discovered in 1799 during Napoleon Bonaparte’s Egyptian campaign. Jean Francois Champollion translated the dead language of hieroglyphs using the stone.
1. Supporting evidence: King Ptolemy V Epiphanes’s accomplishments
2. Supporting evidence:
B. Support major Point: Book of the Dead
1. Supporting evidence:
2. Supporting evidence:
Arguably the most well known use of hieroglyphs is as part of the engraving on the walls of the tombs of pharaohs which lie inside massive pyramids. The decorative writings in the tombs were thought to lead pharaohs smoothly into the afterlife. While pyramids were built by the servants and slaves of Ancient Egypt, this form of burial was typically reserved for those at the peak of Egyptian society. Ancient Egypt’s social structure was vastly similar to what is now known as a caste system. The pharaohs resided at the top of the food chain, followed by nobles and those associated with divinity such as priests, and at the bottom lied the slaves and servants. This societal structure was also represented in the size of the grave that one was laid to rest in. Pharaohs were afforded the greatest luxury in death, while those who were poorer were put into shallow graves after the most basic of mummifications. This is also the reason why hieroglyphs are most known for being inside of the tombs of pharaohs. Priests would inscribe and paint the sarcophagus of a pharaoh with hieroglyphs to guide them and to contain their ka.
III. Major Point: Hieroglyphs were used in tombs to protect the dead body and its ka, the soul.
A. Support major point: The decorative writings in the tombs helped the pharaohs lead them to their afterlife.
1. Supporting evidence: They also helped keep their ka, their soul, protected.
2. Supporting evidence:
3. Supporting evidence: Saaqara, burial ground in the capital of Memphis
B. Support major point:
1. Supporting evidence:
IV. Major Point: Showed respect to the Gods, Goddesses, and pharaohs.
A. Supporting major point: hieroglyphs were thought to be “the language of the gods”, created by the god Thoth.
1. Supporting evidence:
2. Supporting evidence:
V. Conclusion:
Sources
Allen, James P. 2010. Middle Egyptian : An Introduction to the Language and Culture of
Hieroglyphs. Vol. 2nd ed., rev. Cambridge: Cambridge eText. http://ezproxy.columbusstate.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=324103&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Badawy, Alexander. "About Three Egyptian Hieroglyphs." Journal of Near Eastern Studies 15,
no. 3 (1956): 175-79. http://www.jstor.org/stable/542309.
Bryant, Kendra N. "“The Writing’s on the Wall”: Making the Case for Hieroglyphs in the 21st-
Century Composition Classroom." CLA Journal 60, no. 2 (2016): 191-208.
http://www.jstor.org/stable/26355917.
Cole, Grace. 2014. The Egyptians. [United States]: New Word City, Inc.
http://ezproxy.columbusstate.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=1459390&site=eds-live&scope=site.
Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardners Art through the Ages: The Western Perspective.
14th ed. Boston, MA: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning, 2014.
Hobson, Christine. The World of the Pharaohs. London: Thames & Hudson, 1987.
Jones, P. M. E. "The Nature of the Hieroglyph [unknown]." The Journal of Egyptian
Archaeology 75 (1989): 245-46. doi:10.2307/3821920.
Stewart, Michael. 2013. The Hieroglyphics. Westland, Mich: Dzanc Books.
http://ezproxy.columbusstate.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?
direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=880078&site=eds-live&scope=site.