What was the main information carrier in Egypt? Writing and knowledge of the Egyptians

The birth of Egyptian writing falls at the end of the IV millennium BC. It is based on a drawing letter, where every object or concept was conveyed by means of an image. Clay tablets, papyrus scrolls, rock inscriptions are everything that was the main carrier of information in Egypt and to a small extent has reached our days. Strange simplified drawings scientists called hieroglyphics, and the very system of writing is called hieroglyphics. The textbook "The History of the Ancient World, Grade 5" only touches this interesting topic in general. The origins, distribution of ancient Egyptian letters and later attempts to decipher it are described in this article.

Divine Signs

The Egyptians believed that every hieroglyph is sacred, since the written language was taught by Egypt, that He is the god of wisdom. The very letter was called "mduentr" - "the words of God." Picture-image of the word - the main thing that was the main carrier of information in Egypt. The first hieroglyphs scientists found on the walls of tombs, temples, on sarcophagi and obelisks - on all those majestic monuments, carved out of stone, which reached the present day.

By the middle of the II millennium BC. Egyptians used to write about 700 characters, a thousand years later their number increased to several thousand. Most of the signs - it's just an image of the objects that designate them. Sometimes a sign could denote a syllable - in that case a separate word was expressed in writing with a few hieroglyphs. Egyptian signs are multi-valued - the same syllable could be designated by different hieroglyphs. The meaning of this or that word could be specified by special drawings - determinatives. Such signs did not indicate the word itself, but clarified its meaning. Thus, the ancient writing transmitted on the letter abstract concepts, feelings and images, which would be difficult to express otherwise. All that was the bearer of information in Egypt was covered with a chain of amazing, mysterious signs.

Absence of vowels

Hieroglyphs denoting syllables indicated only consonant letters in a given syllable. Vowels were not used in the letter. This feature is characteristic of both ancient and modern languages - for example, the Arabic letter also does not use vowels. Therefore, the exact transcription (sounding) of the word is still unknown to us, and the same Egyptian words can be read in different transcriptions, depending on the source used.

The writing and knowledge of the Egyptians became widespread in the era of the New Kingdom. The development of trade, the strengthening of state power led to the emergence of a new type of writing, in which separate signs began to be written together, merged into one symbol. It became easier to write and read, and scientists called the new types of signs demonic - folk letters.

How to teach the letter

The schools of ancient Egypt were usually found in the temples. Sons of officials were sent to schools in five or six years. Future scribes took bread from the house and a jug of wine, and every day they went to school, like all modern schoolchildren.

First of all, the child was taught reading and writing. Papyrus was too expensive material, and schoolchildren were not given it. Pupils tried to write on polished plates of limestone, drawn in a cage and ruler. Such plates served for the same purposes as modern school notebooks. On the question of what was the main carrier of information in Egypt, you can give an answer: all the "notebooks" that have survived to this day are a reliable source of knowledge about the level of education and education in this country.

In addition to writing and reading, the students studied art, history, geography in detail, and taught them military science and the laws of technology.

At the end of the course of science, a mature papyrus was given to a matured student. Egypt was one of the major producers of papyrus in the ancient world, and the most important state documents of this country have survived to this day in fragile scrolls. Therefore, the delivery of the sheets of this precious material to the young man meant that his candidacy was ready to be considered for the post of state official. Under the skilful hand of the scribe the papyrus was covered with columns of hieroglyphs, and for the beauty the text was colored with bright colors.

Forgotten Writings

Almost two thousand years have passed since the days of the heyday of Ancient Egypt. The country fell under the domination of the mighty Roman Empire. Emperor Theodosius in the end of I in. AD. Closes the last temples of Osiris and Amun. The Egyptians have long enjoyed the Coptic language, which in its composition is very different from the language of the ancients, and when writing Greek letters are used. All that was the main carrier of information in Egypt, it was just strange, ancient and interesting rarities. Seven centuries of the rule of the Greeks and Romans was enough to make the great culture cease to exist. Greek philosophers were interested in the Egyptian religion and philosophy, but without knowledge of writing, this information turned out to be fragmentary and superficial. Christian theologian Clement of Alexandria still found time when the Egyptians were able to read hieroglyphs, he gave a brief description of the features of writing and reading some of the signs, but did not consider it necessary to talk about the specifics of their application. The solution of the mysteries of the Egyptian writings was made by medieval wise men and Chinese philosophers. And only in the XIX century it was possible to lift the veil of secrecy over the riddle of hieroglyphics.

Rosetta Stone

During the Egyptian expedition of Napoleon, Captain Bouchard found near Rosetta a small stone with the remains of inscriptions in three ancient languages. The scientists came to the conclusion that the Greek, Latin and Egyptian texts speak of the gratitude of the priests given by Ptolemy Epiphanes, and these texts are essentially the same message in different languages. Rosetta stone gave impetus to the correct interpretation of Egyptian letters by a French scientist, linguist and Egyptologist named Jean Francois Shompolon. His work, entitled "A short sketch of the hieroglyphic system of ancient Egyptians or the study of the elements of this letter", gave rise to the existence of the science of Egyptology.

Conclusion

Lime notebooks of pupils, papyri of state scribes and inscriptions on stone and marble, with which the priests adorned their temples, were used as the basis for studying ancient Egypt. Egyptology today is a science that has answered many questions about the writing, culture, politics and way of life of Ancient Egypt; The achievements of science are briefly described in the manual "History of the Ancient World, Grade 5". Pupils of the general education school today for a few lessons can learn the information over which the great minds of the past have been racking their brains.