Hieroglyph is Greek meaning, ‘sacred carvings’ according to the book Middle Egyptian by James P. Allen. Hieroglyphic first appeared around 3000 BC, remaining in use until the 11th century AD. Hieroglyphic was used to write old and middle Egyptian. Old Egyptian refers to, the oldest known phase of the language, where the writing only consisted of names and labels. Middle Egyptian refers to writing that first appeared around 2100 BC surviving as a spoken language lasting around 500 years, and soon came to remain the hieroglyphic language that was standardized the rest of the Ancient Egyptian History.
Most of the hieroglyphic inscriptions were carved into the walls of tombs and temples, as well as the well-known stone and wood tablets. As I mentioned earlier, hieroglyph means ‘sacred carvings’ and to the Egyptians, that’s exactly what they were. They took their time carving all the different symbols no matter how long it would take, because of how much they valued the stories of the carvings and the carvings themselves.
With such devotion going into the carving of the hieroglyphs, the same devotion went into the stories as well. These inscriptions not only incorporate alphabetic symbols but symbols pertaining to humans and gods. When reading these inscriptions containing characters (humans and gods), you will notice that everything in the story will be facing the main subject mentioned in the story.
For example, below is the 'Stele of Pepi', an ancient hieroglyphic inscription. The figure in the bottom right corner represents the subject, someone of importance, possibly a God. You can tell this is true because this figure is the largest symbol on the tablet, one of the only colored symbols, and the only symbol facing towards the left. This creates hierarchy in the story just as one would in our present time period. Instead of hieroglyphs, think about a book or another article of text, how some higher power is referenced using storytelling such as a king, or professor, or parent.
Hieroglyphic inscriptions can be understood by anyone. Still referring to the image to the left, look at the eyes drawn at the top of the tablet. What do you think they represent? The Egyptians intentions were to show hierarchy once again by having the eyes overseeing the entire tablet, but to also imply that their Gods are all always seeing and watching over them. Moving down the tablet, you will notice any life inhabiting symbols facing towards the right, towards the large figure on the right. This indicates the central idea of the story. The large subject in the bottom right, is the main subject of the story, the one with the highest power or reputation, and that everyone and everything else mentioned in the story, surrounds the main subject and respects the main subject. If you can tell, hierarchy and respect play a huge role in hieroglyphic stories. The Egyptians highly worshiped and respected their Gods and made sure to do that even in writing.
Now, take everything you just read and apply it to your present life. Think about how many symbols you see a day, such as handicap symbols, parking symbols, bathroom symbols, and try to take them out of the picture. Try to think about how life would be different for us is we never thought of creating or using symbols. We might not have logos or any type of road signs. Without the creative workings of the Ancient Egyptians and their dedication to write down their beloved stories, the world we know today might not consist of key elements we need and use in society.
No comments:
Post a Comment