| Hieroglyphics were invented
about 5,000 years ago, at around 3,300 B.C. They were not just symbols.
They represented sounds, as letters do. The Ancient Egyptian alphabet
consisted of 24 consonants. Some hieroglyphics represented one letter
and some represented up to five letters. No vowels were used when
writing with hieroglyphics. Hieroglyphics were symbols that were
thought to have magical powers.
Most of our knowledge
about the Ancient Egyptians comes from the hieroglyphics that were written
on temple walls and tombs. This style of hieroglyphics was very detailed.
Another style used in everyday life had no spaces in between the
symbols and were not as detailed. |
