The first traces of hieroglyphic writing in Ancient Egypt: from what era did they come to us?

The origin of writing occurred whenpeople moved to a sedentary lifestyle. It was then that the methods of cultivation of the land became more complex, instruments of labor were improved, religion arose and became widespread. Mankind has acquired an initial experience of interaction with the surrounding reality; experience that was worth passing on to the next generation. Oral stories could not fully fulfill this function, there was a need for visual communication of information to other people. So the first written evidence of the life of ancient people appeared.

First Writing

The first letters appeared in the Mesolithic Age.Scientists have found many small stones, on which various figures were depicted with bright colors. Each tribe used its system of signs and images. But even such occasional attempts to depict what had just been said had a beneficial effect on the development of mankind. At the state level, the wide use of writing was noted in the ancient kingdoms of the Mesopotamus - in Sumer and Babylon, in the countries of the Far East - Media and Lydia and, of course, in Ancient Egypt.

Writing in Ancient Egypt

The first traces of hieroglyphic writing in the AncientEgypt emerged over 3 thousand years ago, in the pre-dynastic period. Then there were the first state formations, traces of which were lost in the midst of centuries. But to this day the images of royal families on the walls of tombs and temples, as well as the first information about the economic activities of early states. It is known that in the pre-dynastic era the ancient Egyptians had a complex religious worldview system - this is also evidenced by the first traces of hieroglyphic writing in ancient Egypt. The date and the century of the first written signs are marked very roughly, based on the carbon analysis of antiquities. It can be said with certainty that the first written notations that have reached us have a prescription about 4 thousand years BC. e.

These are pictographic signs that were in thethe tomb of Abydos - the pharaoh of the pre-dynastic era. The first traces of hieroglyphic writing in Ancient Egypt, the date of which lies within the era of the Early Kingdom, are associated with the development of statehood in the territory of this country, with the unification of the Upper and Lower kingdoms into one power. To manage a huge state, thousands of bureaucrats and scribes were needed, for whom the general rules of counting and writing were needed. It was then that the writing system of the ancient Egyptians acquired the forms and style characteristic of hieroglyphic writing.

Writing in the religion of Ancient Egypt

According to the beliefs of the Egyptians, writing gave themthe god of wisdom is He. He gave people the first signs that could be used to designate the simplest concepts - sun, bread, butter, and so on. In such simple signs, the first traces of hieroglyphic writing in ancient Egypt reached us. The date of appearance of the first, hieroglyphs, which reached us, is the 23rd century BC. e. Later the first traces of hieroglyphic writing in Ancient Egypt bring more complex semantic and figurative concepts - for example, the day was designated by the sun, as the sun shines only in the afternoon. The patron of writing has also changed. They became the goddess Seshat, who was the daughter of Thor. With the name of Seshat the prayers of the Egyptians were connected about the science and knowledge of children, about successful examinations for the post of official or scribe, about success in the civil service. These and other information about the beliefs of the Egyptians are told by the first traces of hieroglyphic writing in Ancient Egypt.

In what century did the writing flourish?

Completely written language was formed by the endAncient kingdom. The first traces of hieroglyphic writing in Ancient Egypt speak of the active use of more than 800 hieroglyphs. Throughout the third millennium BC. e. this number of hieroglyphs changed insignificantly. In the Hellenistic period, the number of hieroglyphs increased significantly and reached 6,600.

With the fall of the Egyptian state and the succession of the numerous conquests of this country, the values ​​of the ancient hieroglyphs were completely forgotten.

And only in the beginning of the 19th century the great Frenchscientist and researcher J. Champollion, having studied the first traces of hieroglyphic writing in Ancient Egypt, began work on their decoding. Thanks to his genius and painstaking work of many other scientists, the ancient signs revealed their secrets and provided numerous information about life in the ancient country to modern researchers.