1. Egyptian Writing Systems

2. Hieroglyphs Meaning=Divine speech or god’s words
Used by priests for religious writing- written on papyrus or wood
Hieroglyphs is an abjad, a writing system where each symbol stands for a consonant-the reader must think of the correct vowel
Scholars were confused for centuries because they thought hieroglyphs were all pictographs

3. Hieratic Developed alongside hieroglyphs as a quicker way to write
Used by scribes for government business
Written in ink with a brush on papyrus

4. Demotic Similar to hieratic
Also used by scribes for government business
Began to be used in the Nile Delta region later in Egyptian civilization.

5. Comparison

6. The Rosetta Stone
Stone with three texts-hieroglyphs, hieratic, and ancient Greek
Discovered by Napoleon and the French when they invaded Egypt
Seized by the British when they defeated the French in Egypt

7. The Rosetta Stone

8. Jean Francois Champillion
Child prodigy, spoke 11 languages by age 20
Was obsessed with discovering the true age of the world, thought hieroglyphs might hold the key
Working for 20 years, he was able to decipher the stone

9. The Problem with Hieroglyphs
Try to decipher the writing on the back.
Hint: There are 5 sentences.

10. Answer
For nearly 3000 years ancient Egypt was one of the world’s greatest civilizations. Very few Egyptians could read or write. The ones who could were usually scribes or priests. Egyptians had a form of writing called hieroglyphs. The key to understanding hieroglyphs was lost for centuries until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone.