Egyptian Achievements
Rosetta
Stone
Papyrus
Obelisk
and
Sphinx
Hieroglyphics
Hieroglyphics
•
The Egyptian writing system was
called hieroglyphics and was one
of the world’s first writing
systems.
•
Early hieroglyphics were
written/carved on stone.
•
Later, Egyptians invented
papyrus, a long-lasting, paperlike material made from reeds.
•
Instead of pens, scribes used
brushes and ink.
They could
be written
from left to
right or right
to left.
Each symbol
represented one
or more sounds.
Hieroglyphics
used more than
600 symbols.
Hieroglyphics
could be written
horizontally or
vertically.
The Rosetta Stone
Greek
•
In 1799, slab of stone inscribed
with hieroglyphics was
discovered.
•
On the stone, a passage was
written in three different texts:
Hieroglyphics, Greek, and a later
form of Egyptian.
•
Scholars then compared the
Greek text to the hieroglyphics to
decode what the text read.
Demotic
Hieroglyphics
The stone
weighs 1,676
pounds.
The stone
discusses laws and
how to construct
a temple.
The sphinxes were
seen as guardian
statues.
Egypt’s Great Temples
• Temples were the homes of
the gods.
• People visited temples to
Ancient obelisks
worship, offer the gods gifts, were made of a single
and ask for favors.
piece of stone.
• Many temples had rows of
sphinxes lining the path
leading to the entrance of the
temple.
• Also, on either side of the gate
stood obelisks, a tall, foursided pillar that is pointed at
the top.
Criosphinx - body of lion
with head of ram.
My father tried
to make Egypt
a monotheistic
society by believing
in only one god,
Aton.
King Tutankhamen
•
•
King Tut did very little
for Egypt but is very
well known for his
lavish tomb discovered in the
Valley of the Kings
•
King Tut was a boy
king who ruled Egypt
from age 9 through
19.
Canes were
found in Tut’s
tomb.
King Tut’s tomb,
found in 1922, was
one of the last
Egyptian tombs to be
discovered.
His tomb was filled
with treasures,
jewelry, robes, a
burial mask, and
ivory statues.
Based
on what
you
know,
what’s
that tell
us?