Guided
Tour of Ancient Egypt
by Darlene Bishop, Kent
School District, WA
Original Text
© Darlene Bishop
Hieroglyphics
Egyptian writing,
called hieroglyphics, was already advanced by 3100 B.C. Hieroglyphic
writing contained an enormous number of different signs including
an alphabet,
numbers, syllabic signs, and determinative signs. Eventually
a cursive form of hieroglyphs was used called hieratics and an
even more simplified, popular form of writing called demotic
was put into use for contracts and protocols. Picture writing
or hieroglyphs are found on temples and tombs dating back to Sakkarah of the Old Kingdom. An oval frame,
called a cartouche, would be used to house the symbols for a
royal name or the name of a god. This was used much as a signature
is today. The scarab beetle in the cartouche represented eternal
life and when the heart was removed during mummification, a stone scarab in the shape
of a beetle was put in its place. Another symbol, the cross with
a loop, called an ankh, was the Egyptian sign of life.
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Complementary
Resources
CTCWeb Resources
Virtual
Ancient Museum
Roots
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Ancient
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Scratch,
Glue, Foil & Paint: Connecting Classics and the Art Curriculum
Ancient Egypt
Knowledge Builders
Dress & Costume, Zeus,
Colonization, Homer's Iliad &
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Teachers' Companions
Dress & Costume, Zeus,
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Other Resources
Mysteries
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Egyptian Art and Archaeology
The Art of the Fake
Global Glossary Terms
- Alexander
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- Caesar
- Ptolemy
- Caligula
- Cleopatra
- Medea
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