The hieroglyphic alphabet was much larger than ours, with over 700 symbols. Some were simple drawings, like a bird, while others were shapes, like a semicircle. See SOURCE2 . At ýrst, each symbol represented a word. As the language grew more complex, some symbols also stood for:
• consonant sounds (e.g., an owl for the sound ‘m’) • ideas or actions (e.g., two legs for movement).
SOURCE2 Translators have linked hieroglyphic symbols to most letters in our alphabet.
Symbols for single sounds
c, k
a
b
d
e, y
h
f
g
i
j
l
m
n
o
p
q
r
s
t
u
w
x
z
th
sh
Symbols for syllables
neb
ankh
mer
mes
su
sha
ka
men
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Look at SOURCE2. Identify the symbol that represents the letter ‘a’ in hieroglyphics. 2. Locate the hieroglyph used for the sound ‘sh’. What does this hieroglyphic symbol remind you of? 3. Describe the shape of the symbol used for the sound ‘mes’.
SOURCE3 A cartouche is an oval frame around the name of an Egyptian god in hieroglyphs.
TOPIC3 Ancient Egypt 77
Made with FlippingBook interactive PDF creator