Reading hieroglyphs
SkillBuilder discussion Using historical sources 1. Identify who the Egyptian high priest is presenting an offering to in SOURCE4 . 2. Recall the two types of scripts shown on the papyrus sheet.
At ýrst, hieroglyphic symbols were written in columns and read top to bottom. Around 2000 BCE, they were arranged in rows and sometimes read left to right or right to left. A pharaoh’s name was enclosed in a cartouche (see SOURCE3 ). Hieroglyphs were mainly for religious and ofýcial documents, readable only by priests and scribes, which is why they are found in tombs. Due to the time- consuming nature of hieroglyphs, simpler scripts were developed, such as hieratic (see SOURCE4 ) and demotic, which used simpliýed hieroglyphs.
SOURCE4 An Egyptian high priest presents an offering to Osiris , with both hieroglyphic and hieratic scripts on the papyrus.
3.2 SkillBuilder activity HISTORICAL QUESTIONS 1. The table below shows 5 important Egyptian archaeological discoveries. Research each one and complete the ýrst two table columns. 2. Rank the ýve discoveries by signiýcance, and justify your choices.
What did we learn from this discovery?
What impact did this discovery have?
How signiýcant is it? (rank 1 to 5)
The Rosetta Stone The Oxyrhynchus Papyri Tutankhamun’s tomb Meteoric Jewellery The excavation of Luxor and the ‘Plague of Cyprian’
78 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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