Ancient Egyptian Record Keeping Ashleigh Smithey In Ancient Egypt, written scripts were used to preserve the ideas, beliefs and history of Ancient Egyptians. The most famous of all the written scripts were hieroglyphics, although there were at least three other scripts used for different purposes. These scripts were kept on papyrus rolls and tomb and temple walls. It is said that a god, Thoth (the god of writing and knowledge) brought the gift of God’s words, (Medu Netjer) to the land of Egypt. Thoth is described as a god “who knows the mysteries, and sets the gods' utterances firm... who proclaims all that is forgotten.” This script is very sacred and was used to record the words and deeds of the gods and goddesses and pharaohs. Since it was
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Scribes were given the power and knowledge of writing. They started off with simple things and if they were lucky and/or talented then they could eventually learn the sacred script. Those who learn the sacred script will learn the mysteries of the land and the secrets of the gods. Not everyone in Egypt knew how to read and write, only certain people were given this privilege. Scribes were usually men, and not just anyone could become a scribe. It was usually passed down in generations. It took a person four to five years to go through scribe school. Scribes used tools such as papyrus and reed brushes dipped in ink that they made. There are six main instances of where Ancient Egyptian recording keeping was used. In scribe school children who went there were taught how to read and write well enough to do daily tasks. Scribe school was very difficult and many children got caught for skipping. It mostly consisted of copying hieroglyphics until the children learned them. After finishing school, scribes worked in the fields counting crops and/or animals. Writing was very important in tombs, it was used as decoration in the pharaoh's tomb and was believed to help him get to the …show more content…
In temples, (the houses of gods and goddesses) the walls were decorated with pictures and writing that showed respect from the pharaoh. The priests who worked in the temples were scribes, they performed the sacred rituals that were believed to keep the gods and goddesses happy. They used writing because they needed to be able to read the instructions for the rituals. A useful artifact that showed us this writing was the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone was a stone that contained writing in egyptian and greek, using three different scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and greek.) The Rosetta stone contained three different scripts because all three of them were used in Egypt at that time. Hieroglyphics was the script used for important or religious documents. Demotic was the common script of Egypt, and Greek was the language of the rulers of Egypt at that time. The Rosetta stone was written in all three scripts so that everyone (including priests, government officials, and rulers) could all read it. The Rosetta Stone was carved in 196 B.C. and was found in 1799. It was discovered by French soldiers who were rebuilding a fort in Egypt, and was found in a small village called Delta. The purpose of The Rosetta stone was to honor the Egyptian Pharaoh. It was written by priests, and it lists all of the good things that the Pharaoh has done for them and all of the people of Egypt. Hieroglyphics were deciphered in 1822 by a man named Jean-François Champollion. The system of
Scribes were given the power and knowledge of writing. They started off with simple things and if they were lucky and/or talented then they could eventually learn the sacred script. Those who learn the sacred script will learn the mysteries of the land and the secrets of the gods. Not everyone in Egypt knew how to read and write, only certain people were given this privilege. Scribes were usually men, and not just anyone could become a scribe. It was usually passed down in generations. It took a person four to five years to go through scribe school. Scribes used tools such as papyrus and reed brushes dipped in ink that they made. There are six main instances of where Ancient Egyptian recording keeping was used. In scribe school children who went there were taught how to read and write well enough to do daily tasks. Scribe school was very difficult and many children got caught for skipping. It mostly consisted of copying hieroglyphics until the children learned them. After finishing school, scribes worked in the fields counting crops and/or animals. Writing was very important in tombs, it was used as decoration in the pharaoh's tomb and was believed to help him get to the …show more content…
In temples, (the houses of gods and goddesses) the walls were decorated with pictures and writing that showed respect from the pharaoh. The priests who worked in the temples were scribes, they performed the sacred rituals that were believed to keep the gods and goddesses happy. They used writing because they needed to be able to read the instructions for the rituals. A useful artifact that showed us this writing was the Rosetta Stone. The Rosetta Stone was a stone that contained writing in egyptian and greek, using three different scripts (hieroglyphic, demotic and greek.) The Rosetta stone contained three different scripts because all three of them were used in Egypt at that time. Hieroglyphics was the script used for important or religious documents. Demotic was the common script of Egypt, and Greek was the language of the rulers of Egypt at that time. The Rosetta stone was written in all three scripts so that everyone (including priests, government officials, and rulers) could all read it. The Rosetta Stone was carved in 196 B.C. and was found in 1799. It was discovered by French soldiers who were rebuilding a fort in Egypt, and was found in a small village called Delta. The purpose of The Rosetta stone was to honor the Egyptian Pharaoh. It was written by priests, and it lists all of the good things that the Pharaoh has done for them and all of the people of Egypt. Hieroglyphics were deciphered in 1822 by a man named Jean-François Champollion. The system of