Attention all history buffs and language enthusiasts! Prepare to embark on an extraordinary journey into the world of ancient Egypt through the interactive website Hieroglyphs Step by Step.
Tailored for both university students and individuals eager to learn about the ancient Egyptian language, this website is the ultimate go-to resource for learning hieroglyphs. Launched in 2015 by the Library of Alexandria, it continues to evolve and is now available in both Arabic and English, ensuring accessibility for all.
Prepare to be astounded as you explore the comprehensive dictionary, boasting thousands of words from the ancient Egyptian language, right at your fingertips. With a vast array of over 6,800 hieroglyphic signs to discover, you can search for words through various approaches — using the signs themselves, their phonetic value, and their meanings in Arabic and English.
The meticulously crafted grammar lessons are specially tailored for beginners, expertly guiding you through the intricate world of ancient Egyptian writing. From understanding uniliteral, biliteral and triliteral signs to grasping the arrangement and direction of ancient Egyptian writing, the site supports you every step of the way. Unearth the secrets of determinatives, phonetic complements, and the diverse methods used to write the same word.
Moreover, the lessons look into the use of numbers, nouns, adjectives, demonstratives, and personal pronouns in ancient Egyptian writing. Additionally, there is a special emphasis on introducing beginners and enthusiasts to the titles employed in ancient Egypt and the intriguing offering formula. Each lesson on the website features interactive quizzes, allowing users to evaluate their comprehension and progress steadily through two difficulty levels.
For a comprehensive understanding of ancient Egypt, the website also examines selected topics related to its civilisation. This includes a detailed exploration of the Rosetta Stone and its groundbreaking discovery in 1799, as well as a focus on the tireless efforts of Arab scholars who deciphered the ancient Egyptian language.
Moreover, the site sheds light on the names used in ancient Egypt, royal names and titles, and Egyptian funerary gods, ensuring a well-rounded grasp of the subject.
To aid users in mastering the skill of reading hieroglyphics, the website features an indispensable practical guide titled ‘Let’s Read’.
This section seamlessly leads users through the process of decoding images and effortlessly identifying hieroglyphic signs until they become proficient in independently reading the complete text. These images are accompanied by transliteration and translation of the texts for enhanced comprehension.
The ancient Egyptian language belongs to the Afro-Asiatic linguistic family and shares connections with Semitic languages like Arabic and Hebrew. It was first recorded in hieroglyphs around 3400 BC and underwent five primary phases of development: Old Egyptian, Middle Egyptian, Late Egyptian, Demotic, and Coptic. Each phase possessed unique characteristics and evolution, with Middle Egyptian serving as the most comprehensive and suitable phase for studying the language. Additionally, the language continued to be spoken and written until the fifth century CE.
Throughout its development, the ancient Egyptian language was written in four distinct scripts: Hieroglyphs, Hieratic, Demotic, and Coptic. These scripts were sequentially developed over time to cater to the ever-growing demands of communication and record-keeping.
Hieroglyphic script initially served as the primary method of recording the ancient Egyptian language. Its name derives from the Greek words hieros and glyphos, meaning ‘sacred inscriptions’. This name accurately captures its usage in sacred places such as temple walls and tombs, as well as its prevalence across various mediums such as temples, public monuments, tomb walls, stelae, and various objects.
Hieratic script, originating from the Greek word hieratikos meaning ‘priestly’ earned its name during the Graeco-Roman period when priests commonly employed this writing style. It now refers to earlier cursive styles of script where the original pictorial forms of the signs are no longer recognisable. The increasing need for documentation and communication prompted the invention of this simpler and more cursive script. Hieratic script was primarily written on papyrus and ostraca, occasionally appearing on stone as well.
The Demotic script, derived from the Greek word demotikos meaning ‘popular’, indicates its widespread usage among the general population rather than being exclusive to specific groups. It represents a rapid and simplified form of Hieratic script, first emerging in the 8th century BC and enduring until the 5th century CE. Similar to Hieratic script, Demotic was commonly written on papyrus and ostraca, occasionally found on stone as well.
The pinnacle of Egyptian writing development was the Coptic script, representing its final stage. The term ‘Coptic’ likely originated from the Greek word Aegyptos referring to the Egyptian language. The Coptic script introduced the use of vowels for the first time, potentially aiding the correct pronunciation of the Egyptian language. The adoption of the Greek alphabet to write the Egyptian language in Coptic script arose due to political circumstances following the Greek occupation of Egypt. Seven Egyptian sign-letters were borrowed from Demotic to represent Egyptian sounds absent in Greek.
It is crucial to dispel a prevalent misconception among Egyptians that refers to the ancient Egyptian language as ‘the Hieroglyphic language’.Hieroglyphic writing is a script, not a language.
The website also showcases the extraordinary achievements of Arab scholars in deciphering the intricate symbols of ancient Egyptian writing. During the splendid era of Arab civilisation, Muslim scholars were fascinated by ancient Egypt and the mysteries of hieroglyphic writings. They revered Egypt as a realm of scientific knowledge, mysticism, and profound wisdom. They strove to learn and understand hieroglyphics in order to access this vast wealth of knowledge. In his book The Missing Millennium: Ancient Egypt in Mediaeval Arabic Writings, Okasha El Daly looks at the efforts of Arab and Muslim scholars in their quest to comprehend and interpret the rich tapestry of Egyptian culture and scientific discoveries.
Countless Arabic manuscripts, carefully preserved in institutions such as the National Library of France and libraries in Türkiye, contain invaluable documentation of vocal equivalents for a selection of hieroglyphic signs. These preserved manuscripts unveil the remarkable achievements of three Arab scholars who successfully deciphered ten hieroglyphic signs.
