The Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphic writing system uses more than 2,000 characters. Each Hieroglyph represents a common object in Ancient Egypt. Hieroglyphics could represent the sound of the object or they could represent an idea associated with the object.
A modern type of hieroglyphic writings would be a rebus. A rebus is a picture puzzle that can be "sounded out" by reading the sounds symbolized by the pictures. When these sounds are read aloud together, the statements often becomes obvious. Try solving the rebus on the right:
Although vowels were used in the spoken language, they were not usually written unless a word begins with a vowel or where it might be confusing if left out…like with names.
A modern type of hieroglyphic writings would be a rebus. A rebus is a picture puzzle that can be "sounded out" by reading the sounds symbolized by the pictures. When these sounds are read aloud together, the statements often becomes obvious. Try solving the rebus on the right:
Although vowels were used in the spoken language, they were not usually written unless a word begins with a vowel or where it might be confusing if left out…like with names.
The Hieroglyphic Alphabet
Biliterals
Biliterals are hieroglyphs which were substituted in place of pairs of alphabet characters. The sound of the biliteral hieroglyph is the same as the sound of the the alphabet characters it replaces. Biliterals 'streamline' writings by eliminating large numbers of simpler characters.
Determinatives
Determinatives don't represent sounds. The meanings they imply help eliminate confusion by putting the writings in proper context. These special characters clarify a statement by carrying a distinct meaning. The appearance of a determinative put the writing in context based on its meaning.
Remember the rebus above? It can have several possible answers including; I love you, I heart ewe and Eye heart U. However, by adding a determinative confusion can be eliminated:
Remember the rebus above? It can have several possible answers including; I love you, I heart ewe and Eye heart U. However, by adding a determinative confusion can be eliminated:
The extra symbol is usually seen around Valentine's Day. It is associated with Cupid, the Roman god of love. By shooting someone with his arrow, Cupid caused them to fall in love. Use of this symbol implies that the statement relates to matters of love and emotion, and effectively makes "I Love You" the only choice. Below are some actual examples of Determinatives:
Numbers
In our modern system of numbering, numbers are counted in units of 10. A zero written to the right of a number indicates the number is increased ten times. The Egyptian numbering system was also based on units of 10, but instead of relying on the position of numbers to define their value, the Egyptians used different images to represent different units of 10. To write a number, the hieroglyph representing each unit of ten would simply be drawn as many times as was necessary.
The buttons below allow you to write a personalized message in Hieroglyphics and create numbers like the ones above: