After Class 02/05/10

Today we discussed the evolution of writing. We noted how writing changed from being mostly pictographic to cuneiform. Symbols and pictures were used to note records and amounts of crops. As civilizations grew and more crops were produced they needed a quicker and easier method to record information. Pictoraphics proved to be too difficult and tiresome to produced, so hieroglyphics were then used. Finally, alphabet characters were used to replace hieroglyphic symbols. As writing changed, so did the material used to create it. Clay slabs were discontinued and papyrus paper was favored instead. Egyptians had easy access to this paper because the papyrus plant grew in abundance along the Nile River.
The Egyptians used hieroglyphics and papyrus paper to record their elaborate and ornate instructions for burial and the afterlife. However, they remained a mystery to the rest of the world because there was no guide as the how to read and understand their hieroglyphics. Finally the discovery of the Rosetta stone in 1779 by Napoleon offered a clue. Jean-Francois Champollion deciphered the stone and recognized that the three languages; hieroglyphics, demotic, and Greek would be the clue to unlocking the mystery behind ancient Egypt's tombs, writings, and amazing history.
The most meaningful thing I learned today was seeing the visual representations of how writing evolved. I was amazed to see that the letter A comes from the symbol for Ox. I had never made that connection before. It leads me to question how other languages evolved. Are all languages rooted in Egypt's history--Chinese and French too?