Original Flashcards
What problem did the Egyptian pharaohs face around 2000 BC?
They could not pass down written orders to enslaved prisoners of war who could not read hieroglyphics.
Why were early writing systems like Egyptian hieroglyphics difficult to learn?
They had thousands of characters, with each symbol representing an idea or word.
How long did it take to memorize early writing systems like hieroglyphics?
Memorizing them could take years.
What is believed to be the origin of almost all modern alphabets?
A simplified version of hieroglyphics devised by the Egyptians.
What major change did the development of an alphabet bring to ancient communication?
It changed the way the ancients communicated by simplifying the writing system.
In the simplified version of hieroglyphics, what did each character represent?
Only a sound.
How did the simplification of hieroglyphics affect the number of characters?
It reduced the number from a few thousand to a few dozen.
What happened to the complicated hieroglyphic language over time?
It was eventually forgotten.
What discovery in 1799 helped scholars translate ancient hieroglyphics?
The Rosetta stone.
How did the alphabet spread beyond Egypt?
Egyptian slaves took it to their home countries, and it spread across the Near East.
Which writing systems were influenced by the Egyptian alphabet?
- Hebrew
- Arabic
Which ancient civilization helped spread the alphabet along the Mediterranean coast?
The Phoenicians.
What alphabets were based on the ancient Phoenician script?
- Greek
- Roman
What writing system do most Western languages, including English, use today?
The Roman alphabet.
From which ancient Egyptian character does the modern letter B derive?
The Egyptian character for the word house.
