122 Early World Civilizations: Supplemental Guide 6A | Writing in Ancient Egypt
Show image 6A-5: Meret and her family
“That is good,” Meret said. “I like that song.” She paused and
then asked, “So the carvings on the stones of the temple are a
form of writing?”^6
“Yes,” her mother replied. “People also paint or write on wood
or papyrus. The messengers I told you about earlier normally take
messages written on papyrus.”^7
“Well I imagine that a stone would be quite heavy to carry!”
Meret laughed.
Meret’s mother laughed as well and then said, “But now, my
dear, it is time for you to sleep. We are fi nally home.”
“Will you sing me the song one more time?” Meret asked as
they went inside.
Meret’s mother nodded and then began singing. Before she was
even done, Meret was fast asleep.
Meret’s favorite song had been written down using
hieroglyphics, the ancient Egyptian way of writing.^8 In ancient
Egypt, kings, scribes, priests, and craftsmen were some of the
few people who understood the meanings of the symbols. These
hieroglyphs, or single pictures and symbols, were used instead of
the letters and words we have in our language to communicate
and write down important messages, laws, songs, stories, and
prayers so that they would be remembered for many years
to come. It wasn’t until hundreds of years later that the word
hieroglyphics was given to this form of writing.6 The word form here means a type
of something. The word form can
also mean to make or create.
8 [Have students repeat the word
hieroglyphics. You may wish to turn
back to image 6A-4 as you read the
rest of the paragraph.] Even though
Meret is a character in a made-up
story, hieroglyphics were real in
Ancient Egypt.
7 Papyrus is a plant that the
Egyptians used to make paper
by cutting the inside of the stalk
into thin strips, making them
wet, pressing them together, and
leaving the papyrus to dry. This
forms a smooth writing surface.