Hieroglyphics Research

Hieroglyphics are the complex, and highly detailed alphabetical symbols that comprised of the ancient Egyptian alphabet. The hieroglyph script was developed around 4000 years, before Christ.

Hieroglyphics, by the Egyptians, were often referred to as "The words of god". They were used mainly by the ancient priests, being used for religious, and important documentation. They were often  used in temples, for business, and also for similar high ranking instances and high ranking people. A 'lesser' version was used, for such people as peasants, and others with a lower status in society, this was Demotic, the common script of Egypt.

They are written in rows or columns, and can be read either from right to left, or left to right, and  they helped lay the foundation for the modern alphabet.

The discovery of the rosetta stone, which was carved in 196 B.C. and discovered in A.D. 1799, helped translate the hieroglyphs, to english, as the stone's text was written identically in three different languages, because when it was being written, there were three different languages being used in Egypt at the time. Egyptian (hieroglyph), Demotic and Greek. The Greek text was taken from the stone tablet, and converted into English by Champollion.

The first row of text was hieroglyphic, the second was Demotic, and the third was Greek. Greek was the language of the ancient rulers, at the time. The reason the tablet was written in a tri-language script, was so that the priests, government officials, and rulers could read what the stone contained without translation.

http://www.discoveringegypt.com/Egyptian-Hieroglyphic-Writing.html

http://www.ancientegypt.co.uk/writing/rosetta.html < Link to an in depth article that I can use for essay research, on the rosetta stone. Image also referenced at the same link.