ANCIENT EGYPT
hieroglyphics
Africa’s rich and prosperous civilization has emerged to be very artistic, and dramatic, however, this creative culture was also the foundation and origin of today’s modern world. Ancient Egypt began around 3150 BC and unfortunately, the Romans conquered it in 31 BC. The major form of communication in Ancient Egypt was Hieroglyphics – an elaborate symbol-like system of writing used to record religious text and rituals real or imaginative.
This difficult- to-decipher and complicated language existed around 3000BC and consisted of 1000’s of symbols used similar to how alphabetic letters and numerical are used today. There were two commonly types of hieroglyphics ideograms and phonograms. Ideograms are pictures that represent objects and phonograms represent the sound of the language, often they both could describe the same picture.
Africa has magnificently contributed to math, engineering, science, architecture, and art. These monumental contributions for centuries have educated, developed and progress the world into this lavish 21st century we know today. Among Africa’s many contributions to society was Hieroglyphics, the genesis of communication that we now know as writing: putting symbols to paper with a pen-like instrument.
Over time, the skill of hieroglyphics was lost but after the decline of Egypt and the invasion of Napoleon in the late 1700’s, hieroglyphics gained a newfound recognition, not as a language but as an art form, due to its unusual complexity and beautiful images. No longer necessary as an ancient form of communication it has transformed from being a language into being a highly sought after art form. Today, many of Africa’s hieroglyphic artifacts are coveted and held in private art collectors’ repertoires, they are also admired and viewed in museums across the world by art enthusiasts alike.
So the next time you sit down to write, text, send a picture or read a sign while driving remember you are using one of the oldest forms of communication that began centuries ago in Africa!