Hieroglyphs: The Writing of Ancient Egypt

by Norma Jean Katan

Book Overview

Explains the origins of hieroglyphs and what they mean, tells how this ancient form of writing was decoded, and describes the training and importance of scribes.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0689501765
• ISBN13: 9780689501760
• Release Date: May 1981
• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 0.70 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 6.1" x 9.3"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Hieroglyphs The Writing of Ancient Egypt

The book I read was Hieroglyphs the Writing of Ancient Egypt by Norma Jean Katan. Once you pick up this book you just want to keep reading and reading. You want to know what it can teach you next. One of the best ways I can say it is you just don't want to put it down. I know you think Hieroglyphs are really boring and they are just a bunch of pictures, but I swear it's not. It is one of the best types of writing EVER! It is not a lot of reading only 89 pages unless you want to read the glossary and index, but enough about that lets get to the story. This book is interesting for a lot of reasons. (1) You'll like this book because once you start reading you'll want to know more about the subject, and I know this, because hey it worked for me. (2) This book is for all the people who like to write codes to their friends. No one will know what you're talking about except your friends, and me. It doesn't only tell you how to write hieroglyphs it also tells you how to say them too. If you want to freak someone out this is the language for you. (3) This is also an awesome book, because it is not a book you read everyday (unless you are me), so that also makes this book good for you to read. (4) This book also has a few pictures of some things the ancient Egyptians used and made. It also tells you what museum they're at. If you're not a museum person these pictures will make you want to go. Especially when you finish this book you'll probably want to decipher most of what's written on the ancient artifacts. You see ancient Egyptians wrote Hieroglyphs on there belongings, because ancient Egyptians believed in life after death, a life that they hoped would be like their life on earth, only better. They believed the words had magical powers and that if they wrote the name of the thing they needed and put the writing in their tomb they would be sure to have that thing in their next life. The word hieroglyph was first used to name these signs in 300 B.C., when the Greeks came to Egypt and saw them carved on the temple walls. In Greek hiero means holy and glyph means writing. So hieroglyph means holy writing. Ancient Egyptians had evil animals on the wall but they didn't put it as regular animals. For example hieroglyphs that represents evil animal were drawn without legs or heads, or chopped in half, or even nailed down so that the "animals" could not eat the food that was left in the tomb for the dead person in the next life. There are many interesting facts like this, but you'll just have to read this book yourself.BYE!By Lauren