The ancient Egyptian word for hieroglyphs, literally
translated as "language of the gods," indicates
their importance. Priests used hieroglyphs to write
down prayers, magical texts, and texts related to life
after death and worshiping the gods.
When preparing their tombs, many people had autobiographies
and hieroglyphic guides of the afterworld written on
the surfaces of tomb walls and on the insides of coffins.
The Egyptians believed that these texts helped guide
the dead through the afterlife.
The use of hieroglyphic inscriptions was
not limited to religious purposes. Civil officials used
them to write royal documents of long-term importance,
to record historical events, and to document calculations,
such as the depth of the Nile River on a specific day
of the year.
The Egyptians also used hieroglyphs to decorate jewelry
and other luxury items. They carved the symbols into
stone or wood, and incised or cast them in gold, silver,
and other metals. They painted hieroglyphs on various
surfaces, sometimes putting down simple figures in black
ink, and other times using detail and bright colors.
Occasionally artists carved semiprecious stones or rare
woods into hieroglyphic shapes and then inlaid them
into walls or pieces of furniture. |
Pyramids
