Hieroglyphic writing was used by the ancient Egyptians for more than 3000 years, until about 400 AD.  Hieroglyphic writing is writing in which a symbol (or picture) is used to represent a word or sound.   For hundreds of years nobody could read the ancient hieroglyphs of Egypt because the symbols could not be deciphered.   Ancient hieroglyphics were finally deciphered by an Egyptologist in the early 1800's.  Because of this discovery, a whole world of information about ancient Egypt was available for study.

        Today we will read about the history of hieroglyphic writing, look at some samples, and try writing some hieroglyphs of our own.

        There are 3 types of hieroglyphs.  Some hieroglyphs stand for a whole word, some stand for individual sounds, and some represent groups of sounds or syllables.  We will be learning about the type where each hieroglyphic symbol stands for a certain sound.
                                                                                        

---

DIRECTIONS:  

1.  Go to Writing with Hieroglyphs  <http://neferchichi.com./hieroglyphs.html>.   Read through the text about hieroglyphics.  Carefully read the examples for FREIGHT, PHONE,  and CHALK.  Make sure you understand these three examples before you go on to the next activity.

2.  Scroll down the page about halfway and examine the table on the website that compares the word sounds to the hieroglyphs.  Using this information, complete the following table in your Reader's Journal.  Some examples are done for you!  (For numbers 5 and 6 you can choose a word of your choice.  It can be one of the words used as examples on the website chart.)

English Word	Actual Sounds	Egyptian Hieroglyphs
1.  nice	n,  long  i,  soft  c
2.  cat
3.  ship
4.  machine
5.  (your own choice)
6.  (your own choice)

3.  An Egyptian cartouche (pronounced "car-toosh") is an oval or oblong figure enclosing the hieroglyphic symbols that represent a person's name.
 
            * Go to Make Your Own Cartouche and find where it says "VE Hieroglyphic Translator."
            * Type in your FIRST NAME only where it says "enter your pharaoh name."  
            * Once your first name is entered, click "engrave it."  Your own personal cartouche will appear.  
            * Print ONE COPY of the cartouche.