Hieroglyphs or pictograms are a type of writing, which is one of the oldest on earth. We can say that this is a certain written sign that is used in some writing systems. Almost all of them have their own designation, and many have several translations or meanings. This type of writing was used and is used in some countries, cities or among some peoples.
You will need
- - various scientific literature on decryption
- - specific knowledge of translations
- - study in the ancient language that you need
Instruction manual
1
In ancient times, Korea, Vietnam or Japan, pictograms were the only written language of people. The Mayan people also used hieroglyphs, on the island of Crete there was writing under the same definition. Well, of course, we must not forget Ancient Egypt.
2
Egyptian writing arose at the end of the fourth millennium BC on the basis of picturesque writing. In such a letter, each word or concept was expressed by a pattern. For example, "captivity" was portrayed as people with their hands tied. Such signs were called hieroglyphs, and the writing system itself - hieroglyphics. The ancient Egyptians believed that writing was granted to them by the god of wisdom Thoth. The letters themselves they called "Mdue NTR" - "Words of God" and believed in their magical defensive power. Hieroglyphs could be applied to the walls of temples, tombs, stella and obelisks, statues, sarcophagi, clay shards and papyrus scrolls.
3
It takes a lot of time to learn to read and decode hieroglyphs correctly. To begin with, you can learn the names of several kings and queens, remembering the characters themselves, that is, their spelling. Names are easy to find, they are always written in an oval frame - a cartouche, designed to protect the royal name and the pharaoh himself from evil forces. Hieroglyphs are read from left to right, from right to left or from top to bottom. To determine where to start reading, you need to find symbols such as birds or people. They are always turned to the beginning of the sentence.
4
To read or translate ancient hieroglyphics, you will not only need books on deciphering letters, but also have to study the history of a certain state, the heyday and decline of civilization. It is also necessary to have an idea of where to start the translation, how to correctly divide the characters into separate characters. Splitting text into characters is usually used when decrypting Mayan letters. And this is not an easy task. It is necessary to correctly separate the hieroglyphs, put in the right order, and then only translate them.
5
It is much easier to decipher modern Chinese and Japanese characters. In libraries, bookstores, the Internet there is a lot of useful and necessary information. For example, dictionaries or language tutorials. You can enroll in courses, classes in these languages.
Useful advice
If you do not have knowledge of ancient languages or you do not have certain literature, you can contact a specialist. A specialist, a scientist in languages, in decoding hieroglyphs is the best option for a person who does not have certain knowledge.
