Ancient Egyptian Inventions

Ancient Egyptian Inventions

Ancient Egyptians used pictures to write, called hieroglyphics. Egyptians were the first people to develop their language into writing. It developed around 3150 BCE. Although it is just pictures, it is still the earliest form of writing. It could be written in any direction, left to right, right to left, top to bottom. It was very complicated because there are over 1000s of symbols. Because of this, it took years and years of education and practice to learn it, so only certain people would learn it. They were called scribes. They would start learning at a young age of six or seven. Only children of the wealthy got the opportunity to train as scribes. Normally, they would write on walls or tablets but they also invented a type of paper called papyrus. This was made from a tall reed-like plant called papyrus. It was made by using strips of the inner stem. They would place them horizontally and vertically in a square, then they would place linen cloth over the paper and apply pressure with a mallet or stones. The papyrus plant was also used for many other things. It was used to make boxes, baskets and mats, toys such as dolls, rope, and even small fishing boats. It could also be baked and eaten.