In print or digital books, human concerns are expressed as a whole. The Chinese invented paper and the Greeks perfected the alphabet of previous civilizations. One of the historical episodes related to writing took place in Ancient Egypt. Hieratic Writing
From hieroglyphic complexes to simpler writing
In the civilization of Ancient Egypt, more specifically in the Pharaonic period, a very advanced culture was established . Among the ruling classes in society were the scribes. The proper functioning of the social and political organization depended on the performance of these professionals, those who worked in different areas of administration. To reach the status of scribe it was necessary to graduate in other languages, law, accounting and history. Hieratic Writing
The phonetic signs and hieroglyphic characters used had a sacred character (the term hieroglyphic more precisely means sacred writing). This type of writing had a strong aesthetic sense.
As for reading, it could be done from left to right or vice versa. Human or animal figures determined the beginning of the reading, which was generally done from the top down. Hieratic Writing
The set of signs and figures used in hieroglyphics was used in religious texts (for example, the Book of the Dead ), on temple walls, in funerary frescoes or in vessels. The material used as support was normally clay.
This type of writing was not practical for certain administrative tasks and for this reason the ancient Egyptians devised another parallel version, the hieratic writing. In this new version, a simplification of the hieroglyphic complexes was performed. Hieratic texts were written in italics.
Egyptian scribes normally used the hieroglyphic system and the hieratic system interchangeably.
Obviously Egyptologists should know these two forms of writing, as each fulfilled specific functions. The signs used in both versions were similar, but with major differences. Hieratic Writing
With the use of papyrus the scribes were able to carry out their task more effectively
The support material used in hieratic writing was papyrus. It was written in black ink using a stick as an instrument. This form of writing was used in every type of document until the year 1200 a. C. They were read from right to left and with a series of abbreviations.
At the end of the civilization of Ancient Egypt, hieratic writing was reserved exclusively for religious matters, since in everyday use a new and more important modality was acquired, demotic writing. Hieratic Writing
Over time, the Greek alphabet was introduced to the most varied texts.
