Cross Body Bag Hieroglyphs

Cross Body Bag - HIEROGLYPHS

ONE OFF - NO REPEATS

Beautifully handcrafted in Egypt
Shoulder or Cross-body bag
Outer strong canvas material
Inner padded lining
Great featured details
Top zip closure
Height: 20 cm
Width: 19 cm
Strap drop: 54 cm

FREE DELIVERY anywhere, worldwide
(considering the shipping logistic cost of its volume/weight and secure packaging)

The word “hieroglyph” comes from the Greek hieros (sacred) and glyphos (words or signs) and was first used by Clement of Alexandria (c.150-230 A.D.). The ancient Egyptians called them ‘mdju netjer or “words of the gods.” The first known example of hieroglyphic writing in ancient Egypt was discovered on bone and ivory tags, pottery vessels and clay seal impressions discovered in a pre-dynastic tomb in Abydos. The deposits are dated to between 3400 and 3200 B.C. The last example is from the temple of Philae, and is dated to 394 A.D. Knowledge of the hieroglyphic script was lost until the early 19th century, when Jean-Francois Champollion (1790-1832) used the Rosetta Stone to decipher the script.

We know little about the early development of Egyptian hieroglyphs. The early signs found in Abydos (left) already include short phrases and no earlier signs have been discovered. It is possible there was only a short developmental phase before the emergence of the fully fledged language, but some have used the lack of information to argue that the Ancient Egyptians learned writing from a lost civilisation or aliens. More reasonable scholars suggest that the ancient Egyptians borrowed the idea of writing (but not the form) from Mesopotamia. However, inscriptions dating from the reign of King Scorpion (roughly 3400 B.C.) have led many to suggest that Egyptian hieroglyphs may have preceded the Mesopotamian scripts.

During the Ptolemaic period (305-30 B.C.) Egypt was ruled by a Greek dynasty descended from Ptolemy (Alexander the Great). The early part of the dynasty saw a renewal of Egyptian civilization as Alexandria became the only city in the ancient world to rival the power and glory of Rome. The Great Library was constructed by Ptolemy I in part because he believed at heart that Greek culture was the greatest in the world and he wished to infuse Egyptian culture with Greek ideals. This mixing of cultures resulted in the development of many new hieroglyphic signs as the priests explored the mysterious and complex language, often creating complex codes and puns whose meaning was known only to a select few.

However, the dynasty remained unpopular with more traditional Egyptians (after all they were still Greek), and by 206 B.C. Upper Egypt was in open rebellion. As the power of the dynasty waned, they increasingly relied upon Rome to maintain control of the country. This strategy worked reasonably well, until Cleopatra pushed her luck and Egypt was invaded by Octavian (Emperor Augustus) in 30 B.C. Roman rule was very harsh. The greedy Romans applied high tax rates and allowed Egypt less autonomy than the other provinces. Then in 391 A.D. the Emperor Theodosius ordered that all pagan temples must close. This essentially destroyed the hieroglyphic language (which by that time was only used on monumental architecture and in temples). The last firmly datable hieroglyphic inscription was written in A.D. 394.
Source: J. Hill - Ancient Egypt Online