Where did hieroglyphics originate?

Where did hieroglyphics originate?

Hieroglyphic writing is part of the ancient Egyptian civilisation traceable to the end of the fourth millennium BC, appearing as annotations to scenes cut in relief on slabs of slate in tombs and chapels. The earliest hieroglyphics represent lines of hymns and prayers, and the names and titles of individuals and deities. This distinctive style of writing was probably born out of the desire to annotate carved pictures of religious offerings, hunts and battles, it lent distinction to people and places and provided a telltale record for future generations. As hieroglyphics further evolved, it began to appear without pictures, i.e., just pure text on clay tablets and cylindrical stones. This led to labelling of numerous, everyday items. For instance, a jar of wine might bear the name of the vineyard, of the shipping merchant or of the reigning king.

Hieroglyphic writing vanished after the Muslim conquest of Egypt in AD 639. Neither the army of Napoleon that conquered Egypt nor the French archaeologists that followed them could decipher the hieroglyphics. It was the discovery of the Rosetta stone, an inscribed basalt slab, in 1799 that provided the clue to the deciphering of hieroglyphics. And the job of decipherment was begun by Thomas Young (c-1818) and completed by Jean-Francois Champollion (c 1821-22). Found near Rosetta, Egypt, the stone is now being preserved in the British Museum.