Blog #1- Week 1 Topic

Cultural and Social Changes in Communication with focus on Ancient Egypt

Today, the use and impact of modern media technology is essential in everybody’s life (Mannikko, 2014). Without technology, many things would not materialise. However, the immersion of our modern society change the new way of communicating.

The Egyptian’s hieroglyphics is considered as one of the most recognisable forms of ancient writing and communications during the ancient times (Davies, 1990). For the Egyptians, communication was partly different because technology was not invented during the ancient times as we do today. The hieroglyphics were the only forms of communication that Egyptians has and the reason they were so advanced during their times (Crowly & Heyer, 2011). 

The writing form “Hieroglyphics” in ancient Egypt was once believed to be a form of picture writing (Hieroglyphics, 2013). The ancient Greek called hieroglyphics “Sacred Carving” to describe decorative characters carved on Egyptian pyramids, temples and monuments (Hieroglyph, 2014) where it took around 100,000 Egyptians to build it. The pharaoh leaders were in charge would have had to get all those Egyptians to understand and communicate what he was saying so they could work together as one nation. Thus, this is the only way Egyptians could communicate and expressing themselves in artwork during ancient times. The hieroglyphics also developed and helped the creation of luxury items and jewelleries, decorating them with hieroglyphics writing and carving them into piece of art (Budge, 2013).  

Throughout the long history of hieroglyphics, ancient Egyptian symbols were utilised for a range of purposes. Hieroglyphics obviously played a significant role in conveying the ancient history of the Egyptian nation and predominantly the achievement and feats of the Egyptian pharaohs (Ancient Egypt Online, n.d.).

The hieroglyphics allowed the ancient Egyptians to pass the cultural information and messages from old generation to the next (Aaron Dunlop, 2014). As technology became more popular, ancient Egypt witnessed the development of its civilisation. 

Reference List

Aaron Dunlop 2014, How did hieroglyphics develop ancient egypt society?, viewed 23 March 2015, https://prezi.com/gennofb1eq4l/how-did-hieroglyphics-develop-ancient-egyptian-society/

Ancient Egypt Online, n.d., The history of hieroglyphics, viewed 21 March 2015, http://www.ancient-egypt-online.com/history-of-hieroglyphics.html

Budge, E. W. 2013, ‘Egyptian language: easy lessons in Egyptian hieroglyphics’, Routledge Revivals, pp. 1-12, viewed 23 March 2015, https://books.google.com.au/books?hl=en&lr=&id=veBSAQAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=hieroglyphics&ots=9l5_sZOGNc&sig=Y5Lt1_0YzYT_zLO8s89-jPisGTY#v=onepage&q=hieroglyphics&f=false

Crowley, D, & Heyer, P 2011, Communication in history : technology, culture, society, 6^th edn, Boston, MA: Allyn & Bacon/Pearson. 

Davies, W. V. 1990, ‘Egyptian hieroglyphs’, Reading the past: Ancient Writing from Cuneiform to the Alphabet, pp. 75-135, viewed 08 April 2015. 

Hieroglyph 2014, Encyclopaedia britannica, Research Starters, viewed 26 March 2015, http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/

Mannikko, NF 2014, Technology in the ancient world, Salem Press Encyclopedia, Research Starters, viewed 26 March 2015, http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.cqu.edu.au/

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica, 2013, Hieroglyphics, viewed 21 March 2015, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/265009/hieroglyph