The Historians' History of the World 01

At least three other systems of picture-writing in elaborated forms are recognised, namely, that used by the Hittites in Western Asia, that of the Chinese, and that of the Mexican Indians in America. No dates can be fixed as to when these were introduced, neither is it possible to demonstrate the entire independence of the various systems; but all of them were developed in prehistoric periods. There seems no reason to doubt that in each case the picture-writing consisted originally of the mere graphic presentation of an object as representing an idea connected with that object itself, precisely as if the Scythians had drawn pictures of the mouse, the bird, the frog, and the arrows in order to convey the message to Darius. Doubtless periods of incalculable length elapsed after the use of such ideograms as this had come into vogue before the next great step was taken, which consisted in using a picture, not merely to represent some idea associated with the object depicted, but to represent a sound. Probably the first steps of this development came about through the attempt to depict the names of men. Since the name of a man is often a combination of syllables, having no independent significance, it was obviously difficult to represent that name in a picture record, and yet, in the nature of the case, the name of the man might often constitute the most important part of the record. Sooner or later the difficulty was met, as the Egyptian hieroglyphics prove to us, by adopting a system of phonetics, in which a certain picture stands for the sound of each syllable of the name. The pictures selected for such syllabic use were usually chosen because the name of the object presented by the picture began with the sound in question. Such a syllabary having been introduced, its obvious utility led presently to its application, not merely to the spelling of proper names, but to general purposes of writing.

One other step remained, namely, to make that final analysis of sounds which reduces the multitude of syllables to about twenty-five elementary sounds, and to recognise that, by supplying a symbol for each one of these sounds, the entire cumbersome structure of ideographs and syllables might be dispensed with. The Egyptians made this analysis before the dawn of history, and had provided themselves with an alphabet; but strangely enough they had not given up, nor did they ever relinquish in subsequent times, the system of ideographs and syllabics that mark the stages of evolution of the alphabet. The Babylonians at the beginning of their historic period had developed a most elaborate system of syllables, but their writing had not reached the alphabet stage.

The introduction of the alphabet to the exclusion of the cruder methods was a feat accomplished within the historic period by the Phœnicians, some details of which we shall have occasion to examine later on. This feat is justly regarded as one of the greatest accomplishments of the entire historic period. But that estimate must not blind us to the fact that the Egyptians and Babylonians, and probably also the Chinese, were in possession of their fully elaborated systems of writing long before the very beginnings of that historic period of which we are all along speaking. Indeed, as has been said, true history could not begin until individual human deeds began to be recorded in written words.

PART II

THE HISTORY OF EGYPT

BASED CHIEFLY UPON THE FOLLOWING AUTHORITIES

H. C. BRUGSCH, E. A. WALLIS BUDGE, C. K. J. BUNSEN, J. F. CHABAS, ADOLF

ERMAN, K. R. LEPSIUS, A. E. MARIETTE, G. C. C. MASPERO, EDUARD

MEYER, W. M. FLINDERS PETRIE, J. GARDNER WILKINSON

TOGETHER WITH A CHARACTERISATION OF

EGYPT AS A WORLD INFLUENCE

BY

ADOLF ERMAN

WITH ADDITIONAL CITATIONS FROM

CLAUDIUS ÆLIANUS, WM. BELOE, THE HOLY BIBLE, J. B. BIOT, SAMUEL BIRCH,

J. F. CHAMPOLLION, DIODORUS SICULUS, GEORG EBERS, AMELIA B.

EDWARDS, ROBERT HARTMANN, A. H. L. HEEREN, HERODOTUS,

FLAVIUS JOSEPHUS, H. LARCHER, J. P. MAHAFFY, MANETHO,

AMMIANUS MARCELLINUS, JOHN MAUNDEVILLE, MELA

POMPONIUS, L. MÉNARD, PAUSANIAS, PETRONIUS, PLINY,

PLUTARCH, R. POCOCKE, PETER LE PAGE RENOUF,

I. ROSELLINI, E. DE ROUGÉ, C. SAVARY, F. VON

SCHLEGEL, G. SERGI, SOLINUS, STRABO, ISAAC

TAYLOR, THE TURIN PAPYRUS AND THE

DYNASTIC LISTS OF KARNAK, ABYDOS,

AND SAQQARAH, A. WIEDEMANN,

HENRY SMITH WILLIAMS, AND

THOMAS YOUNG

Copyright, 1904,

By HENRY SMITH WILLIAMS.

All rights reserved.

EGYPT

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Page

Introductory Essay. Egypt as a World Influence. By Dr. Adolf Erman

57

Egyptian History in Outline

65

Chapter I. The Egyptian Race and its Origin

77

Chapter II. The Old Memphis Kingdom

90

Chapter III. The Old Theban Kingdom

106

Chapter IV. The Restoration

126

Chapter V. The XIXth Dynasty

141

Chapter VI. The Finding of the Royal Mummies

155

Chapter VII. The Period of Decay

162

Chapter VIII. The Closing Scenes

180

Chapter IX. Manners and Customs of the Egyptians

196

Chapter X. The Egyptian Religion

219

Chapter XI. Egyptian Culture

240