Abstract
The cognitive faculties & tools involved in the invention of Egyptian writing are investigated in a study of early dynastic ceremonial slate palettes, with focus on the three registers distinguishable on the recto side of the Narmer palette. This complex is characterized as the first attestation of a semiotic codification system, based on a balanced triad of picture, emblem, & phonetic sign, that endured througoht Egyptian civilization. The view that the palette represents a transitional or developmental stage is rejected, as the cognitive faculty of metaphorizing, seen here in multiple layers from phonetic to conceptual, became the leading principle of the Egyptian intellectual journey. It is proposed that the application of metaphor at different levels provided the basis for the creation of the hieroglyphic system & that, through message repetition, metaphor became dominant over reality in Egyptian thought. 5 Figures, 71 References. Adapted from the source document
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 67-85 |
| Number of pages | 19 |
| Journal | Lingua Aegyptia |
| Volume | 2 |
| State | Published - 1992 |
Keywords
- Egyptian Coptic ; Ideographs ; Metaphors ; Paleography ; Semiotics ; Writing Systems