Writing Neter Water N the Kemites Created One of the N Vulture Ah (Noon) People Didn’T Always Have a Way to Write a (Father) Rope Oo Their Words
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Lesson 7 MEDU NETER Alphabet M owl m Medu Sign Sound (moon) Writing Neter water n The Kemites created one of the fi rst writing systems in the world. N Vulture ah (noon) People didn’t always have a way to write A (father) O rope oo their words. About 10,000 years ago the foot b (too) ancient KEMITES began to draw pictures to B (boot) mat p represent different objects, such as a house P (pedestal) or a table. Later they began to use symbols basket c/k C slope k to represent ideas, such as life or beauty. (basket) Q of hill (key) The language was called MEDU NETER, which D hand d means divine speech. This was one of the (dog) R mouth r fi rst languages ever produced. i reed i/e (right) (filled) S folded s The MEDU NETER was written on different horned f cloth (saw) material, including papyrus, stone, and F viper (feel) bread t wood. Papyrus is the fi rst paper, and was T jar g loaf (tap) made by using reed leaves which were G stand (go) quail oo weaved together, and dried. U reed h chick (too) In English there are 26 letters in the H shelter (hat) horned f V viper (feel) alphabet, but in the MEDU NETER there I reed i/e are over 2,000 symbols. Some symbols (filled) W quail w represents a single letter, while others may snake dj chick (wet) Before fi nding the represent a word or an idea. There are also J (adjust) X animal ch “Rosetta Stone” no symbols for numbers - including fractions. basket c/k belly (??) one knew how to read K (basket) two reed y the MEDU NETER. It was In the MEDU NETER there is no punctuation, Y leafs (mary) carved in 196 BC. It such as a period or question mark. They lion l L door z is written in three lan- generally didn’t write vowels, unless it was (love) Z bolt (scissors) guages, including MEDU necessary to read the words. It might sound NETER and Greek. Since confusing to read, but could you read the The "MEDU NETER Alphabet" also spelled as "Cathy". So in people still speak Greek paragraph below without any punctuation table above attempts to show the translation, these have the today, they could trans- and very few vowels? the MEDU NETER letter for each same MEDU NETER symbol. The late the words to discov- English letter. Some sounds are same is true for "f" and "v". They er the meaning of the CN YU RD THS PRGRPH IT HS NO PUNCTATN BT EVN nearly identical. For example, sound different to us, but their MEDU NETER, although it WTHOT TH PUNCTATN YU CN PRBBLY STLL UNDRSTND "c" and "k" are nearly the same sound is very close. Try saying took 30 years after its IT. sound. The name "Kathy" is the two letters aloud, and you'll discovery in 1799. page 28 Ile Omode School Kemet - the World’s First Civilization page 29 hear their similarity. Some sounds, such READING as the symbol for "x" are not used in the Symbol Sign & QUESTIONS English language. The MEDU NETER "x" is not Meaning 1. Describe how the MEDU NETR pronounced "ch" as in cherry, but more as began? if you're clearing your throat. top of a sandle 2. What was MEDU NETER written (life) on? How many symbols are The Kemites didn't simply write out each ANKH there in the MEDU NETER? Writing letter when writing. Their writing system ancestor table 3. Do you think it would be was much more complex. They developed diffi cult to read English with Fractions HETEP (peace) One symbol that symbols which represented words or many no punctuation, and only a looks like a fancy letters. (peace) few vowels? Explain your IR eye is called UDJAT. answer. It had both religious The symbol of a guitar represented NEFER, hands stretched 4. In KEMET the word for bread and mathemati- meaning pretty or beautiful, because of the to the sky began with a “T” so they sound the instrument makes. If you've ever used the symbol for bread cal meanings. If KA (spirit) a doctor in KEMET noticed a person in church who is praying to represent “T”. What wanted to tell a or very thankful to God, they'll often raise scarab bettle would you use for the letter patient to take 1/4 their hands in the air. This must have also (to become) “T”. Think of something that of some medicine happened in KEMET, because the symbol for KHEPER begins with the letter “T”, that would write spirit, which is KA in the MEDU NETER, looks senet and draw a picture of your just the eyeball. Or like someone raising their hands. game board symbol. MEN if a baba was going (stable) 5. Using the symbols to the to leave 1/8 of his A very common name in KEMET was RA-MES, left, how would you write the land to a son, the which means "born" (MES) from "God" (RA). tail phrase, “All life is beautiful”? scribe would write This shows how most parents feel when (born) Don’t worry about “is”, and 1/8 using only the their children are born. They feel that God MES think of a word in the table eyebrow. has given them this child. It was common bowl which could be used for in Kemet to greet someone by saying HETEP, beautiful. NEB (all) which is saying "peace". 6. Write your name using the sitting man or MEDU NETER alphabet. Be sure How do you think woman Some symbols didn't represent any letters, to end it with the correct they would write (symbol for a but helped to explain what the word meant. symbol for man or woman. the fraction for 3/8? person) Since 3/8 is equal For example, the symbol for a man, would to 1/4 + 1/8 they be used at the end of a man's name. RA-MES sun PROJECTS would write the would be written: RA (God or sun) 1. Write a letter to your eyeball and the eye- parents in the MEDU NETER. brow. guitar Give them the alphabet table to decipher. See the DVD for MEDU NETER written on (pretty) NEFER stones. page 30 Ile Omode School Kemet - the World’s First Civilization page 31.