DOI Heft:
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DOI Artikel:Kyle, Melvin: The egyptian origin of the alphabet: an historical instance in support of de Rougés alphabetic prototypes
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.12426#0159
THE EGYPTIAN ORIGIN OF THE ALPHABET
153
work of art, the body of the inscription is a writing. The writing is cursive. In parts
typically so, in other parts more rigidly hieroglyphic in form, with hère and there a
kind of conventional character in more cursive style. The inscription as a whole is a
curious mixture of hieroglyphics, conventional forms, and hieratic characters. More-
over, some of the signs used are represented sometimes, and others almost invariably,
by their hieratic équivalents ; but not ail the signs which occur are represented any-
where in the inscription by hieratic équivalents. And the hieratic characters used are
sometirnes distinctly of the fixed forms of the hieratic of the Old Empire, and some-
times a transitional approach thereto. Concerning thèse hieratic signs of the inscription,
five strans;e things are to be noted :
[1] There are clearly transitional forms, representing a transitional period of
Egyptian writing ;
[2] Among the hieratic characters of this inscription, exactly those in which E. de
Rougé believed he had found the Egyptian prototypes of the Phœnician alphabet are
most conspicuous ;,
[3] Among the hieratic characters representing the simplest sounds and commonly
called letters, it is just those of E. de Rougé's list which here appear most regularly,
where the Egyptian sound represented there by was required ;
[4] Thèse same are also most fixed in their forms, and those the final forms of
the hieratic of the Old Empire;
[5] The list of hieratic alphabetic characters here found falls short of E. de
Rougé's complète list by some significant omissions.
An exhaustive examination of the inscription, passing nearly every character of its
four hundred columns under critical survey in search for the aphabetic characters of
the hieratic of the Old Empire yielded the following results; wherein each alphabetic
character on the coffin (marked C) is compared with the corresponding hieroglyph
(marked H.), the hieratic of the Old Empire (H. 0. E.) and the corresponding Phœni-
cian letter on the Moabite stone (marked Ph.) :
[1] The eagle, H. C. H. 0. E. Ph. <. While the form of this
letter on the coffin is not exactly that selected by E. de Rougé it is almost iclentical
with another form of the same letter found in the Papyrus Prisse It bears some
resemblance to the hieratic character for the duck . But, aside from the phonetic
requirements, the great frequency of its occurrence in this inscription precludes the
possibility of its being intended for the duck.
[2] The crâne, H. C. ..., H. 0. E. Ph. ^. The crâne is used in this
inscription in its hieroglyphic form.
[3] The throne, H. S, C- jg, H. 0. E. 'çj*-, Ph. \. Specially exact and clear in
the inscription.
[4] Thehand, H. C. -Ol,, H.O.E. Ph. A little more rounded in
the loop than E. de Rougé's prototype. It is of rare occurrence in this inscription.
[5] The meander, H. m, C. m, H. 0. E. ffl Ph- 3-
RECUEIL, XXIII. — NOUV. SÉR., VII. 20
153
work of art, the body of the inscription is a writing. The writing is cursive. In parts
typically so, in other parts more rigidly hieroglyphic in form, with hère and there a
kind of conventional character in more cursive style. The inscription as a whole is a
curious mixture of hieroglyphics, conventional forms, and hieratic characters. More-
over, some of the signs used are represented sometimes, and others almost invariably,
by their hieratic équivalents ; but not ail the signs which occur are represented any-
where in the inscription by hieratic équivalents. And the hieratic characters used are
sometirnes distinctly of the fixed forms of the hieratic of the Old Empire, and some-
times a transitional approach thereto. Concerning thèse hieratic signs of the inscription,
five strans;e things are to be noted :
[1] There are clearly transitional forms, representing a transitional period of
Egyptian writing ;
[2] Among the hieratic characters of this inscription, exactly those in which E. de
Rougé believed he had found the Egyptian prototypes of the Phœnician alphabet are
most conspicuous ;,
[3] Among the hieratic characters representing the simplest sounds and commonly
called letters, it is just those of E. de Rougé's list which here appear most regularly,
where the Egyptian sound represented there by was required ;
[4] Thèse same are also most fixed in their forms, and those the final forms of
the hieratic of the Old Empire;
[5] The list of hieratic alphabetic characters here found falls short of E. de
Rougé's complète list by some significant omissions.
An exhaustive examination of the inscription, passing nearly every character of its
four hundred columns under critical survey in search for the aphabetic characters of
the hieratic of the Old Empire yielded the following results; wherein each alphabetic
character on the coffin (marked C) is compared with the corresponding hieroglyph
(marked H.), the hieratic of the Old Empire (H. 0. E.) and the corresponding Phœni-
cian letter on the Moabite stone (marked Ph.) :
[1] The eagle, H. C. H. 0. E. Ph. <. While the form of this
letter on the coffin is not exactly that selected by E. de Rougé it is almost iclentical
with another form of the same letter found in the Papyrus Prisse It bears some
resemblance to the hieratic character for the duck . But, aside from the phonetic
requirements, the great frequency of its occurrence in this inscription precludes the
possibility of its being intended for the duck.
[2] The crâne, H. C. ..., H. 0. E. Ph. ^. The crâne is used in this
inscription in its hieroglyphic form.
[3] The throne, H. S, C- jg, H. 0. E. 'çj*-, Ph. \. Specially exact and clear in
the inscription.
[4] Thehand, H. C. -Ol,, H.O.E. Ph. A little more rounded in
the loop than E. de Rougé's prototype. It is of rare occurrence in this inscription.
[5] The meander, H. m, C. m, H. 0. E. ffl Ph- 3-
RECUEIL, XXIII. — NOUV. SÉR., VII. 20