Compare and Contrast Cuniform to Hieroglyphics
Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics are very different from ancient Mesopotamian cuniform, but in many ways they are alike. For instance they both are writing systems used for writing laws, poems, and much more. The writing required much time because the symbols were engraved on clay tablets and on buildings or tombs. The Egyptians and Mesopotamians used them everyday. When archeologists discovered them, they found the writing very difficult to decipher.
Although ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics are the same as Mesopotamian cuniform in many ways, they are also different in three important ways. Ancient hieroglyphics are pictorial symbols that stand for words, sounds, or ideas. Ancient cuniform is a writing system written with wedge-shaped characters. Egyptian hieroglyphics consist of more than 700 symbols, whereas Mesopotamian cuniform consists of a little bit less, around 600 symbols. The cuniform ranged from one wedge to complex patterns of about 30 wedges. If it weren't for the ancient hieroglyphics and cuniform, we wouldn't have half of the information that we have now!
References
I found my information at:
Egyptian Hieroglyphics December 11, 2000
http://www.egyptianhieroglyphics.com/
Armento, Beverly Salter, Christopher Wilson, Lewis
Klor de Alva, Jorge Nash, Gary wixon, Karen A message Of Ancient Days
Boston, Houghton Miffin Company, 1994 December 16, 2000
Hooker, Richard Cuniform. December 18, 2000
http://www.wsu.edu/~dee/GLOSSARY/CUNEI.HTM
