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In today’s society, we use many things without knowing where it comes from. Everything from mathematics to music derives from somewhere. In this situation, I am talking about literature. Within present time, we use literature daily. Whether it is writing a poem, or creating a screenplay. Do you know who formed and shaped literature? Ancient Egypt and Rome helped in shaping today’s literature by leaving behind a legacy in their legends.
Ancient Egyptian literature is believed to be the earliest written works known. Egyptians were the first to develop literary devices and religious texts. Also, they were the first to create their version of paper and ink. Hieroglyphs, a writing system used by ancient Egyptians, inspired the original alphabet, including the Romans (Budge 1).
Ancient Rome imitated ancient Greeks’ literature, so for that, many people deem that ancient Greeks are the main literary influencers. That is not the case. Even though the Romans copied the Greeks, they improved and made it their own. Impeccable writers lived during the ancient Rome time, such as Plautus and Horace (Jenkyns).
Genres, like comedy and tragedy were produced in ancient Rome period. Plays were also produced. Many writers that we learn about now, like William Shakespeare and Robert Graves have been influenced by the Romans. It is important that we are aware and educated of how and who originated materials that are a part of our everyday life. The legacy of the ancient Egyptians and Romans will be forever known.
The literature of Ancient Egypt is the result of a four thousand year period. Hieroglyphic, demotic and hieratic are the three types of writing it was written in. The characters first consisted of pictures of objects, and ...
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...reatly affected today’s literature. Many things in today’s world can be traced to ancient Egypt and Rome origins. They left long lasting affects on modern society. We would not have the same literature that we have if it was not from the Egyptians and Romans.
Works Cited:
1. Budge, E. A. Wallis. The literature of the ancient Egyptians,. London: J.M. Dent & Sons, 1914. Print.
2. Jenkyns, Richard. Works Cited: "Latin literature." Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 3 Sep. 2013. .
3. Roehrig, Catharine. "Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History." Egypt in the Old Kingdom. N.p., n.d. Web. 6 Sep. 2013. .
Samozain. "Ancient Egypt." Ancient Egypt RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 Aug. 2013.
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Hawass,Zahi. Egyptology at the Dawn of the Twentity-first Century. Cairo: The American University in Cairo Press, 2000.
Johnson, Paul The Civilization of Ancient Egypt (New York: Harper Collins Publishers 1978,1998 and 1999)
Arguably one of the most important discoveries made regarding the historical and cultural study of ancient Egypt is the translation of the writing form known as hieroglyphics. This language, lost for thousands of years, formed a tantalizing challenge to a young Jean François who committed his life to its translation. Scholars such as Sylvestre de Sacy had attempted to translate the Rosetta Stone before Champollion, but after painstaking and unfruitful work, they abandoned it (Giblin 32). Champollion’s breakthrough with hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone opened up new possibilities to study and understand ancient Egypt like never before, and modern Egyptology was born.
Springer, Ilene. "The Cat in Ancient Egypt." Tour Egypt. Tour Egypt, 2010. Web. 20 Feb
Gore, R., 2001. PHARAOHS OF THE SUN: History Reference Center. [online] Web.b.ebscohost.com. Available at: [Accessed 17 Apr. 2014].
The need for writing in Uruk was drastically different than that of the Egyptians, however. As evidenced at the archaeological site of Hierakonpolis, the Egyptian sy...
Scott, N. The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians. The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, New Series, Vol. 31, No. 3, The Daily Life of the Ancient Egyptians (Spring, 1973), pp. 123-170
Hause, S., & Maltby, W. (2001). The Ancient Near East: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Phoenicia and Israel. Essentials of Western Civilization (pp.7-15). California: Wadsworth.
Bart, A 2007, ‘Amenhotep III (Ca 1388 - 1348 BC)’, http://euler.slu.edu/~bart/egyptianhtml/kings%20and%20Queens/amenhotepiii.htm, viewed 5th May, 2014,
Literature has had a major impact on society, and, also our history. Literature has reformed and shaped civilizations, changed political systems, and has exposed injustices (3). Our literature has changed and developed as we have, keeping up with our society. “...literature is crucial for the advancement of society (3).” With literary works, we can convince others to view things a certain way, share our opinions, and more. Literature is greatly intertwined with our society and everyday lives, and they would not be the same without it. Literature plays an irreplaceable role in our
By far, Rome’s has been more creative and innovative than Greece, who pales in comparison. People of Rome brought
Each Roman province and city was governed in the same way. The Romans were proud of their unique ability to rule, but they acknowledged Greek leadership in the fields of art, architecture, literature, and philosophy. By the second century B.C., Romans had conquered Greece and had come to greatly admire Greek culture. Educated Romans learned the Greek language. As Horace, a Roman poet, said, “Greece, once overcome, overcame her wild conqueror.” The mixing of elements of Greek, Hellenistic, and Roman culture produced a new culture, called Greco-Roman culture. This is also often called classical civilization. Roman artists, philosophers, and writers did not merely copy their Greek and Hellenistic models. They adapted them for their own purposes and created a style of their own. Roman art and literature came to convey the Roman ideals of strength, permanence, and
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