Question

_________ were so important to the early Egyptians that one of the first pieces of recovered writing comes from a tomb, from about 3100 BCE. As in Mesopotamia, Egyptian writing developed from the need for _______. Like the Mesopotamians, Egyptian writing began with simple pictographs that evolved into several thousand symbols and sounds.

a) Religious symbols, agricultural record-keeping
b) Hieroglyphs, communication
c) Artistic symbols, trade documentation
d) Numeric symbols, scientific advancements

Answer 1

Hieroglyphs were so important to the early Egyptians that they used them for communication, ranging from sacred to commercial purposes, and ensured cultural continuity.

Step-by-step explanation:

The correct answer to the student's question is 'b) Hieroglyphs, communication'. Egyptian writing developed out of practical needs for record-keeping and evolved over time. The term 'hieroglyphs' signifies this ancient writing system which started as pictographs and transformed into a more complex system comprising thousands of symbols that depicted both sounds and ideas. Initially, these were used for communication purposes ranging from sacred inscriptions in tombs to mundane commercial transactions, ensuring continuity across generations in terms of culture and administration.