The Secret Code of Ancient Egypt: A Story from 1900 BCE

Let’s go back in time—way, way back—to a place called Ancient Egypt, around 1900 BCE. Imagine a world without phones, computers, or even paper. People lived in big kingdoms ruled by powerful kings called pharaohs. Life was simple but full of secrets, and people had to find clever ways to keep their messages safe. This is where our story begins.

How Did People Talk to Each Other Back Then?

In those days, if someone wanted to send a message, they couldn’t just pick up a phone or send a text. Instead, they wrote their message on clay tablets or papyrus (a kind of early paper made from plants). Then, they sent it with a messenger—a person who would walk, ride a horse, or sail a boat to deliver the message.

But here’s the problem: anyone could stop the messenger along the way and read the message. What if the message was important, like a secret plan from the king? Or what if it was about money or war? If the wrong person read it, bad things could happen!

So, how did people solve this problem? They came up with a very smart idea—they created secret codes.

The Clever Trick of the Egyptians

Now, let’s zoom into the palace of a pharaoh. Inside, there were scribes—people whose job was to write things down. These scribes didn’t just write plainly; they used special symbols called hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphs were like pictures of animals, people, and objects. For example, a picture of a bird might mean “fly,” and a picture of water might mean “river.”

But here’s the twist: sometimes, the scribes changed these symbols to make them look different. Instead of using the normal hieroglyphs everyone knew, they used strange versions that only a few trusted people could understand.

For example:

• A picture of a lion might mean “strong.”
• A picture of a rising sun might mean “east.”
• A picture of a running man might mean “fast.”

If you didn’t know the code, these pictures would look like nonsense. But if you did know the code, you could figure out the hidden meaning.

Why Did They Use Secret Codes?

You might be wondering, “Why did they go through all this trouble?” Well, there were three main reasons:

1. To Keep Religion Sacred

   • In Ancient Egypt, religion was very important. The priests (religious leaders) didn’t want just anyone reading their holy texts or understanding their rituals. So, they used secret codes to keep their religious knowledge safe.

2. To Protect the King’s Orders

   • The pharaoh was like the boss of the whole kingdom. He gave orders to his soldiers, governors, and workers. If someone else read these orders, they could cause trouble. By using secret codes, the pharaoh made sure only the right people understood his commands.

3. To Safeguard Trade Secrets

   • Egypt was famous for its gold, spices, and other valuable goods. Merchants traded these items with other countries. To avoid being cheated or robbed, they used secret codes to hide their plans and agreements.

A Real-Life Example: Sending a Secret Message

Let’s imagine a real-life situation to make this clearer.

One day, the pharaoh decided to send his army to protect the kingdom’s borders. He told his scribe, “Write this message: ‘Send help to the east quickly.’” But instead of writing it plainly, the scribe used secret symbols:

• “Help” became a picture of a lion (because lions are strong).
• “East” became a picture of a rising sun (because the sun rises in the east).
• “Quickly” became a picture of a running man (because running is fast).

When the messenger delivered the tablet to the army commander, only someone who knew the code could understand the message. To everyone else, it looked like random pictures of animals and objects.

What Can We Learn From This Story?

This ancient trick of using secret symbols was the beginning of something we now call cryptography. Cryptography is just a fancy word for “keeping secrets.” Even though the Egyptians didn’t have computers or modern tools, they understood that some information needs to be protected.

Their method may seem simple today, but it was revolutionary back then. It taught us an important lesson: when something is valuable, we need to find ways to keep it safe.

Conclusion

The story of cryptography starts in Ancient Egypt, where clever scribes used secret symbols to protect their messages. From protecting the pharaoh’s orders to keeping trade secrets safe, these early codes laid the foundation for the advanced systems we use today.

Key Takeaways

• Around 1900 BCE, Ancient Egyptians used secret symbols to hide messages.
• These symbols were like a code that only trusted people could understand.
• They did this to protect religion, royal orders, and trade secrets.
• This was the first step toward modern cryptography.