I have always thought that any culture 3,000 years old holds my interest. The early Egyptian form of writing, hieroglyphics, is 3,000 plus years old. That culture was the starting point for human communication using letters.

There is an interesting back story to this photo. I was at the Minneapolis Institute of Art looking for cultural ideas for this contest. I ran into this piece, (which I have seen many times before) and thought I needed a photo of it. It just happened that a Mom and daughter were standing in front of fit having an animated conversation so I had to wait to get a photo. The daughter was 10-12 years old I surmised. As I waited I could not help but overhear the daughter reading what the letters meant in this carving. As they started to leave, I ask the Mom if her daughter was actually reading the letters. Before the Mom could answer the daughter said, "Oh yes, I have gone on line and learned to read the letters for fun!" I was blown away by her answer. How many young adults have that kind of inquisitive mind! Not many!

This is an actual 3,000 year old piece of writing, not a facsimile done recently.