So what is the meaning of these pictures?
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$\begingroup$ rebus tag? $\endgroup$– Rand al'ThorNov 11, 2021 at 17:39
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$\begingroup$ No, no rebus tag $\endgroup$– sarsaparillaNov 11, 2021 at 18:16
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1 Answer
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These pictures say:
Pictionary avant la lettre
How so?
Each of the pictures represents a letter of the Phoenician or Proto-Sinaitic alphabet. These early alphabets are derived from hieroglyphs and represent letters by everyday things. (Perhaps you have seen images that show how the shape the Greek letter alpha and our Latin latter A derive from the horned head of an ox turnd on its side.)
In particular, the letters are:
P pit corner I yad hand C gaml throwing stick T taw mark I yad hand O ayn eye N nahas snake A alp ox R ras head Y waw fowl A alp ox V waw fowl A alp ox N nahas snake T taw mark L lamd goad A alp ox L lamd goad E haw praise T taw mark T taw mark R ras head E haw praise
What does it mean?
In a way, it could just mean what the title says: Pictures trump letters. But avant la lettre can also refer to a term applied to something before the term was coined. The early alphabets were Pictionary avant la lettre.
