Student Article

Hieroglyphs, the iconic script of ancient Egypt, served as one of the longest-lasting writing systems in human history. Developed around 3150BC, perhaps inspired by early Mesopotamian writing, they were uniquely Egyptian in structure and purpose. They first appeared on bone labels in royal tombs and were still in use until AD394, when the last known inscription was carved at the Temple of Philae.

The power of reading and writing

Literacy in ancient Egypt was rare, with perhaps only 5-10% of the population able to read. Those who mastered hieroglyphs often became scribes, entering elite government positions. Throughout Egyptian history, the script evolved, expanding from around 200 commonly used signs to over 700 by the Ptolemaic period. Hieroglyphs were highly visual and could be written left to right, right to left, or top to bottom, always oriented by the direction the characters faced.

Different types of writing in ancient Egypt

While monumental hieroglyphs were used for formal stone inscriptions, two simplified versions developed: hieratic (a flowing script used in ink on papyrus) and demotic (a quick, shorthand form for business and literature). The system included three types of signs: phonetic (representing sounds), logograms (representing whole words), and determinatives (giving meaning to a word).

Other cultures with picture-based writing

Though "hieroglyphic," scripts existed in other ancient cultures — like the Mayans in Central America and the Hittites in Anatolia — Egyptian hieroglyphs were independently developed. An example of hieroglyphic poetry is found in the “Great Hymn to the Orb” written by Akhenaten around 1350BC. In one passage, fish leap in the river “for your face,” a poetic tribute to the Sun god. Another section describes the god’s rays shining “inside the interior of the great-green” a term for the sea. These verses demonstrate the spiritual beauty and symbolic depth of Egyptian writing.

© Toby Wilkinson / www.historyextra.com