What does ancient Egyptian writing look like?

What can hieroglyphs tell us about Ancient Egypt?

A photo of a writing board by an apprentice scribe from 2030BC. — Image caption,
A writing board from 2030BC, used by an apprentice scribe for practicing hieroglyphs.

Hieroglyphs are picture symbols used by the Ancient Egyptians to show words and sounds.

They were invented around 3000BC.

There were about 700 signs.

They show us important events and stories about Pharaohs, what people did in their daily life and how they worshipped gods and goddesses.

Only scribes (a person who wrote hieroglyphs or documents) and priests (someone who worked in temples and worshipped gods) could read and write them.

Not many people in Ancient Egypt could read and write so being a scribe was a respected role.

The Rosetta Stone, found in 1799, helped people understand hieroglyphs.

It was like cracking a code, finally allowing historians to understand the language of the Ancient Egyptians.

Important words

Important words on Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Keyword	Definition
Hieroglyphs	Pictures and symbols used by Ancient Egyptians for writing.
Priest	Someone who worked in temples and worshipped gods.
Rosetta Stone	A carved stone from found near Rosetta in 1799. Its text is written in 3 languages: Greek, hieroglyphs and demotic.
Scribe	A person who wrote hieroglyphs or documents.
Tombs	Special places where people were buried after they died.
Translate	To change writing from one language into another.

What are hieroglyphs?

A photo of hieroglyphics in the tomb of Ramesses IV. — Image caption,
An example of hieroglyphs from the tomb of Pharaoh Ramesses IV.

Hieroglyphs are picture symbols used to show words and sounds.

The Ancient Egyptians invented their own writing system, using hieroglyphs, in about 3000BC.

Hieroglyphs were known as ‘the words of God’ by the Ancient Egyptians.

They had about 700 different signs for objects and animals.

Who wrote hieroglyphs?

A photo of two scribes from a relief From Mastaba Of Akhethotep At Saqqara — Image caption,
Scribes seen in artwork on the wall of the tomb of Akhethetep, an official.

The people who wrote hieroglyphs were called scribes.

Scribes and priests were the only ones in Ancient Egypt who could read and write hieroglyphs.

Many people in Ancient Egypt could not read or write.

Many children had jobs or learned a trade.

Boys from wealthy families were trained to be scribes in schools.

They went to a special school to learn all the symbols.

The hieroglyph alphabet

A photograph of a finger ring, likely belonging to Queen Tiye, from 1390–1336BC. image provided but the Met Collection. — Image caption,
Hieroglpyhs on a finger ring, likely belonging to Queen Tiye, from 1390–1336BC.

The hieroglyph alphabet is a set of picture symbols that the ancient Egyptians used to represent sounds.

This is the closest version to our modern English alphabet.

There were no symbols for vowels (‘a’, ‘e’, ‘i’, ‘o’ or ‘u’), but there are some that sound similar.

What is the Rosetta stone?

A photo of the Rosetta Stone in the British Museum — Image caption,
The Rosetta Stone in the British Museum, its discovery in 1799 was key in being able to read hieroglyphs.

The Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799 by a French soldier in Egypt.

It is over one metre tall and more than 2,000 years old.

The Rosetta Stone contained the same text written in three different languages;

hieroglyphs
demotic (the everyday Egyptian language)
Ancient Greek

People already knew how to read Ancient Greek, so they used it to translate (to change writing from one language into another) the hieroglyphs.

Egyptologists translated the Greek into modern European languages.

Then they used those words to understand the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.

The writing on the Rosetta Stone is an official message about the king, Ptolemy V.

The message says that the temple priests in a city called Memphis supported the king.

Where have we found hieroglyphs?

Hieroglyphs are often found inside tombs (special places where people were buried after they died) and pyramids.

They tell us about the Pharaohs and their journeys to the afterlife.

Temples have walls covered in hieroglyphs.

They show religious ceremonies and offerings to the gods.

A photo of the tomb of Tomb of Rameses V and VI. — Image caption,
The tomb of Rameses V (1176-1146BC) and VI (1156-1149 BC), with hieroglyphs telling their life story.

Hieroglyphs tell us about beliefs, gods, clothing and everyday life.

The Ancient Egyptians also used papyrus and writing boards to keep records of things like laws.

This is different from societies living at the same time who used no writing, such as the people who built Stonehenge.

Slideshow: Examples of hieroglyphs

Click through the slideshow to see some examples of hieroglyphs on Ancient Egyptian artefacts.

Skip image gallery

Image source, The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York
Image caption,
Stone carving of Gatekeeper Maati, ca. 2051–2030BC
In this image, an official of Pharaoh Mentuhotep II, called Maati, sits in front of an offering table. It looks like a carving related to a funeral because the table is a stand with tall leaves. Food offerings float above the table and below it is a bowl for Maati to wash himself. The hieroglyphs on the right are traditional passages carved to remember the dead.
Image source, The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York
Image caption,
Hands offering Aten writing tablets, ca. 1352–1336BC
This piece was found in the Sanctuary of the Great Aten Temple. It is made of eight fragments. One of these pieces in now in the British Museum. Aten's name is written inside the two oval shapes that you can see on the front.
Image source, The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York
Image caption,
Book of the Dead for the Singer of Amun, Nany, ca. 1050BC
This is from a piece part of a papyrus (ancient Egyptian paper) that was over 17 feet long. It shows a singer named Nany on her journey into the afterlife. The hieroglyphs are phrases from the 'Book of the Dead'. Nany is at the final stage in her journey into the afterlife. She is at the Hall of Judgement, standing in front of Osiris, the God of the Underworld.
Image source, The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York
Image caption,
Stone carving of Userhat,1327–1295BC
This stone shows a priest called Userhat. He talks about all of his good qualities and his trust in a god called Amun. Userhat is shown kneeling down with his wife, who is called Nefertari.
Image source, The Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York
Image caption,
Stone carving of the Overseer of the Fortress Intef, ca. 2000–1988BC
On the top line of this stone is the name of King Nebhepetre Mentuhotep II. The stone belongs to a man named Intef. The hieroglyphs say that Intef was the king's servant and in charge of a fortress.

Think like a historian

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Have a look at the thinking points below and think about your answer to the questions. You could even write it down on a piece of paper or discuss it with somebody else if you want to.