Hieroglyphic writing | Definition, Meaning, System, Symbols, & Facts

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data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hieroglyphic-writing">hieroglyphic writing</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref53613"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing#ref53613">Development of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53614"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing#ref53614">Invention and uses of hieroglyphic writing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53615"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Relationship-of-writing-and-art">Relationship of writing and art</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53616"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Relationship-of-writing-and-art#ref53616">Media for hieroglyphic writing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53617"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Relationship-of-writing-and-art#ref53617">Writing and religion</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53618"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Relationship-of-writing-and-art#ref53618">Literacy and knowledge of hieroglyphic writing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53619"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Christianity-and-the-Greek-alphabet">Christianity and the Greek alphabet</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref53620"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Christianity-and-the-Greek-alphabet#ref53620">Characteristics of hieroglyphic writing</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53623"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Christianity-and-the-Greek-alphabet#ref53623">Number of symbols</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53624"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Christianity-and-the-Greek-alphabet#ref53624">Direction of writing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53626"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Cryptographic-hieroglyphic-writing">Cryptographic hieroglyphic writing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53627"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Cryptographic-hieroglyphic-writing#ref53627">The later development of hieroglyphic writing</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53629"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Cryptographic-hieroglyphic-writing#ref53629">Tools</a></li></ul></div></li><li data-target="#ref53630"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Hieratic-script">Hieratic script</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref53631"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Hieratic-script#ref53631">Demotic script</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref53632"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Hieratic-script#ref53632">Decipherment of hieroglyphic writing</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53633"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Hieratic-script#ref53633">Kircher’s attempts at decipherment</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53634"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Discovery-of-the-Rosetta-Stone">Discovery of the Rosetta Stone</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref53635"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/Discovery-of-the-Rosetta-Stone#ref53635">Champollion’s decipherment</a></li></ul></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/hieroglyphic-writing">Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/images-videos">Images & Videos</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/153418-050-2975B7F2/Hieroglyphics-temple-wall-Karnak-Egypt.jpg" data-href="/media/1/265021/162627" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/18/153418-004-D84DE409/Hieroglyphics-temple-wall-Karnak-Egypt.jpg" alt="hieroglyphics" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/124388-050-EFAFCE59/Hieroglyphs-temple-Ombos-Egypt.jpg" data-href="/media/1/265021/119992" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/88/124388-159-74436A38/Hieroglyphs-temple-Ombos-Egypt.jpg" alt="hieroglyphs" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/118531-004-DDAE13EF/Ostracon-inscription-dynasty-Ptolemaic-30-bce.jpg" data-href="/media/1/265021/113948" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/31/118531-004-DDAE13EF/Ostracon-inscription-dynasty-Ptolemaic-30-bce.jpg" alt="Ptolemaic ostracon with demotic inscription" height="50" /> </a> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/64/196764-050-D111C359/Athanasius-Kircher-polymath-Jesuit-German.jpg" data-href="/media/1/265021/227428" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" 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Author of <em>An Outline of Middle Egyptian Grammar </em>and others.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Hellmut Brunner</span>, <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Peter-F-Dorman/4675" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Peter F. Dorman</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black">Peter Dorman received his PhD. from the University of Chicago in 1985 and served as the president of the American University of Beirut from 2005 to 2015. He has received numerous research grants and is...</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Peter F. 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They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hieroglyphic-writing/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/James-Henry-Breasted" topicid="78551">James Henry Breasted</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Jean-Francois-Champollion" topicid="105225">Jean-François Champollion</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/hieroglyph" topicid="265009">hieroglyph</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Mayan-hieroglyphic-writing" topicid="370875">Mayan hieroglyphic writing</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/demotic-script" topicid="157464">demotic script</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/hieratic-script" topicid="264996">hieratic script</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Hittite-hieroglyphic-writing" topicid="268168">Hittite hieroglyphic writing</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/hieroglyphic-writing"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref512603"></span>hieroglyphic writing</strong>, system that employs characters in the form of pictures. Those individual <span id="ref512635"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/sign-communications" class="md-crosslink ">signs</a>, called <span id="ref524585"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hieroglyph" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">hieroglyphs</a>, may be read either as pictures, as symbols for objects, or as symbols for <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/phoneme" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">sounds</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The name <em>hieroglyphic</em> (from the Greek word for “sacred carving”) is first <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="encountered" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/encountered" data-type="EB">encountered</a> in the writings of <span id="ref512604"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Diodorus-Siculus" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Diodorus Siculus</a> (1st century <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>). Earlier, other Greeks had spoken of sacred signs when referring to <span id="ref512605"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Egyptian-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Egyptian</a> writing. Among the Egyptian scripts, the Greeks labeled as hieroglyphic the script that they found on temple walls and public monuments, in which the characters were pictures sculpted in stone. The Greeks distinguished this script from two other forms of Egyptian writing that were written with ink on papyrus or on other smooth surfaces. These were known as the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/hieratic-script" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">hieratic</a>, which was still employed during the time of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/ancient-Greece" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">ancient Greeks</a> for religious texts, and the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/demotic-script" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">demotic</a>, the cursive script used for ordinary documents.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Hieroglyphic, in the strict meaning of the word, <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="designates" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/designates" data-type="EB">designates</a> only the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/writing" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">writing</a> on<span id="ref524587"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Egyptian-art" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true"> Egyptian monuments</a>. The word has, however, been applied since the late 19th century to the writing of other peoples, insofar as it consists of picture signs used as writing characters. For example, the name <em>hieroglyphics</em> is always used to designate the monumental inscriptions of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indus-civilization" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indus civilization</a> and of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hittite" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Hittites</a>, who also possessed other scripts, in addition to the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Mayan-hieroglyphic-writing" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Mayan</a>, the Incan, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Easter-Island" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Easter Island</a> writing forms and also the signs on the Phaistos Disk on Crete. </p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Because of their pictorial form, hieroglyphs were difficult to write and were used only for monument inscriptions. They were usually supplemented in the writing of a people by other, more convenient scripts. Among living writing systems, hieroglyphic scripts are no longer used.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">This article is concerned only with Egyptian hieroglyphic writing.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/pop-quiz-18-things-to-know-about-ancient-egypt" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/57/122157-050-21261E20/Side-view-Sphinx-Great-Pyramid-of-Khufu.jpg" alt="Al-Jizah. Giza Necropolis, Giza Plateau, Cairo, Egypt. Side view of Sphinx with the Great Pyramid of Khufu (Cheops) rising in the background. The sides of all three of the Giza pyramids are astronomically oriented to be north-south, east-west (see notes)" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Pop Quiz: 18 Things to Know About Ancient Egypt</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref53613"> <h2 class="h1">Development of Egyptian hieroglyphic writing</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The most ancient hieroglyphs date from the end of the 4th millennium <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span> and <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="comprise" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/comprise" data-type="MW">comprise</a> <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="annotations" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annotations" data-type="MW">annotations</a> incised onto pottery jars and ivory plaques deposited in tombs, presumably for the purpose of identification of the dead. Although by no means can all of these earliest signs be read today, it is nonetheless probable that these forms are based on the same system as the later classical hieroglyphs. In individual cases, it can be said with certainty that it is not the copied object that is designated but rather another word phonetically similar to it. This circumstance means that hieroglyphs were from the very beginning phonetic symbols. An earlier stage consisting exclusively of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/pictography" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">picture writing</a> using actual illustrations of the intended words cannot be shown to have existed in Egypt; indeed, such a stage can with great probability be ruled out. No development from pictures to letters took place; hieroglyphic writing was never solely a system of picture writing. It can also be said with certainty that the jar marks (signs on the bottom of clay vessels) that occur at roughly the same period do not represent a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="primitive" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/primitive" data-type="EB">primitive</a> form of the script. Rather, these designs developed in parallel fashion to hieroglyphic writing and were influenced by it.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">It is not possible to prove the connection of hieroglyphs to the <span id="ref512609"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/cuneiform" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cuneiform</a> characters used by the Sumerians in southern Mesopotamia. Such a relationship is improbable because the two scripts are based on entirely different systems. What is conceivable is a general tendency toward words being fixed by the use of signs, without transmission of particular systems.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <section data-level="2" id="ref53614"> <h2 class="h2">Invention and uses of hieroglyphic writing</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The need to identify a pictorial representation with a royal individual or a specific, unique event, such as a hunt or a particular battle, led to the application of hieroglyphic writing to a monumental <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="context" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/context" data-type="MW">context</a>. Hieroglyphs added to a scene signified that this illustration represented a particular war rather than an unspecified one or war in general; the writing reflected a new attitude toward time and a view of history as unique events in time. Beginning in the 1st <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynasty" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasty" data-type="MW">dynasty</a> (c. 2925–c. 2775 <span class="text-smallcaps">bce</span>), images of nonroyal persons were also <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="annotated" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annotated" data-type="MW">annotated</a> with their names or titles, a further step toward expressing individuality and uniqueness. The so-called annalistic ivory tablets of the first two <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynasties" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasties" data-type="MW">dynasties</a> were pictorial representations of the events of a year with specifically designated personal names, places, and incidents. For example, accompanying a scene of the pharaoh’s triumph over his enemies is the <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="annotation" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/annotation" data-type="MW">annotation</a> “the first occasion of the defeat of the Libyans.” Simultaneously, the writing of the Egyptians began to appear unaccompanied by pictorial representations, especially on <span id="ref512612"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/cylinder-seal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cylinder seals</a>. These roller-shaped incised stones were rolled over the moist clay of jar stoppers. Their inscription prevented the sealed jar from being covertly opened and at the same time described its contents and designated the official responsible for it. In the case of wine, its origin from a specific vineyard and often also the destination of the shipment were designated, and, as a rule, so was the name of the reigning king.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">From the stone inscriptions of the 1st dynasty, only individual names are known, these being mainly the names of kings. In the 2nd dynasty, titles and names of offerings appear, and, at the end of this dynasty, sentences occur for the first time. The discovery of a blank <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/papyrus-writing-material" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">papyrus</a> scroll in the grave of a high official, however, shows that longer texts could have been written much earlier—i.e., since the early part of the 1st <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="dynasty" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/dynasty" data-type="EB">dynasty</a>.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> </section> </section><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":6,"pageId":265021,"pageLength":888,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"B","adLeg":"B","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Hieroglyphic writing | Definition, Meaning, System, Symbols, & Facts | Britannica