Hieroglyphics

This passage discusses the way of writing used by the Ancient Egyptians called hieroglyphics.

Lexile Level: 710L

Categories: History Science & Technology

Hieroglyphics is a kind of writing. It uses pictures instead of words. The hieroglyphics most known about are from Ancient Egypt. Other ancient cultures had their own hieroglyphics too. The hieroglyphics of Ancient Egypt have been studied the most. Egyptians used hieroglyphics a long time ago. Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics were used as far back as 3110 B.C. In Egyptian hieroglyphics, a single picture could represent an object, or it could stand for more. A drawing of a man would just mean "man," but a picture of a man carrying something would mean "carrying." There were 604 basic symbols. The symbols would be combined to create sentences. Generally, hieroglyphics were written from right to left. For a long time people could not figure out their meaning. In 1821, a Frenchman named Jean-Francois Champollion figured out the basics of hieroglyphics and began translating them.