What are hieroglyphs?
- Hieroglyphs are symbols that show words and sounds.
- The ancient Egyptians invented a writing system using hieroglyphs in about 3000 BC.
- They had about鈥 700鈥痙ifferent signs for objects and animals.
- The people who wrote hieroglyphs were called鈥scribes.
- They went to a special school to learn all the symbols.
The hieroglyph alphabet
- This is the closest version to our modern English alphabet.
- There were no symbols for vowels (鈥榓鈥, 鈥榚鈥, 鈥榠鈥, 鈥榦鈥 or 鈥榰鈥), so the alphabet below shows the closest sounds.
What is the Rosetta stone?
- The Rosetta stone was discovered in 1799.
- It is a three-foot high stone containing hieroglyphs, everyday ancient Egyptian language and a Greek translation.
- Egyptologists translated the Greek into modern European languages.
- Then they used those words to understand the ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
Where have we found hieroglyphs?
Hieroglyphs can be seen on tombs, pottery and walls on ancient Egyptian remains.
They tell us about beliefs, gods, clothing and everyday life.
The ancient Egyptians also used papyrus and writing boards to keep records of thing like laws.
This is different from societies living at the same time who used no writing, such as the people who built Stonehenge.
Examples of hieroglyphs
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Activities
Use the hieroglyph alphabet below to help you complete the activities.
Activity 1: Spell with hieroglyphs
Use the hieroglyph alphabet above to help you spell the word.
Activity 2: Crack the hieroglyph code
Activity 3: Write your name in hieroglyphs
Download the ancient Egyptian alphabet and try to copy them. Can you write your name in hieroglyphs?
Activity 4: Hieroglyph quiz
Activity 5: History Explorer game
Play this game to test your knowledge and learn even more facts about Ancient Egypt.
History Explorer: Secrets through time
History Explorer: Secrets through time: KS2 History
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