Hieroglyphics were used by the Ancient Egyptians for almost 3,500 years, but hieroglyphics took a lot of time and effort to make and were very hard to learn. Only royalty, scribes, priests, and government officials could use hieroglyphics.

Single hieroglyphics symbols were called glyphs. The Ancient Egyptian writing system had from 700 to 800 glyphs.

In the early years of hieroglyphics, hieratics were invented. Hieratics were a simplified version of hieroglyphics. In fact, hieratics were simple hieroglyphic symbols written in cursive.

In the 7^th century BC the Ancient Egyptians started to use demotics. This was an even simpler version of hieratics. Soon, no one used hieroglyphics. By the 1^st century AD no one could even read hieroglyphics.

In 1798, in a place called Rosetta near the Ancient Egyptian city of Alexandria, Napoleon’s army found a broken piece of rock with three different types of writing on it. Soon scientists traveling with Napoleon discovered there was a message written on the stone.  The top of the three pieces of writing was Greek, and the writing thanked Ptolemy V for items given for the Egyptian temples. The middle piece was written in demotic, and the top piece was written in hieroglyphics.  More importantly, all three pieces said the same thing. This stone is known today as the Rosetta Stone, and it allowed scientists to read hieroglyphics.

Have you ever wondered what the Ancient Egyptians wrote on? Or maybe where the idea for paper came from? Paper came from the Ancient Egyptian’s papyrus paper, the world’s first paper.