hieroglyphics
Pictorial writing system
Hieroglyphics are the pictorial writing system of ancient Egypt, where images of birds, eyes, hands, and other objects represent sounds or meanings.
The term extends to any writing that seems indecipherable: I can't read his hieroglyphics.
The singular hieroglyph refers to an individual character.
The tomb walls were covered in hieroglyphics.
Professional document copiers
- glyphsCarved symbolic figures
- pictogramSymbol using visual likeness
- logogramSymbol representing entire word
- ideogramSymbol representing concept directly
determinative · phonogram · cartouche · inscription · decipherment · transliteration · cuneiform · Rosetta Stone
Ancient plant-derived writing material
- RosettaTrilingual Egyptian artifact
- pharaohsAncient Egypt's supreme rulers
- pyramidsApex-topped geometric solids
- SphinxMythic creature posing puzzles
Nile · Anubis · Osiris · Isis · Horus · Tutankhamun · Ramses · Cleopatra
Cut to create form
- engravedCut into surface
- paintedCoated with pigment
- bas-reliefSculpture projecting slightly
- muralsLarge wall paintings
frescoes · ornamentation · decorative · stylized · colorful · tomb paintings · temple walls · columns
Worthy of reverence
- mysticalOf hidden spiritual significance
- esotericAccessible to few
- iconographyAnalysis of artistic symbols
- semioticsStudy of signs, symbols
representation · pictograph · ideograph · metaphor · allegory · signifier · connotation · figurative
Sculpted decorative shapes
- engravingsIncised designs on surfaces
- etchingsPrints from incised plates
- stelesUpright inscribed stone slabs
- tabletsFlat portable computing devices
monuments · obelisks · commemorative · funerary · royal decrees · dedications · spells · prayers
scribes
Professional document copiers
- glyphsCarved symbolic figures
- pictogramSymbol using visual likeness
- logogramSymbol representing entire word
ideogram · determinative · phonogram · cartouche · inscription · decipherment · transliteration · cuneiform · Rosetta Stone · epigraphy
papyrus
Ancient plant-derived writing material
- RosettaTrilingual Egyptian artifact
- pharaohsAncient Egypt's supreme rulers
- pyramidsApex-topped geometric solids
Sphinx · Nile · Anubis · Osiris · Isis · Horus · Tutankhamun · Ramses · Cleopatra · mummification
carved
Cut to create form
- engravedCut into surface
- paintedCoated with pigment
- bas-reliefSculpture projecting slightly
murals · frescoes · ornamentation · decorative · stylized · colorful · tomb paintings · temple walls · columns · stonework
sacred
Worthy of reverence
- mysticalOf hidden spiritual significance
- esotericAccessible to few
- iconographyAnalysis of artistic symbols
semiotics · representation · pictograph · ideograph · metaphor · allegory · signifier · connotation · figurative · ritual
carvings
Sculpted decorative shapes
- engravingsIncised designs on surfaces
- etchingsPrints from incised plates
- stelesUpright inscribed stone slabs
tablets · monuments · obelisks · commemorative · funerary · royal decrees · dedications · spells · prayers · epitaphs
- Egyptian Antiquitiesmummies, sarcophagi, sarcophagus, canopic jars, scarabs
- ancient scriptsglyphs, cuneiform, Phoenician, Phoenician alphabet, Sumerian
- Ancient ThebesThebes, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Queens, West Bank, Karnak
- Egyptiansphinx, pyramid, obelisk, scarab, ankh
- Egyptian textsBook of the Dead, royal decrees, inscriptions, stelae, annals
- hieroglyphicsglyph, glyphs, cartouche, determinative, ideogram
hieroglyphicsalphabet
Language's letter system
Roman alphabet · Latin script · ABC · letters · phonetic alphabet
hieroglyphicsplain text
Unencoded readable characters
plain English · clear writing · simple language · everyday language · vernacular
hieroglyphicscontemporary writing
Recently produced text
digital text · SMS · emoji · word processing
- hieroglyphic writingAncient Egyptian picture script
- Egyptian hieroglyphicsAncient pictorial script