Extracted from: Visible religion (Leiden) 4 (5) 1985-1986, pages 63-72. The ancient Egyptian writing system is at once pictorial, phonetic and symbolic. The number of hieroglyphic symbols are thought ...

The elegant pictorial writing system of the ancient Egyptians—known as hieroglyphics—has fascinated generations of archeologists. Its precise origins are uncertain. One ancient Egyptian legend holds ...

Archaeologists from Yale and the Royal Museums of Art and History in Belgium have discovered an ancient Egyptian "billboard" that might turn back the clock on when the hieroglyphic writing system was ...

The earliest known Egyptian hieroglyphic writings appear fully formed, either because they were developed on perishable, now-lost materials or because they were quickly "invented by an unknown genius.