Guide to the Writings of Ancient Egypt

Many scripts were used in ancient Egypt. If the hieroglyphs quite obviously take the lion’s share, it is all the richness of the different writings that were used on the land of the pharaohs that is exposed here.

What do we know about the writings of ancient Egypt, two hundred years after Jean-François Champollion deciphered hieroglyphs? This Guide answers the question in an easily accessible format, presenting the current state of knowledge on the different scripts that were used in the Land of Pharaohs. The reader will find more than fifty articles written by specialists, presenting the diversity of scripts in time and space, explaining the main principles of their functioning, and describing the main contexts in which they were used.

The guide begins by offering an overview of the scripts of Egypt, from the appearance of hieroglyphs up to the introduction of Arabic writing. It then explores the multiple aspects of hieroglyphic writing: the number of glyphs and their classification, the relationship between written glyphs and figurative representations, the organization in space and the materiality of hieroglyphs, the relationship of hieroglyphic writing to spoken language, as well as the play on symbols and other so-called enigmatic uses. Finally, the guide focuses on the main uses of writing in ancient Egypt. Learning how to write, the use of movable and monumental material, inscriptions on objects and graffiti, the destruction of writing and systems of symbols are all practices that are considered. The use of writing for specific purposes—such as administrative, funerary or magical—or in specific socio-historical contexts is also adressed.

From the first manifestations of writing, around 3150 BC, until the arrival of Arabic writing, many scripts were used in ancient Egypt. The purpose of this guide is to explain the main principles of use, to present the diversity of their manifestations in time and space, and to describe the main contexts of utilization. If the hieroglyphs quite obviously take the lion’s share, it is all the richness of the different writings that were used on the land of the pharaohs that is exposed here.