Egyptian Hieroglyphics and the Rosetta Stone

Egyptian hieroglyphics developed by the late fourth millennium BCE. One of the earliest surviving examples is the Narmer Palette, dated to about 3100 BCE. Hieroglyphic signs could represent words or syllables, and their direction and position could also contribute to meaning. Egyptians wrote hieroglyphs on materials including stone and papyrus. The Rosetta Stone, discovered in 1799, was especially important because it contained the same inscription in Greek, hieratic, and hieroglyphic writing, allowing scholars to work toward deciphering Egyptian hieroglyphics.