They served as an essential piece of the continuity of Egyptian politics and culture for thousands of years. Scribes recorded everything from tax records, to mercantile transactions, to the sacred prayers for the dead on the walls of the tombs of kings and nobles.
It took years of training to become literate in hieroglyphics, training that was only afforded to the scribes. There were several different forms of hieroglyphics, including two distinct alphabets during the period covered in this chapter, all of which were very difficult to master. The writing of ancient Egypt was in hieroglyphics, which are symbols that were adapted over time from pictures. \): An example of hieroglyphics - the above depicts the sacred style used in temple and tomb carvings, as opposed to the “cursive” form used for everyday record keeping.