Hieroglyphic script was used by the inhabitants of Egypt from its introduction in about 3000 BC until its last recorded instance in AD 394. Although hieroglyphs are pictures of people, animals, birds and various objects, they are not mere picture writing. In order to be able to read and understand a text written in Egyptian hieroglyphs, it is necessary to know how each sign was read (pronounced), and to know the language, Egyptian.

This publication explains some of the rules of the hieroglyphic script and Egyptian language using illustrated examples from the Ashmolean's Egyptian collection. You can take it to the Museum and read it in front of the monuments described, but it is just as easy to use at home.