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A long time ago in ancient Egypt, people did not use letters like we do today. Instead, they

wrote with pictures. These pictures are called hieroglyphics. The word hieroglyphics means sacred writing in Greek.

To the ancient Egyptians' writing was very special. they believed it was a gift from the gods.

Hieroglyphics were made up of hundreds of different symbols.

Some looked like birds, some looked like eyes, hands, or animals.

Each symbol had a meaning. Some stood for sounds like letters.

Others stood for whole words or ideas.

For example, a picture of the sun could mean the word sun or the idea of day.

Writing with hieroglyphics took a lot of skill. It was like drawing and writing at the same time.

Only a few people in ancient Egypt knew how to read and write hieroglyphics.

These people were called scribes. Scribes went to special schools where they studied for many years.

They practiced writing every day. They used tools made from reeds and wrote on a material called papyrus.

Papyrus was made from plants that grew along the Nile River. It looked like paper, but it was rougher and made by hand.

Scribes had very important jobs.

They wrote laws, kept track of food and goods, and helped the Pharaoh, Egypt's king, run the

country.

They also wrote prayers, poems, and stories.

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