History quiz

What is hieratic script?

Hieratic script is a cursive form of ancient Egyptian writing that was used from around the Old Kingdom period (c. 2600–2200 BC) until the late period (c. 300 BC). It developed from hieroglyphic writing, which was used for monumental inscriptions, and was used for a variety of purposes, including religious texts, literary works, and administrative documents. Hieratic script was written with a brush or reed pen on papyrus or leather.

Hieratic script is characterized by its simplified forms and its use of ligatures, which are combinations of two or more characters that are written as a single unit. This made it a faster and more efficient script to write than hieroglyphic script. However, it was also more difficult to read, and so it was not used for texts that were intended to be read by a wide audience.

Hieratic script was replaced by demotic script, another cursive form of Egyptian writing, in the late period. However, it continued to be used for some religious texts until the end of the Egyptian civilization.

Hieratic script has been deciphered by modern scholars, and it has provided a valuable source of information about ancient Egyptian history, culture, and religion.