The Evolution of the

Egyptian Language

Hieratic

Hieratic

3rd millennium BCE to 3rd c. CE

Hieratic received its name from the Greek hieratikos (priestly) at a time during the late period when the script was only used for sacred texts. The hieratic script adapted the essentials of hieroglyphic signs but was intended for more rapid writing with ink on surfaces such as pottery and papyrus. The structure of the hieratic script corresponds with that of hieroglyphic writing, and is written from right to left.

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  • Hieratic

    Khay

    Khay was an Egyptian nobleman who served as Vizier in the latter part of the reign of Ramesses II, during the 19th Dynasty. He was fluent in the Hieratic script, and it was his job as scribe to report all Egyptian affairs under Ramesses II’s rule. He was responsible for royal announcements and decrees, a very important position.

  • Hieratic

    Daily Matters

    Hieratic gradually came to be used for daily matters—letters, legal documents, administrative texts, and was a more traditionally Egyptian language compared to later dialects that contained a fusion of Greek letters and words.