Hieratic - An Ancient Egyptian Cursive Script

Hieratic was the most widely used script in ancient Egypt, but is today relatively unknown outside Egyptology. Generally written with ink and a brush, it was the script of choice for most genres of text, in contrast to hieroglyphs which was effectively a monumental script. The surviving papyri, ostraca and writing boards attest to the central role of hieratic in Egyptian written culture, and suggest that the majority of literate people were first (and not infrequently only) trained in the cursive script. This Element traces the long history of hieratic from its decipherment in the nineteenth century back to its origins around 2500 BC, and explores its development over time, the different factors influencing its appearance, and the way it was taught and used.

List of contents

1. Decipherment and history of hieratic studies; 2. The diachronic development of the script; 3. Factors governing the visual appearance of hieratic; 4. Uses; 5. Scribal training in hieratic; 6. Modern research tools; 7. Publication practices; 8. Future perspectives.

Product details

• Authors: Fredrik (University of Copenhagen) Hagen, Hagen Fredrik
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press ELT
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.08.2025
• EAN: 9781009673617
• ISBN: 978-1-0-0967361-7
• No. of pages: 118
• Series: Elements in Writing in the Ancient World
• Subjects: Fiction > Narrative literature; Humanities, art, music > History > Pre and early history; Social sciences, law, business > Social sciences (general); SOCIAL SCIENCE / Archaeology, Classical texts, Archaeology, Ancient History, Ancient history: to c 500 CE, Egyptian, Ancient Egypt, BCE to c 500 CE, Ancient, classical and medieval texts, c 2686 to c 323 BCE (Ancient Egyptian period)