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Hieroglyphs or hieroglyphics can be
Etymology The word hieroglyph derives from the Greek words (hierós 'sacred') and γλύφειν (glúphein 'to carve' or 'to write', see glyph), and was first used to describe Egyptian hieroglyphs. The Greeks who came to Egypt prior to and during the Ptolemaic Period (305 BC - 30 BC) observed that while demotic script was employed for secular documents, pictorial characters were frequently found in religious contexts - carved on temple walls and funerary structures, as well as on official monuments. The word "hieroglyphics" is derived from the fact that the Greeks called Egyptian hieroglyphs 'hieroglyphic letters'; however, they sometimes simply dropped the "letters" part, calling them 'the hieroglyphics' ('letters' being understood). While the adjective "hieroglyphics" is still used today by some as a noun and can add a humorous and informal tone (such as in the above example, in relation to remarks about the unreadability of a person's handwriting) this practice is technically incorrect. | ||||||||
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