Hieroglyph

For other uses, see Hieroglyph (disambiguation).

Egyptian hieroglyphs typical of the Graeco-Roman period, sculpted in Relief.
Glyphs: viper, owl, 'bread bun', folded cloth

A hieroglyph (Greek for "sacred writing") is a character of the ancient Egyptian writing system. Logographic scripts that are pictographic in form in a way reminiscent of ancient Egyptian are also sometimes called "hieroglyphs". In Neoplatonism, especially during the Renaissance, a "hieroglyph" was an artistic representation of an esoteric idea, which Neoplatonists believed actual Egyptian hieroglyphs to be. The word hieroglyphics (τὰ ἱερογλυφικά [γράμματα]) may refer to a hieroglyphic script.

List of hieroglyphic scripts

The following scripts have been called "hieroglyphs".

• Anatolian hieroglyphs
• Aztec hieroglyphs
• Cretan hieroglyphs
• Egyptian hieroglyphs
• Mayan hieroglyphs
• Mi'kmaq hieroglyphs
• Ojibwe hieroglyphs
• Olmec hieroglyphs
• Chukchi's hieroglyphs - see Tenevil

See also

• List of languages by writing system
• Mother Goose in Hieroglyphics