---
title: "Hieroglyphs and Papyrus"
description: "Know that ancient Egyptians used a special writing system called hieroglyphs, with pictures and symbols that stood for sounds and words. They wrote on papyrus, a paper-like material made from a plant "
canonical: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/hieroglyphs-and-papyrus-mt_iFkd0CTwlA
source: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/hieroglyphs-and-papyrus-mt_iFkd0CTwlA.md
retrieved: 2026-11-12
---

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# Hieroglyphs and Papyrus

Know that ancient Egyptians used a special writing system called hieroglyphs, with pictures and symbols that stood for sounds and words. They wrote on papyrus, a paper-like material made from a plant that grew along the Nile.

Subject: History · Area: Ancient Egypt · Ages 5 to 7
Page: https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/hieroglyphs-and-papyrus-mt_iFkd0CTwlA

## Ready when they can

- Describe hieroglyphs as a writing system that uses pictures and symbols
- Explain that papyrus was a material like paper made from a river plant
- Explain that scribes were trained writers and that learning Egyptian writing took practice

## Lesson: Hieroglyphs and Papyrus

Ancient Egyptians used writing signs called hieroglyphs. Many looked like people, animals or objects. Some stood for sounds or whole words. Other signs helped show what a word meant. These signs were part of a writing system.

*(drawing: These words show how plant material became a writing sheet. They are not pictures of hieroglyphs.)*

Papyrus was made from a tall plant that grew along the Nile. Workers cut the inner stem into strips. They laid strips in two layers, one across the other, then pressed and dried them into sheets. People wrote on these sheets, as we write on paper. Egyptians also wrote on stone walls.

**Example.** Mia reads a museum label: 'Hieroglyphic message on papyrus.' Hieroglyphic names the writing. Papyrus names the plant-made sheet. Marks do not become hieroglyphs just because they are on papyrus. The writing and its material are two different things.

A scribe was a trained writer. Scribes learned signs and practised reading and writing. Learning could take years. Most people in ancient Egypt did not learn to read and write. Some people who were not scribes could read or write too.

Drawing an animal does not teach you to read its sign. You must learn how the sign is used. Some hieroglyphs stood for a sound, as the letter B can. Egyptians also used other, quicker forms of writing for everyday tasks. Some papyrus sheets held writing in these other forms instead of hieroglyphs.

Scribes wrote messages and kept records, such as lists of food. A written record saved information to read later. Old writing helps us learn about the past, but many records have been lost. A surviving list tells us what was recorded, not everything people ate. A dry or crumbly sheet does not tell us its material.

**Recap.** Hieroglyphs were Egyptian writing signs. Papyrus was a plant-made writing material. Scribes were trained writers.

*Lesson, questions and flashcards written for this dataset about Egyptian writing, papyrus and scribes.*

## Practice

24 questions on this page, each with its working shown.

## Needs first

- [Vocabulary: ancient egypt](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/vocabulary-ancient-egypt-mt_szw1Ln490b)

## Optional connections

- [Knowing all letters](https://lightmysky.com/learn/english/knowing-all-letters-mt_frDIaXzWbx)
- [Everyday Life in Ancient Egypt](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/everyday-life-in-ancient-egypt-mt_P0HBNfp46z)

## Opens up

- [Scribes and the Rosetta Stone](https://lightmysky.com/learn/history/scribes-and-the-rosetta-stone-mt_V_kAitNbLN)