According to the Children's University of Manchester, the ancient Egyptians developed their writing system, made up of pictures and symbols called hieroglyphs, around 3000 BC. Studying Egyptian hieroglyphs is an excellent way to start a unit on ancient Egyptian history.
Teaching About Hieroglyphs With Worksheets
The worksheets below will help students learn some basic symbols and how they were used. Glyphs can be read either left to right or right to left and are lined up in rows. To see which direction to read the line, look at where the animal is facing. If the animal is facing left, start reading on the left and if the animal is facing right, start on the right.
Note that you can use Adobe to download these worksheets.
Write Your Name Using Hieroglyphs
This worksheet teaches students the symbols for the letters of the alphabet. Students will:
- Learn the symbol for each letter of the alphabet and "SH"
- Write their names
- Draw their names using the symbols listed at the top of the page
To add to the fun, have your student draw out all the names of family members, friends or teachers.
Tell a Story With Hieroglyphics
Ancient Egyptians created sacred carvings that told a story. Some stories were legends and some were simple tales of a life lived. This worksheet allows students to create stories using hieroglyphs. The student simply fills in the blanks to create a unique story.
- Seven basic symbols are presented:
- Water
- Eagle
- Weep
- House
- Man
- Storm
- Woman
- Five sentences are presented.
- The student fills in the blanks to complete the sentences.
Draw the Numbers
Ancient Egyptians also used symbols to represent numbers. These symbols could represent a small number or a large number. With this worksheet, students will learn the symbols for:
- 1
- 10
- 100
- 1,000
- 10,000
- 1,000,000
Students are also presented with a series of different numbers and a blank box. The student will fill in the box with the correct symbols to show that number.
Why Study Hieroglyphics
Understanding the symbols used by ancient Egyptians provides insight into their society. They used symbols at burial sites, to communicate and to leave behind a message for future generations. You never know; your child may grow so interested in these ancient symbols that he becomes an archeologist and discovers new carvings that have never been seen before.
