Hieratic
| Hieratic |
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Type |
Abjad with logographic elements
|
| Languages | Egyptian language |
|
Time period
|
Protodynastic Period–3rd century AD |
|
Parent systems
|
Egyptian hieroglyphs
|
|
Child systems
|
Demotic |
|
Sister systems
|
Cursive hieroglyphs |
| Direction | Right-to-left |
| ISO 15924 | Egyh, 060 |
| U+13000–U+1342F (unified with Egyptian hieroglyphs) | |
Demotic
→ Coptic
→ Meroitic
→ Old Nubian
Hieratic (Greek ἱερατικά hieratika; literally "priestly") is a cursive writing system used in the provenance of the pharaohs in Egypt and Nubia. It developed alongside cursive hieroglyphs, from which it is separate yet intimately related. It was primarily written in ink with a reed brush on papyrus, allowing scribes to write quickly without resorting to the time-consuming hieroglyphs.
In the 2nd century AD, the term hieratic was first used by Saint Clement of Alexandria. It derives from the Greek phrase γράμματα ἱερατικά (grammata hieratika; literally "priestly writing"), as at that time, hieratic was used only for religious texts, as had been the case for the previous eight and a half centuries.
Hieratic can also be an adjective meaning "[o]f or associated with sacred persons or offices; sacerdotal."
In the Proto-Dynastic Period of Egypt, hieratic first appeared and developed alongside the more formal hieroglyphic script. It is an error to view hieratic as a derivative of hieroglyphic writing. Indeed, the earliest texts from Egypt are produced with ink and brush, with no indication their signs are descendants of hieroglyphs. True monumental hieroglyphs carved in stone did not appear until the 1st Dynasty, well after hieratic had been established as a scribal practice. The two writing systems, therefore, are related, parallel developments, rather than a single linear one.
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Wikipedia