Hieroglyphics are an ancient system of writing that uses small pictures and symbols instead of letters. The word comes from Greek words meaning “sacred carvings,” because the ancient Egyptians carved these symbols into temple walls and monuments. Each symbol, called a hieroglyph, might represent a sound, a word, or an idea. A picture of an owl meant the sound “m,” while a picture of a house meant the sound “pr” in the ancient Egyptian language.

Imagine trying to write a message using only emojis and tiny drawings: that gives you a sense of how hieroglyphics worked, though the Egyptian system was more complex. Egyptian scribes spent years learning thousands of different symbols. They wrote hieroglyphics on everything from massive stone monuments to sheets of papyrus (an early form of paper made from reeds).

For many centuries after ancient Egypt fell, most people could no longer read hieroglyphics. The knowledge had been lost. Then in 1799, soldiers discovered the Rosetta Stone, which had the same text written in three different scripts, including hieroglyphics and Greek. By comparing them, scholars finally cracked the code. Today we can read the stories, laws, and records the Egyptians left behind, all because scholars figured out their picture-writing system.

Other ancient civilizations, like the Maya, also used writing systems sometimes called hieroglyphics, though their symbols were completely different from ancient Egypt's.