<P> Egyptian hieroglyphs ( / ˈhaɪrəˌɡlɪf , - roʊ - / ) were the formal writing system used in Ancient Egypt . It combined logographic , syllabic and alphabetic elements , with a total of some 1,000 distinct characters . Cursive hieroglyphs were used for religious literature on papyrus and wood . The later hieratic and demotic Egyptian scripts were derived from hieroglyphic writing ; Meroitic was a late derivation from demotic . </P>
what type of writing did ancient egypt use
Egyptian hieroglyphs