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Ancient Egyptian "billboard" could rewrite history of hieroglyphs

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Archaeologists from Yale and the Royal Museums of Art and History in Belgium have discovered an ancient Egyptian "billboard" that might turn back the clock on when the hieroglyphic writing system was thought to be introduced to the general population. The huge inscriptions date back to about 3,250 BCE, and show a form of writing that was thought to only be used by the ruling class at that time.

The new writings were discovered on a hill in the desert of Elkab, which was a bustling area in ancient Egypt. While the hieroglyphs were widely known from tokens and labels at the time, it was thought that the written symbols were mostly used for bureaucratic purposes. But here they were, scrawled across a rock face along a well-traveled route like a road sign, indicating that the general public may have had access to writing earlier than previously thought.

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