Egyptian Math in Hieroglyphs

Egyptians wrote in hieroglyphs, a type of picture writing, and in hieratics, which were like a cursive form of hieroglyphs.

Hieroglyphs came first. They were carved in the stone walls of temples and tombs, written on monuments, and used to decorate furniture. But they were a nuisance for scribes, who simplified the pictures and slurred some lines together when they wrote in ink on paper-like papyrus. This hieratic writing — like some people’s cursive today — can be hard to read, so we are only using hieroglyphic numbers on this blog.

Download this page from my old newsletter, and try your hand at translating some Egyptian hieroglyphs:

• Hieroglyphic addition and subtraction (pdf 47KB)

Then try writing some hieroglyphic calculations of your own.

Edited to add: The answers to these puzzles (and more) are now posted here.

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Have more fun on Let’s Play Math! blog:

• The Secret of the Pharaoh’s Treasure, Part 1
• Alexandria Jones and the Thief in the Night
• Egyptian Math Puzzles
• The Secret of Egyptian Fractions
• Egyptian Geometry and Other Challenges