In other words, English speakers are still writing a permutation of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics — which all scholars can agree is mind-blowingly cool. This article originally appeared on PRI.org.

The alphabet was invented by illiterate Canaanite miners in ancient Egypt who turned elaborate hieroglyphs into basic letters 4,000 years ago, a study claimed. In 2006, Egyptologist Orly ...

Hands offering Aten writing tablets, ca. 1352–1336BC This piece was found in the Sanctuary of the Great Aten Temple. Aten's name is written inside the two oval shapes that you can see on the front.

Ancient Egypt in North Africa was one of the most powerful and influential civilizations in the region for over 3,000 years, from around 3100 B.C to 30 B.C.

YONGSHENG CHEN: Egyptian and Chinese writing are very comparable. When I started to learn Egyptian hieroglyphs, I could feel that. So many similarities. NARRATOR: And yet, writing hasn't always ...

In his controversial theory, Dr Douglas Petrovich claims Israelites in Egypt took 22 ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs and turned them into the original Hebrew alphabet - over 3,800 years ago.