Hieroglyphs were signs devised c. 3000BC and were used for formal inscriptions in ancient Egypt. Hieroglyphs were called by the Egyptians “the words of the God” and were mainly used by priests. Hieroglyphs are written in rows or columns and can be read from left to right or right to left. You can distinguish the direction in which the text is to be read because the human or animal figures always face towards the beginning of the line. Also the upper symbols are read before the lower.

The Egyptian hieroglyphic ruler is plastic and measures 30cm long. It shows measurements in both inches and centimetres. On the front of the ruler is the Egyptian hieroglyphic alphabet. On the reverse is the history of hieroglyphs together with a timeline of the ancient Egyptians.