Massive Egyptian Hieroglyphs

When Yale archaeologists explored Elkab, an ancient Egyptian city, they stumbled upon an incredible place. Called El-Khawy, it was discovered during a 2017 expedition. Nestled among its many rock engravings were the earliest monumental hieroglyphs. They belonged to a time when Egyptian script was still taking shape.

Carved around 5,200 years ago, they were a valuable glimpse into the creation of the unique hieroglyphic system. Already, scribes wrote from right to left, the same direction as the later established form.

But that was not what shocked the archaeologists. The individual symbolswere enormous. Single hieroglyphs stood over 0.5 meters (1.6 ft) tall compared to the 1–2 centimeters (0.4–0.8 in) of previously discovered writings. The symbols were not unknown, but they had never been found at this scale.