| | |
| _ahe_, "stand" | [SGN] | [SGN] | [HRG] | _<h<_ |
| | | | | |
| _eine_, "carry" | [SGN] | [SGN] | [HRG] | _in_ |
| | | | | |
| _ms_ (phon.) | [SGN] | [SGN] | [HRG] | _ms_ |
| | | | | |
| _s_ (alph.) | [SGN] | [SGN] | [HRG] | _s_ |
| | | | | |
| _s_ (alph.) | [SGN] | [SGN] | [HRG] | _[/s]_ |
| | | | | |
| _m_ (alph.) | [SGN] | [SGN] | [HRG] | _m_ |
| | | | | |
| _n_ (alph.) | [SGN] | [SGN] | [HRG] | _n_ |
+---------------------+----------+-----------+---------------+---------------------+

The early scribe's outfit, often carried slung over his shoulder, is
seen in the hieroglyph [HRG]. It consisted of frayed reed pens or
brushes, a small pot of water, and a palette with two circular
cavities in which black and red ink were placed, made of finely
powdered colour solidified with gum. In business and literary
documents red ink was used for contrast, especially in headings; in
demotic, however, it is very rarely seen. The pen became finer in
course of time, enabling the scribe to write very small. The split
reed of the Greek penman was occasionally adopted by the late demotic
scribes.

Egypt had long been bilingual when, in papyri of the 2nd century A.D.,
we begin to find transcripts of the Egyptian language into Greek
letters, the latter reinforced by a few signs borrowed from the
demotic alphabet: so written we have a magical text and a horoscope,
probably made by foreigners or for their use. The infinite superiority
of the Greek alphabet with its full notation of vowels was readily
seen, but piety and custom as yet barred the way to its full adoption.
The triumph of Christianity banished the old system