Demotic | |
---|---|
Script type | Logographic
with consonants |
Time period | c. 650 BC – 5th century AD |
Direction | Right-to-left |
Languages | Egyptian language (Demotic) |
Related scripts | |
Parent systems | Egyptian hieroglyphs
|
Child systems | Meroitic, Coptic (influenced) |
ISO 15924 | |
ISO 15924 | Egyd (070), Egyptian demotic |
Demotic (from Ancient Greek: δημοτικός dēmotikós, 'popular') is the ancient Egyptian script derived from northern forms of hieratic used in the Nile Delta. The term was first used by the Greek historian Herodotus to distinguish it from hieratic and hieroglyphic scripts. By convention, the word "Demotic" is capitalized in order to distinguish it from demotic Greek.