Coptic	Last phase of the Ancient Egyptian language, used in Christian Egypt and written in a version of the Greek alphabet
Cursive	Joined-up abbreviated scripts
Demotic	Highly cursive form of Ancient Egyptian script used from the 7th century BC; also the language written in this script
Gesso	Plaster smoothed over the surface of other materials to provide a medium for additional decoration
Glazed composition	A ware made from powdered quartz coated with a composition vitreous alkaline glaze ­ often called faience
Hieratic	Cursive form of hieroglyphic script designed to be written with pens
Papyrus	Writing surface similarto paper made from the reed cyperus papyrus
Pharaonic period	Historical era beginning with the unification of Egypt about 3100 BC under a single pharaoh down to the last native Egyptian ruler Nectanebo II in the 4th century BC
Phonetic signs	Signs that record the sounds of a language in writing
Relief	Method of moulding, carving or stamping a design so that it stands out from the surface
Shabti	Mummiform figurines placed in tombs to carry out the hard agricultural labour that might be required of their owner in the Otherworld
Stela	Slab-like inscribed monument set up in a tomb or temple