Children did not learn from books, but from their parents or the elders in their village. In ancient Egypt, a picture-based method of recording information was created called hieroglyphics . 24 pictures represent a single sound, and othere are for syllables of two or more letters. Hieroglyphics were written mainly from right to left on papyrus paper. They can be also be found written left to right and up and down on walls and monuments.
Hieroglyphics are as much an artform as a means of expressing ideas and information.
For hundreds of years visitors to Egypt would admire the ancient writings, though no one knew what they meant. In 1798, Napoleon's army came to conquer Egypt. In 1821, after studying the Rosetta Stone for fourteen years, a young Frenchman named Jean-Francois Champollion finally broke the code and could read all three of the ancient writings. Because of his hard work, today everyone can finally understand what the ancient Egyptians wrote.