A hieroglyphic inscription can be expressed by a sound either syllabically or alphabetically. Examples of syllabically expressed hieroglyphs include the glyphs pictured above: a picture of a feather represents syllabically the Egyptian word ma’at, which means “truth” or “justice;” a picture of a beetle represents syllabically the Egyptian word kheper, which means “to exist” or “to become.” A hieroglyph that has alphabetical value is best illustrated with the Ancient Egyptian alphabet, where a selected group of glyphs represent one letter-