This History Kapow teacher video supports the delivery of lessons about the importance of writing in early civilizations, with a focus on ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics and the Rosetta Stone. Pupils learn how writing systems like Mesopotamian cuneiform, Maya glyphs and Egyptian hieroglyphics emerged to record laws, trade, religion and culture. The video introduces the Rosetta Stone as a crucial artefact in deciphering hieroglyphics, explaining how scholars like Thomas Young and Jean-François Champollion used the repeated texts in three scripts to unlock the ancient code. Pupils explore how writing evolved over time, the symbolic and phonetic nature of hieroglyphics, and the significance of cartouches in naming and protecting important figures.

This video is part of Kapow Primary’s History scheme of work – Egypt. It equips teachers to explain the development and decline of hieroglyphic writing, guide pupils in understanding how historians use artefacts like the Rosetta Stone to uncover lost knowledge, and identify cross-civilisational similarities in how writing supported early societies. Teachers will also be supported in addressing key misconceptions and encouraging historical enquiry by analysing primary sources and their impact on our understanding of the past.

History, Lower key stage 2, Year 3, *New* What was important to ancient Egyptians? Lesson 3: How do we know so much about ancient Egyptians?