Image gallery for: A pictogram is an ideogram that conveys its meaning through its pictorial resemblance to a physical object egyptian hieroglyphs were the formal writing system used in ancient egypt it combined logographic syllabic and alphabetic elements with a total of some 1 000 distinct characters the phoenician alphabet called by convention the proto canaanite alphabet for inscriptions older than around 1050 bc is the oldest verified alphabet the phoenician alphabet is derived from egyptian hieroglyphs the greek alphabet has been used to write the greek language since the late 9th century bc or ea stock photo alamy