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What were the Medu Netcher?
"Medu Netcher" was the term ancient egyptians used to refer to the sacred (divine) words and writing system that were given to them by the gods (known as netcheru).
Nowadays there are several ways to write these term: "Medu Neter", "Medu Netjer", "Neter Metu" or any other possible phonetic variant. Nevertheless, we commonly refer to them as "hieroglyphics".
The Medu Netcher system was invented around 3200 BCE (during the Predynastic era). The first record of any hieroglyphic remains in Egypt, were found in the tomb of U-j at the Umm el Qaab necropolis (near Abydos), for a king known as Scorpion I. They were in use until the 24th of August 394 AD, when the last known hieroglyphic text was inscribed on Hadrian's Gate at Philae Temple.
The writing system of Medu Netcher included over 8000 hieroglyphic signs throughout its history. However, during the Old Kingdom (Dynasties III - IV) only around 750 icons were documented.
What is the Medu Netcher catalogue?
Medu Netcher was conceived as a web-oriented catalogue for ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic writing. The objective is to harness the power of the offline word processors (such as JSesh) and make their facilities available on a mobile phone while travelling in Egypt or to any museum with an internet connection.
The project developed rapidly. The catalogue ended up being the basis of a huge application, with lots of additional powerful tools.