A character in the most ancient form of Egyptian writing (used from the fourth millennium B.C.E. through the fourth century C.E.). The hieroglyphic system is figurative, but it combines phonetic and ideographic values in order to transcribe several levels of language, whether phonetic or semantic. In this way, a hieroglyphic sign can have different functions according to its place within a single word. The primary function of the system is to establish individuality, especially with regard to the existing political power, and this explains the monumental character of hieroglyphic inscriptions. Hieroglyphs have to do with kings or with the sacred, and these signs have been simplified in order to function within a simpler system of writing (the hieratic system or the demotic one) – one used more commonly, or used for writing on supports that were less prestigious than stone, such as papyrus. The hieroglyphic system was deciphered in 1822 by Jean-François Champollion.