The god Khnemu 𓎸𓅓𓅱𓀭 _Meṭu_ “to speak” 𓌃𓂧𓅱𓀁 _Sat_ “daughter” 𓅭𓐴𓏏𓁐 _Kesh_ “Nubia” 𓎡𓐰𓈚𓈉 _Pennu_ “mouse” 𓊪𓐰𓈖𓏌𓅱𓄛 _Mȧu_ “cat” 𓏇𓇋𓅱𓄛 or 𓏇𓇋𓅱𓃠 _Qebḥ_ “libation” 𓈎𓃀𓎛𓈗 _Sma_ “to slay” 𓋴𓌳𓌪 _Merḥet_ “oil” 𓌻𓐰𓂋𓎛𓏏𓏊 _Ḥeqt_ “beer” 𓎛𓈎𓐰𓏏𓏊 Hieroglyphs are written in perpendicular or horizontal lines as in A and B. In these examples the words are to be read in the direction in which the birds face, _i.e._, from left to right. =A.= [Illustration: 𓇋𓂋𓃹𓈖𓈖𓎡𓅓𓊃𓏤𓐱𓀀 𓇋𓐱𓐷𓈎𓐰𓂋𓐸𓏛𓁹𓎡𓅭𓀀𓈖 𓋴𓌳𓄿𓅓𓆭𓐱𓏜𓊹[8]] =B.= [Illustration: 𓅱𓂋𓐰𓂞𓈖𓐰𓀀𓏏𓐱𓏐𓐰𔏇𓏥𓐰𓈖𓎛𓈎𓐰𓏏𓅪𓐰𓏥𓈗𓋔𓇋𓃀𓃚𓏭𓐰𓈗𓀁𓀀𓎛𓃀 𓋴𓅱𓋳𓏥𓐰𓈖𓇉𓄿𓐴𓏭𓅱𓋳𓀀𓅖𓄚𓐰𓈖𓊛𓃛𓐰𓏲𓐱𓏭𓊛𓀀[9]] The =writing materials= consisted of papyrus, palette, reed-pens, ink and ink-pot. =Papyrus= was made from the stem of the papyrus plant (_Cyperus Papyrus_), which grew in the marshes and pools near the Nile; it is no longer cultivated in Egypt, but is found in the Sûdân, where it grows to a height of from 20 to 25 ft., and has very thick stems. The exact meaning and derivation of “papyrus” are unknown, but the word is probably of Egyptian origin.[10] A sheet of papyrus was made in the following way: The stem was cut into thin strips, which were laid side by side perpendicularly, and upon these another series of strips was laid horizontally; a thin solution of gum, or paste, was run in between them, after which the sheet was pressed and dried. By joining a number of such sheets together rolls of almost any length could be made. The longest papyrus in the Egyptian Collection in the British Museum, No. 9999, is 135 ft. long and 1 ft. 5 in. wide; the Papyrus of Ani measures 78 ft. by 1 ft. 3 in.; the Papyrus of Nebseni, 76 ft. by 8¾ in.; the Papyrus of Nu, 65 ft. 6 in. by 1 ft. 1½ in.; the Papyrus of Nekht, 46 ft. 7 in. by 1 ft. 1½ in. [Illustration: Wooden palette inscribed with the name of Ȧāḥmes I, B.C. 1600. [No. 2, Table-case C, Third Egyptian Room.] Wooden palette of Rāmeri, an official of Thothmes IV, B.C. 1470. [No. 3, Table-case C, Third Egyptian Room.]]