The term 'HIERATIC' is an adjective used to describe the writing style of ancient Egyptian priests. It is derived from the Greek word 'hieratikos', which means 'PRIESTLY'. HIERATIC was used by priests to record religious texts and other important documents. It was written in a cursive form of hieroglyphs, which were symbols used to represent words and ideas. HIERATIC was used until the end of the Ptolemaic period in 30 BC.