What is the term used for the pictographic writing system established in Egypt by 3500 BCE?

The term that refers to the pictographic writing system established in Egypt by 3500 BCE is hieroglyphs. This system was characterized by the use of symbols that represented objects, sounds, or concepts and was integral to the recording of history, religious texts, and administrative activities in ancient Egyptian society. Hieroglyphs combined logographic and alphabetic elements, allowing for both the representation of individual sounds and complete words or phrases.

Cuneiform is a distinct writing system that originated in ancient Mesopotamia and is not related to the Egyptian system. Logograms are characters representing words or phrases, a category that includes hieroglyphs but does not specifically identify the Egyptian writing system. Alphabetic scripts refer to systems that represent individual sounds rather than entire words or concepts, which does not apply to hieroglyphs as it primarily uses pictographic and logographic elements. Thus, the significance and historical context of hieroglyphs are critical to understanding their role in ancient Egypt.