Can you crack the code? 

For centuries, life in ancient Egypt was steeped in mystery. We could only glimpse into this hidden world until the discovery of the Rosetta Stone provided the key to decoding hieroglyphs, allowing us to read this ancient script. The breakthrough expanded our understanding of human history by some 3,000 years. To celebrate this incredible time in history – and the new exhibition Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt – the British Museum joined forces with children's publisher Nosy Crow to create this wonderfully immersive puzzle storybook, written by Blue Peter award-winning author Andy Seed and sumptuously illustrated in colour by highly acclaimed artist James Weston Lewis.

In The Curse of the Tomb Robbers join ancient Egyptian friends, Nub and Iteti, as they they set off on a quest to stop a gang of robbers from raiding Queen Neith's tomb. The book features brilliant artwork, fun puzzles to solve, fascinating facts about ancient Egypt and an easy-to-use hieroglyphs dictionary. Curious minds will love taking part in this interactive, hair-raising adventure story.
 

Nub is an apprentice scribe who has been learning how to read and write in hieroglyphs since he was just five years old. As an orphan, he both lives and studies at his scribe school. His favourite thing to do when he has time off from lessons is explore the city and the land around it, with his friend Iteti, in search of adventure. 

Iteti is the daughter of a vizier (an important official who advises the pharaoh). She lives in a grand house close to the pharaoh's palace, where she is supposed to be learning how to take care of running her home. Her favourite thing to do when she can escape her servants' watchful gaze is to learn how to read and write in hieroglyphs, with the help of Nub. 

Be part of Nub and Iteti's thrilling adventure with the Picture Language Code-Breaker Challenge, where you can use the hieroglyph charts and decoder key to unravel the mysterious messages below. You can even create your own secret message to share with friends!

Beginner level: 

Ultimate code breaker: 

You can find the answers at the bottom of the page. 

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You can discover more about the race to understand hieroglyphs in the exhibition Hieroglyphs: unlocking ancient Egypt, which runs until 19 February.

Supported by bp
 

Beginner level: sycamore.

Ultimate code breaker: falcon collar, bracelets, rings, with.