'Late Egyptian' is the stage of the
Egyptian language that began to be written in the
New Kingdom around the
Amarna period. It is represented by a large body of religious and secular literature, comprising examples such as the
Story of Wenamun and the Instructions of Ani. ''Instructions'' became a popular literary genre of the New Kingdom, which took the form of advice on proper behavior. It was also the language of
Ramesside administration. Late Egyptian is not completely distinct from Middle Egyptian, as many "classicisms" appear in historical and literary documents of this phase. However, the difference between Middle and Late Egyptian is greater than that between Middle and Old Egyptian. It is also a better representative than Middle Egyptian of the spoken language in the New Kingdom and beyond.
Hieroglyphic orthography saw an enormous expansion of its
graphemic inventory between the
Late Dynastic and
Ptolemaic periods.