Demotic script is an ancient Egyptian writing system that evolved around the 7th century BCE. It was used primarily for administrative, legal, and commercial documents, making it more practical than the earlier hieroglyphs. Demotic is characterized by its cursive style, which allowed for quicker writing on papyrus. This script was derived from the hieratic script, itself a simplified form of hieroglyphs. Demotic continued to be used until the 5th century CE, when it was gradually replaced by Coptic and other writing systems. It played a crucial role in the documentation of Egyptian culture and history.