You don't really mean "hyroglyphs," they are the "letters" in the picto-graphic writing the Egyptians used. They were stylized versions of actual pictures and had to follow the standards, just as our Roman alphabet does, so they can be read. It's like asking 'Why do we always show the letter "A" from the front and not the top?' Of course you are asking about Egyptian art. The reason for the twisted people ( the body is full view, the limbs and heads in profile) and animals, children looking like small adults, important people being larger than other people, unimportant people being way small, and other weird looking stuff is due to the purpose of the art. It wasn't for decorative purposes, which basically is what Western art is for, but for ritualistic religious and political purposes. Depicting stolid rulers who represented the solidity, power, and placidity of Egypt, or depicting the gods the way they had always been depicted, and the way the priests wanted it done. The strict Egyptian caste system was dominated by the priests, aside from the ritualistic purpose and look of the art, just as Western religious ritual and art have certain formulas that are generally followed if not as strictly enforced, the enforcement of the art style was also a way the priests could demonstrate their power, symbolically and practically. Jobs in the art biz, and all jobs for that matter, depended on keeping the priests happy. "You do it our way or you don't do it at all." Keeping the art in the same style demonstrated the longevity and continuity of Egypt, from the point of view of the priests,and demonstrating to the people, a result of the power that the priests had always had and therefor should continue to have. AND THEN...from 1380-1362 BC, at the height of the Egyptian empire, Amenhotep IV was Pharaoh. He started a new religion, replacing the polytheistic (many gods) with a monotheistic (one god) one. Aton-Ra, the sun was the new god, Amenhotep changed his name to "Akhenaton" , servant of Aton. This new religion wasn't due to some revelation but was due to more political reasons, Akhenaten declared that he was the sole spokesman of Aton-Ra. The priests were out of favor, out of power, and out of a job. He moved the capital from the religious center of Thebes with its priests to the new city Akhetaton which the priests were not allowed to enter. Of course the art style had to change to reflect and reinforce the change in power. This new style is known as Amarna Art, after the modern name for the site of the new capital,Tell el-Amarna, the figures represented are idealized,but the art as a whole is more light and naturalistic. Compare this pic of Akhenaten, with body in profile, ,pot belly and all, http://www.onepositive.com/new/images/articles/Akhenaton.jpg to this one of Ramses the Great, full view, broad shouldered, narrow waisted and all together manly http://217.160.164.65/teampointcom/ramses/ramses.htm (scroll down) And this statue of Akhenaten http://www.vagabonding.com/images/i032_akhenaten.jpg to this statue of Ramses http://www.pomexport.com/O%20-%20TC,%20Ramses/POC%20-%20TC_%20Ramses_2x.html (you'll hafta copy and paste that "link") There is speculation that Akhenaten's appearance is due to some genetic disease. Certainly in the old style art a Pharaoh would not be depicted in that way. The new style didn't last long, when Akhenaten died his son in law, Tutankhamen, moved the capital back to Thebes We do not know if King Tut was a monotheist and forced to move and or if his death at such a young age was due to the political conflict between the priests and Pharaoh or not, we do know that, the priests regained power and the art reverted to the old form. Oohh! oooh! check out this famous bust of Nefertiti, Akhenaten's Queen http://www.uribeer.com/images/Berlin%20Nefertiti.jpg Hubba Hubba! I'll Tell el-Amarna and everybody else that I'd sure take her home to meet my mummy!

well there like leters. if the face or foot faces left, you read them from left to right and vice versa.

Because Egyptian art tells a story of the interaction between people, daily lives and important events which are very difficult to depict if the protagonists are face on.

1) "The human figure is usually represented as seen from several angles, blended into a single form. The head, face and limbs are shown in profile, the eyes and shoulders frontally, while the trunk twists from a frontal view at the top to a profile position below. This was intended to combine the most lifelike aspects of each area of the body, but sometimes produced inaccuracies and blunders. " Source and further information: http://www.touregypt.net/historicalessays/lifeinEgypt4.htm 2) "The principal canon of ancient Egyptian art is that objects are to be represented or depicted from the angle of view where they are best defined. A face is best represented in profile (think of a silhouette) while the torso looks more defined in frontal view. The eye in a profiled face is depicted in front view. Hands and feet are drawn in profile, with legs extended when the figure is represented as walking. These artistic conventions were passed from generation to generation of artists, only to be broken briefly during the Amarna period, when the pharaoh Akhenaten asked his artists to relax the rules of posture and represent him and Nefertiti in a more human and gentler fashion. " Source and further information: http://www.all-about-egypt.com/ancient-egyptian-art.html