Jean François Champollion: Deciphering Ancient Egypt with the Rosetta Stone

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Arguably one of the most important discoveries made regarding the historical and cultural study of ancient Egypt is the translation of the writing form known as hieroglyphics. This language, lost for thousands of years, formed a tantalizing challenge to a young Jean François who committed his life to its translation. Scholars such as Sylvestre de Sacy had attempted to translate the Rosetta Stone before Champollion, but after painstaking and unfruitful work, they abandoned it (Giblin 32). Champollion’s breakthrough with hieroglyphics on the Rosetta Stone opened up new possibilities to study and understand ancient Egypt like never before, and modern Egyptology was born.

The Rosetta Stone was found in the town of Rosetta and sent to French scholars in Alexandria during the summer of 1799 (Giblin 23). This black, measuring 112 by 76 stone found while the soldiers in the town were destroying a citadel was unprecedented because it had three different languages on it, the only understood one being Greek (Silet 1). The three languages on the stone were, as stated, Greek, the common Egyptian demotic, and 14 lines of hieroglyphics (Giblin 27). Scholars familiar with the Greek language and writing system were able to translate that section, and the final sentence revealed a fact that set the groundwork for future translations of the other parts. The final line reads: “This decree shall be inscribed on a stela of hard stone in sacred and native and Greek characters” (Giblin 27). It came to be understood that the three sections all contained the same message, and scholars promptly set to work on the translations.

One of the first to work with the copies made from the stone (the British had taken the stone during their war with the French) w...

... middle of paper ...

...and historical scholars. Although the Rosetta Stone remains in London, France triumphantly stands out as the country responsible for the man who made its translation and the rejuvenation of Egyptology possible.

Works Cited

1. Giblin, James. The Riddle of the Rosetta Stone. New York: Harper Trophy, 1990. Print

2. Meyerson, Daniel. The Linguist and the Emperor: Napoleon and Champollion’s Quest to Decipher the Rosetta Stone Westminster, MD: Ballantine Books, 2004. Web.

3. Robinson, Andrew. “The Code Breaker’s Secret Diaries: Rediscovering Ancient Egypt.” History Today 60.1 (2010): 57-58. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

4. Silet, Charles L.P. “The Rosetta Stone and the Rebirth of Ancient Egypt.” Magill Book Review (2007). Web 15 Feb. 2012.

5. Champollion: Egyptian Hieroglyphics Deciphered: A Film. Dir. Jean Vidal. Magic Films and International Film Bureau, 1979. VHS.

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