Rosetta Stone Influence

For 1,500 years, the world had lost the way to understand ancient Egyptian hieroglyphic scripts. Then, in 1799, a French soldier stumbled upon an artifact that sparked a race to read the forgotten words of the pharaohs. The Rosetta Stone was discovered in the ruins of the fort St. Julien, near the mouth of the Nile downriver from Rosetta. Renowned by the entire world, the Rosetta stone changed people’s lives because of its origins, how it influenced life today, and the battle of where it belongs.

Many people believe that the Rosetta Stone was found somewhere in the area of England because it now rests in the British Museum. They would be wrong. It was found near the Egyptian settlement of Rashid, a commercial port in the Nile Delta, which was

known to Europeans as Rosetta. According to Barbara Ramirez, Egyptologist and National Geographic writer, the French, fearing a possible British attack there, had a military detachment begin rebuilding an old Egyptian fortress known to them as Fort Saint Julien. On June 19, 1799, the soldiers discovered a block of granite 45 inches long and 28.5 inches wide. Its polished surface was inscribed with three different types of writing. The stone was sent to Cairo immediately. The text inscribed on the stone was divided into three separate parts: an upper section of 14 lines made up of hieroglyphs; in the center was 32 lines of cursive script representing the demotic or simplified form of ancient Egyptian; the lower part consisted of 54 lines in Greek, a language that had been used in Egypt since the Hellenistic period around 300 B.C. The first two were a mystery, so the scholars focused on reading the Greek. Later on, building on their findings a French orientalist, Jean-Francois Champollion, finally found the key to reading the hieroglyphs and unlocking Egypt’s ancient past (Ramirez).
Most people never think about how the Rosetta Stone has influenced their lives.

Some people do not even know what it is and what it made possible. The actual message of the stone was not that important, but the languages that it were presented were. Trustees of the British Museum claim that in itself, the Rosetta Stone is no more remarkable than the other stelae of its time. But its preservation helps us to understand Egypt's past as well as shifting powers during the Greco-Roman period when Egypt was ruled by the Macedonians, Ptolemies and the Romans. The pharaohs, of whom Cleopatra was the last, would be succeeded by Coptic Christians, Muslims, and Ottomans from 639 to 1517 A.D. Because the Rosetta Stone was inscribed in more than one language Champollion was able to decipher the secrets of the hieroglyphs. This helped to unlock the history of Egypt. Some people do not think that history is that important, let alone the history from a place so far away, but ancient Egypt was very influential around the world therefore influencing America. The Egyptians created many things and concepts that you can see everywhere you go such as architecture, astronomy, astrology, time, medicine, rule of law, and even paper (trustees). All of these have been influenced by the ancient Egyptians. If the Rosetta Stone had not been found, the language of hieroglyphs might still be a mystery to us, and so would Egypt’s past. Unlocking that time period has been more influential to life today than many people

realize.
The lives that were influenced the most by the Rosetta Stone were the Egyptians. Currently held by the British Museum, the Rosetta Stone's ownership is being disputed by Egypt. Cahal Milmo, chief reporter for The Independent, identifies Dr. Zahi Hawass in his article about whether or not the Stone was stolen. Dr. Hawass, the secretary general of Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities and the high priest of all matters archaeological in the Land of the Pharaohs, has embarked on an international campaign to secure the return of a host of renowned artifacts which he claims were plundered by colonial oppressors and assorted brigands from Egypt's ancient tombs and palaces before ending up in some of the world's most famous museums. He has been working to further his demand for the return of the Rosetta Stone from the display rooms of the British Museum, where it has been on show since 1802. Speaking in 2003, when his campaign began, Dr. Hawass said: "If the British want to be remembered, if they want to restore their reputation, they should volunteer to return the Rosetta Stone because it is the icon of our Egyptian identity." There are a few stories about how it fell into British hands. One version is that it was taken by a British colonel who carried it away on a gun carriage. Another version is that a British Egyptologist, Edward Clarke, was passed the stone in a Cairo back street by a French counterpart. Either way, there is little or no record of any consultation with the Egyptians. When the stone eventually arrived back in Britain, it bore an inscription painted in white: "Captured in Egypt by the British Army in 1801" (Milmo). Because of all these facts and because the stone was so necessary in understanding Egypt’s past, it should be returned to them. It is a sacred object found in Egypt and therefore should belong to the Egyptian people, no matter how the British got it.
Mistaken often of where it is from and where it belongs today, the Rosetta Stone has influenced life all around the world. This seemingly worthless piece of granite turned out to be one of the most important archeological find in the world. Unlocking the language of the ancient Egyptians it made it possible to understand Egypt's past. And while the message engraved on the stone itself was not really that important, what it did for the world was.