Rosetta Stone
Item Ptolemaic Period

Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone is a granodiorite stele inscribed with three versions of a decree issued in Memphis, Egypt, in 196 BCE during the Ptolemaic dynasty. The decree appears in three scripts: Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic, and Ancient Greek. Discovery by French soldiers in 1799 and decipherment by Jean-Francois Champollion in 1822 unlocked the reading of Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Related Subjects

Civilization

Ancient Egypt

Dynastic civilization along the Nile from early unification through the Ptolemaic period.

Event Contemporary

Rosetta Stone Discovery

French soldiers discovered the Rosetta Stone near the town of Rosetta (Rashid) in July 1799 during Napoleon's Egyptian campaign. The trilingual decree would eventually become the key to deciphering Eg...

Place Old Kingdom

Great Pyramid of Giza

The Great Pyramid of Giza, an emblem of ancient Egypt, stands as the oldest and largest pyramid within the Giza pyramid complex. Constructed during the Old Kingdom era, it is a testament to the advanc...

Figure Old Kingdom

Khufu

Khufu succeeded his father, Sneferu, and ruled Egypt in the 26th century BCE. His reign is characterized by significant architectural achievements, including the construction of the Great Pyramid. Des...

Figure Ptolemaic Period

Cleopatra VII

Cleopatra VII Philopator was the last active ruler of the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. Born to King Ptolemy XII Auletes, she was a member of the Ptolemaic dynasty, a family of Macedonian Greek origin....

Figure Ptolemaic Period

Ptolemy I

After Alexander the Great's death in 323 BCE, Ptolemy seized Egypt and established himself as its ruler. He consolidated his power, founding the city of Alexandria, which became a major center of Hell...

Place Ancient

Egypt

Ancient Egypt was a civilization of ancient Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. This civilization emerged around 310...

Item Old Kingdom

Canopic Jars

Canopic jars were vital to the mummification process in ancient Egypt, used from the Old Kingdom through the Ptolemaic Period. These jars were designed to hold the liver, lungs, stomach, and intestine...

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Cited Sources

The Rosetta Stone

E.A. Wallis Budge · Book

Budge, E.A. Wallis. (1913). "The Rosetta Stone". British Museum. Available at: https://www.britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA24

Lettre a M. Dacier

Jean-Francois Champollion · Manuscript

Champollion, Jean-Francois. (1822). "Lettre a M. Dacier relative a l'alphabet des hieroglyphes phonetiques". Available at: https://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k1047030

"Library of Alexandria | Description, Facts, & Destruction". Available at: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Library-of-Alexandria

"What Happened to the Great Library of Alexandria? Learn What ...". Available at: https://mymodernmet.com/library-of-alexandria/

"The boring truth about the Library of Alexandria - YouTube". Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4WU8gqrgsQ

Decoding Hieroglyphics

Unknown author · Website

"Decoding Hieroglyphics". Available at: https://girlstart.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Decoding-Hieroglyphics.pdf

The Codes AI Can't Crack

Unknown author · Website

"The Codes AI Can't Crack". Available at: https://longnow.org/ideas/the-codes-ai-cant-crack/

"The Great Library of Alexandria: How Its Destruction Set Humanity ...". Available at: https://www.reddit.com/r/AlternativeHistory/comments/1ef3dmx/the_great_library_of_alexandria_how_its/

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