The Rosetta Stone was crucial in helping us understand a long-forgotten hieroglyphic writing system.
After the stones were first discovered, it took many years for them to be deciphered.
The painting has currently been housed at the British Museum in London, England, since 1802, having been temporarily moved there for safety during World War I.
The Rosetta Stone allowed researchers to decipher the hieroglyphics, and Jean-François Champollion announced in 1822 that he had deciphered the message. (Han Yan/Xinhua via Getty Images, David Cliff/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, Ann Ronan Pictures/Print Collector/Getty Images)
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- Who discovered the Rosetta Stone?
- What is the Rosetta Stone and why is it important?
- What is the actual message written on the Rosetta Stone?
1. Who discovered the Rosetta Stone?
According to the British Museum, the Rosetta Stone was discovered in 1799 by soldiers of Napoleon Bonaparte during his campaign in Egypt.
The stone was found incorporated into an ancient wall near the town of Rashid (Rosetta).
According to History.com, the ancient stone became British property in 1801, when the British defeated the French.
The Rosetta Stone was first discovered in 1799. (AMIR MAKAR/AFP via Getty Images)
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The Rosetta Stone has remained British property ever since.
2. What is the Rosetta Stone and why is it important?
The Rosetta Stone is a broken portion of a larger stone slab. According to History.com, it measures 44 inches tall and 30 inches wide.
The Rosetta Stone contains the same text in different scripts, including Demotic, Hieroglyphic and Greek.
This stone is significant because it played a key role in helping scholars decipher Egyptian hieroglyphics.
The Rosetta Stone is currently housed in the British Museum in London, England. (Photo by Mike Kemp/via Getty Images)
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After the 4th century AD, the writing system fell out of use and was forgotten for many years, until it was understood through the deciphering of messages inscribed on ancient artefacts.
3. What was the actual message written on the Rosetta Stone?
Deciphering the message of the Rosetta Stone was a collaborative effort that took several scholars years to complete.
The first person to make significant progress in deciphering the Rosetta Stone was a British physicist named Thomas Young.
According to History.com, in 1814, Young determined that the hieroglyphics enclosed in an oval, known as a cartouche, were royal names.
Building on Young's work, French scholar Jean-François Champollion announced in 1822 that he had succeeded in deciphering the message.
Thomas Young played a key role in deciphering the Rosetta Stone. (Oxford Scientific Archive/Print Collector/Getty Images)
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According to the British Museum, the message on the stone is a decree about Ptolemy V Epiphanes, a Ptolemaic king of ancient Egypt, which was issued by a priestly council and states that “the priests of the temple of Memphis supported the king,” according to the museum.
According to Britannica, the decrees on the stone date back to 196 B.C. and detail many of his accomplishments, including lowering taxes and restoring peace to Egypt.
