- The Rosetta Stone is a Stele written in three languages and holds the key to deciphering Egyptian Hieroglyphs. It was located in Memphis, Egypt, and raised by Ptolemy V in 196 BCE.
- It was discovered in 1799 CE by a French soldier in Napoleon’s army at Rashid (Rosetta) in the Nile Delta. It is now in the British Museum.
Decipherment of the Hieroglyphs
- The Stone holds a text, which is a Decree issued by Ptolemy V. Raised in 196 BCE in Memphis, Egypt.
- It is written in three languages:
- It was the key which enabled Frenchman Jean Francois Champollion to translate the Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphs. Hieroglyphics had been a ‘Lost’ language since circa 400 CE. It took him 20 years, with the translation published in 1822 CE.
- The Egyptian Hieroglyphic language had died out after Theodosius I passed the Edict of Thessalonica in 380 CE. This Edict banned all forms of religious worship in the Roman Empire, other than Nicene Christianity.
British Museum
- The Stele has been on display in the British Museum since 1802 CE, and is the most visited exhibit in the Museum.
Stones revealing ‘Lost’ languages
- Zanata Stone
- The Zanata Stone was found in Tenerife. It has writing in a script similar to Tifinagh, a Berber script still used today, dating to the 7th to 5th centuries BCE.
- Cippi of Melqart
- They are two marble pedestals with a dedication written in both Greek and Phoenician. It enabled archeologists to decipher the Phoenician language.
- Pyrgi Tablets
- Three gold leaves also written in Greek and Phoenician.
British Museum