The Rosetta Stone

Egyptian hieroglyphics

The Rosetta Stone was found by a French captain in the Egyptian village of Rosetta on July 15, 1799. The stone tablet became the key to unlocking and translating Egyptian hieroglyphics. It's inscribed with a decree in three different languages: Egyptian hieroglyphic writing, Demotic scripts (another language of Egypt), and ancient Greek.

The Rosetta Stone

The stone found is a large piece of the original, which may have had ornate carving at the top in the style of other similar messages and likely resembled a symmetrical tablet shape. It is believed to have been carved during the Hellenistic Period (323 BC - 31 BC) and displayed at a temple, perhaps at nearby Sais. The stone itself is composed of granodiorite stele, and the multi-lingual carving made it the first such work to become translatable. It garnered much attention from the public as well as experts in the field.

British Museum

After sitting on display at the temple, it was moved from its original location at some point. Years later it became part of building construction at Fort Julien in the Nile delta area. It was here that Pierre-Francois Bouchard found it during Napoleon's campaign in Egypt. It later came into the hands of the English and today resides at the British Museum in London.

_____________________________