A Brief Look At The Rosetta Stone

The Rosetta Stone, an ancient slab of black basalt, seems unimportant behind glass in its new home. When inspected, multiple inscriptions can be seen, three different sections. The biggest mystery was the Egyptian hieroglyphs, the unknown language. However, this mysterious riddle stone was the key to unlocking ancient Egypt's history.

The riddle of the Rosetta Stone was not discovered until 1799, by then the sacred carving's meaning had been forgotten. Discovered in a ruined wall, the Rosetta Stone became one of history's greatest treasures. This riddle began during a french excavation when soldiers pulled the stone from a wall. The stone was named after the city of Rosetta where the slab had been found near. Sadly the French were not able to hold onto this treasure for two years later it was taken. James Cross Giblin includes text that gives us insight to how important the war between the French and British was in the Rosetta Stone's history, " Besieged and outnumbered, the French were finally forced to surrender to the British in September 1801. As part of the settlement, the British ordered the scholars to hand over
their treasure"(Giblin, James. The riddle of the Rosetta Stone: key to ancient Egypt. HarperTrophy, 1990). This quote is an example of the adventures the Rosetta Stone may have gone through to get to where it is today. Fortunately for the French scholars they had made clear impressions of the hieroglyphs to study more closely, these were sent to France for many scholars to study.

Through the Rosetta Stone's history many scholars tried and failed in understanding its infamous mystery.
However, very few scholars made small advances in understanding how the hieroglyphs were to be understood. One scholar by the name of C.J. Guignes had observed that many of the hieroglyphs were contained in an oval. He named the certain oval a cartouche, or a cartridge. An idea presented in the text, " Guignes guessed rightly that the cartouches in hieroglyphic inscriptions were intended to draw attention to important names, probably the names of Egyptian rulers "(Giblin, James. The riddle of the Rosetta Stone: key to ancient Egypt. HarperTrophy, 1990). Even with this important insight, Guignes's other ideas were not even close to the truth behind the hieroglyphs. After centuries of confusion eventually one scholar proved his
worth.

Finally, after centuries of mystery, one scholar understood the riddle. In 1824 a scholar, by the name of Champollion, published a ground breaking book about the ancient hierglyphs. In the Riddle of the Rosetta Stone part of his findings are included, for example," sybolical and phonetic in the same text, the same phrase, the same word "(Giblin, James. The riddle of the Rosetta Stone: key to ancient Egypt. HarperTrophy, 1990). Champollion had written about the reasons behind the complex system of hieroglyphs. However, he had not come to this conclusion instantly. James Cross Giblin gives an insight into Champollion's struggle in Riddle of the Rosetta stone, " All his painstaking and often frustrating attempts at deciphering had been rewarding "(Giblin, James. The riddle of the Rosetta Stone: key to ancient Egypt. HarperTrophy, 1990). A single scholar had finally completed the full puzzle. Champollion was a true success in the Rosetta Stone's history due to his persistence in understanding the complex system of hieroglyphs.

The Rosetta Stone's history is more than just how it was discovered. Its history is full of the failure and success of the scholars who's lives were dedicated to the infamous riddle. The key to ancient Egypt's literature, beliefs, and history had finally been understood.