The Origins and Impact of the Rosetta Stone
Kelsey Hanrahan
Background
Before the Rosetta Stone[1] was discovered and interpreted, there was very little understanding of the ancient Egyptian script that had been used for over 3,000 years, called hieroglyphics; when the Byzantine empire took over Egypt in the fourth century A.D., the use and understanding of hieroglyphics among peoples began to fade. There was simply no way to decipher the symbols, and so hieroglyphics were viewed as a “magical code” that would never be understood. Other ancient Greek scripts were hard to decipher at the time, as well.[2]
The Rosetta Stone can be dated back to approximately March 27th, 196 B.C.[3], during the Ptolemaic era. The script on the stone translates to a royal announcement commemorating the one-year reign of Ptolemy V. Because this was a royal proclamation, three different scripts all stating the same thing were required to be etched in the stone. One script was demotic script, which was a script used and understood by the average citizen. Another script was Greek, and this was used because this was the official writing of the royal court. The third script was used to appease the Gods, and this was hieroglyphics. [4]
Turning Point
In 1799, French armies were stationed in Egypt, and a few soldiers placed in a fort in Rosetta, near the Nile Delta, inadvertently discovered the Rosetta Stone. At that time, it was a large basalt slab with three distinctly different inscriptions on it. [5] After analyzing the slab, the French came to the realization that the three inscriptions may have been translations of one another. Therefore, due to the fact that one inscription was decipherable because it was written in Greek, translators would now be able to decipher the other two scripts: demotic script and hieroglyphics. After this understanding, the French sent the Rosetta Stone to Napoleon Bonaparte who then hired printers to come and make ink copies of the slab’s inscriptions. [6]
These copies were then sent to different renowned linguists in Europe to be deciphered. In 1802, Reverend Stephen Weston translated the Greek script which was then published by Johan Akerblad in 1803.[7] Jean-Francois Champollion translated the hieroglyphic text by comparing it to the already-understood Greek text.[8] He sent his decipherment and his understanding of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics in 1822 after translating the stone for 14 years. [9] In 1824, Champollion published his findings in the book Précis Du Système Hiéroglyphique des Anciens Egyptiens.[10]
Effect
The Rosetta Stone is one of the major factors in the beginnings of Egyptology, or the study of ancient Egypt. Egyptology is thought to have first begun in 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt.[11] Through his work, Champollion identified a 16-letter alphabet and common trends among hieroglyphic symbols that helped other linguists in their decipherment of additional hieroglyphic scriptures.[12] Ultimately, Champollion’s work led to a greater understanding of the ancient Egyptian language, grammar, and its culture. To be specific, for example, five different dialects of Egyptian language have been discovered following the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone. [13] Additionally, other works in Greek–such as the 4th century Hieroglyphika–were not decipherable until the translation of the Rosetta Stone. [14]
Furthermore, one could argue that because Champollion was credited with the monumental linguistic triumph of deciphering hieroglyphics for the first time in a modern era,[15] his interest for Egyptology was magnified. Specifically, this passion led to him becoming the curator of the Egyptian department at the Louvre museum, as well as his 1828-1829 excavation in Egypt in which Champollion deciphered numerous Egyptian artifacts.[16] Due to the fact that a top portion of the Rosetta Stone broke off at some point in time following its discovery, Egyptologists used additional scriptures portraying the same royal proclamation to understand the full meaning of the stone’s scripture. This then linked numerous ancient Egyptian artifacts together.[17]
[1] Bouchard, Pierre François Xavier. The Rosetta Stone. 196 BC.
[2] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17.
[3] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. 116.
[4] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17-18.
[5] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17.
[6] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17-19.
[7] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17-19.
[8] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. 116.
[9] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17-19.
[10] Champollion, Jean-François. Précis Du Système Hiéroglyphique des Anciens Egyptiens: Ou Recherches sur les Elemens Premiers de Cette Ecriture Sacrée, sur Leurs Diverses Combinaisons, et sur les Rapports de ce Système Avec les Autres Méthodes Graphiques Egyptiennes. 1824.
[11] Swanepoel, Natalie. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition: Archaeology. 2008. 165.
[12] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 19.
[13] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. 116.
[14] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17.
[15] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. 116.
[16] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times: Jean-François Champollion. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 69-70.
[17] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 19.
Bibliography
Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and
Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through
the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. Gale. Detroit. 115-118.
Bouchard, Pierre François Xavier. The Rosetta Stone. 196 BC. Fort St. Julien, el Rashid.
Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times: Jean-François Champollion. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899.
2000. Gale. Detroit. 69-70.
Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol.
5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. Gale. Detroit. 17-20.
Champollion, Jean-François. Précis Du Système Hiéroglyphique des Anciens Egyptiens: Ou
Recherches sur les Elemens Premiers de Cette Ecriture Sacrée, sur Leurs Diverses
Combinaisons, et sur les Rapports de ce Système Avec les Autres Méthodes Graphiques
Egyptiennes. 1824. Imprimerie Royale. Paris.
Swanepoel, Natalie. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition: Archaeology.
2008. Macmillan Reference USA. Detroit. 163-170.
Kelsey Hanrahan
Background
Before the Rosetta Stone[1] was discovered and interpreted, there was very little understanding of the ancient Egyptian script that had been used for over 3,000 years, called hieroglyphics; when the Byzantine empire took over Egypt in the fourth century A.D., the use and understanding of hieroglyphics among peoples began to fade. There was simply no way to decipher the symbols, and so hieroglyphics were viewed as a “magical code” that would never be understood. Other ancient Greek scripts were hard to decipher at the time, as well.[2]
The Rosetta Stone can be dated back to approximately March 27th, 196 B.C.[3], during the Ptolemaic era. The script on the stone translates to a royal announcement commemorating the one-year reign of Ptolemy V. Because this was a royal proclamation, three different scripts all stating the same thing were required to be etched in the stone. One script was demotic script, which was a script used and understood by the average citizen. Another script was Greek, and this was used because this was the official writing of the royal court. The third script was used to appease the Gods, and this was hieroglyphics. [4]
Turning Point
In 1799, French armies were stationed in Egypt, and a few soldiers placed in a fort in Rosetta, near the Nile Delta, inadvertently discovered the Rosetta Stone. At that time, it was a large basalt slab with three distinctly different inscriptions on it. [5] After analyzing the slab, the French came to the realization that the three inscriptions may have been translations of one another. Therefore, due to the fact that one inscription was decipherable because it was written in Greek, translators would now be able to decipher the other two scripts: demotic script and hieroglyphics. After this understanding, the French sent the Rosetta Stone to Napoleon Bonaparte who then hired printers to come and make ink copies of the slab’s inscriptions. [6]
These copies were then sent to different renowned linguists in Europe to be deciphered. In 1802, Reverend Stephen Weston translated the Greek script which was then published by Johan Akerblad in 1803.[7] Jean-Francois Champollion translated the hieroglyphic text by comparing it to the already-understood Greek text.[8] He sent his decipherment and his understanding of ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics in 1822 after translating the stone for 14 years. [9] In 1824, Champollion published his findings in the book Précis Du Système Hiéroglyphique des Anciens Egyptiens.[10]
Effect
The Rosetta Stone is one of the major factors in the beginnings of Egyptology, or the study of ancient Egypt. Egyptology is thought to have first begun in 1798, when Napoleon Bonaparte invaded Egypt.[11] Through his work, Champollion identified a 16-letter alphabet and common trends among hieroglyphic symbols that helped other linguists in their decipherment of additional hieroglyphic scriptures.[12] Ultimately, Champollion’s work led to a greater understanding of the ancient Egyptian language, grammar, and its culture. To be specific, for example, five different dialects of Egyptian language have been discovered following the decipherment of the Rosetta Stone. [13] Additionally, other works in Greek–such as the 4th century Hieroglyphika–were not decipherable until the translation of the Rosetta Stone. [14]
Furthermore, one could argue that because Champollion was credited with the monumental linguistic triumph of deciphering hieroglyphics for the first time in a modern era,[15] his interest for Egyptology was magnified. Specifically, this passion led to him becoming the curator of the Egyptian department at the Louvre museum, as well as his 1828-1829 excavation in Egypt in which Champollion deciphered numerous Egyptian artifacts.[16] Due to the fact that a top portion of the Rosetta Stone broke off at some point in time following its discovery, Egyptologists used additional scriptures portraying the same royal proclamation to understand the full meaning of the stone’s scripture. This then linked numerous ancient Egyptian artifacts together.[17]
[1] Bouchard, Pierre François Xavier. The Rosetta Stone. 196 BC.
[2] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17.
[3] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. 116.
[4] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17-18.
[5] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17.
[6] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17-19.
[7] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17-19.
[8] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. 116.
[9] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17-19.
[10] Champollion, Jean-François. Précis Du Système Hiéroglyphique des Anciens Egyptiens: Ou Recherches sur les Elemens Premiers de Cette Ecriture Sacrée, sur Leurs Diverses Combinaisons, et sur les Rapports de ce Système Avec les Autres Méthodes Graphiques Egyptiennes. 1824.
[11] Swanepoel, Natalie. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition: Archaeology. 2008. 165.
[12] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 19.
[13] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. 116.
[14] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 17.
[15] Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. 116.
[16] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times: Jean-François Champollion. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 69-70.
[17] Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. 19.
Bibliography
Ed. Bleiberg, Edward I; Evans James Allan; Figg, Kristen Mossler; Soergel, Philip M.; and
Friedman, John Block. Egyptian Writing and Language: Arts and Humanities Through
the Ages, Ancient Egypt 267-332 BCE. 2005. Gale. Detroit. 115-118.
Bouchard, Pierre François Xavier. The Rosetta Stone. 196 BC. Fort St. Julien, el Rashid.
Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times: Jean-François Champollion. Vol. 5: 1800 to 1899.
2000. Gale. Detroit. 69-70.
Calvo, Sherri Chasin. Science and Its Times. The Rosetta Stone: The Key to Ancient Egypt. Vol.
5: 1800 to 1899. 2000. Gale. Detroit. 17-20.
Champollion, Jean-François. Précis Du Système Hiéroglyphique des Anciens Egyptiens: Ou
Recherches sur les Elemens Premiers de Cette Ecriture Sacrée, sur Leurs Diverses
Combinaisons, et sur les Rapports de ce Système Avec les Autres Méthodes Graphiques
Egyptiennes. 1824. Imprimerie Royale. Paris.
Swanepoel, Natalie. International Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, 2nd Edition: Archaeology.
2008. Macmillan Reference USA. Detroit. 163-170.