What is the Rosetta Stone?

In 1799, during the French invasion of Egypt, a slab of black basalt was discovered in Rashid, a town also known as Rosetta. It bore inscriptions in three scripts—Egyptian hieroglyphs, Demotic Egyptian, and Ancient Greek—a combination that ultimately made the Rosetta Stone the key to deciphering the ancient Egyptian language.

Before the Rosetta Stone was deciphered in 1822, hieroglyphs were a mystery, and scholars had little understanding of the ancient Egyptians. Because Ancient Greek was a language they already understood, comparing the text in all three scripts made it possible to identify patterns and similarities that soon led to the unraveling or interpretation.

Jean-François Champollion made that major breakthrough when he discovered that hieroglyphs weren’t just pictures but represented sounds, marking a turning point in comprehension.

“So, what did it actually say?

“The inscription was marked 196 BCE. It honored the first anniversary of 13-year-old Pharaoh Ptolemy V’s coronation and outlined a series of benefits for the Egyptian priesthood. The inscriptions described laws for maintaining temples and performing rituals, like the burial of sacred animals.”

This TED-Ed lesson by Franziska Naether, directed by Tim Rauch, introduces the Rosetta Stone’s significance and history.

Today, many Egyptians and supporters of cultural heritage argue that the Rosetta Stone was unfairly seized and should be returned to Egypt. Via PBS NewsHour, The British Museum “said Egypt’s government has not submitted a request for its return.”

Learn more with What will The British Museum do with the stolen artifacts in their halls?

Then watch these hand-picked videos on TKSST:
• The ancient secrets revealed by deciphered cuneiform clay tablets
• Pictographs, cuneiform, and the history of writing, a Getty 2-Minute Time Machine
• How did they build the Great Pyramid of Giza?
• The Pyramids of Giza, a 2-hour (mostly) slow TV walking tour